Chapter 6: Questions

A cluster of stars begin to appear in the quickly darkening sky. Some of the party guests are turning multiple ways on the street and walking in different directions. Others are staying put and passing hushed whispers back and forth. A tall, skinny skeleton appears over the small hill at the end of the street, rushing towards the house with a piping hot plate of spaghetti in his right hand.

"I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE BROUGH A FRESH PLATE OF SPAGHETTI FOR THE HUMAN", he exclaims. As he runs up to his older brother's home, a series of flashing red and blue lights blares into his eyes. Blinking, he steps backward and rubs his eye sockets. He squints and notices the multitude of both humans and monsters lining the front lawn. He places his free hand on his hip, smiles widely, and tilts his head. "OUTDOOR PARTY? GREAT IDEA!"

Papyrus marches up to the house, and looks around. Many citizens seem to be blocking the way of the front door, and he dodges left and right, looking towards the entrance to the house and bobs his skull up and down. "I WILL FIND A WAY TO ENTER MY BROTHER'S HOME. THE HUMAN WILL LOVE THIS DISH, AS ALWAYS."

As he takes one step closer to the house, his hipbone and femur brush up against an elderly turtle monster. The turtle monster turns to face Papyrus, scratches the back of his shell, and looks slowly up at him, with his voice grimly erupting from his mouth. "Oh, there you are Papyrus. Do you understand what's going on?"

Papyrus' eyes light up and he leans in towards the turtle. "IS IT AN OUTDOOR PARTY, GERSON?!"

Gerson shakes his head slowly and clenches his fists onto the top of his cane. "I'm afraid you're wrong. Observe the police tape." Gerson raises a limb towards the front of the house, and Papyrus's eye sockets widen. Bright yellow police tape stretches across the premises, with a few police officers walking around muttering to each other.

Papyrus' skull, despite lacking pores, begins to sweat. He looks around quickly, as two teenage monsters walk up to Gerson and begin rubbing their hands together. The taller one is Bratty, while the shorter one is Catty. Muffet and So Sorry walk up beside them, joining in the expanding circle.

Bratty starts. "Things got soooooo crazy, Papy!"

Catty bobbles her head rapidly. "Yeah, like…OMG, very crazy! I hope Azzy's ok…"

Papyrus' eye sockets widen. "ASGORE JUNIOR? I CANNOT BELIEVE IT!"

Bratty and Catty call out at the same time. "OMG YES…well, no. Well, we mean that it was Asriel who got hurt!"

Papyrus begins to tap his foot quickly as So Sorry walks in closer to Papyrus while pressing his pointer fingers together. "I'm glad you weren't here to see it…so sorry if you take offense, but things were scary."

Papyrus leans down towards So Sorry and raises his voice more than usual. "TELL ME MORE!"

So Sorry takes a step back and his voice quivers slightly. "Asriel got cut…on his chest. Frisk texted me and a bunch of the other party goers earlier about what happened."

Before he can continue, Muffet jumps into the conversational fray and punches her many tiny fists together. "He looked like a spider hater!"

As her fangs twitch, So Sorry rubs the back of his head and opens up his hands in Papyrus' direction. "Uh, sure…Sans and Alphys had to rush him to the hospital so he would hopefully stop bleeding dust. We're not sure if he's alright or not."

Bratty and Catty clench their fists together, and a couple tears well up in their eyes. A bright, white bunny shopkeeper with a petite hat joins the circle, along with Burgerpants, fast food service extraordinaire. "We didn't see the attack", the shopkeeper says. "All we know is what occurred during the aftermath and where the perpetrator probably ran off to."

Burgerpants nods and then slowly and drearily at the house. "It happened right behind there. I bet that Frisk and Asriel got attacked in the backyard; that's why the unwholesome dude so easily ducked and bailed into the forest."

The circle continues to expand as the two guards now join Papyrus and friends. The first guard strokes the chin area of their armor. "When he was brought out, there was SO MUCH TENSION that it ended the party mood, my dude."

Guard 2 raises an armored pointer and beats their foot into the ground. "Yeah, like…SO MUCH tension. Things got really bad, man."

Papyrus shakes his head, and then looks around the circle, shouting out to all of the party goers that are within sigh. "YOU MUST KNOW MORE!"

Papyrus scratches his skull again, and while he's still wearing a smile, the corners of his jaw bone crease and crack slightly. Monster Kid jumps into the center of the circle, with Papyrus, and raises his little voice at an allegro speed. "Well after he was found, Undyne took charge! I'm sure things will get better now."

Papyrus' eyes continue to dance shakily, and Gerson nods at Papyrus. He gestures to the skeleton, and Papyrus leans down slowly. He places a hand on Papyrus' shoulder, and gently rubs it. "Undyne escorted the King, Queen, and Ambassador to Ebott General Hospital as well. I'm sure your brother and Dr. Alphys are still present at the hospital as well."

Papyrus slightly turns his head to see Mettaton gesturing loudly and dancing around the police officers standing in the driveway. His metal body jolts back and forth as he reports the incident. "She had such fire in her eyes, that Undyne did."

Papyrus' jaw clenches more harshly, and he places his hand on the back of his head and scratches it quickly. "BUT GERSON, DO YOU KNOW WHO ACCOSTED THE PARTY?!" His voice trembles and breaks and he coughs, clears his throat, and then stands up straight again. "WHAT DID THEY LOOK LIKE?! DID YOU GET A GLIMPSE?!"

Everyone in the circle looks down and whispers die out immediately. Catty scratches her arm quickly, while Burgerpants sighs and pulls out a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it. He puffs smoke into the air and leans in towards Bratty and whispers to her. "Dang, this is heavy. The town has their work cut out for them."

Papyrus throws his arms in the air. "NYEH", he exclaims. His eye sockets burn into the grass as he drops his plate of spaghetti onto the ground. The sauce soaks into the earth and the steam floats slowly into the air. Some of the outer layers begin to dissipate, as Blooky the ghost floats towards the center of the circle. He looks up over a few shoulders and gently calls out to Papyrus. "Uh, hey Papyrus…if it makes ya feel any better, I remember a few details about them."

Monster Kid takes a few paces to walk towards Blooky, and he excitedly looks up at Blooky. "Golly, you do?!"

Blooky lowers his countenance, staring firmly at the ground. "Yes, well…I saw yellow and green stripes…same attire as Asriel wears."

Blooky shakes his head. Gerson strokes his bright white beard while staring gently at Blooky. "Interesting. It's also the same attire Chara wore before she passed on. We'd best make sure that we give the police this information as well. What else were they wearing? Were they monster or human?"

Blooky looks left and right, up and down, and then floats forward a little further. "The mask had some paint marks on it…human or monster, I don't know. They could've been either race…I also saw that they had a sharp, shining vegetable knife." The crowd gasps slightly, and then Blooky gestures his head in the southeast direction. "Right before their figure got obstructed by trees, they ran in that direction into the woods. You can see it in-between the houses."

Bratty and Catty grab each others' hands in frightfulness and lean in towards Blooky, from the other side of the circle. Bratty quips first, saying "ohmigosh, did you like…tell the police any of this yet?"

"Yeah, like, did you tell them", Catty inquires.

Blooky gloomily looks at the ground and shakes his head. "What police…I saw all this from the attic the whole time."

Mettaton struts over to the group and pats Blooky on the head. Blooky blushes. "Darling, the police are everywhere right now! You should go tell them what you saw."

Mettaton poses passionately, and Blooky nods slowly. "Ok…I just hope they don't interrogate me…I don't do well under pressure."

Mettaton chuckles and points at the front door of the house. "Just make your story known. All will be well."

Blooky floats into the house, scouting out the police lead heading up the investigation. The circle closes in slightly, with the rest of the monsters jumping back into the conversation. "Well, I hope they find out who did it", the shopkeeper says, with a twinge of pain in her voice.

Burgerpants closes his eyes, and breathes out another puff of smoke into the air. "And why they did it, or tried to do it", he retorts.

The first guard begins rubbing the metal gloves they are wearing together, and they walk forward. "Wait a minute, do you think Frisk, like, knows them?"

The second guard shoots their vision in the direction of the first. "Dude, I know! I think I heard Asriel scream 'Frisk, watch out!' I think it's totally possible."

Gerson nods slowly, then looks at Monster Kid and smiles at the young, lizard-like monster. Monster Kid's little face beams, and he runs into the house, grabs a stool, and brings it out to Gerson. Gerson's face relaxes as he sits on the stool. "Thank you, Monster Kid. You are learning well and are very considerate."

Monster Kid smiles widely, showing his two buck-teeth. Gerson then strokes his chin and beard slowly as he leans forward slightly on the stool. "So, the attacker was wearing a mask and had the same attire as Asriel. Their target was most likely Frisk, but Asriel was hurt instead while Frisk is left unscathed. They darted into the woods after the attempted murder, and their weapon of choice was a vegetable knife. They were last seen running to the southeast in the woods, and we are not sure if they're a monster or a human."

The second guard scratches their helmet profusely. "But dude, what if they're like…just crazy, ya know? Like, they had no motive? Then it'll be harder to track them and make a profile for them! At least, I think so."

Monster Kid narrows his eyes and steps forward forcefully. "What matters is that we need to protect Frisk, our hero!"

The shopkeeper clicks her tongue. "And his older brother, too. He could get caught in the crossfire yet again if the perpetrator returns.

Gerson nods and clears his throat. "I understand the concern, but I don't think the target is any of you, nor Asriel."

As the guards begin talking to each other quietly and compliment each other on being each other's hero, Monster Kid and Muffet begin to shudder at the same time. Monster Kid speaks first. "Mr. Gerson, what about the knife?!"

Burgerpants looks at his watch, and then looks at the sky. "Dang, I can't get turned to dust. I have a full shift tomorrow."

Gerson grumbles and raises his voice. "You're missing the point." The crowd silences once more. Papyrus finally stops staring at the ground, and he is the last to look up at Gerson.

Gerson rubs his kneecaps. He then folds his hands gently and speaks. "I've seen a lot of things in my day, and I understand how things look right now." He takes a deep breath, and then continues. "But, as long as our group, the police, or both come up with a plan to protect our beloved ambassador and his family...things will be fine. And, even if things get worse, we can at least say we tried."

The crowd nods, and Monster Kid walks up, bending his head and trembling.

"But Mr. Gerson…what if Azzy, um…you know…dies? Didn't you say there was a time when he passed away before? You've talked about the Dreemurrs before and stuff. You said you were there for it, right?"

Monster Kid's head droops further, and Gerson gently rubs the top of Monster Kid's head. "We won't lose Asriel again. Both his parents and I were eye-witnesses, and his injuries back then were a little more serious than now. Along with that, he's older, stronger, and more DETERMINED than he was during the early days of the barrier era. His soul is linked to Frisk's soul, which is the soul of DETERMINATION incarnate, too. Rest assured…Asriel will survive; it wouldn't surprise me if he's recovering smoothly as we speak."

Gerson stands up again, leaning on his cane, and focuses his sight on the group with a brisk snap of his head. "Is everyone now caught up to speed?"

The group's looks go from mixed to confident, and all of them raise their fists at once. "YES!"

Gerson smiles widely, while his soft eyes dilate. "Very well, everyone."

The group begins to disperse. The circle lessens and lessens until only Papyrus, Gerson, Burgerpants, Bratty, Catty, and Blooky, who is returning from Sans' house, remain. Blooky nods at Gerson, and Gerson nods back. "My dear Napstablook, what happened?"

"The police...they did not question me...", Blooky says. "But they did say...we should stay safe and alert since this armed suspect is very dangerous, of course...I asked them...if we could hide, maybe… I figured it was a logical question."

Papyrus' skull quakes. "HOW SHOULD WE HIDE?! THE ATTEMPTED MURDERER COULD BE ANYWHERE!"

Blooky's slightly trembling eyes scan around the neighborhood. "Um…they said to stay in your homes for the next few days, unless you need to run out for essential supplies…after a few days, they'll be prepared enough to the point where they'll patrol the town of Ebott enough where they can keep many safer…we may lack an abundance of murder cases, such as Chicago to the east…but things are certainly more dangerous up here than compared to when we lived in the Underground…they told me to only travel in broad daylight."

Bratty taps her long fingernails together and curls her crocodile tail towards the back of her skinny frame. "But, like, is it safe for us to split up and go off by ourselves?"

Catty nods quickly. "Yeah, like…wait, OMG, Bratty are you saying we're no longer BFFs?!"

Bratty quickly swipes her hands in front of her and frantically looks up and down Catty's frame. "No, no, ohmigosh no Catty! I meant, like…how should we hide?!"

Burgerpants sighs and checks his watch again. "Yeah, we should hide. It is getting late, you know."

Bratty rolls her eyes. "Ugh, that's what I was saying! Thanks for nothing, Burgerdork."

Gerson turns towards Bratty and Burgerpants and raises his voice slightly. "Everyone, please stop arguing. This is not the time. As our ghostly friend and the police have instructed, we should obey the curfew. For the first few days, perhaps hide away in your homes and then venture out again once the police lift the curfew. And, after the dust has settled and the police have set up a detective inspection plan, we will have more ability to travel alone and go around town in general." Gerson walks back and forth, passing past each member of the group, and stares at each one intently. "Any more questions?"

Burgerpants looks at his watch once more, and scratches his head. "Can we go now? I gotta get to bed early so I can survive the daily grind."

Gerson nods at the group, then turns back towards the house, facing away from all of them. "Yes, you may go. Stay safe everyone and don't lose hope."

The monsters look at each other, nod in unison, and they all head home at once. With only about 10 of the partygoers left, Gerson sighs again, looks at the front door, then at the cop cars, then at the stars and the moon. "Stay strong, my friends."

…

"I failed Azzy," Frisk mutters to himself. He's seated at his desk in the town hall, resting his head on his arms. The clock hands move like molasses in January. The phone is ringing. It won't stop ringing. It keeps ringing and the ringing can be heard across all of the hallway. He taps his finger on his desk as he stares at the wood in front of his face.

(Maybe I could track the attacker down…no, I'm not a vigilante. But, maybe if we fought…NO! Violence is never the answer. I couldn't imagine doing that. With this attacker on the loose though…what does he want with my brother? Or me, more likely. He has to be ok, right?)

His thoughts race further and grow more intense. (It is INEXCUSABLE for an ambassador like me to fail in that way. Especially in regards to my brother. What message will this send? Then again…if I did fight, maybe I could prevent this from happening…no! Don't kill and don't be killed. I'm not sure anymore…I've never been in this situation before. I can take the hit, but Azzy…well, he took it but…)

The phone stops ringing. Two voices can be heard coming up the hall. Frisk sits up, adjusts his bowtie, and places his hands onto his desk. The voices float into his office. "What happened the other night?"

"He got attacked with a knife. Attempted homicide."

"Oh, my word! No, but how is he?!"

"He's alright, Meredith. There is no need to fret."

"Oh, thank goodness. Our prince is alive and well then, yes?"

"Well, he is alive. I'm not sure how well he is, though. The news reports seem optimistic but you can never be too sure."

The second voice lowers her tone. "I hate the news. I don't see why my husband watches it all the time."

"I understand, Cupid."

Frisk lowers his head as a pair of women come into the office. The human, Meredith Smith, is wearing a bright red dress while holding a clipboard. The monster, Cupid Holiday, is a reindeer who is sporting a bright green and white dress, coupled with a red nose and some blonde hair on top. The pair of women stare at Frisk, while Cupid's eyes looking cool as ice, while Meredith's are warm yet trembling.

"Frisk", Meredith speaks. "How are you doing?" She walks up to him and feels his forehead. Frisk says nothing, as if three dots are hovering above his head. "You're burning up! You should go home and get some rest."

Frisk shakes his head and tensely places his fist onto his desk. "No, Miss Smith. I have work to do. The invites to social gatherings keep piling up, and I need to get to as many as possible before school starts again."

Cupid walks forward, tightly holding her arms together. She stares down at Frisk, with her eyes darting into his. She shakes her head and scoffs. "You are working too hard and worrying too much. If you don't take a break, then you'll burn yourself out. A burnt-out ambassador is a useless one." Frisk lowers his head and sighs deeply. Cupid sighs and rubs the back of her head. "Forgive me. I don't mean to be rude; it's just that we can't have you down like this. This town needs you."

Frisk smiles at Cupid, with his face resting gently. "It's alright, Mrs. Holiday. You're absolutely right; I'm sorry."

Cupid takes a step backward and her eyes seem to freeze over. "Come again?"

"You're right. I can't be worried forever, even with everything going on. I need to be there for you, and Miss Smith, and everyone else in this town." He shakes his head and chuckles slightly. "I might be the youngest town ambassador to ever live, but I still have a job to do."

Cupid lowers her head and speaks plainly. "You're the only ambassador of this nature so far in history."

Frisk chuckles and gets up from his desk. "Yeah. Even still, I can't forget how stress can really throw someone out of alignment with their brain and soul."

Before Frisk can walk closer to the pair of accomplices, he grips his chest tightly. He falls to his knees and coughs a few times, but then he lets go of his chest. The pain stops. He gets up from the ground again, and gently touches the skin right above his heart. Meredith looks down at him and her voice shakes.

"Mr. Dreemurr, are you alright? You seem unwell", Meredith says.

Frisk waves his hand and forces a smile onto his face. "I'm fine, Miss Smith. Thank you, though. It's probably just stress."

Frisk begins to walk towards the door, gently patting Cupid on the back. Cupid spins around and icily stares at Frisk. "What was that for? How are you acting so casual?"

Frisk turns his head slightly and stares at her. Frisk's face covers with tones of blue and gray, and he frowns slightly. "You've been through a lot yourself. Both my brother and your husband are in the hospital, after all."

Cupid's eyes flash open, and then she lowers her head. She says nothing. Frisk turns his head back and continues to walk out the door. "It's alright, Mrs. Holiday. I visited Rudy a few days ago. Seems like his improvement is consistent, despite your understandable doubts."

Cupid's mouth falls agape, and then she nods quickly. "Well…thank you, Frisk. I'm sure he appreciates it. And, I do as well."

Frisk slightly bows and then leaves the room, with hands firmly at his side. He sinks his head and thinks to himself. (After that city council meeting and all of what happened at the birthday party, I need a break. They're right. And, I know how exactly to spend my break.)

Frisk quickly walks down the stairs and leaves the building. He begins to walk up the sidewalk. As he passes through the city blocks, soft whispers and stares blare past him. He looks left and right. His brow furrows slightly as he reaches the next city block.

(Of course, when something like this happens, all people wanna do is look in and see what's going on.) He then sighs deeply and lets his chest settle. (No, no…it's not their fault for staring. It was the former prince who got slashed after all. After me, he's probably the most well-known kid in the city. Anyone would stare…right?) Frisk continues to stare at the sidewalk as he continues to pace down the city block.

Frisk reaches Ebott General Hospital; the walls are freshly painted and gleam a bright white color. The aggressive crimson cross on top of the building is visible for miles. Frisk walks into the building and sees many citizens moving left and right, darting in and out of various positions within the lobby. As he enters, many in the waiting area off to the left look over and stare at him, any of them with distinctly worried expressions in their faces. He looks over at them, then looks down at the floor. After he grips the short leg of his jean shorts tightly, he sniffs quickly and approaches the front desk.

A human nurse looks up at him and frowns, with her eyes shaking slightly. "Mr. Dreemurr, are you feeling well? I hope so; all things considered." Frisk shakes his head 'no' slightly, and places his hands onto the top of the counter. The nurse nods quickly and begins looking at files of information on her computer. "If it is any consolation, your brother is in a stable condition and is improving consistently."

Frisk takes a step back, with his face lightening in color slightly and his mouth turning upward from a frown into a neutral position. His eyes rest a little easier, and begin to calm down again. The nurse points towards the elevator right next to the desk. "Here, you may take it up to where Asriel is resting. His room should be a few doors down from the drop-off point, if you turn right."

Frisk nods at the nurse and enters the elevator. As the door closes, he stares upward at the lights. He holds his hands behind his back and taps his foot slightly on the ground, wriggling his fingers behind him. He then stands on his tip toes, stretching his legs, and then releasing. Stretching, then releasing. Up. Down. Up. Down.

After many motions of this, Frisk finally reaches the third floor and takes a sharp right out of the elevator. There is a nurse to the left cleaning up a small puddle of vomit on the floor in the waiting area. Frisk feels a searing pain in his chest again, and he grips it tightly. This time, his knees don't buckle. Frisk continues to walk, with his head slightly hung and his skin trying to contain the fire he feels. After the searing releases his body, Frisk makes another right and enters the room. On the bed, he sees Asriel. His eyes are half-closed and he is breathing slowly and carefully.

After Frisk quickly knocks the door, Asriel's eyes widen, and he turns his head. Asriel smiles as Frisk sits in the closest chair to the bed. "Howdy, Frisk."

"Hey, bro." Frisk extends his arm and gently yet firmly grips Asriel's wrist. Asriel chuckles as he looks at Frisk, seeing Frisk's frowning expression.

Asriel's smile then disappears. "Why the long face?"

Frisk lowers his head slightly and shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Azzy. I should've protected you better. The knife was meant for me."

Asriel chuckles again, but then coughs slightly. He quickly grabs for the water glass on the nightstand beside him and takes a quick sip. "Frisk, it's ok. You didn't know what was going to happen. And besides, I survived, right? I'm alive and well." Asriel smiles as widely as he can for Frisk. Frisk doesn't notice, and Asriel looks to the other side of the room. As he stares out the window, his smile fades. "I'll be fine. You should focus on your ambassador duties."

Frisk leans in and his voice elevates slightly, with his tone groaning calmly yet hotly. "Asriel, listen to me."

Asriel turns his head back towards Frisk and his face flushes a bit. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

Frisk shakes his head and sighs. "No, that's not it. You didn't offend me. It's just that you're here, hooked up to a breathing tube and stuck in a bed and hospital gown. You don't have to worry about me. If anything, worry about yourself!"

Asriel nods slightly and chuckles. "You're right."

Asriel lowers his head and slightly frowns, while rubbing the back of his head. "It bugs me though that I'm the older sibling. I should be taking care of you, not the other way around."

Frisk chuckles and gently massages Asriel's back. "You put your life on the line to protect mine. Isn't that enough?"

Asriel weakly looks over at Frisk and forces a smile onto his face. "I do my best, I guess."

Asriel yawns and then leans his head backward. As he does so, he suddenly grips his chest. The innards of his chest glow crimson. Frisk then mimics Asriel's motions, but two seconds later it subsides. The brothers stare at each other.

Asriel rubs the back of his head and smiles slightly. "Oh…it's just the pain from the cut that the attacker left on my body. I'll feel alright again in no time. Please, don't worry about me." Frisk lowers his head and crosses his arms. He grunts, but Asriel's smile glistens. "Please…don't worry for nothing."

Frisk gets up from his chair. He looks down at Asriel, then leans in and gently hugs Asriel. He hugs back and shakes his head. "If you keep worrying like you are, you're gonna make me cry."

Frisk nods and releases his brother. "I know, I'm sorry."

Frisk then looks up at the clock and begins to turn towards the door. "I should let you rest now. I hope you'll be able to come home soon."

Asriel droops his head slightly, frowning. "Yeah. I miss seeing you and mom at home. And, at church. And, at Grillby's. And, at…well, everywhere."

Frisk nods. "Just keep going. I'll see you again soon."

"Same to you."

They wave at each other. Asriel then rests his head against his pillow again as Frisk heads for the elevator from whence he came. After Frisk leaves, Asriel's face suddenly contorts. He punches the mattress space beside him, beginning to sob. "No", Asriel whispers. He grips his face with his left and bows his head. His eye sockets burn as he grits his teeth and breathes heavily.

Asriel mutters to himself. "Don't you dare break their hearts all over again…don't you dare…you idiot…be stronger…better." He takes a moment to wipe the tears from his face, and he leans backward and sighs deeply, with his eyes still red and wet from the emotional state. "Focus, Asriel. As soon as I get better, I'm gonna be stronger and prove to him that I can protect him. I'm not gonna be weak like I was when I got hit." He breathes heavily again and places his left arm behind his head, lifting up his right hand toward the ceiling. "But how can I be stronger? I can't relax either…heck, I can't even take my own advice." He sighs. "Where do I go from here?"

Frisk finishes his walk down the third floor aisle and enters the elevator. He places his hands into his pockets, glancing up at the ceiling and clicking his tongue. (As soon as Azzy comes home from the hospital, we're going to have to dig deep. We can't have any more people get hurt. But, how many attacks will I be able to stop? I'm not sure. But, I have to try my best. I must stay DETERMINED.)