Napstablook was back.

Frisk saw them through the window, hovering out over the leaf pile in the front yard. They phased in and out of view like they sometimes did when they were extra nervous.

They probably didn't figure anything out, Chara said. They didn't sound disappointed as much as… resigned, maybe? It was hard to tell when Frisk couldn't see their face.

Frisk hoped that Chara was wrong, though. Even if they were still a ghost, they deserved to be separate from Frisk, to go wherever they wanted.

And maybe, if Chara could leave, they could convince Dad not to hurt anyone anymore. Then Mom wouldn't have to hide, and she could see her friend again, and Frisk could see the rest of the Underground, and visit Napstablook's house and watch their favorite TV show with them—

Let's just start by talking to Napstablook, Chara interrupted.

Right. Mom was out trading with the Vegetoids; they didn't even have to make an excuse to go outside.

Frisk slipped out the door and joined Napstablook in the shade of the leafless tree.

"Hi…" Napstablook managed a smile, which was a good sign.

"Hi, Napstablook!" Frisk beamed back. "It's great to see you again!"

"Oh no… was I gone too long…? I thought it was only a few days… or was it years…"

Weeks, Chara said. You didn't forget about us, did you?

"You're going to make them sad," Frisk said under their breath, then more loudly, "What Chara means is, we missed you! But it's okay, because you're here now."

"Oh… thank you…" they blushed, their smile returning. "I have good news… my cousin is going to help…"

"Really?" Frisk jumped up, crinkling leaves under their feet. "That's great! Chara, did you hear that?"

Of course I did, Chara grumbled. If she's going to help, where is she?

"At the door… She became corporeal… but she came back after a while. She's a catgirl now… her name is Mew Mew…"

Wait, like the anime? Anime is real? Chara perked up, making Frisk giggle.

"We live in a world of monsters, and you're worried about cartoons?"

Not just any cartoon! If we ever get a TV, I'm making you watch it. But only the second one. The first one's super lame.

"Wow… I didn't know my cousin was so famous already…"

"We'd better go meet her, then." Frisk smiled, then remembered what else Napstablook had said. "The door… it's the one in the basement, isn't it?"

"I guess so… Mew Mew was trying to stab it, but it wouldn't open… I hope that's okay…"

"We'll make it work," Frisk whispered to Chara.

Frisk had promised not to leave the Ruins, but the door wasn't technically off-limits. They'd just talk to this Mew Mew like Mom talked to her friend. It would be fine. Mom was gone, so she wouldn't even have to know.

I thought we weren't keeping secrets anymore?

"Um… I'm not keeping any secrets…" Napstablook mumbled, sounding confused.

"Are you going to tell Mom you're alive?" Frisk asked.

I'm not alive. Ghost, remember?

"Fine. Are you going to tell her that you're here?"

…Eventually.

Frisk blinked. That was way more than they'd been expecting.

Maybe, Chara corrected quickly. Whatever. Are we going or not?

Frisk dashed inside, down the stairs, through the winding purple halls. It was still spooky down here, but Napstablook phased through the walls, lighting the corridor with a soft white glow.

Chara snorted. You think this place is spooky, but you're less scared when a real ghost is here.

"Two real ghosts," Frisk reminded them with a smile.

Napstablook flickered once they approached the door.

"Um... I should warn you.My cousin is…"

"What? What? WHAT?" A feminine voice shouted through the door.

"...loud," Napstablook finished. Then without further comment, they faded from view.

"Can you still see them?" Frisk whispered.

Nope. Guess they don't want to have family bonding time.

"HEY! It's not my fault Blooky needs so much personal space! It's a ghost thing!"

"That explains a lot." Frisk hoped Chara could feel their cheeky grin.

"Don't you know ANYTHING, new baby cousin?"

Frisk sat down against the door, snickering. Maybe they should've felt bad for Chara, but it was too funny.

Chara didn't seem to feel all that bad, anyway.

You're supposed to be teaching me, Chara pointed out. How can I get out of Frisk?

"Frisk? What's a Frisk? Wait, you're trying to be NOT corporeal? Stupid! Stupid! STUPID!"

"I'm Frisk," Frisk said quickly, "and Chara does want to be corporeal. They got stuck… um, inside me? Somehow. So they can't move around on their own, and no one can see them except Napstablook."

"Oh, that's TERRIBLE, mew~"

Frisk's brow furrowed. Why did it sound like a toy's recorded voice just then?

Can you help or not? Chara demanded. It was great that they were finally asserting themself, but couldn't they be a little nicer?

She called me stupid, they pointed out.

"Everyone's stupid! You're not special!" Mew Mew huffed. "Now listen. Listen! You need to take your super special memory thing—"

My what?

"Your object! You know! The thing you formed around when you un-died, mew!"

Uh, that's the problem.

"We think they formed around… me." Frisk bit their lip. Just another friend they were keeping trapped…

Shut up. I wouldn't even be here without you.

Frisk felt a nudge on their shoulder and blinked.

"Chara?"

What? Somebody's gotta snap you out of it.

"What? What? WHAT! I can't see you guys, you know! This stupid door doesn't open!"

Something crashed against the door. Frisk didn't know if Mew Mew was throwing things, or ramming into the door with her fully corporeal body.

"Do you miss being able to float through walls?" Frisk asked. They'd been so focused on Chara, they'd barely gotten introduced to Mew Mew. She seemed like she could be a good friend.

You sure know how to pick 'em, Chara muttered.

"Hmm… a little?" Mew Mew answered. "It's weird, because there will just be something there, and you can't go through it unless you break it! But breaking things is fun! So I think it's okay. Now, FOCUS! You want to be corporeal and break stuff too, right, new cousin?"

Frisk felt themself sit up straighter.

Yes ma'am, Chara said with startling politeness.

"HECK YEAH YOU DO! So step one: you're going to get out of Frick!"

"Frisk," they corrected automatically.

"THAT'S WHAT I SAID! Now! Cousin! You've gotta get REALLY PUMPED! Your memory object-person doesn't define you! You can be anything you want! You can be a catgirl! Don't let your dreams be dreams! Just DO IT!"

Frisk winced, ears ringing from the force of Mew Mew's shouts.

...That's it? I just have to want it?

"DUH! Monsters are made of hopes and dreams, stupid! So you gotta HOPE! You gotta DREAM! You gotta RIP YOURSELF FREE WITH VIOLENCE!"

"Please don't use violence," Frisk whimpered.

"Metaphorically!" Mew Mew clarified.

Frisk could still feel Chara's uncertainty bleeding through.

"It won't hurt to try," Frisk encouraged them. "I mean, even if you were—um, whoever you were before. You're a ghost now. If that's how ghosts work…"

You really think it could be that easy?

"I think you haven't tried yet," Frisks's voice was firm. "Maybe it is easy. Maybe you just need to hope, and… stay determined?"

A power flowed through them as they spoke, as if their very soul agreed.

Heh. Not a bad pep talk. Fine, I'll give it a shot.

Frisk's muscles tensed with Chara's concentration. Their eyes screwed shut, though the hallway was already dark.

"Well? Is it working? IS IT?"

Shh, give me a minute!

Frisk wasn't sure how they could help, but it wouldn't stop them from trying. They poured their own hopes and dreams into Chara—their hopes that Chara could be themself, that they could see their Mom again, that they could be free.

Something lurched, like the ground had been pulled out from under them. They dug their fingernails into the stone—it was still there.

Outside their closed eyelids, the hallway grew brighter.

"No way," Chara breathed—and for once, Frisk could hear them out loud.

Their eyes shot open, then squinted in confusion.

"Napstablook?" Had they come back to see if Chara had succeeded?

"No, Frisk, it's me! Chara!" The ghost beamed.

Frisk gaped at them. Aside from having slightly rosier cheeks and a greenish tint to their translucent form, they were the spitting image of the other ghost. Maybe all ghosts just looked like bedsheets after all.

"It worked! I can't believe it actually worked!"

They looped through the air, still grinning hugely. Frisk wouldn't mistake them for Napstablook again.

"I told you it would, mew~!" Mew Mew cheered. "Now all you need is to pick a body, and you'll be ready for the next step!"

Chara wasn't listening. They were still busy flying, floating in and out of walls, whooping and hollering.

"You really are Mew Mew!" They said when they flew to the other side of the door.

"I sure am, mew~!"

Frisk was still bubbling with Chara's joy, but it felt… distant. Like a shadow of what they'd felt when Chara had been inside them. Did they still have a connection? Or was Chara completely free of them?

Despite how hard they'd worked to free Chara, they couldn't help feeling… lonely? Maybe it was just the way the ghost and ex-ghost chattered excitedly about a cartoon Frisk didn't understand. Maybe it was that without Chara's ambient light, the corridor was back to being dark and cold.

They shouldn't feel this way. They'd done something right. They should be happy, shouldn't they?

Excited shouts still filtered through the door, showing no signs of stopping.

That was fine. If Chara wanted to come back, they could. If they wanted to stay with their new cousin, they could. It wasn't up to Frisk anymore.

With one hand against the wall for guidance, Frisk crept back through the dark alone.