Heck yes! Another chapter down!
She then entered a large cavern, walking across a road where a castle could be seen in the distance.
"How lovely. This view is so nice... but sort of sad too," Curtain said, and then she heard voices ahead of her.
She slowly approached two figures ahead, as she was able to clearly see a skeleton in a lab coat, and a covered up figure with him. Curtain recognized the skeleton from pictures she saw in Sans' house, now realizing that this must be his brother, Papyrus.
"Huh?" Papyrus said when he noticed Curtain a few feet away from them.
"Uhh, hello," Curtain said with a small wave.
"Oh! Why hello there Ms..." Papyrus said as he surfed his memory to see if she was someone he met before.
"Oh! My name is Curtain. Hi stranger," Curtain said, giving herself a mental pat on the back for not saying his name accidentally.
"Oh thank goodness! I thought I was forgetting someone I knew! Hello, Curtain! I am the Great Papyrus, no longer a stranger to you," Papyrus said, as he waved at her.
"Nice to meet you," Curtain said, as she walked closer to shake his hand.
"Very nice. Say... you look… human," Papyrus said, as his eyes widened after they ended their handshake.
"Hmmm," Curtain said, as she adjusted her glasses to look at him carefully.
"You don't seem old enough to have encountered a human before... unless you've recently met one," Curtain said, examining him carefully to see how he would react while narrowing her eyes to look at him suspiciously.
"O-Oh! Well… there are documentaries that show humans, so of course I would be familiar! Especially since I am indeed a scientist," Papyrus said, with a slightly nervous smile.
"Hmmm, that sounds fair," Curtain said, and she turned towards the smaller figure next to him who seemed to be trying to hide behind him.
"Hello there. What's your name? Mine is Curtain," Curtain said with a friendly smile, as she stretched her hand towards the figure.
"H-Hello. My name is Frisk," Frisk said as they shook her hand with a mitten-covered hand.
"Frisk, huh? Interesting name," Curtain said as her grip on Frisk's hand tightened.
Frisk felt nervous as he tried to pull back, but Curtain's grip was strong, and Papyrus wasn't sure what to do at this point. Then Curtain pulled her hand back, taking Frisk's mitten off to reveal his hand.
"Ah, so you are a human..." Curtain said, with quite a serious tone that sent chills down Frisk and Papyrus' spines.
"Oh thank goodness you're alright!" Curtain said, relieved as the two were surprised to see her cheeriness reappear.
"I was worried about you since children seem to go missing and never return from Mount Ebott, but alas! You're alive! I have heard that some monsters are aware of a human presence in the underground while others weren't or at least unsure, so I assumed you were hiding or in disguise. But no one can do both against my sense of smell," Curtain said, and she tapped the bridge of her nose lightly.
"So you were able to sniff her out? Extraordinary! Not even the guard dogs were so keen!" Papyrus commented.
"Then, does that make you a dog, human-like monster?" Frisk asked.
"Well... I am half monster and half human," Curtain said, as Papyrus and Frisk's eyes widened, while another hidden figure was also surprised.
"So you can say I am a hybrid. As well as my soul, which is why I'm not totally afraid to say so because it wouldn't work for breaking the barrier as the monsters wish to do. Although desperation may prevent them from seeing that..." Curtain said.
"Hmm, so your soul would have human and monster qualities... yes, it would make sense that it may not work properly since human souls must be used. If anything you only have half of one, and the magical properties of a monster soul may interfere, ultimately leading the other souls to attempt a fusion with it, possibly..." Papyrus said.
"Which may cause an unknown side effect since half of my soul is still human, and it may cancel out the others permanently or cause a fusion that may be completely unstable and cause a catastrophic energy burst," Curtain said.
"Or nothing at all will happen and the barrier will still hold, or it might even become stronger…" Papyrus said.
"Yes, it's quite a quandary. A dangerous quandary... just as you two seem to be in a dangerous predicament, correct?" Curtain asked, as the two looked at one another.
"You're… not going to tell anyone are you? Or capture us? Most monsters don't recognize me as human so…" Frisk asked.
"As long as you don't tell anyone what I am or try to get me captured, I won't. Nor will I reveal you, little creature in the ground," Curtain said, and Papyrus and Frisk looked at her questionably.
"I have a keen scent, so I know you two aren't alone. I just wanted to let the one who is hiding know that I can smell them. If they wish to be safe, they better not reveal me or I might reveal them," Curtain said, as the two looked at her with widened eyes.
Then a swish was heard, as the three turned to see Flowey pop up from the ground.
'There it is,' Curtain thought, as she looked at him with the most surprised expression that she could make given the circumstances.
"I'm impressed. You were actually able to detect I was here. What else can that annoying nose of yours detect?" Flowey asked, trying to play it cool with his sass, but knowing this girl wasn't someone to take lightly if she could sense him.
"I can detect time, distance, frequency, distinction, and sassiness," Curtain said with a smile, as Flowey felt a little uncomfortable with her cheeriness but decided it was better than her being suspicious of him.
"Huh. That might be useful to help these two avoid danger instead of running right into it," Flowey said, as Frisk and Papyrus felt slightly offended by his sort-of-truthful statement.
"But what about you? Wouldn't you need to avoid danger as well since you are with them?" Curtain asked.
"True, but I'm perfectly fine. I can avoid danger and being seen easily," Flowey replied, a hint of pride in himself.
"Really? How are you able to do that? You are quite bright in color," Curtain asked.
"I have my ways, and being already underground makes it much easier to travel… underground. Especially when you know the layout well enough, and how dumb some monsters happen to be," Flowey replied.
"That's not a nice thing to say!" Papyrus said, although Flowey ignored that.
"Ahh, I see! You are quite an impressive flower, and if you know the Underground as well as you say, then would you mind taking me as an apprentice?! I'd love to learn more about the Underground, since this is my first time being here and all!" Curtain asked with excitement, playing her part well since Flowey wasn't suspicious but more surprised.
"W-Well, I'm not looking into having an apprentice, but I'm quite flattered," Flowey said, with a nervous smile.
"Ah, I see… then I guess I must continue researching on my own," Curtain said, in disappointment for more than one reason.
"What exactly are you researching?" Flowey asked, his curiosity overcoming his usual cautiousness.
"Monsters, mostly. I came here to learn of all the monster species I can from behavior, to appearance, to magical properties, and all that stuff. I like to learn, but I also wouldn't want to pass up the opportunity to learn more about the other half of me," Curtain replied.
"I see. Well, I guess you can already see that I am a flower, and not a very talkative one to people I don't know, but it's not like you're going to say anything you shouldn't... Of course, you're more of a talker than me," Flowey said.
"Oooh, I should write that about myself! Oh my! I'm learning about myself already!" Curtain said, as she started drawing in her sketchpad, and Flowey looked at her with a blank expression.
"You're a weird one like them, aren't you? Well, I guess you're not so bad then. But you two should definitely keep moving, don't you think?" Flowey said, and he turned to Papyrus and Frisk.
"Ah! That's right! We must continue on our journey as well!" Papyrus said.
"Well, I'll just finish up here, and make sure you guys aren't being followed... but if I do follow alongside both of you later, my identity will be endangered," Curtain said, acting as if she was pondering what she should do.
"That's not a problem if you have a cellphone! You can call us if you sense anything while keeping yourself hidden!" Papyrus suggested.
"And we've been doing pretty good so far as two, so it's okay if you can't directly help us. Besides, I wouldn't want anyone else to risk themselves for me," Frisk said, looking downward.
"Frisk..." Papyrus said.
"I understand. It's quite a burden to bare when others are willing to save you, and yet you cannot save anyone else," Curtain said, as Frisk looked up at her and nodded.
"So, you're going to exchange numbers or..." Flowey commented, and then the three exchanged numbers.
"Okay! Then I'll keep a look out from behind for you guys! Be careful, okay?" Curtain said, and Papyrus and Frisk nodded.
"Thank you, Curtain. It's really nice of you to help us," Frisk said.
"Aww, you're welcome. Even if I am only half human, I don't want to see you hurt, or anyone for that matter," Curtain said, as she pat his head gently with a smile.
"Heh, thanks. You know, Curtain, you have a really pretty smile," Frisk said, with a smirk.
"Oh, um, thank you, Frisk," Curtain said, feeling a little awkward to this sudden compliment.
Papyrus grabbed Frisk's arm as he said, "Oh no! There is no time to be flirting, Frisk! Let's go!"
"Aw, Pap! You're ruining the fun!" Frisk said, and he waved at Curtain as she waved back.
"...Quite an odd child, huh?" Curtain asked Flowey.
"You're telling me… So, you're really not going to get them captured then?" Flowey asked.
"It's not my responsibility to catch them technically, and it's not like Frisk is a bad person as I can tell. Besides I'm only half monster after all," Curtain said.
"But you're also half human, so you need to be careful too, don't you?" Flowey said.
"Yeah..." Curtain said.
"I wonder... how did you get passed the fort? It wasn't easy for these two to get through let alone any other monster," Flowey asked with narrowed eyes.
"My senses are not to be taken lightly... uh... I'm sorry, how rude of me, what is your name?" Curtain asked.
"Oh, it's Flowey. Flowey the Flower," Flowey replied.
"Ah, well Flowey, I'm pretty good at detecting where a monster is so avoidance isn't a problem for me," Curtain replied.
"I see... Well, before we part, I guess my only advice to you is to be careful of who you talk to. Especially if it's Sans the Skeleton… and Undyne and Mettaton, but mostly him!" Flowey said, his irritation being to show.
"Oh? You've quarreled with him?" Curtain asked.
"Sort of, but let's not talk about me. I'm more concerned about your welfare. You don't know who you can trust," Flowey said, trying to manipulate the conversation away from himself.
"Ah I see. Well, he didn't seem so bad when he allowed me to walk through Snowdin to get here to Waterfall. But if you say so, then I will be careful," Curtain said.
"So you've met him before? Did he mention Frisk, or Papyrus... or me?" Flowey asked.
"He did warn me about a human being here, but I was a little distracted by asking him questions about himself, even though he didn't say much on that," Curtain said, rubbing the back of her head, sheepishly.
"I'm sure he didn't… Keep an eye out for him, alright? For your sake, and for theirs," Flowey said, and Curtain nodded.
"You know, you're a nice person for helping Frisk, and for helping me with your advice. Thank you, Flowey," Curtain said with a smile.
"Well, what can I say, I care about my… friends. Well, see you around, or probably not since you're laying low," Flowey said, and he dove underground to follow Papyrus and Frisk.
'…. Yeah, suuure you're worried about your friends… if you even consider them that,' Curtain thought, as she knew, even by just his scent prior to meeting him, that he wasn't as nice as he made himself out to be.
'What an odd ball that girl is… But she doesn't seem like any threat to my plans, so I'm sure it will be fine. She seems too distracted with her work anyway, and I'm sure her secret will help me in the long run if she decides to get chatty,' Flowey thought with a devious smile.
'Being a researcher, I have dealt with questioning and talking to many people, and I can tell when someone has something to hide, or if they're shady... he doesn't seem too keen on letting Frisk and Papyrus dawdle, so I could only assume he has a reason for that,' Curtain thought, as she finished her sketch of Flowey and hid it deep in the recesses of her sketchpad.
Curtain continued to walk along and watch behind Papyrus and Frisk, even when they separated for a time, of which she followed behind Frisk to make sure he was okay. Then when Frisk and Papryus reunited and went to confront Alphys, Curtain retreated to a more secluded place, knowing with her sense of smell that Flowey wasn't around when she was far enough.
"So, you've been busy," Sans said, approaching her from a distance so that he wouldn't be in range of an attack.
"Yeah, it's been pretty interesting honestly," Curtain said as she turned towards him, and he walked closer to her.
"Seems like you spilled the beans pretty easily of what you are, huh," Sans said.
"Well, I needed a reason for the flower to appear, and what better reason to reveal a secret by giving one? And as Papyrus and I dictated, my soul would be no good to use against the barrier, so I'm not in the hot seat as much as they are, but since they are keeping secrets, I'm sure they'll be quiet about mine," Curtain said.
"…" Sans said nothing as he was in thought for a moment.
"Uh, Sans, are you okay? I'm… I'm sorry for taking the initiative like that. M-Maybe I should have laid low for a while longer, huh?" Curtain said, feeling a little intimidated by his silence.
"Huh? No, no, I'm not silently hinting that what you did was wrong. I'm just impressed by you," Sans said.
"R-Really? Impressed by... me? Oh no, no. I'm just curious is all. I'd expect to be more annoying than anything remotely like that," Curtain said.
"Annoying? No way. Just curious? Nah, you got more than that. You gained their trust, actually talked to the flower, and took care of the whole thing. Honestly, I'm really impressed," Sans said, even though he was feeling a little down since she was able to gain his brother's trust with the weed more than him.
"Oh, wow. I guess I'm used to being seen as annoying, what with all the questions I have and talking a bit too much... I've never really, acknowledged myself. There's so many more people out there who are much better than me at this stuff… or anything really," Curtain said, almost whispering the last part.
"… You don't give yourself much credit, do you? Even when you've done something incredible, besides being adorable, but I'm sure you were born with that," Sans said with a kind smile.
Curtain was surprised by his kind comment which made her blush brightly, and when Sans saw that he blushed as well.
"Th-Thank you. You're really kind," Curtain said, as she used her scarf to cover some of her face.
"H-Heh... You're welcome," Sans said, as he looked away from her as a way of 'covering' his face from her.
"So if they get passed Alphys, then they'll be headed to HotLand. But I would like you to help me investigate the fort for a little bit before you go ahead. Think you can give them a good enough excuse?" Sans asked, after regaining his composure.
"Why of course! I'm a researcher after all. I'm basically distracted by my research," Curtain replied, and Sans nodded.
They both headed to Fort Aquarius to investigate, as Curtain told him of her encounter with Flowey. Then Curtain called Frisk to inform them that she was busy studying some of the monsters around Waterfall since they were heading to a new area, which didn't rise any suspicion to Frisk as he relayed the message to Papyrus. Then Papyrus began informing Curtain of the monsters there and their names, as Curtain took notes while following Sans to the fort, although Sans had to keep watch over her so that she wouldn't bump into a wall or trip.
After finally ending the phone call with the three in a laughing fit, Curtain and Sans were at the fort, as Sans was holding Curtain's hand at this point because she was still laughing and had a hard time keeping her sense of direction.
"Alright, here we are. Inside Fort Aquarius," Sans said, as he looked at Curtain.
"... You done?" Sans asked, as he could see that she was still smiling.
"Heehee. Yes, I'm quite done. Sorry about that," Curtain said.
"It's fine. Alright, I want you investigate the fort and see what you find. You can check this area, and I'll check where the other monsters are so that you won't run into them much. I think it's best if you stood undercover," Sans said, and Curtain nodded, and then her eyes slightly narrowed with a smirk.
"I'll get right to work… if you let go of my hand," Curtain said, and Sans looked down to realize he was still holding her hand.
He released her hand quickly, and said, "Woops, sorry 'bout that. I thought I'd give you a hand with all that laughing back there… Welp, see you soon."
Sans quickly exited the room, as Curtain couldn't help but smile at him. Then she began investigating the fort and using her sense of smell to trace where Frisk, Papyrus, and Flowey had ventured to, which led her outside to find vines hanging outside of the fort. She was able to maneuver outside the fort with the vines, especially since the traps were disengaged at the moment. When she entered through a window in another room that she thought was empty, she heard movement as she tornado kicked at whoever was there. Her leg hit right onto Sans' arm that he used to shield himself, as her eyes widened and she pulled her leg back.
"Ah! I'm so sorry, Sans! I didn't know you were in here!" Curtain said, as she noticed her sketchpad and pencil on the ground, realizing how quick her instincts were that she placed them down without truly realizing it.
"Geez, it's a good thing I have my armor on, or that would have really hurt," Sans said, as he noticed the sketchpad on the ground and saw that it was flipped up when she had dropped it.
His eyes widened to see his own face in the book as Curtain quickly picked it up, not noticing that he saw her sketch of him.
"I'm very sorry. I really need to be more aware, or else I might hurt you and I really don't want to," Curtain said, holding her sketchpad and pencil again.
"Yeah... but I do have the habit of popping in places, so I guess we both need to be more aware," Sans said, and then he asked, "So what did you find? I found more holes and I got some security footage."
"I found vines all over the outside of the fort. That's how I was able to get in here. I climbed all around," Curtain said, as she reached out the window and pulled off some of the vines to show him.
"Huh, that's even more proof of that little bud being involved…" Sans said, taking the vines.
"Was he also on the security tape?" Curtain asked.
"Yeah, he was with them. So the holes and vines definitely belong to him," Sans replied.
"… He's pretty resourceful and has skills in manipulation... he definitely shouldn't be underestimated. There's more to him than we may know, and he might even know things we don't..." Curtain said.
"I figured that. But… what do you mean he might know things we don't?" Sans asked.
"... It's the way he speaks. He seems to have forgotten I'm not too far behind since I don't interfere much, but I also don't have to be so close to hear their conversations. I have a keen sense of hearing too… but I'm not sure they see what I see when he speaks to them. They think he's kind, but even though he may speak kindly, I sense something is off, and not just with him, it's with a lot of things really. Something is just… off," Curtain said, as she looked out the window, as if trying to find an answer.
"Off how?" Sans asked.
"I don't know. I just feel… like I feel I can trust you, right? But I don't know you, but then I do at the same time. Then that weird daydream I had didn't make it any better, especially when it actually happened when Frisk fell off the bridge to the dump… things have just been weirder since then, and it's like I'm seeing things I've seen before… I don't know. It's confusing," Curtain tried to clarify.
"… Sounds like quite the conundrum there," Sans said, not sure what to make of what she just said, but also feeling empathy.
"Yeah… but sitting here thinking about it isn't going to help. I need to keep moving forward and learn more so that eventually all my questions will be answered! And even if some aren't, I'm sure I'll get more answers than questions, which is still progress, right?!" Curtain asked as she turned towards him, her more energetic and cheery side returning as Sans actually felt at ease to see that side of her again.
"Yep, that's right. We can't just sit back and think about what's going on. We have to press forward, and find the truth. Thanks for your help, Curtain. I really appreciate it," Sans said with a wink.
"You're very welcome, Sans," Curtain said with a thumbs up.
"Welp, I'll be right back. Go on ahead," Sans said, as he disappeared.
"Wha… hmm," Curtain said, and then she walked out the window.
After landing on the ground outside of Fort Aquarius, Curtain walked along to see if she could catch up to Papyrus, Frisk, and Flowey. However, a scent had froze her in her steps, as she quickly looked around cautiously.
'Wh-Why is that scent so... familiar?' Curtain thought, as she looked around a little more and then she spotted something ahead.
A little dark lizard-like creature was walking across the ground and stopped to look towards her. Curtain suddenly felt paralyzed as she saw the blazing red eyes of this little dark lizard with little horns on her head as she looked at her in recognition. The dark lizard stared at her for a moment, as her snake-like tongue flickered out of her mouth to catch scents. Upon catching her scent, the dark lizard's mouth moved in the form of a smile as her small sharp fangs showed, which freaked Curtain out. Then the dark lizard quickly scurried ahead in a rapid pace, and when Curtain finally regained her mobility, the dark lizard was already gone from her sight.
"… What even WAS that?!" Curtain yelled out, since she was holding in her scream the whole time.
'I need to see where that thing is going, but it's scent is so weird!' Curtain thought as she ran ahead.
One more chapter to go.