They left the hall in relative silence, save the sounds produced with each step. Tap, tap, tap. Coming to dark room, in which six patches of unstable ground could be seen. Drop points, to something below. With the path forward, blocked by spikes.
Chara tossed a rock onto a breakable patch. Watching it crumble, while holding the makeshift torch above it. The light reflecting on metal laying at the bottom. Surrounded by golden glowers. Awaiting whatever poor soul was unfortunate enough to pick the wrong one.
"Flowey-" She began, in a monotone.
He already intended to assist. "Yeah, yeah okay. Give me a sec."
The flower was lowered down and burrowed into the earth once more. Checking each of the possible sections for something that might be of assistance in lowering the spikes. The process in theory wasn't that hard. However, in execution it was a little time consuming. As Chara had to provide light to each section he was burrowing into. Which meant moving, breaking the piece with a rock, and him searching by elevated torchlight.
And then while exploring he ran into a vegetable monster, that vaguely resembled a radish. Which, attempted to devour him, while inviting Flowey to do the same in turn. Prompting a hasty evacuation to her side. And a barrage of bullets from above, until it made a point to avoid him.
"Chara-" Flowey glanced.
"Yeah?" She asked monotone, with her hair covering her eyes.
"Don't be a cannibal." He requested, getting a nod from her.
The duo finally finding the switch to move forward. Doing precisely that, as he returned to his perch. He noted it was a little bit tiring to always hold his grasp like this. Wondering if there was some other way he could be carried around. The only alternative he knew, was digging around, which in itself, was just as tiring. Sighing, he relented the thought.
The next couple rooms, as it turned out, weren't entirely complicated. And were even lit up. However, they did inspire sickness in the two. As moving through them, required hitting a specific statue. Easy enough, the first time.
The world spun, and their combined perceptions were snapped from them. It seemed the room had some form of magic designed to alter one's perception. Into something following them, like they were watching the duo, as a third person. Making the entire process a much larger pain than it had to be.
When the last statue was triggered, the door opened. The pair staggering out. Their perception shifting, snapping back. The world seeming to violently shift. Prompting her to slip, losing her balance, hastily slamming against the ground.
The world was spinning, her stomach churning in pain. Covering her mouth, she almost felt the urge to vomit from the experience. Yet, all she did was dry heave once, and groan. The Flower on her arm was in a very similar state but seemed a bit more stable with the experience.
"Yeah...yeahup...that's why I skip that place." He noted. "Evil rooms."
"Hello earth." Chara muttered. "We meet again."
"What's up?" Flowey asked.
"Just...complaining." She explained, while getting back up. "What does it mean...when something makes you feel like burning, again?"
"That's hate, Chara." He said.
She smiled some. "Yeah...I hate that room." She laughed a little. "Though, it beats being cold."
"Eh...it is chilly I guess?" The Flower asked. "Maybe we should get you a jacket...something magic, that repairs."
Looking around the hall, she said. "Maybe...hey, I don't remember Mom having any puzzles like that." He glanced. "How did she even make it, or, rather Why did she make it?"
"She uh, really doesn't like...salesmen." He said, smiling. "But, on the upside, nothing tried to kill us."
"That's good, I guess." Chara muttered, sighing. "How much longer?"
"Heh, dude, it's...just around the corner." Flowey remarked, gesturing to the turn to the left. "We're here, more or less."
The child appeared surprised. Jogging over to the corner. Peering around it. Down the hallway, which led to some sort of tree. She briefly thought back to her time with Mychal. This was indeed the place. It restored a smile on her face, before some curiosity flickered in her mind. Attention turning to the other path.
"What's over there?" Chara inquired.
"Huh?" He asked, before saying. "Well, that goes to Home, but you didn't-."
"Home...like the old city, home?" She asked, while starting in the direction. "Is it...really that close?"
"It's...well it's like an overlook. Primarily." Flowey said, adding. "But-"
A memory flickered in her mind.
"I had a friend...we played around here once, when we weren't meant to be." She recalled, pausing him. "I think we were playing war." She wandered into the room. "I was the monsters...he was the humans." She turned left, and went out to the balcony area. "And we took a break here..."
Placing the stick by the door, the flame went out. The Old City lay before them in the near distance. The overhanging balcony providing a look at what was once the capital of monster-kind.
Wind howled from some distant point, in the underground. Providing a reprieve from the stale air, by at least moving it some. The ruins of what had once been, the memory struggling to play out in her mind, it made her want to persevere.
A light shining nearby, drawing her attention to it. 'Saved' briefly flashing above it. Well, if nothing else, she could come back here if something happened to her. And that was something. Despite this revelation, she still shivered at the wind. Flowey noticing and glancing over the Ruins of Old Home.
"We should probably get a move on, before you get sick." Flowey suggested.
"Yeah...yeah, okay." She sighed.
Despite agreeing to depart, she maintained her gaze over the place. In the back of her mind the memory was being tugged at. A distant sound like music playing in the memory. It wasn't there anymore, but she could recall music being there then. In the distance, far away.
In her minds eye, she could envision the sight of countless lights decorating the horizon. From the people living within the homes, and towers, and strange buildings that she couldn't remember, but imagined were there. The few lights illuminating it now, very much like stars in the abyss.
The feeling of a presence at her side, the echo of someone. For a moment, closing her eyes, she could envision herself there with Mychal. The other human leaning on the balcony, looking over everything.
"Wow. Hell of a view kid." He'd said. "Anyone still live there?"
She'd told him "Some."
"That were your brother...uh, what wazzit...Asriel is?" He'd asked. "With your dad, I mean?"
The piece fading, as the memory from earlier clicked into place. Asriel. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten her best friend. She imagined he would freak out when they saw each other again.
"Flowey, did you know Toriels a Queen?" Chara asked. "She ruled all this, once. Neat right?"
"Yeah," Flowey replied. "Definitely."
A glance at Flowey, and she could almost imagine Asriel at her side. Staring out into the city. It was funny how similar they seemed, well, only, with Flowey being a lot cruder sometimes. She remembered how happy he was, and how scared she was for him, after hearing his hopes...his dreams.
"Asriel is going to be the King one day." She said, randomly.
The flower tensed. "what?"
"He's my brother." She noted quietly. "I remember us being here, staring out over the city, talking for hours...about his dream, his plans." Flowey shifted uncomfortably. "Well, we should get a move on, huh?"
"Probably, yeah." He said, frowning, looking guilty.
"Thanks flower child." She replied. "Hey, once we get to Toriels, I'll have to see about introducing you to Asriel. I think you two could get along well."
"I don't-" Flowey began.
"Is that a knife?" Chara inquired.
Flowey followed her gaze to a corner of the balcony. There was a knife there, tucked in the corner. He hadn't noticed it. Chara hurried over to it, kneeling down to pick it up.
"Hey, careful with that, okay?" Flowey glanced around. "Who the hell leaves a knife-"
While he spoke, she tapped the end of the knife. It was plastic. A hard, sturdy plastic. But plastic. She enjoyed the way it felt in her hand though, and listening to the Flowey, she got a mischievous little grin.
"Hey Flowey, wanna see something cool?" She asked.
"H-huh?" He glanced as she pulled back her sleeve. "N-no-" his eyes went wide, as she slashed the knife across her arm, prompting a cry of fear from him. "Chara, what-wh..what?"
The Flowey had seized the knife from her, but found that...nothing had happened. He felt perplexed, before she snagged it back. And poked him with the tip of it. Plastic, the damn thing was plastic.
Seeing his mortified expression, she laughed, harder than she should have. "You should see your face!"
"Chara!" Flowey exclaimed in a mixture of dread and relief. "D-don't Do That!" He let out a breath. "I thought you-" flashbacks hit his mind. "j-just don't, fuck...dude."
Noticing him shake, her laughter paused. "H-hey, I was just playing round, uhm-" She pocketed the Plastic Knife. "It's plastic, totally harmless." She assured him. "I don't do that kinda thing." She lied.
"Ugh, what's wrong with you?" He muttered, sighing. "Just...go back to the puns, okay?"
"Alright...sorry." She apologized quietly, while heading back out. "I get the point."
He noticed her small, half-saddened smile. "Ha ha. Knife to see you go back to that."
"Heh. I'm pretty sharp." She replied.
With that, they proceeded towards home. Chara wondered what Toriel had been doing this whole time. Feeling a pang of concern, as they started on the path towards the tree.