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Her eyes flashed briefly, the cold filling her longs. Snow falling, ever steadily from nowhere. Despite the additional layers, she felt well and truly cold. Bits from her journey, a memory from her past now present in her mind. She recalled her time with Mychal, remembering the feeling of hope. The lesson of Integrity reminding her of her present failings. Giving a bit of warmth to her heart, and a desire to persevere.
"Chara...we're...back here." The flower observed quietly. "Uhm...did, something happen?"
She blinked, recalling that he only saved a few moments after the door. Once more, she was haunted with knowledge that he didn't have. She didn't like that feeling. Of knowing things others didn't. It made her feel...cold. Especially when it related to death.
"I'm sorry." She apologized, quietly. "I've...really been screwing everything up." She muttered. "Getting angry, getting...confused. And being...so stupid."
"What?" Flowey peered over at her, leaning over her shoulder. "H-hey now, it's...alright. Emotions were...a little high."
"I got us killed...again." She growled, frustrated with herself. "I wanted to know how it happened, and I just-" She teared up some. "marched us right back into it."
He noticed that her eyes were well and truly purple at this point. He frowned some. Thinking over how poorly he was managing all of today as well.
"Why don't we...just take you back home for now?" He offered, while she sniffled some. "I'll head...off after...and, I...listen, Chara. Today has been a really...tense day, I think." He suggested. "Maybe...a good night's rest will make things better?" He said, gaining a glance. "I know I get uh...angry when I don't sleep."
"You're not mad at me?" She asked, adding. "You...you're allowed to be mad at me, you know?"
"I am...not mad at you." He assured. "Frustrated sometimes. Annoyed with your puns, sure. But not...mad." He hummed. "Are you mad at me?"
She frowned. "Maybe...a little bit." She glanced away. "Sorry."
Flowey considered this, wagering there was...probably a good number of things he wasn't being told about. As she had clearly just been bottling things up. He gestured towards the door.
"C'mon, let's...go take a seat, at least?" He offered. "And then, we can talk about it?"
"I don't...want to." She admitted, turning and heading to the door regardless. "I feel bad, about doing that." She glanced to the side. "I don't...want to...seem like..."
She trailed at that. Setting him down, backpack and all beside the door. Before pushing her back against it. Sliding down to a seated position. He waited for her to calm down a little, before pressing any further. Giving her a nudge after a moment, gaining him a glance.
"We're a team, right?" He asked.
"I think so." She replied.
"Well, teams share stuff with each other. Or, team-mates do. Makes the team more effective, right?" He suggested.
She scanned the air for a moment. "I guess."
"So, how about I share something with you, and you can share something with me?" He offered.
Chara didn't respond right away, but eventually replied. "Okay."
Flowey composed himself, thinking over what he wanted to reveal. He wagered whatever she had to say was likely something she viewed as important. Important enough to conceal anyways. He hummed, thinking over something semi-recent he had hidden from her. Finding an example immediately.
"I uh...didn't ask the spiders for anything. Or handle that nicely." He admitted. "Actually, I threatened them."
She seemed surprised. "R-really, why?"
"They wanted a lot of G, and we didn't have enough." He replied. "I didn't want you to not have food or anything. And just...ya know, did that."
"You shouldn't...threaten people." She muttered, not sounding like she meant it. "I...though I don't...have room to talk."
"Yeah, I know. We both uh..." He trailed off some. "Okay...that was mine, now, yours." He hummed. "Doesn't have to be big. Just...something."
Chara replied. "I have memories of my time with the other humans who fell down here." She said, as his eyes widened. "I was...with them...a ghost, nobody could see but them."
"Oh." Flowey said, letting out a breath. "That is uh...are you alright?"
"I...don't think so?" She half asked.
"What all do you remember?" He asked, hesitantly.
"Not...a lot. I-" She hummed. "every time I die. I see...another memory. I uh...when I come back, what I felt in that memory, it's...hard not to feel it...a lot right after." She thought back. "Whether that's...feeling anxious-" She glanced. "feeling like I was smarter than I was. Feeling...cold, and hopeless...or-" She closed her eyes. "feeling like an awful person."
Flowey frowned. "You're not...an awful person Chara."
"I killed the Froggit. I killed the Ghost." She noted, looking at him. "I asked Mychal not to hurt anyone...but...I didn't hesitate. I hurt you. I got you killed."
The conversation had become much heavier than Flowey originally anticipated having to deal with. Though, some of it, they'd covered before. Granted, that didn't really make it any easier, he wagered. The Flower leaning back, shivering some in the cold.
"Well uh...yeah. I'm guessing...things weren't as bad with uh..Mychal?" He asked, getting a nod. "As they are now, though...right?"
She thought back. "Some people...maybe, but...not quite like now." Her mind turned to Sans. "Not...nearly as many cruel beings."
"Chara...if we can...don't kill, and don't be killed. Right?" He said. "Sometimes, though, your only choice may be to run away, or...well, sometimes that's not an option either. And we have to fight." He struggled some. "I'm sorry, I ain't the best with this...kinda stuff."
"I appreciate you trying, petals." She laughed weakly.
"It's uh, my turn, right?" He asked, gaining a nod. "Well..." He said quietly. "I...encouraged my best friend...into a plan that got them killed." She blinked. "I was..am an awful person, Chara."
"What happened?" She asked, with honest curiosity.
Flowey frowned. "I uh...I used to bully them around. I'd get this friend to do things that...sometimes got them hurt." He looked at her arm, his mind flashing back to her prank with the plastic knife. "It...I treated it like it was joke, just..pranks. But, it got them hurt...really hurt, a lot." He hesitated some. "They'd laugh, and I thought...it was fine." The flower shifted to glance at her. "Then they brought up an idea in passing...maybe it was just a joke, or, maybe they didn't want to...be anymore." He was quiet for a second. "But I took advantage of it. Not because I wanted to help them. Or, because I believed in the idea...but because...I figured it'd all work out fine. And it'd make me stronger for a little while. Nothing had ever...stuck before."
The Flower stared directly ahead. Seeming to be watching a scene play out in his mind. His eyes tearing up, a hand coming to pat him. Turning to face her, as she pat him twice. Before digging the scarf out of the backpack. Wrapping it around the Flower, his expression looking all the more guilty and hurt as she did this.
"We uh...we've really screwed up a lot haven't we?" She offered.
"Y-yeah." He laughed, a sad laugh. "I...guess we have. And, I'm...sorry Chara."
"I'm sorry too." She replied, sniffling some.
There was more they both had to say. But, both had the idea to...keep some of the rest for later, maybe. The duo resting, in the quiet of the moment. The calm snowfall chilling the underground around them. Chara finally opened the bottle, or jug...she wasn't sure which exactly, as it looked kinda like both, or spider cider. It smelled like cobwebs.
She took a drink, offering some to him. Which he took, and took a drink of as well. The flavor was surprisingly calm. It had a distinctly non-licorice flavor.
"Hey Chara-" He began. "how long was the scarf in there?"
"Entire time...sorry." She apologized.
"It's okay." He said. "Anything else?"
"Colored pencils, paper, and some socks." She raised a brow. "I uh...tend to lose socks."
"I think we all do." Flowey replied. "Do we...continue?"
"In a moment." She replied.
There was something she had to do. Something she didn't do, upon resurrection, that she wanted to do again. And she had some benefit, of knowing what was going to happen. Only this time, she'd be a little bit more fair with things. The girl getting up, stepping over, and picking up some snow. Packing it in her hand.
"What are you doing?" He asked suspiciously.
"Getting some snow." She replied calmly.
He squinted. "Chara...don't hit me with a snowball."
Chara let out a theatric gasp. "W-what, me, never."
Flowey tsk'd. "I don't have a jacket, so you can't hit me."
"Sure thing Asriel." She replied, making him blink.
"Huh?" He scanned her.
Recalling her words, she repeated them. "He gave me excuses like that all the time." She noted, waiting until the Flower begin to speak. "Snowball."
Flowey's desire to make a comment was cut off by a snowball smacking against his face. The Flower huffing and glaring some. Growing a dark grin.
"How dare." He said in his best 'totally serious voice'. "So, you want a snowball fight, do you?"
She felt warmer, despite the cold snow in her hand. Smirking at his 'threat.' Her eyes shining, with a purple glow. She wouldn't back down. She would persevere.
"Either get clover it, or lotus see your best shot." She punned.
What followed next, was a familiar, but rapidly different bit of chaotic fun. The flower using his vines, to grasp snow. Attempting to barrage her with the snowballs. This proved to be initially effective. However, she didn't take it as serious, and it wasn't long before he started to play more than 'fight.'
She slid, and dove while throwing. The Flower hopping around in the backpack. Scatter shots, versus precision. Continuing into wild laughter as they went. Eventually, the two came to stop, when most of the snow around them had been reduced or compacted too much. Quite a bit chillier in the aftermath. But in much better spirits.
"I totally won that." Flowey remarked.
"Uh huh, suuure." She replied.
"It's snow problem." He said, adding. "I'm a professional, when it comes to this sorta thing."
"You made a pun." She noted. "Proud of you, petals."
"I am deeply shamed in myself." The flower replied. "But what can ya do?"
"Nerd." She responded, while picking the backpack back up. "Well...we should probably get back to the adventure, right?"
"I mean, yeah, probably." He shrugged. "Could still go back inside the ruins?"
"If we can't find her soon, probably." She agreed, heading over to where she thought the Save point was. "The save is here, right?"
"Huh?" He glanced, adding. "Oh, right. I should probably save." He appeared to do precisely that. "Thanks for the reminder."
Chara felt much better. "No problem. What are friends for, right?"