Papyrus wandered from Snowdinn. His destination was one of his favorite places to go, in one of his least favorite regions to travel. Waterfall.
His ward for the time being resting, held aloft by his arm. Having cried herself to sleep, he'd wrapped her up a bit more in his red scarf. She had grown far more comfortable with that addition. The pair passed a few people walking to Snowdinn from Waterfall. A few laughing at him.
One guy yelling out. "Hey, wake up brat!"
The monster getting to laugh for...only a couple seconds. Papyrus's eye flashed blue as they passed. The cloaked monster letting out a sound of surprise, his soul flashing blue. The magic violently sending him flying, slamming into the snow some distance away. His friends laughing at him.
The tall skeleton dug his phone from his pocket. He had about a dozen and half calls from Sans. He wasn't sure what it was about, but didn't feel like continuing what felt like an argument from their earlier call. His brother having been asking random questions about the child. Did he see her bleed, how often did she blink, how was her sense of taste?
Papyrus just didn't have the patience right now. Instead, he hit another number. Calling 'Best Friend' under his phone listing. Letting it ring for a few moments, before it was answered.
"Papyrus...this isn't a great time man." A woman greeted him on the line.
"Are you busy?" He asked back.
"I'm in the middle of a patrol." She replied.
"I need your assistance." He admitted, keeping his voice down.
"Paps, I-" She began, pausing and replying. "yeah, alright man, what's up?"
Papyrus thought about how to present this. "I need you to promise not to react with violence."
"I don't give promises." She noted. "They're always sketchy."
"It's not. I promise." He assured. "But I do need it before I explain."
The woman on the line let out a sigh. "Alright...alright fine, okay...I promise. What's up?"
"I need your help with a child." He replied, hearing silence. "Undyne?"
"A child?" The woman asked back. "I'm...gonna need more context."
"And I will gladly provide it. I have...recently become the temporary ward to a child." Papyrus assured. "I will...tell you more, once I arrive. Just...no murderous actions. Wait for explanations, please and thank you."
"It this that asshole kid who keeps knocking over my training dummy?" She asked. "Paps, I hate that kid, but I'm not gonna kill him."
"No, no she's not. I will explain." He repeated. "Once I arrive."
"Right, right, just, when you get here. Okay, fine. Did you tell you brother to come talk to me?" She asked.
"I did, and I expect he will soon." Papyrus replied. "I've gotta go. But...thank you, very much."
"No problem Papyrus. What are friends for, right?" She replied, sounding a little tired. "I'll...finish up and be on my way back, okay?"
"Of course. Have a good patrol." He replied. "And...thank you, again."
"No worries. Later man." She hung up.
Closing his phone, he pushed it back in his jacket pocket. Thinking on it, he knew very little about Chara. Other than the fact her name sounded familiar, the moment he heard it. He wagered it was likely because he'd met someone with a similar name somewhere. After all, how else would a humans name sound even remotely familiar?
Snow gradually turned to stone. The looming entrance to Waterfall growing nearer with every step. It was a vast cave entrance. With water running into it, from the icy rivers nearby. The air getting ever so slightly warmer.
Near the entrance a guard stood, wearing the deltarune on her uniform. The soldier giving him a raised brow, yawning some. The feline guard smirking a little.
"Afternoon, Sentry Captain." The cat greeted, glancing. "What's with the kid?"
"None of your business." He replied, asking. "I thought you were stationed further in?"
"Kings orders were to secure the pathway." The cat explained. "Apparently there have been problems around the Temmie Village."
"Of course, there have been." Papyrus groaned. "Has anyone been injured?"
"Nobody important." The cat snickered. "Why?" She tilted her head. "Thinking of dusting up those palms?"
The tall skeleton grunted in response. Stepping past the guard, entering the region of Waterfall. Sighing some once he was a decent distance away. Noticing a set of purple eyes opening at his side. He stopped moving for a time, the girl blinking some, closing them once more, slowly falling back to sleep.
He watched the river for a moment. A large piece of ice floating by now and then. The sound was quite calming. Turning, he continued on, progressing up to the point where he neared the next room.
He could see the sentry station his brother sometimes looked after. It appeared to be occupied by one of the Kings Guard. That one being a birdlike monster. Turning his attention to the river, it hooked to the left of its original destination.
Lapping against the edges of the weathered stone. Reaching out, he pressed in a hidden mechanism in the wall. A stone staircase sliding out of the wall, leading up to a sort of second floor, for this massive space.
Trekking up it, he came to the top. Noticing the last slab of stone had been slightly more flexible than he'd have liked. It probably needed to be replaced. Like a dozen other things did, at this point.
His eye briefly flashing blue, a nearby switch turning itself. The staircase withdrawing, making a decent amount of noise. Much to his own personal annoyance. His ward stirring some, glancing up as she did. Seeing glistening lights far above in the dark.
"Are those...stars?" Chara asked, after a short yawn.
"I believe they're gemstones." Papyrus replied, noticing her shift posture. "But, many monsters treat them like stars." He moved to set her down, the child standing, sniffling. "Are you...alright?" He inquired. "I can continue to carry you if you are not."
She was still a little groggy "It's...uh, no, it's okay. I'm sorry. I didn't..I don't know-"
"Don't apologize." He requested. "Whatever transpired to make you feel sad, doesn't matter." He assured. "You're allowed to feel sad. Allowed to express that. With or without permission."
"It's...it's stupid." She remarked quietly. "I'm such a failure, I-"
Papyrus huffed and crouched down. "Chara, you are a friend of mine, are you not?"
"I...think so." She muttered.
"Of course you are." He assured. "My friends, by their nature, are incredible people." He told her. "And that includes you." He tapped her on the forehead as he said this. "Sure you're a little cheap at board games, admittedly-" She smiled faintly. "but that's fine. I know it feels hard sometimes. But, you'll be okay."
"What if...it just gets worst?" She asked nervously. "W-what if I can't a-"
"Then I'll be here to pick you up when you fall." Papyrus offered. "That's what friends do for each other, after all." He smirked a little. "And, I am very great, so, I might even include a nice lunch, and a bit of malk. It's good for your bones, after all."
She hugged him again. "Thank you...I...I'm s-"
"No more saying sorry, okay?" He requested, accepting the hug. "Take a breath, and remind yourself of three simple things. Can you do that?"
"I think so?" She replied, ending the embrace.
"Number one. You, are very great. And you deserve great things." He said, in his semi-villainous, yet oddly calming voice. "Go on."
"I'm...very great. A-and uh...I deserve good-" She began.
"Nope, great. Try it again." He spoke.
"I'm very great. And I deserve great things." She repeated.
"Two. You are talented, and capable of great things." He motioned.
"I can't really...do that much though." Chara replied, manifesting her menu in her mind. "I've only got two...three?"
Chara noticed that she appeared to have a new spell. She didn't recognize it. Didn't recall getting it. |Phantom Hand| The name felt familiar.
"Chara-" Papyrus commented, regaining her attention. "Second thing."
"O-oh uhm...sorry." She apologized, before remembering. "Oh, shoot, I wasn't, uhm, sorry."
He poked her on the forehead. "Second thing."
"I am...talented, and capable of great things." She repeated, asking. "What's the third?"
"You can make a difference. You can change the world." Papyrus said calmly. "That's number three."
"I can make a difference." She repeated, managing a small smile. "I can...change the world."
"Good." He finally stood upright once more. "If you ever feel in doubt. Remember these things." He requested. "And know that even if you struggle to believe them about yourself. I will believe them for you."
Papyrus turned and began walking. Glancing back, as she jogged up to his side. The pair once more beginning their travel to his mystery friends house. She couldn't help but smile, at least a small smile, at his goofy advice.
Even if she felt like a worthless husk of garbage, and wanted to cry for the next ten or so years for a reason she couldn't identify...it was nice advice. And she appreciated it very much. Even if she believed none of what she said. The girl stepping alongside him, while he kept his pace a little slower than last time. So she wouldn't fall behind.
Papyrus could see that his pep talk didn't appear to be working quite as well as he hoped it would. Her smile sometimes wavered into a frown., before returning when she noticed him glancing. Whatever she was thinking about, whatever doubts she was having were still there. Lingering, just beneath the surface.
They proceeded past pillars, and through dark places. After a slight turn, Chara noticed the presence of train tracks. They were infrequent, and seemed to be broken, or left behind by someone. Papyrus didn't appear to be noting them, or at least didn't view them as an abnormal sight for the area. So she ignored them too.
The duo passing a large pondlike space, with low water. Her present guardian passed it, however, her attention was pulled to it. Or, rather, an odd luminous blue flower present on the edge of it. Her memories with Tera flickered in her mind, reminding her of its purpose. An Echo flower. She stepped over to it and tapped it.
"Everyone is...so hopeless." A woman's voice said, echoing quietly from the flower. "I'm trying to be the hero you thought I could be." The flower got quiet for a moment. "It's just...so hard."
Papyrus noticed his ward had stopped, glancing back to see her standing in front of an echo flower. He could hear it speaking, or, whispering. They were awfully quiet.
"I see you've discovered an echo flower." He commented, walking over.
"It's...pretty." Chara felt like she knew the voice in the flower.
"They do hold a certain majesty, don't they?" He inquired, looking over the little pond, and the flower. "They repeat things they've heard, you know?" She glanced. "Try saying something."
She knew how it worked, but obliged. "Papyrus is a dork." She tapped it, as it repeated. "Papyrus is a dork."
Papyrus gave her a look. "Really?" He hummed, and crouched down. "Chara is silly." He tapped it, as it repeated. "Chara is silly."
She pondered, and whispered something to the flower. Something he couldn't hear. He imagined it was another silly random comment and began working on his comeback. She motioned, and he tapped it, playing the message.
The Echo Flower repeated. "That's okay. Cuz we're still awesome."
Papyrus let out a chuckle. "Well said, human." He got back up. "Ugh...all this crouching is killing my knees."
"Have you been drinking your malk?" Chara asked, the pair starting to walk off.
"Of cou...of course." He replied.
"You hesitated." She noted, asking. "Have you?"
"I'll not be interrogated by a child." Papyrus replied.
"You haven't, have you?" Chara gasped, as they walked along the ever more frequent tracks. "Wow...setting such a bad example."
"I-I am not." He sighed tiredly. "I just forget is all."
"Wow." She snickered.
"Oh silence you." He responded, rolling his eyes.
The skeleton and human continued their path towards his friend's home. Meanwhile, something was happening somewhere else. Someone working to set things into proper motion. Someone working tirelessly.