Chapter 9
After searching through Napstablook's things for a new change of clothes, Frisk found a somehow clean, oversized light purple shirt that went down to her knees when she put it on. Taking a midnight blue sash she found in a closet, Frisk tied it around her waist so that she appeared to be wearing a dress instead of a large shirt. She would have to keep up with the same shoes, but at least now she was finally dressed in something made with lighter material and had sleeves that went down to her elbows instead of her wrists.
"This is going to be easy, Frisk," she told herself as she used to fingers to brush out her hair then used the faded ribbon to tie back what she could. "You had no issues sneaking around in Papyrus's house. Well . . . , until Papyrus came back with the royal guard. But that isn't going to happen this time! Undyne is out looking for you. She isn't going to think you're hiding out at her house. You can sneak in and out with that tutu in your grasp like you're going to the store to get some candy. Just . . . candy you're stealing. . . ."
"You are not very good at giving yourself pep talks, are you?" Chara said next to her after Frisk finished talking to her faint reflection in the window. It was a good thing Napstablook didn't have anyone living close to him – there was a house immediately next door, but according to Napstablook, nobody had lived in it for a few years – or else someone might have seen her exposed face looking out.
Frisk frowned at Chara. "What makes you say that?"
"You sound more like you are trying to talk yourself out of breaking into Undyne's house to steal the tutu than encouraging yourself to do it."
"Look, I would probably have an easier time motivating myself if it wasn't for something illegal, like trespassing, breaking and entering, and stealing. Not to mention the punishment if I get caught is death."
"You are doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Talking yourself out of it. Look, Frisk, if you think there is another way—"
"No, there isn't. I don't see how else we are supposed to get the tutu unless we break in and take it." Frisk sighed. She picked up her mask and inspected it for a moment before putting it on. "Besides, Napstablook is right: Undyne isn't going to give us the tutu just because we ask for it. I mean, I'm far more certain she would much rather take the skin off my face if she saw me."
"That does not mean you are okay with this."
"I'm not!" Frisk sighed. "I'm not, but I don't know what else we can do. . . . We should go. I don't want to stay here for much longer regardless of what we do. The last thing I want is for someone to catch Napstablook with me and then he has to live on the run like Papyrus and Sans."
As Frisk gathered her belongings and thanked Napstablook for letting her stay for the night and for giving her the old shirt, Chara added, "It was nice seeing you again, Blooky. I wish I remembered more of my past so we could catch up properly."
"It was no problem, Frisk. . . . A friend of Chara's is a friend of mine. And I'm glad I was able to help, even if it wasn't much. . . ."
"Nonsense, you have helped us a great deal," Chara encouraged. "I hope this isn't the last time we will meet, but if that is to be the case . . . Well, I'm glad to see that you are doing all right."
"Thank you, Chara," Napstablook said, his voice wavering. "It has been rather lonely since my cousin moved away . . . , but it was nice to see you once again."
As all they bid farewell, Frisk slung her pack over her shoulder and began to walk in the direction Napstablook gave her for Undyne's home. Whether or not Napstablook suspected what she was going to do when she found the home, she did not know. Either way, Frisk could only hope that he would not give her away as Papyrus had done.
The walk to Undyne's was brief and far too short for Frisk's liking. It was as if they had arrived at their destination only minutes after setting off on their journey. Frisk had hoped that by the time they arrived at the house, her heart would have stopped racing and her knees would have stopped shaking.
"This is . . . some very interesting architecture," Chara said as he and Frisk stopped walking to study the home.
The shape of the house could be best described as a monster head. It was a home one story tall but wider than any home Frisk had ever seen. When she thought about it, the shape resembled a long bowl that was flipped upside down. The windows were shaped like angry eyes, and the door was painted to look the sharp teeth. Differently colored bricks gave the impression that this monster was meant to have scales.
"If the way someone decorates their home tells you what kind of person they are," Frisk said slowly, "what kind of person do you think Undyne is?"
"I think she is the kind of person who when she was a child, drew the kind of house she wanted to live in when she grew up, grew up, and made that dream into a reality." Chara floated forward. "There is nobody around, so now is the best time to find your way in to get what you need."
"I know," Frisk said, walking forward, "but how do I get in?"
"You have not thought about this already?"
"Honestly, Chara, I didn't want to think of this to begin with."
"Well, how about you take a rock and throw it against a window?"
"I don't want to break a window and crawl through it like some kind of burglar!"
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Frisk, but you are breaking into her house to steal her most prized possession. Might as well embrace the role."
Frisk looked at Chara then shook her head. "I cannot believe I look to you for advice."
"I am not suggesting you become a professional burglar. I am only trying to help you get this over with so we can move on. I am tired of this dark and wet environment. Are you not?"
Seeing no point in arguing since she had to get the tutu one way or another, Frisk walked around the house in search of the best way to enter. No lights shone from the windows, so nobody appeared to be home. Frisk tried the front door, but it was locked. Perhaps breaking a window was the only way Frisk was going to get in. Yet before she started searching for a rock big enough to throw, Frisk had another idea.
"What are you doing?" Chara asked when he saw Frisk drop to her knees to check under the welcome mat and around the nearby bushes.
"Some people leave a spare key nearby so they can get into their house in case they accidentally lock themselves out," Frisk answered, frowning at her lack of results. "I was hoping Undyne would be one of them, but I don't think she is."
Chara must have thought that Frisk had a good idea, because he checked the top of the doorframe and around the bushes as well. There was a statue of a fish a few feet away from the front door which he suggested Frisk check under. When she lifted the statue, there was a key in the dirt where the statue had been.
"That was a good idea, Frisk," Chara praised.
Beaming with pride, Frisk smiled widely and replied, "I know. Sometimes I have good ideas."
"Have you considered having them more often?"
"Hey!" Laughing, Frisk unlocked the front door and stepped into the home. The search for the tutu did not last long. It was framed and hanging above the fireplace, like a trophy of sorts.
Frisk tasted bile in her mouth at the sight of the trophy. This was King Asgore's trophy that he had given Undyne when she became Captain of the Royal Guard. What was supposed to be a young girl's dace apparel was a spoil of the hunt to be displayed like a prized animal head.
"Do you . . . feel any different being near to another human item?" Frisk asked as she pushed one of the chairs closer to the fireplace.
"No, I do not," Chara answered. "Perhaps once it becomes part of your inventory, things will change."
Pushing herself not to hesitate and thus waste any time, Frisk pulled the frame off the wall and threw it to the ground. Glass shattered into hundreds of pieces, the sound echoing within the walls and bouncing around in her skull. Once the shards of broken glass settled, Frisk hopped off the chair, carefully brushed away the glass as to not cut herself, and picked up the tutu.
"How about now?" Frisk asked as she clutched the tutu in her fists. As she briefly inspected it, she caught the name Mint sowed into the waistband of the tutu. Frisk quickly looked away.
Before Chara could answer, someone opened the door. Frisk's heart stopped as she couldn't remember whether she locked the door after entering the home. Yet when she saw who had entered, she knew it didn't matter if she locked the front door or not.
Undyne stood in the doorway, her gaze directly locked onto Frisk. She saw Frisk in her home, her most prized possession in the human's hands. Feeling the anger coming from Undyne, Frisk cowered in place.
"You," Undyne snarled. She still wore her heavy armor, giving her the appearance of a dark knight coming to seek vengeance for every wrong ever committed.
It was just then Frisk noticed that Papyrus was behind Undyne. The two locked eyes, and in that moment, Frisk was unsure what Papyrus would do to her with Undyne present. However, with Papyrus supposing to have greater loyalty to Undyne, Frisk decided she didn't need to find out.
As if a spell keeping everyone in place had broken, Undyne charged into the house. Spears appeared out of thin air and hurled themselves at Frisk. Squeaking in fear, Frisk ran out of the path of the spears and began to bolt to the other end of the house.
"You're trapped!" Chara exclaimed, as if he tried to think of a way out of this situation for her but thought up nothing.
"Not for long," Frisk replied aloud as she ducked under the piano.
Undyne marched forward, her armored boots crunching the glass shards beneath her feet. She walked slowly, as if savoring the coming end of her hunt. When she stopped walking, a blue circle appeared underneath Frisk.
Rolling out of the way, Frisk moved just in time for the spear to pierce right through the piano, the instrument's notes sounding as if crying in torment. Frisk then wasted no time jumping to her feet and running towards the front door. As Papyrus stood idle as she ran close, Frisk used all her force to slam into him, pushing him out of the way.
Now that she was no longer trapped inside Undyne's house, Frisk quickly tried to figure out where to run. She could not go back to Napstablook's house lest she endanger him, but she did not know where else she could hide. Clutching the tutu tighter, Frisk hoped and prayed that she did not get her hands on the next human item only to lose her life right after.
It could not have been a minute before spears started shooting at Frisk. The first just barely missed, making Frisk cry out in surprise. More immediately followed, and Frisk did not want to imagine how many it would take before one finally met its target.
"Go out into that field on the left!" Chara ordered. "There's tall grass there you can hide within!"
Seeing the field of which Chara spoke, Frisk forced her legs to quickly carry her those last few yards. She ran so fast she felt that she could take off flying at any moment. As the tall grass came within reach, Frisk jumped into the grass and tumbled and rolled a few feet.
Two sets of footsteps were quickly drawing close. Wasting no time, Frisk crawled deeper into the grass. Soon she would have to cease moving lest the rustling grass gave away her location.
When it sounded as if Undyne and Papyrus were close, Frisk stopped crawling and sat still. Her heart slammed against her ribcage. As with the time she hid in the bushes what felt like weeks ago, Frisk hoped her racing heart would not give her location away to the monsters.
"Search the grass!" Undyne ordered. "The human couldn't have gotten far. If we cover our grounds, we will find it in no time."
Holding her breath, Frisk sat in agony as she listened to the footsteps of the monsters. Chara offered to look out for her to let her know if anyone was coming her way, but Frisk subtly shook her head. She didn't want to be excited into moving too early and bringing attention to herself, even if it did leave her at risk for getting caught.
One set of footsteps drew near, and Frisk's body tensed. The footsteps stopped for a moment or two, and then they began to walk away. Frisk started to sigh in relief, but before he breath could be exhaled, the grass above her was abruptly pulled away.
Her heart leaping into her throat, Frisk locked eyes with Papyrus. Frisk had been caught. All Papyrus had to do was call for Undyne, and it would be over.
For what felt to be hours, Frisk and Papyrus stared at each other. She kept waiting for him to pull the trigger, but he never did. Papyrus just stood over her, seeing her but not capturing her.
"Hey, what's going on over there?!" Undyne shouted from what sounded to be the other side of the field. "Have you found anything?"
"Just a rock that looks awfully similar to Sans!" Papyrus immediately responded. Letting the grass fall back into place, he called, "There's nobody here. I think the human got away."
"Impossible!" Undyne roared. "That thing was fast, but it can't be that fast. It couldn't have gotten far. Come on! Let's check over here."
At the sound of the two retreating, Frisk melted in relief. They were leaving. Papyrus caught her but let her go. She was free. For now.
"I am surprised Papyrus lied to Undyne about you," Chara said, sounding just as unbelieving but relieved as Frisk felt.
"I guess Papyrus was telling the truth when he told me that he never turned me in, that he really thought I had left the house by now," Frisk softly replied.
When she was certain the coast was clear, Frisk crawled out of the tall grass, stood back on her feet, and looked for where to go. At Chara's guiding, she head up back towards Napstablook's house but turned right instead of going straight to where he lived. The dusty tutu had since been put into her pack, but Chara still showed no signs of remembering who he was.
"What if it was a coincidence that I started to remember my past as you acquired those items?" Chara worried aloud. "What if they do not help me remember anything about who I was?"
"I don't know," Frisk replied. "Maybe it takes a moment for you to remember? We went through all the trouble of getting this tutu because we believed it was going to help you remember your past. I really would prefer you not telling me that maybe the human items have nothing to do with you remembering after all."
"Either way, you have continued to help me remember who I am," Chara said after a moment of thought. "Our next destination is Hotland Jungle. We are only a day's journey away. We shall be there in no time."
"Mmm," Frisk pursed her lips together, "with how tired I am of Waterfall Marsh's humidity, I do not know if I'm ready to go to a place called Hotland Jungle.'"
"It is a dry heat. I am sure you will be fine."
Before Frisk could question what dry heat was, a spear flew past her. Frisk didn't turn around; she already knew who was behind her. Running at full speed, Frisk tried to once again escape Undyne.
I thought she was gone! Frisk cursed herself for leaving her hiding spot too soon. Crouching in the tall grass was not going to work again. This time, escape was not going to be so easy, and that was assuming she could escape. There were only so many times Frisk could evade Undyne, and she was sure she had used them up already.
"Frisk, don't turn down that way!" Chara warned, but Frisk was too committed to the action to change courses. Within seconds, Frisk saw why Chara told her not to go down that way. Frisk had trapped herself in a dead end.
Turning around, Frisk pressed her back against one of the rock walls that surrounded her. Undyne approached slowly, as if savoring the final moments of her hunt. A spear formed in her hands.
"You are not getting away this time," she snarled.
Then she took a step forward. Then another. And another. Undyne began to charge. Frisk was too shocked to move and could only watch as Undyne grew closer and closer by the second.
"Undyne!"
Just then, suddenly appearing from the tall grass by one of the rock walls, Mon jumped between Undyne and Frisk. Undyne froze mid-step. Frisk gasped.
"I'll help you fight!" Mon proudly declared. Then she saw Frisk. Looking between Undyne and Frisk, Mon exclaimed, "Yo! You did it. Undyne is right in front of you! We'll get to see her fight!"
Mon looked around again as if she wanted to commit every last detail to memory. Frisk looked past Mon at Undyne, whose gaze was directed towards Frisk. Based on the monster's stiff posture, Frisk was rather certain that Undyne was just as surprised by this guest arrival as she was.
"Wait. . . ." Mon stopped excitedly surveying the scene and turned back to Frisk. "Who's she fighting?"
The spear fading from existence, Undyne marched forward and grabbed Mon by the wrist. She then dragged the protesting child away. As she marched forward, Undyne left Frisk to watch this odd display.
"He-hey!" Mon shouted. "You're not gonna tell my parents about this, are you?"
As the two vanished from sight, Frisk looked to Chara and said, "Undyne is for sure going to tell Mon's parents about this."
Chara didn't miss a beat to reply, "Oh, absolutely!"