"What in the-!?"
What was this tiny thing? A dog? A cat? A combination of the two? Was she seeing TWO sets of ears!?
"What-Who ARE you!?"
"i'm tEMMIE!" the creature squealed, its cutesy, squeaky voice full of wonder and excitement. "i herdz der was humans heer so i came to pet da humans and awwAwa yur so cUTE fhsdhjfdsfjsddshjfsd can i pET U!?"
Ginger wasn't quite sure what to make of this...At least this..."Temmie" thing didn't seem to pose any sort of threat.
"You? Pet me? I think you've got this a little mixed up..."
"hNNNNNNNN! jUST lemme see ur fayce!" the tiny creature exclaimed. There was hint of impatience in its voice, but it was still beaming.
"Uh, well...okay, then...?"
She complied, bending down to the Temmie's eye level, and the creature put its tiny white paws on her face and nuzzled her nose with its own. Once it had finished, it smiled a bigger smile than any Ginger had ever seen, and she could swear she saw tears of joy forming in the corners of its bright eyes.
"uWAAAAAAH! OMG! I PET dA HUUMAN! dIS ARE TEH HAPIEST DAI OV MAH LIEF!"
Its short little legs caved in, and it fell onto its side in a state of delirious happiness, its small tail wagging ecstatically. The human was somewhat dumbfounded by this little monster's erratic behavior, but at the same time, she found it entertaining in a strange way.
She bent down to pick it up, and its tiny legs kicked against her abdomen as they hung unsupported. Ginger didn't think the already huge smile on the Temmie's face could get much bigger, but it turned out she couldn't have been more wrong.
"uEEEEE!? Teh tobles haz turnd!? uWAUGH humans r STRONGK!"
The human emitted somewhat of a scoff of a laugh.
The Temmie nestled into her arms, still wearing the biggest grin on its face.
"Need a lift anywhere?"
"tEM VILLAGE! mi frenz wil be so exitd! teh'll glomp u!""
Temmie Village; so that was where the mushroom path lead to.
"Give me directions, why don't you?"
"keep goin, den turn south off da path. iZ rite up ahead frum dare!"
"On it."
She followed the directions given to her, turning south off of the mushroom path, and finding that there was indeed an unlit path leading into another room. Still carrying the Temmie, she read the sign just around the corner where the hallway ended.
"hOI!
welcom to...
TEM VILLAGE!"
Ginger turned back around to match the path direction-
And immediately found herself being eyed up by a good six other Temmies standing right there. They all gasped, looking up at the human with those same, sparkling eyes.
And their synchronized scream rang out.
"hOOOOOOMAAAANNN!"
The little white cat-dogs swarmed Ginger's feet, gabbing happily at her.
"hOI! i'm temmie!"
"awawawawa! humanz such a cUTE!"
"I'm his fwend, temmie!""
"And i'm temmie! don forget my fwen!"
"uWEEEEEEEE! hOOMINZ!""
"dON swarm! giv space!" the first Temmie hollered, jumping down out of Ginger's arms and shooing its comrades out of her way. "uLL scare her oFF!"
All of the other Temmies backed away, though still very excited by the ordeal. The first one dug something out of its short pocket and handed it up to the human.
"taek dis 4 tripp to da Barrir. maybe use it at tEM SHOP! mite find...gOOD STUFF! liek...tEM FLAKES!"
And then it left to join its kindred in whatever thing they did. Ginger opened her hand; twenty-five gold. She was getting more and more of this stuff.
After stowing it away, she took the opportunity to look around; there was a painting on the wall, depicting a Temmie fighting a fearsome dragon. There was another box not far up ahead, and with it sat a Save Point. Ginger approached it.
*Waterfall-Temmie Village
*File Saved
If Temmies could be as determined as humans, would that make it DETEMMIENATION?...Sans might like that.
Two signs across from the box and Save Point sat at each side of another small den entry.
"hOI!
u shud check out...
TEM shop!"
"yaYA! i AGREES!
shud check...
TEM SHOP!"
"Lookin' to check out the shop?"
The voice behind her came from...another Temmie? He looked calmer than the others.
"...Was that you?"
"Yep. Heh...I get that reaction all the time," he remarked, cordially extending one of his paws, which Ginger bent down to meet halfway. "Pleasure; name's Bob. You?"
"Ginger. You're uh...awfully different from your buds."
"Eh, I could never really get into the whole...whatever it is that's with them. Besides, having a translator keeps the tourism from hitting rock bottom, so it's a living."
"Well, I'd hope that works out."
"It's been going alright. Yeah, the shop; if you got anything you might wanna take your hands off, that's the place to go. It's a tiny little setup, but it's real popular with the locals, and she'll probably buy some of your stuff, maybe give you some gold. You know, do business."
"Thanks for the info. I'm going in right now," she replied as she did just that. Bob nodded and departed himself.
Ginger entered the den; it was well lit and colorful, the shelves along the walls covered in miscellaneous objects; socks, sticks, bottles, picture frames, and the like.
There in the center of the far wall was a Temmie that looked a bit different that all the others she'd seen thus far; its head hair was silver instead of soft black, and the blue shirt it wore, unlike all of the other Temmies', was striped yellow. The box she was standing behind had the words "TEM SHOP" painted on it, and blue and yellow sparkles were drawn around the text.
"hOI! welcom to da TEM SHOP!" the monster greeted.
'What have you got, Temmie? Anything I can use?"
"here SELECHUN! oRDR when donne!"
And she pulled out a piece of paper with her items written down.
"tem flake-3G"
"tem flake(ON SALE)-1G"
"tem flake(expensiv)-20G"
"Uh..."
She remembered the first Temmie saying something about "tem flakes," but she wasn't entirely sure what they were.
"...Might I ask what exactly 'tem flakes' are?"
"I'm SO GLAD U ASKD! tEMMIE fLAKES!"
And the monster proceeded to pull a bowl out from inside her cardboard setup. It was full of colorful tidbits, which, upon further inspection, turned out to be...
Before Ginger could finish the thought, Temmie dove her tiny snout into the bowl and began eating them!
"Wha-hey-What is goin' on here!?"
The monster rose its head, her cheeks stuffed and her eyes bugged out.
"BEKFAST!"
"Y-you can't eat this! It's just torn up pieces of construction paper!"
"hN!?"
Temmie looked at her strangely, then swallowed her mouthful.
"Oh, that's what they all say..." she rasped. Her sudden fluency was...a little bit unnerving for some reason, to say the least. "...I feel sorry for the doubters; I really do. They won't ever truly enjoy the experience that is feasting on a giant bowl of delicious Temmie Flakes first thing in the morning. They're missing out on one of the greatest things this life has to offer."
"Um...I-I'm sorry if I was in any way o-offensive, Temmie. I guess I'm just...a little surprised is all."
"Hmm...nO PROBLUM! tEM understand prefurencez!"
And just like that she was her old self again.
"hNNN," Temmie groaned, suddenly frustrated. "sHAME. tEM gotta sell lota iTEMS 2 pay 4 colleg. tEM wanta pursu higher education. bUT tEM broke."
"College, huh? How much is that?"
"isa lOTA MUNS," Temmie replied. "1000G."
"Oh, man. That IS a lotta muns. How do you think you're gonna be able to get all that?"
"tEM open da tEM SHOP to help pay 4 colleg, but also axcept dONASHUNS. dO tEM favr and spred word bout tEM SHOP! sure to get bizness buzzlen!"
"Hmm...I think I have an idea. I'm gonna head out, but you can bet I'll be back to check and see how things are coming along, you hear?"
"tHANKS sUPPORT! bOI, humann!"
"Boi, Temmie!"
Ginger immediately threw a hand over her mouth. Did she just...
Oh, dear Glaux, they're rubbing off on me.
She turned and left, leaving the Tem Shop keeper with a wave. As she turned back up the corner and onto the mushroom path, she looked back at the other village residents one more time. They were bustling about doing...Temmie things. She'd be back; maybe not too long from now.
She liked the Temmies. They were pleasant little things...but she had to admit, she didn't know how long it would take for their quirky behavior and speech to work its way into HER brain if she stuck around them for too long; she had barely been in the village for twenty minutes and she had almost started to SPEAK like them. It would be enough to drive one mad.
It wasn't long before the mushroom path carried her back onto the main dirt road, and Ginger retraced her footsteps back across the small bridges and past the old plaques until she reached that den just next to the box. She'd passed them by so many times before, paying them little to no mind; her messenger bag nullified their purpose, so she had no use for them.
That, however, was about to change.
Ginger sat down in the dirt in front of the box, slid the bag off her back from under her cloak, pulled out a pencil and paper from the main pouch, smoothed her sheet out on the box top and wrote on it. When she'd finished, she propped the paper up, wedging the bottom of the sheet in between the dirt wall and the back of the box, leaning it back just slightly so it wouldn't fall forward, and finally, she stepped back to take a look at it.
"Help pay for Temmie's College Intuition: Donations Appreciated."
"Hmm...It's missing something."
She put the paper down on top of the box again, tapping the eraser against her chin thoughtfully. It got the message across, but it seemed a little...bland. No pop, like the colorful painted writing on Temmie's box setup in her shop. The human didn't think of herself as that great an artist, but she could at least try something.
In the bottom right corner, she drew a little round, smiling face, then the hair, then the ears-both sets-and then made two lines for the torso, adding some more inside of them to indicate the stripes on her shirt. Ginger rose the paper to get a better look at her little doodle, and her eyes widened. The little Temmie sketch had...actually come out looking like Temmie. A LOT like one, actually.
...Not bad, Ginger.
She propped the paper up again, still looking at it just in case she saw anything that need be erased.
"Well, I'll be...I'd say it looks just like one o' them lil' fellers!"
"HEY, WHAT THE-!?"
The phantom voice came from RIGHT over her shoulder, and she scrambled to her feet and whizzed around to find herself face-to-face with...
A tortoise?
"Did I scare ya?" he rasped, and then emitted sort of a wheezy laugh. "Not a surprise; get that a lot."
She could tell immediately that he was old. Very old, in fact.
"Who...Where'd you come from...?"
"Right over on in there," he replied, pointing over to the den. "I thought I heard...somethin goin' on out here. Didn't know if these old ears were playin' tricks on me or what, so I came out to make sure, and...well...here I am! Heh!"
"Is...that your shop?"
"Sure is. Got some neat junk for sale, in case you're interested."
He squinted, and a glimmer of realization came to his gaze.
"...But even if you're not, I might suggest you come in anyway. I'll explain later."
And he seemed to march back into the tiny cave. For someone of such great age, it looked like he could get around pretty well. Ginger picked her messenger bag back up onto her back and followed him in. As soon as she went inside, her eyes lit up; sparkling violet and blue stones were scattered all over the walls and ceiling of the cavern, and they gave it an otherworldly glow. On the back wall of the cave, there was a strange symbol; it was the same one she'd seen in the Ruins, that circle with wings hovering over the three triangles. She wondered about it.
"Now!" the old tortoise announced, sitting down behind a large stone serving as a makeshift counter. His items and prices were written out on a plaque on the front of the rock. "Anything I can getcha?"
"Well...Before I delve in, mind if I ask, uh...why you brought me in here?"
"Oh. Right. See, when I saw whatcha really looked like, I remembered...Undyne came through here askin' me if I'd seen someone. Someone that, from what I could piece together, looked a lot like you. Mysterious cloak, striped sweater, tawny head o' hair...Human. It's been a few years since I've seen one o' those. But I've seen a lot in my day; you could say I'd even fought against some."
"You mean the ones that came before me?" she questioned, finding herself backing away, afraid he might pose a danger.
"N'aw. I'm talkin' WAY back. Before the Barrier was formed."
"Wait...You mean you..."
Ginger came closer again, not sure if she'd heard him right.
"You fought in the War of Humans and Monsters...?"
"You betcha. Gerson: Hammer o' Justice. That's what I was known by...But those days are long gone. All the humans I hammered are long gone, even if they did live through the broken bones I gave 'em. Heh heh heh...But you? Ain't got nothin' to worry 'bout me. Don't hold a grudge against someone who wasn't even around back then; it's not right doin' that. Besides, tryin' to fight you with these old bones o' mine don't seem like the brightest idea, now, don't it? Figured I'd spare you a gruesome end, just in case Undyne came back around; she's not as keen on your kind as I am! Wah hah hah hah-!"
His burst of laughter curdled into a brief coughing fit.
"Uh...You okay?"
"Heh...My bad; those are gettin' a lil' more frequent these days."
"So...Undyne's still on my tail. I guess it was a good thing I took a detour and visited Temmie Village."
"Smart choice, kid! She hates that place! No way she'd go lookin' for you there!"
"Heh...Guess that was a good idea."
"Speakin' of those Temmies, isn't that what you were doodlin' over there? Couldn't quite make out what you wrote above it; what's it for?"
"Oh, uh...See, I just came back from the village, and the Temmie that runs the shop is trying to raise money to pay for her education, so I thought it'd be a good idea to set up a little donation...box...thing, I guess. Just in case anyone wanted to help her out. I might have paid for it myself, but I don't exactly have 1000G."
"Heh...You know, for someone with a lot o' folks after ya, you don't seem too bothered by it."
"I, ah...know how to worm my way out of a pinch pretty well. Someone helped me out when I first fell down here and her advice really came in handy...I'm glad I haven't dusted anyone yet by accident; turns out monsters are a lot weaker than humans in terms of physicality."
She hadn't dusted anyone yet. It was...TECHNICALLY the truth. What she had done to Toriel had been erased from the timeline, even if she did still carry the memory of it.
Ginger shook the thought from her head, and diverted her attention to the prices written out on the rock.
"Crab Apple-25G"
"Sea Tea-18G"
"Cloudy Glasses-30G"
"Torn Notebook-55G"
"Hmm...What's the Sea Tea like?"
"Huh...Didn't think humans cared for the stuff much. Made from glowin' marshwater and Echo Flowers. Give you a good energy boost, lemme tell ya; one o' my favorites. Undyne's a pretty big fan of it, too...but she prefers the Golden Flower stuff."
"Sounds alright. Here's the gold."
She dug out 20G and put it on the rock.
"Ah, keep the change. I don't usually use much of this stuff."
"Well, thanks for that! Here, I'll go get the stuff ready...Gonna take a bit for the water to boil, though, so stick around...You know, I think I might just have some, myself right about now, you know?"
He got up from his rock and marched over to what looked like a small stovetop in the far corner, prepping a kettle in quick time before returning to where he sat.
"So...the captain," Ginger remarked. "Do you, uh...know her personally?"
"Are you kiddin' me? I've known her ever since she was a lil' urchin! She's come a long way from followin' me around, tryin' to 'beat up bad guys' for me...Most of the 'bad guys' she tried to beat up weren't actually bad guys, though...It'd be more like the mailman, or somethin' like that. But I appreciated the thought! Heh!"
"That reminds me of this kid I met in Snowdin; he comes around here to do the same thing with her, so he says."
"Lil' yeller feller? Few spikes? No, uh...no arms?"
"Yeah, him! You know who I'm talkin' about!"
"Heh, no doubt. Kidd, I think his name was...? Well, history repeats itself, it looks like. You know...You remind me somethin' of Undyne; you've got that same fightin' spirit in ya...I'm guessin' I'm not the only one here who's seen the face of battle? Looks like you've got some sort o' trainin' under your belt. You don't get muscles like that from sittin' around watchin' that metal rectangle carry out a bunch o' nonsense all day."
"Oh, yeah. Him. Not a fan. Well, Mr. Gerson, you're...not wrong. I do train for the battlefield. Sometimes, I even get put out on the frontlines...Not all the time though; my higher-ups say I'm skilled, but I'm still technically in the training phase, so usually me and my squadron just take care of local mobs."
"Intrestin'...She was just about your age when she started her one-on-one training with ol' King Fluffybuns to get into the Royal Guard."
"'Fluffybuns'?"
"Oh, yeah! King Asgore Dreemurr! Friendly, happy-go-lucky kinda guy. You've heard of him, I'm guessin'?"
"Heh...Fluffybuns..Where'd you get than name from?"
"Oh, well, that's a real funny story, lemme tell ya! It, uh...eh...Heh. I don't remember it. But it'll probably come back to me one of these days! Eh, where was I at...? Oh, yeah. Undyne. She trained with him day and night to get into the Royal Guard. And get in she did, through grit and determination alone! Fought her way right to the very top! Though I will say this; your passion for the battlefield...You seem to be able to keep it in check a lot better than Undyne. She was a rowdy lil' thing from as early as she could stand! And she's, eh...the type to act before she thinks. You're a lil' different; you've got that same spirit and raw determination, but you've got a quick mind to complement it. Undyne's strategy, from what I've witnessed, is to just go in with brute force. But you...? You use yer brain. You assess a situation instead o' rushin' in blindly...You're clever. You're resourceful. You can adapt."
Adapt. That was what she'd been trying to do this whole time. If Gerson said she was good at it, she was more than willing to take his word.
The shrill sound of the kettle squealing filled the air and interrupted the conversation.
"Oh. Water's done boilin'. Sit tight."
He went back over to his tiny stovetop and prepared the beverage for both the human and himself. When he served her, she took in a deep breath of the white steam rising from the small, faded green teacup before taking a cautious sip of it.
The scent reminded her of an estuary; the small border between a fresh flowing river and a salty sea, not quite marshy, and not quite a briny. The bittersweet essence of the Echo Flowers paired with the slightly salty hints of the bioluminescent algae that once bloomed in the tea water gave it an earthy taste.
Not bad for something made of marsh water. Not at all, as a matter of fact. She let slip a surprised grin.
"Ah, like it, do ya? Can't say I expected that. Last human that came here and tried some spat it out all over the place the moment it graced his tastebuds! It was everywhere! You shoulda seen it! Heh heh heh!"
"Oh, my Glaux..." Ginger wheezed the last word. "That's terrible."
"Yeah, well...Didn't mean no harm, he did. In fact, I'm thinkin' he took a likin' to me...But I guess he knew what was comin to him. Gave me these before he left."
He pulled something out from behind the rock and displayed them. It was the Cloudy Glasses and Torn Notebook that his sign said he had for sale.
"Now, I'm prob'ly not gonna be around much longer, so I thought maybe someone could take these off my hands, maybe keep 'em somewhere as some sort of...I don't know, memorabilia, I guess. It ain't that I don't care for 'em anymore. Quite the contrary, really; I wanna see them well taken care of when I'm gone."
"Did...Asgore collect his SOUL?"
"That he did...But if his plan goes accordingly, we can at least take comfort in the fact he didn't die in vain. None of 'em did...Except...N'aw, whatever. That's another story."
"What did, uh...what'd he look like?"
"Short stuff. Not much younger than you, if I remember correctly...Weird lookin' though. Could barely open his eyes, it looked like.
"Oh...I'd...take them for you, but I haven't really got any permanent digs right now, so I'm uh...not sure how safe they'll be...But I DO know someone who might take them."
"Not the Temmies. They mean well, but I don't trust 'em with delicate stuff."
"Oh, no, no, not the Temmies. I'm thinking of someone else," she corrected lightly, taking another long sip of her drink. "He's a pretty big fan of humans. And he's pretty organized, so I think we can trust him with them. I'll ask him about this when I get the chance."
"Well, that's very nice of ya. You're a good kid...I hope Undyne can see through."
"Um...I have a question."
"What's on your mind?"
"If I-no...WHEN I come face-to-face with Asgore, what'll I have to do to get out of the Underground?"
"Well...only those with a strong SOUL can pass through. If he wanted to, Asgore could take one of the human SOULs he already has stored away, use it to cross over to the outside and then take one more from some unsuspectin' passerby, prob'ly...But he don't wanna. He's too soft. Besides, the last time someone tried that...well...That's a grim story for another time, I'd say...But with a mind like yours and such high levels of DETERMINATION, I'm sure you'll find a way to git outta here in one piece. Heh heh..."
"That's what I'm hoping."
She finished off the Sea Tea, and Gerson motioned to retrieve the empty mug.
"Thanks for the chat, Mr. Gerson. And the tea. It's, uh...hard to believe that most humans don't like this stuff. I hear they're not really into snails that much, either."
"Well, I've heard of a few exceptions. Supposedly, one human culture think of 'em as a delicacy like we do...At least some of them have decent taste, eh!?"
"I've said it before and I'll say it again. Humans are picky. All high and mighty with their supposedly refined ta-"
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud noise approaching from somewhere outside of the den. Ginger immediately recognized it.
It was the sound of heavy metal boots stomping closer.
"...You hear somethin?" Gerson asked, cupping a hand to one of his earholes. "Can't tell if that's just my old ears or if-."
"It's her. She's coming."
The look of horror the young human conveyed was all he needed to see to know just who she was talking about.
"Behind here," the tortoise said, beckoning her to crouch behind his rock table. And she did so accordingly...
Just as the armored figure of the Royal Guard Captain came in.
"Well, look who came back!" the old monster greeted her, putting on a very convincing act. "Any luck?"
"No, not yet," she replied, surprisingly calmly. Ginger couldn't see it, but her slightly muffled voice indicated that she was still wearing her helmet. "I just came by to make sure it didn't come your way. I've been from Snowdin Forest to the first stretch of Hotland and back, and still nothing. It couldn't have passed through Hotland yet; it've had to pass through Alphys' lab, so she would have said something."
"Ah, Royal Scientist...How's she gettin' along? Been a while since I last saw 'er."
"Oh, she's ah...same as ever, heh...I just hope it doesn't get to her before I get to it. I...goofed up. Tried to kill it by plunging it into the garbage dump; thought it'd mess it up, break its bones. I was planning on coming back and giving it a nice long, agonizing death for what they did to us...But it's still alive; I checked all over the garbage dump and there was no body. But you know what I DID find? An impression in the bed of Golden Flowers. AND a shoeprint. It's still out there. It just HAD to fall onto the flowerbed and have its fall broken, didn't it? Talk about luck..."
"No kiddin'. See this is what I meant when I said to look before ya leap."
"Yeah, yeah, I know...But next time, it's gonna be one-on-one!"
"Make sure you're ready when the time comes!"
"Oh, you better believe I'll be ready...See ya later."
"Hey! How 'bout lookin' round the Hotland stretch? Who knows? She could be headed there right now! Maybe she hid away in Temmie Village waitin' for ya to backtrack!"
"Oh, GOD. Anywhere but there. If I end up having to go in there and...wait...How'd you know it was a 'she'?"
"Lucky guess, I guess. Dunno."
"Hm...Whatever. Doesn't matter what it is, I'm still gonna drive my spear through its brains."
And she turned to leave, the harsh *clang-clang* of her boots fading into the distance.
Ginger rose her head up from behind the stone once they disappeared, a cold drop of sweat dripping down her brow.
"Well...I guess it's safe to say that went well...?"
"I'm sure enough it is. I'd say now's a good time to find a better place to hide away than with the Temmies, though, while ya have the chance."
"On it. Thanks again for everything, Mr. Gerson!" she bid as she went out of the shop.
"Be careful out there, kid!"
She peeked outside of the den entry and scanned about the outside; the possibility that Undyne might still be lurking around the direct vicinity heightened her guard. But she didn't see her anywhere, nor did she detect the sound of her heavy footsteps, so she made her next move.
She pulled her cellphone out and rang Papyrus' number.
"THIS IS THE GREAT PAPYRUS SPEAKING! MAY I ASK WHO IS CALLING?""
"Hey Papyrus," she answered, though not too loudly.
"OH! HUMAN! GLAD TO HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN! YOU COULD SAY I WAS GETTING A LITTLE WORRIED...YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY STILL ALIVE. HOW ARE THINGS WITH YOU?"
"Just came out of Gerson's shop. You been there before?"
"WHY, YES I HAVE! HE'S BEEN AROUND FOR A VERY LONG TIME, YOU KNOW. UNDYNE AND I HOLD A LOT OF RESPECT FOR HIM."
"I kinda got that part; he was a big help. I'm alright, but you could say I had a close call."
"OH? WHAT DID I MISS?""
"I'll fill in the details later. In the mean time, remember how we agreed that I could come back whenever I got the chance?"
"DO YOU HAVE SUCH A CHANCE NOW?"
"Undyne's headed to the Hotland stretch as we speak...wherever that is. I'm gonna find my way back to Snowdin from here and trip her up."
"SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN! UNTIL YOUR ARRIVAL, I'LL ALERT SANS AND CRAFT A GOOD HIDING SPOT FOR YOU IN THE CASE SHE RETURNS! IF YOU NEED A LIFT, TRY THE RIVERPERSON! THE BOAT FERRY SHOULD BE JUST SOUTH OF GERSON'S SHOP! THEY'LL GIVE YOU A LIFT FOR NO CHARGE!"
"Awesome. Hate to cut this short, buddy, but I've got to stay on my toes. See ya later."
"GOOD LUCK, HUMAN! THIS IS THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SIGNING OFF!"
And he was gone, and Ginger followed said path down to the river bank. There, just off the edge on the water, was a small boat, manned by a mysterious-looking hooded figure. Their cloak extended all the way down to the ground, and the shadows of its hood concealed the face of the being.
"Tra la la..."
The voice sounded somewhat old, but not as rough as Gerson's. Quieter. Higher-pitched. Almost eerily so.
"I am the Riverman...Or am I the Riverwoman? People keep guessing...I love to ride in my boat. Would you care to join me?"
"That's...why I'm here, actually. Mind giving me a lift to Snowdin?"
"My pleasure."
So she boarded the little wooden boat.
"Then we're off..."
The Riverperson pulled out an oar and began to paddle upstream. The flow was calm, and easily pushed against. The air was still, and the only sounds to be heard were the humming of the Riverperson and the gentle flow of the water as it brushed against the banks or was pushed by the boater's oar.
"Tra la la...What's inside an acorn? It's really just a mystery."
"Um...I...happen to know, if you're curious."
"Oh...?"
"Yep. Little tan nut; it's usually teardrop shaped, I think. I...uh...don't recommend eating them raw, though. I hear they're EXTREMELY bitter. So, uh...Unless you're a deer or a squirrel, or something like that that can stomach the stuff, then, uh...well...you're probably gonna have a bad time."
"Tra la la...Raw, you say? What if they are roasted?"
"I...think I've heard of a method of doing that? I don't know. It's been a while. From what I can remember, though, I think the nuts are prepared a certain way to remove the bitter components...leaching, was it called...? I don't know. You have to look more into it. But in the mean time, I think I'll stick to hazelnuts, thank you very much."
"You are a knowing young SOUL. Tra la la..."
"I got that from a friend of mine. She's sort of a bookworm."
I wonder if Ulkah's read up on how to cook worms...Wouldn't surprise me.
"Erm...Why do you ask, though?"
"Oh. Just so I know you're listening. Many a time people have spaced out, so to say, during the ride."
"I'll admit; I might have myself if you hadn't asked about that acorn business."
"Hmm...You are an odd one. But that which is odd can be good...or bad...Tra la la...Monsters...Humans...Flowers..." the hooded figure murmured.
"Wait, what was that last one?"
"Hm? Oh...nothing. Just wondering about things. Tra la la..."
Ginger felt the air grow more dry and more cold, and a chill was sent down her spine so she brought her hood back up and wrapped the cloak around herself more securely. She wasn't sure, though, if the chill came from the cold, or what she thought the Riverperson had said. She could have sworn they said something about-
"...Cloaks. They make any wearer seem that much more...mysterious, do they not?"
"Ha...I should think so. That's partly why I wear mine so much."
"Your reasons are not foreign to me. Tra la la...Here we are."
Ginger looked up ahead. Sure enough, the snowy river bank was coming into plain view, and that was where the boat stopped. Ginger stepped out off of the boat and onto the firm, white-sheeted ground.
"Come again some time. Tra la la..." the Riverperson finished as they paddled away. Ginger wondered if they'd be back.
The path from the river went south, and she followed it back into the cheery town of Snowdin. She dragged her feet some as she walked through the snow, distorting the shallow prints her shoes made. If, by any chance, Undyne decided to take the boat back to Snowdin, she might not be able to recognize her tracks.
The human imagined that it looked very strange, but it would probably save her hide if her predictions were correct.
Finally, she stood up. To the west were the shop and inn, to the east was the library, and not far past the library was that familiar two-story log cabin. She'd made it.
Still dragging her feet, she approached the house, silently noting that Sans still hadn't collected his mail, and was just about to knock on the front door when she heard a crash and a cry coming from the shed on the other side.
"NYEGH!"
She immediately recognized the voice, and rushed over to see just what was going on. Trying to hold back the strong urge to panic, she knocked on the door to the shed.
"HUH?"
The sound of someone rushing to the door came right after, and before she even realized it, Papyrus had opened the door and was standing before her, looking perfectly fine.
"HUMAN! YOU'VE ARRIVED!" he exclaimed, greeting her with open arms. Ginger barely noticed herself accepting the friendly embrace.
"HEY...WHAT HAPPENED? I THOUGHT YOU DIDN'T LIKE HUGS! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!"
"Wait..."
Ginger finally realized what she'd done, and immediately pulled away, reestablishing her slick and smooth persona.
"So...What happened in here? Heard a pretty, uh...startling noise."
"OH. I WAS JUST CLEARING AWAY THESE OLD BARS I SET UP FOR A HUMAN ENCLOSURE, SEEING AS THEY ARE NO LONGER NECESSARY. THE CRASH CAME FROM ME DROPPING ONE OF THE LOGS, WHICH WAS THEN FOLLOWED UP BY ME YELPING, REALIZING THAT IT WAS INCHES AWAY FROM FALLING ONTO MY FOOT."
"Eesh!"
"IT'S A GOOD THING IT MISSED. OH, I'M BEING SO RUDE...DO COME IN!"
She stepped inside, and saw that all of the logs had been taken down. A chainsaw lay on the floor, and a swept pile of sawdust was sitting in the corner beside a broom. In the far right corner across from the broom and pile was the wood, neatly stacked into a pyramid shape.
"WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE WHAT I DID!" Papyrus told her, leading her over to the log pyramid. "YOU SEE THIS PILE OF CUT-UP LOGS? IT LOOKS JUST LIKE AN ORDINARY PILE OF CUT-UP LOGS, DOESN'T IT?"
"...What's the catch?"
"OBSERVE."
He pulled on one of the top logs, appearing to be taking it off...only to reveal that the log, and the five others around it, were connected to a wooden trapdoor, which lead into a small square compartment.
"GO ON INSIDE AND SEE IF YOU FIT."
Intrigued, the human climbed up the logs and hopped in, and Papyrus shut the trapdoor above her, shrouding the tiny space in darkness. Even without the light, she could tell that each dimension was about four feet across, giving her a bit of extra room to stretch her limbs out some.
"A SUPER-SECRET HIDING SPOT!" the skeleton remarked, pulling the top back open. "NO ONE WOULD EVER SUSPECT AN INNOCENT-LOOKING PILE OF FIREWOOD TO BE HOUSING A HUMAN INSIDE OF IT!"
She climbed back out and stood before the secret compartment beside him.
"Papyrus, you're a sprinking genius."
"AND THAT'S NOT THE BEST PART!"
He then proceeded to pull another one of the logs off of the side of the firewood ruse...and this one actually came off in his hand.
"THE TOP LAYER OF LOGS ALONG THE SIDES ARE LOOSE! ONE CAN TAKE THEM OFF AND USE THEM, SO IT'S EVEN MORE CONVINCING!"
"And this took you HOW much time to finish? Didn't I JUST get off the phone with you, like, fifteen minutes ago?"
"I EVEN SURPRISED MYSELF WITH HOW QUICKLY I GOT IT DONE! ONE CAN DO GREAT THINGS WITH THE AID OF AN ADRENALINE RUSH! ANYWAYS, I FIXED THE PLACE UP SOME MORE BEFORE WE LAST SPOKE, JUST IN TH CASE OF THIS EVENT. MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME, HUMAN! SHOULD YOU NEED ME, I WILL BE IN THE KITCHEN MAKING SPAGHETTI!"
"Hey, got a tip for you."
"I'M ALL EARS!"
"Maybe use less oil. And don't drop the box in the pasta."
"NO...? HM...THAT'S HOW UNDYNE AND I USUALLY DO IT. BUT I'LL SEE HOW THAT WORKS OUT!"
He shut the door and disappeared. Ginger scanned the shed; he really HAD been sprucing it up a lot. The dog bed and bowls were gone, and in their place was an old, yet still intact mattress, complete with bedding, a neat stack of books, and an empty cardboard box in the corner that was labeled "DEFINITELY NOT HUMAN STUFF" on the side.
"...Probably gonna have to turn that writing towards the wall," she remarked. Papyrus had really gone out of his way to improve her stay.
She was glad she had some people down here that backed her up, even if her SOUL was the one thing they needed to be free from the mountain. There were so many good monsters down here, filled to the brim with hope, love and compassion.
And this filled her with DETERMINATION.
A/N: Phew! Finally got this done! Kinda wondering how I'll go about the next chapter. Most of it is probably going to be Ginger prepping for the eventual fight against Undyne...Might be sort of a filler chapter, but there will be some canonical events, I can tell you that much!
Later!