Chara: Ah geez...there's a lotta dialogue/exposition here...and they're in clumps...
Asgore: An unfortunate necessity, I'm afraid. Things are calming down, so things slow a bit...
Asriel: Though the best part about it is that it's calming down. We can relax and collect ourselves.
Frisk: Yeah! That's a silver lining, right?
Fayrn: ...What about a gold lining? Do those exist?
Chara: What th-how did you get here?!
Faryn: Mad Skillz! Also...I wanna eat something yummie! X3
Tamotsu:...Start the chapter. This will take a while...
(As said above, this chap's slightly dialogue heavy. Necessary evil, since things calmed down.)
Chapter Start!
Asgore's group eventually gathered up back at Mire Town to recover at the inn. Chara almost huffed at how familiar this strange scenario sounds, though Asriel and Chara don't really mind it at all. Though when it comes to things that definitely needed minding, Asgore seeing the state of Asriel was very much less than happy.
"ASRIEL! WHAT HAPPENED, MY SON?!" Asgore gasped aloud when he had a good look at his son, who was sitting on a stool at the counter. A quick fix of several Cinnamon Bunnies managed to heal a majority of the damage, but he required a bit of cleaning and bandages. The jagged ice and stone in his body were removed, though he would still flinch from the pain leftover. Elbio, Zola, and Silas have been safely imprisoned, and are awaiting further decision from their captives. They would decide what to do with them when the two divions truly regroups.
"I got roughed up quite a bit, Dad. It isn't anything to worry about. I'll be back to full strength in no time." Asriel lightly waves off while scratching the back of his bandaged head. "It might not be very easy...but do you mind not freaking out every time I get seriously hurt? I got out of it pretty okay."
Asgore cleared his throat a bit and stroked his beard as he sits back in a chair, choosing to ignore the creaks it made from the added weight. "Ah, yes. Sorry about that. I simply...worry about you. That's all it was, I was really worried about you."
"We understand that, Dad. Really we do." Chara sighed. "But there's no need to have some sort of freak out of that caliber every time we show up hurt. With what we're doing, of course we're going to get hurt. But you also have to trust us to make it out of these things on our own, if not outright succeeding on our own."
"Quite! I didn't mean to imply ineptitude, my sons. Ignore my parental worry for a bit...you've all done very well. I recognize that." Asgore said while reaching out and ruffling their fur/hair on their heads. "Regardless, I'm glad you boys are alright."
Chara huffed with a small smile. "If it helps, we're glad you're alright as well, Dad."
"Hm. I suppose we're all glad we're all alright." Asgore nodded to them.
With the talk of worry and relief briefly over for the time being, at least with the Dreemurrs, they spread slightly and relaxed a bit when they were sure that the danger has fully passed. Of course, someone wasn't very focused on that part of the conversation at all, as they were too busy picking out food to eat and when to begin enthusiastically eating.
Faryn was having a wonderful time.
"Whaaaaaat? They said order whatever we want, it's on the house?!" She exclaimed with wide sparkling eyes.
"Haaaaaaaah?!" Most of the males of the group shot up in surprise and awe.
"Yessirree. The mighty kind inn owner has decided that you all get to eat for free this time for all the good ya did today. Ya saved these people, protected them." Nikon informed with a small smile. "They're very grateful that you were here for them. And now they wanna repay you however they can, when they can. Mighty nice of them.~"
"Hm? Oh, that's the reason? It wasn't any trouble at all." Faryn smiles as her fox ears twitched slightly. "Royalty should help and protect other people, so that's what I did. Pretty straightforward." She soon looked forward with her bushy tail wagging excitedly. "I'm soooo hungry! Hungry! I wanna eat some meat!~"
"She's right. Royalty should always help the people before even thinking about helping themselves." Asriel nodded. "Still, I don't think that's necessary. We don't want to imp-"
"Azzy! You don't just decline an offer for free food! That's like an affront to their super nice hospitality!" Faryn gently scolded Asriel with a pout. "Those who offer free food are most definitely good people! We gotta respect that hospitality and kindness and eat with passion in our hearts!~"
Asriel blinked, then he scratched his ear with a sheepish laugh. "R-Right. You're right. Sorry about that..."
"Don't tell me you actually fell for that." Chara sighed. "...Then again, if it really is on the house...do they have any more chocolate?"
"I'll have some cinnamon for dessert, but first, I guess a little lunch beforehand won't hurt."
"By a little, you obviously mean a lot, right?"
"That's the best way!~" Faryn chirped.
Gerson looked towards their direction and seeing them order quite a bit of food. He noticed that there wasn't anyone else in the dining area right now, meaning space was made for the heroes to relax. Still, the sight of the boys-and girl-enthusiastically picking out what to eat had him chuckle and shake his head. The youth were always so hungry...
"These look so promising.~" Asgore smiles brightly at the selections, his eyes brigthened slightly with interest. Of course he selected some tea first to calm down the remains of his adrenaline from his battles. After that, everything was fair game. "Perhaps ten helpings will do?"
I thought too soon, apparently. Gerson resisted the urge to outright laugh.
"Hmm...it seems that you really were intending to help us all. You've certainly proved yourselves." Tamotsu says lowly while sitting against the wall slightly, holding up his cheek with a paw. "And I suppose my daughter proved herself as well."
"Even from all of that, you're still doubting is to a certain extent?" Eloise asked with a small bit of irritation in her tone.
"No, no, not at all. I believe you, truly." Tamotsu grumbled while massaging the bridge of his snout. "Of course your Kingdom, as well as Surripio, has done plenty a wrong towards myself and Astus as a whole...but you have personally come out to meet me, and attend to make amends on your own behalf as well as your Kingdom. I recognize that resolve of yours, truly." He sighed while shaking his head. "My caution borders on paranoia, and that is my own vice to overcome. But I will not have it obstruct the connection you're trying to make with us."
"We truly intend to make amends with the Kingdom of Astus. We want to form a connection with you, to see if things can become better than before. Help each other overcome our problems, help each other grow, to rise above our pasts towards a better future." Eloise says while gently bowing her head.
"I recognize your goal as well. And...I do wish to help." Tamotsu says quietly while nodding his head as well. "Perhaps...since we are being honest with one another, I might as well tell you more about myself, and where that intense caution originated."
Asgore blinked, then sputtered slightly while waving his paw. "No no! It's obviously a touchy subject, you don't have to divulge such things if it troubles you so."
"I'm aware of the lack of necessity for this...but it is what I want to do." Tamotsu closed his eyes and sighed. "As I have told you before, my relationship with humans was...abrasive at best, toxic at worst. The humans that I have come in contact with or heard about in my youth...I truly abhored them. You see, certain guilds outside our Kingdom had the gall, the audacity, to go around hunting monsters and poaching a high number of them, with fox monsters like myself being the most targeted. They would hunt them down and have them skinned alive for their fur, before killing others and decorating fur coats with our dust. It gives them a certain 'fineness or brightness' to them when sprinkled upon those coats as if they were glitter, or whatever the hell they decorate them with."
"Wha..." Asgore mouthed quietly.
"I know. Why would they do such repulsive things for something like that? But at my age, I didn't really care about the reasons. I was helpless to do anything about it, because at the time, it was more openly practiced and sometimes even approved. That didn't make it right, I despised how things were back then, and to this day I hated them now. They're trying to be more sly about it these days, but I still sniff them out on occasion...they cannot fool me. I will not fall victim, and none of my people shall fall victim again, either. Of course there are a few that wish to brave the potential consequences for profit." Tamotsu snarled. "I made my declaration the very day I became King of these lands, the day several ambitious hunters gathered extra guild help and massacred my family, either for reputation or profit. Either way, I was all that remained. No parents, siblings, or relatives left alive...only myself."
"Tch." Gerson clicked his tongue and closed his eye while dipping his hat in front of his face. It was definitely a very disturbing thought. Animal-type monsters have been hunted for their furs, their skins, and/or their dust? For decorative purposes, or simply to show off? Tamotsu's protective anger was becoming a bit more understandable.
Muffet would be disgusted. Hunting for purposes like that, and not for sustenance? As strange as her moral compass was, she'd still be seething more at the pointless cruelty than the potential waste of food.
"I made my declaration to protect my Kingdom, to protect my people. I would either have unwelcome intruders scared off or killed outright. As I suspected, they were mostly human. Sometimes I would simply go out and deal with them myself just to be sure, then return home." Tamotsu sighed as he gently facepalmed. "Then one day, purely by chance, I met...her."
"Her...?" Eloise gently asked. "Wait...you mean...?"
Tamotsu nodded, as he pulled a picture from one of his fluffy, bushy tails, and showed it to them. What they see was a beautiful brown-haired woman with cream colored skin, she wore a blueish-green blouse with light green stockings. And the expression on her face was a strange mix of being very relaxed and being energetic, plus she simply looked very happy to be wherever she was.
"Yes, I do. The most frustrating human without malice in her heart that I've ever met at the time." Tamotsu paused, with his second sigh turning a touch more gentle. "Her name was Corliss, and her dominant Soul Trait was Kindness, gifted with Plant Magic, ablento use wood, flowers, leaves, etc. We first met after she selflessly defended many villages within the Kingdom without any regard for her own safety, she didn't even think about being repaid. I could not led that stand, so I offered her hospitality as repayment, since it seemed she had nowhere to go. And...she proceeded to confuse me with her carefree attitude. All she wanted was something to eat, no other reward. Well that...and she apparently appreciates how...cute and cuddly I looked. Me. The big scary nine tailed fox with immense magic power...is considered cute and cuddly. I was utterly baffled."
"Waaahahahaha!~" Gerson beamed while slapping the table with his hand. "Looks like the lass was more than you could handle upon first meeting, huh?~"
"So she makes her entrance saving one of the villages under your protection, single-hanwdedly. Simply because she was stopping by and saw that they were in trouble." Asgore stroked his beard. "Then she threw you off with strange questions, her unexpected demeanor, and initial refusal to be repaid, before settling on food." He chuckled. "Quite a first meeting."
"Yes, it was. We've...never met a human quite like her. It was strange." He mumbled while staring ahead. "My advisors were convinced that it was all a carefully, skillfully crafted act, with the intention of doing grievous harm to us when our guards are down...that she would end up truly being a truly malevolent force to be reckoned with that will annihilate us with our backs turned...not even slightly. She simply kept eating to her heart's content, while occasionally helping out my people when the opportunity presented itself. They were still cautious of her, but they eventuslly accepted that she was here to stay."
"She sounded so nice...plus she sure ate a lot." Asgore chuckled nervously.
"I learned that the reason for her hunger-aside from just really liking food-is that she's been chased down by the cabal she betrayed when they turned down a darker path. She's been on the run for months, rarely having time to rest, much less eat. With that in mind...she thanked me for my kind hospitality, said she was happy she wasn't alone anymore, that she finally had a true home to call her own, then cheerfully hugs me. I...returned it gladly." Tamotsu smiled. "It didn't take long for me to become genuinely enamored with her, and vice versa. She introduced new possibilities to me regarding the reforging of bonds between human and monster, and informed me that a positive relationship between the two is definitely possible to regain, if persistently worked for. To the point where she convinced me to open the Kingdom borders to human refugees."
"Really now?" Eloise thought. She had always wondered about these aspects of the Astus Kingdom but was never completely sure due to how withdrawn they were. So this confirmation was definitely a step forward in understanding.
"At first I was anxious about letting other humans inside, and my subjects were even more understandably anxious. But Corliss assured me that they wouldn't hurt anyone, that they're just looking for a home. I hesitated, but I believed her. She at least compromosed that they would be thoroughly checked before we'd let them in, and it paid off." Tamotsu said. "It took some time, adjusting, and several calmings of their nerves, but the humans and monsters here were able to get along nicely. Corliss was bright and happy about being right, and I agreed. Pretty soon, we were allowing entry to humans who needed a home. Everyone was happy." Tamotsu lifted his head and scratched his cheek. "And after a while...we brought little Faryn into the world, born with her dominant soul trait Perseverance."
"That must have been quite a joyous day." Asgore smiled.
"Oh it was. The entire Kingdom suddenly became a lot brighter and happier. It's not that rare for a human and monster to sire a child, but it is rare for a hybrid to be of royalty. Of course some people have their worried thoughts on the issue...but once they actually got a look at her, everyone grew to quickly love her." Tamotsu chuckled. "She was a cute fluffy ball of energy even before she could properly walk and talk. She laughed a lot, she ventures anywhere and everywhere she could reach, and of coufse asks plenty of questions once she did learn to speak and understand things to a degree. Corliss had loads of fun with her, while I was utterly exhausted by their combined antics. But I didn't mind at all. I had a new family to call my own, and it was a very fulfilling feeling." His smile slowly vanished as he closed his eyes. "Then Faryn turned five..."
Away from the adults, Faryn's fluffy ear twitched slightly, but she didn't gaze in their direction. She just kept eating.
"She and Corliss...they were both simply playing in one of the nearby villages while I was caught up in business back in my palace. Corliss was strong, I thought. She could look after herself AND Faryn. Though after some time, my soul clenched up, and I knew something was dreadfully wrong. As such, I left my palace and made a swift run towards their location, desperately hoping they were okay..." Tamotsu briefly whined as he lowered his head, his tails ceased to sway. "When I got there...all I saw was Corliss's corpse on the ground, Faryn loudly sobbing with a new green soul within her chest, and enemy monsters/mages alike ignoring that and aiming to kill her as well."
Asgore's eyes saddened slightly as he could hear Tamotsu's breath hitched, both in grief and anger.
"My world turned red. All other desires and thoughts vanished. Only two things mattered to me: Save and Protect Faryn...then kill those who dared to kill my beloved and threatened my only daughter. Of course the former was the unmeasurably higher priority, I made sure to save her first and hide her...then I went back and slaughtered them all. Human blood...Monster dust...both covered and stuck to me. I did not care. I crushed them beneath my paws, slashed them apart with my claws, tore some in half with my jaws...they were disgustingly outmatched by my rage. They screamed, begged and pleaded, cried for mercy...I had none to give. My highly vengeful mood refused it."
"Tamotsu..." Eloise said sadly, her ears flattened against her head.
"After that, I brought Faryn home, and had healers tend to her, and guards to protect her at all times. When I was absolutely certain that she was safe, I thought back to how Corliss said that she was chased down by the cabals she betrayed, and it seemed that they finally achieved their retribution...I made sure that victory was pointless. My mind made up, I hunted them down one after another, and destroyed them. I made sure they were completely and utterly wiped from the face of the world. And I did so single-handedly. Then, and only then...did I allow myself to grieve. Faryn and the Kingdom grieved alongside me. Our Kingdom was abundant with tears for the loss of Corliss. And some of us are still grieving, myself and Faryn more than anyone. Faryn had her mother die in front of her, and I wasn't there to protect either of them. Regret filled us for being unable to do so...but after enough time to pull ourselves together, it turned into resolve."
"Resolve...?"
"The loss of Corliss hit us all. It also gave us the drive to become stronger in body, mind, and magic. I trained Faryn, and she was very set on it. Inheriting Plant Magic from absorbing her mother's soul, she became incredibly powerful in her own right while training over the years. In terms of Plant Magic, it may have been from having attatined some of Corliss's skill by default after the absorption, but I could see some of her own ingenuity in the mix. She became strong, just like she said she would. Strong enough to take care of herself, and I knew it...but because of my increased anxiety due to her mother's death, I wanted her to prove it, if only to reassure myself. And she succeeded with flying colors."
"And this is why you kept your Kingdom mostly withdrawn all this time. You wanted to prepare her. You were too anxious to open the window of opportunity for her, but you also onew she'd find it herself." Gerson hummed.
"...Like I said, I am no fool. I know the time would come when she would want to venture for herself, and I would have to accept that. But I wanted her to be as prepared as possible for her own sake. And ghere was one thing that she was missing, one thing that kept me from letting her go, and would have ketnher longer if it wasn't for you all."
"...You didn't want her to go alone, like her mother did before her." Asgore suddenly realized.
"I was, and still am, very painfully aware that I can not be her only shield against danger. As she said, problems will come to our doorstep no matter how much I try to protect her from them. I knew this very well. And yet, I hung onto the excuse that I would chose forcing her to stay than traveling alone. But..." Tamotsu slowly turned towards Faryn, watching her merrily eat with the Dreemurr Trio, as well as Nikon and Shamir and Will. It appears that excuse is now somewhat discredited.
"I see. You are indeed a very cautious King...but you are not unreasonable. I'd say that's a fair mindset to have." Asgore said with a soft nod. "If you would allow it, then I look forward to working alongside you. We can help make these Kingdom's much better than they currently are, but we can't achieve that without coming to an understanding."
"...I know. You have my support." Tamotsu eventually smiled. "I shall attend the meeting in Ebott as yoi requested. We'll have a more in-depth discussion about our futures there."
"Then it's settled. I'm very happy that we managed to come to an understanding. Only one more to go." Eloise smiled positively. "Oh! Asgore, did you hear from your wife's group about their progress? Were they successful?"
"No. I haven't received word yet. I've tried several times." Asgore said with a soft sigh.
"Are you concerned?" Tamotsu asked in concern. Asgore simply turned towards him with a small smile.
"A little. But not enough to outright panic. Tori is strong in mind, body, and magic. And she has many great and strong comrades to support her. I believe in their ability to succeed."
"Hmm...very well."
Gerson piped up while tapping his cane on the ground. "Here's a bit of a subject change for ya. How do ya think you did with raising your daughter, Tamotsu?"
Tamotsu lightly scratched his head. "I did the best that I could. Obviously I wasn't the best, but I believe that Faryn turned out fine. She has her own obstacles to surpass and I believe she can do so. She still tries to be as happy and curious as she can be. She'll has been, and always will be, my little girl." He sighed a bit of annoyance. "Unfortunately, puberty set in, and my fatherly instincts skyrocketed. She's a bit oblivious to how attractive she's become to the males her age in the Kingdom. It resulted in several of the significantly less savory ones asking for her hand...I smelled exactly what they were after."
"What did ya do?"
"I threatened to eat them alive."
"...Huh."
"I would have sent their families a formal letter of apology for their loss."
"That's...that's not the problem..." Eloise sweatdropped.
"I wasn't being completely serious...only mostly serious."
"That's not the issue either!"
"Speaking of eating, your wife sure did a lot of it." Gerson hummed. "Do ya think your daughter is of a similar caliber?"
Tamotsu slowly turned towards Faryn again.
"I love food, food loves me! Together we make my tummy so VERY hap-py!~" Faryn chirped before having a loaf of bread in her mouth, then muffle-hummed while biting into it.
"...She's worse. So much worse." Tamotsu moaned while hiding his face in his paws. Well, that definitely explained her love for feasts and banquets.
"At least our our children have something in common." Asgore smiled jovially. A nearby worker set down a rather sizable plate for Asgore, and more normal sized plates-wide from Tamotsu's-for the others, and his eyes gleamed. "Baha! There's our food! Right on cue!~"
"You're not so different yourself, Fluffybuns." Gerson said with a brief cackle, before coughing a bit and pounding his chest a bit, before laughing a bit easier.
Back with the kids, Asriel and Faryn were happily eating an abundance of foods without too much cares in the world, while Frisk and Chara were sitting bh and esting in slightly less abundance. Shamir, Ribras, Rasha, and Will didn't feel too up for eating, so they settled for glasses of milk for each of them. Parvos was nowhere to be seen for the moment. A bit strange, but not an immediate cause for concern.
Though there is something restingnon Asriel's mind, and he wasn't entirely up to keeping it inside. So he turned to Faryn. "Faryn...can I ask you something?"
"Mmmmnnnh?" Faryn muffled as she turned to Asriel. Her cheeks were comically swelled with food, which she casually swallows so she could speak. "What is it, Asriel?"
The Prince of Monsters sighed, anxiously scratching the back of his neck. "Well...my big ears couldn't help but hear what our Dads were talking about. And I mean no disrespect or offense by asking this...but...are you alright? Have you been alright?"
"Oh? Yeah, I'm fine. Have been for a long while now. Don't worry about it." She said honestly, reaching out for more bread. "Ooh! Blueberry shortbread!~"
"...Wow. You're certainly...well-adjusted." Chara blinked.
Faryn stopped eating for a moment at Chara's confusion. She sighed snd set her food aside for a moment as her fox ears drooped. "...Sorry, I didn't mean it in a way that suggests I don't care. I loved Mom. I cried a lot when she died and gave up her soul for me. She didn't even know it would work, since I'm a hybrid. But she chose to take the risk, since she was completely exhausted of magic power from fighting. She refused watch me bleed out and/or turn to dust, she didn't take her chance with either. Instead she had a chance to do something, to save me. It was risky...but...I managed to absorb her soul. I felt myself become empowered, and most of my wounds began to heal rapidly...but at the time, me physically feeling better meant very little. Mom had just given herself up for me. I couldn't process anything else but my tears, and the sound of my Father tearing the remaining enemies to pieces."
"Eesh..." Will hissed-flinched. He didn't miss the part where the Astus King's fangs were involved...those deaths must have been especially grisly.
"After that all I did was cry, cry for days while my father grieved via going out and personally destroying the leading cabals that ordered for this to happen. The Kingdom knew it was seriously bad because I didn't eat the whole time. They thought I was never going to snap out of it." Faryn slowly lifted her head a bit. "...Then...I pulled myself out of my funk. All by myself."
"You did...?!" Asriel said, genuinely surprised. Judging by her experience, Faryn would have been completely excused for grieving a little bit longer. But she pulled herself out of the deepest parts of her grief. At five years old?"
Faryn nodded. "Of course I was five so the thought process leading to this was ridiculously simple, but it made sense to me. I realized that Mom wouldn't have wanted me to cry over her forever, so I needed to pull myself together for her, for my Dad, and for myself. I asked myself three questions: What do I do now? Why do I want to do it? And how should I best achieve it?" She paused as her fluffy ears stood again and her fluffier tail swayed gently. "I want to be strong enough to stand on my own, and I want to have friends that I can stand beside. I want these because then Dad won't worry about me as much, and I'll be able to stand against the push of the world. And the best way I can do this is to go out and find opportunities for greater strength, and forge powerful friendships."
"Those are quite admirable motivations, Princess." Rasha smiled.
"Meh." Will shrugged, only to be punched in the shoulder by Rasha a second later. "Ouch! It was a joke, I swear!"
Faryn giggled softly, before she placed her hands in her lap. "I love my Papa. He'll always be my Father, and we'll always love each other. But I can't stay cramped up in our Kingdom, not with the way most of the outside world is right now. I have to go out there and see it for myself. I'm curious about the world and how it works outside of our own view of it. And for the most part, I'm not toally okay with how some things are becoming, so I wanna challenge the current state of the world. And if I challenge the current state of the world, I can destroy the complacency that keeps it from advancing. And if that complacency is destroyed...we can make room for change, to grow, to be better."
Frisk tilted his head curiously, while Chara blinked while beginning to focus on her words. They sounded so casual, yet he felt that Faryn didn't completely understand the significance behind her thought process.
"That guy...what was his name?"
"Smirkman?"
"Yeah! Smirkman. He was right about one thing. Complacency can be anyone's downfall. That's why Astus wishes to keep growing stronger, so that if a strong enemy comes by, we'll be able to defend ourselves and our peace. But we also have to know what's out there to prepare more adequately. That's why I want to see the world. Well...that's more of a bonus reason, I just really want to travel. Experience different lifestyles, exploring different environments, meeting new friends, eating various varieties of food...delicious...glorious food..." Faryn unconsciously began drooling.
"...Faryn?" Asriel tapped her shoulder.
She blinked and shook her head, then smiles kindly. "All these noble goals and such are for the good of my Kingdom. But as for me personally, I want Astus to be able to eat as much as they want, nap as much as they want, play as much as they want, and just lead joyful, happy lives. I want to bring peace of mind for them, to have them think 'you know...it's alright to trust these people'. The more good connections we make, the more better off we'll all be."
Chara soon spoke up as he pushed some hair away from his eyes. "Curiosity about the world, Challenge it's current state, destroy the Complacency that holds it back, and make room for Change." He sighed while scratching the back of his head. "You have a really weird thought process..."
Faryn shrugged, then turned towards Frisk. "Frisk. What do you want to do?"
Frisk was a bit surprised, but he turned towards her with his heterochromatic gold and blue eyes open. "I want to be an ambassador for Humanity and Monsterkind."
"Oh, pretty cool. And the best way you can go through that is to learn more about the world. See different important, amazing people to form connections with, friends that can help you better understand the world, and discover the best way to change it so everyone can better ourselves and be strong, happy and peaceful."
Frisk smiles quietly and nods in understanding. Faryn wanted to know more about the world so she can learn more about it, and about herself so she can try and better both, hopefully extending these improvements to Astus. Perseverance to learn more about the world, and the Kindness to use that knowledge to better herself and others. The Kindness to wish change upon the world for the better, and the Perseverance to be willing to challenge it's current state first.
If he had to imagine what new Soul Trait those would lead to, he would pick Curiosity.
"...Oh! Tiramisu!~" Faryn beamed as she reached out for one and takes a bite of the dessert, humming with glee.
"Annnnd subject's gone." Chara shook his head in exasperation. Such a deep and kinda engaging conversation subject...gone in seconds in favor of dessert. "Sheesh, you're supposed to be Royalty, Faryn. You have to take those goals of yours more seriously. Right Asriel?"
"Hey, they have apple dumplings! Sweet!~" Asriel smiles while taking a few and eating gleefully.
"Asriel...ugh. Frisk, help me out here!"
"Custard tarts!~" Frisk beamed whike muching his own dessert.
"For the love of...Dad?" Chara turned around towards his fathsr, hoping for support.
"Blueberry muffins.~" Asgore hummed jovially.
"...You know what? Fine." Chara surrendered to the silliness, simply taking an éclair and biting into it with a seemingly grumpy look, pretending not to enjoy the chocolate goodness.
An hour passes, and the gang was just about done eating. Frisk, Asriel, and Asgore chose to be polite and help the workers clean up all the dishes they left behind, Gerson and Nikon helped put most of the furniture back in their original positions, and Tamotsu decided to at least leave a generous tip despite being told that it was all on the house. Such kindness indeed.
Faryn lets out a gentle huff, then an audible belch as she patted her distended belly. "Very good...can't wait to feast again!"
"Me too.~" Asriel smiled while stretching his arms upward.
Faryn turned to Tamotsu. "Hey, Daddy! We should have a feast when w-"
"No! I literally just fed you! Take a break, young lady!"
"But Daaaaddy..."
"My decision is final! I'm officially refusing to listen to anymore feast requests for the rest of the day!"
"*Gasp!* You can't!"
"Watch me." Tamotsu grumbled in exasperation.
"Hnnnnmh!" Faryn pouted with adorably puffed cheeks.
"He has a point, I think you're done eating for now, Princess." Ribras said with a nervous smile.
"...Ugh. Fiiiinnnne..." She huffed with a roll of her eyes. "It's not fair. You can't put a limit on a girl's appetite."
"That opinion is rarer than you'd think..."
"It's not completely my fault. I had to do a lot of physical AND magic training growing up, so of course I was gonna eat a lot. The habit simply stuck, is all." Faryn pouted while folding her arms. "And he says it only got 'worse' when I got older, he really began freaking out when my boingers appeared."
"...Boingers?" Chara was confused for a brief moment. Then he noticed that she folded her arms under her chest...and immediately understood. Ooooh... Not really close to Undyne or his mother Toriel, but they're noticeable. Then again she does eat a lot...yeah. Her Dad has big reasons to worry.
"Oh well, I can wait it out for a while." Faryn eventually shrugged while rocking back and forth. "So...tell me, guys. Are we friends?"
"Of course we are." Frisk and Asriel answered unhesitantly.
"...Guess we are." Chara shrugged. You'll take some serious getting used to, though...
"Mmhm. So you don't have to worry about finding someone else to support you, Faryn. Just keep doing what you want to do, and we'll do what we can to support you every time you might stumble. You can count on us.~" Frisk smiled.
"Frisk, you can't just make promises like t-"
It didn't matter. Faryn smiled brightly and gently pounced upon Frisk, hugging him tightly against her and nuzzling her cheek against his. "You're a really good guy, Frisk! Thanks a lot! And I'll be sure to do the same for you too!~" Faryn beamed, her bushy fox tail wagging happily with glee. Unable to bring himself to sully this, Chara sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Ugh. You know what? Nevermind. Can't take it back now."
"You're damn right you can't."
"Hm?" Faryn blinked as she briefly pulled away from Frisk and her fluffy ears flickered a bit. The gang turns to see Smirkman, still wearing his annoying smirk on his face for some reason. "Hey Frisk, look! It's Smirkman!"
"Oh, it IS Smirkman!"
"...That's still not my name."
"Tell someone who gives a damn." Chara deadpanned. "What do you want, Smirkman?"
"I'm here to tell you that...yes, there's no taking back what you've done. What you intend to do. Whatever happens afterwards, you'll be stuck with it." He said hoarsely. "That's right, ya brats...all the consequences that come with your actions...you can't escape them, you'll be held responsible for whatever you do. No one will care that you're kids...your momentum will end at some point." His smirk widens. "You'll be done for!~"
"...Huh? Sorry, but...who are you to decide that?" Faryn blinked. "I'm pretty sure that I know what I wanna do. And you don't really have the skill or the strength to even attempt to stop us yourself. So...your warning really falls flat."
Smirkman blinked behind his shades. "...What?"
"Translation: We're not listening, dumbass." Chara rolled his eyes. "We know this road is gonna be rough, that's why we took it. The struggles and challenges we'll face will help us become stronger and wiser." He then flashed his sinister expression. "Aren't YOU the one who said complacency was a crippling weakness? =)"
"Now you're just contradicting yourself because you got ruthlessly slammed into concrete. That's pretty sad." Frisk said.
"You're kinda embarrassing yourself, Smirkman. How about you try being nice, instead?" Asriel suggested.
Smirkman blinked and tried to find a way to effectively recover...he could find none. But he refused to be silenced. "Listen here y-"
"You quit bothering these nice children, you rude thug!"
Smirkman was briefly smacked upside the head by a flash of gold. The gold flicker was from the hook of Nikon's cane, who was glaring at the human with her remaining eye.
"Grah! Why you little...!" Smirkman, having enough of the small elder raccoon, attempted to charge at her. Asriel almost moved to help her, but he stayed out and sighed.
She was in no serious danger. It was laughable to think that she was.
Nikon first tripped him up by the ankle with the hook from her crooked golden cane, causing him to stumble and fall on his face. He then gets back up, but she was already upon him, using the blunt end of her cane to strike him in the abdomen, twirl it quickly to then smack him in his back, twirling it again to smack him hard in the sides, them twirls it once more to again use the hook to trip him up, making him fall flat on his face, twice. He whimpered as he tried to stand uo ahain, only to meet the hook end of Nikon's cane.
"Don't be troublin' good folks ever again. Now git!" Nikon barked. Smirkman swiftly got up on his own and left the premises, and Mire Town. He was highly unlikely to ever come back here. She huffed while twirking her cane and setting the blunt end down. "The nerve of people like that, startin' up a ruckus for nothin' but the ruckus. Such nerve..."
"Well, at least he's gone now, never coming back, hopefully." Will shrugged.
"I'll give him really good reasons to keep out, trust me." Rasha hissed, cluching her paws around her halberd. Ribras nervously patted her head to calm her.
"Boys? Faryn?" Asgore called out as he exited sideways from the inn, moving up to the rest of the group, followed by the rest of the adults. "Is everything alright here?"
"Just a bit of an annoyance, Dad. Nikon took care of it." Chara smiled, patting the old raccoon's back. She blinked, then blushed slightly while looking away.
"I...it was no big deal, Your Majesty. I simply chased off a trouble-making hoodlum, is all." My goodness gracious, I'm having a casual conversation with Asgore Dreemurr, King of Monsters! Nikon lightly cheered to herself, this being the first time she met him face to face, a year after she met Queen Toriel. He's a lot more handsome up close! Those muscles, those horns, that deep soothing voice! But most importantly...that beard! It's like a golden lion's mane! So majestic!
"...Nikon?" Asgore blinked. The elder raccoon began laughing anxiously to herself while a hint of a blush was on her cheeks. "Nikon? Hello...?"
"H-Huh?! Oh! Hello!"
"Howdy.~"
"I'm fine! Truly!" Nikon snapped herself out of it by lightly bonking herself on the head wjth the cane, all while feeling a slight bit of shame. She grew all red and flustered when she saw Toriel up close, and now she did the same for Asgore? She seriously needed to pull herself together.
"Welp, in any circumstance, it looks like the worst is over for now." Gerson pointed out as he gazed towards everyone. "Now all we have to do is wait for confirmation for Toriel's group completing their objective, then we can hold the meeting."
"Yes, I agree." Tamotsu nodded.
"Thank you, I truly do appreciate this. You won't be disappointed, I assure you." Eloise ssid with a reassuring smile. Though she blinked and looked around in confusion. She still didn't see any sign of Parvos. "Where did that troublesome feline run off to...?"
"I wouldn't need to worry about Parvos, Lady Eloise. Your nephew should be fine on his own for a while, even though it is a bit annoying." Shamir said while scratching his ear with a sigh. "Though I'd wish he'd warn us beforehand that he'd disappear on us like that."
"Then again, it wouldn't be Parvos if he actually acting professionally." Will pointed out. Then he blinked then tilted his head. "Then again...we haven't acted too professionally ever since we've been taken in by Captain Undyne. We've actually been pretty wild."
"And yet despite that, we're closer than ever." Ribras said, lightly holding Rasha's paw and nuzzling her nose. She nuzzles back, and both began to gently purr.
Asriel sighed. "Guess all we can do in the meantime is wait for Mom and the others. What do you guys want to do in the meantime?"
Faryn perked up. "NO. FEASTS." Tamotsu shut down. Faryn pouted again.
"Guess we can do a bit of exploring while we're here." Chara shrugged as he looked around. Up ahead was an antique shop of various idems of different value. He blinked and tilted his head a bit. Huh...maybe I can get Muffet something nice.
"Phooey. Daddy won't lemme feast right now." Faryn grumbled. Though she quickly turned towards Frisk, recovering easily. "So Frisk! Want to go out to the grasslands and play?"
"Okay!~" Frisk smiled as he and Faryn ran off together, out of Mire Town and towards the meadows. Asriel and Chara watched them go. After some brief indecision, they both smiled and let them be for a while. They'd call them back later, when it was time to fully regroup. For now, they'll relax for the time being.
...In all sincerity, they hoped their mother was okay, as well as the others.
Alright! Finally done with this portion! The guys' mission was a success, with Tamotsu and Faryn on their side! It took a bit of struggle, but they managed to pull through. Now all they need is the Surripio's King's support. They wonder if Toriel's group are doing well in their own endeavors, and hoping they're having an easier time.
Anyway, now that Asgore's group portion is done, I can get to Toriel's portion at last. The Surripio Kingdom, with the leads Toriel, and Parvos' mother Elvira. So the beginning of the next chapter might be a bit difficult for me to portray, as they're doing these around the same time. Toriel's just takes a bit longer.
Maybe that makes sense...well, I'm hoping.
Until next chapter!