Writer's Block can go jump off a cliff. Nothing wanted to go my way while writing this chapter.
Hopefully it's acceptable for you guys...
Anyway, here's the Corliss Festival! A little bit of fun to be had...as well as a lot of feels on the side, as we divulge a bit more into Tamotsu and Faryn, and the effect that Corliss' passing had on them both. And as a result, plenty of people begin opening up a little...
Also, Adam and Alvina's pet monster hellcat's name is Axel. At times I've mistakenly been calling him Alex. Just like a typo in the last chapter came out as Colriss instead of Corliss before I fixed it.
...I can spell readers, I swear.
*Corliss name meaning-cheerful and generous; carefree and joyful*
Chapter Start!
Plenty of time has been taken to prepare for the Corliss festival, and now it was finally complete and in full swing. The hard work was very much worth it to their citizens.
Things were already looking quite well but now it was truly feeling energetic. They could truly and surely tell that the festival was underway, and it was certainly set up with an effort full of loving hearts and caring souls.
Most things at the moment were quite bright, despite it being the middle of the afternoon, but that might change once it gets a bit darker. But indeed, a lot of effort was out into the setup, for such a wide scale with plenty of space to work with and such diligent workers. What was truly impressive was that they spend most of the day preparing, so they could spend the night enjoying the festival, the spoils of their hard work.
And the ones they formally invited would get in on the feeling as well.
"They really went all out for this, didn't they...?" Asgore noted while holding a paw over his eyes, as he and the others were gazing around in wonder.
Amongst the more colorful decorations were the numerous bushes and trees that were grown via Plant Magic, and gave off a warm glowing flora energy of many different colors. Several of them even changed colors while others would brigthen and dim on slight seven second cycle. There was even a trail of magic glitter to coat them. There was also the occasional green glowing lanterns that also emitted a healthy glitter themselves.
"How nice and kind of them..." Frisk smiled calmly as he took a look for himself.
Along with the decorations, they had an assortment of activites and booths organized nicely. There seemed to be divided into those mostly done with magic and those capable of being done without them.
"Not too bad at all." Chara hummed.
"And most of all...there's food." Asriel noted while gazing at the even larger assortment of meats, veggies, snacks, treats, candies, drinks...it was all here, nicely set up for many to take. Asriel couldn't help but drool slightly. "It all looks so delicious...I dunno where to start..."
"Indeed. It seems to be quite a feast on numerous fronts. Very likely to have been Faryn's extra touch on an already impressive festival." Asgore hummed while stroking his heard, halfway ignoring his own drooling muzzle.
"I am unsure if I can allow myself to eat so much on a day such as this one. A modicrum of restraint shall certainly be needed." Toriel wondered while folding her arms, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was also drooling quite a bit. All three fluffy Dreemurrs were drooling and didn't seem to pay it any mind...that sounds about right.
"You three are drooling. Get that under confrol, will ya?" Chara deadpanned while scratching the back of his head. He would sigh and peek one of his eyes towards some of the residents going about. Even with this energetic and cheerful atmosphere, he couldn't help but wonder. Every single one of them has some sort of fearsome fighting capability? Even the kids? That's some serious dedication to protecting their homeland and one another. And the one who they're celebrating the life of someone inspiring such a change...sheesh. How do we even-
"Guys! Heeeeyyyy!~" Faryn shouted out to the gang while waving her arm over to them. Frisk was fhe first to smile and wave back in return. "So cool that you made it in time! I was really worried that you'd-wah-oof!" Faryn, in her excitement, tripped over and faceplanted, sliding a little bit before she stopped a few feet before Frisk, her tail and ears drooping a bit in the process.
"F-Faryn!" Frisk gasped worriedly.
"Oh my goodness!" Toriel also gasped, covering her muzzle. "Tamotsu! Is she-"
"Give her a moment." Tamotsu hummed with a paw on his cheek, mostly unconcerned.
Faryn didn't move for several moments, which only increased the worry the gang had for her. That is, until she gripped the ground a bit and pushed her self up, jumped up and landing on her feet, in a slight t-pose. "I'm okay! Totally oka-pfft." Faryn interrupted herself to spit a bit of dirt from her mouth, shaking her head before pouting. "Faryn's mental reminder: Dirt doesn't taste good at all...a great holder for plant life...but does NOT taste good AT ALL...so to recap...dirt not good food for me...oh hi Frisk!" She waved cheerily to Frisk, shifting moods quite quickly as she glomps him and happily nuzzles his cheek, tail wagging with glee.
"Wait a minute! You can't just switch from excited to disgusted then back to excited!" Chara complained slightly.
"Apparently she can..." Asriel smiled sheepishly.
"In any rate, we are very happy you've made it to the festival. Preparations have been completed earlier today so you've come around just the appropriate time." Tamotsu says while his tails waved calmly. "Queen Cleo and King Levi, along with Princess Valerie, have arrived quite a while ago. You missed them by about an hour."
"Huh...now that I focus a bit, I do sense them in the area." Toriel hummed while pawing her cheek. "The atmosphere of the festival is most definitely in high spirits."
"Just like Corliss was, and just like Faryn is." Tamotsu nodded. "...Also notice the large amount of food stands and stalls...I do believe that I've said enough."
"Ya sure have!" Faryn beamed. "Anyway, we've got so much to do! So much food to eat! So much time to spend! C'mon Frisk, let's go!~"
"Kay." Frisk said quite calmly even as Faryn grabbed his hand and unceremoniously dashed off with him, her speed and strength resulting in him flailing slightly in the air...and even then, he had a mostly chipper look on his face.
"Ugh...we'd better go after them..." Chara groaned while scratching his head and walking in their direction.
"I guess...we'll meet up later, Mom and Dad..." Asriel smiles nervously while waving to the both of them as he followed Chara's lead.
"Please do not get into too deep of trouble, my children..." Toriel sighed while massasging her temples. She then took a deep breath and relaxed. "Okay. Not worried at all. They...probably won't cause too much trouble...I'm too hopeful to believe that they won't be mischievous at all."
"We know these children by now. Some mischief is bound to follow them in some shape or form." Asgore says softly while gingerly scratching his ears.
"In any regard, allow me to show you all around." Tamotsu hummed as he turned and began leading the way. "Quite a few festivities are already being enjoyed by other visitors like Elvira and Eloise."
"Oh? Those two made it before us as well?" Asgore asked curiously while stroking his besrd and following the large fox in front of him. "Golly geez, it seems we're the ones who were somewhat the latest."
"Don't think of it as being late, King Asgore. Since you, your family, and your friends have been most involved with mending the relations between the three Kingdoms of Scelus. If you are truly worried about such things, then you might just consider yourself excused. Or perhaps you could excuse yourself? You are the High King of our lands, after all."
"...O-Oh...erm...right..." Asgore sweatdropped. "I'm still not quite used to that..."
"I concur." Toriel nodded humbly.
"Believe me, it's taking a bit of adjusting for all three Kingdoms involved, but it's going along surprisingly well. After all, if a ragtag-and I mean no offense by this, several noble noble elders referred to you as such-group of monsters and humans from a seemingly insignificsnt city can find the drive to continue pushing for peace despite their hardships, then surely we can do the same, with the necessary work of course."
"Indeed..." Toriel hummed. She then blinked as she flicked her eyes around, then noticed that the group has broken off quite a bit while the others were speaking. "Oh? It seems that Alvina and the others have went their own way. We should go and find them...I really want to spend time with them here."
"Ah, I smell them. They aren't too far away. Come."
Meanwhile...
"Hooooh..." Alphys beamed with her eyes flashing behind her glasses. "Undyne! Look at all of this shaved ice! It looks so delicious!" She bites into it a little, shivers lightly, then adjusts to it while smiling with a wagging tail. "Haha! I knew it! Scientific Analysis was spot-on! Waaah...strawberry flavor is super amazing...!"
"ya can't really call that an actual 'scientific analysis'...can ya?" Sans asked cheekily.
"Hush up, you! Imma enjoy whatever I want however I want!" Alphys tail slapped him across the head, making him stumble a bit while she eats more of her shaved ice. "Strawberry icy goodness!~"
"Simple strawberry? Fuhuhuhu! Too tame! Ya gotta go for somethin' STRONGER, Al!" Undyne says as she chomps into shaved ice of her own, piercing through the coldness and enduring it without so mucu as a shiver. "Wild strawberry is the way to go!"
"YOU JUST BIT INTO A CHUNK OF ICE, UNDYNE! I'M PRETTY SURE YOU SHOULD BE HAVING A GRAND CASE OF THE SHIVERS!" Papyrus pointed out.
"Pfft! I ain't gonna get beaten by shaved ice! I am stronger than it! Fuhuhu!"
"...if that makes ya feel better about your chattering teeth, then sure. you're superior alri-"
SMACK!
Undyne nonchalantly pounded Sans in the back of his skull with her fist, burying him into the ground. Alphys only jumped a little, while Papyrus would panic a bit and tries to help him up. As they would do so, Alvina was looking around while rubbing her chin.
Now let's see...if I were to enjoy a festival in another country...erm...Kingdom...uh...place other than Ebott...hah? Alvina grumbled while scratching her head and closing her eyes. Gaaaagh! How the heck am I suppose to do this! I mean sure, it could be easy to just do what everyone else is doing and stuff, but I'm also a Mayor and behavior reflects on my home and such! How the heck do I even-
Whomff.
...So pillowy...why? WHY do things like this keep happening to me?
"Oh my, how forward of you, Ms. Alvina! Unfortunately, I'm quite happily taken.~" Cleo cooed softly when the human woman, not paying attention to her surroundings, runs right into Cleo, landing against her bosom. Alvina was about to pull back quickly and honestly apologize, only for Cleo to wrap her arms around her and pull her closer with her tail. "Aawww. Going so soon? Stay a while, get cozy.~"
"Mmmf...mmky..." Alvina blinked owlishly. She then lifted her head a bit to look into Cleo's eyes-and breathe a bit better-, gently cushioned by her breasts. The cobra monster's smile was quite friendly. "B-B-But I'd rather get going with the festivites, i-if that's okay with you..."
"I'm just cuddling a friend. And I'm quite a cuddler.~"
"Calm down, beloved." Levi says softly as he lightly patted her shoulder. "If you get too excited or if she moves too much, you'll start constricting her by accident."
"Come now, I have more control over myself than that. You can trust me." She turned back to Alvina with a small smile. "Isn't that right?~"
"Y-Yeah...I trust you..." A pair of wererabbit ears appaered on her head, and she groaned. "My Beast Magic is acting up again...not cool."
"Dawww, look! A cute wittle rabbit! Mwah!~" Cleo cutely kisses Alvina's nose, before releasing her and gently nuzzling her cheek.
"What's going on, my buddies?~" Elvira poofs into the scene in a puff of purple smoke, lifting her witch hat and happily holding out a bottle. "Good news! Scored me some Sweet Sweet Saké! I'm SO glad that I was invited to this festival!"
"And you finding something like that...it's fortunate...how?" Eloise sweatdropped while walking up to her and the gang. "By the way, I met up with King Tamotsu, High King Asgore, and High Queen Toriel. They were a bit slowed down because...well..."
"Sans! Sans! I have just been introduced fo yet another delectable treat!" Toriel gasped as she skidded in front of Sans, a stick in one paw, and seven in the other. "Dango! They call this dango! Apparently it's both a dumpling AND a sweet! How amazing is that?!"
"pretty amazin', tori."
"Quite so! *Om*" Toriel noms the three dango from the single stick in her paw and takes her time to savor it. She pawed her currently stuffed cheeks as magic sparkles surrounded her awed face.l, her floppy ears lifting a bit. "Hoooh...it's so sweet! So delicious!~"
"Bahaha! I see that Toriel is quite hooked!~" Asgore chuckled softly. "Meanwhile, I've found some rather intriguing sweet bread! *Om*" Asgore bites into the sweet bread, chewing for a moment before he pawed his own cheek, sparkles around his own face as his ears lifted as well. "What a marvelous treat this is!~"
"Well I can see that you're both enjoying the food.~" Tamotsu smirked in amusement while closing his eyes. "Corliss did always love these sweets that we tend to offer. She enjoyed eating quite a bit, but these sweets are among the varieties that truly managed to get her attention. It was quite difficult to satisfy her hunger during those times. Truly an exercise of patience, and culinary skills."
"O-Oh. Tamotsu. Are you...?"
"I am fine." Tamotsu smiled towards Asgore. "It took a little bit, but I grew to enjoy personally cooking for her whenever I could. I suppose it can be chalked up to me just growing to enjoy her company more and more as time passed...plus she exhausted nearly everyone else with her antics."
"Oh my, she sounded like quite the energetic lady. And here we thought plant magic users were supposed to be more down-to-earth and such." Levi chuckled. "It seems that she is an exception. I hope I'm not wrong in thinking she was also nurturing to as many people as she could."
"Indeed. Human or Monster, she did what she could to be kind to everyone, following her dominant soul trait quite nicely." Tamotsu reopened her eyes. "A lively woman I could barely keep up with. Her Plant Magic and my Fox-Fire. Very much unexpected...yet I don't regret it in the slightest."
"So nice and warming to the heart..." Eloise purrs happily.
"Indeed. I would have been delighted to meet such a compassionate woman." Toriel smiles softly.
"I would like to believe she'd feel the same for you, Toriel." Tamotsu agreed. "Yes. I would like to believe that, in some away or another, she would have adored meeting every single one of you, and eventually coming to like you. It was just the way she is. Always so carefree. Emphasis on the 'care'." He lowered his eyes. "And as for Faryn, she's already quite kind herself, so I'd say she emphasizes more on the 'free'."
"So far, we can certainly see how and why." Asgore said softly while lightly scratching at his ear. "She does indeed seem quite blithe."
"Hey, I can get behind that. She seems like a pretty cool gal to hang with." Undyne grinned while chomping on more shaved ice, before lightly giving more of a taste for the flavored ice. "She can certainly eat a lot, that's for sure."
"She's definitely got a stomach on her. That and she seems to pick up on a few things quicker than most, even if her expression doesn't make it obvious." Alphys hummed while folding her arms. "Being born with a soul of Perseverence, followed with an absorbed soul of Kindness. According to those two traits, followed by being a half-fox monster hybrid, culminates into a soul of Curiosity. At least, that's what Frisk would like to call it."
"WHAT DOES THIS MEAN, ALPHYS?" Papyrus asked.
"Hybrids like her might not be as rare as we think they are, Papyrus. Though it might be true that a hybrid being accepted as royalty could be considered VERY rare. Luckily that it was understandable in this Kingdom. Might have been a bit of a difficult time for her to adjust if they didn't accept her."
"I agree. It's another unexpected and yet positive effect of Corliss' influence that I am glad for." Tamotsu nodded.
"They say that curiosity killed the cat, which might be a reason why you may be so against Faryn going out on her own for a while." Eloise said. "Interestingly, some humans are quite misinformed about it; that is not the original saying."
"Hm?"
"Apparently it's 'care' killed the cat. In that scenario, care means that you worry a lot, or stress or sorrow over something. Worry and stress too much, you might end up destroying yourself." Toriel gently informed, her crimson eyes lighting up in brief self-reflection. "...Perhaps your wife-and now your daughter-have been trying to get you to relax, because worrying too much about what could happen would cripple your ability to enjoy life...at least, I believe that is what she kindly gifted you, more than anything else in the world...losing out only to Faryn herself."
"Besides. It's good to be curious. For a strong gal like your daughter, it's a survival advantage as she looks for more ways to protect herself, understand the world, and advance in strength." Elvira grinned darkly. "There's always gonna be risks. But in the endgame, curiosity is just as likely to help the cat...and kill the mouse.~" She then shrugged lazily. "Or catch the mouse and put it in some crappy cage or whatever, if ya wanna be more kid-friendly about it. It's one of the few things I can actually approve of my dead ex teaching my son." She muttered as she takes the top off of her bottle and began guzzling down the contents.
Tamotsu's eyes widened as he gently closed his eyes, thinking of both Corliss and Faryn, and the nature of Curiosity. Curiosity is a survival advantage...curiosity is a strength. And with the perseverance to learn new things no matter what, and the kindness to use these discoveries for good...I...never thought of it like that. Tamotsu opened his paws and stared at the palms. Is that why you insisted on celebrating your memorial festival with smiles and laughs, Corliss? Because holding on so tightly to our sorrow would only hold us down and keep us from growing...? That...that is why Faryn adjusted to it easier than I did...?
Elvira gasped happily as she brought the bottle from her muzzle, lightly licking her whiskers. "Pah...now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!~"
"You're hopeless." Eloise groaned with a gentle facepalm.
"...Thank you, friends." Tamotsu said gently. "You have given me much more to think about, in better and more fair detail. I will treasure this lesson and apply it to how I treat this Kingdom, and my new allies."
"No prob...DRINK!~" Elvira beamed while going for another guzzle. I finally crossed saké off my drinking list!
"I'm glad to have helped...now for some more dango!~" Toriel smiled while nomming several more sticks of dango. I simply cannot help it! They're so yummy!~
"Geez." Undyne chuckled while biting more into her shaved ice.
"SUCH INTENSE CONSUMPTION!" Papyrus gasped.
"eh. let em eat and drink. today's a happy day, right?"
"They could afford to be a little bit more restrained about it, though." Alphys hummed.
"You know what, now that I think about it, I want some dango as well. Haven't tried it before.~" Cleo smiled softly while slithering around. "Levi, how about you escort me to where those lovely dangos are?~"
"Of course." Levi smiles while holding her hand and leaving with her. Alvina sighed and wiped her brow while looking around. Everyone was busy eating, laughing, and cheering. She sighed and smiled a bit, before choosing to turn and leave, waving goodbye to them for the moment. She's decided to also learn from their interaction, relinquish her hidden worries, and just have fun with the festival.
"Mrreeeow..." Alvina blinked as she looked down at her feet. Axel was nuzzling at her ankles. She chuckled and gently picked him up by the sides, looking him in the eyes. "Mreeow..."
"Hey there, buddy. You wanted to chill at the festival with me?~" Alvina cooed, holding him to her chest and kissing his head, causing him to purr. "You're such a good kitty.~" She looked up...and noticed that one of the booths involving a fish scooping game completely lacked the fish. Flowey and Temmie were both briefly seen sneaking away from the scene of the crime, with an exaspersted Adam currently apologizing and paying them for some reason. Alvina blinked a little, before looking Axel in the eye again. "Axel...tell me you didn't."
Her response was an unashamed cat burp. She then noticed that his belly was a bit pudgier than usual. And she swore she saw a gleeful smile on his face that lacked any regret or shame.
"Of course you did." She sighed. He was currently in his adorable cat form, but she had to remember that his monster form is a hellcat. And she was sure they didn't get a lot of points for good behavior. Guess it leaked out a bit here from the temptation. "Okay, so you're a...relatively good kitty. You realize I have to discipline for you, right?"
"Mreeeow..." No regret in his eyes at all.
"...Darn it, I can't stay mad at you." Alvina sighed, kissing his head again before walking again. "C'mon, let's go help my brother before he chews us both out. But still, tomorrow you are in for a VERY long time out."
"Mreeow.~"
Still no regret.
"Steam buns...!" Faryn beamed as she had several of the named food already in her mouth, along with several other foods she took care of taking to a table where she and the others could eat. And they certainly did get plenty to eat while they were there. "Had to get all that I could so that nothing was out when I got there! Thanks a lot for the assist, Frisk!"
"Not a problem." Frisk chuckled, taking it a bit easy with some cotton candy.
"This is deep-fried bread...coated in cinnamon." Asriel muttered, his cheeks, already swelled from taking several bites, tears running slightly. "They always find a way to make cinnamon one of the best things ever...!"
"Tch." Chara shrugged while picking up something brought for him by Muffet, turning it over a few times. "Muffet...what's this?"
"If I'm not mistaken, it's known as croissant grilled sea bream. Despite the name, it's actually a delicious pastry! Quite an interesting combo, very interesting.~"
"I'm not sure about this..."
"Two words: Chocolate. Filling." Muffet spoke those magic words, and Chara hss already taken quite a sizable bite from his treat, and found himself greatly surprised, his hair getting more unkempt from it. "Weelll? Is it good?~"
"It's kinda hard and crunchy on the outside, but it's soft, warm and gooey on the inside..."
"Just like you!~"
"Oh haha."
"But in all honesty, it intrigued me because instead of pancake batter, they used croissant dough." Muffet informed while poking her cheek. "Very interesting indeed. I'll have to try that sometime when I personally go to manage my bakery a bit."
"Wmmevmmf!" Red mumbled in the middle of her own bout of eating. Much like Faryn, anything that was meat was likely within her collected gathering. She had so much-now currently bare-skewered beef sticks while eating through her current one, then moving on to skewered chicken, and dumplings...also filled with chicken or pork. Essentially filled with meat, which both Faryn and Red are totally okay with.
"Something about these foods and how they're prepared feels kinda..." Frisk thought aloud before turning to Faryn. "Hey, uh, Faryn? Mind telling us a little something?"
"Mmmmh?" Faryn swallows her food and takes the time to catch her breath. "Hwah...sure, Frisk! What is it?"
"Mind telling us a bit about the names of some of these foods?"
"Oh! You mean taiyaki, agemochi, and grilled manju?" Faryn blinks while taking a stick of the third, munching on some of them. "The first means grilled sea beam, the second is pounded sticky rice cakes, and the third I'm currently munching on is dumplings dipped in miso sauce and grilled." She bites a little more, happily wagging her bushy tail. "All of them have a 'beyond ten' on the yummy board!~"
"Yeah. What about the actual names, though?" Chara reiterated.
"Ooohhh...that." Faryn hummed while poking her cheek. "That might have something to do with the idea that our large Kingdom, and a foreign land that Daddy and I occasionally vacation to and has been placed under his protection, used to be entirely different places once upon a time. And humans called these things entirely different or maybe similar things. The world kinda got messed up, but you already know." She swallowed again while tapping her forehead. "Many lands might have been called entirely different things, differently named countries, differently named places, all a long time ago."
"What does that mean?" Red questioned.
"It means that while the names of many different places has drastically changed over the years, the influence of the previous cultures might still be lingering about, ya know? Like...a new generation is discovering things that have been invented generations ago and they subconsciously think 'yeah, that seems cool, let's have a go!', things like that." Faryn lowered her eyes. "I think that's what Astus and that other land used to be. The time and location of some settings is just so drastically different that it doesn't completely match the current era, but pieces of the old eras still remain and influences us, even if it's only a little bit, subconsciously. A new culture being built up from the ashes of an old culture...sorta like that, but we just know that whatever it was, it can never completely be the same thing again due to new generations putting a spin on things or outside influences changing things up, adding or taking away...which is why sometimes, they're also called shadows of their former selves...and in a world like theirs, they couldn't really complain too much about it."
"And what does that mean?"
"Astus might not have always been called that. Same goes for Fortuna, and Surripio. They might not have ever been in their specific spots, either. Hecky heck, these continents and separate lands from the continents might not have been what they originally were. They could have truly come together as single continents and naturally formed as they are over the years...or someone has been messing or playing with them, or grand conflicts caused massive damage to the world to force these lands together or apart, and the ones conflicting didn't bother caring about the damage and simply left the survivors to fend for themselves."
"...Woah." Chara blinked, genuinely surprised.
"Oh dear." Muffet blinked, her mouth a thin line.
"I...was not expecting all that." Red muttered.
"Grand conflicts..." Asriel hummed while rubbing his chin. Like it or not, that made much more sense than these lands forming over and combining/separating naturally. The ones who survive these ordeals are the ones who are forced to get stronger to deal with the aftermath, survive it, thrive past it. They start over from scratch, lay down the foundations, build their cultures from the ground up, and advsnce from there. Sometimes in different directions, sometimes not, and sometimes it's a small similarity, a big one, or neither. Same goes for vice versa. Which only made him wonder: Which direction will this world head into next...?
"Wow Faryn...you sure know a lot!" Frisk beamed at her. She smiled and gently shook her head.
"Who, me? No no, nothing like that. I just like asking questions, and I asked Daddy a lot. He seems to know a lot, but is also getting a grasp on how drastically things have changed over the years. Which is why I wanna go out and see the new stuff, ya know?"
"I can get behind that. The world's drastically different, and dangerous. It's understandable to be worried. But at least you have friends like us to watch your back."
"EXACTLY!" Faryn dramatically held her arms outward while still having a beef stick in her teeth. "At least Daddy can take that approach into account!"
"RAINBOW ICE CREAM." Asriel stated aloud while gazing at the treat before him, already taking numerous licks and occasional bites out of it, softening it by generating just a little bit of heat from his magic, not enough to melt it completely. "All of my yes, please and thank you..."
"Geez..." Chara rolled his eyes. "Seriously, this a lot of good food. And your mom liked eating all the time just like you?"
"Yup. Very few things can bring people together faster than good food. That's why me and Mama always liked sharing food together and with others. It's one of the most reliable ways to connect with another person." Faryn smiled. "I guess you can consider that a custom that I believe in. And it's one kind of good manners I can always be sure to adhere to."
"I...I see..."
"O-Oh my goodness! Three precise shots!" The gang blinked as they turned to see the origin of the sound; they would see Princess Valerie, who had a finger gun out and fired three consecutive water shots that hit their intended targets dead-on. Pleased, Valerie gracefully bowed to clapping passerbys as she turns and takes a few given stuffed animals. To Chara's surprise, it was a cobra plush, a dragon plush, and a Temmie plush. She snuggled all three of them with a smile.
"Plushy excellence..." She hissed hissed happily. She then looked towards the gang in question and waved a bit. "Ah, Friends! Good to see you here after all!"
"Valerie!" Red barked excitedly.
"Valerie-Dearie! The feeling is very much mutual, I assure you!~" Muffet beamed as she skipped over to her. Valerie set her plushies in a nearby Warkie's arms, who smiled sheepishly at having to hold MORE things for her. Valerie soon turned hack to Muffet and both of them held hands, with Red joining in for a trio hug. "I honestly though we wouldn't run into you here! Glad I was wrong!"
"Likewise. It is very nice to see you all. I would not miss something like this if I could help it, especially if it honors someone so well-respected in this Kingdom." Valerie said while hissing softly and wagging her tail. "Corlissssss...she sounds so kind, and everyone who references her does so with great warmth in their voices. A wonderful person indeed."
"Mhm.~" Faryn stretched her hands a bit.
Frisk smiled as he moved closer to Valerie. "Hi, Valerie. I'm guessing that your parents are here somewhere too?"
"Of course they couldn't miss this either. I split off from fhem for a little while to play around a little. Ring tossing..." Her tail swirled a bit and formed a water ring, which she gracefully tossed outward, and landed on it's target with admirable precision. "The aforementioned water guns. And a bit of toy scooping." She happily holds out a small toy before Frisk. "Look! A water serpent.~"
"Huh. It's pretty small."
"I know. I'd like it to be my newest decoration for my keychain.~"
"Oh? Sounds stylish.~"
"Thank you. Stylish wasn't my intention, though mother seems to think so; I just think it looks cute." Valerie tilted her head. "Speaking of mother, it seems you've already found a friend in her, she speaks of you and your mother Toriel rather fondly, as well as Muffet and Red, both whom fought alongside us and saved my life."
"Is that so? What did she say about me?"
"As she said when you two first met, you were a delight, and I agree." Valerie snickered as she reached out and patted Frisk's head, he was the shortest of the group at the moment. "You're quite a good person, Frisk.~" He acknowledged this with a small smile.
"Hey, check that out." Warkie tapped Muffet's shoulder and pointed to the right of them. Scythe was walking around with Dyra, with what appears to be blue cotton candy of their own. She reached out and gently nommed on the cotton candy, then cheekily taking some of Scythe's and eating that too. He seemed briefly pouty about it, but he smiled nonetheless as they both proceeded to nuzzle noses.
"That. Is. Adorable." Muffet beamed.
"Agreed. Those three, however..." Warkie sweatdropped while nodding a little bit further ahead. Ice Wolf and Dynamo...they were having a flexing contest, instigated by Aaron. Muscles, all three of them. After several moments of flexing, Ice Wolf and Dynamo would empathetically shake paws with intense vigor and a strong nod of their heads, which were nods of understanding and camaraderie.
"...D...Did they communicate...by flexing?" Chara sweatdropped. "HOW? How does that make ANY sense!?" He blinked, then facepalmed. "Ooooh, wait, I tried to make sense out of this. That's my critical mistake."
"I mean, if Aaron could flex so hard he caused himself to fly off randomly, it can't be that difficult to understand, right?" Asriel shrugged.
"Azzy. Flexing has just been turned into a means for communication. There is no understanding that mess."
"Ice Wolf can be really weird..." Red mumbled while hiding her face within her hood. "So is Aaron, but for different reasons that make me somewhat uncomfortable..."
"Don't worry, Red-Dearie. If Aaron does anything or says anything to make you uneasy, I'll have a friendly conversation with him." Muffet smiled...but only Chara and Red fully understood the dangers behind that specific smile.
"That smile of yours only makes me worry more..."
"I don't-"
Smack.
"Ouchies..."
"Hush, you.'
Frisk chuckled at them, before turning curiously over to Faryn. She seemed a bit lost in thought. "...Faryn? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Frisk. Just thinking back..."
"...Oh." Frisk rubbed his shoulder sheepishly. "You're among friends, you know. Do you want to talk about it...?"
"Mhm." Faryn nodded politely. The rest of the group became somewhat silent as they began to follow Faryn, who lead the way with Frisk by her side. "...Daddy wasn't nearly as powerful as he is now. In fact, he has told me that he was once the size of a small kitten, heavily malnourished, only had one tail, and had little magic power to speak of. He was in a world where monsters were still scattered and simply trying to survive. Daddy was very intent on surviving everything that was sent his way regardless of how weak he was in the beginning. He had to struggle, claw, and fight his way to his current level of power. He knew what he wanted. He wanted to be strong. He wanted to be feared. And he wanted to be powerful. One of the most powerful creatures in the world..." Faryn lowered her fox ears as her tone softened. "...so that people would leave him alone."
"...What...?" Chara blinked. He didn't think he heard that correctly.
"Yes. Daddy wanted to be so powerful that people would balk at the idea of coming into direct conflict with him, the challengers would leave him alone, and he could finally live in peace, even if it was in solitude. Two consequences from that. The first being that some would try hunting him doen for glory's sake or simply for the fight. The second consequence of that, however, is people hearing of him and coming to him for protection against the cruel dark world that sought to harm them as well. He didn't mean for it to happen, but he ended up wanting to protect these fellow monsters. The number would grow...and grow...and grow...until unexpectedly, he ended up having an entire Kingdom of monsters to look after. He didn't have the heart to abandon them, so he ended up using his reputation so that others wouldn't come after them as well."
"Though quite a few people still felt like it was worth trying." Valerie deduced. "And...the extent of his protection ended up stretching to your human mother, Corliss."
"Mhm..." Faryn nodded. "Mama was an unexpected variable in Astus' growth. After saving and protecting villages at possible expense of herself, paired with being target by various evil magic cabals, Daddy's sense of honor kept him from turning her away. He gave her hospitality, and in return, she gave him and everyone else happiness. She was the nicest and most loving human he's ever made contact with, after so many years of being attacked and hunted by them. She was charitable to his people too, sense they also let her stay. Sharing her food even when she was very hungry, helping heal injured scouts, and playing with all the children. The Kindness she showed not only towards him but towards the people he protects, won his heart. And that bond gave birth to me."
"Aww.~" Muffet cooed.
"The first four years...Mama was super happy to have a family and home of her own. Daddy was the happiest he's ever been in years." Faryn lowered her head. "Then there was the fifth year...we went down to the village that would soon become Mire Town..." Asriel, Chara, and Frisk froze up as she continued. "It used to be a lot better than it was now. Me and Mama went down there to pass out Golden Delicious Apples to the village folk, which she grew with her plant magic. I passed some to everyone I could find, with a bright smile. Then Mama noticed something odd, and told me to get down as a bright flash of light blinded me..." She paused a bit while gazing at the surprise brothers. "When I woke up, my head felt like agony, I was bleeding everywhere, the village was destroyed, many of the villagers were dead, and Mama exhausted herself trying to buy time for the survivors to escape by fighting off two waves of strong enemies by herself. When they finally retreated temporarily, she limped her way towards me and said she goofed up, because Daddy promised to play with the both of us...and he can't play with both of us if she was about to die. Since she had no magic left and the enemy would be back quickly, she told me she loved me, my forehead and transferred her soul into my body, fhe resulting power helped close and heal most of my wounds. Then...she fell in front of me...dead."
"Oh dear..." Muffet frowned sadly, lightly holding her shoulder.
"I couldn't comprehend it. No...I could, but accepting it was an entirely different thing. I must have drowned out my father's ensuing rampage as I kept pushing at Mama's corpse, begging her to wake up. I knew she wouldn't ever have life in her eyes again, but five year old me didn't want to accept that. I must have blacked out from crying, because the next thing I knew, I was in my bed...several days later." Faryn sighed. "I was in grief. Astus was in grief. Daddy...was nearly lost."
"Nearly lost...?" Chara asked.
"After his rampage, he would lie down most of the time and mourn quietly in his room. He didn't neglect his Kingly duties, he kept those up vigorously. Everyone knew that he was hurt inside, and he knew they knew. But that didn't mean he wanted them to see it. The first human who managed to genuinely reach out to his heart and warm it as much as she did...and he couldn't protect her, and nearly lost me. He lost faith in his own power. Had his vicious rampage not terrified other attackers into silence, it would have been an opportune time for them to strike. Luckily for all, no one took the opening. But still...Astus fell into a lull without Mama...nearly given away to despair after someone they held dear lost their life...with their King barely able to keep everyone together, much less himself."
Asriel and Chara looked away briefly. That scenario...was far too familiar to them. It was discomforting to say the least.
"...After a few more days...I managed to snap myself out of my own lull, because I knew Mama wouldn't ever allow Daddy to do one thing, and I chose to support that need." Faryn said, lifting her head slightly.
"What would that be...?" Red asked.
Faryn turned towards everyone and nodded. "...Don't let him fall into the abyss."
Young five year old Faryn gently pushed the doors open to her father's throne room. He was still lying on the ground with his chin on his paws and his tails completely motionless. The dried lines over his eyes confirmed to Faryn that he had been crying for a while. That was fair, so was she.
Faryn trotted forward, in her small green dress with a sunflower on the front, and light blush stickers on her cheeks, her bright green eyes lit up the room as she eventually hops onto his snout, fox ears flicking wnd tail gently waving. Sensing her presence, Tamotsu slowly opened his eyes to look at her. He lowered them slightly in response.
"Faryn..."
"Daddy...we gotta stop being sad for now. That's not what Mama would want for us...I don't think so. Not one bit."
"Oh...is that so...?" He sighed deeply.
"It IS so! Daddy, I don't wanna be sad anymore, I don't want the Kingdom to be sad anymore, and I don't want YOU to be sad anymore!" Faryn shook her head. "All of these bad feelings are all over the place...and it's...it's hurting my heart more than anything else..."
"Huh?"
"I keep thinking about how Mama would react to the Kingdom being so unhappy. She'd want us to be happier than this. I know she would!" Faryn shook her head. "She would never want to feel responsible for all of this sadness..."
Tamotsu blinked as he quickly sits up. Faryn was looking up towards him, with tears in her eyes. "We lost Mama...I don't want us to lose US too, Daddy. Even with all this sadness, I still have you, and you still have me. So please...we should help each other through this..." Tamotsu kept blinking softly. Before he knew it, he reached out and plucked her from his snout, before gently hugging her against his fluffy chest since he currently had his armor off.
"Y...You're right, Faryn...absolutely right..." Tamotsu said quietly. "Corliss...she might have been fine with me sitting around on mu fluffy tails...but not in sadness. She'd say something outrageous, like, 'no more frowns, shut em' down!' or 'smiles in a cup, drink them up'!" Faryn sniffled/giggled at this, as Tamotsu groaned and shook his head. "I do not know how she managed to not smack herself for how terrible those were..." But it was a worthy assault to his maturity, as his daughter smiled once again. "Faryn...you will be a fine princess one day. A strong one. For now, I will devote the entirety of my power to keeping you safe, until you can keep yourself safe. Daddy promises this with his soul."
"And...I wanna protect your heart, Daddy. I won't let it fall into the abyss..."
With the death of Corliss, they were the only family they had left. Tamotsu finally felt the joy of having one, and he failed to protect his beloved. He let his guard down. That was both of their mistakes, but neither was blamed.
He simply had to be stronger, to be better, for himself and for Faryn.
Asriel sighed softly to himself. Corliss was the very first human who taught him that not all humans were deplorable, and he even got him to entrust his heart to her, and began a family with her. Losing her in such a manner because he relaxed his guard a bit too much must have nearly caused him to fall down in despair. By the sound of it, Corliss became his whole world. Losing her meant losing the world he has finally grown to love.
Faryn barely managed to pull him back from the edge. And thus, he grew to love and appreciate her even more.
Don't let him fall into the abyss...
"With our promise to each other made, we began to train. It was rough, really tough for me. But I was able to push through the difficulty, no matter what happens. I needed to be strong in order to face the dangers of the outside world." Faryn nodded softly. "...But...that doesn't mean that Daddy didn't make the time to be Daddy..."
Tamotsu placed a board in front of ten-year old Faryn. She was on all fours and looked it over, before raising her head to meet his eyes.
"What's this, Dad?"
"The humans call this 'checkers'. It's a board game of theirs. One of many. I used to play them with your mother whenever either of us were bored enough." Tamotsu gently waved towards the board. "Would you like to play?"
"Ooohhh...okay!" Faryn nodded as she propped herself up on her rear and tilted her head. "How do you play?"
"Well...it SEEMS simple on the surface, but it's actually a bit complex." Tamotsu sweatdropped. "I'll try to explain as best as I can, since I'm not exactly the best at it either."
"That's okay! Just walk me through it!"
"Okay..." Tamotsu muttered as he tails gently waved about.
The games went about for about an hour. Tamotsu did his best to teach her how to play. While it was clear that she's struggling with the concepts, but it was even clearer that she was doing her best to pay attention and take in the details. Though alas, she couldn't win a single game.
But to Tamotsu's hidden surprise, she came VERY close, at least three times.
"Darn. I didn't win at all." Faryn pouted.
"Well...that's alright, Faryn. Did you have fun?" Tamotsu asked gently.
Faryn took a deep breath, then smiled. "Mhm! I had fun, because I was playing with you! That's the best part!~" Faryn hopped over and hugged one of his tails. Tamotsu smiled back and lightly petted her head. "Oh oh! Is the quiche ready? You made it better this time, right?"
"Of course I did, Faryn. Of course."
Checkers, quiche eating, and gardening became one of their favorite pasttimes.
"Waaaaitwaitwait hold on a second." Chara pointed at Faryn in disbelief. "You...play checkers?"
"Mhm. I'm not even that good a player at it, but I enjoy it anyway, especially when I'm playing with Dad. It helps me think." Faryn explained. "Dad wanted to play this game with me, so I did what I could to learn to play to the best of my ability. Curiosity."
"Ooh! A board game player?" Valerie smiled while wagging her tail. "Well then, would you like to play with me sometime?"
"Sure!~"
"I don't get tactical board games at all..." Red stuck out her tongue.
"Mom likes to play them on occasion." Asriel raised his paw.
Faryn nodded softly. "...Hey guys...do you want to come with me? To where...you know." They all froze at this, as she rubbed her shoulder. "Me and Daddy have always gone there on our own...I'd like to have a bit more company this time, if that's alright."
"Of course it is, Faryn. We'd be honored to accompany you." Asriel said gently, with his brothers quickly agreeing.
''Absolutely." Valerie nodded as well, bowing politely.
Tamotsu heard this desire, along with the others. Asgore, Toriel, and Alvina's eyes widened as fhey all turned to the great fox. Asgore spoke up. "Tamotsu...are you...?"
"...It is fine." Tamotsu gently closed his eyes. "It's about time me and Faryn stopped there anyway. I won't mind having a bit of company myself...I'd like to believe Corliss would appreciate that I've brought friends I could trust with this..."
The tree was very large, larger than most trees in the area. And what really made this tree stand out from the others was that the leaves along the branches were glowing green, pink, and purple. The trunk was sturdy and strong, it looked like it wouldn't fall, or burn to anything. The magical presence it gave off was very warm and welcoming to any and all visitors. Surrounding this tree, was a beautiful meadow filled with flowers that illuminated the night and lead the way to the treasured tree...right in front of the tree, is where Corliss' body was buried.
The location was named Corliss Meadows.
"This...this is beautiful." Muffet said honestly as all five of her eyes sparkled at the sight of the place, her six hands clasped.
"It's a pretty big place, too...I guess your mom wanted her body to be buried somewhere beautiful...?"
"In front of one of the largest trees, surrounded by a meadow of flowers. Yes." Faryn smiled while nodding to a memorial stone with Corliss' name. "Mama and Daddy used to frolic here just for the fun of it, when the former coaxes the latter into it. I sometimes come here to do the same." She turned towards Frisk. "It's silly, but that's why I was a bit interested in your name whe we first name. Because it also means ''to frolic'."
"I guess that makes sense."
A bit further back, Asriel and Chara were watching, along with Tamotsu, Alvina, Asgore, Toriel, Zola, and Elbio.
"Ah, Prince Asriel. Good of you to come." Elbio hummed. "You and your brothers seemed to be having fun. And you've received the approval to come to Corliss Meadows."
"Yeah. It seems to be a very private and personal place for both Faryn and Tamotsu." Asriel said while gazing at the great tree and placing a paw over his eyes. "Though because we fought and bled for their trust in us, we've become very rare exceptions." He turned to Elbio, then Zola. "What about you two? How have you been?"
"Relatively fine. Tamotsu has been quite merciful on us, especially Zola."
"That's mostly because I've once defended these meadows. Remnants tried to attack the plsce, but I used Meadow Magic to stop them." Zola hummed. "I managed to win him over with protecting something so highly important. It was the least I could do."
"Yeah, that'll do it." Chara deadpanned.
"Quite." Valerie nodded.
Soon enough, Asriel, Chara, and Valerie caught up to the others when Faryn suddenly sits on her knees. She then turned to their fellow teens. "Hey...do you think you can sit with me?" They were briefly confised by this, but nodded as they too gently sits on their knees. She took a deep breath, and called out her soul. It gently phased out of her chest and shined gently over the gravestone in a combination of white from her monster soul, purple from her born human soul, and green from the absorbed soul of her mother.
Tamotsu walked a bit closer, before settling on his rear. Faryn briefly turned towards him, and he gently nodded to her. She smiled and nodded back, before turning back to her soul.
"Hi, Mama." Faryn smiled. The green part of her soul glowed warmly in response, which surprised some present. "It's been a while since we last talked. We had a lot happen lately. Everything's gotten so crazy and big and weird! I mean, some mean guys tried to destroy Mire Town, but me and my new friends stopped them! And...and the three Kingdoms are finally getting along. They were persuaded into it after having some of the biggest long-lasting problems dealt with, then sitting down and actually talking with one another. It's not a perfect setup by any means...but things are far better than before." Faryn tilted her head. "And apparently the Dreemurrs are the High Family of the Scelus Continent...is that a term? It might be. I'm not too sure..."
Tamotsu snorted.
"Well, in any case, things are all well and good! Super well and good! I made new friends! There's Frisk, who's name means frolic, to play. Then there's his brother Asriel, Prince of all Monsters! He also really likes cinnamon. And then there's Chara, who really likes chocolate! He only has one arm, but he seems to be doing well regardless. I fought with the three of them to protect Mire Town, and they were really strong! And then there's..." She shook her head, scratching her fluffy fox ear. "If I named all the friends I've made, I'd be here until dawn! I don't want to keep us for too long.~"
"Hm.~" Asriel and Frisk chuckled.
Faryn nodded. "Anyway, what I want to say most of all...is that me and Daddy are fine. He's made some friends too, with the other parents! We've become a part of their world, and they became a part of ours. So...you don't have to worry about us as much. We're on our way to beginning an entirely new adventure! And it's bound to be a super fulfilling one! It's definitely gonna be dangerous...but if it was completely safe, then it wouldn't truly be called an adventure, would it?" She smiled and closed her eyes. "Well...it was good talking to you. Daddy? Closing thoughts?"
"...I love you, Corliss. I haven't fallen into the abyss, and I never will. New people have found their place in me and Faryn's world. We'll be stronger for it. We'll be alright." Tamotsu said softly.
Faryn nodded gently, and she turned to her soul again, giving it a foxlike smile. "I love you, Mama. Keep watching over me, okay?" The green part of her soul pulsed warmly once more, before the entire soul gently phased back into her chest, as she took a deep breath and sighed. Asriel and Frisk both patted her shoulders as the others looked towards them warmly. "...Thanks, guys. For being here. It really means a lot to me."
"It's no problem at all." Asriel shook his head. "Again, we're glad that you found us trustworthy enough to share the experience with us."
"Very much so. This was very personal. The fact that you and your Dad felt like sharing all this with us...it speaks volumes." Chara nodded quietly.
"Hm." Frisk nodded quietly. "It's really nice that you do this. Because in a way, your mother is always with you. You never forget this, and that's very good." Faryn nodded readily. Frisk gently opened his eyes. "I guess...it reaches out to me in a way. Because you see...it's really weird for me. When I dig really deep into my heart and soul, they tell me that Alvina and Toriel aren't like mothers to me...they are my mothers. And as far as I'm concerned...it's true. I love them both completely."
Alvina and Toriel both gasped at that. The former smiled softly at first, before she turned around and walked away for a bit. Concerned, the rest of the adults followed her. Valerie, Muffet, and Red politely excused themselves as they followed, leaving the Dreemurr Trio and Faryn behind for the moment. Frisk turned to Faryn after an approving nod from both brothers.
"Say...Faryn. Can we tell you something...?"
Meanwhile...
"Alvina? Is something the matter?" Asgore asked quietly.
"...I...I wasn't really expecting him to say something like that...sorry. My head's spinning a little..." Alvina sighed while holding her head. "Well...that explains why he was never seriously curious about his birth mother aside from knowing she was dead. He feels that way for me and Toriel as his true mothers...because we were the ones actually in his life..."
"Alvina..." Toriel said softly.
"On the day of his birth, the last thing his mother did was hold him in her arms. She was heavily exhausted and in unbearable pain, yet still smiled. She had enough time to thank me for being my friend, and told newborn Frisk that she loved him with all her heart...which gave out within minutes, and she died. The severe stress of the birth was too much. I had to gently take him from her arms as I myself cried for the loss of my best friend, and for Frisk, who lost his mom before he ever got a chance to know her." Alvina shook her head. "She entrusted him to me. I did my best to care for him the first few years while juggling my mayoral duties as well as keeping angry citizens away from Frisk while they blamed him for something that wasn't his fault."
"The so called 'Plague', which we now know was due to the machinations of that pathetic whelp Faust, and his soul trafficking." Toriel seethed. Learning he was indirectly responsible for such a thing and had severe consequences for both Alvina and Frisk, truly made her furious.
"Yeah...but we had no way of knowing it at the time for various reasons, so this was what we were stuck with. I really did my best to take care of him for the first few years. Though around the time he was five hitting for six, I put him in the orphanage because of serious stress related health issues. More than once, the drastically increased stress of workloads, harsh citizens, keeping Frisk safe and fed...at some point, I remember collapsing at least four times. And half of those times, I didn't wake up for most of the day." Adam stiffened harshly this. "I couldn't keep Frisk alone for too long, so I sent him there as I tried to recover. He didn't like it there, I HATED putting him there. But I was no good to him if I couldn't pull myself together first, because at the time, I was in no condition to care for him for an extended period. Still...I made time to visit as much as I could." Alvina shook her head. "Though after enough time, he got weary of all the malevolence aimed towards him. And when my back was turned for only a little while...they chased him off. I blamed myself for not doing better. I thought I'd failed his mother. I thought I'd never see him again. You coming out of that mountain with him was one of the brightest highlights of my life. I was more than happy to let you adopt him. He was safer with you than me."
"Yes, he was. Only until it was safe to come out and monsters of the Underground could safely intergrate." Asgore stroked his beard a bit. "Though it does seem to be true that you hold a very special place in Frisk's heart. He believes both you and Tori are his mothers. And I can't help but agree as well."
"R-Really? Even after I messed up, didn't do better, nearly failed him...?" Alvina slowly turned to Toriel. "You...you don't think that you deserve to be Frisk's mother more than I do...? Never thought that me allowing him to be adopted by you as me giving him up...?"
"Alvina...is that what you secretly thought...?" Toriel asked softly as she moved closer and placed her paws on her shoulders. "It has absolutely nothing to do with which of us rightfully deserves to be his mother, or being more equipped and prepared to take care of him. You were there for Frisk in a time he dearly needed someone to love and cherish him. And you provided it wonderfully. Because he felt your love for him. No matter what happened, he always knew that you truly love him." She smiles warmly. "He sees BOTH of us not as mother figures, but as his true mothers. NEVER will that mean less love for either of us. It means more love for Frisk."
Alvina was stunned for a moment.
"Every connection of such a similar caliber is beneficial to both ends. The giver is happy to love someone, and the receiver is happy to be loved." Asgore turned to Tamotsu. "Your daughter wants to see the world. To go to new places and to meet new people, make new friends. And you both eventually met us, who've definitely become your friends. A support group, so that neither of you have to rely solely on each other for true happiness. I believe Faryn figured this out long before you did. She just didn't have the opportunity. Until recently, that is."
"...You are right." Tamotsu hummed softly. "I...will support my daughters dream. I may not always physically be by her side, but I swear to support and protect her, regardless of what tries to stop me." He narrowed his eyes. "It doesn't matter where she is in the world, no matter how far away...if she requires my direct aid...if she needs her father...I will be there in an instant. My Kingdom will know what to do with or without my direct appearance, so I don't have to worry about them, which means I can focus on aiding my daughter. I will NOT risk losing her like I lost Corliss. It's bad enough that I lost my beloved. There's no way I could handle outliving my child as well..."
"...in a sense...I understand that feeling." Asgore said slowly. Toriel flinched slightly, before relaxing and reaching out to hold his paw. He held it tightly, appreciating the warmth gesture. "And I see that we fathers think alike."
"No parent should ever endure the nightmare of knowing they outlived their kid. As parents, we have an understanding. Troublesome as he is, I'd rather throw the world into chaos than risk losing my precious little kitten. I just got him back." Elvira said, completely and utterly serious, which was very much rare for her. Eloise nodded strongly, and the others certainly didn't disagree.
Toriel looked Alvina in the eye. "Alvina. Will you continue loving Frisk alongside me, like the mothers that we are?"
"Absolutely." There was no hesitstion whatsoever, which made Toriel smile.
"Very good."
Flowey was nearby, listening to every word. Especially from Alvina, who he was rather interested in regarding his curiosity. So...she really had it rough taking care of Frisk after her precious friend died. I could guess that. And all her emotions spilling out at the time are true and genuine. He narrowed his eyes. So...why? Why do I feel like there's something more to this? MUCH more? It's not that Alvina is lying, or hiding something, nothing like that. Something just feels...missing. Guess I gotta keep waiting...
Back with the quartet, Faryn had her arms folded as Asriel, Frisk, and Chara finished explaining their story. Their whole story, from Asriel and Chara, to the other children and Frisk's fall into the Underground, the resets...they told her just about everything. It was very risky for them, but having Faryn tell them something so personal, sharing it with them...it wouldn't be fair to not do the same.
"Hmmm..." Faryn hummed. "Monsters in Underground for millennia...accident causing first deaths of Asriel and Chara...scattered family...despaired Underground...six dead children...Flowey...Resets... Frisk...and all the other stuff..."
"Well?" Chara asked.
...Smoke began emitting from Faryn's ears, lowering her head with a comical whimper. She looked ready to cry, eyes white circles. "My brain hurts..."
"Yeah, It's a bit crazy, and a lot to take in all at once." Asriel rubbed the back of his head.
"...But my heart hurts even more." Faryn lifted her head and looked them in the eye. "You three have had very terrible experiences...my own pain feels a bit pale in comparison...I can't even imagine..."
"Suffering is not a contest. No one's pain invalidates anyone else's." Asriel said sagely. "I'd prefer not to go down that road if I can help it. Doesn't matter who's is greater; pain is pain."
"Nor does it give anyone the right to take it out on others, or drag anyone into their messes..." Chara muttered. "I involved innocent monsters for the sake of spite. And what did that get me? My brother was dead, our parents were split up, the Underground succumbed to despair and wrath towards humanity...and yet I still ended up thinking about me...then not me...then me again...and..."
"What we're saying is that due to the complicated situations in the Underground, none of us are absolved of sins. All of us have done something we're not proud of. Which is why we all wanted to be better." Frisk added.
"Our redemption is a lifelong path. And I want to keep following it to the best of my ability." Asriel nodded. "It's the least I could do as Prince of all Monsters."
"And I'm going to help them both however I can." Chara said strongly.
Faryn gently tilted her head. "Chara...what happened to you to make you hate humanity?" Chara flinched. "Was it one super big thing? Or was it very gradual, from one moment of pain to another? It must have been severe if it pushed you to give up the happiness you had with your family for the sske of vengeful spite."
Chara lightly held the stump that used to be his arm, and lowered his head. "...It doesn't matter. Nothing I experienced is a viable excuse for my actions back then. Tch...when you really think about it, 'Child of Calamity' sounds like a pretty decent nickname for me. Disaster struck the Underground due to my selfish spite." He turned to Faryn, hidden shame behind his crimson eyes. "Now I just wanna channel that towards my true enemies. Whoever hurts my family."
"...Is there a reason you refused a prosthetic arm?" Faryn simply moved on, which surprised him quite a bit. He allowed it, simply sighing and scratching his head.
"Didn't want one. Besides, I'm doing fine without something like that."
Then to Asriel: "You and Flowey are two physically separate beings now. Do you still remember each other's experiences?"
"Um...to an extent, yes. Though we're more focused on making our own new ones."
Faryn then turned to Frisk. "Do you think humans and monsters can get along again one day."
"Of course."
She then scooted back and turned to all three of them. "Can you still reset?"
That particular question caught the boys greatly off-guard. Frisk in particular scratched his head, Asriel scratched his ears, and Chara closed his eyes.
"...No. We can't." Frisk said. "At least...we don't think so. After our last scuffle in the Void, those options never showed up again. We don't know if they're gone for good or not. Only that right now, they never showed up." Maybe the Void has a factor to play towards the world being so drastically altered. Can't be sure...
"It's good, in a way. We wouldn't be able to continue onwards if we always had to go backwards. It's much more risky, but it makes us fight harder. We get creative, get stronger, smarter." Asriel nodded "As best as we can, anyway. We'd rather not lose anyone we care about, which pushes us further. Keep breaking our limits. Or at least...Master Undyne shouts so."
"Don't you mean 'says'?"
"No. Shouts." Asriel rubbed his ears. "Undyne is really loud."
"Be careful with all that curiosity, Faryn. It might just get you into trouble, and we do that enough on our own." Chara said.
"...Ignorance is bliss, for learning is the highest joy." Faryn recited.
All three boys blinked. Asriel scratched his neck. "Golly...the first one is pretty well-known. But the second phrase...it fits so well."
"Many a millennia. Thats how long ago the War was. A LOT can happen in mere days, so what will thousands of years do?" Faryn asked. "How to people live? What do they eat? How do they organize? Why did they take this path? Why are their pies so delicious?!" Chara sweatdropped at the last question. Faryn looked towards the boys again. "For that many years, monsters have come back from the brink. Humans learned how to use magic. Entire lands and histories have changed drastically. I want to see these things, experience them, learn about them. I want to see the world, guys. I want to explore places. Learn the cultures, the societies, try to understand and appreciate them if I can...and how to get them all to shake hands and get along. That kinda goes into your goals, doesn't it?"
"Yes. Yes it does." Frisk nodded softly.
"That's pretty much what we strongly go for. So yes, we do have a pretty big reason to support one another." Asriel smiles.
"That's not going to be an easy thing to do, Faryn. There's bound to be a lot of challenges, dangers, and opponents that wanna stop us." Chara told her. "Finding a solution won't be easy."
"If finding answers and solutions were easy, it wouldn't be a true adventure. It wouldn't make us think, make us learn, make us grow. There's no point in an adventure if everything is handed to you, and I WON'T go on a boring adventure!" Faryn pouted with puffed cheeks.
"Having the answer to achieving peace between the races simply being handed to us...it wouldn't feel right. It wouldn't have felt earned. We wouldn't have worked for it, so it wouldn't truly feel like an achievement." Frisk agreed.
"It's like how Undyne feels about fighting. The stronger the opposition, the greater sense of achievement she feels when she overcomes them." Asriel said. "After all, how can you successfully push past your limits if they're never truly tested?"
Chara cupped his cheek. "Sooo...no challenge, no satisfaction?"
"Pretty much." They all said in unison.
"...Of course. You all are a tiny bit crazy because of that. And I have to watch over my far-reaching brothers. What a duty..."
Faryn smiled kindly while gazing at the boys again. "So...what do you say?"
"Of course, Faryn." Asriel smiled. "No matter how rough things get, we look after each other no matter what happens. Overcome any obstacle, surpass any opponent, succeed over any trial, in order to reach that goal..."
"A precious goal that we wish to grab, no matter what. That's what it truly means to have Perseverance." Faryn said strongly. The purple parts of her hybrid soul glowed brightly in response, before dimming down again. "Will you all persevere through future adventures with me?"
"Yeah, I guess I can deal with that." Chara shrugged.
"We swear on it, as High Princes...still not used to that." Asriel mumbled the last part.
Frisk smiled and nodded to Faryn. "We promise to take you on true adventures, Faryn. Expect us to keep it; Determination runs pretty strongly among us."
Faryn beamed brightly as her bushy fox tail wagged happily. She proceeded to pounce forward and glomp Frisk, nuzzling his cheek. "You will?! You really really will?! Sweetness!~"
Frisk shrugged. "Besides, it's natural for me to go with you on adventures. Adventures are risky, after all. And you-"
"Frisk I swear to-" Chara was unfortunately cut off.
"-can't spell 'Frisk' without 'risk'.~"
"..." Chara slaps the ground twice and smiles. "Welp! I've had my fill for the day! Think i'm gonna call it a night! Bye bye! See ya later!" He then grumbled while storming off.
"Aw c'mon Chara, it was a little jest!"
"Nope, I'm done for today. You threw it ALL away, Frisk!"
"Be a bro!~" Frisk cooed as he skipped happily after him.
"How about no? And stop skipping!"
"I'm not skipping, I'm Frisking about!~"
"Stop wordplaying with your name!"
Faryn gasped. "Ohmigosh! My midnight snack period is coming up! Gotta hurry back!" Faryn propped herself up and dashed off.
"Well, I can see how our new arrangements are gonna go." Asriel chuckled. He soon turned towards Corliss' gravestone and placed a paw on his chest. We'll look after them. Both Tamotsu and Faryn. We will protect their happiness. Asriel turned and was the last to walk away, as glowing green leaves falling to the ground around him, glittering in the moonlight.
It's a promise the Dreemurr Trio were determined to keep.
Haha! Did it! What a Festival! A Festival of Feels!
That's pretty much what this was, to be honest...
Also, the seeds of mystery have been left behind by Corliss. Just know that it certainly won't be the last time she gets a mention. There's more to be done with her...another day.
At the very least, everyone is just a little bit closer. Nice~
Next Chapter is the dinner party hosted by Cleo, Valerie and Levi. Likely to be as long as this chapter. Geez, I've been writing plenty of these lately. Quite a tiring yet fun challenge.
Until next time!