Here we are. In terms of this year, this will be the chapter that ends in on a hopefully good note.
The Surripio Dinner Party. Here we have a little bit of fun, a bit of the eats, learn a little bit about Princess Valerie, the works. Probably not the best out together, but hopefully you enjoy the chapter.
Hope your Christmas-or whatever holiday you celebrate, it's all good- was fulfilling and happy. Mine sure was.~
Valerie-name meaning: valiant, brave, healthy, 'to be strong'
Chapter Start!
It was getting dark by the time every invited guest managed to make it to Surripio on time. And after a bit of specific clarification and asking around, most of the gang knew where to go and where the dinner party would be held. It would apparently be held somewhere within a restaurant with an incredibly large banquet hall, which was kindly sponsering the event due to how major it was for the others involved.
Needless to say, the sound of a banquet was more than enough to get quite a few people rushing over to join in as soon as possible.
The Dreemurrs arrived quite early, but despite this they were not the first ones to arrive on the scene. That honor would be going to Gerson and Gaster, would both also wore black suits and ties, the former's feeling more complete due to a red rose on his chest, and a black hat in replacement of his usual adventurers hat. Others they could see in the distance would be Mettaton, Nappstablook-who was currently unleashing his inner Dapperblook-and Shyren with her agent. Once they were spotted, the reception was warm and immediate.
"Ah...you made it...hooray..." Nappstablook said slowly, with Shyren smiling and showing a similar sentiment.
"Ah, darlings! You've gotten here mostly on time! Excellence!" Mettaton declared freely while strutting up to them with a playful salute. "And all of you just look lovely tonight!"
Asgore and the boys each wore a black suit and tie, which was slightly awkward for Chara due to his lack of a left arm. He didn't seem to mind too much, simply looking on. And Toriel herself was wearing a velvet dress that went down to her knees, and wore a bit of red lipstick for fun. A cute little red purse accaompanied her around her shoulder. Hers, Asgore's, and Asriel's furs were nicely groomed and cleaned to look even nicer for the occasion. Frisk and Chara looked much alike, because even Chara had his hair cleaned up nice and neat so he could look nice, despite his preference for keeping it unkempt.
"Lovely indeed. Toriel, M'lady. Beautiful as ever." Gerson smiled as he lightly takes her by the paw and kisses the top of it. Toriel chuckles at this before he released her and gazed at the boys. "And I see that the boys have tapped into their inner dapper, like Nappstablook?~"
"I didn't take you for a person to use the word 'dapper'." Chara said.
"Wahaha! I suppose coming out of retirement has inspired me to try a few new things to an extent." Gerson chuckled. "What would we call you? Dreemurr Dappers? Dapper Dreemurrs? I'll admit to having quite a bit of fun with these silly terms."
"Hm. Each generation has their terms." Gaster huffed. "Sans and Papyrus are already here, they've went on ahead."
"Is that so? Hopefully they're not causing too much of a ruckus." Toriel said. "It seems that quite a majority of us have made it already. What of Undyne and Alphys? Muffet and Red? Alvina?"
"They're all most likely already inside. Anyone else missing will likely follow suit much later." Gerson said. "Come along now, let's continue these discussions inside, where there's light, warmth, and good grub! Waha!~"
Further inside, the place was rather lively. The bright lights illuminated the banquet hall quite well. Plenty of room for dozens of circular tables to be set up for at least eight people at a tible, plenty of room for others to comfortably stand around while attempting to find their own tables and/or standing by the bar, and good enough room for people to move around to greet each other. Friends and family to gather and have good, sometimes silly fun. It was so when the Pack was simply goofing around with doggy treats in some of their mouths.
Just because it was a fancy party didn't mean they had to act the part. Luckily Cleo and Levi were totally cool with that.
Speaking of which, the duo were approaching the adult Dreemurrs as the boys went off to explore. Cleo cheekily wore golden snake earrings along with her yellow dress. Both of them went rather nicely with her golden eyes, with the latter showing her curvaceous frame. Levi was rather appreciative of how cheeky she was being.
"Sssahaha! Wonderful! You've made it! And decently early!" Cleo said with a gleeful hiss. "I was quite afraid that something would hold you up, I really wanted to see you all again!"
"Well, here we are. On time and with friendly smiles." Toriel hummed with a graceful bow. "In any case, it's nice to see you as well, friends. It appears to be quite lively here."
"Course it is. Put a lot of work into this one, you see. Quite a lot of work." Cleo clapped. "Oh! Before I ramble on and forget, your friend Nappstablook provided me with something thag will certainly put a smile on your face.~" A conjured snake carried a plate atop it's head towards her. Cleo lifted it up to Toriel as an offering. "Nappstablook and Sans let us know that your palette seems to favor snails. So we've prepped plenty of escargot for you.~"
"Oh? Escargot you say?" Toriel tilted her head. "My my, how thoughtful of you! I would like to show my appreciation for going the extra distance for me. I should be rather mature and dignified about it, like yourself."
"Is that so? Then why are you drooling? Doesn't seem very dignified, Tori.~" Gerson chuckled, as Toriel was indeed drooling at the sight of the freshly made escargot dish.
"...Hush." Toriel said simply as she takes up the escargot dish, takes a piece and a bite into one with a rather happy expression. "Hoooh...these are rather wonderfully made...!"
"We knew you'd like it. What, with your affinity for Snail Pie and all." Cleo smiled pleasantly.
While Toriel was busy eating her escargot, Asgore's attention was caught by someone patting his shoulder. Blinking, he turned towards the person with a polite smile. "Howdy!"
The man in front of him was wearing a red suit and tie to seemingly compliment his slightly wild yet simultaneously groomed crimson long hair and eyes. He seemed to carry a powerful presence around him, yet seemed calm enough for the moment. Asgore briefly wondered who this person was...then noticed the fox ears and nine fluffy, bushy tails. It clicked instantly.
"Tamotsu?!"
"I'm sorry what?" Levi blinked in surprise.
"Pmrdffn?" Toriel muffled with escargot in her mouth, then blushed in embarrassment for being surprised enough to try speaking with a full mouth. She swallowed and sighed before trying again: "Pardon?"
"Oh? This devilishly handsome man is a fox in human disguise?~" Mettaton gasped dramatically as he confirmed that it was indeed Tamotsu the fox king. "A magic of yours, perhaps?"
"Indeed." Tamotsu sighed while shaking his head. "I was quite against appearing in this form. I feel so...small. I'm not a favorite in feeling like that. Unfortunately, I do realize that appearing as a giant fox in some social gatherings will make things more awkward than they need to be. I would have simply shrunken while in fox form...but Faryn talked me into using my human disguise..."
"Most likely to let us know that you have one, and to see for ourselves." Gerson chuckled. "Don't tell me that our precious Astus King feels a little bit self-conscious about his appearance?~"
"Please spare me, Gerson. I'm embarrassed enough about it as it is..." Tamotsu muttered.
Gerson blinked. "Eh? I was jestin'. You're actually self-conscious about your human disguise?"
"I'm simply more comfortable being a giant fox than I am as a normal sized human, okay? I've lived most of my life as such. My deceased beloved Corliss fell in love with the fox that I was. I thought it strange of her, but I appreciated it...and loved her for it. So I suppose I do whatever I can to stay in my normal form...even if I tend to go overboard or act borderline ridiculous."
"She fell in love for who you were within. How lovely!" Mettaton cooed with clasped hands. "The crafty fox crafted a way to keep to himself, the one his beloved loved! Wonderful! Beautiful!~"
"...You're annoying." Tamotsu deadpanned.
"Gasp! So straightforward! So hurtful! No dancing around it at all!"
"I think Faryn might have inherited that trait, at least a little bit." Asgore guessed with an awkward smile.
"I suppose ae can understand Tamotsu's reasoning. It's his own." Toriel nodded.
"Hold on! We're seriously not going to reprimand him for saying that about me?!"
"I don't see why we should reprimand him for speakin' his mind...even if it is the truth." Gerson chuckled.
"Oohhh nooo..."
"Oh yes.~"
Meanwhile Doggo was sitting across from Parvos with a doggy treat yanging from his mouth, and the latter sipping some coffee milk. Both of them looked on as their respective groups hung out together and chatting. Chatting as in cheerily barking and meowing.
Such meaningful conversations indeed.
"So, where's the Warden?" Parvos asked curiously while swishing his glass about a bit, head tilted. "I know she's here. Like the loyal dogs you are, wherever she goes, you all aren't too far behind."
"Wish I could say the same for you, being such a lazy cat and all." Ice Wolf said nearby, arms folded with gentle icy mist blowing from his nostrils.
"That bark of yours is ice cold!" Parvos hummed with a chuckle. "Honestly, there's no way the warden wouldn't come to this event, it's pretty huge. For real, where is she?"
"Are you talking crap again, Parvos?"
Quite a few passerby were rather stunned as Alphys and Undyne made their way towards the groups in question, and both were nicely dressed for the occasion. The former wore her polka dot dress as well as she always did. Undyne, on the other hand, was quite a surprise. Undyne wore a sleeveless long black ball gown with a slit running down the left side. A yellow band with a flower attached was placed around her neck where the dress collar begins. Her crimson hair looked and felt smoother and slightly more balanced, while still keeping a bang in front of her eyepatch.
More than a few men-and occasional woman-were awed by the warrior's appearance. Even more were briefly smacking the gawking husbands or trying to snap their ogling wives out of their trances. Parvos in particular rubbed his chin.
"Wow, Warden. When you decide to clean up, you sure as hell do so nicely." He admitted.
Undyne blew some of her hair upwards as she folded her arms under her breasts, pushing them up slightly while clicking her tongue. "You can thank Mettaton insisting that I dress appropriately, and Alphys asking nicely."
"Ahuh." Parvos wondered quietly, nonchalantly sipping his coffee milk while noticing a decent sized diamond window in her dress, further demonstrating her buxom and athletic figure. Experimenting a little, huh?
"Well, you certainly look beautiful, Captain. But..." Doggo pointed to her feet, where one would expect high heels...nope. It was her boots. "No heels?"
"Nah, don't feel like hurting my legs from something as crappy as high hells."
"...Uh...they're high heels."
"That's what I said. High hells." It would seem Undyne was no fan of wearing high heels. She tried, she certainly did. At one point she was simply too angry to deal with it. There's challenges you take on no matter what, and there's those you simply drop for practicality purposes. This was the latter.
Besides, it's not a style she'd immediately pick. She doesn't really feel for it.
"I-In any case, it's pretty spacey in here despite all of the people, huh?" Alphys smiled while pressing her fingers together. "If I didn't know better, I'd say they already knew that this party would be a big one. Just needed to reinforce and support it through show and action. And Mettaton is a fan of the former."
"The attention will probably do him some good. Probably."
"Miss Undyne! Miss Undyne!"
"Eh?" Undyne turned towards the sound of her voice. Her confused look cracked it's way into a wide grin as she noticed that it was Nadine happily skipping over to her. "Heeey, Nadine!" Undyne beamed as she kneeled slightly and opened her arms, allowing her to jump into them, pulling her into a hug. "This is a definite surprise! How ya doin, squirt?~"
"I'm doing fine! Very fine!" Nadine smiled. "You look so...so beautiful.~"
"D'aaw, really? From one gal to another, you don't look so had yourself.~" Undyne cooed as she casually lifted Nadine up with one arm. "Is Nikon around? She's brought you along, right?"
"Mhm. She brought me along. But I saw you all ghe way over here, and I couldn't help myself!" Nadine smiled while lightly hugging Undyne. The hug was rather warmly returned, before she set the girl down and lightly patted her head.
"You're such a good girl. Fuhu~"
"She sure is..." Alphys smiled while also patting her head. "Headpats mean love.~"
"They certainly do...if you see them coming. Getting caught off-guard while being headpat only puts you in a panic." Doggo added while scratching his head. "It's really rough seeing people when they're still. Luckily everyone's moving at least a little, so I can see just fine." His ears flicked a bit as he turned his head. "Oh! The food's just about ready! They're passing them out right now!"
"Finally! I was getting real hungry. Better late than never!" Undyne grinned.
Alphys smiled sheepishly while raising her paw. "Uh...we're actually still pretty early."
"Same dif." Undyne turned back to Nadine and lightly patted her head again. "Since you went through the trouble of coming all the way to me, ya might as well eat with me too. How's that sound, squirt? Sound like a plan to you? Simple enough to follow?"
"Okay!" Nadine raised her arms to Undyne as the fish woman picked her up again and held her in one arm. The groups soon followed Undyne to the dining area, while Nadine hugged Undyne and gingerly nuzzled her bosom, something her carrier didn't seem to mind. In fact, she chuckled and lightly petted her head with her other hand.
In another part of the grand banquet hall, the dinner was actually beginning to proceed nicely along, which prompted a bit more active conversation and active moving around for others to interact. Things being mostly laid-back, they took in that very atmosphere with tue very same aura of warmth that greeted them. It would seem that all of them have been let in on the belief that opportunities for bonding are stronger and more successful when it's over food, and it was working almost effortlessly.
So currently, it was definitely the right call for very good, supportive reasons.
"Everyone sure is clicking well." Asriel noted while looking around with a paw over his eyes. He and his brothers are currently broken away from their parents and were seated at a table of their own, trusted to not cause too much of a ruckus. "Miss Cleo and Mr. Levi really know how to throw a party..."
"They must have had quite a hit of practice. Several bases are covered that I personally wouldn't think needed covering if I thought about short-term." Chara hummed, tapping his fingers on the table. "But looking at it from a long-term perspective, I can see why they did what they did."
"A little bit of something for everyone, so very few would feel truly left out of the contributions. That's not very easy to do." Frisk finished. The brothers agreed.
"Ahuhem.~"
The boys turned to see several familiar faces, one of which included one of the hosts.
Muffet smiled and waved as she wore a dark violet sleeveless dress with heavy spider motifs, including a spider insignia on the front, and spider heels with an elegant purple and black pattern. The dress was also backless, and she wore purple gloves on all six of her hands. A bit of black lipstick on her lips, and she was golden.
Red for one, wore a short, red, sleeveless dress with a thick black sash around the waist and black trim along the bottom. A black wolf insignia was spread across the skirt of her dress, and there was enough room for her tail to comfortably poke out from underneath. Her fur seemed nicely groomed, and her silver eyes shined more than usual.
And Valerie wears a short, pink, halter neck dress with a light blue sash around her waist, a pale gray hem and pink pumps. Add in a bit of pink lipstick on her muzzle and a light blue scarf around her neck, and the Surripio princess was all well and good. She currently had her cobra hood folded in, so she looked quite relaxed at the moment.
"Hello, boys! How is yout evening so far? I for one, am having quite a great time! Ahuhuhu!" Muffet giggled.
"Doing rather fine, actually. Place is seriously packed without really feeling packed. That's not an easy accomplishment." Chara hummed while lifting his head. "...Those are some fancy chandeliers..."
Red blushed slightly while patting down her dress and pouting, looking away as her tail swished anxiously. "So, Asriel...w-what do you think of my dress? It was pretty rough for me to adjust to, due to all the nagging that Muffet and Mettaton put me through in the process..."
Asriel smiled and waved as he stands slowly. "You look very pretty, Red."
Red blushed more, while playing a bit with her dress, her ears folding down. "T-Thank you. I knew you'd be doing yout best to look nice for tonight, so I figured I might as well do the same, right...?" She sputtered slightly, her nose twitching a little bit. "I...I guess we can consider this...a...d-dinner date?"
"Huh? I guess so." Asriel blinked as he scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "Golly, didn't really think about that. But since we're here, I guess we can consider it so. I mean...if you would like to. Do you think it can be considered a dinner date?" He asked politely while holding out a paw. Red smiled shyly while taking the offered paw, both of them gazing in each other's eyes.
"Hey hey. They're being all cute and adorable over there. What about us, hah?" Muffet says while sliding over to Chara while pouting. "The very first thing they did is act all cute and sweet, Dearie. We didn't get to do it before them! So unfair!"
"I didn't realize it was a competition..." Chara deadpanned. Though gazing at the rather annoyed pout on his girlfriend's face let him know that trying to bring reason into it for tonight wouldn't do so well for anyone. So he wisely decided to not call ber out on it further, and simply reached out to hold ber middle left hand. "Though if it makes you feel better, you have absolutely entangled me in your web of exquisite beauty.~"
"Oho?~" Muffet blinked before smiling kindly. "My my, Chara-Dearie. You truly sre one for words, just like your brothers.~"
"Hmph."
"Looks like everyone is going quite well. I'm glad." Valerie smiles kindly. "The 'dinner' part of this party is officially underway, so you do not have to worry about waiting anymore." She blinked softly as she looked around for several moments. "Parden me, but where is Frisk? I thought I saw him with you a moment ago?"
Asriel and Chara blinked as they both saw that Frisk was indeed gone from his spot. "Frisk...?"
"Wherever did he run off too...?" Muffet blinked while tapping her chin with a tilted head. "I suppose our talk was an opportunity for him to go exploring. Wonder where he chose to go? Hopefully he won't get himself lost, or in any serious trouble..."
"No need to worry. Frisk is usually pretty well-behaved...mostly." Chara said while scratching his head with a sigh. To be honest, both of them were a bit worried about what an unmonitored Frisk couod co. Many things could happen when he genuinely wasn't trying to do something.
The five of them would seat themselves at one of the circular tables with certain foods passed out before them; what mostly gained Red's attention was the one currently in front of her. Whatever it was, it was plentiful, it was nicely heated, and it smelled rather delicious. Unable to tell what it was, she briefly turned her head to Muffet for an answer.
Valerie smiled. "Two words. Beef bourguignon.~"
She and Muffet chuckled as they could see the question mark over her head. "Beef...bourgy...bourgly...bour...?" She whimpered and stared at the table in embarrassment, ears drooped.
I look really stupid...
"Just give it a try.~" Muffet suggested. Red shrugged quietly as she takes a spoonful, bringing it curiously to her muzzle, biting into the well-prepared stew. Her silver eyes glistened and her ears and tail shot upwards as the taste briefly overcame her senses. Muffet smiled knowingly at this. "Well well, I'll take a good guess and say that you're enjoying it quite a bit.~"
"...Very." Red said simply, before she proceeds to wolfishly devour the dish before her as her tail began wagging happily.
"My oh my, how rapacious." Valerie chuckles softly. But all in all, she was very glad that she liked the dish. Plenty more, of course, but she figured Red would be more on the meat favoring side.
"And yet another reason why me and Red can get along so well. We can get really greedy when we wish be." Muffet chuckled sneakily. "When I get greedy, I become rather resolved, you see. I do love my money, and I love my Chara-Dearie, and Rude Baby Red. I want as much of them as possible, sometimes all to myself, neatly wrapped up in my own little cozy web, nice and safe.~" She shook her head and shrugged. "But alas, I must keep practicing self-restraint, lest my five eyes lose sight of what's truly important."
"Ah, I see."
"Plus I don't want to keep Chara-Dearie to myself for too long. His mother might get a bit iffy about that." She shook her head. "Indeed, I must restrain myself. I'd rather not be the itsy bitsy spider. Instead of being washed out by rain, I get burned out by fire. Both would be rather unpleasant for me."
"I...I see..."
"Muffet will be...Muffet." Asriel simplified with a small smile. "So, Valerie. Do you think you can tell us a bit more about your parents?"
Valerie kindly thanked a nearby butler who poured her a cup of tea. She stirred it a bit before taking a soft sip. "Hm. There were quite a few crime organizations that were mostly concerned with having safe haven and simply living their lives with as much pleasure as possible. Mother was one of the leaders of her own mob before ascending to the same status as Father when they eloped. Before all of that, hers was the most dangerous to approach, yet also the most reasonable when you got past that, which is why Father approached her first."
"He approached her?" Muffet cooed in curiosity, which Valerie nodded to.
"Indeed he did. And it was quite an interesring first meeting, from what they've recalled to me. Mother was quite smitten with him at first sight. Truly smitten. She attempted to lure him close with her feminine wiles...but he denied her at first. Several times, in fact."
"Oh? How so?"
"In Father's own words: 'Shed your skin of deceit if you wish for us to truly bond.' He wished for her to be herself whenever they were alone together, rather than the fear-inducing cobra she projects herself as in order to terrify her enemies into submission. My father would not submit to her, nor would he believe that her beauty was skin-deep, without exactly ignoring it. After numerous dates together, her being smitten turned to genuine love. And that love eventually gave birth to me. Needless to say, those who were savvy to my mother's darker side was shocked at these developments."
Red was slurping her food a bit before she lifting her head and listening more intently to the story. "Woah, really? She tried luring him multiple times until she caved and started being her true self around him. That must have been pretty surprising for those who saw him wear her down."
"Water is said to be the element of patience. And Father is usually a very patient dragon." Valerie sipped her tea once again before setting it down. "And one has to be especially patient to keep a cool head when your company has a different method of taking care of her enemies."
"Indeed.~" Muffet snickered.
"And of course, Mother and Father were mostly focused on raising me when I was born. They did some managing here and there, but they were otherwise at peace." Valerie sighed and shook her head. Asriel's slight frown was an indication that he knew what was being told next. "Then they took their eyes off me. For a moment. Just a moment. And the next thing I knew, I was captured and being placed on a ransom. I was apparently worth a lot of gold at the tender age of five." Valerie gazed calmly into her cup of tea, the reflection staring back at her silently. "...None of them were prepared for what came next..."
"The mob war...right?"
"...I can't remember the entire battle...I might have blocked out most of it, aside from fhe beginning and end..." Valerie stated softly, closing her eyes. "I remember things beginnjng in absolute chaos, human blood, monster dust, dimembered body parts, screams of agony...and like I just said, I might have tuned out most of it, refusing to believe it was happening, all while I hid. And around the time it was over..."
"Here, Boss! She's over here!"
Valerie heard the voices, understood what they meant. Yet still, she could not let herself do anything to respond to it. All she could do was cower, whimper, and cry while hugging her ears, curled up in a small ball with her tail wrapped around herself.
The battle left none of the participants alive. Every single one that took part in the mob war was brutally killed trying to kill each other. Monster dust was sprinkled everywhere, human blood splattered messily just as much, and several lookovers of the area confirmed that more than several dozen civilians were caught in the crossfire.
And poor Valerie, curled in a terrified little ball, had not an actual scratch on her. But she was absolutely bathed in human blood and coated in monster dust.
By the looks of it, she was physicslly unharmed. But her mental and emotional state was very much damaged from this harrowing experience. Levi for one, gently pushed some of his men aside as he frantically moved for his terrified daughter.
"Valerie...it's your Daddy. I'm here." Levi said softly as he very carefully reached for her. Smelling his scent and recognizing his voice, a highly tearful Valerie hurtled herself into Levi's protective arms. He hugged her tightly, not caring for being dirtied by the blood and dust on her, aside from how troubled she must have been. The only thing within his concern that his daughter was now crying profusely on what was quite possibly the worst day of her life. "It's okay, my little water serpent. Daddy's here...Daddy's got you..."
Levi would carry his crying daughter in his arms away from the massive graveyard that resulted from the mob war over her ransom. She witnessed all of that death and destruction from ground zero, and she was unsterstandably shaken. While he was carefully reassuring her that she was safe, he was calmly making a decision within his head.
The ones responsible for this would NOT go unpunished. They found it wise to disturb his peace in the worst way possible. Three foolish gangs who tried to be something big, to prove themselves in the wrong way...
He'd put them in their place.
"And what followed after that was the three mobs who tried that stunt being completely wiped out. No one tried it again after that." Valerie said while calmly sipping some of her tea, raising it softly for another butler to pour her some more. "He was proclaimed Surripio's true King, with Faust merely being a pretender he tolerates, so long as he doesn't bother him...though as you can see, that eventually ended upon his choosing."
"Very clearly." Asriel nodded. "So he would take superiority in order to set things straight the best that he could, if only to improve the living of those under his care..."
"A powerful dragon like himself, yes. Dragons take what they wish, enforce their ruling over their territory, and protect their treasures." Muffet hummed. "Luckily for us, Levi's family IS his treasure."
"Precisely. That was yet another trait of my father that makes him stand out, besides from actually liking humans and wishing for more areas where dragons and humans get along."
"Curious. Dragons are another type of monster, and yet they have a category of their own as well." Chara muttered. "I wonder how many other types of monsters have their own categories...heh, guess Alphys and Gaster will have a field day discovering what those are."
"Hm.~" Valerie smiled as she dropped two sugar cubes into her tea, stirring them more. "Anyway, I managed to find the strength to actually leave my room and see what was going on. And I come across mother...well...acting behind closed doors..."
It's been close to three days since that massive clash that claimed many lives both innocent and guilty. Valerie's innocence might as well have been among the casualties as well, having been right in the center of it all, despite not getting a scratch.
Her eyes lacked the emotion that they used to. The golden shine they used to contain was somewhat dulled, and her expression was neutral and empty. That was the most soul-crushing consequence for those who doted on her so thoughtfully, especially her parents. That sadness soon turned to rage, which they turned towards those responsible, leaving her alone with caretakers they trusted.
The shine in her eyes would need some time to return, but she would indeed recover. She simply...needed to slow down, is all. She wanted to at least let everyone know she was alright, or soon would be. As such, she wanted to see her mother first, as it would be the first time she's seen her since she was gone.
She was soon approaching her chambers, when she witnessed something that caused her head to tilt quizzically.
Her mother was lying leisurely on her bed...and her belly looked rather stuffed. A pleasant, soothing sigh exited her lips, with her tail swaying softly with glee.
"Sahaha...what a glorious hunt..."
Her subordinates treated the affair as something normal. However, one of them, a human female, noticed Valerie and panicked silently.
"L-Lady Cleo..."
"Those three fools had some nerve, ordering such things..."
"Lady C-C-Cleo..."
"Well this is the result of daring such atrocious plots on my only daughter. Now they can regret such cruel audacity within the confines of my-"
"CLEOPATRA!" The human shouted desperately, shocking her co-workers and prompting an annoyed sigh from Cleo.
"For the love of, what is it?! I'm trying to-" In the middle of her scolding, her jaw dropped and her eyes widened as she could see little Valerie standing in the room, head still tilted. In her euphoria, she barely noticed her daughter entering her room. "...Oh...that's why you were trying to get my...oh dear."
"Whoops." Another subordinate deadpanned.
"Everyone...you're dismissed. I'll take care of this myself." Cleo had everyone leave so she could speak to Valerie by her lonesome.
"Hi...Mommy..." Valerie said calmly with her little tail swaying slowly.
"Hello, Valerie dearest!" Cleo smiled brightly while clapping, ignoring the struggles currently occupying her snake belly. "I can explain! You see, Mommy had to go out with Daddy to go after some bad men after they caused all of that reckless chaos out of nothing but malevolent greed. And I decided...well..." Cleo had to pause to stifle a hiccup. "L-Listen, sweetie. Many have their own way of making bad people go away, and this is...well...my personal favorite..." Cleo explained sheepishly while twiddling her thumbs. It certainly wasn't something she was completely proud of. Not an innocent pleasure in the slightest, but one she can't deny enjoying when she could indulge in it with appropriate targets. She hoped her daughter wouldn't think badly of her, not after her experience she has only just begun recovering from.
"Did you eat bad people, Mommy?" Valerie asked simply.
"...Yes." Cleo sighed pathetically, her head hanging before her daughter. Straight forward question cut right through her attempts to divert attention to other subjects. Then again, she didn't really like the idea of lying to her daughter anyway. Not now, not over this.
"...You have a strong and stretchy belly, Mommy." Valerie said simply. She waddled up to and lightly rubbed the greatly swelled scaly belly with both paws. Cleo was incredibly surprised by the simple statement, and also sighed quietly from the gentle belly rub.
"Indeed I do...that feels nice...but sweetheart...you're not upset...or disturbed...?" Cleo had to ask. As a response, Valerie would gently climb atop the stuffed belly and look her mother in the eyes.
"No...no, not really..." Valerie said calmly while tilting her head. "Should I be...? Mommy's not a bad person...never has been...never will be. Those people were bad...and would have hurt more people...you simply stopped them. They can't hurt good people anymore...so...it's okay."
Cleo could only quietly gawk at her daughter. Despite her age, Valerie was a lot smarter than she looked. She can pick up on several things others would underestimate her for. Despite her emotions being a bit shot for the moment, she could still think clearly. She knew something like this was strange. And something that would definitely do more than unnerve most people. Some have simply gotten used to it after enough exposure.
Levi, on the other paw, didn't really mind at all. She directed it mostly towards malicious people that offended them or those she cared for greatly, so he never really had an issue. Besides, it's not like it's the worst method of punishment he's ever witnessed. It's one of the stranger ones, but not the worst.
Valerie was currently looking at her without any judgement, only acceptance. Cleo could still see it though; the dullness and disillusion within her eyes. Not at all directed towards Cleo, but originated from her recent experience. She was thinking clearly and genuinely meant what she said, but emotions still seemed to be having a very difficult time properly connecting to the words, despite her efforts.
It was certainly something that concerned her, and would make sure that therapy would be available. But for now, she was glad that Valerie simply kept seeing her as a mother. She was incapable of seeing her mother as a bad person, despite what she witnessed. Virtues and vice, she loved her and wouldn't stop doing so. For her current age, it was that simple.
She'd take that victory for today, and make gradual progress as time goes by.
"...Alright, my precious water serpent. If you say so." Cleo said softly. "I'll get the butlers to make you something to eat too. You can stay with me while they prepare something. Alright?"
"Okay." Valerie nodded softly, as she continued rubbing her mother's snake belly, while Cleo closed her eyes in appreciation, sighing in slight pleasure. She was still her daughter. And she was strong. She would recover.
For the moment, that put Cleo's mind at ease.
Valerie hummed as the others kept listening to her story. "It took a lot of readjustment, therapy, and some calming tea, but after a while, I managed to recover for the most part. Even so, many have noticed how much calmer I am sometimes, how some things don't phase me as much as they might someone else. Most emotions don't reach me as quickly as they used to at some points, with horror being the absolute slowest to actually connect to my expressions."
"Oh..." Red blinked.
Valerie smiled while setting her cup down. "You could say that my experience left me feeling a bit more knowledgeable about this world's darker side, as well as letting me know that many individuals have their dark sides as well. And my nerves improved as well. I've seen a bit of my mother's dark side firsthand, but that doesn't mean I would stop loving her or seeing her as my mother. It's not the most glamorous part of her person, it's not a part of her she's particularly proud of despite how much she enjoys and accepts it, but it's still a part of who she is. I accepted that and kept moving. It was nowhere near enough to even consider denying her like she feared I would. I love my mother and father, they love me, and we love those we are close to, under our care or otherwise. That's what truly matters."
"Understandable." Asriel nodded.
"Indeed!~" Muffet beamed, though she scooted closer to Valerie and whisped: "Just for curiosity's sake, what happens when Cleo does what she does?"
"Whoever she ends up consuming-human or monster-is slowly turned into magic particles that strengthen her body. Not a trace of them is left behind. The soul usually shatters before it's really complete." Valerie whisper-explained. "This particular method empowers her rejuvenation abilities and further empowers her body. Whenever she sheds, all damage vanishes and she grows a bit stronger from it. Repeated use in a row reduces their effectiveness, however. Magic food recharges the ability, though it's much quicker to charge through aforementioned feeding. She might be easy to knock down, but this makes her a bit harder to keep down despite my Father being much more powerful than her."
"No wonder she thins out so quickly. And it has practicality purposes! Interesting. Very interesting." Muffet smiled while rubbing her chin. She coul hazard a guess that Cleo wears clothes wears that stretch along with her and can handle a bit of stress. "I'm rather impressed that you've taken it so well over the years, Valerie-Dearie."
"I've already accepted it as a part of her. You seem rather accepting of it yourself, Muffet. Almost intrigued."
"Like I said before, your mother and I share a set of values, values we can both get behind. We have an understanding that helps us get along even more.~"
"Indeed, and I'm very glad that you do. It means I can see you more often."
"See? It all works out!~"
Both of you are far too accepting of this. I dreadfully pity those on the wrong end of a Cleo/Muffet partnership. Chara thought with an expression of exhaustion.
"Done." Red pushed her now empty dish in front of her as it was emptied of the food within, licked clean, luckily not making a mess of her dress. "In any case, I'm supporting the Dreemurr Royal Family as well, so I can be counted on as well as the others."
"Very good indeed, Red!" Muffet did a six-way fhumbs up. "Being the bodyguard in a partnership like this will do both of them wonders, and will grow all the stronger for it. Meanwhile, I'm perfectly fine with offering a supporting web!~"
"Speaking of which..." Valerie paused as she turned to the two pairs. "You two have been together for quite a while, hm?"
"H-Ha?!" Red sputtered, eyes shooting open, along with her ears and tail standing stiftly upwards. "What brought this on?!" She said while looking away with a slight blush. "I-I mean...I guess you could say we've been officially together for a shorter time than you might think. We've...you know...did some couples things...and um..."
"My oh my, poor little Red. She so super flustered, maybe she should go to bed?~" Muffet cooed while cupping her cheeks. Red's snarling at these comments went either unheard or was simply ignored, as her expression didn't changed. "D'aaw! Wittle Red Riding Wolf is so angwy!~"
"Shut your five-eyed face!" Red barked with comically white eyes. "Why can't you simply stop with the embarrassment brigade, and why must you be so adamant in it?!"
"Amusement."
"Of course it is..."
"Honestly, you make it too easy for her." Chara said bluntly as he heard Valerie and Muffet giggling, Red growling in embarrassment, and Asriel sighing without doing anything to disfuse the situation. It was better not to try right now. "I've known Muffet longer than Azzy's known Red, yet we kind of officially got together around the same time. It feels really weird, to be honest. Good wierd, but weird."
"It was a big rough to get Red to really open up at first, but in time we really got to know each other. The best that we could, anyway." Asriel said while pressing his paws together. "To put things even more simply, our stories are not as easy to tell as we'd like. But...they helped us get closer and understand each other, so it wasn't completely for naught."
"None of your experiences is ever for naught, Prince Asriel. All it takes is a bit of organization on which experiences will mostly likely help in a future situation." Valerie advised. "And the more skill you obtain, the better you'll be able to hone them and turn them towards a specific problem to solve. That shouldn't be too hard to understand, right?"
"Yes. I suppose you're right." Asriel nodded softly as he clapped his paws. "Now then, would it be too much for us to ask for something else?"
Frisk was meanwhile moving about the hall, getting a feel for the place. This definitely seemed like a place for numerous parties, both small and large, but the space definitely made it more suitable for larger parties. He wondered if Levi and Cleo had numerous large parties with Valerie and other guests. Cleo seemed ro be the type to do so, given how she seems to enjoy attention.
Frisk's thoughts were interrupted when he saw a certain someone. After a quick lookover, he discovered that the certain someone was Faryn. And the fox girl caught his scent, so she turned around to greet him with a smile.
"Ah Frisk! There you are!" Faryn explaimed as she was holding a dish, which was filled with salads she was currently eating in slight bulk. A green ballgown dress was leant to her, and she fits it rather well. "These salads are pretty amazing! I dunno who made them, but they're really good!"
"Ah, is that so?" Frisk smiled. Reasonably it would make sense that she could greatly enjoy veggies as well, being both human and fox that eats that as well as meat.
"Yup!~" It took a moment for him to realize that she had refilled plate several times already. She sets the plate down as her ears twitched slightly. "You wanna find more things to eat? I'm sure there's plenty around, and I wanna try as much of them as possible!"
"Okay. I guess we can try several and see how they fare." Frisk said while adjusting his suit. "How will we go about it, though?"
"go about what, kid?" Sans said after appearing right behind them. Both of them blinked as they turned towards the shorter skeleton. "yo."
"Oh, hi Sans. What's going on?"
"party's pretty chill, i was honestly expectin' a bit more noise, but i guess this works out." Sans gestured for them to follow. "paps is somewhere over here. it's...well...it's definitely a thing."
Papyrus was seen with a pot of spaghetti that he made, with Dynamo eating large amounts of it by the bowl. Dyra sighed softly while shaking her head, with Scythe laughing good-naturedly as he had an arm around her shoulder. Akai and Warkie were both speaking with the likes of Ribras and Rasha. It seemed to be a pretty decent gathering, with a few unrecognized figures speaking alongside them as well.
"IT'S A PRETTY GOOD THING I BROUGHT MY OWN SPAGHETTI! I KNEW DYNAMO WOULD LIKE SOME MORE!" Papyrus exclaimed happily while Dynamo kept eating on.
"Papyrus sure seems to like spaghetti." Faryn noted.
Dynamo heard her as the other group made their way towards them. He swallowed and shook his head. "Actually, he simply likes making them for friends, but it's not exactly something he himself eats much."
"Really?"
"Indeed. In actuality his favorite food is oatmeal with dinosaur eggs within. He's simply better known for spaghetti since he makes it so much and that people like me enjoys it so much." Dynamo explained while lifting up his dish of spaghetti and pouring it all into his massive jaws, his tail wagging gleefully. Dyra groaned at his lack of care for class.
"Ohhhh." Faryn nodded in understanding.
woah. paps felt comfortable enough to tell him that? i mean it ain't that big a secret, but it's still a surprise for those who know him mostly for making spaghetti. Sans thought.
Frisk would soon catch sight of Elvira, Alphys, Undyne speaking, along with Eloise, Augustine, Nikon, and Nadine. The Dragon Trio also appeared to be around. Curiosity caught hold of him, as well as Faryn, and both made their way towards the group.
"Well well well, look at Undyne, being the strong and sexy fish.~" Elvira teased cheekily, wearing a red dress with a slit from the hip down. She humorously kept her witch hat as she sipped what appeared to be a cocktail from a glass, swirling slightly. "You should dress like this more often.~"
"I'll consider it." Undyne snarked with a cheeky grin of her own. Eloise and Alphys both sighed and lightly palmed their faces from how much Elvira seemed to be enjoying it, which was a bit too much.
"You seriously need to stop doing stuff like that." Jack O'Frost sighed while handing out ice cream to several requesters of such. "You're sending out a pretty troublesome message that way."
"Ya should know this by now, Jacky. I'm always a magnet for some trouble.~"
"Yeah, but we're at a pretty sizable party this time. Can you, I dunno, dial it back this one time so we don't break something expensive...again."
"That last time was all on you."
"You TRIPPED ME!"
"Wrong. Rope tripped you. I just happened to be in the vincinity."
"Considering your magic, you might as well have..."
Elvira turned towards the sound of Frisk and Faryn moving towards the group. Smiling cheekily at the latter, she goes over to the human and pulls him into a hug against her bosom, lightly petting his head. "Why hello there, it's our adorable little pacifist.~"
"Hi, Ms. Elvira." Frisk muffled while tilting his head hp to meet her eyes. "You're looking pretty tonight. Very pretty."
"Of course you notice that, as I thought you would." Elvira chuckled, rustling his hair. "You certainly look nice tonight as well. And look, you've brought along the Fox Princess. Hitting the foods as hard as you can, perhaps?~"
"Kind of." Frisk chuckled as Faryn's curious eye gazed upon several other foods within her grasp.
"Hoooh...what is this?~" Faryn drooled slightly at the sight of yet another dish.
"That would be known as lasangna." Alphys informed her while pushing up her glasses. "It's a type of pasta, you see. Papyrus usually cooks those up as well."
"Oohh." Faryn nodded as she takes a slice, and gingerly bites into it. Her eyes flashed and her tail wagged. "It's good!"
"I figured you'd think so." Alphys smiled softly. She then coughed, as it was a chance for her to ask a few questions. "Sooo...Faryn?"
"That's me.~"
"I was just wondering, or more like confirming something. You are a hyrbrid. With a monster father and human mother. So you have the benefits of both. Immense magic potential and a stronger physical body."
"I guess so." One bite.
"And I'd wager that being a hybrid gives you a bit of a faster metabolism."
"I guess so." Two bites.
"Annnnnd you're barely listening to me, are you?"
"I guess so." Three bites.
Alphys sighed. She needed to keep Faryn's attention. Luckily she paid attention to Frisk's mentionings tale when he met her, so she dialed into her Dimensional Box and pulled out something that immediately caught Faryn's nose. She turned to her.
"Quiche?"
"Yes, quiche. You mentioned it was a favorite of yours?" Faryn nodded hurriedly as she reached for it, only for Alphys to pull it back. "Hold on, Faryn. I'm more than happy to give plenty to you, but I'll need you to ask a few more questions."
"Okay." Faryn nodded intently, eyes focused.
Alphys nodded. "Alright then. So you possess Fox-Fire, which gives you access to fire, lightning and light. And because of your mother's soul residing in you, you also inherited her plant magic."
"Yup. I'm kinda weak with light. Fire and lightning is okay though. And I'm strongest with my fire and plant magic." Faryn explained.
"And how so?"
"I expended magic branches the furthest with Plant Magic."
"Branches?"
"Mhm. Plant Magic, which gives me the ability to manipulate plants. And plant magic extends to flowers and wood, flowers extends to vines, and wood extends to paper."
"Wait. Your Plant Magic extends to paper?"
"Papercraft. Origami. That kind of thing. Wanna see?" Faryn lifted her hand upwards. A piece of paper hovered above her hand, and shapeshifted into a rose. Shifting once again, into a butterfly that could flap it's wings several times, then finally into a fox that yipped a bit. "People wouldn't think too much of paper being used as a means of offense. It's definitely a possibility, which took a lot of practice to develop. I picked up on it quickly, but I still worked hard at it."
"You're highly talented, but you still work hard to maintain that talent and power." Frisk chipped in.
"Yup. Plant magic is a way to keep close to Mama, so I practice with it however I can, along with the magic branches."
"..Hehe. I just saw it. Wood magic. Magic branches. Plant puns.~" Frisk chuckled.
"And you say that your progress in power can be kept track of by the amount of tails you grow, until you reach nine?" Alphys asked. "And you will be gaining them faster due to your hybrid soul?"
"Pretty much."
Hybrid potential is truly impressive. Fascinating. Alphys took note. "Thank you, Faryn. Very informative."
"You're welcome. Quiche?" Faryn held out her hands. Alphys chuckled. Deal's a deal. She gave the quiche to the energetic fox, who gleefully accepted. "Sweetness! Nyom!~"
Faryn bites into the quiche with joyful fervor. Frisk looked towards her rapidly wagging fox tail. He's seen it quite a bit of times, and he couldn't help but ask. "Faryn?"
"Yeesss?"
"Your tail looks so big and fluffy. Can I feel it?"
"Kay." Faryn said easily, concentrating on eating her newly acquired quiche. "Don't worry, quiche. I'd never abandon you!~"
Frisk would lightly move towards Faryn's tail as it waved about a bit, before he gently grabbed hold of it and began softly petting it. His eyes sparkled a bit at how super big, fluffy, and soft it was. "Wow...this feels really nice! And you'll eventually grow more of them?"
"The stronger I become, yeah."
"That means more fuzzy tails to eventually pet and cuddle!"
"I guess so."
"I wanna feel!" Nadine called out as she skipped next to Frisk and gently held the tail, nuzzling it happily. "It's so warm and fuzzy. A lot like Grandma Nikon's tail!~"
"Hmhm.~" Nikon smiled.
"It's just about as fluffy as Mom, Dad, and Asriel's fur." Frisk beamed as he and Nadine lightly petted and cuddled the fluffy fox tail. All while Faryn casually ate her quiche, not minding at all.
"She really does not give a damn, does she?" Undyne snarked. "And all that talk about magic branches is legit, huh?"
"Indeed. It counts for any who are creative enough to exercise their magic in many different directions." Elvira lectured while gently swirling her wine glass. "You've already done so, Undyne. At least a little bit."
"I don't follow?"
"Summon a spear for me." Undyne shrugged as she summoned a spear in her hand. Elvira looked it hover and hummed. "Yup. Solidified, hardened water energy. You seem to have a knack for water magic, considering that you've wielded white and black water spears via your Undying form. You also seem to favor and specialize it into spearmanship."
"It's what I'm best at, yeah."
Eloise nodded. "Well, you could possibly expand your use of water magic and use it in more extended ways. You definitely have the talent for it, and the work ethic to hone it and make it work."
"You don't say?" Undyne wondered curiously as she lifted her hand and closed her eye. Concentrating on imaging the water magic as something besides a spear, water eventually dripped from her fingers and rose up to form a ball of glowing water. She opened her eye and blinked. "Woah. Sweet."
"That's not all." Elvira smirked. "Try taking that water...and treat it as electricity."
"Eh?"
"Call it an experiment. You married a monster lizard with electricity magic, and you've trained a prince with that magic as well. Imagine all the times you've seen and trained with them. A powerful bond between monsters can have quite an influence on how their magic develops. Go ahead and see for yourself."
"Huh...so imagine water...as an electric current. Manipulating water and electricity simultaneously?" Undyne closed her eye and focused. All the times she's seen Alphys use her electric magic to help with her technology, and Asriel using his lightning magic in battle when they trained together. She had a strong connection to both of them, and bonds between monsters helps their magic grow stronger. As she thought about them, she reopened her eye and found herself awed by the sight of an electricity charged water spear in her hand.
"And there you go. Electric-Water." Elvira grinned, taking a sip from her drink.
Undyne blinked in amzement. Then she grinned wildly. "Ohohoho...I can't wait to try THIS out in the field. I definitely gotta practice with this.~"
"I knew you would like it.~"
"Water with electric properties. Impressive. Me and my daughter can manipulate them in such a way." Levi smiled as he and Cleo approached the group. "Perhaps when time is available, we can give you a few pointers? As Elvira said, you may have a natural talent and skill for water, and you have the work ethic to improve and maintain it. More than likely, all you need is an initial push."
"Sure, I'm up for it. This sounds far too badass for me to pass up!"
Cleo, in the meantime, was slithering over to a conversation that sounds too interesting for her to miss. Augustine and the Dragon Trio. Adam and Alvina were in as well, with curiosity peaked on their end.
"So you've been cooped up in this Kingdom ever since Seloms Archipelago was destroyed?" Lunar hummed as she rubbed her chin, gazing Augustine in the eye.
"Y-Yeah...I haven't seen Nikon ever since, because I was too ashamed to face her from my wrongdoings towards her and her people..." Augustine said while lightly tapping a glass.
"And you think you'd be able to make all that guilt go away by helping out with charity?"
"It was better than nothing at all. You don't need to tell me that I was cowardly and scared to not face her because of it. Believe me, I know. But...I couldn't help it..."
"Peh." Lunar huffed, then placed a paw against the wall and leaned closer to Augustine's face. "If you really feel that sorry, maybe there IS a way you can make it up. Perhaps for a laugh, I can claim you as MY human for a while."
"W-What?!" Auvustine stuttered in shock as a confused blush crossed her face.
"Lunar. Out of context, that sounds like something else entirely." Darkness said with a shake of his head.
"And not what you probably think it does." Tempest reinforced.
"Relax. Augustine knows that I'm messing around. Or perhaps she would actually like to take up on that offer?" Lunar smirked while lightly tapping her cheek. "Well?"
"U-Uh..." Augustine stuttered more, only for Cleo to slither up behind her and hug her from there, catching her by surprise. "L-L-Lady Cleo!?"
"Hey hey, I know you have a personal history with this woman that wasn't the most positive, but I would like for you not to pick on her so." Cleo says with a soothing hiss as her head tilted towards Lunar. "We all have our own closet of sins, my dear. That doesn't quite mean that Augustine can't improve herself if she wishes, now does it?"
"Of course not, Lady Cleo. We're not arguing against that in the slightest, believe us." Darkness sighed. "The thing is, Lunar isn't particularly angry about that anymore. I believe she's searching for reasons to simply mess with her."
"Kind of. She's petty." Tempest deadpanned.
"Pfft."
"D'aaw. Hopefully these two can truly allow bygones be bygones. Augustine's scarred enough as it is, physically, emotionally, and mentally. She wants to continue to improve."
"I...I appreciate your support, Lady Cleo. Truly..." Augustine says with a small nod.
"Don't be so shy, little August. You came to me for safe haven, and I graciously offered, and will continue to offer it." Cleo says while lightly hugging the woman. "Support me, and I shall support you. Unlike most serpents, I keep my word. My tongue shall never deceive you in such a manner."
"Thank you, Lady Cleo."
"It's quite fine, dear."
"That serpent is a strange one. I haven't met many snake monsters quite like her." Lunar noted curiously.
"It appears that this particular snake is only sinister when she needs to be. Otherwise, she's actually quite benevolent." Darkness said while rubbing his chin. "Surprisingly a rare occurrence in Surripio, which she and Levi feel shouldn't be the case."
"It appears that they know the immense importance of taking care of their lessers." Tempest said while gazing at Levi and Cleo. "In a Kingdom such as this, in it's current state, it would be the worst fate to have those who serve you turn on you when you need them most."
"That may be a valid explanation, but it doesn't suit right with us." Tempest blinked as Asgore and Toriel also approached, the latter having eaten all her escargot, and she looked slightly upset by that realization. "We shouldn't need a reason to be benevolent to those under our protection. It should be do e because that's the kind of people we are. At least, I'd like to believe so, and continue putting that into practice."
"I would like to continue that practice as well, and make sure that many know just how important it is to do so." Toriel said while holding her currently empty dish. "I never really understand why some people are bitter enough to mistreat those who serve them. You'd think they realize how poor an idea it is to give those who help hold things together a reason to turn their backs on you."
"I know, right? You have NO idea how many times I've come across a fool or two who thought they'd get away with mistreating their subordinates. They think that I'm not watching them whenever they believe I'm not looking. Only being nice to them when someone they want on their good sode is watching. They think I'm not watching them, but I'm in fact keeping a rather close eye on them, from a different set of eyes."
"I see." Toriel nodded softly. "It would seem that you keep a close eye on many of your subordinates so you can see how to properly take care of their needs and help them further develop on their assignments...while watching for those who might bite the hand feeding them."
"It's not a case of her not trustin' them. Just that she may care a little too much for her own good, at least from the eyes of others who see her kindness as such." Gerson hummed while rubbing his chin and moving over to their group as well. "Many seeing a snake not safe to trust, yet she's proven to be quite reliable."
"Precisely how I want all my subordinates to see my benevolent wife. It is genuine, so long that none of them give her a reason to not be benevolent towards them." Levi says while sipping from a glass of his own that Elvira was kind enough to help pour. "That way, we'll know who's truly done the biting first."
"That's understandable I suppose." Asgore nodded.
"Indeed, Don Asgore. Taking care of your own is always important, as well as being compassionate towards those lower on the hierarchy. One should remember that towers are built from the bottom up. Take away the bottom, or give them a reason to leave, the entire foundation is likely to crumble down on itself."
"Hm." Asgore soon turned his sights towards another table, which seem to carry several desserts, gaining his curiosity. "Oh? What manner of treat is this?"
"Sssaha. Good eyes, Asgore. These particular desserts are a bit more dignified, depending on who asks." Cleo says informatively as she gestured to them, picking one up. "Cherry cheesecake, my friends?" She offered kindly.
"Absolutely." Asgore smiled as both he and Toriel each took a slice of cheesecake and both bite into their slices simultaneously. A bright smile spreads across both of their faces and their floppy ears flapped slightly. "Hoooh! This is fantastic!"
"It's wonderful!" Toriel beamed while taking another bite, happily humming to herself.
"Ah yes. Our daughter seems to have a talent for making many delicious desserts." Levi smiled proudly. "She and your friend Muffet can have quite an effective partnership on that front, do you not agree?"
"I wouldn't be against it in the slightest.~"
"Neither would I. Such desserts would be a wonder to savor." Asgore said while taking yet another bite from his own cheesecake. "It would definitely be helpful for ke since I'm admittedly quite helpless at making desserts. At least in terms of baking. I wouldn't think the creation of cheesecake will favor me any better..."
"At least you have your wonderful tea." Toriel said while gently nuzzling his nose, which he tenderly returned, both smiling pleasantly.
Asriel, Chara, Valerie, Red, and Muffet finally found Frisk, hanging with Faryn. Though Asriel and Red's attention was immediately taken in by a certain dessert that they truly didn't to get the pleasure of savoring. Both of their mouths began drooling at the sight of it.
"What...is...that?" Asriel asked slowly.
"Oh, that? By the looks of it, it seems to be cinnamon bun bundt cake." Muffet guessed with a hint of amusement at their eager faces. "And look at that. All sliced up and ready to be savored piece by piece.~"
Asriel braved the risk and moved towards the dessert, gently taking a slice and biting into it. His eyes widened and sparkled brilliantly, ears flopping happily. "Golly this is delicious! Try one, Red!" He says in-between bites as he handed a slice to Red. She blinked as she takes it with both paws, then bites into it curiously. Her eyes also began sparkling, a silver glotter dancing around her eyes.
"Wow, this is fantastic! Monch Monch Monch Monch!~"
"And as expected, they absolutely adore it.~" Muffet smiled as a few spiders carried something on their backs to her. "Thank you, lovelies! You're a true delight." She then turned towards Chara and held the dish out to him. "Here you are, Chara-Dearie! I've put this little addition in myself.~"
Chara raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Dark Chocolate Crème Brûlée.~"
"Dark Chocolate...wha?" He wondered why he thought the way she said the latter two words sounded so fitting.
"Crème Brûlée, Dearie. Give it a try.~"
Chara shrugged as Muffet handed him a spoon, which he managed to grip with a shadowy hand. A bit of cracking and digging later, and he managed to take in several bites, which definitely had an effect on him, his eyes widening as he began taking more bites. "Wow this is...well...GREAT. How do you be making these?!"
"For a gal who wishes to master her skill in the art of dessert, it helps to be able to make as many variations as I can. This one, I managed to succeed in with only two tries.~" Muffet cooed while leaning close and kissing his cheek. "Chocolate as usual. I thought about you while making it.~"
"Yeah, I can tell..." Chara muttered. He could also tell that he'd be disliking the fact that her kiss left a black lipmark on his cheek from the lipstick, and now observers were giggling and awing at the sight. So troublesome.
In the meantime, Frisk and Faryn were taken in by more desserts. The latter in larticular was focused on several in particular.
"No way...is this Yōkan?" Faryn asked while turning to it's maker, which was a smiling Valerie.
"I did make it. Do you approve?" Valerie asked with a tilted head. "It was easier to make than expected, and going to the Astus Kingdom for the festival gave me some inspiration. And I must say, I'm quite personally happy with the result. There's two types of this, correct? Neri and Mizu?"
"There's also imo and shio. But yeah, those are right." Faryn looked towards another dish in curiosity...and surprise. "No way...is that...uirō-mochi?"
"That's what it's called? Then yes, yes indeed. It's become a bit of a hit." Valerie smiled.
"Wow..." Frisk muttered in awe.
"Yōkan and Uirō-Mochi are basically thick jelly and steamed cake respectively. Made with red bean paste, agar, and sugar for the former; and rice flour and sugar for the latter. All I needed to do was pick up th ingridients and get to work, though I've read that there's plenty of alternate ways to prepare them."
"You really WERE paying attention...you're amazing!" Faryn said with wide eyes and wagging tail.
"Inconceivable..." Tamotsu was nearby, having bitten into a bit of uirō-mochi with wide eyes and slightly shaking paws. "Princess Valerie has managed to near-perfectly make two impressively known wagashi...with only but several glances? She is truly impressive!"
"Thank you, King Tamotsu." Valerie nodded politely.
"Wow these are tasty!" Alphys beamed while munching on some of the well-prepared yōkan.
"I can't believe you really made these! This is sweet! Sweetness!" Faryn beamed while taking a plate of yōkan and uirō-mochi and handing a plate of it to Frisk. "Here Frisk, have some!" Frisk nods gratefully while taking the plate. She hands another plate to Chara and Muffet, then Asriel and Red. There was plenty to go around, as she even handed some to the Colddusts, Undyne, Alphys, Asgore and Toriel. "Have some, guys!"
"Well well, she's being rather generous." Cleo hissed in amusement as she takes a plate for herself.
"Your daughter managed to impress mine through both her love of food and desire to share experiences." Tamotsu informed. "A few of our most enjoyed wagashi has been well-prepared and shared with others outside our Kingdom. Wagashi she routinely enjoys when she has the time. Needless to say, she's very happy."
"This is pretty amazing." Asriel smiled softly as he munched a bit into some of the yōkan, then some uirō-mochi, enjoying both with a wide smile. Red was doing the same, mo cbing on some of the latter and relishing how sweet and chewy it was, complete with a wagging tail.
"I know, right? Sweetness!" Faryn beamed while biting into some yōkan, her own tail waving about, and her ears flicking with glee. "They really feel as well-made like back home. But surprisingly a bit better! You're really good at this, Valerie!"
"I'm happy that I've managed to please you and a few others." Valerie smiled with a gentle nod.
"Yeah, you definitely did a good job at that." Scythe said while munching on some yōkan, sighing pleasantly. "It feels pretty nice to simply chill over food, dessert, and drinks, ya know? We never really had many opportunities for such things, given how rough our situations were. So this, plus that festival from before, is a very welcome break."
"never really had a lot of time to chill, huh? you must really appreciate this extended amount of downtime." Sans said with a tilted head.
"You have no idea. Our only times of solace tend to be when we were all together without fear or judgement, or fear OF judgement, or judgement based off of fear..." Warkie said quietly.
"A paranoid mess was what we were." Akai supported.
"Fortunately that time is well behind us, now we have a bigger support group beyond ourselves. Really helps to not succumb to our own darker sides. Depression and anixiety being two of the stronger feelings among them. Definitely not okay feelings to have in a bleak conditions." Dyra said. Dynamo caringly patted her head.
"My main priority was keeping my sister safe. I might not have been able to make her happy for the longest time, but it was due to wanting her to be safe first so happiness could come later, if at all." Dynamo explained. "Now with a much better turn of events improving our lives that happiness is finally making it's way to her eyes. And that brings me joy."
"GREAT! I'M GLAD FOR YOUR DRASTICALLY IMPROVED MOOD, DYNAMO AND FRIENDS!" Papyrus smiled while gently patting Dynamo's shoulder. Then the patting turned into a hug. Dynamo smiled and returned said hug, his tail lightly tapping the ground. "REST ASSURED, YOU SHALL ALWAYS HAVE OUR SUPPORT, ESPECIALLY MINE, DYNAMO!"
"That is very reassuring indeed, friend Papyrus. I'll definitely remember that promise of yours." Dynamo smiles while gently cuddling Papyrus in his arms.
"Their friendship is definitely and odd one." Elvira said with a casual nod.
"apparently odder is better. normalcy is long gone. too boring." Sans shrugged.
"All in all, you'll find your lives further improving from here on out, despite a few major bumps in the road. And that road alone is rather unstable on it's own." Asgore said while stroking his beard. "But nonetheless, it's a road worth walking. Ups and downs included."
"I agree greatly." Valerie nodded softly. She lightly held the helm of her dress, her eyes closed. "If there's anything that my prior trauma taught me, is that the world is much darker than some might expect from it. The people who live on it can be just as dark, human or monster. Humans can be monstrous, monsters can live up to the darker side of their name. And sometimes we can't ever reach the best possible result. Sometimes terrible things happen that are out of our control..."
"Valerie dearie..." Muffet whispered softly.
"Thinking back. Nikon's home was destroyed and Augustine could do nothing to protect it. Alvina's parents and grandparents could not be saved from themselves. Parvos has been forced away from his mother for years while he was left under a warmonger father. Nadine's old family is gone. Faryn's mother died before her eyes. I experienced a mob war that wiped out nearly everybody and everything within that vicinity aside from myself, right in the center. And so on." Valerie closed her eyes. "It's very clear how dark this world is, and how much it doesn't seem to care about us. It's easy to accept that this is the way things are and that there's absolutely no way to change things. I agree somewhat with the first. Not so much for the latter."
"Hm?" Frisk blinked.
"I can't claim to understand the world like most adults might, but I'd still like to think I know what I know what I'm talking about when I say this: I accept that the world can sometimes be bleak, which only affirms my desire to at least try to make it a happier place. Take a look at my parents and myself. We're not perfect, we're not saints, we have our own share of sins. But we're trying. And sometimes that's all it takes."
"Oh..." Asriel blinked.
Valerie turned to everyone. "Nikon and her people live on, and Augustine works to redeem herself. Alvina managed to save her brother. Parvos reunited with his mother and aunt. Nadine was saved and feels great admiration and gratitude towards Undyne. Faryn lives on with her mother's soul, always keeping her close in a way. And I managed to survive that day, and have slowly grown strong ever since. Each of those terrible experiences still managed to create some semblance of a good result. As a result, I can never call the actions attached to them worthless. They did their best, and managed to reach a result where they managed to smile. I call that a victory, no matter how small."
Everyone was silent at this point, with Cleo and Levi paying extra close attention. Mettaton, meanwhile, was smiling; he snapped his fingers as one of his Mettabots flew beside him and began recording right around the time she first began speaking.
"The world can be dark, it can be cruel. But we must not use that as an excuse to become cruel and dark ourselves. Because that is a choice we alone make, not the world. The world cares not how we end up. Only ourselves." Valerie stated as she placed her paws over her heart. "We can understand people's capacity for malevolence, yet never give up. See the world's darkness, yet never succumb to it. Not everyone can/will seek a path of redemption, but the cases of Parvos, Adam and Augustine prove that trying to inspire it isn't a meaningless effort. Not every battle will end in clean victory, but we will learn from them to do better next time. And not every victory will be spectacular and grand, but sometimes a simple smile of self-satisfaction is enough. We may not always have a choice in how things play out, but what we can do is make the chance to do our best to make things better. Making progress is good, and progress inspired by goodness is very meaningful indeed. We should not need permission to do good. We should do good because that's what we wish to be. Because that is what compells us so. We might not get anything perfect or super bright and shiny, but we should still do our best. That way, on occasion, we can look back on those crucial moments and feel proud that we've done something to benefit everyone we care for...with a smile."
Rather expectedly, she was met with applause as she finished, bowing politely to everyone who cheered for and thanked her afterwards. Red and Muffet, two of her first dear friends from the Dreemurr Faction, were among the most gleeful clappers. The Dreemurr Trio applauded as well, including their parents. Valerie's own parents looked the most proud of her. She smiled and gently waved.
"Thanks for coming, everyone! Do enjoy the rest of the party!"
Mettaton, meanwhile in the back, got about all of the needed footage from her speech. He wore a rather warm smile as he kept it safe, having already broadcast it through multiple monitors across Surripio, and perhaps a bit further outwards.
"Mettaton...?" Alvina would ask as she finally pushed her way through the crowd, holding a hyperactive Temmie in her arms, while Adam held a somewhat rebellious Axel in his own arms. "You broadcast her speech? Why?"
"Simple, darling. A star in the making has chosen to speak her mind, and I thought more than those who reside in the building would like to hear it." Mettaton explained with a brief hair flip. "And I do believe that this star has a bright, shining future ahead of her."
"What? How can you tell?"
"Oh, just a good feeling, darling." Mettaton smiled warmly as he turned towards one of the monitors. Valerie's speech brought about several detractors who thought it was a waste of their time...it was completely and utterly overshadowed by the mountain sized support she was also gaining from it.
Just a really good feeling.~
Done!
Dang it. Once again, all that I wanted in this chapter didn't quite make it, but had to stop it somewhere.
Surripio Dinner Party went very well! Excellence! And Princess Valerie may have just changed things with her little speech. Maybe not by much. But enough to make a difference somewhere down the line...
Apparently she and Muffet are neck in neck when it comes to making desserts, huh?
Welp, off for now. Again, hope your holidays were grand!
Until next time!