After purchasing some bisicles from the shop, the children made their way through town, Frisk stopping to listen to what the townsfolk all had to say. Some of them seemed pretty normal, others...
"We all know the underground has problems, but we smile anyway." Frisk looked questioningly at the monster speaking to his friend, who looked to the child and said, "Why? We can't do anything, so why be morose about it?"
The human's expression twisted into one of sadness after a few seconds, leading Chara to suggest they move on. The ghost child knew that it was hard to come to terms with their imprisonment – it was so unjust, so cruel, yet nobody could do anything about it without... well, they weren't going to suggest Frisk give up their soul. They wouldn't let them if they tried. As the two walked away, the monster gazed upwards, merely saying, "Smile smile... smile smile..."
They came upon a wolf tossing ice into the river, but when Frisk looked to Chara for some explanation they just shrugged. "I guess it's his job? I don't see why, though..."
Frisk seemed quite excited to go to the "librarby," writing to Chara that they were interested to learn what books could tell them about monster society. Chara wanted to point out that they could just explain things, but they probably wouldn't know where to start unless Frisk asked about specific things. So they sat around while Frisk read for a while, learning about monster funerals, monsters' physical forms compared to humans-
"But they will never know the joy of expressing themselves through magic." Chara read over their shoulder. "Guess we're the exception. But... that's weird. Humans at least used to have magic before us. Oh, but I guess if I told Mom and Dad about humans not having it anymore it would become pretty common knowledge around here..."
As they moved on, Frisk came to a book that really got Chara's interest. "H-Hey, this history book is about me!" At the confused glance they were given, Chara pointed out, "Um, that is! I told them about humans in my time and the monsters began to move out of Home! I helped with the expansion, but, uh... I died pretty soon after our house in New Home was completed."
Continuing down the road, they came upon the home of the skeleton brothers, made obvious by the mailboxes outside. Though Frisk passed by the house, only examining it for a few moments, Chara stopped them to ask, "Frisk, can you write something down for me?" And after stuffing said something in the mailbox... they went on to face him.
The two children wandered into the mist, Chara having to assure their friend they were still there as they sort of... blended in with everything else, being kinda transparent and all. Eventually, in the distance, they saw the shadow of Papyrus's form, heard his voice cut through the fog: "HUMAN. ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS.
"FEELINGS LIKE... THE JOY OF FINDING ANOTHER PASTA LOVER. THE ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER'S PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS. THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL. THESE FEELINGS..."
"Is he confessing his platonic feelings for us?" Chara wondered aloud, raising an eyebrow, before he ruined it by saying, "THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW!" The child facepalmed. There were no words. He acted as if he might be there friend for a few moments, pitying their loneliness, but then... he realized again they were a human. They had to be captured so that monsters could be free.
As Frisk's soul appeared before them, Chara only said, "You know what to do." They nodded, knowing they couldn't really underestimate him no matter how silly he seemed.
That said, his attacks went right by them.
"Um... maybe he still wants to be friends so he isn't trying? Do something to maybe make him stop fighting." Chara suggested, watching the bones across the ground to their right, too short to actually even touch their target. Frisk nodded eagerly, writing something down, and holding it up to reveal... a pick-up line? "That... that wasn't what I meant. Frisk?" But the child was too busy finger gunning in Papyrus's direction, grinning in a way that meant they meant business. "I don't understand you."
"WHAT?! FL-FLIRTING? SO YOU FINALLY REVEAL YOUR ULTIMATE FEELINGS! W-WELL! I'M A SKELETON WITH VERY HIGH STANDARDS!" He didn't seem convinced that this would work out, leading Frisk to write down, "I can make spaghetti." "OH NO, YOU'RE MEETING ALL MY STANDARDS! I GUESS THIS MEANS I HAVE TO GO ON A DATE WITH YOU...? LET'S DATE L-LATER! AFTER I CAPTURE YOU!"
More of his attacks went by without any effect, as Chara went up to look closer at the skeleton muttering to himself about what to cook for the date. "He's so... innocent. I don't think he even knows what you getting captured entails. Just spare him and let's move on." Frisk nodded as Chara backtracked towards them, showing mercy.
"SO YOU WON'T FIGHT... THEN, LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE MY FABLED 'BLUE ATTACK.'"
"Easy enough, just stand still and you'll have no problem." Chara told them, watching as glowing light blue bones moved actually in Frisk's direction, longer now and coming from both sides. The bones passed right through them, causing no damage, Frisk staring blankly at the skeleton before them. But as the attack concluded, something unexpected actually occurred.
Frisk fell to their knees suddenly, one of the bones from the right suddenly backtracking. Before they could get their bearings or Chara could warn them, it hit them for a bit of damage, their now blue soul weakening. "YOU'RE BLUE NOW," Papyrus proudly proclaimed, both children looking at each other with concern for the turn this just took.
Speaking of turns, the field seemed to change to match Frisk's now heavy body, bones from the right coming in low and bones from the left coming in high. Frisk managed to jump over the next few bones that appeared, but still mainly remained on one knee, finding it hard to stand. Chara in the meantime was panicking a little more than they appreciated.
"I-I, oh my gosh, I'm sorry, are you okay? I saw it but I couldn't stop it and it was coming so fast I-" Frisk shook their head, not really blaming Chara for any of it, yet still they said, "I-I didn't even know that could happen! Is your soul okay, are you okay, I don't think Papyrus would kill you so just-" It took an honest glare from Frisk to shut them up, despite Frisk not being angry. They just wanted them to stop being so hard on themself.
Frisk jumped and ducked under incoming bones, Chara focusing on warning them what direction the next ones were coming from or if any were coming back at them. Frisk was hit a few more times, having to eat half of a bisicle while Papyrus went on about his future popularity and how he'd be so great. "BUT... WILL ANYBODY LIKE ME AS SINCERELY AS YOU?" he pondered, even as he continued to attack them. "SOMEBODY LIKE YOU IS REALLY RARE..." he went on, going on to wonder how hard dating would be after they were captured and sent away.
But that didn't matter, he told them, and they should just give up before he used his special attack! Yet when he finally did try to use it, a dog was munching on it before running off to who knew where. Annoyed, he settled for a totally "normal attack." What followed was Chara desperately trying to assist Frisk in timing their jumps, confusedly reading off the "COOL DUDE" in his bone attacks, and Frisk barely managing to avoid that final, huge attack.
Chara felt that something was off about the height of their jump, obviously. Frisk was safe, so they weren't that suspicious, but it felt like... they would've needed help to make that kind of jump. As if something had pulled them that high.
Shaking that feeling off, Papyrus offered his own mercy, obviously too tired to continue. Frisk, having eaten a bit more food, seemed all right for the most part, and gladly accepted the mercy. Immediately after, though, Paps began to cry.
"NYOO HOO HOO... I CAN'T EVEN STOP SOMEONE AS WEAK AS YOU... UNDYNE'S GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED IN ME... I'LL NEVER JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD... AND... MY FRIEND QUANTITY WILL REMAIN STAGNANT!"
In the time it took for him to mourn his friend loss, Frisk wrote something down on their paper, and when he turned around it said, "Let's be friends."
Chara wandered a bit, looking around for eyes they thought were watching as Papyrus celebrated their new friendship. "I wonder if... but I'd see him around if he were nearby, right?" Maybe Sans had been watching his brother or something? If so, he was probably already gone by now considering how he got around. Not that they were sure of how he got around. He just did.
"THEN... WHEN YOU REACH THE CAPITAL, CROSS THE BARRIER." they overheard Papyrus saying, turning their attention back to him. "ANYTHING CAN ENTER THROUGH IT, BUT NOTHING CAN EXIT... EXCEPT SOMEONE WITH A POWERFUL SOUL." That was Frisk all right, they thought, considering they must've been in the highest DT levels of red souls. "THAT'S WHY THE KING WANTS TO ACQUIRE A HUMAN. HE WANTS TO OPEN THE BARRIER WITH SOUL POWER."
...right. Dad was trying for that method now, too. They couldn't break the barrier with just one soul. "TO REACH THE CASTLE, YOU WILL HAVE TO PASS THROUGH THE KING'S CASTLE. THE KING OF ALL MONSTERS... HE IS...
"...WELL... HE'S A BIG FUZZY PUSHOVER! EVERYBODY LOVES THAT GUY. I AM CERTAIN IF YOU JUST SAY... 'EXCUSE ME, MR. DREEMURR... CAN I PLEASE GO HOME?' HE'LL GUIDE YOU RIGHT TO THE BARRIER HIMSELF!"
Papyrus said his farewells and somehow defied gravity to jump over Frisk's head. Chara stood thinking of this, how even though their mother had such a low opinion of her husband... others still seemed to love him. He hadn't seemed to change in their eyes. It was a relief, but it only made them that much more determined to see him.
He must be... so sad. But...
Where was Asriel?
"Mind if I go on that date?" The words were suddenly in front of Chara's face, Frisk holding the notebook up to them. Their expression looked like they were trying to stay happy, but they were obviously worried. About Chara, about Asgore... there was a lot to worry about.
"Sure, but... I think I'll pass. I'm going to just... sit here for a while." They didn't feel like putting up with his shenanigans any longer, as amusing as he could be. But instead of ditching them, Frisk sat with them, telling Chara they'd just go on whenever the two of them were ready. Ready to leave Snowdin and wander into the marsh.
As they sat there, next to the river, the fog slowly returned.
