:-"A beginning is also an invitation..."-:
* DARKNESS, SILENTLY CREEPING IN ALL DIRECTIONS, FILLS FRISK'S MIND AS THEY FLOAT THROUGH THE ENDLESS VOID,
* CREATING RIPPLES OF NOTHING.
* SILENCE PREVAILS IN THE EMPTY SCENE.
"HELLO DARKNESS, MY OLD FRIEND, I'VE COME TO TALK WITH YOU AGAIN..."
* NO RESPONSE...
"NOT MUCH OF A TALKER, AS ALWAYS, I SEE."
* FRISK SEES A FACE FLASH THROUGH THEIR MIND, BUT IT DISAPPEARS BEFORE THEY CAN MAKE OUT ANY DETAILS.
"DON'T BE SHY, YOU'RE ALREADY IN MY HEAD."
* NO RESPONSE...
* FRISK TURNS AND SEES A FAMILIAR SIGHT: THE DOOR LEADING TO THE SURFACE, FRISK'S FRIENDS AND FAMILY SURROUNDING IT.
* THEY LOOK HAPPY.
* AS FRISK WALKS THROUGH THE DOOR, A BRIGHT LIGHT BEGINS TO FILL THEIR VIEW.
* INCOHERENT ECHOES GROW LOUDER AND REVERBERATE WITHIN THE VOID UNTIL THE FAMILIAR SOUNDS OF REALITY FILL FRISK'S MIND.
:-:
Frisk's Alarm reads: 8:00 A.M. March 26th, 2045.
Failing to hold in a yawn, Frisk stretches as they get up from bed. Moments later they hear their mom calling everyone for breakfast. Slowly but surely Frisk changes from their pajamas -adorned with ghosts and spiders- into their traditional striped shirt and shorts. Waddling sleepily, they move out into the hallway; clumsily bumping into all sorts of traps they placed the night before. Frisk makes their way, in an almost comical manner, to the closest bathroom. If not for their familiarity with the house, and the customary wake up sequence of running into one's own traps, Frisk probably would have been hurt; but at most it only garners curiously concerned looks from Alphys and Undyne. The traps are mostly constructed of left over materials, like wood, some metal bits here and there, and a lot of string; they look pretty effective regardless. One even cut an apple in half... but the two are not really sure if the apple was cut in advance or not. They don't want to find out.
"Huh... o-okay so... that happened... D-do you think Frisk is alright?" Alphys asks, still not quite sure if she should worry.
Undyne, also feeling concern replies "Heh... I think this is... normal for them?..." then her face lights up as she almost yells "OH! ! I just had an AWESOME IDEA! ! ! We should totally join the Addamses in their weird trap habits, I bet just a few days of it and our reflexes will be AMAZING! !" Undyne smiles wide.
"Uh. I... I don't think that is a good idea Undyne."
"WHAT!? Why not?"
"W-well, my body isn't made for that, Undyne. I c-can't move like you can."
"I guess that means I'll have to participate enough for the both of us! Fuhuhuhuhu!"
Groaning, but not entirely unhappy, Alphys begins to walk down the hallway to the dining room; Undyne follows.
Across the manor, Sans and Papyrus are already well on their way. Unlike Undyne, Sans is already in the process of setting up his own little surprises... So far, he has a sock that leaves another sock behind when you pick it up.
As Papyrus passes the aforementioned sock, he leaves a sticky note for Sans (not wanting to encourage his behavior by picking it up).
It reads:
I KNOW THEY SAID TO MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME
SANS, BUT PLEASE DON'T MAKE FRISK'S HOUSE A MESS
BY LEAVING YOUR SOCKS ALL OVER THE PLACE! !
-PAPYRUS
Meanwhile, Asgore hears the call for breakfast. 'Ah, time to eat,' Asgore thinks to himself as he finishes watering the rest of the plants.
Toriel, however, is still sleeping peacefully on the recliner.
:-:
Filtering through the dining room door, Sans and Papyrus are the first to enter. The table sports scrambled eggs, hash browns, and plenty of toast. As Alphys and Undyne make their way in, however, they notice a particular lack of Toriel in the room; but assume she is in the kitchen. Asgore enters the room carefully, while Frisk runs up from behind him and takes their seat; fork at the ready, they are ready to devour their food and begin their day. They are, however, upset to find out that they will need to wait.
As Marceline is leaving the dining room, she tells the occupants "we will eat once everyone is present, please wait while I fetch Toriel."
"Okay mom, we can wait" Frisk says, placing their fork on their plate.
Conrad looks over to Frisk and asks "by the way Frisk, did you remember to make your bed?"
"Uh... heh... yes?" Frisk replies, not entirely sure.
"Make sure you double check after Breakfast."
"Yes sir..." Frisk says dejectedly.
A few minutes after, Marceline and Toriel walk in and take their places.
"Alright, everyone is here; you may eat."
No one needs any further encouragement to begin eating, least of all Frisk. Breakfast goes smoothly. As it's wrapping up, Alphys gets Conrad and Marceline's attention.
"Conrad? Marceline? I uh... I have a question, if that is OK."
"Of course" they say in almost eerie unison; it sends shivers down her spine.
"Would it be possible for there to be less... surprises... around the house?" Alphys asks nervously, not wanting to overstep some unspoken boundaries.
Marceline speaks up first, "I don't see why not, we keep them around as tradition and fun."
Conrad adds "we can't always be there for Frisk, so the surprises, tricks, and traps are so we can interact with them, in a sense, while we are away. Though with you all here, for however long you decide to stay, I am sure we can tone down our antics."
Conrad looks at Frisk, who nods.
"There you have it! We won't put as many 'surprises' around the house. Is there anything else you would like to bring up?"
"Uh, n-no, thank you."
"Of course, and remember, think of this as your house too; If anything bothers you, please let Marceline or I know."
"Thank you, C-conrad... and Marceline."
"Speaking of living arrangements," Toriel says, "What preparations need to be made to move monsters out from the Underground? I understand that land needs to be secured, but is there anything else?"
Conrad and Marceline look at each other, Marceline speaks to Toriel first. "We need to contact the Sanctum, they have the man-power needed to assist in securing a large area and moving you all out of the Underground..."
"But..." Conrad continues morosely as the couple look over to the rest, "the Sanctum has its fair share of problems too. If we move monsters to the Sanctum, instead of clearing land, they would be overwhelmed..."
"And because of that," Marceline continues, "we are afraid that they are not truly in the position to provide support. As it stands, they are hardly able to support themselves... They need new leadership, but no one is willing to accept anyone that steps forward."
Frisk contributes to the conversation. "Not to mention, the Sanctum is about 130 miles away... So, just sending word is going to take two days; that's with our best horse and rider."
Asgore considers the information, despondently replying "Golly... That is unfortunate news. I knew the war was devastating to monsters, but to see humans in such a position as the victors-"
Conrad cuts in "We were not the victors, Asgore. The Sages wisely tricked the king, ensuring your survival. They didn't expect the barrier to fail the way it did, but it did; only that horrible king and his followers can truly be blamed."
Toriel, apologetically, says "I am sorry... Is there any way we can help around the town at least?"
"There is, and any help will be greatly appreciated; you don't have to help if you don't want to, of course." Conrad assures her. "Perhaps it would be best if you went to the town hall and spoke with them about what help you can provide."
Alphys and Undyne, feeling like they should probably join the conversation, start to talk over each other before Alphys concedes to Undyne. "There are a ton of monsters in the underground, I bet we could help speed up building repairs or even add new stuff to the town!"
Alphys adds in, "yea! We could reinforce the wall, and even help set up a c-communications network! And we could... heh..." Alphys continues, feeling self conscious "...help come up with an a-alternative means of transportation..."
"That sounds wonderful," Conrad reassures her. "It would definitely help our survival if we had a way of communicating long distances. As it stands, all the old radio towers and power-lines are not working. Our manor has its own generator, which the rest of the town also uses but, beyond that, power is limited."
Before anyone else can speak, Marceline suggests "Asgore, if I understand correctly, you, being the king of monsters, should go to the town hall to discuss these matters."
Asgore responds, with a hint of embarrassment in his voice "Oh! Yes, I should, shouldn't I?... Frisk and I can do that after breakfast, if that is OK with you?"
Curiously, Marceline asks "I'm not sure why Frisk would need to go, but they are grounded for running off; savior of monsters or not, they knew better." Marceline gives Frisk a disappointed look, which Frisk reacts to by lowering their head.
Awkwardly Asgore responds, "Frisk agreed to be our ambassador to the humans, but I realize now that I should get your permission... I will not challenge your decision to ground Frisk, I would probably do the same if..." Asgore cuts off and looks down at his plate, saddened by horrible memories.
Marceline replies after waiting for a few moments, "thank you, Asgore... As for Frisk being the Ambassador, it is important to remember that Frisk is turning nine this year; a child needs an education, and time to grow."
"Of course, my apol-"
Marceline interrupts. "With that being said, -and please, forgive my interruption- I think Frisk will be an excellent ambassador."
Frisk smiles in an almost not subtle way. Asgore gives a relieved smile, in a significantly less subtle way.
Without missing a beat, Sans joins in "yea, i bet the kiddo will be an eggsellent ambassador too."
"IT IS TOO EARLY FOR BAD JOKES SANS! ! CAN YOU AT LEAST WAIT UNTIL LUNCH OR SOMETHING?"
"what can i say" Sans shrugs, "i guess i'm a real boneafide addict."
"UHG! I AM NOT EVEN GOING TO DIGNIFY THAT WITH A RESPONSE! !... IGNORE THAT I SAID THAT! I AM NOT RESPONDING TO YOU! !"
Frisk, Toriel, and Conrad grin while watching the two skeleton brothers bicker about bad jokes; though he appears agitated, Papyrus is happy.
Conrad wraps up the conversation, "speaking of freeing all of monster kind, we still have to discuss making preparations for a celebration! I think that perhaps Asgore could talk to them about that while he is at the Town hall."
"Yes, I could do that. A celebration would help lift up our spirits... but we won't be able to bring all of monster kind. It wouldn't feel right with them still in the Underground..."
Conrad replies sympathetically, "ah yes that is a problem... we can always schedule the celebration for later then, when everyone is out!"
With no more jokes, and no one else speaking, the group of humans and monsters clean up the table and dishes; this time, Frisk does not manage to sneak out of doing chores. After letting their meals settle, everyone begins to split up and proceed with their plans for the day. Wanting to be more cautious, they inform each other before hand of their plans. Sans, Alphys, and Undyne are going back to Mt. Ebott to try to determine if there is a time discrepancy, Asgore is going to the Town hall with Papyrus in tow, Frisk is staying at home for mischievously disappearing, and Toriel is also staying. With everyone knowing where everyone will be, they go about their day.
:-:
Sans, Alphys, and Undyne leave the manor first. Though Sans normally uses shortcuts, he decides to stay with Alphys and Undyne in case trouble shows up; funny how suddenly having a reason to care causes you to put more effort into things, including the safety of others. They tell the guards where they are heading and then walk up the path to the mountain... Though still a wonderful sight, the party does not stop to smell the flowers. Their cautious observation of their surroundings gives them a new perspective of the area. Sans realizes that the walk down from the mountain yesterday was at least half an hour long, despite feeling shorter. As they begin to approach the lower entry into New Home Castle, Alphys asks a question.
"Sans, I know that we are returning to the mountain to c-check the whole time discrepancy thing... but how are you planning to actually do that?"
"what do you mean, alphys?"
"W-well... I mean the stone inside the mountain would have aged faster, of course, but i-if we were in some kind of... time loop or something... where we were living the same day or month over and over but we thought it was a different day each time."
Alphys pauses for a moment, before continuing. "What if the stone behind the barrier turns out to be the same age as the stone outside the barrier? I-I know that the trash from the river was floating into the Underground the whole time, b-but even that seemed to be... sporadic? Like it didn't always flow into the Underground... and it always seemed about the same age as other stuff that washed in... Like... two thousand years and it didn't get any more or less advanced..."
"welp, you've got a point there alphys. a few of them actually... you're quite pointy, heh. but i think we should take this one step at a time, don't you?"
Alphys sighs, "y-yea, I suppose you're right... Making too many theories can blind us from the truth when we find it."
"exactly." Sans gives Alphys a wink.
Undyne comments "Ya know Sans... I agree with what you're saying, but did you have to slip a bad joke in?"
Sans shrugs, "at least we are getting close to the entrance now... we should set something up outside to track time, just in case."
Alphys pipes up "Oh! Since we won't need our phones, I can leave mine behind and start a t-timer on it... Just need to find somewhere discreet and protected from the weather..."
Undyne points up above the cave entrance to a crevice, "what about up there?"
"Yea, that would work... but how are we going to get it up there?" Alphys looks off into the tree line, hoping to find some way to make a ladder or something, and starts planning with Undyne.
Sans sneaks the phone out of Alphys' pocket with gravity magic while she and Undyne are distracted, starts a timer on his and Alphys' phones, and levitates Alphys' phone up to a crevice above the cave entrance.
With a smug grin Sans responds, "what do you mean alphys? it's already up there."
"No it-... Huh?..." Alphys, pats the pocket where her phone was. Having known Sans for a long time, stopped being confused very quickly and just went with it. "Well, OK then, let's get going..."
Perplexed, Undyne comments "You know, I don't think I've ever seen you use magic; but you always pull stuff like this off! How do you do that?"
"heh, trade secret."
The group of three walk through the entrance in silence. Undyne doesn't press for information. As they progress, they eventually enter the antechamber to the SOUL room. Looking beyond the archway that separates the antechamber from the SOUL room gives them an unexpected view. The stone in the SOUL room looks different than the stone in the antechamber, if only subtly.
At first the group thought it was just a matter of perspective, but Undyne concludes "Looking back, I thought the stone leading out of the Underground looked different because we had just been set free."
Alphys adds "I admit I didn't notice it immediately... M-my first assumption was the stone behind the barrier saw more use... but even the walls and ceiling look... different."
Sans examines the stone on the wall closer, "the only way to know for sure it to run some tests on it."
"R-right, um... we we still have all the geology equipment, I put it in s-storage."
"from the expansion project right?"
"Yes, it should still work... and if not I can fix it... Undyne, could you help me get the equipment, some of it is heavy."
"Sure Alphys, Lead the way!"
"while you two do that, i'll stay here and look at these stone walls."
"You mean, you are just going to stand there while me and Alphys do the heavy lifting?"
"Sans... y-you're already sedimentary, you don't need to practice."
"heh, good one... but i really don't think i can help with moving the equipment."
"Fine, but at least find a way to c-collect samples; ok?"
"sure thing." Sans winks as the two depart.
Looking between the chambers, Sans can clearly see the difference. He wonders if he was really so distracted that he didn't notice. When Alphys and Undyne are out of sight, Sans uses a 'shortcut' to get to the storage room, grab a hand-held core drill, and return. He begins taking samples, using gravity magic to speed up his drilling, from the walls of the SOUL room and antechamber. He mentally notes the difference in consistency. The samples from the SOUL room are older, though they look similar; they have collected more sediments than the stone in the antechamber. More layers tends to mean older, but science requires multiple tests. All this work just to verify the date on a calendar... Sans pockets the tool and verifies that his samples are organized properly and marks them... then he gets a text from Undyne.
From: StrongFish91
Sans we can't move all the equipment up there, it
needs power... but we don't have any extension
cords...
From: StrongFish91
You knew this already, didn't you!?
To: StrongFish91
hey now, don't besmirch my good name.
To: StrongFish91
i'm lazy for the sake of lazy.
To: StrongFish91
i'll bring the samples over.
i got them a while ago.
Sans pockets his cellphone, collects the samples, and takes a shortcut to the Lab in Hotland. Just as big, square, and sterile white as before. Everything looks the way he remembers it from before Frisk did their thing. Hopefully they will be able to get everything sorted out, only then can monsters truly go free. Sans enters the Lab, and sees Alphys and Undyne setting up some machines at Alphys' now cleared desk. As Sans walks over Undyne looks up, but Alphys keeps her attention on setting up the machines.
Perplexed, Undyne comments "for someone so lazy you got here pretty fast, Sans..."
Alphys cuts to the point. "D-do you have the samples?"
"yea. where do you need 'em?"
"Set them on that tray... You marked them right?"
As Sans places the samples on the designated tray he replies," 'course I did."
"Hey so, I know this is all NERD CRAP... but how are you going to check how old they are?"
Alphys answers Undyne excitedly, "w-well! I am going to use radiometric dating t-t-to check to how old they are b-based on-" Alphys stops suddenly, realizing she is in hype-mode, and continues awkwardly "uh... heh... b-basically I'm going to crush a part of the samples and use the mass spectrometer to... uhh... shoot... lasers at the samples... heh."
"Huh... I didn't know you could use lasers to do that... it sounds AWESOME!"
'W-well! A-actually you... you can't do that... I just... It's hard to explain without getting complicated..."
Sans speaks up before Undyne can reply. "welp, the tests are going to take a while to finish, so i'm gonna go check on everybody. after all, we need to see how long everyone thinks we've been gone for, or if the time discrepancy stopped when the barrier fell."
Undyne and Alphys Sigh, almost in unison.
Alphys comments, "I don't know why I'm s-surprised, you always had a way of getting out of work... while getting into more... without actually doing any work..."
Sans shrugs while leaving the Lab and says "what can i say, it takes a lot of effort to do nothing... anyway, i'm headed out now."
:-:
Papyrus and Asgore leave the manor shortly after Sans, Alphys, and Undyne. The village was not particularly full, but plenty of people were out and about. As Sans' group left the village, Papyrus redirected all the attention from them to him and Asgore... Or he would have if not for Asgore's imposing and fluffy form. Most people run away when they see the duo, which is not a particularly favorable attitude for soon-to-be human friends to have towards one as great as Papyrus. Papyrus works to get the attention of the humans so that Asgore can go to the town hall and speak with the humans inside.
To do so, he stops in the middle of a clearing surrounded by log houses and yells:
"HELLO HUMANS! ! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! ! ! AND I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS AND BECOME YOUR GREAT FRIEND! ! ! !"
A young boy speaks first. "Oh, uh... but I wanna talk to that big fluffy monster guy. What is his name?"
"OH! ! ! HE IS VERY BUSY, BUT HIS NAME IS ASGORE! HE IS THE KING OF ALL MONSTERS! ! AND HE IS A REALLY GREAT GUY!"
The young boy responds curiously, "He is the king of all monsters? So... it's true? The barrier really was broken?"
"WHY YES HUMAN! THE BARRIER WAS BROKEN! ! ! IN FACT, IT WAS A HUMAN NAMED FRISK THAT BROKE IT! THEY ARE THE GREATEST! ! !"
An older girl asks, incredulously "wait if they are the greatest, how are you "the great" Papyrus?"
"SIMPLE! ! I AM GREAT, AND THEY ARE GREAT AS WELL! ! ! NYEH HEH HEH HEH! !"
Perplexed, the older girl asks "so wait... what makes you so great?"
"I THOUGHT YOU WOULD NEVER ASK! ! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM JUST VERY GREAT. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN GREAT! ! ! I AM SURE THAT AS YOU GET TO KNOW ME, YOU WILL SEE THAT!"
Another child asks, "hey, I heard that magic no longer exists; but monsters are made of magic, right? Does that mean you can do magic?"
"WHY YES LITTLE HUMAN! I CAN DO ALL SORTS OF MAGIC, THOUGH I PREFER BONE MAGIC. BECAUSE I AM A SKELETON."
The young boy responds with glee, "Coool! can we see!? can we can we can we!?"
"WHY, YES YOU MAY! ! PREPARE TO BE UTTERLY AMAZED BY MY MASTERY OF MAGIC HUMAN FRIENDS, FOR I AM VERY GOOD AT MAGIC! ! !"
Papyrus summons bones that spell out "COOL DUDE" from the ground, then summons bones in the air to create his face, and finally he creates blue/white "bone-works" (bones imitating the explosions of fireworks) that shoot off into the sky. The children are mesmerized by the display... but screaming is heard in the distance, and Papyrus dismisses his bones. As he looks down from where he was summoning his magic, he sees that the scene has become very chaotic. Parents are grabbing their children -fearing that they will be hurt-, others are grabbing weapons to defend against a perceived threat... then someone tries to attack him. Brandishing a club, the assailant tries to strike Papyrus in the head; but it stops short.
A young man of Japanese descent, in basic padded armor, stops the club from making contact using a metal gauntlet on his left arm. He then swiftly steps forward with his right foot, while sweeping the club to the side with his arm, and strikes the mystery man on the side of his neck with his right hand, in one smooth motion. This causes the mystery man to collapse, as the sudden and dramatic change in blood pressure knocks him out.
Papyrus rushes to catch the assailant before they fall to the ground, and says "IS HE GOING TO BE OK!? THERE IS NO NEED FOR ANYONE TO DO A VIOLENCE! ! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL NEVER HARM YOU! !"
Exasperated, the young man says "Yea, he'll be fine... but I swear to god, if this is another one of Frisk's pranks... Uhg... I still don't trust my helmet from last time! ! Frisk where are you!?"
The commotion slowly dies down as three town guards approach the scene, two of them take the unconscious man away and one asks: "Squire Katsuro, what happened here?"
"Well, I am not sure if this is another one of Frisks pranks... but I'm realizing that it can't be... Frisk can't use magic..." Katsuro pauses for a moment, pondering... "Anyway, when I showed up a few people decided that Papyrus' impressive display was some elaborate attack or something; Derrick here tried to be a hero, so I KO'ed him before he could hurt anyone."
"First off, Frisk is grounded; didn't Bernard tell you? And secondly, are you sure the Skeleton wasn't attacking anyone? And thirdly... why... how did you think it was an elaborate prank!?"
Papyrus gasps, "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD NEVER HARM MY NEW HUMAN FRIENDS! ! ! I JUST WANTED TO SHOW THE LITTLE HUMANS MY VERY AWESOME AND COOL MAGIC! ! ALSO... NO I AM NOT A PRANK, AND NEITHER IS MY MAGIC! NYEH!"
"Oh, right, I forgot Sir Bernard said that... Anyway, I'm on Papyrus' side, he wasn't trying to hurt anyone. ...I am not going to comment on the third question."
"Fine, but why did you Knock Derrick out; was that really needed?"
Katsuro pauses for a moment, then says. "I'm pretty sure his swing bruised my arm when I blocked his attack... who knows what would have happened to Papyrus' skull. I wanted to make sure that nothing else could happen before backup arrived."
"Ok, good enough, I suppose... I will let you off the hook this time."
"OH! I CAN FIX THAT HUMAN KATSURO, GIVE ME YOUR ARM AND I WILL HEAL YOU! !"
"You can do that!? Awesome! It won't hurt right?"
"NOPE! QUITE THE OPPOSITE! !"
Katsuro pulls off his bracer, pushes his sleeve up to reveal a bruise, and Papyrus puts his hand over Katsuro's arm; green bones shoot out from Papyrus' hand and collide with Katsuro's arm, healing the bruise.
Katsuro reacts excitedly "Wow! I feel ten times better now! Thanks Papyrus!"
"YOU ARE VERY WELCOME! !"
The other guard, witnessing the display, is still in awe. "We will decide what happens to Derrick when Bernard gets back; last I heard, he headed up to the mountain for some reason. Something about "ominous howling" last night, probably a wolf-type Wälder beast."
"Another one? Do we know if its pack is nearby? He didn't go alone did he?"
"No, it seems like it is just the one. And yea, he did, but the patrols have increased since the barrier fell yesterday; so he probably joined up with one of them."
"EXCUSE ME HUMANS, BUT... WHAT IS THIS... WALDER BEAST YOU SPEAK OF?"
Katsuro replies to Papyrus, "Oh, it's... how to put it... Well, the name means 'forests' beast; the plural is intended. They are creatures, usually wolves or stags, that have been twisted and mutated by some pretty nasty magic, then fused with various types of plant life... which somehow came to life. They can control the plants that grow on themselves, giving them devious attacks and highly effective camouflage while in the forests. Only way to spot them is to get nice and close during the day, while they're sleeping, or to watch an area for new plant life. They usually travel in packs resembling a small forest, but recently we've been seeing stragglers."
The other guard adds, "It could be the season, since spring is coming; They're usually spotted coming from the south-west."
"WELL, THOSE SOUND VERY NOT NICE, BUT MAYBE THERE IS A WAY YOU CAN TALK TO THEM OR SOMETHING? IF THEY ARE MONSTERS, I COULD TALK TO THEM FOR YOU! ! I AM SURE IT IS JUST A MISUNDERSTANDING!"
Katsuro replies apologetically, "I'm sorry Papyrus, but these things attack first, eat later. No one can talk to them, I am not even sure they are capable of it."
Papyrus replies to Katsuro "THAT IS VERY UNFORTUNATE!" Then looks at the other guard and says "...BY THE WAY HUMAN, I NEVER GOT YOUR NAME! !"
The guard sheepishly responds "Oh yea! Heh... uh, my name is Kevin."
"IT IS NICE TO MAKE YOUR ACQUAINTANCE KEVIN! !"
"Same... So anyway, I should get going."
"See ya around Kevin."
The crowd has mostly dispersed by the time Kevin leaves, leaving Katsuro and Papyrus alone. Occasionally a curious person will show up, but they don't say anything.
"Anyway... Papyrus, I am assuming that you are staying at the Addams residence, right?"
"WHY YES! ! IT IS A LOVELY AND SPOOKY HOUSE, AND FRISK'S PARENTS HAVE BEEN VERY WELCOMING!"
"That's good, the Addams family has always been on good terms with monsters... I think it's best if you head back there for now, people can only take so much excitement and awesomeness in one day."
"OH NO! ! HAVE I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, BEEN TOO GREAT!? HAVE I BEEN SO AWESOME THAT MY NEW HUMAN FRIENDS COULD NOT HANDLE IT!?"
"Not exactly, I think just a few of them got a little over excited... it should be OK."
Papyrus sighs in relief "THAT IS GOOD! ! I WILL HAVE TO TELL FRISK'S PARENTS NOT TO MAKE THE CELEBRATION TOO AWESOME! ! ! WE WOULD NOT WANT MORE PEOPLE GETTING OVER EXCITED AND DOING A VIOLENCE!"
"Heh, count on the Addams family to throw a celebration... I am sure it will be OK... I think they are the only family that still knows how to have fun, actually..."
"THAT IS VERY SAD... THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL FIX IT! ! ! I WILL SHOW ALL THE HUMANS HOW TO HAVE FUN AGAIN, AND THEY WILL LOVE ME AND BE MY FRIENDS! ! NYEH HEH HEH HEH! ! ! I AM OFF NOW, FAREWELL HUMAN! ! !"
"See ya around, Papyrus."
Papyrus leaves while Katsuro gives him an entertained but perplexed look, then returns to his post.
:-:
Asgore approaches the Town hall. It's a two story building made mostly of Oak logs with stone reinforcements. It seems to be shorter than other human buildings he remembers from before the war, probably to save resources. Entering the building is a bit more... awkward than anticipated. The doors, though wide, are a little too short. And the space for him to move within was also restricted... it is times like these where being a large, nine foot tall, fluffy boss monster (horns included) really doesn't help. The inside of the building is very utilitarian. The lobby has a large couch on one wall with a few chairs on the other, with a rug running down the center. The walls are sanded flat and painted, giving the rooms a larger feeling to them; though not quite large enough... Asgore hunches over slightly, to prevent his horns from damaging the ceiling, and walks carefully. Though unintended, his hunched over appearance makes him look menacing...
Upon his entry to the building, someone approaches Asgore.
She speaks timidly. "H-hello, Uh... how.. can I help you... Uh... Sir?"
"Howdy! I was hoping to speak with someone about what monsters can do to help around the village."
"O-oh! Uhhmm... You will want to speak with Lorenzo, he is in charge of development... OH, wait! ! You need to speak with the Elder first, I think he would want to speak with you."
"Oh, alright then. Can you point me to the Elder?"
"Sure thing!... Actually, just follow me uhh... I... realize that I never got your name... Sorry."
The two begin walking and continue to talk.
"No worries! My name is Asgore, and may I ask for yours?"
"I'm Stacy... Uh... so Asgore, what was your role among the monsters... I see that you are wearing some rather fancy clothing, but monster politics are not my forte."
As the two walk through the town hall, some commotion goes on outside; they ignore it as they approach their destination... Asgore figures it is probably just Papyrus being over-the-top in trying to impress the humans.
"I am the King of monsters. What is your job among the humans, Stacy?"
"I-... I'm the head of resource management, I make sure things go where they are needed."
"I see, you must do a very good job."
Stacy blushes at the compliment, "I do my best... we are almost there, just need to-..." Stacy sighs, "the door is too small for you to fit through, I'm sorry."
"No worries! Perhaps some other arrangement can be made for me to meet the Elder?"
"Uhm... maybe, let me see if the Elder will meet you part way. One moment"
"Of course, take your time."
Stacy walks through the door and Asgore can just barely hear her speaking to someone but, not wanting to eavesdrop, he doesn't pay attention. After a few moments, Stacy walks back out.
"The Elder will meet you in the Lobby; but he needs to finish some work first. It will take a few minutes, is that OK?"
"That is fine, thank you Stacy."
"Of course! Would you like my to walk you back to the lobby King Asgore?"
"No that is fine, I think I remember how to get there."
"Alright, see you in a few minutes."
Stacy goes back into the Elder's office as Asgore returns to the lobby. Knowing politicians and officials, ...a few minutes could turn into half an hour. Asgore contemplates sitting on the couch... and decides to give it a try. Though it looks small, the couch was able to manage; he only takes up two seats. Getting himself comfortable, Asgore beings to wait...
:-:
Toriel stays at the manor because she wants to speak with Frisk's parents, and has nothing to do around the town or in the Underground. So, at the first opportunity, she speaks with them. She enters Conrad's office and sees Conrad at a large desk looking over documents, with an unlit cigar in his mouth; beside him is Marceline, handing him documents to view. There are two other seats in the room facing the desk, and a large bookshelf filled with old and damaged books is on the left side of the room.
"Excuse me, Conrad, Marceline. I was wondering if you two might have time to speak with me."
Conrad speaks first, "I'm not sure about my lovely wife, but I have nothing important to do. Dear?"
Marceline replies, "I've nothing to do, mon amour, except to feed the Venus fly traps later. What would you like to speak with us about?"
"I would like to be filled in on what has happened with the Addams family since the war, I would also like to talk about Frisk."
Conrad responds, "we will fill you in to the best of our ability... Cigar?"
Toriel declines.
"Very well, I am going to have one if that's OK with you; I won't light it though, wouldn't want to be rude."
"That is fine, this is your house after all."
"Well, I would like you to consider this your house as well... I have seen how you look at Frisk, you have lost a child, haven't you?"
Toriel clutches her hand to her chest... but doesn't respond.
Understandingly, Conrad replies "... well, lets begin with what happened after the war. Mi amor, I think I can explain this part, would you mind getting us some drinks?"
"Of course dear, anything in particular?"
"Not from me, what about you Toriel?"
"Some tea if you have it..."
"Of course, I'll be back in a few minutes." Marceline says as she leaves the room gracefully.
"Now... I am sorry for your loss, it is never easy... We have all seen... no we have all seen more than our fair share of loss. I understand. Let me describe what happened with the Addams family after the war, as best as I can. Then, when Marceline returns, we can discuss Frisk."
"Thank you, Conrad." Toriel says as she takes a seat.
"It is no bother... Now. After the war, everything was in chaos. The Addams family did everything they could to support monsters before and during the war, so we were also one of the first targeted. We survived of course... According to my grandparents, my great granddad Gomez truly did live up to the family credo... 'Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc,' which translates to 'We Gladly Feast on Those Who Would Subdue Us.' I am not sure if they meant literally, but it was more than likely a means to put fear in the hearts of any who went against us. As it stands now, it's a tradition to have a picnic on the graves of our enemies. I think that is a suitable alternative to cannibalism... Anyway, the Addamses were not entirely unscathed, my Father was the only one who survived; his parents sent him to the Sanctum for safety. That is where he met his lovely wife. It wasn't until much later, however, that they even truly met; but even as a young lad, he knew the moment he saw her... When the Elders asked for volunteers for a large project, and said what their plans were, my parents were the first to raise their hands. How could they not, though? It was perfect. My father was the heir to the manor, and the magi needed a base of operations until a settlement could be set up. The fact that the monsters had allowed the Addams family to build a manor here, well it shows how close they were... Though, nowadays some would say that me being an heir doesn't matter. That now everything should just belong to everyone and there is no point in claiming land..."
Conrad stands from his chair, turns around, opens the curtains, and looks out to the backyard before he continues. "But this land is not just... land! This land is my families entire life, this land is where my great great great great grandfather, and his grandfather, were buried! This land was rightfully conquered, claimed, and has been lived on by my family for centuries!" Conrad pauses and turns around before continuing. "No one, and I mean no one, will ever take it from us!..."
Marceline enters the room with a tray, and raises an eyebrow at her husband.
Conrad, seeing this, realizes his error and feels embarrassed for his outburst. "Pardon me..."
Conrad sighs and sits back down. "I'm... sorry about that, I got a bit carried away... let me continue where we left off... My parents assisted in setting up the village around our manor. The village relied on fire for a while for heat, light and cooking, until my parents managed to get the generator working. Right now it works by burning wood or coal, but it used to burn gas. It was quite the undertaking, but it gave the village a chance to survive. In the winter, they would gather within the manor... Now that monsters are free, the Addams family can finally rejoice with our monster friends... And, well, that brings us up to the present; aside from the issues Frisk, my love, and I have had personally."
Toriel, though a little uncomfortable from the outburst, thinks on the information she has been given. "So, you are all that is left of the Addams family then?"
Conrad replies somewhat mournfully, "yes. Unless Marceline and I have a son, the Addams family name will end with me."
In her typical mysterious voice, laced with amusement, Marceline replies "that is ridiculous mon amour. You know as well as I do that if Frisk ever decides to get married, their partner would take on our name. We do not need another child to keep the family name going, though that is not out of the question. As much as I adore the Addams family, after all I married into it, there is no need to fuss about a name as long as the values are there."
Conrad, feeling a bit amorous, replies. "Yes, of course. You are right, mi amor! How could I be so blind!"
Conrad passionately kisses his wife, and the display of affection makes Toriel think back on her time with Asgore... before they separated... Things will never get better between them, especially not for such a trivial thing as passion, but that doesn't mean she doesn't miss the monster she used to love; it doesn't mean she doesn't miss Gorey, king Fluffybuns... After a moment, Toriel clears her throat in the subtle-yet-commanding way that she has practiced; having been a queen and mother.
Conrad replies bashfully "Oh dear, pardon me... You wanted to talk about Frisk next, yes?"
"Yes, that is correct; if you still have time?"
Marceline replies, "of course we have time Toriel, my husband just forgot his manners..." and then gives her husband a sly look, which causes Conrad to smile.
Marceline continues, "I have brought you some herbal tea Toriel, I hope you like it; I picked the leaves this morning."
Toriel accepts the cup and replies "Oh, why thank you." before taking a sip. It's golden flower tea...? There is another taste mixed in though, She is more OK with it than she expected.
Seeing her subtle confusion, Marceline responds. "It's Golden flower tea with mint, very good if I don't say so myself."
"Yes it is wonderful, thank you..."
Conrad reaches for what he thinks is his cup, and Marceline swats his hand, "that one is mine, here, this one is yours."
"You tease! Thank you dear. Would you like to speak with Toriel about Frisk, mi amor, or would you prefer me to?"
"I will speak to her dear, mother to mother; don't you think that is best?"
"If you think it is best mi amor, then I think it is best! I will keep myself busy unless you need me."
As Conrad returns to his paperwork, Marceline sets the tray down and takes a seat facing Toriel. "So, what about Frisk would you like to talk about Toriel?"
"I was wondering what their home life is like, but now that I am here I have been able to see it first hand... so I was wondering if, perhaps, I could take part in their education?"
"Hmm, well I don't see why not. We will, of course, need to approve of the lessons; but I see no harm in it. Plus, Frisk seems to really care about you and you seem to really care about Frisk. If there is anyone I would want to have teaching my child, it is someone who genuinely cares for them. Is there anything else?"
"Yes actually... I will be honest, I didn't know what to expect when I met you... but getting to know you has been such a pleasure. I know that you all have your quirks, so I was wondering... why the tradition of setting up traps around the house? Isn't that... a bit too dangerous?"
"Dearest, perhaps this particular question is best suited for you."
Conrad puts his papers down and replies, "oh, yes, of course my dear; family history is quite important to me, just keep an eye on me so I don't go... overboard" Conrad winks at his wife.
Conrad adjusts in his chair and begins to speak. "Before the war, people would try to sneak into the manor. So, in response, the Addams family set up tricks and traps around the manor to fool and trap the invaders; until they could be escorted out. This routine became a part of us to the extent that every family member was familiar with making and setting up traps and tricks... So, to answer your question, yes and no. It is dangerous at first, just as many things in life are, but once acquainted it is no different than the puzzles monster-kind use to employ before the war, what with death pits and the like... We, of course, never turned to death pits; we couldn't get them approved..."
Marceline responds, somewhat sullenly, "Yes that was quite a shame, really."
Toriel responds, "I see... Well, I suppose I cannot argue against something that has such a long family history backing it... as long as Frisk is safe."
Conrad energetically replies "Don't worry, Toriel, when Frisk was a tyke she and..." before cutting off and looking away with a distant and sad look on his face.
Marceline moves over to her husband and puts her hand on his back before taking over, explaining "Frisk had a twin brother, they were inseparable... but he... One of the village children did not take very well to one of his practical jokes, and they lashed out... it was an accident, I know... but it was so painful to learn what had happened... he was only five years old..."
Tears well up in Marceline's eyes as she remembers the day she lost her child, her husband stands up and wraps his arm over her to provide comfort... Toriel looks to the ground, feeling empathetic.
Softly, Toriel says "I didn't mean to cause you to think about your lost child, I am very sorry..."
Conrad speaks up as Marceline dabs her eyes with a cloth before trying to regain her composure. "No worries, Toriel, we were going to have to talk about it sooner or later... And if not to you, then to Frisk eventually. There is no way we will be able to hide the truth forever."
Marceline takes a breath, and Conrad excuses himself before she begins to speak. "Frisk and Charley loved exploring the house, trying to figure out the tricks and traps... Now that Frisk is older, that same passion burns within her. We always make sure that what she makes is safe. The reason we don't stop her is because, in the end, we don't want to prevent her from being creative; even if she is just making traps now... well, who knows what the future holds? It is up to us, as her parents, to ensure that she decides to use her talents in productive ways. But it is also our responsibility to ensure her childhood is fun, and safe."
Toriel, still a bit sad and feeling hesitant, replies "I see, you do make a valid point. It would be a shame to stop Frisk from expressing themself, just because I am worried... I understand that you make sure they are not too dangerous, but I suppose I still have reservations about it... But, as long as Frisk is happy and unharmed, I cannot argue against the results. This leads me to another question, however."
"Yes?"
Conrad enters the room again, and hands his wife a handkerchief before sitting down at his desk.
Toriel continues to ask her question after Conrad sits. "Frisk has quite impressive reflexes, is that because of growing up surrounded by traps or...?"
Conrad lightens up and a smile finds itself on his face as he replies, "May I answer this question love?"
Marceline replies to her husband with a smile, "you may."
Excitedly, Conrad continues. "When Frisk turned six she went to Bernard and demanded that he train her to be a true 'anime-warrior-princess.' At first he refused, but Frisk is really... determined; and he couldn't say no to her signature 'cute face.' Frisk's reflexes are a result of his careful training... Marcy and I are hoping that Frisk doesn't grow to be any more mischievous than she already is, or it would be rather... troublesome."
Toriel suppresses a giggle as several of Frisk's possible 'cute faces' flood her mind, and her face lights up in glee at the thought of one so adorable that it would break a grown man.
"Pardon me," Toriel says, with a hint of amusement. "I certainly hope not as well. I will leave you to your work now, and... I am sorry, again, for bringing up painful memories."
Marceline responds, as she walks out with Toriel. "No worries, you couldn't have known."
Toriel finds her way to the library, on her way there, she can hear Papyrus returning from his adventure and begin making promises of Spaghetti... Marceline offers to help.
:-:
Sans returns to the Lab after having spoken with several monsters and going to the dump. None of the monsters think Sans has been gone more than a day, which is good. It answers questions, at least. Sans doesn't need the samples to confirm that time in the underground was different than the surface, he could tell... If it weren't for the fact that he prefers to work alone, and make sure know one knows he is doing it, he wouldn't have left Alphys and Undyne with that useless task... but the added confirmation won't hurt anything. It also gives Alphys time to think about branching the UnderNet out to the surface, which they need pretty bad right now. His trip to the dump also confirmed that time wasn't flowing right, most of the trash is from the same year; probably a result of the human cities falling. Why the trash was spread out over two thousand years, however, is another question.
Sans enters the Lab "hey, i'm back. you find anything interesting?"
Alphys is the only one in the room, she replies. "Not particularly, I was hoping I would find some other clues but I just confirmed that the rock inside the SOUL room is significantly older than the rock in the antechamber... How did your work go?"
"i didn't find anything you didn't, no one thinks we have been gone for more than a day. and i resent that comment, i wasn't working."
"Huh, so whatever happened... it was only in effect while the barrier was up. I wonder why?"
"well, i don't think we are going to figure it out by sampling more rocks. we should take a different approach... but first, maybe we should think about getting some quality of life improvements to the surface."
"Oh! Yes that would be a g-good idea, maybe... maybe I can extend the Cell and UnderNet networks out onto the Surface, or just start a new one?"
"yeah, that could work. want any help?"
Alphys was caught off guard by Sans' remark. "You want to help set up the network?... Well... I don't see why not, you did help set it up in the first place."
"well then it is settled, let's get to it."
After several hours of working, Sans and Alphys make a device that can operate without access to a direct connection to the CORE. It is a bit bulky, however, and so they need Undyne to help lift it. The device, a mostly Cylindrical three by 4 foot object that is easy to draw, will unpack and extend when activated. After extending it will attempt to connect to the UnderNet/Cell networks through a series of relays, which has yet to be created. With access to the UnderNet and Cell networks, they can more easily inform the other monsters of how things are going; as well as keep contact with each other in case of emergency. Undyne went and grabbed some food for the trio while they were working. A couple hours after they finalize and move the broadcasting antenna, they finalize the relays. The relays are then set up along the walls, starting from the Throne room and leading out to the Surface entrance. It only takes about an hour to set them up and test them, thanks to Sans' shortcuts. When they exit the Underground, Sans gets Alphys' phone and pulls up his for a comparison. Both phones read the same time, and the timers are within microseconds of each other; just as expected.
By the time the group beings to leave, it's starting to get dark; they consider staying in the Underground for the night, but they decide against it. It's no good to have someone come looking for them and be in danger. With the easily drawable cylindrical object strapped to her back, Undyne is moving slower than usual. Alphys assists from behind, helping hold it up as much as she can, while Sans watches for danger. It's too heavy for him to use gravity magic on. Everything is going smoothly, despite having to move slower because of how heavy the device was; but beyond that they are making good time... until they begin to hear rustling in the bushes.