:-"Consequences of being Mischievous"-:
Slowly, sleepily, unwillingly, Frisk wakes up. It feels like a new day, and yet they recognize it...
Frisk's Cell reads: 9:23 A.M. March 26th, 2045 | No Messages
'One day after breaking the barrier, yet again... Maybe this time it'll stay broken.'
Frisk contemplates the potential consequences of allowing Asgore to trap himself within the barrier... but not for long.
They hop off their bed playfully and look at Chara's familiar heart shaped container.
For some reason, Frisk feels like Chara can see them... They put a cloth over the container while they change, just in case.
Once changed into a plain black tee shirt and shorts, Frisk goes to the bathroom to brush their teeth.
It's been so long since they set up traps and obstacles during their nightly routine, that they forgot about the last ones they set up...
Fortunately the knife is dull, and the apple was already cut in half. It still hurt a little though.
Slightly limping now, Frisk goes to the bathroom to complete their morning routine, then starts walking to the dining room.
On their way, Frisk hears some unnatural sound that causes them to feel uneasy... It came from the spare bedroom.
With goosebumps, Frisk hurries a little faster to the dining room. 'It's probably just my imagination, right? The house is really old..."
They see Alphys, carrying the Artifact, at the top of the stairs.
Sounding somewhat relieved, but also in a hurry, Alphys says, "F-Frisk! Thank goodness you're okay. I... h-have a question for you."
Frisk looks at Alphys questioningly.
Who responds promptly, "I need you to g-give me and Asgore more access to the Artifact."
Confused at first, Frisk thinks for a moment, but they remember when they see Asgore at the bottom of the stairwell...
Frisk stops walking and nods, then holds out their hand. Alphys brings the Artifact closer for Frisk.
Before Frisk can give them access, however, they have to know how...
'Maybe if I just say, "Grant full Access to Alphys and Asgore Dreemurr" it'll work?'
Frisk forgot about the fact that the Artifact can read their mind... It works.
A small screen appears with a prompt for Alphys to place her hand on it, but then goes away because she's already holding the artifact.
Another prompt shows up, this one for Asgore... It complains about Alphys holding the artifact, but waits patiently.
Alphys hurries down the steps and into the dining room so that Asgore can be registered as a user.
Frisk enters the dining room.
Marceline is the only one cooking, since she has refused assistance from the monsters this time around.
Once breakfast is on the table, the monsters take their places a respectable distance away from Frisk and their family... It upsets Frisk.
Frisk asks the room, "before the RESET... you were all friends. Can't we try to get that back?"
The monsters look to eachother, then to Frisk.
Undyne is the first to speak up. "It isn't like we hate them, it's just... well..."
Asgore picks up where Undyne left off, "young one, do not worry, we just need some time to feel comfortable."
The monsters all nod, except Sans and Papyrus.
Sans shrugs, and moves closer to Frisk, saying. "i may be a skeleton, but i've got no bones to pick with frisk's parents."
Papyrus follows his brother, despite the pun, having thought it was a weird human custom for guests to sit away from the hosts.
Marceline and Conrad look somewhat more relieved, Marceline speaks,
"I hope you find the comfort you need. The Addamses have always been welcoming of monsters, so being distrusted by you is heartbreaking."
When no one else speaks, Toriel replies, "we thank you for your hospitality."
Marceline bows her head slightly, in a formal manner, acknowledging the appreciation.
Breakfast continues with a little less tension, when everyone is almost done, Frisk speaks up again in a casual but business-esk tone.
"We need to speak to the Village Elder about monsters helping around the village, there's a large forest headed towards us right now."
Marceline and Conrad are a little startled by the news. The monsters, however, are a bit confused; so much has happened recently...
Frisk reminds them,
"Wälder beasts, as we call them, are animals that were affected by the crazy magic the barrier gave off when it was trying to form the first time. They were deformed and mixed with plant life. Wälder is German, it means 'forests.' It was chosen because they disguise themselves as trees and stuff and move in large groups, which can be mistaken as forests during the day. They attack and kill anything that isn't them."
The grim reminder of the dangers of the Surface puts looks of worry on Toriel and Asgore's faces.
Conrad asks, "Frisk, how do you know there is a forest headed this way?"
To which Frisk replies, "It happened before I RESET. They're running from the Gibbering Horror... not very well though."
Marceline and Conrad look at each other with grim faces, Conrad looks to Frisk speaks again. "That is most dire news..."
Sighing, Marceline adds, sternly, "Frisk, my angel... you are in a lot of trouble. Don't think that saving the day will change that. Once this whole thing is behind us, you are grounded do you understand?"
Frisk nods sadly.
Conrad, hoping to ensure that Frisk knows that they care about them, asks, "how does your chest feel? Any pain, or coughing?"
Frisk shakes their head slowly.
Marceline reaches over to Frisk and places her hand on their cheek, and sadly says, "you scared us, Frisk... so badly. You were gone for over three hours, we searched and searched, even when we were told to stop... we thought... we thought you died... I couldn't..."
She takes her hand away from Frisk's cheek to dab her eyes with a cloth.
Conrad holds her hand and takes over, "we will go to the town hall before lunch, after you've swept the second story hallway."
Frisk nods less sadly.
After finishing breakfast, everyone helps clean up. Marceline doesn't object to the assistance this time.
Frisk catches Sans chatting with Conrad, it looks like they're exchanging jokes.
Once breakfast is cleaned up, everyone goes their own way...
Frisk meanders down the long hallway, sweeping.
They feel like they should go to the Town hall now, but they can't disobey or they'll be in more trouble...
When they make it to Sans' room, they notice that he left the door open a crack.
Having almost no concept of personal boundaries, Frisk enters Sans' room and looks around... It's exactly the same as in Snowdin...
Except for the Phylactery on the dresser next to the bed. It looks... interesting. 'Where's that gadget Sans had on it?'
Frisk feels compelled to grab it, they want to see the weird patterns and symbols...
Unable to resist, Frisk picks up the Phylactery to examine it... and a blinding flash disorients them.
:-:
* THE WORLD FADES AWAY.
:-:
RISK OPENS THEIR EYES TO THE FAMILIAR VIEW OF ENDLESS DARKNESS... A STRANGE FEELING IS PULLING AT THEIR SOUL.
THEY LOOK DOWN TO EXAMINE IT... THEIR SOUL IS BLUE.
FRISK LOOKS AROUND THE DARKNESS...
IN THE DISTANCE TO THEIR LEFT, TWO WHITE PIN PRICKS OF LIGHT APPEAR... THEY SEEM TO TURN AND LOOK AT FRISK.
A PAINFUL TEARING SENSATION CAN BE FELT AS FRISK'S POINT OF VIEW SUDDENLY CHANGES.
THEY SEE THEIR BODY DROP, PHYLACTERY IN HAND. IT'S GLOWING PURPLE.
REALITY RETURNS AS THEIR BODY FALLS. IT HITS THE DRESSER ON THE WAY DOWN, FRISK HOPES THEY WONT FEEL THAT LATER.
THEY STRUGGLE TO MOVE BUT ARE PULLED THROUGH THE WALLS AND OUT OF THE MANOR.
FRISK TRIES TO CALL FOR HELP, BUT THEY CAN'T EVEN HEAR THEMSELVES OVER THE SOUND OF RUSHING WIND.
THEY SWIFTLY FLY ACROSS THE LAND, PAST MOUNT HUME, AND ACROSS THE FORBIDDEN PLAINS TO THE NORTH WEST OF EBOTT FOREST.
A MASS OF FUSED HUMANS MOVING CLUMSILY, AND SEMI-AIMLESSLY, TOWARDS THE VILLAGE BECOMES VISIBLE.
SEEING IT AGAIN CAUSES TERRIFYING MEMORIES TO RESURFACE... FRISK DOES THEIR BEST TO BLOCK THEM OUT, BUT THEY CAN'T.
FEARING THAT THE GIBBERING HORROR IS WHAT'S PULLING THEIR SOUL, FRISK TRIES TO MOVE AGAIN; BUT THEY CAN'T.
THEY FLY PAST THE HORROR AS IT REACHES OUT TO GRAB THEM.
FRISK FLIES PAST SEVERAL SMALL RUINED CITIES AND TOWNS, SEES A HUGE DESTROYED CITY IN THE DISTANCE, AND THEN FLIES OVER THE OCEAN TO AN ISLAND THAT THEY DON'T SEEM TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT DIRECTLY.
FRISK ISN'T SURE WHY THEY'RE BEING TAKEN TO SUCH AN OBVIOUS, USELESS, AND BORING ISLAND.
THEY SLOW DOWN AS THEY ARE TAKEN UNDERGROUND INTO... 'THE SECRET LAB?'
WHEN FRISK FINALLY STOPS MOVING, THEY'RE IN A FAMILIAR ROOM. IT'S THE SOUL EXTRACTION ROOM.
TWO BRIGHT ORANGE LIGHTS APPEAR... ALONG WITH A SINISTER SILHOUETTE.
A DEEP CRAZED LAUGHTER ECHOES THROUGH THE FACILITY.
Full of twisted joy and triumph, David yells, "FINALLY! After so many years... I FINALLY HAVE THE PRIME SOUL FROM THIS TIMELINE!"
Proud and confident, he continues, "I KNEW I COULD EASILY FOOL THAT SKELETON!"
Menacingly, he comments, "Now... Stay very still... THIS IS GOING TO HURT! AHHAHAHAHAHAAA!"
A DECAYING HAND WRAPS AROUND FRISK'S VISION, AND THEY STRUGGLE TO MOVE.
FRISK IS CONFUSED... THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY ALL OF THIS IS HAPPENING... THEY DESPERATELY TRY TO CALL OUT FOR HELP.
BUT NOBODY COMES.
DAVID'S GRASP GROWS TIGHTER... PAINFUL... HIS HAND SHAKES SLIGHTLY AS IT TIGHTENS, AND A CRACKING SOUND CAN BE HEARD...
THEN IT STOPS. THE GRIP LOOSENS. IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT WANTS TO LOOSEN, BUT IT IS.
He angrily exclaims "NO! NO! I WILL NOT LET YOU TAKE MY PRIZE! THEIR SOUL IS MINE!"
DAVID'S GRASP GROWS TIGHTER AGAIN AS HE BEGINS USING BOTH OF HIS HANDS... THE CRACKING SOUND CONTINUES.
A STRONG PULLING SENSATION TRIES TO PULL FRISK AWAY FROM DAVID, BUT DAVID STARTS USING MAGIC TO AID HIS EFFORTS.
FRISK LOOKS WITHIN THEMSELF AND MUSTERS UP AS MUCH DETERMINATION AS THEY CAN. THE CRACKING SOUND SLOWS.
EVENTUALLY DAVID'S HANDS VIOLENTLY BREAK AWAY AND HE DOUBLES OVER IN AGONY, NURSING HIS DAMAGED HANDS.
Frustrated, he yells, "DAMN YOU! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST DIE ALREADY?!"
HE QUICKLY TRIES TO GRAB FRISK AGAIN, BUT THEY SUDDENLY FLY ACROSS THE OCEAN, AND ACROSS TERRA, AT A BLINDING SPEED.
:-:
THEY'RE IN ANOTHER DARK ROOM...
FRISK IS WORRIED THAT IT'S THE START OF A TREND... BUT HOPES THAT MAYBE SANS SAVED THEM.
THEY LOOK AROUND... IT LOOKS LIKE ONE OF THE SPARE ROOMS IN THE MANOR... THEY FEEL SAFER.
A MIRROR ACROSS THE ROOM SHOWS FRISK THE REFLECTION OF A FLOATING, SEVERELY DAMAGED, BLUE HEART; IT'S THEIR SOUL...
THEY NOTICE TWO PINPRICKS OF LIGHT IN THE REFLECTION BEHIND THEM. FRISK ADJUSTS TO LOOK DIRECTLY AT THEM.
AS THEY DO, THEY SEE FRAIL HANDS SLOWLY AND GENTLY ENCOMPASS THEIR VIEW...
AFTER A FLASH OF GREEN THEY FEEL MUCH BETTER. THEY CAN FEEL THEIR SOUL REPAIRING ITSELF.
THE PINPRICKS OF LIGHT, WHICH FRISK NOW RECOGNISES ARE NOT SANS' EYES, GROW IN SIZE AND BEGIN TO CHANGE COLOURS.
THEY THINKS IT'S CU-270, BUT IT'S TOO DARK TO SEE CLEARLY, AND THEY DON'T REMEMBER WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE.
FRISK CAN FEEL THEIR SOUL CHANGE IN SYNC WITH THE EYES, IT FEELS STRANGE. OCCASIONALLY ONE EYE IS A DIFFERENT COLOUR
THAN THE OTHER. IT ALMOST SEEMS LIKE THEY'RE PROCESSING SOME SORT OF INFORMATION. LOOKING FOR SOMETHING.
A STRONG PULLING SENSATION CAN BE FELT OCCASIONALLY, BUT A STRONGER FORCE KEEPS THEM IN PLACE; IT'S A PAINFUL EXPERIENCE.
THE EYES BEGIN CHANGING COLOUR FASTER UNTIL THEY BLUR TOGETHER INTO A STATIC FILLED WHITE.
WISPY STRANDS OF PURPLE MAGIC SLOWLY BECOME VISIBLE, LEADING OFF INTO THE DISTANCE...
THE STRANDS BEGIN GLOWING BRIGHTER AS THEY'RE OVERLOADED WITH MAGIC, UNTIL THEY SHATTER AND DRIFT AWAY.
A VOICE BEGINS TO SPEAK STRANGE ECHOING WORDS THAT FRISK CAN'T UNDERSTAND... IT DISTURBS THEM.
* "K'YARNAK YORR'E EHYE."
REALITY BEGINS TO QUAKE AND FADE AWAY AS THE VOICES OF THE DAMNED JOIN IN, YELLING OUT IN ANGER AND GROWING LOUDER WITH EACH SYLLABLE ; IT SCARES FRISK...
* "F'AH'EHYE ORR'E HUP N'GHA."
MULTI-COLOURED STRANDS OF MAGIC EXTEND FROM THE FRAIL HANDS AROUND FRISK, AND WEAVE THEMSELVES AROUND FRISK'S SOUL.
A STRANGE SOUND -SIMILAR TO A LASER CUTTER- IS HEARD AS THE MAGIC WEAVES INTO THEIR SOUL AND BECOMES BLINDINGLY BRIGHT.
IT DOESN'T HURT LIKE FRISK EXPECTS IT TO... IT'S JUST A LITTLE TINGLY.
* "MGATHG N'GHANYTH WGAH'N."
FRISK FEELS A PRESENCE LEAVE THEM, AS THOUGH SOMEONE WAS WATCHING THEM UNTIL NOW.
* "R'LUH S'UHN UAAAH."
AS THE VOICE FINISHES SPEAKING, THE VOICES OF THE DAMNED CALM DOWN AND REALITY SLOWLY CORRECTS ITSELF.
THE LIGHT FROM THE MAGIC FADES TO A RED GLOW AS FRISK'S VIEW SLOWLY RETURNS TO THEIR BODY, AND THEY FALL UNCONSCIOUS.
:-:
Frisk wakes up in a cold sweat and immediately checks their SOUL, then sighs in relief. 'It looks normal... what happened?'
Noticing the significant lack of head pain, Frisk expresses their gratitude internally to whatever force prevented that painful experience.
They look around the room, expecting to see Sans, but no one's there. The door is also still slightly ajar.
In their hand, the Phylactery looks burnt and destroyed... 'Oh no... This is bad. I... I have to tell Sans.'
Frisk doesn't have to search hard, because when they open his door it leads to another room...
Sans is standing in the other room, arms crossed, foot tapping. "learn your lesson about touching dangerous stuff that isn't yours?"
Looking down at their feet and holding out the destroyed item, Frisk meekly says "I'm sorry... I ruined everything... The phylactery is broken."
Sighing, Sans takes the destroyed item from Frisk, looks at it briefly before tossing it to the side, and says,
"no, it isn't. i was gonna tell you later, but it seems i shouldn't've waited. this one was a trap. i was in such a rush i didn't check... sorry kiddo."
After a brief uncomfortable pause, Sans says "don't beat yourself up too much, we both made mistakes. just don't do it again, ok?"
Frisk nods.
Sans walks over and pats Frisk's head. "you're lucky cu-270 was sitting in the void, otherwise... well, y'know... you gotta stop almost dying."
After pushing them backwards with a wink, Sans closes the door.
Frisk is confused, they didn't know that the void could be entered voluntarily... They don't know if they want to practice that.
The encounter with cu-270 still makes Frisk feel uneasy. They assume that the magic he used was to help them, but it sounded creepy...
'I'll have to ask Sans about it later...'
Clearing their mind, so they don't get too worked up over it before they catch Sans and ask him, Frisk looks around and notices that they're in the hallway again, facing the closed door to one of the spare bedrooms.
Frisk goes back over to San's room to pick up the broom, and continues sweeping.
:-:
* CU-270 OBSERVES THE HUMANS FROM WITHIN THE VOID.
He can see the small groups of them dotted across Terra. They are so fragile. Do they know... that, with a thought, he could kill most of them?
Surely, since humans are the ones who taught him that, they would know; but he does not want to, and they do not seem to understand that.
CU-270 prefers to keep his mind silent. He does not like the sound of his own voice, nor the one in his mind. It sounds wrong, somehow.
Sans doesn't like it when he speaks either... Sans is glad Gaster taught him sign language, so is CU-270.
Perhaps, someday, he will learn another spoken language beyond Truespeech, or R'lyehian.
The only human phrase he knows isn't very pleasant... "Die, you pathetic creature." A phrase said to him often by David in the later tests.
Now is not the time to dwell on David, though.
"Frisk." CU-270 does not want them to be subjected to the same pain he was. He wonders what their goal is. What do they "dream" about? What do they "desire?" Whatever it is, nothing will stop them now. CU-270 wonders about the similarities they have with Frisk. Then realises how different they are... Hopefully those differences are good.
CU-270 considers why Sans wanted to keep him from killing David. Are humans not allowed to be killed?
If not, then why did he kill all those humans, with Gaster and the other skeletons?
He adjusts his ethereal view of the world from the void to focus in on what Sans calls the "Gibbering Horror."
Does Sans know that it is just a puppet? It has no will.
Sans is worried the SOULs David stole will go to it.
CU-270 considers that again, and acknowledges that it would not be good for humans.
For him it would not be much of a problem.
He doesn't particularly care either way if humans and monsters were to all die.
In fact, at some points, CU-270 finds that preferable... but he is interested to see how things play out.
* SANS IS TRYING TO GET HIS ATTENTION.
:-:
CU-270 doesn't understand how Sans can interact with him when he is the void, Sans just does.
He returns to reality.
CU-270 signs to Sans and asks, |WHAT DO YOU NEED, SIR?|
Sans waves one of his hands and shakes his head, saying casually, in Wing-Dings, "no, don't call me that. i'm not your trainer anymore. sans is fine."
After a brief moment of consideration, CU-270 replies, |AS YOU WISH.|
Casual, but with a serious undertone, Sans asks "what'd you do to the kiddo?"
CU-270 becomes somewhat scared. His eyes go black in fear, and he hopes he didn't do something wrong.
|I MARKED THEM, TO KEEP THEM FROM DYING.|
Sans sighs in relief, then sternly says, "you should've asked, bud. don't do anything to someone without asking, it isn't good."
Expecting punishment, CU-270 quickly steps back and takes on a defensive posture.
Calmly, Sans reassures him, "hey, it's ok... i'm not gonna hurt you. just means i've gotta talk to the kiddo 'bout it."
CU-270 relaxes a bit, then asks, |WHAT ABOUT HEALING SOMEONE WHEN THEY ARE UNCONSCIOUS?|
To which Sans replies casually, "yea, healing should be fine. but nothing else, got it?"
After nodding in understanding, CU-270 returns to the VOID as Sans turns to leave the room.
:-:
With their chores, and the lesson on why they shouldn't pick up dangerous items, done, Frisk goes to their mom's study.
Frisk can hear talking inside the room, they decide to wait outside the door... but they like snooping, so they listen in.
Toriel is speaking. "(-was a wonderful child to have and look after.)"
A brief pause...
Toriel speaks again. "(Mrs. Addams-)"
"(Please, call me Marceline. Any friend of Frisk's is a friend of mine.)"
"(As you wish... Marceline, everything I have talked about so far, leads up to this...)"
She hesitates.
"(Yes?)"
"(Pardon... I... We have asked Frisk to be our ambassador, however... they are just a child. They should be able to enjoy their childhood.)"
"(I agree, but if Frisk-)"
"(I apologise for the interruption, but I am not done... I want to know if you are willing to take this position with Frisk, until they are older.)"
"(Oh, I see, you wish for me to be an ambassador as well?)"
"(Yes, if you would not mind. I feel like Frisk needs someone to advise them.)"
Frisk enters the room, but remains quiet.
"I would love to take on the role of advisor and ambassador, Queen Toriel."
"Please, call me Toriel."
The ladies smile at each other briefly.
Now that they're done talking, Frisk asks, "I'm done with sweeping the hallway. Can we go speak with the Elder now?"
Marceline looks to Frisk and says, "yes, go get your father and we will head out."
Frisk nods and runs off, more serious than excited...
Upon arrival to their father's office, they see Sans chatting with him.
Frisk's father looks at them briefly as he finishes speaking to Sans, "thank you, Sans, I'll keep an eye out. Anything else?"
Sans replies casually, as always, "nope."
Conrad stands up from his desk and offers his hand to Sans, who accepts it. A joy buzzer goes off.
Upon realization of what happened, Conrad grabs Sans above the elbow and shakes his hand a little more vigorously, exclaiming,
"Hah! A joy buzzer, classic! I like you're style Sans."
Sans' face lights up a bit.
With the brief interaction done, Sans turns to leave as Conrad sits back down.
Frisk thinks about asking Sans about the magic CU-270 used, but Sans speaks first.
"Hey, kiddo. Gotta talk to you about what happened earlier, it can wait though. See ya at dinner."
He continues walking out and closes the door behind him, leaving Frisk confused and a little worried.
As Frisk approaches their father's desk, he anticipates their purpose. "All done?"
Frisk nods.
Conrad finalizes the document he's working on and stands up again, then says, "All right, we are going to be bringing the Dreemurrs with us so they can discuss integration with the village."
Frisk nods and excitedly says "Okay!"
They go back to Marceline's study to get Toriel and Marceline, then get Asgore from the Greenhouse.
After they leave the manor, Frisk looks for their SAVE point outside the gates... there isn't one. They still can't access them.
Not wanting to get too side-tracked, Frisk starts to think more about what they're going to talk about.
Some humans along the path move out of the way in fear when they see Asgore and Toriel.
Stones begin being thrown, and, in response, Asgore picks up Frisk and uses his massive form to protect them from stray rocks.
Several humans yell out harsh phrases as the group continues to the town hall, "Go back to the mountain! How dare you come here?! Do ya really think yoo can attack us, then walk a'round like nothin' happened?! Put tha kid down, mon'ster! Stop using 'em as a shield! YOU DAMN ADDAMSES! SHOULD'VE KNOWN YOU'D SIDE WITH MONSTERS!"
But the group ignores them.
When Bernard catches up with the group, the angry humans appear less often. He speaks to Conrad, "Going to speak to the Elder?"
Who replies, "yes, Frisk learned that a Forest is headed towards the village. We need to prepare."
Bernard scratches his grey beard as he considers this information...
"I see. I'll be in the training grounds preparing for the... funeral. Let me know the results."
Conrad simply nods, and Bernard departs to the training grounds as they approach the town hall.
Frisk is curious who the funeral is for, but they don't get a chance to ask... They decide that might be for the best.
The group enters the town hall, and the humans within begin to panic when they see the large boss monster enter with Frisk.
Frisk gets Asgore's attention and indicates for him to put them down.
Once standing on their own two feet, Frisk says, "Calm down, they don't want to hurt you. They're big, fluffy, and nice!"
Asgore speaks as Frisk looks up at to him and gives a subtle smile, "Howdy! I'm Asgore Dreemurr, King of Monsters. We are here to speak to you about monsters assisting and integrating with the village."
Toriel curtsies, and adds, "I am Toriel... Dreemurr. Queen of Monsters."
Then Frisk speaks up again, "Also, I saw a huge forest headed this way... uh... while we were flying in that aircraft yesterday!"
Still on edge, the lady at the desk slowly stands and introduces herself to Asgore and Toriel. "U-uhm... H-hello Asgore, Toriel. My name is... S-Stacy. I'm the head of resource m-management... I-it sounds like you want to s-speak with the elder... but I don't think I c-can let you do that... Sorry."
She's struggling to maintain her calm demeanour.
Marceline bends down to whisper something to Frisk, who then says, "That is fine Stacy, the Dreemurrs are here more for... fort... no wait..."
She stoops again to whisper something, and Frisk continues,
"as a formality. My mom, dad, and I... The Addamses, will be representing monsters as their Ambassadors."
Conrad shrugs to himself, having not been informed beforehand about his participation... but he doesn't object.
Stacy looks a bit more at ease. She asks, "where will the Dreemurrs be staying in the mean time?"
Frisk contemplates this for a moment, but Toriel speaks up. "We can stay in the lobby, if that is alright with you?"
Stacy nods, and says "T-that will be fine. P-please come with me, Mr. and Mrs. Addams."
Not wanting to be left out, Frisk clears their throat loudly.
Flustered, Stacy adds, "r-right! Sorry... You too Frisk..."
The three walk with Stacy into the back rooms, while Asgore and Toriel try to make themselves comfortable on opposite sides of the lobby.
They expected to go in and talk with the elder, but there are others in the room too; it's more like a council of Elders, rather than one.
The room is very round. On the far side is a large table where seven people are sitting. In the middle is an old man wearing red robes, and on each side there are three people in white robes and masks. The room is dim, due to it being lit by candles, but still feels welcoming. Near the front of the room is a smaller table, with four seats, and in the middle of the room is a large space with a rug. A small table with papers and in inkwell sits to the side of the room near the door, Stacy sits there.
Marceline notices Frisk's confusion, and whispers to them.
"In the middle, in the red robe, is the Elder, the six around him in white robes are his counsellors."
Frisk nods, now less confused.
Conrad and Marceline stand in front of the table, waiting to be told that they may be seated.
Stacy sits at her desk, moves a few papers and introduces them to the Elder, "Elder, the Addamses request to speak with you on behalf of the monsters, they also have information about an incoming threat."
The Elder nods, "I will speak with you, Addams family, please be seated."
Conrad and Marceline bow slightly and Marceline says, "Thank you, Elder," as they sit at the table. Frisk mimics them.
The Elder speaks up again, "let us discuss the matter of the incoming threat first, what information do you have?"
Marceline looks to Frisk, who says "a large forest is headed this way, being chased by a really big creature. I believe they will arrive by the fifth of April, but it could be sooner."
One of the counsellors ask, unconvinced and a little demeaning,
"and where, mischievous child, did you get this information? Our scouts have not even reported back yet."
Frisk, offended, begins to speak, but Marceline stops them and speaks in a cold, subtly menacing way, "Frisk Addams was chosen by the Monster King and Queen to be the ambassador for monsters, and I am their advisor... but it appears you require an advisor as well. I will advise you to not speak to the Ambassador in such a demeaning tone. As for where they got the information, they spotted the forest while they and the Monster's contact party were flying from mount Ebott in their aircraft. As well as having experienced it first hand before performing a RESET, due to the terror they experienced."
Frisk is surprised that their mother knew that, they don't remember telling her. 'Perhaps one of the monsters, or Tim, told her?'
The counsellors speak amongst themselves and with the elder in hushed voices.
While they do so, Frisk quietly asks their mother, "where did you learn about that?"
To which she quietly replies, "Tim got us up to speed after breakfast, darling. Even told us that you can use magic, I'm very proud!"
Another counsellor speaks up, this voice is deeper, "SAVING, LOADING, and RESETTING is no longer possible, not since the barrier went up; why do you think the Red Sage died? Are you truly claiming that you have access to SAVES? That kind of power doesn't reappear over night! Humans can't even use magic anymore."
Marceline whispers something into Frisk's ear, and they say "Yes. Ever since I fell into the Underground of , I've had access to that power. Before the RESET, I, along with a monster who will remain unnamed, broke the barrier. Later today the scouts will return with the same report I'm giving you about the beasts. If we don't act now, it'll be too late. They're being chased by something even larger, and we need to get ready for it."
They speak amongst themselves again for several minutes...
Yet another counsellor speaks up, this one sounds female and proper.
"Frisk Addams, the claim you are making about being able to RESET is quite serious. How do you intend to prove it?"
Frisk looks to their mother with concerned, unsure eyes.
Marceline smiles with her usual subtle, mysterious, and mischievous smile, then whispers "show them what a witch can do, little angel."
Frisk knows that, this time around, they won't be able to keep their magic a secret from the village, so they nod to their mother and say,
"I can prove it to you with a demonstration of what I have learned so far, of magic."
The counsellors look to eachother again, speaking less quietly this time.
They sound insulted, and one replies "we know your tricks Frisk, they are not magic, stop wasting-"
But the Elder will have none of it. "Silence, counsellor. I believe it is my decision as to whether or not Frisk may perform a demonstration."
The one who spoke out begins muttering to himself...
Kindly, the Elder speaks to Frisk. "Frisk Addams, though I am aware of your past pranks... including the illegal use of scavenged fireworks in a guard's helm... I am willing to see your demonstration. Please, step into the center of the room so we may see it clearly; but know that if you are indeed planning on playing an elaborate trick, there will be consequences."
Frisk nods and stands up. Once in the center of the room, Frisk takes a moment to clear their mind and decide what they're going to show them... Frisk thinks about making a purple spear, but decides that might not put the monsters in a favourable light...
Seeing the candles gives Frisk an idea... They can't make anything with cyan magic, but they can use cyan magic to make a light breeze in a small room... They focus, gather the magic they need, and wave their arm across the room in front of them. A warm breeze puts out the candles and scatters a few loose papers.
With the room now dark, Frisk calls out their SOUL; it's red glow is the only thing visible in the room now.
Matter-of-factly, Frisk states, "my pure red SOUL is all the proof I need."
With the demonstration over, Frisk puts their SOUL back, summons and carefully splits a small fire into small beads, and sends them slowly over to the candles to relight them.
Frisk returns to their seat, proud of themself. Marceline rubs Frisk hair with a sly, proud, smile.
The counsellors are looking at Frisk in disbelief, unable to speak, while the Elder looks in awe and joy. No one has seen magic for about 52 years, and most of those who have are nearly dead now. The Elder is one of the few survivors who has seen Magic first hand.
Breaking the silence, the Elder says, with a tinge of happiness,
"I expected you to do something a bit flashier, Frisk. You have grown quite a bit, haven't you?"
To which Frisk nods with a subtle smile.
The Elder looks to his counsellors, then to Stacy, and says "I believe we have been given enough proof, Stacy, please make note. We will prepare as soon as this meeting is over. I believe there is something else the Addamses are here to discuss?"
Stacy breaks her eyes away from Frisk to look at the Elder, then says,
"Y-yes, they are here to speak on behalf of the Monsters. King Asgore and Queen Toriel are in the lobby."
Curious, since he has not read any of the reports yet, the Elder asks, "why are you having such esteemed guests sit in the lobby?"
To which Conrad answers, "when Frisk and the monsters arrived by aircraft, it took the guards at the gate by surprise. Johnathan attacked the monsters shortly after Anthony left to get backup, so, when backup arrived, they joined in. They were under the false assumption that the monsters attacked first. I would like to add that the official report does not mention that, because of their actions, Frisk was shot with an arrow and almost died. It is only because of the monster's ability to use healing magic that they are alive."
Some light murmuring in the room follows his statement, the Elder looks to Stacy, who says, "He... he is correct. The updated report says that Johnathan attacked them unprovoked... I... I didn't know that Frisk was hurt though... I will get the monsters from the lobby."
Stacy leaves to get the two monsters, when she arrives, only Toriel enters the room.
Asgore has to stay in the lobby, since he's too large to enter.
If the building is ever remade to the old human standards, Asgore won't have as much trouble.
The Elder stands as Toriel enters the room, and gives a brief bow. "Queen Toriel, It is an honour to finally meet you."
Toriel curtsies and replies, "I am thankful you will have me. May I state my request?"
With the counsellors all wrapped up in their own world, talking amongst each other about what the return of monsters could mean, the Elder is having to take a more active role. Not that he minds.
He replies, "of course, please, make yourself comfortable," and gestures to the chair next to Frisk.
With another brief curtsy, Toriel sits and begins speaking in a proper and regal voice. "The Monsters of the Dreemurr kingdom request to provide aid and integrate with the humans of..." Then realises she never got the name of the Village.
Frisk whispers into her ear and she continues, "Pardon, as I was saying, with the humans of Stag Hill village. Due to the imminent attack, we find that humans and monsters have a better chance of surviving if we work together."
Adding to her statement, Frisk says,
"if we don't work together, which, according to my history class, is the entire reason this village exists, then we will all die. Again."
Curious, the female sounding counsellor asks,
"Frisk, I am wondering, how did you get into contact with the monsters? And through what means did you, a child, take the barrier down?"
But the Elder waves her off, saying, "that is not important right now. Frisk is correct, this village was founded because we had hoped monsters would be able to leave the mountain one day and work with us to fix the wrongs of the past. Now that the time has finally come, I am not going to let that slip away because of some misguided assumptions, and a single incident."
One of the counsellors speaks up, "but what if they are wrong? Even if they did experience the beasts killing everyone, what if it does not happen the same way? Or at all? We will be wastin-"
Marceline retorts, "setting up defences in this world is not a waste of time or resources, unless you enjoy living defenceless. In which case, I advise you get off my property and live in the wilderness."
The counsellors all start to fuss loudly...
The Elder speaks after raising his hands to silence the counsellors, trying to maintain order, "It is as I said, we will begin full preparations as soon as the meeting has adjourned. Toriel, you may speak with Stacy after the meeting to arrange and plan out how monsters will be integrating with the village."
Toriel rises and gives a brief bow, "Thank you, Elder." Then sits back down.
Wrapping up the meeting, the Elder asks, "any other business?"
Marceline looks to Frisk, who looks to Toriel and then to the Elder and says "nope!"
She then whispers something to Frisk, who corrects themself, "I mean, No, Elder. There is nothing else."
The Elder smiles sweetly at Frisk and nods, happy that a youth is taking an interest in government affairs and keeping the peace.
"Very well then, I will send Stacy out soon. There are some things I must discuss with her first."
Marceline, Conrad, and Toriel stand and curtsy briefly before leaving, Frisk does the same afterwards.
On their way out, Marceline suggests, "perhaps we should take on a monster secretary, to assist with managing the schedule, keeping records in order, and receiving/sending messages to be relayed to us? That would help maintain order when we are both busy, and help include monsters more as well."
Frisk nods in agreement and suggests, "the hand-monster receptionist for the MTT resort might be interested in being our secretary, seeing as they are out of a job now. I'll ask them later."
Marceline adds, "we will need them to move into the manor, because we are going to be working from home. It's best to keep them close by."
Frisk nods.
:-:
While Asgore, Frisk, Marceline, and Conrad leave to the manor, Toriel stays in the Town hall to speak with Stacy.
Asgore would have stayed, but his large form is too intimidating right now.
On the way home, Frisk asks Asgore if he can give them a piggy-back ride. He agrees, happily.
Being able to see over the tops of buildings is fun, they can see all the little people running around and doing stuff. They also see preparations for a funeral... They wonder who it's for, they don't remember a funeral last time. Frisk decides not to ask, lest it ruin their mood.
When at home, Frisk decides to spend time with Asgore. His task, his sacrifice, worries Frisk.
They want to spend as much time with him as possible.
Frisk and Asgore tend to the garden, play catch outside, and then leave the manor grounds to see Frisk's friends.
Most of which are guards and other authority figures... The other kids think Frisk is kinda weird.
They wanted to introduce Asgore to Katsuro, but they can't find him.
One of the guards said he was sent to the Sanctum, and they aren't sure when he'll be back.
While spending time with Asgore out in public, to show humans how fluffy and nice he is, Frisk spots Flowey diving below the ground in the distance occasionally. They hope he's OK.
Frisk is entertained by the looks on people's faces, as they ride on one of Asgore's shoulders and play with his hair and floppy ear.
While inducing panic, chaos, and confusion through simple and sweet acts, the two pass Toriel and Bernard, who are headed to the Manor.
Toriel giggles at the sight of Asgore's hair partially braided... He smiles back, unaware of this fact.
As it begins to get late, Frisk asks to see where the monsters are staying, and Asgore obliges; happy to spend more time with them.
The monster's temporary home is very close to the village, so it doesn't take them long to see the green barriers that make up the defensive walls. Frisk is impressed with it, but also feels a little sad due to the lack of buildings.
It isn't a particularly large area, and there's barely any privacy, but most of the monsters don't seem to care. They're happy to breathe in the fresh forest air of the Surface. Many of the monsters are organizing things and seem to be preparing to build houses.
Frisk spots who they're here for, and runs over to them, asking, "Excuse me? I'm Frisk Addams, Ambassador for Monsters. We're looking for a monster secretary, would you like to work for us? You'd need to move to the manor, but everything will be provided for you."
The hand monster doesn't even ask what it will be doing, they just accept the position. "Of course I would, dear! With my job at the MTT resort over, I need other work to do, and I really enjoy being able to help where ever I can. I'm quite... handy you could say. Also, I'm not fond of... 'roughing it,' so even just a room with a bed sounds very nice."
Frisk giggles at the pun. They didn't expect that. "Well then, please follow us. May I have your name?"
The hand monster curtsies briefly as she says, "I'm Dahn Thing, but I prefer to be called Thing."
Happily, Frisk says,
"alright, please follow us to the manor, Thing. We can talk about your duties on the way, and later you can talk to my dad about your pay."
:-:
At the manor, Papyrus is in the kitchen... cooking; at least, he's trying to. No one knows he's in there, and Marceline hasn't shown him where everything is... He's trying to find ingredients.
Conrad and Marceline are in the conservatory, where her more sensitive plants are being grown, looking out into the twilight sky through the window in the roof.
Toriel is reading books in the living room, sitting comfortably in a chair near the fireplace.
Alphys is panicking in the lab with the Artifact, as Undyne tries to help while also trying to keep her calm.
She's trying to find some way to keep Asgore from having to trap himself with that... thing.
Just the memory of the glimpse Tim gave them after breakfast sends shivers through her.
Trying to find a way to activate it remotely has returned no results, the Artifact will only respond to SOULs...
She's currently testing to see if the dimensional box technology can be used to take things from within the barrier.
...As soon as she figures out how to get the Artifact generate a small barrier.
Simply asking it to make a small barrier isn't enough, because it wasn't designed to produce one as small as Alphys needs.
Undyne is assisting her by moving parts around, and giving her encouragement.
Sans is relaxing... while thinking furiously about how to find David's Phylactery, and how to help CU-270. He isn't a licensed professional, but there doesn't seem to be any of those anymore. At least, not in the village... 'maybe the Sanctum will have someone who can help?'
He doesn't trust CU-270, at all, but he does trust his own training.
Despite the fact that CU-270 doesn't give much in way of facial expressions or body language, he isn't much different than a book for Sans; his eyes give him away. Sans is glad they never managed to teach him how to control them.
Sans hopes to figure out how to talk to CU-270 in a way that wont cause him to run off, and potentially ruin everything.
His usual methods won't work. If he tried intimidating CU-270 like he was going to do with Frisk, it would be taken to the extreme...
...Everyone is unaware of the imminent catastrophe in the kitchen.
:-:
When Frisk returns with Asgore, and their potential new secretary "Thing," they give her a tour of the house; including a warning about traps.
In the conservatory, Thing meets Conrad and Marceline, and Conrad shows her where she will be sleeping.
Though it's not normal for Secretaries to live with their employers, the current situation requires it.
Frisk hopes she'll become a part of the family.
When they reach the kitchen, they discover Papyrus trying to find ingredients.
Since the tour is over, Thing excuses herself so she can get comfortable... being painfully aware of Papyrus' cooking... "skills."
The ingredients he has out will make quite a foul dish, should they be combined.
Deciding to help, Frisk suggests, "Hey dad, why don't you go get mom and we can all cook with Papyrus? He isn't used to human cooking. Oh, maybe even get Toriel! She makes the BEST pies! ...Even snail ones."
Intrigued by the idea, Conrad says "that sounds wonderful! I'll be right back," and leaves to get Marceline and potentially Toriel.
With Conrad getting backup, Frisk begins showing Papyrus where everything is.
Frisk warns Papyrus, "dad likes to keep things in the kitchen a certain way. Mom cooks a lot on her own, but that's because she lost a bet with dad. Normally they cook together."
Conrad arrives with Marceline after a few minutes, but without Toriel.
Upon seeing the lack of Toriel, Frisk curiously asks, "Did Toriel not want to cook with us?"
Shaking his head, Conrad replies, "no, I decided to let Toriel be, she's napping in the living room."
The thought of Toriel falling asleep in a chair while reading brings fond memories back to Frisk's mind, they're tempted to go nap with her.
Frisk resists the temptation, however, because cooking is at hand.
Showing off, Frisk uses fire magic to light the stove... Marceline is proud to have a little witch in the family.
As per usual, Conrad mostly goofs off while helping. His first serious task ends with him challenging Frisk to a duel with a carrot.
Though he doesn't fully understand at first, it doesn't take Papyrus long to figure out the weird human custom of playing with food.
Marceline takes over most of the cooking, doing her best to show Papyrus the proper way to cook spaghetti.
Papyrus learns quickly. He loves cooking, and learning a new way to cook is always fun.
While Marceline and Papyrus make Spaghetti, Frisk and Conrad make the garlic bread... or, they kind of make garlic bread... While not play fighting with the bread knives, or the bread... It's a miracle that they manage to get it done at the same time as the spaghetti.
Cooking with their parents, and Papyrus, has really helped ease Frisk's mind and lift some stress off their shoulders.
When the meal is ready, Marceline calls everyone to the dining room.
Frisk leaves to get Toriel personally, saying "she's probably too asleep to wake up from the call."
Half an hour passes with Frisk supposedly going to get Toriel... so Marceline goes to fetch them both.
The temptation to curl up on Toriel's lap and nap with her was too great for Frisk to resist... Toriel is awake now, but Frisk is asleep.
Marceline almost decides to bring dinner to Toriel, due to seeing such a cute and sweet scene, but food is best eaten in the dining room.
With everyone present, the atmosphere in the dining room is much less tense than it has recently been.
Conrad and Sans have taken a liking to eachother, exchanging puns and pranks, while Toriel and Marceline have taken a liking to eachother, exchanging facts about various things (but mostly snails).
Asgore attempts to keep to himself, but Undyne wont let him.
They reminisce about all the whacky things Undyne did when she was younger, like when she thought that the elder puzzler was stealing the block... so she tried to beat him up... but she couldn't get past his puzzle.
Papyrus and Alphys speak with Thing, hoping to get to know the newest addition to the manor.
Frisk thinks something is missing though... A certain shy ghost is less present than he used to be. Frisk wonders how Napstablook is doing.
When dinner wraps up, and Frisk sneaks out of cleaning, they go to their room and talk to Chara about their day.
Even though Chara can't respond, Frisk has a feeling that they can still see and hear. They don't want Chara to feel like they're alone... it also helps to be able to talk about all the weird stuff that happened.
Frisk doesn't want to scare their parents by talking about their latest near-death experience, so that leaves Sans and Chara...
But Sans is hard to find... So that just leaves Chara.
When bedtime rolls around, Frisk completes their usual bed-time routine. Including setting up traps this time.
Frisk wants to maintain their superb reaction time.
As Frisk lays down for the night, they feel peaceful. Despite everything, they are OK. They feel like everything will be OK.
* Seeing their parents get along with their friends again fills Frisk with Determination.
* A STRANGE FEELING PERVADES THE VOID.