31:28
Frisk couldn't help but smile, feeling as though she could truly trust this friend she'd only just made. For a giant goat monster, she was very beautiful. When she'd heard about the many monsters that took up residence in the Underground, she expected something much more grizzly and gruesome. The giant plushy of a monster that led her by the hand was the complete opposite.
"Tell me, Frisk," Ms. Tori spoke up, "What's a young girl like yourself doing here in the Ruins?"
"Tell ya the truth, I'm not sure myself." Frisk answered, "All I remember is waking up back there, with Flowey's face in mine."
"Do you remember what you were doing before waking up." Ms. Tori asked.
"Sleeping." Frisk replied bluntly.
"Is that sass I'm hearing?" Toriel gasped.
"No, ma'am!" Frisk corrected herself quickly, not wanting to offend the larger woman.
"Obviously, you were sleeping," Tori said, a slight giggle in her voice, "I meant before that. Is there anything you can remember doing?" Frisk thought long and hard about the night before, the events of which were foggy to her.
"Drinking." she said out loud, coming to a suddenly realization.
"Drinking?" Toriel blurted out, shocked, "How old are you?"
"Twenty-one?" Frisk replied, nervously smiling. She'd hoped that she'd believe her, but knew she wasn't fooling anyone. Toriel narrowed her eyes, clearly not convinced.
"Kids today." she sighed, shaking her head disapprovingly, "Though, that would explain your current predicament. Goodness, if you were my child, I'd-" She stopped, realizing what it was that she was saying.
"You'd what?" Frisk asked, feeling uneasy. Toriel was silent for a moment, picking her words carefully.
"I would tell you how much I love you, and how I wish you would make better decisions." Ms. Tori answered. Frisk expected an answer reminiscent of how she handled Flowey moments ago; what she actually got was quite the opposite. The concerned smile on the monster's face only seemed to confirm her claim, which stirred up some confusing emotions within the human. "Here we are!" Tori announced cheerfully, "Home, sweet home!"
Frisk had been so distracted by their conversation, she hadn't noticed how far they'd traveled. She looked up to see the two story building standing before them, somewhat confused. It was some kind of storefront business, with many books displayed in the window. She read the sign that hung above the books:
"Toriel's World of Knowledge & Wonder:
Take a walk through my aisles of books!
Guide yourself along the many pages!
Train yourself in the ways of imagination!"
"You live in a book store?" the young girl asked, thinking it rather odd.
"No silly," Tori giggled, "I live above it." She motioned to the door located to the far right of the storefront, searching her pocket for the key. Soon enough, she found it, using it to unlock and open the door to reveal a stairway leading up. "After you." She insisted, standing to the side. Hesitating no longer, Frisk obeyed and made her way inside and up several of the creaking steps. Once she was inside, Toriel followed behind, first closing the door and locking it behind them. She took the lead and made her way up to the top of the steps where a white wooden door awaited.
"So, do you live alone?" Frisk spoke up, as the thought of there being more of this monster's kind had only just occurred to her.
"Yes, actually," Ms. Tori sighed, clearly taking no joy in her own answer, "Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy having some peace and quiet; but it does get rather lonely often times." She opened the door and entered inside, Frisk following behind her. The small apartment certainly wasn't anything spectacular, but it was better than many of the other places Frisk had seen.
The walls were a cream color, with many photographs and other works of art hanging from them. The floor was hardwood, the finish having been scratched and worn off over time. The room was furnished with a brown reclining chair that sat next to a brick fireplace, which had a bookshelf full of books located just to the right of it. A small dining table with three chairs was placed to the right of the room. A large pathway led to a kitchen to the left of the room, and there was a small hallway located at the very end of the room.
"It feels so cozy here." Frisk commented, as she moved around the apartment.
"I'm glad you think so," Ms. Tori smiled at that, hanging her sweater on a coat rack, "I try my best to make it feel comfortable for everyone that walks through my door. Please, make yourself at home." She went to the kitchen, allowing Frisk to explore a bit. She went to the bookshelf, not recognizing any of the title or the names of the authors. Many of them were educationally based, with there even being a book on snails among them.
"How To Serve Humans," she read one of the titles to herself, pulling the book from the shelf and reading the caption below the title, "An Essential Guide To The Average Human Diet." She put the book back, feeling somewhat relieved. Toriel re-entered the room, carrying an ice pack.
"Here you are, my child," she said cheerfully, as she handed the pack to Frisk, "This should help the swelling."
"Thanks." Frisk replied, applying the freezing bag of ice to her sore nose, "So, this is the Underground. It's funny, apart from the monsters, it doesn't feel any different from home."
"That doesn't surprise me," Ms. Tori explained, taking a seat at the kitchen table, "Long ago, monsters and human once lived together in perfect harmony; it only makes sense that are societies would share similarities."
"So, what happened?" Frisk asked, never having true understanding of the situation.
"Prejudice," Toriel answered rather reluctantly, "Whether it was by hate or fear, they drove us out of "their" world. The world we helped them build." Frisk was silent, feeling guilty and rather ashamed. She moved over to the monster and placed a hand on her soft shoulder.
"I'm sorry." she apologized, taking the ice pack away from her face. Ms. Tori looked into the girl's copper eyes, seeing true sincerity in them.
"Oh, honey," she chuckled, feeling somewhat touched, "You have nothing to apologize for, that was long before your time. To blame you for what they did to us would be like you blaming me for what that hooligan did to you." Frisk remembered back to what had happened not too long ago that day.
"What Flowey said before, is it true?" Frisk asked. Toriel fell silent, as she hadn't expected to hear a question like that. Even worse, she didn't know how to respond in any other way but the honest truth. "Tori?" Her silence didn't help in easing Frisk's worries.
"This world is dangerous, I won't lie." she finally answered, reaching up to caress Frisk's cheek, "But, I assure you, it can't possibly be anymore dangerous than the world you came from." Frisk tried to process that information, not sure whether to be troubled or comforted.
"They'll hate me, won't they?" the human girl asked.
"Only out of fear and ignorance," the monster explained, before giving a tender smile, "But, they'll realize how wrong they were. Until then, you're welcome to stay here with me. And if ever you encounter another monster while I'm absent, run away. And if running is not an option, call me and stall them for time. When I get there, I'll settle the matter."
"Call you?" Frisk repeated, questioning her suggested resolution, "Do you have, like, super sonic hearing or something?" Ms. Tori giggled at her response, standing and going to her hanging sweater.
"No, silly," she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out an old flip phone, "With this!" She handed the cellular device to the human. "My number is already in it. If you need anything -or just want to talk-, give me a ring, okay?" Frisk stared at the new (though outdated) phone, not sure how to feel about her host's generosity.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" she couldn't help but question. Toriel realized that this much care all at once must have been overwhelming for the human; if not suspicious.
"Because," Toriel answered, as she wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulders, "Whether man or beast, our lives are equally as precious. Now, I know it's still early, but you may want to lie down and rest for the night. Here, I'll show you where you'll be staying!" Before Frisk could possibly interject, Ms. Tori was leading her down the hall, stopping at the first door on the left. She opened it to show a small, fully furnished, bedroom waiting on the inside. The walls were red, with only a single flower poster hanging in all of the room. There was a small twin size bed in the corner of the room, which had a red comforter to match the walls. A small shelf and a wardrobe stood side by side together, the shelves being barren. A floor lap stood in one corner of the room, and smaller lamp sat on a side table in the opposite corner.
Frisk stepped into the room, taking every bit of it in. "I hope it's to your liking," Ms. Tori remarked, "I'll let you get your rest. Oh, and one more question before I go! Do you prefer butterscotch or cinnamon?"
"What?" the human replied, a bit thrown off, "Um, I guess, cinnamon?"
"Alright!" the goat lady responded cheerfully, "Sweet dream!" She closed the door behind her, leaving Frisk alone in silence. She immediately sat down on the bed, kicking off her shoes and sitting them under it. The day had definitely taken its toll on her, and sleep sounded so good right then. She laid down on her side, rest her head on the pillow. It was such a pleasant feeling, something she wasn't at all used to. She could feel the exhaustion enveloping her, dragging her forcefully to the world of slumber.
"Sorry to bother you again," Frisk was suddenly awoken by the monster lady's voice, as she opened the door again, "You don't 'hate' butterscotch, do you? I mean, if, say, it were on a plate in front of you, you wouldn't not eat it, would you?" This question, coupled with the drowsiness, only confused the young woman even more.
"Uh, yeah, it's okay." she answered, not understanding what Ms. Tori was getting at.
"Okay, just wondering!" the goat said, before leaving again. Frisk sighed. Then, she yawned. Then, she slept.
She wasn't sure how long she'd been out, but it had definitely been several hours. The sun had already gone down, and the only light in the room was what shown beneath the door. For a moment, she'd forgotten where she was, but the familiar giggle she heard from her host immediately reminder her. What she hadn't expected, however, was a second voice laughing along with hers. The laugh definitely had to be a male's voice, one she clearly couldn't recognize. It was rather smooth, yet raspy at the same time.
"I thought she said she lived alone?" Frisk thought, not sure if it was curiosity or alarm that she felt. She sat up and quietly got out of bed, making her way over to the door and putting her ear to it.
"I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am," she heard Toriel apologizing when her laughter had subsided, "Today's just been so hectic that I forgot that we had plans. I meant to call you-"
"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it," the male voice cut her off, "Things happen. There's always next time. 'Least I got to try out my latest zinger on ya."
"You certainly know how to make an old sheep bahahah." Ms. Tori giggled.
"And you know how to tickle a skeleton's funny bone." the male voice joked.
"Skeleton?" Frisk questioned to herself, as curiosity got the better of her. She creaked the door open a tiny bit, trying her best to remain silent as to not alert them of her eavesdropping. She peered out through the small crack between the door and the door frame, finding Ms. Tori sitting at the table with a smaller figure. He appeared to be dressed in a blue suit, with a matching fedora on his head, and black dress shoes covering his feet. His hands were tucked away in his pockets, almost as if they never leave them.
"Are you flirting with me?" Tori faked a gasp.
"What, uh, well, no," the man in blue stumbled over his words, seeming somewhat embarrassed, "I was just tryna' be 'punny', ya know?"
"I'm just teasing ya!" Toriel said, patting the man on his shoulder.
"Ha, good one, boss!" the man commented, trying to regain his composure.
"I'm not your boss anymore," the monster sighed, shaking her head at what he'd said, "I'm no one's boss." Frisk watched as a skeletal hand emerged from the man's pocket and took Tori's.
"You'll always be our boss," he said, his voice sounding confident and assuring, "And if you ever need anything, money or-"
"That life is behind me," she interrupted, her voice sounding more stern, "And that's where it needs to stay!" It fell silent between the two of them, leaving even Frisk to wonder what would come next. "I'm sorry that we have to cut this short, but it was great having your company." Toriel finally spoke up, standing to her feet.
"No problem," the smaller man replied, standing as well, "We'll have to do it again soon." Frisk watched closely as Tori led her guest to the door. "Thanks again for the pie."
"You're welcome." Ms. Tori smiled, opening the door. Before the man in blue could leave though, the larger monster stopped him. "Oh, and Sans?"
"Yeah, Tori?" the man, now identified as being named Sans, asked. Toriel crouched down to his level, then pulled him in for a long kiss. Frisk could only gasp slightly, as she was not expecting such a thing. Soon, Toriel broke the kiss, it falling silent between them again. "I'm goin' to Grillby's," Sans announced awkwardly, as he scurried out the door, "Night!"
"Goodnight," she called back, waving, "Oh, and say hello to Papyrus for me!" After that, she closed the door, a content sigh escaping her. Frisk couldn't help but smile gleefully at this, feeling happy for the two monsters. She quietly shut the door and made her way back to the bed, but stopped when her foot tapped against something in the middle of the floor. She looked down, finding a small plate with a slice of pie, a fork and a folded up note on it. She picked it up and carried it to her bed, turning on the light as she did. She opened up the note and read it to herself.
"Frisk,
SURPRISE! I've baked you a Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie as my way of welcoming you to your new home! It's not much, but I hope you enjoy it!
Love,
Toriel"
Tears began to to well up in Frisk's eyes, as she struggled to understand all of this. She wasn't used to such affection and generosity, and she didn't know how to respond to it all. All she could do was bury her head in her knees and weep. And so she did, until sleep finally took her late into the night.