Apologies for this chapter having taken so long! There's not much, but the next chapter will not take as long (I hope).
The full title for this chapter is: You Seem Alright, But We Still Have to Take You to the Captain
Once across the threshold, Papyrus heard a familiar hum of magic. Before he could react, the human was suddenly roughly pulled away from him and to one side of the front room. A violet floating hand grasped the wet fabric of their sweater. In the same moment, the door slammed shut. He yelped in alarm, but quickly recovered, moving to reach for the human again until a shallow wall of bones popped up from the carpet, blocking his way.
A tiny gasp came from the other side of the barrier and a soft red light started to glow from behind the human's shirt. Their soul summoned, it drew away from them, coming to a stop just before their terrified face. The disembodied hand still held them fast, pinning them against the wall.
"Uh…D-Dad?" Papyrus called. He shuffled his feet in effort to find a path through the wall of bones "That's-"
"Stay back Papyrus!" Gaster ordered. The light in his working socket was a bright pinprick focused on the human with uncertainty and fascination. In wonder, he lifted an arm, reaching out to their soul. His hand halted inches away, and the child let out tiny whimper.
"DAD!" Papyrus called again. "THERE'S REALLY NO REASON TO HOLD THEM UP LIKE THAT! OR FOR ALL OF THIS…"
He waved a hand at the line of bones blocking his way. Arm dropping, Gaster slowly turned to look at him. His mouth was turned into a grimace as he spoke, trying to hide the worry in his tone.
"Papyrus, you know this is a human right?"
"OF COURSE I DO! I HAVE BEEN TESTING THEM WITH MY PUZZLES ALL MORNING!"
Light confusion spread over Gaster's face. "Then why did you bring them here? I thought you set up the shed to house captured humans until guard captain arrived."
The younger skeleton looked down, uncomfortable. "Well, I haven't actually captured them yet…One of the puzzles malfunctioned," Papyrus crossed his arms, shaking his head. "It almost killed them! So I brought them here to recover before we continued."
His father looked at him almost dumbfounded.
"Papyrus," he said. "We can't just…bring humans into our home. You know this! They must be taken to Asgore."
"Ah..but…" Papyrus tried to think of an argument, his gaze shifting guiltily between the human and his father. "Th-they seem very friendly. Could we perhaps help them?"
Gaster stepped closer to the human until he was looming over them. The child stared up at him with a look both fearful and curious. Sighing, he lowered the bone wall so Papyrus could step closer, but keeping a hold on the human with his magic. Papyrus gave him a grateful smile then knelt down next to the child.
"Are you okay Human?" he asked. They nodded, shivering a little. Slowly the violet hands dissipated, and the red soul trailed back to their chest, fading away.
"How did you know I was with the human anyway?" Papyrus asked, helping them up.
"Dr. Alphys has many cameras set up to detect any human presence. When I arrived at the lab I saw you not far from the ruins," Gaster kept his gaze on the newcomer. "I came back immediately."
"Alphys certainly does do a lot!" Papyrus said, a hint of annoyance slipping into his tone. When Gaster looked at him questioningly, his shoulders fell a little. "It was the machine she made that caused a puzzle to change, very nearly doing much more than the intended damage to the human!"
He stood up again, crossing his arms. "I don't think I want to try that one again, not until she has a chance to look it over and figure out the problem!"
The corners of Gaster's mouth went up a little at his son's declaration, but settled again as Papyrus reached down to take the human child's hand again.
"Come Human!" he said. "After all that you surely need rest now! I think we have some dry clothes that will fit you until your's become less…drippy."
He led them away from the corner of the living room and towards the stairs before hesitating.
"Um…please go ahead up Human!" he said, pushing them forward. "You can wait in my room, I'll be right behind you!"
Smiling pleasantly, the human did as directed, going up and straight to Papyrus's door. Once they disappeared inside, the boy turned to Gaster. "Dad, you still have some of my old clothes right? The human is much to small to fit into what I have now!"
Gaster held back a cringe. "Son," he started. "We should not keep the child here for long. They've already gone through all of your puzzles-"
"Oh, the human is very good at puzzles!" Papyrus said delightedly. "I will have to come up with more challenging ones to keep them busy!"
"There's really no need now," sighed Gaster. "They're here. Captured. We'll just call the captain and keep an eye on them until she gets here. They have to be taken to King Asgore"
Papyrus's face fell. "R-right…" he glanced around. "But do we really need to? I…they're really quite nice. The king would not want to take the soul of a good person right? They could stay here in Snowdin instead…"
The scientist took a moment, clearly searching for something to say to convince his son what a terrible idea that was. "Don't you want to join the Royal Guard Papyrus?" he asked. "You have to capture a human to do that right? Captain Undyne won't like if you just kept them here instead."
Feeling unsure, Papyrus . "I do want to join the guard, but…"
Moving closer, Gaster lowered his voice. "Son, humans are dangerous. This one may seem nice now, but they could change at any moment. We need…It's better if we just deliver them to the captain and let the king handle it from here."
Defeated, Papyrus nodded. Gaster gave a sigh of relief, but placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. Never one to be down for very long, Papyrus glanced at him hopefully.
"Perhaps we can deliver them to the king ourselves? I could take them."
Even the cracked brow over Gaster's broken eye furrowed a little. "Absolutely not!"
"W-what if we just take them to Undyne's then? She doesn't like coming to Snowdin after all, it's too cold for her. Then…then she can take them the rest of the way."
Fingers curled in slightly in frustration, but Papyrus gave him a look that he knew could not be denied. After a long moment, his father nodded, and Papyrus grinned once more triumphantly. "I still would like them to dry off before we go anywhere," he said. "Do you-?"
"There's a box in my closet," Gaster sighed. "Some of your old clothes should fit them well enough."
Grin still plastered across his face, Papyrus bounded up the stairs, chuckling at his victory. Gaster shook his head behind him.
No matter how kind Papyrus thought the human was, they were still dangerous to all monsters. The child sat comfortably on the couch, a blanket covering their lap and sipping at whatever warm drink Papyrus had made for them. Even the smallest outfit his son had found was too big for them, and hung on their small frame. They seemed pleased all the same, and giggled when they stumbled over the excess fabric earlier. Papyrus himself was in the kitchen, working on drying the child's own clothes, hurried at the idea that the borrowed outfit was also a danger to them.
Gaster watched the human from the little table in the same room, occasionally sifting through some papers from the lab but not seeing them. Whenever the child caught his eye, they acknowledged him fully. Sometimes with a small smile that he could not return. Altogether they seemed unsure around him, but they were determined. The red of their soul had made it clear when he had examined it, but Gaster could recognize the strong trait even through their expression. It was unsettling.
Yet, for a brief, enthralling moment, his own soul had thrummed with nervous excitement at the sight of the child's soul. Such concentrated Determination had not been found in the Underground for many many years. It was a dangerous temptation he'd had little access to for a very long time. Somewhere in his labs, hidden away but not forgotten, was all the research on Determination. Experiments and notes, samples and theories, everything he could find all tucked into a couple of boxes. He had sworn long ago he wouldn't touch them again, yet he couldn't bring himself to get rid of the work. It was another connection to Him.
Letting out a breath of air, Gaster attempted to focus on the work before him. Tapping his pencil, he skimmed over the page again.
"What are you doing?" Gaster looked up at the human, who had set their cup aside and scoot themselves along the couch. They knelt into the cushion, leaning over the arm to peek at his work, which he automatically pulled a few inches away.
"Work," he replied shortly. The child blinked and he sighed. "A report to send to the king."
"Are you going to tell him about me?"
"There are far more efficient ways to let him know a human has fallen, but if he doesn't already, he will hear about you soon enough without me telling him," Casting a last long look at the child's curious face, Gaster poured over the page again. "This is simply a record of my work to keep the king informed."
"What's your work like?"
"Busy."
"You're the Royal Scientist right?" Again, Gaster stopped to stare at the child. This time they did not meet his gaze. They continued sheepishly. "Another monster told me about you."
He wasn't surprised. Most anyone under direct employ of the king was well known throughout the Underground. And the people of Snowdin in particular were avid gossips, having little else to do. He shoved his papers back into a folder, deciding his focus could not be regained.
"I'm Dr. Gaster," he said after a moment. The papers crinkled under his hands. It didn't need to go any further than that. As soon as Papyrus had their clothes ready they would deliver the child to Captain Undyne. She was already aware they were coming. The sooner the child was out of their hands, the better. Their presence made him nervous, and he couldn't help but feel something bad was coming. But the king would take care of things. Soon, the barrier would fall.
The child was still watching him, eyes bright and wide. Thinking of the morning they must've had so far, Gaster faltered. "What is your name?"
Their smile spread over their features. "I'm Frisk!"
Once the human's clothes were sufficiently dry enough and back on the child, Papyrus tried to find little ways to stall their journey. He'd barely pulled a box of spaghetti from the cupboard when his father stepped in, throwing him a knowing look.
The human was being a very good sport about being captured. They didn't even mention how they had not done more puzzles like he'd promised. Papyrus wished they could have continued their fun, but it simply wasn't an option any more. The child, who he'd overheard was called Frisk, seemed very calm about the whole ordeal, even as Papyrus told them about Undyne.
"I don't want you to be frightened," Papyrus said sincerely. "Undyne is a very good person! But she is very determined. She'll take you to King Asgore and he…"
He hesitated for just a moment but smiled brightly. "He's a big softie! Once he sees you're a good person too I'm sure he will come up with another solution. Perhaps you can come back to Snowdin and stay with us? I'm sure you would like it!"
There was silence for a moment, and before Frisk seemed to realize they were meant to answer, Papyrus was speaking again.
"You probably want to go back home though," he said, cheerful tone slipping for only a moment. "You obviously came from somewhere. Do you have a family on the surface to get back to?"
It was the first time Frisk had shown any discomfort in their conversation; they flinched slightly, casting their eyes to the floor. The skeleton went quiet for a moment, unsure what to make of the response. Eventually they gave a short nod.
Papyrus let out a sigh and smiled encouragingly. "I'm sure they miss you Frisk," he said. The child simply nodded again, an unreadable expression on their face.
"Are you ready Papyrus?"
The skeleton rose up slowly, hovering a hand over Frisk's shoulder. After a moment he drew his arm away guiltily. "Yes," he answered as Gaster entered, bundled in a long wool coat. "I suppose so."
They exited the house and the scientist took the lead without hesitation. He guided the human child along on one side of him, on his opposite was Papyrus, but the younger skeleton didn't care to walk in silence. His brightened considerably as they walked along, and he began to chatter away, telling Frisk about one of his puzzles that he had not had a chance to show them before. They had scarcely stepped passed the last building of Snowdin before he was interrupted by another excited voice.
"Yo!" The group turned back, stopping as a small monster child ran up to meet them.
"Oh, hello Kid!" Papyrus greeted, recognizing the monster.
"Hi Papyrus!" Kid bounced happily as he stopped before them, smiling widely up at Papyrus. Frisk watched, looking amused until Gaster lightly pushed them back so they were obscured from Kid's view, but only slightly. "Are you going to see Undyne?"
"Yes," Gaster answered. "We have some very important business to handle with her."
Kid made a face. "Business? That doesn't sound like much fun."
Gaster smiled back, crossing his arms lightly as if planning something. "I trout you'll have any fun there, so you seariously ought to turn around and head home."
Both Papyrus and Kid's faces spelled distaste for the play on words, Papyrus even groaned. Behind Gaster's leg, Frisk snickered, and Gaster's own face fell when Kid noticed it.
"Hey!" he said, kicking up one leg to lean unsteadily to the side for a better view. "Who's that?"
"No one of note," The scientist said quickly, but Kid ignored him, and, rather than topple over from leaning, took a few steps around Gaster to see behind him.
"Yo!" he shouted again. "You're a kid like me right?"
His tail moved excitedly, rocking the rest of his small body. Frisk stayed where they were, but nodded to Kid, returning his bright smile.
"Cool!" he wrinkled his little snout. "Did you just laugh at the doctor's joke? It's so bad!"
Frisk giggled, and Kid went on, shaking his head. "Are you going to Undyne's too? I'll come with you! She's so cool, I'll bet she'll let us play while they do their 'important business'."
The lights in Gaster's sockets rolled at this, and again he shifted so he was standing slightly in front of the human child. "There won't be any playing at Undyne's today," he continued when Kid whined. "How about Papyrus take you home and you two can play together?"
Both boys protested.
"I'm going to Undyne's with you," Papyrus said seriously.
"I can go to Undyne's if I want!"
The older skeleton could only sigh. "Fine," he muttered. "Kid, you will go home or else I will have to have a chat with your parents. I'm certain they don't approve of you going into Waterfall on your own, and you cannot come with us today."
The monster kid pouted in response, his tail drooping. When he stomped a foot in frustration, Papyrus looked very sorry and knelt down in front of him.
"We really do have some important things to take care of now," he said. "SOME VERY IMPORTANT ROYAL GUARD THINGS! But next time I will bring you with me to Undyne's, and maybe she'll even let you train with us!"
This seemed to do the trick, as Kid immediately started bouncing happily again, staring at Papyrus almost starstruck. "Really Papyrus?"
"OF COURSE! A VERY COOL SKELETON LIKE MYSELF NEVER GOES BACK ON HIS WORD!"
Kid laughed, and, tail wagging, said goodbye to all three of them and was off again as if he hadn't been denied anything at all. He tripped and fell, only to pick himself up quickly, and be on his way again. Gaster sighed once more, and turned Frisk around.
"Let's go," he said quietly. This time they were all quiet as they trudged through the windy clearing that led to where the snow halted, and the waterfall region began.
