KOTV: 13 JUST A REMINDER
The room had been considerably much warmer before the newcomer had opened the door, and it gave the Bunny Lady behind the counter a jump. Not that the cold bothered her too much, but it still startled her. She started to stay, "Welcome to Snowdin Inn!" but she gawked when she saw the child step into view and shut the door behind her.
She was a shivering little thing nearly tall enough to reach her shoulder, wearing clothes that might have been warm once, but were now rigid with ice and snow- and the fabric was torn in too many places. Her hair was a royal mess, while their face, nose and hands were pink from cold. Her skin was speckled with tiny cuts, and there was a terrible wound healing on her right eye.
The child looked up and squinted at the Bunny Lady. "Uh… hi?" she said, quaking with shivers. "Someone told me this was a place to-"
"Ah… Get ya' warmed up," the Bunny Lady said abruptly, nose twitching as she raised up in surprise. "Yer blue! Honey, ya look like ya been freezing ta death! How long ya been out there?!" She rushed around the counter and hollered beside the stair well: "Henry, would ya' put on some water to boil? We got a popsicle in 'ere!" she bent at her hips and pat the child's shoulders.
"Ooooh, goodness, ya need somethin' warm!" her brows furrowed, "Come this way, we'll get ya dried off, an a' fresh pair a' clothes…" with a hand on childs' shoulder, she guided her to a door in the wall to the left of the stairs, where inside was a long hallway with dryers and washing machines, and clothes racks. There was a stack of old worn towels folded neatly on a shelf, and beside was a thin shutter door with clothes. "Hmm…" she grabbed a shirt and thrust it at Frisk, sizing it up to her shoulders. "Yer tall, but thin. Might have to get a few pins…" she sighed, "Alrighty, here's a sweater, and these pants are elastic, hope they aren't too short…" she shifted through more clothes, "Oh, I'll find something better later when you're less wet. We have to get you out of those freezing things!"
The child shifted awkwardly, "Thank you…?" she said softly, rubbing her arms.
"Here," the bunny lady grabbed a towel from the rack, and led the child to another door where inside were rows of shower stalls. She shut a door behind them, "Get yer clothes off, and I'll dry ya, sweetie."
She was a little too frozen at the joints to take off her clothes, so the Bunny Lady helped, and soon she was patting her down with a green towel, ruffing up her hair and shaking away the snow. Her clothes fell in a wet pile at their feet, and she was soon trying on a brown sweater, and grey sweat pants. They were snug against her waist and dragged at her feet, but only slightly.
"Well, its not the most perfect thing, but it'll do till you get warmed up."
"No, its fine, thank you!" the child rubbed her hands over her arms. Her mind went blank suddenly, and she felt a sudden strong sense that she was forgetting something.
The Bunny lady opened the stall door, scooped up the wet clothes, and ushered the child back to the laundry room. "I'll really don't think the sweater is making it, honey…" she held it up and inspected the cuts. "Its too torn… what did you go through out there?" her brows furrowed, concentrating as she flipped the sweater around in her hands. She took a deep breath and set the wet clothes over a basket edge beside a washing machine. With a somewhat stern gaze, she looked down at the child.
"I uhm… kind'a like to keep my sweater… if it's alright," the child said meakly.
"I ain't gonna come between ya and yer sweater, hon," the bunny lady shook her head, "I'll wash it, and see if I can patch it up for ya."
"Thank you," she said as the Bunny Lady sent her back to the entrance room. "Sorry I never asked for yer name, hon?"
"Frisk," she managed with a smile.
"I'm Rachel, but ya can call me Ray if ya like. Pleasure ta meet ya, Frisk," the Bunny Lady said with a smile that reached her eyes, "Henry, got that pot boiling? C'mere and meet Frisk!"
"Comin, Ma!" a smaller bunny, (who might have been a few inches taller than Frisk,) wearing a blue sweater and jeans, barefoot came out of the room next to the stairs. The fur on the top of his head frayed over his forehead messily, and one of his ears was up, the other down. His grey eyes set on Frisk, and he suddenly grew a little in height. "Oh! Hi!" he waved, smiling for a moment, and then faltering. "Gosh, you look so cold!"
"Henry, could you guide Frisk to the kitchen? I'll get a pot of cereal for her boiling."
"Sure!" Henry stepped aside as his mom bustled past him through the doorway, and went to greet the popsicle. "Hiya, Frisk! Uhm, name's Henry, but ya already knew that I guess, but ma says it's always polite." He put a hand on her back and guided her the way his ma had gone. "
"Nice ta meet ya, Frisk! We'll get ya warmed up in no time! Been out for a while?"
"Yeah… can't remember how long, really… I think it was dark when I first set out?"
"Where ya from?"
"Ah… beyond the woods?"
"Sounded like a question more than an answer. Oh well, Ma says not ta pester. Didn't mean ta bother ya, just tryin'a be friendly is all."
"No, its fine," Frisk's teeth chattered.
Henry only shrugged as they passed a dark wood table with similar chairs, all adorned with warm, fine knit covers and drapes. Across from there, nearer to the open space of the kitchen was a red leather couch that Henry helped Frisk to.
All the rest of the level had wooden floors, but the kitchen had a greyish stone. Behind the floating islands, Henry's mom was making some racket sifting through pots and pans in the cabinets. When she'd found a pan, she'd leaned to the burner, flipped the switch and let the stove top warm up as she filled up a pale with broad handles in the sink.
To the left of the red couch, there was a doorway beside that led to what might have been private quarters for attendants.
"Just a sec," he hopped to the other side of the doorway and swung open a thin door in the wall. He shuffled about with whatever was inside for a moment before leaning back with a thick brown bundle, and leaning to close the door with his shoulder. "Here ya go!" he unfurled the blanket in a grand flourish, and threw it about Frisks shoulders. It was a heavy, but soft and warm blanket, and Frisk drew it around herself eagerly.
"Ooooh, that's better… Thank you!" She gasped.
"Not a problem!" Henry waved a dismissive hand. "Few more minutes, and ma will have you a pot of warm water."
"Thank you so much!" she huddled on the edge of the couch.
With a carefree jump, Henry sat down beside Frisk, and kicked his feet up and down. "I'm trying to think of some things to warm you up," he began lightly, "Ma says its best to warm someone up slowly, usually warm water for your feet, warm drink, or cereal is pretty good for you as well." he leaned forward a bit to peer at her face. "Huh? You okay? You look awful worried."
"I'm just surprised by the willingness of purely random people trying too hard to help me," she mumbled: "and otherwise…"
"Oh," he sat back, "Well, we run an inn, and it's good to be welcoming. "Make it feel like home," ma says," Frisk caught him smiling buck teeth at her. "Besides, there's lotsa other kids Ma helps take care of around here."
"Other kids?"
"Some folks can't take care of em, or they just ain't got nowhere. We do get guests to stay here, but a lot of times it's just kids. And we all help out to keep things runnin' when we can. You're welcome as long as you wanna be here, uh… Frisk, right?"
Frisk watched Henry for a long moment before Henry perked up and called to his mom, "Watch'ya doin' over there?"
"Stirrin' cereal and watchin' the water not boil."
"Ma, you told me yer not supposed to watch water boil er it never will!"
"Sssh, er it'll hear ya," his mom chuckled as she continued to stir the other pot.
Henry shook his head, still grinning, "Oh well, feeling any better yet?"
"It's a lot warmer in here than it is out there," Frisk grinned.
"Sure is!" Henry nodded.
Rachel brought over a tray with a steaming bowl and sat it on the table. "Come over here, and get some food in ya."
Henry helped Frisk up, and they crossed to the table. Henry pulled out a chair for Frisk to sit down- it was a surprisingly comfortable chair. A bowl of porridge sat in front of her, steaming, with some sugar poured on the top, with little bits of apple chopped into it. She grabbed the spoon on the side and started stirring up the contents while Henry made to sit down as well…
"Henry, let her eat her food, come over 'ere and help me clean, and ya'll can talk later, a'right?"
"Ya, kay," Henry waved to Frisk before hurrying off with his ma to clean clean up the kitchen; cleaning pans, and wiping things clean with quick, and jumpy efficiency.
Frisk got a spoonful of porridge, made sure to grab an apple, blew on it, and took a bite. The taste melted in her mouth sweetly and slightly tart because of the apple. The oats were still a little smooth in texture, but they hadn't been cooked long enough for it to be overwhelming. Rachel had practice cooking this, and she was a pro. Frisk gobbled up the porridge quickly, but she felt dismayed when she was barely halfway, and already getting full. She started pecking at the apples individually then; at least wanting to finish those. It had been months since she'd eaten any really good apples, not since… well… she couldn't remember.
"Oh!" she stabbed the spoon into the porridge and stood up, causing Rachel to look at her. "It's really good! Thank you! But uhm, I forgot my glasses in my clothes, I think, I'll be right back!" she hurried away and went back to the laundry room.
Frisk squinted, trying to remember where the basket was since she couldn't see more than a blur at the moment. She saw shapes, and came close to inspect. She found the right basket quickly, and looked through the pockets of her pants. They were soaking wet. They weren't in the first pocket. Heart racing, she reached for the other pocket, but they weren't there either.
"Oh no…" Frisk groaned. "How am I going to…" she took a deep breath and sighed. "It's not like I could use them anyway, but…" she hung her head and turned to leave- but she stopped. There, sitting on the edge of the dryer, were her glasses neatly folded, cracks and all. She reached out for them, and held them up in front of her eyes to peer through them.
For the split second that she did, there was a skeleton with a blue jacket watching her from the doorway of the entrance, and when she jerked back and the glasses moved from her eyes, the skeleton was gone.
Her pulse pounding deafeningly in her ears, she staggered back, and crouched between two washing machines to sit against the wall. Holding her knees, with her glasses rattling in one hand, she huddled in fear.
She had fallen into a world of monsters, had been cut and thrown, had nearly frozen to death, hunted by demons and skeletons, and rescued by a talking lion with horns, a reindeer with a sideways jaw, and bunnies… "I'm insane… there's no way all this is happening…" whatever haze she had been in that had kept her from realizing the weight of everything before now suddenly cleared, and now the tears streamed down her face and wouldn't stop.