It seems as though Flowey was almost sweating as Frisk approaches the house in the ruins. Just as they get to the tree in front of it, Toriel exits her home. "Oh dear, that took longer than I thought," she says, as she takes her phone and puts it to her ear to call Frisk. That's when she sees them just ahead. She runs to them quickly. "How did you get here, my child? Are you hurt?" She pauses, and looked at Flowey. He gulps in fear. "Is this… the flower from earlier?"
Tell Toriel…
We're friends now. *He's a different flower.
"A… a different flower? But he looks the same as the other one. Exactly the same. Are you lying to me, young one?" Toriel asks. Darn, busted.
"Please don't be mad at them, theyre just tryin' to protect me, m- ma'am," Flowey says, still trying to look and sound harmless and polite. He's good at that, I'll admit he did trick me the first time around and made me think that bullets really were "friendliness pellets." …I might be a sucker for an innocent face though.
Luckily, it seems Toriel is as well. "I see… you two must be friends now then," Toriel turned her attention back to Frisk. "Well we should put your new friend in a better pot than a Spider Cider jug. Come along," she says, leading Frisk into her house. Before entering, Frisk gets a good look at it. It fills Frisk with determination.
The inside of Toriel's home is simple, but incredibly cozy. The gentle music playing makes it really feel like home… safe, secure, familiar. "Do you smell that?" Toriel asks. "Surprise! It's a butterscotch-cinnamon pie! I thought we might celebrate your arrival. I want you to have a nice time living here. So I will hold off on the snail pie for tonight." Flowey looked a little disappointed at that. "Here, I have another surprise for you," she says, and walks down the hall to the right.
"Heh… she… she makes really good pies. You'll like them, Frisk," Flowey says.
Frisk goes down the hallway too, and Toriel shows them a room of their very own as she pats their head. "Now all you need is a pot for your friend. I'll be right back, you make yourself at home."
And she left, going towards her room to find a flower pot. Frisk enters their room. The whole space was a sort of dusty red. It feel incredibly welcoming to them. They look at the toys, with Flowey pointing out his favorite one… that is if he had to choose a favorite of course! Then move onto the shelf next to a box of shoes, then the wardrobe, filled with striped clothing. Flowey's eyes seem to linger on a green and yellow shirt for a moment before Frisk closes the wardrobe. Then they turn to the doorway.
"Sorry that took a minute," Toriel says, entering the room and placing a terracotta flower pot on the ground. It is painted with a few crudely drawn flowers. Flowey looks at them, almost somberly. "This should keep your friend nice and happy, with plenty of room to grow," she continues. "Do you need help moving him?"
Answer Toriel…
Yes. *No.
"Okay. …Are you sure you can do it on your own? …Well alright, if you're sure. I'll get a glass of water for him though."
Meanwhile, Frisk moves Flowey into the pot. "Thanks," Flowey says, still looking around the room with obvious nostalgia. "Heh… Didn't think I'd ever see a place like this again." Frisk picks the pot up and puts it on the shelf. Flowey looks at a dusty and empty picture frame in silence.
Toriel returns to the room eventually, giving Frisk the cup of water and letting them pour it into the flower pot. "The pie is still too hot to eat. Why don't you get some rest? You must be tired after going through those ruins." Frisk nods and climbs into bed. "Sleep well, my child," Toriel says as she turns off a light.
Tell Toriel good night?
No, too tired. *Good night, Mom.
Toriel looks at Frisk, then smiles a little before exiting the room. The music changed slightly, to something sounding much more like a sort of lullaby. Just before Frisk nodded off completely, a very small voice repeats, very quietly, "Good night…Mom."
When Frisk awakens, Flowey isn't where they left him and a piece of pie is on the ground. Frisk gets out of bed and picks up the pie before going over to the shelf where Flowey's pot was. They turn the lights on, and I move them through a more thorough search of the room. There still is no sign of Flowey. Frisk exits the room, going to look in Toriel's. Diary of bad puns, tsundere cactus, and scandalous sock drawer are intact, but there's still no sign of Flowey. Frisk searches the hall and then moves on to the main room of the house. Calendar of 201X, check, small shelves, check… no Flowey. Frisk walks to the kitchen but stops, just short of the door.
"So you were teaching the child… How to defend themselves?"
"Yes… but… I guess from your view it looked pretty bad."
"Hm…" it didn't sound like she believed him.
Eavesdrop?
*Yes. No.
"Listen… Toriel… I helped them through most of the ruins. I have their best interests at heart."
"But why? Why do you care about them?"
Flowey is silent for a second. "Why do you?"
"…I do not want to see any other humans leave this place and…"
"And die. Right?" Flowey asks. Toriel's silence is as good as any confirmation. "So why can't that be true for me, too?"
Toriel sounds sad. "You don't have a reason to feel that way…"
"Heh… you have no idea. My best friend was a human, and they fell from the overworld, just like Frisk did."
"That is not possible," Toriel objects. "I check every day to see if any new humans have fallen."
"Well… Guess you missed one, Toriel."
She pauses, thinking about that, then quite suddenly says," I do not remember telling you my name."
Flowey's gulp is audible. "I uh… Frisk told me."
"I see." It sounds like she accepted that. "Well either way I appreciate your help, making sure young Frisk arrived here safely, but…"
"I need to make sure they stay safe," Flowey insists. "I'm not much of a burden, I promise."
"Hm…" Toriel seems to be considering it. "…Oh, Frisk, is that you outside the door?"
Frisk jumps, startled. "Frisk! Morning," Flowey says, sounding embarrassed at being caught discussing them. "Get enough sleep?"
Frisk goes into the room completely. Toriel is seated at the table eating what looks to be snails and water sausage. Flowey is on the table, shuffling a little uncomfortably. Frisk goes to him and picks him up. "Breakfast?" Toriel asks, going to make them a plate before they can respond. She comes back with a small plate of… eggs, thankfully. …Well, no, there is a singular snail on the side. Frisk sits and eats. "Do you like it? It's one of my own recipes."
"It smells really good…" Flowey says, almost longingly.
"Do… Flowers eat? Or just photosynthesize? I do not want to be rude, but I have never seen a monster like you before, Flowey," Toriel says.
Flowey frowns. "It's okay… guess I'm kind of one of a kind."
Tell Toriel…
He's a daisy. *He said he wasn't always a flower.
"What? …What do they mean by that?" Toriel asked, sounding confused and suspicious.
Flowey looks to the left, trying to think of some way to divert attention away from what Frisk told her. "Uh… well… I just told them earlier, I think I'm a… Re-in-carnation?" He smiles, waiting for a response.
Toriel is silent for a moment, then starts to giggle. "Oh, that's a good one."
"Thank you," Flowey says proudly. He seems very relieved as well, though Toriel doesn't notice.
Toriel turns her attention back to Frisk. "Are you done with your breakfast? You forgot to eat that snail. Oh, you're full? Well okay." Toriel takes the plate and goes to wash up.
"So now what," Flowey asks. Frisk silently picks up the pot. I direct them towards the stairs. "Hold on… uh… I think we forgot something in the ruins, we should go get it." I keep moving Frisk forward, down the stairs, and down the basement hall, towards where I know the exit of the ruins is.
Toriel catches me before I get too far. She suggests playing in the yard. I try again, and this time she suggests a book. Looks like Frisk can't get past her. Frisk goes outside.
"You know, this place is nice. Quiet… safe… it could be home," Flowey says, looking at the tree in the front. "And there's a whole city down here to explore, and home baked pies, and Toriel could use help gardening I bet. Maybe we can… stay? A while?" Frisk doesn't answer him. "Well… at the very least you should go get the ballerina shoes, you'll need them later."
Backtracking through the ruins was tedious at best. But Flowey isn't wrong. Without the ability to do any real damage to monsters, I'll need as much defense as possible. So I pick up the shoes and start my way back.
"We could go buy more Spider Donuts," Flowey suggests. He seems worried when there's no reply. "Or… or Spider Cider, if you prefer." I keep Frisk going. They're nearly back to Toriel's house. "Hey… you know you never found the secret of the city last time."
The secret of the city? I've never heard of that.
"It'll make you pretty powerful," Flowey continues. "Maybe strong enough that you'll actually be able to hit something like you mean it. Remember where we found the toy knife? You can go there to get to the rest of the old city." He's probably lying… but it's worth a shot. I go there and poke around the room for a while. After going over and investigating every square of the room- twice- I exit. "Heh… I forgot, you have to look through some books first. It's late though… you can do that tomorrow. In the meantime… Snail pie?"
Frisk goes back to Toriel's house and picks at dinner while she dotes on them. I try talking to Toriel a few times, but I don't get the usual responses. I guess I'll have to wait a day before Frisk asks how they can leave. Eventually Toriel ushers Frisk and Flowey into their room, and Frisk sets Flowey on the shelf before going to sleep.
"It's a beautiful day in the ruins, huh?" Flowey asks the next day as I go back to the room with the toy knife. I already checked every bookshelf in the house, now I'm going over every square in the room… again. "Think Toriel will make another snail pie for dinner? I hope so, it smelled good. Hey, isn't the house great?"
Ask Flowey…
Can you even smell anything without a nose? *Do you know Toriel from somewhere?
"Know… Toriel? I… no, I just uh… I know of her," Flowey says, shuffling. I continue searching the room. There's absolutely nothing there. It's time to leave the ruins. I start Frisk back on the right path when Flowey speaks again. "Frisk, you… do like it here, right? Do you at least like Toriel and the house and everything?"
Answer Flowey…
I like it here, but… *I like her, but…
Flowey frowns. "Why would you ever want to go back to the surface? Isn't this a good enough home? I mean, Toriel is so kind to you. She lets you call her Mom, and cooks for you, and teaches you things about snails and plants, and protects you. …I wish she would… treat me… like she treats you." Flowey trails off, then looks at Frisk seriously. "There's friends to be made out there, but you won't ever find another place like this. You know that right?"
*Yes. No.
"So you're going to stay here?"
Yes. *No.
"But… why?" Flowey asked, a hint of despair in his voice. "I know… there's something making you feel like you have to, Frisk, but you don't. You can just live your life the way you want. You don't have to do anything more than that. Really."
Back at the house, I have Frisk check everything again to try to prompt Toriel to ask if they need anything. Eventually, Toriel takes me to the room again, and Frisk falls asleep. When they wake up, Flowey is gone again. Frisk goes to check the kitchen for him.
"Okay, how about this one… What happens when a froggit's car breaks down?" Toriel asks.
"I dunno, what?" Flowey replies.
"It gets… Toad away."
Flowey laughs. "Ha, okay so did you hear about the vegetoid who fell down a pitfall and got stuck? He's still happy though, he didn't carrot all."
Toriel laughs too. …This is the worst display of humor that Frisk has ever seen. "Oh, good morning, young one. Would you like to… kid around with us?"
Answer Toriel…
*No, just… no. No, these puns have goat out of hand.
"Aw, don't be such a bore," Flowey pouted.
Frisk goes to talk to Toriel. "I am sorry if this is too much, but… I wanted to let you know how glad I am that you are staying here. I have so many books I want to share with you, I want to show you my favorite bug hunting spot, and I've prepared a curriculum for your education. This may be a surprise, but I've always wanted to be a teacher," she smiles, then admits, "That probably isn't surprising at all is it? Still, I am glad to have you living here… and Flowey too, surprisingly. Do you need anything, my child?"
Nothing. *When can I go home?
Toriel looked taken aback, behind her, Flowey was shaking his head vigorously. "This… is your home now. Do you want to see the book I'm reading? It is called 72 Uses for Snails."
Sure. *I want to go home.
Toriel frowned. "Um… how about an exciting snail fact?"
Sure. *How about how to exit the ruins.
She is quiet for a few seconds, then says, "Sorry, I have to do something. Stay here." And she leaves quickly. Frisk follows her.
"Frisk! Frisk wait, you forgot me!" Flowey shouts from the table.
Toriel descends the stairs, and Frisk goes down them as well, just a moment later. At the bottom of the stairs, Toriel stands, looking ahead. "You wish to know how to return "home," do you not? Ahead of us lies the end of the ruins. A one way exit to the rest of the underground. I am going to destroy it. No one will be able to leave again. Now go be a good child and go play with Flowey upstairs." She continued forward. Frisk chases after her. "Every human that falls down here meets the same fate… I've seen it too many times, and so has your friend. They try to leave… and die. If you try to leave the ruins, Asgore will… Please just go upstairs, Frisk."
Frisk continues to follow her. "Go to your room. …Do not try to stop me, this is your final warning." She continues until she reaches a stone door. "You really want to leave? …Hmph… You are just like the others. Fine, then prove yourself, prove you are strong enough to survive.
The fight starts. I remember the toy knife… surely that will be enough to let me do some damage. I attack experimentally. Finally, the interface shows up, and I manage to get a decent hit against Toriel. Her first attacks aren't too easy to dodge, but I manage to avoid most of the potential damage. I try to fight again, but this time a message appears, "You hear someone approaching." Frisk does one damage and once again, I have to dodge attacks. Toriel looks through Frisk. I try to attack again… and…
"Don't hurt Mom!" I hear Flowey and the battle stops for a moment. Through sheer determination, he seems to have hopped with his terracotta pot all the way downstairs and to the exit of the ruins. I don't get an attack that turn, but Toriel certainly does. This time around, her fire magic seems a little easier to avoid. I try to attack again. "Don't." Flowey says. No attack for me. I guess I have to do this the hard way. After dodging more fire magic, I start trying to spare her.
After a few tries, Toriel gets annoyed. "What are you doing?" she asks. "Fight or run away," she demands. I continue trying to spare her and my health grows lower until she is forced to make her magic avoid Frisk altogether. "What are you trying to prove?" she asks. "Stop." Then after a few more turns, she stops fighting. "I know you want to go home, but please go upstairs now." She smiles. "I promise I will take care of you here. I know we don't have much but…"
Flowey meanwhile, looks relieved, as well as… unguarded. I prompt Frisk to attack. Nothing happens. I prompt Frisk to attack again. Nothing. Frisk won't attack her… because Flowey asked them not to? No… this should work… why won't it? I should be able to kill her in one attack while her guard is down. I don't do anything, and to my surprise, Frisk spares her again, without me prompting them to. Then they keep doing it… again… and again. "Hah… pathetic isn't it?" Toriel eventually says. "I cannot save even one child."
"You… you always did your best, Toriel. Right Frisk?"
She shakes her head as though Frisk agreed. "No, I understand. You would be unhappy trapped down here. The ruins are small once you get used to them. My expectations… My loneliness... My fear… For you, my child, I will put them aside." She stopped the fight, and hugged Frisk. "If you want to leave… I will not stop you." Flowey looks on, staying silent, until Toriel picks him up, catching him off guard. "You called me 'Mom.' That surprised me."
"Oh… yeah," he says, embarrassed and sad. "I… hope you didn't mind."
"If you continue to keep Frisk safe, and it makes you happy… No, I do not mind, my child." At these words, Frisk didn't think Flowey could have looked more happy.
Toriel lets go of Frisk, hands Flowey back to them and stands. "Goodbye," she says, and she leaves the two at the exit of the ruins, returning to her home, only turning to look back at them once.
Flowey sniffled. "I'll miss her. But… She's right. If you really want to go home, I guess I can't stop ya. Let's keep going." Frisk steps forward with him, and they go through the door together.
AN: Looking back, I think this was one of my favorite chapters to write. Also, just so everyone knows, i think i mentioned in the first chapter AN that I'm cross-posting these from Archive of our own. If you want to look it up on there I have up to chapter 12 done. I know not everyone prefers ao3 though, so i'm posting it here too in my free time, but if you don't feel like waiting it's there. My user name is Outskirts_Of_Nowhere on there.