Kit - Here we are, today's PROPER update. Enjoy
Chapter Eleven
::
"Ah, forgot about this one..." Sans scratched at his chin at seeing the icy rink that was dotted with pieces of the next puzzle - another X's and O's one. "Hm...I think I know a shortcut we could take."
"Nonono!" Frisk was in front of him, waving her hands at him. "I wanna try it!" Sans looked from her, to the icy rink, back to her, and then back to the rink. It...did not look like something children should be on, considering the edges on one side could literally lead to her death.
"Ah...you sure, kid? I can always get us across without the whole...skating thing."
"I wanna do it," she whined, looking stubborn as she crossed her arms. Sans sighed and slouched in defeat, looking like he was horribly going to regret the choice.
"Fine...you can do it, if you really want." He could feel Toriel about to kill him, truly. Frisk giggled, clapping before she turned to the puzzle utterly silent, walking back and forth on the snow, seeming to examine it. Sans only glanced up to Toriel. "...So...chances of me not getting thrown off the side of this cliff?"
"Exponentially low." Sans nervously scratched at his cheek, giving a weak laugh.
"Guess you could say my odds are looking a little 'rocky' right now, huh?"
The two turned when they heard a shout, Frisk standing on the button and all the X's turned to O's. "I did it!" Sans slowly blinked, looking confused before starting to speak, stopping, and shaking his head.
"This kid..." Was certainly something. Shrugging, he started easily sliding across to where Frisk was, looking back to Toriel. "Coming?" Toriel blinked, looking down at the ice, then back at Sans, remaining exactly where she was. "...Do you, ah...need...help?"
"No, I do not need help." Sans only raised an eyebrow, looking rather amused as he watched Frisk skate on ahead to the small bridge.
"I mean, I guess we can go on ahead of you if you want. Let you catch up to us, and all that." Alright, so Sans was being a /bit/ too cruel, but, really, it was revenge. Probably. Toriel glared at him, cautiously stepping a foot on the ice before she almost slipped, immediately taking it off. Sans seemed a bit more amused before shifting. "Sure you don't want help?" It'd probably take too long to help her skate over...but he could always just find a 'shortcut' for her.
"Yes, I am sure."
"I mean, if you're sure." Sans skated over to where Frisk was, trying to hide his smile.
"Where's..." Frisk gave a vague gesture. Sans only grinned.
"She's having a few...issues, with the ice part of it." To help her, to not help her... Ah, Sans was weak, especially to Toriel. He would probably help her. In a minute or two. After just a bit more panicking.
"How come?" Frisk looked back to see Toriel looking panicked as she stood in one place on the ice, near shaking.
"Fur and ice don't really mix, kid. Especially in situations like these." And, wow...he felt a bit bad if Toriel was looking this panicked. And oh, look at that, Toriel was suddenly in front of them and no longer at all near the ice. Strange. "Wow, Tori. You're pretty quick, huh? I didn't even see you move." Toriel, at the sudden teleportation, had only given a squeak, her eyes darting around before she slowly glared at Sans. "So, did you find a shortcut?" Frisk grabbed his hand, pulling him along. Sans blinked, having not quite expected that, looking to Frisk curiously. It was fun teasing Toriel, after all.
"Mom and Dad argue like that, sometimes. It doesn't end well, for Dad." Sans gave a slow nod, and, hm. He believed the tiny child had just saved him from getting his head slapped off his shoulders. Yes, good child. Which may have been why Frisk now had a lollipop in her mouth. Frisk blinked before grinning brightly at Sans. When they slid out of the forest, there was...snow on their heads. Frisk sneezed, shaking hers off and giving a quiet sniffle. At hearing the sniffle, Toriel was quick to scoop the child up and tuck her close to her, keeping her warm because no. Small human child was not allowed to get sick. Frisk only sneezed again, looking up at Toriel with a nervous laugh.
"Why not stay in my arms for a while, my child. Just until we reach the Inn and get settled." Warmth and rest would help her more than anything, after all.
"But I'm-" She gave a cough and another sniff, pouting a bit. "I'm fine!"
"Sneezes and you can fake it, but coughs and you're doomed. Sorry, kid, guess your fate is just wracking through you." Frisk only looked to Sans pathetically, pleading for the skeleton to save her. "...You know, we're only about ten or so minutes outside of Snowdin tops, she can probably walk the rest of the way and be fine. Then you'll be inside and all, yeah?" ...Dammit he was weak. Toriel rose an eyebrow, looking down at Sans and narrowing her eyes. "Just a thought. No need to take it seriously- You know, I think I'll go on ahead and check on Papyrus. Heh."
With that, he was quickly scrambling away because nope, nope, nope. He was pretty sure he had messed with Toriel enough today. A few minutes later, after an encounter with a rather large dog, Toriel and Frisk were walking across a narrow bridge, Frisk leaning against Toriel and looking half-asleep. Until there was a skeleton speaking very loudly, of course.
"Human! This is your final and most dangerous challenge! Behold! The Gauntlet of Deadly Terror!" There were a few long moments of nothing happening, Papyrus clearing his throat and gesturing dramatically. "The Gauntlet! Of Deadly! Terror!" Another minute of nothing, the skeleton stomping in frustration and looking to his brother. "Sans! It's not working!"
"Oh? Gee, maybe it broke, or something," Sans responded, looking a touch too smug. "A shame. Guess you'll just have to go make the next one even better."
"You're right! I know the perfect challenge, too!" Papyrus ran off, looking eager to get started on the newest 'trap.' Sans only shook his head, looking amused as he waved to the two before following after his brother at a more leisurely pace, looking unbothered by everything. Toriel rolled her eyes and resisted a scoff, getting off the bridge because honestly. That thing had to be dangerous.
"Come, my child. Let us find that inn that was spoken of. We shall rest there for now." Frisk gave a nod, trying to hold back a yawn, rubbing at her eyes.
::
When Frisk woke up in a bed, she was very confused, and for good reason. The last thing she remembered, they were on their way to town in the snow. A look around showed they were in a small, cozy room, another bed beside hers with Toriel sitting on it and seeming to be marking things down in a notebook, glasses on. She also seemed to be muttering under her breath about irritating skeletons. "Mommy?" Toriel perked up at once, smiling over at the human.
"Good evening, my child. Did you rest well? I have already arranged our stay here, and we shall depart in the morning." Frisk sniffled, looking down at her lap as she sat up. She glanced to Toriel, giving a silent nod. "Are you feeling well? Or would you like to rest some more?" Frisk only gave a shrug, blinking as her stomach rumbled. Toriel had to resist a chuckle, instead smiling fondly. "Would you like something to eat, perhaps?" The child gave a nervous laugh, looking up at her with another nod.
Toriel nodded, and with a bit of bustling around, there was soon a plate of a small, but nutritious meal set in front of Frisk on her bed. As well as a rather large slice of pie - warmed by fire magic, of course. Sniffling a bit, Frisk smiled as she started to dig into the meal, leaving the pie for last. She was always supposed to leave dessert for last. She was sick, not evil.
Setting a few tissues down beside the girl just in case, Toriel went back to her bed and started reading a book she had packed, seemingly getting wrapped up in it. She had stopped glancing up to check on Frisk after ten or so pages. Once Frisk was finished, she looked over to Toriel. It seemed like the woman was deep into whatever she was reading, and didn't want to be interrupted. Frisk slid down from the bed and grabbed her jacket, slipping it on and heading out of the Inn to explore.
The town of Snowdin was rather bustling and busy, monsters walking back and forth to various buildings and homes in the distance, a few under a brightly colored and decorated tree, talking and laughing jovially. It was...quite a change from the Ruins. Frisk stood near the tree, tilting her head at it. It was just like Christmas, back home, but...Christmas wasn't for another few weeks, right? "Yo!" A small monster - near her size if but a bit taller - was looking at her curiously. "You're a kid too, right?" The girl looked around for whoever the monster could be talking to before blinking and staring at him, pointing to herself.
"Me?"
"Of course you!" The kid wondered over a bit closer to her, smiling and looking as happy as everyone else around town. "You're a kid. I can tell cause you're wearing a striped shirt."
She frowned, looking down at the shirt. "What's that got anything to do with it?" The kid gestured with his head towards the shirt - since he didn't really have arms.
"Becuase. It's striped. Only kids like us wear shirts like those! All kids do, pretty much!"
"That's weird. All the kids I know barely wear striped shirts." Frisk was wrinkling her nose, her arms crossed as she argued with him. The kid only stuck his tongue out, own nose wrinkling.
"That's weird. Every kid I know wears striped shirts! See, even you are!"
"Yeah, well, you're weird."
"No, you're weird."
"Your face!"
"Your face! I'm right and you're not nyeh nyeh nyeh- Hey, that reminds me, you're kinda right a bit. The only kid I've seen who doesn't wear a striped shirt is that weird skeleton."
"That's cause he's not a kid, silly. He's an adult."
"No, he's definitely a kid- Wait..." A narrowing of the eyes, the kid slightly leaning forward. "Which skeleton are you talking about?"
"The short one. But I think they're both adults."
"No, you're wrong. I was talking about the tall one, because he's so not an adult. He has to be a kid."
"No no, they said they're brothers. You can't have one be a kid and the other be an adult. That's weird."
"...That is weird, but still! He's probably, like, between kid and adult. Like ready to turn adult, or just did, or something, because even though he doesn't wear stripes, he's kiddish."
"Okay, well, yeah, but lots of kids are adultish, too. Like my brother. He's a kid, but he acts super grown up."
"I guess..." A pause, the kid shaking his head finally. "Nah. I'm definitely right, and you're definitely wrong. Definitely."
"Nuh uh. I'm definitely right. I know the skeletons."
"Yuh huh. You're definitely wrong. Besides, you probably just know them and don't really know them."
"No, I know them. You're definitely wrong." She looked around, seeing Sans and grinning widely. "Sans! Sans!" She ran up to him, tugging on his sweatshirt. "Pap-Pap is an adult, right?"
Sans looked rather startled and thrown off, blinking down at the kid before settling a hand on her head and looking confused for a few moments. "Uh...yeah, kid. Pap's an adult- Why...are you asking?" Because, no, he had not expected this. He had just been lurking around the inn to try and talk to Toriel.
"Hah," she shouted to the kid, looking vindicated. "Told you so!"
"So! How do we know he's not a kid, though! He's almost as short as I am!"
"That's weird! He's like a dad!" Sans was looking like he very much wanted to escape the conversation, but, nope. Tiny child still clinging to him. Although he took the moment to nudge Frisk's hand until it was brushing across the Save point, just in case.
"Nuh uh! He always is making jokes and going to Grillby's and playing pranks all the time! He acts like a kid all the time!"
"Nuh uh, that's totally what dads do! Mine does that kinda stuff all the time!"
"He still acts like a kid!"
"Doesn't mean he is one!"
"Does to!"
"Does not!"
"Ahem." There was a sudden coughing behind the three of them, all looking to see Toriel with her arms crossed and eyebrow raised. "Surely I would be wrong in assuming that two such sweet children as yourselves are doing something such as fighting, yes?"
"It's not a fight cause I'm right." Frisk blinked up at Toriel, looking sweet and innocent, Sans snorting horribly. "He said Sans was a kid."
"Yes, well, he might as well be one with the way he acts," Toriel smiled sweetly, Sans no longer laughing.
"But he's not."
"No, he is not. Mentally, however, is a different story."
"Aw, come on, Tori, tell me you're kidding." Sans took the unamused look as a clear answer that he should probably flee. If he wasn't being snatched by his jacket hood to keep him from fleeing - besides, Frisk was still clinging, which did nothing to help aid in his supposed to be escape.
"You and I are going to have words, skeleton." Terror.
"I told you so," Frisk said, sticking her tongue out at the other child. The monster only stuck his own tongue out at her, pout on his face.
"Frisk, my child, why not explore the town for a bit longer, until night? When you wish to return, Sans and I shall be here talking." Toriel was smiling sweetly at Frisk, while Sans was looking terrified.
Looking up at Toriel, the girl stared at Sans for a long moment, the skeleton pleading for her to save him. "Okay!" She ran off, humming to herself and laughing.
"Sooo, Tori...how about-"
"Quiet."
"Yes ma'am."
While exploring, Frisk came across a long path, though she couldn't see the end of it. As she walked, it was like the fog surrounded her until she couldn't see anything. And maybe she sat down. On the snow. Because this wasn't okay and she couldn't tell which direction she'd come from. "Human!"
It was hard to see, but the voice was very familiar, and seemed to be coming a few feet away from her. "Allow me to tell you about some complex feelings. Feelings like the joy of finding another pasta lover, the admiration for another's puzzle-solving skills, the desire to have a cool, smart person think you are cool. These feelings... They must be what you are feeling right now!" The dramaticness of Papyrus' voice - because really, how could that be anyone else - made her giggle a bit.
"I can hardly imagine what it must be like to feel that way. After all, I am very great. I don't ever wonder what having lots of friend is like! I pity you, lonely human..." Oh. Okay. That sounded- That was mean. That was mean of him to say. "Worry not! You shall be lonely no longer! I, The Great Papyrus, will be your... Your..." The skeleton had trialed off, voice losing intensity until it was quiet for a moment. "No... NO, this is all wrong! I can't be your friend! You are a human! I must capture you!"
At that, Frisk paused. She needed to be captured...because she was a human? Did that mean monsters could never be her friends? "Does...does that mean that Tori and Sans want to catch me?" No no no, she wasn't crying. There was just...snow. In her eyes.
"They- What...what are you doing..." Papyrus was now much closer than before, looking at her hesitantly. "What is that strange liquid coming from your eyes, human?"
"Nothing. Shut up." She sniffed, scrubbing at her eyes and staring down at her lap. Papyrus only looked concerned and confused, finally picking the child up and staring at her with narrowed eyes.
"...Are you broken? I do not feel right capturing you if you are broken, human."
"No. Go away." Nonono, it was fine it was okay. They... They didn't want to catch her. It was why they spent...all their time around her...making sure she was nearby... She may have started crying even more. Just a little.
The next thing she knew she was being held in front of Sans and Toriel, Papyrus sounding rather panicked as he still held onto her. "Sans! The human is leaking and I think I broke her, I need help!" Frisk was only trying to curl up and hide because she felt so awful.
"What...did you do, Papyrus?" Sans looked to have been trying to escape Toriel, but had stopped at seeing Frisk crying.
"I am not sure! I was merely explaining that we could not be friends due to my desire to capture her!" A pause, Papyrus looking considering. "Perhaps she took my words to mean that monsters can never be friends with humans..." That caused another hiccup or two, until the child was near sobbing and reaching out for Sans. Papyrus looked even more panicked, Sans sighing and gently taking the child, shifting so he could pass her off to Toriel. Better she had her hands full so she didn't tear Papyrus apart piece by piece. Or at least, that was the plan until Frisk clung to Sans as tight as she could, hiding her face in his shirt.
"Aw, come on, Frisk, it's okay. Wouldn't you rather hug Tori, than an old bag of bones like me?" Because, really. Really.
"D-Do you ha-hate me?" Sans looked rather startled and confused, shooting his brother a look of 'what the fuck, bro?' before shifting the child so she'd be more comfortable.
"What? Of course I don't. You're my best friend, aren'tcha?" Frisk only sniffled, curling up to Sans more and clinging to his shirt.
Papyrus watched, slowly nodding as he put Sans and Frisk between himself and Toriel. "Ah. I'm fairly certain this is not a human child." Sans' only response was to sigh, looking a little bit worn because really, now. None of the other children he had met, or even the other Frisks, had ever been this...sensitive. This one was liable to cry at most 'scary' things, and was more likely to Flee a Fight than anything else... This one didn't even know how to use the Save and Load functions! Papyrus nodded, standing up straight. "Well then! Since this child is obviously not human, I suppose there's no need to capture her!"
Frisk, who was still sniffling, had calmed down and was looking to Papyrus with wide, innocent eyes. "Re-Really?"
"Why of course! I have no need to capture monster children."
"So...so you're sorry for making me cry?" Sans looked confused at the phrasing, narrowing his eyes at the child and...this one was up to something.
"Why would I not be, tiny child?"
"Then...if you're really sorry you'll go on a date with me." Frisk looked as innocent as could be, although there was a twitch to her smile that made it more a smirk, and a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Right?"
"The Great Papyrus accepts these terms! We shall go on a date, and be the best of friends!" Frisk seemed quite pleased, Sans just groaning and looking pathetic.
"Bro...bro, no, that's not... Ugh." This was exhausting. This timeline was exhausting- When was the Reset going to happen? He really hoped it was soon because this...this was- Ugh. Wow. This was a mess.
Toriel frowned down at Frisk, crossing her arms. "Young lady, were you faking?"
Frisk sniffed, scrunching down a bit. "...Maybe a little." Toriel was about to respond before she noticed Sans had shifted to where Frisk was tucked closer into his jacket, and a bit more out of sight. The child barely seemed to notice, only cuddling closer and looking down at the ground.
"Well...I suppose you may have your date..." The two seemed trustworthy enough - especially since that motion of protection over Frisk had been instinctual on Sans' part, the skeleton ranting to his brother about why dating children was generally not a thing to be encouraged. And the comment from Toriel may have put a small smile on Frisk's face. It almost...filled her with determination.
Kit - Pap...Pap, no.
