As much as Manuela loved her departed friend, Francine didn't really put much thought into building Sans' relationship with Toriel. Manuela had one idea, but the trick was to not go too fast…

Chapter 9: It's Raining Somewhere Else

Days passed in peace, following the terrible events that took place after the princess' adoption announcement. As she tidied up the tent she shared with Frisk, Toriel could not help but wonder what her child was up to, today. Frisk gave her updates via c-phone calls at the end of each day, and Toriel waited with as much patience as she could muster each time.

Frisk's first night beneath Asgore's roof had been uneventful, thankfully. Everything that took place earlier that day was quite enough, thank you! Still, it warmed Toriel's heart to know her daughter felt safe enough to sleep soundly in the castle.

The following day consisted of Frisk and Asgore getting to know one another, mainly through chatting over tea and Asgore's favored hobby of gardening. He had been kind enough to transfer Frisk's golden echo flower to a smaller, lighter flowerpot. The vase Papyrus borrowed from the Ruins was returned to the house in Home. Toriel planned to bring it to the surface, eventually, but not until there was a proper house to put it in.

The day after that was the beginning of Frisk's education as a princess. She learned more about how monsters lived in the Underground by touring one of the farms run by Pillar Enterprises, Baron Ampersand's company, where alchemically modified vegetables were grown in magic water without soil or sunlight. She also saw the mushrooms unique to the Underground that served as raw materials for alchemical conversion into things such as flour, because wheat could not be grown. "Meat" like hamburger could also be made. Alchemy had always been such a wondrous thing…

Yesterday, Frisk visited the corporate offices of Pillar Enterprises and gave them information on how humans grew food on the surface. She also learned more about the Core by touring its vastness, guided by a member of the Phantom family. She had been fascinated by it, but expressed confusion once the tour was over.

When she asked who created and designed the Core, nobody seemed to know. As important as it was to people's lives, no one could tell her who designed it. She wanted to ask more questions… but refrained. She doubted she would get any other answer, no matter how many times she asked.

It reminded Toriel of the day Frisk fell into the Underground, when she gave the child her first c-phone. She asked who had invented it… and Toriel could not provide an answer. She thought about it for a while afterward, but was unable to remember. It was strange, but that gap in her memory was not all that alarming. It had been a very long time since they first came into being. That much, Toriel could remember. They were invented just after Chara fell into the Underground, long before similar devices started washing up in Waterfall. They had not been quite as ubiquitous, back then, but there were a few available when… things went wrong.

Before her mind could stray back down that lane of memories, Toriel gave herself a shake and refocused upon the present. Now that the tent was tidy, she intended to go looking for a new bug-hunting spot on the surface. She could do that, because this was the first day since the barrier fell that she had no prior engagements. There were no classes to conduct on forest safety or edible plants, nor was there anyone to treat for an upset stomach caused by eating improper things, or simply eating too much. It was also a nice day out, at least for the moment. However, there were clouds banking in the distance, looking as though they may bring the first true rain to fall upon monster heads in centuries.

There was no point in dallying if she was to look for that hunting spot. After gathering the necessary supplies, plus an umbrella, Toriel and her guard set out for the woods.

She made her way down the path that someone had carved out of the woods, a few days ago. Jagged-looking stumps were all that remained of trees felled for building material. It was as though someone used their bullets to tear chunks out of the base of the tree, then pushed them over… It did not seem like a terribly efficient use one's magic, but there was no arguing its effectiveness.

Eventually they came across a clearing, with the biggest tree Toriel had ever seen growing in the center of it. It was probably the ancestor of all the smaller trees in the area, because it was absolutely ancient! Although some of the outer bark had been stripped away in one particular spot, the layers beneath didn't look like they had been harmed. Regardless, Toriel hoped it would be alright.

It was such a spectacular sight she could not help but walk around it, staring up at the branches that practically covered the sky. She almost didn't notice someone laying on their back amongst the massive roots. In fact, she had been so entranced by the tree that they were only brought to her attention when her guard suddenly stood between her and them. But once she saw it was just a skeleton monster, she relaxed. In fact, it was someone Toriel recognized.

"I know that man. Would you please give me and my friend some privacy?" asked Toriel of her guard.

The woman, a cat monster named Tabbytha, was reluctant at first. All of the guards assigned to Miss Toriel and Princess Frisk had been a bit on-edge since Her Highness' uncle… introduced himself so rudely. But Tabbytha eventually said, "Very well, ma'am. I'll be scouting the perimeter of the clearing. Please call me if you need me." After saluting, she left Toriel's side to let her talk to Sans.

Assuming, of course, that she was able to wake him. Or if she had the heart to wake him. He had to be working hard to figure out the mystery of Frisk's magic, and trying to solve the potentially sticky legal situation that was brewing. She did not begrudge him wanting to take a nap outside, on a nice day.

Toriel approached quietly. Sans had made himself comfortable, finding a hollow in the tree roots that cradled him perfectly. His hood was covering his eye sockets, his arms pillowed his head and he had his legs crossed at the ankles. He was the picture of relaxation, making Toriel reluctant to wake him. However, as she looked on, she noticed a snail making its way toward where his nose would be, if he had one.

She almost picked it off for him, but she was too late. The snail made it to the nasal opening and covered it. Sans awoke with a snort, one hand going to his face and pulling away the snail. He didn't sit up, but he pulled his hood away from his eyes, allowing him to blink blearily at the intruder of his slumber. His expression of mingled confusion and annoyance made her laugh. He looked up from the snail, a little surprised.

"oh, heya tori," said Sans. He covered his teeth with his free hand as he let out a mighty yawn, asking "wha' 'rings you 'ere?" as it ended.

Toriel sat upon a nearby root, making herself comfortable as she said, "I was merely taking a nice walk in the woods, looking for a new bug-hunting spot. It would seem you have already found one. Or perhaps I should say it found you?" She extended a hand toward him, silently offering to take the snail.

He sat up and gave it to her, wiping slime off his hand and face as he said, "heh, guess you could say that. talk about rude awakenings."

Toriel put the snail in the small cage she had brought with her. With a smile, she said, "Well, at least having this little one crawling upon your face is better than being slugged."

Her pun made him chuckle, a bit. "i'd call that mollusk-tation, but that's not the best thing to pun about."

Toriel shook her head slightly. It had been a clever pun, but that wasn't something to jest about. In order to change the subject, she said, "May I ask how things are going with your research?"

Sans shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck and working the kinks out of it. "welp, it's goin'. talia took a blood sample that me and al can test for magic density. She also took a new c-ray scan of frisk, but i haven't seen it." He blushed, just a little. "i'm, uh, leavin' that sorta thing to her and alphys, from now on.

"anyway, al said that frisk's magic is evening itself out, gettin' stronger where it was weak and thinning where it was too thick. we dunno why, but it's somethin'. she's also been workin' to get her old lab equipment up and runnin', so we can look at how frisk's magic is reactin' to her determination. talia's gonna be talkin' to you and asgore about that, so i guess this is your heads-up. that's… pretty much it." He ended with a shrug. "wish there was more to tell ya, but we're doin' our best."

"I know, Sans. Thank you, for everything you have already accomplished. Please thank Dr. Alphys for me, as well." She meant it, as well. Despite her misgivings, Toriel had to admit that Alphys was proving herself to be invaluable in the effort to understand what happened to Frisk. She was supporting Dr. Flat in every way she could, even helping her perform the eye exams and neural tests to ensure no permanent damage had been done.

And, though Toriel would keep the thought to herself, having Sans and Dr. Flat looking over Alphys' shoulder may very well prevent the sorts of mistakes that led to the amalgamations. That, and Alphys' own friendship with Frisk, should keep her in check. Hopefully.

As Sans settled himself back amongst the tree roots, Toriel thought of another topic. "You never told me you are the current Duke of Asterisk. Why not, Sans?"

Sans became somewhat embarrassed. "i… don't tell people 'cause i really don't like being treated special, just 'cause i've got a fancy-pants title tacked onto my name. it doesn't really fit and, honestly, it kinda chafes. i dunno how granddad put up with it for so long."

Toriel nodded. "I was surprised to learn Rockwell lived as long as he did. It is a shame he did not make it to see the barrier broken."

"yeah…" Silence fell between the two friends as memories filled their minds.

Toriel remembered the somber boy that lost nearly everyone he loved in the war. That boy grew into the man who would take on the thankless position of High Judge, and bravely shouldered all the resentment that came with that power. Heavy was the head that wore the executioner's hood, but Rockwell bore it with grace and dignity. When she learned her old friend passed away a mere ten years ago, she mourned him.

Sans remembered the man that raised him and his brother after they were left without parents. A good man, though not always the most humorous guy to be around. In fact, he could be quite an old-fashioned stick-in-the-mud… but making them all laugh had been Grandma's job, anyway.

As Sans smiled at memories of his grandparents, Toriel saddened as a thought occurred to her. Rockwell was almost certainly the one to judge the all humans that fell in after Chara, but before Frisk. It was a tradition going back to the days when monsters still lived on the surface. Any human that sought an audience with the monster king would have their LOVE measured and weighed. If it was too high, they were turned away… but if they refused to leave they were almost certainly an assassin, and therefore to be "dealt with". She almost didn't want to ask, but…

"Sans? Did your grandfather ever speak with you about the other human children?"

Both fell silent as Sans continued to lounge in the roots, his smile fading as he watched the leaves above swaying in the breeze and the clouds growing thicker. Toriel could almost see him juggling words in his mind, carefully weighing how best to weave them together into something that was not a lie, yet bore only the barest resemblance to the truth.

Her hands tightened in her lap. "Sans, please… tell me."

He looked at her, unwontedly serious. "you shouldn't ask questions when you know you're not going to like the answer, tori," he said.

"I know…"

"and i hope you realize i don't want to say anything that may, or may not, paint my grandfather in a bad light?"

"I know! I just…" Toriel wrung her hands together. "If he shared the information with you, I would like to know what Rockwell saw within them. Did he see something I did not? Were there things they were hiding from me? Or perhaps there were things I refused to see within them…"

"you mean like frisk."

The former queen closed her eyes and nodded as she softly said, "Yes, like Frisk.

"When Asgore and I visited her in the hospital she became extremely upset, and it took both of our souls to console her. She felt so small, and alone… and yet, she was terrified of letting us in to comfort her. That, combined with how she made her escape, and what she did in the Ruins… I cannot help but think 'what else have I missed?' Could I have alleviated this inner pain of hers, before this all happened?" But then, she had not bothered to try, when it was just the two of them.

In those precious early days, she did not wish to scare Frisk into running away. She hoped that the child would open up to her, if given enough time. But all she had done was drive Frisk away by overreacting to her reasonable questions, and even going as far as to Fight her. That Frisk would return to her once the barrier was broken spoke well of the child's depth of compassion and forgiveness… and said terrible things of her uncle.

If such a kind child could forgive a monster that threw fire in her face, but not her uncle, would anyone ever do so?

Toriel was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of a heavy sigh. She refocused her attention upon Sans as he sat up, once again rubbing the back of his neck.

"yeah, he did talk to me about 'em," said the judge. "he told me a lot, but he never mentioned seeing anything like what i saw in frisk. they probably couldn't have done what she did, that day. i'm not even sure FRISK could've done it, if she'd been in a normal frame of mind." To himself, he added, *not with a smile like that.

Sans never figured out where all that intent went. It was like Frisk boxed it up and shoved it someplace nobody could see it. Not a judge with special training, or not even Frisk herself. But…

"he never thought they were bad kids, even when it turned out a couple of them dusted a few people. i don't think frisk is a bad kid, either. but we can't overlook the way she went after her uncle. we can't just write it off as a moment of stress gone awry. there's something going on inside her, and it's got the potential to be serious, no matter how much we care about her… or how much she cares about us."

Toriel listened to her friend in silence, and was wringing her hands again. "I wish I could argue with that, but I cannot," she said. She made herself stop and took a deep breath. She straightened her shoulders as she exhaled, and Sans watched in fascination as the worried mother became The Queen.

Though she didn't call herself that, anymore, no monster living in the Underground had known any other. Even monsters like him, born well after her departure, grew up with stories of her wisdom, intelligence and kindness. Not only that, but how she fought by Asgore's side, leading their army against monsterkind's enemies. And, of course, their legendary lovey-dovey antics before their marriage tanked.

Sans used to wonder what kind of woman she was. Now, he was getting a good idea. Plus, all those stories Granddad told about the sense of humor she tried to hide from the public turned out to be true. But, at the moment, all humor was absent from her expression as Toriel looked him in the eyes.

"While you are correct to say we cannot ignore Frisk's aggressive actions," she said, "we must also remember that she chose Mercy, in the end. Whatever her flaws, whatever darkness dwells within her, she still chose to show that man Mercy. We must support her, and guide her so she may continue to do the right thing."

Sans grinned as he said, "of course we will!" Toriel's shoulders twitched, and his grin grew wider as she was surprised by how readily he agreed with her. "what? you're not the only one that wants to help the kid, y'know."

"I know I am not! I… Sometimes, I wonder."

She paused, and as the silence stretched on Sans raised a brow ridge at her. "you wonder what, tori?" Toriel was reluctant to say it, but she finally told him something that had been weighing on her mind, in addition to everything else.

"Sometimes I wonder… if the only reason you are so eager to help Frisk is because of the promise I asked of you. Rockwell took promises very seriously, and never made them lightly. I do not doubt he taught you to do the same. I… I suppose I worry the only reason you go to such lengths to look after her is because I all but forced you to do so."

Sans was visibly confused. "you didn't force me into anything…" Before he could continue a peculiar sound filled the air. He and Toriel looked around, noticing how everything had darkened, slightly. The overcast sky brought the promised moisture, and rain began to fall upon them. Toriel reached for her umbrella and Sans stood, staring up at the sky. By the time it was in her hands, he was already standing out in the rain, letting it fall onto his face.

Toriel moved to stand beside him. She said nothing, letting him enjoy the rain. After a moment she looked up to the sky, herself, breathing in the scent that was once only a memory haunting her dreams. It was the scent unique to rain and green, growing things warmed by the sun only a short while ago. It was familiar… and yet, because it had been so long, it felt brand-new.

Sans held up a hand, watching in fascination as raindrops fell through. "it's… different from the rain in waterfall. not so grainy," he said. With a chuckle, he added, "then again, i know that stuff's not really 'rain', no matter what we called it. it's just condensation collectin' on stalactites high above that section of the cavern, then fallin'."

He tapped his temple. "up here, i know that, but…" He pressed a hand to his sternum, over his soul. "…down in here, it feels like it should be the same. but even though it's a little confusing, it's just proof we're on the surface."

He sighed. "okay, so maybe i helped the kid through the forest because of the promise, at first. but then she played along with papyrus, and didn't hurt any of the monsters that kept pickin' fights. she worked her way through everything by just bein' herself, and tried her damnedest to hide how scared she was the entire time.

"by the time she made it to the last corridor, it was less about the promise and more about lookin' out for a good kid that needed lookin' after, even if she did have issues. a good kid that made it possible for everyone to have this rain fall on their face, no matter how confusing it is."

He turned to face Toriel fully. "i can't say i did the best job of keepin' our promise. in fact, it was probably a mistake to let her face asgore. but… i wanted to believe in her. if there was anyone who could find a way to bring that barrier down without anyone else dyin', it was frisk."

He meant that, too. For the first time in his life, there'd been someone (besides Papyrus or Pristina) that he could truly believe in. He'd found a glimmer of hope in those sunset-colored eyes. And even though it took a lot of comebacks, she did it in the end, didn't she? As guilty as he felt about letting it happen, she actually pulled it off. Frisk's determination was truly something to behold. And…

Sans smiled. "besides, it's hard to NOT wanna look out for someone that makes such great puns. talent like that needs to be nurtured!"

Toriel smiled back, her heart warmed by her friend's words. She opened the umbrella, sharing it with Sans as she said, "So, is it safe for me to assume Frisk… got under your skin?"

He winked, saying, "only if i can assume she got your goat."

The two of them shared a laugh, but Toriel soon sobered, saying, "I do not believe I have thanked you, for making that promise. I deeply appreciate it. I did not realize how much I was asking of you. You made that promise despite your oaths of loyalty to Asgore. You could have been severely punished!"

Sans shrugged. "maybe not as much as you think. asgore was kinda hoping humans would stop fallin' into the underground, after all. he might've appreciated anything that delayed the final encounter. i coulda been let off easy. i mean, what was he gonna do? take away my land? HEH! the humans kinda beat him to it, and they can keep it."

He became wistful. "maybe me and papyrus will go see the duchy, one day, just to see the place our granddad was born… but otherwise? i'm not too interested in it."

Toriel gave him a playful smile. "You simply do not want the additional responsibility, you lazybones."

Sans pressed the back of his hand to his foreskull, feigning woe in a deadpan tone. "oh no. you've discovered my terrible secret. whatever shall i do?" His antics made Toriel chuckle.

"Well, now that it has begun to rain, perhaps we should return to camp and dry ourselves? Then we can chat more over some nice, warm tea."

"sounds good to me. lead the way."

The two of them and Tabbytha returned to camp. Toriel and Sans traded puns and listened to the rain along the way, standing shoulder-to-elbow beneath the umbrella (they couldn't stand shoulder-to-shoulder because she was such a tall lady). Still, it was as though they walked in their own private bubble, filled with the warmth of their shared laughter.

Despite the rain, to them it felt like a bright and punny day.