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Butterscotch, no cinnamon, both? Something is smelling like butterscotch and cinnamon. Opening your eyes you see, nothing?! You sit up, a little bit to fast as red dots exploded behind your eyes. Supporting your body with your arms you waited for the sudden dizziness to go by.

Something soft is covering you, a blanket? Fumbling around you find yourself covered in a blanket under your head lies a soft pillow and both ends of your sleeping place end in something that feels like wood, is this a bed?

Anxious you listen for foreign movements or breaths but it seems you are alone. Knowing that you can't wait forever you take a deep breath and start to reach with your hands further into the darkness. Nothing to your right. Continuing on the left you feel something soft, like fur, you stop. No movement. It doesn't feel like a living thing. Carefully you let your hand wander further. Just a plushie. Relieved you release the air trapped in your chest.

‚Looking' further you find a small metallic rod standing besides the head section of your ‚bed' a small cord hanging at its side. Gathering all your bravery you pull on the cord.

Cutting through the darkness a soft light starts to illuminate the room. Blinking rapidly you wait for your eyes to adjust. You are in a big room, nothing special, a child sized bed, a cupboard, a red and white carpet, wooden floor and a floor lamp your hand still attached to its cord. Looking besides your bed there are a white and a red plushie. It seems no one is around.

Sliding out of the bed you can see a small shelf with shoes in a diversity of sizes and a small table with another lamp previously covered from your sight by the cupboard.

Trying your best not to startle anything you tiptoe to the door, opening it a bit you peek into a hallway. Seeing only more wooden floor and a yellow and white carpet you risk it to step out of the room.

The hallway is decorated with some plants, the carpet and more lamps are there no windows in here? Looking to your left you can see a death end, two doors and a mirror.

Ignoring the doors you make your way to the mirror, you don't want to anger your ‚hosts' by entering them without permission.

The mirror shows you, yourself. Still dirty from the fall and your encounter with Flowey. On the collar of your blue sweater sticks a dark mass, pulling it a little bit down you gulp a little as you see the cake and the dark smears of dried blood over your neck. You were really lucky that Toriel was there in time just a little bit later and… Better don't think of it. Shuddering a little you drag your eyes away from the mirror to go back down the hallway.

Crossing the door of the room you've awakened you come into a hall, a door to the left seems to go to the outside, in front of you is a passage into another room, on the right stairs leading down and there is a window.

Peering through the window over the stairs you can see crumbled walls covered in greens and twilight. Seeing not really much as the position of the window the direction of the stairs and your height letting you only see through the far right corner, you enter into the next room.

A table with chairs, a big shelf with books, a chimney with a burning fire and Toriel reading a book in an armchair awaited you. Freezing as you enter you wait for her to notice you.

Continuing reading It doesn't seems like Toriel has noticed your presence.

Waiting nervously you don't really know what to do so you take a few steps closer and freeze again.

Nothing happens.

You step a little bit closer.

Still nothing.

More steps.

Nothing.

Taking a few additional steps you are now directly in front of the armchair.

Nothing.

Not knowing what else to do you extend your right hand and thug two times at the bottom part of her dress. Retracting your hand quickly you hid both of them behind your back as the movement of her head over the book stops.

Lowering the book Toriel's gaze wandered through the room until she looks down and spots you.
„Up already, I see?", she commented moving the corners of her snout to, a smile, you presume. Not sure what to do with this statement you waited for her to continue, „Sorry for taking you here without your consent my child but I didn't wanted you to catch a cold out there or something worse."

Something like Flowey? Shuddering a little on this thought you decide to drop it.
„Nnno prrobllm.", you manage to say, chiding yourself to speak more clearly. „Thank you for. ssavingg. me," that sounded a bit better but leaves your throat aching. You don't know how long you can keep this up but luckily for you your stomach starts to grumble.

„Oh, you must be hungry. Why don't you take a seat while I go and fetch some food for you?", she offered standing up rushing over to the next room leaving the book and you behind.

Still cautious you went over to the table, struggling a little you pulled back on of the big chairs but sitting on it is another matter. After your foot slid two times away from the polished legs you manage to lift yourself into the chair.

Toriel comes back a pie in one and some dishes in the other arm. Placing it all onto the wooden surface she suppressed some chuckles as she sees only your head reaching over the table. „Wait child, I'll get something to lift you up," she promised leaving the room again.

Trying to distract yourself from your burning cheeks you focus your attention on the pie. It seems it is the source of the strange smell you noticed earlier. You wonder how it tastes.

Coming from behind Toriel's voice interrupted your thoughts, „Ok child please stand up so I can place this onto the chair."

Leaving the chair you see her returning from the hall with a folded blanket which she placed on the chair before she stepped back.

Thinking about a way to climb the now even higher chair Toriels hands coming from behind catch you of guard, stiffening in panic you get lifted up into the air and placed onto the blanket. Heart still beating in shock you watch her placing a dish and a glass of water in front of you before she takes a seat opposite to you.

Reaching out to the cake she cuts you a generous slice, with a spoon? Placing the piece onto your plate she sees your questioning look to the spoon but ignores it.

Looking down to the piece of pie you notice, the fork also a spoon. As your stomach grumbles again you decide to ignore the one sided range of silverware and start to eat. Carefully you insert the first spoonful of pie into your mouth. It tastes not bad, cinnamon and butterscotch mixing into a new flavor a cinnascotch flavor, you like it!

Observing you seemingly enjoying the pie she tells you smiling, „I'm glad you like it, its a cinnamon-butterscotch pie. I baked it for you to get better." As you look up in surprise that someone has taken the time to prepare such a threat for you she adds a bit ashamed, „To be sincere I intended to make a butterscotch pie but flipped a page in the cookbook."

Trying to show your gratefulness you do your best to thank her and assure her that the pie is perfect, „No problem, I likke it thank you. Sorrry for the circumstan-," your throat erupted in pain sending you into a coughing fit spitting crumbs all over the table.

Rushing over to you Toriel starts to pat your back trying her best to help you. As you stop coughing she lifts the glass from the table bringing it to your lips, „Here my child drink something, it will help."

Thankful you start drinking while she ensures that you only take small sips of water. After you had enough to ease the pain in your throat you turn your head into her direction eyes still lowered, „sorry", you whisper throat still sore.

Placing the glass back onto the table and stroking some hairs out of your face she advises, „You don't need to apologize, just stop eating the next time before you speak."

It wasn't the eating.

Looking at you she noted, „You still don't look so god, how about you take a bath and rest a little bit longer? We can talk tomorrow after you had some more time to recover."

She is right you are still a bit dizzy and a bath sounds like heaven to you. Nodding you give your approval to her suggestion still avoiding to look into her eyes.

Grabbing around you she transported you and the blanket to a nearby wall, „Ok my child, just wait here I will prepare everything," leaving you leaned to the wall she exits the room.

As you lie there you feel something pressing against your left hip, sliding a hand into your pocket you find the paper.
The paper.
You don't want her to find the paper. Making your way over to a small stand with a fire-fork you slide the paper behind it. Going back to the blanket you can hear Toriel moving back and forth through the hallway. Sitting back down you consider your situation. Toriel is nice, she saved you from the flower and baked you a pie. Should you stay? More important would she allow you to stay?

Hearing Toriel calling for you, you decide to think about that again tomorrow after the ‚talk' she promised. Walking down the hallway you see that the last door is ajar, opening it fully you are now in a bathroom.

Toriel standing in front of the bathtub turning around sensing you instructs, „The water should now be right. Just leave your clothes aside I'll launder them later," with that she leaves the room closing the door behind her.

Waiting a bit if something else happens you stand in the room. As nothing disturbs you, you go over to the tub diving your hand into the water. Pleasantly warm the water surrounds it. Placing your dirty clothes aside as instructed you let yourself sink into the water enjoying its comforting embracement.

You don't know how long you were lying there until the sound of the opening door interrupted your solitude. Sitting up startled you see a arm in a white sleeve placing something through the small jar onto the ground before the door closes again.

Not wanting to block the bath inconveniently longer you cleanse yourself with a sponge, carefully rubbing over the bruises and the cake on your neck. Covering yourself into a towel you go over to the door drying yourself on the way. Something is laying there. It looks like a nightdress a wide but short nightdress. Picking it up it seems that it was shortened recently. Assuming it is for you put it on. To wide, but comfy.

Avoiding the cold ground by stepping only onto the carpet you go back to ‚your' room, someone changed the sheets during your bath. Tucking yourself in it takes some time for you to fall asleep due to the unfamiliar sounds of the house.

As you awake later you find your cleaned clothes and a note waiting for you.

„Dear child, I hope you rested well. I'm bug hunting and will be back shortly. The pie is in the fridge if you are hungry. Should you need something to pastime there are toys in the box at your bed and plenty of books to enjoy in the living room.

Back soon, Toriel"

Toys? Checking the box there are many different things, action figures, wooden cars, colored balls and other stuff. Deciding to save the toys for later you head to the kitchen to threat your grumbling stomach first. Crossing the small stand in the living room you pocket the paper again.

The Kitchen looks not much different then the one in your old home. Fridge, sink, oven, worktop, shelves with ingredients and a microwave everything there. Opening the fridge you find the pie, sadly placed out of your reach halfway between the top. It takes you some time but you mange to drag a chair from the living room over to the kitchen to use it as a step stool.

Carefully balancing on the chair you take the pie out and place it on the worktop besides the fridge. After some more chair dragging and climbing there are now a plate and a spoon (you weren't able to find a single knife or a fork) sitting besides the pie.

Exhausted from the action you take a short break before you enjoy another slice of the cinnascotch delicacy. After your business in the kitchen is finished you take a look at the books in the living room. 72 uses for snails, monster history, flora and fauna of the underworld, cooking with fire magic – 99 easy recipes... that are a lot of books.

Toriel is still not back perhaps I should take a look? The front door opens without problems.
It is so dark and what are these sounds? You take a step out.
Everything goes silent.
Slowly very slowly you step back into the hall and close the door.

Playing with a fire truck and some action figures you hear the front door open. Peeking out of your room you see Toriel's back disappearing into the living room. Putting the toys away you follow her. Hearing Toriel rummaging in the kitchen you wait for her in the living room.

„Greetings child, did you find everything?" You nod. „Okay, that is good." She seems a little bit nervous but continues, „So, do you have any questions?"

Yes, you have. „Whhere am I?", you ask trying again your best to pronounce it right.

„Oh, this is home," seeing your confusion she adds, „Its the name of this place, home. The King named it after we were", short pause, „after we arrived here."

„Funny name," you comment.

„Yeah naming something is not really a strong point of him," judging her tone the king is not her favorite kind of person.

Taking your time you ask, „Are oter humans here?"

Toriel seems a bit startled by the question, picking her words carefully she answers, „No, not anymore. There were six that fell down like you but they left a long time ago."

Asking a few more questions like where not to go (back into the caves, the cellar) and who else is living down here, she seems to get more and more stressed as would she expect something to come that she don't like so you stop asking. You know enough for now and don't want to bother her.

Over the next days all is more or less the same, you play with your toys, eat something and sleep. You enjoy living here, Toriel is nice, the ruins are a bit spooky but after some time you get used to it and the ‚monsters' are mostly really friendly.

But you are not really sure if Toriel likes you, you try your best to be a good child but she seems always a bit stressed and distanced when you see here. You must try harder!

Early to bed. Washing behind your ears. Cleaning your room. Eating all veggies up. Nothing helps. But you keep trying.

Sometimes she asks again if you have questions, the first few times you decline. She only seems to get tenser so you try to find questions but that brings you the same result.

One day it is different. „Child, I know you have question so ask them."

No you have not. You shake your head.

„Do you remember? I promised I won't hurt you."

You nod cautiously.

„So go ahead, ask how you can exit the ruins," calm voice no anger, you don't understand.
„How you can leave and go back to the surface," you still don't understand.

Did you do something wrong? Did you say something bad?

Your racing thoughts get interrupted by her next sentence, „How you can go back to your family," you feel the paper in your pocket again.

She tried her best to be calm, to keep the sadness out of her voice. They always ask, they always leave. Despite warnings, despite what happened to the other children. This one was no exception, she knew it, she could see it. She just wanted it to end, to get over with it. Every moment now they would say the words. Asking her to send them to their death. At least it wouldn't then be necessary to distance herself from the child anymore. Now, clenching their fists, opening their mouth they will start to ask.

Seeing the child bursting into tears and letting out fast non understandable pleas instead shocked her.

„Child?", more tears and words interrupted only by coughs shaking the little body. Motherly instincts prevailing over her desire to keep herself distanced she kneeled down pulling the child into a hug.

Bringing their head to her shoulder she could understand some of the sentences. Promises to change, to eat more or less, to be a good child and so on only interrupted by pleas to let them stay and coughing fits.

„Child it is ok," the coughs start to outweigh the words. „I won't send you away," they stopped mumbling but continued to sob.

Rocking the child in her arms she started to walk up and down, „Please calm down. It is ok. It is ok."

Eventually the sobbing died down leaving her with the child clinging itself into the emblem on her chest. Cursing herself for being so blind she continued to rock the child until it fell asleep.

Walking slowly down the hallway she looked at the small body in her arms. They locked so lost. Lonely. Why didn't she see it before? She didn't know if she could stand to loose another child but this one needed a carrying person.

Tucking the child in she promised herself to don't let the past prevent her from keeping the child safe. She would start tomorrow, making them another pie and asking them finally for their name.

Trying to remember the recipe she walked back to the living room. Something was lying there where she picked the child up, a small white rectangle. Picking it up it turned out to be a folded paper.

She hesitated for a moment. It belonged to the child, she should not read it. But it could tell her why they, opposed to the other children, didn't desired to leave. Unfolding the paper and reading the first lines she knew enough.

„Poor child," she whispered folding the paper again before she returned to the child's room to place the paper besides their shoes.