Okay, this is the first of a two-parter of chapters. We needed to do a POV switch about halfway through, so this happened. Sorry they've been so short. The second part should be up ASAP, and I actually mean it this time; it'll be up within the week, not two months from now. Enjoy!
"Wait up, Chara! Jeez!" Asriel panted breathlessly.
"Ha, you wish!" Chara shouted back. "Not much of a race if I let ya catch up, is it?"
"I still don't get how I'm supposed to time your race!" I called, pushing back my bangs, which I'd let grow long over the past year. "Remember these? Y'know, the eyes that don't function whatsoever?"
"Frisk, it's supposed to be a Determination exercise for you!" Asriel exclaimed. "Use your SOUL! We're getting pretty close; you should be able to sense us now!"
"Alright!" I focused all of my energy into my SOUL, reaching out into the surrounding area. I couldn't see it, not really-a more accurate term would be that I felt it, or maybe that I sensed it. I could feel their SOULs, dashing across the garden, and moments after, I felt Chara's SOUL cross it.
"Chara wins!" I yelled.
"Aww…man…" Asriel huffed.
"Better luck next time, Azzy." Chara sounded unfazed.
"You…said that…last time…and the time…before that!"
"Hey, it's not my fault I'm faster than you." I could practically hear the smirk in Chara's voice. "But on an unrelated note, I'm pretty sure Toriel's making pie. How 'bout we take a break and go get ourselves some?"
"Yeah, totally!" Asriel exclaimed.
I don't know how, but a year had gone by since we'd fallen. Our training had picked up speed; I actually had a basic idea of what was going on around me now.
"Morning, Mom!" I said as we climbed up the steps from the garden to the kitchen.
"Good morning, children." Mom replied.
"We're taking a break, and we smelled pie, so we figured we'd get some." Asriel told her.
"Yeah. This whole training thing is cool and all, but it's getting pretty intense." Chara added.
"It's super useful, though." I said. "I can 'see' more using determination than I could before."
"That is wonderful. Asriel, would you mind turning off the stove? I need to clean up this spill here."
"Sure thing, Mom!"
"Hey, Toriel…" Chara paused, "How do you make pie, exactly? I mean, it's really good. Think we could learn sometime?" Even though I'd taken to calling Toriel 'Mom' months ago, Chara had never seemed comfortable doing it. Whenever I asked her about it, she seemed to clam up.
"Yeah; it's the best." I agreed.
"Heh, yeah, I never thought about that. It would be great to know for when you're busy."
"Well, I suppose you are old enough to operate the stove. I could show you the recipe one day and help you cook it, if you wish."
"Yes, definitely!" I nodded energetically.
"I am going to tidy the dining room; now that I think about it, I could give you three the recipe for the pie, and you can try to make it. I am sure that Asgore would love it if you surprised him with some! Just let me know if you need help, will you?"
"'Course." Chara answered as Toriel left the room.
"Okay, I've got the recipe." Asriel said. "Chara, get us bowls, spoons, and a mixer. I'll grab the ingredients."
"What do I do?" I asked.
"Stand there and look pretty," Chara offered.
"I mean, okay, but if that's my job, then I don't know if I'm doing it right."
There was a beat before Chara said, "You're doing a great job! Just keep up the good work until we need someone to stir; you can do that."
"Alright, then." I couldn't help but laugh at the utterly serious tone she used.
Asriel read the instructions, Chara put in the ingredients, and I stirred whenever necessary. I'd expected to feel useless during the process, but surprisingly, it felt like a real team effort.
Things came to a halt when we reached the butter, though.
"Okay, the recipe says we need two cups of butter, but we're all out." Asriel said.
"Maybe we could use buttercups." Chara reasoned.
"Yeah, that seems logical." I agreed. "I think I know where some are, and I could definitely use the navigation practice."
It only took a few minutes for me to find the flowers; I was definitely improving. "Found them!" I called.
"Okay, great." I could vaguely sense Asriel coming up to my right. After a brief moment, he said, "Alright, got them. Come on, let's go!"
The buttercups mixed into the batter without a problem, and soon, the pie was ready, its sweet scent wafting through the kitchen.
When Dad got home, we surprised him with a slice of the pie we'd made ourselves! It wasn't as good as Mom's, but we hadn't expected it to be. For a few hours, we were proud.
And then those hours passed.
"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!" I heard Mom exclaim. "One of you, call Dr. Gaster immediately! Asgore is ill!"
The doctor was busy with keeping what he called the Core stable and making sure it didn't detonate, so he sent his intern, Alphys.
"I-I'm here! Where is he?"