Hi! I apologize for the inactivity! A lot of things have happened these couple of weeks, and this chapter proved to be more difficult to write than expected! But we are back and I'll try to update as regularly as possible! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Two weeks had passed and no one had been able to approach the new monster without ending wounded one way or another. Undyne was one to visit them frequently. As troublesome as this was, she insisted that it was necessary to extract some sort of information about the case. She would say something among the lines of 'if monsters don't show they can handle the legal and criminal-prosecuting aspects of the surface, especially the ones involving their own species, then what credibility will they have in the future?'.

However, Asgore was definitely the one that took the worst part. Nice as he was, he took it upon himself to make sure that the monster had anything they needed. That meant going down to the basement three times a day to leave food and water, and returning upstairs with new cuts and bites each time. Many monsters told him he shouldn't even bother, seeing how his "guest" refused all the food offered to them. Since monster food didn't spoil, this wasn't too much of a problem, so Asgore just changed the ration hoping that, someday, the monster wouldn't be able to resist one of the options.

That day, as Frisk walked towards Asgore's house, they couldn't help but wonder in what state their father would be. They also wondered what news he would have about the monster. He usually visited the improvised prison cell more than just at the times of the meals to try and talk to them. Most times it would result in being glared or growled at, but he insisted he was making progress. Toriel had forbidden Frisk from going down there after hearing of the struggle with Undyne the day that the monster arrived, so his stories were all the information they could get of the situation.

Well, his and Papyrus' stories. The skeleton had also been visiting as frequently as he could. Sans, Undyne and Asgore had managed to convince him to not enter the cell, so instead he just sat outside of it and talked of whatever he thought the monster could find interesting. At first, it hadn't gone so well, but recently he wasn't as screeched at as the former king was. Frisk hoped the monster actually listened at what Papyrus said. Because he always knew what was happening, well, everywhere, it would be a nice way of introducing them to the other monsters lives, and hopefully make them want to join them.

When Frisk reached the house, they knocked on the front door to be polite. Asgore almost always opened immediately after and told them that they could just enter without knocking because his home was their home. However, there wasn't even an answer from inside the house this time. Frisk frowned. Asgore knew that they were coming, so he would be expecting them, right? Maybe they had knocked too softly. They knocked again. No response.

Growing a little worried Frisk decided to do as Asgore had told them many times and enter without getting an answer. At first, they just peeked from the door. Nothing seemed out of place. Nothing was destroyed or cut or had feathers stuck in it. They let out a sigh of relief. At least the monster hadn't tried to escape. Asgore had probably just rushed to buy something for Frisk before they arrived. He liked surprising them with a little something every time. Frisk smiled and hoped it was chocolate chip cookies.

They placed the little backpack they had brought with them on the couch and sat to wait for the king. It wasn't too long before they grew bored. They got up to look for the remote in hopes that there was something good on T.V. They found it… all the way up on a shelf. Determined to not let their height beat them, Frisk looked for something to help them reach that remote. As soon as they saw a stool near the entrance of the kitchen, they ran towards it and picked it up. However, their mission to watch T.V. was suddenly forgotten when they turned around and found themself looking directly at the door leading to the basement. It was surely in a strange place, right in the middle of the wall between the living room and the kitchen. You would think that's where a bathroom for visits would be.

Frisk slowly placed the stool down and stared at the nice wooden door. A key was sticking out of the lock and they couldn't help but wonder if it was necessary to use magic to open it. They shook their head. They couldn't do that! They should be good and stay away from there. But… maybe they could just check if the door was locked. If it wasn't they'd be helpful and tell Asgore when he returned!

They slowly placed a hand on the knob and tried turning it. The door opened. Okay, they hadn't expected that. Frisk looked down the stairs and noticed there was a source of light coming from somewhere below. Asgore probably left the room of the new monster well illuminated during the day since there were no windows. But what if any of the other rooms' lights were on down there as well?! That would be such a waste of energy! Frisk, of course, couldn't neglect their duty with the planet. Noticing the keychain to which the key from the door was attached, they took it with them, just in case. Carefully, they descended the stairs, knowing full well they'd find only one room lit up. Regardless of how silent they tried to be, the echo of their steps was still completely audible and shortly before they had finished the trip down, a low growling came in response.

Frisk gulped. They reached for the locket around their neck and gripped it tightly. It had helped raise there DEF in the Underground because anyone who saw it would be reminded of their original owners and they wouldn't attack as strongly with that in mind. But would it protect them today if something happened? This monster didn't know who had owned it and it probably meant nothing for them. They sighed. They wished they had brought the Temmie Armor with them.

Frisk stood at the base of the stairs for a moment and looked left and right to the different halls that lead to the other rooms, before finally glancing to the room just feet away from them. The metal door had an ominous air, with light coming out from its little barred window. Frisk took a deep breath. Even if their father insisted on the contrary, they knew the monster wasn't opening up to anyone. The thought of changing that filled them with determination, making it possible to SAVE right there. They mentally apologized to Toriel before advancing towards the door. They didn't enjoy disobeying, but they knew they had to do this. And hey, the last time Frisk had insisted on going into a basement without permission ended in them gaining a new family and meeting most of their dear friends.

With trembling hands, they searched for the right key and unlocked the door. They counted to three and then slipped inside the room as quickly as possible. Shutting the door behind them, Frisk didn't dare to look at the new monster just yet. They grew uneasy, however, when the growling suddenly stopped. Fearing they were readying an attack, Frisk turned around to find the monster just where everyone else who went down there found it: on top of the wardrobe. The monster had removed all the covers, pillows and sheets from the bed and made what seemed to be a huge nest on the roof of the wardrobe. They shifted their body so it would be facing directly at the newly arrived human. Frisk instinctively made sure the keys were hidden from sight.

They stared at Frisk with their brows furrowed. They weren't showing teeth or pointing feathers at them, which Frisk took as a good sign. Maybe they didn't feel as threatened because of Frisk's size. They decided to take a chance.

"Umm, hi?" they tried.

Silence.

Frisk risked a glance to the table to try to escape the intense gaze of the monster. They noticed the untouched stew and cinnamon bunny and decided to make it the topic of conversation.

"Uhh, w-why do you keep not eating the food that Dad brings you? Don't monsters need to eat too? "

More silence.

"Is it because you think it's bad? O-or maybe that it will make you sleepy like when you arrived?"

They scolded themself for their stuttering. They had crossed the entire Underground and even fought Flowey in that terrifying form. Then why did this monster seem so menacing?! They snapped out of it when they heard a low rumbling sound. They nervously glanced towards the monster, but their expression was unchanged. Then they realized it hadn't been a growl. But that couldn't be right! Could it…?

"You're hungry, right?" Frisk asked at the same time they took a step forward. The monster flinched at the movement and pressed themself against the wall while emitting a wary hiss. Frisk immediately stopped in their tracks, raising their arms in defense. "J-just… why won't you eat?"

The monster silently glared at them. Frisk could see the tension in their arms, which were trembling a bit. Whether it was from fear, anger or both, they couldn't tell. Maybe they could calm them down. They took another step forward, but froze in place when three feathers accompanied by a screech dug into the carpet just centimeters in front of their feet. After that, they didn't risk to do anything for a couple of minutes. Nonetheless, the monster defensive stance faltered after a while. Frisk wished the silence wasn't so awkward.

This wasn't going anywhere, but they refused to go away until they got... something. Without showing their back to the monster, Frisk walked towards the stew. The air filled with tension once more, but they took the lack of hostility as permission to continue.

"You, umm, shouldn't continue like this. It's dangerous not to eat! Will you eat if I show you there's nothing to fear?"

Silence.

Frisk put a spoonful in their mouth. It wasn't bad at all! It was just a little cold.

"See? Nothing wrong with it!" they said with a confident smile. Perhaps if they stayed there long enough they would prove they weren't going to fall asleep because of the food.

The monster looked at them with wide eyes, their brow still furrowed. They then broke eye contact with them for the first time by turning their head to the side scornfully. Frisk sighed and their shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Why don't you trust us? We just want to help you…"

Silence. Frisk sat on the floor with their head hanging.

"Your life is in danger. If you don't speak with us, we can't do much about it…"

Silence. Frisk looked at them sadly.

"Please…"

Silence.

"Let's be friends…"

Frisk closed their eyes. This definitely wasn't how they expected it to go. The monster hadn't been as grumpy as they had feared, which was saying something because they thought they would have to flee within a couple of seconds of entering the room. However, being ignored wasn't really any better. They tried thinking back to the Underground. They had been really scared, and some monsters were really intimidating. But even if Asgore was big, he was as scary as a teddy bear when not fighting. Undyne… well, they could understand being afraid of her, but even so, she had already made clear she wasn't going to hurt the monster if they didn't try to go out. And there was no way someone could be afraid of Papyrus if they received as many visits as the monster had. He was so nice! …This was not good. But Frisk was determined, and they refused to let this monster die.

"Why are you so scared?" They needed the answer. If Frisk could make them feel safer, then maybe they would begin to trust them.

Silence.

"Is it because you are different from them?"

That got a reaction. The monster snapped their head at them and narrowed their eyes. They seemed to be holding their breath.

"I-I don't think that's bad!" Frisk quickly reassured them. "Maybe it is because you actually never went into the Underground, and the other monsters up here are different as well. It's just that every monster I met for the first time called my soul out of my body to start a FIGHT, but you didn't even try that. A-and you are also able to hurt humans without doing that, like when you cut Mr. Whitley's cheek. But, you know, if you tried talking with my parents, you'd see that they are really nice, and they don't judge people, and they always say it's important not to think badly of differences and-"

"Stop."

Frisk was startled by that. They looked up at the monster, baffled. The tension had dropped from their shoulders and they seemed to have relaxed a little. Despite their voice being hoarse, it was kind of melodious and pleasing to hear. Frisk just stared at them, but when they didn't continue the kid decided to try again.

"So you can talk!" Frisk smiled.

Silence.

"Why do you attack everyone else so much?" Frisk blurted out. The question was nagging at them so badly. After everyone that came here had been treated in such an… aggressive way, they needed to know what they had done so that they could tell the others how to not be attacked. They wanted an answer now that they got them talking. "They just want to help you!"

"Sure, human." was the only answer they got.

Frisk flinched at how angrily they had said the word 'human'.

"But… you haven't been all grumpy like with the others!" they insisted. "And I don't think Dad or Papyrus have been rude to you at all! They really, really want to help you! They don't deserve that!"

Frisk received a glare.

"You don't believe me." They said sadly.

"Why are you here?" The monster said while turning away from them.

Frisk pouted at them. Why were they so stubborn?

"I've told you! I want to be friends! And I want you to stop hurting the monsters that want the same."

Silence.

"I know you are alone and scared. You don't know where you are…" Frisk closed their eyes. They knew the feeling. They remembered a huge cave surrounded by darkness. "But, I learned something not too long ago. Even if you don't know anyone around you… it's okay to ask for help. Somebody will come, even if it takes a little bit." They remembered when they tried to comfort a little white-furred monster.

They opened their eyes. The monster had turned their head sideways to look at them. They were still frowning, but it felt less… unwelcoming.

"Kid…" they finally said. "I'm tired. Go away. Please…"

The monster once again looked away from them and proceeded to lie sideways inside their nest, looking towards the wall. Frisk saw how sluggish their movements were and thought that it couldn't be good. They didn't like the way that 'tired' had sounded like. Maybe they shouldn't have come at all. They hoped they hadn't made the situation any worse.

"I'm sorry." Frisk said with their head lowered. "I'll leave you alone now."

They got up and started walking towards the door, but they stopped for a last question.

"I'm Frisk, by the way. What's your name?"

Silence.

Disappointed, Frisk went to open the door, but…

"Don't have one."

Frisk turned around and looked at them confused.

"You don't have a name?"

Silence.

"Can I… can I choose one for you?" they asked with their voice a little too filled with hope.

The monster took a moment to respond.

"Can't stop you."

Frisk smiled widely at their answer.

"I promise I'll find a good one! One that you'll like!"

Silence. Weeell, conversation over…

Even if the monster didn't seem likely to move, Frisk still made sure to get out of there as swiftly as possible. They would be in trouble if the new monster got out because of them. But as they turned around after locking the door, they figured they were in trouble all the same. Right in front of them was Asgore, arms crossed and a serious expression on his face. Oh, shoot.

"Uhh, hi! Heh-heh…" Frisk smiled timidly at him. Good thing it wasn't their mom who had seen them here or they would be grounded for an eternity. Hopefully, they could convince Asgore not to tell her.

"Young one, you have a lot of explaining to do." He said while motioning for them to go upstairs. However, he glanced through the little barred window towards the monster and softened his expression. "But I have to say, good job. You sure know how to surprise me every time."

Frisk smiled at the praise and hurried upstairs. If they were going to get grounded, at least they'd have time to think of a good name.

Please review and tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is always welcomed!