Frisk was the first person to walk into the City Hall meeting room. Most were surprised to see her, not expecting her for another few days, but then again, the circumstances were rather pressing, to say the least.
"I want to know what the city is doing to protect its peoples," she snapped out, not bothering with preamble or greetings. "I want to know why there have been two shootings and several magical attacks at my daughter's school in one day alone. And I want to know why my friend was shot full of birdshot yesterday."
Toole, one of Carlson's former friends but whom had seemed to relax a little with his absence, said, "We don't know any of the answers to any of that, Ambassador."
"How can you not know?" Frisk demanded. "How can you not know what goes on in your city, nor have any plan of action against what goes on within it?"
"Because nobody expected this," Crombie answered, her voice sharp. "No one expected Headmistress Toriel's school to be attacked. Ever."
"Despite the fact that I told you about the threats to my daughter at least a year ago," Frisk snarled. "I told you! And now my friend is in the hospital and my daughter is in danger, has been shot at! And I can't take her out of that danger without calling more of it to her!"
Saito, at least, looked ashamed. Over the years, she had been one of Frisk's greatest champions. "You're correct, Ambassador," she said, earning her various glares and glowers from her fellows. "We didn't take it seriously enough."
"Saito, Dreemurr gets threats for existing," said Toole coldly.
Carlson's replacement, a man named Gill, merely said, "Any threat should be taken seriously, regardless of its topic."
Frisk nodded to him gratefully. "Especially when towards children, don't you think? You must admit to some negligence here, council."
"And we do," the mayor said suddenly, surprising the others (save Saito). "Gross negligence, indeed." She glared at Toole and Crombie. "One that could have gotten many people killed. Why was I not notified?"
Crombie hesitated before she answered. "I wasn't sure whether to take them seriously or not, Madam Mayor."
"Well, that's ridiculous. You should know that they all should be. You've failed me as a deputy in this, Crombie."
Crombie went scarlet but didn't protest. It was true, after all.
Finally, McCallion asked Frisk, staring right into her eyes, "What do you need?"
Frisk swallowed hard and told her.
"Undyne..."
Undyne looked up briefly, preoccupied with trying to give Basket a bottle of formula, who was not amused by the prospect. It was Alphys's doctor, a monster named Dr Tollona, one they'd known for several years - since Alphys got pregnant.
"Yeah," Undyne answered shortly, looking back down at Basket and biting her lip. "Eat, please, Bass, please," she pleaded softly.
"Have you had a break since yesterday, Undyne?"
"No," she said shortly. "Don't need one. Please, my baby, eat..."
Finally, Basket latched onto the bottle and for once didn't let go, drinking greedily. Undyne shut her eye and held her close, unable to help the tears from flowing down her cheeks. Basket had been refusing to eat ever since they got there, and Undyne had started to become afraid for her.
The doctor placed a hand on Undyne's shoulder, but she jerked away. Dr Tollona blinked in surprise, but Undyne wasn't looking at her, but at Alphys, her tears still flowing. "She's eating," Undyne said to her, her voice small.
Alphys was still knocked out on medication, sleep being the only way to avoid both complications and pain, as well as to speed up the healing as best as possible. But Undyne always talked to her, anyway.
"Undyne," Dr Tollona said softly. "You need to go home to sleep."
"I sleep when Bass sleeps," Undyne snapped. "The chair is fine."
There was a pause, before the doctor said, "What if I bring in a cot for you, and a bassinet for Basket? You can still sleep when she does, but both of you can do it more comfortably."
Undyne thought about it. She had the itchy, confused feeling of one sleep-deprived and uncomfortable from it, and the chair probably wasn't comfortable for Basket, either. "Yeah," she muttered. "Okay."
"She's going to be fine, Undyne," Dr Tollona reassured her gently.
"Then I want to be the first thing she sees when she wakes up. Basket and me," Undyne answered shortly. "The moment she wakes up."
The morning at Toriel's school went by smoothly, though by lunch, everyone was tense, considering what happened before. However, like the morning, the lunch period and the recess prior was without incident. Nicky wore her vest, but needlessly, something she reminded her family every time she ran past one of them, either chasing or being chased by Rayoss or Jilly. She looked so happy, so carefree, that they decided not to tell her the full story about Alphys. At least not yet.
sans was quiet when they spoke about it over lunch, this time in the staff room (Shyren and Papyrus were on lunch duty outside). They went over it over and over again, until he finally sighed, loudly, and said, "they got her for interfering."
Everyone stared at him, now. "Interfering?" Asgore echoed, bemused.
sans nodded. "she's the one who stopped - and caught - the monster kids."
Asriel's eyes went wide, and Toriel covered her mouth. "Do you think monsters shot her?" Toriel asked.
"nope. her neighbours said they saw humans leave her house," sans replied.
Asriel narrowed his eyes now. "Then why would they attack Alphys if it didn't even involve them?"
sans gave him a tired look. "you really do have petals for brains, don't you?"
Toriel raised a hand and stopped her son in mid-lunge. "So, then, they truly are working together, you think, sans?" she asked calmly.
"looks that way, doesn't it?" sans agreed, smiling at her.
"This makes no sense," Asgore admitted. "Why - and how - are they working together, and doesn't that defeat the purpose they claim to be fighting for?"
"that's the question," sans sighed.
"Well, let's go through it slowly," Toriel advised, sitting up straighter. "What benefits do they have by joining forces?"
"Bigger attack force," Asriel muttered darkly.
"Surprise and subterfuge," Asgore offered.
"confusion, coercion," sans supplied.
"And why would they use children for these means?" Toriel asked.
"they're passionate and naive," sans said easily. "therefore simple to manipulate."
"Not by their own fault, not really," Asgore protested. "They truly believe that what they do is the right decision, regardless of means."
"They can be complete idiots," Asriel added.
Toriel was nodding, though she did give Asriel a sharp look at his last comment. "So we need to find out, who's leading them, how, and why. Do we not?"
"Can we all agree that it's so obviously Carlson?" Asriel demanded tiredly.
"yep," sans agreed, as did Asgore with a nod.
Toriel, however, shook her head. "We can't be certain. He hates us and makes it no secret, yes. So why would any monster want to work for his cause?" She paused. "Oh. Because the goals are the same," she concluded, glancing at her husband.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Asgore repeated sadly in agreement.
"But is Carlson truly that friend? That's what we need to find out before we do anything else." Toriel concluded, her voice hard. "Before anyone else gets hurt."
No one could argue with her on that.