With the end of the school year fast approaching, you were unsurprised to find yourself being called into the counselor's office.
It wasn't unusual for people to question what you went to school for. You gazed at the school counselor evenly as she argued. "I don't understand why you're not going to school to be a doctor. We have the pre-med program here."
"Because I don't want to be one." You answered simply, linking your fingers.
"Of course you do, or you wouldn't have specialized in healing magic. This sort of fuss is recognizable. You're rebelling. I have to point out that it isn't the best for your future."
You remained silent as she ranted. If you let her get it out of her system, she probably wouldn't lecture you again. How would she know the circumstances of your specialization? How could she know how much you hated clinics and hospitals? How could she realize that your magic didn't work that way?
She wasn't a mage.
So you sat, and listened, and nodded, and waited. You internally wondered why they couldn't have a counselor who was a mage specifically for the students with magic. It seemed a much more effective system.
At the end of the session you left a very frustrated counselor behind you holding completed paperwork for your continued liberal arts studies.
Fuku was waiting for you, along with the last people you were expecting. Alphys and Undyne stood, awkwardly chatting with your best friend. They turned as you approached. "That was a rant." Fuku commented. "We could hear it out here."
"She disapproves of my chosen course of study." You explained to the two still confused monsters. "Apparently Liberal Arts isn't very good for my future."
"Why? Isn't that something you choose for yourself, Punk?" Alphys questioned.
"It's supposed to be, yes." Fuku cut in. "The school thinks _ is not quite living up to her potential. She often has to come in and explain that she does, indeed, want to continue her current course of study."
"Were you guys planning something?" You interrupted before they could question what, exactly, the college wanted you to switch to and why.
The three monster women shared a look. Surprisingly, it was Undyne who spoke up, "W-we wondered if you w-wanted to go sh-shopping. S-sorry, no S-sans or Pa-papyrus. Just u-us girls." The large grin that broke out on your face answered for you.
Ebott Mall was a large place, comparative to the mall in your hometown. Three separate floors covered in every shop humanity could imagine. A few even belonged to monsters now.
People gave your group a wide berth as you entered. Ignoring this, you walked up to the map. "Fuku's favorite place to shop is always the Hallmark store, so how about we start there and browse the trinkets? Then we can go hit up the bridal shops for you two." You suggested, pointing.
Both of the other monsters paused for a moment. "What's your favorite, Punk?"
"Bath and Body Works." Fuku answered for you. "She'll spend two hours smelling everything in the store."
"They all smell good!" It isn't as if you don't have just as much fun. You protested as the three monster women laughed.
It was a quick jaunt to the aforementioned store. Undyne hid herself amidst the aisles of cards as Fuku paused to look at the -why were they even out at this time of year?- Christmas ornaments. You made a beeline straight to the back to smell the countless candles as Alphys looked at the decorative kitchen utensils.
It was mildly confusing to you, the stark contrast in Fuku's demeanor now opposed to the warning she'd given you regarding your new potential friends before. Still, you doubted Fuku was hiding anything from you. She was probably tagging along to make sure you stayed out of trouble.
It was surprising you noticed at all, lost in amazing smells as you were in the back of the store, but once your magic reacted, warning you of impending danger, there was no ignoring it. Several people had passed the front of the store, but a group of six just kept walking by.
Every time, they looked in at your friends with disgust.
You started your way toward Fuku at the front of the shop, hoping to leave before something started, just as they passed again. The six offenders looked like high schoolers. A couple of them were standing back by the entrance, but you weren't sure if that's because they disapproved or if it was to keep any of you from leaving. This time, you recognized the looks on their faces. They were going to hurt someone. You immediately changed direction, yanking Undyne behind you just as the first punk took a swing at her.
The startled cry she let out at the sudden movement drew the attention of your other companions, but it was definitely better than if she'd just been decked. The sneer on the front teenager's face made you vaguely regret never taking self-defense lessons. You stepped more squarely in front of Undyne, hoping she would back up a bit on her own.
"What do you think you're doing?" You demanded, knowing silence wasn't going to accomplish anything. Not that any reasoning could be done with stubborn high schoolers on a mean streak…
The second one was smirking now, the only warning you had before he threw a punch straight at you. You blocked it with all the defensive skills honed from elementary school dodgeball, which wasn't a lot, but it did manage to throw him off balance.
"Hey, punks!" Your gaze swiveled to Alphys out of reflex, used to her calling you that. The lizard-woman stood behind the teenagers, quite intimidating holding that large axe. Next to her stood a very pissed off fire elemental.
Your lack of attention cost you, as the first one went to attack you again. The flinch probably saved your eye, but it still hurt as the fist connected with your cheek. That would definitely bruise.
Without even realizing what you were doing, your leg swept out in front of you, years of yoga flexibility lending to your altitude as you literally kicked your offender in the face. In the meantime, Alphys had swept two of them into a chokehold with her axe and Fuku had dropped the second one.
A quick glance at the door told you that the other two had ditched. Your gaze quickly shifted to the boy holding the nose you'd kicked in front of you. He was recovering quickly enough, which was bad for you since you weren't a good fighter.
He grabbed you roughly by the shoulders and you did the only thing you could think of as he snarled into your face: you rammed your knee up as hard as you were able. The expressions that crossed his face in that moment were quite interesting, to be honest, before he made a high-pitched whining noise and rolled away from you onto the floor clutching his nether region.
The threat negated, you allowed your hand to come up to your aching cheek. Touching it with any pressure cause you to wince as a sharp pain shot through your nerves.
You hated pain. You hated yourself for causing it. Was it okay to have done so? They had tried to hurt others much more than you had tried to hurt them. Did that mean you had done a good thing by preventing them from doing so?
You became vaguely aware of a hand clutching the back of your shirt as men in security uniforms dashed onto the scene. It stopped your growing desire to heal the hurt teens in its tracks. Undyne was anxious. Hell, you were too.
What followed was two hours of questioning and accusation, despite the security tapes showing quite clearly who was at fault. It was two hours you would have, admittedly, preferred to be smelling things in Bath and Body Works. About thirty minutes in, Alphys stepped out to make a phone call, but nothing else broke up the monotony of answering the same questions repeatedly. Not even the growing ache in your face from being punched.
Until it did. In the middle of asking you again how the boys had come into the store and if you were sure they meant harm, a large white monster, the Magnificent Sans, and a professionally dressed human swept into the room. There was probably nobody in the world who wouldn't recognize who this regal, goat like monster was.
Queen Toriel.
The human shooed you and your friends from the room as the monarch turned her ire onto the security staff. "Lawyers." Alphys muttered under her breath, irritated, as The Magnificent Sans followed the four of you out into the hallway.
That explained quite a bit. "At least we don't have to keep answering stupid questions about a fight they're trying to pin on us even though they know it's those kids' fault." You hissed grumpily.
"IF THEY ARE STILL QUESTIONING IT, ARE YOU SURE THEY KNOW THAT THEY ARE TO BLAME?" The Magnificent Sans inquired.
"I…I can usually tell when someone's lying to me." You answered vaguely, more than aware of your present company. The Magnificent Sans nodded at you, understanding. "Sorry guys. If I'd noticed sooner, maybe this all wouldn't have happened."
Undyne and Alphys gaped at you openly as Fuku moved to rub your back. "It's hardly your fault, _. We could have noticed too." You aren't the only one whose magic warned them went unsaid, but you still understood that she meant it.
"THE ONES AT FAULT ARE THE ONES THAT ATTACKED YOU. THERE'S NO NEED TO TRY TO ASSIGN BLAME TO YOURSELF." The Magnificent Sans pointed out. "ANY WAY YOU LOOK AT IT, ACCORDING TO THE LEGAL SYSTEM: SELF-DEFENSE IS COMPLETELY LEGAL. MR. LEE IS GOOD AT HIS JOB." He patted your arm comfortingly.
"Gotta admit, Punk," Alphys began, "that was one hell of a kick. Didn't know humans could bend that way. I always thought the chest was your height limit."
You're certain your face turned beet red. Apparently, you'd accidently been a badass. Rubbing the back of your neck, you replied, "Not many humans can, as far as I know. It takes years of practice to get that flexibility."
"THAT'S AMAZING, HUMAN _. ALTHOUGH, YOUR GENERAL FIGHTING TECHNIQUE COULD USE SOME WORK." The Magnificent Sans critiqued. "YOU DEFINITELY TOOK A HIT THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED." He inspected the darkening bruise on your face with an intense expression that you couldn't name.
"I never learned how to fight, so I don't doubt that." You replied, earning three dumbfounded stares from the three monsters that hadn't known you long. "I kind of regret it now."
"THAT'S OKAY, HUMAN _! IT CERTAINLY ISN'T TOO LATE FOR YOU TO LEARN. AS LONG AS YOU'RE ALIVE, IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO LEARN!"
"Ah. I'm…not so sure…" You replied quietly. "Hurting people isn't…really…"
"BUT YOU CAN STOP PEOPLE FROM GETTING HURT IN THE FIRST PLACE, YOURSELF INCLUDED." The Magnificent Sans argued. "NONE OF US WANT TO SEE YOU HURT EITHER." You're certain your face resembled an apple at that moment, it was so warm from the blush.
Undyne stepped toward you, hesitating before covering your hand with her own. "Th-thank you f-for pro-protecting me, even th-though y-you got hu-hurt." Rather than answering, you simply shot her a smile so large it made your bruised cheekbone hurt.
Toriel was more than a little unhappy to hear what was going on from Alphys and got her lawyer on the phone as quickly as she could. An hour later she arrived at mall security, Mr. Lee and Sans from the royal guard by her side reviewing security tapes.
Every angle showed her the same thing. You, whoever you were, noticed something odd and began walking to the front of the store. As the four young humans walked in, your eyes skimmed them quickly before you suddenly changed direction to intercept their attempt to harm her royal scientist.
This got the attention of the other two, who moved to defensive action. Your guard was clumsy, but effective enough to get the boy to stumble back into the fire elemental, who wrestled him to the ground easily. For some reason, your gaze was drawn away momentarily and the one who'd initiated the whole thing landed a hit on you.
Her royal guard captain used magic to summon an axe and capture two of them as, in response to being hit, you kicked your offender in the face. You glanced at the entrance as if you expected someone to be there, before your aggressor grabbed you and you swiftly ended the conflict.
How could anyone even try to accuse her people of causing this? Mr. Lee scoffed beside her, asking the same question aloud.
Toriel's gaze was drawn to you as she forced open the door to the impromptu interrogation room. Who were you, and why were some of her most respected advisors close to you? Recognition lit behind your eyes immediately and you respectfully dropped your gaze. Glancing down, she noticed even Alphys's second, Sans, knew you as he escorted the four of you from the room.
Perhaps, Toriel mused, after this, she would get to know you. You seemed like a good human, and in this fight, Toriel needed as many allies as she could get. But, returning to the task at hand…