Mafiatale
An Undertale AU Fiction by D101 Reviews
Chapter 03: Heartbreak
The knock at the door caused Frisk to jump from the small sofa beside the fire, pulling the blanket that had been draped over him close to his small frame. Toriel looked up from her book at the motion and gave Frisk a reassuring smile, before she got to her feet and made her way to the door.
Keeping the door on the chain she opened it and peered in the gap that was created. She gave a relieved sigh before she closed the door to release the chain and open it properly.
"Thank you for coming so suddenly," she said to the monster as she stepped aside to allow them inside.
"Not to worry Miss Toriel," said a warm yet oddly high voice. "I am never one to disappoint a friend in need. Where is the human?"
"They're by the fireside. Again I can't thank you enough for coming. Those ruffians I caught trying to harm the poor boy weren't much but I fear I might be starting to feel my age a bit."
"Nonsense you look magnificent!"
There was the sound of shoes clacking on the wooden floor of Toriel's hallway, accompanied by the soft padding of Toriel's bare feet. She appeared first, taking a seat beside Frisk and placing a hand in his hair and ruffling it gently. She sank deep into the cushions of the sofa, it having not been designed for a monster as large as Toriel was. Frisk smiled at this as the newcomer stepped into the firelight and looked about for a chair, to which Toriel offered the armchair she had previously occupied.
The figure gave a nod and sat down in the proffered chair and Frisk got to look at him properly for the first time.
He'd heard of skeletal monsters before but this was his first time seeing one. He was tall, with long legs and a thin skull, the ridges of bone over his eyes moving with great flexibility as he looked at Frisk. He wore a peach coloured button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and red braces hooked into his pinstriped brown suit trousers. A black tie, tan brown leather gloves and black and white spats completed the ensemble. His expression was kindly as he looked at Frisk. The jacket of his suit was draped lazily over one arm and he held a tan trilby hat in the other hand. A revolver was just visible under his left armpit in a concealed holster.
"Greetings human," the skeleton said in a kind manner. "I am Papyrus. You may call me the Great Papyrus, for after all, that is what I am."
"Papyrus," Toriel said smiling.
"I'm merely telling the human lad the whole truth," Papyrus said with a conspiratorial wink to Frisk who giggled. "Now what's your name human?"
Frisk looked up at Toriel who nodded encouragingly. Frisk looked back at Papyrus: "Frisk. I'm Frisk."
"Nice to meet you Frisk," Papyrus said, pulling a notepad and pen from the breast pocket of his shirt. "Can you tell me how a little guy like you managed to get all the way into the Monster Slums?"
Frisk looked down, worried and slightly scared. Toriel put a reassuring hand on Frisk' shoulder and squeezed it gently.
"You're not in any trouble dear," Toriel told him. "Papyrus and I just want to help you get back to your mommy and daddy."
Frisk stiffened in Toriel's grasp and pulled the blanket closer still. "I don't… I…" he mumbled into the blanket, unsure how to articulate such a statement to these two kind monsters. What did they refer to it again? He remembered after a brief pause and looked at the fire grate. "They fell down…"
Toriel put a hand to her mouth and Papyrus gave a small uncomfortable wriggle in the armchair. After a moment he said, "Who looks after you then Frisk?"
"My auntie," Frisk mumbled. Papyrus gave a small nod.
"When did you last see your Auntie Frisk?"
"This morning."
"Can you tell me how you got here?"
Frisk nodded and began his story.
The Froggit knew this could have happened but he had hoped with all his being that it wouldn't have come to this. He didn't know what would happen to his Loox and Vegetoid companions after he had left. He knew the caretaker would not have the will within her to do much beside spare his two compatriots. If they had any sense they would most likely try to hide after they woke up… not that they could hide for very long.
He knew that ultimately they would find them.
The car they were traveling in slowed to a crawl, before finally stopping. Froggit looked out at the murky outskirts of Ebott City before looking back at the monster sitting opposite him. The Majix looked back under the brim of his wide pointed hat, his wide mouth pulled into a taut smile, revealing pointed teeth. His Chaser and Corner orbs peered at Froggit from their respective positions in the back of the car. The Majix uncross his legs and the car door opened with a jolt and the Froggit was pulled out of the car by the lapels of his suit.
Night Knight threw him sprawling to the muddy ground, her towering figure blocking out the headlights of the second car that had been waiting for him. Froggit didn't try to get up. His body shook too much for him to even feel his limbs, let alone try and move them.
The sound of the other car's rear door opening and slamming closed brought him back to reality. A single figure walked out from the shadows behind the car's lights, emerging into the light to the Froggit's terror. The figure was tall, and radiated with a terrible power. Though Night Knight was broader and taller, she lacked the air of authority and power that was one of the hallmarks of a Boss Monster.
He wore a three piece suit of orchid purple, a crisp linen white shirt with golden cufflinks in the shape of the ancient Delta Ruin of the Old Monster Kingdom and a sharp looking black tie. He had a heavy dark grey overcoat draped over his shoulders like a cape almost, as the sleeves flapped empty in the wind, his hands pushed deep into the pockets of his trousers. To complete the look was a fedora of the same shade of purple as his suit, a black ribbon tied around the crown, a single golden flower tucked between felt of hat and silk of ribbon.
The Boss looked down at Froggit with those deep brown eyes of his, his white fur shifting gently in the breeze, long ears almost resting on his shoulders.
"So," the Boss said slowly, allowing his voice to strike into the core of Froggit's terror. "A human child in the Monster Slums?"
Froggit nodded. He knew it wasn't his place to speak. Not yet.
"You were on patrol with two others yes?" Another nod. "So how is it that a lone human child not only slips through your collective fingers, but lays out you Loox and Vegetoid companion, and we find you wandering the Slums without a scratch on you?"
Froggit opened his mouth but no words came out. The Boss pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed heavily through his nose. He jerked his head and Night Knight gripped Froggit by the shoulders and pulled him to his feet, pinning his arms behind him. Froggit gulped as the Boss stepped up to look him in the face.
"You've always been soft," the Boss sighed. "Too squeamish for the task at hand. You would have thought after we'd already killed six human children, you would have got the stomach for the dirty work." At this point the Boss punched Froggit in the gut and Froggit croaked loudly in pain. "So, we have a choice here for you." Froggit looked at the Boss, curious. "You tell me something I can use to find this human child… or we go find her." Froggit's eyes widened in terror and the Boss chuckled, a cold humour in his eyes.
"Oh yes. She doesn't know about this. She'll be furious with you. She'll think you're trying to protect the poor brat." The Boss looked at the claws of the hand he'd used to punch Froggit. "I've never had much of a taste for punishing our own but… you know what she's like. She sees things her own way. Protecting a human is betrayal to all monsters. And you know how loyal she is to monsterkind." The Boss looked at Froggit again and all trace of humour and warmth was gone. The cold in those eyes was terrible. Froggit gulped again.
"Ribbit," he managed to croak out. Then he screamed, "Ribbit ribbit!"
The Boss' eyes widened at this before he scowled. "Toriel…"
"Golden flowers huh?" Papyrus said, scribbling it down on his notepad. "No other unifying features?"
Frisk shook his head no. Papyrus nodded, before getting to his feet.
"Miss Toriel can I talk to you in the kitchen for a moment?" he asked, jerking his head at the kitchen door.
"Of course," Toriel said, getting to her feet and following Papyrus into the kitchen. She turned on one of the gas rings on top of the stove and lit it with a burst of fire from her fingertip. She filled the kettle and put it on the heat as Papyrus leant against the countertop and folded his arms across his chest.
"Golden flowers…" he muttered, almost to himself, eyes closed and shaking his head. "No doubt about it. It's them again."
"It's always children," Toriel sighed, pulling three cups and saucers from a cupboard. "Why Papyrus? Why the children?"
"I don't know," Papyrus sighed. "You'd have thought we'd get more clues about who these guys are the seventh time we hear about them."
"I have my suspicions," Toriel murmured. "But I hate to voice them."
Papyrus didn't say anything to this. He simply put his hat on and began to shrug on his jacket. Toriel looked up at this.
"You're not staying for some tea?" she asked surprised. He shook his head.
"I've got some puzzles I need to work on," Papyrus said enigmatically. "I'll check in later, keep on eye on the two of you."
"Thank you Papyrus," Toriel said smiling. He waved this away.
"Nothing to it. I'll start circulating the kid's description around the city, check in with the police on the human side of the city. If the human's aunt is any kind of relative, she'll certainly be worried about him."
"I know I would be," Toriel said, looking into the empty cups. Papyrus walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Stay safe Toriel," he said.