Kirsty awoke with a yawn and stared at the ground. It looked like she'd done a few things she didn't remember doing, like falling asleep, or holding Sans in her arms. Sans was still in his nap. She decided not to wake him; he looked adorable in his sleep. The grass was soft beneath her bare feet as she managed to stand up without waking up her friend - taking off her white socks and black trainers was another thing she didn't remember doing. How long had she been asleep? No one could tell.

She stood for a while, leaning against the wet wall until she became aware of a pain in her stomach. How long had it been since she'd eaten? It must've already gone past lunch time now. She had to get food.

Stepping out of the room, Kirsty started her search for something to eat. She inspected a nearby box. Nothing but a long, pink ribbon. Was that something she could eat? No. Probably not.

The path of fate drew her to a stone bridge to the east. The water that surrounded her was see-through, transparent - so much so that she could see the riverbed crystal clear. She heard the near sound of a piano being played. It pulled her across the earth; music was always a good sign for her. Turning left, the teen found a large, fish-looking house that seemed to be the source of the sound. Through the window, she could see Undyne and Alphys. She chose not to talk to Undyne. Kirsty sighed and moved on to the next corridor.

She hadn't seen any people so far. They'd all be indoors, having lunch. Maybe she could find someone who wasn't scary, anime-loving, or sleeping. And, to her astonishment, she did.

The next room had two buildings in - one blue, one pink. Both of them looked like there was no one inside. Down a hallway to the right of the houses was a snail farm. Apart from the snails, there still was no one to get directions from, not that she'd have enjoyed talking to people, that is. The area was as still as a statue. Surely, she would die of starvation because she didn't want to talk to people.

However, as she turned to leave, she took a wrong step, walking straight into what felt like a puddle of hot, agonising, stinging lava. Her feet burned like she had stepped in acid, the fiery sensation slowly slithering up her body. "Argh!" She leapt back in an instant, staring down at whatever it was she'd wandered into. It, transparent and see-through, like the water she had seen before, appeared to be a crying ghost - a ghost that cried acid tears - lying on the ground, like rubbish. It's eyes flashed open and he sat upright, his cylindrical body bending in a way that made it look he even could sit. The plain, black headphones on his head must have been what kept him from detecting the presence of another person.

"Oh... I'm sorry..." he said, floating up to meet her gaze. His headphones somehow slid backwards and sat on the neck that he didn't have. "Was I in your way...?"

"Uh, no, no, it's okay. I was...not looking where I was going. It's my fault. Heh." Kirsty apologised, curling her toes in the grass, as if it would soothe her enough for every worry and pain to leave her.

"... Oh... Okay..." the ghost replied. "... Sorry..." He, whoever he was, watched her shuffling, connecting the dots quickly - or at least just assuming the worst. "... Oh... Did I hurt you...?"

"Hm? Er... Yeah... It was like fire or something..."

"Oh, I'm sorry... I did it again, didn't I...? When I cry, it hurts people... I understand if you hate me now..."

"N-no, I don't hate you. It was just an accident." Kirsty nodded. Hearing her stomach start to growl once again, she remembered why she had wandered off in the first place. "Uh, actually, I need your help with something."

"Oh, I don't think I could be able to help you with anything... I'm not good at helping people..."

"I-it's not that hard. I just need some food. I don't know where to get any, 'cause this is my first time coming here, and I don't have any monster currency anyway." she explained, showing the ghost what she had in her purse. The picture of her with her not-anymore-best-friends sent a shiver down her spine, and she shut it quickly, blushing slightly. "Maybe buying me some food could be your way of making it up to me?" she shrugged.

"Um... Okay... This way..." the ghost replied, flying off to a nearby shop.

"Thanks. Uh, my name's Kirsty, by the way. What's yours?" Kirsty asked.

"I'm Napstablook. I like your name, Kirsty." the ghost blushed.

Wait, could a ghost blush? Well, if he could, it would be incredibly faint, or even invisible, but if skeletons - beings that also did not have blood, therefore making it impossible for them to blush - could blush, then surely ghosts can too, right? Right. That's settled then. Napstablook blushed a incredibly faint blush at Kirsty's interest in him - an interest that he thought no one could possibly own.

"Thanks, Napsta." Kirsty giggled. "Er... I can call you Napsta, can't I?"

"Call me what you want. I don't really mind." Napsta smiled.

"Right, well, I'll call you Napsta then!" she chuckled, before entering Gerson's shop on the left.

"What can I get you, kiddies?" the turtle (or was he a tortoise?) asked, grinning.

His shop was an assortment of bits and bobs that he'd found - including a few gemstones, like rubies or emeralds, or just any old thing that looked in the least bit interesting (for example, a half broken ballerina music box had been put on a high shelf, playing a tranquil tune, and several necklaces and earrings of seashells). Unfortunately, as it was more of a large Lost And Found box than a shop (and food isn't really something you'd put in a Lost And Found box, unless you're doing it purely to prove me wrong, or just being stupid), there wasn't really much to choose from, food-wise. Nothing but a bunch of Crab Apples and a box of Sea Teas.

Kirsty looked all around the shop, believing that there must be more than just a few apples and good old fashioned, British tea, but said items were the only things she could find needed for her current situation. "Um, how much is the Crab Apple?" she asked.

"That's gold, sweetheart." Gerson answered.

"Uh... I don't have monster currency yet. Could you pay for me, please, Napsta?" Kirsty asked her ghostly friend, immediately thinking he'd say no, because she saw no pockets for him to keep his gold in.

"Oh. Sure." Napstablook replied. Suddenly, gold appeared out of nowhere, and Kirsty's apple was bought.

"Thanks for the purchase." Gerson passed the red, crab-looking fruit to the girl, sliding his money into a drawer under the counter. "Anything else?"

"Um... No thank you. Er, bye, mister." Kirsty said.

"Take care, kids." he said, as the pair left.

"How did you do that?" Kirsty asked, biting into the apple. It tasted like crab (of course), something she loved to eat on the surface. It looked like not everything from her old home was lost. Some things were the same, but only slightly different.

"Do what?" Napstablook questioned.

"That. The thing you did. How did you get the money? You don't look like you have pockets on your body."

"Oh... It's just magic." the ghost explained, floating back to his house.

"Oh... Right... Sorry." Kirsty sighed. "I haven't really gotten used to the whole magic thing yet. There really isn't that much of it on the surface."

"That's okay. You'll get used to it in time." Napstablook smiled.

The rest of the very short journey was without words. They reached the ghost's tall, blue house, and Kirsty asked if she could stay for lunch. She had always been interested in the supernatural and all the myths and legends told. In fact, it was that specific interest that led her down Mt Ebott in the first place. "I was in the town library one day, and I came across this book about myths and legends. I took it home and started reading it. It told me everything about the monsters. It was so detailed that I couldn't not believe it! I just had to see for myself. Was it really true? Were there really monsters underneath Mt Ebott?"

Her monologuing soon turned into venting, commas replacing full stops, only pausing for air, not to signify the end of a sentence. Being an introvert, she had quite a rough day yesterday, meaning that her nap time with Sans and her small solo adventure was just enough o refuel her for the rest of the day. This new burst of energy led her to putting a long essay that she had been working on in the back of her mind to be finally put into words. She needed to ramble to someone, and who better than Napstablook, the most self-aware, craving-to-appear-polite monster in the underground? He wouldn't interrupt her to save his life. People like him were a personal favourite of Kirsty's, and were most definitely worth cherishing.

This one way conversation continued in Napstablook's home: blue on the outside, red on the inside. A nice juxtaposition. A good representation of how you should never judge a book by its cover, showing that it doesn't matter what's on the outside, just as long as it's good on the inside. Or is it just a regular ghost house with nothing more to it? Who could tell? Certainly not me. Don't think I know everything, solely because I'm the narrator.

The building wasn't all that fancy or clean. He didn't expect company at all though, so why bother? It's not like he could catch a cold from all the dust that had built up there. A couple of spider webs had been constructed in the corners, revealing just how much he thought he didn't need to clean. Even a flyer for a Spider Bake Sale in Hotland was stuck in one - and when I say stuck, I mean stuck.

There was a stereo in the corner, with a few CDs lying next to it. It looked like the stereo was his favourite thing in the house, as it was never silent for long. In the left was a fridge (it didn't look like it was used for much; ghosts don't usually eat much) and at its side was a television - this (and the stereo) was clearly the most favoured out of all the things in his house.

A desk in the far corner held a mass of notes, and the old computer in the centre was opened to 'UnderNet' - a mix of Facebook and Tumblr, monster edition - on Napstablook22's profile.

Kirsty's spontaneous speech was cut short at the sight. "...because everyone thought that monsters were made up (y'know, to scare kids and that) but-... What's UnderNet?"

"UnderNet? Oh. It's just a social networking site for monsters." Napstablook explained, as his guest checked out the website.

"Cool... Can I get an account?" Kirsty asked, clicking at all the buttons and giggling at all the funny pictures and status updates made by other monsters.

"Oh. Sure. Do you want me to help?" said Napstablook.

"Yes, please."

She knew she was fully capable of doing it herself, but she also knew that Napstablook didn't look like he had a very high self esteem, judging by what kind of mood he was in when she found him and the dusty house he lived in, so she thought that she might as well help him think a little bit differently about himself (and it wasn't often she was a quick thinker; consequently, this act of kindness boosted Napstablook's confidence and her own, despite it being quite a small boost). And so, Napstablook and Kirsty had quite a good time at the ghost's house, both feeling like someone actually needed them.

Although Napstablook knew that Movie Star Mettaton needed him for his music, it felt more like a job - which it was - than sharing music with his family - which Mettaton was: a distant cousin (both literally and figuratively). However much he told him he adored him, he still rarely visited Napstablook; even though the dimly lit moon will never stop chasing the ever burning sun, solar eclipses are far from frequent. But then again, Mettaton was dedicated to his job, and his motto, "The show must go on, no matter what the cost" is just evidence of that. He never let anything get in the way of his show, not Napstablook, not Dr Alphys - the scientist who created him - no one.

This left Napstablook feeling very, very alone, abandoned and unwanted. Today was very different.

It felt like they'd spent an eternity together, listening to tunes, watching Mettaton's shows (he'd managed to record every episode of the show, clever ghost), and just having fun in general when Kirsty started talking about her time in the underground.

"So, today I wanted to explore Home, starting by going back to the Ruins and going up to the barrier from there." She loved talking to Napstablook. She didn't think she'd met anyone as quiet and polite as him. He listened so carefully to every little detail of her words. "I took a nap earlier, then I started to get hungry, and then I found you, so..." She gasped, beaming. "Wanna explore with me?"

"Oh, I-I'd love to." blushed Napstablook as Kirsty stood up.

"Great!" Kirsty said, walking out the door. "You don't have to go with me all the way to the barrier if you don't want to. I'm independent enough to go on my own."

"Alright. Let's go." Napstablook smiled, floating along to the east corridor.

The thunder of the rain caused Sans to wake. He groaned and opened the lids of his dark eye sockets to find that he had been left behind by his new friend, and without warning too. The skeleton sighed and got to his feet with a stretch, and began his search for the fascinated, eager human.

Kirsty and Napstablook had reached the Echo Flower garden. They were quite strange flowers. They seemed to be able to grow in the most odd places, as they (or rather, Kirsty, because Napstablook didn't really have feet to walk with) were trudging through one of the flooded hallways, but the attractive Echo Flowers and the glowing, golden dots that floated around gave the room an air of tranquility. The sound of footsteps echoed down the damp corridors, Echo Flowers joining in with the echoing without hesitation. Kirsty turned her head to face the sound, just as Sans entered her field of vision. "Oh!" she gasped, face-palming harder than she intended. "Cheese and peas! I'm such a goldfish! Sans! I'm sorry!"

"Kirsty...! Um... Goldfish?" Sans questioned, as Napstablook fronted him.

"Er... A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds." Kirsty explained. "I'm very good at being one of those. I'm too forgetful for my own good. I shouldn't have left you. I just got hungry."

"Oh. Is this your friend?" Napstablook asked. "Should I leave? I'll just make things more awkward. I guess I wasn't needed after all." Her started to float back to his home, but Kirsty managed to block his way.

"Er- wait! Don't leave yet! Could I...have your number?" She took her phone out from her coat pocket and started putting Blooky's name into her contacts.

"Oh! R-really...? Wow. Sure." Whatever he was expecting her to say, he could never have expected her to say anything along the lines of that. And at that, his phone magically appeared out of nowhere and the two of them exchanged numbers.

"Okay, bye, Napstablook!" Kirsty called, as her ghost friend left her and Sans. Sans, however, was staring, dumbfounded at the contacts list on the girl's phone:

MOM

DAD

JAS

ABI 3

BEN 3

EVE 3

BEV

JAMIE 3

VICKY 3

BLOOKY 3

"Uh... You got his number?" Sans questioned, finally finding his words.

"Yeah." Kirsty replied, putting her phone away. "What? Jealous? Haha! Oh, c'mon, brainless, we're just friends!" she laughed, taking the skeleton's cold hand and pulling him along to the next room. "Lets go. We've got a lot more ground to cover if we're gonna get to the barrier, haven't we?"

"Uh... Right. Yeah. Barrier..."