...
-CLICK!-
Okay... I guess I just start where I left off. No need to recap. They can listen to the last part if they need to.
/Right. Besides, if they get confused now, then chances are, they were nodding off. And I REALLY would like to hope that isn't because you kept getting distracted by us, Eheh...\
Right...
Well, three hours of doing Insane raids for armors and weapons later, I had been given fourty dollars to go and get spaghetti noodles from the 'Sans store. Why so much? In case I thought of anything else. He doesn't just sell Spagetti noodles.
When I was opening up the door to leave, Mom yelled out from inside, "And don't accidentally get that Angel Hair crap! It falls apart like nothin'!"
I made a bored narrow and rolled my eyes as I sunk my head or whatever. "I know, Ma'~! Going now~!"
"Two packs~!" That was the last thing she could tell me before I pushed the door closed and went on my less-than-merry way.
Of all the crap I could be doing, going back outside and walking to 'Sans wasn't what I wanted to be. Like I said, I was really hoping to kinda just stay the day away in my house. The only reason I, like, did it in the first place is because mom's Spaghet's just that good. If it were her Quiche A'la clae, I would have passed in a heartbeat. But that's neither here, nor there... I just wanted to get this over with like pulling a splinter out of my talon...
Half way there, however, just before I got to the corner of QC's Diner... she came out of the woodworks- by which I mean between the diner and the trees... Undyne... She looked at me directly, a suspicious glare in her eyes and arms folded... And when I saw that, it felt like my feathers ruffled and every pour on me started to sweat...
... I froze in my tracks, but that didn't really matter. She closed the gap with a few paces of her feet, regardless. And there she stood before me. Not too close, but close enough to make me, like, want to bolt... Tightening her gaze on me, she started tapping her boot to the sidewalk. My heart was hammering and she hadn't even said anything yet... "Alright. Spill it, punk."
My first reaction was to rub the back of my neck and look away, beak clamping unnaturally tight. I had to MAKE it open just to talk. "I-I... wha...?"
Her brow tightened while she told me, "You reek like a guy trying to hide something. And the way you acted before with the weird-o bonehead? Nah. I don't buy you're not up to something weird..."
I furrowed my brow and tried to talk again, "B-but I'm ju-"
"You're part of some drug trafficking ring! Aren'tcha, Punk?!"
My beak let out a puff while my eyes just sorta bugged... Like... Drugs... Was she serious? The whole town was clean other than a few smokers and drinkers. Regardless, I squinted at her and shook my head. "Wait, what? Like... Why would you think I have any-"
She grinned and cut in with, "I'mma have to body check ya!"
Again, my eyes bugged, "W-wait, WHAT?!" And then I backed up on instinct when she tried to come forward on me. "Ch-Chief Undyne, all I have on me is my clothes, my glasses and-" I quickly dug my pinions into my jacket pockets and pulled the pockets themselves inside out while keeping a grip on my forty buck. "-a-and money for pasta from 'Sans!"
Apparently, that got gears turning in her head, because she folded her arms and hummed down at me with raised brow and overall inquisitive expression. I dunno. "'Sans Store, huh? The new guy's place of business... Another bonehead." She narrowed her gaze again and hunched forward as she quick stepped over to me, much to my surprise and a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. "So, the drug ring's operated by the new shifts in town, huh? Is that it?! And they hooked you along against your will?!"
My beak curved in a frown. Squinting through my stress and sweat, I shook my head even harder. "N-no! The skeletons did nothing wr-wrong!" Slumping my shoulders and whining through my "hand" coming to slap over my face, I went on to say, "I'm really just trying to get some dumb pasta from their place, 'cause my mom's making her spaghet and that's it...!" Wing falling from my face, huffed and finished through my stressed furrow, "And that thing with Papcyrus or whatever was just a coincidence. I literally just met the guy. Even you know it! I may know his bro, but that was our first interaction..."
And then she made the bored-est glare through a barely masked slouch in her shoulder as she told me, "Listen, kid. I'm not stupid. I know you ain't done nothing wrong. And that's the problem. I signed up for problems and this town ain't had more than a handful. So, I'm actually just trying to give myself somethin' to pass the time with. A'right? So, no matter what you say, I'm tailing you to 'Sans. Besides, he still owes me land permits and bar/house ownership certs. That's more than enough for an official inquiry."
There was a moment where I just stared at her, any tension in the air turned to... I don't even know what... I thought she had actually caught on, but she hadn't. With a squint, I bunched my cheeks around my beak. "I mean... fair enough? But- and no disrespect intended- why would a police officer look for trouble? I thought you guys worked towards having none, anyway..."
She rolled her eyes and folded her arms, looking away and trying to seem aloof despite having a clearly narrowed brow creasing her forehead. "Because where I come from, trouble was everywhere. Comparing Edsberry to Hometown is like comparing a stained apron to a ball gown. I had TOO much to do, not the other way around..." Redirecting her eyes down on me, she leaned in and smirked. The close proximity made me sweat, eyes wide and beak wanted to drop off my face... ... ... What? It's a figure of speech! "Now, I think we BOTH know I ain't taking no. I'm comin' with ya. Got a problem with that, punk?"
I nodded, because it was the truth. "Y-yeah...?"
She then slung her arm around my neck in a "friendly" neck lock With a big, almost threatening grin on her face! It was crushingly strong and I could barely breath, eyes bugged and hands trying to pry the arm off! "Hah! That's the spirit, twerp! I knew you'd come around to the idea!"
Still not able to breathe properly, I made a nervous, struggling grin, sweat POURING down my face. If I could look paler, I probably did in that moment. "Ck! I-I-... Y-eah~! ... Ne-eck..? Breath...!"
Her grin died while she blinked in confusion. "Breath...?" ... Oh'ing, she took her arm off my wind pipe, me nearly falling to the sidewalk when she did, coughing and sputting on my hands and knees. And, like, you two wear those grins... But UNDYNE IS MEGA STRONG, OKAY?! I'm lucky to be alive!
(Ehee! U-uhm... Sorry~?)
/I'm sure I should be -snrk!- ... but I'm kinda not~.\
... I'm adding th to the deal.
/Ah- what?! But those su-!\
EEEEXACTLY! Now, do you wanna let me tell the rest? I'm pretty close to the part that matters. It's right after this next one...
(I-I'm still along for this... a-aren't I...? ... ... ... Kris, pl-lease stop antagonizing him~...?)
/-Sigh- Fine... Sorry I roped you into this.\
I'm getting back to my narration, now.
... Well, Undyne picked me back up with little warning and placed me back on my talons, then grinned a bit... less(?) deranged...? Then gave me a "friendly" slap on the back and nearly sent me right back over with a stumble. I caught myself, don't worry. "Well? I'm followin' YOU, punk! Get a move on!"
Grumbling back at her with a less-than-hidden leer. I just turned around and started walking, stuffing my pinions into my coat pockets. For me, this was probably a close second to the worst day of my life. And the sun wasn't setting quite yet. The skies still had a bright orange flare about them.
...
It didn't take more than a few minutes to get to the front of 'Sans's. There weren't many- if any- customers shopping this late. Probably because most people were usually done by now.
You detail people probably want to know what the place looks like... Uhm... Well, it's different. That much is true. Reddish-brown bricks made up the body with cement holding them together. Off-white wooden planks made up the frame work. The building was large... for a bar. But it was not quite large enough to be considered a convenience store. It did have a large, roofed, four-paneled window that could have been a display window... Buuut it wasn't. It was just a window for looking inside. But we'll get to the inside in a sec. ... Oh right, and there were three mounted lights beneath the window, but I guess that's not important.
Short cement steps led up to the front door to the place, which was dark mahogany with a golden doorknob, a little black roof above it and a mounted lamp light on the far side of it. And above both the window and the door was the weird warm-black sign for the store. It was all sorts of cloudy, artistic scribbles the whole way across until it got to the part just over the door. That's where it read "'Sans". To me, that tildy right before the name always made it seem like the sign had previously said something else, but Sans- the Owner, not the store- always just gave the same answer. "Nah~. I just wanted to be different. But not TOO different. That's too much effort for a sign." ... The roof of the whole structure was flat and black, the moldings right under it rigid and off-white.
A-... ... ... You know, it's funny. Now that I really try and thing about the place, The front side and interior are all I can remember. I'm not entirely sure what the sides and back look like...
(They were plain... is.. probably why. Neither the sides nor the back had a window to their name. The back DID have a door leading out to a shed, though.)
... Is that really all there was? ... Kris?
/Uuh... Don't ask me? I tried to not go there as much as I possibly could. Sans and I used to not get along very well after the whole "prank call" thing.\
Oh yeah... Wait! He got you with that, too?!
(Berdly~.)
Wha- Oh. Right. Sorry.
A-anyways, I walked up to the door, turning my head to look at Chief Undyne with a dull expression. "Please, don't antagonize Sans. The guy's a bit of a joker, but like, he's a good guy. And brittle. He's got a condition."
Rolling her eyes, she raised her brows down at me and told me, "Fine. Whatever. I won't ruff him up with my fists..." She then smirked and brought her fist into a hand with a nice smack. "I'll just ruff him up with words instead!"
I just stared at her... Our Chief of Police, everyone. You probably guessed why she got transferred here, but I think it was a mistake. I could be wrong, though...
Shaking my head and sighing, I whispered, "This is just my life, right?" And before she could ask what I said, I opened the door to the building and stepped insiide, quickly putting some semblance of joy on my face. "Sup, Sans~!"
The place inside was warmly lit, but like... The interior was naturally darker than average. You coulda sworn you were looking at the inside of a pumpkin with how orange the wooded floor and walls looked. It had about five or six aisles lined with everyday goods and since this wasn't a big store, you could see clear across it to the counter in back. Oh yeah. And this place was actually a bar AND a convenience store. That's the twist. The long, wood, L-shaped counter was lined with several stools in front of it. Several wine and shot bottles lined it's shelves on the back wall. The glasses were (probably) kept beneath the counter, but I don't know. I'm not older enough to drink, so that's just my best guess. There was doorway that led beyond the back wall to another room. That was where the food was cooked. Sans is a surprisingly awesome cook, too.
Speaking of the skeleton, there he was. Standing behind the counter while he wiped a glass out with that perpetual smile stuck on his face and those beady white dots he calls eyes floating in those empty sockets. He wore his usual. A black, unzipped coat with furry, white interior, hood off. Plain, white shirt beneath. Black, white striped short pants with a white tie. And though I couldn't see them, I know he was wearing those dumb pink slippers and white socks over his bone feet.
Putting his glass down, he almost smiled more than usual while he talked- through his teeth apparent, even if it sounded crystal clear. "sup, kid! here for some more spaghetti?"
... And then his eyes blinked while whatever expression I thought he had changed the second he caught sight of Undyne, whom happened to be smirking. "Sup, Bone Head?"
I slapped my wing to my face and slooowly dragged it away. Sighing, I furrowed my brows and bunched a cheek, walking away from her and to the Aisle where the Spaghetti boxes were. "She wants to ask you some questions... I tried to talk her out of it, but like, as you can see... that didn't work."
Pushing the glass aside, Sans leaned his elbows over the table and said, "eh. it's okay, kid. this is the third time she's come here in the literal few days i've been around, so yeah. it's a thing i'm used."
Chuckling to herself, the officer walked her way over to the skeleton's counter and slapped a hand down over the wooded surface loud enough to make me gasp and shudder, looking their way... Funny thing is that it didn't scare the skeleton at all. The guy has nerves of steel. I swear. Undyne was smirking the entire time. "Say stuff like that and people might get the wrong idea, pal. You're already suspicious enough without trying to hit on cops."
With a short chuckle, she skeleton shrugged his shoulders, eye dots never stopping their stare into Undyne's eyes. "what can i say? girls like you really tickle my funny bone."
At that point, I made a disgusted wretch, squinting my eyes and turning back to my own business. Don't get me wrong. Sans's puns are great, but I'm pretty sure that was a "bad" one.
/You mean they aren't all bad?\
... Not everyone hates puns, dude.
I didn't want to hear anything else, but I unintentionally listened in on it while I was picking out the spaghetti boxes and ... Well, I kinda went to the treat aisle because I knew I'd have more than enough and I was feeling... you know... like a snack.
That said, my hearing led me to hear everything they were saying.
"Buddy, let's not beat around the bush, here. You suddenly showed up in the middle of the night four days ago when I passed this way. Dunno how, but I know it and you know it. And while that's more than crazy enough to be suspect, I haven't seen your papers and you've got a place of business and a house on town property, here. I've checked in three times now. And I have a feeling Mayor Holiday's not gonna wait too much longer."
"and i keep telling you, i'm workin' on it. i'm just slow. you understand. we skeletons don't move so quick."
"After what I just saw with your brother, that's a lie."
"my bro is cool like that. cool. nice. fast. he's got energy i just don't got. all i am is humerus."
"Those puns aren't helping!"
"'course they are! you're grinning from ear to ear."
"Gh! I am ten seconds away from punching a hole in your skull!"
"hmm... maybe you should have a drink? ya look stressed. i get a lot of those, y'see. and the best way to relax is to take the load off."
"... Look. I like ya. I'm tryin' to do you a favor. Lose the wise cracks and be serious. If you don't produce some papers for all of this- ESPECIALLY for the dealing of alchoholic beverages and all that... you're gonna legitimately be looking at bars all day, pal. And I don't mean YOUR bar. Their made of iron and there's no escape."
"heh... well, i can't give you what i don't have, yet. but don't worry. i don't plan on becoming a pile of bones in a dungeon. i got my bro to think of. come back on the last possible day of the new week. i guarentee i'll have something for ya then. deal? we'll even shake on it..."
"... -Sigh- ... Funny bones, you know you're skirting the law, here... I should throw you behind bars for even admitting you've got nothin' for me... But fine. Deal. Better believe I'll be showing up bright an early on that day and you had BETTER have those papers. Otherwise, I'm gonna enjoy doing my job."
"heh heh! put ér there, then!"
And then, just as I was able to think clearly enough to pick out some cinnabuns, I nearly jumped at a -Pbbbbbt!- My head immediately went up and I dropped the buns on the ground. I stood up on my tip toes and stared there way just in time to see some small, red bladder or whatever sail across the air from the cop and business man! That cop didn't look very happy, considering the rolled up sleeve and the grit teeth. The skeleton, on the other hand, was laugh hard, hugging his sides with his head down and eye sockets shut!
Like, in that moment, I thought for sure Sans was dust, but all Undyne did was growl and swipe the air over his head with her fist! Then, she brought it slamming down onto the counting with a -BNK!- "YOU ARE PISSIN' AWAY MY PATIENCE, FUNNY MAN!"
Trying to catch his breath through his winding down laughter, the skeleton wiped a tear from his eye socket and winked at her. "hah! oh ho! sorry! but funny is funny! and that one never gets old..." Clearing his throat and waving a hand in surrender, he pointed a finger gun at her and said with ease, "but 'ey. that was the real deal. i ain't gonna skip town on ya. i'll have ém right here for ya when you get here." ... I just realized the pun in that sentence and I love it. -Snrk!-
/I hate it...\
Just as I was sinking back beyond the aisle, Undyne began to walk away. And that was my queue to mind my own business. And so, I did just that. I picked up my Cinnabuns, half crumbled or not, and proceeded to the counter with them and the spaghetti boxes. Though, the next thing I heard was the front to SLAMMING shut while I winced.
Taking my items over to Sans, he cocked his non-existent brow and asked, "sheesh, is she in a bad mood or what? she usually laughs a little bit."
While I was putting my stuff out for him and he was ringing them up on the register, I off-handedly said with the roll of my eyes, "She's just mad she never has anyone to arrest..."
With the last clack of the key, the register displayed a $15.60 total. "the usual price, kiddo~." Staring at me, he then said, "oh. and papyrus said the spaghetti you're mom sent over was great. said that i should ask if she'd be willing to take him on as an apprentice. heh. if he learns to make it like that, i'll be eternally grateful, tibianest."
Chuckling a little at the pun with a shaking head, I passed him a twenty over the counter and told him with a cocked brow, "I'll ask, but it's a family recipe. She might say no."
Shrugging his shoulders as he took the cash in his bone fingers, he huffed a laugh while opening the register. "tell ér it's a undead man's last request."
Rolling my eyes, I huffed through my nose holes and straightened my glasses. "I guess I can try, but I make no promises."
After he bagged the goods, he reached out to hand them to me by the hoops... but as I reached to take them... The ground started to shiver under my talons...
I gasped and stared down while a wing went across the counter for stability! Even the skeleton was shaken and we ended up both doing this same thing while the products of the aisles shivered, clanked, clattered and moved about on their shelves. "A-a tremor?!"
The skeleton grunted as he held tight to the counter and returned, "h-hey! i'm still new around here! how would i know?!"
The rumbling continued for an extra few seconds- long enough for a few cans to come falling off of their shelves... before it quieted down and faded...
... Standing up straight, we both looked around... before we looked at each other. I shook my head as the sweat rolled down my cheek. "To answer your question... no! We don't get tremors OR earthquakes! We get some hurricanes, but they're never bad..."
The pupils in his skull went out... I've learned it's when he's being serious that this, like... happens... "... maybe it'd be a solid idea to check outside..."
I couldn't agree more. We both hurried to the door, me reaching it first and slinging it open as I looked around. As I stepped outside, Sans came out on side of me...
At first, I didn't see anything. It was the town as it always had been, pardon one guy having fallen over on our side of the street and one monster mom sitting on the opposite sidewalk and trying to ease her crying baby's worry through gentle pats and shushes... But my eyes were looking for fallen houses or displaced fire hydrants. When they looked down, the changes were evident. They weren't massive or bad ones, but the side walk and road now sported several new running cracks in their previously flawless foundations. That isn't me being funny, either. Hometown's actually never had a road or sidewalk problem. It's miraculous, but true... ... ...
Mmmh... Okay, actually? Not true. Recently in terms of time to the event I'm describing, Undyne sealed off the road that leads straight out to the beach a mile away. The reason? The road had to be redone due to fallen trees wrecking the pavement. They had been growing at this odd angle for a while n- uh. Wait. This doesn't matter, right?
/Right.\
Yeah, sorry.
Uh, anyways, yeah. Nothing earth shaking- no pun intended... I blame that one on Sans, because at the time, he turned to me with the pupils back in his eyes and said, "heh. i guess it wasn't anything too earth shaking."
At the time, I wasn't in the mood for jokes, though... I was worried. And it showed through my frown... To put it into perspective, I was wondering, {Oh god... What if this has something to do with that hole? We've never even had a tremor before, much less and earthquake. And that hole was never there before! ... No what if's. They're definitely related...} At this point... I felt sick.
My pinions went straight to my beak to hold it shut while my face flushed. {How bad is this going to get...?}
... But it was about to not matter what I thought. I hadn't been paying attention to the people around us. And there was a gathering happening around up, but not for the reason you think. Someone said, "Come on! You can see it from here!" Then, someone else asked, "H-hey, what's that?" From that point on, more people grew curious and gathered on the sidewalk. "Look!" My eyes bugged before my head turned up to look around at the growing mob. They were all looking up barely at an angle.
Concern grew in my expression... And so, I traced the line of one woman's vision... And I could clearly see it. My eyes were wide in fear, the sweat dripping down my face. my pinions dropped from my gaping beak...
Staring up and over the tree line... that off shadow had become very visible. The dome of the area had undoubtedly grown over trees. The sky seen through the dome looked grey. Plain, maybe... It was the thing I tried to force to the back of my mind till morning and yet here it was. Everyone could see it.
"that... looks like trouble..." Sans was the one who said that. I just barely slow turned my head top look at him with a furrow. Like... I wanted to say something, but what could I? I didn't even know what exactly that thing was!
The look on his face was unchanged, but he was still sweating. Obviously, he was worried. Slipping his bone hands into his pockets, he turned his head to me and said, "i don't even gotta ask. the look on your face tells me everything. that ain't normal."
"No, it is not..." It's all I could say...
At that point, Undyne stepped up from somewhere in the crowd and- with a serious narrow on her face, held her arms out, waving everyone back. "Everyone get back! No one is going anywhere near the wooded area! Move back, move along or return to your homes!"
Obviously, everyone was too freaked out to do anything but stare, except for certain few others. So, Undyne had to shepard them back a bit, myself included. After that, she slung out her walkie talkie and held it to her mouth, pushing the talk button. "I need a barricade. Sillow Wicke Woods is an N E A. No Entry Allowed. Gate it off." She let go of the talk button for a minute before someone came back, but whatever was said was too jumbled for me to make sense of. She, however, could. And it irritated her, judging by her scowl. "That's not a request. That's an order! I'll do it myself if I need to."
Obviously, the next thing that happened was a painful ten minute waiting period. But the entire time, I had constant fear going through my head. I was stiff and sweaty. All I could think was... {But wh-what about Noelle... an-and Kris? And Susie?! What do I do?!}
...
Ten minutes later, the police had worked fast. They had, for the moment, merely taped off the woods with Yellow [Do Not Enter] tape and were beginning to haul and place metal-barred barricades further around the perimeter. There were only three of them, but they-... well, I mean to say UNDYNE... like, worked fast. That woman could out-man any man in this town. Even Asgore. And he was an OX.
A few of us normal citizens had stayed, Sans included since he had nothing better to do and was pretty curious. ... Speaking of Asgore, he had rounded the block, too, brought around by spotting Undyne and asking what was going on. After being told about the black dome rising out of the forest and spotting it for himself, he followed Undyne around the bend of the forest and her to finish taping it off. He tried to offer further assistance, but Undyne refused, saying that she just needed her people to get here.
... I was a fidgety mess. My wings wouldn't stop rubbing at each other. And I couldn't stand still. It was a maddening thing to know there was a problem, think/know it was linked to what just happened, and even know that three people were missing. Up until that point, no one knew about that except me...
I'm pretty sure my expression looked sick. My brows were in a permanent furrow. And it had everything to do with my dirty conscience and the barricades. The more solid they looked, the more I felt like I should be saying something. The flesh under my feathers burned. The sweat wouldn't stop falling. My beak felt numb! And my tail feathers felt like they were molting right off...
"Undyne!"
I gasped at the sudden voice of a woman with a near jump and shiver, eyes wide and feathers sticking up! It's because I recognized it... like, too well...
I didn't turn around. SHE came walking into my field of vision all on her own, right in front of Undyne while she was laying a steel barricade down. Undyne looked annoyed with the bored stare on her face when she met eyes with the woman who'd called for her. The woman who stood in front of her, wearing black hoof stilettos over her brown hooves... Their stilettos, but for hooves, so think toeless... And rounder...
(Oh... So, that's... where she comes in...)
R-right... Mayor Holiday. Christine Gwendaline R. Holiday, for those who DON'T know her... d-Don't get me wrong. Like, she's not so bad these days and this isn't a slander... I gotta make that clear. E-everything we say about anyone here is just... well, how we know it happened.
/Easy. I'm pretty sure the people listening know. And an Audio journal/biography wouldn't be much if it was full of lies.\
Oh... It's just.. saying something about her behind her back feels kind of dangerous sometimes...? Maybe it's PTSD, but like... would you want to be on her bad side?
/... Nnnno. I think we kind of all wouldn't.\
Then, you get my nervousness about it all...
Anyways... Noelle's mom... Mayor Holiday, I mean... Uuuh... Well, she looks a lot like a fully grown up Noelle, actually... if Noelle had reddish-brown eyes, an icy stare and thick mascara. She doesn't have horns- she's not exactly a REINdeer monster. Just a DEER monster. Her hair is dirty blond. And she usually does it in a straight pony tail down the back. Constantly drooping deer ears. Black nose. Snow-white freckles. Red-painted nails. Yes, she has human nails. And of course she has a deer tail. Aaand tall. Like, had-to-be-part-anteloupe-monster tall. NOT Toriel or Asgore tall. DEFINITELY not Papyrus tall. That's just a whole different thing.
As for usual attire... She's business first. Take a wild guess. Pitch black suit with a white undershirt that had a pitch-black tie and she also wore a pitch black skirt. Dark stockings. You already know about the hoof stilettos...
In that moment, she had the most irritated scowl on her face and was folding her arms. "What. is going on here?"
The officer stood up straight and folded her arms right back. The glare she shot the Mayor wasn't exactly a friendly one. "What's it look like? I'm taping off a potential hazard to the citizens. Ain't ya seen the roof uh' this place?"
I couldn't decide who's glare would be worse to have on me... That's why I found myself frozen... And Sans took notice by the way he was staring at me from the corners of his sockets...
The mayor squinted at the officer. "That explains the excessive tape waste and the use of our barricades on top of that. But that is not what I asked." She pointed to the wooded tree line and seemed to grow dull in expression. "Why is there an unsightly dome of dark energy- as that is all I can describe it as- in the middle of Sillow Wicke Woods in the first place?"
The officer drew her balled fists to her side and glared more intensely, shaking her head incredulously. "Seriously?! How the hell do ya come here thinkin' I know? I don't friggin' practice the voodoo arts- I'm a cop!"
The deer woman shut her eyes in frustration with narrowed brows digging into her field of vision. Raising a hand swiftly, she made a "closed lips" gesture with her fingers. "Tone it down. Your volume is irritating enough at normal range."
It was no secret to anyone that Mayor Holiday and Chief Undyne don't like each other. Their personalities completely clashed. But Undyne REALLY does not like her. And I can't really blame her. Everything Undyne does seems to set the Mayor off. She could fire her, but the one thing she likes about Undyne is that she gets the job done.
Undyne had been staring pure death down into the deer woman for the longest minute. I really did think she would throw her fist directly through the woman's face with how dangerous that expression was... but... Undyne just sighed and reached up, adjusting her cap with her hands to shade her face more with it's bill. The dark of her expression changed into a more relaxed, but still not totally settled stare. "It's not something I know anything about. It looks like it appeared after the tremor hit. But I haven't investigated it yet. I wanted to establish an off-limits perimeter first. I don't want any monsters getting anywhere near the place, since it's unquestionably dangerous."
Mayor Holiday nodded, keeping her stern narrow on the taller woman's face. "I assume you will carry out this investigation immediately after your job here is done?"
"Of course." ... She then let out a low energy "oh" as she tilted her head down a bit more. "By the way... You asked me to give her the gate keys after she got out of school, but I ain't seen Noelle at all."
My gasp caught in my throat while my eyes froze on wide mode. I suddenly wanted to be anywhere's but here, but my legs wouldn't move. Instead, all I could do was shake in place while that revelation played out.
The mayor's face took on a look of irritation mixed with nervousness. "Excuse me...?"
"I said-"
She narrowed her eyes and shook her head while she leaned it in closer to Undyne's face. "I heard what precisely you said! I am asking you if you are serious!" Hard or not, she was still a mom. You would have to be a brick not to care about your daughter at all.
Slightly irritated to see that it was Mayor Holiday who was raising her voice now, Undyne's octave got a bit more stressed as well as she groaned. "I and you both know I am. I might sometimes get bored and look for trouble, but I don't lie about stuff like this."
Taking a hurried breath of air in before huffing it out again, the Mayor relaxed her stance on Undyne and took a step back, still narrowing her eyes but now more nervously.
While a cop- I'm not gonna bother describing Franklin, but his name was Franklin. (Jeeze, you can just HEAR the "background character" in his name)- was coming by with another barricade and setting it down next to Undyne's, the deer woman immediately took a few steps toward him before her stern gaze narrowed into his surprised and intimidated one. "Franklin!"
"U-uh, yes maám! (Jeeze, why is it always me...)" I think that's what he said.
"Have you seen Noelle today at all?"
He made a frown, rubbing the back of his scalp. "I don't think so, maám. I was-"
"I don't care what you were doing," She inserted, making him almost freeze up through a shudder.
The lazier cop that hadn't been doing much this entire time came by next while the mayor took to pinching her nose bridge through irritation. As for the deal with the other cop, he doesn't really matter but he ironically, like, has more presence than Frank ever did. So, I'll just say this much. He's the typical cool looking cop who always wears glasses, but he doesn't really do anything. He's a kind of Zombie. They draw the absolute line between humans and monsters with Cyborgs and Mutants.
Anyways, this guy in particular was about Undyne's height- an-and I'll be quick since this is kinda damaging flow. Midnight Black hair buzzcut, never shows his eyes or eye, sharp gold-tinted shades, grey skin like paste. Not bad looking, I guess. Probably the best you'll get for a Zombie. Always has a cig in his mouth, but just for the record... he doesn't smoke them. He chews them. Dr- I mean cool-guy build, same uniform as Undyne's and heavy combat boots. Wears studded leather fingerless gloves.
Immediately after he set down the barricade next to uh... that.. that one guy... what did I ca-
(Franklin.)
F-Franklin! Right. After he set down his barricade next to Franklin's- who was still highly uncomfortable being here by the way he was shifting, the mayor then targeted him and asked, "Brian! Have you seen Noelle today?"
... Unlike Franklin, Brian took his time to set down his barricade without having seemingly been bothered.
While he was cracking his neck and straightening his posture again with a hand on his hip, the mayor narrowed her eyes further. "Deputy Brian!"
"Heard you. Gimme a sec," is what he said while he chewed the butt of his smokeless smoke. "Thought you understood. We don't think fast..." ... ... ... He then looked directly at her and said, "Saw her earlier today passing by the office. Didn't see her at all after that. Did see Susie, though. And Berdly's right over there."
That little off-handed mention of my name made me feel like all of my color just melted right off of me... Because that was when the uncharacteristically nervous, but still cold eyes of the mayor laid upon me in the quickest turn. She suddenly came quick walking toward me while I unconsciously started to slowly walk back. Sans "uh"d in concern, looking a little nervous FOR me and wanting to say something, but she reached me before he could utter more than what he had. She stood over me and god... I wanted to f*cking RUN...
I averted my eyes as she leaned in on me...
The funny thing is that, out of everyone here, I had a perk going for me. ... I was in good with Mayor Holiday since I was Noelle's friend. Her eyes softened just enough not to look annoyed, but they still looked sterner than I would have liked. "Berdly..."
I turned my eyes back to her, but my head turned away instead while my sweat free fell down my face. I was shaking WAY too much. It was the third worst I had ever felt and that's saying something. I was AFRAID of what would happen next... but I had to talk... "Y-y-yes maám...?"
She took a breath. More controlled. My tone was a dead give away. She knew it. I knew. I couldn't lie about the biggest detail if I wanted to or I guarentee you... it wouldn't have been good...
The deer woman exhaled and folded her arms over her chest. "Where is my daughter? You have to have seen her today with how close you two are... Tell me." It wasn't a request. I knew that... It was an order.
But all the same, even though I couldn't lie... I could put off answering. I stared down at the ground and kept my silence as I held my arms tight to myself. I was borderline having a nervous breakdown... I knew exactly what I had done and I knew exactly where Noelle was. But if I admitted to the former... any special treatment was gone. She'd probably have told Undyne to put me under a restraining order, meaning... you know what it means... That's being lenient, even.
... What could I have done...?
(... ... ... -Sigh- Berdly, I told you before. I'm not mad at you for what happened... I was in the moment, but I'm not anymore...)
... You had and still have every right to be and... so did Kris and Susie...
... But we aren't there, yet...
Before I could get more than a choked, "I," out, I heard a woman calling, "Kris...?!"
My eyes were suddenly wide again. I snapped around uncontrollably with Mayor Holiday standing straight to stare irritably out at the very same person I had locked onto. Ms. Toriel. Toriel Etuary. And for those wondering, yeah. Etuary is her original family surname before Dreemurr, so she just took it back after the divorce.
She looked worry-wrecked with her furrowed brows and deep frown and the way she was searching each and every direction in frantic hopes of seeing Kris. She kept looking like she wanted to shoot off in just about every direction with how many turns and jerks her body did... "Kris, where have you...?!" It made me feel even worse when she came almost jogging toward everyone in the crowd, myself and Mayor Holiday included. And with that spreading frown over her face... "Please! Has anyone seen Kris? I-I cannot find them anywhere! Their phone will not even receive my calls!"
I swore my very SOUL was damaged just looking at how scared she looked, reading the faces of the crowd as they all shook their heads. Sans was included and he looked less than thrilled to see her like this... He turned to look at me and all I could feel was the guilt pressing my insides even harder... I had to look away, pinions along my neck while I tried to breathe under all of that... And you know what was even worse...? Asgore was the one who stepped forward, a lesser frown on his face, but a frown all the same... "Our child.. as well...?"
Her eyes met his. And let's not pretend... We all know by know that their relationship is an uncomfortable one at best... But Toriel was staring at him no differently than she would have any other sympathetic soul in that moment. But her concern DID go up. "Another child is missing?!" ... Her eyes fell upon the concrete. She genuinely looked panicked, especially when her hands went up and cupped to her mouth. I could see her breathing with the rise and fall of her shoulders...
/... I... I knew she had worried, but... God, I had no idea... But... I'm starting to see where this is going...\
... Right... Yeah, you're not wrong... And actually... That's when I started to feel it... I don't know how to properly describe my state of mind in that moment, but... I'll try... ... ... I was scared, angry at myself... Regret, stress and doubt were running wild inside my mind and all I needed to do was tell the truth or jump down that hole myself... But then, fear came up. If I told the whole truth, I was not only admitting I was the cause of at least several parts of this... I was also saying that three of the kids of the town had potentially committed the unthinkable... Because no. It didn't matter whether or not I believed Kris and Susie... It mattered what everyone else thought... And me jumping down that hole or running headlong into the woods meant that everyone was going to either witness it first hand and think another was about to add to that tally... or someone was going to jump with me, try to stop me or any number of bad outcomes and ideas! Heck! Maybe I wouldn't even get that far! Undyne was right there and she was way faster! ...
The further down that stressful rabbit hole I thought, the more my thoughts started to actually spin, scream, clutter, hurt and rage. At the end, for a solid ten seconds, every doubt, fear, regret, nagging thought, choice, person, place and thing I had thought about and seen that day was coming back and repeating in no particular order at all. I could feel myself breaking. That's not an exaggeration. ... But the thing that KILLED me the most... was the image my mind concocted fresh. Brand new... It was the image of me, mom, Toriel, Asgore and just about everyone in town... And we were all dressed in black, standing at Noelle's, Kris' and Susie's early graves...
(/...\)
... And in that moment, I cracked... I didn't know how absolutely horrified I looked in that moment, but Sans did... He stepped up to me and furrowed his sockets. "uh, kid... you okay? yer' practically shakin' your tail feathers off..."
... I couldn't take it. "I KNOW WHERE THEY ARE!" My shrilled voice carried across the entire crowd, drawing all attention to me... Toriel and Asgore both stared at me, surprised and even hopeful, but also concerned. The way Mayor Holiday looked at me was taken aback, yet suspicious... I had pulled my head down and had my pinions clenched into feathery fists. I had stopped myself from shaking, but I was so tightened up that it was hardly any better...
... Relaxing my shoulders and body, eyes opened to stare at the ground, the energy I had before almost dropped like a ton of bricks into my talons. There was no going back, now that all three had gathered around me... The mayor had been the one to place a hand on my shoulder. Her icy eyes were still intimidating, but ... I had already made my choice. She asked me again. "Where is my daughter, Berdly?"
"And where is our child, Kris," Toriel added in through a softer tone. I can imagine she had a worried frown on her face.
... I turned my head up to the mayor and frowned... Then, I first pointed toward the forest, passed her while I closed my eyes out of shame. My voice cracked quite a few times during the confession. "... Both... went into the woods... Kris and Noelle... and Susie, too... None of them have come out..." The admission left people gasping, but the look on the mayor's face broke through her usual coldness as it slowly warped into a wide-eyed one of horror. And what was worse... She turned to look at the forest and I could only imagine the thoughts going through her mind... I hadn't seen the pure terror on Ms. Toriel's face, though. The discomforted worry in Asgore's wasn't going to look any better...
... Undyne came walking forward at that moment and crossed her arms, staring down at me almost unsurprised. ""So, that's the thing you were hiding, huh...?"
Staring up at her, all my face could do was frown in shame. And then, I stepped forward toward her as I went to further explain myself. "Pl-lease, just.. Just listen. I was told not to say anything! Not until tomorrow, if they weren't back! Because-"
"Because what," spat Undyne, obvious irritation in her face. "Kid, this is a big friggin' deal. Now wasn't the time to go keeping quiet! It's one thing if they were just hanging around in the forest when it wasn't screwed up, but you should have com-"
"That's enough, Undyne."
The fish woman suddenly paused at the booming cut-in... Asgore had been the one to cut in. We both stared up at him while he stepped forward from Toriel, who looked like she was just staring at the ground at a tearful loss. His face was even, but stern. "The child understands the wrong of it. He would not have come forth about this otherwise. However, that is only half of the issue. And I would like to know his reasons for not coming forward until now." ... And that was when he redirected his attention down to me, a soft stare in his eyes. "Now, boy... You were saying you did not feel it best to say anything about this until tomorrow. Because...?"
Out of anyone in town, Asgore was the most level-headed. Still, like... I didn't know he'd listen to me when his kid was in trouble.
At first, I could only furrow up at him... But bowing my head, I told him exactly why. "Because... Because, Kris and Susie were going in to go looking for Noelle.. She... sh-she ran off into the forest after school and after we went looking, we found the black area... A shade-glowing hole in the ground. They were convinced without a doubt that that "black hole" is where she disappeared into... Kris told me they had gone inside one of those before... a-and that it was dangerous. They told me that they weren't sure what would happen if anyone else went in, s-so they didn't want that happening unless they didn't come back out by tomorrow morning... S-so..."
"And so, they thought it best to keep this hush hush 'till there wasn't any other option." I nearly jumped out of my feathered down in shudders, eyes wide and beak open. That wasn't Asgore... It was Mom... I turned around to see her walking toward us, Toriel still not having seemed to finish processing the bomb I had just dropped. But my mom? She looked extra annoyed with me. Shaking her head, she folded her wings and told me, "I understand you were tryin' to do what you thought was right, but this isn't a job for you kids. It's one for us adults. You shoulda just come forward with this."
I wanted to argue that point, because Kris made it sound like they and Susie were absolutely sure they could handle whatever was in there. But just when I went to say something, the Mayor chimed in. "She's right." I turned to look at the Mayor, who was standing over me with a stern coldness in her eyes. "Berdly, this was utter foolishness. I cannot believe the level of thoughtlessness you allowed yourself to be taken in by. Do you not understand what you have allowed to happen in your silence?"
If I wasn't feeling low enough, this was only worsening it. I tried to say that I had no idea how bad things were going to get, but all I ever got to say was, "I-" before she cut in.
"Leaving my daughter's rescue to that beast and a delinquent has to be about the worst idea I have ever heard."
... The statement made me just stare in discomforted confusion... "H-huh...?"
"... Excuse me...?" The low toned voice came from Toriel and I suddenly felt the biggest shiver run up my spine. I spun around to see her... And I have never seen her with such a dank scowl across her face.
Eyes wide and sweat running over my face, I stepped back and away, "hands" up in defense as she suddenly stormed forward, stomping mad. Asgore looked very nervous about this and attempted to take Toriel by the shoulder, only for the goat woman to almost immediately wrench her shoulder free with a grunt. "Stay out of this, Dreemurr," I could hear her hiss. My mom, for her part, wasn't intimidated like I was, but she took a sigh and felt her pinions to her face. Under her breath, she cursed Mayor Holiday's name... for being ... well...
(... I think we can use our imaginations. You don't have to say it.)
/Forget b-word usage. I can imagine what my mom was about ready to do.\
W-well, she didn't really go THAT far, but she was, like, really close to it.
But what happened next was that Toriel came to loom over Mayor Holiday before she took a finger and almost jabbed her in the chest while she borderline shouted at her. "There are three children in danger with the possibilities being that they are either lost, hurt or dead! And all you can think to do is insult mine and Marie's child?! They may have indeed done a foolish thing here, but they thought to go to your daughter's AID!"
The mayor was almost unmoved, the only movement being from a knee-jerk reaction from being jabbed and glarish ice daggers right back at Toriel. "OH? How willfully naive of you to forget! Your CHILD was the one responsible for my daughter being to afraid to SPEAK for several days and remains the reason she cannot properly interact with the other children! And let's not forget Marie's BEAST of a daughter! She is the absolute LAST person I would allow near Noelle!"
She then turned to MY mother and gestured to her. "Candace can attest to how BARBARIC that brat can be!" My mother leveled an unamused narrow at the woman colder than anything she could throw her way, but said nothing. For context, mom's always thought we were both wrong in our... our fight... It didn't really even matter. The mayor then pointed to me as she went even further. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, holding my bad wing and averting my eyes in shame as she then went on to point out the obvious. "Even moreover, here stands the child she's wronged the most! What CHILD would permanently scar another for a petty insult?!"
Toriel made an even further irritated and anger contorted face. She looked like she wanted to punch the deer's lights out, but never raised her fists. Instead, she shook her head and spouted out, "I do not know why I am surprised by how single-minded you are! You are so lost to your own little world that you cannot see the true danger in this situation! However, for the record, whatever they have done in the past, it does not change the fact that out of all of us, the ones who actively went to her aid are Susie and Kris! And it does NOT change the fact that they are ALL in danger! Maybe you wish to bicker further and attempt to gain some further logical standing against me as to make yourself seem more competent, but I refuse to stand here arguing with the woman who does NOT. KNOW. HER OWN DAUGHTER!"
(... She really said that...?)
I couldn't lie about it if I wanted to. I was close enough for my ears to ring from Toriel's volume.
(... It's no wonder she... ... ...)
... Is this too much? I-I can, like, just stop here. My voice is getting hoarse anyway.
(... I'm okay. Keep going, please.)
I-... Alright.
/... Y'know, it's actually pretty ironic.\
(H-huh?)
Uh... yeah. Huh? Like... where'd that come from?
/I mean... she-... Wait... Nevermind. I can't say, right now. Forgot myself there, for a second.\
(...? -Gasp!- Ooooh! Oh, yeah! I understand. Eheeh! You definitely just dodged a bullet, there~!)
But you probably just blue-balled half of your listening audience...
/Keep making outbursts like that and that won't mean much.\
... Can I just get back to my chapter in this crazy mess?
(/It's best that way.\)
... Ooookay then.
Well, the sheer power and meaning of her shouted words seemed to rock Mayor Holiday noticeably. She was dripping and seemed significantly disturbed, but her anger- or perhaps it was pure outrage- hadn't totally vanished. Too bad Toriel had already side-stepped and stormed passed her. That didn't mean the mayor gave up, turning around and tailing her, asking, "What. exactly is that supposed to mean?!"
But Toriel just tuned her out as she was storming toward the wooded area... Unfortunately, Undyne put herself in the way with a few easy steps. She was giving the larger woman a stare-down, arms folded.
Toriel matched her with an already beyond irritated leer. "Step aside, Undyne. Now."
The fish woman shook her head and told her, "Not a chance in hell, lady. You ain't going inside the forest. The kid just sai-"
"No. She is right," came Asgore's voice. He stepped forward beside Toriel, much to her unamused annoyance. Regardless, he had Undyne's attention. "You should step aside."
The goat woman narrowed her eyes at him, arms crossed. "I told you, Dreemurr- stay out-"
"No, Ms. Etuary. I will not."
Taken aback by his assertion, the woman could only stare at him in surprise. Probably because Asgore usually wasn't that firm. But it was clear that this was different. I don't need to tell you about your own dad.
The guy had a stern narrow in his eyes and his overall body language told me he wasn't going to budge, especially the balled fists. "You forget. While they live under your roof, Kris is my child as well as your own. This is something that I will not be swayed away from. I am coming with you to look for our child and watch out for you yourself. And that is that."
She took a pause while Undyne merely shook her head at the both of them throwing her arms out in defeat before letting them slap back to her sides. "You people are impossible. If you get hurt or worse, I ain't hearin' it. But regardless, I still need to check out the area. Confirm what this kid was telling us wasn't just a big fat lie. So, I'm going with you guys everywhere you go."
"... No."
Undyne looked like she'd just been slapped. She glared scrutiny into the one who'd said that, Mayor Holiday. "WHAT?"
The deer woman was giving her a hard, cold leer, arms folded. "You may accompany them as far as the edge of the darkened area. However, you may not enter it with them. I need you here in order to keep the peace and to keep everyone in line. If they wish to endanger themselves, you will let them." ... In my opinion, it was an obvious spite against them. And Undyne, for that matter. She was no longer thinking of anything but how angry she was at them collectively. And while she couldn't spite Toriel or Asgore, she could spite Undyne, who was FORCED to listen to her...
The fish woman's head tilted down a bit. It was enough to have the shadow cast by her cap overshadow her glaring expression of irritation with her superior. Her eyes were practically glowing with the emotion...
... Honestly? I REALLY felt bad for Undyne. This sort of thing was exactly what she had been waiting for and now she was being told she couldn't help in any real way, but I'm repeating myself.
"... Lady, I'm getting real sick and tired of you..."
"Regardless, that's an order." The Mayor then turned to look at Franklin and Brian. "And that goes for you two as well."
Franklin saluted and said, "O-of course, maám!"
But Brian clicked his teeth while grinding extra hard into his cigarette, probably over this all already. "Whatever."
Me, on the other hand...? I ended up staring at my talons... It felt way wrong to just sit here and watch more people march into the forest, potentially never to return... Call it whatever you want. I was having a change of heart. I found some courage. Or maybe I decided I needed to do this on bare principle alone... I wanted to help. And there was only one way I felt I would be helping... Going with them...
I turned my head back up and took a few steps forward, trying to put on a brave face. But when I voiced my desire...? "W-wait! I wanna go, too!"
At first, the two goat monsters turned to me with worry and doubt. But... "Sorry, but that ain't happening." I knew who just spoke and I felt their "hand" push me back along my chest! I stumbled back and nearly fell over before catching my balance and staring up to look at who had done it... We all know it was my mom. "M-Mom?!"
While the goat monsters looked at her, she turned to stare down at me with a smile, shaking her head. "Sorry. But I'm your mother and I'm saying no, Berd. If either of us is going, it's me. We've got enough kids unaccounted for. And no son of mine's jumping down into some freaky hole. Pretty sure it'll come down to that, with my luck."
At first, I was too stunned to talk, so I just walked back up, beak open... And then, a furrow in my brows, I told her, "But... But it should be me! I-I should have gone with them in the first place! She's my friend- It should be my-"
"Can it."
Cut off, I stopped talking and just stared, shaking my head with a squint.
With her wings on her hips, she shook her head and stared me directly in the eyes. "Lemme put it this way." She looked to and fro the two goat monsters behind her and then back at me as she said, "These two ain't quite right in the head. One of them is worried and angry. The other is worried and stubborn. And beyond that, putting the both of them alone with a kid that's obviously not got his head on straight ain't a good idea at all. Especially considering their past relationship."
Both goat monsters took at look at themselves... Obviously, They both turned away from each other, either out of shame(Asgore) or out of resentment(Toriel).
"I figure I can supply some much needed calm rationality."
... As much as I didn't like it, she was making perfect sense... I bowed my head and dropped my shoulders... "But... What if you don't come back...? What if NONE of you come back?"
"Hey..." I felt her wing rest over my shoulder. Looking up into her face, I saw her stare at me with a smile, calm and without a doubt. "Ain't gonna happen. I'll be makin' it back home before tomorrow comes 'round. And when do, I'm making that spaghet. So, don't you go crying over me. I don't wanna come back and have to dry you off, now. Got it?" With a spreading smile, she pat me over the shoulders with both wings, before pulling me in and hugging me abruptly to herself tight, all the while leaning her head down for a whisper. "And ya better believe I'm gonna be bringing Noelle outta there with the rest of ém. You've still got an apology to get her, now don't you?"
... I sighed and shut my eyes, finally submitting with a nod and returning the hug... "... Alright, mom... I-I'll... hold you to that..."
"Of course." After saying that, she and I separated and she stepped back toward Asgore and Toriel, smiling down at me one last time with a tilted head. "Take care ya don't wait too long to eat, though. Still ain't had supper, ya know~."
... You're thinking I should have cried, right?
/Huh?\
(... We didn't say anything.)
But you ARE thinking it...
/... No. We aren't. But I have to admit that if I were in your place, I... don't really know. I am the one who doesn't have memories of the time before this all, after all.\
... Mh... And what about you?
(... Asgore has always been good to me. Ms. Toriel and Ms. Fitzerd, too... It's hard to think you couldn't, but... I-I guess that I'm the softest one here...)
... I felt like I should, too.
(Huh...?)
I should have cried. She was right there. She was about to disappear from the world into where I wasn't certain lead anywhere. Heck, she probably figured it was just a hole in the ground and climbing out would be as easy as can be. But I had pretty much figured out by now that something like that was absolutely impossible. After all. Kris, Susie and Noelle all hadn't come back yet...
Regardless of having every reason to cry, I... I just.. didn't...
... But I did do one last thing. "Wait," I told her, just as they were starting to walk away with Undyne. And that acted as enough to make them all stop and look at me. I looked at the ground in thought, then back up at my mom's inquisitive stare. "One sec, okay? I-I'll be right back." I looked at Sans. He was already looking at me with his usual expression unreadable. "Uh, Sans. Can you come with me?"
He paused for a split second, but nodded regardless and jogged to his own store behind me. ... Hah. Now that I think about it, that was the fastest I had ever seen him move. Guess he saw the importance.
... So what I did was I gathered as many Cinnabuns as my remaining twenty and some odd cents could get and had Sans check them out for me. Then, I compiled them into a larger, more sturdy bag with the ones that I had already purchased. That made a solid twelve. It meant I had no buns for at home, but hey. I had plenty of other stuff to eat...
After that, I ran back outside, Sans tailing close behind, but he was slower... Uh...
(What...?)
I think I missed something happening between Ms. Toriel and Mayor Holiday. Because upon walking up to the scene again, they were turned completely away from each other and both had their arms folded. My guess...? Another heated argument...
I should have asked about it, but I just... didn't care to. Shaking my head and walking up to my mother with the bag in hand, I furrowed my brows as she stared at me, both confused and intrigued with her wings on her hips. "What's all that?"
Bringing the bag up for her to take, my beak curved in a slight smile despite the furrow in my eyes. "Don't laugh, but it's Cinnabuns... Th-they were the cheapest filling thing that was easy to eat that I could think of buying."
She took the back and slung it over her shoulder, cocking a brow down at me and taking a moment before she said anything. "All of this for a wooded area and a hole...? Kinda seems like you're convinced this could take a while."
Of course, I nodded, losing the smile. "If Susie and Kris weren't lying to me like I believe they weren't... it really could." While I was talking, Ms. Toriel, Asgore and Mayor Holiday all shared an interest in hearing what I had to say. "The black shade coming off of it looks ominous enough, right? Well... They were saying that hole was something like... a portal. It leads to something they called the Dark World. Supposedly, it's very dangerous, but I don't know anything else about it. They were both in too much of a hurry to go in after Noelle to tell me what was going on..."
... My mother made a pensive expression at the new information. "Sheesh... Now, I'm really glad I'm goin' and not you. But ... it can't be a whole other world, can it...?"
I shrugged in response, seeing as I had no way of truly knowing. "Can't really say."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mayor Holiday hang her head and pinch her bridge. "Unbelievable..."
... Mom tilted her head at that off-handed comment, her expression unreadable... She then turned to the mayor and folded her arm wings. "Ya know, I could say something pretty mean right now, if you still haven't learned your lesson. You've got Tori and Undyne peeved with you. Ya really want me to chip in? Us being friends doesn't mean I can't tell ya when you're goin' about things wrong..."
The question made the deer woman turn and look at her with a dirty glare. "..."
Relaxing her gaze more, mom then told her, "I know you're worried for her. I am, too. So... let us help. Don't fight with us."
... I didn't think I would ever see it... But, in that moment, the ice queen furrowed her brows and tried to avoid eye contact. It really wasn't much. It could have even been a trick of the light. God knows she didn't want to make it obvious. "Just... Please... find.. my daughter, Candice..." My brows raised for the vulnerability I heard in her voice. Obviously, this doesn't make up for her attitude earlier, but it was at least humanizing... er... monsternizing? ... Mortalizing. I'll call it mortalizing.
Regardless, Mom then rejoined up with Toriel and Asgore, who were waiting beside Undyne
At that point, Undyne was removing the gate most near us, opening it up before placing it down. Then, she took hold of the yellow tape and pulled it up for passage. "Alright." She turned her eyes on the group of three, serious as could be. "Are you guys ready? There's no turning back, if what the kid says is true. And I wish I could go with you, but... you know the deal."
Nodding as her eyes trailed off dully, Toriel remarked, "Of course. We have already wasted enough time with this back and forth."And then, she immediately walked forward through the opening Undyne had made.
"Agreed," Asgore stated simply, a focused stare directed at the goat woman's back. He then made after her, his heavy footsteps slightly audible in the grass.
Mom turned around one last time to stare back at me with a smile and a wink, then a wing on her hip, she looked at Undyne and huffed a chuckle. "Woulda been interesting having Chief Undyne along for the ride, as well."
While Mom began her approach on the opening, Undyne returned the laugh proudly through a grin. "Trust me, lady. I'm thinkin' about coming anyway..."
That little admission brought back the usual Mayor Holiday as she sent an icy stare at the chief, brow raised. "Oh?" Undyne clicked her teeth and rolled her eyes, but the mayor then turned to Brian, arms still folded with a lean to one side, she tapped her forearm with a finger and told him, "Deputy Brian. Accompany Chief Undyne under suspicion of future willful disobeying~."
The Zombie groaned and stuffed his hands into his vest's pocket, chewing on his cigarette. "Fine. Whatever."
Undyne snapped around with the grind of her teeth and wider, still scowled eyes! "Oh, F $% YOU, lady!"
A slight smirk on her face told me that Mayor Holiday was just playing Devil's Advocate, now. "No, thank you. I'm taken." She was just doing this to piss her off~... I don't know why. But the way she said that last bit made me crack a smile through an unintentional chuckle.
(A-ah... EW! Berdly, no!)
H-hey! I'm just being honest! The hilarity wore off in seconds, anyway...
/Question.\
Uh...?
/How come you're telling of this doesn't include any of our other friends? I mean, it's not like EVERYONE was in the Dark World except you... Where were the others?\
Oh... Uh... I think I saw a few in the crowd, but I wasn't really paying attention at the time... I know quite a few of them gave me weird looks after this. They probably saw what sort of mess I was and heard the things I said... I mean, like... they were crazy enough things to just out and claim without anyone else having seen what I did. And what you did.
So yeah. With Mom and some of the most important people that were in my life or in town about to go jumping through the portal to who-knows-where right in front of me, I didn't really pay much attention to what all was going on otherwise. Sans was not exactly front and center, so I wasn't looking at him at all. Dunno what he thought about all of this. But I got the vibe that Undyne was very on the fence about all of this.
/... Alright then. I guess that.. kinda does make sense...\
Yeah... Anyways, I was back to frowning pretty quick, like I said. Because mom was leaving... She passed under the tape and traveled further into the forest. The chief looked to Deputy Brian and told him, "Well, come on. We'll get left behind if you travel your usual pace..."
The paste-colored man groaned in irritation and bunched his cheek a bit, before he started walking at a reasonably fast pace. But of course, Undyne still thought he was slow... Still, for me, they could have gone slower. The crowd hadn't moved an inch. And I couldn't really tear my eyes away from the parting within the trees where my mom was walking away...
"Now that this is settled... People of Hometown! I ask that you all remain calm and return to your homes in peace! The matter is being dealt with!"
And with that, everyone was starting to thin out, walking away chit chatting with one another. "What a soap opera," some guy said. "This is TOO freak," a woman claimed. "Don't tell me you believe any of that nonsense, Cattie..." Whatever they said, I didn't pry my eyes off of the group's back. It wasn't like it would be the last time I saw any of them, but I still got this burning feeling in my cheeks like a premonition.
A hand touched my shoulder and, while I didn't look her way, I could hear it was Mrs. Holiday. "Berdly, you heard your mother. Return home... But in the event that there is a next time, don't trust my daughter's life in the hands of delinquents, please..." I slowly stared up at her with a frown She was giving me the most conflicted expression. I could see both irritation and concern in her face. Her brows' slight narrow were the irritation, but the rest of her face was probably where I got the concern... Don't ask me why it felt that way, but it felt that way.
... Regardless, my head turned right back with my eyes to the clearing... If I squinted hard enough, I could still make out Undyne's read hair and red fin webbing. "I-I'll go home in a minute..."
Her hand left my shoulder, but she still informed me that, "The cerfeu will be a sharp 8 o' clock." I could hear her starting to walk off... and then her hoof steps silenced themselves. "And you. Sans, was it?"
"yeah...?" Sans sounded downcast.
"I want your papers by the end of the month."
"... heh. day late and a dollar short. i already told yer' chief it'd be the last day of the new week."
"... The last day of the new week is still the end of the month. No jokes, skeleton."
"i got it, i got it. don't worry about it."
At that, I could hear her scoff before the clops of her stilettos returned... and before long, were gone again for obvious reasons.
A clackity hand tapped me on the shoulder. A bone one. "hey, kid." I wordlessly turned to look at him. Sans, I mean. His expression was even. But then again, it usually is. Retracting his hand and shoving it into his coat pocket, he told me, "if your house gets too bo- ..." He WAS gonna say "bonesome", but he shook his head and made a re-attempt. "uh, i mean... if your house gets to lonesome, you're welcomed to crash at mine and papy's place. we've got a pretty good deal goin' for us. and yeah. i know. we just met three days ago. but, to be honest... i like ya, kid. so... don't be a stranger if the stranger ain't workin' for ya... alright?"
Sounded like a pretty good deal. But I wouldn't just take him up on that offer right away. Still... I smiled and nodded. And, with a weak huffed laugh, I said, "Thanks, Sans-man."
With a brighter laugh, he cocked a brow and took out his hands to point his finger guns at me. "good one, kid! i like that!"
I turned my gaze back onto the hole in the forest again. I couldn't see even Undyne anymore, so there was little reason for me to stay... Turning myself back to Sans while he was stowing his hands into his pockets again, I told him with more dull expression, "I.. think I'm gonna stay at my own house for tonight. Mom made me a promise... I should wait for her to get home for at least one day, yeah?"
I could feel the frown he wanted to make when his sockets furrowed. Too bad about that petrified smile, huh? "... alright kiddo. but the offer's not gonna expire... just keep it on the table."
"I will."
Nodding his affirmations, he turned uneasily, keeping his eye beads on me for a bit... But I had already turned around to look at that hole in the gates one last time. I guess he decided he should leave me alone, because the next thing I heard was the sound of his slips making that almost slapping noise while his bones clicked and clacked against one another...
I took another minute to myself to just... like, frown at the open gate... If that guy, Franklin, wasn't still standing there beside it, I could have just bolted passed the tape and tailed them. That's what I was thinking... But obviously, that wasn't going to happen. And I wanted to believe Mom wouldn't make promises she couldn't keep...
... And so, hesitating for a few backwards steps and double takes, I decided to just... walk home...
The rest of my night, I spent pretty uneventfully, snacking, gaming and watching dumb DVDs of cartoons past... aaand maybe taking a shower... Spoiler alert, it didn't really help.
... But you both know what was waiting for me, bright and early. The audience can even work that one out...
... And it was because of that very thing... that I decided that if I got a second chance, I'd take it...
... ... ... So, that's my bit in all of this.
(... Wow... I can only imagine how stressful and frustrating that all was for you.)
... Pfft! Are you kidding? Your experience was, like, ten-thousand times worse than mine! You actually had to go THROUGH that hell! I'd never want to go anywhere NEAR Autumn Vale! Especi- uh. wait.
/Yeaaah, don't talk about that one... that one is a top secret document compared to all of this. And not our's to tell.\
(... But yeesh... My mother was a grade-A viper.)
Yeah... she kinda was...
... ... ... So! How's about that Mew-
-CLICK!-
... ... ...
-In the Braveheart-esque spirit- Frrreeeeeeedooooooooom!
... Okay. So... Remember how I said this chapter was the grand master of long? The reason for that happens to do with the fact that I wanted to introduce- or in this case, RE-introduce- a lot of characters and show how there are differences and similarities from the way you all might know them. As well, I wanted to take my own personal take on what I feel Noelle's mom might be like. And I fully understand if you all end up hating her. ^^; But I DID try to make her seem even just a little bit more humane- err... monsterane? ... -u-; Berdly himself was pretty difficult to play off of, since like Noelle, I know the least canonical information. Even more than herself.
As for Candace, his mother, my reason for making her the way she is would be to make an exact opposite to Berdly. It's a usual thing for the child to be drastically different from their parent or be like a younger, less experienced version of them. I won't go into depth on that until a later date. I mean, I'm borderline hinting that I'm going to write a side story related to the parents, after all. No need to tell you now, in that sense. But, when I do that one, unlike with this story, I will most likely only focus on one of their points of view. -u-; Writing for multiple personalities is fun and all, but it's incredibly hard. I don't regret doing it though~.
As for why I wanted to place this part of the story here? ... Well, because it technically happened "next". Regardless, now is where I can just let loose in the dark world like I have always begged and wanted to.
So much thought went into every decision I made in this part and the previous and I wish I could tell you every last detail, but I won't~. I will say this, though. If you're expecting every single thing to be answered in this story, you'll be let down. If I ever commit to this to the extent that Toby Fox will in the official DELTARUNE, though? I already have an entire massive idea on why everything is happening and WHAT will happen. Odds are, it's not going to end at all like he intended. And I wouldn't have it any other way~.
I am NOT Toby Fox. I am White Asterisk. Emulate him in ways, I shall. But I'll never attempt to write the exact same story as he would. I see to much of that in fanfiction, these days. Inserts of a character or two into canon events of all manner of series. All of this work re-writing the exact same thing with very minor changes at best and very little difference in the end result.
So, perhaps me and him will end up with the same villain. Or perhaps we have vastly different ideas for the big bad. But it will never have the same body or the same ending. And that's what, in my opinion, makes fanfiction so awesome. Just when you think something is too set in stone to change, going all the way back to the basic can change EVERYTHING.
But enough gab~.
Next chapter... we FINALLY get back to Kris and their odd, new friend. What have they been up to? And how long will it take them to find Team Ralsei? What will happen between that now and that then? And what about the Kytsaters? How big of a nuisance shall they become? And just what do the other intelligent races of the Vale feel about all of this? ... What about Shorn?
All questions. All answered, in due time~.
As always, please! Tell me what you guys thought of this! Fave, Review and Follow if you liked what you were reading! Reviews especially are like fuel to me, be they critical, speculation, like or dislike. I'm always striving to better my skills, after all. And I would HATE to stray too far from continuity...
Cheers to all! And also, Merry Belated Christmas and a Happy Belated New Years! (Belatedly!)