Entering into the room with the staircases, Chara glanced up, and towards the door at the top.

It was, at this moment, wide open still. Yet, she didn't see Toriel there, meaning there was still a little time left. The girl took note, when examining the staircase, there was a chipped step. Coincidentally the one she tripped on last time.

Turning towards the other staircase, she passed by the stick on the ground. Giving it a brief look, but not bothering at the moment. She proceeded up towards the lone torch that was still alight at the top of the stairs.

It provided the only illumination for this dark place, beyond the few rays of light slipping from somewhere above. Reaching the rop, she adjusted her flower necklace. She hoped it would accomplish its task, noticing a piece of rubble being disturbed.

Flowey sprouted from the ground. "Okay, hey, Chara, uhm, I know you want to see Toriel...but she definitely isn't the person you remember." He told her. "I didn't want to say it, but I think I have to. She's dangerous, erratic." She glared at him. "I only mean you should be careful, okay?"

The ire in her eyes quelled, if only a touch. She wagered she must have been friends with this flower, given his persistant concern, even if she couldn't remember him. And, maybe he had a point?

"Don't worry. I've got a plan." She assured him, glancing at the door. "It's awesome, you'll see." She took note of Toriels absence. "Actually..uhm...Flowey?"

"Yeah?" He asked.

"What...what's wrong, with her?" Chara inquired, as the flower glanced away. "I mean, she seems...upset, angry even. I don't-" She searched her fragmented memory. "think I'd seen her like that before. Have I?"

"People can be...cruel." Flowey replied cautiously. "She's gone through quite a lot. And recently some have taken to tormenting her, uhm, causing...problems. Listen, Chara, it's...complicated." He admittedly with hesitance in his voice. "Maybe you being...here, will improve that. I think...maybe. But just...be careful."

Knowing what lay beyond the door, was intimidating, and scary. She needed to succeed, she knew that. She couldn't repeat the mistakes of the past. She had to go home. With these thoughts, Chara was filled with the will to persevere.

The girl proceeded on, wandering past the threshhold. Her eyes coming to rest on a woman there, draped in tattered robes with a hood up. The space here was dark, and it made Toriel look considerably imposing.

The monster was presently staring at something off to the side, examining an unlit torch. The stare was long, unending, and quiet. The goat-ladies ear twitching as Chara took another step, kicking a pebble across the ground. Their eyes coming to meet.

For a moment, the girl was speechless. "Toriel?" She asked, watching the monster twitch. "You...I..."

"Chara?" The word spoken as a question. "No..." The monster muttered. "This is...cruel."

The words coming from a voice she now remembered. A turn of the head, a shifting of feet, and a hand reaching for the edge of the hood saw it pushed back. Enough that the goat-lady could see her properly, looking her over with her good eye. The other one scarred, and blind.

The pause that followed felt like an eternity. Chara felt her words failing, as a thousand questions danced within. She could hear breathing growing faster, heavier. She could sense the way her mothers heart was pounding, see the crease on her brow. The anger there.

"B-before you cut me off, it's me." Chara motioned. "I'm not-"

"You think this is amusing, to keep taunting me like this!?" The woman demanded, her voice shaking, her lips curled into a mad grin, fire enveloping her hands. "Do you think...my patience is infinite?"

"I'm not-it's me!" The girl declared while starting forward. "Mom, please just-"

"SHUT UP!" Toriel wailed, angrily, her tone lowering to quiet hostility. "You will burn for this."

The world appeared to flash, and grow darker. The space around them almost becoming black and red at first. A sensation, familiar from before drew and manifested the girls soul. The outline of a heart, dim, dark, but glowing purple floating before her.

Finally registering this, Chara felt it was...wrong somehow. But shook it off realizing she'd completely forgotten her plan the moment she was confronted with Toriel. Some part of her felt afraid, but most of her demanded she Persevere, and CONTINUE.

A set of commands appeared before her, illuminated by her soul, becoming shimmering purple words, visible, perhaps, only to her. Floating there between them, as time slowed to a crawl. She felt the sense of things come back to her.

|Chara - 20/20 HP|

|Fight| - | Act | - |Item| - |Mercy|

Chara used |ITEM| - Flower Necklace

"S-stop please. Don't you...don't you remember?" She tugged on the necklace. "We make these together, right?"

There was conflict in the monsters eyes. "I remember..." Her attack dropped, flame rising around her. "How dare you.".

Toriel made a swiping motion with her hand, the flames parted from it, sparking. They began to fly off to the sides, Chara stepping back, to avoid the wave that approached. Another coming near, prompting her to dive off to the side, the fire passing by.

When it ran against the walls of the ruins, it scorched them. Torching the remnants of old flowers, and vines. Leaving burn marked on its impact.

A second motion seeing dozens of smaller fireballs manifest, as Chara got up. Staggering back, to avoid them, the flamed circling around the space at the top of the staircase.

The girl narrowly avoiding the ring as it was forming, moved back into the center. The spinning flame pushing nearer and nearer. Taking a side-step, she nearly fell from the top of the staircase, having balancing herself enough to get back up. Only for the flame to singe her arm, causing her to wince, and let out a sound of pain.

Toriel seemed to hesitate, as the rest of the flames died out.

|Chara - 14/20 HP|

|Fight| - |Act| - |Item| - |Mercy|

Chara used |ACT| - Plead

"I-it's me, I'm real!" Chara pleaded. "Stop, please."

"I don't want to hear that anymore." Toriel shook her head and seemed to grow angrier. "Stop, stop, stop!" - Her attack rose.

The realization that it wasn't working, incurred panic. The girl feeling her heart beat rapidly, she didn't know what to do from here. She could just...come back?

The girl watched as Toriel conjured more fire. Her racing mind clicked something together. Toriel had hesitated when she got hurt. Perhaps... that was the trick?

A large sphere of flame was generated, with dozens of smaller ones around it. Being lobbed out, and towards her. Chara felt her instinct to dodge, nearly complying. Resisting the urge, she instead grit her teeth, and dug in her heels. Covering her face with her arms.

The flame ignited against her person, bursting like a fiery baloon. Bursting and burning at her, prompting a cry of pain, the heat and pain of it lingering. Even as the forst of the blast knocked her back, causing her to be cast from the top of the stairs, stumbling, and falling from it.

Hitting the ground prompted a loss of breath, the air forced from her lungs. Her arms burning, leaving her to groan, and whimper as she drew in sharp breaths. Shaking in a violent pain, barely able to think.

Her eyes opened, and closed gradually. Watching the darkness, and red start to face out. Her soul pressing back into her body, hidden away at the end of the fight. She could barely pick up the presence of movemen, noticing Toriel looking down from above. Her good eye scanning ther situation with a gradually growing horror within it.

"C-chara?" Toriel half-asked, before jumping down.

The moment coming with motions of the robes, and the thud as she impacted. Taking a moment start over to the child, looking anxious. Chara, for her part, struggling to drown out the pain, forcing herself to start getting up.

Toriel muttered. "I-I...you can't be?" She looked incredibly distressed. "I don't understand. It...hit..you didn't...you're not-you're-?"

It was very clear that her former guardian was still in a less than stable place. The girls eyes watering, from the burn marks, the pain of it running through her. She knew what she had to do from here.

Without another thought, Chara moved forward. Causing Toriel to let out a breath of alarm. Her arms wrapped around the monster-lady, as the girl held on as tight as she could.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked, prompting a shiver down the woman's spine. "D-did I do something wrong?"

Toriel already knelt down, hugged her back. "No, no, no, I-I'm sorry, you didn't do anything wrong." She assured quickly, with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Chara hugged her tighter, the feeling, the sensation, confusing the woman further. "I-I just, you can't-" she trailed off, before hugging her tighter. "I don't understand?"

"I want to go home," Chara told her quietly, her eyes faintly glowing, hidden from view. "Mom...please, I'm sorry about whatever I did wrong."

The strength left her guardian, who all but crumbled into the embrace. Keeping the girl tight, not letting go. The feeling of Charas heartbeat brought a great unease to her. It was so soft...so infrequent. That it almost felt dead.