Beyond the room, the floating orb of fire made its triumphant return to the party. Chara observing it, as it guided them along. The pair moving past a sign that she didn't bother reading.

The path brought them to a fascinating, and somewhat concerning sight. A sort of bridge, covered in very sharp looking spikes. Similar to the ones from before.

"How do we..." Chara began.

Toriel paused before them. "Should you ever have to, know that this room is a reflection of the one from before. With the other bridges." The girl listened. "As you walk, the spikes will descend, and permit you to traverse. So long as you follow the same path from before, they shall not rise again."

Chara asked. "So...they...lower if we go the same way?"

"They...lower anyways." Toriel admitted, quietly. "I don't...know that I'm ready to have you navigate this alone. For now...please just...keep hold of my hand, won't you, Chara?"

"Okay." Her daughter replied, feeling a bit disturbed at this concept.

Try as she might, she couldn't recall anything like this from before. It wasn't that the concept was fuzzy to her, it was more like...it simply wasn't. She kept hold of her mothers hand, and traversed the path, watching the spikes begin to descend.

She noticed, in the glistening light of the sphere, that many of the spikes, just off the path they were walking were dusty. She couldn't discern why, but it made her feel uneasy. Add to that, there was water around the path, which smelled just as awful as the one before, if not more so in some instance. Enough to make her gag once or twice.

Toriel sometimes glanced back at her now and then, seeming to be keeping her following directly behind. The sound of the sliding grinding metal making the girl shift uncomfortably. It was such an unpleasant sound, and inspired phantom pains from her own experience with them.

Further, Chara took note, as they went, that the spikes didn't fully recede in some places. Leaving the tips to scratch against the bottom of her shoes. She noted that Toriel didn't have any, and watched the woman wince at those steps. It was clearly painful, and left her feeling a bit distressed observing it.

Finally passing the bridge in earnest, Toriel let out a long sigh. Chara noticing something, purple and shining near the wall. It flashed briefly with 'saved' in purple lettering, fading out just as quick. She took note that the woman didn't appear to notice it, or at the very least wasn't acknowledging it.

Noting this, Chara tried to think of something to say. "Do we uhm, still live in the same place?"

"We live...well, in a sense, yes." Toriel replied, releasing her hand while stepping to the next room. "Though, perhaps I was a bit nostalgic in its re-creation."

"re-creation?" The girl followed along, curious about what she meant. "Do we not live in the castle anymore?"

"No, my child, we do not." The woman said, the paid entering a room that seemed to stretch endlessly into the dark. "It's...complicated, and I will explain, later."

"Why did we leave?" Chara asked, briefly brushing her arm against the wall, wincing. "D-did something happen to it-" She jogged alongside Toriel, as she kept walking. "is everyone alright?" She gained no response. "Mom?"

The woman almost tripped, nearly missing a step. "What?"

"Well-" The girl began "Uh, nevermind." Her caretaker kept her gaze focused on the path before her. "Your...outfit looks cool...it's nice."

"Thank you," Toriel responded.

The child looked over her own outfit. Complete with burn marks, and some general damage. And then back to the look of her guardian.

"Hey...do ya think maybe I could get a new outfit too?" Chara asked. "I mean, this one smells funny, so." She snickered, without hearing Toriel laugh. "Get it...because it's on me." She explained. "Because...ya know...jokes?"

She realized it wasn't very funny, and fell silent.

As with the others before it, they stopped near the end of this room. Only having just passed a pillar of some kind. It seemed large enough for a person to hide behind it.

Chara noticed the room ahead appeared to have light coming from it. Something that Toriel seemed to noticed, with eyes widening, and then narrowing. A sort of anxiety present there, as she looked back at Chara.

Visibly debating something, she pushed her hood back properly, motioning as the flaming orb ignited some of the torches in the hall.

"I need you to do something for me, my child." The woman began. "I have to head to the house and do some-" Her gaze seemed to darken. "Cleaning."

"I can help if you want?" Chara suggested.

"No, that's...alright. I need you to stay here, for awhile." Toriel suggested, adding. "I will only be gone a short while. Please forgive me...I-"

The wildness to her eyes began to return. That distress that made her act...different. Seeing this, sensing it, Chara moved to act.

"Then I'll try and stay right here, okay?" Chara suggested, briefly taking her hand. "I can...hang out behind the pillar?"

Toriel appeared to calm, smiling some. "Ahh...yes, that could be a good idea." She wagered, feeling around in her robes pocket. "In fact...here, I have this old cell phone-" she handed it to Chara. "It has my number in it...so, if you need anything-" she held her hand tighter. "anything at all. You call me, and I'll return immediately. Understood?"

"No need to worry, I've goat you." Chara replied, prompting a more genuine smile from Toriel, who sighed and released her hand. "Oh, uhm, what do you have to clean anyways?"

"Oh nothing much." Toriel smiled some, and snickered. "I just have some things laying around that I should pick up. As well as a little...dusting to do.

Chara didn't understand that joke but was able to grasp that it was one.

"No worries." She scanned over the phone. "And, if anyone shows up I just need to call you?"

"Yes, my child," Toriel responded. "Now please, just...stay here for a little while. I will be back as soon as possible, I promise you."

"Alright. I'll see you later then ." Chara commented, taking a seat by the pillar. "Uhm, have fun?"

"I'll see you shortly, my child," Toriel responded with a warm smile, beckoning the sphere of fire to follow her.

The girl opened the phone and began tapping through it, as she was leaving. Toriel was a few steps from the room before her pocket started ringing, surprising her. Glancing at it, she turned, and produced a phone, holding to her ear.

"Hi." Chara greeted. "Just testing."

Toriel snickered some. "You wonderful dork." She mused, before closing the phone. "I will return shortly, don't worry."

"Alright...later mom." The girl said, as she left. "I'll just...be here." The area became quiet, aside from the crackling flame of torches. "By myself...heh."