Chapter 2: Toriel

I was so happy to see my mom again, after so long. After I ran away, I heard Toriel had disappeared, just like I had. But I never knew where she disappeared to.

Had she been here the whole time? From what I've heard, the Ruins had been locked up, inaccessible from the outside. This could be why, unless something had changed in the two decades I have been gone. She must have been here the whole time, keeping people out. But why?

It didn't matter right now. I was so overcome with joy, I just ran to Toriel, and wrapped my arms around her, and just hugged her as tightly as I could.

"Oh my!" Toriel said, startled.

"I'm happy to see you," I replied, "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Oh, well, I am happy to see you, too," Toriel returned the gesture, then the two of us separated. "Though, I hope you don't mind me asking, but where have we met before? I don't seem to recognize you."

I was shocked to hear this. "Wh-what!? You don't recognize me? I-" Then I stopped and realized something. Wingding told me that after I fell into the CORE, everyone lost their memories of me. ...This would include Toriel. She wouldn't remember that I was her child. I mean, her actual, adopted daughter, not some random kid she felt the need to take care of (even though I wasn't a kid).

My head hung low when I realized this. "I'm sorry. I must've mistaken you for someone else," I lied.

"Oh, sorry," Toriel replied. "Though it is a bit surprising. I wouldn't think a monster like me would remind anyone of a human. ...You are thinking of a human, right?"

"Oh, yes! Yes. Of course. Sorry," I nodded in response. "So, m- miss Toriel, right?" I almost called her mom. It hurt not to, but the last thing I wanted to do was confuse her more.

"Yes, that is my name."

"Yeah, so... I am Chara. And this..." I motioned to Frisk, "is Frisk."

Frisk pointed to me, then signed, she is my mommy!

"Yes, it's good to meet the both of you." Toriel motioned deeper into the Ruins. "Now, please, come this way."

Toriel walked through the next gate, and Frisk followed meekly. I quickly looked around to make sure Flowey wasn't still around, and then followed to catch up with the others.

We approached a large, purple-bricked structure that showed small signs of falling apart, but still stood strong. We were surrounded by three vine-covered walls around a small square courtyard, that was covered in red leaves, with a large pile in between two sets of stairs, which rose up to a balcony spanning the far back wall, where a door opening that was spanned by a pair of windows awaited. I looked up, basking in the shadow of the Ruins that loomed above us.

Toriel was waiting for me to catch up. Once she saw me, she signaled us to keep following, and walked through the doorway. Frisk wasn't paying attention, though, and playing with the leaves.

I approached her, and said, "hey there. Enjoying yourself?"

Frisk turned to me and nodded.

"So, Frisk, did you know about Toriel this whole time?" I was curious because I thought there was no way she would know about Toriel, but if this is where Frisk started, she's probably seen and even met her multiple times.

Frisk nodded, but she seemed a bit worried. She signed, do you like her?

"Well, you see, she adopted me, so that makes her MY mother. But she doesn't remember me anymore, so I... I don't know what to do. I don't want to hurt her."

Frisk looked away, and signed, she attacked me.

"What, why?" That didn't make sense. Toriel was the kindest person I knew. She wouldn't ever attack anyone. Then I realized something. "Frisk, you didn't... you didn't have to fight back, did you?"

Tears started welling in her eyes. I did. But she was hurting me.

I closed my eyes. Okay, if there was anybody we were not going to harm this time around, it was Toriel. I would not fight my mom.

I opened my eyes back up, and turned to Frisk, saying, "okay, enough standing around. Toriel is waiting." I held out my hand to Frisk. "Don't worry, we can trust her."

Frisk nodded and smiled, and grabbed my hand. Then the two of us continued through the doorway, and found Toriel waiting for us, as I expected.

Toriel smiled and clasped her hands together. "Welcome to your new home, innocent ones. Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins."

In this small room, there was a set of six large buttons on the floor to step on, the two middle ones lower down in the formation than the others, and on the back wall, flanking another closed door, was a sign to the left, and a lever. Toriel walked over, stepped on the four switches not in the middle of the formation, then went over to flip the lever. Doing so caused the door to open up.

Toriel walked back to us and said, "The Ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and door keys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them."

I didn't remember these very well the first time coming here. I was in so much pain, that I could barely keep my eyes open. I figured Asriel must have solved these from the other side prior to finding me.

As Toriel walked into the next room, I walked over to check the sign:

"Only the fearless may proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones, both walk not the middle road."

Frisk patted my leg, and pointed to the door, basically asking me to keep going. I nodded, and the two of us followed Toriel into the next room.

Once Toriel saw "To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches. Do not worry, I have labeled the ones that need to flip."

"Okay, then..." I guess she was trying to slowly get us used to puzzles.

The next room was long, leading off to the right. There were two waterways, with wooden bridges to cross over them. There was another sign on the wall that said, "Stay on the path." And I could see the switches Toriel mentioned, more levers, and a few arrows drawn on the walls pointing to them, and short messages by them.

Frisk and I ran across the first bridge, over to the first switch Toriel labeled and flipped it. I read the message, "Please press this switch. -TORIEL," as Frisk flipped the switch. We then crossed the next bridge, where two levers awaited us, only one that was labeled by Toriel, with the message, "Please press this switch, too. -TORIEL." I flipped this one.

Toriel, who waiting for us at the end of the room, was standing in front of a set of metal panels with spikes protruding from them. Once I hit the last switch, the spikes lowered below the panels, allowing them to be safely walked across.

"Splendid! I am proud of you, little ones," Toriel exclaimed proudly.

"Okay, miss Toriel, can I tell you something," I spoke up. "I happen to be 20 years old, and I don't like people mentioning my height."

"Oh, you looked so... young. Is Frisk also-"

"No, I believe she's eight."

Frisk nodded in response. So I was right.

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry, um... let us move to the next room," Toriel replied awkwardly.

I felt kind of bad for that. She didn't know better. But... I knew I would have to tell sooner or later.

Frisk and I followed her into the next room, where Toriel was standing next to a practice dummy, a simple head, and body on a wooden stand. "As a human living in the Underground, monsters may attack you," Toriel told us.

Well, that's why I'm here, I thought.

"You will need to be prepared for this situation," she continued. "However, worry not! The process is simple. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a fight."

Okay, where are you going with this?

"While you are in a fight, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time, and I will come to resolve the conflict."

All right, that doesn't solve our problem. ...Though it does give me an idea.

"Please, practice talking to the dummy," Toriel said. "Frisk, you first."

Frisk didn't move. She just started at the dummy. Then she turned to me and signed, I can't talk to him. Does signing count?

"Um, what are you waiting for my child? It is only a dummy," Toriel said.

"Wait, Toriel, do you know sign language? It's the only way she can talk," I replied.

"Wait, what? Why, is she too shy to speak?"

"No, um, she simply can't speak. She's mute. Sign language is the only way she can really... 'say' anything."

"Oh... oh I'm sorry. ...I can see why the two of you are together."

So, wait, did Toriel think we stuck together because we both had physical problems? I mean, yeah, we did. I was very short for my age, and Frisk was mute. Still... that was not the case.

Frisk signed, tell her you're my mommy, and that she's your mommy.

Not right now, I signed back. "How about I talk to the dummy," I told Toriel. Then I stepped up to the dummy.

It just stood there, absentmindedly. About as much as I expected.

So, what to say, what to say? "So... my dummy, you... have a cotton heart and a button eye. You... are the apple of my eye."

...

It didn't seem much for conversation. This was awkward.

Toriel was happy, though. "Ah, very good! You did very well. I suppose if Frisk can't talk herself, you can talk for her, right?"

"Well, I appear to be the only one around who knows sign language, so yeah, I can translate for her," I replied.

"Well, if the two of you stick together as you have been, you'll be fine," Toriel told us.

"Yeah, that's what I'm here for. Call it, adult supervision."

"Oh, yes. Now, let's continue." The three of us went on into the next room, another long room, with a smaller hallway to the right. "There is another puzzle in this room..." Toriel continued. "...I wonder if you can solve it?"

She continued on into the hallway. Frisk took a deep breath, and walked forward, with me in tow. We stepped into the hallway, which had a few turns, but was short.

...But that's disregarding the small monster we ran into.

It was a frog monster, though it seemed to have a second face on its chest.

Frisk stepped behind me, scared. I figured it was time to test my idea. I turned to her and signed, hey, there's nothing to be scared of. Here, let me tell you about this monster.

I took a good look at the monster, trying to remember what it was. When I figured it out, I signed to Frisk, this is a Froggit. Life is difficult for this enemy. Why don't trying signing with him? Remember, I'll speak for you.

Frisk slowly stepped out from behind me, and took a few steps forward. I was waiting for her to open up, and speak with the enemy.

But she never got the chance. Toriel walked up from behind, and gave a sharp "ahem!" The Froggit turned to Toriel, who was glaring at him. Then he hung his head low, and scampered off.

"Toriel!" I snapped.

"What! I told you I'd resolve the conflict. I'm keeping you safe," she replied defensively.

"Yeah, but Frisk-" I gave a sigh. "You know what, never mind." It wasn't worth fighting with my mom. I'd just try this again when Toriel wasn't around.

Toriel led us to the end of the hallway, which led to a water-filled room, spanned by a wooden platform. ...Covered in more spike panels.

"This is the puzzle, but..." Toriel looked at the spike platform, then back at us. "Here, take my hands for a moment."

So both me and Frisk each grabbed one of Toriel's hands, and she started guiding us into the spike field. I didn't know what she was doing, but I knew I should trust her.

But as we got close to certain spike panels, they retracted into the panels. I noticed some that the spike panels didn't retract, but the ones did, making a path safely to the other side.

Once we made it to the other side, I looked back, and wondered how we were supposed to find the solution. Were we supposed to take that slowly, and Toriel just knew the path through so well, she didn't need to anymore. I felt like there must have been a sign or something I didn't read back there. I think I did see one, but I was too annoyed by Toriel to think about looking at it.

"Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now," Toriel told us. She led us into the next room, by far the longest room so far, with only a pillar at the far end by the exit. "You have done excellently thus far, Frisk, Chara." Toriel turned to the end of the hallway. "However... I have a difficult request to ask of you. ...I would like you to walk to the end of the room by yourself. Forgive me for this."

Toriel quickly ran down the hallway, and... snuck around the pillar, hiding behind it.

"Okay..." I responded, and I looked at Frisk, who simply shrugged.

I shrugged back, and the two of us started walking the hallway. I started whistling, and Frisk skipped along.

When we got to the end, Toriel stepped out from behind the pillar. "Greetings, Frisk, Chara. Do not worry, I did not leave you."

Right, you didn't... I thought.

"I was merely behind this pillar the whole time."

I noticed.

"Thank you for trusting me. However, there was an important reason for this exercise. ...To test your independence."

"Wait, hang on," I interrupted. "I already told you, I'm an adult. What, do I still look too much like a kid to you? Also, what was that about us being fine if we stuck together?"

"I apologize, Chara, but despite your age, and help from your, um... sister?"

"No, not sister. She sees me as her mother, but we're not related," I informed her. Frisk gave a pouty face in response.

"Well, regardless, the Ruins are still very dangerous. Monsters and traps lurk around every corner. I must attend to business, and the two of you must stay alone for a while. Please remain here." Then Toriel seemed to get an idea, and reach into her pockets. "I have an idea. I will you a cellphone. If you have a need for anything, just call. My number is on the back. Be good, alright?"

She pulled out said device, which was one of those really old cell phones, like the brick kind of phone, and handed it to me, then exited the room, leaving deeper into the Ruins.

I plopped down on the pillar, frustrated. What happened to her? Toriel had always been very kind and caring, but now she seemed overprotective.

Frisk signed, What are we going to do?

"I don't know," I replied in both sign and speech. "Maybe stay and rest for a bit. I don't think anything will attack us here."

Are we going to leave?

"Do you usually leave on your past runs, or do you wait for Toriel?"

Frisk pointed to the door. Okay, so she just leaves.

I sighed. "Let's wait this time, Toriel will come back." I held up the phone and looked at her number. The phone was very old-fashioned, and like a brick.

I sighed. It was going to be a long wait.

Author's Note: So for this chapter, I decided to focus fully on the time you spend with Toriel at the beginning. From the start, to when she leaves you alone. Just figured it would be good to get this out of the way, and then start working on more important details of the story.