The path to the present was peculiar to say the least.
First, she'd fallen to what was imagined to be death, only to discover a strange underground world full of monsters. A sort of world beneath, under, an underworld. Which fed into the whole, possibly dead concept that was more or less proven false later.
As not long after she'd encountered fight after fight with strange, and angry monsters. Though, a chance encounter changed her perspective on them. And instead of fighting, or running, she tried to grasp the reasons for them lashing out. It was...painful.
The only real positive to the path forward, was that the various dangerous looking traps had already been cleared before she arrived, for the most part. The human recalling having some difficulty with the bridge of spikes, however. Thankfully, with the guidance of a sign, a bit of crying, and desperately trying to piece together a solution, she overcame the obstacle.
Determination, was key.
Next was the falling, and getting hurt. That part, that part she wished had been easier. Thankfully the shiny golden stars healed her injuries, which was great. Discovering it, less so, as she learned that after finding a tipped over thing of candy. And a room full of a massive spike trap that nearly killed her. Twice.
"Hey Frisk-" Someone said, failing to get her attention.
Yet, none of it could deter the curiosity, the compulsion to keep going. Frisk stayed determined, and managed to make her way to the yard outside of what she now knew was Toriels home. However, the door was locked, and all the knocking in the world didn't seem to change that.
One of the monsters she befriended was nice enough to show her to Old Home, a long forgotten city of monsters. Her initial hopes that it would be nice, and cute and cheery were sadly dashed. But, she didn't relent.
Step by step, encounter by encounter, she did everything she could to befriend the people she met along the way. Improving their moods, which in turn seemed to make everything that much better. Gaining new friends, and acquaintances in the process.
"Hey dumbass, are you paying attention?" Another voice said.
Frisk was not. She was busy considering how nobody would ever believe her if she told them about all this. Not that it really mattered, or that she really wanted to tell another human anything. After all, she didn't know of any way to get back to the surface, not that she wanted to.
Shaking the thought, she concluded some of her thoughts with a friendly note to herself. The city had taught her a valuable lesson. Unfortunately, there were some people, no matter how nice you were...just weren't that friendly. Having to be saved by a nice goat lady named Toriel, alongside Suzy and Noelle, of course.
She was very glad to have made a couple friends during her city adventure. And then, they'd come here, to Toriels home. Which was a far quainter place than the city had been. Less cluttered, with far more space into itself. At least from an external point of view. The new human in the underground stood in the yard, alongside her two new friends, simply drinking it all in.
In short, it had been a day. And it'd only been a few hours. It made her bit anxious about what was next. Especially given how tired she felt at this point.
There was a sudden stinging sensation on her arm, prompting Frisk to flinch. Noticing the deer girl staring at her. Looking grungy, and mildly annoyed.
"Cool. You're back. Check this out!" Noelle swung a stick she'd torn from the tree. "Pretty cool huh?"
Frisk had noticed a little shine to the swing. Watched as a few of the leaves on the ground seemed to freeze, meaning it was some sort of magic. Her curious thoughts were broken as Suzy began to clap, applauding the display.
Suzy commented. "T-that was super cool!" She then added. "Can you do it again?"
Frisk clapped as well. It just felt like the nice thing to do. Noelle seemed to appreciate it, before getting distracted as Suzy began to press for a repeat performance. The deer girl getting a bit flustered from the attention.
As far as friends went, these honestly weren't a bad start. Especially in this kind of place. Granted, they were a little dysfunctional, but who wasn't?
Frisk focused on Toriels home, and the front door to it. Evidently, Toriel was inside making food for them. While also trying to get her new phone working. She was...very stressed.
The brief explanation they'd received was that the woman was looking for her daughter, Chara. Frisks eye opened, crimson, observing the door. The name was...she didn't know. It was something...something.
Regardless, she had evidently run off at some point, leaving her mother worried. And Toriel had lost her phone, making a simple phone call hard. She'd had to go to a pawn shop to buy another, which was a little messed up as far as phones went, and seemed to be missing a couple keys.
Her eye closed once more, as she noted how good-hearted it was that Toriel went out of her way to help her and her new friends. Given what was going on, most people might not take that amount of time, or make the point of taking them somewhere safe. It was reassuring that nice people existed in this strange place.
Suzy paced around and asked. "Hey, Noelle."
Noelle pulled a leaf from the stick. "What?"
"Did you know Toriel had a kid?" Suzy asked, after thinking the question over for awhile. "I' didn't. I mean. She never comes into town with uhm..."
Frisk spoke. "Chara."
"Right. Her." Suzy noted.
Noelle knelt down, and began pushing at the leaves. "My mom told me about them once." She then chimed in. "Pretty sure they got killed, or something too."
Frisk hummed. "They?"
"Yeah...mom brought it up once. Two of em. Dunno the names." Noelle muttered, swinging around a stick, like it was a sword. "Said it was why she was nice to me and Des, or whatever."
This prompted a little whine from Suzy, who looked teary eyed at these comments. Drawing the attention of the other two. She stamped her foot.
"B-but they can't be...uhm, dead?" Suzy frowned some. "Or, at least, one of them is still around, I guess?" She hesitated. "Which is...uhm...good?"
"Or maybe she's just gone crazy." The reindeer girl snickered. "Everyone says she is, anyways."
"Not everyone." Suzy commented, before adding. "And that's not nice to say."
Noelle hesitated. "W-well it's uhm...only a thought so like...I could be wrong." She suggested, muttering. "Nerd."
Listening to their exchange, Frisk spent most of it contemplating the concept of Toriels apparent children. The name Chara sounded familiar. She didn't know many other kids her age though.
Considering things, the most she knew, or the one she knew best was a girl named Aliza. But she was probably far away by this point. Was it someone she'd known? Someone from the human city?
Frisk found it oddly bothersome, like there was something. She couldn't grasp the word, couldn't comprehend the agitation. Her head, it was filled with a sensation like static when she tried to think on it further. It made her head pound, but it was right there. Something...
The thought brought to an abrupt end, when the door opened to the home.
Toriel stood in the doorway, looking them over with her good eye. She wore a smile that felt forced to Frisk. Her present stress was obvious, despite how hard she was trying not to show it.
"I'm...very sorry, children, I meant to say you could come in, but I was-" She glanced to the side. "well, I've prepared something for you all to eat. I do have to...try and make a few phone calls soon though." She thought for a moment. "There are some games, in the living room if you wish to play those. I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise you."
This drew the attention of the trinity. Suzy, and Noelle exchanged glances. Frisk meanwhile, pondered what to say.
"Thank you very much. ." Frisk gave a polite smile. "Please, take your time."
"I'm sorry." Toriel sighed some. "I'll only be a bit longer. Please come inside."
Toriel left the door open, as she headed back inside. Turning, she went in, and to the right. Making a brief motion, offering them to come in. The other two bearing some initial hesitation, before Frisk stepped forward.
They were compelled to follow along after. Thankfully, the path within didn't appear to be a trap, not that she was expecting one. You didn't save someone's life, just to kill them after. At least, Frisk didn't imagine someone would do that.
The interior had the telltale signs of cleaning, that being a broom and dustpan laying nearby. It still bore signs it had once been a bit messier, namely with a few oddly dark stains on the floor in certain patches. She could also smell the faint scent of something near them, like liquor of some kind.
Somehow, it felt odd, and concerning to her, the implication that Toriel drank. Refocusing, the human took note that there was a staircase of some kind directly ahead of the entrance. A hallway running through this dwelling, heading left and right.
Turning to the right, she found that it seemed to be lined with tree doors. Which she imagined to be rooms. One of which, Toriel walked into, tinkering with her phone, and a piece of paper. Muttering something, in frustration.
"Was it...4, no, I.." Toriel grumbled, looking upset at herself, before vanishing within.
Frisk debated heading down the hall to listen in. Before deciding that it might be rude. Barely resisting the impulse, as she instead looked to the left.
From where she stood, a living room was visible. There was a table set up there, with a couple chairs around it. A few plates of something, she wagered was the food that had been offered.
Stepping into the room, a better view of it was provided. Along with these things was a bookshelf, filled with old books. A fireplace, that crackled with a warm, low ember. And a big chair that appeared to be well worn, and comfortable.
Suzy asked quietly. "Are we...going to eat?"
Frisk nearly jumped. "O-oh...yes."
Noelle asked. "Did'ya forget we were here?" She then asked. "Get lost in your thoughts, nerd?"
"Yes." Frisk replied.
She headed over to the table, with her friends following after her. Well, with Suzy at least. Noelle, the grungiest of the three, glanced back at the front door, and closed it. Before getting a good look at their surroundings, while heading into the living room.
Frisk took a seat, with Suzy taking one after. Noelle wandering along, peering up and at the plates, raising a brow.
"Hey, she does know it's like...night, right?" Noelle asked.
Suzy hummed. "What do you mean?"
"She said breakfast, didn't she?" Noelle asked.
To the knowledge of the human, nobody had mentioned breakfast. A choice seemed to present itself within her mind. To say this, or to suggest that she had. A choice was made.
Frisk spoke. "I said breakfast...is it, not morning?"
"What, no way dude?" Noelle cackled a bit. "It's well past most peoples bedtime. Not that I have one, anymore."
Frisk admitted internally that she had a rather difficult time, telling time, in this place. She knew several hours had passed. But the exact amount was unknown. It led to the human wondering, had she been unconscious for that long? She could have sworn she reached the top of the mountain in the morning.
It didn't specifically matter in the moment, however. Instead, the focus was on the not-breakfast. It wasn't really appropriate food for that anyways, nor would one traditionally classify it as a fine dinner food.
On each plate, was a piece of pie. Individual slices that smelled distinctly like a mixture of cinnamon and something else. Frisk noted that it seemed warm, rather than hot, suggesting it may have been reheated.
Noelle examined it with wide eyes. "This is her idea of like, dinner food?" She cackled mischievously. "Awesome."
Suzy made sure to seat herself properly. "It must have taken a long time. We'll have to say thank you."
Noelle didn't bother to respond. Instead she quickly grabbed the piece and began stuffing it into her mouth. Hungrily consuming the sweet treat, with total disregard to the fork placed beside it.
Frisk looked on in concern, noting it was a little alarming how fast the pie vanished. Not that she'd never been that hungry before, in fact, it was fairly common. All the same, the poor pie never stood a chance.
Frisk commented. "Yeah...definitely."
Suzy was more delicate with the pie. "Hey, do you guys think her kid's okay?"
Frisk gave an uncertain follow-up. "People wouldn't hurt her, right?"
This got a snorting, scoff from Noelle. Who was presently licking the pieces of pie from her fingers. The plate retaining only a few crumbs, that were certainly remaining there on borrowed time.
"That's dumb. Course they'll try. People suck." Noelle remarked, with a smug dismissal. "Maybe that's why nobody knew she was alive?" She offered. "Ya know, avoid people like the crab guy?"
"That...maybe." Frisk agreed reluctantly.
While most of the monsters here weren't 'honestly' bad people, that didn't mean they weren't bitter or reckless. And it didn't mean they wouldn't 'do' bad things. Her own journey to this point made that abundantly clear. An eye faintly opening.
A set of past injuries flickered in the mind of the human. Glimpses of injuries no longer present across her body, briefly visible to her mind. Her fingers cut up, bleeding. The phantom wounds from burning. Gone as soon as they arrived.
The girl turned her focus down the hall. Toriel seemed like a nice person, who was dealing with a situation that was no doubt hard. Some part of her wondered what it felt like, to have someone miss you like that. It made her feel a complicated mixture of feelings.
When her focus returned to the table, her eyes briefly opened fully. Her plate was empty, and the slice of pie was completely gone. It only took a moment to determine the who, and why.
"N-noelle!" Suzy exclaimed, with a huff. "That was for Frisk."
Noelle, in the middle of finishing it off, paused. "Uhm...sheh washnt ettin it."
Frisk spoke. "You should swallow, before speaking. It's not safe to talk with your mouth full."
As if on command, Noelle took action. Finishing the rest of it. With a satisfied smile afterwards.
"Heheh, well, ya snooze ya lose right?" The girl offered.
The intrusive thoughts resulted in suggestion. "Do you two think we should find Chara?" Frisk asked, prompting confused looks from the others. "Or, that we could?"
"That sounds dangerous." Suzy tilted her head. "I think...the grown-ups are handling it, anyways."
Noelle scoffed. "Pshh, like they ever get stuff done." She grinned. "We totally could though, easily."
"B-but we'd have to leave the ruins, right?" Suzy asked. "If she's not here, then she must be uhm, outside...somehow?" She wagered. "How would we even do that?"
"I dunno...but it's possible or whatever." Noelle shrugged. "Look, I just know we could do a better job than them." She explained. "Adults never know where to look. It's why they're bad at games."
While the two spoke, that intrusive sensation was present within Frisks mind. It felt like something scratching at the back of her eye, prompting one to open. It burned, in a strange way. It was such an agitating thing, like static, faint but present.
The thought seemed to flow into something, contemplation regarding the staircase in front of the door. Based on what people had mentioned in Old Home, there were hidden paths out of the ruins. Usually in areas that were once important, or homes in some instances.
Frisk had a hunch. Something in her, telling her, whispering from the dark, where to go. That just down those stairs was the way out.
She spoke. "We need to find Chara." Hey crimson eye staring ahead, before she blinked. "I-I mean..." It closed, her head was pounding. "I mean that...Toriel would be a lot happier with her here. Right?"
"Ya think so?" Noelle asked, pondering. "Why would we care, though?"
Suzy gasped. "B-because it's the right thing to do?" She suggested, causing Noelle to hesitate. "Wouldn't you want someone to look for you, if you went missing?"
Noelle shifted uncomfortably. Not forming any sort of argument against this sentiment. Frisk noted that she seemed to be keen on doing what Suzy suggested. Making a mental note of it.
The human began to formulate a basic plan of action, of what they'd need to do. Toriel was probably still on the phone, calling around, and checking in with others. Meaning she'd likely be busy, for at least a little while.
Slipping away wouldn't be entirely difficult, as they could simply suggest they were playing at Noelles house. Though, the idea of bringing her two new friends out into a potentially dangerous place wasn't the keenest idea, she imagined their presence might persuade violence away from her. Avoiding potential fights outright, possibly.
Though on the off chance that a fight did happen, well that was another question. After all, they weren't exactly geared for that kind of thing, were they? Weapons, perhaps weren't the most essential, the human didn't want to hurt anyone, afterall. But that didn't mean they couldn't be prepared.
Frisk asked about equipment. "Hey...do you guys know where we could get armor and stuff?"
Noelle glanced and asked. "So we're uh, really gonna go bail out this...not-dead kid?"
"Yes." Frisk replied.
Noelle glanced at Suzy, who looked determined. "U-uhm...yeah, okay. Well I thought you'd like, ask and stuff earlier."
"Earlier?" Frisk asked.
"Yeah, but it's whatever. Nerds." Noelle got up from the seat. "Gimme a minute. I'll be back...soon. Okay?"
Suzy started to get up. "Where are you going?" She asked. "Do you want us to come with you?"
"N-no I'm good. Just, chill out or something." Noelle laughed nervously.
"What are you gonna get?" Suzy inquired curiously.
"Stuff. It'll be cool. You'll see." Noelle grinned, before running out of the house.
Frisk was glad to see Noelle wanted to be helpful, and hoped it would pan out for the better. She reminded herself it was good to have friends. The feeling of that friendship, filling the human with determination.
Frisk turned to Suzy. "You do think we should try and help, don't you?"
Suzy blinked, and replied. "Well, yeah I guess. I am...uhm, worried about it being like, dangerous though."
"If it's dangerous, then Chara is out there alone." Frisk reminded her, the humans crimson eye bearing a degree of intensity. "She could be hurt, in trouble, or maybe worst?" This prompted Suzy to shift some. "And you said it yourself; you would want someone to come looking for you if you went missing."
Suzy replied. "I...I did already say yes, you know?" Laughing nervously. "We'll just, get her and come back, right?"
The purple dinosaur girl still seemed determined to help, but had some hesitance to it. Giving a look in the direction of Toriels room, when she spoke. There was a worry there, perhaps about being noticed, or about the anxiety it might cause Toriel. But this was just an obstacle, in Frisks mind.
Frisk gave a thumbs up. "Of course."
"Alright, w-well, that...shouldn't be too bad?" Suzy smiled some. "Besides, if it's all of us, it'll be safer, right?"
"My thoughts exactly." Frisk assured, adding. "And don't worry, I won't let anything bad happen to you."
Suzy found the crimson gaze a bit reassuring, and also oddly unnerving at times. But, in this instance, combined with the soft smile on the humans face. It felt, mostly reassuring.
Noise came from the outside of the house, the door opening with a bump, as Noelle sprinted in. Her arms were full of stuff. Clothes, shoes, random accessories, something metal, and the stick.
Noelle gave a pant. "H-hey, this is...heavy, where should I-"
Suzy examined the things, while getting up. "Where did you get all that?"
Frisk motioned to a space in the living room, near the bookshelf, prompting Neolle to trudge over. It was impressive how much she could carry, even if she was visibly straining to do so. Dropping the pile, it was about as big as any of them were. Thumping onto the middle of the floor.
Noelle let out a tired pant. "I uh...well, it's just junk that was laying around." She then grinned wickedly. "But it's cool junk, got it?"
Frisk wasn't sure what the point of the threatening tone was, but agreed anyway. "Thanks Noelle."
Suzy hugged her counterpart. "Thank you for bringing all this. But you gotta let us help you next time, okay?"
"U-uhm, na, I got it. Heh, no worries." Noelle promptly tried to look tough, and cool. "I-I'll like...try or something." Blushing a bit in the process. "Hug over. Stop please."
"Sorry. I forget you're not a hugger." Suzy giggled to herself, seeing Noelle flustered.
The deer promptly set about focusing on the pile. Frisk managing a little smirk observing the exchange. The group beginning to pick things apart from the pile.
An examination of the items present began, most of which were fascinatingly diverse, and held little interest to Frisk. The human searching for practicality, above any sort of 'fashion' aspect, or style.
Frisk held a point of view that she herself was perhaps the weakest member of this group, minus a particular aspect they lacked. Suzy wasn't 'that strong' either, but did have magic at her disposal. A useful ability, to be certain.
Bit by bit, things were pulled from the monstrous mound of things. Components that the respective individual believed would be of assistance in their quest, in one fashion or another. Either that, or something they simply believed would look cool for an outfit.
The first to compile an outfit of sorts, was Noelle. She grabbed up a dusty black coat that was too long for her, complete with a hood. On the back of it, was a red deltarune.
To compensate for its extended length, she used a loose belt and tied it around her hips, to keep it in place. While also adding two other belts to the sleeves, after rolling them back some. The jacket itself still going generally past her knees in size.
The final addition was the presence of spats made of metal, that she wrapped around her ankles. Evidently to add some style of protection. Notably, these ones had spurs welded to the back that jangled when she moved.
"It's like having a saw on your hooves." Noelle said with starry eyes.
Frisk nudged Suzy. "Neat, right?"
Suzy laughed a little. "You really like them huh?" Noelle shifted posture some. "It's super cool, I think."
Neolle pulled up the hood, and replied. "Y-yeah, well, course it is. I'm awesome."
Suzy determined a sort of outfit next, and found a cute ribbon. She took a moment to tie it up into her hair, with help from Frisk, having it act as a big red bow. Which pleased her immensely.
Next, she adopted a nice white coat that seemed fuzzy and meant for a winter atmosphere. The fuzzy jacket being closed up, as she examined her own reflection. Clearly pleased with her selection.
Noelle said. "That looks...uh, comfortable?"
"It is." Suzy replied. "It's like a big fluffy blanket, but with sleeves." She asked. "Wanna feel it?"
"N-no, that's cool. I'm fine." Noelle muttered, seeming to inspire confusion in Suzy. "I uh, well fuzzy things are super lame. Is all."
"You really think so?" Suzy asked, frowning.
Noelle huffed to herself. "Yeah. But uh. It suits you. Cuz...you're uh, well-"
Frisk chimed in. "The style works with you. When it wouldn't with others."
"Y-yeah that. Like, of course it's totally lame on everyone else. But uh, you can like, rock it, is all." Noelle said, looking quite nervous.
Suzy seemed thrilled. "Thanks you two. I really appreciate it. I think it's really nice."
The human continued to examine a few items, having gradually whittled down the things on offer. Passing over a variety of trinkets, and different articles of clothing due to simply being inferior for her purposes. Afterall, while her peers were thinking more about fashion than practicality, she couldn't.
Estimating the defense the items had on offer was important, and most items here had left her disappointed. A red scarf, a blue jacket, a red cape, a white poncho. These were the last of the items found to have even decent defensive capability.
Reluctantly, she opted to chose- WW91IHRoaW5rIHlvdSBnZXQgYSBjaG9pY2U/ -There was a dull sort of scratching in the back of her mind, suggesting these weren't the only things worth looking at. It made her wince, scanning the pile, she noticed something that she had missed before.
In hindsight, it stood out like a sore thumb, even against the other pieces of metal that were present in the pile. Some sort of black metal, a prisoners collar. Complete with a link of chain.
What made it stand out though, was that it didn't just fail to shine. It didn't seem to take light into account at all. The flame of the fire nearby doing nothing to illuminate it, to reflect, or be translated upon it at all. As if it was some abyssal tint, where the light could not dwell.
A thing dark, darker, yet darker. The lock on the side seemed to be broken, so it wasn't something that could be shut permanently. A head reaching out to pick it up.
There was a sensation of calm that came with its possession. With whispers of something, like memories, dancing in a place unseen. Forgotten, cold, spreading. Her eyes staring at it, gazing into it.
|Q0YtUkVE - NSBERUYsIFRyYW5jZQ== |
Her head ached, eyes forced to blink. |CHECK|ing the item again. Its description became known.
| Prisoner Collar - 5 DEF|
Well, it was the most protective thing she had found. Frisk wagered, ultimately, that was what she was after, wasn't it? Something strong.
Frisk equipped Prisoner Collar - Everything felt...darker, somehow.
The metal clicked around her neck, and in a weird way, her crimson eyes seemed to gloss over slightly. It was...wonderful, to have this much defense. But, that was no reason not to stay warm, as well.
Frisks hand pushed through the pile of clothing, grabbing something from within it. Pulling it up, and out. It appeared to be a black and white jacket, with buckles along the front and back. The sleeves were strangely long as well.
Frisk equipped Long Straitjacket - It reminded her, of her mother.
Drawing back the sleeves, and adjusting it as she could, left it still a bit long. Her hand trembling as she secured the buckles, and belts that lined it at various parts. Fixing the whole outfit to be more wearable to her person. Even if it was long enough to act like a dress, ending just past her knees.
Noelle spoke up. "That's a real...'unique' look. It's kinda metal, literally." She shifted uncomfortably. "It's..like, intimidating."
Frisk gave a confused look. "Huh?"
Suzy scanned her over. "Uhm. Frisk. W-well, the uh, dress is...well, I haven't seen anyone wear nothin like that. So, it's really one of a kind." She laughed nervously, and added. "But uhm, that thing there, it's..it feels scary?"
The confusion in both their voices when addressing some aspect of the humans outfit, was odd. With the clarity that it wasn't about the straitjacket dress, that only left one other thing. It was, however then that Frisk noticed she was even wearing the collar. Wondering when she'd put it on?
She muttered. "I'm wearing...right, it seemed tough. So...I put it on?"
"You don't sound confident about that." Suzy noted, adding. "I'm sure we can find you something else if you wan-"
"It's not to be taken off." She stared Suzy down. "It's...durable, and defense never hurts, is what I mean."
Noelle chimed in. "Relax Frisk, you know she just thinks you'd look 'nicer' in a scarf is all." The reindeer nudged the human. "No need to get mad."
Frisk laughed nervously, feeling peculiar. "R-right...sorry, Suzy."
Suzy scanned her over. "I-it's okay. I didn't mean to upset you." She put on a half-smile. "I...well, h-hey uhm-" She examined the pile. "What do...we do with the rest of this?"
"Easy." Noelle picked up the pile, and dumped it into the fireplace. "Problem solved."
Suzy gasped. "N-noelle, that could start a fire!"
"Like, it is a fire, right?" The Reindeer seemed confused. "Isn't...that the point?"
Recognizing the potential fire spreading hazard, Frisk stepped over and pushed in the edges of the unchosen materials. It was best it didn't burn down the house, afterall. An end of the 'dress' brushed against the flames and-
VGhlIGZpcmUgc3ByZWFkIHF1aWNrZXIgdGhhbiBpbWFnaW5lZC4=
Frisk watched the items get cast into the fire, sighing as she wandered over to it. Grasping a nearby firepoker, she pushed everything inside. To insure it didn't cause any unexpected problems.
Observing the flames, a feeling beckoned to the human. The metal firepoker still in hand. It had been filed down, so it wouldn't pose a risk, though, it was still quite sturdy. The feeling became something like whispering, scratching, dragging her focus towards the front door.
"Can you guys go check down the stairs?" Frisk asked them. "I think it's...the way out of the ruins."
Suzy tilted her head. "Are you not coming?"
"I...well I was..." Frisk felt confused, why had she asked them to go alone? "I-"
|Proceed|
The word was all consuming for a moment. The only thought, the only sensation. It made her shiver uncomfortably, attempting to shake off the strange feeling. But it...wouldn't go away.
The moments pause, prompted Noelle to ask. "You...okay Frisk?"
"I'll be there shortly." The human replied plainly. "I think...I left something out by the tree." She smiled. "I'll only be a moment."
"Sure.." Noelle gestured. "Well, we'll go make sure the spooky staircase is safe for ya, okay?"
Suzy glanced. "What did you forget?"
Frisk replied. "Something private. Sorry, I'll...tell you about it later?"
Noelle began to walk away from the human, though Suzy lingered for a moment. The human was very still, strangely so. It made her feel something was wrong, though she didn't know what.
Suzy stepped over, and hugged the human. "I'll be here if you ever need to talk."
|Proceed|
The human didn't hug her back. "I'm fine. Be there soon."
Suzy concluded that whatever had been forgotten, or whatever Frisk needed to do, was something perhaps distressing or embarrassing. Assuming that when the human was ready, she'd be told, she started off. Heading down the staircase, and out of sight, with a final glance.
IkkgY2FuJ3QgYmVsaWV2ZSBJIG1hZGUgZnJpZW5kcyB3aXRoIHRoZXNlIHdlYWtsaW5ncy4gV2hhdCBpcyB3cm9uZyB3aXRoIHlvdT8i
With them gone, Frisk began to move, venturing down the hall and to the door out front. The steps more like empty shambling, followed by a trembling raised arm. The hand grasping it, pulling open the pathway outside, sealing it shut once she was beyond the threshold.
Frisk began to wonder what it was she had forgotten? Why her head hurt? Shouldn't she be with her new friends?
Turning, her focus fell upon a patch of soil disturbed. In that moment a golden flower sprouted from it. Said creature bearing a distinctly surprised expression when viewing her. One of her eyes opening to fully observe this being.
"A human?" The Flower asked, surprised. "Oh, howdy...I'm Flowey." He greeted hesitantly. "You...weren't who I was expecting."
A new friend? A new opportunity. Frisk felt her determination rise. She had done so well so far, and knew she had to approach this right. It helped that this monster was so adorable.
"Oh, you're so adorable!" Frisk declared with enthusiasm, stepping nearer. "Hello Flowey."
"Heh, yeah, hey." Flowey replied, giving her a lookover. "Interesting getup you got there."
"Oh heh. Yeah, it's supposed to be armor." Frisk admitted, before recalling. "Oh, right. Hi, I'm Frisk. It's nice to meet you."
Flowey hummed a bit. "Huh, manners. That's good. It's nice to meet you too." He then added. "But, I'm ac-"
'Oh right, you were looking for someone, right?" Frisk began, and said. "W-"
|Proceed|
"Yeah. I'm, well, look, is Toriel home?" The Flower asked. "I just, need to know if she's here or not, mostly."
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"Yeah, she's-" Frisk began, her head was pounding. "I uhm...sorry, m-my head kinda..."
|Proceed|
"You...okay pal?" The Flower asked, adding. "You don't look so good."
"I-it's so...I-" Frisks shook some.
Sound itself seemed to bleed out of presence, becoming a long screaming noise. The piercing wail of silence. Of whispering.
She covered her ears, falling to her knees. There was an urge to let go, and she was determined to fight it. Everything was getting quieter. Frisk tried to focus, she didn't understand. Colder. It was so much harder to think than before.
"I can't!" She pleaded. "Hurts...so...much."
|Proceed|
"H-hey, you, okay?" Flowey spoke. "F-frisk, ju-ust uhm-"
"Stop." She whimpered, eyes glassing over. "P-please...it..."
|Proceed|
The flower drew near. "You're alright, just breath. Calm down a little...what's wrong?" There was no response. "Hey, can you hear me?"
|Proceed|
The pair had ventured down the stairs in the center of Toriels home and found a long set of halls. Purple and dark, with low lighting. It was suitably intimidating, though Noelle did her best to keep a brave face.
They eventually found something of interest, confirming the believe that this was indeed the way out. A large, strange door, which cold came through. Leaving Suzy pleased to have the coat, if nothing else.
Noelle was leaning against the door, relaxing. Jangling her spurs now and then. Suzy however, was pacing nervously. It had been a few minutes, and Frisk still wasn't there with them.
Noelle sighed observing this. "Suzy. She's fine."
"What if something happened to her?" Suzy asked anxiously.
"Every monster out there loves her." Noelle reminded the other girl. "She's great. You really think someone'd hurt her?"
"W-what if it was the crab guy again?" Suzy asked back.
"I don't think he's that stupid." Noelle noted, her ears twitching to the sound of footsteps. "Oh, hey, speak of the devil."
Heading around the corner, Frisk stepped into view, some of the belts to her 'dress' rattling. Head down, wandering closer towards them. The human scanning them both over, despite her eyes being closed, or very nearly closed.
Frisk asked about Suzy's look. "Suzy, are you okay?"
Suzy laughed nervously. "You were...gone for awhile. Is everything okay?"
"I think so." Frisk replied. "Found it." She held up a container of chalk. "See?"
Noelle cackled some. "Dude, you went all that way for chalk?" She noticed the dusty look to the humans hands. "Wait, were you out there drawing?"
Frisk seemed confused. "Huh, I don't think so, why?"
Suzy commented. "Cuz your hands are chalky?"
Frisk examined her hands. They were covered in something that she presumed must have been chalk. She couldn't quite remember having drawn anything though. Had she been drawing? Or, maybe it was just when she picked them up.
The human attempted to recall, but it was hard to. She felt a little bit lightheaded. A little winded.
Frisk answered with what felt the most correct. "I wasn't, promise. I think I just got chalk on my hands when I picked these up."
Noelle got a little smirk. "Oh I get it. You were you eating it, weren't you, like Suzy does?"
Suzy gasped. "I-I do not."
"Hey, it's cool. I've tried it once myself." Noelle assured quickly. "Not...really my thing, but..."
"That's cuz you chew pens." Suzy stuck out her tongue.
"H-hey, only the one." Noelle looked embarrassed. "It looked like a candy cane."
Frisk looked over her friends, and felt pleased to have them there. She had been struggling to recall why she'd bothered going all that way to pick up chalk. But it was probably just a gift for Suzy. She felt bad having snapped at her and quietly slipped them into her pants pockets. Hopefully that would make up for it.
Letting out a content sigh, Frisk pushed aside any bad feelings. Even if her memory was a little spotty, it wouldn't matter. She'd just have to keep them close. With her friends beside her, she was filled with Determination.