Snowdin - Part 2
"Is this the place?" Frisk asked sceptically.
"Yep, this is the place," Flowey confirmed.
They had only walked a few minutes before reaching it, as the town wasn't half as big as it looked from afar. The building they stood in front of wasn't much different from the other ones in the neighbourhood, or even in this town, being only one floor, with colourless walls and windows filled with holes and torn wallpapers. Inside the front windows, which were, strangely enough, the finest part of the building, they could see a dark room dimly lit with old fashioned candles strewn about, and only a few bookcases carrying few books. The small space of the house in question mixed with the lacklustre collection made Frisk wonder if this could even constitute as a library in this state. That is unless there was a basement level she couldn't see, as she dimly hoped there was.
"The Snowdin library, in all of its glory," Flowey continued. "Looks like they decided to remove the sign instead of just fixing its spelling error. Smart move. Really smart. But not really though. It's the equivalent of cutting off your hand to fix a papercut."
"I'm sure it looks much worse than you remember?" Frisk asked.
"Eh, not by much honestly," Flowey said. "I mean it was slightly better in that it had electricity and other things, but I'm more surprised that it's still standing. I would've assumed it would be one of the first establishments to go, especially since barely anyone reads books down here anymore. Or at least, not since the last time I was here."
"Yeah, not reading books anymore is not just a monster thing," Frisk said.
"Anyway," Flowey continued. "This place wasn't the best, even before this town went to shi- I mean, to the trash. Sorry."
"Hey, that reminds me," Frisk began. "I've been meaning to ask. What's with your constant unease about cursing? You know I don't mind that shit."
"Oh trust me, I've noticed that," Flowey said. "But honestly, I'm not really sure why I do. I guess it's just an old habit I have. Or maybe it's related to something I-"
"WATCH OUT!" cried out from close by an unfamiliar kid's voice.
"What the fu-" Frisk began as she turned towards the voice
Before she could finish, or even react properly, she felt something large painfully bump into her stomach, causing her to lose her balance completely. The only thing Frisk saw was that it seemed to resemble a yellowish blur the size of a small child.
As she fell on her back into the snow, almost crushing the backpack with Flowey and breaking the empty alcohol bottle she got from Gyftrot, she felt great pain in her abdomen from the sudden heavy force. It was as if someone kicked her in the stomach. But as the pain quickly faded and Frisk came to, she, sitting upwards in the snow, could now see the little surprise attacker in all their glory
Laying down opposite on the ground of her was what seemed to be a small, dizzy monster kid. It resembled a small yellow dinosaur, or at least similar to how humans viewed dinosaurs back when it was thought they had scales instead of feathers, and they had roves of white, small spikes covering the top of its head which stopped by what looked like a youthful yet androgynous reptilian face. The kid wore a long, sleeveless shirt with yellow and brown stripes that was covered in lots of tearings and dirt, and Frisk couldn't tell if the kid even had arms or if they were simply hidden underneath their clothes.
The kid, who Frisk still wasn't sure was a boy or a girl, then looked at her and smiled an embarrassing smile.
"Gah, watch where you're friggin going, kiddo!" Frisk exclaimed.
"Sorry miss," the monster kid said apologetically as they stood up using just their legs.
"Woah, what in the blasted world just happened?" Flowey asked, dizzy and bewildered.
"I… I was sliding down the ice," the monster kid said, apologetically. "I'm sorry. I… I didn't even notice you until it was too late, and I-"
Then, as Frisk stood back up, the kid's face suddenly lit up in awe.
"Yo!" they exclaimed, sounding surprisingly mesmerised. "you're an ape monster."
"Umm… yeah so?" Frisk replied, playing along as best she could.
"You must be from Apetown then," the monster kid continued. "That's so far away. If you are here, then that must mean that you've seen like half the underground."
"Huh," Frisk said while dusting off some snow on her sleeves. "I kinda figured that they- sorry, we ape monsters were a somewhat common sight in this town."
"Well, I don't know where you've heard that," the monster kid said. "There haven't been ape monsters living in this town for, like, years. Won't blame them. This town kinda sucks."
"Yeah, I figured that," Frisk said. "No offence."
"But you're new," the monster kid said. "I heard your kind often travels a lot. Wanderers my parents called you. Is that true?"
"I sure have," Frisk said, somewhat dismissively. "Anyway, it was nice meeting you kiddo, but my friend and I have to go. We need to do some, uh… ape monster business."
"W-wait, don't go," the monster kid said as Frisk began to walk away. "Can you tell me about the outside world? Have you seen any cool warriors? Cool cities or… or any awesome magic? Please? Most ape monsters walk past this town, and… and I haven't seen one in years."
Frisk sighed audibly and stopped in her tracks.
"Look kiddo," she said, her back to the kid. "I am busy and dreadfully tired. So can you please just leave me and my friend alone for now? If you really want to know more about the outside world, then just to leave town by yourself for a bit ok?"
"My… my mom never lets me leave the town," the monster kid answered, sorrowfully. "Especially after what happened to my… other mom."
"Oh," Frisk expressed, feeling a tinge of growing guilt.
She turned around and saw the kid stare down on the ground in a melancholy manner.
"Well umm… I'm sorry," Frisk continued. "But I uh… I don't time now. I wish I could speak but… maybe later. Perhaps tomorrow I'll meet up with you and tell you some stories. Of the outside, that is. I promise."
"Hmm, ok," the kid said, still with a hint of sadness.
Geez, I hope I didn't ruin that kid's day, Frisk thought.
Without wanting to make this situation go on any longer, Frisk turned back around and headed towards the library. Before opening the library's front door, she sneaked one last look at the monster kid and felt herself see a hopeful expression rise subtly on their reptilian face before the kid then proceeded to run away, making Frisk feel slightly better, although she wasn't sure if she could keep the promise.
She tried not to think about it and instead put her focus on the library she was standing in. The look from inside didn't turn out much better, unsurprisingly. In fact, it seemed to be even smaller and more cramped, with an oversized wooden square table in the centre, and several bookcases covering almost every wall that didn't have a window. The place wasn't even big enough for a bookstore on the surface. There wasn't even a visible basement level as Frisk feebly hoped.
Now that she was inside, breathing the unclean, dust-filled air, Frisk realized something was missing from that dialogue she just had with the kid. Something snarky.
"Seriously Flowey?" she asked her companion. "You had no comment back there?"
"Oh, uh, no," Flowey answered. "I've never been particularly good with kids. Didn't want to come across as rude to them."
"Wait really?" Frisk said, sounding surprised as if Flowey just confessed he was actually a girl the whole time.
"Uhh, yeah," Flowey said once again with confusion. "How is that surprising? I don't even remember what I was like when I myself was a kid. If I even were one that is."
"No, it's not that," Frisk said. "I'm just surprised you… tolerated them."
"Why wouldn't I tolerate them?" Flowey replied and his tone of confusion began to be replaced by a tinge of annoyance.
"I just didn't expect you to be the type that's able to tolerate kids," Frisk said. "Kinda expected the opposite in fact. No offence."
"Oh, come now," Flowey said, now undoubtedly insulted. "Did you just assume something about me? That's just rude. I don't hate kids. I don't even hate everyone in fact."
"I know I'm… sorry," Frisk said.
"Hmm, alright," Flowey said, still sounding mildly insulted. "Apology accepted. Just for you though, because I'm liking you."
"Aww," Frisk said cheekily.
"Don't push it," Flowey quickly replied.
Frisk looked around the mostly empty library and finally noticed the monster standing behind the counter, staring silently at them, like a stuffed animal or mannequin.
"Gah!" Frisk expressed and closed her eyes for a few seconds. "Jesus."
The monster resembled a green, anthropomorphic reptile, with slightly broken glasses but dressed in much finer clothes, or at least they were fine enough compared to most of the inhabitants in town, and despite being almost skinny to the bone, he gave off the aura of complete control and authority like he was the master of a great house or a family.
His yellow, reptilian eyes stared unblinking behind his glasses that were attached with duck tapes taped to his head, most likely done due to his lack of ears. But it was clearly still alive, thankfully, as Frisk could tell by his slow but hard breathing through his nostrils.
"Uh… hi?" she said awkwardly.
"Who are you?!" the lizard suddenly asked quickly and with surprising hostility.
"Uhh," Frisk began, lightly startled. "We are-"
"I've never seen you before, girl!" the lizard interrupted in a quick manner. "And you, flower, I've not seen you here in years!"
"Yeah, about that-" Flowey began.
"Why are you back here?!" the librarian continued, sounding like an interrogator. "After all this time, why decide to come back to town now?! And why come to this library in particular?! Are you after something here?! After me maybe?! And also, who is this new friend of yours!?"
"Oh she's just-" Flowey began.
"I see she's an ape monster!" the lizard interrupted. "Shaved, like they say Mickey is! A bit convenient, don't you think?! Almost like she looks up to him or something?!"
"Wait, what do you know about-" Frisk began.
"Nothing!" the lizard said, slightly more anxiously. "I have no dirt on him if that's what you think! Why are you asking me though?! Do you think I have some info on him, huh?! Did he hire you to come here?!"
"I don't-" Frisk began.
"Why is she here Flower?!" the lizard asked Flowey in a demanding manner. "What business would an ape monster have in this town?!"
"I'm just a tourist!" Frisk said, beginning to feel annoyed.
"Really now?!" the lizard asked, sceptically. "Yeah, right! No-one in their right mind would come to Snowdin as a tourist unless they had a pretty good reason! What are you really after here, girl?!"
"I'm not after goddam anything!" Frisk exclaimed. "I'm just passing through this town! God!"
"Uh-huh!" the lizard expressed with doubt. "And what are you hiding in that pink bag of yours?! Weapons?! Recorders?! Or is it maybe something like-"
"Can you please shut the hell up?!" Flowey angrily blurted out. "Uhh, heck up I mean. Whatever. She's just a tourist alright? Both of us are just tourists. I personally have no ill will towards you, and if she did, I would have long noticed it by now, trust me. Now unless you want to lose some valuable customers you might need in this impoverished trash pile of a town, then you'd better calm. The. Heck. Down."
Flowey's sudden outburst seemed to have worked, as the anxious lizard librarian turned as quiet as a rock, immediately after Flowey closed his mouth. But it was clear the lizard was not entirely convinced yet, as the lizard eyes suddenly squinted behind the glasses and he eyed the flower quizzingly like he was trying to memorize every pore and leaf on Flowey's pistil.
"Alright," the lizard said, sounding mostly unconvinced. "If you say so…"
"Great," Flowey said and smiled. "Glad we could be a bit more understanding."
"But," the lizard added. "I will be watching and listening to everything you do, and if I hear or see anything mildly suspicious from either of you, believe me, I will not hesitate to throw you out immediately."
"Alright, jeez," Frisk said.
She gave a tired sigh and moved away from the counter, trying not to think about the lizard monster most likely staring at her back. It would have been more noticeable if the place wasn't the size of a small office lounge, but besides the presence of Frisk, Flowey and the librarian, the place was almost empty of life. There were also only a handful of shelves holding a handful of books, and two of the bookcases had even crumbled. So what Frisk could gather was that the total number of available books she could find in this "library" seemed to be small enough to fit just a single shelf.
Better than nothing I guess, Frisk thought.
After she had walked a few steps towards a random bookcase that hadn't crumbled yet, she turned her head around towards the librarian she was sure was still tailing her.
To her mild surprise, the lizard librarian had moved its gaze from her and to the window. Frisk guessed that judging from the seeming desperation in his eyes, he was either searching for someone, waiting for someone or both.
Frisk took a few extra steps away from him until she was sure her whispers wouldn't be heard.
"Pendejo," she then bitterly whispered very softly.
"What did you say?" Flowey asked.
"Nothing," Frisk whispered. "Just called him an asshole I guess."
"Hmm, yeah he was," Flowey whispered back.
He and Frisk looked back at the librarian who while staring at the window began to bop and move his head around like a feral animal looking for insects on a wall to eat. She noticed that his hands were also shaking wildly, to the point where Frisk imagined that simply adjusting his glasses would be a challenge for him.
"Is that guy usually like this?" Frisk asked.
"Don't think so," Flowey said. "At least, I don't remember ever seeing him like this before."
"I see," Frisk said. "So something must've happened to him?"
"That's must be it," Flowey said agreeing. "Something… bad."
"Like worse than what happened to most of this town?" Frisk asked.
"Guess so," Flowey said. "Can't begin to imagine what it could possibly be though. He's the most anxious person we have met in this town so far, that's saying a lot."
"Do you think he-" Frisk began.
She stopped her words as the lizard, without any warning, quickly turned his head around in a half-circle and looked at the duo with an intimidating expression.
"Hey what are you two whispering about?!" he yelled at the duo. "You think I can't hear you two?!"
"We were… whispering about nothing!" Frisk yelled back. "Just… random stuff!"
"Then why keep your voice down eh?!" the librarian replied with some snark. "It's almost like you don't want me to hear you two!"
"Because this is a library and we wanted to be polite!" Frisk replied, clearly frustrated. "Jesus…"
"Alright!" the librarian continued. "In that case, why not share your talk with me, eh?! If it's nothing bad, then what's the harm in telling?!"
"I-It was just unimportant stuff!" Frisk answered. "I've already forgotten like most of what I've said!"
"Aha, you hesitated for a bit!" the librarian exclaimed, sounding like he caught her in a lie. "Must mean you are hiding something!"
"I am not hiding anything you paranoid asshole!" Frisk exclaimed. "Jesus, why is this so important to you?!"
"Yeah, what's gotten into you, uh… Lenny, right?" Flowey said. "Seriously, why are you acting so crazy?! What the heck happened?!"
The lizard just stared at them like a hungry hawk, his yellow eyes squinting behind his glasses like it would help him see them better.
"Alrighty then, keep your secrets you two," he said. "But if I see or hear even just a tiny, just a tiny speck of something suspicious, then I will personally come over there and drag you out of this building myself! And if you DARE to refuse or hell, even fight, then, believe me, I am not afraid to go so far as to… as to…"
"Go as far as to do what?" Frisk pried.
The lizard just stared at her, his snout shut tight. In a seemingly related manner, his expression had turned into that of sorrowful refusal like he wanted to evade speaking more in fear of his own words. Then, without even acknowledging her presence, he moved his gaze down towards the counter and placed his clawed hands across his head as if to hide his face.
"Oh, what are you doing Leonard?" he muttered to himself. "These are just kids. Harmless kids and tourists. They are not after you, they are just… no, no, no I can't risk it. Maybe The Hunt, uh, started hiring younger, or maybe they paid some orphans to spy on me or… wait, in that case, why wouldn't they just pay some kids from Snowdin? That would be less suspicious. I mean, then again, they look pretty well off and dressed and… well, not the ape girl though. Not perfectly at least. She only got one shoe on for instance, and-"
"Ok, he's just rambling to himself now," Frisk said, watching the librarian go on and on. "That's it. That guy has officially lost it."
"Says you, Miss chatterbox," Flowey replied snarkily. "Unless you're telling me you've long lost it as well back when you thought you were alone in the ruins."
"Fair point," Frisk said and shrugged.
She tried to ignore the sound of the librarian's panicked muttering as she turned to the bookcases. Up close, another let down she could see was that they were incredibly short, only being slightly taller than her. The few books on the shelves weren't in particularly good condition either, with torn dusty covers and rot even seeping into some pages. Some of the books even looked so poorly taken care of, that Frisk partly believed they would immediately turn to dust just as soon as she touched them.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Flowey began. "It's not like you've got many options here."
"I'm guessing the collection was much bigger the last you remember," Frisk said.
"Obviously yeah," Flowey answered. "It wasn't ever a grand collection, but at least all the shelves were full for the most time. Anyway, just pick the book that you think looks the prettiest or something, I don't care."
After a momentary examination, Frisk picked from the shelves the one she felt looked the least decayed. An average-sized, dark-green hardbound novel decorated in silver painted runes she couldn't even begin to decipher. The front cover was slightly torn, but besides that, it was mostly plain, with no visible title or anything of the sort, except for some strange, faint runes at the bottom. It was clearly a very old book, judging by the rough feel of the paper pages, the antique smell and old look of the hard-cover. That this looked the least decayed book while also paradoxically looking like the oldest of them, Frisk found hard to understand. Perhaps, as she momentarily considered, the lizard cared especially more for this book in comparison to all the others.
She stroked off some bits of dust from the cover, and opened up to a random page, just to see what to expect.
"Shit," Frisk cursed once she saw what was inside.
"What's wrong?" Flowey asked.
The pages were filled with lines and lines of strange writings in a seemingly alien language she had never seen before. Then she proceeded to flip through the pages haphazardly and saw disappointingly that every single page she opened to was filled with the same, foreign script.
"I can't read any of this," Frisk admitted.
"What do you mean you can't read this?" Flowey asked with slight surprise. "This all seems readable to me."
"I mean I… I don't know this language," Frisk said.
"You mean common monster-speak?" Flowey asked with a strange tone of surprise.
"Yeah that or whatever," Frisk replied and sighed in disappointment. "God. Why did I not consider this before? Goddamn hindsight. I am so stupid. Obviously, a society isolated from humanity for god knows how long except for the occasional garbage wouldn't end up with the same language."
"Oh yeah," Flowey said. "So what? Do you want me to read this for you or-?"
"Nah, don't bother," Frisk began. "I guess I can just have someone-"
She stopped her words immediately for it was at that moment that she realized something she should've thought of long before, but didn't even glance at for some unknowable reason.
"Wait a minute," Frisk began. "How do we understand each other?"
"Excuse me?" Flowey asked as if that was the most bizarre question in the world.
"Flowey, what are we speaking?" Frisk asked. "Like at this moment?"
"We are speaking…umm, words?" Flowey answered in confusion.
"No, I meant like what language?" Frisk asked. "Like at this moment, right now, in what language am I speaking to you in?"
"Uhh, monster-tongue?" Flowey asked.
"Is… that a suggestion or-"
"No, I am pretty sure we are both speaking monster-tongue right now," Flowey answered.
"What?!" Frisk exclaimed.
"Alright, that's it," the paranoid lizard librarian exclaimed.
He then quickly left the counter and walked hastily towards Frisk and Flowey, eyesights focus on them, unblinking, and looking like they were full of hate.
"Uhh, sorry?" Frisk said to Leonard as soon as he came up to her.
Before she could react, the lizard strongly grasped her wrist and attempted to drag her.
"Hey, what are you-" Frisk began.
She stood strong and unmoving in her spot and seized the monsters grasping, scaly claw with her own loose hands.
"Get out," the lizard said loudly. "Out of this library, now!"
"Let go of me!" Frisk exclaimed. "Let. Me. GO!"
And without much effort, she freed herself easily from his grasp and pushed him away. Lenny backed a few steps, looking shocked at her surprising strength.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Frisk exclaimed. "We haven't done anything!"
"Not yet!" the lizard said. "But the way you've been whispering... you really think I'm an idiot, don't you?!"
"Uhh, yeah!" Flowey replied. "Is this seriously how you treat all your customers?! Just look at yourself, Lenny."
The lizard stared at the duo for a while, and his panicky expression began to fade and be replaced by a hint of regret. Meanwhile, Frisk just sighed audibly. She had enough and began to head out.
"Fuck it," she said. "Flowey, let's get out of here."
"Look, it's not personal ok?" Lenny said apologetically after her. "I'm-I'm sorry but… but I just can't risk it with how things are here and-"
"Yeah, yeah," Frisk said dismissively.
Without batting an eye, she opened the front door and went outside without closing, letting the soft blow of the wind do that work for her.
"Well that was something," Flowey said as they now stood once again in the middle of the snow-covered street.
"Ugh, whatever," Frisk said in an annoyed manner. "It was not like I was gonna be able to read anything in there."
"Well, to be fair," Flowey began. "I think there were a couple of books there written in human-speak."
"Yeah, yeah- wait, did you say human-speak?" Frisk asked back
"That's right," Flowey answered. "Writing novels in human-alphabet was a trend with monster writers for a while. Still is in some circles. I mean, when your kind has lived in such a relatively small world for over several millennia, you kinda start to run out of things to do."
"That's… not why I'm confused," Frisk asked, sounding almost as bewildered as when Flowey first spoke in the ruins. "I meant to ask… what I was gonna say…god, I have like a billion more questions right now. Like, what do you mean by human-speak, and why and how the hell am I speaking in a monster language right now?"
"Ok, first things first," Flowey began. "Human-speak is what monsters call, well, what you humans speak."
"As in?" Frisk pried.
"As in the language and writing you have," he continued. "Why, what do you humans call it?"
"Umm, English I guess?" Frisk began. "I don't know, we humans have like a trillion different languages on the surface."
"Oh," Flowey said with mild surprise. "Yeah, that's… why in the world didn't I consider that?"
"But in this country," Frisk continued. "It's mostly English that's spoken. So to me, I guess I am speaking English now. But, how would monsters know what that language is like in the first place?"
"Well…" Flowey began. "I think it's more like the closest we managed. So you remember when I told you about the fact that so much human garbage flows down here? Well since like, 90 per cent of that garbage contains at least a modicum of writing, some clever monsters managed to find some patterns in the placements of letters and such, and soon after, some even more clever monsters managed to recreate an alphabet of sorts. Or at least the best they could. Helps that one or more unknowingly helpful donors keep dumping whole videotapes and such down here, often with hours worth of content."
"Uhh, ok," Frisk said. "But what I am more curious about is… am I seriously speaking in your language right now?"
"Well… yeah," Flowey answered.
"Ok, but how about now?" Frisk asked in the best Spanish she knew. "Do you understand me now?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" Flowey asked, mildly confused as if nothing about her speech changed.
"Ok wow, that's kinda freaky," Frisk said, sounding mildly uneasy. "What about uh… now, do you… know I... understand?"
Flowey turned to her with pure confusion on his face.
"Did you just have a stroke something?" Flowey asked.
"I was trying to speak some Mandarin," Frisk said. "I'm not really good at that language, but I know some words and things from several of my relatives who speak it."
"That's a weird name for a language," Flowey said. "Are many human languages named after fruits or…?"
Frisk snickered a bit from that response and shook her head in mild amusement.
"Seriously though," she then said. "How am I speaking your language?"
"To be brutally honest," Flowey began. "I don't know. And I don't think my ignorance is due to a memory loss this time. I think I just never bothered to find out."
"Why not?" Frisk asked.
"Well I'm sure you've figured you're not the first human down here," Flowey explained. "And just like you, all the other humans were able to understand us. Me and monsters that is. I guess I just assumed that it was normal, that we all just happened to share similar, if not the same language."
"So it's magic?" Frisk suggested.
"Yeah, most likely," Flowey said. "If all else fails or doesn't make sense, it's magic. It doesn't need to explain more."
Frisk smiled and chuckled. Then she turned her head around and managed to see through the library window behind her, where the lizard librarian was watching her intently behind his counter with paranoid, suspicious-looking eyes, and Frisk's newfound smile quickly faded. So she took a few steps away to the side until she was sure she was out of his uncomfortable gaze.
"So… do you still wanna check around town?" Flowey suggested. "Maybe we can get some info about Mickey or the Hunt."
"Yeah possibly," Frisk said tiredly. "But right now, I mostly just want to-"
Before she could finish her words, she noticed the nearby presence of another strange figure, walking by the bookstore with big, strong footsteps. Once she saw him, or at least what she was almost sure was a "he", Frisk felt her train of thoughts immediately halter.
"Holy…" she muttered.
"Frisk, what are you… oh…" Flowey said before he managed to look at what she was gazing at.
Once he did, he also became worldless as well but to a much lesser extent and more due to a sense of confusion rather than awe.
Walking on the street in front of them was a large, humanoid rabbit monster of great height and mass, with bulging muscles and the healthy physique of a bodybuilder, making him stand out incredibly like he was an animalistic god amongst the rest of the small and scrawny rabbits in town. He walked proudly with the posture and finesse of a seasoned hero figure, adding, perhaps unintentionally, another sense of comparative privilege to his clean and kempt look. Another thing that stood out was the cleanliness in his modern-looking clothes, being a plain blue wool shirt underneath a brown winter jacket alongside some fitting brown trousers and white shoes, all of which neatly compilated his white fur and green eyes. Finally, in what seemed like a token used to dispel any doubt of warrior prowess, there hung on his back a scabbard holding a massive sword, almost half the size of Frisk herself.
This humongous rabbit paid no heed to the staring duo, either intentionally or not, as he noiselessly went into the library where he had to crouch just to fit through the door. It was a clumsy affair, as for a moment his scabbard got stuck in the door frame, but after a few seconds, he got through.
"Holy crap," Frisk said as she stared at him through the window. "Look at the frigging beef on that rabbit."
"Hey, I actually remember that guy," Flowey replied. "That's, uh, RG 01. What in the world is he doing all the way down here in Snowdin though?"
"Who is this… RG 01?" Frisk asked curiously.
"Well, for starters he was a member of The Royal Guard once," Flowey explained. "That was the name for the precursor group to The Royal Hunt. Don't remember his actual name at the moment, but he was often called RG 01 or Royal Guard 01. Not because he was the first Royal Guardsman or anything, but because of long, overly complicated series of misunderstandings involving tourists, a broken pencil and a dose of insomnia I think."
"My God," Frisk said, unable to move her eyes from the large and muscular monster. "That is, without a doubt, the beefiest rabbit I've ever seen."
"Don't tell me you have a crush on him," Flowey said, somewhat teasingly but also with a surprisingly mild bitterness.
"What?" Frisk said, sounding mildly insulted, and turned her eyes towards Flowey, finally breaking the dazzling spell. "No, I don't have a crush on him or... anything. I don't even know that guy. This is just unusual for me. Rabbits, or at least rabbits where I'm from, aren't supposed to be that… built."
"Mmhm," Flowey replied in a cheeky tone.
It was then that Frisk looked around and saw that she and Flowey weren't the only ones in town that showed more than a single glance towards this monster. But unlike Frisk and Flowey, the other gazes, the one from the townsfolk, showed more contempt or fear rather than awe or confusion, and many hurried in their steps to get away faster. Frisk even saw one feeble looking monster lady even fearfully covering the eye of what appeared to be her child.
"Whatever," Frisk simply said back to Flowey. "But seriously though, do you think that guy knows Mickey perhaps? Or maybe something about the Royal Hunt?"
"Possibly," Flowey answered. "A few ex-members of The Guard ended up joining The Hunt. Not all but some, but I don't think we should take any chances now. We don't really know that guy's allegiance yet, so if you would heed my advice, please don't go do your usual head-first-into-danger thing by just waltzing up to him and ask questions ok?"
"You really think I would do that?" Frisk said and lightly chuckled.
"Uhh, yeah?" Flowey replied as if it was the most obvious answer.
Frisk ignored his snark as she proceeded to slowly walk up by the walls of the library as silently as she could. Eventually, she reduced to crouching underneath the windowsill, seemingly by instinct, not really bothering to care how silly her crab walk looked to outsiders. On the other hand, Flowey began to grow red from a sense of embarrassment, as only he was able to notice the growing number of prying eyes on the duo while Frisk had all her attention focused on crouching towards the store. He said nothing though, as fortunately, none of the poor monsters paid more than a little heed on it, with most of them shrugging it off as being just a weird ape monster thing.
Once Frisk was up to the walls and could not go a step further, she peaked up to look through the window above, and from her angle, managed to get a decent look at the other end. To her surprise, the paranoid librarian managed to look even more frightened than ever, as she seemed to stare stunned in fear at a spot in the library, unseeable from her angle, but Frisk figured he was most likely looking at the beefy white rabbit.
"Man, I can't believe I'm saying this," Frisk whispered. "But that guy looks even worse than last time we saw him."
Flowey didn't say anything at first, as he was beginning to grow more uncomfortable from the now growing number of curious eyes. So instead, he quickly racked his mind to find anything he could change the subject to.
"So anyway," he began with a subtle snark. "Are you sure you don't like what you're seeing? Not even… a teensy bit?"
"If you're still talking about the rabbit guy, then no, I don't," Frisk answered. "Not even a teensy bit. That guy must be like 20 years older than me, and besides, not sure if you've noticed, but… I'm a human, and that's a rabbit. You think I'm a furry or something?"
"Uhh, I fail to see how not being a creature made of fur has anything to do with this," Flowey said, sounding confused. "Unless you're suggesting that only furred monsters are allowed to be with other furred monsters, then, in that case, that's just ignorant and even a bit prejudiced."
"Wha- no that's not what I-" Frisk began.
"Wait, I think there is someone behind us," Flowey said quickly.
"Yo, what are you two doing now?" said a familiar childish voice.
"Gah, fuck!" Frisk exclaimed in surprise.
She almost fell down flat on her back once again from the surprise and even felt a quick sting in her heart. She then looked behind her, her hand on her chest, and saw the same, armless monster kid from before with their apologetically smiling snout at uncomfortably close proximity to hers.
"Oh sorry," the kid said. "Didn't mean to scare you."
"Jesus," Frisk said. "Is it just a thing with monsters down here to- uh, I mean other monsters down here, to just spontaneously appear behind someone?"
"So old Lenny kicked you out, didn't he?" the kid said. "Yeah, he does that."
"Ok, this is not a good time kid!" Frisk whispered.
"Yeah we are trying to be discreet here," Flowey whispered. "Can you leave us alone for a moment? Or at least be quieter?"
"Oh don't worry, he can't hear us from in there," the kid said. "The glass window is like super strong."
"Wait, really?" Flowey asked. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, let me show you," the kid replied.
The armless reptilian kid then walked towards the window, but not before coughing lightly, which Frisk found weird to see someone do without arms to cover their mouth.
"Hey," Frisk began. "What are you-"
"Yo Lenny!" the monster kid yelled into the window. "Your store is being robbed, you… umm… turd!"
Frisk immediately ducked and covered her head, while Flowey pressed his vines upon where hist ears would've most likely been located if he had ones. Yet, to both their surprise, there came nothing. Frisk then rose slowly back up and Flowey anxiously followed, and to both their surprise, the paranoid lizard librarian looked unmoved by the kids shouting, still staring intently at the something, most likely the rabbit, in the library.
While Flowey began to look at the glass window more analytically, Frisk simply grew impressed. Just as she was beginning to think she was starting to somewhat understand the rules of this strange new world, Frisk found it was still finding ways to surprise her.
"How in the world?" she asked no-one in particular.
She turned to look down at the small kid, who had what resembled a smile on his yellow, reptilian snout. A type of smug smile that seemed to say "told you so".
"See?" the kid said. "Nothing to worry about."
"Well, I'll be," Flowey said as he looked at the window in surprise. "That's magi-glass."
"A what now?" Frisk asked and turned back to him.
"Magically enhanced glass," Flowey clarified. "Kinda self-explanatory."
"Yo, how can you tell?" the kid asked.
"Look closer," Flowey explained. "Notice those strange but subtle purplish hues?"
Frisk and the yellow monster kid moved their faces closer to the window and with Flowey's pointer in their mind, the aforementioned signs were hard to miss on closer inspection. What looked like strange purplish serpentine things covered the ends of the glass window, and, while it could have been simple optical illusions, they seemed to slither and move subtly up and down like waves.
"That's how you know it's magi-glass," Flowey explained. "Once you notice it, it's hard to miss."
"Huh," the kid replied.
"Woah," Frisk replied. "Cool. Let me try."
She pressed her face onto the window and yelled:
"Hey, asshole! Over here!"
Once again, the librarian did not even flinch from those words.
"Holy crap," Frisk said while removing her squished face from the glass. "That's something."
"But why would he bother adding such a strong window though?" Flowey asked curiously. "It's also incredibly expensive, or at least it used to be so last time I was here."
"Paranoia most likely," the monster kid answered. "They say Lenny just out of a sudden grew a bit too paranoid during the last few weeks."
"Oh we've noticed," Flowey said.
"Hey, do you know anything about that kid?" Frisk asked. "Flowey says he wasn't always like this, so something obviously must've happened. Any clues or…?"
"Well… truth is no-one really knows what's going on with him," the monster kid answered. "But my first mom says he most likely got the Baron's Sickness like mister Papyrus at the edge of town."
"Baron's Sickness?" Frisk asked curiously.
"Yeah, yeah, can we talk about that later?" Flowey asked. "As we said, we are kinda busy here at the moment kiddo, so we'll see you in the morning or something."
"If you two are trying to eavesdrop on Lenny here," the kid suddenly said. "Then I know a much better spot to do so."
"Ok, how in the world would you know that?" Flowey asked curiously.
"Think you're the first monsters to be spying on him?" the kid answered. "You wouldn't guess it by just looking at it, but Lenny is like the richest monster in town for some reason. Everyone wants to know more."
"Well that could very likely explain his paranoia," Flowey muttered subtly.
"No one knows how or why he's so apparently rich," the kid continued. "But I think I've figured it out. He's secretly a drug maker. Must be. That would also explain why he's always so shaky and stuff. Because he's got the Baron's Sickness and he got it from all the Baron's Breath he's been making in his basement."
"I don't think he has a basement," Flowey added.
"You are not gonna be able to eavesdrop anything from here," the monster kid continued. "The downside of this glass is that we also can't hear what he's saying. Or at least, not from this spot."
"Oh yeah," Flowey said in realization. "That's… duh. Why didn't I consider that? Am I slow today or what?"
"Alright kid," Frisk said. "So… where is this magic spot then?"
"Follow me," the kid said enthusiastically.
Without another word, the monster kid quickly ran to the left before Frisk could get another word out.
"Hey, wait up!" she called after them.
Frisk then wasted no time either and quickly stood up, which mixed with the weight of her bag made her lose balance for a moment and look clumsy from afar before she managed to adjust her self and run after the kid's direction.
She only took a few steps to the left side of the building before seeing the kid again, who was using just their teeth to seemingly remove a loose piece wallpaper covering the eastern wall, slowly as if to make little sound. Frisk walked up to him once they seemingly finished tearing and spat onto the snow some loose paper pieces, and she and Flowey looked at what the kid had opened up.
Under the hidden gap of the beige coloured wallpaper covered in rot and tears, there was a white, seemingly paper-thin wall underneath with some small, almost thin cracks that were thankfully big enough to glance through at crouching level.
"This is the best spot," the monster kid said. "There are no soundproof windows on this side of the building, and Lenny hasn't noticed these cracks yet. Somehow Don't ask me why he hasn't. Been here for a few days now even."
To Frisk, this being the best spot was seemingly no exaggeration. It was a great spot even. The thin wall, torn wallpaper and cracks seemed to mix together into a great sense of unprofessionalism, that also, luckily on their part, made it the perfect setup for spying and eavesdropping on whatever was inside.
"Why are you helping us?" Flowey asked suddenly. "For all you know, we could be planning on robbing this guy."
"Eh, I don't really care what you are doing with him," the kid answered. "Plus, you seem nice enough. But Lenny though. He's been kinda… nothing but an ass to me and my parents. Oh, and also to everyone else in town for the past few weeks. Honestly, I don't really care why you are eavesdropping. I told you, practically everyone in town is curious about him."
"But do you expect anything in return or…?" Flowey pried.
"Nah I'm… good," the kid said thinking. "Although… maybe now that I'd helped you, you'd be willing to tell me some stories of the outside world or…"
Frisk chuckled lightly and shook her head.
"So is that the real reason you helped us?" she said, smiling. "Wanna use this moment as like a sort of blackmail in case I go back on my words earlier?"
The kid's cheerful expression now began to grow a large noticeable shade of embarrassment.
"Ermm…" they said awkwardly. "…no? I mean… I wouldn't call it blackmailing but…"
"It's fine kiddo," Frisk answered. "I promised, didn't I? You really didn't need to, but thanks for the help either way."
The kid embarrassment faded from his yellow, scaly cheeks and a warm smile formed on his snout.
"Yo, so I kinda need to scram now," they then said. "My second mom gets pretty upset when I spend too long outside, especially on weekends. Sorry."
"Oh, don't worry I get it," Frisk said. "I mean, I don't get it with the mom part but-"
Frisk stopped herself from continuing she saw that the kid was starting to grow a confused expression from her words.
"Sorry, I said too much," Frisk said in an excusing tone. "I'm tired and not thinking straight and… it was nothing."
"Right…" Flowey said, looking up at her with intrigue. "Anyways, I guess we'll be seeing you later kid."
"Yeah I'm off now," the kid said.
"Wait!" Frisk exclaimed before the kid even finished turning around. "Sorry but I… I don't think we ever got your name."
"Name's Max," the monster kid said. "Y'know, like the old Royal Guard Maxo. But you can just call me MK."
"Well, in that case, MK, my name is Francisca," Frisk said. "But you can just call me Frisk."
"And I'm Flowey," her companion added. "But you can just call me… uh, Flowey."
With that, the kid, MK wasted little time before turning around and running towards an indeterminate place in town. Then suddenly, in the middle of the run, MK tripped, and with no arms to support, they fell face-first into the snow, but before Frisk could properly absorb what she just witnessed, MK had sprung themselves back up with just their legs and continued running as if nothing happened. As her momentary worry and shock quickly faded, Frisk quickly pieced together that this looked like a regular occurrence with the kid. Then, just as MK vanished behind some houses, she smiled softly. Either towards MK themselves or as a result of watching the clumsy event occur, but Frisk herself wasn't sure which it was.
"Well that was a fine kid," Flowey said. "A bit pushing at times, but mostly bearable."
"Are you like a professional critic of kids now or something?" Frisk asked cheekily. "What, are you also gonna rate them on the scale of one to ten?"
"Uhh…no?" Flowey said.
"Sorry, shitty joke," Frisk said, mildly embarrassed.
"Mhmm," Flowey simply expressed, agreeing.
A short moment later, Frisk turned around to the thin library wall to focus back on her mission. Now on closer look, it was now clear to both of them that it was unfortunately too small for both of them to glance through at the same time unless they two would bend into a strange and uncomfortable position.
"Should I look first or…?" Frisk asked Flowey.
"Go ahead," Flowey said. "I think I'm better suited for keeping watch."
Frisk nodded in agreement and crouched down close enough to the wall so she could smell the fumes from the rotting wallpaper. Then she leaned closer and peeked through the crack.
Her view from this angle was sadly, but unsurprisingly, very limited. Thankfully, the dozens of candles around the place proved to be handy markers, so Frisk wasn't completely in the dark, both literally and figuratively. She could even if just barely see the paranoid librarian who seemed to stand still as a statue by the front desk, which was to her right in her line of sight.
Then, to her fortunate surprise, she saw that the towering rabbit monster, RG 01, was still inside, looking around the library seemingly for nothing in particular.
"Good, the rabbit guy is still here," Frisk said. "Man he's taking a really long time. Lucky for us though. But the store's got like what, 12 books?"
"So are you still sure you don't feel perhaps just a tingle from him, eh?" Flowey asked in a devious manner. "You can deny it, but I saw the way you looked at him."
Frisk rolled her eyes. It was clear to her that her flowery companion wasn't going to drop this all too soon.
"Whatever," she said. "So what? Maybe I did get a teensy bit… interested after seeing that, but only in the uh, human aspects so to speak, and don't tell me you've never seen a stranger on the street that you found attractive. Doesn't at all mean you want to hit it or date them right away."
"Heh, alright," Flowey said to Frisk and smiled. "Whatever you say. Not like you have much of a chance with him either way. Oh and he's gay. I think. That's what I remember at least."
"Oh, ok," Frisk answered. "I mean, that's neat but… I don't really care."
"Heh, I bet you don't," Flowey said, somewhat snarkily.
Frisk paid little to no heed to his last comment, and all the reply she gave was another quick roll of her eyes.
As Frisk continued to spy on the massive rabbit who she could barely see was now looking at some shelves, she realized that there was a hint of bitterness from how Flowey was speaking just now. Like he secretly held a deep-seated grudge towards him. But then she shrugged it off as her possibly just overthinking it.
"It's hard to see a lot from here," Frisk admitted as she squinted her eyes even more. "Do you think it's a good idea to move closer or what?"
"You mean run straight up to him like how you often did to strange noises and stuff back in the forest?" Flowey asked cheekily.
"Well if you say it like that," Frisk began. "Then fine. For your sake, I ain't gonna do that this time. But the other times were different though, because… well, none of us had any idea what to expect."
"That… that just sounds like an extra good reason not to do those things," Flowey said. "But whatever. If you ain't gonna do it now, great. That's all I needed to hear."
"And if we're spotted and the rabbit realizes what I am?" Frisk began. "Then I'll just kill myself and reset."
"Nah, let's not risk that either," Flowey said. "We have no idea when you last saved, so to speak. We could possibly end up all the way back in the ruins."
"Oh, good point," Frisk said. "But there must be a way to figure that out, right? When I last saved that is. Like, is there a pattern?"
"Hmm, let me think," Flowey began. "Well… when's the last time you felt very determined? Like more than usual?"
"Umm, I don't know," Frisk answered. "Sometime back in the forest I guess."
"Alright, that's not too far," Flowey said. "Still, let's not-"
"Hang on, the rabbit guy is finally doing something," Frisk said.
The flower shut his mouth before she even finished speaking. As Frisk examined whatever event was occurring through the cracks, she thought for a moment she was mistaken until she saw RG 01 reach for an unseen book on a shelf away from her limited line of sight.
"Ok, what's he doing?" Flowey asked after a while.
"He's finally picking a book I think," Frisk described as she saw it happen. "He's opening it. Reading. Yep, he seemed to have picked it and is heading to the counter now. To the asshole lizard. Ok, it seems like they are just staring at each other now. This is weird."
"Yo, sup Lenny," the rabbit spoke to the librarian in a sort of a deep, surfer-esque voice. "Been a while since I've been here."
"R-Reggie?" Lenny replied in a tone somehow even more panicky than usual. "I-I uh, d-didn't know you were… in town."
"Oh yeah, his name's Reggie," Flowey whispered. "Knew it was something silly like that."
"Yeah, I'm just visiting for today," Reggy answered. "Good to be here for nostalgia sake though. Sucks about what happened to it though. No offence. But anyway, I wanna buy this book."
There came an almost subdued thump as he dropped the book on Lenny's counter, but it was somehow enough to make the lizard librarian startle backwards like a cat.
"Oh sorry, Lenny," the beefy rabbit added. "Didn't mean to scare ya bro. Is something wrong? You seem a bit on edge today."
"N-nothing," the librarian said nervously. "There's nothing wrong at… a-all."
While Frisk couldn't see properly through the cracks, she could almost feel sweat begin to leak down his green scales.
"So are you gonna charge me for the book or what?" Reggie asked the librarian.
"O-oh, uhh," the lizard said anxiously.
Lenny was in the most shocked and clearly frightened state Frisk had ever seen someone be in, human or animal. Just from her angle, every muscle, every essence of the librarian seemed to be shaking wildly, and even the simple act of him picking up the book Reggie handed him seemed to be a great obstacle. It was like watching an elderly man attempting the idlest works.
It was undebatable now to everyone watching, even Reggie, that something was clearly wrong.
"Bro, what's wrong?" Reggie asked him, with a hint of worry.
"I…" Lenny muttered as the book shook wildly in his arms. "I…"
Suddenly, the book dropped from his hands and slammed on the counter, almost breaking the rotting wood, before he began to squeal and placed his clawed, scaly hands around his head, and gave out a painful wail of pure terror.
"OH GODS, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" he cried. "DON'T TORTURE ME AND TURN ME INTO DECOIR. I'M SORRY I TOOK THE BRIBE! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!"
"Woah, bro!" Reggy said, greatly surprised.
"I SHOULDN'T HAVE!" the librarian continued. "I KNOW I SHOULDN'T, BUT I WAS DESPERATE, I-"
"Lenny, calm down bro, I-" Reggy began.
Before the rabbit could finish, Lenny grabbed his shirt and held fast as he looked pleading into his eyes.
"Reginald, please!" Lenny cried into his face. "Please tell Mickey that it was the only way! The library was going under and… and… I had no choice. Otherwise, it was… c'mon. Someone as great as Mickey must understand the importance of libraries and knowledge and-"
"Bro, I don't work with Mickey anymore!" Reggie stated. "Nor with the Royal Hunt! Not anymore that is."
Lenny looked at him in disbelief, still shaking and sweating, but now seemed to have a tinge of hope in his green reptilian face.
"W-what?" he asked in surprise.
"I quit," Reggie said. "A few years ago actually. I haven't been with The Royal Hunt for a long time."
"Y-you can d-do that?" Lenny asked, now in pure disbelief. "F-from The Hunt?"
"Ehh," Reggie began. "Technically not. It really wasn't easy. Had to go through a bunch of hoops. Plus, I think I may have ended up on Mickey's enemy list as a result. But I'm alive at least. So far that is."
Still holding the much larger rabbit by the shirt, the lizard seemed to stare at him in complete silence like he was dazed. Then, after a few seconds, he calmly let go and slowly sat down on his wooden chair behind the counter.
"Oh," Lenny said calmly and regretfully. "Well umm… in that case I… I'm sorry I… I did not know Reggie, I… I hadn't heard. Somehow."
"Eh, you are probably not the first bro," Reggie said reassuringly. "I've only been here for half an hour at most, yet half the town has already given me the side-eye. Didn't think much of it, but now it makes more sense."
"But you heard nothing, alright?!" Lenny said with more intensity. "Please. I said nothing back there and… you heard nothing from me. Nothing at all."
"Oh don't worry bro," Reggie said reassuringly again. "Your secret, whatever it is, is safe with me, bro."
"Uhh, yeah," Lenny said, unsure. "So umm… anyway, what brings you to town?"
"I'm uhh," the rabbit began, sounding clearly uncomfortable. "I'm here for the funeral. Just decided to look around first since it's been a while."
"Funeral?" Lenny asked curiously.
"Oh, you haven't heard?" Reggie asked back, a bit surprised. "It's kind of a big one. Half the town is attending from what I gather."
"Oh, I… I don't go out much these days, heh," Lenny said somewhat awkwardly. "But umm… whose funeral is this?"
There came a moment of quiet between them, and from the little that Frisk could see through the cracks, she felt like she noticed a large hint of grief and sadness on Reggie's expression.
"It's… for my little cousin, Ivan," Reggie said, clearly uncomfortable. "You know? Isabell's son. The innkeeper's."
Author's note:
Yep. Reggie is talking about that kid at the end. The little rabbit you can find at the inn in Snowdin.
Anyway, here is the second part of the Snowdin chapter/arc/whatever-you-wanna-call-it. This was a surprisingly difficult chapter to write, as I kept going through so many different variations and ideas I kept changing and discarding. For example, Monster Kid wasn't originally supposed to appear here, but I realized that since I hadn't figured out a way to introduce them, I basically just went up and added them here. Even gave them some developments. They will return, don't you worry, and their role will be similar but not much longer than in UT. This is not a jab at the game BTW.
But if I thought this chapter was hard, then the next one will be perhaps even harder. You can see why at the end there. I am going to deal with some pretty heavy stuff in the next chapter so be prepared. It will also explain why it will take me a while to write it, so keep that in mind.
So here is also another character introduced, or rather reintroduced, RG-01, who came perhaps much earlier than any of you anticipated. Like MK, they had a minor part in UT but will have a bigger role in this AU. How bigger their role will be, I won't spoil. Just be prepared that these two will appear again, sooner or later. As to the location of RG-02, well read the prequel story for that. He makes an appearance if you haven't figured it out.
This chapter wasn't going be this long at first, but it is now, and I don't know why. Maybe I went too far into some detail, but if you think that then please let me now. Criticism is completely appreciated, just try to be respectful with it ok?
Anyways, see you later.