The Valley - Part 3
Further and further into hidden places of Waterfall did the footprints lead. Some other, heavier prints joined, clearly from armoured boots.
They led to an area with a clear sign of struggles, if the spikes protruding from the ground weren't an obvious hint already. The works of Vissie, obviously.
That pitiful madwoman has magical abilities she doesn't appear to know about herself, the figure thought.
Ashu-Tshuki knew it wasn't hard to bring her to rage, and in this case, something surely pissed her off for her magic to manifest like this.
The vigilante quickly found the missing piece to that puzzle. Left behind on the mossy ground was a long stick with white dust splattered on it.
She smiled.
Even with a stick, only someone very ballsy would dare come this close to the goblin, she observed. Or someone stupid.
Following the armoured footprints was one set of hoofprints.
Umbla, obviously. Ashu-Tshuki knew her all too well. She hoped dearly that that maniac didn't get to the human ahead of her.
The third and final armoured set led further into the forest, following the first sets of the human. A thick and heavy boot, like the others. But not that heavy, so that ruled out Mickey, fortunately.
It was still strange, she supposed, that she hadn't seen any signs of the mad "ape" so far.
She felt the hair rising on the back of her head. She suddenly sensed another presence. Someone, or something, was nearby.
She raised her arm, readying her weapon. She remained still for a moment, listening. She heard no steps, no creaking of branches. Whoever was close by was very careful. There could be little doubt then. They were waiting for her to move first.
Ashu-Tshuki closed her eyes and gripped her weapon firmly.
Her senses looked into the air and breeze. She could still feel those echoes of a soul somewhere nearby. It was not in front of her nor beside her.
That something was behind her. A something that made no noise, but she could sense it, standing out in the open.
Her weapon lit up, shining a bright light on the ground. There was no point hiding it.
Then without hesitation, without risking another moment, Ashu-Tshuki rose to her feet, weapon in hand, and turned around as quickly as she could.
Fortunately, there was only a scared spectre shaped like a sheet ghost with two, anxious-looking eyes floating there, almost dropping their bag of groceries in shock.
Ashu-Tshuki sighed and slowly lowered her weapon as the ghost-like monster looked her in the eyes.
"Oh… erm, sorry," the spectre said. "I heard some noises and wanted to see. You see, I was heading home, seeing how I live nearby. But, erm, I see I simply disturbed you and, oh god, I shouldn't have checked, I'm sorry."
The vigilante shook her head and proceeded to conjure her weapon away. Then without acknowledging the ghost monster any further, she headed in the opposite direction.
"But, erm, sorry for the disturbance!" the ghost called after her. "Sir- ma'am- person? Sorry if I'm rude, but w-who are you?"
Ashu-Tshuki looked behind her and gave them a solid nod.
"Good evening, Naptsablook," she said in a growling voice, almost spooking the ghost away, before vanishing herself into the foliage.
...
"So…" Flowey began. "...he just let you go?"
"Pretty much," Frisk said. "Or at least, that's how it looked like."
Flowey leaned back in his seat, or at least in a way that a flower on a vine would do it, so it looked like he just bobbed his head a bit back.
The dinner table they were all seated at wasn't very inspiring. It was simply a square wooden table looking more like one belonging in a yard. The wooden chairs placed around it weren't of the most comfortable design, but they were manageable.
The interior of the dragon's farmstead was small yet comfortable. Not much about it that you wouldn't expect from the home of a tidy farmer living lonesome. There was a small kitchen and a small living room, with a small brown couch, an iron stove, and a dining table that clearly wasn't designed with a lot of company in mind. Strangely enough, there was no bathroom, as far as Frisk could see. Now that she thought about it, neither did the house of the skeleton brothers. She just assumed it was due to the obvious. They were skeletons.
But unless dragons had very foreign biology, then perhaps toilets just weren't a thing with monsters.
When was the last time I had to take a dump? Frisk thought to herself. Oh Geez. I hope that's not a bad sign.
"You don't believe us?" MK asked Flowey.
"Oh, I do," Flowey said. "I'm just wondering if you two missed something."
Frisk and MK gave a confused glance at each other.
"As in what?" Frisk inquired.
"I'm just saying," Flowey said. "Has it occurred to you if maybe it wasn't so easy?"
"What do you mean?"
"Ugh," Flowey muttered in frustration. "As in maybe, this was a ruse? Maybe this whole "last moment empathy" thing was part of Mickey's plan?"
Even though she half expected this reaction, Frisk shut her eyes and sighed tiredly.
"I mean…" MK began. "It all happened so fast."
"Ok, first of all," Frisk began. "Why the hell wouldn't he just take right there instead of going with some elaborate plan?"
"We were on the other side, weren't we?" Flowey added.
"He could've jumped," Frisk added. "He appeared big enough for that, much more than MK or I am combined. At the very least, he could've used them as bait or hostage. No offence, MK."
"N-none taken," they said.
"Well, then assuming he could've reached you," Flowey added. "That still doesn't mean it wasn't a fake-out."
"For what?" Frisk asked. "So they could follow us to the location of some random farmer who lives out in the open?"
"Of course not. But I know this kingdom more than you do. More than anyone in this house combined."
Frisk thought about it silently. While it was hard to deny that, she still couldn't buy his hypothesis.
"Just being thoughtful," Flowey added. "Just as long as we haven't removed all possibilities."
"Ok, then enlighten us," Frisk said, trying to be open to his suggestions. "What reason could they have to let us go? What "possibilities" have we missed?"
"Hmm, to start with," Flowey began. "It's more than obvious not that many monsters are loyal to the kingdom anymore. Would it be surprising that a decent enough portion would take up arms?"
"You mean like a rebellion?"
"Ahh, the rebellion," Vladi the dragon said as he walked into the room, holding a large sealed pot. "Now that's an interesting topic. Oh, and sorry the food is late. I'm not used to cooking for more than one person at a time."
"You were barely two minutes," Flowey said under his breath.
He carefully placed the pot on the table before shaking his scaly hands, a little smoke dissipating from them. The smell that followed was noticeable in its freshness. The aroma felt almost fruity and, strangely enough, somewhat wet.
"Hope you kids are still hungry," Vladi said. "Erm, or not, rather. Being hungry isn't good, not good at all. Especially for younguns. But I'll be happy if you'd eat what I made for you either way."
"Tha-" Frisk began.
"Or not," Vladi added. "I don't wanna pressure you or force you to like my cooking just for my sake. I'm not much of a cook, to be fair. Oh, sorry for bumping in, but- ah, anyway, I made something for you all."
Then like a chef proud of his art, the dragon removed the lid with exaggerated grace, filling the room up with even more of the aroma and revealing the masterful cuisine within:
Hot mashing of crab apples.
"Huh," Flowey simply said with disappointment as he peeked in.
"You don't like it?" Vladi asked.
"Er, no, no, it looks good," Frisk said. "I mean, I like it at least."
"Guess so too," Flowey added and shrugged.
"Good," the dragon said as he put a plate and undersized utensils by his side. "Anyways, it's a bit too hot at the moment, so-"
"AH, freaking-!" Flowey exclaimed, grimacing.
Immediately, he began to shake his vine as if it were on fire, wincing in the process.
"Oh, I'm dreadfully sorry," Vladi said with concern.
"What the heck did you use for the oven?! The Core itself?!"
"Geez, are you alright?" Frisk asked.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Flowey said dismissively while examining the tip of his vine. "I've been through far worse than this. Ugh, that's gonna leave a mark."
Meanwhile, Vladi had proceeded to pour some of the steaming mash onto his plate, and Frisk half expected it to melt through.
"You don't mind if I start?" he kindly asked. "Or is that too rude-"
"Nah, it's no biggie," Flowey replied.
"Ah, good," Vladi said, smiling. "Haven't eaten since this morning."
He can eat that? Frisk thought to herself. Then again, he's a dragon. I shouldn't be surprised if he eats molten lava for breakfast.
With that, a spoonful of smouldering apple mash went into the jaws of the dragon, who proceeded to chew with only a slight grin.
"So… Vladi, wasn't it?" Flowey asked.
"Indeed," the dragon replied, then swallowed. "Vladi Eldbrunni."
Holy hell, that sounds like a goddamned Viking name, Frisk thought. Awesome.
"You seem very brave and calm," Flowey inquired. "Considering the circumstances."
"Why, thank you," Vladi said in surprise. "But you don't need to worry. I'm not sure if the fabled surface sun is hot enough to burn my tongue."
"Uh, I meant the circumstances of us being wanted by the Royal Freaking Hunt," Flowey said. "You do realize that, right?"
"Bah, it's nothing!" Vladi said with energy. "I'm just doing what any good samaritan would do."
"What's a "samaritan"?" MK muttered.
"Eh, I don't know," Vladi said. "It's just wordplay."
"We could be a group of mass murderers as far as you know," Flowey pointed out.
"I doubt The Hunt would be moral enough for that," Vladi said, smiling. "If anything, I'm certain they'd rather hire you on the spot for that, hehe. Besides, you certainly strike me as too young to be any bit of that. Heh, I'd probably be dead right now if that were the case."
"Hmm," Flowey said. "Are you even aware of what The Royal Hunt is capable of? Of what they sometimes do to dissidents or just people they don't fancy because they once looked at them funny?"
"I am well aware of the dangers involved, don't worry."
"Oh really now? Then surely you are aware of the specific methods they use on "traitors", rebels and civilians assisting and abetting wanted criminals. Tell me, good sir, what will they do to you, to your body, if they find you and discover us with you?"
Vladi put down the fork and, in the next few moments of silence, he looked as if he were reciting uncomfortable words in his head.
"Well, first of all," he started. "They'll kill you."
"That's an obvious guess," Flowey said.
"But before that," Vladi continued as if he didn't hear him. "They'll inject you with a strange chemical in a syringe. The chemical keeps your body solid for a short while post-death, but chances are you might be alive a little longer. After that, some of the crueller ones hang your body by a noose in a tree as a warning or a showpiece or just for sport. Or they impale it with spikes going all the way through. Later on, your body begins to melt like ice cream, eventually becoming nothing but slimy gunk, before finally turning to dust after several days if not weeks."
The entire house, in an instant, turned as silent as the grave.
MK looked disturbed, yet also as if he had heard it before, while Flowey looked utterly surprised by the dragon's words without a hint of disgust. But Frisk couldn't describe the unease she felt, only matched by the horror story that the old bird, Avy, told them.
The dragon gave Flowey an awkward smile as if asking him whether or not he gave him the worst possible description. While hoping the truth wasn't somehow worse.
"Holy…" Flowey muttered before coughing. "Ahem, excuse me. It sounds like you've really done your homework."
"Eh, their methods are an open secret at this point," Vladi pointed out, as he resumed with his dinner. "They are not as secretive as they wished they were. In reality, people just prefer not to speak up."
"Then what about Blood-Knuckle?" Flowey asked, grinning again. "Know anything about that little thing."
"I've heard rumours," Vladi simply said, no longer exchanging eye contact. "Something involving flaying."
"Erm, yeah," Flowey said awkwardly. "Something along those lines."
"Jesus Christ," Frisk said.
"Uh-huh," Vladi said. "Don't know what that means, but I agree with your tone."
"W-why are you so nice then…?" MK asked. "Despite… everything?"
Thoughtfully, Vladi stared at what little remained of the smouldering mashing on his plate. Then he shrugged.
"Not sure," he answered. "Guess I just think it's better to be good than safe."
This feels more like an awful idea with each moment, Frisk thought to herself. Flowey was right. We shouldn't be here.
"Hey, mister?" Frisk began. "I've been thinking about this whole thing a bit-."
"What is it?" Vladi quickly asked, worry audibly growing. "Am I not doing well enough?"
"Wha- no, no, you're fine," Frisk said. "You're doing fine, actually."
"What is it then?" Vladi asked, sadness visible in his yellow, reptilian eyes.
Frisk leaned back and looked at Flowey, then at MK as if they could speak for her.
"I'm just starting to think-"
"Oh, I think the food has gotten colder now," Vladi said quickly. "Why won't you kids eat and… we'll talk about this later."
The dragon gave Frisk what she could only read as a reassuring smile, and Frisk simply nodded in resignation.
"Well, suit yourselves," Vladi said, finishing the last from his plate.
There came a quick moment of silence as the guests all stared at the pot, all noticing that something obvious was missing.
"You want us to eat off the table?" Flowey asked snarkily.
Vladi turned to look at him, an expression of perpetuity on his alligator-like face. The last of the orange and whitish-yellow mash leaked down his blue snout, dripping onto his plate in far too many quantities.
"Oh, blimey," he said, putting on a smile. "Sorry, I forgot."
He rose up and quickly ran to the kitchen as if his life demanded it.
"So… you were talking about the rebellion earlier?" Vladi called out from the kitchen. "Sorry, I tend to sort of go off track here and there. I just have so much- anyways, I heard you were talking about that. As I said earlier, it's an interesting topic."
"We know," Flowey said. "But what's it to you?"
"Not much," Vladi said. "I'm not a rebel if that's what you're thinking. Nor a secret agent for the government or something."
He returned holding three more plates and utensils.
"Erm, I obviously wouldn't tell you if that were the case," he continued before putting everything on the table. "So… maybe I am? Eh?"
"Hmm," Flowey said, thinking. "Yeah, I guess it really wouldn't make sense for the kingdom to hire someone living all the way out in Nowhereville as an agent. Speaking of, why the hell- I mean heck, do you live out here anyway? And so close to the field of dust?"
Vladi turned silent as if he were in thought. Frisk wasn't sure if she were imagining it, but it was like a heavy shadow just fell over him.
"Well, someone has to take care of all that dust, eh?" he simply answered.
"Err, what?" Flowey asked.
"Sorry," Frisk said. "What he means is "what do you mean by that"?"
"Err, ok," Vladi began, sounding much less jolly with every word. "Well, it just feels like someone has to keep all of that dust company, you know? Same with the spirits, as they say. You know, if you believe in that sort of thing. So when I'm not out here farming or writing or just generally lollygagging, I tend to take a walk around the barrier, or sometimes inside on very few occasions, while, just, well, talking."
He turned thoughtful as he stared at his mashing slowly turning colder, not a smile on his snout.
"Oh shoot!" he suddenly exclaimed as he reached for the pot. "Gods, I am forgetful this evening."
The dragon put on another smile as he proceeded to slap a handful of mashing on his guest's plates. When he turned to MK, he paused as it dawned on him their lack of arms.
"That's alright," they said to Vladi. "I can do it myself."
MK slowly bowed their head, proceeding then to lick the dinner. After a while, they created small bowls with their tongue to scoop, like a dog drinking water.
Flowey stuffed as much of it in his mouth, despite being visibly disgusted at times. Frisk tried a little, and it was just like how she expected it to taste. Like a soft wet apple with some seasoning and sauce. Other than that, she couldn't bring herself to eat much.
"You sure were hungry, boy," Vladi said, admiring Flowey's appetite. "Been starving yourself like a saint out there?"
Flowey ignored his remark as he kept stuffing it in. Eventually, even MK took notice.
"Eh, it was a bad joke," Vladi said and shrugged. "Also really obscure, you wouldn't have gotten it. Very few would've."
"I know what a saint is," Flowey muttered, mouth full.
"Ah, MK, have you stopped eating?" Vladi inquired. "Are you satiated? What was it like?"
"Erm… fine," they simply answered and continued eating. "Just thinking."
"Ah, good," Vladi said with a smile. "Frisk? You've not touched your plate?"
"I'm not hungry," she answered.
She wasn't sure if that was a lie or not on her part.
"Ah, that's alright," Vladi said.
Like usual, Frisk sensed an inch of disappointment, whether it was imagination or not. Luckily, she already had a few questions in her mind to move the conversation.
"Erm… so…" she began. "Mister Vladimir?"
"Hmm?" the dragon asked back. "Who's Vladimir? Oh, you mean me of course."
"Yeah, sorry," Frisk said. "So, you're a dragon, right?"
"Indeed," Vladi confirmed. "Never met one before?"
Not one that wasn't trying to kill me, Frisk thought. Or at first, that is.
"I know this sounds strange," Frisk continued. "But can you…"
An anxious and exciting pull inside her made it hard for her to finish.
"Can I what?"
"Can you, like,… fly?"
"Fly? Oh, I'd love to. But no. I'm not that kind of monster."
"Oh. Are there other dragons who can fly?"
"Some do. Some dragons have wings. Just not me."
"Yes!" Frisk whispered excitedly.
"You're really excited about dragons, huh?"
"Most definitely. What about fire? Can you breathe fire?"
"Well, only a little bit," Vladi continued. "I mostly use it to heat the oven sometimes."
"Oh my god, can you show me?!"
"Inside? Erm, sorry, but it's a bit dangerous."
"Alright, outside then? Maybe later? Please?"
"Ugh," Flowey muttered, mouth full while putting a fork down on an empty plate.
He slouched down in his chair and gave out a sound very akin to a burp, followed by a thick stench of wet apples in the air. The flower looked like he was on the verge of passing out.
"Holy- well, so much for not being hungry," Frisk said.
"I'm not- I wasn't," Flowey said back sickly.
"Your empty plate says otherwise," Vladi said.
"How much did you put on it anyway?" Frisk said. "I could've sworn it was more than any of us combined."
"Oh, s-shut it," Flowey said. "It's not hunger. It's just all this walking and crawling and sh- I mean, stuff gives me a huge craving. Almost said the s-word there, whew."
"Erm, I'm no monster biologist, but that sounds like hunger," Frisk pointed out. "Yeah, I think you're straight up just describing hunger."
"Eh, what do you know," Flowey said. "I have a craving for taste, not fuel. I can't get hungry. I don't even have a stomach or an ingestion organ, for the angel's sake."
Vladi gave out a light, joyful chuckle.
"Ah, it's been such a while," he said, looking reminiscent. "Haven't been around this much company and discussion in a while now."
"Erm, no offence, mister," Frisk began. "But why haven't you ever left the house?"
"Oh, I sometimes leave," Vladi corrected. "Just not outside of The Valley, or at least for years. Simply put, I have everything I need here. Well, except…"
He paused for a second like he forgot his words.
"Oh, excuse me," the dragon said and smiled. "I must've dozed off for a moment. Anyway, people come here from time to time. Or… at least they used to. The last ones to come to this zone outside of those taxpayers must've been about last year, I think. Well, other than you kids, of course. Oh, and there was this big rabbit man from Snowdin who came through the valley earlier today, but eh, didn't give any care towards me."
"Right…" Frisk simply said. "Still, you must have some relatives, right? None of them ever give you a call?"
Vladi turned silent again.
"I don't have many people," Vladi said. "And most of them are too busy to bother little old me. Eh, it's no biggie. I've lived by myself for a while now. You'll eventually get used to the tranquillity of everything."
Frisk leaned back into her seat, finding his words awfully familiar.
"Yeah, at least you have a dog," she pointed out.
"Pardon?" Vladi asked.
Frisk looked at him with a furrowed brow.
"Your… dog?" she said. "The one in the barn?"
Despite having no brows, the dragon looked back at her with a similar furrowed expression.
"That's odd," he said. "I don't have a dog."
Frisk leaned into her chair, pondering with confusion and unease.
"I could've sworn I saw a dog there," Frisk muttered.
"Must be stray, then," Vladi said. "Eh, it's probably gone by now."
That wasn't the same dog, right? Frisk thought. Nah, it can't be. Must just be from the same breed. No way that single dog followed us all the way here from Snowdin. Right?
"Anyways," Vladi said and shrugged. "I've lived in this house by myself for about a decade. Built it myself, even. Well, partly myself. The foundation was already set when I arrived here. A project that was quickly abandoned by fears of ghosts or haunting spirits due to the close proximity to the old battleground. Just general taboo stuff."
"Have you seen the ghosts?" MK asked.
The dragon looked at them silently for a moment before saying:
"Sure. They come over for a barbecue every other weekend."
Seriously?! Frisk thought to herself. Holy crap, that's-
Before she could finish her thought process, she noticed Flowey's unamused frown across from her and felt like an idiot.
"Nah, I'm just making a little gag," Vladi said, chuckling to himself. "I haven't seen any. So far."
"Yeah, it's only been a decade for you," Flowey said snarkily. "Too early to rule it out, wouldn't you say?"
"I've only said I've not seen any! Not that I haven't sensed-"
His jaws remained open, yet he didn't indulge another word. The dragon sounded almost insulted, prompting Flowey and Frisk to look at him curiously, and then the implication of his words immediately hit them.
"Wait," Frisk said. "What do you mean you "sensed"?"
A smile awkwardly returned on the dragon's face.
"Erm, sorry," Vladi said awkwardly. "I've not spoken to people properly for this long now I've… I'm sorry for my hostility. I simply misspoke, sorry."
"It's no biggie," Flowey said. "You call that angry? That's nothing. You couldn't even count the number of people I've pissed off."
Well, that doesn't sound surprising, Frisk thought to herself.
After that, a sense of slight awkwardness dawned over the table. The food that smouldered just minutes before now resembled nothing but cold untasty gunk in both look and taste.
MK hadn't touched their plate in quite a while now, and Flowey, from the look of it, couldn't even force one more bite into his mouth. Frisk lazily whirled her fork in her mostly uneaten plate.
"So…" Vladi began. "Since I don't get much news from the outside world, is it true that there is a lone vigilante fighting against the kingdom?"
"Oh yeah, Atchu… Supi?" Frisk said. "Ashu-Suki? Either way, MK knows a lot about them. Isn't that right? MK?"
"Err, yeah…" the kid said softly. "I… I know some things. Mostly just general stuff, nothing special."
"Ahh, that's good," Vladi said smiling. "Good to know there's at least someone rising up against them."
"Yeah, good luck taking on an entire kingdom by yourself," Flowey said snarkily.
"Hmm, I've read that a human with enough willpower could theoretically do that," Vladi pointed out.
"You think she's human?" Flowey asked.
Flowey sounded uncertain about that question. Something he clearly wouldn't have a few hours ago.
That probably wouldn't surprise me, Frisk thought to herself.
"I mean, why not?" Vladi asked. "Humans can't all be cruel."
Frisk somehow felt that MK was very unsure of that suggestion.
"Maybe a human fell down here and felt pity for us," Vladi suggested. "Maybe that's why their identity is a secret. Because not that many monsters look fondly at humans."
Frisk took in a quick breath.
No, Frisk, don't think back to that, she thought to herself.
"Anyways, how was it?" Vladi asked excitedly.
"Erm?" Frisk began.
"Dinner?" Vladi explained. "How did I do? You know, cooking for more than one for the first time?"
"It was fine," Flowey said.
"Yeah, yeah, it was fine," Frisk said.
"It was fine," MK muttered.
Vladi appeared to be examining them closely, before smiling and slamming his hands together.
"Good," Vladi said, smiling and looking at the table covered with a pot, plates and utensils. "Fine is good enough. That is a relief. Now, does anyone mind helping me with this?"
"Er, sure?" Frisk said.
"I'm good," Flowey said, still slouching.
MK remained silent.
Without another word, Vladi quickly gathered all the plates and utensils into his arms and carried them to the corner of the small kitchen.
"You coming, Frisk?" Vladi asked
She slowly rose from her seat and headed towards the dragon, who stood over a small sink now covered in the plates and utensils they just used.
"Something the matter?" Vladi inquired.
"You don't have a dishwasher or anything?" Frisk asked.
"Bah, no, nothing so fancy," Vladi said.
"So old-school then?" Frisk asked.
"Yepp. Just with your hands and some water. It'll be just like you're back home, won't it."
"Pardon?"
"You know, like in Apetown? No technology?"
"Oh yeah, yeah! I got it."
She peeked over the sink towards the Jenga tower of plates and forks. You signed up on this, Frisk reminded herself. You might as well finish it.
"Alright, Frisk," Frisk whispered to herself. "You can do this. After all that you've been through, you ain't letting a couple of dirty plates and forks be your undoing. I mean, come on, your kind did this shit this way for hundreds of years until only like this century."
"Never done something like this before?" Vladi asked.
"What makes you think so?" Frisk asked, standing over a pile of plates in the sink.
"You're a very audible whisperer," Vladi pointed out.
"Oh, that… geez, I am?" Frisk asked and turned around towards Flowey.
In response, Flowey raised a vine and moved in a way to emulate a hand doing a "so-so" gesture.
"Maybe I just have good ears," Vladi reassured her. "I'm guessing that's a no with doing dishes then?"
"Nope," Frisk said. "Never done this before and probably never again."
"Odd."
"We don't really do the dishes back where I'm from Or, at least, not anymore. By ourselves, I mean. These days, we just-"
Only after giving Flowey a quick glance where she saw his disapproving face did it dawn on her how much she was close to giving away.
"These days, you just what?" Vladi asked curiously.
"Erm, I don't know," Frisk quickly said. "I, err, don't know how we do it. In Apetown, of course."
"Alrighty then," Vladi said, clueless. "You want me to teach you? It's not that hard."
"Ugh, I'll just do it," Flowey said tiredly.
"Wha- no, no-" Frisk began.
"Geez, Frisk, it's just dishes," Flowey said. "You're not handling a bomb or anything. That stuff is much more terrifying, believe me."
"Wait, you've actually-?"
"Ok, gramps," Flowey said as he crawled past her.
He crawled up the counter and appeared to stretch his vines as he stood above the sink.
"Very appreciated," Vladi said, smiling.
"Don't mention it," Flowey added. "I've done this and plenty of other things far too many times. Frankly, I'm only doing this because it's easy and to get it over with. So don't expect me, personally, to get involved in any more of your chores, thank you very much."
"Oh, that won't be-"
But without even a second of hesitation, Flowey had gotten his vines all over the plates. What came next, Frisk and Vladi could only watch as the flower cleaned and scrubbed almost hypnotically fast. Both the onlookers were surprised he didn't even break at least one.
So much for you being sick and exhausted after eating, Frisk pondered.
After a minute had passed, Flowey had become a panting mess sitting over the now empty sink.
"T-there," he said. "I… ugh… I may be a bit out of practice, but I still got it."
"Holy…" Vladi said. "What gives?"
"Well, I spent a few good years working in a kitchen of sorts," Flowey said. "Of all the memories and experiences that stuck with me. Fortunately, I also had some "time" and "retries" to get perfect at it."
Frisk gave out a quick smile, fully understanding his double meaning.
"Now, don't expect me to do any more of your chores for today," Flowey said.
"Oh, no, not at all," Vladi said. "This is more than appreciated."
Suddenly, Frisk noticed the missing presence in the room.
"Where's MK?" she asked.
"Saw them go to the back rooms," Flowey said. "Or, I, at least, think it was the back rooms. I don't know, they went somewhere further back."
"Why go there?" Vladi asked curiously.
"I don't know," Flowey said. "Looked like they wanted to be alone for a bit."
The dragon looked a bit thoughtful.
"A bit gloomy looking that kid, isn't- aren't they?" Vladi said, concerned. "Something is bothering, err, them, isn't there?"
"Oh, yeah, we know that already," Flowey said.
"Uh-huh," Frisk agreed. "We've been through some… tough shit on our journey."
"I would've been surprised if they weren't like that," Flowey added.
"Hmm," Vladi said thinking. "Mind asking them to return and join us? They'd feel kinda lonely in the back room, especially in that state."
"Sure," Frisk said and shrugged. "Sounds like the best idea given the moment. Hey, just one thing. You're not hiding anything, err, morbid in the back rooms?"
"Hmm, nope," Vladi said, smiling. "Just… just my personal dust collection of the last monsters who came to me as guests."
"Err-"
"Bah, just messing with you," Vladi said, chuckling. "Maybe I went a bit too dark? Did I go too dark? Eh, no worries, though. I've got nothing to hide back there, heh. Nothing at all."
"Right…"
With that, Frisk turned around with a pang of worry in her chest. She wasn't sure why, although she had some ideas.
The house was relatively small, hence why finding your way around didn't prove to be difficult. As it turned out, the dragon farmer didn't appear to be lying. There was practically nothing spectacular about the backroom, and nothing she wouldn't have expected to see if she were on the surface, outside of the armless, yellow dinosaur monster kid standing unhappily in one corner.
"Sup," Frisk said to them. "How are you doing back there?"
The kid said nothing. Simply stared at her, in a way Frisk could almost recognise. As if they were scared of her.
Frisk thought about it only a second more before she pushed that thought to the side as a pointless concern.
"Hope I'm not bothering," Frisk said and took a step forward. "Vladi was wondering if you wanna-"
As soon as she approached, MK backed away a few steps, moving their gaze as if unwilling to look her in the eyes.
"What's wrong?" Frisk asked with concern.
MK looked up at her, shivering a bit.
"N-nothing," MK said with mild fear. "I just had this weird sensation. Like I remembered something bad and-... never mind."
"Well, you wanna be with us? It seems kinda lonely back there."
MK looked down on the ground, saying nothing.
Frisk looked away, sighing tiredly.
"Just let me know if you wanna tell me something," Frisk said. "We're always here for you."
"Mhmm," MK simply said and then walked past her, avoiding eye contact.
Oh, MK, Frisk thought to herself. God, I wish I knew how to be better for you.
Author's note:
Happy belated Undertale 6h anniversary.
It was supposed to come out then. Well, it was actually supposed to come out much, much earlier as well.
Geez, this chapter was a nightmare to write. For no particular reason, I can think of, Jesus...
I don't really have a lot to talk about it. It was always meant to be a bit of a "filler" chapter if you get my meaning. It's just after 3, goddamned months, I hope you aren't disappointed with a bit of fluff.