One World: Many Souls

Chapter 42: Helpful Hands

Lilly's Point of View:

"Oh, what fine little servers we have today!"

"Don't you think their adorable, dear?"

"Oh, is that my water? Thank you, young man!"

I watched from only a short distance away as Impact and Eras spent time at the restaurant to help out my staff. It was a slow day, and with Arial sick at home with Angel, I offered to take her eldest son. Eras had always shown interest in baking and the kitchen, so I thought perhaps at a young age it would be good to introduce him to the life of a restaurant worker to see what he thought of it. My son as well who also showed an interest in the same thing!

It was something so intriguing and a warm feeling was radiating from within my heart.

"Mom!"

My attention was draw to the little boy of mine who waited eagerly for more orders to carry out. His marron-colored wispy hair had grown longer, framing around his face very thickly. It was just too adorable; he had some lovely curls. I wasn't sure if that was from Mettaton or someone else further up her ancestor line, but Impact was an incredible combination of Papyrus and herself.

Though, that was nothing to mention to Impact until he was much older…

"Hello there, baby bone!" Bending down to his level, he and I grinned at each other. "Did you finish passing out those drinks to the special clients in the white room?"

"Yeah! T-table four got tea!"

"And was that for both of them?"

"Yeah!"

"Good. And where is Eras?"

My son paused to think about that before turning to the kitchen. "He's with Dad, in the kitchen!"

"Perfect! So that means your father is almost ready for the demonstration. Go give him a hand and I'm going to prepare the people in the white room for this."

"Okay!"

And my little boy took off then. He was absolutely adorable in the mini-uniform we got made for him. He and Eras were dressed similarly as we prepared for our Christmas special. It was something Papy had put in place a while ago. On our normal days off, we included a short four-hour window in on one of the days off for high paying customers to try seasonal or regional dishes. They would have a demonstration before them where Papyrus would explain some of the tips and tricks to make the foods at home in a simple way that the family would enjoy.

That particular day was for Christmas themed dinner. He was making a large honey roasted ham, yams cooked with maple syrup, a cranberry salad, freshly made biscuits, and a yule log for dessert.

This was one of the favorite meals that Papyrus often made for the family when it came time for the holiday. Impact was always a fan since the food tasted sweet, but we still managed to get proper food down his throat. Thankfully it was never much of an issue with Impact that he wouldn't try new foods. He was never a picky eater.

Thank goodness…

Thankfully due to this being a smaller, private event. We didn't need the entire staff available. All of them volunteered on rotation to assist with this, but never all of them asked so they could enjoy their days off and spend time with family. Though those that volunteered were certainly paid over time and perhaps a little bonus if they worked hard enough.

"Come on Dad! The people are waiting!"

"Uncle Papy. They have their drinks now."

"I'm coming, baby bones! One moment!" From the double doors that led back to our kitchen, I saw Papyrus emerge with a large moveable cart for the demonstration. On it was the finished product that was already cooked to first treat the guest to the lovely flavor before showing them afterward how it was made.

We wanted to show many items that often were loved by children that while sweet, would be something you could get down their throats other then the dessert. There were a few kids among those that were here, grandchildren and children to the clients. Or perhaps a stray niece of nephew. I knew that Impact and Eras were thrilled that other children were here that they could talk to.

Papyrus set up in the middle of the room and allowed folks to take pictures of the delectable food he had before him before he began the process of cutting a meal for everyone. All plates were covered in the main course dishes with the dessert set to the side. It was adorable to see the little ones pass out the smaller dishes while Papyrus, I and perhaps two other helpers passed out the main dishes.

Papyrus gave a large grin to the crowd before gesturing to their plates. "There! Now everyone, take a taste and see what you all think!"

"Oh, this is absolutely rich!" One woman cried out as she had the first bite of her food. She near moaned at the flavor before she turned to her husband. "This ham is so moist, rich with flavor!

"Auntie!" One of the kids called out when he ate at the yams on his plate. "This is super yummy! It's really potato?"

Other murmurs began to echo in the crowd. Papyrus seemed thrilled at his dishes being positively accepted by those around him and the kids reflected that positivity too. It was overall a uplifting experience, much like it was every year.

"Thank you everyone! This is my family's favorite four dishes from our large spread at Christmas dinner." Papyrus eagerly welcomed anyone up to his counter with a wave of his hands. "I have plenty more to share, or that we can package up for a leftover meal if you so wish. Then we begin the demonstration of how to create each dish to pull out the best of their own flavors, and how you can enhance on that."

Everyone did as told. Like clockwork they began to stand when their dishes were done. Even the children went back for more of the healthier options compared to just the cake, though that was taken more of as well. When most folks had their fill and the food was all distributed, Papyrus motioned then to follow him.

"Come now, let me welcome you to my kitchen so that you all can see the work that goes into this! I promise that most of these meals are not difficult and can be made easily enough. I will teach you any tip or trick you wish to know, so don't be afraid to ask any questions. Alright?"

Folks flocked with him to the kitchen, the kid of our family nearly nipped at his heels to see what it was that they could help with. While Papyrus took the time to watch the others and demonstrate to the guests, I remained to help with cleaning before working on our finances.

I sighed at the work ahead of me, but was thrilled none the less. With a blooming business, a loving husband, son, and a great family, what else could be asked for?

Later That Afternoon:

"Mommy? Mommy? Are you in the office?"

"Over here Impact. Yes, I'm in the office."

I must have been so engrossed in my work that I never even noticed that the little ones had come to get me, nor the time in which it was. Late in the afternoon, I noticed from the already setting sun on this early December day that the snow was positively glowing in the setting sun's gaze. I took a moment to focus on it before setting down the papers I was working on.

That was enough at least until tomorrow… I had the staff take care of the incoming stock and verified its dates… Papy's other sessions were all covered for… Was there anything else I needed to do before going home?

"Aunt Lilly?"

"Hm?" I lifted my head to the shy looking Eras who hovered closer to his best friend. Eras wasn't normally like that among us all, I was worried for what could be wrong. "What's the matter Eras? Did something happen?"

The little boy at first didn't say anything, but that was when my son piped up quite quickly for him. "Have you heard anything about Arial? Eras has been worried about her all day."

"Oh! That's what you're worried about?" I had thankfully thought to communicate with Angel earlier in the day to see how Arial was doing. "Oh Eras, it's just a little cold your sister has. It's very minor and your sister will be better in a few days. But your mother wanted to keep you and the other little ones safe. Aunt Tori was kind enough to take the younger twins, so only Joker is at home right now with your mother, father and Arial. She's being confined to her room and your father is taking care of her while your mother takes care of your baby brother."

"Oh."

But perhaps that wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear? Eras still has this look of disbelief on his little face. Something else was stewing in the back of his skull.

"Eras?"

It was Impact who called out to his friend, who noticed the same strange look on his face as I had noticed too. The little boy refused to say much until it came to the point where Eras looked back at me point blank.

"She won't die and go to heaven, right?"

"Eras!" I was surprised by the words that came from his mouth. "What in the world do you mean?"

"Aunt Frisk told me once…" The little boy mumbled quietly. "We only have G.G. but not our grandparents because bad things happened. Grammie was sick… that's why she's not here. I… don't wanna loose Arial like that…"

Oh, I was going to have a talk with my sister-in-law when I had a chance….

"No, no, no! Eras! She's perfectly fine! Arial is fine and well and I bet we could convince your father to let you chat with her on the computer if you wanted? Like a video chat?"

"But… why did we lose Grampie, Nana, and Papa? And Grammie too?"

Oh, why did I have to be the one who was asked these questions… I know that Angel gave me a basic run down of what happened should the kids ever ask, but seriously?

"Well… I know that Grampie was a hero. He was a scientist in the labs helping out your dad and Aunt Al. A big fire happened and he was saving other people like your dad and Aunt Al, but couldn't get out in time…" Gosh darn it, I really didn't want to be telling a seven-year-old this! "And as for Nana and Papa? There was another accident. They were protecting your mom and Aunt Frisk. They were heroes too. The only one that got sick was Grammie, and from what your mom and dad told me, she got sick often. But she had a sickness much worse than a cold like what your sister has."

I hoped that with the basic words I told the young boy that he would understand. His little eye brows furrowed and watched me. Almost as if he didn't believe me.

"You promise that's what happened?"

And of course, this little boy was just like his father in the method of promises. Angel had warned me that Sans was hell bent that if you made a promise, you keep it. It wasn't a loose term you threw around like some people did those days. Eras picked up on that from his father and that certainly meant that we had to watch our words a lot more carefully.

With a sigh, I slacked in my chair a bit while I motioned the little boy closer. He slowly obeyed before I pulled in him to my lap. "It's as much as I can tell you right now, Eras. There's a lot of things you don't know and understand, and I will be honest and say there's more to the story for each of your grandparents and how they had to leave us. But it will have to wait until you're older. Okay? When you understand better, I or the others can tell you more."

Eras scowled at the fact that I refused to respond to the promise. "Do you promise to tell me when I'm older?"

I struggled to hold back the groan. "Maybe you may want to speak to your mother about that? I don't want to lie to you say 'I'll promise' if it might hurt your mother or father."

That seemed to resonate with him a bit better. He nodded slowly and left the subject alone then, sliding off my lap and walking back to his cousin's side. Impact pouted at him, eye lights glowing with just a hint of marron coloring.

"Does that mean I can ask about something when I get older too?"

A headache was already forming when my son asked this, but I did my best to smile anyway. "What do you mean Impact?"

"Well…" My son hesitated while he stood there. He looked between his cousin and then to me in hesitation before sucking in a big breath. "Iwannaknowaboutmettatonandwhyshematterstodad!"

"What?" I didn't think I heard him properly from the fast rambling he did. He certainly was his father's son alright. But there was a word in there that worried me… "Repeat that again Impact."

"I…" His low jaw wobbled a bit, bones rattling. "I wanna know… about Mettaton… and why she… matters to Dad…"

Oh, hell no!

"That is most certainly something to ask your father when your older, but in no way shape or form are we talking about that now." I had to put my foot down on these subjects or there would be no end to them. "Where in the world did you even hear about that Impact?"

The boy was startled by my harsher than normal words and shied away from me. I quickly realized my mistake and took a few deep breaths to calm down. I put my work back quickly before I motioned my little boy forward.

"Did you hear it from your father?"

"Not hear, see." Impact said much softer than he normally would. Normal his voice boomed across a room just like his father's. "Dad saw her on TV, and he got really sad. I asked him who she was, but Dad ignored my question…"

"The one thing I can tell you is that we will talk about it one day, but not now. Okay? Please? For your father's sake?"

Impact pouted, but nodded. "Okay Mommy…"

"Good. Now, we should be getting home." I lifted myself from my chair to carrel the boys. "I believe tonight is game night if you two are interested? I don't think Papy wants to have his boney butt handed to him too badly."

Impact let out a few giggles at that and was already in a slightly better mood. But I saw the look that Eras gave me, it was a horrifying combination of Angel and Sans. I swore I could see a red glow in the back of them threatening to show behind those normally lovely ruby orbs.

Oh shit, did I have my work cut out for me…

Witch's Note:

Yikes... that was a chapter. I don't know about you, but how well did Lilly handle the questions from the kids like that? Because those weren't easy questions to handle. Eras asking about his missing family members, his grandparents? That didn't sound great. And then Impact taking notice of how his father reacts around the image of Mettaton.

That's an even worse yikes...

But we also see the kids getting involved in early career stuff that they may be interested in. We already know the oldest boys love to cook, and they seem to get along at least reasonably well with the customers, so hopefully that gives some insight to the future.

And who knows? Maybe those boys will follow in Papyrus' footsteps? What do you all think after reading this chapter?

Anyway, now that we have the cute moments and stressful situations out of the way, let's move onto reviews!

Thechaosmaster: Oh Chaos, while I'm happy that you're happy, my friend, you need more sleep! Take it from someone who lives with an insomniac, I make sure Jager gets a chance to sleep any chance he can. If you're not getting it at night, you need some afternoon naps or something!

Please be careful. You know we care and love you here.

But back to your review, yes, they're out with their relationship and it's so amazing! The relief off of Frisk's shoulders that she no longer has to hide that part of her, but also the entire kingdom has been hoping that she would take over. What an amazing feature.

And I'm so happy to hear that you're getting back into the mood for writing! It's not an easy thing, trust me. I've been working on three or four side projects to keep me going so I wouldn't run out of steam. Don't be afraid to skip a part if you need to for the writing juices to keep going. I've done it plenty of times and I'm doing it now.

But uh... one last thing I gotta ask is why are you and Mystic Boy fighting? Don't think I've seen any bad reviews. Is something going on that I or Mystic Girl don't know about?

Shadow8Phantom: The road Frisk has been on has been absolutely crazy since the beginning in book one until what point we're at now in book two. From the little kid scared of people, to realizing how she had to grow on her own and protect her sister when Angel couldn't protect her, to a bratty, very ill-mannered teen, to recovering from some insane trauma from a very greedy person. And now we're at the near final product. Frisk has recovered so much and learned an incredible amount in the near ten to twelve years we've known her in story to where she is now.

And she will be challenged in a way by Luke in the future. He's always had his fixation on her like a stalker. So we'll have to see how those years of recovering have changed her. We don't know just yet.

And I'm glad you liked the fan girl moment. It just seemed to make a lot of sense with Frisk going into music and doing a special for a new MewMew Kissy Cuite. And the moments between Undyne and Alphys. Sometimes I wish I could give them more time, but that's sometimes a struggle with the way the story has gone and with what has been planned.

Okay, but now you seriously have me worried, both you and Chaos seem to be pointing your fingers at Mystic Boy and I'm seriously worried I missed something. What's going on?

Not A Shady Guy: I always love so much of what you say to me, Shady! And the funniest part is that Frisk is hardly a singer at all! She relies on others to do the vocals while she focuses on the music. I don't know if we ever established why, or if she thought her musical talent was so good because Angel was the singer between them.

But that inner turmoil has always been so fun to write! The literal demons that she's fighting just to hold herself together. And to see it all melt when she realizes it was for nothing that she worked herself up. A demon that didn't even exist. And we'll be seeing more of those issues coming up soon!

MysticBoywastaken: Yes! Yay Frisk! Look at her coming over her issues! It's entirely possible with time. I'm so glad you're enjoying it.

But uh... what's going on between you and Chaos and Shadow? This is so weird... you guys normally don't have any issues between each other, so what's going on? Is everything okay?

Phew! Another chapter done! And I can't believe we have only thirty chapters left! We're getting closer and closer to the ending! I don't know whether to be happy or sad as we come closer to another story ending... It always gives me mixed feelings you know?

Mystic Girl: I get it, I don't want it to end! But we can't stop either, that's not fair to our hard work or the readers who kept with us.

Me: Exactly. So on we go. And the next chapter is gonna be interesting... XD I think Angel is finally gonna kill Sans. Or castrate him! One of the two! If that doesn't give you a guess about the next chapter, I don't know what will!

Love you all and see you next week!

Halloween Witch and Mystic Girl