With how much things had changed, you found that the Ruins changed little at all. But now you had a newfound respect for them. Monsterkind was smart enough to create a labyrinth that would trap vicious humans within, while the rest of them hid away below. You stared, now, at the wall behind the candy bowl, trying to wrack your mind on how Mom had solved the puzzle.

She'd pressed on the old bricks in a very specific order, but the solution still remained beyond you. Pressing experimentally on one of the bricks, you couldn't help but admire the creativity of monsters when it came to deterring threats to their existence. You could've easily imagined yourself getting bored at some point.

But no. Determination kept you going during that time… in those dark corners of your mind, you could only think to just keep going, your ultimate goal forever out of reach.

No! No… you couldn't think of that. You had to think on the places Toriel pressed. After a few minutes of thinking and trying, you found that you couldn't get there by the same way that she went. And you didn't feel like heading all the way back Home to go down the stairwell. You wanted to figure it out. It was as much as you could do, now that you had decided to stay here.

But there was one other place you thought might have the answer. You made your way out from behind the candy bowl room and back down the long hallway, keeping your eyes peeled for any would–be attacks from other monsters. Over the course of your time in this run, you'd found that encounters with others monsters on less friendly terms were… surprisingly few. There was an occasional loox accompanied by migosp. You'd dealt with them before in friendly ways. They were already easy, and your practice against Sans had made it impossible for them to hit your SOUL.

You didn't think that monsters were naturally able to hurt you out of malicious intent. Not unless they were trained to, such as the Royal Guard. It was against the very nature of their own SOULS; even migosps, whose attitude shifted by however many people were around them. You'd remembered reading in the Librarby that Monster bodies weren't made from physical stuff like you were. They weren't flesh and blood. They were pure magic given the illusion of physical form, and their attunement to their SOULS… it made it harder for them to actually do much harm in a physical sense.

You hadn't given it too much thought, but a question now raged in your mind. Could a monster's SOUL be driven by something like hatred? Like disdain? Flowey didn't have a SOUL, he couldn't necessarily count. He just had Determination. But what about Monsters who had lost everything in the War? Gerson, for his age, seemed chipper and cheery, in spite of their dismal situation. Asgore, in spite of likely having high LV, was a broken shell of a monster.

That question continued its circular pattern in your head as you walked across the spike bridge and toward the room with the levers. How was a monster able to hurt people so easily? Perhaps you could've asked Asriel on previous runs. Even with the SOULS of everyone in the Underground, Asriel still felt the capacity to hurt others without hurting his very essence. It was only Flowey that remained after that, though.

When you got to the room with the levers, your thoughts on the matter ceased. You had to focus on what you came there to do. Looking over toward the floor in front of the unmarked lever, you could see what looked like new stones put into place, as though someone had replaced them. They were a slightly off color to that of the dark purple stonework in place.

Your thoughts then shifted to the lever. How could you pull it without falling through the floor? You tapped your chin as you looked around. There was a snail crawling across the floor, a mouse, a conveniently wide chair nearby. At the moment your eyes fell on the chair, you facepalmed. Of course. Why wouldn't some monster leave something like this behind?

It took all your effort to keep from laughing as you grasped the chair's legs and started to drag it.

"Excuse me!" a voice called out. You stopped for a few moments, eyeing the stool with an almost incomprehensibly confused expression. Talking rocks was one thing. Talking chairs was another.

"I was sitting here!" the voice continued. You offered a hasty apology as your SOUL became visible to the monstrous furniture. Pawnstool wiggled its legs threateningly. This was an entirely new monster, utterly alien to you in bullet patterns or stats. Checking was the obvious choice.

Pawnstool, HP 24, AT 1, DEF 40

a sturdy monster with lots of history.

"You're bothering my me time!" the monster called out. You felt the familiar ripping sensation of your SOUL being dragged to the battlebox. Before you had time to process what was happening, a targeting reticle began to beep around you. Your SOUL moved, and before you saw what happened, chair legs burst from the top and bottom.

The attacks reminded you of Sans's bone pillars. This made them easy to dodge, especially considering they weren't nearly as fast. Your turn soon came back, and you took the time to examine your Act options. You could've apologized again, you could've made a joke, or you could've asked about the chair–like monster. You already had a feeling to ask about it, but you may as well have seen what it thought about your sense of humor.

You told a joke — "Why can't a bicycle stand up? Because it's two tired." — it didn't seem to land.

"Back in my day, jokes were actually funny!"

A new attack pattern, this time your SOUL forced to move through several orange chair legs that came in from outside the battlebox. The hit didn't take anything but a single HP from you, but you could feel it after your SOUL returned, like stubbing your toe. Perhaps it was just the joke itself. 'Move away from ones about bicycles,' you thought to yourself. You told another joke.

"I went to seafood disco last week. I pulled a muscle," That one stunk even worse. Pawnstool's AT has increased.

"You call that a joke? It was so funny, I forgot to laugh! Here, let me help!" Your SOUL was pulled, but now in a new color. Instead of red, it was orange. The battlebox gave way to a stage, and magical "Ha"s fell from above. Every time you moved, the platform tilted in that direction, sending you faster. You thought you were about to fall off the edge as the first Ha made contact, balancing out the platform back to neutral.

This was new. All new! It excited you. You'd never met this monster, and yet they had given something entirely different: a new SOUL state. You chose to let the Ha hit you to see how much damage you took. You went from 98 to 52 in a single hit. It was beyond the pale. When your SOUL returned, you almost felt like you had a case of the giggles. You were tempted to tell another joke, but instead, you chose something else.

"Hey, look… sorry. Just… didn't realize that you were a monster." Pawnstool seemed to look remissive for a few moments before giving a disgruntled noise in response.

"Bah, humbug. You're only sorry 'cause y'don't have as much experience as I do." This time, you weren't greeted to an attack, but to a stool in the battlebox, simply standing across from you. It reared itself up like a bull about to charge, before it ran over in an attempt to stampede your SOUL.

You dodged as the stool flew off the platform, tipping it toward its direction before it began to tip back towards yours. You almost fell off again, and this time you bravely moved to charge a new attack stool that had appeared to charge you. Four times this went, with you almost falling off the edge of the last one before the attack ended and your SOUL was thrust back upon you.

You asked Pawnstool about 'his day'. — "Well, what kind of experience do you have? What was your day like?" This time, an attack didn't come as the monstrous furniture responded.

"Well, I've been around a long, long time, friend. I've been around s'long as some of those old farts in the Capital. ASGORE, Gerson, some of those other boss monsters? I've seen 'em, laughed with 'em, seen the sun with 'em." Your eyes widened. Another older monster? If there was anything you could say, it's that you found their history fascinating. But many monsters didn't really know anything about it besides Gerson and Asgore. You went back to your Acts and chose the new option.

You ask about the war. Pawnstool stiffens. — "Heh… you're a strange kid, aren't you? I don't think that's a topic for younger folks. I just came up here for some me time, away from those other monsters." Pawnstool now seemed… quiet. You went to the Mercy option, and chose to Spare him, after it was clear he'd Spared you.

Everything returned slowly to normal from the encounter as the stool sighed.

"Look kiddo, I don't want to tell ya about the war… but I'll give you this piece of advice. Y'shouldn't get too comfy with what y'have. It could all be taken away in an instant." Cryptic and threatening. Why weren't you surprised?

"Yeah… I know that much… would you mind helping me? I wanted to try and get to the Dark Ruins, and this lever's the only way down there I can think of. Pawnstool merely "tck"ed in response.

"Y'ain't that clueless, are ya? There's a safer way. Y'go down from that trap, and you'll end up walking through more traps down there." You nodded in understanding before you gestured back to the monster. "Here. I'll show ya, kiddo." The stool then slid across the floor at remarkable speed, completely dumbfounding you as you were made to follow.

The stool led you back to the entrance of the Ruins, going over the button-tiles in a pattern like an 8. You were confused until you found yourself engulfed in pitch blackness after stepping through.

"Keep goin' straight, kiddo. You'll find yourself Home in no time flat." Pawnstool then slid away, likely returning to the Light Ruins to have his "me time". You could see the barest hints of light now, old magic fire torches that burnt with a low glow, illuminating the gargantuan pillars that held up the ceiling above.

You didn't even have to consider it was magic that allowed the Ruins to be traversed like that. It made it all the more impressive that the monsters had created the entire Light Ruins above to keep people away. There was a certain fear that you could feel in going through here. What if a monster decided to attack you in the dark?

No. You had to keep going. This was something new! The darkness that surrounded you made you initially apprehensive, but you were filled with Determination by the prospect of something new! Through the darkness, a twinkling star cut through it, and you ran over to immediately SAVE. Just the notion of this new place made you want to put on a brave face.

Bravery… it was one of the traits associated with one of the other fallen kids. Was this how they felt? Foolishly delving into the unknown? Probably. But you didn't care. You may have been going into the unknown, but you were doing so as your choice. You were, at this point, beyond the boundaries of the game above.

And that much was clear when you stepped into the Dark Ruins themselves again. The flickering glints of magical fire that illuminated the underground city made it look massive. From the position above, it seemed small. But here? It was overwhelming! Your Bravery fell away for that creeping sense of APPREHENSION. Monsters of all shapes and sizes flitted between the buildings, on streets that, like your first time through, were almost… crowded against the immensely tall buildings, which just seemed to go deeper and deeper into the ground.

You looked over the edge of one of the streets, seeing just how much deeper it went. There was a bare glow of heat far down there. Monsters had dug deep into the Earth, deep enough that they could tap into its very lifeblood. And it wasn't any more clear than here, in the deepest parts of the mountain.

But here, too, it seemed that the monsters were of a rougher crowd. Many of them looked straight out of the 80s, with wicked hairstyles, leather vests, colorful and gaudy suits that clashed heavily with their inhuman appearances. There was even a small skeleton with a boombox walking up one of the streets. Truly, the Underground had such a unique style and place in the world. It was like a blend of all of the pop culture you knew on the surface, all blended into something… truly unique.

Clearly, monsters liked human things. It was evident in the way they dressed, tried to emulate them, tried to build cities like them even in the Underground. It only made it more tragic that many of these monsters never saw the sun, or if they did, that you erased it.

That thought alone was one that made you feel immense guilt. It wasn't that you didn't want them to see it. It was that you… you had other priorities. The pit in your stomach deepened, and you couldn't help but want to turn back.

But you couldn't. If you were going to stay here, trapped with monsters, you needed to know every inch of the Underground. Even what was clearly an unpleasant, rather run down place. That said, even if this place was unpleasant, the monsters didn't seem phased.

In fact, the monsters that you did see wandering in crowds seemed to be enjoying talking to one–another. They were going about their business, carrying bags of groceries back home, talking and laughing, even singing to music playing from nearby boomboxes, likely scavenged from the dump or bought from New Home. Their fate was one of terrible resignation to the dark, and yet they were happy as could be.

They were braver than you'd be in such a situation. Ready to face whatever future was in store for them at the drop of a hat.

"WELL, WELL, WELL. LOOKS LIKE A HUMAN HAS FALLEN DOWN, A LONG WAY DOWN, LONGER THAN MOST OF THE OTHERS." You stopped, frozen in your tracks. "IT'S NOT SAFE DOWN HERE, YOU KNOW. TURN AROUND, PLEASE, SO I CAN GET A GOOD LOOK AT YOU." The monster sounded posh, like he was putting on a front, an accent clearly. You didn't bother to ask any questions, instead turning around. Every new monster was a friend to make, it seemed.

This one, however, wasn't. He stood beyond tall, about as much as Asgore, actually. Dressed sharply in a suit and tie, the tall skeleton had a broad figure that practically took the entire street. His skull sat with a permanent scowl, teeth gnashing as he continued to speak in that forced, posh tone. It reeked of superiority.

"YOU'RE QUITE NEW HERE, AREN'T YOU?" You nodded slowly. "WELL, THAT MAKES TWO OF US, HUMAN. SEE, I'M LOOKING FOR SOMETHING QUITE… DIFFERENT. I'M LOOKING FOR A NEW PLACE TO SETTLE DOWN. I'VE BEEN GONE A TERRIBLY LONG TIME, AND I HAD CONSIDERED THIS PLACE AS RATHER GOOD WHEN I WAS BUT A FEMUR… BUT NOW… I Find It… small. IF YOU WOULD BE SO KIND AS TO HELP A SKELETON FIND SOMEWHERE BIGGER, I WOULD BE MUCH OBLIGED."

The new faces you were meeting through the Underground only made it feel more alive. But you got quite an off feeling about this one. This monster seemed almost too eager to ask for your help. It even knew that you were a human. Most monsters tended to see your SOUL first, over what you were. Going over the options in your head, you considered a thought before snapping your fingers.

"Well… where are you from originally?"

"IF YOU MUST KNOW, HUMAN, I WAS FROM THE CAPITAL! BUT IT'S BECOME SO CROWDED THERE! it doesn't let me think with how loud it is… HERE IS TOO SMALL. NOT AS MANY MONSTERS, BUT NOT AS MUCH SPACE!"

"What about Snowdin?" The skeleton looked almost puzzled, as though he didn't know the place.

"PARDON?" You were about to start explaining before the skeleton hummed in thought, as though he didn't understand you. "hmm... Yes. YES! I SHALL GO TO THIS SNOWDIN! I appreciate your assistance. YOU'VE BEEN VERY, VERY HELPFUL." You nodded in understanding, watching as the well–dressed skeleton walked off… entirely in the direction opposite of the exit of the Ruins. Having helped the strange skeleton… it filled you with Determination, the sound of the SAVE being made in place cutting through the thoughts you had about him.

Surely Sans and Papyrus weren't related to him. He seemed… sophisticated, beyond them. He said he was from the Capital, New Home. What did that mean? The more you wandered around the Dark Ruins, the more you thought on these new monsters, these new characters… Pawnstool and this skeleton.

Was this really something new? Or was there so much more to the Underground than what you had considered before? Well… clearly there was. But wandering around, you'd only seen monsters that you'd met over many, many resets, not really any brand new ones.

"Hey!" The sharp tone cut through the air like a knife, and you paused to look in the direction of the would–be attacker as your SOUL was drawn out.

Loox and co. decided to pick on you! It seemed that now was the time that monsters of the Light Ruins opted to strike. You were willing to make peace, to be friendly with them, until you saw something that you didn't think you'd see. Before you'd even had a chance to ACT, flittering, sparkling things appeared above the monsters. Before you knew it, you watched as the loox & co. ran off under a hail of what looked like… feathers.

The bullets eventually stopped, and into your field of view stepped a new bird–like monster. The grey flecking on her blue feathers gave her an obvious age. But it wasn't like Toriel, who was only weary in her SOUL and eyes. This monster was weary in other ways. Life clearly had dealt her a long and arduous hand, and her feathers reflected that in the white speckling that dotted them as much as her warm, though tired smile.

"Well… I never thought I'd see the day!" In spite of her age, she had a sense of enthusiasm about her that was almost intoxicating. "You're a human! Wow… uh… it's been a while since I've seen one. I had to have been in the Royal Guard the last I saw a human. That was ages ago!" She was a Royal Guard? You tilted your head as she jubilantly tried to keep her composure.

"I thought I saw HER with a human the other day… but I thought I was dreaming! Good to know this old bird brain isn't going crazy yet!" The bird–like monster blinked quite a few times and shook her head.

"Oh! I'm sorry… little old me getting all worked up over… over things that happened ages ago. I'm Martlet," she greeted. "We haven't seen a human down here in a very long time." You didn't answer, instead shuffling a bit away from the monster. While you were grateful for her saving you from an easily–solvable conflict, she was someone new. New was exciting… and it was also terrifying.

"Huh… you're sort of like the other human I met. They were… kind, but stubborn, I guess… But they've been gone a long time. It's still kinda hard to believe how long ago that all happened. That had to have been at least… oh… o-oh, I'm sorry! I get sidetracked really easy, even worse now that I'm older. I hope I'm not rambling." You shook your head in response.

"You're not all that talkative, are you?" You shrugged. Most of the time, you chose to let others speak. It was easier that way, made it easier to make friends. "Well… this old monster isn't unused to that. Haven't had many people to talk to for a while. Would you care to accompany an old bird to the market? I could use some help getting some groceries taken care of. After that, we can find HER, and get you back home in time for breakfast… lunch? Dinner? We'll get you back in time for a meal!" Marlet's chattiness made for an endearing quality; it was always a wonder why you'd never been down here before with people like her. You gave a thumbs up in acknowledgement.

"Awesome!" The old monster seemed to practically jump out of her feathers with glee at the prospect of having company. She then produced what looked like a notebook from somewhere in her feathers; you almost were about to protest against what you would've thought was a new date; but instead, she was shifting through the pages of the book that had been cared for. That definitely wasn't the Dating Manual. The title on the cover read "Royal Guard Procedural Manual Vol. 2"

The thought bewildered you as the monster went through the pages and pulled out what looked like sticky notes to hand to you. Each one had an item on it.

"Make sure you follow that list alphabetically. We don't want to end up getting lost when we get to the store, do we?" she smiled. Martlet seemed like someone that Sans or Papyrus would've gotten along with. Hell, you were getting along just fine, and you'd only known her for what was only a few minutes. Walking into the market, incorrectly spelled MARKER, you found the selection of foods to be more than a little exasperating.

"Okay… let's focus. What's first on the list?" Looking through the sticky notes, you handed one over to the monster.

"Hmm… canned bread. What was I going to get that for? Hmm… Uhh… I–I think… uhm…" It seemed she was having a tough time remembering why. Instead of waiting for her, you took charge and walked down the C aisle, looking between the shelves for canned bread. Canned apples, canned apricots, canned colors. You were bewildered by monsters' tastes in canned goods around here. Eventually, you found canned bread, next to some canned bones.

You put the canned bread in your inventory. You still can't believe they really had it. Returning to the older monster, it seemed that she had gotten herself caught up in talking with someone.

"I swear, it's like looking into a picture. I almost thought that they were —" Martlet seemed startled as you encountered yet another monster who had started talking with her. You didn't think that the Dark Ruins' classic monster vibe could get any more on the nose as you eyed up the obvious vampire. He looked, however, more bat–like in his facial features; the fangs and ears were a dead giveaway, as was the vertical nostrils he had. It wouldn't have been hard to tell he was a monster up close, but most certainly at a distance he could've been mistaken for a human.

"Oh! I apologize. I got sidetracked by my friend here. We go back a long ways. This is Dalv." The monster gave a nod to you, and you gave a thumbs–up before presenting the canned bread.

"I still cannot believe you eat that."

"It's better than the Instant Noodle that we get sometimes."

"So… do you know where this human came from?"

"No idea! But they've quite helpful today! Speaking of, what's next on our list?"

You had spent the better part of a few hours walking through the store to help Martlet on her grocery list. Well… list. It was something akin to a haphazard collection of sticky notes that she kept in her old Royal Guard manual. Every time you came back, there was another monster to talk to. Though it seemed that many of her older friends were gone. It still made for quite the interesting dichotomy.

But she was scatterbrained. Maybe just a little, but age hadn't helped the older monster, clearly. She'd be easily distracted by something else. It wasn't like the puzzles of the other parts of the Underground, but there was some overlapping déjà vu, clearly, as monsters expected help with their issues, or for you to solve a riddle or puzzle.

Though, as you brought back some MTT Brand Frozen Glamburger™ for her from an aisle down, you couldn't help but be unsurprised at who had stopped her this time. Or rather, who she had stopped.

"I swear, I left them just over… oh! Oh, human! Human, over here!" Martlet excitedly called out. You could see Toriel holding a paw to her mouth as she tried to mask concern that you had wandered away from home. You gave a wave and offered to Martlet her MTT Brand Frozen Glamburger™.

"Oh, thank you! You've been very helpful! Here… I know it isn't much, Miss Queen, err… uhh… y–your Majesty, I mean —"

"Just Toriel is fine, Martlet. You have done a wonderful job of helping take care of my child." You couldn't help but give the monster a glare. You could very obviously take care of yourself. "You need not worry about such titles with me." Martlet seemed to relax at the kindness, nodding as she offered t you a hug.

It was odd. Initially, you were tense, Apprehensive at the gesture. But very quickly, it was replaced by a sense of warmth. A déjà vu that you couldn't explain.

"I appreciate the help. I only wish that I didn't get so birdbrained.

"Well… I can't say I didn't find it boring to go around a maze. You monsters always seem to design everything as a puzzle or trap."

"Heeheehee. They love puzzles, Martlet. I am sure that he would appreciate if you had set an actual one up." The elderly bird blinked a few times, looking between you and your adoptive mother.

"Well… uhh… Human? If I see you around again, I could take you to some of the other puzzles around the Dark Ruins." You gave a nod and a small grin in return.

"Frisk… Frisk is my name," you told her. It would be easier to remember than human. "And yeah… that'd be nice. She nodded before departing, giving one final wave goodbye as Toriel politely waited. It was only after she was gone that her voice took on that authoritative, protective tone that you had heard only in front of the door to the Ruins.

"My child… it was not wise of you to wander away from the house. Especially this deep into the Ruins. There are many dangers, many perils that would have awaited you had you not come across Martlet."

"I mean… I wasn't hurt, was I?"

"Well… err… no, but it is still not a safe place for a child. The Dark Ruins are less stable than the Light Ruins above." You puffed out your chest in an exaggerated display to show how tough you were.

"My child… physical damage is different than magical damage. Please do not make me have to ground you on your first day here."

"You don't need to… you… you know I'm strong enough," you pointed out. Toriel looked ready to argue before you wrapped her in a hug.

"I'm sorry Mom… I'll wait for you next time," you sighed. This gesture seemed to placate her worries as the boss monster moved to grasp your hand in a gentle, affectionate grasp.

"Oh, my sweet one… even when you willingly trap yourself here, you yearn for that freedom, do you not?" You gave only one short nod in answer.

"Very well… I encourage you to explore the Ruins in their entirety… but only at your own risk." It was then that the monster reached into her robe and pulled out the old cell phone, practically a dinosaur's artifact by today's standards.

"Here… take this cell phone, Frisk. I would rather have a way for you to get in touch with me to resolve a FIGHT or to SAVE you from harm." That Toriel had placed this much trust in you to act alone, even after it was clear that you needed her as your mother, filled you with newfound Determination. The flickering gold star could wait though. You were too busy grasping Toriel's hand.

"Let's go home Mom…"

Your sleep remained troubled. The second night in Toriel's house was just as hard to get through as the last. And every so often, you found yourself waking up from yet another mention of Determination. It made you sick to your stomach, and you struggled to keep down the food that your matronly protector had cooked.

Something was bugging you, clearly. And this nightmare… it was… disturbing. There was only darkness, a void. And the only thing that occupied it was the outline of a house, like a child's drawing. You recognized the shape immediately. Home… or what was to be home now. Opening the crayon–drawn door, you were greeted to an interior that was still just as black as the void around everything else.

But in front of you sat a familiar figure in a green and yellow sweater, staring down at something on the floor.

Asriel… You approached the young monster, instinctively reaching out before you heard something. It was… whispers. They couldn't be made out, but the way they made you feel was abundantly clear.

You felt your sins crawling over your back.

You made to reach for Asriel, only for the apparition to give a dark chuckle. You recognized that tone, and your sins were the least of your worries in that moment.

"You're a failure." It wasn't in Flowey's voice, but Asriel's. "Couldn't even save everyone right."

"What?" you tried to ask. But the tone was drowned in a new whisper as Asriel turned around to face you. The monster was faceless, his features replaced by a blankness, devoid of nostrils, mouth, or even eyes. Yet he stared into your SOUL.

"What kind of IDIOT can't even SAVE themselves?!" The void seemed to grow around Asriel, and you desperately reached out, trying to pull the faceless monster back from the incomprehensible blackness. It was only then that it was broken, however, by three slashes. Like a child's drawing of a smile, it appeared as three great white slashes leering toward you. The whispers grew to great volume before they became something of substance.

"You're going to die down here, alone and cold, and I'll tear your SOUL from your heart and rip it to shreds!" You startled to wakefulness, hearing something shift from the side of your bed. Reaching for the light, you turned it on, looking around with alarm.

"Who goes there?" you called out. But no one came… Those words would always haunt you… and they did so as much here. You should've been grateful that no one came. But even now, you found that you would've much preferred an answer. However, as if on cue, there was a knock to your door.

"My child? Are you alright? I have been hearing you toss and turn all night." You grasped at your head at this point, not sure how to answer. "Is it alright if I come in? I fear these past two nights here have not been kind…" You almost brushed aside her concern, that was until you looked to the floor. Right next to your bed, there was what looked like a few grains of dirt. It wasn't much, but it gave you the shivers.

It made you realize that Flowey didn't care about what you wanted. He was going to try and torment you anyways.

"Frisk? Please answer me," Toriel begged quietly. At that moment, you knew that you weren't safe. You never would be. You got up from your bed and quickly padded over to the door, creaking it open to look at Toriel. Her face was etched, stony with worry.

"Mom… please don't be worried about me… I'm fine." That worry immediately turned to a knowing glare.

"My child, I do not appreciate being lied to."

"Mom… I can take care of myself."

"I am aware. But you must also be aware that I am here to guide and teach you, to nurture you. You need not hold yourself high for my sake." The pang of guilt told of your thoughts on the matter. "I have an idea. You may snuggle up next to the fireplace with me whenever you wish, for as many nights as you need. I will be there to protect you from whatever it is you are frightened of. Will this be… satisfactory?" You gave the offer some thought before opening the door fully.

"That sounds great… I'll meet you over by the fireplace." Her warm smile only made it clear. It didn't matter if no one came to help you in the moment. Your mom was here now. Everything would be alright.