Fallen Down
“Get out! Both of you! I’m sick, sick of having to deal with all of your bullshit ! Out! Out! Out!!”
Twisting away from the malice, shielding the little child in your arms, you stumble out onto the slick pavement. Light drizzle from the previous rainfall pelts the top of your head as you scramble away from the angry voice, shaking. The bulky figure in the doorway shakes a shadowy hand, a scowl set deep on their features.
“That's what I get for trying to be nice to a bunch of orphans.” The voice grumbles before slamming the door loudly. You wheel around, staring up at the shamble of a house you and the tiny child curled up around you had called ‘home’. For at least a few days, anyway. Not that it had felt like a home.
The allusive comforting term of ‘home’ for you was anything but what you wished for it to be. It was never a permanent thing, as you and the child you held were never wanted anywhere long enough for that word to mean something. All you could say you knew was a house or a place to stay for a while. The sheer magnitude of being kicked out of yet another place (the fifth time, in fact) in the past month weighs a heavy burden on your soul. Letting a few tears mingle in with the light rain on your cheeks, you sniffle slightly. Finally, after a soft sigh, you resolve to continue forward, juggling the child in your arms, and shifting the worn-out backpack more comfortably on your shoulders.
Well, I guess we're out on our own again, Chara . You think to yourself, as the child- Chara- stirs in your arms and clings tighter to you. All this trouble, throughout all of these years… I don’t know how we managed to stay together. To be honest, you didn't even know what had drawn you two together at the first orphanage you had ever been in. Whatever the connection, the string of fate, that it had been, it was strong and unyielding. You, yourself, had entered that first orphanage a bit late of age, only glimpses and fractured pieces of a bitter childhood filled with dark alleyways, horrible, shady people taunting you and metallic surfaces. You grew a few years in that stale, tired environment of that beaten orphanage- far surpassing the age any adoptee would really want to adopt you at. Then, of course, one day Chara had wandered in from the outside world, bitter, cold, and vicious. They were ferocious towards anyone besides you, which was strange- yet as the caretakers assigned you to deal with Chara and the months increased with just the two of you; it felt rather fitting , in some strange way. Chara had also clung steadfastly to you, refusing any offer to be adopted if it meant being separate from you. You suspected some of the very rare adoptees for you that had rejected the idea of keeping Chara had been… scared off by Chara themselves.
It was even stranger because neither of you were from the same family- that you knew of- but you looked incredibly alike. So much so anyone who had been willing to adopt the two of you commented on it, mislabelling you as siblings. Soon, you just accepted it. You were Chara’s elder sibling, and that was that. Sometimes, even, you felt more like a mother. Constantly caring for, comforting and easing Chara’s worries and temper.
Chara had an incredibly quick and violent temper. It was one of the few things that contrasted to your silent, passive and well-adjusting attitude. You two were like night and day.
Which was the reason why many of the homes, shelters, and adoptees soon ordered you to leave. They couldn't handle Chara’s explosive aggression, her endless jealousy and anger of the world. Not to mention they were disturbed by the lack of words, expressions and emotions that you showed to anyone. Both you and Chara were messed up individuals, with pasts neither of you mentioned (but somehow knew) and no one had the compassion or caring to be able to mend the broken parts of either of you.
Which only left you, stumbling around with the cracks in your soul as you tried valiantly to juggle the shattered pieces of Chara’s soul. Your silences grew longer and more pensive until you finally stopped wanting to talk altogether. It was okay though, Chara seemed to do all the talking for you anyway. Besides, you had the language of the hands to use instead. Surprising, Chara seemed to also understand that language very well. It was perhaps another reason why you two were so connected.
“Do we need to find another place to stay?” Chara’s delicately quiet voice rises up from your arms, and you glance down at the red haired, deep ruby eyes of the ruddy faced child. Your own eyes crinkle in concern, as you bite your lip and look away. You slowly nod. The child sighs, “Was it because of me again?” They whisper, something hitches in their voice, betraying the guilt they felt.
You still for a few minutes, wanting to gesture your thoughts but the child in your arms made that difficult. Instead you shake your head, displaying a sour expression before mimicking the natural scowl of the man you lived with for a few days. Chara laughs slightly in your arms, “Yes, he was kind of a sour man.” The child responds, a little happier. You feel relief.
“Can I ride on your shoulders?”
The backpack that carried everything you own jingles up and down, as you jostle the child around to climb up and on top of your shoulders. They laugh as they pull at your hair, causing you to squeak. Chara always seemed to enjoy hurting people a little bit. It made you worry, but Chara never tried to hurt other people too much. She abused you more than anyone else, and that was okay.
“It stopped raining.” Chara announces, and sure enough it was. You motion something with your hands and Chara hums, “It probably is raining somewhere else.” They conclude. Treading down the dark, damp streets you finally reach the large train station at the edge of the town. Keeping a firm balance, you juggle the backpack off your back. Chara digs her nails into your scalp, keeping a firm position on your head. You wince, but say nothing. Instead you fish out the small amount of money you managed to keep saved from the various jobs and other miscellaneous things during the brief time in each orphan home and adoptee house.
You pull out more than you were expecting. You point harshly at the stack of bills before huffing at Chara on your head. They pout back at you.
“So I stole from the guy! He was a jerk! He deserves money stolen from him! He kicked us out!! Not like he wasn't stealing that money anyway. I stole from a stealer!” They protest heavily, digging their nails deeper in your skin.
You sigh, pocketing the money. Your savings probably wouldn't have been enough to pay for anything anyway. You still felt bad for stealing, and resolved quietly to send money back as soon as you could. It was the least you could do. He had sheltered you both for a few days.
Now merely tsking at Chara for their behaviour, to which they give an indignant huff at, you continue your walk to the train station, opening the large glass doors to step inside. With alarm you notice that it looked as if the ticket counter was going to close soon. The ticketeer looks at you with a surprised look as they place the closed sign on the desk with a derisive clack.
“Oh!” The lady gasps, but you notice a small frown marring the corners of her mouth, “The last train is leaving in ten minutes- I’m afraid-”
You rush over, slamming the entire pile of money down, eyes begging. She looks at the money, clearly disoriented. You clapse your hands together, begging profusely. Chara joins in, the plea turning vocal.
“We want to go to the farthest point on the train, please, please let us on.” Clearly distraught, the lady takes in the two of you, picking the money up off the counter. Then she glances down at the cash in her hands. Her hands tighten over it a fraction of an inch more.
“I’m sorry children, but I’ve just closed-” You push the money further into the woman's hand, pleading. Chara seems to pick up on what you wanted to say.
“Take all of the money, please , we want to be anywhere else but here! We’ve got nowhere else to go!” The lady once again looks down at the cash in her hands. Her hand completely clenches around it, before she sticks it in her back pocket. A loud whistle signals in the silence.
“Okay, okay!” The lady concedes, shooing at the two of you to move, “You must hurry then! The train is going to leave soon.” The lady guides you to the docking station, out in the back. Both you and Chara gaze up at the large, metal monstrosity hissing before you. The ticket lady waves and calls to a man who just starts to ascend a small flight of stairs into the train. He pauses, turning around and frowns. He instantly notices the both of you tagging along behind the lady. His frown deepens to a scowl.
“Riley, we’re leaving- I can't-”
“Oh, just take them.” The ticket lady- Riley- snaps out, helping you both onto the metallic steps, “They gave me more than enough cash.” The man growls, as he also allows the two of you to pass by him into the train proper.
“You better give me some of that ticketmoney for letting them on here in such short notice, Riley. You didn’t even give them any stamps. Where are they headed?”
“Oh, like you even care, Arden. They want to go to the last stop.”
“They want to go to E b o t t ? But why ?”
“Don’t care, didn’t ask. And let’s see if you get back in time for any of this extra ticket money .” A chuckle happens. The man barks out an enraged hey , but the whistle cuts off any other remarks.
“I know where you live Riley,” The man- Arden- threatens softly, as the whistle dies down, “Step back now, wouldn’t want that money or your ugly face to melt. Have a good night.” Arden pulls on a small cord, cutting off Riley’s own enraged gasp with another steamy hiss. A large, louder whistle blows in response, and then clanging, banging and groaning noises start. The train lurches forward, causing you and Chara to totter unsteadily in the small, cramped little entry-way. Chara clutches at your legs as the train slowly begins its march forward, hissing and groaning the entire way.
Arden turns to you, sighing in a disgruntled tone, “Go sit down, kids. The last stop isn't for a good couple of hours from now.” He motions to the proceeding area, it glowing a soft light. You take Chara’s hand and walk towards it, settling in the first empty booth you find. Not before you hear the man mutter, “Why you wanna go to Ebott of all places…” The tone is disdainful.
“That was a stupid idea of giving that lady all of our money.” Chara pipes up from the seat across from you. You sigh, shrug and lean your head against the seat.
It was the only thing I could think of doing. You gesture to Chara, who just snorts at you before turning and looking out the window. Shadowy trees fly past, oddly silhouetted by the crescent moon. You watch the scenery as well, vaguely focusing on it as you worry about what to do after you got to Ebott.
“Do you know where we are going?” Chara asks a few minutes later, disturbing you from your thoughts. You shake your head, sighing. Ebott. The name sounded incredibly familiar, but you didn't know where to place it in your memories.
Perhaps you had learned about it in the few teachings the home’s kinder owners elected to give to you. However anything school-related had long since been neglected. You hardly even knew where you were now, let alone where- what - Ebott was.
“Me neither.” Chara sighs, “I hope it’s better than anywhere around h e r e. ” They hiss darkly, fingers curling and nails digging into their skin. You reach over, prying their fingers apart to not let Chara hurt themselves. Instead their nails claw into you, painfully. Chara’s eyes grow bleak, dark and troubled. Like they always did when they were having one of their episodes . They must have been thinking too deeply as they watched the shadows fly past, as you had done.
“Surrounded by such pitiful creatures. ” Chara hisses some more, their voice shaking with fury and malice, “And they don't even comprehend . How awful they are, how detestable and disgraceful . They can't even be kind to other humans! Instead they must be bribed, begged to , and pleaded with.” With a serene calm, you shuffle over and place yourself beside Chara on the opposite bench. Your hand rises up, stroking the top of their head softly, small comforting murmurs burbling out of your mouth. Their nails dig deeper into your skin, drawing blood. A dark chuckle and then an unstable malicious grin forms on their face- one you knew all too well. These “episodes” as you called them, typically contorted Chara into this unstable, darkened state. This frame of mind Chara slipped into was always a dangerous one, and throughout the years you had learned to just try to soothe and quell the storm inside of their mind. You knew that Chara had undergone horrible events in their small, brief childhood- much like yours. It had shaped them into a strange mental being, full of anger and fear and hate. You hoped the mercy and kindness you showed them could help meld the cracks and breaks hate had caused.
Chara continued to rage, quake and broil as the anger kept rolling around in their skull. Hissing words and grinding teeth sunk into your own pale flesh, but it was apart of the routine you had gotten used to. You knew that Chara liked to hurt things, especially in this state of mind. You just hoped they would always have it around you, or else you didn't know what would happen to a stranger. Your connection to Chara and their connection to you made sure that Chara never hurt you too badly.
Still, you kept any weapons away from her at times like these. There had been one horrible experience with a knife you’d rather not repeat. You still had the wicked scar running up your shoulder and neck to remind you.
Fortunately, Chara soon begin to still in your arms. Soon the hate turned into sadness, and suddenly the hands were gripping you in a different way. You continue patting their head, making soothing sounds as they dispelled the rest out as tears. They fell asleep soon thereafter, as the episodes always make them weak and tired. You stare out the window, your own thoughts troubling you once more.
Where were you going, and how could you make the best of this? How could you and Chara continue like this? This wasn't a life, especially for a small one like Chara. A broken one like Chara. Nor yourself, battered and bruised and alone. You didn't know what family meant, what normal and safe and happy meant, and somehow you sensed that was bad. You couldn't continue skirting the darkness forever. You couldn't continue on the edge of insanity and sorrow like this anymore.
The train continued to chug along, and soon it was just you and Chara on the train. Ebott. It was a weird name, and called to you in different ways, tugging at your memory.
Perhaps things could be different there. For the sake of both of you, you sincerely hoped so. You didn't know if either of you could keep up this charade.
The train finally whistles, slowing down. The train man reappears, announcing it was your stop. Scooping the still sleeping Chara in your arms, slinging the backpack on your back, you make your careful way out. You thank the train man, but he huffs at you.
“Still don't know why you wanna come here.” He announces contemptfully. You step out, but find yourself no where near any sort of town. You stand there confused, and turn to look up at the man, questioning.
He shrugs, before pointing to deeper in the forest, “I think the town of Ebott is that way. Like I said, no one ever comes to this stop. No one wants to. I don't even understand why it's here..” With another pull of the string, the train shudders and then makes its way down the track, curving away from the large mountain that was a few miles a head. You look around, sighing. Cradling Chara to your chest, you head out to the direction the man had pointed, hoping that a town was only just beyond the bank of trees.
Perhaps Ebott wasn't going to be what you had hoped. But nonetheless, you were determined to at least try and keep hope on your side. Chara huffs a breath in your arms, snuggling close. They had long gotten used to sleeping in your arms, the amount of moving causing such strains. In fact Chara was so used to it, many times during the first couple of days in a new home, they would crawl into your bed, unable to sleep without the comfort of your arms. In a brief flash, you wish that that wasn't the case. You wished Chara could know how to sleep comfortably in a bed. It was a foolish hope, but maybe… one day, it could be granted.
As light dawns over the horizon, you finally manage to stumble your way out of the forest, exhausted. A little haggard and dirty from your journey, you give a soft sigh of relief- finally reaching your destination. The town was quaint, pleasant and homey. Maybe…. Maybe this could be it. This could be the place. Something deep rumbles within your heart. You felt like this was the place for both of you.
Chara stirs in your arms, but doesn't wake up. Their episodes always made them sleep longer than normal. Yawning yourself from the lack of sleep, you stagger happily through the town, in hopes of locating something like an inn. Finally locating one a little further in the town, you advance to the door. However, a flash of regretful remembrance sears through your brain before you can push your tired way inside.
You have no money . Cursing lightly in your head, you stagger away from the building, desperately looking around for something else. Like a bench, anything to at least lie down on. You were so tired. So tired . Finally locating a bench off to the side of a rather large bakery, decorated to a spider theme, you collapse down on it, positioning Chara carefully on top of you. Finally you can succumb to sleep, and you draw your shirt up to fend off the beginnings of daylight.
A screech and loud murmurs cause you to bolt awake, nearly tossing Chara off of you. They awaken too, and suddenly are huddling against you.
For in front of you was a large crowd. But they weren't a crowd of people. They were a large crowd of… monsters.
At the forefront stood a spider lady, bouncing up and down as her multitude of eyes blinked rapidly at you. The next was some weird frog-like beings, some strange deer like creatures and another assortment of flying things.
“A Human!!” They all cry out, drawing attention to more beings to crowd around. Chara clung tighter, whimpering slightly, apprehensive. You suddenly remember with startling clarity why Ebott had sounded so familiar to you.
It was home to monsters. Magical, mythical beings that seemed to somehow reside alongside humans. These beings kept mostly to themselves, staying within certain areas- one being Ebott and its enormous mountain. Many humans feared and scorned such beings, claiming them dangerous and deadly. All children were reared on the tragic tales of death at the hands of such creatures. Your brief history lessons, of years ago, involved such stories, including the tale of the almost-war ; the supposed beginnings of tensive, violent acts from both sides to an accumulation towards a deadly war between them. Nonetheless both sides had backed off before anything serious had happened. The monster had moved away quietly, secluding themselves from the eyes of humans after that series of incidents.
It's no wonder why the train man was questioning why we would come here. You think to yourself, shuddering. What were these monsters going to do to you? Would they kill you? Eat you? Take your soul? Apparently soul stealing was something monsters did. At least according to the few childrens history books you have a suddenly clarity of reading when you were younger.
A large, burly red-haired fish creature comes storming through the throng. Pulsing green spears hum in her outstretched hands, as metal armour clangs a deathly, dull sound. You let out a quiet scream as the fish lady growls at you. You hear Chara hiss a reply back, but it's subdued and quiet in their own congregation of panic.
“Humans ! What are you doing in our town? I won't let you hurt a single soul!” The fish lady shouts, ploughing one spear into the ground in an act of strength. Her body settles into a fighting stance, the other three spears shimmering as they align around her skull to point directly at you. Her eyes glint dangerously, the intent clear on the fact she wishes to impale the both of you. You clutch Chara tighter, eyes growing wide with unconcealed panic.
“Wait! Undyne! You must stop!” Another large creature trots into the scene, however her demeanor is vastly different. Soft white fur covers her entire body, a regal purple dress adorning her all the way down to her ankles. A large, unique symbol shimmers on the front of it, as they lady holds open a steady palm towards the fish creature. Caring, gentle eyes greet the two of you, as she orders the fish lady- Undyne- to lower her swords with a firm, unyielding tone.
Undyne scowls, reluctantly conceding. The pulsing spears disappear with a pop .
“Miss Mayor.” Undyne grumbles, giving a polite nod, however still managing to scowl and cross her arms.
“Miss Mayor.” the crowd rumbles, respectfully and polite. The lady, who looks very much like a upright goat, gives a warm smile to the two of you. She extends a hand, but you flinch at it. She continues to extend her hand, undaunted.
“We shall not hurt you, children.” She says demurely, her kind eyes crinkling. Slowly, with Chara still clutching your midsection, you take her hand and stand up. All the monsters whisper and mumble, but you focus instead on the kind goat monster.
“My name is Toriel.” She offers generously, “And I am the Que- wife of the Mayor of this town.” You tilt your head at the awkward mistake Toriel had stumbled over, unsure of what she was trying to mean by it. You motion with your hands, but Toriel merely looks at you weirdly. You sigh, and tap Chara.
“I’m- I’m Chara.” They supply shakily, “And this is Frisk. They don't really speak much.” Toriel bends down to smile at Chara, and Chara blinks at the kind expression, growing sheepish.
“Hello, Chara. Hello, Frisk. It is pleasant to meet you both. But what has brought you here, to our little town?”
“You better not be here to cause any trouble you PUNKS!” Undyne explodes from beside the mayor's wife. Toriel calms her down with a simple look before addressing the two of you again.
You motion something, but give up as you realize that the monsters didn't exactly understand. Well, the language of hands was a human language anyway, you suppose. You were surprised that monsters seemed to understand common human language anyway. Didn't they have their own language to speak?
“Oh, I am sorry young one. I have not seen the language of hands in a long while. I am… afraid I have lost most of it.” Toriel says sheepishly. You frown. Or perhaps not. Maybe they do know?
“I can translate for Frisk.” Chara supplies, “We came from far away, on a train. We were… well we were not wanted in our home anymore.”
At this Toriel gasps, “Oh how dreadful!” She says, sympathy swelling in her eyes at the two of you. You shrug. Chara supplies, “We’re used to it.”
And then suddenly Chara’s stomach grumbles. Loudly. They look down, almost offended by the sound. Toriel muffles a little bit of laughter.
“Come now, dear children, I will bring you to my house. I would like to hear the rest of your tale. My husband and a few others remember the language of hands much more than I do. We can bring them around to translate as well.”
“I can do it just fine!” Chara pouts, but Toriel merely smiles down at her. She calls to all the surrounding monsters to go back to what they were doing. The humans were not harmless, to which Undyne snorted at, and Toriel continues to say she is bringing them to her home. She asks for Undyne to send out instructions to a Sans and Papyrus to be at her house as soon as they could. Undyne glares at you and Chara before agreeing begrudgingly. She claims she and Alphys will go as well. This Alphys was smart, she knew the language of hands too. Toriel merely responded that the more company was merrier. Undyne rushes off, not without warning glares in your direction.
“Come now children, let us go.” Toriel tries to take Chara’s hand, but they refused and clung steadfastly to yours. Toriel looks at you, and you offer your palm in response. She smiles graciously and takes it, leading you to deeper into the small, bright town.
Many of the monsters watch you with wary eyes, but they were not malicious. Some were even curious. Suddenly, you come upon a rather large, homely house. A large bed of golden flowers swarms it on both sides, adding a pleasant fragrance. A smaller goat monster frolics in the golden sea, but looks up excitedly to see Toriel. He sports a orange and green striped shirt, with blue shorts.
“Mama! Did you get me the spider donuts?” The child chippers excitedly, before slowing as he notices the people trailing after his mother, “Mama, who are they?”
“My little Asriel, these are humans. I am afraid they distracted me from getting you your treat.” At this the young one pouts, but is much more curious over the humans to really dwell on the lost treat. He trots over to Chara, them being the same height as him. He smiles, but Chara merely hisses back. He staggers away from her, shock on his face. You make a low note of warning. Chara apologizes slightly. All of you continue into the house, Toriel calling out for her husband.
“Asgore, dear, we have guests!” Toriel calls out pleasantly, offering both of you a seat on a plushy couch. You carefully take it, Chara melding against you. The little goat child stands off to the side, gaze curious.
A large lumbering goat figure comes into sight, and he blinks at the both of you. He wore a rich, regal purple and gold cloak. It swathed a darkly coloured undershirt and pants. You all share an apprehensive, wary gaze before suddenly a large grin appears on his face, “What luck! We have guests!” He announces pleasantly, “Would you like some tea? Cakes perhaps?”
You are taken aback by his friendly nature and pleasant demeanour. In fact, this whole thing was rather strange. Were monsters not attacking you? Stealing your souls? What was with this veiled niceness? Chara too, was troubled and hesitant. They clung to you, their nails biting.
“I don't understand what's going on.” Chara whispers to you. You give a small affirmative squeeze back. You didn't either. How come they were not being vicious?
After all, everyone else they had ever met was and humans claim that monsters were the more violent of the two. You were expecting death upon the mere breath of the name of human.
Toriel comes into view, two steaming plates of pie in her claws. She sets them down on the table in front of them with a flourish. The pie smells heavenly.
“Please, dear children, eat!” Chara looks up at you, their expression pained. Their stomach growls, louder now. You hesitate, picking up a small chunk of the pie. You look at it worriedly, before placing it in your mouth.
Its delicious.
Chara watches you with observant eyes as you swallow the small bite. You give them a huge smile, and Chara seems to squeal with a fervor of the young child that they were. They pick up the piece of pie, stuffing bits of it into their face. You had never seen them so animated.
You feel suddenly sad you had not been able to provide them with such food for the happy look on their face. Toriel seems to beam at Chara, radiant that her pie was being consumed with such vigor.
“Eat some more, elder child. There is plenty.” At this, the young goat child tugs at his mother's dress. He asks for some pie as well. Toriel relents, and soon both the young goat child and Chara are eating across from one another. Chara doesn't seem to mind.
You also take a few more bites of the delicious pie, but its creaminess is too much for you to handle. Toriel worries over you, but you shake your head. The pie was delightful… you just weren't… used to pie. Toriel hovers around you, before announcing she was going upstairs to prepare something. Asgore stands quietly at the side, content in the act of just studying the both of you. Minutes pass, the only sound the munching of pie from the two young children. Chara notes your incompleted pie slice and demands to eat it for you. You offer it to her graciously. Toriel descends back down the stairs, looking pleased.
Suddenly a large bang bang bang breaks the silence before a huge crack happens. The fish-lady- Undyne- comes barging in, her green spears twisting about her form as other interesting monster creatures shuffle behind her.
A yellow, rather cute portly lizard lady follows behind Undyne, pushing up the spectacles slipping down the flat of her nose. Two other unique beings- actual moving skeletons of all things- saunter in behind them. They all shuffle awkwardly into the side of the room, standing beside Asgore and Toriel.
“Where are the PUNKS! IF THEY HURT ANY OF YOU, WHY I’LL-”
“Undyne pluh- pluh - please calm down! The Kin- eh, Mayor wouldn't let that sort of thing happen!”
“WHERE ARE THE HUMANS? I WISH TO KNOW WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE!”
“so, uh, Tori and Gori, why we were called here?”
You stare at the group of strange individuals, another bite of pie you had deftly scooped from Chara dropping from your fingers to splat onto the floor. You blush, as the attention fixes to you. In your mangled embarrassment you gesture out a quick I’m sorry, I’ll clean it up, and hurriedly bend over to pick up the mess.
You didn't notice that a hush had fallen over the monsters.
“THE HUMAN KNOWS THE LANGUAGE OF THE HANDS?”
“tori what are you playing us for?”
“Ha-Ha-How is this possible? I-I-I thought only-”
Suddenly an ear-piercing scream resonates in the air. Chara had finally looked up from their meal, only to find themselves staring at two gangly, skeleton like beings. The fear tightens in their face, scurries down their spine and rips out their throat.
You startle at the sound, bringing your arms around Chara. Patting, you motion with your hands that these were all friendly. They won’t hurt you . You try to calm Chara down, but they merely scramble and shudder against you. Their eyes are locked onto the strange skeletal creatures. They, too, had given you quite a start but they hadn’t seemed malicious .
But something different, distant and vague is in Chara’s features as they scream, yell and cry out at the sight of the skeletons. Nothing was able to soothe them, no comfort could make the fearful screams stop.
“Don't come near me again ! Don't hurt me again ! Please s t o p.” Chara scrambles away, before hopping out of your attempted embrace and around the table. They flinch away from the skeletal beings, and then dash out the door in a fit of panic. Everyone looks at everyone else, before you leap off the couch, and bound out the door behind Chara.
You find them curled tight against the flowers, sobbing. No doubt not being able to run very far in their panic.
“ He's going to hurt me again. The man that speaks in hands is going to hurt me again.” Chara breaks out on a whimpering scream. You gather them in your arms, hushing them with your soft murmurs. However, something that Chara said disturbs you. The man that speaks in hands , sinks and drifts around your mind like a bad dream. You couldn’t place why that description gave you such bone-trembling chills, but it did. The cracks in your soul pulsate wildly, crimping and sizzling.
The man that speaks in hands had done something very wrong to the both of you.
Toriel rushes outside the house, frantic and worried. She looks down to see Chara scrunched tightly in your arms, eyes shut tight against the nightmares tumbling about in their head. You look up, feeling slightly bleak yourself.
“Oh my, poor little children.” She says in hushed tones, crouching down to hug the two of you. Chara hisses, but Toriel stays firm, “It looks like terrible things have happened to the both of you, and your souls.” Her soft fur presses gently against your face. She pulls back, giving you a firm but comforting look, “Don’t worry, none of us shall hurt you here. You are free to stay with us, as long as you like.” You smile blandly at her, before looking down at Chara, still immobile and constricted against their inner demons, “You do not have another home in which to return?”
You shake your head, motioning with your hands a few curt sentences. Toriel stares at the actions, and you try to repeat them slower. Her brows scrunch together, in slight understanding, but she sighs, “I’m sorry, my child, but I am afraid that language is still hard for me to grasp-”
“the kid is saying that they were kicked out of their recent home. fled on a train. no one has ever wanted them.” You snap your head up to see the smaller skeleton of the two that had been in the group. Chara grips your thighs in a painful way, their nails digging deep into the flesh. You hear a pained grunt come from Chara’s mouth, as they tighten further into the ball they had tried to form.
You turn around to give the skeleton wide gestures with your hands. You and the other skeleton should probably leave. Chara… is… unsettled by your presence. The skeleton gives a curt nod to your suggestion, calling out for a ‘Papyrus’. The deep sockets of his eyes focus on you, a small blip of white light- you presume his equivalent of a pupil- focused heavily on you. His features are carefully sculptured; He was guarded, yet curious. Something dark and strange flickers around his twitching skeletal mouth, the smile only etched onto his face for reasons unknown.
“YES, BROTHER?” The taller skeleton- Papyrus- bounds out of the mayor’s house, “AH, BIG HUMAN AND LITTLE HUMAN!” He says pleasantly, greeting you in an absurdly weird fashion. You nod curtly. The shorter skeleton informs him that it was time to leave.
“BUT SANS! I WANTED TO CONVERSE WITH THE BIGGER HUMAN! THEY SEEM TO KNOW THE LANGUAGE OF THE HANDS! DON’T YOU WANT TO KNOW WHERE THEY HAD GOT IT FROM?”
The smaller skeleton still looks at you oddly, a mixture of confusion, anger, distrust and curiosity a strange meld, “of course i do, but i think questions can wait.” Both of them stalk off, Papyrus complaining and pouting all the while.
Chara seems to relax as the two skeletons disappear towards the town. Toriel hums and haws, but Chara merely shakes their head at her. You get up, Chara refusing to be let go or placed on the ground. You sigh, and adjust yourself to carrying them back into the house. You greet the other two monsters in the group at the doorstep.
“What was that about?” Undyne mutters to you, eyeing the two of you strangely. Her spears were now gone, but in place of them was a single thin line of her mouth. The lizard creature flutters behind her, looking worried and perturbed as well. Questions shiver in the depths of their eyes. You shake your head, not willing to answer- or possibly even knowing the answers. Chara offers no explanations either, unrelenting in her own curled silence against your chest.
Toriel ushers the two out, waving a polite goodbye, before turning to you and apologizing.
“If I had known the skeleton brothers were such a fright to the young one…” She starts, but you just sigh, shaking your head. You, honestly, hadn’t known either, “Well, lost ones, I wish to show you the rooms I have prepared for you. We rarely have guests, but have always been prepared in case any come.” To this you thank Toriel, ascending the small flight of stairs, with her leading the way. Toriel motions to a door down the hall, before she descends the stairwell. She calls out on her way down that if you needed anything, do not hesitate to call.
Entering the room Toriel pointed to, you sigh as you note a rather large twin-sized bed. On the other side of the wall was a wooden desk and a window with beige curtains was right in front. It showed a nice view of a generous lake and a shrouded forest, as well as the gentle incline to the moutain that loomed over the town. Gently, you place Chara down on the bed. They yawn, tired already. Do you wish to take a nap? You had a big scare today. They frown at you, seemingly offended.
“I am not so weak as to be tired after that .” They huff angrily, but they yawn once more. You smile at them, dumping the bag at the foot of the bed. I don’t believe we have gotten that much sleep in the past few days. You continue on, Perhaps you are still tired from that? It’s been a tough 24 hours.
“You mean you didn’t get that much sleep.” Chara retorts, “I’ve slept just fine. Are you going to take a nap? Because if you are…” They trail off, their tone of voice sounding a bit hopeful.
You smile again, to yourself, and produce a yawn. Rubbing your eyes, you motion for Chara to move over. Yes, I am pretty tired. Shall we nap together? Giving you a more than relieved, delighted look, Chara rolls over on the bed. As soon as you situate yourself, Chara immediately curls up in your outstretched arms, sighing.
“Ah… those skeletons… do they remind you of anyone?” Chara whispers in the silence. You shake your head. No. They sigh at you, wiggling around to get more comfy, “I didn’t think so.” They respond sadly, closing their eyes and yawning once more. Within minutes, they fall asleep. You try to fall asleep as well, but it evades you. As it always does the first time in a new place. Not to mention it was still early morning. You get up, the intent to close the curtains to lose some of the light. You do so, but still find yourself not in the mood for sleep. Your stomach growls. However, as you pass the bed, you note the pained look on Chara’s sleeping face. They groan, fists clenching.. I’ll be back in a minute, I swear. You think to the poor child. They must still be thinking about what they saw in the skeleton monsters.
Food, and then you would return. Perhaps something more than the thick sludge of pie in your belly would make you lethargic enough to sleep.
You totter your ways down the stairs, and find the small goat child playing on the floor. He had strange flower-like dolls, among other weird things, and he looks up at you suddenly.
“Oh!” He says, standing up. You blink at him. He looks past you, up towards the rooms, “Is the little child sleeping now?” You nod your head, “Are they okay? Are they afraid of skeletons?” He questions you. You scratch your head, shrugging. You didn’t know.
“Oh dear! Elder one! What is it that I can provide for you?” The voice of Toriel floats towards you, and you look up. Instead of gesturing with your hands, you rub your belly.
“Are you still hungry, dear child? Do you wish to have more pie?” Eyes slightly wide, you shake your head. Something less… desert-y . You gesture towards her. She squints her eyes at you, trying to decipher what you meant. You go slower, “You wish to have a proper meal?” She finally asks. You nod your head, relieved, “Of course, dear child! I shall be happy to make one for you. Come, sit down at the kitchen table. My dear Gory is taking his morning tea right now. Your arrival has off-set schedule a bit. And I feel he wishes to converse more with you.”
Graciously you follow Toriel into the kitchen, settling into the dining table just off to the side. The young child follows you, settling into a smaller set that places itself just beside the large, goat-like man. Asgore, the mayor. You nod your head in greeting as he looks up from his tea to smile at you.
“What is your name, child? I am afraid I do not know it yet.”
Frisk . You sign, hoping this monster had more comprehension than his wife. His eyes crinkle.
“Frisk, an interesting name. And the young one?”
Chara.
“Ah. Let me introduce myself formally. I am Asgore, King of- ahem . Mayor of the small town of Ebott. I wish to welcome you into my home, but I see that Tori has already done that for me.” He chuckles slightly, “This fluffy little man is my son, Asriel.” Asriel pipes up a little hello in your direction, fingers drumming on the table. You smile down at him, waving. He looks as young as Chara . You comment to yourself.
“Frisk human, I wish to know of your purpose in coming here,” You blink back up at the mayor, before biting your lip. He frowns at you slightly, “This question is not meant to trick you. Very rarely do humans come here, and yet when they do… many of them have not had nice intentions . I am even more curious, because you seem to know a language that I thought a few monsters only knew.”
Asgore, sir, you gesture, trying to instill a formal and polite grace to your hands, please believe that we are not here to hurt you! Truth be told, I had forgotten Ebott was a refuge of your kind until I stepped foot in it. Chara and I were just wishing… to escape towards a better place. It seemed the farthest we could get to would perhaps hold out hope for us.
“Yes. My wife did mention that both of you seemed… unwanted by your own. She also says you have no parents to return to.”
Yes. We are orphans. Though, if you wish, we can leave here as well. I only beg that perhaps I can stay long enough to garner enough cash to sustain us for-
“Nonsense!” He bellows out, startling you, “My wife has welcomed you to stay as long as you wish, and I want to extend that invitation. You both can live here, with us. We have the room.”
For some reason, tears prick at your eyes. You hadn’t realized how much you were hoping for their acceptance until you received it. You rub your eyes hurriedly, trying to remove the wetness before it cascades down your cheeks. Gratitude and relief makes your hands tremble as you thank the mayor for his kindness. I promise you we have no intentions to hurt anyone. You repeat, over again.
He smiles widely at you, “Yes, out of the many humans I have met in the years, I feel that you are one of the most sincere.” Your smile trembles on your lips, as you bow your head. You sniffle.
I really cannot thank you. You all seem so nice and warm. I hope… I hope we can stay here for a while.
Asgore gives you a booming laugh, as Asriel smiles up at you, not quite understanding. Toriel steps in, a lovely golden-brown breaded sandwich on the plate.
“I am sorry if it’s not what you wanted. Sandwiches are relatively simple foods everyone likes-” As a thank you , you impulsively hug the mother monster. She gasps, but hums happily at you, “You’re welcome.” She says fondly. You eat the sandwich, gesturing to the mayor to give her your praise. He beams at you, repeating the words to his wife happily. She blushes.
“Daddy, can you teach me that hand language too? I wanna be able to speak to Frisk!” He pouts at the end of his request, and Asgore affectionately rubs his head.
“Of course son. I think we may have to undergo a teaching lesson for all the monsters. A nice refresher for some, I know. After all, can’t have the young Frisk here not being able to communicate with others!”
Oh, it’s okay! Chara normally does the translations for me. Please, do not go to the trouble!
“It’s no trouble at all, young Frisk. I imagine I know a nice, energetic lad more than happy to be able to help, not to mention his lazy, elder brother will be dragged into actually doing work.” He chuckles, but you just tilt your head, not understanding. He only chuckles more.
“Yes, dear child, please do not concern yourself with worries. Once everyone gets to know you, they will be more than eager to be able to converse with you. I know I wish to refresh my memory so I do not have to rely on my husband all the time.” Toriel states, as she sits down beside you.
“Mama, do you think we can take lessons together? That way you can be my classmate, instead of my teacher!”
“Of course, my child, we shall learn together. Although I am not too sure Sans and Papyrus can handle teaching others. I think perhaps you and Alphys will be better instructors. Besides, I think Alphys could use it to… help with her anxiety.”
“Very true, my dear. I was already thinking of offering my knowledge, but I had not thought of Alphys. Still, we must bring along those boys. They are, after all, the most proficient at the language.”
Toriel sighs, “Yes, I guess you are right. It’s not that I do not believe they can do it, but… you know Papyrus is very… energetic. I doubt he can focus long enough to teach anyone. And Sans… well, I hate to say it-” A smile twitches on her lips, and suddenly Asriel is groaning mom don’t, “but he is a pile of lazy bones.” At that Toriel bursts into a fit of giggles, and Asgore is chuckling slightly. Asriel is moaning into the table, and you're sitting there slightly confused. You didn’t understand the joke, if there was one. So you quietly continue the rest of your sandwich, offering to wash the plate once you had finished. Both Toriel and Asgore decline. Suddenly, a wave of sleepiness hits you. You make your excuses and claim to want to rest.
You manage to totter your way up the stairs, and find yourself staring at the still, peaceful form of Chara on the bed. The pained look on their face was gone, and they looked… they looked serene. Something drips onto your arm, and you raise your hand to discover you were crying. You laugh softly, quietly, the sound weird to your ears. The tears continue falling, and you just feel so safe here , and Chara looked so much better . Everything felt right, there was no yelling, there was no dampness. Everything was shiny, bright, and almost… happy . The feelings overwhelm you, the tiredness catching up quickly on the heels of tranquility, and you nearly collapse on the soft bed. Chara awakens at your movements, and curls up in your arms once again. You close your eyes, sighing happily.
“Monsters are nothing like what I heard about them.” Chara supplies in the darkness. You nod your head, muttering an affirmative sound. You still feel the wetness in your cheeks, unable to stop crying.
“It’s just like humans to lie and make everyone else look bad.” Chara grumbles. You laugh slightly, trying to wipe more tears of relief off your face. Chara looks up at you, a small frown marring their features as they touch your cheeks gently. You shake your head against the question in their eyes. Chara snuggles up closer to you.
“Do you think we’ll finally be happy here?” Chara asks in a soft, quiet voice. It sounds almost too distrustful against the hope singing in the depths of their tone. You laugh again, a softer one, and rub your chin affectionately against their scalp. They squeak, pinching at you, but a smile plays on the corner of Chara’s mouth, “Me too.” They respond to your answer, closing their eyes with a happier look on their face, “Me too.”
I feel like we could really be happy here. Maybe we have finally found a place to belong.