fox-household

[fox-household]

Act 5: The Countess’ Request, Chapter 1

This is short. Short chapters are a thing, makes life easier for me. Year 12 hard. Not much else to say. Though this ended up making me really sad for Sci, something I never realised for him. Anyway finally she’s here after all this time, it’s rude to keep a countess waiting after all. 

FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT, INFO

‘’Asgore, wrench please.’’, Sci’s voice came from under the sink, reaching his hand out behind with even taking a glance. The sound of metal clanging was quite the invasion of everyone’s eardrums as the kid rifled through the unorganised toolbox, finally pulling out the aforementioned tool and handing it to the skeleton. ‘’Thank you’’. ‘’Soooo… you just want to use one of your few days of spare time to go around fixing things, do you ever stop working?’’, Asgore asked curiously, partly to hide the boredom of only being there to pass tools to the other. ‘’Well yeah kid, just want to help out and might as well do that with the excess of energy I’m feeling at the moment. Besides, didn’t you come here to help Al fix up the place?’’, His tone was one of amusement that only went along with his casual humming as he worked. ‘’That’s true I guess, just it turned out there was a lot of stuff that I couldn’t do… apparently cleaning didn’t end up fixing everything.’’ ‘’Well some of it is to dangerous for a kid like you, electrical sutff for example, which is my next project.’’ Asgore’s brow furrowed, ‘’I don’t believe you’re allowed to do that either’’ ‘’Says who?’’ ‘’Al did’’ ‘’She did not say that’’ ‘’She did too, I heard her yesterday, ‘leave it to me or someone with more electrical expertise’ were her words exactly I believe’’. Sci groaned and moved out from under the sink to look at Asgore with a slight grouchy look, ‘’Well why the heck not, I work in a state of the art lab, I work with tech that surpasses home electrical systems, I have dealt with things beyond the comprehension of those that built this. I’m sure I can damn well change some wires around in the wall, just watch me.’’ The kid’s face was doubtful, but he decided it was best not to argue. Any argument he could’ve had would have been interrupted anyway as a phone went off, Sci’s mobile device on top of the kitchen bench let out a rather jazzy ringtone. Sliding a small distance away from the sink, Sci then stood and picked up the phone while Asgore moved to check under the sink himself. He sighed as he found it was a blocked number, should he even answer such a secretive call? Though he soon found it was more of a question about whether or not his curiosity would forgive him if he didn’t answer. Finally, with a determined acceptance, he answered.

‘’Hello, whose this here?’’ ‘’Oh hello Sci, it’s been quite a while’’. The caller was that of a woman, her words sounded like they were carefully chosen, yet her voice was lathered with an alluring feel, a girl that most definitely wanted something. Though it wasn’t surprising considering who the voice belonged to as it also came with a sense of dread and cold chill down his spine. ‘’…Hello Muffet… Underkeep right? what brings you calling?’’, his tone was dull and tempered, he had to keep his feelings in check, what type of trouble could he possibly be in? It had to be Keep! Muffet because she called him Sci, anyone from his universe knew him as Sans. ‘’Would you look at that, did you research me after all this, that’s quite sweet of you. It’s a real shame isn’t it? We became quite friendly back in those old days, but then we lost contact. Should’ve really done something about that I think’’. The voice on the other end didn’t change disposition at all. He could only believe she was lying, after the incident he was sure she cut any sort of contact with everyone, at least he hadn’t heard of anyone talking to her or even knowing where she was, at least that’s what the others told him. What on earth was he saying, it didn’t matter, why did he even care that much two years ago? Why did he even feel the need to wonder where she went? Muffet was talking to him now and he had to focus, who knew what scam she was going to pull on him. ‘’Yeah for sure, but what’s the real reason you called?’’ ‘’Well that’s rude of you, why must you be so blunt? I’m quite astonished that even you’re showing signs of being a ruffian.’’ ‘’…Muffet...?’’, there was barely an effort to contain the bite behind his word, something he felt he was going to regret with the coming short silence, luckily for him it seemed nothing truly came of it. ‘’Well you see Sci, as much as I feel embarrassed and vulnerable to say this, and you know I hate both of those things, I need a place to stay. I need a roof over my head. I need a place to… crash as you folk say’’. ‘’What?! No, that’s not happening. You can’t stay here at all.’’, He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, she wanted to stay with him? Why? Was he dreaming? No it didn’t matter, if she came it would put his substance use at risk, he couldn’t afford her to be here, any other reason be damned. ‘’Oh really? Let’s not be unreasonable here! Isn’t it nice to be helpful to a friend in desperate need? A few months is all I really want.’’ Her tone suddenly became a little more aggressive, a sense frustration was pervasive. ‘’No, no, no. You’re not taking a step in here, especially not one lasting that long. There’s no way you’re in desperate need, surely you have others to stay with’’. ‘’I called you because out of all the people I know, I deemed you the most reliable and the one who’d most likely take me in.’’ ‘’Well sorry, but you don’t just god damn ignore any sort of contact from someone for two years and then show up asking for a home.’’, a small amount of personal anger seemed to come out of the general annoyed tone through that sentence There was silence on the other end and then the tone on the other end changed to a tone he couldn’t quite recognise, something closer to confusion and concern, something so very unlike Muffet, ‘’What are you talking about Sci… why were you trying to …?’’ ‘’You know what just stop… ugh, it’s not like I could invite you anyway even if I wanted to so better luck next time.’’ Her voice returned to normal except it was a little more serious in nature. ‘’You can’t, why is that?’’ Sci cursed himself for letting that be known and even more he cursed the sudden stroke of bad luck that came in the form of Asgore speaking. ‘’Sci, you alright there?’’, the goat’s concerned look would’ve been touching in any other circumstance if it wasn’t for the spider on the phone. ‘’Was that Asgore?’’, she asked curiously, a rising volume of glee was appearing in her voice. ‘’Yes, thank you, I’m alright’’, he then went back to putting his attention onto the call, ‘’Maybe it was it doesn’t matter.’’ ‘’Ahuhuhuhu~ I think it does matter very much, I think that was a very a valuable piece of information. I’ll be seeing you soon, have a nice day dearie’’. ‘’Wait Muffet don’t.’’, but by that point it was to late and she was gone. ‘’What’s happening, is someone bothering you?’’, Asgore stood up next to the skeleton, wondering what was going on. ‘’Yes, I suppose you could say that… appears like trouble might be coming.’’, Sci sighed, being left wondering what to make of Muffet’s declaration.

[fox-household]

D&D Shenanigans #1

So here’s this thing that regrettably took ages, my apologies, just wanted to write some fluff and it took me ages to get through, not sure why I found it so hard. But yet it was still enjoyable. Hope this thing is enjoyable to you to. Doubt I’ll be doing one again for a while, even when we get the others in. I’ll put character sheets down at a later time when I get around to it. Have a good day. P.S: Because I did like half of it on my phone the formatting on the start looks very, very different. Instead of changing it, I’m going to keep both formats in and I want an actual opinion on which you think reads better because I think I’ve seen people use the first one before, so please let me know if you will. 

Sci and Asgore both stopped dead in their tracks as they walked into what had been the dining room, not expecting to find the table they were used to eating on to be so different. The table in question was now covered in a purple tablecloth that reached to the floor, the edge of it having rune symbols sown into them with gold thread, the same had been done to the very centre of the cloth with a larger circle like symbol. Alphys was sitting at the end of the table, peering at them from under an emerald cloak that matched her eyes. In front of her on the table also stood a Dungeon Master’s screen that hid her notes and dice from sight, on it was an illustration of a group of adventurers surrounded by undead spirits of various descriptions. Alphys’ expression turned worried as the other two remained in the same position for a long while, taking it all in. “Wh-why’re you l-looking at m-me like th-that, I j-just wanted to p-put some effort into y-your first s-session”, her face portrayed a combination of worry and defensiveness.

“Nah Al, we’re just impressed with what you got here, I mean did you have all this just stored away out the back somewhere?”, he chuckled lightly as he tried to quell her worries.

Both of them went ahead to the table each taking a seat to the side of the table, opposite to each other.

“I uh didn’t have th- this the entire t-time, only g-got it d-done a few days ago.”, she gripped part of the table cloth and held it up a little before dropping it.

Asgore started to grin as he gave a suspicious gaze, “But what about that cloak, did you only just get that?”

“I uh umm”, embarrassed she looked down and turned lightly red before looking back up again, “um yeah, I m-may have h-had th-this for a little b-bit.... stop giving me that l-look, th-this is l-like the only opportunity I g-get to use it ok?”

“I’m not judging you, just very curious hehe, you’re not embarrassed around us are you?”

“N-no just.... lets j-just get started”.

Alphys cleared her throat as she appeared to be looking down at her notes from behind the board, “So umm d-do we want to introduce o-our character... who w-would like to g-go first?”

Asgore gleamed and stood up in a dramatic fashion, “I’ll go first if that’s alright”

“Of c-course it is, f-fire away”.

With a smug smile he started to tell his narrative, “I’m a Goliath Paladin who comes from a family steeped in Royal heritage and blood. After all my training I decided to leave home to try and live my life as much as I can before my responsibilities keep me there for the rest of my days. So here I am, travelling and going on wild adventures”.

“W-would you l-like to say your characters s-strengths and w-weaknesses?”

“But you helped me make it, you know them already”.

“Y-Yes but for Sci’s sake”.

He let out a sigh, “Ummm he’s real strong and takes a lot to keep down, apparently has a lot of charm and.... isn’t the smartest supposedly.... like that?”

She gave a reassuring nod, “P-Perfect, also last thing, d-did you end up d-deciding on a n-name for him?”

“Oh yes, his name is Asgore Dreemur”, he gave a confident thumbs up in exclamation.

Alphys looked a tiny bit confused, “Y-you’re using your own n-name?!”

“I sure am, I figured that if I need to get into perspective for my character, I should make him similar to me in all ways, including my name. So then I can give you the most accurate of representations.”

She nodded, thinking over it for a moment before returning a smile back to the confident goat, “Well that sounds wonderful, I’m glad you’re really thinking about how you’ll put more effort into this.”

Quickly Sci interjected with a hurried sentence, “I uh think I’ll go by Sci then. I think it’ll fit in much better and make things easier on everyone”.

She gave him a curious look, “Really? Y-you know it’s fine either w-way?”

“Yes I know, but I’m Sci”

“What name did you have p-planned?”

Sci scratched the back of his head and gave a slightly nervous smile, “Oh umm... it’s silly really but... Balthazar Hallowwind”

Alphys covered her mouth as small giggle sounds came from within before finally bursting out laughing, grinning ear to ear as slowly she started to struggle for breath.

Sci started to look annoyed, “Is it really that bad?”

“B-bad? N-no not at a-all, j-just it’s heh so f-fantasy and a b-bit cliche in a good, loveable way. It’s uh j-just very you, I l-love it, I promise, I’m n-not trying to m-make fun of you... would you l-like to t-tell us about... Sci?”, she let out a long exhale while wiping a few tears from her eyes as she gave a kind look towards him.

The skeleton took a deep breath and started to smile, cliche or not he supposed it at least made her happy, “Well Sci here is a Half Elf Wizard that is with Asgore to explore the world as studying everything up close is the best kind of research, the most valuable discoveries are the stuff that you can do first hand. He comes from a middle class family in the city and was eventually sent away to magic boarding school where he was supposed to learn the tools of the trade so to speak after finding out about his natural knack for it all, when it came to his strong studying skills and general intellect, but eventually the books weren’t enough and now he’s broken free from those chains of simple, tertiary education to learn about things on his own terms. His intelligence is very high and his very good dexterity allows him to be a very nimble fellow. How ever he lacks quite a bit in strength, a tad in constitution as well as having basic charisma. Will that do Al?”

“Yes th-thank you. F-finally I’ll introduce m-my character-“

“But wait, aren’t you the dungeon master?”, Sci inquisitively questioned

“Well yes, b-but I um wanted to h-have a character too, plus also th-the party needs a h-healer and it’s easier to b-balance with th-three people as opposed to two”.

“Oh ok, continue then”

With a grin that wasn’t all to dissimilar to Asgore’s previous, she giggled, “Alright, my character was meant to be the l-like the m-middle ground wh-when it came to names, I was going t-to call her Phys, but you c-can do whatever”, she looked down at her notes for a moment before continuing, “I’m a Gnome C-Cleric that l-lacks the a-ability to s-speak, a mute I g-guess you’d c-call her. She serves the god Omoikane-

“Hey wait a seco-“, Sci tried to interject, but Al didn’t give him a chance to continue.

“- and servants of th-this god wish to h-help and provide good c-counsel and h-help for all. Phys here i-is with your party b-because sh-she believes she can s-spread her g-guidance and h-help further in a t-team than all by herself. Phys is h-high in Charisma especially when it c-comes to performance. Her main weakness is a lack of Dexterity m-making her quite clumsy and not v-very nimble.”

After a short pause to just make sure she was done, Asgore encouragingly exclaimed, “Wow she seems really cool, Phys is a welcome addition.”

“Wait so we’re using her character’s name?”

“Y-you want t-to change y-your mind Sci?”

He tensed up slightly and shook his head, “N-no of course not, my name is fine.”

Alphys rubbed her hands together with a giddy gleam in her eye. “A-Alright, a-are we a-all good to g-get started?” The nods from the other two was all she needed.

This tale of adventure, danger and general hijinks takes place in the land of Grangelow, to be more specific it starts in the city of Filota, the third biggest city in the country. Sci and Asgore both met first in the city during a nighttime card game at a pub, both of you realising you had similar goals you decided to team up so there would be a higher chance of you two being hired as ready to go adventurers. Unfortunately you’d both been running into a problem, the fact that you chose one of the busiest cities in the land did mean more potential customers, but also much more competition, lots of it having much more experience and reputation than you, some even being part of prestigious guilds and the like. One night you thought you’d caught a lucky break when a Gnome Cleric by the name of Phys asked to hire you which of course you accepted, unfortunately your hopes were dashed when it turned out she thought she needed to pay people to be her friend so she could create a party... as well as she was going to run out of gold in a very short amount of time. Taking pity on her and deciding that maybe having a bigger group would make people consider you, she was allowed to join the group. So now the three of you have spent the last few days, wandering, asking, investigating and even begging to strangers for a job all while the gold between us all slowly dwindled. If nothing changed you were going to have to sell your equipment and head home in shame, but then one fateful night it all did indeed change.

“S-so what is i-it that you two w-want to do?” Alphys softly spoke in her shy tone.

“Oh where are we exactly?”, Sci returned with a question as he pondered scenarios in his head.

“Th-the tavern if y-you want? Unless y-you have any b-better suggestions”.

Asgore hit the table with both of his hands in an enthusiastic manner, “Asgore is going to do a drinking contest, that’s what happens in taverns all the time in the stories and we might even be able to make some money from it”, a small prideful smile showed up at his idea.

“O-oh y-yeah, that’s actually a g-good idea, b-but you’ll have to r-roll against your o-opponent.”

“Oh which die is it?”

“The D20, t-the ‘really big one’ as you call it”, she said as she passed Asgore a red and gold dice she had spare.

Quickly he rolled it, putting almost enough power for it to bounce off the table, but to everyone’s relief it stopped at the edge, a result being shown on top.

“8? Is that a good one? Is that a win”, he said, putting on a hopeful smile.

“J-just g-give me a second...”, the sound of a dice rolling behind the DM screen could be heard, “...o-oh d-dear... y-your opponent g-got a umm 20”. The lizard monster sighed and briefly face palmed.

Asgore’s positivity dropped as even he was looking worried, “Wh-what does that mean? Is that really bad?”

“L-let me describe it f-for you”.

Asgore was having another one of his drinking competitions in an attempt to gain coin and most importantly, bragging rights. So far overtime he’d been very successful and many a person feel to intoxication before him. The unfortunate thing for him was that his reputation was growing and Asgore was soon face to face with a well known drinking champion, a bulky looking Dwarf that held a fire in his eyes that looked to be able to burn through stone. When the two of you locked eyes and got served multiple tankards of Mead, the duel went underway. Drink after drink disappeared down your gullets, a mighty battle it was. But as with all great fights, one must fall. Asgore, barely able to even see the world straight went to grab his last tankard, before the world went black and the Goliath collapsed to the floor in defeat. The dwarf took his spoils and left, but not before giving a respectful farewell to the non-hearing loser.

“Oh umm well crap... that’s not good is it?” The prince sighed, his mood deflating.

“Umm y-yeah, n-not really, I-I’ll just h-have you b-blackout for a l-little bit maybe?”, Alphys winced at the unexpected turn of events.

“Yeah that’s fine, I’ll wait then I guess”.

She sighed, “D-don’t worry, y-you’ll be back into it b-before you know it... So what’s Sci d-doing? Hopefully n-nothing quite as... d-disabling?”.

Sci crossed his arms, “Well I suppose I’ll just be sitting at a table across the room, having decided to not get involved in such a racket. Drinking a beer of some sort and reading over my spell book.”

“Y-Yeah, yeah, that’s p-perfect, ummm let me j-just... aaaannnd....”.

Cool air rushed into the tavern as a tall man walked in, his form mostly hidden by a long, raggedy brown cloak, though a black goatee could be seen on his chin. Closing the door behind him, he stood still and seemingly surveyed the situation in the room before without any hesitation moving to the table of Sci, and sitting opposite to him.

The man spoke in a rough, deep voice as he stared at the Wizard with a serious gaze, looking up and down him, looking at his fairly civilian clothes as well as the equipment on him that was showing. “Excuse me, but you wouldn’t happen to be an adventurer of some sort? Couldn’t help but notice your book of uh magic stuff there.”

Sci gave a questioning look as he closed the book, “Ummm yes, I am an adventurer... why do you ask?”.

“Well you see, I need some help with a uh, problem and honestly a lot of people have turned me down, saying my pay was to low or that they had better things to do, I just really, really need someone’s help.”

Phys came over to the table and sat next to Sci, putting her arms crossed over on the table and rested her head on it as she listened to the two of them.

The man glanced over at her cautiously, “She one of yours?”

“Yep, Phys, myself annnnd Asgore over there knocked out on the ground make up our little party.”

Phys sat up with a smile and offered her small hand to him, the man returning with quite a reluctant handshake.

“That’s good, three of you will just be perfect for the job”.

The scepticism in his voice rose as he kept examining the expression of the man, trying to work out what it was he wanted, “You haven’t told us anything about the so called job, if we’re going to accept it, we want some info.”

The cloaked figure cleared his throat rather harshly, “Yes, yes of course, well you see. At my lowly home, in a room out the back, there has been a slight outbreak of... demons. Not very mighty ones as they’ve been locked in, but I fear what else may spawn in there if nothing is done about it.”

The half elf squinted with an expression of confusion and worry, “That’s a bit of an intense thing for people to ignore. Do we even know how to deal with demons?”

“W-wait a second, c-can you b-both show me y-your character sheets?”, she said with another one of those worried looks.

Both of them obliged of course, handing her the piece of paper. Adjusting her glasses slightly she read over them around a few times before passing them back, her face not showing any signs of improvement.

“What’s the matter? Something wrong?”, Asgore questioned.

With her hands over her face she sighed, “No one h-here knows s-sign language, she c-can’t properly communicate”

Phys gave Sci a light hit to the back of his head, waiting to get his attention before pushing a brown coin pouch over to him. With two fingers she just opened it to reveal empty space, no shiny coins, no cash whatsoever.

He hesitated before nodding, “Guess we don’t have much of a choice”, he muttered. Now bringing his attention back to fellow across to him, he smiled. “After some careful consideration we have decided to take on your job and eradicate the demons plaguing your house... how much pay are we talking?”

“25gp... ok yeah I’m sorry it’s all I have, I’m desperate ok... maybe I can pay you back some other way?’’

The other two could only assume looking at their winces and hesitation would only demoralise the man further. Yet despite accepting the job previously and even that last reaction, he didn’t seem any happier or sadder. If anything he remained with a fairly consistent tone.

Continuing with this tone, she spoke as he stood up, “Thank you kind people, well I’ll be waiting for you back at my home, third house down on Crane Road. Come when you can please”.

Without properly acknowledging any farewell from the pair, the man left through the door.

Sci smiled, “Well hey, we’ve got our first job right? There’s hope yet”.

Phys nodded with a gleeful grin and offered him a high five which the other obliged with a loud, air-cracking smack. However the two of them came to the realisation that the last third of the party had to be dealt with. They approached Asgore who was on the floor unconscious and tried shaking him a little, but he wouldn’t budge. The Gnome pointed to the unconscious party member and pointed outside, Sci taking it as needing to move him outside. While Phys moved out of the room, Sci attempted to move the Goliath which proved almost impossible for him with his size and heavy armour along with the wizard’s feeble strength. However the with the help of the most certainly stronger bartender, they managed to get him out in the night time air, leaning against the front of the building. Moments later Phys came around with a very large water bucket and chucked it over Asgore without so much as a warning. 

Asgore woke up and got to his feet at the speed of a bullet, looking between the duo, ‘’Wh-what’s going on? What did I miss, where am I’’?  ‘’You lost, your drinking streak is over.’’ Sci proclaimed with a shake of his head’’.  The Paladin sighed, ‘’God d-‘’  ‘’But more importantly we have a job, we might actually get paid’’.  Phys proceeded to point to the sky excitedly while also brandishing an empty coin purse in her hand.  ‘’Whoa really? YES, finally, thank my lord’’, the disappointment was automatically replaced with cheer, ‘’C’mon, where the hell are we going? Let’s get started I’m ready to go’’.  Though after a couple of steps Asgore felt himself stagger slightly, Phys suddenly jumping in front of him with her hands on his chest to stop him from falling forwards. Sci pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, ‘’Let’s just make our way there slowly… we really don’t want to be dragging you across the streets.’’ 

(Format changes now)

A mere fifteen minutes later the trio arrived at a rundown house in an admittedly cheaper part of the city, it was hard to believe anything was happening here except for shady dealings, let alone some small, inexpiable demon outbreak in a house. Asgore had managed to make his way there slowly while trying to hide how sick he really was feeling, Sci walked behind them, seemingly trying to stuff some spare food he took from their last meal at the tavern into his bag with which the others assumed he was desperately starving, while Phys stayed next to the Paladin just in case he was going to fall over. Sci decided he was going to take the lead and walked straight up to the door, putting on a smile as he knocked. With some loud, rushed footsteps, the man they’d met at the tavern opened the door with a relieved face. ‘’Oh thank goodness, I’m so glad you could make it, please waste no time, come in quickly, let’s get this over and done with’’, with a concerning amount of alarm he moved behind the group and outright pushed them into the building. The door entered into a small, dimly lit hallway, all the doors around it were closed except one. They proceeded through, heavily led by the very owner, to the door that was open. They entered a normal sized bedroom, though it lacked any furniture to identify it as such. The other peculiar feature it possessed was the one window in the room being completely barred off with iron. ‘’Wait? What type of room is this? What do you use it for?’’, Sci questioned as he turned around to a rather troublesome sight. Behind the trio, the man quickly stepped out of the room and slammed the door, the sound of a key locking them in filling the party with dread. ‘’Haha yes, look Boss, I did it all by myself, I fucking told you I would!’’, he exclaimed loudly and excitedly. ‘’Hey what hell is the meaning of this?’’, Asgore tried to open the door in a futile effort to escape before simply and angrily punching the wooden door, causing it to shake. Outside the room, other doors could be heard being opened, undoubtedly the other rooms in the hallway, and footsteps came their way. Phys made small noise as she approached the door, putting her hand at a mid-portion of the door where a slot was, not to dissimilar to a mail slot on a front door except a little bigger. Pulling it she opened the slot to see a small group of men in leather armour, they looked ready for a fight. One individual from the group approached the one that lead them here and put an arm around him, ‘’And so you did Reggie, very nice. Three in one go isn’t to bad, seems like they have some valuables, that plate armour might go for a good amount, I’m proud’’. ‘’Thank you, sir, I did my best’’. Asgore punched the door again, albeit weaker as a light headed feeling started to interfere with his senses, ‘’Wh-what is going on? What the hell do you guys want?’’. The leader of the group approached the door, yet not so close as to risk anyone reaching through the slot, ‘’To put it simply, us folks here need to eat, to eat we need money, to get money we sell valuables. We find gullible folks like you, adventurers who aren’t worth a damn, wait for them to starve, then while weakened we’re gonna kill you, sell your stuff and repeat, honestly a lot quicker and easier than hostage taking I tell ya’’. He gave off a very punchable toothy grin at the Cleric watching him at the slot. ‘’Though I’m not wasting anymore time, I was having a nice dinner. Reggie, you don’t have to worry about guard duty tonight as appreciation, Daryl, you’re up.’’ The one called Daryl sighed, ‘’C’mon Boss, I was having dinner to, it’s not like they’re going to get out of there, we don’t really need to guard.’’ ‘’Shut the fuck up Daryl, we’ll bring your dinner out to you, but you ain’t getting out of this, don’t say another word.’’ He sighed once more, ‘’Yes Boss’’.

Around half an hour had passed since the incident, nobody else from the gang was heard from since the man guarding was given keys and food, the other three were in the middle of the room, trying to figure out their plan. The door had been shaken and attacked to read avail; it was obviously reinforced. The window didn’t appear to be any solution either, the bars stopped anyone from leaving, although the window was smashed. But despite many minutes of yelling for help, nobody heard, or nobody cared. ‘’I’m guessing nobody knows anything about lockpicking here? Too much to ask?’’, Sci stated, his gaze intensely focused on the floor as he tried to think of something, though it was weird that he seemed to be tightly hugging his bag. Phys and Asgore shook their head. ‘’Wish smashing it open was an option, wouldn’t have made things so complicated, is there really no magic you can pull Sci?’’. ‘’Nothing that’s destructive enough that won’t risk setting the place on fire… while we’re trapped in here… starting to think I shouldn’t have focused so much on destructive spells.’’ Asgore sighed before looking back over towards Phys, ‘’Anything?’’ Phys had for the last while been staying near the slot, checking every now and then to see if the guard had come any closer, hoping that maybe if he got close enough they could reach the key, yet while he was sleeping on the job, he definitely wasn’t that stupid. So, the only answer she had was to shake her head back at Asgore. ‘’Damn, it only appears that slot is the only way anything gets in or out, but even Phys isn’t that small.’’ Sci’s eyes widened, ‘’Small, small, small… that’s it. Why was I so focussed on getting past the door? We just need to circumvent it’’. Phys scurried back over to where the other two were sitting, putting a finger to her cheek, a common sign that she wanted to ask a question. Asgore helped by actually voicing it, ‘’I thought you didn’t have anything? Are you seriously telling me that you could’ve got us out of here earlier?’’ The wizard looked nervous, ‘’Oh uh y-yeah maybe, I just don’t really like showing him to strangers, also he gets kinda shy to those he hasn’t met… I’m usually pretty hesitant to bring him out.’’ ‘’You keep saying him, whose him?’’ ‘’Oh my familiar… come on out Newton’’, Sci opened the bag that he was hugging, some movement could be seen coming from within. He laid it down slowly and gently called for him. ‘’Don’t worry, they’re good, just hop out, we need your help’’. Slowly and cautiously, a small, brown weasel walked out of the bag, keeping his eyes locked on Phys and Asgore, then suddenly making a small squeaking-like noise before climbing up onto Sci’s shoulder. ‘’So uh yeah, this is Newton, he might be able to grab the key’’. It was as if their entire dangerous situation had disappeared for a few moments, Asgore had a massive grin on his face and Phys was trying to contain her excitement as she bounced up and down, the urge to just grab and hug the adorable thing being hard to suppress. ‘’So, you’ve been hiding him from us this entire time?’’, The goliath questioned. Sci stood up and walked towards the door with Newton in tow, ‘’As I said he’s bad with strangers’’. The weasel was trying to retract as much as it could into a small ball as they got the door, the three of them crouching down next to the slot. ‘’Ok Newton, I’m going to ask you to do something very scary, but I need you to trust me…’’, he opened the slot and showed the outside to the familiar, ‘’…you see that key? I need you to grab it and bring it here’’. Newton started to shiver and even shake its head lightly. ‘’No, no, no it’s going to be fine, trust me, he’s even sleeping see? No one will see you except us and these two are our friends.’’ He visibly started to calm down yet seemed reluctant. ‘’I’ll make sure to feed you lots and lots, I promise. You’ll have a feast next time we can afford one.’’ Without further ado the weasel jumped from Sci’s shoulder at the open slot and dropped, hitting the floor with a soft thud on the other side. Slowly it approached the sleeping guard, sitting against the wall. Newton got slower and more unsure as it grew closer to the man, the shiny key just almost being paw’s reach. But suddenly the man moved slowly and caused the familiar to skitter back in fear. Luckily it was just the man falling over on its side, he was still asleep. It looked back at Sci to see him nodding, giving a thumbs up to try and give his friend reassurance. With that slight comfort it began its approach once more, slowly and steadily heading to shiny key on his waist. As it finally got close enough, without any hesitation it quickly snatched the ring the key was on with its mouth, causing metal to make contact the floor in a surprisingly loud clang. This caused the man to stir and slowly sit up, groaning. ‘’Uggh, was I sleeping again? Damn it I just… what?’’, his eyes locked with the weasel who was frozen in fear, watching with small black eyes. The guard noticed the key and put two and two together, ‘’Hey wait a minute, that’s not yours you damn rodent’’. He quickly stood up and Newton bolted to the door, climbed up the door and burst through the slot of like a rocket. Once he dropped the key at their feet, he sprinted straight back into Sci’s bag.

The man ran straight for the door just as he heard the unlocking sound, using his body as a barrier, ‘’Oh no you don’t you little shits… GUYS WE HAVE A SITUATION”, he yelled out to the rest of the house. After a few moments of successfully holding door closed from some resistance, the pushing stopped. Confusion appeared on his face as he wondered what they were up to, before being blasted into the wall as a massive plate armoured Goliath rammed the door after an across room sprint, the man was knocked out almost instantly. After picking up all their stuff, they swiftly exited the room at the exact same time the other four members of the gang entered the hallway. ‘’So, you little shits think you’re tough do y- AGGHGGGH’’. He started to scream as a firebolt from Sci smacked into the side of the leader’s face. ‘’AGGHGGUGGUUUU WHAT THE HELL DID I SAY ABOUT TRYING TO TAKE A WIZARD REGGIE?!’’ ‘’I’m so sorry, I didn’t know, he doesn’t even look like one’’ ‘’OH I’M GOING TO MAKE YOU SORRY, AFTER WE CALL THESE BASTARDS’’.

Asgore readied his glaive and went first, rushing at one of the random men and swung it from the side, causing a huge cut into the man’s side, the blood gushing out only confirmed more the decisiveness of the strike as he fell to the ground. The other three suddenly looked pissed and went after Asgore, pulling out their own short swords. Two of them swung overhead which he caught with his long weapon, but the third one went for a stab right into his gut, the only stopped the Goliath from taking a critical blow was more fire heading to the leader, the pain causing his stab to only graze it’s target. Deflecting off the two individuals he went for another slash at the two that they nimble dodged away from. Phys used their distraction to summon a Sacred Flame on one of them, the fiery radiance burning the man enough to cause him to fall to the ground, presumably dead. Only two remained, one heading one wishing to avenge his friend ran at Phys with the sword raised above his head, swing at the gnome before finding it blocked by a small shimmering field surrounding her, Shield of Faith managing to stop the blow. He barely had anytime to voice surprise before Asgore hit him over the back of his head, taking him out instantly. ‘’I’M SO SICK OF YOUR BLOODY FIRE’’, The leader of the group, covered in burns went straight for the source of his misfortune, his sword stabbing right through his right shoulder, causing the wizard to yell out in pain.   Sci used this pain to fuel his anger and cast his own spell, ‘’If you’re done with fire, then how about let the chill of the grave help you out.’’ A ghostly skeletal hand appears and grabs at the leader, gaining a grip on him as cold started to move through his body, the life seemed to drain from his face before finally, he to hit the floor along with the rest of his men.

Sci held his shoulder, wincing at the pain and blood coming from the wound. Phys quickly ran over and shoved the wizard’s hands away, replacing them with her own as she pumped her healing magic into him, closing the wound, the only trace left being his ripped clothes. ‘’Oh thanks, I guess we can rely on you for that huh?’’ Phys gave him a salute with a massive grin, before pointing at the men. She pointed at them and brought both her wrists together. ‘’What? Are you on about?’’, Sci looked confused and Asgore didn’t seem to get it either. Phys pouted before continuing, she kept her previous position while walking around very slowly on a hunched over, sad posture. After looking over at their faces and still seeing that they didn’t get it. Next she pointed at the men once more, before putting her hands in front of her face, as if she was holding something vertically, shaking them a little in feigned frustration. ‘’Oh wait, wait, she’s holding bars, iron bars, she’s talking about jail… she wants us to put these guys in jail, maybe she’s saying we get the guards over here?’’ It looked like a light bulb went off in Asgore’s head as he explained his theory, a grin appearing as Phys’ nod showed he was correct. Sci nodded, ‘’Oh yeah, I’m sure they’d appreciate that… just wait, I think this might be an opportunity for us’’. He moved over to the bodies on the floor and searched them, over all managing to pull out about four small pouches of gold. ‘’Look at this, we’re gonna be set, we can actually afford a proper meal and keep on going.’’ ‘’We’re not out of the game yet, it’s a sign I tell you, we’re meant to keep on going, home will have to wait forever’’. Phys gave an excited fist pump of excitement; her eyes showed determination and resolve. ‘’Well we better get moving, take to long to report this and people might think we’re the shifty ones.’’, Sci shrugged and started walking to the front door, ‘’How about we celebrate the success of our first job with lots and lots of food tomorrow?’’ Asgore stretched his back with an affirmative nod, ‘’Sounds like a great plan, drinks on me?’’ The trio laughed as they left the building and headed out into the night.

So, after this incident, the guards came and arrested most of the gang that you reported, some appeared to not be dead and managed to escape, an investigation is in progress. They thanked you for your service and rewarded you with even more gold, this group has apparently been a pain for a long time that they’d been trying to find. After that you all head back to the tavern and the next day is spent relaxing and enjoying your new found riches. Though as much as enjoying your current victory is sweet, you look to the future and wonder what other adventure and glory may be awaiting for you to come along. 

‘’Oh, was that all?’’, Asgore spoke first, his expression neutral along with his tone. ‘’G-gosh s-sorry, did I-I d-disappoint you th-that badly?’’ ‘’Huh? Oh god no, it was really fun, I was just hoping there was going to be more honestly, I really enjoyed it’’, the goat child gave an encouraging smile. ‘’Don’t stress Al, it wasn’t half bad, we both enjoyed it’’, Sci said, leaning back in a relaxing manner. ‘’T-thank g-goodness, th-thank you so s-so much, I’ll t-try to m-make it more e-exciting next time, I only d-did a little bit so you guys c-could get a t-taste.’’ ‘’Well consider this entrée excellent, though I don’t think we’ll be fully satisfied until we move on to mains’’. ‘’Heck yeah, we need to make sure we do this again, maybe we could make it like a thing you know? Every once and a while? Please Al?’’, Asgore grinned and gave a glance to Sci. ‘’Well I’m not going to complain about it, that’s for sure.’’, he spoke with an amused tone. ‘’R-really? Y-you want t-to do it th-that much? Gosh w-wow… th-that means so m-much to me…’’, the lizard monster turned red as she was flushed with embarrassment. Taking a few moments to calm down before speaking. ‘’A-alright, I’ll m-make sure to c-come up with the b-best stories and w-worlds for you all, y-you can c-count on me, I guarantee it, we’ll h-have the best c-campaign ever.’’ The other two seemed appreciative and after a few moments of silence, Asgore got up from the table, ‘’Well I’m hungry after all that, I’m going to go get something, thanks again Al.’’ Sci stood up as well, ‘’I think I should probably go get some of my work done as well, thank you as well’’. After both of them left, Al just looked down at her notes and smirked evilly, ‘’N-now j-just what will I h-have to d-do first, so m-many ideas to throw in one w-world’’.

[fox-household]

Act 4: Education and Moral Standards, Chapter 5

Alright here’s another one, a lot sooner than usual, however the next chapter may take a little while since I have a bit to do. At least I’m glad to announce this is the final chapter of this long running act. Hope you’re all doing ok. Have a good one. 

FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT, INFO

SCI

‘’English, Art, History, Gym, Maths annnd Science, I think we might’ve done it Al, it’s over’’, Sci shoved the piece of paper roughly into his pocket as he exclaimed happily. ‘’Y-yeah, I’m quite r-relieved honestly, I r-really hope these interview th-things are uncommon.’’ Alphys smiled faintly as she heard the news. Sci lead the way as they left the science wing of the school, having now experienced the layout of the school first hand, he found it quite easy to lead them to the front office, the room looking less lit then it was before due to the time of day getting later, he imagined that it wouldn’t be long now before the lights would be turned on. ‘’Soooooo what’s the plan, you got any way to contact Asgore, tell him we’re done?’’, he spoke quietly as he looked out a front window, wondering about the plans for tonight. ‘’Oh uh y-yeah, I d-did as we w-were heading over h-here, he just sent a-a ‘ok’. A b-bit weird he s-sent such a short m-message but I g-guess he’ll be h-here any m-moment.’’, she nodded as she spoke and started fumbling with her phone to show the skeleton until he gave her a wave of his hand as an indication not to worry. ‘’Well alright then, guess we just wait here’’. ‘’Well if all you’re doing is waiting, well then I hope I’m not bothering you two’’. The duo both suddenly turned towards the direction of a soft but yet commanding voice, the owner of the voice being a monster with the characteristics of a Platypus. Height wise he was what you would consider the most average of heights, he wore a dark blue suit that exuded authority and a certain form of confidence. Also on his bill laid shiny gold coloured spectacles that went with the golden chain that could be partially seen dangling from his waist. With a small laugh he spoke once more after watching the other monster’s surprised looks and even curiosity from the skeleton, ‘’Sorry for bothering you two, but I just felt I needed to meet you, I’m Principal Carter, but you may call me Ornithor… or Carter, whatever’s easiest for you to say.’’ He gave a quick glance to each of them, giving them a look up and down, ‘’Anyway I’ve heard about you two, been the talk of the staff, you’re Alphys right?’’, he put out his hand as a friendly gesture. With slight hesitation she took it and gave it a small shake, ‘’Uh, y-yes, I a-am’’. He laughed in response, ‘’Good, good. I like to give people nicknames, makes everything seem much less formal, you know? I think a friendly relationship should be encouraged, now how about Alphy?’’ ‘’W-with all d-due respect, I w-would ask th-that you n-not use that nickname.’’, the discomfort in her obvious was obvious to the skeleton, yet the other monster seemingly ignored her request, now turning his attention to him. ‘’And you’re Sci, I honestly can’t think of nickname for you, you already go under one and well, it’s already to short, so I might have to wait a little while to think of one’’. He offered out his hand once more, that cheerful grin starting to make him feel a little off. ‘’Yeah, I think that’s alright, no stress, is there anything specifically you wanted to talk to us about?’’, although Sci tried to keep his usual smile, he couldn’t but feel it was starting to fade ever so slightly. ‘’Ohohoho, straight to the point, are we? Well if you want to get on with things, then sure I’ll oblige. Just again as I said, people have been talking about you two, finding it interesting that you and Alphy over here are looking after Asgore instead of our esteemed Doctor Gaster….’’ ‘’S-seriously, please d-don’t use th-that nickname’’ ‘’… however, I’m here to find out why this little change was made.’’, Something changed in Carter after that sentence, his eyes narrowed and his smile turned into one that smelled of ulterior goals and feeling. His voice became just a bit louder as if to demand all the attention into the room, on second thought it’s as if he was passively demanding control of the room. Whatever vibe he was giving off now, it was causing Alphys to shrink back and it put Sci on edge. ‘’I-is th-that a b-big deal sir?’’, her voice trembling as she watched his gaze focus on her, especially as he started to laugh for what was about a good few seconds longer than they were comfortable with. ‘’Oh is it a big deal? Dear it could be a big deal, I mean what causes him to live two effective strangers that have no parenting experience on their own.’’ ‘’W-we’re j-just trying to h-help him.’’ A small glint caught in the Principal’s eye. ‘’Oh and then what is it that he needs help with? Something going on with him and his previous home? What hardships is he facing?’’. It was finally at this moment that Sci decided to step in, he couldn’t stand by any longer. ‘’I think Mr Carter, the only thing that matters is Asgore is safe, safety being something you need to trust we can provide him.’’ His expression took on a much more challenging smirk as he watched the skeleton, ‘’Well first, taking promises from a stranger isn’t really a recipe for success, anyone can say that. At the same time there must be a reason that Asgore needs to be helped, for example perhaps he doesn’t feel safe with Gaster.’’ ‘’I really, really hope you don’t plan on trash talking him, I can only imagine all the stuff he’s dealing with at the moment.’’, Sci’s tone was rising as he started to feel the bitterness rising up in his throat, the nerve on this guy, what was his problem? ‘’Oh no of course not, I only raise a concern, can I not be concerned about this student at this school as someone who runs this institution that looks after him for a large amount of time five days a week?’’, the sharpness of words started to reach a peak as it seemed now as if he was giving Sci a glare. However, he didn’t allow any of this to disturb him as he fought back, ‘’Well with all the due respect that I can muster and as much as I’m sure all the parents appreciate your contribution, this is none of your concern. Any possible issue that may or may not be occurring is a private matter that will be discussed and dealt with privately. You shouldn’t… no you don’t have a say in it.’’ ‘’S-sci, I th-think th-that’s enough…’’, she whispered low enough that he struggled to pick up what she was saying and there was no doubt that the other monster couldn’t hear it. ‘’Wow, you really don’t hold back do you? You come in here, in my building, and have tone with me, decide to have a real darn fine go at me…’’, his expression was held for a few silent moments that felt like years, until it reverted back the old, light hearted one of before, ‘’….Gahahahahahahahaha Oh my boy, I really like your style, you have a real backbone no pun intended. I like you friend’’, his voice was just smothered with jovial cheer as if nothing had transpired in that short amount of time. ‘’Y-you do? You’re happy?’’, the sudden transition was causing a form of confusing whiplash for the skeleton. ‘’Well of course I am, why wouldn’t I be? I didn’t anything that would make you think otherwise right?’’ ‘’Well umm-‘’ ‘’Sorry about everything, just I care deeply about my students you see, like to make sure they’re all happy and healthy. What I also do appreciate is someone with a spine, you don’t take no crap and you seem to be happy to get your hands dirty, am I wrong?’’, he tilted his head in curiosity, eagerness making him bounce as he waited for an answer. Sci scratched the back of his head, ‘’I mean, I don’t like to be submissive, I guess? Not sure if what you said fully applies though.’’ ‘’Well it’s better than half the pack animals I know… hey since you two are here, would you mind writing down your contact details for me, if you’re going to be Asgore’s guardian then I think it’s only right I should be able to contact you.’’ The two obliged as Carter pulled out a notepad from his pocket and a $1 blue pen and gave it to the two, both scrawling their mobile phone numbers on the pad, along with Alphys giving a home phone number. Just as he started to put the notepad away and before he could give any kind of thanks, they noticed another presence in the room. From behind the Principal, Asgore slowly approached, a weakness in his steps as he also didn’t seem to hold eye contact with anyone, as it made clear to everyone the redness of his eyes, no one needed confirmation on what that meant. ‘’Well speak of the devil, was just talking to your folks here, is there anything I can do for you Asgore?’’, his voice was unchanged as he kept on trying to remain in his jovial state. The kid held his arm and shook his head slowly and spoke with a slow and hollow voice, ‘’No thanks Mr Carter, I’ll be fine’’. Suddenly the Platypus monster reached within his jacket pocket and pulled out a pocket watch that connected to the gold chain that could be seen before, opening it he gave a glance that was much to quick to read the time. ‘’Oh well would you look at that, it appears I’m going to be later for an urgent matter, it was nice meeting you all, have a nice day’’, though the last of his sentence went unheard as by the word ‘look’ he’d already started running off deeper into the building, leaving a rather awkward silence between the three of them. ‘’Hey kid, you-‘’ ‘’I’m fine…’’, he quickly jabbed in, taking a deep and struggled breath, it felt like that moment was the one that would decide whether or not he would break down or not, in this situation he didn’t, ‘’…can we just go home please? I-I just want to get out this place.’’ The other two had almost perfectly matching concerned looks as they watched him, giving each other a small glance before one of the two spoke. ‘’Y-yes of c-course, I th-think w-we can all agree to h-head home r-right?’’, she said, trying to find a way to add more confidence in her voice, to avoid any sign of sadness. ‘’Mhmm, I would say we’re done here, don’t see any reason to stick around’’. Asgore nodded in a slow fashion, ‘’Th-thank you…’’

ALPHYS

It wasn’t unexpected to have the trip home be one of silence or to have everyone in the house to retreat in their separate ways. While Sci and Asgore both retreated to their rooms, she decided to sit in the dining room and eat a biscuit or two. After having seen the state of Asgore she wasn’t sure what to do, should she go in there? Was she being a bad guardian, no a bad friend by waiting out here? After half an hour of just mulling over her thoughts, she heard footsteps approaching and looked up to find Asgore who without an words or an ounce of hesitation sat down next to her. ‘’I’m ready to talk about it if you want, since that was what was promised before we left right?’’, his voice and face was better, not happy, but at least it didn’t feel like every atom of him was just oozing out sadness. ‘’O-oh it’s f-fine, I m-mean if you’re n-not feeling the b-best we c-can do it another time’’. ‘’No Al, I want to talk about it now, I keep my word and I just… want to get it over and done with’’. ‘’Don’t turn this away, a free source of information is always welcome’’, the voice came in calmly, causing Alphys to let out a sigh. ‘’Alright, i-if you r-really want to, th-then I j-just want to know wh-why you h-have such a problem with Gaster, I-I m-mean your side of th-the story, y-you’re opinion on it m-matters to.’’, She had a warm tone as she spoke, wanting to make sure that she was listening to him as someone who wasn’t going to judge him. He smiled faintly before returning to a serious look, ‘’Ok then, I guess I’ll start with the start…’’, he took a deep breath and rubbed his hands together, ‘’… after all this universe stuff happened, when we got back as family after all the horrible events that occurred. There was a lot of conflict between people, especially between myself, Tori, Sans and Gaster. For the big man himself, he changed harshly after that, once he fully recovered from all his injuries he became harsher and a lot stricter on rules.’’ Alphys nodded as she turned the words over in her head, ‘’Y-you know i-it’s all about all of y-your s-safety and all that right?’’ ‘’Don’t know, sounds like a real classic case of control freak’’. Asgore seemed to be mildly annoyed at her words, though not enough for him to actually get angry or express anymore frustration than he already would have, ‘’You should’ve seen him Al, he went freaking psychotic went it came to dates and times, he was mad. I mean he was obsessed with knowing where we all were at all times, couldn’t do anything without having to bloody *report* in. He became paranoid as hell and we were the ones that have to deal with it. You don’t understand, he basically was taking any semblance of freedom we had, it’s no way to live.’’ ‘’I-I d-don’t think I can r-really comment on h-his p-parenting, wh-whether it’s right o-or wrong…’’ ‘’Oh I think I can…’’ ‘’…but I can a-at least sympathise th-that it d-doesn’t real nice to d-deal with’’, Her voice wobbled with worry a little bit as she tried to carefully pick her words. ‘’A-anything else y-you w-want to m-mention Asgore? Or d-do you wish to l-leave it here?’’ ‘’You know about my… infection right? I’m sure Gaster wasted no time telling you all about it, what did he tell you?’’, his eyes narrowed as the subject turned to one he would obviously rather not be talking about, yet he seemed to still be ready to pursue it. Alphys paused as she thought, wondering if it was ok to tell everything. Of course it was, he needed pure honesty from her, she couldn’t lie to him. ‘’Y-you’re r-right, he d-did tell m-me about it all. I-it i-isn’t in a problematic state and the only p-place it’s m-manifested is on y-your soul. W-with your increased n-need for m-magical substances Monster f-food is to be made th-the majority of your d-diet in an attempt t-to halt any form of the infection getting worse or s-spreading… b-be umm… b-be w-warned that Asgore m-may uh be a l-l-little v-volatile on the s-subject…’’, she winced at those last words, wondering if maybe she should’ve left those last words out. Asgore grimaced, ‘’Volatile? That’s what he calls it? I’m Volatile?’’, he let out a small growl like noise before speaking further, ‘’You want know what he calls Volatile? You want to know why I found to the first opportunity to run away from that damn hellhole?! Because he lied to me. After testing, Gaster told me that I was completely free of the virus and what is that I find much later? A nice shiny little piece of evidence on my soul that doesn’t seem to want to disappear. Wouldn’t you like to know if you were liable to be extra aggressive, have extra cravings for consumption and to possibly hurt the people around you?! Who wouldn’t want to know that you may one day find that maybe one day you’ll just lose control and find yourself eating THE FLESH OF OTHER MONSTERS?!!!’’. He yelled out as he banged the table with his fist, his breathing just showing his seething anger, until a few seconds later when his face turned to one of shock, before slowly transitioning into regret and even an ounce on fear, he looked over at her as he shook his hand, throbbing pain being felt throughout it.  ‘’S-sorry Al, I’m just… I guess I must seem really messed up to you huh?’’ Alphys had slid her chair back at least two steps back as he went on his rant, his voice raising ever so higher as she suddenly feared that maybe she should be concerned, she reached into her pocket and gripped the comfort of a spherical object inside. But the moment his expression changed she could just feel her fear crumble away and now she felt guilt, just like he was worried about, for several moments there she perceived him as dangerous, a threat and judging from the way he looked at the extra distance between them he knew her thoughts, she wish she could’ve taken those feelings back. However those thoughts didn’t last long as she watched his expression, the emotional pain he was going through, he didn’t deserve this, he didn’t need it. Alphys stood up from her chair with a determined expression, walking up to Asgore wrapping him in the tightest hug she could muster, ‘’L-listen to me. Y-you aren’t a d-danger to yourself, m-me or anyone else. Y-you’re not a r-risk or s-someone I need to w-watch out for. Because no matter wh-what Asgore… y-you’re still you. You j-just need to believe in that like we do.’’ He didn’t respond for a few moments and for a split second she feared she’d said something wrong, but then his arms came around her as a return hug and he whispered, ‘’Thanks Al, I-I… just really needed to hear that, thank you’’. Soon he pulled away from her and took a few steps back, smiling at her, a true genuine smile that was the one thing she could see that night to make everything better again. ‘’H-hey g-give me th-that hand.’’, she pointed down at the hand he had clenched, the one in pain from the table collision. ‘’Uh yeah sure thing?’’, he gave a questioning tone as he held out the hand. ‘’J-just h-hold still…’’, The lizard monster closed her eyes and started to rub her hands together, her face showed focus before finally opening her eyes to both of her hands being surrounded in a green aura. She smiled and clasped her hands around Asgore’s and let the magic flow through. The goat felt a warm feeling start going through his hand which was what he assumed to be the magic. But while he could feel the warm feeling along with the pain, soon it felt like the feeling was replacing his pain, slowly fading away before the warmth was all that remained in his hand. However as much as he enjoyed the pleasant feeling, the warmth slowly disappeared as Alphys brought her hands away, their aura fading and her both her hands returning to normal. ‘’Thanks again Al, have you always been able to do that?’’, his smile was a bit brighter than before, almost even returning to his usual level of cheer. ‘’Uh n-no, I learnt a-about a y-year and a h-half ago, j-just seemed k-kind of u-useful’’, there seemed to be the rare occurrence of pride in her voice, Asgore found it obvious to tell she was happy to show it off. He let out a big, long yawn, ‘’Heh well that’s really cool Al… anyway I think I’ll head off to bed, really feel I need the rest. Good night, sweet dreams.’’, he gave her a wave and a smile before starting to head off. ‘’G-good night, h-have a good sleep yourself’’.

Alphys opened the door to her room, walked in and let herself just fall on top of her bed with a grin. ‘’Someone seems quite happy with themselves…’’ ‘’W-well of c-course I’m h-happy, e-everyone else s-seems to be mostly h-happy.’’ ‘’This conversation with the boy has made me realise something.’’, surprisingly her voice seemed actually serious, which meant obviously there was some kind of issue. ‘’Please d-don’t tell me y-you think Asgore is a d-danger?’’, her tone started hold an annoyed edge to it. ‘’Actually yes, but not because of that, Sci as well, they’re both dangers. What if they’re involved or become involved?’’ ‘’Sci and Asgore aren’t the bad guys, th-they w-wouldn’t do such a-a thing, that’s crazy talk’’. ‘’When it comes to everything we know, can you really guarantee we can trust them? That they aren’t some sort of sleeper agent in disguise? Not even including Asgore’s disease or Sci’s weird actions throughout the days. With this situation they could very easily be our undoing, knowingly or unknowingly… we can’t trust anyone’’ Alphys groaned and the rubbed her face with her hands, ‘’Y-you’re right, th-they could e-easily be a p-problem, I c-can’t 100% say w-we can trust them. But w-we have no o-other, I d-don’t want to s-spend my days anymore p-paranoid than u-usual.’’ ‘’Can you at least please keep them at arm’s length as much as possible?’’ ‘’Hmmm no p-promises… w-we’ll j-just see h-how everything g-goes… n-now I’m going to s-sleep, I d-don’t want anymore from y-you. Now g-goodnight.’’, Finally with that, she rolled over in her bed and watched the wall, wondering how long it would take to actually get to sleep.

[fox-household]

Act 4: Education and Moral Standards, Chapter 4

Alright this took like over a month, but here we are finally. Hope this is all good, school year has started again which means I might be more active with chapters. Sounds crazy I know but I find it much harder to be productive during holidays. Anyway hope the drama in this helps you if you’re bored from normal daily life stuff. This one gets a little painful. Anyway the next chapter will be the end of the act which will be good to get over with. Then we’ll move on to a mini-act, a little fun one. Anyway hope you’re all having a time. Stay safe out there.

FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT, INFO 

SCI As it kept becoming apparent to Sci, traversing a school without much direction wasn’t quite as easy as he’d first hoped. At first, he’d returned to outside the room where they met Mr Breve, but as expected, the other two were not there. Going over the list in his head of rooms that Asgore’s teachers resided in, he wandered the different halls and levels, following labels on doors to see if he could possibly be going in the right direction and while they didn’t help much, using the vague list in his head and his watch, he could only try and predict where to go. ‘’Alright well, if Art is done and they haven’t been to Home Eco yet… perhaps it’s… Science? But where’s the Science Wing? I really wish there was a damn map around here’’. As he spoke to himself, he kept on walking, starting to be carried away by his train of thought, the tracks leading him to different ways he could get out of his predicament. Unfortunately for him his thoughts started to cloud his awareness and it wasn’t long before he felt a small force impact the front of him. Looking down the skeleton found that a small, light haired human girl in a sweater had just ran into him, the impact causing her to fall over backwards. Listening to her groans of pain for long enough, he offered her his hand, ‘’Hey kid, sorry about that, didn’t see you there. You alright?’’ The girl looked up at him with small smile as she took his hand, her voice soft and quiet, ‘’N-no that’s fine, my bad. Thanks, sorry for bothering you sir’’. ‘’Don’t sweat it, also please don’t call me sir, you’re making me sound old.’’ ‘’Sorry mister, won’t do it again… I think I n-need to get going now, sorry again.’’ Sci sighed at her change of title not finding it that much better, but he decided to live with it. For a moment he was content with just that, giving her a wave and a ‘’So long’’, before a realisation came to him. ‘’Wait! Can I ask you a quick question? Where’s the Science Wing?’’ Already having skipped half way down the hall, it gave her a small surprise to have to turn around to the monster, ‘’Oh lost? Sorry I should’ve asked being interviews and all’’, she gave a small apologetic bow that the skeleton just could not understand, she didn’t do anything wrong. ‘’The Science Wing is the first stairs behind you, go down and then to your right, then find the second left down the hall, that should take you to what you’re looking for.’’ Sci went over those direction multiple times in his head in quick succession to make sure with complete certainty he wouldn’t forget. Just as he was about to say goodbye to the girl, allowing her to go on her way, another small human came from behind him and shoved him to the side to run past him, the first thing he couldn’t help noting was the cowboy-like garments on the female human. ‘’Come on Hope, we ain’t got time, she’s coming this way at this moment.’’, the cowgirl said with a hurried tone, grabbing the first human’s hand while simultaneously pulling her along. Without needing any confirmation, Hope nodded and started running along with her friend, quickly looking back at Sci, ‘’See you later Mr Skeleton, nice m-meeting you’’. He watched helplessly as they ran around a corner at the end of the hall, his face just filled with confusion at the events that had transpired in front of him. Just when he thought that all of that was the last of what he had seen, loud footsteps that sounded like heeled shoes came from behind him, turning around to see a tired, furious looking old woman, angrily striding over towards him. ‘’Excuse me, have a seen a girl wearing a green sweater or another absolute rat of a child wearing a cowboy costume?!’’, her voice was stern, and she went straight to the point, impatiently waiting for the monster to answer. ‘’Oh uh yeah, they went somewhere past me? Are you alright chasing after them, should I be worried?’’, he figured the truth was the best answer as he gave his classic smile and shrug, hoping that would be enough to get him out of whatever mess he could potentially be caught up in. ‘’Just that first child is under my care, the foolish girl seems be caught up with that other one, disobeying me because of a bad influence, on today of all days. But don’t worry, when I catch up to either of them, there will be hell to pay!’’. With those last words, without any sort of farewell, she stormed off down the hall in the direction Sci pointed, leaving him finally in peace, wondering what on earth he had just dodged him. It took a little bit until he finally found Alphys sitting outside one of the classrooms that he saw on the map, alone she sat on a wooden chair staring at her hands, he couldn’t help but feel he was about to interrupt her deep thoughts. Sci moved over and sat down quietly next to her on a similar empty chair. For a whole minute he just watched her toil over something in her head, even muttering a few words under her breath that he couldn’t pick up, concern starting to grow that maybe she wasn’t doing so good. Then Alphys’ gaze came across the skeleton and with a sudden look of shock, she stopped what she was doing and just stared at him wide eyed, ‘’Sci, s-sorry I umm… g-glad you’re back, h-how are y-you now? Feeling better?’’ ‘’Oh you know me Al, can’t keep me down for long, I’m real good,’’ he gave her a wink and an enthusiastic thumbs up, ‘’Butt what about you? You seem quite nervous’’. The lizard monster winced, ‘’Oh j-just these interviews… the t-teachers here a-are crazy, the art t-teacher spent a m-mere two m-minutes showing m-me Asgore’s stuff b-before sh-showing me all h-her ‘top student’ p-pieces.’’ His shrug was almost a little dismissive, ‘’Is that really so bad? I mean they would’ve been good pieces, right? I feel like it could’ve been worse.’’ ‘’N-no, i-it’s not the quality, b-but the quantity, t-the amount of time…’’ ‘’Oh dear.’’ ‘’N-not only her c-current top students, th-there was work f-from f-former students, art from l-like ten y-years ago, back i-in her o-original universe… and w-worst of all, when i-it was all o-over it was twenty l-later than the scheduled time I w-was meant t-to be done… I g-got so many scary l-looks from th-the other p-parents as I l-left the room.’’ The skeleton snickered and covered his mouth, ‘’Well Al, I’m at least certain that they’ll end up finding the same painful experience as you. To focused with their own strife to worry about you. Was that all it was?’’ Alphys gave another slightly pained expression, ‘’S-she was the w-worst, b-but there was also a c-couple of the o-other teachers, the history one w-was painfully s-slow, he w-went into d-detail on everything th-they had been l-learning. The gym t-teacher was full on, s-scary, aggressive and j-just mean, he k-kept on critiquing me o-on posture and… my uh… physical mass.’’ Those last two words having an annoyed and hurt edge to them. ‘’A-at l-least the maths t-teacher was relatively normal, c-could get on w-with her well’’. He nodded at her, feeling some minor relief he wasn’t there but at the same time he felt bad she had to deal with all alone, he decided to focus on what the actual goal was. ‘’So what about Asgore’s scores or whatever…. What do the teachers think of him?’’ ‘’Oh w-well he d-does really w-well in History and Ph-physical education, art h-he d-does fine, b-but maths i-is a little bit of a struggle f-for him.’’ ‘’Do we need to do anything with this information? Like I guess help him with maths?’’ She shrugged, ‘’I-I don’t know, I-I think I’ll r-report to Gaster first and s-see what he h-has to s-say, but m-maybe? I don’t know Sci i-it sounds s-scary, I m-mean we know th-the maths, just t-teaching? I c-can’t do th-that, I d-doubt there’s a s-single universe out th-there where I’m a t-teacher.’’ Sci tried to give a reassuring smile, ‘’You wouldn’t be that bad surely, besides it's not like you would have to properly teach him, just push him in the right direction, give him a little support, he shouldn’t need to be taught the entire subject or anything.’’ The skeleton gave her a wink, ‘’Trust me, I know, I had to do this with Paps when he was a teenager, especially with sciences and maths, could become difficult between work and him, but it can be managed.’’ He didn’t expect to see his friend give him a confused look, nor her response, ‘’Oh, so y-you were an a-adult when he was in school, I-I d-didn’t think you w-were that much older th-than him.’’ ‘’I mean, we were in school together for while, just later on as the older brother I did have to outgrow school and move on, get a degree and such. Though I did help him during school as well.’’ Alphys seemed hesitant for a moment as she looked to the side, before glancing back Sci’s way, ‘’Wh-what was school l-like for you? I d-don’t think I’ve ever heard anything about y-you from your universe’’. He stopped and looked up at the roof, going through his memories, ‘’Oh well that’s an interesting question. I didn’t go to school at the start, I wasn’t a very healthy child at all…’’, he could already sense the next worried question coming from the other monster so he quickly looked at her, giving a smile, ‘’…no need to worry, I’m ok now, that can be a story for another time. Anyway, I was home schooled by my mother for quite a while and even without that I was always reading books and learning.’’ He stopped for a moment and Alphys could just pick out a blissful grin on his face, a legitimate one. ‘’I think I can attribute my love for science from that. When you almost never get to leave the house and get stuck in bed almost all day, every day, even non-fiction books can be as exciting as fiction. All those science texts that spoke of the world around us, how everything worked, lots of things that I had never even heard of, it felt like the very world outside my front door could be an amazing place where so many things were possible. Not only that but when it comes to Astrology, when everything else is just amazing to a young boy, just imagine that in extension to the exterior world, there’s a whole universe out there, unexplored and full of infinite possibilities. That’s why I eventually became a scientist, because I wanted to see everything I read as a kid with my own eyes… otherwise afterwards, school was fine, had a few people to hang out with, was pretty chill throughout the years, never struggled or worried to much about anything except making sure my scores were high enough’’ He looked over at Alphys, letting her know she didn’t have to keep her silence, he always found her to be a good listener. ‘’W-wow…. Th-that’s r-really nice, wish I-I had s-such a good r-reason to g-go the w-way I d-did, for m-me science was…’’, she furrowed her brow as if she was struggling to remember something, trying break past a mental wall, but with an almost defeated look she sighed, ‘’… I’m n-not sure, guess I j-just found it m-my natural c-calling or something’’. ‘’Hey Al, there isn’t anything wrong with that, I think that’s a perfectly suitable reason, as long as you’re happy.’’ ‘’Y-yeah I g-guess… well I’m honoured t-to learn the o-origins of Dr Sci’’ His expression turned to one of amusement as he laughed, ‘’If only I had a dollar for every instance…’’ ‘’Wh-what do y-you mean?’’ ‘’Al, hate to break your grand image of me, but I’m not a Doctor, I don’t have the title or doctorate or anything.’’ ‘’What?! Really? Never?’’, surprise at this revelation caused her voice to get a bit higher. ‘’Hehehe nope, I’m just plain old Mr Sans’’ ‘’B-but why?’’ Sci shrugged, ‘’School never really agreed with me, eventually I dropped out of college and managed to weasel my way into a job with Gaster’’. The lizard monster nodded, ‘’O-ok, I s-see, that’s… awfully s-surprising to s-say the least, s-sorry for assuming,’’ He let out another chuckle, ‘’Don’t be, people do it all the time, it’s no biggy… now enough about me, what about you Al? What was school life like for you? I’m sensing you were real big on hanging out at the library. ‘’ Alphys’ face reddened a little bit at being called out like that, ‘’M-maybe y-you’re right… but school w-wasn’t very e-exciting for me. I-I didn’t r-really h-have many friends, was sort of a-alone most of th-the time, I w-was the one s-student everyone f-forget was in th-their class. Although my l-lack of presence made s-sure I was only m-made fun of like… e-every once and a wh-while I guess… heh.’’ He couldn’t help but grimace, ‘’That must’ve been rough, sorry to hear that.’’ ‘’O-oh don’t worry, I g-got th-through it eventually, Uni was a l-lot b-better though, i-it was much easier t-to find people w-with similar interests and s-stuff. Made a f-few friends and I e-even still t-talk to some of them online t-to this day… so y-yeah, th-things did look up in th-the end. Th-thanks for th-the concern though’’. His smile finally returned, deciding it was best to focus on the positive side of it all, ‘’Well I’m really glad to hear that at least, things did turn out well in the end. Got friends then and now you’ve got a lot more friends, right? Well you have one in me at least.’’ Alphys let a big smile come to her face, ‘’Thanks. I assure y-you, I am ex-extremely grateful f-for e-every single one of you for b-being in my life’’ ‘’Geez, calm down on the sentimentality, you’re going to make me blush’’, he nervously scratched back of his head, embarrassment being shown merely by his expression. ‘’S-sorry… I um-…’’ Soon two monster parents walked out of the classroom they were sitting outside, disappearing down the hall and leaving the classroom vacant for them. ‘’I g-guess we sh-should go i-inside?’’ ‘’Sounds like a plan, ladies first?’’ Alphys gave him a playful squint before leading them both into the classroom.

 ASGORE

 Asgore was starting to really wish he had paid more attention to the schedule and that he knew where to go to find the others. Left, right, left, left, he couldn’t find his destination anywhere. He had been walking for fifteen minutes, but yet the sound of a walking cane in front of him brought his exploration to a halt, seeing a figure ahead of his path. The tall skeleton monster also stopped at the sight of the goat monster, resting on his walking cane, taking him a few seconds to finding some semblance of a comfortable postion. Asgore could read his face, the mental preparation on his expression was obvious, his gaze also noted a glare from a smaller skeleton monster standing behind. Gaster and Sans kept their gazes on him, moments turned to multiple seconds before finally Gaster threw away the silence. ‘’Asgore, it’s pleasant to see you here, why aren’t you with Dr Alphys?’’, his tone was calm and cold, he didn’t expect less. ‘’Turns out you don’t actually have to be there, something I learnt no thanks to you’’, he crossed his arms as his expression turned to one of aggressive seriousness, a feeling of anger and even resentment was building up within him, his tone wasn’t any better. ‘’Well I’ve always believed that you all being present is for the best, I think that it allows a good, healthy conversation between student, teacher and parent’’ ‘’Well it isn’t like you have a good idea of what is and isn’t the best. I think I can attest to that’’. Gaster’s eyes narrowed, the goat knew he was getting to them, the effort to stay calm draining his energy. But despite that jab, he apparently decided it was best to ask a question. ‘’You know anything about what the teachers have said? Anything you would like to talk about?’’ ‘’Just talk to Al, she’s reporting everything to you right? Best we don’t talk, right?’’ His voice kept getting more pointed towards his guardian. Finally his calmness cracked, and his voice raised, his anger becoming more apparent, ‘’Do you really plan to keep being so difficult? Can’t you just bite back that attitude for one damn minute?’’ With this Asgore could feel some negative form of satisfaction at getting to him, almost a victory that didn’t come close to filling him with any happiness or closure, just fuelling the void that was his resent. ‘’You going to apologise, admit you were wrong, going to stop keeping all your stupid little secrets, stop being so controlling? Stop doing a terrible job at parenting.’’ Suddenly, Sans came to his father’s defence, breaking his silence with a real pissed off smile, ‘’You think you’re funny? Stop whining and just be grateful you’ve managed to get away with your disrespect as much as you have.’’ ‘’That’s enough Sans.’’ Those three words with a huge amount of force put behind them managed to shift his focus, ‘’You really going take all of this from him? Stop letting him talk to you like this.’’ ‘’Just… leave. Go find the others or something. This is between Asgore and myself, you need not get involved.’’ ‘’But-…’’ ‘’Now Sans! Do as I say. This isn’t the time.’’ The seriousness of his tone could not be more apparent and without another word, Sans went to leave, not before shooting the other kid a despising look. After a small amount of silence to confirm Sans was gone, Gaster spoke, regaining a fragment of his calmness, ‘’Asgore, you know I have very good reason for what I do, you just need to realise that’’. The prince let out a small huff of dismissal, ‘’Always making it sound like you can’t be wrong. Typical. But you think I should be ok with you lying to me? About something so important?’’ ‘’Yes, if it’s for you own safety, then yes.’’ ‘’Well you’re wrong, you should’ve told me as soon as you found out, you should’ve told me I was a danger to everyone around me, things could’ve gone wrong and I could’ve got people killed? Is that freaking ok?’’, he could his blood boiling at Gaster’s every word, his mind racing and filling with every negative thought under the sun. Gaster wasn’t much better, his voice also rising, ‘’With the mental state you were in at the time, I had to hide it from you, you were vulnerable and in pain after everything that you’d been through. I’m certain that if I told you the truth, you would’ve snapped, jumped off the deep end, I have no idea what you would’ve done but I refused to let that be a risk, I am trying to help you with everything I do’’. ‘’You had no right to keep such valuable information from me’’. ‘’As a parent I had Every. Single. Right! I know what’s best for you Asgore. You just can’t see it.’’ Finally Asgore just hit his limit, he needed to inflict pain right now, he wanted to hurt him and he needed to get his emotions off his chest. ‘’WELL I WISH I COULD REVOKE THAT TITLE FROM YOU!! YOU DON’T DESERVE IT, NOBODY DESERVES THE HELL THAT’S YOUR PARENTING’’. Gaster clenched his teeth as the hit from his words hit him in his core, pain was stricken on his face, ‘’ ✡︎□︎◆︎ ♓︎❍︎◻︎◆︎♎︎♏︎■︎⧫︎ ♍︎♒︎♓︎●︎♎︎’’ The skeleton watched the child have sudden regret filled face, yet his vision being clouded by red didn’t allow him to notice until afterwards, when it was to little and to late. ‘’Maybe for you… maybe it would’ve been better if we’d never-‘’, he suddenly returned to his senses to prevent himself from trying to return fire, but watching Asgore’s face turn from regret to shock and sadness made him realise that he didn’t prevent the damage. ‘’Y-you… we both know how that sentence was going to end don’t we?’’, his voice sounded like it was a struggle to get out through troubled breathing. ‘’Asgore, you know I didn’t mean that, I think we both g-‘’ ‘’I think I need to leave now.’’, with those simple words he turned around and started to walk away in a hurry. ‘’Wait stop, please don’t, we’ll deal with this like civilised people’’, Gaster desperately pleaded as he summoned a skeletal hand behind Asgore that grabbed his shoulder. On reaction he furiously grabbed the hand and chucked it at the ground, giving it a hard stomp, cracking it into the ground until it disappeared, the skeleton wincing at the action. ‘’DON’T TOUCH ME, just stop! If you want me gone so badly, then you never have to see to me, Ever Again!’’ He turned to face Gaster, it was evident that tears were starting to form in the child’s eyes, but before the adult could see them drop, Asgore turned back around and ran away, out of sight. Gaster held his head in a pained expression, feeling a headache coming on, though he turned when he heard the voice of a cat monster come from behind him. ‘’Ummm sir, you ok? Couldn’t help but hear the umm end of the commotion’’, he said with a cautious tone. The scientist groaned, wishing nobody had to hear such a thing, ‘’I’ll be fine, I just need to… get a better handle on… everything. Sorry you had to hear that’’. ‘’Hehehe no it’s ok, teenagers right? My daughter is going through a similar phase, all argumentative and stuff over the most trivial things. That the same thing going on here?’’ Gaster started to walk away before he started speaking, his tone returning to one of calculations and cold. ‘’Exactly. Trivial matters. Just focus on your own business, if you will’’.

[fox-household]

Special Chapter 1: Resolutions of the New Year Variety.

Alright here it is, the one I’ve been talking about and goodness me, it’s massive, it might be the longest chapter I’ve written so far except for Act 1, Ch 2. Anyway I actually had ideas to do this since back in early September or maybe late August? Either way listening to a certain song or two with a picture in my mind allowed me to create this as an idea and because of this inspiration, I chose to do this instead of other things like a proper Christmas chapter, so hope it’s worth it? Now just enjoy them being pretty chill I guess. Happy New Year everyone, hope you all have a good one. 

The blue sweater wearing skeleton gave an exasperated sigh, ‘’Why can’t you just stop being so difficult? It’s going to be lots of fun, trust me’’. The spider watched Sci’s pleading smile with a look of pure annoyance and doubt, ‘’No, I sincerely wish no part of this silly farce that you call a celebration, who gives a damn if it’s a new year, it doesn’t mean anything. There is way, way more important things that can be done this night instead of what you plan.’’ She took an aggressive step towards Sci while crossing her arms, ‘’From what I can tell your plan includes, filthy dirt, cold biting wind and the only pay off will be some stupid explosives being chucked at the sky in a pointless fashion to give some dumb amusement when the money wasted on it could be well invested in something much more beneficial… you got any good reason in that skull that I should come along with this group of ours?’’ Sci furrowed his non-existent brow, ‘’Well when you put it like that, then it’s going to be quite tough… hmmm food will be there, as well as good company?’’ Unsurprisingly she looked unimpressed, ‘’All things I can get without going outside and that’s my final verdict.’’ Sci scratched the back of his head with a slight smile, a slight hint of amusment in his expression, ‘’Your final verdict? There’s no way you would change your mind? Anything I can do?’’ ‘’Give it up right now friend, stop wasting your time and leave if that’s all you’re here for.’’ Muffet shot a web from her wrist at the door handle behind Sci and with a twist and pull, the door opened, signalling the exit. Trying to ignore the questionable physics of the action, Sci started to head out the door, ‘’Well that’s a real shame, guess we’ll have to go without you, well I sincerely hope you have a good night’’ The last thing that the skeleton heard as he closed the door behind him was, ‘’Whatever, you too I guess’’. Sci let out a deep breath and headed into the next room with a mischievous grin on his face, rubbing his hands together, he sense of purpose as he went on his way. Leaning on a wall in the adjacent hall was Clover, as he approached she stopped scrolling on her phone, putting it in her right pocket as she stood up.  The way she had full attention on him made it obvious that had been waiting there for him, but Sci already knew that. ‘’How did it go Mr Minister, was it a success?’’ The monster sighed and shook his head, putting both of his arms behind his back in a dramatic fashion. ‘’No Private, unfortunately this operation will be marked down as an extreme failure, no recovery was possible for anyone, you know what this means right?’’ Clover stifled a laugh and failed to hide her own grin, her voice also betraying her as it was filled with amusement despite the mock horror she was attempting to do. ‘’My god, no, you can’t actually be talking about… using that can you?’’ Sci pulled down the brim of an imaginary cliché military general’s hat. ‘’I’m afraid so Private, it appears we have no choice but to use our weapon of mass destruction, to think we would be brought to use such desperate measures, I’ll feel sorry for our enemy once it’s over, nobody deserves to come face to face with such an almighty force’’.

‘’Hey Miss? Am I allowed to come in?’’, Asgore opened the door slightly and poked his head in. Muffet found some minor relief in that it was a fluffy head showing and not a skull coming through, ‘’Yes you can come in, but close the door behind you’’. The goat child didn’t really need to be told that, the drill was always the same. With a smile he walked in and did as he was told, walking through the sunless room over to Muffet, she was now just sitting at her mirror doing some sort of make up with a powder, things that he imagined would forever elude him. Knowing that the spider was waiting for him to explain his visit, he didn’t waste time before speaking, ‘’So ummm, I heard you weren’t coming with us for our New Year’s celebration, why’s that?’’ There was a groan, of course it was about that, why couldn’t these guys just leave her alone with this type of thing. ‘’Because it’s a waste of time, I mean if you want to celebrate, you can just do it in the comfort of your own abode.’’ ‘’But doesn’t it get boring staying at home all the time?’’ ‘’You should never complain about comfort dearie, you never know when it could be taken away from you’’. Asgore started to give a little bit of an annoyed pout as he walked over and sat on her bed, watching Muffet finish her make up and stand up, turning to now have all her eyes on the goat. ‘’Isn’t it good to have some form of variety… and fresh air?’’ ‘’Then I’ll open a window, might be nice to get a light breeze through. Variety is good when you’re bored, but child, I have yet to get bored.’’ ‘’We’ll bring some alcohol, you like that stuff.’’ The spider let out a loud, irritated groan, ‘’Stop listing things that I can do here, you’re trying my patience… if you don’t have anything else, leave or my children will come for you tonight’’. Asgore took a deep breath, a determined expression becoming dominant, despite her threats he wasn’t going to back down, she hated it when he got like that, why couldn’t just submit like a normal person. ‘’Well fine then. But we both know that I can promise you it’s going to be a good time, an even better time when you’re around’’. ‘’You bloody well can’t, don’t try that poppycock with me’’, her sneer towards him increased, but as expected it had no effect. ‘’We’ve been through this a bunch of times Muffet, every single time I’ve pulled through. You’ve always admitted to me that you’re glad you came to whatever event we ended up planning, it’s a song and dance that happens every time and ends the same… and uh well, it just feels like there’s a big part missing when you aren’t there, like we’re nowhere near complete without you, I really like it when you come’’. Muffet remained silent, still watching the boy’s face, an honest smile that didn’t appear to be holding any sort of deceit, the way his eyes went big as he talked about what he was feeling, it made her… ‘’Please, please, please? C’mon, please Muffet, just for tonight?’’ ‘’….Fine’’ ‘’Pardon?’’ The spider sounded like he had to force her words out with a groan, ‘’Fine, I’ll go alright? Just don’t make a big deal about it… and don’t hug me or I take it back’’. Asgore grinned excitedly, ‘’Yay, thank you so much, it’ll be the best, I promise. Also, don’t worry, I know the drill. Would you like me to let you get ready?’’ ‘’Yes please, I would like a little alone time before our outdoor venture’’. With a positive spring in his step he jumped off the bed and left the room quickly, although being extra careful not to slam the door behind him in case of invoking her wrath.

Alphys put down very cliché looking picnic basket and folded up chequered rug onto the grass, looking out over the view given to them by a green, grassy hill that was on the outskirts of the town which could still be seen in the distance. She took in one deep breath and let it out with a newfound feeling of relaxation, a feeling she wish she was more familiar with. ‘’S-so uh, wh-where d-did you guys find th-this place? Seems quite um o-out there?’’ Clover had been following just behind Alphys, being the guide of the duo, she started to unroll the rug. ‘’A school camp we went on around here, had some free time so a small group of us just decided to uh… wander off a little bit and we found this over the town look out thing. Remembered it Boxing Day and figured it ain’t to bad of a viewing spot for the show’’. She decided to ignore the blatant irresponsibility of the start of that statement and focus on the positives, ‘’And y-you’re sure th-that we’re g-going to be able t-to see the f-fireworks from h-here?’’ ‘’Don’t you stress, I assure you that we’ll have a perfect view, they fire off around this side of town. Don’t you trust us Al?’’ ‘’N-no, I t-trust y-you, I j-just wanted to ch-check that’s all. I b-believe you’ve done w-well… any i-idea how l-long the o-others are g-going to be?’’ Clover shrugged, ‘’Dunno, possibly another twenty minutes, Sci and Asgore just had to do something back home and then they planned on buying some other stuff possibly, I’m assuming they’ll be done soon.’’ Alphys nodded and smiled, sitting down on the rug that Clover had finished setting up, ‘’I w-was r-really surprised th-that this was y-your idea, Asgore or Sci would be understandable, b-but you? Is th-there a r-reason why?’’ Clover crossed her arms with a mildly annoyed look, ‘’What do ya mean why? Can’t I contribute or something? What’s the issue?’’ The lizard monster shook her head in a slight panic at the accusing tone the human was giving, ‘’N-n-no there’s n-no issue, j-just you’ve n-never really g-given s-suggestions l-like this… didn’t th-think it was your th-thing y-you know? Y-you don’t h-have tell me o-or anything l-like that’’. The cowgirl let out an almost inaudible laugh and uncrossed her arms, giving a smile that wasn’t exactly happy, some hesitance showing up in her voice, ‘’It’s fine Al, just… this was something I used to do on New Years Eve, before Mt Ebott, back when I was with…’’, she sighed and pulled the brim her hat up, looking at the cloudy sky, the yellows and oranges of dusk starting to take form although it would still be a while before night actually fell. ‘’… back then we just used to hang out and stay up until midnight out on the grass like this and we’d eat food, talk to each other and just… I-I guess just umm enjoy the night air, to celebrate another year alive and well, I just wanted to…’’, she stopped and appeared to be trying to form her thoughts and perhaps just regain her composure, Alphys could swear she looked down to hide her eyes for the moments of silence. ‘’It just means a lot to me and before I’ve always done it all by myself and well umm… I just really uh… I really wanted to share this with you all, I guess.’’ The monster could tell the difficulty of every word at the end, honestly it surprised her that she was telling her any of this in the first place. The amount of effort put into that answer couldn’t put anything other than a kind, heart warmed smile. ‘’Clover… I know th-that we all a-appreciate you sharing th-that, I think i-it’s a good idea.’’ While Clover started looking a little embarrassed, yet she still allowed herself hopeful smile, ‘’You really think so? Cause I mean, I’m sure you ain’t don’t any of that emotional crap for a simple celebration, don’t worry ‘bout it.’’ Alphys shook her head, ‘’No, I th-think it’s w-wonderful y-you know? I th-think it's g-great that y-you have something sp-special like that… I j-just hope we d-don’t disappoint y-you or r-ruin your e-expectations’’. The human walked over to the monster and sat down next to her, the both of them watching the town in the distance and all the nature in between them, taking in the calm and relaxing atmosphere, ‘’Don’t worry about a thing, I’m sure everything will be good, you guys don’t disappoint’’.

It was an uneventful hour later before the other three arrived, arriving with another bag of supplies and Muffet who was carrying one bottle of liquor in each hand, it wasn’t certain how much she was planning on sharing. It wasn’t very long of waiting and setting up some of the biscuits and dip out before the kids got restless and started fighting a little bit further down the hill, some flashes of yellow and sounds of metal could be heard as bullets went flying and a trident kept trying to make contact. ‘’S-so uh Muffet, why d-did you decide t-to come down here in th-the end? I r-remember you saying that y-you weren’t going to b-be here.’’ The sudden question made Muffet look over with an expression of dismissal, ‘’I just chose of my very own accord that I shall be present at this event, does there need to be any other reason?’’ Sci gave Alphys a wink, ‘’Oh ho ho, I think I know the reason’’, his gaze turned to Muffet, his familiar mischievous grin returning to him, ‘’I reckon someone else convinced her’’. The spider growled, returning the skeleton’s gaze with her very own glare, ‘’You think you’re so damn clever don’t you? But I’ll have you know, he doesn’t have anything to do with it, I assure you, he never has and never will, every action I take is from my own free will’’. ‘’Oh, you don’t think so? You wouldn’t be lying would you?’’ Despite all the hints and suggestions Sci was making and the blunder Muffet had made, Alphys just looked confused, ‘’W-wait whose him? Y-you d-don’t have a g-guy in y-your life n-now d-do you?’’ ‘’What?! NO!’’ The female scientist seemed be slowly losing herself in her imagination, a dreamy smile appearing on her face to match her state. ‘’A g-guy who h-has made it h-his quest to b-break through y-your barriers and th-then while you’ll hate him at f-first, s-soon you’ll realise you’re falling f-for this idealistic man, s-someone who can sh-show you th-the light in y-your p-pessimistic w-world view’’. ‘’I swear to fucking god Alphys, if you don’t get those shipping ideas out of your head right now, I’m going to end your miserable existence!’’ Fury was written all over her eyes and face as she stared at Alphys with burning rage, which in response elicited a slightly nervous and possibly frightened laugh. ‘’Ummm Ch-charles?’’ ‘’If you’re seriously thinking that the me and Charles are together, then I think that you won’t be seeing next year… you want this to be your final resting place?’’ ‘’Oh g-osh, n-n-no, no, no, no, n-no p-please d-don’t…’’, her panic rose in a large jolt as slowly she could seen a small shine of a sharp, well-polished metal sliding out of the countess’ sleeve and into view, even Sci was starting to adopt a nervous smile as he watched the conversation unfold. ‘’… I j-just m-meant th-that maybe h-he was th-the one th-that convinced you, th-that’s all I swear… j-just d-don’t d-do anything please.’’ Muffet’s unfiltered rage was apparent as she looked over Alphys’ expression as she panicked about, looking for any sign the she may be lying, any shred of deceit in her movements and any excuse to cut her down, but the only thing she could comprehend was the face of a scared, foolish but honest girl. With a slight move of her arm, the blade slid back into her sleeve for no perceivable, physical reason. Instead now picking up a bottle of wine and opening it. ‘’I’m already regretting my decision to come here, you fools aren’t allowed this bottle anymore’’. She said right before taking a large gulp from the bottle itself. Alphys was now just trying to calm herself down, feeling as if though she had just barely survived that conversation with her life, struggling to slow down her breathing. After about another half a minute of waiting, she spoke up. ‘’Uh b-but Sci, w-were you t-trying to s-suggest something b-before wh-why did sh-‘’. ‘’I think it’s best if we leave it at that alright Al?’’, Sci shook his head, both giving a glance to Muffet who was shooting razor sharp daggers with her eyes. ‘’Y-yeah, I guess y-you might b-be right.’’

Three streaks of yellow flew past the goat’s head as he sidestepped to the right, watching the barrel of the opponent’s gun to determine where to dodge. Bringing his trident back behind him, wasted no time after the dodge to close the distance on Clover, swiping with it left and then right, although only managing to tug at her clothes as she nimbly dodged his attacks, his trident only finding air to his immense annoyance. With a large grin, Asgore brought the trident above his head, feeling its weight before preparing to bring it down. Unfortunately for him, Clover found an opening, punishing him for his greedy extra attack, she quickly lifted the gun up to his face, sticking the barrel right on his nose and Asgore’s expression faltered as he could only watch as the gun quickly glowed yellow. The last thing the goat saw was the human’s own cocky grin and then suddenly his world flashed yellow along with the feeling of getting hit by a car. It took a good extra ten seconds before Asgore managed to feel like he could even move, the sky filling in the yellow sheet that had been his eyesight only moments previous. He tried to sit up but suddenly found a large weight on his chest, looking up to find Clover with one boot on him to pin him, watching her familiar victorious smile as she spun her gun around her finger. ‘’You alright there pardner? Couldn’t help but notice that you’ve seemed to have been caught in an accident of some kind’’, the gloating in her tone was clear as usual, always having to rub it in just a little bit, even if it was all fun and games. She lifted her foot off the goat and offered him help. The prince let out a sigh and then a chuckle as he took her hand, letting her assist him as he got off the ground, ‘’Yeah, I wonder how that happened, you wouldn’t happen to know anything about that would you?’’ ‘’I mean, I have heard my great humour, general charm and excellent wit has blown people away before, but I never realised my personality was so good it could do it to people literally’’ In his eyes, there was only one correct response to Clover’s rubbish more than the eye roll he’d given her. ‘’Ugh just shut up’’. ‘’Well that’s just mighty rude to be towards someone who helped you from a fall, maybe next time I’ll just have to leave you in the dust… like I do with everything else we compete on… Ow, you little shit.’’ Clover rubbed her arm after taking a whack from a trident, Asgore shrugged, ‘’Sorry, I couldn’t help myself, sometimes I feel like the only way to get some sense into you is to smack it in’’. The human grumbled a little as she gave a, admittedly weaker, punch to the other’s arm. ‘’Whatever, I’ll leave you in your denial’’ He found temptation to hit her again, but decided that was enough for now, plus he wanted to ask her a different question, ‘’So uh how’re you feeling?’’ ‘’Pretty good honestly, the swift winds of victory-‘’ ‘’No not that, about today and this whole thing?’’ Her smile fell a little, ‘’Oh, that… fine I think, it’s going to be good… I um told Alphys about the reason and all that, that was interesting I guess’’. Asgore smiled, noticing a form of uncertainty in her that he felt was his duty to dismantle. ‘’Well I think that’s good, nothing wrong with opening up to others a little more. Honestly I think it’s been quite brave of you to not only suggest this but also tell Al all that.’’ Clover shrugged and shook her head, ‘’Don’t give me all that complimenting crap, we both know this what you wanted, your suggestion and all that, maybe I should ask if this is what you wanted’’. He crossed his arms, his smile not leaving him despite the accusation, a small laugh leaving his lips that showed the only thing on his mind was positivity, ‘’I didn’t make this happen, I just thought that maybe it would be a fun time for the group and you’d maybe get to relive some of those memories you had back in the day. Sure, I gave you a slight push, but you wouldn’t have done it if you didn’t want it.’’ ‘’I mean, I guess you’re right, though still, stop calling me brave like you’re an adult talking to a kid or whatever, it’s fucking weird man.’’ ‘’Awww, but my Clover is just growing up so fast’’. Asgore managed to get a giggle out before he went wide eyed as around 10+ yellow bullets started floating up above Clover, barely a moment passed before they were pelted at him painfully, all of them disappearing in a small puff as they made contact. ‘’Aggh… heh ok yeah I guess I deserved that one’’ The Cowgirl’s annoyed expression turned to an amused one once her barrage was over, ‘’Really, what tipped you off?’’ ‘’Heh sorry… how about we head back to the others, I’m sure they’re just dying to see us’’. The goat turned to start doing just as he said when a small call out of his name made him turn his head to look back at Clover. ‘’Hey Asgore… thanks… for helping.’’, her words were quiet and soft as she watched him, her eyes only being barely visible beneath her hat. He responded with a shrug, ‘’Don’t mention it, what are friends for?’’ He waved his arm in a beckoning motion, ‘’Well come on, how about focus on some more positive stuff.’’ The five were sat down together having just eaten food, some candles were lit as night had fallen and midnight was approaching. After several discussions there fell a silence among the group and a certain kid decided that it was the perfect time to but in with his own proposition. ‘’Hey, have you all thought about what your new years resolutions are going to be? Got any planned changes you want to make for the coming year?’’ The silence and uncertainty among them put a slight dent in Asgore’s confidence, ‘’Really, none of you have?’’ ‘’Heh what about you kid? Can’t have bone to pick with us if you haven’t done anything yourself’’. ‘’Oh well of course I have, I simply have a resolution to keep on moving forwards and taking on every challenge that comes my way… guys what’s the matter? Why the look?’’ The other four had an almost scary synchronised look that conveyed their unimpressed feelings, Asgore could almost feel some cold sweat dropping down his head from just looking at them all. ‘’Uh A-Asgore, I’m n-not sure how to p-put this but umm… well…’’ ‘’It’s not a resolution at all dearie’’ Muffet’s pleasant tone with obvious venomous intent struck the goat with a confused tilt of the head, ‘’You really don’t think so? What’s the problem?’’ Clover sighed, ‘’To put it in a more kind way, what you just said isn’t a resolution because that’s just you anyway, that’s just normal passive Asgore, you need to give us some way you can change… also what you said was super damn vague, how the hell are we meant to measure that as a success or failure?’’ Sci watched the sky for a few moments as he pondered the different thoughts spinning around his head, soon enough he looked at Asgore, a small smile lighting up his skeletal features, ‘’I think maybe we should all just share a small thing we’re going to do differently, an actual goal, like for example me…’’, he paused as he brought his hand to his mouth in what appeared to be a thinking position, trying to think quickly of what he would do. ‘’I guess a part of me would probably think that… cutting down on work hours just a little bit could do me good, also leave the house just a bit outside of work, maybe something like one of those camping trips you keep talking about Asgore, I think I just probably need to get away from technology and society for a bit… my resolution will be to try and dedicate less of my life to work and more to just living I guess, is that ok?’’ The other scientist of the group nodded, returning a smile to the skeleton, ‘’I-I think th-that’s perfect Sci… th-though I d-doubt I could c-come up with anything l-like yours though.’’ ‘’Phew, was a little worried it was going to fall flat, but none of you have to come up with anything like that, just something small will suffice, who wants to go next? I’m sure someone has something’’. He couldn’t help but feel surprise at hearing someone step up so readily as he did expect at least a few moments of silence, but the spider’s throat clearing noise brought everyone to attention. ‘’Well I’m going to go now just to avoid the nagging and get this painful ordeal over and done with.’’ Muffet took a big gulp of her glass of wine that had been brought before explaining, ‘’Under the assumption that I’ll be attacked for saying something like maximising my profit margins or whatever other lingo I come up with, I suppose I’ll do something you call more… reasonable… like being more sociable? Is that what you want?’’ Clover quickly darted in with the questions, ‘’How do you plan on doing that? What actions do you plan to take?’’ A slight groan came before her next words, ‘’Well dearie, if you really must know, I’ll just join a Chess Club or something, that way I’ll get to talk to new people while at the same time I won’t have to team up with anyone, I can spend my attention on utterly destroying my enemies… does that please your inquiry little cowgirl?’’ The spite in her words and the condescending tone made the human really want to the throttle the spider, shooting her own glare at the other’s eyes, ‘’Yeah I guess that’ll do just fine, pompous lit-‘’ ‘’Uh h-how about w-we move on now?’’, a nervous small voice was the surprising factor that suddenly ended the fight for the time being, Alphys now looking uncertain as all gazes turned to her. ‘’Oh umm, I-I guess it’s m-my turn ummm… let me th-think.’’ The others watched the lizard mumble to herself as she tried to consider what she could do, but nothing she felt was super meaningful came to her head, just minor things, guess that’ll have to do. ‘’Umm w-well, it’s a little cliché and it’s probably uh not that s-significant to you guys, but uh maybe I c-could go to the gym or s-something? Since I sit d-down all the d-day and don’t r-really do anything at home and at w-work so I’m umm… I… guess I c-could probably lose a l-little weight maybe? Even if not th-that, it’s healthy to g-get exercise so starting once a w-week, I’ll go to the g-gym, maybe go for a walk o-or jog on o-other days too.’’ The first response she heard (which made her worry that she wasn’t being taken all that seriously) was loud laugh from Asgore who had the biggest grin on his face, ‘’Oh my goodness, that’s an amazing idea, I mean won’t it be like training those anime protagonists do for some great battle?’’ Some form of relief washed over her face and all worry was replaced with a nervous smile, closing her eyes as she scratched the back of her head, ‘’I m-mean, I guess th-that’s true… th-though I want to sign to the gym, not a g-great battle’’. ‘’Heh, well I think I might join you on some of those runs and stuff, I always feel doing something with someone else helps you stay on track, plus it makes things much less boring. Oh uh only if you want to of course, if you don’t want me to just let me know.’’ ‘’O-oh no, no, no, th-that’s perfectly fine Asgore, I um th-think I would g-greatly appreciate that, th-thank you.’’ Alphys’ expression became much calmer as she offered the kid her hand, him shaking it without any sort of hesitation. ‘’Alright now, I’m going next and you ain’t saying shit about it.’’ Clover crossed her arms, ‘’My resolution will be to start getting some cash.’’ ‘’Don’t give us that bullshit, I’m not allowed to say money how come you can’’. ‘’Because my dear spider, it’s all about fucking context, something I thought you’d be able to see with all those eyes of yours’’ Sci decided now was probably the time to bring in the voice of reason, ‘’Alright now, how about you tell us your plan.’’ The human let out a deep breath and went on to her explanation, ‘’Well since I’m getting to that sort of age, I figure that maybe I could get a job and start saving for some important stuff, like something to do after school and on weekends. A simple but effective resolution, will that suffice for my part of all this?’’ ‘’Yeah kid, I think that’s fine’’. The attention of the group now turned to Asgore, the prince was now thinking as he looked at the ground, as he tried to figure where he stood in this situation. ‘’All of you came up with positive changes you could make, but… I’m not exactly sure what I want to change, at least not right now.’’ He felt worry as nothing just popped into his head that he could tell the others. That was until his face changed to one that expressed realisation and a small smile appeared. ‘’Well I think, even if it isn’t necessarily something that’ll help me or change me, but I think that I want to get involved in some outside of school activities, maybe like charity work or something? Hey Muffet, you think Mary would like some help with the stuff she does?’’ Muffet rolled her eyes before giving the goat a confirming nod, ‘’Yes I’m sure she would love your help, especially from you, she’d probably adopt you kids on the spot if she could… she thinks you’re that cute… bloody weird honestly’’. Asgore played with some of the fur on his ear, ‘’Well with great fluff like this, it’s no wonder I charm everyone around me… but anyways, I think my New Years Resolution will be to help others, if I’ve yet to think of someway to improve myself, I’ll just improve everybody else’s day just a bit more, so I’ll help with charity work on weekends and stuff and generally when I’m available, I’m going to make that my new vow. Will you all allow me to use that as my resolution?’’ The rest of them thought for a few small moments before nodding or smiling, different signs of acceptance that gave the kid a little spark of hope that he’d needed to repair his hurt confidence. Muffet allowed herself a small smile as she took another sip of her drink, ‘’Well I personally think that’s… reasonable.’’ ‘’Y-yeah th-that sounds g-good. That’s e-everyone r-right? We all h-happy with th-that?’’, the nervous voice softly squeaked as the smaller scientist looked around at everyone. The skeleton let out a small chuckle to go along with his calm, lazy grin, ‘’Yeah I think that does it, sharing time is over I guess. Went a little better than expected honestly’’. Then finally, as if to complete the set, Clover piped in with a large sigh of relief, ‘’Oh thank god, can we please move on from this touchy feely stuff, I feel like I’ve hit my limit with it all, how about we move onto the cool, exciting stuff.’’

‘’Alrighty pardners, 20 seconds left, we’ve almost survived, just a little longer!’’, Clover yelled out as she held a phone out in front of her, watching the time tick down. ‘’It’s g-going to b-be coming from o-over there isn’t it? We’re going to b-be able to see it?’’ Alphys’ worry came through her voice as she looked around at the others who were gazing around the sky in the direction of the distant town downhill. ‘’Have no fear, I swear it on my honour that we’re going to be in the perfect position, have a little faith, ‘’Asgore exclaimed loudly! ‘’The kids won’t let us down, it’ll be fine’’. Sci calmly spoke. ‘10’ ‘9’ ‘8’ ‘7’ ‘6’ ‘’Ain’t no better way to end it but with a bang’’ ‘3’ ‘2’ ‘1’ ‘’HAPPY NEW YEAR’’ Finally with that yell, the sky was suddenly filled with bangs and colour as the fireworks in the distance were set off. An unbelievable amount of colours were used, starting off with Red and Green to then Blue and Yellow, mixing them all up in different patterns at a fast pace, one exploding after another to make sure your eyes didn’t find a lull in the light show. Purple and Orange were added to the list along with different shades of the previous colours to just add that bit more variety. The sky was the canvas and it was being painted on with brilliant lights and patterns, the fireworks bright enough to light up the around the observers in all the different colours. As it came near the end, Pink and White were added to the mix and the fireworks were starting to go off incredibly fast, a machine gun of these flammable rockets as if somebody had told them that it was ending and that they needed to fire off every single one they had right at this moment. One and then another, right with another one, Pink, Green, Red, Blue, Purple, Orange and then White before finally the sky returned fully to a Dark Blue and the sounds of the night returned to silence. ‘’I say that we toast for another great year for us all, one that will allow us to have plenty of opportunities to be the people we want to be’’. Asgore cheered out as he raised his cup. ‘’Puhuhuh~ I suppose that’s something I can raise a glass too’’, Muffet smiled as she raised her glass up. ‘’Heh not bad kid, I reckon we can make this the best year we’ve had if we try.’’ Sci looked at his empty glass and considered filling it before deciding not to both and raising it up. ‘’Yeah alright, ain’t that bad, just want to make sure this year doesn’t get boring, let’s make this the most interesting of years’’. Clover chuckled and grinned before finally joining the others with her cup. ‘’W-well, I h-have no idea wh-what I exactly w-want from the New Year, but I’m s-sure there’ll be ch-challenges and t-times where it’s tough, but I-I th-think that together, n-no matter what, we’ll be able t-to get through it… so h-here’s to being able to s-stick together for the good and th-the bad of the New Year.’’ After having spent the last little bit tapping her glass nervously, she finally raised it up. ‘’Well that wraps it all up, Happy New Year everyone, to having the best year ever.’’ Finally, with that they all drank whatever was left in their cup, unless you were Sci who just awkwardly looked at his own empty container, all of them finding solace in the night and company of the others.

‘’O-oh, Grillby’s sent a m-message for us all…’’, Alphys looked down at her phone as she walked, the group heading back to the cars with everything that they brought. ‘’So, what does it say?’’, the goat child questioned instantly. ‘’I-it says… ‘Happy New Year everyone, may all your dreams come true’… so I texted back, ‘Happy New Year, may your good times and happiness be plentiful’… s-sorry, I was j-just trying to m-match his uh positive tone’’ ‘’No Al that’s perfect, sounds real good’’ ‘’Oh dear, it appears I have messages on my side too’’, Muffet sighed as she looked over her phone with the purple, spider phone case, ‘’one from Charles saying, ‘wish you Madam an excellent and profitable New Year, also send best wishes to your associates over there’ and one from… Mary, ‘’Awww another great year darls, hope you’re all having the greatest night, wish you all the best and hope you all have a fabulous year. From Aunt Mary’… then she puts down an incredibly disgusting amount of heart emojis and peace signs.’’ Asgore couldn’t help but giggle loudly, ‘’Well make sure to send Aunt Mary something back’’. ‘’Huff… Ok fine, but only because you asked so nicely…, ‘’Thanks, hope you had a pretty good night yourself, hopefully maybe even your year won’t be to far from good yourself’’… I’ll send something similar to Charles’’. ‘’Hey, my bro has something to share…’’, Sci chuckled before reading it out, ‘’TO ALL YOU MONSTERS AND HUMAN OUT THERE, THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS DECIDED THAT YOU ALL RIGHTLY DESERVE JUST THE COOLEST NEW YEARS FROM ME, BUT NOT ONLY THAT BUT YOU GUYS TRULY DESERVE HAVING ONE ABSOLUTELY AWESOME YEAR. SORRY YOU COULDN’T IMPROVE YOUR TIME WITH MY NEW YEARS SPAHGETTI, BUT MAYBE NEXT TIME. HAVE THE GREATEST TIME AND BEST WISHES FROM THE OTHER SKELEBRO’,… wow, isn’t he just the best?’’ The skeleton didn’t need anything said to already get on his response. ‘’Thanks bro, definitely the coolest best wishes we’ve received so far. Everyone wishes you to have coolest year right back at you…. Also everyone is very upset they couldn’t have your spaghetti’’. It was only seconds that Paps sent a picture of his spaghetti and a apologetic message sounding legitimately bad for them. ‘’Oh hey I actually got one, it’s from the kids, ‘Hey Gorey Fluffybuns we hope you’re having a good night out there and staying safe, better not be getting up to much trouble. Anyway all of us here wish you and Clover and whoever else in is around a great New Years and hope that over the course of the next year we’re all going to have more great times and memories to share. Well see you soon, lots of love…’, oh and they sent a selfie of the six of them, though they’re crowded around a sleeping Paps, guess the poor guy finally crashed.’’ ‘’Heh, maybe. Wonder how long the little guy lasted for, probably just had to hit midnight and then collapsed.’’, Clover looked over his shoulder and examined the picture. ‘’True, I imagine they had to avoid giving him any sort of candy, otherwise they probably would’ve been to busy dealing with a little monster to message us. I better write a message back… ‘Hey guys, looks like Paps was having a ball. Hope you’re all good and having a great night, wish you the best New Years, looking forward to spending another year with you all. See you soon, love you all.’… There we go. Think we’re all good now.’’   ‘’Yeah, the only thing left is to head home, getting real fucking exhausted’’, Clover yawned as she went on ahead.

Alphys found herself sitting up at the kitchen bench with only the dim light of an outside light source and the brightness of her phone. She looked up with suspicious look from her device when she heard approaching footsteps from the darkness, though relief washing over her instantly as she watched a Pyjama clad Asgore, tiredly rubbing his eyes, emerge from the shadows. ‘’Asgore? Wh-what are y-you doing up? E-everyone else h-has gone to b-bed.’’ ‘’Oh well I just wanted some water… why are you up though? I think you should try getting some sleep too.’’, he walked over to a top cupboard and grabbed a small cup and started filling it under the tap. ‘’Oh uh y-yeah, you know m-me, sleeping isn’t e-exactly my s-strong suit… plus I g-got a couple of New Year t-texts as well…’’ ‘’Oh yeah, Clover got one from Dalv and Flowey, apparently Dalv didn’t realise it was New Years and Flowey had to like convince him and he can’t exactly use a phone himself… a little funny, but they send New Year’s wishes to you guys as well… who did you get stuff for?’’ Oh th-that’s nice of them, thanks. Oh um Red’s uh… k-kinda drunk r-right now… s-sent me this p-pretty much.’’ Alphys showed the prince her phone where it showed texts from Red that started with 'JJAPPY MEW YERRS' to different incarnations of 'DNT MEAM TO' 'SHIT' and then finally '<<<3 LOL'. ‘’Huh, guess he’s definitely having fun… wonder if he’ll have any party stories to tell.’’ The lizard monster got a small grin, ‘’I w-wouldn’t count on it, m-maybe when y-you’re older… h-heard it can p-pretty wild out there.’’ Asgore would’ve given a stubborn pout if he just wasn’t to tired, ‘’Well that’s no fun… did you get one from someone else as well?’’ ‘’O-oh! Y-yeah Gaster s-sent a one liner, i-it means Happy New Year.’’ She switched which messages she was viewing on her phone and as she saw the message Gaster sent, she let out a small laugh of amusement, like it was some form of joke. She pointed the phone at the kid and all he saw was ‘w+ℓnLN | = ℓn | ap(2)H+ℓ(ar)  | +ℓnlyl’ and his face just went blank. ‘’I uh don’t really get it, is it a code?’’ ‘’S-sort of, just science stuff, g-gave Sci a r-real chuckle to, but he’s b-basically saying h-happy n-new year to you in his own unique way… j-just wish I could’ve sent something like that back though, but I’m not exactly in the r-r-right mind currently, just sent him a ‘Happy New Years Gaster, hope you have a really good one, maybe actually try to get some sleep this year’’. ‘’Oh nice, but maybe you shouldn’t be so hypocritical, after I leave can you please at least try to go to sleep?’’ Asgore’s pleading made Alphys give a sigh, ‘’Y-yeah ok, I-I’ll got to b-bed in a m-minute, I promise…’’ ‘’Well with my job done, I can finally sleep in peace, goodnight Al.’’ ‘’S-sweet dreams, s-see you t-tomorrow’’. As the goat child left, another notification appeared on her phone, one that appeared to be from Red. Reopening her messages she found a video which she quickly started while waiting a few seconds for buffering. When the video played all she really could see was this wobbly view of what was probably a party and Red in the background talking, ‘’ I ANT GOING TO TURN ON TEXT TO WHATEVER HAH NO IM DRUNK DUDE PARTY HARD LIVE- OH SHIT ITS RECORDING- HAPPY NEW YEAR’’ before the video cut off after a crashing sound and some laughter. She could only shake her head and laugh, the silly guy is going to hurt himself. Finally she texted back, ‘Happy New Year Red, hope you’re having fun out there, try to make at least mediocre decisions if not good ones. Stay safe out there, better not give me any reason to worry. Heheh but no seriously, have a good time… thanks for everything. See you later’. Finally with that out of the way she turned her phone off and wandered over to her bedroom, opening it and finding extreme comfort as she collapsed on soft sheets of her bed. Alphys turned over on her back and watched the roof and gave it a tired smile. ‘’Happy New Year everyone, let’s make this year a good one’’.

[fox-household]

Fox Household Christmas Morning 2018

So, while I didn’t end up having time for a proper Christmas chapter or anything, (sorry about that). But I still wanted to at least have something typed for what they did or what happened I guess. This is basically just going to be a description, I wrote this all in one go until 1 in the morning. Honestly staying up this late or even later for Christmas Eve, last year I spent a huge portion of time playing Person 3 FES and its epilogue, The Answer trying to finish it, I didn’t finish it then but I did on Christmas day, so that was cool, those feels to man... Persona 3 is the best in the series for sure when it comes to story. The Christmas Eves before that I ended up spending my nights on an app called Geeking until 2 to 3 in the morning, that was fun, haven’t been on there for a while now though. The next chapter is going to be the New Years one I mentioned, just need to force myself to finish it off without distracting myself as I’ve been doing recently, it’ll get there. Hope this doesn’t have to many errors since I got a little tired writing this. Merry Christmas everyone. 

Anyway, Christmas morning arrives and as it turns out, Asgore is the first one to wake up who then went onto wake-up Clover and then they woke up Sci then the chain reaction moved to Alphys until finally Muffet was awakened. Before moving on I would like to point out that for the first four, when they woke up they found a sort of web sac hanging from the roof which turned out to be Muffet’s presents, later it was found out she tried to give it early so she didn’t have to watch them open it and their reactions or thank you’s, Asgore ended up giving a lecture on doing such an ‘’unchristmas’’ action. None of them did open it in their room though, some figured out that it was presents and the others were just to scared to open it without context.

Alright, so next they all moved out to the living room, but before this there was a ring at the doorbell. For some background here, for newcomers and people from the RP for some of it. Twice we did a Christmas RP special and everyone got sweaters with their own puns (Actually I should also mention we basically did a CPAU with our characters, look it up if you haven’t it’s funny). For FH, I have made it canon that no matter where anybody is in the world on Christmas day, when they awoke, they would have a doorbell ring and when they went to check who rang the door, they found a Christmas sack which its contents included a sweater for the specific person. Nobody really knows the how or the why except that maybe Christmas magic actually exists. This does include other people as well unless you don’t want it to.  

Alphys went to the door and brought inside a sack which to everyone (except Clover) expected since it’d happened for the last two years. Sci got his green sweater where it said ‘Merry Mathsmas’ and around the sleeves there were strips that were embroided with maths symbols. Asgore got a crimson sweater that said, ‘Hope Christmas won’t be a Reigny Day in gold lettering’, the sweater also had a golden crown under the writing around where his belly is (Honestly thinking on it, it has very similar colours to Gryffindor merch in Harry Potter). Muffet had a sweater that was grey and purple, the clothing article was made of webs and according to her, was mostly made by her ‘children’, with the simple phrase ‘I am to fancy for my sweater’, which while it did have the slight chance it was mocking her, it amused her all the same and she was relieved she didn’t have to advertise Christmas puns. Alphys got a sweater that was a strange and not quite even mix of black and white that was in all these different curvy lines and stuff. People found it strange that hers wasn’t exactly Christmas related and while it was a pun, it made some of the people she showed a little weirded out or react strangely, nobody quite understood why besides that it looked strange, Alphys herself always preferred everybody else’s. On hers, in green lettering said ‘Math Puns are the first Sine of Madness’, except the word madness was in blood red, the main saving grace that gave it any sign of normalcy was the cute little Sine graph on the chest area that looked like it was ripped straight from a graphics calculator, people just brushed it off as being a weird one. However, what nobody had expected was that there was a fifth sweater, a new one for the girl who had not been related to any of the RP characters during Christmas so now it was her turn to receive a brand new, never before seen sweater. What Clover ended up unfolding was a yellow sweater, on the front and back of it was a what looked like the reticule and lines from a sniper optical sight made of dark brown (I’ll have a picture to show what I meant). On the back in the middle of the target was what appeared to be her cowboy hat and, on the front, just like the others, there was writing. On the front written in a silvery grey was ‘I Beretta not get coal for Christmas’. While she did her best to hide it and would never admit it, she was actually pretty happy to get her own sweater and was feeling a little left out at first.

Now onto the exciting part, them presents. I’m going to split each person into a hopefully small paragraph for what they got starting with Muffet. Also I need you to realise that Sci was giving out the presents in a Santa hat and Asgore was wearing reindeer antlers while also helping Sci with the handing out.

Muffet: Muffet specifically got two presents, one from Sci and one from the others. Since Clover and Asgore don’t have jobs at the moment and they don’t really have much of an allowance or anything, at the same time Alphys really doesn’t make all that much money herself (a topic for another time, AKA just ask I guess) so to help each other out, the three of them teamed up for Sci and Muffet. The team of three struggled for quite a while since the only thing they could really think of was a tea set, but they were sure she had a bunch of those, until they remembered another hobby of hers and with a little help from Sci’s suggestions, they figured it out. Muffet ended up opening the Christmas wrapping of a small wooden, suitcase shaped thing that opened up into a chess set, they figured out she could use one after they remembered she used to complain a little bit that her only chess set was left back home, and she didn’t want to risk bringing her glass one. Sci went on solo and with much less hassle than the others. The second gift the spider ended up gaining was a pair of very good quality headphones, ones that would help her listen to her music when she was working, something that only Sci really knew she loved. After opening the two of her presents, she did her best to act all cool about it and while she mostly succeeded, she did end up giving one of her rare, genuine friendly smiles, that show up every once a while, to everyone.

Sci: The skeleton also got two presents since it was from the trio and Muffet. The trio took a little time with him as well and probably struggled a bit and pretty much ended up looking stuff up online for ideas, in the end they just figured they could give him something amusing that he would use in a helpful way. So what they ended up finding and using was a Darth Vader toaster that made Star Wars toast, also they found him a Binary tie on the internet to add on the side. In Muffet’s web sac which was quite heavy, he found two things that were related, one was just a much better, higher end coffee machine than the small time one they already had, this one had a bunch of buttons and settings he was certain he would never use. On the side of that was also a small handheld expresso maker that could basically make coffee on the go. Although Muffet did warn him that if he ever overdoses on caffeine or she sees him sneaking in some Red Bull somewhere to use in combination, she wouldn’t hesitate to confiscate them off him. Sci found the toaster and an incredibly amusing present, one that really helped put him in a fun mood, the coffee gear was also very welcome, and he knew for certain there was going to be a heck of a lot of use out of it all. Sci thanked everyone happily and was itching to test out the new machines for breakfast.

Alphys: So, for Alphys, Clover and Asgore couldn’t rely on her, so they decided to try and get Muffet to help them a little, what she ended up doing was giving them a freaking $100 bill and saying just use that. Asgore refused to take so much so she ended up forcing them to take $75 instead. They did realise they probably didn’t need to work with Alphys after that, but they felt to guilty to ditch or anything, plus they wanted to help her too. Anyway, the two kids ended up giving her an incense holder along with a large collection of different incenses that were said to promote relaxation and sleep, Lavender being a big part of it. The logic of it was that since Al seemed so tired all the time, incense might be able to help her sleep. Muffet’s present for her was a few anime posters she could put up in her room, from ‘Mew Mew’, ‘Cells at Work’, ‘Violet Evergarden’ to finally the movie ‘Your Name’. Muffet did also grumble afterwards that ads had started thinking that she was into anime. Sci’s present was simple in that it was a gift card to a science supply place, some place where she could buy whatever she wanted for her basement lab. The only way I can describe Al after that was gleeful, she was super happy, all the gifts to her were perfect and thoughtful, although she needn’t worry that her presents weren’t good enough compared to those. (I’m onto you Al -_- )

Clover: Muffet straight up got her a gun range membership so she could go out and shoot stuff, although she did require adult supervision. Al and Sci were pretty clueless about what to get her to the point that they straight up asked her, hoping it was something reasonable. She did end up giving them a small list, Sci ended up giving her a small pocket knife that he made very clear to be only used responsibly. Alphys ended up giving her some gun cleaning and maintenance supplies she found on eBay, just so Clover wouldn’t have to buy new ones for a little while longer. Asgore ended up getting her six different old, classic western movies and straight up challenged her to a marathon to see who would last the longest. Clover is someone who values practicality and the use of the present rather than the large amount of effort, that and she appreciated someone getting her anything at all in the first place, so even if Sci and Al had to ask her or even if she was sure Asgore managed to find those movies in a cheap bargain bin somewhere, she was very happy thankful for what she got, giving everyone a respectful hat tip and a thank you.

Asgore: Finally, the prince’s turn to get presents. Muffet ended up getting him a large supply of Golden Flower tea bags despite their rivalry when it came to making tea, along with that she also got him his own ornate, fancy looking tea set, one that was coloured in gold and red, real royal looking. Muffet made her own fun little comment that ‘’it was only fair that her greatest rival has the equipment to pose a challenge’’. Sci got him a book that was about rare, obscure and in some of the weird cases, mythical plants from legends, for the most part though it was a botany book. Alphys also had a similar idea to the skeleton and got him his very own tools to work on the garden, newer ones that he could keep in the shed to replace the older and crap ones she had from the beginning. Clover had actually originally planned to go the botany route, except she found out both Al and Sci were doing the same thing, so she made it her vow to do something at least a little different. So, what she ended up doing was getting a small tent that could only fit about two to three people in it and offered to take him on a camping trip in the woods. Asgore had always loved the idea of spending at least a few days in nature just for the hell of it, for fun and relaxation, so she figured this was the perfect opportunity. Asgore as expected was really happy about all of this, every single time he opened a new present he gave them his most sincere thanks and most appreciative smile. He gave everyone a hug… or well he offered one to Muffet and she threatened to stab him (Although he did give her one later in the day and managed to escape her wrath).

(Left one for Clover’s Sweater)

(Sci’s presents, because I could and because I had to look them up)

So yeah, that was their Christmas, I hope that was a good enough of an explanation. After that they spent the day chilling, they did have a Christmas meal together that Muffet and Asgore made, roast turkey and all. Thanks for reading, myself and the other five wish you all a Merry Christmas, you all deserve to have a great holiday, wish you all the best.

[fox-household]

Act 4: Education and Moral Standards, Chapter 3

Whoa whats this? A post that didn’t take two centuries before the last? I know, a real shocker. I even would’ve got this one done earlier if I wasn’t also writing a longer event chapter which is also getting closer to being done, although you won’t be able to see it yet obviously. I mean you probably think it’s a Christmas chapter, but actually no, while a Christmas one isn’t out of the question (I’m thinking I’ll do a short one for that), I’ve got a fun one planned for New Years, weird decision, but I’ll fully explain it then, I promise. Anyway here’s the first of the shorter chapters, feel free to let me know how it goes, it does feel super short to me, but maybe that’s because I wrote it in one go and I’m just used to the longer ones still, but I still think it’ll be better than waiting 100 years for a chapter. Ok I’ll stop rambling now, hope you enjoy, you people have a good day and stuff. 

FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT, INFO 

Asgore Asgore found the familiar halls empty of anyone he wanted to see, he passed parents and students that he didn’t really know very well, one of them was in a class of his, though obviously he was busy. Honestly, he’d hoped that maybe one of the kids would show up or Simon, or anyone he knew well enough to hang out with. With a final defeated sigh, he leaned his back on a locker, finding that this was a better place than any to rest, in another ten minutes or so he would go on another search, perhaps more people would out and about. For the next five minutes nothing changed, only one pair of parents passed him, the recently cleaned halls shined a little, yet revealing nothing of interest to break him from his boredom. That was until he heard footsteps running down the hall to his left, glancing over to find a girl clad in what he could only describe as cowboy attire, the old western look being the main thing anyone noticed on first seeing her because of how out of place it was. Although for him and his classmates, seeing Clover like that wasn’t so weird, at least not anymore. Clover stopped in front of Asgore, looking at him with eyes of contempt and pure aggravation, ‘’God damn it, my fucking luck’’. She kept looking behind her, back towards the corner she came from, now the two could hear some slightly heavier footsteps approaching. Before Asgore had enough time to even give her a ‘Howdy’, he found himself being dragged by the arm further down the hall, slowing down only 5 meters further and coming to a halt in front of a cleaner’s closet. The human quickly opened the door and shoved him into it with a lot of unnecessary force, causing him to stumble and almost impact the concrete floor, luckily, he regained his balance thanks to being able to grasp some support from a dusty wooden shelf, although he did knock a bottle of cleaning chemical to the ground in his attempt to save himself. Clover soon after dashed into the closet and closed the door slowly, obviously trying to prevent any audible sign that they’d gone inside. She turned to Asgore and put a finger to her mouth as a sign to be quiet, watching him pick up the bottle off the floor with a look disdain. Her attention moved to outside the door as the footsteps became louder and louder, eventually peaking when the individual got the front of the door, their shadow covering the light from under the entrance. But the shadow didn’t move. Asgore could tell Clover was holding her breath and he couldn’t quite blame her, he didn’t even know why he was here and yet he was dreading what would happen if that door opened, what type of situation was he about to get himself into? A deep feminine sounding sigh came from the other side of the door before finally the light from under the door was unblocked and the footsteps begun to fade away. Clover let out a huge sigh of relief, even taking a few deep breaths afterwards, ‘’Shit, that was real close’’. She looked back at Asgore who now had a matching but less intense look of relief. Once the halls had once again returned to its former silence, she opened the door and took a few steps out, looking both ways to keep watch and already looking to be on the move. Asgore followed her out, giving a friendly smile, now enjoying the open, light hall compared to that cramped, dark space. ‘’Hey Clover, uh you alright, what’s going on?’’ The moment his words reached her, she appeared to tense up, her tone making it clear that this wasn’t a conversation she wished to be having, especially with him of all people. ‘’None of your damn business, as far as you should be concerned everything’s fine. Just go run along and do whatever dandy stuff you like to do, I don’t care, just do it away from me’’. His smile turned to a much more nervous one, faltering at the hostility, ‘’So you’re just going to involve me like that and not tell me why I had to hide from some stranger?’’ She pulled down her hat as she groaned loudly, ‘’No, I didn’t do it to involve you, I bloody well did it because I don’t trust you not to sell me out, for all I know your stupid extreme honesty would’ve kicked in and I ain’t risking that…’’, she pulled her hat back up as her brown eyes found his with an irritated gaze, ‘’Why don’t you stop being real damn nosy and focus on your own problems… because we know you have them’’. It was finally at this that his expression lost the smile, ‘’Excuse me? But what are you on about?’’ ‘’You know, the fact that you get your ass beat every few days because you want to protect some kid… don’t give that confused look, you think those bruises you try to hide were only noticed by those close to you? Almost everyone in class knows something is going on, though most don’t know what… even seems to be a theory going around that maybe that’s happening to you at home after school, if you know what I mean?’’ ‘’Th-that’s… That’s not what’s happening! That’s completely wrong!’’ ‘’Well the less informed don’t know that. Tell us Asgore, what is going on? Because I mean the way Tori’s been asking around, she doesn’t know either… so why don’t you clear up the truth?’’ The goat monster’s surge of anger disappeared and was replaced with a silence, he only watched Clover with a look that showed he wasn’t going to say anything. ‘’Whatever Asgore, you’re not my problem so just stay out of my way, see ya, make sure to leave me alone’’, with an annoyed and dismissing tone, she walked back the way she came swiftly, trying to leave the situation as quickly as possible, leaving the prince to his own thoughts and secrets.

Sci

While the school was unfamiliar to him, it was thanks to signs and random people walking around that actually knew the place that he managed to find his way. The school itself from the inside looked nice, it was simple and a little generic. However, it was clean, had a large amount of running facilities and lots of room to do whatever classes and students needed to do, he felt like he wouldn’t have minded going to this school back in the day, a time that felt like it was a long time ago, a time where he felt he was a different person to the one that he is now, who knew being an adult could change you. Stifling another yawn that he could feel were becoming more and more overpowering, he made his down the last hall to his destination, seeing two doors to a bathroom for each gender. He opened the door to the male bathrooms and was half way from stepping inside when something made him stop, sending a shiver down his spine and making his eyes widen as well as making his eye lights disappear. ‘’Sans… Sans… come to us… Sans’’ The voice was faint and raspy, as if it had to rely on the wind to carry it anywhere, but despite the voice’s quirks, it was all too familiar to him. He turned his head to the left, looking down the hall where he saw a tall shadowy silhouette standing there, not moving, only being audible, repeating those words. Swearing, he dashed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him and running to the row of sinks in front of the large horizontal mirror. Sci stuffed his hands in his right pants pocket, finding nothing, trying to slide his finger into a small crevice. ‘’Quick, quick, ah shit please, c’mon’’. Finally, he found what he was looking for, opening the concealed pocket and pulling out a syringe in the open, the glass in the small thing filled with an orange liquid. His eyes found the mirror in front of him and in its reflection, he saw the shadowy figure from before standing on the other side of the room behind him, this time joined by a smaller figure right next to it. They both had eyes develop onto them, familiar eyes, and then that’s when he started to notice colours were starting to form on the taller one, white spreading along its head to make a bone like material. ‘’Is this really Sans? Come to us’’. This time two voices spoke with the filtered-like voice, the second one seeming a little higher than the first, the way he spoke also had a less confident tone, it made him feel guilt. ‘’G-get… get the h-hell way from me!’’, panicking now, his hands were shaking fiercely and twice he nearly dropped the syringe on the floor. He rolled his right sleeve up and managed, with a struggle, to position the syringe above where his forearm would be. Barely giving him any time to aim properly, he stabbed it into the bone, gritting his teeth from the sudden sharp pain, finally pressing down on the end of the syringe, making the orange liquid disappear into his arm. After a few seconds of nothing but fear and pain, both feelings just suddenly stopped. Energy, lots of energy, it was the only way he could describe the sensation that was going through his entire body. He felt new, refreshed, powerful. Putting the syringe back in his concealed pocket, he looked up at the mirror. Both figures were gone, he was alone in the bathroom now. He looked at his eyes, making the pair of them blue, the type that would usually show in his left eye whenever using a lot of magic. The skeleton returned his eyes back to the normal white eye light and let out a deep laugh. ‘’Oh, this feeling just never gets old’’, he said to himself as he cracked the bones around his neck. Any feeling of tiredness had been eliminated, no impending yawns, no sign that he was ever like that in the first place, all they could see was the Sans who was ready to take on the world. ‘’Hopefully this will allow the others to worry a little less, I told them I’d be fine and look at me now, right as rain’’. With those last few words, he stretched his arms a little before finally leaving the bathroom to go find Alphys and Asgore.

[fox-household]

Act 4: Education and Moral Standards, Chapter 2

Alright, this one took even longer, I know there’s definitely a pattern here. But this sort of got delayed with personal issues, life stuff, school work and now the end of the school year is coming up, so yeah. While I’m not sure how the length of this chapter really compares to the others, but because of the fact that school is going to get harder soon and my feelings when it comes to progress, I’m going to start trying to post shorter chapters. One of the worst feelings I get is that since I haven’t posted anything for ages, I feel like I’ve made no progress at all, it really pains me sometimes and since I’ve been holding myself to some sort of standard of length, it feels daunting to write a new chapter even if the length probably isn’t as much as others do. Anyway content shouldn’t be lessened overall, just there will be a larger number of chapters. Thanks for being patient, hope it was at least 2% worth the wait if even that.  FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT, INFO

Asgore The ten-minute drive was completely silent for the most part, all the goat child had to do was listen to the rumblings of the engine and Alphys make a few comments as she drove in her car, which the other two secretly found quite cramped compared to what they were used to. The light green Volkswagen had probably only been bought since the small stature of the owner was the only thing considered in the thought process of the buyer. Asgore continued watching all the familiar buildings go by, day after day he had seen them, yet despite this visual familiarity, he probably only knew about under half of them and what was inside. All these buildings had history, with people who ran it with their own fascinating stories to tell, tragic backstories to tales of luck and fortune, anything was possible within his ignorance and lack of knowledge, he much preferred it that way. The truth would only leave him one conclusion, no room for imagination, where was the fun in that? ‘’So Asgore, anything we should know about the school? Any warnings that we should be aware of?’’ The child turned his gaze from the window and looked to the skeleton in the front passenger seat, leaving a small moment of thought before answering, ‘’Not really, it’s pretty normal I guess. Got a pair of buildings to split the large amount of year levels, it goes P-12. So there might be a decent few people there… otherwise just talk to the people you need to talk to and get out.’’ Asgore’s words were slow and deliberate which appeared to amuse Sci slightly judging from the way he let out an amused huff, ‘’Fair enough. I’m sure it won’t be that bad buddy, everything’s going to be ok.’’ The backseat passenger didn’t appear too convinced, ‘’Well, we’ll see shall we?’’ The car took a sharp right turn and the three of them ended up leaning in the other direction before straightening up again. ‘’Alright, how about this, we go out and do something fun later tonight, something just a little different?’’ This seemed to intrigue both Alphys and Asgore, the goat tilted his head slightly and watched the skeleton while the driver gave a small glance, ‘’Th-that does s-sound nice, d-do you have something in m-mind?’’ ‘’Yeah, like maybe we could go out tonight and get some sweets? Brighten up the mood a little bit. Would something like that please everyone? I’ll even shout for us all.’’ The other two looked at him, both with a smile, Asgore found it was him that was going to speak for the both of them. ‘’Alright Sci, I’ll hold you to that, sounds like a plan. Better not forget buddy’’ He chuckled lightly, a happy smile appearing on his face, ‘’Guess I have something to look forward to now’’. The child’s gaze returned to the window, except this time it was in higher spirits, deciding to now focus on the potential positives of this experiences, whatever they maybe. Eventually the vehicle reached their destination, turning into a carpark outside a large brick building with multiple floors, windows and even a bit of a garden around the edges. Looking from the outside the place seemed a bit unremarkable as the building didn’t really have any decorations or any sort of grand design on it’s exterior and the yard around was just paths and grass for the most part, at least on the side they were on, if it wasn’t for the size of the place there might’ve been a slight question to how much money they actually had. The trio left the car and looked up at the closest building, the silence being broken by Sci, ‘’Uh Asgore, is this…. It?’’. The goat seemed the be in happier spirits now, some of his usual energy being rejuvenated, ‘’Yes of course it is, this is the high school building, you know, 7-12?’’ He crossed his arms and shook his head slowly, ‘’Although I assume you’re talking about the lack of uh… colour and variety? Well we personally think they decided that design doesn’t matter for high schoolers, like all people only care about the facilities, if you head over to the primary building, it looks quite colourful and child friendly.’’ Asgore shrugged and with putting his hands in his jumper pockets, he started to walk towards the front entrance to the school. The other two followed behind, letting him lead the way, ‘’I-it’s uh a l-little bigger th-than I th-thought it would be… do a lot of p-people come to this school?’’ ‘’It holds a good number, a thousand maybe? I’ve never really thought about it before, but there’s enough that I don’t really know everyone, probably don’t take my word for it at all’’. The entrance held a little above ground level, access being restricted by up by stone stairs or a ramp that came from the side, above the glass-wood doors was the name of the school in a bolded, fancy font that he hadn’t ever really cared to co ’McConville Academy’ They went to the front desk at first and signed in at a record book, being greeted by a middle-aged turtle monster who asked the adults a few questions about who they were, a suspicious tone pervasive throughout, they both deemed it was fair enough that they questioned two random people that just had wandered into the school. After a few minutes and one explanation from Asgore about why they were here, they were free to go on their way. Alphys looked at a crumpled piece of paper that she’d been gripping onto, ‘’S-so it s-says here th-that, um E-English is first i-in l-like fifteen m-minutes? You know wh-where to go?’’ Asgore nodded, ‘’Yep, second floor, room 14. Honestly not to bad for a second-floor room. The teacher I suppose isn’t to bad either.’’ ‘’You like English kid?’’ Sci’s question prompted a small shrug from the prince leading them, ‘’English is fine half the time, I think I do ok. Depends on what we’re doing I suppose.’’ Being led by Asgore, the group arrived at a classroom with seats outside it as an obvious station to wait. They sat down on the chairs that were closest to the door and remained silent, thinking to themselves. Asgore looked at the other two, Sci seemed as calm as ever but Alphys on the other hand seemed more nervous than usual, the way she had her hands together twitching and tapping made him worry a little, was she going to be alright, did she realise she didn’t have to do anything except listen? The seconds waiting there turned to minutes until finally a pair of adult monsters left the classroom and they heard a yell from inside for ‘’NEXT, COME IN!’’. They obliged and ended up finding what amounted to a mostly empty classroom, all the chairs that were normally there could be found stacked up at the side of the room, the tables were nowhere to be seen, the windows showed back out to the front of the school, the entrance they came in quite visible from their elevated position. The main attraction, made obvious by being the only thing of note, was the teacher’s desk with four chairs in the front of it, the desk itself was recently cleaned and had nothing except for a small stack of paper and a nameplate that matched the large name written on the blackboard on the wall behind the desk. ‘’Mr Breve’’ Although the blackboard included underneath it ‘Music and English Teacher’. The teacher himself was sitting behind the desk, a Shyren cladded in a white t-shirt, leaning backwards on his chair and humming a slow tune to himself. As the three of them took their seats, he decided to get the opening word in, his voice having some sort of song like rhythm to it. ‘’Something seems off here… one of you may be a skeleton yet, none of you are Doctor Gaster, you are the same Asgore right? Or has there been a mix up?’’ The Shyren’s tone didn’t portray any worry or annoyance as he moved forwards so his chair and himself were properly upright, looking between the visitors. ‘’O-oh uh, n-nice to meet y-you sir, we’re umm… stepping i-in for G-Gaster, he couldn’t make it sir.’’ A sympathetic smile came across the teacher’s face as he watched the female monster fumble her words, ‘’Well that’s a shame, but no worries, I’m just as happy to meet you two. Oh and please, don’t call me sir, just call me Breve’’. Now getting up from his chair to give a handshake, both taking the handshake one after the other. ‘’A-Alphys’’ ‘’Sci’’ ‘’Oh lovely, may I also implore your relationship with this fine young man here? Why you have taken him instead of the good Doctor?’’ Sci gave a shrug, deciding to take this question for the two of them, his smile being a calm one, yet his eyes seemed to be approaching half closed, as if he was just going to fall asleep in a few minutes. ‘’Yeah I guess we’re mostly just friends, at the moment acting guardians I suppose you could say, right?’’ Concerned looks were given towards Sci by the other two as he looked over, but nothing was said quite yet about his tired expression, ‘’Uh y-yeah, we’re his g-guardians.’’ The child spoke up now, his tone rushed as his desire to get things moving along, ‘’So shall we talk about how well I do in English, we’re in here for that reason after all.’’ Mr Breve gave a relaxed sigh and smiled, ‘’Guess you don’t want to be here long huh? Well let’s begin shall we?’’ He brought his hands together and stretched his fingers, making a cracking noise. Using the next few moments of silence to his advantage, he thought about what he was going to comment on first. ‘’Well I suppose to start with negatives… the kid’s not that great at analysing things, just seems to struggle with it… disagree?’’ Realising the question was pointed at him, the goat shrugged dismissively, ‘’Yeah, I mean I guess, don’t really get it honestly, really hate trying to figure out those persuasive articles.’’ Asgore started to smile slightly, his eyes bringing a slight spark of hope, ‘’But I am improving right Mr Breve? My marks are getting better I’m sure of it’’. A kind smile approached his lips, ‘’Yes you are, I think with a little effort you’ll get there… and let me tell you guys, he doesn’t slack on the effort that’s for sure. Real hard worker this one.’’ With that the goat seemed quite happy and prideful, looking to the other two now, Alphys appeared to be happy with that at least, while Sci seemed… almost asleep? ‘’Also Asgore here is quite skilled at writing his own stuff, like stories or even argumentative pieces sometimes. Also, surprisingly, this trooper here is quite the poet, he has a way with words that help portray emotions and sometimes even make you feel things, probably one of the only ones in my class that doesn’t mind when poetry comes up. Even with those argumentative pieces, while he maybe weaker when it comes to using logic, reason and some of the more nitty gritty stuff, he makes fine work when it comes to making you care, making you actually want to agree with him through feeling. All in all, for what he lacks in some areas, I believe he well makes up for in others… anything you would like to add Asgore or even anything you two would like to ask? Man, the compliment part is so much more fun the other stuff. ’’ Asgore beamed at his teacher, ‘’No sir, I’m good.’’ The lizard monster shook her head, giving a smile, ‘’N-no I th-think that’s g-good to h-hear. Thanks s-so much f-for seeing u-us’’. ‘’No thank you for coming in, always appreciated. Also here, catch, can’t leave without the complimentary treat.’’ Mr Breve pulled out two things out of his desk, one being a small chocolate in a blue and silver wrapper which he chucked to Asgore, another being a bouncy ball which he started to throw up in the air once he was leaning back in his chair. ‘’Oh, by the way, I don’t know if you guys knew but Asgore doesn’t actually have to be present for these interviews, you could’ve just left him home, you guys seem pretty chill, so I’ll let you onto a little secret. Bringing the student always makes things just a little more awkward, or at least to me it does.’’ Asgore and Alphys had already got out of their chairs by this point, both looking surprised, the prince a little more than the other. ‘’Wh-what? But I thought it was mandatory, isn’t that why I’ve always had to come?’’ The monster let out a chuckle, ‘’Nah my dude, it was Gaster who was making you come. A real scary time usually, like you guys are cool because you’re chill. But he’s always so serious and down to business, can tell he’s calculating every negative I feed him… the guy could just learn to calm down you know, or at least put on a smile? Maybe he needs a soothing song once in a while… but you didn’t hear this from me alright?’’ Asgore giggled and let out a very amused expression, ‘’Your secret is safe with me Mr Breve, trust me’’ ‘’Also uh, can you make sure you guys take your friend with you ok?’’ The two suddenly became aware of a snoring noise coming from the room and they both could only give puzzled and concerned looks towards their now fully asleep companion, his bones rattling slightly with each breath. ‘’Hey Sci, is something the matter?’’, Asgore closed the door behind him after letting another family into the classroom, now they stood in an empty school hallway. Sci mumbled something inaudible before speaking, he had the type of tone that someone would make when they were trying to brush off a situation, ‘’Yeah I’m fine sorry, j-just not feeling great, maybe I’m getting sick? Would you mind if you let me freshen up or something in the bathroom?’’ ‘’Y-you s-sure you’re going t-to be ok? Th-this doesn’t s-seem r-really n-normal… a-also do y-you need Asgore t-to show y-you where to go?’’ Alphys watched him, no one could tell what doom bringing possibilities she was going over in her head. ‘’Nah I’m fine, don’t worry, I um think we passed one on the way here?’’ The skeleton in a manner that made it seem like he was in a rush, started backing away from them. ‘’R-really… I g-guess I didn’t n-notice it, w-well you stay safe I suppose’’. ‘’Make sure to give us a call if you need anything alright, don’t want you to be our school’s first injury from falling asleep.’’ With a surprisingly hearty chuckle, Sci gave a thumbs up and walked out of view. The remaining two looked at each other. ‘’Hey uh Al, you think he’s actually alright?’’ Alphys stopped her a moment and thought for a second before answering, giving a faint smile and the goat a slight ruffle of his hair, ‘’I hope so, b-but wh-whatever happens, w-we’ll m-make sure to w-work it out.’’ She gave a small sigh and a bigger smile towards Asgore, ‘’Y-you can g-go you know? Do wh-whatever you w-want, wander a-around, I’ll t-take care of th-this ok?’’ The boy crossed his arms with a suspicious gaze, ‘’Are you sure? I mean you’re going to be all by yourself and you don’t know this school… sounds like you could use a guide’’. ‘’N-no, no, d-don’t you worry about m-me, I’ll uh f-figure it o-out, I-I j-just don’t want t-to drag you a-around. Plus i-if all y-your teachers are like h-him, than things sh-should be fine.’’ ‘’Well at least head to the front office and ask for a map, take a picture with your phone or something, that way you’ll know where to go…’’, Asgore grinned and grabbed Alphys in a hug, ‘’…thanks Al, you’re the best, you’ll go great… just uh watch out for the art teach alright? She’s a little full on.’’ The scientist was smiling just a moment ago, giving a tight squeeze, before worry went over her face. ‘’U-uh full on in umm wh-what way?’’ The response she got from that question wasn’t exactly what she was hoping for, a chuckle and an ominous ‘’Oh you’ll see.’’ 

[fox-household]

Act 4: Education and Moral Standards, Chapter 1

Alright here we are again, not much to say this time, not much happens here, mostly setting up, but I assure you that the next couple of chapters are going to be interesting... or well at least stuff is going to happen, gotta finally shake things up. Hope you enjoy well enough. 

FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT, INFO

It all started with darkness, pure pitch-black darkness no matter where she turned, no matter where she moved nothing changed, she wouldn’t even be able to tell if she was moving in the first place, there was nothing visible, not even herself, there was nothing. However, there was comfort and safety in this darkness, she had learnt to enjoy it, this place where nothing normally could hurt her, a peaceful place. Parts of her yearned for this to never end, just to stay forever, it was easier than doing anything else, couldn’t exactly stuff this up. Unfortunately, it had to end, it always had to end, usually slowly and calmly, but this time it concluded with a rarer occurrence. In the darkness there were two dots horizontally parallel to each other, they were distant enough that most people wouldn’t be able to properly identify what they were, but she knew better, she knew what was coming for her. The dots lightly bobbed as they got slowly got larger, as they drew closer and closer. ‘Please stop, just leave me alone, just disappear forever’, her own voice echoed around her head and area around, but despite the fearful pleas, it kept coming closer. The red dots now were forming into crimson red eyes, still approaching. ‘No, no, just don’t please. Don’t do whatever it is you want to do. Why me?!’ The eyes actually made a sound this time, a distorted arrogant laugh, as if there was awful radio connection interfering with the things voice, nothing like gender could be told from it. ‘I don’t get it… I just don’t get it… I h-haven’t done anything, n-not to you, y-you don’t need to do this? J-just let me go!!’’ Where the eyes were, a silhouette of a humanoid figure started to take form, appearing grey and featureless, the only thing that could be told from it was that it was walking at a slow pace towards her, it’s unblinking stare piercing her through and through. She wanted nothing more than to scream, run, hide, call for help, anything to even say some more words of protest. But as her tormentor approached, all she felt was this overwhelming feeling of fear and hopelessness, it was taking her voice, smothering her, she felt as if she was suffocating on nothing, as if it was just her throat that closed up. The figure was finally close, and it was laughing that distorted sound again, except it didn’t stop, the laughter kept going tirelessly, echoing around and flooding the area around them, there was no other sound. She felt like her heart was going to explode, she wanted to get out, she needed to get out, that darkness needed to return, she wanted everything to go back the way it was, this situation needed to just stop. The figure’s laughter loudened right before it lifted its arm and thrusted to grab her face, smothering her vision. She felt nothing, the blackness had returned, but that evil, fear striking laughter continued, it just kept on going…

ALPHYS Alphys woke up with a start, frantically looking around with fear in her eyes, breaths going in and out as fast as you could flip a light switch over and over. The monster gripped her blanket and brought it close to her as she spent the next few minutes calming down, mostly just trying to slow her breathing while also using the blanket to wipe off some of the sweat dripping down her face. ‘’Damn, it happened again… don’t suppose a dream therapist or whatever the hell it’s called could help us?’’ Alphys shook her head at the voice’s words, ‘’N-no, th-there’s no need… it’s b-been getting b-better right? Ever s-since those t-two came, they’ve b-become l-less frequent’’. The voice sighed, ‘’Well if you think you’ll be ok, but I don’t think we should just rely on having those guys around… we need to have our solution to this shit, can’t keep taking the lazy way of dealing with this stuff, it’s gonna affect your mental health’’ ‘’Yeah th-that’s rich c-coming from y-you isn’t it?’’ ‘’Hey I may not be natural, but I’m sure as hell good for you, I’m basically a friend who knows who you truly are’’ Alphys having calmed down to a workable extent got off her bed and started to undress from her pyjamas, ‘’I-I w-wouldn’t g-go th-that far. Y-you’re not m-my friend. Y-you’re j-just freeloading up th-there, s-someone who I-I have to d-deal with… who i-is a little helpful s-sometimes’’. ‘’You know Al, you might actually hurt my feelings one day, you should feel lucky to have someone like me, some people would kill to have someone care about them like this’’. She decided to just put on a random plain t-shirt and some shorts for the morning, she didn’t have anything on for the day, so it would probably get her through the rest of the day as well. ‘’Nobody w-wants s-someone l-like you to care a-about them, n-not the way you do it’’. ‘’I think you’re just being ungrateful’’ ‘’I-I think y-you lack a-all s-sorts o-of self-awareness’’ ‘’Suppose we’ll just have to agree to disagree my dear hostess, but either way I think that we should still watch out for that health, wouldn’t to get worse than me… and god forbid, I would hate to have a friend up here, don’t think your mind could handle three residents… one friend is enough’’. Alphys sighed and shook her head, after all this time she knew that’s really all she could do. ‘’Y-you know, w-we wouldn’t e-even be this f-friendly if I w-wasn’t alone in th-this house s-so much’’. The voice made a slightly unsettling high giggle that she didn’t hear often at all, ‘’Exactly, you would be lonely without me, aren’t I just a godsend to you, it’s not to late, we could become besties before you know it’’. With a slam of her cupboard that was a little louder than intended, she gave simple response, ‘’H-hell no!’’ Alphys could sense a retort about come from the voice until a loud knock on her bedroom door blasted through her tired senses, which both of them decided was currently more important to focus on than the current conversation. ‘’Hey Alphys, you awake in there? I uh ummm… think you need to come out for this, it’s kinda important… I think? I dunno this is for you’’, Sci’s voice going through her door all unsure and concerned like that made her worry just a little bit, what could be going on? What was this about, did something happen to the house, or perhaps weird real estate guy wanted to talk to her about the property? ‘’Oh goodness, I’m getting a little excited, finally something to beat back the boredom of daily life at this house’’, the voice deciding now was the right time to fill her head with words that buzzed with glee, a slightly antagonistic hint thrown into the mix of words. ‘’R-really? Y-you’re bored o-of those two a-already? Fuck I m-might think th-that y-you’re the boring one’’. ‘’Oh, umm you ok in there?’’ Sci’s voice snapped her back to reality as she let out a small scared squeak before rushing to the door, as a slight chuckle emanated through her head, the voice finding delight at her bait having practically been swallowed whole. The lizard monster quickly went through the door after opening it and closed it behind her, now suddenly being almost nose to nose with her skeleton housemate who was clad in a dress shirt and some black pants. It took a couple of seconds before Sci moved a few steps back after realising he was a little to close after having been up close to door in hope of hearing an answer, obviously that was no longer necessary. With her back flat against her door she put her right hand up and gave a small wave, her face doing it’s best to give off a kind, innocent type of smile that had a not so subtle hint of nervousness to it. ‘’Oh u-uh sorry, j-just was uh, mumbling to m-myself you see?’’, with the sentence came a small stuttering laugh as if it was meant to be something comedic that she had no confidence in herself. ‘’S-so ummm what’s going on?’’ Sci didn’t seem all that concerned with Alphys’ panic and went straight to it, ‘’Well it’s about Gaster, well more specifically Quantum, he’s on a phone call with Asgore right now and it seems for whatever’s going on, he’s decided that he needs to talk to you… also from what I can tell, he really doesn’t sound happy at all’’. The skeleton sighed, Alphys could just imagine him being given the phone and having to deal with an unhappy Gaster, something she wouldn’t wish on anybody. ‘’A-alright, I’ll umm… I’ll d-deal with it… I h-hope’’, she felt anxiety start crawling all over her and with it a small chill ran through her as all the worst possibilities, did someone die or something? Would she have to help deal with that grief? Surely, she wasn’t ready to deal with such a thing? Asgore didn’t go around shoplifting, did he? He was to good of a boy to do something like that, that couldn’t be it. ‘’Wouldn’t it be so interesting if Asgore was involved in some sort of scandal, some spicy new drama. The ultimate moral compass shown to be a big fat crook would be an excellent story… although it would be annoying if it ends up affecting us, sounds like more work for me honestly’’. The voice butt in suddenly, starting off excited but then slowly becoming less enthusiastic, however the only person who heard didn’t acknowledge it. Sci gave a soft smile that somehow reassured her slightly which gave a small form of motivation to get moving, she was one step from her original spot when she stopped by something that was tugging at her mind, something that was a little different than she was used to. ‘’S-sci? You don’t h-have work t-today right? I-I mean at l-least have nothing on r-right?’’, she gave a curious look as she moved her gave up and down the skeleton multiple times. Sci tilted his head slightly, she knew from being familiar with his expression herself he was wondering what her cause for question or concern was, ‘’Yeah that’s right, is something the matter?’’ ‘’It’s j-just, umm well you’re dressed quite uh f-formally for someone whose d-doing nothing.’’, she remembered the night before how he told the two of them that they had nothing on which was only interesting because every other day he had something on, whether it was a full day of work, or even just dropping into help a co-worker with anything, always keeping busy, except for today and yet here he was, dressed in that white shirt that made it look like he was headed for a meeting. ‘’Oh there’s no special occasion, just want dress like I’m ready for anything. Never know when the opportunity to further yourself is going to appear, got to always be ready and active, not time to just be laying around lazily’’. Sci even gave her a cheesy looking thumbs which only proved to unnerve her a bit further. ‘’This is… weird, maybe his lack of a brain has made his personality inconsistent’’ Alphys couldn’t help but agree as she found it incredibly strange hearing that from Sci or even a Sans in general, but at the moment she had something else to go and do. ‘’Alright uh f-fair enough then, w-well umm I-I better see what’s going on… y-yeah’’. With out much chance for a response the nervous monster quickly scurried out of the room to the living room. Sci had a faint smile as he followed after her slowly, it was obvious he wanted to know what was going on as well.

‘’How about we just think of it as me being considerate of your time, after all, you have another five kids to look after. Some probably need more attention than me.’’ Asgore spoke with a fairly bored sounding voice, part of it strained as if he just wanted this to end as quickly as possible, which Alphys assumed was most likely the case. The goat’s gaze turned to look behind him as he heard Alphys, and not far behind Sci, approach, ‘’Alright Gaster, Alphys is here, want to talk to her?’’ After a few seconds Asgore handed the phone over to Alphys and she quickly put it to her ear, the fear of not knowing what to expect just eating away at her. At first the only thing on the other end was some heavy breathing as if Gaster was trying to calm himself down. Eventually the breathing stopped and Gaster started with a serious tone, ‘’Hello Alphys, sorry for disturbing your day, I wished I didn’t have to’’ ‘’O-oh it’s o-ok, you w-weren’t interrupting anything, wh-what’s going on? Something I-I can assist with?’’, she tried to make her tone sound as genuine as possible in some way to reassure him. ‘’Actually yes there is something…’’, he sighed with displeasure, ‘’Suppose I should explain first, tonight the school is about to host parent-teacher interviews, so parents can talk to the teachers about students’ progress and such. You have to book in certain times during the day since there are a lot of students and usually I would book in times that allow me to see all the teachers for all the kids except…’’ another sigh, similar to the last, was heard over the phone, ‘’…Asgore basically booked in random times for himself so there would be no way for me to take part in all of his interviews among my busy schedule.’’. Alphys sighed, trying her best not to show any signs of relief, but as far as she was concerned, but it could’ve been so much worse, so so much worse. ‘’Soooo do we have to do this? You realise what he’s going to ask of us right?’’, the voice said slowly which snapped her back to reality, in all honesty she had forgot that he wanted her to do something and it wasn’t to hard to guess what. ‘’Alphys, I know he’s not your child and I know that this isn’t something that should be thrusted upon you so I don’t mind if you decline. But could you perhaps take my place for Asgore’s appointments?’’ Gaster’s voice was showing all the signs of annoyance, he didn’t seem to enjoy asking for help in this matter at all. Alphys took a deep breath as she thought it over, it wouldn’t be that hard would it? Just talk with the specific teachers and report back to Gaster, then she could return home. Even though she knew Gaster couldn’t see her, she smiled in the hope that it would improve the tone of her voice as she announced her answer, ‘’O-of course I’ll help y-you with that! Don’t y-you worry about a th-thing. I’ll m-make sure you get all th-the information you need.’’ Gaster made a small amused sound at the enthusiasm, his voice sounded a bit softer and kinder, she could only imagine there being a smile on the other side, or at least she could hope, ‘’Thank you, I really appreciate your effort. I trust you’ll do well with this responsibility. Is there anyway I can make it easier for you… I know Asgore will have a list of teachers and times with him’’. ‘’No need sir, I th-think I h-have everything u-under control. Y-you just f-focus on your group’’. Gaster finally content with what he was hearing decided that it was around time to sign off this call, ‘’Again thank you Alphys, please don’t put to much pressure on yourself… so good luck. Hope you can still have a good day after this.’’ Alphys did her best to keep her slightly more enthusiastic tone, trying to make sure it seemed everything was ok on her end, ‘’Th-thank you sir, umm y-you too! See y-you later!’’. Finally, with a beep, the call was disconnected, and she headed over to where the home phone usually lay and put it down, so it could stay charged. Now she looked at the other two who were watching her, waiting for her to initiate conversation, Sci had a curious confused look as he wanted to know what was going on, while Asgore on the other hand had a small smile with a faint disappointed look in his eyes, she couldn’t be entirely sure what it was that caused that look, she decided first thing was to brief Sci on the general gist of things. ‘’I-it seems th-that due to Asgore’s… i-independence, I’m g-going to th-the school t-to see teachers about Asgore t-to help Gaster.’’ Asgore quickly decided to cut in, ‘’I don’t suppose I can change your mind?’’ The lizard monster shook her head, giving a worried look towards her friend, ‘’No I-I can’t, I’m g-going to pull th-through on this… Asgore, h-how did y-you manage to pull th-that off, I would think you’d n-need teacher approval or something.’’ Asgore shook his head and sighed, watching Alphys’ concerned look making his expression look a little more down. ‘’It’s… well you do sort of have to, although they tend give students with a good rep some leeway and well they… figured I could be trusted.’’ She started sensing some regret in him as he spoke the last bit, was he questioning himself? Neither of the two expected Sci to be the next one to pipe up, ‘’Taking advantage of trust like that doesn’t sound like you, what’s going on? Why did you do that?’’ Asgore watched Sci’s curious look with a faintly annoyed expression, to her it looked as if he was on the verge of straight up telling the skeleton it was none of his business, ‘’It really doesn’t matter, just decided that it was for the best, does there have to be anything else? Don’t you trust my judgement?’’ ‘’Well… I certainly did before, but now… I don’t know, just feels a little rude what you did. Makes me a little worried about you kid’’. Sci spoke slowly, as if he was debating what he should be saying to him. Alphys found now was a good time to interject before the possibility of an argument could settle in, at the moment she was effectively the kid’s guardian, she was going to have to sort this out, it was her responsibility. ‘’O-ok that’s enough, Asgore, I-I don’t fully understand w-why, but I c-can’t have you d-doing this again, please.’’ Her voice was a little shaky as she hoped her pleading was going to be sufficient in some way to prevent this from happening again. The goat appeared to be thinking carefully, tapping his foot on the ground rhythmically as he tried to figure out his answer, ‘’I…. I can’t make any promises… I don’t think’’. The regret in his voice made Alphys worry more than she already was, there was something quite troubling to her about his actions and tone, why did he seem so conflicted when it came to this whole situation. ‘’Ummm o-ok uh…’’, she paused as she tried to gather courage together, looking away for a few moments as she considered this, was she the right person for this, could she do anything of note? ‘’A-Asgore, w-would it be o-ok if we c-could talk this o-over? I just want to know the s-situation from y-your perspective, even if i-it doesn’t change y-your mind, I… p-please just want t-to talk’’. It was almost instantly that Asgore responded, shielding himself from such a question with an answer to deflect it away, ‘’Sorry but no can do, if you plan to do exactly what you say, you better get moving. It starts in like an hour and a half, and judging from your attire, you don’t look ready to go out.’’ Alphys recoiled back slightly at realising the deadline was so close, ‘’Oh for fucks sake child, you’re pulling low blows left, right and centre’’. Sci demanded almost a little to harshly towards Asgore, ‘’Tell us, why on earth didn’t you tell us that already?! That should’ve been the first thing!’’ The younger monster gave an apologetic smile as winced at a little as Sci raised his voice, ‘’Sorry, didn’t really occur to me, after all I was counting on you guys rejecting the request, time didn’t really come into my head’’. The lizard monster started to recover from the surprise and looked back at Asgore, watching his face and started once more wonder what he was hiding behind that mask. With that she decided to have one more go at reaching out to him. ‘’I-I see, well umm c-can we please t-talk after all this, t-tonight then? Would th-that be ok?’’ Once more the child thought and then gave a sigh, ‘’Ok fine, I will have some go at explaining my thought process. But don’t expect much to come from it ok?’’ Alphys nodded and smiled, ‘’Th-thank you so much, that’s all I want’’. A throat clearing sound came from outside of her vision and she turned to look at Sci, who was pointing at his wrist, ‘’I mean I know we’re having a nice chat, but I think it might be the time for action. I’m ready to go, but I think that maybe you need to get ready to go.’’ He pointed at her which made her look down at herself, a simple t-shirt and shorts probably wasn’t the way to go, she needed something just a bit more professional, or at least something that showed she wasn’t just being a slob at home, appearances had to be kept. ‘’A-alright, I’ll g-go get ready, j-just make s-sure you’re a-all good to go? O-ok?’’ Alphys watched the two of them nod which was all she needed as confirmation before turning and rushing back to her room, although she was a little surprised that Sci nodded, she supposed he was coming then. Moving inside the safety of her domain and closing the door behind her, she stopped while leaning on the door and just went over all the information in her head. She was going to talk to Asgore’s teachers, remember what they said and report back to Gaster, that was it, surely she could do that? ‘’S-so… i-is this wh-what you wanted? This going to s-satisfy you?’’, she had a slightly amused smile as she closed her eyes to focus. ‘’Well I mean, it could be more interesting, school isn’t what I would call the epitome of entertainment… but I suppose it’s better than being in this stupid house, and it doesn’t put us in any real danger. I think I can approve’’. A light laugh came from Alphys as once more she looked through her wardrobe, ‘’What w-would make y-you happy then?’’ ‘’I’ll… think on it. How about we focus on this.’’ The voice seemed quite calm, at least calmer than usual which in a way made her feel calm herself as some sort of side effect. With one last deep breath she went on to look through her clothes, she was going to do her best, she had to prove to be reliable, for Gaster’s and Asgore’s sake.

[fox-household]

Act 3: A Fellow Science Enthusiast, Chapter 2

Geez, writer’s block really hit my like a truck on this one, and I’m not sure why. Well I hope this will do for now, feel like there’s bit to improve on, but hey, it’s something for now.  I also figure at the start of paragraphs or chapters I’m going to write down whose perspective it’s on since I figure I should probably write from one perspectives to keep things consistent and help me down the track. This chapter isn’t perfect for that since I didn’t write it completely with this in mind. So it should get better later, hopefully. Anyway enjoy. P.S Also added one sentence onto one of the rule/info thing, it’s barely noticeable but I figure I  should add it just in case it causes issues down the track and mention it here just in case someone gets annoyed. Although it isn’t that important at the moment.  FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT, INFO

SCI A small little yelp was heard as Sci pulled back on the one dragging him to their destination, Alphys obviously not expecting this had jerked back and gave a slight panicked look back towards him, wondering why on earth her momentum was interrupted. ‘’Ah Al, how about we don’t rush down there? I mean at least not with you dragging me. I don’t feel like taking the pain train tonight if something goes wrong.’’ He gave a smile and watched his companion look down the stairs that were right ahead of them that went down into the depths, stairs that would be quite painful if they rushed down and fell in any shape or form. ‘’Oh r-right, y-yeah s-sorry, got a bit a-ahead of myself…’’, with an embarrassed look away she apologised, and as if to get away from the situation itself she just ran down the stairs all by herself, leaving Sci at the top. The skeleton chuckled as he slowly and calmly walked down the steps, wondering what on earth he was going to find. As he approached the bottom of his descent he started to smell the familiar scents of metal, chemicals and different oils that keep machinery working. Sci soon stepped down on the floorboards of the basement floor, or the so-called lab. The lab he ended up seeing before him wasn’t as glamourous as he was hoping, but then he proceeded to remind himself that this was only a civilian lab, it was impressive for what it was, he couldn’t judge it based on his company standards. The room itself didn’t look like a lab with simple oak floorboards and the walls made of old and worn looking brick, but it was what occupied the room that made it what it was. Three large second hand desks that didn’t match were pushed right up against different walls, all seeming to fit different purposes, it made him feel happy that she was at least organised with the equipment. However, that slight pride in his friend was shattered as he walked over to one of the desks, one that was just full of paper with scrawls and diagrams of things and machines. Sci went to pick up the top most plan, but he had been so focussed on looking around that he didn’t notice Alphys’ small form until she was right behind him and taking the plans, putting them to her chest. ‘’Oh heh s-sorry, l-lets n-not get into th-that now, th-these… these plans aren’t r-really p-presentable at th-the moment. I’ll m-make s-sure to find something to sh-show… hopefully, just look somewhere else for now a-alright?’’ She gave a nervous smile towards the skeleton as she put the plans back on the desk. Sci nodded and shrugged, ‘’Yeah I can understand that, let me know if you have something to share’’. After waiting for a nod from Alphys he headed over to another desk, this one seemed to be cleaner than the others, but obviously only from its lack of use. The only reason he could determine it being used less was because it had a bunch of flasks, test tubes, a bunson burner and other things that had to do with chemistry, which if he remembered correctly, wasn’t a subject the owner was really into. Under closer examination among the clear glass containers there were two that were being used. An unlabelled Conical Flask was filled about three quarters of the way up with some yellow chemical that smelt of fuel. There was also a small petri dish being used nearby, which to his annoyance of its improper use here, was filled with some form of salt like substance, he thought momentarily about picking up some of the white substance, but he decided against it quickly. ‘’Hey Alphys, what we got here? Didn’t realise you were becoming a bit of a Chemistry nerd’’. He looked over to Alphys who had just been rifling through her papers. With the mention of her name she made eye contact and didn’t say anything for a few long seconds, as if she was thinking about what was going on, before speaking. ‘’Y-yeah, t-trying to br-broaden my horizons y-you know? Got to um improve on y-your weaknesses… you c-can understand th-that right?’’ The skeleton monster gave a thumbs up of agreement, ‘’I suppose you’re right, doubt I have an atom of a clue when it comes to advanced chemistry, mind teaching me what’s going on here?’’ The lizard scampered over to the desk with Sci and started off by pointing at the flask with yellow liquid, ‘’W-well f-first off th-this is um model engine fuel… or a-also called Glow Fuel.’’ She then gave a glance towards the white salt, ‘’Also th-this is Ammonium N-nitrate, a chemical c-compound that is ummm…. Oh y-yeah, used f-for fertilizer or s-something’’. Sci noticed she seemed be nervously tapping her fingers together as she tried to think of it’s use, guess you couldn’t just pull info out of your head when learning something new? ‘’Heh that sounds pretty cool Alph, but what exactly are you doing with these? Planning to mix them together for some magic potion?’’ Alphys seemed to almost panic for a moment at the mention of mixing them together, but then quickly calmed down almost abnormally, calmly shaking her head. ‘’No, all we’re doing is examining the compounds and all the atoms and such that make up these things. We can’t learn the basics if we don’t understand how it works in the first place. We’ll learn to mix and do other stuff at a later date when we feel more comfortable…’’ She stopped for a moment before giving a nervous smile, personality transforming abnormally again. ‘’D-don’t w-worry, I’ll m-make sure to get y-you involved whenever a s-scientific breakthrough is made down h-here. It c-can be your l-lab to, th-that sound good?’’. Sci was disturbed about that familiar behaviour from his companion that he hadn’t really seen since that incident, but he knew from experience asking her about it was a waste of time, so he ended giving a friendly smile, a genuine smile. ‘’Yeah Alph, that sounds really nice. But only if you’re ok with that of course.’’ ‘’O-of Course I Am!!’’, the other monster suddenly exclaimed The fleshless scientist chuckled, ‘’Alright, well from what I see here, looks like we got ourselves a deal, it’ll be refreshing to do this type of thing outside of a work environment I think, less restrictions and regulations.’’ He put his hand out, ‘So we both in agreement?’, that’s what he would’ve said if Alphys hadn’t grabbed his hand with both of hers in an instant and started shaking it. A nervous smile of his own appeared at the reaction as he watched the other scientist’s gleeful grin, he could feel the excitement rolling off her and flooding the room around them and to be honest he was starting to find it so infectious any worry from before was vanquished in an instant. After the girl finally let go of his hand he used it to gesture to the last desk he hadn’t looked at yet. ‘’Shall we?’’ Sci’s happy grin filled her with energy that caused her to hurry over in the direction of Sci’s hand, only the thing matching her speed was how fast she was talking. ‘’O-of c-course, I must say y-you have a good taste in s-saving best for last. This is where a-all the mechanic and m-machinery side of things, where I m-make all the little doodads and all the s-super cool stuff, of course I’ll try t-to m-make some r-room for you, j-just wasn’t e-expecting anyone a-any time soon, I’ll j-just have to figure out wh-where to put e-everything and all, guess a-also s-sorry for th-the mess s-such, th-that would be p-polite of me, d-don’t want to be rude t-to a g-guest and a-all.’’ It was easy to tell this was the section that was most used, after all unlike the other ones this was more than just a desk, with the large amount of machines big and small piled around the floor making it the odd one out, with it being the messiest but also the most used. The desk itself barely had any spare room as well, with small electrical things and parts strewn over it, things he couldn’t really tell what they were, he assumed only the creator herself knew. There was really only space for paper and pencils which were in the middle of the table in a non-orderly fashion, nothing in the scene in front of the skeleton showed any kind of neatness or order. However despite that, the fact that all the devices look well looked after and the details of the notes strewn around showed that this mess of work station didn’t hinder the girl at all, all he could sense was passion and happiness in this area and the work, only from someone who really enjoyed what they did. ‘’No Al, you just leave it as it is, I don’t want you to change anything for my sake. I’ll work around you, not the other way around’’. Alphys cocked her head to side lightly and looked surprised, ‘’R-really? Are y-you sure y-you w-want to deal w-with this m-mess?’’ Sci smiled, ‘’Of course I will, I’m quite adaptable you know? Also…’’, he gave a nervous chuckle , ‘’…this type of work is why I’m here in the first place.’’ Suddenly the other monster looked a little protective of her machines as she stepped in between him and the desk, giving a suspicious squint of sorts. ‘’Wh-what d-did you do? Wh-what on e-earth were you t-trying to make, s-some sort o-of nuclear f-fission d-device… wait n-no that’s to big… w-were you working w-with plain old g-gunpowder?’’ ‘’I… tried making a toaster’’. Sudden simplicity impacted Alphys right in the face as all that was seen on her was shock and horror, ‘’A-a-a-a-a TOASTER?!’’ Sci looked to be sweating a little bit, ‘’No no no, not just any toaster, one that could cook toast to a precise perfection one hundred percent of the time, of course it had to use experimental materials which is obviously where the explosive reaction came from, in hind sight it probably wasn’t the greatest idea, wish I had this hindsight back then’’. Alphys sighed and let down her guard as her tension disappeared, ‘’Y-you’re g-going to have to write d-down what y-you did so I can w-work out what was wrong.’’ She let out a huff as she thought for a moment, ‘’Although f-for now, no o-offence of c-course, I w-would prefer it i-if you r-ran your… p-plans for c-creation through me o-ok? I-I don’t think m-many p-people are going t-to w-want to take all th-three of us in if this house b-burns down… or at l-least the both of us’’. A thumbs up from a skeletal hand appeared out of his lab coat pocket, ‘’Heh, no offense taken. In this lab, I am merely your assistant, I accept that term.’’ Alphys shook her head, ‘’I-I p-prefer th-the term partner, we’re e-equals after all w-with different expert-tise, we h-help each o-other out. T-team e-effort alright?’’ Sci had to commend her on so willingly allowing someone else to just use your science space, a kindness that he wasn’t even sure he could replicate with his stuff, he wouldn’t have felt quite as comfortable as she was, but he supposed he was lucky she wasn’t like him. ‘’Of course, if that’s what you really want, then I see no reason to object’’. The lizard scientist nodded, obviously incredibly happy with the result of this conversation, he wasn’t sure if he had seen her this happy before ever, he would even be hard pressed to think of a time recently his Alphys had got this excited, maybe when she found out about Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2… that only made the fallout of that specific situation all the worse though. At the moment, the Alphys in front of him had been distracted by the desk full of devices, looking over them all, his best guess to why was wondering which of them to show off first. Similar to his reptilian companion, Sci’s attention had just been drawn to something else, a strange part of the room that was bothering him. Away from the desks of things was this large rectangle that was embedded into the wall, eerily reminding him of a door thanks to it’s shape and position on the wall. He approached the black object with a curious demeanour to examine the material it was made of, which upon examination with his eyes and the feelings from touching it with his hands, he could only conclude it was simple, hard wood. That’s what every sense told him, everything about it just seemed wooden, the only thing that was a little different was the feeling of it. Sci scratched at it and black marking stained his hand rather easily, the black was obviously thickly done, but weak paint, making the wooden thing feel a little weirder. So as far as he could tell, there was this random scrappily painted wooden slab just embedded into the wall for no apparent reason, no way he couldn’t comment on it at all. ‘’May I ask, what on earth is this… thing?’’, Sci called out, his gaze not leaving the subject of his question. Alphys put down some sort of gizmo she was messing with and turned towards Sci, looking curious to what he was talking about. That curiosity disappeared as she followed his gaze and faintly laughed as she realised what he meant. ‘’Oh, th-that th-thing… just s-some h-helpful th-thing…’’, she nervously smiled at the other monster. Sci made a small ‘hmm’ sound as he listened to the response, ‘’You know Al I won’t be able to use this entire lab to its full potential if I don’t know what everything does, could you please inform me? Got me *deathly* curious’’. ‘’uummm y-yeah… o-ok, j-just I b-barely u-understand it m-myself’’. Alphys took a deep breath before starting, hesitating slightly, he assumed it was to collect her thoughts, ‘’W-well my Gaster h-has been s-supplying me n-nicely with all th-this s-science equipment and well h-he discovered th-this new m-material he g-gave me a chunk of. Uh it’s special…. B-because it’s in-invincible t-to everything t-tested so far.’’ The skeleton had a look of instant suspicion as heard that, ‘’Really? That doesn’t sound right. How come I haven’t heard of such a massive discovery? New materials aren’t exactly something that is ignored in the science community’’. Even Alphys looked quite uncertain at that point, ‘’Y-yeah I suppose y-you’re right… I guess h-he just h-hasn’t published h-his findings yet?’’ Her nervous demeanour only increased as Sci’s suspicious look grew greater, he found the theory a little ridiculous. ‘’H-hey… y-you can test it out i-if you w-want? U-use one o-of those… G-g-gaster Blasters if y-you want’’. Sci grumbled a little bit, ‘’I would prefer it if you just called them blasters, or something else. They don’t need to be always associated with him, they’re mine after all.’’ He looked on at this supposed new material with a sceptical look, normally he wouldn’t feel comfortable summoning one of those things, but he knew if he didn’t now, his curiosity would get the better of him later. With a blue flash of his eye, he winced slightly as he put effort into creating a large beast skull in mid air and pointed it towards the target. He then groaned a little as he made it charge up and then fire at full power, a large blue laser coming from the blasters mouth, feeling a little heat emanating as it passed him to hit the object. With a sigh, he clicked to make his blaster disappear and looked at the embedded rectangle, smoke was coming off it with a slight smell of burnt paint, but besides that, there was no visible damage whatsoever. He turned back to Alphys, catching a small look of disappointment in her eyes, ‘’Alright, Al I give, it’s pretty nice I guess, just why do you have it on your wall like that?’’ Sci gave a slight chuckle, all suspicion being replaced by a curious smile, he always was happy to learn something new. ‘’Oh uh… it’s u-used to t-test h-how p-powerful a b-blast or some o-other destructive f-force is… also for th-the blasts r-range and such… s-stuff like th-that?’’ Alphys gave a smile and a slight shrug. Sci nodded and the two of them remained in silence for a little bit before the skeleton broke the quiet atmosphere that was being created. ‘’Well that was a lot of fun, thanks Al, but I think we’re done here, how about we head back? I feel like I might need some sleep in a bit.’’ Alphys nodded, obviously slightly reluctant to agree with him, ‘’Y-yeah alright, l-lets go.’’ She headed towards the stairs that lead back up to the main house, waiting for Sci to join her at the bottom of the stairs before turning off the lights from the switch nearby. The pitch black room was the final reason they needed to climb the stairs upwards. Once more it was Sci who broke the silence, the more confident of the two deciding to continue conversation, although he did have a reason that wasn’t small talk, ‘’I think I’ve figured how to pay you back for your excellent hospitality.’’ Alphys looked a little surprised, not entirely expecting him to bring something like that up, ‘’Uh wh-what… wh-what are you talking about? Th-there’s no n-need…’’. ‘’What if I supplied you with more equipment or supplies, things that we need whenever, we can have access to.’’ ‘’Wh-what? Fr-from where?’’ Sci chuckled, ‘’Well I noticed that besides that black thing, you only seem to have cheap stuff or at least the bare minimum, not sure why your Gaster doesn’t supply more or you don’t get more from your work place. But I’ve decided to help us improve this hobby with the help of my job.’’ Alphys went from looking nervous to hopeful in almost an instant, ‘’Y-you mean you c-can do th-that? Th-that’s a th-thing y-you can do?’’ The skeleton gave two thumbs up with both of his hands. ‘’Sure can, don’t you worry about a thing, it’ll be alright. Together we’ll be able to create bigger and better creations.’’ They both got to the top of the stairs and exited through the door, Alphys closed the door behind them and beamed at him, ‘’Th-that sounds r-really nice. Th-thank you so much Sci, g-glad t-to have y-you around. You’re a g-good friend y-you know?’’ Sci shrugged, ‘’Just want to be helpful you know? No need to thank me whatsoever, I just look forward to all this.’’ With a sound of agreement from the lizard monster they both headed down the hall and back out towards the main areas of the residence.

Upon arriving back towards the dining room, they were greeted by a happy goat child, Sci was sensing that he had been preparing to share this lightbulb idea for at least the last ten minutes or so. ‘’Hey you know what we should do? In celebration of Sci’s arrival we should have a movie night or something, like we did last week. The best kind of introduction to the Glitch household!’’ Sci nervously smiled, ‘’Yeah I don’t think I can manage one to-‘’ Alphys without really realising it cut him off while looking at Asgore, ‘’O-of course, th-that’s an awesome idea, w-we need to g-get him st-started on the C-curse of Rebellion, that way we all can be big fans of it.’’ The two of them looked to Sci with determined and excited faces, waiting for a response from him. With looks like that he would’ve had trouble saying no to them both, even now when he was feeling a little drowsy. ‘’Alright fine, I reckon I can watch a little something tonight’’. The other two looked at each other with expressions of triumph, ‘’A-alright, l-lets get st-started’’ ‘’Wait! Sci’s so far behind us, we’re going to need to catch him up A.S.A.P, It’s going to be so boring if takes a week for him to catch up, so I think there is only one solution!!’’, Asgore exclaimed confidently. Sci didn’t like the sound of where this was going and attempted a weak objection, ‘’H-hey w-wait a moment…’’ Alphys made a small noise of agreement as she seemed to be thinking, ‘’Oh y-yes, y-you’re right… th-that would be the o-only solution, w-we need to b-binge that entire f-first series and m-movie in one go.’’ ‘’Hang on, doesn’t that seem a little ridiculous?’’ Similar to Alphys, Asgore didn’t appear to register any sound coming from the skeleton, ‘’Hmmm if we start right now, we’ll be done about late morning tomorrow, that sounds perfect and since we don’t have anything on tomorrow, nothing will stand in our way!’’ he punched the palm of his hand in a dramatic fashion as he grinned happily. Alphys gave a high pitch giggle of excitement, ‘’Yes!! Alright, I’ll g-go g-get the blankets, y-you go s-set it up.’’ The lizard monster than ran out of the room, leaving the goat and skeleton all by themselves. ‘’W-wait Asgore, I-I don’t think I can-‘’ Asgore simply shook his head and started talking in some dramatic deep voice that seemed ridiculous to him, the kid was way to hyped up, ‘’Never fear my skeletal compatriot, I will not fail in my mission, however I am to busy to receive comments. See you soon, hope you enjoy the grand show that will be put on for your entertainment’’. Just like Alphys he sped out of the room without answering his comments. Sci could only look on in dismay as everyone else was setting up events that were out of his control, some regret was starting to appear with him, all he could do was wonder why this was happening to him? Oh why did he have to blow up his apartment. ‘’Guess this is just some form of Karma huh?’’ With a sigh, the scientist headed towards the lounge to meet his fate.

[fox-household]

Act 3: A Fellow Science Enthusiast, Chapter 1

Alright, here we are again, this one isn’t very long compared to how long it took to post this, also not to much happens action wise, so sorry about that. Anyway hope you enjoy the content, I’ll add links later because I am a tired individual.  Also since I haven’t done this for a while, I figure I should add it again.  Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters technically, they’re from AU’s I don’t own but they are also changed from they’re source, they only mimic the AU in backstory. Liberties have been taken for entertainment purposes as this is fan fiction basically and you can find the original non-changed and non-RP version of them by looking them up in google or something.  FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT, INFO

The skeleton scratched the side of his head with a finger stressfully, he was feeling the fear rise, and flashing red lights weren’t helping. Warning signals everywhere trying to warn him of ‘’Danger Imminent’’, even appearing in large red letters on the small screen, flashing away. ‘’Damn it I already know, just let me think’’, his mind was feeling cluttered with all the background noises and images, he had to cool down the core of the device before it exploded. Dropping the device on the table near the window he ran over towards the couch in front of the TV, where lots of tools were scattered, some on the floor, some on the couch and some in the crevices between cushions. Without checking which of them he was picking up, he quickly put together three different screwdrivers in his hands and ran back to the device, which he could feel heating up as he picked it up. He turned the device over and quickly jammed one of the three screwdrivers in a screw, trying to twist but finding it had no grip as the screwdriver didn’t fit, ‘’C’mon!!’’ he yelled as he threw it away and tried again with the second one, but it was only a repeat and another one went flying. The skeleton’s breathing was getting faster as panic was taking over, ‘’This better be it’’. With a shaky hand he inserted the third screwdriver, a smile appearing as he got it to fit in and start turning. A few rushed turns later the screw fell out, and another and another until finally the back of the device came off, which he was thankful for as it’s weight was starting to take a toll on his weary bones. ‘’Alright, we’re close, just got to move this wire over there…’’, he spoke to himself as he pulled out a yellow wire and plugged it into a different socket, and then completely removed a green wire from its socket, and then suddenly all the red flashing and loud warning signs stop, he turned it over to find a black screen. The skeleton let out a nervous laugh as he relaxed slightly, ‘’Heh good thing th-‘’ Suddenly a quick succession of beeps came out of the device and his eyes widened, ‘’Oh sh-‘’. Then suddenly an explosion erupted, and the only sound that was heard was a BOOM and shattered glass.

‘’God damn it Sci, here we are again’’. The skeleton sighed, he was currently sitting in his landlord’s office at her desk, watching the rabbit monster pace back and forwards over and over again, ‘’Sorry Brenda, didn’t really expect that to happen you know?’’ Brenda gave a frustrated growl towards him, ‘’Yeah, you never do, always build first, worry about OH&S later, how the hell didn’t you see this coming with an explosion like that, you took out your whole apartment.’’ Sci scratched the back of his head nervously, looking guilty, it really didn’t help that his clothes and face were black from the smoke and ash, ‘’Well uh the device was just something simple I created, I didn’t even think it was capable of such um damage.’’ She suddenly gave him a very angry and intense stare that caused him to physically gulp, he never liked being up against this look, it never bode well for him. ‘’Oh really? You didn’t think it had the capability? What the fuck were you making?!’’ He looked nervous, ‘’Um well… perhaps a… toaster?’’ ‘’Sci you better not be screwing with me!’’ He shook his head now, ‘’N-no it’s true, but not an ordinary toaster, one that uses thirty different scanners and few… other things that connect directly to a screen to give you instantaneous feedback on how well it’s cooked so it would be perfect for whoever uses it.’’ Brenda raised an eye brow at him, watching his expression and noticing the slight hesitation which gave her a theory, ‘’You know, I may not look it, but I’m smarter than the average bear. There is no way you could’ve made an explosion that badly with a simple electrical device, what else did you put in there?’’ This caused some panic on the skeleton, ‘’Uh just some other things to make it regulate temperature, especially in the core of it all…’’. ‘’Let me guess, a bunch of chemicals that aren’t completely safe… you got them from the lab, didn’t you?’’ His sudden frozen look was all the confirmation she needed, ‘’You weren’t meant to take these specific ones, were you?’’ ‘’N-no I’m sorry, yeah I used some things I shouldn’t have… but it’ll be ok right?’’ With this Brenda went silent and sighed, almost twenty awkward seconds of silence passed, ‘’I’m sorry too Sci, but I’m going to have to evict you.’’ ‘’What?! But… you can’t do that.’’ She nodded and crossed her arms, her expression had grown a lot softer now, which almost worried him more. ‘’It’s the only way, you can’t keep this up.’’ ‘’But it’s never been this bad before, this was my first big major issue, right?’’ he said as a growing worry was showing his voice. ‘’That’s the problem, it’s only escalating, it could get so much worse.’’ ‘’Can’t the company just pay for this repair?’’ ‘’Yeah they will, but after this there is no way they’re going to keep funding your accommodation and even then your stunts are making me lose customers, I can’t afford going out of business’’, she sighed once more, and gave Sci a look, showing that she didn’t want to have to do this. ‘’Is there anyway I can make it up to you, one more way to get a last chance?’’, he said pleadingly. ‘’No…honestly Sci I like you, I like you quite a lot, you’ve helped out a ton with your expertise and you’re a good friend, which is why you’ve stayed this long… and also why I’m going to falsify the report to your workplace, so you can keep your damn job. But I can’t keep it going on like this, I’m sorry, I want you to understand it’s not easy for me to make a decision like this’’. Sci nodded in acceptance, she was right, this was actually going to happen, he’d stuffed it up and he was going to have to accept the consequences. ‘’I… I understand, sorry, I’ll get what’s left of my stuff tonight and leave.’’ ‘’Do you need any help, I’ve got some friends who might take you in temporarily?’’, but the skeleton shook his head and took out his phone. ‘’No, but thanks for the offer. I’ll be good from here’’, he offered her a kind smile, ‘’No hard feelings here’’. She shook her head with a faint smile, ‘’No hard feelings here either, just stay safe, one of these days I swear, you’re gonna get worse than scorch marks.’’ She chuckled as she drew a line through the ash on his cheek, she then looked at her finger before rubbing it on her pants. ‘’If you need anything, you call me alright?’’ Sci nodded, ‘’You to, especially if something of yours goes toast’’. Brenda shook her head at the pun as he headed to the exit door, ‘’You know I’m gonna take you up on that offer, right?’’ The skeleton nodded with a slight laugh, ‘’Yeah of course, got a friend’s deal for you, about 5 grand per item I reckon’’. With this the rabbit monster rolled her eyes and gave him the middle finger before leaving. Sci now left alone in the dark office, he looked at his phone and went down the contact list. No not his Paps, he couldn’t move out of home and  move back in, plus with him having disappeared for… quite a while, he had learned to become much more independent without him, although it was good for Paps to mature. His Alphys was overseas working on something, maybe it would’ve been a good idea if he went with her, can’t very well keep her from here, not easily anyway. ‘’Grillby might be…’’ Sci’s mind flashed to the shit he was going to get from his counterpart there and without even giving time for his mind to think any other thought, he moved the contacts down a few more people before he came across another Alphys, Glitch to be precise. ‘’Heh, maybe she’ll help out, hopefully I won’t be to much of a bother, although knowing her, she’ll probably fake being ok with it anyway’’. With that he pressed the call button, and listened to rhythmic rings, waiting for someone to pick up.

 Sci stood outside the front gate, a concerned expression as he wondered if this house could even support another person living in it, surely even an extra bone of his was going to cause the whole place to come down, let alone himself and the two suitcases he brought with him. ‘’Well I guess I can’t talk, my old place is a little worse off now’’. That thought pushing him on, he chuckled as he opened the gate and walked towards the front door, hearing the creaking of the wooden porch. The skeleton started to feel some form of weird feeling inside his soul, as if he was starting to feel ill in the gut, but he couldn’t work out why, perhaps it was butterflies in his stomach, he had nothing to worry about, nothing to fear, it was just Alphys after all. Bone made contact with the door and a loud knock was made in the hope of gaining the attention of the house’s resident, and it wasn’t long before he knew it had done it’s intended purpose as he heard very fast footsteps, Alphys must either be very excited or very nervous, he instantly assumed the latter. Sci’s expression suddenly turned taken aback and confused and obviously his greeter noticed as a giggle came from the goat child in front of the skeleton. A few silent seconds passed before Asgore spoke, ‘’Heh, it’s nice to see you to Sci, how you doing’’? Sci shook his head and gave a curious smile, this was a bit different than he was expecting, ‘’Oh sorry, nice to see you as well, it’s been a while… what are you doing here? It’s getting a bit late, didn’t realise you two were close enough to have sleep overs’’. Asgore shook his head with a grin as he was obviously expecting this reaction, ‘’I’m um actually living here’’ ‘’L-living here?! Permanently? Gaster was ok with that?’’ Sci did the skeleton equivalent of an eyebrow raise as he wondered what the hell could’ve caused a situation like this, but he couldn’t complain, the more the merrier, and he enjoyed Asgore’s company at least. ‘’Yeah it’s all good, I’ve been living here for about a… a week huh? A week really goes by quick. Anyway yeah, so I guess we’ll be housemates for a while!’’, the goat child seemed to be quite happy as he moved out of the way of the door to let Sci in, an opportunity he took quickly, closing the door behind him. ‘’Well I guess you’ll be able to show me around since you’re experienced with the place’’, the skeleton said as he put down his stuff next to the front door, he would put it away later. The kid started to lead the guest to the kitchen, ‘’Well I’ll leave that to Alphys, she seemed incredibly excited to have you over.’’ Sci scratched back of his head with a nervous laugh, ‘’Really? That’s not what I was expecting… that’s nice I suppose.’’ ‘’Yeah, I think she really wanted to show off the small lab she has in the basement, I don’t think showing it to me had the effect she desired, most of it went over my head’’, Asgore chuckled as he got out a pot and started to fill it with water under the sink tap. ‘’Oh, I see, I’m actually interested in checking that out now, I wonder what she managed to fit inside? Speaking of her, where is she at the moment?’’ Asgore thought for a second before responding, ‘’She’s out getting dinner, think we’re just having some chicken and stuff? Can’t quite remember’’. He grinned, the kid was glad that Alphys wasn’t here right now, otherwise she would’ve insisted on serving the tea because she was their host, but it was his turn and he was going to deliver a good impression with this. Asgore moved the half full put over to the stove and turned the gas on, and in an action that frightened Sci for a second, he stuck his paw into the stove and then suddenly there was fire. The goat quickly pulled his hand out before it got to hot for him and turned to Sci, seeing a bigger smile appear on the skeleton filled with curiosity, ‘’Been learning some new tricks kid?’’ Asgore gave a slightly proud smile, not that he felt he had much to be proud about, ‘’Uh yeah, I’ve umm been practising this…’’, He raised his paw up and after a couple of seconds of concentration, light blue flames danced around it, like his paw was a match. ‘’Looking very nice, seems a little… familiar though.’’ Asgore gave a shy smile, ‘’Yeah we did think that as well, can’t give you a reason why though, but it’s cooler than orange… anyways there’s not much to be super impressed with, I can’t throw it and it’s not the hottest thing in the world, no where near Tori or anything.’’ Sci shrugged, ‘’Hey I’m sure you’ll get there kid, just keep working on it and soon enough you’ll be flinging fire like the best of them… flinging safely of course’’. The two of them gave small laughs as Asgore opened a packet of Golden Flower Tea, preparing for use. Sci gave a small sigh and then seemed to start examining Asgore, before finally resting on a joking grin. ‘’Guess you’re starting to grow up, aren’t you? Although… I don’t think you’ve got any taller.’’ Asgore crossed his arms and glared at Sci, ‘’People change greatly over two years and one of those great changes is my height. The Asgore you knew probably was a midget compared to me!’’ Sci laughed and shrugged, he was aware people change over large amounts of time, he knew better than most. Also, while he was mostly just trying to tease the boy, he honestly couldn’t really see much of a difference, perhaps he was just unobservant. Before Sci could try and give Asgore another fun verbal jab, the two of them turned as they heard the front door open and the goat gave a smile, ‘’Hey Al, he’s here!’’

’’Well at least this guy might actually be helpful, we don’t need another freeloader’’, Alphys sighed as the voice already started to complain, although it didn’t bring her down whatsoever, ‘’Asgore is a welcome addition to this place, ok?’’. The voice made a noise to show they didn’t care about arguing anymore, and she was fine with that. The lizard put her shopping bags next the her new guests suitcases and then sped walked to the kitchen swiftly, a big smile on her face as she entered, ‘’Hey Sci, W-welcome!!’’. Sci smiled as Alphys came over and hugged him, he returned the favour with his arms, although he still felt a little awkward doing it. She moved back and the two guys both noticed she seemed fidgety, although it was obviously more of an excited happy fidgety rather than one from pure nervousness, although that temporarily disappeared as she gave a squinty look at Asgore, and he gave back a slightly guilty shrug, ‘’The Golden Flower Tea’s already out Al, I got this one, leave the greeting tea to me’’. Alphys’ expression returned to what it was before as she turned back to Sci, ‘’S-sorry I uh wasn’t h-here when you a-arrived, but I g-got dinner, going to try and c-cook some ch-chicken and-‘’ ‘’It’s alright Al, glad to see you, how’re you?’’ Alphys was tapping her hands together, a nervous smile appearing, ‘’Oh uh I-I’m fine, j-just h-happy th-that you made it, I’m uh g-going to make sure y-you’re comfortable and such…,’’ She seemed to sweat slightly as she seemed to have some sort of realisation, ‘’Oh g-gosh s-sorry, I’m b-being a real suck u-up aren’t I? J-just make y-yourself at home, d-do whatever y-you want’’. The shy monster looked a little confused as Asgore and Sci shared a look and a grin before turning back to her, they seemed to have some mutual thought that made her a little worried. ‘’Hey Al, is there anything you want to do?’’, Sci gave a knowing smile and suddenly Alphys seemed to get super nervous, ‘’Oh uh n-nothing, I’m h-happy t-to just ummm chill and stuff…?’’ Asgore now decided to pitch in, a similar grin to the skeleton appearing, ‘’Are you sure you don’t want give Sci a tour of the place… perhaps somewhere in particular?’’ Suddenly the lizard realised what they meant and she proceeded to give Asgore another small glare before looking up at Sci, her hands balled up in front of her face and the fidgeting got a little more intense, ‘’Ok ummm I-I could sh-sh-show you… uh only i-if you w-want, n-no need to umm… feel p-pressure or anything, y-you don’t n-need to e-even w-‘’ Sci decided it was best to interrupt before she had a verbal implosion, ‘’Yes Alphys, I would like to see your lab, right now if you wish’’. She stared up at him for a few seconds as he simply gave her a nod. Before in almost in an instant, Alphys grabbed Sci’s hand and dragged him off quickly out of the room, Asgore was certain if he’d blinked, he would’ve thought the two of them had disappeared into the very thin air that was left before them.

[fox-household]

Act 2: Teaching An Old Lizard, Chapter 2

This one I feel like I probably should’ve split into two, but here we are. The finally chapter of Act 2, next time we’ll get to meet someone new, so look forward to that. 

FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT

When Alphys had left, the child that was home alone decided it was a good time to explore the old rickety house that was now his home for the time being. Asgore skipped over the loungerooms, the kitchens and the outside areas as he had already scouted those out previously, also he didn’t check in the master bedroom, it would be quite rude for him to invade Alphys’ bedroom after all. His main interest was on the other side areas of the house, where some of the hallways were that lead to the other bedrooms and cupboards, which from the slightly better state of it really showed its lack of use, as if no one had been there for quite a while. There were three spare bedrooms of generally equal proportions and size, a medium sized square room, with a closet built into one of the walls. Asgore decided to claim one as his own, specifically the one that already had a mattress on the floor that contrasted with the rest of the room. The mattress looked a little new, as if it had only been used once, and even cleaned, at least much more recently than the rest of the cob-webbed and musty room around him. His first stop in the room as far as he was concerned was the closet which was expectedly empty, with a few bare racks and shelves, he closed the double doors as quickly as he opened them. The goat then tested the springs on the mattress a few times before heading over to the window in the room and used his sleeve to brush some of the dirt off the window. He then rested both of his hands on the bottom edge of the window, pressing down on the wood firmly which felt a little bit… softer than the wood he was used too, but it didn’t distract him enough to remove his stare from the outside. The ledge then made a slight creaking sound as he leant to rest himself and started thinking for a bit. Asgore looked out at the sunny day. ‘’Alright, well I suppose I can say I’m surviving at the Alphys residence. Nothing for Gaster to worry about obviously, he’s such a worry wart, bet he’s already getting tabs kept on me.’’  Despite that disaster that was this morning, he could already feel himself warming up to the place, there were some doubts that had been forming in his head overtime, but he quickly dispelled them, ‘You don’t have to wait for a place to naturally be your home, wrestle with it and assert dominance over your environment, force it to be your home with the power of positive thinking and changing things to your liking’, at least that’s what he kept telling himself, and it worked in some way or another in his head so it continued. After about a minute of pondering random things he exited the room, swearing to return with a blanket and pillow tonight for his rest. Nothing exciting was found for a bunch more of the trip, finding the bathrooms, a few linen cupboards and even the laundry, which was also normal, there was only one extra thing of note in his journey around the building. Eventually he reached a door at an end of a hall. This door didn’t look any different from the other ones, but there were small sounds were coming from the other side, like machinery sounds. However, when he tried to open it, the handle didn’t budge at all, as if it was frozen in place, he tried a number of times but there wasn’t even a slight movement at all. ‘’Huh, guess it’s locked or something? Wonder what’s behind there?’’ Suddenly with a slight jump he heard the front door slam shut on the other side of the house, obviously someone was here, and without checking anything else out, he quickly ran back to make sure it was Alphys, he hoped it was since he didn’t feel like pulling out his trident at the time.

Asgore came around a corner to find Alphys carrying two small brown paper bags, a small disposable plastic container with Dim Sims in them and a bundle of white paper from which an aroma of chips was coming from. ‘’Hey, you need help with that? I mean it looks like quite a lot for lunch’’ Alphys shook her head with a smile as she put it all on the bench, ‘’N-no it’s fine and it’s n-not all for lunch, these p-paper bags have our l-lunch in it, the rest is f-for dinner tonight.’’ The goat picked up one of the bags and looked inside and found what appeared to be a meat pie, his expression was happy and thankful for a good few seconds before suddenly it was hit by a little bit of confusion as he put the bag down. ‘’Thank you so much Al, but ummm, won’t the chips and stuff go cold, you a fan of reheated foods or something?’’. The confusion seemed to spread to the lizard’s face as she seemed to wonder what on earth he was talking about, ‘’B-but I’m just gonna p-put it in th-the…oh…y-yeah’’. A smile crept on her face as she realised why he was confused, ‘’W-we uh have a Hot F-fridge, it’s m-made for Undyne but I use i-it to keep th-things warm as well’’, Alphys picked up dinner and moved to the fridge, which Asgore suddenly noticed had a third compartment over the freezer, which when opened let out a little bit of heat into the air. ‘’Oh hey, that’s pretty neat, maybe I should suggest that to my Undyne, sure she would love it.’’ Alphys nodded with a faint laugh, ‘’Y-yeah, I’m s-sure she w-would, so uh you w-…’’, she froze suddenly as she stared towards the bag Asgore had put down, where which his gaze turned, and he noticed some white dust exactly where he had picked up the bag. The goat looked at his own hands, and with widened eyes he found a thin layer of white dust on both. ‘’B-but what? Wh-what’s going on…?’’, Asgore was starting freak out, breathing quickened as he felt a little bit of fear start blooming. Alphys quickly approached him, her reaction seeming to be similar to the child’s, examining his hand, she looked away for a few seconds, seeming to be thinking of something important before responding. ‘’A-Asgore, just try to c-calm down, it’s n-not Dust, i-it’s not M-monster Dust, wh-where were you while I was gone?’’ The scientist stared into the other’s eyes with a serious look, ‘’Um I was uh wandering around…went down to the bedrooms, j-just checking th-things out, I d-didn’t do anything wrong.’’ Alphys nodded and quickly grabbed a cloth and started wiping up the dust, and gave a nervous smile, it was an attempt to be reassuring, ‘’It’s f-fine, n-nothing’s wrong. I-I don’t go d-down that p-part of the house s-so no wonder it’s…. dirty, the white paint peeling o-off just m-mixes with the dirt a-and stuff. I-I’m t-telling you it’s ok.’’ Asgore nodded and started calming down, feeling the fear disappear slowly, feeling embarrassed and slightly hating the fact that the feeling of dust was so…familiar. ‘’Y-yeah, you’re right, umm sorry for freaking out like that,’’ the yellow monster shrugged as she finally threw the cloth in the sink, ‘’N-no big deal, I w-would’ve done th-the same. H-how about we e-eat some lunch, m-might calm us d-down a bit?’’ He smiled, ‘’Yeah, that sounds like a good idea’’.

Asgore walked straight to the table after getting a plate, very happily throwing out the bag which had the dust on it, while Alphys first grabbed a fork with her plate before sitting down and eating, this table meeting was starting to feel very familiar, not that it was such a bad thing. Asgore was already straight into the pie, taking huge chunks of it at a time with each bite, making sure that any of the insides didn’t spill on him, he obviously had much experience and he was done very soon after which he looked over at Alphys, she had only finished about half of it, slowly picking away at it with her fork, he looked a tiny bit confused. ‘’Do you normally eat pies with a fork?’’ With a nervous expression she shrugged, ‘’Y-yeah….is th-that really w-weird or s-something?’’. The goat quickly sensed her fear of being the odd one out and chuckled, ‘’No it isn’t that bad, umm don’t worry, honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Gaster did it.’’ This answer seemed to satisfy Alphys more than expected, the smile seemed to be a little smug for a reason he was unaware of. ‘’Alphys, what’s behind the locked door on the other side of the house, the handle wouldn’t budge.’’ Her smile turned to a confused expression, ‘’Umm wh-what locked door? N-none of my d-doors lock?’’ ‘’Yeah Al, there was one with noises on the other side, like mechanical noises, I just couldn’t open it.’’ The scientist’s expression remained confused, but now there was a deep concern, and some hesitation before she responded carefully, ‘’O-oh y-yeah, I forgot, that’s where m-my lab is, ummm the door j-jams every n-now and then. M-makes th-things difficult sometimes heh’’. The goat seemed a little worried about the reaction from her, but he decided to leave it for now. Silence remained for a couple of minutes before Alphys finally spoke up, ‘’H-hey uh Asgore, d-do you h-have any p-plans for the night?’’. He shook his head, ‘’You got anything in mind?’’ with which the Lizard gave a nervous smile, but unlike the last one, there was excitement in her eyes, ‘’Umm I-I thought th-that m-maybe we could have a m-movie n-night or something….i-if you w-want of course.’’ Asgore suddenly perked up with a happy grin, ‘’That sounds awesome! What’re we gonna watch?’’ Alphys let out a sigh of relief, feeling some her nerves wash away, ‘’Phew, I-I’m glad, I m-may have already b-bought s-snacks and s-stuff for it and uh whatever you want….how a-about you g-go look in the c-cabniet under th-the TV while I get th-that stuff out of th-the car? Got a s-something to sh-show you too.’’ The enthusiastic child got up out of his chair, seeming to be buzzing with excitement, ‘’Say no more my friend, I’ll get straight onto this very important task’’, he said as he slowly started leaving the kitchen to head to the loungeroom, ‘’Need any help with the stuff?’’. Alphys shook her head and Asgore started to head off quickly around the doorway. ‘’W-wait!! Ch-check out th-the left side of th-the sh-shelf’’, she quickly warned him, assuming that the ones on the left would appeal to the goat more, assuming Mew Mew: Kissy Cutie wasn’t his thing, but before she got the stuff from the car, there was one last thing to take care of.

Asgore had opened the TV cabinet with extreme vigour, looking to find it filled with lined up DVD’s, which he soon realised, with an amused sigh, was all anime. He remembered Alphys saying something about staying to the left, and he figured out why when he looked at the right side which a lot of was just pink and what he guessed were meant to be cute cat girls or something, so he stayed to the left. On the left appealed much more to him, with there seeming to be more animes with tales of adventure and magic, escapades and peril with heaps of different settings, stuff more to his style. The kid went through them one by one, checking out their back, but he finally stuck to one that satisfied him, a movie called ‘The Curse of Rebellion’. ‘In a world where gods rule with an iron fist, most people live happy and safe. However, the gods decided to keep human population down for fear of their being to many humans to keep in line, so they randomly dealt out a curse to young teenagers, a curse that causes them to be evicted from the homes and families that once cherished them and to be eternally hunted by horrible monsters until they finally succumb to darkness. This story centres on a group of such teens with this slowly growing accursed curse mark, on their quest to do what no other has done, defy the gods and beat back the fate given to them. Join them on their adventure for survival through their medievalesque world where magic is everywhere, but so is danger. Will they be able to change their fate?’ The art on the box had people wielding swords, guns and stuff that appeared to be magic and such, that and what was described sounded perfect to Asgore, with an excited grin jumped and landed on the couch on his back. Waiting for Alphys to return. Asgore heard her return and head into the kitchen first, before those little footsteps started to approach the couch, for which he sat up and gave her a smile that turned to a slight expression of curiosity, ‘’Hey, what you got there?’’ Alphys was carrying a small pot with what appeared to be a leaf sticking out of the dirt, ‘’Umm w-well you s-see, I’m r-really sorry a-about possibly k-killing all those plants, and y-you were so passionate a-about it. So ummm I g-got this p-plant to practise w-with, so I’ll be able to help y-you with the gardening better’’. While Asgore thought that it probably wasn’t necessary to learn plant care with another plant since the only issue was watering amounts, but the thought she put into it made him feel happy. Also, the powerful curiosity of the plant had distracted him as he listed of the info he needed, its origins, how easy it was to care for, what colour it would be, exactly what temperature and humidity levels it thrived at, what type of soil it needed and how much sun was required. The goat jumped over the couch, leaving the DVD behind as he went up to it and examined, his rapid thoughts being summed up into one sentence, ‘’So tell me, what is it? What type?!’’ Alphys seemed a little amused at his excitement as she answered, ‘’It’s an African V-violet Flower, it uh is a-apparently easy t-to take care of, s-so I thought it w-would be a g-good idea to get this one.’’ He seemed to be thinking, the name was familiar to him, he remembered them as being small houseplants, but he needed his book, which reminded him of something he was going to have to quickly do this afternoon, before it got to dark. ‘’Well that’s really cool, I think you’ll be able to look after it very well, I look forward to seeing it bloom. If you need any tips, don’t hesitate to ask, I will assist however I can!’’ She laughed softly, ‘’Th-thank you Master Gardner, I-I’ll m-make sure to l-listen to y-your teachings’’. Asgore chuckled, ‘’Yes, you will make for an excellent protegee’’. Alphys made a sound of amusement as she simply smiled happily, ‘’Hey, did you p-pick something?’’ The kid nodded and ran over to grab the DVD, then came back to practically shove it in her face, ‘’This one!!’’ She proceeded to grab the DVD, a bigger smile creeping up as she read the title, ‘’Oh th-this one, this is r-really really good. Y-you made a good choice, I can think of a character similar to you actually, because when Sophia is in danger of the Dem-…..’’, she stopped and looked embarrassed, scratching the back of her head, ‘’Oh uh sorry about that, suppose avoiding s-spoilers w-would be th-the best idea’’. The goat gave a shrug in response, ‘’No harm done, happy to see we can both be hyped for this one, this will be the best movie night ever!’’ Alphys seemed to regain some confidence, matching Asgore’s excitement herself, ‘’I-it sure will be, a night to remember alright!’’ The goat grinned, ‘’I’m glad to hear it, but before outside gets to dark, I need to do something, can I borrow your phone Al? Just need to call the house you know?’’ She nodded and handed him the phone, ‘’I uh understand, g-good luck’’. Alphys then scampered off to her room to do whatever she did, while Asgore moved to the backyard, really hoping that this was going to go well.

*~Ring, Ring Ring, Ring~* Asgore felt himself waiting impatiently, the worry was killing him, he felt he was rolling a dice to see who he would get to answer. Then the rings stopped, and a sound played and then a familiar voice, ‘’Hello, this is the Quantum Gaster residence’’. He sighed, this wasn’t who he was expecting or hoping for, but he was glad it wasn’t Gaster at least. ‘’Uh hi Sans, just wanted to call in’’. There was silence on the other end for a few seconds before any noise was returned, ‘’Oh hey…. What do you want Asgore?’’ ‘’Nothing much, but um could you please pass me off to Undyne or Frisk? Don’t want to b-bother you’’ he said with a slight nervous laugh. ‘’…Gladly’’, and then sounds were heard on the other end, some talking he couldn’t quite pick up before a new voice appeared, he was relieved that it was on that was a lot happier than the previous one. ‘’Hey! What’s up punk, how’re you?!’’ ‘’I’m all good, safe and sound, you?’’ ‘’Yeah um, everything’s pretty chill here, why do you need me?!’’ ‘’I kinda want to ask a favour of you if that’s ok, I’ll owe you one for this’’. ‘’Here ya go, special delivery to Mr Asgore Dreemur!’’ Undyne exclaimed as she handed Asgore a box filled with clothes, a book, a picture and a few other random things, they were his belongings, mostly essentials that he would need since he was moving out, they were all out the front of his old home. ‘’Hey Asgore, are you ok?’’ The goat looked over at Frisk, the concern in their face and voice was incredibly prominent and even Undyne looked uncertain, they both were going to bring this up all along. ‘’Yeah I’m all good, Alphys is going to take good care of me, she’s not a stranger or anything’’. Frisk sighed, ‘’You know that’s not what I meant’’. Undyne decided to pitch in now, ‘’Yeah, I mean, this whole hiding thing and avoiding people isn’t really like you…’’. Asgore tried to give a reassuring smile, ‘’Don’t worry, I’m going to be ok, trust me, probably be good for everyone if there’s space between us.’’ Frisk crossed their arms, he could tell they were examining the goats face for a sign of anything. ‘’You do realise that it would be ok for you come inside right? Maybe a quick hello? Everyone was getting real worried for you. Gaster wasn’t happy, Al was worried…’’, Undyne nodded, ‘’Man, I don’t think I’ve seen Tori look down, not like this…’’ Asgore titled his head slightly, ‘’What’s the matter with Tori?’’, with which a silence developed between them before Frisk spoke up. ‘’Asgore…I think she might be blaming herself for your departure’’. Asgore’s calm smile disappeared, guilt was written all over his face, ‘’But it’s not her fault, not really…’’, Frisk’s calm tone finally got a lot more exasperated, ‘’Well then tell her that! Don’t just leave her emotionally too!’’. Undyne looked at Frisk with a little concern, ‘’Hey uh calm down a bit, I’m sure it isn’t that e- ‘’ ‘’No, they’re right, I’ll go give her a visit, I can’t just let her remain like that, I’ll head to her window.’’ Frisk smiled, ‘’Thank you Asgore, good luck, make sure to come around every now and then, we’re going to want to hear about your crazy adventures at Glitch’s place.’’ Undyne finally lost her uncertain face and it was replaced with grinning expression, ‘’Yeah dude, make sure you see us, otherwise I’ll kick your butt and drag you here myself punk’’. The goat responded with a challenging grin at the fish monster with which she gave back in kind. ‘’Heh that would require you to actually be able to beat me’’. ‘’Oh, you’re on Dreemur’’. Undyne looked ready to spar right there and then, even summoning a small spear in hand, but then Frisk started to drag the warrior away, ‘’C’mon Undyne, he’s got an important job to do’’. Undyne groaned, ‘’Fiiiiine, next time you come around, I’ll show you who’s the strongest’’. Asgore chuckled, ‘’Yeah, I look forward to it, you two stay safe.’’ The pair walked back into house after one final wave to each other. The goat child sighed and took a few deep breaths to prepare for his next task, the most important one.

Toriel was laying on her soft bed in her usual pink jumper, only reading a book, although her mind was anywhere but the book. Thinking about past events, mistakes, obviously nothing positive, not much felt positive at the moment. The goat monster had been sitting there for a couple of hours, preferring some alone time currently, so when a sudden loud knocking on his window happened, she jumped up and looked around startled, a small scared scream being heard as she looked around for the source, only to find a familiar face at her window. Asgore had a nervous smile at her reaction, watching her approach the window with that familiar expression and open it, preparing himself for the reckoning he was about to get, ‘’Gorey, you can’t just go up to a girl’s window like that, people are going to think you’re a creeper or something!’’ Asgore winced with shame, ‘’Oh uh sorry Tori…’’. Her serious and slightly annoyed expression softened and turned to a smile, ‘’Hey cheer up dummy, it’s ok. I’m glad you came, even it was far from normal’’. The boy chuckled at her teasing tone and seemed to relax more now, a calm smile coming to his face. ‘’Heh yeah, well I came to make sure you’re alright, a bit worried you might be not feeling so great…’’. Tori’s expression grew a bit warmer at hearing the start of that sentence, but towards the end her smile grew, but not warmer or kinder, but obviously put on to be reassuring. It saddened Asgore that he had to get good at noticing these fake expressions over the last couple years, and it only confirmed what the other two said about her. ‘’What? About you leaving us to go live someone else, after all these…years. I’ll be fine alright? Don’t worry about me.’’ Asgore’s expression showed he wasn’t entirely convinced, throwing some concern into his stare and Tori knew that she wasn’t entirely getting away from this one. The girl gripped her arm, still putting on a weaker smile, ‘’It’s nothing to worry about, just it’s gonna be weird without you around you know? You’re just always there and…well honestly, I didn’t foresee it changing like this.’’ He nodded, it made sense, he didn’t entirely foresee this change either, he did agree that it was going to be weird not being with his family, no matter its state. ‘’You know why I’m leaving right?’’ Tori looked as if she was about to answer confidently, but Asgore’s stare made it clear that fake reassuring answers weren’t what he was looking for. ‘’N-not really, no’’. ‘’Because I think space between me and everyone else is a good idea, after all the tension everyone is dealing with, I can’t help feel…that I’m not helping.’’ Tori suddenly seemed to fire up a bit, ‘’It’s not your fault Gorey, don’t even say such things’’. Asgore didn’t really answer and just continued, ‘’Yeah, well Gaster isn’t mad at me for no reason, and including the same tension caused from you all walking on eggshells around me…trust me I notice’’. ‘’Stop talking like that, the tension is going down slowly, it’s no where near as bad as it used to be! It’s not you.’’ Tori’s expression looked a little concerned as Asgore smiled faintly, yet it seemed a bit darker than before, ‘’I’m…..glad to hear that, but I can’t help feel that my absence would make things go down quicker, I feel like things will get better if I disappear’’. Words echoed through his head, ‘’ …. or better yet, never having met you in the first place''. ‘’No! Asgore you’re wrong! There is no downside to you being here!’’ ‘’The decision is final Toriel…’’ She sighed, using her name like that wasn’t something that happened often, by anyone, especially Asgore, ‘’Just t-to make sure you know, it’s never to late to come back, even Gaster would say so’’. Asgore nodded, ‘’I know…maybe that offer will be taken up later…I think I’m going to go now.’’ Tori gave a defeated sigh, but then gave a big smile, once more trying to cheer up the mood before they both parted. ‘’Well don’t worry about things over here, everything will be sorted, you just make sure to stay safe. If any funny business to MY Prince Fluffles, I’ll be over there in an instant, just give me the word….’’ There was a silence for a few seconds before she finished her sentence, ‘’…I’m going to miss you’’. Asgore gave a genuine smile, ‘’I’m going to miss you too, don’t worry, I’ll make sure to visit, and we’ll still see each other at school.’’ The mention of them at school seemed to have given Tori a pained expression, he was glad she didn’t decide to bring it up, not like Grillby and Gaster weren’t on his case for it constantly, but it’s not like he could tell them, it wouldn’t end well. But the girl’s expression turned to a big attempt at a reassuring smile ‘’Alright Gorey, I’ll see you soon then, good luck on your new adventures.’’ Asgore gave a smile back, ‘’Yeah, thanks. You stay safe too alright?’’. With a nod from Tori he walked towards the front of the house with his box, a hurt expression on his face as he left, he could feel sadness welling up. Tori moved away from her window and sat on her bed and looking at the ground, feeling herself close to tears, both feeling their true nature come out.

Asgore made it back to Alphys’ place and put his box in his room quickly, at least the one he claimed to be his room. The goat didn’t fully empty his box, but he put all his clothes in the cupboard, and a photo frame next to his bed, a picture of a specific campfire. The goat decided it was getting a bit dark so he got dressed into his pyjamas, which was just a soft pair of a shirt and shorts, nothing real exciting. After that he swiftly headed out to the loungeroom where he found Alphys, already in her Purple Kitten pyjamas and reading a book on the couch, which she turned from at hearing Asgore approach. ‘’O-oh h-hey welcome back. Things g-go ok?’’ with which the goat child nodded. ‘’Yeah it went well, but not as well as this movie night is going to go, when are we starting?’’ Alphys shrugged, ‘’Uh it’s starting to get dark, s-so now if y-you’re that keen for it?’’ he let out a grin, ‘’Sounds awesome, I’ll get it set up if you want.’’ The lizard shook her head, ‘’I’ll d-deal with f-food if you c-can deal with the DVD’’. Asgore let out a ‘Hmph’ as if that was a challenge. ‘’Yeah of course I can do this, just trust me.’’ ‘’Oh, uh alrighty th-then.’’ Alphys scampered off to get the food while Asgore started pressing all the buttons on the DVD player until the tray opened.

‘’Woohoo YEAH!! That was AWESOME!!!’’ Asgore exclaimed, while jumping around in between the couch and TV. Alphys was grinning excitedly, ‘’I know right?! What about the way they revealed Harashimo was the carrier of the demon all along?!’’ ‘’Oh yeah, that totally got me, didn’t see it coming at all, made me feel bad for the guy…but what about that awesome final battle sequence with the Dragons and Fireballs raining down as people fought with their might, putting everything on the line for their brave cause?!’’ ‘’That was awesome to, th-the animators are r-really good with action i-in this company, it’s what they’re known f-for, although I-i wouldn’t trust them with any other genre.’’ They both let out a deep breath to try and calm down slightly. Alphys looked over to see if they had any food left, but it had been demolished, the hot chips, potato cakes, dim sims, potato chips, lollies and chocolate had been eradicated by the two of them. ‘’I-I might have t-to sh-show you the series after this’’. Asgore froze, and slowly turned to Alphys. ‘’What did you just say?’’ ‘’Oh umm w-well the movie is b-based on the series…it’s uh well still going, but I h-have a few seasons here.’’ Asgore grinned, ‘’We should watch it now.’’ ‘’But Asgore, i-it’s getting k-kinda late don’t y-you think?’’. ‘’Pretty please Alphys? Just a couple of episodes? Just a couple and then we’ll go to bed.’’ Alphys watched Asgore plead to her, and she really couldn’t say no to that, he was acting way to freaking adorable. ‘’O-oh ok, f-fine…just t-two…’’

The scientist suddenly woke up and looked around with squinty eyes, trying to work out where she was. The bright light soon confirmed that she had fallen asleep under a blanket on the couch, while watching the show, and with a sigh she moved her arm to grab the remote and turn the TV off. Suddenly shivers went down her as she realised it was really cold out here in the loungeroom, even with a blanket. She moved to get up to go to her bed where it would definitely be warm, but a weight on her stopped any form of leaving the couch. With a confused expression she looked down to find Asgore leaning on her from outside the blanket, snoring loudly and a small trail of drool coming out of his mouth. ‘’Oh g-goodness, Asgore h-how’re you asleep? G-geez you’re r-really something. Better properly t-take of you though, Gaster will have my head if y-you get sick on y-your second night’’ She was feeling incredibly jealous of his fur at the moment, but she needed to make sure he would at least stay warm. It was an arduous task, but eventually she managed to get the ends of the blanket from underneath him and wrapped it around, so they were sharing the same blanket which to her enjoyment brought a bit more warmth, also she wiped that drool off with the blanket with an eye roll. Alphys watched Asgore sleep for a little bit as he thought for a bit, ‘Maybe, just maybe this whole situation could work out. Things could actually go well’. ‘’For once’’. Alphys ignored the small comment the voice made as she slowly drifted off herself, feeling happy as she lost consciousness.

It was around the middle of the day when Asgore decided to try and figure out the mystery of the ‘Dust’ that he got on his hand. All he really had to do was retrace his steps, but nothing came up. The halls had nothing, his room’s closet handle was the same, the window ledge felt a little different, smooth and hard, but he put it down to being tired, ‘’Wow, maybe I’m just really unobservant, but it had to come from somewhere’’. Even the lab door didn’t have anything on it, although it did look a little…shinier than it was before. The curiosity the goat had got the better of him as he tried the door handle once more and opened smoothly, as if there was literally nothing that was in its way, no sign of single possible jam. To him the hinges looked very healthy with no sign of rust of anything, and the handle felt like it was brand new on repeated attempts at using it. ‘’What am I missing?’’ Asgore said out loud as he looked where it leads, directly after opening the door, there was a large flight of stairs that must’ve lead under the house, the sounds of machines were louds without the door in the way. ‘’So, I guess that’s where the lab is located then.’’ Asgore decided it was not a good idea to check it out without permission, who knows what was down there.

[fox-household]

Info on the World

Thought it would be a good idea to write down some description of what the world is like and why a bunch of different AU peeps are within streets of each other instead of different universes where they’re meant to be. For all the context and such. Anyway after incidents involved with the RP some of these people are based in, a sudden black wave of nothingness seemed to swallow up the land and people, causing everything around them to be covered in the wave first and soon they watched themselves disappear slowly. However, despite this scary sight, everyone woke up on a place that appeared to be the surface, but different. Monsters of different types appeared, and there was a lot of chaos as suddenly Humans had to deal with Monsters and Monsters had to deal with their population growing and of course, meeting their very own doppelgangers, also everyone being scattered all over the world. You don’t even want to know what chaos some of the weirder AU’s caused.

Anyway, after quite some time of uncertainty, work was started to try to bring people back to people from their own universe if they desired, this work was headed by people who knew the different universes and those who could identify them. Ink lead most of this with a few other people and once more after that time, friends and family were reunited and eventually life started going relatively normal, Monsters were being accepted for the most part, and there was wide spread peace.

Chapter One of the Fox Househould takes place almost 2 years since everything had settled down.

Random Rules/Notes.

  It’s not really anything major, as the count for it is quite low, but anyone who died, in the RP the characters are based off, before the certain point it is based on is still dead. However it is so low that it won’t make a difference.

 Despite the whole thing about there being infinite alternate versions of the same AU or whatever. There is only one single set of people for each AU. There is only one Quantum!Asgore and there is only one Swap!Papyrus. There is only one, exceptions are made for those that are the same, but part of a different AU story. There is one other exception that I can’t go into right now,

 It is assumed that the AU’s are generally based after a True Pacifist Route when possible, otherwise the happiest possible ending takes its place. Exceptions are made for those based around a Geno or Neutral Route like Geno!Sans.

 Not really a rule or anything, but more of a fun fact I couldn’t fit up the top, people now know the name of their AU’s and may end up calling each other by their universe name when interacting with themselves from other universes, especially in groups larger than 2. Like Glitch!Alphys and Quantum!Alphys calling each other Glitch or Quantum or whatever nicknames for it they prefer. Similar to Sans’

It has been announced that all other universes no longer exist, there is only one universe left and they’re on it.

[fox-household]

Act 2: Teaching An Old Lizard, Chapter 1

Alright here we go, can’t really think of much to say here. I’ll add links later when I have time. Hope you enjoy it, thankfully things are finally lifting off I suppose. You all have a good one.

FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT

Alphys awoke feeling cold, a small shiver going up her body, before she groaned as she realised the doona had fallen off her bed, leaving the monster exposed to the elements of her room. ‘’Oh, a-again?’’ She then dragged it up off the floor and wrapped herself in it so only her head was sticking out, feeling the warmth surround her. The scientist let out a calm smile, feeling grateful that it was a smooth sleep once more, and now with the warmth her mind was starting to work properly again. Today was still the weekend, so no work, nothing to do at all, perhaps going to basement lab and messing around would take her mind off things. She sighed, ‘’Th-this is g-gonna be me for a w-while’’ The voice gave a sigh of slight annoyance, ‘’Hey Alph, I think you’re forgetting something’’. She made a small expression of confusion before, as if on cue, she heard a clattering in the kitchen a few rooms down. ‘’Wh-what? B-…. Oh hehehe r-right…A-Asgore’s here.’’ Alphys couldn’t help but feel a little shame as suddenly all her memories came back from the previous day, things had been the same around here for so long she hadn’t really realised that someone was actually living with her now, perhaps it hadn’t truly sunk in yet. ‘’How about we go make sure our new guest is alive and not being killed or something.’’ A small nervous laugh came out of her, hoping that the joke was just that, as she left the comfy confines of her doona and got dressed into her usual clothes, and then left her room to check on the situation.

Asgore jumped back as he accidentally dropped the frying pan, making a loud clattering sound, now wearing a worried look. ‘’Oh goodness, please don’t tell me I broke something on my first day’’. While wincing the kid picked up the pan and examined where it landed, only finding a single scratch mark. He let out his worry with a sigh of relief as he put it away, having already washed it down after its use. The goat started whistling a cheery tune as he picked up two plates on the bench, with crispy bacon and a single piece of deep brown toast resting on each plate. He was in the process of taking it to the table when he heard some small footsteps approaching the room, and he turned wearing a smile with a slight nervous undertone, ‘’Oh Alphys, uh good morning, hope I didn’t wake you, nothing was broken I promise’’. The awakened monster shook her head with a tired smile, ‘’I-it wasn’t y-you I p-promise, did y-you sleep well? D-don’t worry I’ll m-make sure y---.. What?!’’ Asgore looked real confused until he followed her gaze to the food he was holding, and that was when he understood her now guilt driven panicked look. ‘’O-oh no, I sh-should’ve got up s-sooner, y-you’re the guest, I s-should be the one c-cooking for you. I’m s-sorry…’’ Asgore went ahead and put the meals on the table nearby and shook his head with a chuckle. ‘’It’s fine, don’t worry about it, just trying to make sure I’m worth having around.’’ Alph sighed, ‘’I-I doubt y-you wouldn’t b-be worth h-having you a-around, b-but can m-maybe I can handle th-the rest of the m-meals of th-the day? Just to w-welcome you…. if that’s ok o-of course.’’ Asgore nodded, ‘’Alright that sounds like a good deal, come sit, don’t want to wait for everything to get cold’’. Asgore sat down and took a bite from the toast and bacon, watching his housemate sit down opposite timidly, taking a bite herself. ‘’So you got any plans for the day, something to occupy you.’’ Alphys shook her head, ‘’N-nothing I really n-need to do today’’. The goat child nodded with a smile, seeming to think for a bit, ‘’Alright, how about we get started on fixing up something? Got to be productive right?’’, She was holding her toast and bacon with two hands and just nibbling on it slowly, her eyes turned attentive and she gave a small nod, which gave the determined boy a wider grin. ‘’Alright, I have something in mind, I believe we should start with the most important part of the house’’. Alphys gulped and looked a little worried, ‘’Th-that sounds a-all good, b-but which p-part of the house is th-that?’’ Asgore’s face absolutely lit up as he giggled, ‘’Don’t worry, you’ll see, I’m going to get stuff ready, you just finish your breakfast’’. With no hesitation he jumped out of his chair and sprinted towards the backyard door, ‘’W-wait Asgore, wh-what about y-your break-…’’, but it was already to late and the kid was gone, leaving her with two plates of breakfast. She sighed, he really was an excitable boy, and now she supposed she was going to have to match his energy somehow. ‘’A-at least he’s l-letting me d-do th-the dishes I-I suppose’’, she said as she quickly finished her breakfast. The lizard took both the plates, and put them next to the sink, and washed her own dish under the sink with soap. Alphys was to nervous to wash Asgore’s quite yet, not knowing whether he planned to come back to it or not, she realised that working out the Prince’s schedule was another thing she was going to have to integrate into her head. ‘’Time to see in what way he can break the monotony, partly wish it wasn’t straight up chores’’. She laughed faintly at the voice, ‘’Y-you know a l-little bit o-of normalcy isn’t a b-bad thing r-right? M-maybe we should try t-to be a little m-more normal, do some…I dunno…n-normal s-stuff’’. A sigh was heard, ‘’Yes, because after all that shit we’ve gone through, you think we can just live a normal life? We should be out there, causing trouble around town, maybe doing some not so ethical experiments, maybe at least going out for drinks, having fun. Oh, and not to mention it’s not exactly normal to adopt an orphan kid on your lonesome, who was already adopted by someone else.’’. Alphys shook her head, a slight tinge of defensiveness in her voice, ‘’H-he isn’t j-just an orphan, he’s a f-friend, p-plus he h-has p-plenty of p-people to c-call family, n-not like he’s f-from an o-orphanage’’. ‘’Yeah, but we’re not that to him.’’ B-but we’re f-friends, and w-we trust e-each other, he’s b-been through that s-stuff to, m-maybe w-we can work together t-to have a n-normal life?’’. Alphys could almost hear the mental rolling of the eyes the voice would be doing if it could roll eyes, ‘’Whatever Al, that’s ridiculous, it’s gonna end up being even worse with you both. Not like you can even picture him normally, you’re telling me you don’t often remember the Prince Asgore that ripped up enemies as he went toe to toe with beasts. You’e telling me you can get the image out of your head of Prince Asgore, covered in flesh, gore and blood, wounds running all over him, and him not even being phased by it all by the end of it.’’ That description brought those flashbacks into her head for the first time in a while, Asgore in that warehouse…everyone in that damn warehouse even. ‘’………We can t-try o-ok? G-got to have a l-little f-faith w-we can w-work this.’’ ‘’Do you ever wonder if he sees the you from back then, the coward who didn’t even try to help, the one who didn’t even try to protect everyone, the hindrance, the one who wasted everyone’s time and energy to be protected instead, when you had the power to protect others and you did Nothing.’’ Alphys seemed to almost freeze, she could feel her body shaking slightly, more of a shiver if anything. The scars where bullet wounds once pierced were tingling and her face was guilt ridden as she remembered the pain and death of that night. ‘’Th-th-that’s e-enough….’’ ‘’Awww, you can never handle that truth can you?’’. I s-said that’s enough……..please’’. The voice quieted down finally, and she moved off to her room swiftly and closed the door behind her, taking a few minutes to regain her composure before meeting Asgore once more, he couldn’t see her like this, not now.

Alphys opened the front door of the house, looking out at the front yard where she saw Asgore, wearing a sun hat that she couldn’t be sure where it came from. By the smiling kid sitting on the porch were a couple of pairs of garden gloves, a couple of small trowels, a rake and a big watering can. ‘’S-so what exactly i-is meant to be th-the m-most important part to f-fix?’’, obviously eyeing the tools rather suspiciously. Asgore gave an enthusiastic grin, ‘’Well we got to work on your garden obviously, fix up this dead land.’’ Alphys raised an eyebrow slightly, ‘’Ummmm a-are you s-sure the g-garden is the m-most important th-thing? C-can’t say I uh see its r-relevance.’’ Asgore proceeded to give a disapproving shake of the head with a sigh as if she had said something incredibly silly, and he was going to have to be the teacher in this scenario, ‘’Nope! It is by far the most important, a healthy environment leads people to have happy mental state and a happy life in general. Plus, the first thing people see is your garden which should be colourful and pretty, because it is proven to make people feel warm and welcome into your home.’’ The lizard monster smiled as she could feel herself taking in some of the confidence coming from the other, ‘’O-oh s-so you’ve done research on th-this stuff, th-that’s good to know’’. But that confidence took a small dip when the child gave a nervous smile, ‘’Uh well, yeah we can go with that I suppose….’’, Asgore then noticed the yellow monsters’ hit in confidence and he gave a defensive look as he put his hands on his hips, ‘’Hey, I don’t question you about your fancy robots and things, so don’t doubt me on this. Just trust me, what I’m saying is the truth’’. The goat let out a huff, though his tone made it obvious he wasn’t angry or anything, just ever so slightly serious. Alphys’ smile returned with kind touch to it, ‘’O-o-of c-course, ummm…..s-show me wh-what to do your h-highness’’, there was a burst of enthusiasm from that last bit, which was evidence enough for Asgore that she was all good to go with his plan. With a chuckle the grinning goat went on, ‘’Alright my Royal Scientist, today you’ll be studying the greatest of all the subjects, the grand science of Botany.’’ He chucked her a pair of gloves and picked up the large watering can and beckoned her to follow, which Alphys did as she put on the rough gloves. The pair went around to the side of the house where lay in a line, a large amount of small shrub like plants, ‘’Alright, I’m going to be watering the flowers near the front since they seem to require a bit more of an experienced touch than what we got here. Al see these plants? You’re going to water them with this watering can, there’s a tap out the back you can use to fill it up, can I trust you with this?’’ Alphys nodded as she took the watering can, ‘’Y-yeah, I c-can do this surely, c-can’t be to d-difficult right?’’ While it was phrased like a rhetorical question, Asgore could sense it was an actual question, ‘’You’ll be fine, it would be pretty hard to stuff up, I believe in you’’, he gave a reassuring smile, ‘’Well see you soon, expecting to come back to a seasoned gardener. Alphys gave a nervous smile, ‘’Th-thanks, I’ll d-do my best.’’ With those final words, Asgore went off to do his duty for the front garden.

The kid ran out of the front door with a full cup of water, starting to look a little puffed out. There had been only one watering can, but since flowers didn’t take as much water to satisfy and he was more experienced, he figured running between the house and back was easy enough to use cups of water as a container, he didn’t expect it to be so tiring. But finally reaching the area with the flowers, he lowered himself down to eye level of the top of it, and slowly poured down about half of the cup, obviously being a careful as can be to make sure it all went down perfectly. Finally, being done with that, he took a deep breath and he decided to sit down and take a breather, just watching the sky for a little bit, the blue canvas with bits of white dotting it, it made the kid feel quite relaxed. In turn it allowed his mind to wander back to memories of a calm happy time, whenever he felt this peaceful he imagined being home, not the house he just came from but the place he once called home, the one they all did. The memories of a bunch of them pranking Gaster with a whoopee cushion or moving his stuff around to mess with him, wrestling with Undyne, cracking jokes with Sans, failing to understand Alphys’ scientific theories no matter how much he tried, playing small games with Papyrus and helping him up to reach the cookie jar which left Gaster perplexed on his method, there was memories of hanging out with Tori out in the woods, talking about god knows what, but no matter what it was it put a smile on his face. There was one final series of memories, the one he reminisced about the most, so much so he had a photograph of one of the times it happened. Asgore closed his eyes and remembered the warmth of the campfire in the middle, everyone smiling, everyone happy without a worry in the world. Tori was sitting next to him on the log, watching him cook marshmallows for the two of them, she always seemed so at peace sitting there. Undyne and Alphys were another log on a different side, Undyne was standing up, with a dramatic grin as she was telling the legendary tales of grand heroes, usually with big swords, who against all odds defeat evil, saving whatever kingdom or world they were apart of, we all never really could tell whether they were tales from here or from the anime Alphys had showed her. Alphys was just sitting their as nervous as ever but still smiling, and listening to it all, she didn’t always contribute much verbally, but at least she was happy hanging out with them all. The third and final log had the skeleton brothers, Papyrus was listening to Undyne’s stories, he always looked so bedazzled by them, so inspired, he really did look up to Undyne’s fighting spirit and he swore he was just going to be as strong as her and everyone in the stories, he was going to make sure everyone was happy. Sans had his usual lazy grin, laying down on the log, sometimes falling asleep which was swiftly interrupted by a scolding by Paps. Although he seemed to be resting he was always listening and taking everything, at least enough to get a pun or two in to the stories or conversations. Most of the time it was just them, but then there were times when Gaster would get enough time off to be there with them, at least for the end. Amusingly he would question the stories Undyne told, his scientific curiosity getting the better of him as he asked how certain things like the magic or tech was possible, how perhaps a certain character knew about this fact and such things like that, which Undyne never knew how to answer. This left Alphys, if she was feeling brave enough, to give some sort of in universe explanation at a fast pace that was hard to follow without the small fan being able to breath while talking, usually that satiated Gaster enough for things to continue. The excitement didn’t last forever, towards the end, when all the energy had been used up and even the moon was starting it’s decent from the centre, people became sleepy and tired. Paps, the little ball of energy that he is, finally conked himself out, either he was sleeping on Gaster’s lap, who would be forced to remain silent and not move, or next to Sans who for some reason by that point was usually sitting up and watching the fire. Undyne and Alphys generally looked sleepy, Alphys didn’t change much, just sitting up, enjoying her time with everyone and hanging out, while Undyne would be either lying down or just staring off into the distance. Tori and himself were always still sitting up, he remembered being able to feel Tori’s weight as she leaned on him, resting with a smile as always, leaving him to sit up and watch the slowly dimming fire. At this point everyone was at peace and silently, only the noises of wildlife and wind could be heard, and if they were lucky, they could see all the stars and moons in the sky, looking down on them all the care free kids that rest below.

Asgore finally snapped out of his thoughts, suddenly realising what he’d been doing, reminding himself that those were the memories of a time that could never return. ‘’Ok brighten up Asgore, we been doing good work, lets just see what else……Wait a second.’’ His expression turned to one of confusion as he realised that Alphys hadn’t gone to see him yet, she had more plants to worry about, but she had a watering can, surely, she should be done by now? But yet, there was no anxious lizard in front of him. Asgore headed towards the side of the house, where he saw Alphys watering plants, or it would be much more appropriate to say, flooding the plants. The goat had a look of distress as he quickly ran up to her and took the watering can, feeling his shoes getting soaked from the large amount of water that was failing to soak into the dirt. ‘’Wh-what a-are you doing?’’ Asgore looked a little panicked as he spoke, ‘’Y-you’re drowning them, how much water have you been using? How much?!’’ Alphys started to look incredibly concerned,  ‘’I-I didn’t know th-that was p-possible, th-thought m-more was always better…..’’, Asgore eyes widened in shock, ‘’…..I w-wasn’t s-sure how much was n-needed sooo I-I thought m-maybe that…..o-one full t-tank per plant w-was a s-safe b-bet.’’ The goat couldn’t believe his ears at all, what she said was just insane, that tank could carry probably a few litres, how could she not know this? ‘’You really haven’t had to look after plants before have you?’’ ‘’Ummm I d-did once and s-similar a-amounts worked l-last time, I th-thought this w-would be the seem same.’’ ‘’Geez, that plant must’ve had been quite determined to live through that, but no, that’s going way overboard, you might’ve killed them all’’. Alphys seemed to hesitate slightly and Asgore groaned and brought a hand to his face, ‘’I-it’s fine, I’m teaching you, that’s what this is about.’’ ‘’D-do you want me t-to m-maybe dig s-some of th-that dirt out? Perhaps th-that’ll d-do something?’’ ‘’No Al, it’ll be fine, we’ll have to wait this out to see what happens, it’s…..not your fault, we’ll take a break alright? Do something else for now, I’m gonna rake the lawn to remove the dead grass.’’ Alphys looked really guilty and sighed, ‘’I’ll g-go get some f-food, I’m so s-sorry, I’ll m-make it up to you.’’ Asgore smiled faintly and shook his head, ‘’No need to apologise, it’s an honest mistake, we’ll figure it out, just maybe go get something to eat, you look a little stressed.’’ Alphys nodded and started walking off, ‘’Anything i-in particular y-you would l-like?’’ Asgore shook his head with a smile, finally returning to a normal one before turning to the mess in front of him, giving a slight chuckle, ‘‘Heh, what am I going to do about now? Going to be harder than I thought.’’

[fox-household]

Act 1: A Little Help, Chapter 3

Alright, the final chapter of this act. Can’t say it’s the most exciting thing, but hopefully this will at least kick off the exciting stuff. Thanks to all of you who read this.

Also I will note, I know for the RP people, you already know this, but for others. If the speech is in italics, then it is coming from the voice in Alphys’ head. Cool, also sorry in advance to Floof if Gaster isn’t quite the way you do it.  Hope you enjoy.

FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT

The sun in the sky showed it was approximately mid-afternoon as it was heading towards the horizon, and it was under this sun that Asgore got a great view of the house. Seeing all the boards out of place, paint peeling off, and a bunch of other bits of the house falling to pieces. The house gave him a weird feeling inside himself, as if it wasn’t feeling so well, a sick feeling, but that was most likely to do with the decayed look. Asgore opened and walked through the fence gate slowly, the thought of fixing this bloody mess was giving him a slight daunted feeling, Red wasn’t kidding, it looked like it was ready to collapse. The goat child also cringed as he was walking past the garden, the yellow grass and wilted plants were enough to get him riled up. With a smile he stepped onto the porch, no matter how hard the job was, he was prepared to do whatever it takes, and honestly if he really thought about it, the longer it took, the better, apparently hard work builds character, according to his teachers anyway. ‘’Heh yeah, but what happens when your hard work builds you the wrong way?’’, he morbidly thought about the one time he’d been accused of talking back with such a statement, looking back it wasn’t a smart move, but of course he couldn’t keep the trap shut. Thinking time was over, now was the time for action, looking back towards the fence entrance to check that his plan was in motion, he then turned back to the door and knocked on the door, wincing when he realised he may have been rough on the old thing as it shook violently on its hinges, as far as he could tell, the wonky hinges could let go and he would be a bit of a door pancake. The prince was about to knock again when he heard little footsteps heading towards the door, way to small to be Undyne’s so they were certainly Alphys’. The door swung open and Asgore gave his friendliest smile.

 ‘’O-oh h-hello, what b-brings y-you here? Ummmm can I-I get you a d-drink or something?’’, Alphys watched nervously at Asgore, not expecting him of all people, was Gaster here or something? ‘’O-o-oh no, I’m s-s-sorry, I d-didn’t a-ask how y-you were, or wh-what you’re up t-to coming a-around here’’. Asgore chuckled and scratched the back of his head, ‘’It’s all good Alphys, I’m doing fine right now, sorry for disturbing you….’’ He glanced up and down at her, ‘’…You obviously weren’t expecting anyone.’’ Alphys blushed faintly as she looked down and did recall that she was wearing her PJ’s. ‘’Heh they’re a bit cute Alph. Hey, would you mind if I come inside, just came around to visit a friend.’’ Alphys sighed at his comment and hesitated before nodding, opening the door more, ‘’Alright, j-just h-head down t-t-to the r-r-right and sit on a couch, I’ll be th-there, pl-please just stay th-there until I g-g-get b-back.’’ Asgore nodded and headed inside while Alphys scampered off to her room to get dressed in something a bit more normal, she let out a slight groan as the she heard a yawn from in her head, ‘’oooooo, we got Asgore today do we? Well at least it’s more interesting than visits from those other two.’’, ‘’Y-you n-n-never had to b-be up the f-f-for times Red came over y-y-you know?’’ The voice inside sighed, ‘’I know, but sleeping isn’t exactly less boring you know? Also blasts valuable time I could use thinking of some way out of this mess, or to make you do something amusing.’’

Asgore watched Alphys scurry off after giving her an affirmative nod, and he smiled until he heard her bedroom door close a few rooms away. The kid’s smile had disappeared as he could only stare blankly at the tape covered walls, slight rips in the couch and scratches over tables, part of him swore some of the roof was bending in, but if it was, it wasn’t extreme enough to tell definitively. “Heh yeeeeaaaah this is gonna be quite the project huh?’’ He moved over to a window and looked through it, putting up all of his fingers to whatever was out there, before going to sit down on a couch. Asgore was incredibly grateful he didn’t fall through the battered and worn out couch and was now wondering where to start because he figured he probably should plan his route around cleaning the place. ‘’For the biggest effect, I imagine doing one area and focussing on presentation will be the best bet.’’ The kid felt a bit of a grumble in his gut as he realised he had skipped lunch, ‘’Hmmm think the dining room or kitchen might be the best bet, yep that will be the plan’’, he smiled as he figured he was a genius for such a great idea. Asgore looked towards where he was once again hearing the little footsteps of the resident, and Alphys was wearing a lab coat over a black shirt, her usual attire for as long as he knew her…. which made his plan just a little easier. ‘’S-s-so Asgore, c-c-can I g-get you something? L-like a d-drink or s-something?’’ Asgore nodded, ‘’I can make us both one if you want.’’ The lizard quickly shook her head, ‘’N-n-no I can d-do it, y-you’re the guest, c-come I’ll g-get the kettle going for t-tea.’’ Alphys walked slowly to the kitchen where which Asgore followed, successfully hiding his shock at the state of the kitchen, there really was no where spared from the tyranny of negligence. Alphys turned the kettle on after putting water in it, and started getting tea bags, ‘’S-sorry, I don’t have a-any of the g-golden flower st-stuff, will g-green tea suffice?’’. Asgore nodded, he decided striking up a conversation might settle down the poor girl’s nerves a little bit, ‘’So Alph, how have you and Undyne been doing, living together must be pretty swell right?’’, he wondered what Undyne thought about the state of this place. But the moment that thought finished, he got his answer, the lizard seeming to get a little depressed, ‘’O-o-oh uhhh it w-was good yes. B-but it d-didn’t last v-very long. One m-m-month in and sh-she’s already l-left the country, that was several months ago….’’ Asgore suddenly felt bad and felt uncomfortable, rubbing his arm and watching as Alphys’ face became a smile, albeit a weak one, but one nonetheless. ‘’B-b-but hey, th-that’s j-just like h-her. Kn-knew she wouldn’t be able t-to stay in one p-place for very long….J-just glad she’s happy y-you know…she w-won’t be back for a while.’’ Asgore nodded, trying to make that feeling go away, while he wishes he didn’t bring it up, it gave him some valuable info that he swiftly locked that in the back of his head. ‘’Yeah, of course ummm so you been up to anything recently? Surely something new must’ve happened at…any point’’. Alphys appeared physically relieved at the distraction from the previous topic and nodded, thinking for a few moments before finally speaking and smiling, ‘’Y-yeah well R-red’s come over a f-few times, that’s al-always nice of him, d-do enjoy those d-days……Oh yeah! w-work has been good I s-suppose, the n-new manager i-is a pretty cool p-person……that’s about it.’’ Alphys heard to kettle go off and she took it off the heat and put the tea bags in the cups, ‘’Work huh? Where do you work? Some big fancy lab somewhere?’’. The lizard hesitated at the response, before pouring in the water to both cups, missing the gleam in his eyes, as if everything was going according to plan. ‘’Hehe no, I d-don’t work i-in a lab, k-kind of a j-junkyard really. Th-they hired me to c-combine a f-few things h-here and there to s-sell. G-guess y-you could s-say working o-off my strengths.’’ Alphys started stirring the tea as she gave a shy laugh, before finally passing the tea to Asgore, the two of them tried it at the same time and Asgore made a couple of sounds of approval, ‘’Nicely done, this is good stuff, thank you Alphys’’. She nodded and gave Asgore a curious look, ‘’S-sorry I-I haven’t asked, b-but wh-what’s b-been up w-with you, h-haven’t s-seen y-you for quite a while.’’ Asgore sighed and was thinking on his answer when suddenly, the doorbell rang, ‘’Oh looks like you have company once more, sorry if I intruded, didn’t realise.’’ The scientist shook her head, a nervous expression appearing once more, ‘’I-I w-wasn’t ex-expecting an-anyone, p-please g-give me one moment’’. Asgore nodded and Alphys ran off back towards the front door. ‘’My my, aren’t we popular today, thought we were avoiding this,’’ ‘’Y-yeah I-I know, it’s s-scary, b-but hey, y-you wanted an interesting d-day didn’t y-you?’’ The response from the voice was a groan and after a good five seconds of hesitation, she opened the door, and once more, was surprised to who she found outside.

‘’Oh, why, hello there’’ the pink shawl wearing alligator started and then the cat with the blue overalls who continued, ‘’It’s, like, nice to see you Alphys, it’s been…’’, ‘’….soooo long’’. The two of them laughed in sync after the alligator finished the sentence, giving each other friendly looks, the all so familiar actions of the pair. ‘’Br-bratty? C-c-catty? Wh-what are you t-two doing here? H-how d-did you e-even find my p-place.’’ The newcomers just seemed to laugh in unison and this time Catty decided to start the talk, ‘’Oh well Alph no need to worry about that, we both figured…’’ ‘’Yeah totally the both of us’’  ‘’…that we needed to catch up again, it’s been, like totally, years…’’ ‘’And there’s no better way to do that than a BIG GIRLS CLOTHES SHOPPING TRIP’’ the two seemed to cheer that last bit, ‘’What do ya say girlfriend?’’, the scientist looked at both them, though her gaze seemed to lean naturally towards Catty who was twirling a finger through the blue streak in her hair and the smaller monster’s expression looked a little terrified, ‘’O-oh uh th-thanks ummm….girlfriends? B-but I h-have a guest o-over, m-maybe we can s-sort out a t-time l-later’’. Asgore’s voice came from the other room loudly with a chuckle, ‘’I’m all good, feel free to take her away’’. Alphys paled slightly at hearing that and the girly let out simultaneous yells of excitement and glee, ‘’Oh geez, this can’t be happening, please don’t be taken by them, anything but them please.’’ Alphys ignored her as she was wondering why the heck this was happening, what on earth do you get on a shopping trip, what type of clothes were they going to get. Oh no she hadn’t done research on this type of thing, she was going to be an embarrassment. Catty disagreed apparently, as she barely read Alphys’ expression, “Aww c’mon, like, no need to be worried, we’ll take good care of you’’ ‘’Yeah totes, I mean you got to wear something other than that white coat someday…’’ ‘’Yeah, like, don’t they say something like….variety spices up life or something?’’ ‘’EXACTLY, that’s like totally what I would’ve said, we’re so smart sometimes aren’t we?’’ The two laughed together, looking very proud of themselves. Alphys turned her head and tried to call out, ‘’Asgore wh-‘’, but then she was quickly cut off by Asgore himself, his voice seeming to get weirdly excited for a reason she couldn’t fathom, ‘’Don’t worry, you go have fun, I’ll let myself out after I finish this…’’. The nervous scientist was about call out back when all of a sudden, the two at the front door grabbed Alphys, one by each arm, and lifted her off the ground fairly easily, and started walking her away from the house. ‘’W-wait, WHATAREYOUDOING?!?!’’ Alphys started to panic as she was lifted away by the two, Asgore was laughing heartedly, the panic amusing him a fair bit, and when he heard the front door close and the sounds of a spooked lizard disappear, he put his tea on the bench while leaning on the same thing. ‘’Alrighty, plan was a success, well I know where I’m starting.’’ He grinned as he started pulling a couple of bags of nails, some snacks and a lightbulb out of his pocket. Asgore was busy hitting some nails into the dining room table with a hammer. The first struggle when he started was hunting down some tools, he was certain the resident should have something, and after about half an hour of climbing around the house, going through cupboards, he finally noticed a shed in the backyard, he went over and plundered it, then got the hammer that he needed. The next step on the great adventure was to change the lightbulb in the dining room, he felt a little bit of pride in predicting its sorry state, which is why he had bought one from a store on the way down. The goat child was quite happy to find that changing the light bulb and making sure it worked didn’t take as long as the hammer hunt from earlier. When Asgore turned on the light, he looked around the room, expecting it to help him fix the table, but he quickly turned it off with a nervous look, as the light only showed even more issues in the dusty room, he didn’t need extra problems visualised at the moment. The table was the main project, the one he was hoping to bring all his work together as a spectacle and he was going to end up working on it for another hour or two without a break, the boredom really gave him time to think on the situation and develop his ideas. The first thing that he realised was that Undyne was probably the one that did a bunch of the maintenance of the house, and her leaving seemed to cause some form of stress for the poor scientist. Alphys needed some long-term help, someone to show her how to do stuff around here permanently, but he wasn’t going to be able to do that while at Gaster’s, not properly anyway. The youngster than suddenly had a lightbulb in his head, an idea perfect for everyone involved, one with no negatives to anyone involved. Now invigorated even further, Asgore went to straightening up the legs of the table, he was feeling a rush of determination that no amount of tiredness or boredom hold him back.

Alphys felt exhaustion as she was walking back home, a small bag with a couple of T-shirts, and dress. Nothing overly expensive since Bratty nor Catty couldn’t actually pay for much, which made it all the more stranger they came around, ’’Ok, next time, I choose boredom, I’m sorry I ever complained about it’’. Despite the voice’s talk she did enjoy hanging out with them, it was fun to talk and get out of the house and such, even if they did cheapskate a bit, and if choosing any form of clothes wasn’t stressful enough. But now she could feel her bed calling to her, ready allow her mind to fade to darkness from all the action she’d just experienced, socialising with those two was always a challenge, but her thoughts of that disappeared suddenly, ‘’W-w-why is th-there a l-light on? I-is someone b-breaking in?!’’, she gulped as she rushed to the front door, ‘’Robbers aren’t going to turn the light on you know… or fix it.’’ In a panic she tried unlocking the door but found it already unlocked. ‘’O-o-oh no....A-a-asgore forgot t-to lock the d-door before l-leaving.’’ The lizard monster decided it was for the best if she listened through the door before rushing in to danger, and she couldn’t hear anything being turned over, couldn’t hear anyone doing anything. Alphys attempted to open the door silently, turning the handle at a snail’s pace as she could feel her heartbeat speed up. Good, the entrance area hadn’t been ransacked, cool start she supposed, at least that’s what she was trying to tell herself. Keys in hand, holding it out in what she hoped was a threatening manner. The scared monster was now trying to slow her breathing as she took small steps towards the light filled room, the dining room obviously, ‘’H-h-here goes n-nothing’’ she whispered before jumping around the corner, looking into the dining room area. ‘’Wh-wh-wh-wh-what…….Whatareyoudoingherestill?!’’, Asgore was sitting a fairly good looking dining room table, at least comparatively, light on and with two sandwiches on the table, one for him and one obviously for a newcomer, which was no doubt her. The goat child had an apologetic smile as he felt a bit guilty, the lady looked as if she was ready to have a heart attack. ‘’Oh uh hey, sorry about that. Honestly wasn’t particularly sure the best way to do this, but I fixed your table and light, that’s cool right? Please um sit’’. Alphys took a few deep breaths before putting her keys on the bench and sitting down, looking at the quite simple ham and cheese sandwich. ‘’U-uh Asgore? Th-thanks for a-all th-this I s-suppose, b-but shouldn’t y-you be g-getting home, it’s g-getting quite late.’’ Asgore shook his head, a grin going across his face which made Alphys feel a little nervous, ‘’No, not really, I have a big proposition for you, I would like to help teach you how look after this house properly and also….move in here too’’. Alphys nearly spat out a bite of sandwich that she just took, taking a few seconds before swallowing safely, ‘’Al, he can’t do that can he?’’. The scientist seemed to be panicking once more. ‘’B-b-but…….G-g-gaster….wh-what about s-s-school….’’. The goat however didn’t look deterred one bit, he was expecting such a scared reaction. ‘’Ok let me break down all the foreseen issues. Gaster will be fine, after this I’m going to give him a call, and we’ll come to an agreement. School will be fine, I’m caught up and there’s a bus stop near here, only a couple minutes away.’’ Asgore paused for a few seconds before his expression came to one on realisation. ‘’Oh and uh don’t worry about having to go crazy shopping or anything, I’ll eat whatever you have, and maybe I can even do the shopping for you.’’ Asgore kept giving off a warm smile, while Alphys looked troubled, something was up here, and she wasn’t sure what. The goat was watching all the expressions on hr face, and he found it weird when all of a sudden, she seemed to be listening to something, nothing he could hear anyway. Alphys nodded, ‘’A-a-alright Asgore, umm p-perhaps y-you call Gaster n-now while I-I check s-something, and I’ll g-give you m-my answer then’’. Alphys stood up and passed Asgore her mobile, she was looking worried before she headed out a door, deeper in the house. The prince decided he would do the call out the front of the house.

Asgore was feeling a bit of dread and worry himself now, the rings felt like they were taking forever, he knew this was going to be a little painful emotionally, but it had to be done, for the better of everyone. Suddenly the rings stopped and heard the familiar voice, ‘’Oh hello, Alphys, why are you calling?’’ Asgore let out sigh, and he could already sense the Doctor’s demeanour get serious, ‘’Hey Gaster, sorry it’s a little late,’’ he said as he watched the sun setting. The voice on the phone, it’s curious tone turned to one of anger, ‘’A little late? ASGORE, WHERE THE HECK HAVE YOU BEEN, THE CURFEW WAS DUE HOURS AGO, TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE SO I CAN PICK YOU UP!!’’ The kid had to put the phone away from his ear, a small tinge of guilt seeping into his heart. ‘’Please calm down, no need to yell….but Sorry, but no can do, I’ve made some new arrangements….I won’t living with you guys anymore.’’ He could feel the tension rising, his voice no longer yelling, but still just as furious, ‘’Asgore you can’t just do that, you can’t just decide to move away! I will not have it!’’ He leant against the outside wall, now watching the screen, Alphys had a smiling picture of Gaster for the contact, he recognised it from a family photo he posted on the internet a long while ago…. he missed that smile. ‘’C’mon, I’m in safe hands, also I think some space between me and kids will be for the best…. some space between me and you, these feelings and tension aren’t going away.’’ ‘’Well maybe Asgore, instead of running away we can deal with them, like mature people’’. The child grimaced, his voice turning sarcastic with a hint of hostility, ‘’Oh yes, of course, because that’s totally worked out for the last, oh I dunno, month or so’’. The guardian over the phone’s tone also raised in contest of the sudden attack, ‘’Well maybe if you weren’t so stubborn and didn’t act like a petulant child, we wouldn’t be like this.’’ ‘’Ohoho, I’m the stubborn one, that’s literally like your main trait, nobody I’ve met has ever called you Compromising Gaster or Reasonable Gaster, you must eventually let others make their own decisions you know, you’re not going to be in control forever’’ Gaster was starting to sound real resentful, obviously aiming to antagonise out of anger ‘’Are you insane?! Control is not what I’m after, I’m here to keep you all safe, even if you’re to blinded by your ego to see that, you’re no king boy, merely a small prince trying play grown up….is that why you keep heading over to Grillby’s? Because they make you feel better about your age, want to feel like you can handle anything right, feel strong?’’ Asgore suddenly flared, ‘’That’s NOT IT DAMN IT!!’’. The two heated individuals suddenly started taking deep breaths, finally reaching the height of their anger for the night, the goat child was he first to break the silence of the last ten seconds, with a sad bitter laugh, there were obvious signs of being upset in his voice, ‘’Even when we’re not in the same room, we can’t keep it civil huh? This is the exact reason I have to do this, best for the others you know? Don’t worry, I’m safe, I’ll still be doing my usual responsibilities like school. If you need me, I’ll be at Alphys’ place, please don’t come to try change my mind.’’ There was a sigh on the other end of the line, a resigned weary one, ‘’Please…. just stay safe ok? Maybe at least check in occasionally?’’ ‘’Goodnight Old man’’. With that Asgore hung up the phone and looked up at the sky, the sun had finally sunk fully, just like his morale, leaving him to wonder if he’d made the right choice.

It was five minutes before Asgore headed back into the house to find Alphys back, seated at the dining room table, staring off into the table’s surface, looking a little pale. The goat gave a light knock on the table and Alphys jumped slightly, staring at him after taking a deep breath. She didn’t fail to notice Asgore’s demeanour and smile diminished slightly from previously, ‘’It’s fine on m-my end, how d-did it g-go?’’ Asgore a low energy thumbs up, ‘’We’re all good Al, thanks for that…’’, he then let out a yawn as he passed the phone back, ‘’…but I think I’m ready for a sleep now, alright if I just sleep on the couch? It’ll be fine trust me’’, he said predicting some slight resistance to it. ‘’Th-that’ll be f-fine Asgore, y-you’re welcome t-to sleep wh-where ever y-you w-want. Just s-sorry I d-didn’t have a w-welcome ready or s-something. T-t-tomorrow m-maybe we can d-do something f-fun then…b-but yeah n-now I’m feeling the exhaustion t-too.’’ Asgore walked up to Alphys with a nod, ‘’You know I think this will be a great partnership between us, you won’t regret this I promise. We’re gonna do some good work.’’ The kid’s smile seemed to brighten up a bit more as he offered his hand, the lizard’s expression did the same as she stood up and shook his hand, ‘’W-w-welcome aboard, I-I look forward t-to having you a-around. One m-moment p-please’’. Alphys left down a door to the side and came back with a blanket and pillow, ‘’H-here is y-your camping equipment, sl-sleep anywhere, if y-you need anything else, j-just take it….g-guess they c-call it make y-yourself at h-home huh?’’ Asgore nodded and took the two things of sleepwear, ‘’Thanks Alphys, glad to be aboard this vessel, we’ll get her to be the mightiest ship in due time. Good night, see you tomorrow morning.’’ Alphys nodded and waved ‘’S-sleep tight, s-sweet d-dreams.’’ She then headed off to her own bedroom while Asgore turned off the light and found a couch to snuggle up into, surrounding himself in the warm comforting blanket. Closing the door behind her, she started to get changed into PJ’s, ‘’You know, now life might actually be worth living now that it isn’t so boring, this kid will surely be a bundle of fun. What do you say Al?’’. Alphys smiled faintly, ‘’H-h-he’ll d-definitely be able t-to s-spice up th-the place….just hope I-I’m doing the right th-thing.’’ ‘’What you on about, we’re all gonna be good, perhaps it’ll cheer you up a bit, got to say though, your head is starting to match the house’’. Alphys sighed, ‘’Yeah…. hopefully it’ll be ok’’. She curled up into a ball on her bed in the darkness and started to ponder the consequences of allowing herself to have a housemate.

[fox-household]

Act 1: A Little Help, Chapter 2

Alright, it’s finally out, and damn it’s a really long one. Mostly because I didn’t write this chapter all by myself. Shout out to my good friend @moonsymptom​ who is part of the RP these characters are based off, and she wrote Grillby, Red and Gaster. So check out her stuff if you haven’t, might find something you can enjoy. Thanks for all the help. 

Now I’m gonna start adding this links at the bottom of the description to bring up the previous, next and first chapter. Just to help viewers if they want to travel through them. Anyway hope you enjoy this long ass Chapter (Please don’t get used to it hehe..... 

(^_^;)  )

FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT

It was a pretty nice stand-alone place. A building of its own in the small, but growing town. In all honesty, the place wasn't anything special really. Sandstone coloured bricks lining the outside, the wall facing the street were these two great big windows that let the sun flood inside. It wasn't like the bar he used to have- small, attached to the neighbouring buildings all packed inside the city with an apartment flat above it. No, that one went down in flames. Perhaps it was best though, for all of them, but Grillby especially. Having a place so bright and open- even with the massive payments and the host of problems the landlord oh-so-graciously 'forgot to mention'- Red wiped off his shoes as he entered through one half of the double door entrance and looked up. Eye falling on the blue flame behind the counter- who was polishing a glass at the time- and sighed.... It was worth it. To see that little hint of a smile as he stood behind that counter. It was worth it. With a sigh, Red smirked. Looking around the place. Spotless, as usual. It was interesting how Grillby decided to go with a red-orange decor, rather than the expected blue. It 'didn't fit' the floorboards, he said. And most importantly- it didn't let the sun shine. By no means was he a interior decorator or did he even understand what the old man was talking about but man did it turn out. Warm oak planks on the floor, finely polished. Dark, nearly black, oak booths and deep red cushions. Polished silverware stood out like a shiny beacon among the display, as well as the candles. When the customers realized (through various drunken antics) that candles lit with Grillby's flame actually stayed blue well... Heh. The blue candles became something of a signature since then. Dark slate tiles made up the walls, which were all adorned with a small collection of framed photos- mainly of jazz artists and music Grillby listened to back home. (The look on his face when he walked into the music shop that day. Apparently, he thought those bands only existed in his own universe and he'd never get the chance to listen to them again. Buying vinyl records and refurbishing an old Phonograph was something he'd never though he'd be able to say he did- but how could they resist?) Red let out a relaxed sigh, pulling off his hard hat and strolling up to the true pride and joy of the joint. The beautiful red-tinted walnut bar. With a French polish that gave it a reflection almost like water. A very open design, nice and clear in a slight C-shape. Giving way the wall behind- brimming with an expansive collection of alcohol. They were still working on the collection, of course, but it was coming along nicely. To the left, true to Grillby's style, was the door to the kitchen and to the right, was that same ol' jukebox. Not all old dogs had to learn new tricks, after all.

The flame perked up when he caught sight of the other, who responded with a quick wave. Red hooked his shoe on the leg of the black painted metal stool as he pulled it forward, taking a seat and placing the hard hat in front of him to use as some sort of head rest."Heya, G. Oh, hey Tim." The skeleton gave a short wave to the regular that had previously been distracting the flame- a human- surprisingly. And one that nearly put his own old routine to shame. "The usual?" "Ah sure, why not." Grillby gave him a small smile, pulling out a bottle of mustard as if he had been waiting for him. Red let out something like a sigh of relief, popping it open and downing a few mouthfuls. "Bad day at work?" "Ah nah-" The skeleton waved his hand, downing one last 'shot' before putting the bottle down. "The site was just fine, sides a few assholes who don't know how to hang drywall-" He shrugged "Just thought I'd come check on ya and Dings. That him back there?" He motioned to the kitchen, where various pots and pans could be heard clinking around. The old flame chuckled, throwing the rag he was using to polish over his shoulder and leaning back against the counter. "It is. He seems to be doing well, I think some time away from the computer screen and his papers is serving him well... And I am eternally grateful I don't have to be around water." Grillby sighed contently, staring for a few moments, before looking back at Red.

 Asgore grinned into the sunlight of today, almost clear skies with a few clouds making the sky slightly shy of being a pure blank canvas of blue. The street he was walking on wasn't quite as busy as usual, only passing a couple of humans and a Froggit, but of course it was much better than it being busy, or at least he assumed so. This town wasn't exactly bustling, and he had never been to any of these cities people talked about, sounded quite unpleasant to be honest, with all towering buildings, grey being the colour theme and loud noises everywhere, Asgore wondered why people couldn't be satisfied with smaller places, surely having your house be a skyscraper would leave way too much room. Soon he got to the building, Grillby's, a nice-looking building. The kid really liked the new building, felt a lot more welcoming and nice, not that it was easy feeling unwelcome with Grillby around. His eyes glanced through the windows on the wall facing the street, looking inside to make sure everything was running, ''Huh, Red's here today...'', he let out a small little mischievous grin ''...seems a little distracted to boot''. The boy took slower steps towards the door of the establishment, feeling a little threatened by the fact the Tavern's double doors might make some sort of noise. Opening the left door slowly, he grinned as it was almost soundless, he quietly thanked Grillby's brilliant upkeep of his tavern, before closing it and taking in the familiar environment, the sight, smell and even a face or two he faintly recognised from his more recent trips to the place, becoming more and more regular. There was one last challenge, and that was Grillby himself warning the skeleton, he did his best to quickly make eye contact with the elemental and give him a signal, one finger vertically over the mouth, the typical quiet gesture.

"But something is on your mind." Grillby spoke assuredly "Agh!!" Red scratched the back of his skull, "Okay just HOW do you do that?" "Still about that leak?" The skeleton let out an exasperated huff and slumped across the counter, his bottom jaw clacking on the hardhat. "YES. C'mon, even you gotta admit Alph got completely screwed over on that deal and it pisses me off! Like that tub? Yeah, any DAY now and it's gunna fall straight through that floor! The awning out on the patio? Yeah- HAH- one gust of wind and that's comin' down, too. 'Its fine, it's not that bad, I don't need it anyway'- if I had a dime for every time that girl brushed me off- ugh!" Grillby's smile quirked up at the great flail of Red's arms. "Well- it is her right, I do suppose-" "Her RIGHT!? Yeah right to LIVE, Grillz, this shit gets dangerous, y'know? She's been hard on time, money, and just about everything else. I don't mind doing all this for her, I don't, I really don't- but-" Red let out a little whimper "Not even I can keep up with all of it... I'm just worried, Grillbz. I'm just worried." Grillby stared down at the distraught little skeleton, smiling sympathetically- reaching a hand out to gently pat the good half of his skull. He knew. Oh, did he know that worry. The whole time he was talking his mind was going a hundred miles per hour. What could they spare? Would it be worth it for him to try and learn all that again? What exactly could they propose- they couldn't afford a new house and, though they could make it work, having her at the house wouldn't exactly give a young woman like her the freedom she needed... Or at least, that's what he assumed but truth be told- all he seemed to know about her was just what Red had decided to share. Nevertheless, the old flame was pulled out of his thoughts by a slow movement of white fur he caught from behind Red. He was about to call out too little Asgore- when he was given the 'shh' motion. Grillby smiled wide, having to try hard not to let a laugh out. Thankfully Red was so engulfed in his own wallowing to notice even that. Leaving him wide open. Hoping with all his little body that nothing would give him away he slowly tip toed towards the seasonally inappropriate dressed skeleton, he listened to their convo, catching the convo about Alphys and worry. Not thinking about that quite yet, yet making a small note in the back of his head. The goat was feeling himself tense up as he made a small countdown in his head as he slowly removed distance between the two, '6, 5, 4, 3, 2....1.....0!!'. Within arm’s reach of Red, he finally let out a small, yet intense, growl right next to his head, his fake angry face staying there for a few seconds, before laughing in almost child glee, and taking a few steps back out of arms reach, partially expecting a reactionary flail and perhaps profanity if fear of fire didn't get to him first. Then the expected reaction came, in a rapid flurry of motion. Red almost literally leapt from his stool, nearly took the one out beside him. Flipped over. Landed on all fours and NEARLY pounced on the poor kid... Not that he was spared from a deep snarl, though. It took a good 10 seconds for that snarl to melt off his face to reveal an exasperated expression. Asgore just watched him calmly, waiting for it to be safe to approack.

"AWH WHAT!? The hell!?" The skeleton gawked, picking himself up at the floor. Now smiling with an amusement and hoping that Red was also recovering from his fright. ''Hey sorry about that Red, you just looked to vulnerable there, couldn't resist, no hard feelings, right?’’ Red looked even more offended when he saw even Grillby was biting back a little chuckle. "Oh, you were in on it too, now were ya? Hrmpf!" Red wrapped an arm around Asgore's neck, giving him a noogie before letting him go. Asgore giggled as he got trapped by Red's arm and got his inevitable punishment to the head, although he was quite experienced taking on these noogies, after all he had lived with Undyne, who well and truly is the Queen of Noogies. The Prince also ignored the hostile reaction, having expected as such and not able to blame the poor skeleton, after the things he'd seen, he might've acted quite similar. "Alright alright, ya got me, fair and square. Sit your furry butt down and I'll pay for a soda or somethin?’’. ''Heh thanks, the usual if that's alright Red.'' He said as he jumped on top of a stool and rested his head on his arms, using the bench to support him. Red glanced over to see the great big smile on the flame's face. "What's that look for? Huh?" The only answer he got was another pat on the head, of course, Grillby gave Asgore a quick pat as well, before walking off to go grab whatever the little one's 'usual' was. The goat child smiled warmly at Grillby as he gave the quick pat and walked away. "Oof. Sometimes I just don't get that old man." Red said with a roll of his eyelight, propping his chin up with his hand as he looked over at the pre-teen. " 'Nyway, I'll have you know- you do that to me a couple 'a years ago and would've been on ya like a goddamn ninja. Hiyah!" He karate-chopped the mustard bottle in front of him, sending a spray of the stuff off towards the wall, ''Oh I'm sure you would-..'' Asgore had started, but then stopped as he moved to make sure he was out the way of the sudden spray, immediately Red’s eye bugged out, jumping a bit and hastily looking around to make sure no one saw. "Oh shit- uh- Ahah, hahah.... ha..... Yeah I'll clean that up later..." The skeleton muttered awkwardly scratching the back of his skull and slowly peeling his eye away from the mess . Asgore gave an amused chuckle as he looked from the yellow mess on the wall and looked back at the skeleton, shaking his head slightly. ''Think you got to work on your subtleness Mr. Ninja''. "Pshh-" He waved his hand, rolling his eye. "Mustard* heard ya wrong, you could barely ketchup with me! Oh wait, what's that sound? Ah yes, that's the sound of you relishing in my AWESOME NINJA SKILLS." Red exclaimed almost as if imitating those bad Kung-Fu movies, but he just as quickly dropped the act and gave Asgore a little punch on the shoulder. "Nah, I'm just fu-- messin' with ya.’’ Acting the fool on purpose, just to get that small laugh out of the other.... Even at the cost of a little extra work and a little less mustard. Damn, he hoped Grillby wouldn't notice.

‘’Anyway, how're you two, seem to holding up the place.'' Asgore went back to resting his head on the bench, but despite his lazy posture, his expression turned attentive as he listened to the skeleton, nodding at his words that were to come out. 'Nyway yeah we're holdin up fine. Grillz takes damn good care of this place. I've been workin' and Gaster... Does whatever Gaster does." For a second there, a hint of concern crossed his face, but it was instantly replaced by that same frustrated worry from before. Red’s expression reminded Asgore that he finally could ask the question he was wanting to ask after over hearing their conversation, so sitting properly up, he titled his head towards the skeleton, ‘’So you two were looking pretty worried when I came in, something about Alphys right? Is something wrong with her?’’ Red shrugged, "Ah it ain't much, kid. Alph just got herself a bad deal on that house of hers." Again, he returned to drinking the mustard. "Been goin' over there constantly to make repairs. 'I don't need them' my ass. I know that look on Grillbz face, though, not sure how much more we can help her out.’’ Asgore sighed a little, looking a tiny bit guilty, ''Oh I see, I feel kind of bad, I haven't seen Alphys or Undyne since they moved. But what's going on with the bad deal?''. Asgore seemed to be thinking for a few seconds, obviously thinking of solutions and such, whatever there was to possible help. ''So just a bunch of broken stuff all over the house? Sounds like maybe I could go over to help, I mean I'm sure her pantry isn't in perfect condition, I can fix that''. He shrugged, he wasn't set on his plan of action, but whatever it was going to be, it was going to make for a good distraction. For some reason Red felt a bit surprised to hear that the goat child hasn't seen Alphys or Undyne in a while, though he just supposed he had gotten used to the constant visits. That and, from all he heard, QT!Gaster wasn't one to let the children run around without knowing where they are at literally any second of the day. "Yeah kinda- PFFFFF!" Red broke into a hearty laugh, "Holy sh- what's with you and the pantry, kid? First at Grillbz old-" He froze for a second- it was a mix between the memory and the fact Grillby could be in earshot- that sobered him up quite a bit. But instantly he scrambled to try to cover it up. "Honestly kid, is it the food?" He suddenly got that mischievous smirk, narrowing his eye at Asgore. "Oohh I see how it is- you've been lookin' for where they hide the cookies, aren'tcha punk?". ‘’What? No, I’m no plain old cookie thief!’’, the kid looked amusingly offended as he shook his head. He chuckled again, taking another swig of the mustard and 'winking' in the strange way he tried to. "Your secret's safe with me, But I'll have ya know, I got a mustard tax. 'nyway." He shrugged a bit "It's a bit more than that. I mean, the WHOLE PLACE has got issues- big and small. At this point I'm thinkin the place could use a flamethrower sooner than 'tender loving care'." "RED!" A voice came from the side. Grillby.

Grillby's sudden interruption of the conversation caused Asgore to jolt slightly, not particularly expecting the yell from the elemental. "That IS rather quite rude, you know. You shouldn't  talk about others behind their back." "I ain't! 'Sides! I can and I will say it to her face, G. Was I not JUST tellin' ya that place is downright dangerous?" The skeleton looked back over at Asgore. "I dunno, kid." He still had to fight off a chuckle every single time he said the word. "You may be able to hit 'home repair' on the head, hammer out repair after repair, re-joist in each project-" Grillby actually lightly batted the top of his head with a newspaper, one that seemed specially reserved just for that purpose. "Awh, no?" Red spoke with a shit eating grin, laughing at the elemental's resounding "No." He smiled at Red, figuring he was probably antagonizing the poor Flame. Clearly this was some conversation they had before... And clearly Red seemed to find great amusement in it. Nevertheless, he refocused once again. "I dunno, Asgore. I've been over there almost constantly, and I still don't feel like I even scratched the surface. That'd be quite the project-- and you gotta be SAFE. If I catch ya messing with electrical, I'll have to kick you into next week, capise?" Asgore sighed, he knew he couldn't really argue against what Red was saying, he knew nothing about the electrical side of things anyway, so he gave a reassuring nod. ''Alrighty, don’t worry, no electrical, you won't be having a fried goat anytime soon, Capise mate''. Red sighed "You'd also have to work that out with Alph, 'nyway. And she's gunna say 'its fine' but trust me kid- heh- it ain't." "I don't know about that." Grillby piped in with a sigh of his own. "Asgore, I know you like to help, but this is an-" Red interjected quickly, " 'Adult problem', you serious, G? I gotta say of all the sh- stuff we've been through I think Asgore here's more 'adult' then HALF the people here." "I'm not questioning that, Red." Grillby glanced back at the goat who he saw wearing a slightly prideful smile at the comments, Asgore did feel a little shame from it but he couldn’t help himself. "This is ultimately her business. If she doesn't accept the help, we have to respect that. She is an adult as well. Nevertheless, you shouldn't worry yourself with this, little one. I'm sure if it started interfering with school-" Grillby paused, hearing Red scoff a little "Gaster would have our heads." He... Tried not to laugh at the sudden change in Red's expression. From mild annoyance and disbelief to the look of a man who just stared death in the face.

Asgore’s expression did change once during that thinking and it was when Gaster was mentioned, and his expression seemed to darken slightly. ''Yeah, I don't.......Think we'll have to worry about him.''

 Red's sockets narrowed a bit, glancing at Grillby for a moment- who did the exact same thing. What exactly did he mean by that? What the hell did they miss? The two men seemed to come to the same conclusion and both of them decided- Later. Speak with him about that later. Asgore’s expression turned back to normal soon after. '' Well Fine, it's her business, but there's nothing wrong with worrying, and again about school, it'll be fine, I'm not behind or anything, it’s sorted.'' he said as he watched the faces of the duo. ''But trust me, I won't force her, it'll be a simple ask and perhaps a tiny bit of debate.'' He shrugged, ''Who knows''. Asgore smiled stubbornly, he wasn't gonna let this go very easily, ''C'mooooon, I can handle it Grillby, no need to worry, you know old reliable me right?'' "I'm not questioning your reliability, little one...." Grillby sighed. "See, Grillz? He's even promisin' to stay out of the dangerous stuff. 'nd trust me. Electrical IS the most dangerous.... Then the plumbing… Then the structural work, then- " Red was silenced when the flame put his hand onto his head. Silently asking him to 'shut the hell up' if his look of internal panic hadn't made that pretty clear. Asgore smiled as he watched the two talk, he couldn't really disagree with electrical and even plumbing since in the end he had no idea how to do such things, he figured that the more general stuff would be best to do first anyhow. The old man was concerned- for all of them, really. Alphys was bad off, he couldn't deny that. Red supposed he had a point- she was an adult- she could account for herself. Maybe the flame was wondering if he had any trust in her- he sure as HELL did. With his life, even. But just how long was he expected to grit his teeth and bare it? She could only deny it as long as it would take to land her ass in a hospital. He also knew Grillby was worried for Asgore- even if he was pre-teen coming up on teen faster than either of them wanted to admit- but..... The skeleton looked back at Asgore. With that fire in his eyes? Hah. No. There was no arguing with him now. Judging by the slight slump in Grillby's shoulders- he knew that too.

"Well...." Grillby mumbled, Red's brow raising as he put on a half-fake smirk of impending victory. "Well~?" Clearly, the flame was not amused. The goat titled his head slightly at the ''Well....'', as an eager grin came across his face, getting hyped up as he could feel it all coming together and the weight of the conversation leaning his way. "Alright. BUT-" Grillby said sharply, interrupting Red right before his victory 'whoop' and making Asgore feel a tiny bit worried. "Under the condition that- if she says no, then she means no and that's that. Understood, children?" The skeleton narrowed his eye socket suspiciously at the word. "Oh, I see how it is, chum." Grillby narrowed his eyes as well and leaned forward "Do you now, buddy?" "Yes, I do my friend pal home slice bread slice dawg." "Uh-huh, and would you like some butter with that?" "Wait- pfff WHAT!?" Red squeaked, trying his damnest not to crack up when Grillby leaned in even closer. "Because I think someone just got toasted." It took a second, but when the joke finally clicked, Red burst out laughing, A loud, rambunctious laugh, even hitting the counter several times and ultimately pulling the old flame into a small fit of laughter as well, Asgore also joined in with a giggle at both the joke and Red’s reaction. The joke was a bit of a stretch, sure, but it worked well enough. The flame watched for a few moments, sighing happily as he looked back at Asgore. "Go on ahead then, if you'd like, Asgore. Hopefully she'll accept your help a bit easier than ours.’’ ''Thanks Grillby!!'' Asgore shouted and despite his laughing, Red still didn't fail to notice the two words. If it were possible, his grin would've gotten even wider and he sat back to watch the lightshow. The kid athletically climbed over the bar bench, he saw the initial look of the fire elemental just a split second away from scolding the goat for climbing over the counter. But instantly everything was forgiven and forgotten as Asgore, gave him a hug for a few good seconds….and that’s all it took. There it was. Grillby's flames suddenly poofed out- as if someone had just poured gasoline on him. Red almost nearly had to reach forward and pull the poor boy back but thankfully he seemed just as used to it- quickly retracting back to his seat. Red chuckled for a few more moments, especially when he heard several comments of- "There goes another light show!" "Wow Grillby, still not used to that!?" and even a "Hey kid! Do that again!" -being shouted from across the bar. The poor elemental could only help but to cover his face with his hand with a small "Oh good heavens....", Asgore took a few steps back and giggled with a cheeky grin, ‘’Sorry Grillby, that always just slips my mind a little’’. Red felt.... A little bit bad but seeing the streaks of white fire coursing through him honestly was worth it. Still-- "Ya might wanna give him more warnin' kid-" He reached over, ruffling Asgore's hair which caused the kid to chuckle some more "Ya might literally turn 'im into a firework." He 'winked'- "And firework ain't the pun." "Red, please-" "Heh, what. You mean to tell me, ya ain't gunna blast off to space one of these days? Psh. C'mon, G. Who was it that set a chair on fire last time?" Grillby sputtered for a few seconds, the only intelligible noise he managed to make was 'did not' and Red simply laughed again. Asgore laughed slightly with a curious look, he wasn’t sure if he had heard this story, but now he knew what he was asking about next time he visited the pair. "Heh. You were the one sittin' in the hot seat my friend." Grillby-- tried not to laugh. But he failed, simply facepalming again and giving into several chuckles, as Asgore climbed back over to the customer’s side of the bench and he gave Red a small punch in the arm, ''Also thanks to you for the backup, my arguments might have been bare bones without you.'', while Asgore felt the delivery was a little awkward, he just wanted to at least have one successful pun before he left. . Allowing the skeleton to turn his attention back to Asgore and giving him a light punch on the shoulder. "Hey hey, ya hear that, Grillbz? Looks like someone's raisin' this kid right. That one was pretty humerus too." Clearly proud of the small goat for his pun. "Ahh forgettaboutit-" Red spoke it as if it were one word "Ya got quite a cranium on you're shoulders, just needed a little extra backbone against this one-" He motioned to Grillby, who simply rolled his eyes "I don't think I need to ptell-ya about how sternum this guy can get-". The skeleton's face twisting a bit in annoyance, "Nahhh, mustard done somethin wrong. Those ones just don't got that punch." He took another swig of mustard, his expression turned back to a lazy smile as he refocused. ‘’I’m sure one of us can walk you there, but if you'd like a ride well-" Grillby chuckled a bit nervously. "You may have to ask Gaster for that one." "Wha---" Red cut in, brushing a tear from his socket. "Awh c'mon, I can drive just FINE." "Yes. Yes you CAN. But DO you?" Red smirked, the same devilish smirk. "It's BLUE that means stop, dontcha know. 'm just followin' the laws of physics." The prince was slowly heading towards the exit as he chuckled at joke whilst simultaneously making a mental note to not get in a car with Red, ‘’Oh thanks for the offer guys, but I don't want to burden you, plus I have a couple of stops to make on the way.’’ His grin turned a little mischievous as he stated the last bit.

That little, mischievous smile- heh- Grillby seemed to have missed it, but it made him narrow his eyes a bit. "No worries, punk. Don't you end up in the hospital, either, ya hear? And if you're gunna do somethin bad- don't get caught." Asgore gave nod and another amused grin as he could already see the events coming, ‘’Sounds like a plan, thanks for the advice Red’’. With the speed of a cobra, Grillby somehow had gotten out the newspaper and lightly bat the side of Red's head with it.... Though it only served to make him laugh a bit more. "Well-" Grillby huffed, still a bit peeved at the other. "Please stay safe, little one. Be sure to give us a call and let us know how it went?" "Oh! And let Alphys know I finished Season 1- and if she wants it back she's gunna have to pry it from my cold, dead hands." Red laughed, though for the first time there was a hint of seriousness in his voice. "See ya around, kid." "You're always welcome to stop by and visit, little one." The two of them chimed, and Asgore sighed with a chuckle, wondering how important this Season 1 is, ''I'll probably see you two soon, don't worry, Alphys or myself won't be going to hospital anytime soon.''  Right before turning to leave he stopped, turned and cupped his hands and yelled out, ''See you Gaster if you can hear me. You all have a good one''. Though none of them expected him to turn back around and shout to Gaster.... Gaster especially was a victim to this surprise- if the BANG and unintelligible curse said anything about it. Red was on the verge of cracking up, just barely getting the words "Yeah you too!" out. Asgore winced at hearing all that and decided it was best to quickly evacuate, and with a wave he ran out the door. Grillby sighed, choking down another laugh of his own and watched as the door closed behind Asgore before shouting over towards the other. "You doing alright, Gaster?" There were a few moments before the door to the kitchen opened and the two of them could see the other skeleton peeking out. ‘’...Yes.’’ "You do know it's alright for you to come talk as well- the children really don't mind." ‘’...Are you implying I was eavesdropping?’’ Red rolled his eyelight "Pffff. Oh can it. Stop hiding in the kitchen and bring your butt over here." ‘’But we're skeletons-‘’  Grillby and Red both couldn't help but to laugh, it was made only worse knowing that Gaster was being completely serious. "Ohmygod, shut up-" "Come on. Take a break." Grillby ushered, hearing a small sigh of defeat from the other. ‘’If I must...’’

[fox-household]

Act 1: A Little Help, Chapter 1

Chapter 1 isn’t to exciting, just setting things up currently. Of course I don’t own Alphys, nor Glitch!Alphys, who is quite different after the events of the RP I’m in, I have thought about renaming her to something else because of it, something like Fox!Alphys, who knows. Anyone doesn’t matter now, here’s some simple stuff.

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