#((Locke overtook other Chara on this matter

[whimsicaldreemurr]

.. Why do you hate humans, Chara? Hate is such a strong word, especially to use against your own kind.. who hurt you? Do you need a hug?

* “My own kind? H̸̬̫̪̼̞ì͈͕̘͕̬̣̮l̟̜̣̗͉a͉͉̟͍ͅr̭i̬̳̠̯̭̮ͅo̘u̞͠s͈.̧ They were intent on treating me as anything but. They made me anything but ‘human.’ All humans know is how to hurt.

* “...ah. It doesn’t ma̛t̕͟t̡e̵r̨. I was never attached to humanity. It means nothing to me. Those who hurt me are long dead, their plans meaningless. And I am still here.

* “...but no. I do not need a hug.”

[promisedangel]

Fresh Meat: Confinement- Chapter 4

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I wanted to get this up yesterday, but I ended up rewritting a good chunk of dialogue and pushing it to today.

Chapter 4- Grief

Chara’s mind was consumed by the thought of what had just transpired. Their dreams replayed and distorted the memory of the trial. Chara could see the entrance to the castle just as it was. The crowd was a sea of faceless monsters. All were grey and of one form. Their shouts were muddled and distant. The guards at the foot of the ramp were bland as well. They were unmoving. The guards around them were nearly the same. Something was different. Chara did not feel the ropes around them. They looked at their feet to see the ropes all lay there, slack and unbound from their form. Their eyes widened. When did this happen, they wondered. Did I break through them? Did someone untie me?

Their thoughts were interrupted by Gaster’s voice, the first voice Chara could clearly hear, “Then first, the king who betrayed his people’s trust!” Chara heard the familiar noise of Gaster’s summoned bones. Chara quickly turned their gaze to see Asgore’s death replay before them. Chara’s eyes widened in shock. Didn’t this just happen? Chara felt a wave of confusion and grief. Tears began to endlessly stream from their eyes. Why was this repeating? Or was this the real one and the event before was a premonition? Their eyes began to wander to Toriel and Asriel. If that was the case… Gaster began to approach Toriel. Chara’s gaze darkened. They struggled to push past their guards. The guards barely moved, they were still as stone. They did not react to Chara’s pushing. Through their struggles, Chara could see Gaster’s magic strike Toriel. Chara shook. They had to stop this.

With a few more struggles, Chara managed to squeeze between their guards. None of them reacted, but Chara did not notice. Chara ran as fast as their legs could carry them. They ran towards Asriel, who was still curled in a ball in fear. Gaster stepped in front of Asriel. Chara’s chest felt heavy. They soon noticed that they weren’t any closer to Asriel and Gaster. They began to panic, “No! Asriel!” No matter how much they ran, it seemed as though they ran in place. Chara reached forward towards Asriel. They cried out, “Please! Let him live!” Gaster paused with a frown. He turned his gaze towards Chara. Chara slowed for a second. They gritted their teeth and roared. They charged. Yet still, they ran in place. Gaster gave a smirk, “You haven’t noticed.” Chara paused. Noticed what? They stopped in their tracks. Gaster pointed directly at them, “You are under my control.” Chara’s eyes widened. They looked down at their chest. Their soul was alight, coated in Gaster’s blue magic. Chara tried to move but found themselves locked in place. Gaster chuckled darkly, “Y O U  C A N ‘ T  S A V E  H I M.” Chara quietly begged, “No… please, no!”

In an instant, bones once more pierced Asriel’s chest. Asriel’s locket shimmered in the dream, yet it too crumbled to dust with its owner. Chara shrieked. They couldn’t do anything again to save him. Chara curled inward. They heard a wicked laughter emanate from Gaster. The dream faded in an instant.

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Chara awoke with a sharp gasp. They sat up in their bed and began to breathe heavily. They shivered from a cold sweat. It was a dream. At least, the replay was.

They heard a small gasp beside them. After a moment to collect themselves, Chara looked to their left to see Alphys a few steps from their bedside. Alphys hesitated, unsure of what Chara would do. She spoke worriedly, “It-It's ok now! It’s… it’s over…” Chara took a moment to gather their thoughts. Their memories. The real execution came to their mind. A sickness rooted in their stomach. Chara once more reached for their locket and found it was not there. Instead, they hugged themselves and shook for a moment. Alphys frowned and relaxed. She spoke in an apologetic tone, “I’m sorry… I… I didn’t know that it would… turn out like… well… that…” Chara curled inwards slightly. They hugged themselves tighter. Alphys continued, “If it helps… you weren’t asleep for very long! An hour, maybe two hours at most! I-I’m not sure, exactly… I’ve been making sure nothing bad happened. You, um… you were breathing heavily and turning a lot in your sleep, so…”

Chara gritted their teeth for only a moment. Their body relaxed slightly. They stopped shaking. Tears began to flow, accompanied by little weeps. Alphys paused. She fully relaxed, caught off guard by Chara’s weeps. She approached Chara, “Chara… I…” Chara curled inward. They pulled their knees to their chest and curled their neck down. Their hands cupped their face. They began to weep harder. Alphys paused. She stood there, nervous. Her mind went a million miles a minute. Should she help? Could she help? Nothing could bring the Dreemurrs back, after all. She was also nervous Chara could lash out. She easily heard all the details of the trial and how Chara reacted. Yet, here the human sat. Hopeless and in grief.

Alphys sighed. She had to help. She knew it was the right thing to do. She slowly approached Chara. She hesitated to raise her hand. She placed it on Chara’s left shoulder. Chara’s head shot up with a gasp. Chara instinctually jumped slightly away from Alphys’s touch. They shook. Fear showed across their face. Alphys sharply curled her arms inward at Chara’s reaction. She frowned and gave an apologetic tone, “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to scare you…” Chara relaxed slightly. They frowned deeply. They sat with their legs folded to one side. They hugged themselves lightly. They spoke, their voice threatened to break, “… leave me alone…” Alphys protested gently, “But, I-“ Chara furrowed their brow. They uncurled their arms as they curled their hands into fists. They raised their voice firmly, “Just go!” Alphys backed up. Chara’s voice quieted and their voice broke, “Please… I want to be alone...”

Alphys lowered her head. She said nothing as she turned towards the door. Chara curled inwards on their bed. Their sobs resumed. Alphys paused at the door. She spoke calmly, not sure Chara would listen to her, “I’ll… come back in a while to check on you.” Chara continued their sobs. They did not react to Alphys’s words. Alphys gave one last sigh before she left the room and locked the door behind her.

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Chara calmed down over time. They had no clue how much time had passed. They calmly laid in their bed. They hugged themselves and their tears continued to stain their pillow. They didn’t want to move. They didn’t want to open their eyes if it meant their current situation wasn’t a dream. This can’t be real, they thought, they can’t be dead!

Their thoughts were interrupted by two voices in the distance. It was at first a murmur. One was raised to nearly a shout, just enough for Chara to hear, “Enough!” Their eyes shot open. They knew that voice. His voice. The voices returned to murmurs, but they grew closer as the conversation seemed to finish with Gaster giving a firm tone. Chara began to hear a single pair of footsteps in the distance. They shot up on their bed and began to get up. Once they were almost up they froze. The trial repeated in their mind. They shook. Their hands tightened to fists. They gritted their teeth. Rage boiled within them as the steps grew closer. Fear was still there, but rage overtook it. One thought consumed their mind; he will pay.

The footsteps stopped in front of their door. They readied themselves. They heard the familiar click of the door’s lock. The door opened. Chara immediately charged the door with a war cry. The second the door revealed Gaster’s face, Chara could see his eyes were already alight with magic. His blue brighter than his orange. Chara felt themselves lift up a few feet above the ground. They grunted as they struggled to break free of Gaster’s magic around their soul. Gaster entered the room with a smirk, “That was quite the performance today at the trial. I didn’t expect your reaction to be that satisfying.��� Chara stopped their struggles. They glared at Gaster and spoke full of venom, “You monster.” Gaster shrugged and frowned lightly, “And here I thought you were going to insult me. Instead, you state a fact. I’m disappointed in you.” Chara smirked. They spoke, their voice full of a dark confidence, “Let me go and I will change that.” Gaster immediately frowned. Using his magic, he sent Chara into the back wall. Chara grunted and tried to hold their head, a pounding headache began from the attack. Gaster stepped to the center of the room. He put his right hand to the scar Chara gave him as he spoke, “And allow you to give me another scar? No. I’m done underestimating you.”

Gaster approached as Chara reoriented themselves. He stopped just in front of them. He raised his right hand and wrapped it around Chara’s neck tightly. Chara barely made a noise of shock. Their eyes shot open in a panic. Their hands struggled to move Gaster’s hand from their neck. Gaster spoke darkly, “I may need every single drop of blood your body can produce, but I have other ways of making you pay for what you’ve done!” Chara choked their words out weakly, “What… I’ve… done?! You’ve…”

Chara’s hands moved with more intensity. They could barely breathe. Gaster saw their struggle. He let go of Chara’s neck. Chara breathed heavily and coughed. Gaster took a couple steps back and allowed Chara to recover. After Chara’s coughs partially subsided, Gaster spoke firmly, “All I’ve done after your arrival was in reaction to your efforts! I admit it was a mistake to bring my proposal to your previous owners in my original language-“ Chara spat, “They aren’t my owners!” Gaster shrugged, “Cling to that little family concept all you want, it does not matter now that I own you.” Chara roared out in defiance, “You are not my owner! I will never obey you!” Gaster counted on his fingers, “Hmm. I currently house you, ensure you are taken care of, protect you from monsters that would devour you...” He smirked, “That sounds like an owner, does it not?” Chara hissed, “Shut up…” Gaster crooked his head slightly and put his hands behind his back, “You may be defiant now, but I will find ways to make you obey. I will make the fifty to sixty years we have together your personal hell if I have to. After all, I have to pay you back for what you did to my eye.”

Chara racked their mind for a response. None came. All they could do was glare at Gaster and grit their teeth. Gaster relaxed and a satisfied smirk curled on his face. He closed his eyes and released Chara from his magic. Chara dropped to the floor with a thud. As Chara groaned from the impact, Gaster reached into his pocket. He spoke calmly, “I promised you a reward for behaving at the trial. This should suffice.”

Gaster pulled a small object out of his pocket. He tossed it to the floor in front of Chara. The clatter of metal made Chara’s head perk up. Their eyes locked onto the small object. Chara let out a small gasp; it was their locket. Chara quickly grabbed it and cupped it within both their hands to their chest. Gaster spoke once more, “Besides, I have this.” Gaster dug into one of his other pockets. He pulled out an extremely similar looking object. He let it dangle from a few of his claws so Chara could see. He held Asriel’s locket. Chara’s eyes widened at the sight of the matching locket. They let out a, “No…” They stood. They held their own locket and spoke with venom, “That locket doesn’t belong to you…”

Gaster’s finger’s curled around Asriel’s locket. He held the actual locket part between a few claws. He replied, “Until such time I deem you have earned this reward, it will belong to me. However, should you misbehave…” Gaster noticeably squeezed his thumb and forefinger together on the locket. The locket tried to move from the pressure. Chara gasped, “No!” A wall of bones materialized before Chara. Chara grunted as they tried to reach Gaster through the wall, but he stood just out of reach. Gaster turned away from Chara before he stowed Asriel’s locket back into his pocket. He spoke, “If you want the remaining locket, I suggest you behave yourself. Perhaps after a year of good behavior, I’ll gift it to you.” Chara roared, “No! Give it to me, now! You don’t deserve it after what you did to him!”

Gaster replied calmly, “You are as much to blame for their death as I am. I may have been the executioner, but your lies and control over the Dreemurrs sent them to their death. It is your fault you will never be with them again.” Chara growled, “Liar!” Gaster mused, “Although… that is not entirely true…” Gaster turned back towards Chara. He put a hand to his chest, “Every time you see me, you will be close to them. Their souls will sustain me for at least a few months.” Chara sat down on the floor and covered their ears. They cried out, “Stop it!”

Gaster chuckled to himself, amused at Chara’s reaction. He changed the subject, “I, unfortunately, must go. Don’t worry, I will be back tomorrow. Since I cannot take more blood for a while, we will start your soul research tomorrow. Remember to behave until then.”

Gaster turned and left the room. He locked the door behind him before he released his magic. The bones disappeared from the room. Chara was once again left alone in the dark. They looked at their locket in their hands, barely able to see it in the darkness. They walked over to the light switch. The locket was just as they remembered. They opened it. The picture of the Dreemurrs and themselves was still there. The picture was the one where Chara hid their face in the bouquet of flowers. Asriel had looked over in a giggle. Asgore and Toriel were regal. Tears streamed from Chara’s eyes once again. This is how they should be remembered. Chara closed the locket before they fastened it around their neck. The locket dangled around their neck. Chara couldn’t help but crack a smile. Somehow, the instant they put the locket around their neck, they felt a small semblance of comfort. They held the locket around their neck with both hands and sat on the floor with their eyes closed. It was back with them at last.

An excerpt from the journal of Dr. W. D. Gaster

…The trial itself went as expected. The human’s reaction caused some minor concern among a few monsters, but I assured them that it was necessary and that the human was fine. I was also able to quickly retrieve Asriel’s necklace, the one that perfectly matches the human’s little collar. I knew I could use it as an incentive to make the human behave. Therefore, I gave the human its initial collar back. Yet it still believes it can make demands. I will find a way to break its will eventually. Alphys confronted me with concerns about the human’s mental state after the trial. She tried to argue with me that this was going to come back to bite us someday. I will have to monitor her reports extremely carefully. I suspect she may already be falling under the human’s sway. It didn’t take long for the Dreemurr’s, after all.