#also some unintentional gaslighting performed by chara

[determineddaredevil-a]

Stomp, stomp, stomp, crunch. The human child skips and leaps through the Waterfall, not as lighthearted as they’d want to, but not as down as they could be, so it is progress. Stomp, stomp, splosh. Splosh, splosh, splosh. Drops fly everywhere, and the puddles ripple and wrinkle beneath their feet.

It is almost like a dance.

Dance, as they run across the stones and ground. Dance, as they find the old tutu and put it on. Dance as they talk, and dance as they fight, and dance as they die, too, but not too often. It is hard enough without the constant reloads. I look another way when there is blood, and Riskie does not ask me about it.

Maybe they finally got some tact. Maybe they simply know better than that.

Dance! Stomp, stomp, stomp, go their feet. Stomp, splosh! Right into the puddle, and then again, and once more! Splosh! Splosh, splosh, splosh.

Then they run into Sans, and the dance is ruined. As always, Riskie feels guilty and sad, and as always, they try to mask it with unnecessary violence. Sans certainly does not anticipate that sudden push to his middle. He does not appreciate it, as well. Few people like being punched in their ribs out of nowhere when they are trying to mind their own business and their own telescopes.

“hey! that’s what i get after treating you to the finest food in the underground?” he says, chuckling, but he takes a step back and his arms come up to cover the spot where the blow landed. There was no killing intent to that, and no damage is dealt, but hey, a fist to your chest still hurts.

Riskie scoffs at him.

[ MEAN BEAN ], they sign, knowing well that he will understand them. [ BUTT HEAD. JOKE. WEIRD. CREEP. STINKER. FART. MEAN. MEAN, MEAN, MEAN.]

And just like that, they run off, leaving Sans to wonder what that was. As they leave the room, they hear him make a little incredulous laugh. Laughing it off, huh? Cannot blame him for that. I would laugh it off, too.

So, what was it? I ask once we are out of his sight (though probably not out of his mind, given the circumstances).

[ I AM NOT MAD ], Riskie signs to me without a visible connection. I have to think for a minute.

Then why did you do that?

[ BECAUSE I WAS MAD BACK THEN. ]

That’s... logical. I roll my eyes. He is not at fault here.

[ HE IS. A BIT ], Riskie tells me. They have a sour face. [ MAYBE IF HE KEPT HIS PROMISE, I WOULD NOT DIE SO MUCH. MAYBE WE WOULD NOT DIE AT ALL. MAYBE WE WOULD NOT RESET. ]

You cannot know that, I say. I share their sentiment, actually, but someone’s got to play the devil’s advocate. Besides, he does not seem strong enough to fight off everyone that goes your way. Especially not some humans. And it was your idea not to tell anyone about leaving that morning, remember?

Riskie stares at me with confused eyes. [ NOT YOURS? ]

No, no. I snort. How could it be? Your memory must be fuzzy from the Reset. Anyway, how could he know that he had to protect you if he believed you to be perfectly safe and sound for the time being?

Riskie nods a bit hesitantly. They still want to be angry, though, so they start stomping extra hard as they walk down the corridors. Stomp! their feet go, now. Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

You have a red eye, I notice suddenly. Have you even looked into the telescope?

[ NO! ] They make no move to wipe it off. Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

...Stomp?

They stop abruptly. The puddles beneath their feet grow still like mirrors once again. Quiet melodies of Waterfall turn into background hum and die down. The whole world holds its breath.

“...what is that?” they ask me aloud, for some reason.

No idea, I say honestly. I have never seen it here before. Maybe it’s the new addition?

“Maybe?” they echo. Their face is scrunched with thought, red paint drying off around their squinted eye. “What can it be for? I mean... it’s not like people just run around sticking doors to walls!” They giggle at their own words, then pause. “...right?”

Perhaps... there is a new room behind it? I say. Riskie’s eyes brighten up. A new passage? Another location we have not seen yet? Who knows what secrets lie there...

“Let’s. Get. In”, they breathe out before grabbing the grey door’s handle like a lifesaver. I snort. Curiosity coupled with Determination is a weird concoction, definitely.

The door opens with little difficulty. What we see is very... anticlimactic. The room is small, square, white, completely empty. Riskie hums, slowly walking forward. Their steps make small clinking sounds on the floor of indeterminable texture. Tile? Marble? Glass?

It does not look like either. It’s more of an... abstract notion of a floor than of a real one. Just like the walls are just... walls. There is no concreteness to them.

[ NOT MUCH ], Riskie signs. They adjust their swearer self-consciously. [ ...CREEPY. ]

Yeah. I shiver. So quiet... It’s almost as if the room ate up all sounds and melodies from the outside. Even the sound of Riskie’s breathing and steps fade into static. Let’s get out of here. There’s not much to explore here, anyway.

[ ...YEAH. LET’S. ]

Behind our backs, the door closes with a soft click.

Riskie gasps and rushes to it - but there is no handle from this side. They push it with all their might, then try pulling it with their nails. No avail. It appears closed.

Something breaks the whiteness of the room. I turn around.

Oh.

You... may want to see that, I say. My voice must be really wrong, because Riskie turns around in a blink, puffing up and trying to look bigger than they are. They still have their stick with them. We both remember that.

In front of us, there is a single monster. They are tall, black, shapeless; with two lifeless armless palms at their sides and a lifeless cracked mask for their face. Riskie presses their back into the door, trying to remember how to breathe.

The monster looks at them.

Wait.

The monster looks at me, too. Right into the eyes. I swallow despite having no throat.

The monster smiles.

"✋❄ ✋💧 ☠✋👍☜ ❄⚐ ☞✋☠✌☹☹✡ 💣☜☜❄ ✡⚐🕆📬📬📬 ✋ ☟✌✞☜ 👌☜☜☠ 🕈✌✋❄✋☠☝ ☞⚐☼ ❄☟✋💧 💣☜☜❄✋☠☝ ❄⚐ ☟✌🏱🏱☜☠ ☞⚐☼ ✌ ✞☜☼✡📪 ✞☜☼✡ ☹⚐☠☝ ❄✋💣☜📬✌☟📬 👎⚐ ☠⚐❄ 👌☜ 💧👍✌☼☜👎 ⚐☞ 💣☜📪 👍☟✋☹👎☼☜☠📬 ☜☹☹⚐📬 ☠✌💣☜ ✋💧 🕈📬👎📬☝✌💧❄☜☼📬”