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Mount Ebott. The place the monsters were trapped under for years upon years. Practically everyone buried under there had wanted to leave, and finally, their prayers were answered. No one hardly returned to the mountain, to the prison that had held the monsters, but today, someone did, for the monsters weren't the only ones that resided there.        "Frisk!" called Toriel, her voice equaling the tone of a worried mother. "Don't rush so far ahead, my child! I don't want you to get lost."        Frisk turned around from where he stood on a few large rocks, the boy giving his adoptive mother a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Mom! I've been up here before. I can find the cave."        In response to this, Toriel just huffed, though a small smile was playing at her lips as she clambered up the rocks to stand beside the young boy. "That may be, but you have to make sure you wait for your mother. I may be an excellent climber, but I'm also old, so I can't climb as fast as you, dear."        "Okay," Frisk replied, nodding his head in acknowledgement before once again climbing over a few more large rocks. This time, however, he made sure Toriel was close behind and even did his best to help her up a few times.        "Thank you, my child," Toriel said graciously as she righted herself for what felt like the millionth time. Once she had done so, she looked up to see that finally, they had reached their destination. "Ah. It appears we have arrived right at the entrance."        The two were staring at the large mouth of cave on the mountainside, the cave looking all too familiar given that they had both passed through it to escape the Underground. In front of it was a clearing that lead to the ledge Frisk and Toriel were standing on at the moment; it was the same ledge the monsters had all stood on as they watched their first sunrise.        As they approached the cave, Toriel suddenly stopped, the goat monster placing her hand in front of Frisk to stop him as well. The boy then halted as well and frowned, looking up at her with confused brown eyes. When he saw her expression though, he knew why she had stopped, and what she said next only confirmed it.        "Frisk, I... I don't want you going down there with me. Those children... I remember all of them... I don't want you to see them if they're in... Poor condition." Toriel then looked away from her son, the woman clearly feeling a bit emotional over this entire ordeal.        Despite Toriel's attempts to keep her words kid friendly, Frisk knew exactly what she was saying. She had cared for the other souls that had fallen into the Underground before him, and neither of them had made it out alive. Not only did she want to keep Frisk from beholding the sight of a potentially mutilated corpse, but she also didn't want him to see her cry.        With a nearly inaudible huff, the boy wrapped his arms around his adoptive mother's waist, nuzzling into her a bit as he mumbled, "I'll wait for you. I promise." Eventually, he felt a furry paw gently rub his head.        "I am so blessed to have a child like you, Frisk." And with that, she kissed her son's forehead before ascending into the mouth of the cave, back into the Underground.        Now he was alone on the mountainside, the only thing accompanying him being the wind whistling through the trees and stirring up the fallen leaves. With a small huff, Frisk curled up a bit in his sweater and began pacing back and forth, the boy trying his best to keep himself warm. He had forgotten that it was colder on the mountain, and therefore hadn’t bundled up in anything like Toriel had suggested he do. This then prodded him to do what he’d told her he wouldn’t do and enter the cave, though he still told himself that he wouldn’t leave the throne room, just so he could give the goat woman some privacy.        The throne room, however, looked different. The chairs were no longer there and neither were the blankets covering them; even the blanket covering the portrait of the Royal Family was gone, which raised some questions. He knew Asgore hadn’t taken his throne with him and had left the throne room just the way it was. Some other monsters could’ve taken these things, but he highly doubted it, simply because he’d met most, if not all the monsters and he knew they wouldn’t do this. Something seemed off about this, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he and Toriel were the only ones to have visited the Ruins as of late. His little theory of course, was actually correct.        Unknown to Frisk, he wasn’t alone. Outside the room in the castle corridor stood three kids, one impatient, the other fearful, and the last one frustrated. They had not anticipated company, and now that they were practically cornered, they were trying to plan their next move.        “That goat-thing went down there, and now there’s someone else in that big room,” one of them whispered before looking down the stairs with a wary gaze. “Do you think they put us in the coffins? We need to leave before they find us-!”        “Flare, we’re cornered! We can’t leave! The only way we can go is down that way!” hissed another as she pointed down the one hallway they’d never explored.        “But we don’t know where that one goes!”        “Well there aren’t people in it!”        “But still!”        “Austin, what do you think?” The Latina then turned to the one other kid in the group, who was pacing impatiently as he fiddled with some of the flowers in his hands. When he didn’t look up, she frowned and crossed her arms. “Well? You’re the reason we got into this mess. You should be able to find our way out.”        Austin then turned his head and looked over at Daya, his brown hair covering his eyes. With an impatient huff, he gestured towards the throne room, only to cause Daya to facepalm.        “We can’t go that way- There’s someone in there!” said Flare in a worried tone, Daya huffing in annoyance at the boy’s stubbornness.        “Well until they leave, we’re stuck here, and if we stay here, that goat-thing’s gonna find us when she comes back up first or that other kid will wander in here and we’ll have to fight him to leave,” Daya said as she began to weigh her options. “We’re either gonna run down that other corridor and hide, or we’re gonna have to fight the other kid to get out first.” She then looked at the raggedy sheet she was wearing before remembering something. “And maybe we can take their sweater. It’s better than those sheets we found.”        Both Austin and Flare took some time to reflect on this, Flare speaking up first. “Maybe we could fight our way out, before the goat woman finds us.”        “I-I don’t want to fight. I just want to leave,” Austin replied with an annoyed yet very much unnerved frown, once again glancing towards the entrance to the throne room.        “Fight it is,” Daya concluded before peaking back into the room, only to see that the kid in the striped sweater was nowhere to be found. “…Where did he-” Daya cut off her sentence when Frisk poked his head out from behind the wall, causing the green-eyed girl to cry out as she stumbled back and hid behind Flare.        Not knowing what to do, Flare flung a punch at the unknown child, her own eyes wide with panic. When she missed, the girl sprinted past her opponent and ran away as fast as she could, Frisk almost pursuing her before he remembered that there were two other children standing before him.        “Where are you going?! Come back!” Daya yelled before realizing that she and Austin were left to fend for themselves. Unfortunately for her, Austin was no fighter and neither was she; they had been relying on Flare’s fighter instinct the whole time, but now that she had run, they were defenseless.        Austin, scared of Frisk, panicked as well and was about to sprint into the basement when a small flame burst from the darkness along with a few others, blocking off the long hallway that lead to New Home as well as any way of escape.        “Frisk! What is going on up here!” cried out a fearful yet motherly voice as Toriel emerged from the basement with a fireball hovering above her paw. However, when she caught sight of the chaos, of Daya and Austin, she could do nothing more but stare in shock. The fireballs flickered before disappearing entirely as the goat woman continued to stare, unable to believe what she was seeing.        “I-I just walked in here and they were here and this other girl ran back outside-” rambled Frisk as he stood in the doorway, still not sure what was going on. However, he did stop talking when he noticed Austin had started to cry, the boy clinging to Daya’s leg as he buried his head in her raggedy sheet. The girl too was also beginning to tear up and cowered from where she stood.        “P-Please don’t hurt us-” Daya whimpered as she stared at the two in fear, though the monster before them did something the two didn’t expect.        “My children!” Toriel cried, tears beginning to cascade down her face. “I thought I lost you!”

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To say that the children were confused was an understatement; neither knew what was going on or how to react, especially Frisk, who decided to wait everything out and see if he could learn more by listening to them speak. However, he had a feeling he already knew these kids, the boy faintly recognizing Daya’s voice, but he didn’t know from where or why Toriel had also called them her children; he assumed he would find out in time.        Daya and Austin on the other hand, were a confused and nervous wreck, neither knowing what to do or how to handle the situation. They had never spoken to any outsiders before and they had lost their defense, so all they could do was cower in fear. But that didn’t mean they didn’t hear Toriel’s words nonetheless.        “…H-How are you our m-mom…? You’re a… monster.” Daya didn’t exactly know how else to describe Toriel, seeing as she had never recalled meeting monsters before. The only ones she had seen were in the large picture in the throne room, but after Austin’s reaction to the picture, everyone had decided that the strange creatures were as bad as any other outsiders.        Toriel, on the other hand, was confused. She knew these children; she would never forget them. How did they not know her? “Do you not remember me?” she questioned as she wiped her tears off her face with her paw. “I took care of you in the Ruins when you first arrived. Daya, we cooked together; I taught you my recipe for butterscotch-cinnamon pie. And Austin, we went to the flower bed every day to tend to the golden flowers… Don’t you remember?”        At the mention of their names, Daya frowned as she hugged Austin and watched the goat monster while Austin looked up a little from where he sat, the boy sniffling a bit as he continued to cling to his friend. Both seemed confused by the fact that Toriel knew their names. Maybe she was what she said she was?        “Do you still like flower crowns?” The question caught Austin’s attention immediately, and the boy slowly brought his head up from Daya’s sheet before looking down at the flowers he was clutching closely to his chest. He then gazed back up at Toriel, almost as if silently answering a yes; the goat woman, in turn, took this as a good side.        “I… I can make one for you, with those flowers,” Toriel offered, slowly extending her paw to the boy.        Instinctively, Daya flinched and shrunk away, though Austin didn’t follow his friend’s movements. In fact, he slowly took the flowers and dropped them in her paw, only to back away a bit as he watched Toriel begin to weave the stems together into the form of a golden flower crown. Austin, intrigued, continued to stare and even approached her to get a closer look, wanting to know how she had done this, and if he could repeat the process himself sometime.        Once she was done, Toriel smiled sadly at the young boy and held it out to him, knowing that she couldn’t just place it on his head instantly given how fearful he and Daya had reacted to her. She hoped Austin would take the flower crown as a sign of trust, and thankfully, he did.        Hesitantly, the boy reached for the flower crown and placed it on his head, adjusting it around his matted brown hair so that it fit comfortably. His attention was focused mainly on the crown when once again, Toriel spoke.        “You could never make one without your ribbon…” the woman sniffled, once again wiping a tear from her eyes. But she couldn’t help herself when she felt tiny arms try to engulf her in a hug.        “M… Mommy?” questioned the young boy softly as he continued to cling to Toriel, though all she could do was rub his back as she continuously reassured, “Mother’s here,” to him.        Daya, on the other hand, was still very much afraid of Toriel and wasn’t willing to trust her just yet, but the sheer fact that Austin liked her made her decide that while she didn’t like it, the goat woman was okay to say the least. However, she still questioned Frisk’s presence, and it was very clear he still questioned hers.        “The other girl.” Daya glanced away from Toriel and frowned when she noticed Frisk had spoken. “Who was she?”        All Daya did was frown at him, her green eyes unnerved and suspicious. “You don’t have to know,” she grumbled as she crossed her arms and began to pout.        Austin, noticing Daya’s reluctance to cooperate, looked up and turned back to his friend. “H-He’s just wondering… P-please be nice…” He didn’t know if the girl would act rude to him in response, but thankfully, she didn’t. Mostly.        “Easy for you to say,” said the girl as she sighed, only to be interrupted by a, “There’s a third child?” from Toriel.        All Daya did was simply nod. “Yeah. That was Flare, and she ran off to warn the others.” Run. That was the only thing on Flare’s mind as she dashed through the forest and clambered further up the mountain, fear propelling her forward throughout the course. She didn’t know who that kid or that goat-thing was, but she was sure they were bad. All outsiders were bad. She had to warn the others before something bad happened to Austin and Daya, or worse yet, the newcomers came looking for them all.        ‘Almost there- Almost there-’ she mentally reassured herself as she continued. ‘They’re just at the top aaaand there!’        Suddenly, Flare stumbled into a clearing and nearly collapsed, startling three other children and disrupting their work.        “Flare?!” asked a blonde girl in surprise as she ran over. “What are you doing back here? Where’s Daya and Austin?”        “Vera, let her catch her breath, then ask questions,” a girl wearing purple advised, only to gain an annoyed huff from the child known as Vera.        The final child, a young boy with crazy curly hair, eventually trotted over with the others. “Is something w-wrong? Where are the others..?”        “Guys, space,” Via reiterated, holding out her arms to forcefully back the two up. Given how Via was the oldest of the two smaller children, they didn’t have much of a choice in the matter and simply waited, even if Vera was impatient.        Eventually, Flare was able to stand upright, though her heavy breathing made it clear that she was still very tired from her long run. “They’re… In trouble…” she huffed, once again setting her companions on edge.        “Daya and Austin? Where are they?! Are they back at the Flower Room?!” Vera practically demanded, only to get a silencing look from Via.        Either way, Flare nodded in response to Vera’s questions, only to say one word that made the group freeze. “Outsiders.”        “What?!” Vera exclaimed in surprise while Gabriel gasped and shrunk into the sheet he wore for clothes.        Via on the other hand, simply looked troubled, like she was trying to come up with a solution to the problem but couldn’t seem to find one that would definitely not involve fighting. When they’d met, the group had discussed what they would do with Outsiders, and the discussions only lead to everyone agreeing to avoid them as much as possible. But they hadn’t avoided them, and now Daya and Austin were in danger, at least that’s what they believed.        “We have to rescue them!” Vera declared, Via nodding in agreement.        “I agree, but we have to be smart about this. We can’t just rush in and attack. We don’t even know how many outsiders are out there, or how strong they are,” Via pointed out.        “There’s a boy and… a goat monster thing-” Flare informed them, gathering enough breath to almost form full sentences.        “Hmm. The boy might be easy to overpower, but I don’t know about the goat…” Via hummed, trying to think of a better plan.        “W-what are we waiting for?” asked Gabriel in a small voice, all eyes falling on him as he spoke. At first he grew silent at the sudden notice of attention, but eventually, he began to speak again. “I-If Austin and Daya are in trouble, t-then we should be h-helping them!”        “He’s got a point,” Vera pointed out with crossed arms. “It’s now or never. Who knows what these outsiders are doing to them!”        “Then it’s settled,” Via decided as she looked over at the small group. “Grab whatever can be used as a weapon. We’re going to rescue them.”

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In less than five minutes, four children were making their way through the forest with their weapons in hand. Given their limited resources, Gabriel, Flare, and Via simply held a small sack of rocks for each other them, and while Vera too had her own set of pebbles, she also was armed with a homemade slingshot, which she had been working at mastering for a while. It was obvious to everyone that Vera had a keen eye, so of course she lead anything that involved hunting or in this case, long-distance fighting.        “You sure they’re here?” asked Vera. “Or are they inside the Flower Room?”        “M-maybe they’re already gone,” Gabriel whimpered, hoping he was right yet at the same time wrong.        “I hope not, because if the outsiders left, the possibility of Daya and Austin still being here-”        “There!” Via was suddenly interrupted by Flare, who was aggressively pointing at the cave leading into the ever-so-well-known Flower Room. “I hear them!”        “Keep it down or they’ll hear us too!” Vera hissed before motioning for everyone to spread out. “Get ready to kick some outsider ass!”        “That’s a bad word!” Gabriel said automatically, only for Vera to roll her eyes and Via to sigh.        “Just- Go find a place to shoot,” Via said in exasperation before moving into a crouching position while the others began finding their own hiding places. Of course, Via ended up moving towards a better spot when Gabriel informed her she wasn’t as well-hidden as she’d thought she was, the two ending up in the same hiding spot as they prepared to strike whatever moved.        No sooner had everyone picked their spots when the outsiders emerged, Flare’s description proving true as the small boy and strange monster stepped into the light.        “Is that Austin?” Via questioned quietly, squinting as she tried to get a better look.        Gabriel, who was hiding nearby, whispered, “A-Austin wears bright blue stuff. That kid’s wearing a d-darker blue and pink, a-and these weird round things over his eyes-”        Once again, Via squinted, though she couldn’t see much of a difference, except his clothes did seem to be a slightly darker shade of blue, now that Gabriel had pointed that out. She could also see a strange flashing glare whenever he turned his head a certain way, causing her to assume that whatever these ‘round things’ were had ended up causing said glare.        “There’s Austin there’s Austin!” Gabriel whisper-yelled as two figures eventually followed the outsiders out of the cave. Those two figures were none other than Daya and Austin, though no one waited for an explanation as Vera suddenly yelled, “Fire!”        Instantly, rocks began flying out of the woods and in the direction of the two outsiders, Austin letting out a terrified squeal as Toriel tried to shield him and the other two children from the attack. Frisk, not expecting the sudden onslaught, yelped and ducked down himself, though he soon ran to Toriel in an attempt to find cover.        Daya, on the other hand, started yelling at the trees after letting out her own cry of surprise. “Hey! Stop it! Ow! Stop throwing the stupid rocks!” Granted that was rather rude of her, but after getting hit by one of the many flying pebbles, she’d become irritated. Once the group had realized they were hitting a wide open Daya more than they were hitting the goat monster, they stopped. Mostly. Another rock had come flying out of the forest and hit Toriel in the head.        “Vera!” yelled an indignant Daya as Toriel grunted and brought a paw up to her head to rub it.        “What?! We were saving you!” The blonde retorted as she popped up from behind a bush, her slingshot in hand.        “You hit me in the arm!” Daya countered, beginning to tear up a bit as she rubbed it. “That hurt!”        “I didn’t hit you! I wasn’t even aiming at you!”        “I think I did,” said Flare as she slowly came out from behind a tree. “I’m sorry-”        “I told you so!”        “Guys, calm yourselves!” said Via with an annoyed sigh as she came out from behind her own hiding place, Gabriel at her side.        “Austin!” Gabriel exclaimed before suddenly running up to his friend, the cyan-clothed boy moving out of Toriel’s protective embrace before nearly getting tackled.        Via rubbed her temples a bit as she tried to focus, the girl trying to sort things out in her head. In all honesty, she didn’t want to take charge of all of this, but the situation at hand was a unique one, and no matter how much she didn’t want to, it was crucial she straighten everything out. “Everyone, calm down. We have other things to worry about besides getting hit in the arm with a rock.”        At those words, Daya, Vera, and Flare turned to look up at her, Daya seeming almost hurt that Via didn’t seem to care about her minor injury, but she didn’t complain.         “How are we gonna deal with the outsiders?” asked Flare before tensing as her eyes locked onto something outside the group.        Turning around, Via noticed that the strange boy that resembled Austin had made his way over. Thankfully, now that she was closer and out of the trees, she could see him a bit better; his skin was very tan compared to Austin’s pale complexion, and he was indeed wearing two strange round lenses over what appeared to be brown eyes. The girl would’ve spent time trying to figure out what the strange lenses were called, but there were more pressing matters to deal with.        “Outsiders? You mean me and Mom-?”        “Back off before I throw another rock at your face!” said a defensive Vera as Frisk put his hands up to signify he meant no harm as well as didn’t want to be harmed.        “Vera!” Once again, Via was yelling at the small child, though she didn’t continue of course. Instead, Via simply facepalmed before looking back at the group, the girl suddenly noticing what Frisk had said prior to Vera cutting him off. “Wait… Mom?” The brunette then turned her head to catch a glimpse of the strange monster with the two boys in the group, both seeming to be at ease for the most part. Austin was speaking to Gabriel about the strange monster no doubt, and the monster seemed to be almost overjoyed, though the reason why, she didn’t know. “She’s a completely different species from yourself. There’s no way you both can be related.”        Frisk let out an awkward chuckle before rubbing his head. “Yeah, I’m adopted.”        “Adopted?” questioned Via in confusion, trying to figure out what the word meant.        “She’s raising me because I have no parents-” Frisk clarified, only to get a quick, “Oh,” from Via before she turned to her group of girls and asked, “Daya, you had us stop our rescue mission. Is there a reason?”        Daya perked up at the mention of her name, the dark-skinned girl then trying to think of the right words to say. “Um, well the goat woman said she was our mom-”        “And you believed her?” Vera said flatly with crossed arms.        “No!” Daya retorted before looking back to Via. “But the weird thing is, she knew what Austin liked to do and stuff… She even made him a flower crown to prove it… She didn’t do much with me, but she knew my name, and she knew I liked to cook… I kind of think she could be telling the truth… She seems to really care…”        “That’s because she does,” Frisk piped up, earning the attention of the four girls once again. “I mean, I know her better than anyone and she’s one of the best moms ever. She cares about everyone.”        “…I’m not buying it,” Vera said skeptically, Flare nodding to show that she too agreed with the small blonde.        “We don’t have to buy it just yet,” Via told the young girl before once again redirecting her attention back to Frisk. “We’ll give you and your mom a chance to explain yourselves and why you’re here, just so we have the whole story before we come to a smart decision.”        Instantly, Frisk perked up at this, happy that he could at least explain himself before almost getting punched in the face like back in the throne room.         “Okay! Well, greetings. My name’s Frisk Dreemurr. My mom over there is Toriel Dreemurr, and yeah she’s a monster and I’m a human. And, well, the reason we were on the mountain was because, well, we came here to bury the Fallen Souls.”        The four girls then exchanged looks of confusion, neither really understanding what he meant by ‘Fallen Souls.’ However, that didn’t mean they weren’t slowly piecing it together.        “Fallen Souls?” questioned Via, curious. “Can you explain?”        “Of course!” Frisk replied before continuing. “In the Underground, those caves we came out of, some humans like me fell down there. But unlike me, they didn’t live, so we were coming up here to bury them instead of leaving them in those coffins-”        “I knew it!” Flare suddenly yelled, pointing at the slightly older boy as she stumbled back. “He put us in coffins! They all put us in coffins! They want to bury us alive!”        To say her words weren’t unsettling would’ve been an understatement, for everyone was instantly cautious of this new development. The three other girls quickly took their own steps away from Frisk, while Gabriel had shied away from Toriel a bit and was now hiding behind Austin. In fact, the only one who didn’t seem as bothered was Austin, who, while a bit nervous, was subtly trying to calm Gabriel.        Frisk, however, was shocked by this new development, the boy finally being able to piece things together. That’s why Toriel had known who Austin and Daya were; that’s why he’d felt as though he had known the two, even for a short while; there were even six of them- How had he been unable to piece this together in the beginning? Either way, that didn’t matter right now; what mattered was calming them all down before they either ran away or attacked him, and he didn’t put it past Vera or Flare to try something if he got too close.        “I-I didn’t! We didn’t! We just knew you were there!” Frisk swore, once again putting his hands in the air to show he meant no harm.        “You claim we had been put in coffins because we had died, yet we are still alive,” Via said in dispute. “It’s impossible to simply die and come back to life.”        “So why did you put us in cof-”        “Children! Cease this argument this instant!” Falling silent, everyone then turned their attention to Toriel, who wore a stern yet tired expression on her face. With a sigh, she continued, “Many things have happened in the past, not all of which you will understand, but, at least you’re safe, and that is all that matters.”        Despite the recent discovery, the six were still taken back by Toriel’s words. Each word seemed to hold genuine care and relief in them, almost as if she actually cared for the group, like a mother would. This had more or less stunned them into a temporary silence, though of course it didn’t last forever.        “Daya says you claimed to be our mother, even though we aren’t even of the same species and have never seen you before until now. Can you explain?” Via inquired.        “She’s lying!” Vera instantly spoke, glaring at both Frisk and Toriel. “Why should we trust her when she put us in those coffins?!”        In response, Frisk flinched, knowing his adoptive mother would never do such a thing. He knew she cared for them as much as she cared for him, so the fact that one of her own children was accusing her of killing them probably hurt Toriel. However, even if it did, she didn’t show it, and instead looked back towards Via with determination in her eyes.        “I can,” the monster replied with a small sigh. “And I can prove it.”        Via, to show she understood, nodded, only to hold her hand out in front of Vera as if warning her to not interrupt.        A short silence overtook the clearing, only to end as Toriel began to speak once again. “In the Underground, before your… departure, I took care of each of you… like you were my own children… I got to know you all. I learned of Austin’s love for the flowers that bloomed in the Underground, and Flare was always happy to run outside to play.”        Instantly, Flare’s attention was grasped, but Toriel didn’t stop there; she kept going.        “Daya always loved to help me cook butterscotch-cinnamon pie, and Gabriel loved to perform in the living room.”        Daya, having not been told this earlier, also reacted a bit in surprise, while Gabriel appeared to be also stunned though a little embarrassed by his secret being exposed. This left Vera and Via, who were also not disappointed.        “Vera had always had good aim… Even if I didn’t approve of her toting that gun around…” And lastly, Toriel’s teary eyes rested on Via. “And Via, you loved to read and write… You carried that journal with you everywhere… Do you still have it?”        The only thing that greeted Toriel’s words was silence, neither of the kids knowing how to react. It was clear each of them were stunned by her knowledge, unable to grasp how she could’ve known such things. But at the same time, some were confused. Vera loved shooting things, but she didn’t remember owning a gun; and Via liked to write and document things, but she didn’t recall having a journal. The only ones who seemed relatively comfortable with these new developments were, surprisingly, the two most skittish kids in the group. Austin was simply standing there calmly with Gabriel, who seemed rather nervous but wasn’t as freaked out because of Austin’s relaxed demeanor.        “Do you believe us now?” Frisk asked, breaking the silence as he looked up at the four girls in the group. “You don’t have to, but at the very least you could come with us and clean up and stuff; you guys must be really cold with those sheets and old clothes.”        It was true. While they were all clothed, neither of them were really warm. The sheets half the kids wore were not good for trapping the heat in, and the other half with clothes had some tears in them, probably from living outside for so long. In fact, now that Frisk thought about it, how long had they been living out there? The monsters had been freed for about six months now, so it couldn’t have been longer than that. Either way, the fact that they’d been living in the wild was rather obvious; their filthy clothes and dirty skin and hair made that very clear.        “…D-do you have food?” asked Gabriel softly, looking up at Toriel with questioning blue eyes.        “What about warm clothes?” piped up Daya as she shivered when a small breeze blew by. “This sheet isn’t that warm-”        “They’re Outsiders. Can we trust them?” Vera questioned, looking up to Via for answers; while she was still opposed to going with them, she truly didn’t know what to do given Toriel’s knowledge on them. She had proved she’d known all of the children at some point, even though none of them remembered. And Vera did want to get out of the cold and get something warmer on than a stained white dress.        “I promise, on my word, that we would never harm you children,” Toriel said softly as she lightly rubbed Gabriel’s head, only to quickly yank it back when Gabriel squealed and jumped back.        Growing impatient, Austin couldn’t help but voice his own opinion. “C-can we just go? It’s cold out here…” As if to prove his point, another breeze whisked by the group, forcing each of them to consider the fact that they didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, especially Via.        While neither of them remembered much, it wasn’t hard to recognize the change in seasons. It was cold, and it would only get colder. None of them had really warm clothes, and those whose clothes might have actually been effective had been torn and weren’t as warm as they could be. If they were to have a chance of surviving the winter, then they needed a good supply of food, a good shelter, and warm clothes, none of which the group currently had.        As Via finished running these thoughts through her mind, the pre-teen then noticed that the other kids had their eyes on her, all waiting for an answer. She knew that as the oldest, the five younger ones looked up to her to make the hard decisions, and given the situation at hand, this was definitely a hard decision to make. But, it was necessary, and if going with Toriel meant food and shelter and warmth, then she was willing to give it a shot.        With a small breath, Via answered, “… Let’s give it a try.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The trip down the mountain was long and slow, especially when it came to some of the kids. Despite having lived on the mountain for six months, they hadn’t dared venture down the rocky land, so for many this was kind of new. Flare and Vera ended up managing well enough on their own, but with the other four, it was a different story.        “This is crazy! Why would you ever climb up here-?!” Daya cried, clinging to one of the rocks before ever so slowly sliding down to the next one.        “Ah! I-I’m stuck!”        “Come on..!”        “This is why we never climbed down the mountain in the first place.”        Frisk looked up when he heard these words, the boy currently aiding Via as she tried to feel around the rocks. What made it harder was the fact that Frisk had noticed Via was always squinting, and he recognized that gesture well: She needed glasses. In short, Frisk had lent the taller child his own glasses, and while they did help, it wasn’t exactly enough.        “Okay, uh, this should be the next step- Ah!” The boy cried out as he made a misstep, sliding down the mountain. He instinctively latched onto the nearest solid object; however, that object was Via, who cried out and began clinging to the ledge she’d held onto earlier, trying to steady herself before even attempting to pull up the Latino child.        “Frisk!” cried Toriel as she hurried over, dropping the few supplies she’d been carrying as she and the others tried to make their way over.        “Pull him up!” Via grunted, her grip beginning to slip. They were just lucky the others didn’t have to be told twice, or rather Toriel didn’t have to.        Quickly, the goat woman reached down and grabbed Frisk’s arms, making sure to be gentle yet having a firm grip as she pulled the boy up, thus allowing Via to devote her time hugging the side of the mountain.        “My child! Are you alright?! And where are your glasses?! You know you can’t see as well without them!” The monster then looked over the edge to see if the boy had lost them.        “M-Miss Toriel…” Gabriel interrupted softly, lightly tugging on Toriel’s robe to get her attention. “I-I think Via has them…”        Turning to Via, Toriel could indeed see the round-rimmed glasses sitting on the child’s terrified face. This then prodded the woman to remember what the child had looked like upon arrival to the Underground: She’d carried glasses with her, glasses very similar to Frisk’s current ones. Of course. How could this have slipped her mind? The poor child’s eyesight was probably worse than Frisk’s.        “Ah, I see. You gave them to Via to help her see, am I right?” questioned Toriel gently, Frisk brushing his clothes off before nodding with a small, “Yeah.”        “Those round things? What do they do anyway?” Daya asked with a frown as Vera tried to reach up and take the glasses off despite Via’s protests.        “They help you see better,” Frisk explained, watching as Via finally got an upset Vera to leave the glasses alone. “I can sort of see without them, but I have to squint to see.”        “Ohh- Via squints a lot. We have to get Gabriel to lead her around sometimes,” said Daya in an almost condescending manner.        “Can we go now?!” Once again, an impatient huff from Austin interrupted the conversation, the boy staring down the cliffside while keeping his distance from the ledge. It was obvious he wanted to climb down himself, but after nearly falling in the beginning, he’d been heavily relying on Toriel to help him down.        “In a moment, Austin. Please be patient,” the monster chided as she then approached Via and began to slowly coax her into letting go of the ledge.        “This is taking forever…” the cyan-clothed boy mumbled, Gabriel seeing the impatient frown on his face and approaching his friend.        “D-Don’t worry! We’ll m-move soon! Once Via’s n-not scared, I think-” he said with a hopeful tone of voice, the boy then looking back over at the fearful twelve-year-old.        “Not soon enough,” Austin replied as he crossed his arms and stared down the mountainside. They were so close to the ground. So close. He could probably climb down the rest of the way with Gabriel. However, Gabriel was wearing a sheet, which made it harder for him to do such things, and while Austin wasn’t in a sheet, the sweater he’d been wearing was extremely baggy, so that didn’t help. He felt as though things wouldn’t be safe until Toriel came back over to help him.        Gabriel, still unsure of how to cheer up his friend, began fumbling a bit more with his words. “W-Well they’re a-almost done! T-That’s good, r-right?”        “Come on, Via! Even Flare’s not scared!” the frustrated voice of Vera criticized, only to be followed by a, “Child, that wasn’t very nice!” from Toriel.        “They don’t sound like they’re hurrying up,” huffed the brunette boy yet again as he began messing with his flower crown.        Eventually, after about five minutes or so, Via did release herself from the rocky outcropping, though she was still incredibly nervous about climbing down the rest of the way. She decided Frisk wasn’t a good enough leader either and instead allowed Gabriel to try and lead her around, just like she normally did.        “Frisk, are you sure you’ll be alright without your glasses?” asked Toriel in concern as the boy once again began climbing down, this time with some of the lighter equipment.        “Yeah! I’m fine!” Frisk promised, this time being extra careful with his footing. He was just glad they’d all made it down the mountain in one piece, though now came for another part: Transporting them to the city.        “What’s that thing?” Vera questioned, pointing towards the blue SUV parked right at the base of the mountain.        “It looks like a box with wheels,” Via observed, once again adjusting the glasses in an attempt to see better.        “That? Oh. That’s a car. You use it to get to places faster,” Frisk replied, though he seemed almost puzzled by the question; they really did have terrible amnesia if none of them knew what a car was. After all, cars had been around since the 2000’s, and he guaranteed that they’d seen at least one car on the surface when they were alive.        When the older boy began helping Toriel place their shovels and such into the car, some of the children of course came to investigate. Via, now with Vera’s help, approached the strange vehicle with curiosity as well as caution. They had never seen something like this before, though while Flare and Gabriel kept their distance, the others had decided that this thing probably wasn’t dangerous.        “Wow. This is really hard,” Vera commented as she knocked on the car door a bit.        “And shiny,” mused Daya, admiring the glinting metal.        “The durability of this car is high… This would be perfect material for our shelter.” Via’s own comment ended up making her frown as she turned and tried to look back up the mountain. While her eyesight was still pretty poor she could still see the steep brown blur that was Mount Ebott. Despite the fact that she’d told the others they would return once they’d gathered supplies, could they really climb back up there? It was already a miracle Frisk had made it up and down the mountain in one piece, especially the trip down without his glasses.        “Durability?” Frisk tapped Via’s shoulder and stared up at her in slight confusion. “You know how to use that word but you don’t know what a car is?”        Via didn’t understand what the big deal was. She’d never seen a car before, so what was the problem? “Yes? Why?”        All Frisk could do was slowly reply with a, “Just wondering-” before Toriel opened the driver’s side of the vehicle.        “Hey it opens here too!” Vera exclaimed; she seemed fascinated by this car, though don’t think for a second she’d forgotten the potential dangers of such an unknown device.        “Of course, my child. I opens in other places too.” As if on cue, Toriel unlocked the other doors with the flip of a switch, a sound emanating from the car, startling Daya and Vera to the point they’d jumped back, though only Daya ended up falling over due to the noise as well as almost getting hit by Vera.        At their reactions, Frisk couldn’t help but laugh a little before opening one of the doors to the backseat, revealing a row of seats that would allow three people in the back.        “Don’t worry! Mom just unlocked the door!” However, when Frisk took a look inside, he frowned slightly when he noticed that it was possible not everyone could fit… He was determined to get everyone to fit. “Hold on- Mom, do you think we can fit everyone? I think we’re a seat short-”        The monster then took a look inside and frowned, noticing that there were only six seats total. “Oh dear… I hadn’t prepared for this. We appear to be two seats short.”        “Does that mean we have to stay here now? Cause there is no way we’re splitting up,” Vera firmly stated, Via sighing ever so slightly as she peered inside.        “Wait- We’re going to ride in it?!” Flare suddenly made her presence known from the back of the group, though after her outburst she shrank down into her clothes in embarrassment.        “Yeah? It’s fun though! I promise! And warm,” Frisk added, remembering how the only reason the children were even cooperating was because of the promise they’d made. “We just gotta figure out how to fit everyone… Hmm...”        Frisk then jogged around the car, opening up the other two doors as he tried to get a good overview of the car. The others, however, stayed back to watch in confusion as he did this, Toriel also rather puzzled. “My child, what are you doing?”        “Hold on, Mom. I’ve almost got it,” the Latino promised before finally stopping in front of them. “Okay! Mom’s obviously in the front seat, and I’m riding shotgun-”        “How do you ride a shotgun?”        “What even is a shotgun?”        “Not that kind of shotgun, and it’s not really important-” Frisk replied to Daya and Flare before continuing, “Now, we need to fit you guys in, and I have a grrrrreat idea!”        Some of the children exchanged glances before listening in as Frisk began to talk yet again.        “Via’s the tallest, so she sits in the middle. Then, Austin and, uh, the other boy in the sheet-”        “Gabriel-”        “-Gabriel will share that seat, and Flare and Vera will share the other seat.”        “What about me?” Daya questioned with a frown, her arms crossed as Frisk answered, “You sit in the middle seat up front with me and Mom!”        As Toriel began to examine Frisk’s plan by imagining everyone in Frisk’s assigned seats, the six fallen children then began to speculate on their arrangements. Most were rather content with where they’d been positioned, mainly because they were close to their best friends and partners. Flare and Daya, however, were not satisfied, especially Daya; while Flare at least got to sit with the other souls, Daya was stuck up front with Frisk and Toriel, and that didn’t quite sit well with her.        “Hmm… I think this might work. Get inside and buckle up, children. Then I’ll drive you home and provide you all with food and proper clothing,” Toriel promised as she beckoned Daya over so she could set up the strange middle seat up at the front.        “Do I have to?” whined the Latina as she looked back at Via for an answer.        “Come on, Daya. You shouldn’t be harmed,” Via told her, Vera suddenly chiming in with a, “And if you’re hurt, we can take em!”        “Not in my car,” Toriel warned, her voice firm. She’d just gotten a car she could actually fit into, and she wasn’t planning on having it get ruined.        “Whatever,” Vera muttered as she and the others piled in, Frisk helping them get set up as Toriel buckled in Daya.        Once everyone was buckled in, they were off to the city, the journey of the six souls having only just begun.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The drive to the city hadn’t been all that pleasant, seeing as every bump and turn gave the souls more than enough reasons to panic. Via luckily was able to keep the four in her care at bay, though Frisk sometimes had trouble with Daya, especially when she accidentally turned on some music when messing with the dashboard. It was a miracle Toriel didn’t get into a wreck, but having handled rowdy children before, she could handle this. Luckily the six all ended up getting sidetracked by the sights, buildings as tall as the sky itself towering over them and everything else. Everywhere, people walked, and cars of all different sizes and colors drove alongside them. It was almost overwhelming, but at least Via and Frisk were there to try and keep down any potential panic.        Eventually, Toriel turned and drove up a little driveway that lead to a light purple home, flowers of all different shapes and colors growing out front. Those little flowers instantly caught little Austin’s attention, and once the goat monster went to let them out, the boy jumped down and ran to the flowerbed.        “So many colors!” he exclaimed happily, picking a few for himself as the other children began marveling at the structure the flowers were planted near.        “This place is huge!”        “So this is where Outsiders live..?”        “Why can’t we build something like this?!”        “It’s so l-loud here-”        Despite his desire to run over to his friend, Gabriel was too intimidated by the sheer existence of such a metropolis and decided to stay by Via’s side, the boy planning on using his job of typically guiding Via around as an excuse. However, this terrain was definitely not as rocky as the mountain’s; even though the driveway sloped, the ground was flat. Best part was, the glasses were a lot more helpful now that she was simply looking over a structure rather than examining every single crevice in Mt. Ebott’s rocky outcropping. She could actually see the house really well, and that prodded her to smile slightly for a few seconds.        “Do you like it?” asked Frisk, looking over at Via and grinning; he’d caught her small smile.        “The structure is impressive, but not as impressive as the city inside the mountain,” she replied before walking over to where Vera currently was with Daya, examining the supposed entrance.        “I think we’re supposed to pull this thing?” Daya suggested, pointing at a circular door knob.        “Well apparently not, cause it didn’t open!” Vera snapped, banging on the door yet again.        “Children! Don’t bang on the door!” Toriel called to them in a firm voice, the monster currently preoccupied with Flare as she tried to get the unnerved child to exit the vehicle.        “I got it, Mom!” yelled Frisk as he jingled his adoptive mother’s keychain and made a beeline for the door, the boy weaving his way through the small group of kids before inserting the proper key into the lock.        “Miss Monster Lady! Frisk stabbed the door!” Daya tattled as she crossed her arms in a pout, the child not understanding a simple lock-and-key function. “No- It’s okay!” And with that, the Latino kid opened the door, warm air making its way to the entrance as it invited them all inside.        “C-Can we go in?” asked Gabriel softly, though Austin and Vera beat him to it as they quickly moved inside, Austin hugging his newly picked flowers while Vera stretched out her arms as if to soak up the warmth.        “Yeah! Don’t go too far inside though, cause Mom might get mad if we track too much dirt into the house,” Frisk advised, though his attention was diverted back towards the van, where Flare and Toriel still resided as the monster attempted to remove the child from the vehicle. “…I think one of you should go help Mom get Flare out of the car.”        This earned a small huff from Daya, who rolled her green eyes as she replied with an, “I got it,” and walked back over to the car. Within a few mere minutes, Flare had allowed Daya to lead her out of the vehicle and into the house, the child still refusing to get all that near Toriel as she followed behind them.        “Welcome to my home, young ones,” Toriel said to the six, watching as they all stopped to look at her. “But, before you can adventure much further. You will all need a good bath-”        “What’s a bath?” questioned a curious Daya, causing Frisk to snort as he placed a hand over his mouth in order to suppress giggles. However, that was cut short when a sharp, “Who’s there?!” cut through the welcoming atmosphere, causing some of the children to jump while Frisk’s eyes widened.        “Hold on, Flowey!” Frisk called before quickly jogging off, though Toriel stopped him before he could do so.        “Frisk, while you’re in there, be sure to find six extra outfits for the others,” the monster advised, Frisk giving her a quick, “Yes ma’am!” before dashing to his room.        “What was that?!” Vera demanded, raising the slingshot she’d brought with her while Flare raised her fists and backed up slightly.        “That was our other resident,” Toriel informed the children before looking over each of them. All of them desperately needed a bath, though she couldn’t figure out who needed it the most. She eventually settled on Austin, for he seemed to be fonder of her than the others. “Austin, sweetie, would you like to bathe first? I’ll put your flowers somewhere safe.”        The little boy glanced up at Toriel once she said his name before looking back down at the flowers he was currently hugging, still marveling at all the many different colors in his hands. “Can I get them back?” He was curious as to what a bath was, but more than anything he just wanted to explore this strange new place; everything was so new and roomy here.        “Of course, my child,” the monster promised, only to get interrupted by the sound of pattering feet as Frisk dashed out of his room and straight into the bathroom, the same strange voice from earlier barking, “For the love of fudge, Frisk slow down!”        “I got the clothes!” Frisk informed as he poked his head out of the bathroom, the boy waving as he walked out entirely and then headed back into his room. “…That was weird,” Daya mused, watching as Toriel gently began leading Austin to the room Frisk had initially run into.        It didn’t take long for the twelve year old to once again make an appearance, though this time he was carrying a yellow flower with him. This potted plant, however, was no ordinary flower. Unlike normal flowers, this one had a face, and when it spoke, it was obvious he was the voice from earlier.        “Well that’s what you get when you hang around Frisk. Pure freaking weirdness,” the flower grumbled before eying the children. “Now who are you and why are you here?! There’s no way Frisk has this many friends-”        “Flowey, be nice!” Frisk whined, upset with the flower’s tone as well as his words. “They’ve never been in a place like this before, so we should make them feel welcome.”        “Yeesh. Looks like they came out of the woods.”        “That’s cause we did come out of the woods!” Vera snapped, her arms crossed over her dirty sheet.        While most of the kids didn’t move from their spots, Via ended up deciding to take a closer look, mainly because of her eyesight of course. Adjusting her borrowed glasses, she squinted at the flower. “Strange. Flowers don’t talk. Then again, after this day, I shouldn’t be surprised.”        “It’s been six months of freedom and you humans are still contemplating it?!” Flowey seemed very much snappy, but he was more or less confused on why these children were even here. He didn’t recognize any of them, and while he knew Toriel was a schoolteacher, he also knew that no city kid ever dressed like this, or looked this dirty.        “Flowey, please…?” Frisk pleaded, turning the pot around as he gave the soulless flower a puppy-eyed look. Eventually, with a shake of his head, the flower caved. “…Fine, Frisk, though you might want to follow the little runt before he gets lost. Kid went into the kitchen.”        “Little runt? Look who’s talking, short-stack!” Vera hissed, though the rest of the kids frowned and looked around to see who he’d been talking about.        “Do you mean Austin?” Via questioned, glancing back at the flower.        “Wait- There’s another short kid I don’t know about?!”        “Flowey hasn’t seen Austin yet,” Frisk informed.        “There are six of you then?!”        “Maybe we should go check the kitchen. That’s where Flowey said he went-”        After interrupting Flowey, it was rather fitting for Frisk to be cut off by another noise as well, though instead of a person talking, it was the sound of something metal hitting the ground alongside a loud splat! This prompted everyone to investigate the strange noise, though only Frisk and Flowey knew what had just happened.        “The pie!” The two yelled at the same time, Frisk quickly rushing into the kitchen before the other kids could block him out.        Just as the two had suspected, on the ground was a smashed pie, and right beside it, the one curly-haired child they’d been looking for.        “Gabriel!” Vera barked, causing the boy to flinch and raise his sheet up to his face a bit.        “He was trying to steal the pie-thing!” Daya accused, pointing at the splattered treat as she gave him an upset glare.        “Who cares what it’s called! He was stealing food! I mean look at that!” The small blonde pointed at the pie, her blue eyes narrowed at him angrily. “You should really stop stealing food,” Flare mused, though she didn’t really say it loud enough for Gabriel to hear.        “Guys, guys! Calm down!” Just in case Vera or anyone else tried to hurt the poor boy, Frisk stood in front of him with a pleading look on his face. “We can work something out- That’s only the second pie Mom made! See?” The boy then pointed to yet another pie on the countertop, one that had been a little too far back for the small boy to reach. “Besides, that one was the snail pie. You don’t wanna eat that-”        Gabriel, who had actually been prepared to scoop some of the pie up off the floor, suddenly leaped away from it, wiping his hands on his sheet with a scrunched up face.        “Ew!” Daya backed away from the pie as she did the same thing Gabriel had done, Vera and Flare also cringing as they kept their distance from the no-longer-desired pie. However, all Via did was frown as she gave Frisk a strange look. “You eat snails?”        “Me? Ew- No- Mom does. Monsters sometimes have their own treats they like eating, and Mom’s is, well, snail pie, or anything with snails really.” Frisk replied, Flowey smacking Frisk’s arm with his leaves in order to get his attention.        “Hey! You might not like snail pie, but I do! Put me down!” snapped the flower, Frisk sighing softly as he set the flower pot down right next to the pie after flipping the pie pan back over. He then watched as Flowey seemed to attempt dusting off any potential dirt before taking a massive bite of the smashed pie, the boy eventually leaving Flowey to it while he walked over and grabbed the one pie he knew everyone would like.        “Now this is the pie I really like. Butterscotch-cinnamon pie! It’s really good! I’ll cut slices!” exclaimed the boy happily as he set the pie at the center of the floor and began rummaging through the kitchen drawers. “Now, where are the knives… Aha!”        With a happy smile, the boy pulled a knife out of one of the drawers, though it wasn’t exactly a lethal knife; it was a regular, dull piece of silverware that was used for cutting simple things, or in this case a pie. This knife proved its worth when Frisk successfully divided the pie up into eight slices, trying to make them as even as possible.        “I’m gonna go get some plates and forks!” he told them, only to gather questioning stares from the group. “…Wait- Don’t tell me- You don’t know what a fork is.”        “Or plates-” Flare piped up, though she quickly went silent afterwards.        Sighing softly, Frisk quickly put up the knife and retrieved the forks and plates, passing them out to everyone as he began teaching the kids basic rules when it came to table manners. However, it was obvious they were bored; they just wanted to dig into the delicious pie, and he couldn’t say he blamed them. Gathering up the plates and forks, the boy dished out slices of pie to the kids until everyone had one. It didn’t take long for them to dig in, even if some of them didn’t even attempt to use their forks.        “This stuff is amazing!” exclaimed Daya before biting off another chunk of the pie. “What is this called again?”        “Butterscotch-cinnamon pie,” Frisk replied after swallowing some of the treat himself, the boy chuckling at how amazed everyone seemed to be over the existence of such a treat.        “We never had anything like this on the mountain,” Flare commented, licking some of the pie off her fingers.        Frisk was definitely satisfied. Everyone seemed happy, and he knew once Austin was done with his bath, he’d most likely enjoy eating the pie too. But something snapped him out of these happy thoughts, something he found to be a little concerning. Via wasn’t eating.        On the taller girl’s plate was a half-eaten slice of the pie, so it was obvious that she did eat some. But the way she was sitting, the way she was looking at it… It almost looked like she was sick.        “…Via, are you okay-” Frisk didn’t get to finish his sentence as the child suddenly doubled over, instantly heaving up the pie as she used a hand to beat on her chest a bit, trying to get the rest of it out. But it didn’t stop there.        Once Via had a negative reaction to it, the others began to panic and instantly put down their slices, all running to try and help their companion, who now appeared to be wheezing and grabbing at her throat, almost as if she couldn’t breathe.        “Via?! Via!” Daya shrieked in panic, Vera whipping around angrily at Frisk with her fork in hand as she shouted, “You poisoned her!”        “I-I didn’t!” Frisk yelled, though luckily, he knew what to do in a situation like this. He’d practiced this drill so many times at school, just in case something like this happened. However, his mother was upstairs and Via obviously didn’t have an Epi-pen, so there was only one other thing he really could do.        Hearing Toriel rush downstairs, the boy sprang into action as he yanked out his phone, dialing as fast as he could. “911?! Send help! My friend- I think my friend is dying!”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Everything was a blur after eating the pie. All Via could remember were panicked screams and shouts, and maybe something about being lifted up by someone. Now she was floating, floating in a strange, black void, nothing in sight, though with her eyesight, that was rather normal. However, this blackness, this endless abyss… It was almost suffocating.        Then everything hit her at once.        Suddenly, pictures and scenes filled the void, startling the poor girl as she tried to make sense of it all. It all went by in a blur, but she tried her best to make sense of the sudden chaos, even if her efforts were futile. First two people appeared, towering above her, the one man there smiling as she heard them mumble what sounded like her name. She felt like they were important, but didn’t know how they were, and she didn’t have time to speculate on them when she was plunged through even more visions. Faces and places all blurred together, and she didn’t recognize hardly any of it, until she saw a more familiar face…        There was Toriel. At least, she figured it was Toriel. No, it had to be her. There was no other goat-person she knew, and the other two in the painting in the underground city didn’t match her attire. It was a blur of purple, Toriel, and then suddenly white. Everything felt cold. Why did it feel so cold?        Then came the blue and black, splashing through the water. Where was she? The child didn’t know, nor did she have time to speculate, for now she was running, shouts coming from behind her. The fear was overwhelming. Make it stop! Make it stop…! Now she was hiding. She had to be hiding. She wasn’t moving, but the yelling was still there, even if Via couldn’t make any of it out. The child was too focused on unwrapping a pie.        A pie…        The same one she had eaten. There it was. It looked a little smashed, but there it was. It looked like she was about to take a bite of it. No. No no no.        Via remembered the recent pain she’d felt when she’d eaten that pie at Toriel’s house. The pain in her stomach, the inability to breathe, the echoing shouts of her friends as they tried to figure out what to do. ‘Don’t eat it!’ she shrieked, but nothing worked. She ate the butterscotch-cinnamon pie, fear coursing through her veins.        The child felt the same pain she had gone through earlier, the symptoms all the same as before, except now with more fear. She didn’t know if the fear was her own, or if it was being enforced by the simulations, but it was effective nonetheless.        She was terrified.        Her eyes flew open, suddenly blinded by the light. She didn’t know where she was. Where was this place?! Where are her friends?! Air. She needed air. She needed air quick!        There was stuff on her, some strange rubbery stuff. The child ripped it off, and a strange flat beeping sound filled the room, suddenly accompanied by the sounds of yelling and screaming, the screaming coming from the poor panicked girl.        “Help!” she cried, trying to make sense of it all. She could breathe, but at the same time, she couldn’t. She was too scared. So many questions yet no answers. “Vera! Gabriel! Somebody help me!”        Someone grabbed her arms and she fought back, desperately calling for her friends as she tried to free herself from her captors.        It was only when a sudden pain went through her arm till everything went black once more.“I still don’t understand the issue here,” said Toriel, her hands folded neatly in front of her in a relaxed yet formal manner. Beside her stood Frisk, his brown eyes trained on the woman in front of them with concern as well as what appeared to be suspicion on his face. They were no longer at the house, of course. They were somewhere else, a place Frisk didn’t like visiting. But, it seemed he could never avoid this place and would have to deal with it once again.        “The issue, Miss Dreemurr, is the simple truth that the children are not yours. You had no right to take them in like that and not notify us. You know the rules,” chided the woman, giving the monster a smile, though Frisk could swear it was fake.        “Indeed I do, Mrs. Ryan, but these children needed immediate attention. I couldn’t just leave them out there,” Toriel replied, trying her best to get the woman to understand.        “Out there?” questioned the one known as Mrs. Ryan, her head tilting ever so slightly. “What do you mean by that?”        “We found them in the mountains,” Frisk piped up, still sticking by Toriel’s side. “They were hungry and cold and dirty, so we took them home to help them.” He made sure to sound as innocent and sincere as possible, which he was in all honesty. This was the truth. He and Toriel knew it was the truth. But unlike Toriel, he knew the games people like Mrs. Ryan liked to play.        “What Frisk says is correct. I was actually finishing up bathing one of them when… Well…” The monster’s gaze faltered at the thought of poor Via, Mrs. Ryan taking immediate advantage of her guilty conscience.        “Exactly,” stated the woman, feeling no sympathy for the former queen. “I know you meant well, but things like this are why we encourage you to call us as soon as possible. By calling us, we can help these kids sooner and identify them if they’re missing, allowing us to return them to their families or put them in good homes.”        “Well yeah, but doing that to them won’t help. It’ll just scare them,” Frisk pointed out with a small frown. “And it wasn’t Mom’s fault she got into the pie. I gave it to them. Mom didn’t do anything wrong.”        The woman of course, simply gave Frisk a small look. It was very vague, but Frisk didn’t like it, and he certainly didn’t like what she said next. “That may be true, Frisk, but I think you both know that had you called Child Protective Services or the police or anyone, your friend wouldn’t be in the hospital.”        Frisk tried to think of something to say in response, yet he knew she was right, in a way. Personally he saw this all as his fault. He should’ve asked Toriel before giving them the pie; she would’ve remembered if any of them had allergies.        “I understand,” Toriel replied, though her gaze was no longer on the social worker. They were now downcast a bit, filled with guilt. Maybe she should have called these people; after all, it was their job to manage runaway and orphaned youth.        Eventually, Frisk decided to speak up, deciding that allowing the woman to speak again would probably not be the best decision. “So when are we allowed to leave? We still need to get them cleaned up-”        “Oh you two are permitted to leave at any time. The children, however, are staying here.”        Those words didn’t sit well with either of the Dreemurrs, Toriel giving her an alarmed look as she suddenly blurted, “What?! What do you mean? When adopting Frisk, you allowed him to stay in my home without any problems-”        “That was Frisk. We knew who Frisk was as well as his background, and he was perfectly comfortable in your presence. However, we don’t know anything about these children, and when you arrived, none of the children seemed to trust either of you. Thank you for your help, but we’ll take it from here,” she promised, Toriel watching and listening with a still very much stunned look on her face. That couldn’t be right. Not all the kids were wary of her. Austin practically followed her around now along with Gabriel; the only reason any of them were still jumpy were not only because of trust issues, but because of their friend.        Frisk of course, also knew the woman’s words were false, and he wasn’t at all happy with this. “Well what are you gonna do? Just drop them off at an orphanage or something? Or are you gonna separate all of them and put them in random foster homes, cause it’s not going to work,” the boy questioned, giving the social worker a well-placed glare.        “Frisk, I understand your concerns-”        “No you don’t!” Frisk snapped, seething in anger, but he knew he wasn’t the only one angry here. He didn’t, however, try to stop these emotions. “You obviously don’t understand because you’re doing everything you can to keep them apart! If you did understand then you’d allow Toriel to care for them like she did me!”        “Frisk-”        “You know she’s a good mother! She even passed your stupid adoption test when she was adopting me!”        “Frisk, calm down-”        “No Mom! No! You know what I think about this whole thing?! I think the reason you won’t let Toriel foster them is because she’s a monster!”        “That’s enough!” Toriel’s inevitable outburst took the boy by surprise, the Latino looking back up at his adoptive mother with a frown. However, he did desist, simply because the aggression fueling his outburst was no longer there, mostly. But that didn’t exactly stop him from shooting Mrs. Ryan a very much mistrusting glare.        “I’m sorry for my son’s behavior. He’s usually such a sweet boy,” Toriel apologized, giving the woman an embarrassed yet compliant look.        “That’s quite alright,” the social work replied, though her tone of voice indicated that it indeed wasn’t as fine as she made it out to be. “Now, since everything has been sorted out, you and your son are free to leave if you wish-”        Suddenly, a nearby door swung open as a small child darted out of the door and into the room, only to take refuge behind Toriel the second they spotted her. The child, Frisk noticed, was Gabriel, the boy currently crying into her dress as she knelt down to try and sooth him.        “Ma’am! That child is not-”        “Hold on! Let her at least calm him down!” Frisk interrupted, noticing another woman had made it to the doorway. From what he could tell, she seemed to have been chasing the poor boy down the hallway, which made him wonder how the others were reacting to the social workers handling them.        “I was just trying to get him into some clothes, but he wouldn’t even bother putting them on!” explained the social worker as she began speaking to Mrs. Ryan.        “Whatever. We’ll get him into some clothes eventually. How are the other children doing-” Before Mrs. Ryan could finish her sentence, Vera suddenly burst through one of the doors in the hallway while swiftly dodging some hands that flew out and tried to grab her. “Where are my friends?!” she shrieked, only to spot some familiar faces and sprint into the room everyone else was in with yet another social worker on her tail.        Once Gabriel’s social worker caught wind of Vera, she turned and tried to block the child’s way, though that didn’t stop the blonde as she simply dive-rolled underneath her before getting up and running over to Frisk, Toriel, and Gabriel. Frisk, of course, expected her to maybe hug Gabriel, but instead she ended up racing over and shoving him.        “You!” she snarled, only to try and throw a punch at him. However, Frisk was ready and dodged, even if he was still baffled by her behavior. “This is all your fault!”        Another punch, another dodge. “No! You misunderstand! We didn’t mean for this to happen!” Frisk cried, backing away from the angry child.        “Yeah right! You totally didn’t poison Via on purpose!” she snarled, though before she could take another shot at Frisk, she was grabbed roughly by the arm.        “Vera! Calm down this instant! This behavior is intolerable!” Toriel scolded, clearly angry with the child’s behavior. Unfortunately, Vera wasn’t in the mood to cooperate.        “Let go of me!” the blonde shouted as she tried to pull away, though Toriel’s grip was much stronger than she had anticipated.        “Not until you calm down!” Seeing as it was very obvious to Vera that she would be unable to escape the monster’s grip, she simply glared deeply at Toriel, yet the goat woman’s gaze never phased.        “Vera…” Gabriel had decided to speak up, simply because he felt as though the girl’s rash behavior would only result in a fate even worse for them. “We have to work together, o-or we’ll never see Via again…”        Those words were enough to give Vera the nudge to cooperate, the blonde giving Toriel and Frisk each one final glare before allowing her arm to go limp.        “There you go. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” asked Toriel, Vera very much tempted to say something though one pleading look from Gabriel prompted her not to.        Meanwhile, Frisk’s attention had currently shifted to the three social workers, who from what he could tell were talking about the two new children in the room. The boy guessed by the newest one’s expression that Vera had been very hard to deal with, though it didn’t surprise him that the angry child was a problem for them. They were all incredibly close to the door too, just in case another kid got out, and rightly so, for yet another door was opened.        Zooming out of the room as quickly as he could was Austin, the boy no longer sporting the same dirty rags he’d been wearing earlier. Instead, he was sporting one of Frisk’s sweaters as well as some of his shorts, which were a bit too big for him, yet he managed well.        “Hey! Come back here!” the social worker behind him yelled, quickly grabbing the boy and picking him up. Instantly, the child began yelling in panic, attracting everyone in the room at the end of the hallway.        “Austin!” Vera and Gabriel shouted, Vera instantly kicking into action as she sprinted towards her friend. Unfortunately, one of the social workers by the hallway entrance grabbed her before she could race past, which instantly caused the child to fight back tooth and nail.        “Let go of me!” Vera screeched, doing everything she could to free herself. The two other social workers tried their best to get involved, grabbing her other arm as well as trying to keep the child from hurting themselves as well as their colleague.        It didn’t take long for Toriel to rush to the rescue, leaving Gabriel to run and hide behind Mrs. Ryan’s desk while Frisk ran past the social workers and into the hallway, opening the last two doors to find the last remaining souls. In the first room was Daya, crying in a corner while occasionally moving away from her social worker whenever she got too close. In the second was Flare, who seemed to be locked in a boxing pose and lashing out whenever her worker got too close. However, the second her door opened, Flare made a break for it and bulldozed right past Frisk and, seeing the other ways more or less blocked off, dashing into Daya’s room.        Quickly righting himself and recovering from Flare’s shove, the boy took notice of Toriel as she recovered a crying Austin from his worker’s arms, only to then witness Vera claw her way to freedom and practically launch herself at the worker that had been initially holding Austin.        “Leave him alone!” she shrieked, the man instantly shielding himself from her claw-like nails before quickly grabbing her hands and holding them at her side. While that didn’t stop her from attempting to lash out, Toriel taking a firm hold on the child’s shoulder and moving her back did turn her attention away from him.        “Vera, he’s no longer a threat. I have Austin here safe and sound. You should go find the rest of your friends,” chided the goat woman, though there was a firmness in her voice that indicated she expected obedience. Unfortunately for Vera, she really couldn’t argue with her logic and therefore nodded begrudgingly before taking off into the other room, where Flare and Daya currently resided.        “Frisk, I’m going to need you to take Austin and Gabriel to that room,” Toriel instructed, pointing to the one Vera had just run into as she set the sniffling child down.        “Got it,” Frisk stated, nodding in acknowledgement as he took Austin’s hand and quickly moved the boy to the room. Once inside, the boy quickly raced over towards Daya, who was still crying in the corner, which left Vera and Flare in some sort of weird boxing match with now three out of six social workers. It was a strange sight to say the least, but the boy couldn’t stick around and watch; he still had to find Gabriel.        Luckily for Frisk, Gabriel wasn’t all that hard to find. The boy was basically being chased by the same worker that had been in charge of him from earlier, though she was still trying to gently approach him despite clearly being frustrated by his lack of cooperation.        “Hey Gabriel!” called Frisk, his hands around to get the child’s attention.        Once the curly-haired boy took notice of Frisk, he quickly dashed over and hid behind the older kid, who then lead him to the room. Like Austin, Gabriel took cover with Daya and Austin, leaving Frisk to attempt to calm the chaos. It took him a moment to think about what he would do, though soon he saw a good way to get everyone’s attention and put his plan into action.        Climbing onto the one table in the center of the room, Frisk shouted, “Stop!” as loud as he could, which of course got everyone’s attention.        “What are you doing on the table- You could hurt yourself!” one of the workers scolded.        “They attacked first!” Vera emphasized with a glare. “Flare was fighting one of them when I first got in here!”        “Well stop fighting because it’s not solving any problems!” Frisk snapped, only to take a moment to calm down before sighing. “Look at what’s happening here. They’re crying, you’re all fighting, and for what? To separate them again? That’s not going to solve anything- That’ll just make things worse!” He kept his eyes on the adults, though at the same time Flare and Vera. “They need to stick together, and they need someone who will be there to teach them about this place. They’ve been stuck on a mountain for who knows how long, and if they’re going to at the very least adjust to the city, they’re going to need someone they trust, and right now, the only person any of them trust here is Toriel.”        “I don’t trust her,” Vera muttered, only to receive a nervous look from Flare as Frisk continued on.        “So, let us take them home. Let us help them. Otherwise, I’m pretty sure you’re going to have a hard time keeping them apart.” Frisk stood there on the table for a few moments, giving the social workers each a look that stated he would not back down on his statement. However, finally, someone broke the tense silence, though it was the last person Frisk wanted to hear from.        “Thank you for that speech, Frisk, and I appreciate you calming them down, but our policy-”        “May I have a word?” Mrs. Ryan had been standing in the doorway when Toriel interrupted, the goat woman standing right behind her with a concerned look on her face. “In private, of course, but please. Leave the children here together. They’ll be fine with only one supervisor, so long as everyone remains calm.”        Little time passed as the woman stood there and thought about what to do, only to point to one worker and begin once again issuing commands. “Liz, stay here. The rest of you get back to work. I’ll deal with this.”        “No fighting now,” Toriel quickly reminded the group as three out of four workers exited. Afterwards, the door was shut, leaving the six kids alone with Liz.        “Frisk.”        “Yes?” The boy asked, looking towards the remaining worker.        It didn’t take long for him to gain a response. “Get off the table.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Frisk didn’t know how long they’d been in the room, but it sure was a while in his opinion, and he knew everyone else could agree. Since Toriel and Mrs. Ryan had left, all of the souls had settled down in one corner of the room, Frisk included. All around him, everyone was doing some kind of small activity as they waited for the two women’s return. Flare was biting her nails as Daya braided the younger child’s hair, and right beside them were Austin and Gabriel, Gabriel sleeping on the other boy as he impatiently messed with his sweater. Closest to the boy was Vera, who was locked in a staring contest with Liz the social worker as she sat at the table. And lastly, there was Frisk, his own eyes locked intently on the door as he tried to accurately time the arrival of Toriel and Mrs. Ryan. However, his mind would sometimes drift off to his outburst from earlier, the anger he had felt…        Everyone’s eyes instantly locked onto the door as it opened, Frisk suddenly shouting, “Alohomora!” much to everyone’s dismay.        “Aloho-whata?” questioned Daya in confusion as she looked up from Flare’s nearly-braided hair.        “Alohomora! It’s the unlocking spell in Harry Potter,” Frisk explained with a grin as he got to his feet and ran over to Toriel, who was standing in the doorway with Mrs. Ryan. “Mom, you’re back!”        The goat woman chuckled a bit as she lightly ruffled the boy’s hair, only to look out over at the other children huddled in the corner. “Mrs. Ryan has some news that I’m sure you’ll all be happy to hear.” She then turned her head to the human next to her, the social worker not seeming all that pleased to bear this information. It then became clear enough to Frisk that the decision they had reached was one that did not satisfy the worker, and because of that, the boy already felt better about this situation.        Clearing her throat to get the children’s attention, Mrs. Ryan spoke, “Mrs. Dreemurr and I have reached a compromise. You five will return together with Frisk and his mother for the time being, but if the house is not fit for your care, then you will be taken under the protection of Child Protection Services, for your own good.”        “What about Via.” Of course, Vera was the first to speak up, and it was clear she had voiced the thoughts of all the other children. “You said ‘five,’ not ‘six.’ What about Via.”        “Well-”        “Do not worry, my child. Via will also be returning to us, but only if we pass inspection,” said Toriel, accidentally cutting off an annoyed Mrs. Ryan before she could answer. Before Vera could comment, the monster made sure to add, “But, we will be seeing her shortly. I recently got a call from the hospital informing me that she is awake.”        “She is?!”        “Via’s awake?!”        “Well then what are we doing here?! Let’s go!”        The children instantly scrambled to their feet, even the still-sleepy Gabriel following behind them. Before any could rush out the door of course, social worker Liz stood up and gave everyone an order to stay put, though that didn’t stop any of them.        “Kids-!”        “Let it go, Liz.” A grumbly Mrs. Ryan was still in the room, now watching with her coworker as the children retreated with the former monster queen. “It’s not like they can evade us forever.”The car was bursting with a positive energy as Toriel drove a short ways to the local hospital, and the only time that energy remotely dissipated was when they’d reached the large building. Although it was still daunting to Gabriel and Flare, everyone knew Via was in there, and with Toriel’s help, they knew they would finally be able to see her.        After a confusing exchange at the Welcome Desk as well as many strange looks from doctors, they finally found it. Via’s room.        The brunette child didn’t have time to react when Vera suddenly shouted her name and hugged her, only to begin picking off and wires that she felt were harmful to her friend. This sent many machines out of whack, causing doctors to run in as Toriel pulled the feisty child away from the equipment.        “Don’t touch anything,” one nurse ordered the children, giving them all a stern look. “We need these to make sure your friend is getting better, all right?”        “She’s right. Don’t touch anything. Doctor’s equipment is really complicated-” Frisk advised, the other children deciding to take a less hazardous approach.        “Are you okay?”        “What happened to you?!”        “Did these doctor guys hurt you?”        “We’re here to take you home!”        Already Via didn’t know how to answer any of the questions, simply because they were coming too fast for the drowsy girl to decipher. She was happy to see her friends, yet her mind was on other things, from her health to her the strange visions she’d had. The child’s mind especially focused on the visions once she noticed Toriel was there, her eyes locking onto the goat woman immediately.        “Sorry my children, but we cannot take her home yet,” Toriel chided, gaining a few bewildered looks from the kids.        “Why not?!”        “But she’s right here!”        “We can’t just leave her behind-!”        “What’s the point in coming here then if we can’t even take her with us?”        This was when a doctor stepped in, once again attempting civil conversation with the five. “Your friend had something called an allergic reaction, and it was a really bad reaction too. If we let her go now, we won’t know if the medicine we gave her will help. We need to keep her here so we can make sure she’s fine. Okay?”        The doctor’s words, thankfully, got through to the group, though any doubts were thankfully put to rest when Via turned her attention to the group as a whole.        “It’s true,” she told them, rubbing her eyes. “Apparently I’m allergic to cinnamon. It wasn’t Frisk’s fault I got sick, so don’t blame him for anything.”        “…Wait- Why are you looking at me?!” Vera asked, Via unable to crack a small smile at the dirty-blonde child.        As the children began speaking to their hospitalized friend, Toriel began speaking to the same doctor over Via’s current predicament, and on behalf of all the other children as hell.        “I understand you’ve spoken with Child Services over the children,” the doctor remarked, Toriel looking towards her once again and nodding.        “I have, and it’s been determined that they will be staying with me for now,” the monster told her, which actually surprised the doctor despite the evidence being quite obvious.        “…Oh. Okay then. Do you know their allergies? We don’t know what reactions they might have to anything else, if the others have allergies.” The doctor seemed stunned in the beginning, but then her tone only showed concern.        “I don’t know them all, but they will be coming in for allergy testing,” promised Toriel, only to turn her gaze back to the children. They all seemed to be getting along well, other than some fearing the equipment or even Frisk in some cases. “Children!”        Toriel’s call once again grabbed the attention of the seven kids, only for Vera to speak for the group yet again. “What?”        “We’ll be leaving soon, so I suggest you wrap up your conversations with Via,” Toriel informed the six, only to receive a few whines and whimpers from some of the kids.        “What? Why? We just got here! Can’t we just stay?” whined Daya, seeming annoyed with the fact that they’d have to leave.        With a sigh, the goat woman shook her head and gave them all a gentle yet sad look. “I’m sorry, but we can’t stay here forever. The doctors will need to tend to Via and her condition, and we need to go home to get you all cleaned up.”        “But Toriel-!”        “Mom’s right guys. Plus we have those people to deal with now, and we’ll have to be ready for them when they do all of their stupid visits and stuff,” Frisk reminded them, only to get a bunch of surprised and fearful stares from the other children.        “They’re coming back?!” Flare breathed, instantly growing very tense at the thought of what had transpired earlier.        “Yeah, they’re coming back, and we’re gonna have to be ready for them when they do.” Unfortunately, his words seemed to be causing the others to panic more, hushed whispers being exchanged between the quieter children of the group. “But! We can make it through this. We just have to stay determined. If we’re ready and we win, Via will come home and everything will be great again!”        “Who are you talking about,” inquired the one and only Via, clearly puzzled by Frisk’s words.        “Some jerks who tried to separate everyone, but we’re not letting them do crap,” Vera clarified, only to give Toriel an annoyed look as she asked, “Are we seriously leaving now?”        “Yes, now come along.” Toriel had caught onto Vera’s attitude, and while she understood Vera’s pain in leaving Via behind as well as coming to such a strange place, she didn’t want to exactly deal with it.        “Toriel-!”        “Let’s just go already.” Once again, Austin had spoken up, seeming a bit bothered by Vera’s resistance. “We’ll come back later!”        “Austin’s right. We will come back later if we have the time, and if we don’t come back, then either way, she’ll still be coming home with us,” Toriel promised.        Exchanging glances, the children one by one decided to follow Toriel out of the room, but the goat woman had no time to shut the door before her name was called.        “Toriel wait-” Turning around, the monster stared back at Via, her olive green eyes locked right onto her.        “Yes?” she asked, watching the older soul with a concerned look on her face. Via looked almost distressed for some reason, though the woman couldn’t figure out why. She didn’t have time to figure out why either when Austin called for her to hurry up. “We’ll come back later for you, dear.” Toriel then moved to shut the door. “I promise.”        With that in mind, she left Via to herself, only for her gaze to travel to the ground of kids waiting in the hallway. Even though all of the children weren’t exactly acting accordingly in the hospital, Toriel’s focus was mainly on a certain little boy pacing in the hallway.        “Austin!” Toriel’s voice caused the boy to stop his pacing and look up, well, at least she assumed he was looking up at her, given the hair covering his eyes and all.        “Finally,” the boy murmured, though that didn’t stop Toriel from giving him a stern talking-to.        “What you did was very rude, telling me to hurry up like that. What happened to being patient?” said Toriel, only to sigh and lightly shake her head as the young soul fiddled with his baggy sweater before looking down.        “Don’t expect much from him. He’s never patient,” Vera pointed out, only to gain a few nods of agreement from her peers. This did of course strike Toriel as strange; she’d taken care of Austin the longest out of all of the children in the underground, and she knew for a fact that he’d typically been much more patient than this. Even without his memories, wouldn’t this main personality trait still show itself?        “Really? How odd…” Toriel mused, only to clear her throat as she got back to the task at hand. “Anyway, it is time for us to return home. Come along, children.”        Luckily, none of them needed to be told twice as they followed her out of the room and into the car, the five souls all piling into the back whilst Frisk and Toriel once again sat up front. The drive to the house had thankfully been less chaotic than the first few, save for the whispering in the backseat as the children shared their thoughts on Via’s condition. However, Frisk didn’t mind it, and neither did Toriel; the only one who minded anything was Flowey, who instantly began speaking the second Frisk opened the front door to the house.        “I can’t believe you just left me sitting here on the floor!” the flower hissed, Frisk walking over and scooping up the potted plant.        “Sorry, Flowey. We were in a hurry, and I didn’t know what would happen if I’d taken you along,” Frisk apologized, only to turn to Toriel once he heard her call for his attention. “Yes, Mom?”        “Can you prepare the couch bed and some sleeping bags for the other children? I will be upstairs bathing the rest of them and will send them down once they’re done,” Toriel informed the boy, Frisk giving her a dutiful nod.        “Yes, Ma’am! I’ll get right on it!”        “Thank you, my child.” Without further ado, Toriel then lead the four dirty souls up the stairs, leaving Austin at the bottom with Frisk.        “…Why are you just standing there?” questioned Austin after a minute or so.        “Yeah Frisk, why are you just standing there? Get to work!” Flowey shouted, instantly agreeing with the younger boy.        “Alright alright! I was just thinking about where Toriel hid the sleeping bags,” Frisk whined, though he did do as told and lead Austin into the living room, only to hand Austin Flowey before moving the coffee table and a few chairs out of the way.        As the boy continued setting everything up as well as fishing through every last closet for blankets and pillows, one by one, a child would descend from the stairs and ask what exactly was going on. At first, they all gathered on the outskirts of the living room, yet eventually took over the couch bed once it had been unfolded.        “I know I left these sleeping bags around here somewhere,” Frisk said to himself as he skittered up the stairs to ask Toriel for help in looking for them. Unknown to the two, the five children had already begun preparing themselves; and when both mother and son ascended from the stairs, they were welcomed by the sight of five children huddled up around each other, all fast asleep on one end of the couch bed.        “They didn’t feel like waiting for the sleeping bags,” said Flowey from where he’d been set on the pushed back coffee table, Toriel giving him a light shush as she continued to watch the sleeping children. They all looked so peaceful despite their new surroundings, all snuggled together while wrapped up in blankets.        After sending Frisk off to bed with Flowey, Toriel continued to linger for a moment, keeping a watchful eye over the five before she too headed off to sleep. However, she didn’t leave until she quietly took a picture of the five.        “Sweet dreams.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

For the first time since he could remember, Gabriel was actually sleeping comfortably on the couch-beg. He’d never slept on something so soft before, curled up in a warm and fleecy blanket while surrounded by his friends. The boy was at peace, though it unfortunately ended quicker than he’d anticipated.        The shifting of the other children eventually woke the small boy, though he simply adjusted his position and tried to return to his happy place. The background noises, however, weren’t helping, and when a large thud was heard, he instantly stiffened, his eyes widening in surprise and fright.        “I’m okay!” yelled a familiar voice, Gabriel recognizing it as Frisk’s.        Sitting up, the curly-haired child rubbed his blue eyes as he took in what was happening. Practically everyone was awake at the moment, Vera and Flare peaking over the back of the couch all while Daya was entertaining herself by plopping one of the blankets onto Austin continuously. At first, he was a bit confused and began searching for Via, only to remember that she was still in the hospital recovering from the pie. It made him sad, honestly, but he couldn’t focus on that for long, not with what was happening.        “What are you doing?” demanded a very confused Vera as she gave Frisk a strange look.        “Looking for a tape measurer!” Frisk replied before zooming past them once again, the children each giving him a confused glance before someone else spoke up.        “He’s measuring the other room. Duh!” Flowey spoke, rolling his black eyes at the naïve kids.        “Measuring the other room? What?” Once again, Vera was confused; she knew what a room was as well as what measuring things were, but at the same time, she didn’t understand Frisk’s reasons as to why he was doing such a thing.        “Just- Whatever- I’m not gonna explain it to you idiots,” said Flowey with a sour tone.        “Hey!” Daya whined, Vera giving the flower a nasty glare as he simply huffed in annoyance.        “What? Just telling the truth,” was all Flowey said before Toriel suddenly called for them.        “Children! Breakfast is ready!” she called, her voice airing from the room right across from them.        “Breakfast-?”        “Food!” Frisk suddenly made a reappearance as he dashed from the hallway and into the living room, only to end up in the kitchen dining room within what appeared to be seconds.        “Food?” Daya suddenly questioned, each of the children exchanging glances before running after him.        “Wait! What about me?!” Flowey yelled, waving his leaves wildly in an attempt to get anyone’s attention. “I need food too! Someone come back here and grab me- Whoa!”        Turning around, the temperamental flower took notice of the one who had picked him up; Gabriel. “S-Sorry Mr. Flower-“        “-Flowey.”        “Right- Er-” Not knowing what else to say, Gabriel quickly moved to the kitchen dining room so he could hand him to Frisk. After all, the flower really unnerved the small kid, but he knew that if he didn’t take him to the table, he’d probably just continue yelling until someone went to fetch him anyway.        Upon entering the room, the boy couldn’t help but stop as he took notice of all food on the table, and not just any food either. Everything was some sort of fruit or vegetable, bowls of berries scattered about while some bowls and plates of vegetables were set alongside them. There wasn’t a single baked good on the table, and that very much annoyed Flowey.        “What the heck?! I thought we were having pancakes!” whined the flower as Gabriel slowly handed him to Frisk.        “Sorry, Flowey. Mom said we’re not eating anything that might make the others sick,” Frisk told him as the soulless being was then set on the table.        “That’s right, Frisk. I don’t want anyone else to have to go to the hospital this week. Eat as much as you’d like, children, but don’t eat too much! We have a long day ahead of us,” Toriel remarked, a smile on her face as she watched Gabriel finally take a seat at the table.        “Be careful guys. We don’t wanna be poisoned-”        “Blackberries!” Flare’s happy outburst suddenly interrupted Vera, the girl standing up on her chair as she reached over the table to grab some. Before she did, however, she froze and looked up at Toriel, not knowing if she’d made the right decision in making the first move for food.        Seeing the child’s confusion, Toriel gave her an encouraging smile and nodded. “Go ahead, my child. This food is for everyone,” said the monster before picking up a few of the berries herself and eating them herself.        Taking this as a sign that the berries indeed weren’t poisoned like Vera tried to suggest, Flare grabbed a few and sat back down, staring at them for a few seconds before plopping one into her mouth, soon doing the same with the rest of them.        “…Okay maybe they aren’t all poisonous-”        “I don’t care I just want food!” Once again, Vera was cut off as Daya reached over and grabbed a few fruits and vegetables of her choice, everyone beginning to chow down happily. Even Vera couldn’t resist taking a bite of the food, though she did so as subtly as possible, just because she didn’t want to be proven wrong.        “So, Frisk dear, did you measure the rooms like I asked?” questioned Toriel as she looked over at her adoptive son, the boy giving her a thumbs up.        “Mhm! I think we could fit a bunk bed in my room and two bunk beds in the spare room,” he reported, only to get back to eating his food.        “What’re bunk beds?” inquired Daya, the other children seeming curious as well.        “They’re two beds stacked up onto each other,” Frisk told them, only to continue gaining stares from the others. “…You don’t know what a bed is either, don’t you.”        “We don’t exactly have beds in the woods,” Vera pointed out, though she let him continue to explain nonetheless.        “Oh. Well beds are basically used for sleeping. They’re kind of like that couch-bed you slept on, but comfier.” Once again, Frisk had seemed to amaze the children by explaining the simple joys of modern life.        “Even comfier than that? Wow-” Flare commented under her breath, only to continue eating as the other four exchanged glances with each other.        “M-Miss Toriel?” Gabriel’s voice quickly drew the goat mother’s attention, the woman asking, “Yes, child?” before allowing him to speak once again. “Um… C-Can I leave…? I-I need to do something r-real quick-”        All Toriel did was blink at his answer, not knowing exactly what he meant to do. “Um, sure, Gabriel! Frisk, go with him in case he needs help with whatever he needs.”        “Okay, Mom,” Frisk replied as he slid out of his chair and looked over at Gabriel, the boy then leading him out of the room and down the hallway.        “I don’t know what you need to do, but I figured I’d have to explain this at some point,” said the Latino before stepping into the bathroom. “Lemme show you how everything works.”        The explanation, while helpful, wasn’t exactly necessary for the little boy at the moment, though he watched anyway and nodded along, deciding he might have to use these apparently useful life skills later on.        “Alright! That concludes Bathroom 101. Any questions?” asked Frisk, only to gain a shake of the head from Gabriel. “Great! I’ll tell the others you’ll be back soon then!” With that, he trotted out of the room and closed the door, leaving the boy by himself.        Unfortunately for Frisk, that was his mistake, for once he was gone, Gabriel took a look around the room before digging a bunch of berries out of his pockets, placing them all on the table and counting each of them carefully. Eight. He’d sneaked eight off the table.        Knowing that leaving the bathroom would not only make him visible to the others, but also grab their attention as well, the boy knew that he could only hide the berries in this one room. Quickly, he began re-examining the room, trying to find a suitable spot to store his stolen berries. The cupboard? Too high. The bottom cabinets? Too obvious. Behind the toilet-thing? Heck no. Thank God Frisk had given him that bathroom rundown, plus that was also a too obvious hiding spot anyway.        Eventually, Gabriel settled on the small closet, the boy picking up a small towel and gently wrapping them up in it. Placing them in a far corner on the shelf, the child closed the closet door before opening the bathroom door, only to come face to face with Daya.        Oh no.        “Hi Gabriel. I’m just here for the bathroom-thing,” she told him, only to move past the boy and close the door on him after shooing him out of the bathroom.        “She knows how to work the bathroom, right Gabriel?” called Frisk from the dining room, the curly-haired boy fiddling with his baggy shorts as he murmured, “I-I guess-” Of course, Gabriel didn’t know if Frisk had heard what he’d said or not, but seeing as the older boy didn’t come to check on him, he simply assumed he did.        After a few minutes of waiting, Daya eventually opened the door, only for Gabriel to see that he’d been right in assuming her appearance had not been a coincidence. The girl was giving him a small smirk as she held a few berries, popping them into her mouth right in front of the poor kid.        “I knew you were making another stash,” she told him quietly with a snarky grin. “Tell Vera or Via when she gets back, and we’ll know who’ll get in trouble here.”        The younger child watched as she walked away, honestly feeling upset at the fact that he couldn’t seem to keep any of his stashes hidden from her. However, he refused to show that anything was wrong; that would tip off the others and while he could lie his way out of it, Daya would turn right around and expose him for sure.        Following the older girl back to the table, Gabriel took his seat and continued to eat with the few other kids still taking advantage of the food provided for them. However, it didn’t take long for him to eventually lose his appetite, and sit back waiting for the others, but before everyone could finish, another interruption occurred.        The sound of a doorbell startled the children, who had been quiet along with Flowey, Toriel, and Frisk the entire time. The latter two, however, seemed quite happy with this new development, Frisk practically flying out of his seat as he dashed to the door.        “I got it!” he called once he was outside the kitchen dining room, Flowey rolling his eyes at the boy’s excitement.        “What was that?” questioned Vera, the girl reaching up onto the table and grabbing a fork for a weapon.        “That was the doorbell, now put down the silverware. This is a friend we’re greeting, not an enemy,” Toriel chided, the dirty-blonde doing as she was told along with Flare, who too had picked up a fork for defense.        “A friend? I’ll be the judge of that,” declared the nine-year old as she slide off her seat and once again to take a look at the newcomer.        “Hey Sans! Glad you could make it!” said the cheery voice of Frisk, which ended up prompting the other children to carefully follow Vera out of the kitchen dining room.        “No problem, kid. Would’ve gotten here sooner if Papyrus didn’t want to try out his new ride. It’s pretty red-ical,” said a new voice, quickly followed by a few chuckles from Frisk along with a more high-pitched voice yelling, “Sans!”        “Redical? What does that even mean?” remarked Daya before adding, “This guy sounds dumb.”        “Agreed,” said Vera flatly before stepping out into the hallway, looking right towards the door with Daya soon following behind.        At the sight of the two, Sans couldn’t help but blink at their matching clothes, only to chuckle as he looked back at Frisk. “So is Alphys running a cloning project now? Cause if so then she ain’t doing a good job.”        “Hello, Sans!” Toriel greeted, the monster entering the hallway from behind the two kids, only to be followed by Austin and Gabriel of course. “These are the kids Frisk and I told you about. Well, most of them. One still seems to be a bit shy,” said the monster with a chuckle.        “It’s probably Flare again,” Daya said with an eye-roll. “Hold on I’ll get her.” The child then headed into the dining room, finding the person she was looking for. “There you are. Come on. There’s a new guy here that we have to meet for some reason.”        Flare simply looked up at the slightly older child, the girl shaking her head as she rubbed her arm nervously. “I can’t-”        “Why not?” Daya questioned, her hands on her hips. “Look. I’m here and so are the others. If that new monster attacks then we’ll be perfectly fine. Now come on-” She then held her hand out to Flare, who nervously looked over at it with a frown. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”        “I don’t know…” Flare mumbled, fiddling with her hands nervously. “I have a bad feeling…”        “Oh just come on Flare- We don’t have all day. We aren’t even gonna be around him for that long anyway.” Those last few words eventually got Flare to comply, and with that, the child took Daya’s hand and allowed her to lead her into the hallway.        “There she is now!” exclaimed Toriel as she attempted to pat Flare’s head, the child flinching at first yet allowing it in the end. “Sans, I’d like you to meet the new children. We have Vera…”        Toriel’s words began fading into the background as for the first time, Flare caught sight of Sans. Instantly, the child tensed as she began taking everything in about the newcomer. The permanent smile, the glowing white pinpricks… But those pinpricks were quickly replaced with one blue and yellow glow, emanating from his left eyesocket, and suddenly, all the child could feel was pain.        A terrified shriek suddenly cut through the atmosphere, everyone’s attention fully falling on the shaking girl as she whipped around and scrambled away, stumbling over herself in the process. Almost instantly, Daya and Vera sprang into action as they both ran after Flare, Vera only stopping for a moment to give Sans a warning.        “You’re not allowed around anyone until we sort this out!” she ordered before pursuing her friends.        Everything was chaotic; it wasn’t as bad as the visit with Child Protective Services, but it was most certainly not calm. The house was filled with the screams and cries, all coming from the same girl as they seemed to almost drown out Vera and Daya’s voices in the living room.        “What’s all that screaming for?!” Flowey hollered angrily from the kitchen, the flower unable to see much of anything from where he was positioned.        However, Frisk wasn’t focused on Flowey; he was trying to wrap his head around what had just happened. This was supposed to be a happy visit, yet somehow Sans had spooked one of the children. Of course, he wasn’t surprised that it was Flare that had grown scared of him, but the way she reacted was shocking to him. He didn’t know how this could’ve happened.        He then looked towards Sans, trying to see if any expression the skeleton was possibly making could’ve set her off. Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to judge his current expression; it was solemn, concerned, but not in a comforting way. The skeleton looked like he was nervous, very nervous in fact, and that wasn’t at all helping Frisk feel better.        “Frisk-”        “Just- Wait outside with the others-” Before even waiting to see if Sans did as asked, Frisk sprinted down the hallway and into the living room, where everyone else had moved to.        The room, as expected, was very chaotic. In one corner was Gabriel, hiding under a table with his hands pressed firmly over his ears. On one side of the couch-bed was Toriel and Austin, Austin standing on the cough-bed as he did his best to convince her not to get near Flare. And finally, on the other side of the couch-bed were Vera and Daya, and thrashing in Daya’s arms was the frightened Flare.        “Calm down calm down! No one’s gonna hurt you!” Vera yelled, trying to make her voice heard in all the chaos.        Unfortunately, Flare either didn’t hear or didn’t believe her, for the kid continued to panic as she attempted to grab at the couch bed and pull herself away from the two and maybe even head under the thing, though both children quickly pulled her back, as if expecting this move.        “He’s going to kill me he’s going to kill me! Don’t let him kill me he’s going to kill me!” Flare sobbed, the girl’s fear as well as her words causing Frisk’s hair to stand on end. It only got worse, however, for when Flare caught sight of Frisk staring, their eyes instantly locked as she yelled, “Please don’t let him hurt me!”        Unfortunately for Frisk, Vera instantly took her words the wrong way, the child also noticing the boy’s presence. “Everybody out!” she ordered, looking from him to Toriel. “She won’t calm down until all strangers are out!”        While Frisk wasn’t sure if leaving the souls alone was the best idea or not, he was still quite overwhelmed by the situation and decided that checking on Sans and whoever else might be outside was a better option. And that’s exactly what the boy did, sprinting down the hall and out the door, nearly scaring a tall skeleton who’d been a little too close to it.        “Nyeh!?” exclaimed the startled voice of Papyrus, only for the former Royal Guardsman trainee to quickly recover as he gave the child a grin. “Human Frisk!” Within seconds, the boy was engulfed in a hug, the eccentric monster swinging him from side to side before finally setting him down. “It is good to see you again! How is Flowey?”        All Frisk could do was smile; Papyrus always seemed to lift his spirits. “Flowey’s been good. Grumpy as usual, but good. I think he’s in the kitchen at the moment, though no one’s really allowed inside the house right now-”        “And why aren’t we allowed?” Undyne’s tone as well as her voice itself took Frisk’s attention almost immediately, the boy remembering why he’d come out here in the first place. “And what’s with all that screaming? Someone dying in there or something?” questioned the fish monster, clearly puzzled and annoyed by the fact that they’d been standing out there for who knows how long.        Quickly, Frisk counted everyone that was there, which was, well, everyone he and Toriel had asked to show up and help. There were the Skeleton Brothers, the Blook Cousins, and Undyne and Alphys all standing in the yard, along with a badly parked car which the boy could only recognize to belong to Alphys and Undyne.        “Well…” The boy knew he had to answer Undyne’s question, or rather everyone’s question given the puzzled stares he was receiving from the others as well. This would most certainly be difficult. “…Sans somehow scared one of the kids, and now the others won’t even let Toriel near her.” He then looked over at Sans, who was leaning against the house with an uneasy look on his skull. “Hey Sans?”        After repeating the name a few times as well as a loud, “Sans!” sounding from Papyrus, the skeleton eventually looked over with what appeared to be sad eyesockets. “Yeah?”        Here goes. “…What happened in there? Do you have any idea?” asked the boy; of course he had a few theories but… He wasn’t quite sure.        All Sans did was sigh, looking at the twelve year old with a tired look. “Frisk, I’m not sure what exactly happened. Maybe the kiddo was just spooked because she saw a skeleton for the first time. Either way, I think we should talk about this later. Paps and I should probably get going before another kid gets scared.”        “Get going? We’re leaving?” questioned Papyrus with a frown etched on his face. “But we just got here!”        “Oh Sans darling, stop being a party-crasher. We’re here to help the Queen glam up the place, not scare the little beauties half to death.” Mettaton couldn’t help but add his two cents on the matter, gaining a slightly annoyed look from Sans as the celebrity continued with, “And Papyrus is right. You did just get here. No need to break up the show just yet.”        “Besides Sans, we should comfort them and make sure they know that we would never harm a human!” Papyrus cheered, finding his idea to be a rather good one.        “Um, let’s just let them calm down on their own for now-”        “Sans!”        The sound of the former Queen’s voice caught the attention of everyone immediately, the monsters quickly growing somewhat uneasy under her angry gaze. The temperature seemed to grow hotter with every passing second, though no one knew if it was because of Toriel’s magic or because of everyone’s nervousness as they waited for what she would do next, or more accurately, what punishment Sans would be in for.        Everyone’s attention was on the skeleton once again, though instead of acting as lazy and semi-tense as he had earlier, he tried to put on a more laid back and relaxed attitude, though unfortunately it wasn’t working.        “Oh- Uh- Hey there Tori-”        “Don’t ‘Tori’ me, Sans!” the monster snapped, causing Frisk to flinch at her harshness; he never saw this side of her often, but he never liked it. The angry side of Toriel was always a side to avoid. “There is a child having a panic attack in the middle of my house, and I am determined to find out why!”        “Toriel, I probably just rattled their bones a bit. It’s not that big of a deal-”        “It most certainly is ‘that big of a deal,’ Sans,” Toriel shot back, her brown eyes practically burning through his skull. No one else dared make a move with her in this state, though someone who could get away with it did.        “Mom…” remembering the presence of her child, the monster then looked down to see a rather uneasy Frisk, the boy rubbing his arm as he looked up at her with pleading brown eyes.        This then caused the goat woman to sigh as she tried to calm herself. “I’m sorry Frisk… I’m just a bit… Ruffled by the situation,” she apologized, only to pat the boy’s head before looking back to her target. “But I still must speak with you, Sans. In private. Now.”        Worried, Frisk couldn’t help but look over at Sans, who simply gave Frisk but a glance as he looked back towards Toriel and shook his head.        “Toriel, I thought we were here to help with supplies-”        “Sans.” Once again, the former queen interrupted, but now there was a softness in her voice, trying to hide the layers of sadness that was hidden beneath the surface. “Please…”        The skeleton knew he couldn’t cheat his way out of this; Toriel would eventually get an answer from him, or Frisk would figure it out and tell Toriel his suspicions; despite being friends with the boy, he hardly knew what he’d do next. Even then, one thing was obvious: He couldn’t hide from this problem.        With a defeated huff, Sans’ left eyesocket began to glow, the skeleton and goat monster both beginning to do the same. “Alright…” And within a flash, they vanished before anyone else could say a word.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing; flowers were blooming. But to Sans, it all felt like hell under Toriel’s piercing gaze. They were in a field, the same stretch of land the monsters all had to cross through in order to get to Ebott City from Mount Ebott. Trees dotted the landscape, though for the most part it was nothing but a field of grass. Now, Sans and Toriel stood a few feet across from each other, Sans struggling to meet her eyes while she did her best to keep a straight face.        “Sans.” Her voice made him wince a bit; he knew she was trying to stay calm, but her voice was clearly filled with fear, as were her eyes. “What happened.”        The skeleton was silent for a moment as he shuffled his feet, once again being unable to meet her gaze.        “Sans.” She might not admit it, but she was growing impatient. The longer this went on, the more distressed she became, and Sans staying silent was only keeping her from not only the truth, but her children as well. “Why was Flare so frightened? What do you know?”        Once again, nothing. Her patience was gone. “Sans!” Finally, he met her gaze; her angry and upset gaze. “What happened to my child? What do you know? I wouldn’t be asking you if you didn’t have anything to do with this. But I have to know. Tell me. Please. Tell me.”        He could see the pain in her eyes, pain that fueled her anger. However, even though she had every right to know what had happened between him and the child, he knew very well that she would hate him. She hated Asgore for ordering the deaths of seven human children, and the same would probably be said for those who carried out his orders.        Finally, the skeleton let out a defeated sigh. “Alright, I’ll tell you what happened. Just… Keep an open mind…”Frisk had been waiting outside when it had happened, when his friend ended up teleporting right across the yard. He didn’t look up to see what they’d do next; in all honestly, the boy expected one of two reactions: Either Sans would teleport away soon after teleporting Toriel home and Toriel would run into the house; Toriel would ask him about the others and Sans would ask about Papyrus; or a mixture of the two. It all depended on what exactly had gone down between the two while they were alone; even after practically memorizing their actions, he couldn’t predict everything.        “Frisk?” Toriel: Option Two. “Do you know where the others have gone? If so, are they coming back?” Well, not quite option two, but he was certainly close.        Looking up, Frisk quickly studied Toriel’s expression; it was tense, yet firm, as if she were at school having a bad day with her students yet still trying to be kind. He knew what that meant. “Oh. We weren’t sure when you’d be back, so I asked them to go get the clothes and stuff, like we talked about,” replied the boy with a more or less neutral expression.        Toriel, of course, seemed to then remember what she’d been planning on having them buy, and within moments, she’d brought out her phone and began to text. “You told them everything, correct? What sizes they need? What clothes they’ll want to wear? How big all the rooms are-”        “Don’t worry Mom- I told them everything. Undyne even said she might get some toys for them-”        “Undyne?” Toriel seemed to almost pale at the thought of the ex-head of the Royal Guard grabbing toys for her children, especially since the last ‘toy’ she’d given Frisk was an actual sword of all things. “I will just text everyone everything they need to know, just in case.”        As Toriel began typing her long, long text message, Frisk took notice of Sans, who spoke up and asked, “Hey kid, when Papyrus gets back, make sure to tell him I’ll be home, okay kiddo?” Within seconds, Toriel’s eyebrows furrowed in annoyance at his presence, though before she could open her mouth, Sans had teleported away.        “…The nerve of some monsters…” the boss monster huffed, only to shove her phone back into her pocket and carefully open the door to the house.        “Mom- Wait-!” Toriel had almost forgotten how the children might react to her thanks to Flare’s outburst, but luckily, things were calm, at least for the moment.        Once the door had been opened, there wasn’t a panicking child, thankfully. Instead, there was Austin, who was quickly startled by the two, so startled that he almost dropped a certain flower pot he was holding.        Letting out a startled and very much high-pitched squeal of his own, Flowey shrunk down in his flower pot as if to try and disappear, only notice that the ones who had scared him were Toriel and Frisk, even if Frisk hung back a bit. “Toriel! Don’t scare us like that!” the flower snapped, Austin nodding in response as he held the flower pot out to the monster.        “I’ll take him-” Frisk quickly moved in front of Toriel and quickly took hold of the flower pot, Flowey simply rolling his eyes and muttering something under his breath.        “He doesn’t make a good flower crown,” Austin said with a frown, only to shrink down into his borrowed sweater when Toriel gently patted his head.        “Oh my child… Thank you for looking after Flowey… Where are the others?”        While the house had still been pretty quiet, it hadn’t at all meant the children had left, thankfully. Gabriel ended up slowly peeking out from behind the wall once Toriel had finished speaking, all while Daya descended from the top of the stairs as she grumbled a quick, “There you are,” before heading towards the living room where everyone else had apparently gathered.        Toriel was about to ask where Vera and Flare were when Daya suddenly came back into her line of sight while pulling another girl along with her, that girl being Vera. Grumbling at Daya for a few seconds, she then stood up and jerking her arm away while rubbing the appendage in the process.        “Vera?” The goat-woman didn’t have to ask her question, for once she said her name, the dirty-blonde knew what she was going to ask and in turn provided an answer.        “Flare’s okay, but we’re leaving her alone for a while. No one’s allowed to talk to or so much as look at Flare unless it’s Daya,” said the girl, only for whatever respect that had been there to decrease. “Now your turn. What was that?!”        “That was Sans- He’s a friend of ours-!” Frisk quickly replied before being interrupted by the goat-woman.        “He’s a friend of Frisk’s, but you won’t have to worry about him. He won’t be coming around here anymore.”        “What?!”        “Haha! Finally the Smiley Trashbag’s been banned from the house!”        “Flowey!” Frisk was clearly distressed by the situation, and Flowey’s comment didn’t exactly help. After shooting the flower a brief look, he then stared up at Toriel in shock, though she was currently more focused on Vera’s reaction as well as the other children’s. “Mom, please! They just got off on the wrong foot- Maybe Flare will get used to him over time-!”        “This isn’t up for discussion,” Toriel said in a swift yet firm manner, causing the young boy to back down. Toriel was upset. He could tell. Arguing with her on this subject would get them nowhere.        Vera, for once, seemed actually satisfied with something Toriel had said. “Finally, we agree on something.”        “U-um… Will anyone else come here…?” questioned Gabriel quietly, his voice almost barely audible to Frisk, though luckily Toriel picked it up quickly and too answered this question.        “There may be other monsters, but I will make sure they don’t hurt or scare anyone like Sans did. I want you all to feel safe here, and what he did was inexcusable.”        “He didn’t do anything,” Frisk muttered under his breath, Flowey rolling his eyes while crossing his leaves.        “By the way. Children, where is Flare? I don’t want to accidentally scare her when walking around the house.”        At first, the children seemed reluctant to answer, though Daya ended up deciding to take up responsibility on her friend’s whereabouts. “She’s in that weird room with all the tiny people. Just don’t go in there until she comes out.”        While none of the other kids seemed phased by her wording, Toriel was most definitely confused. “…Tiny people…?”        “My action figures!” Frisk’s sudden yelling caught everyone off guard to the point where almost no one reacted when the boy sprinted down the hallway and quickly opened a door, Flowey yelling, “Frisk!” as he did so. This was followed by some of the other children yelling while Toriel once again tried calming them. But, he didn’t get to listen to them for long, for the second he was inside, Frisk shut the door to his room and dashed towards a small table in the corner, where a bunch of small figures stood, all of which seemed to be thankfully untouched. “Oh thank goodness- They’re all safe-” said the boy with a relieved sigh.        “You have serious issues,” grumbled the flower, only to peak around Frisk when he heard a small whimper from in the room. “Oh great. Little Miss Panic’s in here.”        “Huh?” Turning around, Frisk then knew what Flowey was talking about when he noticed Flare, the child huddled at the far edge of his bed while for the most part hidden under the once-neatly-made covers. “Oh. Hi there Flare-”        Without warning, the door suddenly swung open, an angry Daya in the doorway as she sprinted over to the frightened child. “Get out!” the boy heard Vera yell, Daya then giving Frisk a glare as if daring him to disobey the younger girl’s orders.        “I’m coming!” And with that, the boy quickly trotted out, Flowey in hand, though he was of course met by the angry girl who’d yelled at him earlier, her arms crossed as she demanded, “Why’d you go in there when we told you not to?”        “My action figures are in there! And I sleep in that room!” the boy protested, still clutching to the flower pot he had with him. Luckily, before another argument could ensue, Toriel had decided to quickly butt in.        “I’m not tolerating any fighting in this house. Frisk, I think you can kindly lend Flare your room for the time being. It won’t hurt you and it won’t hurt your action figures. Vera, while Flare can stay there for a little while, it’d be good for everyone to know how long she plans on staying in there, especially since that is indeed Frisk’s room.” It was clear to both children that Toriel wasn’t planning on dealing with anymore mishaps today, and because of this, it seems Vera had decided not to argue.        “None of us know how long it’ll really take, but she’ll come out when she’s ready. Besides, she’ll have to come out eventually if she wants to eat. You have more non-poisonous food in here, right?” Vera and Toriel locked eyes for a moment before the goat-woman sighed and nodded. “That sounds like the best thing that can be done for Flare. Also yes, I do happen to have more non-poisonous food.” Clearly, the monster was growing fed up with Vera’s remarks.        “Toriel?” Looking down, the monster took notice of Austin, who had once again been tugging at her robes. “What do we do now?”        This didn’t quite catch the boss monster off guard, but at the same time, she didn’t answer the child right away. She’d had things planned for the day, things that needed to be done, but after her conversation with Sans, she honestly just wanted to stay in her room for the rest of the day and grieve. But, after what had happened, she couldn’t do that in front of the children, so the monster put a smile on her face and answered. “Frisk and I were going to ask if you could help prepare the house for you to stay in.”        “Stay in?” echoed Vera and Gabriel, Vera then adding, “What do you mean by ‘stay in?’ As in staying here?”        “Well, yes-”        “What?!”        “And because of that,” Toriel interrupted Vera, “We’re buying you many things for you to use, including your very own beds.”        Any fear and remote hostility any of the children had soon nearly vanished at the thought of their own beds.        “Is this w-what you were talking about at b-breakfast?” questioned Gabriel, remembering the bunk beds talk.        Toriel, glad she had made the souls at least somewhat happy, nodded with a smile. “Exactly. And we’re buying you your own clothes and toys. I hope you all like them.” She then waited and watched the children’s questioning yet somewhat happy expressions, only to continue. “But, we won’t be able to move everything into the house unless some things are moved out of the way. So, I’m going to need your help.”        “I wanna help-!” Austin exclaimed, happy to do something other than just sit around. Soon, all the other children in the room chimed in, including Vera, who simply stated that she was only helping because she needed something to do.        Thankful that the offers had seemed to distract them and maybe even herself a bit, the monster then turned to Frisk, asking if he too would like to participate.        “…I’m gonna go outside…” Frisk didn’t even bother looking up at Toriel when he answered and instead turned towards the door, much to Toriel’s dismay. Was he really that upset?        “Frisk,” the monster started out softly, placing a hand on his shoulder while ignoring one of Flowey’s, “Oh you’ve done it now,” remarks. “I’m going to need your help moving at least some things around the house. You know we must be ready for when everyone returns, and I can’t let the other children move things without my or your supervision.”        Unfortunately, Frisk didn’t budge; he simply stared blankly at the floor. And so, Toriel had decided on a compromise. “You can go outside once we finish moving things down here.”        “…By myself, right?”        “All by yourself.”        “With Flowey?”        While she didn’t particularly like the weed, Toriel knew how much Flowey meant to Frisk, even if she didn’t understand why exactly he was so attached to it, or why banning it from the house seemed like such a bad thing to her. “…If you wish, but you must do your part.”        “Okay.”        “Alright. Now that everything’s settled, I want everyone to divide up into teams…”Despite Frisk’s rather depressing attitude from before as well as the souls’ lack of understanding of most basic household items, it was surprising how well everyone worked together, especially with a bit of music. Vera and Gabriel had been stuck with Frisk while Austin was upstairs with Toriel to help her sort out and clean anything that she needed done up there.        Downstairs, the tasks were relatively simple. Fold up and move the couch-bed, toss sheets in the corner for washing, and vacuum the floors, though that scared practically every soul child in the room and probably even beyond. And while Flowey’s lovely, “You missed a spot,” comments were annoying, they certainly were helpful, so long as they were real comments of course. But, since Frisk was unable to clean his room due to Flare and Dayas’ occupation of it, the boy had been quickly cleared for outdoor duty, which he quickly took advantage of.        “Finally. Some fresh air,” Flowey said flatly as he was placed on the concrete step outside the front door next to Frisk, the boy eventually taking his seat next to the flower before pulling out his phone. “Oh don’t tell me you’re texting the Smiley Trashbag-”        “Shut up, Flowey.” He didn’t even look away from his phone as he sent one simple text message warning to his currently-shopping friend group, only to then pull up a second contact and send a second message.        ‘We need to talk.’

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Frisk was lucky that the park wasn’t too far away from his house. It was a few blocks away, but it wasn’t a major walk, and he figured it was the perfect place to meet and discuss these important developments. After all, if the souls were reacting badly to monsters that murdered them in the past, then he’d need to know in order to prevent anymore freak-outs.        Two by two, the shopping monsters eventually showed up, Alphys and Undyne arriving first while the Blook Cousins eventually followed behind them.        “I couldn’t help but notice that a certain skeleton isn’t with us,” noted Mettaton, the robot turning to Alphys with a raised eyebrow.        “O-oh- Papyrus? W-We dropped him off at home- He- He said he got a text from Frisk about it-” said the nervous monster, Undyne’s eyes instantly falling on the human boy in front of her.        “What’s going on, punk? First Sans bails and now Papyrus?! Come on!” The fish monster looked less than pleased with this whole thing; she already disliked shopping as it was, but now Frisk was acting weird and the Skeleton Brothers were involved, apparently.        “Hold on. I brought you all here because, well, it’s really important.” With a deep breath, Frisk began to explain. He told the monsters about the children, about how they were found on Mount Ebott, and how Toriel had identified them as the six fallen souls from before. He noted their amnesia, their strange behaviors, and most importantly, Flare’s reaction to Sans. He talked, they listened, and already, Undyne had seemed to grow angrier and angrier with his explanation until finally, she erupted.        “You’re telling me those little punks are back?!” the fish-woman shouted, temporarily attracting the attention of a few other people in the park. “We’ve been shopping for those kids?! I can’t believe this!”        “U-Undyne! Calm down-!” pleaded Alphys, the lizard monster quickly hugging her fiancé in a frightened manner.        While it didn’t get Undyne to completely calm herself, she did take a few seconds to force herself to lower her voice, and then a few more to keep from blowing up again, or at least blowing up too much. “Okay. The first kid I actually feel kind of bad about, but the second brat shot out my eye! And you sent me out shopping for them?! You know how much I hate shopping!” she hissed, only for Frisk to blink at her in surprise.        “Wait- The first one? H-How many did you kill?” questioned the kid nervously, only for Undyne to reply with a harsh, “Only two- Can we move on yet?!”        “Not yet! Otherwise, Mom’s gonna ban you from the house like she banned Sans!” Frisk protested, clearly upset over this.        “Well maybe the flower punk knows something! Why don’t you ask him?!” Undyne harshly inquired, Flowey letting out a snarl of, “I wasn’t alive then, dummy!” in response to the fish.        “I don’t want anyone yelling at each other!” Frisk shouted, trying to get everyone back on track. “I just want to figure out what happened, so that maybe more monsters don’t get banned from the house… If Undyne killed two and Sans probably killed one, then that leaves three others… Did any of you kill any of them…?”        For a moment, everyone was silent, but Alphys did eventually stutter out an answer. “I-I couldn’t kill a-any humans- Y-You were the first one I e-ever saw-!”        “Okay. I think you’ll be fine then. Mettaton? Napstablook? What about you guys?”        At Frisk’s question, Mettaton couldn’t help but scoff, the robot flicking some of his synthetic hair out of his face. “Me? Kill a human? Darling, I might’ve been originally built to exterminate humans, but I’d never seen one until you came along.”        To Frisk, this was at least a little reassuring; some monsters hadn’t been alive long enough to have seen other humans, and it was nice to know that he could at least still hopefully be around Alphys and Mettaton while at his house.        “And Blooky here has also never seen another human, well, not until you, that is,” Mettaton continued, the barely visible ghost giving Frisk a small nod as well as an, “I guess…”        Frisk, thinking all of this over, soon gave the group a nod. “Okay… I think I have everything… Sorry Undyne, but I think it’d be safe if you didn’t come over… I don’t want them to be scared or for you to be banned-”        “Yeah yeah fine whatever. Alphys can drive the rest of the way. I’ll just chill at home in the meantime,” grumbled Undyne, the monster still seeming very annoyed with this turn of events.        “B-But Undyne-! At least l-let me drive you home-!”        “No worries, Alphy. I’ll just run home. It’ll let me let out some pent up anger anyway.” Before anyone could object, Undyne had sprinted off, the monster no longer in sight of the group, though the honks of various horns as well as a loud, “Hey! I’m running here!” revealed her location.        Alphys, who didn’t seem all that happy with how Undyne had reacted, fiddled with her hands and looked down at the ground, though Mettaton was there to lift her spirits. “Don’t worry darling. I’m sure she’ll be fine! Now, let’s show those children the truly beautiful nature of monsters, by giving them an amazing performance that they will never forget!”Vera had no idea what to think of the sparkly purple robot that had decided to make its way into their house, and seeing as she didn’t know exactly what it was, she already distrusted it.        “Careful- It’s sparkly- I mean- It could do something-” Vera told Gabriel, who was staring at this fabulous robot with shining blue eyes.        “Beauties and gentlebeauties, I, Mettaton, and here to bring you the greatest performance yet!” declared the popstar, only for Daya to suddenly realize, “Hey! You’re that guy from the radio-thing!”        Within an instant, Mettaton seemed to somehow find a way to light up even more at this news. “Oh really?! Well, I am quite famous, so it’s no wonder that you heard me on the radio-”        “You suck at singing.”        It was silent in the house for a moment, though Toriel broke said silence by scolding the child. “Daya! That was uncalled for!”        “Oh it’s alright darling- It’s alright. I’m sure she’s just playing hard to get,” said the robot with a wink, causing Daya to give him a confused look whilst Toriel practically death-glared him.        Luckily, Frisk was there to intervene, and intervene he did. “A-Anyway! Let’s get this stuff into the house! I bet we’ll be done by the end of the day if we hurry!”        “What stuff, exactly? Do you mean those bed-things?” questioned Vera with an eyebrow raised. Even if she didn’t fully trust anyone here yet, the girl was slowly growing to… Slowly. For now, it was more of a tolerance than anything, but she had to remain vigilant; she was the acting leader while Via was gone, after all.        “That, and so much more!” proclaimed the pink robot, mic in hand as he then stepped aside to reveal an entire rack of clothes, all clothes that had just been purchased from the store. Surprisingly, they weren’t as glittery as Mettaton, but that was only because Napstablook had reached a compromise with their cousin. Otherwise, at least half of those clothes would have been sparkly, even though Toriel had requested otherwise.        “These racks are filled to the brim with outfits our Queen Toriel had ordered, handpicked by the finest actor and finest DJ on the planet!” Within moments, Austin had quickly approached the racks, only to begin trying to look through the clothes one by one. Of course, one of Mettaton’s hands snaked around and lightly grabbed his own before they could do anything. “Nah ah ah. Touch later. For now, we observe! Behold, the designer line, with its glorious shine and sleek design, all ordered by yours truly! You’re welcome~”        Within moments, Frisk and Napstablook had moved the first rack while another came in, this rack holding six – no, seven outfits, all of which seemed to resemble couture outfits from fashion shows. They weren’t as outlandish as couture outfits exactly, but the immense amounts of glitter and color and wacky style made it clear that these weren’t very normal.        “…Those are clothes?” questioned Vera with a raised eyebrow, only for Gabriel to walk towards the outfits and stand beside an already close Austin, the boy staring at the shining clothes from underneath their clear yet protective plastic bags. “So pretty…”        “They’re not that pretty. I like the first rack the best,” remarked Daya, Austin quickly asking, “Can I put them on now?” with a quiet yet somewhat excited voice.         While the children were now beginning to berate Toriel and Mettaton with clothing questions, Flare had sneaked out of her room to see what the fuss was all about, only to catch sight of the clothes as well as the new humanoid monster and ghostly one that had entered the house. She’d been about ready to slip back into Frisk’s room after a quick look when, unfortunately for her, Mettaton caught sight of the child.        “Oh! It seems we have one other little beauty that needs to join the party!” said the extravagant robot as he watched the child freeze in place. “Come out darling! Don’t be shy! We’re having quite the party over here!”        A moment passed, and it became clear that Flare wouldn’t budge without some help. Therefore, with a huff, Daya then made her way over to the slightly younger girl before taking her hand and looking towards the group, and within a few moments, she’d somehow managed to bring the frightened child over. Of course, Flare was still cowering a bit behind Daya, but at least she’d gathered enough courage to exit Frisk’s room, which Frisk looked pretty relieved with.        “H-Hey- Um- Q-Queen Toriel- Ah, is it okay if we start m-moving things in now-?” piped up Alphys as she did her best to make herself visible to the large goat monster.        “Oh Alphys, it’s just Toriel now, and of course. Children, please step back. We have lots of work to do and limited time to get it all done. For now, let us move the clothes into the living room and sort them later. We should get the heavier furniture up first… You did buy the furniture I requested, yes?”        “Oh- Of course! I-It’s still in Mettaton’s trailer, actually-”        “Oh! Looking for the furniture I see! I’ll show you the dressers!” With that, Mettaton lead Toriel outside, the goat woman quickly giving Frisk the quick order of, “Please move the racks and open the doors while we move everything, okay? Also Frisk, you’ll need to move a few things in your room, just like we talked about.”        “Alright. Got it, Mom!” said Frisk cheerily, only to watch the two leave. Quickly, he and the others got to work, moving the racks to the living room with Napstablook, Alphys, and even the other souls before looking towards his room. “Hey Alphys! Can you help me move my stuff? You’re the only one I know who understands the importance of my action figures.”        Alphys, letting out a quick hum, looked up and quickly nodded. “Oh sure, Frisk! Y-You don’t mind waiting out here w-with the souls, r-right Napstablook?”        “…Sure, I guess…” murmured the ghost, only for Frisk to exclaim, “Great!” before heading to his room, Alphys quickly following behind him.        Once they’d entered the room, Frisk laid out his new ground plan and soon, they’d gotten to work. Of course, the work wasn’t that major seeing as all they had to do was move his bed back into a corner as well as adjust his dresser, but it allowed Alphys the time to ask him a few questions.        “S-So! Which ones are which?” questioned the monster, causing Frisk to look up from the floor plan he’d had quickly sketched out.        “Huh?”        “The souls- W-which souls are which-?” repeated Alphys, the lizard-like monster fiddling with her clawed hands.        “Oh-” Frisk then took a moment to think, only to look towards the door when he heard one kid ask something about what he assumed was Napstablook’s Dapperblook trick. “Well… To be honest, I… Don’t know. The only one I’m sure of is Via, but that’s just because she needs glasses.” He’d also sworn he’d seen them in his fight with Flowey, but they didn’t act like those kids… Not really…        “Via?”        “Perseverance, I think. She’s not here right now- She’s- She’s the one in the hospital…” said Frisk with a worried frown, only to rub his eyes a bit as he watched Alphys think.        “…Frisk?”        “Yes?”        “C-Could you possibly get Toriel to bring the kids by my house sometime-? W-When Undyne isn’t there of course but I-I just want to check something-” Alphys then ended up looking down to the ground, her tail wrapping around herself a bit in a bout of shame and nervousness.        Frisk, after taking a moment to guess what she wanted to do, eventually nodded and gave his friend an encouraging smile. “I’ll do my best, Alphys!”        “R-Really?”        “Mhm!”        “O-Oh! Okay then! W-Well we should probably head back out to the others- N-Napstablook can’t occupy them forever, I mean-”        “Yeah, I see what you mean,” said the boy before reaching the door and twisting the knob. “Let’s go see how things are going.” And with that, he opened the door.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Moving everything into the bedrooms was a piece of work, especially when it came to getting things up to girls’ new bedroom. The plan had been to have Sans teleport everything to where it needed to go, but with his absence as well as Undyne no longer being around to lift the really heavy objects, things were much harder on the monsters, who were doing their best with what they had.        “You can do it Mettaton!” Frisk cheered from the bottom of the stairs, the boy watching him and Toriel carry a rather heavy dresser up the steps.        “Come on Toriel!”        “You’re on the last few steps!”        “Lift like your lives depend on it- ahh!”        The second Toriel stumbled and showed signs of falling, the five souls had quickly scattered to avoid getting crushed. In Frisk’s opinion, it was amusing, and while Alphys also found it to be somewhat humorous, it was also making her a little bit anxious. After all, what if it did fall? Sure Mettaton was strong, but he was the one leading the way while Toriel was following behind him while helping to carry the thing; if Toriel slipped, then the dresser would surely fall on top of them, and they most certainly didn’t want that.        “I-It’s okay, children! We have it under control!” Toriel called out, Austin peaking back into the stairway with Gabriel close behind him. One by one, the souls began to return, calling back out to Toriel once again as they tried to give her and Mettaton words of encouragement.        And then she nearly tripped over her robe. Again.        With another series of yelps, the children once again raced to safety as the former queen tried to catch her balance. Even Alphys had backed away from the staircase, while Napstablook simple turned around and murmured, “I can’t watch…”        Frisk was the only one who didn’t move, and thankfully, Toriel did manage to steady herself, only to help Mettaton finish lifting the dresser and safely setting it down at the top. With a happy cheer, the boy then began clapping at their victory, Alphys quickly joining in while the children all returned and peaked back up the stairs once again.        “Thank you, thank you. You’re too kind!” said Mettaton with a gracious bow, the robot then turning his head slightly while raising a sassy eyebrow at Toriel. The goat monster, however, didn’t budge at first, but then she let out a small chuckle and out of embarrassment said, “If you insist,” only to do a quick bow herself. Unfortunately, their happiness was short-lived.        “N-Now we only n-need to put up t-two more dressers-!” Alphys exclaimed, only to flinch as she heard a bunch of annoyed sighs sound from the other children. Even Napstablook’s ghostly form sagged a bit until only their drooping eyes were peeking out above the floor, thus causing Mettaton to click his tongue and shake his head.        “Well little beauties, we shouldn’t let that stop the show, now should we? But, it is never good to continue a show without an intermission! Break time~” With two quick claps, Mettaton then began his descent, Toriel letting out a sigh of relief as she followed behind him.        “So how long is this going to take? You said we still have two more of those to get up the stairs,” noted Vera with a slight frown, the girl then running up the stairs once Toriel and Mettaton had reached the bottom. Followed by the other two girls, Vera then began inspecting the dresser, circling it as best she could before trying to push the heavy object.        “Vera, my child, please don’t mess with that. Mettaton and I will move it once we catch our breath,” Toriel called with worry in her voice.        “And I thought some of those branches were heavy-” Daya grunted as she and Flare both tried to push the dresser forward, succeeding in moving it one or two feet before stopping at Vera’s orders.        “Stop stop stop- You’ll hit the wall!” It was clear to the other souls that Vera was in work mode, which was why Gabriel and Austin had exchanged glances at the bottom of the stairs.        “Is there any way to um, stop her?” said Frisk quietly as he turned to the other two boys at the bottom of the stairs.        “N-Not really… She gets really into w-working…” Gabriel murmured, the boy nervously twisting a bit as he stood in place.        “You can try to distract her, I guess, but she’ll only do it if it’s work-related right now,” said Austin before crossing his arms. “Even though she doesn’t always do her own work…”        Humming a bit in thought, Frisk then attempted to come up with an idea, only to eventually snap his fingers once one came to him. “Hey Vera! You know, it’ll be very hard to fit the dresser in unless you know the proper format." All he could do was smirk when Vera began peaking over the railing.        "What do you mean by 'proper format?'" she questioned, only to blow some dirty blonde hair out of her face.        "I mean, this is all about making nice bedrooms and stuff, and without my mom's help and without knowing where things should go, you'll just be wasting your time and energy moving something around, only to get it moved elsewhere," the boy reasoned, watching as Vera furrowed her eyebrows in thought.        "...What're you trying to say." Vera seemed intrigued, yet at the same time annoyed by the boy. Not only was he interrupting her, but she was also getting outsmarted by him, which wasn't very surprising given his knowledge of the place, but still.        "I'm saying you should check out my room! Or, well, me, Gabriel, and Austins' room. We moved all the furniture into it and around before getting everything up there since, well, moving things up to your room is really hard." Frisk was hoping this would work, though given how Vera seemed to actually be thinking about taking him up on his offer, he figured that he actually had this in the bag. Even without his resets, he could still predict people, and that made the boy happy. "So. Whadaya say?"        Vera, still seeming like she was in thought, eventually huffed before making her way back to the stairs. "Fine. Let's go see your room."        Happy with Vera finally caving in, Frisk then clasped his hands together as if to seal the deal before trotting off to go head to to his room, or rather the newly named boys' room. Of course, Austin and Gabriel quickly followed him along with Vera and the other two girls. Seeing as Frisk had gotten a head start, he reached the door first and whisked open the door to reveal what his little bedroom had transformed into.        In the farthest corner from the door was a bunk bed, space-patterned sheets on the top mattress while simple cloudy sky ones were on the bottom one. In front of the bunk bed was Frisk's bed in all its Harry Potter glory, and right beside that same bunk was also Frisk's dresser, which of course was covered in Harry Potter figurines. There were two other identical dressers of course, neither of which were decorated with anything, but two racks of clothes indicated which dresser belonged to who.        "Hey. Hey Frisk." Flowey's quick little comment quickly caught the others' attention, though that annoyed look on his face quickly changed to an angry one as he yelled, "Would you stop leaving me in here?! It's so boring!"        "...The flower's staying down here right."        "It's Flowey!"        "Yeah, he's staying in my room," Frisk said to Vera, the boy then trotting off to the side right next to Flowey's little pot.        Standing back, Frisk then allowed the souls to examine the room, Vera and Daya taking an interest in the position of objects while the two boys in their group quickly drifted towards the clothes. Flare, unsurprisingly, stuck close to Daya, who had picked a large stuffed rabbit up from the lower bunk bed and was currently examining it.        "What's with all of these stupid dolls?" Vera's question suddenly caught Frisk's attention, especially when the girl carelessly picked one of those objects as it rested neatly on his dresser. "They looked weird already, but they look even dumber now-"        "Don't touch that!" Frisk suddenly yelled as he raced over and snatched the figure out of the girl's hand, the boy holding it protectively as he quickly examined and dusted it. "You could've gotten scratches on my Draco!"        All the other children could really do was stare in confusion, not at all understanding Frisk's distress. The only one who didn't seem surprised was Flowey, who remarked in a sour tone, "He's really picky over who touches his dolls."        "They're not dolls!" Frisk protested as he hugged the little Draco figuring. "They're action figures! Come on Flowey- You know this!"        "See?" huffed the flower as he watched the boy gently put the Draco figure back in its rightful place.        "...Why do you even have those action figures?" inquired Daya with a tasteless tone of voice, the older girl giving him the strangest look.        "Well I'm glad you asked! They're from my favorite book and movie series, Harry Potter!" Already, the children weren't quite following, but that didn't stop Frisk from explaining things. "It's a series about this guy who goes to this school for wizards to learn magic, but while he's over there, he ends up learning that he has to defeat Voldemort!"        Everyone was confused. Everyone. Except for Flowey, because Flowey was very unfortunate to have to live with this child for six months.        "...What?" Vera was the first to speak, though Daya and Flares' expressions also revealed that they too were confused.        "...Oh yeah- Voldemort's the bad guy. He's this evil wizard that tried to kill Harry Potter when he was a kid, but he failed and a bunch of other stuff happened, so now Voldemort's back from the dead and he's all like-"        "Hey! Spoilers!" Flowey suddenly yelled. In all honesty, he didn't care about spoiling the show for the kids. He just didn't want to hear Frisk go on another rant about how cool Harry Potter was.        "Oh! Yeah- Sorry- Completely spoiled that for you- Um-" Chuckling nervously, Frisk then awkwardly grinned while he scratched the back of his neck.        All the three girls could really do was stare at him with puzzled and overall dumbfounded expressions, though their attention ended up shifting to the boys, who were happily going through their new clothes.        Gabriel and Austin, without even needed to be told, had quickly figured out which wardrobe belonged to who, and already, they were trying to figure out what clothes they wished to wear tomorrow.        "I-I like this one!" Gabriel exclaimed as he held up a cute little lilac dress. That's one thing Frisk had noticed about that particular boy's entire wardrobe; it was all dresses and skirts, which he didn't mind. This would just mean that when it came down to organizing clothes, it'd be much easier to distinguish his own outfits from the other two boys', especially since Austin, while he had more pants and shorts, still had a fair amount of feminine clothing mixed in with the bunch.        "It's cute! This is my favorite!" Austin said happily as he held up a sweater with a childish yet somehow stylish flower design on it. And then he began wiggling out of his borrowed sweater. "Let's try it on-!"        "Austin no!" Quickly, Frisk snatched the sweater out of the unsuspecting boy's hands. "There are girls in the room! You can't just change out in the open-!"        "Why not? You put on a skirt in the middle of the Underground," said Flowey flatly, Latino child blushing a bit out of embarrassment.        "Well yeah, but it was armor! And surprisingly good armor too-" the boy pouted, only to cross his arms and turn his attention back to a very annoyed Austin. "Besides, we still have to put all the clothes away in the drawers before tomorrow. Plus it'd be a waste of clothes to wear the sweater today. Wait till tomorrow."        "But I don't wanna wait!" Austin whined as he snatched the sweater back, only to hug it protectively as he backed away from the older boy. "Why can't I wear it now?!"        "Because it'll get them dirty-!"        "What's that?!" Quickly, Vera and the others had latched onto a sudden noise above her head, or more accurately, the sound of a large object being set down on the second floor.        "They must be moving the dresser," Frisk figured, only for Vera to suddenly rush out the door while yelling, "Get the format right- The format must be perfect!"        "...Is she always like that?"        All Daya did was raise an eyebrow pointedly at Frisk as she mockingly asked, "Are you obsessed with dolls?"        "Action figures," Frisk corrected, gaining a snicker from the slightly younger girl.        "Same thing. Hey Vera! Wait for us!" And with that, Daya and Flare had retreated from the room, only for Frisk to look over at the other two boys. Seeing as both were still very fixed on the clothes, Frisk figured that following the girls would be a dumb move to an extent. So, he made a different decision and stayed behind.        "Guess I'll teach you guys how to fold some clothes."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The past two days had been about as busy as expected considering the stakes at hand as well as everything else. After having finally moved all of the furniture upstairs and in its proper places, the day after that had been spent completely tidying up the house as well as the children themselves. That meant haircuts, making sure all of the clothes fit, etcetera. And now came the big day: Inspection Day.        "...Why is this basket of dirty clothes just sitting here?" Mrs. Ryan had returned with her crew as well as even a policeman, and already, they had found something to complain about, or rather one worker had.        "Oh! These are supposed to get washed today," Toriel clarified as she clasped her hands together politely. "But, there was something else in the washer earlier, so I had set them here in case any other clothing needed washing."        "...I see..." said one of the workers, only to jot something down on her clipboard before heading to another section of the house, all while getting watched by Toriel as they went along.        Frisk, of course, was doing the same thing, though he refused to hide his disdain for the workers. Every time one got near him, he'd automatically shoot them an apprehensive look and would even move away if he felt they were too close. Whenever one tried to judge something as trivial as a dirty dish or anything else, he would quickly provide an explanation before taking care of it to avoid getting scrutinized by any other social workers. It also didn't help that pictures and even brief hair samples were taken of the children, or more accurately mugshots were, especially considering the fact that neither of the children were quite happy about them. However, the most stressful part about all of this had to be the interviews, which, to his and just about everyone's sheer annoyance, were conducted privately between Mrs. Ryan, the souls, and a few other social workers.        "Can you tell me all your names, please?" questioned the woman, being surprisingly sweet to the children despite their last encounter.        "Daya."        "Austin."        "G-Gabriel..."        "Flare..."        "...Vera."        Neither of them seemed happy about answering the questions either, but Frisk had told them what would happen if they acted too out of line; they would never see each other again.        Writing down their names, Mrs. Ryan then began asking more questions, such as where they came from, how Toriel found them, how they were being treated, and what they remembered about their parents.        "Parents?" Daya, confused, had decided to speak up first when the last question popped up. "We've never had parents- We just- We've always been on the mountain-" said the girl with a frown, only for the other children to back her up with head-nods.        "No parents?" Mrs. Ryan questioned, seeming perplexed by the situation. How did they not remember their parents? "...What do you remember?"        "Um..." Quickly, the children began thinking; neither of them recalled a whole lot, but what they could remember wasn't exactly very interesting.        "...We just lived on Mount Ebott. We worked together to live and survive. That's it." Vera said simply, only to add, "I should know. I was one of the leaders."        "Yeah, the bossy one," Daya remarked, only to acquire a quick, "Shut up!" from the blonde.        Mrs. Ryan once again hummed and stared at her clipboard, finding the entire situation to be quite strange. Then again, they had ties to Mount Ebott, and that mountain was a strange place in and of itself. "When I asked you kids for your names, you all told me your first name. Do you know your full names?"        "...Full n-names..?"        "What are full names?" Already, the children were puzzled, though they did listen to the woman once she spoke up again.        "A full name is your first, middle, and last name all wrapped up in one. For example, my full name is Bertha Ryan-"        And within moments, a few of the children erupted into small fits of giggles.        "What kind of a name is Bertha?" asked Daya with a snicker, the woman giving her and the other two snickering kids an annoyed stare.        "It's my name, and I would appreciate it if you didn't laugh at it. That's quite rude."        "So's separating all of your friends," Vera noted sourly, only to cross her arms as she leaned back. "We don't have those. My name's just Vera."        Bertha couldn't help but stare down at the children and then back at her clipboard, waiting just a moment before saying, "...I see. Thank you all for your time. You all actually sat still instead of trying to beat up my coworkers."        "Don't separate us ever," Vera ordered, her glare hardening a bit at the mention of the events from a few days ago.        Before any of them could leave, one of the other kids brought up yet another question. "When's Via coming back?" Austin had spoken up, the little boy crossing his arms before wiggling in his seat a bit. This quickly caught the other children's attention, for they all were wondering the same thing, even if they'd been told that she would return at some point.        "Via? Oh- Yes. She'll return soon, but for now, she's been left to rest at the hospital, but we've already visited her and can assure you that she's getting better." Even if her words weren't completely true, she knew how they'd react if she said something else, and just as she'd hoped, while Vera still seemed irritated by the vague answer, the children simply nodded to assure her that they understood. "Wait here, please. I have to speak with your... current caretaker."Toriel had been sitting in Frisk's room with her son as she waited for the social workers to finish talking with the children, the woman clearly stressed, though she was trying to keep calm for Frisk and Floweys' sake, seeing as both of them were clearly upset.        "I really hope Vera doesn't say something that'll get us all in trouble," Frisk said with a frown, the boy pressing his head against the door while Flowey did the same with his... petals.        "Are you kidding me?! We told her they don't remember anything didn't we?! Why is she asking them about memories?!" the flower hissed, only to gain a sigh from Frisk.        "They always ask these questions so they can find out more about the kids and stuff, and so they can dig up dirt and get Mom in trouble," stated Frisk simply. "Good thing I told them what to say about us. Even if they don't fully like it here yet, they don't like those guys even more."        "Frisk, Flowey, please hush. We don't want to disturb them, nor would they appreciate you eavesdropping on their-"        "She's coming-!" The second Flowey whisper-yelled this to Frisk, he practically leaped away from the door and ran over towards his bed, right where Toriel was sitting and now waiting for Mrs. Ryan to come inside. Not a minute too soon and the woman knocked on the door, only to open it and catch an annoyed Frisk on his bed with Flowey, all while sitting next to his adoptive mother.        "Miss Toriel, I need to speak with you in private," the woman told her, only to look over towards the goat monster expectantly as she watched her straighten up ever so slightly.        "Of course. Frisk, please wait with the others-"        "Not in here." The woman then glanced behind her for a second before adding, "In the living room, please. We're almost done."        Finally, she was leaving.        "Frisk, Flowey, please stay here." Toriel then pushed herself up off the bed and began heading towards the door, only to walk out once the social worker had stepped aside.        "Please have the other children sit in another room. I wish to speak with you without any of them listening." Bertha then looked towards the couch in the living room, where the children were gathered, all whispering about everything that had happened while explicitly trying to avoid contact with the few other workers nearby. When Austin saw Toriel though, he quickly stood on the couch and waved at the monster, thus garnering the others' attention.        "Greetings, children!" Toriel said with a smile, hoping that her calm demeanor might calm down the tense kids. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to calm them as much as she'd hoped, but at least they were all looking her way attentively. "I'll need all of you to wait with Frisk in the boys' room, please. We're almost done, okay?"        "Can we play with Frisk's dolls?" Daya asked loudly, only to earn a loud yet muffled, "Action figures!" from Frisk as the girl snickered.        With a small yet amused sigh, Toriel then shook her head. "Sorry, but those are very valuable to him. Now please, go wait with him in the room, okay? Mrs. Ryan and I have to talk alone for a moment."        All the children did was exchange a few glances between themselves before they moved off and away from the couch and towards Toriel, all while making somewhat wide arcs around the workers. Once they reached the monster, they then all slipped past her and headed into the room, Toriel then gently closing it once they were all inside.        "...You're lucky you're already in the system as a foster mother," Bertha grumbled in a begrudging manner. "But even so, there are still many questions pertaining to you and those children, such as how you came to know them, and I don't mean recently either."        Toriel, while she was thankful that the many months spent fostering Frisk and even signing up to potentially foster other children had paid off, was a bit confused and concerned by the last question presented to her. She couldn't mean...? "My apologies, but I do not understand what you are saying. Please, explain."        In response, Bertha couldn't help but huff. "After uncovering the identity of Viola, or 'Via' as everyone calls her, I checked the records, and it turns out she's been missing for some time. In fact, she's been missing for so long, she should be about forty. They've all confirmed that they only remember living on Mount Ebott, which is where you came from."        The way Bertha pointed out all of this information made Toriel's blood run cold, the monster already worried about not only the children, but what this could mean for monsters and humans alike. If they ever found out the truth about the children and what they'd been used for... Toriel didn't want to think about it.        "We've been speaking to the authorities, and we uncovered that Viola is one of seven missing children's cases, all of which went missing around Mount Ebott," the social worker continued, only to give Toriel a dangerous look. "If these are those children, then you'll have more to worry about than how to potentially foster five kids, five kids that don't even deserve to be put in your possession."        Quickly, Toriel's gaze hardened at the last statement, the monster still remaining calm, though she didn't at all appreciate the threat. "Try as you might, you cannot separate these kids without causing an uproar, and hardly ever will anyone willingly foster six children all at once. And I know what's best for them. I know how to care for them. If I can not only lead a kingdom, but also teach at a school, I can assure you that I can take care of seven children."        "Actually, six children."        The goat monster couldn't help but frown in concern at Bertha correcting her like that, not at all liking what she was implying. "Hmm? What do you mean 'six?'"        The dark-skinned woman then took a look at her paper-work, only to raise her eyes to Toriel's and say, "We've already finished tracking down Viola's relatives." She then paused, only to let the news sink in for a moment. "Viola will be going home tomorrow."        Already, the monster was staring as her in disbelief. They'd found her parents? Honestly, Toriel sometimes forgot the children she cared for even had other parents; she already considered them her children and therefore their mother, so thinking that they had other family was... strange. And heartbreaking.        "Don't try to fight with us over this decision. It'll happen to the other children eventually, especially if they really are some of the missing children, which I suspect they are. You can't keep them away from their families forever. Their real families, might I add. Do you understand?"        A moment of silence as Toriel took it all in, the monster still worrying over how this all might end, and not for herself, but her children. With a deep breath, the sad mother spoke. "I understand."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The past few days had been very strange for Via to say the least. The hospital was overwhelming, at least in the beginning, and honestly, the girl had been and still was a little nervous over the entire thing. Thankfully, her friends visiting along with Toriel had calmed her down to an extent; after all, her friends were safe; they were with Toriel, and she knew the monster was safe...        "Viola Ivy Roe... Viola... Ivy... Roe..." she murmured, the pre-teen still trying to get used to the sound of her name. Ah yes, she had been given the same treatment her friends had been given, even if she wasn't aware of what had happened between the social workers and the others. During these sessions, however, they had uncovered her name, and no matter how many times the girl repeated it, the name simply sounded... Wrong. But she knew they were right. This was her name. At least, it was her legal name... But to her, she would always be Via. Just Via.        "Good morning, Via!" The sound of someone announcing their presence caused the young patient to look towards the slight blur that was the nurse, the girl relaxing just a bit as she approached.        "Hello," greeted the pre-teen quietly, only to watch as the familiar nurse set down her lunch for the day. Out of everyone that came into her hospital room, this particular nurse was her favorite, mostly because she didn't ask her any strange questions, gave her food, and was overall very kind to her. It... It felt good, honestly, being pampered like this. It almost made her not want to return to her old life in the woods.        "I brought you a ham sandwich today, and some chips if you want them," the nurse informed, only to cheerfully add, "Oh! And by the way, your glasses are here! They came in much quicker than I'd thought!"        Already, the girl was intrigued as she looked towards the nurse with sparkling green eyes. She'd been happy to learn that she was getting glasses, especially considering she remembered how it felt to borrow Frisk's. Of course, her eyesight had still been bad with Frisk's glasses, but it had been better than nothing. But the nurse had told her that she was receiving her own pair of glasses made just for her, and that made her feel quite good honestly.        "Close your eyes, and don't open them until I tell you to, okay?" requested the woman, Via complying by doing just that. When she felt the accessory get slipped onto her face, the girl cringed a bit, but eventually brought up her hands to adjust them. And then, she was given the go to open her eyes.        The clearness of her vision quickly shocked the girl, who blinked a few times as she tried to process what she was seeing. She knew the world was colorful, for she'd seen these colors herself. She'd just hardly ever seen these colors get separated properly, and it felt good to know that now, with this tool, she could see like everyone else. "...It's ...Beautiful ...Is this what everyone else sees...?"        "Mhm!" replied the nurse as she gave her a smile, revealing pearly white teeth that Via now had a clear view of. "Just about everyone at least. You're lucky those came in so early! Otherwise, you would've had to wait for them to get delivered to your mother!"        Quickly, Via's attention was caught once again, though this time, she sounded more confused than happy. "...My mother...?"        "Yeah, your mother! Didn't you hear? Or did they not tell you yet?" asked the woman with a frown, concern evident as she watched Via's expression. When Via questioned if the nurse had actually meant Toriel, all she could do was sigh and shake her head. "No, sweetie. Your real mother... She's alive. And I know you have amnesia, darling, but you have a mom out there who loves you very much, and I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."        With a gentle smile on her face, the nurse then reached out and patted Via's head, only to advise her to eat her lunch before leaving the girl alone yet again. But unfortunately, Via's appetite was nowhere to be found as she thought about what the friendly woman had said, an empty pit in her stomach as she thought about the word. Mother...        There were only two things she associated with that word: Toriel, and pain. She didn't quite understand it yet, but pain was what came to mind. Pain and just... an overall bad feeling... And if mother didn't mean Toriel, then what exactly was she in for? The pre-teen could swear she had a memory to match up with her bad feelings, yet every time she reached for it, it drifted away. So much for her amnesia leaving her alone; it seems all she could remember for the moment were some blurry scenarios in the Underground and Mount Ebott in general.        With a small sigh, Via carefully picked up her sandwich and began to eat, chewing carefully as she took her time in doing so. She didn't know when she would be fetched, but it had to be soon; she was sure it was soon, and the girl was indeed right. Ten minutes after finishing her meal, the child was greeted by some familiar social workers, and soon, Via had been placed in a car and was on her way to this 'mother.'        "Via?"        A concerned voice pulled the brunette out of her daydreams and back into reality, the girl then turning her head away from the window and looking towards the one that had spoken. "Yes?"        Sitting right next to Via was none other than Bertha Ryan, the woman who happened to be practically running this entire case, at least when it came to handling the children and what would happen to them. So far, the woman was quite pleased that she was helping a young girl return to her mother after all of these years, but even so, she still knew that Via's case was a special one, for obvious reasons. "I know you said you were beginning to remember a few things, yes?"        "Mhm."        At the sight of Via's nod as well as the sound of her hum, the woman continued. "Do you remember anything else?" She then paused as she watched the young girl slowly divert her gaze before looking away, thus concerning Bertha given her reaction. "I'm sorry for asking. I'm just curious."        "It's fine... It's just... I have a bad feeling..." Via murmured, only to tilt her glasses up a bit in order to rub her eyes.        "A bad feeling?"        "...Yeah..."        "Does this have to do with memories?" asked the brunette, only for Via to slowly shrug in response.        "...Sort of... I'm not sure if I want to meet my mother or not..." The word sounded very strange to say out loud, especially when she was using that word to refer to someone she barely even knew.        Taking in Via's concerns, Bertha then waited for a moment before reaching out and gently rubbing the girl's shoulder in an attempt to somehow soothe the child. "Hmm... Maybe these are just nerves. You'll never know until you meet her though, yes?"        All Via did was sit there for a moment, happy that Bertha was at least trying something. She'd always been so nice to the girl during the few visits they'd had together, even though the first one was a bit tense for whatever reason. Leaning back in her seat, she then looked towards the woman and let out a small breath. "I hope so..."        After that, the young girl had gone back to staring out the window, watching as they drove passed fields and farms continuously. It was quite boring honestly, but Via liked watching it all the same; after all, she'd never left Mount Ebott before until a few days ago, and the meadows were such a nice change of pace compared to the hospital room as well as the cramped city. Eventually, however, the meadows began to fade, and soon she found herself back inside another city.        "...I thought we left Ebott City," said Via with a frown, only to look towards Bertha, who simply smiled softly at the child.        "We did, sweetie. This is another city. Welcome to Sierra. Your mother lives in an apartment here." At the sound of the word, Via seemed to grow confused, which of coursed prompted the woman to explain. "An apartment's like a house, but it's a bit smaller, and it's in one building along with many other apartments. Imagine living in a building with a lot of rooms, and you own one of those rooms. Can you do that?"        Sitting there for a moment, Via then waited before giving the social worker a small nod, her expression going blank for a moment as she got lost in her own mind once again. She could've sworn there was a memory there... It was just right out of reach, and no matter how close she got to unlocking it, she just couldn't seem to do so. The only thing that pulled her back out of her thoughts was when the car began backing up, and that's when she realized that they were parking. They'd arrived.        "We're almost there. We just have to get to the third floor, and then you can say hello to your mother," said Bertha with a kind smile, only to open the door to the car and let herself out. Not knowing what else to do, Via did the same, opening the door on her side before stepping out and shutting it. Quickly, the pre-teen circled the car until she reached Bertha, watching as the woman stared at her phone before looking towards a door near their parking space. "Yeah, we're in the right place. Let's go."        With that, the woman then gently placed an arm behind Via's back as she steered her towards the correct door, only to open it for her and begin to head up the stairs. Behind her were the driver of the car as well as another worker who had sat up front, both of which were holding clipboards as they followed behind the two. As much as each of these workers wished to return her to her mother, they knew they couldn't just hand her over. After all, they had to make sure that after all of these years, the woman was still able of taking care of a child; even if records showed that she did indeed have the salary for it, that didn't mean she could properly handle Via, especially after all of these years.        After climbing three flights of stairs, the social worker then opened a door and headed down a hallway, only to stop at one of the rooms with Via in tow. "Ready to meet your mother?"        The question didn't quite phase Via this time around, for she knew she'd be asked this again at some point. But even though she had responded with a nod, the young girl didn't feel ready at all. Something seemed wrong to her, something... dangerous... But what was it? She couldn't put her finger on it... All she could do was sense that something bad would happen...        Knocking on the door, Bertha stood above the brunette with her hand placed gently on her shoulder, the woman giving it a gentle squeeze in order to try and calm her nerves. While she too knew that there was a chance that this meeting could take a turn for the worst, the woman was hoping that instead, this would be a happy reunion. What kind of mother wouldn't want to see their little girl after she had been missing for so long?        As they waited, the group eventually heard the sound of footsteps approach the door, only for the sound of a lock turning ensue before finally, the door opened, though only by a crack. "What do you want?! I'm busy."        The voice instantly caused Via to tense, her eyes instantly focusing on the figure peering through the door. However, Bertha spoke up before her attention could turn to the girl, though even with the social worker speaking, it still didn't soothe Via. Not at all. "Are you Margaret Lily Roe?"        "...Yeah? What do you- Wait..." The newly named Margaret's attention quickly changed as she finally noticed a certain someone in the group. She hadn't recognized her at first; the new glasses and hair not being braided had thrown her off for a moment. But now that she was able to look at her, now that she was staring back... It became clear to her exactly who this was. "...Via?!"        "...Mother..."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"There is absolutely no way in hell that this child is my daughter!" It had been expected for this revelation to not be an easy one for the mother in question, especially considering young Via hadn't seemed to have aged much since she'd vanished. In fact, Bertha herself knew that if she were in this woman's shoes, she would also be in disbelief, which was why she was doing her best to calm Margaret now that they were all inside.        "If this were the real Via, she'd be in her forties!" snapped the woman as she angrily shook her finger at the social worker. "That ungrateful girl ran away ages ago, and you expect me to take in some random little girl?! I'm having trouble supporting myself as it is!"        "Mrs. Roe, I know this is a lot to take in, but we have proof that this is indeed your daughter," stated Mrs. Ryan as she began holding up an opened folder for the elder to see. Inside were mugshots of the young pre-teen as well as reports on her vitals and health as well as social security information. Typically, all of that was confidential as it should be, but considering the circumstances as well as the permissions CPS had accessed, they knew it was important to show the mother everything they had gathered on her child.        "The mugshots match the last pictures taken of your daughter when a missing person's report was put out, as do her vitals. In fact, she was wearing the same clothes she had been reported to be wearing on the day she had gone missing. This is not a coincidence." Bertha was trying her best to reason with the woman, all while subtly surveying the state of the apartment. Obviously, her colleagues were doing the same, what with their clipboards out as they took notes on the state of everything. It wasn't bad, but at the same time, it wasn't good, at least by her standards. But even so, she didn't want to separate this mother from her child over a few clothes. "If you don't believe me, then please, at least speak with the girl and decide for yourself."        With those words said, Bertha then moved herself over slightly as she placed a hand behind Via's head and gently nudged her forward, the girl cooperating, though there was a strange look in her eyes, one that was rather blank... It was probably just shyness and amnesia, or at least that was what the social worker was chalking it all up to be. She didn't know the half of what was happening here.        For a moment, Margaret Roe stared down at the pre-teen, her expression appearing to show that she was... less than impressed. "I never got you those glasses."        "...The hospital got them for me," responded Via quietly, the girl fiddling with her hair just a tad as she kept her head low.        Almost instantly, the woman's interest in the girl had piqued. "Oh? What else did you get from the hospital?"        "...They gave me some clothes, and a blanket, and some allergy tests to make sure I'd know what would make me sick," Via replied once again, only to begin attempting to look up at the woman who was supposedly her mother.        As Margaret studied the young brunette, Via too began to study her, trying to piece together all of her tangled thoughts. The woman before her was new to her yet familiar all at once. The graying hair and wrinkle lines threw her off just a tad, but the facial features all matched up to that of a woman Via had pictured in her head. But this woman did not fit the description of a mother, at least not when Via took into account the nurse's definition. Mothers were kind and loving, like Miss Toriel. But this woman...        "Hmph. Well, you're lucky I never got rid of your things after all these years. Now maybe this house will lighten up a bit with my daughter returning." Her voice had softened, yes, but Via didn't like that. It didn't sound right. Those words weren't genuine; she could tell. Margaret Roe didn't mean a word she'd said.        "So you do believe this is your daughter?" How did Bertha not see this? At least that was all Via could wonder. Was she really going to just hand her over to this woman...?        "I believe so, yes. If the DNA scans confirm it." No...        "We did test her, and yes, she is your daughter. We would not be coming by if we did not believe this." No no...        "Well, what do I have to do to get her back? Will I be getting any help from the government over this? And I assume I'll need to sign at least some papers." No no no-        "Why yes, at least until you can support both yourself and your daughter. Thankfully, we can fill out the forms for all of that right here-"        "No!"        The child's panicked response quickly caught the others' attention, Bertha turning to young Via with a surprised and concerned look on her face. "No? ...Via, I know moving in with someone you don't remember can be scary, but the tests say-"        "I don't care about the tests- It's not about the tests! I just-" Rarely ever did Via cause a ruckus like this, mostly because she was typically the one in charge, but even so, she seldom spoke out against adults, and when she did, she was calm and composed, not shrill and panicky. "I can't come back here-"        "Of course you can! You heard the lady- You're my daughter!" Margaret snapped, the older woman locking eyes with the younger girl. "I don't know how you don't remember me or how you didn't even age, but if the tests say so-"        "I said I don't care about the tests!" As if realizing who she'd yelled at, Via quickly backed away, only to turn and run for the door.        "Via- Via!" Within moments, the social workers sprang into action, the nearest one swiftly following behind the brunette and pulling her into a hug before she could pull open the door. "Via- Calm down. Please calm down-"        "I can't- I can't-" the girl breathed, tears brimming in her eyes. The memories she had been trying to piece together were coming back, and unfortunately, none of them were good. "Please don't leave me here- Please don't- Don't-"        "Shhh..." The worker then gently began rubbing Via's arm, which could be seen as strange, but given their position as well as how upset the girl was, the gesture was necessary, and thankfully, it was calming. "I'm going to take her outside for a moment."        "Go ahead."        Upon receiving permission from her superior, the woman then gently opened the door, only to carefully leave with Via still intact. Thankfully, being out of the apartment did seem to ease the girl's mind, yet that did not at all ease the social worker's. "Via? Are you alright?"        Taking a few deep breaths, the brunette sniffled before lifting up her glasses to wipe her eyes. "...I'm okay now... I think-"        "You think?" The worker then tilted her head as she released the girl from her hug, all while giving her a look of concern. "Please, tell me what happened. Why don't you want to live with your mother?"        All Via did was look down when asked the question, staring at the ground as she got lost in her thoughts. "...Mothers are supposed to be kind... Take care of you... Love you... That's what the nurse said. But... I look at her, and I look at that place... And all I remember is hurting... Crying... Wanting to leave... And I did leave... And I think things got better... I don't know, but please don't take me back. I wanna go home, but not this home. This isn't my home- My friends are my home-"        As Via spoke, the worker listened, growing more and more worried as she continued. It didn't at all take her long to piece together what had happened here: Via had remembered something, obviously, and that something from what she could tell was abuse. "Shhh... Don't cry... Do you have any happy memories here, by chance?"        Once again, it took Via a moment to answer, but she complied. "...I-I think a man... A nice man... Dad, I think... But... He's not there-" The girl once again had to lift her glasses to wipe away some tears, only to mumble something that the worker had to strain to hear. "...I think that's why I left..."        Even without the last sentence, the woman still knew one thing: Letting Via stay with this woman would be a mistake. Still wearing a concerned expression, she then placed her hands on the young pre-teen's shoulders. "Thank you for sharing. That must have been hard... Wait here, please. I'll need to speak with Mrs. Ryan." Giving the girl's shoulders a gentle squeeze, she then turned around and made her way back into the apartment, leaving the young girl alone in the halls with nothing but her thoughts.        "...Mother..." the girl mumbled, sliding to the floor as she stared blankly at the floor. "...That woman is not my mother."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The news that the children were staying with Toriel was certainly music to the souls' ears, at least in a sense that Toriel's house was better than going to whatever foster care was. However, the past few days had been rather boring to say the least, mostly because the days spent inside were dedicated to doing nothing other than having Toriel teach them how to properly exist in a civilized setting. This included properly dressing up, table manners, bathing, and other things, most of which did not at all interest the children, though some things such as doing hair certainly did.        Overall, everyone was unsurprisingly bored the day Bertha had returned, and while everyone was rather apprehensive to see the woman who had tried to take them away, they were certainly happy to see just who she'd brought with her.        "Via!" Within moments, the children had essentially crowded around the poor pre-teen, all of them pulling her inside and overall away from the social worker with her small suitcase in tow.        "I'm glad you're okay!"        "Y-You got glasses-!"        "We missed you!"        "Are you okay?! Did anyone hurt you?!"        While Via was definitely glad that she could greet and hug her friends, she knew that returning would mean calming Vera's suspicions; she's always been a mistrusting person after all. "Vera, I'm fine. I promise. Mrs. Ryan took good care of me after I got out of the hospital."        "Mrs. Ryan? You mean that girl?!" Vera then quickly shot the woman a glare along with Daya, Via then frowning as she held up her hands.        "Yeah? What's wrong with her? She was very kind to me-"        "She tried to separate us!" Vera interrupted, Daya then nodding in approval of the young girl's words.        "Vera's right. The only reason we weren't taken away was because we rebelled."        "Rebellion?" Flare inquired, almost as if asking if that was necessary at the moment.        Unsurprisingly, Via was a little overwhelmed by the information. However, she did her best to pacify the children, and thankfully, Toriel was able to help.        "Children, why don't you show Via her room while Mrs. Ryan and I talk?" Right after suggesting this, Toriel then looked towards the social worker for reassurance, only to receive a nod from the woman signifying it was okay. But the children did not care about what Mrs. Ryan had to say, or at the very least none besides Via cared.        Within moments, Vera had excitedly yelled, "You gotta see our new room!" before grabbing the girl and pulling her towards the stairs, the nine year old refusing to take no for an answer.        Once the children had all more or less forced Via to head up the steps and into the girls' bedroom, Toriel then returned to speaking with the social worker, who then let out a small sigh. Whether that was a sigh of relief or a sigh of annoyance was unknown, but that didn't matter. What mattered was what she'd said next.        "She's yours. You're fostering her now, but only if you sign the required paperwork." It was clear that Bertha wasn't quite happy with this arrangement, yet at the same time, she didn't sound hostile. She sounded more like she was... worried.        Despite Toriel's calm demeanor, the woman was still rather surprised by Bertha's appearance, and while she was happy to take in the child, she still had her own set of questions. "While I will gladly take the child, I am still confused as to why she has come back here. I thought you had located her parents."        "We did, but that's none of your concern," said Bertha simply, only to hold out a clipboard and a pen attacked to it. "She'd be in someone else's care if it wasn't for her being a part of this group. Even I agree that they need to stay together after that whole fiasco. For now."        The goat monster of course did not quite like the last part of that sentence, but of course, after reading the paper, Toriel then signed the paper before graciously returning the clipboard to the social worker, who only began to look through more papers.        "I have also uncovered the identities of the other five children, and suspiciously, they're all missing children's cases from years ago that happened in the Mount Ebott area." Once again, Bertha's dark tone was back, and it was very obvious that the woman was not going to let up. "If you know anything about these children, I suggest you tell us now, before we have to find out what happened to those children the hard way."        "Are you accusing me of harming these children?" Toriel questioned, her eyes narrowing at the woman in front of her.        "I'm just looking out for their safety," Bertha replied, locking eyes with the monster before eventually adding, "I could take them out of here right now if I wanted."        "I passed your inspection, and they clearly don't wish to go anywhere else. Leaving them with me is the best possible option, especially because they are in an unknown area, and sending them elsewhere will lead to an uproar. You have no reason to take them away from me unless you locate their parents or have found someone who will adopt them," said Toriel firmly, only to add, "We are to ensure that the children have better futures despite the past. That is my goal, and I hope that is yours as well."        "Are you implying that I don't care about these kids?" Bertha and Toriel then continued to stare at each other in a tense silence, only for Bertha to break the ice by holding some more papers out to Toriel, even if she clearly wasn't happy about it. "Just take your papers, and make sure you know what exactly the others are allergic to in order to prevent anymore emergency hospital visits."        Acting almost as though the tense conversation had never happened, the goat woman accepted the papers, only to look through them briefly before her gaze rested upon Bertha once again. "Thank you."        "And be sure to enroll them in school soon and get them tested and used to a school setting. Even if they all may have to repeat whatever grade they are placed in, it's better to reintegrate them into society sooner rather than later, and I'm sure a few weeks should be enough to get all of this done." Like Toriel, Bertha too had decided to more or less ignore their little scuffle, though she most certainly hadn't forgotten it; she never forgot anything the monster seemed to do.        "Of course."        "Thank you." After that, Bertha abruptly left, not even bothering to wish the woman goodbye. While it was a rude gesture, Toriel did not mind. She had other things to attend to after all.        Placing the papers on the top of the fridge to deal with later, the monster then called for the children, only to watch as they all came scampering down the stairs. It definitely made her happy that all of the children were so happy, even if Via seemed a little more bewildered by her friends all jumping around her.        "Hi!"        "We're coming!"        "What is it, Miss Toriel?"        "Are you leaving again?"        "Leaving?" Via's attention was quickly brought to Toriel if it hadn't been already, the girl curious as to what the woman meant by that. After all, she'd just gotten back and also knew that Bertha had left; why was Toriel leaving?        "Ah, yes, I'll be leaving again to pick up Frisk and Flowey, though I will also be running some errands, so you will be spending more time with the Mr. Birnsen than usual," Toriel told them, only to get a confused look from Via in response. That wasn't all she got, however, for the children also had their own mixed yet mostly positive reactions to this.        "Mr. Birnsen...?" questioned Via, only to readjust her glasses a tad as Vera quickly gave a reply.        "He's a bunny monster that's been babysitting us ever since Frisk and Flowey started that school thing," said the blonde in an almost dismissive manner. "He brings us treats sometimes, but other than that, he's okay."        Giving Vera a nod as well as an, "I see," the girl then looked towards Toriel, who nodded and was about to speak yet again before hearing a knock at the door, the monster opening it and revealing the arrival of the one known as Mr. Birnsen.        "Hello, Toriel! Nice to see you again!" Quickly, Via's gaze was drawn to the bubbly blue bunny, who then proceeded to shake Toriel's paw as she gave her own response to his greeting.        "Ah! It's nice to see you too, Nick! I'm so glad you could make it! Via, this is Mr. Nick Birnsen. I'm sure you and him will get along well!"        It was clear to Via that the goat monster was very happy that this new monster was around, and the fact that half of the others looked pretty happy to see him also showed that the others also seemed to trust him, which allowed her to relax. Of course, she wasn't really tense, but even so. It was nice that the others hadn't attacked him or something, though she didn't doubt that they didn't mistrust him in the beginning.        "Sorry I was a little late, by the way. I noticed someone else was over here and didn't want to really intrude until they'd left," said Nick sheepishly, only to scratch the back of his neck a bit as his ears flopped over.        "That's quite alright, Nick. And you aren't late, though I must be going! I don't want to keep Frisk waiting. Take care!" After hearing a chorus of goodbyes from both the rabbit monster and some of the children, Toriel then smiled as she shut the door, only to begin walking to her car with her keys ready to unlock it. The monster truly hoped that Via would get along with the bunny man like the others seemed to, especially since she would be out longer than usual after dropping her two sons off at the house. She didn't want him getting involved with her errands. She didn't want him to watch as she forced anyone and everyone to tell her how her children died, but no matter his feelings, she had to do this. She had to get to the bottom of this.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"What do you mean I have to go home-?!" Frisk had not been looking to argue on this fine day, especially considering said argument was with his one and only mother, Toriel.        Sadly, Toriel wasn't having it, as she firmly responded with, "Please do not argue. This is for your benefit. Besides, Via has returned, and I am sure you and Flowey would love to get reacquainted with her, would you not?"        That of course caught Frisk's attention, the boy perking up just a tad as he looked towards his adoptive mother once again. However, he wasn't the one to speak first, but rather Flowey was. "She did?!"        "Mhm," hummed the monster, relieved that she'd seemingly distracted both Frisk and his friend. "Mrs. Ryan returned her to us this afternoon. She will be staying with us along with the other five children."        As Frisk listened, the boy gave her a nod, his frown deepening at the mention of the social worker. "That's good... Did she do anything else? Were there people with her- Did someone take pictures-?"        "No, Frisk." With a sigh, the monster slowed to a stop at a light, only to give him a look of sadness and concern. "The only ones who were at the door were Bertha and Via. There was one other worker, but she was in the car-"        "Are you sure she wasn't taking any pictures-?"        "Yes." Despite Toriel's insistence on the matter, Frisk still seemed unconvinced, thus causing Toriel to let out a small sigh. "Frisk, I understand your experiences with social workers in the past was very poor, but these are not the same workers. They want the best for them, just like I do-"        "No they don't!" The boy was quick to respond, and he wasn't at all happy with his mother trying to defend them. "They don't want the best for any of them! They don't care about them! They-“        ”Frisk Dreemurr!” The tone of the goat monster quickly caught Frisk off guard, causing the child to flinch as he stopped speaking. The boy was upset, yes, but he never saw Toriel act like this; only when she was truly upset with him would she ever... yell... “Child Protective Services is merely doing their job, and while they do seem to be prejudiced, there is nothing I can do about that other than treat them with kindness and let that speak for itself. When I drop you off at home, I don’t want you bringing this up to any of the kids or Mr Birnsen, including Via. Do you understand?”        A moment of silence followed as Frisk took time to process his mother’s words, only to eventually acknowledge her with a small sigh. “Yes, Mom...”        With a nod of her head to signify that she had heard the boy, Toriel then proceeded to continue driving, leaving Frisk to slouch a bit in his seat as he began to mess with his phone, all while Flowey rolled his eyes and peered over the kid's arm to see. What he was doing was unknown to the goat woman, but she merely assumed that he had been playing games with it, all the way up until she had dropped him off right outside the house. However, while she had expected the boy to head inside even after she was gone, Frisk didn't, and instead, he quickly proceeded to speed-walk away from the house the second Toriel was out of sight, all while carrying his potted friend and apparent sibling along.        "Yeesh. Learn to pick better battles," Flowey said with a huff, only to look behind them to ensure that Toriel was indeed gone. "Still can't believe you're making me do this. Couldn't you have at least dropped me off at the house?!"        As Flowey complained, Frisk had continued to fidget with his phone, now awkwardly dialing a quick number as he continued to hold the flower pot with his other arm. "I would, but then Mr Birnsen would ask why you're there and not me, and that'd tip him off that I'd gone and done something."        "True. You sure know how to play this game huh?" asked the flower, a knowing smirk on his face as the phone began to ring.        Despite Flowey's statement, Frisk didn't respond and instead waited for the one he'd called to pick up, only to begin speaking once they'd done so. "Hey. Mom let me out finally. I'm heading on over, though it's gonna take maybe ten or fifteen minutes for me to get there at this rate," the boy hummed, casually listening to the person on the other end respond to his simple statement.        "Huh? Me? Asking for a short-cut?" asked Frisk after a pause, his lips twitching into a smile for a brief moment. "...I mean, it wouldn't hurt to have one. The quicker this is, the less time we waste. I don't want Mom to know we've been talking..."        Another pause as the boy listened, only to give a few more replies to essentially ensure that he indeed did want this short-cut that was being proposed. And, unsurprisingly, he was granted this short-cut, and within seconds, the boy was sitting in a small restaurant's booth right across from his transporter: Sans.        "I didn't know you could teleport us without being there yourself-!"        "I can't. Thought you'd see me teleport right next to ya. Then again it all happened in a flash, so I can't say I blame ya for not noticing," said the skeleton, only to give the boy a wink as he watched him smile at his lame pun. However, that smile didn't last, and it became once again clear just what they were doing, not to mention the presence of a certain flower made him tense. "You brought the weed?"        "I'm no weed, you stupid comedian!" Flowey hissed, Frisk quickly pulling the flower pot back a bit as if to stop him from somehow getting too close to Sans.        "Flowey, be nice. We don't have all day," said Frisk, sliding on his more neutral expression as he took a deep breath. "...Sans, I think we both know that you and Flare have some sort of connection."        "Kid, we've already been through this. I told you I knew her over text," the skeleton sighed, only to begin opening a bottle of ketch-up.        "Yeah, and then you ignored me until I asked if we could meet here today," Frisk countered, doing his best to keep his voice level.        Taking a swig from the ketch-up bottle, Sans eventually set it back down, his tired eyesockets meeting the human boy's brown eyes. "There's a reason I did that, other than me being too lazy to text, heh... Would've declined today too, but... figured I should throw you a bone-"        "Would you stop with the stupid puns?!"        "Flowey!" Once again, Frisk was there to put a stop to the soulless flower, though now he'd gone from simply telling him to stop to full-on glaring at him; the boy wasn't in the mood, and neither was the skeleton. "Be quiet. This is serious. You know as much as I do that this is important!"        "You could've just asked me! I know how they died!"        "Shhh! They'll hear you-!" Frisk then quickly ducked down a bit before looking around the dinner, clearly very cautious over letting anyone overhear their conversation. Of course, Sans didn't seem all that surprised, though Frisk didn't quite mind if he heard; that skeleton had a bit of a history with Flowey after all. "...No one heard us, thankfully, and you already told me you didn't know exactly how they died! You just said that you felt their pain or something!"        "That's close enough!"        "No it's not. Now be quiet. Please. I don't wanna be here all day, and I don't wanna mess anything else up." Growing solemn, the boy then proceeded to give Flowey a pleading look, the two having a bit of a stare-down before Flowey finally complied.        "Fine. Whatever. Just hurry up with this," he grumbled, only to cross his leaves as Frisk gave him a nod and then looked back at Sans, who was simply staring at the menu as he tried to pick something to order. "...Trash bag! Hurry up!"        "Huh? Ya done yelling at the kid? Good," said Sans as he set down the menu, only for Flowey to roll his eyes as Frisk once again took control of the conversation.        "Okay. We don't have much time. I don't know how long Mom's gonna be gone, so... Let's proceed. Sans... What happened between you and Flare, and Flowey, no stupid comments."        Another huff from the flower quickly followed after Frisk's comment, but nonetheless, Sans was already beginning to think, the skeleton lightly tapping the ketch-up bottle he had gone back to holding. "...That kid... Well, heh... She was... I met her when I was a kid, about your age actually. Hehe. Paps was just a sack of babybones then... He was with me when we met... Kinda..."        "Kinda?" asked Frisk.        "We were in the woods exploring, getting to know our new home. I'd left him by a tree to go check out some... fighting." The skeleton then paused to take a drink from his ketch-up bottle again, only to continue further with Frisk listening intently. "...I've never seen a human till then. The only reason I knew what she was were because of some books I had. That, and last I checked, monsters don't bleed, nor are they usually covered in that much dust."        Frisk then watched as the skeleton's expression turned grim, or at the very least grimmer than it had been before. But he continued, "I was gonna take Papyrus and leave, but she saw me before that could happen... She rushed at me, and I panicked, and before I knew it... She was dead where she stood."        The human then frowned as he felt his skin crawl, the boy doing his best to not picture the scene Sans had vaguely laid out for him to imagine. Either way, the skeleton seemed to have gone completely silent, thus causing Frisk to assume that Sans had finished his tale.        "No wonder that kid felt so much pain then, getting killed by you of all monsters," said Flowey with a giggle, only for Frisk to flick the flower's top petals before adding his own commentary.        "So I was right then... Ouch. But what about the others? Did you kill anyone else-?"        "Nah. Just that kid. Even though getting that one soul had gotten me a quick job in the Royal Guard, I didn't really get to meet the other humans. I think I saw some kid with glasses though, but don't think I saw her with the other kids."        "Oh! That's Via- She was with CPS for a while, but came back home today-!" blurted Frisk, briefly growing excited over the idea of seeing the pre-teen. But of course, his mood quickly simmered down as he asked yet another question. "Um, do you know how she died? Actually, do you know how any of the other kids died...? I know Undyne said she'd murdered two of them, but that's all."        Once again, Sans took another moment to think as he downed some more ketch-up, eventually setting the bottle back down onto the table. "The one you called Via was found dead, I think. Wasn't killed by a guard; they just found em' dead in Waterfall. Don't remember many details about the two Undyne killed, but I know the last kill got her the Captain title. Heard it was quite the showdown what with that magic weapon and all."        The part about the magic weapon quickly caught Frisk's attention, but even so, he allowed Sans to finish. "The last one... Can't remember much... I don't think they got killed by anyone. No one talked about it at least. Can't be sure."        "That's okay. Thanks though... I hope Mom forgives you eventually, by the way. I know you two were really close..."        Despite Frisk's solemn tone, Sans couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle. "Hehe. Yeah... Well, at least I have you and Papyrus. Won't get too bonely then, heh."        "For the love of butterscotch- Please stop with the awful puns!" Flowey whined, only to add, "At least Papyrus knows how to make a good pun!"        "Yeah, he sure does, and tibia honest-"        "No!"        "-he's punnier than me." One dab later, Sans had finished his spectacular sentence, causing Frisk to laugh while Flowey wailed in protest. Thankfully the trio didn't get too loud; they all knew they were in a restaurant after all, even if said restaurant was Grillby's.        "Ding dong- Let's get going before that nice cream dude finally realizes we're more than just a little late!" Flowey quickly stated, only for Frisk to quickly say, "Right-!" as he grabbed the flower pot and stood up, ready to head out the door before he suddenly stopped.        "Wait- Sans- Could you teleport me and Flowey back to that bit on the sidewalk? It'll really help us get back faster. Please?" Proceeding to give Sans a puppy-dog-eyed look, the boy proceeded to say please a few more times before Sans let out a chuckle as he finally gave in.        "Ah, you broke me. Here you go." And within moments, Frisk and Flowey were out on the sidewalk, right where they'd vanished the first time.        "Ah! Right on time!" Frisk exclaimed, quickly rolling up his sleeve and checking his watch. "Well, not right on time, but we weren't gone for too long I don't think!"        "Yeah yeah- Whatever- Let's just get home before Bunny Boy notices we were gone for too long and notifies Mom or something," Flowey grumbled, and with that, Frisk took off with the flower in his arms. Finally, they were heading home.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Toriel had just about had it with Frisk at this point, what with his arguing and paranoid nature when it came to dealing with Child Protective Services. She supposed she couldn’t blame him though, what with his experiences with the social workers; even if she knew little of it, the monster figured that something bad must have happened in order to make him so tense, not to mention his own responsibilities as a student and even an ambassador had to be weighing down on him. Honestly, she had no idea why Asgore had even offered to nominate a twelve year old of all people to be the Ambassador of Monsterkind. What had he been thinking, pushing such responsibilities onto Frisk like that?! But nonetheless, she could do nothing about that for the time being. She had other things to attend to after all.        Pulling up to a parking space, the monster then parked her vehicle before exiting it, only to examine the home before her: Alphys and Undynes’ home. She felt bad about requesting everyone meet here, but it happened to be the home everyone could drive to without wasting so much gas, save for her own home of course. But she wasn’t inviting more monsters into her home when they were potential murderers.        Walking up to the front door, she then gave it a knock, only for the door to quickly open to reveal a familiar yellow monster. “O-Oh-! Hello Queen Toriel-!”        ”No need to be so formal, Alphys. Please, just call me Toriel,” the monster replied, only to ask, “May I come in?”        ”Of course-!” The lizard monster then skittered out of the way quickly, only to say, “E-Everyone’s in the living room- I’ll show you- U-unless you don’t want me to!”        ”Thank you, and please do.” The goat woman then proceeded to give the smaller monster an encouraging smile before following her into the living room, where a few different monsters sat. These monsters were quickly recognized as former Royal Guards, from the K9 Unit to the forces stationed in Hotland. Even Gerson was present, but that was understandable; he had been one of the old Waterfall guards after all.        The second Undyne took notice of Toriel’s presence, the monster’s expression soured as she leaned back in her chair. “So I killed two of the kids. Just gonna throw that out there.” A blunt statement, but a truthful one. And sadly, Toriel was not prepared for such a thing, as revealed by her shocked expression, though it quickly vanished as she angrily narrowed her eyes.        ”...Of course. I’m not surprised considering how brash you are, and trained by Asgore, no less.”        ”Don’t talk about Asgore like that when he's the reason we gained our freedom in the first place!” Undyne snarled, her clawed hands digging into the chair she was sitting in. Already, they were off to a great start.        ”I will talk about Asgore however I like, now which of my children did you slaughter?” While Toriel was trying to keep her voice level, it was clear that she was already upset; the tone in her voice as well as the glint in her eyes and tense shoulders said it all, and Undyne’s hostility wasn't helping. “Did you feel anything when you killed them? Any of you? Which of you killed my children in cold blood?”        ”Toriel.” Quickly, Gerson stepped in, his voice and overall expression serious. “I understand you want answers, but this isn’t helpin’ anyone. If ya want to resolve these issues, you can’t just start blamin’ everyone who upsets you. You know why Asgore made that law.”        It was clear that Toriel didn’t appreciate Gerson’s little lecture, and after a pause, she spoke again. “Even after what happened to my children, there is still no reason to kill children. It doesn’t matter what the cause is. The taking of innocent lives will never be justified.”        At the sound of the former queen’s statement, Undyne couldn’t help but snort. “Innocent my ass. That last kid shot out my eye and killed multiple monsters! I watched them kill an innocent Snowdrake! She’d done nothing and that human still nearly killed her!”        ”At least she had been saved!”        ”She’s part of an amalgamate- I wouldn’t call that saved!”        ”Everyone!” A loud thud then sounded as Gerson slammed his hands on the table, the monster sending glares to both Undyne and Toriel as they turned to look towards him. “Toriel, the law was passed to free everyone from the barrier. Yes, there was a declaration of war, but those plans were eventually scrapped by Asgore. Sure he never told you, but you were too busy hidin' in the Ruins, so of course you never heard."        And Undyne, you may have been following orders, and saving the Underground from that last human was very noble of you; but you can’t forget that Toriel took care of these youngins. Both of you need ta stop focusin’ on your side and look at everyone else’s.” Gerson then paused for a moment, allowing his words to sink in as he briefly hung his head. “Besides, we’re gettin’ nothing done. We gotta move past this and figure out how to help those youngin’s now that they’re back, however they came back. Are we in agreement?”        Yet another stretch of silence filled the air, only for Toriel to unclench her jaw and mutter a quick, “Very well.” Undyne of course followed suit with her huffing out, “Fine,” and thus Gerson began to lead the conversation.        ”There. Now Toriel, did ya bring the pictures?” Gerson then watched as Toriel began pulling some pictures out of her purse, each one being of her with one of the kids. Carefully, Toriel then set them on the table, only to move the ones with Flare and Austin aside.        ”I already know how they died. I only need the other four identified, and then I will leave.” With a tense frown, the former queen then looked back to Undyne, who was sitting back down with her arms crossed as she scanned the images.        ”There. The kid with the frilly tutu and the brat with the hat-“        ”Do not call her a brat! Her name is Vera.”        “Whatever. Those two were the ones I snagged. I feel a bit bad about the first one, but you can’t change my mind on the last one. Not after what she did,” said Undyne with a dark tone of voice, only to watch as Toriel moved the two pictures aside.        ”Very well. Now, what happened to the other two?” Silence once again filled the room as Toriel waited for an answer, the other ex-Royal Guard members peering at the pictures before many shook their heads.        ”...I think we know the last one.” A monster in the back then spoke up as he leaned in a bit to squint at the picture of Daya, only for him to gesture to another monster to come and look with him. “Don’t we know them, bro?”        ”Sure do, I think. That’s the one that fell. Didn’t even know they were like, a human back then. Really sad though, what happened to them,” said the other monster, only for Toriel to give them a puzzled look.        ”Fell? What do you mean?”        ”They like, saw this monster trapped on a ledge and stuff, and they tried helping them, but the ledge gave out or something and they like, fell into the lava. It was bad.” The monster then gave the picture a sympathetic look, only to add, “We tried to help, but can’t really do anything when they die like that. Hope they’re okay, now that they’re back and stuff.”        ”Yeah. They were like, really nice for a human,” his partner piped up, only to then say, “Don't know who the last one is though. Sorry.”        ”...That’s quite alright,” replied Toriel, her voice wavering ever so slightly as she moved Daya’s picture aside. Only Via’s remained, and for a moment, she feared she would have to get information on her from Asgore, but instead, someone else spoke.        ”I knew you’d be upset with me if I told ya this first.” Gerson then pushed himself up out of his chair, only to stare down at the picture of Via with a solemn frown. “I didn’t kill her or nothin’ but I did find her. Barely breathing. She was scared as can be. Don’t know if she’d even remember me now that she’s back, but the kid was dead within minutes of me findin’ her.”        The turtle monster then looked up to find Toriel staring at him, only for him to sigh and continue. “No one stabbed her or anything. What killed her wasn’t your fault. You probably didn’t know about this-“        ”What. What exactly did I not know about?!”        ”...The girl was eating butterscotch-cinnamon pie right before she’d died. Her throat was swollen, and she couldn’t breathe. She accidentally poisoned herself.”        Toriel felt as though time had stopped, the monster doing her best to process what he had just said. Her pie. The pie she had made had killed her. Sure she had made her a simple butterscotch pie while she had stayed with her, but she had made a butterscotch-cinnamon pie too, and she’d set it... right next to the one pie she had made specifically for Via. This was her fault. She’d made that pie for her. She'd poisoned her own child. What kind of mother did that make her...?        Noticing Toriel’s silent reaction to the news, Gerson then let out a small sigh as he reached out to pat her arm. “There there-“        ”Don’t touch me.” A biting reaction from Toriel quickly appeared as she suddenly swooped downward and grabbed the pictures, only to swiftly place them back into her purse. “I have everything I need, and now I shall leave. Goodbye.”        ”Toriel-!” Gerson’s cries seemingly fell on deaf ears, for the goat monster had then proceeded to leave the establishment as quickly as she could. However, before she opened the door, the woman uttered one final statement.        ”Undyne, you are banned from my home.” And thus, the monster left, leaving everyone else behind to sit in dead silence.

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The trip back to the house thankfully hadn't taken that long considering Frisk and Flowey had been transported right where they'd been left before, so thankfully no one had been suspicious when he'd appeared with Flowey right afterwards. All it took was a quick explanation about Toriel dropping them off at her house and bam, Birnsen and the other children had bought it all. And now, the children had been left to their own devices, which, in Flowey's opinion, meant that stupidity was brewing.        "What stupid thing are you doing now?" Flowey couldn't help but comment on Frisk's current excursions, the flower watching with leaves crossed from Austin's arms as Frisk began laying out various items. The items of course did look familiar, and upon getting a better look at them, he could pick up what the child was doing. How foolish. Did he really think this would work? Apparently he did, and of course Flowey was going to say something. "Wait- Don't tell me you think that's actually going to do anything!"        "It's worth a shot. Besides, they'd probably want these back anyway."        "Want what back?" Austin asked, now focused on Frisk rather than his previous task. Actually, he was more focused on the items on the coffee table, all of which seemed pretty strange to him, but all he could do really was wait for Frisk's answer.        Frisk, of course, had no problem answering the boy's question, even if he wasn't very clear in terms of intentions. "Well in the Underground, some items got left behind by you guys, and I figured maybe you'd want them back! You all dropped two items, and thankfully, I collected all of them!" The boy then proudly spread his arms out in a grand manner as he stood above the coffee table. "Hey guys! Come look at these! Please?"        Thankfully Gabriel, Austin, and Flare were already in the room, and Daya had merely trotted on in soon afterwards. All they had to do was wait for Vera and Via, whose footsteps were heard within seconds as they trotted down the stairs.        "Is it food?" Vera called as she headed into the kitchen, only for their bunny monster babysitter to reply, "Not yet, but it'll be done soon! Frisk wants you guys for something real quick!"        "Frisk? Really?" huffed the young blonde, only for Via to sigh as she picked up the smaller child and carried her into the living room. "Hey hey hey! Put me down! No fair!"        "You wouldn't have come otherwise, so I might as well make this easier," grunted Via, only to eventually set down the child once they'd entered the living room. Nonetheless, Vera did seem a bit irritated, but she stayed with the group, thus allowing Via to then ask, "What'd you need us for?"        "The Harry Potter nutcase wants you to pick up some items," said Flowey as he rolled his eyes, Frisk quickly stating, "Joke's on you- I like that title!" in response.        Still smiling, Frisk then spoke again. "But yeah! I've laid out some items and it's your job to pick out two of them!"        "This sounds like a dumb game," Vera remarked, though before she could walk off, Via had grabbed the girl's collar in order to make sure she didn't leave. "Hey! What gives?!"        "Just do it," Via huffed, only to walk over before snatching up a torn up notebook as well as a set of cloudy glasses. "There. I made things easier. Now there are only ten items."        For a moment, all Frisk did was stare at Via, who stared right back at him with a tired yet knowing gaze. He couldn't help but wonder if she knew something, but then another had come to quickly snatch her own items up off the table.        "...These are mine-" Flare mumbled quickly, only to retreat to a corner in order to better examine her items. Did she know something too...? Frisk had to wonder as much, especially when the other kids clearly had no idea what they were looking at.        "I call dibs on the frying pan," Vera announced, only to attempt to grab the item off the table. However, Daya had quickly snatched it, the girl sticking her tongue out at the angry blonde. "Hey! I called dibs! You know the rules of dibs!"        "Of course I do, but I'm the cook, so I get the pan!" Daya sniffed, only to then snatch a dirtied green apron off the table soon afterwards. "Besides, we never had dibs before Toriel. On the mountain, it's finders keepers."        "Why you little-!"        "Whoa there kids!" a voice called from the kitchen, Vera huffing at the sound of Mr. Birnsen's voice. "No fighting, please! I don't wanna have to put anyone on timeout again, so please play nice!"        "I'll play nice when Daya starts playing fair!" Vera snapped, only for Frisk to attempt to make his way over to calm the two. Thankfully, someone else took the stage first, and that someone was Flowey.        "Hey! She got it first, okay?! Go pick your own items! Those weren't even yours anyway!" Flowey interrupted, only to look towards Austin as he tied a faded red ribbon around his head. "See?! Even he's getting a move-on! Just hurry up!"        All Vera did was lock eyes with the flower, her angered look barely doing a thing against Flowey's empty glare. It was a short stare-down though, for after a moment or so, Vera suddenly jolted back for seemingly no reason, the girl then letting out a quick, "Fine!" before quickly grabbing a cowboy hat from the table.        Letting out a sigh of relief, Frisk then gave Flowey a confused look, only to receive a shrug in return as the flower and his pot were then picked up by Austin, who then proceeded to take a seat on the couch. Nonetheless, Frisk was then able to observe the kids fetch the remaining items, and thankfully, there weren't many other scuffles from there, at least on Gabriel's end.        Gabriel had quickly gravitated towards a dusty old tutu and some ballet shoes that seemed to go with it, the boy hugging the items as if he'd lost something important to him. Even if it was clear that Gabriel didn't quite know why he felt so drawn to the items, Frisk still knew that they'd gone to the right person. In fact, all of the items had, though there were still some remaining: an old gun and a toy knife, though the ones with only one item seemed unsure about claiming them.        "...What even is that thing?" questioned Vera, the girl tapping her foot as she stared at the weapon before her.        "Oh that? That's a gun. It's really dangerous, and kids usually aren't allowed to have them, but it's empty, so it can't really do much harm," explained Frisk, only to look towards Austin as the boy continued to color Flowey's flower pot. "Hey Austin! You only have one item left to go!"        All Austin did was look up for a moment and stare at the table, his gaze seemingly falling upon the toy knife before he looked back towards Flowey. "...I don't want it..."        "I'll pass up both of these too. No sense in having a weapon if it can't even do anything," said Vera, the girl then turning away and preparing to walk off with her new cowboy hat.        "Wait!" Quickly, Frisk grabbed the empty gun and raced forward, blocking the girl's way as he held the gun out to her. "Maybe try holding it for a moment or something! Please?"        All Vera could really do was stare at the boy, her blue eyes staring down at the old gun. "Why do you care so much anyway? It's just a broken weapon."        "Please?" Frisk pleaded, not at all showing signs of letting her by until she followed through with his request. She may be stubborn, but he was determined, and better yet, despite Vera's stubbornness, he knew she'd rather do something quick and get it over with rather than spend a long amount of time fighting over something.        Eventually, the girl huffed and took the gun, only to examine it with a bored look. However, the longer she looked at it, the more that look began to evolve until with a frown, the kid held the weapon a bit tighter than before. "...Yeah, I'll take it. Whatever. Now get outta my way." And thus she shoved her way past him, quickly heading back down the hall and up the stairs. This left the toy knife, though when Frisk turned around, he noticed someone had taken it, and surprisingly, that person had been Austin.        "...I thought you didn't want it?" asked Frisk, the boy staring at Austin in confusion as he continued to finish coloring in Flowey's pot. Even if he wanted to get Austin to take it, the boy didn't understand why he'd changed his mind, that is, until Flowey spoke up.        "Well I knew you'd try to convince him, so I just told him he could garden with it so long as he doesn't cut me," Flowey grumbled, only for Austin to turn to the flower with a puzzled expression.        "But why can't I? It's healthy to cut flowers-"        "Not this flower! I'm special!" the angry buttercup quickly snapped, only to angrily point a leaf at the boy as if scolding him. "Just like how you're not supposed to put me on your head, you're not supposed to cut me! Got it?!"        This caused Austin to stare at Flowey for a moment, only for the boy to suddenly get up from the couch and run off, the toy knife in his hand. Nonetheless, Frisk wasn't watching to see where the boy had gone and instead had rushed to make sure Flowey hadn't fallen. After all, the flower pot had merely been held in place by Austin while it'd been sitting on the arm of the sofa, but thankfully, the flower instead just fell onto the couch with an annoyed shout.        "Ack! Stupid flower kid," Flowey grumbled angrily, Frisk then gently setting him on the table as he prepared to go after the younger boy. However, someone had beaten him to it.        "A-Austin?" Gabriel had been messing with his new items when Austin had run off, the boy having changed into the tutu and shoes real quick after grabbing them. But while he'd been attempting to dance off to the side, the child had decided to instead go after his friend with a worried expression.        At first, Frisk made an attempt to follow, only to get stopped by another child. "Wait."        Looking to the side, he caught sight of Daya, who was standing in the kitchen doorway with a frown on her face. What she was doing in there didn't matter though. What mattered was what she'd said next.        "Let Gabriel talk to him. They'll be okay."        "What if they go-"        "They'll be okay," Daya insisted, only to turn around and head back to the kitchen. "Gabriel's Austin's best friend. He'll know what to do."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Gabriel didn't really expect that he'd have to run after people today, but then again, he didn't really expect to need to do much of anything all that recently, at least with how things were going. They weren't fending for survival in the middle of the woods anymore, so Gabriel didn't have much of a job to do, nor did he really have any chores to worry about. Via's new glasses also allowed her to wander around without him needing to lead her, so that was another problem taken care of. Overall, he didn't need to worry about much, but when it came to his friends, he wanted to make sure they were okay, especially if it was Austin who was upset.        Trotting after his friend, Gabriel easily followed him outside, closing the door as he looked around for Austin, though he was quickly spotted.        Austin hadn’t even hesitated in attempting to hide the second he’d exited the house it seems, for all the boy had done was sit in the shade of one of Toriel’s bushes while making sure not to have stepped on any flowers. Sadly, he had failed in that endeavor, for some of the flowers had been trampled over. That of course had made the boy more upset, as noted given his next remark.        “Go away.” Austin normally wasn’t this cold to Gabriel, so of course the other boy was taken back by this. But that wasn’t going to stop him from helping his friend, even if it did make him just a little nervous.        ”...I-I won’t go away. I’m sorry,” Gabriel replied, the boy nervously fiddling with the old tutu he was wearing. “...Are you okay? Did Flowey make you upset?”        Austin didn’t respond for a good while, the boy simply curling up and pulling his baggy sweater over his knees. “...Not a whole lot... I mean, he made me kinda... kinda mad... Flowers are supposed to be nice. I don’t understand why he’s always so mean!”        Ah. It would make sense for Austin to be so upset and come to the little garden for comfort. He’d always found comfort in flowers after all, and since he was unable to go to the underground castle’s flowers, he could really only come here. A boy seeking comfort in flowers thanks to a flower upsetting him... How ironic. But Gabriel wasn’t here to judge him. He was here to help him, and help him he shall.        Walking towards the boy, he then took a seat, though he didn’t enter the flower bed. He recognized that as Austin’s safe place right now. “...It can’t be just t-that... He’s said mean things before... Is there something else...?”        Austin went silent after hearing him ask that, the boy seemingly contemplating whether or not he should explain everything. Then again, what was there to explain? Well, not much, though there was one thing he figured Gabriel wouldn’t know about... “...This place... I don’t know how I feel about it, I guess. It’s loud... and I don’t like that, but Mommy’s nice, and she has pretty flowers, and we have a warm place now, so I don’t know if I really like it or not... I like it a little, I guess.”        As Austin spoke, Gabriel simply nodded thoughtfully, only to add his own input on their situation. “That makes sense, I-I think. It is warmer, and we have f-food now, so I don’t have to make many secret stashes-“ The boy seemed to flinch for a moment, mostly because he knew just about everyone in his group hated it when he stole rations, but Austin had always been a little fine with it. Probably because he’d shared some of his secret rations with the boy though to be honest. “But it is kind of weird, and l-loud...” That had been the first thing he’d noticed about this place. It really was loud here, at least compared to Mount Ebott.        Austin merely stared at the ground after that, his head hanging for a moment before he spoke once again. “...There’s another thing, I think... How’d you feel about the items Frisk made us pick?”        That question confused Gabriel at first, but he guessed it was a valid question, especially considering it was honestly a random request from the strange boy they all knew as Frisk. Automatically, his gaze went to his tutu, which he then began gently picking at as he thought of an answer. “...U-um... I thought it was weird at first, but... I guess I like my items... a lot... they make me feel safer for some reason... l-like I found something... important... What about you-?”        Once again, it took Austin a second or so to respond, but while he’d waited, the boy pulled out the toy knife from earlier. “...I don’t like it. I like the ribbon, but... not this one.”        ”Why-?” was all Gabriel could really ask. Personally he wouldn’t have liked a toy knife himself, but it wouldn’t give him any bad feelings or anything; he just wasn’t into playing with toy weapons all that much.        ”...It’s dangerous.” That wasn’t an answer Gabriel had expected from Austin though, but the young boy kept going. “I can feel it, kinda. You can hurt things with it... or help things, like cutting flowers to help them grow.” To demonstrate, Austin then did his best to gently cut the top of a flower off, only to frown when it took a bit more effort than he’d expected. “...Not good for this either... but still dangerous. I don’t like it.”        ”T-then why did you take it with you?” inquired the other.        ”Because I don’t wanna leave it with anyone else.” It was a brief response, but a firm one, as if Austin was fully committed to this answer. Examining the plastic knife, he then let out a small sigh. “...And it... reminds me of something... dunno what yet, but something...”        After mumbling those words, Austin then set the knife down, only to then pull the ribbon he'd grabbed off of his head. "...I like this one though. It's soft. And it's long. I wanna make pretty things with it." Staring at the ribbon in his hand, the boy then remembered something... something his new mother had said, back when he'd run into her in the mountain...        'You could never make one without your ribbon…'        "...I'm gonna make pretty flower crowns with my new ribbon, and they're gonna be really pretty," Austin declared, only to then realize he... didn't really know how to make flower crowns, with or without the ribbon. "...I'm gonna make pretty flower crowns once I learn how to!"        Quickly, Gabriel had perked up at this, the boy very happy that Austin had turned his own mood around. However, he'd quickly gone from happy to somewhat irritated, though the dancer kind of expected this. Austin did seem very keen on getting started with learning, but sadly, Toriel wasn't around at the moment, and it was doubtful that he'd go inside and ask others for help when he'd already run away from them for the moment.        "...Gabriel?"        "Y-Yes?"        "Can you teach me how to make flower crowns?" Ah. So Austin was turning to Gabriel. Sadly, Gabriel was just about as clueless as he was.        Shaking his head, Gabriel prepared to reply and add onto his answer, only to then jump when he heard a car drive up the small driveway. Even if he'd been here long enough to get used to the sound of the bustling streets outside the house, anything that seemed like it was sneaking up on him still startled him at times, unless he recognized the owner of the sound. Turning around though, the boy brightened once he recognized the car that had driven up, and his suspicions were confirmed as soon as the driver exited the vehicle.        "Miss Toriel-!" Gabriel exclaimed, Austin then perking up as he peered out from his little shaded niche next to the bush.        "Mommy!" Picking himself up, Austin made sure he didn't step on any flowers before following behind Gabriel, the boy enveloping Toriel in a hug as soon as he reached her.        Toriel of course was very happy with seeing the children, especially since it seemed the kids were beginning to trust her more. Sure Austin already seemed attached to her, but the rest sort of had varying levels of trust, and it was nice to see that another was happy to see her considering the day she'd had. "Hello, my children! What are you doing outside?" Even if she was home now, she still had to question why the two were outside with no supervision. Thankfully, Gabriel was able to answer her question.        "W-We wanted to look at flowers," lied the boy, though he did divert his gaze to Austin while responding. He could never really look someone in the eye when telling a lie, but at least his look at Austin seemed natural, plus the boy seemed to support that theory by holding up the flower he'd clipped earlier.        "Ah," replied Toriel, only to gently set a paw on Gabriel's head before looking down at Austin. "Oh? For me? Why thank you, my child! It's lovely!" Gently, the monster then took the flower, holding it in her other paw before she was prompted with another question.        "Can you teach me how to make flower crowns with my ribbon?" Of course he would ask that question. Toriel though took a moment to process that, or rather to process the ribbon Austin was holding up to show her. She knew that ribbon. That was his ribbon. She'd thought it had been lost long ago, at least until Frisk had apparently found it. Maybe Frisk had kept it and then given it back to him... Such a sweet boy... But nonetheless, the monster simply smiled and gave him a nod.        "Why of course! But first, I will need help in putting away the groceries." With that, Toriel then began to lead the boys to the trunk of the car, the monster opening it and preparing to hand the children some bags she figured they could carry. However, before she could explain, something cut her off.        The sound of a child screaming was coming from the house.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

She hadn't meant to touch it. that was the last thing she'd planned on doing. After all, it was an oven. The device was still a tad new to her, but she knew what it did. It warmed things up. It cooked food for those in the house. It was much more efficient than the fire she would cook with on the mountain. That was why she'd wanted to take a closer look, and when the babysitter had startled her upon return, one of her hands had accidentally hit the pot of boiling water. This was where it all began.        Daya didn't remember burning herself before this event. She'd always been so careful with the fire, even going as far as to have bratty little Vera start it when she was unsure of herself. But she hadn't been careful this time. If anything, she'd been careless. And now her hand felt like it was burning. No. Not her hand. Her arm. Her shoulder. Her chest. Everything was burning, and it was excruciating.        Suddenly, the young girl didn't know where she was as images began flashing by her. Images of two adults walking with her down the street, two adults that she felt strangely close to. Those adults appeared again in a blur, along with the smell of something that she knew she loved. They were cooking. Baking. One of the two, but she didn't have time to dwell on it as the images continued.        There were more people around. Lots of people. So many people. But she was happy for some reason. She felt happy among the crowd of what she guessed were children. Not just any children. Friends. Her friends. She had friends? Friends outside of the five? So many people... And somehow, she knew this wasn't a dream.        Another blur, this time accompanied by whispers, whispers of a strange legend telling of monsters. There was advice too, advice on not to climb. No one wanted to get eaten by the monsters. No one wanted to disappear.        Suddenly, there she was, climbing the mountain, determination in every step. She could barely remember this, but Daya somehow knew this was real. Every step she took was real, and so was the fall that came afterwards.        Fall. Wake up. Purple. Purple everywhere. And a monster. No. Toriel. That had to be Toriel. Yes. More happy feelings. More sweet smells, and then it all vanished once she heard the monster echo out a goodbye.        Then came the terror. The tears. The running. All of this fear... It shocked Daya to suddenly witness all of this. Experience all of this. Remember all of this. Bits and pieces, yes, but they were all so familiar. That was the scary part. Even when feelings of relief came along, the fear was still there. Fear of familiarity. Fear of the monsters all around her. And it only got worse as the temperature increased, and the scenery blurred once again until another one appeared.        This one was clearer than the rest. It was still a blur, but she could make out more than just simple silhouettes and echoes. This world was rocky and heated, like she were running around inside a volcano. But she knew where she was. She somehow knew right where she was. She was still in that hole, walking and walking. No. Not walking. Staggering. It was so hot. She was so tired. She'd even thrown down that... apron... She had to keep cool. She had to keep going. But how could she keep going when someone needed her help?        Yes, that was what was happening. A fearful cry from a strange creature trapped on a ledge. She felt the need to help them. She had to help them. That was why she’d gotten on her knees to try and reach out... And then suddenly, Daya felt herself topple over. Something had happened, and now she wasn't stationed on that rocky ledge anymore. She was falling, and she didn't stop falling until suddenly, she felt like she was burning, and this time, the burning wasn't just in the background like everything else. No. This was painful. This was terrifying. This felt like her hand, like she'd touched the pot again. But it was worse. So much worse. The pain and the heat surging through her body was impossible for the child to comprehend; all she could do was scream and cry and hope for the pain to stop, and suddenly, it did.        Daya didn't understand how she could suddenly go from feeling like she was burning alive to feeling such a gentle warmth surge through her, and thus it had invoked a negative reaction from the child, though honestly, that didn't surprise anyone in the slightest.        Eyes flying open, the young soul lashed out, flailing around as she tried to make sense of what was happening. The warmth had vanished once she'd done that though, and for a brief second, she regretted her actions. But that was okay. She could feel the floor from under her hands. She could hear the sounds of her friends letting out cries of worry. She could hear the voices of Flowey and Mr. Birnsen trying to get the others to calm themselves. And, upon opening her eyes again, she could see it all for herself.        "Daya!" Flare's voice was the first one Daya could make sense of out of the six, or rather it was the first voice she'd latched onto out of the group. Everyone was upset, and that didn't surprise her. Something had happened. Daya didn't know what it was, but something had gone horribly wrong. She wouldn't be this shaken if it hadn't. Her friends wouldn't be this frightened if it hadn't.        Before she knew it, Daya had reached out to her friends, specifically in the direction of Flare, who everyone quickly pushed forward. Seconds later, Flare was by her side, arms wrapped around the taller girl in a tight hug. "Are you okay-?!"        Daya's first thought was to retort, but she refrained from doing so; she didn't want to drive her best friend away when she needed her right now. "I'm okay," the girl grumbled, though there was a shakiness to her voice, as if she'd just been through some traumatic ordeal, which she honestly had.        "I am sorry I took so long to get back." Daya could hear Toriel's voice again, though she could tell it wasn't directed at her. From what she could figure out, it was directed at Mr. Birnsen as he stood by with the other kids, though he didn't agree with the goat monster or anything. Instead, he merely shook his head, the bunny monster giving Daya a soft yet worried look.        "Don't sweat it, Miss Toriel. I should've been paying more attention," he told her, though his sympathetic gaze did remain on Daya, even after she looked away from him.        "I'll pay you once this is taken care of," Daya heard Toriel say after a bit of a pause. Ah yes. Now that she was home, he would be leaving. She'd nearly forgotten that, but then again, she also didn't care all that much right now. She just wanted her friend. She just wanted some rest.        "Daya?" Another speaker, this one being Frisk as he stood near Vera and Via, who were exchanging glances with one another as well as looking towards her. Ah. Another one of their little silent conversations it seems, though she wasn't too focused on them at the moment. Frisk was the one who'd called out to her after all. "Are you okay now? I don't know if you noticed, but Toriel healed your hand, so the burn's gone. You won't have any burn scars or anything."        Skeptical, the girl took a moment to look at her hands, only to realize that he was right. She had no burns. In fact, it was like it had never even happened, which cased Daya to furrow her eyebrows as she also took a look at her arms. Nothing. "...Like it never happened... Huh..."        "Daya, would you come with me, please?" Ah. Toriel again, though this time, Daya could see her along with Austin and Gabriel, who were clinging to her clothes. "I'm sure you would like to rest after that... incident, and I wish to make sure you're alright and out of harm's way."        While she did feel a little apprehensive about leaving, Daya also had an idea on where she'd be taken: Her room, with her new bed. A place to rest and process what had happened today. And so, she nodded. "...Okay."        In response to that, however, Flare reacted quickly by hugging Daya tighter, the girl refusing to release her. It was a tad annoying, but at the same time, Daya did want to keep her friend with her, and Toriel saw that too.        With a small smile on her face, Toriel proceeded to left out a small sigh. "I'll carry you both up to your room if you wish. Would you like that?"        "Yes-!" Both girls quickly jumped on that opportunity, which in turn made the monster laugh at their eager responses. Honestly, it did surprise her that Flare had agreed considering how skittish she'd become, but hey. Maybe the excited child she'd once cared for was still there, and without further ado, Toriel picked up the two children, somehow managing to keep them comfortable and hugging together while in her arms.        "Mr. Birnsen? If it is no trouble, could you please have the children retrieve the groceries from my car and put away the cold items? I will pay you extra if you wish." Toriel then looked towards the rest of the children as she spoke, the monster watching Vera huff while Via simply looked to her and then Birnsen for further instructions. The same happened to Gabriel and Austin, who’d trotted nervously towards the previous two once a Toriel had moved. Both knew that Toriel was going to need space to take care of Daya, plus it was not always the best decision to get in Daya’s way.        Nonetheless, the bunny monster didn’t seem to mind considering he’d replied with a happy, “Or course!” And with that, Toriel had thanked the man before taking the two girls upstairs, thus leaving her babysitter alone with the remaining children.        “I’m hungry...” Flare mumbled from where she sat in Toriel’s arms, though upon saying that, Daya had responded by pulling the other closer.        ”Don’t leave me.” It was more of a lazy order than a request, but at least Daya got her point across, and Flare remained where she was.        Once they reached the top of the stairs, Toriel nudged the door open with her foot before sliding inside, only to then carefully set the children down next to their bunk bed. Within moments, however, both children had climbed into the lower bunk before deciding to simply lay on each other.        Unfortunately, due to how y’all she was, Toriel couldn’t sit next to them on the bunk. However, that didn’t stop her from kneeling down to speak with them anyway. “Daya, would you like to tell me what happened?” Her voice was gentle and concerned, which allowed Daya to relax just a little bit despite the mention of those events. But that didn’t mean she was ready to tell Toriel everything.        ”...I touched the pot. I didn’t mean to though. Mr. Birnsen just startled me,” Daya mumbled in response.        All Toriel did though was give the child a soft look, only to then reach out and pet her head in a soothing manner. “Thought you could cook the food yourself?” she asked, sounding almost amused by the act. Daya, however, seemed to take offense to this.        ”Hey- I could! I cooked on the fire back on the mountain, and I could totally cook here!” Daya argued, though, she was still too tired to really reprimand the monster as much as she usually would; that much was obvious. “...And the smell was new, and he wouldn’t let me get close like you would, so...”        ”Ah. I guess I should let him know that you do like to observe the cooking of food from now on. Please do not do that again though, understand? We do not want you to hurt yourself in the future.” Another smile from the goat monster though for some reason, this one caught Daya’s attention.        ‘We don’t want you hurting yourself in the future,’ another voice echoed. A familiar voice. She knew that voice, and for a second, Toriel was someone else. But only for a second.        ”My child?” Suddenly, Daya was back in the room, back with Toriel and now even Flare giving her worried looks.        ”Daya...?” Flare speaking caused the slightly older child to turn to her. “...You’re crying...”        That was something she didn’t expect, and sure enough, upon feeling her face, she did indeed feel a few tears in her eyes. No wonder they were staring. They thought she was upset! ...Was she upset? She didn’t know, but honestly, she didn’t want to deal with it right now. ”...I’m fine. I just wanna sleep.”        Toriel then watched as Daya laid her head back down, the monster not so sure if that was true or not, but at the same time, she figured she should give the two some space. Getting to her feet, the monster did just that by standing up and heading for the door. “Alright. Goodnight, my children.”        And just like that, Toriel had left the room, though she couldn’t help but worry for the two children. After all, any of them panicking tended to send the rest on edge, which was understandable, especially considering what had happened to Flare. The panic the child had gone through, and how shaky she was afterwards... In fact, now that Toriel thought about it, she couldn’t help but compare what had happened to Flare to what’d transpired with Daya. She’d dealt with kids burning themselves before, first time or not, and they never quite reacted the way Daya had... In fact, she was sure Daya had just had a panic attack like Flare... And that was when she remembered what those guards had said.        ‘They like, saw this monster trapped on a ledge and stuff, and they tried helping them, but the ledge gave out or something and they like, fell into the lava. It was bad.’ Those words echoed in her mind, and for a moment, the monster froze as she tried to digest what this meant for Daya and even Via. To think that they’d experienced what Flare had when she saw Sans... She had to keep the remaining three from feeling the same thing-        “Mom?” A new voice snapped Toriel out of her thoughts, and looking down, she caught sight of who was speaking to her. Frisk.        ”Hello there, Frisk! Is dinner ready?” Already, her motherly demeanor was back, though Frisk could see right through her facade. He decided to not tell her that though. Instead, the boy simply gave her a smile with his response.        ”Hi Mom! And yeah! I just finished actually! Mr. Birnsen makes really good spaghetti!” After that though, his smile faded, expression growing a bit more neutral as he pulled out his phone. “Sorry to bother you like this, but Alphys texted me earlier.”        Alphys. Toriel suddenly remembered their most recent exchange. What had happened at her house... Was it about that? She hoped it wasn’t. “Oh? Is there anything she needs?”        ”Yeah, actually.” For a moment, Frisk perked up at her response, but then his expression fell yet as he went back to the topic. Voice lowering in volume, he then proceeded to elaborate. “She says it’s about the souls, and she wants to talk to you about it. She also said sorry, about Undyne’s behavior, apparently. But yeah... could you please give her a call? When you’re available?”        For a moment, Toriel didn’t answer, the monster trying to decide if she should really speak to her on that topic. After all, it could either end poorly or end well. Then again... Alphys was a scientist, and if anyone had answers, well, maybe she should hear her out. “...Of course, Frisk. I’ll call her when I can.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"Miss Alphys?" Toriel waited outside as she held her phone up to her ear, the monster checking her watch briefly as her phone continued to ring. She didn't know why she did that. Maybe it was a force of habit. After all, she was a teacher, and this was an educational trip. It only made sense for her to return to her usual habits. But that didn't mean that she couldn't diverge from her usual routine if she needed to, and that was exactly what she was doing right now.        Eventually, the monster she was calling decided to pick up the phone, a stuttering voice quickly greeting Toriel's ears. "A-Ah- Que- Miss Toriel-!"        Noting the scientist's anxious nature, Toriel did her best to respond in a warm and calming tone. "Greetings, Alphys. I'm sorry to call at such a time. Are you available right now?"        "Uh-uh- One moment-" The goat monster then heard the sounds of shuffling in the background, only to then hear a brief yet muffled exchange pass before the muffling finally cleared again. "I-I was going t-to take my break just n-now, so y-you picked a good time-!" Alphys congratulated.        "Thank you, Alphys. Frisk is the one who told me to call you at this hour," Toriel informed, glad that so far things weren't as awkward as they could be. She still remembered the last time she'd seen her and her fiancé... At least Alphys didn't seem upset while speaking to her. "He mentioned you may have information on the children?"        "O-oh! Yes! Well, n-not the children themselves but- Actually I-I guess I do- I just- It's about their s-souls!" Alphys' vocal volume seemed to increase a tad, thus leading Toriel to believe that the scientist was rather excited about the topic. "Please d-don't think I'll hurt them- I-I just have some i-information and I t-think you'd a-appreciate it-! I think-!"        The bit about harming the souls caused Toriel to pause for a moment, but considering Alphys was skittish by nature, she figured it was nothing to worry about for the time being. "Of course. What information do you have?"        And within seconds, Alphys had begun plunging into her research. "W-well! I don't know if y-you know this, but the l-lab I work at i-is currently studying souls-! S-since I was the former R-royal Scientist, I've been r-really helping with the project, and- and even though I'm better with m-monster souls, I-I've been learning more a-about human souls as well-!" She then paused for a moment, as it allowing what she just said to sink in. But soon, with a brief, "Go one," from Toriel, the lizard monster continued.        "W-We already know that human souls c-come in s-seven main colors! For the traits! And- And we know that e-each color means a different virtue!" As Alphys talked, Toriel took note of the shuffling noise in the background and assumed Alphys was pacing or fidgeting. However, she said nothing as Alphys continued to speak. "Red's determination, cyan i-is patience, yellow is justice, and- and so on-! But s-something we've found is that the colors- They can shift-! And I-I was wondering if you could let me um- test them-?"        Now Toriel was on high alert, mostly because she had no idea what that entailed. If they were still in the Underground, maybe, but this was a lab, one that was owned by humans. And considering her troubles with Child Protective Services as well as general worries over how her children may react, of course the monster was very cautious. "...Alphys, I'm not so sure about this-"        "It- It'll be fine-! I-I'll make sure Undyne i-isn't in the house-" Her voice dropped a tad at the mention of her fiancé, the lizard monster seeming to feel guilty over the fish monster's actions. "I-If you want, I-I can even bring M-Mettaton over for the kids-! T-They really seemed to like him t-that one time-!"        Considering Alphys sounded like she wanted to perform this test in her house, it did ease Toriel's worries a bit, as did the mention that Undyne would be absent. She didn't want her children to be around a cold-blooded murderer. "Ah... So this will be performed at your home then. That's good to hear... But do you have the proper equipment?"        "O-Of course-!" The lizard monster quickly perked up the second she realized she had a good chance at convincing Toriel. "I-I used to run c-check-ups on monsters i-in the Underground. W-while I did donate m-most of my materials... I did k-keep some around-! J-Just in case I needed them-! E-everything should be e-easy and fine! I promise!"        Now that Toriel knew more on what to expect from Alphys, she did indeed feel more inclined to go along with this test. Even if she didn't know everything about it, that didn't mean she couldn't stop it if something looked unsafe, right? Letting out a hum, the monster decided to consent to the plan. "Alright. I'll get them to you when I can. Please let me know when you'll be available."        "O-Of course!"        "And please bring Mettaton. The children found him to be quite delightful during his visit."        "Alright! T-thank you so much Miss Toriel-!"        "You're welcome." And so, Toriel hung up the phone, the monster letting out a sigh as she took another moment to think. Had she made the right decision? She hoped so. Hopefully, this future trip to Alphys' house would not be in vain. But she would have to figure that out later. For now, it was time to head back inside and wait for her children to finish."Those tests took forever!" Vera didn't even hesitate in whining the second the kids had piled into the car, the child kicking her legs a bit in order to let out all of the energy she had. Poor kid didn't know how long they'd been seated, but it had certainly been a while, even with their snack break.        "Tell me about it! I didn't even understand half of what was on there! Like, they had math stuff, which is fine, but they had letters in it sometimes?" Even now, Daya was still baffled by that fact. While she did remember doing math, letters being stashed in it were practically unheard of. It was why she'd raised her hand for clarification the second she saw random letters showing up in the place of numbers. Well, at least that was what Daya said; Vera didn't have anything like that on her paper, and for that, she was thankful. But the girl couldn't help but snicker at her friend's misfortune; seems Vera had it easier with this test, even if some things were still quite weird.        "The variables?" Via turned to look towards Daya from where she currently sat in the front passenger's seat, the older girl shielding her eyes from the light as Toriel continued to drive through the city.        "You know what those are?!" Now it was Flare's turn to speak, the normally timid girl fidgeting irritably in her seat.        "Uh, yeah? They're variables. They represent a number that you have to find," Via explained, earning baffled stares from the the other kids in the car.        "...That doesn't even make any sense!" Sure Vera hadn't needed to deal with these variables, but she was still annoyed with it. Since when were letters numbers?!        Of course she wasn't the only one losing her mind over that either. Daya was rapidly asking annoyed questions about it, and Flare was complaining just as much as Vera was. The only ones who weren't whining were Gabriel and Austin, who were quietly trying to discuss the tests between themselves. However, it was clear that both were quite bothered by it, especially Austin. Man... Austin had really had a rough time with the test. They all knew that much.        The arguing all came to an end as Toriel pulled into the driveway, the sound of seat belts being unbuckled before she pulled the car to a stop. "We're home!"        "Finally!" Flare didn't even hesitate on flinging the door open, the child leaping out of the car and onto the driveway with a relieved expression. As she waited for her friends to also remove themselves from the vehicle, the child bounced up and down on her toes, all while the others merely hopped out and stretched their legs.        "Hi Mom!" Within moments, Frisk had come out as well, though instead of exiting the house, the boy had run in from the backyard, thus catching the attention of both Toriel and the other kids.        "Frisk!" Instantly, Vera and the others had crowded around him, though while the others simply wanted to greet the boy, the huffy blonde clearly had other intentions. "Why didn't you take the test with us?! Do you know about the sorcery of letters in math?!"        "...You... You mean variables?"        Recoiling from the other, she then proceeded to hide behind Daya, her eyes narrowed. "So you do know about them! Witchcraft!"        "It's just math," Via said with a sigh, the girl then rubbing her eyes from behind her glasses. After sitting around for hours wracking her brain for what felt like ancient knowledge, she'd become rather tired out. However, the child also didn't want to nap. Not yet. She'd barely stretched her legs today after all.        "Why'd you come from the back?" Gabriel was the next to speak, the boy peering out from behind Frisk and into what looked to be a small slice of the back yard. With him was of course Austin, who also seemed quite curious. Maybe there were flowers back there? He sure hoped so. There was no point in going back there if there were no flowers to look at.        In order to see what he was looking at, Frisk turned around, the boy taking note of his nicely sized yard. "The backyard?" he inquired, hoping that was what the child was asking about. He'd feel stupid if it wasn't. "I was just playing outside with Flowey! There's not much to do right now, so I figured it'd be fun! ...Do you guys wanna play in the back too?"        It was a simple question, one that seemed to pique every kid's interest, including Via. But before anyone could say a word, Flare suddenly tapped Daya on the shoulder before darting off into the back. "Tag-!"        "Hey! Cheater!" Daya didn't even hesitate on darting after the brunette, the other children quickly following along as they all went to join in on this game of tag.        Not wanting to miss the chaos, Frisk quickly followed the group, though only after giving Toriel a thumbs up in order to let them know that they'd be okay. He could supervise them; it wouldn't be that hard. Besides, he'd have Flowey there to help him, which would certainly be helpful. And it was, because before he knew it, everyone was everywhere. Flare had taken refuge in a tree in order to avoid being tagged; Austin was hiding in a bush, according to Flowey; and Daya had attempted climbing on top of the fence in order to tag Flare while she was in said tree. Needless to say, the whole backyard was chaos, and it took him yelling for a time out to actually get the kids to listen to him.        "Before we keep playing, we gotta set some ground rules first!"        "What? Why?!"        "Boring!"        "Guys!" Frisk knew how some of the kids could be, but he wasn't letting Vera or Daya talk him out of this. "If you guys get hurt, that's gonna reflect badly on Toriel next time Mrs. Ryan and those social workers visit. We gotta play fair and safe."        "Sounds boring but okay," Daya remarked, thus causing Frisk to squint at her for a brief moment.        "It's not gonna be too boring. You'll at least be able to tag Flare easier." Frisk then glanced towards the soul in question as she slid out of the tree, the boy then watching her trot towards the group. He couldn't help but look back behind him though, the boy feeling as though he was being watched... "Hey Flare! You heard what I said, right?"        "About tag-?" Flare asked, the kid frowning as she glanced back at her previous perch in the tree. "Yeah, but you still won't catch me."        "Yes I will!"        "Guys! Guys!" Frisk quickly went to grab their attention before they could run off, the older child already growing tired of this. Is this how Toriel felt whenever she had to handle the elementary kids in school? If so then yikes... But then again, if she could rule a kingdom, she could rule a classroom and a household. He knew that very, very well. "Boundaries too! We need boundaries!"        "Gimme a second!" Frisk was surprised by Flowey speaking up, but he appreciated it nonetheless. Now out of his pot and on the ground, the flower used his vines to crawl across the ground, effectively setting a line out to box the kids in, at least on one side. "There! No crossing the line! And same goes for the other side!" Vines then began to grow on the other end of the yard, some of the children rolling their eyes at this, but Frisk wasn't paying much attention to them. He could swear that couple on the sidewalk had been there for a while...        "No climbing trees and we're boxed in! What's next? No hiding too?" Vera huffed as she rolled her eyes. But once again, Frisk wasn't paying attention, because now he was certain that he wasn't dreaming. That couple was definitely watching them, and he could already see them slipping their phones out of their pocket.        "Everyone get inside." It was a sudden order, and for a moment, the children barely registered what he'd just said.        "What-"        "Get inside." His glare was more prominent now, a glare that was being aimed towards the same couple still standing on the sidewalk. "We're being watched." That was what got their attention, and within a moment, Austin helped Flowey back into his flower pot and headed into the house, Gabriel, Daya, and Via following with Vera and Flare not too far behind.        "I'll shoot them with my slingshot once I find it," Vera promised, Frisk following after the group while shaking his head.        "We can't hurt them. Just avoid them."        "Why not?!"        "We just can't!" He didn't know what exactly they were being stalked for, but he knew that possibly stirring up trouble with humans wasn't the best option, even if Vera wanted a fight that he too wouldn't fully mind in participating in. But that wasn't his job. His job was to be the Ambassador of Monsters and keep everyone safe, and that was why he'd rushed off to find Toriel, thus leaving the kids alone for the moment.  Of course, not all of them understood what was happening, and that lead to some peering outside while others lagged back or even hid.        "They're still there," Vera growled, the child glaring at the observers.        "What do they want?" That was the question on everyone's mind.        "I don't know, but it's probably something dumb." Via couldn't help but feel annoyed by this. What did they hope to gain by observing them?        "Should we wait for them to leave?"        "A nut to the face will make them leave!"        "No. No violence," Via stated, her tone very much firm. "Let's just let Toriel handle this. We can just play inside for now."        "...Okay."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

School. Something that the kids had heard Frisk, Flowey, and even Toriel visit frequently. No one really knew what it was, though Via and Frisk both claimed it was a place of learning. That was what the tests were for. That was what the kids were told. And now the children would finally get to experience this strange place for themselves.        ”Alright children! Does everyone have their buddy?” Toriel watched as the children began to pour out of the car, each scrambling to get to their assigned partner as quickly as they could. Only Via took her time as she waited for Frisk to stand by her. However, another kid had decided to cling to her as well, and that kid had quickly gotten Toriel’s attention. “Vera, we’ve talked about this.”        “But why can’t we at least walk together before class?!” Vera only clung to Via tighter, the kid determined to stick by her friend.        ”Because Via, Frisk, and Flowey go to a different school,” Toriel explained. “Vera, you and most of your friends are elementary schoolers, meaning you will be attending Ebott Elementary. Via, Frisk, and Flowey, however, are middle schoolers, so they will be attending Southeast Middle, which is right down the street.” The monster then looked towards the larger school building adjacent to the one they stood by, Vera staring at it before angrily scuffing her shoe on the pavement.        ”So not fair...” the child grumbled, Toriel then leaning down to gently pat her head.        ”Do not worry, my child. We will see her at the end of school today, alright?”        Taking a moment to think, the girl slowly released Via’s arm, only to then mumble an, “Alright,” as she crossed her arms.        ”Good. Now please go join Gabriel as his buddy.” Toriel then watched as the huffy child went to stand by the curly-haired boy, only to then kneel down and open her arms for a hug from the middle school group. Needless to say, that was exactly what she got, for Frisk was quick to drag Via into the hug, and Flowey already didn’t have a choice to begin with. “Have a good day, you three. Be good, alright?”        ”We’ll be good!” Frisk promised, the boy then pulling away before taking Via’s arm with his free hand. “Come on! Let’s get to class!” And so, the children hurried off.        It didn’t take long to arrive at Southeast Middle though, considering how close it was to Ebott Elementary. One quick jog and already, the children were there, though Via was a tad winded considering how heavy her backpack was.        ”Okay! We’re at the building! Uh... need anything help?”        ”I’ve got it,” Via insisted, the girl taking a moment to breathe as Flowey rolled her eyes.        ”Idiot. I thought living in the woods made you stronger!” the flower chastised, Via readjusting her glasses as she glared at him.        ”These supplies are ridiculously heavy. It’s not my fault.”        ”Yeah, well-“        ”Entering the school now!” Frisk wasn’t in the mood for an argument, and his method of stopping it was apparently to throw open the doors and march on into the building.        Via’s response to that of course was to merely wait and catch her breath, only to then sigh as she too finally entered the school. As expected, the place was rather large and intimidating, and all of these children swarming the place certainly didn’t help. It only got worse as a bus rolled up to let more children out, those children flooding through the entrance and nearly trampling Via, who had quickly moved aside to where Frisk was. ”...This place is huge.”        ”Yeah, it is,” Frisk agreed with a small chuckle. “But don’t worry! I’ve been here for a while, so I know where everything is. That and our classes are pretty much the same, so I’ll be able to help you out whenever you need it!”        “...Okay.” At least Frisk seemed to know what was happening; Via could appreciate that much. She also assumed that Flowey knew his stuff, and needless to say, she was proven right as Frisk began their little tour of the school.        Through the halls, the trio traveled, Frisk pointing out a few different classrooms as well as saying hi to a few people that passed by. Flowey occasionally would point out some classes as well and mention how strict any grading policies were. All in all, Via forgot most of the information, mostly because she felt that a good majority of it was useless. She’d figure out which classes she had eventually, and she’d learn which teachers to watch out for too. For now, she just wanted to get to her locker.        ”Locker nine-four-seven! Found it!” Frisk’s announcement caused Via to release a small sigh of relief, the girl then looking at the schedule paper she held that also happened to contain her locker combination. “Need help with your locker?”        ”Why would she need help punching in numbers on a keypad?!”         ”I’m just asking!”        ”Guys, I’m fine.” One sigh and a few keypad punches later, Via had opened her locker, and thus began the chore of placing books inside. So boring...        ”Redheads coming our way.” Flowey’s words quickly got Frisk’s attention, the boy pausing his helpful streak to try and spot the ones Flowey had warned him about.        While Frisk and Flowey worried about these presumed fellow students, Via didn’t bother looking up from her current task of putting away her books. It was strange having such a small space to stash her books, but she appreciated it nonetheless, though what she didn’t appreciate was having to stack all of these books and folders. It was actually quite annoying, and for a moment, Via considered just dumping her books in there and leaving. But she knew that would annoy her, and for that reason, she forced herself to keep organizing. Only when someone crashed into her did she get pulled away from her work, and to her surprise, that certain someone was Frisk.        ”Ow! Are you okay?!” Frisk’s voice happened to catch her attention, the girl feeling him move off of her just enough to allow her to sit up from where she was on the floor. Yikes. Her glasses had been knocked of, but she could make them out on the floor at least, and therefore, she was quick to pick them up. Too bad putting them on allowed her to see just who had decided to push Frisk like that.        Above the group stood two boys, both looking down at them with expressions of amusement and mischief. They stood together, side by side as they took in their surroundings. From what Via could tell, they were trying to estimate how long they could get away with this, and already, she couldn’t help but be absolutely done with school.        ”...You knocked over my books.” Seeming both tired and mildly annoyed, Via looked towards the couple books she had left lying on the ground after she’d dropped them. Already, she’d picked up the nearest book, but that didn’t stop the two children from snickering, especially when Frisk set Flowey aside and got back to his feet.        ”Back up so soon? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were challenging us, little ambassador,” one kid mocked, brown eyes focused right on Frisk as he glared at the two.        ”That’s not very pacifist of you,” the other agreed, giving Frisk a cheeky smirk. “If you fight back, you know what’ll happen.”        ”You idiots!” Flowey, who still didn’t appreciate being set inside the locker, didn’t even hesitate on poking his head out and give the two a glare of his own. “Just because Frisk doesn’t fight back doesn’t mean I sure won’t! You two humans sure do look like you could use a smack to the head!”       ”Oh no. Am I being threatened? How terrifying,” the other kid said with a snort, green eyes piercing right into Flowey’s nonexistent soul. “We’d like to see you try.”        ”Imagine how fun it’d be to pull off your petals one by one.” At the sound of the brown-eyed kid’s rather creepy remark, Via had gotten up and was now making the choice of holding Flowey, all just in case they did do something drastic. She didn’t exactly know how much they could get away with, after all. Best to keep your head down and just wait things out. “Hey Tom. Seen her before?”        Great. Now they actually noticed her. Just perfect.        “Heh. Now that you mention it, I’ll tell you later, Henry.” Now that was a confusing remark, one that both Via and Frisk prepared to ask about, but then, a new player entered the game.        Walking calmly up behind the two boys was a bipedal cow monster. Decked out in a simple dress and sweater, this Holstein-Friesian girl really stood out among the other students. And she only stood out even more when she took out two small pints of milk and squeezed them right above the boys’ heads.        ”Gah!”        "Betty!" Angrily, the two boys whipped around and tried to knock down the monster, only to find that she’d already stepped back with a smirk on her face. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”        ”I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Betty with an innocent smile, all while she held up her now-empty hooves. She knew what she’d done. That much was very obvious to everyone, including the observing soul child.        “Like hell you don’t!” Henry snarled, already looking ready to beat down the monster before him.        ”Eh. Who can say? We all know you had it coming. And I suggest you get cleaned up before class officially starts.” The monster continued to innocently smile at the two humans, both of which glared furiously at her as they stared each other down. Only after a minute or so did the two eventually take their leave, and once they were gone, the cow monster made her approach. “You’re welcome, by the way.”        ”Thank you!” Instantly, Frisk’s mood had improved, the boy going back to being all smiles like before. “That was perfect timing too! I know I’m supposed to be a pacifist and all, but some people really do need to be smacked sometimes.”        ”Couldn’t agree more!” said Betty with a snicker, only to then look towards the two standing behind him. “Hey there, flower boy.”        ”Shut up, cow girl.”        ”Haha! Snarky as ever aren’tcha?” Despite the remarks, Flowey did seem comfortable around her and vice versa, though then came the moment when she focused on Via. “And you must be one of the kids Frisk found! He’s been telling Kris and I about ya since y’all came down! Name’s Betty!”        “...I’m Via.” This was already such a weird day. She could only hope that it didn’t get any weirder.        ”Nice to meet‘cha, Via!”        ”Does Kris know you’re here?” Frisk’s question quickly got Betty’s attention, the monster grinning as she shook her head.        ”Nope! Though it’s not like she’s my babysitter or anything,” said Betty with an eye roll. “She’s back in homeroom, which is where you two are supposed to be. Five minutes you know.”        The cow monster then tapped her wrist, only to then look down the nearest hall as Frisk began to pick up books. “Anyways, I’m off to homeroom. See y’all at lunch?”        “See you at lunch!” Frisk cheered.        ”Aight! Toodles!” Spinning on her hoof, the monster sauntered away, thus leaving the trio to head off as well.        ”We’ve got the books we need. I can carry both of ours while you got Flowey. Homeroom’s close, but we should get going.” Frisk took a moment to shuffle the books he had before looking back towards Via, the girl shutting her locker after grabbing a final notebook. “Ready?”        ”Ready.”        ”Hurry up!” And per Flowey’s words, they were off to class.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The first four classes had been nice enough, at least in Via’s opinion. The teachers seemed to understand how to handle how new she was, and some of the students seemed nice enough. No one really bothered her, and Frisk at least seemed to enjoy showing her around. In fact, he was doing that yet again, this time showing Via to the part of the day he and Flowey had been looking forward to all day: Lunch time.        ”Okay, so usually people get in line to buy their lunches and stuff, but we packed our lunches yesterday, so we don’t gotta wait in line,” Frisk explained, the boy happily walking along with his lunch box and Flowey in hand.        ”Prepare for the lunch room noise. Everyone’s so loud in there!” Flowey huffed, Frisk giving him a nod of agreement as they continued their journey. Sure enough, Via was soon able to hear the loud chattering of students, and it only got louder until finally, they had entered the cafeteria.        Via had only existed in there for a brief moment before stepping back out of the large room, the kid covering her ears a tad due to all of the noise. The echoing of all of these high-energy children bothered her, and she couldn’t help but take a moment to process everything before slowly entering the room again. Thankfully, Frisk had waited for her, the boy then happily gesturing for her to follow him to a set of seats. While one half was full, the other half was empty, and that half was where Frisk decided that he and his friends would eat there for today.        It didn’t take long for the friends Frisk and Flowey were waiting for to show up, because soon enough, a kid had set herself down across from them. “Hey Frisk!”        ”Hey Kris!” Frisk didn’t even hesitate on greeting his friend, the boy giving her a happy wave before looking around. “Where’s Betty?”        ”Running late. Something about milk.” The kid then began to unpack her lunch, only to then frown as she turned back to Frisk. “I assume Betty did something with her milk earlier. Spilled it on the redheads probably.”        ”What makes you say that?” The fake innocence behind Flowey’s comment fooled no one; then again, it probably wasn’t meant to fool anyone in the first place.        ”...What happened?” Already, Kris looked tired, though Via couldn’t blame her; this sounded like it happened a lot after all.        ”Redhead Duo decided to pick a fight with us today. Kinda shoved me. No big deal, but Betty did step in with milk, yeah.” Frisk didn’t even hesitate on laying down his explanation, the boy then taking a bite of his sandwich with a shrug.        While Frisk seemed unbothered though, Kris’ frown deepened. “You really need to tell a teacher. I’m sure they’ll listen to the Ambassador of Monsters.”        ”Teachers don’t do anything,” Frisk grumbled. “Maybe Mom would, but she’s not here.”        “Then fight back instead of being a coward. I don’t mind giving them a taste of their own medicine-“        ”Flowey, I have an image to keep up, and humans are still getting used to monsters. Injuring a human with magic will just make things worse.” Frisk’s tone was firm upon addressing Flowey’s words, the frustrated boy then going back to eating his sandwich. For a moment, this was how things were, at least until Via decided to speak up.        ”...Why do those two kids pick on-“        ”Coming through!” Betty didn’t even hesitate on announcing her presence as she entered the area, the monster shuffling through the rest of the mostly-human kids before plopping herself down next to Kris. “Hey! What’d I miss?”        ”Not much. Just Redhead Discourse.”        ”Yeah, and you were involved again.” Kris couldn’t help but pout after Frisk’s statement, the girl letting out a small huff as Betty began unpacking her lunch. “Please tell me you didn’t take the rest of Moochael’s milk.”        ”Of course not! I just took the extras I packed! Thanks for the heads up, flower boy!”        ”No problem, cow girl.” Flowey couldn’t help but give her a mischievous grin as the two hive-fived, once again prompting Kris to let out a sigh.        As for Via, she merely waited for everything to settle down, only to then try to ask her question once again. “Uh... Anyway... Those two kids. Why do they pick on you guys again? This sounds like it happens a lot.”        ”Oh it does,” said Betty without much of a care, the monster still rustling through her lunch bag. “They’ve been at it since school started. Think monsters are weird and all. Kinda expected them to be honest.”        ”They’ve always been like that. Them and their friends, but those two in particular seem to think it’s just fun and games,” Kris added, taking sip of her juice box. “It’s just how they are, I guess, but enough about them. What about you? Are you Via?”        Via already couldn’t help but feel like she’d been put on the spot, the kid giving Kris a nod while Betty and Frisk both grinned encouragingly. “...Yeah, I’m Via. Hi.”        ”Nice to meet you, Via! Frisk told us about you and your friends. I hope that’s not weird... How’s school so far?”        ”It’s... good, I guess,” Via replied, the girl biting her lip as she looked towards Frisk for guidance. Being the leader of a bunch of elementary schoolers was one thing, but conversing with kids her own age was another. That and they already knew a lot about her... or at least that’s what she assumed. How much had Frisk told them?        ”Glad it’s been good. The teachers here are really nice. Don’t be afraid to ask them for help if you need it-“ Kris suddenly let out a wheeze as Betty suddenly pat her on the back, the cow monster letting out a laugh at the girl’s statement.        ”Maybe you should take your own advice!” A playful jab, but Kris groaned upon hearing it. Clearly this was something that had been brought up many times before.        ”Betty, I’m getting better at it!” the girl whined, only to then pout as her friend let out a giggle.        ”You are you are! I just found it funny, ya know?” The cow monster then lightly elbowed Kris while still continuing to giggle, Frisk now joining in with sharing the laughter while Flowey rolled his eyes. However, even Flowey seemed comfortable with the two’s behavior, whereas Via couldn’t help but feel rather... misplaced.        ”...Sorry to interrupt, but uh... where’s the bathroom?” With the loudness of the cafeteria and the high energy at their table, maybe Via could find a place to just take a deep breath for a moment.        Via couldn’t tell if Frisk had picked up on these feelings or not, but nonetheless, he was quick to answer the soul’s question. “It’s down the hall to the right. Remember where we came in? Right at that turn.”        ”Thanks.” Almost too quickly, the girl got up from the bench, leaving the rest of her lunch behind as she left for the bathroom. After all, she didn’t plan on fully leaving the place; she merely meant to take a breather and then return. But unfortunately, life had other plans.        The bathrooms were easy to locate, much to Via’s relief; they really were placed right at the corner, so spotting them had been pretty easy. Now all she had to do was enter and let herself relax, though before she could do that, a familiar kid just so happened to exit the neighboring boy’s bathroom.        ”Hey you.” Lovely. Already, she was wishing she’d entered the bathroom sooner.        Turning towards him, the kid said nothing as she merely raised an eyebrow, clearly paying attention to whatever Tom has to say. Already, she wasn’t sure if she liked the look in his eye or not; he didn’t seem nearly as malicious as earlier, but there still seemed to be some sort of hidden intent. It was... unnerving to say the least. Then again, she never was the best at reading people.        ”You’re that kid who was with the pacifist.” Tom then proceeded to brush some of his hair back, the kid scanning Via for a reaction, though she barely gave him one.        ”And? What of it?” She looked tired of him. Bored. He’d expected more nervousness from her, but she didn’t deliver much. How disappointing.        ”Just something I noticed. The pacifist and the weed don’t exactly have many friends,” he stated, his lips curling into a smirk. “Then again, as a zombie, you’re probably obligated to hang with him, aren’t you?”        Via couldn’t help but blink at his words, the girl squinting in absolute confusion as she tried to process what she’d been called. “...Excuse me?” She was puzzled. Offended. His statement was unexpected. Good. That was what he wanted. That was his end goal.        ”Yeah. A zombie,” Tom reiterated, the teen barely trying to hide his grin. “Or did the monsters scramble your brain so bad that you can’t remember what that is?”        Ah. So that was what this was about. She should’ve guessed sooner, but... “What makes you think I have ties to the monsters? Other than attending school with Frisk and Flowey, you don’t have any proof of that.” This conversation was tiring, but now for a different reason. She couldn’t believe she’d gotten sucked into debating a troublemaker.        “I’ve got enough proof and context clues to take a guess. Henry even figured out who you were before me, and that’s saying something!” said Tom with a snicker. “A bunch of kids sighted at the monster-hugger’s house. Kids that apparently went missing ages ago! It doesn’t take a genius to connect the dots.”        When he saw her eyes widen, he knew he’d figured her out. He had her right where he wanted her, and for that, he couldn’t help but laugh. “So I’m right! You’re one of them! Oh that’s rich!”        All Via could do was let him laugh, the kid saying nothing as she gently gripped her arm. Great. This was exactly what she needed right now. What a great start to a new school. But Tom was not done. “Your reputation’s already on its way down the drain. Sitting with the weed and his freaky friends are going to ruin you. So, word of advice: Ditch him. You’ll be better off with someone who can actually stand up for you.”        Those were Tom’s parting words before he finally left. And now, Via was alone again, but with more negative thoughts than she’d had before.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The rest of the day went by rather quickly, and soon enough, after all of the schooling was said and done, the children had piled into Toriel’s car, ready to head home after such a long day. Toriel of course was happy that everyone seemed less afraid of the vehicle now and even knew to apply the seatbelt; maybe the new car had helped with that? She didn’t know. She was just glad that everyone was getting along, and now it was finally time to leave.        ”How was school today?" Unsurprisingly, that was Toriel's first question, and already the children were coming up with their mixed answers. Well, some were, but each clearly had their opinions, and Vera wasn't afraid to share hers first.        "It's so boring!" The huffy child quickly slumped down in her seat, arms crossed in a pout as she continued thinking about her day. "Some kids are cool, I guess, but a lot of the classes were bleh."        "Yeah," Austin agreed, the boy tugging on his new sweater with a frown. "Learning's hard... I don't like it."        "There's a lot of people in s-school too..." Gabriel added quietly, only to nervously fiddle with his hands.        This news did cause Toriel to frown just a tad, but she quickly replaced it with a smile, the monster searching for some encouraging words. "School may be overwhelming at first, but I'm sure you will all grow used to it eventually," she told them, only to then focus on Austin's comment. "And Austin, I do know your grade level in particular may be a bit tough for you, but I wanted to make sure you had a buddy for class. Did you like yours?"        Austin once again hummed before speaking, the kid seeming to perk up a tad at the mention of his buddy. "...MK's funny, but loud... But he's funny."        "That's good." She hoped Austin would be able to pull through with his courses, and hopefully having a friend his age to work on homework with would help with this. "And I'm glad you're okay with your peers, Vera. What about you, Daya? Flare? How was school?"        "It was okay, I guess," Flare replied, the kid also frowning before looking out the window.        "Yeah, but it would've been better if the kids stopped calling us Rezzies." Daya's remark was one that quickly garnered everyone's attention, Frisk and Via in particular exchanging glances before looking back towards Daya.        "Rezzies?" Already, Toriel was puzzled by the word, but it was clear that she didn't seem to like it. After all, it sounded like a derogatory nickname, and upon asking Daya to explain, she learned that her assumptions were correct.        "Yeah. That and zombies, but then one kid was like, 'my brother calls them Rezzies,' and then everyone started calling us that," Daya stated, clearly frustrated with the whole situation.        "Flare? Is this true?" The mother knew that she'd signed the two up to have all of their classes together, so if Flare could also confirm what Daya had been saying, then that was even more worrying.        "Yeah-" Flare, unsurprisingly, didn't seem too happy about this herself. "Not much before, but in gym class. We got stared at a lot though. It was annoying..."        ...That was an issue, and already, Toriel was thinking of ways to solve it. "Children, have the rest of you had problems like this?"        "A-A little..."        "Yeah..."        "At first, but then I shoved a kid and they left."        "Vera, that's not nice." But, even if Toriel was going to search for ways to end this bullying, that didn't mean she approved of violence. "I understand you were defending yourself and Gabriel, but you don't have to threaten violence. That will only make things worse."        Vera opened her mouth to defend herself, but then she quickly closed it upon realizing that Toriel probably would fight her on this one. Then again, Toriel didn't seem to approve of most of her actions, so that was expected. Besides, after that brief pause, the monster's attention shifted, now focused on the middle schoolers. "Frisk, Flowey, Via, how was school?"        Via had no time to answer as Frisk quickly jumped in. "It was good! Via met some of my friends! I think Kris in particular was happy to meet her!" The smile plastered on Frisk's face of course left Via confused, but before she could say her piece, Frisk butted in yet again. "Right, Via? Everything was great!"        Why was he lying? Everything was not great. But, then again, Frisk seemed to know how their school worked. Besides, Toriel had enough to worry about as it was; she didn't need to worry about another school on top of her own. So, for those reasons, and after a long look, Via eventually gave a response. "...Yeah. Everything was fine."        Despite her words, however, Toriel also paused, but she eventually decided to take their word for it, at least from what they could tell. "I'm glad to hear it. Flowey?"        "Same old. Betty was there. Lunch was fun." The huffy flower didn't even feel his response was worth anything, but at least it was a response that would cover up whatever Frisk wanted, and he figured he knew what it was.        "Bessie's daughter?" Toriel asked, the monster brightening upon hearing that. "I'm glad she's adjusting well to the school setting along with you, Flowey. It's good that you're making friends."        "Yeah yeah..." The flower once again grumbled out a response as he crossed his leaves and rested his head on Frisk's arm, the car then proceeding to go mostly silent as they  finally arrived at the house. After that, however, the children began climbing out of the car, all heading inside with their books and homework, though the kids didn't exactly separate after that.        While the kids headed to their rooms to drop off their books, three of the boys eventually made their way up to the girls' room upon Frisk's request. It was an unplanned meeting, but a meeting nonetheless. And honestly, most of the children expected it; why else would Via and Frisk have such a silent exchange like that?        A knock or so later, and Frisk was allowed inside, Gabriel and Austin trailing after him before claiming a spot on one of the beds. Frisk, however, sat down next to Via, the boy watching as everyone else also took a seat. It was time for a meeting, and Frisk would be the one to lead it. "Okay, I'm guessing you guys know why I'm here-"        "Rezzie comment?"        "Yeah pretty much." Even though Frisk had been interrupted, at least Daya was able to more or less announce his reasoning for him. That saved them some time. "And the zombie one, but they're both a big yikes either way. Can you guys elaborate on what happened? Please?"        Daya seemed confused as to why he wanted to know, but considering Via also appeared to be curious, the soul child eventually gave in. "It kind of just happened. Flare and I were in Gym class, and one kid said, 'Dodge this, Rezzie!' and threw the ball at Flare. Oh yeah. We were playing dodgeball, and Flare's really good at that game by the way." The kid couldn't help but grin for a moment, only to then scowl once again. "I was already hearing some zombie stuff before, but nothing this direct until then. Then the whole gym class started picking on us. Teacher had to tell everyone to stop."        "Yeah. It really sucked," said Flare, a scowl on her face. "They're just mad because I was better at them. Couldn't even hit me. Losers."        The kid then crossed her arms as a silence fell over the children, a slight tension now beginning to fill the air. It only seemed to remotely settle down when Via spoke, but even then, her words didn't do much to really sooth the situation. "Frisk was with me all day, so anything that happened to me, he knows, mostly."        "Huh?" Now that was odd; Frisk thought he knew everything here! How could he not? "Mostly?"        "Let me explain." The girl took a deep breath, only to then plunge into the conversation. "When I went to the bathroom, I ran into Tom. Needless to say, he had many choice words to say to me, though Rezzie wasn't one of them. Zombie, however, was."        Once again, silence; though now Frisk had a very flat look on his face, one that Flare and many of the others weren't sure they liked. "Why didn't you tell me?"        "Because it didn't matter at the time," Via said simply, only to then let out a small huff. "At least it didn't matter at school. Here is different, and this is affecting all of us despite different schools. That and..."        "And?"        "Tom said that he knew we went missing a long time ago." If the earlier parts of this conversation hadn't unnerved the children, this part sure had. "He knew, and so did Henry."        Frisk didn't say anything for a moment, the boy staring at the wall ahead of him before eventually pulling out his phone. The rest of the kids, however, exchanged uneasy glances. No one fully understood the consequences of others knowing where they came from, but they did know one thing; they'd be scrutinized by their peers for sure, and now, they were already suffering.        "...What're you doing?" Vera eventually decided to speak, the kid trotting to Via's side before peering up to catch a glance at Frisk's phone. Frisk, however, automatically leaned away, thus frustrating the young girl as she reached out to grab his device. "Hey!"        "I'm working on it!" Frisk clearly wasn't in the mood, and the way he was now practically glaring at her did cause Vera to pause. She'd seen him upset before, but he looked particularly irritated this time around. And eventually, he revealed why. "Those assholes!"        "Watch your language-!" Via hadn't even hesitated on putting her hands over Vera's ears, the girl instantly letting out a whine while stating that she already knew what an asshole was. The other children, upon recovering from the surprise swear word, eventually gathered around, and this time, Frisk revealed what exactly he'd been looking for.        A video had been uploaded to the internet, one titled, "Monsters hiding missing kids [PROOF]," to be exact. Already, the kids weren't a fan of the title, but the thumbnail was what really garnered attention.        "That's Mom's house!"        "That's us!"        "How'd they get this?!"        The children quickly began whispering among themselves, all clearly upset by just the thumbnail alone. Things only got worse when Frisk clicked the video, and that was when they began watching slides and video clips roll by, all focused on the children and theories about resurrection. Someone was watching them, and when they reached a clip where they were playing tag, it became clear who had snapped these video clips.        "I told you! I should've gotten my slingshot that day, but you said no!" Already, Vera was upset, but Frisk was not in the mood.        "And good thing you didn't, because it would've made this video worse!" Angry, Frisk paused the video, the boy shoving his phone back into his pocket. "But now we know why you're probably getting crap from kids at school. At the very least, something's going on here."        Sliding off the bed, Frisk dusted off his pants and began heading to the door, not even bothering to fully acknowledge the others as they watched him begin to take his leave. It was time to take care of things before they got out of hand, and he didn't feel like babysitting the other kids right now. "Do your homework or whatever. I'm showing Mom the video." Those were his final words before he finally left the room.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

None of the children fully understood why exactly they were over at Alphys’ house, though none of them seemed to mind considering they recognized the monsters. Mettaton in particular garnered lots of attention from the children, though unfortunately none were allowed to really play with him until after they were scanned.        ”O-Okay Gabriel. You’re the last one-! You know what to do, right-?” Alphys looked up from her computer and towards the young boy as he shuffled forward nervously, Austin accompanying him up to the mat before looking off at another room in the house. “...You can go play if you want-“        Austin didn’t need to be told twice. Patting Gabriel’s arm, the boy then darted off, nearly stumbling into a wall on his way out. That worried Toriel for a moment, the monster calling for him to be careful, but she stayed to keep Gabriel company as he waited for Alphys to finish logging.        ”Okay! Do you need an explanation, Gabriel-?” She didn’t know if he wanted one again, especially when she’d recited the directions a good couple times already. But, she did know that hearing directions like these again calmed her down, and he also seemed to be a timid kid, so maybe it would have the same affect for him?        Either way, Gabriel did nod shyly at Alphys, the monster picking up her scanner as she trotted back over to him. Finally, they’d finish up this last scan, and then he could go hang out with Mettaton and the others.        ”S-So. This won’t take long. I’ll just use this to scan your vitals. It’s m-mostly for monsters though, so I’ll have to perform two scans: A-A deep scan and a soul scan. We’ll do the soul scan first. This should only take five minutes-!” Alphys did her best to reassure the child as she got to work, the monster beginning the first scan, which was over rather quickly. The second one, however, did take longer, but soon enough, Gabriel was free to go, and with a nod from Toriel, he happily scampered off.        Now it was just Alphys and Toriel, and both were already headed for the computer for answers. Of course, Alphys had reached the machine first and was already typing away at it, but it didn’t take long for Toriel to begin looking over her shoulder to see what the smaller monster was up to.        ”Alright. I-I have the reports.” A couple clicks later, pictures of the children, including Frisk, popped up on screen, though their pictures weren’t quite of them, but rather their outlines. In the center of the white outlines were glowing souls, each brimming with life as lines stretched across the bodies of the children. It was all interesting to see, for a multitude of reasons; however, Toriel couldn’t help but find those reasons to be... concerning.        ”...Why are their souls so dark?” That was the first question Toriel had to ask. While Frisk’s soul was glowing a brilliant red, the others’ souls weren’t at the shade they’d been in their... previous states. The dimming of the colors didn’t sit well with the monster, and for that, she hoped Alphys had answers.        ”Trait-shifting, it seems-“ Alphys replied, bringing up a few other files to show on her other blank monitor. “When we first t-tested the souls, back in the Underground, um, they all were strong in their traits! But- I noticed at the house, the kids all acted... a bit off. A tad-“        Alphys couldn’t help but bite her lip as she tried to phrase things without offending the former queen; she’d seen just how quick she was to shut out those who didn’t like her children, and that made her more anxious than she usually was. But, this information was important, at least in her opinion, so she felt it necessary to continue sharing it, at least with Toriel. “A-And I remembered my studies, back with my coworkers. They all got their souls tested, and- and their souls were all variants of the six main traits! We’ve been working on a key to properly name these variants, but the darker the soul, the further it is from its original trait.”        The scientist then paused as she let Toriel absorb this information, all while nervously rubbing her clawed hands as she did so. The expression on Toriel’s face was hard to read, but at least she could pick up one thing from it: Worry.        ”...How badly are they altered? And... why?” It was something Toriel couldn’t help but wonder. Why had this happened to her children? She’d seen the containers the souls had been held in, and they’d been as bright as ever before they’d been used. Granted she didn’t remember how they looked exactly when they were used, but she guessed that Frisk might. Maybe. She was unsure. But the traits of the children couldn’t have changed like that so quickly... right?        ”N-Not too bad! Mostly! I think!” Alphys then hummed as she looked over the traits, trying to make an on-the-spot diagnosis for the six children. “Gabriel and Daya a-are the least altered. T-That’s not surprising; their traits are the hardest to change, especially kindness. Uh- The most altered are Austin a-and maybe Flare, but hers seems to be... reversing... fixing itself already... I-I just say this based on observations! She didn’t hide behind anyone when she saw us today-!”        She didn’t know if providing potentially false hope was the best thing to do here, but Alphys was doing her best to lift the other monster’s spirits. That, and she couldn’t help but feel that she was right, especially considering the knowledge she did have on souls. Sure there needed to be more studies, but Alphys already was aware of how people changed over time. Heck- She counted herself to be someone who’s changed! She’d gotten slightly and slightly braver the more she adjusted to her surface life! If she could change, so could the children, and from what she could see, they were already changing. ...Mostly.        ”A-As for why this happened... I’m unsure, but-! I have some theories-!” A couple of clicks later, and the nature of the scans changed; while the souls were still there, the white outlines now seemed to have more form to them, and the soul lines had brightened in some spots. These spots would have looked weird had Alphys not had notes on the demise of the children, and already, she had a feeling that this particular hypothesis would be rather... tricky to explain. “...These scans... W-Well, they show-“        ”How they died.” Toriel’s tone noticeably dimmed as she spoke, thus causing Alphys to flinch in response.        ”...Y-Yes, but that’s... important.” Searching for a soul that hopefully wouldn’t be too awkward but also would be easy to explain, she then settled on Vera, her already pointing at the many glowing lines springing from the strange spots and cracks. “V-Vera, the Justice soul, died from... m-multiple factors.... Reports said that a spear to her shoulder, c-combined by an impact with the ground, are why she... w-well...”        ”I know. What of it?” The boss monster was growing upset; Alphys could already tell. She needed to wrap this up quickly unless she wanted to get chewed out like Undyne...         ”...W-Well! I think- The barrier. The souls broke the barrier! What if- What if the magic, all of that excess magic, was used to repair the bodies of the souls?” The scientist then spared a brief look at Toriel, mostly just to check and see if this helped improve the monster’s mood. “I-It would explain why they’re alive! And you said the coffins were empty? S-So they didn’t get new bodies! These- These are the old ones, rebuilt by the powerful magic that kept us sealed, but now it’s being used to revive the souls!” It was an exciting claim, one that Alphys didn’t know if she could prove, but to her it sounded plausible, and hopefully the same could be said for Toriel.        ”...It sounds far-fetched, but you study this for a living, so I will trust your judgement.” That was all Toriel could really say on that, though it wouldn’t stop her from bringing up her own doubts. “But why would their traits change because of this?”         ”Ah! Good question! Um-“ Once again, Alphys took a moment to get her thoughts together, the monster once again pulling up a few more files. “A-As you can see, the notes we have on the barrier state that seven traits, all in harmony, were able to create it. That was why we needed seven souls, b-because we needed to match it’s power, even if each human soul already is a combination of the seven traits.”        Alphys then pulled the previous files back to the front, this time pointing at a section labeled, ‘Determination Extracted.’ “When we collected the souls, we wanted to possibly make another one... t-to try and limit the lives lost...” She paused yet again, unsure if Toriel believed her, but after a moment, she continued, “We wanted to make a determination soul... It’s a very rare and powerful soul, so we guessed that- If any soul would be strong enough, a-artificially or not, it would be determination... So we uh... drained the others’ determination.”        This time, Alphys waited for a verbal cue from Toriel, though the monster barely said a thing, at least not at first. “...Continue.”        ”...I-I don’t know for certain, but- I- If the excess barrier magic ran out of determination, maybe i-it turned to the rest of the soul to make up for it. Some souls are more powerful than others... b-but magic comes from a pure trait... A-And that trait could have taken some wear.” The scientist was even more unsure of this theory than her previous ones, but like before, it still sounded plausible... just slightly. “...They were also on Mount Ebott for about five to six months, s-so they never had time to recover either, or if they started to, it- it didn’t do much...”        This time, an awkward silence enveloped both monsters, neither knowing what to say or how to continue such a conversation. Alphys was sure that the sheer amount of information being presented here was already a lot for most to handle, but considering Toriel was invested with the children, there was a chance that she’d understood all of that. Most of it. Maybe. ...She hoped she didn’t over-share or upset her, but it was hard to tell...        Eventually, Toriel did speak up, the monster letting out a sigh as she looked towards the scientist. “...I don’t like that you experimented on the souls of children, but... at least you preserved them, even if it was for selfish reasons... And that allowed them to live again, so for that, I’m thankful.”        Those words allowed Alphys to let out a relieved breath. She hadn’t even been aware that she’d been holding her breath, but even so, Toriel wasn’t done. “But can we reverse their traits? I’ll love them all the same, but... I’m sure it would be better for them to live up to their full virtues.”        ”Oh- Trait reversal- That can happen, yes!” At least they were back in familiar territory, one based more on evidence that she’d seen and handled before. “B-But the children will need to want to change. For some it may happen over time, b-but for others, if their altered new trait is too strong, it may not... change much...” Alphys then proceeded to look back towards the scans, the monster flipping to the previous one so that she could better examine the colors. “...I-I would worry about... Austin, Via, and Vera... It’s not easy to remain impatient when you’re confused and want answers, and being stuck in a state of apathy is hard to return from... A-and with Vera, her trait isn’t too badly altered... but she’s stubborn, and when you think you’re right w-when you clearly aren’t, that can be a problem... So watch them.”        Toriel didn’t quite know how to fully wrap her head around what sounded like an order given to her, but she didn’t comment much on it as Alphys shut down the open files. After all, this was the person the king and now humans had hired for their research on souls and all sorts of other items; if anyone knew anything here, it was Alphys. “...Thank you for shedding light on this. I appreciate it.”        ”N-No problem!” Alphys replied, the monster flashing her a small smile before glancing away. “...I-If the kids want to come here again, b-by the way, they can. I mean, I’m- I know how you feel about my fiancé... but I- Um... I hope you can forgive her one day... Okay?”         Maybe it wasn’t the best thing to say, but Toriel separating everyone was something that bothered her. Unfortunately, she didn’t get the best look or response from the former queen. “...I’ll consider letting them return here, but not around Undyne. For now, it’s time to go.”        At least she tried. That was all she could tell herself as the children and their mother left her home.

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Daya hated being separated from the rest of the group. Perhaps it would be fine if she didn’t have to deal with other kids, but that wasn’t the case. At Ebott Elementary, there were many kids bustling about, monster and human alike, and these children were all separated out into different classes for different grade levels. It was unfortunate that she and her friends had to all be at different levels, but at least she had Flare. Poor Austin and Via didn’t even have anyone other than that tiny monster and Frisk and Flowey. She had someone, someone who she knew as well as the back of her hand, and there was no way she was planning on letting her go.        ”They’re staring again.” Daya couldn’t help but let that remark slip out as Flare rummaged through her locker, the younger pulling out a couple books before turning to confirm her friend’s words.        ”...I’m getting tired of the staring,” she grumbled, only to then kick the locker shut. “Why can’t they mind their own business and leave us alone?”        ”Because their lives aren’t interesting,” Daya concluded, the girl spinning on her heal as she took Flare’s hand and began to lead her to class. Thankfully Flare didn’t need much leading, but it was still good to do with so many kids around. Neither wanted to get separated, not when there were people out there watching them, waiting for them to mess up.        ”...What are we going to do about that though? The stuff on TV?”        ”I don’t know,” Daya grumbled. “Miss Toriel said she would handle it.”        ”Can she even?” There was a hint of aggression in the younger child’s voice, but soon it switched back to being simply irritated. “I mean... Miss Toriel doesn’t even really watch us unless we’re in Monster History. We’re on our own without her.”        ”Then we’ll just.. I don’t know. We’ll deal with it.” It was the best solution Daya could come up with as they kept walking, the girl pulling her friend further along until she stopped in front of a door labeled, ‘Room 104: Remedial Math.’ Sliding inside, Daya and Flare both looked towards their teacher for guidance, the woman gesturing vaguely to the seats before them, and at the bell, class began.        Math, even at what she’d been told was a much easier level, was as difficult as ever. Multiplication on its own was easy to an extent, but multiplying numbers that were in the hundreds was a whole other issue that Daya didn’t want to deal with. Even with the games, it was difficult to sometimes figure out, but at least she seemed to know at least some of it. The occasional memory that would slide in and remind her how to multiply was helpful, albeit strange... but at least she had something to help her. Poor Flare looked like she was struggling to even grasp these concepts, what with her swinging legs and the chewing of the pencil. But, if Flare needed help, she could always ask; that was what the teacher had said at least.        ”Daya?” Both souls quickly looked up when the child’s name was called, spotting their teacher standing by the door with a somewhat urgent expression. “Could you come here for a moment, please? I need to speak with you in the hall.”        Another memory slid to the forefront of her mind, a memory of a similar scenario, one with a different teacher from something so long ago. “...Am I in trouble?”        ”No dear. I just need to talk with you.” That didn’t make Daya feel any better, but, slowly, she got to her feet, though she didn’t move much farther as Flare reached out and grabbed her cardigan.        Daya could tell that this gesture was one of panic, and frankly, the child didn’t blame her, not when she was also unsure of the situation. By leaving, Flare would be left alone, and Flare, well, it was clear that she also wasn’t a fan of the idea. But unfortunately, Daya knew very well that she didn’t exactly have a say in the matter.         “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be back. It’s probably a little talk or something.” That was all she could really say to try and ease the other’s worries, but at least it worked just enough for Flare to let Daya’s cardigan slip out from between her fingers.        ”...Hurry up.“ was all Flare muttered before placing her hands back on the desk, the child’s leg-bouncing as erratic as ever as she watched Daya make her way to the door.        Stepping out into the hall, the soul waited for her teacher to shut the door behind her, hands folded behind her back as she waited to hear what this was about. Thankfully, the teacher didn’t waste any time. “Daya, some people are here to speak with you.”        “What?” Nevermind. She didn’t want to be here anymore. “Why? Is it those CPS people again? What do they want?!”        ”Inside voices.” The reminder quickly brought Daya’s rising panic back down a few levels, but that still did very little to soothe the angry child. “Daya, they aren’t here to take you away-“        ”But I’ve been on my best behavior! I didn’t do anything wrong!” This wasn’t like the talk she remembered, the one she’d had so long ago, according to those fleeting memories. That talk had been about something minor, about cookies and handouts and how she couldn’t do something like that at school. This wasn’t anything like that. This was something else, and Daya wasn’t going to stand for it.        ”You didn’t do anything wrong, yes.” Quickly, the teacher tried to further calm the child, now very much aware of how distressed she was becoming. “I promise Miss Toriel knows they’re here, and if they wanted to take you away, they’d also ask for Flare too.”        ”But why do they want to see me? I didn’t do anything.”        ”It’s just for a moment. They won’t keep you too long. You still have class.” That was all the reassurance the teacher could provide. Even Daya had noticed as such. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t convinced, and so, the teacher decided to add in a reward to sweeten the deal. “...Tell you what. When you come back out, if you’re very good, I can go buy you a muffin from the cafeteria. Would you like that?”        A muffin. It wasn’t much, but... if the teacher was going to buy one, then maybe, maybe it would be worth it. “...Promise?”        “I promise.”        Oh what a stupid decision. Daya would chastise Flare or anyone else for taking such a deal, but whatever. It wasn’t like anyone else had to know. Except for Flare. Maybe Flare. The kid would want to know where she’d been after all. “...Fine, and I want a chocolate chip muffin.”        ”Excellent.” The teacher then clasped her hands together with a smile on her face, now standing up as she extended her hand to Daya. “Come along now. We mustn’t keep them waiting.”        Daya never took her hand, but she did follow along, the child scanning her surroundings as if mapping out her own escape plan. She already knew how a situation like this had gone already, back when CPS had separated all of them into different rooms. The only reason they’d gotten out of that was because of their (mostly Vera’s) unruly behavior, but no one had known where to run. Daya wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.        The teacher soon stopped at an unlabeled door, one that simply had nothing more than a room number attached to it. The place was plain, as was the door, and the interior was just as boring with its singular desk, empty whiteboard, and a few chairs. “Here you go, dear. Miss Peck here will just ask you a few questions, okay?”        The teacher’s voice seemed to be lost on Daya for a moment, but she did give the woman a nod, eyes locked on the person at the desk instead. Despite the cold reception though, the social worker didn’t react much. In fact, she seemed tired, like she already expected this. But it was good to see that Daya didn’t resist as she was gently nudged inside. With the door shutting behind her, Daya and this ‘Miss Peck’ were alone, all with the young soul continuing to give her a suspicious stare. “...Miss Peck, huh.”        “Yes? That’s my name.”        ”I thought your name was Liz.”        ”That’s my first name. My full name is Liz Peck.”        ”That’s lame.”        ”Would you like for this to wrap up quickly, or do you want to be here all day?” No, no Daya did not want to be here all day, and it certainly showed. “...Please take a seat.”        As huffy as ever, the child did as requested. “...What do you want?”        ”To keep you all safe and finish my hours for the day. That’s what I want.” Liz simply sighed out her reply as she combed through her papers, not all that enthusiastic about being here. “And to reunite you with your lost relatives.”        ”Lost relatives?” Daya couldn’t help but snort at that, already doubting the worker’s intentions. “I have everything I need right here. I’ve got my friends, my new mom, and a cool house. I don’t need anything-“        ”Does the name Starling mean anything to you?”        The second the name left Liz’s mouth, Daya froze in place, a multitude of memories resurfacing as ghosts from the past called out her name. It was a jumble of voices, many belonging to other children, but some belonging to adults. Some voices she recognized. Others were lost on her. But they all confirmed one thing: Her name was Daya Rose Starling, and this lady somehow knew about it.        The child didn’t react well when she noticed a hesitant hand reaching out to her, Daya swatting it away as she tried to regain her composure. “How do you know that?!” This was something not even she knew, not until now, so how could this Liz just- “How did you know that name? Where’d you get that?”        No response, at least not at first. Liz didn’t want to overwhelm the child with more information; it was best to let Daya breathe, and so, she did. Maybe it wasn’t the right decision, but since Daya didn’t trust her, that was the best she could come up with. Hopefully she would come to know the child better in the future, but for now, she was simply a messenger to a kid who knew her as an enemy and a stranger. “...I’m sure you’ve heard, but we’ve been trying to locate your families. We know it hasn’t always lead to good things, but... we’ve found your family, and we reached out to them.”        Liz proceeded to pluck a few photos from her pile of papers, the woman sliding them across the desk for Daya to see. The first was a family photo from when she was young, everyone smiling at the camera as they all gathered around. Daya was in that picture, just as happy as the rest of them. It was... almost nostalgic, and overwhelming. But she quickly shifted her focus to the other, more unknown photo. This one was of a family of five, three kids and a husband and wife to be specific. No one stood out to her, but the family looked familiar. Comparing pictures, it became very clear that these families were both related in some way. Similar eyes, similar hair, similar everything, and the dad in the second photo looked even more notable.        ”That’s part of your family in present day. They’re the family we reached out to, and they promised to pass on the message.” Liz allowed Daya to continue staring at the photos, the woman already sliding most of her papers back into some sort of file. “They’re excited to meet you, but it’s your choice too. They don’t want you to come to a meet-up if you don’t agree to it.”        Whether or not Daya heard the woman was questionable at first. After all, she was so fixated on the pictures that’d been given to her. Soon enough though, Daya did reply, even if it took her a moment to do so. “...They want to see me?”        ”Mhm. Do you want to see them?”        A glance at Liz, then a glance back at the pictures. All it took was one word, and she could talk with her family. She wasn’t going to mess this up, not once. “...Yes.”

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”What do you mean you’re going with them?!” Flare’s angry cry echoed the sentiments of most of the others as they stared Daya down, Flare in particular having blocked the girl from heading downstairs. Perhaps keeping the secret instead of being honest wasn’t the best idea, but it was too late now. Daya would just have to handle her friends before she left.        ”What happened to not trusting these people?! Huh?!” Vera shouted, the girl squealing when Via suddenly picked her up and pulled her away.        “Stop ganging up on Daya. She’s not leaving forever-“        ”Yes she is!” Flare’s voice simply grew louder as her partner in yelling was pulled away, though that didn’t stop Vera from continuing to yell herself. But it did clear the stairs a bit more, leaving only Flare as an obstacle. “You could’ve stayed but you didn’t want to! What if she wants to?!”        ”She’d tell us if she was leaving forever,” Via sighed, already tired of the conflict at hand. “Let her go, guys.”        ”No!”        “Vera.”        ”Children!” Toriel was at the bottom of the stairs now, watching them argue at the top with a concerned look on her face. “Let Daya pass. At the very least, please do not argue on the stairs.”        …Right. The stairs. Those were dangerous to fall down. That was enough for Flare to pause, and that pause was enough for Daya to suddenly shove her worried friend to the side.        ”Ow! Daya!”        ”I’m going.” Daya’s glare seemed to cut through Flare for a moment, the younger girl pausing as she tried to think of how to react. But no words came, and the second Flare tried to act, Daya spoke again. “I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d react this way! I’m not even leaving- Just visiting!”         She then began making her way down the stairs again, the kid grumbling the whole way down with only one phrase audible to the kids. “Grow up.”        And unfortunately, it was a phrase that, in the end, set Flare off. Darting down the stairs, Flare gave Daya an angry shove before running back up and into her room, the door slamming behind her while Via and Vera began yelling right after her. Daya, meanwhile, had nearly been at the bottom as it was, the child falling into Toriel’s arms before she could get injured in any way. “Are you alright?”        Was she alright? Physically, yes. But her feelings? Certainly not. “Fine.”        Daya was on her feet again, shuffling past Toriel without acknowledging much else. By the door were Bertha and Liz, Bertha furrowing her eyebrows while Liz began to greet Daya. “…That fall could’ve badly hurt her, you know.”        ”Flare seldom acts out like this. I’ll talk to her,” Toriel promised.        ”And I’ll keep looking into their cases.” Bertha’s reply sounded almost cold, but she didn’t do or say much else. All she did was wait until Liz began to lead Daya out the door. A few soft goodbyes were heard down the hall from the boys, but Daya didn’t bother acknowledging them as she finally made her way from the house to the car, where she now resided.        “Do you remember your brother? Percy Starling?” Bertha eventually broke the long silence between them, the woman wanting to give her space before asking other possibly upsetting questions.        It did take a moment, but Daya did reply, albeit she didn’t sound too happy about it. “…Little brother. I… didn’t really know him well.”        ”Oh?” Not that Bertha didn’t already know, but it was good to jog Daya’s memory and get a feel for how she saw everything. “Why is that?”        ”…Dad wanted him or something,” Daya grumbled, pulling her knees to her chest. “So he didn’t live at home. Not really... I only saw him sometimes.”        ”…Did you like your brother?”        Bertha’s question went unanswered for a good few minutes as Daya weighed in on her own emotions in order to answer that. Speaking of her brother brought up feelings from the past, positive ones that only wished him well and for her to get to see him more often. But present feelings held mystery and a strange resentment towards her brother, feelings that, now that she thought about it, seemed almost out of place to her. The feeling that Daya from the past was such a different person compared to Daya now… What happened?        “…I guess.” That was the best answer Bertha was going to get.        The drive continued, taking less time than the trip to Sierra as the city gave way to nothing but fields and trees. Daya’s town wasn’t near Via’s home city, and the town thankfully wasn’t as much of a long trip as that. Soon enough, a peppy old sign reading, “Welcome to Nublar!” flashed by, and buildings and homes began rolling into view. Staring out the window, Daya took in every bit of scenery, her mind piecing together a few new and old locations and memories. An ice cream parlor had been replaced with a Hardee’s. Her favorite playground had been upgraded. The trees she remembered had gotten much taller. Everything was different, yet it was similar all the same.        The car pulled into a place that Daya could only recognize as the town’s hospital, a small little building compared to the ones in Ebott City, but large when compared to those in Nublar. It was a strange place to stop at, especially when she’d never been here. But clearly this was her stop considering what Bertha said next. “We’re here.”        Puzzled, Daya stepped out of the vehicle, gravitating towards Liz while Bertha began to lead them to the building. But, they didn’t make it too far, not when a man on the sitting on the sidewalk looked up and stared at the approaching trio.        Just like how the man saw them, Daya’s eyes were quickly drawn to him, the two staring directly at one another as they tried to figure each other out. The man was tall with dark skin, wavy brown hair falling loosely on his head. His clothes were pretty casual yet neat, like he didn’t want to overdress but knew he had to at least look nice. Honestly, Daya would’ve stopped looking had eye contact not been made, familiarity washing over her in the strangest way. But the man wasn’t going to leave them hanging, and instead, he got to his feet and met the group right at the sidewalk.        ”Mrs Ryan?” The man sounded puzzled, like he was hoping he’d gotten her name right despite it being on her tag. “I should probably introduce myself- Do you need my license to confirm it’s me, or do we just trust each other here?”        ”Huh?” Daya couldn’t help but furrow her eyebrows at this, the kid feeling like she should know what she was looking at. “Who is this guy-“        And then, it all seemed to click into place. “…Percy?”        Percy had been in the middle of fishing his ID out of his wallet when his name was said, the man then looking down at Daya as he began to grin. “…Yes, I’m Percy.”        The man then ran a hand through his hair, only to then retract it and begin wiping his eyes. Was he… trying not to cry? That was something Daya couldn’t help but wonder as she watched, even listening to the pitch in his voice as he spoke again. “…Hi Daya. It’s… It’s been a long time, huh?”        ”…You’re old.”        Now that earned a genuine laugh from him. “And you haven’t aged a day!”        ”Nope.” Daya’s casual answer would have been considered worrying had Percy not been so overwhelmed by his emotions, the man already doing his best to keep it together and not go crying on his older sister. …Well, younger sister now, he guessed. Either way, he refused to sully this meeting when Daya had come all this way.        ”So you’re still eleven?”        ”I guess,” Daya replied with a shrug. “Everyone acts like it’s a super big deal, but I don’t feel any different or anything. Just a regular kid, Rezzie or not.”        ”Rezzie?”        ”School taunt name or whatever. I don’t let it bother me,” Daya replied, puffing out her chest with a small grin. Already, she seemed to be warming up to Percy, and so, the two social workers let them have some space.        “What do you do at school?”        ”Not much. Just learn learn learn and hang out with friends when I can.”        ”Did you make any other friends at school? I heard you’ve got some friends at your foster home. Do you and them have other friends?”        ”Of course! We try to stay together, but MK slid into our group recently. He’s an armless dinosaur-looking monster who hangs out with Austin a lot, but he’s cool.” Daya practically began to glow more and more as she spoke with Percy, the kid then switching gears and asking questions of her own. “What about you? What do you do in school?”        “What did I do in school?” The question seemed so foreign, coming from a kid who should be on his level, but he didn’t mind humoring her. “Well I haven’t been to school in a long time, but! I do know I was a pretty awesome soccer player.”        ”You were?” A mean comment began to bubble up under the surface, but quickly, Daya shoved it down, mentally declaring she’d rather play nice.        ”Oh yeah,” Percy nodded, grinning at the kid. “In fact, I was so awesome, I may or may not have gotten a pretty great scholarship to a college that’s all about sports.”        ”Whoa.” Was he lying? She wasn’t sure, but it sounded cool nonetheless.        ”Yep.” The man then reached out and ruffled her hair, chuckling as he did so. “Been a while since I’ve been back there though, but I do have some pretty good memories.”        “Wow. You even act old.”        ”Hey now-!” Sputtering at Daya’s laughter, he then  proceeded to pick her up, the child letting out a squeal and a laugh as he spun her around. “Say Uncle!”        ”No! You’re old!”        ”Take it back!”        ”Never!”        ”Mr Starling.” And Mrs Ryan’s warning tone quickly ended their little bought of playtime. Back on the ground Daya went, where he figured she would have to stay, as boring as that was.        ”Right. Sorry Ma’am,” Percy apologized, though was he truly sorry? Definitely not. “We should probably head inside instead of hanging out here. Mom’s been left waiting long enough.”        Mom? Daya immediately paused at that, more memories slipping in as she remembered why exactly she was here. “Mom? …And the rest of the family, right?”        “Well… I don’t think you’re ready to meet your niece and nephews.”        ”My what?!” At least Daya knew who those kids in that picture were.        ”Yeah.” As funny of a reaction as it was, even Percy felt a little awkward, but it was fine. This was fine. “We’d normally be at some sort of visitor’s center, but I pulled some strings.”        Again, Daya’s attention was diverted to the local hospital, the building now feeling as though it was looming over her. “Pulled some strings?” she questioned, a pit beginning to form in her stomach.        ”Uh-huh.” Percy could tell that this may not go over well, what with Daya’s dipping mood, and truly, he couldn’t blame her. “…You see, Daya. Our mom’s, well… She’s a bit sick at the moment, so she’s staying here till she’s better.”        ”…Elaborate.”        “…Let me just show you.” Percy was almost a little too comfortable as he lead Daya inside, the man clearly knowing where to go and what to do, like he’d already been here a good few times in the past. With Liz and Bertha with him to confirm that yes, Daya was indeed the special case that would be here to see their mom, the kid was signed in relatively quickly, and thus, after a moment of waiting, the siblings and their supervisors were lead up to the room.        ”Is she awake?” Percy asked as they walked down the hall. “I know she was when I last asked, but that was a good while ago.”        The nurse leading them there simply shrugged her shoulders. “I think she is, but that could’ve easily changed.”        ”What’s going on?” Daya questioned, her voice laced with slight panic. “Where’s Mom? What happened to Mom?”        ”…Daya,” Percy started, already trying to be careful with his words. “People get old, and when people get old, they sometimes have more problems than before. And Mom, like me, got old-“        ”I’m not five,” Daya snapped. “Just give it to me straight!”        ”Daya, your voice.”        ”I don’t-!”        ”Daya, if you don’t calm down, you’ll have to leave the hospital.” The warning tone in Bertha’s voice quickly returned, a tone that said that the child was very much on thing ice. Despite her frustrations, she did hush up, once again gravitating towards Liz rather than the others.        Soon enough, the group came across a room, one that held an active TV and some sort of machine that, from what Daya could tell, was helping the patient breathe. But she wasn’t too focused on that machine or anything else the patient was hooked up to. Only the patient herself was able to get her attention, and the patient… Daya could barely believe it.        The woman on the bed was definitely elderly, categorized by her wiry hair and overall frail appearance. She seemed calm, casually watching some sort of SitCom while occasionally glancing at the equipment around her. Was she monitoring it? Maybe just checking it. Daya wasn’t sure, but the woman did cease her glances as the nurse knocked on her door, alerting her to the presence of visitors.        ”Miss Starling?” The nurse paused, waiting for the woman to look towards them. And, once she was facing the group, Daya was gently guided to the front. “Your daughter’s here.”        For a moment, no one in the room spoke. With the social workers staying outside the room while Percy hovered by the door, Daya and her mother were the only ones there besides the supervising nurse. Both stared, not knowing what to really say, but her mother eventually broke the silence.        ”…Daya…?”        And not even missing a beat, Daya broke. Before the nurse could stop her, Daya had sprinted up to the bed, the child avoiding any tubes and equipment as she tried to give the woman a hug. It wasn’t so much of a hug, however, not with the condition the woman was in. Instead, most of it was just Daya clinging to her gown and beginning to sob.        Memory upon memory boiled to the surface, all containing past iterations of the woman she cared so much about. Baking. School. Halloween. Family time. Outings. So many things. Good things. Bad things. But the memories that stood out the most were the ones that didn’t even exist.        Apologies spilled out of the child’s mouth in an instant. She apologized for leaving; for taking the pan and apron; for looking for the monsters; for never coming home. She apologized for making her sad; for ruining the family; for not being there for her. For grandma. For anyone. She apologized, because that was all she had to offer, and that still didn’t feel like enough.        As the tears fell, Daya’s mother cried some of her own, but for the most part, she simply had one of her hands rub her back and let her know she was there. This was her daughter. Even after all these years, this was still Daya Starling, and just because something had happened, something that she herself didn’t understand… she was never going to stop loving her daughter, not until the very end. “…Daya, sweetheart… It’s okay.”        “No! No it’s not- It’s not okay!” Daya hiccuped, still not bothering to look to her mother just yet. “I- I messed up- Now it’s all weird- I- Now you’re here and you-! Grandma! I never got to say bye to Grandma!”        ”Daya…” The woman sighed, her voice croaking just a bit as she tried to keep strong for her child. “…We can’t dwell on what happened back then. I… There’s limited time, in life. We have one to live, and we have to live it. If we spend our time dwelling on all of the could-have’s and the did-haves, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the good things. The little things, and even the big things.”        As her mother spoke, Daya eventually looked up from her lap, eyes red and puffy but very much looking to her for guidance. “…I-I did a bad thing…”        ”…Maybe so, but I don’t care about that bad thing.” Her mother smiled, a big heartfelt smile that showed nothing but love for her kid. “What I care about is the miracle that brought you back to me today.”        Removing her hand from her back, the woman set her hand on Daya’s own and squeezed it gently. “My precious little miracle child, defying all the odds.”        Precious miracle child, brought back for a second chance. Her mother’s smile, her brother’s reassuring nod, a family that continued on yet acknowledged her as one of their own. They were happy to see her, even after what she did, even after causing so much pain from a harmless expedition. They were her family, and they were happy. And she was going to do everything to make sure things stayed that way.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

”Have you reached a decision?” Bertha and Liz sat on opposing sides of the two Starlings, both curious as to what their answers would be. The two got along great. They would know. They’d been watching, but that didn’t make their circumstances any less strange.        For a moment, the two sat in silence, Daya looking to her brother and exchanging a glance with him. Both knew what they wanted, as indicated by the nodding, and eventually, Percy spoke up. “I’m happy you found my sister after all these years. It’s been so nice finally spending time with her and letting her reunite with the rest of our family. But… I don’t think I can adopt her.         “I love my sister a lot, but I have kids- Her niece and nephews, and they’re about her age at the moment. It’d be weird raising them alongside my sister — their aunt — and while my mom would love to take her, she’s… well… We all saw her in the hospital, and from what the doc’s been saying, handing her another child wouldn’t be a good idea.” Percy then closed off what he was saying, seeming a bit nervous but overall firm with his response. This did appear to be what he wanted, but he wasn’t the only one they were looking to ask.        ”Understood,” Bertha replied, giving Percy a nod before turning to Daya. “What about you, Daya? What do you want to do?”        ”Oh we talked already. We both agree that it’s weird,” Daya said simply, gently swinging her legs from where she sat. “We still want to see each other though and stay in contact, which I don’t think Miss Toriel will have any problems with.”        ”Oh?” Already, the woman was raising an eye eyebrow, seeming somewhat annoyed by the monster being brought up, but overall she was… trusting that Toriel had good intentions. Decent ones at least. They’d talked many times now, and while they didn’t fully see eye to eye, they did both want what was best for the children… “Is Miss Toriel that nice?”        ”Well yeah,” replied Daya, still as casual as ever. “I know you guys don’t like her, but she took care of me in the Underground, and she’s still taking care of me and all of my friends now that we’re back. She’s clingy, but not mean. She wouldn’t keep me from seeing my family.”        Ah. Everything seemed to be lining up. What Toriel said and what the kids were saying, even now when Daya had been away from them for a good moment. While it could just be her wanting to be around her friends, the child’s words seemed genuine. And that was honestly all the two workers could ask for.        ”Does mandatory visitation sound fine?” Liz asked, looking between the two siblings as she brought up her clipboard. Once again, the two exchanged glances of their own before giving her a nod.        ”Sure.”        ”Once a month maybe. At the very least on the holidays,” Percy added, watching Liz nod as she jotted everything down. “Do you still like cooking, Daya? Asking for a friend.”        ”Duh!” The child then snickered as she shoved her older brother, only to then receive a light shove in return.        ”Ahem.” Unfortunately, Bertha didn’t know about allowing them to roughhouse, even if it was light teasing. Truly, even after all this time, Percy and Daya Starling were still very much siblings. “In that case, Daya, we’ll be taking you back home today. Mr Starling, we’ll be in touch, and we’ll get you in contact with Daya’s foster mom so that you can talk.”        “Sounds good.”        ”Finally, I can go somewhere that smells good.”        ”Smells good eh?” Already, he was reaching out to grab his sister off her chair, but Daya had quickly dodged his hands and fled from her seat, now standing by the corner with a cheeky grin.        ”You’re not shoving me in your armpit today!” Sticking her tongue out at him, she went to stand by Liz, appearing hesitant at first but the nervousness dissipated as she moved. Was she… warming up to them? Liz sure hoped so. She was kind of tired of having to explain themselves each time they saw them, but maybe things were starting to calm down.        Snickering, Percy got up from his chair, shaking hands with Bertha before holding out his arms for Daya. “I’ll be seeing you on Christmas at least then. Come give your brother a hug.”        And Daya, despite her earlier behavior, practically flung herself into his arms in a tight, loving embrace. “Don’t bake anything on Christmas. I’m gonna bring so many things.”        ”I’m sure you will.” Smiling, Percy then let her go, heading out the door and leaving the three alone.        ”Well, in that case, I’m sure we should get going,” Bertha remarked. “Liz, can you take Daya to the car? I’ll call Toriel.”The drive back home seemed to take longer than Daya thought it would, but maybe that was because she was so antsy to return. The drive to Nublar had been nerve-wracking, but the one to Ebott City was just boring. When would she finally get out of the car? Where were the tall buildings? The busy traffic? The school? It was strange then, but it was home now, and Daya knew that was where she, for now, belonged.        As they finally arrived to Toriel’s house, Daya didn’t even hesitate in hopping out of the car, already making her way on up to the door to give it a knock. It was the afternoon, after school hours. The others had to be home, she was sure of as much. And thankfully, she was right; the others were home, and Toriel was the one to answer the door.         After a quick hug and Daya’s final answer on sticking around, the girl was free to head up to the girl’s room, beginning to put away the few items she’d taken with her for the trip. It wasn’t much, but it was a good enough excuse for her. After all, maybe she did miss this place. The crowded yet somehow decently sized bedroom was hers for the time being as her friends… Well, where were her friends? Soon enough though, she had her answer, all from a kid who she’d forgotten she’d have to see.         ”Come to pack your things?” Frisk remarked, hovering just outside the doorway as Daya turned around.        ”No, actually,” she replied. “I just finished unpacking, and if you heard that convo downstairs, I’m sure you’d know I’m staying too.”        Frisk scoffed. “Can’t believe anything the social workers say.”        “Someone sounds bitter.” Frowning, Daya took a seat on her bed, now deciding to change the subject. “Where are the others?”        ”Basement mostly. We were playing hide and seek, but then we heard Bertha and decided to stay downstairs.”        ”Mostly?”        ”Via’s in the living room. She didn’t want to play.”        ”Yeah," Daya sighed, swinging her leg a bit while looking away for a moment. "...Well, if it helps you feel better, I'm staying, and not because my family is bad."        The statement immediately caused Frisk to blink, confusion flitting across his face. "...If your family is good, why not stay with them?"        "Because my younger brother is a dad, and while I'm still gonna see him, it's still weird." Sticking her tongue out at Frisk, she then flashed him a tiny smile, still at least a little bit entertained by her own unique circumstances. "And Mom's sick. I think Percy said she'll be out of the hospital eventually, but she can't take care of another kid. I'll be visiting at least."        The two then existed in silence for a while, Frisk grunting out a response, but it wasn't one that was necessary to reply to. It was... awkward, to say the least, the quiet allowing Toriel and Berthas' conversation to drift upstairs. And that, unsurprisingly, is what caught their attention next.        "I don't think we'll find any relatives alive for the other three." Bertha's voice was muffled, but it was enough for the two to hone in on, Daya and Frisk both pausing before silently crowding around by the railing near the stairs.        "Oh? What do you mean by that?" Toriel asked, voice clearer than before.        "Via and Daya are some of the most recent missing person's cases in the group. Finding their living relatives was much easier because of this," Bertha explained. "Vera we're still unsure of, but we looked into the other three. Austin went missing almost a century ago, and Flare only a decade later. Neither had any known siblings or too many relatives beyond their parents. Gabriel... we thought we would get lucky. He went missing in 2053, and he had a brother. We tracked him down and, well, he died ten years ago, no kids or anything. Gabriel has no family, and neither do the other two."        The duo upstairs couldn't help but grip the railing, Daya appearing almost devastated while Frisk looked... neutral. It was... strange, how calm he seemed to look, but that grip said enough. Maybe he was just as sad as she was.        "...So..." Toriel started. "What about Vera?"        A sigh, all before Bertha gave her one final response. "...We're still looking, but... we think we have a lead. For now, we're wrapping up Daya's case. Then it's Vera's turn."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

School came and went, as did their assignments; and as the days went on and on, the kids adjusted more and more. Settling into their classes, each of the kids seemed to have a sense of what they were doing as they attempted their homework, often working with whichever fellow soul was in their grade, at least most of the time. Gabriel and Vera, while not always getting along, were just like this, working together on their math assignment in the living room with Frisk and Flowey. Sure, the four kids were in completely different grades, not to mention working on completely different assignments, but they could work in the same space. All they needed was peace and quiet, though unfortunately, the two younger kids weren't providing that.        "...So... Y-you're the last one with family things," Gabriel started quietly, the kid glancing up from his math homework to study Vera's expressions.        "Yeah?" Vera didn't seem to think much of it as she continued to work, the child less than interested in the topic at hand. Somehow, math was cooler than her missing family, and that was something Gabriel wasn't sure he understood. As he continued to stare, Vera looked up from her worksheet, staring at her friend for a moment in confusion. "...What? You think I'm gonna leave? No way."        "You sure-?"        "Obviously!" The child rolled her eyes and went back to attempting her math, though now she seemed a tad more focused on the topic he'd brought up. "You guys are way more important than some stupid family I don't even remember. Why would I even leave?"        "Well- Uh- Um..." Gabriel fiddled with his pencil for a moment, not entirely sure what to say. "...Don't- Don't you wonder what they're like-?"        "No."        "Guys?" After a moment of them talking, Frisk decided to interrupt, the kid looking up from his phone with a frown. "Can you go talk somewhere else? I'm trying to concentrate."        "Concentrate somewhere else yourself," said Vera dismissively.        "Flowey and I need the TV for current event research!" As if to prove a point, Frisk snatched the remote and switched it on, flipping through channels until he landed on the news. At first, all this did was get Vera to glare at him, but when Gabriel moved to his room, Vera followed suit. And now, Frisk and Flowey were alone, left working on their own set of work.        "Why did this have to be done on human history?" Flowey grumbled, the monster using his vines and leaves to scribble a few notes down. "Monster history I've memorized! Human history's boring!"        "I mean, we're on the surface now, so some of this history's ours now, in a way," Frisk replied, frowning as he changed the channel a few more times to find something interesting. "And it's not human history really. Just Social Studies, and our homework's a current event, so just find something on the news and write about it."        "Great." The sarcasm was practically dripping from his voice as he finished with the header, beedy black eyes locking back onto Frisk. "And why isn't Via here to work on it with us?"        "I told you. She said she was tired again."        "She's always tired."        "Leave her be," Frisk sighed, still tiredly flipping through channels. "Besides, we all need a separate current event an...nyway..." The boy had suddenly ceased his bored channel-flipping when another news station popped up, a news station interviewing a man whom Frisk recognized, a man who, while he'd never met him, was someone he despised.        "We bring you here today to the capitol building, where Daryll Loftman stands outside, claiming proof of malicious intent from monsters," the reporter stated, capturing Flowey's attention almost as quickly as Frisk's.        "Ugh. These idiots again?" Flowey asked, very much annoyed by what was happening on the screen. "Do you really want to do your report on them?"        Quickly, however, he was shushed by Frisk, the teen having set his notebook down to listen to the man's words. Proof of malicious intent? Doubtful, but if it was important, it sure would be good to know. That was why Frisk kept listening to whatever was being spoken on. That was why Frisk didn't immediately change the channel.        "As you all know," the man started, "I founded the Human Preservation Society to protect mankind. Monsters, as friendly as they may seem now, were locked away for a reason, and it has been my duty to figure out that reason since."        "What do you propose?"        "Anything, from plain nuisances to murderous."        "Your buddy Daryll still doesn't know what he's talking about, does he?" Flowey remarked.        "I almost wish he did," Frisk snorted, but his eyes never left the television. Come on, Loftman, what did you have to say? Frisk just wanted to get this over with.        "Yes, we have proof." The children continued watching the television as the President of the HPS pulled up a few pictures, pictures that immediately made both kids' blood go cold. Right on the screen were blurry photos, photos taken so long ago, but they were vivid enough for them. Surface photographs, all in a small village, and in them was a blurred yet prominent horned monster, cradling a human child in its arms. "Almost a century ago, a strange creature was reported descending from the mountain."        "Turn it off."        "Many photos and videos have been lost or can't be shown-"        "Frisk."        "-but they all depict a horned creature who-"        "Frisk, turn it off!" Vines quickly sprang from the soulless monster's pot, wrapping around Frisk's hands in an attempt to grab the remote. Frisk, however, reacted as well, gripping the remote tightly in his hands as he continued to try and pay attention.        "-killed a human child and attacked this very city, all back when it was nothing more than a small town."        "We know this story already! Asriel told you what happened!" Snarling, the flower squeezed Frisk's wrist, forcing him to drop the remote into another one of Flowey's vines.        "If this is true, like we suspect-" The television then went dark as Flowey switched it off, the flower glaring angrily at Frisk as he stared not only at the device, but then over at him as well.        "...What is your problem?!"        "What's your problem?!" Flowey snapped. "Were you going to write a report on that?!"        "I was trying to stay up to date with Loftman!" Frisk hissed. "He and his stupid 'Human Preservation Society' are always such a problem! If I don't know his points at the next meeting, how can I even think to counter him?!"        Flowey scoffed. "As if you've gone to a single ambassador meeting in the last few months!"        "That's because I'm still in school and you know that!" Frisk then threw his hands in the air before placing them back at his sides, fists clenching as he tried to calm himself down.        "Hmph. Some pacifist you are." No longer shouting at Frisk, Flowey fetched his pencil and paper as he stared at the remote. "...I'll turn the TV back on once that idiot's done talking."        "Whatever." Abruptly, Frisk stood up, the kid beginning to gather up his homework and utensils before shooting a glare at Flowey. "I'm doing my homework somewhere else. Keep the stupid remote."        Backpack slung over his shoulder, Frisk did exactly what he promised and exited the living room, the teen deciding he'd rather study in the basement instead. Daya and Flare were probably studying upstairs with Via, and the other two boys were already in his room with Vera, so that just left the basement. It was dingy, but he'd rather be there than anywhere else. He'd rather be by himself after finishing up his work.        Thankfully, the homework didn't take him forever at least. He'd simply found a basic enough topic and written a report on it, citing the source just like he was told. But with that done, he could get back to the broadcast. With that done, he could hopefully watch the whole set of proof in full. People loved to upload this kind of stuff to the internet after all.        'Just like the souls.'        It didn't take long for him to find a video of what had happened on the news, the freshly uploaded video feed already receiving clicks. After all, what did the man have to say in full? What did Daryll Loftman, President of an anti-monster group, say about his family.        "If this is true, like we suspect, monster kind has been hiding a good deal from us." Daryll's voice rang out from Frisk's phone as he turned up the volume, the boy soaking up every word. "They came from the mountain, stating that somehow, their ambassador, a twelve year old boy, had freed them from their prison. That they had waited so long for someone to break the barrier holding them back, and now, they want to coexist peacefully with us humans.        "But these pictures, our evidence, our common sense even, proves this wrong. It shows suspicious activity, lies even. How could a monster have escaped and killed a human child when it had to have been trapped by this 'magical barrier?'" He then paused, letting the audience take that all in, letting them hang on his every word before he continued. "If we are to find out the truth, perhaps it is on that mountain. Mount Ebott is government land, owned not by monsters, but by the United States itself. So why haven't we investigated? Perhaps we'll find our missing child. And perhaps we'll find so much more."        Frisk's blood went cold as the video ended, the child staring at his phone before slowly lowering it to the ground. The lies they'd told to human kind, the lies to keep the monsters safe. All were unraveling bit by bit, and an organization of that magnitude would try to use it against them.        "I messed up," he whispered to himself. "I need to reset."        'No,' a voice growled. 'No you don't.'

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It was strange to close his eyes and find himself wrapped in a familiar darkness; strange to return to a place he’d left behind so long ago. In the middle of this darkness stood Frisk, and in front of him where familiar buttons: Continue and Reset. However, the Reset button was corrupted, glowing red webs creeping along it as a black ooze coated its top. And, right behind that was the ghost of the one responsible. There, right in front of him, was Chara Dreemurr.        Chara looked just like how he remembered: Green and yellow sweater, cargo shorts, and her vibrant red eyes. Usually her face held a smile, yet he hadn’t seen it in such a long time. Now, her expression was an annoyed frown, and he knew exactly what he’d done to earn such a look.        ”…Hi Chara.”        ”Greetings.” She sounded so poised, yet the anger was clear. “I see you want to break your promise.”        At the sound of that, Frisk let out a sigh. “I just want to get the best ending this time, I swear-“        ”Shut up.” Chara then flashed him a smile, though it wasn’t like the happy ones he used to see. No. This one was tense, angry, as if daring him to continue. And so, he didn’t. “Another promise after trying to break the one you made, the one where you swore you would let my family live in peace so long as I stopped possessing you.”        Smiling, she continued staring at the other, watching him shrink down as the words sank in. “That’s what I thought.”        ”I had no other choice!” Frisk suddenly snapped back at the taunting apparition, no longer in the mood for a lecture. “You gave me no other options! And I’ve kept up my end of the deal!”        ”Yet you’re trying to reset again.”        ”Because we’ve backed ourselves into a corner!”        ”No. No. You backed yourself into a corner,” Chara corrected, her voice booming throughout the empty void. “You made some choices, and they’re coming back to bite you, just like they do with any other person.”        ”I barely made any choices, actually,” Frisk clarified, crossing his arms. “The souls, CPS, and the HPS were completely out of my control.”        ”Perhaps.” Chara crossed her arms in return, the ghost seeming to take a seat in the air as she gave Frisk a distrusting glance. “But you still made choices. You chose to take the souls with you, which got CPS’ attention, and HPS was always going to appear. After all, it’s human nature to hate what you don’t understand.”        Her last few words held a biting tone to them, one that caused Frisk to clench his fists before throwing them to the side. “You act like that was all my choice! Toriel would’ve taken them back down regardless of what I’d said!”        ”You could have prevented her from heading up the mountain. That was your choice,” she said.        ”I had no idea the souls would be alive!”        ”And that still is not my problem, Frisk-“        ”Why didn’t you come back like the rest of them did?” And that, for once, caused Chara to pause. “Well? Why didn’t you?”        ”…Because I don’t have a soul anymore,” she hissed. “My and Asriels’ soul shattered after we died. We weren’t stable, and when I tried to reset, it broke.”        Chara then went silent for a moment, the child no longer looking at Frisk. “The only soul I have is yours.”        The two then stood there in an uncomfortable silence, neither looking at one another, though Frisk eventually did. “…I’m sorry-“        ”Don’t.” Chara glared, red eyes meeting his own brown ones. “I don’t need your false sympathy, nor do I need you distracting me.”        At that, Frisk couldn’t help but frown and roll his eyes. “Take note of my soul. These feelings aren’t false.”        ”Yes, they are.” She then relinquished her sitting position, boots landing silently on the ground as she walked past the buttons and stood directly in front of him. “You have played this game so many times that your ability to care about any of us has become next to impossible. We have been nothing but a game to you for who knows how long, all because you would rather play hero than face the surface. You would rather play with your toys than face reality.”        ”No, no, it wasn’t like that,” Frisk protested.        ”Oh? Then what was it?” Chara pondered, eyes boring into his soul. “Why did you spend so much time down in the Underground, resetting over and over again, even after achieving the perfect ending?”        ”…Because I didn’t want to go back to the group home. Duh...” Frisk appeared to look ashamed for a moment, but he quickly masked his shame, opting to look Chara in the eyes once more. “Humans aren’t all bad, but the adults? They really hate listening to kids.”        ”And yet, you’re the ambassador.”        ”Who no one ever takes seriously!” Frisk threw his hands into the air once more, eventually turning around and facing away from Chara entirely. “I need to fix this, and I know you don’t get it because all you care about is your weird justice complex, but I need to fix it.”        Frisk once again let that sink in, only to then let out a sigh as Chara refused to answer. “…At least let me figure out what makes HPS tick. You hate humans, and they hate monsters. We stick it to them, and it works out for all of us.”        ”…No.” And suddenly, the pitch black world was gone, along with the buttons and Chara. But, her last words echoed in his head. ‘Figure it out yourself.’

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"What do you mean you found my dad?!" Vera's high-pitched voice rang throughout the house, the girl voicing her disbelief loud and clear, which at this point... this wasn't unusual.        "It means exactly what we said. We found your dad," Bertha replied, trying so hard to not look annoyed in the presence of the defiant child. "He's alive, and he misses you very much-"        "Can't miss what ya never had."        "Vera!" Toriel's eyes widened, appalled by what she'd just heard. "You know better than to say such things, especially about someone who is probably one of your relatives!"        "What? It's true!" Vera crossed her arms. "I don't remember him, and I don't really care to! I have my friends and that's all I need! How do you know this guy isn't some random creep anyway?!"        Bertha couldn't help but deadpan. "DNA and records."        "DN-what now?"        "It's complicated." She couldn't hide a sigh this time. Vera had been a pain in the past, and it was no surprise that she was a pain now. "Basically, our records show that you, Vera Adaline-Justice Zimmerman, are the child of Larry Zimmerman, and we're giving you the chance to meet and talk with him."        She hoped what she was saying got through at least a little bit to the stubborn child, but unfortunately, Vera looked less than impressed. "Well your records are wrong, and I'm not letting you kidnap me-"        "My child." Once again, Toriel interrupted the two of them, this time stepping forward as if to overshadow Bertha's presence. "May we talk about this in a more controlled manner? A chance to hear us out, perhaps?" As the young soul stared up at her in question, the monster attempted to elaborate. "...We will not force you to meet with a man you've never met, and I understand and hear your concerns loud and clear. But, I would like for you to consider the other side, and I am content with explaining things for Mrs Ryan, alright?"        Such an offer was one that Vera couldn't help but consider, even if she felt her answer would remain the same. She didn't want to go, especially not with Bertha, but... ugh. She might as well hear her out. Otherwise she'd never hear the end of it from Via and Daya. Wait. Maybe not Via, but she would definitely be the most disappointed. And that was something that honestly left a bad taste in her mouth. "...Fine."        "Thank you." At least Toriel was nice about stuff like this. That was something Vera could... appreciate, and it was enough to allow Toriel to negotiate. Taking a deep breath, the monster started talking once more. "...Do you remember the day Frisk and I found you, when you were living on Mount Ebott in the woods?"        All Toriel received was a frown and a nod, but that was enough to continue. "I was overjoyed when I found you all alive and well... even if you did not remember me or our time together. I was not your mother then, even if I acted as such... and yet, if I was so overjoyed to find you alive, I imagine the same is true for this person."        "But I don't even know him!" Vera huffed, arms crossed as she blew a piece of her hair out of her face. "Why should I even go? Bertha's probably gonna kidnap me or something."        "I'm not going to kidnap you." The sigh that came from Bertha was one of noticeable exasperation, even if she had tried to muffle it. "My department only wants to protect kids like you and make sure you're safe and happy. But, our main goal is to unite families, to make sure everyone is happy and well, and while you do seem to be happy here, we can't ignore the pleas of a hopeful father."        "That's right." Toriel nodded in agreement with Bertha, the monster folding her paws in front of her. "It is your choice on what you wish to do, but I ask that you consider his feelings as well and meet with him at least once." A pause, and then one final question. "Can you do that for me, Vera?"        Could Vera do that for her...? Probably not. Toriel was nice, but Vera didn't hold her in as high of a regard as many of her friends did. Perhaps Toriel knew that despite her request, but that wasn't something the child would fully know. What she did know, however, was that Toriel was right, and if it finally got these so-called Protective Service people to leave her alone already... then fine.        "...What's in it for me?" That didn't mean Vera wouldn't try to haggle of course, and while she got a sort of quiet sigh from Bertha, Toriel simply smiled.        "Well, rumor has it that I may or may not be making a butterscotch pie sometime today." The monster scratched her chin lightly as she pretended to think, her eyes trailing from the ceiling back down to the kid with a small smile. "Perhaps I can confirm these plans of mine. That would be nice, yes?"        Food as a bribe... Vera couldn't say no to that. "...Deal."        "Splendid!" Toriel beamed as she clasped her hands together, seeming more pleased than neither Bertha or Vera expected. “Now, with all of this settled, will you please get ready to go? Mrs Ryan and Miss Kline have been waiting long enough.”        So prepare Vera did, getting dressed in one of her cuter outfits. If she had to meet this mystery person, she wanted to look amazing, especially if this person was her so-called dad. A father she never remembered, a parent who didn’t matter, and yet… she put in the effort, at least with regards to her appearance.        It was a quiet trip either way though. Vera didn’t want to talk to the social workers, and while Bertha made an attempt, Vera’s crossed arms and glare made it clear that she wasn’t going to open up. No questions about excitement. No hyping Vera up for her supposed big day. Just a quiet car ride with some tension hanging in the air, all up until Bertha once again broke her silence.        “We’re coming up to the visitor’s center now,” the social worker informed. “You and your dad will have about an hour or so to talk.”        The news though didn’t impress Vera much, the child letting out a snort. “You gonna stick me in one of those rooms again?” the child sneered. “I’m not above biting, you know.”        A sigh. “And I’m not above turning this car around and noting your conduct.” The woman then pinched her nose, her gaze filled with all sorts of exhaustion. “But this meeting is important, if not for you then for your dad. And while you do have a say in all of this, your dad does as well. And right now, he wants to see you.”        ”Uh-huh.” She didn’t sound convinced, the child letting out a dramatic sigh and pushing herself further up against her seat. “He wants to see me in some stupid building about visitors. Didn’t Via go to her crappy mom’s house?”        ”Language.”        ”And that house was all the way in some other town too!” The disregard for Bertha’s words was obvious, but Vera didn’t seem to care. “And Daya went to another town for like, two days! We haven’t even left the city-!”        ”Because your father wanted to see you, and he was willing to travel all the way here to do it.” The sudden firmness in her voice caught Vera’s attention in an instant, the child hushing up as the social worker’s frustration showed. “Your father came all the way here from Ashburn, a city on the other side of the mountain range, to meet you. This space is free for the both of you, and it keeps conversations private. So I would appreciate it if you stopped complaining.”        Bertha’s words allowed yet another silence to begin, an even thicker sense of tension flooding the vehicle as Liz continued their drive through the city. And for once, Vera didn’t reply. She stared, but she didn’t reply. All the child could think to do was glare, though a strange flicker in her blue-grey eyes was enough to allow the woman to realize what she’d done.        Gaze softening, a look of regret crossed her features. “…I’m sorry for yelling at you. That was wrong of me.”        But Vera did not reply. Instead, she crossed her arms and turned away, even as the car pulled up to their destination.        ”We’re here.” Liz’s announcement was strange, like even she didn’t know what to say. But she still kept a professional front, parking the car and opening the door for Vera. And then, they made their way inside.        The building was strange, at least in Vera’s opinion. It looked like so many other large buildings, ones with multiple levels and windows. But the windows weren’t extremely plentiful, and a good chunk of them had the blinds down. And the interior… it was just as strange. The lobby was plain and boring, and the rooms Vera caught glimpses of were different playrooms with different themes. One appeared to be jungle-themed, with blue walls containing painted trees and vines and many matching toys. Another room was a pastel purple, fairy lights hanging from the ceiling with a small princess castle and pretty pink and blue furniture inside. One was fruit-themed, another ocean-themed, and the one she finally stepped into was cowboy-themed.        A sandy desert stretched before them, or at least the walls were painted as such. Some rocking horses here and there, along with many cowboy hats, toy guns, and multitudes of horse toys. But what really stood out was the man in the room, a man who, while he seemed to somewhat fit into the scenery, definitely wasn’t with the rest of them.        The man wasn’t extremely tall, but he was definitely an adult, and one who was balding to boot considering how his greying blonde-brown hair looked. Square glasses framed his wrinkling face, the man adjusting them once the trio entered. But he said nothing. Instead, he focused on Vera, and naturally, the cautious child focused right on back.        ”Mr Zimmerman, I’d like you to meet-“        ”Vera.” They didn’t need to finish speaking. He already knew who she was, and he was up in an instant, stumbling on over before lowering himself to the ground. The desperation and his own disbelieving daze seemed to concern Liz enough for her to rush in and help, but in the end, he was okay, now on his knees with his arms outstretched. He wanted a hug, from a daughter who remembered nothing. And that hug never came.        ”Vera- Vera come here-“ Even if she couldn’t already see the tears, his sniffling and wavered breathing gave him away. He was crying, crying did a kid she swore he didn’t know. “Vera it’s me- Your pop- Kiddo it’s me-“        ”Mr Zimmerman.” Liz had knelt down next to him, a hand on his shoulder as she took a glance towards Vera. “The kids we found didn’t remember anything at first. All of the ones we’ve handled more directly have remembered things at some point, but Vera’s still coming out of it.”        ”Still coming out of it? How?” The man lowered his arms a little as his gaze turned to Liz, confusion covering his features along with hints of despair. “You’re- Are you saying she doesn’t remember me-?”        ”…No, she doesn’t,” Liz sighed, closing her eyes momentarily to avoid the father’s broken gaze. “But, each kid seems to remember their old lives eventually. I can attest to this personally. Both I and Bertha can. And Vera… she’s young. I’m sure she’ll remember you in due time.”        That was the last thing the man wanted to hear, his face expression falling upon hearing about a condition that he hadn’t ever anticipated. His daughter, once his sweet and loving little angel, was currently staring at him with distrust. It was… heartbreaking. He wanted to cry. That much was clear to even Vera, whose own expression faltered before shrugged it off.        “Whatever. I should probably humor you,” the child grumbled with crossed arms.        ”Vera, that’s not-“        ”It’s okay.” The man didn’t seem to sound all that great as he moved to interrupt Bertha, but he didn’t let that stop him. “Please, help me catch up. I… want to learn more about her, how she is now… Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”        Vera knew when a question like that was directed at her, and that wasn’t something she minded doing. So she did. She told him her name was Vera, how her best friend was Via and she was living with her other friends and this kid named Frisk and his family. She told him about the mountain, how she and her friends woke up, how she was one of the best gatherers despite being one of the youngest, and all about life since moving in with Toriel. School life, the troubles of math class, the homework that she needed to complete today. She gave him a rundown on who she was, what she was becoming, and how Vera- just Vera, was determined to remain loyal to her friends.        ”Toriel said she’s making butterscotch pie for when I get home, so that’s why I’m here,” Vera told him, her voice nonchalant. “But… eh. You’re cool, I guess.”        And that was good enough for him.        ”Mr Zimmerman,” one of the social workers stepped forward, “I’d hate to interrupt, but visitation is ending.”        “Is it?” The man and Vera both turned and stared at Liz, only to then lock eyes with one another after speaking at once.        ”Aha. Jinx! You owe me a soda, kiddo.”        ”What?! No way!” Vera bristled as Zimmerman laughed, though she didn’t seem all that hostile, not truly. It was… noteworthy, something that brought a smile to Bertha’s face. And for that reason, she’s the one who spoke next.        ”Would you like to see each other again?”        That was certainly a thought, though Zimmerman didn’t know what to fully say. “…That depends…” he started. “Vera, would you like to see me again?”        ”…Maybe if you get me smarties.”        ”Heh. That’ll do.”