solnet | ♥ text;

I know. They're doing better now.

[Again, not strictly a lie; Frisk hasn't been back long, but by virtue of being back, they're fairly certain that 'better' is a safe assumption to make.]

[Steven brought up both the festival and the castle push, too - and while Frisk preferred to talk about the festival, they know the exploration status is important.]

How far into the castle are we?

[Mistakes.]

[That's one way to think of it.]

[But Frisk doesn't linger long enough to chew on that bit of info, when the next one drops with all the grace of a plummeting elevator. Frisk tenses, peering into the camera with an anxious glint in an otherwise stony expression. Their mouth draws into a thin line.]

[Not at his offer to teach them how to FIGHT. They already know the answer to that one, deep down.]

[What does Colin mean, their Partner had to FIGHT them? They were gone. Checked out. On vacation. More than that, they would never --]

[... Frisk doesn't like where this is going.]

How?

How did they have to fight you?

[Colin looks right at the screen, letting it hang in the air for just a moment.]

If you want me to tell you, I will. But it's probably not my place, and once you hear things, you can't unhear them.

I will absolutely tell you, but you have to ask me to tell you first.

[Zuko just assumes that means Frisk and Chara have already talked.]

Glad to hear it. We've cleared through the areas where the queen took us in March.

[ you can practically hear him sprinting down the hall-- he's so excited. He turns the door open, his bright and boney expression catching a tiny HUMAN IN THE CORNER OH MY GOODNESS--

he rushes over and swoops them into a hug, Er-- a capture. ]

NYEH HEH HEH!!! I HAVE CAPTURED YOU, HUMAN!! [ he spins around a little bit. How very excite. +25 excite points!!! ]

[Oh, no you don’t. Yukio isn’t going to let them off the hook that easy. His stern face appears onscreen, but his wobbly lip probably doesn’t help much.]

Why didn’t you say anything to me? I was worried…

[Especially with Sans being so secretive.]

[Oh.]

[It's hard to come up with a good answer for that one - mostly because of the person asking it. And even if their nature compels them to deflect rather than lie, Frisk knows firsthand how painful it is to be on that side of the river; they'd, uh, rather spare Yukio that burden. They find themself switching on the feed, because it doesn't feel right to keep responding via text with that face staring them in the eye.]

I'm sorry. I didn't have enough time. [Frisk looks and sounds a little worn out, but for the most part, seems to be in perfect health.] Everything's okay now.

[March. It takes a bit longer to line that memory up than it should - all those familiar pieces are harder to fit together when there's two months' worth - but as soon as it clicks, their reply is almost immediate.]

Did anyone get hurt

No. Nothing serious. The ooze is gone.

[How did Chara have to? ... not exactly. Frisk doesn't really care about that 'how'. They have a pretty good guess, generally. They remember -]

[dragging, twin-snap tension, rigid bones clamped around their fingers notbeating]

[- some of it. And enough experience to know that the Queen plays for keeps. Player 1 has left the game. Enough experience and a flavor of red on the periphery of their memory, but they don't really ca]

[They want to know how Chara fought them. Because they're partners, it's us, blades marked with the same patterns of dust. "Training" sessions that have proven, time and again, that there really aren't many differences between all the kids with knives.]

[Colin looks right at the screen. Frisk looks right back.]

No.

[Whoever - whatever Chara fought, it wasn't them; not what mattered. They would have known. They're sure of it. That's all they need to know.]

But thank you. I'll remember that.

You took a vacation in the middle of a war?

[A little from column a, a little from column b, to be quite frank. Norma doesn't even grace Frisk with a response - she's too nervous and excited to just lay her eyes on them again. To just be certain this isn't some sick prank being pulled by the Queen or anything. It's not above her to pull mind games like this, but even so, she hurries to where Frisk indicated. Her feet slap against the stone as she throws herself down the stairs (and nearly cartwheels down them for real, a-ahaha...) and through the corridor that houses the living quarters of the castle's heroes.

Room seven, room eight, room nine...there it is. She's a little afraid to push the door open, but after a few minutes of hesitating with her arm held out, Norma taps her knuckles against the door first. May as well be polite first. And, if this really is some sort of lucid dream or a figment of the Queen's wrathful magic, she'll at least be a little prepared.

Hopefully.]

[Oh, Frisk...she knows they weren't on vacation. She already chewed out Sans for that lame excuse, but at the same time she's glad that he prioritized protecting Frisk's SOUL and keeping drama from exploding.

Not that it stopped it from happening, but that's life.]

Welcome back, I can't imagine scenic Sans' ribs is very exciting anyway.

[Yeah... doesn't come across too great, does it? Oh well. That's the story and Frisk is sticking to it.]

Yes

But I wish I had come back sooner

Why did you come back?

[Oh hey, look who's just discovered how to use the video function! It takes a second, but Death manages to get the camera pointed at himself.]

IT WAS NOT MUCH OF A VACATION, THEN, WAS IT?

[That does give Frisk pause, though not for long. They'd never imagine Maka to have been fooled by an excuse like that; especially when she knows their SOUL inside-out, better than they probably do. And a text like that could blow their cover story, but... it's not like it was strong to begin with.]

It was bonely. [Which actually comes out a bit more depressing than they'd meant it, so they're quick to add:]

But I'm home now.

heh heh, i wanna know where this guy came from if you need an excuse, not an obligation, to come back from vacation.
sounds like a sweet deal.

Edited 2016-07-09 20:05 (UTC)

[ He's going to give Frisk a little time to settle in before the onslaught of awful jokes resumes, but, uh. Boy, is he glad to have you back, kid. ]

lemme know how it works out with the new digs, kiddo.

[Oof! Humans may have a lot more physicality than monsters, but when it comes down to it, a child is still no bodily match for the great Papyrus. He sweeps them up, and Frisk lets out a noise somewhere between surprise and laughter, their arms hooking around his humeri as he swings them into a little spin.]

[It strikes them, somehow, that they missed this - without even knowing it was gone.]

[A touch dramatically, Frisk withdraws one of their hands to tip it against their forehead, leaning away from Papyrus with a clearly genuine faintness.]

Oh no. This is the end for me.

[That is... a skeleton? And not one of the skeletons Frisk is used to seeing around.]

[Weird.]

[In the interest of politeness, they flip their video function on as well - though there isn't much to see on this side other than an average 11-year-old kid. They don't seem fazed by Death's appearance in the slightest, at least.]

Not really.

[Glad to be back. In a way that adds another change to the rulebook; they've got a lot to think about, and according to Colin, a lot to talk about. But for now, they, um... feel like talking isn't the solution to this situation. Not quite yet.]

[In either case, they'll be waiting for those terrible puns to fill up their phone again. Their inbox could use a little levity.]

I've goat no complaints.

heh heh heh.
even if you did, bleats me how i'd solve it.
i'll drop by before it gets late.
don't ransack the place before then, ok?

[ he pulls away when they do, still holding them aloft. Their dramatic flair reaches him and his entire face lights up. He did a good job. Papyrus preens. So proud of himself!! He has done such a good!! ]

OF COURSE!! NONE ARE A MATCH FOR THE WIT AND SPEED OF THE AMAZING PAPYRUS!

[ Frisk is set down with gentle care. He pulls away for a moment, watching carefully, the excitement melting into a little bit of nervousness. Which he tries overwhelmingly to hide with his incredible confidence!!!!!!! ]

BUT...IT IS NOT TRULY THE END, IS IT? NOT THAT!! I AM WORRIED!!

[ a pause. He makes shifty eyes at the wall. ]

......I AM ONLY SLIGHTLY WORRIED!! BECAUSE YOU ARE MY FRIEND, TINY HUMAN, AND I HAVE NOT BROKEN YOU WITH MY GREATNESS, HAVE I??

Oh. A comedian. How unfortunate.

We were unaware that vacations were acceptable in times of war in this realm, or that attempts to take a vacation while serving in the king's army are not considered treason. We are merely curious about this realm's customs. That Frisk has not been so much as interrogated is very strange to us.

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