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Being the deputy of the Wild East was hard work, but it was worth it.
Well, maybe it actually wasn’t too hard. The feisty six woke up every morning, patrolled the area, then all broke off to do their own things. Clover currently sat on a chair, facing the two jail cells that held the criminals of the Wild East. Only one of them held a monster, the red monster Owen. He was admittedly one of the more unique monsters they’d ever met, but was now seeming to avoid looking at Clover. That was fine with them, though, and they pulled their hat down to cast a shadow over their eyes.
“Well, partner, I’m sure you’re more than aware of why you’re here.”
“You monsters these days are just lackin’ manners, yup!”
Clover rolled their eyes, shifting their hat upwards. “Owen, you should know by now that Dina isn’t going to take you complaining at her from open to close lightly. You’re disturbin the peace!”
Owen stepped closer to the bars, shifting their own cowboy hat back on their head a bit.
“Ugh, the entire place has no class, yup! They have the worst alcohol I’ve ever tasted, yup! Not to even mention how sticky the counters and floors are, yup!”
“It is a bar. Beer is sticky. You see the crowds that pile in that place, it’s not going to be the cleanest! Besides, it wouldn’t be a problem if you weren’t just in there to complain.”
“I hear all of you out bickering with the other gangs in the area, yup! Why should my standards be any different, yup!
“Owen, we don’t actively complain to everyone who would listen, besides, it’s part of the charm of this place! People come to expect this!”
“Ain’t I charmin too, yup?”
“We love you being around, but-”
“CLOVER!”
Without any warning, the door to the jail slammed open, Mooch shouting their name. It startled Clover enough that they lost their balance, clattering to the floor alongside the chair that they had been leaning in. Their hat fell to the floor, much to their dismay, but luckily this place was decently well maintained. Not too much sand on it.
They collected their items and sat up quickly, dusting themselves off. They couldn’t help but be a bit annoyed at the very sudden interruption of their Deputy duties.
“Jeeze, Mooch, a little warning might have been nice!” They scolded, turning to face her. “What’s up? Did something happen at the saloon?”
Mooch began to stumble over her words, seeming far too frantic to find something that made sense. “N-no Clover, It’s just- I can’t- There’s a- I-”
“There’s a human in town.”
Starlo appeared from behind Mooch, lifting his hat up just enough to reflect light in an ominous fashion off his glasses. His tone was solemn, but uncertain. Enough to send chills down Clover’s spine.
“A-A human??” Clover felt their own jaw drop, their form starting to tremble. A human was in their town, one of the few towns where they were likely to be recognized for what they truly were. If any visitors were here they could tell the royal guards! Not to mention, for all they knew, this human could be violent! Slaughtering monsters, tearing them apart without a care in the world…
If there was a time Clover wished they could find Flowey to save, it would be right now. But their flowery friend had been absent recently, so their most recent save was at least a week old.
“Yep, another human! And they’re shorter than you!” Moray peeked from around the corner. “Are you coming?”
Clover blinked, Moray’s statement pulling them back down to earth. After a short moment, they nodded, pushing aside the anxiety building in their throat.
“Yeah, yeah I’m coming. Take me there.”
Star gave a grin, before waving them forward. Clover turned back to Owen, taking their fingers and pointing to their eyes and then back at Owen. He didn’t seem to care.
The outside heat was a bit overwhelming in the dunes today, Clover had a good reason for staying inside. In front of them, an unfamiliar monster waited beside Martlet. Oh dear gosh, Martlet was here, this couldn’t be good! This meant they’d been in other places in the underground, the human could have already killed - no, no, focus - this was going to be fine. Martlet seemed to light up at seeing Clover, quickly running forward and enveloping them in a hug.
“Clover!” She cried. “I missed you so much! Oh thank goodness you’re safe, no new scratches or bullet holes!”
“Hey, that was once!” Star huffed, crossing his arms.
“Heh, yeah, I’m fine. I promise.” Clover sighed at her worries. “It’s only been 3 days since I stayed with you in Snowdin, though, so I’m surprised to see you.”
“I know, I know, but this, well..” She turned her attention to the monster next to her.
The other monster, a skeleton in a puffy blue jacket with green accents. He wore a small over-the-shoulder cape across the left side of his jacket, held on by a belt. The patch across his chest was that of a three leaf clover, indicating he was part of the monster local lookout. While they didn’t know much about the budding organization, as it was mainly focused in Snowdin town, they did know it was essentially a small, local branch of the royal guard not associated with the King. Hmm, perhaps they could ask someone about it next time they were visiting Martlet.
The skeleton turned to Clover with a smile. They’d never seen this monster before, but they figured if he was here, he was safe. His tone was low but balanced, with just enough intonation to understand the meaning behind his words. A permanent smile had inscribed itself onto his face, with two glowing white pupils in the darkness of his eyes.
“Hey there kid.” He gave a wave. “My name’s Sans. Sans the skeleton. I think I gave your friend a scare there earlier.” Sans winked at Martlet, to where she bashfully turned away. “She mentioned there was a town with a human in it where humans would be safe, so, I just figured I’d come check it out!”
Clover raised their eyebrows, glancing between the two. “Ah, yep! I’m the deputy of this town, but uh, I’d appreciate it if the whole human thing was kept on the down low. Yaknow, we just claim I’m a monster species if anyone new comes. But, you were interested in this place, why?”
“Well…” He started, before glancing behind him. “Come on, bud, it’s okay!”
After a short moment, a human stepped out from behind the skeleton’s back. They had messy, short light brown hair, and appeared to be wearing the same shirt Sans was wearing. Though it was far too big on them, so it probably belonged to the skeleton. Their arms and face were covered in bandages, and a four leaf clover necklace hung around their neck.
Clover’s eyes widened. This human was perhaps a year or two younger than them, and looked to be quite injured. They stared at the shorter human for a moment, completely unsure as to what to say.
“So, uh, yeah I rushed over here to get Star. Figured you guys might have more of an idea as to what to do and all.” Marlet raised a wing. “Apparently they fell into the underground far into the snowdin forests, no one even knew there was a way to the surface there.”
“Kid had almost fallen down too.” Sans ruffled their hair. “It was a hard tumble, but luckily my brother is quite skilled in healing magic.” He shot the kid a wink, and they seemed to light up a tad.
Clover paused, before slightly hunching over to meet the younger kid’s level. They offered their hand alongside a smile.
“Hey there, kiddo. My name is Clover, and I’m the deputy around here. What’s your name?”
After a moment of hesitation, they reached out their bandaged hand and set it into Clover’s. They seemed small, but not to an extreme.
“H-hey, my name is Sam. Sam Ryan.” They shook their hand. “It’s nice to meet you. You’re the first human I’ve met in this place…”
“Ah yeah, and I believe the only other one right now.” Clover paused, humming to themselves a bit. “Why don’t I tell you how things work around here over some root beer? We’ve got the greatest bartender on this side of the underground!”
Sam smiled, quickly nodding and stepping forward to follow Clover. They glanced back to Sans, who gave them a nod of approval.
“We’ll probably be stoppin’ in soon, too.” Starlo called. “Just to discuss next steps.”
“Gotcha!” Clover gave him a thumbs up, before leading Sam to the saloon entrance. They stumbled a bit over the entrance, once again taking Clover’s hand to aid in moving around with their injuries.
The saloon was as lively as ever, the sound of monsters chatting about this and that permeating the air. The wood floors creaked in welcoming, and Clover stepped towards the stools around the counter. The smaller human stuck to their side, nervously glancing around at everyone. As Clover sat, Sam managed to clamber onto the one beside them without any issue.
Dina turned to greet them, but no sound came as her eyes fixed onto the two humans. She glanced between Clover and Sam, before fixing her eyes on Clover.
“Well, it appears I’m seeing double today!” She chuckled, “What have you found now, deputy?”
“This is Sam.” Clover gestured to them, and Sam gave a small wave. “Got them and a guest from Snowdin in town today! Think you could serve us up a couple of root beers?”
Dina nodded, quickly icing two glasses and setting them on the table. She popped the cap off the first bottle with a satisfying noise and filled them, passing one to each human.
“There we are!” She smiled. “They’re on the house today, dear, you look pretty banged up.”
Sam took it with a quiet “Thank you.” before pausing, staring at the glass. “Y-yeah, Sans said he was terrified I was dead when he found me…”
The air seemed to go a bit thick with tension, Clover and Dina side eyeing one another. Yikes, that was a bit rough to hear from a kid. That tension soon settled as Sam took in a heavy sip of the root beer, their face lighting up with excitement.
“Oh, this is so good, thank you!” Their shining blue eyes focused on Dina. “This tastes even better than the stuff we got up on the surface!”
“Really now?” Dina began to laugh. “Well, thanks for the compliment kiddo, though you shouldn’t go around announcing you’re a human like that to everyone. ‘Course, we don’t care around here, we’ve got our beloved deputy in town.”
Clover couldn’t help but feel their face warm a tad. “Ah, Dina, I'm just about as hated as I am liked when we catch someone up to no good. But I appreciate it.”
“Ah, nonsense.” She waved them off. “Everyone here knows what they’re getting into if they cause trouble! One of the six of you get involved! They should really know better if they don’t wanna spend the day in jail!”
“You might be the only one here who hasn’t spent a day in there.” They took a long drink of their root beer, before re-adjusting their hat. “I’m starting to think Star’s letting you get away with something we don’t know about!”
“Oh, nonsense. And don’t you go suspecting me for anything, or I’ll have Star toss you in there for a couple hours till you learn your lesson!”
“Hey, you wouldn’t dare!”
“Oh I would.” Her smile turned a bit dangerous. “You remember the night you tried to sneak out one of the actual beers from behind the counter? I’m more than willing to repeat what I did that day.”
Clover’s eyes widened, putting both hands in the air. “Alright, alright you got me there. No repeats of that please!”
“Can do.” Dina broke into laughter, with Clover soon to follow. After a moment, Dina turned their attention back to the second human at the bar. “No need to be so silent, kiddo, we’re friendly. I promise, Clover and I just got some jestin’ to do.”
Ah right, Clover had almost forgotten about the second human at their side. Sam looked up from their root beer to meet Dina’s gaze, quietly spouting a “Ah, sorry!” Before returning to their silence.
Dina shook her head. “Were you this quiet when you first came into here, Clover? I could’ve sworn not.”
Clover shrugged. “I think it’s fair that they seem uncomfortable. How long have you even been down here, Sam?”
Sam hummed, tapping their nails on the counter. “Mh, I think around 2ish weeks now? Time’s a bit fuzzy, no day or night to mark things. And I was unconscious for a good bit of it.” They furrowed their brow. “Two weeks… it feels like so long.”
“I get it.” Clover leaned back in their chair, at least until Dina sent them a glare. They set all four legs of the chair back on the ground. “Time is really weird here, but everyone tries to make the best of it. Life is kinda slower than it is on the surface, and stuff like the time plays a role.” Clover yawned, stretching their arms above their head. “Regardless, I do get it, and I hope you’re adjusting okay.”
Sam nodded, kicking their legs a bit as they stared at their root beer. “It is okay. No one in the part of Snowdin I live in is at all aware of what humans really look like, so I haven’t had any trouble. Plus there was usually some kinda sticks in my hair or something.” They chuckled. “I wish.. I wish I could go home, though.”
Once again, the saloon seemed to go a bit silent. Clover tried their best to hide their disgruntled expression, but Sam didn’t seem that oblivious.
“Don’t worry.” The human sighed. “Sans already told me what leaving would entail. I… I don’t wanna hurt anyone. Especially after these people saved my life, which they really didn’t need to. I… I could have helped them escape, if they’d just taken my soul… but no. They helped me.” Sam rubbed their arm a bit. “B-besides, even if that wasn’t the case, I’m a pacifist. I have no interest in hurting anyone.”
Clover’s expression softened a bit. Ah, the anxiety of being told what leaving this place entailed. Even so, it disturbed them to see someone younger than them suggest that they could have died, and that would be okay.
“I think anyone reasonable would have saved your life, human.”
Sam nearly fell out of their seat as they jolted at the new voice behind them. Clover was quick enough to catch them, giving a heavy sigh to the monster who stood behind the pair.
“Ceroba, don’t go butting in on other people’s conversations!” Clover scolded, patting Sam’s head a bit. After a moment, their expression softened. “It’s good to see you.”
Ceroba nodded to Clover. “And you as well, Clover. From what I overheard, I think you’re being a bit of a hypocrite. I’m sure I’m not the only one who remembers-”
“Okay, I get it, do we have to have this conversation now?” Clover put a hand on the bridge of their nose, squeezing it and their eyes shut at the same time.
“Hypocrite.” She rolled her eyes.
Sam looked back and forth between the pair, before eventually deciding that sipping their root beer and not asking questions was the best course of action. Ceroba seemed to support this, shifting their attention to the new person in town. Her long hair was down, her kimono slightly dirty, as if she had rushed here rather than taking her time as she usually did.
“I apologize for frightening you, small one.” Ceroba’s face seemed to soften as she leaned down to their size. “As Clover mentioned, I am Ceroba. It’s nice to meet you.” She offered her hand in greeting.
Sam took it, shaking her hand before responding, “I’m Sam, Sam Ryan! I-It’s nice to meet you too, everyone has been so kind here.”
Ceroba let a smile slip onto her face, standing up and ruffling Clover’s hat, completely messing up their hair and leaving the hat lopsided on their head. They let out a small gasp, before looking at her with a betrayed expression on their face.
“Ceroba… Ceroba how could you…” Dramatics poured from their tone of voice, with crocodile tears pouring down that only Flowey himself could have done better. Ceroba scoffed, rolling her eyes again and smiling at them for only a second before refocusing on the newcomer.
“Heh, yeah, most folks around here have become fond of our little deputy. Not like the royals or their guards come around much anyways, the Dunes are far out of their way, and they don’t really have people stationed here. ‘Specially since the mining projects have been on pause. So it works more on an honor system.” She clicked her tongue a bit, fiddling with a small pendant on her bracelet. “Hm, Clover, have you told them about, well, the clovers?”
Clover paused, humming a bit to themselves. “I hadn’t, but I don’t know if any of the others have.”
“The clovers?” Sam asked, once again glancing between the pair as they talked. “You mean like, the ones in Snowdin town?”
Ceroba nodded. “Yes, like those. You see-”
However, it was now Ceroba’s chance to be interrupted. The doors of the bar swung open, and in came the remainder of the feisty six, Martlet, and Sans. They were quick to join the existing group at the bar, Ace taking a moment to death glare Blembino, sitting beside Clover. Blembino was quick to skitter away towards the back of the place and away from the crowds.
“Deputy.” Ace greeted them with a nod. Clover nodded back.
Ceroba smiled a bit at Starlo, who slapped a hand on her back. “Well well well, I didn’t expect to see you in town today!” He teased. She rolled her eyes.
“I saw Martlet flying above the area, thought something might be going on.” Her tone of voice was as elegant as ever, smooth enough and calm enough to even make a loud saloon feel lighter. “And I see that I was right to think so.”
Starlo sighed, glancing at the two humans on barstools. “ ‘suppose you’re right there. Speaking of, kid, how old are ya?”
Sam paused, rubbing their hand across one of their injured arms as they spoke quietly. “I-I’m 12… not that I can’t handle myself! I’m just a bit short!”
“Wasn’t even dreaming of criticizin’ your height.” He chuckled. “ ‘n I don’t doubt that you can handle yourself, either. You got this far, clearly.” Star paused for a moment, before asking, “How’d you fall down here anyways?”
Sam looked away, their expression souring a bit. “I-I was just being stupid.. I..” They took in a deep breath.
“You don’t have to tell us if it’s too much.” Martlet spoke up, raising a wing to their back. After a moment, Sam looked up to her, leaning into her touch.
“It’s alright. My family came camping while hiking the mountain, we were here on vacation. They had told us not to go into any caves around the mountain, and that most of them were blocked off. I stumbled onto one deep into the brush with these shining crystals, and I just wanted a few of them. Then I tripped. Stupid, isn’t it?” They puffed out their cheeks, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room.
You could have heard a pen drop in their corner of the bar. Star and Ceroba shot each other a glance, Sans and Martlet soon following. The four seemed to focus on the floor. Clover frowned, their tone turning a bit bitter as they spoke.
“They really went through with making that place into a vacation spot, huh?” They scoffed. “Only wanted to cover up what happened here, to make it less known. Hide the monsters even further.” They took a drink of their root beer.
“Y-You think they did it intentionally?” Sam asked, turning their attention to the other human.
“Don’t think, I know.” Clover sighed. “Look, I don’t like to talk about my past a lot, but to say the least, they made sure no one could bring up the nasty past of this place.”
Sam pursed their lips, trying to ignore the curiosity they felt with that answer. “Well, guess it worked. Nothing to be done about it now.”
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, quiet clearings of throats and shuffling. That was, at least, until the skeleton who’d been mostly watching this all go down spoke up.
“Well, that really buried that mood! You wanna go home kiddo, you look a bit frazzled.” Sans’ pun caused a couple of people around to snort, trying to contain their laughter despite the warmth of the mood filling the bar.
“Hah, yeah, I think I’m a bit tired. Maybe some more healing magic when we’re back home?” Sam asked, shifting their attention to the skeleton.
He nodded, tipping a nonexistent hat to the group. “Well, that sounds like we’ll be making our exit! When the kid’s feeling a bit better, I’m sure they’d like a couple visitors or to visit town.” He glanced to Martlet. “Keep in touch, you kept my address, right?”
“Right!” She gave a thumbs up and a bright smile, stepping away from the group. “Guess I’ll be leaving too. See you next week Clover?”
“See you next week.” Clover nodded, quickly getting up and out of their chair. They rushed forward, wrapping Martlet in a hug. “Don’t be afraid to visit me out here too!”
Martlet couldn’t help but smile, hugging Clover back tightly. “I won’t, I won’t! Have fun!”
With that, Sam stumbled off the barstool, offering their hand to Sans. Sans took it, giving a lazy smile to the group and waving his free hand goodbye. Everyone gave a wave back, as the saloon doors closed behind them.
“Well, I should probably catch up.” Martlet chuckled, letting Clover go. “I’ll see you soon, be safe!” She waved, heading out the Saloon doors. As she stepped out into the sand, the group could hear her faintly calling for the other monster.
Clover let out a sigh they hadn’t realized they were holding in, rubbing the back of their neck under their ponytail. Ceroba was the first to speak up, her eyes fixed on the deputy.
“I saw that look in your eye, Clover. I know what you’re thinking, and no.”
Clover opened their mouth to argue with her, their eyes locking with hers. She was dead serious, and it shook them to their core. Clover looked away, scratching at their arm.
“It’s not like that, I wouldn’t want them to get hurt. They look like a good kid, it’s just…”
“There are seven human souls in the underground.” Ceroba crossed her arms, and Clover tried to ignore the shocked faces on the other members of Starlo’s posse, and Starlo himself. “That’s what it is, isn’t it.”
“Clover, are you-” Mooch chittered, looking them up and down. “Were you-”
Moray was the next to speak up, reaching for their blade. “You know if you-”
“Enough!” Clover yelled loud enough that for the first time since they’d fallen here two years ago, the Saloon was completely silent. Not a clink of a glass or the clatter of people by the stage. Everyone turned to look at the human, their eyes seeming to almost glow with a yellow hue. “I’m not hurting anyone! B-besides, that would only matter if another human soul had been collected by the royals, and there hasn’t been! Only in that case would I even consider giving over my own.”
Everyone stared at them like they’d just shot through the ceiling. Even Dina’s masterful customer service face had failed itself. For a moment, all there was in the saloon was the creaking of old wood shifting with the sand of the dunes.
Starlo pulled his hat over his eyes, breaking the silence by clearing his throat. “Clover… as your sheriff, I would like to make something known.” He shifted, his tone far more of the serious North Star than of their friend.
“If in our lives, the barrier breaks, you will be leaving the underground with us. No exceptions. You got that, partner?”
Clover pulled their own hat over their eyes, trying their best to avoid their lower lip trembling. Don’t cry, don’t cry Clover repeated in their head. Keep it together.
“Star’s got that right!” Ed put an arm around the sheriff. “As our deputy, we’d need your assistance in capturing criminals and roughin’ around anywhere we go!”
“That’s right!” Moray gave a thumbs up, leaning against their companion. “You’ve already agreed to be the deputy of this town, and that’s a commitment we’ll make sure you keep!”
“And I can’t lose my partner in crime!” Mooch added on. “You’re the only one willing to be my backup in the Oasis, whatcha think I’d do without you?”
Clover sniffled, trying their best to hide the tears on their face. A hand on their shoulder, however, made them look up, ruining their plan.
Ace stood to their right, what was visible of his face as serious and unchanging as ever. He gave them a nod, before stepping away.
Clover wiped at their face with the ends of their jacket, trying to hide the quiver in their voice as they spoke. “T-thank you guys,, I often just,, I think about if I made the right choice. Staying here. I feel like giving you an opportunity to actually see the human world, for all of you to escape, just…”
Starlo knelt by them. “We have no idea what would await us on the surface, and doin it without my whole posse? No way. I just-”
Ceroba knelt by Starlo, putting a hand on his shoulder. His expression shifted to confusion and startled for a moment, but he let her speak.
“Clover. This issue is much bigger than us, I understand.” Her tone was even. “But we really do not know what will happen here. With any luck, we might even be able to find a way for you and the new kid to break the barrier without hurting either of you. Give this time, give us time. But don’t be a martyr.”
Ceroba reached forward, wiping away the tears on Clover’s face. After a moment, they reached forward, hugging both tightly.
“T-Thank you..” They muttered under their breath. “T-Today.. Today has been hard.”
“I know, I know.” Ceroba gently rubbed their back. “It’ll be okay though, I know it will. You’re one of the strongest kids I’ve ever met.”
Clover nodded, pushing their face up against Star’s Poncho, trying to forget the million thoughts that raced through their head. Of course they’d never hurt another person, but was it really just to live a life that trapped so many? Why was the idea of themselves being used to help others expected, but they’d never ask that of the new human?
After a little while, Clover realized they could hear the normal chatter of the saloon again. They pulled away from their friends, sniffling.
“Feelin’ any better?” Star smiled.
Clover blinked, before winking and shooting Star his own signature finger gun. “Tough as nails, partner!”
The feisty four chuckled, before Ace spoke up again. Today was one of the first times he’d shown the kid any sort of support, but perhaps they’d just been missing it before. He seemed to handle things a lot differently than the others.
“I believe you’ve still got a criminal to interrogate, deputy?”
Clover nodded, readjusting the five leaf clover pin on their hat. “You’re right, I never did finish giving Owen his talkin-to! Suppose I should get out and do that.”
“Darn right you should!” Starlo chuckled. “Come on, we’ve got a reputation to uphold!”
Dina sighed as the group flooded out of the bar, chattering between them. She collected the two empty root beer glasses, setting them in the sink and starting to scrub them down. That kid really was special to this place, and to the monsters that lived in it. She hadn’t seen the place as lively as it was since they arrived. It reminded her of when Chujin was around, inspiring hope to others. Clover may not have seen how much light they brought to the underground, but the monsters around them certainly did.
“They’re a good kid.” She muttered to herself. “Such a good kid.”