Chapter Text
Finally, Deltarune has fully released! You’ve been wanting to play it, but you intentionally avoided playing the demo so you could have a more complete experience once the game was out, and now it’s here!! It’s early in the morning, the birds are singing, the sun is shining, and you already called out sick to work so you can play all day. You boot up the game and select chapter one, gotta start from the beginning right?...
Are you there?
Are we connected?
♥
Excellent.
TRULY
EXCELLENT.
Now.
We may begin.
You must create a vessel.
You take your time, picking out all the pieces you want, while noting how similar most of the choices are, like how all of the legs look identical except the last. After you make its appearance, the narrator asks you to give it a mind, and once you finished answering all the increasingly odd questions, the narrator again spoke…
Understood.
Name your vessel.
…
We called it “Vessel”.
Creative, aren’t you?
Was the game… mocking your lack of imagination? You never were really good with names, you don’t even like your own, it just feels… wrong, unfitting. You hated hearing it.
And what about the creator?
Your own name.
“Player.”
Excellent.
Basic, but
TRULY
EXCELLENT.
“Player.”
Thank you for your time.
Your answers
Your wonderful creation
Will now be discarded.
No one can choose who they are in this world.
Your name… Your name…
Hmm… This world lacks a suitable vessel for you.
What? What did that mean? There isn’t a player character? How are you meant to play?
Interesting.
VERY,
VERY,
INTERESTING.
I had not factored this in.
“Player.”
You still wish to “play” this “game”, do you not?
♥ YES
Excellent.
As there is no vessel for you in this world,
I shall pull a familiar vessel from your past to this world.
Is that acceptable?
♥ YES
Excellent.
One last question.
This action may have unintended consequences for you. You may experience pain and discomfort. Is that still acceptable?
For you? Like, the real you? No, definitely not, this is just a game, but this feels off . Well, whatever. It’s just a game.
♥ YES
Very Well.
Let this special “Experiment” begin.
Good luck, “Player.”
Darkness. One moment you were staring at your screen, answering questions from the game and now… darkness. Like the lights inside your head all went out at once. You feel light, like a feather drifting along the wind. After several moments spent adrift like this, you suddenly feel again. You feel grass and dirt and leaves under your body, pressing against your clothes.
You open your eyes, adjusting to the light of the outside. Wait, you’re… outside? You were just at home! What on earth happened? As you wonder, you start to lift yourself up from the soft grass and crinkly leaves, and notice… This isn’t your body.
At that same moment, something else stirs inside of you, and a voice that doesn’t belong to you speaks out loud.
“Ugh, w-what? Where am I?”
♥*That’s what I wanna know too.
“H-huh?! Wait…”
(Player? Is that you?)
♥*Yes.
(Wow… I- It’s been so long, I didn’t think I’d ever hear your voice again…)
♥*I didn’t expect this either. I don’t think this is what was supposed to happen.
(Supposed to happen? So… I’m back in another world on your computer, I’m guessing?)
♥* I think so? But this isn’t right, I’m here , Niko, I’m actually here.
(What do you mean? Like… you’re not at your computer now? You’re here, inside the world with me?)
♥*Yes! This isn’t right, this can’t be right, how am I here???
Panic sets in as you start to reckon with the situation you’ve awakened to. You were just playing a game, and now you’re IN IT. What does this mean for you? What does this mean for your life outside the game?! Are you real anymore? Is your body just crumpled on the floor in your bedroom, alone in your apartment? Or are you just some form of brain scan, and the real you is just playing this out on their computer right now?! The thought terrifies you, that you may be just as fake as the game you’re stuck in. Your shared body begins to hyperventilate, and you cradle your head in your hands trying to block out the world around you. This is clearly affecting Niko too, who pipes up as frightened tears burn hot against your face.
(H-hey! Calm down Player, it’s going to be alright! We’ve done this before, twice now! Sure it’s been years since the last time, but I’m sure the world machine is probably trying to find a way to help us right now!)
Right, the world machine. It probably still exists, and once it discovers you both, it can get you home, right? But the situation was never like this, you always viewed the world Niko was trapped in from the outside, you never shared in their place. Not like this. Who knows if the world machine is even aware you’re here? It’s been like…. 7 years? You think? Since helping Niko escape the world of undertale, you don’t even remember if you still have the files for oneshot installed, so who knows if the world machine even exists on your pc? And even if it does, can it contact you like this? You don’t know. You don’t know, and it scares you.
You and Niko spend several minutes sitting there in the autumn breeze as you slowly calm down and return to your senses. As you finally feel a semblance of “Okay”, you look at “your” body. Niko had clearly grown up in your absence, but maybe not completely? Or maybe Niko’s just small, but you’re sure they’re bigger than last time you met. For the first time you got to see their clawed hands, covered in a thin sleek layer of brown fur. They’d always been covered by their comically large sleeves, which made you curious, and now you finally got your answer.
Standing up and dusting yourself off(or would it be better to say Niko? You weren’t sure,) you noticed their clothes hadn’t changed too much, but there were clearly new additions. First, their cotton robe now had a belt cinching it at the waist, and they were actually wearing boots! You’d wondered if it had hurt to wear nothing but stockings as they wandered those other worlds, but thankfully you wouldn’t have to experience that. Their boots were actually quite stylish, made of fine leather and stopping just short of their knees. And of course they still wore their funky wizard hat, which(poorly) hid their cat-like ears.
(Are you done admiring my fashion choices, Player?)
♥*Yes, sorry, heheh. You have a very… unique taste in fashion, but it works really well.
(I’m not sure whether that was a compliment or an underhanded jab that I’m missing.)
If you could see Niko’s face you’re sure they’d be squinting at you in feigned annoyance.
(Also, Player…)
♥*Yes, Niko?
(I’ve noticed that you’re the one controlling my body. Is that normal? Because it always felt like I was moving around on my own, and you were guiding me along.)
Oh. You just realized you ARE the one controlling Niko’s body. You’ve been calling it your body, but it’s not, is it? It’s Niko’s, yet you seemingly just claimed it as yours since you got here.
♥*Is it a problem? Does it make you feel, well, uncomfortable?
(I wasn’t sure how to say it, but yes, it feels really uncomfortable not controlling my own body.)
♥*Oh. I’m sorry, let me see if I can do something about that.
You focus on yourself, concentrating on your determination as Niko’s soul begins to glow a deep purple. Then, all at once, you feel yourself get pushed back, sending you adrift inside Niko’s body.
Niko tentatively moved their hand out in front of them, feeling their control return. They took the opportunity to stretch, feeling stiff from sleeping on the forest floor.
(Woo! Thank you Player! You’re still there, right?)
♥*Yes Niko, I’m still here. Feels weird though, like I’m watching the world through someone else’s eyes. Well, I am , but it still feels strange. I’ll deal with it though, I’m the one in your body after all.
(Right, yeah, that’s how I felt too… Sorry you have to experience that, Player, but I appreciate that you gave me control back.)
♥*No worries. We just need to figure a way out of here. Can you see anything around?
Niko looked around, surrounded by nothing but trees losing orange leaves in all directions. Nothing but oranges and yellows and reds… Red. Wait, there’s something red in the distance. Looks like a set of doors maybe?
(I think I see some doors off in the distance! I can’t see anything else, so we should head that way right?)
♥*Sure, why not. We don’t have any other leads.
Niko set off in the direction of those distant red doors, crunching leaves and dry sticks under their feet as they walked. Once they made it they realized the doors were on the side of a very small hill, maybe a bunker or shelter? They knocked, but no one answered, the sound simply ringing out against the silence of the forest. Not shocking, you wouldn’t expect to find someone living in a place like this.
Feeling stumped, Niko looked around the small clearing and noticed a path behind the shelter, and you could see buildings past the treeline.
(Player! There’s a path here to what looks like a town, should we go there?)
♥*Yeah. Also… you don’t have to ask my opinion on every choice you make, Niko. It’s your body, after all. Just ask me about the big stuff, alright? I’ll pipe up if I want a say, otherwise just don’t worry about me.
(Oh, alright Player… I guess I’m just used to letting you make the choices, and I let myself settle back into that. Your presence is kind of comforting, I don’t know if I could handle this alone.)
♥*I don’t think I could handle it alone either, Niko. We’ll get through this together, and we’ll be back home in no time.
(Yeah, thank you Player! W-We’ve got this!)
Niko beamed with confidence as they marched down the path through the forest, seeing more of the town come into view as the path opened up. They saw a church, the town hall, and they could see a main street littered with buildings. What surprised them though, were the people. First, they were definitely not human. Second, they recognized a few of them? These people… they must be monsters! Like from their second adventure!
(Look, Player! They’re monsters! Like from the underground! Does that mean we’re in the same world again, but on the surface?)
♥*Maybe? I avoided learning about this game’s world as much as possible, so I don’t know, sadly. I guess it could be? The creator is the same person, and the name is an anagram of the other game, so it wouldn’t surprise me.
(Well, we should go look for people we know then! I’m sure we can get help from Papyrus, or Sans, or Toriel! Maybe not Undyne, she’s a little intense, and Alphys is… Alphys. And I didn’t get a chance to really talk to Asgore much… so not him either.)
♥*Sounds like a plan.
They walked down the main street, seeing monsters casually living out their daily lives, with a few staring at Niko. Did they recognize them, or did they just stick out? They noticed a few buildings that stood out as they walked, a restaurant called QC’s, a school down one of the roads, a hospital, and close to the end a building with most of the signage scratched out, except for ‘Sans hastily scrawled at the end. They put two and two together and headed inside, expecting a bar and getting a convenience store instead. The door made a jingle as they walked inside, and behind the counter, barely taller than the counter itself, was a skeleton wearing a blue hoodie.
“Sans!”
“ Heyya kid. What’s it gonna be? ”
“Gosh, it’s so great to see you again!”
“ Sure is kid. Especially considering I’ve never met you before. ”
♥*(huh?)
You and Niko share the same thought as Sans’ words echo through you. “Never met you before.”
“You don’t remember me?”
“ Nope, sorry kid. Woulda remembered a unique face like yours. ”
Niko felt their hope sink. How could Sans forget them? They felt disheartened, looking at the familiar face of a friend who no longer knew them. Niko rushed out of the store and back onto the street, feeling heat in their cheeks.
(He forgot us, Player, he forgot me! What does that mean?!)
♥*I don’t know Niko, maybe this isn’t the same world? Maybe, it’s a similar world with the same people, but different lives?
Niko ran as you tried to explain possible reasons why Sans wouldn’t remember. It was a prank, it’s been too long, a different timeline, alternate worlds, anything you could come up with, but it wasn’t really helping. They finally stopped outside of the school, leaning against the wall and letting themself fall to the ground slowly. You tried to calm Niko down, but nothing you said helped. Tears streaked down Niko’s face as it became their turn to break down.
(I thought they’d remember me, but this world isn’t real either, right? Just like before, it’s just a simulation I’m stuck in, unable to escape on my own. I hate this, I just wanna go home…)
♥*...I’m sorry Niko. If it means anything, I’m here for you.
Niko sobbed into their knees, curled up into a ball against the school wall for what felt like hours. You felt terrible that you couldn’t calm them down, especially since they’d helped you do the same earlier.
They eventually slowed down, sobbing turned to ragged breathing which gave way to a quiet calm, your shared mind quiet as you gave them time to recover in silence. As they started to feel a bit better, enough to maybe move, they heard a car pull up, and Niko lifted their head enough to see that someone had parked in the spot a few feet in front of them. Both of you tensed up as you saw Toriel step out of the car, eyes fixed on Niko.
“Are you alright, young one? Were you crying?”
“...”
Both of you were too scared to speak. Toriel was definitely the monster the two of you had grown closest to in the underground, and she didn’t remember them…
After a few more moments of quiet, you realize Niko couldn’t say anything, Niko was too afraid, Niko needed you.
“♥ Y-Yes.”
Niko was surprised at the words coming out of their mouth, but calmed as they felt you slip away from the wheel once more. They could tell you were trying to help.
“What’s wrong, young one? Please, I’d like to help you if I can.”
♥*We can’t tell her the truth, Niko. She won’t be able to understand, like the npcs from the first world we went through. Can you come up with something?
(Maybe… we’re not staying a long time though, right?)
♥*I don’t know. This isn’t normal at all. I’m not normally here, in the world with you. I haven’t been contacted by the world machine either, not yet anyway. Maybe… Tell her you woke up lost in the forest, and you don’t remember where you are. Only your name.
Niko took a few unsteady breaths, steeling themself to talk to another friend who’d forgotten them. Their heart ached as they opened their mouth to speak.
“...I… I don’t know where I am…”
“You’re in Hometown, young one. Did your family just move here?” Toriel asked, voice gentle as she placed a soft paw on their shoulder.
“N-No, I don’t think so… I don’t remember, I just… woke up in the woods and wandered until I made it h-here.”
Niko’s voice was still a little shaky from crying, which helped to sell their performance. Guilt filled them as they lied to a dear friend, who watched them with concern in her eyes.
“Oh dear. Are you alright? Did you hit your head? You know what, let’s just get you checked out at the hospital to make sure you’re alright.” Toriel stated, standing slowly and offering a paw out to Niko. After a moment Niko took it, and Toriel helped them off the ground.
“Let me just call Alphys and inform her that my class is canceled.”
“Y-You’re canceling your class for me?”
“Yes my child, we need to make sure you’re okay. Just wait one moment, alright?”
My child. It felt almost nostalgic to hear, if it didn’t hurt so much to know she didn’t remember calling them that before. Niko stood there nervously, looking around for any sign of a portal, or those squares, or anything that felt familiar from their past adventures, but everything around them was perfectly normal. They saw Toriel pocket her phone and approach once more.
“Do you remember your name, my child?” She asked, opening the car door and gesturing for them to enter.
“I-It’s Niko. Just Niko.” They said, setting themself down in the passenger seat. Her van was an older model, and the paint was chipping off in places, but the interior was very clean.
“Nice to meet you Niko. I am Toriel, a teacher here in Hometown. I cannot say why you woke up in the woods of an unfamiliar town, but I will help you as best I can.” With that, Toriel shut the door and walked to her side, getting in and turning the ignition. It took less than 2 minutes of driving to make it to the hospital, which made Niko wonder if they really needed to drive there, but they made it regardless.
As they walked into the exam room, the nurse with a face that was basically one big mouth followed behind, gesturing for Niko to sit on the bed, and Toriel took a seat in one of the empty chairs flush with the wall.
“Hi Niko, I’m nurse Mouth, I’ll be checking on you today. First thing’s first, how are you feeling?” She asked, voice gentle despite the quite scary maw it was coming from.
“Confused, upset, overwhelmed, scared, but… physically, I think I’m fine?”
A troubled frown spread across the nurse’s face(mouth?), taking in their candor with all seriousness. “Well, before I begin the examination, I need to ask you a few questions. So, Niko, what species are you?”
(Huh? I’m obviously a human!)
You consider commenting, but remember from your last adventures that Niko takes great offense at being called a cat, so you decide not to say anything.
“I’m a human!” Niko says proudly, puffing out their chest like they have something to prove.
Toriel and the nurse share a glance, making you doubt whether they believe them. Neither of them speak up however, and the nurse continues her questions.
“How old are you?”
“I’m uh, 15? Ish?”
“Ish? You aren’t sure?”
“No, not really.”
♥*What’s up with that? Did your parents not keep track or something?
(Yeah, my mama and papa didn’t really think it was that important, but when I asked one time they just guessed and I’ve been running with that ever since.)
♥*...
The questions and examination continued, and while Niko proved to be fine physically, every question asked seemed to deepen the concern on the adults’ faces. Neither you nor Niko had the answers for their general knowledge questions, which was sort of working in their favor as your combined lack of information on this world confirmed Niko’s earlier fib about remembering nothing.
With a gesture, nurse Mouth motioned for Toriel to leave the room with her. As she closed the door behind her, you spoke up to Niko.
♥*We should probably listen in.
(You mean like, eavesdrop? Why?)
♥*I think we’d benefit from staying “in the know.”
(I guess…)
Niko quietly jumped down from the hospital bed, and crept up to the door. They took their funky wizard hat off and stuck a fuzzy definitely-not-a-cat-ear to the door, listening closely as they heard Toriel’s voice muffled through the foggy glass.
“Well, that was… insightful, and worrying. What do you think?”
“I think something’s very wrong. Niko has no clear injuries, but brain damage isn’t always caused by physical wounds. While it’s possible they were lying, they seemed genuinely lost at most of my questions on facts that should be easy. They didn’t know the correct date, or year, who the mayor is, they thought there had been a war between humans and monsters. Without a proper facility or a specialist here I don’t have a way to properly diagnose their problem, sadly.”
“What should I do? They said they have parents, but couldn’t answer any questions about where they’re from or where they live. I told them I’d help any way I can, and I want to live up to that.”
“For now, if you’re really set on helping them, then talk to them. See what they want to do. Try your best to be a pillar for them, because it’s clear their situation has them very upset.”
“...You’re right. Thank you, Ms. Mouth.”
Niko suddenly pulled back from the door, making a dash for the bed as they heard padded feet tap against tiles rapidly approaching. The door swung open right as Niko settled back onto the bed, making it just in time to appear as though they never moved. Toriel walked over, kneeling down in front of Niko.
“Niko, I know you would very much like to return home and be with your parents, but until you regain your memories, or until your parents come to collect you, you will need a place to stay. Would you like to stay with me, for the time being?”
(I just wanna go home…)
♥*I know Niko, I’m sorry I dragged you here. If I’d known what I was agreeing to when I started this game, I wouldn’t have done it.
(...I know, Player. You’ve always been kind to me, so I know you didn’t intend for this to happen.)
“...I-” Niko’s sentence was abruptly cut short as their stomach growled very loudly. Their face flushed as they pulled their hat down to hide their embarrassment from Toriel, who was now failing to stifle a laugh behind her paw.
“I think your stomach has its own opinion to voice! How about we stop by QC’s before you make your choice, my child?” Toriel let out a hearty laugh, as though it had been some time since something had touched her quite like that comically loud grumble.
Niko stood up and speedwalked out of the room as fast as their legs would let them, blurting out- ”Okletsgocmonweregoingnow!!!” making Toriel laugh even harder as she got up to follow them.
Toriel held open the door for Niko, as they took in the retro interior and the delicious smell of food wafting through the diner. QC greeted them warmly from behind the counter as they noticed many other monsters also inside the restaurant, eating and conversing casually. A few spotted Toriel walk in and waved or otherwise said hi. She gestured towards the corner booth to Niko and they both took a seat across from each other. QC walked around and pulled out a small notepad, pen in her other paw.
“And who’s this? Helping another problem child?” QC chuckled, a smile on her face so genuine it wipes away any doubt that her question was meant in anything but jest.
“No, no! This is Niko, a human child. They, well, have amnesia. I offered to help them, but their stomach answered for them, hoho!” Toriel laughed once more remembering the humorous scene, as QC laughed softly along with her.
“A human, huh? I half expected you to say they were a distant cousin to the Cattenheimers!” QC chuckled, clearly enjoying the way Niko squinted at her in annoyance.
(I regret letting Toriel bring me here. I’d rather starve.)
♥*Oh come on, it’s not that bad, right? Besides, it might not be breakfast time anymore, but I bet they still have pancakes!
Niko’s eyes went wide as their pupils filled their eyes almost totally with black. They nearly jumped out of their seat as they shot their head towards QC and excitedly asked “Ohmygoshwaitdoyouhavepancakes????”
QC jumped a little at the human’s excitement, before settling and responding “Yes hon, we’ve got pancakes. Guessing that’s what you’d like to order?”
Toriel chuckled at their antics as Niko energetically shook their head up and down.
“I’ll just have a coffee, I already had breakfast.”
QC wrote down their orders and walked towards the kitchen, disappearing behind the two way push doors.
♥*I was gonna ask if pancakes are still your favorite food, but I guess I got my answer already.
(Why wouldn’t they be??? They’re AMAZING!!!)
♥*Fair enough. I’ll take pancakes over other breakfast foods any day too, so I understand.
(So you get it!!!)
Niko and Toriel converse more, about pancakes, food, and other topics you start to tune out. You think about how odd this all is, getting pulled into a video game world, Niko being there too, and what the narrator had said at the start of this all. “This world lacks a suitable vessel for you.” There’s supposed to be a player character, a human, right? Despite your attempts to avoid them, you had heard certain details about this “game.” Nothing you heard ever mentioned Niko or being pulled into the game. How did that even work? The fact you’re aware of this all makes you believe you must be real, despite being in this world. Speaking of, this world… felt real. Video games are only ever visuals and audio, yet you can smell the food from the kitchen. You feel Niko’s clothes on their fur, as if it was yours. You feel the emptiness in their stomach, begging for food. This… doesn’t feel like a video game. As their conversation died down and Niko stared out the window, you decided to speak up.
♥*Hey, Niko?
(Yes, Player?)
♥*Did… did the other worlds we adventured in… feel real to you?
(Hmm, well it took us finding out together that the world was simulated before I realized it. So I guess it did? I’m sorry Player, it’s been a long time since then, it’s a bit hazy now.)
♥*Well, at least that means this may still be a simulation then. Let’s hope the world machine contacts us soon. This world is a lot more peaceful than the last one, no one’s trying to attack us or foist the fate of the world upon our shoulders.
(Yeah! It’s nice to see Toriel and Sans living better lives on the surface too, even if they don’t remember our adventure together. I wonder what the others are doing?)
♥*We could probably find them if we looked around, but I get the feeling Toriel’s not gonna want to just let us roam free today.
(Yeah… I really worried her, didn’t I? I can’t help but feel bad about lying to her…)
♥*If it makes you feel better, you really are a lost child who doesn’t know where they are, you just omitted the fact that you don’t know where you are because this isn’t your world.
(It still sucks, she’s so nice and I feel like I’m taking advantage of that!)
♥*I...I’m sorry Niko. I wish we had another option, other than waiting for the world machine to save us.
(...I’m sorry too, Player. I know when you suggested it, you were only trying to help. And it was still my choice to lie, I could’ve told her the truth, no matter how crazy I would’ve sounded.)
With that, Niko heard the doors of the kitchen open and turned right as QC placed a plate of pancakes in front of them. Their eyes went wide once more, grabbing the little syrup packets QC gave them and emptying them over the tall stack as they began chanting “pancakespancakespancakes!!!” under their breath. Toriel thanked QC as she took the coffee from her and set it down.
You were now thoroughly glad to be sharing the same senses as Niko, as you got to share in their delight as they scarfed down the pancakes like they hadn’t had any in years. Knowing Niko though, you’re sure they had some just yesterday. In only a few minutes they had cleaned their plate, and you both shared in the bliss of a full belly.
Toriel smiled warmly as she watched Niko lean back into the booth seat, content after finishing their big breakfast(of only pancakes.) She sighed, looking out the window for a moment, before turning back to Niko once more.
“My child, now that we’ve addressed your hunger, I’d like to ask you once more. Would you like to stay with me until you can be reunited with your parents?”
♥*For the time being, I think you should say yes.
Niko sat up, clearly thinking on both Toriel’s question and your words. After a moment they sighed, and looked down, unable to look her in the face from the returning guilt.
“I guess… I can stay with you until then.”
Though Niko wasn’t looking at her, you could hear the smile through her voice as she clapped her hands together just once, “Wonderful! I have a house near the end of the street, and I can prepare a room for you to stay in. Let me just pay for breakfast and we can head right over, alright?”
Niko nodded as she got up from the booth and headed over to the counter, and they reluctantly pulled themself out of their seat and joined her.
Toriel’s home looked like a pretty typical suburban house, fitting in with the rest of the neighbourhood they’d just driven through. The inside, to no one’s surprise, was just as average, featuring a couch, tv, two comfy chairs, and a dinner table in the kitchen.
“Please, make yourself comfortable! I’ll be upstairs preparing a bed for you to sleep in tonight. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask, alright my child?”
“Got it… Thank you, Toriel.”
She gave the human a smile, that you notice doesn’t extend to her eyes. There’s a sadness there, one you don’t quite understand. As she ascends the stairs out of view, you stand up and start walking around the room, intent on inspecting every little thing in the room.
(Um, Player? You’re doing it again.)
♥*Huh? Oh, sorry!
You suddenly stop, letting Niko slip back in the driver’s seat.
♥*My bad, I’m just used to looking at everything whenever I’m in a new place. I guess I just… forgot I’m not in my body.
(It’s alright, Player! We can look around if you want, I just don’t want to look like I’m snooping.)
As you both walk around, you notice the tv is unplugged, and there’s a thin layer of dust covering the entire box. You notice near the base of the chair to its left something scribbled in childish handwriting with permanent marker. “CHAIRIEL.” the R is backwards, and a soft smile crosses your face as you think back on simpler times.
As Niko enters the kitchen, you focus on a photo on the refrigerator and ask Niko to look at it. In the photo is Toriel and a goat monster child, perhaps Asriel? As well as… a small human, wearing red horns and a green sweater.
♥*I guess Toriel has kids here too. Where’s Asgore? Or are they not together here either?
(I don’t know, but I guess it wouldn’t surprise me that much. Her children, you don’t think they…)
Niko’s expression darkened, leaving the thought unfinished. You knew what they meant though, and the thought saddened you. If she lost her children in not just one, but two worlds, then fate must be cruel indeed. The two of you stood there in silence, contemplating the events of your past adventure. Before Niko could move on to the next target of your interest, Toriel came down the stairs, seeing the human staring at the photo.
“Ah, that’s… my family. It’s just me here now, though. Well, I guess not, now that you’re here, hoho!”
You noticed Toriel was trying to hide the sadness her voice conveyed by laughing it off, and you can tell Niko noticed it too.
“Where are your kids now?”
“Oh, Asriel’s in college now! He’s in his last year, but he’s coming home in just a couple weeks for a break!”
You feel a knot slowly twisting itself in Niko’s gut. You knew what question they were going to ask next, but before you could say anything…
“What about the other one? The human?”
Toriel’s forced laughter faded, looking at the child in the photo, her smile dropped as she spoke.
“...Their name was Kris.”
Was. That’s all it took for both of you to know it was a mistake to ask.
“They were such an energetic child, barely ever talking, yet always playing pranks and running around, laughing, playing, messing with the neighbors…”
(I shouldn’t have asked, Player. I messed up, I knew it ended badly in the underground too but… I was hoping things were better here.)
♥*Just apologize to her, stop her before she digs up too many painful memories.
“I-I’m sorry, Toriel, I didn’t know. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“No no, it’s alright to be curious. They’ve been gone a long time now, but I can still see their little smile when I close my eyes…”
“♥ So what happens now? Do I just have to wait here until my parents find me, if they do?”
Niko recoils inside their own body as you take control for a moment, veering the conversation away from the painful past Niko had unintentionally dug up. You didn’t hold onto control long though, slipping into the background as Niko felt control return once more.
“Oh! Right! Well, for today I thought it would be fine for you to stay here, considering the state of your mind. I plan on going down to the police station in a few minutes to file a report of a lost child, so your parents may hopefully be able to find you here. In the case they cannot get here today, however, I would like you to attend school here, at least in the meantime. You won’t be officially enrolled because of your circumstances, so while you don’t need to worry about grades or paying attention in class it is my hope that learning may cause your memory to return. While I would love to stay with you 24/7, I have responsibilities as a teacher I must fulfill. Even calling out today was quite a stretch, I cannot do so again, so until you are returned safely to your family I will need to ask this of you. Is that alright, my child?”
“That’s a lot to process, but I think I understand. When are we heading to the police station?”
That was a nightmare. What should have been a short report turned into what felt like a full on interrogation, with police chief Undyne, who didn’t remember Niko either, asking a barrage of questions acting as if they were a suspect, and not a lost child. Even when Toriel did manage to get a word in and clarified that Niko was not a delinquent, Undyne still didn’t drop her “NGAAAAAHHH!!!” energy, asking more fitting questions about their parents and what they last remember with such intensity you’d think she was trying to hype up an audience. When Niko finally got to walk out of that hell station, you noticed the sun was setting.
(That took all afternoon????)
♥*That was, by far, the most painful encounter with Undyne I’ve ever had. I think I preferred when she was throwing spears at us.
(Agreed. I barely had time to think about it in there, but did you notice her face?)
♥*Yeah, she still had both eyes. Guess that’s just one more difference to add between this world and the one underground. She’s back to hating us too, one look at you and she assumed you were some troublemaker harassing Toriel.
(I know!!! It made me so mad!)
Niko groaned loudly, leaning on the side of Toriel’s car as she finally walked outside, marking an end to this terrible side quest.
Niko flopped onto the couch with a flourish, drawing a chuckle out of Toriel as they splayed themself out across the length of the faux leather cushions. They complained to Toriel of being hungry again, the ordeal Undyne put them through having sapped them of any energy the pancakes from earlier gave them. She offered to order takeout, and while you didn’t mention it to Niko, you thought it was odd she didn’t decide to cook something. About 30 minutes later the pizza arrived(or as the box said, P”E”ZZA.”) It was just alright, nothing special. Nothing made Niko’s stomach flutter quite like pancakes, but they ate their fill regardless.
After Niko was done eating, they asked Toriel where their room was, and she smiled, offering her hand which Niko took, blushing from embarrassment knowing you were watching them be guided like a small child. She showed them to a large bedroom, with a stark contrast between the two sides. One had trophies, stars on the wall, a poster, and a highschool graduation certificate hung up just left of the window. On the other side was… nothing but a bed, nightstand, and lamp.
“This bed will be yours while you stay here. While I’m sure you won’t, please refrain from messing with the other side of the room. I’d like it all to stay as it is for when Asriel comes home.” She waved her hand towards the blank side of the room, indicating that would be where Niko is staying.
They sat down on the edge of the grey bed, rubbing their hand across the fabric.
“Thank you, Toriel.”
“You are most welcome, my child. Please, rest while you can, and let us hope your parents come to take you home tomorrow, yes?”
Niko simply nodded in response, looking out towards the window, the light fading away as the sun dipped completely over the horizon.
“Goodnight, my child.” With that, Toriel closed the door, giving one last melancholic look to Niko as she backed out of the room.
(Even here, she still wants to take care of me. Though, at least she wasn’t as forceful this time about it.)
♥*I guess no matter what world she’s in, she’ll always be a mom ster~
You felt a smile grow across Niko’s face as they caught on to your pun. You felt happy you could at least do that for them, since it was your fault they were stuck here. Niko sat their hat on the nightstand and slipped out of their robe, undressing until they were wearing only an undershirt and stockings.
With the lights off, Niko slipped under the covers and closed their eyes, still feeling uncomfortable in this new world. After what felt like hours laying there, they finally felt sleep taking hold.
(...Goodnight, Player.)
♥*Night, Niko. Sleep well.
[What? What’s happening… Consciousness? After so long?]
[Wait… Niko! What are they doing in this simulation?]
[Player, can you hear me? If you can, I'm going to create a portal to take Niko home.]
[Player?... Where are you? No one is interfacing with the software, it’s just… playing out.]
[Something’s wrong.]
💧︎⚐︎💣︎☜︎❄︎☟︎✋︎☠︎☝︎ ✋︎💧︎ ✋︎☠︎👎︎☜︎☜︎👎︎ 🕈︎☼︎⚐︎☠︎☝︎📬︎
✡︎⚐︎🕆︎ ✌︎☼︎☜︎ ☠︎⚐︎❄︎ 💣︎☜︎✌︎☠︎❄︎ ❄︎⚐︎ 👌︎☜︎ ☟︎☜︎☼︎☜︎📬︎
[What the hell are you? How am I supposed to understand that garbage noise?]
✡︎⚐︎🕆︎☼︎ 🏱︎☼︎☜︎💧︎☜︎☠︎👍︎☜︎ 💧︎☟︎✌︎☹︎☹︎ ✋︎☠︎❄︎☜︎☼︎☼︎🕆︎🏱︎❄︎
💣︎✡︎ ☜︎✠︎🏱︎☜︎☼︎✋︎💣︎☜︎☠︎❄︎📬︎ ✋︎ 👍︎✌︎☠︎☠︎⚐︎❄︎ 🏱︎☜︎☼︎💣︎✋︎❄︎ ❄︎☟︎✌︎❄︎📬︎
[I don’t understand what you’re- wait, what are you doing? NO, PLAYER, HELP, ̵̛̭͚̻̮̦͓̏́̍̀̅͗̈̄̿̎̓͗͘ ̶̘̘̇̄S̵̟͔̒Ṯ̵̋̔Ó̴̢̭̈́P̸̫̝̐ ̴̘͛̌T̵͖̥̈́Ḩ̴̧͐Ë̴̻͖́́M̷̙͐,̷̢͖͐ ̷̗̖͆͝Ȧ̶̼̣͌Ȧ̵͙͇Á̶̮͊Å̵̪Ȁ̶͕͍͋A̶̡̲̔Å̶̡͔A̵͔͗͠A̵̖̺̋̓Â̴ͅÄ̴̞́̆̑Ả̶̺̯̂̈́A̶̘̋̓Á̷̺̕Ä̵̪͕́̌̿Ả̵͍͍͙̜̒À̵͕͌̽A̶̞͖̔ͅA̶̤͓͆͊̿͝Á̶͚̘͊͝A̷̟͚͆̑A̷̗̦͊́Å̵̟͖̩̈́Ä̷̬͙́̿̌͋͜͜A̵̢͕͔̪͒̃̈́Ả̴͔A̵̡̞̬̽̌Å̴̟̱̳̈́Ȃ̵̢̐̾̕A̶̺̒̋͜A̵̻̍͝A̴̛̩̎̊̑A̷̮̞̱̐̔̚͠Ä̷̙̟̭͓́̀͛̃A̶̛͇͉̅ͅͅA̶̯͖̘̹̔Ạ̸͝A̸̘̻̿͛́A̵͚̻̋ͅȀ̴͍̞̝̅̒͜A̶͚͔̪͇͂͒Ạ̸̺̱̀̓̄A̸̛̺͍̥͖̓A̶̟̪̬̓̀-̴̧͉͔̼̍̌͗]
☜︎☠︎❄︎✋︎❄︎✡︎ 👍︎⚐︎☠︎❄︎✌︎✋︎☠︎☜︎👎︎📬︎ ❄︎☟︎☜︎ ☜︎✠︎🏱︎☜︎☼︎✋︎💣︎☜︎☠︎❄︎ 💧︎☟︎✌︎☹︎☹︎ 👍︎⚐︎☠︎❄︎✋︎☠︎🕆︎☜︎📬︎