[INTRO] they probably hate having to get used to a new place

[mercybutton]

Nooooo.

[aaaaaa. uuuuugh. What bothers them most right now isn't that they're suddenly someplace they don't know and thus are not at home, it's that they're suddenly someplace they don't know and thus is going to bump into literally Every Single Obstruction that exists here. Honestly, they'd be more concerned about being displaced from their family if they weren't annoyed about the prospect of having to get used to a possibly enormous place. Nobody better move the furniture around.

After a solid minute of laying on the ground they sit up. Feels like grass, sounds like water is rushing nearby. A park? Frisk stands up and starts shuffling around, trying to get used to their surroundings, finding one of the paths winding through the gardens. Then they start walking, gaining more confidence, and then-



trip right into a fountain. Curse their recklessness.]

Comments

[dustless]

"Yeah. Somehow. Dunno if Determination is...important, or if it's just magic, or some other thing."

Frisk obviously can't see the shrug, but they might be able to hear the cloth scraping and guess.

[mercybutton]

I don't think it's determination. Strangers like the elf you mentioned don't seem to have any connections with uppercase-DT, I don't think.

[dustless]

"Probably not, but me an' Sans were the first ones here, I think, so. Just wonder sometimes."

[mercybutton]

Mm. I see what you mean.

They sound like nice people.

[dustless]

"...Sans? Everybody?" Either way-- "Yeah. It's bad we're stuck here, but it could be a lot lot worse."

[mercybutton]

… Yeah, it could be.

I'm glad it isn't, though. And if the castle was in worse shape, and there were traps and stuff... uh, I'd probably die a lot.

[dustless]

"Yeah. Dying sucks. And having everyone remember it is worse." Some genuine anger in their tone, suddenly, though they push it down.

"Oh--there's sort of--there's a trap door in the garden, but you gotta walk or crawl through bushes to end up over it. Jus' so you know."

[mercybutton]

[Oh man. Oh no. That's gotta be a pain- and an emotional weight on both you can friends.]

Okay, good to know. [They're gonna be exploring the trapdoor someday.]I'm still not sure how I got here.

[dustless]

Frisk's still dealing with the repercussions of their one death here. At least it's made them a tiny bit more careful than they were underground.

(Hopefully they'll get help doing that, since there's no stairs and a drop without nice flowers at the bottom to break a fall.)

"Nobody does. We're just kind of here. Me, I was climbing down Mt. Ebott with everybody, then felt like I RESET when I didn't, and woke up here."

[mercybutton]

[If they're walking around without a guide, they're probably gonna fall. Just saying.

If they're going to die a lot here, it's going to be by falling off of things.]

Um. I just... fell into what should have been a creek in the woods by our house on the surface, but then I kept falling, and I got here.

[dustless]

Hopefully they can avoid that. Somehow. Or at least just fall off the edge. It would probably be really gross to need to dig a grave for just mush that fell off a tower.

"...don't think I asked anyone else how it felt. Wonder if it matters," they mumble, not entirely to the other Frisk. "--So you're from after the Barrier broke and stuff...you're older than me, I think. I'm nine. Or ten?"

[mercybutton]

Yeah, True Pacifist 'n stuff. I'm technically twelve.

[They know they were about that age, probably ten when they first fell down. Two years on the surface in the last run.]

[dustless]

They put some pieces together, again.

"Sounds like you got through...a lot of RESETS?"

[mercybutton]

Mhmm. You?

[dustless]

"...just one, I guess." 'They guess'. As if they could miscount. That sounds very dumb.

[mercybutton]

[Lucky, they think. They've exhausted every possibility of the Underground. Because they were curious.

If someone were to die, they don't know how well they'd be able to grieve.]

Hmm.

Is there anything else about the castle I should know? Like, um, the hedge maze 'n stuff?

[dustless]

It never really occurred to them. Not after that dummy was reduced to dust with one hit. Those things were supposed to stand up to a fight, weren't they? How fragile must monsters really be otherwise? nd they could come back if they died, so...there was never a need to kill anyone, and so they never discovered how differently things could go.

Right, good, moving on. "Just...it's big, I guess. And it's easy to walk off the towers if you're not careful, but 's not hard to figure out if you're walking up a ton of...spinny...spiral stairs to get to the top."

[mercybutton]

[Yeesh. They make a face.] Okay, no spiral staircases. Be careful up them, anyway.

Anyway. We should probably get somewhere to dry these. [They hold up their pile of sopping clothes. It's started to make a puddle on the floor.]

[dustless]

Tiny laugh. "'f you're gonna anyway, there's an art-y bedroom on top of one sometimes. Careful you don't spill paint all over you."

A nod before they realize--"Yeah. Probably gonna have to try them in the garden sun, actually. Unless you want to hang them over a stove, if we can find one?" Frisk gently grabs their wrist in perpetration to lead again.

[mercybutton]

The garden is fine. [Lightly, they squeeze the other's hand. Frisk is ready to go when you are.]