[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

i will switch back to shortform format if u want /o/

[dustless]

Frisk's been saving a lot of people from fountains lately, it feels like.

They immediately grab the other kid's arm to pull them out.

"You alright?"

--And then notice what this kid's face looks like, and so who they are, and once again nearly shove the person they're rescuing back into the water they're rescuing them from.

nah man u do u

[mercybutton]

[Aw, man. Being shoved back into the water would have been hilarious.

Regardless, they're grateful for the help... and they recognize that voice. It's their own, but... younger.]

Yeah, I'm fine... how are... you???

[prospectornimbat]

Ears perking up, Fidget hears the splash. And then some more splashing. That is probably a bad sign.

Entirely ready to fly away as fast as possible should the need arise, she flaps over to the fountain and hovers safely out of reach. "Kid? Kid! You okay?"

o7

[dustless]

"I'm--I'm fine too."

Long pause.

"You're a Frisk, right? And...new?"

[mercybutton]

I'm- [briefly chokes on water] I'm fine!

[The steady, rhythmic downdraft from her wings, even if small, is enough to tell them that whoever is talking to them is a monster. They get out of the fountain, careful not to scrape their legs against the stone or anything.]

Ugh, man.

[mercybutton]

Yeah, I'm a Frisk.

… "new" means people come here a lot.

[prospectornimbat]

Fidget lands beside the kid. It's just polite: don't flap your wings near someone wet and cold. "You just... taking a bath or something?"

[dustless]

"...yeah. It's a castle, with people from bunch of worlds and timelines and stuff. Floating castle. In the sky." That is probably important to note, too.

Oh, right--they finally let go of the other them's arm.

[mercybutton]

No, I fell in here. Tripped, actually.

[They squeeze some of the water from their hair, angling their head so an ear faces her.]

[mercybutton]

So like a hub timeline?

[They start sqeezing the water from their hair, and angle their head to better hear their younger counterpart.]

I just hope I don't accidentally fall off.

[prospectornimbat]

"You, uh, feeling alright?"

That is still a freaky excuse for an ear.

[mercybutton]

[Hey, they're just trying to hear her better.]

A little cold, but I'll be alright.

[prospectornimbat]

"You don't wanna, I dunno. Dry off? You got a room around here, right?"

[mercybutton]

… No? I don't even know where I am.

[dustless]

Another pause as they work out exactly what they mean. Frisk is pretty good at puzzles, and either this Frisk has a problem with general observation, or something's up with their eyes.

"...hope not. It takes three days to get back when you die. 'S annoying. It's really windy though, so you'll probably be able to hear it before walking off it."

[mercybutton]

[Definitely the latter.]

Okay. Good.

If it's windy, does that mean the big floating castle's moving?

[dustless]

(A belated thought: Hub timeline. They never came up with something to describe it. That's probably going to be helpful.)

Frisk absently plays with their scarf. "...maybe. It mostly just spins, I think. The clouds circle around stuff as if--like...a...tornado. Except huge. It might be moving 'nd we just can't tell."

[mercybutton]

[That's easy to picture for them. So it's that kinda view, huh? They can live with that.]

Um, so you said this was a castle? Is it easy to get lost?

[dustless]

"...yes. It's big. I can show you some of the important rooms, 'f you want, but a lot of the rooms...move around."

[mercybutton]

… oh, man.

[this is gonna be one PAIN in the NECK.

The creeping, belated worry from being suddenly torn from their family is starting to set in, almost like they're crawling up their shoulders, but they shrug it off. They'll deal with it when they're more properly oriented.

They also might have picked up some of Flowey's angry habits. This is what happens when you walk around with him as a guide for so long.]

[dustless]

"Sorry." Trust 'em, they'd make that stop being a thing if they could. Would've a long time ago. They still can never find the stupid kitchen when they're looking for it alone.

"You're in the middle of everything right now, the castle, in the gardens. Stuff doesn't really move here, at least. Although--if you...feel...a wall of bushes, you should try to not walk into them, 'cause it's a maze."

[mercybutton]

[Let's be honest, if the hedge maze is any decent quality of maze and they got lost in it they'd probably die of starvation. So yeah, good heads up.]

Okay, got it. Um. Is there a place where I can find dry clothes?

[dustless]

Which would suck, on multiple levels, both for Frisk and for anyone who found their body. There haven't been too many deaths here yet, and the first of them was this Frisk, and that traumatized pretty much the entire residency of castle.

"There are bedrooms with...closets that aren't in the w--wardrobes. There's old-fashioned robes and stuff you can get while the stuff you have now dries." Frisk wonders if they should offer their hand to lead them, or if that'd be rude.

[mercybutton]

[No, absolutely do. They've no clue where they're going.]

Good, because I'm freezing. Can you lead the way?

[dustless]

"Sure."

They tentatively grab the other Frisk's hand and do so. And they try to hurry it up, too, since the inside of the castle halls are a bit chillier than the sunny garden.

The first couple doors they check are useless--"Has a bunch of gross thready...wall...cloth--tapestries" and "All rocks? Gravel? The rooms can be weird" but the third is the jackpot.

"Wardrobe on the left. And bed on the right, 'cause the blankets are fluffy and'll be a good towel," they say after leading them into the room.

And then they'll step out into the hall, unless asked otherwise. Best not to be rude.