[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

[mercybutton]

"Uh- okay! Tell me if there's anything I'll trip over! Again!"

Just gonna keep running with him.

[justletmewin]

Trip over?

"There shouldn't be anything down this path, Frisk. It's all worn down without any branches and--"

He turns around and his eyes widen. He slows down and stops... now that he thinks about it, Frisk's been acting a little odd. Those eyes...

"Frisk? What happened to your eyes?"

[mercybutton]

"Um... an accident happened. I'm blind."

I thought we went over this.

[justletmewin]

It can't be his world's Frisk. He might have heard by now. Unless it was something that happened while they were on the surface.

"I don't understand... you weren't blind when you saved me."

[mercybutton]

"I...

I wasn't?"

They were most definitely blind the last few times they SAVEd you. They have their own reasons for the resets, shhh.]

[justletmewin]

"N-No! You weren't! ...I should probably try to explain things, should I? Right now, you're at a huge castle on a floating island in the sky. It's weird, but people from all kinds of timelines and other dimensions show up here, so people uh... end up meeting different versions of themselves all the time. I know you're Frisk, but... you're probably not the one from my world. I know it sounds really confusing, but I swear it's the truth!"

[mercybutton]

They know there's infinite timelines, infinite possibilities. They know they've fiddled with their timeline many, many times and there's always bound to be others that have variated so far they are completely different worlds.

"Different versions of people in a big castle in the sky. Um.

Does this mean there's more than one you?"

[justletmewin]

"Yeah, there is! I met another me, and he's from before... before the bad things happened..." God, he's terrified for that Asriel. He should never go through the things he did. And... and it seemed like the other Asriel had a hint of what was to come, and is equally scared? What if he got stuck in a self-fulfilled prophecy? It made him ill to think about it. Let's... change the subject...

"There's other yous, too! I haven't had the chance to meet them yet, since... um... one of them died... But they're okay now! Everyone who dies on the Island comes back after three days! So I heard..." Asriel frowned. "I'm sorry... I probably made this place sound worse than it really is. Let's just get you to the castle and find something warm. Maybe we'll find royal clothes!"

[mercybutton]

"Dead?"

If... if they didn't come back immediately and Asriel remembers that they did, indeed, die, then that means... either their SAVE doesn't work here, or they just decided not to use it for some reason- though they couldn't imagine why if it was the latter case.

"Uh. Yeah, okay, I'd- royal clothes?"

[justletmewin]

"Well, it IS a castle... a king or queen or monarch must have lived here before they disappeared. There should be nice big robes that'll cover your body, and lots of beds to snuggle in. There's even a ballroom full of desserts if you're hungry! But uh... you get sick of it real fast, so unless you find the kitchen, you'll have to go to the garden for fruit if you want something else." Asriel never thought he'd get tired of eating cakes everyday, but after living in the castle for a while, he did. What he'd give to find the kitchen and help himself to a bowl of stew! "The rooms keep shifting, and it's really annoying. Stay close to me when we get there, okay?"

[mercybutton]

Frisk has a sweet fang, but anyone can get sick of anything with enough of it. But seriously, they had an inane amount of Cinnamon Bunnies back in the Underground. "I hear you. Let's go, Azzy."

Seeing-Eye Goat Instincts Ahoy

[justletmewin]

Before long, the path ends and the two of them are inside the castle. Asriel guides Frisk through the big stone hallway, never letting his paw go from their hand. He isn't sure how this version of Frisk lost their sight, but he figured they didn't want to be probed with questions like that... they're probably weary from answering them all the time. He's more worried about how they'll get in and out of the castle, what with its constantly rearranging itself. What if Frisk got trapped here without someone's help? What if that someone... took advantage of their blindness? Until he's certain they're independent or in good hands--like Toriel, maybe... she's here, right?--he's not leaving their side.

With his free paw, he checks the first door, closing it immediately and wrinkling his nose as the waft of a smelly dungeon assaults him. Absolutely not.

[mercybutton]

The stench hits them like a wall. Something is in that room he just opened, and it's like... mildew and rot and dampness. Frisk's nose visibly wrinkles, too.

"What's in there?"

[justletmewin]

"A dungeon. It's gross, nobody stays there." The next few doors are locked, but the next one he opens is the place he's looking for. "Ah! There we are!" This room has the nice fresh smell of plush carpet. There's a huge bed with an enormous canopy, complete with velvet curtains Frisk can draw if they wanted privacy. There's a phonograph on top of a shelf with a small collection of records... probably the closest they'll get to modern music. There's a crackling fire already flickering in the corner, where he immediately takes Frisk. There's a bathroom with a clawed bathtub and a shower-head, and most importantly, a cabinet full of fluffy towels. He fetches a couple of said towels for Frisk.

"Here... you can wrap up in these while I check the drawers. Chances are, the clothes will be too big, but it's better than too small, right? I'll hang your old ones and make sure they get dry."

[mercybutton]

They sit down in fromt of the fire, pushing a finger along the floor to find where the base of the fireplace is so they don't accidentally burn themself. It feels warm, and the blaze feels like it's already drying the less-wet parts of them, like their face or the ends of their hair.

"Thanks a ton, Azzy." Their hand reaches for the pile of towels where he set them down beside them, and uses one to dry out their hair. "Are you wearing big robes?"

I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT THIS THREAD so sorry

[justletmewin]

"No problem! Just tell me if you need anything else." He smiles, glad to Frisk making themself comfortable.

"I'm actually wearing the clothes I usually wear. Striped t-shirt and pants." He opens up the bottom drawer first, paws wandering over various fabrics. "I found a big purple robe like Mom's, though! I change into that when I go to sleep."

Asriel missed beds, he really did. As a flower, you'd get... smothered in beds, which isn't fun. It felt so good to nestle in the covers again, after so long of sleeping in the garden.

"Sometimes you get tunics and leggings like what heroes wear in storybooks. I found this neat red one just my size! I still can't find the pants or leggings that go with it, though. I didn't want to walk without pants, so... I just wash my regular clothes again."

heyo its fine!

[mercybutton]

"Hero clothes?" That gives them an idea. "Asriel, how cool would it be if we played and acted like those storybook heroes? We even have a strange castle right here and stuff."

And Chara can join too, but they're not aware that they're here yet.

Frisk turns their back to the fire, making sure it's not just their front getting dried off.

[justletmewin]

"Ohh, yeah! That'd be neat!" Asriel beamed. "It'll be great playing our first game together! Like, a real game this time! None of that weird flower stuff. We can think of a plot and--and what our characters will be like! We could build our own kingdoms and--and we can have them go to war if we want them to, just to spice things up a bit! We can even make up a villain, so they can wreak havoc and have the heroes stop them and..." Asriel's voice trails off a bit, sounding kind of down. He perks up quickly: "We'll worry about that later! Gotta take things one step at a time, right? Like looking for our clothes first."

[mercybutton]

"Haha, yeah, slow down. Then we can plan everything out later. Know anyone else who would like to play?"

[justletmewin]

"Uh... actually, I don't know. I haven't talked with many people since coming here. I heard there's a couple Charas, but..." A pause. "Besides that, I didn't want to risk hurting anyone if I changed back into a flower."

[mercybutton]

"Hey."

Frisk reaches for him. "Give me your hand for a sec."

[justletmewin]

"Huh? Sure..." He takes Frisk's hand.

[mercybutton]

They take his hand, putting their other one over his.

"How stable do you feel?"

[justletmewin]

Tough question. What would it feel like if he started changing back? Would it happen in a blink? Would he lose feeling in his limbs and fall over? Would the transformation be slow and painful, like that one movie he saw with Chara about a human turning into a fly? (Not that he thought being a fly is bad, since plenty of fly monsters lived Underground. The body horror and vomiting looked painful though)

"I don't know. I'm... fine? But I'm not sure if it means anything."

[mercybutton]

"And you've been here for how long?"