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[fiery_goatmother]

It had been a late night. There were still so many papers to finish grading, after all, and lesson plans to draft up, and sweet heavens the field trip forms still weren’t all handed in…

And when Toriel awoke, reading glasses slid halfway down her nose, cheek smushed against a book, she at first didn’t realize anything was amiss. It was a little embarrassing, of course. She woke this way all too often these days. It was hardly anything out of the ordinary anymore. The thing that was out of the ordinary, though, was that she was not at her desk in her bedroom. It wasn’t even her classroom. It was a library.

And it wasn’t a library she recognized.

Toriel took off her reading glasses, rubbed her eyes, and blinked blearily at the shelves around her.

“What in the world…?”

Slowly, curiously, she rose from her seat and started to pad through the library, peering around shelves. Perhaps this was some kind of particularly silly prank from Sans and Frisk. After all, she wasn’t so old that she would forget a place like this.

“Hello? Anyone?” And, after a moment with no answer, she added playfully, “You may come out now.”

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[fiery_goatmother]

Good heavens, then it really is true. It's still so hard to believe. But she's seen two of Frisk and what other explanation could there be? Aside from maybe eating a bad snail before bed.

She shakes her head, trying to clear the befuddlement.

"Who else has woken up here?"

[dustless]

Frisk's breath catches in their throat a little bit.

"...a lot of different people," they start lamely. "There's some humans--some scientists. One human that can use magic--think she's human? An elf lady. There's Mettaton from the Surface, and...and one where he was made King."

That alone is hard to say. They press on. "Sans from the surface. Sans from...somewhere worse. A Sans and Papyrus who're babies from a lab, who shouldn't ever go back--Tauriel adopted them. The elf lady. 'Nother Frisk, they're blind..."

There's a long, long pause. They fidget with the end of their scarf and need to resist ducking their head. They're probably forgetting someone, maybe several someones, but her children--her real children won't get out of their thoughts.

"And there's...there's...there's two Charas. And an Asriel."

[fiery_goatmother]

All of the others are driven straight from her head once the last two names are out. There's a wrenching feeling in her gut. She's sure the heartache must be showing on her face, but she also can't seem to get her cascading emotions under control.

My children. My dear children. There have been so many times over the years that she has wished she could see them again. And now, in whatever strange place she's found herself, if Frisk told it true (and she is sure they have), here they both are.

For a moment that seems to stretch forever, she's stunned silent. Her voice is choked with emotion when she finally manages to find any words.

"They... Are they all well?"

Probably a pointless question, but it's the first place her mother's heart lands in.

[dustless]

A part of them wants to laugh, almost. No. No they're not, none of them are. But Frisk doesn't want to say that outright, dot explain why. Yes, your son is here after being left as a soulless flower and feels crippling guilt for it. Your child is here after killing everyone for reasons I don't understand yet. They're doing better but that doesn't mean a lot. It's too much too soon.

So they settle on telling at least one truth. "...the first...the first Chara I met. They're not." They don't quite notice they're wringing their hands a little. "They're--they're--they're really angry. We fought, the first time I met them, and it kind of...it wasn't good."

[fiery_goatmother]

Toriel does notice the hand wringing, and the overwhelming emotions just kick it up another notch. Chara always was an odd duck, full of bitterness that she knew she and Asgore tried their best to overcome. And the memories of Chara playing a bit too rough surface at the word "fought."

Her heart sinks.

"Frisk, I..." I am so sorry. She isn't even entirely sure what for, but there must have been more she could have done for Chara, so long ago. Toriel stops, an awful thought starting to surface. She almost doesn't want to give it voice, but she has to know. It wasn't good left entirely too many things possible, and all of them straight from a nightmare.

"...were you hurt?"

[dustless]

Bizarre, how the dead nerves on their scars (across their throat, in their chest, so many in their back) can suddenly feel like they're itching. It takes all Frisk's self-control not to start clawing at them. That won't be reassuring to Toriel at all.

"Um. Yeah, I was." They shrug, trying to play it off. "They were kind of freaking out, 'cause I was the first person they met after they woke up here. We're not friends yet. I am friends with the other Chara, though, and Asriel."

[fiery_goatmother]

Whatever part of her might be happy that Frisk has made friends with her other children is sort of pushed aside by the cold sensation that floods through her veins at the admission that they had been hurt. Her throat tightens. She swallows, trying to force the guilt back down.

It doesn't really work.

"My child..." she starts. Stops. No, there aren't any words for this.

Silently, she just goes to scoop Frisk up into a hug. If only she could protect them from everything.

[dustless]

Refusing to hug her back is not an option.

They're worried for Toriel. They've been in lots of FIGHTs. They've died a lot. They've died to her, once. They can handle what happened to them. And it's their sort-of mom, so their frustration at everyone panicking and getting upset so much is reduced to almost nothing. She's new, she's concerned, she doesn't know.

"...'m okay. Really," they mumble against her.

[fiery_goatmother]

The reassurance doesn't help all that much. Toriel just presses her cheek to the top of Frisk's head, wishing she could take away any pain or fear for them. But that isn't what being a mother is about, ultimately. It's about ensuring your child has all the right tools to make the best choices for themselves, and Frisk has always done just that.

But that doesn't mean she doesn't want to just shelter them forever.

She regains her composure after a moment of hugging Frisk tight. Pulling back, she gives them a shaky smile.

"Of course you are." Though I may not be. Chara, what will she ever do with you? "You are strong and brave, my child. But your mother still worries."

[dustless]

Frisk is a "good" child, but they're not easy to be a mother for. They've got too many secrets, they've been through a lot, and they're more independent than a barely-ten-year-old should be.

"...that's alright. 'M been trying to stay out of trouble." Sort of.

They've picked up a nonhuman gesture of affection in their time here. They might've picked it up where Toriel's from, too, but they can't be sure.

Still. They carefully stand on their tiptoes and headbutt her forehead with theirs.

"Um...I--I need to tell you, though. I'm not from when you are, 'zactly. I'm--we were just going down the mountain when I woke up here." Toriel being their mother was still a new concept back then.

[fiery_goatmother]

The headbutt, of all things, actually does help soothe Toriel's frazzled nerves. She gives a weak laugh, a smile starting to twitch its way back onto her face. Conflicted as she feels, Frisk always knows how to cheer her up.

Even if this is evidently not "her" Frisk.

"That was weeks ago." Although, obviously, only for her. She blows out a sigh.

"My word, but this is strange."

[dustless]

Headbutting affectionately is just about foolproof, apparently, and not just with skeletons. They're grateful, and grin back.

Weeks--not as bad as it could be. Months, years--the other Frisk's older than they are.

"Yeah. It is. Castle's not a terrible place to be, if we had to get stuck somewhere."

[fiery_goatmother]

"Yes, I suppose it could be far worse." Confusion and a feeling of unease are small prices to pay, considering. Whoever has created this place could have designed it to drag them into a warzone. At the very least, weirdness aside, everyone is relatively safe.

She gives Frisk a soft pat on the head, all motherly affection.

"Thank you for letting me know about all of this." Even her lost children. It's painful as anything, but she's still terribly proud of Frisk for telling her anyway. Oftentimes, the most important information is the hardest to swallow. "You are a good child."

[dustless]

They duck their head a little--not for avoidance, but some odd flicker of embarrassment. "'M just trying to help out. Do that for all the new people, to keep bad stuff from happening."

Like no FIGHTs against monsters when they introduce the castle to other unknown humans, for example. They don't think it's them being particularly good.

But anyway. "Want to have a tour thing? Or would you wanna look for yourself? Some stuff moves around sometimes," they add quickly.

[fiery_goatmother]

Frisk can act as if this is all no big thing, but Toriel is still proud of them. She accepts the subject change, though, and smiles.

"A tour would be lovely, my child." She'll still probably look around on her own later anyway, but a guide to help her get her bearings first is a good idea.

[dustless]

They pause for the briefest moment, thinking--and then grabbing her hand.

"My turn!" Though probably not for too long, it just feels like a good and fun idea for right now. Her leading them is one of their most favorite memories from the ruins, or at least it feels like it now.

Tug, tug. Out the doors and down the hall. "--So what's stuff been like? On the surface?"

[fiery_goatmother]

Oh, pfff. Frisk, you're just adorable. The mimicry of their tour through the ruins isn't lost on her at all. She just laughs lightly and follows along, letting them lead her.

"Things have been a bit hectic, but not at all in a bad way. There is an awful lot to adjust to and learn about the surface. I have been teaching the monster children since shortly after we arrived. Sans and Papyrus are doing very well... as are Undyne and Alphys. Alphys was going to introduce me to that 'anime' she loves so much."

Before she woke here, anyway. Mew Mew Kissy Cutie will have to wait.

Smiling, she adds, "Mettaton has already started building a human fanbase, as well."

[dustless]

Frisk's free hand points to the doors down the hall. "All these rooms can lead to weird stuff. They're usually bedrooms, but sometimes they're things like...rooms with wine stuff, or places that look like old offices. Found a room with lots of horseshoes in it once? Just those." Frisk is still a bit confused by that one.

All that sounds great, and they beam even as they feel a little rush of something like--but not quite--homesickness. They wish they could've at least seen some of the progress that was made. "Pretty sure Mettaton's fans--he's gonna get a lot of them really fast. And Alphys told me about that one, she was really excited, so it's probably good."

They glance back at her, remembering a conversation with Chara--about her educating them. "...Am I going to your school?" Frisk hopes so.

They sort of want to ask about Asgore, too, but they think they know better.

[fiery_goatmother]

A room of nothing but horseshoes. She just. Can't even imagine why. But she makes a mental note of the bizarre nature of the rooms.

And while some part of her thinks that maybe she should say something about what Asgore has been up to as well... she's still too irritated with him to even want to bring it up.

Instead, she nods in answer to Frisk's question.

"You are. It makes things much easier for both of us, I think."

For many reasons.

[dustless]

Frisk sort of wants to find it again. Maybe there was other stuff hidden between the horseshoes, or something special about them. They were kind of interrupted the first time and it's apparently moved since.

They did tell Alphys they didn't think Asgore and Toriel were getting back together--

(Those SOULS that saved them from Flowey the first time...they think about them, sometimes. Wonders who they used to be, what they were like. They can't imagine asking--unless any of them show up too.)

Frisk hopes they can be friends, though. Eventually.

"...good. My old school was too...full. And I bet you're a hundred times better."

[fiery_goatmother]

Frisk, you flatterer. Toriel chuckles softly.

"Thank you, my child." She tries. She really does. Curriculum planning has always been a passion, but it's also a little difficult in practice. At least, it is when most of your classroom is jittery with excitement over everything around them. Until the novelty of the surface wears off, she's sure there will be a good number of tangents in any given day.

Which just seems to make the children have even more fun, so she can't really begrudge them any of it.

"The school is rather small for now. There is plenty of room for it to grow, but I do not think you need worry of an overcrowded class for some time."

Until tolerance between humans and monsters improves a bit more. Or until there are more monsters born into this new life on the surface. Or both.

[dustless]

Well, she was already a great mom in the short time they stayed in the ruins--if she's half as good with being a teacher, she's still gonna be better than any other Frisk's dealt with.

Though the thought of that makes them go a little quiet again, a little more serious. They aren't sure if thinking of her as their mother is...the right thing.

They shake their head. "--bet it's not in the city? That's where my old one was..."

Then they let go of her hand to dart over to a huge pair of double doors and shoving them open for her. "It's the ballroom! Be careful with the food."

[fiery_goatmother]

"It is not in the city, no." The city is intriguing, but it's best if they do some ambassador work before getting too into surface life.

She pads forward and peers into the room curiously. There's just so much food. And she's not at all sure she trusts any of it.

"I hope everyone has been brushing their teeth," she says dryly. So much sugar in one room.

[dustless]

Frisk's distracted looking at the tables. They don't look as happy as most kids would be, looking at so many sweet things. "...more to do with...stuff in it. There's necklaces and earrings in a lot of it, things like that. Dunno why?"

Frisk darts over and pulls a cupcake apart--wait, this one's normal. They dig into a bigger actual cake with a fork and fish out a necklace.

Hopefully that'll distract her from the other question. Hey, they don't have cavities.

[fiery_goatmother]

It's a beautiful necklace, really... but it still shouldn't be hidden inside food where a child might swallow it. Toriel is torn on what to think, an odd expression on her face, before she just blows out a sigh.

Some amusement is in her eyes, but she's still fighting it. Motherly responsibility and all.

"That was awfully fast." Finding the necklace, she means. Frisk, what is she going to do with you?