(no subject)

[ashkente]

Good afternoon, Castle. There's a new arrival, a seven-foot-tall skeleton in the ballroom sampling the sweets. He may be the most unruffled newbie to arrive on the floating island in quite a long time. Those who can remember events before they happen tend not to be surprised very often, and this is nothing more than a vacation for him. No Duty to do at all, for he doesn't have dominion here. He hopes it'll be restful and possibly even pleasant.

He's going to try a little bit of everything in the room, in no hurry. For any witnesses, it's a bizarre thing to see. Food goes into his mouth, isn't chewed at all, and must go somewhere, because it's not ending up on the floor. No matter how long he's watched, it's going to remain a mystery as to how he swallows and where it's ending up. Best not to ask, you'd only embarrass him. Some things ought to be kept private.

(Of course, skeletons eating food can't be anything new here. Hopefully no one will stare at him too long.)

Comments

[mercybutton]

Flowey looks disappointed when Death says he's got no one to reap here. "Aww."
"Floweyyy," Frisk says. "You can't just ask people if they're Death."
"Why not?"
"Because--nevermind. Sorry about that." They smile up in the general direction of Mr. Skeleton. "Does this mean you have a big scythe somewhere?"

[ashkente]

"Wʜʏ ɴᴏᴛ?" he says, echoing the flower. "Hᴇ ᴡᴀs ʀɪɢʜᴛ. Aɴᴅ ʏᴇs, I ᴅᴏ. I ʙʀᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ."

[mercybutton]

"''Cause some people would be insulted if you walked up to them and called them 'Death.'"
"Hey. He's a giant skeleton with a sweeping black cloak, and a scythe made for reaping the souls of the damned. What do you want me to say?"
"Not--wait, seriously? I thought you'd be more like… I dunno, different. Human interpretations are usually wrong about these things."

[ashkente]

"I ʀᴇᴀᴘ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ's sᴏᴜʟs, ᴡʜᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʀᴇ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴏʀ ʙᴀᴅ." He's not a punishment, he simply is.

"Aɴᴅ I ᴀᴍ ᴡʜᴀᴛ I ᴀᴍ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴛʜɪs ɪs ʜᴏᴡ Dᴇᴀᴛʜ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ʟᴏᴏᴋ, ᴏғ ᴄᴏᴜʀsᴇ."

Flawless logic.

[mercybutton]

Looking how he does because of the influence of the belief of humans gives them an idea of what he is, more or less. Meanwhile, Flowey couldn't care less if his reaping was indiscriminate, it was a turn of phrase.

"By the way I should mention this place likes to bring… uh, copies of the same people," Frisk says. "Actually "alternate" is a better word… like, two people but with different experiences, possibly from a different time or world."

[ashkente]

"Oʜ." He gives off the air of faint puzzlement, without the slightest change to his eternal grin. "Sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ I ʙᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇʀɴᴇᴅ?"

After all, he'd get along with himself just fine.

[mercybutton]

"Kinda. Mostly it just gets confusing, but also sometimes someone's double isn't nearly as nice as the other. One could he really nice, and the other could be really… uh, murder-y. Or from an alternate time where you were really murder-y and now that person hates you. Does- ah, uh, does this make sense?"

[ashkente]

"Iᴛ ᴅᴏᴇs. Aʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇʟʟɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ Dᴇᴀᴛʜ?"

Whether he can pre-remember an answer or not, the question still has to be asked.

[mercybutton]

"… Nnnnone that I know of. But just in case. For future reference."

[ashkente]

"Tʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ғᴏʀ ʟᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡ."

[mercybutton]

Frisk nods as Flowey leans over to inspect his cloak. "Yeah. You need anything else, you can just ask anyone else in the castle."

[ashkente]

"I ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴍᴜᴄʜ. Wʜᴏ ᴅɪᴅ ʏᴏᴜ sᴀʏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ?"

They hadn't, but it's more polite to phrase it that way.

[mercybutton]

"Oh, right. I'm Frisk, and this is Flowey." They gesture to the flower at their side.

[ashkente]

"Hᴏᴡ ᴠᴇʀʏ ɴɪᴄᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜ."

He hasn't brought up once that one of them happens to be a sentient flower capable of speech... and at this point, it's clear he's not going to.

[mercybutton]

"And you too, Mr. Death."

Haha wow, that sounds really dramatic. "I guess I'll see you around the castle!"

[ashkente]

"I ʟᴏᴏᴋ ғᴏʀᴡᴀʀᴅ ᴛᴏ ɪᴛ." he says, nodding. Hardly a unique statement, but that doesn't make it any less true.

[mercybutton]

Frisk and Flowey take their leave as they pass back one more goodbye wave. Flowey casually rolls out directions, as is per routine, exiting the ballroom to who knows where.