ladylike; in form and manner both [halloween event; open!]

[regalduchess]

Duchess goes to sleep on her velvet chair and wakes on the floor. The castle has seen fit to provide her with a plain white slip and nothing more, and so-- she's seen Madame Bonfamille, in one, but never in company-- sets about to searching for clothes.

Sh comes across a lovely dress, tailored to her size, and puts it in a few minutes. It takes a while (she's trying to get used to clothes! They feel quite constricting.) and a few tries, but finally she's able to search for a mirror fully clothed.

She's a human... all but for her head, which still looks reassuringly feline.

It's time to debut her new form. She walks to where the play set is and looks around, eagerly searching for anyone to talk to-- and finds them.

"Oh! My dear, look at what the castle has done now!"

Comments

[trombones]

The reassuringly feline head kind of gives it away. Not so much for Sans, who was now human too. All bone before, he wasn't sure how recognizable he'd be, but he knows who Duchess is the second he looks up from his lounging spot on the set.

"... Duchess? That you?"

If anything, his voice gives him away.

He gets up.

"You too, huh?"

[regalduchess]

Duchess doesn't quite recognize him until he starts speaking, but then she relaxes.

"Sans! Oh, yes, me too. You're... human?"

He looks like the butler that mistress of her former amour had; Duchess never quite approved of him, but Raphael assured her that he was quite nice.

Duchess had no qualms about Sans, though, and she moves over to him. "This is strange... but not unwelcome."

[trombones]

"Yep, it's me."

Sans throws a wink her way. He stuffs his hand back in his pockets and shuffles up to meet her with a nod. For a human, he was still pretty short, but now fleshed out he was stout and solid too. Not too heavy, but enough that he was definitely pudgy.

He reaches up to scratch at the scruff on his chin... maybe a little longer than most people would. Man, having hair was crazy.

"Guess so. It's a little different in my case, but that's another story. You guys never told me you had so many layers of stuff on top of your bones."

'You guys' being humans AND cats, in Duchess' case. The jokes aside, a small silence passes over, and his casual expression sets into something a little more serious. He nods his head to her.

"So you, uh... in one piece, all the human stuff aside?"

The last time he saw her was before Croc happened. He didn't see it, but Sans knew what he did.

[regalduchess]

"I am fine." She places a hand on his shoulder. "It was like being asleep."

She doesn't know how others handle being dead, but it woke her up with a terrible crick in her neck that even a minute of dedicated stretching refused to loosen.

"...did you...?" Run into him? Die, as well? She doesn't want to say it, as if it'll summon the crocodile to them and as if he'll still be crazed.

Duchess, herself, is not much changed in posture; it's still straight and regal. She retains feline grace (although unsteady on her feet-- no tail! Two feet only! What a novelty.)

[trombones]

The hand on his shoulder reassures him a little, even if the assurance was a little morbid. Regardless, Duchess can probably feel the tension in his shoulders leave a little.

"I'm guessing it still wasn't great, but... hey. I'm glad you're okay."

Sans relaxes and a small, lopsided grin graced his face. As for his own encounters... he shrugs his other shoulder.

"Yeah. I made it out okay."

Not unscathed, but alive.

[regalduchess]

"Okay." She echoes him in the tone of someone who knows she's being lied to, but knows enough not to pry.

"I am back now, and you are still here. If he does anything in the future, I doubt it will escape notice now-- hindsight is always correct, is it not?"

She can't help but pat his shoulder. She's still not quite up to snuff on proper human behavior.

[trombones]

Observant, Sans hears the tone, but chooses to ignore it. He doesn't feel like talking about getting mauled by a mutant crocodile man and almost dying.

The pat on the shoulder distracts him. He laughs, despite the conversation.

"Yeah. Here's hoping, right?"

[regalduchess]

"...it has been nice talking to you, Sans. I'm going to go check up on the children." Her tone drops from gently jovial to mellower, worry sheeted with calm.

She was lucky. They might not have been so fortunate.

[trombones]

Oops. Sans own expression drops, and he frowns.

"Ah, heck. Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

Pause.

"Here. I'll give you a hand."

[regalduchess]

"Alright. Thank you." She gathers the loose fabric of her dress so she can safely step forwards. "I assume that most of them will be near the kitchen."

[trombones]

"I'll follow. I'd say I know a shortcut, but... I don't have magic anymore."

He holds his hands out, watching them for a moment before he follows Duchess.

"Anyway. Probably. Those kids got a knack for food."

[regalduchess]

"I expect that is rather distressing," she says, tone cool. She's never had magic. This is magic of a sort, she supposes.

"Hopefully, this will all smooth over and return to normal shortly."

She finds her way through the corridor, mindful not to walk so quickly that Sans had to trot.

hhh sorry about chara icons

[itstheend]

There's a ghost amusing themself by trying, with limited success, to get the various parts of the play set to move, but when Duchess calls out their head comes up to look. Frisk swoops over to her, ghostly tail shifting with them.

"Wow! You look really... regal."

Like an Egyptian goddess! Nevermind that they're not supposed to really recognize her; they're just really pleased for her, since she seems to be enjoying it.

ME SHRUGGING i don't have and human icons so we're even

[regalduchess]

She puts a paw-- a hand, now-- over her mouth and giggles.

"Thank you, my dear! I am quite enjoying it, although balance is..." she pauses. "A bit of an issue. How do you balance with only two feet on the ground, and no tails?"

All of a sudden, Madame Bonfamille's preference for the elevator makes sense.

"You certainly look different. What might you be?"

[itstheend]

"'m a ghost," they say, twirling a little in the air. They don't seem all that bothered by this; they're just as dead as usual, only with more perks.

They drop down towards her, putting a hand to their mouth in thought. "Hmmm, we don't really think about it, I think. I think we use our arms? Like this," they hold out their arms like an aeroplane, "or this." They float as if walking down the stairs, swinging their arms in time. Their own tail gives them difficulty in demonstrating the alternating nature of the exaggerated movement.

Said tail flicks in interest when they come to a stop. "Does that help?"

[regalduchess]

Duchess covers her mouth with a dainty hand, smiling. That is cute. "Oh yes, very helpful. I will try it next time I walk."

But for now, she's lowering herself into a chair; crossing her ankles, placing her arms on the armrest and surveying the room as well as Chara.

"I suppose it is something I will have to learn."

[itstheend]

Frisk close-eyed smiles and gives her a thumbs up, before shifting closer to her.

"Yeah," they say. It would have been nice if everyone had been able to choose this. They came out okay, but watching all the flesh melt off Chara wasn't a great experience, for either of them. "You've got plenty of time to practice, though!"

They put a finger to their chin, looking thoughtful. "Do you still like being petted?"

They've momentarily forgotten they can't actually touch her.

[regalduchess]

"...well..." Yes, of course; she is still a cat, even if she's gained human characteristics lately.

"I think it would not be appropriate. Unfortunately. "You are welcome to pet my head, though."

[itstheend]

Petting her head was entirely what this child meant, mainly because that was the still catlike part of her, so there's an initial disappointment before a mild confusion. With a happy sort of hum they reach up and... their hand goes through her head entirely. It probably feels rather cold.

They withdraw their hand immediately, snapping it back to their chest. "Sorry!"

[regalduchess]

Duchess feels like she's been splashed with cold water once the child touches her... or rather, phases right through her. It's strange, and uncomfortable, and she reflexively flicks her ears as if to shake nonexistent water from her fur.

"It's fine, my dear."

She rubs at her fur, smoothing it back down. "Some other day, perhaps."

[itstheend]

"Sorry," they whisper again, looking down. This state hasn't bothered them until now. "Yeah," they say, going from quiet to cheerful with a practiced air. "Some other day!" When they've gotten better at moving physical objects, maybe. They still don't know if this is temporary or permanent.

"Look," they say, excited to show her now they've thought of it. "I can make this move!" They flick over to one of the swings and push. They end up going right through it, but it does swing back and forth a little. They look at it with a flat expression before turning back to Duchess. "I'm getting better at it."

[regalduchess]

...That's a possible issue. What if this is the castle working further magic? She could... be stuck like this forever. Maybe even turning fully human.

Oh dear.

Her attention is snared by the ghost phasing through a swing, and setting it into some weak swinging.

"That's impressive, for someone who doesn't seem to have much... substance."

[itstheend]

Frisk puffs themself up a little in pride, before looking down at their hands, and the way sunlight moves through them. They... it's not that much of a secret is it, the little they're about to tell?

They fly back over to Duchess, circling her before moving away to do a pirouette in the air.

"I can't usually move things on my own," they confess. "Or... do anything on my own. It's nice."

And then they wink at her, doing double fingerguns. "Not as impressive as you!"

[regalduchess]

Duchess waits patiently for Frisk to explain themself fully. She does know that the two children have a... complicated relationship, every incarnation of them running around this castle and likely in their own universe.

"I do hope that you enjoy yourself." And then--

"Oh, you flatterer." The fingerguns are slightly lost on her, but she does know that it's not bad. "Thank you, darling."

[itstheend]

"It's not flattery if it's the truth!" they say, nodding. "No problem!"

"I'll try," they say, as if they are determined to have fun, placing their hands on their hips. "And you too!"

They return to trying to move the swing, frowning in concentration.

[regalduchess]

Duchess decides to leave Frisk to their swinging. She watches carefully first, though, to make sure thst they won't fall off. Even if they are quite poltergeisty, they're still a child.

"Have fun, darling! I'm going to go try and walk a little more."

[itstheend]

Frisk waves at her in farewell. "Good luck!" They say, and they mean it. Halving your number of legs must be hard.

They turn back. They're determined to beat this swing.