[Post-Halloween event, OPEN] "Matter of fact it's all dark."

[justletmewin]

It's... hard for him to take. The island feels the same as it's ever been. Fresher maybe. The castle is itself. Asriel is back right where he started, next to the hyacinth bush he woke up beside months ago. Dread welled in the pit of his stomach: oh no not again please not again

Relief sweeps through him when he finds the loamy black patches of soil with tiny green sprouts. Over the past month, the goat child nursed those tiny little plants, which grew from the golden flower seeds he picked off his sweater, pants, and fur from when he fell asleep in the Ruins. He knew it took a month or two of dormancy--longer if necessary, depending on the seasons--before the plants popped out of the ground, but he hadn't expected them to grow. Watering this little patch gave him something to do... a routine to follow like brushing your teeth or making the bed. ...Okay, he admitted. Maybe there was a part of him that hoped the seeds would make it. Sure enough, they did. It felt... weirdly validating, in a way.

If he's still in his current time, this means... oh.

Should one be taking a walk in the gardens that day, they may see Asriel on his knees in the flowers, head lowered in thought. His expression looks... numb.






[[OOC: For those who got their soul stolen, Asriel can apologize to your character here. If not, they're free to just chat. Thank you everybody who participated in the Hyperdeath event! :D]]

Comments

[dustless]

No words, no preamble, (almost) no hesitation. There's nothing to say.

Frisk sees Asriel knelt on the ground as himself and they're behind him before they register even moving, dropping to kneel next to him and dragging him into their arms in nearly the same instant. There's not a thought in their head, just roiling guilt and the feeling of warm tears pooling already.

[justletmewin]

The goat monster gasps as he's pulled into a tight embrace. He looks down... he recognizes those arms. He knows what their hugs feel like, with that same shirt brushing against his body. Even the sniffling behind him is familiar.

Frisk had every right to hate him and refuse to forgive him. They needed to stop him from taking over the timeline twice. How did the saying go? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. They'd be right to be suspicious of him and grow weary of bending over backwards for a "friend" who may not be worth keeping.

Yet they're holding him like this. Frisk... do they love him that much?

Asriel clenches his teeth, sucking in shuddering breaths. It does nothing to stop the ugly sobs bubbling inside him. His face scrunched into a blotched, red, hideous wet mess by the time he turns around and squeezes Frisk back, howling into their shoulder.

[dustless]

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Words are impossible.

The sentiment's probably coming across clearly enough, seeing how hard they're clinging and he's clinging back.

Still. It's not fair. Life's already not, they've known that for a long time, but...stupid castle. Stupid castle. They regret a lot of things they said during their battle--that they remember, anyway, it's hazier and more distant than makes sense--but not that they said the castle was messing with Asriel.

(They're leaning on him kind of hard. Overbalancing is a real risk.)

[justletmewin]

It hurts. It really hurts.

I just wanted to make things right. I don't want to turn back into a flower. I don't want to forget to love. Not after all you've done for me. Not after I started a new life here. I don't want to go back to being... evil.

That's precisely it, wasn't it? Soullessness might not be the problem. Staying a flower couldn't be it either. But the idea of losing all morals and humanity until he'd become something so wicked nothing can redeem him... It frightens him. Honest to god, it frightens him. Cripples him.

He cries out when he falls backward into the grass, taking Frisk with him. It shakes him out of his tears briefly, but he clings tighter to his friend than ever.

man it'd be cool if i didn't lose track of fuckin everything

[dustless]

They let out a muffled yelp, reflex trying to get them to not fall but failing with his weight added. Frisk ends up sort of lying on their side and his at the same time. Probably better than pinning him against the ground.

"A-Asriel..." Oh, that sounded a lot tinier and sadder than they meant it to. They sniff sharply, trying to stop crying too. That's not helping!

Sporadic taggers unite

[justletmewin]

"I'm sorry..." Asriel shudders. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...! I messed things up again... I didn't want to mess up anymore--but I did and I'm not Flowey and I can still feel and--it makes it worse! I--I...!"

[dustless]

Their hands clench into fists against his back. "It--it--it's okay. It's over. It's over, still. Stupid--stupid castle." It made him like that, it made them both like that, all mean and angry (and maybe a little too honest).

[justletmewin]

"St-Still... I did it... it's my fault I collected those souls and blew up the island and--!" And in the end, it wouldn't have mattered if he defeated Frisk. The island never would've allowed him to usurp control. He'd done all these stupid selfish things for nothing. "Y-You saved me again--saved all of us--I know you're tired and hurt and exhausted--it's a lot of work and I'm not making it better..."