Find peace, and help the flowers grow

[lostinmyway]

When Grune had first arrived at the castle, Sans had shown her a very fun room. In it, everything is made of candy that grows back when you eat it. There's something else inside the room, too, covered by a strange sort of slippery cloth, but Sans hadn't let her look at it. He'd said it was a surprise present for Frisk. To help him keep the present a surprise, she'd agreed not to look.

But after some time, the memory had faded, and so today, when she steps into the candy room, her curiosity is caught by the big object covered in cloth. (Had that always been there?)

Humming quietly, she steps forward and lifts the edge of the covering.



...Oh.

She pulls the cloth the rest of the way from the giant birdcage and opens the door. It takes some effort to make it move, but soon she can reach in and carefully take the bones from the cage.

At first, she begins to wrap them in the strange cloth, but--she doesn't really like the feel on her hands. It wouldn't be a very nice place to stay wrapped up in, she thinks. And so she leaves the room and instead brings down a curtain from a large bed. It's a faded red and feels much better.

She returns to the candy room and places the bones into that sheet instead. Then, with the remains wrapped up and cradled in her arms, she leaves the castle to find a good place for this person to rest. She only has her trowel to dig, so it's going to take her a long time, but that's all right. This is important.


[OOC: Feel free to encounter Grune at any point during this post, including when she's digging in the garden.]

Comments

[foundafamily]

Something that’s almost a smirk crosses his face. Though he’d meant his statement honestly, he’s now struck by a bit of a funny thought. “So it’s okay for you to worry about somebody who’s dead—“ he gestures with his shovel, as if it needed to be clarified. “—but not for me to worry about you?”

[lostinmyway]

For a moment, Grune is caught by his words: eyes wide, mouth dropped open. And then, for the first time since finding the person in the cage, she smiles without a hint of sadness.

"Okay, Firo," she says with warmth in her voice. "You can worry about me if you want to."

[foundafamily]

“Thanks.” It’s a relief, both that she’ll accept friendly concern and to see her face like that. “If you keep smilin’ like that, I won’t have to.”

[lostinmyway]

"Then I'll make sure to smile lots and lots."

She sets aside her trowel for a moment to stand and kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you, Firo."

[foundafamily]

“Just don’t—“ Don’t overdo it, is what he wants to say; it’s better to know when she’s hurting than to have her try to cover it up with smiles.

He watches her as she stands, imagining that she simply needs a break. And then, as she comes in closer, assuming with some nervousness that she’s coming in for a hug.

But no. Something infinitely more terrifying.

Turning bright red, he squeaks in a most un-gangsterly fashion and drops his shovel.

[lostinmyway]

Her head tilts. "Firo?"

Is he all right?

[foundafamily]

His shoulders are stiff as stone, and he stays staring off away from her. “Y-yes?”

[lostinmyway]

"Did something happen?"

He really is acting very strangely....

[foundafamily]

He shakes his head, wishing that he could jump into the grave himself. "N-no, it's just..."

Does he really want to try to explain it to her?

[lostinmyway]

"Yes?"

[foundafamily]

“You just…” He waves one hand, finishing weakly, “you startled me.”

[lostinmyway]

"Oh!" Her eyes widen. "I'm sorry, Firo. I didn't mean to."

[foundafamily]

“No, it’s not your fault.”

She’s a little different from other people, and one of the very few who’s different in a nice way. He doesn’t want to make her feel bad, not when she’s already having a rough day.

“People just… don’t normally, um, you know. Do that with their friends.”

[lostinmyway]

Her head tilts. "Don't they?"

But she does that with her friends all the time.

[foundafamily]

He shakes his head, trying to distract himself by beginning to shovel again. "O-of course not! That's just for people who're, like... you know, married."

Yes, even on the cheek. No one never claimed that Firo's expectations about love and affection were realistic.

[lostinmyway]

"Are you sure?" she asks. That doesn't sound quite right to her....

Seeing Firo resume digging, she kneels down again and picks up her trowel to do the same. The hole is getting bigger now. That's good.

[foundafamily]

Even Grune? Firo expected skepticism on such things from his mobster friends, but if more polite company still found it odd... Maybe he was wrong.

"S-sure I'm sure!" He lowers his voice a little, "The one right after you get married--that's supposed to be the first. I mean, i-if she's okay with it." You could always wait a few years for sure. Just to be safe.

[lostinmyway]

"She?" She's getting more confused by the moment. "But how do you show your friends you love them very much?"

[foundafamily]

You don't.

"Other ways. That's just for the person you love, like... you know. You do different things for your friends."

[lostinmyway]

"Oh, like what?"

Her hands slow their work.

[foundafamily]

"Like... Well, your hugs are fine." Grune might shrivel up and die if she couldn't show affection to people, and they can't risk that! "But... um, well. Like, if I was with most of my friends, I'd punch 'em or slap 'em or something."

It's the manly way.

[lostinmyway]

Her eyes widen. "My, really?"

But what if he hurt them? Then he would feel bad, because Firo is very kind.

[foundafamily]

That look makes him feel guilty, but what for? It's totally a normal thing for guys to do!

"W-well, yeah, but..." He shrugs. "It's just what guys do."

[lostinmyway]

"Do they?"

She frowns a little, thinking about that. Does Lucas do that? Or Sans? Or Giles?

[foundafamily]

"Sure they do. You should see Claire and Berga when they run into each other after not talkin' for a while. They'll beat the crap outta each other."

This is definitely normal. Grune probably just doesn't get it because she's a kind and classy lady.