Soft Reset

[buttercup_eater]

As everything fades away when they die, coming back to life is like seeing everything fading into existence again.

The first thing they're aware of is light, and that they can see, rather than seeing anything in specific.

The second thing they're aware of is sensation, the weight of their limbs pressing into a smooth, stone surface.

Where are they, exactly?

Chara tries to focus, blinking a few times in the hopes of clearing their vision. An empty stone hallway, rather like the one they last died in, with high windows flooding the area with sunlight.

They take a deep breath and try and push themselves into an upright position, only to be hit with a wave of sudden dizziness and have to flop back onto the floor. Okay, that's not good. What happened?

They can remember their SOUL shattering, and laughing so hard their sides were aching. Sans. Bruises. Blood. Theirs? No, not at first. Chasing the other child down unfamiliar hallways. Messy. No EXP increase, no LV.

No partner.

Chara waits a moment, just in case any input is forthcoming, but even after several minutes they remain alone. Once again, they're going to have to do everything themselves.

They manage to sit up with only a minimal amount of dizziness, then lurch to their feet. Minus the dizziness, it's rather like the last time they died and woke up again.

The knife is nearby, again, and they pick it up, again. Their locket is also still hanging from their neck, and they can still feel it faintly beating. But there's also a strange weight in their pocket, and when they slip a hand inside to check- oh. Right. An... alternative version of their locket, they guess.

Gripping the locket tightly, they set out to find their purpose once again.

[As with Frisk's post, this is set three days after their death.]

Comments

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[dustless]

Once they go around a few corners, they'll find Frisk.

Just standing there in the center of the hall, looking startled for a moment before settling. Arms crossed against their chest tightly, looking them over.

"Chara."

[lightofthestars]

After Tauriel's joy at Frisk's return had faded enough to allow her thought, she had understood truly what it had meant: that though her beloved friend is now alive, so is their murderer.

She will not let them kill again.

Her steps are nigh silent as she stalks through the castle, knives drawn. She hides herself from even her friends, so that none will slow her down or try to stop her. When she sees an unknown child gripping a knife as one who is very comfortable using it, she knows she has found Chara.

She does not speak, but creeps forward behind them. Her grasp upon her own knives firms.

1/3 Because if I make three separate posts, two of the three here are gonna end up dead orz

[lostinmyway]

Ever since Frisk came back, it's as though spring has arrived at the castle. Everyone is so happy, even if they're also very confused. But they all want to show Frisk how much they love them--and today, she, Sophie, and Mettaton have all had the same idea. They're going to bake a cake!

"Do you think we should bake a chocolate cake?" Grune asks.

2/3

[lostlegacy]

"Yeah," Sophie says right away, because she likes chocolate cake, so Frisk will, too. (And also she wants chocolate cake.)

She swings her legs a little on top of her ride. She's finally starting to get used to the idea that one of her friends can look really different sometimes. Getting to go places on top of his head helps with that.

3/3

[mediadarling]

"Watch the face, beautiful!" Mettaton cautions Sophie, making a soft "ooh" as her heel connects with the bottom of his display.

Now, as for Grune's question.... "Mm, chocolate would be nice, but do you think we'll find any not already being used in something else? ...Wait, hush."

He can hear small footsteps coming closer. If that's Frisk, they had better stop talking soon, or their surprise cake won't be much of a surprise, will it?

[buttercup_eater]

At the sight of the other child, Chara... blinks. They revived too?

They cautiously look the other child up and down, their gaze eventually settling on the angry red scar on their neck. Unconsciously, they grip the locket in their pocket even tighter.

"...You," they say, eventually.

[littledreemurr]

Asriel had been a bit blessed to be able to avoid the big lead up to these deaths and the revivals that surrounded them. Completely and utterly oblivious, honestly.

He was simply scouting out some of the corridors, wanting to still get his barrings. He heard some noise and took some precautions as he rounded the corner. To his surprise, it wasn't a beast nor being of anything like that.

It was more family, his best friend, even.

He began to approach, trying to take in that Chara was really here, but goodness the look on his face was that of a bit of shock. He stopped a few inches forward, having to take in the utter idea that there was more familiarity in his life right now. He had his mother, but now he knew that Chara was here too.

"Chara?" He whispered, not realizing how soft his voice was. It grew louder, and his tone was just... so much more happier and cheerful now. "Y-you're here!"

Don't mind me, folks

[sansational]

This is a very bad and dishonest thing he's doing. A very bad, very dishonest, very untrusting thing he's doing to a friend. Sans is aware of all of this.

And yet here he is. Because old habits die hard. And because he really did try, but like hell he was getting any sleep, knowing who Frisk was going to see scant hours after coming back from the dead. And he'd rather have Frisk alive and mad at him than dead.

Besides...if something really does go wrong, if things get beyond his control again, he owes it to Frisk to bear witness.

So Sans is lurking around the corner back the way Frisk had come. He thinks he knows Chara's soul well enough to be ready to pull them away if they make another move. When they make another move. For now, though, he'll just listen.

He wants to hope that maybe it will work, but that was what he thought when Papyrus made this very same attempt.]

stealth stealth

[dustless]

Frisk does not know Sans is there. Normally, they'd at least suspect, but walking through the hallways they were killed in less than what feels like a couple hours ago kind of drove a lot of...everything else out of their mind.

So they don't look back, or anywhere else but at Chara.

...Right. They have no idea what Frisk's name is, do they? Maybe they'll learn it later.

They aim a thumb at their face. "Me. Can we talk?" they ask plainly. "Or...still think this stuff is all my fault?"

[systematicsupport]

Down one of the hallways is a door with a skeleton leaning against it. Not Sans, definitely not. This one is too tall, too thin, too nervous. He appears to be exhausted, staring out at one of the windows across the hall, occasionally rubbing at one eyesocket with his hand. He probably should head back into the room, get some sleep, but he's too on edge right now. If he can just take a quick look around, make sure there aren't any threats nearby...

He turns his head just for his gaze to zone in on the human stumbling down the hallway, and his soul goes cold. That's... the other human. The one Sans killed. The one that destroyed the first friend he had made outside of the facility...

His hands start trembling, and his eyes flare up with magic, even as his soul sends out a stuttering cry before he cuts it off. No, he can't bring his brothers here. He was standing out here to protect the both of them. He can handle this on his own... he has to.

He takes a few steps away from the door, standing straight in the middle of the hallway, staring the human down.

assuming this is set after all their other encounters

[buttercup_eater]

It won't be hard to creep after Chara. Not only is their pace slower than usual, but every now and then they simply pause to stand and stare pointlessly into the distance. Occasionally, they yawn.

It's been a while since they last slept, they think. They're not sure being dead counts. And the day has been draining for... other reasons. They kind of want to find somewhere to curl up and sleep, far away from everyone else they've bumped into today. Maybe that isn't a bad idea. They need to regroup, anyway.

Oblivious to the determined elf stalking them, Chara comes to a sudden halt once again. Slowly, their head tilts to stare at the ceiling... and then they drop their gaze with a scoff.

[buttercup_eater]

While they can't quite catch what's being discussed, Chara does get the impression of a cheerful group talking amongst themselves somewhere nearby. They consider avoiding the group, but they have to admit that there wouldn't be much point in doing so. It's not as if they can't handle a little trouble at this point, so they continue on in the same direction as before.

Let's see... there's a female voice, a kid's voice, and... huh. There's a voice that sounds dimly familiar to them.

The group seems to grow quiet as Chara gets closer and they internally steel themselves before turning a corner and stepping forwards.

Chara doesn't call out any form of greeting but they do come to a stop, put their free hand on their hip, and look at the trio expectantly- the robot, in particular.

[buttercup_eater]

The moment Chara meets Asriel's eyes, they find themselves mirroring that look of shock, if not magnifying it. Asriel! Chara's eyes grow huge and round and their head involuntarily jerks back.

Of course, after everything that's happened so far, the last thing Chara expects is to run into someone who actually seems happy to see them. Especially not someone who was also a flower the last time they met. And someone who. Had a multitude of reasons not to be happy to see Chara.

Taking a quick, shaky breath and clutching their knife tighter, they force themselves to step forward. "Right," they say. "I'm here."

But are you? they think.

[buttercup_eater]

Chara's eyes narrow, looking the other child up and down, their gaze eventually settling on the angry red line on their throat. One would think the other child would be a bit more upset at seeing someone who murdered them. Again, Chara wonders: just what sort of game are they playing here?

But. On the other hand... the other child disappeared pretty early, didn't they? And they have to admit that... From what they saw, the other child wasn't the only one who liked playing games...

"I'll give you thirty seconds to plead your case," Chara announces finally.

[buttercup_eater]

By the time Chara reaches S-4, they've already had a few other encounters and they're quite a sight, even if the dust and blood on their clothes probably isn't fresh. But it's most visible in the way that they walk- stumbling is one way of putting it. But there's a distinctive jerky, stompy edge to their movements. They're walking down the hallway as if they'd dearly like to kick the architecture itself to death.

And when they see the young skeleton, they glare at him as if they'd dearly like to kick him to death as well.

"I was using this hallway, you know," they say.

But they don't do anything. Not immediately.

[dustless]

They got over that kind of thing a long time ago. They're clearly wary, but they're not afraid. And that wariness isn't entirely for their own benefit.

...It takes Frisk a lot of self-control not to roll their eyes.

"...okay? We're in a weird castle in the sky." They jerk their head towards a window, at sunlight streaming in, a couple clouds drifting close by. "We all just woke up here, no idea who or what did that. There's no SAVE files, not mine or yours. Or Flowey's, I guess. Everyone knows you killed me, and that Sans killed you, 'cause that was three or four days ago. Can show you the graves they gave us, for proof," they add, tapping the scar idly with their pointer finger. "Don't know how exactly to tell you that I didn't do it. Not from the same timeline, only sort of know you."

1/4?

[lostlegacy]

Oh hey, another kid. Cool.

"Hi," Sophie says and waves. "Who're--ow, Mettaton!"

She glares down at the top of his head. Suddenly, he'd grabbed her leg really tight and it hurt.

[mediadarling]

That child is looking at him. There's a flash of blaring stage lights in his memory, followed by nothing at all.

Sans had told him about the child. Well. It looks as though it's showtime.

"Sorry, darling," he says. His voice sounds distant even to him. "I need you to get down now."

He reaches up and lifts her from on top of him, turns--listens for running feet, his back is so open--and sets Sophie down behind him. Then he faces Chara again.

"Well, well, well. Back so soon, are you?"

Nah never mind 3/3

[lostinmyway]

While Mettaton had been looking after Sophie, Grune had stepped in front of both of them. Her head tilts to one side as she looks at the child farther down the hallway. They're back now, too. Just like Frisk.

"Hello."

Yeah, that works!

[lightofthestars]

The child is weary and careless. It will make this task simple. That is good.

When they lower their gaze, Tauriel waits, hidden in the shadows--and then she races for them, one knife held, empty hand shooting forward to capture the wrist of the child's knife-wielding hand.

[littledreemurr]

It was honestly innocence at it's finest.

"I'm really glad to see you! I thought that you'd be back home with Dad," he spoke, still so so happy to see them. "That's really funny, Dad still isn't here... Mom's here, too! Did you know that?"

His eyes wandered to the knife, and he grew just a hair nervous. There seemed really no reason to have that on them, as far as Asriel knew. He seemed to tilt his head, looking back up to meet Chara's look. There was just something peculiar about this, Chara couldn't have been from another part of the timeline like most of the others had been from... right?

"Hey..." He spoke with a bemused voice, very very lightly concerned as well, "Wh-what's the knife for?"

[buttercup_eater]

Unfortunately, Chara isn't privy yet to this version of the other child's past. They can tell the other child isn't particularly intimidated by them though, which is... annoying.

To Chara's credit, however, they do mean it when they say they'll give the other child a chance to 'plead their case' and they even listen, a bit. The castle being mysterious and in the sky isn't especially useful, and is something they'd already mostly figured out. However, they suppose the kid isn't lying when they say they aren't responsible for their circumstances. They certainly didn't have the power to RESET when Chara stabbed them to death, after all.

"Fine," they say. "I suppose this isn't any more unexpected than any of the other occurrences thus far." Being called out of the grave and conscripted to erase the underground, repeatedly dying and RESETing, all while occupying the body of another child a hundred years after their initial death... Sure, why not add a flying castle and cross over some timelines while they were at it?

"Maybe this is all supposed to be entertainment," they mutter and then, in a more normal tone of voice they address the other child. "You can't have wanted to talk just to pass on this information. What do you want?"

[buttercup_eater]

Chara smiles. It doesn't meet their eyes.

"Greetings," they say. They consider giving the blue-haired woman an ironic bow, decide that would probably be laying it on a bit too thick, and settle for inclining their head in acknowledgement. "I don't believe we've been introduced. Although it seems your friend knows me."

They then face Mettaton. "What was your name again? Metaltron? Minitot? Something like that. I'm afraid you were only a brief presence in my timeline, so I can't really remember." Smile, smile, smile.

[buttercup_eater]

They feel Tauriel's grip constrict around their wrist and gasp, in surprise and more than a little bit of outrage. Instinctively they try and yank their wrist free but it quickly occurs to them that it won't work- and she grabbed their knife hand too!- so with their free hand they'll try and claw at Tauriel's face.

[buttercup_eater]

And that's the problem. Asriel shouldn't be innocent, not anymore, not now that they know what Chara's really like, what the world's really like- except they remember what the other child told them about timelines and damn it.

(All they can think is... And Flowey accused them of having a sick sense of humor.)

"No Asriel, I didn't know that." Their tone is flat, and they wonder if they feel anything about the idea of mo- Toriel being around.

"...Oh, this?" Chara lifts up the knife, almost as if they've forgotten they were holding it. "It's for stabbing people with."