castle_perrault | Soft Reset

Entry tags:

undertale

Soft Reset

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.]

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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.

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.

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.

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.

Slipping out of their reach is simple. She grips their wrist still tighter to force them to drop the knife and twists their arm upwards, behind their back.

She is taller, her reach is greater, and she is an Elven woman, not a mortal child. They have no hope of defeating her.

Chara's status as a mortal is, admittedly, in question- but the clank of their knife hitting the floor sends Chara into a sudden panic. Without really thinking about it they immediately begin to thrash twice as hard, clawing and kicking and pulling and even biting if any of Tauriel gets within range.

It is as if she has a wild animal within her grasp, not a human child. She avoids most, though not all of the blows, and through their fury, she holds on.

"Be still," she commands. "I intend to cause you no more harm than I must, but if you hurt yourself, that is no care of mine."

It's as if Chara can't really hear her, for Tauriel's words have no success in slowing them down. If anything Chara seems to thrash harder, yanking and fighting as much as they can. They don't care if they get hurt, and though the strange woman might be able to drag them along they'll be damned if they're going to cooperate with it for even a single second.

Tauriel grits her teeth and brings her hair over one shoulder. A kick sends the child's knife sliding across the floor, well out of reach. Swiftly, she drags the child to her, then lifts, so that they are thrown over the opposite shoulder.

She then begins to walk to the nearest tower.

Chara doesn't scream at the loss of their knife, although the pounding between their ears increases to a head-splitting tempo as they continue to fruitlessly fight against the elf woman. Then, with a lurch in their stomach, they're being thrown up and over her shoulders, as if they're no more than a sack of flour. They get a glimpse of their knife, gleaming red against the far wall, before their vision is cut off by stone and red hair and Tauriel's legs.

They'll continue to thrash and fight for a while, but unless Tauriel drops them Chara's motions will cease after a few minutes. Instead, they'll tense up, their hands and teeth both clenching up, making themselves as rigid and heavy as such a skinny kid can even manage.

The child is little burden to her--not only because she is an Elf, but because she has trained for battle for hundreds of years. Their attempts to slow her cause nothing but impatience.

She does not speak as she carries the child along the hall toward the nearest empty tower. She has no reason to.

It appears that Tauriel and Chara will be holding a mutual silent treatment then.

Chara remains stiff and radiating anger, but while Tauriel's carrying them they dart wary red eyes every which way, taking note of the area around them. They have no idea where Tauriel's taking them and while the elf claimed they had no intention of causing 'more harm than they must' that's a vague enough term that Chara wonders if she plans on tossing them out a window or what.

After a time, Tauriel reaches the stairs. Without missing a step, she begins to climb. She remains silent.

Being carried over someone's shoulders while they walk around is one thing, Chara decides. Being carried over someone's shoulders while they ascend a staircase is another, wobblier matter.

Still, the uncomfortable motions do give them a bit of motivation to try fighting their captor once again. Chara waits until Tauriel's partway up the staircase, until she seems to be midstep- and then abruptly jerks, struggling violently in an attempt to throw the elf off balance.

The child's feint might have worked, had they not been in the grip of an Elf who has long trained in battle. She is off-balance for but an instant; a shift and the touch of her free hand to the wall is all she needs to right herself once more.

"There is no sense in struggling," she tells them. "You will not escape me."

Chara keeps trying for a while regardless, thrashing back and forth in a determined attempt to throw themselves off of Tauriel and down the stairs to freedom. Presently, their movements slow, but instead of ceasing Chara continues to shake uncontrollably, tremors running up and down their spine.

They don't speak, but their breathing grows louder, hissing through Chara's clenched teeth.

Now aware of the child's attempts to escape, Tauriel easily keeps them in place. When the shaking begins, she wonders if they have somehow made themself ill on purpose. If so, she will look over them once they are in the tower. It is not far now, the Belain be praised.

"You know that one who has committed a crime must be punished," she tells them (though she does not think she will achieve anything by it). "It will be easier if you accept your fate."

Chara themselves isn't sure why they can't stop shaking. In truth it's not really an illness of the body (though there are some bruises and other injuries hidden beneath Chara's hair and clothes) so much as a sickness of the spirit. They want to rip her apart with their bare hands, and Tauriel's words don't help Chara's rancor.

She does achieve something, at least: a scoff.

She does not know how, but that scoff kindles her rage to new heights. The child will be able to feel it in the leashed tightness of her body. She does not act against them, and nor does she speak further.

At last they reach the top of the stairs. There is a level part of the floor, and ahead is a solid wooden door. Her goal now is clear.

Chara does indeed catch onto the significance of Tauriel's tension, and stares intently downwards. They watch as the steps level off onto a landing, and tilt their head slightly to get a glimpse of a wooden door nearby.

They wonder, dully, how Tauriel's rage is going to manifest once they're outside. Killing Chara may still be on the agenda, though it seems odd that she wouldn't have done so earlier. Perhaps she intends to torture Chara, breaking their bones and beating them black and blue, without allowing them to die. Or maybe she intends to administer justice by slicing off Chara's hands or gouging out their eyes, so they can't swing their knife around or see to aim at a target.

She reaches out and turns the handle the heavy door, which opens into two small rooms. In the first is a bed, a table, and only a few other small things. The second is a privy. The window is barred, and that is what first made her think of this use for the tower.

Tauriel walks to the far end of the room. She stops and breathes in. Then she pulls the child from her shoulder, sets them on the ground, and bolts for the door.

Few are fleeter of foot than an elf, but she is taking no chances.

Chara can't get as good a look at the room as Tauriel does, although they get the impression of an austere little living space, much to their confusion. What, they wonder, is Tauriel looking for here? Then Tauriel comes to a stop and Chara realizes that, whatever it is Tauriel intends, it's going to happen right now.

They feel themselves slip off of Tauriel's shoulder and their feet settle onto the ground, and immediately Chara scrambles back against a windowsill and raises their arms in front of their face.

They're so prepared for a FIGHT that it actually takes them a second to realize what Tauriel's really doing. Red eyes widen, and Chara sprints clumsily after her- but their moment of confusion has given the already sprightly elf a head start.

She crashes the door into its frame hard enough for the sound to echo. Half an instant later, she thrusts the key into its lock and turns it.

That task done, she slides the key into her pocket and takes up her post. She stares straight ahead and readies herself for much shouting.

Chara flinches at the slamming of the door, skidding to a stop on the worn wooden floor. Locked in. How to get out?

Tauriel won't hear any shouting, but Chara won't be entirely silent. They take a deep breath, back up until they're almost at the window again... then rush forward and slam themselves into the door.

Nothing happens.

So, they back up and try again.

And again.

After six or seven more times, Chara has to concede that a child who'd weigh maybe a hundred pounds soaking wet is not going to be able to break down a locked door made out of half a foot of solid oak. So they pause to glare at the door, panting a little and rubbing their shoulder.

There is the sound of running feet, and then the sound of a body hitting wood. It is loud enough to startle her, but when it comes again and again, it simply becomes noise to her.

Foolish child. Do they not know all they will do is hurt themself?

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assuming this is set after all their other encounters

Yeah, that works!

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chara has a vivid and violent imagination.

Good lord, child.

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