Aconitum

Omniscient

Nightmare was pleasantly surprised that Core was visiting him. Presumably unprompted this time. At least if they were prompted to they did a better job of hiding it this time.

"What brings you here?" Core handed him a flier.

"My birthday is coming up and Ink's throwing me a surprise party. So I'm inviting you."

"Ink is making you pass out invitations to your own surprise party?" Nightmare was a little offended on their behalf.

"Well it's not like he could throw a real surprise party for me." Nightmare raised his eyebrow at them, "I exist what is eventually everywhere, in fragments. I see and hear basically everything."

Nightmare felt a sudden shame for every action he had ever taken. Murdering the village in such a violent way, cutting Dream off in the way he did, every failure that he thought would go unnoticed.

"How old are you turning then?" Nightmare glanced back into the house before shutting the door and fully stepping out. Once his attention was on them Core shrugged.

"I don't know. It's not even my real birthday. Ink found out last year that I didn't celebrate my birthday and he threw a party for me last year. He's doing that again this year. I'm not gonna fight him on it. It makes him happy."

"You don't seem happy about it." They weren't.

"Well I don't have many friends. So it's like celebrating your birthday with Ink and a few other people who I doubt really want to be there."

"Is that why your inviting me?" Core nodded.

"Your interesting at least, and I doubt you'd be a rude guest. Especially if Ink's there." Nightmare folded the invite and put it in one of his pockets.

"I suppose I'll make an attempt to be there then."

They weren't friends. They weren't even allies really. They didn't have much to say or add to this conversation. Nightmare though, felt a need to figure Core out though, and Core had some reason to stay in their own right.

"You said you don't have many friends, how is that? The Omega Timeline seems to have quite a few people in it,"

"There's only 27 people who actively live in the Omega Timeline. They aren't happy individuals, they live there because their au was destroyed or is for some other reason unsafe. Even if they feel indebt to me for helping them- well, I uh. Tend to make people uncomfortable. On top of that I have no choice but to know every opinion they have vocalized about me. Every comment. I have no choice. Omniscience is a curse that-"

They probably had a lot more to say. Nightmare would have listened too. The kid seemed to have problems that they wanted to talk about. Core was interrupted though.

The house door opened from the inside. All the other inhabitants of the house we're standing in the doorway. Core shifted to a new form of discomfort.

"Hey Nightmare would it-" Horror paused when he saw Core, and it didn't take much longer for the other two to notice them as well.

Core didn't look much like a normal Frisk. That didn't make them not one though, and Dust, Killer, and Horror had some different sort of issue with Frisk. It truly shined through in their emotions, the disgust, dread, anger- the emotions were overwhelming.

Core was a child, but they seemed to understand that they were no longer safe here. They took their cue and disappeared without a single more word.

Killer took off to his room while the other two stood there. Horror awkwardly, and Dust with a sort of shock, maybe even of fear. Nightmare wasn't going to question it.

"What was that about?" Horror asked with a faux causal tone.

"Just a visitor is all." Nightmare brushed past them inside and went to Killers room, knocking on the door. There was no reply, but Nightmare entered regardless. This was a special occasion where he saw fit to do so, "are you alright?"

Killer did not in fact, look alright. He was full of rage and hurt and Nightmare stood in the doorway for an awkward amount of time before stepping into the room completely.

"What's wrong?" Killer turned to face Nightmare, full of all that fear and hatred.

"Why did you allow them here?" Nightmare hesitated, "you know why I'm like this. You know why Dust is like this. Yet you let a Frisk here."

"They aren't your Frisk."

"They remind me of them."

"You know what I mean. Stop being obtuse."

"How about you stop being obtuse Nightmare! You know that they hurt us and you let them here!"

"I didn't come in here to fight."

"They're dangerous."

"Killer. If I didn't allow a single person who resembled the people who have hurt me around, there wouldn't be anyone allowed around here."

"Frisk took everyone! It was my hand who killed them but they pulled the strings. You know that! No one comes here because we have no one. Both me and Dust."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Nightmare meant it.

"Like fuck you didn't know. You're so smart when it comes to everything else, but the instant its me you don't know anything."

"I don't know anything. You don't tell me anything." Killer huffed and turned away.

"Leave."

Nightmare left. He apologized to Dust who insisted it wasn't a big deal and then he apologized to Horror. Who didn't even know why he apologized, saying Frisk wasn't that big of a deal to him.

Killer seemed normal during breakfast the next day. He didn't mention the Core situation and he was himself again. Nightmare wasn't quite normal yet, but that would remain the same for a while.

~~~

Light Core angst followed by Killer angst? You think I can't do more?

I'm doing more.