MemoryTale --- Hopes and Dreams

I feel genuine fear.

I immediately gulped and dove into the dock. I was NOT gonna be the next one on a spear thank you very much.

The word of the dock wasn't nearly as open as the ground but somehow I could actually be in it? Whatever, Az said it was all magic anyways and I believe him on that.

And now was the fun bit. Trying to find where Frisk landed. Not just a "where on a map would she fall" point, I knew that was the Garbage dump, but more of a "how the hell do I get there?" way of finding it, since falling off would not only be possibly painful, but also bring him out whether he wanted to or not. Then he'd get mad and start yelling. And I wasn't in the mood of dealing with him yelling again, nor was Frisk.

Well, all I knew is I had to go down and the docks didn't actually attach to the ground level at any point, since they were attached directly to the sides of the cavern (to get more walking room in the dump or something I didn't pay attention to at the time).

So my best bet seemed to find the side... They should probably install some sort of stair system or something. Some more obvious way to go down.

I popped up, and after checking to see if anyone was near. Nope. Great. That meant I could actually look with my eyes. The edge where Frisk was got knocked down (hopefully the other side was sturdy enough to hold the weight), so I probably had to go all the way back through this stupid maze. Yay. At least it was easier to navigate when I could pause whenever (I couldn't imagine how much Asriel felt like he had to puke by now, but it wasn't like I could help it).

I was right. It was a solid wall down, the edge of the garbage dump and probably an easier way to go down anyways then any other complicated route (other then jumping but I don't think that should count.)

And Frisk wasn't waiting for me! Well, that was probably for the best, beca-

And everything went back.

I was back on the dock.

...Frisk must have died. Of course, when I wasn't there to protect her. I swore under my breath and raced back as fast as possible, which still took a few minutes. I wasn't thinking about the path nearly enough, it seemed. I couldn't let this happen again! I couldn't..!

"FRISK!" I yelled, not caring about who heard me. Please! She couldn't die, not again!

She wasn't in the garbage dump, which was kinda scary. Who knows, maybe LOADING had a limit we didn't know about! Maybe she-

"Oh hey Chara!" Frisk greeted. She was right outside the garbage dump, "sorry about that! It probably scared you... I was caught a little off guard. There was this dummy, and it was mad, and it threw a knife at me and it reminded me of you so I forgot to dodge it-" Frisk giggled nervously.

I wrapped vines around her instinctively in a hug, "NEVER run off again! You don't know how scary that is, to be somewhere one time and then... Suddenly, without warning thrown back! You're lucky I knew what was happening!" I scolded. Frisk rubbed her neck.

"Sorry, sorry! Uh- could you please loosen those? I swear, you're gonna cut off circulation to my legs," Frisk said nervously. I pulled back. Apparently I summoned at least five more vines then I thought I did.

"Well, uh, now you know how I felt!" I snapped back.

Still, Frisk looked soaking wet and covered in garbage water, which didn't look like a comfortable combination.

"Do you want to go dry off?" I asked. She shook her head.

"I've already been enough trouble, I'll dry off eventually," Frisk said, "I don't want to cause even more of a mess.

That didn't seem like the correct option but I wasn't the one who fell down a dumpster. Her issue, not mine.

"Besides, I saw a shop up ahead and- RIGHT! There were glasses there, weren't there? I'll make sure to get them again!" Frisk said happily. Right! I forgot about that too!

Frisk ran up ahead to Gerson's shop and I followed her to just outside. A minute later, Frisk was cleaning the Cloudy Glasses with her shirt.

"Finally!" She said happily, "I can, dunno, read better now! Or see that one image- Err, nevermind."

Frisk calmed down quickly after.

"Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we surrendered to the humans. Seven of their greatest magicians sealed them underground with a magic spell. Anything can enter but you need a powerful SOUL to leave," Frisk read. That was a really backwards way to say both a human SOUL and a monster SOUL in the same body, but alright.

"There is only one way to reverse this spell. If a huge power, equivalent to seven human SOULs, attacks the barrier... It will be destroyed," Frisk read, "well, uh, I kinda like mine in me. So... Chara..? Maybe it's a bad idea to keep going. 'Cause like, they want my SOUL and stuff, and I dunno if it's powerful enough to go through on its own."

It wasn't. It wouldn't be. If it was, it would be all for nothing so it couldn't.

"Hmmm... Maybe Az would have an idea? Or at least a better place to stay in mind," I said, "I still think you should keep going, if anything it would be the best to convince everyone not to keep trying to kill you, so at least get to some point where either no one knows you're human, or no one cares," I suggested. Frisk smiled.

"That's a good idea!" She said, "dying isn't fun!" I nodded in full agreement.

"But this cursed place has no entrances or exits. There is no way a human could come here. We will remain trapped down here forever... Hmm, well obviously that isn't the case," Frisk pointed out bluntly, "maybe it was covered up by a rock and it was moved in an earthquake! I'll look up earthquakes when I get back home!"

That seemed like a reasonable reason.

As Frisk went on ahead I looked around. The Echo flowers were just off reach of the path, echoing in that familiar voice...

I could go see them, I was curious what he said last time he came, if they hadn't worn off by now. They just seemed like whispers now but I still could get something from them!

Still, it felt like an invasion of privacy. I knew who he was this time. There was no overarching mystery to me I was figuratively dying to find out.

So I just left. It was rude to listen when someone was already listening.