A very uncomfortable tense silence filled the air as Undyne descended her front steps and began to walk down the heavily chipped road the monsters in her area called a "sidewalk".
It was basically gravel, an apparent sign of surrounding poverty, and normally Undyne would dwell on the thoughts of her unsightly neighborhood as she glanced around her street.
But today, she kept her eyes fixed on the ground, kicking up the loose pebbles in her path. Papyrus ran to catch up to her - she hadn't even noticed she was speedwalking- and attempted to break the awkward silence that was weighing them down.
"So... Undyne... perhaps we should converse further about the situation at hand?"
Undyne stayed silent, continuing to kick the tiny stones into the street, when she felt Papyrus put his hand on her shoulder.
She froze in place. In all the years they were friends he had never done that.
"Undyne."
Undyne turned to face him, and the sadness and worry in his expression nearly made her heart break.
"If you do not wish to help me, that is alright. I don't want to see you upset either. I can deal with this situation on my own if you'd like."
Now, that actually made Undyne's heart break.
"No! Papyrus, that's not it. It's just that..." She grew quiet again, and Papyrus' expression grew more worried. Undyne finally took in a deep breath and let it all out.
"I'm scared too, Papyrus. I know you're too proud to admit it, but I can tell you're just as worried as I am about this. But you don't have to do it alone, even if I'm scared, even if we don't know what comes next, I want to help you face this, we can face this, together. Just tell me all the details of what happened in the deal, and maybe we can get you out of it."
Papyrus seemed taken aback by Undyne's words, he smiled, gave her a hug - which he hadn't done since they were kids and was still a happy surprise for Undyne - and started the story from the very beginning once he pulled away.
"Okay... so, it was precisely a quarter of 3 when it happened, I was organizing my textbooks in my locker when I heard a loud commotion coming from down the hallway. Alphys was at the Gifted Guard booth, applying to be a part of their council."
Undyne paled once more, the Gifted Guard was a society of monsters and humans with extraordinarily gifted talents and iqs, only the best of the very best were let in, and it had been Papyrus' dream for years to apply for their council. The youngest eligible member must be 15 years of age, and now that Papyrus was eligible, he could finally fulfill his lifelong dream of being an active member.
The only problem was that they only picked one student from each high school around the world, and Alphys had just applied for the only possible position.
In simpler terms, Papyrus was royally screwed.
As soon as Papyrus noticed Undyne's expression, he nodded solemnly and continued.
"I began to approach the table to ask the members for a sign up sheet when Alphys turned around and noticed my presence. She didn't know why I was there at first, but when she figured out my interest in applying, needless to say, that didn't sit well with her..."
"...So she offered me a deal..."
"And?" Undyne pressed, wondering why Papyrus had slowed down walking in the middle of his story.
"...She said if I won, she would withdraw and make certain I got the position. But if I lost..."
Papyrus completely stopped in his tracks, looking more upset than Undyne had ever seen him before.
"I would have to withdraw, and I could never apply for the position again."
•~•~•~•~•~
YOU ARE READING
Soul-Searching (Alphyne)
Fiksi Penggemar"You really think you can beat me at my own game?" The girl went against her better nature and nodded defiantly in response. The air was thick with unspoken tension and electricity, and no other words were spoken for a good few seconds. Until, final...
