Reborn As A Dust Sans [Undertale Multiverse]

Ch49 - Friends?

AN: I will be taking a little break from writing. I have been struggling with my mental health, along with being rather burnt out, so I need to take a little bit of a step back from writing for the time being. I'll probably still work on my projects on Tumblr somewhat, though that site stresses me out a bit as I feel like there's no interaction, I'm just talking to a void.

Anyway. Enjoy a little bit more of fluff with Ink <3

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Ashe's POV

The moment Ink saw you in the sunflower dress she had picked out, her face lit up in multicolor blush. "Wow! That's... that's really pretty! But also way too big for you. Um. Let's look at more dresses!" she let out, pulling you into one of the aisles. She didn't even give you a chance to redress, instead pulling you from aisle to aisle, excitedly grabbing at fabrics. You were just thankful it fit well enough it wasn't sliding down or anything.

It wasn't long before you realised Ink was drawn to specific types of clothing. She seemed to like things that draped long, like robes and dresses, yet neither quite caught her attention. She always went for things that were colourful, too, more colourful than her current outfit. She refused to even look at anything with too much white.

"Oh! Ashe! Ashe! These outfits match!" she exclaimed, grabbing two outfits. "HereYouGoBye!" she blurted out, thrusting the clothes at you and disappearing into a change room with a dress so quick you couldn't help but chuckle.

You looked to the clothes that you now held in your hands. They absolutely did not match what Ink ran off with in any way you could see. They were made of different fabrics, had different colors, the styles not anywhere near similar. You tilted your head. Maybe she knew they didn't match, but just wanted to see you try it on? The eagerness in her expression suggested that might be right. It was kind of sweet, that she thought about you even though you were only really here for her sake.

The outfit Ink had given to you was a hooded poncho with a gradient going from grey to black. It had embroidered stars, reminding you of a gentle night sky. There was a matching black sweater and pants. The starry parts of it reminded you of Nightmare. You found yourself smiling at that. Your black scarf even fit in perfectly... though, now that you were looking at it, wasn't it grey-red before? It was fully black right now. How long had it been like that?

Maybe you'd ask to keep this one, you thought to yourself. Pomegranate did say you could get an outfit. Unlike everything else, this one didn't have any label, so you weren't sure how much it might cost. That made you a little anxious. Had Ink taken it off, maybe?

"YOU SEEM TO LIKE THAT ONE, BROTHER! WILL YOU KEEP IT?"

You hesitated. 'I don't have money, but if Pomegranate still thinks its okay for us to have an outfit, I think I will. Its comfy and looks really nice.'

"ON THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THINGS, AT LEAST YOU WOULDN'T BE MISTAKEN FOR DUST ANYMORE!" he grinned cheerfully. "THE STARS ALSO REMIND ME OF NIGHTMARE. YOU KNOW, NIGHT. MARE. NIGHT?"

You chuckled. 'Yeah, I get it,' you signed. 'Lets go show Ink. She's trying something on too, I want to see what it looks like.'

When you left the room to find Ink, you saw the outfit she had chosen and smiled. It was a beautiful kimono. Whilst the base of it was a sky blue, the patterns were in every colour imaginable, creating a beautiful rainbow aesthetic to it. She had her vials attached to the sash around her waist, paintbrush on her back, and the whole outfit just looked gorgeous put together.

Ink looked at her reflection, eyelights wavering as tears built in her eyes. She stared, hands trembling, silent. You moved to her side and took her hand into yours, and she turned to face you, a soft smile on her features. "I-its.... It's so pretty," she whispered. It was clearly a vulnerable moment for her.

'/You're/ pretty,' you corrected gently.

Tears streamed down her face. "I think... I think I'm gonna get this one! And, um, maybe a couple of others in the same style!" she declared, quickly wiping her sockets. "I'm not crying! I just, er, drank too much blue!"

The blue vial in her sash was untouched.

'It's okay to cry. You're happy, Ink. Sometimes people cry when they're really happy.'

She gave you a thankful smile. "I'm gonna go pay for these! Also your outfit too! As a, um, thanks!" she exclaimed, already pulling you to where Pomegranate was waiting at the register. "And Blue didn't tell me to do that this time! I, uhm. I want to buy it for you. As a thanks. So. Um."

You chuckled at his continued shyness. 'I appreciate it, Ink. Pomegranate did say I could have an outfit though, so maybe you could help me pick out some pins for my scarf instead? Honestly, the outfit you picked is gorgeous, its more than enough. I adore it.'

She grinned and immediately picked out several pins. After that, she paid for everything and the two of you begun to move towards the exist (but only after Pomegranate made it clear he was going to burn your old clothes, minus the scarf you refused to let go of. You were okay with that, even if Spooky seemed a bit offended).

"Here you go! Um! Hope you like them!" Ink exclaimed as she shoved the pins into your hands.

One had a common symbol in sign language - probably a good idea, now that you thought about it, since you couldn't speak - then a pin with a symbol of the moon, the same you were sure you'd seen somewhere in Nightmare's castle, and a pin with a flower that matched the ones on Ink's kimono. It was really sweet of her - she clearly put thought into choosing them. 'Thankyou, Ink. You're a good person.'

She paused at that. "Do you really think so?" She let out, uncertain. You nodded. "Then... why do you hang out with the Bad Sanses?" her voice was quieter at that, expression thoughtful yet confused. "I... really want to understand, but I don't get it."

'..They're good people, too, Ink. Good people who are stuck doing bad things for a balance they never wanted to be part of.'

She was quiet for a moment. "Dream says the balance isn't real, but... what do you think?"

'I don't know,' you admitted. 'But I trust Nightmare. I don't think he would do all those things if he didn't believe in a balance. He plans things out carefully - I am certain he could do a whole lot worse if he wanted to, but he chooses not to do that,' you thought aloud.

"If... if there really is a balance, and Nightmare and Error are keeping it... does that make us the bad guys?" she asked. She clearly meant Dream, Blue and herself when she said 'us'.

'...Sometimes good people do bad things,' you settled on after a moment. 'You're not bad, Ink. Not on purpose. But... maybe its time to reflect. What do /you/ think? What do /you/ want?'

"That's... a good question, I guess," She let out softly. "I've been noticing things. Things that don't... feel right. If I tell Dream, he says I'm being an overdramatic idiot. If I tell Blue, he comforts me, but I know he doesn't believe me..." she begun to ramble.

'Right now, it feels like you're living in the shadow of Dream instead of just being yourself. But you don't have to do that. To change for the sake of others. You are beautiful just the way you are, Ink.'

Ink sighed at that. "I want... to go back to the Doodlesphere. To... Dream..." she admitted quietly. "I think its time I talk to him. About everything. Properly. And if he doesn't want to listen, maybe its time I leave the Star Sanses and do things on my own. I just... hope Blueberry will understand..."

'Maybe leave Blue a letter, then. That way if things go badly with Dream, Blue at least gets a chance to know your perspective,' you suggested.

"It'll be safer for you if, uh, I don't take you back. You seemed really blue and purple, but I want you to be yellow. Um. Is there a safe AU I can leave you in? You don't look like Dust anymore, so it'll be safe wherever. Probably. Hopefully."

"WHAT ABOUT THE COLLAR?" Spooky demanded, arms crossed over his chest. He was less trusting of the artist, you realised, though he did have a good point. If Ink was letting you go, then would she be willing to get rid of the magic supressor?

"I.... Can't take that off," Ink admitted with a frown. "Its tied to Dream's magic signature since he set it up. But, um, Sci or someone could probably figure it out!" She grinned. "For now, I'll drop you off wherever you think is safest. Er, not anywhere near Nightmare though, I don't want to fight him in my pretty kimono."