Reborn As A Dust Sans [Undertale Multiverse]

Ch52 - Red

Ashe's POV

Red's face lit into an embarrassed blush at the way Sci called him out for what he was doing, momentarily spluttering. You found the interaction both amusing and... familiar.

Stars, you missed everyone. Were they really waiting for you, like Spooky said they would be? You desperately hoped that was true. You just wanted to go home. To eat Horrors fancy cooking, to play pranks with Killer, to relax with Dust, to get to know Cross and Nightmare more.

As nice as it was exploring the different universes, you were terribly homesick. You needed stability, somewhere you could rest for a while, not to be flung from au to au with no way home. You hated that your magic was robbed from you. You hated that you hadn't felt truly safe since leaving Nightmare. You hated how confusing everything was. It was starting to get to you.

'You don't need to worry about me, I'm not here to cause trouble, I'm just trying to get home,' you signed to Red. Your hands were shaky as you did so, and you had to quickly wipe away some tears threatening to build in your sockets at the memory of your bonds. His expression noticeably softened. 'I'm Ashe, by the way. Sci called you Red?'

He gave a slow nod, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black hoodie. "Yup. I'm Red. Unless Edge sent ya, in which case I'm somebody else," he let out with a playful grin.

'Edge?' you inquired, not recognising the name.

"Yeah, my older bro. He's the coolest, but he's a fuckin' pain sometimes. Been texting every ten minutes to see if I've eaten and all that kinda shit. Yer would think he's my ma or some shit," he chortled. "What's yer verse, by the way?"

'My what?'

"Yer verse," he repeated. When you still did not understand, he gave you a confused expression. "The name of the place yer came from? Like how I'm from Underfell? And Sci is from Sciencetale?"

'Oh, sorry, I understand now. I don't actually know the name of where I'm from. I think it's a dusttale, but people have suggested it could be crossed with horrortale? All I really know for sure is that everyone is dead, there hasn't been a reset in years, and there's no food anywhere. Its... its not home for me anymore. I don't plan to go back, even if I figure out its name.'

He looked at you in momentary surprise. "Yer from a dusttale? I guess yer eyelights are right for it, but yer aesthetic is pretty damn different," he mused curiously. 

You felt your face heat up a little. It was nice, not being immediately assumed as Dust. In fact, the other seemed surprised that you were a dusttale variant at all - Ink had done a really good job at picking out an outfit. 

Red seemed amused. "Did ya know that you broadcast yer intent all the fuckin time?"

You tilted your head. 'I do?'  You knew that intent was how magic worked. It was, like, your intentions, sort of? You understood it, but that didn't mean you knew how to articulate what it was.

"Yup," he chuckled. "S' probably why I know I can trust ya fer now."

You let his words linger in your mind for a moment. Was that why you found it so easy to befriend others? 'Should I... find a way to stop that? I don't want to unintentionally manipulate people or something...'

He snorted. "Nah, it ain't manipulative or whatever, yer can't lie with intent. It makes yer super easy to read ya. I know fer a fact yer pretty genuine," he clarified. "How the fuck did ya get a supression collar, anyway? Were ya messing with a mafia timeline? I dunno you well, but ya seem way too soft ta get into that kinda shit."

'A mafia timeline?'

"Mafiatale, mafiashift, mobswap, that type'a shit. Pretty sure those things are illegal as fuck in pretty much every timeline. Er, its illegal in those ones, too, but they're known fer being less than legal with the shit they do."

You frowned. If it was illegal, why did Dream put it on you? How did he even have access tk it in the first place? '..If its banned in so many places, should I be worried? Is it doing damage?'

He gave a shrug. "Dunno. They can fuck with ya magic and ya code, but I s'pose it depends on the type. Whatever you got looks like the nasty shit though. What kinda shit did ya get into?"

You didn't want to reveal your association with Nightmare without knowing for certain it was safe to do so, or mention that it was the Stars who had kidnapped you since you knew they had a good reputation. Coming up with an answer that was both truthful, but vague enough to not get you into more trouble, was too mentally taxing right now.

"...YOU KNOW YOU CAN JUST, DENY TO ANSWER, RIGHT? YOU DON'T NEED AN ANSWER FOR EVERY QUESTION YOU ARE ASKED," your phantom sibling let out. Red did not react to him, so like usual, he was invisible to the strangers you had come to meet.

Spooky had a point. With your ghostly sibling's words in mind, you signed a simple answer. 'It's kind of complicated, and, um, I would really rather not talk about it right now. The person who did this seems to care a lot about appearances and stuff, so you're probably not in any danger, if that's your concern.'

Red blinked rapidly at that, seemingly confused at something. "As the OG fell, I get don't-fuck-with privileges, so anybody who tries is in for a bad fucking time," he explained. "I was more askin' so I know if I gotta fuck someone up on yer behalf."

That was certainly not the answer you were expecting. Wasn't he just about to threaten you earlier? 'I don't understand..'

He chuckled. "Ink clearly has ya under her protection. I kinda thought yer might be trouble when ya first dropped in, but I'm quickly realising yer just a bean. Yer kinda like a Swap sans, just... less hyper and much higher in LV."

'You think I'm like Blue?'

To that, he hesitated. "Maybe how Blue used ta be. Haven't talked ta him since the gyftmas party a few years back, but I've seen 'im around and he seems real fuckin overworked. And underfed. And underappreciated," he huffed, clearly displeased by his observations. "I ought ta yell at Dream n' Ink fer being so fuckin' thoughtless."

You hadn't meant to, but you did flinch when the other mentioned Dream. 

You knew Red had noticed by the way he sort of paused for a tiny moment, by the way his demeanour seemed to change. "Yer scared o' Dream," he let out. He was closer, words quiet as though he were saying something utterly taboo. 

Maybe... maybe it was. 

"I don't like 'im either. We Fells know a liar, and 'e ain't the slightest bit genuine. Everything 'bout him seems fake as hell, and that aura blinds anyone from questioning the shit he does. Just, er. Try not ta let folk know yer opinion of him, yeah? Might get ya into trouble. He's got a real tight grip on most of the council. 

You were a little surprised by the warning the other was giving to you. It was sort of validating, knowing that you weren't the only person who thought something wasn't... right.. about the positive guardian.

"I've, uh... noticed anyone who speaks out tends ta get targeted by the Destroyer. Dunno if the two work together or what, but, just. Be careful, yeah? An' don't tell Sci. He's a sweethear', but fuckin' oblivious to that kinda shit."

You gave a small nod.