Mystery

No Determination?

Dinner had been... quiet. After Sans woke up and he and Gaster had their talk, Avery had helped with dinner (spaghetti once again). Sans seemed to avoid looking at everyone as he inhaled his food, then excused himself, probably to check on the human. Avery wondered what was going through his mind. If he'd confront her if she stepped out. She also wondered how far Frisk was in their journey and if they would see the sun soon. She dismissed that thought, knowing that it wouldn't last long anyway. After she finished dinner, she headed out to see if anyone had any last-minute rides before she went to bed. "whatever happened to your determination?" Avery paused and turned to look at Sans, who seemed to be coming from the basement. "I don't know, Sans. Crushed in the war, perhaps." She replied to the skeleton. Sans reluctantly approached and held a hand. "look, i'm sorry for earlier. i won't make up any excuses for my actions." Avery took his hand softly and gave him a shake. "I was the one who goaded you into it. I am sorry, too." Sans nodded, pulling away. "it's too bad you aren't determined. maybe... just maybe things would've been different if you had reset... man, that's a scary thought..."

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It was a scary thought. Avery couldn't imagine what was going through Sans head to say such a thing to her. Perhaps he was simply choosing the lesser of two evils? Or maybe she had gained just a little bit of his trust? She wasn't sure. She didn't know if Sans even knew himself. She looked into the river waters. All she could see staring back was the cloak, darker than the Void beneath the hood. Avery wondered if she'd ever had the determination to control time itself. Or perhaps she lost it when Gaster had implanted his soul piece in her? Or maybe it was some trick to get her thinking about it? But would Sans actually do that? And why? Avery sighed and smiled as a monster approached her for a ride. "Tra la la, would you like to ride my boat?" The monster got in, and she guided her boat off towards Waterfall where this monster lived. "Tra la la. Don't snoop behind people's houses... You might be mistaken for a trash can." You mused as you got into Waterfall.

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"Staying up tonight, Father?" Gaster looked up from his note-taking. "Yes... I noticed an anomaly, so I've been trying to figure out if it has anything to do with that human." Avery gave a thoughtful hum as she sat on the couch beside him. It seemed Gaster was onto the reset ability. Sans wouldn't like this. "Maybe you are the anomaly? I mean... you've been erased from the world code for how long now?" Gaster paused with a thoughtful hum. "... maybe." He dismissed his notebook into his inventory to regard her thoughtfully. "You... look as if something has been bothering you?" She puffed out a soft laugh. "Yeah... Sans had... asked me something interesting today, and I don't actually know the answer to it." Curious, Gaster gestured for her to continue. "Sans asked what happened to my determination. I... don't even know if I ever had any? I mean... I must've, right? I'm human -" Gaster leaned forward, catching Avery's shoulders. "Of course you did - you still do. I know for certain you wouldn't be alive now if you didn't. Determination simply shows itself in different ways." Gaster explained. Avery nodded in understanding. "Alright... thanks, dad..."