Guiltale

Guiltale Chapter Twenty-Three: Spilling Someone Else's Tea

As Grillby gave me my second checkup in the last forty-eight hours, he made rumbling noises to himself. I thought it might be the sound of him being disappointed, but whether it was at me for being reckless or Sans at not paying his tab and drinking his condiments, I wasn't sure. I could feel my sweat start to bead on my forehead, either from worry or the swelter of the kitchen. He finished his initial look-over and went to a cupboard to grab some things, whispering to himself.

Nervousness was rising from my stomach. Today was the day that decided everything. Win, or die and try to win again. The idea of dying again wasn't preferable, but I didn't feel I had much of a choice. Itching my arm, I tried to ignore the butterflies.

Grillby came back with a list and some glass medicine bottles, lids on and filled with pills. I thanked him and began to pack them into my backpack as he signed what they were for. The blue ones were for the SOUL, the pink ones were for my veins or arteries, and the yellow ones were for pure magical replenishment. The last bottle was simply some burn ointment. As he began preparing some tea, I attempted to fill the silence

"I wonder how or why you have these, honestly. Did you plan on meeting a young, stupid wizard at some point?"

Bee shrugged, signing something. I shrugged back so he wrote it in his notebook as the kettle began to simmer. 'better safe than sorry. i always wondered if there would be someone like you out there. I don't know why'

"Well, I'm grateful for sure. Though... you're positive these aren't expired or anything, right?"

Grillby laughed, turning green. "Don't worry. Magic... ok"

I scowled. "My ASL is so rusty, darnit. You're saying that magic doesn't spoil, correct? Heh, like you, right? You're not spring chicken as far as I understand it." I teased, giving him a playful nudge.

He folded his arms, crackling like a 'harumph!'. I chuckled at this, and he shook his head, pouring out a cup.

"you're right, not nice to say though?"

"I dunno, I think you've earned it, seeing as how you're over seven hundred years old and all."

He facepalmed, then looked up in surprise. "how do you know...?"

"Uhh... it's not really my story I guess. She's this old lady that lives in the RUI-"

Grillby dropped his cup, staring for a moment. I stared at the broken mug - wondering stupidly, for a moment, why he had one - when suddenly Grillby had grabbed by my shoulders, trying desperately to say something. " 'ou... kshhe... 'ori..." his inability to make any consonants requiring a tongue frustrated him, so he sat me back down in the chair. Pulling up one of his own, he began writing on his notepad.

He penned in a tense, controlled speed before turning it around.

'was is the person you met Toriel Cutseine? because that's impossible, she's dead.'

I looked up at him, my eyes wide.

"B- Grillby, she's not. I don't know how this happened but she's not dead. I met her. If you heard me say anything about 'my aunt', I was talking about her."

A moment passed, Grillby slowly turning red, then yellow, then blue. I cocked my head to the side.

"...I could call her, if you want...?" I held out my phone, showing my contacts list in a place where her name was visible. "I'm sure she'd love to talk to you. I called you 'Bee' –" I signed his name , "- because she's the one who called you that when I brought you up. I WAS keeping it a secret, it not being my story to tell and all, but I think she'd love to talk to you. Uh, Grillby?"