Alphys wasn't sure why it had happened in the first place, and it was all she could think about for the rest of the day after it had occurred.
She would take the boat outside of her lab in Hotland to see Undyne once a week. She would also take the boat to go sit in the garbage three times a week. The River Person was always there waiting for her, but she never questioned it. The conversation, or lack thereof, had happened while she was heading to the dump.
* "Tra la la. Care for a ride?" They asked her. Alphys nodded.
"Yes p-please." After informing them of where she wanted to go, she began to clean her glasses. After a while, she realized it was about time for River Person to tell her something interesting. She always looked forward to it, they usually gave her something to think about while laying in the heaps of garbage. However, the question Alphys was given was one that she was least expecting. A question about herself.
* "Why are you going to the trash heap?" Alphys sucked in her breath, and hurriedly put her glasses back on. She was terrible at answering questions about herself.
* "U-um, I'm s-sorry could you repeat t-that please?" She stammered, hoping that perhaps what she thought she heard the River Person say wasn't what they had actually said.
They slowly turned around to look at her, boat still moving forward.
* "Why are you going to the trash heap?" Their question was met with an uncomfortable silence. Alphys shifted trying to figure out how to answer. She didn't really want to lie to the River Person, she didn't want to lose her ride. How do you tell someone that you aren't happy being who you are? How do you tell someone that sometimes when you stare into the abyss for long enough you start to wonder what it would be like if you just . . .
Jumped.
The River Person however seemed unaffected by cold stillness in the air, and the boat kept moving forward.
* "It's Thursday. You don't usually go on Thursdays" They continued. Alphys let out a sigh of relief.
* "O-oh! Well I just f-figured you know? There isn't much going on at t-the lab right now, and I don't have anywhere to be. . ." Alphys smiled and sat down on the end of the boat, and looked out onto the water. She watched as the dark blue rings in the water stretch out and away from the boat. They were around waterfall, there were tiny pinpoints of light on the ceiling above them. That's when she realized that they weren't moving anymore, and also that the River Person had come to sit next to her.
* "We aren't going to the trash heap today." They stated. Simple as that. No other explanation was offered, yet they said it as if they were making an observation, not a choice. Their voice wasn't flat, it was more sing-songy.
* "Um . . . I guess so?" Alphys touched a claw to the water and watched the ripples it created, trying to ignore the sudden wave of nervous energy that washed over her. She hadn't even heard the River Person walk over to her, or hear them sit down. Was she really that absorbed in watching the water? Or were they really that quiet? Did they even move at all? The River Person wouldn't hurt her would they? She clenched her hands together, trying to calm the screaming thoughts in her head.
For a while, there was silence. It wasn't awkward this time, much to Alphys' relief. She decided that if she had to, she would explain it as comforting. Eventually the River Person began to hum, and an echo flower that was out of sight repeated the song back to them.
Now, the River Person was known for their offhand statements, but most monsters just regarded them as a sad attempt to make conversation. The River Person must be lonely, they figured. Perhaps that was why their topics are so different than what others would expect. Alphys wasn't sure what to make of them. They drew her in, interested her. Although she couldn't find any truth to the statements, not that she had tried to in the first place, she still treated the River Person with as much respect as she would anyone else. They reminded her a bit of an Anime character.
The River Person turned to Alphys, and watched her. Alphys looked back at them. The hole in their cloak seemed to stretch forever, much like gaping hole that sometimes beckons her at the dump. She almost tried to stick her hand through, until she realized that she was staring at them, and they were staring back. She quickly looked down at her hands as she felt heat rise up and cover her neck and head. She squeaked out an apology, and squeezed her eyes shut. The River Person kept humming, until they finished their song. Minutes passed, and the two sat once again in silence. She was just about to say something until the River Person beat her to it.
* "The Echo Flowers have an interesting sense of humor." They told her, and with that, the boat turned around and began to take them back to Hotland.
* "Come again some time." They told her as they left.
Probably to pick up some other passenger with a much more important place to go.
Alphys was left alone with a weird feeling in her stomach. That experience was strange, and nerve wracking, and Alphys didn't want to have to deal with it again. If that was all true, then why did she feel so happy about it?
