You lightly tap the creature. It looks a stereotypical ghost, not even from a movie, but from a cartoon or maybe even a Halloween store. It was...laying? On the floor in the middle of a narrow corridor, blocking your way.
"...oh... I'm blocking your way, aren't I," the ghost mumbles.
You nod at it.
"Sorry... I'm just a burden, aren't I?" it asks in a pathetic voice.
You shake your head, distressed. You didn't mean to upset it, not at all.
"Don't worry... I've already accepted it... You don't need to worry about me.."
You flap your arms frantically for a moment, thinking of what to do.
"What's your name?" you ask quietly.
The ghost gives you a strange look.
"Napstablook."
"I believe in you, Napstablook. You're not a burden," you say with a smile.
Tears form in Napstablook's strange white eyes.
"Oh... You're so nice, and all I've done is impede your progress... I'm sorry," they say.
At first, you think you've just made things worse, but before you can say anything, they speak again.
"How about I show you a trick to make up for it... I call it 'Dapper Blook'..."
They start crying even more, but this time, their tears seem to defy gravity, floating up into a blob of tears that eventually form a clear top hat. You gape at the strange formation, vaguely amazed at Napstablook's feat.
"Do you like it?" they ask.
You nod.
"Oh... I'm so glad... I usually come to these ruins because there's no one here, but you're really nice... I'll get out of your way now," they say softly before fading away.
Monsters are very strange, but you think you're beginning to like it down here.
You stare at the negative space where the ghost was for a few silent moments, before you're knocked out of your daze by the sound of your new phone's ringtone. You pull it out of your pocket and flip it open, nervously putting it up to your ear.
"Hello, Chara! I just wanted to check up on you. Are you doing well, my child?"
Toriel, of course it was Toriel.
"Yes," you reply.
"Thank goodness. Oh, and, um... I have a question for you. From butterscotch and cinnamon, which do you prefer?"
You ponder on the question for a moment, almost questioning why she needed to know such a thing, before saying decidedly, "Cinnamon."
"Okay! Thank you, my child. I will see you soon. Remember to call me if you need anything!"
Click.
