Undertale: Resurrected

Chapter Twenty-One: Observations

"Miss Alphys?" Toriel waited outside as she held her phone up to her ear, the monster checking her watch briefly as her phone continued to ring. She didn't know why she did that. Maybe it was a force of habit. After all, she was a teacher, and this was an educational trip. It only made sense for her to return to her usual habits. But that didn't mean that she couldn't diverge from her usual routine if she needed to, and that was exactly what she was doing right now.

         Eventually, the monster she was calling decided to pick up the phone, a stuttering voice quickly greeting Toriel's ears. "A-Ah- Que- Miss Toriel-!"

         Noting the scientist's anxious nature, Toriel did her best to respond in a warm and calming tone. "Greetings, Alphys. I'm sorry to call at such a time. Are you available right now?"

         "Uh-uh- One moment-" The goat monster then heard the sounds of shuffling in the background, only to then hear a brief yet muffled exchange pass before the muffling finally cleared again. "I-I was going t-to take my break just n-now, so y-you picked a good time-!" Alphys congratulated.

         "Thank you, Alphys. Frisk is the one who told me to call you at this hour," Toriel informed, glad that so far things weren't as awkward as they could be. She still remembered the last time she'd seen her and her fiancé... At least Alphys didn't seem upset while speaking to her. "He mentioned you may have information on the children?"

         "O-oh! Yes! Well, n-not the children themselves but- Actually I-I guess I do- I just- It's about their s-souls!" Alphys' vocal volume seemed to increase a tad, thus leading Toriel to believe that the scientist was rather excited about the topic. "Please d-don't think I'll hurt them- I-I just have some i-information and I t-think you'd a-appreciate it-! I think-!"

         The bit about harming the souls caused Toriel to pause for a moment, but considering Alphys was skittish by nature, she figured it was nothing to worry about for the time being. "Of course. What information do you have?"

         And within seconds, Alphys had begun plunging into her research. "W-well! I don't know if y-you know this, but the l-lab I work at i-is currently studying souls-! S-since I was the former R-royal Scientist, I've been r-really helping with the project, and- and even though I'm better with m-monster souls, I-I've been learning more a-about human souls as well-!" She then paused for a moment, as it allowing what she just said to sink in. But soon, with a brief, "Go one," from Toriel, the lizard monster continued.

         "W-We already know that human souls c-come in s-seven main colors! For the traits! And- And we know that e-each color means a different virtue!" As Alphys talked, Toriel took note of the shuffling noise in the background and assumed Alphys was pacing or fidgeting. However, she said nothing as Alphys continued to speak. "Red's determination, cyan i-is patience, yellow is justice, and- and so on-! But s-something we've found is that the colors- They can shift-! And I-I was wondering if you could let me um- test them-?"

         Now Toriel was on high alert, mostly because she had no idea what that entailed. If they were still in the Underground, maybe, but this was a lab, one that was owned by humans. And considering her troubles with Child Protective Services as well as general worries over how her children may react, of course the monster was very cautious. "...Alphys, I'm not so sure about this-"

         "It- It'll be fine-! I-I'll make sure Undyne i-isn't in the house-" Her voice dropped a tad at the mention of her fiancé, the lizard monster seeming to feel guilty over the fish monster's actions. "I-If you want, I-I can even bring M-Mettaton over for the kids-! T-They really seemed to like him t-that one time-!"