PATCHWORK SOUL - NEW MEDIUM

Recombobulating Chapter 52

Asriel met Frisk a block from the house. He rushed to reach her, then bent and pulled her into a hug with a huff. "S-Sorry, I went too fast," he said. "Your eyes go weird?"

"Yeah, you too?" she asked.

He nodded and ran his hand through the scruff of fur between his horns in exasperation. "Any clue?"

"Dunno, but I saw like, a black oozing bit. But it broke when I touched it."

"You touched it?!" he yelped. "Frisk!!" He shook his head. "Oh man, don't do weird void stuff without me, okay? Think it was your dad?"

"I... I dunno, maybe?" she squeaked. "D-Do you remember the dream right before coming here?"

"I... Oh! Yeah!" He perked up, relief clear all over his face. "He said he was gonna try to find us, right? Maybe that was a try?"

"Yeah, maybe." Frisk wasn't sure, but it made her feel a little better to think that might be the case. "I hope so. I-If he does, I think Sans... This Sans can track it back home and he can send us there." She paused and her ears drooped. She didn't know why she suddenly felt so nervous.

"Y-Yeah. Yeah! That's... That's good!" Asriel said.

"I don't think it's gonna be today," she said quickly.

"Oh! Right!" Asriel's posture loosened. "That's... I mean. That's okay, right?"

It wasn't as if they had a choice one way or the other, but Frisk nodded nonetheless. If they couldn't help it, there was nothing for her to feel guilty about, right? She reached for his hand, drawing his attention again as she gripped him tight with both paws. His eyes brightened and a question froze before it left his mouth.

"Just want you to be okay, y'know?" she said.

Asriel smiled and gently booped the end of his snout against hers. "You, too." He got to his feet and tilted his head back down the road towards the others.

Frisk nodded and followed him.

The first order of business upon returning to the house was for Chara to slump in an exhausted heap onto the couch. Asriel copied her. Frisk gave them space. She didn't blame either of them for being tired, though. Even Papyrus was starting to look a little bit grey around the eye-sockets, but he headed into the kitchen to start boiling some water anyway. For the two that lived here, it hadn't been more than an hour or two since they all had to deal with Ungol the spider monster out in the field around the Soul of the World.

Frisk folded her arms. She wasn't sure what to do with herself. Everything felt foreign again. Chara's name, Asriel's size; her own entire body. A dull pain settled heavily in her little noggin and she frowned at the floor. She was adrift in her own stumbling, spinning, troublesome mind. Dark dread crept in at the edge of her vision and she tasted dust in her mouth as her ribcage ached.

"Hey. Frisk?"

Asriel's voice snapped her from her daze, lost in the zigzags of the carpet. She looked up quickly to find him giving her a sympathetic smile, his pale eyes bright. He offered her a paw.

"C'mere?"

Frisk sucked her dry tongue. She took his hand and he pulled her up to sit with him. Their souls pinged against each other. The warmth of it was welcome; the brightness drove some of the dark away. He crossed his legs and plunked her in his lap, then inspected her head like a preening bird.

"These are some solid horns," he said. "Kinda like Avenir's, maybe."

"Really?" Frisk's eyes glimmered. "I-I need to take a better look."