do every stupid thing that makes you feel alive [mostly closed]

[skelebro]

Who: Asgore, Asriel, Chara, Frisk, Sans, and Shadow; plus potential guests, later
What: Two plans get executed simulataneously
Where: The orchard, the Kid House, and eventually the Silent Hill zone
When: March 1st - 9th
Warnings: Discussions of and implications of suicide. Likely more to follow.



[ * besides. ]
[ * chances are... ]

[ * i've already tried to steer you in the right direction. ]

[ * ... ] [ * so what can i say? ]

[ * what can i say that will change the mind of a being like you? ]

Comments

ASGORE, ASRIEL, CHARA, and FRISK; don't hurt anybody on your way up to the light

[skelebro]

[As far as plans go? This one's pretty underhanded. But he's already lost a trio of friendships - the kids are an "all or nothing" kinda deal, he's long since learned - so what else does he have, really, to lose at this rate? Trust weren't much of a reliable commodity in the first place.

If Asgore figures it out, then he figures it out. Maybe in the long run, he'll be grateful.

Maybe he won't.

Point is, at least he and the kids get to have a nice day to themselves, before the storm inevitably breaks. Orchard's a nice place, a pretty place. Maybe somethin' nice can grow, just before it all goes to hell.]

[alltozero]

[Asriel, being Asriel, has no inkling whatsoever that anything sinister might be brewing on the horizon. As far as he's concerned, this is nothing but a good idea. Maybe, despite everything, they can be like a family again. Maybe if they try, it can be just like how it used to be. Maybe, even if that stupid king couldn't bring Asriel's compassion back, gathering more family around himself at once will remind him how to love.

It'll do good for Frisk and Chara too, he thinks. Maybe they can get over the fear of having to fight Asgore when they remember how gentle and patient he is. Maybe it will do both of them good if they can relate to a responsible adult who knows what it was like to kill, not because he really wanted to, but because he'd convinced himself he had to.

Maybe it'll be easier to forgive themselves if they can forgive a dad figure for the same things.]

Um... is it okay if we hold hands? It doesn't have to be for long! I'm just... hee hee, I'm kind of excited.

[save_theworld]

[Perhaps the answer to holding hands should be a little more simple. It is, first of all, most certainly a yes. The problem extends to the fact that they feel, since he asked, that they should take his hand first. And they want to- want to push past that barrier between them, prove that they can try to be a little less scared if he's willing to do the same.

But they also want to hold Chara's hand. There's not a doubt in Frisk's mind that he'd want to do the same, and so... how to take up the offer, without being selfish?

There's really not enough time in the world for the more ingenious ideas to come into fruition (one doesn't suddenly turn into a monster with two hands and a long tail because they think they'd like to be) so Frisk has to be smarter than that. Offer Asriel one of their hands with a small smile, glance over at Chara, so they know their Partner is aware they haven't forgotten them.

Then look to Asgore, smile just as prominent for the father as it was for the son, and offer their other hand. Only offers. They don't make that decision for everyone, as to whether this system works best. All they can do is try.

And that's what today is all about, right? Trying.

And food. Food is also a very important part of today's proceedings.]

SANS and SHADOW; seek out the hidden places where the fire burns hot and bright

[skelebro]

[As soon as he gets the go-ahead that Asgore's headed out with the kids, he gives it another hour, in case things are slow to start with. He don't bother showing up; it'd be a real shame to ruin a nice thing, wouldn't it?

Instead, he fires off the heads-up, as planned:]

place is empty.
meet me once you're done?
i'm at the lake.

[...]

i owe you one.

[skelebro]

[The guy works fast, he'll give him that much. Unlike Shadow, Sans very much does have his own note with him, pinned between arm and hip as the lights in his eyesockets rove over the clear stillness of the lake.

The guy didn't bring the notes with him. Can't say he's surprised, after all the effort he had to go to to get him to hand 'em over the first time. All he can hope is that the kids never find 'em, or this'll start all the hell over again. He's burned that bridge, well and truly. He won't get another shot at this.

The onus is on Shadow, now, to ensure they don't see a repeat of the very same playin' out down the road.]

You're fast.

[An obvious statement, but it pays to start things off on a good foot. He owes him, and that'll probably turn 'round to bite him in the coccyx at some point or another, but - he'll take it as it comes.

It's worth it.

He inclines his skull faintly. God but he feels tired, even if he ain't the one doin' the heavy-lifting here. What right's he have to act like that, huh?]

I won't forget this.

CHARA and FRISK; climb limits past the limits

[skelebro]

[They're liable to figure it out pretty soon, he's sure. Can't rightly be sure as to what the fallout's gonna be when they do; all he knows is that this ain't gonna be a quiet blow, one way or another. If Alphys is any indication, they don't much know how to put on the proverbial brakes. When they lash out, they lash out hard, and in an ugly, devastating fashion.

Coupled with Frisk?

Who knows what they'll do.]

[somuchlove]

[It's a day like any other. Sun is...well, there isn't a real sun. Nor birds unless it was something deadly in the caves. But it's still a nice day.

Twenty-four miles. Maybe more. By the looks of the copies Chara and Frisk had made, this wasn't going to be easy. ERASING oneself apparently didn't happen in a day but that was fine. It would happen eventually and they would go together.

That's then.

That...was then. Now...

Chara didn't keep the notes in the same place they squirreled away chocolates and knives. They reached behind there often and touching the paper seemed to burn every time. The Fallen Child did not know why it felt like that, felt like just looking at the strange symbols would chew them up and spit out whatever remained. So they kept the pages somewhere else.

And Chara does, inevitably, check one day.

There's a moment where they feel absolutely nothing when they stare at where the notes used to be. And then the shock kicked in because someone had been in their room, through their things and took the notes. They were gone.

Chara and Frisk's Hope...was gone.

The Fallen Child had enough sense to catch the door before it bangs against the wall when they yank it open. Race over to the front door and checks the lock, but it's not broken because there's only one person who knew what those notes were, knew that the children had the originals and could have figured out what they had done.

Who had seen through his double's eyes as Chara looked at him and said * 1 left.

.............who Chara once considered a friend.

.......why?]

Frisk.

[Asriel wasn't here. It was just them. Just Chara and Frisk. So speak up, Chara. When you're talking to people, speak up. Just not to loud.]

...Frisk? Frisk!

[It's not help they're calling for. It's sorrow.]

1/2

[save_theworld]

[It's been a good day in a series of very unfortunate weeks. That seems to be the way of things, in Hadriel. Like a tempting glimpse of what could be; small windows of time that prove- this is what it could be like, if things were better. This is what it could be like, if you were a little better.

Twenty-four miles. Maybe more. But little days in which the opportunity for happiness came along made the numbers easier to bear, so long as they continued to tick down. One day, they'll take Chara's hand and go into the woods, and there'll be nothing left to do before they sleep. Before they sleep. Bef-

Whatever it was Frisk was doing, prior to the first time Chara yells their name, it doesn't really matter. Chara raises their voice- Chara raises their voice, and nothing, nothing in the world, could cross their mind. They're up from their bedroom floor in moments, out the door with knife in hand. Chara calls them again. They move faster.

Chara calls them again, and they're already in the room. It's silly, that their first instinct is to come forward with a weapon, eyes open wide as they look for whatever it is that's put that tone in their Partner's voice. It's silly, but it's not.
They made a promise, for Asriel's sake. Chara can't get hurt again. Can't.
Outside of those tiny windows, Hadriel also likes to make everything worse.]

[save_theworld]

[And they don't understand.




A humming buzz, in their ears and through their entire body. Adrenalin that's not actually needed that traps their voice in their chest as they look around at- nothing, apparently. It's nothing. There's nothing here.

Aside from Chara, staring at the lock on the front door like it could kill them. Always pale, but now, the waxen color of their skin clashes with the high flush in their cheeks. They look, for all the world, like an animated corpse.


So they hold their hand out; palm up, where Chara can see it. Not too close- don't really know if Chara can handle close. Not with the look on their face.

Gotta say more than just their name, Partner. Gotta tell them what hurt you.

...Please.]

ASRIEL and ASGORE; find where the heat's unbearable and stay there if you have to

[skelebro]

[And then there was one.

When they disappear, or disappear, it won't take long for Asriel to pick up on the fact that the two most important people in his life have absconded without a word, as if they may have vanished into the ether. Eventually, he'll have to turn to the only option he has. The first thing he tried, when the shock of paws torquing into roots was too much to bear.

He will have to call for help.

And hope, for once, that somebody comes.]

[1/2]

[alltozero]

[Asriel waits in an empty house.

He's been telling himself that's fine. He sits in a silent kitchen. Tries to keep himself from drumming on the table, because the ticking of claws on the surface feels like the rhythm of a clock that isn't there, feels louder than snapping bones in this dead quiet.

But it's fine. Sometimes Chara and Frisk just do things without him. It's normal for best friends to do things together. It's normal to be inseparable, and have so much fun you just... lose track of time, that's all. He can be patient. Waiting can be fun too. He got a lot of practice at that in a place full of pollen and sunshine, calling out over a bed of golden flowers. Count your petals. Count the flowers growing around you. Count the blades of grass. Plan all the fun things you'll do when they come back to you.

It's harder to tell himself that it's fine when suppertime comes and goes, and there's no creak of an opening door or sound of light footfalls. Only the suffocating quiet. Only staring at a cold stove that no-one will use anymore. Maybe... golly, maybe they both came home already, and Asriel didn't notice. Maybe they just forgot to say hi. Maybe he was so caught up in his waiting games that he - he was having so much fun he lost track of time too, ha ha. If they're home... they're probably hungry. They both forget to eat sometimes, so...

He's not too good at making magic food. Can't do anything very complex. But he manages two plates of cheese and crackers, the kind of food they can eat while they play. Something they can munch while hiding in their rooms, if they don't feel like eating at the table.

He knocks at Frisk's door. No response. He knocks at Chara's door. No response.

Maybe they're not there. Or maybe they're sleeping? It's not trespassing if you're sneaking in to leave a snack. If you're just playing like Toriel, leaving something on the floor that says "I care about you." He tries Chara's first, because he's standing closest to it, and that's the only reason.

The pictures are gone.

Hesitantly, he creeps a little further in. Tells himself he's not being a bad friend, tells himself he isn't snooping. Just... setting the crackers down. Checking the places he knows they used to like to hide chocolate, just to see if... if maybe he can replenish their stash for them. It's empty too.

He checks Frisk's room. Their shirt (singular) is missing. All the drawers are empty.

He - he isn't so sure that this is fine anymore.

Next comes their phones. He waits with held breath, alternates between calling Frisk, Chara, Frisk, Chara again.



* Nobody picked up.]

[2/2]

[alltozero]

[It begins to dawn on Asriel that he's all alone.

But this isn't about him. Frisk and Chara - they - they must be in danger! They would NEVER leave him without a word. Sure, they keep a lot of secrets from him. Sure, they haven't really... there's something going on, because Frisk told him not to let Sans in if he ever visited, and there was never any explanation, but Asriel could be loyal, Asriel would never doubt his friends.

Even if Chara's already run away from him once.

That - that wasn't about him, either. That was Chara being sad and needing help, not about Asriel. So maybe something's... maybe they need him, and he's not being there for them. Why won't anyone pick up? He's calling and he's calling, but nobody came.

What should... what should he do?

Maybe they'll be mad if he wrecks this, whatever this is. You can't ruin the plan by tattling. Maybe they're hiding from... Sans? Maybe if he tells an adult, that will flag things for - for whatever it is they're scared of, and send someone bad chasing them down? But he doesn't know where to look. He doesn't know why this is happening. Hadriel's - it's such a big place, and he doesn't have a network of roots sprawling across the whole underground anymore. He's just one kid with two short little legs, and a lot of ground to cover.

Maybe this is silly. Maybe they really are just playing, and they just... don't feel like playing with Asriel, so they're ignoring their phones. It's not even been all that long. Asriel, you worry about such stupid things. You're such a crybaby, Asriel.

Oh.

He didn't notice he'd started crying.

He's... Dad is here. Maybe he'll... maybe he'll know something.

Asriel sits in an empty room, on an empty bed, and dials Asgore's number. He hiccups, sniffles, counts the rings with his throat seeming to squeeze tighter and tighter by the second, already bracing himself for - nobody picked up, right? Maybe his phone is just broken, ha ha! Maybe that's all this is!]

[journalname]

[Asgore, meanwhile, has spent most of his day happily making plans. Living apart from the children has been difficult for him, even if only for a little while. Frankly, he is disappointed that none of the adults here have stepped in - but then, he didn't either, did he? Not until Frisk invited him, because their feelings were more important here than his. And who could blame Asriel and Chara for choosing to stick by their friend?

The Spire apartments are too small for four. But perhaps the housing district. He is still certain he does not deserve this, but The Internet was right. He must do what he can; do some good now, even if it is not truly atonement.

By the time the phone rings, he has already return to the home he shares with the other monsters, and long since prepared food for himself and everyone else. He's alone now, but he would have answered it immediately either way:]

Howdy, Asriel! [His tone is jovial. If he is not living with his son yet, at least it is good to speak on the phone!]

ASSORTED SEARCH PARTIES; and stay alive, just stay alive

[skelebro]

[Someone out there has to be able to find 'em. If they're still here, they're still here. Their contacts haven't dissipated from the phones. He can still hold 'em in his memory. Everyone can. They're not gone. They're not gone.

They're just - what? Lost?

In any case, they're all gonna need help finding the pair of 'em before it's too late.

Maybe you hear about through word of mouth. Maybe the number of people roaming around in the dangerous parts of the city has nabbed your attention sufficiently. Either way, the word that gets passed down is that you're gonna be buddying up, 'cause there's not just one kid that needs finding - there's two, and neither of 'em are gonna be happy to be found.]

ELLIE and WADE (and later CHARA and FRISK)

[skelebro]

NAPSTABLOOK and TURING

[skelebro]

ALPHYS and ANDREA QUILL

[skelebro]

ROSIE and REY

[skelebro]

GREN and NICK VALENTINE

[skelebro]

ASGORE, ASRIEL and SANS (none happiness with left skel)

[skelebro]

[So. This is, uh. Kinda awkward.

"Awkward" doesn't begin to cover it, really. He's the guy responsible for this mess, and yet - he's searching alongside Chara's dad and brother, like that'll be enough to make up for what he's done.

There's no answers he can give that'll make any of it easier to bear. He looks - tired. More than tired. He's beyond exhausted. Feels like he's been up for several consecutive days.

"I hate you."

All he can do is hope that Chara's final words don't become final. That they don't become true.

People will come. They are coming, now.

They just have to find them.]

RECOVERY; play with matches if you think you need to play with matches

[skelebro]

FRISK, CHARA, and SANS; tranquility's temple

[skelebro]

[He gets the call that they're in the temple near the area. Tranquility's, he knows, and the place probably don't look anywhere near as bad as when it did after Confusion's little double trouble hit it. He lets 'em know he'll be there soon. He gives Asgore and Asriel the directions, says he'll check in.

And he makes it there in under five. Skull sweat-streaked, shoulders sagging, grin pained and set - but the kids are alive, they're alive, and that's the important bit.

His shortcut deposits him just outside the temple doors. He stumbles slightly as he enters, and if he had lungs they'd doubtless be heaving with exhaustion by now.]

ASRIEL and CHARA

[alltozero]

["You should talk to them."

That's the advice Chara gave, the whole time he was anonymously pouring his heart out to them. He'd known as soon as they talked about coming from people who treated them badly, because surely not every human on the surface is a Flowey, surely it has to be incredibly rare that people do that to other people, surely that kind of suffering can't be commonplace.

You should talk to them.

What can he say that they don't already know...? He's just going to waste their time with this. They're so busy with other problems, more important problems. Their own problems. He should wait until they feel better before he dumps this onto them. It's not fair to hit them when they're already down. Right now he needs to be supportive, understanding. Let them have space. If he talks to them now, it'll make everything worse. They won't like him anymore if all he does is make things worse. Always ruining their plans, always tattling, always ending up in the way. No wonder they...

He stands at the entrance to Tranquility's temple, back up against the doors, feeling like he's not allowed to be in here. What right does he have to take up their space, to take up their time, when he couldn't even find them when they needed him?]

Um... Chara.

[His voice is positively tiny, feels too small to be heard in such a big room, but it simultaneously feels like too much noise nonetheless.]

Are you... um, if you feel like it - only if you feel like it - would... maybe some fresh air would be nice? I, uh, I thought you might want a break from all these people, or...

[Like he's the expert on what they want. Like he can just boss them around. This was a stupid idea.]

Um, never mind. You probably don't want to be separated from Frisk. I'll... I can wait at home, if you want. I could have supper ready! You must be hungry, and I didn't even think to bring you any snacks, so...

Asriel, Frisk (and later, Chara)

[save_theworld]

[There's plenty of people around to distract them, but Frisk doesn't bother. They wait, feeling the building pressure in their shoulders as they wait for Asriel and Chara to return- well and truly aware that right now, there's nothing they can do about it. They have to wait, until they come back.

Five minutes- ten. Feels like agony. And they think they might deserve that, a little, because it can't be anything in comparison to what Asriel went through when he found out they were gone.

You get what you're given. What does he think of them now, they wonder. Does he still want to be friends?

They doubt it.

When the two return, they can't- say, if things are okay. It's hard to know, when the fur on Asriel's cheeks is wet from tears, and Chara looks even more tired than before.

And they don't want to do this. They don't. But even if they don't, they still can. And because they can, they have to.

Right?]

...Asriel? [A soft imposition. They finger their sleeves, looking to the floor before forcing their eyes to meet his; because they're not allowed to hide, right now. Took too much, too quickly. Have to see what they've done.]

...Can I talk to you, too?