They're both starting to hyperventilate. Well, Frisk is the only one actually breathing, but you can hear Chara's voice in your shared headspace getting more and more ragged.
"Guys?" You say, "It's a straight line to the end. She probably hasn't gone too far."
"Nobody's going to come, nobody's going to come..."
Ok, that's...not helpful. "Hey, Frisk, look! It's just a straight line! You can get there, right? I bet Toriel just forgot you have little legs and she has big giant feet."
Frisk sniffles, and nods.
"Y-yeah," Chara says. They sound like they're starting to recover a bit from their episode. They sound more determined with every word. "You don't need her. Just keep going."
Frisk nods. "Big kids don't cry," they say. It sounds like a mantra, something they've said to themselves before. They shake their head."I'm not a crybaby."
For some reason, that word makes you flinch. You look where Toriel is, and you can see her toes poking out from behind the pillar. This time, Frisk sees them, and squeaks in surprise and delight.
"See, she's still here!" You say. Frisk bounds over to the pillar and looks behind it. But Toriel's quicker; she shuffles around the pillar with surprising stealthiness. Only her clear-as-day footprints in the dust give her away. Frisk laughs, and ducks around the pillar. But Toriel is too fast. They keep this up until Frisk, gasping for breath, stops for a break. Toriel leaps out, bright-eyed and not winded in the slightest, from the pillar, picking Frisk up by their armpits.
"See, my child!" she says, swinging Frisk around in a gentle circle above her head. "I did not leave you! I was merely behind the pillar the whole time!"
Frisk howls with delight. Toriel sets them on their feet. Slightly dizzy, Frisk sits down on the stone in a tangled mess of limbs. Toriel, standing with her hands held in front of her, smiles benevolently down at them.
"But there was a point to this exercise," she says. Frisk looks up at her in confusion. "...To test your independence," she says. She looks off to the side. "I have some business to attend to, and you must stay alone for a little while."
You feel a sinking in Frisk's stomach.
"No."
You can feel that Frisk is about to cry. But the strangest thing happens. Before, Frisk was very emotional, but now...it's like a wall comes up. Their face stays eerily neutral, despite the turmoil you can feel, like a hurricane behind opaque glass.
"Nonono," Chara continues, "She's a liar! She's lying, they're all liars!"
"Please remain here."
It's raining at the bus stop. A woman sits on the bench, fidgeting nervously. Her child stands. They pick at a Band-Aid on the back of their head.
"Stop fidgeting."
They stop fidgeting. A bus pulls around a corner. The woman suddenly takes the child's hand, and spins them around to look at her. She won't meet their eyes, just barely peeking out behind long, brown bangs.
"You need to stay here," she says. "Stay right here for Mommy, OK?" I'll be right back."
The child nods. Their expression is empty. The woman's voice, warm and comforting, turns cold. "And stop looking at me like that."
The child looks at the ground.
"Take the next bus," she says. She has two bus tickets. She gives one to the child, then stands and walks towards the approaching bus. The child stays in the stop, holding the ticket. The woman starts to climb into the bus.
"Uh, that your kid, ma'am?" the driver asks. He doesn't sound particularly interested. There's no one else on the bus, this far out, this late. It's nearly midnight; there usually isn't anyone at the Mt Ebott Nature Sanctuary station anyway, and he's upset that he had to stop at all.
The woman looks back. Her eyes are concerned, but it's a falseness to fool an inattentive stranger. "No," she says, "But it looks like they have a ticket for the next bus."
The driver grunts an acknowledgement, and closes the door. The child watches, silent, as the woman walks to the middle of the bus, and take a seat. The bus pulls away from the bus stop and the woman never looks back as she leaves. The child's expression never changes.
The child didn't get on the next bus. It arrived to an empty station, a single, unused ticket in front of the doors.
Toriel said something about a cellphone, and to call her, but you didn't hear any of it. Frisk just nods, while Chara mutters incomprehensibly.
"Be good, alright?" she says. Frisk nods blankly.
Hesitantly, Toriel stands, and starts to walk away. Frisk watches, silent, as the woman leaves.
Toriel slows, and looks back, face full of concern. Frisk's expression never changes. She starts to turn around again.
[] Tell Frisk to say something!
[] "Hey, she'll be back! Try calling her in the meantime."
[] There's nothing really scary in these ruins! See if you can beat her home!
[] Write-in
Ummm Guys? it's a straight line with no danger. ...I think we can do this.
