[ Underground... Like a mole person. The ones Bonnie said they'd tell their sister stole vegetables from the garden, when it was Bonnie themselves for a snack. ]
[ Oh. That was nice of them, actually. Raising a kid they didn't even know. But it must be hard, Siffrin knows from experience, to find "home" someplace you don't belong.
... ]
I ran away from home once too, [ the memory brushing against their fingertips, vague and fleeting, ] but I don't remember why. Took a boat to sea and when I turned to go back, it was gone. So I just kept rowing until I found land. The people of Vaugarde are nice, but...
[They smile, distantly. It's not a particularly pleasant expression.]
The only reason I would go back would be for revenge.
There's an impenetrable barrier, trapping the monsters down in the Underground. They saw me as their future, because they believed I was going to be the one to break it.
[ So they didn't run away because they hadn't wanted to eat their vegetables, huh. Siffrin nods slowly from the side at that, then tilts his head as they continue.
... ]
That's a pretty big burden to put on a kid's shoulders.
Most of them had never met a human before. They only knew I was a kid because I was wearing a striped sweater.
[The one that they're wearing now, yes.]
And they'd never seen the sun.
There was a prophecy about how someone who had seen the surface would shatter the barrier and the underground would go empty. I can hardly blame them for being eager.
That makes sense! It also... reminds Siffrin of one of their family members, who had responsibility thrust upon her too. While Mira might've never used the word herself, if it was Siffrin... ]
... Do you resent it? Maybe not them, but... what they hoped you could be.
[ (You understand, after all. The weight. Mira's problems had been... more than that, but there was plenty that stemmed from her chosen status. You were never jealous of that, and you still aren't.) ]
[Realistically speaking, they probably should. Logically, they know that Asgore in particular pushed that role onto them, hoping it would inspire them, make them feel better. Hoping that it would galvanize his people.
The fallen child fulfilled their role.]
No.
It was what I always wanted to be in the first place.
[ Chara hadn't been very open to being touched... Would they have complied better with someone that wasn't human? Something to keep in mind, if it happened again. If.
But Siffrin nods at that, staring for a moment before perking up as if remembering something... shuffling around in their cloak before holding out a wrapped chocolate. ]
I don't need to be given treats for good behavior.
He was hardly the worst one. That would be the dragon. Or the cannibal. [Not that they really care about cannibalism, but they think calling someone "the cannibal" is a sufficiently devastating own.]
[ It's dark chocolate! With bits of candied orange peels. Fancy. ]
... Sorry. I didn't mean it in that way. I just think people deserve to get something nice after a terrible time, and you seemed like you were having as bad of a time as the angry guy.
[ Now with Yoonhee... It is different. ]
I don't think a dragon can understand someone's need for personal space. They seem, um. Bigger. And out of touch.
I have never been particularly enchanted with that excuse, to be honest.
[Maybe it's part of the typical human arrogance - but at some point the refusal to care about the needs of those that are "lesser" just becomes another form of chauvinism.]
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[Chara folds their hands behind their back, standing up straight.]
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are a very quiet person, huh. Matchies. Siffrin turns his head to see them, then back down to the chart. ]
Kind of. I didn't know Tia like other people did, but it isn't the stars' fault she died.
[ ... It wasn't even Chu's fault, even if he was the cause of it... ]
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We all were.
[Their tone is about as neutral as it can get with their words being as cold as they are. Still, there's a quiet... resentment.]
The stars didn't have much to do with that either.
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They were. For some... sick amusement. Siffrin traces lines on the chart, ones that aren't there. ]
Yeah. They're pretty innocent, just... far away.
[ Cold, unfeeling, always watching.
(You hate the stars as much as you love them. Stupid, stupid, stupid.)
Siffrin'll unscroll another chart and set it beside the one they're working on. ]
... Wanna make up some constellations? We can look for them, too. I think these are the ones in season. The sky matches enough.
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They remember doing similar with Asriel, staring up at the sparkling crystals, listening to him fantasize about seeing the actual sky one day.
They approach anyway.]
Sure.
I'm not well studied on astronomy, admittedly. I spent a good chunk of my life underground.
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Why?
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I fell into a hole. The monsters were real, and they took me in. Raised me as their own. [But never one of them. They never fit.]
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... ]
I ran away from home once too, [ the memory brushing against their fingertips, vague and fleeting, ] but I don't remember why. Took a boat to sea and when I turned to go back, it was gone. So I just kept rowing until I found land. The people of Vaugarde are nice, but...
[ (... You feel like a tourist.) ]
Did you ever want to go back?
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The only reason I would go back would be for revenge.
There's an impenetrable barrier, trapping the monsters down in the Underground. They saw me as their future, because they believed I was going to be the one to break it.
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... ]
That's a pretty big burden to put on a kid's shoulders.
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[The one that they're wearing now, yes.]
And they'd never seen the sun.
There was a prophecy about how someone who had seen the surface would shatter the barrier and the underground would go empty. I can hardly blame them for being eager.
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...
That makes sense! It also... reminds Siffrin of one of their family members, who had responsibility thrust upon her too. While Mira might've never used the word herself, if it was Siffrin... ]
... Do you resent it? Maybe not them, but... what they hoped you could be.
[ (You understand, after all. The weight. Mira's problems had been... more than that, but there was plenty that stemmed from her chosen status. You were never jealous of that, and you still aren't.) ]
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The fallen child fulfilled their role.]
No.
It was what I always wanted to be in the first place.
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[ (You sure don't.) ]
It must be weird being around people again. Other humans.
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It makes it slightly more tolerable.
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But Siffrin nods at that, staring for a moment before perking up as if remembering something... shuffling around in their cloak before holding out a wrapped chocolate. ]
Here. For earlier.
[ It's important to reward good behavior...! ]
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[They furrow their brow, feeling like they're being talked down to.
Which isn't hard to do because they are very short. But all the same.]
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[ Specifically not good with it, rather than they don't like being touched. ]
Guess there's a couple of us like that. I just wanted to thank you for going along with Cain before. He means well, he's just mostly blind.
[ ... So to speak. ]
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He was hardly the worst one. That would be the dragon. Or the cannibal. [Not that they really care about cannibalism, but they think calling someone "the cannibal" is a sufficiently devastating own.]
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[ Sorry they'll get to the dragon in a second. ]
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They take the chocolate.]
You were the one that offered it. I simply reject the premise that this is the equivalent of tossing a treat to a dog.
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... Sorry. I didn't mean it in that way. I just think people deserve to get something nice after a terrible time, and you seemed like you were having as bad of a time as the angry guy.
[ Now with Yoonhee... It is different. ]
I don't think a dragon can understand someone's need for personal space. They seem, um. Bigger. And out of touch.
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[Maybe it's part of the typical human arrogance - but at some point the refusal to care about the needs of those that are "lesser" just becomes another form of chauvinism.]
By angry guy, I assume you mean Angelo.
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Yes.
[ So that's his name... ]