Author Topic: Handplates to Freedom  (Read 2184 times)

InterNutter

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Re: Handplates to Freedom
« on: July 30, 2016, 02:22:23 am »
Part the third

====8<====

Abduction Day 3
(Excerpt from Toriel's diary)

I visit the chamber of flowers whenever they sleep. These little skeletons need me, that much is true, but I dare not forsake any fallen child for their comfort. I fear what a young human might do to them. Yet I must not allow a fallen child to fall into Asgore's hands. Not after what I found out.

Nobody had fallen, today.

Following yesterday's... misadventure... neither of the brothers have wanted to venture beyond the house. This is good in the short term, as there are many dangers that could harm them or even... kill... the smaller one.

They need names. And I need to think about how to introduce them to the idea.

(WDG-2P)

It was very strange. But then, everything was very strange. The food. The Clothes. The things. And the Other.

They got up from the big chair so they could sit on the floor. "Hello children," they said. "I would like to talk with you, today." That was her word for the brothers when they were together. Children. If they wanted individual attention, they called each of them 'big brother' and 'little brother'.

"...yeah sure, let's talk," said One. "...what are you up to? ...really?"

"Well, today, I am up to names. My name is Toriel. You may call me that when you want me, or when you're talking about me. Can you say 'Toriel'?"[3]

"Toriel!" Two grinned. This being was a Toriel.

"Very good," Toriel cheered. "Little Brother? Can you say 'Toriel'?"

Nothing bad had happened to them for three days, so of course One wanted to see what happened when he was bad. "...no. ...don't wanna."

"That is quite all right. It is far too early for you to trust me. But I have been thinking of proper names for the two of you." The Other had papers in their robe. With letters on them. "These are the fonts you speak in. Papyrus, and Comic Sans."

It was as if the Other... the Toriel... had done _magic_. "I can read that," Two blurted. "I can _read_ that! It says 'Papyrus'! I can read it and it says 'Papyrus'! And the other one says 'Comic Sans'! I can tell! I can really tell!" He hopped up and down for the sheer joy of being able to read[4]. "I'm not stupid any more, brother! I can _READ_!"

"...knew you had it in you, bro."

"Would you like to keep it as a name, Big Brother?" asked Toriel. "Would you like to be named 'Papyrus'?"

He looked over to his brother, who was suspicious. All it took was a tiny shake of One's head.

Two deflated. Showed Toriel his plate. "This is my designation. We call each other One and Two when we are not Brother."

(WDG-1S)

This wasn't the first time that something he said had made him feel bad. Just watching all the happy bleed out of Two was enough to make a flat, greasy feeling happen somewhere near his ribs. He didn't like making Two feel bad, but it was better than anything He could do.

But He wasn't around to hurt them any more.

One watched Toriel, almost ready to try another attack, for all he knew that it would do little. If she showed the slightest hint of anger...

"As you wish," was all they said. "How about you, Little Brother?" They held up the paper that said 'Comic Sans'. "You are so unhappy all the time, we cannot exactly call you 'comic'. Even as a skeleton, you need to be more humerus... hahaha."

"...heh," he echoed. Okay. That was a little funny. He was starting to like this Toriel in spite of himself.

"So," the enormous being folded the paper between the 'Comic' and the 'Sans', leaving the second half visible. "What do you think?"

He showed them his handplate. Not as an offered arm, but as the back of a raised fist. "This is my designation. We call each other One and Two when we are not Brother."

They looked a little sad, and said, "As you wish." They took a breath. "I have a few books in these fonts. How would the two of you like to read with me? We can each read a page."

Two felt like testing them, too. "May I have a hug?"

"Of course. I am available for hugs at any time."

One watched in barely muted horror as his brother almost got lost within Toriel's arms.

(Toriel)

Well. The tall brother was the most open of the two of them. A minor miracle, considering where they spent the beginning of their lives. After story time and some lessons on pronouns (she was going to get them to call her 'she' or 'her' if it killed her!), she let them help her cook dinner. A simple stew tonight. Nothing that would upset the tastes of a child.

She showed the taller brother how to be careful with knives and peelers while the smaller one of the two hung back. He always had his back to the wall. She would never win him over by grabbing or forcing him to do things. Therefore, she offered him choices.

And always for activities where he could not hurt himself.

"Would you like to strip the herbs, or stir the dumpling mix?"

"Would you like to break up the breadcrumbs, or roll the dumplings?"

He wrote what he thought were bad words in the scattered flour. And threw small objects at her. He was testing his limits. She remembered when Chara... when Chara... A moment of melancholy washed over her. The final straw was a raw egg. Toriel stopped what she was doing and turned on the smaller skeleton.

"Oh my, that egg was going to be your brother's breakfast, tomorrow. I am afraid that was naughty, my child."

"...ain't yer chile," he mumbled. "...so whatchu gon' do?"

"What am I going to do? I am going to finish making dinner. _You_ are going to sit in the corner and think about nicer things to do than throwing about other people's food."

"...make me."

She hated to do it, but he had to know where the line was. She scooped him up and placed him gently on a cushion, facing into a corner. "Now you stay there and think of a nicer way to get what you want. You may come to the table when dinner is ready."

And she cleaned the egg off herself and went back to making dinner.

"...i wanna know what th' rules are... wh't happens t' me or m' brothur when either of us breaks 'em... w's gon' make ya hurt us?" He was clinging to the doorframe as if afraid to set foot in the kitchen. "When d' the 'speriments start again?"

"O, my child..." she breathed. Toriel dropped to her knees. Offered her open arms. "There are no more experiments. There is no more hurting. I only wish to give you and your brother the best home. The best education. I feel that you deserve it. And I promise you that I will not harm you or your brother."

"Whassa promise?" said the taller one.

"O my goodness..."

The questions had begun.

====8<====

[3] Of course she's coming over all Mr Rogers at this point. Their diction leaves something to be desired and One mumbles all the time. She only has suspicions about how smart they are.
[4] Because dyslexic Papyrus gives me life. He even wrote notes in Papyrus, in-game. Papyrus and Comic Sans are both fonts that dyslexics can read with less difficulty.[insert The More You Know GIF]
« Last Edit: July 30, 2016, 07:37:16 pm by InterNutter »