the name was unfamiliar to him, and no recollection could tell him of any human legend that called monsters “fears”, beside the casual euphemisms. his face remained stoic, socket devoid of any light and almost cold or cruel. but there were ideas and questions racing through his head faster than he could catch it, only threads of thoughts that felt like anger and confusion and sadness all at once that he couldn’t really explain. the flame of joy and a small sort of pride pushed through, especially in hearing how Hero had recalled her friend RGB. the mention of him was always a little perplexing, especially in lieu of his absence, but that thought was shelved for the pressing matter at hand. he hummed a short tone to acknowledge her, then outstretched his fingers a little closer.
* HOW RUDE OF THEM. HOW UNCIVIL.
* IMAGINE THE LOSS THEY SUFFERED
* IN NOT HAVING YOUR FRIENDSHIP.
he was just close enough to poke at her stomach if he wanted to, and had a thought to lighten the mood with something silly - but another thought encroached his mind and he stopped just short of her shirt.
he let his hands to go to different places, one up in the air and the other still close to Hero, just hovering above her chest. though his magic was not excellent, the hand above her chest started to glow and attempting to sense any other magic, or anything of what had afflicted the child. as a distraction, the scientist opened up the hand that raised itself up to his face to show Hero the hole that cleanly cut through his palm. he tilted it just right to look through it and back to Hero, a little grin on his face.
* LOOK. SEE. WE ARE NOT TOO DISSIMILAR.
* WHAT HAPPENED WAS NOT OK -
* BUT YOU ARE, AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE.
Whether or not Hero and RGB were friends was up for debate. There are times when she’s not sure, and times when she was sure that she wouldn’t be able to make it without him. Times when he’s saved her. Held her when she was scared. They laughed together and everything else. Wasn’t that what friends do? Traveling with him on a whim might not have been her brightest choice, but by no means did she regret it. Gaster’s concern for her did make her feel...a little bad. She was a hero, right? The monsters shouldn’t be worried for her. She should be worried for them and trying to protect and save them. Or whatever she was supposed to be doing for them.
“Mum used to tell me when I got in fights that...not everyone wants to be my friend. And that’s okay. Because I’ll make other friends. But I don’t think...any of them were going to hurt us that badly.”
No one is ever prepared for the pain of a fatal wound. Least of all a small child. Hero had not anticipated being attacked upon waking up from the previous night. She didn’t think anything of seeing them coming from the waters. Not until RGB started panicking.
She herself...was just confused more than anything. And just glad they were okay. That RGB had a friend who helped them when they needed it the most.
“He calls it a skizzum. Or something like that. It...really only shows up when I’m upset.”
Gaster would find nothing in her except the magic of dreaming. A deceased child who can still dream, and that was her greatest asset according to them. Hero knew not what made her dreams so powerful, because it was something she did every night. Every time she closed her eyes and slept. Although they were closing themselves off. As Gaster got closer, she could feel something in her. Nervousness? Was she nervous? Something about those eyes that lacked light, the sheer amount of black that covered him. The Fears were the same. Black as night with bodies as sharp as knives. Eyes that held nothing. Yet, she didn’t move. She said he could see it, and she was trusting him.
What he did offer her though was something else. He had a hole in his hand. Was he hurt too?
Reaching out, she politely took his hand in his to stare at it more. Her mother has done this for her plenty of times, and it always made things better. Just because hers didn’t hurt didn’t mean that Gaster’s was painless. Bringing his hand up to her face, she gives the edge of his palm a tiny kiss.
“--Now you’ll be okay too.”