Stone Faced

Indie AU Gaster!Sans | Rules | Other Muses

[honeyhogger]

The second Stone hesitated Pap realized the answer wouldn't be a good one. Damn it, he hated that he was right though. He sighed through his nose, turning his attention to the new drink now in front of him instead of the other skeleton. He'd seen his brother die so many times, but at least he never had to live without him for longer than a few days at most. Having it be permanent was truly one of his worst fears and he couldn't imagine much worse. "...I'm sorry to hear it, Stone."

He wouldn't ask what happened, it wasn't his place. Hopefully it hadn't been something too horrific. Though he doubted either of them had good enough luck for that.

"So," he tried to pivot the conversation, all that depressing talk was gonna make him drink too much to be able to port home if he wasn't careful. "Why on earth were you sprinting down an alley in the first place by the way? And why was your first instinct upon seeing a random skeleton to then launch yourself at him as a distraction?" He tried for a weak smile. He knew the distraction was a weak attempt, but it was the thought that counts.

[gxstersans]

It was only fair that he answered the question, especially when he had been the first one to ask, and Stone seemed to shrug off the fact with surprising ease for what weight it held. "It is what it is, buddy... but I 'ppreciate it." Those pearly whites were flashed with that same crooked grin as he plucked up the drink, taking a slow sip to let it wash the bitter thought away entirely. It was simply easier to not dwell on such things.

His interest was piqued with the next words which broke their calm silence, a quirk of his brow bone evident. Well, that certainly was an about face in the conversation, one he eagerly embraced as a gravelly rumble of laughter sounded somewhere deep in his chest.

"Ah, that.. yeah..." Setting his glass down upon the bar, he absently scratched at one of the scars on his cheekbone in consideration, a wry smile playing upon his features. "I may have.. uh.. owed those guys some money... 'while ago..." He seemed to trail off somewhere, his voice lowering to more of a mumble as he vaguely avoided disclosing the full details. Clearing his throat shortly after, he let his mismatched eyelights set upon Paps. "In all fairness, I hadn't been lookin' for ya.. jus' seemed like a good opportunity. Lot'a folks do that kinda stuff in the alleys after some drinkin an' nobody thinks twice."

[prismatictale]

It was hard for him to believe that the war hand ended long enough that "generations" was a suitable term to use, that was an outcome he would have scoffed without the prior context of the day.

"Generations..." He muttered as he glanced over at the portraits, particularly the first one before turning back to Stone, the other's question catching him off guard.

"Different? In what ways?" This did peak his interest a fair amount, though, he wasn't sure in which kinda of different the other was referring to, did he mean the people? the places? the natural formations? Whatever way he meant, it was important for him to get as much information about the other's timeline as he reasonably could.

[gxstersans]

Some part of Stone was glad that Gaster seemed to be absorbing the information easily. In some of his prior experiences, they'd completely figured he'd be lying or simply be unable to truly comprehend it, but this conversation was going much smoother than he anticipated. Even with Gasters earlier stern demeanor, he seemed to be warming to casual discussion. Though, it didn't mean it wasn't mindblowing for him.. it was a lot to take in.

"Well, we moved topside after the war.. so walkin' 'round with a rock ceiling overhead is a bit jarring, jus' as I'm sure a sky would be to ya." He found himself absently scratching at the scar on his cheekbone in thought.

"I noticed that the place I landed in was full of vegetation.. pretty compared to my New Home. We got more of a big city thing going on, not much greenery anywhere near us aside from house plants and tiny trees on the sidewalks." That wasn't to say that there wasn't any greenery at his world, just not much in New Home specifically.

[honeyhogger]

He closed his eyes at the words, contentiously taking even, smooth breaths. "Thanks, I appreciate that." He could appreciate the praise even if he didn't believe it. He wasn't keeping Sans safe from anything, not really, and fuck did it hurt that he couldn't protect him from it.

He tried his best to shake off that line of thinking, focusing on taking a few deep drags of his cigarette and feeling the nicotine hit his system. It helped soothe the ache a little. "What about you?" He glanced at Stone again, finally, though it was only out of the corner of his eye. "You have a brother to keep safe too?"

[gxstersans]

Stone knew it was inevitable for that question to he redirected at him and in all honest he felt it was deserved after the obvious discomfort he caused his companion.

Whereas Papyrus had responded with tension and pain to the question, the winged skeleton seemed to react with a solemn calm, a slow drag of his cigarette causing the cherry ember to chase up the paper with a wisp of smoke, punctuating his words with haze.

“I did,” his mismatched gaze seemed quite content to watch his empty glass on the counter, “He’s gone now.” A roll of his shoulders in a shrug caused the fur of his collar to rustle.

The brunette returned momentarily, replacing the two skeletons empty drinks with fresh ones before moving back to her various tasks around the room, leaving them once more alone.

[prismatictale]

His face quickly shifted into a hue of emotions as Stone's words hit him like a truck, monster kind being free? Did they win the war?

His eye lights went out as he tried his best to think of all the consequences of what happened in Stone's timeline.

"Monster are...free? Did...Is the war still being fought?" he stammered for the first time, thoughts being discarded and other were being made every few seconds.

"If being locked underground was old enough to be remembered only in the history books then...for how long have your people been free?" By now he was finally managing to pull himself together.

[gxstersans]

Patience was a virtue with conversations like this and Stone took it with stride so as to allow Gaster to process everything in his own time. It wasn’t until the questions began to produce themselves that he chose to talk.

“Actually, the war’s been over for generations.. an’ monsters live side by side with humans now...’ granted, it wasn’t a perfect system, but it was better than the alternative of war or full segregation.

He held his tongue, not particularly wanting to go into depth on the racism that still existed in his world, however small it was compared to the bulk of the population which was relatively accepting of the mixed populace. It was a difficult situation at times, ones he didn’t enjoy dwelling on.

Instead, Stone propped his elbow on the arm of the couch, his jaw resting to an upturned metal palm. “It’s a bit odd to see how dramatically different some places are compared to what I call home.”

[prismatictale]

"Stone? That's a rather unique name, though i suppose i don't know what names are common or uncommon in your reality"

He moved to the kitchen, putting some water to boil for the coffee while also getting the dinner table ready.

"So, Mr. Stone, if you don't mind my prodding, what's your profession exactly? Is the timeline hopping included in your job description?" His voice was calmer by now, being inside his own home did help him feel comfortable in this strange situation.

He swiftly summoned two magical hands, one purple and one pink, to pick up a chair close to the dining tab, placing it in front of stone as the scientist moved to sit on it, the timing being remarkably well coordinated.

And just as soon as the hands were summoned, they vanished once the chair was placed.

As he examined the other, he did notice those strange pulses, he would for sure ask about them, but not currently, right now there are more pressing matters.

[gxstersans]

The winged skeleton couldn't help a low hum of amusement at the comment, watching Gaster move about on his tasks. It was when the skeleton began inquiring further that Stone simply grinned, absently tonguing the sharp edge of one canine in consideration.

"I s'pose that may take a bit of explainin' first.." After all, the answer would have been irrelevant without the context of the world it pertained to. "My version of New Home is, and has been fer as long as I've been alive, above ground... from what I could figure, seems that the underground era was a past event in my timeline, documented in history books." Multiple timeline visits had clued Stone into this fact quite a while back and it often was the first step towards explanation he would need.

He took pause to let that sink in, as he'd often found necessary, leaning forward in his seat and propping his scarred forearms upon his legs so he could gauge Gasters reaction.

[honeyhogger]

"Yeah, all the Frisk's I've heard of seem to have it. Lucky me for ending up with the persistently genocidal one." His words were seeped in bitter sarcasm but he quickly sighed and shook his head, letting the venom drain out of his voice with the movement. There was only bland acceptance left in his tone when he spoke again. "It is what it is, right?"

Though when asked about his brother what he'd managed to regain of his mask cracked again, forcing him to look away towards the back of the bar once more with thinly veiled pain shining just behind his eyelights. "...the only good thing about that place is that no one else has gotta remember it all. At least he only has to experience it once. And only for a short time. He doesn't have to see the worst of it."

[gxstersans]

"Ya sure got that right, bud." There was a glint of sympathy in that mismatched gaze as he regarded his company, only able to imagine the level of trauma which the Papyrus was harboring with such a situation to be perpetually looped in. It truly was a worst case scenario, one that seemed to be constantly repeating like a skipped record.

The sight of the obvious pain he had caused with his question caused Stone to grimace, sucking in air through his pearly whites with the sting of instant regret he felt needle at him. He really shouldn't have asked.

"Ya are one of the good ones then..." Swallowing down the lump he suddenly felt in his throat, he felt his gravelly voice almost crack before recomposing himself, "It's a heavy burden to shoulder but keepin' yer brother safe.. gotta respect that." He may not have been able to take back the question, but at least he could try to shed some light on it. He finished off his bourbon with one quick toss back of the glass.

[loisnclark]

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[honeyhogger]

"Heh, glass half full I guess." He nodded once at Stone's sigh, taking another deep draw on his own cigarette. "Yeah, it is what it is." Said like a man who was all too familiar with the phrase.

When asked about himself he shrugged one shoulder. "Not sure what type of folk you've had pass through here so my story may or may not be old news to you. But back in my verse monsters are all trapped underground after getting sealed down there ages ago after a war between us and humans. So ending up here and seeing everybody milling around with each other under the sky like it was no big deal was a slight culture shock, to put it mildly."

He took a sip of his drink before continuing, knowing he'd need the alcohol for it. "Already told you I had a Frisk and that they're a fucking demon. Well they're a little bit special. They fell into the underground and decided they wanted to finish what the humans started, so they started systematically murdering everybody." He knew he sounded a little too nonchalant when talking about this subject matter sometimes, but after so long and recounting it so many times, it was easy to numb it out. "Eventually took out the entire population, not a single soul left, including yours truly. Weird thing about Frisk though is they can mess with the timeline, kind of rewind everything back. So I dunno if they just really had a lot of fun or what, but they decided to go for an encore."

He finished his drink, setting the empty glass down with a sigh. "Haven't stopped since. I lost count of the number of loops a long time ago." Another casual shrug as he turned his gaze to look out into the bar. "Been nice to see the sky and the surface though, this is a new one for me."

[gxstersans]

“In my experience, life gets pretty damn miserable if ya don’t try to look on the bright side.” A shrug accompanied his words, his attention turning into the explanation from his companion rather than focusing on philosophical outlooks.

The setup seemed familiar enough, though he nodded along, unwilling to interrupt the explanation. Some things always were the same though, regardless of how many times the situation was remixed.

“Seems like all Frisks have that ability in one iteration or another. Yer like seemed to be cursed with a particularly bloodthirsty little demon… that’s a tough situation for any world.” He was mostly speaking to himself, his gravelly voice harshly above a mumble as he thoughtfully swirled the bourbon in his glass.

There was a pause, a silence that followed which seemed to be invaded by a palpable tension until he finally spoke the question which was on the tip of his tongue.

“An’ yer brother?” He was familiar enough with swaps to know the shorter skeleton had a bubbly and enthusiastic personality, though he couldn’t help but wonder what would become of one if they were stuck in a hell with that kind of evil.

[prismatictale]

"Then i'm sure we will get along just fine" He spoke as he headed inside the house, it was...as neutral-looking as the outside would make you think.

The walls were all painted white and decoration was minimal, with the most eye-catching things being a few portraits on the second floor.

The first was very old looking, being the only photo without colors, it portrayed a much younger mr.dad alongside another skeleton of his age, one with brightly green hair made out of magic it seemed. The two were hugging each other and seemed much happier, mr.dad also didn't seem to have his cracks yet.

The next was in color, but said colors were very muted and the picture quality seemed a bit worse, though it was clear by mr.dad's appearance that this was much more recent. It portrayed the scientist with posing with a child skeleton. This child didn't have any hair but had one bright purple eye and one bright green eye, wore a green and purple stripped sweater with dark green pants. Mr. Dad still didn't have the cracks, though he seemed much older.

Finally the last picture portrayed current mr.dad with aby, who seemed no younger than a year at most. Given the fact that aby was wearing a stripped sweater, it seemed that it was taken before he was given the lab coat, signifying that was a very recent gift, and so explaining his love of it. Mr dad already had the cracks by now.

The rest of the room seemed very much focused much more on function rather than form. The two couches were old and uninteresting, and whole some of the appliances seemed recent, they were all very...neutral looking.

"Make yourself at home, stranger." he motioned towards the couch in the corner.

"I will brew some coffee for myself, would you be interested in a mug as well?" He looked at stone.

"oh, and before i forget, i should introduce myself. My name is W. D. Gaster, the royal scientist and member of the royal council, it's a pleasure to meet you." It wasn't exactly possible to tell if that was just pleasantries or if he was warming up to Stone.

[gxstersans]

While the interior of the home was rather unassuming, the photographs told enough of a story for him to piece some things together. He quietly moved over to claim a seat on the aforementioned couch, his wings tucking themselves to either side of him to allow for the skeleton to lean back in his seat. Truly, those wings were a bit inconvenient at times.

Then Gaster paused to introduce himself, he offered a courteous nod in response, “People call me Stone back at home, it’s a pleasure to meet ya.” After all, when there were so many Gasters in a city, one tended to stick to nicknames to differentiate them, “Coffee would be wonderful, thank ya.”

Being indoors now, he figured it was likely rude to keep his hood up, shrugging it off his cracked skull. Upon closer inspection, there were thin blue lines that seemed to cut through the bone in various patterns, a slow pulse racing through them the way blood would surge through veins. While they were visible on his visible appendages and face, they were starkly obviously on his bare skull without the cover it previously had.

[honeyhogger]

He looked Stone over as the other skeleton gazed at Di like that. It was easy to see how fond of the human he was, another reason they probably ended up here instead of somewhere else. Pap couldn't find it in himself to trust Di, but if she'd managed to get on the good side of the local skeleton she was probably alright.

As Stone began explaining that he'd been subjected to some unfortunate experimentation there was a flash of sympathy and understanding that flittered across his face. Unfortunately Pap knew how that could feel, though he was lucky enough not to have the side effect of extra limbs that Stone had ended up with.

After the wings were spread out Pap whistled lowly, watching with appreciation as they neatly folded back up to press against Stone's back. "They are that." The info of the gauntlets was equally saddening making him shake his head and take another sip of his drink. "Damn, not being able to feel? That's gotta be way up there on the 'shittiest side effects' list."

[gxstersans]

A low chuckle rumbled from somewhere deep within his chest, glancing at his own metal-encased hand in consideration at his companions comment.

"Yeah, guess I'm lucky it's jus' my hands though... I can feel sensation everywhere else.. an' they make a good alternative to brass knuckles if I gotta use 'em." He shrugged, his mismatched gaze returning to Paps as he let out a wistful sigh of smoke into the dim room, "It is what it is, y'know? Never keeps me unemployed."

"So what about'chu?" He absently tongued the filter of his cigarette as he considered what question he could ask. After all, this Papyrus obviously seemed flabbergasted by the natural sky and the city buildings... so they must have come from a much different world. He already knew that the Frisk there was practically a demon, judging by what had already been said. "What's it like where ya come from?"

[prismatictale]

He nodded slowly, this was the confirmation he needed, though he didn't expect the other skeleton to give it to him so nonchalantly, was he bluffing or is he so used to hopping realities that it lost all its novelty to him?

"A hobby? You...travel through universes and you act like how one would act about their miniature train set." He seemed genuinely flabbergasted, what was this monster?

So his transportation method wasn't exact? that was good, it gave him an in, maybe he could help the other with his device in exchange for information? He had no idea what kinda mechanism his method of transportation used, but it was worth a shot.

"i see." He spoke slowly, ruminating on what choice to make.

"Would you care to head inside? We never known when a blizzard might hit us and staying outside during one is very dangerous."

"Once inside we may properly introduce ourselves to each other, I trust you will continue to act professionally inside as you did so far outside." By now he was finally feeling like he was in control of the situation, good, he didn't like feeling powerless at all.

[gxstersans]

Although he knew that this particular Gaster would be interested in the multiverse concept, he hadn't quite expected it to be as revered in his eyes as it seemed to be. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so casual about it, though hindsight was a gift that never seemed to do him any good.

When he was invited inside, Stone offered a polite bow of his head before he drew one last drag of his cigarette. Plucking it from his mouth, he shifted his weight to snuff it out on the bottom of his boot as a cloud of smoke was exhaled away from his company. After all, not many people enjoyed others smoking in their home.. he could at least try to be polite.

"I'd be honored to come in," In the winged skeletons experience, it didn't do any good to pick a fight, especially when nothing in particular was to be gained from one. Mr. Dad obviously seemed to have some goal in mind and Stone was all too happy to allow him to steer the conversation as he wished for the time being, as relaxed as he had been since the moment he arrived in that new world. "Don't worry, I have no intention of conductin' myself otherwise."

[honeyhogger]

Pap raised a brow taking another sip of his own. "A speakeasy huh? I mean, this is definitely a real good drink but I didn't know it was illegally good." He grinned a little, clearly teasing. "Seriously though, alcohol is a no go here? Oof. That's rough. At least you can smoke freely. I'm assuming anyway."

The explanation made sense though. He had noticed that there weren't really any other humans around, though he hadn't been sure if that was just because it wasn't a very popular place with them or just wasn't very busy at the moment. "Yeah that makes sense I guess. easier to get used to just one person than several."

He took another long sip, savoring the mix of sweet honey flavor with the burn of the alcohol. "Alright, I've been wondering about it this whole time but I haven't asked yet cause I didn't want to be rude." He pointed with his cig to Stone's wings, shrugging a little afterwards with a small coy grin. "I can't help but be curious about 'em. I've never seen another skeleton with wings before."

[gxstersans]

"I know it's not always easy, but she doesn't talk much, an' she's about as gentle as a lamb." He shrugged away the thought of Di after another casual glance, obvious admiration in that mismatched gaze. He really didn't need to be distracted by her when he had company and the other patrons were keeping her occupied enough for her to keep her distance from them.

When the inevitable question arose, Stone didn't seem at all fazed. After all, one doesn't walk around a city with two wings which quite literally glow a golden yellow without getting at least a few questions tossed their way. It was either that or those bulky metal gauntlets, both of which were the opposite of inconspicuous. A low purr of a chuckle rumbled from somewhere deep within him as he set his glass down with a clank.

"Well, the full story is a bit lengthy but.. I volunteered for some testing and didn't quite realize that side effects could include more than jus' the stereotypical fatigue and nausea." He took pause, glancing over his shoulder as those wings articulated, splaying out in an impressive display of magical feathers over a bony structure beneath, casting golden light across the dim speakeasy. "Turns out it could give ya extra appendages... though at least mine are pleasin' to look at." When they were folding themselves back up into two huddles against his back, the metallic clank of his hands were evident. He held up one of those gauntlets, letting the metal glint faintly. "Though also got these in the trade.. can't feel a damn thing 'nymore."

[prismatictale]

The skeleton observed the other for a solid minute, his eyes looking for any obvious signs of a liar, though the only thing he found was, if anything, the opposite. This other skeleton was...strangely calm, it was somewhat unnerving.

The mention of a portal hooked his attention immediately, so it *was* true, the strange energy he detected earlier in the day was from a external portal, this was...unprecedented to say the least.

When the other talked about multiverses, the old scientist almost had a heart attack...if he had a heart that is. Not only was this person from another universe, but they were also someone who has done this several times?! Whoever this stranger was, he needed to know more.

He didn't, however, want to appear desperate for the information, so he tried his best to stay calm and collected, he wanted to keep the aura he had been building up to this point after all.

"I...see" He spoke slowly, trying to process all this new ground breaking information he had just received. If he could prove his theories were more than that to the royals...

"It is kind of you to try to shield the blame from my son, however, he must learn that, who you may seem like a more amicable monster, there are others who might hurt him if given the chance. You not being hostile is merely the exception, not the rule"

"In another matter, you mentioned multiversal portals, correct? Are you some kinda of reality traveler? If so, then I suspect you might have been the one that caused the spike in energy close to The Gardens"

[gxstersans]

Stone, although he may not have looked it, had met enough individuals who knew how to mask their emotions to catch micro expressions and telltale body language when he saw it. Granted, it wasn't truly a surprise that someone who hadn't discovered transdimensional travel would be interested in someone who had come from a different timeline. Even when Mr. Dad didn't openly show it, he knew well enough that it was one of the few advantages he had in this situation.

When the topic of his son was brought up, or specifically him needing to learn not to talk to strangers, he considered it. It did make sense, after all. Just because Stone wasn't a creep didn't mean there may not have been another who could have run into Aby.. He nodded, a shrug rolling his shoulders and causing those resting wings to rustle. "Fair. Kids gotta stay safe after all."

And there it was, the open questioning. He honestly preferred that they just jump into it rather than tiptoeing through small talk until finally stumbling into the topic of conversation. It was easier this way.

"Yeah, I dropped in just a short while ago, so if ya saw a spike it was definitely me. Sorry 'bout that." He absently scratched at the edge of his jaw in consideration, "I can't saw that I travel for a livin' or nothin'.. more like a hobby? Not always where I want, but that's kinda the fun of it.. it's not a perfect system yet." It wasn't as if he invented it, after all.. or that he did it on purpose.. but a few things he'd keep close to his chest for the time being. Best not to show all your cards at once.

[musesgonnamuse]

send “▶▶️” to get a glimpse at a scene from my muse’s future. send “◀️◀️” to get a glimpse at a memory from my muse’s past.

[universalextortion]

Whatever the case may be, Briar is grateful that he seems to understand them. When they ran away to the mountain, they hadn't brought much with them, least of all something to write in and with to people.

They watch as he lowers himself, holding their ground, and then looking down as he writes in the dirt. Stone. And then he comments his name aloud.

Briar lowers themself to their knees and slowly draws their name into the dirt, same as Stone had done.

B R I A R

[gxstersans]

The skeleton nodded along as the human wrote out their name in the dirt, absently tonguing the filter of his cigarette as he watched.

"Briar, huh? Nice name." Offering a calm smile to the child crouched down with him, he took a moment to consider the situation. They were obviously alone or else someone would have been nearby, however this entire underground felt rather desolate and abandoned from what he could tell. A child, left alone in an empty place.. well, who would take care of them? He couldn't exactly just leave them here to starve.

Straightening up to his full height, those bright wings flittered into a comfortable position behind him as he offered a glance towards the empty path before once more focusing upon Briar.

"Ya hungry, kiddo?"

[honeyhogger]

He hummed at the confirmation that her name used to be Frisk, taking a new cigarette with a nod of thanks. "I can see that. Wasn't it kind of a risk taking me here then? You couldn't have been sure how I would've reacted." He took another sip of his drink before lighting up his new smoke and taking a long draw.

He glanced back over in her direction for a second before focusing back on Stone with a shrug. "Not that I'm going to do anything. I'm aware enough to know that's not my Frisk. Which is good considering mine is...well, calling them a human would be generous. I prefer demon."

[gxstersans]

Propping his chin upon the upturned metal of his palm, he tried to prove himself courteous by not watching the bartender move about the room and rather focus his mismatched gaze upon the skeleton in his company. Judging by the relaxed expression upon his scarred features, he didn't seem too worried by the statement.

"Well, considerin' this is one of the few speakeasys in the city, didn't really have much of a choice unless ya wanted to be drinkin' water right now." He absently sloshed the bourbon around inside his glass with a few clinks of ice, "In truth, Di doesn't much like other humans herself, so yer unlikely to see any others here... figured one was better than a dozen, even if it was a version of Frisk." He punctuated his words with a casual shrug, drawing a slow sip of his drink.

A close inspection within that dim bar would have indeed confirmed that the other inhabitants were all various types of monsters, each huddled off into their own groups either playing cards or talking quietly. Truthfully, Stone knew all too well how many of them were more than willing to come to the single humans defense. She had built quite a few relationships with the monster community. He didn't need to disclose that part though.

[prismatictale]

"i...guess we won't need to worry about that..." he mumbled

The figure's eyes quickly flashed a purple and pink, bright enough to be seen at this distance. The world quickly went dark for a split second before turning back to normal, however, this time the figure was right in front of them.

It was a skeleton alright, and a scientist as well judging from their purple lab coat, a strange color for a lab coat to be sure, not only that, from the looks of it, the material was also of much higher quality than the rest of his clothing, very much different from aby's which seemed to be made out of much more common materials.

The badge on his lab coat was also something that drew attention to itself, it was made out of pure silver and had the deltarune symbol on its front, clearly signifying this person was a high ranking member of the royal government.

Their eyes were mismatched, the left one being pink and the right one purple, the cracks around his eyes were very much similar to the others most gasters have, though this cracks seemed deeper and wider, all the while showing no signs of the body trying to heal them, almost as if it couldn't for some reason.

Floating right above his shoulders were two magical hands, one pink and one purple, they didn't seem aggressive however, though they seemed to be alert and ready to act if needed.

The figure's expression was serious and cold when looking at Stone, but warm and soft when he glared at aby, a mix of worry, relief and guilt seemed to color his expression when looking at the kid.

Gently, he lowered himself to the ground as to be able to keep at aby on his eye level, his voice was slow, calculating but also weirdly soft.

"Abriel...are you quite alright? I was quite worried when you didn't report back after our call" The figure spoke without taking an eye off of stone.

"i'm...fine dad, i mean mr. Dad, i just got a bit...distracted" he was clearly unsure what to say, his eyes looking around and back at Stone.

"Are you sure? This...man didn't hurt you did he?" He glared at stone before shifting his attention back at the kid.

"n-no Mr. Dad! He's my new friend! He's really friendly and nice!" the kid pleaded, trying to reassure his dad that Stone wasn't a threat.

The figure sighed and got back up before looking at Stone, pondering and considering what to do.

"Abriel, could you please go check up on our garden? I need to have a talk with your friend."

"O-okay, just...please don't be mad at him! It was my fault, i was the one that shouldn't have talked to a stranger, p-please don't blame him for something i did"

His dad pondered over what to do for a few seconds before sighing again.

"...Alright, I promise I will attempt to be more amicable for your sake" He tried to force a small smile to try to reassure his kid, which seemed to work.

"O-okay! I will go take care of the garden, please be nice to mr. Dad Mr. Stone!" He waved at his friend, before talking towards the house nearby.

The skeleton then turn to face Stone, crossing his arms.

"Explain yourself" His voice was still rather cold, but it seemed that aby's plea did soften it a bit.

[gxstersans]

Stone drew a long drag of his cigarette, tipping his skull back so he could exhale a cloud towards the sky, letting the duo interact with one another without his interjection for as long as it took. It wasn't particularly his place to interrupt and he was well aware of how that explanation sounded. Nine times out of ten if a kid says an adult is nice it means the adult wants something from them, dubious or otherwise. While the winged skeleton did want information such as where he was, he hadn't the slightest interest in anything sinister, so he truly didn't feel any reason to feel anxious about the situation.

Settling his mismatched gaze calmly upon Mr. Dad once Aby had gone a safe distance away, he offered the same crooked grin. He seemed like a decent father figure from what he had just observed.

"Despite what the kiddo says, don't blame him for anything. The truth is that I ended up here after my portal malfunctioned and when I ran into him, I took it upon myself to ask him where I was." He raised one of those gauntlet-clad hands, wiggling his metal fingers in demonstration, "Long story short, these things can mess with my portals, toss me into other multiverses if I'm not careful."

After all, this skeleton clearly had known something about multiverses according to what Aby had explained, so the truth seemed like the best plausible course of action.