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Act 4: Education and Moral Standards, Chapter 5

Alright here’s another one, a lot sooner than usual, however the next chapter may take a little while since I have a bit to do. At least I’m glad to announce this is the final chapter of this long running act. Hope you’re all doing ok. Have a good one.

FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT, INFO

‘’English, Art, History, Gym, Maths annnd Science, I think we might’ve done it Al, it’s over’’, Sci shoved the piece of paper roughly into his pocket as he exclaimed happily. ‘’Y-yeah, I’m quite r-relieved honestly, I r-really hope these interview th-things are uncommon.’’ Alphys smiled faintly as she heard the news. Sci lead the way as they left the science wing of the school, having now experienced the layout of the school first hand, he found it quite easy to lead them to the front office, the room looking less lit then it was before due to the time of day getting later, he imagined that it wouldn’t be long now before the lights would be turned on. ‘’Soooooo what’s the plan, you got any way to contact Asgore, tell him we’re done?’’, he spoke quietly as he looked out a front window, wondering about the plans for tonight. ‘’Oh uh y-yeah, I d-did as we w-were heading over h-here, he just sent a-a ‘ok’. A b-bit weird he s-sent such a short m-message but I g-guess he’ll be h-here any m-moment.’’, she nodded as she spoke and started fumbling with her phone to show the skeleton until he gave her a wave of his hand as an indication not to worry. ‘’Well alright then, guess we just wait here’’. ‘’Well if all you’re doing is waiting, well then I hope I’m not bothering you two’’. The duo both suddenly turned towards the direction of a soft but yet commanding voice, the owner of the voice being a monster with the characteristics of a Platypus. Height wise he was what you would consider the most average of heights, he wore a dark blue suit that exuded authority and a certain form of confidence. Also on his bill laid shiny gold coloured spectacles that went with the golden chain that could be partially seen dangling from his waist. With a small laugh he spoke once more after watching the other monster’s surprised looks and even curiosity from the skeleton, ‘’Sorry for bothering you two, but I just felt I needed to meet you, I’m Principal Carter, but you may call me Ornithor… or Carter, whatever’s easiest for you to say.’’ He gave a quick glance to each of them, giving them a look up and down, ‘’Anyway I’ve heard about you two, been the talk of the staff, you’re Alphys right?’’, he put out his hand as a friendly gesture. With slight hesitation she took it and gave it a small shake, ‘’Uh, y-yes, I a-am’’. He laughed in response, ‘’Good, good. I like to give people nicknames, makes everything seem much less formal, you know? I think a friendly relationship should be encouraged, now how about Alphy?’’ ‘’W-with all d-due respect, I w-would ask th-that you n-not use that nickname.’’, the discomfort in her obvious was obvious to the skeleton, yet the other monster seemingly ignored her request, now turning his attention to him. ‘’And you’re Sci, I honestly can’t think of nickname for you, you already go under one and well, it’s already to short, so I might have to wait a little while to think of one’’. He offered out his hand once more, that cheerful grin starting to make him feel a little off. ‘’Yeah, I think that’s alright, no stress, is there anything specifically you wanted to talk to us about?’’, although Sci tried to keep his usual smile, he couldn’t but feel it was starting to fade ever so slightly. ‘’Ohohoho, straight to the point, are we? Well if you want to get on with things, then sure I’ll oblige. Just again as I said, people have been talking about you two, finding it interesting that you and Alphy over here are looking after Asgore instead of our esteemed Doctor Gaster….’’ ‘’S-seriously, please d-don’t use th-that nickname’’ ‘’… however, I’m here to find out why this little change was made.’’, Something changed in Carter after that sentence, his eyes narrowed and his smile turned into one that smelled of ulterior goals and feeling. His voice became just a bit louder as if to demand all the attention into the room, on second thought it’s as if he was passively demanding control of the room. Whatever vibe he was giving off now, it was causing Alphys to shrink back and it put Sci on edge. ‘’I-is th-that a b-big deal sir?’’, her voice trembling as she watched his gaze focus on her, especially as he started to laugh for what was about a good few seconds longer than they were comfortable with. ‘’Oh is it a big deal? Dear it could be a big deal, I mean what causes him to live two effective strangers that have no parenting experience on their own.’’ ‘’W-we’re j-just trying to h-help him.’’ A small glint caught in the Principal’s eye. ‘’Oh and then what is it that he needs help with? Something going on with him and his previous home? What hardships is he facing?’’. It was finally at this moment that Sci decided to step in, he couldn’t stand by any longer. ‘’I think Mr Carter, the only thing that matters is Asgore is safe, safety being something you need to trust we can provide him.’’ His expression took on a much more challenging smirk as he watched the skeleton, ‘’Well first, taking promises from a stranger isn’t really a recipe for success, anyone can say that. At the same time there must be a reason that Asgore needs to be helped, for example perhaps he doesn’t feel safe with Gaster.’’ ‘’I really, really hope you don’t plan on trash talking him, I can only imagine all the stuff he’s dealing with at the moment.’’, Sci’s tone was rising as he started to feel the bitterness rising up in his throat, the nerve on this guy, what was his problem? ‘’Oh no of course not, I only raise a concern, can I not be concerned about this student at this school as someone who runs this institution that looks after him for a large amount of time five days a week?’’, the sharpness of words started to reach a peak as it seemed now as if he was giving Sci a glare. However, he didn’t allow any of this to disturb him as he fought back, ‘’Well with all the due respect that I can muster and as much as I’m sure all the parents appreciate your contribution, this is none of your concern. Any possible issue that may or may not be occurring is a private matter that will be discussed and dealt with privately. You shouldn’t… no you don’t have a say in it.’’ ‘’S-sci, I th-think th-that’s enough…’’, she whispered low enough that he struggled to pick up what she was saying and there was no doubt that the other monster couldn’t hear it. ‘’Wow, you really don’t hold back do you? You come in here, in my building, and have tone with me, decide to have a real darn fine go at me…’’, his expression was held for a few silent moments that felt like years, until it reverted back the old, light hearted one of before, ‘’….Gahahahahahahahaha Oh my boy, I really like your style, you have a real backbone no pun intended. I like you friend’’, his voice was just smothered with jovial cheer as if nothing had transpired in that short amount of time. ‘’Y-you do? You’re happy?’’, the sudden transition was causing a form of confusing whiplash for the skeleton. ‘’Well of course I am, why wouldn’t I be? I didn’t anything that would make you think otherwise right?’’ ‘’Well umm-‘’ ‘’Sorry about everything, just I care deeply about my students you see, like to make sure they’re all happy and healthy. What I also do appreciate is someone with a spine, you don’t take no crap and you seem to be happy to get your hands dirty, am I wrong?’’, he tilted his head in curiosity, eagerness making him bounce as he waited for an answer. Sci scratched the back of his head, ‘’I mean, I don’t like to be submissive, I guess? Not sure if what you said fully applies though.’’ ‘’Well it’s better than half the pack animals I know… hey since you two are here, would you mind writing down your contact details for me, if you’re going to be Asgore’s guardian then I think it’s only right I should be able to contact you.’’ The two obliged as Carter pulled out a notepad from his pocket and a $1 blue pen and gave it to the two, both scrawling their mobile phone numbers on the pad, along with Alphys giving a home phone number. Just as he started to put the notepad away and before he could give any kind of thanks, they noticed another presence in the room. From behind the Principal, Asgore slowly approached, a weakness in his steps as he also didn’t seem to hold eye contact with anyone, as it made clear to everyone the redness of his eyes, no one needed confirmation on what that meant. ‘’Well speak of the devil, was just talking to your folks here, is there anything I can do for you Asgore?’’, his voice was unchanged as he kept on trying to remain in his jovial state. The kid held his arm and shook his head slowly and spoke with a slow and hollow voice, ‘’No thanks Mr Carter, I’ll be fine’’. Suddenly the Platypus monster reached within his jacket pocket and pulled out a pocket watch that connected to the gold chain that could be seen before, opening it he gave a glance that was much to quick to read the time. ‘’Oh well would you look at that, it appears I’m going to be later for an urgent matter, it was nice meeting you all, have a nice day’’, though the last of his sentence went unheard as by the word ‘look’ he’d already started running off deeper into the building, leaving a rather awkward silence between the three of them. ‘’Hey kid, you-‘’ ‘’I’m fine…’’, he quickly jabbed in, taking a deep and struggled breath, it felt like that moment was the one that would decide whether or not he would break down or not, in this situation he didn’t, ‘’…can we just go home please? I-I just want to get out this place.’’ The other two had almost perfectly matching concerned looks as they watched him, giving each other a small glance before one of the two spoke. ‘’Y-yes of c-course, I th-think w-we can all agree to h-head home r-right?’’, she said, trying to find a way to add more confidence in her voice, to avoid any sign of sadness. ‘’Mhmm, I would say we’re done here, don’t see any reason to stick around’’. Asgore nodded in a slow fashion, ‘’Th-thank you…’’

It wasn’t unexpected to have the trip home be one of silence or to have everyone in the house to retreat in their separate ways. While Sci and Asgore both retreated to their rooms, she decided to sit in the dining room and eat a biscuit or two. After having seen the state of Asgore she wasn’t sure what to do, should she go in there? Was she being a bad guardian, no a bad friend by waiting out here? After half an hour of just mulling over her thoughts, she heard footsteps approaching and looked up to find Asgore who without an words or an ounce of hesitation sat down next to her. ‘’I’m ready to talk about it if you want, since that was what was promised before we left right?’’, his voice and face was better, not happy, but at least it didn’t feel like every atom of him was just oozing out sadness. ‘’O-oh it’s f-fine, I m-mean if you’re n-not feeling the b-best we c-can do it another time’’. ‘’No Al, I want to talk about it now, I keep my word and I just… want to get it over and done with’’. ‘’Don’t turn this away, a free source of information is always welcome’’, the voice came in calmly, causing Alphys to let out a sigh. ‘’Alright, i-if you r-really want to, th-then I j-just want to know wh-why you h-have such a problem with Gaster, I-I m-mean your side of th-the story, y-you’re opinion on it m-matters to.’’, She had a warm tone as she spoke, wanting to make sure that she was listening to him as someone who wasn’t going to judge him. He smiled faintly before returning to a serious look, ‘’Ok then, I guess I’ll start with the start…’’, he took a deep breath and rubbed his hands together, ‘’… after all this universe stuff happened, when we got back as family after all the horrible events that occurred. There was a lot of conflict between people, especially between myself, Tori, Sans and Gaster. For the big man himself, he changed harshly after that, once he fully recovered from all his injuries he became harsher and a lot stricter on rules.’’ Alphys nodded as she turned the words over in her head, ‘’Y-you know i-it’s all about all of y-your s-safety and all that right?’’ ‘’Don’t know, sounds like a real classic case of control freak’’. Asgore seemed to be mildly annoyed at her words, though not enough for him to actually get angry or express anymore frustration than he already would have, ‘’You should’ve seen him Al, he went freaking psychotic went it came to dates and times, he was mad. I mean he was obsessed with knowing where we all were at all times, couldn’t do anything without having to bloody *report* in. He became paranoid as hell and we were the ones that have to deal with it. You don’t understand, he basically was taking any semblance of freedom we had, it’s no way to live.’’ ‘’I-I d-don’t think I can r-really comment on h-his p-parenting, wh-whether it’s right o-or wrong…’’ ‘’Oh I think I can…’’ ‘’…but I can a-at least sympathise th-that it d-doesn’t real nice to d-deal with’’, Her voice wobbled with worry a little bit as she tried to carefully pick her words. ‘’A-anything else y-you w-want to m-mention Asgore? Or d-do you wish to l-leave it here?’’ ‘’You know about my… infection right? I’m sure Gaster wasted no time telling you all about it, what did he tell you?’’, his eyes narrowed as the subject turned to one he would obviously rather not be talking about, yet he seemed to still be ready to pursue it. Alphys paused as she thought, wondering if it was ok to tell everything. Of course it was, he needed pure honesty from her, she couldn’t lie to him. ‘’Y-you’re r-right, he d-did tell m-me about it all. I-it i-isn’t in a problematic state and the only p-place it’s m-manifested is on y-your soul. W-with your increased n-need for m-magical substances Monster f-food is to be made th-the majority of your d-diet in an attempt t-to halt any form of the infection getting worse or s-spreading… b-be umm… b-be w-warned that Asgore m-may uh be a l-l-little v-volatile on the s-subject…’’, she winced at those last words, wondering if maybe she should’ve left those last words out. Asgore grimaced, ‘’Volatile? That’s what he calls it? I’m Volatile?’’, he let out a small growl like noise before speaking further, ‘’You want know what he calls Volatile? You want to know why I found to the first opportunity to run away from that damn hellhole?! Because he lied to me. After testing, Gaster told me that I was completely free of the virus and what is that I find much later? A nice shiny little piece of evidence on my soul that doesn’t seem to want to disappear. Wouldn’t you like to know if you were liable to be extra aggressive, have extra cravings for consumption and to possibly hurt the people around you?! Who wouldn’t want to know that you may one day find that maybe one day you’ll just lose control and find yourself eating THE FLESH OF OTHER MONSTERS?!!!’’. He yelled out as he banged the table with his fist, his breathing just showing his seething anger, until a few seconds later when his face turned to one of shock, before slowly transitioning into regret and even an ounce on fear, he looked over at her as he shook his hand, throbbing pain being felt throughout it. ‘’S-sorry Al, I’m just… I guess I must seem really messed up to you huh?’’ Alphys had slid her chair back at least two steps back as he went on his rant, his voice raising ever so higher as she suddenly feared that maybe she should be concerned, she reached into her pocket and gripped the comfort of a spherical object inside. But the moment his expression changed she could just feel her fear crumble away and now she felt guilt, just like he was worried about, for several moments there she perceived him as dangerous, a threat and judging from the way he looked at the extra distance between them he knew her thoughts, she wish she could’ve taken those feelings back. However those thoughts didn’t last long as she watched his expression, the emotional pain he was going through, he didn’t deserve this, he didn’t need it. Alphys stood up from her chair with a determined expression, walking up to Asgore wrapping him in the tightest hug she could muster, ‘’L-listen to me. Y-you aren’t a d-danger to yourself, m-me or anyone else. Y-you’re not a r-risk or s-someone I need to w-watch out for. Because no matter wh-what Asgore… y-you’re still you. You j-just need to believe in that like we do.’’ He didn’t respond for a few moments and for a split second she feared she’d said something wrong, but then his arms came around her as a return hug and he whispered, ‘’Thanks Al, I-I… just really needed to hear that, thank you’’. Soon he pulled away from her and took a few steps back, smiling at her, a true genuine smile that was the one thing she could see that night to make everything better again. ‘’H-hey g-give me th-that hand.’’, she pointed down at the hand he had clenched, the one in pain from the table collision. ‘’Uh yeah sure thing?’’, he gave a questioning tone as he held out the hand. ‘’J-just h-hold still…’’, The lizard monster closed her eyes and started to rub her hands together, her face showed focus before finally opening her eyes to both of her hands being surrounded in a green aura. She smiled and clasped her hands around Asgore’s and let the magic flow through. The goat felt a warm feeling start going through his hand which was what he assumed to be the magic. But while he could feel the warm feeling along with the pain, soon it felt like the feeling was replacing his pain, slowly fading away before the warmth was all that remained in his hand. However as much as he enjoyed the pleasant feeling, the warmth slowly disappeared as Alphys brought her hands away, their aura fading and her both her hands returning to normal. ‘’Thanks again Al, have you always been able to do that?’’, his smile was a bit brighter than before, almost even returning to his usual level of cheer. ‘’Uh n-no, I learnt a-about a y-year and a h-half ago, j-just seemed k-kind of u-useful’’, there seemed to be the rare occurrence of pride in her voice, Asgore found it obvious to tell she was happy to show it off. He let out a big, long yawn, ‘’Heh well that’s really cool Al… anyway I think I’ll head off to bed, really feel I need the rest. Good night, sweet dreams.’’, he gave her a wave and a smile before starting to head off. ‘’G-good night, h-have a good sleep yourself’’.