It really was unnerving how much this person looked like a human they had met before. People don’t usually look that similar, do they? Unless they were twins or something? Except the other one was so dissimilar all at the same time. This one just felt more threatening in just about every way. Frisk didn’t know how to feel about that. They especially didn’t know how to feel about the weird stuff the self proclaimed demon was talking about. Us? Weird pronoun usage. And the way they said it sent a shiver down the child’s spine. They didn’t like the way the stranger was looking at them. They didn’t even realize they’d taken a step back, as much as they tried not to appear intimidated.
Probably didn’t take a genius to know what they meant by busy, though. It was pretty obvious. The fact the entire population down here was wiped out and dust scattered all over the place while Frisk was the only living being around; anyone would’ve realized they killed all those monsters. But that was so long ago. They weren’t very busy anymore, at least.
Oh god, Frisk didn’t want the teen coming toward them like that. And what was that about souls? …They didn’t understand what that meant, but they got the feeling it was something that they didn’t want to find out either. They didn’t necessarily enjoy having their soul being handled by people other than themselves. Frisk struggled to remain calm. They still tried. But the smile they held earlier had slowly faded, expression turning to something more morose.
“My story…?” They echoed. Share their story? Definitely never done that before. They didn’t exactly have anyone they could confide to after all this time anyway. And they weren’t quite sure how well they could handle reliving all those memories again. Something told them it would probably be a bad thing to not comply with this person, if the dangerous vibes they were already sensing weren’t enough of a warning. But it had been such a long time since they last forced themselves to think about what actually happened to them. In fact, they kind of quivered the slightest bit at the mere thought.
“It’s… There’s not much to whatever ‘my story’ is. They… They made me do it.” Frisk mumbled, straining to find the words they didn’t want to look for. “I… I… I-I–” A lump formed in their throat as they stammered softly. They swallowed. Why was their heart beating so fast? Must be because they were so angry at what happened. No other reason. Maybe if they elaborated just a little bit, the older kid would understand.
“We were s’posed to be happy. But it’s their fault. I freed everyone. I didn’t wanna reset. Then… And then. Then fight. Fight. Fight, fight, fight, they didn’t stop. And then, my friends all– It wasn’t my fault. I couldn’t stop. They wouldn’t let me. I couldn’t. Couldn’t. Their fault. Their fault it was theirs it’s their fault–”
And with that, it was almost as if they were barely seeing the demon in front of them anymore. They didn’t care about that at this point. No, instead, they were somewhere else entirely. Transported back to exactly the same place they were however long ago. Reliving it. Same raw emotions they felt those exact moments too. Why were their cheeks wet? That’s embarrassing. They lasted being down here this long without this much distress at the thought of death. Why was this any different? Their sleeves flew up to their dampened eyes, an attempt to wipe away the tears as they completely shut down and shut up. They were shaking. They didn’t understand why.
Something shifted in the entity’s gaze as the child before them began to explain, to stammer... To crack. Their careless amusement faded, gradually softening into something that looked much more like sympathy. They were quiet for a long moment, just listening, taking it in. ‘Congratulations, you have successfully given the child a mental breakdown. If you goal was to produce a blue screen of death in record time, I would say mission accomplished,’ chided Charity in the demon’s head. Finally they heaved a heavy sigh, brushing their messy bangs back with a few slender claws; for a few seconds their eyes were clearly visible, and it was obvious right away why they’d called themself a ‘devil.’
Crimson irises, glowing with unnatural light... Slit pupils, dark sclerae, as though stained by ink. Nothing about their eyes looked human, but it wasn’t reminiscent of any monster, either. Yet, despite the alien appearance, the raw emotion in them was clearly recognizable; guilt, concern, perhaps even a bit of genuine kindness. It was an abrupt shift from the disturbingly content facade they’d held just moments before... But that was exactly it, wasn’t it?
Perhaps the mask this entity wore hadn’t been a literal one, but it was just as effective.
Finally Reaper closed the gap between the pair, one hand reaching out tentatively, offered to the traumatized child before them. The creases of their frown shifted, altering their expression into a surprisingly gentle, apologetic smile. Their fingers were strange to look at, nails tapering into sharp, dagger-like claws; it definitely seemed very odd on a human. Had they filed them into that shape, or was that just another effect of their condition, like the changes to their eyes..?
“... Hey.” Their voice sounded tired, but there was an unmistakable sincerity to their tone that had been dreadfully lacking before. “I’m sorry for dredging up old memories, kid. You’ve really been through something awful, huh..?” Comforting wasn’t this being’s strongsuit, but they were certainly trying. ‘I think they really need a hug,’ commented another little voice inside their skull, ‘That helps most people feel better, you know!’ Reaper shook their head at that; there was no telling what this kid might do on reflex. It was much better to start slow... Not that a stab wound or two would have bothered them that much.
“I just... Had to make sure. Let’s take it easy from here, okay?” They kept their tone soft, calm... Soothing. Hopefully that would help to draw the little thing back out from the snare of their painful memories. “Come on, let’s take a seat. Hmm...” Reaper thought for a moment, then gave a nod. “How’s hot cocoa sound? I know that always made me feel a bit better, back when I was your age..”