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The soft music of Snowdin’s Shop tinkles through the air as Frisk stands at the counter, talking to the bunny monster who mans it. Chara isn’t paying attention to what they’re saying to them, looking at the door. They peek through the frost covered window, watching snowflakes softly drift down occasionally. They wonder how it snows down here. They wonder how it snows at all, actually. Vaguely they remember Toriel teaching them about the water cycle. That can take place in a cave? Well… they guess it’s a really big cave.
Frisk opens the door, heading outside. They duck under them as they do, even though they could just walk through them. So stupid. And yet… Chara can’t help but feel grateful. It’s nice to pretend. To pretend they’re real, that they aren’t just an echo of past mistakes. The bell hanging on the door jingles as Frisk opens it and holds it for them, waiting for Chara to join them outside. They shiver, rubbing their arms and stomping the ground. Despite that, they smile at them.
“What did you get? I wasn’t watching.” Chara asks, looking over at them. “Hopefully some healing items, right? I mean… Papyrus is supposedly up ahead, according to that awful comedian.”
“His jokes aren’t that bad. And you laughed at the stop sign thing.” Frisk says, and Chara can’t help how their own face starts slowly cracking into a smile as well. They float around them, onto her other side, trying to peek at what she has in her hands. Frisk makes a face at them, and he holds it just out of their line of sight.
“I had something in my throat.”
“As a ghost?” Frisk snorts, starting to walk, snow squeaking under their feet.
Chara huffs, but plays along. “I coughed!! What, can a ghost not cough anymore?? Anyways, you’re dodging the question. What’d you get??”
He holds up a finger, wagging it at them in a way that makes them cross their arms and roll their eyes. “ Patience! Hold on a second, will you??” They then turn, purposely so they can’t see, and start messing with something. Chara can tell they’re tying something around their neck, but can’t tell what the hell it is, and though it annoys them, they respect Frisks weird ways and lets him keep it a surprise. After a moment, he turns back around, arms outstretched and doing jazz hands, a grin plastered on his face. “ Ta-da! How do I look?!?”
They stand there, stupid grin on their face, with an even stupider looking orange bandana around their neck. It has abs drawn on it. Chara recognizes it, and for a moment, in Frisk’s place, in their mind's eye, is a child. Far smaller than him, with baby fat still on their cheeks and a grin missing their two front teeth. Inside Chara’s chest, what little fragments of her SOUL remain squeeze painfully, twisting like a knife, deeper and deeper until they're swamped with an emotion they're unable to place or grapple with. They blink, and the apparition is gone. In its place is Frisk, blinking at them, brows furrowed.
“You look…” They laugh. It’s the only thing they can do, with the emotion threatening to throttle them, to drag them the rest of the way to the grave. “You look so stupid, Frisk.”
Frisk’s grin comes back. “I dunno, it’s growing on me already. I’ll miss the bow though.” He laments, wrinkling his nose sorrowfully as he starts walking again, snow squeaking underfoot. Only one pair of footprints is left behind as they walk away from the shop.
“The bow was pretty cute.” Chara agrees. “You bought healing items too, right?”
“Bunch of popsicles. As many as I could carry, like you told me to.”
“Oh, so you DO listen! What a wonder.”