black then white are all i see in my infancy [closed + open]

[determinedest]

Who: Frisk and a few closed prompts + a few open ones!
Where: Alphys's lab, by the vendors, maybe more?
When: 11/01 - 11/08-ish (may be subject to change)
Rating: PG-13 for children in peril, suicide ideation, depressive mindset, and bad decisions
Summary: Shit happened. Someone give this cast an intervention.
The Story:

[A hot oil-slick of numbers running through their mind in a burning cacophony does not lend itself to anything but pain, bright and blazing. It cuts into their teeth and their tongue and the inside of their cheeks - or maybe that is simply them biting deep into the flesh in their mouth to taste the warm tang of it to remind themself that they are not simply numbers they are not simply numbers they are not simply numbers they are real.

It crests in a burgeoning wave. There is no tide there is no pattern there is no regularity there is no respite it simply is and it tears through them, every jerk and wrench of their body shuddering in its place like hot marks shearing them open.

They can taste blood.

Is it yours?

Or mine?

It does not matter.]

Comments

[normandysbest]

[She's not sure she knows exactly what's going on with them. They look like they got transported to another, parallel dimension, and are only occasionally flicking back into this one. It's... concerning. Looks painful. She doesn't know how to help.]

That sounds like it makes sense.

[She wishes she knew what to do here, but this is entirely outside her training.]

I can stick around, if you want me to. Don't have much to do the rest of the day. At the very least, I've got a lot of good stories.

[determinedest]

Stories.

[Frisk tries to pull themself together, ragged breath after ragged breath, shoulders trembling subtly as the uncurl from their fetal curl to peer at Shepard hopefully.

Company would be - nice.

But they can't afford that right now. They'll be all right. There's someone they're far, far more worried about instead. Frisk's expression crinkles with worry, and their eyes dart back down to the ground.]

'S um...'s okay. I just, um. [A swallow, and then they have to press ahead.] Can you...make sure Chara's okay?

[normandysbest]

[She's still watching them carefully. Worried she'll make the wrong steps. She wonders offhandedly if Anderson ever had this much trouble with her when she was a spitfire teen with nothing. Wonders if maybe she was harder.]

Yeah, I can do that. But I have time to do both. At least I can be here to make sure you don't end up halfway in the sky again.

[Or at the VERY least be around to catch them.]

[determinedest]

I'll be okay.

[It's an automatic response, if not entirely a truthful one. But they...they'll be fine. They've had worse, ha ha. It's impossible to die when your HP is already in the negatives, it turns out. The stripes on their shirt flicker in color from pink to yellow to purple, and then remain stuck on a reddish ochre.

Like someone's eyes, maybe.]

Chara's not really, um. Talking to me. Just kind of worried about them.

[normandysbest]

[She takes a moment to think about this. Not talking. Yikes.]

I can do that. But I can come back and talk to you later, too. You don't have to be alone the whole time.

[determinedest]

I won't be.

[An automatic answer that - doesn't really make much sense, when they think about it. It made more sense when they had Chara at their side, but they don't anymore. Never will anymore, ha ha.

The thought is like a shard of ice to their heart.]

I'm getting - checked up on.

[The words aren't quite a lie. People seem hesitant to leave them alone after seeing them taking failed tumbles from the rooftops of the mansion. Understandably.]

[normandysbest]

[Okay. Okay. They don't want to be crowded. She gets it- and she does want to go see how Chara's doing, so... she'll just duck around later. Go for a run. See if she finds them. She can do this.]

Alright, alright. But don't hesitate to call if you need something, okay? Seriously. I've got nothin' better to do.

[determinedest]

[Don't you have anything better to do? Hah...

That's not very funny. They glance up at her, hoping their relief doesn't show on their face.]

Thank you.

[normandysbest]

No problem, kid.

[She smiles, as warmly as she can. Thinks about hugging them, but knows they've got issues with it and she's touched them enough today. So she waves a mock salute, two fingers from her forehead, and goes to find wherever Chara's hidden themselves away.]