Reborn As A Dust Sans [Undertale Multiverse]

Ch18 - Castle

An: Chapter ended up longer than expected, so no age mention yet. But it does come up later while Ashe talks to Dust.

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Ashe's POV

Sleep was dreamless but comfortable. When you finally awoke, you felt a little more energetic and refreshed, although you would definitely need to get more rest later as you were still a little bit sleepy. With a soft yawn, you sat yourself up on the bed, letting the blankets crumple around your legs. Ghost Papy floated nearby, watching, although seemed to be giving you a few minutes to wake up properly, which you were thankful for.

The room that you were in was very spacious and looked rather fancy. The white ceiling had intricately patterned carvings, the walls decorated with a slightly glossy black brocade wallpaper, the furniture all vintage queen anne in style. It reminded you of the architecture found in cathedrals, all pretty and detailed.

You turned to Papy and gave him a wave of greeting, signifying you were awake enough to talk. He grinned enthusiastically and waved back. "HELLO BROTHER! YOU WERE ASLEEP FOR 83 MINUTES. HOW ARE YOU FEELING?"

'I feel okay. Sleep was good, but I'm still a bit tired,' you signed out. You were a little slower with the gestures due to having just woken up. 'Where are we? This doesn't look like FarmTale. Its really pretty here.'

"HM. I DO NOT KNOW, I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE YOU ALONE TO EXPLORE. SPIKEY SIBLING HORROR AND A WEIRD PENGUIN SANS BROUGHT YOU HERE BUT IT SOUNDED LIKE THEY HAD TO LEAVE RIGHT AFTER," he explained. Did that mean he had stayed by your side the entire time you were sleep, watching over you so you would remain safe? He really was the coolest brother. "I DON'T THINK ANYONE ELSE KNOWS YOU ARE HERE, SO YOU SHOULD PROBABLY STAY IN THIS ROOM UNTIL SPIKEY SSIBLNG HORROR COMES BACK."

You considered his words for a moment, but shook your head, disagreeing with his suggestion. 'I think it should be okay to explore. I doubt Mr Horror would have brought us here if it wasn't safe,' you responded with a small smile.

Ghost Papy sighed. "I STILL THINK WE SHOULD STAY, BUT I HAVE A FEELING YOU ARE GOING TO BE STUBBORN. HM. IN THAT CASE, I'LL STAY CLOSE BY SO I CAN TELEPORT US AWAY IF WE NEED TO ESCAPE! JUST, PLEASE TRY TO STAY SAFE."

'That sounds like a good plan, Papy,' you responded with a slight hum. 'I'll try to stay safe. My magic feels stronger now that its connected to yours, so I can protect myself better than against those other skeletons we met,' you tried to reassure.

"ALRIGHT..." he let out, but still seemed a little uncertain. "I JUST DON'T WANT YOU TO GET HURT AGAIN, BROTHER. I REALLY CARE ABOUT YOU."

You pouted, walking over to his spirit and giving it a hug. To anybody else, you would have seemed as though you were just hugging the air, but you didn't care. Your brother needed some affection and you were going to give it to him. Ghost Papy smiled and wrapped his arms around you in response, his floating black scarf curling around you as though it too were hugging you.

'I'll be okay. Besides, I have the coolest ghostly brother ever looking out for me!' You encouraged.

The other seemed to immediately perk up with the praise, grinning with a close eyed smile. "NYEH HEH HEH! OF COURSE THE SPOOKY PAPYYRUS WILL KEEP YOU SAFE!" he chuckled cheerfully. He planted a kiss on your skull, causing you to giggle a little.

'Lets go explore for a bit. I won't go too far, we can just come back here if something bad happens,' you let out, to which he nodded in agreement, clearly liking you had a bit of a plan you could fall back on. You then walked to the door, opening it only a crack to peer at whatever lurked beyond. Satisfied nobody was lingering just outside guarding your room, you opened it further and slipped out into the hall.

It was surprisingly well lit for a place with such dark colored decorations. There were lots of blacks and rich purples, though there were also silver accents and a few other occasional colors. You hummed quietly as you passed through various doors. They seemed like they would probably be bedrooms, and you weren't rude enough to intrude on their personal space like that.

Papy, on the other hand, would enter each room before you passed it. You had a feeling he was checking if there were people inside, that it was his way of looking out for your safety, as he wasn't ever gone for more than a minute and kept saying "EMPTY" when he returned. You were glad he was staying close by, as this place was a little eerie all on your own, especially with how unfamiliar it was.

As the hall ended and you reached a corner, you turned, only to accidentally walk into a skeleton. Startled, you quickly stepped back, feeling rather embarrassed at having walked into him so carelessly. 'Sorry Mister,' you signed politely, talking a moment to look over the other in hopes to see if you could recognise them.

He was definitely a Sans type. He was a fair bit taller than you were, which seemed to be pretty standard at this point (just how short were you?), but it was his clothing that gave away his identity. He wore a somewhat faded blue jacket with a grey hood, a long red scarf around his neck. He was covered in a familiar glistening white powder, which you knew to be Monster dust.

Dust. Specifically, the Dust variant everybody was mistaking you for. But, how? You had some pretty noticeable differences. His skeletal hands were normal, not blackened claws. His teeth were blunt instead of pointed. And his demeanour was completely different to yours, seeming much more cold and closed off. Sure, your clothes were practically identical, but you were a little disappointed people couldn't seem to tell you apart. Maybe DustTale's were rare?

"...Who are you?" he let out with a slight growl, orbs narrowed and fixed on you. You could feel his magic in the air, tense and ready to fight, but he made no move yet, probably waiting to see what you would do.