From War to Science {UNDERTALE}

Appointed

Fifty years passed—not so long for monsters, but long enough for their fears of another attack to subside. Things weren't like the surface, no; there had been quite a lot of work done to pave and shape the caverns around them into something habitable, and, in the interest of space, their buildings mostly comprised of tent-like structures rather than actual buildings. The king and queen had a proper house, of course, but it was roomy and always open to guests.

But the cavern was temperate and spacious enough to live in. And, most importantly, it now had a real name: Home.

The king wasn't great at names, but this one did boost morale terrifically. And, as time went on, Home began to live up to its name. Families were growing, businesses were starting to pop up, and, truth be told, things were starting to get a little crowded at this point. But, finally, the monsters had become comfortable in their new situation.

And, surprisingly enough, so had Gaster.

Naturally, things weren't ideal. Skeletons weren't big on being anywhere remotely crowded and, of course, there were days where he felt impossibly alone—it was only natural, given that he appeared to be the only skeleton who made it underground. But there was hardly time to dwell on that; his time had been all but eaten up with setting up farms, devising puzzles just in case of an attack, and, of course, learning the language. He was quite fluent in it now, mostly thanks to chatting with Toriel.

In his time between projects, he read voraciously. It had taken a few years for him to be able to really read the language, but once he could, he couldn't stop. Especially scientific books; he'd exhausted Toriel's supply within a couple years, and resorted to searching in Waterfall (he hoped Asgore came up with a better name for that place soon) for ones that had fallen from the surface.

Even with all of his reading, though, there was no answer to how they had grown the flower so long ago. So, with the city built, the farming methods stable, and puzzles completed, he finally had time to do research projects.

~

This one, like many others, started in the market.

"Well, if it ain't that ol' bag of bones!" Gerson called out as Gaster approached.

With no battles to be fought now, the turtle monster had turned to agriculture and was surprisingly good at it. As for him and Gaster, getting Asgore back to the camp in one piece had apparently assuaged any doubts about the skeleton. He teased Gaster quite a bit, but Asgore had assured that it meant Gerson liked him.

Gerson leaned against his stand as Gaster weaved through the crowds of shoppers. "So whaddaya want?"

"Just a crab apple," Gaster replied easily as he dug out a few small lumps of gold—their currency down here. He paused, then smiled a bit. "Er, actually, how about two? This last batch has been..." His hands fluttered as he searched for the word. "...exceptional."

"Well, y'know what? Have the second one on the house," Gerson said as he winked his good eye. "After all, you're nothin' but skin and bones—without the skin! Wa ha ha!"

Gaster managed a smile at the very original joke as he set down a bit of gold. "Yes, funny. Thank you, Gerson."

He quickly made his way out of the market, dodging a few children running past. Soon enough, he reached the living area and gratefully slipped into his own tent. He let out a breath, relieved to be away from the bustle, and took a moment to look around his own home.