Fading Ink

Chapter 28

"are you okay?"

Error looked up from the ground and around the anti-void. He knew that voice.

But he didn't dare answer.

He tried to pinpoint where the voice had come from.

Outerswap?

No, no it was Underswap.

The voice had come from Underswap.

That was new. None of the voices that had spoken to him before had ever had a source. But then again, he'd never recognized any of the voiced before.

Still, he didn't speak, trying to decide what to do.

He could stay here.

Or he could go see for himself if... Ink was really in Underswap.

If it was even Ink at all.

He looked down at the puppet of Ink in his hands.

Well, it wasn't like he was doing anything anyways.

So he stood, clutching the puppet tightly, and opened a portal right into Blue's living room.

"bluEbERRy?" He called out, stepping through, and Stretch poked his head out of the kitchen.

"hey Error. you just missed him. went out somewhere."

"Oh." Error shifted in place. He hadn't really ever had a good past with Stretch. Should he stay or should he leave?

"dO yOu knOw whERE hE wEnt?"

Stretch shrugged.

"nope."

"Oh."

When Error continued to stand there awkwardly, Stretch sighed and plodded out of the kitchen, slumping into the couch. He patted the spot next to him.

"c'mon sit down."

Error frowned.

"uhh..."

"i don't bite, buddy."

At Stretch's repeated invitation, Error tentatively sat on the edge of the couch.

"so, what's buggin' you?"

A part of Error was half tempted to answer. The other part wanted to scoff and leave, and go back to moping.

"i mean, this is the first time you've shown your face since, well, the big shenanigan. blue'd be ecstatic to see ya."

"thE big shEnanigan?" Error repeated sourly, a look similar to disbelief on his face. Stretch looked proud of himself.

"yeah i know, it's such a cool name!"

"whatEvER." Error rolled his eyes, and crossed his arms, an effective pouting posture. When Stretch said nothing, he looked back to see the other monster rifling through his pockets in search of something.

"aha, here they are. want one?"

If Error had a nose to wrinkle, it would be. Instead he had to settle for a disgusted look at the pack of cigarettes Stretch was offering.

"nO."

Stretch shrugged, lit one for himself, and sighed into the couch.

"anyways, what was i... oh yeah, why are you showing up all of a sudden? what dragged you out of that white hell?"

"... ink." Error pulled his feet up on the couch so he could sit with them crossed. Stretch sat up.

"Ink's back?"

"that's thE thing. i dOn't knOw."

"hmm." Stretch puffed. "well you couldn't mope forever. if he's actually back, you should probably find him."

"that's... actually why i camE hERE. i thOught i fElt ink hERE, but whatEvER it was is gOnE nOw."

Error sighed.

"i dOn't want... tO bE alOnE anymORE."

"then go find him."

Error stood, opened a portal, and left.

~~~~

"UndERtonE!" Blue announced gleefully, spreading his arms wide.

Ink glanced around him at the empty judgement hall.

"Blue, what."

"i was UnconscioUs foR most of thE timE wE spEnt hERE." Blue strode forward confidently. Ink walked calmly behind, albeit confused.

"Uh?"

"YEah, i lost most of mY sight hERE too." Blue stood in the middle of the hall and put his hands on his hips.

"Blue, seriously, let's just go back to Underswap."

"no, YoU nEEd to know! i'm hELping! this is whERE YoU and ERRoR finaLLY staRtEd gEtting aLong. it's aLso whERE i got this cRack on mY facE."

Ink scoffed.

"Blue, I highly doubt Error and I would ever get along, but okay. I think it's time to go home, alright? You can't possibly be feeling well. Maybe we can get some help and figure out the whole "error" thing."

Blue glanced over his shoulder with a pout.

"i fEEL finE ink! BEsidEs, it's YoU who nEEds hELp!"

Ink opened his mouth to protest as Blue flounced forward, shutting it when Blue picked something up off the ground.

"hEY! it's Back!"

Despite his annoyance at being here in the first place, Ink walked over to satiate his curiosity at what exactly "it" was.

In Blue's orange gloved hand lay a small puppet, and Ink recognized it as an Undertone Sans.

"Blue. What. Is that."

"it's a pUppEt, ink. comE on."

"Duh, I meant why does it exist. Why is it here."

"ERRoR madE it! thoUgh i don't know whY it showEd Up hERE. shoULdn't it havE gonE Back to thE anti-void?"

Ink blinked.

"Um? How should I know? I didn't even know Error made puppets?"

"YEah! hE's BEEn making thEm foR a Long timE. hUh. i nEvER REaLLY thoUght aBoUt it, BUt i think hE was tRYing to makE onE foR EvERY au."

Blue looked down at the puppet again.

"maYBE hE's looking foR thEm. maYBE that's why noBody's sEEn him."

"Yeah, yeah, cool. Error makes puppets?"

"YEs ink wE'vE bEEn ovER this. But it's actUaLLY kind of cooL, BEcaUsE hE can sEnsE a UnivERsE's staBiLitY thRoUgh its pUppEt."

Ink shuffled his feet, feeling stupid about a question he hadn't even asked yet.

"Did he make one of me?" He blurted out.

Blue looked up, smiling.

"YEah, hE did. i havE no idEa whERE it coULd BE thoUgh. maYBE thE doodLE sphERE? oR maYBE it's in thE void. oR thE anti-void."

"So wait, what about the puppets that don't have universes. What then?"

Blue shrugged,

"i don't know. i BaRELY UndERstand thE whoLE staBiLitY sEnsing."

"Do you think the connection goes both ways?"

Blue shrugged, and let out a surprised yelp when Ink snatched the Undertone Sans puppet out of his hand.

It was expertly made, even he could see that. Though he didn't feel anything from the universe. Or Error.

Maybe it only worked for Error. Error wasn't even here, yet he still managed to piss Ink off. He clenched the puppet in his fist.

"Blue, we have to find Error. I have questions and they need answers."

~~~~

IT'S BEEN TEN YEARS SINCE THE LAST UPDATE SORRY