Strange Ones: Volume 3

A Good Man He Was

"Guys," Alex said to Yang, Thorax and Nat, who were sitting down at a table near the cafe. "Should I be concerned?"

"Concerned about Bendy?" Yang raised an eyebrow, getting a nod from her blue-haired friend. "Meh. Can't really blame you for it. After all, he is our friend."

"Oh, yeah." Thorax nodded. "Boris told me about that incident today. He sounded so worried, I couldn't help but feel bad."

"Well, don't." Nat said, crossing her arms.

"Nat, how can you say that?" Yang put on a wide-eyed glare, giving it to the cyan Inkling. "Aren't you worried at all?"

"Of course I'm worried! Bendy's a strong guy, I would know. Sure, he's short for his age. But, he actually has some strength in him. He can take care of himself."

In response, Thorax let out a loud sigh and slammed his head on the table. All of the sudden, the whole table fell into silence. Not wanting to turn their moment into a awkward one, Alex pulled out her phone and decided to text one of her friends. But who would she text? She had to think about it a lot before she decided to text Jonas.

Alex: Hey.

With that, Alex waited for a response until her phone gave off a short beeping sound. It was a reply from her stepbrother.

Jonas: What's up?

Alex: Where are you right now?

Jonas: I'm with Blake. Why?

Alex: Just checking up on you...

Jonas: Okay...

Alex: Should I feel concerned about Bendy right now?

Jonas: I could've asked you the same thing. -_-

Alex: You're concerned too, huh?

Jonas: Yep...

Letting out a sigh, Alex slipped her phone back into her jacket pockets, deciding that she was done texting for the day. Then, she stood up from the table and walked off, not before informing her friends of her departure. As she walked around the coliseum, her mind suddenly wandered to W.D. Gaster's journal. So far, she had read five entries already, and she was already becoming curious of the rest. Looking down at her jacket, she reached into it and pulled the worn-out journal from it. Looking around at her surroundings, she decided to go somewhere private so she can continue reading.

Right now, she was inside another bathroom stall, reading another entry of the old journal.

April 14, 1998

I had to skip work, for little Petra has fallen ill with a high fever. The poor child felt weak and she didn't have the energy to play. It killed me to see her that way, I must admit. Even Sans and Papyrus were just as worried as I was. One time, when I was giving Petra her medicine, I was visited by the Altas General, James Ironwood. He wanted to have a word with me alone. I agreed, promising Petra that I will return to her.

"What did you guys talk about?" Alex quietly asked, raising an eyebrow as she read the chapter.

Later on, it turned out that it wasn't just me talking with James. It was Asgore and Toriel as well. We were inside their office when the conversation happened. Over there, James declared an alliance with Delta. He explained that the Atlas Military is planning to collaborate with Delta for years to come. He was willing to accept Asgore and Toriel's choice, whether it was accepted or rejected. It took at least an hour for both of them to decide, and they accepted the alliance with Atlas. After that, James left to announce the news to his fellow soldiers, thrilled. When I came back to care for young Petra, my heart suddenly melted when I saw her snuggling with Sans and Papyrus. Though I was happy, I was also concerned, for I was afraid by two sons would expose themselves to her fever. But when I placed my hand on the child's head, I sighed with relief, for it has gotten down. My sons must have taken care of her for me while I was away. I should be grateful to have them in my life.