Discord and Rhymes (UNDERTALE)

[gantzgun74]

Partway relieved and partway amused at Roman's behavior and conceded defeat, Frisk chuckled as they put away the Newspaper and nodded. "Alright~. Whatever you say, oh good and strong Roman~. But hey, look on the positive side. With me around, you can learn a bunch of new stuff you didn't know before! So there's always that." Roman looked a bit intrigued to hear this. "For instance, lesson number 1... Fighting shouldn't have to be the answer. Sure sometimes it's unavoidable... BUT."

(2:50 Plays along here

FRISK
LVL 1
HP 20

FIGHT
ACT
ITEM
-> MERCY

FLEE
-> SPARE

You spared Roman.
You win the battle!

(The final resounding note is released just as Frisk releases a calming magical wave from his sparing)

The calming wave Frisk's sparing caused seemed to soothe Roman somewhat. "Sometimes being merciful is the better option. Sometimes a peaceful solution CAN exist. You never know till you try right~?" Frisk chuckled as they pet Roman on the head. "You were a pretty 'cool' foe though Roman~. I look forward to more 'frozen stiff' competition~."

AND AGAIN WITH THE FUCKIN' PUNS....

Frisk giggled as they pet Roman one more time and took a seat in the chair not too far away.

[ParamountKeymaster]

Arms still folded, doing his best to maintain a distinguished posture as he was allowed to relax, Roman studied Frisk and took in their words with a sort of calm interest. Eventually he smiled... and it was a very cute smile at that. That fell through when Frisk started petting him again, causing Roman to flinch and grimace with embarrassment. He made a mental note to retool his persona to emphasize that he was a wolf, not a dog...

When Frisk went to sit, Roman briefly rubbed his head, then smiled again, bounded after them and sat down in the next chair over. "But of course! Skill and tactic are important, yes, but the gauge of a true hero is character! One must always be ready to fight for what's right, whether it be through fisticuffs or diplomacy!"

Now that he had significantly calmed down, Roman could take a deep breath and really think about what had just occurred between him and Frisk. Sure, he had expected something bigger and Frisk had behaved less like an opponent and more like an owner playing with their dog, but at least Roman got to test his skills. At least he got to see Frisk in action. Wasn't that what he came here for?

His smile turned dorkier and his ears folded back slightly. "That, uh... That was kinda fun, though... A-Ahem... Much obliged, my friend." Roman then reached into his fanny pack and pulled out some non-lemon flavor monster candy, popping one in his mouth and offering a few to Frisk.

[Monolilith]

Captor, for his part, has paced off to the side this entire time. He looks... a bit disappointed, for unclear reasons, but only for moments at a time. Even now, he is silent, simply observing, with either no reactions or very well contained ones.

He wishes, to himself, that he could say his mind is roaring for the sake of this narration. But that would be untrue. It is almost eerily quiet, passively contemplative. The oddest thing is... he has no idea what to do with himself.

No clue whatsoever.

It's a little freaky, and it comes with a sense of helplessness. So he paces.

[gantzgun74]

Frisk finally notices Captor again for the first time since the fight began, noting the man just pacing around like he was doing his best not to panic... After a moment, Frisk jumped up onto the table and motioned to the adult. "Heeeey~!! Mr! We've just finished the fight! Did you not see it~? Come on!"

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Mr. Captor, sir, our duel is complete," Roman politely stated. "You may unfreeze... time? Or... at least the good Dr. Alphys."

Because hey, it would be great to meet her too!

[Monolilith]

"... yeah. I saw the fight, kid." He forces himself to slow. Straightens his lapels.

Then, with a quiet and somewhat morose wave of his hand, time unfreezes. He promptly finds and lowers himself into a chair, heedless of which one it is.

[gantzgun74]

When Frisk see's time slowly start moving forward, the child turns to see Alphys starting to move again... They had also noticed the odd reception to all of this by Captor but... They could focus on that in a moment. For now, Alphys needed first priority due to just the sheer strangeness of this happening.

"Alphys? Hello...? Alphys..."

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Well, perhaps I- EEP!" Alphys jumped back a foot, startled by the sudden shift in the scene. In a nanosecond, not only had Frisk changed position, but two complete strangers had appeared out of nowhere! What just happened?!

"U-Um, Frisk...?? D-Did...? How...? Where...? Who...?"

"Fret not, Dr. Alphys!" Roman boldly offered. "We mean no harm. Mr. Captor here momentarily froze time so that I, the Mighty Roman, could test my skill against that of Frisk. Rest assured, your human friend is unharmed, and I must say that it is an honor to meet the both of you."

"Um... Th... Thank you...?" Alphys had absolutely no idea what to say. Apparently this man froze time so this wolf monster pup could duel Frisk? When put like that, it sounded completely insane, but considering the odd things she had witnessed and seen to personally, it could've very well been plausible. Still, Alphys couldn't help but gaze awkwardly at Frisk as if to silently beg for help and/or proof that she wasn't crazy.

[gantzgun74]

.............. Frisk recognized the expression from Alphys, the poor thing...

Frisk's response was to show her the rolled up newspapers... Then papping her on the head with them gently.

The child smiled a bit. "Don't worry Alphys. I thought I was nuts too at first. One second I was blowing my nose and the next I..." OH GOD... OH GOD ITCH.. ITCH... "I... I..." No no no no-

"AAAACHOOOO!!!" Frisk had turned their head fast enough and caught the snot in their hand, which was definitely an improvement over sending that green gunk onto Alphys. ".... I was in the lab and you were frozen mid-conversation.... I was a bit worried at first... Ewww...." Frisk was quick to go over to the table and pull out a tissue to clean up their hand.

[ParamountKeymaster]

"O-Oh dear..." Regardless of what had occurred within the paused timeframe, Frisk's condition was no less worrisome. "Oh boy, things are hectic enough already... H-Here, Frisk, sit down..."

While Frisk took a seat and cleaned up, Alphys quickly checked her boiling pot of noodles, then cast an awkward glance at her two spontaneous visitors. "S-So, um... Roman, did you say it was?"

"Yes, Roman!" the pup proudly responded. "Monster hero in the making!"

"W-Well, it's... very nice to meet you, but... y-you came here to fight Frisk?"

"It was an honorable duel. I of course meant no harm to Frisk. I simply wished to demonstrate my abilities and see how they fare against theirs."

Alphys was having a hard time figuring out how to respond to this child. "Um... Well, I... appreciate that you didn't intend to hurt them, b-but... I'm sorry, but can't you see that Frisk is not well? To go and spring this spontaneous duel on them..."

"To be fair, Frisk was willing to accept my offer, and they defended quite impressively."

[gantzgun74]

Frisk smiled a little bit at Alphys. "Yeah.. It's okay Alphys~. After all, it's like Undyne said before. Literally EVERYONE has tried to kill me at least once before~. What's one more monster added to the list? Sides, Roman's an okay guy~." The child threw away the tissue and let out a sigh. "Plus, it was a good learning experience for both of us."

They looked to Captor, more then remembering their conversation before.

He had wanted Frisk to be blunt and to the point. To let Roman know he had a lot to learn...

But... That wasn't exactly Frisk's style... Thankfully, however, it looked like the fight had won Roman over to some extent. Maybe not completely, but enough for him to see Frisk wasn't about to further entertain an unnecessary squabble. And even if they did, none of Roman's attacks would have made contact anyway. Give Frisk this, they were fast on their feet.

[Monolilith]

...

He manages to stand, hands nestling jn his pockets. His exhausted eyes settle on Frisk, and he jerks his head to the side, brow lined with question.

He wants to talk to them. Where the others can't hear... or perhaps not as well.

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Indeed. And as I stated, I had no intention of harming Frisk, and I assure you that neither of us are in any worse condition than we were prior," Roman added with a curt nod.

"I... I see..." Alphys could at least be relieved about that, even if Frisk's illness was still disconcerting, not to mention the fact that they were already starting to incorporate this child into their group. Not that she was objecting to looking after him. Roman seemed young, barely older than Frisk, and it was easily presumable that he would need someone to keep an eye on him. Still... this was all happening so quickly, it was hard for Alphys to come to any rational conclusions.

She switched off the stove, smiling awkwardly at the wolf pup. "W-Well... A-At least you two seem to be getting along?"

"Oh yes, absolutely!" Roman beamed at the lizard. "And I'm certain that now that I am here, amongst friends of Frisk, I will finally have the perfect outlet to come into my own!"

"That's, um... Good to know." Alphys did her best to keep her chin up as she stirred the flavor packet into the noodles. She then turned to look at the other man, who hadn't said a word since he and Roman spontaneously appeared. "Um..."

[gantzgun74]

Frisk tilted their head at Captor curiously.... Then looked to Alphys and Roman... It took the child a moment to realize that the man had been referring to them. "....." They looked to Alphys. "Don't worry Alphys~. I know this is a little confusing. But it'll be fine~." The child shrugged a bit and got up out of their chair. "Just give me a second. Apparently this man wants to speak with me about something. I won't be long... And when I get back, we can eat some noodles. I know some soup will probably do the runny nose some good."

With that said, Frisk walked up to Captor before the man guided them away, outside the door and into the hall...

"..... What's wrong? You look like someone just jabbed a highheel into your foot."

[Monolilith]

Before Frisk leads him out, Captor approaches Alphys himself. "It's an honor to... encounter you, Dr. Alphys. I hope an easier hour will have us meet again." He gives a curt nod, and then he leaves.

His back stays to Frisk for an unnerving time. Then, he sighs. His voice is soft.

"your... 'style'. I know your tale, Frisk. By some miracle, your sheer charisma led you out of the underground. But how many did you really help? Tell me honestly.

"You saved the Underground. Irrefutable. But how many specific lives did you better?"