``The human was last sighted entering the Waterfalls. It's recommended that monsters in that area remain indoors until a representative of the Royal Guard instructs them that it is safe to leave. Humans are considered extremely dangerous and contact with them may result in harm or entering a fallen state.''
Martlet frowned as she kept her eye on the TV, watching as the stoic face of the flip phone newscaster transitioned into a blurry image of a human walking across one of the Waterfall?s many wooden rope bridges. It made them look like some sort of cryptid.
``If you have any information on the human, please contact the Royal Guard as soon as possible.''
Marlet scoffed as she reached for the remote and turned off her TV. What a bunch of malarkey. No, this was more than just a mere bunch of malarkey. This was a metric tonne of malarkey plopped down in the midst of a field of the stuff.
Had similar news segments been aired when Clover had fallen? Had radio broadcasts been played for the human before them? Newspaper ads before that? Heck, it wouldn't surprise her if town criers had been used to relay the news of the very first human all those eons ago, telling lies of a similar nature.
Martlet got to her feet and walked towards the kitchen, grabbing her kettle and filling it with water. Once it was full, she then placed it down upon its element and turned on the heat. If nothing else, maybe a cup of tea would help settle her nerves.
As the water boiled, she looked out her kitchen window, seeing that there were still monsters mulling around outside. They were slow to get indoors. Regardless of what the news said, it would seem that the local populace was not overly perturbed by the idea of running into a human. That fact was enough to make a small smile form upon her otherwise tired beak.
At least not all monsters were as cruel as the authorities.
It took her a second to realize that she could see her reflection in the glass, appraising it. She was older than she had been during Clover, growing up from a bright-eyed and bushy tailed recruit to... well a slightly less idealistic thirty-year-old.
There was suddenly a knock at the door, disturbing her from her train of thought.
``Coming,'' she called, making her way over. ``Didn't you hear the news? We're supposed to be...''
She opened the door and saw nobody on the other side.
Spooky.
Until she looked down.
``Clover,'' Martlet whispered. Her eyes grew wide as something heavy started to crawl up her throat, wedging itself into her windpipe and suddenly making it quite difficult to breathe.
The human child shook their head.
No, fate would never be that kind. It was just that other human, who just happened to also have skin and hair and clothes. Maybe those traits were shared amongst all humans or something. Still, even Martlet could tell that they were a mere child,
A mere child who looked fearfully over their shoulder as they stood at her door. They seemed absolutely terrified right now, ready to sprint away at a moment's notice.
That's when Martlet noticed that there were little tears in their clothing with scratches and cuts lingering underneath. Some of them were still oozing red, just like Clover's had after enduring one of her feather barrages.
Martlet poked her head out and looked left and then right, seeing nobody around.
Why had they come to this door? Did humans happen to have the same neighbourhood watch stickers on their windows?
She couldn't just leave a child outside in this state. Plus, what if they were like Clover...
``Would you like to come in?'' Martlet asked, moving to the side and keeping the door propped open with one of her wings. ``I was just about to have some tea and I have...'' She mentally searched her inventory, trying to figure out what a child would even like. ``I have some caveberry scones. Do humans like scones?''
``Scones,'' the human whispered. ``That sounds nice.''
The poor dear finally walked through the door and Martlet quickly closed it behind them. She ensured that she locked it and then used the deadbolt and chain for good measure. It turned out that the last monster who lived here had been a little paranoid, something she appreciated in this current situation.
Martlet quickly walked back into the kitchen and pulled out one of the chairs, motioning towards it. ``Why don't you take a seat?''
The human child nodded and lumbered over, climbing into the offered spot. The poor thing looked so nervous right now, beaten down and more than a little hollow in terms of their disposition.
Martlet felt a pit form in her stomach, a guilty ravenous cavern. She noticed the wounds one last time and felt a certain anger bubble up from the back of her throat. There was no question about it. Only one guard used weapons that were capable of leaving marks like that.
Only one guard threw spears.
Martlet turned back to the counter as her kettle finally clicked. That's when she realized that her window was still open. So, she quickly pulled the curtains down, blocking her view of the outside world.
``I'm sorry but I don't really have too many flavours of tea,'' Martlet started to explain. ``Most of them are... uh... herbal and mushroom-based. So, do you prefer button mushroom tea or shiitake mushroom tea?''
The human child hummed, pondering this. As Martlet looked over at them, she could see that they were kicking out their feet, deep in thought.
``I think I'd like to try button mushroom tea,'' the human admitted.
Martlet nodded and opened her cupboard, looking at her modest collection of three boxes: two black and one white. She selected the left-most black box and pulled it out, reading the label.
``Nope! Definitely not for kids,'' she murmured as she put it back inside before grabbing the other, nodding more assuredly this time around. ``Much better.''
She placed two bags into two separate cups and filled each of them with water. She then placed them both upon a saucer and brought them over to the dining room table.
``Give it a few minutes to steep and cool down,'' Martlet explained, dipping away and quickly cracking open her pastry cupboard. She grabbed two scones from the bag inside. Yet, as she glanced back at the human, she decided to just grab the whole thing. The poor dear looked absolutely famished right now. ``I'm sorry that I don't have... a first aid kit or anything. We don't really do human medicine down here.''
``It's okay,'' the child said, looking down at their tea. ``Thanks for...''
They trailed off.
Martlet came back over and took a seat across from them. She tried to search for something to say, yet all the prospective avenues just felt so utterly wrong, right now. Small talk was too informal and the big topics felt far too heavy to just bring up out of the blue.
In the end, she sighed and gestured to the gash on their arm. ``Have all the monsters treated you like this?''
The child stirred and shook their head. ``Only that one in armour.'' They swallowed a lump in their throat before offering what Martlet could only describe as an extremely nervous smile. ``Snowdin was nice at least. There was this skeleton there. He made me spaghetti.''
``I used to be from Snowdin,'' Martlet said, beaming at the memories.
The human smiled. ``Is that why you're so nice?''
``Part of the reason,'' Martlet replied, winking at them. ``Though mostly that's because my oma would smack me with a spoon if I was mean to strangers. You know, back when I was a little chick who was still growing up.'' She snorted and shook her head, murmuring under her breath. ``Thankfully, she stopped doing that after I turned sixteen.''
The human nodded and looked at the tea, carefully plucking the bag out of the water. The poor thing's hand was shaking as they placed it down upon the saucer. Still, they didn't say anything as they took a sip, obviously not noticing how hot it still was.
What they did notice was the taste, as their face immediately scrunched up at the flavour.
``Sorry,'' Martlet said, frowning. ``I only have nasty old person drinks here.''
The human nodded and cradled the cup within their hands. It seemed that they were using it for warmth, if nothing else. ``It's okay, it reminds me of Toriel.''
``Toriel?'' Martlet asked, her eyes suddenly growing quite wide. ``You met the queen?''
``She was nice,'' the human said, reaching out and grabbing one of the scones. ``She made me this really nice pie and wanted me to stay with her.'' Their smile gained a little warmth. ``She's like Mother Grace back at the home.''
They tried to take a polite bite from the baked good but it quickly devolved into them devouring the whole thing, wolfing it down in a couple quick bites and leaving nothing but crumbs behind.
And it may have been Martlet's imagination, but she swore that she saw some of the wounds start to clear up just after they swallowed.
Why were humans so weird?
``Why didn't you?'' Martlet asked.
The human bit their lip. ``I want to go home. Everyone is probably worried.''
Ah...
Clover, are you sure this isn't you? Is this one last joke you wanted to play on me?
Martlet shoved these thoughts aside, knowing that it was impossible. She'd held their soul and delivered it to King Asgore himself. Yet, what were the chances of encountering two humans in one lifetime? That felt like impossible odds for someone who wasn't a Boss Monster.
``What's your name?'' the human asked.
Martlet stirred. ``Oh, I'm uh... I'm Martlet. I'm the handibird for this little town.'' She gestured across the table at them. ``How about you?''
``Frisk,'' the human said.
They reached for another of the scones though paused and looked at Martlet, seeming a little guilty about it. Martlet merely nodded in response, granting them permission to snatch another and take a bite from it.
While they ate, Martlet took a sip of tea, leaving the bag in her cup. A nasty habit but damn it, she was going to get every last drop of flavour out of her bag.
``Can I ask you a question?'' the human stated, pausing halfway through their scone. They waited until Martlet nodded to continue. ``You called me Clover. Who is that?''
Martlet was about to answer when there was suddenly another knock at the door. This one was much firmer than before. It was enough to rattle the old wood and the surrounding frame, jangling the lock and chain. The noise was so sharp that the human whimpered and flinched away from it, trying to make themself as small as possible.
``Martlet, are you home?'' a familiar voice called from the other side. ``It's Undyne.''
That voice made the human go pale.
Martlet looked at the child and leaned across the table, pointing towards her bedroom. She made sure to keep her voice low as she spoke. ``Hide in there. I'll take care of her.'' The human didn't move, nervously looking around as if trying to locate a route of escape. All Martlet could do was offer a reassuring smile, trying to call upon every ounce of acting like a nurturing mother that she could possibly fake. ``Trust me, please, I'll keep you safe. You have my word, Frisk.''
This seemed to be enough to get the human to stir, pushing out of their seat and scampering into the bedroom. Before they dipped inside, they looked at Martlet and mouthed `thank you' to her. Then they were gone, carefully closing the door behind themself.
With that taken care of, Martlet turned back towards the door, drawing in a breath as she approached it. ``Undyne, is that really you?''
``Yeah, I need your help with something,'' Undyne replied.
Martlet slowly drew the chain away and slid the deadbolt out before methodically turning the lock. Only then did she open the door. ``What's up?''
Undyne looked like she was in an absolutely frenzied state with terrified eyes that were darting all over the place. She was wearing a full set of armour which was caked in a solid layer of filth and grime, looking like she'd been trouncing through the waters outside. What little skin was exposed was covered in a heavy sheen of sweat mixed with even grit and dirt. At the best of times, she didn't seem like the kind of woman who was fond of nonsense and this definitely wasn't the best of times.
And yes, she smelled exactly like a monster who'd spent the last couple of hours wading through the swampy waters outside.
Without permission, she forced her way past Martlet and stepped into her home.
``There's a human loose in the Waterfalls,'' Undyne grumbled.
Martlet nodded and closed the door. ``So, I heard. The news was talking about it.''
``Yeah,'' Undyne said, surveying the room. ``Nice house.''
``Thanks,'' Martlet replied as she flashed a cheery smile. She hoped that it didn't come across as too strained. ``Turns out that homes are way more affordable once you get out of Snowdin and the capital.''
``You've done pretty well for yourself since leaving the Guard,'' Undyne added.
Martlet winced and subtly glanced towards her bedroom door.
Sorry, little buddy, I promise that I'm not going to rat you out. Just... trust me, please.
Undyne shook her head. ``I need to talk to you about the situation. I...''
``I'm not hiding them!'' Martlet snapped.
Undyne looked genuinely taken aback by the outburst, her eyes growing wide. ``What?''
``Wait, were you not going to accuse me of that?'' Martlet asked, swallowing a lump in her throat. She couldn't help but smile sheepishly as she folded her wings behind her back. ``I...''
``No,'' Undyne said, slowly shaking her head. ``I was not going to ask if you were hiding them. Why would you even think that.'' She scoffed. ``I was going to ask if you knew any tricks for baiting a human. The little twerp is fast and I'm having trouble thinking up the finer details for a Plan B.''
Martlet nodded slowly. ``I see.''
Undyne moved towards the bedroom and for a moment Martlet feared that she'd push through the door and stumble upon Frisk. Instead, she leaned against the wall and gestured towards her. ``I was planning to set a box trap and I needed to know what bait to use. And I know you had a run in with the last human. So, I was wondering if you happened to have some ideas about what they liked to eat.''
``You're going to bait a trap to catch a human?'' Martlet asked, cocking a brow.
``I mean my Plan A obviously isn't working,'' Undyne huffed, gesturing vaguely through the air. ``Do humans like candy or something?''
``Is it another child?'' Martlet asked.
Undyne shrugged. ``I think so. They're pretty small.'' She measured their approximate height with her hand. ``About this tall.'' Then she measured a pretty generous girth with both of her hands. ``And this wide.''
``Then yes, they'll probably like candy,'' Martlet replied, shaking her head. This couldn't really be happening, could it? ``You could probably pick up a bag of monster candy and just use that. I'm sure that would do the trick.''
Undyne snapped her fingers. ``Oh shit, I bet Napsta still has a bag of that lying around. They used to love that shit when they were corporal.''
She pushed away from her perch and made her way towards the front door. Except, just as she was about to leave, she paused and looked at the dining room once again. Her gaze lingered upon it, for a good long moment, obviously spotting the two cups of tea and the opened bag of scones between them.
``Martlet...'' Undyne began, the knife of suspicion creeping into her voice.
Martlet nodded and forced her most award-winning smile ever. Yet, she knew that it was falling terribly flat. ``Y-yeah?''
``Why was your home triple-locked?'' Undyne asked, turning to face her. Oh shit, she was onto her, catching the scent like a dog. There was no other way to really describe the kind of betrayal which now tainted her complexion, leaking into her voice.
Martlet shrugged. ``Well, I mean, you don't know what a human is going to be like. I'd rather be safe than sorry, you know?''
``And why are your blinds drawn?'' Undyne added, clenching her hand into a fist. Little sparks of vibrant blue crackled from between her fingers, taking shape and forming into tiny little spears. Thankfully, none of them were flying in her direction... yet.
Martlet drew in a breath and didn't answer, unsure of if there was a lie convincing enough to save her sorry hide.
Undyne cautiously took a step towards her, motioning towards the table. ``And why are there two cups of tea? Are you having guests over? Where are they?'' She scoffed and looked past her, back towards her bedroom door. ``And why were you so anxious about me thinking that you were harbouring a human in the first place. That's pretty suspicious, recruit.''
Think Martlet, think...
Either act fast or you're dust.
She swallowed a lump in her throat. ``Do you... do you remember Starlo?''
Martlet, what are you doing?
``That sheriff from the Dunes?'' Undyne asked.
Martlet nodded. ``Yeah, him!''
Undyne relaxed a little, the crackling around her fingers dying down. She instead tilted her chin towards Martlet, clearly wanting her to continue with her little story.
``Please don't make me say it,'' Martlet whined, surprised by how genuinely well her bullshitting was coming across. It turned out that she could put on one hell of a performance when she had the fear of the Angel in her. Maybe she should've taken a swing at going into theatre as a kid.
Undyne looked even more at ease. ``Say what?''
``Okay so...'' Martlet sighed. ``Me and him have been uh...'' Oh Angel, please let Starlo forgive me for using him like this. Yet, she knew that deep down he would. He was probably the only monster who cared more about humans than herself. ``We've been seeing each other.''
``Seeing each other?'' Undyne asked, lifting a brow. Still, that had been enough to disarm any suspicious, replacing it with a catty playfulness. It would seem that the desire for gossip trumped everything at this moment. ``Seeing each other how, Martlet? Last I checked him and Ceroba were...''
``Romantically,'' Martlet cut-in.
Undyne looked just a little confused at this confession. Then something dawned on her as she looked at the table then the bedroom and finally at Martlet once again. She slowly nodded, pursing her lips together. ``So, he's here.''
Martlet nodded.
``And in a position where he can't come out and say hello to me,'' Undyne whispered to herself.
Martlet flushed. ``Exactly.''
``Probably explains why you took forever to answer the door too,'' Undyne added, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. ``Because he was tied up doing something else.''
Martlet sighed. ``Quite literally.''
Okay, where the fuck did that come from? That's the last time you take a book recommendation from Ceroba!
Undyne just mutely nodded to herself, pursing her lips together. She seemed frozen in place, utterly unable to react to this new information. It would've made Martlet feel bad if there wasn't a life literally on the line right this second.
In the end, Undyne let out a boisterous laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. ``Damn girl, I didn't know you had it in you.'' She then did an about face and power walked towards the door. ``You kids have fun and please ensure that you don't tell me any of the details!''
And with that, she was just about to exit Martlet's home. Or she would've left it if something didn't stop her right at the door. She braced her hand against it and then slowly turned to face Martlet, clearly thinking of something else.
Martlet swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to power through the bad case of nerves which were currently tormenting her stomach. She couldn't crack. She'd made this far and she was going to see this through no matter what it cost.
``I'm sorry Martlet,'' Undyne said, sounding oddly sombre. ``You were a good guard but...'' She wagged a finger at her, suddenly putting on a voice. It was a voice that Martlet remembered from the human orientation videos back at the royal guard academy. The one with the human detective. ``Just one more thing.''
Martlet frowned. ``Undyne, I swear...''
``Hey, Starlo!'' Undyne suddenly called, cupping a hand around her lips in order to amplify her voice. It was loud enough that the whole damn neighbourhood probably heard her at this point. ``I always had you...'' She grinned as she winked at Martlet. ``Pegged as the kind of guy who would be into that sort of stuff.'' Finally, she waved and stepped outside, cackling like a Snowdrake. ``Sorry, sorry... couldn?t resist the opportunity. I'm sure you understand. You kids have fun now, okay?''
And then finally, mercifully, she was gone, closing the door behind herself.
Martlet let out a heavy sigh of relief, running a feathered hand across her forehead. She hadn't realized how badly she'd been sweating up to this point. Yet, it made sense. It wasn't every day that you confronted the reality of your own demise while facing the captain of the royal guard.
She silently stood there for a couple of minutes, as if expecting Undyne to suddenly come marching back in. Angel knew there were about a hundred holes in her story at this point. Yet, the peace remained, the sky not having fallen on her this day.
``You can come out now,'' Martlet finally called, certain that the coast was clear.
Her bedroom door opened and the human child stepped out, anxiously rubbing at their arm. They looked sullen, sunken, like they were going to cry. A sharp pang ran through Martlet's heart, followed by a healthy dose of anger.
This child looked utterly defenseless and Undyne was hunting them down like they were sport. Just because Asgore was being pompous and ridiculous and... a hundred other unkind things that should never be spoken aloud around a child. Even if she'd just blown that commitment clear out of the water with her prior conversation.
Oh Angel, she was becoming Ceroba.
``Thanks for doing that,'' Frisk said, looking at the door. ``I thought that she was going to find me.''
``Not if I had anything to say about it,'' Martlet replied, prodding a thumb into her chest.
Frisk nodded and returned to the table, taking a seat at it. They kicked out their feet, picking up the half-finished scone and then polishing off the rest of it with a couple more ravenous bites. Once finished, they then reached for a third but paused and looked guiltily at Martlet.
Martlet could only smile in response. ``Have as many as you'd like, dear. It looks like you could use them more than I could.''
She also took a seat at the table and picked up her cup, feeling the lingering wisps of warmth against her fingers. It had cooled enough for her to safely enjoy a sip. The mushroom flavour was pretty potent, like a rich broth at this point.
``Why...'' Frisk sighed. ``Why did you do that for me?''
Martlet cocked a brow. ``Pardon?''
``Why did you risk your life for me?'' Frisk asked. ``You don't even know me?''
Oh, how wrong they were. It might've been years and the names might've changed but...
That face...
Martlet had seen that face before. She had seen that kind of innocence and kindness, remembering it through time and space. This was a face that graced her at the worst of times and filled her dreams on more than one occasion.
``You...'' Martlet sighed. ``You remind me of an old friend that would've wanted me to do this. They were obsessed with doing what was right.'' She then shrugged, offering a coy little smile. ``Also call me a traitor or whatever but I'm not totally onboard with the whole uh... child killing thing that Asgore seems to have going on.''
Frisk nodded and said nothing to that.
``You can stay as long as you'd like,'' Martlet said. Yet, she knew in her gut that this human wouldn't stay long. It was like their race was endowed with a spirit to press on, no matter the cost. ``At least stay the night. It would make me feel better knowing that you slept somewhere safe.''
Frisk looked like they were about to decline. Unfortunately, as they looked up, Martlet preempted this rebuttal by hitting them with the most intense set of puppy dog eyes that she could possibly manage. Even in her thirties, it seemed like this was enough to win them over, making their gaze flinch away with a guilty little look overcoming them.
``I can stay the night,'' they finally conceded.
Martlet smirked. ``I'm happy to hear it.'' She then nodded towards her bathroom. ``I have a shower and plenty of hot water.''
Frisk nodded and finished off their third scone before pushing themself out of their seat. They then walked towards the bathroom, leaving Martlet alone with her thoughts.
Thoughts which were less than kind to her at this moment.
They aren't Clover.
Just one more Soul.
You don't owe them anything.
Who knows if they're even safe to let loose onto the Underground in the first place?
Thankfully, Martlet was saved from the depth of her own mind as her cellphone chirped twice, in quick succession. These twin sounds drew her attention towards the device as she picked it up.
Starlo: ``Hey uh... why did Undyne just text me, asking if I had fun getting pegged by you? What's going on over there?''
Ceroba: ``So, you and my husband, huh?''
Martlet sighed.
Martlet: ``So, long story...''
