deercountry | facing demons (closed)

[ not again.

that's all katherine can think when the ground begins to shake beneath them. the last time she had been in a building for the purpose of shopping and felt the ground rumble, the ceiling and walls had collapsed in on her. (and stefan's never let her live it down.)

she'd been alone. now, she doesn't particularly want to take any chances.

katherine follows frisk easily, dropping what's in her hands for the sake of survival.

huddled behind the counter, katherine ensures to stay close to frisk. she tries to ensure that frisk is covered; even though she doesn't particularly like things falling on top of her, it's better it happens to her. she can heal from it. ]

Why is this place always falling in on itself!?

[ honestly!!! ]

( Frisk keeps their gaze upwards, watching for any sign of something potentially falling on their friend. They can at least try to protect her in the case of things getting worse. )

Something bad always ends up happening here.

( But, if they're glad that they aren't alone right now, just as they're glad that they aren't alone.

It's only when the rumbling stops that Frisk feels themselves relax a little, pushing themselves up to stand. )

I wonder what caused that.

Hang on, hang on. You don't want to hurry just yet.

[ considering trench has so many surprises, well... it's good to be cautious.

katherine doesn't move and she encourages frisk not to, either. the rumbling may have stopped, but that doesn't mean it's gone. staying quiet for a moment longer, she looks around as she tries to listen to the natural-sounding creaks of the building and the world around them. ]

I can't hear anything else.

[ it's then that she ushers with her hand for frisk to continue with their plan, intending to follow suit. ]

( Frisk waits for Katherine give the okay for them to leave, following closely behind her as she begins to make her way outside. )

If there's anything out there -- I have a way that I can protect you.

( It's not a power that she'd remember them using, but they don't want her to think that they're completely helpless. They might be a child, but they've been through a lot more than what this world has done to them.

Still, they'll stay behind Katherine. It may be better to have someone watching her back right now, anyways.

But, as they continue walking, Frisk will stop in their when they see just how things have changed outside, wordlessly looking to the path that seems to have opened up. There's a brief look of fear in the way that they're frozen in their steps. They've been through the underground once before here.

Seeing what lies below may not lead to anything good.

[ stopping alongside frisk, katherine quietly exhales. it's never easy here, is it? where there's an earthquake, there's always something to follow. katherine was hoping this would be simply a mere growling of the earth and nothing more. ]

I believe that.

[ she says that kindly; even though it's belated, katherine imagines frisk may like hearing that. it's always nice to have your capabilities believed, especially when you're a child.

she sighs again, heavier this time. ]

Are you afraid of dark spaces?

( Her words are indeed encouraging, and Frisk can't help but smile a little in response. They're used to people wanting so desperately to protect them at this point in time.

Frisk looks over the newly-formed hole then, shaking their head. )

No. ... But, last time that we could go underground here, it was--

Scary. Dark in another way.

Hm.

[ katherine takes a step forward and tilts her ear towards the hole opening. narrowing her eyes, she listens intently for a few noticeable seconds. she even wiggles her nose.

shaking her head, she looks back at frisk. ]

I can't hear or smell anything… which is a little unusual for the Trench. [ and deerington. deerington always liked its jumpscares. ]

Are you curious about what might be down here? It could be nothing.

Yes.

( Despite Frisk's fears, there's no denying that. There's no telling if the situation will be the same as before when they played that board game from before. )

There might not be anything. But, there could be somewhere new to see, too.

( Nothing here really happens without a reason for it. )

There could be an underground city waiting for us to hit their shopping centres.

[ it's a tease, what with katherine pursing her lips and lifting her shoulders, but there is some truth to it. given the nature of deerington and the trench, she wouldn't be surprised if they stumble across some weird city that's waiting for them to be explored. ]

I'm game if you are. I am wearing my underground heels.

[ they're just regular black boots, but, hey! they're perfect for collecting dirt. ]

( Frisk can't help but smile then, lips tugging upwards into a smile. The way she's joking now helps comfort them. )

Back at home -- I ended up falling into the Underground. I ended up making a lot of friends then.

( They have a lot of memories then -- both good and bad, but there's no mistaking the fact that they were able to meet others who they could call family now. )

When it happened here, it was scary, but uhm... You're right -- it could be different here.

( They pause for a moment before extending a hand for her to take. If she's going to go, they definitely don't want her to go alone. It could be dangerous... )

[ placing her hand in frisk's, katherine smiles. she thinks to leave it at that, to let frisk's own experience hang between them. katherine likes to think of herself as a selfish person who doesn't consider the needs of others. it's easy to play into that role when it's expected of her, but frisk... frisk doesn't expect that unkindness.

and so katherine doesn't wish to let frisk's own vulnerable confession hang between them, leaving them feeling heavier.

this isn't her first time being underground. the last time she had been surrounded by such dark and possibly dank walls, it'd been of someone else's doing. ]

I spent some time underground back home. I was in a tomb. [ the way she says it is with a light tone, although it's somewhat of a dark time for katherine. desiccating had been terrible. the boredom had been unbearable. ]

I think this will be a much better experience. [ she smiles at frisk. ] I at least have company this time.

( Frisk stops in their steps then, looking to Katherine with concern - mouth pressed together into a thin line, brows furrowed as their grip on her hand increases - just a little. )

... Why were you in a place like that?

( It reminds them of when they had fallen into the underground here. The catacombs were a place that Frisk would never wish for anyone to visit. They can't help but wonder if that place was similar to where Katherine was beforehand. )

[ she could make up a lie. spin some tale about how she had been so unjustly trapped in a tomb. but katherine knows that the story has different ways of telling it. stefan's perspective may have changed over the last year, but she's still certain his version of events would still claim that katherine was causing too much mayhem for a lot of people. ]

Some people thought I wasn't very nice, so they wanted to trap me somewhere I couldn't get out of.

[ she says it like she's speaking of a pair of shoes. it's better to mentally keep her distance. the tomb had been long and hard and utterly uncomfortable, and katherine had hated feeling powerless.

she looks at frisk and lifts a shoulder. ] I wasn't a nice person to some people. They'd say I was unjustly mean. I wouldn't.

( Frisk looks up with a sympathetic look then, shaking their head. They don't know Katherine very well, and they don't know their past. But, they do know that they've been a good friend. She's been kind and helpful -- easy and fun to speak with. Frisk has known people who were cruel to them, and even then they wouldn't have wanted them to suffer through anything cruel like what she was describing. )

You aren't a bad person.

[ she sighs quietly. looking at frisk, she smiles. ] Many would disagree.

[ some may have changed their minds. she knows stefan has. but many would say that she is a bad person who has done bad things. katherine knows she has. but without the context of why... it's easier to paint her as the bad guy. ]

But thank you. [ looking ahead, she ducks her gaze momentarily. scrunching up her face, she looks at them again. ] Do you find it hard to take a compliment?

[ as someone who preens and enjoys attention every now and then, a genuine compliment throws her off balance. ]

( Frisk is about to ask her why that may be, but then she asks something else and they can't help but stop - tilting their head in a curious manner. )

No. Why?

( It almost feels off topic from what they were just talking about, so they can't help but ask. )

I do.

[ for someone who was as vain and fond of preening as katherine, she does find herself struggling with taking genuine compliments. it might have something to do with the fact she's so used to disparaging comments instead.

she shrugs in an effort to downplay it. ]

I don't get to hear a lot of them. [ she waves her hand. ] It's the whole being perceived as a bad person thing. [ pursing her lips, she jokes, ] For some reason, no one wants to compliment you.

[ except people like frisk. the good ones. ]

But, you aren't a bad person. ( Frisk starts, stopping in their steps. That's something that they're certain about. And... even if she was someone who did bad things: )

... Sometimes, the people who seem bad are the people who need to be cared for the most.

[ that's another way of putting it. she stops and lifts her gaze up to the cave walls thoughtfully. that's not something many of the people who know her would say… but then again, none of them had known her at all. ]

Even if they were very cruel and did reprehensible things?

... Yeah.

( There's a pause then, Frisk going quiet as they look down. )

Someone at home called me a best friend -- but, they ended up hurting me a lot. But... a lot of bad things had happened to them, too.

[ she sighs quietly. that best friend sounds a lot like her to the people she called friends.

gently, she asks, ] Do you think they did it on purpose? Hurting you.

Yeah.

But, it was because they thought that they had to.

facing demons (closed)

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