Know thy world!

“I felt…that maybe it was unfair that we took you from your home…”

In reality, Cyber City was destroyed once the Fountain ceased to exist. Kris destroyed that world, so there was some guilt there. At least, from the real Kris. The being within? Kris didn’t know how it felt. The only information Kris knew was that it desired to fend off boredom. And that it didn’t care about how Kris felt and simply used them as a proxy for its fun. Kris hated it so much!

“Do you miss being in the city? It must have been more exciting…”

~*~☕~*~

Swatch’s smile shrank a little, although they made a heroic effort to keep it on.  In honesty? They did miss Cyber City and the café’s usual clientele, even the weird and annoying ones. They missed the city’s streets and being able to be in other places than just the café.

“It is…music is very…wonderful…”

Kris lowered their head, or as much as the being within would allow them. They came off so stiff sometimes, but with the chance given the human would change the subject. They wanted to know if the change of Dark Worlds bothered the Darkners that once lived somewhere else. Kris didn’t think so, yet they wanted to ask, Swatch seemed like a good one to inquire about the issue.

“Are you happy here? I mean…we did take you from Cyber City…”

It was nowhere near as grand as the cafe in the city was. Kris wanted to be sure everyone was happy, or as happy as the Darkners could be.

~*~☕~*~

The question took Swatch by surprise. Happy? Huh... They took a moment to consider it. “Of course things could be better around here, but I don’t have any major complaints,” they said.

She lent forward to get a better angle on the image. She found herself looking at a humanoid monstrosity with an open brain case and eyes with no way of closing. So many entry points and places for harmful bacteria to fester. Aizawa had said human-made. Whoever had made this was an idiot. She had a sudden urge to take care of it. “Aww.. How cute.. Poor thing looks like an overbred dog though. Whoever made it isn’t looking for long term success. I haven’t seen anything like that around here, I’m afraid or I’d have taken it in.” She giggles. “There’s not many humans at this station either, just the two rangers and my lab staff. Oh I know. Let me show you the roster, so if you spot any of them you’ll know they’re supposed to be there.”

~*~🐱~*~

Aizawa nodded and pulled his phone back. Not long term success, huh? Interesting... He then nodded as Mala spoke on. “Alright, that’ll help me, thank you,” he said.

Mala closed her eyes to collect herself. “Disease in the still water pools, sink-holes, hard scrabble, sudden drops, poison thorns, general bramble, shale hills into the gully, a bog on the far side that someone sunk in a few years ago, a very deep and fast moving deceptively narrow creek at the bottom, rare fungus that is deadly to the lungs that we don’t want spreading, the suicide tree - which is signposted but humans are generally quite stupid and like to ignore those and still take shelter under it when it rains. I can go on if you’d like. It was your request to search the area for ‘villains’, though you’ve not told me anything specific like who or what to look out for and I haven’t asked.”

Her smile didn’t falter, even if she was feeling rather frustrated with aizawa barging into her workplace. there was perhaps a reason she wasn’t in law enforcement like him.

~*~🐱~*~

Aizawa’s eyebrows rose as she spoke. Well, that was a good description what was out there, but didn’t answer why he was heading out. “Those... those do sound villainous, thank you, but not the kind I’m looking for. I need to find human villains. Or human-made villains.”

“Sort of…I know me and mom like music…my brother does too…”

Does not mention that their brother sung in the choir. Yeah, their family was rather musical when they thought about it. Kris wasn’t sure about their dad but for the most part yes the family were all musical in someways.

“The jukebox in the cafe is still good…don’t think less of it…”

~*~☕~*~

“Just like my family is inclined towards visual arts,” Swatch said with a nod. “Isn’t it interesting how families sometimes have common interests?”

That smug smile on Rudy’s lips tightened at Asgore’s reference to the fairy tale. “Lost me there, big guy,” he said as he casually popped the cap off one of the bottles his friend handed him.

How many drinks did he owe himself at this point? Eh. No use with the formality of pouring it in a glass, anyhow. Instead, he kept gulping it down until he ran out of breath, tilting his head back as far as it could go until the pain in his back forced him to snap forward.

Asgore’s joke was… definitely esoteric for Rudy. Hell, if it wasn’t for those popular animated movies his girls watched when they were smaller, he wouldn’t be familiar with them at all. At least the sanitized Dipsny retellings of them. He was only interest in two parts of “Sleeping Beauty”: the sleepin’ and the smoochin’.

“I meant that face you made doing that blind taste test thing!” Rudy leaned towards Asgore to imitate his friend’s awkward moment: covering his eyes with his own hand and puckering his lips like a fish. “MWAH!” He stayed in that pose until he couldn’t hold peels of laughter.

“HA HA HA!! C’mon, man! If ya wanted to kiss me so bad, just admit it!!” he hooted before slapping the big guy on the shoulder.

~*~💐~*~

Ah. That was too esoteric for a joke. Darn it. Either way, jokes, esoteric or not, slowly evaporated from Asgore’s mind as he watched Rudy down the beer in one, extremely long gulp. If they still had been in college, he’d been impressed. But now? Now he was only concerned. At this age, people only drank like that if they had something heavy on their mind.

But then, Rudy switched gears, giving Asgore whiplash. Mwah? Kiss?? Asgore stared at him as his brain was reeling, trying to dredge something to say. Admit? Kiss? Admit??? 

“I-I’m... that... I do-” Asgore stuttered, then fell cut himself off.

What the hell was he doing?! If he admitted that he wanted to... do what Rudy had just said, he’d ruin their friendship! There was no turning back or waving it away as a joke if he said it out loud. Besides, Rudy was just teasing! He wasn’t serious! Surely! ...right?

“There is a song…it is one my…brother helped me make…”

Kris remembers it perfectly, the way in which the notes are played, the movements needed to bring out those notes. If they were themselves they would be able to play it without trouble. Thankfully, it didn’t look like there was a piano here in the cafe. So, Kris wouldn’t be forced to show how they couldn’t play. As for how long they played, Kris remembered that they got interested in the piano while they were learning under Mom. Toriel was a great player of piano, she was the one who taught Kris all they knew.

“Mom taught me how…she is great…learned when was young…”

~*~☕~*~

“Oh, you’ve composed your own?” Swatch asked eagerly.

What a shame that there wasn’t a piano at the café! Swatch would have loved to hear Kris play anything, but especially their own creation. But, alas. Maybe there’d be a chance for that at a later date.

It’s like second nature at this point; beans, water, clean cycle, make sure the drip tray and grounds container are empty and clean, badabing badaboom! It seems silly now, that they were ever nervous about working here. The customers are amicable enough, the queen doesn’t seem to be in the know of their presence and Swatch has been—

Samael’s voluminous chest ruffle puffs up as they sneak another glance over at their boss out of their peripheral vision.

That kiss still lingers like a stubborn stain in the back of their mind.

A new kind of service, They’d said, and yet, the avian automaton had not observed them providing or even offering it to anybody else. Odd, but it’s also heartening in a way Samael cannot fully put their finger on. Something about that thought, of Swatch canoodling a bunch of randos for a quick buck, it just, doesn’t sit right with them.

…

They wonder how much they’d charge.

~*~🎨~*~

While Spamton worked the coffee machine, Swatch got a muffin tray and the muffin batter he had prepared the previous day, starting to hum a tune to themselves. Some aspects of baking were almost meditative for them. Setting the paper muffin cups into the tray and measuring batter into the cups... It was all very soothing.

Spamton working at the café turned out to be a great help, too! They took to it very quickly, like a fish to water. Swatch had expected this period of time to be... unbearably awkward, seeing the... circumstances in which Swatch had roped Spamton into working for them.

... That train of thought made Swatch think back to... to the... to the momentary lapse of reason Swatch had had in the narrow alley. And the white lie they had told immediately afterwards. What the hell had that been?! A “service” that involved kissing the patrons?! How inappropriate and unhygienic!

Thank heavens Spamton hadn’t questioned the “service” since. Maybe Swatch could quietly sweep that under the carpet eventually. Maybe they could get through this with their pride intact, after all! The plan was going great!

😴 Have you ever had a sexual dream about someone you know? Who was it?

Swatch blushes a little. "N-no comment."

“You think so? Gosh…I don’t know, I’m just…I’m trying my best…”

The avian automaton’s stubby, duck-like tail wiggles to and fro in direct response to the praise. Although their interactions had been strained at best in the past, there’s a certain respect (admiration even) that Samael has developed for Swatch.

Of course they could only dream of being as apt at their work as their counterpart…

They catch themself staring at the butler for a moment longer than what might be considered appropriate so they clear their throat and scramble to busy themself with some prep work.

“Ah! I’ll uh…I’ll get the machine started!”

Samael announces, skittering over to the coffee machine.

~*~🎨~*~

The pleased response to praise didn’t go unnoticed on Swatch’s part. That was... cute. Very cute. Maybe Swatch should praise and compliment Spamton more.

For the short while Spamton had worked in Swatch’s café, Swatch had had to reconsider his attitude towards the salesman. They were working surprisingly hard, even if this was out of their comfort zone. And they were good at it, too! Swatch had yet to see Spamton spill a drop of a latte or a tea. The patrons also seemed to like them, proving wrong Swatch’s fear that they’d find them creepy because of their... unconventional smile.

Swatch was drawn out of their thoughts by Spamton suddenly speaking, making them realize that the two of them had been staring at each other with blank smiles for a while. That was odd. Or was it? Did that mean something? Wait, why did Swatch hope for that? There was no subtext nor did Swatch hope for any! Good grief...

@dealmakr​ is ready for work:

The click-clack of pin heels signals Samael's arrival—late, but still earlier than usual. They skitter up behind the counter, polishing the heterochromatic glass of their signature spectacles on the apron strung taut about their slight waist.

"Ah...sorry, boss! The traffic, you know? So much traffic..."

Swatch had just started checking their watch and wondering where Spamton was when the washout salesman sauntered to the café. Swatch would be lying (and they, in fact, were lying, especially to themselves) if they claimed they hadn’t started perking up when Spamton arrived to their shift.