WHHS Ch. 26: Victory and DETERMINATION
,Ebott Evangelical Anglican Church is full. Humans and monsters alike fill out space in the pews. Clouds roll over the building as rain patters on the rooftop. A religious ska-enjoying Christian goat boy sings the closing hymn. Below the front stage, the Holiday family holds each other, sobbing. Most of the gathering looks on to see how the family is doing, many worried expressions and intensely blue expressions covering the expanse of the room. In front of Asriel sits a small urn made with robust and sturdy oak wood and seated on a table. Its carvings would catch the eye of the beholder due to its high quality.After another minute, Asriel finishes the song and walks offstage, gently rubbing his throat. He sinks his head and sadly stares at the ground as he walks up to the Holiday family. As Asriel peers at them, the patriarch and youngest sister allow him to pass by. He approaches to see his friend Noelle covering her face. Her aura shows a dark gray color, contrasting with the bright snow-colored gown she's wearing for this occasion. Asriel nods gently and hugs her as she sobs."Thank you...so much, Asriel...just for being here," Noelle whispers.Asriel nods. "I do my best, Noelle. I'm sorry for all that's happened to you.""You sang well," Noelle weakly says."Thanks, I've had practice." Your sister's urn is pretty," Asriel consoles.The reindeer nods weekly. "I like it too. It fits her well.""Yeah...," the goat child says.Asriel's body shakes with emotion. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he releases Noelle, politely nods to her parents and younger sister and slowly moves towards the church's back. Cupid's eyes follow him as he walks, with her eyes settling in on Frisk and narrowing, burning with dark, intense emotion. After death-staring at Frisk for a long moment, she shakes her head and bows it, beginning to sob again.The goat child's bright white robes flow as he walks. Most of the attendees walk through the center aisle, giving him an easy path to where he stands next. That spot is at the very back pew, in which two of his closest friends are seated. Frisk wears a black suit, a blue dress shirt, and a purple tie. Beside him sits Susie, who has her arms gently resting on the back of the pew. She's wearing a black button-down and dressy black pants. Tugging at the collar and swallowing heavily, she sweats as she glares toward the stained-glass windows with expressions of discomfort."You sounded great up there, Azzy," Frisk says.Asriel smiles and bows his head a little. "Thanks; I tried my best, I guess." Asriel rubs his voice box a second time, sinking his head profoundly and rubbing his toes into the carpet. "I've lost count of how many funerals I've sung at over the past couple of weeks. Funerals for monsters, but a few humans, too."Frisk nods and lowers his head, solemnly holding his hands in his lap. "They say the darkest part of the night is just before dawn. I guess I agree with that right now."Asriel holds his left hand on the pew in front of Frisk and Susie and lets his body lean on it to rest. "This is the last funeral that I know of that relates to Kris."Asriel's eyes scan over to Susie, who scowls and stares at the glass window near her without meeting his eyes. Frisk nods, straightening his posture. "Well, we've helped comfort the families and helped turn Kris in. Now, we move forward together. It's time for all of Ebott to stay DETERMINED."Asriel forces a smile onto his face and chuckles. "Yeah, for sure."Susie's scowl increases; Asriel leans in toward her and smiles slightly. "Susie...would you like to join us for Thanksgiving dinner? It's only a few days, and we wanna have you over."Susie's eyes widen, and then she lowers her head. "Are you sure? I don't wanna bother Mrs. D or anything."Asriel shrugs and shakes his head. "Don't be silly. Of course, she'd want you there! She gave you the clothes today to wear for the funeral, didn't she? Our Mom cares about you."Susie sighs, hair covering her eyes. "Yeah...you're right."Frisk looks at Susie now, his hand gently tapping her on the shoulder. "Noelle and her family were invited as well. I'm sure you'd be happy to hang out with them, right?"Susie's hair flips backward as she heightens her head again. She looks at Frisk with clear eyes and smirks. "Sweet."Asriel peers outside and sees his mother, father, and the other citizens of Ebott gathering at the park across the street. Tables are placed all around the grassy area, the trees swaying gently with the soft rain. A tent is over the top of the dining area, protecting any diners from rain. Asriel glances at Frisk and Susie, then points out the door."You guys hungry?" Asriel asks.Susie and Frisk nod and follow Asriel out the door. Frisk looks up at Susie and smiles as he passes Toriel. "Hey, Susie. I may have a surprise for you when Mom gets to chat with you."Susie raises an eyebrow. "Huh? What do you mean?"Frisk nods and smiles to himself. "You'll see."...,Snow falls from the evening sky, and peacefulness has returned to the town of Ebott. The local precinct stands in the center of the town. Not many officers sit within the building now, just a single leader and her subordinate working through piles of paperwork in the breakroom.Harlow looks up at his superior. He hums under his breath, a mixture of strained yet calm tones. As he flips his wing through the paperwork, he glances up at his superior and smiles. "Just when things die down, they speed up again, don't they?"Sterling rubs her temples with a groan. "You're a punny one tonight, aren't you? We have so many traffic citations here that it's not even funny. It's not funny in general, but still." She nods as she continues to inspect the various papers on the table. "Such is life."Harlow waves his wing and lays slightly backward in his chair. "You could use a vacation, ma'am! You're the busiest supervisor I've ever had." He gently glances at her. "You're probably the best supervisor I've ever had, too."Harlow looks from across the room; a bright, blaring television show plays on the screen. He stops moving the files on the table and focuses on the picture. The one depicted on the screen is Mettaton in his distinctive, glamorous EX form. The lights from the talent show stage reflect off his pink and silver body, and the music sounds powerful."Oh yeah, that comes on tonight! One of my favorites," Harlow says quietly to himself."I hope you aren't getting distracted," Sterling says.Harlow's head snaps back to face Sterling, and he blushes. Returning to the paperwork, he sighs and rubs his wing through his scalp and then the paperwork. "I'm glad the Kris Delta case has come to a close." Sterling nods and shudders, and Harlow carefully glazes at his superior. "Anything wrong, ma'am?""No, Harlow. I was just considering how serious this case was," Sterling replies.Harlow grumbles. "The kid just turned 16, yet he's being tried as an adult.""Yeah, and I agree," Sterling admits. Being held in maximum security is the right call, too."Harlow shudders, then nods. "You're right, ma'am. It's just sad to see how things went."Sterling lowers her head deeply without batting an eye. "I agree. All we can do is our best, and while I wish we could've prevented more disaster, we did hold it together better than you'd expect for a little police department like ours." Sterling looks up at Harlow again. She smiles, keeping her relaxed demeanor. "We'll have to do our best to keep moving forward."...Mettaton's show comes into full focus, and the live audience roars. He poses grandly on the screen, bright sparkles flying out from his body. Peering down at the audience, he grins as the crowd applauds. Mettaton shoots his grandiose voice into the microphone. "Thank you all for such a wonderful one-hundredth episode! My darlings, our ratings are higher than ever before," Mettaton exclaims.Backstage producers say, "Mettaton surely knows how to carry a show!""He sure does..." a ghost softly quips while floating behind the curtains.Backstage, Blooky inspects the various microphone boards. A monster key grip named Shyren jumps back and forth between cameras, adjusting the angles and ensuring that Mettaton is in full view of whoever is to perceive said angle. Shyren glances over at Blooky once she has a break from adjusting the cameras to the proper position. "Well, it was nice...to perform on his show earlier. I enjoyed it."Blooky smiles gently and nods as a spider creature walks up behind Shyren, waving at them. "I've always appreciated his charisma."Muffet speaks. "I do as well. Ahuhuhu — he is a joy."The spider monster motions to her spider underlings, who carry a large cake on their backs across the floor. Shyren and Blooky stare at the multi-layered tower of sugary goodness with awe and wonder. "We are here with a special cake to celebrate the 100th episode! My catering business will make so much money on this commission task."Blooky nods and smiles slightly at the cake. On top of it are the words "HAPPY 100TH EPISODE" written in bright blue frosting. The rest of the frosting on the cake is white, and Blooky scans up and down the cake. It's perhaps taller than Toriel, standing at roughly six and a half feet.Once the cake presentation segment of the show comes to a close, Mettaton dances off the stage and approaches Blooky. He smiles down at him, folding his arms proudly. "I knew I would reach 100 episodes, darling, but it would not have happened without your help!"Blooky blushes slightly and sinks his head. "Thank you, Mettaton...I really appreciate it."Mettaton shrugs and poses, hand behind his head. "What's a primadonna without their trustworthy entourage?" He shifts his position and model-poses again.Blooky nods modesty. "You are right...and thank you for being my friend."The glamour robot smiles widely, then points back at the cake. "You should stay behind for cake before we clean up, darling. You deserve it!"Blooky gently floats over to the cake as Mettaton dances and steps dramatically toward the tower of sugary goodness. The rest of the crew follows closely behind them, and they all gather on the couch to rest themselves....Within a house designed as a fish head, Undyne lies on the couch, grumbling. The doctor appears from around the corner. Smiling, Alphys brings Undyne a small sandwich and some tea. She blushes and closes her eyes politely as Undyne groans, resting her hands on her abdomen."Here, Undyne. Lunch is served — I hope you like it."Undyne grabs the sandwich and gulps it down in one bite. Her eyes widen, and she manages to crack a smile. "You did good, Alphys!"Undyne's smile resets, though. Alphys nods and rubs the back of her head as Undyne grabs the teacup. "Only one more week, Undyne. Then, y-your leg will be free!"Undyne folds her arms, pouting. "Hmph, about time, too. I'm only stuck to the couch because you're forcing me to!"Alphys shakes her head and rubs the back of her scales. "But, who w-was the one to come up with the game idea where you hurl your crutches like j-javelins as far as you can in the backyard? You'll get yourself hurt again doing that!"Undyne pouts a little more, then closes her eyes in shame. She nods and chuckles. "Yeah...you're probably right."As Undyne forces herself to relax, Alphys glances down at her again; a grimace crosses over her face as loud noises cover the living room. The radio is tuned to a higher pitch, with sounds of jingling bells flying through. Balloons pop and shuffle around as the tall skeleton brother, Papyrus, darts around the room, setting up festive decorations. The stove smokes; his older yet far shorter brother, Sans, sleeps on the couch. For a brief moment, Papyrus stops moving, stares at his brother, taps his foot vigorously, and leans over."BROTHER, LET'S SPRUCE THE HOME," Papyrus exclaims.Sans opens his right eye and smirks. "yo, sup papy?"Papyrus places his hands on his hips. "HELP ME, YOU LAZYBONES! WE NEED TO GET READY FOR THE HOLIDAY FESTIVITIES."Sans shrugs. "i'll get to it eventually."As Papyrus goes around the kitchen to find some oven mitts, Sans pops his head above the couch, resting his chin on the top of the sofa. "sup, alphys?"Alphys turns her head up towards Sans and smiles. "Oh, h-hi, Sans!"Sans winks at Alphys and casually rests his arms on the couch top. Alphys rubs her fingers together, blushing. "Um...I w-wanted to ask...have you h-healed from your injury completely? You've seemed a lot better lately, b-but I wanted to ask."Sans winks. "what injury?"Alphys chuckles and then crosses her arms, leaning her head on the back of the couch, which places her head next to Sans' head. "I'm glad it's over." Dark circles appear around her eyes, and she shudders. "About an h-hour ago, they said he was f-found guilty...very guilty. It's what the news said. The jury only d-deliberated for about the same l-length as a single random encounter!"Sans shrugs. "so, like...5 minutes tops?"Alphys sighs deeply and rubs the back of her neck. "The kid has no remorse at all. I suspect the sentence will be 25 t-to life, without bail, I would g-guess."The skeleton nods, looking to the side. "i try to think that even the worst person can change. heck, i've seen and heard of villains becoming heroes overnight." Sans' eye sockets grow cold, dark, and blank. "but this kid? you're right...there's no remorse. no apologies. no repentance. i doubt he's gonna ever get better 'cuz of the lack of care or improvement. 'cuz of that, he deserves worse, if you ask me."Alphys lowers her head. She twiddles her thumbs for a moment as the dark circles begin to fade. She smiles. "I'm so glad everyone's okay in our little friend group...and that it's all over."Sans winks and shrugs. "plus, we've got susie now. just another cool friend to chill with, right?"Alphys chuckles. "Yeah...it'll be neat to hang out with them after the Christmas play in town is over for this evening."...The sun has begun to fall, the moon has started to rise, and the snow has increased in pace. Within the Dreemurr household, Frisk lies on the couch, covered in a heavy quilt. Right below him is Asriel, his legs crisscrossed as he sits on the floor. He is dressed in a variant of his favorite t-shirt, still sporting green and yellow, but as a poofy, thick sweater. A cup of hot chocolate rests in his hands, the mug colored a festive green, gold, and red.Frisk tilts his head calmly towards Asriel, casually peering at his brother. "I wonder what the skelebros are up to right now."Asriel takes a sip from his hot chocolate and shrugs, smiling. "Knowing them, they could be getting into all kinds of trouble, hehe."Frisk nods and turns his head back to its original position, placing his hands behind his head. "The party will be tonight, right after the Christmas play. I'm excited.""Me too!" Asriel bleats.Asriel nods and rests his cup of hot chocolate on his legs. Frisk casually tilts his head towards Asriel again and smiles softly. (My brother is right beside me, and we're still alive. Life is good.)With a slam of the door, Susie marches firmly into the living room and throws her bag on the ground. "Who's ready to party?",Frisk rises from his position and sits up on the couch, twisting his body to see Susie. She plops down on the floor and rests her head on the wall, placing her hands behind her head. Asriel licks a few marshmallows off the top of his hot chocolate and smiles at Susie as a hot chocolate mustache forms on his mouth. "I am," Asriel excitedly says. "Can't wait!"He wipes his mouth clean, and Susie nods. "Sweet."Frisk looks over at Susie, and his smile reappears. "Susie, I'm glad you're here."Susie tilts her head, and her eye dilates. "Uh...thanks. But what are you saying that for? That's kinda random."Frisk places his feet on the floor, with his figure now being nearly fully visible. "I really mean it. Remember that surprise right before Thanksgiving?"Susie's eyes widen, and she smiles genuinely. "Oh, yeah.""Are you enjoying that surprise so far?" Frisk asks."You bet," Susie admits contently.Frisk smiles as Susie lifts her chin towards the ceiling, basking in the living room lights. "So, this is what it's like to be in a real family. I don't wanna get all mushy, but you two are like...my brothers now, I guess. It works, right? That's pretty cool."Asriel takes another sip of hot chocolate and smiles, warm vibes emitting from his face. "It's alright to be mushy once in a while."Susie lowers her head and scratches the back of her neck. "Well...yeah, thanks." The hair on her scalp covers her eyes. Her heart is filled with warmth, and her face matches it, but one wouldn't be able to see it if they looked at the top half of her head.(Susie too), Frisk thinks. (I have Susie as well. I couldn't have asked for a better family.)Susie scans Frisk and Asriel again. Frisk stares at her and says nothing. Asriel tilts his head; Susie's face is sullen. "Susie, what's wrong?"Susie folds her arms and scoffs at the ground. "We went to visit Kris in prison."Frisk's face twinges slightly. Asriel's eyes widen. "Oh...right, Mom did say you were doing that. I'm sorry."Susie nods. "Yeah...Mrs. D...oh, I mean Mom — took me." Susie chuckles sadly and shrugs. "I wanted to see him and check out what was new." Her voice lowers, and her head bows. "I hate being honest about feelings, but...a little part of me still wants to be cool with Kris. Sometimes I just think, like...'What could've been?' Ya know?"Asriel nods, placing his hot chocolate to the right of him. "I understand. Please, tell us what happened."Susie places her hands into her pockets. "Nothing special, really — Kris being Kris. I went in hoping that maybe we could makeup or something, but he still hates my guts." She scowls and grits her teeth. "At one point, he insulted the both of you. I wanted nothing more than to eat his face off. But the plexiglass blocked the way, so I couldn't do anything about it." She stops gritting her teeth and shakes her head again. "The verdict is 'guilty.' And it wasn't even close."Susie shakes her head. Thankfully, the tension in the room dies quickly when a golden voice echoes from across the way. "My children!" Toriel calls out. "Come quickly; we need to leave for the Christmas production at the school soon."Susie nods and gets up from the floor, followed by Asriel and Frisk. Susie glances at Asriel and raises an eyebrow. "Wait, I thought you were in the winter play thing? What happened?"Asriel shrugs. "With my hospitalization and training after, I missed the required rehearsals. It's alright, though; the spring play is still up for grabs!"Susie nods and places her hands in her pockets. "Oh...cool."Asriel beams proudly, and as the Dreemurr siblings walk to the car, Susie forces a smile onto her face. Asriel reads her. "We know you're feeling low, Susie." Susie's ears tune into what Asriel is saying. "But that's okay — we're here for you! We'll get through any future challenges together, too."Frisk nods and softly speaks to Susie. "Yeah, we'll be here to help no matter what. Let's all stay DETERMINED. We are here for you and love you."Susie nods. She smiles genuinely this time. Her yellow eyes peek out from behind her hair, resonating with calmness. "...Love ya, too."A pause echoes throughout the home. Susie snorts. "Don't tell anyone I said that, though; I'm not a mushy kind of person."Frisk and Asriel chuckle and say in unison: "We promise!"The Dreemurr siblings head off into the night with each other by their sides. This joyful event of the holidays victory fills all the heroes in the town with...DETERMINATION....,The End. Thank you for reading.
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