Chapter Text
She blinks her eyes open.
Her SOUL still feels as if it’s been strapped to a bag of rocks and tossed into Waterfall. A warm sensation still envelops her chest, spreading around to her back.
Why?
She looks down. Her snout collides with a familiar, tattered Western hat just below her. She recoils with a small grunt and cranes her head back.
There is no bullet through her body. Clover’s weapon still sits snugly in its holster. Instead, the child is curled into her lap, their arms wrapped tightly around her.
“Wh- this isn’t… what are you doing?”
They don’t answer. They just squeeze tighter.
“I don’t understand! Don’t you hate me? Don’t you wish to see me pay for what I’ve done? Quit the theatrics and pull the trigger already!”
“No.”
Their voice is so timid, yet so assured. It does nothing to quell the confusion that bubbles up within her.
“Can’t you let me have this? Can’t you let me finally be at peace? Why do you insist on taking the high road? You should be angry! You shouldn’t feel-”
Clover reaches one arm up to place a hand in front of her mouth. Her jaw snaps shut. She doesn’t even realize she’s trembling until they return to their tight embrace.
“I won, so you have to listen to me. Just for a bit.” They glance up at her. “Okay?”
Her muscles sag. “Okay,” she concedes, if only to save herself from fighting against their bright, pleading eyes.
“I won, so I… I should get to decide how I feel. I’m sad that you hurt me. An’ I’m sad that Chujin got hurt trying to help you, an’ I’m sad that you hurt Kanako trying to help her.”
“Then why?” Her voice breaks.
“Because I don’t wanna do the same thing. I don’t wanna do something I’m gonna be upset about later, just because I’m sad.”
A wave of clarity hits her head like a meteor fallen from the sky.
“An’ I’m sad for you, too. ‘Cuz I don’t hate you. I like you. I like you a lot, an’ I’m sad, but I’m also happy that I got to meet you. A-an’ you said whoever won has the stronger truth, so… you hafta believe me.”
Her lower lip begins to quiver. She shakes her head, but Clover just jerks their own upwards to interfere with the motion.
“You said to Star that you wanted the real him back, right? Well, I want the real Ceroba back. The one who smiled, an’ told nice stories, an’ helped me when I was scared. I think she’d believe me.”
“I owe you that much, don’t I?” She whispers.
“I’m tired of you owing people things. But… just this once, because I won… I want Ceroba.”
“She’s right here.” Slowly, like a rusty machine, Ceroba finally reaches out and wraps her arms around Clover’s head. “I’m right here.”
The heavy, blistering pain in her SOUL doesn’t subside. But Clover nestles their head into her chest, and she feels like she can bear it for just a moment longer.
The feeling of warm leather on her shoulder causes her to jump, and Clover to tighten their grasp around her sides. They both relax at the sight of Starlo smiling softly down at them, but Ceroba much less so. She leans away and shifts her hold on the child, as if the rational consequences of her actions have finally arrived to take them from her.
“You’re both lookin’ pretty shaken,” he says, his voice low and quiet. “You okay?”
“All better now,” Clover replies with a weak smile. “I won.”
“Wait, you- as in…?”
“They beat me fair and square.” Ceroba’s voice and expression remain neutral.
“I- I can’t believe it. The deputy…” He fails to catch a chuckle before it leaves his mouth. “My lessons worked.”
Clover giggles and extends an arm to take Starlo’s hand in theirs. His smile widens as he allows himself to be guided down to his knees, then wastes no time pressing his forehead against Ceroba’s arm. She jerks away with much more force this time, but regret shoots through her instantly as he staggers, and she reaches back out to accept his collapsing form.
“Are- are you hurt?” She can’t conceal the worry that laces her tone.
“Just a bit of a headache, is all.” He chuckles again and leans into her. “Are you?”
“Don’t you dare.” She retracts her arm the moment he’s steady. “I have nothing to say to you. Apologies, excuses, nothing makes up for what I’ve done. I don’t want or deserve your pity.”
“I’m not pitying you,” he retorts immediately, his voice patient even through his sternness, “I’m repayin’ you. Where was I a few hours ago? And what did you say?”
“This is not comparable. You didn’t… hurt me, the way I hurt you.”
“But I hurt Clover.” Almost instinctively, he drops his hand down to squeeze the human’s shoulder. “I was angry, and rash, and I made a stupid decision that could have cost someone their life. But you forgave me. The four forgave me. It gave me a lot to think about.”
Clover looks up at him with a hopeful inhale. “Y’all aren’t mad at each other anymore?”
Starlo grins and shakes his head. “I’m so glad,” Ceroba says through a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “I need for you to have someone after all this.”
The sound of a feminine voice gasping for air causes the trio to startle in unison. In front of them, the limp form of Chujin’s apprentice jumps backwards, then whips her head around, eyes wide.
“Martlet!” Clover climbs out of Ceroba’s grasp to rush towards her, much to the fox monster’s dismay. “You’re okay!”
“Oh, Clover!” She scoops the child into a frantic hug, lifting them off their feet and shielding their body with her wings. “You’re okay! W-we need to leave, now! I shouldn’t have ever-”
“Easy, Feathers.” Starlo interjects and gestures silently to Ceroba as she draws her legs up to her face. “There’s no more danger.”
Martlet narrows her eyes in a look of skepticism towards Ceroba, and doesn’t put Clover down. But with her snout atop her knees, she watches as they dig their fingers into the plumage around her neck, and she nuzzles her forehead against theirs. So much care conveyed through such a small, wordless exchange makes the weight of Ceroba’s actions sink heavier into her SOUL, and she grabs at her hair, which has tumbled loosely out of its ponytail and fallen in messy streaks to her sides.
“He was everything to me,” Ceroba says, to no one in particular. “He worked so hard so that we - so that all of us - could have something better. And now, nothing he worked for will ever mean anything, because I couldn’t… I wasn’t…”
Despite the hatred flowing throughout her whole body, she can’t bring herself to finish her sentence. She curls into herself further. “What do I do?”
“Um, if I may…” She hears Martlet take a wary step closer. “I don’t think that’s true. Chujin may not have been the perfect monster we thought he was, but he worked for so much more than that. He helped others. He helped me. He helped the Honeydew Resort, and the Saloon… it doesn’t seem fair to say his whole life was for nothing. At least, I- I think it’s not.”
“No, she’s got a point,” Starlo pipes up, and she raises her head just enough to see him place a hand on Martlet’s shoulder. “What he was doin’... what it drove you to do… none of it was right, I’m not gonna sugar-coat that. But he made life down here bearable for so many. Includin’ you. And for that… he has my respect.”
She watches as Martlet slowly lowers Clover to the ground. She watches as they nod her way, conviction in her eyes. She can do nothing but watch, because of the sheer impact of how right they are. How obvious it was. How stupid she was for not seeing it sooner.
But, mostly, how wonderful it would feel to accept a reality as simple as that.
“What the hell was I thinking?” She slumps back against the wall. “No, I can answer that. I wasn’t. I was so tunnel-visioned, so lost… I don’t want to make any more mistakes like this. I’m so sick of letting some misguided obligation control me. I just don’t know how to go back to anything else.”
“You don’t have to know.” Starlo kneels back down beside her, and the others follow closely behind. “We’re here for you. We want to see you get better. And we’re gonna stay right here until you can smile again. However long that takes.”
“I don’t know how you could think I deserve that.”
“You don’t have to know that, either. We’ll get there.”
Starlo places his palm against hers. She curls her fingers around the back of his hand.
“Chujin’s legacy means so much to me, too.” Martlet seats herself on Ceroba’s other side. “But his legacy was the impact he made on everyone he helped. The ways he made them want to help, too. We’re living proof that his legacy is still alive! And that we can keep it going strong! No super world-saving serum necessary.”
“I just wish Kanako could see this,” Ceroba whispers.
“Her well-being is still a valid concern, yes.” She pulls a small device from the leather pouch around her waist. “I have connections to the Royal Scientist, so I’ll do my best to get some sort of investigation started. Help in any way I can. Just… get something from this fiasco off your mind. You’ve got enough to think about already.”
Martlet places her hand on her shoulder. She reaches her arm up and clasps her hand around her wrist.
“They want Ceroba back, too,” Clover whispers. “Nothing more than that.”
The heavy, blistering pain in her SOUL doesn’t subside. But a singular cherry blossom petal lands daintily on her nose, and she feels like she can bear it for just a bit longer.
Her mind springs into a fervour, insisting that she’s giving up on him, that she can’t just let his life’s work die like this, that she still owes him the world. But beneath it all is the possibility, however illogical, that he would be relieved to see her find peace. That even if she’s wrong, she shouldn’t dismiss it completely, as she has for so long.
As Clover tucks their head under her arm, she thinks not of how she should feel, but how she does: loved. She missed it.
Ceroba loses track of how long they sit like this. She only knows that eventually, her heavy eyelids lose their will to stay upright, and the urgency driving her every action subsides, just enough for them to close. She feels the light rain of the petals tickling her fur as they land. She feels Clover’s chest rise and fall against her lap. She hears the distant hum of the street lamps. She missed such simple pleasures.
Eventually, the world will have to start moving again. But she doesn't have to know what that will look like. Not until she's back on her feet.
Her eyes only force themselves back open when a shrill ringing sound slices through the silence. She feels Martlet pull away, then rise to her feet with a small device in her hands. “Hold on,” she says, placing the piece of machinery to her ear, “I gotta take this.”
She dashes out and around the corner. Clover and Starlo stay put, their muscles relaxing as the startling sound is cut off. Quiet returns to their world.
“I’m sorry,” Ceroba says once they’ve returned to comfort. “It just… dawned on me that I haven’t said it yet. But I mean it. I’m sorry. For everything.”
“I appreciate that.” Starlo squeezes her hand, and Clover nods. “It’s gonna take a bit for things to return to normal, I think you know that. But I don’t think any of us really would’ve wanted it to, anyhow.”
“If you went back to acting like nothing happened, I’d have you run out of town, Sheriff.”
He snickers as she jabs his shoulder with her free arm. “Good. I guess we can hold each other accountable, then.”
“It’s a deal.”
Their conversation is interrupted by the sound of shattering metal. The three sit up again as loud, heavy footsteps pick up speed before Martlet dashes around the bend. Ceroba can’t help but feel an immediate pang of concern at her wide, panicked eyes, and the feathers around her neck standing on end.
“Martlet?” Clover sits up and tries to approach, but Ceroba restrains them in a hug. “What’s wrong?”
“The Royal Guard knows about Clover.”
Ceroba scrambles to her feet.
“What?!” Starlo grabs Clover’s arm and yanks them against him.
“No!” Clover whips their head around in every direction, as if to look for something that isn’t there. “I-it’s okay! We can go back, it’ll be fine! I’ve got a friend, an’ he doesn’t want me to say anythin’ about him, but if we’re in danger, then I’m sure he’ll-”
“Don’t even think about it.” A bitter voice rings out from nowhere. “You think I woulda let it get this far if I didn’t have to? It’s too late.”
All the colour drains from Clover’s face.
“Hey!” Starlo barks, moving his grasp to their shoulders. “Who said that?! Show yourself right now, or I’ll-”
“This is all my fault!” Martlet tugs on her hair as her breathing picks up. “Someone probably saw them on the street with me! What was I thinking?! I knew I was in trouble when I left my post, but I- I never-”
“Calm down, both of you!” The intensity of Ceroba’s voice startles even her. She grabs Martlet by the arms. “Tell us everything you know, now!”
“I don’t know!” She starts fanning her face frantically with her hands. “They just said they had a lead on the location and asked me if I knew anything! I- I think they’re headed this way, I might be able to distract them, but you all need to go!”
“I’m not leaving without you!” Clover cries, but Starlo squeezes their shoulders so hard they flinch.
“O-okay, well, they’ll be safe in the Wild East for a bit.” He can’t keep his voice steady. “The townsfolk all love ‘em. They’d all help out, I’m sure of it!”
“And then what? That just gives them time to show up at our door with a full army.” Ceroba’s words leave her mouth before her mind has time to process them. She backs up and drops into a defensive stance, in spite of her trembling legs. “If we’re serious about protecting Clover, then we need to prove it.”
“You want to fight the Guard?!” Martlet clamps a hand over her beak, whips her head around, then lowers her voice. “We don’t stand a chance! Captain Undyne herself is leading the search party!”
“Exactly why we have to act now, while her expectations are low. Then, once they’re reeling from her absence, we make a proper plan.”
“You’re forgetting that I’m one of ‘them’! You’ve never seen her fight, but I have! We’d be wiped out at our full strength, and we’re all hurt! Not to even mention that they know to look for me, and the moment they see me, they’ll… they’ll-”
“So what do you propose we do instead?!” Starlo throws his hands in the air. “If they won’t listen to reason, they can’t have Clover! It’s as simple as that!”
“I know that! I’d never suggest anything else! I’m just saying-”
The haze of colours in Ceroba’s vision finally solidifies as she decides she can’t stand their pointless bickering anymore. She shoots a glance towards Clover, whose hands are over their ears, shoulders hunched, with their eyes squeezed shut. They gasp as Ceroba kneels and takes their hands in hers. It quickly drowns in the cacophony of voices competing to be heard over the other. Their eyes shoot open, then harden into an unreadably determined expression.
“I’m sorry,” she says into their ear. “I know you don’t like yelling. But we will figure something out.”
“I have an idea,” they respond, just loud enough for Ceroba to hear.
“Would you like to tell them, or would you rather I did?”
“I just want ‘em to stop fighting.”
She only nods and motions for them to cover their ears again before turning towards the pair and screaming “SHUT UP!” as loud as her slowly-recuperating throat will allow.
The silence that falls over the area is thick. Starlo and Martlet jerk their heads to face the kneeling Ceroba, mouths still half-open. No one dares move until she shuffles to the side and motions forcefully towards Clover.
“What have all of us been doing since the very beginning?” She continues. “Dragging Clover around to fulfill our own agendas. Don’t you think it’s about time they get to decide what’s best for them?”
The two look as if they’re about to protest, then they glance at each other, then back at Clover. They’re staring up at them with a gaze so pleading it could crack even the strongest of masks.
“No, you’re right,” Starlo sighs. “I’m sorry. You got somethin’ in mind, kiddo?”
They swallow thickly. Ceroba glances encouragingly at them. They clear their throat.
“I don’t think running’s gonna work. And I don’t want us to fight ‘em. If I had it my way, I- I’d have stopped adventuring a long time ago, and just stayed with y’all.” Ceroba’s face softens, and so do the others’. They start off meek, but the more they talk, the more their resolve overtakes their speech and expression.
“But that’s not gonna work. I’m never gonna fit in here, and that’s not fair. And it’s not fair that y’all have to be stuck here, and-” they glance to Ceroba- “that people feel like they have to hurt others just to escape it, and-” they glance to Starlo- “that people feel like they have to be somethin’ they’re not just to keep everything together, and-” they glance to Martlet- “that people need to throw everything away just to help. None of it is fair, and I don’t have a chance to make things right here, but you all do. I wanna make it fair, so we can all be happy.”
They close their eyes and willingly expose their SOUL, still inverted with its awakened power, still gleaming with the colour of justice.
“Clover, what are you trying to say?” Martlet’s eyebrows furrow.
“I’m sayin’ I want you to take my SOUL to Asgore.”
“No.” Ceroba’s response is immediate, and the others shake their heads in firm agreement. “Absolutely not.”
“Why not?” They stand up straighter. “I thought you said I should get to decide.”
“And I thought you said you weren’t going to do anything you’d regret.” She grabs their wrists. “We’re not letting you throw your life away. It’s out of the question.”
“But I’m not gonna let you throw yours away, either! If the Guard’s gonna get me either way…”
“Clover, don’t talk like that.” Starlo goes back to squeezing their shoulder. “We can figure somenthin’ out. We’ll make sure of it.”
“But what about my training? What about the people on the train tracks?” They adjust the makeshift badge that Starlo had fastened to their vest. “I gotta sacrifice to be a hero.”
“That’s not… th-that isn’t…” He pulls his hat over his face to obscure the encouraging gesture of finger guns made by his deputy. “I think sometimes it’s better that you don’t listen to me.”
Martlet leans down and picks Clover up again, crushing them against her. “You know I’d take you to Snowdin with me,” she whispers. “You know I’d take care of you there no matter who came after us. Forget duty or danger or anything else. Right?”
“I know.” They nestle underneath her head. “I… I feel safe with y’all. But I’m sick of havin’ a life like that.”
Ceroba’s ears twitch as the sound of clanging metal rings out from afar.
“They’re looking for us.” Martlet’s voice drops. “We need to make a decision.”
Ceroba presses her snout against Clover’s forehead. They lean into the touch. “You don’t want this either, do you?” She asks softly.
They shake their head, and it’s like a blow from their SOUL to hers. “But I want you to be happy. I want the next human that comes down here to be happy. I want you all to see the sun, an’ until then, I want everyone to feel more hopeful. Maybe then, Asgore’ll see that he needs to do somethin’. An’ you can help! It- it doesn’t seem so bad when I think of it like that. I don’t want ‘em to find me and take me on their terms and make you out to be traitors. I’d much rather this.”
“I would’ve, y’know.” She barely even gives them time to finish. “Taken you home. Given you a peaceful life. Forgotten everything else. I meant it.”
“I know.” They smile up at her like everything is okay. But she doesn’t believe it. All she can believe is that, at long last, she’s getting what she deserves.
The rhythmic pounding of metal grows ever closer. Even Clover turns towards it now, clutching Martlet tighter.
“This is our last chance,” she says as they turn back towards her. “If you wanna forget all this and hide out with us until we figure something else out, we need you to tell us now. There’s still time, but there won’t be for long.”
They just nudge their head towards their SOUL, still floating, still shimmering. “I’m ready,” they say.
“This is a terrible idea,” Martlet sighs.
“We seem to be full of those today,” Starlo quips, though his tone lacks any humour.
“I have the tools to… to do it.” Ceroba’s voice is thick. “Can you both make sure we’re not interrupted? I- I doubt you want to be here for the process, anyways.”
Martlet’s only response is to tighten her arms around Clover’s small body. They stiffen in shock, but quickly melt into the hug. Starlo wastes no time joining in, and suddenly, they find themselves completely surrounded by the love of their friends. Ceroba just watches with her hands clasped together, afraid she would be intruding, afraid that moving would completely break her. All it takes is an encouraging glance from Starlo for her to forget it all and add herself to the pile.
“This means more to us than you know.” Her weary eyes have recovered just enough for the beginnings of tears to prick at the edges once again. “To everyone.”
“You’re the bravest, most selfless human there is, no doubt about it.” Staro’s shaky proclamation and Martlet’s sniffling confirm to Ceroba that there’s no longer a dry eye in sight. “I’d promote you to sheriff, but Angel knows you’re so much more. When that seventh human gets here, I hope they’re just like you.”
“We’re gonna do you justice, Clover,” Martlet adds. “We promise.”
“Just promise me you’ll remember me. An’ remember that you’re yer own legacy. That’s justice enough.”
“We could never, ever forget you.” Ceroba’s never meant anything more in her life.
As Martlet places Clover gently onto the ground, they pull off their hat, revealing a tangled, wispy nest of hair underneath. Ceroba has to shove down the burning desire to gently brush away all their knots as they place the hat into Martlet’s hands. “Just to make sure,” they say, their tone laced with insecurity. “Just to make sure you have a piece of me forever.”
“I’ll guard it with my life,” Martlet pledges.
“An’ you can have this back.” They remove their revolver from its holster and gingerly hand it to Starlo. “Sorry I made you pay so much for it.”
“The memory of you is worth more than I could ever hope to have,” Starlo insists.
“Ceroba…” they turn to her. “I already gave you a special gift. I want you to remember it. Even when you’re sad.”
She pulls out the card they gave her. Their attempt to uplift her in her lowest moment. She runs her finger over the glass protecting the flamboyant text, insisting she’s one of a kind.
“As long as you do, too,” she finally gathers the courage to say.
Martlet wraps her wings around them once more, then clutches the hat against her chest. She and Starlo exchange a sorrowful glance, then begin advancing slowly towards the path back onto the street.
“Meet us just outside,” Starlo mumbles to Ceroba. A promise that they’ll be there.
Ceroba inhales sharply, and she and Clover motionlessly lock eyes for several seconds. Only when she hears muffled shouting does she force herself forward. Only after taking their hand in hers does she open the containment jar.
Their SOUL resists. But they close their eyes and will it forward, and so, it stays.
There’s no going back now.
“Do you want me to stay?” She asks softly.
“I’ll… be okay.” They smile weakly.
But she doesn’t move. She waits until their smile falters, like she knows it will. She waits until their eyes plead her to come back and make everything right.
“M-maybe just a little bit,” they finally admit. To Ceroba, a small success worthy of the grandest relief.
She sets the container down and sits carefully beside them. She lets them climb into her lap and rest their head against her chest. For once, an embrace without guilt or duty. The only one she’ll ever get. She has to make it count.
She begins rubbing their back slowly with one hand, then places the other behind their head. She pulls her fingers, as carefully as she can, through their many knotted clumps of hair. They hum in contentment, and her SOUL soars. At long last, she can provide them the comfort she’s so desperately wanted to. At long last, she can be enough.
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t keep my promise,” she says quietly.
“S’okay.” They huff out a laugh. “I was real mad at you earlier, and I, uh… told Starlo about the wall stickers thing. S-so, call us even.”
She can’t help but giggle as well. They smile up at her like everything is okay. She’s just glad she can be that for them.
They gasp suddenly, clutching their chest. “I- I can’t breathe… it… hurts…”
“I’m here.” Ceroba wraps her arms around them, swaddling their body against hers. “I’m going to stay right here.”
“I’m s-scared… Ceroba…” They clutch at her robes, finally allowing their face to twist in anguish as they wheeze again. She can only imagine her own expression is similar, with the stab of pain that threatens to break her own SOUL.
“Shhh.” She tucks their head under her neck and cocoons herself inwards, overjoyed when they snuggle further into her, allowing themselves to be protected. “You’re brave, and strong, and so, so loved. There’s nothing to fear. And we’ll always be with you, just as you’re with us.”
“I…” they try to breathe in, but all that comes out are coughs. She returns to rubbing their back, but the desperation of her rhythm is impossible for her to mask.
“Stay with me,” she pleads, as her breathing gets heavy and her body runs hot, no matter how hard she tries to stay strong for them. “Don’t make me do this again. Please. Please don’t.”
She reaches down to grab their face, and in her sudden frenzy of grief, is shocked when her fingers meet skin instead of fur. But when they hold up their hand, pinky outstretched, and utter “P-promise… to be… Ceroba.”, she knows without a doubt that it’s Clover. Who she doesn’t know what she did to deserve, but who she needed all the same.
She wraps her finger around theirs. Their grip is clammy, but strong. It’s a promise.
“I- I wanna…” They shudder, and she immediately reacts by pulling the excess fabric of her kimono over them. “I’m… tired.”
“Rest,” she whispers, pushing their hair out of their eyes. “You deserve it. I’ll take care of things out here.”
A heavy exhale leaves their mouth. They close their eyes, and their face settles into a contented smile, before returning to neutrality as their arms slip down their sides.
Ceroba knows that humans don’t turn to dust when they die. If not for her many nights watching their westerns with Starlo, she may have sat there with Clover forever, convinced the sheer strength of their spirit is keeping them from leaving her. But as they become impossibly cold, and the slowing rise and fall of their chest ceases altogether, she knows.
She clutches their body against her and cries.
She cries for everything she couldn’t give them. For everything she took away from them. Everything she took away from everyone she loved. That there are others waiting for her outside, waiting to take her home, even despite it all. She can’t claim to understand it. But she doesn’t have to.
“We have a lot of work to do,” she chokes out. “But when we finally get to see the world in your image, it’ll all be worth it. And- and I know how that starts, and I’ll take care of them, and I’ll let them take care of me.”
She could swear she sees the SOUL pulse brighter from within its containment. It’s enough to push her to her feet, no matter how much she wishes to collapse into herself.
She immediately notices the presence of several armed soldiers as she returns to the street. She doesn’t look their way.
“Step away from the human,” the one in front says, her helmet obscuring her face and amplifying her voice.
“Their name is Clover,” Starlo spits, his eyes narrowing.
“I don’t care what their name is, what they are is-”
“Captain, it’s alright,” Martlet interjects, frantically pulling a small book from her satchel. “The, um… th-the threat has been eliminated, and the SOUL collected for immediate delivery to the King.”
She buries her face into the book, surely to hide her expression of anguish. The captain turns back towards Ceroba, recoiling slightly as she finally catches sight of their SOUL, tucked carefully underneath her arm.
“They weren’t a threat,” Ceroba can’t help but correct. “They were nothing but helpful to everyone they encountered. But I understand this development is considered… beneficial, for our freedom.”
The captain is still for a few moments. Ceroba can only hope her expression beneath the helmet is one of pensive consideration. If it isn’t, she supposes she’ll have to continue standing up for Clover until it is.
“Just hand me the SOUL,” she grumbles, and she swipes the container so cleanly from Ceroba’s grasp that her tightened grip around it seems to go unnoticed. “You look hurt. Did the human hurt you?”
“Everything that happened here is my own doing,” she deadpans.
“Uh… okay, well, as long as you’re alright. You feeling well enough to come along with me? King Asgore wants to speak with you.”
She turns on her heel and begins marching forward. Ceroba finds herself scrambling to keep up, not wanting to be too far away from Clover’s SOUL. Martlet and Starlo follow behind, each with horrified gazes affixed to Clover’s paling figure.
“She’s usually a lot more… energetic than this,” Martlet whispers as they approach the castle doors. “I guess this whole business has her shaken up, too.”
“I look forward to getting to know her better side,” Ceroba responds. She isn’t sure if she means it. But she supposes, as long as it brings them all closer to happiness, she could learn to.
“Just this way.” She beckons into the dark entranceway as the rest of her soldiers fall into formation around the three. “He’s already expecting you. And… he’ll wanna thank you, for what you’ve done for us. As do I.”
She and her entourage disappear into the darkness of the entranceway.
No one else moves.
"I'm not ready," Ceroba says, and she means it. She’s failed her mission. She’s lost even more. And the honour of the bravest, most selfless human there is now rests on her shoulders, to upkeep what they gave their life for, when they shouldn’t have had to give it at all. She doesn’t know how to do them justice. She doesn’t know how to feel deserving of this second chance.
Starlo puts a hand on her shoulder, and Martlet presses Clover's hat against her chest.
She doesn’t have to be ready. She just has to be. And she will.
"Whatever comes next, we'll face it together," she promises. The other two nod, and it's enough for everything to be okay.
Each with a hand on Clover, they step through the door together.