pursuing my true pacifist

[knewbest]

[The world of humans has changed a lot from what Toriel remembers. Then again, so has the world of monsters - their worldview, really. The sky is so much wider than a narrow stone ceiling.

What endures is that the little, quiet corners matter just as much as the bustling population centres, to monsters and humans alike. They matter to Toriel; in some strange way, the mountainside scenery reminds her of other places she once knew thousands of years ago. And they matter to the up-and-coming ambassador to the humans, which is why they're on this world tour to begin with.

At least, this sleepy country town mattered to the ambassador up until half a minute ago, when they noticed a fox dart into a hedge and let out a squeal of delight. They are about ten years old.]

You will not wander too far, will you?

[They nod enthusiastically, and she smiles, reaching down to give their hair another ruffle before they can barrel away.]

All right. Play safely, my child.

[And off they go towards the shrine, paying no attention to either the faintly wistful look on her face or the whispers that have followed the two of them since they walked into the shopping district.

After a moment of quiet, Toriel turns away from the shrine entrance and pads towards the closest store, her pace slow and deliberately dignified. Perhaps she can find the child a hairbrush...]

Comments

[truerevelation]

[ The store owner might be out on errands, but the place isn't empty; a young man fussing with a display of stuffed animals looks over at the sound of a visitor and blinks.

Well.

Kanji sure wasn't expecting a customer like her around here. Sure, he's not totally blind to the news - in fact, some of the dolls he's arranging are rather monster-inspired. But meeting one for the first time's still ... something.

It takes him a moment to shake his surprise off, but he smiles.]

Oh - uh, welcome! You lookin' for anything?