[Open] Stars shining bright above you

[inruins]

Who: Toriel & you! OTA
When: First week of March.
Where: Around the ship, specified in prompts.
What: Toriel makes herself comfortable in the Moria, trying to find her rhythm in a new place. Catch all log. Wildcard prompts welcome.
Warnings: Talk of broken bones, violence, sad times. Undertale spoilers. Toriel mom-ing at people.


[A - Lullabies - CLOSED]
Starting from square one wasn't something new for Toriel. She had to do so three times so far in her long lifetime. Starting anew under the mountain after the war, forging their way to build a new society for monsters left behind.

The second time, lay in fleeing to the old ruins teary and enraged. A time she would much rather forget to some extent. Even if it brought what she had thought would be her final shift, Frisk. Their new home, the excitement of a life to be.

Now, now she was here. Toriel brushed her hands across the front of her uniform, smoothing out the fabric. Some part of her wants to be tired, but she shuffles that way.

With little hesitation, the boss monster sends the two children a message.

'Would you like to spend the night with me?' It's a bit silly, sappy. But Toriel wishes Asriel and Frisk were on the same floor as she was. One night with the pair would be nice, to be sure they're sleeping well.


[B - Mess Hall - OPEN]
The mess hall is a bustling place of activity, Toriel must admit it is daunting at first. She swallows the uncertainty, walking into the swirling crowd to find something to eat. For a place as busy as it is, there seems to be a decent enough selection of foods. Some is recognizable, some isn't- not that Toriel is picky in the moment. Food is food.

She loads up from the buffet, glad for her height for once. Being able to see over the crowd to some degree is a relief as she makes her way towards the seating section. With the hustle and bustle, it's not a surprise the tables are mostly taken. Toriel catches sight of a free seat, be it at an occupied table. She walks over, careful not to bump into anyone equally searching for a table.

"Ah, pardon me. Would it be alright if I sat with you?" The table's occupants are greeted by a 6'9 white furred goat monster, a warm smile on her features.


[C - Night wandering - OPEN ]

With all the changes settled upon her, cooking is something she finds solace in. Familiarity in the movements, in the ingredients and the results always left her feeling better. Even food she doesn't quite recognize, she still finds some ease in making it.

It's why she leaves her first evening shift of cooking more relaxed than she entered it. She's more than a little happy to see people eating food she helped prepare. The thought puts a spring in her step when she's off shift.

Toriel lets herself wander after work, not quite ready to sleep as she drifts through the halls. Her mind is wandering at this point, thinking idly of the possibilities of making pies. The lack of snails means she can't make her favorite, but she can improvise. Her mind is wandering enough she bumps into the person passing by her.

"Oh! My apologies." She offers back, snapping back to the present she is opposed to the idle good feeling hanging over her. An embarrassed and equally apologetic expression settles over her features. "I was a bit distracted. I didn't see you there."

Comments

For Frisk & Med'an

[inruins]

The fight roars in her ears still, leaving her shaky and heart hammering in her chest. If not for Frisk's presence at her side, Toriel isn't sure what she would be feeling. The most she can focus on now is staying in one piece emotionally. She refuses to collapse, not now.

Chara was alive, Chara was alive. Chara tried to kill her.

"My child, we should, go." She manages simply back at the human child at her side, arriving back on the Moria is startling. It almost feels like a dream. "There is a medical center, correct?" Her broken fingers thob, she does her best not to move them.

[gainedlove]

Frisk nods, their throat thick and constricted after that fight. They hold Toriel's uninjured hand and lead her down the halls, looking for a lift to take them both to the right floor.

They'd thought Chara would stop, once they realized that death wasn't permanent within this timeline. It's pointless, it would just be turned back again...do they really just want to hurt people? Or can they not accept it?

Looking up, Frisk tries to speak a few times, then gives up and hope Toriel can understand their miming. At this rate, they may need to start teaching her Hands, too. Where are you hurt?

[inruins]

Toriel is more than willing to let Frisk lead the way. The thought of using the map in her MID completely escaping her in the moment. The weight of Frisk's hand in her own keeps the boss monster anchored in the moment. Her gaze drifts across the quiet hallways, working on memorizing where they were going.

Frisk's miming doesn't go unnoticed. The frantic edge to it is enough to give her an idea of what Frisk is asking. "My fingers and my arm. It isn't too bad, dear." It is automatic at this point to offer Frisk comfort first. The little human who saved monster kind is still her child.

Mess Hall, March 7th

[devilofohara]

It's been a rough week for Robin. Not the roughest week she's ever had, mind you, but... Well, it definitely males the top ten.

After being dragged (apparently across the multiverse) to Ceta, Robin hadn't been especially eager to join the rank and file of the people who had kidnapped her. Instead, she had spent the better part of six and a half days out on the surface of the poison planet, working and surviving and hoping to find a way back on her own.

Obviously, from her presence on the Moira, one can easily see that her plan hasn't worked out particularly well for her. She's only been aboard the ship for a few hours now, and her brief stay on Ceta still shows itself clearly on the girl's body. She's quite dirty, not having taken the opportunity to bathe just yet, and the visible parts of her body (her hands, feet and face, mostly) have their fair share of scrapes and bruises - many of which seem fairly recent.

The most obvious sign of her misfortune, however, is how poorly she's been eating. The uniform she's been given fits poorly, hanging loosely on her thin frame, and the girl leans over her tray of food, placing an arm down between her meal and Toriel, as if to protect it from a would-be thief. She eyes the large woman suspiciously - not because she's a monster, Robin has met plenty of non-humans since her arrival. No, the wariness she's showing is the same sort she's given to every adult that has attempted to speak to her in the last hour or so.

"Do what you want," she says. She won't turn the boss monster away, at the very least. She isn't trying to make enemies, even if she doesn't trust anyone aboard this ship as far as she can throw them. "It may not be a free ship, but I can't stop you."

She's still keeping an eye on Toriel, though, in case the older woman tries anything funny.

[inruins]

Toriel manages to conceal the alarm she feels at seeing the child in such a state. Keeping her smile in place as she settles down across from the child. "Even so, thank you. I appreciate it." With children in this state, it's better to approach cautiously.

The boss monster lets silence lull over them for a moment, working on eating her own meal, hoping to give the girl a chance to eat as well. The quiet gives Toriel a chance to think on how to approach. Something neutral would be best, something not about the ship preferably, nor the child's current state. She accidentally nudges her sealed pudding cup off of her own tray, pretending not to notice it in the boundary between them. It is doubtful Robin will take it, but it is worth a shot.

"Ah, this is rather out of the blue I suppose, but do you have any book suggestions?" It isn't the best start, but it's something.

[devilofohara]

Robin keeps an eye on the boss monster for a moment more, until Toriel begins on her own meal. After that, happens, though, Robin's attention turns to her own food, wolfing it down with little abandon. She understands, on a logical level, that she should be more hesitant to accept food given to her by people that she inherently distrusts.

Unfortunately - or perhaps fortunately, Robin isn't sure which - hunger beats out suspicion at the moment. She doesn't even slow her pace when Toriel drops the pudding cup. She just reaches out with what appears to be a third arm (notable from the other two because it isn't sleeved) and snatches up the food up. The arm quickly disappears and Robin continues her makeshift feast unimpeded.

By the time Toriel speaks again, Robin is nearly finished. She looks up with her mouth full and crumbs of food on her face - apparently unconcerned about manners for the time being. She, at least, has the courtesy to swallow before speaking.

"I just got here, so I don't know what there is to read around here," she says, just before licking sauce off of the tips of one of her fingers. "This ship is big enough that it has a cafe, though. It probably has a library too."

mess hall

[imanapexpredator]

Andrew tried as best as he could to find a seat secluded from too many people. A table off to the side somewhere, though quickly seats filled up anyway. He hated crowds and what constituted as a crowd for him wasn't all that much to be honest. That's why he's sitting on his chair with his legs crossed, head down, trying to withdraw from his surrounding area as much as possible.

He's picking at his food with a fork when he hears someone approach the table. He doesn't lift his head but his eyes raise to look upon the visitor. Maybe he stares a moment longer than he should, though he doesn't look as surprised as he might have been a few days ago. His voice is soft as he speaks and looks down at his unfinished food, shoulders rising and falling in a small shrug.

"Uh, sure, I guess.

[inruins]

Toriel's expression shifts to something more apologetic, if not for this being the only table left with seats the boss monster would have left the young man alone. His need for seclusion doesn't go unnoticed by her. "Thank you. I'll try not to disturb you too much, dear."

She takes her seat, setting the tray down gently not wanting to really bother the young man anymore than she already is. The boss monster begins eating, clearly hungry even if she has to occasionally adjust her fork to avoid poking at her paw pads.

[imanapexpredator]

His gaze flickers up to her for a moment. "Um...I mean, it's fine, really."

Andrew has never been much to socialize but even he has to admit meeting all these different...species?? has been quite an experience. If he could somehow learn more about them without having to actually speak words he would be all over it. Of course, that large part of him that just wants to be alone is hanging over his head constantly whispering into his ear. If not for that bit of conflict he would be sneaking off to some quiet area of the ship to eat his meals.

Lullabies

[pleasereset]

Toriel's message is answered within seconds of her sending it, his response a little anxious. Her arrival is the only thing he can think of, and some part of him still feels like she could just disappear on him at any moment.

So maybe it would be a huge relief if he could spend the night with her. Just so that he knows she's still going to be there. And that he's not going anywhere either.

"Yeah, that sounds great!"

[gainedlove]

Another reply comes right on the heels of the previous one; Frisk is practically vibrating with excitement.

"Yeah! I got my jammies an' my toothbrush an' everything! I'll be there, soon!"

And of course Frisk goes tearing off through the halls with their items jammed into their inventory without even waiting for a reply. This is gonna be the BEST, it's gonna be just like home but better!

[inruins]

Toriel has to contain her amusement at the immediate reply from both children. One hand it is amusing, on the other... they missed her. The thought leaves Toriel warm as she sends the pair one last message stating she would be waiting for them outside of her dorm room. With that she turns off her MID for now to wait.

She briefly wonders if she should send Chara another goodnight message but stifles it. Until she can find even footing with Chara, she'll keep things simple. True to her word, Toriel is waiting by the door of her room for Asriel and Frisk.

Night Wandering

[kidjoy]

Staying put has never been her strong suit, even back at home when every step away from her boys was a step towards getting caught. She'd been raised to be too curious, she couldn't help but always let her mind wander and dictate her feet. Even as terrified as this place made her, that curiosity still applied.

She's been looking around the hallways all evening, trying to learn the layout of the ship. She'd been scuffing her boot on the floor, trying to decide if a mark in the paneling was proof of a trapdoor or just that the cleaning crew wasn't doing a proper job when she felt the bump. She jerks as she looks up, initially a little panicked before she takes in the look of the woman and relaxes.

"'s okay." She shrugs, eyeing the fur and horns with a childish interest. She'd seen people in suits like this in the zones, full on furry costumes that always made her stare in awe when they walked around in the desert heat. It was a little pleasing, honestly, that someone was wearing one here. Living with their mask on; any runner would be proud. "You're pretty high up, probably not use to lookin' down for smalls."

[inruins]

"I was more lost in my thoughts really. I'm glad I didn't knock you over, dear." She offers simply back, smiling down at The Girl. Given everyone's varied schedules, Toriel holds off nudging the child off to bed. Her new title and tendencies means it will come given some time.

"Are you new here as I am?" She questions with an arch of her brow. Unaware of the child's assumption she is wearing any kind of suit.

[kidjoy]

"Ain't that easy to knock around," she says, overconfident despite that with her size it's obvious she can't stand up to much of anything. "But ya ought to watch the mind wandering. Never know who's sneakin' about around here. Don't wanna start a clap just cause you sent someone sprawlin'."

She watches the woman's mask move with her mouth, a little awed by how realistic it looked. Ghoul's had never been that nice. "I guess. Just got here a while ago. Just been a few days?" She frowns. She's not actually all that sure about the passage of time here.

night wandering

[alan_1]

Alan happens to be wandering the halls of the Moira that night as well, though his wandering is far more accidental. He does actually have a destination in mind (and a delivery in hand), but it’s difficult to find his way there when he’s still new to the ship, and he can barely read the labels on his MID map without his glasses. He’s so preoccupied trying to decipher the tiny letters on the screen that he doesn’t realize he’s on a collision course with one of his crewmates until it’s too late.

He stumbles backwards a step at impact, dropping the item in his hand. There’s already an apology forming on his lips, but he very quickly loses track of it when he sees who exactly he bumped into.

She’s an… alien? Maybe? She’s certainly not human. She does, however, speak English, the sound of which breaks Alan out of his dumbstruck staring.

“It’s no trouble. I probably should have been paying more attention myself.” Already embarrassed at his earlier gawking, Alan busies himself picking up the object he had dropped earlier. It appears to be a plastic bag… with a piece of grilled chicken in it?

“I, ah, don’t suppose you know how to get to the ship’s garden?”

[inruins]

The staring is hardly unusual, after so long Toriel takes it in stride, offering the man a smile. "We're both a bit lost in day dreams then. Goodness." She offers lightly back hoping to make Alan a bit more comfortable.

The grilled chicken is a bit unexpected, but Toriel guesses the man is off to have a meal. "I can always walk you there, dear. My son works in the garden so I've gotten far too familiar with it."

[alan_1]

“I’d appreciate it,” Alan says. As alien as the woman looks, she seems perfectly polite and, well… normal. Not that Alan supposes the word has much meaning anymore on an interdimensional spaceship. “I’m still learning my way around this place myself.” He’d actually been to the garden too, on his very first day on the ship, but he had been wandering then, and retracing his steps has proven to be more than a little difficult.

“I’m Alan, by the way. It's nice to meet you.”

Mess Hall

[neveroutwrenched]

“Sure, go ahead.”

Ratchet doesn’t look up, too busy eating with one hand, and reading with the other. The book was terrible. A human account of wormhole physics from some bygone era that would be impossible to fit into any real timeline. He’s not even sure if it’s meant to be fiction or not, which, either way, makes it useless. When he does finally glance up at her, he double takes, closing the book abruptly (no loss there) a strange look of recognition on his face.

“Oh- holy crap. You’re…” A little bit of uncertainty edges into his voice. He hopes he’s not mistaken or this would be embarrassing. “You’re from the underground aren’t you?”

[inruins]

The boss monster gladly settles down across from the lombax, smiling a bit ruefully at the fact he's multitasking his meal and reading time. Toriel pokes at her meal, intending to dig in if the young man across from her was busy.

The snap of a book closing and his voice draws her gaze back upwards. Some surprise clear on her own features as she responds. "You've heard of Mount Ebott?" He doesn't look like any monster she has seen before. "But yes- I was from the underground."

[neveroutwrenched]

"Uh, kind of." He hadn't known the name of the mountain, but he has no doubt it's the very one that Asriel had mentioned. The one Chara had climbed.

"Sorry, it's just...I don't know why, but humans...you know. They come from all over. Different times and worlds and all that? But whenever you meet someone who isn't human...they always all come from the same place. And you look a lot like someone on the ship."

The explanation almost sounds more presumptuous than the question and he shrugs, looking down at his food.

C; sorry for how late this is 8I

[notyetsore]

To be fair, Ginko is easy to miss, being as small and quiet as he is.

He stumbles a little, giving a very quiet, startled sound. Then he actually catches sight of her, and just sort of... stops. "--Um. It's... it's fine."

[inruins]

An apologetic sound falls from her lips, her brows pinching together when she realizes she's stumbled into a child. "Still, my dear. I should have been paying attention. Are you alright?"

Toriel knows she's big, especially compared to a 12 year old.

Closed to Chara (and Frisk) March 10th

[inruins]

Even now, even with the silences and possibility of another attack, Toriel can't find it in herself to give up on Chara. Her talk with Sans about second chances giving the boss monster something to hold onto.

Her love, her stubbornness is why she finds herself baking. Chara's favorite flavor of pie coming to mind easily as she worked with what she could. Supplies were meager, so Toriel shrinks the recipe. From a full sized pie to something a child could comfortably eat on their own. When the pie is finished and cooled, Toriel gently carries it on a tray, intending to bring the borrowed tray back to the Mess Hall later.

After texting Frisk, she sets off to find Chara. The pair find Chara by their room. Toriel is easily able to shuffle away her nerves, gently calling out to her adopted child.

"Chara- there you are. I wanted to give you something."

[gainedlove]

Frisk is a little apprehensive about this, honestly. Chara hasn't really calmed down much about their mother, even after whatever Sans had said to them, and given Chara's previous actions...

They don't like it, but there's a reason that dagger is sitting in their equipment slot right now, rather than the stick.

Still, nothing will get better if they don't give Chara a chance. And trying to talk Toriel out of it wouldn't be fair to her, either--they have no choice but to hope for the best and be prepared for the worst. Which is why Frisk slows down to remain a few steps behind Toriel once they get close enough; a little bit of 'privacy', but still close enough that Frisk can step in if they have to.