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If anyone comes across a building called Pay for Exchange, don't go in it.

[Asriel's voice sounds shaky and clearly upset with something. Maybe he should've switched to text, but he thinks it's too late now.]

They... they sell copies of people - people you can swap bodies with for a day. And they'll make copies of anyone who goes in their store, real actually alive copies too.

[Asriel's still sick to his stomach that he found "himself" for sale, but clearly the people on this colony didn't exactly see why it was a problem to sell living, unconscious bodies. But he's too scared to go back...]

J-just stay far away from it, okay? They don't ask you or anything, and they don't have any problems making a copy of you and putting it up for sale.

[ooc: Info for Pay for Exchange and what Asriel saw found here!]

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[For all of his general absence lately and the text-based conversation he generally insists upon, Mettaton still manages to get there before Asriel, and when he finally catches sight of the small boss monster, his first reaction is to walk closer and hug him.

No words. Nothing. There's really no point talking about it, what had happened was not cool, and he didn't expect Asriel to be strong in the face of it.]

[Mettaton may have gotten there first, but the second Asriel sees him... he breaks into a run and practically lunges so that he can attach himself to him. Asriel doesn't explain why he's upset, at least not yet. But their brief text conversation and their previous conversations about the Outpost might be a giveaway.

For now, he's burying his face and sniffling loudly.]

[The robot reaches a hand up, gently stroking the top of Asriel's head, letting him cry. Anyone with a heart would be upset at seeing themselves for sale.

Especially considering the whole...slavery thing. They were technically already sold off once. Making copies? That's insult to injury.]

It makes you wish we could just...get away, doesn't it?

[Asriel just continues to bury his wet face into Mettaton, looking to feel safer. Nothing really felt safe though. Just like with this planet, they couldn't escape all the reminders of just how little sense of self that actually belonged to them. Asriel nods shakily at Mettaton's question.]

I-I don't get it. Are they trying to prove a point...?

[In reality, it's be unlikely that they know Asriel's history and made the clone to purposefully hurt him, but to a child that's immediately where his mind goes.]

Someone else said they sell people here too. I don't wanna go back out there anymore. I don't even want to be anywhere near this place.

[While Asriel cries against him, Mettaton finds himself feeling angered. Is that all he felt anymore? Anger and sadness? He couldn't help himself though. Anytime Asriel is reduced to this state over something new and traumatic, he wants to hurt whoever had done it.

It's not entirely like he reacts when Napstablook is treated badly. It's weird...feeling so strongly protective of someone that wasn't his cousin.

And when Asriel says he doesn't want to leave the ship again, Mettaton immediately latches onto that.]

Don't. Stay here. You can even stay with me in my ro-room!

[Augh, damn it. He's got to stay calm...he doesn't want to stutter at a time like this!]

I mean--for now though...why don't we sit? Let's, ah. Let's talk about something else?

[He speaks softly this time; he doesn't want to stress his body out, it's still not at optimum performance, though it's far better than it had been earlier in the month.]

[Asriel notices the stutter enough that he lifts his head with a look of concern in his watery eyes. He doesn't plan to leave again though... maybe never again, if they keep landing on planets that think slavery and selling off clones of anyone they can get their hands on is okay.]

Y-yeah, okay.

[He won't move until Mettaton does.]

What... um, what do you want to talk about?

[Mettaton doesn't pay the concern any mind--or at least, he's not interested in focusing in on it. He just needs some more repairs, that's all.

It's a little inconvenient to be out, actually, but he'll endure it for Asriel. He just has to make sure he doesn't drain his battery too much, it discharges so fast...

On that note, he steps slightly back from Asriel, taking a seat right where they were. He offers the boy a hand down, smiling wanly.]

Anything else.

[Yikes. That sounded either insensitive, or a little desperate.]

Why don't we talk about...home? We can talk about things that we'll get to once we reach that Midway Hub, or whatever the new fellow called it.

We can talk about that.

[Asriel plops down, sitting close enough for fur to brush against metal. He isn't normally this clingy, but with what he's seen and heard... he just wants to hide.

The topic change is welcomed.]

Everyone lives on the surface now, right? Um...

[Asriel's knowledge of the surface is pretty limited. They've been on the surface of planets and such, but it's not the same.]

I don't really know much about fun stuff to do on the surface. I'd still like to see one of your shows though.

[Mettaton doesn't mind. In fact, he wraps an arm around Asriel without thinking. Not surprising, given how touchy he is in general, but...with Asriel it's easier.]

Mmhm! Everyone lives among the humans! It's not perfect, but at least in my case, my hard work is paying off; humans really do love me.

Being on the surface is the best thing that could ever have happened to me, and I will do everything in my power to always pay it forward, especially to my fellow monsters. To think...I was going to leave them all behind, when they are the original fans. I was pretty selfish. But! I'll make up for it!

And of course I will do shows for you, with you, and starring you! What sort of things do you think are interesting?

[Perhaps Mettaton's cheesing it up, but this is what he's good at. Optimism. And he wants to do his bets to cheer the younger monster up, so he'll be as chipper as he has to.]

[Being the star of a show sounds a little terrifying. Mettaton's really good at it, but Asriel's sure he'd be really scared knowing that tons of monsters and humans were watching him.]

I - I'm not sure if I want to be a star of a show. I'm not good at being on TV like you are.

[But what things does he find interesting? Asriel gives the question a small "hmm".]

W-well, what about shows where good guys defeat bad guys? And the good guys have all these cool powers... and the bad guys also have cool powers too! And just when it looks like the good guys are gonna lose... [Asriel throws his hands up in the air in a dramatic motion. It's not as effective when he's sitting down and curled up next to a robot.] Whoosh! At the very last second, the good guys pull out a super secret power they've been hiding the whole time, and then they win!

[Someone's been watching cartoons. But Asriel sounds like he's cheering up some.]

Oh, fair enough then! You don't have to be on TV, but you certainly have great ideas! I adore a good action series, complete with superpowers! And the idea of the heroes taking the victory at a point of almost-certain defeat?? Fabulous!

[He smiles a little more brightly now, as if to egg the small boss monster on. This is a nice conversation!]

I suppose that it wouldn't come across as creative if I'm the hero again, but I'm sure there are many viable actors to cast in the coveted position! Maybe...you can help me pick out a great cast!

[It is a nice conversation. And Asriel being able to nerd out over the stories he's written, or just running around at home pretending to be one of these "good guys with cool superpowers" was something that he never really had a chance to do too much.

There's a blush underneath white fur, but Asriel puffs up happily at Mettaton's approval.]

Yeah, those are my favorite kinds of stories! I even have drawings of some characters I made...

And um, maybe Frisk could be an actor! I bet they'd be really good at it. And and... auntie Undyne too! Well, I'm not sure if she'd want to be on TV but she's really great with spears and that'd be so cool to see...

[Mettaton's on board with most of that but his expression does falter at the mention of Undyne. There's really two reasons for it, but the main one...]

Eh...I don't know if I would very much like Undyne around my equipment, sweetheart. She's not the most respectful of personal property! Not even her own!! Maybe if we put her nice and far from the cameras and zoomed in!!

[Recording equipment is expensive, okay?]

O-oh, right. I forgot...

[There is no way there wouldn't be a spear through a camera.]

I was really little when auntie Undyne used to visit, but I think there was one time that mom got really mad because she tried lifting one of castle's dining tables.

... And broke it in half.

[But on the subject of actors.]

Um, but... there's a lot of monsters that know all kinds of magic, so I'm sure they'd be great actors too!

Edited 2016-10-15 09:07 (UTC)

[Mettaton wants to stay on point. He really does, but there's one immutable fact that he can't deny.

Asriel calling Undyne "Auntie" is cute as all hell. He doesn't realize the expression he's making, or the way his hand goes to his mouth as if to hide a smile, when really it's too wide and amused to be hidden.

Sometimes it's the simple things.]

You know, that does sound terribly like her. Undyne has no sense of propriety sometimes, but I think that is a part of her charm!!

[He lets out a small chuckle, then turns to the stars. Talking about what he hopes is not too distant a future is nice! But it does make him feel a familiar and uncomfortable emptiness. He's felt it before, back on Amissis-Re...]

Oh, certainly there are. Anyone can be an actor if they put a little hard work into it, and I'd be happy to have anyone on my show who wishes to give it a shot!!

[The smile is still on his face, but as he stares out into space through the observation deck's enormous windows, there's a sense of longing written on his face. It's certainly not intentional, but talking about home, for all of the positive connotations, makes him miss it.]

She's made mom mad on lots of occasions...

[But he still thinks she's strong and cool. His mind wanders a little, wondering why he hasn't seen Kyoko recently. His gaze follows Mettaton's, seemingly a little lost in thought too. He's said before that he's wanted to see Mettaton's show, and every time he thinks about it, he pictures himself among his friends and family - and a crowd of both humans and monsters. It feels like a dream that's too far away for him to grasp sometimes.

He wonders if he forgives himself for the past, if that dream will feel a little more in his reach.

At least right now, he can indulge in this dream a little longer.]

Hey, do I get to sit up front if I come see your show? I'd hate to miss all the human and monster guests you must have when you do your show back home.

[It's said jokingly.]

[The robot's pulled from his thoughts when Asriel asks him a question. An important one, he admits.]

Of course, you can sit right next to Frisk in the front row! My shows do indeed get quite the audience! It's really nice seeing so many humans that like what I do. I didn't...realize how many humans there really were compared to the number of monsters, haha. They're really nice most of the time though!!

[Except when they weren't, but Mettaton usually dealt swiftly with that.

All of a sudden, he sighs and actually says something on his mind.]

Sometimes I feel as if I will never belong here.

[The response gets a smile out of Asriel. If they were going to sit anywhere, he'd want it to be next to his family. Mettaton's sudden comment snaps him out of that thought.]

Huh? Why do you say that?

Because it's true. I have not achieved anything I set out to do here. There's really been little time to follow through even considering that I do not sleep, and that's not how I like things.

It isn't important, of course. Sorry to have brought it up.

[He is, really. The instant he'd said that, he regretted it.]

... Of course it's important, Mettaton.

What were you setting out to do here, if you don't mind me asking?

Be important like I was at home. Be anything at all like I was back home, I suppose.

[It's so selfish, and yet he's not really ashamed of it.]

Let's not dwell on that though!! Like I said, I shouldn't have brought it up!

[...]

...Have you ever tried laying on the ground and thinking about nothing?

[He doesn't want to say "and feeling like garbage" if only because that seems a little too negative. He's trying to steer the conversation he'd just dovetailed into Awkward City to a more positive mindset.]

[Asriel can't say he understands how Mettaton feels, just existing at all sometimes feels like an overwhelming experience. He kind of wishes this life they had right now was a little happier.]

Anytime we leave the ship, it seems like something bad happens. And being inside the ship... it's kind of like being in the Underground again, huh?

[But to Mettaton's question, Asriel answers it with a shake of his head.]

No, I can't say that I have.

[That's uncomfortable to think about. Mettaton loved the Underground and all the monsters in it, but...given the choice, he would take the surface. With everyone he cared about, including his fans! But the surface all the same.

Rather than say that, he focuses on Asriel's answer.]

That's a shame, truly.

[Mettaton moves slightly apart from Asriel, then flops back onto the deck with a loud CLANG, his arms splayed out.]

You should do it with me! It's a tradition in my family, you know. Laying on the ground. [A beat.] ...and feeling like garbage.

Would it surprise you to know that doing this kind of thing is actually therapeutic? It sounds awful, but it really is not. If you feel bad to start, then that's fine. But if you stare up for long enough, sometimes things become less complex. It's easy if you lose yourself, and maybe things begin to abstract, and you don't feel so bad. Because everything is wide open space, stars and galaxies, and that's when you feel so small that you can't imagine your problems to be as bad as you thought. Right?

[Does he sound a little crazy? Absolutely. Is it an abstract idea, loosely influenced by blook magic? You betcha.]

[To be fair, garbage can be kind of nice sometimes? At least to a society of monsters that live off the stuff.

... It had to be better than the crushing fear and sadness he's been feeling lately.]

Let me try, um...

[He mimics Mettaton and just... flops down in the same way.]

So you just gotta... stare? And think of space an' stars?

Edited 2016-10-24 04:55 (UTC)

Yes! Something like that!

[Mettaton made it sound so complicated, but Asriel caught onto the idea decently quickly.]

Just stare. Let your mind wander. Think about nothing and everything...

[He smiles a little, his eye half-lidding. He has so much to think about, honestly. Homesickness. Missing Blooky, who he would always do this with before abandoning them.

Guilt. Mm, no. He doesn't want to hold onto that feeling. So he lets it go, focusing on the metal curvature of the ship, not enough to really hone in. Just enough to distract.

Papyrus.

...heartbreak. No, he drops that line of thought too.

Frisk. Asriel.

There. That's what he wants. That makes him feel better. They aren't actual family, but...he feels like they are. His dear little human, and his wonderful little prince. They're such good friends.]

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writing this tag is a joke considering the last one I sent your way

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