Whisper [Undertale Multiverse]

Ch9 - Gossip

Whisper's POV

Now seated on a pile of colourful cushions, you took the time to pet various kitties that came to greet you. The space was fairly comfortable, the tent keeping everything dim and shaded, a much more gentle sensory experience than outside. "I came from the Everglades, I think it was called," you said in response to his question. It had been where Reaper had found you, so it didn't feel as though it were a lie, even if you were being sort of vague.

"Oh? I've heard it can be quite treacherous out that way. A lot of snow and ice," Ccino let out, clearly wanting to learn more.

"Mn... I guess. There were some pretty animals there, though. I saw some really cute foxes," you hummed somewhat distractedly.

Splot was beginning to act a little chaotic. You had to put them down on the floor several times because they kept trying to shove their paws into your eye sockets, and whilst you were pretty sure it was meant to be playful, it wasn't exactly comfortable. That cat must have had no concept of personal space though because they kept trying to climb back up no matter how many times you put them back onto the floor.

Spooky looked like they couldn't be bothered moving, so you tried petting them instead of Splot, hoping the redirected attention would be enough. It wasn't, buttThankfully, an extremely fluffy black cat with teal eyes ended up coming over and dragging Splot away. 

You looked over to Ccino worriedly when the two cats began to hiss and bat at each other.

"Don't mind them, they, uh, play-fight a lot," Ccino explained. "...At least, I think it's play fighting... anyway, do you have a group you are part of? I noticed you don't have a mark or anything, that's not very common these days."

"Uhm..." you considered his question for a moment. You guessed being a god probably counted as being part of a group, but you had a feeling Ccino wasn't quite asking that. He was asking you if you had a place you belonged. "I'm still figuring that out," you admitted.

He nodded to that. "Well, you're welcome to come by if you ever want company. You could even become a starlight, if you wanted to."

You tilted your head. "What exactly would that mean?"

"Well, you would be part of a group, for one. We are like a big family, and travel a lot as part of our culture. It's also a lot more socially acceptable to worship the less common gods with us, as the Kingdoms can get a bit.. Uppity... About it. I, for example, worship two deities - Papyrus, the god of healing, and Sans, the god of rest. I assume you already know about the different deities?"

You tilted your head. You only really knew Reaper and yourself as being deities and were eager to learn. "Only a little bit. Could... you tell me more?"

"Sure," he let out with a smile. "Do you want a coffee while we talk? I have other drinks too, I usually sell them to help raise funds for us - er, the Starlights - to travel easier."

"Do you have something with chocolate?" You let out a little too quickly. Reaper had introduced you to hot chocolate, and it was a tad addicting.

"Yes, of course," he hummed, disappearing for a moment and returning moments later. He passed you a mug. At your confused expression, he chuckled. "It's chocolate milk. Thought you might want a cold drink since it's getting a little hot."

"Ohhh, that makes sense," you hummed, taking a sip. Ccino got himself comfortable sitting across from you so you could both talk easier. "It tastes nice."

"Good," he let out. "Now, there are a lot of gods, but I'll talk about the main ones. Dream is the god of positivity and dreams, as well as his twin brother Nightmare, the god of negativity and sleep. Legend says the two were born mortal, but were blessed by the Tree of Feelings and became gods as a result."

That piece of news was a little startling to you. "Wait, so, the kings are also gods? Wouldn't that be a conflict of interests or something?"

"Haha, you might want to be careful who you say that to," he let out. It was a warning, but it didn't sound like a threat. "They're basically just the most popular two gods. Some people dedicate themselves to multiple, but that's less common in the kingdoms, and it's done in private."

You took another sip of the drink as he continued to talk. Reaper had explained things a little, but this was all new to you. You wondered briefly why he hadn't told you himself. Maybe he thought it was better you learn for yourself, or maybe he thought he wouldn't be as objective seeing as he was a god himself.

"Worshipping the other gods is more common in our starlight communities. Since we are made of lots of small groups, there's less pressure to conform to any specific god, and less judgement on how you choose to practise your beliefs. Since we have to hunt and gather, Edge - god of hunting - and his brother Red - god of survival - are pretty common ones. Toriel is popular too, surprisingly, she's the god of motherhood."

You nodded. Out of all the gods you had heard so far, though, there was one you couldn't help but want to learn more about. The name was just too familiar. "Could you tell me more about Nightmare?"

"Well, uh, it's not really my place to say, but... he doesn't have the best reputation. His four priests are quite literally murderers and cannibals, and it's rumoured his kingdom was built up by becoming a sanctuary to those with nefarious intentions," he sighed. "But it's kind of hard to tell what's true and what's just rumour. Their kingdom is pretty cut off, so nobody really knows what it's like over there anymore. It's gotten worse the past few years, actually. They don't even allow visitors anymore, and the king is never seen... it makes me wonder just what is going on behind closed doors..."

You tilted your head. "This is the neutral grounds, right? Couldn't you ask the moon kingdom people who visit here?"

"Ah... The moon and sun kingdoms seem to be having a lot of conflict lately Not sure if you noticed, but that's part of the reason there are so many soldiers out here - they weren't needed a few years back, but but its been getting a bit out of control," he explained. "As a Starlight, I've been trying to stay out of it. It has been tense enough without bringing it up... some of us are worried a war might be on the horizon for the kingdoms."