=JR Rose Garden =
Outer wasn't sure what he expected when he stumbled out of the Multiverse Portal but a nice rose garden next to a castle wasn't it. He sure didn't expect Nightmare to hiss like an annoyed cat and start projecting his aura in a way that knocked him to his knees and had him sobbing Iike he had just had ten back to back genocide runs.
Flower catches Bit, and lowers the BittyTale Sans beside Outer when he falls knocked out by whatever Nightmare is doing before settling down and putting an arm around the space themed Sans. "Long slow breaths just ride it out, this probably won't take them long."
Horror nods then and follows Nightmare towards the castle pulling a battle axe out of his inventory.
Nightmare frowns over his shoulder at them, "Flower, keep them safe until we get back."
Flower nods holding a whimpering Outer close. "Try to make it fast. I don't think they can take this for long."
Horror glances at the castle as they hear the doors slam shut. "Maybe move farther back?"
Nightmare abruptly stalks towards the castle and slams a tentacle against the doors leaving a small dent.
Horror nods to Flower and follows Nightmare letting him take out some of his frustration at being locked out on the door before bringing his axe down on it near the lower hinge, the magic reinforced blade biting deep with each swing.
Flower sighs, "Come on soft bones let's get you two, to the back of this garden. It won't take them long to get through that door."
"Why is this happening, why did his aura do that? I thought we were going to find Error!" Outer stumbles to his feet with Flower's help and helps him drag Bit to the back of the garden and into a hedge maze.
Flower grunts looking for an alcove that would hide them. "Nightmare can probably feel him inside that castle. Given the history he is storming the keep to rescue his soulmate. I am not sure if Error needs rescuing or not but with their history." He shrugs.
Outer points to an alcove that had a stone bench they could probably hide behind just as there was a crash of the door falling. "When you put it like that we should have expected this."
=Inside JR HQ=
Error stopped half way down the stairs, "you should probably stay here until he calms down."
"You're right but we want to at least be where we can see that you are okay. I know he is your soulmate but his actions are pretty aggressive." Efiáltis shakes his head when Grail tries to set up in Stavrós's arms.
Stavrós shakes his head, "of course he is given the condition Error arrived in. Well in Nightmare's place if every hand had always been turned against my soulmate and I arrived to find him in a castle with a strong aura of an old enemy. Well rescue first apologize if necessary later."
Láthos nods, "Stavrós is right I have broken in here more than once only to find Efiáltis tied to a chair for a tea party."
Meláni shrugs, "it made, boss take a break and eat something. Besides, the paintings always sell well. I just have to add a frilly dress and leave out the ropes."
Cyan snickers, "so how do we stop him from blowing anything up, castle repairs are expensive and take a lot of paperwork."
"Fine, whatever stay on the stairs, do not let your paint idiot start a fight, and keep Grail from trying anything." Error glares at them and reaches into one of his pockets pulling out a baggy of dried fruit. Before walking to the foot of the stairs facing the doors.
The door comes crashing down to reveal a tall skeleton covered in a black tarry looking substance, tentacles sprouting from his back waving menacingly, and a slightly shorter Sans with an alarmingly large chunk of his skull missing.
"Wow, who is the tar pit? Did you guys do a version of the paint bucket prank and not tell me?" Meláni leans so far over the rail Cyan has to pull him back or let him fall so naturally he gives him a push.
Error and Nightmare might have had a moment to stare longingly at each other through that broken door for their eyelights to meet with longing or some other romantic garbage neither will ever admit they wanted at least publicly if it wasn't for Meláni crashing to the floor. Error rolls his eyelights, "squidiot no matter the multiverse."
Meláni gives a thumbs up, "I'm okay... I think."
Nightmare facepalms and walks over to Error wrapping his tentacles around him. "You look like shit who should I kill?"
Error throws the snack pack to Horror leaning into Nightmare's hold, "I am fine Night everyone has been weirdly nice or idiotic neutral."
Horror catches the pack of freeze dried fruit and relaxes against the door frame to eat the snack and keep watch.
Efiáltis leans on the rail, "is he calm now can he tone down the oppressive aura before Grail pukes?"
Nightmare gives Efiáltis a look, "do you mind we are talking here."
Error snorts, "Night don't terrorize your counter part his and Dream's roles post apple incident got swapped. Though he and Grail have made their peace."
Cyan leans on the rail watching, "What no kiss for your hero he came all this way to rescue you Error."
Nightmare hisses in outrage and points sharpened tentacles at Cyan, "you leave him alone he doesn't have to do anything he doesn't want to!"
Stavrós peaks over the rail still holding Grail, "Please stop the aura thing before Grail passes out."
Horror finishes his snack and wanders over, "Flower can't babysit the soft bones we had to bring for long dad."
Meláni tries to get up and Horror steps on him between the shoulder blades and pushes him back down.
"Wait dad? Error didn't say anything about either of them having kids? Error, how could you leave out kids?" Efiáltis practically drags Láthos down the stairs with him as he hurries down them.
Stavrós sighs and carefully follows Efiáltis and Láthos, "slow down before you trip."
Nightmare let the aura pressure drop with frustrated scowl and turned his attention to Error checking him over for any new injuries. "Have you gotten any rest, when was the last time you ate? Have you at least been drinking magic infused water? You have a Bitty in your pocket, is it your companion or a stowaway?"
Error who wouldn't let anyone touch him directly except Nibs who he only touched when necessary just hung there in the grip of Nightmare's tentacles letting him poke, prod, and fuss. "I slept for six months and have been awake for about a month, working on eating because of Nibs my foster Bitty, no I forgot the water. Are you going to put me down now?"
Horror curses looking worried. "Time differences." He starts pacing, pulling a notebook out of one pocket and writing in it and frowning.
Grail goes limp in Stavrós's arms taking deep shuttering breaths, "I think I see why the only instructions Error would give was stay out of Nightmare's way."
Efiáltis jumps off the last step and spins to steady Láthos who is looking unamused. "I have not had enough coffee for this."
Cyan follows them down, running a speculative eyelight over Nightmare and Horror. "What do you mean about, time difference?"
Horror waved his note book, "we knew it was possible after all AU don't all run at the same rate. It was just over seven years for our multiverse so it appears to be, able a year our time to a month of yours."
Nightmare ignores them all and just holds Error closer. "Nope not letting you go until I am over you jumping into the fucking VOID and not even taking me with you!"
Grail gags clutching Stavrós as he gets hit with a wave of fear, anger, and grief. "Have you two considered therapy?"
Meláni rolls over but doesn't try to get up, "therapy isn't bad you go to an office with a comfy couch and get to talk as much as you want and they have to listen to you until they throw you out and fire you then you get a new one to talk to."
Horror looks at Meláni like he is disturbing which having lived with Killer and Dust pre-therapy says a lot. "I am incredibly glad the Star Council voted to seal Ink rather than mess up the therapies."
Error huffs but nods, "fair enough missed you too. So you brought along FlowerFell Sans #0, who are the soft bones he is babysitting?"
"Council figured out you are actually needed so they helped build the portal generator. Unfortunately that meant they got to send someone with us to bring you back. Blue suggested a balanced team of five, two council members, one neutral, and two from my team." Nightmare somehow pulls Error closer as he talks.
Horror puts away his notebook and pulls a snack pack out of his inventory, "Flower from FlowerFell, Bit from BittyTale, and Outer from OuterTale. Bit, is the neutral but they were picked because they are all pretty neutral or at least passive."
Efiáltis tilts his head thinking, "well we best bring them in before some overzealous guard tries to. Some of them are complete idiots and you did just cuss a ruckus."
Cyan shrugs, "I will do it, the guards actually trust me." He grins, going out of his way to walk across Meláni to Horror. "Why don't you come with me so they know it is okay?"
Nightmare eyes Cyan then points at Efiáltis and Láthos, "not unless they go to you are too willingly to backstab your own."
Grail coughs trying not to laugh, "actually keeping Meláni in line and out of trouble by any means necessary is his job description, it is even in his contract."
Stavrós uses checking on Grail to steal a nuzzle of his cheek against Grail's forehead. "I think Nightmare has a valid point. Cyan is having too much fun today."
Láthos smiles slightly, "let's get this done and let Nightmare check on and talk to Error in private."
Cyan pouts at getting called out on his behavior but shrugs and heads out the door with Efiáltis and Láthos following. Horror only follows when Nightmare gives him a slight nod.
Stavrós shrugs still not putting Grail down, "I will show you to the kitchen break room on this floor you two can talk while we make snacks."
=JR HQ=
Stavrós couldn't believe it. He was holding Grail, he was so warm and his wings were so soft! He didn't know if he should thank Nightmare or deck him for making Grail ill. "Right this way. You know I wasn't sure you would show up. Sure Error said you would if your multiverse survived but he also seems to think green is a food group."
Grail chuckles as Stavrós lead their guests to the break area. "I believed him there is no one as stubborn as Efiáltis. So why wouldn't Nightmare show up eventually."
Nightmare grunts following them, "Error how did you get mixed up with a feathered ball of sunshine?"
Error shrugs in Nightmare's hold, "according to them and the security cameras portal opened and my comatose self was thrown out to crash into him. He has been a fussy pushy mother hen ever since. They are good kids though."
Grail winces, "we aren't kids Error. Just because you come from an older multiverse doesn't make us children."
Stavrós blushes and looks away, "well you maybe an adult but we used to hide in plain sight by putting a striped sweater over Efiáltis's clothes, change my coat, stick Láthos in a dress with gloves and a sun hat with a vail and suddenly no one looks twice at a nice family out for a walk confused and upset by all the yelling and running. Do you know how many times your idiot guards have kindly escorted us safely out of a search area?"
Nibs snickers from Error's pocket, "Efiáltis must just love that! I have seen that guy training. How does anyone mistake him for a child?"
Error yawns getting more comfortable in Nightmare's hold, "same way Blue fooled everyone he is short and energetic, add clothes that look childish or hide the signs of strength in a skeleton and people don't bother to take a closer look."
Meláni finally gets up and trails after them, not really adding to the conversation but not causing trouble either.
Grail rests his head on Stavrós's shoulder with a sigh, "it is probably my fault he is short. Skele monsters needs magic from their parents to grow after I took the apples our tree withered."
Nightmare examines them as they walk to the break area, "so are you two in a relationship or something?"
Stavrós explodes in blushes and stumbles over his own feet before regaining his balance. "Wh.. what no I am married to my stash."
Error rolls his eyes, "Grail was trying to trick him into a date because he is too proud to ask and Stavrós wouldn't ask because he doesn't have the self confidence to believe Grail likes him."
Meláni hums, "not sure why, boss lets it go on, he could just tell him they are. Should just drag him in front of a judge and marry him already."
Nibs hisses at Meláni, "shut up idiot, healthy relationships don't work that way."
Nightmare hums, "you have been not hating watching this drama haven't you? Are these children worth trusting?"
Meláni trips on his untied shoestring and almost crashes into them but Nightmare dodges without even looking at him.
Error hums like an overheated computer for a moment, "I wouldn't trust Cyan. He has a little bit of Yanberry in him, not too much but he is openly amoral and soulmate hunting. The winged ball of sunshine is past the crazy stage post apple incident and has made peace with his balancer mostly. Meláni is a depowered Ink dependent on Grail and Efiáltis to feel. Láthos is what I probably might have been if I was not Destruction and got out of the anti-void shortly after glitching fully and stayed out. Stavrós is a somewhat more self confident Cross like he was after he was on the team for a while."
Nibs crosses his arms on the edge of Error's pocket, "so what now? You got here, you got him, what are you going to do now?"
Grail twists a little and stretches out one wing so it doesn't block his view of them, "you don't care at all that we can hear you do you?"
Nightmare gives him a measuring look, "less than five minutes and you can't walk even if you recovered two minutes ago. When you were resting it itched but didn't slow me down, and while Error may have less self preservation than a nat he isn't shielding Nibs. So no, I don't care if you know that I am assessing the situation."
Stavrós blushes setting Grail down in one of the specially designed chairs in the break area. "We get it, you are a lot more powerful than us and your multiverse hasn't left you too damn tired and emotionally injured to bother putting us in our place but you could be polite we have tried to help. And while you are making your assessment, maybe think about the fact that Error's bones have mostly stopped falling off now that he has started eating, or that his bones look less chalky with rest, nutrition, and not being constantly re-injured. We aren't enemies and it does no harm to be polite."
Meláni chuckles not getting off the floor. "Stavrós is acting like you insulted his chocolate stash."
"Hey Night, do you have a copy of the book on you? Meláni could round up some guards or office types and Efiáltis could attend his brother's wedding?" Error pets a tentacle blatantly fostering chaos.
Grail eyes them, "what book? You know if I didn't know you have no sense of humor I would think you had Láthos's brand of chaotic humor."
Nibs frowns, "Grail you haven't been paying attention especially when they watch soap operas. Error might not be able to feel humor but he definitely has it."
Nightmare takes the bird cage pendant out of his inventory and passes it to Error. "My idiot brother sends his apologies. As annoying as it is, I think we may have to raise him. Or just keep him if his case of arrested development is permanent."
Error sticks it in his inventory with a sigh. "Do you want me to say I told you so now or later?"
Stavrós coughs trying not to laugh, "the longer they are together the more I see of Láthos in him."
"Do you want me to let Horror hug you when he gets back?" Nightmare tries to look menacing but it was not working with all the careful handling he was doing of Error's fragile bones.