Her Majesty

Chapter XIII - The Ground

Undyne's plan sounded simple, but putting it into action proved the complete opposite.

Both were immediately nervous when they saw the sun come up, sharing the feeling of being exposed and visible. But they also actually enjoyed the distraction of the sunrise beforehand, so perhaps it could have been worse.

"Ready, Alice?" Undyne whispered, holding her hand tight.

Alices swallowed hard, then nodded, squeezing her hand.

They were both looking at their target.

"Okay. Let's do this."

Undyne took a breath and started forward and into the sunlight, and Alices was right beside her.

They both had to pause and flinch the moment the sun fell on their skin, the feel of it still startling. But they both silently agreed that now was not the time to savour it, so they continued, carefully edging onto a sidewalk that was just off the dirt path they'd been following.

Once there, they edged closer to each other and kept walking, both keeping their gaze trained on their goal. Around them, there were only the occasional car or truck that marked signs of human life, but so far, none had started walking, or got out of their cars.

So far, so good.

Alices was shaking, her other hand at her chest, her fingers fumbling with the buttons on her coat. Her eyes moved around quickly, trying to take in as much at once as possible. She trusted Undyne, and truly agreed that this plan was insane enough to work, but she was still scared.

Undyne was, too, but she wasn't going to admit it. She tried to stand as tall as possible, hoping to inspire confidence in Alices by doing so, but she couldn't manage it too well.

They paused for a moment once they were close to their destination, for a moment sharing a stab of doubt.

Then, Alices narrowed her eyes, rolled her shoulders back, and squeezed Undyne's hand, nodding, and Undyne grinned at her.

Together, they walked to the door, and Undyne opened it.

The door chimed a low, electronic chain of notes, and again they froze, confused by such an oddly familiar noise. There was a rustling, and they turned to it, seeing an oddly all-familiar countertop against the wall, both from what they'd watched but also grown up with.

When a human suddenly appeared from the back room, they froze upon seeing them, just as they did seeing the human.

"Uh," the human said slowly, their eyes wide. They looked and sounded female, her hair short and her clothes clearly a uniform to the store she worked in. She blinked slowly, and Undyne felt Alices grip onto her hand so hard, claw bit into her skin.

"Hello," Undyne said, her voice soft to begin but growing stronger the more she said. "Sorry to bug you, but do you sell coffee? We're new to the area."

"I'll say," the clerk said. "I've never seen you here, before, and mornings are usually routine."

She then gestured around to the side, where there was a self-serve coffee counter set up. "Help yourself."

Alices nodded, accidentally ripping off a button (she quickly stuffed it into her pocket before the human saw it) and looking at Undyne in silence. Undyne smiled faintly and led her over, and for a moment, they busied themselves with the simple, familiar task - even the smell was familiar.

It fascinated Alices, that aspect of it all. Most of the food grown were only able to do so Underground through magic, so she was surprised that coffee smelt the same, despite that. She loaded hers with sugar and what looked and smelled like milk (though much fresher), and smiled when she saw Undyne glare at her choices and only add a single sugar to hers.

Alices giggled a little, and the sound made Undyne smile, her shoulders relaxing a little.

"Uh," they suddenly heard the clerk say, breaking them from their bubble of coffee and bringing them back to reality. "So... what brings you into this neck of the woods? Some kind of convention, or...?"

Undyne stared at her, finding no answer coming to this.

But Alices nodded, smiling, still - though now it was a little strained. "Yes," she agreed. "A small one, close to the municipal buildings. Can you tell us where we should go, if we want to walk there?"

Undyne stared at her, shocked. Not only had she gotten all of that out, but she hadn't even stammered. Granted, she noticed that Alices's hands still shook, and she was a little pale, but Undyne was still impressed.

Alices had no explanation for it, other than desperation. She wanted to not only get it done, but quickly, and she knew confidence was needed for that.

"Oh, sure," the clerk said, and finally, she seemed to relax. Alices handed Undyne her coffee and took her phone out, opening a new word document. As the clerk spoke, Alices hurriedly typed down as much as she could.

When the clerk finished, she thanked her, then saved it and pocketed her phone. As she and Undyne walked up to the till, Undyne grabbed a couple of bags and boxes that looked bright and edible on the way.

Alices was fumbling with her wallet, looking nervous.

"Cash, credit or debit?" the clerk asked.

"Er," Alices squeaked out - especially when she noticed the human eyeing them a little now that they were closer to her.

Alices hurriedly pulled her credit card out, powered solely by habit in her stress, and luckily the clerk took it with little hesitation. When she ran it through, Undyne shifted on her feet and started towards the door, ready to make a quick exit if she needed to.

But to their surprise - especially Alices's - it went through. It actually went through.

When it did, Alices was so shocked that she stared at the clerk for far too long, barely able to lift her hand and take the receipt.

"Alice," Undyne suddenly called, her voice sharp.

Alices swallowed, looking hurriedly away and lowering her head, grabbing her wallet, the now-bagged snacks, and the receipt before rushing over to Undyne's side.

Quickly, they made their way to the door, not once looking back.

"Hey, wait," the clerk called, sending a burst of adrenaline through them both. "You two... what convention around here has costumes that good?"

"Go," Undyne answered, handing Alices her cup and pushing her forward.

Alices hurried out, and Undyne quickly followed her, just as the clerk moved and called for them to wait.

"Run," Undyne added, and they both broke into one, both going rather fast for so early in the morning - and on little food and even less drink.

Once they rounded a corner and went back into the copse they came from, Undyne grabbed Alices and hugged her tight, causing them both to spill their coffee a little. Alices clung onto her, and they were both trembling.

"s**t," Undyne whispered.

"It's okay," Alices answered softly. "It worked; you were right. She only grew suspicious near the end." Undyne didn't reply, so Alices added, "We're okay, Undyne. We're safe."

Undyne nodded. "Thanks to you. Did you know that your card would work?"

Alices spluttered out a laugh, pulling away from the hug and placing a hand to Undyne's cheek for a moment.

"Hell, no," she admitted. "I was going to let it fail, then grab it back and make a run for it - or just leave it behind, honestly."

Undyne laughed, finally feeling calm, again. "I still can't believe that bullshit worked," she admitted. "I honestly can't believe it."

Alices smiled, taking a sip of the coffee - and grinning, finding it strong and sweet, just how she liked it. It definitely tasted different, but not by much.

"I can't, either," she agreed, "but then again, it was your plan."

"So? I also had a plan to teach Papyrus cooking," Undyne said easily - before she paused, her stomach sinking when she realised what she just said. She closed her eye, lowering her head and biting down on her lip, hard.

It was so easy to forget that he was gone, when things were like this.

She felt Alices touch her cheek again gently, and her eye opened. Alices looked up at her, her eyes bright with tears and her expression deeply pained.

"Undyne," she whispered. "I'm... I'm so, so sorry..."

Undyne leaned into her hand a little, truly finding comfort from it. "Me, too," she agreed, her voice wavering.

When Alices took her cup and set it on the ground with hers, Undyne didn't fight it, especially since she figured why - and was right: Alices immediately hugged her, standing on the tips of her toes in order to do so. Undyne leaned over to make it easier, and when Alices pulled her closer, she slipped her arms around her and held tight, taking a moment to allow herself to weep - just a little.

"When everything is calm again," Alices whispered, "we'll make sure we give him the best scattering in the entire Underground."

Undyne nodded, choking out a small sob at that. "Alice, thank you," she managed to get out.

Alices was quiet for a moment, then pulled away and blinked up at her. "Undyne... why do you call me that?"

Undyne blinked back. "Call you what?"

"'Alice,'" she replied shyly.

"Oh!" Undyne blushed, scratching her cheek and smiling crookedly. "I am? Sorry... uh, does it bother you? I just, uh..." She blushed even more, now. "It's... uh... it sounds cute, like you, so I just... eh...!"

She looked away, crossing her arms over her chest with a growl.

Alices was scarlet. "Wh--cute?" she squeaked out. "Uh, I d-don't... I-I'm not..."

Undyne turned back to her and glared. "Are you judging my taste?"

Alices stared at her. "No?" she asked, unsure, herself.

"Good," Undyne replied. She leaned down, grabbed the coffees, and handed hers over. "Because I have excellent taste in people."

Alices took a big gulp to prevent herself from protesting Undyne's assessment of herself further.

Then, she decided to change the subject. "Want to try some of these snacks as we walk?" she wondered instead, holding up the plastic bag.

Undyne grinned. "Sure."

She rummaged through it, grabbed the brightest bag, and opened it, and with a nod, they moved back onto the sidewalk and started to walk again.