Toriel's Night in

A nice warm bath, lot of bubbles, and a night off. The humble school teacher had everything she needed to enjoy herself for the evening. Toriel had been working hard at the school, setting everything up for the science fair. It took a lot out of her by the end of the week, but it was work that she loved. Now it was time to settle down and relax. “Oh my, I almost forgot my book! How could I have a relaxing evening without a good book?”, she thought to herself. Thankfully her trusty “Snails and Their Hobbies” never wandered too far.

Toriel learned a great deal about her favorite topic since coming to the surface. The wealth of knowledge about them had expanded greatly, and her old tomes were outdated. Such fascinating secrets were just waiting to be unveiled to her, but first she had to settle into the bath. Some fragrant lavender scented oil and it was perfect. Then the phone rang.

The ringing gave Toriel a bit of a start. “Who could be calling so late? It must be important,” she mused. Still dressed in her bathrobe, she made her her way into the bedroom to take the call. “Hello, Toriel speaking!” Papyrus answered on the on the end. You had to hold the phone about a foot away when the booming skeleton was on the line. “HELLO YOUR MAJESTY. JUST CALLING TO LET YOU KNOW FRISK IS SAFE AND SECURE IN OUR HOME. ARE YOU ENJOYING YOUR NIGHT OFF MY QUEEN?”

With a smile and a shake of her head, Toriel laughed to herself slightly. “Oh, thank you Papyrus. You are good caretaker, but please, I insist you call me Toriel. I am no longer royalty.”

“SURE THING QUEEN TORIEL. DON’T WORRY, I’LL MAKE SURE FRISK GETS TO BED ON TIME. EVEN IF I HAVE TO BRING THE BED TO FRISK!”

“I am… sure that will not be necessary. Again thank you Papyrus, but it is fairly late…”

“SAY NO MORE. PAPYRUS, BABYSITTER SUPREME, SIGNING OUT”

The receiver made a loud clattering noise and went silent. Papyrus must have slammed the phone down in his enthusiasm. With a satisfied sigh, Toriel returned to the bathroom. She decided to bring her cell phone just in case. “Now where has that book gone? Ah right where I left it.” Without wasting any time, the overworked woman stepped into the sudsy water. “Oh good. Still warm.” Once she was settled in under the bubbles she donned her reading glasses and cracked open her book. She had just gotten to the chapter detailing how a snail’s shell is formed.

Only fifteen minutes into her bath was she once again interrupted, her home phone ringing. Toriel sighed and replaced her bookmark. She set the book aside on the toilet seat and waited until whoever was calling to try her cell. Sure enough, once the phone in her bedroom stopped ringing, her cell phone started up. To her delight, she saw it was Frisk calling.

With a big smile she answered the phone, “Hello my child! Are you having fun at your first sleepover. That is just wonderful to hear. Yes. I love you too. Have a good night my child. The special blanket I knit for you will keep you warm when I cannot. Sweet dreams! Like cinnamon-butterscotch pie!” She pressed the end call button, still laughing to her little joke. Knitting that blanket for her little human treasure was no challenge but it gave her immense pride nonetheless.

This time she decided to forgo picking up her book again and decided to just close her eyes and sink down into the scented waters. Her soft ears floated to the surface as she hummed to herself in contentment. She was thinking about the various projects she had helped her students with. Paper mache  volcanoes, potato batteries, and even a presentation about snails. Her students were each so wonderful and talented. It brought her immense joy to bring out the best in her children, but most of all to make them smile. It was good work.

Her cell phone beeped with a notification. Toriel cracked open an eye and saw it was Alphys updating her status. She ignored it and focused on relaxing. Alphys was a darling girl though she could be a bit irksome. When they had first hung out on the surface, Toriel thought she had a wonderful personality though too shy for her own good. That was still true yet Alphys had managed to come out of her shell recently. No doubt she was on a date with Undyne and wanted to let everyone know how it was going. “Mhm. Coming out of her ‘shell’” Toriel smiled to herself.

They were all good people, those she had come to the surface with. Undyne was someone she wanted to get to know, given how Frisk spoke about them. It was no surprise that Undyne was only a little passive aggressive to her. Secretly, Toriel longed for her approval. The old inclinations of a queen, the desire to please her people. In truth, she regretted the circumstances that surrounded her and Asgore. She wished she could reset everything, but what was done was done. For this reason, Undyne couldn’t really get along with Toriel. Asgore was her mentor and Undyne idolized him.

“I’m supposed to be relaxing. Silly old lady.” To distract herself, Toriel opened up her snail book again and continued the chapter. In no time at all she was immersed in the amazing world of her most favorite creatures. For the rest of her little spa sessions there was nary an interruption. By the time Toriel stepped out of the bath she felt as if all the tension of week had all but melted away. She redressed in her bathrobe and dried her ears with a towel. Once in her bedroom, she did all her nightly rituals. Glass of water, preparing the books she wanted to read tomorrow, and getting into her night robe.

 As she slipped into bed and set her glasses aside, Toriel thought about her new friends.It’s been a long time since she had left the ruins, and despite her wildest hopes, she had a life she thought was well beyond her. Briefly she felt longing for her child. She knew that Frisk had to have a life of their own. After all, she knew firsthand what they were capable of when left to their own devices. As she closed her eyes and let sleep take her, she grabbed at the empty space beside her. When her hands clutched at the air and found no purchase, her eyes suddenly opened.

With a sigh and a shake of her head, Toriel grabbed her phone and typed in a message. She sent it along and closed her eyes again, this time with a smile. Her message read “Goodnight dumb goat ]:-)”