Now that she was in a bit less of a hurry, Martlet had actually ended up stopping to speak with a few of the residents of Snowdin, all of whom had in some way shape or form been worried about her.
"Martlet! Good to see you, you had me worried when you zoomed right by earlier today, is everything alright?"
"Huh-oh, of course! Why wouldn't I be alright? Don't you worry about me! Aheh, yup! Nothing's wrong, nothing at all."
She did make an effort to not linger too long though. She was definitely trying her hardest to not let it show, but unbeknownst to her she had been sweating profusely any time anybody at all tried to speak with her. After a few minutes of trudging through her fellow monsters, Martlet eventually made it to the "librarby".
She and quiet spaces didn't really mix all that well, so Martlet found it in her best interests to be in and out as quickly as possible.
Despite knowing what she had come for, Martlet wasn't actually sure what kind of books she should actually get for Clover... At first, she thought about getting them a more comprehensive guide to the Underground, but Clover was a child! How could she know they'd even be able to read it...? Well, I guess I could read it for them but they were clearly uncomfortable, what if they wanted some alone time?
So then she thought about just getting some kids books but... What if they see it as insulting? They asked for books to learn more about the Underground in the hopes it'd help them remember something, right?! "Mmmgh, I don't know!"
"Shhhhhhh!"
"sorry." She squeaked out in response.
Well... I could always get... Both? Both should work, right?
...
Martlet sighed as she walked out of the "librarby" with a stack of five books, the maximum amount allowed for borrowing. Three of them about matters of the Underground, the other two being children's stories. Better safe then sorry! One of them were Martlet's personal favorite. If it actually had been children's books that Clover was interested in, that'd be a nice trip down memory lane!
She began to hum with each step down the stairs, closing her eyes for a few seconds... Though she began to feel a great disturbance in the air...
"Yo! Mrs. Martlet!"
Oh no.
"We heard from the dogs that you've got family in town!" A posse of kids blocked Martlet's way, headed by MK himself... Martlet groaned internally at the sight of them, they were a good kid, spirited, but... They could be very over the top sometimes. She very suddenly felt her anxiety spike. It just had to be the weekend didn't it...?
"And... Who might've told you that?" She tried to be friendly, uphold a smile and what not, but she had very few excuses lined up for Clover's existence and a group of nosy kids trying to dig their way into her currently very thin web of lies was bound to end poorly. She might've been scatterbrained, but that had been one thing she was singularly focused on ever since Clover had found themselves staying at her home for the time being. The fear of them being discovered, and that ending quite poorly.
"The dogs! Duh!"
Damnit, Doggs!
"So, are they a kid?! And if so, can we meet em?!" A chorus of pleases accompanied the request, and Martlet felt awful that she was about to lie to a bunch of kids, looking up at her, a royal guard, with shining awe struck eyes... Maybe I could just-no! Martlet! Be strong! For Clover's sake, and also to not get fired! But mostly for Clover's sake!
"No, no kids. My uh... A very distant cousin had an accident and his parents asked me to watch over them for a few days, yeah! They're way older than all of you so uh-don't worry about it!"
"Oh..." MK frowned, looking downwards, the group repeating in his footsteps and looking similarly dejected. Martlet's heart struggled at the sight, the poor kids! But she had to take care of her kid-wait, no, that sounded wrong. Her face paled even more than it already had. She had to take care of Clover!
"Wait, but why were you buying kids clothes earlier today then?"
A different face popped up in the crowd, asking that simple but very destructive question.
How do they-whyyyyy?!
...
"Hey buddy!"
"Flowey."
File 1 loaded.
"Are you alright Clover? You took such a-"
"Flowey."
File 1 loaded.
"Clover! It's me! Your long lost-"
"Flowey."
File 1 loaded.
"Clover, you had a terrible-"
"Flowey."
File 1 loaded.
"You look like you're-"
"Flowey."
File 1 loaded.
"Aw come on! What the hell are the chances?!" Flowey slipped back outside of the house before Clover had a chance to see him for the fifty second time. Every single thing they tried, any attempt to weasel his way into Clover's oh so wounded heart~ FAILED! The mere sight of him was enough to jog all of his memories, how?! Once again, Flowey was reminded of why Clover had been the closest to genuinely upsetting him, ever. No matter how many times he reset, no matter how many new things he tried, it would be the same result, each, and every, TIME!
He felt his roots curl in the earth beneath him. Maybe he should go on a quick rampage? Work off some STRESS! But... No, the trashbag was at least somewhat nearby. It'd be more effort then it was worth. Although... Speaking of the trashbag... Flowey's smile grew menacing once more, and at that moment he realized, he had an in.
"Well... If I can't mold you directly partner, I know juuuuust who can for me. I'm sure you'll just love em pal!" Flowey continued to ramble to himself, laughing even as he burrowed back into the earth beneath him.
...
Martlet almost fell through the door when she opened it. That had to have been the single most exhausting few minutes of her entire life. It wasn't like she could just give up and say, "okay fine"! Clover was a human child, not a monster! Even if she had to watch as the kids hearts broke through their eyes... She... She wouldn't falter! It was a matter of life and death!
Well, she probably COULD falter, the kids likely wouldn't even know what a human would look like... But one thing would lead to another, and at that point when you've got fifteen or so kids running around spreading rumors about the new kid in town, adults get curious and rumors from them spread! And then things escalate-eventually you've got the Royal Guard coming down on your head!
"Okay, maybe it wouldn't get that bad, but still." Martlet mumbled to herself as she set the books down on the counter, immediately afterwards falling backwards onto the couch after a few steps. "I can't let anything happen to Clover. Not for a third time. They said it themselves, they trust me. What kind of friend would I be if I betrayed that trust?"
She stretched out a bit, holding her wings up before letting them flop back down. Maybe she could just... Take a quick nap? Clover should be asleep anyways, surely they wouldn't mind waiting a bit? Let Martlet get a quick breather?
"Yeah... I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I just... Took a quick... Nap..."
...
Clover woke with a start, eyes wide and a fierce pain coming from his chest. They immediately clutched at their heart-but no, that wasn't the source of it this time. He tried to scream, but he couldn't force his voice out of his throat, it was as if it was catching on some invisible force. He tried to sit up, but he could barely put any strength into his body. It felt as if his nerves were on fire...
With a thump, Clover managed to roll himself out of bed. Every second was agony, but he managed to pull himself into a crawl, inching closer to the door by the second. All the while, he tried to speak, to call for help in any way, but nothing came out, nobody came.
"H-heee-"
Half way to the door-and Clover went into a violent fit of coughing. The first time he'd been able to make sound, and it was immediately suffocated. Their entire body spasmed and writhed, yet still they continued to crawl. A silent prayer went out to the hat atop their head, and with a vague sense of duty calling to them beyond that door they managed to pull themselves just a little bit further.
He finally managed to reign in the coughing, but the slightest lapse in focus would likely result in it redoubling. Clover could've sworn that burning pain amplified for a few seconds, but just when he managed to force himself to keep moving, it died back down.
"Clover?"
A voice, one that he recognized, Martlet.
"Help-" he managed to whisper out, at the cost of immediately breaking back down into horrid coughing. Though through it all, he kept moving, determined to keep going. He just had to last long enough, he felt it in his very SOUL.
"Clover?!"
Inch by INCH. They kept going.
A pattering of footsteps began to grow closer, and closer. For every movement Clover made, another three pounding steps rang out. He reached out to the door, mere feet away, before it swung open revealing Martlet behind it, in a cold sweat with wide eyes. Seeing Clover crawling on the ground and reaching out for help like they were being murdered in a slasher film didn't do anything to help with that.
"C-CLOVER!?"
Immediately she dropped down to his level, picking him up and cradling him. "Just-just hold on!" And she took off running, back downstairs with Clover in her arms.
...
Martlet literally leaped from the top of the stairs all the way to the bottom, barely breaking her fall with a pulse of wind magic. What the hell happened?! She went to sleep for five minutes and suddenly Clover's on the verge of dying?! Was Ceroba wrong about how often Clover needed magic?!
Martlet wouldn't describe herself as particularly physically strong, but when tasked with saving what seemed to be a dying child she could manage. Holding Clover steady with one wing, she used the other to open the pantry, pulling out a piece of monster candy-TWO pieces just for good measure-and immediately unwrapping them, all with the use of one wing because she hadn't wanted to risk jostling Clover any more then she needed to.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"Stay calm, it's just monster candy alright?" Martlet tried to soothe Clover as she held the two candies to their mouth, when they next gasped she slipped them in, steadying them with both of her wings once again as soon as the Second was available. That didn't seem to help them much, as Clover's body was still trembling all over even after the candy dissolved. But that was fine, well, it certainly wasn't fine, it's just-There's no time for this!
Martlet hugged their body as tightly as she possibly could, and began to circulate all of her available magic. Who the hell cared if she felt a little bit tired afterwards?! If she didn't give it her absolute all to do as much as she could to help right now, Martlet didn't know how she'd live with herself. So she held them close, and let as much of it flow out as she possibly could.
And, almost miraculously, it actually seemed to somewhat help! Martlet's frown began to turn upside down as Clover's breathing finally completely steadied. She stumbled a bit, feeling the rather excessive magic drain quite heavily a few seconds after it had started. Before she fell and took Clover down with her, she decided to sit down first.
"Why..."
Her eyes turned to the child in her grasp, smiling gently, which was immediately course corrected into a frown when she saw the kid on the brink of tears.
"Why is this happening to me...?"
"I... Don't know, Clover."
Martlet sighed and gave Clover a few pats on the head through their hat. She wasn't sure what would happen when she ran out of magic, but for now it was the best she could do. Though, she did have an idea!
"Actually, I might be able to figure out what's wrong if I check you...? I'll need to start a battle with you though, is that alright with you Clover?"
He paused for a second, not quite understanding why he felt a little uneasy at the word "battle", but nodded a moment later.
Martlet nodded back very slowly, and then started the battle. First things first, Clover's soul was... Pulsing. Shaking, vibrating? Martlet wasn't sure which word exactly she'd use to describe it but, something along those general lines for certain. The second thing she noted, the cracks in Clover's SOUL were now rapidly vanishing, which she figured was a good thing? They were visibly fading away by the second now, so maybe it would be alright if she ran out of magic?
Moving on from that, Martlet checked Clover one more time, and the results were a bit... Shocking.
Clover - ATK 13 DEF 10
Their SOUL is conflicted...
The first of their kind.
"F-First of their kind...? What...? SOUL... Conflicted...?" And their stats had practically skyrocketed... Were they higher than when they had first met...?
"...Martlet?"
At first she was just going to tell Clover flat out what it said, but realized a little bit before the point of no return that it may very well not be what Clover NEEDED to hear at the moment. She was sure she'd be able to explain more to them later anyways.
"It, uh, it says you're fine! Just, the last bit of your SOUL recovering was a lot harder then all the rest of it before. You'll be alright after a good night's rest."
"O... Okay."
Martlet took one last look at Clover's soul, and couldn't help but notice the now much thicker outline around the yellow of their soul...
"Just end your turn, and I can get you back to bed." Martlet continued to pat Clover as they held onto them with their other wing. Clover did end the battle on their turn, after looking a bit confused for a moment, but as Martlet tried to stand up, Clover held onto them just a little bit tighter.
"Please... Please don't."
Martlet looked at their face, and knew they didn't have anywhere close to enough willpower to give an answer anywhere within miles of no. She was sleeping on the couch with them tonight.
"Don't worry, I won't. I'm here with you." She gave Clover just a little squeeze and tried to get comfortable. Her back might hurt in the morning but as far as she was concerned, that'd be worth it.
...
Martlet woke up... Very drained. Mostly physically, though somewhat emotionally too. The night before had been... Difficult. Though now that she was up, there was a distinct lack of Clover in her grasp. If they were up and walking around, that meant they had to be doing somewhat better, right?
So she sat up, rubbed at her eyes, glossed over the child that wasn't Clover in the room, stretched a bit because she'd totally been right and her back was sore. Then looked around for Clover.
Where are they...? And who's this kid in the room reading a book? Nobody else was in the house last night right? Oh crap-if they were here did they see Clover?!
"Uh... Excuse me...?"
"Oh, G'morning Martlet!"
Martlet was 99% certain there hadn't been any other monsters in her house last night, especially not any other bird monsters? Where... Where was Clover?"
"Hello... Have you... Seen Clover?"
The kid tilted their head curiously at Martlet.
"Uh, Martlet, what're you talking about?"
Wait, her eyes narrowed somewhat. Why was this monster wearing Clover's hat? And why were they suspiciously Clover sized? The words "first of their kind" flashed through Martlet's mind, and her eyes slowly widened, with her beak dropping open.
"C-Clover...?"
"...Yes?"
"Whhhhhhaaaaaa-"
...
Clover woke up feeling a little bit... Different, to say the least.
Martlet was still soundly snoring, and they didn't really wanna wake them up after they'd gone to lengths to make Clover as comfortable as possible as far as he was aware, so he slipped away from them as gently as possible. Not feeling like their body was going to crumble to bits at the lightest amount of physical exertion was awesome though! He felt like running laps just for that reason alone, but he steeled himself. Not going outside was the one thing Martlet asked of him after all. Besides, he should have plenty to do inside...
Clover wasn't feeling particularly hungry, so they didn't pay much attention to the wide open pantry... No, what they were really hungry for was knowledge. Five books were stacked on top of each other on a counter just slightly taller then he himself was. It was a bit difficult to get a proper grasp of them... For some reason? His hands felt... Different, somehow. He gave up on grabbing them for the moment, and instead took a good look at his own hands.
They were... Unfamiliar. Brown feathers lined his arms, claws stuck out from his fingers, though he had the vague feeling that they were retractable... At the same time, he had no idea why they felt unfamiliar. Was this not what he was like before? If his SOUL had regenerated, surely it had returned him to his normal state, no? So he decided not to dwell on it too long.
He curled his fingers, lightly pricked at his own hand in the process and flinched, then flexed his hand, and would you look at that? His gut feeling had been right. Just like it always would be, a cowboys gut feeling was never wrong. His clawed finger tips retracted, leaving him with somewhat normal fingers again... But why did he have this odd sense that his fingers without claws was the norm? "mm, whatever."
Now with hands meant to actually hold stuff, he reached for the books again and grabbed a hold of them, carefully pulling them off of the counter and down to his own level. He looked around, and figured there was no better place to read than the chair right next to Martlet.
"So... Starting off she got... "A comprehensive history of the time between the Fourth and Fifth humans fall." Huh..." Something about the book definitely felt... Familiar, but before starting on it Clover wanted to check out the other four.
"The life and times of Gerson, The Hammer of Justice." Hmmmmm... Sounds like a good read, anybody with the title of hammer of justice is probably worth my time... But, not getting the same vibe as the first...? I... Dunno, maybe later."
"Next is... "Momma bird's lullaby"...? I, uh... Maybe they were just trying to make sure they didn't miss anything...? Moving on, next up is... "The Wild East and its origins"? I..." Something about that one in particular called out to Clover, though not in the same way that the first had. He'd... Maybe save it for second? Depends on what the last was he supposed.
"And lastly... "Echo flower's echo friend"?... Wha...? No, that's bad Clover, be grateful they even got you books in the first place! They were under no obligation to do it anyways." He harumphed at himself, then sorted the books back into a pile with the "comprehensive" history guide on top.
"Now, what here am I looking in here for...?" He mumbled as he grabbed it and leaned back in his chair. The action felt natural, so he didn't bother to correct anything about it. He flipped open to the first page, and began to read.
Reading... Brought a sense of peace that Clover felt like he hadn't had for a long time. It was odd, he was good at it but something deep inside of him told him that he hadn't done it for a very long time... Regardless of that though, Clover settled in for the long haul. It would be a fairly long read, good enough to keep him occupied until Martlet woke up.
And maybe, just maybe he'd be able to remember something else by reading about something in here? Who knew? If push came to shove he could always just relearn what he already knew before... His emotions would be there to guide him down the right path while he fixed himself anyways, he knew they would. And if even those failed Clover? Well, Martlet was there too.
...
"C-Clover...?"
"...Yes?" Clover tilted his head a little further at Martlet's horribly confused face, didn't they recognize him? This was what he had always looked like, wasn't it?
"Whhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?"
"Martlet, is something wrong?"
She... Didn't respond.
"Martlet?"
Oh dear...