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When Clover had leapt into Mt. Ebott, they hadn't really known what to expect. They had certainly hoped to find the other missing kids (the poster was gone now, had drifted off in one of the falls somewhere — either into the depths of the Ruins or somewhere drifting in the desert after Ava's own crash-landing), but they weren't sure what else they would find.
(And they had, a little bit, been anticipating that they would only find skeletons and dead bodies, without any ability to identify the dead.)
Even though there were all sorts of rumors about monsters that lived under the mountain, Clover always figured it was the kind of fairy story parents told kids to keep them afraid. They hadn't thought it was true.
And sure enough — these monsters might be real, but they're certainly not nightmare material. Here, Clover's never been called the wrong thing once — they wonder if it's just that the monsters default to it, or if they just know about Clover, in the same way Clover just knows things about them.
And the Wild East…well…
It's everything Clover has ever dreamed of. Aside from the part where Martlet goes to jail. That's kinda bad. But the rest is cool! There's a legitimate sheriff and his posse! And Clover gets to be a part of it — the deputy, even! Hopefully. If they make it through all the missions.
"You know, kiddo," North Star tells them, "it's good to see a bona fide cowboy 'round these parts."
Clover smiles at him. They're a real cowboy! A real cowboy. Not just some kid playing pretend, not just some girl dressing up, a legitimate cowboy. Just like North Star.
"Us monsters never really had that kinda culture," he continues. "I used to watch the tapes a lot when I was a kid. Lots of old cowboy movies. I looked up to those guys a whole bunch. Made me wanna be like them."
Clover tilts their head, and they wonder for a moment if he's even more like them than they first thought.
"How…old was Star when we met?" Ceroba frowns. "I'm not sure why you're asking, but…"
"Just curious," Clover answers. "Y'all have mentioned you knew each other for a while."
"I don't know," she answers. "We were both pretty young. Maybe since we were five or six?"
Clover nods. So Ceroba might not have known him for long enough to have known him before.
"Have you been to Sunnyside Farm?" she asks.
Clover shakes their head.
"Star's family lives there. I'm sure if you wished to talk to them they'd be happy to answer any questions you had." Ceroba pats their shoulder and takes another gulp of her beer. "I'll see you around, alright? Be good."
Clover smiles and tips their hat to her.
They don't make it to the farm, though — Ed shows up and asks them where they think they're headed, leaving the Wild East so soon. And he’s right. Clover hasn't finished all of their tests to become a deputy anyways.
"Hey, uh…you guys are North Star's posse, yeah?" they ask. "How much do you know about him?"
"Oh, we've all known North Star since high school!" Mooch comments. "So I'd say we know him pretty well."
"Indeed," Moray says. And they're a bit of an enigma, too — maybe Clover should talk to them; ask if they know anything that would confirm Starlo is like them. Or maybe they'll be like Clover. "What do you want to know?"
Clover frowns. "It's just something personal. It's no biggie. Wouldn't want y'all to worry 'bout it."
"If you say so," Ace says. His expression is hard to read with his jacket like that. "'Sides, you got bigger things to worry about. Star's expecting us back for the next mission soon."
Clover looks back at the edge of the town, and follows the Feisty Five back to the Wild East. They've got more missions to go to really prove themself a worthy sheriff to this town.
After their battle, Clover follows Starlo back into the Wild East. He's on the upper floor of the saloon, talking to Ceroba about something. Ceroba notices them first, and snaps her mouth closed. Starlo turns around right after.
"Clover? Didn't think you'd be back around here so soon!" Starlo says. "Ceroba and I were just talkin' about what to do with you."
"Yes," Ceroba says. "I told you earlier, didn't I? If you go through the Steamworks, you can take the elevator straight up to Hotland. And from there, it won't be too much further to New Home. It's not far from the town."
Clover nods. "I wanted to talk to Starlo, actually."
Ceroba looks between the two of them. "I…see. Well, I suppose I'll see you later, Starlo." She descends down the staircase towards the bar counter.
"Clover? What was that all about?" he asks.
"I have a question for you," Clover says, barely louder than the ruckus of the saloon. "Why'd you decide to become a cowboy?"
"Well, ain't that a tough question," Starlo says. "I suppose…I've always admired 'em a lot. I started up this whole place to help Ceroba and get us out of the house, but I always liked me some westerns. Cowboys helped me realize I wanted to be one."
"Just a cowboy, or a boy, too?" Clover asks, pulling their hat over their head.
"I dunno how it works up on the surface for you," Starlo says. "I knew since I was young that I was gonna be a man. And then my parents helped to make that possible. There are plenty of monsters that go through something like that. Moray's always been the way they are, but not everyone is like them. Are humans?"
Clover sighs and shakes their head. "Not really. Every once in a while there are some, but they get forced into boxes too."
They keep thinking of reasons to extend this mission. Reasons to avoid going home for good. They take a deep breath. Flowey hadn't even wanted them to come back — had hoped they got the Wild East out of their system. But Clover needs this bit of closure, and they'd rather hear it from the man himself.
"Well, that blows."
"From the beginning, I kept wondering if you were like me," Clover says. "Not just in the obvious ways. But…" They hesitate, not really sure of how to phrase their question. "I, uh, used to be a girl. Kind of. But I ended up being something else."
"Then that makes the both of us," Starlo says, putting his arm around their shoulders and ruffling their hair under their hat. "Humans and monsters…we're not all that different, are we?"
"I don't think so," Clover answers. "That's what I learned, coming here. I expected things to be…different from how they really are."
"Lotta monsters think humans are all bad," Starlo says with a frown, pulling his hat brim down further. "Here in the Wild East we sure don't, but there's some pretty bad stigma between the war and…" He sighs. "You don't need to know about that."
Between the war and what? But Clover's probably not going to be able to pry any more answers from Starlo about that.
"Anyways…" Starlo looks down. Moray's still performing on the stage, and Ceroba is chatting with Dina at the bar. "You managed to get Ceroba on your side, and she's got good reason to not like humans. So I believe in you! You've got the whole Wild East on your side. You should probably get movin' soon, though."
He's right, but…
Clover reaches over and hugs him. "Thanks, Star."
"You're welcome to come back anytime, Clover," he answers. "I really appreciate havin' someone around me that gets it."
Clover smiles. "Be seein' you."
Flowey pops up from the ground just outside the door. "Look who finally decided to show up."
Clover looks down.
"Hey, I get that place was kind of paradise for you, but…remember — we're getting you to Asgore."
Clover nods.
"Now, let's do something about this door…" Flowey opens up the door with some vines and friendliness pellets. "After you, sir."
Clover smiles and tips their hat at Flowey, walking into the Steamworks.