Chapter Text
The longer their fight with this trio went on, the more Seth suspected that they might not be human at all. Maybe. Possibly. It was just a hunch, really.
Firstly, they were completely unsympathetic to what the flowers humans were trying to do: keep Asgore happy.
How could any respectful human oppose their means of doing this? Had Asgore not been hurt when he lost the one human in his life that he had? Seth tried to talk to them about this, as did Flowery, but reasoning didn't get through to them. They had to be inhuman!
Secondly, they showed no cunning nor wit, yet outplayed nearly every attack they and Aqua sent their way! Only through intelligence could humans move forward, so why were these ones doing so without it?!
Admittedly, that wasn't entirely impressive, namely the part about Aqua. Aqua was great, really great, don't get them wrong, but she had a way of being quite impatient. It made her 'bored' of using the same attack, even though it had clearly proven the best means of stopping this trio! Seth ended up in the crossfire of one such attack, then Aqua flew off to find someone else to take by surprise. That left Seth, who had already been bested twice by the trio, alone.
But that was fine! Now that Aqua was gone, Seth didn't have to concern themselves with ridiculous attempts to keep her placated! They could finally dedicate their mind to their ultimate tactic, proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to cut the trio down to size! Rows of books on either side of the soul's box kept them stranded between the words of their king and leader.
(Actually, they just went with whatever words that first came to their head, like 'guy', but the fake humans didn't need to know that.)
When that had failed to subdue the trio, something about it sat horribly in Seth. Their composure was starting to fray. This fight was much harder than they anticipated.
"That was my ultimate move!!" They'd cried out, more petulant than they wanted to sound. "Argh, LOSE ALREADY!!"
In accordance with the scientific method and trial of error, another obvious symbol of their intellect, Seth repeated their attack. Aqua may have lacked the consistency to do so, but Seth would not be moved... until the box and book rows spun faster and faster, and they had to call off their own attack to get their bearings back in place.
The trio's own move seemed, quite frankly, insulting. 'FlatterX'? What even was that? Some poorly-thought out attempt to get on their good side? Please, they knew better than that.
* Everyone praised Seth's IQ!
Or maybe they didn't. Seth's eyes briefly went wide. This was new.
"Ah, really?" A flicker of want in their inquiry. A terrible weakness. "I'm hoping to be just like my avian hero..."
Seth could feel their cheeks heating up, certain that it was to a degree that someone else could see hints of pink along their usually purple face. The trio didn't mean it. Seth knew they didn't mean it, which is why the presence of that infernal mercy counter caught them and took them out of their complacency.
"W-wait, I know this tactic! You're trying to make me drop my guard!" As if it were a simple game element, Seth somehow took hold of the counter, reading +50%, and threw it off to the side. "Ahem. Shall we continue?"
A whole fifty percent. That was... a lot. Even those moves designed to entertain Aqua didn't reach half of that, and she was easier to impress than anyone! The system had to have been broken, not at all used to such a move. That number didn't speak the truth! Not at all!
Thankfully, Seth's next rendition of their attack landed a few strikes on the trio, and that anomalous and so very unwanted episode of empty words was forgotten. They pushed up their glasses and gave a smile of imminent triumph. Whatever came their way next, they would be prepared!
* Everyone praised Seth's tactics!
The same blush, the same widening of the eyes, it even came with a light clutching of Seth's beloved book up to their chest.
"You... you..." Seth could practically hear the end of the sentence that a traitorous part of them wanted to give. It would have been so easy. 'You mean it? You think I'm good at them?'
"You won't trick me!" Once more, their superior and logical side won out, and as soon as it came, the mercy counter was once again tossed away. Seth tried an attack that resembled their earlier book-based bullet pattern, but it did nothing, pushing frustration up to their surface. It would have been much easier, and far more effective, to use the glasses pattern, but Aqua's knives that provided an actual offensive strategy were gone. Why did she have to run off? What if she saw Seth like that just now?
Getting flustered, failing to put together a sentence of four words in less than four seconds? That was so slow, so unmethodical, so embarrassing. What would Aqua say?
Shaking their head for a moment to purge that thought, Seth calmed down once more, prepared to make the trio pay for such insolence. Once again, not a single blow. They should have been livid at this continued failure. They should have been cursing the trio, waxing poetic about how Asgore would be so impressed with Seth, or how Flowery would find a way to defeat them.
But all they could think about was why they decided to go with that attack. Seth had so masterfully halted their mercy on the first try, so why would they do it again? And why were they about to do it AGAIN?!
* Everyone praised Seth's name!
"I..."
Seth thought back to when they first decided they didn't want to be just 'Purple' anymore. Humans weren't named after colors, after all, so they opted for a name that spoke to being chosen for something important: Seth. It was either that or Morris. The better option had been chosen, Seth liked to think.
It took a bit for everyone to get adjusted, and they were all supportive, but even now, Seth could sense that the other flowers humans didn't enjoy their company as much as they did before. Whether it was Aqua's defiance, Orange's accusations of bullying for not mindlessly agreeing with her, Green's memory turning into a steel trap only when they remembered Seth owed them five dollars, Yellow's belief that not being a boy or a girl didn't mean immunity from his 'justice', and Blue's being so nice that Seth couldn't readily think of an example for him, and Flowery's... well, his just about everything, it didn't always feel welcoming.
But then again, those were the way things already were. The new name didn't worsen anything, it just made that already existing isolation feel that much harsher. Asgore ignored them. Everyone else didn't listen to them. Picking their own name and being referred to as such was the one thing they had, the one thing that was theirs and the one thing that couldn't object to their designs.
And this trio, this strange collection, they liked it. The purple one said it was 'totally badass' to stand out, and the fluffy white one agreed, albeit only after realizing badass was a compliment.
To simply like something, it was special. Flowers couldn't like things.
'But humans could. Humans could enjoy and strive and like and love and-'
No. What was going on? Since when did the master tactician reduce themselves to such base and foolish thinking? A run-on sentence like that could never keep Asgore's attention!
"STOP!" Seth barked after once again rejecting these empty and untrue compliments. They almost didn't notice that as they threw the mercy counter off once again, it now read +60%. That number wasn't supposed to increase for the same action. Something was off. Something was terribly wrong.
They just needed to attack again. They needed to study harder and correct the mistake. They just needed to keep working harder and harder, then they would get everything they want.
On the ensuing charge, hardly any words were exchanged between Seth's rows of books. Focusing on the attacks was impossible. Their face was in a constant state of being dusted in a rosy shade. The floodgates in their head were opening. Their glasses were uneven, their book held to their chest like a lifeline, as if it could save them from what was next.
* Everyone praised Seth's dress!
Oh no. They must have seen the design on their dress when Seth wasn't holding their book, hands at their head in exasperation at some stunt Aqua had pulled. Indeed, a little emblem of lighter purple adorned their dress, one in the shape of a crescent moon. That one got an +80% from the mercy counter, and it took Seth a pretty long time to actually discard it, holding onto it to seek an answer where there was none.
It reminded them of a brief conversation they'd had with Aqua, explaining what the Moon was and how far away it was. Seth remembered that Aqua had asked how a trip to the moon would work. At first, Seth told her it was impossible, but Aqua pouted and insisted that a trip to the moon would be so much fun, that she wanted to try throwing a knife from the Moon to see if it could strike the Earth from there. It wouldn't be as cool if no one saw it, so Seth would have to go with them.
"You know what?" Seth had given a little smile after finally caving to her insistence and optimism. "I would love to go to the Moon with you, Aqua."
Seth certainly wanted to be nowhere near the Moon right now.
'But I have to fly to get to the Moon. Fly like a bird. Kris is going to give me Berdly's feather because they know I deserve it. I'm doing a great job.'
Seth rolled their eyes. That glorious avian didn't deserve to have his name muddled within this farce of a fight, he was truly owed an apology. Besides, Seth didn't deserve anything. They were simply following orders, anyone could do that.
When Seth was endlessly poring through knowledge on what humans sought to learn more about, the stars were a common theme alongside the Moon. For so long, they were fascinated by the litany of objects in the night sky, assigning intimate systems of meaning and faith to them, as if those celestial bodies could ever know, or ever return such trust.
'But I can. I'm a human. Humans can return the favor. Humans can say things like 'thank you' and 'you're welcome' and 'please, I want to hear more, please tell me more-'
No! No, no, NO! None of that meant anything, humans weren't a monolith! Someone could just as easily be hateful, or not accept a remark, or not let some intruders get in their head! They weren't going to get in Seth's head! They WEREN'T!
'I want to look at the stars with someone. I want to look up and see the shapes that remind me of them.'
By now, the fight within Seth was more intense than the fight with the trio, and both looked to be losing battles. So ingrained were their thoughts of Berdly that they could no longer even attack in earnest. Mixed within the white words between their rows of books came green words, ones that were unmistakably positive in nature, and when the soul went to one, it healed the trio entirely, undoing the futile damage done up to that point.
"I... I didn't mean to do that! That's not fair!" They declared, though it sounded more like a whine. Seth was crumbling. It took effort to not stamp their foot on the ground and pout like a child.
"That... that shouldn't count, your... your meddling is halting my strategy! That's what it is! I-I see no reason to fight alone if you resort to trickery!" Seth turned around with incredible speed, quickly scanning their surroundings for any sign of the light blue creature. They needed assistance, they needed a distraction, they needed something to stop this status quo and get the fight back into proper order.
"Aqua! A-Aqua, please help! Come back!" If anyone else were listening, they would never let Seth hear the end of it. Nobody was around to hear, however. Aqua had ran off pretty far, and Seth's cry for an ally was unheard. To turn back around to face the trio and let them have their turn felt like a march to demise. Seth closed their eyes, hands balled into fists that trembled at their sides, and braced themselves.
* Everyone told Seth they should be the leader instead of Flowery!
'I should be.'
Seth didn't even look to the mercy counter. Something in their very heart told them what it was. Their resistance finally broke down.
+100%. Instant victory in a single turn.
That the battle even ended hardly registered to Seth. It didn't feel like a defeat.
As with the first time their ultimate move failed, they were on their knees, not in anguish, but because the words they heard were making them feel so fuzzy inside that standing felt like too much effort. Their hands flocked to their cheeks, now so unabashedly coated in a blush that went down to their neck, just to feel the warmth being made by their own blissful state. Warmth was good. Warmth was human.
The voice in Seth's subconscious and their actual speaking ceased to be distinct. For now, they were one in the same.
"I should be! I knew it! I knew I should! Ehehehehee...!"
A giggle, an honest and fully enthusiastic giggle, bubbled happily from Seth of all people. It was of a higher register than normal, a tone that spoke of wants and wishes that Seth thought they'd forgotten how to make. It must have been a bizarre sight for the trio, watching someone so collected be reduced to a smiling, laughing mess.
"Uh, dude?" A gruff question from Susie. It didn't snap Seth out of their ecstasy, but it did remind them where they were: exactly where they wanted to be. "You... feeling okay?"
Seth gave a soft and easy sigh once they remembered how to properly respond to words again. "I'm okay... more than okay, actually..."
As if they had exchanged roles, it was now their usual precocious side that took the role of internal voice, screaming at them to get back up and re-assume control. But Seth was in no mood to keep fighting, or to do anything but finally treat themselves with the adoration they deserved. As quickly as it stopped, they once again felt nothing but sugar-sweet praise.
"I needed that so bad..." It took work just to raise their voice. Instead, Seth spoke in a near-whisper, just the kind to make their words sound like it came from a dream. This didn't seem like the fantasy that this world was. This felt real, so very real. "Can... can you tell me more? Please...?"
Susie backed away just as quickly as she'd leaned in to ask the earlier question. She turned to the Prince of the Dark, confusion and mild unease on her face. "Ralsei, you know all the Darkner stuff. Did we break them or something?"
"Well..." Ralsei had been looking at the display before him with a mixture of distant pity and rising envy before facing Susie's. He thought he was bad with taking compliments, but this was simply ridiculous. As the flowers didn't qualify as Darkners, he was truly just as surprised as she was.
When he'd turned back to the vanquished opponent, Seth was sitting down peacefully, eyes closed and a beaming grin on their face, taking in the air and softly muttering some absolute nonsense to themselves about how much they loved being a human because humans could love, and if love felt this good, they didn't want it to end.
'I forgot humans could love. Do they do this all the time? I should read about it. But reading means less time feeling like this! Which should I do? I can't decide. I love that I can't decide.'
"They seem awfully pleased with themselves to be 'broken'. Besides, it isn't like we lost!" Ralsei chipped in, trying to look on the bright side. Then, a much younger voice cut through their conversation, one from far away.
"Seeeeeth? Are you there? I heard my name, was that you starting a screaming game?" Aqua had floated in on her wind of petals before settling on the ground right next to a Seth who had, for the first time, not immediately registered she was there. The flower-like human could practically hear a pin drop so long as it indicated a coming annoyance from Aqua, yet they were too out of it to even do that. Aqua simply looked down at the dazed state Seth was in, clearly amused.
"Uuu, you guys are good!" The cyan girl said, raising her oversized sleeves in the air in emphasis. "Nobody's ever made Seth lose before! But also nobody's made me lose before! So I guess I win!" She put her hands to her hips in pride. "How'd you do it, huh? Huh? Did you pull on the stress stick?"
"The what now?" Susie squinted.
"The stress stick!" Aqua repeated. One massive sleeve ghosted right over Seth's shoulders, and gently settled around a lock of hair. "Oh! They don't have one! Let me help, help!" Summoning a hair tie from thin air out of one of her spare petals, Aqua tied it up and gave Seth a low tail at the back of their head.
"I've only seen Blue with a stress stick, he has one all the time! He lets me touch if I don't pull too hard, I think Seth needs one too!" Aqua beamed after explaining her odd etymology for ponytails.
From the sudden sensation of someone touching their hair, Seth was finally roused from their joy-drunk state. They looked up at Aqua, briefly greeted her, tried to deduce when she had returned, and then immediately realized exactly what was going on and recoiled in horror, all in that order.
"Wh-! I-! H-how..." Seth stammered pitifully, prompting Aqua to also start babbling in giggling rapture, as if to mimic them. "How the- Aqua, I'm...!"
They quickly got up to their feet as quickly as they could, shame in their eyes, praying that the smaller girl saw none of that. "I... I don't know what came over me, I'm so sorry!" When it became clear that Aqua had, mercifully, not seen anything, Seth tried to backtrack. "Sorry for losing, that is! Yes, yes, that's all! But you're here now, we can stop them from getting to Asgore!"
Aqua took one look at a Seth, whose ruffled hair and somewhat dilated irises indicated that they were in no condition for another battle, then turned to the only other people present. "Huh? What are they so sorry for?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, buddy," Susie shrugged, pointing to a Seth that was burying their face in their hands, hiding a light blush at the ponytail they now donned. "We just told 'em a bunch of positive stuff and they kinda lost it."
"Uuu, positive things?" Aqua's sole eye peaked out from behind her bangs in interest, bouncing on her feet as she began to circle Seth while hopping, energetic as ever. "Like when I tell Seth they're really smart? And that I like their dress? And that they always spend time with me so I like them? And that the weird bluebird they talk about will like them too? I wanna join, I wanna join! Seth, you're so cool!"
"Arghhh!!" Seth grumbled, but try as they may, the growing smile on their face could be seen beneath their hands. "A-Aqua, stop! This is embarrassing!" Though unseen, Kris and Susie had both silently nodded in agreement and had shuffled past them, continuing on their quest with two of the pseudo-humans subdued. They, and Ralsei, claimed the strangest victory of the day.
"No, it's fun, fun!" Aqua laughed, bouncing in place now, zeroing in on the ponytail she'd just made for her friend. "Stress stick! Seth, I didn't know you had one too!!"
"I don't! Aqua, what are you-" They were cut off by a thorough but caring tug from Aqua, who looked suddenly fascinated by the way Seth's head jerked back. Where they had expected a brief yelp of pain, they were instead met with a brief squeal of enjoyment. The blush of shame exploded into an expression so flushed it looked like a nuclear disaster was breaking out. "GAH! I s-said to stop!"
"Stress stick! Stress stick! Uee hee hee!" Aqua paid no mind to Seth's pleas to stop themselves from being humiliated any further. Once again, they were splayed out on the ground, sitting to try and collect themselves, even while Aqua sat down right with them, giggling and cheering as she tugged and tugged at Seth's ponytail repeatedly. "It's so soft! Seth, why can't I touch your hair more often?"
"We're supposed to be- gh!" Seth's sentence was cut off by another tug. "We have to stop them from finding Asgore, or Flowery's gonna-!"
"Didn't you say you don't care what Flowery says?"
For a brief moment, the two were entirely composed once again, for just long enough for Seth to put a finger to their chin in thought and remind themselves that, no, they did not care at all what someone as frequently wrong and cocky as Flowery had to say. So, with a shrug, Seth just hummed in agreement, right before Aqua finally relented and the both of them stood back up.
"Did you learn human stuff while I was gone? Not that I didn't know already, since I'm a human!" Aqua asked, picking up the book that Seth had somehow nearly forgotten about and handing it back to them.
"I'm not sure. I don't think they're really humans. But I'd say I learned more about how humans interact." They responded, book back over their chest, mirroring the internal armor that Seth was sure to never drop again, especially after such a stunning display of shirking their duty.
"Uuu, how do they?"
Answering a question, now this was something Seth was good at! But, as they put a finger in the air in their most classic geek pose yet, their mouth opened, no answer came out. It had certainly been an experience of learning a new thing about themselves, though words felt inadequate. A practical demonstration was needed.
Seth undid the hair tie at their head, put it in Aqua's hair, and fastened it into a high tail, one that matched her spry and bold personality. Seth put a hand around it and yanked, earning a stifled and surprised 'eep!' as their payback was inflicted.
"It feels something like that." Seth smirked, only to look back down and realize that their revenge had the opposite effect, and Aqua was now pulling on her makeshift ponytail.
"Wow, wow! Humans feel great! Again, Seth, again!!"
A brief roll of the eyes from Seth as they walked off in the direction the trio had just snuck off to, with Aqua in tow. They made two mental notes to themselves. Firstly, never let ANYONE see them like that ever again.
And secondly, try out a ponytail and lean into Aqua's curiosity more often. For purely scientific reasons. Maybe. Possibly. It's just a hunch, really.