video;

[bloodyuseless]

Name: Mary
Date: 6/11
Format: Video

[Mary stares into his watch, expression stoic, guarded. He immediately ruins this image with the fact that he has a bubble pipe in his mouth and is wearing a deerstalker hat over his cat ear hoodie. He blows some bubbles before removing the pipe from between his fangs.]

What were you doing last month on the night of the full moon?

[This is how you investigate things. Right?]

Oh! And right before you came through the mirror.

Comments

[bloodyuseless]

(( That works just fine for me! ))

I've never seen a glowing magic crystal before.

[He knows electric lights and magma though! Two excellent examples of how man triumphs over nature only to promptly get his ass whooped again.]

Are they like the magic here? Did you see them do anything strange when the mirror grabbed you?

[spaghettimonster]

I didn't see anything strange around me... But, I wasn't looking. The light from the mirror was just so fascinating that I didn't look away!

[And then he dropped all the stuff from his errand as he walked to the mesmerizing mirror, so hopefully no one searching for him in Home was too worried something had happened... Though. Something did happen, but it wasn't the obvious thing.]

I know it's not the same magic as here, because, my magic isn't working.


((looks like they had muddy reception, so: you can have a staticy skeleton for the surprise of a later introduction, or a clear visual so Mary's seeing the skeleton now, whichever works best))

[bloodyuseless]

[His video image blurs suddenly as Mary starts waving his arms.]

Ugh! It's like everybody was under a spell even before they got here! Nobody saw anything except their reflection!

[spaghettimonster]

[Papyrus watches as the screen becomes a storm of sepia motion, and he relates. This is all a frustrating mystery.]

So that's... how spells work here?

I can believe it! Ordinarily I would never drop my errands to walk through a mirror, no matter how enticing... but I did.

[bloodyuseless]

Um... I don't know.

[He's not a witch. He hasn't even seen a spell up close yet.]

But I could believe it too! Even if it wasn't a spell, it must have been magic.

[spaghettimonster]

Phew! At least that means it wasn't my fault. I needed an excuse for getting myself kidnapped... and mind control magic is as good as it gets.

[If he ever makes it home and re-befriends Undyne properly, she'll even believe it - especially after some of the orders she gave the sentries and Royal Guard.]

[bloodyuseless]

[...Oh gosh, he's right! This is the perfect excuse to keep Maria from yelling at him!]

Yeah. Yeah!

[He nods excitedly. Whether this earnest agreement is visible is questionable when he's still too hyped to pay attention to where his watch's camera is pointing.]

It is, isn't it? It's not our fault at all.

[spaghettimonster]

[It's audible, and that's good enough.]

Yeah! And it's no ordinary, easily fought magic... It's something so rare and strange, not even the super experts here know what happened or how to fix it. A conundrum totally out of our hands...

[It's a little heartening to have that excuse, but on the other hand... it's a little discouraging to put it so plainly.]

W-We'll just have to work hard at helping people figure it out.

[bloodyuseless]

Yeah... Especially since I'm not a super expert.

[He still can't help but feel impatient though, even knowing he's doing all he can.]

It'd be nice if the witches are helping too. Maybe I should try to be a more annoying guest so they work harder to get rid of me.

[spaghettimonster]

[Boy, that's a familiar tune. Exasperation bubbles up, distracting him from the worry.]

Okay... I know that's not how that works. I'm sure they would much rather you work harder, to help them.

[bloodyuseless]

I don't know what else I can do to help besides this though.

[spaghettimonster]

Oh, but it's so simple! Instead of annoying them to work faster... Encourage them! Cheerlead them! Offer to bring them snacks and refreshments, if they get hungry.

[Really, it's just as annoying - just in a friendlier and more positive form.]

[bloodyuseless]

[Encouragement and cheerleading are not Mary's forte. But neither are snacks and refreshments. Oh dear.]

Isn't that like being a servant? And I've never made food for anyone else before. I don't think they'd like it very much.

[spaghettimonster]

[It takes him a few seconds to respond, because how does he answer that? Is there anything wrong with being a servant...? And it's more like being a mom, to his mind.]

Uhhh... Well, you don't have to make it. Delivering a gift is fine!

[bloodyuseless]

Really?

[He thinks back to that absolutely perfect bunny ear hoodie he'd gotten as a gift from Takumi. It had been, well, absolutely perfect. He would have done anything for Takumi in that moment.]

Got it! I'll find out what they like!

[spaghettimonster]

Yeah!! That's the spirit!

Get to know them, do things they like, and then... leave to never see them again!

[...Wait. Is he talking about Mary or his original human friend, here?]

[bloodyuseless]

Um... Yeah! Exactly!

[Though somehow it sounds less appealing when Papyrus says it that way.]

I think.