IFBench
Rescue Team Member
- Location
- Pokemon Paradise
- Partners
-
Chapter 20: The Two Faces of a Studio
Franziska followed the two visible ghosts, until she came to an area with two odd-looking houses next to each other. One was a faded blue, the other faded red. One was leaning west, the other east. One had the lights off inside, the other had them on.
Napstablook and Maddy floated inside the blue house leaning to the west with the lights off. That must be Napstablook’s house.
She opened the door, and walked inside.
It was…well, it was befitting of a ghost, reminiscent of stories Franziska heard of decrepit, haunted buildings. Floorboards were missing, the walls were cracked, and furnishings were sparse. Though most of the few furnishings that were there, being a fridge, television, and desktop computer, seemed oddly high-tech for this dilapidated building.
There was also a record player in a corner, alongside what appeared to be several record albums. Napstablook was over by them, and after a few seconds, eerie music started playing.
“There you are!” Maddy said, over by a cobweb in the opposite corner. “Took you long enough!”
“it’s fine…” Napstablook said, turning away from the record player. “um…welcome to my house.”
“It is…I’m not sure what I was expecting,” Franziska said, crossing her arms. “But nonetheless, thank you for inviting me.”
“sorry it’s…like this. i…haven’t had guests in a long time…” Napstablook said.
“It’s fine. It’s fine! IT’S FINE!!!” Maddy said. “It’s in a better state than I imagine my old house is in.”
“Is that the house next door?” Franziska asked.
“No. No! NO!!!” Maddy yelled. “Mine’s further away! That house was Metts’.”
“And who might that be?” Franziska asked, noting the similarity of the name to Mettaton’s.
* By any chance, would Metts be Mettaton?
“i…don’t think so,” Napstablook said, looking away. “metts…he…”
“Let’s not talk about him!” Maddy yelled. “We’re here to hang out! Have fun! Think about good things! Like things that aren’t Metts!”
* We should probably at least turn the light off in there.
“Fine. I’ll go do that. Later,” Maddy said.
“...so, um…would you like a ghost sandwich?” Napstablook asked, floating towards the fridge.
“I have plenty of food, but thank you,” Franziska said. “Perhaps we could share a meal together?”
“Perfect. Perfect! PERFECT!!! I was feeling hungry!” Maddy said. “Let’s eat!”
As Napstablook took two translucent sandwiches out of the fridge, Franziska sat down and took one of the burgers Sans had given her out of her bag. Thankfully, the container it was in had prevented the burger from falling apart and getting her bag messy.
She took a bite out of it. It was…
…decent. She didn’t understand why Maya was so fanatical about them, but it was far from terrible, and she was feeling rather hungry. She hadn’t eaten anything since the slice of pie Toriel had given her.
Franziska, Napstablook, and Maddy ate in silence for a few minutes, until all three had finished their food.
* How was the burger?
“It was alright,” Franziska said. “Though compared to how Maya described them, they’re a disappointment.”
* I’m telling Maya that next time I’m able.
“umm…who’s maya?” Napstablook asked. “you mentioned her before…in the ruins. you said she could channel you…”
* I’m curious about her myself. You mentioned her being your sister?
* She’s my younger sister. I try to look after as best I can, even in death.
“Wait. Wait! WAIT!!!” Maddy said. “She’s a channeler?! And human?!”
* Yep! I was too, before I died. We’re both from a long line of spirit channelers.
“I didn’t know humans could be spirit channelers. Thought only us ghost monsters could do it!” Maddy said.
* I didn’t know channeling was even possible until Napstablook here channeled Mia.
Maddy looked at Napstablook with wide eyes, and Napstablook seemed to shrink away under her gaze.
“You channeled?! Successfully?!” Maddy asked.
“...yes,” Napstablook said. “franziska…she knew how it worked, and gave me a photo of a human and a name…and now mia’s here…”
* And now Franziska’s stuck with me! At least until I get channeled again…presumably.
Franziska hoped that wouldn’t stick. She didn’t need snarky commentary in her head for the rest of her life.
“Wow. Wow! WOW!!!” Maddy said. “Congrats! That’s an amazing feat!”
“thanks…” Napstablook said, seeming to perk up a little.
* While we’re all talking about ourselves, what’s your story, other ghost that’s been with us since I met Franziska?
* Me?
* Yes, you. We don’t even know your name yet.
* …can we talk about something else?
“Is your name that big of a secret?” Franziska asked, crossing her arms.
“Tell us. Tell us! TELL US!!!” Maddy yelled.
“let’s…umm…not press them…if that’s ok…sorry…” Napstablook said.
* …alright. I’ll leave it be for now.
“Me too…I guess,” Maddy said, looking irritated.
* Thank you.
“now that we’ve all finished eating…want to lay down and feel like garbage?” Napstablook asked.
“Of course!” Maddy said, promptly laying down on the floor. Napstablook soon joined her.
“Why would you ever want to do that on purpose?!” Franziska asked.
“It’s a family tradition!” Maddy said. “Now either join us or be quiet!”
“I refuse to participate in this,” Franziska said, standing up. “Do as you wish, but if you need me, I’ll be either turning off the lights in the nearby house, or outside.”
Franziska walked out of Napstablook’s house, and tried to open the door to the house supposedly belonging to “Metts”.
The doorknob refused to budge.
* Seems like it’s locked. Maybe you should head back inside with Napstablook and Maddy.
“No. I’ll simply wait out here,” Franziska said. “I do not want to feel like garbage.”
* …
A few minutes passed in silence, before Maddy emerged from the house, eyes narrowed.
“What was that for?!” she asked.
“I simply did not want to participate,” Franziska said, crossing her arms. “Your family traditions and mine are different.”
“Fine,” Maddy said, before looking up at the house’s window. “I thought you were going to turn the lights off?”
“The door was locked,” Franziska said.
“Fine! I’ll do it myself,” Maddy said, rushing inside the house.
A few more minutes passed, yet the lights remained on. Eventually, the door clicked, and Maddy opened it from the inside. Her eyes were wide.
“Napstablook needs to see this,” Maddy said, before floating into Napstablook’s house.
* What do you think she found in there?
* I don’t think it’s anything good.
“I suppose we should take a look,” Franziska said, walking inside.
It was…surprisingly pristine, compared to Napstablook’s house. The floorboards and walls were all intact, there were far more furnishings, including an actual bed, and it was much more organized.
Except for the six books strewn across the floor.
Before Franziska could investigate, Maddy and Napstablook floated inside.
“Did you ever come in here? Even to take a peek?” Maddy asked.
“no…i didn’t want to invade metts’ privacy…” Napstablook said.
“Well you should have!” Maddy said, before turning to Franziska. “Oh, good, you’re here too. You can help.”
“What do you need?” Franziska asked.
“I need you to open up to the first pages of each of these books,” Maddy said. “I’d do it myself, but I think Blooky will need me to stay by their side for this. Read them aloud too, if you’d please.”
Franziska nodded, before taking one of the books and opening it up. “Dear Diary: Shyren’s sister ‘fell down’ recently. It’s sad. Without her sister to speak for her…she’s become more reclusive than ever. So I reached out to her, and said that she, Blooky, and I should all perform together sometime. She seemed to like that idea,” she read aloud.
“we…never did get to do that…” Napstablook said. “but…are you sure we should be reading these? It’s…private…”
“Certain. Certain! CERTAIN!!! You need to hear what’s in these!” Maddy said.
Out of curiosity, Franziska flipped to the next page of the diary, only to find it blank. “Only one entry in here?”
“The next book explains that,” Maddy said.
Franziska walked over to the next book, and opened it. “Dearer Diary: I like to buy a new diary for every entry I make. I love to collect diaries.”
“Incredibly wasteful,” Franziska said, moving onto the next diary.
* Who does something like that? Sounds awfully inconvenient to get a new diary for every single entry.
* Metts, apparently.
“Confirms that it’s actually Metts writing these, at least,” Maddy said.
“Dearest Diary: Our cousin left the farm to become a training dummy. That leaves just Blooky and I. Blooky asked me if I was going to try to become corporeal, too. They sounded so…resigned. Come on, Blooky. You know I’d never leave you behind. And besides, I’d never find the kind of body I’m looking for, anyway,” Franziska read from the next diary.
Both her and Napstablook looked at Maddy.
“Look. Look! LOOK!!! I said I’m sorry, ok?! And I’ll try to visit more!” Maddy said.
“...thanks, but…it still hurt…” Napstablook said.
“I’ll visit again as soon as I find a suitable body, alright?” Maddy said. “...and maybe after I pummel Metts a bit.”
“please don’t…” Napstablook said. “i…know he broke his promise, but…i don’t want him hurt.”
“Let’s move on,” Franziska said, opening the fourth diary. “My Darling Diary: I met someone…interesting today. Last week I posted that advertisement for my Human Fanclub. Today was our meeting. Only one other person came. Honestly, she’s a dork. And she’s obsessed with these awful cartoons. But she’s kind of funny, too. I want to see her again.”
“Metts…made a human fanclub?” Maddy said. “I understand he was always interested in humans, but a fanclub? Really?! No wonder only one other person showed up!”
“...i’d have joined if i knew…” Napstablook said, looking away.
“Look, there’s nothing wrong with fanclubs! I just don’t like them personally,” Maddy said.
“Diary, my Dear: My diary collection is going fabulously. I have like five now,” Franziska read from the fifth diary.
“Yeah, that one’s just another wasteful purchase from Metts,” Maddy said. “The important stuff is in the sixth diary.
Franiska walked over to the final diary, opened it, and read its contents aloud. “Dear Diary: She surprised me with something today. Sketches of a body she wants to create for me. A form beyond my wildest fantasies. In a form like that, I could finally feel like…’myself.’ After all, there’s no way I can be a star the way I am now. Sorry, Blooky. My dreams can’t wait for anyone…”
The growing urge to find Metts and whip him was hard for Franziska to ignore.
“Now do you understand?” Maddy said, looking back at Napstablook.
“I…but…metts…” Tears flowed from Napstablook’s eyes onto the ground.
“Mia was right. Mettaton is Metts!” Maddy said, eyes narrowed. “It should’ve been obvious! Their names start the same way, even!”
* …
“but they act so differently…could it really be true?” Napstablook asked.
“I haven’t met Metts nor Mettaton, so I can’t say for certain,” Franziska said, with her arms crossed. “However, I have a strong suspicion that Mia and Maddy are correct. And I have a strong urge to introduce him to my whip!”
“That’s the spirit!” Maddy said.
“please…don’t hurt him…” Napstablook said.
“I will try to only whip him lightly,” Franziska said. A few seconds of silence later, she added, “If necessary.”
* Thank you.
“yes…thank you…” Napstablook said. “i…guess this explains why i like mettaton’s shows so much…they remind me of metts.”
Franziska looked back down at the diaries. Perhaps shoving these entries in Mettaton’s face would be enough to get him to see reason, if it came to that. She turned to Napstablook and Maddy, and asked, “As Metts’ next of kin, I’d like to ask you both if I can take the useful diary pages from these as evidence.”
“You’re gonna rip the entries out? Perfect!” Maddy said. “I can reuse the rest of them myself! Been wanting a diary of my own.”
“...go ahead…” Napstablook said.
Franziska went from diary to diary, ripping out the pages that contained the important entries. Diaries 2 and 5 were skipped, as they only commented on the diary collection itself.
* You got the Diary Pages.
“Now, let’s finally turn off the lights in here, and be on our way,” Franziska said.
“Oh, right. Nearly forgot about that with the whole ‘learning your disappeared cousin is actually now the Underground’s biggest star’ thing,” Maddy said. She floated up towards a switch on the wall, flipped it, and the house went dark.
“We should get going,” Franziska said. She turned towards where Napstablook was, and curtsied at them. “Thank you for inviting me to your home, Napstablook. I hope we meet again.”
“I’ll be going as well. See you around, Blooky,” Maddy said.
“...me too…see you…” Napstablook said, as Franziska and Maddy left the house.
=====
COURT RECORD:
Evidence:
Prosecutor’s Badge - Proof of my profession. Like my papa and little brother, I keep mine in my pocket.
Cell Phone - My phone. Toriel, Papyrus, and Sans’ numbers have been registered to it.
Newspaper Articles - Articles detailing the disappearance of several children on Mount Ebott.
Photograph - A photograph of my second cousin, Bailey von Karma. I never met her.
Doodle - A drawing that I had obtained during my third trial with Phoenix Wright. I had meant to return this to him, but now…
Faded Ribbon - A ribbon belonging to a child who disappeared on Mount Ebott, Patia Fey. It’s speckled with blood.
Recipe - Toriel’s parting gift to me. A recipe for cinnamon-butterscotch pie.
Tough Glove - A glove Snowdrake gave to me. Seems to be fit for a human hand.
Snowman Piece - A button belonging to a talking snowman. They asked me to bring it very far away.
Wrapper - Discarded trash from when I gave Papyrus some ice cream. Contains an illustration of a hug.
Spy Camera - A camera I found hidden in a lump of snow. Has the serial number 013.
Snowdrake’s Photo - A childhood photograph of Snowdrake and his parents. Was used to decorate Gyftrot.
Puzzle Book - A large book of sudoku puzzles that Papyrus gifted to me.
Dusty Tutu - A tutu that previously belonged to Bailey von Karma. It’s covered in monster dust. Could she really have murdered a monster?
Punch Card - A card given to me by an ice cream seller. I can exchange three for a free ice cream.
Ballet Shoes - Belonged to Bailey von Karma. Caked in dust, far too much to have been from natural causes.
Ebott Dam - A dam being constructed on the Ebott River. Likely lowering the water intake of the Underground.
Diary Pages - 4 entries depicting how Mettaton abandoned his cousins for stardom. Were originally in separate diaries.
Profiles:
Bailey von Karma - An aspiring ballerina who went missing on Mount Ebott, and my second cousin. Was calling out for help. Deceased.
Flowey - A talking flower. It knew that I traveled back in time, and has been talking to Papyrus for some reason. What are its goals?
Toriel - A monster who intended on keeping me trapped in the Ruins. Fortunately, I was able to convince her to let me go.
Odd Voice - A voice that appeared in my head shortly after I met Toriel. They claim that their hands “aren’t free of dust”, but refuse to elaborate.
Napstablook - A ghost monster who offered to channel a spirit for me. Cousins with Maddy and Mettaton. I hope they’ll be ok, after what they learned about Mettaton.
Mia Fey - A deceased defense attorney, and the sister of Maya Fey. She is now accompanying me on my journey.
Asgore - A monster outside the Ruins. Wants to kill me for my soul.
Sans - A skeleton monster I met shortly after exiting the Ruins. He knows about my erased murder, but seems more concerned about Flowey.
Papyrus - A skeleton monster I met shortly after exiting the Ruins. Tried to capture me, but became friends with me instead.
Snowdrake - A bird monster, and an aspiring comedian. His sense of humor is improving, very slowly. A friend.
Alphys - The royal scientist of this place. Has some sort of connection with Undyne.
Undyne - The captain of the Royal Guard. Wants to take my soul. Killed me, but I traveled back in time to before my death.
Mr. Dreemurr - The king of all monsters. Supposedly kind and willing to help, according to Papyrus. Bad at names.
Mettaton - The Underground’s biggest star. Supposedly his shows are stagnating. Cousins with Napstablook and Maddy, and abandoned them to seek stardom.
Asriel - The brother of the Odd Voice. It seems he was very close with them.
Maddy - A ghost formerly living inside a police mascot. Cousins with Napstablook and Mettaton. Accompanying me for the time being, until she finds a suitable body.
Other:
Cinnamon Bun X2
Burger X1
900 G