52Septenary
Author Note: Greetings, all! I have been wanting to write this story for quite some time now, but had neither the time, inspiration, or information to do so properly. However, now that I am nearing completion of Not One, But Seven, I have solid foundation development for all seven fallen children (including how I intend to portray Frisk). I haven't seen too much for Grouptale, and with all the AUs this fandom has produced being nothing short of a phenomenon, it was extremely hard to try and find the original creator of this AU, even with the official guide being my reference.
So, I shall go forth and credit pavizi on tumblr as well as and the lovely farsidejr for providing the resources for all the Undertale AUs!
I am not following any artist's specific character designs; rather, I'm using my own designs. I have seen several interpretations and while they are very lovely, I seem to picture the six 'unknown' children a bit differently (as everyone does). I still hope you enjoy them, and you can see more of these characters in more canon-conforming action in Not One, But Seven and They All Leave.
As stated in the description and above, this is a Grouptale fanfic. The versions of the six are mine and the concept of Grouptale goes to its rightful owner regardless of who they are, and of course Undertale credit goes to Toby Fox. Without much further ado, enjoy! =)
Trigger Warning: Child abuse/neglect, talk of suicide
To most people, the most outstanding part of Barriville wasn't the meager village itself, but the massive Mt. Ebott towering behind it.
Frisk supposed the same was true of them, but even with a population of only 1,278, they found it easy to feel small in their community. Then again, they figured it could be attributed to the fact that out of the minuscule population, no two people were their parents. They didn't remember anything about them; they'd been abandoned at the mayor's office when they were only eight months old. But no matter how much their foster parents insisted they'd never find them because they didn't want to be discovered, Frisk continued searching every year from the time they were three to their current age of ten.
They knew they shouldn't resent the life they'd been given by their parents abandoning them. There were always other kids to play with (even if none of them ever did) and they got fed a little better than most of the poor community, but none of that seemed to matter what they were slapped, kicked or belittled. Far too many times had they been stuck under a freezing shower with their clothes on as punishment or kicked outside to beg for change or shelter.
They were considered to be part of a less glamorous version of Barriville, the community that got glossed over and neglected while the rest of the village prospered on tourism and attention for being the only community that remained so close to the infamous Underground. Frisk often wondered if the monsters would be so bad when the humans had only ever treated them with harsh cruelty for no reason other than the fate their parents bestowed upon them.
"You know, they say people who climb up Ebott never return," one girl gossiped as she and her friend pretended to do their homework. "I wonder what it'd be like up there."
"Yeah, but you know Nan would have our heads if we even tried to go," her friend replied grimly. "Only an idiot with a death wish would try it."
"You have a point," the first girl agreed, and Frisk found her dark eyes targeting them at once. "How stupid would a person have to be? Like, Frisk-stupid?"
The pre-teen frowned and turned their back to the pair as they giggled maliciously. They were often ridiculed by their peers for being so quiet, but they knew it was merely a way for them to let out their frustrations. They'd all been subjected to the horrendous treatment of their caretakers- Nan and Pops, they insisted upon being called- so the child forgave them.
"D-don't listen to them, Frisk," a boy voiced from his spot on the dusty rug in the corner. "They're just trying to get a rise out of you."
They offered a smile in response and touched their temple to communicate that they knew this. They often felt like Micah was their only friend in this world aside from little Beatrice, but their relationship was forged more out of protection than true common place.
Beatrice was the youngest member of the orphanage who wasn't an infant, and was often targeted for being small and sensitive. She had endless amounts of patience for this ridicule, of course, but Frisk had become her mentor and protector. Their relationship with Micah went further than that, and they communicated through signing as much as through gentle physical reassurances the other was there for the long run.
'W-want to read with me?" Micah offered shyly. "I-I don't know if you like the Conjuring Tree Fort Series, b-but..."
Frisk nodded with a small smile, then signed that they wanted to find Beatrice, or 'Tally' as they often called her, first. The small girl was were they'd expected, curled up on the window bench in the girls' room.
"Hi, Frisk," she greeted softly. "Isn't the rain pretty? Everything gets all dark and gray and cold."
The older child merely nodded with a small ghost of a small, but the younger's words bothered them. Beatrice was usually a chipper, positive young girl despite all the heartache she'd endured in her five years, but sometimes she became extremely quiet and thought more cynically of the world.
It worried her guardian to think of her acting on any of the dark thoughts she verbalized, but nothing they'd ever tried to deter the thinking ever made it go away.
'Do you want to go read?' They signed when the girl looked back to them. 'Micah has a book.'
"Sure," she replied softly. "Which one?"
As they walked out of the room, Frisk couldn't help but release a quiet sigh. Today was one of Beatrice's consolable days, one of the days she could distract her from her own mind. For now, they still had their Tally and their Micah. For now, things could still be okay.
Most children at the orphanage seemed to truly hate Nan. Adeline wouldn't necessarily say she liked the old, bitter woman, but she certainly didn't hate her. She felt something just above tolerance for her when she helped her cook breakfast, lunch and dinner. She outright tolerated Pops, who was as mean as he was unattractive, but Nan was far better in her opinion.
"Go ahead and crack the eggs in this bowl," Nan grunted as she handed the nine-year-old a small container. "I'll heat up the ham."
"Yes ma'am," the young girl replied calmly.
They worked in silence as they usually did before Nan tired out and left the girl to finish up alone. Adeline liked this time the most, watching the sun rise over the mountain tops as she cooked breakfast for everyone. She'd found the other children typically liked it the best when she was left to work without their caretaker 'helping', so this time was perfect for her to reflect and wait for the gratification of the others.
Despite her status being somewhat high in the social order at the orphanage, she still couldn't help but wonder what life would be like somewhere else. Maybe she could find her mother somewhere beyond Mt. Ebott, and they could reunite and be as happy as they were before her father died.
If that still wasn't feasible, maybe she could find a new set of parents and siblings to cook for and take care of. She didn't hate where she was now, but she knew things could be better. She still didn't eat most of what she prepared, and she wasn't immune to Pops never-dwindling wrath. She couldn't remember that last time someone had hugged her, much less like her father used to. She longed for affection and approval even if she knew she wouldn't receive it, and that knowledge tormented her more than the original desire.
"Whatcha cooking?"
The voice startled her so much she nearly dropped the newly warmed and seasoned ham, and this near blunder made the older boy- Akin- snicker. Adeline knew him- he put up a tough, bully-esque front and was extremely popular with the other children, or at least well feared. He was always wearing a set of gloves and had his long hair pulled back in a bandanna, but he didn't intimidate her. After all, he slept in the fetal position, and her father once told her that meant someone was insecure. Everything he put out was a front.
"Ham and eggs," she replied evenly. "What are you doing up so early?"
"Old Lady Nan woke us up," he grumbled. "It's seven o' clock, genius."
A quick glance at the time proved he wasn't wrong; the time always seemed to escape her when she was doing what she loved. "So it is. Well, can you help me set the table?"
He seemed to consider it before shooting her a malicious grin. "Nah, I don't feel like it."
"Very well."
She set the food down in the center and began on the task, but after a moment his exterior faded and he began helped her. She didn't outwardly smile, but it was still satisfying to know that tactic still worked on types like him.
Frisk came in holding little Beatrice's hand soon after they were done and signaled something, presumably 'Good morning'. Akin muttered something rude in response, but Adeline smiled warmly and tugged two chairs out for them.
"Good morning," she said gently. "Did you sleep well?"
"Mhm," Beatrice mumbled as she slumped into her seat.
Frisk nodded with a smile similar to hers, which was relieving to say the least. It was easy to understand how circumstances like theirs made it hard for children to remain tender and kind, but at least Frisk never stopped trying to be.
The next forty minutes were a blur of the other children entering, bickering over food, flinching when Pops yelled and scattering when Nan eventually threatened to take away 'lunch privileges' if they didn't get out. As she began cleaning up the food for storage, she noticed one of the older girls standing in the doorway. It was fairly obvious to the younger that she didn't want to be seen by Nan, so Adeline excused herself to use the bathroom before slipping out to speak with her.
"Hi," she said gently. "Can I help you?"
"Yes," the girl responded softly. "I know Oswald didn't come in for breakfast again. Is there any way one of us could get something out to him? Asking Nan is futile, but he's skinny enough from doing this kind of stuff all the time. I'm really worried about him."
"Of course," she replied immediately. "I'll sneak some into a baggy and you can just grab it on your way outside."
"Thank you so much."
"Anytime...I'm so sorry, what was your name again?"
"Maria. See you soon, Adeline."
With that the young teen hurried back into the house. For a moment, the young cook stood there absorbing that someone had actually bothered to remember her name. Even Nan usually called her 'brat' or 'Maddy', so to have someone be so sincere with their regard to her almost made her want to cry. Maybe things were the best they could be where she was.
Oswald hated the orphanage and he wasn't afraid of expressing it. He wasn't stupid enough to throw tantrums or even complain, but he avoided every interaction as much as humanly could. He hardly ate their food; he much preferred the scraps some of the shops left out for the animals. He usually slept in a tree instead of the cramped boys' room and spoke little more than Frisk.
Nan and Pops either naturally didn't notice and/or didn't care. All they did was whine about how they had too many kids at 31, so having one constantly going missing wasn't a concern of theirs. The only time they minded was when the inspector came, and since he knew that wasn't until the end of the month, he made no attempt at going inside for food.
"Oswald?' He heard a familiar voice call out.
Maria wasn't the other person who at least knew he was at the orphanage; sometimes Frisk or Mich would greet him when he decided to come inside to escape the weather or feed. But she was the only one is consistently came to check on him or provide food or addition shelter, like an umbrella or toilet paper. He'd seen firsthand how terrible of a liar she was, so he wasn't sure how she always managed to sneak them away, but he certainly didn't mind.
"Come on, Ozzy. I know you're up there."
"Hey, Marie," he called back. "Come up if you want."
Marie. She seemed to hate that nickname from anyone but him, and he often wondered why.
"I brought you breakfast," she stated as she got up on his usual branch. "Well, I mean, Adeline got in this baggy and even got this fork, b-but-"
"You do not have to explain yourself to me," he answered before she could finish. "I know what you mean. Thank you."
"And thank her?"
"...Sure. Just do it for me?"
"Certainly."
They sat in silence for the next several minutes as he swallowed down the eggs and two pieces of ham, his eyes darting to his surroundings constantly. He always had to guard the food he got on his own time, so it was nearly impossible for the ten-year-old to relax in normal circumstances. Maria watched him with thoughtful dark eyes, the worry lines etched across her young features to make her look even older than she was.
"...Why do you do this for me, Marie? I never asked you too. I'd be okay if you didn't."
She almost looked hurt for a moment before clearing her face. "Because I would feel awful otherwise. We should all be treated equally."
"But nobody is," he pointed out dully. "You and I both know theirs a social order in there. The popular people get away with everything and never get punished, the other ones take all the abuse. The people in between just try to appease the adults and keep their mouths shut."
"But still," the elder insisted. "I know it's not right, so I don't conform to it."
He nodded slowly and balled up the plastic bag, sticking the fork in a little cup holder he had glued to the trunk of the tree. "Well, thanks anyway. Will I see you again later?"
"I...I think so. I'll try to see you before bedtime?"
As he watched her hug the trunk and start scooting down, he got the powerful urge to tell her what he'd been devising for nearly a year now. He'd detested his life for so long now, and for the past eleven months, ending it didn't seem to be such a bad idea if he did it at the right time in the right way. But looking at her reminded him why he'd stuck around until this point, and that she was the only person he was sure he loved. It went much deeper than a simple romantic crush, piercing into a deep platonic affection that inspired him to tell her the truth for once. She deserved to know and have a choice, too.
"Maria."
The use of her full name made her freeze and look to him with wide eyes. "Yes?"
"I plan to go up to Mt. Ebott," he declared tersely. "Soon. I'm going all the way to wherever the barrier is, and I'm jumping down there."
Her eyes widened more and she was at once back on the limb. "But you'd be falling down an entire mountain! You...You might..."
"Yeah, I know," he responded without missing a beat. "And that's the point."
At once her expression became full of the same deep sadness he'd seen when she first came to the orphanage. "You want to kill yourself."
"...I'm sorry, Maria. It's not like I want to commit suicide, but I'd be willing to go anywhere but here. Even Underground."
"I understand."
He had to admit that response certainly surprised him, but he couldn't help but offer up one of his rare smiles. No matter what had happened in the four years they'd known each other, she always seemed to understand why he acted the way he did and agree with the choices he made.
"But if you're going, you have to do everything you can to survive. And when you do, I'm going to be with you." Her eyes were now full of intensity, the kind that filled him with the sense he could do anything if he just kept her alive and happy.
"Okay," he agreed at once. "We leave on Sunday morning when Nan goes shopping and Pops falls asleep. We can't tell anybody."
He flinched a little as she absorbed this information. They both knew her honesty was the most important thing to her, but it was vital to their plan that she not mention anything to anyone in the next five days. Finally, she sighed and squeezed his hands gently.
"Alright."
