Curate, connect, and discover
Callisto had quietly tried to reply several times, but the cheery monster hadn’t seemed to notice. They were quickly becoming overwhelmed, fearful, even, their heart pounded in their chest. He was so interested in their soul, everything about them. They wrung their hands and let out a breathy laugh.
“I didn’t even know what color it was before I fell,” They managed to stutter out finally. “Funny, huh? Everyone down here is so nice, I--” They didn’t know what to say. They didn’t really deserve the kindness. Not when their soul meant... Not when their soul meant so much.
“I’m sad that I have to go. It’s very... Interesting down here. The echo flowers in particular are really amazing! See, I tried,” they bent to pick up their journal, “to study them, to figure out what makes them echo, but... I didn’t really get anywhere with it. There’s just so much to learn down here.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Callisto. You must be far from home, hm?” Gaster chuckled lightly, a sympathetic note in the sound. “I’ve head rumors of a child making their way through Waterfall. A temmie informed me though, so it wasn’t exactly a reliable source. But,” He exclaimed, “it seems they were correct!”
Well and truly the scientist seemed delighted at Callisto’s presence. If they were anxious or anything of the sort he hardly noticed past his genuine intrigue.
“It’s been some time alright since we’ve had a newcomer. The Underground must provide a host of entertainment for a surface dweller such as yourself! Not as much as the surface, surely, but it’s interesting regardless.”
A pang of sorrow, or yearning even crossed Gaster’s glee at the mention of the surface. He soon brightened again, hardly giving Callisto a chance to speak themself.
“And my, your soul! Purple! I’ve never seen that colour before.” The twinkle in his dual black-and-white eyes only gleamed brighter. He marveled at all the quirks he’d noticed right off the bat but remained in place; Gaster had no intention of invading their personal space, no more than he intended to overwhelm them.
Really, he was only succeeding in one of those.