Summary: Juliette Thorn was used to the hard life. After a horrible childhood and awkward, sometimes downright awful teenage years, she never thought things would get better. Being a waitress in Blue Moon Bar and Grill filled with monsterphobic co-workers and owner certainly rubs her the wrong way too. Add in a rather huge secret that is often too much for her to hide and you have a recipe for disaster. However, things begin to change after she seats a rather lazy yet funny Skeleton. For once in her life, things seem to be getting better slowly but steadily. However, with the good comes the bad. The only question is: will she be able to make it out with her sanity and life intact when threats and danger begin to encroach on her life again? What about her best friend?
Disclaimer: I don't own the character from Undertale. They belong to the talented Toby Fox and those who helped him create his wonderful game. I only own the plot and original characters.
Warnings: Post-Pacifist, Male!Frisk, Mute!Frisk, swearing, fighting, angst and fluff, past abuse, same gender relationships, monsterphobia, racism, blood, some gore, sexual themes(later in the story), many OC's, main character is an OFC.
Pairings: Sans/Juliette(OFC), Papyrus/?, Undyne/Alphys
Author's Note: Well, this is officially my first story that doesn't involve Harry Potter. I know, I know! It's a huge shock! However, I loved watching Jacksepticeye play Undertale and I've read so many wonderful stories written by some really talented writers that got my muse all fluffed up and raring to go! Sans is my ultimate favorite character, with Undyne, Alphys and Papyrus all tied for second and the others third. Anyway, this story takes place two years after the events of the game and, as told in the warnings, after the pacifist route and ending. I did make Frisk a boy, though he has androgynous features which is why others can't tell if he's male or female. Now, this story begins with a lot of angst and down-trodden moodiness, but it does get better! I promise you that! I do hope you all enjoy this story and let me know what you think!
Dedications: I would like to dedicate this story to rosesandspades713 from archiveofourown for her wonderful story 'tonight I'll need you to stay'. I highly recommend you read it as it is a wonderful Sans/Reader story that made me squee a lot!
-Thoughts-
Text
[Signing]
Emphasis on words
Chapter One: A Bleak Beginning
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It was the crack of thunder that jolted the small figure up from their deep sleep. As lightning raced across the sky a few seconds later, it illuminated the inside of the bedroom, revealing the figure to be a small woman with black hair and onyx colored eyes. She blinked blearily for a few seconds before the crack of thunder made her jump; her sleep addled brain shocked into waking up fully. A soft groan left the woman's mouth as she flopped back down onto the monstrous pillows that dominated the head of her bed. Reaching up, she ran a hand through her hair, wincing as her fingers caught on the tangles she had gotten during her sleep. It took her a few seconds to fully undo a few of the tangles that had trapped her hand, but when her fingers were free she turned her head to the side and stared at the digital alarm clock on her bedside table; squinting in order to make out the numbers.
"Five in the morning?!"She muttered, disbelief in her voice at having been woken at such an ungodly hour.
Sighing, she closed her eyes and shook her head, already knowing that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. Instead, she slowly sat up and fumbled for her glasses on the nightstand. When her fingers finally connected with the cool metal, she hurriedly put them on and blinked a few times as her dark room came into sharp focus. Between the flashes of lightning and the growls of thunder, she can pick out the light blue walls and, looking up, she can easily spot the different glow-in-the-dark stars that were in the form of many of the different constellations. Call her a dork or a nerd, but she has a soft spot for astronomy. Her room is pretty bare; there's a bookcase against one wall filled with different books and the lower three shelves were fairly groaning under the weight of the many volumes of manga. A few framed posters hung on her walls and there was a small entertainment stand directly across from her bed with a decent television perched on it. The doors to her walk-in closet are open and there's another inner door that leads to her own bathroom.
Admittedly, it was a rather nice set-up. She had picked out the apartment with the intention of never wanting to move again; it was just too much of a hassle; and then there was her best friend. Angel was a godsend really. She was her first friend here in South Lyon, Michigan and was the one who began the slow and tedious process of breaking her out of her shyness. Of course she's still painfully shy, but Angel had managed to get her to open up about herself and, thanks to her tendency to ignore a person's personal space, got her comfortable with physical touch like hugging and cuddling.
"I should get up…"The woman muttered, blinking a few times before she threw the covers back and swung her legs over the side of her bed.
The woman's feet didn't touch the ground as she sat on the edge of her bed and as she scooted off of her bed she nearly stumbled as she took the first few steps. She picked her way through her room, stepping over a few books that had been strewn on the floor along with some clothes, and walked through her closet to her bathroom. Flicking on the light, she winced as it stung her eyes, causing her eyes shut her eyes tightly before cracking them open so she could slowly adjust. After her eyes adjusted, she trudged over to the mirror and looked at herself. Her skin is nicely tanned from the hours she spent outside on walks, hiking and bike riding. She removed her glasses and turned on the faucet, slowly washing her face before snagging a washcloth and drying her skin. Leaning close, she frowned as she examined herself in the mirror.
There's a small scar on her chin from when she fell off her bike as a little kid. However, her left eye has a milky film over it, making it a dull dark grey instead of onyx like her right eye. A thick scar began right above her left eyebrow and ended an inch below her eye. Swallowing thickly, she fumbled for the foundation she kept beside the main sink she used and hurriedly applied it to the scar. Once most of it was covered, she found herself able to relax. Sighing softly, her eyes closed as she dropped into a light meditative state. She could hear the storm raging outside, the heavy rain hitting the windows and the roof above her, the thunder growling and could practically feel the electricity of the lightning. A faint smile spread across her lips as she remembered on how storms used to frighten her as a child. Her mother used to tell her that angels were bowling and every time thunder boomed it was an angel getting a strike.
Pulling herself out of her trance-like state, she felt more relaxed…more in control. She went through her morning routine and soon moved back into her closet after turning out the bathroom light. Looking through her drawers and shirts, blouses, jeans, slacks and skirts, she was soon dressed in a dark blue shirt, black jeans, and her Legend of Zelda hoodie.
"No use lying around when I'll never fall asleep."She muttered, unplugging her phone from its charger and slipping it into her pocket.
Walking out of her bedroom, the faint meow alerted her to a dark shape making its way towards her in the dark hallway. A grin spread across her lips as she carefully picked her way down the hallway, the shape hurrying after her. She passed another closed doorway which led to Angel's room and the door to the second bathroom before walking into the dining room/kitchen area. A shiver raced through her as her bare feet touched the cool tile of the kitchen floor. She fumbled around a little before finding a light switch and flipping on the light above the double sink. Looking down, a stunning, long furred Calico cat came into view. Half of the cat's face is black while the other half is dark orange. The woman smiled and bent down, picking up the animal and stroking its head.
"Morning, Trixie. How did you sleep, baby?"She asked, listening as the cat purred loudly and rubbed its head against her neck.
"Did you finish your food already, girl?!"She asked, an eyebrow rising as she spotted the empty food dish on a mat by the counters on the floor.
Shaking her head, she set Trixie down and walked to the pantry. Opening it, she quickly grabbed a plastic container off of the floor and set it on the counter. Trixie wound her way around her owner's legs, mewing and purring loudly as her food bowl was picked up, rinsed, dried and filled. She eagerly trotted over to the mat and sat down, her eyes trained on the bowl as it was set down in its place once more. She eagerly began eating her food as her owner giggled and shook her head.
"Silly. You gotta make that last until I get home."
Moving around the kitchen, the woman soon had a bowl of cereal and walked around the breakfast bar. She pulled one of the stools away from the bar and hopped up, sighing as she pulled out her phone and began looking up the weather for the day along with any news. While the storm wouldn't last all day, the weather reports predicted that it will remain cloudy and rainy throughout the day and well into the night. She mentally made a note to bring an umbrella and wear her raincoat on her walk to work. She has an early morning shift at Blue Moon Bar and Grill while Angel has an afternoon shift. She wouldn't be able to see her friend for very long; only an hour or two at work before her own shift ends. Shaking her head, she flipped to another tab on her phone and blinked at the headlines.
New School Created: Monster and Human Children to attend new school
Her eyes widened as she saw the headline, though a faint smile spread across her lips as she tapped the headline to begin reading the article.
Former queen of the Underground: Toriel, has finally gained permission from Michigan's governor to open up a new school for both human and monster children. Queen Toriel has been meeting with Richard Snyder with Ambassador Frisk about opening the school for the past year. Governor Snyder has finally granted permission to have the school built near New Hudson, Michigan where Ambassador Frisk and Queen Toriel are living. Queen Toriel was available for a statement.
"While I know that relations between humans and monsters are still growing, I hope to do my part in helping humans learn more about us monsters and help monsters learn about humans. I hope to hire both human and monster teachers and provide classes that teach the children about both cultures as well as common subjects that are taught in both societies like History, Science, Literature and so on."
"It's about damn time."The woman muttered, shaking her head as she exited out of the article as it went on about when the school will be open and so forth.
Monsters came out of the Underground nearly three years ago. It had been slow going for them to begin integrating with humans; after all humans had to get used to the fact that not all monsters were evil. Ambassador Frisk had been busy meeting with President Wilks and the other Presidents and rulers of different countries to explain what monsters were wanting. She hadn't been too worried about monsters coming to the surface; after all, they were just like humans only…different. The first monster settlement had been created outside of the barrier of Mt. Ebott and monsters slowly began finding employment and homes in different towns and cities near that settlement after half a year. Now, it's common to see monsters of various 'races' walking down the sidewalks, working in shops and even driving.
Of course, that's not to say things are perfect. Many humans still hate monsters and there have been stories about anti-monster groups vandalizing establishments and homes of monsters and other humans who support monsters and their rights. She knows about a website for monsters that help them find towns, cities, establishments and services that are monster friendly. Heck, she often uses it and is actually in contact with the creator of the site. She's been helping them with information on her city and the surrounding cities in keeping the link updated for any monsters that live nearby and want to go out to eat without being discriminated against. Things aren't perfect, but they're improving steadily. Humming faintly, she exited out of the site and pulled up her e-mail, nearly groaning when she saw a message from one of her co-workers. Her finger hovered over the delete button but she eventually gave in and opened the message.
Hey Juliette,
I was wondering if you'd be able to cover my shift on Sunday. I have this super important gathering that I have to go to in the U.P. this Sunday and Mister Masters didn't sign off on giving me the day off.
However, he did say that if I could find someone to cover my shift I can go. Please cover my shift, Jules! I promise I'll cover whatever shift you might need covered after I get back! It's a 4 to 11 shift and I was set to be part of the closing team with Jackson and Lance. Let me know ASAP!
Sasha 3
Groaning, she sighed and glanced over at the whiteboard attached to the fridge. She and Angel had gotten that board in order to keep track of each other's schedules and chores. Looking over at her schedule, she saw that she was free on Sunday, which made her sigh again. On one hand, she hated closing the bar and grill, even though she wouldn't be the only one there. They tended to gain the more rowdy crowds and customers in the late evening and she hated dealing with them. However, she wouldn't be the only one there and she knew Lance, at least, would help her deal with any customers who got out of hand. Jackson has an over-inflated ego and loved hitting on anything with two legs and blonde hair, which made him insufferable. Though, he could handle himself pretty well against many of the drunks and mostly got them to either calm down or leave whenever things got out of hand. There was also the small fact that she has been wanting to pick up a couple more hours since Mister Masters has her scheduled for twenty hours this week.
Sasha,
Yes I can cover your shift this Sunday. However, you get to tell Mister Masters about it. I'll look over the schedule for next week and see if there's a shift I need you to cover when I get to work today.
Be safe and see you there.
Juliette.
"Well, Trixie, there went my Sunday evening."Juliette said, sighing as said cat looked at her from her spot on the dining room window sill.
"Ah well. It's not like I had anything planned that day anyway. Though…I think Angel was planning something with her boyfriend…"She muttered, frowning as she hopped down from the stool and walked around the bar to rinse out her bowl and spoon.
Shuffling around the kitchen, she put a few things away and set her dishes into the small dishwasher that was a part of the counter. Trixie followed her as she walked out of the kitchen and into the living room area. She moved over to the front door where she flicked on one of the switches, turning on a floor lamp in a corner of the living room. The living room is rather tasteful with light tan colored walls, a black sectional which was pointed towards the entertainment stand. There was also a rather comfortable looking recliner near the sectional. A coffee table stood in front of the sectional with a few pillar candles on it along with a few coasters. A shoe rack was near the door along with another side table that has a small bowl with their keys in it. There are a few pictures on the wall, mostly of her and Angel: a rather attractive redhead. Shaking her head, she walked over to the sectional and flopped down, sighing as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, relaxing against the cushions. Trixie hopped up beside her and curled up against her leg; purring loudly as she began running her fingers through Trixie's fur.
It only seemed a few minutes later before the sound of a dog whining echoed through the apartment. Juliette opened her eyes and watched as the door to Angel's room opened and a black German Shepard trotted out of the room. A smile spread across her lips as Angel staggered out of her bedroom, still dressed in her pajamas and her hair bushy. Angel paused when she saw her friend, blinking a few times before she realized that, yes, Juliette is awake at six in the morning.
"Jules? Why the hell are you up?"She asked, her voice rough and scratchy from sleep.
"Thunder woke me up. I couldn't get back to sleep so decided to get dressed and eat."Juliette said, shrugging lightly as Angel snorted.
"Can you do me a favor and take Shade out to use the bathroom? I need to go pee."Angel mumbled, staggering towards the bathroom as Juliette shook her head and got up.
"Sure thing."She called, walking over to the small closet in the dining room and pulled out her raincoat.
Shade whined and wiggled as he watched Juliette pulled on her raincoat and walked over to the shoe rack. She slipped on her boots and grabbed Shade's harness, making the large dog bark and wiggle excitedly. It was a slight struggled to get his harness on, especially since he didn't want to sit still long enough for her to do so. Finally she had the contraption on and attached his leash to it. Unlocking the deadbolt and normal lock, she opened the door and laughed as Shade nearly pulled her out of the apartment; having just enough time to reach behind her and close the door. She and Shade jogged down the stairs and out into the storm. The large dog instantly headed over to the grassy area to the side and began sniffing around, making Juliette shake her head fondly.
As Shade did his business, she looked around the area. The apartment complex was one of the nicer ones with plenty of grass and trees for pets and children to run around on. There were also a few charcoal grills and picnic tables scattered around the lawns for residents to enjoy during the warmer months. There was another apartment building directly across from the one she had just come out of and behind her apartment building, six others appeared in the gloom. She made a mental note to stop by the office and turn in this months rent on her way past it to work. She had no doubt that Angel will try and take her to work, but her friend had worked the closing shift the night before and thus needs the extra sleep in order to properly function without having a bitchy attitude.
Looking down at Shade, Juliette smiled and picked up his leavings before tossing them in a nearby bin attached to one of the poles with extra doggy bags incase an owner had forgotten theirs in their apartment. Leading Shade back to the building, they stepped inside and she laughed when he shook himself, effectively splattering her with water along with the sides of the other apartments. They headed up to the second floor and into the apartment, where Angel was waiting with a towel to rub down her dog.
"Thanks, Jules."Angel said, smiling as she looked at her friend while Juliette pulled off her raincoat and boots.
"No problem. Now get back to bed. I know you didn't get to sleep until two in the morning."She said, shooing her friend towards her room.
"But-"
"No! I'll be fine. You need the sleep before work. Now go."
"Thanks, Jules. Be careful on your way to work. Text me when you get there."Angel said, hugging her friend before disappearing back into her room.
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Juliette shivered as she stepped into the back room of Blue Moon Bar and Grill. She hadn't expected the simple rain shower to suddenly become a downpour in the middle of her walk to work. Nor had she expected several cars to drive by and hit some puddles near the curb, effectively soaking her to the bone. She was grateful that she had thought ahead and had stuffed her uniform into her waterproof bag along with her shoes. The manager would've had a fit if she had come to work soaked and with no 'proper' shoes to wear, never mind the fact that all of her co-workers know she doesn't have a car. It wasn't that she doesn't know how to drive; she just never had a real longing to get a car. She often walked, biked or skated wherever she needed and living in the downtown area of South Lyon meant that she didn't have very far to go to get whatever she wanted or needed.
"I hope you have a dry uniform."A tall, handsome man said, his green eyes narrowed as he looked Juliette over.
"Yes, Victor, I have dry clothes and my shoes. I just need to change in the restroom."She said, shifting as she pulled off her coat and hung it up in her locker.
"Well hurry up. We need to prepare the kitchen, counters, displays and tables. We have three breakfast reservations for some important people and I don't need us to fall behind just because you were stupid enough to walk here in this weather."Victor snapped, stalking out of the back room as Juliette flinched and swallowed tightly.
She honestly hated Victor Masters. Yes, the man is rather good looking but his personality left much to desire. Victor is the owner's son and the general manager of the place. He ran the place whenever his dad wasn't there and he loved playing favorites. It wasn't uncommon to see him flirting with the younger and more beautiful female employees. It also wasn't uncommon to hear him complaining about her, Angel, a few other employees and, of course, monsters. Victor was a huge monsterphobe and it drove her insane listening to him making fun of some of the races of monsters who lived in the city or passed by outside of the building. It wasn't very often that they had monster guests, but whenever they did he had the hostess seat them in Angel's section and sent her to the kitchen to cook their meals. Practically all of the other employees, bar a few, shared the same mindset that Victor has of monsters.
"Morning Jules! Thanks for agreeing to cover my shift this Sunday. You're the best!"Sasha said, bouncing into the room and putting away her coat.
Sasha is a rather beautiful brunette with flawless mocha colored skin and sparkling brown eyes. She really looked good in the uniform, which consisted of a form fitting dark blue, short sleeved blouse, a knee length black skirt which flared and swayed with her moves, dark blue knee-high socks and low heel black shoes. Her hair is tied back, as per the rules, though a few curly strands were already escaping the hold of her tie. While Juliette didn't really consider Sasha a close friend, she got along well with the bubbly, younger woman and Sasha often helped her deal with problematic customers and whenever things got busy.
"No problem, Sasha. Just remember to get it cleared with Mister Masters. I don't want you to get into trouble."Juliette said, pulling out her uniform and walking towards the door leading further into the restaurant.
"I will, don't worry! Now, go get dried and changed before Victor snaps at you. We open in an hour and a half and Kevin is already cooking up a storm while Berry and Josh are scrubbing the kitchen. I think we might have a 'surprise' inspection sometime today."Sasha said, Juliette blinking in surprise.
"Alright. Thanks, Sasha."She said, disappearing through the door.
Juliette walked down the wide hallway; passing by the double swinging doors that led to the kitchens. Sure enough, she spotted two guys cleaning and wiping down every surface in the kitchen while another man worked at one of the counters making fresh pies, cookies, muffins and other snacks for the displays at the front of the restaurant where guests came in and were seated. There were three other 'rooms', two of which are offices belonging to Mister Masters, the owner of the building, and Victor's office. The third room is considered their break room which has a few tables and chairs for them to eat and take a load off their feet instead of taking their breaks in the main dining room. Juliette pushed through the double doors at the end of the hallway and hurried into the main dining room. There were two others in the dining room putting down the chairs and wiping down the tables.
"Morning Mike, morning Lila."She called, waving to the two others as she made her way to the front of the building where the restrooms are.
She received a hello back from them before she made it to the womens room and ducked inside. The automatic light came on and she walked to the handicap stall, locking it behind her. Toeing off her drenched socks, she quickly removed her shirt, which had gotten soaked around the collar, and her jeans which were completely drenched. A sound of discomfort left her when she realized that the rain had soaked through her jeans and had gotten her underwear as well. Sighing and mentally thanking her instincts, she began pulling out her uniform and the included extra pair of underwear she had packed a week ago but had never used. She also pulled out the small towel she had brought with her and patted herself dry before pulling on her dry clothes. She wrapped her soaked clothes in a plastic bag and tucked that inside her bag before pulling out a travel hairbrush and hurriedly brushing her hair before slipping on her shoes. Now dressed and ready for work, she packed away her things and stepped out of the stall. She paused at the mirror above the sinks to ensure she looked professional enough for work before nodding and stepping out.
Juliette hurried to the back room once more and stored her bag away in her locker before heading the main dining room and helping Mike and Lila with the chairs and tables. Lila is another waitress like herself though Mike is a busboy with waiter training and also picks up late night shifts as a backup bartender. The bar in the restaurant wasn't open until afternoon, which meant that they wouldn't be seating anyone at the bar until then and their bartenders were allowed to have a lie-in. Families tended to come in the mornings for breakfast and then early afternoon for lunch and then they started getting the more 'adult' crowds who wanted to partake in the bar and the two flat-screen televisions which were almost always playing some kind of game. It was also around then that they started getting the guys who loved to hit on the waitresses because of their looks and uniforms.
Conversation was easy as they chatted and worked; talking about the supposed important reservations and asking each other what shifts they work and what they were planning on doing their days off. Mike, a college student, was looking forward to the start of the new school year. He's studying to become a lawyer and has three more years of study left before taking the bar exams; something that he hopes to pass. His father is a lawyer as well and he wants to join his dad and perhaps even take over the family practice when his dad is ready to retire. Lila happily talked about her planned vacation to Paris in a few weeks, to which they reminded her to take plenty of pictures so she could show them her trip when she returns. It wasn't long before they had the dining room clean and ready to go. Next they made trips to the kitchen and collected the pastries and pies to put in the displays near the registers and organized them, ensuring each had a card telling what each item was and how much they cost for a single piece or multiple.
Victor wrote down the specials on a whiteboard near the hostess stand before having the main hostess, Sasha, call everyone who had made a reservation to ensure they would be coming in. It wasn't too often that they had people from businesses make reservations at the bar and grill; normally they were for sports and retirement parties and the occasional graduation party. However, this would raise the 'status' of the place by having businesses make reservations now. Juliette personally thought that there wasn't too much to look at here at the bar and grill. The walls were painted with scenes and murals of various sports teams and there were pictures of famous sports team members who had visited the place before. The place was a tad dark, though they were actually opening the blinds and turning up the lighting to make the place a bit brighter considering how dark and gloomy things were outside. The people who called in the reservations confirmed they were still coming so four of them got to work pushing tables together and putting plaques on the tables that say 'reserved' on them so other patrons wouldn't ask why those tables weren't available.
As soon as nine o'clock hit, the door was unlocked and the open sign was turned on. Sasha took her place at the hostess stand, while Lila, Juliette and Nick stood in the hallway behind the doors waiting for customers to begin arriving. A few people began trickling in, all of them wearing raincoats or having umbrellas which were hung up on the coat station near the door before Sara seated them. Nick and Lila were soon busy taking drink orders after bringing the customers a glass of ice water before heading to the kitchen to get the drinks and delivering them out to the customers. When the first party arrived, Juliette winced when Sasha took them to one of the designated tables…in her section. Quickly counting out how many there were, she hurried into the kitchen and got several glasses; filling them with ice water before putting them on a serving tray. Balancing it on one of her hands, she walked out of the kitchen and out to the main dining room, a smile on her face as she walked over to the large group.
"Good morning gentlemen, ladies! I'm Juliette and I'll be your waitress for today."She said, smiling as she began handing everyone a glass and straw.
Tucking the tray underneath her arm, she pulled out her small ticket book and quickly wrote down their drink orders. Smiling and promising to be back soon, she hurried into the kitchen and quickly set about getting a pot of coffee, two bowls filled with different packets of creamer, tea bags and began the process of making a banana/strawberry smoothie. She quickly looked at the television screen which showed the dining room, mentally cursing when she saw that there were four new people seated in her area waiting for her. She quickly put together four more glasses of ice water and began organizing everything onto a serving tray. Once she had everything settled, she briskly walked out of the kitchen and over to the large table, giving everyone their drinks along with the pot of coffee and tea pots. Setting the tray down on an empty table, she quickly jotted down their orders, mentally knowing that Kevin would have his work cut out for him with this party. She then hurried over to the new table and gave them their glasses and took their drink orders, smiling as she promised to be back soon.
The other two reservation parties show up in quick succession, though Sarah thankfully planned it so that Lila and Nick would each have a party to take care of. Juliette felt she could kiss the woman for doing that as things were quickly becoming busy. She didn't understand what it was about dreary and rainy days that made people flock to restaurants in droves. Soft music played over the speakers while the noise level rose as more people came in. Juliette kept supplying the party with plenty of drinks and whisked away their appetizer dishes before bringing out their main course. She flushed and smiled when the boss of the party complimented her on her speed and attentiveness. She had learned a long time ago when to judge people based on body language when they wanted to speak with her or just wanted to be alone to do whatever it was they wanted to do.
There was one mishap when Nick accidently took the dishes meant for one of her tables, which resulted in an upset customer. However, Sasha hurried over and soon had them calmed down and the dishes were brought back and the customer got their drinks for free and a discount on their final bill because of the mistake. Victor wasn't happy when he learned of what had happened and quickly pulled Nick into his office for a word with the young man. When Nick came back out he took a quick break outside to calm down and collect himself; which meant he ended up smoking two cigarettes.
Juliette passed him in the hallway after he came back inside and winced at the strong smell of smoke. He saw the wince and hurried to the backroom where he put on some Axe body spray. Victor always threw a fit whenever a customer complained of the smell of smoke; especially when this is a smoking free building. A few more waitresses came in and the second cook: Jason came in to help with the lunch crowd. Angel arrived at one and was quick to jump in and help clear tables and do dishes while Rodney, the bartender, began opening the bar. It wasn't long after that when the customers began ordering drinks from the bar. Victor finally called Juliette into the back and informed her that she can take her half-hour lunch. Sighing in relief, she thanked him and instantly went to the back room and pulled off her shoes and slipped on her boots. Pulling on her raincoat, she pulled the hood up and walked out the back door.
While they did get their meals free if they ate at the restaurant, Juliette never really cared for the food. Instead, there was this café that had opened up a few months ago. It was run by a monster named Vixen who looked a lot like a humanoid fox. It reminded her of the anime fox characters from various shows she had caught a glimpse of. It also helped that Vixen was very kind and welcoming, even though she never got very many human customers. Thankfully the rain had calmed down and it was no longer storming out. A quick dash across the street found her outside of the Fox Den Café. Pushing the door open, her eyes closed as warmth washed over her along with the delicious scent of coffee and pastries. The door closed behind her as the bell above the door chimed, drawing the attention of the few customers and the staff. Vixen was behind the counter and instantly smiled, waving Juliette over as the dark haired woman flushed.
"Hey, Juliette! I was wondering if you'd come in today."Vixen said, grinning as Juliette walked over.
"You know I can't stay away, Vix. My manager finally decided to let me take my lunch."Juliette said, smiling as she looked at the monster.
"Well, take a seat and I'll make up your normal."Vixen said, smiling as Juliette blushed lightly and smiled.
"You're the best, Vixen. Just add it to my tab."She said, the monster nodding as she headed through the archway to the kitchen.
Juliette walked past a few tables and over to the front of the café. There are rather comfortable chairs there, allowing customers to sit and sip their drinks while watching the crowds outside through the large front windows. She happily sat down and leaned back, sighing as the ache in her feet slowly faded now that she's sitting. Looking around, she smiled and nodded to a few regular customers that she has been around before, many of them monsters who smiled and nodded back at her. However, there were two new monsters that she has never seen before. Both of them are skeletons, which surprised her honestly. She hadn't even thought that there were skeleton monsters but then again, she wasn't one to really get out and hang out others besides her job and whenever Angel dragged her out of the apartment to go shopping. One of the skeletons is rather tall and his….anatomy?, seems much closer to a human skeleton from what she remember in school. He's dressed in a pair of torn jeans, red boots, a tee-shirt with an image of a plate of spaghetti, a red cape and red gloves. The second skeleton is shorter than the other and appears more…aloof. Dressed in a medium blue hoodie with white fake fur around the hood, his lower body is dressed in a pair of black shorts and he's wearing tennis shoes.
"Sans, Papyrus, you guys need a refill?"One of the workers asked, popping her head around the corner to look at the two skeletons.
"No thank you."The taller skeleton said, his voice higher pitched and instantly reminded Juliette of Skeletor from He Man.
"Na, I'm good."The second skeleton added, his voice deeper and holding what Juliette would call a slight New York accent.
She looked away from the pair and smiled when Vixen walked over with a plate and cup. Thanking her, Juliette instantly took a deep drink of her coffee, which was heavily laced with French Vanilla creamer, before taking a generous bite of her lamb sandwich, humming happily when she realized that Vixen had loaded it with ketchup. Even though her job wasn't the best, she was glad that she could come here and relax. Vixen hadn't been too sure of her at first, after all, there were many humans that treat monsters like filth, but once Vixen realized that she had no issues with any of monsters, she had been welcomed in the café and the other regulars quickly found out that she wasn't like other humans. She had made some small talk with a few of the monsters who were visiting the café during her many visits, but she hadn't really taken the time to get to know any of them besides Vixen.
-Things might be crappy but at least I have this little sanctuary.-She thought, smiling softly as she eagerly devoured her sandwich.
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
Sans remembered when Bunny had told him about her girlfriend's new café. She had been so excited that her long ears had been straight up whereas they were normally down as she boasted about how proud she was of her girl's new place and everything that it meant to them. Vixen had finally gotten a permit to open her café and she was a pretty good cook according to Bunny. The last time he had talked to her, she had practically begged him to go and check out the café, to which he told her that he would when he had the time and energy to do so. Things for him and Pap have been improving greatly, even though there had been minor setbacks. After Frisk became the ambassador for monsters the kid had been working day in and day out to get the humans used to them. He and Asgore and Tori had been working themselves to the bone in order to get the president to agree to allow monsters to settle outside of the underground.
After the first few months of tension and worry, they had been allowed to create a settlement outside the barrier. He and Papyrus had decided to wait for a little while, let the humans get used to the other monsters and slowly warm up to the idea hopefully. When monsters finally began spreading out to the different states and even to other countries, his brother had practically begged him for them to move out of Snowdin and he finally relented. He couldn't really deny Paps anything if he was honest with himself; and there was the fact that almost everyone had already moved out of the underground by then. It had taken some work, but they had finally found a small, two bedroom apartment for the both of them in Novi Michigan. It hadn't been very nice there; the owners of the complex had been pretty hostile towards them and there had been plenty of problems with getting someone to fix the pipes when they had begun leaking.
In fact, there had been many reports of humans taking advantage of monsters when they first began spreading out among the different states. Thankfully, he and Paps had been able to save up enough money to finally move in to a nice house in a mostly monster neighborhood a year after moving into their apartment. The house is nice with four bedrooms for whenever their friends decide to come and visit and end up crashing for the night. Since then they moved into their house, things have gotten a lot better. They no longer had to constantly worry about someone breaking into their place or being attacked by a group of humans in the streets. Frisk is continuing to do wonders in helping to get monsters more and more rights and protections, especially since there are still groups of humans who want nothing more than to see them driven back into the underground.
The chiming of the bell in the café breaks Sans out of his thoughts. Looking up, he was surprised to see a human woman walk over to the front counter. More surprising was Vixen's greeting and the fact that she seems to know the human. Focusing on the human, he looked her over while Papyrus was eagerly digging into the muffin Vixen had brought over not even a minute before the human had entered. The human's hair is lightly curled, black in color with two rather interesting white streaks. He's never really seen a human with black and white hair before; even though he has seen humans dye their hair rather interesting colors. She's pretty short; shorter than most of others he's seen unless they're children or young teens. Her clothing seems to be some sort of uniform and, as she walks over to a chair, he catches sight of her long legs. Looking at her face, is rather surprised to see that her eyes are black in color, blending perfectly with the pupils. However, he frowned lightly when he saw that one of her eyes is dull dark grey color.
-Is she blind in one eye?-He thought, looking down and unwrapping his own muffin.
He's only partially paying attention when Jazz asks if he and Pap are alright, though his brother thankfully responds which gives him enough time to pull himself out of his musings. He grins at Jazz as he confirms that he and Papyrus are doing just fine and happily begins eating. His eyes wander over to the human, to Juliette from what Vixen called her, as Vixen delivers her food. His grins widens slightly as Juliette nearly melts in her seat as she drink her coffee, the heady scent of vanilla wafting over to him. Seeing so many other monsters wave and eventually even a few stopped by to chat with her was surprising. Bunny had told him that not many humans were visitors of Vixen's café since it was run by a monster and mostly catered towards monsters. However, there was something….heartwarming in seeing a human interacting so easily with random monsters.
"Juliette! It's so good to see you!"
Sans blinked and raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw Bratty and Catty rush over to the woman and envelop her into a hug. The woman had just enough time to set down her sandwich on the small table beside her chair before this happened. He was further surprised and pleased when Juliette hugged them back, not cringing or showing any signs of disgust at touching a monster.
"Hey, Catty. Hey, Bratty. How is your search for jobs going?"Juliette asked, smiling as the two sat down in the two other chairs.
"Like super slow."Bratty huffed, folding her arms in front of her as Juliette looked at her in concern.
"Yeah. Like, no wants to, like, hire us because we're monsters."Catty complained, making Sans grit his teeth as anger spiked.
"I'm sorry, girls. I wish I knew more people who were monster friendly. I know Kroger's isn't the most glamourous job but they've been hiring and I know that they're monster friendly…did you try that new bar and grill? Grillbys I think it's called?"Juliette asked, watching as the two girls shifted.
"We, like, tried New Grillbys but he's, like, already has all of the help he needs."Catty said, Juliette nodding her head in understanding.
"We'll try Kroger's though. It's better than some of the places we've been to."Bratty added, making Juliette nod and smile.
"Anyway, we'd better, like, head out. It was wonderful seeing you again!"Catty said, standing up and hugging the woman.
"Same! I'll tell Angel that I saw you two. She might know of a few more places that're hiring. She gets out more than I do."Juliette said, laughing as she was hugged tighter by the two girls.
"Thanks, Juliette!"
"You're, like, the absolute best!"
The pair left and Juliette began eating once more, though when she glanced at her phone, she suddenly swore and crammed the last mouthful of sandwich into her mouth. Mumbling a goodbye to everyone, she hurriedly put on her coat and grabbed her coffee before dashing outside and running down the sidewalk. Even Papyrus was looking up and looked slightly surprised. That surprise increased when Vixen sighed softly and walked out from behind the counter to pick up Juliette's empty plate.
"Poor girl."She muttered, blinking when Papyrus reached out and touched her arm.
"What happened? Why did the human girl leave so quickly?"He asked, making his brother silently thank him for asking the questions that were burning in his mind.
"Juliette works for the Blue Moon Bar and Grill. I'm guessing her lunch was almost over so she had to run. I swear they don't pay her enough."Vixen said, frowning as she handed the dirty plate to one of her employees.
"What do you mean?"Sans asked, watching as Vixen looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"You seem pretty curious about a random human, Sans."She asked, a faint smirk crossing her lips as the lazy skeleton shrugged.
"Can't blame me for being interested."He said, making the woman roll her eyes.
"The manager there is a real jerk. He and practically all of the staff are monsterphobic. She and her friend work there and they hate it because they're for monsters living on the surface and for our rights. I know she was promised a position as a chef there but they never gave it to her, even though she has a culinary degree. I've offered her a position here, but I only have room for one more person and she doesn't want to leave her friend there alone."Vixen explained, watching as Papyrus looked concern.
"That poor human! She sounds like a great human, I wish there was something that could be done!"Papyrus said, looking down at his plate sadly as Sans patted his arm.
"I'm sure she'll figure something out, Paps. She sounds like a pretty good human."Sans said, Vixen nodding her head.
"That she is. Anyway, I'd better make sure Maisy isn't going to burn anything."She said, heading back behind the counter and disappearing into the kitchen.
Sans grinned as Papyrus started talking about Undyne and her new job. She had finally managed to open a gym for both monsters and humans and many were already signing up for her training courses. He knew that Undyne would be great, even though some of her workouts are extreme, she'll be able to help out a lot of humans and monsters alike. It was fairly easy for her to get the permit for owning and opening her gym since she has a humanoid figure though he was also grateful that things have changed enough for them to be able to own and operate their own businesses. He also knew that Undyne will have her business protected by some kind of magic; heck she's studied enough of it to figure out how to create shields thanks to him.
"I'm hoping that she'll hire me as another trainer! I have some great workouts in mind!"Papyrus said, his voice excited as they stood and tossed their garbage into the bin.
"I'm sure your workouts are gonna be a bonefied success."Sans said, chuckling as a few other customers snickered when they heard his pun.
"Sans! Will you stop that?!"Papyrus cried, scowling as he put his hands on his hips while looking down at his older brother.
"Awe, c'mon Paps, don't start skulking on me."Sans said, his shoulders shaking in his attempt to keep himself from laughing as Papyrus let out a frustrated cry and stormed from the café.
Sans waved to the other customers, most of which are laughing, before heading out after his brother. He knew that Pap secretly loved his puns; he just didn't want to admit it. Looking around, he spotted Papyrus by the crosswalk and headed over, a grin on his face as his brother huffed and glared at him. When they were able, they crossed the street and continued down the sidewalk and Papyrus' bad mood faded the more they walked. He excitedly began looking at the various window displays of the shops they were passing, pointing out different things to Sans that caught his eye. Sans happily indulged his brother, listening as Papyrus happily talked about which item would suit one of their many friends and asking if they could go window shopping on a nicer day when the shops are open.
Further down the block, Sans looked up when Papyrus fell silent, concern spreading through him when he saw his brother had paused and was staring at one of the buildings further down the way. Looking ahead, he instantly saw what was bothering his little brother. A small group of men and women were standing underneath an awning attached to the Blue Moon Bar and Grill. What had stopped Papyrus were the looks of disgust and anger on their faces when they saw him and Paps. His perpetual grin faded from his face as he felt his anger start to rise as the humans continued to sneer at him and Papyrus. His right pupil faded while his left began glowing a bright cyan blue, his magic, the same color as his eye, began gathering in his hands. One of the women noticed and instantly looked fearful; which made her 'friends' notice as well. They hurriedly stamped out their cigarette and scuttled inside; Sans never taking his eye off of them. Only when the door closed behind them and he felt Papyrus' hand on his shoulder did his eye turn back to normal and his other pupil come into focus. Shaking himself, he looked up at Papyrus, noticing the look of worry and gratefulness in his brother's eyes.
"It's okay, Sans."Papyrus said, his older brother nodding lightly.
"…I know Paps. Let's get home and get dry. I'm soaked to the bone."Sans said, a small grin appearing on his face as Papyrus groaned and hurried ahead.
Sans chuckled as he followed after his brother at a more leisurely pace. As he walked past the windows of Blue Moon Bar and Gill, he looked through the windows and into the building. There were only humans inside, and it was rather crowded. He spotted Juliette carrying two serving trays filled with plates of food. It surprised him that such a tiny and seemingly delicate human could carry that much, but considering how strong Frisk is, he knew not to judge others based on appearances. Now that she doesn't have her raincoat covering her, he saw that is rather attractive…for a human that is. Her blouse hugged her upper body, outlining her curves while her skirt ended just above her knees and showed off her legs. Her shoes added an inch of height to her, but made her seem more…dainty at the same time. Shaking his head, Sans picked up his pace after looking away from the window. The last thing he needs is for someone to see him looking at the waitresses and come out to yell at him. However…there was no sign saying that monsters aren't allowed inside.
-Maybe I could get to know her. Any human that Vix approves of has gotta be a decent person.-He thought, catching up with Papyrus by using his magic to teleport next to his brother.
-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-
Juliette sighed as she finally toed off her heeled shoes. Even though she was supposed to have gotten off at two, Victor had made her stay an extra two hours because she had accidently dropped a tray of food. It hadn't been her fault; rather a customer had been standing up and knocked into her. Of course, Victor had forced her to apologize, even though the customer explained that it was his fault and made her clean up the mess on her own before working two hours without overtime pay. She knew that he would dock the cost of the plates and bowls that had been broken from her check. Thankfully the customer had been kind enough and had given her a large tip to apologize for knocking into her. Her tips had been rather nice today, especially from the large party in the morning. Victor had been somewhat impressed by her speed and efficiency and he had been more than happy when the boss of that party had said that they would be back for another meal; the others of that group agreeing.
Pulling on her boots, she quickly donned her raincoat and said goodbye to the others who were leaving. Stepping outside, she frowned when she saw that it's already dark outside; though it has finally stopped raining. Walking around the building, she stepped onto the sidewalk and took off in the direction of the apartment complex. Angel had warned her to be careful, reminding her that some shady people came out during the dark. She took her friend's advice to heart and, ever since they moved in together she took to having a pocketknife on her person during any late night walks and bike rides. She also has a small can of mace in her clutch so she won't have to resort to violence incase someone tries anything. She's only had to use it once when she was skating through the nearby park and had been approached by a guy who attempted to get a little too…hands-on.
Moving quickly, she walked the five blocks to the complex and sighed as soon as she walked past the main office. The main office is connected to the rather large clubhouse. The clubhouse has a large gathering room for people to rent out for parties and it included a dining area, kitchen and couches. There are the bathrooms, a rather nice gym, a hot-tub room, a public shower room and then the outdoor pool which is surprisingly massive and includes a diving board. Walking through the complex, the playground was illuminated by a few streetlamps and so was the fenced in dog run. A surprising number of residents have dogs, so Shade had plenty of buddies to play with whenever she and Angel took him there and let him loose. Looking at the various apartment buildings, she nodded to a few people who were outside, taking shelter under the balcony and overhanging roof. Even though the complex is a rather nice place, the buildings aren't enclosed and it's rather freezing whenever she and Angel has to carry their clothes down to the basement laundry room in the winter. Turning the corner, she headed towards the back of the complex as her and Angel's apartment is in the last building.
Reaching their building, she jogged up the stairs while fishing out her keys from her coat pocket. She could already hear Shade at the door whining and pawing at the door. Smiling, she unlocked the door and pushed it open, laughing when she was eagerly greeted by the dog and Trixie who was mewing on the arm of the sectional. She simply set her bag down and picked up Shade's harness before wrestling the large dog into the contraption before attaching his leash to it. Shade nearly pulled her arm out of its socket as he pulled and whined towards the stairs. Closing the door, she hurried down the stairs and onto the lawn, smiling and waving at their downstairs neighbors. Missus Robinson smiled and waved back, her youngest son on her hip while their small Cocker Spaniel: Daisy, did her business nearby.
"How was work, dear?"She asked, watching as Juliette watched Shade to make sure he didn't go too far.
"It was alright, the same old stuff mostly. Though we had three important reservations come in. I also made two hundred in tips!"Juliette answered, the older woman letting out a low whistle.
"Very impressive, Juliette. I saw Angel leave earlier today."She added, Juliette nodding.
"Yeah, she's closing tonight but she has her truck."
"Good. You know my eldest can always pick you up from work. He works late at the bookstore and gets off a little before Blue Moon closes. You shouldn't be walking around alone at night."Missus Robinson said, worry in her voice as Juliette smiled and flushed.
"I'm okay. I have a pocketknife and a bottle of mace on me at all times."She said, watching as Missus Robinson nodded though she didn't look too pleased.
A whine let her know that Shade was finished, along with the fact that he walked over and nudged her leg. Bending down, she patted his head and said goodnight to Missus Robinson and her son before heading back upstairs to the apartment. Inside, she dried off Shade's paws and his muzzle before toeing off her boots and hanging up her coat. Heading to the kitchen, she filled up Shade's food bowl and did the same for Trixie, in which she also gave them a few treats for being so good while she and Angel were at work. She walked back to the front door and locked it before drawing the blinds on the windows. Once that was done, she made her way towards her room after picking up her bag. As she went, she slowly stripped her uniform off; thankful that she has tomorrow off. All three of her uniforms are dirty and she had quite the collection of dirty laundry that was spilling out of her hamper. Stepping into her room, she tossed her dirty clothes in the general direction of her hamper and walked through her closet to her bathroom.
Deciding to forgo the normal shower, she quickly had hot water filling up her rather nice, whirlpool tub. After these last four days at the bar and grill, she deserved an hour or so of pampering. She had the next two days off then works Sunday and Monday; joy of joys. Adding some bubble bath that she had gotten from Bath and Body Works, she moved around her bathroom and lit some of the different candles she had scattered around the room. Finally, she moved over to her vanity and removed her glasses before removing her makeup. Leaning close, she turned slightly and flinched when she saw the beginnings of the scars that marred her back. Her entire back, from the back of her neck down to the swell of her butt was covered in scars of various length and width. All of them are slightly faded and all are completely healed, but they were still there and, against her tanned skin, stood out sharply.
Angel is the only one outside of her family that knows how she had gotten those scars and Angel had been enraged when she learned the truth. To her doctors she explained that she had been in a car accident, which wasn't a lie…so to speak, so they never really questioned how she had gotten her scars. She knew it was horrible covering up evidence of abuse, but the thought of telling the doctors or police about what her father and his brother, her uncle, had done to her scared her to death. It would lead to questions, questions she didn't want to answer. Her mother's brother, her uncle Sebastian, had taken her in when he learned of what was going on. She loved him dearly and it had devastated her when he had died during a robbery. Of course she was glad that his killers were in prison for life, but that wouldn't bring him back. Even though he is gone though, he's still looking out for her.
Her uncle had never married and never had any children. He had, however, written a will in which he left everything to her. His entire fortune, books, heirlooms and estate had been left to her, which had shocked her and her family. She went from a near penniless teenager to a multi-millionaire in the matter of days. Her uncle's lawyer had explained that everything was concrete, that she was now an emancipated minor and her parents couldn't touch her fortune. She had sold her uncle's house as soon as she graduated high school. It was too painful for her to continue living there though she had moved many of his things into a storage locker for safe keeping. She had relied on her fortune to get her through college, but she still took part-time jobs in order to one: get job experience, and two: so she wasn't blazing through her inheritance. She and Angel had gotten the apartment together as they both wanted to live together and she wanted to set out on her own away from her family. She also helped Angel with her truck by paying for gas and oil changes.
Sighing, she turned away from the mirror and walked back over to the bath. Turning off the water, she slowly stepped into the steaming water and sunk down, sighing in bliss as the scent of cherry blossoms and vanilla wafted up from the bubble while the hot water surrounded her. Reaching over to the edge of the tub, she pressed the button that started up the jets; groaning as they hit the tight muscles on her back, sides and legs. One thing she loved about being so short was that she could relax comfortably in the tub without having to have her legs folded. There weren't too many perks to being short, but those she found she liked.
As she relaxed, her mind wandered to what she is doing with her life. Working at the Blue Moon Bar and Grill wasn't what she had expected. She had been hired during her last year of college and the owner of the place had talked about her becoming one of the chefs thanks to her getting a degree in culinary arts to become a chef and head cook. She had also gotten her minor in food service manager and had taken a few classes in business management. However, even after she talked to the owner about possibly getting promoted, nothing has happened and it didn't look like she'll be promoted to one of the cooks anytime soon. The only time she was allowed to cook was whenever a monster came into the restaurant. Sasha always seated then in her or Angel's section so none of the other waiters/waitresses dealt with them. The two other cooks refused to cook meals for monsters so she was always put in the kitchen to cook their meals. While she loved getting the chance to cook, she hated how it came about.
Earlier that day, not long after she had returned from her lunch break, she had overheard a small group of customers talking about two monsters they saw walking towards them. She had been surprised to find out that they were talking about the two skeletons she had seen in Vixen's cafe. What shocked her more, however, was when they mentioned that the shorter skeleton had begun to draw on what they assumed his magic when he saw them looking at him and the other monster beside him. Honestly, she couldn't blame them for being defensive. If she had people glaring and sneering at her she would certainly be prepared to defend herself or do something to chase them away. The attitudes of many of her co-workers irritated her and it was very tempting to simply walk in and turn in her uniform. However, she didn't think she could do that without having another job lined up.
Yes, she does still have a lot of her inheritance left and that inheritance is increasing thanks to the investments her uncle had dipped in before his death. However, she doesn't want to live her life relying on that money when she's perfectly capable of working. Her uncle had taught her the value of hard work and she honestly loved cooking and could see herself being happy should she ever get the chance to become a chef. Of course she and Angel had talked and fantasized about quitting their lowly jobs and buying their own business. The idea was that they would open up a two story business. The first floor is a nice restaurant with a bar at the back for people to come and eat and drink and just relax and enjoy themselves. The second floor they wanted to turn into a nightclub with another bar and kitchen. The place would welcome both humans and monsters; give both races the chance to mingle in a nice place where no one will judge them or treat them differently just because they're all different from each other.
Of course, that was a dream. They had doubts that they could find a building that suited their ideas and then there was the problem of them both only being twenty-five. People were generally hesitant when selling things like a house or business to people so young. They also had to think about how much money they'd be investing in such a place and getting the staff and items to stock the place. Even she knew that her inheritance would take quite a pounding if they went through with it. However…who's to say the place wouldn't be a success? Her uncle had always told her to go ahead and follow her dreams and currently this certainly isn't what she had always dreamed of. The thought of opening the place she and Angel talked about always felt…right to her. Like it was all she wanted in life besides finding someone who she could spend the rest of her life with. She could see it in Angel's eyes that her friend was becoming sick and tired of working at the bar and grill. However it's a job and it pays the bills right now; especially since the customers tip rather well.
Sighing, Juliette, shook her head and realized that she's been in the bath for well over half-an-hour. The water has cooled and isn't as nice as it had been when she got in. Turning off the jets, she pulled the stopper to drain the water before standing up. Shivers wracked her body as the cool air clung to her damp skin. Making a careful but quick dash to her shower, she hurriedly turned on the water and sighed in relief as it quickly warmed and heated her back up. She took her time in the shower, cleaning off the lingering feeling of grime, smoke and sweat from work before turning off the water and wrapping herself in a rather large, fluffy towel. After drying herself off, she wrapped her hair in another towel to dry it before walking out of the bathroom after extinguishing the candles and turning off the wax warmer. Humming softly, she was soon dressed in a pair of fuzzy, cat pajama pants and a matching shirt. She soon dried off her hair and brushed it before heading out of her room and into the kitchen.
"Shade, what did I tell you about jumping on the furniture?"She asked, narrowing her eyes when she saw the dog lying on the sectional.
Shade whined and jumped off, looking guilty as he slowly slunk over to her. Juliette held a stern glare at the dog for a minute longer before sighing and reaching down to scratch behind his ear. Once Shade's tail began wagging, she pulled her hand back and washed her hands in the sink.
"I know you miss your mom but she's got some time to go before she gets home."She said, opening the fridge and frowning when she saw how low they are getting on food.
-Alright, shopping trip tomorrow.-She mused, bending down and pulling out a packet of hamburger.
As she made a rather thick patty, she whistled softly and thought about her cousin. Bethany was a sweet girl and she got along rather well with her surprisingly. In fact, besides her own parents and Bethany's father, she got along well with her other relatives. None of them knew what happened, of course, only that something had made her uncle Sebastian snap and take her in. She wasn't sure what story her parents gave her other relatives as to why they didn't fight her uncle and actually allowed her to leave, but she knew that they wouldn't tell the truth. After all, it wasn't considered 'proper' to physically abuse your own daughter/niece just because she's different, now is it? Scoffing, she shook her head and pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. She had long since cut her parents out of her life and she has no reason to think about them now.
The apartment was soon filled with the sound and delicious smell of hamburger cooking as Juliette made her dinner. While the burger cooked, she grabbed a bag of chips from the pantry along with a plate. She dumped a good portion of chips onto the plate before pulling out a Strawberry wine cooler. She knew that the taste of the burger will clash, but she doesn't want plain soda, water and milk. Besides, if she didn't start drinking her wine coolers than Angel will and the redhead has said that she's been eyeing them lately. Once the burger was finished and she had it on a bun with an obscene amount of ketchup on it, she carried her meal and drink to the recliner and sank down into the comfy seat. A blissful noise escaped her as she flipped up the arm rests and set the drink into the cup holder after unscrewing the top off. Reaching down with one hand, she brought up the footrest and snagged the remote from the small side table.
Shade walked over just as she turned on the T.V. and put his head on her lower leg, whimpering softly as he looked from the burger to Juliette. Trixie simply headed over to her cat stand and jumped up onto the top 'landing' where she lay down and closed her eyes. Soon, Juliette had settled on an old episode of Ghost Adventures which was one of her favorite shows. Settling down, she eagerly devoured her burger and chips, feeling herself fully relax and let the worries and stress of work leave her. She made a mental note to compile a list of what they needed from the store and tomorrow she'll see if Angel will let her borrow the truck. She didn't feel like taking a taxi or using her bike. She knew that she'd be buying too much to use her bike anyway. Angel was pretty good about letting her use the truck, especially since she hasn't gotten into an accident or pulled over since she had gotten her license when she was sixteen.
After finishing her dinner, she set her plate and now empty bottle on the side table and watched as the next show began. Smiling, she was glad that it was another show that she loved, and a new season at that! Reaching down the side of the chair, her hand soon connected with the small basket that she and Angel had set there and filled with throw blankets. She snagged one of the blankets and was soon burrowed underneath in, sighing in happiness as she was soon in a cocoon of warmth and contentedness. At some point she extracted herself from the chair and rinsed her plate, the bottle and the frying pan she used and put them into the dishwasher. She soon had the dishwasher running and looked through the pantry, cupboards and fridge while writing down what they needed from the store. She also stopped in the bathrooms and made note that Angel's shampoo and conditioner was getting low and she was on her last razor head.
"Okay, I'll definitely need the truck tomorrow."She muttered, looking down at her long list.
She and Angel tried to keep back on how much they ate out, which meant they went through food a lot quicker. It also didn't help that Angel often had her boyfriend: Spencer, over for days at a time. She didn't mind really, especially since he was kind enough to help out around the apartment by cleaning, cooking and even pitching in for groceries. Spencer is a nice guy and she was glad that Angel has finally found someone who treats her right. All of Angel's past boyfriends had been assholes who only wanted one thing from her and took advantage of the fact that she has a truck and was working in a restaurant. They also kept trying to monopolize their times with Angel by keeping her friend away from her. She can understand couples wanting to spend some time alone together, but she had overheard one of Angel's former boyfriends demanding that she be kicked out of the apartment until he's gone. Angel had smacked him and broken up with the ass then and there before kicking him out of the apartment. Spencer, on the other hand, is more than happy to spend time with both of them and even suggested doing activities together. She counted the man as one of her friends and was more than happy to spend time with them once they finished their date or after they spent time together.
-Enough of this mushy thinking!-Juliette thought, shaking her head before focusing back on her program.
-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-
Juliette sighed as she pushed the cart through the many aisles of Walmart. Angel had come in last night after work dead tired and stressed out. Apparently she had dealt with several drunk customers who all attempted to flirt with her and she had to practically scream at Markus, the assistant manager, to throw them out because one even swatted her butt as she walked by. When Angel collapsed onto the couch, she had instantly gotten up and made her friend/roommate a hearty burger and a wine cooler. Angel had looked like she was going to cry at the sight of the food and drink, but had gratefully devoured her meal. Then she had to practically carry her friend into her room bathroom where she drew a hot bath for Angel and left so Angel could make use of her jet-tub. It wasn't often that Angel asked to use her bathroom but she could tell that her friend needed the soothing massage that the jets offered to help calm her down.
When Angel had finally come out an hour later they talked about shopping and what they needed from the store, in which Angel practically tossed the keys to 'the beast' at her and demanded she use the truck instead of calling a cab. In the morning she had asked Angel if she wanted her to take her to work, but Angel claimed that, since it's actually nice out, she can walk to work. When she left the apartment Angel was still eating breakfast and watching T.V., though she knew that her friend will be gone by the time she get home.
"Alright…hot chocolate mix…wait? What?"Juliette asked, frowning as she looked at her list.
She raised an eyebrow when she saw that the item had obviously been added by Angel. Sorting softly, she shook her head fondly and turned down the proper aisle. She will never understand how Angel can drink hot chocolate when it's not cold enough. She, herself, only really drank the wonderful drink when it began snowing out. Angel, however, seems to have no problem drinking hot chocolate even in the middle of summer. Looking around, Juliette soon spotted the boxes of hot chocolate…on the top two shelves…
"Great."She moaned, sighing as she bowed her head before stepping up to the shelves.
If there is one thing she hates the most about being five foot, two, it's how tall everything else. Most of the stores have products that 'normal' people should be able to reach with only slight stretching. Meanwhile, here she is straining and struggling to get products from shelves that others wouldn't have any trouble getting. Reaching up, a soft grunt left her as her fingertips barely grazed the offending box she needed. Huffing, Juliette looked around and scowled when she saw that there was no one else in her aisle and there were no employees around either. Letting out another sigh, she mentally debated on leaving that product off of her list, but instantly dismissed the thought. Angel hadn't asked for too much in way of treats or anything special besides the hot chocolate and not getting it would make her feel like a heel, especially when her friend had allowed her to take her truck. Turning to the offending product, she narrowed her eyes and, placing one hand on a lower shelf, rose up onto her tip-toes and stretched her arm up as much as she could.
A sound of frustration left her when she accidently pushed the box further away from herself. Falling back to her normal stance, she glared at the box of hot chocolate before a presence came up behind her. Before she could even think about turning around, a skeletal hand reached over her right shoulder and snagged the box of hot chocolate. Whirling around, Juliette's eyes widened when she saw the shorter of the two skeletons that she had seen yesterday at Vixen's café. However, instead of his hood being down, it was pulled up and over his skull, hiding most of his head from sight except for his face.
"I saw you strugglin' and thought you needed some help."He said, shrugging lightly as he held out the box.
"Huh?...Oh! T-Thank you!"Juliette said, flushing as she gratefully accepted the box and put it into her cart.
Sans grinned as he watched the woman hurriedly mark something off of the list that was sitting in the basket of her cart. He had come to the store to pick up a few things for himself and Papyrus and had walked past the aisle when he saw her struggling to reach the hot chocolate. It had been slightly amusing watching her attempt to reach the simple product, but after a few seconds he knew he had to help her. There were a few employees around, but none of them were close by to help her and he knew that most people would just ignore her or would laugh and even make fun of her as they walked by. However, being so close to her he could feel…something resonating inside her that was familiar. Something that made his soul stir inside of him and had nearly drawn out his magic. It was slightly alarming, yes, but at the same time it made him wonder why that was happening.
"So, you a friend of Vixen's?"He asked, watching as the woman blinked and looked at him with surprise and a hint of suspicion.
"I guess. I mean, I met her by going to her café often enough."She answered, shrugging a shoulder as Sans nodded lightly.
"Why do you ask?"
"Just wonderin'. You don't see too many humans hanging around businesses run by monsters."He said, watching as Juliette huffed and rolled her eyes.
"Which is completely stupid. Yes, sometimes monsters have…surprising appearances but that doesn't mean they're bad or stupid. I know a lot more humans who have an ugly and horrible personality even though they're completely beautiful or handsome."She said, rolling her eyes as Sans raised an eyebrow.
Juliette blinked when she saw the action, watching as the ridge line where his eyebrows 'should' be lifted. Seeing him talk and gesture was rather…fascinating honestly. She's never seen a skeleton monster before and from what she could see of his lowers legs he appears to be built pretty similarly to a human. Mentally shaking herself, she felt her face heat up when she caught his wide grin; realizing that he must have caught her staring at him. Shifting slightly, she gave him a faint smile before grabbing the handle of her cart.
"Well….t-thanks again for helping me. I should get back to my shopping."She said, the monster nodding lightly.
"Alright, see ya."He said, giving her a small wave before heading back down the aisle and turning a corner.
Shaking her head, Juliette turned back to the cart and continued on with her shopping. She ended up snagging a small watermelon and some apples, though she grumbled about the prices of them. She and Angel are trying to eat healthier so they were constantly looking for different fruits and veggies that peeked their interests. Moving to the meats, she grumbled about the prices as well, though stocked up on what they needed none-the-less. She already knew that Kroger's wasn't having a sale on their meat and so they were close to the same price. She also stocked up on veggies, other foods and items for their pets. Halfway through her shopping journey, Angel called and told her about several items that they're low on that hadn't made it onto the list. She caught sight of a few monsters shopping as well, and even smiled at a small family of fish monsters as they walked by in the personal care section of the store.
After an hour of shopping, she was finally able to make her way to the checkout lanes. Sadly, most of them had long lines of people and monsters wanting to check out. Groaning lightly, Juliette walked back and forth in front of the lanes before finally choosing one that wasn't too busy. However, she had a feeling that it wasn't too busy because there were three monsters waiting in line. She certainly noticed the displeased look on the cashiers face as she rang up the purchases of a rabbit monster. Looking at the other customers in the line, she easily figured out that the monsters were mostly gathering in that lane to provide support for the others. It was a smart move; something that she agreed with wholeheartedly. She smiled at the two monsters in front of her, to which they blinked before smiling slightly back at her. She had never seen their…species before. They look like a cross between a large bird and a snowflake given the intricate patterns of their heads and she could feel a chill emanating from them. She didn't blame them for being cautious around her especially since the cashier was refusing the make conversation with the others and was even glaring at them.
"Shopping for the family?"One of the monsters asked, looking at her full cart.
"No, just myself and my roommate. We've practically run out of everything in our apartment."She said, one of the monsters nodding in understanding.
"I-If you don't mind me asking, but what species are you? I've never seen a monster like you before."She said, her voice soft as she looked at the floor in hesitation.
"It's okay dearie. My husband and I are Snowdrakes. We normally live in colder areas but we're visiting a few friends of ours."The smaller monster explained, Juliette looking at them with interest.
"We have a lovely home in Alaska. It's the perfect temperature there for us all-year-round."The male said, smiling brightly at his wife as she beamed at him.
"That's great to hear. I'm Juliette by the way."She said, holding out her hand towards the couple.
"It's nice to meet you dearie. I'm Crystal."The female said, holding out a wing and shaking Juliette's hand.
"And I'm Blitz."The male added, shaking Juliette's hand as well after his wife let go.
"It's nice to meet you and I hope I didn't offend you by asking what species you are."Juliette said, making Crystal and Blitz shake their heads as they stepped forward in line.
"Not at all. It's refreshing, actually."Blitz said, helping his wife in adding their things to the counter.
The cashier frowned at them, though she looked at Juliette with surprise. Juliette simply raised an eyebrow, silently daring the other woman to say something. She had no tolerance for monsterphobes and if people wanted to get snippy with her for making pleasant conversation with monster then they could go screw themselves. After the couple had their things on the counter, she snagged the divider and began loading her own groceries onto the counter, smiling and making small talk with Crystal as the cashier rang up their purchases and Blitz put bags into the cart. She learned that they recently got married and have been together since before the barrier to the underground was broken. Crystal happily talked about a town in the underground called Snowdin, in which Juliette asked plenty of questions. She was rather sad to hear about some of the hardships the couple suffered; such as overcrowding and never having seen the actual sky.
When she asked how they were going to be getting their things to their friend's house. Crystal happily informed her that they're able to carry a great amount of weight and they'll be flying back to their friend's house by clutching the bags in their talons. The cashier snorted softly when she heard this, though she instantly looked away when Juliette glared at her. Surprisingly, even after their items were bagged and paid for, Crystal and Blitz stayed and talked with her while her own items were rung up. Juliette had a great time talking with the couple, which was surprising since she was always rather shy around others and never really opened up and talked with people for more than a few seconds let alone a few minutes. She quickly paid for her groceries after loading the bags into her cart. The couple happily decided to walk outside with her and even walked with her to the truck.
"Oh! Is that yours?"Crystal asked, her eyes wide when she saw the dark blue truck.
"Actually, it's my roommates. Angel got this thing when she turned twenty. We affectionately call it the beast."Juliette said, opening the hatch of the truck and beginning to shove the bags inside after tying them so nothing will spill out.
"Isn't it…difficult to drive?"Blitz asked, eyeing the height of the truck and Juliette.
"It was at first, but the driver's seat is adjustable so I can drive just fine. It had taken a little while to get used to at first but Angel was a good teacher when she got me used to driving it."She answered, hopping up into the bed of the truck once all the bags were inside.
She was grateful for the netting attachment Angel had bought so it would help keep everything secure and reduce the chance of things rolling around and flying out. Blitz and Crystal watched her with interest and Blitz even 'fluttered' up into the bed to help her out by using his wings and talons to move things around under her instruction. Once she was done, they both hopped down and Juliette closed the hatch before helping the couple pull their bags out of their cart and set them down so they'll be able to grasp them with the talons. She offered to put their cart away, to which they thanked her before hovering in the air. They easily grabbed all of the bags and said their goodbyes, thanking her for her kindness and help. Juliette blushed lightly and smiled at the pair. Waving, she watched as they took off through the air before taking the carts to the cart return.
Returning to the truck, she unlocked the door and hefted herself up into the driver's seat with a soft 'oomph'. Adjusting the seat and ensuring the mirrors were where they needed to be, she started the truck and pulled out of her spot. She had to wait for a few people to cross the lot before she was finally able to get out of there. What she failed to notice, however, was a pair of pupils watching her. They tracked the truck until it pulled out of the lot before finally turning away.
"She's certainly interesting."Sans mused, turning around with his bags in hand.
His eye flared bright cyan as he drew out his magic. With nary a sound he disappeared from the parking lot.
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