Chapter 2: Feelin' Bonely?
The next… morning? What is time in the ruins? Anyway, when he woke, he stepped out into the hall, yawning. Shuffling through the living room to the kitchen, he walked past a rather amused Toriel, who recognized his total lack of awareness. He chugged two glasses of water, stretched and looked around before seeing her.
"Oh. Uh… morning."
"Morning." Toriel replied. "You saw my note?"
"Yeah. So I'm learning a spell today?"
"Yes. A transformation spell." She offered me the book. "I marked everything you'll need to read."
"Oh boy!" He accepted the book. "Guess I should get right on that shouldn't I?"
"... Sarcasm isn't becoming of a young man." Toriel remarked.
"Neither is dying, and that's kinda the plan." He shot back with a grin, causing her to sigh. "Besiiiiides, I'm from a generation of people who are so desensitized that death is one of the top subjects to joke about. And puns. Puns are still quite punny." Toriel smiled at that.
"Puns are a favorite of mine. And I would get on that. The sooner, the better."
"Alright, moooooom." He said sarcastically as he slipped into the living room, dropping into the chair and leafing through the pages to the first one marked, beginning to read silently. An hour passed. Then another. The book was long, and just worn enough that he had to read carefully, but not so much that he had to struggle to read it. He paused, before reading aloud the last few lines. "Remember. In order to make the transformation take, you need to focus. Clear your mind, and imagine yourself as what you desire. Then will it to be so." He sat silently for a moment, staring at his open palm. Focusing intensely, he imagined it transforming, fading away and leaving only bone. He then blinked, surprised to see that it had worked… sorta. His hand was bone, fading back to normal by the time it reached his elbow. "Huh…" He flexed his hand, watching as the bone seamlessly moved, as though magic had replaced the muscles and tendons. He then closed it into a fist, before setting the book down and focusing on the other hand, willing it to become bone as well. This time, he watched as the skin and muscle seemed too dissolve away into nothingness. Finally, only bones remained. He chuckled softly, not really believing that this was actually happening. Toriel stepped in, holding up a small cookbook.
"How does an insect pie sound for… dinner…" As she lowered the book, she stared at his hands. "You did it? Already?!"
"Yeah, I guess I did. Only my arms though. Not really sure if I want to try for the whole thing just yet." Toriel shook her head.
"The worst that can happen is the spell reverts. If you've made this much progress, you might be able to do the complete transformation." She said excitedly. "Just try! Then we'll know roughly how much you can do!"
"Ugggggggh. Learning." He said sarcastically, before standing up and closing his eyes, beginning to focus. To Toriel's amazement, the skin on his bones quickly began melting away at his arms, spreading across his body, as she watched his face and hair dissolve away, leaving only a skull with two glowing white eyes. They disappeared for a moment before looking at her.
"Well?" He asked nonchalantly.
"A complete transformation. There's a mirror down the hall." She nodded, surprised at how natural he looked, being well… dead.
"I remember." He called before walking down the hall, standing in front of the mirror. Looking at it, he almost started looking for another reflection to call his own, before shaking off the feeling and studying his new appearance. After a few minutes, he walked back to Toriel. "Death feels surprisingly the same. Gotta say, I barely remember til I see my own hands."
"I'm not too surprised. You handle magic well." She laughed.
"Is this because my first reaction to the fireballs was to act like it's no big deal? Cause I just like fire." Toriel just gave him a disapproving look, to which he started grinning.
"... Moving on… With this, you'll be able to enter the rest of the underground."
"Sounds fun. Should I pack my stuff?"
"... What stuff?" Toriel said, somewhat confused.
"My jacket. And uh… my hiking boots." He shrugged. "Meant it more as just an expression."
"Ah. Sorry, I haven't really studied much of the human culture." Toriel apologized.
"Don't worry. I haven't studied monster culture much either." He replied snarkily, earning a small smile from Toriel.
"So, are you going to leave now? Or stay tonight?"
"Might as well leave now. Mind if I stop back in occasionally?"
"Occasionally. I have a friend on the other side of the door. We tell jokes through it, so you could visit."
"Sounds good to me." He stood, offering a hand to her. "Don't get too lonely all by yourself out here."
"Don't you mean bonely?"She suddenly smirked.
"Nice one." He chuckled, then stood up, stretching. "I'm gonna go grab my stuff then. We'll see how this goes." She nodded, and he slipped from his chair to the room he'd been staying in. Donning his jacket and boots, he stood and surveyed the room one last time before stepping out into the hall, shutting the door behind him. His bones clacked slightly, making a barely noticeable sound as he walked through the house, descending into the basement and walking to the door that stood alone at the end of the Ruins. He heard a scuffing sound behind him and turned to see Toriel standing behind him. She looked him in the eyes.
"... You have the strength to survive in the underground. However, I would like to ask you to make me a promise."
"What kind of promise?"
"A simple one. Just promise me you won't give up on anyone. That you won't judge anyone without giving them a chance." Toriel said simply. Braedan nodded, smiling.
"I promise. Besides, how can I judge a book by it's cover when I'm like this?" He says, gesturing at his skeletal form.
"Thank you. Be safe." Toriel smiles. He nods and turns as the door slides open. He then stepped forward, entering into darkness.
As he walked forward, he encountered another door, which he pushed open. Stepping through it, he blinked, surprised to feel almost like he was stepping into sunlight. A soft breeze blew against him, making him glad he had his jacket, even if he didn't feel the cold. He stepped forward, the snow crunching with each footstep as the door slid shut behind him. Surrounded by a forest, made bare by the elements, Braedan cautiously walked along, the memory of his first encounter in the underground keeping him sharp and aware. As he hiked along the rough path, he noticed that there were footprints, some fresh, others made much longer ago. He continued walking till he reached a bridge with… well, he wasn't quite sure what it was. The bridge was rather short, and had what appeared to be a fence built on the other side, with holes large enough for anyone to pass through with ease. Walking through the "fence", he continued along the path before hearing voices in the distance. What started as unintelligible sounds coalesced into excited yelling.
"SANS, YOU LAZYBONES! YOU'RE FALLING ASLEEP RIGHT NOW!"
"sorry bro. just feelin' kinda tired. it's pretty early tibia out here."
"SAAAAAAAAANS! YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THE PUNS! AND THAT WASN'T EVEN GOOD!"
"guess something's wrong with my funny bone."
"SANS!"
"what can I say? i just didn't have the guts to tell ya."
"SANS, IF YOU SAY ONE MORE PUN, THERE WILL BE NO DINNER!" Walking forward, Braedan stood at the edge of the clearing, watching the tall skeleton with the red scarf yelling at the shorter skeleton in a blue hoodie, who was currently leaning on what appeared to be a small sentry post.
"well, i…" The smaller skeleton paused, blinking. "uh , papyrus? we have company."
"WE DO? WHERE?" Papyrus turned, staring in surprise at the new appearance. "ANOTHER SKELETON? WHY HELLO! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! AND THIS IS MY LAZY BROTHER, SANS!"
"sup." Sans said casually, still not bothering to sit up. If anything, he slumped more than before.
"AND WHO ARE YOU?" Papyrus asked.
"Me? I'm Braedan." He said with a shrug. "Pleasure to meet you two."
"I AM SURE IT IS A PLEASURE TO MEET SOMEONE AS GREAT AS MYSELF!" Papyrus said cheerfully.
"it sure is, papyrus." Sans agreed. "so new guy, where ya from?"
"The ruins." Braedan said simply.
"the ruins? how'd ya get through the door?" Sans questioned, a subtle edge in his voice.
"A friend opened it for me."
"a friend eh? well, that's good enough for me. wanna go on a walk?"
"SANS! ARE YOU GOING TO ABANDON YOUR POST?!" Papyrus raged.
"i thought you'd cover for me bro. so i can talk to the new guy for a bit."
"OH… WELL, ALRIGHT THEN. BUT DON'T TAKE LONG! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES? WHO WILL BASK IN MY GLORY AS I CAPTURE THEM IF YOU'RE GONE?"
"alright pap, keep your skin on. i'll be right back." Sans stood, stretching before walking towards the woods. "come on, braedan, let's go to my favorite place in town."
"Sounds good." Braedan said before stepping alongside Sans, matching his much shorter stride.
"mind if we take a shortcut?"
"Not at all." The ground then shifted and Braedan stumbled, blinking as the snowy ground was replaced with wooden floors and walls. Looking around, he realized he was in some sort of a bar or tavern. It was empty apart from a single monster made of flame, who stood behind the bar, cleaning a glass… with a burning rag.
"What just…"
"i told ya. shortcut." Sans said calmly, walking towards the bar. "coming?"
"Yeah…" Braedan said, cautiously following the skeleton to the bar. Sitting beside him, he glanced at the tall, fiery monster before him.
"hiya grillby. mind getting me and my new friend a couple bottles of ketchup?"
"..."
"Did he hear you?"
"yeah, just wait."
"... Sure." Grillby replied after a long silence. He then turned, grabbing two bottles of ketchup and dropping them in front of the pair before slipping out from behind the bar to clean up the tables.
"so… you're from the ruins?"
"Yeah. I am. Been out there for a while." Braedan trailed off.
"... tell me the truth kid. who are you really?"
"I'm me. Braedan. Just an ordinary skeleton."
"yeah… but, you seem different. not to be rude, but… well… i guess i'm being a little harsh. sorry about that. didn't get under your skin did i?"
"Good one. And no. I'm thick skinned." Braedan chuckled in response.
"man, papyrus is gonna hate us." Sans laughed in response, before sighing. "so, guess i should show ya around town. or i could have pap do it, but he'll complain i'm getting out of work."
"Wouldn't you be?"
"you got me there." Sans laughed, before taking a long sip of ketchup before standing. "let's go, pal." Braedan stood, tossing his bottle of ketchup to Sans, who caught it, nodding his thanks. The pair then walked outside, and Braedan blinked as he took in the small town. Looking above, it seemed almost like the sun was above, and yet, he knew he was far from the warmth of sunlight. The town was small, almost quaint, with a single store and inn beside it. Other than Grillby's, the rest of the town was just people's homes.
"Huh… cool little place ya got here Sans. What's it called again?"
"snowdin. Cause we're always snowed in." Braedan chuckles, before hearing an already familiar yell.
"SANS! I TOLD YOU TO STOP USING THAT JOKE! IT'S TERRIBLE!" Papyrus said, walking towards the pair from the other side of town.
"but bro, it's so good, it always warms me up. right down to my bones."
"SANS!"
"alright, alright. i'll stop, papyrus."
"THANK YOU!"
"Aw come on Papyrus, that one tickled my funny bone."
"UGH! NOW THERE ARE TWO OF YOU!" Papyrus groaned, much to Sans and Braedan's amusement.
"You do understand that the moment you complain about puns, anyone who likes them comes rhythmically snapping from the shadows, puns at the ready right?" Braedan asked.
"... WHY ARE YOU BOTH LIKE THIS?"
"because puns are great." Sans laughed.
"Sure are. Besides, what else should we do on an ice day like today?"
"UGH! THAT'S IT! NO DINNER FOR EITHER OF YOU!" Papyrus said, obviously annoyed.
"aw, come on paps, we'll stop." Sans said.
"Yeah, we'll cut the puns." Braedan nodded.
"ALRIGHT… THEN WE CAN HAVE SPAGHETTI!"
"Spaghetti? Sounds good."
"OH IT IS! I AM THE BEST CHEF IN THE UNDERGROUND! COME, MY SKELETAL FRIENDS, LET'S GO HOME!" Papyrus started off, with Sans and Braedan quickly following.
"lemme show ya around. there's the general store, the inn, grillby's and our house is all the way down at the end." Sans explained as the trio walked.
"Thanks for the verbal tour." Braedan grins.
"i'm always happy to do basically nothing." Sans laughs.
"YES. YOU ARE VERY GOOD AT THAT." Papyrus said, narrowing his eyes. "LIKE YOUR SOCK THAT'S STILL IN THE LIVING ROOM."
"what sock, paps?"
"I REFUSE TO START THIS WITH YOU." Papyrus says, walking up to the skeleton's home, opening the door, and stepping inside. "WELCOME TO OUR HOME BRAEDAN! I WILL BEGIN THE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TASK OF BEGINNING TO PREPARE THE SPAGHETTI!"
"Have fun with that, Papyrus." Braedan nodded.
"I WILL HAVE THE MOST FUN POSSIBLE! AFTER ALL, I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" He entered the kitchen as Sans dropped onto the couch.
"welp, i guess i'll just take a nap. feel free to look around, buddy." He closed his eyes. Braedan looked around, quickly noticing the difference in the brothers' lifestyles. He crouched, reading a stack of notes by a lone sock on the floor.
"SANS! PLEASE PICK UP YOUR SOCK!"
"ok."
"DON'T PUT IT BACK DOWN! MOVE IT!"
"ok."
"YOU MOVED IT TWO INCHES! MOVE IT TO YOUR ROOM!"
"ok."
"AND DON'T BRING IT BACK!"
"ok."
"IT'S STILL HERE!"
"didn't you just tell me not to bring it back to my room?"
"FORGET IT!"
He chuckled, amused and with a slightly better understanding of their personalities, decided to let Sans sleep and check on Papyrus. Stepping into the kitchen, he was greeted by the vision of Papyrus, deep in cooking.
"Hey Papyrus, whatcha making?"
"WHY, I AM PREPARING THE GREATEST OF FOODS, SOMETHING WORTHY OF SUCH A GUEST! I'M CALLING IT, NEW FRIEND SPAGHETTI!"
"Sounds awesome." Braedan attempted a grin. "Is it almost ready?"
"NOT QUITE, BUT SOON!" *Papyrus paused.* "AT LEAST, IT SHOULD BE READY SOON."
"Alrighty then. Mind if I help out?"
"FEEL FREE! I WOULD LOVE HAVING A FRIEND HELP!" Papyrus said excitedly. Braedan nodded and began to help Papyrus cook, making the pasta while Papyrus… violently… made the sauce. Once it was ready, the two tried the other's work.
"THE PASTA IS EXCELLENT!"
"The sauce is… lukewarm."
"PERFECT." Papyrus said before mixing up the sauce and the pasta. "THIS WILL BE THE BEST SPAGHETTI YET! NYEH HEH HEH!" He laughed, obviously proud.
"I bet." Braedan laughed. "Let's dig in. Should I wake Sans?"
"LET HIM SLEEP. HE'LL EAT LATER. OR HE'LL GO TO GRILLBY'S."
"Gotcha." The slightly shorter skeleton said as he accepted a plate of spaghetti from Papyrus. After a rather… eventful meal, Braedan helped clean up the kitchen, doing his best to tidy up what seemed to be an explosion of sauce.
Later
Braedan dropped onto the couch beside Sans, watching TV. Onscreen, a boxlike robot wheeled around, singing and dancing, with some intense flair and drama. The two skeletons weren't paying that much attention though, as they were also chatting about the town and its inhabitants. Finally, Braedan asked a more sensitive question.
"Sans… have you ever met a talking flower?"
"a talking flower eh? well, i've heard papyrus talk about one occasionally. and there are echo flowers in waterfall."
"That's headed away from town right? Opposite the ruins?"
"yep. they repeat what they say to ya."
"Pretty neat." Braedan said nodding, letting the topic slip away. "So, how long have you guys been in town?"
"oh, we've been here for a while. dunno exactly."
"You seem to know everyone pretty well."
"nah, we're just sociable people." Sans laughed.
"Quick question Sans. Would you mind helping me with my magic? I don't really know what I'm doing."
"really now? a monster who doesn't really understand their own magic eh? listen, friend. i'm starting to wonder if you're really a monster at all." Sans said, and Braedan paused.
"I just never really needed magic in the ruins. It's a simpler place, ya know?"
"makes sense to me." Sans agreed. "and yeah, i'd be happy to help."
"Thanks Sans. I feel this is the start of a long friendship."
"we'll have a skele-ton of fun along the way." Sans said cheekily.
Hey, it's me. Chapter 3 is already almost finished, so expect that within the next few days. Thanks! - Crimson
