Chapter Three (Alternative title: Spooky Scary Skelebrothers):
I was refusing to fight Toriel for three turns now, even when I got burned by her flames she was summoning down onto me, as my plan was to spare her in hopes she would return the favor. I didn't feel like she was capable of killing anyone and admired her for trying to take matters into her own hands. Every time I chose to spare her, I told her that her strength was impressive, but my stubborn attitude and resolve meant once I started something I wouldn't back down. After the fifth turn of sparing her I noticed the flames weren't even trying to hit me. Toriel looked visibly upset trying to explain how we could have a nice life here, she didn't have much and because of it she knew I wouldn't be happy, we both stood in silence the battle still rolling but not really.
With a shaky sigh, she let me spare her one last time, ending the battle.
"Joanie, through this door lies the path to Snowdin. You must promise me to stay safe. Here," As I nodded my head signifying I would indeed be safe (more to convince myself than her) she handed me an old flip-phone, "Once you leave you can never come back."
I had silent tears rolling down my cheek when she bent down to hug me tightly in a warm velvet embrace. Toriel stood up abruptly and shielded her face from my view, turning on her heel quickly, briskly pacing a few feet back to the beginning of the hall and her home.
"Toriel!" My yell rang out in the empty hall and she slowly turned back to face me. I could see she was crying too. All I could manage through my tears was, "Goodbye." With finality in my voice.
"Goodbye, my child."
I watched her disappear with the curve of the hall; loneliness wracking my entire body. Not wanting to stay here any longer and dwell on familiar feelings of pain, I pushed open the heavy tall door with all my strength.
I was blinded by a white light as I heard the Ruins door slam back shut with a loud clamoring noise.
My whole body started shivering at the chill in the air, once my eyes adjusted to how bright everything was I noticed it was snowing out here, and for a brief moment I was filled with determination. I couldn't remember the last time I had played in the snow as winter time normally brought no snow on the surface. I opted against my first reaction to play in it; due to the growing problem of my attire. I was NOT dressed for this weather that much was plain to see. Thin jeans, a short sleeved plain black t-shirt, and converses with ankle socks were definitely not winter weather play clothes. My whole right leg began to throb dully as if to agree with my previous thought.
I hobbled as quickly as I could manage, a smooth path had been cleanly cut lined by thick forests on either side as a natural fence of sorts, as I passed a pretty sizeable thick stick. I considered using it as a crutch so I wouldn't wobble so much as I walked; but wasting energy on breaking it would mean less energy to get to Snowdin. I hadn't stepped seven paces before I heard a resounding cracking noise.
"Is someone there?" I was no longer just shaking thanks to the cold; but in fear as well. I turned back to glance at the stick I had passed only to see it broke in a way it was now useable. I walked back over, hyper aware of my surroundings now as I picked up the longer forked end to use, using it like a cane for now to help pick up my pace from whatever monster was following me.
A bridge with a weirdly spaced gate came into view. 'Is this supposed to stop someone? Aren't the bars too wide?' I wondered in my head as I stopped when I heard shuffling of footsteps behind me. I jumped a lot harder than I wish I had when there was a deep gruff voice from behind me.
"human. dont you know how to greet a new pal? turn around and shake my hand."
I slowly did as I was told, the figure stood as tall as I was, and reached out to grab their hand with mine shaking fiercely. What I thought was a loud roar in my already startled and shaking ears, was not roaring but in fact the sound of a whoopee cushion slowly deflating, as I felt myself jump in fear yet again. I was always that jumpy when I was scared. The monster walked further into the light from the shadows, the most prominent thing being the face that he was quite literally, a skeleton monster. He gazed at my face with tiny white dots for eyes in his eye sockets and burst into a low rumbling laugh. I let out a tiny small wheeze that was supposed to be a laugh in response to the practical joke.
He wore a bright blue hoodie and a white turtleneck underneath it from what I could see of it through his unzipped jacket, his build was almost like mine I noticed (how is a skeleton fat? I don't understand that logic at all), and much to my surprise he had gym shorts on and slippers. Slippers! How was he not freezing to death?
"you should have seen your face. priceless. im sans. sans the skeleton. what are you doing here in the underground," I explained that I had fell through a hole and left out some of the more personal details; as well as giving him my name since he gave me his. His gaze made me feel like he could see right through my lack of information, "well, you know, im supposed to be capturing humans right now. but i don't really care about that."
"Oh, thank god." I held myself steady using my makeshift cane/crutch while Sans continued on after giving a light chuckle at what I had said.
"here comes my brother papyrus. hes a human hunting fanatic, but don't worry, hes mostly harmless. actually, I just got an idea. go through this gate thingy," When I easily walked through it to turn back at him with a puzzled look his grin lit up, "yeah, i know, he made the gate too wide. anyone can walk through it. here. hide behind my sentry station."
I hobbled over to the wooden building, sitting into the snow uncomfortably, my right leg refusing to cooperate with me and bend so I could see over it to the scene unfolding. It turns out I didn't have to strain to see or hear his brother for that matter, his voice so loud, I'm pretty sure anyone within a ten foot radius could hear his whole side of the conversation. It was almost comical if I didn't have a splitting headache from being in pain.
The louder brother Papyrus had stopped fussing at Sans long enough to go on a long monologue about how once he found and captured a human he would be famous. A part of the Royal Guard (whatever that was) with Undyne (whoever that was) and people would shower him with kisses every morning. The last one made me snort and hide a smile. He went back to fussing over his brother again, the word boondoggling was thrown in, and to my surprise I hear Sans defend himself.
"hey. ive got a ton of work done today… a skele-ton." After a long groan from Papyrus I had to clamp my shaking hand over my mouth to keep the obviously annoyed skeleton from hearing my laughter wrack my body roughly; the wind seemed to be picking up and the snow had already soaked my entire legs.
"WHY IS IT THAT I, THE GREEEAATT PAPYRUS, HAVE TO DO SO MUCH TO GET SOME RECOGNITION AROUND HERE?!"
"sounds like youre really working yourself… to the bone bro."
"SANS!" I heard the sound of hands being thrown up as Papyrus practically screamed his brother's name in frustration from his puns.
"hey you liked it. your smiling."
"I AM AND I HATE IT," The sound of a foot stomping was all I could hear before he sighed like he had been defeated, "I WILL BE ATTENDING TO MY PUZZLES. AS FOR YOU, PUT A LITTLE MORE… BACKBONE… INTO IT. NYEH HEH HEH HEH!" A loud laugh rang out almost echoing through the trees lining this handmade path before one last 'HEH' was sputtered. I sighed with relief as the familiar feet stomped through the snow away, Sans eventually called me out of my hiding spot, but much to my dismay I couldn't get back up.
"H-Hey, uh, S-S-Sans," I called out from the stand awkwardly. I just began to realize how bad my teeth were chattering and the loss of feeling in my legs, "I d-don't think I c-c-can stand back up o-on my own. I-I can't f-f-feel m-my legs."
The sound of shuffling could be heard reaching closer as Sans rounded the sentry station. He slid up the end of my jeans curiously checking something; as I noticed my legs had gone blue by the time the conversation with Papyrus had ended. I began to panic, I could tell Sans was realizing hypothermia was setting in to my lower half, as he shrugged off his jacket to wrap me in. I gladly took it from him to keep the chill off my steadily freezing arms; as he helped me stand even with the task being fruitless since I couldn't feel my legs anymore.
"hold on kiddo. we're going for a ride. shut your eyes, ok?"
I shut them obediently and felt a strange feeling resounding in my body. I could sense my hair standing on end like I was in a static storm, a few pulses of some weird electricity like noise, and a sickening feeling of vertigo and fear. Whatever ride it was didn't last very long; but I didn't quite stick the landing. I visibly pushed away from him in the snow, overcome with embarrassment as my feet collapsed me to the ground, not being able to hold back the urge to vomit any longer. There were a few pats on my back and he seemed to be holding my hair awkwardly for me. I made a mental note to thank him later as he bent down to brace me up yet again; guiding me into a cozy looking two story house.
I was laid as smoothly as the kind skeleton could manage on top of something that almost seemed to envelope me it was so soft. In a sleepy haze I noticed I was on a couch and my thoughts were becoming less coherent but I faintly saw it was the weirdest shade of forest green. Sans had returned while I stammered talking about things I myself barely understood, wrapping me with care in blankets. Before stepping into the house I had not even realized I was no longer shaking anymore from the cold.
The warmth was almost too much and I struggled against the blanket burrito I had been captured in fruitlessly. I felt a cold boney like hand being placed on my forehead, a gruff sounding male voice was explaining I needed to lay still or I would hurt myself, his voice reminded me of someone I knew and I calmed a bit.
Something was shuffling beside me when I seemed to rouse enough to be semi-coherent. I just barely lifted my head up to see the short skeleton I had met earlier, he had my legs onto his lap and was reading something, as I groaned at how stiff I felt all over.
"youre awake finally," Sans seemed to look at me with concern in his eyes and voice. I tried to set up on the couch only to have him hold out his hands, "whoa there partner. you are lucky you didnt lose your legs from hypothermia. dont be so quick to rush off and just sit down and chill."
"Sorry," I laid my head back down onto the couch cushion. I winced as my leg seemed to push waves of pain through me; Sans turned to curiously stare at me, "I feel like if anything else happens to my body down here it's going to break me."
"that bad already?" I sighed and made a 'maybe' noise since I couldn't push my hands out of the blanket to do their job. I watched as he unwrapped the blankets in mild fascination. For a race of supposed horrible monsters they were all too kind and gentle; making me feel rather selfish for why I even ended up here in the first place. If these monsters could willingly help someone who drove their race to live out in this hole in the earth, why couldn't I have held onto hope, and not tried to go through with this plan in the first place? My train of thought trailed off, interrupted by Sans speaking in almost a whisper, "kid… you have been through a lot. your leg isnt healed right, you have two broken ribs that i can see with my magic, and…"
He forced himself to look away from me as I drowned myself in guilt. He shouldn't have to take care of me like this.
"I have broken ribs? Is that why I feel like I can't breathe?" My question seemed to baffle him even further; as if it was a surprise to me I didn't even know I had broken any ribs.
"youve got to be ribbing me. doesnt it hurt a whole hell of a lot?" When I nodded and explained that the reason I wasn't sure was I had never broken anything before this incident other than busting up my knee he added, "my brother should be coming home before too long looking for me. when he gets here ill see if he cant take a look at your legs and ribs and heal them for you, okay?"
"I would like that. Hey Sans?" He made a 'hmm' noise quizzically with his eyes closed and head leaned back, "I don't understand why you guys are locked down here when every single monster I have stumbled across has done nothing but help me."
"dunno," I struggled for a moment to sit up, noticing I had been stripped of my old probably soaked clothes, a pair of gym shorts and a loose fitting white tank top borrowed from most likely Sans. Once I had sat up and leaned against the couch for a moment with my head in my hands Sans voice rung out softly, "you have any siblings?"
"Not any related by blood," I rubbed my forehead as he handed me a glass of water and a smaller pill explaining it was for the headache. I thanked him and downed the pill as fast as I could manage without choking, tipping the whole glass back like I hadn't had water in years, "I have two step sisters and two step brothers. I don't much care for the brothers… for personal reasons… so we aren't in contact and haven't been for years."
"ah see its just me and papyrus here." I watched as he stood and took my glass from my hand. When I blinked he was gone the second my eyelids opened again.