Enjoy!
We reached the Skeleton's house in a second, the previous crowd nowhere to be seen. That should have relaxed me, but it actually made me more nervous because it meant everyone was getting ready to watch us compete.
Luckily for Papyrus and I, creating a boat out of home-made items was actually a lot easier than I thought. It turns out Papyrus had a huge, old air mattress that in his opinion was too old and uncomfortable, which is why he didn't offer it to me to sleep yesterday.
He wanted it to look more elaborate since in his opinion it was 'too lazy', but I suggested we hurried and made the snowballs and the snowman, so that we could focus on creativity and details.
Neither of us was willing to sacrifice those Mettaton tickets.
"So we have everything, right? We're not forgetting anything?"
I ask Papyrus as we proudly stare at our improvised boat, the army of snowballs and, of course, our masterpiece "Freezk." It actually took me a lot less convincing than I thought for Papyrus to let me name our snowman after a pun. He said he would let it slide this time only because it sounded practically the same as "Frisk" and since it's my first time making a snowman, I should have the right to name it.
"It Seems We Have Everything, Human. I Think We Did A Fantastic Job. And We Still Have 20 Minutes Left." He grins brightly at me and back at Freezk. I honestly can't wait to tell Sans about that name. "It Was A Brilliant Idea Of Yours To Use Twigs As Their Eyes And Mouth. You Truly Captured Their Essence."
That makes me laugh way more than it should have. It seriously is a freaking copy-paste of Frisk's face and I have a hard time to stop laughing about it. "I'm not gonna lie to you, the face is one of my favorite parts, but come on! You're the mastermind behind this. You even called Frisk to ask them for permission to let us use their sweater and now I know how fun it is to make a snowman thanks to you."
"N-nyeh. Thank You, Caroline" He averts my gaze and there's that cute orange glow again. "Oh! That is Right! One's First Snowman Should Never Be Forgotten. We Must Commemorate This Moment!" Papyrus takes out his phone and his smile grows.
"Oh my God, yes! You're a genius, Papyrus!" With a grin that goes from ear to ear, I stand next to Freezk. Papyrus takes the other side, leaving our snow child in the middle.
"Say 'Freezk'!" Papyrus says and after chanting the name of our snowy firstborn we take a selfie. I make a mental note to ask Papyrus for the photo later since my phone ran out of battery.
"We Still Have 15 Minutes, Human. Do You Wish To Get Going?"
"Sure. I think arriving early will help my nerves to calm- wait... Fifteen minutes, you say? Hmmm…" My index finger goes to my chin as I go deep in thought. There's something that would actually help me calm down my nerves even more. "Papyrus, would it be okay if I rehearse throwing snowballs, for like, two minutes?"
"Oh! That Is Right! There Isn't Snow Where You Live... Of Course, Human. Do You Want Me To Teach You?"
"That would be perfect! Thank you! We just need to find a target..." And to step away from Freezk just in case my luck or my clumsiness decide to meddle.
"That's No Problem At All!" Papyrus says proudly and with a snap of his fingers my butt meets the snow when a bone that's half my size pops out of nowhere from the ground.
"C-Caroline! Are You Alright? I'm Very Sorry, I Did Not Mean To Frighten You!"
"Oh, don't worry, I'm fine." I giggle my embarrassment away. Why is it always in front of the skeletons? "I'm a bit jumpy, that's all." He helps me up and I dust off the snow from my body. "Wow." I examine the bone. "Is this what you did when you protected me from Undyne? It's pretty cool."
He smiles. "Thank You! My Brother Can Do It Too. I Thought You Could Use Bones As Your Targets."
"Great thinking! I'll try hitting it then." I take snow from the ground and vaguely shape it. I don't put too much effort on making it a good snowball, I just want to know what throwing one feels like and figure out how much strength I'm supposed to use. "Okay, snowball ready. So how do I do it?"
Papyrus moves the bone away to a reasonable distance and stands next to me. "First, Stand With Your Feet Right Below Your Shoulders, But A Little Wider Outward- Exactly! Just Like That! Now, Point This Other Foot At The Bone… Perfect! You're Almost Done! Focus On The Bone And All You Have To Do Is Throw The Snowball." He extends his arms in a "ta-daa" fashion.
"Heheh, thank you. Okay. Here it goes." Papyrus walks behind me and taking a deep breath to increase my focus on the bone, I take the shot. The snowball flies and hits the bone my skeleton friend summoned.
Or that's what I want to assume happened because my snowball merely dissolved midair. I mean, it kind of rained down on the bone so technically it touched it… right?
"N-NYE."
Not believing my ears, I blink. If there was a graphic way to describe what's going on in my mind right now, it would be this: "…"
I turn around -very slowly- only to find Papyrus covering the lower half of his face. He lets out a soft, barely audible cough, eyes smiling and twinkling.
With an expressionless face, I stare at him for a few seconds. "Papyrus." I pause. "Are you laughing at me?"
"Wha-WHAT?! Absolutely NOT! Wh-why Would You Even Suggest That, Human? Th-That's –Nyeheh- Ridicu- NYEHEHEHEHEH!"
Clutching my chest, I gasp. "Oh, so you think that was funny?" I ask him in exaggerated offense, fighting back the smile that wants to break out.
If I had to choose one thing I like of meeting new people, it would be getting to that moment when something funny happens and you actually hear their real, raw carefree laughter. Not the typical polite, social chuckle, but the beautiful, genuine kind of laugh you can't hold back. It's like meeting them for real for the first time.
Papyrus, who has gone back to covering his mouth, shakes his skull from side to side, refusing to give me an out-loud answer since we both know he won't be able to control his Nyeh's if he tries to speak. In spite of his efforts his shoulders are shaking.
"I see how it is… Okay, then I'll show you something funny!" I scrape together a tiny pile of snow from the ground and lightly throw it at him, hitting his shoulder.
His mirthful expression turns into one full of surprise and now's my turn to laugh.
Until it backfires, because then all I see is 'determination' written in bold letters in his forehead.
"Since I Am Your Teacher At Throwing Snowballs, Human…."
Uh oh.
"…Let's See If You Can Handle This!" He smirks and breaking into a fit of giggles, I run away.
"Where Do You Think You're Going, Human?" Papyrus' sweet tone of voice breaks a little through his tough-guy impersonation and something mushy and damp hits my head with so little strength that I can barely feel it.
I halt, mouth wide open, even though it makes me smile how he doesn't really use strength to hit me with snowballs. "You asked for it, Great Papyrus!"
And with this statement, the second war in the history of humans and monsters began.
A war with only snowballs. And just one monster and one human, both making sure they absolutely don't hurt or inflict the slightest amount of pain to the other.
But a war nonetheless.
"Hahahahaha! I got you again!"
"Oh No! I Won't Allow This! The Ice Warrior Papyrus Shall Not Give Up So Easily!"
I laugh as he comes after me. Bad news is I can barely move. Laughing has taken all my strength away (not that I'm a fast runner anyway).
"The student has surpassed the teacher!" I make a pathetic attempt to escape. "You will never defeat the Snow Princess Caroline!"
"If That's What You Believe Your Highness, Then I Shall Demonstrate What I Can Do!"
I hear the snow crunching behind me before I squeal as his arms surround me from behind and I'm lifted into the air. Papyrus spins me, his giggles joining mine.
"I've Captured You, Princess!"
"Okay, you win! You win! I surrender! Hahaha-Whoa!"
Our laughing is cut out as a huge pile of white mush suddenly descends over our bodies, making Papyrus lose his balance and the two of us fall. Before I can understand what just happened, Papyrus removes some snow from my head.
Puzzled, I look above me.
A pine. A pine without snow, unlike every other pine surrounding it.
So trees chose to get into the war too, huh?
"Are You Alright?"
Expecting to see a worried look on Papyrus' face, I'm about to reassure him I'm fine, except that I stop myself as soon as I see him.
My eyes meet the same mirthful gaze and smile from minutes ago and I don't even wonder what's causing his expression because I can't help but mirror it myself. Papyrus' white color makes the snow on his head look like a haircut gone wrong, and there's some even on his teeth. Needless to say, the sight is hilarious.
I try to catch my breath and snort, Papyrus staring at me wide-eyed, shocked that I would do such a thing. I don't have time to wave my hand in the air as my flag of apology, since he suddenly bursts out laughing.
"I Know I Must Look Far From Elegant Right Now, But If I'm Honest… Um…" Papyrus blushes and averts my gaze, intriguing me in the process. What's so difficult for him to say? "…Uh, You… You Make A Gorgeous Snow Princess, Caroline." He finally meets my eyes, a small, sweet smile blooming across his face as he looks at me.
Heat rises to my cheeks again.
I don't suppress it this time.
"heh, looks like someone's havin' snow much fun."
My heart starts pounding like a drum. Suddenly I become painfully aware of the warmth of Papyrus' arms around me -since he hasn't removed them after protecting me from the fall-, the fact that I've been comfortably sitting on his lap, and even more, how our position must look in the tiny but evil balls of white light that his extremely inopportune brother has for eyes.
Doing everything in my power not to make it obvious by jumping away, I stay where I am and my calm face comes to the rescue, in spite of my unstable nervous system. It takes all my self-control to prevent me from blushing more.
But it's too late. Sans' smirky grin speaks volumes.
"Sans!" Papyrus greets, oblivious to his brother's villainous thoughts. "Not Even Your Terrible Puns Can Put Me In A Bad Mood Today. You Must See Our Amazing Work! Caroline And I Make A Great Team Together!" Papyrus gives me a gentle smile and my heart keeps drumming.
"oh, i'm sure you do, bro." Sans glances at me, cocky grin widening and a skeletal eyebrow going up. I'm furiously blushing and suddenly it's like high school all over again.
I face the skeleton that's volunteering as my seat. "Papyrus, I'm so relieved you didn't hurt yourself when we fell." Speaking a little bit louder, I emphasize the last words, praying that my explanation will suffice for his brother.
I know very well it won't.
"Aw, Thank You For Worrying About Me. But It Takes More Than Just Slipping On The Snow For Me To Get Hurt. I Too Am Glad You're Alright."
"Thanks to you." I giggle a bit, the words slipping out of my mouth, and a split second later I realize the tragic mistake I just made.
Oh crap.
"Ehem… well, Sans," I turn my head to him, smiling sweetly while making sure my eyes deliver the dangerous warning I'm hoping for, because just like I predicted, his grin is defying the laws of Physics by growing more. "We'll show you what we did for the competition." I know he receives my silent threat because he holds back a snort.
"i'd love to see it, kid, but you know... i've got hotdogs to sell and a competition to watch in…" He glances down at his phone, "…three minutes."
"WHAT?!" Papyrus and I gasp. In a second, the tall skeleton stands up, with me still in his arms.
"i guess i'll see ya there." Sans chuckles as he walks away.
"Sans, wait!" I call out but turning around the corner of some building, he disappears.
"We Must Hurry, Human! Do Not Be Mortified! I Shall Carry Everything!" He begins to walk to our things.
"Um… Papyrus?"
"Yes?" He glances down at me, his face inches away from mine.
"Could you please, um... put me down?" My voice is weaker than I meant it to be, making my mission of sounding casual a complete failure.
"Hm? OH!" Papyrus' face turns into an orange sun as puts me down immediately, but carefully. I laugh nervously, trying to reassure him that it's okay while he frantically apologizes, not that he listens because I can tell he completely avoids me by focusing on taking everything to the river and refusing my help.
My chest rises and falls. I'm panting.
I've always hated that hot burning in the lungs and throat when you run as hard as you can, especially when the air is cold. I'm lazy, sue me! But I couldn't care less about that right now.
"We Made It, Caroline." Papyrus whispers in my ear, as the crowd parts for us, their eyes curious and amused for some reason.
I know we made it on time. But then again why am I feeling so embarrassed?
I scan the area with my gaze and I find the reason behind a hot-dog stand.
Sans stupid, amused smirk. How he got here so fast is beyond me.
Uh-uh. His smirk is not completely it. There's something else in the way everyone's staring at us. In the way everyone's staring at me.
Papyrus places our 'boat' in the river, with Freezk and the snowballs onboard. Papyrus' idea of making a box out of bones to keep the snowballs was beyond useful. Undyne and Frisk are already in their own boat waiting for us, which is… a piano lid?
Of course, their snowman is a very funny and short version of myself. I would feel very honored if it wasn't for the scared face I'm sure Undyne added. You have to give her points for her creativity, she found one more way of calling me 'coward.'
Frisk sees me and I wave my hand at them as we exchange small smiles. However, mine disappears the second they cover their mouth to repress a chortle.
Why is everyone looking at me and reacting the same way?!
"J-just in time! Both teams are here!" Alphys announces. "I'll remind everyone of the rules. First…"
Papyrus helps me get into our boat while Alphys carefully reads the rules and I pray to the gods that I'm capable enough of maintain my balance and not fall.
"psst… kid." A very familiar voice whispers and I turn my head to the right only to find Sans standing at the edge of the river.
At first I think I can't afford to talk to him while Alphys is speaking because it would be very rude, especially since I'm a competitor myself, but he only throws something at me and I take the fact that I don't have a problem to catch it as a good omen.
When I look at my hands, I'm surprised and happy on equal levels.
It's my phone with full charge.
I look at Sans with the intention to mouth a big, enthusiastic 'Thank you!', but he only takes his own phone and points at it, while staring at my own phone and raising his eyebrows.
I quickly scan my surroundings. Luckily for me, everyone's paying attention to Alphys, including Papyrus. Sans motions me to hurry up and I discreetly turn on the screen only to see that I have a message.
"just chill and go kick some ice"
Half biting my lip in order not to laugh, I lift my head from the screen to give him a thumbs-up and he winks at me. I can't let this opportunity pass.
"I will! And by the way, you can be proud of me. The snowman's name is Freezk. Get it? :D"
He coughs to cover a laugh and walks away to his hot-dog stand. My phone vibrates.
"that's pretty cool."
I follow his example, and cough to hide my chuckle. I try to breathe in slowly to relax, although I can feel the corners of my lips twitching upwards. Putting away my phone in my pocket, I go back to listening to Alphys and I realize that I'm suddenly not that worried about the competition anymore.
"…and I think that sums everything up." Alphys looks up from the paper, relieved to finally stop being the center of attention. "S-so… oars ready?" Alphys asks and Undyne and Papyrus make a spear and a bone appear, respectively.
That alone makes my breathing rapid and shallow. I can feel my pulse pounding in my temples. I was wrong, I don't think I've been this nervous in my life.
Papyrus sits in the front of our boat, with the bone he summoned. Undyne does the same with the piano lid and her spear. Frisk and I sit at the back of our 'boats' and the only thing between us and our teammates is our snowman.
My stomach shifts uneasily. Oh God, this is the real war.
"May the best team win the tickets for Mettaton's concert!" The turtle man laughs. I can't believe I'd completely forgotten about that. Papyrus shoots me a quick, excited glance over his shoulder and I return it.
I feel my own energy change.
Let's kick some ice.
"R-ready…" Alphys seems nervous, but if you pay enough attention, you can tell she's actually excited about the whole thing. "S-s-set…."
Okay, here it goes. You can do this, Caroline. You can do this.
"GO!"
The second the word is pronounced, Papyrus and Undyne turn into rowing machines, attaining an impossible speed in just a few seconds. My body is pulled backwards to the point of almost sliding off, and I seriously hope that I end this race with my body still dry and mi dignity intact.
"ATTACK THE SNOWMAN! NOW!" Rowing ferociously, Undyne shouts and Papyrus rows faster in response, both failing at leaving the other behind. Holding a snowball in their small hands, Frisk glances at Freezk with those linear eyes of theirs and smirks.
My butt I'll let you destroy my living pun.
Struggling upright, I snatch one of our own snowballs. "I won't let you harm our baby!" I throw the snow projectile, aiming at my snow-clone in Frisk's arms. Frisk moves at the last second like a good bodyguard, making my snowball land on their head instead.
*You warn Caroline there will be consequences for her actions
"You mean, like… winning?" I smirk, but I'm forced to swallow my words because two fast snowballs almost hit me straight in the face, if it weren't for Papyrus' cape.
"Mean older sister mode ON!"
Frisk chuckles and we unleash hell. Mush balls are flying everywhere. Not even Undyne and Papyrus save themselves. Frisk has a Master's degree at throwing these things while I struggle to keep my balance since we keep going faster, making me feel like a butterfly sanctuary has been moved to my stomach.
At this point we all look like a snowy mess and I can honestly say this is the most fun thing I've done in my entire life. Even Undyne laughs every time Papyrus and I get hit.
"AGH! Why is it taking too long? Frisk! You row!" Switching places, Undyne hands them the spear and gets ready to throw a snowball, eager to destroy our creation. I reach my hand out for another snow projectile, only to grab air.
Undyne's cruel face wears a smile, as she shows me both of her hands full of snowballs.
Oh shit.
"Caroline, Take This!"
Papyrus throws me a large bone that I barely catch and in that moment, Undyne throws the snowbullets. Using the bone like a sword, I slash at them, managing to stop them all. A few of them with my body, but that doesn't stop me from feeling like an experienced samurai.
"You can try all you want, but you have no more ammunition! You're defenseless now! FUHUHUHU!"
I grimace. She is right, but I'm nowhere close to giving up. I have to get those tickets. My eyes search frantically, and the moment I look at the water underneath us, I hear a chorus of angels singing.
"Or maybe not!" I lift the bone and bring it down with all my strength, causing a big splash, wetting Undyne's clothes and mine in the process.
"OH NO! Water! What am I going to do?!" Undyne takes her forearm to her forehead dramatically, before bursting into laughter. "In case you didn't notice, coward, I get along with water just fine!"
"Maybe you do, but why don't you ask your snow friend?"
Temperature has increased and just like Miss Bunny said, our snow creations have slowly begun to melt.
Undyne narrows her eye at me and I take my jacket off to increase my mobility. "You think you are so clever? Then try stopping- UGH!"
Several huge bones hit the water, creating a series of massive splashes. I try to cover Freezk with my body, and when I feel only drops I see Papyrus covering mine.
"OHOHOHO! Now this is worth my time! I can play this game too, you punks! Help me, human!"
Papyrus and I nod to each other. This is the boss fight. Frisk abandons their post as a rower and takes their remaining snowballs in their hands, while Undyne summons a bunch of spears. Papyrus makes larger bones appear and surrounds our boat with them.
Magic does its job, and the spears and the bones float higher and higher, each monster deep in concentration. Frisk and I lock eyes. Biting my lip and holding my bone-blade firmly, I prepare for what's to come.
The spears and the bones crash down onto the water.
A wave worthy of King Neptune covers us and the increasing temperature becomes my best friend since I'm pretty sure that being entirely soaked and into the cold must be as bad as it sounds. Just when I think Freezk couldn't have possibly made it alive, I see Papyrus covered them in a cage of smaller bones.
Too bad Undyne did the same with her spears.
"Frisk, now!" Undyne's wet hair gives her a completely different look and before I can focus on that, my recently-discovered ninja skills come to the rescue to stop Frisk's melting snowballs from hitting Freezk.
Then in slow motion, I see Undyne throwing one more snowball. Papyrus tries to stop it, but it goes straight through his ribs. I try to swinging my sword at it, but it's too late and I watch in horror as my baby pun loses its melting head. My knees give in.
"YES! YES! WE DID IT, HUMAN!" Undyne cheers and strikes a victory pose. "But we must finish what we started!"
A series of spears appear again. She plans to make another wave and I realize that I have no time to grieve.
I must avenge Freezk's dead.
"This Is Not Over, Undyne!" Papyrus summons more bones. What happened seconds ago is about to repeat itself.
The spears and the bones lift high into the air. Having no more snowballs, Frisk tries to take cover behind Undyne.
Let's change the story a little bit.
"Papyrus, now!" I scream at the top of my lungs and the bones come down way faster than before.
I don't know how he does it, but in that instant he manages to create a bone barrier to protect us from the splash.
"ARGHHHHHHH!"
He moves the bones away, only for us to see Undyne doing the same with her spears. She was also quick to protect their snowman.
But not as quick, because only half of it remains.
"Now it's my turn!" Taking all her spears higher than ever before, Undyne takes a step forward.
I didn't know a thing so simple and common like a step, could make me so happy.
You would think that falling into the water could be funniest or the most embarrassing thing that could happen to you in this challenge, but she has proved me wrong.
As I see Undyne's boot slip, I know I'll never stop replaying in my head the way her body falls backwards, and certainly not the way Frisk's face distorts as they look at the final result. And especially, I will never stop replaying the moment Undyne's butt pulverizes her precious, melting token of victory.
Undyne's spears fall down into the water, without any force behind them. Horrified at what she's done, Undyne remains speechless in shock.
However, Frisk, Papyrus and I are completely incapable of doing the same.
My body moves on its own accord. Holding my stomach, I bend over in silent, hysterical laughter, until I flop onto the mattress. In the background I listen to Frisk's laugh and Papyrus' "nyes." It doesn't take long before I have trouble to breathe, but it is in these times that I know karma treats us all equally, because from this angle I can see one of Undyne's previous spears has pierced our boat.
"Papyrus, look!" Color drains from my face as I point at the imminent threat of sinking.
His eyes get huge. "Quick, Caroline! We Must Cover That! The Finish Line Is Not Far!"
Undyne's features light up and she energetically stands up, magically regaining her resolve. "HA! YES! That's what I call a spear of justice! Hurry, human! Let's row!"
Our boat begins to sink as Undyne's piano lid goes faster. "Papyrus, we have to save what's left of Freezk! It's the only way to win!"
"I Can't Carry It Human! It Will Melt! We have to abandon the boat"
"B-b-but that's impossible! If we want a chance, we have to get there first!"
Papyrus quickly looks for a solution. Half the mattress is covered in water. Finally, his eyes meet mine. "You Have To Do It For Both Of Us, Caroline. And For Freezk." He summons several bones that places in the water, like a raft.
"What? NO! Come with me! I won't let you go!"
He easily carries me and drops me on the bones that he keeps together with his magic. "I'll Meet You In The Next World…" He says solemnly, even though the water barely reaches his waist.
"NO! WAIT!" Papyrus pushes the raft with all his strength and Celine Dione's intense voice plays in my head as I see him and Freezk get lost in the distance.
You're heeeeeeere… There's nothing I feeeeaaar…
"PAPYRUS!" I reach my hand out for added dramatic effect, my voice ringing through the walls. I hear the weak echo of a Nyeheheh.
Surprisingly, when I turn around, I see Undyne and Frisk only a couple of feet away from me.
"Coward?! What are you doing?!"
"My team is not giving up!" Taking one bone out of the raft, I point it at her. "You murdered my first snowman… and you sank Papyrus… You and that human with you, shall answer for your actions! Heeeyaaah!" I row as fast as I can.
Undyne takes it as a challenge and water splashes everywhere as a result. But even though she tries her hardest, there are beads of sweat on her forehead.
"You're pathetic! You'll never defeat me!" Undyne growls and we both do unnecessary battle cries as the sound of cheers comes closer.
"TEN… NINE…" The crowd chants and only then it occurs to me to look up at them.
Oh. No.
"Undyne, stop!" I yell as the finish line comes to view, along with all the monster audience. If we don't slow down now, we'll turn those monsters into bowling pins.
"UNDYNE NEVER STOPS!"
"No, Undyne! STOP!"
Only then I get her attention and she glances up, stopping her frantic rowing.
"Move away! Move away!" I fling my arms but the monsters don't get it. In fact, they only get more excited.
"EVERYONE, OUT OF THE WAY!" Undyne roars, silencing the monsters' countdown. They finally seem to get it, because everyone begins to scream as they move to the sides, clearing the area.
"We all need to jump!"
"You're only saying that so that you can win the race, coward!"
I roll my eyes. "Forget the race! Just- WATCH OUT!"
A stalactite appears in her way, but the Head of the Royal Guard once again surprises me by taking Frisk and jumping to my bone raft in a chilling heartbeat.
I can't help but let out a scream as the raft shakes violently with their landing. Grabbing on to me, Frisk manages to keep their balance and I see my fish nemesis stumbling.
"I've got you!" I'm not lying. I've got her arm. The thing is, even though I'm grasping it, her weight pulls me down and letting out a little yelp, we both fall into the water.
My feet are starting to look for the ground, when my arms are pulled up sharply.
Eyes pressed shut and gasping for breath, I'm finally able to stand up.
"Hey. Coward, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear." I wipe the water out of my eyes, grateful that it doesn't sting.
"What did you do?"
"Hm? What do you mean-? Wait! Frisk!" I turn around sharply only to find Frisk at the finish line in Papyrus' shoulders and every monster chorusing their name. In a far wall, I see a bunch of bones and what's left of Undyne's piano lid. Thankfully nobody got hurt.
"U-u-undyne and Frisk win!" Alphys announces in a megaphone and the monsters go crazy, chanting Frisk's name even louder.
I smile at the whole scene but my heart drops a little bit.
I didn't get the tickets for Papyrus.
Just as I have that thought, Papyrus and I lock eyes. Putting Frisk down, his smile brightens and he sprints towards me. I do the same.
He helps me get out of the water and as soon as my feet touch the ground, he wraps my shoulders with a towel. It's not truly necessary, though. The weather here is a lot warmer. Still, I'm charmed at his thoughtfulness.
"Caroline! You Did A Fantastic Job! I Told You We Make A Great Team!" He beams at me, although I notice his eyes examining me, looking for any signs of injure.
"I'm sorry, Papyrus. I… I really tried." I sigh, lowering my gaze.
"What? What Could You Be Sorry About? You Were Amazing! The Smaller Human May Have Won, But You And Undyne Are On A Tie!"
"You deserved those tickets more than anyone. I-I-I promise I'll make it up to you! If we win the next challenge, I'll see if Undyne maybe wants to trade the prize, and-"
"But Caroline, I'm Not Sad Or Upset." I look up at him, searching for a sign that tells me he's lying. I don't find it. "We'll Get A Prize Next Time. Even If The Prizes Are Not Tickets For The Concert, I'm Having A Lot More Fun Spending Time With My New Friends." Placing a strand of my wet hair behind my ear, his sweet grin grows. "And I Cannot Let You Take Full Responsibility For The Results Of The Competition. We Are A Team."
The last sentence leaves me speechless. I've never been good at teamwork. I can't understand it beyond the definition of the word.
"Thank you, Papyrus."
"We'll Find A Way To Win The Next Prize. Together."
My heart feels warmer.
"Coward."
Until it doesn't... My eyes narrow. "Undyne?" I answer, facing her while slightly wrapping myself more in the towel.
"Uh... You're not making this as painfully boring as I thought you would... err, but... just know your next defeat will be crushing!"
My chin rises a fraction. Did her hate for me actually just… diminish?
I smirk proudly. "I won't stop you from trying."
"Foolish humans." She scoffs, before turning her back to me and walking away.
"N-n-now," Completely catching my attention, Alphys talks on the megaphone once more, "the second challenge is…"
"Okay, our time has come, Papyrus!" I whisper to his ear- er… skull.
Alphys spins a roulette I hadn't seen before and with a silent prayer, I watch it stop.
The picture of a microphone appears.
"…A t-t-talent show!"