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I only own Hope.
"Speaking"
Thinking
Edited: Apr. 27/19
"hope. pssst, hope. time to wake up, kiddo." Sans chuckled, watching the girl roll over in her sleep, nuzzling her face into his hoodie once again. He wasn't going to get anything accomplished today if she didn't get moving. True, he was usually the lazy bones, but it was almost noon-no, it was past noon, actually. She did fall asleep early last night, but that was to be expected from the process to get her there. Her energy was completely zapped. He, well… he only fell asleep because he wanted to. and i couldn't leave her alone after… that. "it's mornin', kid. you need to get up."
"F-five more minutes, Sans," she mumbled, half asleep. "No wake up. Never. Let me sleep forever." The short choppy sentences earned another round of chuckles from the short skeleton. Deciding that was enough avoidance, he slid his hand under her head, and gently lifted her off of him. Once she was settled on the bed and not on his rib cage, he sat back up.
"nope. sorry, hope. but we got a lot to get done today, and you lazing around won't get that accomplished." Hope gave a tired giggle, before slowly opening one eye. The blue pupil stared at him, not showing signs of any tiredness. "well?"
"But you always laze the days away!" She complained, stressing the 'always'. "Why's it different if I do it?"
"nope." He grabbed her shoulders, and sitting her upright so she could see the smug look. "there ya go. that's better."
Hope blew a strand of brown hair out of her face, and stuck her tongue out at him. "You're mean, you know that?" Sans let her go, holding his hands up in surrender. "I couldn't sleep any longer?"
"it's past noon, hope. you missed breakfast; by association, so did i. so, how 'bout i take you out for a late lunch, huh? you wanna try grillby's?" Grillby's? Hope ran the name through her head, and smiled. Burgers sounded pretty good right now. But was there really a restaurant up there on the surface? Of course there is, you goof. He wouldn't just abandon his business when they all moved upstairs. "i take that look as a yes," Sans said.
"You bet that's a yes," Hope laughed. She jumped off the bed, standing up next to him. "I've always wanted to try out Grillby's. What's he like?"
Sans unlocked the door, and he motioned for her to follow. eh, she can change her clothes later. So could he. When the young adult came flying out of the machine, and materialized in front of him, her bag was lying in a heap by her feet. In all of the commotion, she had forgotten about it. "grillby? he's a good pal of mine. doesn't talk much, but i doubt you'd be able to understand him anyway."
"Why's that?" Hope asked. They walked down the stairs, and headed towards the front door. He paused to fish out a set of keys from his hoodie, and she caught a glimpse of them in the skeletal hand. Unlike the lab and bedroom keys, these looked more like… "car keys?"
"you really thought we'd walk there?" Sans asked. They stepped outside, and he headed towards the other side of the house. What is he going… oh. OH! The minibike.How could I have forgotten that? A bright green bike sat next to a brown station wagon and a red sports car. Easily guessing which vehicle belonged to who, she walked over to the motorcycle and ran a hand over the leather seat. "you ever ride before?"
"No. This, uh, is my first time on a bike like this," Hope confessed. "I bike a little, but never rid anything powered by a motor. Is it safe?" Sans smirked, and pulled a helmet off one of the shelves lining the garage. He always had a spare, in case Frisk wanted to ride with him. It might be a little smaller for her, but it should work. just hope she's fine with purple.
"only if you're riding with a professional, kid." Hope took the helmet from him, and placed it on her head. Yep, this is a little snug. Snapping the straps under her chin, she sat behind Sans on the bike. "as for your earlier question about grillby… he speaks in a way only monsters can understand. crackling flames, certain gestures; things like those are what we look for. i'm one of the best for understanding him, but the rest of the regulars are good too."
"Huh. Cool." Hope rested her legs behind his on the foot rests, nervously watching him put the key in the ignition. "Um, Sans? Wha-what do I hold onto?" Sans chuckled, and reached a hand behind him. "Whoa!" She felt the monster yank her forward, until her arms were around his chest.
"just hold tight, hope. and try to keep your eyes open." He turned the keys, and rolled down the driveway. The moment he got onto the main road though, Sans picked up the speed, earning a small cry from the young adult. "you okay?"
"Aahhh!" Hope squealed. "Ah ha ha! This is crazy!" Her loose hair that wasn't stuck under her helmet continuously whacking the glass that went down in front of her eyes. "How am I supposed to open my eyes!?"
"the wind isn't hitting your face, kid. i've had enough practice driving this to know how not to crash. trust me, i'm not gonna let you fall off," he said over his shoulder. They weren't even going that fast. The speed limit was only 50. With this being her first time on a minibike though, he wanted to assure her as much as he could.
Hope shuddered in fear, before slowly opening her eyes. Houses flew past her on either side of them; trees, people, all a blur. "Heh… hehe… ha ha ha!" She laughed, and readjusted herself on the seat. The feeling of the air blew through her, as she hadn't a jacket like Sans. But the sensation of zooming along felt amazing. Wonder what it'd be like if he had an actual motorcycle. Resting her chin on Sans' shoulder, she looked at where they were headed. The two were heading deeper into the city, and the simple houses soon changed into tall skyscrapers and businesses. Bratty and Catty were walking out of a convenience store, bags in hand and appeared to be eagerly chatting about their own business plans. She spotted Burgerpants in a store with a huge Mettaton logo on the front, serving customers. Glamburger, if I had to guess. But besides them, she didn't see that many other monsters wandering around and enjoying their day. Napstablook, Mettaton himself… Hope could only guess that the two were together. After all, they were cousins. And after spotting a poster of the two, along with Shyren about a musical, that theory appeared to be right on the money. But besides the occasional Froggit and other regular everyday monster, no one else was out here.
Asgore though, she wouldn't mind seeing him at some point. With how interesting Toriel's stories were, his would be just as captivating. "Are we almost there, Sans?" Hope asked, feeling him begin to slow down. Sans pulled over into a parking spot on the side of the road, and put down the kick stand.
"yep. c'mon, kiddo." She undid the helmet, and tucked it under her arm. Sliding the keys into his pocket after locking it, Sans led her down the busy street. Hope grinned at his excitement, seeing him head off towards the restaurant. Sans may have done this to help get answers, bringing her into his world… or it was just an extreme attempt for him to finally see her in person. Heck if she knew, but she was leaning much more to the second one. But then again-what was with all these looks?
Most children they passed seemed intrigued by them; a human only several years older than themselves walking side by side with a monster without a care in the world. They would giggle, and wave while giving happy and cheerful smiles. The adults on the other hand almost made Hope flinch. It wasn't all of them, but the few Sans and her had passed had given them dirty looks. Disappointed frowns, glares, and one had muttered something under his breath that he couldn't pick up. Sans, sensing her nervousness, grabbed her hand protectively. she has no need to be on this end of the treatment, he internally growled, before sighing as their destination came into view. finally.
He swung open the door for her as it came up on their left, letting Hope escape from the outside and into the bar. The smell of monster alcohol and greasy food hit him, easing his nonexistent nerves. "hey, everybody," he greeted the patrons. The monsters all turned to look at him, and grinned. Sans always had a way of brightening the atmosphere at New-Grillby's. Either with his carefree attitude, or the jokes he used on special event nights. The flame monster had designed the place to look exactly like his old business, except the music player in the corner now worked, there was more seating, and the place itself was much cleaner. The lights were partially dimmed, but Grillby never did like keeping everything bright. It was easier on their eyes. The patrons shouted their own greetings, until they saw that the skeleton hadn't come alone this time around.
So, this must be the human Sans had talked about. Grillby looked up from his shot glass, as the two settled down at the bar in front of him. She wasn't like the usual human he brought here, he noticed, but he could see some of their savior's personality in her eyes. Not being one of many words, Grillby was exceptionally good at observing people. From just a glance, he could tell that she still had the same sense of adventure as young Frisk, but was more reserved about it. Polite, but not afraid to stand up for herself. Hmm. I can see why Sans has brought her along, he mused. Just like the other human.
"heya, grillby," Sans chuckled. "usual for me. what 'bout you, kid?" Hope looked above her head, running the menu options over. Well, I'm certainly happy there's more of an option than just a burger and fries.
"I'll have one burger and a glass of water, please," Hope smiled at the elemental. Sans was right. He was quiet. I'm fine with that. "It's nice to meet you, Grillby."
Grillby nodded, and turned to Sans. His flames crackled as he spoke to Sans, earning a small laugh from the shorter monster. "yeah, i'd have a feeling you'd like her." Hope watched their exchange curiously, before Grillby cast one last look at her and headed back into the kitchen.
"What did he say?" She asked. It's a weird thing. Just like having someone talk to someone else in front of you in a different language, she couldn't make heads or tails of what they were talking about. The only difference is that it was one-sided on her part. Sans spoke English, Grillby spoke… something else.
"that you're one of the nicer humans he's seen in a while," he said truthfully. "you, uh, saw how those humans outside reacted to us, right?" She did, and she didn't like it one bit. Hope hated it when people were treated differently. While that wasn't entirely the case for Sans and the rest of them, they experienced stuff like that on a daily basis. Just like Frisk-or at least she assumed it happened to Frisk-she had received the same reaction. All because she was hanging out with Sans, who wasn't human. "sorry, hope. you didn't deserve any of that." He had only ever seen her so scared once before, when he had snapped at her for assuming she knew everything about him. While those people didn't threaten them, their silent glares and visibly trying to avoid them did enough. "you're safe in here, kid. not many humans come in here. usually, it's just the kid."
"So I'm another special case in that department?" Hope stated, and smiled bitterly. She hoped it wouldn't always be like this for them. But the most she could do was possibly help bring Gaster back, and stop the resets. She didn't see any way to help improve social conditions. "I wish I could help, Sans."
"i know, hope. but this is one thing you can't fix," he replied, his grin strained. "ah! here comes the grub." Grillby settled down a plate in front of each of them. Hope smiled at the burger, and immediately took a sip from the iced water. Sighing as the cool liquid quenched her thirst, she turned to see Sans take a drink from his ketchup bottle. A burger and a side of fries were in front of him, making her raise her brow. She still hadn't come up with an answer as to how he could eat. She did see him eat Toriel's pie, but… how!? How!? "looks good, grillby. what do you think, hope?"
Hope picked up the burger, watching a dribble of grease come out as she made sure the patty wouldn't slide when she bit into it. Taking a bite, her eyes widened in surprise. I… I have tasted amazing in burger form. She quickly swallowed, and grinned at him. "It's delicious, Grillby." Grillby's flames flickered purple for a second, and the crackling sound increased. He was… laughing?
The girl's reaction was one he hadn't seen before. He knew that the food he served was good, but he never got this before. The girl has good taste too. "he's glad you think so," Sans summarized for her. He hadn't seen the bartender this amused in ages. "thanks, grillby." Grillby nodded, and went back across the bar to continue the glass he left when the two entered. "dig in, hope. don't want the food getting cold." The two laughed, and finally began to eat.
Savoring each bite, Hope let her mind wander. Despite the rough treatment of several bystanders, there wasn't anything off about her time here. The monsters treated her nicely, but there was… something felt weird. She didn't know what it was, but her mind kept replaying her arrival and the events before she fell asleep. Did I do anything before passing out? She didn't know, but she did hope she didn't do anything... anything… oh, did I say that to Sans?
It was fuzzy, yes, but somewhere in her head, she could've sworn that she said something to him before falling asleep. I... I said the truth, didn't I? Well then, that was… that happened. She glanced over at the skeleton, seeing he was happily enjoying his fries. If she didn't know better, she would've thought everything was normal. But… she told the truth, and he wasn't even asking about it. He was pretending she didn't reveal her most painful secret to him.
I'm so glad that Sans did that, she smiled into her glass as she took another sip, her burger now finished. He didn't have to do this, or act like that never happened, but he did. She sat the glass down, seeing the water ring it made on the wooden counter. This whole trip has been the funnest thing I've done in a… in ages… wh-what the…? Her vision clouded for a second, making Hope support her head in her free hand while using the other to grip the edge of the counter. A dizzy spell…? Odd. I wasn't… getting up quickly…? As fast as it came, her sight returned to normal, along with the buzzing in the back of her head. "What was that?" She mumbled quietly, looking down in thought.
"kid?" She blinked, and turned to Sans. He had watched the girl seemingly go into a daze, and watched her normally blue eyes cloud over for a second. what was that? "are you alright, hope?"
Was she? Hope frowned, and shook her head. "No, Sans. I-I'm fine," she reassured him. "Just a dizzy spell. I get them sometimes." But normally, it was when she got up too fast from sitting down. "Weird though. I have no clue what caused it." that's... worrisome. He had checked her over last night, and he didn't see any health problems.
"are you sure you're okay, hope?" Sans repeated. "we can head back to the house now and give you another checkup like i said we would, if you-?"
"No!" Hope exclaimed, before realizing she was raising her voice. She didn't need to attract anyone's attention. "I mean, no," she repeated, more quietly this time. "I'm fine, Sans. There's nothing to worry about. If there is, then you can check it out when we return later." She didn't want to ruin the short amount of time they had together by being checked over like a lab rat. She glanced at their plates, seeing that the food was all gone. "Come on. Let's pay our bill and head out."
"alright, bud. hey, grillby! put it on my tab, will ya?" Sans called over to the elemental. Grillby looked up at him, and Hope could tell by his annoyed expression that this was a regular thing for the skeleton to do. "let's go, kid. there's one last place i wanted to take you before we head back."
"Really?" He held the door up for Hope, and they began walking back towards the moped. "Where is it?" He chuckled at her eagerness, and watched her attach the helmet again.
"somewhere a fair distance out of town. it's a bit of a drive, but you're gonna love it." She definitely would. Most if not all humans were terrified of going there. Even with the truth of the mountain now revealed, it still held ill memories. Hope on the other hand, seemed like she would love it. "hang on." He started up the bike, and they took off down the street once again. The sun had started to sink in the sky, showing how much time they spent in New-Grillby's. With how long they spent eating lunch, it'd be a really late supper when they got back.
He turned off of the main road, and began speeding down a dirt path. "Sans?" She looked around, finding nothing about the forest they were now going through familiar. He began heading uphill, maneuvering through large rocks and massive trees. Sans slowly crept to a stop, and set the bike against a tree. "Where are we?"
"you'll find out soon enough. stupid hill won't let me stand this thing up properly. oh well." They were close enough. With how thick the trees got farther up, there was no way he could drive any farther. "c'mon, pal." Taking her hand in his, he began the painfully familiar hike up the mountain. "has… the game ever shown much of mount ebott?"
"No," Hope answered. "All that's shown is the beginning where Frisk falls into the hole, and when all of you were watching the sunset once you were all freed." A peaceful look spread over her face. "That must be nice." His glowing pupils hovered on her for a second, making sure he didn't trip by mistake on a rock or root. "No matter how many times it has happened; the feeling of being on the surface… must be nice. Regardless of how the humans acted around you, you guys have the freedom to do so much more than down there."
"yeah. it's, hehe, pretty nice. welp, here we are." He stepped onto the flat ground, the hill leveling out on top. "thought you'd deserve the grand view of what you were working towards." Hope gasped, her hand sliding out of his bony one to cup her mouth in aw. No way. We're… we're on...
Mount Ebott. She and Sans were on Mount Ebott. She walked closer to the edge, breathing in the sight below her. The large forest that came right before the city was decorated in the glow of the bright afternoon sun. To the right, the ruins of an old castle from old, with part of a tower still managing to stand after all this time. Where possibly the humans from the war had stayed during the era before the barrier, she assumed. To the left, another smaller mountain. Looking behind her, she saw the cave where every monster had come out of to live down in the city, and how the trail dipped down as it descended deeper and deeper into the ground. If I were to follow that, I'd end up in the castle.
Funnily enough, Reunited was playing in her head, and she couldn't help but hum the song to herself. "what're you doin', kid?" Sans watched her hum, slightly bobbing back and forth as she looked out over the landscape. On the outskirts of the city were all of the subdivisions, and the one located closest to the mountain must have been the one the monsters all lived in. The artificial lights of the signs of stores blended with the bright star overhead, which warmed herself and the rocky ledge they were standing on.
"Just… reminiscing old memories." Kneeling down, she sat on the cliff's edge, her legs swinging over the forest far below. "I did this, didn't I, Sans?"
"you did, hope." He sat down beside her, and took hold of her hand. The two smiled, and went back to watching the scenery. "every time i've made it back up here, i knew we wouldn't be here for long. but you, kid? you managed to save us once and for all. with you remaining in contact with us, we won't be forced into a reset. you may not fully understand what this means to us, but thank you." He chuckled, and patted her back. "thank you."
Oh, I think I know fully well… S-Sans. Her vision blurred. Either due to the tears staring to drip down her face, or the buzzing in the back of her head again, she didn't know. Why… does this keep happening? She forced a smile, and propped her head on top of Sans' skull. The buzzing faded as quickly as it came, and she sighed in relief. "You're welcome, bone boy. You're... welcome."
After looking at the overall layout for how I want this story to go, I doubt it'd be much longer. Seeing that I'm being thrown into university next week, I'm gonna have a lot on my mind and on the go.
Well, my problems aside. I'll see you all next week for the new update!
Angel
