Hot air pressed through the sliver-sized crack in Grillby's entrance as though they'd cracked open an oven, more than enough to banish any lingering chill left behind by Snowdin's namesake weather. Sans opened it further, and Dipper nearly darted inside before catching sight of the canine monsters from the Royal Guard playing cards and drinking at a nearby table. Doggo's eyes were unfocused as he stared off into the distance, a charred and smoking dog treat protruding from his snout.

One of the cloaked dogs who'd mistaken Mabel for a puppy sniffed the air, a low snarl ripping from their muzzle as they snapped at the scent.

"What is this?" Dipper asked, a scowl doing nothing to mask the apprehension in his voice as he absorbed the sight of a Venus flytrap with sickly yellow petals and fangs the size of his arm. "Is this some kind of trick?"

With a slow shake of his head, Sans herded the kids inside by letting the door fall shut and shuffling forward, never quite touching them as they edged forward to prevent him from bumping against their backs. He nodded to his fellow sentries as he passed their table, then found a seat at the counter. "you're here with me, remember?" He reminded them as the twins tentatively edged towards the bar. "these guys aren't gonna to lay a paw on ya."

Greater Dog woofed lightly and panted, clearly happy to see the children who'd played fetch with him, as evidenced by the rapid wagging of his tail. Mabel paused at the Canine Unit's table, then gave him a quick scratch under the chin. Greater Dog thumped his leg with ecstasy, pleased to be petted after spending so much time with his fellow guardsmen, who each found the act to be both unpleasant and indecent. Mabel huffed a quiet, subdued laugh. "Thanks for letting us go before. We'll play more later, okay?"

It was spoken like a whisper, though that did little to deter the keen hearing of the other canines, and though she pulled away afterwards, Greater Dog nipped at her sleeve. Confused, Mabel glanced down at the captured sleeve, then fixed Greater Dog with a questioning look. At the counter, Sans and Dipper were getting settled on their stools. Mabel could hear Sans requesting that Grillby retrieve another stool from the back, since they very well couldn't have their benefactor standing during their meal.

Adjusting the straps of her backpack, Mabel sighed. It was starting to feel like Sans had only given her the gold so she could pay for his meal. She wasn't going to complain about it, since she had been caught snooping through his things, even though it hadn't exactly been her idea.

"He's worried about you, pup," growled a feminine sounding voice from one of the hooded canines.

It was vaguely familiar, but try as she might, Mabel couldn't place it, and since the speaker said nothing further, choosing instead to take a deep pull from the caramel colored liquid in her mug, Mabel kept her attention on Greater Dog when she replied, "He shouldn't be." A quick wink. "I'm tougher than I look."

Since Sans and Dipper were waiting and Grillby, the humanoid flame in the white dress shirt, black vest, and bowtie, had come out of the back with a wooden stool that surprisingly didn't burn in his hands, Mabel swallowed the sour taste of regret as she cut the interaction short by pulling once more at her sleeve.

Though visibly dissatisfied with her answer, Greater Dog let it go. She waved, started to walk away, froze when a sad whimper followed her back, then steeled herself against it, forcing herself to keep moving until she was standing behind the stool, catching the tail end of Dipper's question about the bartender, which at least meant that he was still speaking to them.

"…but he's made of fire. How can he carry around a chair made of wood or wear clothes without burning them up?"

Curious, she clambered onto her seat, watching with fascination as Grillby resumed his position behind the bar, patiently waiting for their order. Beside her sat two bird monsters, one had pale feathers that diminished to stubs around his beak like a five o'clock shadow and the other was smaller, with feathers the color of red wine. They must have frequented Grillby's often, because their bodies seemed to have grown around their seats, as though the stool were some sort of fifth limb. Their lids fluttered at the change to their surroundings, but the arrivals of new customers wasn't an event quite earthshattering enough to shake them from the stupor.

Mabel quickly lost interest in them, tuning into the conversation happening on the other side of her instead. "grillby's not your regular monster," Sans was saying, though he didn't seem entirely comfortable with talking about the man while he was listening. Whipping out a pen, Dipper grabbed a napkin and started writing. "he's what's called an elemental. unlike most monsters, elementals aren't born. they're summoned by a mage, usually in a form that's already reached full maturity." He paused, continuing only after Grillby gave a subtle nod. "with that said, they're still technically newborns, and flame elementals especially tend to have a difficult time controlling their magic. grillby here's got a good handle on it, but…"

"It requires a significant amount of concentration, which does not always come with ease, but I have been tending this bar for many years now, and have grown quite accustomed to employing a certain amount of self-control during my daily activities."

Leaning against the counter, Sans commented with an easy jerk of his thumb, "yep. this guy's a hothead, but only in the literal sense."

There was light crackle, like the crinkling of paper, as Grillby appeared to chuckle. "Oh? Is that what you think, Sans? I imagine you'd be surprised."

Noticing the change in tone, Dipper looked up from his notes to see that the skeleton looked a little like he'd accidentally tasted one of his slippers. An amused smirk crossed his face. It was kind of nice to know that not even Sans was infallible to the sudden pitfalls of social interaction.

The red bird expressed his surprise that Grillby was even capable of speech, to which the bartender responded with the slightest flush of his flames that he hadn't known how to politely broach the subject. In all honestly, though, the short break from speaking had been a welcome one, and he was thankful for the red bird's efforts as his translator.

The bird monster shrugged. "It wasn't a problem. I never really knew what you were saying, anyway."

Another amused crackle greeted the statement. "Yes, I did get that impression from time to time."

Once Grillby was finished speaking to his former translator, Sans ordered two hot chocolates for his human companions and then offered them the choice of burgers or fries. Dipper's stomach growled. "I could go for a burger. How 'bout you Mabel?"

When an extended silence was all he received in response, he leaned backwards, peering past Sans' back to see Mabel tracing circles in the wood grain. "Mabel!" She jolted, glancing up to see two sets of concerned gazes. "What's up with you?"

She shifted in her seat, disconcerted. "Nothing's with me. I'm warm and," a hot chocolate was placed in front of her," about to be fed. Couldn't be better." Aware that her half-hearted assurances weren't the least bit convincing, she quickly brought the mug to her mouth and took a sip. The drink was sweet on her tongue, heated to the perfect temperature so it warmed without burning.

"We'll take burgers," Dipper said. When Grillby headed off to the kitchen to cook off a few patties, he ducked his head so Mabel couldn't see him, glowering at the skeleton as he whispered, "What did you say to her?" He'd walked ahead shortly after they'd left the house, purposely shutting them out, but he'd assumed then that most of Sans' ire would be directed towards him. "She wasn't like this before."

Doubt settled in Sans as the girl beside him continued to drink quietly. He should have known better than to tell the girl she was only human when she was already well aware of the animosity most monsters bore humanity.

Usually, entering his lab was a privilege. It required his permission, and his permission wasn't easy to get. With the way things were going, these kids would have never seen the inside of his lab if they hadn't ignored the rules and broken in. But now that the initial kneejerk reaction was beginning to ebb, he found he was regretting losing his cool. They were ignoring rules they didn't know existed, and while he was justified in feeling some outrage, he couldn't fault them for that.

Treating them the way he would Frisk wasn't doing him any favors, it was only alienating them. And while a claim of self-defense was a joke when you wielded the power of a god, it wasn't fair to expect two newly fallen children to know anything about that.

A little disappointed with himself, he turned his head to observe Mabel as she folded her arms on the counter and rested her head. "you wanna tell me what's wrong, kid?"

She tilted her head to look up at him. "I thought maybe you didn't want to talk to me anymore."

"because you were in my lab? look, i'm not gonna to say i'm not still mad about that, but that was a mistake, one you've reflected on and regret… which is more than i can say for some people."

Dipper groaned. "Fine. I'm sorry, too, okay?"

"your sincerity is noted and will be taken under further consideration." It really was astounding how this kid managed to so effortlessly rub each and every one of his nerves the wrong way. And judging by the sour look on the boy's face, the sentiment seemed to be mutual.

Rolling her eyes at the bickering, Mabel said, "Look, I'm not cold anymore and this hot chocolate's filling me up nicely, so how could anything be wrong?"

"...you know that's not what i meant."

She didn't answer immediately, and in the time it took her to gather her thoughts, Grillby had returned with the burgers and placed them in front. Finally, a hushed mumble Sans wouldn't have heard if he hadn't been listening for it made itself known. "…Can't we pretend like it was?"

Bracing against the counter, Sans pushed, lifting the front legs of his stool and rocking, then allowed the stool to fall with a loud, disruptive clack of wood against wood. Though Grillby had moved further along the counter to give the trio some privacy, he caught the action and radiated stern disapproval. Sans pretended not to notice.

" 'fraid not, kiddo. you wanna try again?"

Her brown eyes darting nervously to Dipper, who was very much listening in on their conversation as he munched on his burger, though it wasn't as though there was much he could do otherwise when they were sitting so close, Mabel mumbled,"I, uh, went for a walk in your garden not too long ago. You definitely have a weed a problem."

Sans tensed, any improvements in his mood rapidly evaporating, though externally, the changes were minimal. "oh, did ya now? i've been meaning to get rid of them but things happen and i keep putting it off." Any scrapes and bruises he'd spotted on her before had been chalked up to the short spar with his brother, and now that the injuries were healing thanks to the food she'd absorbed, there was no way to tell if any ropelike bruises or puncture wounds had managed to slip past him. Still, he checked her over. "you didn't step on any thorns, did you?"

She shook her head. "Actually, I was thinking… maybe you could put off the weed whacking for a little bit? Just long enough to see if they do anymore damage?"

"wouldn't ya say they've already done enough?" Dipper reached for the ketchup, the struggle between the need to his stomach and the desire to participate in the weirdly cryptic conversation evident as he tried to chew and swallow quickly, but Sans swiped it away, mentioning something about the lid always being loose before he twisted the top and handed it back.

Suspicious, Dipper tentatively squirted the ketchup on the inside of his bun, surprised to find that it worked perfectly.

"they had their chance. if i leave 'em alone, they'll wrap their roots around the other plants and suffocate them. that's what weeds do."

The clinking of glasses and plates and silverware came to a grinding halt, leaving an unbearable absence of sound in its wake. Mabel swiveled her head to see no one was moving, not even Dipper. Awed and a little frightened, she whispered, "Sans… what did you do?"

"don't worry. you remember the tunnels in snowdin, right? how they make it easier to cross from the beginning to the end? really convenient, don'tcha think?" She nodded, not really following. "i want you to imagine a shortcut like that, except it cuts through space and time instead." And he'd lost her. "you and me? we're standing on the precipice of one of those shortcuts. time hasn't stopped for anyone, it's just flowing a little differently in the space we're currently inhabiting. instead of going along with the current, you could say we're forcing it to part ways for us, like two stubborn pebbles stuck in the middle of a river. while one river doesn't move us, a completely separate current, a different time stream, continues to move us along. The fact that we can move and talk at all is proof of that."

He stopped, realizing that Mabel wasn't paying attention, anymore.

She climbed out of her seat, crossing the floor in a few quick strides to experimentally poke her brother. "Woah. This is so amazing! How do you know how to do this?"

"you could say an old friend of mine left me with a few cool tricks." The overall tone was light, but Mabel couldn't help but think that he sounded a little sad.

"mabel?" She stopped poking Dipper. It wasn't often that Sans used her name. "i want you to answer a question for me, okay?" Lips pressed together with apprehension, Mabel slowly nodded. Sans faced her dead on. "that bandage on your chin," her fingers flew up to touch it, as though she'd forgotten all about it, "why are you still wearing it? you haven't had any reason to for a while now."

"Toriel gave it to me," she said simply, as though it explained everything.

"right. that leads me to my next question… what happened to the scarf she gave you?"

Mabel went very still, the color draining from her face. "I- I don't…" Sans held up a hand to stop her.

"that's okay. you don't have to say it. i just wanted to be sure." He reached out to pat her head, then pulled back, changing his mind. She didn't notice. "you can't save everyone, kiddo. it's just not how the world works."

Wrapping her fingers around her brother's wrist, she asked, "Why not?" But Sans didn't have an answer for that. Sometimes, people who deserved to be saved, couldn't be. Other times, they just didn't want to be.

He waited until she'd climbed back into her seat before pulling them out of the shortcut, allowing time to flow normally for them once more. It was immediately followed by Dipper reminding Sans that he did not, in fact, have a garden. He was quickly congratulated on his incredible detective skills, which merely served to instigate another round of bickering. Rubbing her temples, Mabel excused herself to go find a restroom.

Grillby gestured to the door on his right, and Mabel thanked him before padding away. She didn't notice how the bickering ceased almost immediately after she'd slid off her stool.

Dipper watched her go. "So, what are you two hiding from me now?"

Massaging his brow bone, Sans retorted, "it ever occur to ya that maybe it's got nothing to do with you? novel idea, i know."

"She's my sister."

"yeah. that doesn't mean everything she does automatically involves you. tell me, do you share every scrap of information with her the way you seem to expect her to do with you?" With such a gregarious sibling, though, it wasn't hard to see how the communication blocks presented by sensitive information could come as a new and unfamiliar obstacle to the kids, complicating what was usually easy and unrestrained. "keeping secrets is rarely ever a good thing, but sometimes it's the best option you've got, because the alternative is hurting someone you care about with information they're not ready for."

Dipper considered that, then asked about the picture he'd seen in the lab. Sans debated ignoring or diverting the question, but for once, the kid didn't seem quite so agitated. More thoughtful than demanding. "that picture's a little hard to explain, but if you tell me why you're asking, i might be able to come up with something."

When he hesitated, Sans assured him that the best place to talk about secrets was in crowded restaurants where alcohol was being served regularly. It served its purpose, successfully loosening Dipper's tongue. "Toriel mentioned that none of the human children she'd cared for survived, which I doubt she would have said that if she'd met the kid we saw on the mountain, and yet there's a picture in your lab with that kid and you and Papyrus and Toriel all posing together. How is that possible?"

"it's not." Sans stated simply. "the old lady was telling the truth. she's never met a fallen child who's survived this place, pap's never met a human besides you two, and none of us have been to the surface since before the barrier was raised. that picture you saw? it shouldn't exist." But when Dipper asked him to explain how it managed to be in his possession if it shouldn't exist, Sans only offered him a shrug. "it's a mystery."

To Dipper's astonishment, though, when he demanded that Sans share something as a form of equivalent exchange, Sans agreed immediately, even pulling out his phone and activating the screen. Several video feeds could be seen, the first few depicted different parts of Snowdin, then Sans swiped his thumb and Dipper found himself looking at a grassy path, a dock, and the entrance to a cave. After that… "Is that real lava?"

"what can i say? the folks in hotland lava it." The tortured sound Dipper uttered was understandable, and Grillby sympathized, shooting Sans another stern look, but the restaurant was still a public establishment, and so he asked the boy to lower the volume on his displeasure. Outwardly, Dipper apologized, though internally he still blamed the skeleton and his terrible puns.

"Thanks for the burgers, by the way. Our mom doesn't really let us have junkfood at home." Grillby's flames turned a variety of different colors, shifting from dark red to azure to fuchsia. Sans, who'd begun drinking straight from the ketchup bottle, coughed, pounding on his chest as though the ketchup had gone down the wrong windpipe. "It's occurred to me that I've said something I shouldn't have and I am so sorry."

It was times like these when Sans couldn't help but like the precocious and inquisitive squirt, watching with a mischievous glint in his sockets as Dipper continued to blurt out awkward yet genuine apologies to the seemingly outraged fire elemental. The times were few and far between, but Sans enjoyed the feeling while it lasted. "alright, grillz, no need to keep scaring him. he's not implying that you got your product from the garbage dump like a few monsters i could name but won't. the term junkfood has a slightly different meaning in the Capitol." Yeah, that wasn't true. But Sans could tell the kid hadn't meant any harm by the comment. And, well, it wasn't like he was wrong.

Satisfied, Grillby moved on, after which Sans explained the video feed to Dipper, who listened, sitting up with rapt attention. "the royal scientist here has a series of surveillance cameras hidden throughout the underground." Though there were certain invasions of privacy that not even the current Royal Scientist would indulge in, so the surveillance he may or may not have hacked into through his cellphone did not cover private rooms, including bathrooms, bedrooms, and hotel rooms.

And since the previous Royal Scientist had never officially terminated his position and he'd never officially withdrawn his employment, he could technically still be considered a lab assistant, and thus, was merely utilizing lab property as an authorized and completely legitimate member of Asgore's R&D department. Wasn't his fault if he was the only member left.

Studying the images, one of which showed the exit to the Ruins, meaning someone watching the feed had seen him break down, seen him vulnerable and pained, Dipper bit out, "Why are you showing me this?"

There was a hungry gleam beneath the righteous anger, amplified by the exhaustion evident in the nervous, jittery way he held himself, and it set Sans' molars on edge.

Here was a kid that wanted to learn all the secrets, solve all the puzzles like that was why they existed, the only reason they existed.

Experience taught Sans that people like that had a tendency to move forward so fast and focused that they crossed lines and stepped over bodies without realizing the damage their insatiable thirst for knowledge was causing, because they never stopped looking forward long enough to spot all the carnage they were leaving in their wake. "it's one less secret for you to find out on your own."

The kid was interested with knowledge, not power, but as the saying went, knowledge was power, and without the possession of the wisdom and experience necessary to wield that power, knowledge could be an unstoppable force of destruction. But if the goal was keeping the kid sane, then Sans' decided that he needed to rethink his role a little. Continuing the current trend of shutting him out and shutting him down would only alienate him, and Sans couldn't guide a kid who didn't want to listen. But there was still time to set him back on the right path. "listen, if there's something else on your mind, something you might want to talk about," the kid glanced up from the cellphone, dark brown eyes widening in disbelief, "i won't judge you for it."

A sharp gasp was heard from behind the kitchen. Sans' swiveled his head in time to spot a shadow ducking down behind the window. As much he would've preferred to go into the back and tease the girl for being such a lousy sneak, he instead pretended he hadn't heard anything. Dipper was so focused on finding the right words to broach the subject that Sans' momentary distraction managed to escape his notice. "The other kids who fell… did any of them start acting weird?"

The lights in Sans' sockets dimmed to the point of near total blackness. He turned away so the boy wouldn't notice. Struggling to keep the strain out of his voice, Sans asked, "…weird?" He coughed lightly into a fist. "think you could be a little more specific for me? none of you rugrats are exactly normal."

"Well, did any of them hear voices? Did they feel…" Frustrated, he blew out a noisy breath, chewing on the end of his pen as his sought to find the correct word. "hollow?"

A harsh grinding forced Sans to realize that his fingertips were digging into the counter, wood curls spring up from the narrow strip he'd carved. Shooting Grillby an apologetic look, he silently swore to pay for it out of his tab, but the flame elemental waved him off.

Taking the strong reaction as a confirmation that Sans knew exactly what he was talking about, Dipper excitedly asked who they were and what happened to them, but quickly found that Sans wasn't interested in talking anymore. "At least tell me if you ever managed to help them?"

"they're all dead, aren't they? what do you think?" Ignoring the surprise and regret blooming across the boy's features, Sans pushed away from the counter, effectively ending the conversation.

When Dipper headed towards the back to retrieve Mabel, Sans crossed to the opposite end of the counter, standing near the jukebox. He watched as the boy tugged his sister from out behind the door, a rapid-fire conversation passing between them. The girl giggled nervously, her posture tense and avoidant where her brother's was unconsciously aggressive, snapping up the ground she surrendered.

Little by little, the balance between them was shifting.

A flickering glow illuminated the surface of the countertop, glittering in the polished varnish. "Not in the mood for pranks today, Sans?" He looked up to see Grillby watching him, radiating subtle waves of concern.

"it's not my mood that's the problem," he hesitated, debating the truth of that statement, before continuing, "but i guess you could say that."

A white, jagged mouth of searing hot fire stretched across Grillby's face, it split open as he uttered a wispy sigh. "This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the two humans you've brought into my restaurant, would it?" Sans' stammered, unable to form a coherent response with his soul sputtering in his chest. "It has been many years since the war, Sans, but the face of a human child is not one I will soon forget."

The bartender had always known about Frisk, Sans realized. That they were human, that they were dangerous. When he found his voice again, he rasped, "why didn't you say anything before?"

"I have seen many sides of humanity. If you believe these children are to be trusted, then I am content to defer to your judgment on this matter."

Unsure of what to say and not trusting his voice, Sans nodded his thanks, hoping Grillby could sense his gratitude without the underlying terror that accompanied it. Grillby and Toriel and Papyrus all believed in him, no matter how many times he insisted that he didn't deserve it. How many times had he guided a maniac through the Underground? How many monsters were dead because he couldn't bring himself to kill Frisk the instant they stepped out of the Ruins?

More often than not, the people who believed in him paid for it.

He stepped away from the bar, intent on leaving. The kids would be fine without him holding their hands for a while. He'd be sure to catch up to them once they crossed into Waterfall.

Dogaressa stepped into his path, "heya, 'ressa, I'm kind of in a hurry, so if you could just move aside-"

"Why haven't you done your job, Sans?" He forced his body remain relaxed as his gaze darted to the side, registering the tense and ready stances of Dogamy and Doggo as they waited, no doubt prepared to interfere if Dogaressa gave the signal.

If things got too hated, Greater Dog might take his side on this, but it wasn't smart to count on assistance he wasn't completely certain was coming. "well, they did stay in the inn. are you sure it's human you're smelling and not-"

She cut him off with a growl. "I have served in the Royal Guard for many years. I was active when the last human fell and I was there when they stole the captain's eye. Do not insult me, skeleton. The stench of a human is not one I would forget."

"and yet, they somehow managed to get past you, didn't they?"

Hackles rising, Dogaressa's lips curled into a snarl. "This is not a joke. Tell me why you came here with those humans. Tell me why they're still alive."

"you know, i've asked myself that question more times than I can count, and do you know what the answer is?" The guardsmen said nothing. "you don't? that's a shame. and here i was hoping you could tell me." He took a tentative forward, gauging the collective reactions of the Canine Unit. "well, this has been a fun talk, but if you've got nothing else for me, then i really need to go-" He sidestepped her, stopping short when Dogaressa swung her ax to block him again. It was beginning to get irritating.

"The pup – no – one of the human children was spotted wearing your brother's clothing. Is Papyrus aware that aiding humans in the Underground is treason?"

That was overstepping, even for the Royal Guard.

"you wouldn't happen to be threatening my bro, would ya?" Ice crept into his words, light faded into shadow. Though her pride as a member of the Royal Guard kept her from backing down, old instincts surfaced, screaming that she was standing in the presence of a predator, and her stern expression wavered, giving way to a fear that shone in the whites of her eyes. "cuz that's kind of what this sounds like." There was a clink of metal as Dogamy shifted his weapon in his paws. Doggo spat out his dog treat, crushing it in a fist. "snowdin's neutral ground, 'ressa. too many innocent bystanders for killing. if that's your mission, then you've already missed your chance."

"I am aware," keeping her tone was steady, she signaled for Dogamy and Doggo to stand down, "but who was it that brought them here?"

After glancing behind to see if either of the children were nearby and seeing no sign of them, which was also worrying but he'd deal with that later, Sans decided it was time to change tactics. Keeping his promise meant he couldn't hand the kids over to the Royal Guard, but he'd never agreed to fight Monsterkind in the interest of protecting humans - it was quite literally the opposite of his job description – and letting Papyrus suffer for his choices was never an acceptable option.

But Dogaressa didn't want to fight. Not really. And that made this easier, because all he had to do was convince her that she didn't have to. "i've got a plan, okay? if I play my cards right, they'll impale themselves on Undyne's spears without me ever needing to lift a finger. why waste energy killing them now when they're already walking to their deaths on their own?"

Dogaressa frowned, considering that. "And what about the extra soul?"

Palms upturned in a careless shrug, Sans said, "what about about 'em? there's nothing wrong with a little extra."

The look she fixed on Sans suggested she actually believed him, believed him and thought him cruel. She'd rip the kids' throats out if she got the chance, but at least she'd be honest about it. And the death would be quick. Maybe even merciful.

Content with his answer for the time being, she turned her back on him, rejoining her comrades at their table. Dogamy gripped her arms, worry evident in his pinched expression as he checked her over. Gently curling her paws around his wrists, Dogaressa assured him that she was perfectly alright.

Almost immediately after Sans attempted once more to leave, the back door slammed shut and he whirled around soundlessly, alert and unsettled as the sound of two bodies scrambling backwards shifted to the panicked footfalls of shoes slapping against planks and then cut off abruptly, becoming muted after the dull thud of another door closing made itself known.

For a moment, Sans stood very still, staring blankly at the swinging back door in disbelief. Then he spat out a curse, turning quickly to stride out the front. Before he could make it out, the three closest members of the Canine Unit stepped in his way again.

"Your role is to report, Sans." Dogaressa reminded him, not unkindly. "We cannot allow a monster with so little HP to pursue two armed and dangerous humans." Even after he insisted, voice quietly controlled and desperate, that he was hardier than they were giving him credit for, Dogaressa refused to budge on the issue.

Sympathizing with the skeleton's apparent desire to finally prove himself a proper sentry, Doggo put a heavy paw on his shoulder. "You can be a real nuisance sometimes, but you're still one of us. Leave the fighting to the fighters, boneman."

Shaking his head, Sans took a step back. It seemed confrontation with other monsters was unavoidable this time around. And as much as he'd like to sit this one out, there were two scared kids running through the Underground, each certain he'd been planning to betray them since the beginning, that everything he'd ever said was one long string of lies, all so he wouldn't have to participate in the dirty work of stealing their souls himself. Things couldn't be allowed to end that way, not if he was never going to see them again.

Pressing a hand against his forehead, Sans huffed a short, miserable laugh. "sorry, guys. i hate to tell you this but… i'm really not giving ya much of a choice here." Doggo's paw slipped through thin air, throwing off his balance as the Canine Unit struggled to process how the short skeleton had managed to vanish before their very eyes.

Leaning against the table, Doggo folded his muscled arms, already regretting having put out his dog treat. "Well, that certainly explains how he always manages to sneak up on me." He frowned, thoughtful. "Don't suppose you think he was telling the truth about leading them to the captain? He seemed awful upset to me."

Dogaressa bared her fangs. "At this point, it doesn't matter. If anything happens to the captain, I will tear his SOUL out with my teeth."

Nodding, Doggo went to fetch the sadly whining Greater Dog, while Dogamy gazed at his wife with gooey, lovestruck eyes.

A/N: Legendiaandmewnia has started a comic for Twintale on their deviantart page! It's very good, so if you're curious, be sure to check them out.

It always struck me as a little odd that Frisk needs to roll in the snow to get past Dogamy and Dogaressa at the beginning, but can walk through Grillby's later without any problems whatsoever. And as for Grillby, well, it's not canon that he's an elemental who fought in the war per se, but it is a very popular fan theory, and I'm a little too in love with his character to have Red Bird do all the talking:)