A sharp contrast to the shadowy nature of True Lab and the sometimes pressuring atmosphere of Hotland, Snowdin is feeling as cheery as ever. The human's feet sink into the snow as they make their way through.
They move on the often stomped paths that are much flatter and easier to stride, the usual route they take through this area. Following the main road, Frisk reaches the house they've promised to visit and knocks on the door without much hesitation.
There's no answer at first, so they go ahead and try the handle. Only when they have the door half open do they hear someone come toward the door, the tall form of Papyrus appearing in front of them.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you were home," they speak, then recognize that what they said now actually sounds worse.
"WORRY NOT, HUMAN! I AM NO LONGER TAKEN ABACK BY YOUR CREEPY BEHAVIOURS," the skeleton affirms with an easy wave of his hand and tugs on his rugged scarf to adjust it slightly.
As the human meets their friend's gaze, a small blush rises to their cheeks due to his comment.
"Is Sans around?"
"MY BROTHER AGAIN?" Papyrus frowns and places his hands on his hips, unhappy about something. "YOU KNOW, IT'S A WASTED EFFORT TO TRY AND FOLLOW HIM AROUND! HE'S ALWAYS UP AHEAD ON YOUR PATH WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT, AND ONLY THEN."
He pauses, as if to size up the human – or that's how it feels, anyway. It's weird to receive such a calculating look from Papyrus.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH HIM, ANYWAY?"
There's no follow up; No "oh, you must be planning a surprise for me!" or a "I hope he isn't teaching you any of his bad habits," or anything else Papyrus would normally follow that question up with. No banter and no tireless optimism, just a plainly laid out question.
Frisk knits their brows, at a pause.
What should they even say here? A complete lie? A half-truth about having some vague plans with him, or having forgotten something in his possession? The truth doesn't even sound like an option, since Sans was very clear about how he wants the human to act.
Since they don't want to stretch the silence any longer, a still silence that they knew will turn awkward very soon, they stumble over a dumb response.
"Oh, I just... I was just wondering," they shrug, keeping eye-contact even if their chin lowers slightly.
"WELL, YOU MAY STOP WONDERING! EVEN THOUGH I JUST SAID HE'S ALWAYS UP AHEAD, TODAY HE'S NOT UP AHEAD AT ALL! ACTUALLY, HE SAID HE COULD BE FOUND AT HIS SENTRY STATION..."
Papyrus lets out an exasperated sigh, the action as exaggerated as his usual expressions.
"THE ONE TIME HE DOESN'T ACTUALLY HAVE TO DO HIS JOB, HE'S AT HIS POST. SOMETIMES I REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND HIM!"
Upon getting their answer, the human smiles and nods to Papyrus, some tension that they didn't know they were holding getting released from their shoulders.
"Thanks."
As they're about to turn and head off, another comment from the younger skeleton brother gains their attention.
"HUMAN, I KEEP WONDERING ABOUT SOMETHING! YOU KNOW, BEING A HANDSOME SKELETON MONSTER AND ALL, THE COLD DOESN'T REALLY GET TO ME. BUT YOU, IN NOTHING BUT THAT SWEATER, SHOULD BE FREEZING! SNOWDIN IS NO PLACE TO STAY FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME IF YOU AREN'T PREPARED!"
They spin back to him, blinking several times.
"Well, uh, this is a thick sweater. But I guess I get a little cold sometimes," they allow, shrugging as they do. No one's really pointed out they're a little underdressed before this.
"AS MUCH AS I HATE TO SAY THIS, BUT SINCE YOU AGREE... MAYBE YOU SHOULD STAY IN WATERFALL OR HOTLAND INSTEAD. NOT BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE YOU LIVING HERE! BECAUSE I DO–IT'S HARD TO FIND PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY LIKE MY COOKING! I JUST WORRY FOR YOUR HEALTH, HUMAN!"
They frown deeply now, shoulders tensing all over again. What?
"Or... I could just get a warm coat?" they try, suspicious over the strange statement. Papyrus wanting them to move is coming out of the blue. The fact that he didn't even suggest just getting some warm clothes is putting the human on edge.
Papyrus stares for a second or so, before responding in an even louder voice:
"RIGHT! OR THAT! WARMER CLOTHING, OF COURSE! WHAT A BRILLIANT IDEA!"
Upon shouting that, arms flying up in a seemingly excited gesture, Papyrus spins on his heels and heads upstairs.
"THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS ON IT, LITTLE HUMAN! I SHALL CREATE YOU SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING AS A TOKEN OF OUR FRIENDSHIP!"
He's already halfway up the stairs when the human gets a word in, still completely taken aback.
"Oh no, Papyrus, you don't have to do that!" they assure immediately, worried they're bringing him too much trouble.
"IT'S ALRIGHT! I HAVE VERY LITTLE TO DO NOW THAT WE'VE DECIDED NOT TO CAPTURE YOU, ANYWAY... BESIDES MY TRAINING AND COOKING LESSONS, OF COURSE!" he responds once he's right outside his room, then tilts his head as he opens the door. "YOU SHOULD GO AHEAD AND LOOK FOR SANS IF YOU WANT TO CATCH HIM! I IMAGINE HE WON'T BE WHERE HE IS NOW FOR VERY LONG!"
They still hover in the doorframe, though they've opened the door all the way and let go of the handle. Now they reach for it again, trying to smile at Papyrus despite their ongoing confusion.
"Okay, well... Thank you again, Papyrus. See you later."
"YOU TOO, HUMAN! DON'T STAY OUT TOO LONG! I'VE HEARD HUMANS CATCH 'THE COLD' EASILY... FUNNY, I DIDN'T KNOW IT NEEDED TO BE CAUGHT BEFORE LEARNING THAT! OR MAYBE I LEARNT THE SAYING WRONG AND THE COLD CATCHES YOU INSTEAD?"
Papyrus ponders on it for a moment before adding:
"MY POINT IS, DON'T LET IT CATCH YOU! IT DOESN'T SOUND VERY PLEASANT!"
Frisk chuckles, then waves before exiting the house completely, the door pulled closed after them.
After they've gone, Papyrus hovers by the door of his room like the human had at the other one moments before. His thoughts haven't been given any rest today.
What is Sans talking about with the human? Why are they doing it privately?
His gaze lowers, the worst possibility rising up into his 'throat' again. Not that, he thinks, anything but that.
After another while of wallowing in that anxious thought, he breathes out and calms himself in that one action. No, it's not likely they're talking about that. He's reaching.
Reassured, for now, he turns to enter his room.
.
The way to Sans' sentry station is much longer than the human remembers. By the time it comes into their view, they sigh out of relief, bursting into a light jog to close the rest of the distance quickly. The snow crunches happily below their boot-covered feet.
As their angle on the wooden table with a snowy rooftop changes, Sans shows in their field of vision. He's tilting his chair back with his foot propped on the edge of the table, an open magazine in one hand and a bottle of ketchup in the other.
On the table, there's another bottle – this one mustard – and a half-eaten plate of what looks like nuggets of some kind. The human slows down as they reach the station, eyes roaming over the scene. Their breath is slightly heavier from the exercise, forming puffy clouds of vapor in the air.
"you made it, kid. took ya a while. i got bored of waitin'," he eventually grins, lowering the magazine and folding it in half with his finger still marking the page.
As Frisk looks at the magazine again, they realize it is a car magazine, like someone at Grillby's had told them once (or twice). It's clearly from the human world, too.
"Not all of us can just teleport," the human points out in mock-defiance. Sans shrugs at that as he tosses the magazine into a compartment under the tabletop.
"maybe you could learn," he simply states, now lowering his chair to the ground and pulling his foot off the table while he does. "it's not that difficult once you get used to it."
Frisk instinctually adjusts their stance to a wary one, unused to this kind of open attitude. They don't want to push their luck by commenting on it, though.
"I could learn if you'd teach me," they tried instead, smirking. Sans shakes his head.
"nah, that's too much work. but i can comply enough to show you," he states, then gestures for Frisk to come over with a flick of his skull. They try their best to not let the enthusiasm show on their face as they make their way around the table.
"fair warning. this won't be anything like walking you through walls or doorways," he says calmly once Frisk is standing by his chair. They blink at him, unsure what he means. That is, until the world around them feels like its being swallowed and shifted.
Sans warned them, sure, but there had been no further comment on what he would do and when. So when everything goes dark aside from the human, Sans and his sentry station... All sound disappears as well as all smell, taste and sensation... They almost go into a panic.
Luckily, that moment of complete blackness stops as quickly as it had started, and a warmth floods their skin and the smell and taste of ash and heat fills their senses. The sounds of bubbling, flowing and crackling lava can be heard behind them. They're aware of all of that much more than usual for the following seconds.
Frisk stumbles back, unaware they were out of breath until they get to inhale it in deep gulps again.
"oops, did i do it too fast?" Sans asks, voice more amused than concerned. After catching their breath, the human stands shakily and frowns at him.
"Nevermind, I don't think I want to learn that..." they whine indignantly. "It was scary!"
"hey, suit yourself. it's an easy way to get around. i never really have to walk if i don't want to," Sans supplies, still unaffected by all of that, hands sliding casually into his coat pockets.
"What was that, anyway?" they ask, glancing around them to see none of Sans' usual hot dog patrons around, despite being at his 'stand' in Hotland. "What was that weird place?"
"uhh, well..." Sans blinks, as if he would need to, averting his gaze to try and put together a sufficient explanation. "i did explain to you that that room my equipment is in is in another dimension, right? well, it's sorta-kinda the same thing here. except not."
"That... That explained nothing," the human replies, deadpan. They're as confused as they were a moment ago. Sans sighs.
"what i did just now is shifting between dimensions. but i can only do that because those dimensions have been layered in a convenient way," he explains again, this time pulling his left hand out to make vague gestures in the air. Now the human looks less puzzled.
"So it's kind of, like... You're finding gaps in reality," they soon reply, managing to put it into words that suits their mental image. Sans' expression seems to brighten even if there's very little change in it. Maybe it's the slight raise of his chin.
"exactly. hey, you're smarter than you look, kiddo."
They don't know whether to feel praised or insulted, so they ignore the comment altogether.
"But the sentry station..." they start, pointing at the structure. Sans' eyes follow the motion. "I know it's also in Waterfall and Snowdin. I've went back and checked... But it is the exact same station, right? So..."
"...so, it's like that room, yeah. i've placed it between dimensions. that's why it's a great gateway, by the way," he starts, then shifts his position again, now folding his arms on the table. "didnt know ya were so into all this stuff."
The human circles back to the other side of the station to properly face him.
"To be honest, I don't think I'd be into the details. But humans can't teleport, you know? So it's really cool to me," they explain, almost bashful by the end. "And I haven't seen any other monsters doing that either. So that makes this even more special."
There's a moment of silence and Sans seems lost in thought for the second time. Then, he waves his hand casually.
"cool comes in handy when you live in a place half-filled with lava," he soon replies, then a beat later he adds: "but are you sure you dont know any other monster who can do something similar?"
The question, like many of Sans' questions lately, gives the human pause.