After a pause in the conversation, you decide to ask Sans if he knows anything about the golden flower you mentioned in your dreams.

This time, Sans seems ready for it. You don't see his expression shift at all, however he looks at you curiously. "Why…? Have you seen a real flower like the one in your dreams?"

You hesitate, thinking on how to respond. Sans is still watching you thoughtfully. You nod.

Now Sans hesitates… but his grin doesn't flinch or change a bit. Gosh, he was making it very hard to read him…

"Yeah, kid…" He finally says, bringing his fingers together in a folded position on the table. "I believe I have seen this same flower before…"

After another pause and seeing as Sans won't elaborate anymore without encouragement, you ask again what he knows about it.

He shrugs but now his gaze it looking off in the distance. "What is there to say, really? It was a flower… It would come and it would leaf…" He pauses as you scoff at his need to insert puns even on a serious note. "I just figured it was a flower doing its own thing. So I paid it no special notice, really."

You felt a bit surprised. You clarified with him that he really didn't find it off putting for a flower that could move around and talk on its own?

"Talk…?" Sans' gaze shifted back to you and fixated more intently. "It spoke to you?"

You nod again.

"Hmmm…" Sans was now leering at the table. "Just like my bro…" He mumbled. Before you can respond to his small comment to himself he inputs. "But see, kid, a moving flower isn't too out of the ordinary for me, I s'pose. With magic festering in the Underground, it makes logic sense that something like that could happen, don't you think?"

You nod slowly, even though you aren't convinced that a moving, talking flower would have been thought of as normal, even to magic-wielding monsters.

From Sans comment about his brother, Papyrus, you are suddenly making a new connection in your head. All those years ago… when you and Sans went to Grillby's and he mentioned that an echo flower would whisper back words of encouragement to Papyrus… perhaps that wasn't an echo flower? Perhaps…

"What's with that look, buddy?" Sans asks.

You sheepishly shrug and shake it off. Seems that Sans has nothing else to say… or just won't say it.

You both sit there silently waiting for your meal to arrive. You take your silverware and mess with it playfully in your fingers. The soft light of the candle reflects off of it beautifully and you smile to yourself. You look up to see Sans watching you with an amused smile. You set the silverware down, blushing a bit.

The food arrives, along with two glasses of water. The waiter wishes you both to enjoy your meal. Immediately (and before the waiter can finish talking) Sans grabs for the ketchup bottle and dunks half of it onto his plate. The waiter leaves, looking back at the pair of you in an odd manner.

You giggle. You are use to Sans getting this sort of reaction out of people at restaurants.

You are about to ask Sans if he could pass the ketchup to you when you see he is already downing the rest of the bottle into his open jaws. Oh well…

"Well, kid." He says, wiping some of the ketchup off the corner of his mouth. "Here's to another year of life!" He holds up the empty ketchup bottle in a gesture to toast.

You chuckle at him, and explain that its bad luck to toast on an empty glass (or bottle, in this case).

He grins at you. "Ah, but bad luck has nothing on you." He gives you a friendly wink. "But I guess for your sakes…" He picks up his water glass, as you do the same with yours. "Cheers!"

The glasses clank softly. You take a big gulp of the cold water and grin. Looking back, it seems Sans already drank all of his glass. That skeleton was something else…

…

The two of you eat your meal in between casual talk and punny jokes. Then as the sun starts to set, Sans covers the bill and escorts you out.

"Shall we?" He offers his arm to you. You smile stupidly at him. What a gentleman. You secretly hope he'll treat you like this more, not just on your birthday.

You wrap your arm around his and the two of you head back to the neighborhood.

…

(From here, go to Ch. 67 to await for the party tonight)