Ladies, gentlemen, and all other persuasions of internet goers, allow me to give you the next installment of Undertale Origins! It only took twice as long as I thought it would like it always does.

This time, we approach the history of the Underground from a different angle, one that will be a bit lighter and a bit more upbeat than most of other things that I've written so far, as you will hopefully come to see in the coming weeks. At this point though, I won't say any more than that.

Enjoy.

Undertale Origins: Grillby

Part 1: A Day in the Life

(1)

"Remind me again who came up with this stupid idea," Jani said as he pulled his head away from the wall to look over the group's progress. His tongue shot out to taste the air and he regretted immediately as the odor of paint chemicals threatened to overwhelm him. What the heck do they make the stuff out of, he thought to himself as he blinked away tears, death?

Teresa turned away from the wall and regarded Jani with a puzzled look. It was a look that he often believed was permanently fixed onto the dark-furred canine's face, the lower half of which was currently covered by a cloth. Not in order to disguise herself, as she had been convinced, but to protect her oversensitive nose from the fumes. Jani was beginning to regret not using one himself.

"Wasn't it your idea, Jani?" the wolf monster questioned in response. Her voice had the uncanny ability of sounding sweet and terrifying at the same time.

Jani smirked at her words. "Ah, no wonder why I like it so much."

"Does this mean you two are done?" Hannah asked as she flew back down to where the rest of their group was clustered around the wall. The blue feathered bird dropped her now empty paint can to the ground with a clatter as she landed next to Jani and Teresa. Her normally kind golden eyes looked up at them with a light of worry in the darkness of the city's night. "Guard patrol is going to be here in just a few minutes," she told them.

Jani rested his hands behind his head and looked up at their handiwork again. "I think we're pretty much done. Right, Teresa?" The wolf nodded in agreement to the snake monster as she stepped away from the wall as well.

Verdict reached, Jani slithered over to a pair of shaprly-dressed figures leaning against the side of a building on the other side of the street. One was crouched, arms resting on his knees. The other stood like a statue, his form giving off a soft light as watched his friends work. "What do you think, G?" Jani asked the standing figure. "Is it up to your satisfaction?"

Before the monster could answer, the other figure stood. "I still think this is a bit much, Grillby," he said. "Some of the other stuff I can understand, but this is just asking to have trouble brought down onto the city, not just us."

Grillby pulled his gaze from the group's achievement for the night and turned to his friend. "A little too late to take it back now, don't you think?" he said. The light of his friend's eyes shifted to the ground. "Besides," Grillby went on, pushing himself from the wall and straightening his tie. "Trouble is what we're asking for, remember?" He turned back to Jani and the others. "Great job guys, your parents would be proud."

"That was a bad joke the first time you said it," Jani reminded him.

Hannah flew over to them and landed on a sill over their heads. "Guard's just around the corner," she said. "Might wanna start moving before they see you, Grillby."

The fire monster nodded. "Alright, everyone scatter. Keep your ears to the ground for news and meet at the usual place tomorrow night." His friends all nodded to him and disappeared into the night. All but one who still stared worriedly at the ground. He had not raised his voice in protest again, but Grillby knew his friend well enough to know that he was not convinced.

The monster walked over to the skeleton and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry so much, Gaster," he reassured his friend. "Everything will work out."

Gaster's eyes reached up to meet Grillby's glasses and he tried and failed to hide a grin from his friend. "Now how many times have I heard that one before?"

"Trust me," Grillby went on. He tossed his arm around the skeleton and began to lead him down the street. "This is only the beginning. And things will only get better from here."