Pre-Chapter Notes: This upload officially puts us into the double digits! Thanks to everyone who's enjoying this story. It means a lot that we've managed to strike a chord with a few people. It really does. We hope our writing continues to improve as we delve further into our take on this weird and wonderful universe.
Again, thank you all for the amazing support.
Chapter 10: Warmth Among the Snow
"Welcome to Snowdin." Lily read the sign off for Frisk before continuing sarcastically. "Wow… such an original name! Don't you think so, Frisk?" She turned her attention to her friend, only to see him walking down the path, sniffing the air like a bloodhound. He'd completely ignored her! She wasn't sure how to feel about that. "Hey wait for me!"
"I smell something, Lily." The words were accompanied by a loud growl from his stomach. "It smells sooo good! Come on! It's gotta be close!" Frisk's weariness took a backseat to his hunger, as he started jogging down the path, passing building after building as he followed the scent.
"No, wait- you're gonna get hurt- watch out for- F-Frisk, slow down!" Lily darted after him, doing her best to keep him from tripping or running into anyone.
A few monsters walking about the village turned to look at the strange child running into the village but thought little of it and returned to their business. Kids will be kids after all. After a few minutes, he stopped dead in his tracks before one of the buildings nestled in the center of the village; a brick building with lounge-like windows. By now, Lily could smell it too, and Frisk was right. Her own mouth started to water.
"It's called… Grillby's." She read the large sign spread below the roof, written in large, bold lettering. "Let's go inside!"
Frisk fumbled a little along the wooden door before eventually finding the handle and pulling it open. A blast of warm air greeted the two children, and the delicious scent intensified, beckoning them inside. Frisk graciously accepted the invitation and stepped slowly into the building, Lily following closely behind.
The children weren't sure what to expect to find inside, but what they were met with turned out to be a perfectly normal looking bar and grill. Wood flooring with tables of varying sizes, booths against the wall, a neon sign bearing the establishment's name hanging over a currently silent jukebox. All of it under the soft lighting of evenly placed lamps on the walls. Lily even recognized a few of the patrons gathered in one corner: it was the members of the dog clan.
"Grr… damn it, Greater!" Frisk recognized the voice of Doggo over the hum of the crowd. "This is totally unfair. How can I tell if you're bluffing if you don't move."
They didn't seem to notice the humans' entry. All five (or rather, four. Lesser seemed to be playing by himself) were fully invested in their current card game. Lily's gaze fell upon the figure manning the bar, who was currently in the process of wiping down an empty mug. It was vaguely man-shaped but its body seemed to be made entirely out of fire. A pair of spectacles framed his face where his eyes might have been and he wore the typical attire of a barman or waiter.
"I think that fire guy is the owner. No one else seems to be working here." Lily said.
"A fireman?" Frisk asked, confusedly.
"No, I mean he's actually fire." Lily said. "Like… living fire."
Frisk stopped in place at her description of the owner. He wrapped his arms around himself, shuddering despite the comforting warmth of the tavern. He was starting to regret coming in here now. Lily seemed to notice this and drifted over to his side. She took his had gently in hers and squeezed.
"Hey…" She soothed. "Jeez… you really don't like fire, do you?"
Frisk said nothing. He simply squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.
"It'll be alright, I think." She said gently. "I mean, there's wood all around us and nothing's burning. Even his clothes aren't burning. I don't think he'll hurt you."
Frisk still didn't move. He sniffled a little, and Lily could tell he was torn. He didn't want to go back outside to the cold and hunger but he was too afraid to go on. She wondered if she really should have told him about the man of fire or not.
"I'm scared…" He said, barely above a whisper.
"Listen…" She wrapped her arms around him. "Just… think of it like a fireplace. You know, like the one in Home, back when we were staying with Mom. Remember how warm and gentle it was when we sat in front of it while she read to us? You weren't scared then, right? And besides… he's a monster too. All the ones we've met have been nice once we got to know them." Well, barring that dangerous stunt Papyrus almost pulled, but she wasn't going to bring that up. He'd decided not to anyway, so he must have realized in the end what he was doing. "And besides, I know you're hungry. Maybe he can make us something to eat."
Frisk thought about that for a moment. He was scared… he'd always been afraid of fire for as long as he could remember. But Lily was right. In a way, maybe a 'living' fire was better than a normal one. A normal fire just consumed without any regard for the pain or destruction it caused. But wouldn't a fire that could think, that could feel, be a little more discerning? His stomach growled in agreement to that thought.
He steeled his nerves and put one foot in front of the other, slowly approaching the bar. Lily helped him find one of the stools and he climbed into it. The fiery bartender looked down at the strange boy that wandered inside his bar, crackling slightly. Frisk shrunk a little from the sound but forced himself to stay put.
"Grillbz says, 'what are you having?'" Said a voice to the left.
An echoing sigh seemed to resound from somewhere in the fire monster's vicinity, but he said nothing.
"Um…" Frisk began fearfully. "What… is there?"
"Whasamatter, kid? Can't ya read?" Said the same voice, belonging to a bird like monster with bright red plumage lounging in a stool to their left. Lily glared at him, even though she knew he couldn't see it.
Another sigh. "…Enough, Red…" Grilby's voice was light and airy, almost like a whisper.
"Eh, sorry Grillbz." The bird monster said, chastened by only those two simple words.
"…Are you alright…?" Grillby asked.
"Um… I…" Frisk gulped. "I'm fine…"
The man of fire nodded, realizing it would probably be best to keep his space. That was fine anyway… he wasn't much for talking. Instead, he pulled out an old fashioned looking menu from behind the counter. Though it seemed to be made of simple paper, it did not burn when his flaming hands touched it. He placed it on the counter and slid it over to the boy.
"Let's see…" Lily looked over it. "Burgers, fries, grilled sandwiches… it looks like pretty standard food for a place like this. It all looks pretty good though."
"I- I guess I'll have a… burger?" Frisk asked meekly. The man of fire nodded, and moved around the bar before disappearing through a door leading into what Lily assumed to be the kitchen area. Frisk exhaled, feeling the tension lift from his shoulders. Lily smiled at him.
"See? You did good." She said softly.
They waited in silence, Lily hovering next to Frisk who kicked his legs under the stool, to try to keep himself active. The warm tavern and the gentle hum of conversation melded with his own exhaustion, making him feel rather drowsy. He fought hard to stay awake but caught his head falling limp every so often.
Luckily, it did not take long for Grillby to return with the requested meal. He sat the warm plate down in front of the boy and backed away, moving to chat with another customer. Lily was impressed. He'd not been gone but two minutes and yet the patty looked like it had spent about half an hour simmering on a charbroiler. The scent was mouth watering. Even the bun looked to have been lightly toasted.
"That looks good." Lily said. "Hey Frisk, can I…"
Frisk turned to her tiredly and gave a little nod. Lily smiled and took his hand, letting herself share his body and his senses. The fatigue hit her even harder like this, but she didn't mind. It was comfortable, in a way… a different sort of warmth than the bar. Frisk took a small bite of the meal to test the waters and was pleased. It was just as succulent as it smelled. And the flavor, while somehow different from the burgers he'd tasted on the surface was every bit as good as the ones he knew. Maybe even better.
He ate slowly, forcing himself to avoid devouring the thing in a only a few bites. Monster food may disperse into magic upon swallowing, but he wasn't about to risk eating too fast if the other rules still applied. Eventually, he finished his meal, immensely satisfied with the pleasantly full feeling it left in his stomach.
"That was good." Lily said in his head.
'Yeah…' Frisk replied wordlessly.
He lifted a hand to his mouth as a yawn forced its way out. With his hunger sated, there was little else keeping him awake. This time, he gave in, folding his arms in front of him and laying his head down on the bar. He couldn't even find the strength to be scared anymore, even with Grillby wiping down the countertop only a few feet away.
"Frisk… maybe we…" Lily began, feeling the boy's encroaching sleep weighing on her as well.
'I'm sorry…' He said softly to his companion. 'I'm so… sleepy.'
Lily sighed, and Frisk caught the scent of her apple-cinnamon affection. It made him smile. "Alright… just, let me out okay? Just so I can keep an eye on you."
''Kay…' Frisk said, managing to concentrate just enough to allow Lily to materialize at his side.
Vaguely, he felt the urge to ask 'what about you' but his mind barely had enough strength to even form the sentiment. That was fine with Lily… she would have an opportunity to sleep later. She could stay awake for this, surely.
Grillby took a bottle down from the shelf and turned back to the bar, noticing the young child resting his head next to the empty plate. If anyone could read the facial expressions of fire, they would have seen a smile from the burning barman. Lily watched as he quietly took the plate, taking care not to disturb Frisk and placed it aside. He could collect the payment later.
Lily couldn't help but smile at Grillby and his desire not to disturb Frisk. She'd have to make sure to tell the boy later. It might ease some more of his fear of the fire man. She carefully positioned herself on the stool next to Frisk to watch the other customers. Her eyes scanned the patrons as she took everything in, taking advantage of her invisibility to look for any that might seem threatening. Fortunately nothing out of the ordinary caught her eye. A random boy sleeping at the bar drew a lot less attention than she thought it would.
Frisk made a small noise, drawing the ghostly girl's attention. His arms shifted and his head turned toward her, but he otherwise didn't stir. Smiling softly she brushed the loose brown hair from in front of his eyes before turning back to her watch. She stifled a yawn of her own; the bars comforting warmth had begun to wear her down as well. Her head drooped and eventually fell to her chest as weariness began to take her.
It lasted only a moment before a scraping noise caused her to jolt awake. She turned to the sound just in time to see Greater Dog tromping over to the bar where they sat. The large canine tilted his head slightly, not giving Lily any time to warn her friend before his arms reach beneath Frisk's arms and lifted him up. With a surprised cry, Lily reached instinctively for her friend but stopped when Frisk reached up and stroked the familiar coat of fur. He gave a sleepy laugh as Greater carried him back to the dog table.
Lily followed close behind as the armored dog set the boy down in the chair between Doggo and himself. Being between the two furry monsters made Frisk feel extra toasty, which he was grateful for. The boy waved softly to Lesser, Dogaressa and Dogamy, and gave Greater another pet, before snuggling up to Doggo's side. The ever alert dog blinked a few times before giving a long grin of his own. It wasn't moving, but he could feel it, so he knew it was there. Lily gave a little 'aww' at the adorable scene before floating over to re-adjust Frisks arms so he wouldn't be hunched over as awkwardly.
They stayed like this for a while before the door to the entrance was suddenly flung open and a loud voice called into the bar. "HELLO! HAS ANYONE SEEN MY BROTHER SANS?! HE IS NOT AT HIS-" Papyrus stopped when he noticed the mop of brown hair nestled in between two fluffy white dogs. "HUMAN? IS THAT YOU?" The skeleton squinted a little. "IT IS, ISN'T IT?! WOWIE, YOU MUST BE TIRED!"
Papyrus rushed over to the dog clan's table without a thought, but stopped short when a few of them turned warning growls in his direction . Lily herself did a very good impression of a growl as well. She hadn't forgotten what Papyrus almost did to Frisk. Papyrus shuffled uncomfortably. "PLEASE, I ONLY WISH TO MAKE THE HUMAN FEEL BETTER! IT IS NOT GOOD FOR THE BONES FOR ONE TO SLEEP HUNCHED OVER LIKE THIS!"
"It's okay..." Frisk whispered, having been woken by Papyrus' loud entry. The boy lifted his head up and rubbed his eyes with his sleeve before reaching up to sooth the growling masses of fur. He looked sleepily toward Lily who smiled sheepishly. "A place to sleep sounds really good..."
"THEN IT IS DECIDED! COME TINY HUMAN! YOU SHALL REST AT THE HOME OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS! THERE WILL BE TIME TO DO A CAPTURING ONCE YOU'VE RECOVERED!" Papyrus darted to the other side of the table and, more gentle than one would think someone made of bone would be capable of, picked up Frisk and held him to his boney chest. Frisk gripped his shoulders with a little smile. "WHERE IS YOUR INVISIBLE FRIEND, HUMAN? SHE IS WELCOME TOO!"
"Lily? She's here." Frisk said groggily, and the ghost girl approached. Frisk waved his free hand around her general area. "See? No worries…"
"ALRIGHTY THEN! LET US GO! TIME FOR A NAP!"
Sans' eyesockets opened and the lights within flickered on as he slowly came to consciousness.
"Must've nodded off for a bit." He muttered, pushing himself off the tree trunk he'd been resting against.
Papyrus would surely give him an earful if he'd seen where he was resting. The thought made Sans grin a little wider… Paps always did look out for him. The short skeleton twisted his neck about to loosen the joints, causing bit of snow to fall from the pile that had begun to accumulate on his head. He thought about leaving the rest there… too much effort to clear it, not much personal reason and he'd already begun to think of all the ways he could use this for comedy. But then, there was something he did have reason to do and walking around the workshop while leaking melting snow on sensitive equipment was just asking for trouble. He brushed it off.
By now, the kid would have reached the town, he figured. He should be able to get there without much fuss. Stretching his limbs a little more, Sans concentrated on the flow of his magic, calculated the distance, accounting for both elevation and obstacles, and finally gravitational pull. Then, he lifted a foot from the forest floor, and sat it down in the fresh snow before the door to his workshop.
Rummaging around his hoodie pocket he fished out what he was looking for: a silver key, glowing almost imperceptibly with magic. He inserted it into the lock, opened the door and stepped inside.
Just as he'd left it… or will leave it. As far as this room was concerned he could have been gone a second or a century and it would not have mattered. Time had no meaning in this place. Made it perfect for his purposes. He approached the recess containing his workspace.
"registration: sans serif." Sans said as if reciting a script. "commence chromatis identification."
A strange whirr resounded from the other side of the wall before a hidden compartment along slid open, and a strange machine emerged from within. It was circular and metallic, borne by a number of cables suffused with the skeleton's own magic and tinged blue. A crystalline lens was set in the center, making it look almost like the eye of an insect.
Sans placed his own left eye up to the lens, closing the socket briefly. When he opened it again, the eye was different. It swirled trichroically between cyan, yellow, and the barest wisps of purple, emitting tongues of energy in these same colors. The machine went to work, firing out hundreds of miniscule blue beams in quick succession as it scanned the magical structure of Sans' eye. It took only a couple of seconds before the machine gave a confirming chime and retracted.
Upon the opposite wall, more tiles shifted to reveal a sophisticated looking terminal with a holographic keyboard baring strange symbols in place of letters. Sans approached it and began scrolling through the numerous files stored within. The earliest ones were from the mid 21Xs… those had to do with the flower, though he didn't figure that out until much later. The rest were a jumbled mess of non-sequential timestamps. Some entries even took place at the exact same time but in completely different locations. That was the kid.
He stopped when he got to one of the last entries, bearing the latest registered timestamp. These weren't written by Sans. He still couldn't read them… the cipher was incredibly sophisticated. He knew the kid had written these somewhen in the previous timeline. It was hard to believe that sweet little child could create something like this. Then again, there were a lot of things Frisk did that he didn't seem capable of. Either way, there was little doubt. What was it he was trying to say?
He figured for a moment that maybe he simply wasn't meant to read them if it wasn't for that last line… the one that was plainly written without a cipher, clearly meant for his eye:
I'm sorry.
That was it. Two words, and the rest was hidden beneath these new symbols. Sans could probably decode them, given enough time but it would likely take months to unravel the pattern and create a codex on his own and who knows what could happen by the time he did? That left only one option; get the kid himself to decode the message so they could solve this mystery, but that had its own set of problems. Until Sans knew the nature of Frisk's (allegedly) missing memories, he doubted the boy could do much in that regard. For now, all he could do was transfer the new data he'd gathered, to preserve it. For one thing, the kid's haunting was certainly an interesting development. None of the other records showed anything about her… and Sans had been through this too much to believe in coincidences.
He created a new file in the folder for this timeline and transferred the information he'd written down. He made sure to mark all information pertaining to Frisk's mysterious friend as 'Vital', before saving the document and dismissing the terminal. He wiped his forehead and sighed, relieved to have that over with. It was only then he realized how late it had gotten. Or rather, how late it was before he came in here. Papyrus would likely be wondering where he was and why he wasn't at his post but it was almost the end of his shift anyway.
He stepped out of the timeless room and locked the door quietly behind him. He was about to turn the corner and head around to the front door when he suddenly heard the loud crunching of snow from the other side. The short skeleton flattened himself against the wall and peaked around. Sure enough, there was Papyrus, heading home after making his rounds, but Sans hadn't expected who he saw with him.
The kid was curled up in his brother's bony arms, head resting on the cloth of Papyrus' tattered scarf. Poor little guy looked exhausted. Again, he found himself wondering: was that really the same boy who had written that strange message? Papyrus shifted his bundle who mumbled sleepily as he moved to open the door to the house he shared with Sans before stepping inside and closing it behind him.
Sans waited for about five minutes before stepping out from his hiding place and heading for the door himself. He took a deep breath and put on the most casual grin he could muster (which wasn't hard) and stepped inside.
"honey, i'm home." He chuckled when he saw Papyrus laying Frisk down on their plush green couch.
"SANS-!" Papyrus just barely managed to stop himself from outright shouting at his brother's entry. He continued at a volume surprisingly quiet for him. "SANS…! SHHH…! THE HUMAN IS ASLEEP NOW. WE MUSTN'T WAKE IT UP."
"think that one's a male human, paps." Sans corrected quietly.
"REALLY? HMM… THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN AWKWARD." Papyrus said. "BUT THEN, HOW DID YOU KNOW, BROTHER?"
"meh. guess i just feel it in my bones." Sans grinned and Papyrus grimaced. "anyways, guess you finally captured one, huh?"
"OF COURSE NOT. THE GREAT PAPYRUS CANNOT CAPTURE A HUMAN THIS WAY! HE MUST REST FIRST. THAT IS WHY I BROUGHT HIM AND HIS INVISIBLE FRIEND HERE, TO OUR AMAZING HOME."
Sans walked further inside and took a good look at the kid. He was tiny. Their couch might have been pretty spacious but curled up like he was, the boy barely took up a fifth of the thing. That trek through the forest along with everything else must have worn him down big time. His little body was probably running on determination alone by the end there. Sans caught a faint, familiar smell and grinned a little wider.
'grillby's eh? you got good taste, kiddo.' Sans thought.
Papyrus rushed up the stairs as quietly as he was able, returning a few seconds later with a blanket under his arm. With a single fluid motion he unraveled it and covered up the young human. Frisk shifted in response, gripping the fabric unconsciously and wrapping it around himself.
"went through the whole forest in one go." Sans said. "tough little guy, huh?"
"NYEH HEH HEH! THAT HE IS! AND HIS INVISIBLE GIRL-FRIEND WAS MOST HELPFUL WITH ONE OF MY PUZZLES!" Sans snorted at his brother's choice of words.
Lily on the other hand blushed furiously from where she lay next to Frisk, above the blanket, but still feeling the warmth through her friend. She'd been listening to the brothers talk ever since Sans had come in. In her mind she knew the tall skeleton probably didn't mean for it to sound like that but it didn't make it any less embarrassing. She had to admit though… Papyrus was much kinder than she'd given him credit for. How many people would actually allow someone they meant to capture take time to rest – and in their own home no less? He was certainly unique.
Sans too, to be honest. Now that she thought about it he always did seem to be there, throughout their entire trip through the forest. The most he'd done to try to stop them was that little word search and even then it felt like he really didn't care if it was done or not. He was mysterious, but he didn't seem to be a bad guy.
'A lazybones maybe, but then, so is Frisk.' The thought brought a smile to her lips as she huddled in next to her sleeping friend. The brothers' conversation faded into a haze as her own weariness began to catch up with her. 'It should be okay if I sleep a little, right…? We'll be okay here… we'll be… okay…' Frisk's warmth, combined with that of the blanket rapidly drained the consciousness from her spectral form and before long, she too had fallen into a deep, warm slumber.
Frisk grunted in protest as wakefulness began to force itself on him. The warmth felt so nice to his overexerted body, and he tried to will himself back to sleep. Who knew trekking through the snow like they had would leave him so tired? After a few moments, he decided to give up, cursing the realm of dreams for kicking him out like that. Still, even if he had to stay awake, he wasn't quite ready to leave the coziness of the blanket just yet. He snuggled deeper into it, his arms tightening around Lily.
Wait... Lily?
His mind came to attention when he finally noticed Lily's ruddy brown hair lying against his chest. His right arm was trapped beneath her while his left draped across her spectral form. He must have turned in his sleep and Lily just decided to use him as her own pillow. The thought caused a small blush to appear on his cheeks.
'So… that's what she looks like when she's sleeping…' He turned his attention away from his dozing friend and toward the end of the couch where he felt something shifting.
The scent of... something... like cologne, reached his nose, and his face wrinkled from the strong scent. "Hello? Who's there?"
Using the same 'quietness' from last night, Papyrus spoke up. "IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS! HOW DID YOU SLEEP? SANS WARNED ME YOU MIGHT BE OUT FOR AWHILE! ARE YOU FEELING BETTER?"
Frisk grimaced slightly at the volume but replied anyway. "I do feel a lot better. Still kind of sore… but better. Thank you Papyrus." The boy shifted slightly to slide Lily off of him so he could sit up. The sleepy groan she gave in response caused him to giggle quietly. It was cute.
"I AM HAPPY YOU ARE FEELING BETTER! WHAT ABOUT YOUR FRIEND? I SAW YOU HOLDING SOMETHING SO I AM GUESSING IT WAS HER?" Papyrus asks innocently.
Frisk chuckled, turning his attention back to the tall skeleton. "Yeah that was her. She's still sleeping. Which is kind of surprising, since she's normally awake before me." Lifting up his arms, he stretched before shaking the stiffness out of his joints. "Hey Papyrus. Do you have a sink I could use? I'd like to wash my face."
"YES! WE HAVE A SINK IN THE KITCHEN AND ONE IN THE WASHROOM. IT IS UNDER THE STAIRS." He replied happily as Frisk slid himself off the couch.
"Thanks! Uh.." He gently called his SOUL forth to look at Papyrus. "Could you point me in the right direction?"
It was the first time he'd actually seen the skeleton. He had something of an idea from when Papyrus had carried him on his shoulders through the tile changing maze but now he really got to see him. He still wore his battle-body, complete with the tattered scarf around his neck. Though he had no muscle, being a skeleton, he somehow managed to have a powerful, valorous air. He really did look a lot like a superhero.
Papyrus looked at the boy quizzically before grinning. "OF COURSE! THAT WAY IS THE WASH ROOM AND THIS WAY IS THE KITCHEN!" He pointed to the left and right respectively.
"Thanks again." Frisk felt his way in the direction Papyrus indicated and made his way to the washroom. It took him a little while to find the sink but eventually he managed, splashing his face with warm water. Feeling refreshed, he emerged a few minutes later, and made his way back to where the red skeleton and a now-awake Lily sat.
"Mornin' Frisk!" She grinned happily, waving slightly as she sat next to Papyrus.
"Morning Lily. Feel better?" So it was morning. The Underground made it a little hard to tell.
"Yeah. I feel great. How about you?" Concern laced her voice as she looked him up and down. The drowsiness that accompanied the first few moments following sleep was still present on her face, but she looked no worse for wear.
"A little sore but other than that I'm good." With those words he plopped down on the couch next to her.
"OH! YOU ARE AWAKE? I DID NOT NOTICE! GOOD MORNING LILY!" Papyrus returned to his normal volume now that everyone is awake.
"Morning Papyrus!" She grins.
"She says good morning to you too." The boy relayed for his benefit.
"I'VE BEEN MEANING TO ASK HUMAN-" He stopped short. "ACTUALLY. I KNOW YOUR FRIEND'S NAME BUT I DO NOT KNOW YOURS. WOULD YOU TELL ME? THE GREAT PAPYRUS MUST KNOW THE NAME OF EVERYONE HE MEETS!"
"Huh? Oh. My name is Frisk!" He grinned. He'd never had so many people who wished to know his name. It felt great.
"AS I WAS SAYING THEN! I WANTED TO ASK YOU FRISK. WHY DID YOU PULL YOUR SOUL OUT LIKE YOU DID?" Papyrus inquired. "IS THAT PERHAPS HOW HUMANS GREET ONE ANOTHER?"
"Oh, no. It isn't that." Frisk laughed. "It's… because I'm blind. But when I have my SOUL out I can see, sort of. It's a little hard to explain." Papyrus looked more than a little confused, so Frisk decided to try anyway. "It's like this: Most stuff just looks like nothing, but my SOUL, monsters and their attacks, and a few other things… I can see them when it's out. That's why I used it to see where you were pointing. I can't much at all any other time… well, except Lily."
"WHY NOT HAVE YOUR SOUL OUT ALL THE TIME THEN?" Papyrus asks, confusion in his voice. Frisk opened his mouth to respond.
"i don't think that would be the best idea, bro." Sans interrupted, walking down from the stairs and heading for them. "having his SOUL out all the time would be like a giant target on his chest."
"That makes sense. I mean. Especially since it's so bright it might draw attention." Lily confirms, looking at Frisk.
Sans dropped onto the couch next to his brother and grinned at Frisk. "how ya doin', kiddo?"
"Better, thanks." Frisk said. "And you're right, but I guess I'm also a little scared of using it too much."
"don't wanna over do it without knowing the side effects…" Sans finished. "pretty smart." It was actually really smart. Sans was impressed.
"ARE OTHER HUMANS UNABLE TO SEE AS WELL?" Papyrus asked. It seemed like a silly question at first, but then, most monsters have probably never even seen a human before, let alone known much about them. Frisk answered.
"No. Most humans see with their eyes just fine. But, there's a few like me who can't. Either because they were born that way or because of… accidents." He paused before finishing. A pause that didn't go unnoticed to Lily or the skeletons. "Actually, I don't think many humans even know SOULs exist. I didn't, until I fell. Yeah, people talk about them but everyone says something a little different and I don't think anyone's actually seen one. I might be the only one who has."
"still pretty convenient that it can do that." Sans stated, folding his hands behind his head and slouching. "dunno much about human SOULs, but i guess they ain't much different from monsters'. if you could learn to do that little trick without pulling it out it might be safer."
"I… never really thought about that." Frisk said. "Wow… you're really smart, Sans."
"NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus laughed proudly. "BUT OF COURSE! SANS IS MY BROTHER SO IT IS ONLY NATURAL THAT HE IS ALSO GREAT! EVEN IF HE IS A LAZYBONES."
"nah…" The short skeleton dismissed the praise and knocked on his temple. "no brains here. i'm just a big bonehead."
"WELL… IT'S CLEAR THAT YOU STILL NEED TIME TO RECOVER…" Papyrus said slowly. He seemed a bit at odds with himself. "IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO?"
"No, I think I'll be okay soon." Frisk said. "But, um… if it's alright, I'd like to look around town a little. We didn't really go anywhere besides Grillby's yesterday. I promise I won't run off or anything."
Lily giggled a little. "He wants to 'capture' you and you say that?"
Frisk just smiled. Papyrus folded his hands and grinned widely. "THEN, I HAVE AN IDEA! YOU WILL TAKE IN THE TOWN WHILE I PREPARE, THEN YOU AND LILY SHALL JOIN ME ON MY AWESOME PATROL! YOU CAN EVEN HELP ME RECALIBRATE MY PUZZLES!"
"That sounds like fun!" Frisk said happily. "I liked your puzzles… well, except for that last one."
Somehow, a blush formed on Papyrus' cheekbones. "WOWIE! A TRUE PUZZLE PASSIONIERE! VERY WELL, I SHALL PREPARE MYSELF SO THAT WE MAY ENJOY OUSELVES THOROUGHLY! NYEH!"
The red skeleton quickly stood up and rushed to the stairs, taking them three at a time up to his room. He fumbled a bit with the sticker-covered door before throwing it open and slamming it behind him. After a few seconds he opened the door again, attached a sticky note to the knob, and slammed it again. Curious, Lily drifted up to read it.
'DO NOT DISTURB. MAKING MYSELF EVEN COOLER. – PAPYRUS'
Lily almost lost herself to laughter as she drifted back down to the others.
"you know you just made his day, right?' Sans asked lazily from the couch he looked like he was about to fuse with. "he only breaks out that one when he's really excited."
Frisk and Lily said their goodbyes to Sans, and the girl directed him to where his stick lay propped against the couch where they'd slept. Frisk wasn't sure how it had gotten there. He was pretty sure he'd dropped it in Grillby's when fatigue took him. Maybe the dog clan returned it sometime after they'd left. Either way, it was good to hold it again. Lily was a great guide, but there was something comforting about the little branch that he just couldn't describe.
Snowdin was alive with the sounds of monsters going about their daily routines. The crunch of snow from the many paws, feet, and hooves of the residents was somehow soothing to Frisk's ears. The skeleton brothers' house was located on the far side of town, opposite of where they'd entered. There was little beyond it that they could see, so it wasn't hard to decide on a direction. They walked along the snowy path, taking everything in while deciding what to do first. A few of the monsters greeted them with friendly 'hellos' and waves. The roof of every home was covered in a generous layer of snow, and a large conifer dominated the center of town, surrounded by a number of gifts wrapped in colorful paper. Lily described everything to Frisk, and he smiled from ear to ear with every word. The town radiated with the comforting glow of kinship.
Eventually, they reached the other side of town where the large, brightly colored welcome sign had greeted them when they first arrived. A large, semi detached building with two entrances stood before them, leading to a shop and an inn. But it was what sat in front of it that caught Lily's attention.
"Hey Frisk, isn't that…" She drifted over to it. "I think this is the same box from before."
"Really?" Frisk approached it and popped it open for her to look inside. Sure enough, the dull shears were still there, staring up at her from the otherwise empty confines of the box.
"They're… still here." She said.
"Those shears from before?" Frisk asked, he rubbed his hands together within the gloves. He'd pulled them on before they'd left without really thinking about it, but those came from here too.
"Frisk… I know what you said before but…" Lily began softly. She wasn't looking at him while she spoke. "Could we take them, please? I mean… they're still here. No one seemed to take them the whole day so."
"There's something about those, isn't there?" It was hardly a question. She'd been strangely fixated on them the first time too.
"I can't… really describe it." She said. "When I look at them I just feel really nostalgic."
"Alright…" Frisk relented, reaching into the box and pulling out the shears. "Maybe we could ask the shopkeeper about them. I mean, the box is right here. They must know something about them."
"Good idea." Lily said, at Frisk placed the shears into his satchel. "Thanks. I mean it."
They enter the door on the left, the one leading into the shop. The place was aglow in orange light from the old fashioned lamps set in the corners. A large scroll baring the same symbol as that displayed prominently in the Ruins took up the majority of the back wall. The smell of cinnamon and sugar caught Frisk's attention from the warm, bunny shaped pastries displayed beneath the glass top counter.
A bell in the corner of the doorframe gave a pleasant chime as they stepped inside. The shopkeeper, a purple bunny monster in a sleeveless white shirt and green sunhat turned to regard the boy from behind the counter where she was busy stocking shelves with a number of small items for display.
"Oh! Heya, cutie. Welcome to my little store." She greeted. "I don't think I've ever seen you before."
"Hello, miss." The boy replied, feeling his way to the counter with Lily's guidance. "You have a really pretty voice."
Lily snickered through her hand at Frisk's greeting. The shopkeeper placed a hand to her heart in an exaggerated manner and smiled. "My, my… what a little charmer. So, what can I do for you, honey?"
"I wanted to ask about that box outside." Frisk said.
"Convenient little things ain't they?" She replied. "That Royal Scientist… what was her name? Alphys, I think. She used to invent things before takin' the job."
"So she made them?" Frisk offered.
"Well, not exactly." The shopkeeper clarified. "Those things've been around a while. I'm not sure who actually made them. But Alphys? She made it so a box can show up anywhere."
"That's… really cool." Frisk said, impressed. Lily shared the sentiment. "Do you know how they work?"
"Not much to tell." The bunny said. "You put somethin' in, and you can take it out from any other place they show up. It's really handy."
"Wouldn't that mean anyone could take anything out from them, though?" The boy suggested.
"Curious ain'tcha. Well… I'm no scientist." She hesitated for a moment. "But… I think the boxes sort've 'know' who's opening 'em somehow. So you only see what belongs to you, and no one else can take it. Some monsters use them quite a bit. Mighty nice when your nephew leaves for school and ends up forgetting his lunch."
The last part sounded like she was speaking from experience.
"Hmm… what if, say, you opened the box and found something that you know you didn't put in?" Frisk asked, wording the question carefully. "Is that possible?"
"Well I dunno about that, honey…" She said, seemingly at a loss. "I guess they could be broken, but I've never known that to happen. I guess I'd say if you find something in there that you don't know about it's probably still okay to take it. They've never given us any trouble before, so it must belong to you somehow, even if you don't remember."
"Alright… thanks." Frisk said.
"Anytime." She said. "Anything else you need?"
Frisk thought about that for a second. The door opened behind him and the bell chimed once again. A cold blast from outside caused him to shiver.
"Do you have any warmer clothes?" He asked. The furry shopkeeper smiled, and turned to her stock.
Frisk and Lily stepped outside again, Frisk now wearing a blue jacket with long sleeves and white, cotton lining over his striped shirt. His shoes had also been replaced by a pair of brown boots more suitable for the cold and moisture of the Snowdin climate. In his free hand, he held a neatly wrapped 'Cinnamon Bunny' that the shopkeeper, who they learned was named Miss Lapin insisted he take with him. He took a bite out of the aromatic pastry, giving a hum of delight at the taste.
"Well…" He said after swallowing the bite. "She said it herself… those boxes don't show you anything that isn't already yours. They can't be mine so… I guess that means they were yours."
"Y-yeah." Lily said. She'd been thoughtful ever since Miss Lapin told them about the boxes and how they work.
"Hey… That's good right?" Frisk asked. "It means we have something from your past!"
"I know, but…" She hesitated, trying to figure out the right way to say it. "I see them, and I feel something. It's like I'm happy and sad at the same time… but when I try to reach for the memory it doesn't come. Like its hiding from me, and I don't know why."
Frisk moved to her side and pulled her into a hug. "It'll be okay. I promise." He says gently. "One step at a time, right? We have the first piece… we just need to find the rest."
Lily smiled and placed her hand over her friend's. "Yeah… you're right."
The hug continued for a good few minutes, Frisk's open jacket covering them both himself and Lily. If any of Snowdin's residents found strangeness in a young boy hugging the open air, they made no show of it. Neither child knew if this was due to simple courtesy or some part of monster culture that made acts like this less odd than they would be in human society. It didn't matter to them anyway.
It was only when he was sure that his friend was feeling better that pulled away. "Let's go! I can't wait to see more of Snowdin!" Frisk grinned at his own joke, provoking a laugh from Lily.
Authors' Notes: So it was a long road but we've finally reached Snowdin. In the game, this area is by far the most festive and 'fun' of the regions you go to. Definitely a contrast to the more family oriented Ruins. We've just gotten started though… there's a lot set to happen here.
The Underground, as you see it in the game is rather small, but it stands to reason that its actually much larger (It houses a whole kingdom of monsters after all). While the Ruins' entrance is pretty close comparatively, it probably took Frisk and Lily at least a couple of hours to walk through it to the village. Its small wonder they were so tired when they finally arrived.
On another note, Sans has been busy, huh? That eye isn't just for show…