"what? haven't you seen a guy with two jobs before?" Sans asked, eyeing her up and down as she stood across from him, giving him a strange expression that had nothing to do with seeing him in multiple places. He honestly wasn't sure what that expression was... It was definitely hesitant, maybe even a little afraid, a tad sick. Her lips were pressed together, as if she wanted to ask him something but wasn't brave enough. "fortunatley, two jobs means twice as many legally-required breaks."

Sans stood up from his chair and tilted his head encouragingly.

"i'm going to grillby's. wanna come?" The kid nodded.

"Yeah." They breathed out.

"well, if you insist... i'll pry myself away from my work..." Sans began to walk past his station but in the corner of his eye he saw her grasp her fingers together and pull downward... Another Save. He held his own breath, waiting for the world to blip and be forgotten but nothing happened... which... meant nothing of course it could still happen but for them he still had to look ahead.

That little hand thing bothered him a bit, if he was honest. They, she, did it where ever she seemed to want to. Before this, Sans had thought the anomally needed to be a specific places in the Underground to Save, much like his shortcuts, a followed set of illogical rules. But nope. She just did it. Whenever. Usually when she seemed to be needing a pick-me-up. He'd noticed that, since he had began to watch their tick curiously after she had Saved three times in a row when it should have been pointless.

So with that being said, he shouldn't have felt so alert by her Saving before heading after him to Grillby's, it was just for a small boost... but... a boost for what? She had always seemed to have the greatest ease in interacting with Papyrus, but with Sans she never seemed so sure. Then again, Sans wasn't sure either. So at least it was mutual.

PPPPFFFFFFFT.

"whoops, watch where you sit down. sometimes weirdos put whoopee cushions on the seats." The kid laughed, genuinely, but she still seemed hesitant even as she removed the whoopee cushion and let it fall to the floor. Something seemed to be on her mind... but... "anyways, let's order."

They ordered the fries and as Grillby's disappeared, Sans leaned up against the counter, giving the kid his signature smile.

"so what do you think... of my brother?" The kid smiled too but it seemed almost sad.

"He's cool..." They agreed.

"of course he's cool. you'd be cool too if you wore that outfit every day. he'd only take that thing off if he absolutely had to. oh well. at least he washes it. and by that i mean he wears it in the shower..." The door to the kitchen swung open and Sans turned his gaze briefly to watch Grillby, but the kid suddenly spoke up softly.

"I wonder if... that'd still be true a long time from now." They spoke as Grillby slid their order into place. "Thank you..." Grillby nodded silently.

"yeah thanks 'g." The Human stared at the fries as Grillby went back to his cleaning. "but what do you mean to say by that, kid?" Sans prodded.

"Just... It was... I'd think it would be comforting to think back to this place and the people and even if... you wondered how everything had changed you could at least know one thing was still the same. I..." They, she trailed off and shook her head. "It's a silly thought... Forget it." But Sans' mind was at work even if he was technically on break. Cuz that hypothetical statement was definitely not just that.

"nah, i get ya. it's not silly at all." He grabbed the ketchup, his smile brightening at a good idea to get them to liven up a bit. "want some ketchup?" The way the kid smiled, Sans realized they already knew what he was planning, but... if the familiar was comforting to them...

"Yes" They took the ketchup bottle and Sans winked.

"bone appetit."

Her fries were swimming in ketchup, the whole cap having fallen off.

"whoops. eh, forgeddaboudit. you can have mine. i'm not hungry anyway." The kid readily accepted the fries but hesitated another moment with one between their fingers.

"I had a job, once, I guess, too."

"you had two jobs once?"

"Haha, no! One job. As well. In the.. past. I always smelled like fries. But... that's not really important. We were talking about Papyrus. He's cool. And... stuff." She finished sheepishly, trying to get the conversation back on track, as if she hadn't said anything at all, something she shouldn't have because it technically wasn't true anymore.

"yeah... but yeah. cool or not, everybody's gotta agree that papyrus tries real hard. like how he's trying to get his own job, to be part of the royal guard."

"I didn't help with that, did I?" The kid admitted softly.

"pfft. what were you going to do about that? 'sides. he's been at it and he'll keep going at it. one day, he went to the house of the head of the royal guard... and begged her to let him be in it. of course, she shut the door on him because it was midnight. but the next day, she woke up and say him still waiting there. seeing his dedication, she decided to give him warrior training. it's, uh, still a work in progress." They trailed off into silence, nobody actually eating... The kid swallowed, seeming to grow nervous and Sans began to realize that this was the exact thing that had put that strange expression on her face at the very beginning...

"oh yeah," Sans started off as casually as possible, as if the space between them wasn't at all tense. "I wanted to ask you something." The world felt as if it was getting smaller, that all in all it was just the two of them. But if that were true he wouldn't be asking this question- The question- "have you ever heard of a talking flower?"

...

..

"Yes." She answered, her voice cracking. Their expression sick, on the very edge of terrified.

"so you know all about it." Sans agreed. The anomally. The original one that is, at least Sans had thought. But he didn't feel all that comfortable putting it all out in the open. "the echo flower." Sans backtracked. The kid lowered their head, not at all convinced by his change but aw well. "they're all over the marsh. say something to them, and they'll repeat it over and over..." The kid was tense in their seat which Sans did not find that assuring, but... if they did in fact care about Papyrus as he seemed to think they did- The anomally caring, that wasn't sonething he ever would have thought about he didn't think. At least that he could remember. But if they really did care, then they needed to know. Or at least be reminded.

"what about it?" Sans continued as if the kid had said anything to egg him on. "well, papyrus told me something interesting the other day. sometimes, when no one else is around... a flower appears and whispers things to him. flattery. advice. encouragement... predictions... weird, huh? someone must be using an echo flower to play a trick on him. keep an eye out, ok-"

"I'd killed it." Sans froze in place, the lights in his eyes vanishing as he felt incrediably cold. "I killed one of the echo flowers." The kid said, but just like Sans' switch up- "It was saying something threatening and I ripped it up." Their voice cracked, she was beginning to tremble. "I... K-Killing to protect the ones you love. I-It's okay, right? L-Like self defense." Their shoulders were hunched protectively around their neck as they seemed to start to want to cave in on themself even as they sat on the chair. They looked sick. Like they wanted to disappear. And their question... His mind was racing away to his own promise. About how if the old lady hadn't said anything... But their question... They seemed to really want an answer, they were peeking back up at him, a desperation in their eyes.

"kid, it was just a flower." Sans said finally. "no need to get so choked up about it."

That was most definitely the wrong thing to say. There was a ripple of despair in their expression but then they lowered their head again. And Sans had nothing to say... Or at the very least... anything he thought he should say. At least for now.

"Nobody ever has a straight answer." The kid conceded, as if they were also telling him it was okay that he was keeping things to himself.

She didn't give out straight answers either, afterall.

"But... I will keep an eye out." They promised. "We wouldn't want anything trying to change Papyrus... for anything." Sans could only stare at her, still unsure of what to say, except...

"thanks. but... uh... can i ask you one more favor?" The kid glanced up uncertainly. "i'm flat broke. do you think you could foot the bill?"