:):
Many of the questions relating to time will be answered soon so I will hold off on answering them now.
Don't want to spoil anything. :)
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Sorry for the delay, I've had a bit of company recently and that tends to throw me off a little. But I'm back now! :)
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The Basics
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Tapping replay for the sixth time in less than 3 minutes, Alphis anxiously watched her hidden camera feed that covered the door to the Ruins. She'd lost count of how many times she'd viewed the short video before the camera mysteriously went offline. Chewing on her nails, she stared at the small creature shivering in the snow.
That was a human, wasn't it?
How many years has it been since she'd seen a real one? She couldn't remember off the top of her head but all of the footage she'd collected from that particular event years ago was still intact to remind her. A chill ran down Alphys' spine as an unbidden memory of that last human resurfaced. What a nightmare that had been.
This new human, although exceptionally small, might be just as violent. It had already shown a destructive tendency by breaking the security camera. Maybe this human was just super smart and knew it was being monitored. What other reason would it have for breaking a camera?
She'd have to start collecting more data on it to create a profile with any accuracy. That would take some time. She would have to reactivate many of the cameras that were put on standby to save power. There were so many of them that would need maintenance...
That would have to wait for later. Because right now, Alphys needed to make an urgent phone call. If only she could stop procrastinating and just do it!
"U-um, Undyne? I-I n-need to tell you ...U-uh, there's a... I f-found a... I t-think there's a hu- Ah!" Alphys exclaimed as she clunked her phone to the counter before physically distancing herself from the object. This was just so pathetic! Why couldn't she just get her words out without messing up? It's not that hard. She just needed to gather up her courage and just do it!
A few seconds ticked by in silence before a heavy exasperated sigh burst from the nervous lizard lady's lungs. "I-I'll just send her a text..." She relented in self-loathing defeat.
...
Pacing outside the Elder Librarian's house, Fearia waited impatiently for her new teacher. Papyrus had insisted on going inside for some reason. Something about a 'Beginner's Guide', whatever that was. When asked if she wanted to come inside as well to look around, the tiny human had stubbornly declined. She knew better than to enter an Elder's home without good reason.
A small whine of displeasure escaped the child as she again sent a bit of snow flying with her snow boot. This was so boring! Walking back over to the window, she smushed her face to the glass to see what was taking the tall skeleton so long. She easily spotted him hunched over a shelf of books, casually browsing as if he hadn't a care in the world.
"Ugh!" Pushing herself away from the window in irritation, Fearia turned her back to him and crossed her arms. Sure, he had told her to wait for him, but she just didn't want to anymore. ...plus, she was getting kind of cold.
Not too far off, she could see the skeleton brother's house. Even though it too was covered in snow just like everything else in Snowden, the strings of colored lights were blinking in a cheerful manner and the windows were alight with a warm glow. That was where she wanted to be right now.
Without sparing Papyrus another glance, the tiny human left her new teacher behind, more in favor of a warm lumpy green couch. Before she could even think about relaxing, however, she just had to tell the lazy skeleton the good news!
Turns out, operating a cold doorknob with mittens isn't as easy as one would think. Who knew? Such a trivial thing was no match for her determination though. After a couple of failed attempts, the doorknob finally turned, letting the child in. Warmth washed over Fearia as she entered the cozy two story house.
"Sans!" Totally forgetting to remove her snow boots, the tiny human tracked snow into the living room as she searched for the shorter of the skeleton brothers. "Sans, guess what!"
Frowning at the lack of reply, Fearia quickly checked the kitchen before heading up the stairs. "Sans?" Poking her head into Papyrus' room, she was easily able to mark that off of her short list. He wasn't in there. Not that she had expected him to be. That only left one last room.
Stopping a few feet away from the flames, the small child hesitated. She already knew that the flames were harmless, but she still didn't quite trust them. Why did he always have magic flames coming from under his door in the first place? What was he hiding in there? One way or another, she vowed to find out. But right now, putting her curiosity aside, she decided to simply knock.
"Sans, are you in there?" The cool flames licked at her feet as the silence stretched on. It would seem she wasn't going to receive a reply. Eyebrows furrowed in frustration, Fearia took a step back. Where was he?
One thing she had come to understand about the shorter skeleton with the lazy grin, was that when he didn't want to be found, you weren't going to find him. With a quick haughty huff, the now grumpy child gave up. She didn't want to talk to him anyways!
After wandering back into the living room, Fearia was just about to flop face first into the lumpy couch when something strangely out of place but oddly familiar caught her eye. Was that...? Amber eyes widened when she quickly recognized the runestone. She had used it to light up the darkness that fateful day back when she had fallen into the Underground. It had been placed beside the ordinary rock covered in colorful sprinkles.
Rushing over to the small table beside the door, the young child raised her hands in front of her chest and clasped them together. The unintentional habit was her way of attempting to contain her excitement. It really was her mother's Sunstone! She thought she had lost it over a week ago. How did it end up here?
A relieved smile appeared on the child's face. She was just so happy she hadn't really lost it. Frisk would have been really sad if she found out. That would have been awful! Especially since she was the one who borrowed it without asking...
"Thank goodness..." Fearia sighed under her breath as she reached for the smooth flat stone. ...wait. She stilled her hand before slowly retracting it. Was it right for her to just take it? Someone else had put it here, so maybe it was wrong for her to just take it without asking first...
Before the child could decide on what to do, she was nearly startled right out of her skin as the door swung open, sending flurries of snow inside the otherwise cozy house.
"Miss Fearia, There You Are!" Papyrus exclaimed when he easily spotted his young ward. "I Told You I'd Only Be A Few Minutes. I Thought You Said You Would Wait For Me."
"I- ...yes..." Looking away from the tall skeleton, the child quickly racked her brain for an excuse. "What I meant was that I'd wait for you back home where it's warm. Sorry! Guess I forgot to say that part out loud." The lie was flimsy at best but it was all she could come up with at such short notice.
Papyrus stared at the small child for a moment, his metaphorical gears turning, before his expression turned apologetic. "Why Didn't You Tell Me You Were Cold? How Can I Possibly Be A Good Host To You If You Don't Tell Me Each And Every One Of Your Important Needs? I May Have Failed You This Time, Human, But This Has Taught Me That I Need To Be Even More Vigilant!"
The tall skeleton's loud declaration went largely ignored as the child's eyes landed on the stack of books that he was carrying. "What are those?" Fearia asked nervously. "Does the Elder Librarian know you have them?" Did he steal them? She knew darn well not to steal from elders. What if she looked suspicious by association? ...Maybe she should hide right now as a preemptive measure.
"These?" Perplexed, Papyrus looked down at the assortment of paperbacks and hardcovers he was holding. "Why, These Are Books. And Yes The Librarian Knows I Have Them. I Did Rent Them After All."
"You can rent books?!" Fearia was amazed. Never before had she heard of precious tomes being handed out so carelessly.
"Of Course You- ..." Papyrus' reply dwindled as he finally took notice of the newest addition to their household. Sitting innocently next to his brother's pet rock was... another rock! "SANS!"
"yeah, bro?"
Both, Fearia and Papyrus looked up to find a grinning eavesdropper lazily leaning over the upstairs railing. How long had he been there? From the looks of it, he seemed to be quite enjoying himself.
"What Is This?!" Papyrus seethed as he pointed accusingly at the intricately carved white stone. The books had been set aside, abandoned in his irritation.
"uh... a rock?" Sans shrugged indifferently.
"I Know It's A Rock!" Papyrus snapped. "I Mean, What Is It Doing Here?"
"my buddy was lonely, thought it needed a friend." The shorter skeleton wasn't at all affected by his brother's temper and just continued to smile.
Deflating slightly, the wannabe Royal Guardsmen sighed in defeat. "You Could Have At Least Fed It. Why Must I Do Everything Around Here?" He complained as he opened the single drawer built into the small table and retrieved a glass bottle. Without another word, he sprinkled bits and pieces of brightly colored specks of paper over the newest pet rock.
"What is that?" Fearia asked as she put her face up to the lightly dusted stone. It didn't look harmed in anyway but she was still a tiny bit concerned. "What's it supposed to do?"
"This Is Just A Little Snack To Tide It Over Until Dinner Time." The taller skeleton replied affectionately. "Speaking Of Dinner, You Must Be Getting Rather Hungry Too. Am I Right?"
Amber eyes lit up instantly at the mention of one of her favorite activities. "I am! Are we having dinner soon? Can I help?"
"Of Course!" Papyrus beamed. "I Have Just The Task For You. This Will Be Your Introduction To The Basics Of Cooking. Tonight I Will Teach You How To Correctly Assort Pasta Into Their Proper Categories. One Individual Piece At A Time."
Sans watched silently as the tiny human tagged after his brother like a baby chick. The sight would have seemed strange to him a few days ago but as crazy as this sounds, it was slowly becoming normal. Not bothering to move yet, the shorter skeleton's eye lights traveled back to look at the small carved stone. "huh..."
...
"a royal guard, huh?"
"Yes!" Fearia chirped excitedly. "Isn't it perfect? There's no way that's not a symbol of courage!"
The iconic smile on the lazy skeleton's face wavered slightly. He was trying not to laugh. He really really was. But envisioning the squirt in ginormous bulky armor was almost too much for him. He had hoped Papyrus could come up with something that would appease the tiny human for awhile. But the Delta Rune? It was about as useless as that garbage he'd found today at the dump, not to mention unattainable. Maybe that was a good thing.
Undyne was probably the one who put the idea into Papyrus' skull that the Delta Rune was the symbol of a true Royal Guardsmen. Even though he hated it when anyone lied to his brother like that, Sans let it slide. After all, it gave Papyrus something to strive for and he was always happier when he was trying to achieve something. Far be it for him to tell his bro the truth about the old runic symbol; that it was just a remnant of the past, its history long forgotten.
Taking an intentionally loud sip from his can of soda, Sans eyed his brother from across the dining table. "and you're going to, ...what? tutor her?"
Papyus shot his brother a quick glare for the impolite noise before setting that aside for later and nodded with a large grin. "Correct! With My Expert Tutelage, Miss Fearia Will Be One Of The Best There Is! ...Nearly as good as me." He squinted. "But Not Quite!"
Fearia giggled as she scooted some cold spaghetti around her plate with a spoon. "I don't need to be the best, I just need to get a Delta Rune to show father." The food for dinner was once again inedible but she didn't want to complain. After all, would a hardened Royal Guardsmen complain? Honestly, she didn't know. But she did know that the Chief's Guardsmen wouldn't dare complain. If she was going to be a guardsmen herself, then she would need to adopt their strict discipline ...and lack of taste buds.
Drawing from that well of courage that resided deep within her soul, Fearia forced herself to take just one more bite of this unpleasant dish they called spaghetti. Her face reflexively contorted as her mouth puckered. It was still just too darn salty! Without any shred of decorum, the small child spat the food back onto her spoon in utter defeat. She would still need more training it would seem.
Sans failed to suppress a snort while his brother stared at the tiny human in clear offense.
"I Was Wondering Where To Begin." Papyrus sighed as he pushed himself away from the table and got up. "But After That Little Display, I Think I know Where." Picking through the pile of books he had set aside on the counter, the tall skeleton grinned when he found the one he was looking for. "Luckily, I Came Prepared For This Exact Issue."
"As Your First Assignment, I Would Like For You To Read This Book." Papyrus instructed as he held up a small dingy paperback. It was a color one could only describe as vomit yellow and it was crumpled like someone had shoved it behind all of the other books as if to hide its very existence. Written in fancy green cursive were the words "Manners: An Introduction to the Basics."
Looking slightly intimidated, Fearia carefully accepted the small book. "I just have to read it? That's it?"
"Read It And Learn From It." Papyrus replied as he crossed his bony arms. "There Will Be A Test Afterwards."
"A test?!" The child squeaked in alarm.
"Of Course. How Else Would I Know That You've Learned Anything?"
"O-oh, okay..." The small child frowned as she stared down at the book. "OK, I'll go read it!"
Sans grinned as he watched the tiny human scamper off out of the kitchen. Wow, this was kind of getting interesting...
"Sans!"
Nearly spilling his drink, the smaller skeleton looked back to his imposing brother. "yeh?"
"You Could Learn A Thing Or Two From That Book As Well." Papyrus stated as he retrieved the dirty dishes from the table. "While I Clean Up In Here, Perhaps You Could Read With The Human."
"huh?" The lazy skeleton's grin lessened slightly. "why?"
...
Sans stood there completely baffled after being scooted out of the kitchen. This was bad. Paps had officially let this teacher business go to his skull and now it was affecting his life as well. Maybe he could disappear for a few hours until this whole thing dies down. That was probably a good idea.
"The Test Will Be in An Hour. Both Of You Should Prepare Yourselves."
"what?" Sans started. "you're making me take the test too?"
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oh no! not a test!
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In the next chapter, Sans learns far more than ever he expected.
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Thanks for reading!
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Sheii Bae~
