Chapter Seven

Sans rolled from back to side, snuggling up to a warm presence. Echoes of a dream filled his skull, and a sleepy haze cradled his mind. His soul felt light and fuzzy, as though drifting through a mass of feathers and fluff. It pulsed to a distantly familiar rhythm. He sensed a mass of blankets draped over him, and a slow, steady thrum which lulled him back toward sleep's welcoming arms. Something soft brushed against his face. It came and vanished at a slow pace, repeating. It almost felt like…

Breathing?

What a silly thought. His pet rock had run away, and neither he nor Papyrus had taken on a new pet. Rocks didn't breathe in any case; the air he felt likely came from his garbage tornado. How odd that it was warmer than usual. He didn't particularly mind, but wondered why his brother had turned the heat up. Did they have guests? If so, wouldn't Papyrus have woken him early? Come to think of it, what was the time? Perhaps he should check his phone.

He relished this feeling a few moments longer, then opened his eye sockets. He found an orange blob mere inches from his face. Blinking the remaining fogginess away revealed that this wasn't his room, and that orange blob was a monster's snout. He stared, willing the world to make sense as the canine's dark brown eyes opened and looked to him.

"Hiya sleepyskull. Did your brain grow back?"

Suddenly, every program sprang into action. He jolted with the sudden onslaught of realization, shoving himself away from her and rolling over to stand, only to find a pair of sky blue orbs looking back at him. He forced his limbs to find solid ground beneath them. He managed to stand and take a few steps back, his voice forming improper sequences. A blanket caught his ankle, and he fell backward.

"How-I-wha-"

"Hey, hey, calm down. Everything's okay," said a dark-furred humanoid, sitting up and raising his hand.

The voice was quiet and soft, far from what one might expect. In spite of it all, he felt his nerves settle ever so slightly as he rose once more. He glanced around the room. In its midst was the remains of a cushion fort. To either side was a small sofa. Food and trash littered the floor, and a table laid flipped over behind him. It was day, possibly morning, though it was hard to tell with the frost on the window. The temperature must have dropped outside.

"What happened?"

"That's a little compli-"

The canine sat up, eyes bright. "I drugged you!"

"You what?"

"No it's okay, see, because we had to kidnap you because-"

"Yeah, I'm outta here," he said, snapping his fingers. Nothing happened.

Mizera hopped up, tail going in an instant. "You can't teleport right now, ya funny little lettuce squirrel!"

He blinked. "Uh, what'd you just call me?"

The other sluggishly got to his feet, saying, "I wonder where Daezl and Juni are with our drinks."

"Wh- there's more of you?"

"Yeah," he answered, stretching. "Five total, including you."

Sans shook his head, taking a few steps toward the door. "No, not including me. Don't include me. I don't wanna be included. I'm not part of whatever this is."

The shadowy monster chuckled.

Mizera trotted a few steps in his direction. "Sure you are! You just don't remember it."

Glaring at her, he reached out as he called upon blue magic. Her soul flickered once, then nothing. Crap. Wherever this was, it was outside of town. His soul pulsed chaotically while he processed having no access to his only defense. His vision darted to the room's exit, then back at them. Running wasn't his thing, he reflected as he made his move. It wasn't exactly a surprise that the kidnapper caught up to him. What was, was his feet losing the floor.

A fire flared to life in his soul. "Put. Me. Down!"

His flailing did nothing to dissuade him. Sans went limp, muttering under his breath as this annoyance carried him to a sofa. Mizera tossed a stained red cushion onto the springs, and he found himself plopped unceremoniously onto it. A horrendously energetic force surged through him. Who were these people and how did they manage to get under his "skin" with so little effort? And by the stars, why did he actually want to hear their explanation?

"It's okay, okay? We're friends; we're not gonna hurt you. You just don't remember us."

"I told you we know each other!"

"I'm Oro, and well, you know Mizera," said the shadowy one as his tail swished about behind his legs. He caught it and started fiddling with the long fur at its tip. "I know this is kind of a shock and all, but you can trust us. There's all kinds of gaps in your memory, right?"

"Yeah," he said slowly. "How'd you know that?"

"It's a long story. We'll try to explain everything as best we can, but let's just relax a little while, okay? They'll be back soon with drinks for everyone, and I promise not to let Miz anywhere near yours. Or anybody else's."

He examined their expressions, finding nothing malicious, no foul auras radiating from their souls. He shrugged after a long pause, and agreed.

"Great! You still like ketchup, right? You always liked ketchup before, and you really liked it last night."

Oro held up a finger to silence her. "We're not gonna talk about last night."

"What happened last night?"

"Nothing! And something completely unrelated: you need a new phone."

He checked his pockets and sure enough, it was missing. He glared at Mizera, who responded with a mischievous look. "What did you do to my phone?"

"Well, you started it!"

"Started what?"

"The phone abuse!"

"You drugged me!"

"Guys, I said we're not talking about it and that's final!" Oro yelled and stomped his foot, shaking the floor. "I'm not reliving that! I don't even want to know where all the string came from."

Mizera tilted her head. "Do you wanna know where it went?"

"No!"

A key card slid in and out of the lock. The door opened and in walked the other two, announcing their arrival. One of them was a tall, slender version of Oro, with an icy stare. The other was an odd mix between bird and raccoon, covered in fluff and with a narrow, delicate muzzle. Oro introduced them as they passed out different versions of warm liquid. Daezl had unsweetened coffee, cappuccinos for Oro and Miz, and Juni had apparently already drank her hot chocolate on the way.

"I'm not entirely sure what this is, but it's warm and it's got ketchup in it so here."

"Thanks," he said, taking the cup.

He took a wary sip, finding the taste a pleasant one. Sans relaxed before he knew it, and against his better judgment. He reminded himself time and time again that these lunatics had kidnapped him. Papyrus and his friends would be worried; he knew he should be devising some form of escape plan. Yet here he was, settling into what remained of expensive furniture, idly watching these people interact. Daezl and Oro were obviously brothers, though he couldn't place what type of monster they were. Juni seemed most reserved of all of them, a welcome difference from the other three's bickering. She sat beside him and finger combed her tail.

"I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Thanks."

"Do you remember us at all now that your mind is a little clearer?"

"Nope, not really," he said, raising his drink as he continued, "guess we'll have to ketchup."