Chapter 13: A Different Side
'welp, she's gone. she slept not even a half hour before she darted off into the snow. something must have chilled her down to her bones to go skating off.'
Sans slouched into to the warm spot on the couch with a couple of old text books under his arm. Alphys did have a couple more articles in ancient dialect scripted on crumbling scrolls, but they were too fragile to manage in a fast paced study. Sans huffed in frustration. He had already read through the text books twice. He couldn't find anything even remotely related to the phenomenon of that human-turning-lady-skeleton. The closest thing he could find was a multiple colored type SOULs and how Monster SOULs crack and scar. Nothing really matching the situation of Kia's SOUL, it was vexing.
Sans contemplated whether to get up and return the text books or not. He glanced at the heavy books. He soaked in the comfort of his couch. Nah, he can do it later. Sans stuffed the text books into the couch cushions to avoid detection from his brother.
Just in time too.
The front door flung open to reveal an ecstatic skeleton of a taller nature. The next who came in was the paradox and his frustration of understanding. He noted that she stayed a skeleton instead of eating something to become more human. Then lastly, the kid showed up bouncing in place with a hand held equally tightly by their momma skeleton. Sans grinned casually. It won't do to look too suspicious. He closed his eyes, enjoying to sounds of his brother's naturally loud movements.
"AH, I SEE MY BROTHER IS NAPPING, AGAIN! HE IS SO LAZY. PLEASE EXCUSE HIM. YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND EXPLORE WHILE I SHALL MAKE US SOME CELEBRATORY FREINDSHIP SPAGGETTI!"
Sans could feel the plop from the kid and the tense dip from Kia. Interesting. He heard a chime, some movement. He peek open one of his eyes to see the pair hand signing. He raised a brow bone. That was polite. He moved deliberately and yawned while scratching his 'butt.' He saw Kia jump a bit while the kid just waved their hands in a form of greeting. Kia's high cheekbones were a bright hazy red. Amusing
"hey kid, how's it goin'?"
"I'm doing good! How are you? Oh! Sans this is my mom. Mom, this is Sans."
He had to hold in snickers as their mom gave a small wave. She looked so uncomfortable. This is something new. She was never this open before, expressional. She would usually have this set scowl or darken blank face outside of the small changes in thought and actions.
"hey-ah"
"Hey, uh, sorry for leaving the way I did, it was rude of me."
He shrugged. He wasn't too bothered by it, so he didn't really care. If anything, what he did care about is her SOUL anomaly and Frisk's apparent memory loss. It seemed almost exactly how they did on the first time around they came. Even Chara seemed to have no memories of before since they haven't fouled up the air around the kid yet.
His attention was caught by Frisk when they chimed their new bell. He briefly wondered if that bell was originally theirs. He blinked. Kia disappeared. He stiffened subtly as he watched the kid's hands move.
"Sans, is everything alright? Mom seems more tense than usual. Did, did something happen?"
Flashbacks of when he BATTLEd Kia and their agreement flashed through his mind.
"well kid, i can only guess that she is embarrassed by what happened earlier."
They furrowed their eyebrows. Please don't ask further.
"What do you mean? I get that you two already know each other, but mom is really cautious about what she does. She wouldn't be embarrassed for nothing."
Food for thought right there, he shifted a bit to have a better view of Frisk.
"well you see, your mom was wandering the town lookin' for ya, and by the time i got to her, she was stumbling around dead tired. she didn't have enough money for the local inn, so bein' as generous as i am, i lent her our couch to catch a few z's. about half hour later-"
"I dashed out of the house without an apology or a word of leave. It was rude of me, like talking about something like that behind the same person's back is rude."
Jeez, she needs to loosen up. She stood stiffly in his living room holding a glass of water with both of her hands in a careful hold, cupping it mostly. It wasn't overly full, but she sat down carefully anyways. She took a careful sip. She really needs to loosen up.
A chime sounded as Frisk seemed to remember something. Sans watched the kid sign to their mom, the intended recipient of their question. Kia hummed into her cup as she watched them over the rim of her glass.
"Mom! I just remembered something! Can I be an older sibling?"
Sans roared in laughter as Kia immediately did a spit take and started to choke, her entire skull was overcome by a hazy of red magic. Kia was so gonna kill him later. Frisk had started to panic when their mom started to choke. The water Kia had drunk had passed through her magical system of digestion to soak through her shirt in spots where her esophagus should be: the collar of her shirt was drenched as spots of moisture trailed down their shirt.
Papyrus had somehow heard the commotion in the living room and started to freak out along with Frisk at seeing the dilemma. Kia started to calm down, and between coughs they try to reassure her child and Papyrus that she was alright. After a few coughs and a deep breath, she straightened to address the less panicked duo. Sans' laughter had pedaled off to a chuckle before stopping. This kid will be the death of him if their mom don't get to him first!
"I'm alright. I'm sorry for the mess. Please, I can clean up. I'll be fine. I-I just need to calm down."
"NYE, IF YOU INSIST, BUT I MUST ASK WHAT HAD SURPRISED YOU SO MUCH YOU WOULD CHOKE AND TURN RED?"
Sans could help the snickers as Kia flushed again. She was surprisingly sensitive about this. He caught the heated shut-up side glare she gave him, but he just shrugged lazily. The kid didn't seem too comfortable now either. They fidgeted worriedly. Kia hesitated before speaking.
"Well, Frisk had asked me a question I didn't expect. It wasn't a bad question! It just took me by, immense, surprise. Now, Frisk, I must ask what brought up you wanting a sibling."
Frisk relaxed and smiled at the skeletons. Hm, the kid never revealed their true name before battling the weed. Things are changing faster than Sans originally thought, but for now, he is going to focus on the kid's answer. The question had really cracked him up. What could have brought up that question?
"Well, before we were able to see each other earlier, I went to Grillby's with Sans for some food. We talked, and he had so many good things to say about Papyrus, his little brother, so I thought I could ask you if I could be an older sibling too when I saw you next. I want to be just like Sans and be a proud sibling!"
Before Sans could really register the genuine compliment, he was scooped up by Paps in a twirling hug. Getting dizzy from the onslaught of movement and shouted gratitude from his little brother, Sans felt, dare he say it, a little happy. After being plopped back onto the couch, Sans was able to finally see Kia's darkened eye sockets and shadowed features. She is not at all happy with him right now.
Sans was internally grateful that his brother had taken the spotlight. It felt like she was dissecting his SOUL to see if he did anything wrong to her child. Which, he didn't! Kind of… not in this run… anyways…
"WELL, LITTLE HUMAN, I AM SURE YOU WOULD BE A WONDERFUL OLDER SIBLING! IF ANYTHING, I COULD HELP MISS KIA IN GETTING YOU A YOUNGER SIBLING! WE WOULD JUST NEED TO-"
Sans was not grateful anymore.
Kia didn't seem to like the way this conversation is going either. Her blush returned at full force as she stood.
"Okay, that is enough of that. Frisk, it will depend on Mommy to give you a younger sibling so be patient, okay. Now, I think there is something burning in the kitchen. We should probably check that out before the house burns down."
With that, the sibling question was forgotten and dropped in favor of saving the stove from the burning terror of dry noodle kindling. Papyrus cried for his ruined 'master piece.' Kia ended up cooking something since Frisk was too young and short; Sans is just too lazy to do anything (a.k.a trying to steal away the text books he hid in the couch cushions); Papyrus tried to help her out but was rejected once she saw the inedible glitter he was trying to dump in her Afredo sauce.
It wasn't anything fancy, but Sans had to admit that she can cook well. She didn't eat anything, saying she was still full from Papyrus' spaghetti. A lie as ever he saw one. Sans bet that she is scared that if she turns human in front of his bro, something bad is going to happen. Not that it really would, Sans considered the possibilities. Okay, maybe there would be. Anyways, he did see her sneak a portion of her pasta into her bag while cleaning up the plates and pots. She had wandered over to the couch now to mingle with Frisk and his brother.
Now that he thought about it, Sans observed the female skeleton a bit more closely. She is chatting with Frisk and Papyrus. She laughed at Papyrus's antics and Frisks dramatics. He blinked. She looked fine. She didn't have any shadows under her eye sockets anymore. Her bones were a healthy shade, and her red eye lights were a softer glow, more cheer than before. She looked happy, less haunted ... less strained of life.
It was late. The TV was softly buzzing as the show ended hours ago. Papyrus and Sans were in their respective rooms after the younger skeleton went to bed early. Kia and Frisk were huddled on the couch sleeping under a borrowed blanket when Sans came down stairs to check on them. He couldn't exactly sleep with two threats in his home so close to his sleeping brother. While he did have some kind of deal with Kia, half of it was already fulfilled when the kid found her. He can't exactly trust her as much as he did before.
Sans stood in front of the couch. On the old beat up green couch were two lumps huddled under a blanket, the larger one shifted. The blanket slid down to show one skeletal face of a female and a fleshy face of the kid, both were peacefully sleeping. Sans stared warily at the Lady Skeleton. He was just going to get a quick peek at her SOUL and her descriptions then he'll decide from there.
As his left eye flared with his magic, Kia's eye sockets flashed open. Sans stumbled back in fear of her gaze. She had tightened her grip on Frisk. Her eye lights had deepened into a sinister garnet glow of hollow circles with vertical slit pupils of voids. Her magic traveled from her crackling eyes to her maw and phalanges, sharping them to razor points. Her body seemed to thicken and enlarge to a point she was about to fall off the couch. She became as tall as Papyrus.
Sans sweated over the rapid change from docile human/skeleton to menacing skeleton MONSTER. Her glare seemed to pierce through his very SOUL as phantom pain snaked its way into his ribcage. Sans shivered in trepidation as he heard her speak around the freezing fear of her glare.
"You best not be here for the reason I think you are Sans; because, if you are I will make sure you will regret it immensely about messing with my family."
Her quiet voice had lowered a few octaves but still retained her feminine monotone voice. Sans noticed her SOUL just out of the corner of his eye socket. Her breaking SOUL flouted above her, its tilt was almost half way complete to being like a monster's SOUL. It dripped an acid green. The green coated the couch in a protective sheen, slowly creeping over Frisk in a cocoon of safety. Kia hummed to regain his full attention as she waited for his answer. The threat hung heavy in the air to a point Sans couldn't process the air to function. Sans was already regretting stirring the monster before him.
The moment was utterly shattered when Frisk shifted in Kia's hold, to snooze a bit better. They sighed in content when the acid green turned a spring shade. They snuggled into Kia's embrace to wiggle under the blanket more.
Suddenly, Kia's magic shut off. Her menacing and feral features and size softened dramatically into the Lady Skeleton he knew so little. She gazed with loving softness in her gaze at her child. She adjusted the blanket to better cover her child. She turned her (normal) solid crimson eye lights towards the shuddering Sans. He sat on the carpet staring at the ground, trying to calm himself down from the immense rush of relief. She clenched her jaw and stared at the back of the couch.
"Go," she whispered.
Sans didn't need to be told twice. He went and teleported back to his room, thinking over what just happened. He collapsed onto his made bed. He ran his phalanges over his sweat stained skull and maw. He closed his eye sockets in exhaustion.
Frisk needs to stay safe if the Underground is going to survive this MONSTER.