Chapter 8

"All right, I think that concludes our business for today," said a weary Asgore. "Does anyone else have anything to discuss?" The king looked around the council table, but no one said anything. He nodded, and said, "Very well, you are all dismissed."

The gods gathered around the table stood and began to file out of the conference room. He'd added few other gods to the council over the years. Undyne sat on the council as the appointed guardian of the realm. Alphys, the newest addition to the coucncil, worked closely with Gaster on researching the properties of the universe. And then, of course, there was Sans.

Asgore had never second-guessed himself on his decision to bring Sans and his brother into the world. He regretted that he had lost his wife because of it, but he knew it had been the right decision. Sans had been the first god to be added to royal council. Death was simply too important to the world's balance for him not to be. Sans had never complained about his appointment, but he had never been thrilled about it either. Recently, however, he had seemed even more apathetic than usual.

"Sans, do you have a moment?" he asked as the others departed.

The God of Death stopped and faced the king. "Yeah, I guess. What do you need?"

"I just wanted to know if there was anything you wished to talk about. You seemed distant during today's meeting. Is something wrong?" he asked.

Sans simply shrugged. "Not really. Sorry if I'm not the most energetic at council meetings, but I already know exactly what my job is. I guess I just get bored. Gaster and Alphys usually have some kind of report or new development in their research to talk about. Me? It's the same old story. Humans die, I reap their souls, and then I judge them in the Underworld. It's been the same story since the day you created me."

Asgore frowned thoughtfully. "I see. Well, if there is ever anything I can do to help, please let me know."

Sans gave him a funny look. "I'm surprised you can say that to me. Especially after what happened with your son."

Asgore smiled sadly. "What happened with Asriel wasn't entirely your fault. And it's not as if you killed him. If anything, the fault lies with me. I'm the one who failed to tell him about your creation. For that matter, I never told you anything about him either."

"Still," Sans replied. "He's been gone ever since. Don't you ever miss him?"

"Well, of course," said Asgore. "However, I learned a long time ago that as king, I must bear the responsibility for my mistakes. Asriel will return home when he is ready. Since I am partially to blame for his disappearance, I can hardly lash out at you for your part in it. Besides, my wife had already left me when I made the decision to create you, so I had some experience dealing with that kind of pain."

Sans's face had remained neutral during the conversation, but Asgore saw an ugly light flare up in his eye at his last comment. It was the briefest of reactions, but it was there. "Interesting," he thought. "It seems he is hiding something."

"At any rate, I want you to know that I hold no grudge against you for your actions that day. And I meant what I said earlier. If there is anything you need to talk to me about, you need only ask."

Sans smiled slightly. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Asgore." He cocked an eyesocket. "Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?"

"Not right now," Asgore replied.

"I'll be going then."

"Of course, I'll see you at the next meeting."

Sans turned and walked out of the council chamber, closing the door behind him. He'd only gotten a few steps from the door when he heard another voice address him.

"So what did Asgore want to talk to you about?"

Sans turned towards the speaker and said, "Tibia honest? It's none of your business, Undyne."

His response seemed to piss her off. Which was exactly why he'd answered her that way. Undyne was one of his least favorite gods, and the feeling seemed to be mutual. They were perfectly capable of being civilized during meetings and social events, but it was a public secret that they didn't like each other at all. Sans had his reasons for disliking the Goddess of War, but he wasn't quite sure what Undyne's problem with him was. Maybe she had just picked up on his dislike and decided to return the favor. Or maybe she had a specific reason for hating him. He didn't really care either way.

"And how do you know its not my business?" she replied tartly. "I'm the sworn protector of the realm, so if there's something that I need to know to ensure the kingdom's security, then I have a right to know about it."

"You're absolutely right. And if was something like that, then Asgore would've told you, now wouldn't he?" he said.

Undyne clenched her teeth and said nothing. She really wanted to punch Sans right in the face. That stupid smile he was always wearing got on her nerves. Why did he have to be so secretive about everything? He always acted like he was better than everyone else, like they weren't worth his time. If he had a choice, she was certain he'd spend all of his time in the Underworld, never bothering to interact with the rest of them. Even more annoying was the fact that he was always slacking off. She wasn't too clear on all the details, but she knew he had an important job to do, and he always waited until the last minute to go reaping. Since she joined the council, she had learned that Chaos was still out there, still a threat. If Sans's laziness ended up causing an imbalance that released that monster back into their reality, she would never forgive him for it.

"Fine, don't tell me," she finally said. "Have you been keeping up with your reaping?"

"I've told you this a thousand times," he replied with an air of exasperation. "I'll reap when its necessary. I'm not going to do any more work than I absolutely have to. And yes, you can tell that I've been keeping up because you haven't seen any corrupted humans running around."

"One of these days, your laziness is going to get the better of you. When that happens, it's going to be my job to clean up the mess," she said.

"Do I tell you how to do your job?" he retorted. "No? Then stop trying to tell me how to do mine."

Undyne felt her magic rise in response to her anger. "Someone really ought to teach you some manners, Sans," she said.

Sans smiled wider. "I'd love to see you try it," he replied.

Undyne took a step step forward and was about to summon a spear when a third voice joined the conversation.

"Excuse me, am I interrupting something?"

Both Sans and Undyne turned to see Gaster standing in the corridor. His face was completely calm and he regarded them both steadily. Sans glanced sideways at Undyne and said, "Not really. We were just having a disagreement."

"I see," said Gaster. "Well, while I'm sure that it was a lively debate, I'm afraid need to speak to the king again. There were a few things I forgot to mention at today's meeting that I think he should be informed of. Might I ask that the two of you take your discussion somewhere else?"

"Not a problem. I was just about to head to Grillby's anyway," said Sans. "See you around old man."

Sans teleported out of the room, leaving Gaster and Undyne alone. Undyne stared at him and said, "Why do you always cover for him?"

Gaster smiled. "I don't. However, if the two of you started fighting here, the castle would be reduced to rubble. Somehow, I don't think that will make the king happy."

"I had the situation under control," she said.

"You really shouldn't lie to yourself like that," Gaster replied. He spoke like a teacher addressing a young student. "I can sense your magic, you know. You were a second away from summoning one of your spears and attacking Sans with it. Even if you assume that your reasons for doing so were valid, which they probably weren't, that is no way for a Goddess of the royal council to act."

Undyne looked away. "Ok, so maybe I was about to do something rash. Do you plan on giving Sans the same lecture?"

"No," Gaster replied. "I was monitoring his magic as well. He was going to teleport out the second you charged at him. He wasn't an instant away from violence like you were."

Undyne closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. After a few moments, she said, "I just don't know why he acts the way he does. He doesn't seem to care about anything except avoiding his work as much as possible. Doesn't he understand that all I'm trying to do is make sure our world is safe?"

"I'm sure he does, in his own way at least. As for the way he acts, I'm afraid I can't speak for him in that regard. Perhaps you should try asking him."

"Asking him?" Undyne said in disbelief. "I don't know if you noticed, but we're not exactly best friends."

"I'm not saying you have to be best friends," Gaster replied calmly. "However, you shouldn't be so quick to judge others. Have you ever honestly tried to get to know him? Have you ever asked him about what he does, and how he feels about it?" Undyne looked away again. Gaster continued, "If you've never bothered to get the answers to those questions, how can you expect to understand him?"

Undyne let out a long sigh. "Ok, ok. I get it. You're right. But I don't think he's going to give me a chance to talk to him now."

"You might be surprised," said Gaster. "Sans is perfectly capable of being polite when he wants to. If you approach him and apologize for your actions, he'll likely listen to what you have to say."

"Alright," she replied. "I guess I'll go apologize then. Just don't expect us to be all buddy-buddy."

"That is all I can ask of you," Gaster said.

"Guess I should get going then."

She started to leave, but then the council door opened and Asgore walked out into the hallway. "Before you go, I have an additional request," he said.

Undyne bowed to him. "Of course Your Majesty. Um, just how long have you been standing there?"

Asgore smiled broadly. "Since Sans walked out," he replied. "I overheard your conversation, and there's something I want you to find out for me when you talk to him."

"What is it?" Undyne asked.

Asgore told her.

Undyne frowned. "That seems a little random. Why do you want to know that?"

"Let's just say I have a hunch about what's been bothering him of late. Of all the gods in our world, I know Sans the least. I think this will help me better understand him."

"Well, ok. I'll see what I can find out," she said. Undyne began walking towards the palace exit.

When she was out of earshot, Gaster and Asgore traded looks. "You don't seem surprised at my request," said Asgore.

"I happen to share your suspicions on this matter," Gaster replied.

"Nothing escapes your notice, does it?"

"One tries, Your Majesty."

After a few moments Gaster said, "Although, whether or not we're correct, it doesn't really change anything."

"I know," said Asgore. "Still, I want to learn as much as I can about Sans. I want to make him feel welcome here. We owe him that much."

"That we do," Gaster replied. "That we do."