"Worth it." Frisk muttered to herself as she dragged her sorry carcass out of bed. She didn't have to be at work until later in the evening, but she had promised to grab lunch with Muffett and Emily.
Frisk Flipped on her shower and brushed her teeth while she waited for the water to warm up. She leaned heavily against the sink, afraid that her sore legs wouldn't be able to hold her up. Frisk had never in her life danced as much as she had the night before. The monster liquor Muffett had brought for the pregame had been better than Frisk could have imagined. Grillby's had monster liquor, but Frisk had never tried it. She regretted that decision. The liquor had glowed pink and had given the three women pink sparkles in their eyes. Despite the large amount of alcohol Frisk had consumed, she had remained completely in control of herself throughout the night and her hangover was minimal in the morning. Barely even a headache.
Shower finally warm, Frisk stepped in and set to getting ready for the day.
"Emily! You awake? It's time to go!" Frisk called though the apartment door. She heard a soft curse and a shuffling of feet before the door was opened to reveal her disheveled and blushing red-headed friend. Frisk looked down at her in confusion.
"Yep!" Emily replied, voice high and shaky, "I'm ready!" Frisk was about to ask if she was okay before she heard an embarrassed cough from further in Emily's studio. Frisk looked up to see someone standing by Emily's kitchen counter. It was one of the humans Muffett had introduced them to the night before. Frisk had to think a second before she remembered the woman's name. Taylen! Wait, no, she goes by Tay… Tay's suit was wrinkled and the longer hair on top of her head was messy. Tay awkwardly waved a hand to Frisk. Frisk smiled back at her before looking back at Emily who was studying the floor and blushing even more than before.
"Um…" Frisk started, "Should I let you two say goodbye or are you joining us, Tay?" She asked, unsure of how to read the room. Tay cleared her throat before Emily could reply.
"I actually have to get home, I have to feed my cat. He's screaming for me now, I can hear it with the ears of my heart." Tay explained, walking towards the door. She put a hand on Emily's shoulder before shooting Frisk an uncertain look. That, at least, Frisk understood and stepped back.
"I'll see you later?" Frisk heard Emily say in a quiet voice. It was Frisk's turn to study the floor now, in attempt to give the two some privacy.
"I hope so." Tay replied. There was a moment of silence before Tay stepped out of the doorway.
"It was nice meeting you last night, Ruby," Tay said, one hand scratching the back of her head, "I'll see you around I guess." With one last smile, Tay made her way down the stairs of the building. Frisk called out a farewell before turning back to Emily. Emily still refused to make eye contact and was wringing her hands. She remained silent; her shoulders hunched up, as if bracing for a blow.
"So...I'm guessing Paul is old news?" Was all Frisk said. When Emily looked up, Frisk offered a warm smile.
"We decided we would be better as friends. You're- you're not upset?" Emily asked, bringing her hands up in front of her heart, as if to protect it.
"That you're not dating Paul? Why would I be-"
"That Tay is a woman." Emily interrupted. Frisk froze.
"...What? Emily," Frisk reached out and put a hand on Emily's shoulder, "I don't care who you date or what gender they are. You're my friend. One of very, very few. All I care about is if you're happy. You could date a brick wall for all I care, so long as it made you happy." Frisk explained, looking deeply into Emily's eyes to make sure every word she said was heard. Emily's eyes started to tear up and without warning, she rushed forward and grabbed Frisk in a tight hug.
"Thank you, Ruby," Was all she said. Frisk wrapped her arms around Emily and gave a squeeze.
"What are friends for?" She asked. Emily leaned back and Frisk loosened her arms.
"They're for getting hangover brunch with." Emily replied with a laugh before letting go completely. She grabbed Frisk's hand and began to drag her down the stairs.
"C'mon! Muffett's probably waiting for us already!"
"Over here, dearies!" Muffett called from a table. Frisk and Emily made a bee-line over to the spider monster. Waters had already been set out from them and Muffett was studying the menu with two of her eyes.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Emily asked with an amused smile. Muffett giggled.
"Tired, but in all the right ways. How are you feeling, dearie? It looks like you had a bit of a later night than me." Muffett put two of her elbows on the table, ready for the gossip. Emily's face turned red. Frisk was sure that today would be put on record for the most Emily has ever blushed.
"I feel great. I had a fantastic time." Emily replied, suddenly very interested in her menu. Muffett let out another giggle.
"I just bet you did. Miss Tay seems to know how to have a fun time." Muffett winked. Frisk was sure that Emily couldn't get any redder if she tried.
"She sure does." Emily muttered with a small smile.
"Ooh-hoo-hoo! I'm happy for you, dearie. She's a good girl. Now, then. Ruby, dear, you don't have to work for quite some time, correct?" Muffett mercifully dropped the subject before Emily turned into an actual tomato. Frisk nodded in affirmation.
"Wonderful~ Shall we start this off with Mimosas or Bloody Marys? Or perhaps an Irish Coffee? The blend for coffee they have here is simply divine!" Muffett exclaimed.
"I think I'll just stick to the Mimosas, I don't have to work till tomorrow night, so I plan on drinking all day." Emily said.
"I'll probably just do a Bloody." Frisk answered. One drink couldn't hurt. And she promised herself that she would drink plenty of water after it.
"Well if you two are getting different things, I might as well stick to the pattern! I'll get the Irish Coffee. Now, what to eat?" The three women ordered their drinks from the waiter and delved into conversation about what was best for a hangover meal before being interrupted by a loud voice.
"WHY, MISS MUFFET! WHAT A PLEASURE SEEING YOU HERE, NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!" An extremely tall skeleton monster greeted, "I WAS WONDERING WHY YOU WEREN'T AT THE SHOP THIS MORNING WHEN I STOPPED BY FOR COFFEE! I'M GLAD TO SEE YOU SPENDING TIME WITH FRIENDS OUTSIDE OF WORK!"
"Ooh-hoo-hoo! Yes, sometimes even I take breaks! May I introduce my friends Emily and Ruby?" Muffett replied. The tall skeleton knelt down to get closer to the humans eye levels. Frisk noticed that his suit was immaculate, not a single wrinkle or stain to be found on it.
"HELLO, TINY HUMANS, I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! IT IS SO NICE TO MAKE YOUR ACQUAINTANCE." The tall skeleton held out both of his hands to the two humans who happily, albeit awkwardly, shook them.
"Aren't you just as sweet as pie!" Emily said, a giant smile on her face.
"Sorry I wasn't there, deary! We had a late night last night and decided that the best cure would be brunch!" Muffett explained, raising her drink for Papyrus to see.
"HMM. YES. WHILE THE GREAT PAPYRUS DOESN'T DRINK BEFORE EVENING, I HOPE THAT YOU ARE ENJOYING IT. I SHALL TOAST TO YOU WITH MY NON-ALCOHOLIC COFFEE! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" The giant skeleton waved over the server to ask for a coffee, lots of cream and sugar. Once he received his mug of coffee, Papyrus raised it to the three ladies.
"HERE'S TO NEW FRIENDS AND HAPPY DAYS." He declared, the ladies followed with a chorus of "Here!"s and clinked glasses with the man. Frisk hummed appreciatively when she tasted her Bloody. It was extra spicy and completely covered the taste of vodka.
"So, Papyrus, Muffet," Emily started, putting down her drink after having a healthy sip of it, "how do you two know each other?" The two monsters shared a look.
"WHY, FROM THE UNDERGROUND, OF COURSE!" Papyrus exclaimed. Frisk felt her mouth drop open.
"From the Underground? Did you both meet there on a visit?" Emily asked.
"Oooh-hoo-hoo! No, deary, we knew each other from before The Barrier was destroyed." Muffet explained.
"But that was…. That was over fifty years ago!" Emily looked between the two monsters, as if questioning if they were playing a prank on her.
"WAS IT ALREADY THAT LONG AGO? IT FEELS LIKE IT WAS JUST THE OTHER YEAR!" Papyrus scratched his chin.
"Monsters live a good deal longer than humans, dearie," Muffet explained, "fifty years is hardly a long time for us."
"Huh. I've heard that they do, but I didn't think it was that big of a difference. Well... you certainly look good for your age. Both of you." Emily said, still a bit shocked. Muffett giggled and a faint glow dusted Papyrus's cheeks.
"NYEH-HEH-HEH! OF COURSE THE GREAT PAPYRUS LOOKS GOOD! BUT THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLIMENT, LITTLE HUMAN!" The skeleton puffed out his chest and beamed down at Emily. Frisk smirked. No one could resist the charm of Emily.
"What do you do, Papyrus?" Frisk asked. The giant skeleton looked at her.
"WELL, BEFORE THE BARRIER FELL, I WAS A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD! BUT SINCE THEIR DISBANDMENT, I HAVE BECOME A BODYGUARD FOR HIRE. I'LL ADMIT, IT'S NOT AS GLORIOUS, BUT MY ROYAL GUARD TRAINING HAS MADE ME PERFECT FOR THE JOB!" Papyrus replied, "THOUGH, IN MY FREETIME, I ENJOY COOKING!"
"Oh, really? Are you any good?" Emily asked, shooting Frisk a mischievous wink. Frisk squinted her eyes at her best friend. What is she up to?
"THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS THE BEST AT COOKING! I CAN COOK ANY DISH TO PERFECTION! MY SPECIALTY, HOWEVER, IS SPAGHETTI! THE BEST DISH TO HAVE EVER BEEN CREATED!" Papyrus claimed, throwing a fist in the air in his enthusiasm.
"You know, Papyrus…"Emily started, bringing all attention at the table to her, "Ruby here doesn't have a cooking bone in her body. I've known her for weeks, and I don't think during this entire time she's cooked herself a single meal! All she eats is food from work, take out, or my fantastic cooking! I was just thinking the other day that she could probably use some lessons, and, wouldn't you know it, here you are!" Frisk shot the woman a glare. Everything she said was true, of course, but she didn't have to tell a practical stranger! Muffet giggled at Frisk's flushed face and gave her a slight nudge and wink.
"WHY, LITTLE HUMAN! THAT MOST CERTAINLY IS NOT HEALTHY! HUMANS ARE SO FRAGILE, YOU SHOULD BE CAREFUL WITH WHAT YOU EAT! BUT HAVE NO WORRIES, I THE GREAT AND MIGHTY PAPYRUS, WILL TEACH YOU THE ART OF COOKING!"
"You really don't have to-"
"NONSENSE, IT WOULD BE MY PLEASURE! AFTER ALL, THE FASTEST ROUTE TO FRIENDSHIP IS THROUGH SHARED MEALS! PLUS, MY SKILLS ARE SIMPLY TOO EXCELLENT TO BE HOARDED BY MYSELF, I MUST SHARE THEM!" Papyrus said, his eye lights turning into stars. Frisk couldn't help but smile. His happiness was contagious.
"Alright, if you're sure you don't mind, I would love some cooking lessons." Frisk conceded.
"WONDERFUL, LET US EXCHANGE PHONE NUMBERS SO WE MAY ARRANGE THE LESSONS!" Papyrus extended his rather expensive looking mobile phone.
"I actually don't have a phone….of any kind. Sorry." Frisk said, looking away, a faint flush on her cheeks. Before meeting Emily, the lack of a phone had never been a bother, but lately, Frisk found herself wanting one more and more. She was beginning to see just how useful they were. Papyrus gave an awkward cough and put his phone away before quickly pulling out a pen and notepad from an inner pocket in his jacket.
"NO MATTER, WE CAN PLAN THE FIRST LESSON NOW AND THEN PLAN THE NEXT ONE LATER! WHAT DAY WORKS FOR YOU? THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS FREE TONIGHT, TUESDAY, AND THURSDAY." Papyrus asked as he wrote something on the notepad.
"I work tonight and Tuesday, but I'm free Thursday." Frisk replied.
"WONDERFUL, COME TO THIS ADDRESS AT 5PM SHARP! THAT GIVES ME MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME TO RESEARCH THE BEST MEAL FOR A HUMAN!" Papyrus handed Frisk the paper he had just written on.
"Sounds like a plan." Frisk replied. A small tendril of dread curling in her stomach. Papyrus seemed trustworthy, but first impressions could be deceptive. She wasn't sure how comfortable she felt going to this man's house alone. She felt like she would be safer than if she invited him into her apartment, at least he wouldn't know where she lived, but still….
"Papyrus, would you mind terribly if I came, too? I would just love to see Ruby attempting to cook for the first time! Plus, you need a third party to try the food you make! I happen to have Thursday night off, too! It could be a little party, I could bring some wine to go with dinner!" Emily offered. Frisk could have hugged her.
"WHAT A WONDERFUL IDEA! MISS MUFFET, WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME, AS WELL?"
"Thank you dearie, but Thursdays are my busy days. I have to start my specialty orders for the weekend on Thursdays. Save me a little of the dinner though, I would love to try some. Your food is always top-notch, Papyrus." Muffet supplied with a few winks.
Papyrus stayed with the group through the entirety of their brunch. Muffet and him supplied extremely entertaining stories of each other throughout the decades. Frisk felt like she was living in a fantasy. Surrounded by friends and laughter on a Sunday afternoon.
"Shit." Frisk cursed under her breath as her apron fell to the floor. She picked it up and re-tied it with a sigh before continuing towards her table. About ten feet away, her apron fell again. Frisk gave it a glare that could melt steel before picking it up and double-knotting it behind her back. It would be a pain in the ass to deal with later, but that was a problem for Later-Frisk.
Frisk checked in with her table, dropped off the orders for two more drinks, then proceeded to roll silverware while she waited. On her third roll, her apron fell down. Again.
"What the fuck?" She muttered. Perhaps her knot hadn't been as tight as she thought it was. Annoyed, she simply put it on the counter next to her and continued to roll the silverware. She couldn't help but think of the upcoming "dinner party" and smile. She was still nervous about going to Papyrus's house, but the fact that Emily had offered to come as well had drastically calmed her nerves. Plus, Papyrus apparently lived in an actual house! In the city! It would be so nice to learn how to cook in a full sized kitchen!
The twinkling of glass alerted brought Frisk back to the here and now. She looked up to see that Fuku had placed the ordered drinks down in front of her. Grillby had had some personal business to take care of, so Fuku was filling in for a couple of hours.
"Thank you." Frisk said, quickly tying her discarded apron back on before grabbing the drinks. Frisk didn't bother to put them on a tray and simply carried them in her hands. About ten feet away from the table, Frisk's apron fell off again, causing Frisk to trip a little. She was able to regain her balance before she fell, but splashed most of the drinks onto the floor in the process. Frisk flushed, feeling the eyes of most of the patrons in the restaurant staring at her. She apologized profusely to her table and promised to be right back with new drinks.
Frisk quickly requested the drinks be made again on the fly and grabbed the mop from the closet by the bar. In record time, Frisk had the spilled liquor soaked up, her apron back on, and new drinks on the table. Thankfully, it was her only table, so the clean up hadn't caused her to fall behind on orders. Frisk walked back to the bar, placed her head on the cool wood, and let out a frustrated groan. At that exact moment, she felt a very slight tug on her apron before it slid to the ground.
Frisk whipped her head up and looked to see who had pulled the knot of her apron only to find no one behind her. Frustrated, she kicked the apron into the base of the bar.
"bad day?" A voice asked from down the bar. Frisk's body immediately tensed up. With a quiet sigh, Frisk picked up her apron and re-tied it. This time, she wrapped the strings around and put the knot in the front, it was a bit of a tight squeeze, but that way no one could get to it without her seeing.
Frisk stepped behind the bar to use the sink to wash her hands before going back to roll more silverware. She heard the mobster skeleton let out an annoyed sigh when she completely ignored him. Just make it through the shift, Frisk, you're almost done. After this, if he's gone, you can sit down, have a nice after-shift drink and just forget about him. She promised herself. Emily was certainly rubbing off on her, but Frisk wasn't complaining. She found her life to be generally less stressful with Emily in her life. She almost felt as if she were living a normal life.
"are you a-ware that it's rude to ignore a patron?" The skeleton asked. Almost. Frisk shot the mobster a sickly sweet smile.
"May I help you with something sir?" She asked in a sweet tone. sans grinned even wider than usual.
"as a matter a fact, ya can. i'm all outta ketchup. mind gettin' me a refill, doll?" Frisk looked around to find that, conveniently, Fuku wasn't behind the bar. Probably replacing a keg, Frisk thought sourly. She couldn't blame the young flame monster, but her timing couldn't be worse.
"Fine." Frisk told the skeleton, stepping behind the bar. After about two steps, Frisk felt a slight tug on her apron and it fell down.
"heh." sans gave Frisk a smirk and she knew he was behind her slippery apron fiasco. He must have been using magic to mess with her. Frisk picked up the apron and gripped it in a fist.
"I'll be right back with your drink, sir." Asshole. Frisk made her way back into the kitchen, face red with anger. She stomped over to where the special ketchup was stored and grabbed a fresh bottle. As she turned to leave, a splash of yellow caught her eye. Frisk smirked. Perfect.
"Enjoy." Frisk said as she placed the ketchup bottle none too gently in front of the grinning skeleton. She quickly walked over to her remaining table to drop off the bill, apron still in hand. She returned to the bar just in time to watch as sans took a large gulp of his "drink".
Which meant she was also just in time to watch him immediately spit out the regular mustard Frisk had replaced the ketchup with. Frisk let out a laugh, quickly covering it as a cough. sans's face was beyond priceless. His grin was smaller than Frisk had ever seen it and his eyelights were pinpricks. Yellow mustard was splattered down his shirt and on the bar in front of him. At the sound of Frisk's pseudo cough, sans turned to look at her. Before he could say anything, Frisk quickly retreated back to her table to pick up the check. She couldn't help but notice the wide eyed stares the monsters at her table were giving her when she picked it up. One of the monsters even made the sign for protection against evil.
"Thank you all for coming in and I hope you have a great night!" She said by ways of farewell. The monsters quickly left without replying. Frisk tucked the check into her folded up apron and schooled her face into one of no expression before making her way back to the bar. sans still hadn't moved from his place, but his eyelights never left her as she quickly went to the drawer to cash out the table. Her eyes widened at the very generous tip and the hastily scribbled "Hope you make it through the night.". Frisk tucked the slip under the drawer and took out her tip before placing her apron down for the night. Finally, she turned and made full eye contact. She let out an obviously feigned gasp when she saw the skeleton.
"Oh no! I am so sorry, sir! There must have been some sort of mix up at the factory! Would you like me to get you a new bottle? I'm sure it was some sort of freak accident." She exclaimed, fighting a victorious smile. sans was silent a moment longer before letting out an aggravated huff.
"yeah, doll, why don't you go back there and see if you can mustard up an actual bottle of the good stuff this time. why don't ya double check this time, just in case." sans finally replied, tone cold and clipped. Frisk felt a small shiver of trepidation go down her spine, but dismissed it. The skeleton may have a dangerous record, but surely he wouldn't hurt her in his friend's bar. And Grillby had specifically asked him to watch out for her the other night, so surely she was somewhat protected.
Frisk went into the back and grabbed a new bottle of ketchup. She made sure to bring it straight out to sans so he wouldn't think she'd tampered with this new one. When she placed the new bottle in front of the skeleton monster, she noticed that the mustard that had been splattered on the bar and on sans himself had been cleaned. There wasn't a single drop or smear to be seen. Frisk looked at the skeleton in confusion, but he was already twisting the lid off of the red bottle to make sure that it actually had the condiment he wanted in it. Frisk looked around the bar to see if Fuku was back, but she was still nowhere to be seen. She looked back at sans who was now guzzling the ketchup. Did he clean it up? Fuku and I are the only ones working...Frisk wondered. She could not wrap her mind around the idea of the slobbish skeleton cleaning up a mess like that, but maybe she was wrong?
Frisk continued working on her outs so she could leave. She ignored sans and sans ignored her. It was as if the two had met some sort of truce. The restaurant was officially closed, but the bar would stay open until 2:30 AM. Frisk always tried to clean as much as she could when she was the closing server so the bartender could leave as quickly as possible when it was time to close. She swept and mopped the floors away from the bar, stacked the chairs on the tables in the corners, mopped the kitchen, and prepared everything she could for the openers the next day. All in all, the process took a little under an hour. Frisk was tired and thirsty. Frisk promptly walked over to the bar and was about to grab her apron before she froze. Her black apron was absolutely covered in mustard stains! They were all dry, too, so Frisk knew she would have to get it cleaned before her next shift, spot cleaning wouldn't cut it. Frisk sent a death glare at the skeleton still seated in the middle of the bar. He had a slight blue blush to his cheek bones but still managed to give her a smug smile and mocking salute. Frisk angrilly fished around her apron for some cash before leaning heavily on the bar.
"Do you need anything else from me, Fuku?" Frisk asked, drawing the bartender's attention. Fuku shook her head, "Then do you mind if I get a shot before I go? To keep me warm?" Frisk asked with a strained smile. Fuku nodded and immediately reached for the staff favorite, Rumplemintz. Frisk had had her reservations about the syrupy, minty liquor, but it was growing on her. One shot was enough to get a nice little buzz going and take the stress off of the day. Shot in hand, she raised it to the flame monster.
"Good luck with the rest of your shift." Frisk toasted before downing the shot. She placed her money on the bar, shot sans one last glare, then made her way out the back door.
"Fuck that guy." She muttered as she stepped out into the night.