[[ Alrighty then, here we go! Chapter 46 is now underway! And I'm already gonna be working on chapter 47 just as soon as i get a few hours sleep (falling asleep now lmao) BUT! Someone new is introduced this chapter! And gives us a little view on what was happening while Sans and Tori were gone. HOpe you all enjoy it! ]]
Dealing with the authorities had not been something that Grillby had planned for himself that particular evening. Hell, even going so far as to say he'd be closing the bar early wasn't even on his mind, but circumstances always tend to lead to things that are unplanned, and he wasn't one to abandon his friends when they were so obviously in need. Sure, that had started off by simply pulling Sans' head out of his ass- er, pelvis... But then came the news that his human had been kidnapped, and, honestly, Grillby couldn't really blame the skeleton for wanting a drink. He'd been enlisted to try and convince him to open up, talk about things, but the fire elemental was very rapidly beginning to realize just how much Sans was holding back that he needed to talk about.
It only burned a little bit to realize that his dear friend was hiding so much from him. Then again, if he were to try and damn him for it, that would make him a hypocrite.
A glance up at the sky, still shaded by clouds, warned him that rain might be impending, and he glanced down at the watch on his forearm with a small frown marring the flames that made up his face. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning. The 'raid' or 'rescue mission' had been a success, all things considered, and although he was exhausted from the abnormal amount of magic he'd expended, it felt good to be a part of something again. Some little spot in his soul sparked back to life, and the combat had renewed a fighting spirit that he'd long since forgotten he even had. A placid life behind the bar had made him forget, but his soul felt warmed by the memories it all brought back to him. The white-spots of flame where his eyes were narrowed as he glanced across the singed field, toward the groups of humans who were being ushered about by police officials. Cars with flashing red and blue lights had swarmed the scene, and an amount of nervousness settled over the area. They'd used magic. Grillby was certain that there'd be an onslaught of questions and investigation. The first officer had immediately sought out Toriel, and despite the way she'd corrected the human when they'd referred to her as 'Queen Toriel,' they continued to do so. She kept quiet about it, though, politely, as she tended to do.
"I'd like for you to explain what happened here, if you could." The voice of a rather loud female officer caught his attention and his gaze flickered over to where she stood, back stiff with authority and chest puffed with pride. She reminded him of Undyne, he realized, as he glanced between the human officer and the monsterous ex-Captain. There was a small group of humans that she was speaking to, all of them with thick green blankets wrapped around their shoulders. Many of them were shivering heavily, eyes darting around at the darkness around them as if it were ready to snap at them any minute.
"We were all blindfolded for the most of it," one spoke up, a tall, lean woman with thick waves of dark, chocolate-brown hair caressing her shoulders. She looked up at the sky for a moment, a sadness passing over her face, eyes narrowing as though she were searching for something. "But I can tell you what happened," she continued, leveling her amber-colored gaze with that of the officer. When the other nodded for her to continue, she did, her grip on the 'shock blanket' falling slack as she stared upwards. "I was taken there by a group of people, though I never got to see who. I remember their voices, though. There were several, at least nine or ten of them. All men." The officer began writing down the 'facts' in a small notebook she held grasped tightly in her hand, glancing between it and the woman's wistful face. "There was a commotion from across the room from where I was sat. A woman began to panic and...she was killed, I think. Everything was very quiet after that. Then I heard one say 'she's awake', and then..."
Grillby pulled his attention from the humans interacting, glancing back over the crowd to locate the rest of his friends. Undyne and Papyrus had been the next monsters to be interrogated, immediately after Lady Toriel, as if expecting their stories to all be different. 'Not that they can be blamed for their suspicion and their fear,' he reasoned, his eyes catching sight of a still smoldering patch of grass, then glancing down at his hands. He'd rolled his sleeves up, exposing his forearms which, like the rest of him, were glowing a bit duller than usual. The flames were a bit weaker all for the simple fact that he'd used so much magic. In his youth, it would have been nothing. Child's play, even. However, he'd gotten out of touch with that side of himself. He was tired.
The feeling of eyes on him sent him glancing around again. Greater Dog and Lesser Dog were sitting obediently by the police cruisers, seeming to be in the midst of a great, if not silent, discussion with the K-9 unit that had been brought along. Dogaressa was being checked over by a frantically worried Dogamy and, despite her insistence that she was fine, he continued to look over her, paw resting atop the very crest of her swollen, pregnant belly. She looked seconds away from nipping at him, and he had very little doubt that she'd do so. Doggo was talking to a few officers while being treated by Lady Toriel. It was to be expected that the nearly blind dog monster would get hit. People aren't normally moving when firing a gun...
He turned and found himself leveled with two bright pools of amber, looking up at him with such a wistfulness and awe that he felt himself stiffen. The human from before was now standing just over his shoulder, and- goodness, how had he not sensed her approach? He really must have been tired.
"You're one of the monsters that came and helped us," she said, less a question as it was a statement, and he gave a small nod. She seemed to be waiting for something, for him to speak, but he didn't wish to. A look of understanding passed over her face and she held up her hands, fingers moving fluidly as she began to sign.
"I thank you for helping us." Pleasantly surprised, the white spots of flame that were his eyes widened a bit, and her own eyes widened in response, followed by her lips curving up into a smile. "It is incredible how expressive you are. Fire is the element of passion and emotion, so I am not surprised." Feeling the slightest bit embarrassed he tilted his head downward, raising his own hands to respond.
"I do not know about that, but you are welcome." She gave the smallest of nods before her attention was caught yet again, eyes glancing up to the sky, searching. With only the slightest pause, he followed her gaze, looking back at her when he could see nothing. "What are you looking for?" he signed, thankful that she'd noticed right away so he wouldn't have to repeat himself. The brown skin on her cheekbones turned the faintest reddish hue and her eyes became half-lidded, an expression that he could only describe as 'love-struck' slowly making its way onto her face.
"The moon." The simple sign caught him off guard, obvious from the way his flames flickered atop his head, and she gave a soft hum. "It was supposed to be the Growing Moon tonight. The blue moon of April..." The amount of mourning in her voice was confusing, but he didn't question it. Even though the only ones he'd known to be so obsessed with seeing the night sky were monsters who had never had the chance (or had long since forgotten it), surely it wasn't so out of the ordinary for a human to feel that way, as well.
"Forgive me, but why the concern for seeing the moon? Do you find it beautiful as well?" Her expression fell slack in slight surprise before it was quickly overcome by another bright smile, laughter bubbling past her tan lips.
"You could say that. She is my goddess, and she is as beautiful as all else combined." She seemed to hesitate for a moment, glancing around them before reaching forward to hold her hands out, palm up towards the sky. It looked as if she were preparing to catch something falling from the heavens, and despite how odd the display was, Grillby found himself watching with a rapt curiosity. Her impossibly dark lashes brushed her cheeks as she closed her eyes, releasing a slow sigh, and he was amazed as the clouds slowly began to part, a soft white glow escaping from behind them to bathe across her skin. It was haunting and lovely, and he found his hands moving to form questions before he could even realize it himself. "She grants me power to do things other humans cannot... Magic." Her eyes slid open and met his, and she gave him a soft smile. "Perhaps sometime I may show you. Monsters may have something to learn from the Moon and her magic." He found himself nodding in agreement without thinking about it, and his fingers twitched as he itched to ask her more questions, but a thin hand on his shoulder pulled him from his reverie.
"Dearie, you ought to hurry home. It looks as though it may rain." He turned his head just enough to see Muffet standing beside him, pressing herself close to his side as three of her arms wrapped around one of his, giving a gentle tug. It might have been imagined, but the spideress seemed to send a glare the human's way; she seemed oblivious to it, though, her eyes once again focused upon the moon and its soft glow. He gave Muffet a short nod, an uncomfortably conflicting feeling tugging at his mind, but he shook it off. Before the spider monster could lead him off, though, he stopped and reached out, giving the human a gentle tap on the shoulder to regain her attention.
"I would like to learn more about her...your goddess, I mean." The way the moon reflected off of those amber pools made them seem to glow in the darkness, contrasting lights dancing within them as they reflected his flames. Those eyes were watching his hands intently, then they flickered to his face, the smile on her lips spreading wider as she seemed to swell with appreciation. The hand on his arm tightened, but he paid it no mind as the woman gave another nod, eyes hiding from his view behind thin brown eyelids, much like the moon had been hiding behind the clouds. Feeling bold, he continued. "I own a the bar in Taobh. Perhaps, one evening, you could come by and enlighten me." She gave him an odd look, and before he could begin to wonder if he'd perhaps been a bit too bold, she spoke with her voice instead of her hands.
"...Was that a pun?" she asked, gesturing toward him, and his flames froze briefly before they burned brighter, flickering violently as he shook his head. She laughed, an easy, unrestrained sound, and her smile was brighter than the moon. "I'll see you around." Then she turned and she was gone, walking closer to the edge of the forest. She picked a spot at the base of a rather large tree and plopped down right in the grass, unworried about whether or not it would stain her long skirt. Her eyes turned back up toward the moon and she reclined against the rough bark at her back, basking in its light, looking completely at peace.
"Awfully interested in her, aren't we, dearie?" The flames along his shoulders jumped slightly as he felt Muffet's voice just at his ear, and he shot her a scolding glance, but she waved it off, giggling behind one of her hands. "Let's get you back to your bar. I'd hate for you to fizzle out~," she cooed, clinging to his arm all the tighter, and he released a small sigh as he glanced back up at the sky. The moon was revealed, but the spideress was right. It wouldn't do for him to stand around in the rain and be 'put out', so he allowed the dainty arachnid monster to lead him to one of the numerous cars parked in the vicinity, only glancing back at the moon-struck human once before they were driven out of sight.
"For the last time! I. Am. Fine!" Papyrus perked up slightly as the voices of a familiar canine met him through the murmur of the now crowded field, and he glanced over just in time to find Dogamy draw back slightly, his tail tucked between his legs. His mate was growling, lips pulled back enough to expose the faintest glimpse at her white fangs. She was exhausted, as they all were, and had grown tired of her mate's worrying and hovering, just as they'd all suspected she would. They'd even been making silent bets on how long it would take for her to snap at him. 'Naturally I, The Great Papyrus, would win that bet! I believed in her ability to maintain composure, as any proper Royal Guardsman- er, Guardswoman would!' It took only seconds for the two to be back to their usual antics, nuzzling noses and being disgustingly sweet with one another. Papyrus wondered briefly how on earth Dogamy could understand such mood swings. 'The human also gets rather moody, but she has never lashed out like that. I wonder why...' Frowning slightly, he puzzled over that particular thought for far longer than he should have, deciding that she was just a patient person. Despite knowing that her soul didn't necessarily have an overabundance of it, like his brother's did.
"Excuse me, Sir." The towering skeleton glance down to find a rather small human, too large to be a child, but not quite fully grown, standing before him. Once he made actual eye contact with them they seemed to draw back, looking apologetic and fearful all at once, and all he could do was give them a patient smile. "How uh... How do you do what you did in there?" They fidgeted with their sleeves for a moment, pulling them down to cover their hands. He cocked a brow in question.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HUMAN?" The loudness of his voice seemed to startle them, and he immediately lowered his voice. "I assume you are talking about my magic, yes?" They gave a slow nod, brows furrowing in confusion. "Well that's all there is to be said about it, really! It's magic!" A small bit of skepticism seemed to pass over their expression briefly, but then their eyes trailed over him and it vanished. Yes, magic can't seem that odd when you're talking to an actual skeleton, now can it?
"Well it, uh...i-it was really cool..." Papyrus felt his chest swell with pride, puffing out his rib cage as he rested a glove-covered hand on it, smiling.
"YES, IT WAS QUITE COOL, WASN'T IT? NYEH HEH HEH!" They seemed a bit more comfortable with him, because his tone didn't bother them anymore. They even chuckled along a little as he laughed proudly, their lips turning up into a shy smile.
"It's cool that you were able to save everyone- ...w-well, almost everyone..." Ah. Papyrus felt his soul squeeze the smallest bit, though he made sure to keep the smile on his face. "I'm sorry."
"Huh?" He blinked his sockets in surprise, his skull cocking to one side slightly. "WHAT ARE YOU SORRY FOR, HUMAN?"
"I-I mean I'm... Uh... I-I'm sorry that you had to...see that... I know how difficult that is." They reached a small (wow, it really was so tiny compared to him, wasn't it?) hand out to rest on his shoulder, trembling even as they had to stand on the very tips of their toes in order to reach. "If you um...n-need to talk to someone, just let me know, o-okay?" Papyrus sucked in a short breath, feeling the edges of his eyesockets burn as the smile fell from his face in his surprise. It was quick to return, though it was slightly pained, and he reached out to ruffle the human's matted black hair.
"WORRY NOT, HUMAN! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS JUST FINE! BUT I THANK YOU FOR THE OFFER!" They yelped and raised their hands to try and deflect his ruffling, their cheeks flushing a deep red. He couldn't help but think of how it reminded him of Lena, when she and Sans were okay. Their playful banter and bickering, their conversations that often made him leave the room...he wondered if that would ever come back. 'They had quite a fight before all of this nonsense happened... Surely they will make up, though! She is a very kind human. She will no doubt forgive Sans.' He felt guilty for the little lingering bit of doubt and concern that stuck around, but he told himself that very forcefully, shaking his skull side to side as if it would dispel the thoughts. When he stopped the human was looking up at him strangely, and he quickly withdrew his hand and bid them farewell, turning on the heel of his boots to go and find Undyne.
The Captain of what had once been the Royal Guard was standing at attention, her posture and expression rigid, arms crossed high over her chest. The claws on her webbed fingers tapped against her bicep, and Papyrus couldn't help but wonder if it was her intention to intimidate the humans...because, if it was, she was doing a fairly good job. The officers that were around her asking her questions kept glancing at her claws, the fangs in her mouth every time she spoke, the built frame she sported. It certainly didn't help that she was a good deal taller than them all, towering over them by at least a foot. 'She is not all as scary as they are thinking!' The Undyne they were seeing now, sure, she was all serious, all business, all power and determination...the Undyne he knew? She was all of that, but also a gigantic nerd (even though she preferred to call other people that...frequently). She cared a lot more than she liked to let on, and he could tell. As the small group of uniformed humans parted he walked over to his friend, watching as she practically deflated against the side of the cruiser, leaning against it heavily. She raised a hand to shove it through her fiery red hair, shoving the strands of hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail out of her face.
"Dammit, if these guys could leave us alone for five fucking minutes-" Her one revealed eye darted up to Papyrus, body setting itself on edge for half a second before she realized who it was. "Ah geez, it's just you." Papyrus gave a tired grin and moved to stand next to her, resting a gloved hand heavily on her shoulder.
"Please try to withhold your enthusiasm!" The sarcasm caught her off-guard and she snorted, swinging a hand out to punch him in the shoulder weakly. He chuckled and retracted his hand, rubbing his 'abused' shoulder as he leveled her with a careful gaze. "Are you alright? You are much less loud than normal." A small derisive snort had the fish woman looking up at him, brow raised.
"You're one to talk," she grumbled, then she released a loud sigh. "I dunno, just...thinkin' about shit. I'm not worried, if that's what you're trying to say!" Papyrus raised his hands palm-out to try and placate her, maybe to say that he hadn't at all been insinuating that she was concerned (though, let's be honest, she obviously is). "Hey." Her voice was obviously drawing for his attention, and he was quick to give it, his eye sockets leveling with the single amber-eyed stare his friend gave him. "What happened to that bitch?" He winced at the language, muttering a soft 'language' under his breath in protest, but he didn't even need to ask her to clarify who she was talking about. He turned his head slightly to look over by one of the several ambulances that were parked in the vicinity, seeing the platinum blonde haired woman being tended to by paramedics. She seemed to notice him looking at her and flinched, averting her gaze and allowing her hair to fall in front of her face to hide it. He heard Undyne ground out a curse and could practically feel her bristle beside him, no doubt having followed his gaze, and though he wanted to tell her to be kind, he...didn't.
He found it the slightest bit difficult to keep the negative thoughts about her at bay. This was the human who had made his dear friend's life so difficult, the one who caused the circumstances that led up to this very evening. If it weren't for her, the rescue mission wouldn't have been necessary. If not for her, Lena would be-
'NO. Don't.' He heavily reprimanded himself in his mind the instant his thoughts began to stray to the darker side of things, breathing out a deep sigh through his nasal cavity. Surely there was some reason, some explanation, that would help enlighten the all as to why this human acted with such cruelty...right? 'Not all humans need a reason to be cruel,' he reminded himself, the leather of his gloves squeaking as he clenched his hands into fists.
"If she was left unscathed, then surely there must be some reason for it, right?" Undyne immediately looked like she wanted to argue, but a thoughtful frown pulled down at the corners of her lips. It was true, and it couldn't be denied. Devon had been beaten pretty badly, injured, but Kathleen was left, for the most part, untouched. He knew his brother wasn't one for gender bias, so it wasn't like it was just because she was female, either. "I believe that we should keep an eye on her...but she seems different. We should give her a chance."
"That's your problem, Papyrus. Too many fucking chances..."
"You did not allow me to finish," he chimed in, sending his friend a smile as the faintest ring of orange light began to shine from within his right eye socket. "...We should give her a chance when Lena wakes up." The ex-Captain looked startled, if only for a second, before a wide grin broke out over her face, sinister and threatening.
"That sounds more fair."
'When the human wakes up, then we shall give her a fair chance...but-'
"Hey, Toriel!" Undyne's voice broke him from his thoughts and he looked up, only momentarily dazed, to see the very mentioned monster walking toward them. The fur underneath her eyes looked slightly darker, as if she had shadows under her eyes, and they could all understand the feeling. They were all tired, magic depleted and exhausted physically as well as emotionally. The regal monster raised a paw in a short wave, a smile finding its way onto her muzzle.
"Hello. I apologize for having left you for so long... Is everything settled with the human authorities?" Undyne gave a small, gruff sound, shrugging her shoulders. Toriel chuckled softly and even though it was genuine, it sounded tired.
"Your Majesty-"
"Please, child," she interrupted gently, waving a paw as if to dismiss the formality. "As I've said, Toriel is just fine!"
"Lady Toriel, how is...how is she?" he asked, voice uncharacteristically quiet. The once Queen gave a weary sigh, her smile beginning to look a little strained until it fell away from her face entirely, leaving her looking solemn.
"Her soul is intact and steady..." The unsaid 'but' lingered in the air until, with an even deeper sigh, she continued, "...she has not yet awoken."
"What the fuck even happened to her?!" Undyne asked, voice full of frustration and concern, and, for once, Toriel didn't give her a scathing glance for her poor language.
"It is...difficult to discuss at the moment. Something awful...but her soul is strong, and Sans is watching over her." Papyrus wrung his gloved hands together, eye sockets falling half-lidded as he glanced down at the ground. The grass just beneath the paw-pads of Toriel's feet was blackened by their friend Grillby's blazing magic, crunching loudly beneath her footsteps as she stepped ever closer. A heavy paw rested on his shoulder and he felt like a child under her gaze. When he looked up at her again her smile was gentle, patient, and kind. "Papyrus, my dear, I think your brother will be needing you." A small questioning sound left his throat before he could properly give it permission, but she merely chuckled gently. "He is...well, he is not well, obviously, because she is not awake. But he needs you there, I think. Having his brother there with him will help."
"Nyeh... D-do you really think so?" It was so unlike him to sound so uncertain, but damn it all, he was. His brother had felt uncomfortable with him being too close to his human not too long ago. What made her so certain that he was wanted?
"I know so. We will be limiting visitors until she is awake and well...so you had best hurry along. I've kept you here long enough, have I not?" She gave the skeleton a gentle nudge and he felt his feet moving beneath him without having to think about it, carrying him down the path they'd all forged together in the direction of what he could only call 'home'.
[[ And there you have it. IT's a little shorter this time around, but just giving a little peek at what was happening during the end of last chapter. Already working on the next one! For now, I'm super sleepy and exhausted and falling asleep as I'm writing this hahahhh
Be sure to follow on Tumblr! ( ) I don't often respond to comments on here because I like to keep an accurate comment count. But you can message me on Tumblr or send me an ask and I'd be more than happy to have a conversation! I do art streams sometimes and make posts on there about that, so yeah, check it out!
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It's got a little bit of an introduction for something new, and a look at something for the future, though it's pretty vague. I wonder who'll pick up on it. Love you guys~! ]]