Cheerful shouting filled the air in Grillby's, as monsters greeted the favorite Snowdin skeleton. The short skeleton waved at a few monsters and made his away to the bar. It was the first time he came to the tavern this early. Most mornings, would have been spent lying on the couch or taking a nap on the job. Papyrus was in such a rush getting Sans to work, that the short skeleton didn't have time to eat breakfast, which would have been Papyrus' spaghetti with boiled eggs. Not realizing how hungry he was until he could smell the French fries as he came through the door.

"Hey Sans, whats a lazy bone like you, doing up?," a bodiless bunny head asked while jumping up and down on the booth table.

"I thought I could start a day early to ketchup up, with Grillbz." Sans chuckled as he picked up the ketchup bottle next to the bunny head's food. The skeleton flipped the cap off before placing it in front his large teeth. "Where is that hot flamer, anyway?" He asked in a puzzled voice, looking at the bar, and noticed the table cloth draped over something lumpy. Red bird giggled as she pointed a feather at the table cloth.

Under the cloth, Arial's heart was pounding like a drum after hearing Sans' voice, nearby. She quickly grabs the end of her hood and pushed Grillby away from her. The poor flame monster only got glimpse of black hair before his body came flying out of hiding. "OUCH" he yelled as his back collided with the liquor cabinet, causing a bottle or few to break. A drop of liquor slowly dripped out from under the cabinet doors. All it took was one drop of alcohol, but it sent Grillby's flaming hair to sizzle out, into high flames, which spooked a few monsters out of their seats.

"Hey there Grillbz….You burning… HOT…today." Sans said as he took a seat at his usually place at the bar. A gulp of ketchup dripped down the side of his skull as he turned his attention to the table cloth next to him. "What's up with Casper?" he asked, noticing the black boots poking out from under the cloth, before using his long neon blue tongue to clean the mess on his skull. Which made a few female monsters tingle in pleasure, at the sight of it.

Grillby sighed as he used the edge of the bar table to help himself off the ground. Out of all the times, Sans had to come in the tavern while Arial and him, was about to share a private moment. There was no telling when he would get that opportune again. Part of him wanted to toss his friend out in the cold for ruining his chance. What a cock blocker. The lights in Sans' eye sockets told Grillbz, Sans needed company. He was willing to help his friend as long as it didn't involve either of them taking off clothes. Sadly, for the skeleton monster, this monster was hoping to spark a flame in someone else's heart today "They're kind of shy around strangers….Do you known any Arial?"

"Nope"

Grillby made a promise not to tell anyone who Arial was, but he needed to get that question out of the way. If Sans didn't known any Arial, then why was his Arial always hiding from the skeleton brothers. The fire monster looked down at the cloth that was still hiding her from view. Sans was known to be very popular with females and some males. He's known to be a lazy cheap skate, but made up with charm, humor, and his playful magic. Grillby noticed he never asked Arial if she had crush on some monster. "Could it be she likes….No…" he thought as he carefully lifted the cloth off of her. If she did have a crush on Sans, then he would just have to work even harder to win her heart.

White light lit up brighter in Sans' eye sockets as he watched Grillby reveal the hooded monster, next to him. What he assumed was the "River Person", but they seemed to be a lot thinner, than usual. "Wait…So the rumors where true?" The skeleton coughed as he dropped a bottle of ketchup he was drinking, onto the floor.

Grillby released the table cloth, letting it drop onto the floor. Looking down, his hooded crush had lay her head on the bar table, while crossing her arms over her head. The fire monster placed a hand on her shoulder. He could feel the poor dear was shivering from fear. He reached out his right free hand and took Arial's hand. Unlike, her left bony hand, this one was fleshy. The hand resembled a human hand. Assuming, cause he'd only seen images of humans, in books. Was this why Arial was scared of meeting Sans? Could she be….a human? It was Papyrus and Sans' job to take humans, to the King. That didn't explain why her other hand was just bones and still able to use it. Grillby's mind was creating all these new thoughts, one after another. It was like one of those mystery TV shows, when you keep changing who you think the killer is. Whatever was going on he had to protect her identity. Personally, the skeleton brothers wear good hearted monster, but Papyrus had a big mouth. Something like this, needs to be kept quiet. Grillby took a step back from the bar table as he reached into his apron and pulled out his fire proof gloves. "You must be cold."

Arial slowly looked up to see Grillby was offering her, gloves. It was a little bit puzzling about the gift, until she reached out to take the gloves. To her horror, she realized the black gloves were not on her hands. Did she forget them at home? Fear washed over her as she quickly put on the gloves that were a bit too large for her female hands. Ariel sat in silent, wondering if Grillby noticed her unmatched hands which is why she was offered, the gloves. He didn't seem upset or scared, just being his sweet old fire monster self. "Thank you" she spoke, in a loving voice while her hidden face, blushed at his gesture.

Grillby nodded his head while placing another bottle of ketchup, in front of Sans. "I never said I had any relationship with the 'River Person'….she is an old friend of mine, from Hotland." He lied, not knowing what region Arial lived in.

"I'm happy to hear, that you don't float down that river." Sans laughed as he twisted off the ketchup cap and peeled off the foil seal. To most monsters, it was just ketchup, a simple condiment to eat on fries or burgers. To this skeleton, it was an addictive drug. It had a sweet and tang taste that reminds him of his childhood. That life has good moments, but also bad moments. No matter how bad things turned out, he just couldn't put the bottle down. Sans loved to relive the sweetness of ketchup each and every time. "Another round?" The skeleton asked holding an empty ketchup bottle by it's rim and waving it in front of Grillby.

The fire monster nods his head as he took the bottle. If Sans was going to drink himself to death on liquefied, sweetened tomatos, then he needed every bottle that was in stock. "I'll get more…..Don't you dare run out on your tab…I known where you live." Grillby partly joked while walking over to the kitchen door and shutting it behind him.

Arial's mind was racing with panic as she watched Grillby disappeared from the room. She was left alone with the one monster she wished never to see. Part of her wanted to dash right out of the tavern and never look back. Leaving now, might make Sans suspicious of who she is and follow her. For now, she had to try and stay calm and wait for an opportunity to leave.

"I didn't know Grillbz still had friend in Hotland. This place must be chilled to the bone for a hotty, like you." Sans places an elbow on the table as he leaned his skull into his hand. The poor fire monster was bullied as a child, so it was unexpected that there were friends from there. Not to mention she was covered from head to toe, in black clothing. Most likely a fire monster if they're from Hotland. She rocked a bit on the stool with arms crossed, tightly pulled into her body. The little thing was noticeably having a hard time dealing with the fridge weather. It was sweet of her to bear the cold to visit Grillby. If there's something more than friendship between the two, Sans had to find out. This new secret mission that was assigned to himself, filled him with determination. "It's kind of rude, not tell your new pal, your name," Sans held out an extended hand, for the girl to take.

Arial stared at it, wondering if it was safe to take the hand that was offerd to her. Unlike Sans, she knew a lot about him. There were cameras hidden throughout the underground, which she secretly used to watch her brothers out in public, feeling like a stalker. Alphys understood that Arial was too scared to face her brothers, but the girl wanted to know about their lives. So her adopted mother hacked into business security cameras like Grillby's. This was how Arial found out, Sans was not a morning monster. She remembered once being jealousy of Grillby when he would play in the snow with Sans and Papyrus, as kids. That was why she came to this tavern in the first place, in the hopes to meet the fire monster. First she thought he was her connection to get a little closer to the skeleton brothers, without ever coming in contact with them. Over time, Grillby became her closes friend that she could trust. Sadly, now there were no walls separating her and Sans. She was sitting right in front of her older brother, who had a huge smile, waiting for her to take it. There were no clues that the girl sitting next to him, was an abomination and his half-little sister. She studied his bony hand wondering if it was safe to take. Sans loved jokes and playing tricks, this simple hand shake could be booby trap. Not taking it, would be rude though. She decided, as long as she kept her real identity a secret, it couldn't hurt to spend a little time with him for a while. "Arial" her voice was quiet as a mouse, as she placed her hand in to Sans' and discovered there was a whoopee cushion.

A farting sound whistled between their hands as they shake on their new friendship. Sans sighed a little at his disappointed joke. It was pointless if he couldn't see the victim's facial expression. At least he knew her name now. "I'm Sans….Sans Skelton…Skele-pun master"

"Then try to tickled my funny bone…Punny Master" Arial spoke in a playful voice, while pulling her hand away. Unlike Papyrus, she enjoyed hearing Sans clever puns. This was going be her first time hearing it live, not over security footage in the laboratory.

"I want to, but I feel this terrible pit in my stomach" Sans chuckled while leaning back a little as he rubbed his coat in a hungry monition.

"Pitty…Why so boneless?"

"Because I don't have the mussels, to move." Sans puts his head down and collapses on the bar table like a rag doll. "I need some fatty meat. I'm all bones."

Under the black robe, the human-monster had a big grin on her face. Did she just try to do puns with Sans? Ariel was about to add more to the punny party, but stopped when she noticed Grillby, coming out of the kitchen. The sweet fire monster was carrying a tray of steaming food. He placed a hamburger with fries, in front of both of his friends. "Food is on the house Sans, but you're paying for all the bottles, you drink." Grillby demanded, placing five bottles in front of the ketchup-holic.

"Just what the doctor ordered…..Ariel, doesn't that hood get in the way?" Sans asked, before opening his month wide and taking a bite of the greasy burger.

"I'm used to it…I was burned badly as a kid, so I'm ashamed of my scars." Arial looked down at her left arm, as she lightly touched the fabric covering it. She wasn't really lying. She still had a few scars on her human flesh, when her creator's machine failed and burned her skin. Being ashamed of your looks, is complicated when you're two things at once, but also wanting to look like your brothers. A soft sigh slipped out, while she picked up a knife and fork to cut the hamburger into small strips, before stabbing it with the fork and placing it into her mouth.

"You never told me that" Grillby responded while he was in the middle of taking a customer's order. He was not sure if Arial was telling the truth or going along with the fact that she may live in Hotland. "I thought you were wearing a hoodie, because you where shy"

"Shy...Grillbz, this girl tried to out bone pun me." Sans pointed a finger at Arial while his other hand was tightly holding a ketchup bottle. "I wouldn't mind if she als…"

"I hope your bad funny bone didn't rub off on her...Please, keep your bone finger off her" Grillby remarked in a spark of anger, before heading back in to the kitchen to get other costumers orders ready.

Arial was a little puzzled at what the male monsters where talking about. Did she miss something while she was eating? Turning her head slightly toward Sans, she noticed that the ketchup bottles on the table, were almost all gone and only half of his burger, was eaten. If she remembers correctly, her creator told her that skeleton monsters didn't have a stomach, but they did need to eat. When the food entered the skull, the skeleton's soul, quickly burned it up as fuel for energy and magic. They could go a week without food, but this could cause them to be weak and powerless to move. If a skeleton goes a month without fuel, their soul could burn out and they will fade into dust. Heavy foods like hamburgers could be harder for their soul to burn up quickly which leads to mashed bits of food, to fall right out of them. So liquid foods, like ketchup, was easier for a skeleton's soul to burn up quickly. Arial on the other hand, could get way with eating anything. What her soul couldn't burn up at the time, her tiny stomach stored and used later for energy.

Sans licked his teeth as he got a creepy feeling of someone watching him. He looked back at Arial noticing her head seemed to be pointing in his direction but looking down at his food. "Would you like it?…I would take it home, but my little bro doesn't like me bringing greasy food home." he asked, remembering fire monsters were big eaters.

"I'm also stuffed….I always end up taking food home for my mom…..She's what I call a "Microwave Chef". Only cooking foods that she can heat up…I've eaten so many ramen noodles, it's a wonder I'm not noddly yet.

"Same. With Paps, my bro. Always with his stupendous spaghetti" Sans chucked while picking up his plate of food and sliding it onto Arial's plate. "So, you live with your mom?"

"Yup…I'm only sixteen, so I can't live on my own…Don't get me wrong I love hanging out with her…This may sound sad, but she's my best friend."

"What about Grillbz?"

"He's my friend too….my mom and I share a love for anime, together….I'm bit of an…. otaku, thanks to her. I mostly prefer, manga"

"Manga?...So you're into human comic books?…The only stuff I have read is 'Brotherhood'…. guess you can say I liked it…alchemy is interesting"

Arial smiled under her hood at the mention of a manga she knew by heart. It's understandable why Sans liked it too. Sure it had alchemy, but it was also about a bond between two human brothers that would do anything, to help each other. It was kinda funny how the skeleton brother's height and personally is a bit similar to the brothers in Brotherhood. Both Sans and Edward loved science, great at magic, or in Edwards case alchemy and carry a lot of hardship on their own to protect their family. While Papyrus and Alphonse, both have a positive outlook on life, believing there was good in everyone and did their best to help others. "So, do you study bonemy?"

"In my spare time. I also have an interest in the study of alternate universes and timelines… But work always leaves me bone tired…."

"Grillbz told me, you dropped out of school so you can look after your brother while he goes to high school"

"Don't worry, I got a GED … Paps is going to high school, but so determined to become a royal guard …I think he wants to pay for me go to college...I keep telling him, I'm not a book worm"

"I'm not sure what to do with my life either." Arial became sad at the thought of what life would be like as an adult. What was she going to do if something happen to Alphys? She was not a scientist and anything involving the royal family, was out of the question. Maybe she could get a job at Grillby's. Besides Alphy's laboratory, this was the only other place that felt like home, to her.

"You could become a Singer" a voice popped out of nowhere, as Grillby slipped out from behind the kitchen door with a tray of food. He carefully walked around the tavern placing food in front of his customers.

"GRILLBZ!" Arial yelled, pulling on her hood out of embarrassment. Inside the robes, her cheek was turning a deep shade of pink.

"You have a lovely voice." A flame turned into a smile on Grllby's face as he took Arial's food and started boxing it up for her. Then placed the dirty dish and empty bottles of ketchup onto his serving tray.

"I'm all ear drums..go on Ariel." Sans leans into his elbow against the table and rests his head then waved for her to begin.

Arial leaned over as she placed her hand over her heart while shaking her head like a mad woman. Having a group of monster listen to her, would be too overwhelming. The only people she ever sang in front of were Alphys, Grillby, and Undyne...Wait, that was not right. She never sang in front of Undyne. In her heart it felt true, but her memories it was not. "Don't worry." the words pop into her mind as she looked around. The feeling of eyes burning into her soul, from anticipation of her voice. Luckily, there was a distraction, when she felt vibration in her robe pocket. Digging into the pocket, she pulled out a phone, buzzing with a happily melody of "mew kisses".

"Hello, Mom" she spoke into the phone happily in relief. The tone of her voice disappeared. "Mom, calm down…..What do you mean?…"

The comforting feeling of the tavern went cold, as loud alarms and buzzing echo over Snowdin. The monsters looked at each other in panic and the same confused expression, wondering what was going on. Sans knew this sound like the back of his bony hands. Quickly, he pulled his phone out of his jacket, to look at the time. How could he get so distracted and forget about the human? If the alarms were going off, that indicated that monsters were being killed and Papyrus could be in danger. "Grillbz, I need your help, everyone leaves Snowdin…got it?"

"I UNDERSTAND…." Arial shouted as she covered her ears while trying to speak on the phone. She hung it up as every monster's phone started to buzz and ring tones added to the noise. Almost one by one everyone looked at their phone as a "warning! dangerous human" flashed on the screen in red colors before changing into a map, showing directions to the royal laboratory, and a count down. Arial took a deep breath as she climbed up on to the bar table. She held out her phone in front of her, displaying the "Royal Scientist" symbol. Facing the crowd of monsters, Her knees started to shake. She hated public speaking, but it was an emergency. She started to shout, In the loudest voice she could muster.

"Everyone! calm down…I'm an assistant to the 'Royal Scientist', Alphys…She is sorry about hacking. Right now all media devices are displaying the same thing... Yes the human is in the underground and already out of the Ruins, killing…. We need every guard and any monster willing to help with the evacuation of Snowdin …there's no time to waste, we must hurry to the laboratory, in Hotland. We have four hours to get there. After that, Alphy will take those who make it, to an unknown safety area. Sorry, she can't give a map to that area in caution of the human having a phone or seeing a broadcast on television …You're all welcome to fight or flee."

Sans always wondered how messages of the killer human, spread so quickly in Snowdin. He watched monsters rush out of the tavern, leaving only the three of them, at the bar. He turned back to see Grillby reaching out his arms, to help Arial, off the bar table. In a quick motion, the fire monster, tightly pulled her into a loving embrace.

"I have this bad feeling... I know I can't stop you…Please be careful" Grillby whispered in low voice pulling her in closer as the warm flames surround her tiny body. "I lo…." his voice was short as a gloved finger was placed on his fire rock lips.

"When we meet again" Arial spoke, voice mixed with worry and hopefulness as she gently pushed away from her dear friend. "Tell me then…" she said, before turning her back and running out of the tavern before anyone else could say another word to her.

"Grillbz…Don't worry I'll keep an eye socket out for her… I need to go find Paps, now…Knowing him, he going to try and pick a bone with the human…" Sans waved as at his best pal, before teleporting out the tavern and land right in front of Arial. "Need a lift?" hold his hand out for her to take.

Arial jumped back a little, forgetting Sans had the talent for appearing out of nowhere. She nodded her head as she took hold of his bony hand. "Alphy saw the human was heading to first station post…. Your brother is already in the area."

"LET'S GO!"