Fallentale: Chapter Two
Sans stands there, panting in front of the dummy. This is the fifth time Gaster's taken him out to train him, but no results have been seen. Sans just ends up getting more and more tired the more effort he puts into trying to get his magic to form into an attack, which adds to him already being exhausted from the long walk there. He's even tried thrusting his arms forward, hoping to get something to happen. The only thing he manages to do is lose more hope from his father, who watches him with disappointment each time.
Gaster shakes his head and sighs. "Enough," he says bitterly. "I've had enough of this." He leads the way back home.
Sans watches him go for a few seconds, disappointed in himself and nearly in tears. He follows him from a far distance, deciding to go have a nap when he gets home. He starts to go upstairs when he gets home.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Sans flinches and tenses up when he hears his father's voice, then slowly turns to him, sweating more when he sees his scowl. "…I… I'm exhausted, da—"
"I don't care," he interrupted. "If you can't make progress in your lessons, you can at least get started on your chores. The dishes need to be cleaned."
Sans inwardly groans and thinks of the pile of dishes in the kitchen sink. They had purposely left them there so Sans could stop being lazy, only washing ones they needed to use at the immediate moment. He hesitates. "Can I—"
"Take a five minute nap? Why? So you can "lose track of time" and end up sleeping until tomorrow morning? No. You'll go in there NOW and get to work."
Sans hesitates again, flinching when he's interrupted. He sighs and trudges to the kitchen, then gives the pile a miserable look. He sighs again and starts emptying the sink so he can fill the sink with hot water. Gaster goes up to his and Ariel's room, plopping himself down on the bed with a sigh. "It's settled. Sans is too weak to use magic."
Ariel blinks at the statement, then sighs. "He failed again, huh?" she asks.
"Of course, he did," replied Gaster. "He's never been able to use magic. Some kids even learn on their own, but here he is, unable to do anything. He may as well be human, except for the lack of Determination. Hell, even Papyrus has shown some talent! And he's three years younger than Sans!"
Ariel sighs and rubs him hand. "I know, sweetie. But… not everyone can be Papyrus." She pauses. "What's he doing now?"
"Washing dishes, finally. And tomorrow, he's going to clean his room."
Ariel nods. "That's good. He's finally taking responsibility. …I've been thinking."
Gaster turns to her with a non-existent eyebrow raised. "Yeah?"
"I'm thinking… Sans should start doing work. Teach him a little responsibility. I talked with Diana and she says she needs someone to do sentry duty."
Gaster blinks and is about to say Sans is too young, but stops and thinks. No, he's not really. He won't have to fight any humans. He can simply look out for them and tell someone is one arrives. He smiles slightly. "Yeah… That's not a bad idea," he says.
Ariel smiles. "I'm glad you agree. When do you want him to start?"
Gaster thinks for a bit, considering his options. "…Tomorrow. He can clean his room when he gets home."
"Alright. Well, let's get some sleep. You've had a long day."
Gaster nods and lies down on the bed, getting comfy. He plants a lipless kiss on her teeth. "Good night."
"Night, honey," she replies, joining him in bed.
Sans is woken up early the next morning by a knock on his door. He groans and turns over, then sits up when he hears a second knock. He didn't get much sleep, having spent a lot of his night rubbing his feet, which hurt a lot after standing for so long in front of the sink. Not to mention, he didn't get to rest them after the long walk home. He wants to shout at whoever's at the door, but resists the urge to do so.
"Yeah…?" he finally replies.
"Get up and get dressed," Gaster says. "You start work today."
Sans furrows his nonbrows. "…You mean the dishes don't count…?"
"I mean, you have a job. Go to Diana's."
Sans widens his sockets and stares, then gets up and opens the door. "What do you mean, 'work'?" he says loudly. "I know for a fact YOU didn't start working until you were SIXTEEN!"
Gaster glowers at him. "DON'T talk back to me," he says sternly.
Sans sweats a bit and hesitates. "Sorry, dad…"
"It's just sentry duty. Even for you, it should be easy. All you have to do is watch for humans. That's it."
Sans widens his sockets further and stares. He imagines what could happen if he saw a human. With all the stories he's heard, why would he want to be anywhere NEAR a human? He gulps. "…A-And… If I s-see one…?"
"Diana will explain what to do. Get dressed, eat breakfast, and go. Don't take forever eating. If you're late or don't show up, you're grounded. Got it?"
Sans hesitates again, then sighs. "Got it…" He goes back to his room and starts getting dressed. He then digs through the fridge for something to eat, makes himself a sandwich, then leaves. His feet are aching again when he finally reaches the door to the giant fish house. He knocks as he finishes the last bite of his sandwich.
The door is answered by Undyne, who raises a brow when she sees Sans. "What are you doing here, punk?"
"Dad said your mom gave me a job…" he says miserably. "Sentry duty…"
Undyne's blank look turns into a grin. "Well, about time you started pulling your weight," she said with almost a laugh. She turns back inside. "Mom! Sans is here!"
A muscular fish lady comes down the stairs, dressed in a workout top and shorts. Her red hair is in a bun and her left cheek has a scar on it. She comes down smirking, then gently nudges Undyne away. "Glad to see Ariel took my offer," she said in a husky voice. "Did they tell you what you were doing?"
"Sentry duty… That's about it…"
"Good. That means I don't have to explain as much." She puts on a coat and jeans, then returns. "Follow me." She leaves the house and leads the way back to Snowdin Woods.
Sans glares at the house as they pass. I'm working in the woods? Why didn't dad just tell me to go there? Why make me walk all the way up to Undyne's if I'm going all the way back here?
Diana leads the way to a spot close to the edge of the woods, near the entrance to the Ruins. Right in front of a few trees, just off to the side of the path, is a small formation of wood that looks like a hotdog stand. It's not the fanciest hotdog stand in the world, but it's stable. On the other side is a small bench. "Hopefully, you're at least capable of doing something as simple as this. You sit in that sentry station and make sure no humans pass. If a human shows up, tell someone since you're incapable of fighting a dummy."
Sans sighs upon being reminded, then looks around. That's it? I just sit here and watch? …That doesn't sound too bad… Heck, no humans have shown up in years. No one's gonna show up anytime soon. I can just sleep the whole time. "What's the pay?" he asks.
Diana blinks and gives him an amused grin. "Pay?" she says before chuckling. "What are you talking about? This isn't a career for you! This is to teach you responsibility! If you go a month without screwing this up, I'll consider starting to pay you."
Sans stares with a look in his sockets that says he's trying not to get pissed. That's fine… After a month, I might get paid. Until then, I have an excuse to sleep. And we're far away from the town, so no one can bug me.
Unfortunately, for Sans, Diana has thought about this. "Don't even think about it."
Sans blinks and furrows his nonbrows. "Think about what…?"
"Sleeping. This isn't nap time, punk. You do that on your own time. While here, you'll keep a sharp, vigilant eye out for any humans. And if I find out you've been sleeping, you'll hear it from your father. Got it?"
Sans stares in misery at her, now unable to find anything to lighten his mood. After a bit of trying, he sighs and looks away. "Got it…"
Diana smirks. "Good. Now get to work."
"Wait!" he says suddenly. "…What about food?"
Diana raises a brow at him. "What about food?"
"Is eating allowed? I mean, it's not like the sound of chewing is gonna distract me from humans' footsteps, especially seeing as the path is right in front of me."
She hesitates. "No. I know how you are with eating. After every meal but breakfast, you take a nap. Eating must make you tired or something. I'll allow SMALL snacks here, but nothing more. And only once every couple of hours."
Sans inwardly groans, then sighs. "Fine…" He goes to his spot and sits down. Eh… At least it's somewhat comfy.
"I'll be back when your shift is done. Try not to die." She leaves.
Sans scowls at her as she leaves, annoyed by what she said. He sighs and looks around, now hearing nothing but his tapping on the counter top of the stand. He quickly gets bored and rests his skull on the table, cradling it in his arms. I mean… it could be worse. You could be making food. Or work with Gaster as a Royal Junior Scientist. Yeah, like that'll ever happen. As he rations his position in his head, he slowly shuts his sockets and drifts off, starting to snore.
