Good times and bad times
Frisk sat on the couch until the next morning. She had managed to get a few more hours of sleep, but they were restless and filled with nightmares. Eventually she gave up trying and striped the couch bare, folding the sheets and blankets carefully before placing them beside her on the arm rest. The sun was just beginning to rise now, and Frisk watched it wash over the city as the first rays of dawn began to bleed through the window of the brothers apartment. It was so still, the only sound present in the room was the soft ticking of the clock on the wall as it silently kept the time. Frisk enjoyed the quite of the morning as it offered her a breather from all of the trauma that she had endured the previous night. Frisk felt herself begin to finally relax as she settled back into the lumpy sofa. Maybe she could grab a few more winks of sleep before the brothers woke up. However, the sound of one of the bedroom doors slamming open completely shattered the tranquil serenity, as well as Frisk's hope for a few more moments of peace, as Papyrus loudly stretched and yawned while making his way to the living room.
"OH, GOOD MORNING SMALL HUMAN. I SEE YOU ARE ALREADY AWAKE." He said pleasantly, walking past Frisk on the couch to the kitchenette.
"CAN I OFFER YOU SOME BREAKFAST?" He asked. Frisk was about to decline when a rumbling growl sounded from her stomach. Frisk clutched her hands over it, trying to stifle the sound, but it was too late as Papyrus gaze had already swept over to her blushing form.
"I SUPPOSE THAT WOULD BE A YES THEN." Papyrus said, giving Frisk a smile. "WELL LET'S SEE WHAT WE CAN WHIP UP " He continued, opening the fridge door. His happy disposition seemed to dampen slightly at the bare state the fridge appeared to be in.
"HMMM." Papyrus pondered as he scanned the very few items present in the fridge, which mostly consisted of Tupperware containers full of spaghetti, and a couple bottles of ketchup.
"I GUESS LEFTOVERS WILL HAVE TO DO. HUMAN, DOES BREAKFAST SPAGHETTI SOUND GOOD TO YOU?" He asked. Frisk nodded as she sat down at the small table across from the kitchenette. She had never had spaghetti for breakfast before, but she was sure that it would be fine.
"NEYHEHE! OF COURSE IT DOES! SPAGHETTI IS PERFECT FOR ANY TIME OF THE DAY!" He exclaimed as he opened the tupperware container and shook its contents lose over a plate.
The spaghetti slowly slid out of the container before falling on to the plate with a wet sounding flop. It briefly held its square shape, before collapsing into a mushy pile. Papyrus then placed the plate of cold noodles in front of Frisk and smiled at her expectantly. Frisk looked down at the soggy noodles set before her. Though the spaghetti definitely did not look appetizing, Frisk new that she had eaten far worse then this in the past, and who was she to turn her nose up at a free meal? As she picked up her fork and poked at the pile of noodles, she herd Sans' bedroom door slowly creak open. She stiffened immediately upon hearing the sound. A few moments later Sans wandered into the room in a white t shirt and blue and white striped boxer shorts, with a ratty pair of pink fluffy slippers on his feet.
"Morning Paps." He yawned tiredly as he opened the fridge and proceeded to stare blankly at its lack of verity for roughly five minutes. He then pulled out a bottle of ketchup and squirted half of its contents into his mouth. Frisk wrinkled her nose at the sight, though she had eaten a lot of sub standard meals in her day, she could not imagine willingly downing half a bottle of ketchup.
"SANS!" Papyrus huffed from across the kitchenette. "WE HAVE A GUEST! PUT YOUR CLOTHES ON!" Sans let his lazy gaze wander across the room to Frisk, who was sitting at the table picking at her plate of gelatinous noodles.
"But Paps, she isn't just a guest, shes our new roomie." Sans said as he headed over to the cupboard, and grabbed a kettle, a mug and a tin of instant coffee.
"And what kind of roomie would I be if I didn't show her how comfortable I am with her around." He continued as he filled the kettle with water and placed it on the stove. "After all, showing off your pajamas is the ultimate sign of trust." Papyrus rolled his eyes at his brothers antics, clearly not in the mood for his jokes so early in the morning.
"YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO GET DRESSED EVENTUALLY BROTHER, YOU HAVE TO GO TO WORK AFTER ALL". He retorted.
"Heh, maybe I should just make pajamas my new uniform." Sans shrugged back
"SANS DON'T BE RIDICULOUS." Papyrus grumbled, shooting his brother an annoyed glare.
"I mean think of it Paps, I could wear my slippers all day long." Sans replied, wiggling on of his faded pink slippers in Papyrus' direction.
"SANS YOU'RE LUCKY I HAVEN'T THROWN THOSE DECREPIT THINGS OUT YET!" Papyrus complained, stomping his foot.
"You know, I have been meaning to talk to Asgore about instating a causal Friday policy." Sans said shooting his brother a playful smile.
“SANS...” Papyrus replied, a tone of warning evident in his voice.
"But I don’t really think the idea would be tailored to his Perceptions, it just wouldn't suit the business." Sans continued with a wink.
"SANS STOP." Papyrus demanded
"You're right bro," Sans continued "I probably shouldn't try to say anything, and just stick a sock in it."
"SANS!" Papyrus screeched, clutching his skull as if it were about to burst.
"Awe com'on Paps, I thought at least one of those would have left you in stitches." Sans said, barely able to contain his giggles. "Have you really grown attire-d of me already?"
"YES SANS I AM TIRED! I HAVE JUST WOKEN UP, AND YOU HAVE ALREADY EXHAUSTED MY PATIENCE!" Papyrus grumbled.
"Awe bro, are they really that thread-full?" Sans asked with a smirk.
"NYAAAAAA!!!!!!!!" Papyrus screamed at almost the exact decibel that the kettle whistled at as the water came to a boil on the stove . Frisk couldn't help it as she let out a loud unattractive snort of laughter. Both the brothers looked over to her in surprise. Frisk quickly suppressed the rest of her giggles as she tried to bury them by forcing forkful, upon forkful of the jelly spaghetti into her mouth. After a moment of silence Sans' grin got exceptionally larger as Papyrus groaned loudly.
"NO SMALL HUMAN, NOT YOU TOO!" He Whined. "SANS! YOU ARE A BAD INFLUENCE! YOU HAVE ALREADY CORRUPTED THE HUMAN WITH YOUR GOD AWFUL SENSE OF HUMOR!" Papyrus shot angrily at his brother. Sans just smirked.
"What can I say Papyrus." He said, mixing the hot water with the brown coffee powder. "I guess I tickled her funny bone." He chuckled. Papyrus slumped in the seat next to Frisk with a dejected sigh.
"Hey kid." Sans called over, pulling Frisk away from her plate, a mouth full of noodles was still stuffed into her cheeks."You want some coffee to wash down your breakfast?" He asked with a laugh.
Frisk blushed as she forced herself to swallow the congealed glob of pasta, banging a fist to her chest lightly as she encouraged the lump to make its way down her throat. She then nodded silently. After a moment Sans passed her a steaming mug of the brown liquid. Frisk held it between her hands, savoring the warmth. She sniffed it slightly, it smelled pretty good, kind of f nutty with a little hint of chocolate. Frisk took a sip. It tasted… well it tasted kind of like dirt. Frisk furrowed her brow in disappointment. This stuff didn't taste anything like the espresso that Mittsy had gotten for her at the cafe. As soon as Frisk thought of the mouse monster's name, a sour taste overtook her mouth and Frisk hurriedly guzzled the rest of the drink down in an attempt to wash out the flavor.
"Jeez kid, where's the fire?" Sans said, slightly astonished as he watched her chug the beverage. When Frisk was finished she heavily placed the mug back on the table and wiped the remains of the beverage from her mouth on the back of her sleeve.
"HUMAN YOU MUST BE VERY EAGER TO START YOUR FIRST DAY OF WORK." Papyrus exclaimed brightly. "I MUST SAY THAT I ADMIRE YOUR GO GETTER ATTITUDE, IF ONLY SOMEONE ELSE I KNOW WOULD DO THEIR WORK WITH AS MUCH ENTHUSIASM AS YOU." He said, narrowing his eyes pointedly at his brother from across the table. Sans just sat seemingly oblivious as he continued to sip his coffee.
After breakfast the three headed down the stairs to the bar below, and to Frisks surprise, though it was still early in the morning, the place was packed. Various groups of monsters sat scattered throughout the bar, laughing, drinking, and joking with one another. She recognized a few characters from her visit to the warehouse the night before. As Frisk scanned the roomful of interesting beings, her eyes finally settled on a monster made up completely of fire working diligently behind the bar. Frisk's eyes widened in fascination as she watched the flames that made up his form flicker, yet still remain solid as he juggled, mixed, shook, and poured various types of drinks for all the monsters pilling around the bar top. He had sharp looking square spectacles balanced on the bridge of his nose and was wearing a white dress shirt with its sleeves rolled up neatly, kept in place by black sleeve garters. He also wore a black satin vest, with brass buttons, and a matching black bow tie. A black apron sat on his hips and draped over his grey slacks. Frisk watched as The different drinks that he was mixing would glow a vibrant array of colors, before changing to a muted tone once they settled in the glass. She focused more intently on them when she realized that these drinks were being mixed with magic.
In her interest Frisk found herself taking another step forward down the stairs to get a better look at the magical beverages. As soon as she did so she noticed the room go very quite. When Frisk looked up, she was startled to find at least a dozen pairs of eyes staring back at her. There was no more jokes, or laughter as the patrons sat in relative silence sipping there drinks, whispering to each other occasionally while shooting accusatory glares in Frisks direction. Frisk felt herself stiffen at receiving so much negative attention. She also felt a small wave of guilt wash over her as the once jovial and warm atmosphere that had previously existed in the bar was now replaced with a tense and nervous energy because of her presence.
"Don’t be shy." Sans chuckled dryly as he lightly pushed Frisk further down the stairs.
"YES HUMAN YOU HAVE NOTHING TO BE WORRIED ABOUT." Papyrus said happily, oblivious to the change in atmosphere."THEY ARE YOUR NEW COMRADES AFTER ALL."
"Ya, comrades." Frisk repeated the words as she kept her head down and tried to avoid the narrowed eyes that turned her way as she followed Sans and Papyrus up to the bar. Once the three took their seats, the flame monster that Frisk had been watching earlier quickly made his way over to greet them.
"Heya Grillby." Sans said cheerfully, raising a hand briefly to the flame monster. Grillby responded to his greeting with a slight nod, before turning his gaze to Frisk and cocking his head in question at Sans.
"Oh, uh, this here's Frisk." Sans replied rubbing the back of his skull sheepishly. "She's going to be staying with us for a little while." He continued. "It was Asgore's request, I hope that doesn't go against anything in the rent agreement." Grilby turned back to Frisk and seemingly proceeded to give her a once over. Once he was satisfied, he dipped his head in her direction. As soon as Frisk realized that his gesture was a sign of welcome, Frisk hurriedly returned the greeting.
"So, now that we got all the introductions out of the way." Sans began, all previous notions of nervousness quelled. "Has there been any mail for us Grillbz? He asked. Grillby paused for a moment, before digging out a neatly folded telegram from his apron pocket.
"This came for you this morning." Grillby replied, in a very hushed voice as he handed the letter to Sans. It reminded Frisk of the popping and hissing of fire wood.
"Thanks Grillbz." Sans said as he opened the telegram and proceeded to read its contents.
"ARE THEY INSTRUCTIONS FOR A NEW JOB BROTHER?" Papyrus asked excitedly from his seat next to Frisk.
"You bettcha Paps." Sans answered as he continued to read through the letter. “ Heh, looks like you get to have the first baby sitting shift." Sans said smugly, ignoring the annoyed glare that Frisk shot in his direction.
"WOWIE HUMAN, OUR FIRST JOB TOGETHER ISN'T THAT EXCITING ?"Papyrus replied happily.
"Its just a pick up job today Paps, so nothing to complicated." Sans continued. "But Asgore wants you to take the kid along so she can get used to the area."
"NYEHEHE! THAT SOUNDS ABSOLUTELY SPLENDID." Papyrus replied striking a confident pose, before turning to Frisk. "AFTER THE PICK UP I WILL TAKE YOU TO ALL OF MY FAVORITE PLACES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD!"He said.Frisk nodded, giving him a small smile. His happy energy was hard to resist.
"WHAT DOES IT SAY FOR YOU BROTHER?" Papyrus asked turning back to Sans.
"Oh nothing exciting, just more recon work." Sans replied, before slipping the note into his pocket. Frisk raised an eyebrow at his lack of a response, but Papyrus seemed completely satisfied by his answer.
The three then made their way out of the bar. As Papyrus and Frisk headed to the Buick, Sans stayed on the sidewalk waving a brief farewell to his brother as he jumped into the drivers side.
"ARE YOU SURE YOU DON'T WANT A RIDE BROTHER?" Papyrus called from across the street.
"Na bro." Sans replied with a smile. "Its such a beautiful day outside after all, I think it would be good to walk."
"ALRIGHT THEN, SEE YOU LATER TONIGHT." Papyrus said as he waited for Frisk to get in to the passenger seat, before he started up the car and drove away from the bar through the main streets of Ebott.
Sans watched him go momentarily, before he turned on his heels to go and get his own work done for the day. The instructions in the letter had been very brief, in fact they were only two words long as all the message held was a single name, Vincent Russo . Sans sighed to himself, he knew the guy, and he wasn't surprised that his name had ended up on his list. Sans had attended a meeting between Asgore and Russo a few months back, regarding a certain business transaction between the bar owner and the Pansies. Sans immediate impression of Russo upon meeting him was that he was a real grease-ball. Sans huffed to himself, looks like his first impression had been right. Sans rubbed the back of his neck, already expecting the eminent pain as he rounded a corner off of the main street and into a dark alley, before he stepped through a short cut and disappeared.
Papyrus chattered happily as he drove through the city. Frisk would hum and nod in response on occasion, but most of her attention was focused on the streets flashing past her window. Frisk studied the street names as she kept her eyes open for hiding spots, abandoned buildings, and places with easy roof access while Papyrus drove onward. She was supposed to be working after all. After roughly twenty minutes Papyrus pulled the car over to the curb and threw it into park. He then promptly exited the vehicle and headed over to a small shop across the street. Frisk followed Papyrus' lead and found that that her surroundings appeared to be very familiar to her. She had no idea why, until she saw the shop that Papyrus was headed towards. 'Muffet's Bakery' was spelled out in purple cursive letters on the awning over the door.
Papyrus waved Frisk over enthusiastically as he held the door open for her to enter the shop. As soon as she did, Frisk was immediately greeted with the warm sent of buttery pastries and sugary treats. Frisk's mouth Instantly began to water at the sweet smell. There were a few other monsters present in the shop that glanced at Frisk curiously as she eyed the confections in the display window. Frisk wasn't surprised by this as she was in the monster part of the city, and human visitors would be extremely rare here. Papyrus strode confidently up to the counter and rang the service bell, a few moments passed before the purple monster lady that Frisk had met from the night before quickly entered the shop from the back room.
"Why hello Papyrus." She said happily as she moved toward the taller skeleton brother. "How are you today?" She asked.
"VERY WELL MISS MUFFET, THANK YOU" Papyrus replied happily. "AND HOW ABOUT YOURSELF?"
"Oh same old same old." Muffet replied with a shrug. Suddenly her gaze fell behind Papyrus and focused on Frisk.
"My my my." She exclaimed. "Why hello deary, what a pleasure it is to see you again." She said sweetly. Frisk smiled lightly in greeting.
"YOU TWO KNOW EACH OTHER?" Papyrus asked, looking between Muffet and Frisk.
"Well, not formally, she delivered a package to me the other evening." Muffet replied as she stuck out one of her six hands to Frisk. "My name is Muffet." She said.
"Frisk." Frisk replied as she shook Muffet's offered hand.
"YES, FRISK IS THE NEWEST MEMBER OF OUR TEAM," Papyrus explained excitedly "WELL, SHE IS ONLY IN TRAINING AT THE MOMENT, BUT I AM SURE THAT IN NO TIME AT ALL SHE WILL BE ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT MEMBERS." He continued. Frisk Smiled politely at Papyrus in response, though she felt a prick of guilt worm it's way into her soul at Papyrus's praise as she had already decided to leave once her training period was over.
"How exciting." Muffet replied, smiling at Frisk. "But as much as I hate to interrupt this lovely conversation." She said turning back to Papyrus. "I believe there was a reason for your visit today?"
"OH YES!" Papyrus exclaimed as if he had just remembered his appointed task. Muffet giggled in response.
"I have your order all ready for you, just bring your car around back and my friends will help you load it." She said, motioning Papyrus to follow her in to the back room. Papyrus nodded in understanding before he turned back to Frisk.
"HUMAN DO YOU MIND WAITING HERE WHILE I GO FINISH UP THIS TASK?" He asked her as he fidgeted slightly with his hands. Frisk smiled reassuringly at Papyrus. She knew that she wasn't supposed to know about the details when it came to these such dealings.
"Of course not Papyrus." Frisk replied. "I'll be fine here." Papyrus seemed to relax a little at Frisks Considerate gesture,before he joined Muffet behind the counter.
"Deary, why don’t you enjoy a cup of tea and a pastry while you wait? Ill have one of my friends look after you." Muffet said sweetly.
"Oh, thank you." Frisk replied as she took a seat at one of the small tables in the back corner of the bakery.
A few moments passed after Papyrus and Muffet left to attend to their bushiness in the back, when a large spider about the size of Frisk's fist lowered itself down on a spindly web. It startled her at first, but then she saw that It was wearing a little red bow tie, and carrying a cup of tea and a plated pastry. The spider gently placed the tea cup and pastry in front of Frisk, before unfolding her napkin and laying it across her lap. Frisk smiled down at the little creature happily. It was actually rather cute.
"Thank you very much." She said. The spider clicked its fangs together happily in response to Frisks praise, before it scurried back up its web.
Over the next fifteen minuted, Frisk nibbled on her pastry, and sipped her tea as she waited for Papyrus to get done with his business. Both were exceptionally tasty. and Frisk made a mental note to visit the bakery again when she received her first paycheck. A few moments later and Papyrus and Muffet both emerged from the back room. Frisk quickly stood up and walked over to meet them.
"How was your tea and pastry deary?" Muffet asked with a smile, as she walked over to her till.
"It was delicious." Frisk replied as Papyrus made his way from around the counter to stand beside her.
"I'm glad." muffet replied, before handing Frisk a piece of paper. "Here is your bill." She said pleasantly. Frisk just stared dumbly at the peace of paper presented to her.
“Oh.” She thought.
"You didn't think it was free, did you deary.?" Muffet said, her sweet voice now taking on a venomous edge, as two pointed fangs became very, very visible to Frisk from behind her smile. Frisk shook her head rapidly as she quickly patted down her pockets, in hopes of finding any loose change or spare bills. She silently cursed herself for already stashing the cash that Asgore had given to her at the brothers apartment in one of her borrowed pillows, and she hadn't had time to go back to her abandoned loft to retrieve the money that she had hidden beneath the floorboards. As it stood Frisk was completely penniless.
"DO NOT WORRY SMALL HUMAN, ALLOW ME." Papyrus exclaimed as he placed a few bills in front of Muffet.
"My, Papyrus you are such a gentleman." Muffet sang sweetly, all previous threatening notions completely hidden beneath her pleasant facade as she counted up the money. Frisk felt a wave of relief wash over her as well as another twinge of guilt. She made a note to pay Papyrus back as soon as she got back to the apartment that evening. As the two of them headed to exit the bakery, Muffet waved a farewell before calling out to Frisk.
"come back any time deary. I've got plenty of sweet treats that I know you will be dying to try." She giggled. Frisk grimaced as she mentally scratched out her previous reminder to visit the bakery again.
When Frisk got back into the car, she noticed the stack of cake boxes placed over the back seats. Papyrus smiled apologetically at her, and promised that she would be able to help out on the next mission for sure. Frisk smiled back at Papyrus, and assured him that it was no trouble at all. After Papyrus delivered the packages to their destination, the rest of the day was spent driving around the city as Papyrus took Frisk to all of his favorite places. He showed her the old movie theater where he and his brother would go to watch his favorite Hollywood stars act out daring tales of romance on the big screen. He then took her to the park and got her a nice cream, before taking her to the harbor where he explained how it was the best place to watch the sunsets. Frisk followed him along happily. She knew that this wasn't exactly what Asgore had meant by 'getting familiar with the area' but she didn't care, as she found herself immensely enjoying her time with the taller skeleton brother. She laughed at his ridiculous stories about his adventures with the Pansies, as well as his tales of his brother's constant shenanigans that irked him to no end. Frisk decided that she deserved this down time, especially after the events of last night. Besides, It had been a long time since Frisk had actually enjoyed another persons company, instead of being constantly suspicious of it. She knew that she should be wary of Papyrus, as he was a mobster after all, but he was just so …genuine.
When they finally got back to Grillbys, it was already late in the evening. Papyrus hopped out of the drivers seat and briefly stretched out his long limbs.
"THERE IS NOTHING THAT MAKES MY BONES STIFFER THEN DRIVING AROUND IN A CAR ALL DAY." He said as he shook out his ankles, before heading over to the bar. Frisk was about to open her own car door and follow suit, when something in the back seat of the vehicle caught her eye. It was a small red sphere, Frisk briefly examined it as she picked it up and let it roll around in her palm. It kind of looked like some sort of hard candy. Frisk gave it a cautious lick, it tasted sweet and a little like cherries . Papyrus must have bought himself some candy from Muffet's before they had left.
"HUMAN ARE YOU COMING?" Papyrus called from across the street.
"Be right there." Frisk replied as she placed the monster candy into her pocket, before hopping out of the car and dashing over to meet him.
Grilby's was even more packed then it had been that morning. As Frisk and Papyrus entered through the front door, laughter and jokes floated out into the streets. This group of monsters was much more rowdy then the group from earlier, and not one seemed to notice Frisk's existence as she made her way up the stairs behind Papyrus. Frisk suspected that this group had also partaken in much more drink then the monsters from the morning, which seemed to dull the monsters perceptions to her presences. Frisk smiled down at the exultant monsters and almost wished that she could join in with their fun, but she knew that it would be impossible, she was human after all, and they had made it quite clear that they didn't want anything to do with her kind. As Papyrus opened the door to the apartment Frisk felt her exhaustion kick in. Her body was still recovering from her mad dash across the city, and that paired with her lack of sleep was taking its toll. As soon as Papyrus stepped out of her way Frisk made a b-line straight for the couch.
"SANS ?" Papyrus called out, Frisk immediately felt herself tense upon hearing the shorter skeletons name. In her weary state she had almost forgotten about him. "BROTHER ARE YOU HOME ?" Papyrus called again, before sighing to himself as he figured that his brother was not finished with his work yet. Frisk relaxed when she came to the same conclusion. Good, at least for one evening Frisk wouldn't have to worry about dealing with Sans. Maybe if she was lucky she could fall asleep before he came back. Papyrus walked into the kitchen as Frisk made herself comfortable on the couch.
"HUMAN, WOULD YOU LIKE ANYTHING TO EAT BEFORE YOU GO TO SLEEP?" He asked, as he grabbed another container full of the mushy spaghetti and emptied it on to his awaiting plate.
"No thank you Papyrus." Frisk replied with a slightly forced smile. "I think i'm going to turn in early tonight, I am pretty tired."
"ALL RIGHT THEN HUMAN, I WILL NOT KEEP YOU UP." Papyrus said as he turned off the lights and headed to his room. "HAVE A GOOD NIGHT, AND PLEASANT DREAMS." He said, giving Frisk another sweet smile as he passed.
"You to Papyrus." Frisk called back. As Papyrus opened the door to his room Frisk felt the sudden need to ask him something, something that she had wanted to ask him since he had gotten her that nice cream at the park.
"Um, Papyrus?" She called shyly. Papyrus turned around to meet her gaze.
"YES HUMAN"? He asked.
"I just wanted to let you know that… um, if you wanted to I mean…" Frisk stuttered as she took a moment to recollect herself, before letting out a frustrated huff. "What I meant was that I wouldn't mind if you called me Frisk." Frisk replied a she fiddled with the blanket in her lap. Papyrus smile then grew ten times brighter, and Frisk swore that she saw stars form in his black eye sockets.
"OH HUMAN! I WOULD BE DELIGHTED TO BE ON A FIRST NAME BASES WITH YOU!" He said happily. "WOWIE, OUR FRIENDSHIP IS PROGRESSING SPLENDIDLY." Frisk giggled at his enthusiasm, before bidding him pleasant dreams and settling back into the couch for a much needed good night sleep. As her eyes slowly drifted shut, visions of Ebott in the sunlight danced in her mind.
Sans grumbled to himself as he approached the undisclosed cocktail bar in the late evening. He couldn't help but roll his eyes as he read the flashing neon letters over its entrance 'The Flamingo'.Sans huffed as he entered the building. He had been tailing Russo all god damn day, and of course he would choose to go for a drink at this glitzy, chintzy looking place. Though Sans did have to admit that the name suited the overly flamboyant establishment perfectly. Sans made sure to pull the collar of his trench coat up and lower the brim of his fedora over his face. He was in the human part of Ebott after all, and folks around here didn't take to kindly to his type. As Sans made his way further into the building, he saw Russo at the bar in the back trying to chat up a pretty dame sitting next to him. Sans couldn't help but chuckle as Russo tried to show off his new sparkly watch to the girl in an attempt to impress her, only for her to politely, but swiftly excuse herself, seemingly tired of Russo's advances.
"Looks like she ain't gonna give you the time of day pal." Sans laughed silently to himself as he walked up behind Russo, and slapped a heavy hand on his back.
"Tough break there Vinny." Sans said as Russo chocked and sputtered on his drink in surprise, before spinning around in his seat to meet Sans with a confused glare.
"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked. Sans shrugged.
"I was in the neighborhood, figured i'd stop in for a little chat." He replied. Russo raised an eyebrow, a pencil thin smile forming across his face.
"And what is it you would like to chat about?" He asked. Sans shot him with a lazy grin.
"I have some business regarding the Pansies, figured you'd be interested." He said. Russo's pencil smile grew longer, almost reaching from ear to greasy ear.
"I'd say I might be." He said as he quickly slammed back the rest of his drink, before getting up from the bar and motioning for Sans to follow him. "I know a more private place to discuss the details." Russo continued as he led Sans to an isolated back room.
"Sounds perfect." Sans replied, his grin growing wider.
The room Russo led Sans to was unbelievably gaudy, dressed to the nines in red velvet with ornate gold trim on almost everything. Sans guessed this room was designed for Vip guests, and judging from the smug grin plastered on Russo's face, he was trying to show of his status. Sans fought the urge to roll his eyes as he made his way over to a plush decoratively upholstered chair. Russo also took a seat across from him, before he grabbed an attractive wooden box from the small end table next to him, and opened it in front of Sans
"Cigar." Rosso offered, his smug grin growing wider. "They're Cubin." He added. Sans eyed the cigar box. He normally didn't smoke, actually he had been trying to kick the habit for a while now as Papyrus really didn't like it, but he figured if he would have to be spending his evening with this prick then he should at least get something enjoyable out of it. After a few moments of contemplation Sans plucked one of the cigars out of the box, and leaned forward in his seat to allow Russo to light it with a match, before he took a few long puffs. Sans held the smoke in his mouth savoring the rich taste of charcoal and chocolate as it glided over his formed tongue. Oh that did hit the spot.
"what do you you think of my new place?" Russo asked. Sans eyed his overly decorated surroundings. so Russo had opened up another bar, Sans wasn't surprised.
"It's very you." He replied curtly. Russo's smile lessened slightly, noticing Sans mocking tone.
"So about this business with the Pansies," Russo began as he pored himself a shot of whisky from a crystal decanter, before offering some to Sans. Sans declined as he didn't like to drink on the job. "I gotta say, if Asgore's thinking about arranging another sale, i'm very interested. The last shipment I bought was some quality product, and its been selling very well. My customers love that magic stuff in there drinks." Russo said taking a sip of his whisky. Sans took a few more puffs of his cigar before he turned his attention back to Russo and blew a cloud of smoke in his direction. "Actually the business I came here to discuss with you has to do with your last purchase." He said. Russo's slimy grin faltered.
"And what would be the problem with my last purchase?" He questioned, eyes narrowing slightly in Sans direction.
"Well you see vinny." Sans began, noting the irritated twitch Russo displayed upon hearing the nickname. "The money you gave us didn't exactly match the price that we had originally agreed on." Sans explained. Russo raised another eyebrow as his oily grin leaked back on to his face.
"Ya, I decided that your asking price was a little steep." Russo replied, fixing Sans with a cocky sneer. "So I figured I would pay it in installments, and by the way its Vincent." Russo said, enunciating every syllable of his name sharply. Sans let one of his eyes roll lazily over in Russo's direction.
"Heh, sorry Vinny." Sans smirked as Russo shot him an annoyed glare. "I must have missed the part of the meeting were this payment plan was approved of, because as far as I'm concerned, we deliver the product and you gotta pay for it." he replied with a dark edge to his tone.
"Oh really?" Russo challenged, completely ignoring Sans warning. "From what I heard you monsters have had a really tough time moving your product since the human gangs of Ebott started boycotting you." He said smugly. "So unless you want to piss off one of your last human buyers, you can go tell Asgore that he'll get his money when I say he'll get his money." Sans sighed to himself as he finished off the last puff of his cigar, before putting out the butt in the embossed silver ash tray on the end table next to his seat.
"Welp, don’t say I didn't try to ask nicely pal." Sans replied. Russo cocked his head to the side at Sans in confusion, before a glowing blue light enveloped him and flung him out of his chair across the room, hurling his Body into the far back wall. Russo fell to the floor trying to catch his breath as the wind had been knocked right out of him. Sans slowly got up from his seat and sauntered over to where Russo's crumbled form lay . As soon as Russo saw Sans approaching he tried to get up, but the blue light surrounded him again and suddenly his body became extremely heavy, forcing him to slump forward. Russo barley managed to turn his head to the side to see Sans' sinister expression. Russo's breath hitched as he saw that Sans right eye socket was pitch black, as his left one was alive with a burning blue slitted iris which was dangerously locked onto his helpless self.
"Seeing as how you're so bad at following directions, I'm gonna make this extremely clear for you." Sans began as he looked down at Russo's pinned form. "You see I have a system when it comes to these sort of dealings, a three strikes your out policy so to speak." Sans then placed his shoe over one of Russo's extended hands and pressed down with all of his weight. He ignored Russo's screams and didn't stop until he heard the finger bones in his hand snap and break.
"That was strike one." Sans drawled lazily as he finally pulled his heavy foot away. Russo was now a sniveling mess, begging for mercy beneath him.
"In about two weeks time either one of two things is gonna happen." Sans continued as he still held Russo's terrified eyes with his deadly stare. "Either I'm gonna get another telegram with your name on it, or I'm not." Russo whimpered as Sans bent down to his eye level, fixing him with a wicked grin.
"Now, if I do get another telegram that means I'm gonna have to come back to pay you another visit, and I know that neither of us wants that." Sans said. "And trust me pal, Strike number two is a lot more painful then strike number one." Russo audibly gulped as Sans stood up right and proceeded to walk back across the room.
"And then after another two weeks or so, I better not be seeing your name again." Sans said turning to stare over his shoulder at Russo with his burning blue eye socket. "Because buddy, that would be strike number three, and three strikes …yourout. Sans said darkly as he released his magical hold on Russo. As soon as Russo was free, he scrambled backwards away from Sans and clutched his mangled hand to his chest.
"Now, have I been clear enough for you pal?" Sans said, still holding Russo hostage with his gaze. Russo nodded feverishly as he continued to sob from under a vanity table.
"Common Vinny, I gotta hear you say it." Sans said as he tapped a finger on the rim of the crystal whisky decanter on the end table beside Russo's Toppled chair. "Clear as …..?"
"Cry-crystal." Russo stammered out between his ragged breaths.
"Good." Sans said as he turned and made his way back to the door. "I'd say I'll be seeing you around." Sans began. "But I hope for your sake that I wont be." sans then made his exit, leaving Russo all alone cradling his broken hand in the Vip room.
When Sans finally made it back to Grillby's, it was already well past midnight and he was exhausted. The last couple of days had taken a lot out of him and he was feeling it. More then anything he really needed a night of undisturbed rest. As Sans entered the apartment, he could make out Frisk's form curled up on the couch in a tight little ball, wrapped in the woolly blanket, sleeping peacefully. It looked like she wasn't going to be waking up anytime soon, which meant that Papyrus had done a good job at tiring her out.
"Good." Sans thought to himself as he sluggishly made his way over to his Brothers room. That meant one less thing that Sans would have to worry about. Sans quietly opened his brothers door and sighed in slight relief when he saw Papyrus snoring softly from underneath his covers.
"Safe and sound." Sans thought, before quietly closing the door, and turning toward his own room. Before Sans entered through his door, he shot one more glance over his shoulder at the sleeping girl on the couch. He studied her briefly, before he was completely satisfied that he would not have to worry about checking on her periodically through the night, to make sure that she was staying put. He then entered his room, kicked off his shoes, undid his tie, while shrugging out of his vest and suspenders, before collapsing onto his unmade bed. He was to tired to bother with his pants or his dress shirt, and decided that he would just deal with them in the morning, making a mental note to wash them free of the cigar smell before Papyrus found them and gave him a lecture. He then felt his heavy lids slowly close as he drifted off and finally passed out.