Dinner with Sans
The next day the brother’s apartment was as busy and as crowded as ever. Mittsy had come over early just like she had promised and brought an arsenal of beauty supplies along with her. Papyrus was assisting her as best as he could, even though he had no idea how to deal with skin or hair, and Sans…,well Sans was just watching from the kitchen table amusedly.
He chuckled to himself as he watched Mittsy and his brother dote and fuss over the fidgeting human, who was clearly very uncomfortable with all of the attention. Sans had noticed that his brother had grown very fond of Frisk as he had been quite affectionate toward the girl ever since she had come to stay with them. He was always making sure that she was comfortable, and well fed, and he had also developed the habit of ruffling her hair playfully whenever he came home from work. Sans smirked, it was like his brother thought that she was a puppy or something.
Sans also noticed that Mittsy had grown attached to the girl as well, as she had gone out of her way to make amends for tricking Frisk into getting sucked in to the Pansies organization, and was putting in a lot of effort preparing her for this upcoming meeting. even though Frisk would never admit it, sans could tell that she had grown attached to Mittsy as well. It had become fairly obvious to Sans as he saw that Frisk would watch her attentively. He would catch her trying to emulate how Mittsy carried herself, trying to mimic her posture or stance. The kid clearly looked up to the mouse monster, and Sans couldn’t blame her as Mittsy had a very powerful personality, and a presence that just demanded attention. Sans snickered inwardly as he realized the kid was like a little chick following around her mother hen, and mother hen would be the exact tittle that Sans would use to describe Mittsy’s attitude toward Frisk as she fussed and fretted over her. Sans watched as Mittsy did Frisks makeup, and brushed her hair. He smirked as he saw Frisks stern façade slip a little, revealing a small contented smile as Mittsy played with her short dark locks. When they were finally finished, Papyrus and Mittsy stepped back to admire their handiwork.
“FRISK YOU LOOK JUST LIKE A HOLLYWOOD STARLET, READY TO MAKE HER DEBUT ON THE BIG SCREEN!” Papyrus said happily. Mittsy agreed nodding her head, and fixing Frisk with a proud gaze. Even Sans had to admit that the kid looked very…nice.
“Just remember what I told you, and you will knock Alico’s socks off!” Mittsy said, flashing Frisk a confident smile. “According to my sources he’s a man that enjoys the finer things, and he hates to be upstaged. He also likes to impress the ladies, so offer him a challenge and if you play your cards right he will be puddy in your hands.” Frisk nodded stiffly. The hairspray holding her now curled hair in place and her makeup were making her head feel very heavy. She was starting to grow a little nervous; afraid that she had bitten off far more then she could chew.
“Why did Asgore want me to do this?” She asked Mittsy, suddenly feeling more than a little overwhelmed. “Wouldn’t you fit in much better with all those uppity people?” Mittsy smiled and knelt down to Frisks level.
“Don’t worry, you’ll do great.” She said. “And to be completely honest, Asgore asked you to do this job because you’re the only one who can. Alico has a strong distaste for monsters, but lucky for us his customers like our product which means that Alico has to buy it. The sale is already guaranteed, all you have to do is make sure he pays us the amount that we ask for.” Mittsy said giving Frisk a reassuring smile. Frisk nodded feeling a little better. With a sigh she got up off the chair. It was almost noon; Frisk would have to leave soon if she was going to make it to the lunch date on time.
“Ok, I’m ready.” She said as she grabbed her pea coat, her hat, and her gloves, before stepping into her black heels and following Papyrus down the stairs to the Buick. She must have looked a little shaky as Papyrus gave her a bright reassuring smile as he drove her toward the hotel.
“DO NOT WORRY FRISK, I THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAVE THE UTMOST FAITH IN YOU! I KNOW YOU WILL MOST DEFINITELY BE ABLE TO PULL THIS OFF.” He said happily. Frisk smiled softly at his offered kindness as her nervous jitters finally began to settle. Papyrus was right; Frisk definitely could do this. After all she had performed much higher risk operations then this one in the past. She had outsmarted numerous mobsters, had been in the line of fire of dangerous felons more times then she could count, and had outrun a myriad of criminals. What was a simple lunch date with a snooty business man compared to all that? Frisk felt her confidence build as she felt the burn of determination start to swell within her core. She was going to get that money all right, and she was going to get more then what Asgore had asked for.
Papyrus dropped Frisk off at the front of the hotel and promised to come back in a few hours after her meeting to pick her up. Frisk took a steadying deep breath as she faced off with the magnificent building before her. Then she was off. Frisk walked calmly and confidently, following the red carpet up the marble staircase as she passed directly between the two stationed bell hops. She kept her chin up and shoulders poised just like how Mittsy would. As she made her way to the main lobby Frisk kept her gaze firm and aloof as though she had been in the dazzling hotel a million times, and it now just appeared boring to her. But, in reality she was finding it difficult to not gaze around the room in wonder at all the shimmering and glittering finery. Frisk made her way to the dining area and stopped at the host’s station as the waiter looked up from his reservation book.
“Name please, Madame.” He said, looking slightly bored at his post. Frisk smirked.
“Freesia Larkspur.” She replied, fixing the waiter with a confident stare as she recited the alias appointed to her in the telegram. “I believe I am to be meeting with monsieur Alico Ames for tea this afternoon.”At the mention of Alico’s name the waiter immediately perked up. An overly welcoming smile spread across his face.
“But of course Madame, right this way.” He said as he graciously led Frisk through the main dining area to a secluded quite room in the back. It was richly furnished with two plush French styled chairs, seated around an elegant table which was dressed in fine white linens and adorned with sophisticated chinaware and heavily embellished silverware. When Frisk stepped into the room the waiter gestured to take her coat which Frisk gracefully accepted as she also passed him her hat. She then waited patiently for him to return from hanging her coat on the rack by the door so he could pull her seat out for her. After she had taken her seat, she allowed the waiter to unfold her serviette across her lap.
“Madame is there anything I can get for you while you await monsieur Ames’ arrival?” He asked her pleasantly.
“No, thank you.” Frisk responded curtly as she held her poised posture at the table. The server then nodded courteously, before he exited the room to return to his post at the host station. Frisk waited in silence for a moment as she gazed around the room, so far everything was going exactly as planned, but she still couldn't help but feel the nervous butterflies fluttering around in her stomach at Alico’s impending arrival. Would he buy her act? Or would he see strait through the rouse to the street rat that existed just under her made up face. Frisk quietly stifled those thoughts down; she couldn't allow herself to crack under pressure. She had to appear confident, like she belonged in this strange glittery world, even though she knew that she didn't. Suddenly a door at the back of the room swept open and Alico appeared, strutting confidently toward the table. His jet black hair was slicked to the side. he also had a pencil thin mustache which was well groomed and neatly shaped on his upper lip. He wore a white tailored suit with blue pinstripes, a blue collared dress shirt and black tie. A red carnation was pinned to his right lapel. As he walked into the room his gaze fell to Frisk and one of his sleek eyebrows raised in interest.
“Well, well, well.” He said as he sauntered over to the table fixing Frisk with a predatory smirk. Frisk, however, did not flinch in the slightest, and fronted his devilish smile with her own unimpressed stare. Alico’s sideways smirk grew a little longer at the presentation of a challenge.
“Here I thought I would have to entertain one of those monstrous beasts.” He spat, and Frisk stifled a frown. “But now I am pleasantly surprised to be in the company of such a lovely little flower.” He purred. Frisk fought hard not to sneer at the creep and instead she flashed him a sly grin.
“I’m here on behalf of my employer, to arrange a price point for the product that you have expressed interest in procuring.” Frisk explained. Alico chuckled slightly.
“Straight to business I see.” He replied as he ushered a waiter forward with the flick of his wrist. “You know, I myself am a firm believer in the old saying that all work and no play makes jack a dull boy.” The waiter then poured Frisk and Alico both a steaming cup of tea and placed an array of cakes and sweets in front of them both. Frisk just gazed over the refined delicious looking pastries with a bored expression, before she settled her gaze on Alico, who was watching her keenly as he sipped his tea.
“Well I do agree with you monsieur.” She began. “But if one gets there work out of the way early, then it leaves them with the rest of the day to play as much as they like.” She said flashing Alico an allusive smile. She couldn't help but chuckle faintly in amusement as Alico chocked slightly on his tea at Frisks comment.
“Very well Madame.” He said returning her smirk with his own suggestive one. “Tell me, what are the Pansies willing to settle for?”
“They want 40,000 G.” Frisk replied. She continued to hold a stern gaze over Alico even as he began to snicker under his breath.
“My dear, I’m sure you know that I have received many offers when it comes to purchasing magic for my friends and guests, as they adore it so much.” He began. “So tell me my flower, why should I pay 40,000 gold for your product, when I have been offered the same amount by many other individuals for only half of the price?” Frisk returned his question with a smug smile.
“Your right monsieur, I do know that you have received many other offers at the fraction of the cost that I am asking for.” She began. “But I also know that none of those other offers will provide you with the level of quality that you desire.” She said as she placed a small velvet pouch in front of Alico on the table. He eyed it curiously for a moment.
“And what may I ask is this?” He said. Frisk just continued to smirk.
“It’s a free sample, free of charge of course.” She said. “I can guarantee you that all of the product that you receive from the Pansies will be held at this standard.” Alico took the bag and dipped his pinky finger into the glittering contents, before he dabbed a tiny amount on the end of his tongue. His eyes widened for a moment, obviously pleased with the product.
“I must say, I am impressed my dear.” He said as he placed the small bag back on the table. “But I’m not sure I am 40,000 gold impressed. How about we agree to 30,000?” He asked. Frisk let her smile fall into a bland frown.
“Well monsieur, I have to be honest and say that I am a little unimpressed by your counter offer.” She said as she moved to get out of her seat making note as Alico’s slick smile quickly fell from his face. “I will have to discuss this with my employer, and perhaps we can meet at another time to finalize the details.”
“Wait a moment my flower.” Alico suddenly said as he reached out slightly across the table in an attempt to stop Frisk. “Maybe I undervalued your product a tad too much, how does 35,000 G sound?” Frisk allowed the faint smile to reappear onto her face.
“I’d say that sounds just about fine.” She said as she retook her seat. Alico smirked triumphantly as he polished off his tea, the waiter immediately filling it to the rim once again.
“Excellent.” He replied “And now with that settled, we don’t even have to wait to meet again to go over the details, as I have always found that parting is such a sweet sorrow don’t you agree ma chère?” Alico asked. Frisk smiled as she also picked up her tea cup.
“I do entirely.” She replied.
As Frisk walked out of the hotel she couldn’t hide the spring in her step. She felt like she had just jumped over the moon. She had done exactly what she had set out to do and had actually managed to fool Alico into believing that she was some high end rich dame. She sniggered to herself as she headed down the now darkening street. turned out Rich people weren't all that tough after all.
As she rounded the corner to the agreed pick up location she had a big smile on her face already prepared to greet Papyrus and tell him the good news. However, when she came into view of the Buick her smile faltered a little as instead of Papyrus her gaze met with Sans standing casually next to the vehicle.
“Heya.” He waved lazily as he saw her approaching. “So, I take it the meeting went well?” He asked as he surveyed the happy smile still present on Frisks face.
“Yup.” Was all Frisk said as she brazenly moved around to the passenger side of the car. Sans watched her walk around him before he hoped in to the driver’s seat and turned on the engine.
“So, any reason why you decided to pick me up instead of Papyrus?” Frisk asked full of suspicion as the car steadily made its way back to the Under- city. Sans shrugged, returning Frisks vague response with his own .
“was in the area, and I figured since I still owed you a free meal, I might as well make it a celebratory dinner since your meeting apparently went so well.” Frisk rolled her eyes, but still smiled. Nothing could dampen her mood right now, not even Sans un-trusting attitude toward her. Besides, she already knew the reason why he had come to get her. He wanted to know the details regarding her dealings with Alico.
“Come on kid, throw me a bone here.” Sans continued when Frisk remained smug and silent in her seat.
“I’ll take you up on that free meal.” Frisk replied “And as for the meeting, all you have to know is that it went better than expected.” She said with a confident smirk. “If you really want to know the details that badly you can ask Asgore about it yourself when Alico contacts him." Sans raised a brow bone and let out a low whistle.
“That good hu?” He asked. Frisk just nodded cheekily from next to him. “well, I guess it’s a good thing I planned to take you to the absolute best place in town for dinner tonight.” He said. Frisks eyes lit up in interest and curiosity.
“Where is it?” She asked and Sans chuckled as he saw her bounce a little in her seat with excitement.
“Oh it’s a surprise, but don’t worry you’ll know it when you see it.” He replied. Frisk fixed him with a slight suspicious glare, before she turned to look out of the window to try and spot the secret location on her own. When the car pulled up to Grillby’s, Sans couldn’t help but feel a little bad when he saw Frisks face fall slightly in confusion.
“Grilbys ?” She asked, and Sans smiled smugly.
“Grilb’s cooks the best burgers in town, honest.” He said placing a hand over his heart as if her were taking an oath. Frisk just rolled her eyes at him playfully as she followed him into the bar. She should have known the skeleton was pulling her leg.
Sans led her through the crowded bar to a secluded table in the far back corner. Frisk began to feel a little nervous as she was coming down from her previous good mood. The endorphin's were starting to wear off from her success with Alico, and the suspicious eyes of the other monster guests weren’t helping to raise her spirits any. The monsters glares followed her as she walked behind Sans. Sans must have noticed Frisks discomfort as he casually shot a warning glance over his shoulder, deterring the other monsters eyes away. As the two settled in their seats, Grillby rounded the corner. When he saw that Sans was in the company of a dolled up Frisk he raised an eyebrow at him. Sans just brushed off his suggestive gesture, before ordering two burgers.
“So…” Sans began as the two were left alone again “You and my brother are sure getting along fine” He said and Frisk nodded.
“He’s really nice.” was all she replied with, and Sans found himself struggling to find another way to break the ice.
“Heh, ya he is the best.” He said rubbing the back of his skull. “Sorry about his cooking, he’s uh, getting better though, Believe me. Undyne’s been teaching him, but I’m not really sure her cooking is really any better than his is.” He said, tossing a wink In Frisks direction. He then, of course, immediately regretted bringing up the topic of Undyne, as he saw Frisk stiffen upon hearing her name. Frisk didn’t really say anything after that, and just replied with a curt nod.
Sans sighed inwardly to himself. This was not how he had planned this evening to go. He was usually pretty good at getting people to open up and tell him what he wanted to know, but the kid was just so guarded, and that paired with the fact that Frisk already didn’t trust him wasn’t helping his case any. He needed something to help him loosen up those stiff lips of hers.
“Say, can I get you something to drink?” Sans asked, and Frisk seemed to perk up a little with curiosity.
“I… haven’t really ever had alcohol before.” She replied, and sans was definitely more than a little surprised by this.
“So let me get this straight.” he began. “You don’t buy cloths, you don’t go out to eat, and you don’t drink? Kid, what have you been spending your money on?” He laughed.
“I’ve been saving it.” Frisk replied quietly as she sheepishly averted her gaze. Sans kicked himself as he saw her crawl further back into her protective shell. He would have to pull it back a little, though he didn’t know how much further he could pull back without just giving up on conversation entirely.
“Tell you what, I’ll order you something light.” Sans suggested. “Something good for beginners, what do you say?” He asked. Frisk thought for a moment, before nodding in agreement. When Grillby returned with the pairs food, sans ordered a round of drinks, something light and fruity sounding for Frisk, and a gin for himself. When the drinks came Frisk eyed hers with a cautious intrigue. The bright colors of red and purple were just starting to settle in the glass as the magical cocktail was placed in front of her. Sans raised his own drink towards her
“Cheers.” He said as he took a small swallow.
He watched as Frisk warily fallowed suit, taking small apprehensive sips at first between bites of her burger, but as the alcohol and the magic took effect, Sans noticed that she was finally starting to relax and was beginning to let her guard down as she then began to take larger sips of the drink until it was almost completely gone. He also noticed the slight pink tinge staining Frisks cheeks. So the kid was a bit of a light weight. That would actually work well in his favor.
“So kid, what do you think of the burger?” He asked her casually as Frisk polished off the last couple of bites, and to his surprise she smiled at him.
“You were right Sans, it really is delicious.” She said. Frisk had actually been quite hungry even though she had eaten only a couple hours or so ago during her meeting with Alico. But, Frisk had begrudgingly followed Mittsy’s instructions, and had left most of the food presented to her on her plate in an effort to appear more "ladylike", as Mittsy had put it.
“Heh, Ya Grillb’s makes some pretty spark –tacular food if you ask me.” Sans replied with a lazy smirk. Frisk paused for a second as her slightly inebriated brain processed his pun, before she erupted into a fit of bubbly giggles. Sans let his smirk grow wider. He had her exactly where he wanted her. As Frisk calmed down, Sans decided that it was time to ease his way in to the conversation that he really wanted to be having.
“So kid.” He began “how’d a nice girl like you end up working for a bunch of criminals?” He asked coolly. Frisk hesitated at his question, and for a moment Sans began to worry that she may have already caught on to his intentions.
“I guess it was out of necessity.” Frisk said suddenly to Sans relief.
“How so?” He asked, continuing to try to probe her for more information. Frisk leaned her head on her palm as she took a rather large gulp of her drink draining the glass completely dry.
“Well… I needed to eat.” She said. Sans suddenly felt a prominent pang of guilt, He knew her living conditions weren’t exactly the greatest from the first moment he stepped into her shabby little apartment, but hearing her say it out loud, well that really seemed to put her situation into perspective for him. However, it was tough all over, him and his brother had come to join up with the Pansies for more or less of the same reasons.
“Ya, hard times are all around kiddo.” Sans replied sadly. “So how long have you been pulling this line of work for anyway?” He continued to question. Frisk paused again as she tried to count up the years. how long had it been now exactly?
“About ten years now.” Frisk replied. “Since I was nine.” Sans almost spit his drink out in shock. Since she was nine ? NINE!? She had been working for gangs when she had been only a child?! Sans tried to recollect his composure, but the thought of a little tike running around the streets of Ebott dealing with mobsters, criminals, and every other type of scum under the sun really, really did not sit well with him.
“What about your family? Didn’t you have somebody looking out for you?” Sans asked but he had already guessed the answer to this question. Frisk shook her head as her eyes seemed to glaze over as she traveled back into her past.
“No.” She replied. “I’ve always been on the streets by myself.” She began “Well, actually no… there was someone once. It was a long time ago; I must have only been around five or so, I don’t remember much.” Sans felt his eye sockets go dark as Frisk continued to explain her childhood.
“His name was Chara” She began. “He was a little older than me, but not by much. I’m not sure if we were related or not.” Frisk said “but from what I remember, he had always taken care of me. I remember one night he told me that we needed to run away, and then after that we were living on the streets.”
“Run away from what?” sans asked. Frisk shrugged.
“Not sure, I don’t remember.” She replied. “He used to steal from people to keep us fed, and I remember one day he managed to get away with a whole chocolate bar stuffed into his coat sleeve from one of the vendors.” Frisk smiled slightly as she remembered his proud face when he showed off his prize. She had been so impressed as he told her the daring tale of how he had swiped it from right under the venders big fat nose.
“That was the first time I got to try chocolate.” Frisk said happily.
“Did uh, you and your partner in crime get some help?” He wasn’t sure why he was pushing now; at this point he already knew the answer wasn't going to be a happy one. Frisks happy smile immediately disappeared from her face.
“One day, after he went out to try to get us some food, he didn’t come back.” She continued “… I waited for him in the alleyway. He told me not to move until he came to get me, so I didn’t but….” Frisk trailed off as her memories seemed to take her to a dark faraway place. Sans sat in silence for a moment, not really sure about what to do, or what to say. But, he definitely knew that he didn’t want to leave Frisk lingering in those depressing memories of hers.
“What about after that? There must have been someone else?” Sans asked feeling a little desperate all of a sudden. His question seemed to pull Frisk out of her dark thoughts as he saw her focus trying to remember.
“Oh yeah, that’s when I met my mom.” She said, the slight smile returning to her face. Sans felt a heavy sense of relief. So the kid did have some kind of family at least.
“I met her a few days after Chara left.” Frisk continued. “I wasn’t really doing too well on my own.” She said sheepishly. “I wasn’t good at stealing like he was. I remembered I tried a few times, but I always got myself caught and… it wasn’t good when I got caught.” She said .
“But anyway, I remember she was buying some apples at a fruit stand, and she had put her purse down in order to pay for them. I decided that I would try to grab it, but the vendor caught me by the wrist before I could even get a grip around the strap.” A big smile then broke across her face. “Boy, did I think I was in for it that time.” Frisk said startling sans a bit as she actually laughed at the memory like it had been of something that was funny.
“Then the lady told the man to let me go, and then she looked at me and smiled, and then gave me one of her apples.” Frisk continued still snickering. “I was so confused, and so was the vendor. We both didn’t know what to do with ourselves. So then I started to follow her.” Frisk continued. “She was a monster so at first I stayed pretty far away. Chara had always told me that monsters were bad, that they hurt people, and that I should always stay away from them, but the lady had been so kind that I just couldn’t.” Sans raised a brow bone at this. Frisks mother was a monster? That was something you certainly didn’t see every day. It wasn’t even legal for a monster to adopt a human child, or vice versa. There were interracial couples and all, but that sort of thing was dangerous, and kept extremely quite as you could end up shot or worse if the wrong people found out.
“She noticed me following her pretty quickly”. Frisk continued, the sheepish grin returning to her face. “I wasn’t really the stealthiest back then. She asked if I wanted to come home with her for a slice of pie and then I just kinda stayed with her….well at least for a little while.”
“What, you run away again kid?” Sans asked with a slight smirk, trying to lighten the very disheartened mood that had surrounded them.
“No.” Frisk said abruptly. “She gave me away.” Sans immediately wiped the smirk from his face at Frisks angry tone. Suddenly Frisks eyes seemed to focus as she realized she was talking about something that she really didn’t want to revisit. To Sans surprise Frisk immediately stood up from the table.
“I’m –I’m tired, I’m going to bed.” She stammered as she moved toward the staircase.
“Hey- Hey wait, hold up a sec!” Sans said as he attempted to get up from his seat and follow her, but before he could make another move Frisk swiftly spun around.
“Thank you for dinner.” She said . “It was really good.” Then she turned again on her heels, and proceeded to make her way through the crowed bar. Sans stood for a moment watching her disappear up the stairs before he sat back down at his seat. He then proceeded to wave Grillby back over. He really needed another drink.
Sans had really no idea what he had been expecting to learn about the kid, but it had definitely not been anything like what he had just heard. Sans sighed as he sipped at his third gin of the evening. He was starting to feel it now, the pleasant numbness of the magical buzz forming behind his eye sockets. He had really just wanted to find out who she had worked for in the past, if she was at anyway a threat to his brother or his friends, not her whole life story. But, he supposed that beggar’s couldn’t be choosers as he shrugged to himself. After Sans finished his drink, he stopped briefly at the bar to tell Grillby to put the bill on his tab before he sluggishly made his way up the stairs.
When Sans entered the apartment, he could see that Frisk was already fast asleep curled into her tight little ball on the couch. He noticed that she had changed out of the dress and back into his brothers over-sized dress shirt. Papyrus had insisted that she keep it to use as a nightgown. As sans walked by the couch he saw that the kid had neatly and carefully folded all of her new cloths and placed them tentatively on the couch cushion next to the one she was sleeping on. He saw that she had lined up her shoes tidily below them as well. He couldn’t help but smirk at how she had even displayed the same level of care and affection to the black heels, even though he knew that she had hated wearing them. In his slightly buzzed state Sans found himself thinking about an old bedside table that he had in his room. He wasn’t really using it for much; the drawers were just full of junk. Maybe he could clean it out for Frisk to use to store her cloths. He could bring it out and set it up next to the couch. Sans then quickly brushed the thought away as he headed over to his room. that was a thought for later, he maybe would get around to it, eventually, if he had time. With a yawn Sans closed the door behind him. He then quickly undressed and flopped over top of his comfy mattress before burrowing into the blankets and sheets and falling asleep.