Preparations for a funeral
Ludo confidently strutted up the stairs to Big Sam’s estate. He had been summoned to discuss an urgent matter involving the leaked information of the soul smokers to the Pansies contact. Ludo knew what was at risk if the meeting didn’t turn out as he wanted, but even in light of the current circumstances, Ludo wasn’t nervous at all as he continued to calmly waltz his way down the corridor to Sams study. He still had his backup plan after all.
When Ludo entered into the office he was surprised, and slightly put off, to see that Doctor Gaster was also present in the room. Ludo’s eye twitched as he forced on a smile. It looked like the Don had really been serious when he said he had hired the monster as his Consigliere.
“Hey there Sam.” Ludo drawled announcing his presence as he sauntered up to the desk. Sam did not however return his cheerful greeting as he sat stern and un-amused in his arm chair.
“I’m surprised you’re in such high spirits Ludo.” He replied. “Especially after what has happened with your underling Ricky, and those unfortunate lose lips of his.” Sam said narrowing his eyes at the seemingly unfazed underboss.
“Eh, after years in this business I’ve learned that even the most loyal underlings will keep secrets in a pinch, and Ricky is no exception to that rule.” Ludo said. Sam nodded.
“Yes, Ricky was one of the most loyal employees that the Gambino’s had seen in quite a while.” He continued. “Which is why I was so surprised to hear the news that he had betrayed my trust. I almost couldn’t believe it.” Sam said eyeing Ludo with furrowed brows. Ludo brushed off his boss’s suspicious glance as he retained his lax and casual pose.
“What can I say boss? In the end it’s always the quite ones.” Ludo replied with a crafty grin. Sam sat quietly for a moment as he studied Ludo’s guise.
“When I said that I couldn’t believe it, I really meant that I couldn’t believe it.” Sam continued “so I had him interrogated.” He said. Ludo’s smirk faltered slightly at the edges.
“Did ya now boss?” He asked. Big Sam didn’t respond to his question and instead signaled to his guard man by the entranceway of the study. The guard man nodded before opening the office door allowing two other lackeys to drag a beaten and bloodied Ricky into the room. Ludo’s icy eyes went wide as his former underling was tossed on the rug, still alive and still conscious.
“You see Ludo, Ricky here has told us a different story and says that you were the one to let the girl get away, and are using him as your Patsy.” Big Sam explained. Ludo stood stunned for only a moment before his wicked grin returned to his face spreading wildly from ear to ear.
“Oh, I see how it is. It’s his word against mine is it?” Ludo said chuckling to himself. Big Sam raised an eyebrow.
“Well then, my previous statement really does seem very accurate in light of this situation.” He continued. “No matter how loyal you think a partner is, in the end he’ll just sell you out to save his own skin.” Ludo spat as he sneered at Ricky. At his words Ricky pushed himself off of the carpet and lunged at Ludo hate burning in his eyes.
“You dirty rat Ludo! You wouldn’t know what loyalty was if it bit you in the ass!” He screamed as the two other lackeys held him back by the shoulders. Ludo only snickered in his face.
“That’s real rich coming from a lying louse like you.” he said, his wolfish grin growing larger.
“I should have never pulled you out of that dirty gutter I found you in.” Ludo continued. “I gave you a job, food in your belly, drink for your troubles, and all the money you could ask for, and this is how you repay me, By slandering my good name?” He asked. Ricky just gritted his teeth as he attempted to struggle out of the other men’s grip. Ludo chuckled turning his back on his former partner.
“You couldn’t have picked a worse person to pin it on pal. I have an unbroken track record when it comes to my business. I have never left a witness alive before, why would I start now?” Ludo said. “I thought I taught you better than that.”
Then Ludo’s grin completely fell away from his face as he turned on his heels and slugged Ricky right in the gut. Ricky collapsed on the ground as he struggled to breath; the wind was knocked right out of him. Ludo then turned back to Big Sam, a bored expression on his face.
“Are we done here yet or are you still unconvinced?” He asked. Sam remained still and silent as he strummed his fingers over the top of his desk in contemplation. Gaster also stood mutely behind him, quietly observing the display between the two mobsters. Finally Sam let out a huff.
“Boys, take Ricky for a swim.” He said motioning to his lackey’s. Ludo grinned as he watched the two men drag the struggling Ricky away. He really was going to miss that partner of his.
“You think your clever do ya boss?! Well you won’t get away with this! You’ll end up right alongside me you hear? Your turn to take that icy plunge is coming and when it does I’ll be waiting for you at the bottom of the river!” Ricky screamed as the men dragged him out of the office and down the hall to be fitted for a new pair of cement shoes. Ludo stood calmly, unfazed by Ricky’s words as he waited for Sam to speak. When the mob Don continued to stare at him he began to feel uneasy.
“You’re more cut throat then I thought.” Sam suddenly said much to Ludo’s relief.
“I learn from the best boss.” Ludo replied, earning a small smile form the Don.
“Well seeing as you’re so confident maybe you can fix this mess that Ricky made for us. He was your underling after all, meaning that this whole screw up is partially your fault.” Sam said. Ludo grimaced slightly at his bosses chirp.
“I doubt I can do much about it now.” Ludo replied. “The girl already told the Pansies everything. Even if I find her again, killing her wouldn’t do much more then settle the score.” Big Sam shrugged.
“Truthfully I’m not overly concerned whether or not the Pansies have the knowledge on the weapon as they will be finding out about it soon enough anyway.” He said. Ludo cocked his head in confusion.
“Whaddya mean boss?” He asked.
“You remember our friends the Hollywood Troop don’t ya?” Sam replied. Ludo narrowed his eyes. Friend was not the word he would choose to describe that rag tag bunch of hooligans.
“What about em?” Ludo questioned.
“Well I’ve made a deal with them regarding our little secret weapon. I’ve sold them 20 for the price of their allegiance as well as 50,000 G.” Sam said. Ludo completely lost his smile at the news.
“You gave them our weapon!?” He practically screamed. Sam raised a hand and fixed him with an annoyed glare efficiently silencing Ludo before he could blow his top.
“No, I didn’t give it to them. I let them have a little taste, and once they see how effective it works against monster magic they will be crawling back for more, just like every other human gang in this godforsaken city.” Sam explained. Ludo still furrowed his brow unconvinced.
“How do ya know they won’t turn on us?” He asked and Sam chuckled.
“Because the Gambino’s are the only gang that can supply them with the smokers. If they want them they will have to kneel down and kiss my ring in allegiance, making the Gambino’s the new head of the crime ring, and me the Don.” He said smugly.
“And you’re sure that none of the other gangs will be able to find out how to make the smokers for themselves?” He asked. Sam shook his head and sighed.
“Ludo use that brain of yours for once will ya? You know that the smokers are made with human souls and only a monster can actually handle one of those.” Sam explained.
“No human gang besides us has even considered working with a monster and I doubt any other monsters would be willing to work with the other human gangs. Besides, Doctor Gaster is the only expert even in the monster world when it comes to extracting the power out of a soul. He’s our ace in the hole.” He continued.
“Even with the information on the soul smoker that the girl might have witnessed it would be entirely impossible for it to be enough for it to be useful for the monsters to come up with a way to counter its effects.” He said, Gaster nodded silently from behind him confirming the statement.
“And as for the brat who squealed, well once I do gain the status as Don of all the gangs in Ebott I plan on ruling this city with an iron fist. the Gambino’s have a reputation to up hold after all, so I want you to make an example out of that girl, and show the Pansies what happens when they cross us by trying to change the rules of the game.” Sam declared. Ludo’s wicked smirk returned to his face at Sam's request.
“You got it boss.” He said as he prepared to head out to do what he did best.
He couldn’t help the slight spring in his step as he left the office. Everything had played out beautifully, and now he was even tasked with killing the brat, an added bonus he didn’t expect. He felt his smile widen as he realized that he would be able to keep that promise that he had made to her and make her last living moments a living hell.
His mood suddenly dampened when he thought of promises however, as he remembered the girls skeletal guard dog. Ludo would never admit it but the thought of the skeletons reverberating voice and threatening cyan eye sent a rather large shiver up his spine. He regained his composure moments later when he remembered he had the perfect solution to his monster of a problem. The soul smoker would prove most effective against that bag of bones. Without his magic, Ludo reckoned the skeleton would hardly be much of a threat at all and could easily be taken care of by a few of his underlings leaving the girl wide open and unprotected. But, as Ludo reached into his pocket to retrieve his little good luck charm he stopped dead in his tracks when he found that the soul smoker was no longer there. Ludo patted down the rest of his pockets, even taking off his coat and turning it inside out in his search. Nothing.
Ludo wracked his brain as panic began to take hold of him. Did he leave it back in the Flamingo, Or maybe in the shed? He remembered he had taken it out to try and intimidate the brat into talking…. And then Ludo felt his heart skip a beat. The brat. That crafty little bitch she had stolen it.
Frisk fidgeted nervously on the couch as she looked up at the clock. She still had four hours to kill. In her anxiousness she let out a loud breathy sigh. Today was the day of Mittsy’s funeral procession and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for it or not.
According to monster tradition Mittsy’s remains would be carried to all of her favorite locations around the city and a little bit of her dust would be sprinkled at each place in memory of the things she treasured in life. The procession was scheduled to arrive at Grillby’s around two in the afternoon which seemed like such a long time away for Frisk but also seemed far too soon at the same time.
“Hey kid, you alright over there?” Sans asked from the table at the sound of her discomfort.
“Ya, I’m ok.” Frisk replied only it didn’t sound very convincing. Sans folded up his newspaper and hopped off the chair before heading over to the couch.
“You sure?” He asked, and Frisk couldn’t help but let her shoulders slump.
“I’m just a little nervous is all.” She said and Sans nodded in understanding.
“Well after everything that’s happened, I think that’s a perfectly normal way to feel.” He said. Frisk hummed in agreement.
“Uh, speaking of which you haven’t really talked much about what happened to you regarding Ludo, and I don’t mean to pry but if you want to I’m all ears, Heh, well metaphorically anyway. " Sans said, tossing Frisk a wink.
She giggled slightly at his joke. It helped to distract her from the unpleasant memories. She wasn’t sure if she was quite ready to relive them yet. She sat quietly for a few moments and Sans waited patiently beside her.
“It was strange.” Frisk finally said. “It was like I couldn’t think about anything else except for Ludo.”
“I just felt numb except for my anger for him. It’s like my hatred was the only thing that mattered, the only thing that kept me going.” She said. Sans nodded in response. He knew that feeling, and he knew that it was often hard to resist.
“Even after I got caught, I couldn’t seem to bring myself to care very much about what was going to happen to me. All I cared about was getting even, making him pay. Even when he was hitting me it was like I couldn’t even feel it.” Frisk continued. Sans winced inwardly as he recalled the memory of finding her bruised and broken in that shack.
“I actually purposefully taunted him.” She admitted. “I know it was a stupid thing to do, but whenever I managed to wipe that smile off of his face I just felt ….satisfied. Making him angry and seeing him scared was the only thing that mattered to me anymore. It became even more important than my own life.”
Sans tensed next to her. He did not like the thought of Frisk purposefully disregarding her life like that. He remembered when he had first found her tied to the chair. He had thought that she was already dead, and to hear that she had taunted her abuser just made him feel slightly ill. He wanted to scold her slightly for acting stupid, but he bit his tongue knowing that the action wouldn’t help. Instead he lifted his hand and placed it on her shoulder in an act of comfort. The kid seemed to appreciate it because she scooted slightly closer to him.
“I don’t ever want to feel that way again.” She continued. “It was such an empty and hollow feeling and in the end I hurt everyone around me because I was so focused on revenge. I’m really sorry for that Sans.” Frisk said facing him with a very remorseful look in her eyes. Sans moved his hand from her shoulder and flicked the side of her cheek. She jumped slightly at the action surprised.
“What do I keep telling you about all this apologizing?” He responded with an impish grin. “We forgive you already, there’s no more need for you to feel all guilty alright?” He asked. Frisk smiled warmly at him and nodded her head.
“Thank you Sans.” She said. Sans let out a small huff, before he ruffled Frisk’s hair playfully, earning him a snorted giggle from the girl.
“You uh… gonna get ready for Mittsy’s send off?” He asked cautiously. Frisk stiffened slightly at his question before she sighed and got up off the couch.
“Ya I suppose it’s about time.” She said as she went to grab her blue dress from her drawer.
“You know kid, me and Paps will be right next to you the whole time.” Sans continued as he rubbed at the back of his skull. “If it gets to be too much for you just tell us and well get you out of there.” Frisk flashed him another soft smile.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll be ok. I think it will be good for me to be able say goodbye.” She said.
“I’m going to take a shower and clean up before the procession arrives.” She continued as she bundled her blue dress in her arms before heading toward the bathroom.
“You gonna be alright in there by yourself?” Sans asked, and Frisk stopped in her tracks before tossing a very unimpressed look back at the skeleton brother over her shoulder.
Sans almost smacked himself when he realized what he had just implied.
“I didn’t mean anything by that.” He quickly stated defensively. “I just meant with your being hurt and all-.”
“I’ll be fine Sans.” Frisk replied flatly cutting him off as she continued her way into the washroom shutting and locking the door behind her firmly.
Sans slumped back on the couch and pressed his palms into his eye sockets a blue tint already presents on his cheekbones. He really had to remember to think about what he was saying before he opened up his big fat mouth.
Frisk stepped slowly into the running warm water, allowing the comforting heat to seep into her tender and sore flesh. She sighed as she began to relax, before she grabbed the bar of soup and began to gently wash her bruised skin. She was still very nervous about the coming event but she had decided she would just distract herself by getting ready early. She also wanted to look nice for Mittsy’s send off. The mouse monster had always made it a point to dress fashionably and took pride in her appearance. Frisk thought that Mittsy would appreciate the gesture. She had decided to wear the blue dress that Mittsy had gotten for her, and she even reluctantly decided to wear the black heals with it as Mittsy would probably hate it if she saw Frisk wearing her sturdy boots paired with the delicate dress. Frisk giggled to herself as she imagined the mouse monsters reaction. She would have most likely dragged Frisk right back upstairs and force her into those uncomfortable stilts…If she were still here that is. Frisks smile fell slightly at the thought as she pulled herself out of the shower and also the comfort of the warm water.
She wiped the fog away from the mirror as she dried herself, before examining her injuries now that they were visible with her bandages removed. She hissed slightly at the sight of them. Though her smaller ones had cleared up immensely with the help of Papyrus’ healing magic and Doctor Alphys’ treatments, the more substantial bruises were still scattered everywhere across her body, the worst being the one on her side over her rib cage. The giant splotch of sickly purple spread dark and deep almost completely covering her entire left side. Frisk hummed at it, poking the tender flesh experimentally. She flinched. Yup, it still hurt.
Frisk let out a gruff huff as she grabbed some new clean bandages and began wrapping up the wounds on her arms and legs. However, when it came to dressing her bruised ribs she found the task rather difficult. She grunted as she tried to secure the bandage around herself, but whenever she tried to twist her torso in at an attempt to wrap it tight enough at her ribs, a sharp shock of pain would shoot through her nerves. After her fourth attempt the bandage still refused to cooperate with her and ended up unraveling themselves, before falling to the floor. Frisk almost kicked it in frustration. Then there was a slight knock on the door.
“Buddy, you ok in there?" Sans asked in a shy voice. “It’s uh been a while you didn’t fall down or anything did you?” Frisk felt her face heat up.
“I’m fine!” She called back quickly.
“Ok, sorry pal, just checking” He replied.
Frisk looked down at the rumpled up bandages on the floor and furrowed her brow. She didn’t want to admit it, but she knew that she needed help. With a frustrated sigh she bit back her pride before turning herself toward the door.
“Actually Sans?” She called, her voice breaking slightly in embarrassment.
“Ya?” He answered from the hallway.
“I think I could use a little help, if you don’t mind.” She replied as she fiddled with her towel.
“Uh, ok sure pal what do you need?”
“I just need help with this bandage. I can’t quite get it tight enough.” Frisk said.
“No problem.” Sans answered as the door knob began to jiggle. Frisk’s face went scarlet as she instinctively jumped to press her weight against the door only then remembering that she had thankfully locked it.
“Hold on! Just give me one minute!” She called back.
“Oh! Um right. Sorry.” Sans replied as he stepped back away from the bathroom door once again.
Frisk let out a breathy sigh as she fought down her blush. She then tugged on her trousers, and put on her black undershirt, which provided her with a little more coverage then what the towel she had been previously holding around herself had offered her.
Frisk then took a deep breath as she moved to unlock the bathroom door. Sans stood at the opposite wall across from the washroom. He tried to keep up a casual façade as he leaned his weight lazily against the wall despite the slightly nervous feeling fluttering around in his soul. When he heard the lock click he immediately straitened himself up.
“Heya, sorry about that pal. Didn’t mean to uh, burst your bubble.” he said flashing frisk a shy apologetic smile. Frisk relaxed a bit at his pun and let out a giggle. Sans smile grew a little wider with relief, glad that she wasn’t mad at him as he stepped forward to enter into the washroom.
“So, how can I be of assistance?” He asked as he rubbed at the back of his skull. Frisk grabbed the bandaged from the ground and handed it to him a slight pink tinge staining her cheeks.
“I can’t get the bandage around my ribs.” She explained. “If I don’t get it tight enough they won’t set right.” Sans nodded in understanding, taking another step forward while fiddling with the cotton fabric in his hands.
“Ok, sounds simple enough. You want to um, show me?” He asked.
Frisk stiffened at Sans’ request, before crushing down her blush, and turning around facing away from him. She then lifted her undershirt to expose the bruised portion of her side. She made sure that the shirt wasn’t raised to show more than what needed to be as she crossed her arms firmly over her chest.
When Sans saw the dark purple splotch that bloomed over almost her entire left side his eye sockets went wide. He hadn’t seen this injury yet. He grimaced slightly at the sight of it. This must have been one of her more serious ones.
“Jeez bucko.” Sans said softly, almost to himself as he instinctively reached his arm forward, gently grazing the purple flesh with his fingertips. Frisk flinched at the contact, bringing him back to reality as he immediately pulled his hand away.
“Sorry.” He stammered. “Did that hurt?” Frisk shook her head.
“No, it’s ok. It just surprised me a little.” She said. Sans let out a breathy sigh in slight relief as he took another step forward.
“Ok kid, keep your arms up.” He instructed as he reached from behind her to delicately wrap the bandage around her torso.
“Let me know if it’s too tight.” He said as he slowly layered the cotton fabric over her bruised ribs. Frisk nodded in response.
As he worked Sans couldn’t help the twinge of anger sparking in his soul. His pin pricks were kept focused on the large bruise enveloping Frisk’s side. He couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from it. When he thought about how hard Ludo would have had to hit her to leave a mark like that it made the small spark alight in his chest.
“How does that feel?” He asked when he had finished. Frisk lowered her shirt and gave her torso an experimental twist.
“That’s perfect, thanks.” She said giving him a shy smile.
“No problem.” sans replied as he returned her small smile with his own sheepish grin. “You um, need anything else?” He asked. Frisk shook her head.
“No, I think I’ll be fine now. I’m just going to finish getting ready.” She answered.
“Ok well, I’ll leave you to it then.” He said as he turned to exit the washroom. “But you know, don’t hesitate to ask if you um, do end up needing something.” He stuttered as his pinpricks focused on the floor.
“I know I come off as a real lazy bones but I don’t mind getting off of my pelvis every once and a while to help out a pal.” He said before tossing her a wink. Frisk let out a happy laugh at his joke.
“I will, promise.” She said her soft smile still present on her face.
“Heh, I’ll hold you to it then.” Sans replied as he left closing the door behind him. He stood in the hall for a little while after that, before he sauntered to the living area and glanced at the clock. It was still far too early for him to really consider getting ready for Mittsy’s funeral, but he supposed that maybe he could use the distraction as his soul still fluttered intensely behind his rib cage.