Dirty Traitors
Ludo sat at the absolutely elegant bar top of the Bouton D’or Hotel. He was currently surrounded by the crème of the crop in every regard; from the elaborate decor of the dimly lit lounge, as well as the polished guests adorned in their finery, to the top of the line smuggled scotch that he swirled in his crystal glass, but still he maintained a bored expression none the less. Apparently Gaster wasn’t a fan of Ludo’s working methods, and had saddled him with an endless amount of boring business meetings in an attempt to keep the new Don out of trouble.
“You are the Don of the Gambino’s, and as such you are required to maintain a good relationships with those who may be useful to the organization.” Gaster had said. Ludo sneered when he remembered the monster’s words. He knew the real reason why Gaster was setting up these pointless rendezvous, he knew that Gaster was just attempting to tighten the leash that was currently already choking him.
“So sorry to keep you waiting Ludo, I just could not get away from my friends and guests.” Alico said, strutting up to the bar proudly, before taking the empty seat next to the new Don.
Ludo grimaced. Alico annoyed the hell out of him, always flaunting his wealth and his status, even though he hadn’t worked a god damn day in his life to get it. It irked Ludo to no end that he had to play nice with this snobby, businessman wanna be, rich kid, while Ludo had fought with tooth and claw just to get where he was today, which sadly was currently under the thumb of a monster. Ludo took a large swallow of his drink in an attempt to wash the bitterness out of his mouth.
“So what do I owe the …..Pleasure of your visit to?” Alico asked, not attempting to hide the pause in his words.
“Just here to see if the Gambino’s can interest you in our product once again.” Ludo said simply, not really all that interested if Alico accepted the offer of becoming a Gambino client again or not. Actually, he would rather just prefer that Alico decline him quickly so that Ludo could wash his hands of this spoiled brat for good. Alico chuckled smugly.
“Not that I am not flattered by your offer, but it seems that your product just isn’t quite to my standards anymore … no offence intended of course. The Pansies just simply have higher quality merchandise, and I’m afraid that in my world only the best will do.” Alico explained with a self-satisfied smirk.
Ludo’s eye twitched at the mentioning of the Pansies. He was silent for a moment before he rolled a sly eye over to Alico.
“Ah I see, say while we’re on the subject of the Pansies, you haven’t had any recent contact with that human representative of theirs have you?” He asked darkly. He of course noticed how quickly Alico seemed to stiffen in his seat.
“Uh, no no, not since out last meeting.” He answered swiftly. Ludo began to feel a crack of a wolfish smile start to work its way on to his face. Well, if he was going to be stuck here with this spiv he might as well have a little bit of fun.
“That’s too bad, you see she’s made a real mess of things for the Gambino’s.” He began nonchalantly while taking another sip of his scotch. “You know before Sam died his last order was to find her and put her out of her misery by any means necessary, and me being his successor and all, I’m pretty much bound to his final request.” Alico grew to look more nervous as Ludo carried on his story.
“But I’m sure you understand, you were a close friend with Big Sam after all, drinking buddies right?” Ludo continued. “You were even the one who told Sam about her existence. So you know that the Gambino’s wouldn’t stand for anyone withholding information on that certain subject?” Alico swallowed before mustering up his best confident nod. Ludo continued to hold him pinned with his icy unforgiving murderous stare.
“Yeah I thought so, cuz see, the Gambino’s don’t take to well to liars or fugitive harbourers. In fact any one that is in cahoots with her or her Pansy friends are downright scumbags in my books…..oh but uh, no offence to you and your business choices.” Ludo said with a sneer.
Alico remained quiet, trying to keep up a stoic disposition. Normally he would not stand for a thug like Ludo to talk to him in such a manor in his own establishment, but the almost carnal glint in Ludos cold hard eyes sent a shiver running up Alico’s spine, and for once in his life Alico felt that all of his wealth, power, and social standing meant nothing as he became very much aware of the fact that it would be rather easy for Ludo to simply slit his throat right then and there in the middle of his glistening palace.
“W- Was there a point to this?” Alico asked, clearing his throat briefly. Ludo shrugged in response.
“Not really.” He said simply. “Just basically wanted to point out that even though you were close with Sam in the past, he ain’t exactly running the show any more; I am. And that your previous friendship with the former boss, though noted, won’t exactly save your skin if it’s found that you’re not worth more than your keep is all.”
“Is that a threat?” Alico demanded, and Ludo chuckled.
“What do you think pretty boy?” He asked darkly. Alico was unable to respond, completely shocked into silence. He had never been threatened before.
“Now I’m gonna ask you again.” Ludo ordered harshly. “Have you seen the girl?”
-------------------
It was dark, so very dark and cold as Frisk huddled in the blackness of her nightmares once again. It was the usual dream, the overwhelming fear and silence threatening to close in and suffocate her like it normally did when she was forced to endure this awful place, only this time it wasn’t as usual as she remembered it to be. There were details that Frisk noticed this time that hadn’t been present in the nightmare before. She could feel the texture of cold concrete under her feet. When Frisk looked down however, there was only blackness, but as she scrunched her toes she was sure of the rough surface, it was almost too familiar to her. Sounds had also begun to echo around the space, they were dull and distant, but Frisk could tell that they were voices, children’s voices. They sounded just as scared as she felt, and for a moment Frisk wanted to call out to them for comfort, but she was silenced by her own fear. She also heard footsteps.
Frisk stiffened and turned toward the approaching noises, already knowing what was coming for her. He was there again, waiting for her. He was still only a head and disembodied hands, but the way that he moved, it looked like his apparent free floating appendages might actually be attached to some sort of invisible body, or maybe he was just an extension to the darkness that surrounded her. He starred at her for a while, as if he were studying her, and then he approached.
Frisk scrambled away from him, but then ran into something solid behind her. When she looked over her shoulder she was surprised to see metal bars blocking her escape. Had she always been in a cage? She couldn’t remember. The thought didn’t linger long when the bad man reached forward and grabbed her roughly. Firsk screamed as hot pain raced through her body.
She sat up with a start in her bed. She was panting and sweating buckets. The quiet tranquility of the morning air did little to quell her rapid heartbeat as Frisk bowed forward and cradled her head in her hands, while attempting to calm herself down.
The nightmares had been happening more and more frequently as of late. It was now getting to the point where they were almost recurring every night. Each time it seemed to be getting just a little clearer, and the pain was also becoming sharper. Even now Frisk could still feel the ghost of the bad man’s burning touch on her upper arm where he had grabbed her.
Frisk grimaced as she rubbed at her sleepy eyes and attempted to shake her jitters away. She had no idea what was causing her mind to continuously torture her. Ever since she had had that business dinner date with Alico it seemed that the nightmares had decided to haunt her more savagely then before. Frisk sighed as she pulled herself out of bed. Well, there was no more sense dwelling on it and wasting her day. She yawned and stretched as she made it out of her room towards the brother’s apartment for breakfast.
She felt her mood brighten immediately when she entered in to the main apartment, seeing both of the brothers already present in the kitchen. The familiar setting helped her to ground herself in her current happy reality, chasing the chill of the nightmare away to the far reaches of her mind. She smiled before making her way forward to join them.
“Good morning.” She greeted, as she took her seat next to Sans at the table.
“GOOD MORNING FRISK.” Papyrus replied happily as per usual, while he expertly flipped a pancake in midair.
“Morning kid.” sans also drawled, while shooting her a quick wink. Frisk smirked back at him.
“HERE WE ARE, NOW EAT UP BROTHER.” Papyrus then proclaimed as he placed a rather large stack of pancakes (spaghetti free this time) in front of Sans. “IT IS YOUR FIRST DAY BACK ON THE JOB SO MAKE SURE TO BUILD UP YOUR ENERGY SO THAT YOU CAN GIVE 110%”
Sans eyed the tall stack in front of him with wary sockets. It almost looked like he was slightly intimidated by the sheer mass of food.
“Gee, thanks bro.” He said, while carefully grabbing a forkful of pancake, making sure that he wouldn’t topple the rest of the stack, resulting in an avalanche of syrupy sticky goodness that would probably bury the kitchen.
“AND FOR YOU FRISK.” Papyrus continued, while also presenting Frisk with her own mile high breakfast tower.
“I KNOW THAT THERE HASN’T BEEN MUCH WORK FOR YOU AS OF LATE, BUT YOU SHOULD ALSO BUILD UP YOUR ENERGY RESERVES REGARDLESS! THIS WAY WHEN YOU ARE NEEDED YOU WILL ALREADY BE COMPLETELY PREPARED.” He said assuredly.
“Thanks Papyrus.” Frisk said, giggling to herself as she also delicately picked at the piled fluffy syrup socked sponges.
“So then.” Frisk then said, turning to Sans after she had swallowed her mouthful of pancake. “Are you excited for your first day back?” She asked him tauntingly. Sans chuckled at the teasing nature of her question.
“Hehe, well excited might not be the exact word that I’d use, but you could say that I’m going to be stacked with work none the less.” He replied while waging a forkful of pancake in Frisk's direction to emphasizes his pun. She laughed. Papyrus huffed unimpressed.
“SANS YOU SHOULD BE EATING! YOUR MOUTH ShOULD BE TOO FULL FOR YOU TO BE MAKING THOSE HORRIBLE PUNS!” He criticized harshly.
“Heh, sorry Paps, but I gotta get going if I’m gonna get my work done on time.” Sans said dabbing his mouth with a napkin.
But before Sans stood from his seat, he reached under the table toward Frisk and took one of her hands in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. Frisk smiled to herself, a small blush dusting her cheeks as she returned his gesture and squeezed back. These little secret indulgences were quickly developing into a habit that the two of them had been sharing ever since they had decided to try and see if they could indeed make this strange relationship work. Since they had to be so secretive about it, especially around Papyrus, they often had to come up with different more hidden ways to show affection. Sans couldn’t exactly give Frisk a kiss goodbye before he headed out for the day, so he hoped that this little token would be enough in its stead. It still was a little bit too brief for his liking however, as he retracted his hand once again so that he could get out of his chair, but he knew that he would just have to be patient and wait for the quiet, more secluded moments, where he could show her his fondness more proper like.
“Have a good day.” Frisk said as Sans headed to the front door.
“Will do.” He replied as he threw her a lazy wave and a smile from over his shoulder.
When Sans left the apartment he slowly made his way down to the bar to get his assignment from Grillby. He really didn’t need the instructions as he already knew whose name was written on the telegram, but he still decided to pay Grillby a visit regardless, taking advantage of all the offered time away from actually hunting down that monster as he could get.
“Heya Grillbs, got any mail for me?” Sans asked as he leaned his weight over the counter top. Grillby nodded briefly before passing him a telegram.
“Thanks pal.” Sans said excepting the piece of parchment. He then opened it slowly, holding his breath a little in the process, actually being lured in by the very fragile and small hope that maybe there was a different name written down on the piece of paper. His small hope was quickly crushed as he gazed down at the black letters that spelled out Doctor W.D Gaster’s name. He let out the his breath in a huff.
“Are you alright Sans?”Grillby asked, noting his friend’s slightly down turned smile.
“Yeah, just a little bummed about getting back to work.” Sans explained while he pocketed the telegram. “I was really enjoying not having to do much.” Grillby rolled his eyes at Sans’ typical lazy nature.
“Actually Grillby, you mind if I get a cup of Joe before I head out?” Sans then asked, decided on taking a bit more time before he settled back into his work role again. Grillby nodded again as he paused from his polishing work, while poring Sans a hot mug of coffee.
“Don’t put your work off for too long.” He cautioned before he passed him his beverage.
“Thanks pal, I’ll be out of your hair before you know it.” He said, raising his mug briefly in a cheers gesture.
As Sans sat he took the time to eye the other Pansy member patrons in the bar. He was curious to see if there was any uneasiness present after last night’s events, when Frisk had revealed her relationship with Toriel. To his slight surprise, it seemed that everyone was being rather accepting of the incident. There was no whispering of rumors, or gossip, or ill-mannered comments. Even the members, who Sans knew held more conservative outlooks over this kind of topic, said very little on the subject. It was like the Pansy members had just silently agreed to just take it as it was.
Hu, he had been expecting there to be more harsh strong minded opinions, but then again Frisk had been pretty much fully accepted by the gang, and even if one didn’t agree with the mixing of humans and monsters, you would have to be pretty heartless to condemn a child to starvation or worse, rather than to be cared for by a member of the opposite race. The results of his observations actually brightened his mood a little bit. If even the most stubborn right winged minded monsters could come to accept an alteration to their obstinate views, then maybe things really could change, maybe in the future this idea of human and monsters living in harmony wouldn’t be one that was so unforeseeable. Sans shook the idea away. He was being silly and playing advocate to his fantasies, it wasn’t a good idea to be entertaining those kind of thoughts.
Sans finished his coffee shortly after, throwing some money on the counter for Grillby before begrudgingly making his way to the streets. He wasn’t exactly sure how to start his search, though he supposed now that he had more information he should try paying a visit to his favorite contact.
Finding Jack proved to be quite the task in itself as Sans scoured the coyote monsters usual territory. Huh, it usually wasn’t this hard to find him, as Jack was always eager for work and usually kept himself relatively out in the open. Sans ended up spotting him in some shady side street market, where the wares that were put out on display were definitely less then legal. Sans realized he had stumbled upon a branch of the black market. Jack was sitting at his newsstand, but why he had decided to set it up in this sketchy place was beyond what Sans could understand. He sauntered up to the coyote regardless.
“Heya Jack, how’s the news business treating ya?” He drawled in his usual carefree manor.
Jack flinched as he tensed and spun quickly around to face Sans behind him. Sans was surprised to say the least at the absolute look of terror on the coyote monsters face when he had confronted him.
“Hi – hi there Sansy, wasn’t expecting to see you here.” Jack managed to stutter out, as Sans could see him try to shift back into his usual sly character. Sans raised an eyebrow.
“You doin ok there Jack? I gotta say, your new location isn’t exactly customer friendly.” He questioned, again eyeing the other less then savory characters surrounding Jacks stall.
“Haha, yeah well uh, you know wanted to try a change of scenery is all.” Jack replied with a very forced sounding laugh. Sans began to grow suspicious at Jack’s nervous disposition. Something about the coyote’s shifty eyes as Jack refused to meet with Sans’ gaze was starting to make him wary.
“Uh, hey Sans, I uh, actually want to apologize for not stopping by to visit you. I heard you ran into some trouble a while back.” Jack continued while fidgeting. Sans narrowed his sockets. That expression that Jack was wearing, he recognized it as one of guilt, and one that was far too heavy for someone who had simply forgot to send a get well card.
“You got something you want to tell me Jack?" Sans questioned, all traces of humor leaving his tone. Jack flinched his jaw seeming to stick itself shut as the fear leaked through his attempted controlled façade.
“Tick tock Jack, I don’t got all day.” Sans pressured.
“I-I.” Jack stammered. “I’m sorry Sans. I didn’t mean anything by it honest! I didn’t know that he was after you to, I thought he was only interested in the girl!” He then blurted out. Sans eye sockets darkened as he began to understand what exactly it was that was weighing so heavy on Jacks conscience.
“Spit it out Jack.” Sans demanded flatly. “And don’t you dare skimp on the details.” He warned.
“I was desperate Sans, I needed the money! Word around the Undercity was that Ludo was interested in hiring a monster informant and that he was willing to pay a lot for the service. I took the chance, I swear I only sold him info on the girl. I didn’t tell him anything about you or any other Pansy, he just put two and two together on his own.” Jack rambled on.
Sans was quiet for a while after Jack had finished his confession. He stood tensely, his grin taught against his skull as he stared at Jack with pitch black sockets. Sans then moved swiftly, whipping his left hand out of his pocket while his eye socket erupted with his burning blue silted iris. His magic surrounded Jack and slammed him hard into the back wall. Sans only held him with his magic briefly, before he replaced it with his forearm pressed against the coyote’s jugular.
“You’re a dirty traitor Jack.” Sans stated darkly.
“No, no, please! It was only the girl! I swear I only told him about the girl!” Jack babbled out desperately. Panic quickly spread around the rest of the alley at the sight of the scuffle. The other merchants quickly began to pack up their wares and carts before slinking off into the shadows. Soon the alleyway that had once held a branch of the black market was now only a dirty empty side street once again.
“That’s where you made your mistake pal, I already told you that she is a Pansy member and when you threaten one of us you threaten all of us.” Sans growled. Jack began to whine in his hold, Sans let out a frustrated huff before letting Jack drop roughly to the muddy ground. Jack scurried backward as far away from Sans as the alley wall would allow him to go.
“Please.” Jack continued to whimper.
Sans still stared him down with dark sockets. He was furious. He was absolutely livid. Jack had been the one responsible for letting it slip to the Gambino’s where the Pansies where hiding Frisk, and he was also the one at fault for the attack that had almost left Sans himself a pile of dust forgotten in a dirty back alleyway… But Jack had also been his friend.
“Listen up Jack cuz I’m only gonna be telling you this once, and you better pay attention.” Sans began flatly. “I should kill you for what you’ve done, but I don’t really want to do that so I’m gonna give you another option for old times’ sake.” Jack let out a shaky breath in response and possibly in relief.
“I’m gonna give you the chance to leave the city. I’ll give you three days to get your shit together and get out. If I find you after that however, I won’t be giving any more second chances.” Sans continued. Jack shuffled forward.
“I can’t leave.” He began to protest. “My business is here, I don’t have any money, I need more time.” Sans tightened his fists in his pockets.
“Three days.” He repeated firmly, and Jack was silenced by the swelling echo of the skeletons voice.
“If I find you after that Jack, then you’re really begging for a bad time, capuche?” Sans questioned. Jack swallowed thickly before reluctantly nodding.
“I better not regret showing you this good turn, because if you try anything, like let’s say running to the Gambino’s for help, buddy you’ll end up being dead right where you stand.” Sans explained, making sure to be very thorough while holding Jack in his menacing glare.
“I don’t have anything to do with them any more Sans, honest! I -I quit a long time ago!” Jack rambled on in his defense. Sans didn’t really pay him any more mind as he turned away.
“Remember Jack, three days.” He warned before he walked away, leaving Jack sitting alone in a mud puddle in the now empty side street.
Frisk paced back and forth through the brothers empty apartment before grumbling unhappily and slouching on the sofa. She was bored. She wasn’t use to the vacant and quiet space, and she had no idea what to do with herself without either of the brothers around. She was still on a very light work schedule, and was only given jobs when someone else was available to accompany her, as it was too risky for her to be sent out on her own with the Gambino’s waiting for an opportunity to strike. She hadn’t minded it so much at first when Sans had also been laid off along with her as she had his company to pass the time away, but now the seconds seemed to crawl buy like hours as she was left to entertain herself by staring at a slightly off colored stain on the far wall. She sat for about two minutes more before she began to fidget and grow anxious. With one more huff Frisk pushed herself off of the couch and made her way briskly toward the window.
It looked like a beautiful day outside. It was sunny, which wasn’t as per usual during the gloomy days of fall, but then again it was still fairly early into the season. Frisk opened the window as she took in a deep breath of fresh air. It was a little chilly, the air having a bit of a nip to it, but it wasn’t any less inviting as Frisk felt herself steadily grow more and more antsy. She peeked over her shoulder briefly, making sure that no one was going to come bounding back into the apartment declaring that they had forgotten something.
She knew that Sans wouldn’t like it if she went out by herself. He had grown very particular about keeping her guarded while he wasn’t around. He had been the one that had insisted to Asgore that she be paired up with other Pansy members when she did go out to complete a job and he was also very choosy over who accompanied her.
Usually she ended up with someone from Doggo’s team like Dogaressa, Dogamy or GD. Frisk didn’t complain though, as she knew that it was either go along with Sans’ rules or get shipped out to the country side with Toriel. She also didn’t mind the extra company at all, she rather enjoyed the dog monsters, they were fun, but she also hadn’t really had any free time to herself in such a long, long while. Now that the opportunity had finally presented itself, Frisk found it far too tempting to pass up. She slowly climbed up on the window, sill still half expecting either one of the skeleton brothers to burst through the front door. When the room remained quiet however, Frisk felt her bravado grow stronger.
She would just take a quick stroll to stretch her legs some, and she would only stay on the rooftops, that way even if one of the Gambino’s saw her there would be no way that they would be able to catch her while she was in her element, sprinting over the shingles of the Undercities tall buildings. She was completely confident in her ability, as for as long as Frisk had been pulling her line of work independently on the streets she had never once been caught when she was running on the rooftops. She knew all the foot holds and short cuts, and could easily lose any mobster trying to tail her…well, all except for one. Frisk couldn’t help the smirk that tugged on her cheek at the memory. Sans had been the only one to catch her back when they had first met all that time ago, and now she supposed he was also the first that was able to catch her in more ways than one.
Frisk giggled to herself at the thought as she continued her way over the rooftops of Ebott, heading toward the cities center. She decided to challenge herself a little, taking a harder route that required a little bit of finesse and slight acrobatic skill as she bounded forward. It had been a while since she had last been out and she wanted to make sure that she wasn’t getting rusty after all.
When Frisk made it to the market square she sat on the edge of an apartment building overlooking the hustle and bustle of the Undercity. She enjoyed watching the people below her as they completed their daily chores while shopping through the stalls set up in the market. She had almost forgotten that this use to be a hobby of hers. Frisk sniffed at the air. The scent of freshly baked apple pies and strudels filled her nostrils and made her mouth water. That’s right, now that it was autumn the apples would be ripe for harvest, which meant that the bakers food stands would be showcasing there tastiest apple based pastries. It was one of Frisk’s favorite things about the fall season.
Frisk carefully scanned all of the people present in the market square, making sure that no dangerous mobsters who knew her face were mixed among the crowds. Only when she was completely satisfied did she decided to sneak down to street level. She kept hidden in an alley deciding to make her trip as quick as possible, even though she was more than sure that it was safe to make her way out to the open. She quickly then decided on a route to a stall that was selling apple turnovers. She waited for the line to thin out to a short wait before she made her way forward. She then dashed for the stand, purchased her pastry, and immediately darted for the shadows again. She savored her treat behind the shelter of some old crates, humming contently while she licked the sticky Carmel filling off of her fingers. She was about to straighten up again to make her way back up to the roof tops when footsteps sounded at the end of the alleyway. She froze.
They lingered at the entrance for a while as if deciding whether or not to enter fully in to her safe haven. Frisk prayed for the stranger to just continue on his way, but to her dismay she soon heard his shoes stalk briskly forward over the cobblestones.
Frisk quickly judged the distance to the escape route that would lead her back to the safety of the rooftops. It was only a few feet away, and though she couldn’t tell how far down the alley her pursuer had already come, she knew that if she didn’t make a break for it now then he would have her cornered.
With one decisive breath Frisk ran for it. She heard a man call out for her to wait but she paid him no mind as she frantically made her way forward. He was right on her tail however, closer then she had anticipated, and right when she was only inches from a successful getaway a firm arm wrapped around her waist before a hand roughly covered her mouth. Frisk immediately began to struggle, kicking and clawing at the man who had attacked her, desperate for escape, when he suddenly got her attention.
“Hey, hey calm down, It’s me! Frisk, it’s me!” The stranger hushed in her ear.
Frisk paused, registering the familiar voice. She trained her neck backwards seeing Joey’s glinting grey eyes as well as an apologetic smirk on his face. Frisk’s shoulders slumped immediately in relief when she realized that it was only him. When Joey was sure that she had calmed down he released his grip on her. Frisk still tore roughly away from him regardless and shot him a livid glare, not at all happy with his backwards idea of a greeting.
“What the hell are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?!” She demanded angrily.
“Sorry, sorry.” Joey apologized sheepishly, while fidgeting in front of her. “I really didn’t mean to scare you like that, but I just, I’ve been looking for you for weeks now and when I thought that I finally saw you here I just couldn’t let you get away from me.” He quickly explained.
Frisk still huffed at him unimpressed, but decided to hear him out none the less. As she looked over his appearance she suddenly noticed how unusual it seemed. Joey had always been one that made an effort to look his best when in public, even if he was only doing dealings with street rats like herself. Now however, he appeared before her in rumpled clothes that looked as though he had slept in them, his hair was slightly greasy and un-kept, and stubble predominantly peppered his normally clean shaven face.
“You were looking for me?” She asked curiously, and he nodded.
“Yeah for a while now. I’m impressed how well the Pansies have been able to hide you. I was beginning to think I wouldn’t ever get to see your pretty face again doll.” Joey then said smoothly. Frisk only rolled her eyes at his typical flirting.
“So what did you want then?” She asked him impatiently. Joey seemed to grow nervous, as all of a sudden the playful glint in his eyes disappeared, his disposition becoming more serious.
“Well …. I was actually hoping that I could cash in that favor you owe me.” He then said.