Sans the Skeleton (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
osteothropy) wrote2016-10-13 11:06 pm
osteothropy) wrote2016-10-13 11:06 pm
IC CONTACT
DESCRIPTION: Sans will frequently ignore messages about stuff he doesn't want to deal with, but the second something of importance comes up on the channel he will appear as if he's been listening intently all along.
DESCRIPTION: There is a skeleton statue next to his trailer door with an extended, bowl-like lower jaw, that looks like it's meant for putting Halloween candy in. He would like it if you did. It's technically his mailbox, though, so mail is probably fine, too.
mail
Unlike a certain brother, who left him no response to any of those questions or worries at all.
If it weren't for the fact that Sans probably lives with someone else, Papyrus would go straight to that trailer and knock on the door for a while. But interrupting the innocent roommate would be rude. Especially if they were as nervy as his seems to be.
S1:D3, a third letter appears.]
ATTENTION BROTHER,
I HUMBLY REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT... I THINK A DOG ATE YOUR LETTER.
OR SOMETHING. I DIDN'T RECEIVE YOUR RESPONSE! WHICH I'M SURE YOU MUST HAVE LEFT! EVEN IF IT WAS JUST A LETTER SAYING 'OK.'
DON'T SEND ME A LETTER THAT JUST SAYS OK.
IF YOU REALLY, TRULY, ABSOLUTELY DON'T WANT TO TALK IN PERSON RIGHT NOW... SINCE IT'S BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME SINCE YOU'VE SEEN ME, AND YOU'RE OVERCOME WITH MEMORIES...
THEN YOU CAN USE THE RADIO! I'M KEEPING MINE SET TO THIS VERY COOL FREQUENCY: 172.79787. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GIVE ME A CALL!!!
- STILL ME!
mail
But then Papyrus writes him again, and almost immediately it's heartbreaking. He's making excuses for Sans's own lack of bravery, just like he always did with any of his friends or other monsters that let him down. Papyrus would always just pretend like someone else couldn't have possibly intended to be awful to him, even when they objectively were. He always just saw some way around it.
It's so essentially Papyrus that it's completely overwhelming for a while, and the guilt is almost unbearable. There's no response by nightfall, but before the next sunrise one will appear - around 5AM or so. He spends his whole night shift thinking about it.]
this'll probably sound weird
but can you tell me what you remember?
from before you ended up here.
[This one isn't signed, but it's pretty obvious who it's from, given his particularly conspicuous handwriting.]
mail
Of course, once Sans finally starts replying again, he can't ask an easy question.
Bright and early, S1:D4, another letter arrives. Papyrus favors prompt communication over optimal communication, after all.]
MY DEAR OBFUSCATORY SIBLING,
THAT DOES SOUND WEIRD. DOWNRIGHT PECULIAR. YOU'VE BEEN HERE A FEW YEARS??? I CAN'T BLAME YOU FOR WANTING TO PUT IT OUT OF MIND BUT
HOW COULD YOU FORGENEVERMIND THAT. WE WERE DECIDING WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE HUMAN.
I TOLD YOU ABOUT THEM, AND WHAT EVERYONE SAID, AND YOU TOOK A WALK. TO THINK, I THINK.
I WENT TO ASGORE'S OLD GARDENS. AND THE RINGMASTER SHOWED UP. SHE OFFERED ME A CHANCE TO CLEAR MY HEAD. NORMALLY I WOULD NEVER HAVE SAID YES! BUT!! I REALLY WANTED TO GO... SOMEWHERE... THAT NO ONE WOULD ENCOURAGE ME TO KILL ANYONE.
IS THAT WHY YOU'RE WRITING LETTERS INSTEAD OF VISITING? DID SOMETHING HAPPEN TO THE HUMAN??
-YOUR SIBLING
mail
He'd made a stupid mistake by asking to remember. Sometimes, as he'd said before, it's best to just take what you're given. Push for change, and this is what happens.
It's like when a piece of information is on the edge of your tongue at first, like his brain is searching through piles of useless, redundant information and thoughts to find what these words connect to. What to do about the human. What to do about the human...
There were so many things to be done about the human, and yet, nothing at all. But his first inkling is that Papyrus isn't talking about the human that is usually the problem, and the memory of Papyrus being in Asgore's garden...
...and wearing Asgore's crown.
The realization shakes him, and the way thousands of connected thoughts idea pour in all at once is physically painful. It's like this whenever he searches too far, or thinks too hard about it. There far more in there than one monster is meant to hold.
He curls up on his bed with the letter and tries to shake it off, and eventually Times slips in to join him. He remembers this human. And he remembers what happened to them. For a single, sharp moment, something angry inside of chest can't believe that Papyrus himself claims to not know.
He killed them. Of course he did.]
it's not about that.
[He tries writing it down but then crumples the paper and throws away. Having a migraine isn't helping with this. Time chooses this moment to eat his pen whole, so he grabs another one from the pile next to his bed.]
it doesn't matter now does it?
being here changes everything.
[His pen wriggles at the end of that second line, like his heart so isn't into the words that he physically can't bring himself to write them. He lets Times eat that one willingly. He writes several similar letters until he doesn't know what to do anymore.
Eventually, he settles on one, and sends it late the next night.]
nothing that happened was ever your fault.
this isn't your fault either.
-sans
Mail
But that's absurd, of course! Sans is clearly just overwhelmed! And who wouldn't be? 'A long time' without Papyrus' greatness to light up his life, to inspire him to surpass his usual avoidant laziness... He must have backslid and then some. And, now, he's delaying their reunion in order to reassess who he wants to be now. Or something.
And to think, just a week ago Papyrus was calling the human and terribly, shamefully confessing to his pride in Sans' accomplishments. It's almost a relief that that's not relevant anymore. Like things are back to their old, frustrating equilibrium.
Except for the part where Sans is still avoiding him. And the part where Papyrus is living with a nervous vampire in a trailer. And the complete lack of snow, ice, spikes, and puzzles with which to occupy himself.
On review, things are almost nothing like their old equilibrium, and that's getting old.
It's the very worst kind of mystery; one that Papyrus can't solve by asking Sans for the answer. Because it wouldn't be much of a mystery if he wasn't keeping it secret. And it wouldn't be so frustrating if Papyrus could just get a hold of him. Perhaps literally. But it's so strange, going so many days without so much as seeing one another. Disconcerting. Maybe even frightening. It would have been easier to be here alone, than to think he had his brother's support, only to find out there's some unspeakable divide between them.
Papyrus doesn't let it interfere with continuing his job. Not too much. If he takes extra walks around the carnival's grounds, it's just to familiarize himself with everywhere messes are likely to accumulate, and not a way of very sneakily searching for a familiar face. Neither does he let it interfere with trying out new and strange foods in the eating hall, or meeting new people as he continues improving his dreamcatcher-creation skills.
The next day, which is actually the sixth day since the beginning of the season, yet another letter arrives in Sans' mailbox. Of course. There's many things that a person can count on Papyrus for, and regular and prompt communication is several of them.
As long as he's alive.]
DEAR PERPETUAL IRRITANT SANS,
I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT, AND I'VE DECIDED. I LIKE IT BETTER WHEN YOU TELL JOKES, TO AVOID ANSWERING ME. I KNOW! I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE I WROTE THAT EITHER!! BUT AT LEAST SOME OF YOUR JOKES ARE FUNNY? A TINY BIT FUNNY. MICROSCOPICALLY TINY, REALLY.
WHATEVER -THIS- IS, SURELY IT IS NOT MY FAULT! THAT COULD NEVER HAVE BEEN IN DOUBT!! HOW COULD IT BE??? I AM A VERITABLE FONT OF INSPIRATION, MOTIVATION, AND HOPE FOR EVERYBODY... BUT, EVERYONE MAKES THEIR OWN CHOICES. EVEN WHEN THEIR CHOICES ARE BAD. OR INCONVENIENT. AND FRANKLY BEWILDERING???
BUT IT'S STRANGE THAT, NO MATTER HOW LONG I WALK AROUND THE CARNIVAL, I CAN'T FIND YOU NAPPING ANYWHERE? SNOWDIN WAS BIGGER, BUT IT DIDN'T TAKE ME HOURS BACI SUPPOSE IT MAKES SENSE TO THINK I MIGHT THINK IT'S MY FAULT. AFTER ALL, HOW COULD THIS PLACE CHANGE ANYTHING?? IT'S JUST A CARNIVAL! FULL OF WACKY PEOPLE FROM OTHER WORLDS. AND TIME TRAVEL. AND CLOWNS??? I DON'T THINK CLOWNS MAKE PEOPLE ALLERGIC TO FAMILY.
(DO CLOWNS MAKE PEOPLE ALLERGIC TO FAMILY)
YOU SAID SORRY IN YOUR FIRST NOTE... BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING SORRY FOR. WHICH MAKES IT HARD TO ACCEPT YOUR APOLOGY IN ANY WAY BUT GOOD MANNERS!
IF YOU'RE NOT READY TO ANSWER THAT YET... PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTINUE SENDING CRYPTIC HINTS! I'LL SOLVE THIS RIDDLE EVENTUALLY.
- EX? KING PAPYRUS
P.S. DOES IT COUNT AS ABDICATING THE CROWN... WHEN I'M GOING TO USE TIME MAGIC TO GO HOME TO THE SAME TIME I LEFT?
no subject
Was he this messed up before? Relative to what? He isn't even sure.
He stares at his radio for a long time, thinking about giving him a call, but he can't. He thinks about writing back, but he can't do that either. Eventually he decides to approach him, but freezes as soon as he sees him in the distance, unable to make himself to anything more than watch. And that's just his life story, now isn't it?
Papyrus would be better off without him, like this. It would have been better if Papyrus could have had this second chance instead of him. Maybe at least he would have done something with it.
In the end, there's no letter back.]
no subject
Admittedly, they've gotten a little distant over the last year. Papyrus, so busy as king, rushing around with food preparation, and encouraging people to keep striving to make something in their lives better, and doing his best to offer the ears he doesn't have for them to share their worries before he brushes those concerns away with even more hopeful sentiments. Sans, so busy sitting at a desk, reading so many pages of reports and requests, filling out tedious forms and sending them off to whoever wanted the responses. And, well, he seemed genuinely busy, and his smiles seemed a little more brittle than they did in years past. Like he wasn't faking it quite as well.
So Papyrus did his best to relieve a little of the pressure by not going to his brother to share and ask advice on every little thing, and, well, a little became a lot, and eventually...
Eventually he was calling the human, pretending to forget what he was saying while Sans was in the room, so his brother could fill in the blanks, think the conversation was full of trivial nonsense, and head off to do something else... leaving Papyrus with the chance to talk to somebody he didn't feel personally responsible for. For the first time in a year.
...Maybe that was it, Papyrus realizes, spilling a bucket of mop water all over his shoes and yelling at it in surprise. Even as he cleans it up, he keeps thinking through his sudden realization. Maybe it all got to be too much for Sans, and now he needs a lot of time, not just a couple of days, to recuperate from all the hard work? After all, he'd gone from horribly avoidant of effort to sincerely tiring himself out. Papyrus' increase in effort was hardly so remarkable!
How exactly Sans is going to recover by having some kind of job here, Papyrus has no idea. It's not very welcoming of people avoiding their duties. But it's easier work than running the kingdom, less emotionally tasking, and it all makes sense now. Clearly, Sans wants to avoid all reminders of the stress of being the king's assistant, not Papyrus himself!
He can work with that.
Morning of the seventh day of the new season. It's a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming... dreamcatchers are being created and hung all over the carnival, and the daily letter has appeared in the decorative skeleton's maw.]
DEAR SANS,
HAVE YOU MADE ANY DREAMCATCHERS YET?? I'VE MADE LOTS! EVERYBODY WILL HAVE WEBS FULL OF DREAMS IN NO TIME. EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT REALLY WEBS. IT'S TOO BAD THERE'S NO SPIDERS HERE. THEY COULD MAKE THE
BESSECOND-BEST DREAMCATCHERS!!DO WE EVER GET DAYS OFF WHEN THE CARNIVAL IS IN SESSION? I WANT TO TRY PLAYING A FEW OF THE GAMES AGAIN. I COULD PROBABLY ASK SOMEONE TO LET ME TRY NOW... BUT IT'S MORE FUN WHEN THERE'S LOTS OF PEOPLE MILLING ABOUT, ENJOYING THEMSELVES!
WHENEVER YOU WANT TO TALK, I WILL STILL BE HERE! AND I WON'T TALK ABOUT KINGDOM STUFF AT ALL! SO DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT!!!
- YOUR BIG LITTLE BROTHER PAPYRUS