Chapter Text
Peeking from the shadow of his cloak, Papyrus could only stare in awe at Ms Toriel’s house. He glanced at its open door, then raised his neck higher and higher to see how far the darkened smog struck. Ever discharging and lite, Papyrus gulped at the thought of such a mass covering the sun later. That would cut half the joy of even walking outside! Papyrus had thought, anyway, since it happened to be night on normal accounts.
Despite the dimming of sundown, Miss Toriel’s house itself was clear enough and not fully consumed by darkness. Thickened brown in its rectangular form, it stood as it always did aside from the Dark Fountain that most certainly opened from inside. The police tape stood out as well, Papyrus supposed, though those streaks of yellow were spread out as a wall. Not exactly what he would call a feature.
Even so, Papyrus wondered how this whole visual would look to any average person. Yellow from the tapes bled into the eyes, and the fear of unknown gas needn't be explained. Papyrus scanned around, side to side.
Through the backs of a crowd's heads, they emitted terror. They were likely that way because of the house emerging with blackness when presumed to be clean, with unexpecting police reportedly inside. Papyrus wondered if the slanted stances of everyone were from night tiring them out, or the weight from stress. As much as he hoped the answer wasn't the ladder, it was likely both. Or neither. Papyrus wouldn't know. He never got a close up glance of these balls of fur or scales amongst them all. Not knowing their faces, let alone their names, started to itch on Papyrus.
All tugs of anger immediately sunk away once he saw a head he recognized. As if shining amongst them all, the Mayor of Hometown stood firmly. Her black suit blended into the night, covering most of her aside from the start of her neck and above. Dark brown fur and horns surrounded her well kept swirls of blonde hair. Even from the distance he stood, Papyrus felt the shadow her figure left on even him.
The Mayor, whom Papyrus knew was really named Charice Carol Holiday, was exchanging words with blue vested authorities. Papyrus kept in a chuckle when faintly hearing them address her as Mayor.
“Standard protocol applies.” Papyrus heard her say. “Spread word of the War amongst any Darkners found. Otherwise, prioritize the search for December Holiday. The missing cops can fend for themselves. Be thorough with it, in any case.”
If the past few years of Dark World searching resulted in battles, then surely the odds for a peaceful one to appear was high. Papyrus only experienced two himself, but the few ‘friendlies’ there proved that it was possible. Matter of fact, Papyrus bet himself a quarter that the news would speak of a welcoming and cozy ecosystem. Ms. Toriel’s house was as mellow as any residence could be in the town. Thinking about this, Papyrus realized he didn’t catch how anyone responded to Charice.
He turned to his side to make sure no one picked up his presence. A thinly cloaked skeleton was one with the bushes, Papyrus echoed to himself.
That's all he could really do at the moment. Hypothesize, throw thoughts around from inside of himself, all while watching. Papyrus held in a long breath at the prospect, unsure if the shuttering was from excitement or uncertainty. He couldn’t help it.
Afterall, this likely meant a new adventure for the two; Charice and Papyrus. Strange and bone chilling it was, then, that neither of them created this Dark Fountain. Papyrus assumed Charice didn't bother breaking into a large house to create one, anyway, especially without any help. Surprising someone with a whole new world sounded exhilarating, though!
Several minutes passed. The wind warped around Papyrus and his cloak, both stationary to the passage of waiting. In-between every blink, Charice socialized this, socialized that. Her words consisted of whichever fabrication she wanted the town to know, Papyrus assumed. There was till the fact she relayed this seemingly boring information to so many. Person after another. Papyrus had no idea there were this many residents to even stream through Charice’s presence.
Strange, for how she held a carved frown while partaking. Papyrus sighed at the ungrateful sight. If only it were him out there.
Before he could even consider a logical path, Papyrus dug into a pocket to grab onto his phone. Out of the two options on who to text, he excitedly tapped the box saying “MISS MAYOR CHARICE CAROL HOLIDAY 🦌”.
He began typing,
“HELLO THERE MISS HOLIDAY! ! ! I KNOW YOU'RE TEACHING YOUR LESSON TO ‘THE PRESS’ AND ‘THE POLICE.’ BUT WHEN ARE WE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE FOUNTAIN? THIS IS A PUZZLE WE NEED EACH OTHER TO S “
His fingers weren't fast enough to finish, let alone hit send. Papyrus fully froze when taking in the sound.
“I'm here. Let's talk.” Charice said.
She had somehow found her way to Papyrus, looking down on him from behind. Her eyes drifted away from the phone to have attention on his eyes. Papyrus tried to read her expression, but she turned away after a moment.
“WOWIE! YOU CAME HERE QUICK!” Papyrus began to blurt.
“Shh.” Chalice commanded quietly. “Just because the people have their eyes off me, doesn't mean they lost their ears.”
“SO ONLY PEOPLE WITH THEIR EYES AND NOGGINS ON YOU GET TO HEAR. GOT IT!”
He technically had no ears, but no matter! Papyrus was the last person wanting his bush fort to be exposed.
“ANYWAY, ARE WE GOING IN?” Papyrus whispered in Charice’s ear with a nudge.
While she did not turn her head to meet Papyrus’ gaze, there was a slight shift from her lip to prelude a response.
“No.” She said, “The people around us are scared. What friends they can make aren’t on their mind. Two officers are lost.”
Papyrus nodded before turning to his side. Rows of tape surrounded the house as before, this time with a less compressed cluster of citizens. They became more spread out, not all facing their back to the bush. Now seeing them all cower and frown in their own way, Papyrus couldn’t help but feel an ache wrap around his grin.
“WELL, THEY JUST THINK THAT, RIGHT? THE DARK WORLDS HAVEN’T BEEN SO BAD. MAYBE EVERYONE WILL. . .” He began to say, before gazing back at Charice. Flat faced as ever, she was too coated in silence for responding at the moment. Not even a slit of eye contact for acknowledgement this time. Oh, dang it! Just an opportunity for Papyrus to express himself, he supposed.
“MAYBE EVERYONE WILL BE LESS STRESSED WHEN THE DARK FOUNTAIN IS SEALED WITHOUT TROUBLE! WHOEVER WENT IN WILL HAVE TO REVEAL ALL THE FUN THEY HAD! THEN, WE CAN-”
A raised hand cut off what Papyrus wanted to say next. There it was, Charice’s swift move to state her opinion in the middle of things. She wasted no time, as if she already knew Papyrus would shut it before he did. He assumed someone as dedicated as her was a step ahead.
“Have your party, yes. A ‘fun’ experience would be what we're looking for.” She said, “Though, we can’t go in ourselves to check. What if that world wasn’t up to our standard?”
Charice deepened the emphasis on ‘ our’, as if she hadn’t been the one to declare Card Castle as unfit the way she did. Papyrus remembered the image clearly, of her walking out of that glistening throne room after a mere minute of clashes. One king, laughing under the dark roof of his soon to be castle, repeatedly pummeling three others already dazed from one of Charice’s attacks. A ripping display of ice cold shards, though Papyrus was curious on why it was alone in weakening one side of the battle.
It was as if she decided at that moment, sparked from an unseen variable, that the amount of kings around made no difference despite the efforts to change that moments prior. Papyrus, while watching, assumed it was to have less cooks in the kitchen when it came to event organizing. The best way to decide one’s best helpers was through a fun battle, of course! Even with an apparent smirk at the sight, Charice nudged Papyrus to lock out of watching and go.
Well, if she was to never explain that, it was okay! Papyrus always turned his ear to hear her regardless. Whether it was an explanation on what happened in Card Castle or not. Maybe he could indirectly infer Charice’s thought processes, since direct questioning was disregarded. Friends listen and infer, don’t they? Later.
“In the worst case, we would be associated with a dangerous world let loose without our inspection.” She answered her own question. “As you said, if this place is our one, that will be apparent with its reputation later.”
Papyrus signed slightly, aligned with the realization there would be no adventure that night. The sparkle in his bones, even soul, petered out. Though, there was a momentary distraction: Charice herself began mumbling. Not intended to be heard, Papyrus assumed, being a soft crawl from a face intensely thinking. Still, he leaned in out of passive interest.
“WAITING TIME FOR US, THEN. THAT’S QUITE ALRIGHT! BUT. . . MISSES HOLIDAY, DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING ELSE IN MIND?” Papyrus offered, alongside a gesture from his cloaked arm, pointed to Charice’s ruminative face.
For the first time in that conversation, she turned her neck to lock her vision on something else. Not Papyrus, not much of anything in fact. Charice looked off in the distance, through the road that marked the end of Hometown through a gate. The stiffened material itself was dark enough to hide most of their shape at night. There wasn’t anything interesting out there, from what Papyrus could see.
“Have you ever been to Mizu Town?” Charice asked with no more attention than before.
“UHH, ISN’T THAT THE PLACE CLOSE TO HERE? SANS AND I DROVE PAST IT ONCE. HE SAID THE CAR WASN’T THIRSTY ENOUGH TO MAKE A STOP NECESSARY. . .” He said. His shaken tone at the end hopefully showed the truth without it holding shame. He didn’t know a single noodle of Mizu Town.
“Indeed. A town similar to this one. As far as the public is concerned, nothing like a Dark World has ever happened there.” She began whilst holding her hands together behind her back. “That is, barring any one willing to conceive a Dark World with secrecy.”
Papyrus felt his cheek bones gleam. When the implication clicked, he resisted launching up the pitch of his voice. That didn’t stop him from giving Charice his sharpest smile, he assumed. Perhaps if there were someone’s eyes to reflect his appearance from, Papyrus would know how excited he looked. Hopefully a lot, because no one ever lied to the Mayor.
“WOWIE! SO IT'S LIKE THIS TOWN, BUT WITHOUT THE PEOPLE KNOWING OUR SURPRISE! IS IT ANY FUN THERE, THEN?” It all came out as a desperate, yet patient blabber.
“Perhaps. The people are outgoing, and enjoy going out for public activities. Restaurants and the like are popular for the social aspect and possible entertainment.” Charice recalled. “Some even come here for our delicacies- on occasion.”
“SOUNDS PERFECT FOR SANS. . .”
Papyrus paused, then let go of the thought- no, bountiful fantasy , of Sans having a customer line at work to keep him busy.
“UHM, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PLACE? GREAT? PERFECT FOR US?”
“An opportunity for us.” Charice turned, her eyes looming over Papyrus. “If you would rather see another Dark World than wait out this one, we can go. I’m sure your brother won’t mind you going out with a friend to meet more.”
Papyrus nodded, then started thinking. Her statement just then had a pondering presence to it, though, and perhaps it was right. Each time Papyrus and Charice have hung out, Sans wasn’t aware. The two’s partnership was entirely secret, after all; but there had to be a point where Papyrus could have an alibi. If Sans were ever to come home or wake up early to notice Papyrus’ absence, anyway.
“I WOULD LOVE TO IF YOU'RE WITH ME! I'M NOT TIRED OR ANYTHING, BUT MY BROTHER IS QUITE THE SLEEPER. IF WE'RE DOING THIS NOW TO PASS THE TIME. . .”
“You can leave him a note. Or would you burn time waking him?”
“HMMM. . . UNUSUAL, BUT I WILL TRY MY BEST TO FORM LETTERS!” Papyrus said with brief reluctance. It wasn’t just that he had a hard time writing. No, it just felt off to not tell Sans in person.
It would also be disruptive to wake him, though, and the two had talked a lot in hours past. Tomato, tomahto, Sans would know about the trip either way.
“Speak of us taking a normal night trip.”
The two ducked and began to sneak out. Once outside of the bush, they further crept through the night's shadows. If they were seen too close to the bushes, that would imply some sort of secret meeting. Though, since the two were to become public friends soon, they eventually allowed the street lights to hit. The Mayor and some stranger in a clock, exchanging words while walking.
It didn't take long. A wooden door was just ahead, helmed with a dark red roof. Papyrus was the one to lead this way, but he almost walked past his own house. He silently echoed within that he, regrettably, forgot what the outside looked like. It was the mark of staying inside.
“BY THE WAY,” Papyrus said to Charice before holding the door handle. “WILL WE GO TO YOUR FAMILY'S HOUSE NEXT? AND THE HOSPITAL! YOU SAID YOU HAD FAMILY IN THOSE PLACES, AND THEY SHOULD-”
Charice raised her hand.
“The first thing I did when hearing of Ms. Dreemurr’s residence was carry my daughter. Asleep. I brought her to the hospital. Not because she needed help, but because I knew my daughter would be looked after regardless.”
She lowered it.
“I left a letter before going.”
꒰ა ⛊ ໒꒱
Papyrus felt no bumps. Sitting comfortably in Charice’s car, he sank himself. This was all while the window next to him was open. The light breeze weaved around Papyrus's bones. All of his energy leaked out, but in a comforting way somehow. He could have slept if he hadn't been so excited for the destination. Not that Papyrus thought himself as lazy; in fact his brother would have been out by the first hour of meeting a passenger's seat. It was just that every condition was perfectly aligned.
This made him question Charice's mood. She was on the driver's seat, of course, so she wouldn't ever exactly be resisting slumber. But Papyrus saw that her frown was rather hardened, helming sweat despite her window being open too. Papyrus relayed a few comments on and off, here or there, but he barely got a response each time. Any one thing couldn't be pushed enough for Charice to loosen up.
“AH, THERE, THE SPEED LIMIT. IF ONLY THAT DOG WHO STOLE MY SCARF COULD BE HERE TO SEE IT.” he said.
Not much.
“WE CAN'T SEE THE WHEELS RIGHT NOW, BUT THEY’RE CARRYING US VERY QUICKLY! ! ! IT REMINDS ME OF THIS PARTY PUZZLE I MADE ONCE, BUT I LOST IT! THE WORLD WASN'T READY FOR IT, NOT EVEN I COULD CATCH UP.”
Charice grunted and mumbled something forgettable.
What a shame, Papyrus thought. How could she be so curt on the way to a fun new adventure? Normally, Charice would have a precise way to at least shut down what annoyed her. While driving, though, she merely left Papyrus’ words to hang there with no conclusion. It defeated the point of conversation, really.
Perhaps it was all boring. Maybe not too much of a distraction, since she would surely put down the conversation easily if that were the case. As Papyrus looked up, an idea sparked. He had been wondering if Charice had a problem to talk about.
“NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT. . .” Papyrus began. “BOTH OF THE DARK WORLDS WE'VE WENT TO HAD MONARCHS! KINGS, AND A QUEEN! EVEN IF WE WERE A LITTLE CLOSE TO GIVING THEM CAGES TO RULE.”
Charice sighed, heavy and drawn out.
“It wouldn't have mattered.”
“AW, WHY?”
“If I wanted to explain the inherent abuse of power a monarchy held over its citizens, and how the system will always repeat it with new figureheads, I would have already. I'm not in the mood to spoon feed you the obvious .” She clenched the wheel tighter by the second.
Papyrus felt just as constricted. That had been the most she had said recently, and it was that . “THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING MY BRAINS!” Papyrus said to hide the fact it stung.
Stung with confusion, mostly. Just before entering the car, Charice had been more mellow. Even in most settings where they were alone, her harshest tone was always leashed in one way or another. Papyrus scanned for whatever happened to change things.
This led him to staring at the wheel for a long minute. Perhaps driving itself made her tense. Papyrus could empathize, though everything below the wheel shook his senses the most.
He looked down.
A small slip of paper laid between Charice and Papyrus’ seats. A colored photograph! Papyrus kept his eye on it, to identify the faces plastered in front of a green background.
Four deer sat with fluid faces. Charice and her husband Rudy had so much life to them, it fueled Papyrus to grin along. Rudy happened to be holding a small baby as well, who Papyrus figured was that ‘Noelle’ of the family.
Just below Charice was a deer with no antlers. Perhaps half as tall as Rudy, this girl stood stern without even looking at the camera. Her inky fur matched her mothers, yet their faces could not have been more different.
It sunk in Papyrus’ heart to think. Charice had talked about Noelle before; about her visits to Rudy and whatnot. This other child, though, did not ring a bell in Papyrus’ mind.
And he pondered further. Perhaps commenting on the current moment as he had this whole ride, next to this photo of something that wasn’t there, wasn’t the best idea. It could just all be a coincidence, of course, but Papyrus was uncertain. Perhaps Charice needed a distraction. Then, her rudeness wouldn't be a problem!
“MY BROTHER HAS BEEN ON MY MIND. . .” Papyrus said suddenly.
“Oh. Really?” Charice replied. It was time.
“HE’S LEFT HIS SOCK IN THE LIVING ROOM! WE COULD GET IN A FIGHT OVER IT, BUT WHAT IF HE DOESN’T HAVE THE GUTS?”
The silence was loud. Even if for a moment.
“A pun?”
“PUN-DOUBTABLY SO!”
Though she didn’t laugh just yet, Charice softened the muscles over her eyes.
“Do you just come up with these by the moment?”
“I USED TO BE INDECISIVE ON WHAT PUNS TO SAY. BUT NOW I’M NOT SO SURE!”
Charice’s giggles echoed on, humming in Papyrus’ mind on and on. What was even more incredible to him was her smile!
“DID I TICKLE YOUR-”
“Funny bone?” Charice blurted.
Papyrus then laughed along. “EXACTLY! FEELING BETTER?”
Indeed, Charice fur embraced the wind with no downpour of sweat. She was more gentle on the wheel, too.
“I am thinking. You failed to understand your brother’s joke on Mizu Town. Correct?”
This took Papyrus a second to remember. Normally, a memory associated with that elusive town would be important, but this happened to be some sort of inside joke. A pun, apparently.
“I DON’T EVEN REMEMBER WHAT THE PUN WAS ANYMORE, THEY ALL BLEND INTO THE SAME PILE OF BONES!”
“Mizu means water.” Charice explained. “What your brother meant was that his- your- car had enough fuel to keep going. So it wasn’t ‘thirsty’ enough for a stop.”
For whichever reason, Charice held her smile while explaining. Papyrus would like for it to be his own puns staying their welcome, but there might have been a hint of Sans in there. When he wasn’t even present.
“HUH? WOW.” Papyrus remarked before turning to his side. He leaned a little to the open window. “SANS!!!”
“You can text him. If you want him to know your grievances.”
“NYOO HOO HOO, BUT IT WON'T FEEL THE SAME. MAYBE WHEN HE WAKES UP!!”