‘One quest done, a new one rises. The Hero’s trials and temptations continue.’
‘If only it was a story book that ended with ‘happily ever after’.’
Hours had passed since Papyrus woke up from his long nap. He refused to call it ‘sleep’.
He resumed his internet research on the Aratet welcoming feast. Whatever information he could find matched Lady Lucidia’s statements: there was nothing new.
On her advice, he then tried checking the neighbouring tribes. He learned much about the other cultures of that region. Except, they’re not what he’s looking for.
Papyrus zoned out before the screen. When his focus blurred, the monitor shone in a bright, white light.
White, just like the Gates of Heaven.
WHAT EVEN WAS THAT?
IT’S GOOD, RIGHT? IF IT WAS GOOD… WHY DID IT HURT?
Not the kind to sit still, Papyrus got up from the computer chair and sought for someone who could explain.
MISTER MAGUS WOULD KNOW THE MOST!
But try as he might, he couldn’t find the elder anywhere. Neither could he find the flower children.
HMMM… IT APPEARS THAT THEY HAVE LEFT FOR THEIR ERRANDS. THEY DID SAY THEY NEED TO FIND SOME DELECTABLE POISONS FOR THOSE TINY SAP-DRAINING PESTS.
MAYBE FRISK WOULD KNOW? LET’S GIVE THEM A RING FROM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!
He took out his phone and dialled the number. At the same time, he heard a ringtone going off in the distance. He brushed it off as a coincidence.
Frisk answered the call: “Hi Papyrus. Could you come over to the workshop?”
A rather puzzling response. Nonetheless he replied: “OKAY. I’LL BE RIGHT THERE IN A JIFFY!”
So he made his way to the workshop. The moment he opened the door he saw Frisk and… Alphys!
It appeared that Alphys just finished a mechanical doohickey, evident with the soft cloth she used to clean her hands.
Smashed remains lay on the table, taken apart to make way for a replacement.
“Wow Frisk.” she said, “You’re lucky that the memory components survived. All I needed to do was to transfer them to a new phone.”
Frisk lifted their phone high up in the air. The pose reminded him of those old-fashioned action adventure games he used to play.
Excited and overjoyed. They cried out: “It’s repaired!”
Papyrus furrowed his brows and placed his arms on his hips. “YOU CALLED ME HERE JUST TO SHOW OFF?”
The feigned disapproval soon turned into praise. “EXCELLENT! I SEE THAT YOU’RE A CONNOISSEUR OF IMPROMPTU ACTING!”
“ …BUT, WHAT RAMBUNCTIOUS ROUGHHOUSING DID YOU TANGLE YOURSELF WITH TO ACCOMPLISH SUCH A MESS? NOT EVEN UNDYNE AT HER BEST DESTROYED YOUR PHONE!”
Frisk responded with an awkward chuckle. “Well, that… I… uh… fell into a really deep hole up on Mount Ebott.”
A second later, Papyrus bugged his eyes out. “GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY!!! ARE WE SECRETLY IN THE UNDERGROUND NOW?!?!”
“No.” Frisk reassured. “Totally not. Don’t worry, Papyrus. We’re never going back to those times again.”
Huge. Relief. “PHEW. WELL THEN, YOU NEED NOT WORRY ABOUT ME EITHER! I AM FINE AND DANDY AND HALFWAY FABULOUS.”
Both squinted at Papyrus, suspicious.
“Halfway?” asked Alphys.
“Why not full-way?” added Frisk.
Before he could answer, Papyrus was tackled by a familiar muscular hug.
“Papyrus,” said Undyne, her voice cracking. “You’re fine. I’m so, so happy.”
“UNDYNE?” Papyrus felt a bit disconcerted. The big-sister figure he knew wasn’t this sappy. He was worried that something broke her spirit.
But, not long after, Undyne let go of her hug and slapped her hands between his skull.
“Don’t. Ever. Risk your life for no reason again!” Add a point-blank yell for good measure. “EVER!!!”
What a huge relief to see his friend act her usual self.
“OKAY, I’LL DO MY BEST TO NOT BECOME A PILE OF MAGICAL CALCIUM DUST.”
“You said it, okay?” Undyne then said: “Now what the heck is up with you being ‘halfway fabulous’? Why not ‘full-way’?”
Papyrus started sweating. The last thing he wanted to do was to upset everyone further.
OH NO.
WHAT SHOULD I SAY? FRISK DESERVES A LITTLE BREAK. ESPECIALLY IF I DON’T COOK UP THAT WELCOMING FEAST.
Then, he recalled the other issue that bugged his mind.
“WELL…” he tapped the edge of his fingers. “THE BIG EVENT DID LEAVE ME RATHER RATTLED. FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT’S WITH THE WHITE LIGHT? THE GATES OF HEAVEN? DID SANS FINALLY HAVE A CHANGE OF HEART?”
More suspicious squinting. The addition of the fish added much intensity to the atmosphere, like a spoonful too heavy on the chili flakes.
“Sans? Changed?” Alphys asked with a doubtful tone.
Frisk lifted up a finger. “How did you know?”
“Call me skeptical.” Undyne crossed her arms. “But he behaved just as I’d expect.”
Papyrus puffed his chest. “HE’S MY BROTHER! I KNOW WHEN HE’S SANS AND WHEN HE’S A DIFFERENT SANS. EVEN IF MY TRACK RECORD ON OBSERVATION ISN’T ALWAYS STRAIGHT.”
“…On a normal day, I would have made a fuss. But. Y’know. I rather focus on something else right now. ”
Glancing to the side, an awkward Undyne rubbed her arm.
“Papyrus,” she continued, “Queen Toriel and myself were in the hot seats of negotiations. The situation with the Ocean Battle isn’t looking good. To make matters worse, nobody proposed a better idea yet. Anyway, what about that light again?”
Frisk and Alphys blinked at each other.
“Did you see it, Alphys?” the kid asked.
“No?” The lizard squeezed her hands. “I was outside with the rest of the town, helping Gaster-sensei close a giant door in the sky. W-was that what Papyrus talked about?”
Frisk shook their head. “No. It’s not. That’s just Sans. What we experienced was super different.”
“Yeah,” said Undyne. “It’s CRAZY BRIGHT! And also CRAZY HEAVY! I thought I was going to get squashed by that mysterious weight. Good thing Frisk used that Legendary Artifact.”
“Yup,” They agreed. “The Grandmaster said it’s some kind of a substitute. I don’t understand the full picture though.”
“T-that’s scary…”
Turning to Papyrus, Alphys asked: “Why do you want to know?”
“IF THE GATES OF HEAVEN COULD CHANGE SANS, MAYBE IT COULD CHANGE THE OCEAN AMALGAMATE TOO. MAKE THEM SURRENDER PEACEFULLY.”
The lizard fiddled with her claws. “I-if what you said is true, then that light would save us a lot of trouble. And danger. T-that could resolve our current deadlock!”
Pouting, Frisk asked, “But how are we even going to do that?”
“Well, S-Sans supercharged himself with DT and said a prayer. If we could replicate that scenario, maybe we can summon the same structure?”
Undyne rolled her eye and groaned. “Does that mean we have to ask ‘that’ guy?”
Papyrus asked, “THE ALMIGHTY?”
“No,” said the human. Who’s about as reluctant as Undyne. “Sans.”
“OH. LET’S GO AND LOOK FOR HIM THEN.”
They found ‘him’, hard at work, mulling over a list of data on the computer screen. No jokes. No pranks. Quite OOC.
Alphys beckoned Frisk and Undyne to a corner. Although Papyrus didn’t listen to the actual conversation itself, he knew what she’s going to say:
‘Sans has become a cripple.’
Never in Papyrus’ life had he imagined his brother would end up like this. A twinge of grief pricked his heart. But, at the same time, he counted his blessings; the fact that his brother survived was a miracle in itself.
“SANS, DO YOU HAVE A MOMENT?”
The short disabled scientist stopped whatever he was doing posthaste. He turned around in his swivel chair, using his telekinesis to stop it at the right direction.
“Ey, there’s the four of ya,” said Sans. “‘Sup?”
They explained their idea. But… the elder brother just shook his head.
“Jeez.” said Sans. “You guys realise that The Almighty could have just ignored me, right? Kept the gates to his exclusive dimension sealed, no matter what. See, if this fellow is truly ‘All Mighty’, he has no obligation to bow down to anyone’s wishes. Limitless Determination and such.”
Undyne fumed. “What?! But our world is at stake!”
“I didn’t say he’ll do nothing. I’m saying that he might not do things your way. Big difference. He ain’t a genie in a magic bottle. So, forget about trying to science together a result.”
“THEN… THEN WHAT SHOULD WE DO?” asked Papyrus. “SURELY, THERE MUST BE A WAY TO DISCUSS!”
“You gotta ask the expert,” said Sans. “It ain’t Cenna. Ain’t snakedog either. Maybe not even Lady Lucy or Judge Thyme. Remember what Persona said? That DEMON dissed a certain ‘old master’. Said his own kids didn’t listen to him very well.”
Frisk tilted their head. “You mean, The Grandmaster? The guy who taught me how to use The Legendary Artifact?”
“Bingo,” Sans turned back to the screen. “Welp, I think Lady Lucy can help you connect the comm lines. The Grandmaster is probably still at the hospital, having tea with Gerson at this very moment.”
Pumped and motivated, Undyne exclaimed: “What are we waiting for then?! Let’s get a video call going!”
The entourage left, going forward with hope and excitement. Papyrus was filled with similar positivity, yet… he lagged in his steps.
He stopped and let the group go ahead without him.
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Looking back, he said to Sans: “I KNOW YOU HAVE MORE TO TELL ME.”
The elder brother nodded. “I do. But, not right now. I’d rather wait till I can get everyone in the same room together. And with everyone, I mean everyone.”
“AN APOLOGY IS WAY OVERDUE!!! …EXCEPT, THAT’S NOT WHAT I’M ASKING FOR.”
“SANS, YOU WOULDN’T HAVE MADE THAT PRAYER OUT OF NOWHERE. YOU MUST HAVE READ ABOUT IT BEFORE! THE BROTHER I KNOW WON’T BANK HIS FINAL GAMBIT ON MERE POP-CULTURE HEARSAY.”
“Heh. You’re right. Like I said, I did do my research to know where my namesake really came from.”
“THEN YOU ALWAYS KNEW THAT LIGHT WOULD KILL US?”
“Yeah… Heaven is only for the pure. Impure folk tends to die in The Almighty’s direct presence. Well, according to the book at least. Not like anyone’s ever seen His face.”
“BUT YOU WERE TALKING TO SOMEBODY!”
“Yup. How do I explain this? I was looking at more than one person, but at the same time they’re united. It’s complicated. Don’t rack your brain about it.”
Sans continued, “Either way, this other person at the Gate was the one who told me that nobody was ready. Not even me. Being the ‘best world’ does come with a hefty entrance fee. One we haven’t claimed yet. If you wanna know more, you gotta read the manual.”
“WHERE CAN I READ THIS BOOK?”
“Eh, you can find it on the net. Quite easily too.”
“But Papyrus… “ He pointed at his Eye. “You’re a Seer. Why not ascertain the writings for yourself? That is, if you’re prepared to give up everything that you thought you knew.”
The tall one lifted a confused brow. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I THOUGHT I ALREADY DID? THE CORE INCIDENT AND WHATNOT.”
“Well,” said Sans. “Are you willing do go even deeper?”
“OF COURSE! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL NOT LET GO OF AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH, NYEH HEH HEH!”
The elder brother smiled back. “Great. Lookin’ forward to the results.”
“OKAY. THANK YOU. AND, SANS, DON’T FORGET TO TAKE YOUR MANDATORY BREAKS!”
* * *
Uncle Gaster’s voice rang in the air, in all his usual exasperated gentlemanliness.
“Sir! For the love of all things good, PLEASE stop trying to bite me! ‘Tis me, remember, Gaster the Doughnut-slayer!”
When Papyrus arrived at the scene of Alphys’ living room, he found the goopy Uncle Gaster squashing, stretching, and flowing to escape from Gaelic’s fierce defensiveness.
Despite his genius uncle having saved his wise but troubled mentor from some indescribable unfortunate accident involving a doughnut, the two now found themselves at odds.
For Papyrus it was easy to see why.
Behind the guardian, on the sofa, lay none other than Lady Lucidia. The fire of the Seers continued to leak out from under her eyelids.
Undyne grunted. “What now?!”
Gaster explained, “W-well we were just discussing something, and midway through our chat she fainted!”
Papyrus’ dear mother shook her fist in the air. Meanwhile dear father wagged his finger in sheer disapproval.
“Fine, fine! I admit I skimped on the details,” said Uncle Gaster. “I made Lady Lucidia beyond livid before she fainted. Is that better?”
Double thumbs up from the skeleparents.
“Either way, Captain. I NEED to examine Lady Lucidia. I am a qualified doctor for Seers! Even if I my scientific safety standards need some polishing.”
Frisk and their friends tried to convince Gaelic to let Uncle Gaster do his job. But, their efforts were repelled with a lot of snappy snarling.
The sight aggravated Papyrus. How RUDE could they get? Don’t they know the basics of giving people space?
“LET MISTER GAELIC WORK! HE CAN’T DO THAT IF YOU KEEP SETTING HIM OFF.”
“Hey, Paps has a point.”
“Maybe we were too pushy.”
“Let’s move.”
So, the whole group took a few steps back.
The aggression stopped in an instant. Gaelic proceeded to examine the fainted Lucidia. He cupped his hands over her face and breathed deep.
What a peculiar method of analyzing someone. Papyrus understood that if Gaster were to be in charge, he would observe with sight. Zoom in with his microscopic vision. But Gaelic’s ways were different: he breathed in the fumes and fire of her magic.
A few seconds of processing later, her guardian growled. Hard. A rattling ball of rage. The quantity of anger shot off the charts sky high.
“What did ya do to her?!?” accused Gaelic.
“Nothing!” Gaster tried to defend himself. “We just talked!”
The other hissed back. “Then what ye talk about to make her inflict this on herself?!”
All attention landed square on Uncle Gaster. Goodness gracious, he continued to perpetuate a controversial reputation.
“It’s…” The scientist cleared his throat. “It’s about ‘humanity’. Rather, what we count as humanity.”
“Young ones. You know how the Underground differentiated humans from monsters? It’s by the capacity to ignore the goodness of the soul and inflict killing intent. Lady Lucidia swore by different nuances. We clashed over the subject matter and… this unfortunate incident happened.”
“What evil did ya accuse?” Gaelic seethed. “That she be a mad witch, cold and callous??? Are those the words ye uttered?!”
Gaster exclaimed, “What?! No! None of the sort! I’m the mad scientist here, not her. It’s just an argument that got too heated.”
“…Is she really gonna be okay?” Alphys commented: “She seemed like an overloaded computer crashing from a glitch, speaking in a gibberish mixture of Code and Binary before fainting.”
“I hope so, dear. I really do.” Gaster’s being rippled.
* * *
Hours continue to pass with no substantial progress. The sun -- in all its bright glory -- started to sink across the sky.
Papyrus doesn’t know how Aiden counted his hours. Would he consider it ‘times up’ by midnight? Or by the cycle of dawn and dusk? Maybe other means?
I WASTED MY FIRST DAY…
He thought of filling his time with assorted household chores. Mess had a tendency to pile up in the midst of busywork after all.
But could he clean knowing that he had a looming deadline over his skull? Worse still, a trap that he had so foolishly walked into?
Not at all.
WHY AM I RACKING MY SKULL SO HARD FOR?
I COULD JUST PEEK INTO A TIMELINE WHERE I HAVE MADE A SUCCESSFUL FEAST. AND THEN, COPY THE ACTIONS ONE TO ONE. LIKE READING THE ANSWERS AT THE BACK OF A WORKBOOK! AB-SO-LUTE-LY BRILLIANT!
IF THAT DOESN’T WORK, I COULD ALWAYS LOOK INTO THE ARATET’S PAST FEASTS AND FIGURE OUT THE NUANCES OF THEIR DISHES. LIKE STUDYING OLD EXAM QUESTIONS! NYEH HEH HEH! SUCCESS IS GUARANTEED!
BUT, THE FAIRY GODMOTHER TOLD ME NOT TO USE MY EYE YET. IT NEEDS TIME TO HEAL.
IF I USE IT NOW, I MIGHT.
I… MIGHT…
I MIGHT END UP WITH A DEAD LIMB OF MY OWN…
Papyrus clutched his scarf.
IS THAT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FAIRY GODMOTHER? SHE OVERUSED HER TIRED EYES?…
…AM I PREPARED TO DIVE DEEPER THAN I THOUGHT POSSIBLE? TO GO SO FAR THAT I MAY NOT COME BACK?
With his slow and shaking hands, Papyrus unwound the scarf. He folded it into a nice rectangle. Rested it on his lap.
Lady Lucidia’s implants activated. The intricate patterns of dots and vines lit up in red, burning away what Determination the body couldn’t handle.
So delicate. They look like they’d break apart upon a touch…
WHAT IF I’M TEMPTING SOME KIND OF DARK FATE?…
WILL MY LUCK FINALLY RUN OUT?
STILL, I CAN’T LET OTHERS SUFFER ANY MORE.
I MUST DO MY PART!
Just when he gathered the courage, he heard the soft rumbles of a car coming from a nearby window.
He looked outside. There he was: Judge Thyme had returned.
Without thinking twice, he wrapped his scarf around his neck and rushed out of the room to greet them.
Papyrus, however, walked into a rather peculiar sight: Flower Chara sat in their pot, balancing on top of Mezil Thyme’s grey head. Meanwhile, the man carried Flowey in his non-cane hand.
Everyone else witnessed the same deal. So… on one side stood a whole group of puzzled people. The other, flower pot man.
Lady Lucidia grumbled. “You’re late.”
“Sorry,” Mezil replied. “It’s quite difficult to walk at any reasonable speed with Chara on my head, but they insisted.”
Chara grinned. “Well, he may be late but I’m on Thyme!”
Instant silence. Papyrus’s bones rattled, resisting the urge to scream at that lame and lazy pun.
On the other hand… Sans. Sans had the biggest, happiest grin.
“Eeeeyyyy!” he cheered.
Dear father Roman wasn’t any better. The moment when the silence broke, that left arm sprung out a huge thumbs-up to Chara.
Gaster facepalmed together with dear mother Helvetica. “Roman, no.”
“Heh, looks like somebody’s gonna have a ‘bad Thyme’.”
“Sans.”
“Courtesy of a true ‘Thyme Lord’.”
“Sans, stop.”
“You mean it’s ‘Thyme’ to stop?”
Papyrus couldn’t keep it in anymore. His days worth of stress combusted into the loudest scream he had in ages.
“NYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
* * *
Embarrassing nuclear meltdown on bad puns aside… it’s dinner now.
The star of today’s meal was none other than the fabled Jungle Curry. And some plain ol’ fish and chips for those who cannot tolerate the spice.
The sheer intensity of spice smacked Papyrus square in the face. He knew there was chili. He had dabbled with chili flakes in his pasta adventures before. But…
Everything else?
What were they?
It reminded him of the times where he walked into the spice isle, except STRONGER. And what’s with the lemon-yet-not-lemon aroma?
Even the rice seemed different. The grains he was familiar with weren't so opaque white. These smell of coconuts. Plus some other sweetness that he doesn’t recognize.
Frisk kept staring at the curry itself. Squinting their eyes, they said: “I can’t tell the difference between the meat and the sauce.”
“You’re not supposed to,” said Mezil.
Flowey and Chara were ill-impressed. They glared at the mounts of meaty spiciness with clear suspicion on their faces.
“It looks like doo-doo,” said the ex-prince.
“Eyup,” Chara nodded. “I’ll stick to my sugary diet of sunlight and chocolate, thank you very much.”
Papyrus said, “BUT YOU’RE PLANTS! DOO-DOOS ARE PLANT FOOD, RIGHT?”
“Bzzt, WRONG!” Flowey huffed. “Just because we’re plants doesn’t mean we eat doo-doo! Those ‘microbe’ thingies break the doo-doo down into usable nutrients first. It’s only AFTER the process that we can suck the goods up through our roots.”
Miss hot-shot Vanquisher already grabbed a paper plate. “I ain’t the one with a bowel tantrum, so I’m totally fine with this as dinner!”
Clapping her hands in glee, Cenna’s friend ‘Anise Anise’ was just as enthusiastic. “I finally get to try Judge Thyme’s guilty favourite of legend!”
Meanwhile, Uncle Gaster rubbed his chin at the cartons of full-cream milk. “Why not water?”
“Capsaicin is oil-soluble, sir.” Anise explained, “Water won’t do much to quench the burn. Low-fat or skimmed milk won’t help either. Yoghurt is great too!”
“I see, I see. Interesting… You seem to know your ingredients. I thought of asking Lady Lucidia but, hmm.” Gaster then started to mutter to himself. “Maybe this Anise girl could help me make a substitute.”
Once everything was set up, it’s time to begin the buffet. Those who’re familiar with the dish scooped up a proper portion, while those unfamiliar started with a smaller taste test.
Lady Lucidia didn’t even touch the stuff; she went straight for the fish and chips. Someone here doesn’t like curry.
Papyrus also noticed that she’s been broody since the quarrel with Uncle Gaster. Her mood, foul. Her tempers, simmering.
“FAIRY GODMOTHER…?”
“Please don’t worry about me.” Then, she excused herself to eat in private.
MAYBE I SHOULD LET HER COOL DOWN FIRST.
I WONDER HOW ARE THE REST?
While Papyrus surveyed to make sure everyone had their share, he noticed that Gaelic, Garamond, and Cenna didn’t use any cutlery. They opted to use their right hand. He’s not surprised if the wild one chose the tool-free method. But the rest? How peculiar.
So he asked: “WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH SPOONS? I COULD GET MORE IF YOU NEED.”
To his surprise, they declined.
Gaelic grinned as he mixed the spice with the rice. “‘Tis be the way rice was eaten in days o’ old.”
“Ahuh,” Cenna nodded. “Takes practice, but it’s dang satisfying once you get the hang of it. Also, protip: it makes eating chicken on the bone easy.”
Garamond had a more practical reason: “I don’t like soft plastic spoons. They bend or break easily.”
Curiosity tempted Papyrus to try. He would have to remove his gloves, wash his hands, and make a mess. But he’s more than open to learn of foreign cultures! Now more than ever.
Then everyone got distracted by the intense coughing and wheezing coming from Sans. He choked so hard that he didn’t even have the opportunity to make any more atrocious spice puns. He glugged down his cup of milk in one go.
“I taste nothing but bitterness and pain,” said Sans, panting away. “How could anyone eat this?! It's worse than badghetti!”
Undyne chuckled. “Jeez, do you have to be so dramatic? I think there’s something wrong with YOUR tastebuds. This thing is AWESOME!!!!”
Alphys agreed, “I-it’s spicy, but it’s so floral. Like I’m eating straight from King Asgore’s dream garden! This is waaaaaaaaay better than generic hot sauce.”
“Agreed,” said Frisk. They continued to eat their curry with a straight face. Sweating, but otherwise fine. “Papyrus, why don’t you try it?”
“I SUPPOSE I SHOULD…”
Step one, mix the rice with the curry.
Step two, scoop a bite. Try to get some meat.
Step three, eat.
Chew, chew, chew, chew. Swallow.
“I FELT LIKE MY SKULL WAS ON FIRE,” said Papyrus. “BUT IT WAS MORE THAN JUST HEAT. IT HAD AN AROMATIC MEDLEY OF SEASONED SPICES THAT I CAN’T RECOGNIZE, COMBINED WITH THE RICHNESS OF FRAGRANT COCONUT AND SAVOURY BEEF…”
“QUITE A DELIGHT, ACTUALLY! VERY U-MA-MI!”
Undyne grinned. “See? You’re the only one who thinks it’s bitterness and pain.”
There it was: that mischievous, catty, ‘kawaii’ smile. The fish had a nefarious scheme brewing in her noggin. How strange the tables turned. Usually the short trickster did all the plotting.
“Ooooh don’t tell me you’re one of those who can’t take the HEAT!”
Sans backed away. “I don’t like that look on your face.”
The fish managed to grab Sans by his dead arm, preventing him from teleporting. She then proceeded to force a whole plate of Jungle Curry into his mouth.
“JUSTICE!” So yelled Undyne, “JUSTICE!!! This is for all the UTTER BULLSHIT you put us through during the previous arc! FUFUFUFUFUFUFUFUFU!!!!!”
Sans gurgled through his stuffed mouth, burning at a chemical level from the insides of his skull.
“Oh? What’s that? You want ANOTHER??? Sure thing! I can’t wait to cram a year’s worth of vengeance down your throat!”
Papyrus to the rescue. “BAD UNDYNE! NO ONE SHOULD BE PLAYING WITH FOOD. UNLESS IT'S A FOOD FIGHT, OF COURSE.”
With the two separated, Papyrus could concentrate on taking care of his brother.
One cup of milk wasn’t enough to quench the heat this time. Sans ended up claiming an entire carton for himself.
“WILL YOU BE ALRIGHT?” asked Papyrus.
“Uh. Yeah…” Hack, wheeze, cough. “Eventually…. Say, when are you gonna eat?”
What Sans said was true. Other than the initial test munch, Papyrus had yet to have any of his dinner.
“OH, THAT’S RIGHT. UM… I DON’T HAVE THAT BIG OF AN APPETITE. TO COMPENSATE, I THINK I’LL HAVE A BIT OF EVERYTHING.”
That’s what he did: Papyrus took some Jungle Curry, some rice, some fish fried in batter, some chips, and a dollop of tartar sauce. Can’t have fish and chips without tartar sauce.
OH RIGHT, NEVER FORGET MILK! ESSENTIAL FOR STRONG BONES.
One cup, for himself.
His pickings ended up being too heavy for him to carry on the paper plate, so he sat down at the table proper…
…Which by sheer coincidence, ended up right next to Judge Thyme. He’s almost done with his meal by now.
“HELLO THERE MISTER MAGUS! DID YOU ENJOY YOUR DINNER?”
“Yes,” the man replied. “I see you took the path of variety. That’s fine. Jungle Curry can be an acquired taste. I don’t expect you to make it your full meal on the first round.”
“IT BECAME A HIT THOUGH. THE ONLY ONES WHO DIDN’T LIKE IT WERE SANS AND LADY LUCY.”
“My wife has company at long last, it seems. She’s not fond of intense pungent flavours. Or anything that’s too much for her senses. Though, despite her aversion to intensity, she does like certain cured and fermented produces.”
“I SEE. BY THE WAY, HAVE YOU SEEN UNCLE GASTER AND ANISE ANYWHERE?”
“They went to the kitchen to talk about culinary science. Let them be. You have other priorities.”
Papyrus pointed to himself. “ME?”
The tsundere squinted at the young skeleton. “I used today’s SAVE because a certain hero made yet another rookie mistake: ignoring the doctor’s orders.”
Gulp. That sure killed any remaining appetite he had. “W-WAS IT SERIOUS?”
“Moderate, I’d say. Not enough to cripple you for life, but enough to prevent you from tapping into your potential for the rest of our campaign. Thus, your Eye foretold nothing but the inevitable dead end.”
“Something else needs to change, no matter how small. That’s why we’re having this spicy feast.”
Now that’s a head-scratching proposition…
The last time Jungle Curry appeared in a time loop, it was the source of great turmoil.
“DON’T THEY GIVE YOU MUCH BAD TOILET TIMES?”
“Exactly,” answered Mezil. “With my current condition, that ‘bad toilet time’ will weaken me just enough for a certain boisterous pest to peek out of his prison.”
Jaw, drop. “PERSONA?! BUT, WHY?”
“If Aiden is indeed his legitimate son, then Persona would have had an Aratet wife at some point. He might be the only person in this building to know the details behind their elusive feast.”
“Tonight, make Persona spit out the truth. Only then you’ll have a chance to overturn the Gungnir’s schemes.”