bringing you those feel-good posts (and tl;dr because jesus christ @ me)

[trombones]

In a quiet part of the towers, anyone who wanders near the rooms can hear soft, stuttering acoustic. A bedroom door is partly cracked open and Sans sits on the bed, back facing the door as he fumbles with a guitar.

His bony fingers bumble through the strings as he eyes the crumpled sheet music he nabbed from that room from last month... and forgot about until now. Whoops. Anyway, it's a human song. He tries to hum and sing along to help him practice. It starts off stilted as he learns the melody, sung in pieces as he breaks it down ("well-I-turn-a-round and look-at-you, you-light-a-ci-ga-rette", etc.), and eventually gets more confident, more natural.

He isn't bad. Not stellar, but not awful either. It's another nearly whole-assed attempt at something. Those were slowly happening more and more since the surface happened, like baking pies (or quiche, according to Papyrus) and buying snail-shaped pasta. The Toriel he knew from home taught him how to play some. You can only teach so much through a door, but hey. They managed.

After a while, he decides that was enough practice. Sans folds the sheet and puts it back in the trombone case beside him, along with the other billion little things he has hapazardly strewn on the bed. Then, with a lazy and somewhat dissatisifed sigh, he brings the guitar closer and scratches the back of his skull. A quiet moment passes, his eyes closed in thought.

Then starts to play a different tune. This one comes out a little easier. Having heard it enough, he knows how it goes. If you've ever been to Waterfall, you might recognize it too.

The wrong notes and awkward strings (followed by the occasional "whoops") still happen, but eh. Sans didn't plan on being a rock star anyway. He's not great, but he might as well give people something nice to listen to, right?

[ooc: trying to get my RP bearings back with something simple and fun. that and I like making scenarios like these anyway. BUT if this is in the way of anything currently happening, let me know! I didn't plan on this happening for any particular day, so I could probably backdate if it's incovenient.]

Comments

[mercybutton]

Music. An acoustic guitar.

... Frisk used to play one of those.

They tell people that they're fine being blind, they'll be alright. They're still happy like this, and they are. For the most part, Frisk is doing just fine!

... for the most part. Sometimes, they still miss things like these, and it hurts a little, but it's okay. It's okay.

And of course, they recognize the tune. They've heard it many times going down the way to Asgore's throne room. The fact that he's playing this song eases up that missing feeling a little bit. They make a "shh" motion to Flowey. Frisk keeps themself as best they can from sight, judging where Sans is by the guitar's strings, and tap accompaniment on the hard stone of the castle. They'd done the same thing with Pitch. It was fun, so they'll do the same thing with Sans. They love music.

[trombones]

Though it takes Sans a moment to realized that he's suddenly a two-man band, the duet is definitely noticed. A pause passes, then he grins to himself.

For fun, he plays a little slower - just to see what his new bandmate (who he doesn't yet bother turning around to see) will do. It'd be funnier if he went faster, but... nah. Sans was still a beginner. It would just be a mess of mistakes, even if this was his best tune.

[mercybutton]

Frisk pauses, before adjusting to the new speed. They use both the wall, the floor, and their own self as different acoustic mediums--yes, the wall and the floor resound differently, if barely. Maybe it's only them who hears it, but whatever.

Flowey doesn't bother to join in, just listen. He isn't nearly as tuned to music as Frisk, who has had guitar lessons and loves to sing. Besides, vines can't do much in terms of acoustics.

[facedanger]

Undyne has never heard that particular song on the guitar, but it doesn't matter. She'd recognize it anywhere. She is one of the reasons that music box echos throughout the caverns of Waterfall, after all. Her and Frisk, who solved her statue puzzle.

So when she hears it, she doesn't even think; her legs carry her toward the sound as if on autopilot.

Sans is the last person she expects to find, but maybe it shouldn't be so surprising. Even if she's never heard him play a full song, she's no stranger to the incidental music he uses to harass Papyrus. There's some musical knowledge, there.

She doesn't say anything. Doesn't interrupt. After a long few moments of standing in the doorway, she'll just let herself into the room, her footsteps loud enough to be just barely audible over the music (to give Sans enough warning that he can turn around and tell her to leave if he'd rather practice alone), and she'll perch on the other side of the bed, her own back to Sans's.

And, for once in her life, Undyne just sits still and listens quietly.

hours later i have a better idea

[trombones]

Sans catches the footsteps and looks over his shoulder. His playing falters for a moment. After acknowledging who it was, though, he relaxes and starts again.

"What's up?"

He turns back around, the both of them now facing away from each other. For a while, he keeps playing. Undyne probably needed something from home. Hell, they all probably did.

"I'd ask ya what the difference is between a fish and a guitar, but I think I told you that one already."

[facedanger]

"It was the piano, but yeah. You used that one already." She turns her head a little towards Sans, her eye glinting dangerously. "And the difference is that the guitar wouldn't have been the one to hang you out a tower window by your shorts if you'd finished that joke!"

Everyone always thinks they're being cute with that one. She gets it! She's a fish and she plays a piano! It stopped being funny the first time she heard it a DECADE AGO.

"Since when do you play the guitar?"

[whataprettyname]

((ooc: This doesn't get in the way of any of my plots! It's gonna be kind of an ongoing thing for a bit, so life would definitely have cause to go on and music would still have cause to be played.))

The last time Chihiro heard music being played so audibly, it brought her to the attention of a certain boogeyman. Being Chihiro, that doesn't stop her from going looking for the sound. She finds a door almost shut, and feels a momentary flash of guilt before peering inside anyway.

She recognizes the skeleton sitting inside, even with his back to the door, though she dimly recalls that there are a few different versions of him around. They've still never really talked.

...the music is nice to listen to, though. The halls are usually too quiet, otherwise. So she might just hang around outside the door, listening. She tries to be quiet about it, but an accidental shift of position nudges the door open a little further. She winces as it creaks.

"Sorry."

[trombones]

[ooc: oh whew, sounds good!!]

Sans picked this room out as a quiet place to practice, but he figured at least somebody would come around. And hey, if they were okay with a beginner's style, they were welcome to hang around. Which is why, when the door creaks, he's not all that surprised when he stops and turns around.

The one's new. Huh. Still, he relaxes and shrugs.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Come on it."

[whataprettyname]

Chihiro visibly relaxes. Already, this is a much better reaction than she'd gotten from Pitch. "Thanks." She inches her way into the room and crosses over towards the bed, sitting down on the floor in front of it. She offers Sans an encouraging smile, and carries on: "You were doing good! I'm glad more people are playing music."

It makes the entire place seem more alive, even if whoever used to live here is clearly long gone.

"I'd never seen that music room until a little while ago."

/forever late to the party

[fiery_goatmother]

Faint music drifting down the hall catches Toriel's attention as she's on her way back from the library. She pauses, book held loosely in one paw, listening carefully to a tune so familiar that it almost aches. A tune she had always hummed softly to Asriel when he was still just a baby, one she had also heard drifting hauntingly through Waterfall on her trips back and forth from the barrier.

It's probably no surprise that she finds herself drawn closer. And then stifles a low laugh when she hears a stutter of strings and a "whoops." She knows that voice by heart.

With the door only barely cracked open, she finds herself leaning back against the wall beside it. Old habits die hard, even when they're as silly as a door between her and her friend.

When the notes die away for a moment, Toriel pauses, not entirely sure what to say. Sans had been digging in his heels about playing anything the last time she'd asked, after all. She doesn't want to upset him by announcing that she's been listening in. Ultimately, familiarity wins out, and she calls softly through the cracked door: "Knock, knock."

never

[trombones]

If Sans were honest, his heel-digging came with knowing Toriel was the one who showed him out to play. Not this Toriel, but something still made him want to actually do well at it. Even if he was pretty quick to give up on it when he didn't, he wanted to... you know, show off a little. For her.

Damn, he had it bad.

Which is why he jerks up slightly when he hears her voice. Most of his visitors didn't surprise him, but he can't help feeling himself go slightly red when he realizes Toriel had probably been standing there for a while. Oops.

Then she "knocks". Of course she would. As if he was complaining. The brief surprise starts to fade, and he finally relaxes again.

"Heh." Guess he was caught. "Who's there?"

aaaalways

[fiery_goatmother]

Who is there. Habit started the joke, and she's not even too sure where she's going with it. There are always a myriad of options with the classic knock-knock joke. Hearing that old lullaby must have made her mind go a bit blank. What a strange place this is; not only is her son returned to her, but here's Sans playing his song. It's comforting, in a weird way.

It doesn't take Toriel much more than a second or two to answer, but the slight pause is there. It's with a faint snicker that she continues: "Canoe."

once again the small child dealing with suffering if u do not mind

[dustless]

Frisk hasn't been sleeping much. Or at all. They're too wound up in a lot of bad ways, so the music--the music's a nice...

...well, the music's nice. It's not a distraction, not really. But they can't say it makes things worse.

They settle down just off to the side of the doorframe, where they're pretty sure they can't be seen, and listen with their back pressed against the wall.

not at all! sans can help. sorry for the quick tag btw, i'm going hiking today!

[trombones]

Frisk picked a decent hiding place. Sans can't see them, but he hears someone on the other side. For a little while, he leaves whoever-it-is alone and plays. Hey, he doesn't mind giving a private concert to whoever might need it.

But after a few minutes, he figures he should at least invite them in.

"If you want, you can come in. Or not. I'm not pushy."

Which is true. Hell, he didn't know Toriel's name for a long time.

NO WORRIES esp since i am being slow as things are established in other threads rip

[dustless]

In an even smaller voice than usual: "...no, thanks."

Frisk doesn't want to deal with more Not-Serifs face-to-face, even if they are completely aware that is completely unfair.

They run a hand down their face, as if that'll scrub their expression right off.

"You're not bad."

[sansational]

He isn't bad. And the music is pretty nice, considering how quiet some of the hallways can be when you're just trying to get from point a to point b. Sans is trying to remember where Point B might even be, so he's pretty easily distracted by the familiar tune coming from a half-open doorway.

He stops and listens, head slightly tilted. He knows two of those songs, of course he does. He's been to Waterfall, and...everyone monster knows the story.

Sans leans against the wall by the door and listens quietly for a while. Then he takes a quick shortcut down to the music room, only to return to his spot leaning against the wall a minute or so later.

Hopefully his other self won't mind some harmony. The number of timelines in existence approaches infinity, so while he himself can't play guitar to save his life, he can keep up reasonably well on the ukelele.

gotta start this two-sans band before i go watch fireworks

[trombones]

Of all the people who stopped by so far, nobody had ever brought their own instrument until now. Sans half-heard, half-sensed someone there for a while. Then they were gone, then they weren't. Heh. As if he couldn't already guess who they were.

After a moment the skeleton chuckles, making it obvious that he approved. He kept going. Between the both of them and their reasonably well playing, they sounded pretty damn nice. By the end of it, Sans already sounded a lot more relaxed.

"Not bad, partner. I didn't know I could play."

Not that he needed an explanation for the ukulele, he says that more for the opportunity to make yet another ha-ha-we're-the-same-person crack. He could already guess it was a timeline thing.

He sighs contently and cracks one eye open, then plucks a couple of notes to himself. Who knows. Maybe they can Deliverance it without the banjos.

enjoy the fireworks!

[sansational]

They did sound pretty nice, and this was...this was actually kind of relaxing. Sans was definitely rusty, but it helped having someone else to follow along with. Especially when that someone else was also pretty rusty. He smiled faintly when he heard that laugh, and kept playing with a little more surety if not any better memory. It was nice to feel...in sync with someone, for a change, and not think about anything else but the next notes.

(He had his doubts, having another him in the castle. He still does, a little, but it hits him in that moment that he likes this Sans a lot more than he usually likes himself.)

"hehehehe." He offered a mock-salute, even though his other self couldn't see it. Momentary respite aside, Sans definitely sounds exhausted, not to mention more than a little hoarse. "well, partner, you can't. at least, not a guitar like that. the baby version's about all i can manage. well, that and the trombone." Obviously. The number of timelines in existence only approached infinity.

[alemental]

Sans' second song is followed by a polite round of applause, as well as a very soft laugh. There's a pleasant warmth near the short skeleton as Grillby approaches.

"I haven't heard you play in ages... it's still very nice, though the lack of practice is showing."

He folds his arms, teasing slightly.

"I'd suggest you spend more time rehearsing and less time at my bar... but then I'd lose half my business."

[trombones]

Sans shouldn't be surprised to see Grillby here. This place snatched up monsters like it was collecting them, like they were limited edition. But as the skeleton looks up at the clapping and familiar voice, it's hard not to be.

"... I'll be damned. Hey, Grillbz. Long time no see."

As always, he didn't necessarily like seeing people from home here, but goddamn if they weren't a sight for sore yees. He grinned anyway.

"You might have the wrong me, 'cause I don't think I ever struck up anything but the trombone at your place. Still. Thanks, buddy."

[alemental]

Gotta catch ‘em all

Grillby is of course far less surprised, since he and the other Sans have commonly spoke to each other, but Sans’ words do make the elemental falter slightly, only to relax again.

“I suppose for you, it has been a long time. I apologize… I do believe I may have mistaken you for the other Sans that has been around here.”

That doesn’t mean Sans’ presence isn’t approved of, though. On the contrary, Grillby’s glad to see another version of his friend, especially one a bit more… intact.

“I hope that you’ll continue to strike this up more often. Your trombone skills… leave something to be desired.”

Such as the sweet relief of silence.

[mediadarling]

Everything echoes in the castle--it's what comes from it being mostly made of stone. On more than a few occasions, Mettaton has used that property to his own benefit. Now, it's providing something to tickle his curiosity and liven up his day.

He doesn't pretend to think he can sneak up on Sans, even without taking his heels into account. He learned long ago not to bother trying. But he still approaches as softly as he can, then leans against the doorframe and folds his arms to listen to the first song Sans plays.

It isn't remotely his style, being neither loud nor dramatic, but...Sans is clearly putting his soul into the music. It's rare enough to be worth paying attention to.

At the end, Mettaton nudges the door open a little farther with his toe and says, "Hmm.... I wonder if I should recruit you to provide music for my play."

It's a compliment, in its own way.

[trombones]

Of course Mettaton would show up. Sans should have known. As that familiar toe nudges the door open, Sans stops and looks over his shoulder with a small sigh.

"Don't. I'm a better trombone player."

[lostinmyway]

It takes Grune the entire length of the first song to find where the pretty guitar music is coming from. Partway through, she forgets where she's going and why--but then she remembers and continues on her way.

By the time the second song begins, Grune stops outside his door. She raises her fist to knock...then lowers it. The music is so lovely (and a little sad, too) that she doesn't want to interrupt.

[trombones]

It doesn't take long for Sans to figure someone is there. For a while he leaves her alone, not really minding that she wants to listen. Then the song ends, and he rolls his shoulder and gives a quietly content sigh.

"You can come in, if ya want."