[Backdated towards the end of the month] Well there's no use crying over every mistake

[sansational]

Sans comes back to life on the floor of a dark, reeking cell deep in the bowels of the castle. The first thing he knows is that ribs ache fiercely. It takes him a few bleary minutes to remember why.

Once he does, Sans scrambles gracelessly back to his feet, summoning his blasters over each shoulder as he stares hurriedly around. Empty. No prisoners, no captor. No Adam, no Frisk. The chains hang empty, in a couple of cases ripped out of the walls. Was Adam dealt with? Or did he pack up shop, and take Sans' friends with him?

He needs to go and check.

But he realizes that there's something he needs to grab first, to keep the second verse from just being the same as the first

So unless anyone is down there in the cell when he first reappears, the first anyone is likely to see of Sans is him in the graveyard, hunting around the tombstones and open graves with a very intent expression on his skull. His blasters float lazily behind him. He's not sending them away for a while.

"where is it, where is it..."

Eventually, he manages to find a real knife, if not necessarily the Real Knife, somewhere in the castle. Finally. It feels heavy and cold as he curls his fingerbones around the hilt. But it also feels powerful. Let Adam try sawing him in half with this between them.

It's only then that he wonders if this is what the human felt like, as they walked down the hall for another round with him. Before they knew whether or not Sans could die at all. 

Either way, Sans takes a slower route through the castle, up and down and all around, trying to zero in on Frisk's location. He hopes so, so much to find his sense of their presence untainted by that other human's. But at least this way, he's prepared in case he doesn't. Concerned friends or people who are just generally concerned to see a skeleton with two blasters at the ready and a knife in hand can find him anywhere, poking around, checking for trap doors, flinching at loud noises or sudden movements.

Comments

[voidster]

[It buys them time to think of something else, if need be. He's being guarded.]

Damn. Sans is getting away from him, he failed to get ahead of Sans's thoughts, to calm him down--

[Yes. They're safe. They made it.]

The double didn't, but... perhaps that's for the best. Who needs a shadow following you around telling you to murder what may be a friend, right?

[sansational]

because guards on the tower cell worked out so well last time, Sans wants to say, but doesn't. It wouldn't be fair, it would sound too much like he's taking his own frustrations out on Gaster. And the other monster absolutely doesn't deserve that.

He rattles a bit, takes a deep breath in an attempt to clear some of these grim thoughts out of his skull, and just says: "good. glad to hear it."

He remembers the last time he faced down a murderer. He remembers the threat he made. i will sit and wait for you to come back so i can kill you all over again. He remembers wondering even then if such a thing was possible. He wonders as much again.

At least Frisk is okay. Sans visibly slumps with relief to hear that much. He absolutely doubts that they escaped unharmed, but surely Gaster wouldn't be lying to him about them escaping unmurdered.

"good," he said, and means it this time. "i, uh...kind of died in front of them? that was probably rude. you seen 'em around? i should probably apologize for that."

[voidster]

Maybe he does. Maybe if it were said, he would simply nod, make no comment, and never, ever forget. Maybe it's for the best Sans held his metaphorical tongue.

[I think they're outside.] he says, knowing exactly where they are. Thank goodness that special sense came back when they were far enough away from Adam. What a strange thing to be grateful for--he's grown to like it. It'd be nice if he could do the same with everyone else important. [By the gardens.]

[sansational]

Another wave of relief washes over Sans. His smile turns a little more genuine. "cool. outside. open spaces. i am suddenly a big supporter of those."

He wants to run off and see them for himself. But he also doesn't want to run out on Gaster quite so abruptly. His brother-father-boss-friend looks...even more like hell than usual, now that he steps back to take a proper look. Sans can only guess at the reasons, but guess he does.

"hey, uh..." He reaches up to scratch anxiously at the back of his skull. "sorry. for, y'know...all of that. didn't plan on it. didn't mean to go and do that to you."

He knows what it's like, to lose family when you're too far away to stop it.

[voidster]

Hell, indeed. He doesn't even have his satchel with him, that's a first. It's probably still on his bed and he doesn't care. Surely no one will raid his room. Who wants a chalkboard, incomprehensible notes and pictures of baby skeletons?

[We're both sorry. I shouldn't have sent you alone. Next time... allow me to go with you. I'm sure you could find a shortcut for both of us.] A momentary pause. [Please come and pick me up if you think--something might happen.]

At the very least he can serve as a distraction and cannonfodder?

[sansational]

Sans is quiet for a long moment, as he turns and starts off towards where he thinks he remembers the front doors are. As he waves for Gaster to follow.

"...will do," he finally says, and thinks he might even mean it. He adds, sounding apologetic: "i would've come and found you if i thought something was gonna happen that time. didn't think a human could do...what that one did." Or at least, he hadn't thought there could be two of them. "it's like he could just ignore all my usual tricks."

[voidster]

He's a little faster once he does away with legs, looking as if he's wearing some odd thick dress or robe that doesn't swish at all, too cylindrical. Ah, well, hopefully Sans will understand that it's merely to keep up a little easier.

[I was told he has the ability to... nullify magic near him, used against him.] He supposes determination could do that. What can't it do?