entrancelogs | [Open] Hear the sledges with the bells, Silver Bells

Entry tags:

[Open] Hear the sledges with the bells, Silver Bells

Who: Papyrus and You!
Where: Around the mansion
When: August 21st
Rating: I doubt it'll go higher than PG
Summary: A tall skeleton wakes up in Wonderland in a panic, trying to figure out where he is and what will happen to the kingdom he rules without him in it.
The Story:

Another nice day in Wonderland. No clouds in the sky and a nice gentle breeze paved the way for a gorgeous day. A very tall skeleton appeared to be sleeping, or maybe perhaps unconscious, on the grassy hills by the mansion. The sun beating down on his skull coupled with the wind really felt quite pleasant.

Wait, the sun?

In seconds flat, his eyes shot open and he was off of the ground and on his feet, almost tripping over his cape in the progress. Where was he? Where was the castle? Was he on the surface?? So many questions in so little time!

He quickly assessed his surroundings. Turning around in a flash, he found the gigantic mansion looming above him. That…that wasn’t the castle. Now he wasn’t just confused, he was coming close to panicking.

Where was the castle? Why was he here in the first place? What about everybody in the underground? What would they do without their cool new king? Surely the underground would fall into a state of confusion and despair again. Without any important monsters of notice, the very state of the underground would collapse! It would collapse and it would be all his fault because he’s not in the underground ruling anymore.

Answers. He had to find answers and he had to find them NOW. This wasn’t just a question of where he was, now it was a matter of how far away from home he is, how he can get back to the castle, how he could lead the rest of the monsters out from the underground because if he somehow arrived at the surface, there had to be another way to get out from there.

You can find Papyrus pretty much anywhere around the mansion as he anxiously tries to gather his bearings, pacing around the premises, gripping onto his trident white knuckled and breathing heavily.

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He's impossible to miss, and impossible to ignore. There's no event; no subconscious desires coiling out from the pit of their belly like an unraveling snake, rearing their heads in the form of something pretend. Just to be sure, they have to shut their eyes very tightly - dash a wrist across their closed lids, grimacing.

But they open their eyes, and he's still there.

Golden crown perched atop his head, that royal cloak heavy across his shoulders. Heavier still than the weight of realization drawing tight, knotting in their stomach. You know precisely whose fault that is, don't you? And Sans will too, as soon as he sees.

(It will make it all easier, in its own way. Knowing they did this. Knowing whose fault it is, that he feels this way.)

It's not fair to leave him floundering. Especially if he doesn't remember. There's a heaviness to him that they know is tinted in gold and in the heavy gray of other monsters - the dust he maybe doesn't even know has trailed behind the footprints of the human he would still call a friend.

They follow him into the kitchen and wait for him to turn around.

No need to say anything.

Not yet.

She doesn't go out intending to find anyone; more recently, with her lab and her bedroom across the hall from each other, Alphys doesn't have much reason to leave the second floor aside from if she's visiting someone or doesn't want to get a meal out of her closet. Today, she's moving on one of those reasons, having not eaten something proper that wasn't ramen in days and actually planning to indulge in something she doesn't have to cook. She's not paying much attention, tapping away on her phone as she rounds the corner, only looking up to find a place to sit at the dining room table when she spots him.

Immediately, she pockets her phone, afraid her hands shaking will drop it as her eyes scan him over. It's Papyrus. Undoubtedly, undeniably Papyrus. She swallows as she takes his stature, mind reeling back to the tears event where she saw herself and Mettaton in similar dress. Not the happy ending. An ending where, if he ended up on the throne, surely she...

Alphys grasps her hands together, running them palm-over-back, trying to center herself as she finally speaks.

"Papyrus...?"

When Papyrus was in Wonderland before, he'd always been very nice to Mikan. Plus, she was friends with several other Underground residents, so knowing his return would make others happy makes her super happy.

For these reasons, when she hears the pacing, sticks her head out of her room, and sees Papyrus, she calls out in joy. "Sir Papyrus!"

... Yes, previous Papyrus never got her to stop calling him that. "It's really you!"

He's out, absurdly enough, at his hotdog stand. Minding his own business, chin propped on his hand as he watches his cat sleep. 4 is curled up in a patch of sunlight on the counter, looking impossibly content. Seems like yesterday that the little guy was just a kitten, but now he's all grown up. Time flies when it's linear. Still weird to think about.

Sans is contemplating joining 4 in sweet, sweet oblivion, when he hears footsteps coming across the courtyard. Familiar footsteps. It's odd how that sort of thing happens. When you know someone well enough, you can recognize them by footsteps alone, even if they're wearing different shoes.

He looks up.

Papyrus is wearing a robe exactly like Asgore's, holding a trident that's exactly like Asgore's. He's wearing a crown, smaller than Asgore's, but still a bit too big for his skull.

And.

Okay. It's an event. It's just an event, even though there was no announcement, even though it's not the weekend. Like when Wonderland tore at the seams and showed them all other versions of themselves, timelines where things went just a little bit different. And that had been it, hadn't it? He'd been in Mettaton's timeline, Mettaton as the king, and he'd heard Papyrus's voice from down the hall, and he had finally accepted that Papyrus was never, ever coming back. That he would never see his brother again.

So this can't be real, of course. It's an event, or he's dreaming, or he's hallucinating, and his damnable skull couldn't even get that right, because it's all wrong, because Papyrus should never have to be the king, should never have that kind of responsibility just thrust on him, and he's--he's trying to remember what he does in that ending. It's all so hazy. He's still alive, surely, and something--something about managing the paperwork, something about working harder, something about--

Vacations.

How that had felt so familiar when he'd woken up and seen Papyrus's post, Sans is just on vacation. How that must--that must just be what they default to.

This can't be real. It's all wrong. He's the wrong Sans, again. Again, again, again. Can't even hallucinate right.

He's gone rigid in his seat, staring at Papyrus, and Papyrus is still walking toward him, and has he even noticed Sans yet? He's looking around, worried, confused, and Sans knows that look. He's been here two years, he's been through two Papyrus-es, and everyone who comes to Wonderland starts off with that look. On the beach, in the woods. Asking what the sun is. Asking what the moon is.

"...papyrus?"

It comes out too quietly, a raw whisper. It's enough to wake 4, who stretches and makes a mrrt sound, and then notices the tall skeleton coming toward them.

4 doesn't have the same hang-ups that Sans does. He just remembers a tall skeleton who gave very good scritches. So he bounds off the counter and saunters up to Papyrus, meowing demandingly, because it's been months and Papyrus hasn't pet him this whole time.

Sans sees his cat reacting to something, someone, that shouldn't even be there, and he just--

breaks.

He stands, knees shaking.

"papyrus?"

The sun is nice, isn't it? Toriel's been here for quite a while, but even now- there's just something pleasant about getting to be outside in the sunlight.

Though, when she spots a silhouette in the distance, her first instinct is to swerve away. A long cloak, a crown- yes, she's used to just turning and pretending this person doesn't even exist.

Except- they're not nearly as tall as they should be. Or as wide. It's like Asgore dropped all the muscle and just became skin and bones- or, just bones, actually.

"Papyrus?" She calls out his name as she approaches him, a curious expression on her face. "Papyrus, is that you?? How long have you been here? What are you wearing?"

He sees you before you see him.

Really, what he sees is his outfit being worn by another person. Mostly because he hasn't worn it for months and months and months, and so seeing it out there, seemingly wandering around on its own -- well not quite -- although you don't quite... how does one put this delicately... you don't fill it out very well. Saying you were all skin and bones is, well. A bit liberal.

So anywhere there's the King of All Monsters standing around in a hallway wearing cargo shorts and a pink Hawaiian shirt and staring at you from behind. He calls out, "Excuse me, uh, Monster or Human wearing the King of the Underground's robes? Are you, uh, doing alright?"

Angus has seen a skeleton a handful of times in his life. Really, it's impossible to live in Faerun, to work with law enforcement at that, and not run into a necromancer's handiwork at least once. Furthermore, Angus has seen regular, dead, long-forgotten skeletons, hiding away in the walls, in caverns just off the edge of Neverwinter's borders.

In Wonderland, all that's a little different. He doesn't know the full story behind Sans' skelosity -- which is a new word Angus has been thinking of submitting to Fantasy Merriam-Webster, only he's planes away from his home's leading dictionary at this point -- and hasn't thought to ask. Sure, he's a curious kid, maybe too curious, but even he knows you don't just ask people about their race. Sans is a normal guy, he just also happens to be a skeleton. In Faerun, he wouldn't even stand out that much, whether he was born a skeleton or became one over time.

But, see, you can't be somewhere where there's only one skeleton around and not be surprised when you find another. The eleven-year-old human comes across him in the garden, the skeleton sporting full regalia of some sort of king, and Angus can't help it, he's staring, as the skeleton-king frets, panic in his... eyesockets. Angus closes his book -- a heavily notated copy of Through the Looking Glass, full to the brim with colorful sticky notes and dark pen markings -- and tucks his pen behind an ear.

"Excuse me, sir?" he calls out to grab the skeleton's attention. "I mean, excuse my manners, um, Your Majesty? I hope you don't mind me noticing, but you seem lost." Angus tries to look as friendly and nonthreatening as possible, which is pretty easy for a child with his wide eyes and glasses and little bowtie. The skeleton-king doesn't seem scary at all, but Angus tries to take the necessary precautions with everyone. You never know when you'll say hi to someone and they'll break your glasses.

Asriel would recognize Papyrus anywhere, and the tall skeleton walking around in his father's clothes while carrying his trident definitely gets Asriel to do a double take. He watches Papyrus pacing around the hallway, before gathering up enough courage to speak.

"Papyru-"

Asriel cuts himself off, covering his snout with a surprised squeak. Shoot! He's not really supposed to know his name, is he?

"I... um... excuse me!"

Mettaton has been rather secluded as of late. The idea of leaving his room and walking past what was Napstablook's door and knowing it is empty in there fills him with such a deep dread that he's doing something rather uncharacteristic for once; avoiding it. He doesn't think it's the right call really or the most mature response, but you know what? He's allowed to be childish and dramatic! But... eventually this energetic monster becomes far too antsy sitting alone in his room and he decides that maybe a walk in the gardens would help.

He doesn't get farther than opening his door before he finds someone very unexpected on his doorstep. He stares for a moment, drinking in the view of a tall skeleton in a cape and crown and a trident????? and then gets his wits together.

"Papyrus...?"

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ayyy

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incoming feels