'Cause I'm Lonely and I'm Blue

[panspermia]

Who: Frisk, Connie, Greg, Papyrus, and Sans
What: Rescuers rescue the kidnapped rescuer of kidnapped
When: April 20
Where: Wave Boulevard Mall, Spooky Virgo Torture Dungeon
Warnings: mention of serious violence at the least

It's been a week since Sans smuggled his fellow musicians from Virgo, contacted allies to let them know he was leaving... and then evidently vanished altogether. It's been two days since articles surfaced talking about his wild bender that ended him up in rehab, and isn't it a shame, let's all keep him in our thoughts.

Sans didn't ever have a whole lot of fans. The guy kept to himself, rarely made appearances, and generally only performed just well enough to justify being in the band in the first place. His legacy would likely be the toc-tic pun memes that would go around for a couple weeks, then fade out into obscurity. People wouldn't miss him.

It's pretty much all that's been on Greg's mind. His friend made a heroic effort, and paid for it. It's his fault. But life goes on, right?

So here he is. Buying flowers for his bedroom. To liven the place up, you know? Add some color, to contrast the blackened char left behind by giant laser blasts. It'll really brighten things up.

Comments

[determinate]

Sans has been on Frisk's mind a lot, too.

They know what happened. They've saved the papers with stories about him, but they know it's all lies. He isn't in a rehab anywhere, and he's not going to ever come back on his own.

This is why they didn't want Papyrus here. Bad enough for things to happen to Sans without him having to deal with it.

For the moment, they've done little to fix it. The one big thing they could do is too big, yet - how would they even make it so Sans escaped too, if they tried again? There has to at least be a plan before they go winding everything back; the others deserve that much. So they aren't at the mall to scout anything or find anybody. They're just leaving work.

When they see Mr. Universe, they hesitate for a moment, then slip backwards through the crowds to hide near a big potted plant. He's Sans's friend, right? He might know something. Even if he doesn't, they'll need another contact inside Virgo if they're gonna do anything - without Sans, Frisk has nobody who can help.

Connie knows him.If she can come, they'll go talk to him; it's not like he has any real reason to trust Frisk. Keeping an eye on him, they send a quick text: Are you near the mall? Wanna come talk to Mr. Universe?

(Lapis must know him too, they think, but she doesn't seem to care about him like she does Steven. Frisk will just stick with Connie.)

[missknight]

The good news?

I'm nearby! I'll be there ASAP. Where are you exactly?

Connie is already heading towards the doors of the mall even as she types it out. It's lucky coincidence, honestly, but she's willing to take luck when it's this handy.

[determinate]

By the florist's on the first floor.

The fact that he's here looking at flowers makes Frisk feel softer towards him. It reminds them of their own dad. His garden was about to start blooming for the very first time when they went away.

Mr. Universe doesn't look like he's going anywhere in a hurry, so they slip out from behind the plant and sit on a nearby bench instead, the better to keep an eye on the crowds. No one will notice them except maybe Connie. No one even thinks it's all that funny for a kid to be walking around alone; it's sort of like the Underground like that.

[missknight]

First floor florist- that's easy and relief blossoms in her chest as she does a quick check of the map. It only takes a few minutes before she sees the other, waving her hand energetically. "Hey!"

Just two kids being kids, meeting up at the mall! Totally normal.

Plopping down besides Frisk, Connie keeps her head down as she glances around for Greg. "So what's the plan?" she asks quietly. "I can be a fangirl, but do you want me to ask anything in particular?" She has a feeling she knows what this is about, considering what's happened recently, but it doesn't hurt to check up with her now co-conspirator.

[determinate]

Frisk pops up to wave back at Connie, but doesn't speak until she's next to them. Even then, they're quiet enough that only she can hear their voice - even she may have to strain.

"I want to ask about Sans."

Of course. For the rest, they take out their phone to quickly text. I've talked to him before, but he doesn't know who I am. Do you think he would trust you enough to tell you anything?

[missknight]

The part about Sans isn't surprising, so Connie doesn't even blink there. Leaning in a bit to read their phone, she gives a confident nod.

"We talked in the dreams before, although I don't think that stuck. But I'm sure I know him well enough to get him to trust me." If nothing else, she thinks he'll definitely agree with her on things regarding Steven. Maybe that can lead into her getting him to agree on Sans, too.

"Just where Sans is and what happened to him?" Connie doesn't trust the local news' idea of events at all.

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[spaghettimonster]

[THE EPIC ADVENTURES OF PAPYRUS AND LION]

[COMING SOON TO A THREAD NEAR YOU]

[missknight]

[Funnily enough, the epic adventures starts out very mundanely. You've got a communicator call, Papyrus!]

Hi, Papyrus. Are you still at the house?

[spaghettimonster]

[Like most heroic journeys, it begins with the character in their home, their daily life interrupted by the call to adventure!]


[The literal call, in this case. Papyrus finishes stirring the sauce, and surreptitiously offers Lion another piece of the grilled chicken before taking the call.]

Connie! Hello! Yes, I'm still at... Are we calling it a house now? I am at home, anyway.

[missknight]

Oh! Sorry, I'm used to- nevermind.

[Important rescuer duties must be remembered! Priorities, and stuff.]

May I speak to Lion, please? It's important.

[spaghettimonster]

[Other people might pause at that request, given that Lion's a freaking lion who doesn't seem especially prone to do anything anyone else asks. Lucky for Connie, Papyrus is used to living with dogs.]

I'll pass the phone to---well, I'll hold it for him!

Lion, Connie wants to talk to you.

[There's scuffling sounds as Papyrus pulls his communicator off his head, and holds it close to Lion's face. That's... good enough, right?]

[missknight]

[Skeletons are so nice and understanding. Connie waits patiently until she hears sleepy snuffling when Lion looks up.]

Lion, we need you to come over to the mall in one of the alleys or something, right away! We need to rescue someone, but we can't do it without your help! I have Lion Lickers. Well, they're kind of like it, anyway.

[Lion's ears flick up, and he pushes himself up to his feet. In a totally normal way, his eyes start to glow.]

[Connie's voice is still buzzing through the communicator.]

Lion? Um, Papyrus? Is Lion listening?

[spaghettimonster]

[Papyrus steps back as Lion stands, keeping the comm low enough in case Lion has anything he wants to say to Connie. Sure, he hasn't said anything in Papyrus' hearing, but you never know.]

[Then Connie's question comes over, and Lion seems to have no intention of answering, so he lifts the communicator back to his head.]

Is 'glowing' a form of listening? Because you said something, and he started glowing.

[In a totally normal way. Glowing. As lions do.]

RESCUE MISSION

[exhumerus]

Nothing stops Lion’s portal on the way in – the first of many potential barriers surpassed. It isn’t so hard to pick a trajectory when they all know the labs are in the basement floor, they just have to aim for the lower walls and go downward as discretely as one can manage when your mount teleports by roaring.

They end up in the exact cleared out basement area that Luce described, and quickly come upon the large white gate and computer terminals that apparently holds the research facilities behind it – or more aptly, the torture chambers and prisons, for all anybody has ever seen done with it. One more portal will get Lion inside, but how much time they have is unclear. If Blanche gets there too quickly, they could quite easily end up being trapped like Sans had been.

The world beyond the gate is savagely sterile, and it doesn’t take long to come upon equipment meant to bind and violate humanoids. The implications are more than a little daunting, and everything smells like chemicals. The only clue anyone has going forward is where Stella the ghost has been held when Luce and the others had been in here the first time. Otherwise it’s anybody’s guess where, or in what shape, Sans is.

As it turns out, it’s only a bit over a minute before that path leads them directly into a pair of humanoid scientists (?) heading through the labs as if on their way back to something they were attending to. Of course, it won’t be long until they notice a massive pink lion.

[panspermia]

Even though their party contains children and a very light skeleton, just fitting them all onto Lion's back proved an effort. Greg had made the effort to pull out some flowery seatbelts from his recent purchases. They aren't as comfortable as possible, but they keep everyone in place in the warp void. Also it smells nice.

Being a responsible, careful, obedient little boy, Greg had never seen this part of the building. But he knows about it. The instant they were in, Greg was struck by the sick notion that he's brought children into a torture chamber. His headache's only going to get worse from here.

There's a sharp breath in as Greg sees the figures. Skidding to a stop, Greg does the first thing he can think of: blurt out a hasty "Sorry!" and repurpose his floral seatbelts into bonds to tie up the scientists. He doesn't like it, but if they send up an alarm they're going to be in even more trouble than they are.

[spaghettimonster]

Riding on the back of a roaring, pink, teleporting Lion might be even better than driving a convertible on a a highway. Especially for the others, with their hair whipping behind them.

Everything was so loud! And bright! And made all the more frightening and exciting by their destination: the stinky, creepy scientific underbelly of the music industry.

"Oh! That's even more effective than bones!" Papyrus cheers as the vines spread out and entangle the mysterious and possibly-evil scientists. "They don't have communicators, do they...?"

[exhumerus]

The scientists react with about as much shock as one would expect from suddenly being run down by a pink lion in one's work place, and then assaulted by vines. Which is a lot. One of them goes down without much of a fight, but the other gives one hectic look in the direction they'd been walking and starts to bolt - only to get their legs tangled up and crash to the floor with a shriek, hard enough that their protective glasses fall of.

They writhe around to face their assailants, only to see Greg as the one presently leading the charge. Their expression skews between surprise and indignation.

"Mr Universe? You-" They cut themselves off. "You don't want to get caught down here - this is none of your concern!"

Meanwhile, the other scientist appears to be struggling to grab something they've dropped onto the floor with a partially free arm.

[determinate]

The way Frisk sees it, nothing that happens down here can be significantly worse than what happened in the last lab they visited. As long as Sans is still himself, that's all they ask.

As the flowers release them to turn on the scientists instead, they slide down off of Lion's back to look around. Yeah, they can imagine what these tools are for. Doing things like that on purpose...what terrible scientists. The vines still remind them of Flowey, for all that they watched Mr. Universe move them himself, so they're very careful in stepping around and over them, circumnavigating the scientists to go investigate whatever that one dropped. Video game rules - it's theirs now.

[exhumerus]

Apparently the object is a small, durable looking phone-like device. The screen is displaying a notification of an incoming text from "Juno". It is presently unlocked.

The text says, very simply: Please verify.

SANS AND PAPYRUS WAREHOUSE ADVENTURE

[exhumerus]

They appear inside a darkened building.

‘They’ only remains a plural briefly. As soon as they’ve arrived, Papyrus will find himself dumped to the ground as Sans disappears again, like a rock skipping across the water from sheer force of momentum. Not gone too far, apparently – Papyrus will be able to hear movement suddenly come from the next couple rooms over. The whole area looks like empty office space.

The sound is unmistakeably skeleton in nature – the clank of bones is so familiar. But Sans doesn’t call out or otherwise try to find the person he’s separated himself from. Maybe it wasn’t an accident.

WHEREHOUSE ADVENTURE IS NOT A FUN ADVENTURE

[spaghettimonster]

That was a sudden and unexpected change of scenery.

A good choice, since it made it easier for everyone to get to safety, no careful balancing act on a lion that might jostle anybody's broken leg---Where was Sans? Why did he keep disappearing like this every time Papyrus almost got him to safety???

"Uh, Sans?!? Where did you go...?"

That clattering sound, at least, seems promising. This is that awful dream all over again, isn't it? Sans disappearing and making a ruckus. Papyrus starts off in that direction, pounding the pavement in search of a disappearing and injured skeleton who really shouldn't be running off in his condition. The injured and still brainwashed kind of condition.

[exhumerus]

Papyrus will turn a corner on his way towards the sound - only to walk pretty much face first into the leering gaze of one of Sans's skull blasters. Blue magic is wafting out of its mouth as if there is too much to keep inside, and despite the fact that the skulls don't exactly growl it seems like it may as well be.

[spaghettimonster]

Well, that sure wasn't the friendliest response he could have hoped for. Quite the opposite, really. These guys were for serious fights. Not for using on friends or family.

"Bad boy! Don't hover menacingly at me," Papyrus exclaimed, trying for sternness to cover how nervous he felt. "Sans needs help with that leg! And all your magic is destructive! You don't even have hands. How are you supposed to help with this?"

Wait a minute... help! That's right! He'd finally gotten Sans out of Virgo, evem if technically Sans did the getting out part. So Stella could come to help Sans heal. Maybe in body, too. The blaster probably couldn't glare down an invisible ghost!

"Right. Stella? Stella, I have Sans! What was I supposed to say, again...?"

[exhumerus]

The blaster snaps its jaw at him, apparently not really caring for his scolding. It looks like it's going to get more aggressive for a moment, the light in its mouth brightening into licks of cyan flame - but then it stops, like it's suddenly been cowed. It retreats back into the room it came from without ever taking its eyes off of Papyrus.

In the far corner of the room, another pair of them are floating - one of which is supporting a small, broken skeleton. Sans is barely standing, gripping the bumps and horns of the skull with shaking hands. His left eye is empty and spilling out blue and gold magic aura in a similar manner to his blasters, like they are all leaking somehow. His broken leg is hanging in an unnatural diagonal.

Sans looks very nearly insane.

The blaster behind him comes forward, joining the one that had retreated in snapping its jaws threateningly. Something dark and suffocating has eclipsed everything else in Sans's mind, stirred up by his attempts to escape. It's clear now. He never really will.

[spaghettimonster]

Yeah, that's right, that blaster better calm itself down. There's no way that Sans' blasters would genuinely attack Papyrus, no matter how disoriented and awful Sans felt. Especially not if Papyrus acted like it was unthinkable for them to do so. They would acquiesce to his expectations of brotherly friendliness if it mildly maimed him.

...Hopefully it wouldn't take that. It shouldn't, not with Sans right there directing them and watching instead of attacking.

"Oh my god, Sans," Papyrus says, something in his chest dropping like he's been turned blue. This is exactly why he passed on a boon for himself; to give to Sans, who would surely need it more than him. And boy, does his brother need it right now.

The sight of Sans isn't the relief it should have been. His magic flaring up, maybe out of control... the way he seemingly summoned the blaster to help hold him up, but summoned extras to snarl at anybody else... Seeing Sans like this is almost worse than finding him back in that mockery of a bed.