upstanding
The snow was coming down on them in freezing blankets, it was impossible to know where to step and the depth rose to well above the skeleton’s knee caps, which wasn’t a problem for a monster as tall as him, but Sans would be buried undead at this rate. It was cold enough to chill right through the bones.
As the glimpse of blue he had previously spotted slowly came into view, he noted how considerably smaller his brother appeared to be.
❛❛OH NO, BROTHER–! HAS THE STORM TAKEN YOU? AM I TOO LA–❜❜
❛❛ —WAIT, I DON’T REMEMBER YOU BEING SO FEATHERY… —OH NO, YOU MUST BE A LOST CHILD! DO NOT WORRY, YOUNG MONSTER, THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS HERE IS SAVE YOU, TOO !!! ❜❜
The little monster’s demeanour and stand-offish tone had clearly gone right over the concerned skeleton’s skull. Papyrus was becoming needlessly frantic, standing over the bird as though to protect him from the storm, not noticing that the little one was in-fact an ice monster.
❛❛ BROTHER? IS THAT YOU !?! THANK GOO— SANS !!! NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR PUNS! CAN’T YOU SEE WE HAVE AN INNOCENT CHILD HERE? THEY MUST BE TERRIFIED !!! ❜❜
He would usually be stamping his foot in frustration at an untimely pun, but he was hampered by the snow. He was however, utterly relived to see Sans safe, and once he was done being annoyed, he plucked his short sibling out of the snow and tucked him under his arm.
❛❛ COME FELLOWS! WE MUST FORGE ONWARDS TO THE INN! ❜❜
Papyrus was pointing dramatically in the wrong direction.
“I– What?!”
Fruitless spluttering, more sounds than actual formed words, dropped out of Snowdrake’s beak as he watched the skeleton hover over him in utter confusion, unable to find the proper terms to convey what was on his mind - unable, in fact, to even have anything to properly place in mind, at a bit of a loss of both thoughts and words.
Weakly, the bird monster said the first thing that came to mind; “I’m not a child. I’m sixteen.”
The approach of the other skeleton was met with even more particular scrutiny, familiarity dawning in his eyes as he studied the newcomer that the one standing over him evidently knew - recognition that brightened further upon the pun.
“Hey, wait! I, uh, I ‘snow’ you. You work at the Resort sometimes. Sans, or something, wasn’t it?”
Finally having prior knowledge of at least someone around here lent relief to the teenager that was promptly expressed in his posture. His shoulders slumped even more visibly as his previously-fanned tail dropped down and his feathers smoothed out - though, to little avail as the revelation once again struck Snowdrake that the skeleton in front of him (well, the one that had been picked up by the scarved monster, that is) might have been sent here by his father. It was, in fact, even more likely simply by dint of how the two of them both had a position in MTT Resort’s lineup.
Teeth gritted within the keratin that mostly covered it, more of a wary grimace than anything, he eyed Sans, talons stomping into the slush to shift into a stubborn stance.
“My dad didn’t send you here, did he?” (Did he even care to? He was a disappointment to the family, after all; an utter embarrassment as a comedian.) “If he DID, you can tell him to go screw right off, man!”
An angry clack of his beak punctuated his sentence, wings spreading out beside him wide as Snowdrake took a few steps away from the duo.
“I’m not going! Hah, the inn - I bet that’s just like, codeword lingo for ‘where you’re going to meet up with my dad’ or something, isn’t it?! And even if it ISN’T, it doesn’t matter anyway! I don’t need your help. I’m an ice monster, this weather doesn’t even affect me! So you two can just GO.”
Hey, wait! I, uh, I ‘snow’ you--
(You didn’t hesitate in giving the Drake an appropriate finger-gun at that, making your Finger Gun Statistic at Level 10 for the afternoon--)
You work at the Resort sometimes. Sans, or something, wasn’t it?
(You tilted your head lightly at that with a soft hum. You were surprised anyone recognized you from that job. It wasn’t as if you showed up there often -- in fact, quite the contrary, you had a tendency to slack off even with your stand-up comedian performances. Rather, you spent more time oversleeping within the employee’s lounge of the Resort, rather than lifting a finger. This kid, whoever he was, had a good memory.)
*yep, that’s me.
(Before you could go on any further, your brother suddenly scooped you up with one arm, holding you underneath his arm pit; which, as usual, you folded to without any complaints. Your arms and legs hanged limply, with your slippers nearly falling off your feet as you lifted your head ever so slightly, if only you could watch the little bird monster accompanying the two of you. You noticed his expression, originally tense, relax if only slightly, only to tense up again, and you made no effort to stifle the curious little ‘mmm?’ that left your teeth. The dawn of recognition left from the monster’s eyes, replaced with a kind of angry wariness. Any sort of confusion became dashed once the monster spoke.)
My dad didn’t send you here, did he?
(Ohhhh. This was one of those monsters.)
(Familial issues didn’t happen to be your strong suit. Welp.)
(At the very least, you could answer his questions and statements; and you certainly didn’t want your brother to be disappointed when he was so enthusiastic about providing the Drake guidance.)
*eh. even if your dad did call on me to get you, i’m not really too interested in all that stuff.
(You shrugged from your position under Papyrus’s arm, with a lazy grin still on your face.)
*you don’t have to come with us if you don’t want to. but snowed inn is a roof over your head and shelter, so... it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
*by the way, paps, you’re facing the wrong way.
(You let an amused smile take root on your face, but didn’t laugh. After all, this was your brother and he was trying his best.)
