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[spaghettimonster]

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[spaghettimonster]

[In fairness, having spent some time dropping into the frozen lake, Papyrus would admit it's not fine. But as he's blissfully distracted by talking on and on until this unexpected success, Papyrus grins brightly and outright grabs the bones out of midair. They remain solid and real in his hands, and go back to floating when he directs them out again.]

This is a whole pattern! An introductory pattern. [Maybe that's why only three came when he pulled on the energy, thinking of just the basics. Hopefully that's not all he has... but he can spin this, before making another attempt.] Just the sort for teaching someone to dodge.

[ribticklers]

I already know how to dodge. [Don't throw any bones his way, he might fall off the ladder. But probably not. Sans hasn't done an introductory pattern since he was helping Papyrus learn magic, and Papyrus caught on real quick.] You gonna start surprising the neighbors with training?

[spaghettimonster]

Oh. Hmm... [Papyrus eyes the nearby fence, then scans around the adjacent houses, with the windows on second floors facing this way.] I guess that'd be pretty surprising... Maybe somewhere else.

[But before he does the safe, careful, and responsible thing of dismissing the bones or putting them out of sight, he tries again to summon more. With talking to Sans, the pattern of white and blue alternating is foremost in his mind: and it works, to a point. White, blue, white, blue, whit... Another five bones pop into existence one at a time, but then nothing more. He frowns intensely, a little sweat accumulating as he strains to will more into existence, but it doesn't work. The others continue revolving around the brothers in a wide arc without blinking out, at least.]

[ribticklers]

[Sans watches the bones arc around. Papyrus seems to be struggling, and Sans remembers the way his own blue magic had drained him.] Yeah, I'm pretty sure the stuff we got back ain't exactly up to standard.

[spaghettimonster]

[Papyrus's posture slouches ever so slightly with that, but he gathers the bones back in towards him, letting them wink out and back into existence.]

Eight bones, that's loads more than zero... an undeniable improvement! Maybe it's just because I'm out of practice. [Easy enough to test with these some more, and put more strain into it again later. Like exercise. But he notices that pronoun, and looks sidelong at his brother.] Yours too?

[ribticklers]

It's takin' more out of me 'n usual. [Sans shrugs.] Might just have to adjust to the whole mass change thing, dunno. [But with Papyrus also having some issues, Sans thinks it might just be the magic in general.]

[spaghettimonster]

Hmmm. [He spreads his hands, considering the skin stretched over them, the wrinkles and occasional hairs that break it up.] Maybe... it's hard for magic to get through skin. There were barely any human mages ever, right?

[From the little anecdotes Toriel's dropped, and the human he encountered, and the various books and other human media he's consumed over the years... it didn't seem like there were very many. It seemed like they barely even thought magic existed. And no wonder, if they couldn't do it at all.]

[ribticklers]

Yeah, and usually when they had magic it wasn't that strong. [Of course, there were exceptions, but everyone in the Underground knows about that giant, barrier-shaped exception.] Maybe it's just a training thing.

[Sans isn't sure about that, but he thinks it would give Papyrus something to do.]

[spaghettimonster]

[Papyrus nods, also thinking of that big exception.] I guess strong souls, substitute for magic, if you know what you're doing...

[A thought trickles from there. If monsters, magical but weak-souled, couldn't take down the barrier... And humans unusually strong in magic, with those strong souls, were the ones to make it... How powerful was whoever or whatever that plucked the two skeletons out from within the barrier to stick into human bodies...? And, how deep does the transformation go? Are their souls, now also...?

He carefully disengages from the whole train of thought with a shake of his head.]

Well, if that's it, then I'll be back to normal in- soon! [He can't exactly say in no time, with his ongoing issues with - ugh - needing to sleep.] All my past training, and training anew to get up to snuff, and before you know it.

[ribticklers]

Great, then I won't do anything and we'll compare results later. [It's a scientific experiment!]

[spaghettimonster]

You always volunteer to be the control. [It's a sincere complaint about laziness, but not one of wanting the job instead. Playing games of scientific experimentation as kids is much the same as any other game, with lingering grudges about who did what too much.]

[ribticklers]

'Cause there's no way I'll train and there's no way you won't. [Swapping is impossible.]

[spaghettimonster]

[Papyrus grumbles rather than deign to admit Sans is entirely correct. Instead he ponders the last couple minutes, then very gracefully changes the subject.]

Hey, are we keeping this secret from everyone??? It might be hard, to hide practicing from Kiara... or anyone else in the house.

[He glances back at the building, as his memories of the last few days have a few confusing bits. Encountering other people in the house, but like they're not always there, starting from the morning of January 1st, 1961. But he doesn't want to give Sans reason to worry that maybe his brother's mind is slipping, so he covers his grimace with a different reason:]

And, I may have accidentally admitted to magic... existing. To Lorna. Before.

[ribticklers]

To Lorna? [Sans's voice keeps its even tone, but he looks a bit concerned. The vagueness of "anyone else in the house" is left unexamined in favor of the more concrete concern.] Back when we both first woke up in the house, she told me she used to be able to do somethin'. Manipulating metal, she said. 'Course, I didn't say I could do anything.

[Sans doesn't yet realize just how caught out in that lie Papyrus may have accidentally gotten him.]

What'd you say?

[spaghettimonster]

Well... The first time, that a door brought me to the Christmas village. I thought it was you, with magic. [You know, that classic household spacetime prank of putting your brother in random places.] I'm sure I said the word magic... But I did my best to say, it was a joke!

[He's partly being evasive out of not wanting to admit a wrongdoing, but mostly out of trying to recall. It's hard to remember the specifics of the conversation, having happened something like a month ago.]

[ribticklers]

[Honestly, Sans kind of brought that on himself with all the pranks he's done over the years. He can't blame Papyrus for wondering, and Papyrus often does his wondering out loud, emphasis on loud.] Well, I'll just deal with that if it comes up. [Procrastination!] I guess there's more people around here with magic and stuff than I expected, anyway.

[Also everyone might be from different worlds entirely?]

[spaghettimonster]

[It's rare, but times like this, Papyrus is perfectly happy to let Sans take the job of dealing with it and put the job itself on hold. Especially when there's a perfectly good change in subject in front of them.]

Yeah, there are. Magic, and "witchcraft," and angels and things... Even a few superheroes. [It's all almost enough to make him think, maybe Undyne and Alphys's animes were on to something real after all. But thinking about either of them, after basically losing touch with either with the change in leadership, isn't a happy thing. Right now he'd rather focus on the question:] So, if other people find out about magic, it's hardly a problem at all.

[ribticklers]

[Sans still wants to play his cards close to the chest. But he knows he always wants to do that, and he knows Papyrus isn't as good at it, at least as far as directly lying goes. He's seen some of the discussions Papyrus has had on the network.] You wanna start talkin' about it?

[That's basically what Papyrus is saying there, but he might as well ask outright.]

[spaghettimonster]

[Outright lying was so much easier as a skeleton. Most people took his smile at face value, after all. It was mostly just when he stammered, or they already knew part of the truth, that they caught him out in lying. Here... He nods, wary.]

We're all in the same boat. Neighboring boats. Similar boats. [They can't all be cool ex-skeletons, but they're all kidnapped and human and without magic, until now.] I'm sure we can help each other better, if we use all the tools we've got. Like magic.

[ribticklers]

If you wanna talk about your magic, I'm not gonna stop you. [Emphasis your, except Sans isn't going to directly say 'don't tell people about mine'. Still, he would prefer it. Even if it's not a big deal, people might get expectations.] But the skeleton thing should probably still wait. [There's a guy who works as a monster hunter running around.]

[spaghettimonster]

Oh my god, I don't want to tell everyone about skeletons. Maybe other monsters... [He has used the word 'monster' with at least two other not-quite-humans already.] Magic's easy. If they ask about yours, I'll just tell them, you're too lazy to practice!

[That isn't quite true in multiple ways, but he trusts himself to be able to rant and complain about Sans's inactive lifestyle at the drop of a hat. Really, the honesty would sell the whole thing.]

[ribticklers]

Yeah, that sounds about right. [Not quite true but basically true. Spiritually, or something.] Have you met other monsters, or just other people who aren't human?

[Nobody from the same place as them, right?]

gonna go ahead and keep it ambiguous to continue

[spaghettimonster]

Well, just other people who aren't human-human. [He heaves a disgruntled sigh.] After all that time I put into making posters... nobody even recognized Mettaton.

[What truer test for monsterhood could there be, really.]

[ribticklers]

Maybe they only want skeletons. [That probably has nothing to do with it. Actually, if everyone is from different worlds, it's a miracle--or something--that both of them are here at the same time, unless there really is a criteria for this sort of kidnapping.]

[spaghettimonster]

That makes sense to me! Who wouldn't? [Not to be incredibly biased, but he is pretty confident that skeleton monsters are the best monsters. He laughs briefly, but sobers as he admits:] Even if it's personally inconvenient, for us, being here.