[Papyrus hesitates, clear in his face and emotions alike. In some way, he feels guilty about it all. And/or Sans feels guilty, but at least some of the guilt is his own. To some degree he wants to apologize for going through with his plan of confrontation in the first place, adult with the right to make that choice or no. It was the human's decision that left him as dust, of course, he refuses to ignore or erase their agency in it even if they did... but his decision gave them the opportunity to make that one, so in a way it's because of him that Sans only had the scarf-cape to travel with, for that time.
...On some level, he has to wonder: did having those traces of dust, in some way, help ensure they both wound up here? Nobody else from the underground has shown up, and there's a couple other people from mutual places... But, uh, given how romantically entangled some of them seem to be, maybe they had... pieces... of each other too. If nothing besides love lockets, or something.
Which is all a distraction from the offer, one given in a more relaxed and accepting manner than he'd expect from Sans. Pleasant surprise, in the weirdness. It really does seem like the only influence on their thoughts are each others', no other pressure to do uncharacteristic things. As if... the maze is something Papyrus would do, and Sans, feeling a little more like Papyrus, did a Papyrusy thing..?]
W-Well. I... That's a very thoughtful offer! I appreciate it a lot. And yet... Having a spare cape, but only the cape... It might make the rest of my battle body feel, a little unbalanced?
[It's somewhat a nonsense deflection, because they could just make a second battle body, one more suited to his new proportions. But he hasn't worn it very much since getting replacement clothes, having died in it, and keeping his own dust next to his metal is... a little too much missing what he had. No, if it's been a comfort for Sans, he doesn't mind Sans keeping it.]
in which papyrus needs to internal monologue to encompass multiple trains of thought
...On some level, he has to wonder: did having those traces of dust, in some way, help ensure they both wound up here? Nobody else from the underground has shown up, and there's a couple other people from mutual places... But, uh, given how romantically entangled some of them seem to be, maybe they had... pieces... of each other too. If nothing besides love lockets, or something.
Which is all a distraction from the offer, one given in a more relaxed and accepting manner than he'd expect from Sans. Pleasant surprise, in the weirdness. It really does seem like the only influence on their thoughts are each others', no other pressure to do uncharacteristic things. As if... the maze is something Papyrus would do, and Sans, feeling a little more like Papyrus, did a Papyrusy thing..?]
W-Well. I... That's a very thoughtful offer! I appreciate it a lot. And yet... Having a spare cape, but only the cape... It might make the rest of my battle body feel, a little unbalanced?
[It's somewhat a nonsense deflection, because they could just make a second battle body, one more suited to his new proportions. But he hasn't worn it very much since getting replacement clothes, having died in it, and keeping his own dust next to his metal is... a little too much missing what he had. No, if it's been a comfort for Sans, he doesn't mind Sans keeping it.]