entranceway | [video] time and time again and time again and time again

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[video] time and time again and time again and time again

[Sans is sitting on the floor of his room, methodically tearing pages out of a plain-looking notebook. There's clearly writing on the pages, but he's propped his device on a table a few feet away, so it's impossible to tell what it is. He balls up each page and chucks them forward, and from the angle it looks like he's throwing them out into the hallway. There's a watery plap every time.]

anyone opened their door yet? some pretty crazy water physics happening. it just kinda stays there. my cat doesn't know what to do about it. he's kinda freaking out.

[Said cat goes running past the screen with a "mrrbbllggmmb" sound. Sans keeps chucking wads of paper, looking as calm and collected as he always does.]

so, second time trying to post this. we'll see if it takes this time, i guess. dunno if wonderland's just gonna erase it once it's posted or not, but whatever. i'm guessing people have noticed the, uh, weird time stuff going on by now, right?

[Maybe a stumble-jolt feeling, like missing the last step on a staircase? A sense of deja vu?]

yeah, that's my bad. looks like wonderland's giving us a twofer this time.

[Tear. Wad. Toss. Plap.]

listen, i'd just try to ignore it if you can. focus on surviving. might mess with your head a bit, but just try to roll with it. you're gonna get used to it after a day or so. no point in trying to remember what you've forgotten, cause trust me, it's gone. trying to make heads or tails of it's just gonna give you a headache, heh.

[It's not his fault, he keeps telling himself, but haha, it's real easy to just say that. Then it's your event messing everyone up and--well, anyway.]

also, if anyone needs help moving rooms or getting to the kitchen or whatever, hit me up. i'm good with shortcuts. you won't even have to get wet. [He sighs a bit.] can't help everyone, though. you can't make a shortcut to somewhere you've never been. so...

[So.]

and if this is your second or third time hearing this? sorry. sometimes you gotta repeat yourself to make it stick, heh.

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[She wipes water from her face and glances at him, looking in his direction for the first time. The redness of her eyes might imply that it wasn't just water on her cheeks. But then she's looking away, almost immediately.]

We can-

[Ugh. Max groans and squeezes her hands into fists, waiting to see if this goes on any longer. When it doesn't, she exhales, and speaks slowly.]

We can go now.

[She wipes water from her face, and he's about to ask why she tried to go swimming anyway, when--]

[Jolt.]

[She wipes water from her face and--ah, okay. He stifles a sigh and stuffs his hands in his pockets. Guess he'll just--]

[Jolt.]

[She wipes water from her face and--]

[and--]

[He glances around the room a few times, waiting for it. He stuffs his hands in his pockets.]

[It doesn't come. Just three in a row, real quickly. That's, uh. That's pretty dizzying. He doesn't stifle his sigh this time.]

yeah. yeah, let's. before it decides to grab us back again.

[He crosses the room and holds out his hand to her. Up close she...she looks worse than he thought. Her eyes are red, and he's been around humans enough by now to know what that means.]

[He'll ask once they're safely down in the kitchen. As soon as she takes his hand, he teleports them both. She'll probably recognize the feeling from during the maze event; a vibration and a sideways tug.]

[He lets go as soon as they arrive.]

no reset so far. 'least not that i've noticed.

[She reaches out a little too fast- wary of being close to someone, of holding onto a skeleton hand. But she has to do this, so she grabs his boney fingers before she can think too much about it, and the vibration and tug catch her a little off-balance.

The hard floor of the kitchen jolts her back, and she stumbles away from Sans, taking a deep breath of air that's marginally cleaner than that in her room.

Smells less like smoke, too.

It takes her a moment to remember the difference between a reset and a... LOAD?]

So these are just the little ones? [The curiosity is evident in her voice, though the enthusiasm is lacking.]

[He takes a step back from her, mostly just to give her space. Shortcuts are pretty jarring the first few times, plus she...seems off. Worn out. Sad, maybe.]

no, these--i don't know anymore.

[His shoulders sag just a bit when he admits it.]

they feel like resets. but they happen like reloads. it's... thing is, it gets hard to tell. they feel different, but you--i don't always notice till it's later and i realize something ain't right. just kinda know something's wrong, but not exactly what.

[Just another tally mark in a notebook.]

[Well looks like they're all starting to get in over their heads. Worse, they're starting to get used to it, like it's not a big deal anymore.]

Huh... having some experience, I can say that it's... fucking weird. And that something's definitely wrong.

[She opens up the fridge and stares at the contents.]

Oh, uh... and thanks for the lift. Good to have a teleporting skeleton as a friend.

[He chuckles quietly.] heh, yeah. "fucking weird" 's a good way to describe it.

[He's long since gotten used to it. Just sort of also got used to the idea of Resets not happening for awhile there. He should've known better than to let his guard down.]

sure. no problem. you, uh, mind if i hang out here for a bit? all the teleporting wears a guy out.

[Plus he wouldn't mind something more substantial than old hotdogs and catfood.]

[~~Sans have you been eating the catfood wth~~

Max shrugs, leaning in further toward thw fridge, poking around here and there.

Then she realizes how rude that might've seemed and speaks up.] I don't mind. The air here's still pretty okay...

[Though it still makes her shiver in her wet clothes.]

You've been... uhh, bringing people around?

[~~He's basically a goblin.~~]

[He tilts his head slightly at the delayed response, though her head's in the fridge so she might not see it. Something's off with her.]

yeah. a few people, at least. and my cat.

there anything good in there?

Uh, yeah. [She pulls out a couple of sandwiches- but in the process (because she's a clumsy girl), knocks over a carton of milk, spilling its contents all over the floor.]

Damn. She holds out a hand, instinctively reaching for her rewind-

And stops short.

She looks at him with a mixture of guilt and surprise. The event wouldn't have let her rewind anyway, but still...

She doesn't say anything- but she bows her head, wet bangs falling over her face, and reaches up to rub the back of her neck.

Completely failing to play it cool.]

nice. good thing the kitchens a--

[There's the dull thunk of the carton hitting the floor and he steps back instinctively as milk spills everywhere. Not like it would matter, considering he's soaked to the bone (haha) already, plus he's gotten worse on his slippers.]

pfft, nice.

[Probably a good thing the kitchens and such a working normally instead of running on low-battery mode, or whatever it is. Wasting food would be a lot more important were that the case. She holds a hand out into the air, like a very delayed attempt to catch the already dumped carton, and...]

[For a second he doesn't actually get the significance. He's never actually seen her make this particular motion. She was on the other side of a wall at the time. It's just--her Mirror. Her Mirror had raised her hand like that, as if to grab something.]

[And Max's expression clinches it. She tried to rewind.]

[He takes a step back.]

[Not like it would matter.]

ah.

[He should--he should leave. He could just leave, but she's...she's not actually a threat right now, and it would have just been a little thing, a rewind of a few seconds. Not long enough to catch them in the teleport. Not long enough to kill him. She wouldn't do that.]

[She wouldn't do that, if only because he has no idea what would happen to her if he died mid-teleport while bringing her along, but it couldn't possibly be good. She probably has at least that much self-preservation.]

hey, uh.

[It's fine. It's fine, it's not a big deal. His grin widens a bit and he tries to just laugh it off.]

come on. you know, uh, you know what they say about crying over spilled milk, right? at least it didn't get the sandwiches. anyway, the mansion'll just clean it up eventually.

[The urge to defend herself is strong.]

I- I didn't... actually try it, I stopped before... before I actually tried.

[He must think she tried to, and only the event stopped her. But that's not true- she stopped herself! And she just... wasn't thinking clearly, wasn't really thinking at all. There's a lot on her mind. And a rewind is normally a pretty harmless way to fix something simple, like spilling something...

It would only have been like two seconds. Two seconds, Sans, it wouldn't have hurt anyone, and it's not her fault that he's... somehow insanely vulnerable to it, she didn't fucking ask for this okay? She's just trying to fix the damn puddle on the floor! Is that really so effing horrible?

But of course she's not allowed to fucking make mistakes, is she, because people always seem to end up-

Jesus Christ, calm down!

What the hell is wrong with you recently?

Fortunately, Max is unable to find the words to express what she's feeling, though her expression shows some of it. It takes her a moment to even realize that he's no longer talking to her, and that he's not mad.

She strides over to the kitchen table and dumps the sandwiches on it, then grips the edge, steadying herself.

Stupid. Stupid to want to cry over something so small.

God. I need to get it together.]

Y-yeah.

[She looks so upset. Like she's feeling a thousand different things at once. It's impossible to track it all, nor does Sans really want to. Her feelings are her own.]

[But there's something like regret there, and also resentment.]

i believe you.

[He does. It's probably--it's probably just automatic for her, the same way Frisk reaches for their Save, one of those things that just becomes habit. Not a big deal. Wasn't a big deal until it started having consequences. And that's his fault, isn't it? His own damn fault. His fault for being--for being as weak as he is, for being a freak, for not having gotten over it by now. It was months and months ago now, it's--it's fine.]

[She dumps the sandwiches on the counter. Her back is to him. Sans stays near the fridge. Watching the milk spread. She's this upset, and he went and made a joke, like he always does.]

sorry.

[He stuffs his hands in his pockets. It's really kind of uncomfortable, considering his hoodie is still soaked. Like sticking his hands in soggy mittens.]

maybe i, uh...i mean, i can go if you want. i don't wanna just...yanno. be a bad reminder.

[Just something to make her feel guilty.]

[He starts apologizing and backing out- like he's the one that spilled the milk, or almost rewound. Like it's his fault. That's so...

That's so Sans.

She takes a deep breath and exhales it shakily as she slowly loosens her grip on the table.

A bad reminder of what..? she wants to ask him, wondering how much he knows. But she lets the moment pass.]

No, it's... okay. I should... be more chill. It's not your fault.

[She turns to him, blinking to clear her eyes, and reaches out to hand him a sandwich awkwardly.] It's not... you. And anyway, I have to thank you for the, the pick up.

[And she also doesn't want to end up stuck alone in the kitchen, where obviously strangers will be coming and going.]

[Seems like he just made it worse. Shouldn't have said so much. Should've just said sorry and teleported.]

[And leave her all alone when she's clearly upset? Yeah, what an improvement. But hey, as far as he's concerned, most things are improved with a general lack of Sans.]

nah, uh. don't think you "should" be anything. it's all...yanno, pretty complicated stuff.

[He smiles faintly as she hands him the sandwich. Bygones, maybe. He accepts it.]

i think a sandwich is pretty good payment.

[She tries to accept his words, so clearly trying to make her feel better- but all she manages to do is nod, still unable to meet his eyes. Instead she focuses on her sandwich. She peels the wrapping off gingerly, and takes a small bite, trying to ignore the fact that it tastes like cardboard to her, and she's not actually hungry at all.

She just stuck her head in the fridge because she was crying.

Dumb.

A heavy sigh escapes her and she swallows the small bite, with difficulty.]

...I mean it. Thank you. I was... pretty sure you'd help me.

[He munches the sandwich slowly. Hey, PB&J. And by some miracle, his is monster food, so there's no concern about it getting literally stuck to his ribs.]

course. it's no problem. i mean, uh...gotta admit, a year or even just a few months ago, i probably wouldn'ta done anything. it's kinda my thing...not doing anything. guess i've turned over a new leaf, heh. or maybe i've just--just made too many friends here to keep that up.

[It's terrible. He cares all the time now. It's exhausting.]

[It's also probably worth it.]

[He's not quite looking at her either, mostly because this is--heh, this is some real mushy territory he's gotten into, and it's kinda selfish, talking about himself when she's so clearly having a real bad time.]

seems like this event's weighing heavy on you. yeah?

[And it seems like more than just an attempted rewind, more than just Sans and his stupid hang-ups, more even than just flooded hallways and constant Resets. She'd--now that he thinks about it, back in her room she'd almost looked like she'd been crying.]

That's great, Sans. [It starts out kind of dry, but halfway through she realizes she means it, and her voice pitches up with genuine feeling.] You're actually growing.

[And she gets to see it. She remembers when they first met- the picture she took that time is one of her favorites in Wonderland. And she remembers when he found out about the rewinds too, and the whole fiasco that followed, and how he owned up to it. How he eventually apologized in his own way, and she saw how hard that was for him.

She's really watched him change. The thought fills her with some gladness, to be part of that point in Sans' life.

There's a joke on the tip of her tongue, that's he's only growing in personality and not height, but she can't quite get it out. Then he asks that question and it dies in her mouth.]

I- uhh. [What does she say to that?] I guess...

[He's not expecting that. No one wants to hear people talking about themselves, talking up their personal growth when you yourself are having a bad time. It's not about him or whatever changes he's made as a person. He honestly just sort of expects her to ignore the statement entirely.]

[But she doesn't. He can tell she's feeling down about something, something big. He knows full well what that's like, to get caught up in your own head and stop really caring about who and what's around you, because it all just takes too much energy. Sans at least can't make the effort at all on the worse days. But here she is, being sincere, giving it importance.]

[He's not worth it, he knows. He doesn't deserve it. It's not like he's changed that much, and what does it even really matter if he has?]

heh. growing sideways maybe.

[He rubs the back of his skull, looking away again and munching his sandwich. It's nice of her to say, at least. Means that maybe he actually has changed in some kind of fundamental way.]

if you don't wanna talk about it, i won't ask.

[As he makes the joke, she only takes another small bite out of her sandwich to hide the fact that she doesn't laugh.

And she is happy for him. That he's coming to some sort of conclusion that he can have friends and care about them. Though she's a little bit jealous, too, because he's improving and she's sort of slipping backwards.

Okay, not just a little bit.

It's a dumb thought. Selfish. She tries to push it down but it persists, brooding in the background.

She swallows with difficulty and spends a long pause just thinking about what to say. She could tell him. She could let all the words and thoughts fall out. She could. They could pretend it would help. Pretend it would make her feel better.]

I don't want to talk about it. [She says, her voice small.]

[It occurs to him that he's never seen her like this. Never seen her this down, this bad. She's shy and prone to self-doubt, he knows, but she's usually more upbeat, even when things are going wrong.]

[Whatever it is must be pretty damn bad.]

[But he nods. It's none of his business. Or maybe it is, maybe it's something that will end up coming back to bite his tailbone later, like rewinds--but eh. Oh well. He'll deal with things as they come. He always does.]

gotcha. won't say another word.

[She tosses the sandwich into a trash can. She misses, of course, and it lands on the floor with a sad smack.]

But thanks for the help, you know...

[Deep down she knows she has to talk about it to someone, or else she's gonna completely explode at some point. Or maybe just fade away and disappear.

But what would Sans say? Yikes? For that matter, what would anyone say?

Chloe was the one she talked to about this stuff. Even when Chloe didn't know what to say, what she did end up saying was, without fail, the right thing to say. The thing that would cheer Max up. Or piss her off. But it felt right.

Max isn't even sure how many people know Chloe and her are a thingWere a thing. It feels so crazy to think that they actually were a couple. Crazier still to realize it was all for nothing in the long run.]

Thanks anyway.

[She slowly sits at the table, folds her arms on its surface, and lays her head on them, covering her face.]

[Sans watches her and then looks away when the sandwich hits the ground. He...probably shouldn't be here. Should probably give her space. He wishes he knew what was going on, but even then, what help would he be? He's not good at comforting people. Never has been. The most he could offer would be a shrug and a vague mutter of "that sucks."]

[Besides, he said he wouldn't say another word. So he won't.]

[He just kind of slinks away to the counter and eats his own sandwich in silence, giving her as much space as she needs. If she wants to talk, she will. In the meantime, the best he can do is make himself as unobtrusive as possible.]

[And, unsurprisingly, she doesn't say a word for a long, long time. Often a little sniff or sigh escapes her, punctuating the silence. But she doesn't look up and she doesn't talk. At some point, she's not even sure he's still in the room. If he is there, she's impressed at how he actually doesn't speak.

Her hair and clothes start to dry a little. They could be going through time loops and never notice- nothing really seems to happen that distinguishes one moment from the next.

But, eventually, her breathing evens out. The sniffs stop. It becomes obvious that she's fallen asleep, having tired herself out.]

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[video] time and time again and time again and time again

[Action] 3/3 - Decided to make this 3 parts!

[action] damn son

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