VOXISTALE: Novel Edition

Chapter 5

The ride to Sans and Papyrus' house was quiet and tense. Asgore was fuming, but also clearly worried and paranoid, constantly checking his rearview mirror and letting out small worried grunts from the back of his throat.

When they arrived, Frisk noticed Papyrus' car was gone, and Sans was standing at the front door, watching them pull into the driveway. "Sans will take care of you while I get to the bottom of this," Asgore said, trying his best to keep his voice steady. ". . . I'm sorry."

Frisk only gave him a nod as she vacated the vehicle, and walked over to Sans. Despite his usual grin, she could tell he knew the severity of the situation. "hey kiddo. pap is out with mettaton right now shopping for more birthday presents, but i told him you were comin' over, so he sent me this to show to you," Sans showed her his phone screen, which displayed a picture of Papyrus grinning widely and giving a thumbs-up. Frisk gave a halfhearted smile.

Sans gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder, "come on inside. i'll get you some hot tea. sit on the couch and just try to relax, alright kid?" he directed her to the couch before shuffling off to the kitchen as Frisk sat down, her body slightly shaking uncontrollably.

After a few moments that seemed like hours, Sans walked back out into the living room, with two cups of hot tea in his hands. He offered one to Frisk, and she took a few moments before accepting it.

Sans sat down beside her, and that was that. He didn't push or pry her with questions, didn't continue to try and make her relax, just simply sat there with her in silence, something Frisk could really appreciate at the moment. She just needed time to relax on her own terms. Tonight's events, alongside fears Frisk already had in her subconscious . . . it had been traumatic, to say the least. A few minutes of silence passed, though it wasn't awkward silence. It was comfortable. As much as Frisk enjoyed the quiet, she felt happy to have Sans around. Surprisingly, she was the one to break this silence.

"Can I use your phone?" she asked Sans in a somewhat steady voice.

It was already in his hand before she'd finished her sentence. He handed it to her silently, and she accepted it. Sans was rarely ever this quiet, and Frisk had only seen him like this just a couple of times over the years. That either meant he was scared, the situation was deeper and even more serious than what it seemed on the surface, or both.

"Thank you," she muttered as she began dialing the first number on her mind. She would have used her own phone, but the mobile data had expired. She'd only been able to get ahold of Asgore with it thanks to a phone plan that allowed for rare emergency calls, Asgore's number being treated similarly to calling 112 or 110.

The phone rang for a few seconds before the person on the other end answered. She could hear someone briefly clear their throat. "Terrence?" Frisk said quietly.

"Hey, Frisk, me and Greg are on our way right now. So, I didn't know whether to get the blue party hats or-"

"There's, um . . . a change of plans," Frisk interrupted. "The party's off, can you guys come to Sans and Papyrus's house?"

There was a pause, likely Terrence taking in how rattled she sounded. "Yeah, I know where that is. We'll be there soon. Everything alright?"

"Not really, but I'd rather not tell you over the phone."

"That's alright. We'll be there soon."

The line went dead as Frisk handed the device back to Sans, who accepted it, placing it back into one of his jacket pockets. A few more minutes passed, Frisk taking the occasional sip of tea, but it was difficult to stomach. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and Sans looked over. Frisk stood, approaching the door, twisting the knob and opening it for her friends.