A fishy tail

Chap 2

Papyrus was right about sleep being good for them. Good for the little mermaid, but certainly not for the employees. A little rest and a lot of food, and their feisty resistance was doubled. Apparently most of his fellow co-workers didn't get the memo that they'd possibly dangerous or aggressive, as two were bitten- the wounds deep, they had fangs- all of them were splashed, and one of them had briefly been dunked into the water after stepping too close.

There was good news, however. Their magic-made tail seemed to be lightening in color- turning more blue slowly. Which was great, but it confirmed Papyrus's fear. They had been very, very close to death. Their magic had turned gray from exhaustion and starvation, the injuries doing nothing to help. The mermaid had most likely struggled hunting after the injuries, unable to swim fast enough to get their prey.

But didn't mermaids live in their own societies? The injured and ill should be taken care of, right? Even the "violent" mermaids, Sirens, lived in packs. What little information they had on mermaid society stated they had their own undersea civilizations. Maybe this one was a loner, or something? Papyrus couldn't be sure but he was very worried about this stranger, for more reasons than this.

They always looked so tired. Exhausted in a way that sleep would never reach. Almost resigned, but not yet. It felt.... as if they'd been alone for a very long time.

His soul ached to help in a way it hadn't before.

Which, was probably why he was here at this time. Undyne and Jerry were on guard duty, Papyrus had access back here and went to go check-in on the mermaid. He'd briefly checked over the last person's reports- nothing too interesting happened. The skeleton turned towards the tank, to build his nerve to try to approach them, but he hadn't expected what he saw. They were peaking out of the water, eyelights studying him. It was hard to read what they were thinking, a lazy smile seemed to always be on their face- but it seemed tense.

They were nervous. Terrified, lost, injured and utterly alone. Papyrus wanted to try to help with the last part at least.

" Hello! My Name's Papyrus, I'm Glad You're Starting To Heal! Is It Alright If I Join You Up There? I Won't Go Near The Water If It Makes You Uncomfortable" Papyrus introduced himself, though was unsure if they even knew the common language up here. But at least it'd be a good place to start, right?

To his joy, they hesitantly nodded.

The tall skeleton made his way up the stairs, plastic bag filled with a gift bought just for them in hand. They were fed raw fish daily, and though sushi was exactly that, the other ingredients added extra flavor- not to mention more vitamins that would be necessary for them in their starved state.

They had dipped back underneath the water while he'd climbed, reappearing as he reached the top. Their eyelights trained onto the bag, fairly suspicious of it's contents. Papyrus smiled, untying the bag to retrieve the sushi box and show it to the other skeleton.

" I Brought You Some Food. It's Called 'Sushi'. It's Made Of Raw Fish, Rice, And Vegetables! A Healthy Meal That Will Help You Get Better" Papyrus informed, getting a bit closer to slide it within the monster's reach if they wanted, and backed away again to give them some room. Papyrus had his own box, pulling it out while taking a seat on the floor. They warily watched him- probably trying to decide whether it was safe or not. The land-dweller knew that they'd be uncomfortable if he watched, so he focused on enjoying his meal.

Papyrus felt his soul lighten when they reached out for it. The monster took their time observing the container before opening it and taking a small bite out of one. Their eyelights brightened a bit, and they no longer hesitated to eat the offered food. Papyrus couldn't help but be fascinated at the sight of their fangs- the long ones at the edge of their smile that they couldn't hide, and the ones only visible when their mouth was open. It was neat. He managed to look away before they caught him staring.

It's comfortably quiet for a few moments before they tapped against the ground to gain his attention. The skeleton makes a hand movement- it took a second for him to realize it's sign language.

" Oh! You Speak In Hands? That's Neat! I Know Hands, Could You Repeat What You Said? If You Want To."

Papyrus didn't want to make them feel pressured in any way. They repeated their motion, 'could you repeat your name?'

" Of Course! My Name Is Papyrus, I'm Here To Help You" Papyrus stated, " What Is Your Name?"

"s-a-n-s" they spelled.

" I- I Know This Is Bit Awkward Of A Question, But-"

Luckily, they seemed to know what he was asking and signed, " boy."

Papyrus beamed at him, pleased at the progress.

" It's Great To Meet You Sans, Even If It Is Under Very Unfortunate Circumstances. I Know You Are Missing Your Home, But You Are Very Injured. We're Here To Help You Get Better, So Then You Can Go Back Safely. But Until That Time, I Would Like To Be Your Friend! I Will Answer Any Questions You Have About Up Here" Papyrus continue on, watching that tense smile fall a bit in disappointment. That is, up until he said 'be your friend'. Sans had looked a bit surprised, but not displeased, and it made him wonder if his newest companion also experienced that kind of loneliness?

"you want something back, right?" Sans frowned, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Papyrus was taken back at the distrust, but it did make sense. He had every reason to be distrustful.

" Hmm, Yes. I'd Like If You'd Let Me Help You Get Better. Your Tail Still Needs To Be Stitched, And After The Wounds Are Healed, We Can Begin To Make A Prosthetic For The Missing Fin." Papyrus felt a pang of concern at how surprised he was. Sans clearly expected something far worse. It made him wonder if it was because Sans had a bad life before here, or if there were only bad stories of the Land-dwelling species. Or maybe Sans had had a bad experience before this? Those wounds could've been caused by a foolish fisher, believing in those idiotic old stories of immortality gained by consuming a mermaid.

The very thought made him shudder in horror.

Sans slowly nodded, thinking something but debating on whether or not to ask. He ends up giving in and asking, which Papyrus is thankful for.

' I'll answer some questions about ocean life, if.. you bring some more?' Sans gestured to the empty container, a bit sheepish at asking. Papyrus immediately nodded, feeling a bit guilty about not letting him know he had planned on doing that anyway, but the excitement of being able to learn about the once unknown society and life of mermaids overtook it.

"Deal! Tomorrow, I'll Bring Something Tasty, And Then We'll Help With Your Tail, Okay?"

Sans visibly winced.

"I Know Last Time Was... bad. Really bad. The Others Didn't Know That that Kind Of Medicine Doesn't Work On Us Skeletons, But This Time They'll Have The Correct Medicine, So It Shouldn't Hurt At All. If It Does, We'll Stop And Find A Way For It To Not Hurt, Alright?"

"promise?"

Papyrus didn't hesitate, " I Promise."

After the interaction, Sans had sunk down to sleep, and Papyrus checked in with Undyne before starting to head home. That night before bed, he sent a text to Alphys.

"[Bring The Kiddy Pool. We'll Need It For Work Tomorrow.]"