un: sans | video

[ribticklers]

[At first, all you can see is blue before the gleaming light dims, reduced to staining the whole image like a filter. Sans stares wide-eyed at his bracer. It's not entirely clear he's aware he turned it on. His left eye flickers blue and, thanks to all the magic leaking, aqua-tinted yellow. Sans scrubs at his eye sockets. Is he crying? He seems as surprised by this as anyone watching might be. From the angle, it's clear Sans is on the ground. His liveriverer orb floats passively in the background.

Sluggishly, he seems to remember that his bracer is on, and looks back down at it.]

That show--I can't remember, but--You can't go. Stop working there. "Don't forget me", someone said that. I can't, I can't focus.

[Monsters are very sensitive to emotions. Sans is no different. His voice changes. One after the other, like reading off a list, he explains himself as dispassionately as possible. His voice still quivers.]

I went to the Night Show. To record it. I did record it. Didn't remember anything when I actually got out of the show, so I tried to watch the video. Passed out on the floor. That kind of emotion--that's, that's toxic. It's violent.

I don't think I remember-- [No. He's still recording. Focus, Sans.]

Listen to me: don't go to the Night Show.

Comments

[gotyourbach]

...

[Kaede trusts Sans. But she also knows that she goes to the show every night. It's not weird to get so focused on playing the piano that she forgets what goes on around her. Part of being a performer is not to pay much attention to the audience themselves.

But whatever it is has badly shaken him. Her hand goes to her heart, and it looks like she's trying to figure out what she wants to say.]

You have to let me see it.

[ribticklers]

[Sans doesn't look pleased about that idea. He doesn't look pleased about anything right now, even with how his face tends to look.]

It's not really a video I want to go around sharing with all my pals. [That's not an outright no, though.]

[gotyourbach]

It's my show. If something's going wrong that I can't see, I have to know about it! Arisato-kun and I...

[She hesitates, pauses, bites her lip and looks away from the video. Every time she tries to remember specifics about their shows, the details just feel locked away. She hasn't felt that kind of mental block since she was trapped in that Academy.

That's normal for a performer, though, right? She never really has paid attention to the audience. But Sans...]

Please. I have to see what's going on.

[ribticklers]

[If Kaede weren't in the show, Sans probably wouldn't agree to her seeing this. But as it is she has to go there every night already.]

Fine. You have to come here and watch it on my liveriver orb. No recording it, no putting it on the network.

[gotyourbach]

...Okay. I'm on my way.

[And it looks it, judging by the video; she's getting off a comfy hotel bed and getting her backpack and other supplies together. She hesitates again before glancing back to him.]

Should... should I bring you something, Sans-san...?

[ribticklers]

[A trip back home would be nice.] Don't worry about it.

video; -> action;

[gotyourbach]

Sans-san?

[When she does show up at the bakery, she looks relatively normal. She must have restrained her piano somewhere, or maybe she outran it in her haste to get through Shadowdale. Either way, she's alone, lips curved in a concerned frown as she looks around for her favorite (only known) skeleton.]

[ribticklers]

Hey. [Sans's face is locked into a grin, of course, but even so he doesn't look especially happy right now.] You ready to go right now?

[He's kind of hoping she isn't. She's not quite a child, but she's pretty close.]

[gotyourbach]

Of course!

[She pumps her fists, tries for a smile to match. It matches a little too well, actually; she's nervous. If something went wrong at the Night Show, does that make it hers and Minato's fault...? If Sans got hurt, or anyone else for that matter...

She claps her hands against her cheeks as if to firm her resolve, then nods.]

I mean... please. I need to know what's going on.

[ribticklers]

[Sans nods. He already agreed, he can't back out now. He'll check to make sure her bracer is off and then put up his hoodie to muffle the sound.] You want to turn it off, there's a button right here.

[Once Kaede is settled and ready, Sans starts the video and covers his ears.]

cw: drv3 spoilers

[gotyourbach]

I understand.

[She doesn't sit down. She braces herself, feet slightly spread, fists clenched at her sides, as if preparing to face a class trial. Her gut is already churning, her constant need to be upbeat for Sans' sake if no one else's warring with the sickening fear that something's gone wrong at her show, that it's hurting people. That her friends have been hurt already.

When she's ready, she takes a deep breath and nods. It's best to get bad things over with, after all.

It starts, and she screams, both hands flying to her temples as the worst headache of her life tears directly through her brain. And then the piano, harsh, discordant, and she screams again, covering her ears with her hands. It's too loud, it's too fast; even if she couldn't see the video, she can hear that she plays as if possessed.

And then all at once, the piano fades into the background, still there, still ugly, but not overwhelming her senses. Something tastes weird in her mouth, and she wonders absently if she's bitten her tongue. She's in a classroom. An interview? She doesn't recognize her own school uniform, but it fits her perfectly, doesn't look out of place. She's looking up at a camera and while she looks happy, there's nothing in her eyes. No emotion at all.

No, that's not quite right. Malevolence. Joy? A mixture of both. I'm perfect for a killing game, the Kaede in the blue uniform says cheerfully, looking into the camera -- looking into Kaede herself -- without blinking. I don't have any faith in humanity. Let me join the Kil--

All at once, she collapses unconscious to the cold floor, her body crumpling like a doll with its hands glued to its ears.]

[ribticklers]

[When Kaede screams, Sans goes rigid. It takes a great amount of willpower not to immediately try and shut the thing off, helped by not knowing if he'd just end up unconscious again if he tried. But when she collapses, he moves to catch her. He's too small for it to be graceful, but he can at least stop her from slamming into the ground.]

[gotyourbach]

[Kaede doesn't know Sans tried to catch her. She's a big heavy pile of deadweight on a one-way trip to the floor. But her delicate human skull probably appreciates not cracking directly into the ground.

It's several minutes before she wakes up, vision blurry, head still aching. Her mouth still tastes like blood and something stale, like she'd gone to bed without brushing her teeth.]

...Huh? [is all she can manage at first, tongue thick in her mouth. Slowly, she tries to push herself to sit up, feeling something wet against her hands. Her ears are bleeding. She rubs the back of her hand against her mouth, and finds that there's blood there, too.] Huh?

[ribticklers]

[In those several minutes, Sans managed to put her in a chair. This is probably better than the ground. It was kind of tough to do without carrying her around via spider web. You're welcome for not going that route, by the way, Kaede.]

Hey. [Sans's voice is carefully controlled. He feels bad he did this to her, but as far as he's concerned, he's gotten more than enough of his own feelings all over the place today.] You back with us?

[Does she want a napkin for the blood?]

[gotyourbach]

[That would have been an awful route! Thanks, Sans!

She takes the napkin, stares at it for a moment. Who cares if she's bleeding? Why does he care?

And then everything hits her at once. Of course he cares. Sans is her friend, an important ally she relies on in the Bureau. And that orb-]

T-that wasn't a recording of my show at all!

[The kindly-offered napkin ends up crumpled in her fist as she surges to her feet. The defiant attempt it somewhat ruined when she has to brace herself to keep from wobbling and falling over again, but she's absolutely certain of one thing.]

That was-- that has to be a different orb, that's not--!! Sans-san, you have to get rid of it!!

[ribticklers]

[Sans didn't expect a reaction like that, though he's not sure what he expected. It sounds like she saw something. Is she rejecting it, or did she really see something else?]

What did you see?

[gotyourbach]

That's not me!

[I'd be perfect for a killing game. I have no faith in humanity.

It's her voice, but it's the voice of that reflection from the caverns of Vista Virs, the voice she'd finally managed to drown out by keeping busy, by thinking about music and her friends and her mission. The voice that whispered that she's a lie, that nothing she did was real, that she just wanted an excuse to murder. That she wanted to be in that killing game.

She doesn't answer, but she makes a grab for the orb. If she can, she'll try to hurl it into the closest wall to try to shatter it.]

[ribticklers]

[Sans doesn't expect her to move, so she gets to the orb. His response is instant--he vanishes and reappears sideways on the wall, catching the orb before it smashes to bits. Still standing on the wall, he watches her.]

You should sit down. You're going to hurt yourself. [Or someone else.]

[gotyourbach]

Sans-san!

[She does not sit down. Her hands are clenched at her sides, breath coming hard through her nose. Is this is a joke? Sans wouldn't do something like this to her. There's no way.]

There's something wrong with that orb! It's-- it's cursed! It doesn't have anything to do with our show at all, so please, you have to get rid of it, it's just-- it's just making up horrible lies!

[ribticklers]

[Sans looks at the orb. For the second time today, he opens it up. Its insides look the same as always. This time, though, he doesn't mention there's a second recording on here. He's not showing it to Kaede again. Whatever she saw, it wasn't good for her.]

It could still be important for figuring this place out. [So no, he is not smashing the orb.] You don't need to tell me exactly what you saw, but it definitely wasn't the Night Show?

[gotyourbach]

Of course it wasn't! I wouldn't lie about something like that!!

[She's almost hysterical, the recording and the voice from the caverns reaching a fever pitch that makes her want to clap her hands over her ears again. It has to be a lie. It has to be a lie, or an awful trick, or something even worse.

She shakes her head, clutching both hands to her chest.]

T-That was... It has to be some kind of illusion. S-Something that reaches into your head and pulls out... pulls out stuff you're afraid of. That has to be it.

[ribticklers]

[Sans tucks the orb away with the rest of his things and gets down off the wall.] It could be that. We don't know how the magic in this place works.

[It also might not be that. Sans is inclined to think it's more true than she believes, just because if you really want to hurt someone, using something with some truth to it hits harder. Still, it's probably better for Kaede not to hear that.]

This place is getting into our heads. [That's true.]

[gotyourbach]

[It's a trick. It has to be a trick. Sans wouldn't hurt her on purpose, right? There's no way he's keeping that orb to blackmail her or something. No one would believe it.

No one would believe a murderer.

She stares down at her own hands, almost surprised by the napkin still clenched in her fist, and finally starts wiping at her lips. They sting like she's bitten them, and she's almost about to cry, but she won't- she refuses. She can't cry like this, not when Sans had already suffered so much.]

I-I... I have to go. I'm sorry, I can't say any more than that, b-but... that recording definitely wasn't... it wasn't the Night Show. I'm sorry.

[ribticklers]

Alright. [Sans wonders what she saw. He's sure that he won't be able to see it even if he tried. He doesn't know what to say, but he hopes Kaede goes to her friends with this. There are plenty of people better at dealing with these sorts of things than him.]

Even if it wasn't, be careful at work. Maybe it's nothing. [But be careful anyway.]

[gotyourbach]

I-I will. I promise I will. I'm sorry.

[She doesn't know what else to say. She doesn't know what else to think, or who to be. She turns, and leaves the bakery at a quick walk, quite literally trying to get away from her problems as fast as she can without running.]