melodiesofeternity | [Closed] From Heart to Stomach

Entry tags:

[Closed] From Heart to Stomach

Who: Papyrus & Madhuri (Open to a very sneaky Frisk)
When: August 16th
Where: Sparks Golsaucia, The Lady of Bliss and Madhuri's apartment
What: It's a date! Gotta catch a show and then cook dinner together.
Warnings/Notes: Papyrus. Nerds. Gratuitous foodiness.

The applause was uproarious. Each actor and actress quickly collected upon the stage to link hands and give their final bow, the orchestra playing the final overture. Weeks of hard work paid off for premiere night, allowing all of Vaikuntha to feast their eyes on a sweeping love story: An Otherworlder falls in love with a Native, but saves the world and is granted the chance to go home. But do they stay and live their life with their love, leaving family, work and friends, or do they depart...?

Madhuri gave her applauding hands a rest and sighed, resting her hat upon the table. As the owner of the establishment, a private box seat was always in the wings for her. Tonight, she took in a date. She turned to him, smiling.

"I'm elated that Rosemerta - the woman playing Beatrice in tonight's production - was able to overcome her fear of the stage. She'll have a wonderful career here in the Lady!"

She crossed her ankles. "What did you think, dear? I realize I never asked if you've seen an opera before."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I'm counting on you!" Because time would be of the essence if this was gonna be a proper dinner date.

Two minutes later, Madhuri's helpful little kitchen timer in the shape of a chocobo gave a little ring-a-ding-ding.

"It's time." She went for the pot and hurried it over to the sink to drain in the colander. Warmed bowl, two forks, it was simple enough to mix the noodles like an unconventional salad. She'd never had pasta salad, sshh.

The parmesan sauce took to the heat of freshly-drained spaghetti, melting and forming the silky velvet. White wine added a sweet, dry bite to balance the salt of the bacon. With some pepper to add piquancy, the combination was complete: A garlic-touched, peppery, smooth and rich pasta dish. Spaghetti Carbonara!

Papyrus gazed upon their culinary creation with big, googly, and slightly teary eyes. No, he wasn't going to cry. Of course not. That would be silly. He just got... salt in his eyes. Yes! Of course.

Even so, that giddy smile and the balled up fists conveyed his excitement clear as day.

"IT'S... IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL!!! MAJESTIC, EVEN!!!"

A bit of an overreaction, perhaps? But still. Madhuri clearly knew what she was doing. And to think he contributed, too!

"The most majestic pasta Vaikuntha has ever seen!" She snapped twice for sassiness, and departed to the table to get the glasses turned upright, ready for filling.

"And with a little drink to go with it, dinner's ready! Please, come have a seat and I'll get something to wet the whistle and go with the food." Goodness, where was her water jug...? Okay, here it is. The wine was chilling, good, good... wait, did he drink wine? She'd forgotten.

"I'm so sorry if this sounds like a repeat: Do you drink?"

Oh! That was... a good question. One that earned a slightly nervous laugh. His head ducks a little- albeit briefly. He doesn't want to appear too sheepish, after all! But, wow. Drinks. Presumably mature, sophisticated drinks.

"OH! WELL. I DO DRINK LIQUIDS, YES. BUT YOU'RE PRESUMABLY REFERRING TO MORE ALCOHOLIC SUBSTANCES, TO WHICH, ERM. WELL." Drat.He was going to sound so childish, wasn't he? Even if he's legally an adult! Right.

He just needed the right phrasing to encapsulate his maturity. Yes. Maybe?

"I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS! ONLY THE CLASSIEST OF BEVERAGES FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS!!! ...WHICH IS TO SAY THAT I'M SURE WHATEVER YOU HAVE WOULD BE DELIGHTFUL."

There. Nailed it.

He was nervous. That was so adorable. With a passive smile, she reached back into the icebox and selected the second bottle instead. She wasn't about to have him overdo it and make himself sick, so the sparkling apple cider would do just fine without the pip and buzz.

It poured in chilly gold and fine little bubbles as she filled the wine glasses, and the water was... well, water. Nothing really fancy about it. She settled into her seat and crossed her ankles.

"Now, then... what was your spark, if I may ask? What made you decide to take up your career back home?"

Ooh, how intriguing! For a few seconds, he watched the bubbling liquid flow. But once it was ready, he too plopped down. The question that followed gave him pause. In fact, before he even reached his drink, he pulled his hand back, face downcast, and tapped his fingers against the tabletop.

It was... a good question, certainly. Looking back, he never would have expected to end up in this position. Lab partner to the Royal Scientist, with so many accomplishments... but still few friends.

Nyeh heh... Well. No reason to keep it a secret, really.

"IT'S... WELL, IT'S A FUNNY STORY. BACK WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I ACTUALLY THOUGHT SCIENCE WAS JUST FOR NERDS! BUT MY BROTHER WAS JUST SO PASSIONATE ABOUT IT. HE'D SPEND HOURS UPON HOURS OUT AT THE LAB, ASSISTING... HIM WITH HIS LATEST PROJECTS. I REALLY DO THINK SANS WANTED TO BECOME THE NEXT ROYAL SCIENTIST ONE DAY."

He paused, finally taking a sip before continuing.

"AND HE... GOT WHAT HE WANTED. JUST NOT THE WAY HE WANTED IT. AND I SUPPOSE AFTER A WHILE, IT WAS TOO MUCH? HE NEVER SAID. BUT ONE DAY, WE JUST PACKED OUR THINGS AND MOVED TO SNOWDIN. SOME TIME LATER, HE TOLD ME HE WAS GOING TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD. NO EXPLANATION. JUST A SPONTANEOUS CAREER CHOICE AND THE END OF HIS SCIENTIFIC EXPLOITS..."

Sighing, Papyrus leaned back, a distant look on his face. "IT JUST FELT WRONG TO LET HIS DREAM DIE."

So the lazy brother wanted to be a scientist, bore a passion. But he suddenly swapped to guard duty. Papyrus entered the resulting void. She had to wonder what was going through Sans' head when he made his decision.

"Dreams can shift. Perhaps he wanted to aid people in a different way, somewhere that he can directly interact with the folks he's helping. It's quite sweet of you to take the mantle regardless! Someone needs to be the Royal Scientist, and it changed your mind on science strictly existing for 'nerds'."

She canted her head. "But... what of you? Do you enjoy your work, or do you wish you were doing something else?"

Ah... That's a question he's heard many times, including from his brother. Looking down at his plate, he takes a moment to nudge the noodles with his fork. "WELL, OF COURSE I DO! SCIENCE OPENS THE DOOR TO SO MANY AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES! NEW TECHNOLOGY. NEW DISCOVERIES! AND DISREGARDING THE MULTITUDE OF APPLICATIONS IN PUZZLERY, THERE'S THE OBLIGATORY COOL TELEPORTERS. AND SEXY ROBOTS! AND POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE BUT EQUALLY EXCITING LEVELS OF SPONTANEITY!!!"

Sure, it took a while for him to really get into it, but he was also... a kid. A kid who had no idea what he was getting himself into. Years of study and guidance from a super cool mentor certainly helped over the years.

"BUT EVEN SO, I JUST WONDER ABOUT SANS... IT'S SO HARD TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING THROUGH THAT SKULL OF HIS. AND HE'S GOT A REMARKABLY GOOD POKER FACE, TOO!"

Okay. She was gonna put a pin in 'sexy robots' and ask about that eventually, but it seemed more and more like he was perhaps convincing himself to a degree of how much he enjoyed what he did. Maybe he liked it now, but an obligation through necessity put a fly in the ointment.

"Whatever it may be, I get the feeling he may tell you in time why he did what he did. It sounded like a very tough decision nevertheless." Or he may never tell his brother, because such news would hurt him deeper than he'll ever know.

Papyrus was a damned good boy. It'd be difficult to break something even remotely heavy to him.

"Forgive me for prying. But thank you for discussing this with me. Perhaps I should share a few things with you in kind... it's fair, isn't it?"

Papyrus let out a sound like a sigh crossed with a moan before taking a few more bites. Not much he could do but contemplate, really. In the end, it was up to Sans to speak if he wanted to, and if not... well, the most he could do was encourage him to open up.

Still, with the offer on the table... He looked up from his meal, fingers drumming. "WELL, ONLY IF YOU'RE COMFORTABLE! BUT I'M MORE THAN WILLING TO LISTEN."

She read so much from that sound, and could understand it. She regularly surrounded herself with such guarded people that may never talk about what drew those deep lines in their face, what left them in regular stretches of silence. She could pry, certainly, but they'd just prickle. It was a tough spot to be in.

"Certainly. Well..." She steepled her fingers.

"There was an old kingdom, grand and shining, called Bael Turath. It was the pinnacle of technology, magic, and legend. The keyword is 'pinnacle'... and yet they wanted more. Where does one go when they're already at the top?"

She took a drink from her glass and leaned back. A fingertip traced the rim as she pondered how precisely to treat the end of the condensed version of the tale.

"A whole bunch of magic is appealing to a manner of creatures... demons especially. Demons, traditionally, are grand sweet-talkers as well. They promised higher power, the world and all that lay beyond their still-growing borders. Which, of course, they accepted. Foolishly."

Madhuri set her glass aside, and reached up to tap a horn. "A demon never makes a deal that they don't ultimately benefit from. The Bael Turathans got the power they wanted, but they themselves became corrupted. Children were being born with horns, spines and tails, scales and glowing eyes... their children were born a blend of human and the demons to which they made the deal. They would be born as a reminder of their ancestors' mistake, standing out like sore thumbs in society."

Papyrus listened to each word. It started pleasant enough. The description of this kingdom was enough to make him perk up after that sobering discussion, though at the mention of demons... He sank back down a little, rubbing his chin in contemplation. For a monster, the term 'demon' wasn't exactly evil, but human media certainly had a habit of portraying them as such. And the description Madhuri gave was rather... manipulative, maybe?

But.

Horns. Scales. Tail. All things that tie back to Madhuri.

He set his glass down, huffing. "WELL! IF YOU ASK ME, THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH HORNS OR SCALES. OR STANDING OUT!!! IN FACT, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, FIND THAT STANDING OUT IS OFTEN VERY GOOD! IT MAKES YOU UNIQUE."

Pausing, he averted his eyes. "AND ALSO YOU'RE. WELL. PRETTY? AND VERY KIND AND TALENTED, SO YOU SHOULD TAKE PRIDE IN THAT FACT! NYEH... HEH HEH."

There. A compliment. That was what people did on dates, wasn't it? If only he had the handbook with him...

It was always refreshing to hear. It was also never a surprise that someone like Papyrus would desire standing out. He had that sort of aura, even before he spoke. She didn't really like talking about Bael Turath, but fair was fair. But let's take the rest of the story to a time outside a date, hm?

She smiled, taking a bit of pride in the compliment. "Thank you. You're pretty easy on the eyes, yourself, Papyrus."

But the smile turned impish. She can't help it. "You've taken your calcium."

O-oh. Her comment brought a blush to his cheeks. Somehow. Y'know, despite the fact that he was rather skeletal, thus lacking skin or blood vessels.

He chuckled lightly, head ducked for a split-second. Wowie! He was not used to getting those sort of compliments. And... oh, she noticed? In an attempt to recover, he puffed out his chest and grinned.

"NYEH HEH HEH!!! BUT OF COURSE. CALCIUM IS CRUCIAL FOR BUILDING STRONG BONES! AND, NATURALLY, I WAX SAID BONES EVERY MORNING FOR ADDED SHEEN."

There. Totally confident. No awkwardness here, nope. Everything was A-okay. Though, given the compliment... "BUT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS! YOU TRULY DO HAVE AN INTENSE LEVEL OF DATING PROWESS."

Well, she didn't know where was such a thing as waxing bones, but when she put some thought into how one might wax and polish parts of musical instruments- typically made from some form of keratin, wood and even bone- it made perfect sense. He really took truly good care of himself.

Madhuri tipped her head. "Intense... really? I've heard such a thing before, but I simply go by what I know: You meet one another and simply have a great time getting to know each other."

A pause. "I made dessert earlier. Is that too intense?"

"OH, DON'T GET ME WRONG! INTENSE IS GOOD. ADMIRABLE, EVEN!!! I'M USED TO VERY INTENSE PERSONALITIES OF THE... BOULDER SUPLEXING VARIETY." His smile took a turn for the crooked. Did he give the wrong impression? That certainly wouldn't do!

"REGARDLESS, DESSERTS ARE CERTAINLY NOT TOO INTENSE FOR ME! IN FACT, THEY'RE QUITE WELCOME."

"Wonderful. I made tiramisu, I'll go get it."

She stood and went to grab it out of the ice box. She'd spent the morning putting it together, sponge and coffee, dessert cheese and cocoa all wrapped up in.

"I like to think it's my specialty! Smooth and espresso-y. It'll help settle the..." She paused.

"Theeee... stomach?" Pap. Hun. She hoped that pasta wasn't making a mess of her furniture underneath his skelly butt.

Fortunately for Madhuri, any food and drink just sort of... disappeared. Into the void. The mysterious, skeletal void. Still, her comment earned a laugh from him all the same.

"FEAR NOT! I MAY LACK A STOMACH, BUT I ALWAYS WELCOME A SUCCULENT SNACK."

But it looked so intriguing! Something different from the pies he'd tasted in the past. So, naturally, he grinned at the prospects of the treat. Although...

"I HAVE TO SAY, THOUGH. YOU REALLY DID THINK AHEAD, DIDN'T YOU?"

"Well, when you've been through all that I have, you learn that thinking ahead and having a couple of back-ups makes sure you wake up tomorrow."

She went ahead with serving it up, topping off glasses and the like. But she had to laugh, herself.

"Oh, that sounded rather dire, but my previous world's rather dangerous. It demands a bit of planning before heading outside, honestly. But the party I traveled with were a bunch of bullheaded boys who got into bundles of trouble. I was the 'fixer', I suppose, the one with the solutions and the back-up plans."

"OH." That sounded rather... sad. Though it seemed she picked on it fast, given the swift clarification.

He prodded his tiramisu in contemplation. It was tempting to ask about that danger, but what if he came across as too nosy? She'd already revealed quite a bit, after all!

"BOY, I KNOW HOW THAT FEELS. MY LAB PARTNER, BRILLIANT AS SHE IS, ACTS FIRST AND ASKS QUESTIONS LATER. SHE'S ALL ABOUT TAKING EXPLOSIVE RISKS. THEY USUALLY PAY OFF, BUT IT CAN BE SO EXHAUSTING TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH HER!!!"

It didn't help that she'd made some... very, very risky choices. Ones that cost her dearly. But, to keep his mind off of unpleasant memories, he proceeded to nibble on that treat. "BUT HONESTLY, I AM SORRY YOU HAD TO DEAL WITH SUCH HARDSHIPS! PERHAPS I'M LUCKY IN THAT RESPECT." Sure, being trapped Underground was unpleasant, but the only true danger came from his alliance with Frisk. Mostly due to Undyne.

How awkward.

"Never you worry. I'm still alive, aren't I? It's my lot in life because of what I am. The trick is realizing that I have gifts because of my lineage as well. Your partner sounds like..."

A casual, casual bite of tiramisu.

"A real blast."

He raised an index finger. Opened his jaw. Shut it. Made a sound like a sigh crossed with reluctant laughter. But dang it, he couldn't help but smile.

"YOU KNOW, WITH PUNS LIKE THAT, YOU'D PROBABLY GET ALONG WITH MY BROTHER." But... goodness, that certainly put a damper on things, didn't it? Even if she took it in stride. "BUT WHY SHOULD WHAT YOU ARE MAKE YOUR LIFE SO HARD! THAT'S JUST UNFAIR! ...THEN AGAIN, WE MONSTERS WERE ALL BANISHED UNDERGROUND DUE TO HUMAN FEAR. SO IT'S NOT LIKE I DON'T UNDERSTAND."

But still, the Underground was peaceful, all things considered. This... did not sound so peaceful. Even if she did take it well.

She had to have a little shimmy in her seat, proud of her stupid pun. Maybe she'd hit it off with Pap's brother, but that required him coming here someday. But would he do better here, or at home?

"It's unfair, but it's life. It's all in how you take it and not let it get under your skin. Or bones."

Then she grinned and opened her arms to gesture to the table and the lot of it.

"So, all that aside, what do you think? I swear so many people stress themselves sick over dates, but I can safely say I'm having a grand time. I dearly appreciate you coming all this way while I'm at it, Papyrus. Thank you. I just wanted to express that."

Okay, that bit of wordplay actually got a genuine chuckle outta him. Well played, Madhuri. She'd successfully cracked through the typical indignant display he gave his brother's jokes. Her grin was infectious, even, although...

He sagged in his seat a bit, rubbing at his neck and sighing. "WELL, IT'S BEEN VERY ENJOYABLE!!! THOUGH I ADMIT, I... DIDN'T QUITE KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. N-NOT BECAUSE OF ANY LACK OF SKILL! JUST. WELL."

Oh, this was going to sound so silly. What if it made him sound less cool? But then, she'd been so honest with him. Might as well be equally honest.

"I'VE... NEVER REALLY DATED ANYONE BEFORE. OR REALLY BEEN APPROACHED THAT WAY? OTHER THAN THAT ONE TIME FRISK FLIRTED WITH ME, BUT I'M FAIRLY CERTAIN THAT IN HINDSIGHT THEY WERE JUST BEING... FRISK."

"Frisk has game and will have no shortage of interested parties over time, that's for sure." You know. Once they stop threatening people with ninja skills. Or someone would like to date a ninja. Feel safe. Who knows?

"In any case, it's alright if you're a first-timer. Plenty of people out there date regularly and never quite settle. Others date and simply click. And I feel like there's someone for everybody, if only they open their heart to it and keep their eyes keen. As for me... I enjoy spending time with you."

She stood and tread around the table. She figured she'd wait until late, but heck with it: Papyrus gets a smooch on the cheek.

"I'd like to do it again sometime. But for now, please eat up and make yourself at home."

[Closed] From Heart to Stomach

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