It would be a while before Frisk saw me again. In the meantime, her journey continued at a relentless pace. She was chased by Undyne more than once, stumbled into Napstablook's place, discovered the quirky Temmie Village, and somehow survived all the escalating chaos. I couldn't help but admire her persistence—even if it likely took her a few deaths and respawns to figure it all out.
Eventually, she reached Hotland, where I had originally been napping. She made her way to Dr. Alphys' lab, where things got even weirder. That's when she met him—Mettaton, the killer robot with a flair for the dramatic. After barely surviving a deadly cooking show, taking on two Royal Guards, dealing with Muffet's sticky business, and watching Mettaton deliver a tragically overacted tale of star-crossed lovers, she finally reached the MTT Resort.
And that's where I was waiting.
"Hey. I heard you're heading to the CORE," I said, casually leaning against the wall. "How about grabbing some dinner with me first?"
Frisk gave a small nod. "Yeah."
"Great. Thanks for treating me."
I led her through a shortcut—classic sans. The restaurant was quiet, warm, and oddly comforting. A perfect place for reflection.
"Well, here we are. So your journey's almost over, huh? You must really wanna go home." I paused. "Hey, I know that feeling, buddo. But y'know... sometimes, it's better to take what's given to you."
I wasn't even sure if that was me speaking, or the echoes of Sans from before I... well, became him. I may have been trapped in the Underground, but knowing how the True Pacifist ending would play out made everything feel just a bit easier to bear.
"Down here, you've already got food, drink, friends... Is what you have to do really worth it?"
Frisk stayed silent. I didn't blame her.
"...Ah, forget it. I'm rootin' for ya, kid."
I leaned back in the booth. "Hey, lemme tell ya a story. So, I'm a sentry in Snowdin, right? I sit out there and watch for humans—it's boring. But there's this locked door deep in the woods. Perfect for knock-knock jokes. One day, I'm knockin' like usual, and a woman's voice calls out, 'Who's there?' So I say, 'Dishes.' And she goes, 'Dishes who?'"
I grinned. "Dishes a very bad joke."
Frisk chuckled lightly.
"She howled with laughter. So I kept 'em coming. She kept laughing. Best audience I ever had. Eventually, she started knockin' too. Told me one—'Old lady.' I said, 'Old lady who?' She said, 'Oh, I didn't know you could yodel.'" I chuckled, letting the memory sit with us.
"Anyway... We kept trading jokes. Became a thing. But one day, she wasn't laughing much. Told me something strange. She said, 'If a human ever comes through this door… could you promise to watch over them?' I hate promises. But someone who loves bad jokes that much… well, you can't say no to someone like that."
I looked across the table at Frisk.
"You get what I'm saying, right? That promise I made to her?" I stood, my tone sharpening. "You know what would've happened if she hadn't said anything?"
I let my sockets darken.
"Buddy—"
My grin dropped. I whispered flatly, "You'd be dead where you stand."
A long pause.
"...Hey, lighten up, bucko. I'm just joking with you."
I smiled again, more gently. "Besides, haven't I done a great job protecting you? I mean, look at yourself—you haven't died a single time."
She gave me a look. One of those you sure about that? looks.
"Hey, what's that look supposed to mean?" I asked with mock offense. "Am I wrong?"
I chuckled and walked toward the exit. Before I left, I turned back one last time.
"Well... that's all. Take care of yourself, kid. 'Cause someone really cares about you."
With that, I stepped out of MTT Resort.