Snow crunched under Frisk's boots as they advanced through Papyrus's increasingly ridiculous "puzzles." Ice blocks, strange switches, even a spaghetti trap that was somehow frozen to the plate—it was all so surreal. Yet, Papyrus had thrown himself into each scheme with earnest enthusiasm.
From behind a nearby tree, Sans watched the whole ordeal unfold. He leaned lazily with a hot dog in one hand and a grin on his face. "kid's got patience," he muttered. "or maybe they're just too polite to leave spaghetti frozen in the snow."
Papyrus leapt from behind a bush, striking a heroic pose. "BEHOLD! MY FINAL TRAP!"
Frisk stopped. In front of her was… a simple wooden bridge, complete with ropes and a pressure plate. She blinked. "...This is a bridge."
"NOT JUST ANY BRIDGE!" Papyrus announced. "ONCE YOU STEP FORWARD, YOU WILL BE SUBJECT TO MY MOST DEADLY… UH… WAIT." He fumbled with a lever nearby. "I FORGOT TO ACTIVATE IT."
He pulled the lever.
Nothing happened.
"…HMM. PERHAPS THIS ONE NEEDS MORE WORK."
Sans chuckled from the background. "you tried, bro."
Papyrus turned back to Frisk. "YOU MAY HAVE BESTED MY TRAPS… FOR NOW. BUT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, STILL HAVE ONE FINAL PLAN!"
Frisk raised an eyebrow.
"NYEH HEH HEH! I MUST GO HOME AND PREPARE FOR OUR DATE, HUMAN! MEET ME AT MY HOUSE!" Papyrus declared with dramatic flair, his scarf fluttering as he dashed off.
Frisk watched him go, then looked back at Sans.
Sans gave a shrug and winked. "guess he's really bone-ing up on romance."
Frisk groaned—quietly, but it was there.
"heh. tough crowd."
He turned, vanishing into a shortcut.
Frisk stood alone in the snow for a moment, then continued on the path toward Snowdin. Somehow, this day was getting weirder by the minute… but not in a bad way.