[Savrou | IC Contact]

[coolskeletonnyehntyfive]

"Hello there! I see you were trying to reach me! What a wonderful idea! Sadly, the great Papyrus is unavailable to take your call at the moment, but that's okay! I'll probably call you back in about a minute, so go ahead and state your name and business!"

((OOC note: Papyrus nearly always answers on the first ring, so you can also go ahead and play it like that happened if you like.))

Comments

TEXT; A COUPLE DAYS AFTER SANS' TRIAL

[neveroutwrenched]

hey i know this is probably....not the BEST time for you but i'd

i mean if youre okay with it i''d like to ask you a couple things

im sure you know what about.

[coolskeletonnyehntyfive]

[Oh, no. Papyrus figures it can only be about one thing, but resolves to keep his cheerful demeanor. What sort of morale officer gets caught not smiling? Especially when they're a skeleton!]

HELLO, RATCHET!

I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE FOR ME!

[neveroutwrenched]

[Ratchet's not surprised to be met by Papyrus' usual enthusiasm, which shines through even in text. He's not going to dance around the subject though, even though he knows it can't be pleasant.]

who is chara?

[coolskeletonnyehntyfive]

I'M... NO LONGER SURE?

I THOUGHT THEY WERE THE ONE THAT CAME TO MY TOWN FROM THE SURFACE, BUT THERE'S ANOTHER HUMAN, FRISK, WHO SAYS IT WAS THEY! BUT FRISK'S STORY DOESN'T ADD UP WHILE CHARA ACTS MUCH MORE LIKE THE HUMAN I MET, AND IT MAKES MY SKULL HURT TO TRY TO SORT IT OUT.

WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE IS THAT CHARA IS DEFINITELY IN NEED OF HELP. THEY'RE VERY LOST, AND THEY SEEM TO THINK THE ONLY THING THAT WORKS IS INCREASING THEIR LOVE.

[neveroutwrenched]

[Ratchet drags a hand down his face. Well that explained the look-alikes. This alternate reality stuff was a headache.]

well i agree with you that chara needs help. but you....i think you lost me. what do you mean 'increasing their love'? That was about the least lovable kid i've ever met

[coolskeletonnyehntyfive]

OH, NO! I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT LOVE! I MEAN, NOT THE SORT OF LOVE THAT INVOLVES TALKING TO SOMEONE YOU HAVE FEELINGS FOR IN A VERY HOT VOICE!

NOT TO BE VULGAR, BUT WHEN I SAID LOVE, I WAS TALKING ABOUT CHARA'S LEVEL OF VIOLENCE. THEIRS IS VERY HIGH, AND IT TROUBLES ME. I DON'T THINK THEY KNOW ANY OTHER WAY TO HANDLE THEIR PROBLEMS, AND THEY HAVEN'T BEEN RECEPTIVE TO MY EXAMPLES.

[neveroutwrenched]

level of violence... geez. geez.

[It made sense. He didn't want it to make sense, but it did.]

i dont understand...if you knew about this, why didnt you tell anyone??

[coolskeletonnyehntyfive]

I HAD NO IDEA THEY WERE HERE AT ALL UNTIL THE INCIDENT IN THE GARDEN!

[It's so awful, and now everyone knows about that. Sans's trial made his near-death public knowledge, and Ratchet's not the first person to go 'what the hell' at him. He still believes he did the best he could, but everything that happened after...

It's really hard to talk about, but he tries.]

I GUESS I THOUGHT MAYBE THINGS WOULD BE DIFFERENT THIS TIME IF I TRIED EXTRA HARD TO SHOW THEM THE WAY. I THINK THERE'S STILL GOODNESS IN THEM, THEY JUST DON'T REMEMBER WHERE TO FIND IT YET.

[neveroutwrenched]

i get that

[He really did.]

but people could have...people DID get hurt. chara got hurt. [Died.]

but that still doesn't explain why. i know chara attacked you, but you didn't even get hurt. not really. why did sans have to kill them?

[coolskeletonnyehntyfive]

[There's a very long pause before the next message comes in. Actually, it's only about ten minutes, but Papyrus answers his messages so promptly that it might as well have been hours.]

RATCHET, I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS, BUT YOU'RE A VERY COOL FRIEND AND I HOPE THE TRUTH MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER, OR UNDERSTAND THIS STICKY SITUATION A LITTLE MORE CLEARLY.

YOU SEE

[Another pause, this one closer to twenty minutes.]

IF I'M RIGHT, SANS REMEMBERS A TIME WHEN THEY DIDN'T FAIL.

[neveroutwrenched]

[Ratchet stares at the message for what feels like ages, a cold chill running up his spine, all too familiar.]

a time when chara....killed you.

[coolskeletonnyehntyfive]

I'D APPRECIATE IT IF YOU DIDN'T BRING THESE THINGS UP WITH SANS. HE'D ONLY BE MORE UPSET IF HE KNEW YOU KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO THE UNDERGROUND, I THINK.

I ONLY WISH I KNEW THE BEST WAY TO HELP CHARA WITHOUT ANYONE GETTING HURT. THE PROBLEM WITH LOVE OF THAT VARIETY IS ITS INHERENT PROPERTY AS A SLIPPERY SLOPE. HOW DO YOU STOP SOMEONE FROM GOING DOWN THAT PATH WHEN THEY'RE ALREADY WELL ON THEIR WAY?

[neveroutwrenched]

i- i'll try not to.

[Ratchet doesn't make any promises. He doesn't want to bring it up with Sans any more than Papyrus wants him to, but he's not going to lie to him about it either.]

i dunno. maybe you dont. [But he didn't really believe that. Chara was too young to say that they were past help. Besides, the Chara he'd talked to hadn't been violent. There was something there.]

we'll figure it out. chara will be back. and if you and sans are keeping any other secrets that might put the rest of the crew in danger; don't. youre not helping anyone doing things that way, least of all chara.

[coolskeletonnyehntyfive]

TRY YOUR BEST, RATCHET! I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!

[Papyrus doesn't believe for an instant that there's no hope, but he doesn't argue the point. Ratchet's moved on with the conversation anyway.]

THAT'S RIGHT! I NEARLY FORGOT, DEAD IS MORE OF A... TEMPORARY STATE HERE. NOT THAT I RECOMMEND IT.

I DON'T KNOW IF I KNOW ANYTHING ELSE THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT, BUT IF I KNOW ABOUT IT, YOU'LL BE THE FIRST TO KNOW!

YOU KNOW?