lostcarnival | The Poor Decisions Continue

Entry tags:

lauren,
sans

The Poor Decisions Continue

Who: Lauren and Sans (And Stanley the Rat, and probably Sans' dogs.)
When: Day 50
Where: The Ringmaster's Treasure Tent or some other Prohibited Area.
What: Lauren is more than willing to resort to thievery if it means keeping his brother safe. Unfortunately Sans' job is to stop people who make bad decisions like this.

It wasn't difficult for Lauren to move about the carnival grounds unnoticed. He'd gone over the plan with Stanley several times, and while she didn't agree with the need of it she was still willing to assist him. She wasn't about to let her less intelligent human companion do something dangerous on his own. Plus, she couldn't help being curious about what sort of treasure the Ringmaster keep hidden from the rest of her crew. Lauren waited in the shadows, keeping a careful eye out for anyone who may be passing by, but at the early hour of 4:00 AM there weren't many people around. Once he was sure the coast was clear, and once he'd worked up his nerves, he focused inward on his magic and willed himself to transform. Stanley waited nearby for him to finish. They both assumed nothing would be off putting about a small fish just sort of swimming around. The mer-rat was was a bit less inconspicuous sure, but there wasn't much they could do about that.

Swimming together the two headed towards the areas people weren't supposed to go. It wasn't ever stated what these places held, but it was obvious enough that if people weren't mean to be there that they must contain something valuable or precious. Of course such places would likely be magically protected from anyone with ill intent, and this was why Stanley was so important to the plan. As a rat it was easy for her to sneak around places others couldn't, and as she had no intention of stealing anything hopefully she wouldn't set of any of the magical traps that might surround such a thing. Once she'd found something interesting she only had to tell Lauren, and then, well, and then maybe he could be quick enough about going in and out of the tent that he'd be able to escape without getting caught. To be fair, it wasn't a great plan, but well, it was one of the only plans he had.

So far phase one of the plan had gone off without any problem. Circling from above, Lauren was careful to make sure the coast was clear before swiming towards the ground and turning back into himself. Whispering words of luck to Stanley he placed her on the ground and watched as she made her way inside.

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Sans is just getting back into his performance week schedule at this point, anticipating another week of 15 hours shifts. Usually that involves being up all hours of the night, and as it happens, he hasn't quite passed out yet when his proximity spell gets a ping. Someone is entering her private areas, and he knows it's not her.

Teleporting makes everything easier, even if he has to put a lot more thought into it with water everywhere. He yawns once, and then concentrates on beaming himself on over there, making sure to accommodate for the water trying to occupy the same space as him. There is a quiet rush of water as it shifts to allow his entrance.

He makes a point of acting like he's not surprised to see that it's Lauren there - though it's a little harder to look cool when you're half trilobite.

"Hey, kid," he says, his own weariness showing. "Why don't you just go to bed?"

Sans sudden appearance startles him. If he had legs he would jump, but as it is he merely swims back a bit, hands up in a defensive stance. He's never had to fight in water like this before, but he's not afraid to either. When he realizes it's Sans whose caught him, he frowns. He hasn't broken any rules yet though. He stares at the skeleton while he thinks. If he left now he probably wouldn't be able to sneak back again anytime soon. He had to stay.

"...Couldn't sleep." It's a lie, and he's not great at telling them, but even if he was his proximity to this area is a reason enough to question the statement.

"I'm not stupid, kid," he says, rubbing at an eyesocket tiredly. "And with any luck, neither are you. There's nothing for you over here."

He doesn't know exactly what Lauren wants, but it can't be anything good for him. It's not worth the risk, plain and simple, especially when it's Sans's job to turn him in.

He isn't stupid, or at least not so stupid he doesn't know what's happening here. Sans is trying to let him off easy. Under normal circumstances he'd take the hint. If these were normal circumstances though he wouldn't be here. He tries to think of something he can say to make Sans go away, but can't. It was Susan who was good at talking people into things, not him. Still, he knows he can't just walk away.

"You don't understand."

"Maybe I do," Sans says, his voice still level and actually less threatening than average. He's not trying to intimidate at the moment, he's trying to reason. "But this is a bad place to talk."

He can probably make up an excuse for just about anything as the Warden, but he'd rather not. He gestures, beckoning for Lauren to follow him.

"C'mon. It'll be worth your time."

Either Sans was being honest, which Lauren found doubtful, or he was trying to trick him somehow. Either way, it was clear Sans wasn't going to let Lauren stay here, even if it meant starting a fight, and right now fighting just wasn't an option. Not only was it strategically terrible as far as the whole "sneaking away with treasure" plan went, it was also something that Lauren just didn't want to do. Sans was just doing his job. No matter what Lauren thought of the skeleton he couldn't hurt someone just because of that.

He looks at the ground, disappointment and frustration setting in. He failed before he even got the chance to do anything.

"We have to wait for Stella."

Sans raises a brow, not knowing who Stella actually is. He is inclined to assume there is a reasonable explanation for it though, so after a moment he just shrugs a shoulder.

"Sure. Are they casing the joint or something?"

He doesn't want respond to that. That's exactly what's happening, but still, he'd rather not admit it out loud. Soon enough Stanley swims back out from under the tent. Lauren picks her up and then looks to Sans to lead the way.

Sans swims for a while without saying much. He wants to get a reasonable distance from the Ringmaster's stomping grounds before he does. When it feels safe enough he looks back to Lauren.

"You know whatever you're plannin' won't work, right?" he asks. Good of a start as any.

Lauren had been following along looking sullen in the silence. He didn't actually expect Sans to want to talk. He's surprised when the skeleton actually speaks, but the feeling is fleeting, frustration swiftly taking it's place.

"...I can't do nothing."

"Actually, yeah, you can," Sans insists, still casual in his pace and tone. "Take it from an expert... Sometimes doing nothing is your best and only option."

It's not an answer he expects, so he's forced to swim and think with it a while before responding. Of course Sans, was right, he could do nothing, he just didn't want to. The realization only frustrates him more, because he doesn't understand the reason behind the feeling.

If he did nothing then... Then if something happened it might feel worse, like he hadn't even tried to stop it from happening. But if he did try and he failed would that be even more troubling? He doesn't know. He doesn't want to consider the possibility of failure, though he knows it's likely. If he had to pick though-

"Not with this."

"Okay," Sans says, levelly. "Why not?"

He can already imagine the reasons: pride, frustration, poor decision making. Yet, he can't hear what's going on in Lauren's head. He's gotta say it out loud so that they both can hear it.

Why not, it's another question he has to think about to answer, but this time he's prepared for it. The problem now is there are too many answers. Susan was in danger here, and Susan was important, that was one. He didn't like it here, that was another. Neither of those were the real reason.

"He's my only family." Without Susan he was alone. He didn't want that, didn't want to live on if he couldn't even protect the last of his kin.

Speaking of not knowing what's going on in Lauren's head...

Sans has to take a moment to parse what Lauren is talking about. The answer comes quickly enough, thinking about it. He pauses for a moment.

"...the kid?" he prompts.

He doesn't verbally answer, simply nodding as he avoids Sans' gaze. The kid, Susan, his brother, still to young to know the true dangers of the world, especially of worlds he didn't even know. He knows other people will think him paranoid or ridiculous for acting as though this carnival is so dangerous, but to him anything unknown was dangerous and the carnival seemed impossible to know at all.

"It's dangerous here in ways I don't understand." It's a full sentence, and it takes a lot of thought for him to even say it out loud, but he does eventually get there.

"I can't let anything happen to him."

Sans takes his own time to form a measured response, only slightly glancing back to Lauren as he speaks.

"I feel you," he says. "I do." And he actually does. He feels a similar way to his own brother, and towards the danger he's put in by being here at all. "But there's worse danger down the path that you're headed. If you stick with the carnival... you've got people watching your back."

He gestures, generally, up to the depths of water and the world outside.

"Out there? Against her? You won't."

And it makes sense, which is something he doesn't think he should be surprised of. He's used to people telling him his solutions don't work, but Sans isn't just saying no he's using reason. If only his reasoning didn't make Lauren feel even more helpless.

"There has to be something I can do."

"Protect him," Sans says, looking back at Lauren fully. He pauses for a moment, and then adds: "I know what you're gunna say. That you are protectin' him with this. But... you're not. Your need to feel like you're doing something is outpacing any benevolent intent."

He looks away again.

"If you wanna keep him safe, do it in the little ways, day to day. Protectin' someone isn't always about grand gestures or resolving a problems in a neat little package. If you wanna protect him, then do it."

When Sans looks back to him he catches Lauren's gaze and keeps it. Lauren actually rarely meets people's eyes, especially when they're speaking, but the statement feels significant. He's caught off-guard once more. Maybe it seemed obvious to everyone else, that the need to do something had turned a selfless desire into merely an excuse to act, but it had not been obvious to him. He realizes Sans is right, and that shakes him for a moment. The need to act, he couldn't understand it. Why did he feel that way? It stumps him. He'd just wanted to do something right, that's all he ever wanted really, but it seemed somehow he'd messed up again. The sting of failure doesn't hurt as much now though, not with the realizations it's brought. He's learned something this time.

He nods in understanding. Sans isn't a mind reader, but as always Lauren is a man of few words. There's no way he can express what he's thinking, so he simply nods instead.

"Thank you."

He's not completely surprised, but he is at least a little bit. Lauren has been a tough nut to crack in terms of understanding what's going on in the kid's head, so gaining a positive response is certainly informative. Maybe they are more alike than he would have expected.

He shrugs his shoulders, a small show of brushing it off.

"I'm not out to get ya, kid," he says, the next best thing to a 'you're welcome.'"If you and your bro make it through this alright, it's better for everyone."

Lauren nods, of course he hadn't assumed Sans was out to get them, excepting their first encounter. Still, it was nice to be reminded others weren't actively rooting for his failure. Speaking of first encounters, there really is something he should say. He looks back to Sans clearly feeling nervous and uncomfortable.

"I wanted to say... I'm sorry for how I treated you before." he glances away, embarrassed. "I assumed things here would be the same as they are in my world."

Which was just stupid really now that he thought about it. He sighs, letting go of his past frustrations.

An apology he can deal with. He's not inclined to make a big deal out of it, but he appreciates it being given in the first place. His trilobite legs scuttle in the water a little as he properly turns himself to face Lauren.

"It happens," he says, in genuine acceptance. "Monsters have a long history of those kinds of misunderstandings. Comes with the aesthetic, I guess."

It's not the aesthetic though and something about Sans even possibly thinking that bothers him. It makes him remember being the odd one out, pointed ears and darker skin and a name that didn't fit, and he hates thinking he made someone else feel like that.

"It's not the way you look." he responds, and despite the frustration he feels at himself he only sounds certain. His words are measured, as though he wants to be sure to give each one the proper weight so Sans knows what they mean. Of course Sans would think it was his looks, after all it was because he was a skeleton that Lauren reacted like he did. He looked like a skeleton so it was the looks, right? He huffs, frustrated at his inability to explain things.

"I mean the other skeletons I met, they weren't like you. If I'd met you first things would have been different."

If his first impression of skeletons had been like Sans his opinion of them would have been much different, he's sure. So it's not the looks, it's what the looks remind him of.

Sans is quiet, just letting the kid talk. He gets what he means - but it's true, even if it's just caused by bad memories, those experiences are the basis of most people's aversion to his appearance. Humans and the species like them just associate skeletons with death, and sometimes with evil, and it's for reasons that have nothing to do with Sans or his family.

That doesn't make it less tiring, though. It doesn't change how it affects things on his side.

"Look," Sans says. "I get it. I get that skeletons are bad news pretty much everywhere except for among other monsters. There's nothing to be done about that, so... the fact that you get it now is good enough for me."

Even if the bar is very low.

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The Poor Decisions Continue

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