`&. HELL IF I KNOW.

     ❛  - GYAAAAAAAH !!!!  ❜ just don’t question his ‘girly’ scream. don’t.

               little appreciation is discerned for the lack of aid, for it meant that the period the batter had spent standing here was now time which had been spent in vain. however – the purifier did take note of the last bit which the ( skeleton ? ) spoke of. tunnels and rivers – in the underground ? 

                    ❛  which direction are the spectres in  ?  ❜

      ‘ specters? ’ it seemed someone had made an enemy. ( naturally, mettaton comes to mind. ) ‘ heh. the only ghost i've seen is your sense of humor. ’ he could easily give this stranger directions. what this guy wanted was none of his business. ( but, judging by the bat on his shoulder and the scowl on that bland mug of his, it may as well be. )

          “ BROTHER, IF YOU DO NOT REMOVE THAT SOCK FROM THE FLOOR & TAKE IT TO YOUR ROOM WHERE IT BELONGS … I’M AFRAID I’LL HAVE TO RESORT TO —-DRASTIC MEASURES !! “

WELL, I’LL BE - the Judge’s grin seemed to widen just a tad bit more, an audible purr rumbling in his chest. A noise akin to a chuckle slips past pointed teeth, tail coming to shift back and forth methodically against the ground, eyes almost shining.

Ah, it is so good to know that at least someone has some sense of humor - people these days can be rather dull, if I’m to be honest.

        a laugh, ( if you could call it that, ) slips from between his teeth in a singular, stale breath. just how many times had he told that joke? his arsenal was BEATEN and tired, but he'd yet to leave it be. even if those jokes had lost their luster to him, so long as someone smiled, he'd continue spinning them. ( in times like these, laughter was something of a PAEAN. ) 

‘ heh. it, uh, ain't often i get such a great paw-dience. but jokes aside, i'm glad to meet someone with a, uh, similar cat-tittude. ’

   ❛ . . oh, you.

             Eona mumbles in a near-silent tone, crouching down in               the  snow to  face the  monster. Her  sands tilt with  the               new angle, but do not stop flowing.

   ❛ the years have not treated you well .  timeline after timeline ,       reset after reset .  what a pitiful existence .  but it stings more      when you’ re well aware of your predicament , does it not ?

        if he'd skin on those TIRED bones, oh, how it would have crawled. he turns on his heel ( with a sharp crunch of the snow, ) in time to watch her knees so elegantly give. in truth, it takes him a painstaking moment to process what he's hearing —— much less what he's seeing.  ( a horrifying beauty & a petrifying truth. )

he remains stone-faced, tone empty. he's always playing

‘ lady, i haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about. ’

               a shift in his stance. patience isn’t something the batter is endowed enough with. his focus is singular, and he’s starting to view this encounter as pointless towards the advancement of his mission. but – the individual was also the only one the batter had found in his current quest to gain directions to the nearest monorail station. 

                   ❛  i don’t understand how that was supposed to help me.  ❜

and for a single, horrible moment, there's silence. it almost seems like time has ground to a halt. no one is moving, no one is talking.

          and all at once, ( like UNPAUSING a movie, ) everything resumes. people continue laughing, the music continues playing, and sans continues beaming.

‘ heh. sarcasm ain't all that funny, kid. ’

          &. for a moment, ( SCARCELY a second, ) that trademark smile falters. suddenly, his hands feel a bit heavier in his pockets. ( if he'd a heart, he's sure it would be POUNDING on his tired bones. ) but WHY? there was nothing to fear — no skeletons in his closet. *heh. so, why does he feel like there's something MISSING?

                      A FROWN purses the young child’s lips;                        his  gaze  takes a  moment to  take  one                        more quick glance at the sign.

                                     ❛ Well, first, I have a question for you.                                                       Isn’t STEAMED SNOW just WATER? ❜