The drive across the city was surprisingly... normal.

Frisk had expected armored SUVs.

Convoys.

Lookouts stationed on every corner.

Instead, Papyrus drove an aging red sedan that looked like it had survived three owners and at least one collision with a mailbox.

The radio played old pop songs.

Papyrus sang every single one.

Loudly.

Very loudly.

He only knew about half the words.

Frisk eventually gave up trying to hide her amusement.

"You know," she said as he confidently butchered another chorus, "I'm pretty sure those aren't the lyrics."

"I AM IMPROVING THEM."

"I don't think the original singer would agree."

"THEN THEY SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN BETTER LYRICS."

Frisk laughed.

Papyrus looked impossibly pleased with himself.

"ANOTHER SUCCESS."

Twenty minutes later, Papyrus pulled into the parking lot of a modest clothing store.

The building wasn't anything fancy.

Large front windows.

A faded sign.

A handful of cars parked outside.

Papyrus climbed out and stretched dramatically.

"EXCELLENT."

Frisk stepped out beside him silently.

He marched toward the entrance.

Frisk followed.

A small bell chimed as the door opened.

The shop was quiet.

Soft music drifted from hidden speakers.

Rows of neatly organized clothing stretched across polished wooden floors.

Behind the register stood a middle-aged human woman arranging receipts.

She looked up.

Saw Papyrus.

Her smile vanished.

The color drained from her face.

She stared at the seven-foot skeleton walking through her front door.

Her hands disappeared beneath the counter.

Frisk heard a drawer slam shut.

Papyrus waved enthusiastically.

"GOOD MORNING!"

The woman swallowed.

"...M morning."

Papyrus looked around happily.

"WHAT A LOVELY ESTABLISHMENT."

The shopkeeper's eyes darted toward the front door.

Then toward Papyrus.

Then toward Frisk.

Her breathing quickened.

"I..."

She hesitated.

"If... if it's money you want..."

Frisk immediately understood.

She thought they were here to rob the place.

Papyrus didn't.

"OH, NO THANK YOU."

The woman blinked.

"I ALREADY HAVE MONEY."

"...You... do?"

"YES!"

He proudly pulled a thick leather wallet from his scarf.

"I AM HERE TO SPEND IT."

The shopkeeper looked completely confused.

Papyrus smiled.

"MY FRIEND REQUIRES NEW CLOTHES."

He gestured proudly toward Frisk.

The woman's eyes landed on the patched jacket.

The repaired sleeves.

The worn shoes.

Her expression softened just slightly.

"...Oh."

Papyrus nodded enthusiastically.

"YES."

Several awkward seconds passed.

Finally, the woman slowly stepped away from the register.

"...If... if you need help finding anything..."

Papyrus gave a dramatic thumbs up.

"I AM AN EXPERT SHOPPER."

"...Right."

She retreated back behind the counter, still keeping one eye on the towering skeleton.

Papyrus leaned toward Frisk.

"I BELIEVE SHE IS SHY."

Frisk covered her mouth.

"I don't think that's it."

"HMM."

He thought about it for exactly two seconds.

"PERHAPS SHE IS HAVING A BAD MORNING."

"...Maybe."

He accepted that answer immediately.

"COME."

He swept one arm dramatically toward the clothing racks.

"WE SHALL IMPROVE YOUR WARDROBE."

Frisk followed him deeper into the store.

For the first time since entering, she actually looked around.

There were far more choices than she'd expected.

Sweaters.

Jeans.

Jackets.

Shoes.

Scarves.

She hadn't bought clothes in years.

Most of what she owned had either been stolen, found, or repaired so many times it barely resembled what it originally looked like.

Papyrus wandered between the racks with absolute confidence.

He held up a bright yellow hoodie.

"THIS ONE."

Frisk looked at it.

"...It's... very yellow."

"YES."

"I think that's the problem."

Papyrus frowned thoughtfully before returning it.

"A FAIR OBSERVATION."

He immediately picked up a bright pink jacket covered in sequins.

"THIS ONE."

Frisk laughed.

"Absolutely not."

"YOU HAVE WOUNDED ME."

She smiled.

"I'll survive."

For the next half hour, they wandered through the store.

Papyrus held up increasingly outrageous outfits.

Frisk rejected nearly all of them.

Eventually, she found herself browsing alone through a rack of sweaters while Papyrus became distracted by an entire display dedicated to scarves.

"I HAVE FOUND MY PEOPLE," she heard him announce from across the store.

She rolled her eyes.

A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Her hand brushed across a purple sweater with two pink stripes across the torso.

Simple.

Comfortable.

She pulled it off the rack.

Then a pair of black jeans.

Nothing flashy.

Nothing expensive.

Just... normal.

Papyrus appeared beside her almost instantly.

"EXCELLENT CHOICES."

"You think?"

"I DO."

He tilted his head.

"ALTHOUGH..."

He reached past her and grabbed a blue scarf.

"THIS WOULD COMPLETE THE OUTFIT."

Frisk looked at it.

"...You just want me to wear a scarf."

"I BELIEVE EVERYONE SHOULD WEAR A SCARF."

"Even in summer?"

"...THAT IS AN EXCELLENT QUESTION."

She laughed again.

The sound came easier now.

Without thinking.

Without forcing it.

Papyrus smiled.

"I SHALL WAIT HERE."

He pointed toward a row of fitting rooms.

"GO TRY THEM ON."

Frisk hesitated.

"...Okay."

She disappeared into the fitting room, drawing the curtain shut behind her.

For a few moments, the world became quiet.

She slipped off her patched jacket.

Folded it carefully.

Pulled on the sweater.

It fit perfectly.

Not too loose.

Not too tight.

She stared at herself in the mirror.

She almost looked...

Normal.

Not a thief.

Not someone running from a criminal organization.

Just...

A girl buying clothes with a friend.

The thought made her chest tighten.

A friend.

No.

She quickly looked away from the mirror.

Papyrus wasn't her friend.

He was her target.

This was a mission.

Nothing more.

She repeated it twice.

She slid the curtain open.

Frisk stepped out of the fitting room, smoothing the front of the purple sweater.

The sleeves fit perfectly.

The jeans weren't loose enough to get caught while running, but weren't tight enough to restrict movement either.

For the first time in years...

The clothes actually fit.

Papyrus turned immediately.

His eye lights brightened.

"GREAT JUMPING JELLYBEANS!"

Frisk folded her arms.

"...Is that good?"

"IT IS MAGNIFICENT."

He circled around her once, studying the outfit from every angle like a sculptor admiring a finished masterpiece.

"HMM..."

He tapped his chin dramatically.

"TURN AROUND."

She sighed.

"You sound like a tailor."

"I AM CURRENTLY A TAILOR."

Frisk rolled her eyes and spun once.

Papyrus nodded approvingly.

"EXCELLENT."

"You really think so?"

"I DO."

He pointed proudly at the hoodie.

"IT IS SIMPLE."

Frisk nodded.

"Yes."

"IT IS PRACTICAL."

"Yes."

"IT HAS POCKETS."

She laughed.

"It does."

Papyrus threw both hands into the air.

"THEN IT IS PERFECT."

Frisk couldn't argue with that logic.

She looked at herself in one of the mirrors mounted near the fitting rooms.

She almost didn't recognize herself.

The patched jacket.

The worn clothes.

The image of the desperate street thief...

They were gone.

Just for a moment.

She looked...

Normal.

Papyrus stepped beside her.

"I BELIEVE PURPLE SUITS YOU."

"You think?"

"YES."

He nodded confidently.

"YOU LOOK LESS LIKE SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN SHOT AT."

Frisk snorted.

The shop suddenly didn't feel nearly as intimidating as it had when they arrived.

The nervous shopkeeper had relaxed slightly after watching Papyrus enthusiastically debate scarf colors for almost twenty minutes.

Even she had started believing they really were just shopping.

Frisk reached for the end of her sleeve.

"I think I'll keep this one on."

"A SPLENDID DECISION."

Papyrus reached for the pile of folded clothes resting nearby.

"I SHALL PURCHASE EVERYTHING."

Frisk looked at him.

"...Everything?"

"YES."

"You don't have to."

"I KNOW."

He smiled.

"I WANT TO."

Frisk opened her mouth to protest.

She never got the chance.

CRASH!

Glass exploded.

The front window shattered inward in a violent spray of glittering shards.

The deafening crack of a rifle echoed through the store.

Frisk's instincts took over.

"Down!"

She grabbed Papyrus's sleeve and threw both of them toward the floor just as another volley of gunfire ripped through the storefront.

Bullets tore through mannequins.

Clothing racks exploded into clouds of fabric.

The cash register burst apart in a shower of plastic and metal.

The terrified shopkeeper screamed.

More gunfire.

Rapid.

Controlled.

Professional.

Papyrus hit the ground beside her.

"WHAT IS HAPPENING?"

Frisk's heart pounded.

Gunfire.

Automatic weapons.

Several shooters.

Outside.

No...

Moving inside.

Heavy boots pounded across broken glass.

"Check the back!"

"Don't let them escape!"

Frisk's blood ran cold.

She knew those voices.

Black Roses.

Papyrus looked toward the destroyed entrance.

"...OH DEAR."

Another burst of bullets ripped through the store.

Clothes burst apart around them as rounds punched through shelves.

Frisk grabbed Papyrus's arm.

"Move!"

They crawled behind a long rack of winter coats just as another hail of bullets shredded the display they'd been standing beside seconds earlier.

Wood splintered.

Metal screamed.

The smell of gunpowder filled the air.

Papyrus crouched beside her.

His expression had changed.

The cheerful smile was gone.

Not replaced with anger.

With focus.

He peeked around the edge of the clothing rack.

Five men.

Black suits.

Automatic rifles.

Already inside.

More silhouettes moved beyond the shattered windows.

Papyrus ducked back down.

"THERE ARE MANY OF THEM."

"No kidding!"

Another burst.

The rack beside them shook violently as bullets tore through coats hanging overhead.

Fabric rained down around them.

Frisk looked toward Papyrus.

"...Where's your gun?"

Papyrus blinked.

"MY WHAT?"

"Your gun!"

"I DID NOT BRING ONE."

Frisk stared.

"...What kind of mobster goes out unarmed?!"

Papyrus looked slightly panicked.

"ONE WHO IS SHOPPING!"

Frisk grabbed both sides of her head.

"Are you serious?!"

"I DID NOT ANTICIPATE NEEDING TO SHOOT ANYONE WHILE PURCHASING SWEATERS!"

Another burst of gunfire answered for him.

The rack protecting them lurched as several bullets punched through the heavy winter coats.

Frisk flinched.

"...Fantastic."

Papyrus glanced toward the entrance again.

"I BELIEVE THEY HAVE COME SPECIFICALLY FOR US."

"You think?!"

Frisk looked around desperately.

Back exit.

Employees only door.

Too far.

The shooters were between them and every exit.

The shopkeeper crouched behind the register, crying quietly.

One of the gunmen barked another order.

"Spread out!"

"They're still inside!"

Boots crunched over broken glass.

Slow.

Methodical.

They weren't spraying bullets anymore.

They were hunting.

Papyrus leaned closer.

"I BELIEVE WE SHOULD LEAVE."

Frisk stared.

"...Brilliant plan."

"I THOUGHT SO."

"How?"

Papyrus frowned thoughtfully.

"...I HAD NOT REACHED THAT PART."

Frisk let out a breath somewhere between a dry laugh and a groan.

Even now...

Even with armed killers thirty feet away...

He somehow remained Papyrus.

Another gunman rounded the end of a nearby aisle.

Frisk saw him first.

She grabbed Papyrus's shoulder.

"Down!"

The rifle barked.

Bullets ripped through the clothing rack.

Winter coats exploded into clouds of feathers.

Metal bent inward with a deafening clang.

Papyrus thrust one hand forward.

Blue light erupted across the aisle.

Several falling shelves that were heading towards them suddenly froze in midair.

Instead of crashing onto them, they hovered inches above their heads.

Frisk stared.

"You can do that?!"

"I CAN DO MANY THINGS."

The suspended shelving suddenly shot sideways.

It slammed into the gunman.

He shouted as several hundred pounds of metal and clothing hurled him into another display.

His rifle skidded across the floor.

Papyrus grabbed Frisk's wrist.

"NOW!"

They sprinted.

More gunfire erupted immediately.

Bullets chased them through the aisles.

Glass shattered overhead.

Mirrors burst apart.

Frisk ducked beneath another rack as rounds screamed past.

Papyrus shoved over a display of shelves behind them.

Not to crush anyone.

To block the aisle.

It bought them only seconds.

"They're heading toward the back!"

"Cut them off!"

Frisk's lungs burned.

Every corner they turned revealed another armed man.

They were surrounded.

She skidded behind another display.

Papyrus followed.

For one brief second...

Silence.

Only their breathing.

Then...

An engine.

Outside.

Loud.

Fast.

The screech of tires echoed through the parking lot.

A horn blared twice.

Papyrus peeked around the corner.

His eye lights widened.

"...OUR BACKUP!"

Frisk frowned.

"What?"

A black SUV drifted sideways across the front entrance, screeching to a stop directly in front of the shattered entrance.

A towering fish monster leaned halfway out the driver's side window.

An eyepatch covered one eye.

A pistol rested casually in her hands.

Her voice cut through the chaos like a cannon blast.

"GET IN!"

Papyrus looked at Frisk.

Then back toward the vehicle.

He grabbed her wrist and began to run.

Bullets ripped through the air around them.

The storefront had become a war zone.

Glass crunched beneath their shoes as they sprinted across the ruined sales floor.

Another burst of gunfire tore through the entrance.

The Black Roses had shifted their attention toward the SUV now.

Frisk didn't waste time wondering why.

"QUIT STARING AND MOVE!" the fish monster roared.

Papyrus reached the SUV first.

He practically folded himself into the back seat despite his height.

Frisk dove in after him just as another volley of bullets shattered what remained of the front windows.

The door slammed shut.

"GO!"

The instant the door slammed shut, the SUV lurched forward.

Its tires screamed against the pavement.

Frisk was thrown sideways into the seat as Undyne spun the steering wheel with one hand.

Gunfire erupted behind them.

Bullets sparked harmlessly against the reinforced rear door.

One punched through the back window, showering the cargo area with glass.

Undyne never looked back.

Instead, she slammed the accelerator to the floor.

The engine roared.

The SUV shot through the parking lot and onto the street.

A black sedan pulled out behind them.

"They're following!" Frisk shouted.

"I KNOW!"

Undyne jerked the wheel left.

The SUV drifted around a corner hard enough that Frisk had to grab the overhead handle to keep from sliding across the seat.

The pursuing sedan overshot the turn.

Undyne smiled.

Another vehicle appeared from a side street.

Then another.

Two Black Roses vehicles now pursued them through the city.

Undyne clicked her tongue.

"They're serious today."

Papyrus dusted broken glass from his scarf as though none of this was unusual.

"I APOLOGIZE."

Undyne's head snapped toward him.

"You APOLOGIZE?"

"I DO."

"You went shopping."

"YES."

"In Rose territory."

"YES."

"WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE!"

"...YES."

Undyne's hands tightened around the steering wheel.

"PAPYRUS!"

"I REQUIRED HUMAN CLOTHING!"

"You could've asked literally anybody else!"

"I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A NICE AFTERNOON."

Undyne let out a noise somewhere between a growl and a scream.

"It would've been a NICE AFTERNOON if you hadn't crossed the biggest territorial line in the city!"

Frisk glanced between them.

"...Territorial line?"

Undyne looked into the rearview mirror.

"You don't know?"

Frisk slowly shook her head.

Undyne sighed through clenched teeth.

"Years ago, after enough people got tired of burying bodies every week, we made an agreement."

Another sharp turn.

The SUV narrowly missed a delivery truck.

"No monsters in Black Rose territory."

She swerved around another car.

"No Black Roses in Family territory."

Papyrus quietly raised a finger.

"WITH CERTAIN EXCEPTIONS."

Undyne glared at him.

"This wasn't one of them."

Papyrus lowered his finger.

"...FAIR."

Undyne continued.

"It isn't peace."

She accelerated through an intersection just as another burst of gunfire cracked behind them.

"It's a ceasefire."

Another bullet struck the rear bumper.

"The second either side crosses that line, everybody assumes the war's back on."

Frisk looked out the rear window.

The pursuing sedans were still there.

Still firing.

"They really wanted us dead."

"They wanted him dead," Undyne corrected.

She jerked a thumb toward Papyrus.

"You were just unfortunate enough to be standing next to him."

Papyrus frowned.

"THAT IS A VERY NEGATIVE WAY TO LOOK AT THINGS."

Undyne shot him a glare.

"You're lucky you're alive."

"I AGREE."

"You could've started a war."

Papyrus looked almost embarrassed.

"I THOUGHT..."

A pause.

"...IT WOULD BE FINE."

Undyne groaned so loudly Frisk was surprised the windows didn't crack.

Frisk slowly sank lower in her seat.

This...

This was her fault.

If Papyrus hadn't taken her shopping...

If she hadn't needed clothes...

None of this would've happened.

Undyne suddenly looked into the rearview mirror.

For the first time since they'd escaped, she really looked at Frisk.

Her single eye narrowed.

"...Hold on."

Frisk stiffened.

Undyne looked back at the road.

Then back into the mirror.

"Who the hell are you?"

The question hit Frisk like a brick.

She opened her mouth.

Nothing came out.

Before she could answer, Papyrus enthusiastically did it for her.

"THIS IS FRISK!"

"SHE IS A HUMAN."

"I gathered that."

"SHE REQUIRED ASSISTANCE."

Undyne glanced at Frisk in the mirror.

"...From?"

Papyrus answered before Frisk could.

"THE BLACK ROSES."

Undyne's expression hardened.

"They were after her?"

"YES."

"They're trying to kill her?"

"VERY MUCH SO."

Undyne frowned.

"...Why?"

Papyrus looked at Frisk.

Then back at Undyne.

"SHE STOLE SOMETHING."

Frisk lowered her eyes.

Technically true.

Just not the whole truth.

Undyne let out a slow breath.

"...That tracks."

Papyrus nodded.

"I RESCUED HER."

"I figured."

"NOW SHE HAS NOWHERE TO GO."

Undyne looked at Frisk again.

This time her expression softened.

Only slightly.

"...Rough break."

Frisk nodded.

"...Yeah."

That seemed to satisfy Undyne.

She didn't ask another question.

Not because she trusted Frisk.

Because there were bigger problems.

Undyne reached toward the center console and picked up a phone.

She hit a speed dial without taking her eyes off the road.

It rang once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then...

"...yeah?"

Even through the speaker, his voice sounded half asleep.

"Sans."

Undyne didn't waste time.

"We've got a problem."

"...figured."

"You heard?"

"whole city's already talkin'."

Undyne glanced in the mirror again.

The pursuing cars finally began falling farther behind.

"Status?" Sans asked.

"We're clear for the moment."

"papyrus?"

"I AM ALIVE!"

Sans ignored him

"...and?"

"We made it out."

Another pause

"...casualties?"

"Not on our side."

Frisk looked down.

Not on our side.

The words settled strangely in her chest.

Sans finally spoke again.

"...where are you now?"

"Heading home."

"don't."

Undyne frowned.

"What?"

"they'll expect that."

Silence.

Then Sans continued.

"...lay low."

Another brief silence.

"i'll handle the fallout."

Undyne's grip tightened on the steering wheel.

"You think they'll escalate?"

"They already have."

Silence filled the SUV.

Even Papyrus stopped smiling.

Sans continued.

"They fired on a capo."

Another pause.

"doesn't matter why."

"They crossed a line."

Undyne's expression darkened.

"...Yeah."

"i'll talk to asgore."

"What about the Roses?"

"...leave that to me."

The call was quiet for another second.

Then Sans spoke one last time.

"and undyne?"

"What?"

"...keep papyrus outta trouble.."

Undyne laughed once.

It wasn't amused.

"I'm trying."

"good luck."

The line disconnected.

For several moments, no one spoke.

Only the steady hum of the engine filled the SUV.

Outside, the city rolled past as if nothing had happened.

People walked along sidewalks.

Traffic flowed normally.

No one would have guessed a gun battle had erupted less than ten minutes ago.

Frisk looked out the window.

The sweater she still wore had a fresh bullet hole through one sleeve.

She hadn't even noticed.

Papyrus followed her gaze.

"...I SUPPOSE WE SHALL HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER."

Despite everything...

Frisk laughed.