Chapter Text
9:00am
Eyes pop open.
The woman stayed still, her heart beating swiftly as she silently tried to identify what woke her.
Fight... or Flight?
The sound comes again, identified as loud shouting, barely muffled by the dividing wall of the duplex. Oh. The new neighbors move in today.
ACT: Fight
The loud voice continued as the woman pulled on a robe and slipped on her slippers. She didn't plan on staying out long, and once the decible level had been lowered she planned on possibly - hopefully - going back to sleep. If only for an hour.
When she calmly walked out her door, she saw a tall skeleton - He must be close to seven feet, she mused - berating a shorter one. Loudly. Not particularly strange- monsters have been out for about a year.
The boxes tell her that yes, these monsters are indeed her new neighbors. The sheer volume of the tall one tells her that they may not be her neighbors for long.
The tall one notices her first.
"HUMAN! IT IS A PLEASURE TO MEET-"
"Shut up." The coldness in her quiet voice cuts through his loud one. The smaller of the two skeletons stiffened. "I apologize for how blunt I am about to be, but frankly, you woke me up, and I wake up cranky, so here are the rules: until the soundproofing in the dividing wall is installed in about a week, no shouting before 10am."
"or what? not like we can get arested for being loud." The deep, slightly aggressive voice comes from behind her, and she startles, whipping through a half-turn and taking a half-step back so she could keep an eye on both skeletons and her back to a wall. She had been aware that she had somehow lost track of the smaller skeleton while she was talking to the taller one, but what she wasn't aware of was how he snuck up on her. She was very hard to sneak around.
"You are correct," She replied, now speaking to the angry shorty. "However, I would appreciate the courtesy of it because not everyone has a day schedule. As for consequences..." She smiled. " I know the owner." The smile was not a friendly one. The shorter skeleton scowled, while the taller one simply watched the other two with a worried expression.
"so what?" the cranky skeleton snarled. "just because we woke you up from your beauty rest gives you the right to snap at my brother and threaten us? or is volume the true bone of contention here?"
"BROTHER!" The tall skeleton exclaimed. The woman simply sighed.
"I understand why you may suspect me of being secretly racist, but I truly only have issue with the volume, seeing as I've had only..." She paused to think a moment. "Let's round up and call it four hours, of sleep, and by this time I have to be officially awake in an hour, so it's not like I can get any more."
"I'M SO SORRY HUMAN!" the tall skeleton gushed, interrupting his apparent brother before the shorter had a chance to speak. "I APOLOGIZE FOR WAKING YOU AND FOR SANS' RUDENESS! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! AND HE IS MY LAZYBONES BROTHER SANS!" The newly named Sans closed his mouth, still scowling. The 'Great Papyrus' held out his hand enthusiastically, but the woman declined to shake it, instead inclining her head towards each brother politely.
"Namaste, Great Papyrus. Greetings, Sans. Welcome to 21b Baker Street. I hope you enjoy your stay, and that soundproofing arrives in a timely manner, for your sakes as well as mine. My apologies, Papyrus, but I do not believe that you are much of a quiet person. Perhaps the owner can expedite- it should help in improving our neighborly relation..." She got a distant look in her eyes. "What time is it?" she asked rather abruptly.
"uhh..." the two skeletons shared a look with eachother for a moment. "nine thirty" Sans rumbled reluctantly. The woman sighed and rubbed her hands over her face in a weary gesture.
"No more chance to sleep, then." She brightened with obviously false cheer, clapping her hands together. "Well then! This was a less than auspicious beginning. Perhaps we should arrange to meet later in a more genial environment. I, however, have errands I need to run and a job I need to prepare for. I'm up anyway, so I may as well start early."
"THAT'S ALRIGHT, HUMAN! PERHAPS YOU COULD JOIN MY BROTHER AND I FOR MY FAMOUS FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI FOR DINNER!" Papyrus chirped. Sans looked irritated, like he was about to protest, but the woman spoke before he could.
"Again, I apologize Papyrus, but I won't be able to attend." she replied, with a sideways look towards Sans that let him know that she knew that she wasn't really invited. "Sadly, I have work." He snorted in disbelief.
"OH... UNTIL WHEN? MAYBE WE CAN MEET AFTER YOUR WORK?" Sans' eyesockets narrowed as he noticed the humans' weight shift uncomfortably at his bro's question.
"Five." She said abruptly. "I stop working at five." Sans' eyesockets narrowed even further, his scowl deepening.
"THEN WHY WOULD YOU STILL BE WORKING DURING DINNER...?" Papyrus asked, confused, trailing off when the woman started shaking her head.
"Not five in the evening, Papyrus." Sans' eyesockets began to widen, realizing what she meant even before she completed what she was saying. "I stop working at five in the morning." The younger skeletons' look of surprise was extremely exaggerated.
"oh," he said in a small voice, clearly shocked.
"Yes, 'oh'" She sighed, looking slightly amused. "Maybe I'll be able to join you for brunch sometime, though." Despite his own shock, Sans still seemed irritated by the idea of his new neighbor eating with them at anytime of the day. The woman visibly collected herself before inclining her head at each of them again. "Well then, if you'll excuse me, I must start my day." She turned, stepping delicately around Sans to make her way back inside her half of the building.
"WAIT!" Papyrus called out before she could close her door. "YOU KNOW THE NAMES OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS AND HIS BROTHER SANS, BUT WHAT SHOULD WE CALL YOU?" The woman pushed her door back open and seemed to think for a moment, before her face lit up in an amused smirk.
"You can call me Bailey."
9:45am
Sans scowled at the closed door, his brother gushing behind him. That human had taken way too long to think of a name and she seemed far too amused with herself when she finally did. There was no way that her name was real. And he didn't trust her near-constant faint smile- it reminded him of his own perma-grin, and that was as real as her name. Bailey. What was up with that, anyway?
"URGH! SANS, ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME AT ALL?!"
"sure bro" Sans replied with an easy grin.
"THEN WHAT DID I JUST SAY?" the younger skeleton asked skeptically.
"what did i just say?"
"SANS!" Papyrus exclaimed in frustration. Sans just grinned. Tortur- cough - teasing his bro was one of his few guilty pleasures in life, he had to admit. Not that he'd ever admit that out loud.
"SANS! MOVING WILL TAKE FOREVER IF YOU DON'T HELP! YOU CAN'T NAP IF THE COUCH ISN'T SET UP, LAZYBONES!" Sans chuckled.
Damn. His lil' Bro really was the best.
9:45am
'Bailey' sighed, leaning against the closed door behind her. Those skeletons were going to give her problems. The tall one - Papyrus - was an absolute innocent cinnamon bun. It made it hard to stay angry at him, even short on sleep as she was. She didn't think he'd be able to keep the volume down, even for just a week. Such a damn shame.
The other skeleton - Sans - though... He worried Bailey. He was too observant, too suspicious, and absolutely no one had ever been able to sneak up on her before. She didn't blame him for being suspicious of her, but his perceptive nature was going to be a problem for her. Maybe she should... encourage the two to move somewhere else. But if they moved away from her, did they have anywhere else to go? She didn't think the monsters would have moved into her duplex if they had had a choice, especially since the duplex was situated on the border between the good and bad parts of town. Really, the only good things about the duplex was how close to the business district it was... and its' owner. Few tenants stuck around long enough to discover the latter benefit though. Attracted to the relatively low rent, they were driven off by their neighbor- her. If she didn't drive them out, the owner would at her request. She hadn't yet found a housemate she could live with, and she doubted that the loud and suspicious skeletons would last either. But if not housemates with her... then where? Maybe she could talk with the owner about starting the soundproofing sooner... She chuckled at her own joke.
10:03pm
Steps dragging, feet hurting, smelling like butter, Bailey dragged herself up the steps of the shared porch. Ten hours of constant customer service wore on her. Ten hours of constant customer service standing on her feet completely wiped her out. Yet her night wasn't even half over.
"early night?" Bailey inhaled deeply, asking for patience, then exhaled before turning around. The smaller skeleton - Sans - was standing on the monsters' side of the porch, watching her. "i thought you didn't stop working until five am?"
"I don't." She flashed her best customer service smile before quickly fleeing through her door. Leaning back against the door, she took a moment to groan in relief. Despite the crowd being light at the theater that day, she had had a long day, and a few unruly customers more than made up for the fewer customers stress-wise. She did not need a smart-alek too-observant skeleton adding to her problems. Bailey checked her watch. Twenty minutes. Sighing, she started toward her room to start preparing for her next job, stripping as she did so.
10:25pm
Sans scowled at the door his new neighbor had disappeared behind little more than twenty minutes ago. She had looked so... worn, so he could understand not wanting to hang with his energetic bro after work (and she was rather late), but she didn't have to tell such... such an exaggerated lie. Ten in the evening was no where near five in the morning and-
His thoughts were cut off when the door he was glaring at re-opened. Only, instead of seeing the worn and weary youth he had seen drag themselves in the door, a stunning, undeniably female beauty glided out of the door.
"..."
Sans rubbed his eyes-sockets. He himself had been up longer than he probably should have, so perhaps he was seeing things.
Nope.
When he looked again, she was still there. And now she was looking at him.
"What are you still doing out here, Sans?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow at him. She waited a beat before sighing softly. "Take a picture, it lasts longer." Although the tone was sharp, the expression betrayed her amusement. Sans realized his jaw was gaping and promptly shut it with a click.
"...how...?" She held up one perfectly manicured hand, shushing him.
"Remember Sans, I'm still on the clock. However, it would be bad for both of us - me especially - if we were seen together. My next clients can be a bit... vindictive, and I need the job. So is there a way you could hide from the prejudiced pricks, please?" The smile on her face was kind and gentle, amiable even. The only indicator of her true emotion was the cold, cutting tone she let slip when she described her 'clients'. Sans narrowed his eyesockets at her before slowly pulling his hood up and stuffing his hands in his pockets. With his eyelights dimmed and his face covered by his hood and the shadows, and his body hidden by his clothes, he could pass for human, albeit a short one.
And just in time, too. Sans watched a limo pull up in front of the duplex.
"Well then Sans, perhaps I'll see you tomorrow. Good night and deep rest." Bailey's voice was deep and melodious, much more feminine than her usual voice- or at least the voice she had used with him before. It fit this beautiful and graceful version of her. She almost floated down the steps of the porch and across the lawn, inclining her head towards him in passing. Dammit, he needed to figure out what she meant when she did that... Or anything else about her. Clearly, anything she showed him or the rest of the world was fake, a mask to hide her true self. He of all people should know. He watches her stop by the passenger window and speak with the person in the seat before accepting an envelope of something from them. He watches her get into the back of the limo as the window rolls back up, and watches as the limo smoothly pulls away, carrying Bailey with it. No... He can't get a good read on Bailey. She is an enigma and a mystery all wrapped into one, and he doesn't trust that. He doesn't trust her.
But...
Maybe she really did work hard. It didn't seem as if getting all dolled up and getting into the limo was the start of 'fun times', if her tone from before was any indication, and she had called them 'clients'. Sans wasn't naive, and he wasn't stupid, and made the connection soon enough. An 'escort' then, and if the limo and the quality of the clothes (and of her) were any indication, a high-class escort at that... Probably the kind that only rich bachelors and politicians were able to hire... Sans didn't like it, and by the way she had spoken, he didn't think Bailey enjoyed it either. But she had said she needed the job...
Upset, and unsure of exactly why, Sans teleported into his bedroom, landing on his bare mattress, staring at the ceiling and waiting for sleep to take him.
When Sans stumbled into the living room the next morning, Papyrus was in the kitchen making breakfast spaghetti. Sans plopped himself on the couch and turned the TV on, catching the news in the middle of a story.
-these men, suspected of being members of a local gang, were apprehended last night and now reside in police custody. Police say that they have obtained evidence linking the men to the dusting of an icecap and the attempted dusting of a fire elemental last week. The men are facing charges of murder and attempted murder and will be due in court next week. Now for the weather with-
Sans stared. Well. That was new.