Undyne watched Frisk disappear over the ridge, her spear still glowing faintly in her hand. She didn't move for a while, her breathing gradually slowing from the intense exchange. No wounds, no real damage—just the ache of having gone all-out only to be... spared.
She let out a slow breath, tension bleeding from her shoulders. "Heh… guess I needed that." She glanced at the rock behind her and sank down with a grunt. "Not every day you get outmatched without a scratch. Just… tired."
A quiet moment passed. Then, the unmistakable shuffle of slippers on stone approached. Sans was already leaning against a nearby outcropping, his hands in his pockets and his expression unreadable, one eye glowing faintly for just a second.
"So," he said casually, "guess you didn't flounder completely."
Undyne snorted. "Ugh. I'm too tired to yell at your terrible puns right now."
"i'll take that as a win," Sans replied with a grin. "papyrus called, by the way. says he's heating up the stove again."
Undyne's eye twitched. "Don't tell me he's trying to cook without me."
"nah. i think he's trying to impress you. said he wanted to make you something to cheer you up."
She gave a tired chuckle. "That's sweet of him. But last time he tried to 'improvise,' the fire department nearly had to retry its training drills."
"good times," Sans said, leaning back slightly. "but hey, maybe this time you two won't blow up the stove. again."
Undyne waved a hand weakly. "Yeah, yeah. You coming too?"
"nah," Sans said, turning to leave. "i'd love to, but i'm already fried from watching that spar."
She groaned. "Please leave."
He gave her a wink over his shoulder. "only if you grill me to."
As Sans strolled off, the silence returned. Undyne leaned back against the stone, arms crossed but relaxed. For the first time in a while, she wasn't sure what to make of what just happened. But maybe, just maybe, things weren't heading toward total disaster after all.