Flickering Lights

Colletta must have been drunk with fatigue if she had forgotten that her friends were anything but inattentive. That and they have the noses of bloodhounds.

Closing her eyes, she rests them as Papyrus and Hex teamed up to fuss over her. Sans was somewhere, but she could still feel his presence in the house.

Hex ruffled his hair in frustration. "Okay. Fine. If you tell me what happened, I will not curse them to have a miserable life."

Colletta opened one eyelid, still refusing to speak.

"Fiiiiine, I wouldn't do anything to harm them," he groans. He crosses his arm like a pouty child.

Then all of her eyes were open. "Alright."

"Seriously!? Just like that? What about Daffodil and Gladiolus? Why must I promise not to maim and kill those bastards!?"

"Unlike you, Daffodil dear and Gladiolus knows not to cause a damn commotion like you do. Besides, they need to be careful as they are..." She glances at Papyrus who nods for her to continue. "They are not exactly legal citizens of this country."

Hex quieted down before speaking again. "Right, anyways. Tell me every itty bitty detail of what happened to you for you to look like a hot mess."

"I..." Colletta struggled to find the correct words to phrase the entire incident with Rust.

"You Don't Have To Say Everything. Just Tell Us The Main Parts," Papyrus patiently told her.

"I'd rather have her say every detail there is," Hex snorted, disagreeing with his words.

"That Will Be Far More Detrimental In The Long Run. She'll Try And Convolute The Entire Situation. Let Her Speak When And What She Wants," Papyrus argued back, his hand creeping up to her hand. She allowed him to hold her hand. Hex's eye twitched but didn't comment about it.

"She needs a nudge to even speak," he glowered.

"Maybe, But Not Like This."

"Enough, enough. I'll speak. I met Rust," Colletta interrupted. Two heads whirl around to face her. "He warned me that Red is acting unusual. He's more aggressive than usual." She made eye contact with Hex who frowned in return.

Papyrus scrunched his face. "It's far too off to be mating season. It's still early Summer."

She shrugs, "Mating season or not, it's best we avoid going to the Western section of the city."

Hex crossed his arms over his stomach. "Anyways, that doesn't explain why you got hurt and looked like you got into a fistfight with a tornado."

"I..." Shame warmed her cheeks. "Regretfully, I attacked Rust, thinking he was an enemy." She pushed down the bubbling guilt threatening to spill over her mind. "I accidentally revealed a bit of my abilities during the altercation too."

Hex leaned back, hands now folded behind his head. "Scheib. You made a deal with him didn't you?"

"Deal? What Deal?" Papyrus questioned.

"I... have a unique ability that allows me to form a pact using my blood and magic as a medium." She raised her palm which was now a minuscule cut. "Rust didn't cause the cut on my palm. I was the one that did it."

"Why Would You Do That!?" Papyrus became alarmed. "Isn't There A Better Way To Make A Deal?"

"The deals that I create are incredibly strong. Should I or the other person break the deal, one of us will die. It also makes it harder to disobey the deal even if said person wanted to."