Co-authored with StormDacana and Omicron the IceQueen
Protective
Sans didn't move fast, not really, coaxing the shirt up he paused and then took a picture if the damage. Also getting another of the infected arm. His rumble lowered for a moment and back to a more soothing tone. After that his cell chimed several times with demands and instructions. "Well, looks like she's making a detour."
Danni nodded quietly understanding, not fussing that he'd lifted her shirt. It had to hurt but she didn't complain. Especially a few sticking spots.
She found that after the first spot that stuck and tore at a scab, the Monster stopped, dabbing at the cloth from the outside to get it wet until the scab and fabric were moist enough to let go of each other. Danni quietly watched him, sighing softly as the itchiness of the clinging shift went away. Relief crossing her features.
Sans patted the girl's side, not in a place that would hurt, "I'm going to lift this more, just from the back, is that okay budddy?"
"Yeah." The bone hand felt strange but not bad as she sat quietly for him.
It was a long few minutes, before there was the sound of a door opening, "Yo Sans!" A female voice called out, "Learn to lock your door!"
"I don't need to," Sans called back, making sure that Danni wasn't going to jump off, "Got the stuff you mentioned?"
Danni outright jerked and nearly panicked, instinctively twisting to cling to Sans upper arm and trying to hide behind him on the counter. It was apparent she didn't like surprises.
The Monster wrapped her into a hug, keeping Danni in place, "Hang on witchy."
"Don't use that word... people don't like iiit." came from the other room, but the voice moved away.
Trembling and slightly teary the girl hid her face against him. Shuddering in silent terror. Sans reached up and pet the girl's head again, "Its just my friend, I said she was coming remember?"
"She startled me." Muffled against his shirt. It was when she'd come in an was loud/yelled her prescience. It was a trigger for the girl, which if Papyrus got loud it'd do the same thing.
The monster was making a note of this, and tilted his head to smile down at the girl, "Sorry. But she's not bad. I wouldn't have stayed around her if she was." He might have confronted the witch really.
Nodding Danni just huddled close against him. "Y-you're not going anywhere right?" She didn't want him to leave her alone with the stranger. This was a scared child.
"Nah, I'm not going anywhere." Sans assured, "But you need help Danni."
Sighing she nodded. "I know..." The girl didn't like it though, this was a lot for one day. It had only been a day right? Her brow furrowed, how long had she napped on Sans?"
"You want her to come here, or do you want to go meet her?" Sans asked, not sure what would be the better choice.
"...what is she planning to do to me?" It'd be kinda pointless for her to go out ot her then have to come back into the kitchen.
"Help heal these cuts, I can heal bones but not the fleshy parts." Sans wiggled his fingers, an pointed to a spot where there was a hair line fracture he could See under the bruised flesh.
"...Oh." Danni blinked in surprise, eyeing where he pointed at the fracture.
"She can help you with that, knowing humans better after all." Sans offered his hands and arms out, as if thinking she might want another hug for reassurance.
Danni took it and snuggled up under his chin. For a human the whole skeleton thing really didn't bother her. "Okay." Long as he was there and she had an option to either hide or escape if need be. Humans were more scary then this monster right then.
Sans lifted her up, setting her down on the ground, hesitated and offered a hand, while picking up the bowl of warm water and the clean cloths inside it with his other hand and taking a few steps back to the living room.
Letting him lead the way after taking his hand she huddled close to his side looking scared but at least going along. Sans smiled and when he led Danni into the living room again, but now there was a difference of a glowing sphere of warm yellow-orange light between the palms of the woman... in bright pink?
Yeah that was a bright pink shirt that had the words 'Professional Beach Hulk' on the front. It was a little too big and over another shirt, along with the jeans she had on, the woman wasn't really something scary, and her hair pushed up under a cowboy hat.
Danni balked seeing the woman but stuck to Sans' side so she still was walking into the room. Eyeing the glowing sphere warily and the odd woman.
"See? Good magic," Sans assured coming over, reaching out to catch the sphere in his right hand once it was tossed over. He lowered it down to show Danni, where she could see it, and then put it into her hands. "Just a light ball."
Trembling she held the odd thing giving a confused noise. Then looking at the new person in the room just as confused.
"It's like a night light," The older woman offered from the couch, gold sparkles started forming around her hands, "Do you want to see how it works?"
Glancing at Sans to make sure it was okay she cautiously moved towards the woman. Holding the given light gingerly as she studied the sparkles that were forming.
The 'witch' moved slowly, with a smile she offered her right hand, her palm to the side, her fingers were relaxed, "It's not bad."
Lightly one hand reached out and fingertips touched the woman's sparkling hand before withdrawing giving a surprised noise. It was a warm feeling that lingered, something like and unlike what Sans could do.
The woman smiled, "See? It's not bad, just shinny."
"Y-yeah." Her voice was soft, still holding the glowing orb. You wouldd think Sans being a monster would have had the trepidation reaction she had with the woman, but instead the fear was of the human. Because she was human.
The woman considered, forming a little more magic over her hand, glancing at the skeleton.
"Go ahead." Sans' voice said from behind Danni, "She won't hurt you."
Cautiously Danni went up to the woman, trembling but in range for whatever the woman was going to do. Trusting Sans and trying to not panic too badly. Moving slow, the woman reached out to take Danni's hand, the warm magic seeping in as she turned the child's hand over, gently inspecting as the healing spell started to work. Sans came a few steps closer, looking fascinated as he watched but showed no signs of worry as the smaller cuts were knitted back together first, any of the infections pushed out in the process. The 'witch' took a cloth from Sans to clean those discolored drops off.
Shuddering but keeping still Danni watched in a morbid fascination. It felt weird and seeing your skin do that was unnerving.
"It shouldn't be hurting," The woman eased back a little, "Are you okay?"
"It just feels weird...and looks weird." She grimaced add it hit her back and she could feel the tank top getting the pushed out infection on it. "...really weird."
"I'm just doing one part at a time," The woman said, easing back the magic to focus only on the girl's arm. Other then a soft snort here and there she wasn't showing much reaction to the smell or sight, as if this had happened before. Healing bad wounds.
Danni nodded, she wasn't looking forward to when it hit her back though. The girl glanced at Sans for reassurance then winced as she remembered. "I uh...I don't know your name..." Looking at the woman.
"Sans calls me witchy, but my name is Ichabeth." The woman rolled her eyes, "You can call me Ich."
"Ichy-the Witchy!" Sans chimed in, grinning as he was flipped off with a glowing gold hand.
"Don't do that," Ich said to Danni, "You're not old enough yet. What's your name luv?"
Danni was well aware of what that meant and eyebrowed slightly, experience in things shining through before she smiled slightly. "Danni."
"Nice to meet you Danni," Ich said, smiling honestly, but not missing the look, trading cloths with Sans with one hand, the other on the girl's arm. Her hand still magic warm and tingling, but not in a bad way, the witch was going to have to be cleaning herself up later, but didn't stop, even with Sans grimaced a few times.
"Thanks for helping me." The girl at least had manners apparently, seeing Sans grimace and how the witch was getting stuff on Danni she gave a rueful smile. "At least its not as bad as it has been before?" Trying to find a bright side.
"What happened before?" Ich asked, ducking her head to get a closer look at Danni's wound as she cleaned it with several cloths, sending Sans to get more that were soaked with what she had gotten on the way over, the cream would melt into the hot water she assured. It would help with the healing and smell.
"...never mind." The girl murmured realizing it might not be the best to explain this was a mild beating compared to some of the more violent episodes her mom had. This was however the first time she'd been tossed down a mountain.
"It's okay," The human witch assured, taking time to pause the healing to completely clean the arm with the warm water until there was no more, opening her bag and reaching in. Almost impossibly past her elbow, to get more cloths that smelled like tea-tree oil to finished cleaning the area. "You're going to have to get a new shirt, I have a few but they might be too big. What happened before?"
"Almost all shirts are big on me." Danni admitted, she was rail thin as she'd been told before. Sighing she shrugged a shoulder. "...Mom tossed me into the mountain and Sans found me."
"You poor thing..." Ich moved slowly, keeping herself lower then Danni's head level and looked up at her, "Hey, hey, Danni?" Ich said, keeping her voice gentle and smiled, "Want to know something important?"
The girls eyes looked at Ich's face, a scar spanning over her nose visible at that angle due to the hair not blocking it. Danni head tilted slightly in silent question at the woman.
"I'm a pretty good at magic, not just healing, but other things." Ich pointed to the kitchen where Sans was heard running water, "But I'd never take on him. Neeeever. So you know, you're safe here. Nothing can get through that Monster. I can see that Sans likes you, so he's going to protect you."
"No one's ever stopped her before." It was a soft vague answer but the girl smiled. "I like Sans he's nice to me. You are too."
"Don't tell anyone that I'm nice, I'm a 'witch.'" Ich rolled her eyes, and then winked playfully, "But I mean it, no one will get to you with Sans, and his brother around."
Danni headtilted, "He has a brother?" She hadn't met Papyrus yet apparently.
"Oh yes, a big adorable dork, he can be loud, but I think he has a golden heart." the woman paused and added, "So to say. He's cool though."
"Oh yeah," Sans said coming back in, with a new bowl-bucket, "He's pretty cool." the monster grinned, having more cloths and another empty bucket for the dirty ones.
Danni gave a small smile. "Hope he likes me then..." Still sitting quietly so Ich could do her thing.
"I'm sure he will," Sans asured, passing wash cloths back and forth when asked. Though didn't mean the girl wouldn't jump like a cat the first time she hears him in all caps.
"Where is papyrus?" The witch asked, looking up at Sans, "He's normally around here by now."
"He's having a 'super training day,'" Sans explained and grinned wider. "Undyn took him out. He should be back after having dinner with her."
Danni watched another cut heal then glanced between the two of them, before looking back down. She didn't know these people being mentioned so really had no input.
Ich looked up to Danni again, smiling as she finished with that arm and to the other, "I'm going to need to see the rest of you to heal. Do you want to do that in a room?"
"It doesn't matter." Being shirtless really didn't matter much to her, and in reality it just...it was something that never registered anymore. Inwardly there was a hollowness, results of things that'd happened prior. To put it mildly it wasn't the first time near strangers saw her. At least their intent was kind.
Sans reached out, and a boney hand rested on Danni's head. Ruffling her hair, "What do you want to do?"
Danni wasn't sure how to answer that, was there a wrong answer? Choice wasn't something she was generally given. "..." thinking a few moments she finally answered. "...can just do it here, less mess being tracked around?" It seemed logical to her at least.
"Okay," The woman said, "I'll go at your pace. Where do you want me to heal first? Front or back?"
"Back's the worst." That the girl was sure of, her front wasn't to bad considering.
Ich moved to pull off the couch cushions, poking at Sans' leg bones to make him jump aside. She spread them out and got an extra pillow from the other side of the couch. "Here, can you lay down on your front?"
Sans plopped down beside the pillow. "Sure Witchy."
"Not you fluffy bones."
Giggling Danni did as the woman asked settling gingerly on her front but she knew if she tried her back first it would have been a lot more painful.
"Get your lazy bones in gear Sans," Ich said as she settled, using a wet cloth to pat at the girl's shirt to loosen it again. Sans shifted around and gently took one of Danni's hands, the one where he spotted fractures before, working on knitting those up as much as he could through the blue glow of magic.
Keeping as relaxed as she could the girl only marginally twitched as her back was touched. The hairline fractures she hadn't really felt much.
"So, you want some nice cream after this?" Sans asked, watching what the witch was doing to lift the dirty shirt up, after a moment he laid down to be level with Danni.
"...I've no idea what that is. Is it like the chocolate?" Turning her head so she could see him better she let Ich do her thing. Only shuddering when the shirt was being moved to reveal the horrifying damage. That thankfully Danni couldn't see how mangled her back was.
"Its not chocolate, but a ice treat from the underground." Sans explained with an ever present smile, "I like it. But we can get some chocolate for you too."
"Mm." Giving a soft sigh, Danni got easily tired and this was admittedly been a hectic day. Flinching when Ich touched a sensitive wound, a petite hand reached for Sans just quietly holding it for some comfort.
He shifted to close the girl's hand in his own, happy to stay there with her as the older woman worked and cleaned. "Go ahead and rest."
Shifting enough to tug the hand so Danni could rest her cheek on the joined hands, soft it probably was not but it was contact. Resting against his hand she nodded. "Ok..."
Behind Danni, the Ich arched en eyebrow, holding up her free hand with a soft pulse of green tinted magic. Sans nodded as he moved a little closer, letting the girl snuggle his hand as the witch seamlessly eased the new spell with the other to help Danni fall asleep and stay out for the time it would take to heal her.
