There was definitely something she wasn't telling him. That was becoming more obvious each day. Colt wanted to know what she was thinking. What she was really thinking. Sure, Tali admitting she was working things out was the furthest he'd got in quite some time, but he knew there was more to it. He just . . . knew.

Colt lingered in her - their - room for longer than he felt he should. It was still strange to be sharing a room with her again. What had been even stranger was that she had been the one to suggest it. He hadn't been able to say no. Whether it was to help her or out of his own selfish needs, he had no idea. 

He brushed past the bed, making a point to swipe the two bottles of wine - one empty, one all but - from the table beside it, before wandering out of the room. Colt frowned at the two bottles, then sighed. Tali's old habits were starting to resurface. According to Leo, she was acting similar to how she had been when they first met. 

Unstable.

Unpredictable.

Unstoppable.

Colt was far from the only one concerned. 

Carmin had warned him about being careful when approaching Tali. One word is all it will take, the Dragonoid woman had said, for that girl to go over the edge.  Kayla and Hathor - when she was home - would occasionally leave mugs of tea outside the bedroom door. Jay made it a point to not speak when she was fuming in case he accidentally made it worse, but kept an eye on her from a distance. The others had their own way of taking care of her but keeping their distance at the same time. After the stunt Leo pulled earlier, Colt wondered if things would get worse.

It was concerning. No, concerning didn't even begin to cover it. Tali's actions were far beyond concerning, enough so that Colt had moved all her weaponry to his old room and used a Terpolite seal to lock the door. Just in case. There was no such thing as being too careful when it came to Tali and a potential rampage, even more so when the two words were finally agreeing on things. 

Nikki must have seen the look on his face when he entered the kitchen. She pushed a plate of still steaming chocolate-chip cookies towards him and asked, "That bad, huh?"

"Yeah," he said, placing the two bottles on the bench and taking a cookie from the plate. "It's that bad."

The Shifter cringed, bending down to look into the oven. "Leo must've done a number on her before we met. I've never seen her like this."

"I have."

"Oh?"

Colt mentally slap himself across the face. Nikki still didn't know who he was, though it was clear she had her suspicions. "What I mean is I read about it while living on Terpola." 

It wasn't a lie. He had read a lot about his Tali while there, more specifically what was done in the aftermath of his death. Ilsbrook was still in ruins. Abandoned. No known survivors. It had been a horrifying discovery, to say the least. To think that Tali had destroyed a city because one of their people killed him . . . It made him shiver.

"I see," Nikki said. "Hey, can you pass me those gloves beside you?" She gave him a sheepish smile. "I don't feel like burning myself today."

Colt did so. "Do I have to test you latest creation?" he asked in what he thought was the worst attempt to change the conversation topic.

"Did you see anyone else here?"

"No." Everyone else was out.

"Then yes." Nikki pulled a steaming tray from the oven and placed it on the bench. She seemed to test one of them, placing a finger on the pastry before pulling back with a hiss. "I think I'll let them cool down first."

"Probably for the best," he agreed. 

Translation: anymore chocolate so soon and I'll be sick. 

Though surely a third cookie wouldn't hurt.

Nikki waved a hand over the tray before groaning, "Where's an air elemental when you need one?"

A glance towards Colt.

"Don't look at me," he said around a mouthful of cookie. "I don't have air elemental powers."

A sigh. "Any chance of our almighty Queen making an appearance before dinner?"

"Doubtful." He pointed at the plate in front of him. "Mind if I take this up to said almighty Queen?"

"Go ahead."

Plate in hand, he left the Shifter to her cooking before she changed her mind.

Colt pushed open the door to his and Tali's room, half surprised to find her laying on the bed reading. She glanced up at him with a small smile. It widened slightly at the plate in his hand.

A shrug. "I did say I would bring you food."

She laughed lightly. "That hardly qualifies as food."

"A snack, then."

Tali pushed herself upright. He sat in front of her, the plate of cookies on the bed between them. She took one before saying, "Isn't there a rule about not eating before dinner?"

"Because you plan to join us?" he asked, surprised.

She made a wounded noise.

He flinched. "You rarely join us these days, is what I meant to say. It would be nice to have you at a meal again. You know, it would be nice to have our whole family together in one room again." Colt suddenly wished the floor would open up and swallow him.  "Because everyone misses you and are worried about you and hope that you won't accidentally do something stupid." He really needed to shut up. Right now.

"I suppose," she murmured. 

Was that a yes? He couldn't tell.

Tali glared at him, her eyes solid and frozen like amethysts. "What do you mean 'something stupid'?"

A part of Colt begun to panic. There was no right answer to that question. Oh, he was in deep shit now.

"Well?"

So much for being careful.

"Well," he started, "there was the Hetsipara incident, the Ilsbrook incident, the time Apollo almost made Zeus go to war with you-"

Her frown deepened.

He blanched. 

"I'm not a good guy, Assar. You know this."

Colt knew she was pissed now. Using his real name was a dead giveaway. Dead being the word. He had a sudden urge to run from his girlfriend. 

She must have noticed this. Tali sighed, looking down. "We'll see about dinner. I haven't decided yet."

He took her hands, brushing his thumbs over her palms. "I'm not forcing you. I would never want to do that. But I am worried about you, my Tali."

She huffed a laugh. "When aren't you?"

He smiled at that.