"You've got a visitor," The guard growled, rapping loudly on the bars. Varian blinked, looked up slowly. A... a visitor? Who'd want to visit him? The only people Varian had seen in weeks were the guards and the therapist the king and queen had forced him to visit. And, actually, he'd only seen the doctor twice before they'd stopped bringing Varian out of the cells to his sessions. He didn't know if they just couldn't be bothered anymore or if he'd actually managed to scare the doctor away. He didn't really care either way.

The guard glared at him, leaning on the bars of his cell. The one thing that seemed to get on the guards' nerves more than him talking was him being silent- which, if he were honest, was perfectly stupid. The two things were literally opposites, so the least they could do was accept one of the two. Finally seeming to realize that she wasn't going to get a response from him, her lips twisted into something resembling a sneer.

"Be on your best behavior, got it?" She said sharply, though the look on her face made it clear she considered his best no better than his worst. "We all know you're still the same, but no one else has to know that."

Varian frowned, but bit back a comment. He'd learned quickly that the guards did not like him very much, which led to some… undesirable consequences. He probably deserved it, but that didn't mean he was going to give them an excuse to do anything else. Besides, he had a feeling she was trying to get him to act out, though he didn't know why. Well, if that's what she wanted, then he wasn't going to rise to the bait.

Instead, he just looked away, turning his back on the cell bars. Ruddiger - who, for some unknown reason they had let Varian keep (something he was extremely grateful for, though he'd never admit it) - chittered softly, climbing into his lap. Varian didn't respond when the guard slammed a fist into the bars, just absently began running a hand through Ruddiger's fur. The guard spat on the ground (though that really was a bit much just to show her contempt), and he listened as she left, silently hoping that whoever it was that wanted to see him changed their mind and everyone just finally left him alone. Unfortunately, fate seemed determined to make him even more miserable than he already was.

It didn't take long before the sound of padded footsteps approached his cell.

Eugene waved at the guard as he left, smiling even as she didn't return the gesture. He didn't recognize her, so she must work primarily in the prison. He knew most of the guard by heart, but the prison was, fortunately, something he'd mostly managed to avoid. Until now, that is. Now he was waltzing right in, as if this wasn't everything he'd tried to avoid nearly every day of his life. Still, he started down the hall that the guard had waved him towards, and… and, actually, now that he actually thought about it, this felt off, somehow. Varian's cell was down this hall, but there weren't any others lining the walls. To add to that, this was a good ways away from all the other cells. The main portion of the prison - though it was really more of a dungeon - held most of the prisoners in big, though still uncomfortable, cells, with two or three prisoners to a room.

Only the worst criminals were kept alone- and that was only when they were a danger to everyone around them, guards and prisoners alike. So why on earth was Varian being kept in one of those cells? Not only that, but the guard had insisted on going first to 'make sure the prisoner wouldn't cause trouble' before telling Eugene that he could go see him. She'd even tried to stop Eugene from going to see the kid alone, as if she thought that Varian was somehow a threat the him, even locked up as he was. It all felt... wrong.

Varian was dangerous, sure, but only if he had access to his weird magic, or alchemy, or whatever it was. Eugene held no illusions that Varian wasn't dangerous or unstable, but the kid was practically a toothpick without a mech suit to hide in. And honestly, it seemed like half of his experiments failed anyway. Really, the kid hadn't been anything but a trouble magnet before the blizzard- though he was a tad more explode-y than most. Eugene hadn't been as close to him as Rapunzel was before his betrayal, but he'd seen enough to know that. Without something to blow up or hide behind, Varian was all but harmless. Actually… maybe Varian was over here for his safety, and not the other way around. Somehow, that didn't feel right either. (Maybe that was because it gave no excuse for why the guard would be so cautious.)

Ugh, all Eugene had wanted was to talk to the kid, to figure stuff out, and now he had a whole conspiracy on his hands. He shook his head, filing the thoughts away for later examination- or maybe just to forget about them. He'd figure that out later. The cell wasn't too much farther, set into the left wall. It was painfully small, and Eugene couldn't help but remember when he himself had been locked up, awaiting his execution. At least Varian's cell was larger than his had been. Speaking of Varian, he was sitting on the floor of his cell, back to the bars- and by extension, Eugene.

"...It's, ah... it's been awhile," Eugene said lightly, trying to soften the tension filling the air. All of the sudden, this felt like a mistake. Maybe he shouldn't have come down here. But he was here, so he was going to have to roll with it. "How's… how's it been? They said you would be getting help, and-"

"What do you want, Flynn?" Varian cut him off. His voice was scratchy and weak, presumably from disuse, but it was still sharp. Eugene hesitated.

"It's, uh, Eugene, actually," He said, though he knew that the kid was well aware, and then sighed. "I wanted to check on you. You know, see how-"

"How well your 'reformation process' is working? It's not," Varian snapped, curling in on himself slightly. "As soon as I get out of here, and I will, I'm going to finish everything I started. Just… just leave me alone."

Eugene paused, before sitting down on the cool stone floor. He'd regret the damage to his pants later, but right now he didn't care. He leaned back against the wall, weighing his options, before he spoke.

"I'll leave, just as soon as you answer a question for me," He said. Varian laughed softly, shaking his head.

"Another interrogation, then? Tell me, are you a warden or a doctor?"

"Neither. I just… I want to hear your version of what happened. The night of the blizzard, I mean." As soon as Eugene said that, Varian twisted around to face him, face twisted into a snarl.

"Oh, so now you just suddenly care?" He demanded, voice rising in anger. "Now that I'm at your mercy, what I think matters? Where was this month's ago?!"

Eugene stared, shocked. Not because of what Varian said, but because of how Varian's looked. And he looked horrible. His hair was tangled and matted, bangs hanging in front of his eyes. His face was pale and his cheekbones were just slightly more pronounced than they had been the last time Eugene saw him. To pull the look together, dark circles stood out like bruises underneath his eyes. It looked like he hadn't slept in days- weeks, maybe.

"You… look awful," Eugene said. He didn't really mean to, it just slipped out. Varian blinked, mouth falling open slightly. Just as quick as the surprise came, it disappeared behind a glare.

"Wow, thanks," He snapped. "It's not like they give us mirrors in the dungeon."

"...Right, sorry," Eugene said sheepishly. "But, really, are they taking care of you?"

He couldn't help but feel concerned. He didn't condone or forgive the things that Varian did, but he could understand at least a part of the thought process that had led him to do it. He could understand that anger, and desperation, and he could certainly understand the belief that the kingdom didn't care. He'd lived with that belief for years. It was part of why he'd turned to crime, outside of pure necessity. Varian had done the same. He could understand that. Varian had jumped to kidnapping and giant killing machines where Eugene had merely been a thief, but... the groundwork was still there. Eugene could understand where he was coming from. Besides, the kid lost his father, was thrown into prison, and was just, well, a kid.

Varian tensed at the question, holding Ruddiger protectively. Eugene hadn't noticed the raccoon until now, but... it was odd, letting him stay in the cells with Varian, right? Ah, whatever. It wasn't important. Varian eyed him for a moment, before looking away.

"What do you care?" He muttered. Eugene frowned.

"Does that mean no?"

"...I'm fine," Varian said flatly. "Y'know, just in jail, unable to free my father, alone, and forced to sleep on a cot that's probably filled with bricks… Classic Corona treatment."

"I know, right?!" Eugene exclaimed. "Those beds are the worst- ah. I mean… yeah. That's all pretty bad. I'm sorry."

Varian scoffed. "Yeah. Right."

"No, really, I-"

"No! I don't care!" Varian snapped. "I don't care what you have to say! Just leave me alone!"

Eugene sighed. "Look, you might not care, but I'd like to know what you have to say. Just... what happened?"

"If I tell you, will you leave?" Varian asked. Eugene nodded.

"Sure," He said. "Promise."

Varian grimaced at the word, but began to speak. "I... I ran through the blizzard to the castle- I-I needed help to save my dad, right? And I was thinking 'Rapunzel promised she'd help me. She has a connection to the rocks. Maybe she can save him'! But I got there and the guards wouldn't even let me in. Said there were too many people with too many problems already.

"So- so I just ran past them and- and broke in instead, and I found her and asked for help. I begged her, and she ignored me! She let the guards throw me back out into the storm! All I did was ask for help! Sure, I- I know that there was an emergency, but she never- she even came to check on me after it was over! None of you did. I couldn't even come back because the guards told everyone I attacked their princess, and- and she didn't correct them. She didn't- she didn't even notice."

Okay, that- that couldn't be right. There was no way that that was true. But then again, Rapunzel had given practically the same account, just without a few key details.

"Blondie just… let them throw you out? Into the snow?" He asked softly.

"Yeah," Varian muttered. "What, she didn't tell you?"

"She summarized," Eugene said. "But she didn't really want to talk about it. ...I'm starting to see why."

"Sure. Take her side," Varian said softly. A second passed with his gaze fixed firmly on Ruddiger, before he looked up and continued with slightly stronger voice. "Now, I believe you promised you'd leave me alone. Or are you just as bad at keeping your word as she is?"

"...You're right, you're right," Eugene said, sighing and standing up. "I'll… leave you to it, then."

Varian just turned away. Eugene shook his head and took a few steps back down the hall. And then he paused, and looked back towards the cell.

"I'll be back tomorrow," He called. Varian didn't respond. That was fine.

Because Eugene knew what it was like to feel alone, angry, and bitter. Scars never healed fully, and wounds ran deep. Looking at Varian... he had a lot of them. Pain that still cut too deep, loss too raw and stinging. It was all hidden, though, buried beneath fury and fear; Kept secret from prying eyes.

Nothing could heal like that. So Eugene would do his best to offer - if not help - support, until maybe, all the wounds had healed over.

"Don't you have better things to do?" Varian asked. Somehow, he looked even more tired than he had before.

"No, I don't think so," Eugene replied, setting up a chair outside Varian's cell. He'd sat on the floor for the past three visits, and frankly, it was time to stop. "Why? Do you?"

"Yes!" Varian snapped. "I need to figure out what the black rocks are and how to stop them- how to save my dad! So yeah, I've got way better things to do than sit here and talk to you!"

"...You can't work without tools," Eugene said. "I don't know how I'm interrupting what can't happen."

"Maybe it's because you automatically lower the IQ of everyone in the room," Varian hissed. Eugene raised an eyebrow.

"Really? When did you find the time to do experiments on that?" He asked lightly. Varian huffed and looked away, picking at his wrist. He did that a lot, actually. He was probably missing his gloves, Eugene realized. He'd never seen Varian without his gloves and goggles before now, so they were probably part of his usual wardrobe Not that it mattered right now. Eugene hummed, before snapping his fingers. "Since you can't write anything down, why not tell me about it? I won't be any help, but sometimes explaining something is easier than just thinking about it."

"You wouldn't understand it," Varian muttered. He fell silent for a few moments, but after a while, he began to speak again. "But... If- if I could get enough electricity joined with a powerful magnetic field, I may be able to-"

Eugene spent the next hour listening to scientific ramblings. Afterwards, after several rewrites to his theory, Varian actually smiled.

"That… that actually helped. Thank-" He cut off as he seemed to realize what he was saying. "Uh… it helped. Surprisingly."

"Good," Eugene said, letting the aborted expression of gratitude go without comment. "I'm happy to help."

"Does Rapunzel know you keep coming down here?" Varian asked suddenly, brushing a hand through Ruddiger's fur. It had been quiet for a few minutes, and Eugene jumped at the sudden sound.

"Uh, yes. She does," He said honestly.

"...Is she going to come too sometime?" Varian asked quietly. Eugene hesitated.

"Do you want her to?"

"...No. I don't think so."

"Then, no."

Varian paused, before smiling slightly.

"Are you eating enough?" Eugene asked. "Sleeping? Because you look awful."

"I'm fine, I-" Varian stopped when he noticed Eugene's glare. "I-I… can't sleep. And I give most of the food to Ruddiger."

"They let you keep the raccoon, but they don't give you enough to take care of it?" Eugene demanded. After a moment, Varian nodded slightly, though it was more robotic than it was natural. "Well. I'm going to have to talk to them then."

"Pssst, here," Eugene said, tossing Varian a bread roll through the bars. "Fresh from the kitchen."

Varian eyed it, before smiling and raising an eyebrow.

"Sneaking supplies to a prisoner, Flynn Rider?" He asked with fake shock. "I was under the impression that that was illegal."

"Eh, what are you gonna do?" Eugene asked. "Blondie already commit treason- I figured; Why not give petty crime another shot?"

Varian broke off a piece of the roll, tossing it back to Eugene. As if Eugene would try poisoning the kid… or, maybe, Varian was just being nice... Whatever the case, he ate it without hesitation, and Varian followed his lead, smiling like the bread was the best thing he'd eaten in days. The thought that maybe it was.... well, it wasn't the most comforting idea.

"I, uh. I brought you something," Eugene said, sliding the package through the slot meant for the food tray. It barely fit, but it worked. Varian eyed the box warily.

"What is it…?" He asked. Eugene sighed, rolling his eyes before grinning.

"It's a surprise!" He said. "I think you'll like it though."

Varian looked doubtful, and slightly worried, but carefully unwrapped the package. He gasped, eyes flying wide open.

"My- this is all-" In the box were a pair of worn gloves, goggles, an apron, and a big stack of paper. There was a charcoal pencil as well- not the best, but the best Eugene had been able to convince some of the others to let Varian have. As if the kid could escape using just a pencil... Still, Varian grinned, looking like Christmas had come early. "Thank you!" He said, then froze. Eugene waved a hand.

"Ah, it's nothing," He said. Varian relaxed when Eugene didn't point out what he'd said. "Just don't use all the paper too quickly. I'd have to go buy more, and I like to keep my money where it belongs; With me."

Eugene was worried about Varian.

He'd been opening up more recently, but two days ago, he'd shut himself away again. He was quiet and antagonistic. When Eugene managed to get him to talk about whatever alchemy or theory he'd been working on, the words were stilted and clipped, his movements stiff.

That was another thing. Varian, when he'd finally opened up, made a lot of hand motions. He was downright horrible at holding still. Now, he rarely moved at all. Ruddiger always seemed afraid, constantly curled up in Varian's lap or cowering in a tight ball in the corner.

It was all just… weird.

Varian was talking about some scientific mumbo jumbo that Eugene didn't understand, when he caught sight of something. In the middle of a half hearted wave of the hand, ungloved today, Varian's sleeve slipped down on his arm slightly. And...

"Is that a bruise?" Eugene asked suddenly, cutting Varian off. He jumped, eyes going wide as he drew his hands to his chest defensively.

"N-no," Varian said weakly. "It's nothing."

"That didn't look like nothing" Eugene said carefully. "Are you hurt?"

"It's- I fell. I was trying to climb the wall up to the window, and I fell," Varian said quickly. Eugene shook his head.

"You're not that good of a liar, kid," He tried to keep his voice level. "Tell me what really happened."

"Nothing! I fell, that's it!" Varian protested. He sounded almost scared.

"Look, Varian, if you're hurt, you need to tell me. I can help-"

"You never help!" Varian snapped. "Just- just leave me alone!"

"...I know. I know we didn't help you when you asked," Eugene said softly. "I know we never checked on you and we left you alone. I know you're hurting. But if something is wrong, then I'm here to help now. Better late than never, right? Just let me help this time, and I will."

Tears were gathering in Varian's eyes. Ruddiger chittered worriedly, clambering up into his lap and curling up there. Varian didn't even seem to notice.

"I- I can't, they-" He cut himself off, looking away. Anger simmered in the back of Eugene's mind.

"They?" He asked gently. Varian shook his head. "Look, if someone is hurting you, than you need to tell me."

"...I deserve it," Varian muttered.

"Don't say that!" Eugene said sharply. "You- yeah, you did a lot of bad stuff. You kidnapped the queen, stole the flower, nearly killed half the guard, Cassandra, the queen and Rapunzel… that's all really bad. That's all horrible. But you are a kid, and if someone is hurting you here, then they're probably- ...they're probably a guard. And this is not justice, it's just abuse!"

Varian flinched, curling in on himself, burying his fingers in Ruddiger's fur. Eugene sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Is it a guard?" He asked gently. Varian muttered something. "What was that?"

"...M-most… most of the… guards. That watch me," Varian said, voice wavering. "Especially after… after you started talking to me."

"Me? What do I-"

"They wanted me to… to remember I was a criminal."

Oh, that was it. That. Was. It.

"Can I see?" Eugene asked. Varian hesitated, before rolling up his sleeve. Mottled purple and green bruises stood stark against the undamaged skin. Several Eugene recognized as the shape of a guards boot tip. Eugene stood up.

"Is it just your arm?" He asked hopefully. Varian shook his head slightly. Of course not. It was never that simple. "...I'll be right back."

Getting Varian out of the cell was easy. He just had to tell Rapunzel, and by extension Cassandra, and she told the king and queen. It was harder to convince them, or, really, just convince the king, but after a small debate, Eugene was walking with Stan, Pete, and Cassandra, keys held tightly in his hand. He'd have preferred to go alone, but the king had insisted that he had to bring at least three guards with him, and that he not bring Rapunzel. Cassandra would have killed him if she wasn't one of the guards that he chose.

Varian jumped when he saw them all, looking torn for a moment between hiding and being angry. The indecision settled into a tired suspicion.

"What are you all doing here?" He asked. Eugene unlocked the door, opening it.

"Getting you out of here. To a doctor, specifically," He said. "You're still a prisoner, but we're not gonna let this keep going."

"O-oh," Varian said, eying Stan and Pete- and pointedly ignoring Cassandra. Eugene followed his gaze.

"Are-" Eugene glanced at the two guards, then stepped into the cell, crouching in front of Varian. "Are they alright? If they-"

"N-no, they're… they're fine," Varian said. "Just… the armor."

That was a relief. He'd chosen to bring Stan and Pete specifically because he trusted that they weren't involved. It was good to know he hadn't made a mistake in that department. Eugene stood up, offering a hand to help Varian to his feet. He took it slowly, stumbling when Eugene let go. Honestly, it looked like the kid hadn't stood up in days with the way he was trembling.

Pete stepped forward with handcuffs, apologizing as he put them on. Varian shrugged, silent, looking at the floor.

This… this was going to take a while to fix.

Most of the guards that were involved with the scheme came forwards. The others Varian had pointed out, and quickly gave up trying to hide. They were, originally, hardly punished at all. The king was blind when it came to people who hurt his family. When the queen got involved, however, the were dealt with much more harshly, many of them even being fired. Others got to stay. Eugene would rather they all be thrown in the dungeons, but it wasn't his call.

Still, Varian recovered, cuts and bruises that had gone untreated for weeks slowly fading. Eugene asked why he had never said anything, and was met with the realization that the guards had threatened worse if Varian tried to tell him, and, the even more troubling news, that Varian hadn't been sure if Eugene would help, or even believe, him.

Needless to say, Eugene had punched the first one he saw again.

And when the time finally came for Rapunzel, Cassandra and Eugene to leave and follow the rocks, he convinced them to take Varian with them.

The alchemist was hesitant, but finding the secret of the rocks overpowered the hatred and fear he had of Cass and Rapunzel.

And maybe, just maybe, now that they'd been brought to light, the wounds could finally heal.