Buckle… metal. Sharp edge? Sharp enough. Prong for gouging? Yes. At meal. One quick thrust. One movement. Fast. No death. Pain. Distraction. Enough? Escape? Take keys. Run. Take taser! Defend, escape. Finish. Asriel. Must finish. Dad too. Mom too. Must finish. Asriel. Asriel… Asriel. ASRIEL.

…

October 30th, 205X

…

"Good afternoon, Chara. Are you excited for Halloween?"

Asriel. Asrielasrielasriel. Az. Azzy, crybaby. Asri… el.

"It won't be much, but there's always a little treat to look forward to if you're polite."

Asriel, le… leir… leirsa. Leirsa. Asrielleirsa.

"Can you please sit up?"

Azzy. As-… Interruption. Sit up? Yes. Be polite.

"Thank you. You've been very good today. I appreciate that."

Good today… very good. Very polite. Appreciated. Trust.

"Can you look at me? Let's see how that black eye is doing."

Black eye… bad guard. Hit. Bad, mean. No reason. Was being good… polite.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you… you were being so nice. But we won't be dealing with him anymore, I promise. He was promptly fired."

Fired… caught fire. Wish. Maybe lighter… match. Blowtorch! Yes!

"You're being quieter than usual. How was your morning? Did you draw with Miss Atla again?"

Atla… nice. Helpful. Last to go.

"Chara?" Finally those red eyes opened and Dr. Avery Thyme smiled kindly down into Chara's blank gaze. He'd long since stopped being afraid of them or getting shivers at their stares. Perhaps he was a little crazy himself for being so chummy with them, but they seemed to thrive off being treated like they weren't a homicidal and suicidal sociopath. "There's my little friend. You've been so kind today. Miss Atla told me you even complimented her new haircut."

"It's… nice…" Chara murmured, their voice coming out quiet and hoarse from little use, unsure of how to translate their thoughts to sound half the time. "Pretty…"

"You're right, it is. And she was flattered that you noticed. Now… how do you feel?"

"Six…" Chara muttered, looking down at their scarred palms. They didn't like talking much, so they and Dr. Avery often spoke in simple, short words using numbers and scales to describe feelings and discomfort.

"Ah, six is nice and comfortable. Anything bothering you lately? You haven't spoken much at all today, even less than usual."

"… Miss Asriel…" Chara admitted softly, and Avery sat down across from their bed on a stool. He ran a hand back through his short brown hair and scratched his goateed chin.

"You miss your brother? I'm sorry, Chara. I wish you could see them, but… you understand, right?"

"Yes… Is Mom… coming?"

"She'll be here in an hour or so."

"But… not Dad."

"… I'm sorry, no. But maybe you can ask your mother to get him to come if you want to see him."

"No… hates me."

"That's not true, Chara."

"Loves Asriel… not adopted… enemy."

"Just because you're from Arida doesn't mean your father doesn't like you, Chara. He's just… unsure. I know I don't need to sugarcoat things for you. He's afraid. Not of you, but of how awful he feels that you're here."

"Put me here…"

"For your own safety. But I know you don't want to hear that."

"Go home someday…"

"… It's not impossible, little friend. We just need to make sure you're okay and happy and able to live out in the world safely."

"Can't yet… Not ready."

"I'm glad you understand that… I really am. You're an intelligent person, Chara, and I think you can get better. You've already made huge strides. You've made friends with some of the doctors and instructors… You've even helped some other patients feel better. And that's fantastic and so kind."

"Can get… better?"

"Absolutely. I believe anyone can get better. It all depends on whether they want to, and whether people help them. I want to help, and you've told me so many times you want to get better and go home and see your brother again. If you hold onto that dream, we can make it come true someday."

Get better… See Asriel… Finish it.

"Now, are you hungry at all?"

"… Seven."

"Pretty peckish then. Come on, we'll go get a snack to tide us over til dinner." Avery stood and offered a hand. He was perhaps the only person not afraid to let Chara touch him, and one of few Chara didn't mind touching them. That was handy for a doctor whose main duties were taking care of Chara and administering any medical treatments. He smiled when Chara took his hand slowly, slipping from the bed in their knee-length shorts and striped sweater and bare feet.

Together, they walked down the hall past the different patient rooms, some doors open and some locked shut, some even with their little windows covered. Chara walked at their own pace, knowing Avery wouldn't make them keep up with his much longer stride with his long legs. They eventually abandoned holding his hand to wrap their fingers in the side of his white coat. That was normal when they were entering a larger area and felt a bit of agoraphobia with the open cafeteria and the smattering of people around. They didn't like big groups, but everyone was fairly spaced out, patients with their doctors and orderlies and instructors. Everything was peaceful.

Avery trusted Chara to wait at a table for him while he fetched a couple little bowls of fruit salad and half a PB&J each. While he knew he could trust them to stay put, he always made sure to praise them for being patient and polite. It was a far cry from the way they'd been when they had been brought into the psychiatric hospital in Streamtown, the only one in all of Delta. Chara had been horrifically suicidal and couldn't even be trusted to have their hands free. At one point they tried to suffocate themselves by holding their breath, so they'd been forced to take a breathing tube for three days straight. And anytime someone got near them, they would try their damnedest to kill the person. Eventually the suicidal tendencies faded, especially once they were told Asriel was still alive. But the vicious reaction to others had taken a few years to iron out, improving dramatically once Dr. Avery Thyme was assigned to Chara just after being hired at the hospital.

Now, Chara was downright pleasant on their good days, and only lashed out occasionally in frustration or after nightmares. Even on their bad days, they were simply quiet and melancholy. Avery was quite chuffed with his success, and very proud of the patient he called his 'little friend.' Other doctors didn't like building friendships with their charges, but Avery believed in kindness and understanding, and not holding a grudge when Chara got out of hand.

Chara ate silently and so Avery followed their example. He tried not to force conversation too much outside his check-ins. Chara liked to think and they had quite the imagination beyond the darker thoughts, so Avery didn't interrupt often.

"Mister A?" Chara finally asked once they finished eating and took a drink of water from a bottle Avery had brought. Chara never called anyone by name save their parents and Asriel. But Avery had been the only one given a personalized title in the entire hospital.

"Yes, Chara?"

"Can I grow… flowers?" Oil… Neurotoxin.

Avery paused at that. "What brought this up?"

"I miss… the garden. At home."

"I don't see why we couldn't get you a plant-pot. You can put it in the window."

"Special flowers…"

"What kind?"

"Echo… and Golden." Oil… Neurotoxin. Cyanide.

"Why don't you ask your mother to get some seeds for you? She'll probably know better where to get them than me."

"Yes… Mom knows." Chara looked over at Avery then. Trust… need trust. Neurotoxin. Cyanide. Concentrated… Need trust. "Mister A?"

"Mhm?"

"I… was bad."

"What do you mean?" Avery had been about to take a drink from his own bottle of water, and set it back down.

"Took something… was going… to hurt the guard." Not a lie… Not the truth.

Avery didn't get tense or scared or angry. He made a note of keeping calm even in bad situations with Chara. "What did you take?"

"Buckle… from straps… bed." Chara reached slowly into their pocket and produced a broken buckle frame and prong with an edge that had been filed sharp by rubbing it against the steel bedframe in Chara's room. "Bad…" Chara set the buckle down on the table and pushed it toward Avery. "Sorry… was scared…"

"I appreciate your honesty, Chara." Avery calmly took the buckle and put it in his own pocket. "And you telling me even though you were scared of the guard is very brave. He won't ever come around here again. I promise you're safe."

"In trouble…?"

"… No. I'll have to make a note about it, but it's okay as long as you never do it again. Alright?"

"Yes, Mister A." Ha. Trust. Haha… Idiot.