I cried myself to sleep that night. And while it certainly wasn't the first time I did that, it was the first time in who-knows-how-long that it was so intense. I buried my face in my pillow and sobbed until it was cold and wet. I tossed and turned, clawing at the mattress in an irrational search for something to hold onto. But there was nothing, so I wept and wept until I was so out of touch that I couldn't even remember why I was weeping in the first place.

I only remembered that it hurt. It hurt so much.

At some point, someone of the night guard poked his head into my room. I didn't care enough to look who it was; I was too busy trying to switch off my mind and find some peace. But even when I finally lost consciousness due to sheer exhaustion, there was none to be had. Nightmares plagued my fitful sleep – nightmares of walls moving in, of sinking ships, of faceless babies screaming into the void, of blue-furred raccoon monsters, and of a quaint little village covered in black spikes.

I refused to get up in the morning. Or rather, I was so drained that my mind was trapped somewhere between sleep and wakefulness. When Austin shook me out of it that day, I could have sworn for a split-second that I remembered the voice.

And then it was gone again, and I found myself trembling and covered in goosebumps, cold beneath my warm blanket. Without any real enthusiasm, I sat up and pulled the wool sheet tighter around my body. When I caught Austin moving in for a hug from the corner of my eye, I silently shook my head.

"Kai?"

"I'm sorry, Austin. I don't feel like anything... touchy right now."

I didn't see him scooting over so much as I felt it. He leaned back against the wall, and I followed his lead.

"What's wrong?" he asked, then I heard a small huff. "It's that boy, isn't it? Did he do something to you?"

I gritted my teeth. "Is there anything else on your mind right now? Anything but blaming Raccoon Boy for every tiny bit?"

I didn't even need the shocked silence to realize that a certain frigidness had found its way into my voice. I buried my face in my hands, once again at the verge of crying. "No... I'm so sorry, I didn't mean that."

A sigh. "Yeah... I'm sorry, too."

I looked up, still blinking the surprise away when I caught Austin taking off his helmet and running a hand through his hair.

"Huh?"

Austin seemed to have found something very fascinating at the ceiling. "You're pretty attached to him, aren't you?"

"I guess you can say that..." Dang, this was awkward. "But I also guess I have to admit that the timing is suspicious. It's not his fault though, it was more like... the window."

"Window?"

A chuckle escaped my throat. I didn't need to see Austin's face to know that his eyebrows were as high as the heavens. "Yep. Castle Town sure is pretty in the evening sun."

An uncomfortable pause ensued. I knew that Austin knew what was going on. That I had one of my 'phases' and there was nothing he could do to change it.

It would pass on its own. It always did. Even when it felt like it never would, just like it did now.

"I want to go outside, Austin," I whispered. "I want to see things and talk to people and just... live. Like a normal girl."

Austin didn't point out that I wasn't normal. It went without saying. Plus, we were yet to figure out something that worked at all.

Besides listening, that is. But for now it was enough. It had to be.

I heaved a sigh and threw the blanket down onto the bed so I could get up. I hopped into my slippers and stretched before flashing my friend a smile. "Thank you, Austin. How could I ever repay you?"

Austin smiled back. "Don't worry about it. You should focus on getting better first."

I blew a raspberry at nothing in particular. "Tell that to the voice in my head." I turned on my heel and walked over to my washbasin. The water had become pretty dusty over the last three days, but only the nurses had the keys to unlock the basins from their tables and change it.

I still dunked my face in and gulped it down. I needed the refreshment too much to care. "Aah! Much better!"

Austin stared at me blankly for a moment, then shook his head. "You could've had some of my water, y'know?"

I curled my lips. Didn't think of that. "That was too obvious. Besides..." I swiped my hand across my face and ran my fingers through my hair, relishing in the cool droplets of water spreading over my skin and washing the last traces of salt from my cheeks. "Water is not just for drinking."

Austin chuckled and a grin crept onto my lips. It was hard to stay depressed like that.

I put my hands on my hips. "Alright, my dear bodyguard! Your charge demands breakfast! Would you like to accompany me?"

After a hearty sandwich and some milk, I felt ready to face Head Nurse Maurina. I had a lot to report, after all, though I wasn't entirely sure what to tell her. On the way to her office, I went over everything that had transpired, however, by the time I sat opposite of her in a plushy chair, plus one steaming cup of tea but minus one Austin, my mind went blank.

"Nervous?" Maurina asked. I could only nod, my heart beating in my throat. She smiled encouragingly. "Just tell me what comes to your mind."

I gulped. "Nothing comes to my mind. That's the problem."

She jotted down some notes, and I tilted my head. "What are you writing? I didn't say anything worthwhile."

"You said plenty, Kailyn." She put her quill aside. I guessed she wasn't going to elaborate, and I was right. The next words to come out of her mouth formed a prompt: "It doesn't need to be anything remarkable. How is Raccoon Boy doing?"

I licked my dry lips, idly wondering how she managed to adopt my nickname for him so quickly. She didn't even hesitate. But anyway... "Well, I guess he's doing as fine as could be, but considering the situation, my impression of him doesn't necessarily mean anything." I shrugged. "He's not my greatest fan, and honestly, I'm not his greatest fan, either. He's quite cold and resentful most of the time. He carries a lot of anger, I believe." I sighed. "And he makes me feel like an idiot."

Maurina looked up. "In what way?"

"Eh?!" My face heated up in a heartbeat. "You want me to answer that?!" No way was I reliving any of that!

She leaned back and folded her hands in her lap. "Kailyn, as much as we want to rehabilitate Raccoon Boy, your emotional wellbeing remains first priority. I cannot let this experiment interfere with your own recovery."

I snorted, perhaps a little too contemptuous. "Would it kill you brainiacs to speak like normal people for once?"

To my surprise, Maurina only laughed at my grouchy muttering. "Alright, Kailyn. If it helps you, I'll speak like a 'normal person'."

"Are you kidding me?!" I only just kept myself from facepalming. Instead, I crossed my arms. "Yes, it would help me very much!"

"Well then." She picked her quill back up. "I'm all ears."

I huffed. "Right. That's one of these things. I feel like an idiot because everyone talks weird!"

"Well, we can hardly forbid Raccoon Boy from speaking the way he knows. On the plus side, I'm actually very happy to hear that he talks enough for you to judge his speech." She smiled again. "Besides, a lack of knowledge is nothing to be ashamed of. Perhaps you can try to think of him as a springboard instead of competition? Most teen geniuses love to share their knowledge."

"Har har," I scoffed. "I bet he'd sooner look down on me instead of answering any questions that might crop up."

"You won't know if you don't try it. But I'm getting ahead of myself." Maurina searched my gaze, and I did her the favor. "Do you think he's in the right headspace for this?"

I nearly burst into laughter. 'Headspace' was not a word I expected to hear from Head Nurse Maurina of all people. "Maybe. Depends on his mood. On mine too, I suppose." I picked up my tea, but it was still too hot for drinking. I ended up just staring into the red fluid. "A teen genius, huh?"

"Does it surprise you?"

"Not really. I mean, the Captain did say something along those lines. I just... I guess it just didn't occur to me to put a label on it. But it'll probably help me to accept that we're..." I sighed. "That we're simply on different levels, nothing more, nothing less."

"You're not an idiot, Kailyn. I hear you're actually quite smart."

I chuckled awkwardly. "Thanks."

"Is there anything else that makes you uncomfortable?"

I wrinkled my nose. "Nothing you could change. And since you're going to ask: I'm talking about the chains. Just thinking about them makes me vaguely ill."

That gave Maurina pause for a moment. "You're right. I'm afraid that cannot be changed."

"And I don't ask for it. I just thought it might interest you."

"Well, it certainly means you're not lacking in the empathy department."

"I guess." I blew on my tea, suddenly out of words. "Any other questions?"

"Is there anything particular that came up? Certain subjects? Did everything go smoothly or was there an argument? Anything suspicious, perhaps?"

I hummed thoughtfully. That was a lot of questions. "Where do I even start? We didn't fight, not per se, but there was this bit when I thought he'd hit on some sort of escape idea after I told him about our med supply being lower than ever because of that... What was this guy's name again? Ventail? Never mind, I don't wanna know. I mean that alchemist character." I balled my cup-free hand into a fist, having talked myself into a rage. "I swear, if I ever get my hands on him, he'll be incredibly sorry!"

"You appear to be quite passionate about that subject."

"I am," I grumbled. "How many kingdoms do you know of that treat people like me with so much respect? I'm grateful to the king and queen, and especially Princess Rapunzel. I take high treason very personal!"

"I see." Maurina took some of her mysterious notes again. "You have met Princess Rapunzel a few times, is that correct?"

I nodded. "She couldn't do anything, but I still admire her a lot."

Maurina smiled. "I feel the same. However, I'd rather return to the original topic. I believe there was supposed to be a 'but' somewhere in there?"

Right. There was. "True," I sighed. "Anyway, I was mistaken. Raccoon Boy was just shaken because, well, who isn't after something like that? We hit the topic of family, and... yeah..." I looked away. I wouldn't have been too surprised if it turned out I wasn't the only who soaked their pillow last night. "We both had breakdowns and I decided that some distance might be in order."

"I understand."

That was all Maurina said. I took a sip of tea. It was finally cool enough to drink, and the cup was very nice to hide behind and mumble into. "Do you, though?"

The rest of the day passed by mostly uneventfully. I didn't feel like visiting Raccoon Boy, and I figured that, after everything that happened, the feeling was probably mutual. So I killed time by grabbing Theo and chatting with him about the new book that had been added to the ward's library. One of the guards got in on it and started acting out some of the scenes. He seemed to have so much fun that several people joined him, even some who had no idea what the book was about. The result was a complete derailment of the plot into utter nonsense, but it was so hilarious that nobody cared. Besides, the people living in the ward never got to see any plays, so this impromptu performance was twice the fun. (Even if it was about a dragon trying to eat the biggest apple in the world, choking on it and then deciding to live inside it instead.)

By the time dinner rolled around, the whole ward was gathered in the yard, some acting, some watching, some yelling suggestions at each other. Austin had found his way back to my side as a talking tree. I was an owl with anger issues that could breathe fire, and I was so excited and happy with my lot in that moment that all my problems shrank into non-issues. Even after dinner we were still having such a talkfest (or at least I had) that I dropped onto the mattress with that sort of serene bliss that came of a wearing, but satisfying day. No worries, no nightmares, no crying fits. It did me a world of good, and when I woke up the next morning, well rested and bursting with energy, I couldn't wait to tell Raccoon Boy.

Right after breakfast, I dragged Austin straight off. He wasn't particularly happy about it, but I refused to wait. Plus, it wasn't him who had to go in there.

However, perhaps it would've been a good idea to stop and think about the laundry cart we ended up squeezing past. I smiled at Arthur and shouted a "Hello!" in the general direction of Nurse Lucy, who usually took care of this kind of stuff, and I briefly saw Austin give a hasty salute towards his superior before I forged ahead again, key in hand.

The cell door was heavy as always, but I didn't need to open it very far to poke my head into the cell. "Morning!"

My mood plummeted pretty much instantly. I pulled the rest of my limbs out of the crack and leaned against the door, shutting it.

I wasn't entirely sure what to make of the sight that greeted me. Raccoon Boy was lying on the cot, curled around Rudiger. The raccoon had lifted his head above his friend's legs and chirped questioningly, just as wise as I was.

I didn't really think about what I did next. Chances are I wouldn't have done it had I used my brain instead of following my guts, but since that was what I did, I ended up sitting at the end of Raccoon Boy's cot. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Uh-huh. I can totally see that."

"It's nothing!" Raccoon Boy repeated with a bit more force and turned around, towards the wall. "Keep your nose out of this!"

Rudiger, who had nearly been pushed off the cot during the whole thing, recovered from the shock and clambered up Raccoon Boy's back to give him a good scolding. Which was the point when I noticed something was off, even though it took me a couple seconds to pin it down – Raccoon Boy's tunic was sparkly white even though, for all intents and purposes, it should be covered in fur. And, all things considered, it made a lot of sense.

I sighed and leaned back on my hands. "Laundry day, am I right?"

"Can't hide anything from you, huh?"

I pretended not to hear the bitter undertone. "Well, I ran into Arthur and Lucy on the way here, so... yeah. Laundry day. They didn't see Rudiger, I hope?"

"No."

And thus, awkward silence entered the stage yet again. I had a vague idea what was going on, what with the chains making it physically impossible to change clothes. They'd been off at some point, and the guards weren't here for fun.

"Must've been humiliating."

There was the dull sound of a fist hitting something solid, coupled with a muffled "Ow!" I automatically turned around and found Raccoon Boy hauling himself upright, testing the functionality of his hand. "Excuse me, do you mind?"

Although he stopped there, I could almost hear the Just keep rubbing it in, why don't you? I shook my head and turned forward again, mostly to stop myself from staring at the shackles. "Sorry. I tend to speak first and think second. Bad habit, I know."

While I wondered idly how Raccoon Boy would fare once someone decided to stick him into the laundry, the cot shifted. Some rustling and rattling later, a second pair of feet hit the floor. "You didn't show up yesterday."

I blinked at Raccoon Boy, a little baffled by the abrupt change of subject. Rudiger, now planted firmly on Raccoon Boy's shoulder, chirped and waved his front paws.

I curled my lips. "Well, I thought I'd leave you alone for a while after what happened the other night. Why?" A snicker escaped my throat. "Miss me?"

Wrong approach.

"Don't flatter yourself," Raccoon Boy huffed. "I'd pick solitude over listening to you any day of the week."

I stuck my tongue out at him. I was just mature like that. "That can be arranged." I lifted a hand and poked Rudiger's snout. "I'm sure Robert would be very happy to have his stolen keys back."

Raccoon Boy took the hint. "No way."

"Yes way. Your little friend was trying to bust you out when I caught him."

Rudiger chirped confirmation and climbed atop Raccoon Boy's head. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was flexing.

"Show-off," Raccoon Boy scolded lightly and drew up his knees so he could reach for his pet.

My stomach pinched and I gritted my teeth. It was a very casual move, no hesitation in sight. From the way Raccoon Boy teased Rudiger, I'd say he didn't even notice he did that.

He did notice my tension, though. "What's wrong? You look like you had a lemonade and found that someone forgot to put water in it."

"I'm flattered," I deadpanned. "It's nothing though, just me being overly dramatic. See..." I shook my head and pointed at the shackles on Raccoon Boy's wrists. "It's just scary to think that they're bothering me more than they seem to bother you."

Raccoon Boy's brows furrowed. He looked down at the chain and tugged at it, then shrugged. "You can get used to anything, I suppose."

That really didn't make it better, but I said nothing. Rudiger chirped softly and scurried across Raccoon Boy's lap, as if looking for the best spot for a hug. He eventually settled on the right thigh and curled up, where Raccoon Boy started absently raking his fingers through his fur.

"You know, I did miss you."

The words sent a jolt through my spine before I had even processed them properly. "Wha...? You did?!"

"A little." Raccoon Boy straightened and looked at me with those ice eyes of his. It wasn't a friendly gaze, more like appraising and vaguely disdainful, but I held it anyway. "Don't get me wrong, I still think you're annoying, but..." He wrinkled his nose and returned his attention to Rudiger. "Well, you weren't wrong about this place being dreary as all get-out."

I wasn't entirely sure if I should explode into rage or into laughter. I settled on laughter. "I can work with that!"

"And that's why you're annoying."

I did take offense at that one. "What? Why? Because I'm trying to be positive?"

"Yes. That's exactly why."

"Well, you're negative enough for two, so... so there!"

Yeah, I was being real witty today. Raccoon Boy didn't remark on it, but the deadpan expression on his face said it all. My cheeks heated up and before I knew it, I found myself punching his shoulder, halfway into a complaint.

The words never left my lips. The very moment my fist connected, Raccoon Boy cried out and doubled over, gasping and gripping his elbows.

Panic flooded my system and I clapped my hands over my mouth. "I'm sorry! OhnononoohmygoshwhathappenedI'msosorry!"

"I'm fine, Kailyn," Raccoon Boy cut in. He took a deep breath, his shoulders relaxed and he straightened, revealing a very distraught Rudiger. "Don't worry about it."

"Well, I am worried!" I insisted. "You're hurt! What happened?!"

"It's nothing, Kailyn, really. It's just... Hey, what are you doing?!"

"Sorry." I'd grabbed Raccoon Boy's wrist and was pushing up his sleeve. When I found nothing, I did the same with his tunic and discovered that his upper back was covered in white bandages.

I heaved a sigh of relief. White was good. White was not red. Unless the injury was in the front, but I wasn't going to check there. "Back injury?"

"Yes..."

"Thank goodness."

I let the cloth roll down and Raccoon Boy helped it along, grumbling all the while. "What was that for?"

"I was worried I reopened something. Doesn't seem to be the case, though."

"Well, I'm glad to know you pawed at me for nothing."

"I'm sorry, Raccoon Boy, but if something happens and you need serious treatment, I'm the one who'll be calling for help." I shifted away to give Raccoon Boy some space. "In turn, I promise not to ask any questions. Okay?"

Raccoon Boy huffed. "Promise. I've had enough of promises to last me a lifetime."

"Hmm?" Now that was interesting. A question for another day, though. "Then how about permission to kick my butt if I do ask about it? I mean, I don't know what your deal is, but... well, you know what I mean."

Raccoon Boy gave a sigh of exasperation. "Might as well get it over with." He scooched back against the wall and stretched his legs. (Which was a nice idea, so I did the same.) "I cut myself on a rock."

I raised my brows. That didn't sound like something that would warrant mummification. "Must've been some ro... Wait." I jerked forward to look Raccoon Boy in the face. "Don't tell me...! A black rock?!"

He didn't reply, just gave me a meaningful look I couldn't hold. The mere idea of having my back sliced open by magic spikes was enough to make me nauseous. "Ouch..."

Still no answer. I probably lost Raccoon Boy somewhere, and I couldn't muster the energy to snap him out of it. I couldn't muster the energy to snap myself out of it. My thoughts centered around my family, with a niche for Princess Rapunzel. They were all out there somewhere, struggling with those rocks.

I hoped they were okay. Mom, Dad, Maya, Kili... At least mail day was drawing closer.

I shook my head, slapped my temples, jumped to my feet and did a little pirouette to chase the dark thoughts away. Enough of this! I didn't come here to get myself even more depressed than I already was!

"Hey, Raccoon Boy? I've got to tell you all about yesterday!"

Hi, guest reviewer Cris! Thanks for popping in! *waves* It's always nice to welcome people to the character-driven side! We have cookies! :D

I kinda headcanon Varian to be covered in scars, both because of stuff blowing up in his face all the time and because he's the ultimate klutz.
Good thing cartoon characters are made from titanium! XD