Rudiger was inside the cell long before I was. He squeezed through the crack as soon as I pushed open the door, while I decided to take my time and give them a moment. But eventually, I was inside too, leaning against the door and watching in silence.

I couldn't get a read on Raccoon Boy. Not at all. He just sat there, slumped over and face blank. His hands lay in his lap, but in a slightly upturned position that showed that the only thing keeping them in place were the shackles. He didn't even attempt to pet Rudiger, who was sitting on his shoulder and pawing at his cheek in a comforting manner.

The sight was like a knife to the heart. Plans to have words about loose raccoons flew right out the window and were replaced by anxiety.

I took a deep breath to fight down the uneasiness and sat next to Raccoon Boy. It felt wrong to disturb the silence, so I hoped that perhaps my presence was enough to snap him out of whatever state he was in.

It wasn't. Rudiger chittered forlornly, breaking the silence and motivating me to give it a try, too. "Hey."

Nothing. Before I could change my mind, I tucked in my legs and shifted until I could pull Raccoon Boy into a hug without straining either of us. I expected to remain like that for a while. "Hey. What's wrong?"

A shudder ran through Raccoon Boy, and I nearly let go when a "Why won't it work?" made me reverse action and tighten my grip instead. I couldn't make heads or tails of that string of words, but I did know that even though it wasn't necessarily me, he was responding to something. "Why won't it work?"

"What are you talking about?" I whispered helplessly, not sure if he could even hear me but completely lost on what else to do. "What isn't working?"

But that was as far as it got. The next sound that filled the room was a quiet sob, and from there it was only a matter of time before Raccoon Boy broke down into a crying, quivering ball of misery.

I held him through it, rubbing his back and whispering soothing words which didn't make a lot of sense, but were better than nothing. I had no idea what I was doing at this point, so I just went with what I felt was best until the sobs finally died down and Raccoon Boy pulled away. He looked disheveled and weary to the bone, but when he wiped his eyes, they were gleaming. Whatever it was he expected me to do, he was ready for it.

Of course that didn't mean I had any idea what he expected me to do. Or what I expected me to do, for that matter. Suddenly, I was very acutely aware of a wet patch on my tunic, and it was pretty cold. "Do you..." My voice faltered, so I took a deep breath and tried again. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Raccoon Boy's eyes narrowed and he turned away, relaxing just enough to push himself against the wall. Rudiger, who'd remained on his shoulders during the whole breakdown, now slipped into his lap.

"Raccoon Boy, what–"

"It's Va–" He cut himself off and burst into bitter laughter. Rudiger jumped and squeaked in alarm, a sentiment I fully shared. The sound barely qualified as loud, but it still hurt my ears. The best thing I can say about it is that Raccoon Boy snapped out of it pretty quickly and busied himself with calming Rudiger, so at least it didn't last. "Look at me, still craving friendship after everything that happened."

"You were going to tell me your name." I gritted my teeth. Before I knew it, I found myself staring at my knees, fingers curled into fists around the hem of my tunic. "I'm so sick of not knowing who you are. What makes you so sure I'd turn my back on you? What makes you so sure I've even heard of you?"

"You have."

"How?!" I demanded, my head snapping up to fixate Raccoon Boy. "I've been here forever, cut off from the outside world almost completely. So how?!"

"It's the castle," Raccoon Boy replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "There are people everywhere. People talk. As for the first question, I know you'll turn your back on me because everyone else did."

"Rudiger didn't," I pointed out, but Raccoon Boy only snorted at the objection.

"Is that so?" he scoffed and glared down at Rudiger, confusing me to no end. "Well, someone must have thrown a wrench in it, and I know who didn't do it."

My breath hitched. Suddenly, I very much feared for Rudiger's safety, but the raccoon stayed where he was. He was completely and utterly untroubled, and after a few rapid heartbeats during which Raccoon Boy failed to show any signs of ill will towards his pet/friend/whatever-the-heck's-going-on-here, I relaxed, too. "Alright, you win. I won't ask."

Raccoon Boy eyed me skeptically. "Shouldn't this be the point where any sane person would run?"

I placed my hands on my hips. I couldn't deny the logic, but I was on a mission here and I was actually getting somewhere for once. "Dude, you're in the mental ward. It is not, by design, a place with sane people."

Raccoon Boy rolled his eyes. "Guess I walked right into that one."

"Look..." I turned around and slid into the spot next to Raccoon Boy. "I get that you don't particularly want me here at the moment. You just had a meltdown and... yeah, I'd be upset, too. But I learned that that's the time when I need my friends the most. If there's no one around to bounce your thoughts off of, or at least offer some distraction, you sort of... get stuck in your head, if you know what I mean. And that's where the trouble really starts."

"Yeah, no kidding," Raccoon Boy deadpanned, making me shake my head. I waited for him to continue, but he didn't.

"You can talk to me, you know?"

"And then what? You'll run off and have another one of your talking before thinking moments?"

That response had me stumped for a minute. I couldn't exactly deny it, and not only because that wasn't an entirely unlikely scenario. There also were Head Nurse Maurina and Arthur to consider. But still, whooo boy... "Oof. You're not pulling any punches, that's for sure."

"Did you expect me to?"

I hummed noncommittally. I didn't really, but a girl could still dream, right? "Anyway, that's not why I'm here. I actually wanted to talk about yesterday. What was that? Are you trying to get Rudiger killed?"

Rudiger got up and chirped upon hearing his name. Raccoon Boy, on the other hand, went stiff as a board. "None of your business."

I gritted my teeth, biting back a hiss. "Yes, it is my business. Because I smuggled him in here, and I'm running out of excuses!" I pinched the bridge of my nose at the memory of my little dispute with Felix. "You have no idea what pains I take just to keep Rudiger alive! And if he gets seen again–" My anger evaporated at the thought, and I couldn't finish the sentence. Instead, I petted Rudiger reassuringly. "Just... don't let him out of your sight, okay?"

When I was deprived of an answer yet again (not unexpectedly, granted), I looked up to see if I got something from Raccoon Boy's expression at least, but no chance. He wasn't looking at me, and the anger was back with a vengeance.

"You know what?! I've had it!" I snapped and stood up from the cot. It actually got me Raccoon Boy's attention, and I planted myself in front of him to look him dead in the eyes. "So you don't want to talk about yourself. Fine, I don't care. But this isn't about you! Rudiger could be stuck on the sharp end of a spear right now! Does that even matter to you?!"

"Get off me!"

I didn't actually feel the impact at first. One moment I was ranting, and the next I was stumbling backwards. A few seconds of confusion later, I'd regained my balance and the smarting sensation in my shoulders was already fading. It was also the moment when I realized that I had leaned forward in my rage and gotten into Raccoon Boy's face quite literally.

I hated it when my brain switched off like that, and not only because these were the moments when the voice came. A part of me wanted to apologize, but I figured it would be better to hold off on that until I got an actual answer for once.

So I crossed my arms and waited. Raccoon Boy seemed pretty shaken, while Rudiger looked back and forth between us like he couldn't quite decide whom to give a good critter-cussing out first.

He eventually settled on me, making me huff and squat down to glare at him. "Oh, don't you dare take his side in this! Do you want to end as a raccoon kebab?!"

"That sounds really horrible."

My brows knitted. I straightened and eyed Raccoon Boy suspiciously. "The situation or the taste?"

Raccoon Boy huffed. "Both."

Well, that was a start, at least. I sighed and walked over to the window to sit myself down on the narrow ledge. The cot suddenly felt a little too close for comfort.

Raccoon Boy stared at me with something that, under different circumstances, might have been awe. It made me pull a face. "What? I have a lot of practice!"

I didn't wait to see his reaction. I hooked an arm around the bars, remembering too late that the view wasn't exactly beneficial to my mental state.

Not that there was much room for worsening. As I watched the people milling about below, enjoying the light drizzle that was the last trace of the storm, a certain numbness wormed its way in, turning my brain into wool and leaving my eyes unfocused. I retreated deep into my mind, where a young Kailyn jumped into puddles, got into mud fights, and skipped chores to go rainbow-hunting.

Something hit my shoulder blades. A squeak escaped me and I turned my head to stare at Raccoon Boy, blinking the water from my eyes. He was still sitting on the cot, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed and arms wrapped loosely around his knees. The only indicator that something out of the ordinary had just occurred was Rudiger's puzzled chirping.

I lowered my gaze to the floor, where the answer lay. It took the shape of a faded pillow. "Umm..."

"One meltdown is enough for today, don't you think?"

I wiped my eyes with my free arm, humming noncommittally. I wasn't entirely sure if I was even emotionally capable of a meltdown at the moment, seeing how I felt more empty than anything. But who's to say, right? Wouldn't have been the first time.

"Thanks. I guess..."

I unhooked my arm and quietly slipped off the window ledge. Raccoon Boy still had his eyes closed, so he didn't even twitch when I picked up the pillow and hoisted it over my head. No matter the intention, no one tossed a pillow at me and got away with it!

Raccoon Boy sputtered and doubled up when the pillow hit home, straight into the V between his thighs and chest. I couldn't keep from dissolving into giggles and punched the air. "Stri-mmph!"

"Hah! Right in the kisser!"

Oh, it was so on now! While I struggled to catch the pillow, my vision darkened very suddenly. The pillow hit the ground with a dull thud, and I lifted the blanket away from my face to grin at Raccoon Boy. "Hey, it's not Halloween yet! Besides..." I bunched the blanket into a neat little package while Raccoon Boy was already preparing to catch. "A ghost really wouldn't be my costume of choice!"

The dive for the pillow I combined with a dodge. A pillow fight was about the last thing I had expected walking in, but I didn't complain. Granted, the cell was tiny and Raccoon Boy at a huge disadvantage (though Rudiger happily compensated), but dang was it fun!

It was also the first time I heard Raccoon Boy laugh – not the kind of dark chuckles or bitter huffs that were more schadenfreude and coping mechanisms than anything, but real, sincere laughter that chased the tension from his muscles and the ice from his eyes. A small collection of moments when I got a glimpse of what the princess might have seen in him. What the notoriously distrustful daughter of the Captain might have seen in him.

And I liked it. I liked it very much. So when I finally sank to the floor, sweaty and out of breath but very happy with myself, I felt no need to pursue the raccoon topic any further. "Whew, I'm so done!"

"Really? I was just getting started!"

"Oh, save it. I can see you heaving, too."

"I'm not sprawled on the floor."

"Yes, because–" I bit my tongue. Because you can't. "Aaaaanyway..." I sat up and ran a hand through my hair to buy some time. I needed a new subject, and I needed it now! "Man, could I use a bath! By the way, I gave Rudiger a bath, too; he really loved it!"

Raccoon Boy's jaw tensed at the mention, and I waved my arms frantically. "Oh nonono, I don't mean it like that! It was really just an observation, because I'm sure he'd love it if you give him one, too!" I dropped back to the ground, face on fire and tearing my hair out. I wished a hole would open under me and swallow me up. "Oh, for the love of everything right and good, why? Why do I have to be like this?!"

"Wow... Didn't you say one of your friends was dramatic?"

That snapped me out of it. "You remember that?!" Oof... That meant I had to be really, really careful with my words. Which was just terrific, because I was so good at that!

I took a deep breath and sat up. "Yeah, anyway, sorry about that. I'm not usually like this. I think..." I chuckled awkwardly. "At least I don't usually deal with people who won't even tell me their names. It's all so hit-and-miss with you, so I really have no idea what the heck I'm even doing."

"And yet you're trying so hard."

It wasn't a question for once. Not a Then why are you trying so hard? meant to push me away. It was quite the surprise, but by no means an unpleasant one.

I stood and patted off my tunic, finally feeling like I could face Raccoon Boy again. "I'm sorry about earlier, by the way. I don't usually fly off the handle like that, either."

Raccoon Boy shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I probably would've reacted the same way."

"But you didn't," I pointed out, folding my arms. "It's not like we're in different boats with this particular issue."

"I just wanted to be left alone." The chains seemed to be rattling louder than ever as Raccoon Boy changed his posture, crossing his legs instead of pulling them up. It made him look considerably less like misery incarnate and more like a human being. "Kai was it, right? Did you really mean it when you said you don't care about my reasons?"

"Well, I do care, of course." I sighed and placed my hands on my hips. "But if you don't want to talk about them, I won't push. Besides, I happily admit that I'm a little scared to think about it too hard myself. I don't know if you sent Rudiger on purpose or if he ran off on his own, but nothing came of it either way. So as long as it doesn't happen again, I don't see any need to ask beside my own curiosity, which I can set aside. I have a lot of practice with that anyway."

Raccoon Boy raised a brow and hummed thoughtfully. "I'm not sure if that's impressive, or just impressively stupid."

"Aaaand here we go again." I rolled my eyes. "I don't see what's so dumb about it, unless you missed the 'not happening again' part. Or are there any other safety concerns you'd like to tell me about?"

Raccoon Boy pulled a face and looked away. "Yeeeeah, never mind."

I couldn't really stay mad after that, so I chuckled instead. "Looks like we're truly a foot-match made in mouth."

"You sound way too thrilled about that."

"So what?" I grinned and planted my butt on the cot again. "There's gotta be something, right? At least it's common ground!"

Raccoon Boy grumbled something unintelligible. I ignored it and leaned back on my hands, which brought me into a position slightly behind him. When I saw his back, a memory struck me like thunder and I leapt to my feet. "How's your back?! Gosh, I should've thought of it sooner! The strain of our pillow fight–"

"Wasn't so bad, or I would've said something," Raccoon Boy cut in, rubbing his temples. "Stop worrying about everything!"

I curled my lips into a pout and muttered "Let me worry, for goodness' sake..." under my breath, then sat down again. "You'll tell me if something is wrong, okay?"

"Only if you keep your grabby fingers off me."

"What, want me to ask Rudiger to do a check-up instead? That's not how it works."

"Argh!" Now it was Raccoon Boy's turn to tear his hair out. "I swear, we might just kill each other yet!"

Mature girl that I was, I responded by blowing a raspberry. Total underappreciation here! "Suit yourself, then!"

"Yes! Thank you!"

We lapsed into silence after that, during which I went on a lookout for a certain unmedical raccoon. "Where is Rudiger, by the way?"

"Probably sulking somewhere. I mean, I'd be fed up with us, too."

"True... But at least the door is closed this time around."

"Speaking of time..." Raccoon Boy hauled himself to his feet and shuffled over to the window. It took a moment, but I could see him glaring daggers from the side. "I hate this weather."

"Huh?" I got up and joined Raccoon Boy at the window, hoping to relieve my confusion. "What's the weather to do with anything?"

"Well, with these massive clouds covering the sun, there are no shadows, and visibility is really bad because of the rain..." Raccoon Boy explained before pointing in a vaguely south-west direction. "There's a clock tower over there. You don't happen to recognize what it says, do you?"

I tried my best, but to no avail. Raccoon Boy was right, the view was terrible in the distance. "Nope, sorry." I tore my gaze away from the blurry mass of houses and spun around, arms crossed. "Can't even find the clock tower you're talking about."

"Right... No townscapes for you."

I turned my head to raise a brow at Raccoon Boy. "Why is it so important, anyway? I mean, I came in at around nine. There's no way it's lunchtime already."

"Not lunch, the mid-morning rounds." He tensed up like a bowstring and looked around. Now that the thought was out, it seemed to make him pretty nervous. "Rudiger! Where are you?"

Before I even had time to process everything, it chittered somewhere and Rudiger appeared at our feet. He didn't stay there for long, and a few seconds later, we got an impressive telling-off from the grand stage that was Raccoon Boy's shoulder.

And I had no idea how to respond to that. I shared a look with Raccoon Boy, who shrugged. It was so inspiring that I shrugged, too.

"Yeeeeah..." I awkwardly began. "We'll try not to strangle each other in the future. Happy now?"

Rudiger placed his paws on his hips and gave me a stern look, and I couldn't help snickering. He was being very severe.

Raccoon Boy turned towards Rudiger with a perplexed expression, evidently trying to find out what was so funny. Then he shrugged again. "Yeah, not strangling each other sounds like a good game plan. Anyhow..." He turned back at me, determination in his eyes. "You should go now."

I closed my eyes and sighed. I didn't want to leave. Not now, when we finally had a breakthrough. But getting seen? Not a good idea. I couldn't really keep up the 'stolen key' pretense after that, and then we'd be back to suspicion and possibly betrayal.

And wasn't it a betrayal, in a way? It was so easy to forget about Head Nurse Maurina when it was just him and me, and Rudiger. But I wasn't actually here as a friend, but rather as a means to extract information that no one else could get.

I was a... a spy, basically. And it wasn't like I hadn't known that – I simply hadn't thought it through.

The realization didn't sit well with me at all, but I was in too deep to change it now. After hearing everything I've heard, I was pretty sure a blow like this would destroy the boy in front of me.

"You're right," I muttered, examining my toes. "I should go."

"Kai?"

I gritted my teeth. Of course my sudden change in demeanor wouldn't escape Raccoon Boy, so I pulled myself together and looked up, forcing a smile. "Ah, sorry. I just wish we would've met under different circumstances is all."

A noncommittal hum was the only response I got, but I didn't really mind. Saved me the hassle of trying to explain myself without explaining anything. I couldn't really imagine a way in which that wouldn't go all kinds of wrong, even if I wasn't a terrible actress. And, well... call me selfish, but I didn't want to lose him.

Without thinking, I took a step forward and wrapped my arms around Raccoon Boy's shoulders. He went completely rigid, but I utterly failed to register it until a "Umm, Kai? I thought we agreed not to do any grabbing" combined with a gentle push snapped me out of it and I hastily jumped away.

"Oh, right. No grabbing, no hugging. Got it!"

Raccoon Boy raised a brow, and I realized I wasn't really helping my case by acting like a headless chicken. I heaved a deep breath and pinched the bridge of my nose until I felt like I could pass for a sane person again. "Really, I'm sorry. I got a little carried away there. Won't happen again."

"Yeah, that's great and all, but please, for goodness' sake!" Pretty sure Raccoon Boy tried to wave his arms, but all he got out of the motion was a hiss when the shackles yanked at his wrists. I flinched in sympathy, but Raccoon Boy continued like nothing had happened. "Save it and get out of here before something else comes up!"

"Alright, alright!" The panic was starting to affect me as well, but I still managed a pointed look at Rudiger before I dashed for the door and fumbled with it. I'd stopped locking it while I was inside, which was probably a violation of every safety protocol in existence and Austin would kill me if he found out, but it saved me the trouble of digging the key out from under my tunic if I ever felt the need to get out fast.

Like now. And when I saw Austin's face, I was quite glad that Raccoon Boy had practically shoved me out. The instant the door was locked, he dragged me off to where Head Nurse Maurina and Felix were waiting. I didn't even get enough breathing room to process it all.

"What the... What's going on?!"

"That was a close call, Kai!" Austin said, relief coloring his voice. "I thought you'd never come out!"

I crossed my arms and stood up a little straighter to regain some control of the situation. "So Raccoon Boy remembered the mid-morning rounds just in time, huh?"

"Which should have been my job to warn you about," Head Nurse Maurina cut in. "We're very lucky indeed. I can't skip him for you."

I curled my lips and snorted. "You make it sound like it's my fault I had no idea I was on a schedule."

Head Nurse Maurina pushed her glasses higher up her nose. "That was not my intention." She looked me up and down, studying me very closely until I eventually started shifting uncomfortably. "You seem a little ruffled. Did you have a fight?"

Of course that brought Austin back into the scene before I could even open my mouth. He jumped in front of me and took me by the shoulders for an inspection of his own. "Are you okay, Kai?!"

"It was a pillow fight, Austin! A pillow fight! And it was really fun, so you can relax now!"

He heaved a sigh of relief and let go of my shoulders, and I used my new-found mobility to smooth out my clothes. They did catch a few wrinkles along the way. "Anyway, is this the right place to talk about this stuff? I thought that's what the parlors are for."

"Yes. Normally, you'd be right," Head Nurse Maurina explained. "But after Private Austin voiced some concerns about your mental state after your visits, I felt it would be prudent to check on you directly."

I sent a very offended look Austin's way. "I'm fine, thank you," I declared very pointedly, but Austin just grinned innocently and raised his hands.

Before I could decide whether I should say anything more and what, Head Nurse Maurina spoke up again, "Is there anything you'd like to share right now?"

I crossed my arms. I sure did, but I had enough sense not to say anything about my latest... conflict. I'd be off the mission in a heartbeat. But I still hummed uncertainly and glanced at the cell door, trying to figure out something to talk about.

I picked my next words very carefully. "Well, I am starting to get an idea why he won't talk. And if I'm anything close to right, you might as well just give it up now."

I don't know why this chapter feels so long... As far as the word count is concerned, it's actually fairly average. I guess it's because a lot is happening in it. Also, it's probably just me anyway, because I just spent a whole damn week writing and re-writing that monstrosity! And watching a lot of Tangled. For uh... research purposes, of course, not because I'm a New Dream fangirl or anything... That's crazy talk.

Anyway, I just love how Rudiger single-handedly (pawedly?) saves the day in the season one finale. Varian's plan would've succeeded without him. Or, well, at least successfully failed. There should be a Rudiger Appreciation Club or something... Maybe even a Rüdiger Appreciation Club! Because there's a very confused German over here still trying to figure out why the Disney people would pick a name with an umlaut in it. (And I don't mean that in a 'Hur dur, I'm so much better than you because I know umlauts!' kind of way. I genuinely cannot make sense of the thought process here...)

Fun fact, there's this children's story about a vampire kid called Rüdiger von Schlotterstein who befriends a human boy because he doesn't like being alone in the dark. Cute premise, but I can't get the opening of the audio tapes out of my head... Wish I had drawing skills, though. I'm sure Rudiger would look adorable in a vampire costume!