"There. That's done."

Swiping at his eyes, Fralith swallowed and shook away the thoughts, turning back to FlameHair.

FlameHair smiled at him. "See? Wasn't so bad." He patted the bed and lifted his hand towards one of the lumps. "Now, I'm going to raise this, okay?"

He straightened, eyes growing wide. The bed beast! FlameHair was going to make it move again. Quickly, he scootched away from the pillow end, not wanting to give the beast any reason to be annoyed.

Just like the last time, the bed beast pillow side started to rise with a verr that sounded almost like the roars from MetalEaters. Fralith watched it, shoulders tense, until it came to a stop. Again, like last time, FlameHair pulled the arm away. He eyed the arm and the raised part. Did this mean that it was food time? The darkness inside of him lessened a little and his stomach groaned.

Without being told, he shuffled into position. He wasn't going to pass up any chance for a proper meal. If that meant he had to risk the bed beast's wrath, then that was what he would do. Eating anything other than SillyBirds was worth it.

FlameHair chuckled as he set the arm into place. "Eager for breakfast? Salad, pie, smoothie, and hot dog; a meal fit for a hungry munchkin like you."

Fralith ignored him and fixed his gaze on the cart. What would it be this time? Soup? Greens? Something baked? He couldn't wait to shove it into his mouth as FlameHair set the food down in front of him.

All his attention focused on it. It was only a small amount; a small plate of what looked like an assortment of greens with a brown log and curved yellow thing on it, an even smaller plate with a slice of golden-brown thing, and a cup of green sludge.

What should he choose first? He picked up the brown log and he sniffed it. Cooked meat. Cooked meat with spices. Strange spices. Opening his mouth, he took a little nibble. Salty and meaty taste filled his tongue, awakening his hunger.

"That's a hot dog. It's the best part of your meal, in my opinion. Hot dogs are always the best."

He glanced at FlameHair, brown log halfway to his mouth. What was it now? FlameHair was like a ChatChat — he never stopped talking. Maybe he thought if he talked enough, some meaning might come through. Frallith huffed and stuffed the brown log into his mouth, reveling in the taste. Spiced meat. Oh, how he had missed spiced meat. Plain SillyBirds had gotten old very fast.

Swallowing the last bite, he turned back to the food. What to choose next? He licked his lips and eyed the cup with the green sludge. It was the closest thing to water he had, so he picked it up. The cup wasn't pink, but it squished all the same. He wrinkled his nose at its flimsiness and sniffed its contents. Leaves and...fruits, or something sweet like that.

It held no distinct scent like BrightFruit or GrassJobble juice (and neither did it have the sharpness of StingNettle or CrumpleLeaf) but it seemed okay to drink. There were no bright colors, sour scents, or deceptively sweet ones that hinted towards unwanted side effects. It should be okay. Still, he took a small sip and let it sit in his mouth for a few moments.

Green. That was all he could explain it as. It just...was green, like how grass tasted grassy and dewy and, well, green. This sludge tasted like that — but it was less dewy and sweet, and more lush green with some hints of golds and sunset reds. Not...too bad. He swallowed and took a larger sip.

After drinking a little more, he set the cup down and picked up a leaf for inspection. It was surprisingly small for a leaf — being only half the size of his hand — and curled at the fringes. Little black flakes dotted the friendly green surface along with a white gel of some sort. Interesting.

Fralith plopped it into his mouth. "Mm-eep!" He spat out the leaf and stared at it. That had not tasted like leaf. Or, well, any leaf he'd ever tasted. Did that taste come from the white gel or the flakes? Cautiously, he licked it.

Yep. It did. He scrunched up his nose. The taste was...new, but it wasn't bad. He put the leaf into his mouth again and chewed. New. That was the word he'd describe the taste. New.

He chewed through half the leaves, sifting out the mystery chopped up pieces for later tasting. They were various colors and shapes and some of them looked quite odd, especially the purple blobs. Once he was tired of leaves and the new taste, he grabbed one of the purple blobs and rolled it in between his fingers.

It squished slightly and had a wrinkled feel to it, like dried SmashDrop fruit or WrinkleRose. Like WrinkleRose, it didn't smell much. Fralith huffed and put it in his mouth. The new taste from the black flakes bloomed on his tongue. Just a huge black flake, then, he thought as he bit down.

Mistake.

Pictures of dead and dying fruit flooded his mind at the purple blob's true taste. He gagged and spat it out. Yugh! What was that? It was all sickly sweet of dried and dying fruit... nearly as bad as SillyBird! With a shudder he nudged the bitten YuckBlob off the plate along with the rest of them. Go away, offending shriveled excuses for food. I'm never eating you again, silly disgusting imposters.

With a final haughty huff, he sipped the green sludge to wash away the badness while he eyed the yellow thing. Out of all the things he'd eaten, it was the brightest and most unassuming. It was smooth and curved with a darker colored knob on one end.

Fralith put down the cup and picked it up, turning it over in his hands. Yellow, yellow, and yellow; no other color. He jumped and bit into one end, almost immediately cringing away.

"Buddy! That's not how you eat a banana!"

He snapped his head to FlameHair, the paws of his heart skittering. He'd almost forgotten that he was here!

FlameHair shook his head, disbelief and a little amusement plastered on his face. "You're supposed to peel it first!" He held out a hand. "Here, let me show you."

Fralith looked down at the YellowCurve then at FlameHair's outstretched hand. FlameHair wanted it? Hesitantly, he handed it over.

Retracting his hand, FlameHair grabbed the knob at the top and pulled it down. A sliver of the yellow skin peeled away, revealing a white inside. Oooooh. He had to peel it first. I should have guessed.

FlameHair handed back the now fully peeled YellowCurve, a smile playing on his lips. "There. You'll find it tastes much better." He chuckled, running a hand through his red hair. "Much, much better."

Fralith narrowed his eyes. What was so funny? He huffed and nibbled on the exposed inside. Now that the inside bit was alone, it tasted much better; the starchy and bitter outside was now gone, allowing the sweet and soft inside to shine. It didn't take long for him to finish the YellowCurve, even with the last of the leaves stuffed in between bites.

Washing all of it down with more green sludge, he picked up the last edible and scarfed it down. It was a lot like a pie his mother used to make; flakey and stuffed full of cooked fruits. The pie soured a little in his mouth. Mother. Did she even miss him? Wonder where he went?

He huffed and pushed the thoughts away, licking his fingers and leaning back with a contented sigh. That was good. He patted his stomach and licked his lips, looking at FlameHair. Was there more? There was still room in his stomach.

FlameHair raised his eyebrows. "What?"

Give me more, Fralith pleaded with his fingers, trying to make his face convey the same message. Please. I'm still hungry.

A smile tugged at FlameHair's mouth. "You want more?"

He opened his mouth then chewed something invisible. Food? Please? Something better than YuckBlobs?

FlameHair laughed and shook his head. "Still hungry?" Sobering, he leaned forwards, glancing at the guard then back to him, hand reaching into his pocket and voice lowering. "Alright, but you can't tell anyone about this. You're technically not supposed to have it." His lip twitched. "Not that you will have much trouble, Brave Bud. You're not very talkative."

Fralith darted his gaze to the guard. The guard, as usual, stared everlastingly at his rectangle. So weird. Why is a rectangle so interesting? It's just a shape. At least it meant that whatever FlameHair didn't want him to see would escape his notice.

A movement from FlameHair drew his attention back. FlameHair produced a small dark blue bar and offered it to him. He gazed at the small bar in FlameHair's palm, curious but wary. What was it? It didn't look like a fruit or any kind of meat. Maybe it was a plant? Reaching out, he snatched it.

The bar crinkled under his fingers, most unlike any plant he'd ever touched. Odd... He lifted it to his mouth and bit down.

"Brave Bud!"

Fralith gasped, jerking the bar out of his mouth, heart flopping. What? What did he do wrong?

FlameHair lifted his hands, palms facing him. "Woah, it's okay Brave Bud," he glanced towards the beeping, which had started to screech beeps off time. "Take deep breaths; nothing will hurt you...if you don't eat that with the wrapper on, that is."

He shrank back, clutching the bar. Was FlameHair mad? A shiver ran down his spine. Captured. He was a captive here. FlameHair was nice, but he still worked here. He still could hurt him if he was bad. If he didn't stay in line. Fralith looked at the bar in his hand, stomach turning over. Slowly, he set it down and pushed it away.

"Oh, Brave Bud." FlameHair's brows knitted together. "It's okay. I won't hurt you." Moving slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out another bar. Taking the edge between his fingers, he tore open the outer cover and pulled out a brown bar. He offered it to him.

Fralith blinked slowly. It was...a pod? He swallowed and flicked his eyes to FlameHair's face. He...wasn't mad? FlameHair gazed back at him, expression earnest and...and...caring. A prickle of emotion danced across his shoulders. Not mad. It was okay. Things were...okay.

Hesitantly, he reached out and grasped the bar, quickly withdrawing his hand before FlameHair could grab his arm.

FlameHair smiled gently. "There we go," he murmured, taking back the bitten pod and settling back on his chair.

Fralith dropped his gaze to the brown pod. It was small and was starting to smear in his fingers. He lifted it to his mouth and looked at FlameHair. Was it okay to eat? With a nod from FlameHair, he plopped it into his mouth.

Sweetness exploded in his mouth, so overwhelming that it was like a herd of Hinchillas slamming into him all at once with each of their motherly headbutts bringing a new burst of flavor. He stopped chewing and stared at FlameHair with wide eyes. What mountain born hybrid was this? It was so sweet — even sweeter than Hinchilla milk or SugarSlop!

FlameHair took one look at his face and burst out laughing. "Oh my, Buddy! Is that the first time you've ever eaten chocolate?"

He shook his head and shoulders vigorously as he rolled the bar around in his mouth. It was slowly melting, spreading its taste all over his mouth. He put a hand to his lips, blinking rapidly. So sweet. Too sweet. With effort, he swallowed, shuddering a little as it traveled down his throat and rubbing his tongue in between his teeth.

Grabbing his cup, Fralith downed the last of the green sludge. The distinct sweet and earthy taste still lingered despite his efforts. What did they have to do to make it that strong? Food shouldn't be that sweet, even if it did taste good. As he wiped his mouth, his fingers brushed against something cool and smooth near his nose. He paused, frowning, and touched it again. A tube. It was a tube that snaked from his cheek into his...nose.

Tingles danced down his back. There was a tube in his nose. Why was there a tube in his nose? What did it do? What was it doing to him? A shudder ran through him and he grabbed hold of the tube.

"Wait! Don't put that out; it's helping you breathe," FlameHair exclaimed, leaning forwards.

Fralith jerked backwards, letting go of the tube, breath hitching for a moment. A flash of pain from his arm hit his senses. Don't hit me!

A shadow flashed across FlameHair's eyes before it was replaced by a...a...gentle look. "Hey, it's okay, Brave Bud. I won't hurt you; it's just not good to pull on the nasal cannula. You need that extra oxygen to keep your heart stable." As he spoke, he pointed to his nose and tugged on an invisible tube then shook his head.

Fralith blinked. He...wasn't supposed to tug it? But it was in his nose! It wasn't supposed to be there and he wanted it out. He bared his teeth and looked down at his right hand. There was a tube there, too. He'd been too tired — and too scared the guard would hurt him — yesterday to do anything about it but now... He lifted his hand and grasped the tube, giving it a light tug while he looked at FlameHair.

FlameHair shook his head. "No, you shouldn't pull on that one either. I know it probably feels funny, but you need it just like you need the oxygen."

He huffed, scowling a little. Why not? Why wasn't he supposed to tug or pull on them? They weren't meant to be there! He sighed and leaned back on the raised bed beast, shooting a glare towards the BeepCorner. No pulling on tubes, no tugging on tubes, and no stopping that infuriating beeping. He could do nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Weariness seeped into his bones like water into dirt. Nothing. He was trapped here — not just in this room, but in this world. And he could do nothing about it. There was no way home and no way for anyone to come rescue him.

Would anyone even try to? His friends wouldn't; they didn't care about him. His family...wouldn't, either, not after what he'd done. And Drao... he couldn't. He didn't even know that Fralith was gone. Fralith sighed again, flicking his gaze towards FlameHair as he moved.

"Don't be too down about it," FlameHair said as he gathered up the plates. "It won't be forever. We'll figure out what that heart of yours needs and fix it up. Then you can be free to go." He cast a glance towards the guard. "Free, in a way."

Fralith fingered a strand of long, dark hair, lip twitching upwards. I wish I understood their language. I wish I knew what FlameHair was saying. There was only one way to fix that, but it would take a lot of effort. Effort he didn't have. He huffed out a breath and watched as FlameHair wiped down the FLAT arm and folded it up.

FlameHair turned to him, patting the bed near his leg. "I'm going to lower the bed now. Try to keep calm. There's nothing to fear; you are safe." He smiled reassuringly and put his hand to the BUTTON.

When the bed beast started lowering, he startled, jerking his injured arm. Pain stabbed him with a brief but bazing tongue of fire. He winced, grabbing his elbow and squeezing his eyes shut. Please don't be mad, bed beast, he thought at it, heart skittering erratically. I'm sorry.

The bed beast came to a halt with a final verrpt. Fralith cracked open his eyes.

Beep, beep, beep, be-eep!

He blinked a few times and opened his eyes fully. Nothing. He sagged. Safe, at least for now. Taking a breath to steady himself, he turned his head to where FlameHair stood. He was much taller from this angle, bright red hair sitting atop his head like flame upon a torch, and more imposing. Fralith shivered.

FlameHair offered him a smile. "See? It's safe." He patted the bed again. "Now, duty calls me elsewhere so you'll be alone with Officer Théo for the time being. He's a friendly chap and only here because they think you're unstable and might attack. Considering that you've just eaten your first chocolate bar, I'm betting he's not going to have any problem with you." He chuckled and pointed at him. "If you need anything, ask Officer Théo or press the nurse button." He pointed at the Guard then himself.

Fralith tilted his head. Him, the guard, and FlameHair? What? FlameHair didn't give him a chance to figure out as, with a final pat for the bed and a few words, he left.