Chapter Text
Samuel had never felt as disappointed with himself as in that moment.
He couldn’t tear his eyes away from his hands, which had now been replaced by big orange ones, made of fabric instead of human flesh.
’Being chosen’, Doctor White had said. Yeah, right. He’d never specified for what he’d chosen him. Turns out it was to become some sort of grotesque monster, not to be adopted.
It’d been around ten days (maybe November 15th or something like that?) before he got to see someone who wasn’t a scientist.
The door to his cell opened, revealing a man in a suit, with blonde hair and icy eyes. Right behind him there was a guy in a hazmat suit, holding a taser, ready to react in case Sam decided to attack.
He didn’t. He never did. He didn’t want to feel more pain for no reason.
The man stared at Sam unimpressed, then he sighed and stepped aside.
”I don’t want ya saying I never do stuff for you ever again” he playfully lectured, his eyes stuck on a point that was almost on the floor’s level, just out of Sam’s line of sight. “Five minutes, okay? No more than that”
After a moment, Sam heard a set of delicate footsteps approaching the door, and the object of the man’s attention appeared in front of the door.
It was a child, probably a girl, maybe around four years old, although it was hard to tell. She had blonde hair which had clearly not been brushed in a while, and her eyes were surrounded by deep eye bags. She had a CatNap themed hoodie on which was definitely too big for her, and she was holding a plush of… oh, wow, hilarious. A plush of DogDay.
She looked up at Sam with wide eyes filled with awe, her mouth slightly agape. She hugged the plush close to her chest, then turned towards the man and gave him a wide, thankful smile. “Thanks, daddy”
The man - the child’s father - seemed slightly surprised at first, but look ultimately pleased with himself. He nodded to the hazmat guy behind him, who closed the door, leaving only Sam and the kid inside.
The little girl kept a smile on her face as she approached him, and Sam couldn’t help but feel wary around her. This was the first time someone entered his cell, and it was the first time he saw a kid since… well, since before waking up like this.
The red boots the kid was wearing made a squeaky noise against the clean white floors of the holding cell.
”Act normal”
If he’d had eyelids, Sam would’ve blinked in that moment.
What?
The child’s smile was still in place, but there was something urgent in her eyes. “I got dad to give me five minutes alone with you, no audio recordings, but I’m not sure the cameras are turned off” she explained.
Was… Was this even happening? This felt like it’d come straight out of a movie. How was this kid even talking like that?
”I’m a friend, I want to help you get out” the child continued. “I was sent by… uh, he said to call him ‘the Prototype’”
Sam hadn’t heard a lot about the Prototype, except for a fleeting conversation between two scientists a couple days earlier. Apparently he was the first experiment of Playtime Co, who’d very recently been captured, and was apparently very aggressive. Even so, Sam had quickly figured out that he was pretty important, because he was the only one who got referred to with a nickname instead of his experiment number.
“I’m Angel” the kid finished, a shy smile curving her lips upward. “Or- well- the Prototype said that I’m the saving angel, whatever that means”
Sam was unsure of what to make of this kid: she was so tiny and cute that it made him want to hug her and never let go, and he could tell her intentions were sincere. But she was also one of the most unsettling people he’d met this far. Or, at least, ever since being turned into a huge toy.
”…I’m Sam” he said eventually, bending down (although not fully) to Angel’s level. “It’s nice to meet you, Angel. So, what is this plan of yours?”
~*~
DogDay couldn’t tear his eyes away from the shadow CatNap had disappeared into.
CatNap, a toy that he’d once considered his friend, maybe even his best friend, and who he now barely even saw as a person. A toy who’d spent the last year or so (how long had it been since his capture? It felt like an eternity had passed and at the same time like it’d been a minute) torturing him for an aimless goal. A toy who’d killed all of his friends in a gruesome way, and had no doubt left him for last.
A toy who, for some reason, hadn’t attacked him in that moment, despite having made it obvious multiple times that he wanted DogDay dead.
Why? Why had he done that? Why hadn’t he tried to kill or kidnap him? He’d already done the latter once more, and he clearly wouldn’t have had any issue with enacting the former. So then why, why, why-
”Hello? Is anyone there?”
Oh, right. DogDay had completely forgotten why he’d come in that area of Home Sweet Home in the first place. He’d heard somebody crying.
”Just me, Angel”
”Oh! DogDay!”
He heard some shuffling coming from a nearby bedroom, like something very heavy was being dragged. Then a blonde head of hair peaked out of the doorway, first looking in the direction opposite of DogDay’s, and then finally in his own.
“Sorry sunshine, I thought I’d seen… never mind, doesn’t matter. This place is probably playing tricks on me” they chuckled nervously.
”CatNap just left, if he’s who you’re referring to”
”Oh”
The angel stared at him for a moment, uncertain. “Are… is everything okay? Do ya wanna talk about it?”
Did he?
”Not… Not really, no. At least, not right now” he murmured, his eyes still struggling to look away from the shadow CatNap had disappeared in.
Everything in his body, every instinct in his mind, all of it kept yelling to just run away. Because surely CatNap would come back soon and drag him back in his cell, no? After Hoppy, he was the fastest runner between the Critters. Sure, she’d had the speed, but he had the resistance. That was the main reason behind why CatNap had took away his legs.
But he couldn’t run, not when all of his friends were still there, not with the angel right in front of him, standing strong despite all they’d been though.
DogDay wasn’t blind, despite what Kickin had always claimed (“dogs are colourblind or something, no? That must mean you can’t see shit”). He saw the scars on the angel’s body. He saw the way their body unwinded the moment they could rest in the room under the statue. He saw how they couldn’t sleep longer than a couple of hours without waking up, plagued by all the horrors they’d been put through.
And yet they kept fighting, even when they could’ve left the factory, they’d stayed and kept fighting for everyone else. And who was DogDay to run away like a coward and hide? He couldn’t do that. Not again.
“Oh well” the angel sighed, stretching their arms. Their eyes were slightly puffy - were they the one who’d been crying? “I actually wanted to talk to the others about an idea I had, but now that I’m thinking about it there are actually some things I should ask you first, since you’re the one who knows Playcare the best”
DogDay tilted his head. “Ask ahead”
”Okay, so, first of all - most important question I have - do you know if there are any bathrooms here?”
Oh, how DogDay wished he had eyelids… or just general facial mobility.
”That’s your most important question?”
The angel turned beet red and pouted. “Hey! I know you toys have your own freaky biology or whatever, but some of us still need to pee! Plus, a bathroom is very useful for A LOT of stuff”
DogDay couldn’t smile (or better yet, he couldn’t smile more than his face allowed him), but he had to struggle to hold back a snort. “Yes, there are bathrooms here. I think there should be in every building, except maybe the Toy Store, but that’s not really relevant since it’s closed down anyway. I can’t really guarantee that they’re all functional, though”
The angel - well, actually, just Angel - nodded. “And what about a mess hall, or a kitchen? I imagine there was a place where the orphans would eat and their food was made, no?”
He had to think it over for a moment. It’d been ten years since Playcare had been fully functional, and even before that he’d never spent a lot of time in the kitchen. That’d been Picky’s zone, and the workers had all been very careful to not let the toys spend too much time together while working. They’d probably feared that they would’ve staged some sort of rebellion… reasonable worry, considering the Hour of Joy.
“From what I remember there’s supposed to be a kitchen and a mess hall somewhere here in Home Sweet Home…” he murmured, thinking back to those rare times when he and the other Smiling Critters had been allowed to go eat normal meals - not the usual scraps of raw meat - along with the children.
Angel’s eyes almost bulged out of their head. “In Home Sweet Home?? How big IS this building! Don’t answer that, I don’t wanna know” they added, quickly interrupting DogDay’s incoming response. “Do you think you could lead me there?”
”I could try” DogDay offered. “Why? What do you have in mind?”
The human’s eyes lit up, and for a moment DogDay was brought back to one of the few things he remembered from before the brainwashing had begun. A star-eyed child staring up at him with awe and respect, even in a moment where she - no, they - were clearly struggling.
”I think I figured out how can we bring more toys on our side. I’ll explain on the way there!”
~*~
Poppy had never even planned to follow Angel into Home Sweet Home. She’d wanted to go retrieve Miss Delight and then figure out what to do with the resources they had left, and hopefully also figure out what to do with the orphans and the Prototype. But then Kissy had insisted to go to her old room in Home Sweet Home, and Poppy hadn’t been able to deny her.
After not even twenty minutes they’d heard Mommy and Angel walk by, chatting idly about Mommy’s past or something, and then panicked sobs had followed soon after. She’d immediately recognised them as Mommy’s, which Poppy hadn’t found entirely unpleasant, and yet…
It reminded her of her own cries. Of when she’d be sick for whole nights, her father staying near her bedside as she couldn’t stop shaking and throwing up, unaware of what was happening to her. Of when she’d first woken up as a toy, and how she’d pushed the tears back until her father had left. Of when the Prototype had locked her in that horrible case, unable to move in any way for almost a decade.
It wasn’t a secret that Poppy hated Mommy, and the feeling was clearly mutual. And yet she hadn’t been able to look away, to ignore the cries of another scared girl, just like herself.
So… yeah. She’d never expected to end up comforting Mommy, and yet…
It’d taken a while for Mommy to stop spiralling, and after that she remained uncharacteristically quiet. Poppy and Kissy shared a look, unsure of what to do, until they heard a familiar set of heavy mismatched steps approaching them.
”Miss Delight!” Poppy exclaimed. In that same moment the teacher poked her head in the room. “And… Barb, of course”
”Poppy” Miss Delight greeted politely. “Kissy, Mommy. I heard crying, is everything okay?”
Poppy’s eyes darted nervously towards Mommy. Miss Delight sighed, clearly understanding what had happened (or, at least, a tiny bit of what had happened). “I understand… would you two mind leaving me and Mommy alone for a moment?”
Poppy didn’t need to be told twice.
What? Just because she’d momentarily put her dislike aside didn’t mean that she wanted to spend too much time in Mommy’s company.
Kissy picked Poppy up and set her on her shoulder, then the two left the room, leaving Mommy and Miss Delight alone.
”Where do you think we could find Angel and DogDay?” Poppy asked her friend as they walked aimlessly. Kissy shrugged, but soon the answer became obvious to both of them.
”Ouch- ouch ouch ouch-“
”Hold on just a bit longer, Angel! I’ll get you to safety”
Just a few seconds later DogDay rounded the corner, holding Angel in his arms.
The human didn’t look particularly roughed up, but their face was deformed by pain and they were holding their ankle. Poppy had a slight memory of the human hopping slightly on that same side after they’d freed her from Mommy’s webs.
”Player?? What happened?” she asked with worry.
Angel seemed to only then realise that Poppy and Kissy were there. “Oh! Heya girls! How’s Mommy?”
DogDay seemed to be doing his best not to facepalm. “We were clearing out the kitchen, and they decided that climbing on a stack of jars would be a reliable way to reach the taller shelves while I was away”
The Player pouted, looking like an embarrassed child. “It’s not my fault you took that long to find a stair! I’m hyperactive, you should know that by now”
”All too well… Point is, they predictably fell, and now they’re injured”
”I am not!” Angel protested. “I’m perfectly fine, I swear I am!”
”We heard you muttering ‘ouch ouch ouch’ on the way here” Poppy deadpanned, butting in the conversation.
”It’s called being dramatic!” the Played rolled their eyes. “It’s a family thing”
”So is cussing like a pirate, I imagine?”
”You- traitors. All of you. Except Kissy, Kissy’s the only nice one”
The pink toy chirped happily.
”What were you two doing in the kitchen anyway?” Poppy asked after a moment.
”Oh, right! My plan!” Angel exclaimed, their eyes lighting up like stars. “I was thinking that maybe we could organise a system to feed the toys in Playcare, that way it’d be easier to bring them on our side!”
Poppy blinked. “That’s- That’s a really good idea, Player!”
”All my ideas are good” they scoffed.
”Right…”
”…Okay, maybe the jars’ one wasn’t great, I’ll give you that”
”I was going to take them to one of the rooms here to rest,” DogDay continued, “any bed that’s even just slightly intact in here would be much more comfortable than the counter under the statue, believe me”
”You can put them in Kissy’s old room” Poppy said, earning an affirmative chirp from said toy. “Room 49G, it’s just a few doors away from Mommy’s”
DogDay’s eyes shined with appreciation. ”I was hoping to continue that job after getting them to rest, perhaps you and Kissy would like to help?”
”I can continue perfectly fine!” came the Player’s voice, immediately followed by a hiss of pain.
”…Maybe it would be better for someone to stay behind and keep an eye on them” Poppy mused. “I’ll do it. Mommy and Miss Delight are still busy, and I doubt I’d be of much help with clearing out a room”
”Very well” DogDay agreed, ignoring the Player’s incoherent sputters.
The four of them walked (well- technically only two of them were walking) back to Kissy’s room. DogDay very carefully laid down Angel, and Kissy sat Poppy on the nearby drawer. Then the two Bigger Bodies left them alone.
Poppy was uncertain of what to say to Angel. They hadn’t gotten the chance to talk one-on-one yet, not with all their new allies. She doubted Angel knew about Poppy’s identity, or about the past they’d shared (even if it’d only been for a few months), so it felt like meeting a person who you actually know well enough, despite them not knowing you at all.
”This is dumb…” they muttered. “I’ve gotten injuries worse than this one while urban exploring…”
”You have?” Poppy mused, worry making its way in her voice.
”Well- I mean, nothing too bad, really. But still, I could probably tough this one out too” they shrugged.
”Do your parents just not care about what happens to you while… ‘urban exploring’?”
A shadow flicked on Angel’s face. “Uhm… my dad really just sees it as a potential source of lawsuits… he’s really worried that I’ll bump into something that’s private property, or into stuff I shouldn’t see… guess now I know where that fear comes from”
Poppy nodded sadly. She did remember Leith Pierre quite well… she’d even met him when she was still alive and they’d went to the same elementary school. Of course, Poppy had been four years older than him, but she’d taken interest in that boy anyway. She struggled to imagine that young, wide eyed child as the monster he’d become… and she wasn’t even his kid. It must’ve been so hard for Angel to find out about him being behind everything…
”And… your mother?”
Angel flinched slightly. “She… uhm, she went missing. About two and a half years ago. It’s actually the reason why I started exploring, I just… I wanted to get it out of my mind”
Well, now Poppy felt like crap.
”I’m sorry to hear that…” she murmured.
”It’s fine, I’m kinda over it by now” they replied, although their face straight up screamed ‘I am not over it at all’.
”I-I never met my mom” Poppy stammered, eager to lead the conversation away from that painful topic. “Not even my adoptive mom… well, that’s because I didn’t have one. My father had been divorced for about twenty years when he adopted me”
Angel blinked, surprised. “You- You were adopted? Then how were you-“
“I was adopted,” Poppy interrupted, the words heavy in her throat, “by… by Elliot Ludwig”
Angel’s eyes widened in shock. “You- oh. Oh, that… yeah, that explains that tape and note I found in his office…” they murmured, still in disbelief. “He started the experiments because he wanted to bring you back to life, didn’t he?”
Poppy nodded sadly.
”Well, at least I know we have something in common now, no?” Angel said, attempting a smile. “We’re both children of former CEOs of Playtime Co. Although mine did the psychopathic experiments for no reason and yours wanted to bring his daughter back to life”
And now it was awkward again. Great.
”How’s the rest of your family?” Poppy asked, despite everything inside of her screaming to stir the topic away from Angel’s family, since it was clearly not a good one.
The human shrugged. “Uhh- pretty weird, if you ask me. All four of my grandparents died not too long ago- not all together, of course. I never really liked my grandparents on my dad’s side, but the ones on my mom’s side were awfully nice. And they did leave me a lot of money and a house, which is kinda cool. Although technically the house is also my Aunt Dora’s- who’s my mom’s sister-in-law, by the way. Not her sister. She was married to my Uncle Preston, but he went missing about a decade ago”
Awkward, awkward, awkward.
Poppy had basically completely forgotten that Angel was Doctor Willard’s niece (uh- nephew? Was there a gender neutral word for that?). She hadn’t known him very well, but he’d always been one of the only scientists she’d actually liked. And then there was what had happened after the Hour of Joy… Did Angel even know that that was the fate their uncle had stumbled into?
”I haven’t spoken to Aunt Dora in a lot of time, though, except the occasional phone call every time something interesting happens. She kinda really hates my dad for some reason”
Yeah, they definitely didn’t know. It might’ve been better to keep it like that for a while.
”Then there’s my Aunt Jane. She’s my dad’s oldest sister, and she’s absolutely awful. Not like I would expect much more from someone who’s been raised by Gran and Pops Pierre. I never really had to talk to her for too long, she gets on dad’s nerves too. She was brought in a mental institution about four or five years ago though, which is good, since now I don’t have to see her at every family gathering anymore, and dad inherited all the money from his parents, which in turn will someday be my money! If I make it out of here alive, that is…
”And then there’s another aunt, again on dad’s side, but I never met her. I know that her name is Kat and that she’s the middle child, but she cut contact with her parents when she was twenty-ish and left to live in- uhh- I think Utah or something. Somewhere towards the west coast anyway. I think she got married and had kids, but I can’t really be sure because my dad always ignores whatever message or letter he gets from her. Even if she tried to keep in contact with both him and Aunt Jane, they always complain that she’s dead to them. That’s the only thing they used to agree on- I’m not even sure if she’s still alive, to be honest. Not like it’d matter much.
“Anddd- yeah, that’s about it” they finished with a sigh. “And you?”
”Even after the orphanage, it was always just me and my dad” Poppy shrugged. “Although I’ll admit that I used to wish I had a sibling”
Angel nodded, thoughtful. “Well, you and Kissy seem to be pretty close. Almost like sisters, no?”
Poppy smiled. “Yes, she is like a sister to me. It’s so nice to have her with me once again…”
Angel smiled widely. “Alright, I think I’ve had enough family talks for today. How’s Mommy doing?”
”She’s better, I think. She’s supposed to be with Miss Delight right now” the doll answered, fixing her skirt.
”That’s good. I’m glad those two are close, no one should be left alone in a place like this-“
Something in the Player’s expression soured and they looked away.
”What is it?” Poppy asked with concern.
”It’s just…” Angel sighed. “I can’t stop thinking about CatNap earlier. I had a talk with Mommy, and… I think I figured him out just a bit more. Or, at least some of his reasons. I think all he’d need to get on the right track would be a friend, and unfortunately the Prototype got there before any of us could’ve - including DogDay. But now that 1006 is gone, well… maybe there’s a chance that if someone gets close to him and tries to get him on the right track, he’ll listen?”
Poppy pursued her lips. She had never truly believed in the possibility of redemption. In her mind things were simply black and white: people were either good or evil, there was no in between. You couldn’t just change your mind and decide to switch to another side, not unless you truly believed in what you stand for. And if you’re that easily persuaded, well… who says it can’t happen again the other way around? She just didn’t believe that bad people could turn good and viceversa.
And yet she’d spoken quite a lot with Miss Delight lately, and… yeah, she spoke with her weapon, which was kinda creepy, but Poppy had seen weirder stuff. Miss Delight was surprisingly kind and reliable… she seemed to genuinely share their ideals of bringing down the Prototype and freeing the toys. Maybe she was just doing it for the food, or for a thousand other hidden reasons, but Poppy struggled to imagine that she would lie. She just… she simply knew the teacher was sincere in her intentions.
And Mommy? Well… she’d never properly been on the Prototype’s side, they’d only had a deal, and she seemed to care deeply for Angel, to the point she’d gotten offended and closed off when they’d grown apart. Maybe she was doing this more because she wanted to be near Angel than because she actually cared about the resistance, but Poppy could see a spark of determination in her eyes whenever they spoke about freeing the orphans. Mommy cared about them just as much as Poppy did, and she hated the Prototype for keeping them prisoners.
So… well, if Angel believed that there was a way to rehabilitate CatNap, despite how unbelievable it sounded… why not let them try?
“Do you think he’d still let you get close after what happened today?” Poppy asked, fiddling with a strand of her hair.
“Apparently DogDay caught him stalking me earlier, but he ran away when he got caught, so I think he’s just waiting for me to go to him because he’s too proud and stubborn to do to it himself” they sighed. “Which is a big deal, because I’m also proud and stubborn. But I suppose I could put it aside… if he apologises to DogDay for the way he treated him, obviously”
Poppy nodded in approval. “That seems fair”
The two smiled warmly at each other.
One thing that Poppy knew about herself and Angel was that they were 37 years apart. If she’d lived, she would’ve been old enough to be Angel’s mother. And yet she couldn’t help to imagine Angel as the sibling she’d always wanted… maybe because of all the time they’d spent together when they were a child in Elliot’s office.
(Was Angel to be considered their older or younger sibling? Sure, Poppy had been born almost four decades before them, but she’d also died at 11, and she felt like she was mentally stuck there, while Angel was almost 19)
“I’m glad we had this chat” Poppy said, standing up and moving closer towards Angel, so that they could help her get off the drawer.
”Me too, I’ve been dying to get to know you better” Angel said as they settled Poppy on their abdomen. “Now, I think that DogDay and Kissy might need some help… and I wanna check on Mommy”
Poppy frowned. “But your ankle-“
Angel vaguely waved a hand, as if trying to shove a fly away. “I told you: DogDay was exaggerating earlier! I’m just fine, really. I just gotta walk it off”
Poppy wanted to facepalm, but she probably would’ve done it hard enough that it would’ve cracked the porcelain she was made of, so she chose to just roll her eyes instead.
To be completely fair, Angel seriously looked like they hadn’t gotten injured at all, except for a slight grimace when they first put their weight on that foot, but it soon faded.
”Come on then, let’s go”
~*~
Hurt, hurt hurt hurt hurt.
After spending almost five hours clearing out the kitchen and mess hall of Playcare, Angel couldn’t think about anything except how much their ankle hurt. They’d managed to keep a straight face all throughout that time and had somehow not drawn the attention of anyone to their injury, but now they just couldn’t hide it anymore.
”I think we should all go rest now” Poppy declared after an eternity. “Since Home Sweet Home is clear I say we each pick a room that’s comfortable and we can stay here and then act on this tomorrow”
”Wouldn’t it be wiser to stay close together?” Miss Delight asked worriedly. “Since the Priest is still around, and we aren’t really sure about what he’s planning… certainly DogDay should not be left unsupervised”
DogDay didn’t even try to debate. On the contrary, the idea seemed to appeal to him.
Angel thought back to when they’d seen him earlier, after he’d caught CatNap spying on them. He’d looked so… frightened, like a deer caught in highlights. And what if CatNap still planned on making him ascend? Or worse, what if he wanted to straight up kill him now? No, he couldn’t be left alone. That was too big of a risk.
”We could split in pairs then, since there’s six of us” Poppy shrugged. Those words earned her a very pointed glare from Miss Delight, who tightened her grip on Barb.
”Uh- seven. There’s seven of us. Two pairs and a trio?”
”Nah, let’s do three pairs and I’ll stay alone” Angel shrugged.
Everyone turned in their direction with blank stares. Angel felt their face grow warmer.
”What?” they asked innocently. “CatNap doesn’t seem to want to kill me, for whatever reason. If there’s one of us who’s safe alone, that’s me”
”The last time you asked to be left alone was to go talk to the Priest” Mommy blinked. “I hope this isn’t for the same foolish reason?”
Angel frowned. “Trust me, the last thing I want to do right now is see that furball”
That… wasn’t entirely true. While they weren’t still furious with him, they also didn’t want to see him just yet. They needed some time to figure stuff out.
And there were other reasons why they wanted to be alone… they didn’t want anyone to know about their ankle, otherwise they would’ve been benched, and they didn’t want that. And waking up from a nightmare to find some of the toys who’d tried to kill them sleeping peacefully nearby would’ve just been too much for their poor strained heart.
Poppy somehow seemed to understand that last reason. Her gaze softened almost imperceptibly. “I’ll allow that, but try not to bunk too far away from someone else”
”Yes ma’am” Angel agreed. “I’ll stay near Miss D and Barb, if that’s okay with her”
The teacher tilted her head. “That’s okay with us!” she exclaimed joyfully.
”Very well then. Let’s split up and go to sleep”
To absolutely no one’s surprise, Poppy and Kissy ended up bunking together. That left Mommy and DogDay as the last pair, along with Miss Delight and Barb.
Angel had convinced Mommy to bunk in the boys’ dormitory, so that they would all be ‘guarding’ different sections of Home Sweet Home. She’d probably decided to ignore how Angel had chosen Theodore Grambell’s - CatNap’s - old room to sleep in.
But, as soon as the door was shut, Angel whimpered and stumbled their way to the bed.
Their ankle wasn’t looking good at all. It was very swollen, and there was a bruise forming there too. They’d very clearly sprained it. Or, at least, that’s what it looked like.
What could even be done about it? They couldn’t exactly go outside to see a doctor and ask for a confirmation, the Prototype would’ve surely killed them before they’d even reached the Game Station. And, in all honesty, they doubted they’d ever come back to the factory if they’d gotten the chance to leave.
There was an acronym for sprains, if they remembered correctly, something food related… perhaps P.A.S.T.A.?
Oh! No! It was R.I.C.E.! They remembered now.
R was rest… well, they sure as hell couldn’t afford to do that now. Not only because there was so much to do, but also because their hyperactivity would’ve never allowed them to stay still for too long.
I was ice. Great, they had no ice at all. They still hadn’t been able to figure out how to fix the refrigerator in Playcare’s kitchen - so far they’d only managed to get the microwave to work.
C was… ugh, what did C stand for? They always forgot it…
Oh! Right. C was compression. They had to wrap and elastic or something around the ankle to stabilise the joint and keep the swelling in check. Well, they could do that.
They untied their ponytail and allowed their hair to fall down their shoulders. It barely reached them, since they liked to keep it short, but it was still long enough to allow them to put it up when it was warm or they had to run long distances. It was really dirty and greasy at the moment, which reminded them to ask Julie for clothes and bathroom supplies next time they contacted her. How long had it been since they’d last brushed their teeth?
They wrapped the hair tie around their ankle, hissing sightly at the pain it caused them. Maybe it wasn’t ideal, but it was better than nothing.
And lastly, E was elevation. They just had to put their ankle up on a pillow so that it was above their heart’s level.
They used one of the old spare blankets in the closet for that. They had to hop over to it on one leg to get it though, which proved to be not fun in the slightest…
They’d moved the box with CatNap’s trophies back to its place under the bed as soon as they’d heard DogDay’s voice - they hadn’t wanted him to get even more traumatised by that creepy sight. That allowed them to simply lay down and rest as soon as they’d finished fixing up their ankle.
However, they hadn’t realised how the silence and stillness of the room would’ve impacted their mind.
They thought back to the conversation they’d had with Poppy earlier, about their family. They’d seen a few missed calls from their Aunt Dora and only one from their dad. Was he absolutely convinced that Angel was dead and long gone? Had she treasured their small phone conversations to the point she’d gotten worried because of them not calling for once and had obsessively called them? Did Aunt Jane even know or realise that her nibling was missing? Had Aunt Kat ever even known or thought about the families her siblings had built back in Michigan?
The thoughts were loud. Too loud. Voices that hurt their brain in a way that was unimaginable. Maybe they just had to somehow knock themselves out, then they’d be able to sleep peacefully.
In the meanwhile, there wasn’t much they could’ve done. They merely closed their eyes and waited for a daze to take over their mind, allowing them a break at last. Until they had to officially open the Playcare’s mess hall to the mini Critters and hope it didn’t blow up in their faces (literally and metaphorically).
Whatever, no point in dwelling over that now. After all… tomorrow is another day.