Echo of a Friend

Part 4

H- It is *much* later when they return. Close to 14 hours. A bag of food sways in their free hand as they come up to the cage.

"Morning." They chirp cheerily as they unlock the cage to settle one of the two containers at the orange line for him. They try to ignore the pity they feel for him.

C- Daki slept for most of the time that they were gone, curling up on the furthest edge of the mattress like a cat. He hadn't been in the best spirits since they left. He eventually stirred once he could hear them call out to him. He yawned and stretched, then moved towards the line wordlessly to accept the offerings. Still groggy, he hadn't quite found his voice yet, and offered a small murmur in response.

H- They nod in response to his murmur and step away to unpack their own lunch at their desk.

"How are we feeling today?" They ask.

Inside Daki's own plate was an uncooked steak.

C- Daki drew out the steak, already feeling hungry again. He took the first bite without responding immediately, just focusing on the pleasant meaty flavor to distract his mind.

"Doing fine," he said simply after swallowing, then took another bite. He seemed... reserved... distant.

H- They hum thoughtfully before digging into their own pile of fried rice.

"Any pain? How's the ice treating you?"

C- "Just feeling a little sore," Daki admitted. He wasn't used to his bones being compacted so small for this long.
He continued to silently eat his steak, not looking at Sam.

H- "I see."

"Sore from yesterday or from the ice?" They can't help the tinge of guilt in their voice

C- "The ice," Daki said immediately. He felt a similar feeling of guilt at the mention of yesterday. He really hoped he hadn't hurt Sam too badly, but he couldn't bring himself to ask.

He finished up his steak, then took a drink of water then set the bottle aside. "What do you have planned down here this time?" He kept his voice level, trained, distant. He showed too much emotion yesterday, and now he felt he had to overcompensate.

H- They don't answer right away, content with the giant pile of rice in front of them.

"No plans for you today. Just prep." They finally say.

Their voice is strained, painful. Their throat still felt tight and uncomfortable. They thought they would have bruised, but so far, it was only discomfort.

"You'll get to stretch tomorrow." They offer optimistically. "The ice wears off then." They hesitate to add to that. "I- need to collect some of your blood and saliva tomorrow, too. "

C- "Ah, thought that would be done soon." Daki sighed. "It would be nice not to be stuck tiny for a bit, though."

He still didn't completely face Sam, leaning against the wall of the cage while staring at the opposite wall distantly. He missed the stars already.

"And what are you going to do once I'm normal again? Wouldn't want these cuffs to chop off my hands from regrowing,"

H- "Ah. Don't worry about that. They won't. We have a procedure for this. " he probably won't like it, though.

C- "Mm... Alright," Daki said, though he didn't seem completely reassured. At this point part of him was just... hopeless and resigned to all of this. And he hated it.

H- They note his unenthusiasm. They don't blame him.

"Not looking forward to sticking my hand in your mouth, myself." They grimace dramatically. "You're not a biter, are you?" They ask with amusement, trying to be a little humerous despite having the scars to remind them that giants, do, in fact bite.