Cw: non on drugging, kidnapping
As the two stared each other down, one with a smile and one with a frown, Whumpee broke the silence with a meek "h-*cough*-home?"
"Oh my, my mistake! You must be so thirsty! Come over and get some water my dear." Whumper held their hand out with a water bottle. Whumpee scurried over but as they went to grab the bottle, it was snatched away at the last second.
"Ohhh Sweetheart the look of betrayal looks sooo good on you. I'm sorry, that was a mean trick. Here's how this will work: you get one and if you behave while I talk, you get another and a snack, ok?"
Whumpee nodded eagerly and slurped the water down greedily as Whumper began their spoken-word manifesto.
"Whumpee, I've come to notice that you don't have many people in your life. Well, I've been alone since my partner died so I thought, hey what the heck. It's time to get back in the game. Right?"
Whumpee is trying to focus on their water but doesn't like where this is going.
"Don't look so worried! It'll be fine. Let's call this a trial run. I'll train you to be the perfect companion and if if doesn't work, I'll just end both our suffering since we won't be finding anyone else who would suit each other."
Whumpee chokes and sputters at this.
"Oh Whumpee, please be careful, you have value now! Wouldn't want to die ahead of the game would we?" Whumper whacks Whumpee on the back.
Whumpee had so many thoughts, so many things they wanted to say- well, scream- but they wanted that second bottle of water. They hadn't forgotten about that promised snack as well.
After a moment of silence without any coughing or manifesto-ing, Whumpee had an uncomfortable thought. "How did you know I don't have many people in my life?"
Breaking away from their stare, Whumper chuckled and said "oh Whumpee, silly thing, as if you don't recognize me. Don't you remember how we met? The Lonely Hearts Community Club?"
Whumpee shifts uncomfortably on the navy blanket. They hadn't been to that club for unsuccessful friend-making in months. "Do you not.. remember? Whumpee?" Snapping back to the question, Whumpee stammers out the best lie they can but it was obvious. The light in Whumper's eyes darkens and they're face changes.
"How dare you? How dare you forget that special day? The day our lives were made complete again? You know what? It's been a long night and you probably just need your rest. We will put a hold on the snack and water for now but I'll leave them on the chair so you have some incentive to remember."
Whumpee's throat closes as the tears start to flow.
"N-no p-p-p-please! I need water! I need to eat!"
"Let's wait a while and see what you remember. Honestly, my dear, not a great start here. Let's see if we can turn this around. I'll be back later and we will try again."
The door slams and Whumpee jumps at the impact. The bottle of water and granola bar are just sitting there, across the room, looking right back at them. Tearfully, Whumpee turns away and wraps up under the thick blanket to try and remember how they and this character met.
