I had been a captive for..eighteen years..I...I had been a captive for eighteen years. Nothing had changed on the outside; I was changing on the inside. Pain was barely noticeable. Broken bones were nothing. I could have mobility in a shattered arm, and I could walk on a broken leg. Paint was the worst pain, but I could handle it. I figured that my pain tolerance was rising, but I wouldn't have bet on it. Today was the day that I would see Error; I couldn't wait! All I had to do was get through a few hours of paint, and I could handle that without too much trouble. A bit of screaming, acknowledgement, and talking, and I would be ready to go. Ink had just woken me up, and I was hugging my Hope tightly.

"Good morning, Dusty!" Ink greeted.

"Good morning." I returned.

"Are you ready to start the day?"

"If you want to.."

"Great!" Ink patted my skull, making me smile a bit; I found it soothing. "I just got some more paint!"

"Uh..g-great.." I didn't like the sound of that.

"You're always so supportive! Anyway, let's begin!" Ink sat on the floor next to me and pulled me onto his lap.

"Okay.." I didn't want to be hurt.

Ink then grabbed some of his paint and began to pour it into my mouth; I hated that. I wouldn't argue on the day when I'd be able to see Error, though; that would be like signing my own death warrant. I believed that I had died from things that I had said more than ten times over the past five years, and that was actually fewer than I had the five years preceding them. As time went on, I was beginning to understand when to keep my mouth shut about things in contrast to when to say something. I didn't mind the taste of paint at all anymore, since it would eventually just go away, and I had done the same thing with tree berries. The paint lasted for four hours, and by the time it had ended, I was ready to see Error; I could adapt quickly. Ink gave me a dramatic goodbye before letting a few guards restrain me and take me to the depths of the compound; I had a few cracks in my legs, but I was capable of walking. The trip down the stairs was less exciting than anything else I could have thought of, but the end result was entirely worth it. As soon as the door to Error was opened, he came up to the bars of his cell with a smile, and he received a large one in return as I entered his cell and sat next to him.

"I missed you so much!" Error hugged me.

"I guess it gets pretty lonely in here.." I returned his hug. "Any attempts recently?"

"Define 'recently.'"

"The past year?"

"One or two. It's a bit like the Anti-Void, but less..spacey."

"How long were you alone there?"

"Oh..longer than here..but I couldn't tell you exactly." 

"I understand."

"How's it going with you?" 

"Ink being Ink, bones breaking, paint plaguing my existence, and all around hell."

"O-oh.." Error wanted to change the subject. "So, how's the doll?"

"It's great!" I smiled, holding up my Hope. "Thanks, again!"

"I'm glad you like it so much. It's also great to see you walking! I don't remember the last time you walked into here.."

"Yeah..it's a recent..development."

"What do you mean?" Error didn't know; I had only gained the ability to walk on broken legs in the past year.

"I think it's best if I show you.." I let Error see my legs; they were definitely fractured.

"But..how? N-not even I could walk on that!"

"You just get so used to the pain that you don't even realize it's there..I barely feel it.."

"I'm so sorry that you have to go through this...I've probably said that dozens of times now, haven't I?"

"It's the thought that counts. Thanks."

"Ink doesn't deserve to even know you.." 

"Let's not talk about him.."

"Okay. How about your brother?"

"He's the best!"

"I've seen him."

"Y-you have?!"

"He tried on one of those rescue attempts in the past year!"

"Really?! I-is he okay?! Did he look well-fed?! Is he as cool as I remember him?!"

"He was fine! Although the attempt failed, he escaped safe and sound."

"That's great! Did he say anything?"

"He said he loves you."

"He's the best!"

"Yes, he is!"

Our conversation continued for the rest of the hour, as always, and we had a great time; it was sad to have to leave so soon. I gained a lot of recent information about my brother from Error, though; he wasn't under Ink's control, and he didn't have to follow his rules. Error said Paps was alive and well, and he cared for me! I was overjoyed when he said that! When the door to the cell was eventually opened, Error and I hugged one last time before I was dragged away. I didn't like being dragged away from Error when our time was up; I wanted to stay forever, but I couldn't do that..I wished I could. When I was returned to Ink's room, he met me at the door, grabbed me by my jacket, and raised me in the air before slamming the door; he hadn't done that before, and I was terrified of what he had planned. We walked me across the room with a smirk and held me up against a wall before saying something.

"Hello, Dusty!" Ink pushed me against the wall harder.

"H-h-h-hi.." I held me Hope as close as I possibly could, shaking.

"I've decided something!"

"Wh-wh-what?"

"You remember your brother, correct?"

"Y-yeah?"

"I've decided that whenever he gets on my nerves, I'm going to double your pain on that specific day! Speaking of that, I've noticed that the pain I've been giving you recently is just..lacking. You're getting used to it. I've planned for this, however! Would you like to know how?"

"N-no?"

"That's not an option! Try again!"

"Y-yes?"

"Correct! Would you like to know what you've won?"

"..."

"Would you?"

"Y-yeah!" I was shaking more than I would have liked.

"Good!" Ink pulled out my soul; I didn't know how he could do that without my permission, and I didn't want to know. "Now, hold still!"

I tried to remain as motionless as I could; when Ink told me to hold still, he meant it. I had moved once when he told me to stay still, and it resulted in one of the worst beatings of my life; he killed me three times in one hour, and he refused to let me take my time in my universe. I learned that day not to disobey Ink - ever - since it would just result in pain. Ink soon took a small paintbrush tipped with red and gently touched my soul with it; he had recently been working to find a stronger paint, since I was rapidly becoming accustomed to the other kind. This was it, unfortunately, and I screamed louder than even Ink would have liked; I wouldn't be growing accustomed to that for a long time. When it was finished - two hours of screaming later - Ink knew that he had found his new paint, and he was overjoyed. He sat next to me and patted my skull as I wept, wishing the pain would stop. He soon posed his question.

"Dusty, how does the old paint rank?" Ink asked. "One to ten."

"F-four.." I sobbed.

"And this?"

"N-no.."

"Where is it?"

I shook my skull.

"Maybe this will be better." Ink stated. "One to ten. One makes you want to die, and ten makes you want to destroy every last bit of your soul before it was ever created!"

"S-seven.." I held my Hope tightly.

"That's much better. We'll use that scale from now on. Now, I know I said I'd double the pain when your brother made me angry, but I didn't expect the paint to work that well! In other words, we'll be using the old paint when he doesn't make me mad, and this paint when he does. Okay?"

"O-okay.." 

"Remember, Dusty, that was only the soul test. That's only equal to ten minutes of what we usually do! So, prepare yourself when your brother gets me angry, okay?"

I gave a shaky nod, still crying.

"Good!" Ink grinned. "Fortunately for you, your brother hasn't tried anything today!"

I was relieved that I wouldn't have to feel any more of that paint today. 

"Now, I know that you think this is harsh, but I find it quite necessary!" Ink sighed. "I will do one kind thing, though."

"Wh-what?" I was interested in Ink ever being kind.

"I will revoke my rule that you are not allowed to hear about your brother's exploits. I mean, you should know what you're being punished for!"

"R-really?" That was the best news I had heard in years! I could hear about my brother! Paps is the best!

"Yep! In effect next week!"

At this point, I had forgotten about my pain; I didn't need to think about pain when I could think about Papyrus! Ink soon started our session, but he used the old paint; I hoped Paps didn't get on Ink's nerves too often..but if he did, that was fine! He's the best, and I could take some pain! For the rest of the day, I thought about Papyrus; I couldn't wait to hear about him! When I went to sleep that night, I thought more about my brother; some would call it unhealthy, and for all intents and purposes, it was. I just couldn't live with the thought of going a single day without thinking about Papyrus; it was impossible. When I woke in the morning, Ink met me with a grin, and I was feeling pretty happy myself; the news that I would be able to hear about my brother was overwhelming! Ink knew that, but he wouldn't stop my hopes for some reason; I passed it off as simply not caring. When I sat up to meet Ink, he smiled widely.

"Good morning, Dusty!" Ink patted my skull.

"Good morning." I held my Hope, smiling a bit at the news, which I still hadn't gotten over.

"Did you have a good rest?"

"Yeah." 

"I've decided that I'll be asking you a new question every morning."

"What's that?" I wasn't fond of new questions.

"Do you love your brother?"

"Yes!" I replied without any hesitation; that was a ridiculous question!

"I see. Well, it just so happens that your brother kinda made me a little angry last night!"

"How?" I didn't think that was possible.

"Oh, he just took out a few guards and rescued a prisoner. It wasn't Error, but I had a fondness for that one..they responded to torture so well. I guess you'll pay for it, now!"

That frightened me a bit, and for good reason. Ink wasted no time in starting our session, and he used the newer paint. This paint was designed similarly to the old paint in the way that it created the illusion of pain, but it managed to arouse the pain receptors much more than the old paint. I wasn't sure how it hurt more, but it hurt more. The pain was more than unbearable, and I actually couldn't physically take it; I had to take frequent breaks from it just to keep from straining myself, and they were only taken when Ink said they'd be taken. As much as I wanted to be, I was not a free skeleton; I couldn't change that, no matter how hard I tried. Ink continued for ten hours, and the screaming continued for hours after that, until Ink decided to finally stop me and get some sleep for himself. I felt the pain straight through my nightmare, and it was excruciating; I wanted it to stop. I figured tomorrow would be better, and I would relax then. When I woke up, I realized something. Ink was annoyed by my brother..

Every. Single. Day.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dust bean cry ;-;

Thanks for reading my weeping writing!

Bye!