One Day at a Time

saturnia pavonia

perseus
Original poster
DONATING MEMBER
LURKER MEMBER
MYTHICAL MEMBER
Invitation Status
  1. Looking for partners
Posting Speed
  1. Speed of Light
  2. Multiple posts per day
  3. 1-3 posts per day
  4. One post per day
  5. Multiple posts per week
Online Availability
12 pm-10:30 pm (with some exceptions)
Writing Levels
  1. Give-No-Fucks
  2. Beginner
  3. Elementary
  4. Intermediate
  5. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Primarily Prefer Male
  2. No Preferences
Genres
Fantasy, Mystery, Scifi, Romance, Yaoi, Yuri, Horror
Casper had made a mighty journey. Originally taking residence in a facility in Adelaide, his last therapist was so desperate to get rid of the man that he had to have a nice assisted ride to Sydney. He had become accustomed to picking his life up and leaving it behind so the transition didn't take long. Because he wasn't deemed a danger to others, he was given an introduction to everyone and prepped for his first meeting, though only to give Nathan proper time to fully study his file. After all, no one wanted the patient to stroll into the appointment only to have to handle something particularly dangerous, right?

This particular hospital was lovely. He was given a room all to himself as long as he had supervision of security cameras and the bed he was given was wonderful. Sure, he was used to being treated like a child what with not being allowed to have even the slightest of a sharp object, though he found the whole thing insulting. In fact, he felt being locked up away was insulting in itself, though that didn't mean he would be rude. He knew that the doctors and nurses that had been seeing him for the past three years had good intentions... even though they were completely wrong. Not to mention the fact that nothing seemed to help, either. He didn't know how but the monsters still managed to sneak into his secure room, the sight being caught on tape that just showed Casper quietly babbling in horror as he stared at a stringy, overly stretched man staring back at him, wheezing. He never knew what to say when the monsters seemed to approach, or when he found the walls ooze with black slime, though for the most part, they would eventually go away. There were some things that never seemed to leave, and he noticed right off the bat the piles of decaying flesh just casually on the side of the hallway, nearly causing him to vomit on sight. The only thing he could do to distract him was to get to know the nurses and focus his energy on that rather than his fear.

He managed to only have one panic attack in the last two days, which was a good record. With some things, he had become used to, with one particular monster seemingly following him all the way from Adelaide. He almost found comfort in the creature, it resembles a large centipede with a cat head. There were a few others that were regulars and he'd often praise them and happily discuss them with nurses, making a note to mention them whenever they showed up. While most of the monsters didn't understand him and his language, he would take it upon himself to talk to that particular creature and the nurses made note that Casper had seemed to pump himself up with the help of said creature before meeting Nathan.

He wanted to make a good first impression, after all. He was never rude to any of his doctors or nurses and for the most part genuinely tried to make an effort to understand, though he would unintentionally seem rude when he dismissed whatever they had to say. He didn't want to have to be shipped somewhere else so early so being on his best behavior was probably a good idea, he figured. So, when led into Nathan's office, he offered a nervous smile while his gloved hands fiddled with one another. He tried his best to ignore the bloodstained walls, instead locking eyes on the doctor's paperwork.

"Hello," he greeted quietly, as he sat up in his chair. "Ah... It's nice to meet you. I'm sure you know my name but I'm Casper - it's on my file, right? It looks pretty thick," he noted, only to grow quiet when his attempt at initiating small talk failed. That was supposed to be the doctor's job, right?
 
  • Like
Reactions: potassiumboron
Nathan hadn't been in his job all that long, in the grand scheme of things. He was still a relatively new face around the hospital, though in his somewhat short time, he had already made a great impression on not just his patients, but members of staff too. Being the lead psychiatrist at one of Australia's leading institutions did bring with it some expectations and assumptions, and when the job became available, many assumed it would be filled with someone older than Nathan; much older, in fact. Initially, he was innocently judged for being the age he was, but it didn't take long to disprove theories that he wasn't up for the job, nor did it take that long to win over the other doctors and nurses, quickly becoming good friends with several of them.

The job was everything he had ever wanted since discovering his dream of becoming a psychiatrist at the age of fourteen, and, thus far, it fulfilled all his hopes and expectations. He felt like he was making a difference to the patients that came to him, and that was all that mattered to him; that he was helping them. It didn't matter if their case wasn't particularly rare or 'exciting', having no desire to further his career by tackling a special case. He was content in his job and his main drive in life was simply helping people who needed the help.

That wasn't to say he wasn't secretly intrigued when Casper's file landed on his desk, which included a warning from the nurse that brought it to him that the younger man was nothing Nathan had dealt with before. He was just another patient in need of help, but as Nathan delved into the file, it was difficult to keep his curiosity at bay. He had studied innumerable accounts of patients with psychosis during his university years, but coming across a genuine case in person was rare, let alone having to try to help said case. Yet, that was the situation Nathan was in and, given the severity of the case itself, the last two days had been spent completely absorbed into the file and everything written in it. He tried to give all his patients the same intense focus, but it was hard not to give Casper just that little extra effort, given the nature of his file.

It was why Nathan had barely been seen in those two days. Usually, he was a prominent figure in and around the hospital. He didn't need to go out of his way to be present outside of his grand office, but he was barely in there when he wasn't treating a patient or catching up on paperwork. His preferred location was out amongst his patients, even going as far as to sometimes sit with them at lunch and talking to them casually, like they were friends. Taking a personal stance with them was important to him, and it made him feel slightly guilty that he hadn't had the chance to do that much this week - but Casper deserved his full attention, and that was what he had gotten.

When the boy entered, the first thing Nathan did was smile warmly, placing his glasses down on the desk and closing the boy's file. He didn't know what to expect from Casper visually, but he wasn't going to start judging anybody. It wasn't his job to critique; he preferred to think his job involved understanding rather than judgement.

"You've had a pretty eventful life so far, huh? It was... interesting," he chuckled, his strong drawl evident in every word. "You can just call me Nate, I prefer that from my patients. It's what friends call me and I'd rather you think of me as a friend you're talking to, yeah? You can talk about anything you want to today, it's all down to you. I'm not going to start interrogating you. I have questions, sure, but I'd rather get to know you today-- though you can interrogate me if you want. I'm used to that, people don't believe I'm a doctor so they question the living hell outta me to try and catch me out. You can do that if you want, I find it funny."
 
“Yeah, you certainly ain’t my usual. My last doc was in his 80’s and I don’t mean to be rude but he had a strange smell to him,” he admitted with pursed lips, though smiled through his anxiety. He began to shake his leg, though, to keep him from squirming when the sudden feeling of a panic attack emerged and instead pinched his hand, a tactic a former doctor had given him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound rude,” he quickly apologized after a pause. Letting his eyes drift from the paper to take in the office, the sight of the cute and cheesy puppy calendar on the wall was at least enough to make him smile more.

He had a fond memory of the first hospital he was sent to. He was terrified, naturally, but they had brought in therapy dogs for the patients to pet and enjoy. He hadn’t pet any animal since, preferring to stay inside when given the chance to wander a bit and both avoiding service dogs both out of respect for the owner and disgust by them as well. It was... complicated.

“Alright, so I can ask what I want?” He confirmed, humming softly forc emphasis. “Ah... well, I guess it’s a bit basic but, why did you start this job? I mean, to each is own but I think I’d get tired I’ve seeing the same people over and over again.”
 
"Oh, that's what I like about the job; the familiarity and the connections I build with my patients-- they end up more like my friends, to be honest. I enjoy that closeness, I guess. It's never a boring job, there's never a dull moment. Besides, I've worked years for this. The moment a job opened up here for lead psychiatrist, I knew I had to take it. I'd have regretted it if I didn't - and I got to meet you, so it's not all bad," he charmingly smiled, reaching for his smoothie at the side of his desk. It was part of his diet, and just because he had work to do didn't mean he couldn't keep that regime going.

He also didn't mind the taste, either. He had been on a health kick since he first started getting into exercise, and eventually, he grew accustomed to the bitter taste of the smoothies, so much so he actively enjoyed them, rather than having to gulp them down as fast as he could.

"Cute, right?" He murmured, following the patient's eyes to the wall calendar. In his eyes, just because he was the head psychiatrist didn't mean he couldn't personalise his office according to his style and tastes. He knew not to go too overboard with things, or the place would end up looking like an explosion at a paint factory, but there were little items here and there that he felt suitably represented him, like the calendar and the various Disney figurines set out on the desk in front of him. He could still be serious and professional while expressing himself, and he found that the various items were a good talking point for patients who weren't that comfortable opening up to him yet.

"I'm a big kid, really. I'm 28 this year, most people assume I'm younger. Apparently I've got a baby-face or whatever," the doctor muttered, rolling his eyes playfully to himself. "...You're 21, hm? I'm jealous, I wish I was that young again."
 
He hadn’t noticed the smoothie, so much so that the sight of it startled him a tad. He would often grow so fixated on a room as a whole and only occasionally focused on some things, like the calendar. Taking in the desk and the small figurines, they only made him smile more as he dared to pick one up and observe it, albeit with as much care as he could. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin something Nathan liked on their first day.

“You’ll be 28?! That’s crazy!” He blurted in disbelief, though only quieter down with a soft blush the minute his voice raised a bit too high for him. It was a mix of both feeling rude and genuinely startling himself when he spoke too loud and while it could be seen as a bit funny, to see Casper so spooked by his own voice, it was absolutely dreadful for him.

“You aren’t too old, not yet. You’re the youngest doctor I’ve ever met so that says something, right?” He reminded once setting the figurine down carefully. After a long pause, he tilted his head to the side and closed his eyes with a small frown with the sudden wave of dizziness.

The smoothie only reminded him that he hadn’t eaten in two days bar some mints he stole from the front desk. He had gone a whole week once during a particularly bad spell but that had been years ago. Exhaling softly, he kept his eyes closed but set his head up straight.

“I’m starving,” he admitted after the odd sight. “Do you have those little mints? They’re delicious, one of my favorite foods. The one nurse here, Al, doesn’t think it’s a healthy diet and he’s probsbly right.”
 
His age had caused various similar reactions from his other patients, so the blurt and shock that came with it wasn't at all a surprise. His youthfulness hardly helped matters either, but if anything, he was almost amused by the reactions he received. Others in his situation, after working non-stop for years, might find the responses offensive, but Nathan, inevitably, took a more positive view. It made him feel proud that, at his age, he had already achieved so much and had been granted the job of his dreams. Having patients react in shock to his age only reiterated just how successful he was at a relatively youthful age. Getting offended by it was a complete waste of energy.

"I don't have those mints, no," he apologetically smiled, absently sipping at his smoothie whilst making a mental note to himself to have a stock of them ready for the other's next visit. He had several notes from nurses about the patient's poor diet and it didn't take a genius to see that his health wasn't the greatest. He wasn't prepared to perpetuate that and was definitely going to do his best to help Casper with that over the weeks and months, but a mint or two during their sessions was hardly a crime. He had a drawer full of various snacks his patients liked, knowing that a little generosity in the form of their favourite chocolate bar would help them relax and open up a little. At the very least, it was another talking point, having had patients sit in silence for minutes before starting to talk about their favourite candy, which mostly always grew into small discussions about how they felt and what problems they had on their mind.

"I have chocolate though. I'm a health freak, but I'm also a big chocoholic. Not the best combination, but what's life without a treat here and there? I don't see the problem with it. I'll have those mints for you next time, though. I want you to be comfortable in our sessions, like you're talking to a friend or... just someone you can trust, I suppose. For now, you'll have to cope with some chocolate," he grinned, leaning over to open up the drawer on Casper's side of the desk, gesturing for him to take what he wanted.

"What else do you like eating here? I think the standard of food is fantastic. I've been in work placements in other hospitals and the standard was shocking."
 
“Oh, me? I... I mean, I’m not a huge ‘food’ guy, it’s not that important to me,” he admitted, oblivious to the fact that the other already knew that. He smiled nonetheless as he searched through the drawer and reluctantly took the chocolate bar. It was far from his favorite but it was something to settle his stomach, at least.

Taking off a small piece meticulously, he nibbles on the chocolate before nodding in approval. He had tasted chocolate that reminded him of dirt so at least it was good enough to swallow. That was a low bar.

“Uh... I like sour candies,” he decided after a moment of thought. “You know, the gummy ones? I like those. Apples are nice but other than that, I don’t have a preference. Sometimes I get these cravings for weird things, you know? Like... picked in peanut butter or chips with whipped cream. I don’t know why,” he admitted with a quiet chuckle before taking another nibble.
 
"Ah, I know. I haven't had them since I was 13 or something-- I'll get them for you if you want? Like I said, you being happy is what's most important to me, as well as hearing about why you're here and see if I can help you in any way. We can talk about that next session-- or whenever you want to talk about it. If it takes you a while to open up, that's fine. There's no rush," he promised easily, resting his hands out in front of him with a brief glance out the window at the large grounds the hospital was situated in. When he wasn't in a session or busy with paperwork, his favourite place to be was outside soaking up the sun and talking with some of his patients, especially when there were plenty of flowers planted around the gardens. He did have an unsubtle fascination with flowers, and the more there were, the happier he tended to be. Hell, there were plenty of vases dotted about his office, containing various coloured flowers he had bought through the week and never failed to replace.

"How do you feel about animals?" He suddenly asked, turning his attention back to the younger man. "I was considering asking the board of the hospital to use some funds into setting up animal-assisted therapy for the patients here, with dogs and cats, mainly. The studies show that they have a positive effect on patients in these sorts of environments, and I think it'd be beneficial for most of you guys-- It's just a thought right now, really."
 
“In theory,” he admitted with a wary smile. “I find them super cute but they’re dirty. My last doctor helped me pet them, though, so that’s good. I just have to wash my hands quickly after, yeah? I prefer cats, though. They’re much quieter, plus I like it when they purr,” he admitted before setting the wrapper down neatly.

“You’ve read my files, yeah? You probably know everything about me,” he reminded before letting his eyes drift to the flowers as well. With a small smile, he nodded. “The hydrangeas are beautiful, really. I... I like to garden, when I’m allowed to. I’m not a scientist or whatever but I used to plant sunflowers outside with some of the nurses, as long as they made sure I didn’t hurt myself with the equipment. That’s one thing that irritates me, though. I’m not going to go out of my way to hurt myself, it just happens sometimes by accident. I’m not an idiot, you know that right?”
 
"...I've read your files, sure. Doesn't mean that I believe everything other doctors have written about you. I'd rather hear what you have to say and come to my own conclusion. I'm not discrediting my peers, I just think that I should give my patients a chance to talk to me without me having judgements about them that have been written by previous doctors. What they've said about you isn't something I necessarily believe yet. You can tell me your story and the things you see, and then I'll decide how best to help you based on what I hear from you. They write that you hurt yourself, but I haven't had any evidence of that being done whilst you're here, so I have no reason to doubt that it's accidental. I'm clumsy, I've broken my arm three times in the space of five years. That's accidental. Maybe you're the same way?" He suggested with another of his traditionally warm smiles, moving to grab a chocolate bar of his own. He was aware that the way he came across had been discussed as being 'fake' by doctors at his work placement, as though it was weird that he was so kind and understanding when it came to his patients. He simply preferred to give them a platform to talk to him without him believing what other doctors had wrote about them before he had a chance to hear what they had to say. He also enjoyed talking to them as though they were real people, rather than patients to be talked down to by a highly-educated professional. That never seemed right to him. If his friendliness came off as fake, he wasn't going to change it just to impress a few old guys with old views on psychiatry.

"You don't seem like an idiot. You seem intelligent and switched on and I enjoy talking to you. It's a shame I didn't talk to you sooner. I had a lovely vase of sunflowers in here just last week," he sighed, genuinely irritated with himself for not having gotten through the boy's file sooner just so he could have shown him the sunflowers he had on his desk.

"...If you want to discuss what you've talked to with other doctors, you can do that today if you wanted. About these... monsters in other realms, I think that's what was written. Are there any around us now? I noticed you looked uncomfortable when you first came into my office. I assumed it was through nervousness, but you still seem a little... freaked out?"
 
“Yeah,” he admitted quietly. He had become used to doctors immediately dismissing him under the label of delusions right away. Because of that, he often tried to keep what he saw to himself though even he couldn’t hide when he was terrified. Letting his eyes land on a particular corner of the room where one of the aforementioned creatures seemed to loom menacingly over the Doctor, his smile immediately faded the longer he looked at it.

“Yeah, there is. The walls are bleeding too, but that seems to be the case for almost ever room here. This place is nice but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have bad energy. The... creatures, they don’t like outside as much so that’s why I like it out there, you know?” He explained slowly as he fiddled with his hands more, shoving them in the pockets of his cardigan when he noticed one crawl over his hand. Shivering, he offered a strained smile. “They still live outside, though. Just... less,” he explained.
 
Just because he didn't immediately tell the other what he was seeing was all in his head didn't mean that wasn't the diagnosis. In no way did he believe anything the other was seeing was real, because there was no reasonable explanation to support that. Meanwhile, psychosis and mental health issues could support the visions, and from the basis of what the other was describing to him, that was the only real evaluation he could make. That said, he couldn't help but to glance around at the words, which were said so sincerely that Nathan felt a faint grimace pull at his lips, as though the walls were bleeding behind him. One look disproved that, of course, but Casper's evident fear was... persuasive.

"...And they're always around? You don't have long periods of not seeing them?" He questioned gently, pressing his hands together whilst avoiding the urge to glance around the office. Encouraging Casper to notice there was nothing around him wasn't going to be helpful; it'd just make him think Nathan was just another doctor discrediting what he was seeing. While he didn't necessarily believe Casper could see things, he wasn't going to immediately vocalise that. "...That sounds horrifying. When did this all start? It said in your file that you haven't always been able to see them; that it started after an accident?"
 
“Depends on the room,” he explained honestly as he locked his eyes on the doctor as to avoid looking on the aforementioned monsters. “Some rooms are fine, like the bathroom. Some rooms are full of them. They go in and out, so it isn’t always constant, you know? Almost everywhere I go there are new ones, except for one particular creature who seemed to follow me from my last place. I... know it doesn’t make sense but you have to believe me,” he insisted with a growing frown.

“Yeah, I had some brain surgery when I was a kid after having some... issues, I don’t really get it all. It started happening after that and they’ve just been bothering me more and more as I get older. I think they were startled when they learned I could see them, you know? Obviously not everyone can cuz if they was the case I wouldn’t be in here, right?” He laughed quietly. “They aren’t all agressive, most of them just like to stare at me.”
 
"Not a lot of your other doctors seem to have believed you, but I suppose that can't shock you? It's a hard thing to believe, especially when we can't see what you're seeing. But I want to understand, I promise you. It just means that you have to open up to me about what you see and when you see them, or I can't... get a full picture of what's going on," he nodded, doing his best not to admit that, right now, he felt the same way the other doctors were feeling. However, he also couldn't help feel a shiver down his spine at how deadly serious the other was, and how desperate he seemed to be believed. That sheer desperation was compelling, even if it made no logical sense for the existence of monsters to exist anywhere else than Casper's head.

"...Can they hurt you?" He asked after a moment, setting his now empty cup aside with a concerned frown. "Have they hurt you? If so, those injuries would be proof that this isn't in your head, wouldn't they?"
 
“No, at least not yet. I think most of them are scared to touch me and I usually kill the ones that do,” he admitted before holding up his scarred hand with an embarrassed smile. “That’s what this is from. There are these little ones, you know? They’re... I guess the closest thing to them would be oversized cockroaches. They just scurry around and they sometimes climb onto me when I’m not moving, especially when I’m sleeping. I-I can feel them pressing on my chest at night sometimes and it’s disgusting,” he admitted, his relatively calm tone cracking along with his voice as his cheeks turned red.

“There was one other time, that was with my artery. I think - I think maybe they want to touch me so I’ll hurt myself in the process? It was this tentacle creature. Looked like a cross between a squid with the face of a tarantula, all hairy too. I was just eating dinner and it decided it would, like, hold onto my wrist. I did the first thing that came to mind and I just tried to slice it off but that didn’t work out well in my favor,” he teased to at least ease his anxiety.
 
"...You can understand why some people assumed you were hurting yourself, don't you? We don't... see what you're seeing, Casper. To anyone else, it looked like you were hurting yourself, not trying to hurt something else. The doctors are just trying to help you. You don't have to agree with their assessment, but it's easy for them to assume that you were suicidal when they hear you did that. I... can't understand the way you do, but I'm trying," he promised as he finally opened up the file he was preparing to keep on Casper, making his first notes to record what the other was telling him. It was no different to the things he had read in the large file, but he had to make a record for himself regardless - though he was determined that this file wouldn't be sent off to another doctor. However challenging Casper's case could be, he felt he now had a duty to help him, especially when he had grown rather attached to the boy across from him.

"...It's about lunchtime. We should go and get you something fulfilling to eat, I'll come out and sit with you. I often do that with my patients-- but don't worry, we won't talk about doctor-patient stuff. We can just talk about... normal stuff. I want to be friends with my patients-- I don't agree with the idea of creating distance. I'd rather build a bond, it makes more sense to me."
 
“... that’s cheesy,” he commented, though with a smile. Not only was he not used to the whole ‘friendly doctor’ shtick but he hadn’t made a solid friend yet. Sure, a few nurses were nice to him but that was their job, nothing was genuine yet. He wouldn’t admit it but he appreciated the motion as he shyly bit his chapped lip.

“Yeah, I’m starving,” he admitted, though he didn’t have to say it on account that his stomach grumbled loudly. The chocolate bar raised his blood sugar enough to keep him from getting dizzy but it was nothing compared to solid food. Getting to his feet, Casper gave the room a final look-around with pursed lips. “I know none of you believe me but I have no intentions to kill myself. I like being alive, you know? Sure, there have been brief moments when I get scared and think maybe it would be better if I wasn’t around but I just feel better after awhile, you know?”
 
Not that he would mention it, but the cheesy remark did make his smile falter a little. If it had been a sole remark, he really wouldn't have minded. Hell, he would have laughed it off and admitted that he had a tendency to be cheesy now and then. The only reason the comment caused a little upset to creep in was because it wasn't a new thing for him to hear. Again, had he heard it in a friendly, jokey context, he really wasn't going to be offended by it. However, the remark was one that was often used by older doctors against him to tear him down a few pegs. His reputation was on the up and some older doctors in his field tended to get annoyed by the fact he was already gaining so much at such a young age. Thus, they used whatever they could to discredit him in their articles and in the social circle.

So, even though he recognised that Casper was being friendly and had no way of knowing the word hit hard, it still upset him. He was professional enough to put on a smile and continue as normal, but the eagerness had clearly faded, if only a little.

"...That's fantastic to hear, really. I wasn't sure what to make of the suicidal tendencies the doctors wrote about, but to hear you have no intention to hurt yourself is great, it really is. If ever that changes, as it sometimes can, I'd like you to come straight to me. It doesn't matter what the time is, or even if I'm not here-- you can call me and I'll be right here to talk to you in person. If that's... cheesy, so be it. I won't apologise for caring about my patients, I... think that's a good thing."
 
He wasn’t completely oblivious to social cues, he knew the other didn’t find the tease very amusing. The difference was that he didn’t really know how to react to the other’s anger so, in an effort to save face, he laughed nervously as he walked alongside the other man. He wasn’t a very confronting person towards others and often just tried to stay out of trouble and the same was the case with Nathan.

“... so what do you do outside of this job?” He questioned meekly as his eyes darted a bit to the walls. “I mean, it’s nice to know you’ll be here for me but I imagine you like other things, right? Like... flowers, obviously. I used to have a cute little succulent in my room from the last place I was, a nurse gave it to me as a gift when I was getting over my mysophobia. I wasn’t able to bring it with me which was disappointing. It just started getting flowers,” he admitted, the genuine sadness being evident as tears even threatened to brim. It was the one thing he could properly call his own and take care of and it was taken away, most likely thrown out or given to someone irresponsible. “They’re cute, you know? Not as pretty as flowers but they’re very cute.”
 
"Normal things. I go out with friends, I go the gym, I spend a lot of time on the beach. Average, boring, run-of-the-mill stuff to be honest," he admitted, preferring not to boast about how enjoyable those 'average' activities were for him. He would rather downplay his life outside of work than boost it up, knowing that the patients didn't have the luxury of doing what he took for granted. If he could make them sound as dull as possible, he only assumed it would help them from getting jealous, or just upset at their own predicaments.

"I could bring you some flowers if you wanted, I'm sure we could organise that. It'd have to be in a plastic pot or the board of the hospital wouldn't be very happy, but I'm sure that's a small thing you don't mind too much. A nice pot of flowers is an excellent idea-- I'll organise that for you by tomorrow," he continued with another automatic smile. He appreciated the conversational approach from Casper, always enjoying it when a patient opened up like this, but it did seem slightly forced.

"You don't need to ask me anything to fill silences, Casper. Don't feel obligated. If you'd rather not talk to me, I'm okay with that. The most important thing is your comfort and happiness, hm? If I'm annoying or... pushy, feel free to tell me. Honesty is key from you, okay?"