Her eyes dropped to her wrist and then quickly to him and one of the most mistrustful expressions she had mustered yet fell onto her face. She didn't wanna tell him, that was as plain as day.... but, she also wondered if just this once, she could. He had promised her after all that nothing would leave this room. Maybe she could trust him with one of the most painful things she kept secret.

Eisley, having withdrawn her hands into her stomach protectively, forced herself to let them show again. She frowned down at the jagged white line that marred her skin, one of the biggest scars on her body aside from the patch of them by her dead ear.

"... Nobody believed me when it happened..." She started out, her voice soft and uncertain. "A few years ago I was at a shelter where there were free beds you could stay in until you found a place to go. There were some other girls there that didn't like me cuz I had a bed and they wanted it for their friend, but I wouldn't give it up." She had a pretty good memory all things considered, so she could still remember the event like it had happened yesterday.

"They got me one night. Dragged me into a bathroom and cut me up so that people would think that I did it and i'd get kicked out. Put me in a hospital and no one would believe that I hadn't done it. I..."

She struggled a bit, because she didn't know enough words to describe how it had felt.... what had been done to her. "They had this stuff hooked up to me that made me sleepy. I didn't like it, but no one would let me leave until I said I had done it, and then I had to go stay with this lady for a while and she made me talk to a really quiet guy who wrote a buncha stuff down."

It felt silly saying it all out loud. Like she was complaining about having a family and stuff. "Like... I wasn't allowed to have my stuff, or wear certain things, or be alone a lot. The lady had a lot of weird rules too, and all of the adults looked at me with this weird look on their faces all the time."

She glanced up at him, rubbing her scar again from phantom pains. "I got away after a while. Been on my own since that and I like it better. People on the street don't give me that weird look or treat me funny."

She was very expressive in her features. He wondered if she knew that. Some people walked around with muted emotions, but here and now, her emotions were plainly placed on her sleeve. He watched her inner turmoil play out quietly, and then clacked his mandibles lightly as she started to speak.

It was a struggle over territory, essentially, though the other side had resorted to quite cruel methods... This poor girl. To be subjected to such a terrifying experience, and then to be subjected to stigma for something you didn't even do? To be forced to admit it as if it were some sort of crime, even though you didn't do it...

No wonder she didn't trust anyone enough to try and get assistance. "That must have been terrible, Tom... I'm sorry that happened to you."

He looked her over for a moment longer, and then cut her another slice of pie, placing it before her. "You said you run in to many dangers out there, though...Do you ever think about trying to get help again?"

The teen took the pie quietly, staring at it for a moment before hunger won out and she started to eat. "I dunno..." She answered again. "I think about it a lot, I guess. Like... wouldn't it be nice, you know?"

She smiled suddenly, even if it was tinged with a little sadness. "I grew up watching the Mr. Rodgers show on tv. I ain't really had no one else to talk to cuz mom was always gone, so, like... he was my dad kinda." She polished off her pie in a few big bites, and then really did wipe her mouth on her sleeve after.

"So when I think about where I wanna be, it's with someone like him. I wanna be someplace like that, but whenever I think about other kids who have gotten help and what they went through It makes me afraid that I won't get my Mr. Rogers."

He nodded sympathetically as she talked about the temptations of getting help. "You know... We, humans, are a very clever species. When we experience something, we often learn from it. At times, though, we may experience something... unexpected in relation to what would usually be a normal experience. You went for help, and it did not go well. This taught you that getting help is bad. Suppose, thought, that what happened to you was not at all normal, and perhaps, when you are ready, you can reconsider your aversion to help?"

He realized that she wasn't likely to absorb all of that now, but he was really aiming to plant the seed of a thought at this point.

She talked about Mr. Rogers. Specifically, the prospect of some sort of Mr.Rogers-like father figure. This was problematic for obvious reasons. "Tom... I want you to do something for me, should you get the chance. Should you find yourself in the position of appraising a prospective parent... Avoid comparing them to Mr.Rogers in your mind. You may find that there aren't very many Mr.Rogers-like figures out there, but there are many that would make excellent parents for you."

He shifted for a second before leaning in to cut her another slice of pie, and refill her punch.

"Mr.Rogers was an amazing man in this world. He did much for growing kindness in those he met, and those who watched him. Few people are able to do that. Instead of looking for that in others, though, it may be best for you to try and be that... Live a life of kindness, ask of yourself what you can do to help others grow. Give yourself joy by providing it to others. That is what I seek to do."

Eisley simply tilted her head at the Doctor in confusion. He had said a lot, and she didn't wanna break it to him that 90% of it had gone right over her head. What the heck was an aversion? Instead, she just nodded nervously and accepted a third piece of pie. The teen set about digging in, content to eat as much as he would offer with sips of juice in between, until her stomach couldn't hold anymore.

She watched him evenly, listening with her head tilted in that funny way she was forced to do, while taking bites of the pie. After he had finished she calmly set her fork down on her plate, which was now empty, and mustered a small smile.

"No." She said simply, without a hint of anything but honesty of her face. "I won't give up what I want, because somewhere out there is someone who will love me for who I am without changing anything, and they won't swear or get angry at me all the time." She paused, eyes shifting around the walls of the room to the artwork displayed on the walls.

"I don't wanna give up my dream because of people who can't live up to it."

His office was far from plain upon close examination. The decor was careful, yet at the same time, inexplicable. Random knic-knaks were scattered about... A plastic army man on a tabletop, a cat clock in the corner of the room. A shoe nailed to the wall, a painting(of a swarm of mayflies) hung far too low. It wasn't anything outlandish... Just... a little odd.

While her attention was elsewhere, though, he was focused on her. He plated another slice of pie. He wondered how long it had been since she'd eaten this much. Since she'd sat in relative silence in relaxation for more than a few minutes. His antennae twitched as she rejected his thought. He tilted his head, considering her words for a moment.

"I think it's perfectly fine to not wish to be yelled at, or to be in an angry relationship... I just with for you to be open to having something right for you that might not look like the image you have in your head... Still, I will come back to this topic later, I think. I think it's healthy to dream about things, and I admire your strength in pursuing it. It gives you something to work toward. What are you doing to seek your dreams?"

Somewhere he would find the bridge that would get her to seeking help... Or at least get her on that path so he could lead her there eventually.

She blinked at him, understanding only slightly what he was suggesting but refusing to accept it. She had an ideal for what she wanted in her life, and she wasn't going to let go of it easily. She tilted her head a little to hear him better at the tail end of what he had been saying, and smiled in return.

"I got a lot of places to hide stuff around the city, see? So when I have a lot of money I hide it away in one of those places where only I know where it is. Like, waaay too many people carry all their stuff on them all the time, and that's a big no-no because when you get jumped they get all of your stuff! Rookie mistakes, right?"

She set her plate to the side and stood, patting down the clothes she was wearing currently. "These are some of my good duds. I only use these if i'm gonna go a place where me in my regular stuff stand out too much." She demonstrated that she had no wallet, or anything else that a regular person might carry on them while out and about. It was all for show. "When i'm done here I go change back into my regular stuff, and pack these away for the next time I need em." She plopped back down, tucking her legs crossed under her.

"I figure that if I can pack enough stuff away, when I'm big enough that I pass for an adult I can start looking into a place to live and stuff.... or, like, if I happen to find a family I like, then I'll have all the stuff i'll need when I move in."

Eisley started ticking off her fingers as she silently started counting. "I've got at least $500 in 20's and tens saved up, so I figure in a few more years i'll have a lot more if I keep being careful with it. I can't do anything now cuz I have to get papers to prove who I am and how old I am and stuff, but if I go somewhere to try and get those things a lot of places call the cops or cps."

It was clear he wasn't going to be able to talk her out of her Mr.Rogers fantasy. He accepted that for now. There was other ground that could be made. He could help make her life better. He wasn't foolish enough to think that if he called the proper authorities for this right now she wouldn't just look for the right opportunity and make her way right back out onto the streets.

He had to leave her with something positive in her life from this meeting. His mandibles set as he listened to her talk about what she was doing... Stashing money, spreading about her resources. It was a dangerous game. All of it was. She'd done well to make it this far, but any day something terrible could happen to this poor girl. People out there preyed on young women.

"I see... I want to propose a few things to you, if you would accept." He reached a hand across his body, and tapped his shell. Moments later a sleepy little bug with one kinked antennae crawled out. "This is Jiminy. A friend of mine. I ask that you consider taking him with you. He doesn't have to stay on you, but he could keep an eye out for you, and let me know if you are in need. He is wonderful company."

He looked to his piece of pie, the last piece, and handed it to her as well. "If you'd like as well, this office can be a safe place for you to stash your prized belongings... I have a safe, here, and I can tell you the combination if you'd like. I only keep my button collection in there, after all. Please don't take my buttons."

He then stood up, and walked toward the door, turning back to her. "I also propose that you should make an earnest promise to come back and visit, if just to tell me how you are doing." He placed his empty punch cup on his head, a nice new hat. "Do those propositions sound acceptable to you?"

The good doctor pulled out a little bug from his shell and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She stared owlishly, completely mute as he explained. His name was Jiminy, and he could come with her is she wished it so.

"...Jiminy.... like the little cricket that follows Pinocchio around?" Her expression broke out into a face splitting grin, complete with freckled nose wrinkle and crinkled eyes. "Can he really come with me? He's so cute!" She proceeded to coo a little greeting to the bug. The doctor mentioned that he had a safe she could stash her stuff in if she wanted. She eyed him quizzically for a moment before nodding. After all, he had pinky promised.

"Can I put my special things in there? I won't take your button collection, I promise." She crossed a finger over her heart to solidify that promise into law. She would probably be putting a little bit of money in there, as well as her unicorn (who was starting to have seen better days) and a few other items she was always worried about losing.

As he stood, she hurried to scarf down the last piece of pie as fast as she could. He wanted her to come back, visit even.

"....Does this mean we are neighbors now?" She questioned, blinking up at him.

The Doctor nodded confidently as she questioned the name. "The very same. He's got quite a strong moral compass, and he loves Mrisney movies. It works for him, and yes, he would love to go with you. You see, he has been very bored as of late. This world is a little less... confrontational than the one I came from." He reached out and let the little bug crawl onto her shoulder from the couch she was on.

She asked about what she could keep in the safe, which got a little bit of a chuckle out of him. "Well, I do believe that is what one puts in a safe! And thank you, I would miss my buttons." He turned to his side table, and hastily scrawled down a small note, the safe combination. "I will tell the assistant that you are allowed to come and go. I am not always in, but this space is designated to me."

The meeting was coming to a natural end. He needed her have time to think about what they'd talked about, and he needed to think about how he could best help her as well. As she got up she asked him one of the most adorable things he'd ever heard. He stared into her eyes for a moment, his seeming cold in comparison, no hint of any human emotion in his chitinous features. He nodded once, and replied confidently. "Won't you be?"

Those three little words worked like a magic charm on the teenager. She beamed up at Doc with the biggest smile he had seen yet. Wordlessly she hummed a little confirmation, too busy making absolutely sure that not a single tear would escape during such a happy moment. It didn't matter that she had been waiting her whole like to hear those words in some capacity; she simply didn't wanna cry right now and ruin the whole thing!

"I'll be back! I promise!"

She turned, taking a determined step to go... but hesitated on the threshold.

Quick as lightning she spun back around, threw her small arms around as much of him as she could and gave him absolute the best hug she could manage. "Thank you for everything!"

Eisley, before she had to explain anything, turned back away just as quickly and hurried herself out of the office and through the hall outside. She was scrubbing at her face with her sleeve as she went, but there was a noticeable skip in her step as she left.