Chapter Text
July 12 XXXX[10 years ago before flan's arrival to the sinkhole]
Pain was all she recalled only to wake up in a hospital bed, her paw attached to an iv of some teal liquid and the well known pain in her stomach from spaghetti back above. How dare she act as if she did nothing at all, trying to get out of the room it was sealed shut...no windows or anything other than these blank white walls and this hospital bed and this iv attached. Wearing nothing but this hospital gown and her hair all messily loose, she hates this condition of her's..the idea of being locked away left with nothing but herself, she hated being separated from people. It was a way she coped with her previous family issues, the only way she had kept sane through the insane expectations. Without anyone to see or have a conversation with she was left with nothing but her own thoughts, so much talent yet not a single passion. How the hell did Roquefort even handle being alone most of his life as a cub, snap out of it dolcelatte. You've done this once and you can do it again, You've handled insane expectations from your parents even made sure things seemed perfect. Time felt slow and Dol felt her sanity being lost, what she thought had been a day was in reality just less than 5 minutes, the loneliness was unfamiliar much less a fear she had always kept secret. How was Roquefort never bothered by this growing up, she envied how much Roquefort was able to endure while she's here locked from any contact losing it like she had just been brutally murdered. Dol gave up waiting for anything and gave in, weeks passed and the iv of teal substance was far from half empty. She tried breaking out, pushing walls even using her claws to scratch some escape or to unlock the "door" even tore the bed in hopes to have found some hidden key, at least now she can sleep on the cold floor. It's been a whole year since she had been locked away finally the iv bag was empty, her face showing an expression of defeat and heavy eye bags and fresh tears, her hair all tangled and stiff like a brick, her fur exposing her bones of how starved the bear was, the door had at last opened however dolcelatte didn't get up from the floor, she had grown accustomed to being trapped alone in fact believing this was all some trick. A shadow of another bear walked in getting closer to dol, a bear with no face holding 2 letters, they opened both and placed them near dol. The first letter was a picture of her little brother Roquefort smiling all dressed up and next to him some dark grey bear also smiling and in a white gown. As for the other was a piece of paper with words on it. Trying to read it, the other bear waved and used their hands to talk with her" can't speak by mouth?" Signing back to dolcelatte, she felt her body still weak but did her best to communicate"you know asl?" Giggling, the grey bear responded back with "yes, i learnt it back when I was in college. I also know french" both bears kept signing each other different topics like names and other stuff" you know dol, you're the first and only person I have ever met who understands me, never in my time down here had i been under the same wavelength to someone like you before" "funny cause I never had friends before, most folks only used me for grades and shit" both kept the conversation for days" hey dol. Could I ask you a question?" "Yeah what's up inv" "Wanna join me? I know a way out of here to the rest of underground" the night of the escape dolcelatte still remembers it was night time and she had pushed the door open and made a chase for it however she had never left the room so she hardly knew where to run off but being cornered behind her was a window, without a second thought she jumped out from it at long last free. Regaining consciousness she had woken up inside a train cart. The iv needle finally removed from her arm" thank goodness you're okay, for a moment i thought you were going to be taken away" "taken away?" "Dol..they were planning to blend you to that same liquid they injected you with" "what...you mean the teal substance. That was-" inventory nodded " no one knows who created it but i witnessed the creation of it, blend a few deceased folks who have already been sanitized and that's only how it multiplies i don't want to imagine the first subjects" the grey bear got on her feet to stand up and noticed the cart she was inside was blue, her well known black and grey spots were now cyan or at least some she wasn't allergic to color, it was some made up lie cottage made up and she just played along with it"where to dear friend?" "Glucose gallery"
July 10 XXXX A few days before flan's arrival to the sinkhole.
Glucose gallery was all alone except for the presence of one, the train stopped and inventory stepped out of the train softly tugging the grey bear and leaving near her a letter. Every now and then they would leave her news on how her little brother was doing, however today's news wasn't so good for Dol. First the casual image then a letter from inventory on what was going on above, how does she even respond to this sudden news. Her brother...the same little cub she held in her arms at 2 years old was poisoned, instead of it killing him like it did to her it turned him into some mindless pawn like a zombie. The idea of inventory stating exactly how it all occurred and she couldn't do anything once again, she didn't do anything back when he needed her and failed once again. Was this all a cruel punishment for her actions? Watching her little brother suffer and being more and more miserable knowing how much she's failing roquefort again as a sister left to only consume this guilt"I'm taking this as a devastating loss?" Signed inventory as they softly brought up dolcelatte's face towards their's...if they had one"lucky for you i got a little something from above before someone entered that old lab again" it was a sheet of ingredients to make an anti-poison. However the writing was a bit confusing to understand.
July 15 ×××× the day flan arrived to the sinkhole
"Flanny!!flan.flan...fla....fl......"
"Thousands of victims who were subjected to torturous "missions and favors""
The white bear woke up from the puddle of green goop he was laying down on, his entire fur exposed to the substance even the burns on his paws. The place looked so white and empty, wanting to escape, the bear hardly knew this place or anything about how he even ended up here before a shadow of a bear without a face walked up to him and offered their hand. The white bear accepted it without hesitation
"You could've been one of those thousands of victims but they refused"
On the purple cart inventory put on the bear who was still asleep a top hat and handed him their conductor jacket until arriving at their destination. Removing the iv needle from their paw, this one was lucky to not have the whole iv injected into his blood much more than even half of the substance.
"Out of the thousands only 18 bears are still alive yet stuck down here just like you, with no memories trapped with this unknown substance, only 2 have escaped, 7 have been sanitized and the others are still looking for the gates to the promised land. With you now that makes it 19 bears..."
The train stopped and inventory carried the bear in their arms slowly going up the stairs and inside the old shop and laying him down in a comfortable position at the corner and. Taking back their jacket they took their leave.
"Don't make the 8th sanitized. HE'S waiting for you back up there"
Slowly waking up he felt cold, noticing the white bear spotted he was somewhere else, all he remembered was some shadow offering him a hand in hopes for some help but clearly he was still stuck down here.