(Did they?)

The protocol for figuring out what foods to use as rewards calls for trying other rewards too - small toys, praise, and so on - but those haven't been used with her recently; aside from her first two assessments, she's never shown interest in them.

Well, so. (So being offered a choice might feel like another way they try to find what she likes so they can use it to manipulate.) And she's - obviously capable of conscious resistance, so the 'not showing interest' could be purposely done. And possibly match to what is currently happening.

She isn't sure of ways to help enough, here. Simply ordering her around is itself not an acceptable option, nor is not giving her options, especially when they know so little.

She can keep trying what she's doing with designating a consciously selected default choice, when she can see how (what might Denice be more reluctant to say, what is harder to reverse...). 

They can keep thinking, and working on it.

And how is Denice doing meanwhile?

Still sitting in the dining room - or, no, there she goes. She hesitates, again, approaching the door, and peers out carefully into the hallway before heading back to the living room, where she curls up on the couch in the same spot she was in originally.

Nothing in the hallway will attempt to bother her.

Is she doing anything in the living room aside from sitting?

Unless someone's come along and turned the television off, that's still going; if it is, she'll watch it. If not, she just stares off into space again.

It turned off when she left the room and starts up again now that she's returned.

She'll wait a bit so as not to disturb her right away, then come in again.

"Hey."

She's less startled about the TV turning on by itself than the bathroom door opening, but at little more discomfited.

She still doesn't respond immediately when addressed, but she does respond, giving Heria her attention.

"I thought I could try to tell you a bit better what's going on. Is that something you think you could listen to right now?"

She stiffens a little, but nods.

Then she will try to do that.

They're not, at the moment, completely sure how she got here from the 'Asylum'; they're trying to figure this out. The Asylum, they think, was a very horrible place, which did completely not ok things like not give her enough food and try to control her for their convenience and to be someone like how they wanted instead of like how she wanted. She doesn't have to believe Heria when Heria says this, but they think those are horrible things to do.

They want her to be as ok as they can help her be while she's here, while they try to figure out how she got here. Whatever they figure out, they won't sent her back to the Asylum or to anyone else who would hurt her, and if someone like that tries to come take her they will do their best to stop them. They still don't know a lot of what she needs, which they're sorry about. Hopefully they can work on it.

She seems bewildered at this, more than anything, but nods, tentatively, when Heria is done.

That is better than could really be expected.

'OK. So, do you think you're doing ok right now, or is there maybe anything I could do to help make this more ok for you? Shake your head if you think you're ok enough or don't want me trying things right now."

She considers it for a moment, draws her knees up to her chest, and shrugs.

"Ok. I said before I have some friends who don't talk outloud who do some other things. I'm wondering if you might like to try anything like that? It's very alright if you don't, or if you try and then don't want to use it. And you don't have to try it right now if you do, I can just leave you some things. Shake your head if you just don't want to deal with that right now at all?"

Headshake.

"OK."

Is she looking alright, or like it would be best to ask the next question some other time?

She seems kind of shaken. 

"That's probably already a lot to take in. I can give you some space some more. Nod if you want me to stay for any kind of reason?"

 She nods, and pats the couch next to herself.

She won't look more-happy-in-reaction externally; that could convey that Denice has to do this to make her happy. But, unless Denice thinks this right now, this could be a - good thing, that she's trying this.

Heria sits down on the couch, arranging herself so she neither touches Denice, nor looks like she's trying to avoid her. (If the blanket is in the way, she'll move it to the back of the couch.)

She sits there, not looking at Heria, carefully controlling her breathing. After a minute she whines, under her breath, a barely-audible sound of distress, shudders, and scoots over to make contact - she's trembling, snuggled up as close to her as she can be.

"...would you like a hug?"