Crystal returned the hug.

"Now, I bet you didn't really eat yesterday. You need some food."

"I had some toast," Paige said. "I'm... not really hungry." Which was true, even if it wasn't a good thing.

"As long as you've eaten something today." Crystal sighed. "You'll be eating dinner, though, if I have to make you."

"...Fine," Paige said, although there was some hesitation. She wasn't even sure if she'd want dinner, but Crystal was welcome to try.

Crystal knew better; if Paige wasn't eating by dinner time, Crystal would start forcing her until she did want to eat again, because not eating was much worse.

Paige just stayed there, curled up on Crystal's bed. She would move back to her room if she had to, but for now, the companionship was kind of nice.

Crystal didn't mind staying in there with Paige, though after a bit she did manage to grab a book so she could read for a little while too.

Paige just stayed there, trying to work past the fact that she had to effectively disown herself from her family. She was well aware that it was probably for the best, but it still hurt.

Crystal got her up that afternoon to walk around some outside.

"Come on," she said. "Don't make me drag you outside, I will."

"I don't want to go outside," Paige said, not moving from the bed. "And I'm not dressed."

"You can get dressed easily enough, and you're going outside. Sunshine is good for you, and so is walking." Crystal put her hands on her hips.

Paige sighed.

"I just don't want to go outside," she said. "I don't particularly feel like doing anything."

"I know you don't, which is why I'm making you anyway. You should do something. You've had time to sit and think and do nothing, now you're getting off your ass and walking around."

"But why?" Paige asked. "What's the point? How is walking around outside going to do anything?"

"It'll get you up and moving. If you sit around and do nothing, the lethargy will just keep you down." Crystal shook her head. "Depression sets in very quickly with lethargy. Moving helps keep it away."

"Maybe I don't want to keep it away," Paige said, sitting up. "Maybe I want to be numb for a while."

"Too damn bad," Crystal snapped at her. "You don't have that luxury. You have a family now, you don't just get to think about yourself. So your human family doesn't want you. You have a family downstairs who wants you, who accepts you as you are. You don't get to just throw that away too. I won't let you."

Paige flinched when Crystal snapped at her, shrinking back a bit.

"It hurts, Crys," she said. "I just want it to stop hurting for a while."

"Yeah, if you let it stop hurting for a bit, it'll hurt more later," Crystal said. "And you'll find more and more reasons to stop caring."

"My own family didn't want me around," Paige said. "Why would anyone else's?"

Crystal shrugged. "I can't answer for them, just myself. I want you around because you're a good person and you're my friend. You've helped me."

Paige settled back down on the bed, curling up.

"You go on on your walk," she murmured. "I want to stay here."

"Too bad." Crystal grabbed her arms and hauled her off the bed. "I will drag you down the stairs like this if I have to."

Paige yelped when she was hauled off the bed.

"Let go!" she said, trying to yank her arm back.

Crystal ignored her protests, pulling her out of the room and into the hallway. She knew Paige would hate her for it for a while, but it was for her own good. At least she wouldn't fall the way Crystal knew she would.