Mangle walked in a week into meeting the subject with a small tube of bubbles. The subject glanced up from the cot. “‘Angul? New toy?” it asked.612Please respect copyright.PENANA0rxAZeiDYR
“Sort of,” Mangle said, uncapping the bubble solution and pulling out the wand. “I wanted to show you something.”612Please respect copyright.PENANAYqO9WizcUL
It watched with rapt attention as Mangle gently blew on the wand. Bubbles came flowing out, rainbows caught in each and every one. It was enamored. “What’re those?” it asked in excitement.612Please respect copyright.PENANAp6q6zNNvlM
“They’re called bubbles,” Mangle explained. They’re made with soap, when it’s moved really quickly and a pocket of air fills it.”612Please respect copyright.PENANAUZgDuEISDo
“Bubbles make rai’bow!” it exclaimed. “‘Angul make more bubbles?”612Please respect copyright.PENANA0Ts4OIoEL9
Mangle smiled and blew more out. It ran around to touch them, the bubbles pooping in her hands. It pouted. “Bubbles go!” it said morosely, “Where? Why?”612Please respect copyright.PENANARmRri3BNnp
“The bubbles are popping, because they don’t handle being touched very well,” Mangle explained. “A lot of the time people like popping bubbles before they hit the ground.” A hand-eye coordination test.612Please respect copyright.PENANAyKDFAb00jw
It nodded and put her hands out, as anticipated taking Mangle’s words as a challenge. Mangle blew some bubbles in its direction, and the subject dashed about to pop them. This continued until the bottle was drained and the subject was a heap on the floor, laughing hysterically. Mangle sat back at the desk, nodding. “Hand-eye coordination is as can be expected, then. Want another bottle for yourself?”612Please respect copyright.PENANAjsCJvipCx2
It nodded. Mangle pulled it out and said, “Be careful not to get it in your eyes…”612Please respect copyright.PENANAT6qWvSxHLc
It tore the cap off and some of the bubble mix landed right in its eyes. There was a brief second of silence, before it screamed, “My eyes! My eyes!” over and over and over.612Please respect copyright.PENANAPTBvcpQvPb
Mangle instinctively rushed it to the bathroom and ran cool water over its eyes. It was crying from the pain, but Mangle just stoically stood there and rinsed out its eyes. When it was done whimpering, Mangle took it out from underneath the running water of the sink. “Better?” they asked.612Please respect copyright.PENANAQAcC9YDxUa
It nodded. “‘Ankoo, ‘Angul.”612Please respect copyright.PENANAnqzRS1WPw8
Mangle shrugged it off. “Think nothing of it.”612Please respect copyright.PENANARqJzUd2W6s
To their surprise, it wasn’t just a phrase: they meant it. How odd.612Please respect copyright.PENANA7RA1tY7bqx
“Now, It, this is what is called a potty. This is where grown-ups and older kids pee and poop. They listen to their body, and when they get pressure in their stomach, they know they have to go, and they come here to get rid of it. You just sit on it and then use it like you would a diaper, understand so far?” Mangle was teaching the subject the finer points of toilet training. Specifically, why people used a toilet over a diaper, besides because it was yucky.612Please respect copyright.PENANAAfghOYwagY
It nodded at Mangle’s speech. “Unders’and, ‘Angul.”612Please respect copyright.PENANACfpdPMlg4B
When you’re done going potty, you wipe where the pee and poop come from with toilet paper, which is basically not cold not wet wipes. You put it in the potty with your pee and poop, and then you push down on this lever,” Mangle demonstrated. “And everything gets taken away.”612Please respect copyright.PENANAniI8Ox0aiy
“No more messy diapers,” It sighed in relief.612Please respect copyright.PENANAyiEMpcRF0R
Mangle nodded. “That’s right, It. No more messy diapers. Not if you listen to your body and then tell me when you need to go.”612Please respect copyright.PENANApqnpBZoTzy
It nodded. “I will, ‘Angul,” It promised.612Please respect copyright.PENANAfloQDgyyL1
Now that I’ll believe when I see it, Mangle thought to themself. Outwardly they said, “Thank you, It.”612Please respect copyright.PENANAUwA2AVCWsk
It nodded, then frowned. It lifted its hands up. “Lift up?”612Please respect copyright.PENANAx6WcbqUuLE
Mangle took off its diaper and put it on the toilet. It sat there and Mangle turned away, uncomfortable. They heard It peeing and when the noise stopped, a small voice asked, “Toilet paper, right?”612Please respect copyright.PENANAgtjQJPDErK
Mangle nodded and handed it over. It wiped itself and slid off the seat. “Can’t reach the lever,” It said.612Please respect copyright.PENANApfbkvAH4yW
They flushed for It, and both of them went to wash their hands after Mangle put the diaper back on the subject. This was going to take a while.612Please respect copyright.PENANAePP71gtDpn