[TOY] Plaything

[skinstealer]

You consider your answer, the question bringing up all kinds of feelings you don’t know how to deal with or unpack…

But for the sake of your new friend, you’re going to try.

POLKA DOT: I…don’t really know. Hard to tell.
POLKA DOT: It’s a bit of both.
WILLOW: Both? How so?
POLKA DOT: Trusting people and being open- it feels right! 
POLKA DOT: …until it doesn’t.
POLKA DOT: And I don’t know where those lines are, it feels like.
POLKA DOT: I don’t know if I’ve ever been good at that. 
POLKA DOT: And right now…I just got here, and I keep getting scared the other shoe’s gonna drop any second now.
POLKA DOT: It’s too good.
POLKA DOT: I have room and board, a job, and now friends…
POLKA DOT: There’s gotta be a catch, right?
POLKA DOT: These things don’t come without catches. 
POLKA DOT: Like, is Laurie secretly evil-
WILLOW: No!
POLKA DOT: -or is the city going to foreclose us-
WILLOW: Well…I guess they could try…
POLKA DOT: -or will I fuck up and get somebody dangerous on my ass?
WILLOW: …I can’t guarantee that won’t happen…
POLKA DOT: Yeah, and it’s not unrealistic, because the fucking narrative’s got it out for us. Just looking to cause more drama for everybody…
 

Willow’s quiet at that, thinking over her own words.

WILLOW: …I was on the streets for two months before getting taken in by Laurie, I think.
WILLOW: Give or take a bit, it was hard to keep track of time until I got shown how to use my internal clock function…
WILLOW: I know from experience that the narrative…well…it likes to throw you into hard situations.
WILLOW: But I think, for you…
WILLOW: You found this place so quickly because you’ve already been through hardship, maybe…
WILLOW: And if you look at it from a perspective of what makes an “interesting story”, wouldn’t giving you time to build up resources before throwing you at new challenges be more riveting?
WILLOW: I don’t know if it’ll just….take it away again, but that’s the risk we take, just by being alive.
WILLOW: I hope for your sake, it’s a period of…stability before you go on “adventures”, at least from where the narrative’s standing.
WILLOW: That’s all we can hope for, right?

[Lilium Mortem]

I guess. I just don't want to be afraid. I don't want to have to be afraid. If the best we can hope for is just a little bit of peace, then what does that say about the rest of our lives?

I want a happily ever after eventually. And I don't know if those can exist.

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

Offer a hand and soak in the moment. Nod and consider the possibility that things are going to work out, even if there might be a lot of rough ahead. At the very least you want to find yourself a place in all this that you can accept in the end.

[King-Clod]

Yeah, offer a hand and squeeze it tight like it's the only thing grounding us right now.
"I guess. I feel like we deserve better than that though."

[skinstealer]

POLKA DOT: I guess…
 

You offer a hand, and to your surprise Willow takes it.

Even though there’s nothing about her that’s giving off heat, it’s warm.

POLKA DOT: Things could work out, even if there’s rough shit ahead.
POLKA DOT: I want to find a place in all this that I can accept, in the end.
POLKA DOT: I just don’t want to be afraid.
WILLOW: Well…
WILLOW: It can’t be all that bad, right?
WILLOW: I mean…it’s still so early, you’ve only been here two days…
WILLOW: But…
WILLOW: I got to meet you.
 

The character on her face smiles, and her fingers tighten around yours.

Far earlier than you expected, your laundry beeps.

Willow does not let go of your wing.

[King-Clod]

Let's smile back at her and just sit here for a little while, the laundry can wait.
...Not sure if rubber ducks can blush, but our face is heating up, isn't it.

[Lilium Mortem]

Sit and be gay for a bit

[skinstealer]

You sit there with the virtual pet, your hands still interlaced. A quick glance in the reflection of the washer in front of you confirms it- there’s a few speckles of painted blush on your cheeks, matching the extra pixels on Willow’s screen.

WILLOW: Your, um….laundry…
POLKA DOT: Yeah.
POLKA DOT: It…can wait a bit.
WILLOW: I guess it’ll stay warm…
 

You aren’t sure how long you sit there in silence, the occasional finger movement and squeeze grounding you in the warmth. You feel like you’re heating up pretty bad, honestly, but you don’t dare move. 

Willow occasionally beeps, but cuts herself off short every time you look over. The character on her screen is wiggling all over the place, as if flailing around for something to say. 

POLKA DOT: You oka-
WILLOW: Do you want to go ba-
 

The other dryer goes off, Willow letting go of your hand and immediately standing up.

WILLOW: Gotta go get that ok sorry
POLKA DOT: Hey, wait-

 

Before you can stop her, she’s hauling her clothes out and speeding out of the room.

WILLOW: See you at the party if you want ok bye Ribbon
POLKA DOT: Hey!
 

You are left in the laundry room with a hurricane of mixed emotions, some of which you aren’t even sure how to place. A mix of disappointment, confusion, and, uh. Warmth? Weird warmth? 

Hm.

[Lilium Mortem]

you have experienced GAY. meditate on this as you retrieve your clothes. you do have things to do, after all.

[King-Clod]

Let's get dressed and outta here, yeah. What were our plans for the night? I know we'll be shopping with Vine and possibly Tim tomorrow, but how late is it now? What do we have time for?

[skinstealer]

You sigh and get up to get your clothes, realizing with a bit of panic that you left your key fob and pamphlet in your pocket- but to your relief, both seem unharmed. You’re going to have to be more careful…

As you get your clothes back on, you’re instantly hit by the feeling of warmth- you suddenly get why plushes throw themselves into dryers. It’s cozy, and the confusion you just felt with Willow is soothed away, at least for the time being. 

You check the clock on the wall- it’s a bit past midnight. You were up until…2 AM last night, you think, so you still have some time to do things, maybe.

Off the top of your head, you could go read the rest of your pamphlet(an idea that feels a bit more thrilling right now for some reason),get some early rest(an idea that doesn’t seem too bad considering you got the shit knocked out of you earlier), or something else entirely.

Either way, you should probably keep it chill considering you’re going out tomorrow.

[King-Clod]

Read the pamphlet, shower, and head to bed a little earlier tonight

[Lilium Mortem]

let's go to the uh... wherever the books are. let's find some reading material. that pamphlet isn't gonna last forever.

[skinstealer]

You decide to go back to the cafe, see if it’s open- you could ideally get some more books, considering that that pamphlet isn’t gonna last forever.

Sure enough, you make your way over and it is open- or at the very least, the library portion. The lights are dimmer, and all but one chair are stacked up on the tables. A toy made out of a coiled spring and donning a staff pin is sitting on a chair by the counter, waving as you enter. 

????: Food’s all closed up, but if you’re looking for something to read, feel free to take something. 
????: You can’t stick around, though. Everybody already cleaned up.
POLKA DOT: Got it…
 

What kind of book(s) do you look for?

[Lilium Mortem]

Ghost romance novel, Whimsical fantasy adventure novel, local history book, The communist manifesto.

[King-Clod]

Oooh maybe a graphic novel? And maybe something...surreal. Or hot. Or both.

[knux400]

You know what? Close your eyes and just grab the nearest book, let the narrative decide for you.

[skinstealer]

Hmm…maybe…another romance novel. Maybe even a steamy one, considering you’re figuring out the sexuality thing.

You kneel by one of the bookshelves, sifting through- sure enough, there’s a sizable romance section with a ton of books missing- must be popular. Let’s see…

”Spectral Delights” catches your eye. Ghosts are…cool…right…

You realize you know one (1) sort-of-ghost and kind of die inside. It’s just a cool book, though! Just a cool, risque novel with a blanket ghost caressing a plush on the cover, swept up in the throes of some kind of passion…

You tuck it under your arm and sigh, deciding that for the next one you’re just…going to close your eyes and let the narrative decide. You fumble around the shelves, making sure to avoid the romance section this time, and grab the nearest book- it’s pretty big and heavy, with a proper hardcover…

You open your eyes.

“The Complete Guide To Electronic Pets!”
”Everything you need to know about digital life!

Oh, come on. Really? Really, narrative? You suppose you should be grateful for the tips in the right direction...

You kind of feel evil taking these, but…

Temptation.

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

Trust me it'll come in handy later, do it coward.

[King-Clod]

Aaaah, let's go for it. But pick up a book about another type of toy as well, such as porcelain or papercraft toys. That way if we get asked about it, we can say we're just researching less common toy types in general, rather than...Willow's type specifically.

[skinstealer]

…you can’t resist, and after all, you do need to learn more about the world around you…time to stop being a coward.

You look for more encyclopedia-style books, finding one about paper toys, and another on…

”Wind-up Toys and Everything About Them.”

Something about it draws you in. It’s slimmer than the others, but still worth checking out.

Books in hand, you give a wave to the library attendant, heading straight back to your room.

The walk seems thankfully shorter than usual, thanking the narrative for sparing you a long trek when your arms were full of encyclopedias. You set them down for a moment to unlock your door, and head inside- it’s just as welcoming as before, thankfully.

You set your stuff down on the nightstand, looking over your spoils and back over to the clock on the wall. You’ve got an hour before bed. Time to decide what to dig into first.

[Lilium Mortem]

finish off the pamphlet.

[King-Clod]

ghost romance ghost romance ghost romance

[skinstealer]

Pamphlet time. You’ve got one section left that you haven’t touched at all- Techniques, and then the Anatomy section that you skimmed. You still feel a bit nervous about the latter, but the former…

You get another weird warm feeling at the thought of figuring this out. 

You open up the pamphlet, and flick over to the Techniques section.

Uhh…let’s see…okay, talking about generalized toy anatomy. No toy comes with any kind of genitalia, but it’s not uncommon for bodies to have sensitivity of some sort, especially in certain areas…where that is and how much varies based on the toy in particular. You close your eyes for a moment and consider for a second whether what you’re about to do is stupid or not. 

You pat your cheek, and pause, waiting to see if anything happens. Nothing. You just…patted your face.

You try your wings next, patting them down. Nothing. 

Getting a little nervous now- what if I can’t feel anything?- you try your legs, and get something- but it’s not much. Just a weird nice feeling when your hands linger a bit. 

You glance over at one of the diagrams and your nerves heighten again, trying the most common areas next.

Chest? Yeah, a little.

Hips and abdomen? There’s something there.

Tail…

…you’re going to have to make extra note of the tail.

Okay, okay, back to the pamphlet.

Apparently what you just did is actually recommended- you could have really used that factoid before you felt silly over it. People can apparently do this kind of stuff by themselves, the whole…touching thing. Sounds like something to experiment with, but you’re still a little self conscious about even preliminary poking at yourself. 

The next paragraph talks about stuff with a partner, and ohh god, there are diagrams. You try to take in as much of it as you can- a lot of the words are foreign to you, but you think you get the gist. It’s all about finding what makes a partner feel good, whether physically or mentally, whether they have modded genitals or just their original body, etc. You think that even with your inexperience and a lot of this stuff flying over your head…you could probably figure that part out in the moment. It’s just listening to people and talking things over, right? 

The next section mentions that touching isn’t even inherently necessary to have a good time with it. You could just…talk, or write, or text on a phone or computer, and potentially even get sensation from that. Weird, but kind of cool. 

…you should probably get a phone at some point.

The last little bit talks about consent and safewords again, and makes sure to emphasize that if something doesn’t feel right- say something, even if it seems innocuous.

Huh. This stuff isn’t so bad.

I…could probably do this?

I’d want to go slow, and figure stuff out, because I don’t really know much about what I like yet, but…

Yeah. Maybe this is okay.

You dare to turn back to the Anatomy section before your nerves get you- and now, it’s a lot less scary. You actually know what a lot of stuff does now, and while none of it really interests you now (and god knows you don’t have the money for any of it), it’s still kinda interesting to look through.

Plus, some of the designs are pretty cool.

You set the pamphlet down, looking over at the clock. 2 AM.

Time for bed.

You drift off to sleep, curled up in your blankets with a genuine smile on your face. It was a wild second day, but…

You’re getting the hang of things already.

What do you dream?

[King-Clod]

We dream of flying, but it doesn't...feel right. It feels confusing. It feels like drowning.

[sarcovyn]

some of the phallic imagery from the pamphlet leaks into your sleeping world a bit. Lol Oops

[Lilium Mortem]

Dream about going to school without your clothes on, realize that it doesn't bother you, and ask the teacher when lunch is.

[skinstealer]

…you’re flying. You never knew you could fly, but here you are, soaring through the air. Flapping your wings feels natural, and-

You hear a voice from down below you, and you turn to fly towards their direction- you recognize them! It’s your friend! And-

The closer you get, the worse it starts to feel. Why are you flying to them? It feels…wrong, and you don’t like the look in their eyes once you get close enough to see it.

????: …Gotcha.
 

They raise their hand and something hurts in your chest, more painful than anything you’ve ever experienced- you’re falling, you’re drowning, it hur-

You land before you can process it, your rubber body impaling itself on a massive, sharp sword- directly where the pain was. You’re completely pierced through, and a panicked look around reveals you’re surrounded by swords, your face reflecting off of them like mirrors. 

????: …you really should have listened to me, Polly.
????: It didn’t have to end like this.
POLKA DOT: G-go away!
POLKA DOT: I don’t want-
POLKA DOT: I don’t want you near me!
????: …tch.
????: Coward.
 

The sound of footsteps retreating away from the forest of swords is a relief, but it doesn’t last long- someone’s coming from the other direction, and you’re filled with panic, fear-

 

A now-familiar hand touches yours, painted, ridged plastic.

WILLOW: …you’re safe now.
WILLOW: That’s what you want, right?
POLKA DOT: Y-yeah…
POLKA DOT: Willow, it h-hurts…
WILLOW: Shh…
WILLOW: It’ll be okay.
 

You can’t see her from your current position, but you feel her move her screen face to your chest wound, pressing it against it with a tiny beep.

In your pained haze, all you can remember is that the pamphlet called that “a kiss.”

POLKA DOT: Wi-

---

You wake up with tear-like paint markings running down your cheeks.

There’s someone knocking at the door.

[SHIVERS]

try to shake off the dream (as well as the new phantom-sensation of a sword sticking through your middle that is persistent, for some reason) to go answer the door

[sarcovyn]

have two awakenings simultaneously

[skinstealer]

You try to shake off the dream, kicking off the blankets and…

Oh god, Willow was in your dream.

Oh god.

Was the narrative trying to tell you something?

Were you just…

Clingy? 

It’d only been a few days, barely that, and you’re…

God, you’re smitten with her.

Fuck.

There’s another polite knock at your door, and you shake your head, getting out of bed for real now. 

POLKA DOT: Gimme a sec…
 

You’re stumbling over to the door, suddenly aware of a horrible phantom sensation in your chest- like something still piercing you.

You open the door, just a crack- only to see a familiar scottie dog plush standing there.

TIMOTHY: Hi Ribbon!
TIMOTHY: Vine told me to go get you up for the trip! She told me your room and everything, I hope thats oka-
 

He notices the look on your face.

TIMOTHY: …you look…kind of like shit.
TIMOTHY: N-no offense! Not saying that about your looks, just!
TIMOTHY: Are you…okay?

[sarcovyn]

sorry i woke up like 2 seconds ago. physically? fine. emotionally? i think i need to sit in the pool. is the pool open

[SHIVERS]

no, i got stabbed with a sword while i was asleep (dream) and i am still being stabbed (daydream)
anyway How Are You did you need something whats up

[skinstealer]

POLKA DOT: Sorry, woke up like.
POLKA DOT: Two seconds ago.
 

You wipe the paint tears off of your face with the most determined expression you can muster.

TIMOTHY: But…are you…okay?
POLKA DOT: Nope. Got stabbed with a sword while I was asleep-
TIMOTHY: Uh
POLKA DOT: Still getting stabbed now-
TIMOTHY: Hm
POLKA DOT: By weird shit I don’t know how to process-
TIMOTHY: What…kind of-?
POLKA DOT: I think I need to sit in the pool.
POLKA DOT: Is the pool open?
TIMOTHY: No, it’s still pretty early…and we have a trip to go on!
TIMOTHY: Are you up for it, though? You look really messed up…
 

You consider bailing, but then you remember the point of the trip.

Outfit.

Party.

Willow.

Horny party with Willow.

Your face heats up, Timothy tilting his head in confusion.

TIMOTHY: Uh-
POLKA DOT: I am not missing this trip.
POLKA DOT: I’ve got…things to buy! Clothes things!
POLKA DOT: Hot clothes! For parties!
TIMOTHY: Wait…
 

He raises a paw to his face.

TIMOTHY: Do you have a date to a party?!
TIMOTHY: Or, some kind of crush?
TIMOTHY: Is that what this is about?

[SHIVERS]

dont even know what a crush Is my guy
never heard of that ever in my life
anyway it sounds fake and also dont ask willow about it because she doesnt know either
now please lets go to the clothes-store

[sarcovyn]

well if not the pool i think i will need. a shower

[skinstealer]

POLKA DOT: I don’t even know what a crush is-
TIMOTHY: It’s when you really like someone and want to get to know them better, kind of where I’m at with Devo-
POLKA DOT: I NEED. A SHOWER
TIMOTHY: …ooookay! 
TIMOTHY: Just be quick about it, we don’t have a whole lot of time before we get going. 
 

You nod and very quietly close the door, nearly sliding down it after.

Okay, this is a problem. You are losing your shit now.

A…crush? It couldn’t be a crush- oh god I dreamed of her kissing me while i was impaled by a giant sword what if it gets worse I’m going to- I AM GOING TO TAKE A SHOWER

You storm into the bathroom, throw your clothes off and step in, keeping the water as cold as fucking possible. No more Willow thoughts. Not until you get to that party. You are going to keep things under control, god damnit.

The water helps, thank god. You get your shit together and take a look at yourself in the mirror as you towel off- yeah, you got this. No more blush paint or teardrop paint, just your face with a determined expression.

Okay.

Time to face Timothy.

 

You open the door, the dog having been pacing around the hallway. 

TIMOTHY: Oh, you were quick!
TIMOTHY: Are you ready to go?
POLKA DOT: Let’s get moving.
 

The two of you walk down the winding halls, doors passing over and over.

POLKA DOT: …I’ve never heard of a crush in my life.
TIMOTHY: I mean, I did explain it well enough I think-
POLKA DOT: Sounds fake and don’t ask Willow about it either, she’ll have no idea.
 

The gears turn in Tim’s head and his ears perk up, tail wagging.

TIMOTHY: Awww! That’s sweet!
TIMOTHY: You like Willow!
TIMOTHY: What do you like about her? She seems so cool-
 

You are suddenly aware that the hallway has been going on longer than usual.

You are going to strangle the narrative.

[SHIVERS]

hey do you like running timothy?
because i just realized i LOVE running actually (lie)
what if we just ran down the hallway to make it end as fast as possible would that be cool or what

[sarcovyn]

we are unpacking this LATER

[skinstealer]

POLKA DOT: Hey, Tim, do you like running?
TIMOTHY: Oh! I’m not very good at it, actually-
TIMOTHY: Understuffed and all.
POLKA DOT: I just realized I love running, and what if we just, ran down the hallway, as fast as possible, so it actually lets us out of here-
TIMOTHY: Uh…oh.
TIMOTHY: Ohhhh.
TIMOTHY: Okay, uh, I can’t really do the running thing, but I see what you mean.
TIMOTHY: Time stretching and all…
TIMOTHY: We don’t have to talk about it!
POLKA DOT: Yeah, uh, I am unpacking this LATER. Much later.
POLKA DOT: If ever.
TIMOTHY: I mean…
TIMOTHY: I don’t want to push you to talk about it. Like I said, we don’t have to.
TIMOTHY: But I got your back on this, okay?
TIMOTHY: It’s okay to have weird gay crush feelings!
TIMOTHY: No one worth listening to is going to judge you on that…
 

The two of you go quiet, walking along.

Hallway isn’t stopping.

You may have to handle this if you want to proceed.

[SHIVERS]

oh No

alright quick
we can solve this

how about:  we can knock on a random door in the hallway
and then we just talk with whoever answers the door about whatever or whoever and thatll Distract us long enough that we forget about the stuff with willow probably
then the hallway will end and we dont have to face Anything and Everything Will Be Fine I Bet

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

Get out of this loop by doing a comical bit, if anything maybe the narrative will spare you through sitcom.

[skinstealer]

POLKA DOT: Okay, we can just…we can solve this.
POLKA DOT: We can knock on a random door in the hallway!
TIMOTHY: Hm, I, don’t think that’s the best idea-
POLKA DOT: We could talk with whoever’s there about whatever or whoever and I won’t be thinking about this anymore!
TIMOTHY: …or you could walk into someone having sex or something, and make things infinitely worse.
 

Se-

That pretty much breaks your brain to even begin thinking about, Tim noticing your face paling immediately.

TIMOTHY: S-sorry!
TIMOTHY: I don’t want to assume the nature of things, just-
TIMOTHY: You seem to really be struggling with this…
POLKA DOT: Maybe…we could just…do something funny?
POLKA DOT: The narrative likes jokes, right?
 

Am I the joke here?

TIMOTHY: I’m not an expert…
TIMOTHY: But…maybe…
TIMOTHY: Even if you don’t tell me and just, decide to keep things to yourself, maybe we should take a second to assess the situation and why this is freaking you out so bad.
TIMOTHY: The narrative’s giving us time. We’re not gonna be late.
TIMOTHY: You’ll just be spending the whole trip nervous, otherwise…

[King-Clod]

I...don't like being forced into talking about things when I'm not ready, I guess?
Not that you were forcing me, but

*gesture wildly to the hallway*

You feel me? It's like I don't have control over my life. Just gotta dance along to whatever the narrative decides.

I guess I feel like I haven't...had a crush go well in the past. So. My worry is probably somewhere within that.

But...sure! I like Willow! I think shes got good fashion sense (and a nice body to boot) a-and she's nice, we had a talk about different worries and stuff yesterday but like... can I please be able to talk about this somewhere more private?

[Lilium Mortem]

"You're right, I need to process this. But I don't want to *talk* about it. Can you give me a sec?"

Alright time to meditate on the gay. It makes sense right? Willow seemed really cool when you met her. She's really pretty. You held hands. You like her.

Maybe she likes you too. You don't have to jump into pamphlet teqnique #14, you can just get to know her, hang out, enjoy each other's company. Whatever you're comfortable with, right?

[skinstealer]

POLKA DOT: I just…
POLKA DOT: Don’t like being forced into things before I’m ready.
TIMOTHY: I-
POLKA DOT: You weren’t forcing me! I just-
 

You gesture around to the hallway, and he nods. 

POLKA DOT: You feel me?
TIMOTHY: I think so, yeah…
POLKA DOT: I guess…
POLKA DOT: I feel like I haven’t had a crush go well in the past.
POLKA DOT: Something keeps nagging at me, this weird familiar feeling that I’ve been through these emotions before, but different…
POLKA DOT: But…I don’t think it ended well.
TIMOTHY: …Toy Store stuff?
  

You nod, and he goes quiet, leaving you room to continue.

 
POLKA DOT: But! I really like Willow!
POLKA DOT: We just met, but she’s nice, and really pretty, and I want to talk about fashion with her, and-
 

You start to get self conscious, but one look at Tim’s face reassures you that he’s listening. He nods for you to keep going.

POLKA DOT: After you left, we…
POLKA DOT: We had a talk about worries, and held hands-
 

Tim gasps, and you feel the blush come back to your face.

POLKA DOT: A-and, she was going to ask me something, but then her laundry went off and she left without explaining…
TIMOTHY: Do you have any idea what it was?
POLKA DOT: Not a clue.
POLKA DOT: I can’t help but wonder, though, and I’ve got all these complicated feelings.
POLKA DOT: More than anything, I just want to get to know her. Hang out. See what things are like.
POLKA DOT: …I hope she wants that too.
TIMOTHY: We’ll have to see, but…I’d say your chances are pretty good.
 

The two of you get quiet, continuing to walk in silence for a bit. 

TIMOTHY: …if it helps, the narrative’s been messing with me, too.
POLKA DOT: Huh?
TIMOTHY: I’ve only been here a week and it keeps putting me next to cute guys in leather, not to mention Devo passing by whenever I’m not braced for that or ready to approach…
TIMOTHY: I dunno…
TIMOTHY: It kind of feels like it’s playing wingman, sometimes.
TIMOTHY: Not always in the best ways, but…
TIMOTHY: Maybe our narratives right now are about finding ourselves, or something?
TIMOTHY: We’re new here, so to get our “stories started”, we have to build up some kind of foundation.
TIMOTHY: After all, we barely remember what happened to us before, and while bits and pieces are “interesting”, they can’t flesh out a whole story. 
TIMOTHY: More there to add intrigue, is my guess.
TIMOTHY: ….I’m rambling!
POLKA DOT: Nah man, you’re good.
POLKA DOT: Never really thought of that.
TIMOTHY: Well…maybe that’s part of why we’re ending up hanging out.
TIMOTHY: We’re both newbies, but we can get each other’s backs.
 

His tone is warm, hopeful.

TIMOTHY: That’s my guess, anyway!
 

After what seems like ages, you’ve reached the end of the hallway, now in the open bar area- Vine and a cluster of other toys waiting in a group. Marlowe appears to be at the front of it, doing a headcount. Your mentor picks you out and waves you over, the two of you hustling to meet her.

VINE: Just in time.
POLKA DOT: Glad for that, at least…
VINE: You look pretty worn out, everything alright?
VINE: …and what’s up with him?
 

She points to Tim, who has now shrunk behind you and is clearly trying to hide.

TIMOTHY: T-they’re here! On the trip!
 

You follow the way his paw is pointing and see Roulette and Devo at the back of the group, the bean bear talking to his robot companion with a comforting tone- but you can’t make out the words at all, in part due to the crowd and in part due to his hushed volume. Devo’s decked out in simple black casualwear, a choker, and glasses, and Roulette somehow still looks somewhat formal on its off day, wearing dress pants, a khaki jacket and a dress shirt.

VINE: Huh?
VINE: …that’s just Devo and Roulette.
VINE: You’re both acting weird. Please explain before we end up getting into trouble.

[knux400]

Sorry, the narrative trapped us both in a hallway and forced us to discuss our feelings. We're a bit weird right now, emotionally speaking.

[King-Clod]

Wave your hand dismissively. "Nothing to worry about. I look rough because I had a bad dream last night, nothing new or worth discussing right now, and the narratives been sticking Tim here around his crush the past few days...and me around mine. That was more yesterday for me though."

Give Tim a reassuring pat on the back, and a thumbs up. "No need to worry dude. While the narrative can be a bit of an...aggressive wingman, I got your back too. You got this."

[Ignispark]

the narrative is kind of a bastard. anyhow uh, everything's fine, nothing that something else to focus on won't fix.

[Lilium Mortem]

we're both being gay separately but with solidarity together. you are witnessing the gay panic, which gays, in there natural habitat, display as a means of utterly failing to come to the terms of their own feelings.