[TOY] Plaything

[Pichi2214]

mh. maybe not but i fear that is about as much as i am willing to elaborate on that.

[King-Clod]

Nah, nah, we know better than to show weakness, especially to a stranger. We're alright. Just a mild headache. Let's change the subject.
Any other tips for us starting out? Other things we should be aware of? I don't think self-defense will be a problem for us.

[skinstealer]

You consider being honest, but you’re not sure about the whole showing vulnerability to a stranger thing after your talk with Willow. 

POLKA DOT: Just a mild headache, I’m cool.
MARLOWE: If you say so…
 

He rises to his feet, brushing off his outfit as his drink cup disappears.

MARLOWE: I should be off, then…all out of coffee.
MARLOWE: And I’ve already talked your ear off.
POLKA DOT: It’s good, though- do you have any more tips for me?
MARLOWE: Hmmm…
MARLOWE: If you’re going to be staying here, it’d be a good idea to talk to lots of different kinds of people, especially staff or partners of the business- considering they’ll all have been vetted.
MARLOWE: Don’t feel pressured to venture out on your own until you’re ready, but it would be a good idea to get a feeling for the outside world once you have some companions to keep you safe.
MARLOWE: Oh, and-
MARLOWE: Try not to get too bogged down, you know?
MARLOWE: We’re working towards a better world and all…and trying to make the present more hospitable in the meantime.
MARLOWE: Hang onto that.
POLKA DOT: Thanks, Marlowe. I owe you one.
MARLOWE: Think nothing of it! Just do your best and pitch in, and you’ll do fine.
MARLOWE: Best of luck, Silk Ribbon!
 

With a wave, he’s gone, heading for the cafe’s exit. 

You are now alone with your pancakes, which haven’t disappeared yet.

You have time to think, but about what?

[Lilium Mortem]

What is it you want out of life? from what you remember it's allways just been survival for you. now you have a job and a home and nothing is threatening to kill you. There's revenge, but what happens after that? could you be happy just working here for the rest of your life, or do you want to aim higher?

[seppawku]

companions? have you met anyone yet who u’d trust n want to ask to come with u if u leave? making friends is a good idea anyway but.. if it’s not quite what you want here, then having ppl who feel the same would be practical too.

[King-Clod]

I think we want to learn more, both from other people like Mint, and also from whatever the library can give us.
Also interesting point he gave us on not venturing out until we're ready... where do we want to go? Do we want to move to a seaside settlement eventually, or should we stay around here and do what we can to help the city be a better place?

From what we know of ourself, are we really one to make the world a better place at all? Or is that something for...better people than us.

[skinstealer]

Your mind goes to all kinds of places as you think things over…there’s so much going on, you’ve only been here in the city for less than a whole day, but you’ve already met so many people, and learned so many things…

But you’re not sure if this is where you belong, yet. Vine mentioned that seaside settlement, and you can’t deny the idea of going somewhere safer and near water sounds like a great gameplan…but the journey would suck ass from the sound of it, and you can’t exactly go that alone. Besides, it would be fine to just stay here, right? The city may suck and all, but maybe you could do what you could to help it be a better place.

…who’s to say that the person you’re looking for on your revenge quest is even here in the city, anyway? How are you going to look for them? All you have is your dream from last night and that moment on the steps…you don’t even remember what they look like.

I hope Sandy’s okay.

That’s another thing, who’s this Sandy person? You remember some kind of vague fondness, and…gratitude, maybe? Whoever it is, you feel like you owe it huge, for a lot of things. It’s definitely someone you want to see again-

Do I not want to see them again? The person I’m on a quest for? I mean…I want to get back at them for what they did, but… 

There’s this horrible feeling that meeting them is going to be an experience you won’t enjoy one bit, even if you get your revenge in the end. Something about the dream from last night makes you feel a little bit sick, to the point where you very gently push your plate aside. Still…

…maybe getting a companion to help would be a good idea. Someone who could help you out with shit, be that going outside or traveling to a different settlement or going on this quest or whatever the fuck you get up to. Everybody here seems pretty set in their jobs, but…let’s see…

Vine, definitely not gonna work out if you end up going to another settlement- she and Laurie are way too established here. Same for Marlowe, and Katie at the bar. The only person who you know that isn’t super tied down, at least to your knowledge, is Willow…

Willow…you get kind of lost in that train of thought for a second. Her…god, was it flirting? It had to be flirting, right? Whatever it was, it was killing you a bit. 

It’s not the first time, but it’s definitely…something else.

More…cryptic, weird thoughts. God, this whole thinking to yourself thing’s weird. 

Maybe Willow would come on one of those thrifting trips. Maybe…it’d be cool to invite her, when you see her at that party. Yeah. Yeah, maybe you’d do that, test the waters a bit. You just met her and all, and you had to figure her out more…but that seemed like a good place to start. If you’re going to be staying here for the time being, getting an ally would be a solid plan.

Meeting more people, too. Maybe talking to that weird robot you saw, seeing if Timothy wanted to hang out after work, socializing at the party…yeah, you were gonna make connections. That’s your goal.

Yeah, okay. Don’t know if you’re gonna stick around, but, while you do…that’s your gameplan.

You slowly pull your plate back in close, and eat until it’s gone.

Somehow, two hours have passed.

You have one more hour. 

[knux400]

We should probably talk to someone about what we saw with the robot earlier. We've got the room number and some vague descriptions of the offenders, so all we need to do is find Laurie or someone who can either do something or direct us to someone else who can do something.

[King-Clod]

We should probably talk to someone about what we saw with the robot earlier. We've got the room number and some vague descriptions of the offenders, so all we need to do is find Laurie or someone who can either do something or direct us to someone else who can do something.

ditto to that, yeah. Get this out of the way, then maybe do some people-watching, or see what we can pick up of other people's conversations.

[skinstealer]

You get out of your chair and give Timothy a goodbye wave before making your way out of the cafe, heading directly for Laurie’s office. You’re gonna report those assholes in the playroom.

 

Minnie gives you a nod as you go to knock on Laurie’s door.

MINNIE: He’s in.
POLKA DOT: Thanks.
 

Once you give the door a solid few knocks, you hear Laurie’s smooth voice call from inside.

LAURIE: Come on in.
 

His room is mostly the same as you left it a few hours ago- except this time, the bear seems to be poring over a huge pile of papers.

LAURIE: I don’t have a lot of time, but-
 

He looks up at you, his eyes gentle.

LAURIE: What can I help you with? Was the pool to your liking?
POLKA DOT: Yeah! Yeah, it was awesome.
POLKA DOT: But…
POLKA DOT: There was kind of…a problem in the neighboring playroom.
 

Laurie sets his papers down. 

LAURIE: Oh?
POLKA DOT: There was this robot with a staff pin-
LAURIE: With a camera eye?
POLKA DOT: Yeah.
LAURIE: That’d be Roulette, another new hire. 
LAURIE: …did something happen to it?
POLKA DOT: Some customers in the next playroom over heckled it…got all touchy feely with it and even invited it to come in and uh, do stuff.
POLKA DOT: It looked…really uncomfortable.
 

Laurie settles onto his couch, letting out a sigh.

LAURIE: What playroom was it?
POLKA DOT: Pretty sure it was Playroom 4.
 

Laurie leans over to the other side of the table and picks up what looks like a schedule.

LAURIE: Okay…that was this morning’s bondage munch. I know that early crowd fairly well, and I’ve never gotten complaints…
LAURIE: …but I have gotten off vibes about some of them. Can you tell me what they looked like?
POLKA DOT: Uh…
POLKA DOT: A top, a game console, and a kite.
 

The bear presses his face against his palm.

LAURIE: Goddamnit, Mitchell.
POLKA DOT: Who?
LAURIE: The kite.
POLKA DOT: Oh, yeah. They were especially awful.
LAURIE: I had hoped that I was wrong about them…
LAURIE: But I should have trusted my instincts.
LAURIE: I’ll have the three of them tossed out immediately.
LAURIE: We don’t tolerate that shit here, to put it bluntly.
LAURIE: Is Roulette alright?
POLKA DOT: Gonna be honest, it looked…really shaky.
LAURIE: I’ll ask Devo to go check on it…but if you see it, please be gentle with it. I’m sure it’s rattled after that kind of treatment.
 

You have no idea who this “Devo” person is, but…at least the robot wasn’t going to be alone.

 
POLKA DOT: Got it.
LAURIE: Is there anything else you need?
POLKA DOT: Nope…just wanted to make sure that got taken care of.
 

You turn to leave, hesitating at the door for a second.

POLKA DOT: …that’s not normal here, right?
LAURIE: God, no. I make sure of it as much as I possibly can.
POLKA DOT: Good. Good…
POLKA DOT: …thanks.
LAURIE: Literally no trouble at all.
LAURIE: Enjoy your shift with Vine- and thank you for bringing this to my attention.
 

He reaches for his corded phone, rifling through the papers to dig it out. 

LAURIE: I’ll make that call now…
 

He shoos you out, and you’re back in the lobby to give him some space. Minnie gives you another nod- but you can tell this time, it’s one of deep respect and appreciation.

MINNIE: Roulette’s a skittish one.
MINNIE: Thanks for looking out for it.
POLKA DOT: No prob…
POLKA DOT: Is the bar open yet? I think I saw somebody sitting down.
MINNIE: Not yet, but we let people get comfy if they’re already guests or staff here. 
MINNIE: Feel free to people watch while you wait for Vine, I guess.
POLKA DOT: That’s the plan…
 

You head into the bar, and make your way to a spare table.

There’s one person in the bar- a white bean bear in a sweater and sweatpants, drinking a plastic can of soda in a booth opposite you. He looks incredibly tired, and doesn’t seem interested in interacting with you past a sidelong glance. 

He also has a staff pin.

[Lilium Mortem]

Are there any magazines or reading material anywhere? Maybe a puzzle book? Maybe not in the bar itself but like we only got an hour we can just relax.

[King-Clod]

Hmm. They don't seem to want to talk to us. Maybe we can look around the empty tables and see if anyone left anything interesting behind?

[skinstealer]

Whoever this bear is, he doesn’t seem to want to talk to anybody. You busy yourself with looking around the bar from your vantage point, trying to see if anyone left anything behind-

Your eye catches a little book on one of the booth seats behind the bear. Jackpot. 

As you get out of your chair and head over, you’re startled as the bear’s phone rings- and judging from the way he jumps, he’s just as startled too.

????: H-hello?
????: Yeah, this is Devo speaking-
 

You freeze, recognizing the name from only minutes earlier.

DEVO: …It what?
 

Devo rises out of his seat, seemingly in a panic.

DEVO: Is it okay? Did it get hur- okay, okay, good.
DEVO: …okay, not good, but-
DEVO: Yeah. Yeah. I’ll go check on it.
DEVO: Fuck…thank you for letting me know.
DEVO: Those guys got dealt with, right?
 

There’s a moment of him pacing around as he listens.

DEVO: Thanks, Laurie. Fuck.
DEVO: You already helped me so much with Saddler, so, I can’t be surprised, but…
DEVO: Thanks.
DEVO: I’ll go take care of Roulette.
 

He doesn’t even stop to look at you as he makes a beeline for the guest rooms. 

Must be nice having someone have your back like that…

…I’ll get that again someday.

You finally grab the book, eavesdropping over with. It’s some kind of romance novel, from the look of it…may as well give it a shot.

It takes a bit for the story to get going, but after a chapter or two, you’re starting to get pretty invested in the characters. There’s something about it that feels comfy, just sitting and reading about some mushy adventure…

Someone stops in front of your booth, and you glance up.

VINE: Ready to get to work, Ribbon?
VINE: How’d sleep treat you?

[King-Clod]

Sleep was. Well. I slept! That's about as much as I'd like to go into it right now, I think.
I'm as ready to go to work as I'm gonna be.
By the way...can I keep this? Just found it in the booth, and it's kinda fun. Not sure if that'd be stealing a guest's property though.

[skinstealer]

POLKA DOT: Sleep was, uh.
 

You lean on one elbow, trying to look cool.

POLKA DOT: I slept!
POLKA DOT: That’s about as much as I wanna say, but I’m as ready to work as I’m gonna be.
VINE: Glad to hear. Newbies have it rough with that sometimes, but you’re gonna be fine.

She gives you a pat on the back as you get to your feet, pausing for a moment to hold up the book.

POLKA DOT: Can I, like…keep this?
POLKA DOT: I just found it in the booth, and I’m kinda digging it.
POLKA DOT: …or is that like, stealing.
 

Vine carefully takes the book, flipping open the front cover. 

VINE: Looks like it’s a loan from the cafe library, they probably just left it here once they finished it. Lazy bastards.
VINE: If it didn’t have this sticker-
 

She turns it to show you- it’s a golden, square sticker saying “Laurie’s” on it. 

VINE: -there’s a lost and found you can put stuff in in Laurie’s office.
POLKA DOT: Cool. So…fair to dibs it, then?
VINE: I don’t see why not. Just return it to the cafe when you’re done with it.
 

She hands the book back, and leads you over to the kitchen.

VINE: So I noticed yesterday that you seem to like getting creative with your food design…
VINE: I want to put that to good use.
VINE: I don’t know how much you remember about different types of food, but-
VINE: What do you think we should make for a special today?
VINE: I’ve got a lot of recipes, so…
VINE: What strikes your fancy?

[King-Clod]

Maybe some dumplings? Or some miniature pies if you want something a bit sweeter.

[sarcovyn]

seconding dumplings i love ingredients . but dumplings can be sweet too

[skinstealer]

You wrack your brain for food.

POLKA DOT: Maybe…dumplings?
POLKA DOT: Or like…miniature pies, if you want something a little sweeter.
VINE: Hm.
 

She visibly thinks it over.

VINE: You really like your fillings, don’t you?
POLKA DOT: W-well, they’re fun!
POLKA DOT: And flexible!
VINE: We can work with it, relax.
VINE: We’ve got a decently easy dumpling recipe, but it’s a little tricky to master proportions. 
VINE: You sure you’re game for that?
 

You nod, and she hands you an apron from a nearby rack, putting her own on. 

VINE: Great. Follow me.
 

She takes you to the dough station, hauling out what looks like a massive tub of cream colored dough from the side. 

VINE: Could you grab some slime jars from the pantry?
VINE: Anything’ll do, texture, color, whatever works.
VINE: There’s a lot to pick from, so…
VINE: Choose whatever you think would be good. 
 

You nod again, hurrying over to the pantry area and-

Good god, she wasn’t kidding. They have huge jars of practically every slime under the sun, some of them labeled in ways you’ve never even heard of. There’s ones with beads, ones with swirls of colors, clear ones, ones with charms…it’s making your head swim.

In this massive collection of slime, what do you pick?

[Iguanaiguana]

Maybe some fluffy slime, like cloud slime? And some semi clear slime too, both with little charms in them.

[King-Clod]

A starry blue and white puffy slime like this maybe? Simple enough that it wouldn't be wasted inside a dumpling.
https://i.etsystatic.com/16822319/r/il/a6fbeb/2659343142/il_794xN.2659343142_tb0n.jpg
Or maybe something like this is we want something equally seasonal as what we made last time, since I think holiday festivities are still going around currently.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/488528315485782026/933214157405315082/unknown.png