[TOY] Plaything

[skinstealer]

POLKA DOT: Yeah, longer shift sounds great.
POLKA DOT: Don’t…know how much longer, but longer’s good.
MINNIE: Will six hours do?
POLKA DOT: Sure.
MINNIE: Six hours of kitchen time…that’ll get you 30 hours of room time.
MINNIE: So…two to three days if you spend some time outside of the room.
MINNIE: How’s that for a deal?
POLKA DOT: Perfect. 
POLKA DOT: Oh, right- Laurie said I could go check out the pool playroom-
MINNIE: I heard- go out to the bar and go to the opposite side from the guest rooms. 
MINNIE: Hallway works the same as the other one- you’ll find the pocket you need if you look for it. Room 157, should be marked “The Pool Room”.
MINNIE: You’ve got a bit of time, but make sure to clear out before any guests get there.
POLKA DOT: Got it.
 

She holds your key fob and you watch as the number recharges, now at a solid “30”. 

POLKA DOT: Thanks, Minnie.
MINNIE: Any time.
 

You start rushing down towards the bar, a skip in your step. It’s pretty cleared out, and you imagine there’s more customers at the cafe right now- maybe the bar itself wasn’t even open, judging by the lack of noise from the kitchen. You find the hallway just fine, and down you go.

 

Your humming trick to find the room is a bit more impatient today, and you only slow down when you the words “POOL” in big, cursive font.

You open the door slowly, peeking your head in- but almost immediately the door shuts, a plastic frog toy sticking their head out. 

????: Sorry, party’s not open yet- 
????: Oh!
 

They notice your pin.

????: You’re staff too! Well…
????: What can I do you for?
POLKA DOT: I’m here to, uh…
 

May as well be honest. 

POLKA DOT: Check out the place. I’m new.
????: Don’t worry about this, I’ll only be a few minutes. Just getting all the fresh towels in place, and cleaning up the last bit of mess. Somebody brought some play sand in, and while the water’s finally all clean, I’ve still got some to sweep up…
????: Hang tight!
POLKA DOT: Wait, I could help-
 

The door closes before you make your point, and you’re left waiting.

POLKA DOT: Damnit…
 

Your excitement from the pool keeps you facing the door, raring for it to open any second. Though, it soon sinks in that it could be a few minutes, so you resign yourself to try being patient.

 

A knock down the hall catches your attention.

Glancing over, you spy a robot toy with a single, camera-like eye for a face, who just finished knocking on a door. But you hardly notice that at first, much more focused on their outfit:  A black tuxedo coat with tails, white gloves, and a purple bowtie.

You’re paralyzed, the weird feelings from your dream sinking back in and unsettling you.

 

The door they stood in front of opened, the robot quick to speak.

???? (1): Hello. I have your order, ready to-
 

The toy who answered the door - a tall, colorful, metal-edged top in the shape of a dragon - interrupts them.

???? (2): Oh, my god.
 

The metal top took the tray, hastily laying it somewhere inside.

???? (2): That outfit is so CUTE on you!
 

The suited bot seems in shock, not moving from the door as the top turns and yells inside.

???? (2): You guys are gonna wanna seeeee!
 

Another toy, this one a blue kite in a skirt, emerges from the doorframe with an audible gasp. They reach out and snag the robot from around the waist, a grunt coming from them as the kite pulls them in for a bear hug.

Some sort of accessorized handheld game console tugs the kite back, releasing their grasp on the robot.

???? (3): Easy now. Don't break the poor thing. 
 

This one leans on the door frame, getting a bit lower to address the robot.

???? (3): You. You're cute. If you hadn't guessed already. You wanna come by after your shift and play with us a little? No need to be shy.
 

The tuxedo-clad toy looks like they barely had themself together enough to form a response.

???? (1): No Thank You.
 

The game console frowned.

???? (3): Whatever, then. Your loss, I guess. Come back,
 

They traced a claw carefully along the robot's 'chin.'

???? (3): ...if you change your mind.
 

They close the door.

 

With the door shut, you can hear it now:  The robot's fans were working overdrive, and you thought you could even see the faintest trail of smoke raising up from its head.
The toy's knees were shaking as they leaned against the wall just beside the door, presumably taking a sec to settle down. They were definitely embarrassed. You get that much, even if robotic toy expressions were more unfamiliar to you than most. Though... you can't exactly tell just by looking if they'd enjoyed it, or were just... humiliated.

Either way, you can't help but find them less intimidating after... whatever that was. The weird dream feelings had pretty much vanished by now.

The robot, only slightly more composed now, walks down the hall.

In your direction.

 

They seem to deliberately avoid eye contact as they pass you, though maybe they're just distracted? Once again, robots are weird; you can't really tell.

Just as they do, you hear a voice inside the pool room:

????: Almost done!