Chapter Text
“So… you just… electrocute people and it heals them?” Riyo questioned as she watched Eisha work.
“Uhm… Yes, I try my best to heal people with my vital instrument.” Eisha nodded with the same nervous look she had when she met Riyo.
“A vital instrument that heals..” Riyo murmured. Eisha offered a nod in return.
It had been a month since her introduction to the cleaners and she had made no meaningful attempt to escape. Instead she found herself observing how the cleaners got on. She observed their relationships, their dislikes, their hobbies, their personalities, she observed just what made them human.
She decided that she would need replicate that if she was going to stay and that started with relationships.
It’s why she was talking with the shy girl in the first place.
From what she saw Eisha was relatively shy and reserved while lacking self confidence. She could definitely use that to her advantage here.
“A vital instrument that heals.. Yeah.. You know what? I’ve decided that’s pretty awesome!” She did her best to replicate Enjin, she had observed him the most so she would have a better grasp on him compared to someone like Bro who she rarely interacted with.
“Oh..! Well.. It’s not the best yet… I can’t heal everybody..” She spoke in a subdued tone “But you can heal some people. That’s already more people than I can heal!”
Riyo attempted to carry the conversation further after a back and forth about Elisha’s abilities before she decided that she had done enough relationship building for the day and began working on things she disliked.
That would be easier, she already did dislike things but if she wanted to appear human in the same way Enjin was she should be more… outlandish… with her reactions.
So she locked herself in her room and began writing what she didn’t like and how she should react to each.
“Sweet food… I don’t like sweet foods very much.. So when I see some.. I’ll do this?” She made a face similar to the kind August made when presented with a healthy food.
“Okay.. When I eat sweet food I will make a face.”
She moved onto the next.
“And when I see a roach I should..” She thought for a moment.
She thought back to a time when she was still observing and unsure on whether or not she would make a break for it. She had snuck out and climbed into Enjins room, it was a risky move considering she hadn’t scouted the place out before hand but she decided to enter it anyways.
Enjin ended up waking up and when he did he was startled by her so badly he nearly jumped to the ceiling, he froze for a moment before sighing with a hand over his heart.
“So when I see a roach… I will jump and be afraid..” She stood up and practiced a few different motions before landing in which one she should do.
“And I don’t like….” She froze.
She closed the note book she was writing in swiftly and shoved in a drawer. She was done thinking about things she didn’t like. Now she needed to find some hobbies.
She pondered just what hobbies she could pull from. She knew August made clothes and seemed passionate about it and that some weird guy who apparently wasn’t a cleaner liked doing art. Enjin smoked a lot, could that be a hobby?
She looked at her scissors and then the hair she had just been twirling around her finger.
Hair.
Her hobby could be hair styling! She knew a bit about it from before and she did find it fun but never got the opportunity to mess with other peoples hair on account of being to busy, to tired, and, nowadays, too reclusive.
With a personality, dislikes, and hobbies she could finally begin building a new identity that fit in nicely with the other cleaners.
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“Watcha doin’?” Riyo draped herself over the top of a couch. Her wide eyes were focused on Bro Santa who was seated across from Dear.
“Riyo! Me and Dear are just playing a game.” If he was surprised he didn’t show it as he pointed to what seemed to be the box that held the game.
She squinted at it. 4 colorful creatures with large ears and thin tails seemed to be running from what she assumed to be traps.
“A game? What do you do in it?” She questioned. Bro patted the space next to him. Riyo didn’t move.
Bro took the rejection in stride as he began to explain the rules to the game.
From what she could gather you built traps and tried to get other players into them until only one person was left standing. She also gathered that board games like these were relatively rare. This was one of the few games from the sphere found left unopened so all the pieces were there and more or less intact.
Slowly she slid off the back of the couch and carefully crouched next to the table as she watched Bro and Santa continue the game to the end.
Dear eventually ended up winning, Riyo assumed Bro took it easy on him, and was invited to join in on the next round.
Her hand twitched at her side idly but before she made any move another cleaner entered the room. Riyo shot up like a spring and politely declined the offer.
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She fled to her room afterwards. She spent hours sitting and staring at nothing before her trance was broken by a knock at the door.
“Yo Riyo! Don’t pretend to be asleep there’s no way you go to sleep this early.”
Her face twitched. Slowly she stood, nothing creaked, snapped, or groaned under her weight. She hardly opened the door, only letting a small crack form that she could see through.
“Knew you weren’t asleep.” Enjin said, she was sure he was grinning. She didn’t open the door wider to check.
“Heard you’ve started making rounds here. Talking to people, watching them, just bein’ around them…” He trailed off as his eyes drifted to the side, his tongue pressed against the side of his mouth.
“Talking to people is hard.” He started. His back hit the wall next to the door and he slid down until he was sitting by it.
“I saw a hot chick in town once. Like really hot. I thought I could work my charm in her but the moment I got close it was like I couldn’t even function anymore. None of the right words came out, if any came out at all..” He chuckled with his eyes trained on the wall. The door opened a smidge wider
“My palms were sweaty, it was like everything I had learned left all at the moment. But even though it was hard I kept going. You know what happened?” He glanced over towards the door. The crack was large enough to see her face through it. The door closed slightly and he looked away.
“I got to go on a sick date with her. And after that I built more confidence, it got easier until it was second nature. Do you get what I’m saying?” He took a smoke out and lit it as he pressed it between his lips. He didn’t look over and the door opened wider.
“You have weird comparisons.” She muttered. Her eyebrows were furrowed together but the edge of her mouth was a slight twitch. It was almost unnoticeable but for Riyo it was the widest she had smiled in a long while. It was the first time he ever saw her smile.
“I’m sayin’ I’m proud of you ya brat. Real proud of you.” He chuckled before putting his hands on his knees and raising himself up.
“It’s a bit scary now but soon enough you’ll be a pro. All you have to do is keep at it, same with your scissors. They’re clunky now but soon you’ll find your style.” He ruffled her hair as he walked away. Riyo nodded absentmindedly. By the time she was aware again he had disappeared down the hallway.
She stood there for a moment just processing the oddity of the entire scenario. She huffed out a small laugh and closed the door.
Tomorrow she could talk to even more people. Tomorrow she would have friends. Maybe one day she could even have family.