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Hide and seek was a fan favourite of the bots at Walter Manor. It was low impact for the more delicate bots but plenty tricky enough to burn off some energy! Those that could connect to wifi turned it off and they spread through the manor. A good way to keep them busy for the day and out of Walter Worker’s hair. Or so they hoped. Rosie Cheer Up was it and she was standing in the foyer counting to one hundred. There were a lot of bots and a lot of rooms to get to.
And one of those bots was Nox. Grinning widely, he had a very good idea! Rushing down the halls, he looked around to make sure other bots weren’t nearby before he slipped into the sewing room. Butterfly was off hiding too, so he knew it would be safe. And he knew the perfect place to hide.
As always, the room was a mess. Cloth was strewn about and half finished clothes were hanging from every surface of the room. How she could find anything was a miracle. Too easy.
Grinning widely, Nox closed the door behind him and got to work. Finding the largest bolt of cloth he could, he started to wrap himself in it. Round and round he spun until the only thing visible was the top of his hat. Wiggling his way over, he leaned against the wall and waited.
Snickering to himself, he waited for the door to open. And he waited, and waited, and waited. As time went on, Nox started to get bored. Sooner or later Rosie had to come in, or another bot trying to help. Someone had to come eventually, right?
There was running and laughter in the halls. Had they forgotten him? Rude! But at least that meant he had won the game.
He wasn’t going to wait around if they were playing something else. There were better things to do. Like gloat that he won! Wiggling, he tried to get free from his hiding place. Only, he was wound too tightly. Grunting, Nox tried to spin around and work it loose. Round and round he went, trying to get it off. Instead, he yelled and fell with a grunt.
Groaning, Nox looked around. He’d really done it now. But maybe he could just roll out. Round and round he rolled, hoping to get free. Only somewhere along the way it must have gotten tucked in. Nox was good and stuck. A robotic burrito with a dapper hat. Now wasn’t that a sight! At least no one could see him here.
With a grumble, he laid his head down on the ground. At least, Butterfly would be in soon, she practically lived here. Any minute now. One turned to five then twenty, somewhere along the way Nox fell asleep.
After getting caught because she had accidently turned her key, Butterfly opted for a walk out to the garden to play with Shadow. It was much later in the day when she made her way back to the room she’d mostly claimed for herself. Just as messy as she left it. She would clean it, someday.
Looking inside, she tilted her head when she saw Nox’s hat on the floor. How did she end up with that? She didn’t remember making him anything new for his hat. Kneeling down, she checked and found him sleeping wrapped up in her fabric. “Nox?”
A snort and Equinox woke up, looking around frantically. Seeing Butterfly, his shoulders slumped. “Hello, Butterfly. I found the best hiding place. But I’m afraid I can’t get out.”
Fretting, she helped him roll over and slowly work him free from his hiding place. “It seems so! But they stopped playing hours ago! Why didn’t you call for help?”
Finally free, he happily stretched his limbs. Looking at Butterfly, he grinned and tapped his temple. “No wifi for hide and seek, remember.”
Butterfly looked at him deadpan. “You know you can turn it back on when it’s over.”
Equinox sat perfectly still. “Uh, yes?”