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Shelly stood in the middle of the Gardenview Centre lobby, watching as the other Toons mingled amongst each other. She quite enjoyed people watching; it was interesting to see how the others interacted, treating guessing what they were talking about almost as a game. On one side of the lobby, by an elevator, Glisten could be seen chatting with Gigi and Connie. The three were giggling and leaning in close to each other when saying anything, leading Shelly to the conclusion that they were definitely gossiping about someone. Nothing out of the usual.
However, on the other side, a very different interaction was taking place. Boxten was cowering behind Poppy as she berated Shrimpo, presumably for picking on him. Shrimpo would always make fun of the music that Boxten would play out of his head in order to soothe himself when he was anxious. It was one of the first times she had actually seen him almost be scared of anyone - or anything, for that matter.
As she watched the way everyone interacted with each other, whether it was the most mundane or interesting conversation, Shelly tried to imagine herself joining in. She tried to envision how the different Toons would talk to her, what they would ask her and how she would respond. Fantasies can only get someone so far, though, and she quickly was brought back into the reality that she was alone, amongst all these people.
It felt like she was invisible. Nobody ever gave her the grace of saying, “Hello, Shelly! How are you today?” Nobody asked her, “Shelly, what’s your favourite dinosaur? I’d love to know more about them.” She would even prefer Shrimpo coming up to her and spitting his usual, nonsensical insults at her. To Shelly, at this point, any attention would be good attention. She was so desperate for anyone to talk to her, that she turned towards the train station and walked in the direction of Dandy’s Shop.
She couldn’t believe she was actually resorting to making conversation with Dandy, of all people. Dandy, the Toon many had sworn never to speak to again after what happened with the Ichor. Shelly couldn’t help but see a reflection of herself in him. Sure, she hadn’t been at the head of the catastrophe that was the Ichor operation, but she felt similar to him in the sense that Dandy was always ignored by everyone, only spoken to when something was needed from him, or if someone wanted to berate him. It made her pity him, as much as everyone else around her was telling her not to.
As Shelly got closer, she saw Dandy sitting on his usual crate, with the same smile plastered on his face. He noticed her and waved, hopping off of the crate and leaning forward onto the shelf stood between the outside of the shop and the inside. “Hi there, Shelly! What’re ya looking for?”
“Oh, I’m not here to buy anything, Dandy.” Shelly looked down, beginning to feel a bit embarrassed. This was pathetic, she knew it, but she couldn’t back out now.
Dandy turned his head, face changing to hold a hint of confusion. “Listen, dear, I’m definitely not trying t’get rid of ya… but what’re ya doing here if you’re not interested in my services?”
“I, um… suppose I just wanted someone to talk to!”
“So… ya rather come to me. ‘Stead of the lobby packed with Toons.” Dandy had an eyebrow raised, his confusion and uneasiness showing fully through his expression now.
“…Yeah,” Shelly sighed.
Dandy stared at Shelly for a moment, before standing himself upright. “Right.” He crossed his arms, thinking to himself for a solid minute. “Why don’t ya come sit in here with me for a bit?” He smiled when he noticed Shelly perking up a little at the notion. Though he would never tell anyone, Shelly was probably his favourite Toon in Gardenview besides Astro. She was sweet, caring and very passionate about her interests, all traits that he could appreciate. He hated that she was ignored by everyone, but he couldn’t really do anything to remedy that now that he was just as, if not more forgotten than her. He felt very guilty for neglecting her situation now that he was in her shoes.
After being guided into the shop by Dandy, she sat down on the couch beside the crate he used as a seat. Dandy walked over to the box with an unnaturally joyful pep in his step, placing himself back on top of it and crossing one leg over the other. “So, how’re things with ya, Shelly? Been a while since we, y’know… spoke one on one, hasn’t it?”
“Don’t worry about it, it’s been a while since I spoke to anybody one on one, really.” Shelly laughed awkwardly, waving her hand at Dandy. “But apart from that, I’ve been alright. Thanks for asking.”
“…Do ya not get lonely sometimes?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, like, doesn’t it get kinda lonely? Not talking to anybody?” Shelly looked down at her lap, beginning to fidget with her hands. “If I’m being honest? Yes, it gets very lonely.” Dandy nodded his head, both in acknowledgement and understanding. “I feel like that sometimes, too. I guess the difference between you and I is that ya don’t deserve it.” He looked out of the shop window to the the Toons in the lobby. “Me, on th’other hand… well, maybe it’s best that they ignore me.”
“You don’t deserve to be ignored just because you made a mistake, Dandy.” Shelly said firmly. “I know how that feels, and I would never want anyone else to feel the same way. Like they’re…”
“Invisible,” the two said at the same time, staring at each other in surprised silence. Dandy eventually broke that silence with a chuckle, once again getting down from his crate. “Y’know, maybe we aren’t as different as I once thought, Shelly.” He walked over to the couch and sat down beside her.
“How about ya tell me about some dinosaurs?”
Shelly felt her heart skip a beat, her whole body heating up with joy and excitement. Someone was finally seeing her. Actually seeing her. Someone genuinely cared about her and what she had to say. Despite the aching in her throat and the tears forming in her eyes, she was happy. A smile formed on her face, and she mumbled out a shaky, “I’d love to.”
“Woah there, dear, don’t be gettin’ all emotional. I’m not the best at handlin’ this kind of stuff.” Shelly could tell he wasn’t trying to hurt her with his words, so she just giggled and wiped her tears away. Dandy started laughing with her, nudging her with his elbow. “I know the handlers made it sound like I’m the best thing since sliced bread, but I’m really just another Toon. At least, that’s what I think.”
For once, Dandy didn’t just think he was another Toon, he really felt like one. Instead of having to be the amazing Dandicus Dancifer, he felt like he could finally just be Dandy. Putting up performances of perfection and precision all the time was exhausting, Dandy needed some time to be himself.
“Now, about those dinosaurs… what one’s your favourite?” Dandy rummaged through his mind to try and think of a dinosaur. “I like… uh… the T-rex, could ya tell me about that one?”
“Oh! The tyrannosaurus rex is actually really interesting because of the misconception that they had scales.” Shelly was very quick to respond, clearly excited based on the heavy amounts of gesturing and moving around. “It’s been shown that they were more likely to have had feathers, not scales!”
Shelly continued to talk around the topic of prehistoric things in general, from fossils to plants, even to animals; and Dandy listened the whole time, completely engaged in what she was saying.