Chapter Text
For the first time in 3 years, Builder Brother’s was unusually quiet. The last customer, a lone straggler, had passed through 10 minutes ago. 10 whole minutes!! The last time things had been this quiet, it was because everyone outside was panicking about the very first griefing incident ever by some guy named… Noley, he thinks? And that was 3 whole years ago, back when Builder Bro’s was new and expecting such slow days in the first place!
So needless to say, Elliot was bored and suspicious. While his coworker Lulu had pulled out her phone to start recording some new video or other for her vlogging channel, Elliot felt like pulling his phone out to check on the news (which was a pretty big deal, considering his track record of perfect engagement and behaviour on the job).
“You look bored.” A voice snapped Elliot out of his thoughts. “Maybe you should go clean the bathroom, or something.”
Elliot jumped, before realising it was just his coworker—more specifically, the delivery boy, Pizza Guy1 (yes, just Pizza Guy. Don’t ask). “Oh, Pizza Guy. I already cleaned everything, you know.”
P.G. raised an eyebrow. “Everything? In 10 minutes?”
“Well, by everything, I just mean the men’s bathroom and the tables. Someone is occupying the kitchen right now!”
(In the back, Lulu sneezed mid-sentence. She thought nothing of this, however, and remained completely undeterred in vlogging on the job.)
“Right…” P.G. muttered. “You know the women’s bathroom exists, right?”
Elliot gave P.G. what had to be the most deadpan look he had ever had on his face. “I’m a man, P.G.”
“Dude, you can go in the women’s bathroom if you’re cleaning-”
It was then their bickering was interrupted by the familiar ring of the shopkeeper’s bell.
The two of them turned their heads to see a robloxian with pale-ish yellow skin. They wore a red tank top and a baggy pair of jeans. Though, most notable (and concerning) was probably the way they were moving. Elliot was no medical professional, and he certainly didn’t mean to judge, but he was pretty sure bodies are not meant to move like that2!
“Where’s ROBLOX HQ?” A text chat bubble3 appeared over the robloxian’s head. The words were straightforward but polite, but their demeanour seemed urgent and out of breath, as if they had witnessed a crime.
“Uhm–” Pizza Guy spoke first, about to start asking questions (as he often does—he’s Pizza Guy, after all), but luckily, Elliot was there to save the stranger’s butt from his snooping.
“Just keep going east until you spot the tall buildings, you can’t miss it.” Elliot gave the clearly frazzled stranger a reassuring smile—it looked like they needed it!
The stranger nodded in acknowledgement. “Thank you.”
“Of course!” Elliot smiled. P.G. still had a frown on his face, but chose to do the polite thing and hold his tongue.
Elliot frowned as the stranger turned to leave—something in his gut told him it wasn’t a good idea to leave them alone. But what could he do? He was just a stranger, and still on the clock at that. He couldn't just leave!
…Well, there was one thing he could do.
“Wait!”
The stranger looked back, their gaze wary yet cautious.
“You look a bit thirsty.” Elliot pointed out, “so, uh, here! It’s on the house!”
The stranger blinks in surprise as Elliot hands them a Fizzly. Elliot is not looking at him right now, but he can feel P.G.’s baffled stare on his back—he can already hear the mouthful his friend is gonna give him when the stranger leaves. But Elliot doesn’t care—what does P.G. know about shady customers, anyways? It’s not like he’s ever worked the closing shift at the cash register4!
“Thank you.” The stranger’s chatbox popping up in Elliot’s face snapped him out of his internal monologue. He watched as they slowly pocketed the Fizzly, and couldn’t help but think about how wary and awkward the stranger was, as if kindness was unknown to them to the point where they believed even the innocent, cheery cashier had an ulterior motive in giving them a free Fizzly–
Elliot stops that train of thought there. What a rude assumption! Besides, he hopes he wasn’t right, because how sad would it be if he was? No one deserved to live like tha5– annddd Elliot is zoning out again. What was with him today?
“Of course!” Elliot smiled, before deciding to try and test his luck and see if he could go a small step further. “You seem in a rush– uh, I won’t keep you any longer, but I wish you luck with whatever you have to do, is what I’m saying- good luck, pal!”
(…Did Elliot just say good luck twice?? This was even worse than his first shift! He was truly out of it today!!)
The stranger’s eyes warily pierce through Elliot’s soul the entire time, which was uncomfortable, to say the least. As a thick blanket of awkward silence settles over them, Elliot worries he overstepped, but the stranger didn’t seem upset. They let out a small huff of acknowledgement before giving Elliot an awkward thumbs up and a weak attempt at a smile!
(Almost as if they weren’t used to smiling at all… though such a morbid thought never crossed Elliot’s mind.)
Elliot’s own smile brightened as he watched the stranger leave—he was happy to cheer them up, even if only by a little! Though, his internal celebration of his achievement was immediately interrupted by an incredibly bewildered Pizza Guy.
“Dude, was that guy okay? Who the heck was that??”
“Er, I’m not sure,” Elliot replied, “though I do hope they get whatever they want from HQ!”
Pizza Guy let out a hum of acknowledgement before getting a look on his face6 Elliot was well acquainted with by now. “Maybe they were looking for witness protection.”
“Uh, what?” Elliot gave P.G. a confused look.
“Yeah, maybe they’re being targeted by some powerful hacker and they need to go to HQ about it! Would explain the weird animation cycles, don’t you think?”
“P.G.!” Elliot gasped. “That’s rude!”
P.G., who was too blunt to understand these kinds of thing, simply asked, “Pointing out they have a weird walking cycle? How??”
“No, not that! I mean theorising about them like that! It’s like, I dunno, looking at someone’s birthmark and calling it a burn scar!”
P.G. sighed. “Alright, smart guy. But here’s the thing: you can be born with a birthmark, but you can’t be born with a different walking cycle!! it’s literally impossible! All robloxians walk the same, you know this!!”
“Code evolves! For all we know, the admins are trying out something new!”
“You’re assuming they’re a tester now because of their animation cycles? So much for not being rude, Elliot.”
“P.G., that’s not what I meant and you know i-”
“Why are you guys arguing about animation cycles?” A baffled Lulu interrupted as she emerged from the kitchen. “And what’s this about a robloxian who had a weird animation cycle, actually? Spill the tea!!”
Elliot just laughs nervously as Pizza Guy immediately gets to spilling the tea, as per Lulu’s request. “Well, you see, there was this robloxian—uh, they had like, yellow skin? Kinda pale actually, but yeah, I think it was yellow–”
Elliot just shook his head with a fond smile as P.G. retold the entire encounter to Lulu. His friends sure could be a lot sometimes, and they loved doing anything but work, but he wouldn’t change that about them for the world.