Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Time to wake up, Vee."

A soft jingle played throughout the speakers of the Toon Rooms. The five toon handlers were already moving out to wake up the Toons still sleeping in their rooms.

Veronica Hurley, Vee's handler, adjusted the nametag on her chest, her hand hovering in the air for a few awkward seconds, before she finally knocked softly on Vee's door, her voice a gentle murmur that Vee didn't even hear before Veronica pushed the door open.

Inside, Vee was already getting dressed by herself. Her bowtie was perfectly adjusted, microphone working, and all systems up to date. Veronica could catch a small glimpse of Vee staring at her own posters she had inside of her room.

Vee turned, looking up to face Veronica. "Good morning." Vee's voice was an impersonal, flat greeting, her face maintaining her usual serious expression, as she wasted no time in leaving the room, nearly pushing Veronica out of the way as she did so.

"Ah–!" Veronica gasped. "You're already up... Good morning to you too." She shyly stepped out of the way, allowing Vee to get through. The smell of burnt cupcakes and another obliterated oven filled the hallway as the other Toons left their rooms.

"Veronica, I'm always up early. Haven't caught on yet?" Vee added, chin up, looking at the chaos reigning in the morning with a air of detached superiority. "It's the bare minimum responsibility of a somewhat serious main character. Being on time." Vee turned her head, looking at the room two doors from hers. Dandy's room, where Devan Reed, Dandy's handler, was still trying to open the door. And failing. Terribly.

Vee shook her head, a small smirk taking hold of her lips, as she began to march away from her room, impatiently moving towards the kitchen.

"You're... not wrong. But, don't you think you're taking this a bit too seriously?" Veronica hurried behind her, hands clasped together. "You're allowed to have fun, Vee. Don't... you shouldn't put too much pressure on yourself. You're too young."

Vee paused, hands pressed on the wall adjacent to the kitchen. "Taking it seriously is clearly working. And I'm not putting too much pressure on myself," Vee gestured towards the inside of the kitchen. Sam McLaughlin, Sprout's handler, was staring at a completely charred oven, seemingly reciting a prayer or mantra of sorts to prevent them from commiting manslaughter. "That's what happens when you DON'T put enough pressure on yourself."

Beside them, a very guilty but still polite Sprout peeked. "Oh, hey, Vee. Veronica..." He waved, trying his hardest to not to look at the mess he and Cosmo had made earlier.

"...Another oven? Really?" Veronica pinched the bridge of her nose. "How many are you going to burn down? I've lost count—"

"9 ovens, in the last semester." Vee raised a hand, the small smirk widening.

"YOU COUNTED—"

"You and Cosmo have costed Gardenview approximately $5000 in replacements." Vee put a hand on her hips, the other pointing at the currently broken oven still in the kitchen.

"..." Sprout opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again.

 "Why. How–What–Why the HELL did–How do you know–WHY DID YOU EVEN KEEP TRACK?!" His cheeks flushed red in shame, as Sam turned around, overhearing the conversation. They stared at Sprout with a look of disappointment.

"I thought it would be funny. And I was right. Your reaction was hilarious, Berry-boy." Vee chuckled.

"Oh, fuck you—" Sprout barked at Vee, before he realized what he had just said. His eyes widened, hands flying to his mouth.

Sprout slowly looked back at Sam, who was already angry due to the oven, now had yet another reason to be angrier. Sprout broke the 'no swearing' rule.

"SPROUT SEEDLY."

Sam took a step forward, unbuckling their belt with murderous intent. Sprout jumped, squeaking in terror, and ran away, with Sam giving chase.

Vee fanned herself, with Veronica beside her facepalming.

"That was... really unnecessary, Vee." Veronica crossed her arms, shaking her head at an unrepentant Vee.

"It is a slap on the wrist." Vee retorted. With her mission accomplished, she turned around, leaving—

"Veronica! Vee! Good morning to you both. Great to see you." An old, weary, and kind voice came from the hallway beside the kitchen. Arthur Walton appeared into view, straightening his tie, as he waved towards them both.

"Good morning, Arthur." The both of them said at the same time, the unusual event causing both of them to look at each other for a second, before looking back at Arthur. The scene ended up drawing a small chuckle from him.

"You know what they say; great minds think alike!" Arthur cleared his throat, his warm grin shaping into more of a professional smile as he remembered why he was here. "I have news, Veronica. Delilah's been planning something big about Vee. Care to follow?" Arthur gestured.

Veronica blinked innocently. "Involving Vee? Oh, of cour—"

"I will follow along as well." Vee demanded, arms crossed.

Arthur's smile faltered for a second. With a worried sigh, he leaned down, getting to Vee's level. "Child, I understand. But, this is, ahem, 'grown-up stuff'. You can't tag along yet." Arthur placed a comforting hand on Vee's shoulder.

"It involves me. I have the right to go." Vee's body did not move an inch, remaining rigid, as if the hand was never even there in the first place.

After a moment of consideration, Arthur pulled his hand back, resting it on his lap. He seemed to be deep in thought for a few seconds, before he ran a hand through his hair and exhaled.

"I can assure you that Veronica here has your best interests at heart," Arthur gestured to the still figure of Veronica, who was silently listening. "You can trust her. Please, Vee. Do not worry."

"I cannot 'trust' her, Arthur. The only one I truly know has my best interests at heart..." Vee dismissed Arthur's statement, her index finger extending to point at her own chest. "Is me."

Veronica's timid expression darkened in disappointment and hurt. She took a quiet step back, straying further from Vee, trying to get as far as possible.

Arthur shook his head, his smile now converted into a more serious, neutral expression, got back up to his full height. "I'm sorry, Vee. But I can't let you go. You're gonna have to trust her." Arthur gestured to Veronica, who quickly hurried to his side.

"Excuse us." Arthur turned, leading the way for Veronica to follow. Vee's eyes widened in indignation, her arms flailing on her sides.

"HEY! YOU CAN'T JUST–" Vee shouted, stepping forwards, taking the rejection as if it was an attack on her pride. She did give up on the idea of chasing them down, as appealing as it was.

"...unbelievable." Vee sighed. A small droplet of water fell in the sink. Vee's head snapped towards the sound. She took a step back, her fists clenched.

------------------------------------------------------

The thud of darts rhythmically hitting the walls was continuously heard as Vee lounged on her bed, still waiting for the meeting to be over.

She threw a small dart at the custom-made dartboard with Tisha's face on it. Her throws were on-point, always hitting the bullseye unless Vee deliberately missed.

The feeling of being rejected, and denied her say on a matter that regarded herself was insulting. It was infuriating. It was an affront to Vee's pride itself.

'She doesn't know me,' Vee thought. 'Only I know what's best for myself. This is unacceptable.' She stirred in her own indignation, the words bouncing around in her head. Eventually after dozens of throws, she missed the bullseye. That was her cue to stop, and take a breather.

Vee got up from her bed, checking her internal clock. From her calculations, Veronica had been in the meeting for about two to three hours. Whatever was going in there, was important.

Vee left her room, her gaze washing over her floor, which she shared with the other main characters. She took the stairs down, beginning her aimless wandering throughout the building, trying to take her head off of the, in her eyes, justified rage.

She eventually passed by the play room, where a lot of toons were gathered. Most were watching the TV, while others slept or just relaxed.

The TV at the center of the play room was playing an episode of the Dandy's World TV cartoon. The remote laid beside a now very asleep Austin Russo, Astro's handler. He was sprawled on one of the couches, with an equally asleep Astro curled up on his lap.

"Guys! Look, it's Vee!" An overly excited voice, probably belonging to Razzle, rung out from the playroom. Heads turned as Vee stopped to take a look at the TV. A few squeaks of excitement and wonder came from the toons inside the room, with most of them gesturing or waving towards Vee.

She barely noticed the praise–it was something she had grown to expect. She was used to being a celebrity within the toons. Vee lifted an arm, a shallow gesture of acknowledgement and dismissal towards the small, domestic crowd, before she started to walk again.

"Hey, Vee?" A small voice came from beneath her. "Can you sign this for me? Please?" Vee didn't see it, but a small piece of paper was abruptly shoved in her hands.

She silently lifted it up to her vision, hands scrambling around for a pen.

"...Wait." She blinked, eyes squinting, as she took a closer look at the paper. It was a printed picture of Vee... with a cartoonish mustache, and devil horns. On the bottom, it was even signed off with 'dandy rules 'n vee droolz >:)'.

Vee looked at the person who gave the item to her. To nobody's surprise, Dandy was standing there, with a shit-earing grin plastered across his face.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" Dandy shurgged, stretching himself. "And your prizes? And your gameshow—"

"You wasted ink to make a cheap, unoriginal joke." Vee cut him off, crumpling the paper in her hands. She tore the paper to shreds, letting the small pieces of paper fly away. "Are you proud of yourself?"

"Oh, very much." Dandy tilted his head, his face still unrepentant. "Wasting your time is one of the most fun things I can do. Besides, you know, trying to watch you beat me in, anything." He gestured towards the TV in the play room with his head.

"The only reason you are currently more popular than me is because you're the titular protagonist." Vee crossed her arms, attempting to project her perceived superiority onto Dandy. "If you weren't, I am certain you wouldn't even be top 10 in the polls."

"Blah, blah, blah!" Dandy mimicked Vee with his hand. "Always 'if' and 'when', but never 'is'!" His smile widened, as he took a step closer to Vee, his own aura of arrogance clashing with hers. "If you wanna talk hypotheticals, go to Brightney. Oh, wait, you already do." Dandy's smirk became sharper. "And you know something you two share in common?"

He cleared his throat, as Vee's eyes widened in anticipation.

"You both always end up in second place—"

"You watch your damn mouth." Vee jabbed a finger at Dandy, who pretended to be terrified.

"Oh, shiver me timbers," He faked shivering, mocking fun at a furious Vee. "Thought you weren't into emotions. I can–oof–I can smell your anger, Veezie."

Vee reached behind her, grabbing her microphone tail, and swishing it meancingly behind her. "Call me that again and I'll shove this microphone down your throat."

"C'mon! I'd love to see you try!" Dandy met her threat head on, putting his hands up in a mock defensive stance. The two seemed to be locked in a standstill, before...

"Can you... tone it down, please?"

Astro's tired, soft voice came from beside them. He stood there, blanket wrapped tightly around his body, nightcap tilted, and the star on his face letting out a dim glow. "I was trying... to sleep."

Vee and Dandy immediately dropped the act, putting away anything they had and facing Astro.

"Ahem—" Dandy composed himself, before skipping over and wrapping his hands around Astro's body, giving him a tight and affectionate hug. "Mornin', buddy! Sorry for waking you up..."

Vee watched with a ting of jealousy as Astro accepted the hug warmly, watching the signature tired smile of the moon appear when Dandy hugged him. As soon as they broke away, Vee moved, placing herself directly in front of Astro.

Her hands extended, and began to smooth Astro's blanket, 'repairing' it after Dandy's hug. "Good morning, Astro." Vee muttered, swapping to readjusting his nightcap after she was done smoothing the wrinkles on the blanket.

"The horror. Astro, blink twice if you're being held hostage." Dandy lightly whacked Vee's arm. Leaning in to whisper mischeviously in Astro's ear. "I'll help you file the restraining order."

Vee looked back at Dandy with barely restrained rage. Astro coughed.

"I don't mind her..." He objected, giving Vee a small nod of gratitude when she was done fixing his outfit for him. "She is very gentle with me."

Dandy gasped in mock betrayal, hands flying to his chest. "Astro! You're supposed to back me up here!" Dandy gestured wildly at Vee, who was amused. "We have to take down Ms. I Hate Fun together!"

"I would much rather have you both be friends." Astro suggested. Vee looked at Dandy, who also looked at Vee. They had an awkward stand-off for a few seconds, and came to the same conclusion.

"Not happening. Sorry."

"Absolutely not."

Astro yawned, shaking his head. "Well. I tried." He shrugged, unwilling to spend more of his energy on the matter. "Hey. At least I got you to agree on something." He gestured lightly with his head. Dandy crossed his arms and turned away with a childish huff. Vee didn't bother moving.

"Yeah, okay." Dandy hissed. "I'll go do something more important now. Like, talking to my mom!" Dandy waved to Astro, starting to walk away deliberately slowly just to be annoying.

"Delilah is occupied," Vee increased her volume while keeping a neutral tone for Dandy to hear. "With Arthur and Veronica. You're going to be waiting a while." Her microphone tail lashed behind her in clear irritation, as Dandy froze.

"That's why you're being extra grumpy today? Scared that they're talking smack behind your back?" Dandy turned, head tilting in interest. 

Vee's expression settled on a calm disdain. "I am not grumpy. I am not like you." She took a step forward, looking down at Dandy. "I don't feel fear. I don't feel anger. I don't feel 'grumpy'. I am... above those." She adjusted her bowtie again.

Dandy blinked, letting the words simmer in the air for a couple of seconds. Astro took a step back, his frame visibly uncomfortable.

"Last gameshow episode you were pretty angry when Scraps won again—"

"Alright that's it." She grabbed her mic-tail and seemed ready to charge towards Dandy, until they heard footsteps approaching.

Vee, Dandy and Astro turned.

"Veronica!" Vee called out, a wave of relief washing over her body as Veronica was in view. However, she seemed... strange. Her head was lowered, her hands were clasped together, and she walked at a fast, uneven pace. Almost as if she had seen a ghost.

Or heard one.

Vee was quick to identify the demeanor changes. Veronica, when hearing Vee's voice, visibly flinched, her walking picking up more pace. Vee watched as Veronica walked past her.

"Hey–Don't ignore me!" Vee shouted, giving chase. Astro shuddered, taking another wobbly step back, as Dandy watched, torn by amusement and genuine concern for his rival.

Vee caught up to Veronica, grabbing and tugging on her arm. She heard her handler gasp, and snap her arm away from Vee.

"What happened in the meeting?" Vee asked, her voice demanding and clear.

Veronica didn't turn around "I...I think you should go—"

"I think, you should tell me what the hell happened." Vee cut her off with a snarl. "It's my right."

Veronica paused, and turned around. Her face, eyes covered by shadow, had an irritated and... fearful look. "You shouldn't—"

"I will."

"I'm g-going to tell you later–"

"Why not now?!"

"Vee, d-don't worry a-about it, ju-just–"

"Tell me. Now." Vee took an imposing step forward, staring straight at Veronica's very being. She opened her mouth...

"VEE! PLEASE!" 

Vee's eyes widened when Verônica let out a pained plea, sounding like she was begging for mercy. She took a few steps back, avoiding Vee's gaze. Her hands shook, and she pressed them against her chest in an attempt to still them.

"...I'm sorry." Veronica apologized, her voice a broken whisper. She ran away to her office, leaving Vee alone in the hallway.

A small gasp of shock ran through Vee's frame. Her mouth closed, her hands curling into tight fists. "You... Why do you have to make things so goddamn difficult...?"

Vee's snarl of rage became a twisted smile, devoid of any humor. "Fine! You wanna play like that?!" She shouted into the emptiness, gesturing wildly at nobody.

"I'll figure it out myself."

Chapter Text

"Alright, alright, everyone. Good work. We're done for the day." 

Arthur's voice boomed over the staff, bringing relief. Another work day had been completed, without any major incidents. The visitors were satisfied, the kids were entertained, and everything had gone well.

"Good work," Arthur patted Delilah on the back. "You're going to stay the night here or..."

She paused, looking at him. Her polite, corporate grin softened an imperceptible amount. "I'll stay at the lab for tonight. Have some work to wrap up." She said. Arthur nodded, giving her a warm thumbs up.

The toons, enjoying the time they had left before general bedtime, gathered around inside the toon rooms, their chatter being the only noise filling the air in the building. "Alright, kids! It's time to go to bed!" Shanon's sweet voice echoed over the chatter, who got replaced by complaints and whines.

"I HATE BEDTIME!" A very angry Shrimpo marched up to Shanon and started to punch her leg. Predictably, it wasn't very effective. In fact, it made her giggle.

"Hey, Shrimpo! Cut it out!" She laughed, a mischevious smile on her face. "Or I'll tell Finn~!"

Shrimpo froze. Finn, who was losing the battle against sleepiness, jolted awake at the mention of his name. Shrimpo hissed at Shanon, before slowly retreating.

Well, one shrimp was not able to prevent the unstoppable march of time, and the toons had to be led into their rooms eventually. As most of them were ushered into their quarters, Shelly and Sprout laid against the wall, as Sam and Shanon had a small conversation.

"Have you seen Vee?" Shelly asked, worried. "I haven't seen her all day!" 

"Honestly, your guess is as good as mine." Sprout shrugged. "Haven't seen her since morning."

"Did a dinosaur eat her?!" Shelly squeaked, hands clasped together in worry.

Sprout laughed, adjusting his scarf. "Nah. She's probably in her room. Malfunctioning, maybe. Like the outdated tech she is." He grinned.

"She's not outdated! She's cool! And awesome!" Shelly pouted, tail starting to wag.

Sprout rolled his eyes. "Overrated, sure. But you do you," He leaned his head against the wall, running a hand through the leaves that made up his hair. "Just tell her to come back when she learns how to bake. Or has these," he flexed his arms, showing off non-existent mass, as Shelly let out an happy giggle.

Close to them, Shanon and Sam watched as Austin carried a sleeping Astro into his room. 

"He has the easiest job out of us," Sam gestured towards Austin. "His toon spends more time sleeping than awake. Doesn't make noise. Just... exists. Peacefully." They noted.

"Still wouldn't take Astro over Shelly!" Shanon replied, hands fiddling with a flashlight. "She's so precious, Sam. I'm glad I took the job. My life's so much... happier with her around." She smiled, breathing in the cool night air.

"...Right. I agree. Got attached to my little gremlin over there myself," Sam put their hands on their hips, looking back at Sprout. "Even when he's... a pain, he's a good kid." They let out a soft, tired smile.

"Told you you'd like him eventually!" Shanon nudged Sam. The two continued to chat for a little bit. Austin came out of Astro's room, carefully closing the door.

"Hey, any of you got news on Veronica?" Austin approached his colleagues, hands in his pockets. "Heard she wasn't feeling well."

"Oh, she checked out earlier today." Sam recalled, as Shanon accidentally aimed the flashlight at Austin's face.

"OW–! SHANON–" Austin recoiled, rubbing his eyes, as Shanon gave the flashlight to Sam. She put her hands on Austin's shoulder, her face flushed with worry and embarrassment.

"Sorry! Sorry sorry sorry—" Shanon apologized frantically, profusely. Austin let out a low growl, but accepted her touch, rubbing his eyes again.

"Don't... do that again..." He muttered. Sam held back laughter.

Shanon nodded profusely, hands clasped together. "Never! My fault!" She let out an awkward laugh, immediately softening up as Austin gave her an exasperated fond smile.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Shanon spoke again. "But, yeah... Veronica wasn't feeling very well." She added, looking at the ground in worry yet again.

Austin nodded solemnly, his face being deep in thought for a few seconds. "...Oof. Hope she feels better soon." He said, checking his surroundings quickly. "This was after the meeting, yeah?"

"Yup." Sam confirmed.

"I'm pretty sure she was feeling sick there too. She was the first to leave..." Shanon remembered.

"Right. I'll call her tomorrow to see if she's doing alright." Sam nodded. "We should wrap up getting the kids to bed." She added, with a tone of finality. The other two handlers nodded, and got to work shortly after.

-----------

The lights turned off. The only noises present was the continuous hum of machinery in the background and the soft snores of asleep Toons.

A door was slowly opened.

A low, green glow came from Vee's room, as the door neatly shut behind her. Vee looked around, checking to see if nobody was near. After confirming she was alone, Vee was quick to make her way downstairs.

She stepped carefully on the wooden floorboards, flinching at every creak and noise she made. She constantly used her Mic Check ability before she turned corners and entered rooms and hallways alike.

After making her way deep inside the building, she was met with a roadblock. A staff-only door blocked the way to her destination. Vee's fists clenched in annoyance. She tired to push the door. Nothing happened, the door was locked. She kneeled, checking the keyhole. Nothing.

She stood up again, deeply dissatisfied. "..." She hummed lowly, her mind running a few calculations. She had to find another way.

An idea came to mind.

Vee looked up. The vents! They were tight and uncomfortable, but, it was what she had at her disposal. Vee sneaked back, and spent a few minutes gathering enough junk to build a makeshift ladder so she was able to reach the vents.

She slid a metal claw in the screws and unscrewed them, making sure she didn't make too much noise. The screws fell loose one by one. Then, the large, Vee-shaped vent cover fell. She caught it and laid it on the junk.

With a grunt of effort, she jumped up, climbing into the ventilation system. She painfully forced herself in, distorting the metal as she forcefully fit. Then, she started crawling.

The dust wasn't too much of a problem, as she swiped it away from her screen occasionally. The issue was that she didn't know the outline of the vent system. Vee made a few blind turns, checking down below to make sure she wasn't crawling in circles. It was confusing, but, hey, she was bound to get somewhere. Eventually.

"WHO GOES THERE?!"

A shout made a shiver run through Vee's body. Her eyes widened in response, fearing she had been caught. Something hit her in the face.

She wiped said thing away. It was... candy wrapper. With lots of drool on it. Ew. Vee threw the candy wrapper away, her focus locking on the person ahead. The threat itself approached Vee... armed with more candy wrappers.

"...Pinãta?" Vee called out, tilting her head in confusion.

"It's YATTA–WAIT!" Loud shuffling was heard. "VEE?! Is that you?!" Surely enough, Yatta appeared from the shadows, her alarmingly flexible body on full display. She looked at Vee. "What are YOU doing here?! Aren't you supposed to be SLEEPING?!"

"I could say the same to you." Vee replied.

"...fair." Yatta shook her head. "Wait. Are you trying to STEAL MY CANDY?!" Yatta growled at Vee defensively, baring her teeth. 

"No," Vee shook her head, trying to look past Yatta. "I can't eat. I don't have a mouth." She clarified, looking back at Yatta, realizing her efforts of trying to see past the very loud obtrusion were futile. "Also, keep it down."

"That's what a CANDY STEALER would say!" Yatta wasn't convinced. Her tails lashed behind her in alarm. "You think you're SLICK?! Acting all... sneaky and suspicious? Cut it out!"

"Shut up or I'm telling Gigi you hide your candy here."

Yatta froze. "...how did you know–"

"You threw wrappers at me. And the vents smell of sugar."

"...Okay, okay! I surrender! Don't do that!" Yatta muttered a small 'damn' under her breath, looking at Vee. "I... I can help! Where are you headed?"

"The camera room." Vee replied. "You know the way?"

"...I do!" Yatta started grinning. "And I can tell you—"

"500 pieces of candy."

"PUTA MIERDA—"

"Keep it down!"

"Sorry! Yes, yes, yes! The way is over there, miss!" She pointed behind her. "Take the first left you see, and keep going straight until you see a right! After that, you'll basically be there already!" Yatta instructed, her mouth watering at the thought of more candy.

"Acknowledged." Vee nodded, moving forward. Yatta beamed. 

"..."

"..."

"Are you going to... let me through?"

"Oh, I'm supposed to do that?"

"How am I going to get to–Yatta. The candy."

"Alright, FINE! Jeez!" Yatta shuffled backwards, trying her best to get out of Vee's way. "Shoulda told me earlier..."

Yatta managed to move out of the way, and waved Vee goodbye, already daydreaming about the candy. Vee made her way to the camera room, the journey now long and silent. She saw the first left, and turned. The air seemed to get colder around Vee.

She came up to a vent cover. Vee almost ignored it before something caught her attention–the fact that there was light beneath it. At this hour of the night. Vee couldn't help but look down below. She peeked into the room...

Which happened to be Delilah's office.

Delilah was inside, sitting lazily on a chair, sketching some drawings of Poppy and Boxten on her work table, illuminated by a very bright light. Vee tilted her head in confusion. Delilah had never been that kind of artist, at least not to Vee's knowledge. And, the drawing seemed to almost be... distorted in a way.

Her gaze went over the other items on the table. A flashlight, multiple confidential files, a stack of NDAs, three empty mugs of coffee and an entire coffee maker, and... a paper. With the headline being:

'VEE VERSION 2'

'Must have been a printing mistake,' Vee thought. Before a terrifying thought crossed her mind. She blinked, taking another look–

A bright burst of light hit her on the face. Vee suppressed a shriek, crawling backwards and staying away from the cover. Inside the office, Delilah pointed the bright flashlight at the cover, her shadowed eyes seemingly staring at the ventilation system with suspicion and... curiosity.

Vee went still to the best of her ability, not daring to make a single noise. It would spell the end of her mission.

A few seconds passed. An annoyed groan came from the room. The flashlight turned off, and the sound of a chair creaking back into place was heard. Vee was safe.

She made it through the cover carefully, before picking up pace. She followed Yatta's instructions, and soon enough, she arrived at the camera room. After unscrewing the cover, she moved it away and landed down on the room with a soft thud.

The room was messy, but functional. Wires were everywhere under the table, as many computers and monitors were placed on the tables. Most monitors were turned off, with some still displaying a few stubborn images of indoor surveillance cameras.

Vee walked to the table, wiping it from a few specs of dust, before she observed the computers at her disposal. One computer caught her attention. A computer with an amusing and interesting sticky note attached to it.

She turned on said computer, and looked at the sticky note attached to it. It read 'password is gardenview123'. Vee smirked. As it turned on, she input the password, which actually worked. She accessed the files where the camera recordings were held, and scrolled through a few. Until she found one.

'RECORDING_4122002'

Vee clicked on the file.

-----------

"And that's going to be it for us today. Thank you for your time." Arthur coughed, his voice serene and friendly, as the other toon handlers stretched themselves and began to leave.

Veronica was breathing rapidly. She had not heard anything relating to Vee yet. The anticipation was killing her. She was the last to get up, slowly following the others.

"Veronica."

A voice called out. Delilah Keen. She looked at Veronica, who visibly flinched, her look impersonal and indifferent. "We need you to stay. Important, private matters."

There it was. Finally. Veronica turned to look at Delilah, nodding her head very rapidly. She hurried back to her seat, sweating profusely.

Arthur and Delilah remained seated at the conference table. Delilah took a calm sip of coffee as Arthur coughed to himself. Veronica adjusted her seat so she was facing her superiors.

"As we have discussed before," Arthur's voice began. He now looked way more uneasy and serious. "Delilah and I have decided to proceed with the Version 2 program."

Delilah gave a small nod, placing the mug down on the table with a soft clink.

Veronica went pale for a second, before she quickly replied. "I... I d-don't understand." Veronica stammered out. "Vee is d-doing well enough. She... she's second to Dandy, isn't she?"

"Yes," Arthur nodded. "But, we believe the upgrades are a necessary feature to her overall. It will–"

"Improve her performance. Make her more captivating. And, we foresee any increase in activity and sales shortly after the upgrade. It is a net positive." Delilah cut Arthur off, her voice a flat, neutral tone. She wasn't talking about the life of a Toon. She was talking about numbers.

"But... Delilah." Veronica leaned forwards, her voice pleading. "She has... She won't like it. We don't want to make Vee upset—"

"Vee will appreciate it," Delilah cut her off again. "She was built to win, wasn't she? This is what we're doing. Making her stronger." She smiled, a sharp, cold grin.

"Version 2's chassis is already being constructed," Arthur added, wiping some sweat off of his brow. "Do not worry, Veronica. It will... still be Vee. You will keep your job as is."

Veronica shivered. After a long moment of silence she spoke. "It... It won't." Veronica brought her hands to her chest. "I can't be for certain that it will. And... I don't think it will be her." 

Veronica let out a small sob. Arthur's face softened, his hand coming up to his chest. He wanted to say something, but didn't find the words. Delilah, meanwhile, had no changes.

"...please." Veronica put a hand out, before retracting it. "I just wanted to b-be a good h-handler." She sobbed.

Arthur walked over to Veronica. He put a hand on her shoulder. "This... This isn't about you. It's not your fault." He comforted her, looking at Delilah for reassurance. She gave a slow nod. 

"It's going to be okay, Veronica. Don't... don't cry. You'll still have all the time in the world to be a good handler for Vee." Arthur patted her head, as Veronica stopped sobbing after a few, silent minutes. Delilah got up, smoothing her outfit.

"Thank you for your time," Delilah nodded respectfully, taking her leave. Veronica and Arthur stayed for about a minute, before they left as well. 

The recording finished. 

-----------

Vee's eyes were wide with shock and disbelief. She took a few steps back, before looking at her own hands.

"...Improve... what...?" She muttered to herself. She let the recording sink in for a few minutes. A few sharp bursts of laughter came from her. "...What does she think I am? A... something you can just... throw away?" She marched up to the computer, turning it off.

"No." She said, her voice echoing in the empty room. "You... you can't do that to me. I'm..." She looked at herself again. She let out a whine of desperation before forcibly rebooting herself.

"I'm... more than this." Vee stared at the ceiling. The indignation of not only being denied her presence in an important meeting, but now being under threat of what she saw as replacement, coiled low in her throat. A feeling filled her mind. Something akin to—

"I am not angry. I am not angry." She whispered. Delilah's words melted in her circuits. Improve performance. More captivating. Built to win.

Vee translated the words to her language.

Not. Good. Enough.

"We're still having that talk." Vee used a nearby drawer as support and climbed into the vents again. She put the cover back in place, and crawled back to where she came from.

"This has just started, Delilah..." 

Chapter Text

"...One of you already knows why we're all here."

The Toons were rounded up and gathered in the lobby. Everyone was confused. Most were intrigued, some were annoyed, and one particular shrimp was growling at Sam, who looked over the toons with an air of dissatisfaction.

"Someone decided it would be really funny to break into the vents and crawl around them." They leaned over, their eyes tired and stern. "Spill it. For your own good." They said. Their words made a few, more anxious toons squeak in fear.

"Oh, wow! ¿Puedes creer eso? Who would even break into the vents like that? Hah!" Yatta laughed. Before she knew it, she felt heavy breathing on her shoulder. She didn't even have to turn to recognize who it was.

Blot was staring right through Yatta's soul. His singular eye locked on her face, his gaze a final judgement of guilt.

".ereht ydnac ruoy gnittup pots ot uoy dlot I" Blot spoke, his voice full of barely restrained indignation and fury. Yatta audibly gulped, sweating out of stress.

"Uhh... Yeah, don't worry, g-guys!" Yatta laughed awkwardly, trying her hardest not to look at Blot. "He's saying it was... erm..." Yatta started shaking a little, wiping the sweat off of her brow, as Blot stood like a statue.

She turned, leaning in to whisper. "D-dude, stop looking at me like that. This one wasn't me–"

".snoitca ruoy fo secneuqesnoc ehT"

"Cállate, boludo–"

Blot pointed at Yatta. ".maS ,ti did ehS" Yatta screeched in fury, pouncing on Blot. Looey ran to try and get them away from each other. Sam looked at the confusion and facepalmed.

"...What a waste of my time." Vee, from the back of the crowd, in the Main Character Circle™, declared. She turned and took her leave, escaping the confusion and removing herself as a potential suspect. After a few minutes, with Razzle & Dazzle joining in to help, Yatta and Blot were restrained.

"LET ME GO! THIS IS TREASON OF THE HIGHEST ORDER! THE BRO CODE WAS BROKEN!" Yatta struggled against Looey, who whined in protest as he tried to keep Yatta under control. Blot, on the other hand, was almost limp in Razzle & Dazzle's arms, silently staring at Yatta.

"It's seven in the morning," Sam sighed, already completely spent. "It's seven in the morning. I can't swear. I need to deal with this. It's okay. It's fine." They murmured to themselves, taking a few deep breaths. Sprout shyly walked over to their side and patted their leg, nodding in understanding.

"Yatta, you and Blot need to stop fighting..." Looey pleaded to a still squirming Yatta.

"Blot, don't worry! You're in safe hands!" Razzle beamed. Dazzle was holding Blot a little too tight for it to be accidental.

"He BETRAYED me! I will never forgive him for that! It's OVER!" She spat. Blot rolled his eye.

"SHUT UP!" Shrimpo shouted, inserting himself in the mess. "I HATE YOU!" He pointed at Yatta. "AND THE STUPID, PATHETIC-LOOKING MIME! YOU BOTH ARE WEIRD! I HATE YOUR CIRCUS TROUPE!" He insulted.

Yatta's head snapped towards Shrimpo.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY, YOU EXPIRED CALAMARI?!" Yatta snarled, her focus now being on Shrimpo. "NOBODY TALKS TO ONE OF MY DEAREST BEST FRIENDS LIKE THAT! I'LL BITE YOUR FACE OFF!" Yatta growled at Shrimpo, who growled back at her. Blot looked at Yatta with a mix of flattery and exasperation, before nodding in approval. Looey considered letting go of Yatta. Sam pinched the bridge of their nose.

"I..." Sam shook their head. "Look. Just... whoever it was, don't do that again. It's really annoying." They gave Sprout a silent, utterly spent nod, and walked away, off to do actually productive things. The toons dispersed soon after.

-----------

By that time, Vee had already arrived at her room. She locked the door behind her and turned on the lights. She walked to her wardrobe, and pushed it aside, revealing a space in-between the wardrobe and the wall big enough to fit a body inside. Vee kept backup items there, such as gameshow scripts, reserve microphones, multiple layouts of potential 'assassination attempts' (glorified trolling) against Dandy, some of them even having annotations and suggestions from a few anonymous helpers, and more junk Vee liked to keep hidden.

Vee made some space in the mess and laid down a few pages of the 'Vee Version 2' document, and promptly pushed the wardrobe back in place. She walked over and reached under her bed, pulling out a few balls of yarn, stolen seized from Scraps as 'payback for the game shows'. Her eyes then fell upon a corkboard she had hung up on her wall, small but packed with information, looking like something Rodger would do. Multiple lines of yarn, connecting photos, documents, and people. She had spent the whole night after the expedition in the vents creating her war plan.

In the most recent addition, she had small instructions, all interconnected by yarn, reading: 'Arthur Walton and Delilah Keen -> Plans to upgrade me -> Arthur bends to Delilah's will -> Speak to Delilah personally about it.'

Vee stared at the final instruction. It was her conclusion. Going into an open rebellion against Delilah was foolish. The best option was to solve this diplomatically.

"Of course," Vee talked to herself, admiring her handiwork. "...Delilah herself." She spoke. A small sigh ran shudders through her body, as she adjusted her already pristine bowtie.

She remembered something.

"...Oh. Right." Vee turned, running to exit her room. She was late to Brightney's studies. Vee ran down the hallway, taking the stairs, until she finally arrived at the quiet library. Vee opened the door, finding Brightney, hunched over a few books, sitting in a lonely table. She was staring intently at a math book, filled with actually complex equations and problems Brightney was very familiar with.

"Brightney. Good morning." Vee spoke, her voice warmer than usual. She closed the door of the library and walked to stand beside Brightney.

Brightney straightened her posture as soon as she heard Vee's voice. "Oh, hi, Vee! Thought you wouldn't come for a second..." She smiled, putting a hand over a page of her book. "It's okay, though! You're teaching me to be... independent, right?"

"I am," Vee agreed, taking a step closer. "But I am more interested in continuing to tutor you." Vee gave her a small nod, her eyes now falling on the book she was covering.

"How's your work going?" Vee asked.

Brightney cleared her throat awkwardly. "Uh... good...?" She slowly moved her hand away.

Vee and Brightney stared at a blank page.

"..." 

"..."

Vee looked at Brightney, a dangerously fond smirk playing on her face. "Really now? Did you use invisible ink to write?" Vee laughed lowly. "Gameshow's in two days. Can't have my best contestant doing nothing."

Brightney sighed, lowering her head in defeat. "Sorry. I... It's just been tough. I don't..." Brightney looked at the book again, struggling to find the words.

"You don't... what?" Vee looked closely at Brightney, her head tilting in interest and mild concern.

"I don't... feel as good as I did when I go study. It... I'm not seeing a point anymore, Vee." Brightney clutched her head, leaning over the book. "It's so tiring to do this every day, and get no results!" Her tone increased. Vee leaned back, reading the growing desperation.

"No matter how many equations I solve, no matter how many things I remember, I always..." Brightney's hands curled into angry fists. "I always get second place! Somehow, Scraps is always ahead of me! And she doesn't even study!" Brightney shouted, throwing her hands up in desperation. "How is this fair?! I... No matter how many times people tell me I'm smart... I don't feel it." Brightney shook. 

"I don't think I'm good enough, Vee. Why do you... spend so much time on me? Even though... I've done nothing but lose?" Brightney pleaded for an answer.

Vee stood, processing Brightney's outburst of repressed anger. "I spend time on you because I..." Vee paused, choosing her words.

"...because, I feel that you posses the greatest potential out of anyone here," She said, stepping closer to Brightney. "Not only as a student. But as a person. As a... friend." 

Brightney looked at Vee, before she quickly looked away, her own mind filled with thoughts.

Vee's screen dimmed after the confession, as she continued. "This world is not a fair one," Vee gestured. "Sometimes you just lose. No matter how much you do. It is not your fault."

"It's not sometimes. It's every time." Brightney's teeth gritted in frustration. "And I don't care if it's not my fault. I want something. I do everything to get it. And... it still doesn't happen." Brightney paused. She looked at Vee's concerned face, and back at the book. Her demeanor tense, as she hunched over the book, her face now in her hands.

"Why... why am I so unlucky, Vee?" Brightney sobbed. "Why me?"

Vee moved. She placed a hand on Brightney's back, rubbing slow, soothing circles on it. She was silent for a long time, before speaking again.

"You're the smartest toon I know," Vee praised. "Don't tell yourself otherwise. The gameshow... It... It is not a good metric to base your intelligence on." Vee added. She brushed the book away, tucking it under her own arm. 

"Scraps is lucky. You are disciplined. You are dedicated. You will reap what you sow," Vee promised, her voice a personal, maternal murmur in Brightney's ear. "Your efforts will be rewarded."

Brightney sobbed again, her body trembling. "I don't think it will anymore, Vee."

"When I started, I wasn't as famous as I am right now."

"You're Vee! You're, like, THE toon, behind Dandy! And Dandy is literally the face of Gardenview!" Brightney turned to face Vee, a few tears on the corners of her eyes. "You make it look easy! How am I supposed to live up to that?!" Brightney cried.

Vee froze. A flicker of genuine panic overrode her Systems as she spotted tears in Brightney's eyes. She carefully moved, her hand coming to wipe the tears away as they fell.

"I... I don't want you to live up to me." Vee looked in Brightney's eyes. "I want you to be your own self. Brightney. Please. You..." Vee remembered something. She shook her head, trying to remember something else. She didn't seem to succeed.

"...You shouldn't place that much pressure on yourself. It is... comproved to be unhealthy." Vee suggested, conceding. 

"And..." Vee gripped Brightney's shoulders, holding her steady. "Don't reduce yourself to gameshow wins. Don't reduce yourself based on how 'smart' you are. You are more than this."

Vee nodded, doing her best to get her point across. "You are smart. You are worthy. But you are not just that. You're Brightney. You're a kind person. A diligent person. Someone who... brightens people's days." Vee slowly let go, making sure Brightney would be fine on her own.

"Be proud of yourself. Nobody can do it as much as you can."

Brightney stopped sobbing. She looked into Vee's eyes, her lampshade dampened with tear streaks. "...promise me it's going to get better." She pleaded.

"...I can't predict the future," Vee saíd, before she finally let a soft, warm smile out. "But I can promise you I'll be there for you, no matter what."

Brightney's shoulders relaxed as the tension and pressure gave her a temporary relief, washed away by Vee's support. They were in silence for a few seconds, before...

Brightney pulled Vee into a hug.

Vee stiffened for a second, before patting her back, letting her cry on her shoulder. Brightney gripped Ver tightly, her son's shaking both of their frames. For a moment, they could forget about the gameshow. Vee could forget about the plot to replace her. Brightney could forget about the pressure she carries every day.

"T-thank you." Brightney sobbed, nodding softly, a genuine smile on her face. She slowly disengaged, feeling lighter and more at ease. "Should... should I... get back–"

"No need. You earned a little bit of rest." Vee took the book from under her own arm, keeping it closed and facing away from Brightney.

"Go do something you enjoy, Brightney." Vee suggested. Brightney was surprised, but she got up, awkwardly stretching herself, before giving Vee a thankful nod and walking out of the library.

Vee nodded back, watching Brightney go. She walked over to a shelf, inserting the book in it's slot. Her hand lingered on it before she let go. Vee turned, making her own way out of the library.

She still had a war to fight. Her own. But, that was an issue solved for now. She left the library, closing the door behind her.

And then, she heard a voice at the end of the hallway.

"...from the basement? I've checked, there's nothing there. Are you... have you been taking your medications?" It was Arthur, seemingly on the phone. Perfect. Vee immediately bolted, running to catch him.

"ARTHUR WALTON!" Vee shouted.

"I need to speak to Delilah!"