Chapter Text
The sounds of constant pen clicking, and frustrated mumbles of a magnifying glass were the only things breaking the silence in the room. The door to his room was locked, Rodger has been isolating himself in his room for almost three whole days. He only ever gets out of there whenever he requires to. For example; he'll only get out whenever he needs to eat, and that's all.
Rodger recently has been going through a loss, the loss of a very dear friend. Well, not that his friend died or anything… I hope. Just the fact he was told he wasn't able to see him anymore by one of the founders of Gardenview. Rodger's paranoia made him frightened for his friend's well-being, and that somehow led him to spiral into this state of panic, trying to figure out if this friend of his was even alive, and trying to find where he was.
You know, being randomly told ‘you cannot see your best friend anymore’ by your creator with no context or reasoning and no longer having access to the floor he lives in can somehow drive you panicking because of the possibilities that could have happened to them.
Without any clues, or anything to hint at his whereabouts, Rodger has only been stuck on one conclusion. Since Delilah had told him he could not see him anymore, then that only means he SHOULD still be at his floor, right? RIGHT?! Oh God if that's not the case that's gonna drive him insane.
Rodger slams his fist on the desk. Frustrated growls emit from him as he lifts his head up. His eye widened as he heard a knock on his door.
“ .. Coming. “ He called out and stepped toward the door and opened it. The tired look on his face disappears for a moment when he sees a Toon he's rather fond of, Brightney.
Rodger looked around and raised his palm up. “ What brings you here? “ He tilted his head as he observed the look on her face. His eyebrows furrow at the worried look.
“ Rodger… you haven't gotten out of your room the whole day. Again. Are you sure you're alright?.. What's going on? You know you can tell me anything. “ Brightney's tone was coated in worry. Her brows furrowing as she saw the state Rodger was in. His room was way more untidy than usual when she peeked behind him.
Rodger was rather silent. He took a moment to look around the halls and then at his room. The halls were rather empty today. What time was it? He scratched the back of his head and looked at Brightney again. “ I'm fine, Brightney. Rest assured. I'm just… busy investigating something. “ He waved his hand at her, shaking his head.
Brightney didn't buy that. There has to be something else bothering him. Rodger doesn't spend three days investigating, usually.. USUALLY. He lets himself take breaks every once and a while. What's even more worrying is that he is barely going out to get some food, which explains the small bento box in her hands. She adjusted her glasses and sighed. “ What could you possibly be investigating that's so much more important than your own health, Rodger? “ Her tone was similar to a disappointed mother.
As she awaited Rodger's answer, she looked at him up and down, trying to see if he was hurt, or something. She doesn't know what she's looking for honestly. She does notice Rodger seemed more… flimsy than usual. She could tell he hasn't slept in a while.
Although… She does realize one thing. He hasn't gone down a few floors to see him in a while. Which is another thing she's worried about, Rodger always came down to visit that fancy looking pocketwatch, or sometimes he would come up to the Toon Rooms to visit Rodger and also to put down some more food and or materials to go off of. Now to think of it… The Pocketwatch plays a mandatory role in order for all of them to survive properly.
…
Maybe she shouldn't be thinking about that.
While Brightney was lost in thought and zoning out, Rodger waved his hand in front of her face and she flinched, stepping back a little and chuckling out of embarrassment. “ oops.. My bad. What were you saying? “ She tilted her head.
Rodger shook his head and sighed. Having his palms up as he closed his eyes. “ Its just… something that came up that got me really curious. It's not a big deal! Promise. “ Rodger did a thumbs up. Hes not even sure if she'll believe him or not.
Brightney knows how incredibly stubborn Rodger can get when it comes to this type of stuff, she didn't decide to bother for now. She sighed and waved her hand around, reaching her hand out towards Rodger to place the box of food in his hands. “This is all the food you missed from breakfast, lunch, and dinner today… eat properly, okay?” She tilts her head.
He hesitantly accepted the bento box, raising his brow as he looked down at it. She saved all of this just for him. He truly does not deserve a friend like her. He nodded and gave the lamp another thumbs up. Before watching her walk away from his room, her light slowly began to dim as she went further into the halls. Rodger turned around and shut his door closed, taking steps closer to his bed and sat down on it. Slowly opening the bento with minimal sound, as if he's going to wake everyone up if he ever decides to be any louder…
In which, he might. Some of the Toons that live on this secondary floor of Toon Rooms have sharp hearing. Considering how the walls are a bit thin. Regardless, he shook his head and looked inside of it. Lets see here… what did Sprout and Cosmo cook up on this Jolly day?
Pancakes, must've been for breakfast. A whole burger with an overly large patty also with 2 cheese slices stacked together, that was probably for lunch. And of course… Cookies and cupcakes for dinner. Not very surprising… Those two are running out of food ideas. He placed the bento in his lap and picked up the burger with his two hands leaning his head to the side to compare its size to his head. Funny… it’s nearly as big as his head.
He chuckled mainly to himself before leaning his head down and placing a hand beneath his eye, pulling his eye down and sharp teeth began to emerge from the sides of eye, and suddenly… it was a mouth. He himself has no idea how his mouth even works— Hell he doesn't think he was supposed to have a mouth in the first place until a few years ago! Being a Cyclops-like Toon with no mouth… sometimes has its perks. In a way. But he supposes he needed to eat, at least one way or another.
He took a big bite out of the burger and chugged it down his throat. Grabbing his measly water bottle which he needs to refill soon and poured it all over his eye. He blinked and suddenly the water was absorbed. He closed the bento box and placed it aside his bed, standing up and approached his desk, where he does all his dumb investigations. He stared down at the sketchbook that was left open on his desk, drawings of theories, panicked and rushed doodles of his old friend everywhere… yeah, he noticed he's not doing very well as much as he says he is. Rodger took a deep breath, patting his own chest as he closed his eye, opening them back up to take another bite of the burger. Right before..
THWACK! —
THUMP!
A noise can be heard from what it sounded to come from the elevator of Toon Rooms. It startled Rodger's sleepy bum awake. He looked around the room frantically before shoving the whole burger in his eye, leaving slight crumbs on the edges of his lens as he slid off from his chair and rushed his way over to the door, quickly opening it and peeked around the halls. Thoughts swirling in his mind. He heard another door slowly creak open, head snapping towards the sound and spotted the Gachapon had heard the noise as well. The two locked eye contact, as if trying to telepathically communicate.
The Gachapon looked disturbed, but also not. She had a weird look on her face as she eyed Rodger's figure. Haven't seen that guy in a minute. She looked at where the noise originated, then back at Rodger. She shook her head and gestured to the halls for Rodger to go first. Rodger could only sigh, before he stepped out of the room and squinted his eye. Being a magnifying glass had some perks. For example, whenever he narrows his eye, or squints it in any way, his vision begins to zoom in like an actual magnifying glass. Unique isn’t it?
Looking forward towards the entrance of the halls, the Gachapon closing the door and rushing to hide behind Rodger. She pulls a flashlight from her head and smacks it on. It was an old one, so the way it works is definitely faulty. “Psst— take this!” She mumbles and shoves the flashlight in Rodger’s hands. Rodger rolled his eye and took it, pointing it towards the floor's pantry. Raising his brow as he decided to take a step closer.
Closer… and closer… he saw a figure walk in the pantry just now! He turned to Gigi to make sure he wasn’t imagining things and… sure enough, she noticed that alright. He turned his head back and as they made their way over to the pantry, Gigi suddenly was holding a whole PIPE. He saw it in the corner of his eye and turned his head to double check.
“Wh— what the?! Where the hell did you get that?!” Rodger hushedly yelled, his eye now wider than narrow. “We— we don’t need that! I’m sure it’s fine.” He reached his hand out and pushed the metal pipe away.
“Safety precautions, Rodger! Who knows what’s in there at 2 somethin’ in the morning?!” She grumbled while taking a fighting stance, as if she could even throw a fit against sometoon with her low energy and stamina.
Stepping closer, and closer… and closer… and then—
“BOO!” A Toon pops up from the pantry, Rodger flinches and points the flashlight at the Toon, before Gigi yelped and smacked whoever that was with the pipe she held. The Toon whimpered in pain, before Rodger squints his eye and..
”oh, Dandicus. It’s just you.” The Magnifying Glass mumbled in disappointment. Gigi next to him staring at Dandy, as if trying to process the fact she just hit Dandy of all people with a pipe.
Gigi chuckled nervously and tilted her head down and placed the metal pipe back into her head. “Damn, shit… sorry, Dands! You know doing all that at 2… somethin’ in the morning can scare someone to death!!” She tried to pass herself under the radar.
”You are so ruthless, Gigi!” The Flower chuckled while patting his own head that’s definitely gonna grow a bump soon. He gestured towards the pantry and showed what he had brought up. “I wasn’t doing anything, by the way. I was just carrying the new stocks of supplies in this Toon Rooms floor!” He hummed.
Rodger raised his brow, then furrowed it after hearing Dandy’s last sentence. Grip tightening on the flashlight before he tilts his head. “… what happened to Dyle?” He questioned, concern, irritation, and curiosity in his tone. The question made Dandy freeze up. He turned his head towards Rodger and placed his hands on the sides of his cheek.
”Aha, you see, Buddy..! Dyle’s fine, you know? He’s just.. ah.. taking a bit of a ‘break’ per se.” Awkward silence after he had finished his sentence. Gigi glancing at both of them, feeling the unnerving tension she slowly slipped away. Rodger took a deep breath and extended his hand out. “Dandicus, please. You know what he means to me, just tell me where he is.”
Dandy’s eyes darkened. A red dot appearing in both of his pupil as he stared up at Rodger, blinking once or twice before his smile faded. Eyes narrowing and glancing away from him. “ … I can’t tell you. Even after all this time.” He looked back at Rodger. Eyes wide with emptiness, and somewhat guilt. “Delilah told me, you know what she said, don’t you, Rodger?”
…
A sense of unfamiliar dread begins to wash over his face, or.. well, lens. Rodger's pupil seemed to widened. Before he closed his eye and shook his head. Sliding a leg forward and raised his hand. "You're seriously gonna do this to me right now, Dandicus?!" His voice slightly raised. Of course, out of frustration. Who wouldn't be? Dandy grumbled and places a hand over his chest and shook his head.
"No, no. I can't. I'm sorry, Rodger." He backed up from the magnifying glass and wrapped his arms around his own body. He looks down at the floor and his eyes landed at Rodger. Rodger's eye softens and he stood straight. Pinching the area between his eye and sighed. Turning his body towards the direction of his room, eye narrowing as thoughts swerved his mind. "... I’ll find out myself.” He mumbled subconsciously while walking towards his room with tense shoulders, and shutting the door with a loud bang.
Dandy stared. Stared at Rodger’s door. No words, just a single thought.
He really doesn’t know how to mind his own business, does he?
Dandy grumbled and dragged his hand down his face. Scratching the back of it as he looked over his shoulder and looked at the clock. It was now 3 in the morning, and Dandy just spent 2 whole hours dragging a bunch of crates up 5 fuckin’ floors, and he hasn’t gotten a wink of sleep. For like… what? 2 days at this point? He slumped, and scratched his back. Turning himself around and walking back towards the elevator.
Can’t that darn magnifying glass just frick off and mind his own business?! Seriously… it’s getting annoying. Well actually, he has a reason to be acting this way. He would’ve reacted the same way if HE was told he couldn’t see his bestest friend anymore!— But they were never allowed to speak to each other in the first place a whole DAY after Rodger was created. Because both of those Toons just cannot stop rubbing their flat faces into business that’s none of theirs!
GAHH!!!
It’s okay, Dandy. You're the star of the show! You’ll figure something out, you always do!… He thought to himself while pressing the button to the lobby inside the elevator. Mind swarming with thoughts as he arrived, stepping out, he looked upwards to the tree in the middle of the lobby. A smile creeping before he runs to lay flat on the grass and stare up at the sky, the barrier between him, and the moon, being a glass ceiling.
But… no time to relax. He has to stop Rodger from knowing anything more than he’s supposed to… But how?! He’s HORRIBLE at making plans like this. He lifts himself up and began pacing around the tree, having a hand placed on where his chin should be and began to brainstorm the best he could.
Maybe i should try… tinkering with the elevator controls like Delilah? And block off access from the train station floor?… no, no! That’s a horrible idea— if he exclusively wanted access, but didn’t want others to have access, then he would need an STAFF CARD! And he’s not a staff or anything HUMAN like that, NO!! Hes just a Toon. A Toon created to entertain others, to be the star of the show! With the occasional knowledge of something more ‘forbidden’.
Dandy sighed and rushed over to his shop, looking at the calendar and marking the date.
6/20/2002.
Dandy hops back onto his couch. Stretching his legs and sprawled all over it. Looking up at the blank ceiling, scrunching his face up in irritation. God he already misses the moon. He sighed and started to wonder off in thought. The state of Gardenview has been truly… horrible, these past few weeks. More, and more issues regarding his ichor. That, as in his mood has been more distasteful as of late, and that’s a bad thing. Especially for him.
Delilah and Arthur had also been extremely absent for the past few days, leading Gardenview to be slightly unattended for a while, leaving no one but the staff to take care of everything including the opening. It’s worrying him, almost. What’s going to happen? Why hasn’t everything been as happy as it used to?
He pinched the area between his eyes and lifted and sighed, before telling himself. “You can do this, Dandy. Find a way. His whereabouts shouldn’t none of his concern…” He mumbled.
Delilah hadn’t allowed Rodger and Dyle to be speaking to each other after a day Rodger was created, due to fact she had worries about what they could do if they were allowed to be. From the very start, not a lot of Toons was allowed to talk to Dyle often unless absolutely necessary, doing something like that led Dyle to be slightly isolated and lonely, but of course , not like he cared. He just wanted to do his job.
Well that’s until Rodger came along. Dyle followed the rule of ‘not speaking with him’ for a while, but during the second week after Rodger was created, he somehow found a way to sneak into his floor at night. Dyle cannot help but give into his curiosity about The Magnifying Glass character, his design was… so weird, in his opinion, but it only made things more interesting. A Magnifying Glass with only an eye? Perhaps that symbolizes something…
The Pocketwatch had tried multiple times to tell Rodger they weren’t supposed to be conversing with each other at all due to Delilah’s commands. Rodger tried to listen.. multiple times, but of course, a detective like him, especially having to act like a curious child, would not *actually* listen. Rodger was far too ‘rebellious’ and curious for that.
Dyle was very insistent on following rules Delilah gave him, but just this once… he’ll break them. The Magnifying glass was great company, he hates to admit it, but Dyle smiles more often than usual when he’s around, and it’s almost embarrassing. He wishes it could stay like this for longer.
…
Maybe it can. Just keep it a secret, and don’t let them find out. It’s simple… Isn’t it?
It’s truly not that simple, he supposed.
Delilah hadn’t allowed Rodger and Dyle to be speaking to each other after a day Rodger was created, due to fact she had worries about what they could do if they were allowed to be. From the very start, not a lot of Toons was allowed to talk to Dyle often unless absolutely necessary, doing something like that led Dyle to be slightly isolated and lonely, but of course , not like he cared. He just wanted to do his job.
Well that’s until Rodger came along. Dyle followed the rule of ‘not speaking with him’ for a while, but during the second week after Rodger was created, he somehow found a way to sneak into his floor at night. Dyle cannot help but give into his curiosity about The Magnifying Glass character, his design was… so weird, in his opinion, but it only made things more interesting. A Magnifying Glass with only an eye? Perhaps that symbolizes something…
The Pocketwatch had tried multiple times to tell Rodger they weren’t supposed to be conversing with each other at all due to Delilah’s commands. Rodger tried to listen.. multiple times, but of course, a detective like him, especially having to act like a curious child, would not *actually* listen. Rodger was far too ‘rebellious’ and curious for that.
Dyle was very insistent on following rules Delilah gave him, but just this once… he’ll break them. The Magnifying glass was great company, he hates to admit it, but Dyle smiles more often than usual when he’s around, and it’s almost embarrassing. He wishes it could stay like this for longer.
…
Maybe it can. Just keep it a secret, and don’t let them find out. It’s simple… Isn’t it?
It’s truly not that simple, he supposed.
Delilah hadn’t allowed Rodger and Dyle to be speaking to each other after a day Rodger was created, due to fact she had worries about what they could do if they were allowed to be. From the very start, not a lot of Toons was allowed to talk to Dyle often unless absolutely necessary, doing something like that led Dyle to be slightly isolated and lonely, but of course , not like he cared. He just wanted to do his job.
Well that’s until Rodger came along. Dyle followed the rule of ‘not speaking with him’ for a while, but during the second week after Rodger was created, he somehow found a way to sneak into his floor at night. Dyle cannot help but give into his curiosity about The Magnifying Glass character, his design was… so weird, in his opinion, but it only made things more interesting. A Magnifying Glass with only an eye? Perhaps that symbolizes something…
The Pocketwatch had tried multiple times to tell Rodger they weren’t supposed to be conversing with each other at all due to Delilah’s commands. Rodger tried to listen.. multiple times, but of course, a detective like him, especially having to act like a curious child, would not actually listen. Rodger was far too ‘rebellious’ and curious for that.
Dyle was very insistent on following rules Delilah gave him, but just this once… he’ll break them. The Magnifying glass was great company, he hates to admit it, but Dyle smiles more often than usual when he’s around, and it’s almost embarrassing. He wishes it could stay like this for longer.
…
Maybe it can. Just keep it a secret, and don’t let them find out. It’s simple… Isn’t it?
It’s truly not that simple, he supposed.