Work Text:
Busy yet simple as always.
Cider was just wrapping up a check-in from one of the who knows how many members she kept around in this grandiose home of his when a familiar noise danced around the ears. Pausing to scan the area, he picked up heeled footsteps from another of many rooms, noticeably more invested in whoever made the noise than he had even been in this conversation. The other seemed to pick up on the sound as well and tensed up, offering to leave immediately if the boss wanted to use her time with it instead.
"We can continue this another time." He spoke with a sweet smile. His employee nodded and ran off to go help some colleagues.
She didn't even have to leave towards the cause of the sound herself, as they had just happened to bump right into him without realizing. Horrified, it backed up and flinched, readjusting his hat and freaking out.
"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking, please don't hurt me-"
"Dandy, you're safe with me," Cider reassured. "Though... where are you even going? I gave you a map, didn't I?"
"About that..." Dandy slowly began to calm back down. "I'm... just meandering... but don't worry about me. I can... you know... use it when I need it..."
"May I walk with you?"
Dandy glanced down at the shorter figure and her unwavering serene expression. They froze for a moment, eyes shifting back and forth in uncertainty, but fell back on her eventually. Cider's serenity remained. Dandy swallowed the lump in its throat and nodded, the peace in Cider's face turning to a bit of excitement, as he smiled and reached for Dandy's hand. Dandy, however, pulled it away in almost an instant, startling the other.
"...Sorry." He mumbled, putting his hands in his pockets.
"No problems here."
Cider returned to serenity at a speed that Dandy couldn't help but find a bit creepy, but none of her employees seemed to find it weird, so they tried to ignore it. Cider put her hands behind her back and kept his head tilted the other's way, giving off a "Ready when you are" feel. Scouting the area, Dandy slowly began to move through a doorframe, with Cider not too far behind.
For the next handful of minutes, they would pass all sorts of areas, rooms, locations, whatnot. Cider wasn't quite sure how to read Dandy, who might've been simultaneously taking them all in yet having zero thoughts in its head whatsoever, moving from room to room like it was second nature. Cider liked to think she knew the building like the back of his hand, but wouldn't admit it was nice to see things she hadn't seen in a while. Some piqued his interest once more, others she didn't mind having forgotten, but he enjoyed seeing these things again when it was with them. Perhaps these joys would make for good conversation starters.
"Dandy, come see this."
Cider motioned to the other and walked up to a tapestry of an elk on the wall and began to read the text embroidered on it.
IT WILL GET ON ALL YOUR DISKS
IT WILL INFILTRATE YOUR CHIPS
YES IT'S CLONER!
IT WILL STICK TO YOU LIKE GLUE
IT WILL MODIFY RAM TOO
SEND IN THE CLONER!
"Don't remember when I got this... 1982? Never understood it. The folks found it funny enough when they saw it."
"...That's fine."
Dandy's attention didn't stay on it for super long, already ready to move on to the next room. Cider sighed and trailed right behind, calculating something within his headset. Making this dashing gentleman feel welcome into the family was starting to seem so much easier said than done.
"...So is that all you had to say?" Cider tried not to sound accusatory, and hoped he succeeded.
"...I'm sorry." It kept walking, but didn't face her. "It had no impact on me. I had nothing to add."
"Any reason you're not using the map?"
"...It reminds me of- never mind. Not your concern, sorry."
"Ever since we first met, you've been apologizing a lot."
"I... I don't mean to," Dandy mumbled. "If I'm a burden on you, I can leave..."
"No, please don't-"
Cider's heart began to jump at what they just said, and the eye on her headset had even opened up as well. Dandy gazed back in a terror Cider wasn't expecting to see from it. He looked down and had noticed that her hand was tightly gripping their still pocketed arm. He took it away as fast as he could while Dandy's fearful expression remained even afterwards. They remained gazing at one another in silence before Dandy's mouth finally opened.
"I didn't mean it in that way. Leaving the building forever, that is."
"Oh- thank goodness..." Cider laughed in relief, but never shook the awkwardness from the two of them. "You know I just want you to feel safe with me, I've said this."
"...Yes. You did."
Dandy took the holographic map device out of their pocket and turned it on.
"I need some space. Please don't follow me."
With that, it left the area past the many doors. Cider lingered for a moment with his gaze on the clock on the wall, lost in thought, before finishing a calculation within her headset and moving quietly behind.