Chapter Text
“Did you see Pebble the other day, Astro? He's so silly, he tried to do a backflip but ended up stuck on his back!” Dandy giggles as I quietly listen to him talk, the two of us sitting in his shop. I couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my face at his passionate rambling.
“Good thing I was there to save my precious little baby.”Dandy continued dramatically, placing a hand over his chest. “But you should've seen his face! He looked absolutely betrayed when I laughed.” I let out a soft chuckle.
Dandy immediately pointed at me. “There! See? That was a laugh. I knew I could get one out of you.”
“It was barely a laugh,” I mumbled, pulling my blanket a little tighter around myself shyly.
“It counts.”
“No, it doesn't.”
“It absolutely counts.”
I shook my head as Dandy grinned victoriously
Before he could launch into another story, a familiar throat cleared from nearby and I startled so hard I nearly slipped off the box I was sitting on. Neither of us had noticed Dyle approaching.
“Dandy, I have to talk to you” Dyle insisted, giving a glance at me for a moment.
Dandy pipes up with a cheery smile. “Well what is it?”
Dyle checks a piece of paper before handing it over to Dandy. “A new toon came in through the train, Gigi the Gachapon. New floor was also opened in her arrival, so we have a gift shop now..” He explained as Dandy read whatever was on the paper, and I leaned over to curiously peek at it as well. It was an introduction poster, with a picture of the new toon.. Gigi.
Dandy stands suddenly, dusting imaginary dust off his legs and turning towards Dyle, hands on his hips. “I suppose I’ll make an announcement!” He walks off into the back of the shop, and Dyle saunters back to his own shop, leaving me sitting on a box alone.
I stand with a sigh, a bit sad my hangout with Dandy ended so early, and start walking off to the lobby where several other toons were chatting and hanging out, quickly finding and making my way over to Vee, who was leaning up against a wall near an elevator.
Vee looks up and smirks at my approach, “Dandy finally leave you alone?”
I sigh, “No, he just got pulled away by Dyle..” As if on cue, the intercoms around the lobby crackled to life and Dandy’s voice called out.
“Announcement! Announcement! All toons to the main lobby!”
I let out another sigh, announcements meant I had to stand in front of every single toon with their eyes on me. I shutter, but Vee grabs my blanket and pulls me out of my thoughts, starting to yank me over to the giant welcome sign that stood smack center of the room as more toons start to pour in from the elevators.
As I’m being pulled, I feel a tug on the back of my blanket and hear a voice grumble.
“Hey what hek-” She immediately shuts her mouth as I turn around. There she was standing in front of me, the new toon. Gigi.
But before I could even say anything, she spoke again, “Uh-.. I mean- sorry?” And I didn't even get the chance to reply before she ran like I would be angry at her… Me? Angry?
I barely get to process the interaction before Vee pulls me forward again, “C’mon Moon man, the announcement is starting”
Once I was pulled through the crowd, I immediately went to hide behind Dandy, my skin felt itchy with all the eyes on me. Dandy quickly starts speaking to draw attention to him at seeing me shrink.
“Hello everyone! I called this announcement to welcome our newest member to the cast!” Dandy pauses to look down at the poster in his hand, “Gigi!” He scans the crowd before pointing her out in the audience, and waves her up to the middle of everyone.
I see her freeze before pulling out a small coin, flicking it into the air before catching it in her sleeve. It looked like she glared at it, stuck her tongue out at someone else in the crowd, then pushed her way to the front.
“Hello dandy, nice to meet ‘cha”, she said the sentence like she had to grind it from her teeth. Oh boy, rough start already…
Dandy, ever the oblivious sometimes, puts on a friendly smile and walks over to shake her hand, flanked by Sprout, Shelly and Vee, with Pebble already running around her legs. I, on the other hand, stood slightly back, not akin to meeting new toons.
I start to space out as Gigi turns to the other toons to introduce herself, wanting this to be over so I could go nap off the anxiety. I caught a few words like “gossip” and “borrow”, but didn’t think much about it.
As Gigi pushes back into the crowd, Shelly taps my shoulder gently to snap me out of my head, and I blink at her, before looking over at Dandy as he speaks again.
“Welcome to GardenView, Gigi!” he cheers, before patting my back as the other toons start to scatter or try to approach Gigi. I shifted my weight from foot to foot, tightening my blanket around myself until it felt more like a shield than a blanket. All the toons looking at me made my skin crawl, even after their attention diverts off me.
I started to slowly step back, trying to quietly run away from the situation, but the second I felt something solid behind me, I nearly jumped.
“Woah there.” I looked up to find Dandy standing behind me.
“Oh.”
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
I nodded immediately.
Dandy raised an eyebrow. I desperately nodded again. He gave an unconvinced expression.
I sigh,“...No,” I admitted.
He huffs, “That's what I thought. You wanna leave?”
I hesitated. Part of me wanted to say no, I didn't want to seem rude, especially with a new toon here. The other part of me wanted to be anywhere else.
“I...” I glanced around the room again, a mistake, my stomach twisting immediately.
“Maybe...” I murmured.
“Maybe,” Dandy repeated.
“Okay, yes.”
“Got it.” Before I could ask what he meant, Dandy placed both hands on my shoulders.
“What are you doing?!- Dandy?!” I squeak as I’m shoved, Dandy gently but firmly turns me around and starts steering me through the crowd.
“Dandy!?” I squeak again.
“Excuse us! Coming through!”
“Dandy!”
Several toons stepped aside as he guided me toward the elevators.
“Dandy!”
“Yes, Astro?”
“What are you doing?!” I turn around as we finally reach the elevator doors, but Dandy doesn’t respond, shoving me inside.
“DANDY!”
“Sorry! I saw you getting all squirmy...” Dandy quickly blurted, waving his hands frantically.
I sigh, “Alright, but please don't just shove me next time..” I tighten my blanket around me, and Dandy gives me an apologetic look. The elevator gave a soft ding and the doors began closing.
“Get some rest, Astro!” Dandy called.
I gave a small wave as the gap narrowed.
“You too.”
The doors slid shut completely, cutting off the noise of the lobby, and the elevator started to head up to the toon floors. The elevator door opens eventually and I stumble out, the tiredness of meeting starting to set in as I walk, staring at the floor.
I’m spacing out again as I run into someone right in the middle of the hallway, nearly toppling them and myself over as I scramble to keep my balance. I hear them grunt, starting to speak as they turn around “Listen I don't know who you are-” I look down to see Gigi again, was she also hiding from the other toons? ”-but I’m already tired and not in the mood to tal-” She shuts her mouth as we lock eyes.
Then- “Not you again…” I hear her whisper under her breath.
I shrink slightly, she sounded angry. “I-i’m sorry- I didn’t see you I was just going to my room...”
“Oh what, no you're fine!-“ She quickly stammered. “If anything it's my fault I was standing in the hallway lost in space, ya know?”
I shift slightly, “Um.. yeah, s-sure… I’ll see you around I suppose?” I replied, moving to go around her and get to my room at the end of the hall.
“Hopefully” I hear her call as I walk off.
This had been too much interaction and I felt like an awkward dork.. At least the new toon didn’t seem all that bad? That had been… A lot. Way too much for one day.
A new toon, an announcement, a crowd full of staring eyes, getting shoved into an elevator by Dandy, running into the new toon twice. Twice.
I groan quietly. What were the odds of that? By the time I reach my room, my thoughts feel tangled together like a ball of string. I fumble with the handle before finally pushing the door open and slipping inside. The familiar darkness immediately makes me relax.
Quiet, safe. No crowds. No announcements. No awkward conversations. Just me. I close the door behind me and let my blanket drag across the floor as I shuffle toward my bed. The moment my knees hit the mattress, all the energy seems to leave my body at once. I collapse face-first into the blankets with a muffled groan.
"...I'm such a mess."
My voice is barely audible. The room is quiet except for the faint hum of the building around me and slowly, my thoughts begin to drift. My eye grows heavy, and sleep pulls me under.