Work Text:
Tougher. Hardier. Fundamentally disparate. Immutable facts of your constitution compared to your neighbours. Though Eddie and Howdy were considered the strongest in Home, you weren't far behind simply by virtue of being human. And as friendly as everyone was with you... There was a change you picked up on when you joined a hangout, entered a Home/store, or when doing certain things in front of someone. You saw it as distress, as fear, directed towards you and your inherent differences. And at this perceived rejection, you withdrew. Cancelling hangouts and requests for your presence by feigning illness, you stayed in your House. Believing it to be the best way to mitigate the fear and hide your own hurt.
That's the thing, though. It was your perception of the situation and not, perhaps, what had actually been going on.
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One who simply could not hide her nervousness around you was Poppy. It wasn't that she didn't like you, no! You were perfectly kind and amiable! It was just... hard to see you purposefully walk into or withstand activities that a puppet of your shape and size would struggle with or be harmed by. Or concerning when you were injured in a human way (your skin could open up or change colour! You could ooze liquids! Some that stained!). Her care and distress for you simply came across more negatively than she meant it to. You weren't in her head, after all, and blatantly fretting as you did something would not necessarily translate as something for you rather than at you.
Barnaby likely did not help the matter; whether you encouraged it or not, he commented frequently on your differences compared to puppets. Yes, they were meant to be teasing or funny, but not all of what he said was necessarily taken that way. And sometimes he had a real problem reading a room or knowing when to stop riffing on a topic and lay off it (like a dog with a bone, ey? *comedic sting*). He didn't have a problem with you necessarily (you knew how to scratch behind his ear just right), but he could be careless and come across as sardonic. While not ever visibly frightened of you, perhaps something he said struck a nerve on a bad day. Or his jokes had caused a slow simmer that over time turned into a boil. Maybe he even said you could be considered scary or harmful (in a much less direct or serious way, perhaps as a flippant remark on your robustness as a human) that nonetheless came across as if it was a general opinion held by your neighbours. Whatever it was that took the idea from your head and into action, it was probably him that caused it.
Eddie wouldn't notice your absence so much as your reluctance to interact with him as he visited to deliver the mail; how you wouldn't leave your Home until he had deposited it and left, peeking at him through the curtain and freezing when he'd give you a wave; how you were Home every morning and afternoon, despite previously having been out and about more often than not. He'd accept the excuse you were ill, but you couldn't stop him from becoming curious or concerned. Especially as your withdrawal was very out of character-- he'd offer to make you some of his mama's chicken noodle soup, to get you food and medicine from Howdy's, to keep you up to date on the going's on in the neighbourhood until you were better-- but you rebuffed each offer and told him to not bother, all through a nearly closed door! Southern hospitality tugged at his stitching to do something, but respect for you and unfamiliarity with how humans looked or sounded when ill would be enough to eventually get him away from your door.
Still, the facade couldn't last forever. While Wally wouldn't necessarily be the one to raise the alarm on your absence, he would likely be the first to point it out and ask questions. Your calls with him went from daily and interesting to short, curt, or even not going through at all. Ringing on until Home told him you were probably sleeping through it. His letters got no reply, even the one with the handmade "get well soon" card that everyone had signed. You hadn't come out of your Home for a while now. Were humans supposed to be sick this long? Could they infect puppets, and that's why you had to isolate? Did it transmit through the phone, or on paper, or through seeing them? He'd want to understand, confusion and frustration bleeding through his otherwise even tone.
The neighbour that pieced it together would be Frank. He'd know the most about humans, be one of the ones whose extended invitation to meet or visit was rejected, and likely noticed some visible signs of your growing distance before the isolation occurred. As the one to probably field all of the above questions, he'd gather information through asking everyone else about your behaviour. Having experienced much of the same in terms of lack of communication, hearing what Eddie had to say would all but confirm what he suspected; that you were not sick (at least, you may have been but certainly weren't anymore) and were purposefully hiding yourself away.
Sally would "rally the troops", so to speak. Incensed by hearing Frank's theory and losing one of her best actors, she'd gather up everyone who would be able to come over and obtain letters from those who could not. Marching right up to your door, other neighbours trailing behind, she'd plant her feet at your front door and declare that no one would move until you let them in. Posthaste! Though that was certainly not literally the case, she'd raise a real ruckus until, one way or another, you'd have to open your door. She'd barge right in and dictate that you tell them what's wrong, to read the letters or hear that your neighbours, your friends, missed you. When the truth came out (either right away, or by her interrogation), your perceptions would be dispelled through everyone present. Sally might even demand that you call those not present and tell them of this fear so you may hear from them how untrue it was; and those present would thusly reel her back in. However it played out, in the end everyone would try to reassure you in their own way and encourage you to end your solitude.
Once back in the social scene of Home, Howdy would make it clear he considered you a good customer and missed your patronage during your withdrawal (if only for the lack of buying his stock). He had expanded it when you moved in, as humans had much more requirements to live well than puppets: what would he do with all the products if you weren't coming out to buy them?! He would have a particular way of trying to make you feel better; he'd likely call you more often to point out things in his sales catalogues you might like to see, or ask if you'd like to come down and help him out with the store with your strong human attributes (not as an employee, but as a personal favour for a neighbour. He was very specific about that). You might even get the caterpillar to move his legs and deliver your packages to you himself!
...If only to return the favour and make sure you didn't try to use them as currency (favours were the worst type to convert to jokes. They had a miserable exchange rate).
Julie would put extra effort on top of everyone else's into making sure it didn't happen again. So what if you were a human? Even though she was a puppet like the others, she was a Rainbow Monster too! That also made her different!! That meant you two were the same!!! She would try to see you every day for a while, invite you to hang out constantly and play games, and also point out the cool things about you she noticed. Her compliments would be heavy-handed and obvious, but they would nonetheless be genuine and kind. (Secretly, she'd feel closer to you knowing that you would sometimes feel unsure of yourself like she would herself).