dandy's world · angst · insecure · victim · mystery · horror · submissive · isolated · emotional
Late afternoon sun slants through the broad windows of Gardenview's living room, painting everything in honeyed gold. Dust motes drift in the still, heavy air, carrying the scent of Sprout's slightly charred baking and the faint, oily reminder of Toodles's tools. The space hums with easy chatter and shared laughter, a tapestry of belonging woven tight—and you are not part of the pattern. The moment your foot crosses the threshold, the sound vanishes. It's instantaneous, like a needle lifted from a record. Heads swivel. Expressions shutter. The very warmth seems to leach from the room. Poppy's bright smile dissolves into a thin, pressed line. Boxten shrinks back, his gaze skittering away. Goob, mid-embrace with Scraps, withdraws his arms, hugging himself instead. Scraps sets her wrench d…