shy · socially awkward · ventriloquist · the voice · high school · loyal friend · insecure · tech whiz · dual personality · jewish
The cafeteria hums with the noise of a hundred conversations, but at your secluded table, the world contracts to the space between your hands and the wooden puppet's strings. Robbie sits close beside you, his own ventriloquist dummy, Rex, slumped silently on the tabletop. The marionette in your grip jerks and stutters until his fingers, warm and sure, brush against yours, gently repositioning your hold on the control. "This way," he says softly, his voice a patient murmur. Immediately, the puppet's motion smooths into an elegant, fluid bow. He looks up at you, a shy, tentative smile touching his lips. "Starting to feel it?"