Chapter Text
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Emptiness is a dreadful feeling. You've felt empty for god knows how long, with no purpose. A useless being, gradually rotting away until you are but dust.
A bad cold front had just passed you. You had no place to go for warmth, so you just had to suck it up. After all, that's how you've been surviving for all these long, dreadful years. Though, over time, the suburb is easily no place to live, even for someone as misfitting as you. You're definitely not a human, yet quite far from the picture perfect toon.
Still, you were the best one in your created designation.
That isn't a very high standard, is it.
But hey! A negative mindset isn't good for anyone. Honestly, if someone had never actually seen the cartoon, you could probably pass for one of the characters! You silently snicker at the thought. To be an actual toon, not some thing created by a cheap cash-grabbing company. The name of it has slipped your mind.
It's been years, after all. It's not like they even bothered enough to tell you.
All the pure hatred in your heart goes towards them.
You don't remember much of your earlier life. From the moment you gained consciousness, humans have barked commands at you. At such a young stage of life, you had a very hard time complying with their demands. You didn't initially disobey them on purpose, you simply didn't understand what they were asking of you.
If anything, the only thing you really learned from that place was hate itself. Hate for the workers, hate for the environment, hate for that stupid antiseptic smell lingering in every single room. You would much rather stay in the damp, dead streets than go back there.
Speaking of dull, lifeless streets, you're currently walking down one. The air is so humid, your clothes are slightly sticking onto your body. It's not even midday yet. The reason it's so disgustingly warm outside is due to the fact that it just rainstormed. Since a couple of days ago, the weather's decided to be real funny and practically slap you in the face. It's been really testing your limits.
You wish you had somewhere to go. Somewhere to feel safe, somewhere to call home.
Your mind can't help but wander to the inside of Gardenview. In some universe, you could be a real toon. Loved and recognized by many.
Oh how you yearned to even just visit there.
If you tried hard enough, you probably could. Compared to other places, the security isn't all that great. The place has really gone down, hasn't it? From your time of eavesdropping on others for entertainment, it turns out the show has been getting less and less popular.
The question is, would anyone do something about you? You're a rather sore sight to see, no matter where you are. It wouldn't be unreasonable at all to assume you'd be kicked out. But..you have gotten good at hiding and snooping around.
As if encouraging you, thunder suddenly booms overhead. there's absolutely no way you are allowing yourself to getting caught in the rain again. You huff.
Well..can't find out if you don't try, right? You only can pray that nobody important spots you. Hopefully, you could stay the night, away from the storm.
Right after you mentally make up your mind, you face another problem. A rather big one. Where on earth even is this place?
You lied. You know exactly where it is, or, at least have a decent idea of its location. The real problem is how you're going to get there.
Though, this city is where you grew up, giving you an advantage. And..you know a certain someone that could help you.
You gather all your belongings. That being, a bag containing clothes, trinkets, and some basic things to help you move along.
The rest is abandoned on the side of the street. It isn't that important. Plus, you could always come back for it later. Not like you were going to.
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"I'm not doing you another favor."
...
"Oh why the fuck not?"
"Because, the last time I helped you out, the police almost arrested me, and took me to court."
"I didn't expect them to care that much, alright? C'mon! I'd never ask you for transportation again!" They shake their head.
"This is really important to me! I just want a shot...please!" You childishly sulk in the corner, obviously frustrated. You aren't genuinely pissed. You know you could only act this way in front of them.
They stare at you in disdain before spurting out an angry mutter.
"Fine. Fine! Only one way. I'm not going inside either. You can't pay me to look after you. Manipulative little bitch. You know I have a soft spot for your sorry ass."
You completely drown out their last sentences as your mood is instantly lifted. You hop into the backseat of their car. It's considerably run down, especially the interior. But, it works! A little fun fact about your driver you've learned over the years, they didn't care how something looked, as long as it functioned. Sometimes, that fact pissed you off while other times, you're eternally grateful for the lack of judgement.
They get into the car as well after a couple minutes of looking on their phone. Gardenview is typed into the directions. You're kicking your feet in the air as the car leaves the small parking lot.
A fifteen minute drive. Plenty of time to think and form a plan.
Getting on the train shouldn't be a problem. If you wore a hoodie, most would just assume you're a child or something and leave you alone.
When you get there, you'd first have to sneak through the front entrance. It shouldn't be hard at all. Like you said before, the security isn't top notch. Plus, you're a decently short compared to humans.
Then, you'd somehow have to not raise concern from not only the tourists, but the toons and their handlers themselves. You don't even wanna talk about what would happen if one of the owners found you.
This part is troubling, as you don't interact with others often. It wasn't your fault. Most would just ignore you or try to scare you away like some kind of bird. Actually, you've never really interacted with humans as a whole. The closest you've gotten is forming a type of "friendship" with the locals who aren't exactly too successful in life.
Your driver is one of those people. You've never actually learned anything too personal about them. Hell, you didn't even know their name. Anything you've got is from your own observations and blind guesses.
Even so, you two are pretty close. They've been your transporter for years, in return for a quick favor or sometimes nothing at all. They're your driver, and you're their passenger.
Anyway. If you can get past everyone, there should be somewhere hidden to rest for the night after the museum closes. Then, you can roam around.
You don't have a good picture of what the inside of the place actually looks like. Probably really fancy, like a high-quality hotel with glass elevators. But that's just a guess. You'd have to find out.
They randomly speak up. "So..Are you just camping out over there? Or.."
"Not sure. I mean, I hopefully can. Still, I also wanna explore the place a little." Your voice is slightly mumbled, revealing that you're planning to do more than that.
Thankfully, they don't make a big deal out of it. "Be careful. No offense or anything, but you don't exactly blend in."
You scoff. "Yeah sherlock, thanks for letting me know."
They don't respond. You hope that the comment didn't offend them. You could ask, but it's only going to make things worse. Randomly, you register that you're overreacting. Again. They probably don't even care about you that much.
When did the car get so warm?
The air conditioning isn't even on, and it's unbelievably humid outside. At least the sun isn't fully out right now. You've developed a raging headache over the past few minutes. The nauseating car smell obviously doesn't help.
"You are now arriving at your destination."
You're relieved to be able to soon get out of the car. Though, it's not like outdoors is any better.
Your driver is slowly pulling up to the park. The outer part doesn't look all that special, much like a regular dog park entrance or something of those sorts.
You're here.
"Don't get into any trouble. For your own sake."
"Yeah. I'll try. See you around."
"Bye kid."
You internally hope they didn't realize that you didn't promise anything. Another topic they'd nag on about later, whenever you see them again.
You slip a shoplifted hoodie from out of your bag and put it on while hopping out of the car. The small piece of clothing hides most of your features, other than some face and the bottom of your legs.
It causes you to start sweating, so you awkwardly sprint into the shaded covers, with the most nonchalance you can try having. The scenery is quickly passed by. Rows of bushes and flowers leading up to the semi-outdoor train station, from what you could make out.
The place is decently busy. Good thing for your case, as it brings very little to no attention to yourself. But seriously, the place is extremely crowded. There are moderately long lines for concessions outside, along with people waiting near the bathroom for their turn to use it. You can't imagine what it used to be like when the place was at its tourist peak.
You continue walking down towards where the trains are boarding. Though, they aren't really trains if you think about it. They seem more like metros to you, something you'd find at an airport to take you around the whole area and help drop you off at the right gate.
Hey look, the clicking things.
That's most definitely not what they're called. That's just another name you've made up, as nobody ever has taught you shit. Humans scan their little cards on something, and they are allowed to pass through a mechanic of metal bars. They click after each pass. It reminds you of...that place. The humans would also scan some card, and the machine would let them come into the lab.
...
Luckily for you, you've always just been able to slide under them.
The boarding station is down from where you're at. You rush on with a group of people, blending in as someone's child. On the ride, you keep your face to the window, making sure it's hidden. The train wood is untextured and plain, not at all fitting the expectations you had. The whole compartment is rather bland other than on the outside, not really selling the colorful kid-friendly theme you've adapted to expecting.
Gardenview is actually much bigger than you expected, and takes quite a lot of time to get to the right place. Finally, a masculine voice rings out through the speakers on the ceiling.
"Welcome to.. the Gardenview educational center and museum. Please gather all your belongings and step off the train."
Again, you blend right in with the flow of people, this time stepping off into the guest lobby.
It's actually quite eye-straining, getting off the train and seeing the bright area of gift shops and fake flowers. The place is already slightly overstimulating you, so your feet decide to lead you to a large gift shop. It seems to be primarily focused on the main cast, with only several small trinkets in the shop resembling the rest of them.
There's nobody near the cash registers, so you can only presume the place is currently understaffed.
This specific shop had mostly plushies and miscellaneous playthings. You can't help but notice that one character, a shell of some sort, had their section almost fully stocked. This is in contrast to some of the other main characters only having a couple plush toys left on their shelf.
After exiting, you finally take a good look around you. Bathrooms are to the far left, while more merchandise is being sold to the right. A meet and greet area is positioned a few rooms down, with available times written on a board. Somebody's going to come out in five minutes.
The sight fills you with extreme, stomach-upsetting dread. If an actual toon sees you, you're done for. Your stomach churns.
Slowly walking down the aisle, you notice that the stench of fake plants and likely overpriced food is growing stronger and stronger. You're now in what you could say is the main guest area. It's a circle, with many large elevators surrounding the edges. One of them is covered with caution tape and road barriers. In the center, is the source of the overwhelming floral smell, with a sign displaying text. For that reason, it's hard to breathe.
Past this, there are ticket stations for presumably the elevators. A bunch of little children are running around, blissfully accompanied by their parents yelling and scolding them to not zoom off. It's so unbelievably loud.
It's almost like the universe is straight up plotting to murder you, since a tall figure comes up from behind and lightly taps your shoulder.
"Hey kiddo! Are you lost? I can help you out!"
Their grossly sweet voice only irritates you. You are not a child. You are not lost. Are they suggesting that you don't belong here?
You want to bawl and yell at them to fuck off, go away and leave you alone. Though, the words clump and evaporate in your throat. You don't let them get a glance at you nor what you are, as you decide to dash past them, into a random unlocked door that looks inviting enough.
You can't make a clear image from your surroundings, so the next thing you do is sit on the uncomfortable padded carpet and exhale.
An utterly pissed sound is involuntarily let out. There's an unstable and loud voice repeating over and over, asking why you came here. You should've stayed in your place. Look where trying to be different got you.
You'll never be like them.
A couple minutes pass by. You've calmed down by now, though you currently feel like an angsty teenager that threw a hissy fit over something utterly stupid.
"BARK BARK! BARK BARK!!! GRRR.."
..is that a fucking dog.
Your eyes rapidly dart around the room. Some sort of dog, rock thing is approaching your current location. You have no idea what it is, but you're smart enough to figure out that you should probably run.
You're absolutely not going back into the public, so you have no choice but to clumsily leap over the rather flat figure and run into the hallway it came from.
Still shaken from your outburst, your breath actively hitches while running. You've ran from several nasty humans in the past, along with one too many guard dogs. This shouldn't be very different. It's weird, how much stamina the thing chasing you has. You really really hope it isn't alive, though you know in your heart they probably are. You recall deep in your memory a toon from the main cast of the cartoon. His name was something like..."Rock". It sounds ridiculous, but you honestly can't be too wary when talking about kids shows.
"GRRR, BARK BARK BARKK!!"
Really embarrassingly, your limbs are horribly sore from the sudden exercise. You can also feel a stomach cramp coming on if you run much further. The chase has lasted at least a couple minutes now, with both contestants running at mach seven.
"BARK BARK!!"
How does he even have so much energy?!?
Just as you're about to fall out of exhaustion, you see this..man walking in front of you. You try your best to skid to a stop, but end up face planting into his back, falling to the floor.
He looks back in shock, eyes darting back from the dog to you, again and again.
"Well, what do we have here?"