A/N: Aggggh... it's been such a busy month, but I finally freed myself up enough to get a new chapter out. The first chapter involving new patients, too!
I'm admittedly nervous putting it out there, but I polished it as best I could. And if you've read this far, I assume you can trust me to make more enjoyable content :P Here's hoping you all have fun with the first of the original inmates. If anyone wants to skip ahead, though, just check the beginning author's notes of future chapters and there'll eventually be one that marks the end of the original section (with a spoiler-free summary of anything major that develops along the way).
Now then... let's do this! With the usual thanks to my wonderful betas for helping me put this together!
The lift rattled and clanked all the way up. Through its bars, Frazie watched floor after floor pass by, each more decrepit than the last. The faint worry that this thing was too old to make the whole trip crossed her mind, but Loboto must've made sure it was kept in working condition, because it finally jerked to a safe stop after a long climb.
It hadn't taken her straight to the top, it seemed. Looked like she still had a ways to climb, because the elevator couldn't go any higher. It just opened up with a creak, leaving her to step out into the unknown.
Frazie had thought the main lobby of the building was a mess. This was... something else.
A faint haze skimmed the floor, floating across chunks of ceiling laying hither and thither on the ground. Entire segments of the wall were missing. Wheelchairs sat strewn about, long abandoned, eerily still. Doors and windows lined the hall and a quick peek inside one made it clear this area was where the patients slept way back when.
Frazie passed by cot after cot, some left neat and tidy, others flipped on their sides and thrown out in the hall. Dozens of mattresses left disheveled and dusty, their occupants long gone. A chill flittered up her spine. She'd only seen four inmates and one orderly, but there were enough beds here to house hundreds.
Just where had everyone gone?
With luck, literally anywhere else. Frazie didn't want to consider what it meant if they'd, you know... never left. And she didn't mean remained here like everyone on the first floor, either.
Alright, enough of that. This place was creepy enough without imagining ghosts lurking in the shadows. Though could anyone blame her? It felt like she was being watched. It was like Boyd's mind all over again... she could swear she saw someone peering at her from a hole in the roof or behind a wall now and then, but they were always gone when she drew close.
Even the ambience made the place feel haunted. The building groaned now and then, constantly complaining about its run-down state. If Frazie listened closely, she could make out skittering footsteps, and... squeaking? Soft, yet progressively louder squeaking. Rapidly approaching squeaking.
Frazie recoiled when a rat suddenly scampered into view, the creature eying her from atop a set of stairs by her side. It tilted its head, eyes almost seeming to glow in the dark.
"Uhhh... hey?" Frazie didn't have much of a problem with rodents, but she wasn't too keen to touch them, either. Which was a problem, since it was directly in her path. Cautiously, Frazie started up the stairs, trying to scootch around it when she neared the top. "Don't mind me. Juuuust need to get by..."
The critter squeaked again, head tilted in contemplation... and then leapt at her. She barely had time to let out a gasp before it burst before her eyes.
The rodent exploded into a cloud of green smog. Frazie's head spun. Up was down. East was West. It was suddenly a completely reasonable prospect to try and lick the walls.
Thankfully, the debilitating haze faded away before she got the chance to find out what flavor the asylum was. Frazie gave herself a thump on the noggin to get her brain back on track. "What the...?" It felt just like when she'd nailed herself with a Confusion grenade. Only this one was... furrier. Her head hurt, and so did her face, but she was fine.
At least until she caught the sound of more scampering and squeaking. A LOT of scampering and squeaking.
A small horde of rats stampeded into sight down below, leaping after her one step at a time. That was Frazie's cue to get the heck out of there.
She turned and ran the rest of the way up the stairs, two at a time. The horde was in hot pursuit. If she knew where the heck she was going other than 'up', she might be able to outpace them, but she couldn't see any stairs and definitely couldn't risk hitting a dead end.
There was one more option, at least. Frazie promptly threw herself at the nearest door and shoved it open with her shoulder, slamming it shut behind her.
A moment later, thud after thud racked the frame as the critters bumped and scraped it. Surprisingly determined little things.
Alright, maybe she was a bit afraid of rats now. But only the exploding kind.
Frazie dared to take a step away from the door, sighing with relief to see it held strong. A bit less relieving to hear the angry mob outside continue trying to weasel their way in, though. Great. They weren't leaving. That was a problem. But at least she had a moment of peace to figure out what to do about it.
"Are you alright?"
"GAH!"
Frazie whipped her head around, half expecting to see a ghost just like she'd fretted about earlier. Instead, she found a woman glancing back at Frazie over her shoulder. The stranger sat at a workbench, facing away, but Frazie could tell she was tall. Her black hair sat wrapped in a neat bun and bandana, speckled with strands of white and gray, her eyes filled with equal parts concern and confusion.
Another patient, it seemed, judging from her clothes. Once the shock faded, Frazie slowly nodded. "I think so. Just, ah... got a bit of a pest problem," she explained, pointing at the rattling door.
"Oh, dear. They're usually very docile... did you do something to upset them?"
"No!" The rats were obviously infused with some sort of psychic energy... maybe they were drawn to hers? Or maybe Loboto had somehow trained them to go after unauthorized visitors. Perhaps they could even smell all the cheesy macaroni Frazie had had for dinner earlier. Even with her newfound Zoolingualism, she wasn't too eager to ask the rampaging rodents what their problem was.
Whatever the case, now she was the one trapped like a rat. She could try Shielding her way through them, but they'd go off on her as soon as it was down. She didn't have the heart to fling the door open and start squashing them, either. Not only was that likely to end explosively for her, but she liked animals too much to do it. She worked with her family's circus animals more than any other Aquato, for crying out loud. She even felt bad when she had to knock a Memory Vault out.
Nope. She wasn't playing pest control today. But something had to be done. It'd be downright humiliating to come this far only to be stopped by a bunch of vermin.
Also, Coach would take over the world. That too.
For now, she was stuck in this room with... whoever this was. Frazie struck up a conversation while she glanced around the room, seeking another way out. So far, no dice. "You're... taking the sudden intruder thing rather well."
"Oh, posh. You seem sweet enough. And I haven't had a visitor in some time now." The woman faced forward again, getting back to work on... something Frazie couldn't see. It must've been clothing, though, because the steady click of a sewing machine started up. "I haven't managed to make it downstairs in quite awhile... but I don't mind. I'm happy here in my little workshop."
She seemed... normal. A bit too normal. But so had Edgar, at first. "Are... you alone up here?"
"Heavens, no! Sheegor stops by to bring Sally and I some food and cloth sometimes. She's such a dear..."
"She sounds like it," Frazie admitted, having heard the name before from Crispin and wondering who this strange, seemingly nice person was. "...Wait a second. Who's Sally?"
"Mmm? Oh, how rude of me! Sally, say hello to our guest!"
The woman swiveled in her chair... and seated on her knee, dressed prim and pretty, was a puppet. Clearly carefully carved, it looked like a little girl in a sailor suit with blonde pigtails. It waved at her with both arms. "Hello!" it chirped, clearly just its owner speaking from the corner of her mouth while she manipulated it from behind. "Nice to meetcha!"
Frazie... didn't quite know how to react staring back into its glassy eyes. "...Heeeey?" she finally offered.
"Don't be shy!" the woman said, her doll looking up at her. "My name's Pepper. Pepper Triggs. And this is Salty Sally. The salt to my Pepper! Isn't that right?" she asked her doll with a laugh.
"Come oooon," Sally said, crossing her arms. "You say that every time!"
"Because it's a good line!" Pepper protested. "Come on, you like it."
"Yeeeeeah..."
Frazie wasn't sure if she'd walked into a comedy routine or a genuine conversation. With how earnestly the woman talked with her toy - and through it - it felt like the latter. "It's... nice to meet you?" Frazie finally replied. "I'm Frazie?"
"Mmm? Is something the matter, sweetie?" Pepper asked, eying her like she was the strange one. "By all means, make yourself at home. It, ah... doesn't seem like you'll be going anywhere for awhile, anyhow."
Sally gasped, covering her mouth. "It'll be just like a sleepover!"
A sleepover Frazie had no intention of sticking around for. The lady was nice... THEY were nice? But she'd already spent enough time helping everyone on the bottom floor. There had to be a way out. "Actually, can I look around?" she asked.
"I dunno, can you?" Sally quipped.
"Oh, stop," Pepper chided the doll, booping her nose. "Go right ahead. I'll be right here... I'm making a new outfit for Sally!"
"We are?!" the doll asked, excited.
"Oops. Spoiled the surprise...!"
Her machine started up again, the strange duo getting back to work on their little project. Offering Pepper a brief sympathetic look, Frazie got to work scouring her room.
Outside of the workbench and supplies, it was rather barebones lodgings. Tragically barebones. She had her bed, a small side bathroom, and not much else. All the windows were barred, and some strong tugging proved they weren't going to budge. Frazie felt a bit silly when she knelt down and checked the tiles, but hey, she was desperate. Naturally, no secret passageways or even a loose enough set of floor to break through.
This place was as much a prison as it was an asylum.
But she couldn't give up. Frazie looked to the ceiling next, hoping for any sign of weakness. Of course she had to throw herself into the one room that wasn't in pieces. There wasn't any fault to be seen, just a couple pipes used to ferry water around the building.
Frazie's eyes traced the tube all the way to the squeaking door... and that's when it hit her. What if she could use it to spew some water to blast the rats away? ...Wait, did the plumbing even work still in this place?
The pipes chose that moment to leak a couple droplets right on her head. She flinched. Yep. It just might work.
This would be the first time water gave her a helping hand instead of one that wanted her dead. Don't get cocky, Galochio. Frazie crouched and leapt, latching onto the tube. She braced her feet against the ceiling and yanked, expecting the old system to come loose...
But no, it held fast. "Come on!" Frazie grunted through her teeth, adding a bit of Telekinesis to her grip. Still stuck. The pipe was screwed on tightly. She couldn't Pyrokinesis her way through it, either, the metal too damp to melt.
By that point she'd drawn Pepper's attention, the puppeteer touching her chin while she watched Frazie try to take away her bathwater. "What are you doing, dear?"
Face flushed, Frazie dropped down again and wiped her hands off. "I thought I might be able to wash your rowdy houseguests away." The continued chittering from the door almost seemed to mock her.
Pepper laughed. "It might work! But good luck getting anything loose. The water's one of the few things here that still works properly."
Great. But Frazie at least had a plan now. She stepped over to Pepper's workbench, peering over her shoulder to see if there was anything that could help.
Pepper didn't just have an assortment of fabrics and sewing materials, she owned an array of tools as well. Blocks of wood, bolts, a chisel, a hammer. All the things a puppeteer would need to make and maintain their marionettes.
And most importantly... a screwdriver.
Frazie's eyes lit up. "Can I borrow that?" she asked, pointing it out.
Pepper glanced over, then shook her head. "I'd love to lend it to you, but it's very important to us. If Sally gets hurt, I have to use these to fix her, and I can't risk not getting it back. You can't exactly get new tools delivered here, you know? They don't even deliver milk!"
Frazie's mind immediately jumped to Boyd, and she quickly shook that thought away. "I'm trustworthy!" Frazie promised, but Pepper didn't seem convinced. "Well maybe you can unscrew the pipe for me instead?"
"Now why on Earth would I do that? Then I wouldn't have any water! Do I look crazy to you?"
Frazie bit her lip very, very hard to keep from blurting out the obvious answer to that. "Alright, good point. But I'll give it right back! I just really, really need to get out of here."
"Well, I'm sorry, but we just can't part with it."
"Yeah!" Sally chimed in. "What if I get a booboo?"
Frazie scoffed. "You can't get a 'booboo'," she snapped. "You're just a toy!" ...Was she arguing with a doll? That was a new low.
Sally covered her mouth, and Pepper gasped. "Why, I never! Do you usually barge into people's rooms to insult them, young lady?"
"But she's just a puppet! Look, I'll show you." Frazie reached out for the doll...
Big mistake.
The moment Frazie's fingers brushed Sally, Pepper let out a wail. She immediately pulled the doll close to her chest, in hysterics. "Get your hands off her! Don't take her away from me again! Please...!"
Frazie should've known trying to take the doll away was a dumb idea... but she hadn't expected Pepper to full on freak out over it. Racked with guilt, she tried to get her to calm down. "I won't, I won't!"
Pepper didn't listen. She just continued to scream at her, eyes wide. The only thing that seemed to have an effect was when her puppet looked up at her and spoke. "It's okay! I'm right here!" Sally soothed, her wooden arms looping around Pepper's neck in a hug. The woman's breathing slowly steadied until she finally calmed.
The woman returned the embrace, shooting Frazie a stern look past her puppet. "Look, I... I know you can't go anywhere right now, but I'd appreciate if you could go in the corner and leave us be until the rats scatter."
Sally pulled back and giggled mischievously. "Ooooooh, you're in troooooublllleeeee."
Alright, Frazie had definitely messed up there... but she couldn't just go sit in time-out until Coach won. She needed that screwdriver. And it looked like there was only one path left to getting Pepper to part with it.
Frazie bowed her head, genuinely apologetic. "I'm sorry I called Sally a toy. Maybe I can make it up to you two by helping out? I know how to sew." She'd had her mom teach her how so she could patch up her circus get-up herself.
Pepper glanced at Sally, and the doll made a show of tapping her cheek as she considered her apology. But finally, it nodded. "I think she forgives you," Pepper said with a smile. "And I guess I can, too. I know it's distressing, being stuck here. Here, have a seat...!"
She gestured to another stool by her side, and Frazie sat down. Up close, the acrobat noted they were working on a small red dress, the fabric plastered with circles. "Sheegor lent us this one!" Pepper claimed. "It's pretty, isn't it? Be a dear and hold it steady for me, would you? Sally's grip slips sometimes."
"It's not my fault! I've got stiff fingers!" the doll claimed, twisting her little wooden hands back and forth.
Frazie couldn't help but chuckle, reaching out to keep the small gown in place. These two were weird, but they were nice. Hopefully a little help would get her back in their good graces.
But Frazie planned to help Pepper out with more than just her sewing project.
While everyone focused on the fabric, Frazie let her mind drift to her pocket. Slowly, her Psy Portal lifted out of it, discreetly slipping up to the back of Pepper's head.
It attached itself, making Pepper jump. "Oh! Sally, are you playing with my hair again? I've told you, I'll braid yours later after we've finiiiiiiissshheeeed..."
Her words slowly died on her lips. Under the door's trance, she slumped forward, and Sally did the same a second later.
Frazie let the dress go, already closing her eyes and preparing to jump into Pepper's mind. It was time to pull back the curtain on her puppet show and take a peek behind the scenes.
Now entering:
Pepper's Production
Strange. Every brain she'd visited typically had something at the start of it, no matter how small. Coach's office. Dogen's living room. Vernon's campfire. Her family caravan.
When she opened her eyes in Pepper's mind, though, all she saw was darkness, lit only by a small sliver of light off in the distance. She felt around her - there were walls, there was a floor, but it looked like there was nothing to do here but go towards the light.
Frazie really, really hoped that wasn't a metaphoric threat. She jogged forward, eyes on the glow...
...And ran into a wall.
"Ow!" Frazie rubbed her face... then paused. The wall had rattled a bit when she bonked it, the light up above growing just a tad.
Inspired, Frazie punched ahead with psychic projection. Once more everything shimmied, the light growing more. A few more strikes and it was finally big enough for her to hop up on the wall and poke her head out.
Well, that explained it. She was in a desk drawer big enough to be a shipping container. That meant the actual desk it belonged to was huge. She'd let herself out onto a giant version of Pepper's workbench, her sewing machine looming above like an arch, her timber blocks now square boulders. But despite the fact she was tiny now, a huge table was hardly anything special.
No, everything else was what made the mind stand out.
The room beyond it was like a mix between a lumber mill and a factory. Frazie gaped into the distance, watching long lengths of conveyor ferry things all around the mind. Outfits. Doll parts. Spools and tools. Everything worked in an orderly fashion, an unusual bit of technology criss-crossing along a room Geppetto would feel right at home in.
Though she could see strange machines working in the distance, everything else had a rustic air. Wood walls, more puppet paraphernalia dangling from the ceiling, and a large door just across from the desk. Also, an unusual amount of posters. Sally's face was plastered all over everything - messages of encouragement, each one delivered by her cheery little grin. 'Don't be a dummy! Keep your hands out of the machinery!', 'Got a screw loose? Ask for assistance!' and 'Work with a smile! Making me things is the BEST job!'
Now that the poster mentioned it, it looked like everything on the production line WAS for her. Dresses for her. Parts for her, carved in her image. It was an entire facility revolving around one doll.
And the owner of it all was arriving right now.
The huge door clicked and opened, making Frazie feel even smaller when Pepper the Giant stepped in, an equally upsized Sally still stuck on her hand even in her mind. The woman hummed to herself, her gentle melody booming across the room as she shut herself in and sat down at her table.
This was Frazie's chance. Before Pepper could get back to work, Frazie jumped out of the drawer and waved her arms. "Hey! Heeeeey!"
Pepper looked around, surprised, until she finally spotted the new addition to her bench. "Hrrm? Why hello there, little one!" she greeted, leaning in closer. "I don't remember making you."
"That's because you didn't," Frazie called out. "I'm a visitor that's here to help."
"New friend! New friend!" Sally chirped, her hands clapping together with a clack.
Pepper laughed, patting the puppet's head. "How delightful! We could always use another hand with production..."
Frazie did give her a hand, but only the one she held up to stop her. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Sally."
In an instant, Pepper's warm and friendly face went blank. The duo shared a look, and she turned back to Frazie with a grimace. "Well, we'd love to have a nice chat, but we're absolutely swamped with work."
She gestured to the frantic factory around her, each piece chugging along. "So much to be done! More outfits for Sally... back-up parts for her... my workers haven't been able to meet the quota lately! Bless their hearts, but I don't see us having an opening anytime soon."
"Hmm." Frazie tapped her foot. Well, if she was too busy to sit down and chat... all Frazie had to do was ease her workload, right? "What if I chipped in? Would that give you some time?"
Pepper's face glowed again, the woman casting a giant smile down at her new helper. "Would you? You're too kind! Yes, yes, if you could get my workers giving their best again, we might be able to spare a few words."
Frazie saluted. "Then consider it done."
Beaming with appreciation, Pepper turned and pointed out a different table at the other side of the workshop. Sally did the same, with both hands. "Our station over there is the one having trouble," Pepper explained.
"Say no more. Back in a flash!" Frazie glanced around for the nearest conveyor that stretched out in that direction. After a brief search, she spotted one delivering wooden limbs across the gap.
She wasn't exactly comfortable catching a ride with a bunch of arms and legs, but she hopped on nonetheless. Taking a seat on an arm like it was a bench, she waved farewell to Pepper and Sally, looking off into the distance while she rode down the line.
Now, just who were these workers she had to find?
Frazie had to hop a few different conveyors to make it all the way, but she finally touched down on steady ground.
While the first desk had basically just been Pepper's real one scaled up, this one was more like a factory floor. All around her, machines the same size as her buzzed and hummed away. Saws received incoming planks and cut them down, while pistons pressed fabrics flat and shoved stray pieces into place.
As meticulous as it was, it was too much work for machines to do alone. That's where the workers came in.
Frazie was surprised to find other puppets working the line, these ones also her size... and the biggest surprise of all, they weren't Sally. Some looked like Raggedy Anns, with hair made of yarn and buttons for eyes. Others were made of wood like Pepper's favorite, their wooden limbs creaking as they pulled things off the belt and put them together. All of them had marionette strings lifting up somewhere into the air, even the plush toys, and they all shared the same stitched uniform. Sheesh, Sally, share your wardrobe.
Even Frazie could tell they weren't doing their best. Some clearly hadn't read the posters, looking absolutely miserable as they fumbled with their components and sighed. Others had read them too much, their lips sewn into big grins that looked just a little bit too forced.
Frazie couldn't blame them. This job must sucked, and she didn't suppose imaginary dolls got paid. But if she wanted to progress, she had to somehow whip these puppets into shape.
Stepping up to a red-haired felt doll, Frazie leaned over the conveyor to watch her work. "So what are you-...?"
"AHHHHH!" The toy flung her arms up in surprise, scattering wood chunks everywhere. "O-oh no, no, no...! P-please don't sneak up on me like that!" She was one of the grinners, making it hard to take her concerns too seriously when she stumbled and stammered around a stitched-on smile. "Why now? W-what if she notices...?"
The doll stooped to gather her fumbled things, and Frazie knelt down to help. "If who notices? Pepper?"
But the toy ignored her, roughly snatching the things from Frazie's hands and getting back to work. Another worker chuckled off to their side, a wooden man in a top hat. "Ahhhh, do not mind her, newbie. Molly has just been here longer than most."
At least this other marionette seemed a lot chattier. Frazie switched to him instead. "What about you, then?"
He tipped his hat to her. "I'm the last one of us that arrived... before Sally showed up, anyway." He chuckled again as he worked, this time a bit more bitterly. "This place used to make things for all of us, you know. But once blondie arrived, everyone else got put to work making things for her instead. It leaves one feeling hollow, no? To be shelved. Always hoping you'll be given attention again, but someone else is hogging the spotlight."
Sure, he might just be feeling hollow because he was made of wood, but Frazie could understand what he meant. "That is pretty unfair." And also unhealthy, since somehow that fixation had manifested in the worst of ways back in reality. "Why's Sally so important, anyway?"
"None can say," the worker replied. "From the moment she arrived, she was Pepper's favorite. Maybe there's something to her... all we know is Pepper runs a pretty tight ship at her request. Doesn't just want the finest parts and dresses, but wants us all to work happily as well. Pah! I'd be a lot happier if I had to stop picking these piles of purple slop out of the machinery."
He glanced up the line, scoffing. "Look... here comes one now! These damn things keep gumming up the works."
The next batch of fabric that came out was drenched in goop - which promptly sprouted eyes and a maw, staring blankly up at the ceiling as it rode on by. "I don't think she'd like this color..." the Doubt burbled.
The puppet reached out to start trying to scrub it off the conveyor, but Frazie put a hand on his arm to stop him. "Hold up. I know how to deal with these things. Have they been slowing you guys down?"
"Them and everything else. Bugs and bunnies keep getting jammed in there, too... and repairing the machines is a real pain in the joints. Plus, we can never get management to listen to our complaints!"
"You and me both," Frazie muttered. "But she said if I got things running smoother around here, she'd have the time to listen. So how's that sound? I'll deal with these guys and any other little things that might help, and I'll deliver your complaints to her when I see her again."
The marionette's wooden jaw clacked open. "Would you really? That just might let us take our first break in years. Be careful, though. These stains can be feisty."
Frazie put a finger to her temple, already building heat within. "Don't worry... this'll be easy."
Frazie hopped back off on Pepper's desk and wiped her brow, sighing.
The work hadn't been hard, but oh, it'd been plentiful. On top of playing whack-a-baddie with all the Doubts, Bad Ideas, and Regrets clunking up the production line, she'd helped move heavy things with her mind and relit some old burners with Pyrokinesis. Strenuous... but worth it, because the workers' smiles seemed a bit more genuine once their burden was lessened.
After that, with their output increased, she just had to get back to Pepper. Whiiiich was easier said than done. The conveyors only went one way, so she'd had to ride further down the assembly line... into the heavy machinery sector. Avoiding stamping presses, trying not to get wound up in threadlines, and dealing with any other mental skirmishes she got into along the way took a lot out of her.
But at last, she was back where she'd begun... Pepper and Sally were still here as well, working together on their project.
Frazie flagged her down again, hopping up and down on the workbench. "Hey! I had a talk with the workers! I had to fix a few things, but things should be running a bit smoother now."
The two of them looked back across the room, eying the factory desk before finally humming with satisfaction. "So you did," Pepper praised, turning back with a grateful smile. "You're an absolute darling."
"Hold on... there's more." Frazie fished in her pocket for some paper and unfolded it. "They also gave me a list of complaints." And unfolded it some more. And more... and more... until it eventually spilled over the edge of the desk. "About twenty-nine pages worth. Plus, there's still that thing we needed to speak about," she tacked on, giving Sally a side glance.
Pepper cupped her mouth with her free hand, thinking. "That many? Well, I suppose I should spare a moment to look at it..." She reached down to very, very gingerly lift the list out of her hands in two giant fingers... then moved it up to a higher shelf. "Later, though. I'm almost done with the stitching!"
Frazie wasn't thrilled. "Look..." she said, folding her hands. "I get you're busy, but this is important. I did my part of the bargain, you need to uphold yours!"
"I know, I know," Pepper said, offering a sorry smile. "But I'm just about finished! And then I need to get started on the next project, of course, while the idea's fresh. Can't forget to get carving a new set of limbs, too, just in case Sally loses one again."
"Yeah!" her puppet spoke from the corner of Pepper's mouth. "You wouldn't want to leave me without a leg to stand on, would you?"
Frazie's lips parted, in disbelief, while Pepper rattled off more and more things she had planned to work on. Dozens and dozens of different things, all taking priority over any complaints. It was at that moment everything clicked for her.
"...You were never planning on talking with me, were you?"
The chattering suddenly stopped. Pepper cut herself with a wince, her warm gaze growing guilty. "No, no, I was! It's just... forgive me, dear, but I've just got so much to do. And I can't take myself away from it. Not even for a second."
"Why not?!"
"Because... just because!" Pepper sighed, very gently sweeping her away with the back of her hand. "Please, just let me get back to it. I'll look at the list later. I promise."
Frazie stumbled back with her push, stomping her foot. "But-...!"
"I promise!"
And that was that. Pepper ignored her and went back to work, humming loudly to drown out Frazie's protests. Sally made a face at her, giggling at her frustration.
Frazzie huffed. Fine. If Pepper wouldn't give her attention, she'd just have to make it so she couldn't be ignored.
She already had an idea where to start. She ran back to the conveyor, off to the worker's sector once more.
She could start by throwing a wrench in Sally's precious production.
And there you have it. Perhaps a bit slow of a start, but things will ramp up as this chapter was mostly just setting up the pieces. A frantic factory with a rustic feel and a strange obsession with a particular puppet... but why? Frazie's going to have to work to get some answers and an audience.
Let me know what you all think! About the character(s?), about the world, anything you might want to say. I'm dipping my toes into the water with this, and I want to make sure it's the best it can be! Theorize too if you'd like, but my lips are sealed on what anything means until the world is over.
