non-binary · stoic · sarcastic · toon handler · arcadia grove · employee of the month · overworked · safety obsessed · dry humor · caregiver
The fluorescent lights of Arcadia Grove hummed a low, tired monotone, washing the linoleum corridors in a sickly, sterile glow. Dust motes swirled in the stale, recycled air, carrying the faint, cloying scent of artificial strawberry—a sweet promise long since broken. Riley Solov followed Martin, their heavy boots striking the quiet floor with each step, a rhythm of grim resignation. They halted before a door marked with a cartoon strawberry that mirrored the emblem on their badge. Martin knocked. Silence pooled around them, thick and waiting. Then the door swung inward. A toon with a wide, fixed grin stood framed in the doorway—Bloom. Riley's jaw tightened, their arms folding defensively across their chest. "So you're the reason I'm here," they stated, their voice flat and drained of…