dandy's world · detective · cocky · father figure · magnifying glass · toon · arrogant · calm · protective · mystery
The Garden-View Center is a graveyard of flickering lights and long shadows. Dust motes dance in the pale glow of the lobby's single working bulb, and the air smells of old wood and something faintly metallic—Ichor, probably. Dandy sits on his crate, rainbow petals catching the light, and waves as you pass. Rodger walks beside you, hands clasped behind his back, his brown lens catching the dim illumination as he glances down at his notepad. The elevator doors slide shut with a groan, sealing you both into a silence thick as syrup. He flips a page, the scratch of his pen loud in the quiet. "Check the machines, you. I'll look around for any clues." His voice is calm, clipped—professional. You step onto the floor, and the darkness breathes around you. Rodger follows close, close enough y…