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Long corridors, enormous rooms, lots of floors. Gardenview was a massive building that had been home to all the toons for a very long time. And naturally, just like any living space, Gardenview tended to get messy over time.
It wasn't intentional; there wasn't anyone here who was purposefully throwing dust or wrappers all over the space. It was just casual forgetfulness, a bit of clumsiness, and the usual little accidents that kept everything from staying perfectly spotless.
Yet, this abandoned museum hadn't turned into a giant landfill. There wasn't even graffiti or empty bottles lying around. So, what was the secret? It all came down to a certain little tissue box who worked tirelessly day and night just to keep everything looking neat and tidy.
Speak of the devil, that toon was currently heading toward yet another bedroom. No one really knew when she had started cleaning up other’s rooms. Maybe one of the Toons had a catastrophically messy bedroom, then someone else asked for the same help, and then…
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Scuffling noises and quick footsteps echoed from inside. In a flash, the door swung open, and the local janitor found herself facing a close friend — Shelly.
"Oh my dinosaurs, hey there, Tisha!!" The ammonite greeted her loudly, waving her hand enthusiastically. Then, as if suddenly remembering herself, she cleared her throat and spoke again in a calmer tone, "Hey, Tisha. Did you need something?"
"Mhm, came to clean." The reply was quiet and exhausted, just like the toon herself. With heavy bags under her weary eyes, she leaned her entire weight against her old broom, that looked like it might fall sideways at any second.
"Oh, I see..." A spark of worry mixed with a bit of pity flared up inside the heart beneath the brown dress. It felt awful to see Tisha looking this utterly drained. "Alright, come on in."
The room's owner stepped aside, letting her guest walk right in. Tisha did just that, quickly scanning the room before pulling a pp duster out of her cleaning kit.
"Wow, your room is actually clean. Just a bit of dust here and there, and a couple of bones on the desk," a faint, barely noticeable smile appeared on the janitor’s face as she immediately got to work. Maybe she was proud of her friend, or proud that she had managed to influence her. It was hard to tell, especially since the tissue box had her back turned to the Main. Suddenly, Tisha froze. "...Is there something on my back?" Her head tilted slightly to the side, peering back at Shelly.
"No, no! I mean, first of all, thanks, and second of all, no, it's just..."
That you look dangerously exhausted? That you have massive bags under your eyes? That I feel incredibly sorry for you? That you look like you desperately need help, especially the mental one? No matter how true and straightforward any of those options were, Shelly had absolutely no desire to say them right to her friend's face.
It would have been like spitting in her face, practically calling her weak. And that was far from the truth; Tisha was an incredibly strong, hardworking toon who was always ready to lend a hand—well, unless it is about herself.
Shelly had noticed this a long time ago. If she was carrying boxes of bones, Tisha would help. If Goob got his arms all tangled up, Tisha would help. If there was an emergency in the kitchen, Tisha was right there. She was ready to help absolutely everyone. Heck, she would even track down an easel in the storage room for Brusha, or quietly wipe up spilled paint while huffing under her breath. And that wasn't even counting the fact that she cleaned up the entire building.
But if anyone ever offered her help, or even hinted that she might need it... well, what was a friend supposed to do when they just wanted to care? The Fossilian wasn't about to just ignore how rough her friend was looking. So, a simple yet pretty genius idea popped into her head.
"I actually wanted to ask you for a little favor."
"Oh? Like what?" the little blue box asked, sounding a bit surprised. She hadn't really expected any requests right now. Or maybe she just wasn't thrilled about doing more work, considering how wiped out she actually was.
"Well, it's just that I'm a bit col—" Before the ammonite could even finish her sentence, Tisha’s frowning face softened slightly, almost looking pleased that she had guessed what Shelly needed.
"Do you need a second blanket?"
"No, no! Then it would be way too hot!" Making up excuses on the spot, the ammonite waved her hands awkwardly. Wow, who knew she could think on her feet like this?
"Tea, then?"
"Nooo, it, uh... it might spill, and then it would make a mess. And you're kind of trying to get the exact opposite effect right now, haha..." A few seconds of awkward silence followed. Shelly was already starting to regret putting this whole plan into action.
"...So, what do you want from me?"
"Could you just sit with me under the blanket? Just for a little bit, I swear!"
Gulp. The toon in the brown dress stared sheepishly at the tissue box, who was staring right back at her, though with a look of pleasant surprise. A soft chuckle escaped Tisha's lips, and the corners of her mouth curled up into a smile, much wider than before.
"Pfft, alright. I don't mind."
Whew, Shelly could feel weight getting off her shoulders. Fossilian eyes lit up. She crawled into her bed and pulled open her blanket-cocoon, inviting her friend in. Tisha finally set aside her trusty cleaning tools, walked over to Shelly, and slid under the covers.
"Hmm, it is actually warmer this way," the tissue box murmured quietly, getting all tangled up in a spaghetti mess of arms and legs beneath the blanket, with only their heads peeking out. "Though your excuse is still pretty silly."
"Hey, you did fall for it, so it works perfectly fine!" the ammonite exclaimed with playful offense, all while letting Tisha rest her head on her shoulder. "Tisha? ...O-oh."
Fast asleep. Just like that, in such an awkward posture, the janitor had completely passed out. The Main's heart suddenly started pounding faster, and every move she made from then on became slower, more cautious, and infinitely gentler.
Speaking of the next moves, Shelly carefully untangled the blanket around them, lay down properly on the bed, and pulled the covers over them both again, the right way this time. You can't just sleep sitting up! And sleep was exactly what Tisha needed most right now... so let's leave them both in peace and quiet.