"Are you sure this is going to work? I feel stupid." Solly whined softly, thumbing at the colorful cardboard box in her hands.
"Just tell him that you need help with the present wrapping, that's all!"
"What if he says no? And I can't recover? What then?"
"Then we all die, the end." Isa rolled her pretend eyes at the ongoing conversation as they snuck their way down the hall. And by sneak, they're really just walking normally and whisper arguing as per usual.
Everyone had went to bed by now, all except Slender who seemed to be keeping his brain busy so he wouldn't send himself into another emotional discharge. Had he taken time to lay down, or even just a water-break, the words repeating in his mind would just get louder until he split in twain.
So, the only option is to not worry about it until morning. He will settle it then, he decided.
But the girls had a different plan. To steal that shiny little box, they would have to distract Slender out his office somehow. Maeve couldn't just walk in and face her father after everything she's said, let alone grab the box after doing the impossible. She couldn't believe how easily her cousins had hopped on board with the entire plan, they might not even know how risky it was, but maybe that was for the better.
Azalea couldn't find an actual lockpick kit in the garage, but one of Iza's bobby-pins would do the job just as well, even if it took a few handful of seconds longer. The page ripped from an empty spellbook could easily absorb whatever magic was separating the girls from getting into that office after Slender undoubtedly locks it behind him to follow the plan laid out carefully for Solly to follow.
Their fate quite literally rested on her small shoulders, which is saying something considering she could barely lift her own problems without buckling.
The hallway loomed in front of the four cousins, nervously glancing between each other. Azalea bravely made the first step with the rest to follow. Doors littered either side of them, leading to various kinds of rooms. One led to an indoor sunroom, others have been made into make-shift supply closets and more museum exhibits to somberly gaze at.
Maeve backed into the sunroom, and allowed herself to get lost in the large monstera leaves as well as various colored bushes and flowers. Isa dipped into room with a thick layer of dust coating lacey tablecloths and a strange dress laid over a neatly made bed, waiting for an owner that will never return. And Azalea got lucky with the most boring storage closet she has ever seen.
Sol meekly approached the doors much larger than Slender himself, a half wrapped box weighing down her arms. Nothing of importance sat in it, only ugly shoes fetched from the garden below the sleepover room, victims of tossed from a window in shame.
He would surely notice if the box was empty, so it was only smart to weight it down with something, even if it was the ugliest pair of shoes she's ever seen.
Not that she would ever say that to Isa.
Solana kicked the door with her foot, the only thing capable of correctly knocking considering the box was too awkward to carry one handed.
Damn. Sol hastily put the box down, opened the door awkwardly, and picked up the box quickly before stepping in and accidentally slamming the door when she kicked it close with her foot.
"Solana, dear, are you alright? What do you have?" Slender peered from his pointless papers toward Solly, who is currently attempting to waddle over to the desk with this comically oversized box.
She set it down in one of the guest chairs in front of his desk. "Hey Uncle!~ I knew you were the only one up this late, so I was hoping you could help me with this?" Her voice squeaked, "I always hate to ask for help with something so seemingly small, but, y'know, I'm just a little embarrassed at my wrapping skills, especially with something this big."
"A present? Whomever for?" Slender chimed in curiosity, and stood up, looming over the small girl. "Your father's birthday isn't for another five months."
Oh shit, unplanned dialog. Time to improvise. "Umm, I just- Uh," It wasn't easy standing under Slender intimidating gaze, expectant of an answer. Sol wasn't quite sure how Maeve survived all of these years under it. The pressure is intense! "It's actually for...Maeve. She hasn't been feeling well, so only a present would be the best thing to cheer her up!" Sol smiled ridiculously cheerfully considering how darkened Slender's face seemed to get.
"Yes...Maeve. She certainly had some big words tonight, didn't she? What do you think of that, Solana?" Slender looked from the gift box to Solly, who has currently begun to sweat bullets.
In another, less intense room, Isa roamed the quite large bedroom. Everything in it seemed dark and gloomy colored or stained. A monochrome of black, white, and sometimes a splash of dark blue will make an appearance if she looked at the correct angle.
A vanity sat in the corner, and a large one at that. So many different kinds of makeup sat neatly on it, coated in dust that couldn't have been there for less than a few good years. No doubt this tenant died before then, so Slender or a proxy must have cleaned it up occasionally.
Bookshelves and plant shelves lines the walls, with plants long past a sense of revival. Some of the pots looked to be hand painted with fading colors.
"It's so depressing in here." Isa paced slowly toward the closet, curious of the fashion choices of someone so stoic. She passed the bed, with a little black dress laying on the comforter, still waiting on the hangar. The closet was also lined with dresses of the like, some more outgoing than others.
"Someone liked knives, and I don't think they were for cooking~" Isa giggled, gazing at her own reflections above the clothing, from various sized knives hung on the wall in uniform fashion. A name carved into one of them, "Jane." Isa read aloud in a whisper. "Well, Jane, you could've used just a little bit more color, hm?" She joked, and turned around to pluck a book off the shelf at random. A little paper back to pass the time. The reading nook, although coated in cobwebs, was awfully cozy, and Isa settled in for a distraction whikle Solly worked her magic.
Back at the office, Solly thought she might faint, but at the same time, curious how Slender hasn't caught on yet. Couldn't he read human minds? Maybe it was because she wasn't fully human, that meant she was safe.
"I-I-I don't think anything-"
"You don't think anything of it?" Slender challenged.
"Well, not- like, I don't not think things of it, but I don't think that it's my place is all." Sol was attempting to play it cool. She's never failed at something so miserably in her life.
"Interesting," was all Slender said. It made Solana just a little bit more insane.
"Sorry to interrupt, but can we wrap the present? I kinda want to get to bed. I need sleep unlike everyone else who just does it for leisure." Sol tried to joke to lighten the mood, but not she's just afraid she offended him.
"Of course, I'm sorry for involving you in such matters, dear! You're right, it shouldn't be your place to get caught in the middle." Slender picked up the box, and started toward the door. "There's leftover wrapping paper in Jane's room."
Sol's heart dropped knowing Isa was no doubt just doing something stupidly leisurely. "Oh! Okay!" She bared a smile, but it might've just seemed like she attempted to growl at him from the double take Slender had to do.
"Who is Jane? I'm not sure if I've ever heard you talk about her before besides in mention?" Sol made sure to talk loud enough, hopefully reaching behind the door toward her cousin. Isa almost screamed, but covered the place wherever her mouth should be. She hazardly shoved the book back into the shelf, and quickly tucked herself into the open double-doored closet. She almost thought about closing it, but Slender would surely notice.
"I've talked about her a handful of times. She was truly the only level headed one amongst the population." Slender sat the box on one of the dressers, and pulled some silver wrapping paper from behind it. "There's tape on the top shelf of the closet. Just be wary of the knives, I'm not sure how stable they are after all of the passing years."
Sol nodded, and quickly headed to the closet and peered in. She jumped. Isa jumped. A moment of silence was shared between the two, staring at each other in the fear of realization. Isa looked up slowly, picked up the golden journaling tape, and handed it to Solana.
Solly hesitantly took it with a knowing look, and stepped awkwardly back to Slender, handing him the tape.
Maeve decided to lay down in the middle of the sunroom, gazing up at the stars through the dirty skylight. Slender has really let the place go. As a child, Maeve had always remembered the place being spotless, even with the silent proxies that roamed the halls. She rolled her eyes and turned onto her stomach.
"I don't hate him. I just wish he was different, that's all." She said aloud to herself, knowing it was safe to expel whatever was roaming in her head. "He's my father, and he's trying his best with the way that he knows how. But that doesn't excuse being an asshole." Maeve sighed deeply, "If only his ego was small enough to listen to others."
A scream pierced the walls, and a loud crash followed.
Maeve ran toward the door, yet froze. Slender would be other there to investigate, too. Which meant facing him. Which also destroying the plan of that temporary reality they were all working so hard toward. Another scream, more panicked followed by a "GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF!", and an aggressive slam.
Slender quickly entered the hallway, watching as Azalea screamed in terror, a spider close to the size of a cat tangled in her long hair, likely more afraid than she is. Slender hurried over to her with a small, jog, attempting to calm her down to no avail, and ignoring her pleas to 'just fucking kill it.'
Isa took the chance, and peeked from behind the archway to see what was causing the ruckus. Maeve, shakily, also did the same, watching as her father attempted to corner a crying and frantic Azalea to remove the creature from her locks. Azalea kept backing away, and eventually backpedaled back into the storage room, knocking over another set of shelves. While distracted, Maeve rushed to the office doors, and slipped the spellbook page over it. But without Azalea, there was no way to know how to pick the lock. Isa joined behind her, as well as Sol.
"Maybe if you just shove it in and wiggle it like in the movies," Isa suggested as she provided another paperclip. More crashing and screaming came from behind them, this time coming from a frustrated Slender, asking Azalea to stay still. Judging by more crying and clashing, it doesn't seem that she did.
Maeve didn't have many options, and took the bobby-pin and shoved it in the lock, wiggling it around helplessly.