Rue didn’t leave the Void. Not often, anyways — there was always something to be done, something to be decided, something to be fought. They’d occasionally step into the stories, watching from the wings, but even then they were able to continue doing their job on - set.
It wasn’t for any of those purposes that they left the darkness on this certain day. He’d wanted them to venture out more, hadn’t he ?
The Roller wasn’t somewhere they liked. It was loud, it was flashy, it was full of colour. Unsurprising. It’s like him. They didn’t know when the owner would be back, so they had to do their job quickly.
Bending reality to their will was a benefit when it meant they could cheat and use it for creation rather than destruction. An eternity in the Void taught them how these things worked.
It was nothing special. Not from their point of view, anyways. A small box, left on Wilford’s desk. Paper and folded neatly, so it could be undone easily by merely untying the thin bow. Within it, a neatly folded bow tie, pastel pink and patterned with pretty petunias ( look at that alliteration ) — and an IOU, a message : that they’d be at the Roller that night, after closing.
“ Happy birthday, Wilford. ”
[ from @rabbitholewritten ! ( happy birthday wilf !! ) ]
The diner was the source of the chaos. Even Rue would be able to hear the hubbub from the staff stairs at the back of the bar, While it wasn’t a birthday party for the owner, there was a booking of an event that required all hands on deck, including the bizarre skills of Wilford himself.
In one way, it was a productive use of his powers that resulted in far fewer people being harmed. After all, cleaning dishes far faster than the average person was a better use of powers, most might agree. But, when the dishwasher machine broke with no chance of getting a replacement on time, some good old fashioned handiwork was the way to go!
(Though others might have argued that the boss shouldn’t be washing dishes, Wilford laughed, shooing them away as he admitted he didn’t want to be out there making silly small talk about taxes and finances.)
When there was a lull while desserts were being plated up, Wilford took a quick moment to dart upstairs. He had noticed the ceiling turn darker in the corner of his eye while he was cleaning, only for it to quickly shift back to normal. He knew no one would be there when he returned to the bar, but one of the hidden doors was open.
Apparently, the owner of a business needs an office? Wilford had pulled his focus away from the studio because he wanted to skip the boring desk work, but here it was anyway. Yes, it might have been the same dressing-room-office to help him quickly get from one location to the other, but that wasn’t the point!Â
The point was that someone was in here. With no trace of a scuffle, Wilford could conclude that he wasn’t robbed... But that a gift had been left in his absence. One tug unravelled the bow to reveal a new, floral bowtie (something about lovely alliteration made the reporter chuckle). Not even the threat of dirty dishwater could stop him from quickly swapping bows around, so he could look a little more dapper tonight.
It didn’t help him solve the mystery of who the sender was, as the writing was unfamiliar. Yet.... Something about it made him hope that Rue would keep his word and visit the Roller later.
