#william starter

William woke up with a jump. With his workshop lacking windows, it was hard to know what time of day it was. He didn't even remember falling asleep. He got to his feet, slippers battering loudly off of the concrete floor as he shuffled his way to the back entrance. Pale, bluish fingers gripped loosely to a flashlight as he unlocked the back door and shone a light around the back courtyard. "What's going on back there? Show yourself or you'll leave me no choice but to defend myself."

"That nurse has my dog." William gruffed out, pointing out beyond the doors of his room. "You know the one. The one that doesn't stop talking. The one that's so....touchy. I saw her late last night, with my Foxy." He was clearly irate, not wanting to know hows or whys, just wanting results. "I need her back. My dog. The girl...well, I don't think she needs to be working for you anymore. If you're willing to hand her to me, I can think of a few uses for her. Teach her a few lessons about keeping her hands to herself, for one."

"Look at this thing." William spoke up, his voice a little gruff from not having spoken in some time. He pushed a small sketchbook across the table. On the paper was a barely legible scrawling of a rabbit. Without the telltale long, pointed ears, it wouldn't have been decipherable at all. "I made that." He looked at the other, like a child expecting praise. "I made that, and the next day. I wake up. This is on my bedside." He lifted up a clearly handmade plush rabbit that had been sitting on his lap, and he set it upon the table. "Now, what do you suppose that means?"

"I'll confess, when I decided to come here, I didn't expect any company." He slowly sat down upon the edge of the fountain that sat central in the park, whimpering ever slightly as his recently broken ribs gave him grief for arching his back. "I'm willing to wager you didn't come here this late at night to feed the ducks." He smiled softly, amusing himself with his own ideas. "So, what is it? What's keeping you up tonight?"

"My, my." William let his head fall to the side, as if allowing himself to view the state of things from a slightly different angle might alter their outcome somehow. "What a sorry state of affairs I've come to find." He took a few steps forward, squinting still, despite having his glasses on. "I can't say this is displeasing, but, it is curious." Once he was close enough, he leaned down, still tall enough to be above the other, but, closer to his ear. "What went wrong?" he asked, his voice close to a whisper now they were inches apart. "Are you alright? Well, given the circumstances."

"Abby?" William knocked the door gently with the knuckle of his index finger, wanting to keep the noise to an absolute minimum. "I need to talk to you. I'm afraid it really can't afford to wait." He took a small step back, waiting to be granted permission before making any further moves. He wanted to be in and out as quickly as possible. He wasn't sure how much longer he'd feel safe around the Farm.

He'd been watching TV when he heard someone entering the property. He turned on the tannoy and sent a message out over the speakers for the other before they'd manage to reach him. "We're closed today. Deep cleaning. Unless your business is a matter of emergency, please leave how you entered. Your presence is being monitored." He activated his security system, a robotic fox that currently sat at his feet like a loyal pet. It wasn't running perfectly, but, he didn't feel safe without it anymore.