"a favor...." dandys world lets figure it out" remix

Instructions

The next few days at Garden View blurred together. Delilah had helped Sunny heal and kept a close eye (get the joke?) on the wound; so far it hadn’t turned into anything worse. As long as he didn’t push himself, the reaction between his ichor and the Twisteds’ wouldn’t get out of hand. *sunny: Great. Another thing on the “Don’t Do or You Might Explode” list.* Sunny stepped out of Delilah’s office and headed for the main area. Dandy was in his shop, rifling through boxes, and Dyle kept checking his watch for the thirty‑fifth time that day. Sunny tried to slip past unnoticed, then he remembered why his stealth rating was only one star. “Oh! Sunny, you amazing pal — you came just in time. Would you mind helping me wi— oof. Gee, what happened to you? You look like you got hit by a truck!” Dandy said, trying to stifle a laugh. *Wow. Comedy gold. Truly groundbreaking material.* For the record, Sunny did not look like he’d been hit by a truck. He did not. “None of your business. And no — I’m busy.” Sunny kept his voice short. Dandy rolled his eyes. “Busy doing what exactly? Moping? Trying to think of something to make Aurther finally recognize you as the main you wish you were?” There was a sharpness to that last line Sunny couldn’t place. *sunny: Oh, so we’re doing personal attacks before noon. Cool. Love that for me.* “What’s it to you? You’re just mad they made you too short to do anything by yourself.” Sunny emphasized *short* like a jab. Before Dandy could fire back, an elevator clanked open across the room. Rodger, Boxten, and Poppy stepped out. Boxten looked a little worse for wear but intact; Poppy looked like she’d just woken up; Rodger was as composed as ever. Sunny seized the chance to drop the conversation and walked over to them, heading straight for Rodger. *sunny: Saved by the bell. Or the elevator. Same thing.* “How’d it go?” Sunny asked. Rodger sighed and shrugged. “As well as it could have gone. There are a lot more Twisteds on the lower floors than there were a few weeks ago. I suspect Delilah’s been trying to make spares in case… you know. But this many failed attempts isn’t like her. She must be stressed.” *sunny: Fantastic. More twisteds. Just what this place needed* “Anyway,” Rodger continued, “do you have a moment? Teagan and I would like to speak with you.” Sunny froze. They wanted to talk. About what? *sunny: Oh great. The “We Need to Talk” tone. Nothing terrifying about that.* “Uh… sure.” He followed Rodger to his office — a small room with a desk and a bookshelf shoved against the wall. Teagan was already seated; Rodger sat behind the desk and gestured for Sunny to take a chair. Teagan spoke first. “I know you’re fast‑paced, Sunny, so let’s skip the small talk. Rodger and I are asking for a favor.” Sunny nodded, trying not to stare at the research notes pinned to the wall. One photo made his stomach drop: a Twisted that looked an awful lot like Sprout. He forced his attention back to Teagan. *sunny: Nope. Not thinking about that. Absolutely not. Moving on.* “As the lower floors get more dangerous, it’s only a matter of time until… something happens to one of us,” she said, nodding toward Rodger. He cleared his throat. “There’s no guarantee we’ll come back from those elevators. The Twisteds are getting smarter every day, and we can’t afford to leave Toodles alone.” A knock at the door interrupted him. Cosmo poked his head in. “Uh, Rodger? You wanted to see me?” He looked reluctant until he saw Sunny and sat down beside him. Rodger filled him in. “You keep saying ‘if’ this and ‘if’ that,” Cosmo said. “You don’t know you’ll die down there.” Sunny put a hand on Cosmo’s arm. “He’s saying it’s better to be safe than sorry.” Cosmo sighed. “So let me guess — you want us to take care of Toodles until this dies down?” Rodger nodded. “Yes. You two are the most… stable of the rest. I would have asked Brightnee, but she’s busy and, to be frank, has a lower survival rate than you two. I would have asked Gigi, but who asks Gigi for anything? I would have asked anyone, but I’m asking you.” Sunny felt everyone’s eyes on him. He knew Cosmo wouldn’t mind; Sunny already handled enough kids. Between the morning routines and the daycare duties, he was basically on call all day. *Yeah, sure, add another child to the collection. Why not. I definitely wasn’t planning on sleeping ever again.* He leaned back in his chair and exhaled. “Alright. Tell her to pack her stuff.” Rodger looked shocked for a beat, then nodded. “O‑of course.” Teagan stood and went to fetch Toodles.