“Rude? Me? Never!”

The Toymaker stills.

“It’s certainly not a slight, Herr… Mysterious. Just… looking to get to know you better! As you are my domain, I would assume we are…

More acquainted than it would seem.”

The Toymaker smiled just as proudly back, leading the way further and further in.

“Come in, come in! It’s just around this corner!”

He snaps his fingers surreptitiously, the paint on the walls melting down alongside them.

“When was the last time you stepped foot in a toy store, Charlie? Hm?”

+ Pretty soon all that will remain will be a maze, and countless of puppets. Perhaps Calix will become one.

“Oh yes, all the toys!”

He grins, his smile turning a bit mad in response. So a crush, eh? He’ll see what he can do with that. The Toymaker flips the curtains aside, briefly showing a rare glimpse into the “backrooms”.

“Just… follow me!”

He leads the way, walking backwards into the depths. +

“No, please, continue!”

The Toymaker smiles winningly, placing a hand on the curtains behind them to draw them apart.

“I have all the time in the world, ja!”

Back with the accent. He treats it as a game in of itself, guess who will be able to hear it and who won’t.

The Toymaker pauses.

“My realm? Impossible.”

He begins to shuffle the tea cups in front of them around swiftly.

“Tell me more. I do love a good tale.”

Oh, most agreed! Most agreed.

What are you watching exactly?

“Aliens! How interesting!”

The Toymaker grins brightly.

“What aliens have you seen?”

+ have just the toy for you and your uncle. Come, come! It’s in the backrooms. You both will love it.”

He smiles mysteriously, hoping it looks more inviting than before.

“Considered ‘childish’?”

The Toymaker curls his lip in disgust. Some ancient part of him rises up in defense of being called childish… and weaponizing that. After all, that’s what his games are for, aren’t they?

He taps his finger against his mouth, considering.

“I believe I might +

“Are you looking for a new toy perhaps?”

It sounds delightful!

// very carefully 🤪

+ never affects him. And why would it?

A scream from the other room rends the air. The Toymaker glances up with a smile.

“Ah, pardon. A new customer visited yesterday and I had to have fun.”

He sits as well, but not before pouring tea for them both. The Toymaker strives to be a gracious host at all times. It’s only now that that looks like tea and cakes.

“Do you prefer one sugar or two?”

He adds five for himself — one of the perks of being from beyond the universe is that sugar +