Why hold back? [Afternoon; Frog x Touko]

The Grotto would be the same as usual from the outside as if nothing had happened to it. In a cursory moment after the three knocks, the door knob began to twist and the rest of the door opened. The faint smell of paint wafted through the opening first before a redhead popped through the crack of the door with a toothy smile. "Well, I was waiting for you. C'mon in. And watch your step, it's a little dark in here."

The door would be swung open to reveal much of the office changed. It was lonesome, but there seemed to be the lack of desks and never-ending clutter of paperwork from before. In its place was a cool dim area with tables and sofas filling the space with a platform in the center. Surrounding the area were the stairs that led to higher platforms and floors above. But Touko opted to open a door further away on the current floor before leading Frog back into the familiar cluttered office he knew. She gestured him to take a seat on the wooden chairs near her desk. The Puppeteer didn't waste any time to take her place behind the wooden surface of her station as she continued to flash an amicable smile at him.

"Why wouldn't I? With Invidia gone, the nightclub industry has finally loosened their chains! Aside from the money I probably might get from this, it's a nice change from the boring office, you know. No worries though, the day will always be spent on clean-up and prep. You won't see a single vomit puddle the next time you come by.~" It was quite obvious that the Wild Card wasn't too pleased by the oncoming arrangements. The Attendant chirped rather jovially. He certainly wasn't the type for the taste of the night life like many of his age clamor for. For all of the deadpan he was giving her, it was more than tempting to roll out a bit of teasing and light-hearted banter. It was really odd how there was such a contrast between him and Brittany, the social butterfly. Perhaps opposites do tend to attract somehow. The leather seat of her old chair creaked as leaned back and had her hands rest on her stomach after pulling off the spectacles from her face and leaving it to the side of the desk. "I've heard you've been a little busy these days, Frogerio. Quite an interesting path that one, working with Helter Skelter and his crew. You'll certainly learn a lot more about the PT life, not necessarily a bad teacher all things considered."

"Ha! You got my word, don't worry. There's nothing what a couple of special roombas can't clean up during the day." The Attendant chuckled at Frog. They weer a neat pack of little machines for what they are, but maybe a little lacking on their own. There was no law saying you couldn't tinker with machines, were there? But it did make her wonder how much of a mess it would be during the day. Though her odd pessimism-realism made internal bets that there would be a lot to clean up afterwards. In the midst of her meandering thoughts, her smile grew deeper as she was quick to notice his flustered caution and snorted. "I'm your Attendant, my dear Frog Prince. I would be remiss if I didn't even know what you were up to. But indeed, I find that reassuring. It would be awfully boring if you met your end like many others... And of course, my business would be impacted. Can't be having that now, don't you agree?"

As amusing as it was to see his embarrassment, her red hues carefully observed him. A young child in the bloated pond of oppression and underlining chaos, that what he was. Every Wild Card had their struggle and Frog was no different. But his was certainly more interesting than most, out of the endless heroic plots and self-sacrifices. There was much more underneath than anyone in this city could ever imagine, than perhaps save for a handful of people. She finally leaned back and lazily replied as she had an idea of the meaning behind his question. "Mmn, nah. It's a nightclub just like any other. Figured I could try my hand in managing a small piece of the night life for once. It's better than setting the entire building on fire, that's for sure. Don't worry, as much as I like crazy events going on, it's a policy among Attendants not to get involved, for whatever it's worth. I'll just be sitting in the sidelines munching on my peanuts and salted popcorn, laughing merrily at the wonderful entertainment before my eyes~"

She snickered at herself. It has been a fun couple of nights with the chaos in Sunlake Palms, but also a few more saddening times as some have finally made their final departure. Such was life, there was nothing utterly predictable in this world and it offered a wild ride of experiences, one that Touko willingly accepted.

"Mmn... maybe! Would help to keep down the spending on actual people cleaning up for me. But also not a bad idea..." She giggled at him after blinking. it wouldn't be hard to make something like this. The hardest part of it was what constituted a mess and how to go about it. But for the "gifted" Touko, it wouldn't be a difficulty at all. Now only if she could get that hand down in the basement working. She propped one arm against the chair's armrest to also prop her cheek against her palm. "Something among those lines. Because after all, this is your Journey. No one can make that trek for you. As for me, well... Let's just say I made an agreement to help out this time around. There are quite a number of Psyche-Terrorists around, mind you. And there's still the rest of the World to speak... But I doubt you care all that much since you want to thrive in the concrete jungle that is Endymion, right?"

"Among the parallel lines, I'm afraid." An amused smirk began to curl on her face as Frog replicated her posture. She retained her poise on the chair while crossing her legs across each other, getting much more comfortable in her seat. The mistrust from Frog's eyes was transparent. Not that she could blame him. A good Psyche-Terrorist in this day and age had a healthy amount of skepticism. It was that skepticism that made her smile grow even deeper. Her eyes idly gazed at the Wild Card as she shrugged. "Up to you to decide what you wish to believe, my dear Frogerio. But I can certainly promise you that by my nature I'm a simple observer. I lack the desire for involvement, regardless or not I agreed to help the Venerable Master. After all, I am naught but a part of the peanut gallery in this grand play that is Endymion."

She then leaned back deeper into her chair while grasping a pen that was just laying amidst the many folders and paperwork. It spun between her fingers as the Attendant offhandedly continued. But it abruptly came to a stop to grasp its entirety in a single fist while eying him on the last sentence uttered.