The wind was even colder than usual today. Elodie shuddered as it buffeted her, the threadbare coat she wore hardly offering any protection. The most use she got out of it nowadays was just the large pockets it had, but that was even more vital than the warmth right now. She nervously rubbed the already worn newspaper page within, the only reason she was braving the freezing outside air today. As the wind died down a little, she impulsively checked the page again to make sure the ad hadn't magically vanished or something. 'Toy quality assurance and tester needed. No experience necessary. Salary starting at $25+ per hour. If interested, come to The Plaything's ToyBox at 208 Markwaith Street to apply.' Just over on the next street... Hopefully the waiting room was nice and warm.

As Elodie stared up at 'The Plaything's ToyBox', seeing the strange, whimsical exterior, she wondered how she never noticed it before. But then again... She'd had her mind on more important things... No time to notice new stores that she probably would never shop at... She walked up to the door and knocked, the sound strangely hollow. Nobody answered. After a few awkward minutes of waiting, the ache in her legs getting worse, and a particularly icy gust, she figured it would be okay to enter on her own. She creaked open the door, stepped inside... And stared in wonder.

It was like she had stepped into an entirely different world. The walls were a patchwork of bright, simple colors, and were each lined with tons of toys. There were pillars resembling marble tracks all over the place, and a swirling network of plastic tubes covered the ceiling. A constant cacophony of rattling, shaking, tumbling, crashing, and all sorts of other noises came from all around her, almost drowning out her thoughts. But it quickly faded into the background as she began looking around, becoming oddly soothing. She wandered deeper into the store, marveling at the whimsical display of efficiency around her. Toys tumbled on and off of belts, in and out of tubes, in and out of boxes, all perfectly calculated down to the inch. As she watched, a stuffed pig was launched out of a tube into the air and landed perfectly upright on a nearby belt, with hardly even a wobble. It was mesmerizing. She hardly even realized she had stopped to stare until a cheerful voice rang through her ears from behind. "Ohhh, hello there~!" Startled, she turned around to see an... Employee? Mascot? She wasn't quite sure.

The lady behind her resembled a doll. She wore a large, frilly dress decorated with flowers and swirls with a pink bow on the back, had massive brown pigtails that went far down past her arms, and almost too pale, smooth skin. She was also much taller than Elodie, although that wasn't too unusual. She grinned happily down at Elodie, her eyes shining and her cheeks rosy. "Are you looking for some toys, little girl~?" Elodie blushed angrily. "I'm not a little girl, I'm 25! ...And I-" The lady interrupted, an apologetic hand over her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you~! But even big girls and boys can still play with toys~! Would you like to see some lovely dolls~?" Before Elodie could answer, the lady grabbed her hand and started leading her deeper into the building. 

The lady chattered on and on about dolls and toys in her cutesy, saccharine tone while leading Elodie by the hand. And Elodie... Felt weirdly unbothered, for some reason. Usually she would hate being pulled along like this, and especially being condescended to, but she oddly didn't mind. The lady was hardly pulling her, just casually holding her hand as they walked. Elodie could easily let go if she wanted, but it felt... Nice, being led like this. Her legs felt oddly light and pleasant, not a single ache of exhaustion in them. And the lady's voice was very pleasant to listen to. Her cutesy way of talking made Elodie feel kind of... Comfy, in a way. Like her head was being filled with warm, fuzzy cotton. Elodie even found herself smiling as she followed the pretty dolly down the whirly swirly hallway. The designs on the walls were so pretty and colorful, and blended together as they walked past, swirling and whirling up and down, in and out, back and forth... It made her feel sleepy, and her eyes began to droop. It felt like they'd been walking for so long... The building couldn't be this large, could it...? 

She spoke up, surprised at how sleepy and cutesy her own voice sounded. "Where are we going, miss dolly...?" The pretty dolly laughed happily. "We're going to my dolly room, of course! So many dollies for you to play with there~!" Elodie giggled cutely. "Okayy... That sounds fun..." A thought crossed her mind. "...I thought I was here for a job though..." The pretty dolly looked down at her. "A job? What do you mean, big girlie~?" Elodie cutely fumbled around in her ratty old jacket and pulled out the newspaper. The pretty dolly looked at it for a bit and giggled, her rosy blush growing even brighter. "Ohh, of course, silly me~! Sorry, big girlie, I totally forgot~! Miss Sketcher's office is just this way~!" She led Elodie down a door just to their right that Elodie hadn't noticed was there before and down a much shorter, less pretty hallway.

They entered into a small waiting room, and the pretty dolly let go of Elodie's hand. "Alright, I'll go talk to Miss Sketcher and let her know you're here~! Just make yourself comfy while you wait, okay~?" Elodie nodded cutely and plopped down on a large couch that resembled a crayon box. The pretty dolly waved bye-bye to her as she entered the office door, and Elodie sleepily gave one too. The couch was a lot comfier than she expected, and she started nodding off. She tried to keep awake by looking at the wallpaper. Unlike the pretty hallway, it was pure white, like paper, but someone had drawn all over it with colorful markers. There were waves and clouds and flowers and eyes and... and curlicues... and spirals... spirals... so pretty... she was so sleepy... staring into the spirals made her sleepy... She should just... fall... aslee-"Yo." A voice snapped her awake, and she looked up. There was a woman standing above her.

Elodie was still so sleepy, so it was hard to tell anything about the woman... The only thing she knew for sure was that she was Cool. Way Cool. She had on a backwards baseball cap, sunglasses, and a torn vest. Her hair swung down in a short, wild ponytail with a large marble tied to the end. The large, baggy pants she wore had pockets that seemed to be overflowing with random stuff like bracelets, bottlecaps, and other cool odds and ends. And there was something weird about her skin... Elodie was still so sleepy, but she could swear it was... translucent. The cool girl plunked down on the couch next to Elodie, lights on her shoes flashing in a rapid, whirly pattern. Elodie sleepily asked, "...are you Miss Sketcher?" The girl scoffed. "That square? Really dude? Nah, definitely not. Name's Yoyo." Elodie blinked slowly. "Yoyo...? Huh...?" Yoyo grinned. "Yeah, Yoyo. Wanna see why?" Elodie sleepily nodded, and Yoyo flicked her wrist, producing a glowing green yo-yo with a spiral pattern. "I know all kinds of radical tricks. Watch." 

She began swinging the yo-yo rapidly back and forth before Elodie's eyes. Elodie tried to keep track of it as it went back and forth and back and forth and back and forth, and it was starting to become so hard to keep her eyes open, and the yo-yo was spinning too, swinging back and forth so steadily but spinning rapidly, the spiral pulling her eyes in, and she couldn't look away even if she wanted to. "Feeling sleepy, dude?" Yoyo whispered in her ear, and Elodie nodded. So, very, uber sleepy... "Why don't you take a power nap for Yoyo? Counting down 5 4 3 2-" The office door suddenly opened, and the doll lady walked out. "Alright big girlie, Miss Sketcher is ready to- YOYO! This girl is here for a very important meeting with Miss Sketcher! Stop playing with her!" Yoyo groaned and stopped swinging the cool yo-yo. "Ugh, fiiiine! Spoilsports. Wake up, dude." She pulled out a bird-shaped rubber band and shot it against Elodie's neck. It didn't hurt, but it certainly jolted her awake. The doll lady gently took her hand and led her to the door, smiling sweetly down at her with her big, shiny eyes. "Don't worry big girlie, you'll do great~! Good luck~" She blew a kiss, and Elodie... Blanked out for a second at the sound. She came to as she walked down the hallway to a plain white door. A crisp voice told her, "Come in" and she obeyed practically without thinking, entering the office. 

The office looked like the waiting room, but far more organized and professional. There was a large desk in the center covered in various drawing implements and fidget toys, all neatly organized, behind which sat a professional looking woman. She wore a bright red, perfectly smooth three piece suit with a golden pin on the lapel, and round white glasses so thick they were practically opaque. Her long dark gray hair was perfectly straight, and her skin was even paler than the doll lady's, almost as white as the paper before her. She stood up as Elodie walked in, still a bit sleepy and dazed. The woman held out a hand for a handshake. "I am Miss Sketcher. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Elodie accepted the handshake, and Miss Sketcher shook her hand firmly. As she did, Elodie felt an odd sensation pulsing throughout her body, as if all the fog and cotton that had been floating there was shaken away. "Wait... What just... Huh...?" Miss Sketcher sat down behind her desk. "Please, take a seat." Elodie nervously obeyed, her senses coming back to her. "What's going on...? I'm so confused."

Miss Sketcher didn't seem perturbed by the question, calmly answering, "You are applying for a job here, I was led to understand." Elodie rubbed her eyes. "I... W-Well, yeah, but... What even is this place...?" Miss Sketcher calmly replied, "The Plaything's ToyBox." Her tone carried no hint of joking or sarcasm. "I... I know that, but... This place is so weird! It doesn't feel real!" Miss Sketcher nodded. "I assure you, we are quite real. Now, I understand you came here because of an ad. May I see it?" Elodie handed her the ad, and she quickly glanced over it. "Perfect. Now, what is your name?" Elodie nervously gave her name, and Miss Sketcher continued. "What made you interested in this job, Elodie?" Elodie began trying to think of a way to phrase it that didn't sound too... pathetic. 

As she thought, she heard a soft scratching noise, and noticed Miss Sketcher casually drawing something without looking. Miss Sketcher noticed her gaze. "I draw to keep myself occupied. It helps me relax." Elodie nodded. Strangely, the noise was helping her relax as well. The noise and watching the movement of Miss Sketcher's pen scratch against the paper. So quick, so precise... Not a single curve or diagonal, but the drawing looked so beautiful anyway... She was drawing a rectangular spiral, and Elodie's gaze followed her hand around, and around, and around... Her eyes began to droop, and she began to feel sleepy again. "Tell me why you wish to work here, Elodie." Elodie responded without even thinking, completely honestly. "I don't have a job or a place to stay and I need to find literally any work so I can try and get my life back together." She had wanted to say anything other than that. She hated admitting how down on her luck she was, even to herself. But oddly, she didn't feel bad. She just kept watching Miss Sketcher draw, listening to the soothing scratch of pen against paper, feeling completely calm and relaxed. "Do you not have any friends or family you could live with?" Elodie calmly shook her head. "No. Nobody." Miss Sketcher nodded. "Perfect. I believe you will be a wonderful fit then. Please follow me." Elodie obeyed, still in a trance from the drawing as she walked. 

But as she walked, and the trance wore off, she began realizing what had happened. She... She really admitted all that to a random woman?! So easily?! And why did they say she'd be a wonderful fit after admitting she had nobody in her life?! Something was very, very wrong here, not least of all Miss Sketcher herself. She looked... Artificial. Like she was made of plastic. But before she could say or do anything, she was back in the waiting room. Miss Sketcher gestured to the other two strange, certainly inhuman women. "You have already met Dahlia and Yoyo, I understand. They are quite eager to work with you as well." They smiled at Elodie, who was starting to feel sick. She needed to get out... She needed to leave, before something bad happened... She tried to walk casually towards the door. "Well, I, uh, I'm not sure this job is a great fit for me actually. I, uh, have some Other..." 

Dahlia suddenly grabbed her hand, the gentle feeling of ease and lightness returning. "Oh, but you'll love working here, big girlie~!" Yoyo smirked, playing with her hypnotic yo-yo. "Yeah, you'll get to test out all of our sick new toys. Gonna be radical, dude." Miss Sketcher smiled politely. "And you will receive free home and board, amenities, and meals as well." Elodie blinked. She could feel herself being hypnotized again, that feeling of blissful lightheadedness returning... But honestly Miss Sketcher's promise was the most alluring. She... She really did need all of that, so bad. Even if all of this seemed so bizarre. She softly asked, "...What would I be doing, exactly...?" Miss Sketcher stepped closer. "You would assist us in insuring that every new toy we produce is functional, safe, and sturdy." Elodie nodded slowly, trying to think through the haze and confusion. "...So... What exactly do the toys do... You aren't..." Her eyes widened. "You aren't brainwashing children, are you?" The three... Employees vigorously denied this. "Oh, heavens no, we would never dream of it~!" "Yeah, that's basically cheating dude." "We aim to ensure that our products are fun and entertaining for children without the need for additional brainwashing, hypnosis, or other such mental manipulation." Dahlia giggled. "But sometimes, it is fun to make a big grumpy adult feel silly and happy again with our toys~!" 

Elodie still felt a bit uncomfortable at the idea of brainwashing adults with the toys, if less so. "Well, I... I don't know yet... Can I... Can I think about it...?" Yoyo grinned and walked forward. "Why would you wanna think, dude? Don't you wanna just," She dropped her yo-yo down and began swinging it, "Drop instead?" Elodie felt her eyes instantly lock onto the yo-yo again. It was swinging slower this time... So relaxing... Dahlia began whispering in her ear. "Watch the yo-yo, pretty little dolly~ Don't you want to be a pretty little dolly for us~? Pretty little dollies don't have to think~ Pretty little dollies are always happy~ Picture yourself in a pretty, frilly dress like me~ Pretty and pink and positively perfect in every way~" Miss Sketcher gently scratched her head, a soothing, rectangular spiral… And as the yo-yo swung back and forth, Dahlia’s cutesy words filled her mind, and the spiral spun around and around, Elodie felt her mind melting away. She was a pretty dolly... She was a happy dolly... She loved her Mistresses... She couldn't wait to start working... She felt so happy... She felt...

So comfy...

So adored...

So warm...

So she submitted to the hypnotic onslaught, and let herself become a pretty little dolly, a cool toy tester, and perfect quality assurance. And soon, she never had to worry about the cold, or about not getting enough to eat, or about anything else ever again. Because she was a Plaything now. And she was never happier in her life...