Eliza Andersen let out a weary sigh as she left the bathroom stall. Between the big breakfast and lunch that they had all enjoyed together, as well as the anxiety she had felt for the meeting with Nathan Vanoff, she had really needed a lengthy bathroom break.
She stepped over to one of the sinks to wash her hands, and as she did, she thought about the future. As exciting as all of the changes Vanoff had enacted were, Eliza couldn't help but feel a little scared for what the future might bring. He and Dr. Evan Afton wanted the animatronics to have actual civil rights, but she knew from history that societies never gave oppressed groups rights without a fight. Even if their plans worked out and they managed to manipulate the government into granting the animatronics rights, there were a lot of people who were not going to stand idly by and let it happen. No matter what the outcome, things were going to get ugly.
Eliza forcefully shook her head, trying to get those pessimistic thoughts out of her head. She then splashed her face with water and looked into the mirror above the sink.
Even if that is what's in store for us, right now things are good, so we might as well enjoy ourselves while we can, right?
She smiled at her reflection and then went to dry her hands.
Once Eliza exited the bathroom, she found Roxanne Wolf and Chica Chicken waiting for her outside.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Eliza said with a sheepish smile as she awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck.
Chica giggled at her expression. "Don't worry, muffin!~ It gave us some time to go through the booklets we got from Nathan!~"
"Oh, you read through them already?" Eliza asked, a little surprised at how quickly the Glamrock girls had managed to do that.
Roxy, who was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and with a cocky look on her face, said, "Yep. We even memorized them too."
"Oh wow," Eliza replied, looking quite impressed. "That fast?"
The wolfess flashed her a toothy grin. "That fast."
"Well, um, in that case… what do you guys want to do now?" Eliza asked.
"Me and Chica talked about that just now, and seeing as we're now allowed to leave the Pizzaplex, we thought that we could have a girls night out," Roxy replied as her tail excitedly swayed from side to side.
"Oh my gosh, that would be so much fun!~" Chica exclaimed as she bounced from one foot to the other in excitement.
Roxy watched the chicken girl in amusement before she turned her attention back to Eliza. "So what do you think?"
"Um, I think it's a great idea," Eliza replied with a smile. However, as fun as the prospect of going out on the town with them was, she couldn't help but also feel a little nervous about it as well.
"Do you know any fun places we could go to?~" Chica asked, practically unable to contain herself.
"N-not really," Eliza admitted as she fidgeted with her hands. "I don't really know this city that well, to be honest."
"Awww…" Chica pouted in response.
"But, um, if you want I could check Google Maps to see if there's anything interesting around here," Eliza offered as she pulled out her phone.
"Sure," Roxanne replied with a shrug. "It's as good a place to start as any."
"Yeah!~" Chica agreed with a nod.
"Alright, give me a minute," Eliza said as she opened up the app and began to look around the map of Saint George. As she browsed, she could hear intermittent squees and giggles coming from the excitable chicken girl, which in turn prompted a smile to form on her own face. Eventually, Eliza looked back up at the Glamrock girls and said, "So, um, there seems to be several interesting places on the other side of town. There's a big community park, a seemingly-good Japanese restaurant, and a cocktail bar."
Roxy raised an eyebrow. "A bar? You do know that we can't get drunk, right?"
"I mean, alcoholic drinks aren't just for getting drunk," Eliza replied as she put her phone back into her pocket. "Personally, I hate getting drunk. But a good cocktail is both tasty and refreshing."
Chica murmured in delight and said, "I'd love to try one!~"
Roxanne looked at Chica and then smirked at Eliza. "Alright, then I guess I'm on board for that as well."
Eliza smiled at them, feeling happy that they were willing to give it a shot. She paused to think for a moment and then said, "Okay, um, but before we leave, I need to grab my coat and my backpack. Also, we should probably bring some bottles of water and other drinks if we're going to be outside for the rest of the day."
"Ooh!~ Instead of bringing it from here, maybe we could buy it at a grocery store?~" Chica suggested.
"I mean… sure," Eliza replied with a shrug. "If that's what you want, we can do that."
Chica let out another squee as she once again bounced up and down. "I've always wanted to go to a grocery store!~"
Eliza gave her a weird look. She had never expected anyone to be this excited about visiting a grocery store before. Then again, given that the animatronics had never been allowed to leave the Pizzaplex property before now, perhaps it wasn't that surprising. With that in mind, Eliza offered the chicken girl a supportive smile.
Roxanne stifled a laugh at Chica's reaction and then gestured for her and Eliza to come along with her. "Alright, let's get your stuff and then we'll head out."
"This is so exciting!~" Chica exclaimed as she and Eliza began to walk alongside the wolfess, heading towards Rockstar Row. The chicken girl then turned to Eliza and asked, "So where are we going to go after the store?~"
"Well, um…" Eliza paused to think for a moment. "Since we ate just before the meeting, I'm thinking that maybe we could go to the park first, then the restaurant, and then the bar. Would that be okay?"
"Sounds like a date," Roxy replied and flashed Eliza a grin, causing the woman to blush.
Chica let out a giggle as she took Eliza's hand and gently squeezed it. "This is going to be the best night ever!~"
It was almost 4:00 PM when the three finally left the Pizzaplex. Eliza, now wearing her coat and backpack, looked around at the mostly empty parking lot. Normally around this time, it would be almost completely filled with cars, but with the Pizzaplex closed it was now almost entirely empty.
Holding hands with both Roxy and Chica, Eliza walked with them towards the end of the parking lot. Once they had reached its edge, however, she was quite surprised when the Glamrock girls suddenly came to a stop. Eliza looked questioningly at Roxanne and noticed that she and Chica were smiling at each other.
Then, together, they took one step forward.
"We've now gone further than we ever have before," Roxy proudly declared.
"I can't wait to see more of the city!~" Chica chirped in excitement.
Eliza smiled at them both. As tragic as it was that they had spent the entirety of their lives before now trapped in the Pizzaplex, she was happy that this state of affairs had finally changed for the better, and she also felt excited for them. They were finally going to experience the world outside, all the while she got to be there at their side.
Walking along the sidewalk, it didn't take long before the three reached one of the many residential areas of the city. Although there weren't that many people outside, the few who were outdoors watched the Glamrock girls with great curiosity, with many having their phones out to take pictures and record videos of them from a distance. While Eliza cringed under their stares, Roxy and Chica greatly enjoyed the attention, especially the wolfess. Chica smiled and waved at the onlookers whereas Roxy alternated between making finger guns while grinning in a cocky manner and doing the 'rock on' sign while sticking her tongue out at those with their phones out.
Before long, the three reached their destination.
"Oh my gosh, is this the grocery store?~" Chica excitedly asked as she gazed upon the big supermarket in front of them. "It's so much bigger than I thought it would be!~"
"Well, um, most people need a lot of different things to live and maintain their homes, so being able to buy it all in one place is pretty convenient. Which is why stores like these often are so big," Eliza explained somewhat awkwardly.
"Cool," Roxanne said and put her hand on her hip as she regarded the supermarket. "I wonder what kind of stuff we can buy there."
"Come on, let's check it out!~" Chica giggled before she let go of Eliza's hand and practically dashed towards the entrance, with Roxy following close behind her.
"H-hold on! Wait for me!" Eliza cried out as she ran after the Glamrock girls.
Rushing into the store, Chica finally came to a halt. She let out a gasp as she took in the sight of a multitude of different goods before her.
Everyone inside of the store were of course quite confused to see a seven foot tall anthropomorphic chicken suddenly enter, and were even more perplexed when she was joined by an anthropomorphic wolf.
Once Eliza finally caught up with the two, she hunched over as she struggled to catch her breath. "Guys…" She huffed. "Please don't… run off like that… I literally can't… keep up with you…"
Chica turned around, and upon seeing how utterly exhausted Eliza looked, embarrassment spread onto her face. "Oh no! I'm so sorry, muffin!~" She squawked as she leaned down and gently cupped the woman's face. "I just got a little excited is all. I didn't mean to make you run after us," she said with an apologetic look. The chicken girl carefully regarded Eliza, who was still breathing heavily, and then asked, "Want me to carry you?~"
"No…" Eliza huffed in response. "No, I… just need to catch… my breath…"
Roxy meanwhile, couldn't help but to snicker at the exchange.
All of their attention was then drawn to a store manager who approached them. "Er, excuse me. Aren't those the fancy robots from that Mega Pizza Place?" He asked as he pointed at Roxy and Chica.
"Plex," Roxanne corrected as she put her hand on her hip and lashed her tail.
"Excuse me?" The manager said, looking as if he had just been backtalked by a roomba.
"It's called the 'Mega Pizzaplex', not the 'Mega Pizza Place'," the wolfess clarified with a condescending tone as she casually checked her claws.
"R-right…" The manager replied with a perplexed and suspicious look on his face. He then shifted his attention to Eliza and asked. "Are those things even allowed to roam around outside of that place?"
"Yeah," Eliza replied with a nod as she continued to breathe heavily. "It's the… new company policy… They're free to go outside… after hours…"
"Uh-huh…" The manager looked entirely unconvinced as he eyed the animatronics. Turning his attention back to Eliza, he pointed at them and said, "Look, I'm sorry, but you can't just bring your robots in here without notice. So unless you leave those things outside, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Chica looked utterly dejected upon hearing that. Roxy, meanwhile, furrowed her brow as her eyes filled with rage. She took a step towards the store manager, but was quickly stopped by the chicken girl, who stepped in front of her and gave her a pleading, yet understanding look.
"Come on. Let's leave the shopping to Liz," Chica said as she ushered Roxanne out of the store. She looked back at Eliza briefly with a saddened expression before the doors closed behind them.
"Sorry for the inconvenience, and thank you for shopping with us," the manager said to Eliza before he walked away.
With his back turned, Eliza glared at him.
Asshole.
At first, Eliza thought about leaving the store altogether, at least to check on Roxy and Chica. But she knew that if she did, she wouldn't come back inside. Ultimately, given that they actually needed some things for their trip to the park, she decided to grab a cart and go on shopping.
While they had originally only intended to buy water and some other beverages, Eliza decided to buy some snacks and candy as well to help make up for this unpleasant situation. She went for things that weren't available in the Pizzaplex—for Roxanne, knowing how much of a meat-lover she was, Eliza bought a couple of varieties of jerky, and for Chica she bought an assortment of different candies as well as pizza-flavored Pringles. And in addition to water, Eliza also bought a small bottle of classic Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Mountain Dew, Sunkist, Root Beer, as well as fruit-punch-flavored Jarritos.
Having grabbed everything, Eliza brought her cart to checkout. As the cashier scanned her items, she gave Eliza an apologetic smile and said, "Sorry for the way Mike acted before. I thought your robots looked really cool. Very lifelike."
"Um, thanks," Eliza replied with a slight smile as she brought out her phone and pulled out her debit card from its case. "I-I'll make sure to let them know you said that. It'll… It'll probably help cheer them up."
"Right. Of course," the cashier said with a humoring smile. It was clear that she did not actually believe that the animatronics had thoughts and feelings of their own.
Eliza frowned upon realizing that.
After paying for her purchase, she put all of the drinks into her backpack, and the snacks in a bag. And once she had returned the cart, she finally exited the grocery store.
Outside, she found Roxy angrily pacing back and forth in the parking lot while grumbling to herself. Chica, on the other hand, kept trying to calm the wolfess down and talk her out of doing anything destructive, while clearly still upset herself.
Upon spotting Eliza, Chica immediately perked up and smiled at her. "Muffin, you're back!~"
"Ugh, finally!" Roxanne groaned. "Now let's get out of here."
"Um, before that, I got you two some things," Eliza said and gestured at her bag as she walked up to the two.
"Ooh!~ What is it?~" Chica chirped as she rushed over to Eliza. "Show us!~ Show us!~"
Roxy, meanwhile, tried to act cool and hide her own enthusiasm as she watched Chica in amusement, but she was betrayed by her own tail, which was wagging excitedly.
"It's some stuff that's not available in the Pizzaplex," Eliza replied with a smile as she opened the bag and pulled out the Pringles. Handing them to Chica, she said, "Like these, for example."
Chica took the tube and let out a gasp upon reading the label. "Pizza-flavored chips!? I didn't know there were pizza-flavored chips!" Turning to Roxy, she asked, "Why don't we have these?!"
The wolfess shrugged in response. "I dunno. Why don't you ask Nathan? He's the boss now, after all."
"Hmm, maybe I will!~ But first!~" Chica eagerly popped off the lid and tore off the cover. She then tried one of the Pringles, and it looked as if she was in a state of absolute bliss. "Oh my gosh!~ These are so good!~" She quickly ate Pringle after Pringle, until she had almost eaten half of the tube. "Mmmh!~ Roxipoo, you've got to try these!~" She chirped as she offered the tube to the wolfess.
With a grin on her face, Roxy took a Pringle and ate it, perking up as she did. "Hey, these are pretty good!"
"I know, right?!~" Chica said before she went back to devouring the remaining Pringles.
"Um, I also have some stuff for you too, Roxy," Eliza said as she pulled a bag of jerky and handed it to the wolfess. "Here."
Upon seeing what it was, Roxanne's eyes went wide in excitement, and her tail began to wag even faster. "Ooh, jerky! I've always wanted to try this." After ripping open the bag, the wolfess grabbed a piece of jerky and put it in her mouth. She then murmured in delight as she started chewing on it. "This is way better than Meat Bites." Roxy swallowed it and grinned at Eliza. She put the jerky back into her shopping bag and then cupped the woman's face.
Eliza didn't say anything, she just stared into Roxanne's beautiful golden eyes.
The wolfess then leaned down and pressed her lips against Eliza's, kissing her passionately for a good minute before she finally broke off. Roxy grinned at the woman. "Thanks, Liz. Not just for the snacks, but for making us feel better after what happened in there," she said as she gestured to the grocery store.
"Hey, what are girlfriends for?" Eliza replied with a sheepish smile.
"Snuggling, for one!~" Chica replied as she wrapped her arms around the two and nuzzled Eliza's cheek. This elicited giggles and chuckles from Roxy and Eliza, who hugged her back in return.