As they drew closer and closer to the community park, the ground became rockier and took on a stronger shade of red. As arid as most of Saint George was, the region they were approaching was definitely more of a desert.
Thankfully, the trek wasn't as tough as it could've been for Eliza, as Chica had graciously offered to carry her backpack for her. Given that it was filled with water and an assortment of beverages, Eliza gladly accepted the chicken girl's help.
Eventually, they passed by a sign that read 'Pioneer Park', then a parking lot, and before long the road narrowed into something that was more of a footpath. As the three went further into the park, more and more people came into view—mostly families who were spending their Friday evening there. Kids were climbing all over the red sandstone formations and crawling through the many holes that ran through the rocks, while most of the adults were just enjoying the view. Although the red, rocky landscape almost resembled the surface of Mars, it was dotted with green patches of vegetation.
"This place is so beautiful!~" Chica exclaimed as she took in the sight of it all.
"Yeah, it kind of reminds me of my raceway and my beauty salon," Roxy remarked with a grin.
Thinking back, Eliza had to agree. The canyon-esque design of Roxanne's attractions really did resemble this place.
Naturally, it didn't take long before the kids caught sight of the Glamrock girls. While some yanked on their parents to get permission to go to them, others just rushed on over. In short order, the kids were swarming the animatronics and bombarding them with questions, compliments, and requests.
With so many children around them, Eliza quickly felt overwhelmed and a surge of panic. And so, she quietly stepped away and just watched as Chica played with the kids and Roxy took selfies with them. However, as she was watching, she was more than a little surprised when one of the kids' dad walked up to her.
"This is really nice," he said with a smile. "My daughter is a huge fan of Roxanne's."
"O-oh yeah?" Eliza replied awkwardly as she rubbed her elbow, unsure of what else to say.
"Yeah. She was absolutely devastated when she heard that the Pizzaplex would be closed for the weekend, so seeing her here was a really nice surprise," the dad said and smiled fondly at one of the young girls watching Roxy in awe as the wolfess broke into a swagger for the kids. He then returned his attention to Eliza and asked, "So what is this? Some kind of promotional thing or something?"
Eliza blinked and then replied. "Uh… no. They're just, um, enjoying their time off."
The dad looked confused, but then a knowing smile spread across his face. "Oh, I get it! Don't want to ruin the immersion, right?" He said with a wink. Laughing, he turned to look at his kid, "I'm just glad that my little Sarah got to meet her idol out here." He smiled at Eliza again. "Anyway, nice to meet ya," he said and gave her a nod before stepping away.
"Um… Y-you too?" Eliza replied, still baffled that he didn't believe her. She went back to watching Roxy and Chica interacting with the kids, but she then noticed that some of the parents who were now catching up to their young ones had very disapproving looks on their faces.
Eliza was a little startled when a blonde, middle-aged woman off to her side approached her and asked, "Excuse me, do you work for Fazbear Entertainment?"
"Um, yeah…?" Eliza replied with some apprehension.
The blonde came to a halt, crossed her arms, and frowned. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Eliza felt anxiety well up inside of her. Confused, she slowly shook her head and said, "I… I don't…"
"It's bad enough that you have those things shaking their oversized tits and asses in front of kids every day in that stupid mall of yours, but now you have to bring them here? Unbelievable," the blonde reproached in a low voice as she gestured to Roxy and Chica. "I don't know who the genius was who designed them to look like walking, talking sex dolls, but could you please take a hint already and replace them with robots that are shaped like actual women?"
Eliza was absolutely horrified and flabbergasted at what the middle-aged woman had just said, and she tried and failed to sputter out something in response.
"Hey, back off!" Roxanne growled, startling all of the kids around her. Storming over to Eliza and pulling her into a protective side hug, the wolfess glared daggers at the blonde and bared her teeth. "You want to say those things about me and Chica, you say them to us, not to her!"
Shaken, the middle-aged woman took a step back. "What the hell is wrong with your robot?! Are they all this aggressive? No wonder your company has the reputation it has!"
"Oh, I'm the one who's aggressive, huh?" Roxy said mockingly. "Go suck an egg, Karen," she said seethingly as she turned around and lashed her tail in the woman's face. Her arm still around Eliza, Roxanne brought her along as she began to walk up one of the rocky slopes. "Come on, Chica! Let's get out of here."
Still in shock from that encounter, everything was just a daze for Eliza as Roxy led her far away from the crowds of people. Eventually, however, the sound of Chica's voice brought her back to the here and now.
"Muffin?~ Muffin, are you okay?~" She asked as she regarded Eliza with caring eyes.
Eliza turned to look at the chicken girl, and upon processing her words, felt a pang of guilt. "A-am I okay? Wh-what about you? A-a-are you guys okay?" She asked. "Wh-what that woman said was awful!"
"Don't worry, Liz. We're fine," Roxy replied and gave her a reassuring, yet pained grin. "It's not the first time someone's said stuff like that about us. It's the worst, but… we're used to it."
Eliza frowned as she looked up at the wolfess. "That's horrible! You shouldn't have to take that! No one should."
Roxanne shrugged. "It is what it is. I'm just glad that we no longer have to worry about getting scrapped for the way we look."
"Well, that's good at least..." Eliza looked at Chica and then back at Roxy. "But is there anything I can do to make it better?"
"Aww, sweetie!~ You already have!~" Chica cooed as she and Roxy came to a stop. She then cupped Eliza's face and leaned down to nuzzle her lips, prompting the woman to kiss her affectionately. As she did, Eliza felt Roxanne wrap her arms around her from behind, with her breasts pressing up against her shoulders and neck.
"Hey, I want some of that sugar too," Roxanne said once Eliza and Chica broke their kiss, placing a clawed finger under the woman's chin and guided her head to turn upwards to the side. The wolfess then leaned down and pressed her lips against Eliza's, kissing her passionately. Next, Chica put her arms around the two and leaned in close to Roxanne, earning her a kiss from the wolfess.
After breaking their embrace, all three of them looked lovingly at each other. Stroking Eliza's cheek, the wolfess said, "Come on. Let's find a secluded spot where we can sit down."
With that, they continued their trek, and that's when Eliza realized that they were just going deeper and deeper into the desert without following any trail or path. With a worried expression on her face, she asked, "Um, guys? Are you sure we should be wandering aimlessly into the desert like this? What if we get lost?"
Roxanne reassured her with a confident grin. "No worries, Liz. We've got built-in compasses, so we can easily find our way back."
"Oh. Well, that's a relief." Eliza smiled at the wolfess. She then paused to think before she asked, "Hey, um, I hope this doesn't come off as insensitive, but… how exactly do you see your compasses and stuff like that? Do you have a heads-up display or something?"
"No, nothing like that!~" Chica replied with a giggle. "We just know which direction we're facing!~"
"R-right," Eliza replied. "But, um, how do you know?"
Roxanne suddenly stopped walking, prompting the others to do the same. Putting her hand on her hip, she looked at Eliza and said, "Close your eyes."
"Huh?"
Roxy grinned playfully at her. "Just close your eyes."
"Um, okay?" Eliza replied hesitantly as she shut her eyes. She then let out a yelp of surprise upon feeling a claw poke her belly.
"Where am I poking you, Liz?" Roxanne asked as she stifled a laugh.
"M-my belly," Eliza replied. "Why are you doing that?"
The wolfess ignored her question and instead poked Eliza's forehead. "And what about now?"
"My forehead."
"Okay, so just like how you can feel where someone is touching you, we can feel which direction we're facing," Roxy explained.
"Oh!" Eliza said as she opened her eyes again. "That's actually really cool," she admitted as she smiled at Roxy and Chica. She then paused to think once more. "But what about your battery level? Do you guys have a heads-up display for that?"
"No, sweetie!~ We don't have any heads-up displays!~" Chica replied with another giggle.
"Then how do you…?"
"It's sort of like feeling hungry or tired!~ Whenever we need more energy, we can feel it, and that feeling grows stronger depending on how much we need!~" Chica explained.
"Oh, wow!" Eliza replied. She couldn't help but feel even more impressed with Dr. Afton's work. He could easily just have provided all of this information to the animatronics via HUDs, but instead he designed them so that they could experience these things in a much more natural and intuitive way.
"I know, I know. We're amazing," Roxanne said with a prideful grin as she tossed her hair.
Smiling at the wolfess' cocky display, Eliza said, "You really are!" She then suddenly felt a surge of melancholy. Frowning and gazing down at the ground, Eliza began to fidget. "It… uh… it kind of makes me wonder why'd you ever want to be with someone like me."
Chica pulled Eliza into a hug from behind and nuzzled her cheek. "It's because you're so darn cute, sweet, kind, and because you make super yummy food!~"
Roxanne then put her arms around Eliza and looked down at her with a predatory grin. "And it's because you're such a lovable dork, and because you genuinely enjoy the 'big bad wolf' side of me."
Eliza smiled at the wolfess and bit her lip. She was absolutely right—that side of her always sent the woman's heart aflutter.
"Rawr!" Roxy growled playfully as she opened her jaws and snapped them shut just an inch from Eliza's face, eliciting a giggle from the woman as well as Chica. The wolfess chuckled and then said, "Now come on. Let's find somewhere to sit."
They continued to walk through Pioneer Park until they came upon a large rock formation that had enough space on top of it for the three of them to sit on.
Roxanne climbed the rock with ease and after taking in the view, she knelt down and held out her hand to Chica and Eliza. "Here. Let me help you."
"Thanks, Roxipoo!~" Chica chirped with a warm smile as she grabbed the wolfess' hand. Roxy pulled her up with little difficulty, after which the chicken girl took off Eliza's backpack and sat down so that she could lean against a small slope in the rock face.
Roxanne knelt down again by the edge and held out her hand for Eliza. "Here, Liz."
Eliza took her hand and was subsequently pulled up as well. The woman gave the wolfess a grateful smile. "Thanks."
"Heh, don't mention it," Roxanne replied, flashing Eliza a toothy grin before she went to sit down next to Chica. As the wolfess leaned back against the slope, the woman noticed that there wasn't really any space left for her to sit. Picking up on the uncertain look on Eliza's face, the Roxy spread her legs and gestured for her to come closer. "Here, Liz. You can sit with me."
As Eliza tentatively approached Roxy, Chica reached out towards her shopping bag and said, "Gimme!~"
The woman huffed a laugh as she handed her the bag. "Um, remember that we're going to that Japanese restaurant after this. So, you know, don't ruin your appetite."
Chica let out a giggle. "Don't worry, muffin!~ I just want a little something to snack on, that's all!~" She then retrieved a candy bar from the shopping bag, removed its wrapper, and murmured in delight as she started munching on it.
Smiling as she watched the gluttonous chicken girl, Eliza sat down in-between Roxanne's legs and leaned back. However, she instantly tensed up upon feeling her head being cushioned by the wolfess' breasts.
Roxy wrapped her arms around Eliza and let out a sigh. "Liz, stop being so tense."
"I… I just…" Eliza stammered out.
"You just what?" Roxanne asked mockingly.
"I-I-I just don't want to make you uncomfortable," Eliza replied as she fidgeted with her hands.
The wolfess stifled a laugh. "Believe me, the only one who's uncomfortable right now is you."
"I-I'm sorry," Eliza hastily replied.
"Don't apologize. Just relax," Roxy said in a firm tone.
"B-but I'm worried about… um… touching you inappropriately," Eliza replied.
The wolfess rolled her eyes and then proceeded to grab Eliza's head and smush half of her face against her breast. "Oh no. Your face is rubbing all over my boobs. How awful and inappropriate," Roxanne teased while stifling a laugh.
Chica burst into a fit of laughter as she watched on, which in turn caused Eliza to start laughing at the absurdity of it.
With a mischievous grin on her face, Roxy finally let go of Eliza's head and said, "Now, would you please just relax already?"
"Right," Eliza replied with a blush. Despite this, she now felt a lot less nervous than she had before. With a smile on her face, she shifted her position to get more comfortable and leaned into the wolfess. "Um, thanks, Roxy."
"You're welcome, my little lamb," Roxanne replied as she affectionately nuzzled the top of Eliza's head.
Chica smiled at the two as she put the shopping bag away. She then grabbed the backpack and eagerly opened it. "Now let's see what we have here!~" Upon seeing its contents, her eyes went wide. "Ooh!~ There are so many different kinds of drinks in here!~"
Smiling at the excitable chicken girl, Eliza said, "Yeah, I figured that I'd buy you guys some sodas that aren't available in the Pizzaplex."
Chica bawked in delight. "I can't wait to try them all!~"
"Um, you may want to leave the Coke unopened until we can refrigerate it once we get back home," Eliza said. "Warm Coke kind of tastes like shit."
"Well, in that case…~" Chica said as she dug through the backpack. She then pulled out a glass bottle with a red liquid inside of it. "What about this one?~" She turned the bottle in her hand to read the label. "'Jarritos Fruit Punch'?~ Sounds yummy!~"
"Um, yeah, that one's actually really good," Eliza remarked with a smile.
Chica eagerly popped the cap off the bottle and took a swig. "Mmmh!~" The chicken girl wiggled her whole body in delight with a huge smile on her face. She then handed the bottle over to the wolfess. "Roxipoo, you've got to try this!~ It's so good!~"
"Alright, sure," Roxanne replied with a grin as she took the bottle. She took a swig and then smiled at the chicken girl. "You weren't kidding!" She then offered the bottle to Eliza. "Want some?"
"Thanks, I'm actually really thirsty," Eliza said as she took the bottle.
"Oh, would you like some water, muffin?~" Chica asked as she smiled fondly at the woman.
"I'd love some, Chica. Thank you," Eliza replied and smiled back at the chicken girl. She then took a swig from the bottle, but had to force herself to stop drinking the tasty beverage after the first gulp. After letting out a contented exhale, Eliza was handed a bottle of water by the chicken girl, which she gladly traded the Jarritos for. The woman unscrewed the cork of the bottle and proceeded to guzzle down almost half of its contents.
Chica watched her with some concern. "Oh sweetie, you should've told us that you were that thirsty!"
"S-sorry," Eliza replied with a sheepish smile as she wiped her mouth with her forearm. "I guess… I was just too distracted to notice."
"Yeah, we tend to have that effect on people," Roxanne remarked with a self-satisfied grin. Her face then grew slightly more serious. "For real, though, don't neglect your own needs just to keep up with us, okay?"
"R-right," Eliza replied with a guilty look on her face. "Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you guys."
"Aww, it's okay, muffin!~" Chica reassured her as she gently stroked the woman's cheek.
"Yeah, no worries," Roxanne added. She paused to think, and then nudged Eliza's shoulder. "Hey, how about we take a selfie together to commemorate our first day out?"
"That's a great idea!~" Chica chirped.
"Yeah," Eliza agreed. "Hold on, let me get my phone," she said as she pulled it out of her pocket. After selecting the camera, the woman held out her phone with its lens pointed towards them.
The three leaned into each other to make sure that they all fit into the frame. Chica had a big smile on her face, while Eliza had more of a bashful smile, and Roxy a toothy grin. With a click, the phone snapped the photo.