Even at the break of dawn, when many people were arriving to start the workday, the main office of the Fazbear Family was shockingly quiet. And while most would find such a silence a bit uneasy, given the size of the building and how many rooms there were, for Ballora, it made working here oh so wonderful. Admittedly, a part of her would miss the daily walks through the hallways and corridors where the only sound was her feet moving across the floor. But Ballora couldn't deny that she was excited and happy to be spending her time primarily with the children from now on.
However, she couldn't keep herself from worrying about William. Ballora had always been by his side up until now, so it was hard for her to change what had been her norm so suddenly. Although, as she made her way to his workshop, knowing well that he'd still be in there even after all these hours, it was a bit easier for Ballora to accept as she thought back to her experience with Freddy In Space.
"Honestly, how does mister Afton expect CHILDREN to defeat that boss? I doubt even Mike could accomplish it." She wondered. "Surely, there must've been something I wasn't doing correctly. He'd never design the games in our establishments to be so one-sided." She reasoned, assuming there had to be an explanation.
Being brought out of her thoughts as the elevator she rode in reached its destination, Ballora stepped out and began walking towards the workshop. But when she was halfway down the corridor, she was halted by an unknown voice suddenly shouting into the air.
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLO!" An EXTREMELY peppy and cheery-sounding greeting came from the room ahead. "WHO ARE YOU? ARE YOU A NEW FRIEND? I WOULD LOVE TO-"
As abruptly as the voice had appeared, so too did it vanish. Leaving Ballora with only one possible answer to the question of what that was.
"One of the new animatronics, of course." She deduced, resuming her approach. "I do hope the current volume of their voice isn't the intended setting." She pondered, for that was dreadfully loud.
Continuing the surprises for so early in the morning, when Ballora reached the workshop door and was allowed entry, the first things she saw were William's backside and a...rather peculiar looking animatronic. Most of its body was still a bare endoskeleton, but the head and face were finished and resembled something that could only be described as a combination of the moon and sun.
"Okay...need to LOWER his voice before I have him speak again..." William said to himself, referring to the animatronic. Not having noticed Ballora's arrival.
"Apologies, sir." She spoke to get his attention, causing him to turn around. "I don't mean to interrupt. If you need me to, I can step out for a moment." She offered.
"Ballora! I'm so happy to see you!" He joyously exclaimed with his arms outstretched. "Come! Please! I want to hear ALL about your shift with mister Schmidt!" He invited.
"Are you sure? You seem busy, sir." She asked as she came closer.
"Busy? No. Just continuing my work on one of the new animatronics I told you about before we left last night." He answered. "But enough about that for right now. Please, tell me, did everything go smoothly for the rest of the shift?" He inquired.
"Yes. It very much did." She responded with a smile. "It's been so long since I got to spend that much time with the children. All of whom were well behaved. I was with Foxy and Chica in the arcade for most of the shift while Mike monitored Bonnie, Goldie, and Freddy. The children happily ate their snacks when the time came, and afterward, we all sat together to watch a movie that Mike picked out, per the children's request. Finally, we made sure the children brushed their teeth and sat them down in their beds for bedtime. Mike started a story, which he created himself, that he'll continue for the foreseeable bedtimes until it is done." She informed. "And that is all I have to report regarding our shift." She concluded.
By the time Ballora was finished, William was left speechless, but mainly due to one specific detail that she kept repeating.
"Ballora...did...I hear you, correctly? Did you refer to mister Schmidt by his first name?" He asked, needing confirmation.
"I did, sir. Now that we are working together to care for the children, it makes no sense why we must be so formal. I address him by Mike, and he addresses me as Ballora without the prefix of miss." She answered.
"My god...this...this is wonderful!" He happily exclaimed, undoubtedly smiling underneath his helmet. "In one night, you two have made fantastic strides in breaking the boundaries of formality! Why he and I should be speaking to each other as casually before too long at this rate!" He reasoned.
"I wouldn't be so quick to assume that, sir. You ARE still his superior." She argued.
"Bah. A pointless detail." He dismissed with a wave of his hand. "With mister Schmidt being so close to one of our most closely protected and cherished secrets. Our positions as boss and employee are purely for the proper channels and nothing more." He said.
"I'm sure he would disagree with you, sir." She replied.
"Oh, most certainly. But all in due time, Ballora. All in due time." He told her as a thought came to mind. "Also, before we move on to other matters, I'd like to ask something despite being fairly certain of what the answer will be." He stated before proceeding with the question. "While you were in the arcade, did you happen to try any of the games?" He inquired.
"Believe it or not, sir. I did." She revealed, her face suddenly becoming serious. "And on that note, I have QUITE a lot to say to you regarding it, sir." She said.
"...Let me guess, you made it past level seven, didn't you?" He assumed, causing her eyes to widen.
"So you DO know what you've done!" She exclaimed, shocked that he was fully aware of the cruel spike in difficulty.
"Of course I am." He admitted, not trying to hide it in the slightest. "The best way to make a profit in any business is to anger people. Not enough to where they'll demand a refund or to the degree where you have surely wronged them in some way. But to the perfect amount of frustration, that'll make any customer come back for more to try and put you in your place." He explained.
"...Sir...our primary customer base is children..." She reminded, stunned by what she was hearing.
"Which is perfect. Because it is children who are the easiest to pull into the vicious cycle of giving us money for tokens, having them lose all of those tokens at the games, which leads them to give us MORE money for MORE tokens." He replied.
For a few moments, Ballora's mind was blank. She had no idea what to say or do in response to what her boss had just told her. But then, whether it was done on pure motherly instinct or her frustration with the current state of the games, Ballora slapped William upside the head without hesitation.
"You know, that might've hurt if I didn't wear this helmet." He calmly said while pointing to the headgear.
"Sir! I am HORRIFIED that you'd stoop so LOW to earn money for the company! You can't cause children emotional distress by rigging the games!" She exclaimed.
"Are you saying this because you're sincerely bothered by the idea of children being unable to win, or because even someone such as yourself struggled to obtain victory?" He inquired.
"BOTH. IT IS MORALLY UNACCEPTABLE." She firmly stated, not ashamed to admit she had a personal stake in this.
"...Fine. I'll balance the games, so the skill requirement isn't astronomical. And for those of chance, I'll make them less favored to us." He promised, knowing that if he didn't agree to this, Ballora would never let him hear the end of it.
"Thank you, sir. I greatly appreciate it." She said. "Now, with that out of the way, let's discuss more pressing issues. Such as our investigation, for starters." She requested.
"Sadly, nothing new there. The ONLY progress we've made is that more of our employees have been cleared. Absolutely nothing else of value has happened." He replied.
"That is unfortunate to hear. But expected. We won't find the hacker after one day." She reasoned.
"True. But that doesn't make it any less frustrating..." He sighed. "Yet, as I said before, all in due time." He repeated, choosing to be optimistic. "With that out of the way, what else do we need to discuss?" He inquired.
"Well, in light of my new position at the test facility, there are a few more additions to the building that I feel are necessary." She said.
"Continue." He encouraged, curious of what she had in mind.
"A laundry room is the most essential. It'll make cleaning the children's clothes, blankets, bedsheets, and more far easier." She stated.
"That does make sense. Suppose the children dirty their clothes or costumes in some unfortunate mess. It'd be a hassle to bring all of that and then some here for cleaning." He agreed. "However, the facility is starting to run out of empty rooms. Only two empty are left now that one is dedicated to laundry. Without adding on to the facility, that is." He mentioned.
"Correction, sir. There will only be one remaining." She responded before explaining. "I'd like it if I could also stay at the test facility. To do so, I'd need all of my possessions and my bed moved from the main office to there." She requested.
For the first time so far during this conversation, William fell silent. Ballora's request raised some complications that they would need to think about.
"...Ballora, I understand the reasoning behind this decision, but I'm not sure I can allow that." He said, his arms now folded over his chest. "I'm surprised you would even suggest it, given the risks it would create." He admitted.
"Are they risks, sir? Mike has reacted far better than we could have hoped for. I'm quite confident that if we're honest with him, nothing bad will happen as a result." She told him.
"Be that as it may, it was always our intention to reveal to mister Schmidt what his job fully entailed. Revealing more so early in his employment with us was never planned. We don't know how he'll react when he learns about our OTHER assets. In addition, there is a VERY significant difference between the children and you. Especially since you preceded them, and because mister Schmidt isn't an ignorant man, he'll ask the logical question of why I created you first. Unlike them, you don't have an animatronic or mascot counterpart. So why did I make you? Something indistinguishable from an actual human. And should he do that, I don't think I'll be able to answer him." He explained.
"...To be fair, sir. You've never told me either." She reminded after a few seconds of awkward silence. "All you've ever shared is that I am the first creation of yours who innately possessed sentience. But you refrained from telling me the exact reason behind your decision to create me, as well as what became of the animatronic that was the precursor to my existence." She said.
Once more, William fell silent, but now it was because Ballora had opened a VERY old wound. And she knew she did, but she couldn't keep herself from bringing it up. When Ballora first opened her eyes, she wondered why and how she was alive like anyone in her position would. However, William never gave her the answer to that or ANY of the other questions she had.
Although there WAS a good reason for it, Ballora learned that the first time she saw him. Unfortunately, like the animatronic, it was an unknown, something William did everything in his power to keep the details to himself and not let anyone know, not even her. But the memory of when they met would stick with her forever. And after everything they've been through together and how close they've become, it threatened to crush her soul and bring her to tears whenever she thought about it.
"...Ballora," Willaim spoke. Nearly two full minutes had gone by since he became quiet.
"Yes, sir?" She responded, a slight concern present in her voice for what he would tell her.
"If I say nothing more about your want to stay at the test facility. Will you promise NEVER to bring this up again?" He asked.
"Would it be acceptable for me to swear that I will do my best?" She inquired since she knew there was the chance she'd try to revisit this later.
"...I...suppose that will do." He accepted, much to her relief.
"Thank you, sir." She said as she turned around to leave. "I'll get things underway so they'll be done by the time Mike arrives for his shift." She informed.
"Be sure that you do." He replied before she left the workshop.
From Day To Night, Midnight Approaches, And So Too Does The Nightguard...
"..."
"..."
"...Nope...still can't make sense of most of this," Mike said while looking at his phone, scrolling through the pictures he took of the reading materials William gave him.
Continuing in his efforts to try and understand every last fact about the children. Mike decided that he could squeeze in some extra reading if he snapped photos of everything and, in a sense, brought them to work with him. Now, he didn't plan to let this distract him from his duties as the children's caretaker, but should any free moments appear; he planned to make the most of them. And since he and Ballora would now be working these shifts together, that meant Mike could talk with her about it, and maybe she could help him.
After all, she DID want them to start acting more casual, and what better way to do that than to talk in length about the science, engineering, and programming that went into creating the kids?
...Actually, there were PLENTY of better ways. But this is what Mike had to offer right now until he learned more about Ballora, so there you go.
"Come to think of it...I know as much about her as I do, mister Afton." He realized as he leaned back into the car seat. "Well, in my defense. It wouldn't have been appropriate before. But now, I think it'd be okay if I asked her some stuff. Like what her hobbies are." He suggested, taking a second to think it over. "...Yeah. That should be okay. There shouldn't be ANY sensitive or delicate issue with me asking her what she does in her spare time." He decided, ready to go ahead with it even if he shot himself in the foot for the third time.
Committed to doing everything he could to get to know Ballora better, Mike put his phone away to focus on how he would bring the topic up in conversation. Luckily, he was still a few minutes away from the test facility, so Mike felt prepared when he arrived.
"Hey, Ballora. How was your day? Did you sleep well?" He spoke to himself as he got out of the vehicle. "That's good. Glad to hear there were no problems with the washer and dryer." He continued, now heading for the facility. "Say, I've been thinking. All you know about me is what was in my resume. I'm sure you'd love to learn more, right? That way, you'll know that there are no red flags or anything." He carried on, coming to a stop when he reached the door so he could be identified. "...Nope. Nevermind. It sounds like I'm actively trying to talk about myself. I've got to think of something else." He concluded with a sigh. All that thinking was pointless in the end.
A few seconds later, the door unlocked and allowed Mike entry. Walking from the entrance to the main area, he was surprised to find that Ballora wasn't there. He wasn't expecting her to be waiting on him as if she were HIS assistant instead of mister Aton's. But given her unwavering sense of duty and diligence, he figured she'd be doing something before they woke the children.
"Hmm...I am a few minutes early..." He thought as he looked at his watch, finding that the time was eleven forty-five. "But it's not my fault. The car showed up sooner than it did the last two nights." He noted.
Lowering his wrist from his face, Mike looked around the main area, taking in how quiet it was with him being the only one present. But then, from elsewhere in the building, Mike heard a door open and close, putting him on alert.
"Someone's here?" He pondered before he set out to investigate the noise. "There's no way it's an intruder...but Ballora and mister Afton would've greeted me if it was them...could the kids' beds have not worked properly again?..." He wondered, doing his best to figure it out.
Walking down the one corridor that he hadn't traversed since the tour William gave him of the place two nights ago. When Mike reached the end, he was confronted with a choice of three doors, one to his left, one to the right, and one that lay straight ahead. To his fortune, or possibly the opposite, Mike wouldn't need to guess which door had been opened as another fairly loud sound came from the room to his left. In response, he unsheathed his mighty flashlight, acting on pure instinct.
"Alright...well...if the intruder has a crowbar, you try to get in the first swing to knock them out...if they have a gun...then...hope they've never used it before..." He amped himself up, not allowing fear to creep in.
Taking in one final breath before he entered, Mike reached out, grabbed onto the handle with his free hand, then threw the door open as hard as he could. However, Mike didn't even make it into the room; he was halted by the first thing he saw when he looked inside. Standing in the middle of the space, with a washer and dryer behind her, was Ballora, who looked at him with an expression of surprise. Yet instantly, Mike's eyes were drawn away from her face to her appearance, for it was quite different.
On Ballora's torso was a light blue long-sleeved button-up silk shirt, similar to the kind she wore for her suit apart from the material. As for her pants, they were both silk and light blue same as the top. Then there was her footwear, a set of fluffy purple slippers. But none of these articles of clothing, separate or combined, could hold a candle to the most shocking difference from how Ballora normally looked.
Her hair, always tied back in a bun, now flowed free from her head, revealing that it was surprisingly long. Overall, it was as if Ballora had gone through a transformation, showing a completely different side of herself that Mike wouldn't believe existed. Of course, with all of this being said, there was still one thing that didn't make any sense, which was EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, neither Mike nor Ballora was in the proper mental state to address that right now, as each of their minds tried to process what was happening.
"..."
"..."
"...Whelp. I've done goofed." Mike eventually said as he put away his flashlight. "Sorry for not knocking. I'll leave you to it." He apologized before promptly closing the door.
The amount of sheer willpower it took to say that in a composed manner without any mistake while also exiting the room could've won Mike a medal of some kind. Sadly, that required ALL of the willpower he could produce, which is why Mike immediately put his head between his knees as he began to have a crisis.
"WHAT WAS THAT!?" He shouted in his mind, eyes wide, breathing rapidly. "I...HOW...WHAT...WHY...I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN!" He continued to freak out, unable to stop his brain from flooding with questions.
Click
That was the sound of the door being opened again, and when Mike looked in its direction, he saw Ballora with an embarrassed expression and blush standing there.
"M...Mike..." She stuttered out, completely flustered, even more so than the previous night. "C...Can we talk?..." She asked as she gestured to her clothes. "I...I can explain...this." She said.
"Uh...y...yeah...of...of course..." He replied, just as flustered as her, with a similar red tint on his face.
The duo went to the main area to have a proper sit-down, neither making a single sound on the way. And yet, even when Mike and Ballora were seated at a table, they sat in continued silence for nearly five minutes, each trying their best to calm down.
"...Before you say anything." Both spoke at the same time, much to their shock.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to-" Mike began to apologize, only for Ballora to cut him off.
"No. I'm sorry. Please, go ahead." She told him, wanting to know what he was going to say.
"I...just wanted to tell you...in case you were worried...you don't look bad." He said. "A-And what I mean is that you don't look like a mess or anything! Like, my opinion of you hasn't suddenly changed or something stupid like that!" He quickly explained, not wanting her to get the wrong idea.
To Mike's relief, Ballora smiled when she heard that.
"Thank you, Mike. That makes me feel much better. Truly." She responded, making him smile in return.
"It's no problem. Really. I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea, is all." He assured.
"I feel the same way. I don't want you to think that I came to work like this intentionally." She began, breathing out a sigh before continuing. "After you left at the end of our shift, I decided to go see mister Afton first before getting the washer and dryer's installation put in motion. Two birds, one stone, so to say. And then, after I finished speaking with him and got everything sorted, I, as I promised you, turned in for the day to rest. However, I woke up earlier than I intended when the employees handling the installation called me. On top of some unforeseen issues with the appliances' addition to the facility, the employees noticed the still damaged door and broken button in the security office and offered to fix it if I gave the order. Because of this, I felt the need to come down here to oversee everything in person. Unfortunately, when I was awoken, I was in a bit of a daze. So, I came here in my sleepwear, only realizing that when I arrived. But I didn't return home to change because that would waste time. So, when you walked into the laundry room just now, I was about to change into a spare set of clothes that mister Afton brought for me so I could be ready for our shift tonight." She explained in full detail.
Given how much Ballora shared, Mike needed a few seconds to let all of it sink in. During this, Ballora was secretly freaking out on the inside, but she hid it EXTREMELY well on the outside. Because the truth was that when the washer, dryer, and all of Ballora's items were delivered, she ALONE installed everything. She even replaced the door and button by herself, which had been added to the delivery per her request.
That's why Ballora was in her sleepwear; in reality, she woke up but a few minutes before Mike arrived and was in the laundry room to remove the clothes she had worn that day from the dryer so she could take them back to her room.
"Don't think too hard about it...DON'T think too hard about it..." She begged since she came up with that sequence of events right then and there.
"...You know..." Mike spoke, causing her posture to stiffen for a moment. "That reminds me of something that happened while I was in college." He admitted.
"It...It does?..." She hesitantly inquired, wanting to be certain that she was in the clear.
"Yeah. I won't bore you with the WHOLE story. But, for a while, I couldn't wash my clothes. At least, not properly. So, I had to go to my classes in my pajamas a couple of times. The teachers understood though when they heard the situation." He said.
"Ah. Yes. That does have some similarity." She agreed with a smile, an IMMENSE wave of relief washing over her.
"Mhm. So, don't worry about it, Ballora. Stuff like this happens to everyone. Even someone as organized as you." He assured, not wanting her to feel bad anymore.
"Again, thank you, Mike. That's very nice of you to say." She replied, still smiling. "I'm glad we were able to get this all sorted out." She shared.
"Likewise. It'd suck if things were suddenly awkward between us." He agreed. "So, how about I do my usual patrol, check out my newly fixed security office, while you go get changed?" He suggested.
"I was thinking the same thing." She admitted before both rose from their seats. "I promise, it won't take me more than a few minutes." She vowed.
"Hey, take your time. No rush." He replied.
Although happy that everything worked out in the end, Ballora did regret that she didn't tell Mike the truth, as that would've been the perfect opportunity. But something he said at the end stuck with her, how he didn't want things to be awkward between them. And she now worried that could happen if she weren't careful of how and when she revealed the facts about herself. However, as Ballora was about to return to the laundry room, she was stopped in the corridor by Mike calling out to her.
"Hey, Ballora." He spoke, causing her to turn around. "I almost forgot to ask, are you planning on tying your hair back in a bun?" He inquired.
"I was. I always do when I'm working." She replied. "Why?" She asked.
"Eh, no important reason. I just think it looks better down like that." He answered with a shrug.
"Oh...I see..." She said, caught off guard by his answer. "Well, thank you for the compliment, Mike." She told him.
"No problem." He responded with a wave and smile before walking away to start his patrol.
Once the nightguard was out of sight, Ballora resumed her trek to the laundry room.
A Few Minutes Later, Inside Of The Children's Room...
"Huh, Ballora's still not done yet..." Mike noted as he stood in front of the kids' beds, waiting for her before he woke them up.
By now, the time was twelve o' two, so their shift had officially started. And while Mike wasn't a stickler for such things, insisting that the children HAD to be awake by midnight, he also didn't want to keep them asleep for much longer.
"Would she be upset if I woke them up?..." He wondered, his hands currently in his pockets. "It would probably be for the best. Get them out of bed, out of their PJs, and ready to start the night so Ballora wouldn't have to..." He reasoned.
Giving her a few more minutes to arrive, which she didn't, with the time now at five past twelve, Mike decided he should go ahead and wake the children. Same as the night before, one by one, he went to each of their beds, pressing the correct button, then watched as the glass coverings retracted.
"Wakey, wakey, sleepyheads." He spoke with a clap of his hands. "It's time to rise and shine." He told them.
"*Yawn*...Hi...Mike..." Goldie greeted, the first to rise from her slumber. "Where's...*yawn*...Ballora?..." She asked while rubbing her eyes.
"You know, I've been thinking that myself." He answered. "She's in the building, but she's busy doing...something." He clarified.
"*Yawn* How come...you don't know?..." Freddy inquired, he and the others all waking up now.
"Uh...it's not that I don't know Freddy. It's just that...what she's doing is...grown-up...stuff..." He lied.
"Oh, like when papa's working?" Bonnie guessed.
"Yes! Like when your papa is working!" He confirmed with a snap of his fingers.
"Ah, so boring stuff. Got it." Foxy said as he climbed out of his bed.
"Hey! What papa does is VERY important!" Goldie exclaimed, taking that as an insult on her father's behalf, even though William would most likely side with Foxy on this.
"I didn't say it wasn't important. Just that it's boring." He countered.
"Man, you two really are like a lit match and gasoline," Mike commented with a chuckle, amazed at how nearly every time one of them spoke, the other had to react in some way.
"We told you." Freddy reminded.
"That you did." He replied before walking over to the dresser. "Which, we ARE going to have to talk about." He mentioned to the pair.
"It's not MY fault that Foxy's an oaf," Goldie said in her defense.
"Just like how it's not MY fault that ye are a snore," Foxy responded.
"It's no use, Mike. They're hopeless." Chica told their caretaker.
"That might be. But I've still got to try." He insisted with a sigh. "But before that, let's get you rugrats changed." He said.
Waiting until all of the kids were gathered near him before they started, Mike began removing each child's articles of clothing from the dresser and handing them to their owner. At the same time, the children themselves took off their PJs and put them in the bottom drawer. It was then, as the kids were nearly all dressed, the missing member of their group finally appeared.
"Hm?" Chica sounded as she noticed the door to their room open. "Oh! Ballora! There you-"
She stopped midsentence. Because when Chica's eyes fell onto their second caretaker, she made a mind-blowing discovery.
"WHOA! BALLORA'S HAIR IS DOWN!" She shouted before she took off, running towards the woman.
Hearing that made everyone look at where Chica was going, where they too saw Ballora and her hair that was, in fact, not tied back in its usual bun.
"WHOA!" The rest of the kids shouted like their sister before following after her.
"Wait! Foxy! You still haven't put on your shirt!" Mike called after him before giving chase.
"Why, hello, children. I'm glad to see you're all full of energy, as usual." Ballora greeted them as they arrived at her feet.
"Ballora! Why is your hair down?" Goldie asked before anyone else could.
"Yeah! You NEVER have it down!" Freddy added.
"I...felt like trying something new." She answered, right as Mike reached Foxy and began to put his shirt on him. "What do you think?" She inquired, eager to know what the children thought.
"You look even prettier than you normally do!" Chica complimented.
"Yeah! Yer hair's beautiful! Like a mermaid's!" Foxy agreed as he pushed his head through the neck hole of his shirt.
"Aw, thank you. It warms my heart to hear you say such nice things about me." She responded with an appreciative smile.
"Mike?" Bonnie finally spoke up, feeling comfortable enough to do so now that things were a little calmer.
"Yes, Bonnie?" He replied right as he finished getting Foxy dressed.
"What do you think of Ballora's hair?" She asked.
"I already told her what I thought." He answered, which caused the children's eyes to widen.
"WHEN!?" They all shouted, even Bonnie, to his surprise.
"Before I came to wake you guys up. Ballora showed me her hair, I told her it looked nice, then when she went to take care of the grown-up stuff I mentioned, I did my patrol then came here." He casually explained.
"Why didn't you tell us?!" Chica interrogated, sounding offended.
"I...didn't know it was that big of a deal?..." He replied with a shrug. "Is it really such a shock that she doesn't have it in a bun?" He questioned.
"Yes! NEVER not ONCE has she EVER had her hair down! This is a HISTORICAL moment!" Goldie stressed, making him roll his eyes.
"Oh, I bet. It's right up there with the moon landing and discovering the planet isn't flat." He joked before moving on. "Anyway, though. Unless you kids want to spend your playtime talking about Ballora's hair, we might want to focus on something else." He said as he looked at his partner. "Assuming we can move education time to later?" He inquired since they did that first the previous night.
"The schedule is entirely flexible. The only part of it that isn't is bedtime. So, there's no issue in having playtime first." She responded, much to the children's delight.
"We can play dress-up with Ballora!" Chica suggested with a grin. "That way, we can play WHILE talking about Ballora's hair!" She added.
"Hold on, how would she be able to play that? Are there adult-sized costumes in the wardrobe?" He asked, confused by her idea.
"Mhm! Ballora plays dress-up with us all the time!" She answered.
"Huh. I didn't take you for the dress-up type." He admitted.
"Yes...well...there's a lot you don't know about me, Mike..." She replied while averting her eyes, reminded about the lie she told earlier.
"...Oh crap, that's right! I was going to talk with her about that!" He thought, only NOW remembering what he planned to do before waking up the kids. But then the "incident" happened, and he forgot all about it. "Wait...if I play dress-up too, it could give me a chance to bring it up." He realized a new plan now in the works. "So! Dress-up! What're we going to dress-up as?" He inquired while clapping his hands together for the second time to try and build excitement.
"Hmm...good question..." Chica muttered as she put her hand to her chin to think. "The last time we played dress-up, we went with Foxy's idea..." She recalled.
"Take a WILD guess at what the idea was," Goldie said.
"Yer testing yer luck!" Foxy warned with a shake of his fist.
"It was Freddy's idea before that..." Chica continued to ponder, ignoring her siblings. "Hmm...I think...I haven't gone in a while, is that right?" She asked, now looking at her brothers and sisters for confirmation.
"Uh...I...think so? I can't even remember when it was your turn last." Freddy confessed.
"Aye, same." Foxy agreed.
"That makes three," Goldie replied while holding up three fingers.
"Four." Bonnie corrected as she held up four.
"Okay. So, it HAS been a while. Would you guys mind if I got to choose?" Chica inquired, making sure no one would get upset.
"Nope." All four of her siblings responded.
"Great! Thank you!" She exclaimed before returning to her thinking. "Now...let's see...what could we..." She muttered again, only for her eyes to shoot wide open a second later as a stroke of genius struck her. "I KNOW! BALLORA COULD DRESS UP AS THE PRINCESS FROM MIKE'S STORY!" She shouted.
"Oh...my...gosh...Chica, that's brilliant!" Foxy praised.
"Yeah! Let's do it!" Freddy and Goldie agreed in unison.
"Wait, hold on," Ballora spoke up, getting their attention. "I don't think we HAVE a costume like that in my size." She told them, but only for that reason and not because she didn't like the idea.
"I'll check." Mike offered while raising his hand before he walked over to the wardrobe.
When Mike pulled open the twin doors of the very large cabinet, he was genuinely surprised by how much was in there. This wasn't an average closet that you could get from any furniture store; this wardrobe was the kind you'd expect to find in the backstage area of a fully-funded broadway production. Or a certain animated movie with singing inanimate objects, whichever suits your fancy.
"Well?" Chica inquired as Mike began to search.
"Give me a second." He requested, for there was a LOT to look through. "Man, I wish mister Afton was MY dad. He truly spares no expense for his kids." He thought. "...Aha! We got a winner!" He exclaimed a few moments later before removing a lovely dress that exuded royalty from the wardrobe.
"Huh, I don't recall ever seeing that dress before," Ballora admitted, surprised that she couldn't remember it.
"I don't blame you. We could put on SEVERAL plays with what's in here." He said.
"That's no surprise. Papa LOVES EVERYTHING about the theater." Goldie proudly informed.
"I wish he didn't. Then ye wouldn't annoy us about it so much..." Foxy replied.
"Guys! Focus!" Chica ordered, keeping them from squabbling. "Now that Ballora has a dress she can wear, that means we can go ahead with my idea!" She excitedly exclaimed before she looked at her. "That is if you want to." She said.
"Chica, when have I ever refused to play dress-up, hm? You know my love for the stage is just as, if not greater, than your papa's." Ballora responded, making her smile.
"Awesome! Thanks, Ballora!" She said. "Come on, guys! Let's get our costumes!" She told her siblings before she ran over to the wardrobe.
Stepping aside so he wouldn't get trampled by the fluffy mob, as Mike watched the kids try to figure out what they'd wear, he noticed something odd about the adult costumes.
"...Wait a second..." He muttered, looking down at the children afterward. "Hey, kids." He spoke up to get their attention, and once he had it, he pointed to the wardrobe. "Is it just me, or are all of the adult costumes meant for a woman?" He asked.
"Yeah! They're Ballora's!" Chica answered.
"...So...there aren't any for a man?..." He inquired.
"Nope. Because papa never played dress-up." She replied.
"...Then...what am I going to do?..." He asked.
Upon hearing that question, both the children and Ballora, who had remained by the door, had their eyes widen simultaneously.
"Um..." Chica hummed as she tried to think of a solution. "You...could...wear one of Ballora's costumes?..." She suggested, unsure if that would even work.
"Although I would ROCK one of those outfits. In the process, I'd completely ruin them. They wouldn't fit me, and they're not meant to be worn by a man. So there could be some...unpleasant snugness..." He responded, being as careful as possible with the word choice at the end.
"Well...you can still play with us! It doesn't matter if you have a costume or not!" She said.
"No, he can't. That's the WHOLE point of dress-up." Foxy argued.
"Hey, barnacle brain. Not helping." Goldie told him.
"What? It's the truth! Would an actor from one of yer musicals be allowed on stage without his costume?" He asked.
"How DARE you use musicals against me!" She exclaimed, deeply offended by how low her brother was willing to stoop.
"Guys, guys, calm down." Mike intervened to keep them from fighting. "It's okay. I'll just take a backseat. It's no big deal." He said.
"What? No! You can't miss out on playtime!" Bonnie refused, not wanting Mike to be left out.
"It's alright. Really. I don't mind if you spend playtime with Ballora. It can't be helped." He assured.
"...No...it can..." Chica replied with a sad look on her face. "We don't have to play dress-up...we can play something else..." She said.
Oh no, this WOULD not stand. Mike couldn't allow any of these kids to sound, appear, or be disappointed. It just wasn't right.
"Hey, Chica." He began as he knelt in front of her. "Be honest, you don't want to play anything else, do you?" He asked.
"...No...I don't..." She answered after a few seconds, doing her best to avoid eye contact.
"Because it's your turn to choose what everyone does during dress-up. And it wouldn't be fair to you if we suddenly did something else, would it?" He continued with this line of questioning.
"...No...it wouldn't..." She agreed.
"So, the right thing to do would be to go ahead with dress-up. Even if it means I can't join in this time. Right?" He inquired.
"..." She stayed silent, clearly conflicted on what she should say.
"Chica?" He said her name, trying to get a reply.
"...Would...you be mad at me...if I said yes?..." She asked, finally looking at him with a fearful expression.
"Not at all. The only thing I want is for you guys to be happy. Dress-up or no dress-up, so long as you're smiling or laughing, that's all that matters." He answered.
In response, Chica immediately hugged him, overjoyed that Mike wouldn't be angry with her. Of course, he returned the embrace, glad to see that this worked out.
"Thanks, Mike." She quietly said, hugging him a bit tighter.
"You're welcome, Chica." He replied, giving her a few light pats on the back for comfort. "Are you okay to play dress-up now?" He asked.
"Mhm." She answered as they ended the hug.
"Good. Now, hurry and get your costumes. Time's a-wasting." He told her and the others as he stood.
Keeping their eyes on Mike for a few seconds to make sure he wasn't lying about being okay with this. After they were certain, the children focused back on the wardrobe.
"Mike," Ballora spoke up from behind him, having walked over during the hug. "Are you sure you don't mind?" She pressed, sharing the same concern as Chica did.
"Ballora, sitting out on ONE playtime isn't the end of the world. I am a grown man. I WILL be fine." He insisted, admittedly touched that even she was worried. "Besides, if you think about it, I got to spend an entire half of one shift with the kids all by myself. Consider this you making up for some of that time to even things out." He suggested, which made her smile.
"That is true. I suppose I could see it that way." She agreed. "But what will you do for two hours while we're in here?" She inquired.
"Well, there IS a comfy leather chair and fully functioning tablet with internet access that has my name on them in the security office. So, I think I'll manage." He replied before he held out the dress still in his possession. "But for you, it is this dress that has your name, m'lady." He said as if she were a real queen
"Why, thank you, good sir." She responded, getting into character as she took it.
Committing to this bit by bowing to each other when the conversation was over. As Ballora joined the children at the wardrobe, Mike left for the security office. Ready to bunker down for the next two hours.