I was woken by a loud shout and a hard kick to my side. I sat up instantly, rubbing my side and wincing. I looked up, seeing Anondos standing over me with his arms crossed.
"You horny fucker! I told you not to fuck the robot, and what do you fucking do?!" He continued to shout at me. I looked over at Baby, seeing she was idly moving around with blue eyes. I looked back at Anondos, finally paying attention to him; he had on the purple shirt and black pants uniform, showing him as an official employee. Still need to get those papers done after this headache passes.
"I didn't fuck her." I replied, trying to sound as casual as possible. "For your information, I discovered we have a room meant for games and ordered a bunch of stuff to be shipped overnight. We're now over a thousand bucks in the red." I don't know why I sounded proud of this.
"You what?!" Anondos yelled, reaching down and grabbing my wrist and yanking me up from my sleeping position. "This is worse than you fucking the robot, which I still think you did!" He let go of me once I was standing. I rubbed my eyes and yawned. "I mean, the medical booths there were a good idea, but what the fuck did you do to cost that much?!"
It struck me that I had forgotten to build the medical stations, but there they were, next to the office hallway door and perfectly constructed. While Anondos continued to rant, I glanced at Baby. She looked back at me, and winked one of her blue eyes at me along with giving me a wide smile before resuming staring into space and waving her microphone. Anondos was too busy complaining to notice.
"I messed up and had stuff delivered last night instead of waiting a week." I said, dusting my pants off from the dusty stage. "I thought the faster we had them, the better. Did you even go look in that room?" I pointed past him to the Foxy head painted above the doorway. "Did you even know that was in there?"
"Yes, I knew, you fucking idiot." Anondos groaned, slapping a hand on his forehead. "Come on, show me what you bought to bankrupt us." I held out both hands, motioning for him to walk first and followed him off the stage. We stepped into the game galley and he flipped on a light switch (which I hadn't noticed and guessed Baby turned off the night before) and looked around. "Well, you did get some cool shit. The video games should definitely help out when the party gets here."
"The party?" I asked. "What party?" Anondos smiled at my question.
"You know my next door neighbor I'm tryin' ta bang?" He asked. I sighed.
"The one with the husband and the five kids?" I asked. "The one who threatened to get a restraining order?"
"Oh please, that's playin' hard to get." He replied and waved a hand to dismiss me. I groaned in frustration. "Anywho, turns out one'a her kids is havin' a birthday today and she didn't know where to go. I told her about us, she had no idea we were even a thing, and I told her we'd give her a good deal."
"You're bitching at me about money when you promised to cut a deal to a married woman you want to fuck?" I asked. "Get your priorities straight and get the pussy off the pedestal, especially when it's gonna get you two black eyes." As he walked past me and headed for the kitchen, a new question came to mind. "How did you get in here, anyway? I have the only key."
"You left the door open, thanks for that." He replied sarcastically. "I'm glad no one tried to steal all the nothing we have in here. You need to make me a copy of that key if you're gonna sleep in here more often."
"I dunno if I'm even allowed." I said, reaching into my pocket and grabbing the Faz-key to unlock the kitchen door. "Hey, why isn't the prize counter in there with the games? Are the tickets already in them?"
"You're asking me things that you, again, should know." He said, walking past me. "I'm not gonna start cooking this early. The party ain't until noon and I doubt we're gonna get anyone 'til then. I saw those tokens on the table, go check if there's tickets in or not. Play a game."
"Good idea." I yawned and handed him the Faz-key. "Here. You're more responsible than I am with this thing."
"Yeah, I am-hey, do you hear somethin'?" Anondos asked. "Sounded like someone comin' in. I locked the doors behind me 'til we were ready." He walked past me and through the show room, heading for the front door. I followed.
"Ah, this looks nice!" An unfamilar man had walked into the restaurant. He wore a very professional-looking blue suit and matching fedora. His jet black hair stood out from under his hat. The yellow tie and undershirt really stood out among the dark blue jacket over them. His face looked like something you would see out of a training video, and his smile made me uncomfortable. Did he have to show so much teeth?
"May we help you, sir?" I asked, stepping out from behind Anondos. "We're not open for another ..." I looked up at a clock on the wall shaped like Freddy's head. "Ten minutes ago."
"Yes, I'm with Fazbear Enertainment." He said without giving a name. "Look kid, you gave it your best shot. You went all in, and you put all your eggs in one basket."
"Yeah?" Anondos asked. "What's the problem?"
"You ran out of cash." The smiling man replied. "While we encourage start-ups like yourselves to follow your dreams, we also recognize a lost cause when we see one."
"Excuse me?" I asked. "A lost cause? Come again, sir?"
"Hey, hey, it's not on me." He replied. "There are no do-overs, and I trust you know your way out." He said, pointing behind him to the front doors. "Now do everyone a favor, and get lost. Your uncle isn't going to be happy that you ruined his store."
"Fuck you, buddy!" I argued, my tone a bit too angry and loud than I would've liked. I also probably shouldn't swear at authority. "I have everything set up and we have a party today. I ain't goin' nowhere!"
"Don't be like that!" The man tried to reassure me. "You're not going away empty handed!" He reached into his coat, pulling out a picture frame with a paper inside. "Allow me to present you with this certificate of bankruptcy, to remind you of what a failure you are."
Anondos took the 'award' from him, turned around, and flung it across the room like a frisbee. We could hear the glass shatter as it made contact with the wall.
"No." Anondos said. "You are not ruining my chances with this woman today. We're having this party and we'll make every cent of your goddamn money and then some."
"Hey, I'm just going by what I was told!" The man protested, trying to quell the situation. Anondos's angry face clearly showed this wasn't working. "You boys need to get lost now. You have a good day."
"No, you need to get lost." Anondos grabbed the man's shoulders, turning him around and pushing him towards the door. "You go tell your boss that we aren't leaving and we'll report at the end of the day with his money. This is gonna be the most popular Freddy's since the original."
"You can chase me off, but you can't fight the future." The man scoffed and straightened his tie as he stepped outside. "I'll give you boys one day before I tell corporate about your little temper-tantrum. Prove me wrong, and we're aces."
"That's all we need!" Anondos snapped at him. He tried to dramatically slam the door, but it gently slid forward and back. He hung his head in embarrassment. "This better work." He muttered at me. "Please, dude. Don't make me look more like an ass."
"We can do it!" I exclaimed, clenching a fist. "You can count on me! Even though I'm the boss and should be counting on you!"
Anondos sighed loudly and shook his head.
"Just call Mike already ..." He groaned.
Mike took no time in getting here after I explained everything on the phone. I didn't have him scheduled to come in until 10 AM (or more of he scheduled himself,) but he brought along a surprise-his cousin. She was taller than the three of us and had long, flowing blonde hair. Her eyes were almost as blue as Baby's, and she looked incredibly nervous in her purple Chica shirt and black pants that stopped before her heels. On her head was a black hat with the Freddy Fazbear's Pizza logo on it, which I had never seen before. I didn't know how she got a uniform, but I didn't care; more help is more help.
"Boss, this is Tricia." Mike introduced her. "She used to be a waitress at an old Freddy's a few years ago. Can she have a job?"
"Here's your interview," I said, looking up at her. "Can you deal with three lazy men and a bunch of bratty kids who keep wanting to jump on my robot?" I motioned over to Baby. Tricia looked over and grimaced at the sight of Circus Baby, and looked somewhat nervous.
"I ... I guess," She replied. "I'm just serving food, r-right? I don't need to ... touch that." She pointed towards Baby with a trembling hand. I smiled, but made sure she didn't see.
"Nope, you stay far, far away from my-I mean, from Circus Baby." I said with a nod. "I just need you to be friendly and give people their food. That's all." I extended my hand, and she slowly took it in her own hand and shook it. "Welcome to the team, Tricia. I'm Anon, and I'll be your manager. Now then, where did you get that hat?"
Anondos smacked me in the back of the head.
"Ow! The hell?!" I glared at him.
"They came in the box, jackass." He replied. "Do you not think we're not supposed to wear hats or hair nets when we're dealing with food?"
"You didn't." I snapped at him. "Don't sound so bitchy."
"Because we didn't have them back then." Anondos reached into his back pocket and pulled out the same black hat, adjusting it on his head. "I keep my hair clean and I'm not shedding, but still. It's much more sanitary this way. Go get one."
I agreed to go grab a hat, but there was something I wanted to do first. Tricia seemed uncomfortable at just the sight of Baby, but I had to see how far that went. She wouldn't like it, but even if I didn't do this she would have to get close to her at some point.
"Tricia, I need you to come with me." I said. "Mike, go grab whatever suit you want. Anondos, uh ... we're supposed to be getting more food stuff in today. I don't know if that's gonna happen due to that." I pointed at the wall, where a piece of glass had wedged itself into and made a hole in the blood-red paint. The 'certificate of bankruptcy' laid on the floor. "So can you make a trip to the grocery store?"
"You want me to use store food to feed people?" He asked. "Isn't that against some kind of rule?"
"Probably." I said. "I'll have to pay you back. Get somethin' good."
Anondos grumbled under his breath as he walked out the door. I heard something like "stupid asshole" before he left.
"W-What do you need, sir?" Tricia asked as I lead her deeper into the show room, towards Baby's stage. She hesitated. "Do I have to? Please?"
"I'm sorry, but it's going to happen eventually." I said. "Circus Baby is a big part of our crew. Would you rather have to do this in front of people? She's just a robot. She won't hurt you." At the mention of her name, Baby turned to look at me. Her blue eyes lit up and her pigtails bobbed as she moved both arms up and down.
"G-Good morning, Anon!" Baby greeted me. "Welcome to F-Freddy Fazbear's P-P-Pizza! Would you like some breakfast pizza?"
"Good morning to you, Baby!" I cheerfully replied. "This is Tricia. She's a new member of our team, and our first waitress!" Behind me, I heard Tricia breathing heavily.
"Why are you telling it my name?!" Tricia asked, hiding behind me. It was kind of cute seeing her have to crouch down to my level to be behind me.
"She can't understand me." I explained. "She knows song requests and can answer yes and no questions. Watch." I stepped up on stage next to Baby. Tricia froze in place like she had cement shoes. "Baby, do you think Tricia will be good for our team?" I asked.
"O-Oh yes! I love that!" Baby replied. Tricia raised an eyebrow. Baby turned to look at her, and all of the color drained from Tricia's face. "So let's get friendly! Do you like ice cream?" Baby asked her.
"Y-Yes." Tricia replied. "I-I like banana splits ..."
"Oh, I love that!" Baby replied. "I like chocolate! Would you like to hear a song?"
"No ..." Tricia muttered. "Mr. Anon, can I please go get ready? Please?" She had tears in her eyes. I sighed and nodded.
"Sure." I said. The look in Tricia's eyes was like you just told her she won the lottery. "Just remember, she's a robot. She isn't going to hurt you or move from this spot." I pointed down at Baby's double stage. "Look, if you ever get really bothered, tell me and I'll do this." I reached for the curtain and pulled it around Baby, hiding her from the room. As if on cue, Baby stopped moving and her glowing eyes dimmed. "See? She's sleeping."
"She knows to do that?" Tricia asked. "T-That's kinda cool." I didn't tell her that Baby was probably just pretending at this point until the kids arrived, but considering I still wasn't 100% sure on how that worked, it would be more trouble than it was worth right now. "I'm gonna go get ready." Tricia made a beeline for the kitchen, slamming the door behind her. I looked at Baby, crossing my arms.
"I know you're not in kid-mode." I muttered, stepping on to her smaller stage. "Please, try not to scare her. I don't know what her deal is." Baby's eyes flickered green when she turned to face me.
"I would never." Baby whispered teasingly. Her eyes returned to blue and she turned forward.
"Nice job on sleeping behind the curtain." I complimented before stepping off the big stage.
"T-Thank you! I love that song too!" Baby replied, idly moving left and right. With Baby introduced and hopefully tamed, I figured it was a good time to grab my own hat and make sure everything was in order before we started preparing for the party. Since Baby had a birthday party DVD from when I first got her, today would be the perfect chance to try it out.
Baby had a good idea, too. If I'm gonna keep opening this early, maybe we should serve breakfast pizza. It would be a good pull to get people coming in the morning. As I walked through the office hall, I saw that Mike had chosen the Bonnie suit for today. I looked around, seeing no trace of the giant purple rabbit anywhere. I walked into the office and sat down in front of the computer, looking around my messy desk for the stack of Baby's show discs and the instruction book on how to throw a proper birthday party.
Apparently, holding a birthday party meant we were supposed to provide a free cake. I don't know the first thing about baking, and Anondos wasn't back yet. In addition to that, we needed party hats which I had ordered last night; one thing down.
The book mentioned to have the animatronics sing the birthday song and told me the proper disc for that, and also that the 'walk-in birthday' disc was meant for random times that a kid came in and said it was their birthday. Baby would definitely be busy today, that's for sure.
"For party supplies, see the box marked 'party supplies' that arrived with this book." I read out loud. I looked around my dingy office, seeing nothing but the control panel and monitor on the wall. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a broken, ripped box hiding behind the corner of the controls. I slowly bent down and grabbed it, pulling it out and seeing a crumpled tablecloth and banner sticking out. After unwrinkling the tablecloth, I saw that it had a picture of Freddy's band throwing a party with 'Happy Birthday!' written all over it. The banners had the same picture.
Why was everything in this damn place either hidden or thrown away? Why couldn't anything be Circus Baby-themed instead of covered in this damn bear? Kids are gonna start wondering where these characters are eventually, and Mike's suits are only going to appease them for so long.
"For a birthday, each guest recieves ten free tokens. Remember that even without a birthday party, each paying customer recieves five free tokens. Extra tokens can be purchased for twenty-five cents each." I read. Thank God none of the parents from my test day questioned where their free stuff was. At least now I had the tokens taken care of. I took the entire box of party supplies and headed out of the office back into the show room, dropping it on one of the tables. I looked around, trying to find any sign of Bonnie; nothing.
"Mike?" I asked. "Where are you?"
"Mr. Anon?" Tricia piped up. I looked over at the kitchen, seeing her head sticking out and her hand pointing towards the game room door. I nodded and walked over, peeking past the doorway and seeing Bonnie standing in front of the basketball game, tossing the little orange balls into the hoops (or trying to.) With each failure thanks to his bulky purple paws, he grabbed another token and awkwardly shoved it inside the slot.
"Havin'a fun game, bunny boy?" I asked, leaning against the wall next to the machine. Bonnie, or now Mike, jumped back in surprise. He pulled the rabbit head off, his entire face red.
"Boss, I was just testin' it!" He said. "Did you know I can kinda grab stuff with these hands?" Two of the 'fingers' on his right paw clamped down. "It can't do much, but it lets me hand out tokens to kids. Ain't that sweet?"
"Sure." I said. I walked over to his hoop and looked down, seeing a line of tickets had poured out of the machine. "Hey, you won three tickets." I commented. I was more glad that tickets were already inside than I was angry about him goofing off. Then again, what did I expect him to do? "Ditch the suit for now, we gotta do some decoratin'."
Mike saluted me with one huge, purple hand and walked into the office hall to remove his suit. I rolled my eyes and sighed with a smile, beginning to unload the party box. I glanced at Baby, who looked back at me.
"Prepare for a busy day, Baby." I said with a smile. "We're gonna have a long one."
