Mable: Here we are with the next chapter! I hope you Enjoy!
Almost Feels Like Home
Chapter Fifty-Eight
With Animatronicon opening to the public at nine o'clock in the morning, Foxy's crew had to get the van loaded and to the conference hall earlier than they would've been comfortable with. Leaving the animatronics in the van for the time being, the human workers headed in through the back door, as directed in the physical invitation received in the mail. Though it was less a back door and more a secondary entrance, as they found inside that there was a comfortable foyer and desk set up to get them signed in at.
Mike took the liberty and strode up to the front desk, leaning against it, and introducing themselves to the attendant with a simple, "We're from Foxy's Pirate Cove." The attendant quickly checked a clipboard.
"Right, Foxy's Pirate Cove. Welcome to the Animatronic Tradeshow and Technology Convention. I'm Andrea, I'll be helping you with settling in," the attendant introduced as she stepped out from behind the desk. A second attendant who was working typed something up in a computer. Mike guessed that it was saying that they had arrived. "Do you have the animatronics with you?"
"In the van, ready to go whenever," Mike answered.
"Great! Your scheduled time of performance isn't until ten forty-five, so we have enough time to give you the full tour. Come with me please." She turned and led them back into the foyer.
"You guys go ahead. I'm going to go 'unload the van'," Jeremy volunteered. Which was just keyword for him not wanting to leave the animatronics alone. Fritz sent him a thumbs up and tossed him the van keys.
They only walked along the edge of the convention hall but could see its sheer size. Even though not yet open, there were plenty of people already inside and setting up various booths and such. Mike spotted a fiesta styled booth on the far side of the room and guessed that it was El Chip's own. It was commendable that they turned it around enough to be there. He still had no desire to see Glenn.
"Your booth is right here," Andrea explained as she showed what was little more than a table with dividers around it. "There's plenty of time to set up. The convention stays open until seven and then runs through tomorrow as well, and in the meantime you can keep your animatronics and any props you need in your assigned storage closet."
The attendant then led them out of the large room and into a section of warehouse-like back hallways, ones that seemed to stretch on forever with white, brick walls. Doors lined the walls and were all numbered accordingly. Some of the doors were cracked open to reveal small, empty rooms, but most of the doors were shut tightly. They passed an open stairwell and stopped at the first door on the left. She unlocked the door with a single, tagged key.
"This is your storage closet. You can keep your animatronics and props in here, along with any equipment you need. Anything left after the end of the convention will be held for only a week, so make sure to get all your stuff before then, alright? Here you go." She handed the key over to Mike. "The auctions begin this afternoon. We don't have you signed up as a seller, so if you want to change that you'll have to fill out the paperwork before noon." She then smiled a brilliant, salesman-like smile. "And thank you again for coming."
"Thank you for having us. We're just going to leave the bots in the van until showtime," Mike said. She nodded in understanding.
"No problem. If you have any more questions, then come find me at the front desk. Feel free to wait around a few minutes if I'm out showing other people around," Andrea said with one last smile. Then she headed back down the hall from whence she came, leaving them there to look at the room.
"Good thing we're not trying to shove a whole band in here," Fritz remarked as he looked inside. "Imagine just trying to keep Baby in here. She'd shred through anything put in there with her."
"Which would be one hell of a show," Mike murmured to Natalie with a smirk. He spun the keyring on his finger. "We've got a little time to kill. Should give me enough time to put on a couple of layers of greasepaint."
"Wait, you're going up on stage too?" the woman asked in surprise. "Aren't you a little uncomfortable getting up there in front of everyone?"
"Not as uncomfortable as Mari's going to be up there in front of all those people. They're adult strangers; unless I'm up there to ease him up his programming will kick in and he'll be as stiff as a board," Mike explained. He decided not to add out loud, "I didn't drag Marionette across the desert just to have him get gawked at alone." He didn't care how it made himself look.
"Aww, that's actually really sweet that you care that much," Natalie complimented. Something in her tone sounded a little teasing, but it wasn't as apparent in her smile. "Then we'll take over setting up the booth. It's about time that all those years of mom's family scrapbooking nights came to good use."
The plan was made and they returned to the van to prepare. Fritz and Natalie had to make a few trips, with one always staying with the both to make sure nothing got taken. They carried in rolls of posters, merchandise, memorabilia, and everything else they brought. Including a tape player to hopefully sample some of the restaurant's music- if the convention would willingly let them do that. Jeremy helped them set up but stuck close to the van, as did Mike who worked on getting the dolly, box, and stand all out and ready.
By time the convention opened to the public, the booth was almost finished being set up, and the last touches were put on before anyone could come by. Not that there was a massive crowd considering how deep they were in the convention hall. "Don't worry. Once the show's over, people are going to be lining up," Fritz reassured everyone. There was some skepticism, but nobody was willing to argue with it.
Time passed quickly and soon it came time for the show to begin. They were not the first performance to go on, as some sort of technology seminar proceeded them. Mike caught a brief glimpse of it; a show devoted to sensors worn and then specially designed animatronics mad to mimic the movements of the wearer. The animatronic they had on the show stage to demonstrate it looked like a flimsy wireframe endoskeleton and wasn't too impressive, but the idea itself was intriguing. If not useful for a non-sentient animatronic.
Mike didn't get to see much of it before he needed to prepare for the show. Soon he was back to the van changing into his costume while Jeremy and Fritz wheeled Foxy by dolly and Charlie in her box into the building. The puppeteer uniform was not designed for this kind of temperature, requiring Mike to wear all black with long sleeves and gloves included. The only break in the dark coloring being a white stripe around the lower middle of the top and a couple of white buttons stitched in towards the top. He tugged at his collar uncomfortably.
"Don't move. I'm just about finished," Marionette murmured as he focused on applying the final touches. Whether it be drawing, painting on canvas paper, or painting on someone's face, the puppet took his design work seriously. He didn't draw the makeup sponge back until he was content. "Perfect! I decided to go with a monochrome coloring this time and I think it came out quite striking." He was beaming as he started putting the face paint away and waved a hand towards the rearview mirror. "Take a look."
Mike leaned in between the front seats to look at himself in the mirror. His face was painted with a stark white base, but instead of the typical blue for the faux tear marks Marionette had used black. It was also shaped different, with the tears narrowing to nearly a thread length in the middle before widening again before they reached a smile mark trailing up from the corner of his mouth. It looked a little more eerie compared to usual, and that only made him love it more. Smiling didn't ruin the effect either.
"You really outdid yourself this time," Mike complimented as he looked it over.
"I couldn't have done it without you," Marionette teased with a trill. He started to slowly attach his strings to his cross. "Are you sure you'll be comfortable being on stage that long? Standing in one spot for the entire show when you're already warm…"
"I'll live. They've got the air condition cranked up inside," the security guard dismissed. He climbed out the back and pulled the stand closer to begin attaching the cross. It was only then did he notice that the striped one was moving a little slower than usual and plucking at his strings more than securing them. "What about you?" he asked.
"…I'll admit I'm a little anxious," the striped one admitted as he stopped fiddling. "It will be the first time in a long time that I will be directly compared to other animatronics. I know this is all for promotion, but I can't help but see it as a competition, and I would hate to be outdone by ones who can't think for themselves."
"This isn't a competition. You know that hands down you already blow all of them out of the water," Mike calmly replied as he hooked up the cross. He then sent the puppet a playfully smug smile. "It's almost cruel." The striped one got a more confident smile of his own. "But that's business. If Chipper's and Hickory's all want to show what they're made of, then they should expect we're going to bring out the big guns."
"Mike, this isn't good for my ego," Marionette interjected. It sounded like he would've been blushing.
"It's not good for Foxy's ego, which is why I forgo'd the pep talk with him. But you? No. You look good with that confidence," Mike corrected. The Puppet chimed and climbed out of the van, spinning on his stand with a spirited chortle. "See, like that. You just keep that up," Mike said as he closed the van and began to wheel him inside.
Even though short and probably biased, the little conversation did make Marionette feel a bit better. If only because it reminded him that he wanted to show off for Mike too. He wouldn't deny that he liked that confident feeling, and so he kept his head held high and he was wheeled inside and onto the curtained stage. The others were already there, with Foxy in the center right of the stage. Charlie's box was in the corner just behind Foxy but still in plain sight. The Minireenas were posed on the other side of the stage, now wearing their color-coded tutus.
"'Bout time you two showed up," Foxy quietly remarked. It sounded more like he was joking than scolding and did a double take at seeing Mike's face. "Ya be lookin' like a ghoul there, Mike… It be a good look fer ya."
"Gee, thanks," Mike answered. He then his attention back to the Puppet. "So far, so good."
"We haven't even started yet," Marionette reminded with a tiny smile.
"Getting on the stage is half the battle," the man assured. He paused and then added, "And I'm not just saying that because getting this thing up those steps was a living nightmare." This got another laugh that Marionette smothered as he heard footsteps outside of the curtain. There was a throat clearing noise from what sounded to be Fritz.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we at Foxy's Pirate's Cove would like to thank you for your patience and support over these last few months-."
"Right Lad an' Lasses. Let's get this show on the road," Foxy whispered to the others. He then proceeded to reach forward and flick on his microphone before boldly stating. "What's this joker prattling on about?" It only took two seconds for Mike to realize that this was part of the show. About as long as it took for Marionette to flick on his own microphone.
"He's just introducing us, Captain," Marionette answered. Mike noticed that Fritz sounded like he was quieting down and knew he too was probably in on this.
"Bah! Captain Foxy needs no introduction! 'Sides, all he's doin' out there is huffin' and puffin' hot air."
"You wouldn't certainly be an expert on that, wouldn't you?" Marionette retorted with a mocking chime.
"You be sayin' that now Mari, but let's hear yer smug tone when I'm knockin' 'em dead an' lootin' the bodies!"
"Okay, uh, well, seems like the captain's ready to take the stage," Fritz said with fake awkwardness. It almost sounded like he was trying to mimic the Phone Guy. "So, without further, uh- 'huffing hot air', allow me to introduce Captain Foxy and his crew!" He stepped off the stage quickly as the curtains were drawn open.
Both Foxy and Marionette were immediately quiet in front of the audience. The pirate's was for show, playing into his role, but the puppet's was caused by just seeing the audience. It was a good-sized crowd of adults. Adults who would pay more attention and would notice quickly if an animatronic was acting a little too lifelike. He started to stiffen up but barely managed to focus past them enough to swallow it down.
"Yar, welcome to the show, lads an' lasses! Didn't think this many landlubbers be comin' out to see me an' me crew, but guess that's what ya get when ya leave the ocean," Foxy introduced. Then he gave a semi-nervous chuckle. "And, err, about that whole lootin' thing- that be a joke! Yar, truth is that ol' Captain Foxy is goin' straight."
Marionette had to proceed with the show and fell into line. "Going straight?! Foxy, you couldn't be more crooked if your spine was tied in a bowline knot!" the Puppet chirped. Foxy mock growled at him.
"Put a sock in it, Monkey. Yer pushin' me buttons." He turned back to the audience with mock stiffness to give the illusion of normal movement. "This be me first mate. As usual, thinkin' he knows everything!"
"Well, I am an expert of you getting tongue tied," Marionette quipped. He spread his hands to reveal that he tied his strings between them like a cat's cradle. "Here's a safety net in case you slip up again."
This got a light laugh, seemed like the audience was warming up. Foxy continued, "Enough o' you hoggin' the spotlight! Lemme introduce the rest of the crew. Up 'ere in the box we got Lass Lottie."
In what might've not been a planned move, Charlie started to pop out of the box, going so far as to lift the lid and get halfway out, and then dropped right back inside. Either it was the humblest of introductions or she had lost her nerve at the last second. Either way, the sheer speed was commendable.
"And over there we got the Minireenas." At their names being mentioned, all three struck matching croise poses. "…And it ain't like anyone can tell 'em apart, so we just put them in different colors. Watch out fer the blue one, she bites." All three changed poses immediately, with Rose raising her hands to her cheeks in shock, Daisy putting her hands on her hips, and Forget-Me-Not crossing her arms. From these reactions, Mike wasn't quite sure if they were in on the joke. "But enough blubbering! Captain Foxy didn't leg it across the desert just to stand around makin' small talk. Time be money, an' we ain't gettin' paid by the hour!"
"Foxy, we aren't getting paid at all," Marionette reminded.
"But we ain't in it fer the booty!... Well, that ain't all we in it for. We be in it fer the adventure! Distant lands filled with danger an' excitement! Desert ain't really much different than the open seas," Foxy said with a shrug. Then he looked directly at Marionette with a tip of his head, a signal. "Iff'n ya just add water."
That was the cue. Marionette's music box gave a few chimes before it began to play a tune familiar two the two of them and Charlie, who opened her box to ring as well. They both had to do so as there was no accompanying music. The song had neither been discussed beforehand nor music made to back it. They would have to go with what they had. Thankfully, the Minireenas would dance to anything and began to improvise at the front of the stage. With all going well so far, Foxy began to sing.
"Sailin', we goin' sailin' across the sea,~" the pirate began. "So pack yer bags, Lads, and take in that salty breeze.~"
"Just add some water to that! Let's add some water to that!~" Marionette sung in.
"Spread sails and then man the decks, Lads. Stock us up 'cause we're goin' off map.~"
"Just add some water to that! We'll add some water to that!~"
They then sung together with, "And we're never looking back!~" With their voices singing at once it was a little less obvious that there wasn't any backing music. Mike had to admit that it did sound rehearsed.
As the song continued, Charlie dared to come further out of her box. She didn't sing beyond the ringing of her bell voice but that provided well enough. The Minireenas managed to pick up the rhythm of the song and focused on it instead of the lyrics to time their choreography with. Other than Daisy clearly leading a split second before the others it was a fine routine. Whenever Marionette started to falter or freeze up Mike would give him an assuring pat on the back or 'readjust' him.
By time the first song was over there was a newfound confidence amongst the performers. They knew they could pull this off.
The show continued to go on for its allotted time. Between the songs Foxy and Marionette would still stop for brief interludes where they cracked a few jokes and interacted with the rest of the crew. Charlie only got bold enough to join in on one towards the end during which she indulged in fake 'ringing talking' to pretend to be saying something. Foxy was able to work anything into some form of a punchline.
"Sorry Lass, but I don't speak bell. Just pirate natter, scallywag chatter, and seven other words that'll get me fired."
That had roused a bit of laughter. In fact, the audience seemed to be taking to the performance well. It had only grown over the course of the show even though they had expected people to wander off and explore the convention. Almost like they were genuinely interested. The applause as the curtain was shutting only seemed to reassure this.
They only had a few seconds to recover before they had to be taken off the stage. Fritz watched the booth while Jeremy came to get Foxy on the dolly and Natalie guided Charlie's box, with the Minireenas tagging along on top of it. They moved them back to the storage room since it seemed more comfortable than staying inside the hot van. Especially if there was the slightest chance that they may be asked for an encore. Not that Mike was going to keep on the face paint more than a few minutes longer, even if it did look nice.
The back hallways were quiet and they hadn't passed anyone getting back to the storage room. They moved the animatronics into the small room, which was comfortably cool but not quite comfortable in anything else. Mike positioned Marionette and his stand near the side wall.
"So, I'm going to go wipe this paint off, see if we can scrounge up some lunch, and then I'll be back. The auction's not for a while and I think three people can handle a booth without me," Mike explained. He reached into his pocket and brought out the key, tapping it into his other hand. "Now it's standard protocol to keep these doors locked so nobody gets in or out…" He quirked a brow. "So, should I leave the door unlocked or would you rather the fun of getting it open yourself?"
"Surprise me," Marionette challenged playfully.
Mike got an amused smile and spun the key again before turning to Jeremy and Natalie to make sure they were ready. Natalie was already heading for the door while Jeremy was whispering quiet assurances to the Minireena and Foxy, like they were at a risk of being heard. He praised the performance and puffed up Foxy's ego so much that Mike swore he could see his chest swelling with it.
"You were amazing up there you know," Mike complimented. "What am I saying? Of course you know. Nobody pulls off something like that and doesn't acknowledge they did it."
"You're doing that thing again,~" the Puppet trilled.
"I plan on picking back up where I left off as soon as I track down a sandwich. And here, since you did so well..." The security guard reached into the other pocket and pulled out a lemon lollipop to offer to him.
Marionette chimed in amusement and took it with a, "Thank you, Dr. Schmidt!" When Mike then turned to check Jeremy again, the Puppet caught his face, pulled him in, and pressed his lips to his cheek. It left the smallest smudge to the black and white but didn't stop Mike from turning back and subtly pressing their lips together. Only a couple of seconds, not long enough for anyone to notice. Punctuated by the man heading to the door just afterwards with Jeremy and Natalie following.
He locked the door behind them, knowing that Marionette would probably unlock it later and trusting him to be careful. "Might be able to dig up some dirt on the other businesses while he's at it," he considered. Mike then turned to his two companions. "You two go on without me. I'm going to find a bathroom and get this paint off."
"If I go to pick up lunch, what do you want?" Natalie asked. "Preferably something I could find without having to hunt for it."
"I'm hungry enough to eat anything. Even a piece of bread with spam spread on it would sound good right now," Mike dismissed. Though on second thought-. "I'd kill for a sub."
That was the last that the animatronics could hear before the group wandered off, leaving them alone in the room. For a while the group rested and recovered from the show, with Marionette waiting and listening. He noticed how little activity there was in these back halls. Nobody was checking in on these rooms.
"It's been rather quiet out there," he said. Charlie looked over towards the door where Marionette had been standing and listening through. The male puppet turned to face her with a smile showing his piqued interest. "How would you like to go get a closer look at some of our peers?"
"Are you sure that's safe? Someone might come down the halls and see us," Charlie pointed out. Though from how she was slowly closing her notebook and looking to him intently he knew she curious too.
"These hallways are mostly empty. We would hear them if they came, and if they did come we could hide in plain sight. Nobody would suspect something amiss at an animatronic convention," Marionette rationalized. Seeing that she almost looked convinced, he looked to Foxy who was standing against the back wall with his legs locked up. "What about you, Foxy?"
"Nah, Lad. Ain't lookin' to risk it," Foxy dismissed. He stretched his arms and they popped and creaked in protest. "Might just shut meself down fer a nap." He then promptly pointed his hook at his sibling. "But you be careful. Remember, this one-." He pointed to Charlie. "-ain't made fer teleportin'. You keep her hidden and don't get caught."
"I'd guard her with my life," Marionette reassured. "Keep an eye on the Minireenas if you would." Foxy agreed and Charlie set her notebook into her box, tucking it under her jacket, and then following him to the door. He turned and placed his hands on the doorknob, and she watched curiously as he worked to unlock it from the inside. With a click, the door was freed and cracked open. "There we are! Now let's see…"
Listening at the door, the Puppet couldn't hear anyone in the nearby hallways and even most of the sounds from the main hall were muffled. He slipped out of the room before ushering Charlie out with him, then shut the door behind them without locking it again.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Charlie asked with mild concern. Not enough to consider talking him out of it or to not go through with it herself. Even though she should've known better than to risk it after her luck with sneaking around. Though, to be fair, she hadn't had much trouble on excursions with Marionette. He seemed to usually have things under control and from his confidence this seemed to be no exception.
"A good idea? Probably not, but we'll be fine. The worst-case scenario I imagine is that we don't find anything worth looking at," Marionette said as he started down the hall. He found a closed door nearby that he thought he heard something being moved into earlier and listened inside. Silence as expected, and he unlocked the door before looking in. Alas, there wasn't much inside except for extra tables and chairs.
It took a few tries or unlocking, peeking inside, and relocking doors before they found anything of interest. Though when they finally did, it was something that immediately piqued Marionette's interest. He gave a hum of interest and moved into the room, beckoning Charlie to follow before closing the door. It was once inside that she saw what he had found.
There stood an orange elephant animatronic in the back corner of the room. It stood prone with its blue eyes open wide and arms at his side. In one hand was clutched a magician's wand and it had a purple hat matching the same theme. It was clearly Orville Elephant and Marionette circled around it and looked it over. He remembered Mike saying he saw it broken down at Magictime Theater, yet here it stood all tidied up. Even if it wasn't a living animatronic it was nice to see that the broken character was refurbished so well.
"I've seen that elephant before somewhere. Is it a Freddy's character?" Charlie asked in curiosity. She hadn't seen it in person, but she vaguely remembered a poster or something in with her father's things.
"Perhaps or perhaps not. At some time, Freddy's had the rights to him, but I couldn't say if it was a Fazbear original. I can say that it was broken up in the basement of Magictime last time I saw it, so dear Orville the Elephant here has had a major life improvement," Marionette explained. He chimed in amusement and stopped alongside her. "He is rather charming."
"I could see kids taking to him," Charlie agreed. She got a small smile of interest as she started to look him over. "He's built much closer to a normal animatronic than either of us." This roused a light laugh out of the other puppet as he watched her reach out to touch the elephant's hand. She tested the wand to see if it could be removed, wondering if it was bolted in.
Something moved out of the corner of Marionette's eye. He snapped his head over to look at the elephant fully and stared at its face. Its eyes were still staring ahead but he swore he saw them move. Slowly he started to move in closer to the elephant and leveled himself to its eyelevel. The lights in his eyes lit as he stared into the blue ones of the elephant animatronic, attempting to focus in. Maybe he had seen something. It was worth double checking.
"I wonder who he belongs to now," Charlie contemplated. She then stepped back and looked to Marionette, intending to suggest that they moved on, only to notice what he was doing. She would've blinked in confusion if she could've. "What are you doing?"
As soon as he realized she was watching, Marionette snapped out of his focus. "Nothing, nothing. Just checking in on something." She was still watching him like she didn't believe him. "You may not know this, but you can tell if an animatronic is alive by staring very deeply into their eyes. Of course, Orville here isn't alive, but I just thought it was worth double checking."
"You just look at them and can see if they're alive?" Charlie asked in disbelief. "How does that even work?"
"Oh, it's not as magical as it sounds, I assure you. The eyes are the hardest things to keep still, so if an animatronic is alive then chances are the eyes will move. Even if just the smallest bit," Marionette explained. He tented his fingers together thoughtfully and hesitated, and then added. "Though if I focused hard enough I could look closer, but that's rather invasive."
"But the verdict on Orville is that he's not alive?" Marionette nodded and Charlie looked at the orange elephant. "It's weird but I don't know if I'm relieved or disappointed."
"Same," Marionette agreed. He put an arm around her to guide her out. "And onto the next one!"
It didn't take as long to find a second room with something of interest inside. This time the two entered a room to find a whole band of animatronics and they were both familiar with them. It was El Chip and his band, save the Lumberbot which seemed to have finally been put out of commission. That, or it was simply too dangerous to bring. It really wasn't important.
"I'm actually quite surprised they fixed them up this time. They almost look as good as new," Marionette pointed out as he circled the animatronics. "Glenn, the owner of Chipper's, doesn't have good track record with tending to his animatronics. His old show was so broken that it actually came out hilarious."
"It couldn't have been any worse than the ones at Magictime," Charlie pointed out. There was a pause signaling the other's answer. "…Wait, really?" Marionette nodded with almost a smug smile. "How bad was it?"
"There is a punchline there, I know there is, but all that comes to mind is an unfortunate seagull animatronic that lost its wing midway through the show and continued flopping around," he explained. "There was this awful whale joke too, but I can't remember what. Something bad like- Oh! What have I got in my pocket? And the other says something like 'is it your love handles?' and then they yell "Smoothie time!" and that's it."
"Is that a joke?" Charlie asked in bemused disbelief.
"Trust me. That show was full of jokes," Marionette assured. "But only one of them made it to the new pizzeria, and that would be El Chip himself!" A chime and a ring signaled their laughter as they went to leave.
The next room of interest they found was at the end of one of the halls. This room stood out by having double doors and being left unlocked. At first, it almost seemed like this wouldn't be another storage room, but a quick check inside showed that it was. Flicking on the light showed that the room was bigger than the others and had shelves like a typical warehouse, though not nearly as large. Cardboard boxes lined the shelves along with stacks of them that were taped closed with heavy duct tape. A few arcade cabinets hugged the walls.
There was a faint stagnant smell in the room. It almost smelled like old metal or burning rubber but wasn't enough to drive them away. Instead, they started to explore the props left scattered around.
"I guess these go to a pizzeria too… For example, big pizza sign," Charlie pointed out. It looked like a neon colored pizza lamp that would've hung on the wall. She then noticed some old, dusty stereo equipment in a box beside it. She nudged it open and realized there were a few small stage lights hidden in the bottom of the box too. "These must be props for a show. Or I don't know, maybe for the auction?" She hesitated a moment before looking back at the Puppet. "You don't… Think this is also from Magictime, do you? Maybe they're selling their things?"
"I don't recognize any of it but it very well could be. They could probably make more money selling it here then trying to have an auction in St. George. More people looking for specific pieces," Marionette said. He circled around the shelves and into the back where more things were stuffed.
There was more equipment stacked on top of the shelves, obscuring the light from the center of the roof and sending shadows into the back. Marionette glanced around in the obscured light and noticed more things; a half-broken endoskeleton, a rubbery animatronic mask, what looked to be the blue torso of a long-forgotten suit-.
And in the very back corner there was something covered by a sheet. It was slumped on the floor, but from its shape and size Marionette knew that it was probably another animatronic. Though this one being hidden in the back and shrouded away from prying eyes. He found that odd and started to move in closer.
Only to come to an abrupt halt when he recognized a peculiar smell. That stagnant smell from before grew stronger the closer he got to it. Now he recognized it more as an ashy smell, like the lingering stench of something that had been burnt. He recognized that smell as the odor that wafted off Springtrap when he confronted him at Henry's. Marionette went on guard instantly as he recognized it.
That smell mixed with the hidden nature of the figure and the way it was sitting- reminiscent to how Springtrap was found in that back room of Freddy's- were all red flags.
"It can't be…" Marionette inched closer to the sheet covered figure. "It can't be him. He couldn't have gotten here… Could he?"
He reached out slowly as he floated closer to the figure. His fingers almost touched the sheet as he stared down at the body. Part of him wanted to believe that it wasn't possible and that there was another explanation. His music box tightened as he steadied himself to go through with it. He had to know the truth. Without a word, he yanked off the sheet and stared at the animatronic hidden underneath.
The sheet immediately slipped from his hand as the Puppet moved back slowly. The world around him grew quiet as he focused in on the horror before him. He had been right. There was another explanation.
It wasn't Springtrap sitting slumped on the tiled floor. It was Lefty.
"The few items that were salvaged will be sold at public auction."