Mable: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
Almost Feels Like Home
Chapter Eighty-Three
Foxy gave his co-workers a grand total of one day off before he started calling and prodding them about coming back to work. While nobody thought it was the best idea to return to work so soon, especially with the town still in turmoil and many still without power, it wasn't too difficult to convince them. Not when he was as persuasive as ever, bombarding them with dozens of excuses why they needed to open.
Jeremy also pushed for it if only to get out of the house. While Mike and Marionette's was larger than his apartment, he still hadn't adjusted to living there. Neither had the little animatronics which had begun to come out tentatively and seemed to be becoming more curious to their new environment. This helped give Jeremy the confidence to leave them and go in to work.
Mike was halfway through getting his uniform on when Marionette came into the bedroom and caught sight of him. In the last two days, the fever had been a little more controlled and the struggles breathing had eased up, but he was clearly still sick with something. Which was why the puppet looked him over and gave a to-the-point, "You do know you aren't coming right?"
This barely surprised Mike. After all, this was why he had gotten ready without telling anyone that he was planning on going. "Don't worry about it. You're going to need me there and I've already got my clothes on. The hardest part is over," he said. It wasn't as convincing as he had hoped.
"Mike, I know you're feeling a little better, but you're not ready to go back to work. All you'll do is set yourself back. Or worse, catch something else while you're there," Marionette said with clear disagreement, folding his arms over his chest. Mike continued to get dressed and tried to ignore the puppet's frown.
He couldn't dismiss him for long, because as soon as he went to put on his hat it suddenly tugged out of his hands and right into Marionette's and he slipped it on his own head with a playful smile.
Mike raised a brow with an amused smile. "A diversion, huh? Sorry to ruin your plans, but it's going to take more than a stolen hat to stop me from going in," he pointed out. Then he reached for his hat, to which the puppet leaned back out of his reach. He swiped a little faster for it and every time Marionette ducked back out of the way or weaved to the side, teasingly, speed picking up with Mike's own.
Finally, growing a little more impatient, Mike started to step in, and Marionette instantly darted back beside the bed. This roused a light scoff out of the man. "Not taking the bait. I'm not going to chase you."
A slyer smile stretched across the porcelain mask. "But if you can't chase me, how can you chase children at the pizzeria?" he tutted. He knew exactly what he was riling up and continued pressing his buttons.
"I didn't say I can't," Mike said, gladly accepting the challenge. "Don't make me football tackle you."
To which Marionette promptly threw back his head and laughed like it was the funniest comment in the world. Only suppressing it to add in, "Oh, I would love to see you try!"
"Oh, it's on." Without warning, Mike jumped for Marionette.
But Marionette had been anticipating it and went straight over the bed. Mike chased him around the other side, and he moved back over and around towards the door. Thinking he was making an escape, the man lunged for it and blocked it. The puppet had been waiting for this opening and went for the closet, his pursuer on his heels, threw open the door with his telekinesis, and darted up into the opening in the ceiling. All Mike caught was a glimpse of his legs before they disappeared up into the attic.
"Hey, that's out of bounds! You didn't say anything about me having to climb!" Mike called up after him, even as he was already starting to climb up himself.
"Really? You used to not have a problem with it…" Marionette's comment was punctuated by a both chiming and vocal laugh that seemed to echo through the small space. The security guard couldn't tell where it had come from once he poked his head through and started looking around the boxes.
"We'll see how much you're laughing when I catch you," Mike playfully threatened. This was easier said than done once he noticed how many of the cardboard boxes had been opened. "Now which one is it?"
He crouched in the small space and started to slowly make his way through, peeking into the first box he passed. Halloween costumes and nothing more. There was a light rustling through a couple of the boxes towards the back, trying to coax him over. Which instead made him suspicious that Marionette was closer to him and trying to lead him away. He smirked and pretended to start heading in that direction while scanning the boxes around him, and just happened to notice one that was loosely closed.
"There he is." Mike slowly started to move in that direction while still angling towards the back. "Mari!~ I know you're back there!" he called. He inched closer to the closed box until his back was aimed at it. "Or maybe…" he drew out, smirking to himself. Any lingering tiredness was forgotten as he lined himself up. In a split second he flipped around, threw open the box, and reached deep inside. "You're right here!"
He was impressed with how well he knew Marionette because his hands instantly grabbed onto familiar fabric and tugged the puppet out by the arms. He pulled him out onto the floor and pinned him. The puppet squirmed and twisted in his grasp, trying to get away but not fighting hard enough to escape.
"So, whose going soft now?" Mike challenged. He dropped his hands to trail his fingers lightly down Marionette's thin waist. This instantly roused uncontrolled laughter. Marionette grabbed at his wrists and started to squirm more firmly, fighting against the new onslaught. "Not so tough now, are you? Not when you're up against someone who knows all your soft spots!"
Marionette suddenly got a competitive smile before pushing off the floor and quickly reversing their positions. Mike put up a good fight, but fatigue crept up on him, and he found himself back on the floorboards with Marionette above him. The puppet sent him a playfully proud smile that screamed "I win" even when he didn't say a word. He literally had the upper hand and he wasn't going anywhere.
"Alright, you win. I know when I've been beaten," Mike agreed. "Pick your prize. What do you want?"
As expected, Marionette perked up at that comment. He hummed thoughtfully while considering what it was that he wanted. He folded his arms on Mike's chest and rested his chin on them, peering up at his human companion with that continued playful look. He could've asked for anything and Mike would be willing to give it.
"Stay home and rest."
Of course he would have to request that. Mike was hoping for something a little more interesting than him backing himself into a corner. "You're asking me to stay home with Balloon Boy and his toy shop troupe and you're thinking I'm going to get any rest?"
"Think of it as working from home. You're still watching over children, you're just not getting paid and if they get out of the house it could be the end of life as we know it," Marionette said. His eyes narrowed with that teasing, smug glint. "I think you can handle that much. You're used to handling animatronics that are beyond your control."
"Yeah, but these ones don't have a cross that I can pull out if they get to rowdy," Mike retorted and received a trill. "If you're that determined to keep me here, then I'll stick around today. But I'm not staying home tomorrow if I get another good day."
"It's a deal," Marionette agreed. "And here's a tip: if Balloon Boy gets too out of hand, just tell him that someone might accidentally misplace the batteries in the remote. That should take the wind out of his sails."
"…I could see that working. TV is pretty much the only leverage I have against him," Mike admitted. Another chime, and this time Marionette leaned in to kiss him. He still looked as playful as could be, much more contented now that he knew the other would be safe. "Let's get down there and get this worked out with Jeremy. I'm going to need him to put in a good word for me if I have to play babysitter."
"Why rush? We have a few minutes before I have to leave," Marionette suggested with a low warble. He leaned in and pressed another needy kiss to Mike's lips. It had been so long since they had time together just to themselves and he couldn't afford to lose this moment. Mike responded well, taking his mask in his strong hands and tracing over his cheeks and along the edge of his smile. By now Marionette was trilling so loudly that it was vibrating through his chest. They drew apart briefly.
"So, all we have to do to get time alone is hide in the attic? Let's face it, Mari. We've lost control of the house." Not that Mike was complaining too much. He had never lived in a house so full and something about having so many bodies in the house was nice. Or, at least, it hadn't worn out its welcome yet. Just as long as they still had one room- and a crawlspace- to escape to.
He continued caressing porcelain, only interrupting the touches to press their lips together again. Over and over again, repeating the soft motions and savoring every last second they had.
By time Marionette was ready to leave for the pizzeria, he was still giddy from the affection and did little to hide how good of a mood he was in. It contrasted well against Jeremy's return to quietness as he gathered up the three performing Minireenas and put them in their dresses. He then drove them and the puppets to the pizzeria in his car. They got there a little after opening, but no customers had shown up yet and the curtains in the front hadn't been opened yet. He drove around back and got everyone inside.
Foxy was stuck steadfast to his stage as they came in and while he perked upon seeing them, he seemed reluctant to come down. "Ahoy there, lads and lasses! Where've ya been? Opening be twelve minutes ago!"
"Sorry, Captain. Just shaking off a slow morning," Jeremy apologized. Which wasn't a lie, as he had overslept after having a rough night of sleep. He carried the Minireenas over to their stage and set them down on it. "There you go, girls. Now this is just going to be a normal day, but if you get overwhelmed you can move into the back and I'll come check on you," he assured them. They all nodded in understanding.
"Ya gettin' up on yer stage, Mari? We're lookin' at a big day. I can just feel it," Foxy said. He began to pace on the stage before looking back to the puppet, who was heading towards the arcade. "By the way, we got a load of supplies in. Supply Guy himself carried it in and dumped it off in the Prize Corner."
"Prize Corner?" Marionette's head snapped over. "Wait, you mean the new plushes got here?"
"Haven't looked meself but I'd bet me boots it's the new stock," Foxy agreed. At this, Marionette spun and started to head towards the Prize Corner. "That don't mean fer ya to run off! We be openin' now, Lad!"
"It'll just be a minute, I promise," Marionette dismissed. He hurried up to Charlie who was in the process of climbing into her box and stopped her. "Charlie, wait. I need to show you something. It's important you see it before we open." He then whisked her into the Prize Corner by the wrist before she could give a proper answer. There was a large cardboard box sitting on the floor of the Prize Corner, and Marionette released her wrist, grabbed a pair of scissors from behind the counter, and quickly sliced the box open.
"Now I know this is sudden, so if it's too much then we can just put these away for another time," Marionette offered and opened the flaps. His smile widened as he reached into the box.
"What is it?" Charlie asked. She leaned over to see when he suddenly thrusted said object up towards her. To her surprise, it was a puppet plush, but from the coloring and design- and tiny bell- it was clearly not him.
"Our first line of Lottie plush toys!" Marionette chirped. He brought the doll back to look over it, scanning over its blue tear marks and testing its small bell with a light flick. "I know I should've asked you first, but I wanted it to be a surprise. We were ordering new plushes and merchandise anyway so why not? But we can still always change the design if it's not to your liking."
"I already have my own doll?" Charlie was surprised by this. He offered her the plush and she took it to look it over herself. "Isn't this a little fast? The cartoon isn't even out yet."
"It might be, but the kids have warmed up to you. I know Chrissy has and she's our best customer! It's only a matter of time before they'll be asking why they can't take a little Lottie home," he explained as he began to quickly unload the merchandise. The dolls were crammed into the box, each wrapped in plastic, and underneath them more of the ordered supplies were hidden. Which Marionette quickly began to restock the Prize Corner with. "There's already a spot made for them or we can wait until you're ready. Your choice!"
"No, I'm ready now. I'll help you put them up," she said with a joyful jingle. It seemed like such a weird thing to be excited about, but she was just as much as he was. She eagerly took the plush toys out of the box and started setting them up in an empty stand and passed a few on to Marionette who put them up on the shelf.
They were visibly distinct from his, both from the tear coloring to the surplus of this white stripes down its arms. The facial features were also different with wider, rounder eyes and a smaller smile. A good replica of her image, as if care was taken in making it. They were as close to perfect as she could imagine and looking at them on the shelf seemed to cement her place in the pizzeria.
She only realized then that looking at these dolls and thinking they looked like her didn't feel strange at all.
Marionette noticed how she was staring at them. "What are you thinking about?" He was a little concerned that she didn't like them but covered it well.
"Oh, nothing. With this it's kind of like I've passed my final test. Now I'm finally a concrete part of the business," Charlie admitted. She turned to him with a smile. "No turning back now," she said without any doubt.
Needless to say, he was thrilled.
Mike had just planned on getting an extra hour of sleep since he was forbidden to go to work. So, it was a complete shock when he looked at the clock and saw that it was almost noon.
"Maybe Mari was right, maybe I did need the rest," Mike thought as he rubbed over his face. He groggily sat up and made his way out of bed for the second time that day. It was probably time to check on the little animatronics, let alone eating something since he had missed breakfast. Finally, his appetite was coming back after two days of coughing and sore lungs turning him away from food.
He staggered out into the hallway and into a mostly quiet house. This instantly put him on guard, and he glanced into Marionette's bedroom as he passed by, but all seemed to be going fine inside. The Bidybab twins were both coloring with colored pencils and sounded to be in a disagreement over what color to use next. Plushtrap and Lilium were playing with the Freddy boardgame nearby, but instead of playing the game properly they were just moving the little characters around like they were dolls.
So far so good, and Mike pulled the door to a crack before continuing on. The television was on and looking over he could see that Max was standing only about a foot from it and watching intently. He decided not to disturb him and went into the kitchen. After a few seconds of consideration, he started getting out the ingredients for a sandwich. Something basic that he didn't have to cook.
The sandwich preparation started off uneventful enough. He got out sliced turkey, cut a few slices of tomato from the half he had in the fridge, and then leaned over to wash the lettuce in the sink.
And turned back to see Balloon Boy suddenly standing beside him.
The animatronic's thin legs were partially bent in a bowlegged fashion, probably to support his weight, and he stared up with enormous eyes. Yet he was completely still and the only noise he made came after Mike spotted him, and that was his typical laugh. That equally innocent and equally diabolical laugh that Mike didn't buy for a second. He didn't take his eyes off Balloon Boy as he shook out the lettuce and laid it on the sandwich. He then stepped around him to get the condiments out, during which Balloon Boy's head turned to follow him.
Mike was finally forced to look away to spread the mayonnaise on the bread. In that second something moved out of the corner of his eye, and he looked down to see that the animatronic was now standing straight up beside him. His neck was craned up and he was staring Mike directly in the eyes, like he was waiting for something.
"He wants something," Mike decided. He glanced at his plate. "The sandwich?" Looking back at Balloon Boy, he pushed the sandwich back further on the counter. "Don't even think about it, Buddy. This sandwich has my name on it." Balloon Boy gave another laugh, but Mike was sure he had gotten his point across. It wasn't like he could spell it out any clearer. He went to put the mustard and mayonnaise away.
All he heard was the light clatter of a plate and then the awkward clops of quick moving feet.
"Let me guess..." He already knew what he was going to see before he looked back at the counter and saw his sandwich gone. He looked to the hall and saw the last glimpse of Balloon Boy skirting inside. "I should've saw that coming." He did, in fact, and still did little to stop it. He wasn't going to let the little gremlin get away with it though. "You're not getting away that easy, BB," he called before pursuing.
"You'd save time making a new one," Max unexpectedly spoke up. Mike looked at him for a second, not expecting the comment, before retorting.
"It's the principle," he defended, then continued after the thief. Except that Balloon Boy had disappeared like a ghost that faded away and only left the distant thumping of footsteps. Mike started checking doors. Bathroom; nothing. Marionette's bedroom; just the little ones, who all looked over as he opened and shut the door. Foxy's bedroom; nothing. Except as he was walking away, he heard the door click shut behind him.
With an exhausted exhale, Mike turned back to the bedroom door and knocked curtly. "BB, I know you're in there. Give it up or I'm coming in," he called. Balloon Boy answered with a louder laugh and made no move to open the door. That was when Mike remembered Marionette's advice and decided to take it. "Well, I guess since I can't eat my sandwich, I should find something else to do. Maybe I can finally replace the batteries in my flashlight… With the ones out of the remote."
There was no laughter this time. He slowly started towards the living room, waiting to see if it would work. He was rewarded with shuffling, a small clattering, and the bedroom door shutting again.
Mike smirked to himself, "Right on time." And looked back to see the plate now set outside the door with the sandwich still on it. Except it was missing its top bread. "…Eh, that's good enough." He picked up the plate and started heading back to the living room. "I don't even want to know what he wants with a piece of wet bread."
He replaced the bread with another piece and headed out to the couch. He sat down long enough to take a bite of the sandwich and register that a gameshow was on when he heard small, quick footsteps. The Bidybab twins popped up beside the couch before moving to stand in front of him. In their hands they held up their drawing; depicting two, small, undefined figures in overly detailed dresses standing on either side of a purple clad mass. They seemed to all be holding hands, so instead of a cryptic warning it was probably supposed to be Jeremy in his uniform.
"Whose dress is prettier?" the left Bidybab asked. "Mine's the pink and yellow one. This one." She pointed at it.
"Mine's this one. The pretty blue one," the right Bidybab said, pointing to hers. "Mine has real flowers on it."
"Real flowers will shrivel and start to smell funny. Mine is rubbed in candles so it will always smell good," the first said.
"You can't do that. It doesn't work unless you put the candles on the dress."
"Then I'll take the candles and make it into wax stamps and glue them around the dress. And then I'll take the candle string and sew it in too and it'll smell a lot better than nasty flowers."
Mike silently watched the argument as he continued to eat his sandwich. He only got a few bites in before they looked to him again. They decided that they wanted an answer more than they wanted to fight and he was put on the spot. He chewed slowly as he considered the safest way out of this, swallowed, and spoke. "It's a great picture you've got there. Is that Jeremy is the middle?"
"No," said the one Bidybab.
"It's you," said the other.
"Really?" Mike was mildly surprised and leaned in to look closer. He couldn't really tell from the blue eyes and lack of hair, but he appreciated the attempt to appease him. "Hey, thanks, you two. I don't get a lot of pictures of myself. What do you say this goes on the fridge?" Both Bidybabs stared at him as he set the sandwich aside and stood from the couch.
"You really like it?" the right Bidybab asked as he took the drawing from them.
"Sure do. Come on, I'll let you pick out where we put this up." There wasn't much pinned to the fridge as it was except a few takeout menus and a couple of drawings Marionette brought home from work. He started into the kitchen while the twins looked at each other, already concocting a new idea.
The left Bidybab chimed up, "Daddy gives us candy when he likes our pictures."
"He does?" Mike wasn't sure if this was real or a bluff. He was more taken off-guard by them referring to Jeremy as 'Daddy'. "What kind does he give you?"
There was a long pause.
"…Pink?"
"Sweet candy."
"Yes, sweet. Sweet, pink candies."
They were bluffing, no denying that. That didn't mean that Mike couldn't still buy them off. That could only make his life easier. He stuck the drawing to the fridge before getting a couple of pieces of candy out of the bowl in the upper cabinet. He knelt and offered them the pieces. "Will blue work?"
"Yes!" both answered as they grabbed up the sweets. They then began to tear at the wrappers ravenously as Mike returned to the living room.
He sat down and picked up his sandwich, and only then noticed that there was another newcomer to the living room. Because Max didn't have a Minireena climbing up his side a few minutes ago. Lilium moved slowly and scaled his back before climbing towards his raised arm, which was probably raised so she couldn't grab the remote out of it earlier. She carefully climbed up his arm towards the remote clasped in his hand.
"How does he not feel that?" Mike wondered as he bit into the sandwich again. He squinted and at the angle could barely tell that the magician was glancing sideways at the doll. "No, he knows. He's just letting her do it. Probably going to let her get to the end and drop that arm." Mike watched, more interested in that than the game show on the screen.
Slowly Lilium made it to the wrist, straddling Max's arm, and began trying to pry the remote out of his hand. Apparently, she thought he was oblivious to it, but he wasn't. He waited until she was half leaned over the edge of his hand and working out the remote when he reacted. Except instead of dropping his arm or flinging her off, he went with the most extreme reaction: shrieking like a banshee and flailing like a ragdoll. Lilium dropped off and made a mad dash out of the room while Mike just stared.
Suddenly the magician stopped and the room returned to its previously comfortable state. Or, it did for Max. Mike was still staring, as though looking away would trigger the animatronic to start up again. He eventually looked away just in time to see Balloon Boy standing beside him again, having snuck up during the commotion. He was eyeballing the sandwich again.
"No, we're not doing that again. If you want a sandwich that bad, I'll make you your own that you can pick apart," Mike said. It wasn't really an offer because he didn't think Balloon Boy wanted the sandwich beyond toying with the security guard by stealing it. So, he didn't expect the eager nod the animatronic would give him. "If I make you a sandwich, will you let me eat mine?" Another nod. Mike exhaled, "Same as this one?"
"I just want mustard."
That was not the voice he ever wanted to hear come out of that stiff smile.
"The mustard tastes the real-ist of it all! It tastes like flavor," Balloon Boy clarified. He waited a second before adding. "And I want candy too."
Max twisted his head all the way around and chimed in, "I could go for some candy."
"I could go for a drink," Mike muttered as he stood again and headed into the kitchen. Except that he didn't drink anymore. "Or another shot of cough syrup." Good enough.
He only hoped the others were having an easier time at work. Then they could take over when they got back and spare him the horrors of the night shift.
In a twist of fate, Foxy had been completely right about the load of patrons they were going to get in. By lunchtime the dining room was filled and the arcade was swamped in children. Most likely the schools were out and protective parents weren't willing to let their kids play in the streets just yet, or children who lacked electricity at their own homes came to find it here.
Tokens were moving as quickly as the tickets were. Prizes were flying off the shelves, pizza was in and out of the oven back to back, and it went on for hours. Long enough that some kids ran out of allowance and began the tried and true method of staking out the floor for dropped ones. It got to the point that the employees started handing out more free tokens than usual just to keep the kids from fighting it out.
It wasn't just children either. Plenty of parents were seated at the tables, talking, eating, and slowly being whittled out of more money by begging children. There was even one man who was reading at one of the quieter tables. At least three parents had expressed relief at Foxy's being open, emphasizing the mental exhaustion shared throughout the city.
As expected, Chrissy was there with her mother. She seemed less comfortable with all the children around and tended to follow Marionette around the pizzeria. When he was in the arcade, she was holed up playing or waiting for the fruit maze game. When he was making rounds at the Prize Corner, she was at the Prize Corner exchanging prizes. She took to the new 'Lottie' plushes just as fast as Marionette and Charlie had, and was soon carrying one around the pizzeria with her.
But she wasn't the only person there who they recognized. Jason was there, and while this wasn't too out of the ordinary, he was acting differently. He played a few games and wandered around, but mostly spent his time watching the puppet stage and Marionette. Almost like he was expecting to see something. Once Foxy noticed this he started keeping a closer eye on Jason, but the boy didn't do anything. He didn't even approach him. Foxy was relieved and almost a little disappointed.
Eventually the day ended. The patrons left, the front door was locked, and the curtains were drawn, but the animatronics were still positively buzzing. Foxy and Marionette were chattering about the surplus of children and exchanging anecdotes. Fritz and Louise were cleaning up the tables and the trash that had fallen on the floor. Jeremy tried to help them but was moving much slower in his efforts. The day had taken a lot more out of him than he expected. Or maybe he was starting to catch what Mike had; he hoped not.
It was then that Natalie called out to him from the kitchen. "Jeremy, phone for you!" He couldn't imagine who it was. To his dread, he realized it could've been his ex-landlord or his family, and he didn't anticipate either of them to have anything good to say. He was relieved when he came to take the call and Natalie added, "It's Scott." Scott he could deal with, and he picked up as she headed out to help Fritz and Louise.
"Hey, Scott," Jeremy answered. Only after that did he wonder if it really was Scott or not.
"Hello, Jeremy! I, uh, I heard about your apartment. Sorry about that. At least you all got out alright, right?" It had to be Scott. He sounded too uncertain of his own words to be anyone else.
"I know. It could've been a lot worse, so we really got out lucky," Jeremy assured them both. "But we've been staying with Mike and it's working out so far. It's not a permanent thing, but it's a lot easier than living in a hotel room."
"Good! Good, I'm glad to hear that. I was calling because I thought you could help me with something. I've got a game I'm testing, and I could use someone fresh to try it out and see if they're finding the same bugs."
This seemed like something Scott would be able to do himself and Jeremy wondered if he was just trying to give him a distraction. Jeremy accepted it eagerly.
"Sure! Is this one of the ones Bree sent you?"
"Not directly from Bree but from the company she works with. They did the old Freddy games, you know. Pretty big deal back in the day but they kind of lost steam between eighty-eight and ninety-five. Guess the boom of home consoles didn't given them reason to try again. But believe me, this is way bigger than platformer arcade machines. Nobody else is going to be seeing this until next year or later, so FYI- if anyone asks, I didn't show it to you. Confidentiality stuff," Scott explained. "When do you think you'll be here?"
"Just let me drop off everyone at the house and I'll be on my way!" It was the first time Jeremy had felt good excitement since before the tornado. He would be playing a brand-new game that nobody else would see, he would be doing something beneficial to help the creation of the game, and he would be away from the house. Away from the reminder that it wasn't his house he was staying in.
"Sounds like a plan! Catch you later and thanks again. You don't know how much help this is going to be." Scott ended the call and Jeremy hurried to finish up closing with a newfound vigor. Once he was finished, headed over to gather up the animatronics. He could faintly hear Marionette and Foxy's conversation as he walked up to them.
"If you really feel like it would help, then why don't you? It's not like we can't get you back here before morning, we have the van," Marionette said quietly. Foxy grumbled a little under his breath.
"But it's more than that, Lad. Ya know the lil ones ain't fond of me. All me bein' there's gonna do is give Jer'my more to-." Foxy cut off as he noticed the blond walking up to them. He instantly changed tune. "Ahoy there, First Mate Jer'my! We just be shootin' the breeze here. Not talkin' nothin' fancy. What's on yer mind?"
While Jeremy had heard what they were talking about, he decided not to bring it up. "I got a call from Scott and he wants me to come by and try one of the games he's working on. So, that's my plan for tonight."
"Atta' boy, Lad! Getting' yerself out there an' helpin' the Phone get his game ship-shape!" Foxy encouraged. He couldn't help but feel guilty not being there for Jeremy, so he was willing to support him in any endeavor that seemed helpful. Getting out of the house sounded like a good step. "Just don't stay out too late. Ya don't want to get stuck spending the night among circus folk."
"I don't think that's going to be a problem. I can't imagine playing a game for twelve hours," Jeremy said with a smile. "I'm still driving everyone home, but do you think everyone will be alright without me?"
"Don't go worrin' 'bout them! Those kids can go one night without ya coddlin' 'em," Foxy disregarded with a wave of his hook.
This got a playful look from Marionette. "I think you'd be singing a different tune if you were coming home with us…" he remarked. Foxy sent him a discouraging look while Jeremy lightly chuckled.
"I'm going to go get the girls ready to go. Take care tonight, Captain. We're still not out of the woods on looters," Jeremy sympathized, patting the fox affectionately on the back. His wording was undeniably teasing.
"Oughta be wishin' that on the looters. Best believe if they get in here that I ain't takin' no prisoners," Foxy said confidently. He watched the blond head to the small stage before turning back to the puppet. "See? He's lookin' better already! All's ya gotta do is give 'em somethin' to take his mind off his cares." There was a moderate pause. "I'm graspin' at straws, ain't I?"
"I wouldn't say that. This is definitely the happiest he's been…" Marionette watched as the Minireenas reached up for Jeremy as he lifted them into his arms. The striped one smiled to his brother. "I think he'll be okay, Foxy. Just try not to worry about it too much. We might have another big day tomorrow."
"Yar…" But Foxy knew that it was going to weigh on him, and with everyone leaving he would soon be alone with his thoughts. He had a feeling that he would be wishing for those looters soon enough.
Mable: Looks like Jeremy's on the right track! Maybe a fresh gaming experience is what he needs to get his act together. We shall see!