A/N: Someone tell me why this is so popular. Really.

Ruby was visiting the pizzeria during the day. Yes, this violated all common sense, but Ruby wanted to test something. If she had any hesitation, she didn't show it as she walked up to the show stage and walked in behind the drawn curtains. Hopefully Mr. Kiin wouldn't mind.

It wasn't their programmed time to play, so the animatronics were in their default positions, staring ahead of them. She suppressed a gulp, assuring herself that they couldn't move until after midnight, and walked up in front of Pyron.

"Hi there!" she chirped, waving. No reaction, as expected. "I...heard about what happened to you guys. I'm sorry about that janitor, and about...Ember." Was it just her, or did she feel a wave of anger come out from them? "I don't know if you're the souls of those kids, or if you're AIs, but either way...You guys have had it rough. I understand that you guys are suffering, but I'd really appreciate it if you didn't let it out on me. If you guys wanna talk about it, that's fine, but I get the feeling that's not what you wanna do when you come over to my office. I can be your friend, if you let me." With that, she hopped off the stage, hoping that she'd made some sort of point to them.

~0~

The silence was killing them. It was 11:55, all the kids had gone home, and it was the worst time of day for the animatronics. With nobody around, they were only left to their thoughts, and they never had anything good to think about.

"...I still want to kill her," Pyron muttered, thankful that they were at least able to use their voiceboxes during the 'day'. "Thinking she can endear herself to us is just insulting."

When he was met with a wall of silence, he realized that he may be alone in this. As the clock struck twelve, he turned his head to look at his friends. Carlos was looking down at his drums, refusing to meet his eyes, while Newt was looking back at him pointedly.

"Carlos, you know just as well as I do that she didn't mean what she said," he started, thinking he would be the easiest to sway. "She's just saying that to save her own skin from us."

"I...I think she meant it." Pyron blinked, not expecting him to talk back. "If she knows what Kiin did to Ember, she must know what we did to his leg. She still felt bad for us after that..." He snarled, giving up on him and turning to his sister.

"Newt, you've gotta be on my side. You always take my side!" But she only stood glowering at him, her expression stating that she most definitely would not. He sighed, knowing that she never changed her mind once she'd made it up, and jumped off the stage himself. "Fine then. If you won't help me, maybe Indigo will."

He was pretty surprised when Indigo bluntly refused as well. Apparently she'd spoken to him, too, which touched him. "Ever since I got shut down, nobody ever remembers me. Even then, she bothered to come see me as well. I won't harm her."

It looked like he'd be alone this time around.

~0~

Tonight was different from the others, she could tell right off the bat. For one thing, the animatronics looked like they were talking to each other for the first couple of minutes, and for another none of them but Pyron had left the stage. She'd never seen Pyron move before, so it was especially jarring. The frightening thing was she knew nothing of his strategies. Newt always attacked from the right, Carlos and Indigo from the left, so when she couldn't find one of them she knew which door to shut. Paranoia was beginning to set in as he hadn't shown up to her door once, only staying in the shadows and staring at her camera pointedly all night.

It was 5:55, and Pyron still hadn't made his move. At least she had only him to worry about; the others hadn't moved an inch. What, had he told them to stay put? She moved to pick up the scroll again, but jumped when she saw that a sword had been stabbed clean through it. In reflex, she spun the chair around and backwards, letting her face Pyron's glowering eyes and keep distance at the same time.

Pulling his sword out of the scroll, he put it over his shoulder and turned towards her fully. "You may have swayed the others, but not me," he muttered. "I know all humans are scum, and you are no exception." She was really regretting not bringing Crescent Rose with her.

Just as she braced to dodge his swing, a loud wooden clunk resonated in the room. Glancing up, she was met with Mr. Kiin using his cane to intercept the blow. He was down on one knee, unable to keep himself standing without the cane's support. With a snarl, Pyron backed off, allowing Mr. Kiin to stand once more. Ruby rolled herself to the side, her common sense overwhelmed by the desire to have a good view.

"If it isn't Mr. Kiin. Or should I say, Nike," Pyron growled, his voicebox slightly glitching from the unnatural tone. Mr. Kiin grimaced at the use of what was assumedly his first name. "I thought you'd learned by now not to mess with me. Or will I have to smash your other leg as well? Maybe your spine? Your skull?"

"You and I both know you can't do that," he replied, his face oddly devoid of fear. "If I die, this place dies with me. You and your friends will be reduced to scrap metal." The anger on Pyron's face said that he was right. "And I assure you, if you lay one hand on this girl, I will personally tear this place to the ground. Is that understood?" They stared at each other for a couple seconds before Pyron walked backwards out the doorway, glowering all the way.

Calmly, Mr. Kiin glanced over at Ruby, who was slowly clapping at his bravado. "I suggest that you bring your weapon to work from now on. Pyron's not exactly trustworthy."

A/N: Badass Kiin is badass. That is all.