Heyyy folks!
Sry for the delay! Stuff happened, but it's nothing too bad. Anywho, I hope you guys enjoy this one. There isn't much for this chapter, other than meeting up with a new character. Though, from the previous chapter, you guys probably know who it is.
Now, before I go, I'll be answering some of your questions as well as going through some other reviews. I do read what some of you write you know.
TheRaita: I don't know mate. You just have to keep on reading :)
Guest 1: Holey Moley! That's a lot of stuff you wrote there buddy! That's some dedication! Also, don't be sorry about that! It gives me that sense of personal interaction with my readers.
Guest 2: Thanks! I can't really say that for sure mate, so just keep on reading!
NightlyIceMeltr: Thanks! And I do hope you didn't wait for too long!
Hashmash: Well, it's probably due to the fact that there really isn't a whole lot of [Mike]x[Mangle] fics out there. And probably because some of my readers have high hopes of me making a really good fic with Mangle being the lead female character. Either way, you can't go wrong with Mangle.
And for those who wanted more Mangle, you will definitely get more Mangle. But, that doesn't mean that this will purely be a Mangle focused fic, 'kay? The other girls have yet to have their fill.
Alright, that's that. I'll se you folks next time. Ciao!
Mike stood there, by the window overlooking the outdoor play area, rooted in fear. Though, no one could really blame him. He had a sharp object, presumably a knife or dagger of sorts, directly pointed at his neck. He could feel the tip of the sharp blade just micrometers away from cutting into his flesh. The cold steel made him shiver as small beads of sweat started to run down his face. He wanted to speak out to the man but no words came out. As if his voice had been taken away from him.
"Aye. Are ya deaf lad? I asked what's yer business here" The old man stated, his voice merely on the edge of anger. "I don't have all day lad. Best speak up now..." He added, placing his blade ever so deeper into Mike's neck.
"U-U-Umm...! I...Uhh...C-C-Came here for a job interview, s-sir!" Mike replied hastily, his body stiffening for a brief moment, making him look like an army soldier at attention. Silence lingered on for about a moment or two and during that time, Mike could definitely feel the old man's eyes stare into him from behind his back. Most likely trying to decipher whether or not he was lying, which Mike hoped that he assumed he was telling the truth. Every second that passed was like a living hell for him as his captor's eyes continued to scan him.
Eventually, after what felt like a decade, Mike heard him sigh and soon after, the blade he felt on his neck vanished. When that happened, Mike immediately loosened the stiffness in his body, heaving a sigh of great relief. He wrapped a hand around the area where the blade once was and shivered at the idea of what might have happened if things took a wrong turn. Mike took a good mental note of what it felt like to be extremely close to death and hardwired the thought of not wanting it to happen again. It was, by far, the most scariest moment he had ever faced in his entire life. Though, despite the extremely relief that dismissed the tension in the air, Mike still remembered that there was someone still behind him. And he could still tell he was being observed very carefully.
The old man behind him sighed before Mike heard the sound of metal being placed back into its sheath. "Bloody hell lad. Ya could have said that earlier. Now I feel bad for doing that" Mike heard him say out in an apologetic tone. It was as if he truly felt bad for placing him into such a hairy spot. "But, would it kill ya ta turn around and face me? I'd like to see your face for a moment" The old man told Mike. No. It felt more like he was being commanded.
Still a bit uneasy, Mike turned around to face the old man, not wanting anything else to happen if he didn't do so. However, what Mike found out was that whoever in front of him was not an old man.
More rather, he was an old fox. His fur was a deep, dark shade of maroon, with small patches here and there that were lighter in tone. A portion of his fur protruded from the top of his head, between his two pointed ears, that looked as if they were human hair. It looked to be combed in a neat manner, pointing downwards and slightly covering his left, which Mike could faintly tell had been injured at some point. There were scars underneath his left eyelid, presumably gotten them in a fight or sorts. His right one, however, was still fine, which showcased his full canine iris, a shade or orange with some bags under his lid. Though, what striked Mike the most was his odd attire at first.
It was a sort of mix between an old, Victorian naval army jacket with the latest, according to Mike's memory, navy army design. His jacket looked to be midnight blue in colour and was fitted with golden buttons to help fit his uniform with lapels as decoration on his shoulders. Mike could faintly see the white shirt underneath, which was protruding slightly from his upper chest. From the waist down, was some standard grey pants along with a pair of black shoes. Both the pants and the shoes looked to be made of leather, but Mike couldn't tell for sure. Just off to his side was a strap and holster around his wait, just underneath his jacket, which held a Sabre. Probably the same one that he used to nearly kill him.
But the one most defining thing about the old fox was his right hand. Or more specifically, the lack of his right hand. His jacket ended just perfectly around the wrists of his hand, but on his right was a hook. An honest to god hook, firmly placed into his right arm. His get-up now made a lot more sense. An Admiral. A swashbuckling Pirate. A salty Sea Dog. No wonder his voiced seemed iffy. But the question still stood on whether or not he was just faking or was the real deal. Either way, Mike had the feeling he was going to find out soon.
"Huh...A little young, aren't ya? I'd say...hitting about 25? Ya look to be older than Bonnie..." The old fox hummed to himself as he rubbed his chin with his hook hand. Mike looked surprised when he said that. 25? Yeesh, he wasn't that old.
"Umm...Actually I'm 21, sir" Mike replied with a small worried look. Though, the reply he earned was a small chuckle at first.
"Aarharharhar! A bit off, but close nonetheless. My statement still stands with you being older than Bonnie" He mused, smiling a little before he dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand. "Bah! Enough of that! Makes me seem senile..." The old fox hummed to himself yet again, lost at thought about something. Most likely regarding his old age.
Mike stood there for a good moment, looking intensely at the fox. His eyes were close, a small monotone look on his face as he occasionally hummed. Mike, who felt a little awkward about the whole silence, spoke out. "Sir...?" He asked, leaning closer to make sure that the old fox had not died on him on the spot. Sure enough, when Mike called out, the old fox awoke from his stupor in a more than hilarious fashion; jolting his body up as if he were electrocuted.
"GAH!...Huh?" The old fox gave a questioning look as he scanned the area before his eyes locked onto Mike. "Oh! Right, right. I do apologise about that lad". He rubbed his chin yet again, "Alright...Where were we...? Ah! Yes, yes introductions". The old fox coughed for a moment before putting out his hand towards Mike as a greeting handshake. Mike took it, hesitantly at first, and was soon rewarded by a surprising amount of grip strength from the old fox. "I am Foxcardi Graeme Hunter. Retired Admiral and war veteran and currently, the Principle of this 'ere school" The old fox known as, 'Foxcardi', stated, leaving Mike speechless for a moment.
"But just call me Foxy, lad. My parents were a weird bunch in all honesty" Foxy added with a small chuckle.
Mike stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face. An Admiral?! War freaking veteran?! And this old fox was the principal of the school?! Holy shit! Mike had no idea whether he should be afraid or amazed. His ragged look certainly did give him the look of a veteran and his scars were not fake at all. He was definitely the real deal alright. Mike was almost tempted to call him 'captain' as a joke, but he had probably heard it one too many times already. So instead, he grinned in return and hardened his own grip. "Pleasant to meet you Mr Foxy. I'm Mike Schmidt." He politely replied, which was a stark contrast from just a minute or two ago.
"Foxy. Just Foxy. And it's nice to meet ya too lad" Foxy returned the gesture, rubbing the back of his head with his hook. "Erm...Sorry about the rough treatment on ya lad. Ye were a stranger a minute ago, so I was rather suspicious of yer actions" Foxy apologised, his pirate accent a little more thick than usual.
Mike awkwardly laughed, rubbing his neck. "Ahahaha...Well, you did have your suspicions, sir. So I really can't blame you" Mike replied, easing Foxy off of his guilt. "I uhh...Actually first thought you were some sort of actor that just came here" Mike honestly mentioned, grinning awkwardly at Foxy.
The old principal stared at him for a moment before breaking into laughs. "ARHARHARHAR! I guess ya did, lad. I mean, I do look like a sore thumb sticking out, eh?" Foxy rhetorically asked. When he saw Mike nod, he laughed yet again. "Aarharharhar! I don't blame ya lad". The two of them shared a hearty chuckle soon after, with their laughter dying down after a moment or two later. "Well, follow me then. We'll head over to my office. Then we'll talk about that job" Foxy grinned as he started to walk in the opposite direction of where Mike came from.
...
...
The walk all the way to Foxy's office was...eventful to say the least. Aside from the small talk that the old admiral used to keep Mike still interested, there was the occasional bump into a few teachers or some of the children. Old Foxy would tell them there would probably be a new teacher in school, that is if Mike were to be accepted. The kids would look amazed while the the teachers would chuckle. Either way, it never ceased to make Mike feel slightly embarrassed. Despite that, the embarrassed feeling Mike felt wasn't the bad one. It...kind of felt good, in a way. Was this how Mangle felt when she first came here to work?
What Mike didn't expect was the surprisingly low number of human teachers. There were a couple of them that he and Foxy encountered, but by the time they were reaching his office, it seemed like there wasn't any more. So he decided to ask and found out the ratio was a staggering 1:3, with the total number of teachers being roughly around the 30's, give or take.
Man. He had only been in this town for a day and he was already surprised by a lot of things.
Eventually, they had reached Foxy's office, which was located near the back of the Staff room of the building. The Staff room itself was pretty impressive; clean, easy to navigate and each cubicle was rather spacious. Foxy's office was, rather...the complete opposite.
The room was, in itself, rather large. But the sheer amount of books and papers that were stacked up at some areas made the room look smaller that it is. There were bookshelves that were packed with different books and newspapers. A small, standard office chair behind a desk which was cluttered with papers alongside a 'Renovo' laptop, white in colour. The walls were painted in walnut brown while the ceiling was a more lighter shade, with a ceiling fan protruding from it. Underneath the fan was a chandelier, which was the only source of light in the room, other than the windows that were peeking forth from behind the curtains at the back.
And although the rather messy office, Mike did admit that Foxy had a good sense of design. The room felt comfortable due to the colours and the warm light that the chandelier was giving off. And now that Mike noticed, the room did feel slightly colder. Although, it was probably from an air-conditioning unit somewhere. Mike just couldn't see it or hasn't spotted it yet.
"I do apologise lad. The office hasn't been in the most...cleanest of states. I've been rather busy, ya see" Foxy chuckled behind taking his spot behind his desk. He ushered Mike to sit down on the chair just opposite of his desk before he pulled up something from underneath his desk. "Right...We've gotten our introductions out, so I'll just start the interview, 'right?" He asked, receiving a nod.
"Alright, just reply me with either a nod or a shake, alright lad? Ya can add on whenever necessary" Foxy added before he coughed. "I'll start this off slow. I don' suppose ya've been involved in any crimes?" He asked, earning a shake from Mike. Foxy nodded and continued. "Right...Any experience workin' with children?"
Mike nodded. "Yes, actually. I've previously volunteered at a Nursery and I used to occasionally babysit" Mike responded, a fidgeting a little in his seat. He was still nervous, and for a good reason.
Foxy, who listened to what he said, gave him a brief, hard look before returning his gaze onto the paper in his hands. "Right. Aside from kids, any other work experience?"
Mike nodded yet again. "Beforehand, I worked at a small retail store during the weekdays while I worked as a security guard in a mall during the weekends in the day. And occasionally, while I worked as a guard, I would be placed in the night shift along side a friend of mine who normally worked during that shift" Mike truthfully replied. Although what Mike didn't say was on how he hated working the night shift with his friend. He swore that mall was haunted.
Foxy gave him another long and hard look before returning his gaze onto the paper in his hand. There a lingering silence after that, and Mike was pretty nervous with what Foxy was going to say. Despite his nature, Foxy was still a rather intimidating individual. He was a damned Admiral at one point, for goodness sake!
Eventually, after what felt like decades in that small room, Foxy nodded to himself before placing down the paper he held onto his desk. Mike knew that it was the end of his interview, and a rather brief one at that. He was practically shaking right now, that was until Foxy put up a hand towards him and grinned, his canines showing. "I suppose yer in lad. Welcome aboard to the family" Foxy chuckled as he saw the rather surprised look from Mike. "Come on now! My hand's gettin' tired ya know?" Foxy joked
Mike, who had been stunned, quickly grabbed his hand and shook it, feeling the firm grip from the old fox. He still had to know why and how it was so quick.
"Umm...Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but...why so quick?" Mike voiced out his thoughts, earning only a hearty chuckle from the old fox.
"Aye! I was hopin' ya would ask that". Foxy loosened his grip around Mike's hand before ushering him closer. "Ya see lad, here in this ol' town, trust is how most interviews work. In fact, trust and honesty is how everyone around this ol' town is happy. Nobody is ever off doin' some nasty thing since they all trust each other" Foxy explained, grinning a little more in Mike's direction. "I know this cos I've been livin' in this town for most of my life. I've seen this place shaped and molded into what it is today, and I'm quite happy with how things have turned out"
"So don't question it too hard, lad. Ya would get used to it, I'll promise ya" Foxy chuckled yet again before walking around his desk and over to Mike, placing an arm around his neck. "Welcome to the family, Mike".
Mike, still trying to process whatever he said, stood there silently for a moment. Huh...So that was why his 'interview' with Bonnie earlier on was so quick as well. A whole town revolving around trusting each other? Sounded too good to be true. In the meantime, Mike realised it was a good time to reply to his new boss. And so he smiled and returned the favour.
"Aye, captain" Mike chuckled.