Saphira stared at the floor as the staff bots cleaned up the foam and remains of the doll. Monty was sitting on his couch again, watching Saphira as she remained where she was. He could see she was still shaking, he did not know if she would make a move or not. He already relayed what has happened to Freddy and Roxy so they know why Saphira was not already at their windows to speak to them.
"Super star…" Freddy's gentle voice spoke through the Fazwatch. "Monty just told me what has happened. Do you want to come into my room for a little while? I know you should continue your job, but it sounded awful on what just happened. I am really sorry. I hope no more clowns are left around the place."
Saphira turned on her flashlight to aimed the light above the rooms to see if anything else was there. She noticed above Monty's window there were some ropes that must have held the doll on the wall. But they had conveniently snapped by the looks of it. She finally made a move, she shakily walked towards Roxy's room, she hesitated to go right up to the window as she looked above Roxy's window. There was nothing that she could see, but she was still nervous.
"Girl, you look horrible." She blinked and looked at Roxy, the bot was looking at her with a worried expression and had placed her hands on her hips. "Your skin…it looks different. Are you okay?" Roxy paused and blinked for a second. "Okay, that was a stupid question, wasn't it? Sorry. You don't look okay Saphira. You need to put some makeup on or something."
"I…I'll be…fine…" Saphira responded to Roxy nervously, glancing away from the bot towards Freddy's room. "S-S-Sorry…"
"It's wrong for you to apologize to me girl. At least you're not a wimp around us anymore. Still…clowns have not been a theme here, even though the daycare attendent is designed to be one…sort of, he's just got the costume anyway." Saphira did not respond. She tensed suddenly and grimaced, placing a hand on her stomach and clenching her eyes shut for a moment. Roxy frowns a little. "Kid? You okay?"
Saphira lifts a hand to her lips, her stomach was twisting and churning uncomfortably right now. She waved her hand in front of her face, shaking her head slightly to tell Roxy she was not okay. She wanted to get to Freddy, but she might not. She could see Freddy standing at his window, he was leaning slightly and watching her through the glass, he had a very worried expression on his face. Saphira gagged suddenly and realized she could not stay.
"Saphira?" Freddy's voice came through on the Fazwatch. "Do you need to go to a first aid station?"
Saphira wanted to say yes, but she stepped back a few steps before she turned and bolted out of Rockstar Row. There was no bathroom in the hallway, so she had to run back into the atrium to the bathroom on the bottom floor. She burst through the door of the toilet and ran to the first stall she saw. She scrunched her nose at the smell of cleaning chemical, making her stomach churn even more just as she felt to her knees in front of the toilet and heaved. She gripped the side of the porcelain and coughed, emptying her stomach contents into the bowl. She tasted the bitterness of the coffee coming back up and the rancid burning feeling in her throat. The coffee made the burning feeling worse. She jumped when she heard the sound of heavy feet running to the bathroom. She recognized Freddy's feet, she frowned as she did not want him to see her like this. And, he left his room!
"Saphira!" He entered the bathroom, stopping at the entrance and spotting Saphira on her knees in front of the toilet. "Are you okay?"
Saphira breathed deeply and grabbed the lid to close it quickly. "Please get out of here Freddy…" She swallowed and grimaced at the burning feeling in her throat. Her voice was raspy and she pulled herself up to sit on the lid. "You don't need to see me like this…"
The animatronic could see Saphira's skin was pale, he has seen human skin changed colour before and he knew when it was pale, it was not a good sign. The layer of sweat on her skin made strands of her hair cling to her skin and Freddy slowly approached her, making Saphira jump and glance up at him with a frown. Tears stained her cheeks from the strain of heaving.
"I told you to leave!" Saphira snapped at him, although her tone was not of anger, it trembled as she was still scared.
Freddy stopped in front of the stall, observing her and looking at her sadly. "I thought my company would calm you…I did not know you would get so scared like that." His company was calming, but Saphira really did not want him to see her scared and sick like this. She glanced down at her shaky hands, she rubbed her fingers together as she waited for her stomach to calm down. "Super star…" Freddy suddenly dropped to one knee, the action startled Saphira and she looked at him with surprise. "I promise I told no one of your fear of clowns."
"Huh? You think I think you told someone?" Saphira was surprised, Freddy had blamed himself for the clown incident. She quickly shakes her head. "No, no, no, I don't blame you at all. I am mad that whoever put that clown there made me think Monty did it at first. You did say he was going to try and scare me."
"I did say that. But we do not have access to things like that clown. In fact, there is nothing even in the merchandise stores that is remotely close to clowns. I have not even seen a real clown, just on TV and the outfit Sun and Moon wear. That is the closest we have ever gotten to seeing an actual clown." That is why Saphira felt upset at whoever did this, it was not the animatronics who did this. She knew accusing Monty straight away was just a reaction, but she believed him that it was not him. Especially since he tried giving the doll to her to tell someone else. "Maybe you should look over the cameras to see who put the clown above Monty's room?"
That was a good idea. Saphira thought about it, but she might do that later. "Maybe later…I need to calm down. Thank you Freddy." She reached back and pressed the button to flush the contents in the toilet. "But…we both might get in trouble…"
"No. I already informed Cliff and Darren that you were suddenly feeling unwell and I assisted you to the bathroom. I…I am not sure why you were on your knees in here…but whatever it was, I hope you feel better now." Saphira nodded, but she still looked very pale. She moved to get up, only to brace herself on the stall wall. "You still look pale…paler than the colour of your skin."
"I know, I need to just relax." She straightened herself before stumbling closer to Freddy. Him, still being on his knee, was surprised when she let herself fall onto him and wrap her arms around his neck. Feeling the warm skin on herself was actually very soothing to her. "I did not expect you to ever break a rule Freddy."
"Well…maybe it is because you are my friend that I do that," Freddy said, chuckling gently as he moved his hands around Saphira and began to rub her back gently. The gesture made Saphira relax even further, he was pleased as he got to rub her back and comfort her. Feeling her against him like this…being able to just be here for her…it was an amazing privilege to him. "You don't have to go into the utility tunnels or basement tonight. I don't think Darren will be that mad if you don't."
"It's my job Freddy…I need to…clown, or not clown…" Saphira grimaced and leaned back, looking Freddy directly in his eyes. Being this close to his face when he was not in the protective cylinder was frightening, but calming. She kept her arms around his neck, she rubbed his back gently with her fingers, moving them in a circular motion. "But…there is no way I will go alone this time. Monty's right, more clowns might be down there."
"Yes…I fear he might be correct. That is why you should not go. If other staff find them, then the person responsible should be found." She doubted that, but it would be nice if it was the case of course. "But I will protect you Saphira. You have my word, nothing will harm you while I am with you down there."
She believed him. She leaned her head onto his shoulder, nuzzling slightly in the crook on his neck. She could smell the oil on his joints, and she realized he did have a unique scent. She sniffed quietly, aside from the oil, she was certain there was a pleasant, musky smell that tickled his nose. She liked it. It was calming. It was his scent. She wanted to stay like this for a long time, but she glanced at his knee, wondering if it would strain if he stayed on his knee for too long. Freddy himself patiently waited for her to make a move. He knew she needed time to recover from the scare like that, and he was being extremely patient. He felt her lean away again, their eyes look and Saphira appeared to be searching for something in his eyes. And yet, he found himself doing the same thing. They stare at each other silently for a few minutes before she stepped back, sliding her hands over his shoulders and down his chest slightly before resting them by her side. She carefully stepped around him and walked over to a sink. Freddy stood up and turned, hearing the faucet being turned on and watched Saphira cup the water in her hands and splash it on her face. She rubbed her face and neck, covering her skin with the water. The action was interesting to Freddy, however, he said nothing as he observed her and she turned off the faucet and grabbed some paper towels to wipe her skin dry. Colour had returned to her skin, it was still paler than it should be, but she seemed a lot better.
She turned around to face him, and Freddy saw her shirt was wet from her splashing her face. But, the fabric was clinging to her chest, and as it was wet, he could see Saphira's silver bra underneath. He's never seen one before, he did not know humans did that. "You wear another shirt underneath your work shirt?"
Saphira blinked before glancing down and in the mirror. Her cheeks heat up and she was quick to cover her breasts by folding her arms. "Um…it's called a bra Freddy…it's…it's kind of necessary for women to wear."
He tilts his head curiously. "Why would that be?"
Her face quickly turned a bright red, his curious expression quickly turned worry as he saw her reaction. "Uhh…I…why do you even want to know?"
"Because I've never seen one before, I was just curious. I…I am sorry if it is the wrong thing to ask. I am not familiar with everything about humans."
That was obvious. Saphira couldn't help but smile at him, he was too innocent about things. In a way, that was good. And also in a way, it was rather embarrassing to hear him ask her those things directly. That definitely meant he did not know what the word naked meant, because if he did, he would know about the different layers of clothing.
At least he doesn't know about panties…that is a whole other territory.
"I think we should go…I have water in my office, I should have some before going into the tunnels." Saphira walked past Freddy, she kept her arms folded over her chest, feeling subconscious about anyone seeing her. However, as she opened the door of the bathroom, she jumped back slightly, nearly slipping on the floor. However, she felt Freddy's body behind her and she widened her eyes in shock, Monty was standing outside the door. "Um…M-M-Monty?"
He tilts his head slightly as a bow and lowered his glasses. "You're still thinking about going into the tunnels punk?" She nodded slightly with a frown. "I can't believe I am saying this…but I am coming with you. Freddy needs someone with strong, new claws in case something tries to scare you again."
Wait, what?
Monty offered to come with them to the tunnels. Saphira was so shocked he would offer. "I…really?"
"Of course punk! What? Do you really think I am just going to let you go after you nearly passed out on me from that clown?" Monty smiled at her, and it was genuine this time. "Also…" He grimaces a little and raises his glasses back over his eyes. "I know everyone's been saying I'm gonna try scare ya. I don't know why they think that."
She smiled at him and relaxed slightly. "Or…me offering to start again on our friendship was the reason?"
He scoffed and glanced away from her. "I don't know what you're talking about."
She giggled a little and coughed slightly. "Well…even so, I really need water. My throat's burning…"
Monty glanced at Saphira with a worried frown, he stepped back to allow them passed. "Ohh…that is why your body was lurching a little in Rockstar Row…you vomited didn't you?" She glanced at him for a moment before looking away as she walked towards her office. Freddy seemed to be a little surprised by the question too and the gator followed them. "That makes sense…but as far as I know, humans only do that when sick."
"Not necessarily. I have…gotten sick like the before from being afraid too much…it's a bit embarrassing honestly. Freddy nearly caught me in the middle of it." Saphira was still walking with her arms covering her chest, she did not need Monty asking questions either. "I am sorry if I scared you…"
"It was a little concerning by how you bolted out of the hallway, but I am more concerned about who is putting clowns around the place. We never saw anyone when we retired to our rooms tonight. So it happened while it was busy." Monty was very unhappy about it. And he was probably right. "Who else knows about your fear of clowns anyway?"
Saphira had not told anyone else in the facility. She could not think of anyone, so she did not know who. It could be convenient in a way that someone found out her fear by doing this, but she did not know who could know. The only other people who know would be her family. It was because of her family and other people who are friends with her family that she is scared of clowns. Even the friendliest looking clowns. It was why she would probably always be afraid of Sun and Moon even if she befriended them.
"I wish I knew…" Saphira breathed out, reaching for the door handle and glancing at the animatronics. "Can you wait out here? I won't be long. I just need to get hydrated again."
They both nod and she stepped into the office, closing the door behind her. She sighed, glancing down at her shirt and held the fabric to wave it to try and dry it quickly. It would be way too awkward to walk around with her arms folded. If the shirt was not white, it probably would not be an issue. She had not expected it to go transparent when wet. But…Freddy pointed it out and that was embarrassing. She opened the mini fridge to grab out a bottle and stood in the office for a few minutes, gulping down the cold water to soothe her throat and to hydrate. She did have some sore throat stuff which she would take afterwards to soothe it even more. Saphira did hope she would not get in trouble having both Freddy and Monty out of their rooms like this…it was out of character for Freddy to break the rules in order to come and comfort her. Monty was understandable, he didn't really seem to care for the rules too much, but it was nice he actually was worried for her. She did not know if it was just convenient for him so he could scare her in the darker areas of the pizzaplex. She hoped not.
After a few minutes, her shirt was dry enough that she did not need to cover her chest. That was good. Saphira shuddered a little though, she checked the cameras for the utility tunnels and basement, she could see zero clown figures. And the cameras could only move so much. If there were clowns, she could not see them. She sighed deeply, this has really put a dampener on tonight. And she was lucky no guest has seen this as she would have trouble explaining to them what had happened. But, the remaining guests with in Glamrock Gifts currently, so they essentially had the facility to themselves. She fixed up her hair and outfit before walking back to the door, she opened it and flinched upon seeing both animatronics. She knew she would be jumpy for a while, she hoped once they started to do test runs on the attractions that would change.
"Ready super star?" Freddy asked Saphira with a gentle smile on his lips.
She shrugs and nodded. "As ready as I will ever be…I guess…"
"You have nothing to fear, we will be here," Monty said to her confidently and placed his arm across his chest. "They have to go through me to get to you. And trust me, I am the scariest thing here. So I don't know why you're afraid of stupid clowns punk."
She grinned at Monty, his attempt at making her feel better was nice. But she was still more afraid of clowns than the animatronics. She walked over to Freddy and slipped her hand into his, feeling the massive hand around hers. Monty looked at his hand for a moment, flexing his fingers slightly and smirked at her.
"No thanks Monty, if I ask to take your hand, I will." She was happy he was relaxed with her now. Or seemingly relaxed. She still did not fully trust him just yet. "Alright…let's go…" She breathed deeply and swallowed nervously. "Just please don't…"
"Never Saphira." Freddy interrupts her gently. "I will not let go."
Monty hummed softly suddenly. "I have to ask you something later Freddy." He looked at the gator in surprise as they walk back to Rockstar Row to head to the utility tunnels. "Don't worry about it for now. But I have a few things to ask you about."
Saphira wondered what that could be, she did not say anything though. She still did not want to go into the utility tunnels. If it was not clowns, it would be the staff bots as her second concern for tonight. She considered telling Darren or Cliff about it, after all, clowns were not the theme of the pizzaplex. And as far as she knew, it has never been a theme at any of the previous establishments. She was very nervous and her grip in Freddy's hand was tighter than it was usually. Freddy's grip though remain gentle, his hand could crush hers so easily and he knew it. He saw Saphira glancing at Monty's window when they pass by it after entering Rockstar Row. He noticed pieces of foam on the floor, he realized it was pieces of the clown and the staff bots were still cleaning it up. He did not know what it looked like, but Monty did describe it to him briefly, it sounded very unfriendly in appearance. He has seen clowns at Halloween, mostly people who were dressed up as clowns. He knew they could be for birthday parties, so he did not know why Saphira was afraid of clowns. All he could think of was something terrible happened to her before she left her family. He wanted to ask about it, but he doubted he would get an answer. Especially given her reaction to the clown tonight.
"At least the rest of the night will be full of fun." Monty's voice broke the silence as they reach the door and Freddy opened it for them to head downstairs. "Hopefully while you race Roxy, blast aliens and play bowling you forget about that stupid clown."
"I will for a short time. But…it is a hard thing to forget…" Saphira shakes her head a little and sighed deeply. "You should know what that feels like Monty. After all, being split in half and nearly being deactivated permenantly…I am sure you would like to forget."
Monty clenched his jaw slightly and nodded. "Yeah…yeah I do."
"And trust me when I say that pain never goes away…it just…changes…it changes because you learn to live with it. It gets better to cope with…but it always stays with you." Saphira did not look at Monty as she focused on getting down the stairs without slipping, even with Freddy holding her hand.
The gator himself was surprised though, he did not know yet she had been through something horrible and had been homeless before. However, hearing her tell him that made him realize she actually related to his fear and pain. It never occurred to Monty that Saphira might have already had a life experience that had pain and fear in it. And now, Monty actually wondered if his actions triggered some of that pain and fear in her. He felt guilty…but he was not one who was used to apologizing for something like that. He simply just grunted a little and followed Freddy and Saphira to the bottom of the stairs, entering the utility tunnels.
Saphira whimpered and Freddy felt her shudder upon seeing the long tunnels, she turned her flashlight on and was already looking around fearfully. "It is okay super star. You can do this."
Saphira smiled at him, grateful for his encouragement and took fearful steps into the tunnel. Everything appeared to be normal, Saphira had to ensure no guest was down here as well as making sure no clown or strange bot activity was happening. She shines her light down the connecting tunnesl to the main tunnel and so far, nothing was out of the ordinary. She began to relax slightly after ten minutes as they go through the tunnels. Saphira was glad to have both animatronics with her though, it made it a lot easier. They head down to the basement after it was all clear. Again, Saphira was very jumpy in the basement, but as they go through the loading dock, lockers, kitchen and dining hall, there again was nothing. Good. Very good.
"Well, I guess I was scared for nothing…" Saphira said as they made their way back to the elevator, she still had her hand in Freddy's hand. She had never let go, not once. "You probably felt like you wasted your time Monty."
"Nah, I waste time waiting around punk. This is way better." That was true, Monty probably got very bored easily from just sitting around in his room. "Anyways, I was thinking of going to the raceway as well. I've always wanted to beat that wolf."
Saphira giggled. "Oh yeah? I am sure Roxy would love a challenge." She grinned at the gator and turned to press the button of the elevator. However, just as she reached out, a head with long hair, red grinning lips with bloodied teeth drops in front of her on a string. "AAAHHHH!"
She turned and hid her face in Freddy's chest. Both animatronics were startled by how shrill her scream was. They looked at the clown head danging from the ceiling in front of the elevator. Monty rubbed his head as the scream hurt his ears a bit, but he and Freddy glance at each other while he held Saphira in a hug. Someone was definitely after Saphira. They did not know who as no one in the facility had anything to do with clowns.
