Once Saphira was in the elevator with Freddy and Monty, she was humming and dancing to the music again, she was feeling pretty good despite what had just happened. Freddy and Monty both had said nothing at the moment, and she was fine with that. When the doors open and they step outside, Saphira skipped away from them and spun around happily, letting her ponytail whipping her skin when she stopped and looked at both bots. She smiled at them and Freddy smiled back at her, but Monty did not.
"Saphira…what happened in there…was not normal," Freddy said to her gently, making Saphira's smile slowly fade. "Now that I have seen the message for myself, even just part of it…it is almost like you're being followed by something invisible."
Saphira grimaced and nodded at him. "I know. But…it felt good to shoot at them."
"I bet it did, that's why you won punk." Monty took off his glasses, something he's never done and held them in his claws as he gazed at Saphira with a worried expression. "However, I would like to assume Dave had a hand in it. But all of them would have the same issue if he did, he would not have known you would sit in that particular chair."
"It is strange yeah…someone is watching right now probably…" Saphira shuddered at the thought before taking deep breath and glancing over her shoulder towards Bonnie Bowling. "Can we try to forget about it for now please? Bowling is less likely to be anything but bowling. We need to ensure the place is working properly."
"Yeah, yeah, we know…but…" Monty shakes his head and looked at Freddy, pointing an accusing finger at his chest. "You should really think about everything Freddy. I fear it is only going to get you in trouble. And not from me!" He slips his glasses back on and huffed. "Now if you will excuse me, I will be at the bowling alley."
He turned away and stomped towards the stairs to head up to the bowling alley. Saphira wondered what he meant by what he said and looked at Freddy to ask, but she saw how sad he was. She wondered what was said when Monty spoke to him. She sighed and stepped closer to him, reaching up to place hands on his cheeks, something she has not done before and he looked at her in surprise.
"Hey, I am not sure what he is talking about. But I think I would have been targeted anyway. I think…I was a target from the start…though I am unsure of course." Saphira rubbed his cheeks gently and Freddy himself was extremely enthused by this, if only he could lean down right now! "Monty is hotheaded, we all know that. So we probably should just ignore him."
"Yes…maybe you are right." Freddy smiled, blinking a little more than he has before. "He does have a good heart though Saphira. He is not evil. He just…brings things across a little differently to the rest of us." He lifts his hands to her wrists gently, sliding them up to cup her hands with his own. "We should get moving Saphira. Bonnie will be getting a little impatient."
"Yeah I guess." Saphira did want to do the bowling, but she also wanted to just be with Freddy. Alone. She blinked and glanced down at the floor, realizing she would just be encouraging the feelings between them. She looked back at him with a smile. "Can you let my hands go? Your claws…they might accidentally scrape my hands."
He chuckled lightly and moves his hands away from hers, resting them back by his side. "Sometimes I forget my claws can hurt…they are blunt though Saphira. They only look sharp, but they cannot cause a scratch without force."
That was a good safety feature, given their teeth and claws do look very sharp. And with Mr Hippo's jaw, the force of it was probably the main reason why it could seriously injure someone. She still wondered about Mr Hippo, his friends and Foxette. But bringing up that topic with Cliff probably was not going to be an easy one. Even though he seems to not be a suspect, she would have to still be careful. Unless it was just her paranoia talking.
"I suppose when you are used to your own body, you forget a few things. Like how strong or how weak you are. It's perfectly normal." Saphira smiled at him and turned to walk towards the stairs. "Makes you no different to everyone else honestly."
"That is good to hear."
As Saphira walked towards the stairs and began to walk up them, Freddy found himself gazing at herself body again. He couldn't stop himself, and seeing the curves of her body and watching her muscles as she walked up the stairs intrigued him. Freddy ignored Monty's words, the gator had no say in how he felt. And Freddy still had other feelings to figure out as well. He guessed Bonnie would be the better person to talk to in the future.
When she reached the third floor, Saphira glanced over her shoulder at Freddy and he smiled at her. "I am going to be asking some stupid questions about bowling. So I hope Bonnie won't mind."
"What do you mean by stupid questions?"
"Since I've never been to a bowling alley before, I don't really know much about the rules." Saphira felt embarrassed by that as a lot of people have been to a bowling alley, but she has not. "I have watched people bowl before, but…that's about it."
Freddy had guessed that was the case, but he did not think it will be stupid for her to learn about the rules. "Do not worry. Bonnie will be very happy to tell you the rules of bowling. It is not difficult once you are playing."
That was probably true, but Saphira was still embarrassed that she would need to ask about it. The roller doors open automatically for them as they enter the hallway leading to the alley. Saphira smiled, she could hear the voices of Monty, Bonnie and Chica echoing, they all sounded very excited. She was happy to hear that. She did glance at the walls and roof briefly though, Freddy noticed her looking around and he understood the reason very well. He too looked around and it seemed there was nothing. Good. He hoped they could end the night on a good one. They round the corner and the door was already open into the main alley.
"And there they are!" Bonnie exclaimed, standing at the doorway with his hands on his hips. "What took you two so long huh? Don't tell me, there was another clown or something you had to deal with?"
"Thankfully, no, we just got caught up talking," Saphira responded with a smile. "And now that I am here…" She spreads her arms, glancing at the alley. "Uhh…this is going to be embarrassing…I have no clue what I am doing with bowling. But you already know that."
"You did mention it when you came here doing your security rounds." Bonnie smiled and turned away, walking towards the counter. "You will need to change your shoes. You need special shoes to be on the alley, otherwise you could slip and trip easily." He gestured for her to come up to the counter. "Tell the staff bot your size and change your shoes. That is the first thing you should do my friend."
Saphira had always wondered why people needed different shoes for bowling, but that made sense. She walked up to the counter and looked at the staff bot, telling it her shoe sized. She jumped when it rolled away quickly and grabbed out a box with the shoes in it and returned quickly to place on the counter. She grumbled a little and took off her shoes quickly, she had pink socks on and Freddy gazed at her feet curiously. He has seen human feet without shoes and socks on, he didn't really know why humans needed shoes. But it was still an interest of his to know as much as he could about Saphira. She put the shoes on, grimacing a little as they were a tad tight, but she tied them and picked up her other shoes to carry with her.
"I assume we have to test each lane right?" Saphira asked Bonnie, he was standing beside a rack of bowling balls with his arms folded.
"Yes we do. However, before we do, pick out a bowling ball." He gestured to the various balls on the rack and Saphira looked at them curiously. "Each of them has a different weight. You need to pick one that you are able to handle, and make sure you hold the bowling ball correctly. They will crush your feet if you don't. This one is mine…" He slips two fingers and his thumb into a purple bowling ball with a bright yellow star and lifts it up, holding it with his other hand. "Hold it like this. It is the safest way to handle one."
Saphira smiled and walked over to the rack to find one that was not so heavy. Freddy, Chica and Monty were already holding their own and were waiting. She did notice their bowling balls had holes larger than the normal ones. That made sense as their fingers were much larger than human fingers. She found a blue one that was lightly enough and carefully picked it up to hold.
"How many rounds are we going to do on each lane anyway? Cliff didn't really tell me." Saphira gazed at the lanes as they walk to the very end on that was numbered as 1.
"Usually we do five rounds each. You need to put in on the console this is just testing. We are not actually getting a proper score on this." Bonnie places his ball onto the bowling ball stand in front of lane 1 and 2. "Oh, this thing is where the balls are returned too after they have been let go. The console is just there."
He points to the console at the end of the lane that had stairs leading into a lounge area. Saphira walked up to the stand to place her ball down, Freddy and the other two had already placed theirs down and were waiting for her to put the lanes into testing mode. She walked over to it and looked at it, glancing over it for a second before she pressing a Settings symbol, and she blinked when it came up with a list of options. She read them over and saw the Test Mode option and clicked it. The scoreboard comes up to list who was playing, she put in her name along with the four animatronics and she glanced up as the pins were being placed onto the lane and it was ready.
"Alright, we are in business!" Bonnie exclaimed, he checked the console to see who was first. "Oh good! I am first! Now, the idea of bowling is to get the highest score possible. Simple enough right? Anyway, you can hit as many pins as you can. But be aware of the gutters, if your ball gets in there, it won't hit any and you miss your point. There are a few little details though. But I will go through it as we bowl." He walked over to the stand to pick up his bowling ball and approach Lane 1. "Okay, make sure when you swing that it is in a sweeping motion. But don't be too rough, or you might lose your balance or toss the ball and cause damage. Watch me." Saphira watched as Bonnie stepped up to the line, holding the ball before swinging back and leaning down slightly while swinging his arm forward in a sweeping motion, releasing the ball towards the pins. Saphira watched as it struck five pins down. "Hmm, not bad!" Bonnie smiled and turned back to check the monitor. Saphira watched as the ball is roled along the ball into a slot to be sent back to the stand. "Okay, this was not a split, but a split is something that is common in the game. If I were to hit pins and some were still standing in close proximity to each other, that's a split. I am sure you know why strike is."
Saphira nodded. "That is about the only thing I know. Strike is when you hit all the pins down at once. I believe you have another turn right?"
Bonnie nodded, he looked at the machine as the ball rolled onto the stand and looked back at Saphira. "And finally, spare. If I were to know down the rest of the pins right now, I would get a spare because I knocked ten pins in both of my two goes. It's very simple."
She smiled at him and watched Bonnie picked up his ball again to walk up to the lane and send the ball down the lane. He strikes most of the pins, leaving only one left. He smiled as it was still a good score. She watched as an arm lowers and sweeps the pins back to send them through the machine to be reassembled for a future round. And finally, ten more pins were lowered in a triangular positon. It was her turn next.
"Good luck super star!" Freddy encouraged enthusiastically. "You can do it!"
"Of course you can! It's such a fun, simple game!" Chica added excitedly.
Saphira walked over to the stand and picked up her ball, carrying it to the lane. She glanced down, noticing she had to stay at a mark that was safe. She held it and breathed deeply before swinging and letting the ball go. She smiled as it rolled down the lane before widening her eyes when it moved to the right. She grimaced, but thankfully it does not hit the gutter and hits three pins.
"Not bad for a first timer," Bonnie said gently with a smile as Saphira walked to the stand and waited for her ball to be returned. "This will take a little while to do. Especially since there are twelve lanes."
Saphira did not mind. She glanced at the Fazwatch briefly, she had at least two and half hours to go. So she did not mind at all. However, she felt her stomach growling. She realized she was starving, especially since she ended up being sick earlier.
"Is the food here still availabe?" Saphira asked curiously, looking at the bots with an embarrassed expression. "Sorry…I am very hungry…and I only just realized it."
"I believe so. Take another shot at the pins and go to the food counter, they should still be able to get you food." Bonnie gestures to a counter where the food was served. "Otherwise, you can run to El Chip's since it is the closest to the bowling alley."
Saphira nodded and when her bowling ball rolls onto the stand, she picked it up and walked up to the lane, swinging it to let it go towards the pins. She smiled as she had given it a bit of speed and it hit five pins. She raised her hands up happily with an excited yell.
"Yeah! I hit five!" She exclaimed excitedly. "Now I see why people like bowling. This is way more fun than the raceway."
Bonnie chuckled softly. "Don't let Roxy hear you say that. Now go get food."
Saphira nodded and skipped over to the counter. The staff bot turned towards her expecting an order and she gazed at the menu for a moment. "Hmm…I will take a small bowl of gravy covered fries, a slice of cheese pizza and a large coke please."
She jumped as the bot made a sound of accepting the order and rolled away quickly into the alley kitchen. She smiled and takes a seat on a stool, turning to see Chica swinging her ball. She squealed loudly when she gets a strike and danced around happily, laughing loudly. She looked at Saphira and waved at her.
"I got a strike! Did you see that Saphira?!"
"Of course I did, good job Chica." She gave her a thumbs up and Chica danced on the spot excitedly.
Even though this was just for testing, it was clear this was a lot of fun. Saphira definitely understood that. As Chica got a strike, Monty was next to go and he walked up confidently with his bowling ball and swung it, sending the ball down the lane and hitting eight pins. But it was a split as there were two left either side of the lane. He grumbled about it and stomped over to the stand waiting for his ball to return.
She turned her head and saw Cliff and Dave entering the bowling alley, they both wave at Saphira as they walk up to the shoe counter to get their shoes. Cliff glanced at Lane 1 to see the animatronics playing and glanced at Saphira with a smile.
"That's a good idea Saphira. I think we will get something too. Dave and I will take Lane 12 so we can meet in the middle." Cliff slipped off his shoes and grabbed the shoes the bot gave him to slip on.
"Yeah, I haven't eaten for many hours. So I am starving." Saphira chuckled softly and jumped when she heard the bot return. The aroma of fresh chips with rich gravy and the cheese pizza was pleasant, making her stomach growl angrily. She was happy it was all on a tray. She stood up and picked up the tray, carrying it carefully to the lounge area in front of Lane 1 and 2, taking a seat to begin eating her pizza first and looked up to see Monty missed both pins.
"Bad luck Monty. Unfortunately, it happens." Bonnie smiled at him and walked up to Monty, hugging him from behind and nuzzled his neck gently. "Don't be too mad, this isn't a real game."
Monty turned his head slightly and slipped out of Bonnie's grasp. "I know Bon Bon, I am behaving." He leaned in and kissed Bonnie, Saphira blinked as she noticed that when they kiss their jaws shift forward slightly. She was surprised, they can't move their lips like humans could, but their jaws were shifting like they were kissing. That was interesting. "I just don't like not getting a win."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. But don't worry Monty, it is just a game." Bonnie winked at him and they both separate to take a seat. "Freddy, you are next my friend."
Freddy stood up with a smile to grab his bowling ball. Saphira noticed his design was a gold colour with the blue lightning on it. It was nice, she smiled and took a mouthful of coke while she watched him walking up to the lane and moved his arms to throw his ball down. Saphira found herself slightly entranced, it was like he was flexing his muscles while he was doing that. But he had no real muscles, it was just a thought that suddenly popped into her head. She rolled her eyes with a chuckle, she had to stop thinking this way! It was hard though!
Freddy suddenly began to dance, extending his legs out and throwing his head back as he moved his hips along. "STRIKE!" He cheered loudly, spinning around and grinning at Saphira.
She grinned at him. "Great job Freddy!" She responded enthusiastically while smacking her lips. "Sorry, I have pizza on my lips."
"I could remove that problem for you," Chica offered, she had been eyeing off the pizza slice while Saphira ate it. Almost like how a dog watched humans eat.
She sideeyes the animatronic and bit into it. "No thanks, I did say I was hungry. You can eat garbage after we are done."
"Mmm, okaaaayyyy…" Chica whined, letting herself lean back in the chair with a humph.
Saphira glanced at Freddy as he danced towards her, the way he danced well and truly mimicked Freddie Mercury. She couldn't help but blush because she found herself enjoying it way more than she realized she should. Freddy noticed her blushing and she tried to focus more on the pizza and flinched when Freddy sat beside her, moving his arm around her shoulders with a smile.
"Alright…" Bonnie stood up, extending his arms and rolling his neck a little. "I see how it is Freddy. You got a strike. Well now I guess it is my turn for that."
She bit into the crust and watched Bonnie walk up to the lane, he had a smug expression. She chuckled, he just told Monty it was only a game. But, Bonnie and Freddy do seem like they could be like brothers, so it did make sense. He threw his ball down the lane and hits all the pins, except one. Bonnie was shocked and huffed, placing his hands on his hips.
"Not what I expected…at least it will be a spare." Bonnie shrugged and turned, walking back to the stand waiting.
Saphira began to eat the fries not, she was surprised by how delicious and thick the gravy was. The flavors that came out of that was amazing, she loved it a lot. She ate them while waiting for Bonnie to finish his turn so she could take over. She glanced at the console, she saw that it would complete diagnostics of both lanes only after they had finished. This meant, this was definitely going to take a while. She did hear Dave and Cliff bowling, she glanced over wondering how long they were playing. But they also had food at their own table, so they might have just started.
She glanced at Bonnie as she heard the pin being hit and he pumped his fist excitedly. He turned, letting his arms swing with a smug expression. "That might not be a strike, but I still hit all ten pins."
Freddy chuckled at him. "Oh yeah? Try hitting them properly next time Bonnie. Chica and I are on fire tonight." The rabbit rolled his eyes and sits down next to Monty. "Your turn again super star."
Saphira licked her fingers clean and dried them with a napkin quickly before getting up to grab her ball. She licked her lips, still tasting the gravy on her lips and walked up to the lane to throw the ball down the lane. She smiled when she did and watched it glide along the floor and hit the tip of the triangle of the pins. She widened her eyes as she was able to get a strike and jumped excitedly.
"Hell yeah! A strike for me too!" She exclaimed and looked at both Bonnie and Monty. "Hmm, you guys are falling behind I am afraid…try and keep up."
"Has this turned into a game on who can get the most strikes?" Monty asked curiously, lowering his glasses to look at Saphira before turning his gaze to everyone else. "You know that is not how bowling works."
"Doesn't matter, we can have a challenge like that if we want to," Chica teased, standing up as it was her turn again. "Let's see if I can do it again! He, he, he!"
Saphira sits back down to keep eating. She was having so much fun! She realized this would be her favorite part of testing. If only they could get Roxy up here once Foxy's new arm in added than it would be a full house. And that sounded like a lot of fun to her. Even though she did not know how Roxy felt about bowling. If she couldn't do it, Bonnie explained the rules very well. She wouldn't have any kind of problem. Though her ego might be a problem, but she would not know until Roxy played with them. Saphira considered asking her about it for next time. Not having her there felt wrong, same with no Foxy.
This is how the rest of the night was, they were all in the bowling alley and the tests came back clear, so that was good. Saphira also managed to make Monty laugh for the first time too. She ended up making a joke that bowling was how they destroy clown faces, and she was referring to the pins. Monty found that extremely funny and it made hitting the pins a lot more fun to him. It was a nice achievement to Saphira. When they finished testing the bowling alley, it was fifteen minutes until six when that happened. So Saphira ended up rushing her final duties as a night guard, it left little room to go to each animatronic room to say farewell. But she did use the Fazwatch. Despite all the horrors Saphira has experienced on her shift, it ended on a good note. Saphira hoped that the following week would not be any worse…but she figured she might just be wishful thinking on that one. Not especially after the threats she's received. So now she needed to find out who was hunting her. She also wanted to know the real reason why. It could not just be because she had gotten close to the animatronics…unless it was a referance to her getting close to the truth about the disappearances. It was one of the two possibilities.
