AN1: This is probably the one I'm least confident about, but then again, that's how I feel every time I post.
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For the first time since Vanessa took the job, she found herself relaxed…in a manner of speaking. At least she wasn't stressing out over a whole building of kids.
'Especially when closing time came.'
She doesn't know when she'll be moved back to the dayshift, if at all. With how weird the company's practices are, they could very well just leave her there until she decided to quit. Not that she minded too much, at least she had some form of company, even if they weren't human.
"It's amazing how none of them even noticed you leaving. You would think they would pay careful attention with a child in the mix now."
"There couldn't be a better timed distraction. Right when my pup needed his peace and quiet after spending an entire day in the daycare." She ruffles Gregory's hair. "Speaking of which, how was your time there?" A ghost of a smile formed on the child's face.
"I…think it was alright. Sun wasn't nearly as annoying as I thought he would be. We came to an agreement that I'll be left alone as much as possible. It helps that he made sure to shoo the other kids away from me."
"Did he now? Ain't that something." 'Guess I don't have to rearrange his blueprint then…which is…good.'
"I still don't like Moon though. Even when he isn't hunting me down, he is still just as creepy."
"I mean, it's not like he is intentionally scaring the pants off of everyone. He means well; however, he still grinds my gears though. Even more so now." She bristles at the memory of Gregory curled up earlier in the day. "I suppose I can look past it though. He did exempt you from his reign of terror after all."
"I'm sure it will stay that way now that I know how to keep him happy."
The conversation came to an end once they reached the food court. The whole process of getting him a meal was so much easier now that the staff bots were in their control.
Whilst the child chowed down, Vanessa took this opportunity to bring up a question she's been itching to ask.
"You know Roxanne, I've been wondering something." The wolf's ears motioned towards the guard. "How come you took it upon yourself to take care of him? This is something I would expect from Freddy, but not you." From the woman's tone, it is clear that she wasn't trying to accuse her of anything. Just genuine curiosity. Roxy bowed her head slightly.
"...I…found him in my racetrack after the crash. It…was a horrible sight to see. I felt responsible for his injuries. It was at my track that he got hurt, and I refused to let him wallow in pain. During the time I patched him up, I found out about his lack of caretakers, so I sort of…kept him." She sighs heavily. 'It was my fault.'
"I can't imagine how it would feel, and I pray I never will, but if it makes you feel any better, I think you're filling in the role of a guardian pretty well all things considered." Roxanne felt uplifted from her statement.
"Thanks, that means a lot to me." The woman smirks.
"You're welcome." Vanessa checked her watch. It was already thirty minutes into her shift, and she hadn't even set foot in the security room. "...You know as much as I would like to stick around, I should really go to do my job, if you need me, I'll be in the main security room." Before she could saunter off, Roxy put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.
"Hold on. Before you go, can I ask you for a small favor?"
"Umm, depends on what it is."
"Nothing big, I just need you to watch over my pup for a little bit." Vanessa's eyes widened.
"W-Why? Not that I'm declining, just…why? Wouldn't Freddy be a better option?"
"He isn't here right now, is he? He might even still be trying to get Chica to calm down. Besides, I only need to have a quick talk with the attendant in private." Gregory is somewhat alarmed by this.
"Roxy, I told you that nothing was wrong!"
"Don't worry, it's nothing like that. He just wanted me to have a chat with him, so I want to get that out of the way as soon as possible."
"Oh…ok, as long as you don't destroy him…yet."
"Heh, well he hasn't given me a reason to, so he's in the clear."
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The trip to the security room was fast, the newly arrived inhabitants quickly establishing themselves for the time being. Roxanne observes the room, she has never actually been inside here before, at least not that she could remember. It seemed so…plain, and sterile. A little bigger than the others Gregory ran through, but still a bit cramped.
"Eeesh, this is where you guys have to camp out every day?" He commented.
"Not everyone obviously, but if we want to see everything that goes on, then someone has to do it. Since I'm the only guard, I have to become a hermit in this little insanity inducing room. Absolutely nobody I know likes being put on camera duty, nobody. Doubly–no, triply so when they end up taking the shift alone." Roxy pats her on the back.
"Good thing you won't be for the time being then. At least…until I come back that is."
"Oh, ha ha."
"Lighten up. Maybe you'll find some common ground to walk on…err, you know what I mean." She then turns to the child, leaning to whisper to him. "You still have your FazWatch?" He nods. "Good, if you want Freddy to grace his presence in this sad room, that is always an option. I'll be back."
"Okay. Don't scrap the attendant, please. At least not yet."
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Roxanne wished she could say she was surprised when she came back to a messy daycare, but that would be a lie. She could only assume it was much worse before, judging by the attendant hard at work cleaning up the place muttering to himself as he went along.
"She really did a number on your domain, didn't she?" Her sudden statement startled Sun out of his cleaning streak. He quickly recovered though.
"Chica needs to learn that not everyone agrees with her ideas. Especially with her diet choices. It's childish and sets everyone back."
"Is that what you told her?"
"YES! Unfortunately, she didn't get the hint and continued her chase. Of course, she failed to get her hands on me. I'm still here after all, and I'll gladly do it again to defend the health of the kids in my care."
"Must have been a tough offense, she managed to get past Freddy?"
"HA, you should've seen it, it's like nothing I've ever seen from her before. Of course, Monty was no help at all. He kept egging her on, the scaly instigator."
"He loves a good fight, I would know. Though getting the details of that is not what I'm here for."
"I know, I know. I was hoping it would be a more stable environment. Not…" He gestures all around him, emphasizing the progress he needs to make still. "...whatever this is."
"Yes, very sad. Now what is it you wanted to say to me? I'm pretty sure this isn't it."
"Oh! Yes! Sorry, I'm just so upset right now." He continues to clean up the place. "Tell me, what do you know about Gregory before he arrived here?" From the nature of the question, and the fact that he wanted to speak with her specifically, she could guess what this is about.
"...Not much, but from what I have learned, he was completely on his own for a while. He was either abused at worst or ignored at best." Sun slams down a box of supplies.
"...Rage inducing, isn't it? Never in all my years of being active have I been confronted with the possibility that adults are capable of such cruelty."
"You and I both…you and I both…"
"And what's even worse? He is far from the only one. There are many, many others that he left behind. He is here only because he had the…an incredible amount of courage to brave the streets." His voice picked up rapidly as he went on.
"Wait wait wait. There are more kids like him?!" He kept going without addressing her question.
"I didn't want to believe him, but there is absolutely no indication that he lied, not even a little bit! I can't, I can't, I can't!" He yanks the rays on his head. "It's sooooo messed up! It's inconceivable! How has the world reached such a low point?!"
"Calm down!" She gets a hold of him, forcing him still. "I feel terrible for him as well, but screaming your head off isn't going to make things magically get better!"
"...I'm…I'm sorry. Since his stay, I've been overwhelmed with the idea of the pain that could be out there. And it hurts. It hurts knowing that no one is there to save them, and maybe there never will be."
"I-I don't think we should dwell on that."
"You know how long he has been out there? Well, neither does he. At best it could have been weeks, he told me. Just…how does a kid survive for that long on his own?"
"Please…stop it. Let's focus on what's happening now."
"Again, I'm sorry. I've been needing to rant for the whole day." The pause between them allows both to gather their thoughts.
"What you told me…is just awful. I don't want to imagine the hardships he's been through, yet here you are, dumping it all on me. Not that I blame you."
"I think if it helps you understand him even a little bit more, it will be well worth it. No matter how painful it might be."
"...Thank you for sharing this with me."
"You're welcome, that is all I wanted to do. Please tell him I said hi." She smirked.
"Sure thing."
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Back in the security room, a whole lot of nothing has been occurring within. The only thing worth looking at was the camera wall, and that got boring really fast.
"Hey, Miss…"
"Just call me Vanessa."
"Oh, sorry. Um…Vanessa. I've been wanting to ask you something for a while now."
"Have you now? What do you want to know?"
"Well, how come you're risking your job for me?"
The guard thinks it over, wondering if she should answer truthfully or fabricate something on the spot. She went with the former.
"...You went through so much to get here, and I couldn't bring myself to condemn you to a worse life. It would be too hypocritical. If anything, I wish I had your moxie when I was your age kiddo."
"You're…like me?"
"Well, not anymore obviously." She joked.
"I never would've guessed. What happened?"
"...My…shining examples of parents made things so difficult. Downright abusive, neglectful, and plain malicious. The best thing I could say about them is that they didn't outright ditch me somewhere. Though I'm pretty sure it crossed their minds multiple times."
"But you never ditched them instead?"
"Didn't have the guts. Instead, I bided my time until I was old enough to just walk out the house and never look back. It was the greatest feeling I've ever had."
"Did you…have a plan?"
"...No. Not for a while. Just a lot of wandering, looking for places to stay, working whenever I can. It was rough, but looking where I'm at now…" She looks around the security room, then at the badge on her chest. "...It was worth it."
She has given him a lot to think about for his own future. If she could overcome it all, then so can he.
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AN2: Another year as of yesterday. Time flies