NOTES
Heya
Okay first things first, in case you haven't been to the Reddit lately, super sorry for the wait. Finals rolled around, and I spent two entire weeks focusing my efforts on wrapping up the semester, and this last week and a half has been writing as usual. So! Sorry for making you wait so long!
Anyway, time to cover the whole 'mistake' schpeel I had in the notes section of the last chapter.
Alright, not gonna sugarcoat it, it was Michael's name. It was spelled wrong.
In every single iteration of the name Michael in this entire fic (excluding this chapter and the last on), it was spelled Micheal. Mich EA l. Of course, his name is friggin' Mich AE l.
Wish I was kidding; if you haven't noticed, look at the title of this fic right now. It's spelled wrong there, too.
So that's cool. :D
Thank you guys for not eating me alive on that, and my bad for taking so long to finally acknowledge it. From here on out, it'll be spelled correctly, and after chapter 40 is posted, I'm gonna go back to each chapter and fix it.
M'kay, anyway.
Another thing I meant to mention in previous notes is that all the FNAF lore that this fic takes into account is from the games. Haven't read the books, and to my understanding, it might be for the best that I don't try implementing some of the wild, wild content included in them.
And of course, a lot of the lore's been manipulated for the sake of this fic, which I've already had a giant-ass schpeel about. :D
Alright, to try and keep it short, the last thing I'm gonna talk about is chapter 40.
I know I just made y'all wait so damn long for this chapter, and I feel terrible about it, but 40's also gonna take a little bit. I've had the idea for chapter 40 in my mind for almost the entire duration of the time I've been writing, so in addition to likely being *very* long, I'm also gonna put some special care into it and edit it far more carefully than usual.
That being said, all those delays are *hopefully* for the sake of making chapter 40 *really* something. Can't wait to finally put it all on paper and share it with y'all.
Oh that does remind me of one thing I said in the past that isn't necessarily true anymore about that chapter.. The original plan was that Monty would play a colossal part of the chapter, but after thinking about it for a long, loooooooong time, I'm gonna have to say that it doesn't look like that'll be the case anymore.. I wish I could get into the details of why, and I absolutely *will* at the end of chapter 40, but I can't really explain anything yet without giving away some stuff I reeeally don't wanna spoil yet.
Sorry if that's disappointing; I promise I didn't make that decision lightly.
ANYWAY
All that being said, here's thine next chapter. I'm always open to answer questions, or even just chat!
{21,715}
Enjoy
UPDATED:
Heya. Near the end of the fic there was a portion where Mike texts the animatronics using his watch, despite having let someone else borrow it. Whoops..
Fixed it, and also fixed some grammar mistakes. That's all.
- One more day -
(My dumbass also forgot to put this title here at first. Look at me go.)
-.-.-
Simply taking the first couple steps into Roxanne's raceway is enough to calm the static in my head a bit.
Spent the last half-hour or so catching up on everything that's happened regarding Freddy's case Cooper re-opened. I don't regret it, it feels good to have a grasp on what progress has been made; but leisurely reading about how everyone's learning all the things I've been trying to keep under wraps for the last several years hasn't been doing me any favors.
...
..Y'know what, it's gonna take me a good minute or two to reach my destination from here. Might not be the worst idea to start tonight off by running through the information I've learned one more time, just to help sort it out in my head.
So, lets start with this..: What have the police managed to figure out so far?
..
..Mm, well..
They've figured out.. a lot..
No one has any idea about the whole 'spirits' and 'remnant' ordeal, which is probably a given.. No court of law is ever going to accept possibilities like those, no matter how much evidence they find supporting them..
But, excluding all the magical remnant BS, they've made some leaps and bounds in their discoveries. They know it was William who killed the children, they know about the spring-Bonnie suit William used, they even managed to figure out that the children's bodies were stuffed inside each of the animatronic's suits.. And that didn't go over well with murdered kid's relatives..
The court does think William was the one responsible for putting the children in the suits, though; even though it was actually Henry's daughter inside the marionette.. That misconception isn't something I can really hide behind, unfortunately.. To be perfectly honest, who put the kids in the suits doesn't matter nearly as much as you think it would..
Baby's place, as well as several of the corresponding animatronics, have been revealed to have less-than-wholesome intentions.. Since there's little remaining of that place, and all who derived from it, people are still somewhat unsure of what those ulterior motives actually were. The police have been able to turn some of the mysterious 'disappearances' at Baby's into confirmed deaths of technicians.
The police did their best to check out where the Frights used to be. However, everything there was practically reduced to soot (excluding the one damn thing I *meant* to burn), so nothing's been discovered.. Someone distantly related to the Frights location did briefly note that the place burned down shortly after the old Spring Bonnie animatronic was brought there, but no one was able to make any connections.
..What is becoming a commonly-accepted consensus among the people who aren't running a court case is that William himself fell victim to a spring-lock failure inside the Spring-Bonnie suit.. That certainly riled a few people up.. To be fair, there *was* a decent amount of evidence supporting this scenario, but the court themselves couldn't accept that as a possibility since they had zero reason to believe there was any reason for him to get in that suit with the condition it was in.. With all that in mind, however, the idea that my father possessed the spring-lock suit hasn't been uttered even once among anybody; so that's a little reassuring..
I'm assuming the remains of 'my' Pizzeria will be investigated before too long; but if the police struggled to find anything in the Frights because of how bad it was burned, then just wait till they see how charred my place is..
...
Long story short, everyone's put together that my father's the 'bad guy'.. A few have started to accuse Henry of being a co-conspirator, but that theory's been losing traction the more people figure out that William more or less 'winged' the whole thing..
Investigations are ongoing to determine if William had anything to do with the toy animatronics' faulty facial-recognition systems. He was, obviously; and I don't think that's gonna take very long to prove.. Out of everything he did, that has to be the one thing that left behind the most traces.
...
..Quite a bit's been figured out..
There is one thing going in my favor, however.
Since 'possession' and 'spirits' are off the table, I doubt there's gonna be any effort put towards investigating those possibilities. In which case, all that's left to 'find out' are the things that don't include those fantasy-like concepts.
How many things can you discover about Freddy's past if you don't consider possession to be a possibility? I mean, obviously there's been quite a bit for them to sink their teeth in, even without all the Remnant BS. However, a large portion of the story is locked away if they continue refusing to acknowledge Remnant. If you consider what potential 'discoveries' are make impossible by that fact, you can start to see what I'm getting at.
What I'm trying to say is that: It's true they've discovered almost everything they can discover with what they'll accept as possibilities, but that's ironically starting to work in our favor. They've discovered most of what's left to be found.. But that means they're running out of things to find..
And if there's nothing left to find, then there's nothing left to investigate.. And if there's nothing left to investigate, there's nothing else left for people watching this case to be amazed by.
..And if there's nothing for them to be amazed by, that means people are going to lose interest.
Funnily enough, it just so happens that there's been a noticeable decrease in the frequency of investigations bearing fruit.. I don't want to jinx it, but I think that means things have finally, finally stopped getting worse. In fact, I think that means this is the turning point.
If things truly are how they seem, then this means we're in the beginning of the 'blow over' phase.. I can't tell you how pleasant that is to think about.. Though keep in mind, it's still the beginning of this phase. It's gonna be a while till any meaningful progress towards recovering gets made.
...
..Well..
The discoveries noticeably slowing down is unarguably good for me, and everyone here at the Pizzaplex..
...
..However, that isn't good for the people who are obsessed with seeing this case move forward.. And those people are starting to push back..
Cooper being one of them.
...
Those people know that if discoveries stop being made, little will have been accomplished with this whole 'investigation' fiasco. Everyone now knows a good chunk of 'what happened', but those who are particularly interested aren't gonna be satisfied until that 'what happened' somehow turns into 'what's happening'.
Even if the events of the past make up an interesting story, it doesn't change the fact that it's a story that's already ended.. I already know there's gonna be a fair chunk of people who won't like that. Hell, there already are.
...
..I think that's part of where my fear of 'everything getting out' comes from..
What are those people gonna do once they get desperate?
What'll go through their mind when they finally start to internalize that this story they're so invested in has already ended years ago? What are they going to do when they realized they've already learned everything there is to learn?
...
..The likely answer is that they'll lose interest..
..But another possibility is that they'll take the matter of continuing the story into their own hands..
...
...
From what Arin's told me, Cooper's been chasing some overlooked loose-ends in response to this recent lull in discoveries. I don't entirely know what that means, and I'm pretty sure Arin doesn't either.
...
..Alright, that's enough for now.
As discomforting as these recent events have been, there still isn't anything we can do about it except 'wait it out'.
After the Pizzaplex shuts down tomorrow, I can focus my efforts on helping Arin bring Cooper back to the world of the living.. In a strange way, I guess that means I can focus on 'resting' these next couple days.. The fact of the matter is that I'm not able to help until the Pizzaplex shuts down, so until that time comes, there's no use stressing out about it.
..Which, I suppose, is the reason I thought to come to the Racway tonight.. To eliminate this 'stress'.
Faint clanking of metal attracts my attention to the garage it's emanating from.
Other than forcing myself to chill out, Roxanne's the only way of reducing the static in my head when I get like this.. So, to Roxanne I march.
...
...
..Hff..
All the dust from the garage's disuse must've blown around once Roxy started tinkering again.. The air got noticeably stuffier just by walking into this half of the Raceway..
...
...
The sounds of engine work abruptly cease as soon as I step around the corner peer into the garage.
..Roxanne can't see me from where she is, so I guess she must've heard me.. Wolfie's laying on the floor underneath one of the go-karts, much like you'd expect to see someone from a car shop doing; which is inherently hilarious, since each kart is one-sixth the size of an actual car.
...
...
..If you're waiting for me to start this conversation, you're gonna be sorely disappointed..
...
...
...
..The both of us keep waiting for the other to kick off this interaction, but I've taken it upon myself to inconvenience this woman in any way possible, and refuse to be the one to speak first.
...
...
...
I can play this game all day, wolf. I'll stand here till the end of time.
...
"I see you, moron." Roxanne breaks, voice echoing off the metal underside of the kart.
"I'm wasn't trying to hide."
"What are you doing here?"
"Would you believe they let me work here?"
Roxanne exhales slowly, pushing on the underside of the go-kart and wheeling herself out from underneath using a tiny little kart I didn't notice she was on.
"What time is it?"
"Why?"
"Mike- who else but you would answer 'why' to being asked what fucking time it is?" She huffs impatiently, checking the time herself with her watch.
"Somewhere between 11:30 and 11:45."
"Oh you're early.."
Like that changes something, Roxanne aborts her attempt at sitting upright and instead falls backward and pushes herself back under the go-kart.
"A little, yeah."
"Explain."
"I left home a little early to m-.. 'Explain'?"
"That's what I said."
"..Interesting..word choice... Most people would settle with the word 'why', you demon.."
"I'm not like most people."
You certainly aren't..
"..I left early to make sure I had enough time to catch up on a few things when I got here."
A condescending chuckle echoes underneath the kart, and I invite myself into the garage.
"Miss the last episode of your favorite cartoon?"
"What?"
"I bet you're one of those full-grown adults that still watches My Little Pony."
"..What?"
"What were you 'catching up on'? Anime? I can envision you sitting in the parking lot watching Dragon Ball on your phone." Roxanne explains through an audible sneer, sliding a tool she doesn't need out from under the car.
"Oh-, no, catching up on some news. About the stuff Cooper's been going crazy over lately."
"You're n-"
"That was a lot of information you just dumped on me, actually" I interrupt, pointing down at her accusationally. "I'm surprised you even know what My Little Pony is."
..Much less a Brony..
"You think so little of me." Rox sarcastically hums, preceding a couple strained grunts as she tugs at something under the go-kart.
"You didn't even know what a carnivore was a few weeks ago."
"I know enough to call you a weeb."
"What?"
"Mhm."
...
..Having trouble keeping up with what the hell she's talking about tonight, apparently..
"Do you just throw random words you find on the internet at me..?"
Roxanne giggles like a child, sliding a couple bolts out from under the vehicle.
"Look at you, detective. That's exactly what I'm doing, yes."
"Where did you find the word 'weeb'?"
"Someone called somebody else that because they said they watched 'anime like Dragon Ball'. I thought it was funny."
"Do you know what 'weeb' means?"
"No."
"Do you know what Dragon Ball is?"
"No."
"..Do you even know what anime is..?"
"No."
"Y-.. So, 'weeb' could mean literally anything for all you know.." I explain, already starting to feel a little exasperated.
"It's probably an insult. The guy on the internet made it sound like one. I like insulting you."
As if to reinforce what she's saying, Roxanne slides another bolt she unfastened out from under the go-kart with far more force that the previous few, intending to clip my ankles with it.
Though unfortunately for her, she has a habit of being the most apparent and predictable person on the planet when it comes to these things, and she gives me all the time in the world to react.. Not as afraid of a bolt the size of my knuckle as Roxanne thinks I am, I lazily lean on the counter and tilt my foot up until the small metal piece wedges underneath my shoe.
"This is how you end up losing these things.."
"Did I hit you?"
"No."
"Damn. Guess I'll have to try throwing it at the back of your head next time."
...
I stare down at the half of her sticking out from the go-kart, debating whether or not it's even worth attaching definitions to the words Roxanne's learned from the oh-so-generous gift of the internet..
...
Sigh..
"..Anime is the name of a Japanese artstyle. Dragon Ball is a show animated in that style. A weeb is someone who watches 'Anime' obsessively."
"Are you a weeb?"
"No..?"
"Do you watch Dragon Ball?"
"Maybe when I was six, but everyo-"
"Oh my god, you're actually a fucking weeb?" Roxanne blurts, rocketing herself out from under the go-kart to stare at me with painstakingly fun-having eyes.
"What? I just said 'weebs' are people who watch Anime nonstop."
"You watched Dragon Ball, though."
"I watched maybe a combined total of three episodes as a kid, y-"
"I'm telling everyone you're a weeb." Roxy declares happily, nonchalantly bringing her arm above her face to mess with her watch.
"Rox-, what did I just say a weeb was?"
"Don't care. Someone called someone else a weeb 'cause they watched it, so you're one too."
"Everyone watched Dragon Ball at my age - that was the 'thing' back then. I haven't even sat down to watch a TV show in years now-"
- Brr -
-.-.-.-.-.-
TXT (Michael_Afton, David_Trudge, Freddy_Fazbear, Montgomery_Gator, Glamrock_Chica, Roxanne_Wolf)
Roxanne: Mike's a weeb.
Michael: Roxanne is insane..
Roxanne: He watched Dragon Ball.
Trudge: Hell yeah he did. 'Cause it kicks ass.
-.-.-.-.-.-
..Doesn't really come as too much of a surprise that Trudge's into that stuff..
-.-.-.-.-.-
Chica: What's Dragon Ball?
Trudge: You'll see. We're watching it. Where are you?
Chica: What? I'm still at the Pizzaplex.
Trudge: Where in the Pizzaplex.
Chica: Wait are you here?
Trudge: Yeah.
Chica: I thought you went home!
Trudge: Changed my mind.
Chica: Where have you been?
...
...
Michael: ..Who the hell is David?
Roxanne: What?
Michael: The list of names at the top of this chat has 'David' in it.
Roxanne: Oh what the hell?
Michael: Trudge?
Trudge: Myep?
Michael: Who's David?
Trudge: I'm David.
...
Michael: ..Not Trudge?
Trudge: Oh Freddy forced me to put my first name into this thing.
Roxanne: Trudge is your fucking last name?
Trudge: Yeah?
Chica: He likes being called Trudge more, though!
Roxanne: Holy shit, who else knew about this?
Freddy: Language.. and I did.
Monty: Chica calls 'im Davey sometimes.
Roxanne: Are you kidding me?
Trudge: Davey's gonna getcha.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Fuck off, dude.." Roxanne blurts in frustration, forcefully falling back down and sliding under the kart.
"..What's your problem? ..And since when do you say 'dude'?"
"I'm so fuckin' sick of being the only one who doesn't know things.."
"I didn't know his name was David either." I respond in a horrible attempt to offer comfort, lowering my arm onto the desk I'm leaning on. "..I guess it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that his name isn't actually 'Trudge', though.."
"It is his name." Roxanne groans, voice strained from whatever she's doing to the kart.
"Yeah, well-.. I just mean it's marginally easier to believe Trudge is a last name instead of a first name.."
"Whatever. I'm just tired of being out of the loop. Makes me feel like an idiot.."
"You're not an idiot."
Mm.. Shouldn'tve let my brain respond on auto-pilot there.. At least laughing at my dumbass response brightened her mood a little.
"Cute, Mike."
"Sorry."
"Good."
"..Anyway, I don't think they're keeping secrets from you or anything. Maybe if you socialized with them more, you'd be a little less out of-"
"Fuck you, Mike- you talk to them every day but didn't know Trudge's name either."
"Mm.." I hum, noticing the way I phrased my previous thought might've sounded a little condescending. "..I guess I rarely talk to them very long each time.."
"You talk to them too much."
..Sigh..
"I think we're straying from the topic a little.."
"That's fine, I don't wanna talk about this anymore."
...
I drum my fingers on the desk while listening to Roxy work, debating whether or not it's a good idea to let this subject slide.
...
..I'll let it go this time..
- Tink -
"Ow. Fuck.."
..Think that was the sound of a metal bit falling off the bottom of the car and hitting Roxanne on the way down.. Usually I'd chuckle to add insult to injury, but her declining mood might make that a touch in bad taste..
...
"It's been a while since you've worked in here." I comment, noting the dust in the air and recalling how dusty it was in here last night.
"Need to maintain these friggin' things, idiot.. Whether I want to or not.."
..She certainly doesn't sound too thrilled about being here.. Though I think the metal bit falling on her face heavily contributed to souring her mood..
...
"What are you doing?" I ask, deciding conversation might help her forget about how pissed she is.
- Tink -
I cringe upon hearing the metal-hitting-flesh sound again.. Roxanne's whole body twitches at the same time, which unfortunately suggests the car landed another bullseye somewhere on her face/upper body..
"Damn it..! Mike- What the fuck does it look like I'm doing..?!" Roxanne bites with venomous annoyance, violently sliding the offending bolt out from under the vehicle.
"Sorry.. I have no idea. I can't see what you're doing under the kart from up here."
...
With a breathy grumble, Rox forces herself to steady her breathing and keep working.
...
"..I'm changing the frickin' oil.."
"Go-karts need oil changes?"
"Do they have fucking engines, Mike?" She asks rhetorically.
"Sorry, sorry.."
Suppose I'll shut my trap, then..
...
...
- Tink -
"Fucking-!"
"Did it happen again? What are-?"
"Shut up, Mike! Jesus Christ, this f-..!"
Starting to think I'm in the room with a ticking time bomb..
...
...
..Though unexpectedly, a fair amount of tension seems to evaporate from Roxanne's body after a few seconds.. To be honest, I didn't think she had it in her to calm herself down from something like this.. Good on her, I suppose.
"..How was performing-?"
"Mike, I don't need your stupid-ass pity-talk to make me feel better. It won't, you fuckin' suck at it."
"Mm.."
This might be a lost cause..
...
...
"Ngh.." Roxanne growls softly, resigning herself. "..Sorry."
"What?"
"I'm not mad at you, Mike. This thing's just pissing me off.."
"That's alright. I asked a stupid question."
"It's fine, it's just so frickin' dumb, and it-.." Roxy starts to trail off, muttering about all the things 'pissing her off' like I can hear her from up there.
...
Here's an idea:
"I'm in the mood to listen if you wanna talk about it."
"They're so dumb..!" Roxanne blurts almost immediately, indicating I've successfully opened one hell of a floodgate. "Okay- I like doing this shit, right? I'm in charge of fixing all these damn things, but that's fine. But sometimes Arin or whoever will notice there's a lot of work to do and get a small fuckin' team to do a bunch of the work for me, which is also fine. I get it, it's a nice gesture, but fuck..! Mike- they're a team of grown-ass men, professionals, who spend their whole lives doing this kind of shit..! While I do this stuff 'cause it's like a hobby..! They do fine work, but it's like they don't give a fuck that I'm gonna have to work on it again at some point..! They do it all with shit like impact wrenches and automatic oil-filter wrenches, which tightens everything so fucking hard, but I don't have any of that..! I have to do it all by hand, and unscrewing shit tightened with fucking power-tools is damn near impossible! So I have to deconstruct the whole-ass engine for the simplest of tasks just so some kid doesn't die on my god-damn Raceway because bad oil fucked the engine..!"
Ah..
...
..I didn't even catch most of that, to be honest.. Something about professionals coming in and making it harder for her to work..?
...
"You, uhm.. Wanna take a break?"
- Tink -
"Nope." Rox passive-aggressively barks, sliding herself out from under the kart. "I'm done. It doesn't fuckin' matter anyway; barely anyone's gonna come tomorrow. We can do without one stupid kart."
"Fair enough.."
"Nnngh.. Is it midnight yet?"
"Yeah, at least."
"Then I've got shit to do anyway, so yeah, I'm done."
"Something to do tonight?" I hum, watching the wolf tidy herself up in what little pointless ways she can.
"Yes; not much but I need you to fuck off for a little while." Roxanne chuckles under her breath, having amused herself by telling me to 'fuck off'.
"..Not gonna try redeeming that laptop-bet again tonight?"
"I'm waiting till we shut down to use that."
"Waiting for the Pizzaplex to close?"
"Way to repeat what I literally just said, yes."
"..Why?"
" 'Cause then it won't be limited from 12 to 6."
"What do you mean?"
Once Roxy's finished tidying herself up, she takes a couple casual steps over to me while stretching her arm like an athlete, before doing her best to tower over me for some reason.
" 'I'll do whatever you say for a day' is what you said."
"..Yeah, b-"
"If we're shutting down, then I won't be busy performing during the day."
"The bet still only lasts for 6 hours, doesn't i-?"
"That's not what you said." Roxanne interrupts, abruptly leaning in to face level. "You said 'for a day', not 6 hours. I'm not working all day after we shut down, so that 6 hour 'limit' isn't gonna fuckin' be there."
Ah..
..This bodes poorly..
"..I had.. 6 hours in mind when I made the bet.."
"Shoulda said so, dumbass. I get to use you from sunrise to sundown."
I can't think of much else to do but continue gazing at the wolf's gradually approaching snout.. She still isn't intimidating when she does this. I'm still not gonna tell her that.
...
..How convenient that you're getting a break at the same time you have such power over me..
"..It's almost scary how well this has turned out for you.." I comment, averting my gaze.
"Mhm." Roxanne hums happily, standing back upright. "There you go. I like it when you sound defeated."
"Happy to provide."
"You'll be providing alright."
Riveting..
"Wish you'd wait to have fun with this until after you actually redeem this damn bet of yours."
"Whatever." Roxy turns around, dismissively waving me away. "You're lucky I didn't make it 24 hours."
..Kind of think it'd be a good decision to change the topic before she does decide she wants 'a day' to mean 24 hours..
...
"..You said you have something to do tonight?" I ask, gently pushing myself off the desk I'm leaning on.
"Yep. Live without me for a few minutes."
As if I reminded her, Roxanne alters her trajectory towards the garage door.
"Is it something about the karts?"
"No. I'm done with those fucking things today."
"..Okay.. What do you have to do today that you didn't have to do yesterday, or any of the days before that?"
"We're making tomorrow's show a little 'sparkly-er', since it's our last show for a while, or whatever.. I don't know - it was Freddy's dumbass idea."
..She tried to sound annoyed at Freddy there, but I fail to imagine Roxanne passing up the opportunity to show herself off a little more.
"Mm, m'kay. Is Freddy making you help prepare for tomorrow, then?"
"Yes."
"I can-"
"You're not coming with."
"..You don't want help preparing..?"
"I'm only preparing my part. Arin said he'll drop by tonight and do the non-member specific preparations, or something."
...
..Huh..
"..Didn't expect Arin to have that kind of time.." I wonder out loud, trailing alongside the canine on our way out of the Raceway.
"Cooper's chilled the fuck out a bit, apparently."
"What?"
"I don't know, I wasn't really listening." Roxanne dismisses, shaking her head slowly. "Something about how Cooper had to calm himself down a touch so he could focus chasing 'leads' or something, 'cause the police are finding less and less shit or whatever."
"Wow, you-.. Did Arin tell you all that?"
"Yes, Mike- who else would it be? 'David'?"
"Huh.." I hum quietly, staring off into space.
..I guess one of the animatronics told Arin that they know what's going on, and he told them some stuff.. That's the first instance of Roxanne knowing something about this 'situation' that even I didn't know yet..
I wanna say that Arin would have gone out of his way to tell me what he told the gang, but it's not hard to believe that the stress's been making him forgetful.
...
"..So Coop's gotten a little bit better, huh?" I acknowledge, moreso mumbling to myself than talking to my walking-partner
"Arin said Cooper's 'marginally responsive', whatever the fuck that means."
That means what it sounds like it means, unfortunately.. I guess the gang isn't quite aware how bad Cooper actually was.. It's reassuring to hear that he's slightly negotiable, though. That's progress.
"M'kay.. Arin's decided that means the old man's good enough to be left unsupervised for a while?"
"No, he's bringin' him here."
"He's bringing Cooper to the Pizzaplex?"
"That's what he said- Look, I don't fuckin' know, Mike. I can't elaborate on any of this for you, I'm just repeating what Arin said." Roxanne huffs, shrugging with her hands.
"Alright, alright, sorry.. Just wonder how he managed to do that."
"Doesn't matter. Arin's setting up our shit tonight, and I'm setting up my shit tonight. Those are the important bits."
Not sure how true that is..
...
"You sure you don't want help setting up?" I ask again, side-eyeing the wolf.
"Stop asking. You're annoying."
"Is there something you don't want me to see?"
"Yeah-, the fucking show, Mike." Rox intones like it's the most obvious thing in the world.
"Since when do you care about me seeing the show..?"
"I care about you seeing my show. You can go bug everyone else while they set up for all I care."
...
"..Since when are you embarrassed about me seeing your show?"
"I'm not-, why the hell would I be embarrassed?"
"No idea. You're usually the one begging people to look at you."
"I don't need to beg, they all look at me anyway."
"Mhm.. Look, if you're not embarrassed, when what else could you possibly not want me to see?" I exhale, desperate for any semblance of an answer from this woman.
"I just told you; the fucking 'show'." Roxanne rebukes quickly to my dissatisfaction. "You're not allowed to peek, moron. No spoilers."
"No spoilers?"
"No spoilers. You see it tomorrow, when everyone else does."
...
"Rox, I'm.. What?"
"What the fuck could I possibly make more obvious for you?"
"I'm the night-guard, wolf. You perform during the day. I'm not gonna 'be' there to watch your show."
"Yes you will."
"Look, I'm not coming in during the day when-"
"Yes, you are."
..?
"..You want me to come in during the middle of the day to watch the show tomorrow?"
"You don't have to leave and come back, dumbass; just stay until we perform tomorrow. Then you can go home."
"Your main show isn't until noon."
"So?"
"That's another 6 hours after my shift ends, wolf."
"Just watch my part, Mike."
"That's still at noon."
"You're extra bitchy today, aren't you?"
"Rox, when am I supposed to sleep if-?"
"Give me your phone."
...
..I'm only able to stare at Roxanne's beckoning hand, completely and utterly clueless as to what the hell she's trying to do all the sudden.
...
"What?"
"Give me your phone for a second." She responds, as if this is completely normal behavior.
"Why?"
"Give me your damn phone!"
"Hell no- what are you going to do with it?"
"Holy shit, just-..! Mike, I need it for ten seconds. And I'm not above pulling the 'guilt card' on you to fuckin' get it.."
"What in the world are you talking about?"
"Give me your phone, just for a second."
"No, not-"
"Mike, my attraction finally opened up to everybody, and the moment I start getting the visitors I deserve, everyone stops coming to the Pizzaplex 'cause you spouted out of that loud-mouth in front of Cooper. Now the whole place is closing down for god-knows how long because of you, so I can't even enjoy visitors coming to my raceway I've spent my entire life putting work into. All that, and the only fucking retribution I'm asking you to pay is for you to let me see your goddamn phone for thirty seconds."
...
...
..My phone finds its way into Roxanne's palm..
"..I can tell you've had that tangent on the tip of your tongue for whenever it became convenient.." I grumble.
"It'd suck less for both of us if you'd learn to shut up and obey me the first time." Roxanne responds apathetically, swiping around on my phone like it's always been hers.
...
...
"What's that dumbass blond kid's name?"
..I stare up at her with the blankest expression I can conjure.
"..What do you mean?"
"The hell do you think I mean? Who's the little guy who works here that's blond?"
...
"..You mean the day-guard who's blond?"
"Yes, what's his name?"
"Rob, I think. Why?"
..Roxanne completely ignores my question, busy swiping through my phone again.
...
"Ugh- is he not part of the fuckin text thing or whatever?"
"His name's listed as Robert if you're looking for him in the contacts."
"Didn't think to tell me that first?"
"I'm not entirely sure what you're doing.."
...
A subtle pang of dread runs up my spine when I see Roxy lift the phone up to her ear.
"Woah- Rox, don't c-"
"You'll be fine, chill the fuck out."
...
...
..Unfortunately, I hear the ringing abruptly stop just when I start to think there's hope no one will pick up.
"Hi, Rob? Short blond shrimp?" Roxanne confirms, lifting her gaze upward to focus on the call.
Mnn..
...
It's painful to only hear one side of this conversation.. Especially Roxanne's..
"Do I fuckin' sound like Mike?"
...
...
"Who do you think I a-? You can't hear my voice? You really dunno who you're speaking to right now?"
I have to stifle a grumble once I realize what Roxanne's doing.
..It sounds like she's just being mean, but that's intentional. She's manipulating them again..
...
"Yes, moron. Good detective skills."
...
"Okay- nevermind, I don't care, shut up and listen." Roxy continues, planting her free hand on her waist. "Call in sick tomorrow. Or actually get sick. Or fuckin' die, I don't care; just don't show up tomorrow."
...
...
"Jesus Christ, you'll be fine. Someone's already gonna cover for you."
...
"Holy sh-, who else bitches this much about being told they don't have to go to work?"
...
"It's not worth it, ankle-biter. If I see you here, on my last day of performing, I'm either getting you fired or ripping your arms off."
...
"No you can't talk to Mike- you think he can fuckin' save you?"
...
"Yeah, bye."
- Click -
"Rox, you-"
"You gonna try telling me I was being 'mean'?" Roxanne interrupts, holding the phone out to me.
"Some people might actually need the money the make from working here.."
"Then give him some, I don't care."
That's..
...
..Sigh..
"..Alright, I'll be here tomorrow, but I don't know how awake I'm going to be by the time your show starts." I disclose weakly, taking the phone from Roxanne's hand.
"Sleep in someone's room, or something. You've done it before."
"I can't do that now that I'm taking a shift for somebody. I'll have to be working."
"Oh my god, whatever." Rox begins, dismissively turning around and taking steps towards her next destination. "Just be awake and there. You don't even have to stay for the night tomorrow; we'll be closed."
"Mm.."
"Stop following me."
"M'kay..?"
"Bye."
"Bye.."
...
...
Watching her step out of my sight, I can't help but feel like that was a little cold.
...
..In fact, that entire interaction wasn't as pleasurable as I was hoping it'd be..
She was in a bad mood.. Working on the karts might've been the 'trigger', but I wouldn't be surprised if it was several things that've been happening these last couple days that's contributed tugging her to the dark side of the moon tonight..
Other than maybe Freddy, it'd line up with her personality for Roxanne to be the only one who cares about the Pizzaplex shutting down. Her raceway opening back up at such an unfortunate time is nothing short of an insult.
Finally, I'd be surprised if unintentionally leaving her hanging last night hasn't left a bad taste on her tongue.. With how little business we're getting, she's probably had the entire day to sit around and stew in that feeling as well..
..Don't really know what to do about all that, to be honest.. None of those things are problems I can fix, so I guess I'll just have to hope that the upcoming 'break' will help take a load off her shoulders..
...
Kind of a shame Roxanne's busy tonight. Didn't get quite enough time with her to stave away all the fuzziness in my head, so I'll have to find an alternative..
...
I guess this isn't necessarily a bad thing.
My head reflexively turns to look around the room I'm in, scanning for something that might require my immediate attention for some reason.
..This is the first time in a while where I've had free time, if you don't count being forced to constantly accompany the wolf. With her busy, I guess it couldn't hurt to spend some free time on me for a change..
First order of business is to get the static out of my head. Otherwise I doubt I'll be able to enjoy whatever I find to do to the fullest.
Fortunately, I've still got another outlet I can reliably use a few times a week.
...
...
..?
...
..What is that thing..?
My eyes wander in the middle of typing a sentence.. Entirely by chance, they happen to stroll over a specific part near the bottom of my screen..
...
..Not proud to admit it, but my initial reaction to spotting this anomaly was to try physically rubbing it off with my finger.
Mm.. What a random thing to break my immersion.. Was finally starting to get my head to cleared up..
Not entirely sure what it's even supposed to be, it's just some odd shape on the right of my taskbar.. I can't remember if it's always been there or not, but now's the first time I'm really paying any attention to it..
...
...
I guess it doesn't really matter.. Might just be getting huffy at an inanimate object because it had the audacity to break the corridor's incredibly fragile atmosphere by choosing to exist.
...
...
..Well saying that only made me wanna figure out what it was even more..
Hovering my cursor over it doesn't tell me anything, but neither does anything else on that section of the taskbar, so that doesn't come as a surprise.
...
What is that shape even supposed to be?
..I guess you could make an argument for it being an eye..?
...
Hey..
..It's kind of peculiar how the eye's positioned right next to the Wi-Fi symbol..
...
Why does that stick out to me..?
My hands hover off the keyboard an inch, and I stare blankly at the document I've been bearing my soul into for months now.
...
..Eye.. So maybe like 'see', or 'watch'..?
...
..Didn't Arin say something about how he can see what I'm doing if I'm connected to the Wi-F-?
-._.-
"MICHAEL!"
_.-._
I narrowly catch the arms shooting for my shoulders.
Holy shit! wh-?!
I'm not given the opportunity to finish my thoughts, and immediately have to focus on resisting the incredible momentum being forced upon me
Startled, I desperately look up to meet my assailant..
..And my heart sinks through the floor when I see Cooper smiling back down at me.
"Michael! Kid! I could kiss ya' right now-! That's IT! Kid, that is IT!"
"Wh-?!"
In an unexpected change of trajectory, I lose grip of Cooper's hands and they change destinations from my shoulders to holding either side of my head.
"It all works!"
"What are y-?!"
"I can't believe you d-..! Michael! I don't know how you thought it, but there were a million dead ends I couldn' work 'round for the life of me; and that solves every single one of 'em!"
"Cooper, wait-!"
"Hahaa~! It makes me feel so dumb! We've been lookin' at the wrong people!" Cooper interrupts again, pushing himself off me before I can even register what's going on. "William's great, but he's already dead! Henry's interestin', but he's already dead! It doesn't matter what they did, 'cause they can't do it anymore!"
I work to quickly push myself to a stand and meet Cooper face to face, but unfortunately, standing up didn't give me any better idea of what's going on.
"Did-..! Wait, slow down; were you reading-..?!"
"Your story is perfect, Michael!" The old man stretches his arms out wide. "It covers everything! Everything makes sense! That is the only story where everything, makes, sense! It all fits! You did it! Kid, we have to find him!"
"What-?! who?!"
"The only blasted kid of Willy that's still alive!"
"Wait-, how much did-?!"
I'm interrupted by his hands clapping violently on my shoulders.
"We have to find Michael! We *HAVE* to find Michael! He's all that's *left*!"
Shit, what?!
"I'm M-..! Michael?!"
"Not you, ya bird brain! Other Michael- William's boy!"
It has been a baaad day..
I suddenly feel like I'm on thin ice. With what incredibly little time Cooper's giving me to respond, I have to review everything he's said and figure out what's going on.
Shit, now he's looking for me..! A long time ago I told Cooper I was a distant relative to the Afton family who just happened to be named Michael, and that incredibly shitty explanation I gave him is what's currently keeping things from going to shit..!
..There's too much to think about, and not nearly enough time to do so. I'm barely finished registering that Cooper read my fucking-
Wait- I never said Michael was alive in that document..! As far as he knows, 'Michael' should have died with everyone else in the fire!
"Wait, I'm-..! How do you know he's still alive?!"
"He is! He's the only god-forsaken family member of that man who isn't proven to be done for!"
"Coop, if-..! If no one's found what's happened to him, then why would that mean he's still alive?!"
"He has to be!" Cooper insists forcefully.. It's like his sheer enthusiasm and ecstasy is gonna cause him to explode at any moment.
Ngh.. He doesn't know 'Michael's' still alive, but in his mind, that's the only loose end he has left to hold on to.. I can't begin to imagine what he'd do if he learned that I'm right here.
"I-..! Look, calm down for a second..!"
"Afton isn't dead! That name lives on in his son! This tale ain't over, as long as we can get him! I can't believe I went so long without thinkin' about his other son!" Cooper laughs, sending another unpleasant wave of dread through my body.
"Coop, what the hell makes you think I wasn't just writing shit down?! Why would I know anything about what happened?!"
Woah, Mike.. Haven't heard myself use that tone before.. Think I took a page out of Roxanne's book..
"Cause you, know more, than anybody.Nobody has been as loyal to Freddy's as you have, kid, Y'know? You've been everywhere, worked everywhere-! Only you know how each of them places tick!" Cooper explains with far too much emotion in each syllable, shaking me a smidge as if he's motivating me for something. "And that's fine and dandy 'n all, but y'know what really cakes the take? Y'know what makes you different from each a' the other burnouts who've worked at Fred's? You. Are an Afton."
I can do nothing but grimace when I glean together what his argument is, and have no choice but to acknowledge that it holds water..
..Did he say 'cakes the take'?
"I'm-.. Yeah, but I'm distantly related. I'm not part of the Afton's you're looking for."
Lying through my teeth.. It doesn't feel good, but I've got a little bit of a bigger problem on my hands.
"Aw- You've got their blood runnin' through your veins..! And that blood has seen the light of Freddy's every day of 'yer life! It doesn' matter if you don't know everything; all that matters is that you know more than anybody else!"
"Cooper, I don't know wh-"
"That's what makes you so special here, kid! Think. Whether or not ya' think so, you've got the experience no one else has got! Some people knew the Aftons, and some people have personal experience with all that Freddy's has had to offer, but you..! You, are the only one, with *both*."
"Listen..!"
"That means that little 'guess' of yours there-!" Cooper points fervently at the laptop laying shut on the floor. "That was made by the kid who knew the most about everything! Everybody else's just throwin' their hat in the ring and offerin' hints and ideas that are all garbage and disprovable, but you're different! You ain't just some random nobody! It's like-..! It's like the difference between askin' someone off the street what happened to Atlantis, and askin' an expert who's spent their entire life studying it..! An expert who's related to Poseidon!"
"No- Cooper, absolutely not.." I insist, grabbing Cooper's arms again. "Listen, I wasn't.. What I was writing wasn't a 'guess', it was just..-! Nn, Look, I get you're excited, but do not go telling people about that. It isn't-"
"Kid, you're out of your damn mind if you think I'm tellin' a soul about what we've learned today." Cooper explains through a way-too-happy chuckle.
..That.. actually took me off guard..
He was being earnest, I'm sure of it, but that doesn't line up with what he's done. Hell, so far Cooper's done nothing but contribute to getting the entire world to listen in on every discovery about Freddy's being made. 'Telling somebody' is all he's been doing..
"..Y-..? You're not gonna let people in on something like this..? Haven't you been-?"
"I don't need them anymore, Mikey. All they've done is help figure out what's been happenin', but pff." Cooper takes his hands off my shoulders and waves them dismissively. "That's pretty much all done for already, arright? 'S old news, all in the past. It's borin'. I don't need it no more. Ain't enough. Got a good enough idea from yer' little 'interpretation' there anyway; so now we's gotta figure out what to do next."
"I'm.. Unclear on what we're talking about.."
"What if this story's still goin' on, kid? Who says it's over?"
"Of course it's over, everyone-.. If my 'guess' was even remotely correct, then everyone else is dead."
"Michael ain't!"
Ngh..
"Why wouldn't he be..?!"
"Kid, if William's son is still out there, then this ain't over. Who know's what he's doin' right now!"
He's like a kid.. It's like I'm talking to a three year old who just learned they're going to an amusement part, and they're losing their mind about it..
"Nobody knows, Cooper, because-"
"Not nobody! Michael does! Y'know what that means?"
"Coop, listen to me-"
"That means we gotta find him!" Cooper decrees pridefully, throwing his hands out wide. "This 'new story' we're lookin' for starts with him! And y'know what? The best part is we don't gotta tell anybody else about this, kid! We find 'im, and you and I will have a new adventure all t'ourselves! Don't that sound amazing?!"
I'm not with you on this..! He keeps talking like we're on a team fighting for this common goal together, when I keep making it clear as day that I want nothing to do with it..!"
I raise my hands defensively and shake my head a little, expressing my disapproval for how little we've thought this through.
"Slow down.. First of all, neither of us have any reason to believe he didn't die like everybody else did. Secondly, even if he was still alive, we would never find him."
"Aw- we can find anybody! I'll call in a f-!"
"No, Cooper- 'a few favors' or whatever wouldn't be good enough. Not even a nationwide police search would be able to track someone like that down, right? We have no idea where he might be; we can't thoroughly check every square inch of the Earth."
...
"Ooooh, I see! M'kay, I getcha!" Cooper claps, beaming proudly at figuring out some hidden meaning to my words that wasn't actually there. "Aw, kid, you're like a damn scholar. Yer' right, we can't go out 'n find 'im, so we gotta do it a different way. Aw, this'll be easy!"
"..What's g-?"
"I've got an idea, kid. Y'know what? You just sit tight; I can handle this part myself." He claims with utmost confidence, brushing his clothes off. "I'll show ya' once I'm done; yer' gonna like what I've got in store~!"
"Cooper, what in the world are-?"
What the hell? Get back here..!
...
..My legs reflexively carry me a couple steps after him, but I soon slow to a stop and let Cooper jog out of my sight.
...
..Is that what 'calmed down a little' means..?! Is this the toned down version of what Arin's been dealing with every day?!
I could barely even comprehend what he was saying..! That entire interaction was Cooper getting caught up in his own delusions and talking to himself. I can count on one hand the amount of full-length sentences I got out with how much he interrupted everything I said..!
I can't even describe the way he looked. Everything Arin said was spot on. Dark spots under his eyes, frigid and stale movements, utter fatigue, sleeplessness; Cooper should be fucking miserable.. But I've never seen a man look so genuinely happy before in my life. It's almost manic..
...
..I need to talk to Arin.. If this is Cooper in his 'calmed down' state, then what he's been like must have been utterly incomprehensible..
...
Ngh.. The only silver lining I can make out of that whole interaction is that, at the very least, Cooper intends to show me whatever he's doing once he's 'done'.. Hopefully that means 'show me' before he 'uses it'.. Unfortunately, I completely lost him in those last three sentences, so I really have no idea what he's running off to do..
..Since when did he 'run' places..?!
...
..Ngh..
No- I can't let this slide.. I need to follow him..
I know he thinks my document was just my 'guess' of what happened, but letting him stew in all the information he just learned is a recipe for disaster..
...
I am so deleting that fucking document the moment I get back.. It's almost sickening that I let something like this happen again.. Again..!
- Chunk -
Just as my legs begin to move, the large metal door at the end of the corridor shifts, and I stop to peer behind me.
Arin's joggi- holy shit..
I slow to a stop once more and turn my entire body to face him.. He looks terrible..
...
..As much as I want to ask him about how disheveled he is, it doesn't look like that's what he's here to talk about..
...
As he approaches, however, it becomes increasingly evident that he isn't sure what to say either.
So much for the calm and calculated manager I used to know.. Every one of his movements is laced with uncertainty, but that doesn't come close to the eternal grimace his expression's become..
..Arin's jog gradually slows as he comes closer, eventually resulting in the both of us standing in the corridor and staring at each other.
...
Here we go..
"..Roxanne told me you said Cooper had calmed down a little." I begin, unsure what the proper tone for this conversation should be.
"..I'm-.. He did, I was able to communicate with him properly, and.."
"If that was Cooper in his 'calmed down' state, then what was he like before?"
"Michael, he isn't calm anymore." Arin almost whines through an exhausted exhale. "I don't know what happened. Cooper was getting better, I swear. I forced-.. I forced him to stick by me while I got some things done, but he got bored and started looking at his phone or something, and then he lost it again."
"Cooper was-?"
"I don't know what happened, he-.. I apologize for interrupting, sorry, but I don't know. Cooper was fine one minute, then completely unresponsive the next; now he's worse than before. I don't know. I don't know what happened. He was-.."
...
"Cooper went insane again after looking at his phone?"
"Y..Yes, I don't know why.. I don't know what he was looking at.. I don't know if, he.. If... Michael?"
Are you fucking kidding me?
Of course I know what he was looking at; he must've remembered the 'interesting search' from last night and thought he could get a kick from checking out what I was doing to stave off his boredom.
And just like that, I set him off again.
..Are you f-..?! Are you kidding me..?!
I am so fucking sick of finding out I'm the one making things worse..!
Worse yet, now Cooper's drive is practically self-sustained..! He isn't gonna naturally snap out of it because discoveries are slowing down anymore, because now 'discovering what happened' isn't his objective..! So who knows when he'll start to get better, if ever..!
...
Damn it- now what am I supposed to say? 'Sorry Cooper's going insane again after things finally started to go our way; entirely my fault. Whoops.'
...
..I'm just.. I'm so tired of every action I take towards self-preservation causing some wild butterfly-effect and resulting in a worst-case scenario.. I want to say it's just bad luck, but Jesus, how many times has something like this happened now? At what point does it stop being a coincidence, and-
"Michael, what's the matter? Do you know something?"
Ngh-..
...
"..No, I was just.. Look, Cooper told me he had a plan to do something, and that he'd show me once he's done."
"A plan for what..?"
"I'm not sure, I wasn't able to keep up with everything he was saying.. What I mean to say is that Cooper's gonna be pre-occupied here for a while, so if there's ever a time to do what the animatronics have summoned you here to do, it would be now."
Despite showing far more emotion that usual, Arin's face still hardly changes to reflect what he's thinking..
...
"Michael, I'm-.. I'm unsure if it would be wise to go through with this special performance; I need to make sure-"
"I understand, but.." I shift my gaze in the general direction of where the auditorium would be located. "..The entire gang's already making their plans, and seem a little enthusiastic about it.. Roxanne's already coerced me into taking someone's shift tomorrow so I could be here to see it."
"..."
"..I'm not trying to downplay Cooper's condition, but we'll have all the time in the world to worry about him after we close tomorrow. If we can stay strong for one more day, we'll be in a good spot for both the Pizzaplex and Cooper."
...
...
"..Alright, I'll.. I will do what I can.. Do you know where he might've gone..?" Arin mumbles, which is yet another unusual thing for him to do.
"I can check, but by the time you're done with preparations, he might move elsewhere."
The grimace on Arin's face stretches just a little further.
...
"..Would it be too much trouble if I were to come back and ask you where to find him after I'm finished..?"
Mm, that's fair.. I'd know where he is at all times thanks to my camera access..
...
Better idea.
"Here; I rarely need this thing for work purposes anyway.." I begin, unlatching my watch and holding it in his direction. "You can use the motion detector to find where people are, and use the cameras to determine if they're who you're looking for."
With how casual and unprofessional this is, I'd usually expect Arin to argue or flat-out deny this offer.. But with how desperate he is for things to go finally his way for once, he takes the watch shortly after I present it to him.
"I'm.. I'll need this, thank you.. I will text you if you receive a message from any of the animatronics."
"Sure. If the message isn't important, you can just respond saying you're borrowing my watch at the moment."
"I understand.."
...
...
The two of us, with a million things we need to say to each other, only stare expectantly at the other as if waiting for them to say something.
...
"..I cannot waste any more time." Arin mutters, quickly changing objectives and taking a step forward to walk past me.
"Alright."
...
..That's not really where I wanted the conversation to end, but.. Think it's for the best that it did.. The best way I can describe his condition is the Arin-equivalent of being one tiny inconvenience away from bursting into tears, so I guess it's for the best I just let him do his thing for a while..
..Kinda hurts seeing him like this.. Overall just, vulnerable.. His professionalism makes it easy to think of him as old an experienced, but he's still only a few years into his adult life.
...
As Arin wanders out of sight, I start to question if this was the right choice..
..Now 'I' have no way of telling where Cooper is, and I'm the only one who knows the reason behind his current condition..
...
...
It's shockingly polarizing how heavy my heart is depending on the group I'm interacting with at the moment..
The animatronics aren't doing too bad nowadays. Roxanne's a little pissy that her Raceway still isn't getting the attention she wants, but I think all of them aren't opposed to taking a little break from regular performances.. The heaviest thing on the gangs heart is Chica's and Monty's recently acquired knowledge of the Freddy Franchise's messy history, but both of them are pretty much over it now that they've internalized everything's in the past. So, yeah; the animatronics are doing pretty alright right now. Everyone's still their usual selves, and are looking forward to kicking their feet up and chillaxing for a while. TL;DR, there's no major issues going on with the gang, and everyone's 'happy', for the most part..
..On the other hand.. I don't think Cooper and Arin have ever been in a worse condition as they are now.. While the animatronic crew are all lighthearted and peaceful, the other two's situation is clouded in dread and uncertainty..
It's quite a shock switching between the two 'groups' so frequently.
...
...
..I deliberately avoided telling Arin what happened to Cooper.. That feels a little extra scummy since I'm the one behind the whole issue..
...
..Don't think I'll be telling him in the near future, though..
...
...
..One more day, Michael..
I turn around and stare into the empty corridor.
..There's a lot to handle, but it's gonna have to wait one more day.. I won't have to worry about the Pizzaplex for a little while, so I can focus all my efforts on helping Arin.. Between the two of us, I believe we can figure something out without much trouble, but it's going to have to wait one more day..
...
One more day..
...
...
Whelp.. My second plan for 'calming the static in my head' was far more of a bust than the first one.. Hell, I think I've only gotten a little fuzzier, thanks to Coop's nosy habits..
...
..What else can I do to calm down..?
...
Maybe I'll just start by going for a walk and calling it 'doing my rounds'.
Ha.. Knowing my luck tonight, though, that's probably gonna result in something even worse than this happening.
...
Well, if I'm cursed to fail no matter what I do, then I guess I'll just have to pick my poison.. What can I do that can conceivably result in the least-horrible thing happening?
...
..At least I'll have an excuse for talking a walk, since it counts as 'doing my job'.. Who knows, maybe that'll be enough to clear my head tonight.
...
..Sigh..
..Did I-..?
...
...
- Clunk -
Hey. I remembered to lock the doors today. Look at me go.
I take a step back from the Lobby doors and slide my hands in my pockets.
...
..Taking a walk was a good choice..
Might not have provided me any flat-out solutions to how I'm feeling, but there's been plenty to distract me.
..Such as Friendo handing me a 3x3 metal cube halfway through my walk.. I wish I could elaborate on that.
No idea where he got it, nor do I know why he gave it to me. He just handed me a metal cube and gave me a thumbs up before moving on with his day.
..Put it down somewhere in the bowling alley 'cause it started to get heavy.. Whoever stumbles upon that thing will be the next proud owner of the Friendo-approved 3x3 metal cube.
...
I turn around and stare into the lobby, admiring the lights.
It's still the middle of the night, so there's no light coming in through the doorway.. It makes for a peculiar atmosphere, but one that's not entirely unpleasant.
..That being said, there aren't many places left for me to keep walking.. I guess I've been putting off going to the kitchen, so that could be our next destination.. Not sure how interesting that's going to be though.
...
Well, whatever. It's better than standing around over here. Meesa needs a distraction, and there's n-
- Foosh -
Whoops..?
My thoughts are interrupted by an unnatural shift through the air above my head.. I put my hand above my eyes as if I'm shading them from the sun, and wait to see if whatever just happened would care to happen again.
...
Oh.. Ruh roh..
...
..Birmb..
Little bird managed to find its way into the Pizzaplex, apparently..
Huh..
...
..I shouldn'tve asked for a distraction..
My hand falls to my hip as I uselessly stare at the not-so-majestic avian.
..That can't be good.. I wonder if it got in here through the lobby doors, or if it just managed to navigate the building until it found it's way into the lobby.. I find it a little hard to believe it managed to sneak through the front doors while someone else was walking in, but I can also count on one hand the amount of windows there are in the entire Pizzaplex.
..Mm..
...
..What does one do in this situation?
My other hand lands on my hip as well, thoughts consumed by what a purple man could possibly hope to do in the situation that a bird starts flying frantically up in the rafters.
...
What does anyone do in this situation?
I've heard stories of birds making it into large buildings like Walmarts before, but I've never heard how they end up getting them out.. The thing's pret-ty high up there..
...
Shoot them, maybe?
..I dunno.. Seems like an awfully lot of property damage for the sake of removing birds..
Perhaps you could just use BB's, or something.
...
Well I have none of those things, so I'm starting to think this might not be a Mike problem.
...
I watch the small creature jump from place to place for a little while longer, deciding if telling Arin about this would be a good idea.
..Trudge seems like the type to own something that shoots pellets.. Unfortunately, that would mean Trudge bringing in something that shoots pellets.
My feet absent-mindedly carry me closer to the middle of the lobby while the bird continues wandering it's surroundings.
..Too bad there's hardly any windows anywhere. Makes it unlikely that we're gonna get it out that way..
While I still believe this isn't something I'm capable of handling, my instincts are telling me that leaving this thing unsupervised is a bad idea.. Chances are that it's gonna remain up in the rafters of the lobby, but if it decides to wander, then god knows where that thing'll be when we're ready to take care of it.
..Y'know, it may be way easier to catch this thing with something like a sticky-trap.. I don't really know what's good for luring birds, but it'd eliminate the need to actually harm/kill the little guy. Plus, bringing something that resembles a gun in any way into the Pizzaplex might award the carrier some very uncomfortable stares; and we're already suffering bad enough business as it is..
...
I guess I could improvise the 'sticky' part of a sticky trap. Need something that'll harden a very short amount of time after ensnaring the bird.. Glue wouldn't harden nearly fast enough, and it wouldn't wait for the bird to land in it to start hardening. Alternatively, we could-
- BANG -
Oh Jesus..!
...
- plop -
I wince when the tiny creature collides with the ground, taking my hands out from my pockets in surprise.
..Ow..
Sheesh.. I must've startled it or something.. It picked up some mighty-fine speed before flying head-first into the wall up by the ceiling.. As if that wasn't enough, it was a long fall from the rafters to the floor..
..Bird brain..
...
It landed on the upper balcony of the lobby, so I guess that should be where I head next.. Sheesh - I could feel that impact in my soul..
..With an uncomfortable frown, I start jogging up the lobby stairs.
Mm..
...
Unbelievably, it's still alive..
Obviously injured, though. After something hitting something like that, it should feel lucky that 'injured' is all it is..
Despite sustaining what I believed to be two separate fatal blows, it's managed to stand back up and try to pose threateningly as I came within a few feet of it.
..I stop moving after a while, worried it might start flying again.. Getting in a stand-off with a bird isn't the most ideal situation for me, but I'm afraid that coming any closer might do me more harm than good.. It's somehow managed to stand, and if that's the case, I don't know for sure if it's injured enough not to be able to fly anymore..
...
...
It's.. trying to stand, anyway..
I mean- it's standing, but it keeps rapidly repositioning its left leg like it's constantly losing its balance.
..That's kinda weird.. Compared to everything else, I didn't expect its leg to be what got injured..
...
..Is it?
The leg doesn't really look injured, but.. Why else would it have so much trouble using it?
...
...
..Mm..
...
The longer I stare at it, the less convinced I am that this interaction is actually a stand-off at all..
It's spreading out its wings and is letting its beak hang open, so I'm led to believe the little guy's just just trying to appear threatening, but..
..If that's the case, then it's making some weird choices..
For some reason, it keeps arching its back further and further; far beyond what I'd think could possibly be comfortable for it.. For how often it's twitching its leg, its appendages aren't visibly damaged anywhere.. Its 'threatening pose' isn't really-.. Well, I'm not so sure that's what it is anymore..
...
..I'm pretty sure it's not even looking at me, actually..
...
...
After a few more seconds, I feel like an unfortunate conclusion can be drawn.. My pose slowly reverts to standing upright, with both my hands at my sides.
...
..Bird bones are incredibly brittle.. They have to be, so that birds can fly..
...
I think it's concussed.. Worse than it sounds - the word 'concussed' doesn't do it justice. It's severely, brutally concussed; in several spots.. Most importantly, I distinctly recall the bird ramming into the wall head first, so.. I think it's safe to say that this thing's skull has been.. Obliterated.. Hardly any more than shrapnel at this point.. In which case, I'd venture to guess that the brain damage is cataclysmic.. If not from the impact itself, then from all the shards of skull poking and stabbing at it.
..I don't think it even knows what's going on anymore..
...
..It's incredibly brave how it managed to stand. That's some commendable willpower, at least.
...
Well..
..Actually, I don't know if it's a matter of willpower anymore.. The little guy looks like his instincts are the only reason he's moving at all.. I'm starting to think it stopped being capable of 'thinking' entirely after colliding with the floor.
It isn't responding at all to any visual stimulus. The further it arches its back, the further it's eyes stray from being pointed anywhere near me.. The impact might've been enough for it to go blind on the spot..
...
Ugh.. It keeps arching even further, even when I think it can't.. I'm seriously starting to think I might be watching this thing split itself in half..
...
...
It's done for..
I don't like saying it, but staring into its eyes is making it more and more obvious that this thing isn't even capable of 'feeling' anything anymore.. I want to say it's probably scared, but honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it's brain was damaged so badly that it isn't able to feel emotions like that anymore.
...
..I take a couple steps forward, and kneel in front of the creature. It didn't respond at all to my approach.
...
..I don't think I can handle sitting here and staring at it anymore.. Part of me wants to just delicately take it and place it outside, but even that feels like I'd be torturing the small thing..
...
...
..Sigh..
..I should kill it..
It's dying anyway.. It can't see, it can't think, it isn't even capable of having 'feelings'.. What's the point of living if you're so broken that all you can feel is pain, and you can't even be afraid of it?
...
..I was finally starting to have a good night two minutes ago..
Without having thought of a plan, I reach out and wrap my hand around the writhing creature. It doesn't react.
...
What's the quickest way you can kill something like this..? I don't have anything to pierce its brain with, and I really don't know if trying to crush it would be as painless as I want it to be..
...
..Sigh..
If I spend any longer thinking about it, determining what the 'fastest' method of killing it will have taken longer than if I just choose an option that I know is 'fast enough'. I think it's best if I just go for it..
...
M'kay..
..Stopping myself from thinking about it any longer, I slowly raise to a stand and place my thumb against its upper neck.
...
Then, with a sharp exhale, crush it in one quick motion.
"Wh-?! MIKE!"
Give me a fucking break..
I swallow the bubble of frustration that swelled in my chest, taking a second to focus before turning around to meet the wolf's eyes.
...
"I thought you were busy setting up for tomorrow's show.."
Rox had already made it a few steps into the lobby before I turned around, further confirming that I was completely within her line of sight when I did the blunt-equivalent of decapitating the small creature.
She stares at me briefly in stunned disbelief, before her expression quickly shifts to a sick, vile disgust.
"Did you just crush th-?! Mike, what the fuck is wrong with you!?"
"Why are you here?"
"Because Arin said you were here! He didn't say anything about you crushing small creature's throats, you fucking psycho!"
Notably, Roxanne doesn't march all the way up to me. She stops a good couple meters away, almost like she's subtly wary of getting close; and that thought certainly didn't feel very good..
"You said you were preparing for tomorrow's show."
"I'm DONE, dipshit! Finished just in time to find you killing tiny animals!" She yells, pointing to the dead bird in my hand as if I'm not aware of it.
I have to be cursed, or something.
If she got here any earlier, she would have seen why I made the choice to kill it. Any later, and she wouldn't have seen me kill the creature at all. But of course, she arrives in this tiny window that makes things as difficult as possible for me.
"..It was already dying, Rox."
I probably should have started with that, but I think I let my frustration towards the unfortunate timing push me to asking why she's here first..
However, that answer doesn't appear to have saved me.
"Oh my god-, so why did you p-?! If it was gonna die then just let it die! Peacefully! On its own goddamn terms! You didn't need to pick it up and crush its throat with your fucking hands!"
Haven't had Rox boarderline scream at me in a while.. I guess this time is a little more understandable; she's probably just startled at watching something get deliberately killed in front of her for.. presumably the first time..
"It wouldn't have been peaceful. It flew into the wall and pulverized its skull."
"So it would have died anyway..!"
"Yes, but-"
"Don't kill things!" Roxanne blurts like a child, intentionally interrupting me before I can provide a satisfactory response.
She doesn't want to hear my reasoning.. This is not the time for you to be more worried about winning the argument than actually being right, wolf..
...
"Listen, I understand it wasn't a pleasant thing to see happen, but I didn't want it to die any more than you did. I-"
"No-, I saw you..!" Roxy points at me this time, once again insistent on finding a way to blame me.
"Saw me what?"
"I saw your face, you little-..! You didn't even care..! You just picked it up and crushed its throat, without any fuckin' emotion! That's psychotic!"
"Rox, I need you to calm down bef-"
"Fuck you, Mike-! This is unacceptable..! You-..!"
This isn't going very well..
"Listen, know I didn't look heartbroken or anything, but that doesn't mean I didn't feel sorry for the thing. Just went stoic so I could get the job done as quickly as-"
"That is so gross, Mike! You-..! Do you think it wanted you to pick it up and kill it?!"
"It wasn't capable of thinking in the state it was in. It couldn't have 'wanted' anything."
"Mike, if-.. If it could think, you wanna try telling me that it would've asked you to pick it up and crush its fucking throat..?!"
"Mnn.. I don't know, probably not. But that's just how animals are programmed, Rox. Nothing wants to die, even when it'd be easier if they did. I did it because-"
"It didn't wanna die either, Mike!"
"I know, let me finish.. It was going to die anyway. Even if it didn't think so, killing it quickly was a mercy compared to-"
"You-..!" Roxanne interrupts, choking on her words. "You don't get to decide if it was mercy or not! For all you know, you made it worse! Hell, maybe it would've lived if you'd just-!"
"It wouldn't have. It was broken."
"What the fuck do you know about birds?! Maybe they can survive hitt-!"
"I know that they have weak bones; and that colliding with the wall was more than enough for its brain to be beyond s-"
"Don't *Fucking* interrupt me!"
What? She's been interrupting me this entire conversation; why does-? Nn..
...
..I want to go home..
..Roxanne's just upset and letting her emotions drive this argument; I'm getting way too close to letting myself do the same.. If that happens, who knows where this conversation would go..
"..Fine, sorry."
"You-..! You don't know enough about shit like this! You should've got Chica to come over here and look at it instead of crushing its neck like a fucking barbarian!"
I understand Chica's good with treating kid's small injuries, but that is not the same thing as determining the condition of a dying animal..
"Chica wouldn't have reacted well to the condition the bird was in.. And regardless, I don't need to be an expert on birds to know that it was beyond saving. Y-"
"Mike- fuck you! I have no reason to believe you killed that thing for a good reason, when all you had to do was call somebody or something! They could have looked at it first! You didn't do that though, so you probably just fucking killed the thing for no reason!"
"Rox, do you really think I would kill this thing for fun?"
"I don't know, maybe you-!"
What?
No, we're not letting that past.
"Really?"
"Don't interrupt me..! The hell do you mean 'Really'?!"
"Do you think I would kill a bird for fun?"
"What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Do you think I'd kill birds for fun?"
"I don't kn-..! Mike..!"
"Roxanne, I'm serious." I echo sternly, turning my entire body to face her. "Do you think I'd kill things for fun?"
Roxy ruffles her already intense brows, unsure why I'm fixating on this.
"..Fuckin-.. Why? You really wanna change the subject away from the fucking bird you just murdere-?"
"Rox. Do you think I'd kill things for fun?"
"You-.. I saw your face when you crushed it..! it looked like you didn't care at all..!"
"Answer me."
"Wh-?!"
"Do you think I'd kill things for fun?"
...
"Mike, I don't want-"
"Stop it." I interrupt, heart slowly sinking further into my chest. "Would you really expect me to kill the bird even when I didn't have to? For fun?"
" 'You' stop it..! You're being weird..!"
"Do you think I'd kill things for fun?"
"I don't-.. I don't know what the hell you're expecting me to say..!"
"What do you mean? Yes or no."
"But-!"
"Do you think I would kill something for fun?"
...
...
..I'm..! I'm not like that anymore..!
"Roxanne, seriously?"
"What!? I didn't fucking say anything!"
"You think I'd go and kill something to entertain myself? Like here when I killed the bird; you think I did that for fun?"
"No! I didn't say that..! You're just-!"
"Roxanne, I didn't. I would never do anything like that.. You really aren't sure..?!"
"Mike-, I don't know anything about you! I have no idea what the fuck you'd do to a bird!"
"You st-.. Rox, it's been almost a year now..! After everything, you still don't think I'm here to help? Look, I'm trying to do the right thing, okay?"
"What the fuck are you on about anymore?!"
"I know I'm secretive, but I thought you'd know that much about me, at least..!"
"Stop it-! I didn't say you'd kill anything for fun!"
"But you really can't say for sure that I wouldn't?"
"I don't know, Mike! Maybe you'd-!
"No, no, I wouldn't. Rox, I don't know how to pr-"
"Don't! Fucking! Interrupt me! You don't even know what I was going to say!"
"Look, all I'm saying is that I'm not.. Killing things isn't something I do for fun, Rox. I just-.. Can't believe you're really unsure about that.."
"I didn't say anything! I still d-!"
-._.-
- Enough, you two! What on Earth..?! -
_.-._
Freddy.
I physically tense upon hearing his voice.. I do my best to turn and acknowledge him as calmly as possible, but that doesn't stop Roxanne from recoiling and violently snapping her head towards the bear.
..Despite the heat in the air, the moment that follows is silent.. Though that moment only lasts a second or two, before Freddy figures out what he wants to say next.
"..What on Earth just-.. Alright, explain to me what happened, and I will decide what to do. It is clear that neither of you are capable of resolving this peacefully among yourselves." Freddy crosses his arms as he finishes making his way over to us.
Ha.. He's like a stern father.. Guess it was only a matter of time before I managed to be on the receiving end of his lectures.
Though in that stoic glare of his, I see a hint of wavering uncertainty.. I take it that means he's already seen the small dead creature in my hand, and just isn't sure what to make of it yet.
...
"..I.. I walked in here, and Mike was crushing a f-"
Yeah, no.
"A bird managed to get into the lobby, and was flying up near the rafters. It collided head-first into a wall while I was thinking of ways to get it out, then fell all the way down from the ceiling to right about where I'm standing. It was still alive when I got here, but it was obvious that it suffered catastrophic brain damage from both running into the wall and hitting the floor.. I can't describe it very well, but it was broken; its skull had been shattered to sand, and it wasn't reacting to any external stimuli. I figured there wasn't a point to prolonging its inevitable death when all it could feel anymore was pain, so I killed it as quickly and painlessly as I could. Roxanne entered the room only a moment before I went about finishing it, and we started arguing about whether I had the right to kill it, or if I even knew for sure that it was going to die."
That came out a little forced, but there's my attempt at explaining what happened in the least-bias way I could manage.. I'm sure Roxanne didn't appreciate me interrupting her again, but my priority at the time was making sure Freddy knew everything that happened without explaining it to him in a way that painted either one of us as the 'bad guy'.
...
"..I see.." Freddy mutters, most of his stoicism evaporating as I finish the story.
I understand Freddy insisted we tell him what happened so that he could come up with a completely un-bias verdict, but it's starting to look like his confidence dropped a level or two as I continued to explain what happened.. This situation is completely foreign to him, so he isn't entirely sure what to do with what I've shared..
...
"..When I walked in here, I recall hearing something about how 'killing things isn't something you do for fun'. What did you two discuss that lead to such a topic..?" Freddy continues after a brief pause.
Mm..
"Roxanne stressed that I'm not an expert on birds, or their anatomy; which is true.. She pointed out that I decided not to call someone in here and have them confirm that the bird was beyond saving before going about finishing it off, which made it seem like I didn't take the matter seriously. So, Rox was a little suspicious that I might have killed the small creature for some other reason.. I asked her whether or not she thought I would be willing to kill a bird for fun, and noticed that she didn't respond, which.. I guess kind of stressed me out a little.." I explain warily, averting my gaze for a second.
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Roxanne's head jump between the two of us a few times. The furious disgust has mysteriously vanished off her face, and has been replaced with various types of uncertainty.
...
"..M-.. Wait, Mike, I didn't mean-"
Freddy makes a loud 'ahem' sound, interrupting Rox in the process. Lifting up my gaze to meet him reveals he's regained some of his stoicism back, and is straightening his bowtie sternly.
"Alright.. Listen, I understand why the two of you were upset, but I'm going to have to ask the both to let it slide this time. Roxanne, I understand that why you may not agree with Michael's actions. And Michael, I understand why you made the decision to do what you did. However, I'm going to have to make it clear that the issue has already been resolved one way or the other. The bird is.. no more.. So I do not believe it would be a good use of your time or energy for you two to continue pushing your ideologies on one another any longer."
"It would be easier if you'd just told us to stop arguing." I comment through an amused exhale.
"I'm-.. Michael, I'm trying to go about this elegantly."
"It's a little hard to bask in how elegant you are with a dead bird in my hand.."
"Then please dispose of it, in any way you can.." Freddy grumbles, pointing over his shoulder behind him. "There is a company dumpster in-"
"I'm gonna take it outside, if that's okay."
"That's fine, just do it quickly, so I can continue."
...
"I.. Kind of mean to go put it in the field somewhere, so it can biodegrade.."
"I am not done speaking to the two of you." Freddy uses two fingers to point at both of us at the same time.
"M'kay. I'll wait, then.."
...
"Michael, just toss it into-"
"I want to throw it in the field too." Roxanne finally chimes in, crossing her arms and suppressing whatever emotion's on her face.
...
"How on earth is is that, in a facility with Monty, Trudge, and Chica; you two are the most difficult to deal with.." The bear huffs, lowering his head an inch.
"We get it, we'll stop bitching. Go." Roxy points in the general direction of the auditorium entrance.
"I will have to report the two of you if I find you at each other's throats again, you understand?"
I stifle a chuckle, envisioning how completely ineffective that would be.
"Yes. We're fine."
"I need you on your best behavior tomorrow for one last performance."
" 'Best behavior'? You think I'm a dog?"
"You're kind of a d-"
"Shut up, Mike."
Freddy's walking away, seemingly done trying to 'civilize' us.
"Dogs are just domesticated w-"
"Shut. Up."
"They're-"
"Michael, I'm gonna fuckin' kill you if you say another word."
Mm.
..The sound of the lobby door shutting draws my attention, and I sit in silence for a few seconds once I acknowledge that Freddy's left.
...
Soft pitter-patters inform me that Roxanne's marched her way up to my side.. I watch the door Freddy left through for a little while longer, before glancing up at the cross-armed wolf.
...
"Are we gonna go?" Roxanne huffs, nodding at the exit doors.
For a few seconds, I continue staring up at Roxanne while I let my thoughts re-organize themselves.
...
..Roxanne says stuff she doesn't mean all the time in arguments like the one we just had. I've seen it over and over again, so it shouldn't be hard to pick up on.. I can tell you in confidence that Roxanne was just too caught up in the heat of the moment to tell me that she doesn't think I'd kill animals for fun, but..
..I really don't have much to say for myself.. Rox didn't mean it, and I should have caught into it instantly, but I started to let my emotions creep into my argument, and it clouded my perception..
If I had just remained completely calm for another second or two, I would have been able to reassure myself that Roxanne doesn't think of me as some psychopathic animal-killer; and that she just wasn't willing to say anything remotely 'nice' to me since we were in the middle of arguing. I missed it though..
That didn't use to happen.. I can't even remember the last time I let my emotions influence my argument..
...
..I guess that's just another indication that the stoicism I chased my father with is only continuing to fade with time.. Not that getting more emotional is inherently a bad thing, but I really can't let my ability to control myself in intense situations slip through my fingers any more than it already has.
...
"Do you stare at all women this long?"
Getting the hint, I quietly snicker under my breath and wordlessly start trekking for the front door.
...
"Hey, sorry for getting a little huffy with you back-"
"Mike, if you even try and tell me you're sorry, I'm burying you with that dumbass bird of yours."
"I never know whether I'm supposed to apologize to you or not."
"If you're sorry, then I'm gonna have to be sorry, and I really don't want to have to apologize to the likes of you."
" 'To the likes of you'?"
"That's what I said."
"You say weird things."
"Mike-.."
"Yep?"
...
"Nevermind. Shut up until we get outside."
"Just outside..?"
"So I can pin you down and tear your throat out without making a mess all over the Pizzaplex floor."
"M'kay."
...
Still got a few hours until morning.. For some reason, I was kind of expecting the sun to peek over the horizon by the time we made it out here, but alas.
That's alright. Got plenty of moonlight to keep us company.
...
I inconspicuously glance behind me, confirming that the wolf's still tagging along.
..She's been suspiciously quiet since we made it outside.. I haven't called out to her or anything in case she's deep in thought about something, but I guess we're kinda out of time now..
...
"Still alive back there?"
"Fine, why?"
Riveting conversation so far.
"Can't remember the last time you followed me out here without actively trying to kill me or talking my ear off."
"Jesus-, there's nothing wrong with me if I have nothing to say to you."
"Mm." I hum, turning to look into the field. "..Since when do you ever run out of things to say?"
"I'm just tired, jackass. Go do whatever you're gonna do to that friggin' bird."
"M'kay.."
I stand atop the hill we're on and scan our surroundings for a moment, immediately trekking off once I find what I'm looking for.
...
"..Where are we going?"
"Wanted to put the bird somewhere specific."
I kneel down once I reach the spot, eyeing the blackened remains of what used to be a fresh patch of grass, and a corpse-wielding Freddy suit.
..
Roxanne wants to watch, apparently. Which is fine, but instead of walking up next to me, she instead decided to make use of my kneeling position and lean completely over me, pushing down on my shoulders with her hands to keep herself balanced.
"Are you actually gonna bury that thing?"
"No, sorry; not gonna go that far. Just thought it'd be easier to remember the little guy's grave site if I put it somewhere significant." I elaborate softly, deciding to simply plant the remains of the avian in my hands in the middle of the soot-pile. "..'Somewhere significant' being the resting place of something else as well. Figure it's easier to remember one grave instead of two."
"Uh-huh. Endless stretches of field as far as the eye can see, and you feel the need to put two dead things on top of each other." Roxanne huffs, rhythmically drumming her fingers on my shoulders while she watches. "Sure bet the bird appreciates its grave being decided by the person who killed it based on what would be most convenient for them."
"I'm led to believe that it wouldn't care."
"I would. But what the fuck do I know, right? You're the bird expert."
"Still a little upset by that?" I hum, letting my head fall back to meet Roxanne's eyes above me.
"No, I'm just fucking with you." Roxanne hums back, removing a hand from my shoulder to nudge my head back facing forward.
"Mm."
...
...
"Mike."
"Myep?"
...
"Who's grave was this before you brought the bird here?"
"Do you have a guess?"
"..It's the guy I heard over the phone." Roxanne answers, not so much guessing as she is telling me who's remains this is.
"Yeah."
I figured that'd be pretty obvious.. I told her before that I went out and disposed of the body using the lighter Monty let me borrow. Not to mention there isn't really anyone else who it could be.
...
"That feel a little weird to think about?" I chime in after a while, not wanting to be left out of Roxanne's thoughts.
"It's a bit fucked up, yeah."
"I find it a little easier to think about when I remind myself that nothing actually died here. The guy in the suit was dead for years and years before he ended up here, so nothing tragic took place where we're sitting."
"Wow."
"Wow?"
"Didn't make me feel better, even a little bit." Roxanne states flatly, though fails to completely subdue a snicker under her breath.
"Mm."
"Nice goin'."
"Mhm."
"Try again?"
"What?"
"Try again for a zeni?"
..What?
...
"Try again for a what?"
"Gasp. You mean I know more about culture than you do? Even though I sit inside the same building my whole life? What do you have to say for yourself, purple man?"
The hell'd this playfulness come from?
"What does that have to do with culture?"
"Dumbass."
"What do you think a zeni is?"
"It's the money they use in Japan, dipshit."
"They use Yen in Japan."
"Then somewhere else close to Japan, I don't know. China, or something."
...
...
"..Can't believe you were the one calling me a weeb.."
"What?"
"If I had my watch on me I'd be telling everybody about this." I hum, satisfied with this new revelation.
"..Gonna tell everyone about what, dingus?"
"Zeni is the currency they use in Dragon Ball, wolf. Nowhere on Earth is there a country that still uses zeni."
"Oh go fuck yourself.." Roxanne grumbles, knowing damn well there's no argument left for her to make.
"I'm texting Trudge about this. He'll spread the word that you're a weeb for me."
"Fuck it, whatever.. Not gonna stress myself out with what those morons think of me.."
I decide not to dedicate to this bit and leave my phone in my pocket for now, instead simply responding with a breathy chuckle..
"How unlike you not to try throttling me to the ground after taking all my BS."
"I really am tired. You aren't worth it today."
"Lucky me."
"Lucky you, purple boy."
...
...
..My shoulders are starting to get numb..
"What the hell are you still doing up there?"
"What?" Roxy responds, truly clueless as to why I'm talking about.
"Is hydraulic-pressing me into the Earth comfortable for you?" I continue, lifting a hand to tap on one of the hands Roxanne's supporting her weight on my shoulders with.
There stopped being anything for her to 'watch' by continuing to lean over me, but she never stopped. She's still towering over me like a meerkat for some damn reason..
"Why? Does it hurt?"
Not answering that, because no matter how I do, Roxanne's gonna respond by making it hurt.
"If you're still leaning over me to look at something, you can do so with much less effort by letting go and moving twenty inches to your left to sit beside me."
"What if I like it here?"
"You're tired, aren't you? Does pushing me into the ground with all your might make you any less tired?"
"How 'bout you mind your business, night-guard?"
"Suit yourself." I hum, staring out into the field.
...
..Like clockwork, Roxanne does soon decide that towering directly over me isn't worth the effort, and audibly starts to lower behind me.
Despite having all the ammunition in the world to tease her with, I think I'll give her a break this time.
...
I hear Roxy lower to her knees, and I await the sound of her sitting all the way down and taking her hands off my shoulders, but neither of those things happen.
..Instead, Roxanne's apparently decided that sitting all the way down also isn't worth the effort, and instead chooses to simply lower straight down until the bottom of her snout is resting on the top of my head.
...
I've become a head-rest..
"Is this any more comfortable than what you were doing before?"
"It's like resting my head on the worlds loudest, dirtiest, most foul-smelling pillow."
"M'kay."
...
...
"..Mike, of course I don't think you kill random creatures for fun."
That.. Was a little out of nowhere.. Where'd the playfulness go?
"I know. I should've known that back then, too. Dunno what got into me, just kinda let my emotions influence my argument a little."
...
"You don't do that, though."
"..Don't what? Don't get into the heat of an argument?"
"Yes. Whenever we fight you're always so fucking infuriatingly chill, it pisses me off. Whenever you stay calm like that it makes me feel out of place for being pissed off, which only pisses me off more. I hate it.. But ughh.. I don't know what got you so fussy this time, but somehow I hated it even more than I hate it when you stay calm."
"What am I supposed to do if both staying calm and not staying calm upset you?"
"I know it sounds stupid, Mike; fuck you. I'm just telling you how it feels."
...
"I don't know if it matters whether I'm calm or not.." I comment, resting my hands in my lap. "I think it's just the arguing that feels bad. Everybody hates the feeling of arguing with their friend; I don't think you're an exception."
"Then stop arguing with me."
I let an amused huff escape under by breath.
"I don't argue with you for fun, wolf."
"I don't care why you do it, stop it."
"..I'm not throwing my morals away for you, but I'll try, I guess."
"You have such a way with words."
"Dunno what to tell you."
" 'Yeah, I'll stop arguing with you as long as it's convenient for me, I guess.' "
"That's notwhat I said.. That's also not what I sound like.."
"Whatever. All I'm saying is that it'd be easier for the both of us if you just stopped talking and do what I say."
"..Not entirely sure how true that is.."
"Mnn.." Roxanne groans, head sinking further into my now completely-unkempt hair. "..You said that last time.."
"Mm."
...
...
"Mike?"
...
...
"Mike?"
"I'm still here, Rox- You're on top of me, did you think I left?"
"Answer me then, douchebag."
"Fine."
"Mike?"
"I-, Rox, don't start over with 'Mike', just say what you're gonna say and I'll respond like a functional human being."
"Holy sh-, I'm trying to ask why you got 'huffy' this time. Jesus."
"Mm.." I hum, taking the time to think but ultimately failing to think of an adequate response. "..Nothing in specific, I guess. Why?"
"Just tell me."
"I don't know. It wasn't one thing that caused it."
"Please?"
" 'Please?' " I echo, tilting up head upward.
"Jesus Christ.." Roxy grumbles.
"Since when do you say 'please'?"
"I was trying to be nice, dick. Whatever the hell gets you to vent to me for a change."
" 'Please' doesn't change the fact that I don't know.."
"You keep saying it 'wasn't one thing'."
"It wasn't."
"So tell me those fucking things, Michael."
...
"I'm not sure.. It's hard to fit everything together, an-"
"I'll kill you."
"What do you want from me?"
"A clear, coherent answer from you for once. Even one that sucks ass."
"I don't even have a clear answer for myself."
"You can be vague."
"Are you listening to me?"
"Yes I'm fucking listening- I just don't believe you. Nobody else knows what happened to you tonight, so you're the only one who can answer this frickin' question."
..Sigh..
...
"I understand what you mean, but I really don't have any specifics for you."
"Can you try one more time?"
"Try what?"
"Thinking about it. I'm not letting you leave until you tell me something."
" 'Thinking about it'?"
"Humor me for a fucking second, Mike. Just put together whatever you're feeling into one shoddy, unhelpful answer, and I'll call it good enough for today."
...
"Fine.."
"Thank you. Christ.."
...
What made me more sensitive than I usually am today?
It's like I have a million answers in my head, but I can't latch onto any single one.. I can't describe it with words; it's more of a feeling that's accumulated over the course of the day, but I can't describe that feeling either..
...
..'accumulated over the course of the day', huh?
..Maybe that's my answer right there..
...
...
...
"It's been a bad day."
There. That sums it up pretty well..
...
"..fuck you- Gonna hit me with an answer like that, huh?" Roxanne grumbles quietly.
"Wow. Really gonna complain about my answer after whining about how I wasn't answering you for the last ten minutes?" I chuckle lightly; cocking a brow, even though I know she can't see me.
"You went on and on about how you 'didn't know' and 'didn't have specific details', so I was prepared for a stupid answer."
"It wasn't a stupid answer?"
"It's a childish answer; one I'd expect to hear from a snot-nosed little gremlin like the ones we entertain all day."
"M'kay.. Is that any better than a 'stupid' one?"
"Worse, 'cause now you've made me sad, dipshit."
"Pff. Really?" I respond with an amused grin, tilting my head up again.
"Yes, 'cause you made it sound so innocent. I wouldn-;; Stop trying to fucking look at me." Roxanne interrupts herself, lifting her arms on my shoulders to grab either side of my head and force it back to where it was.
"Can't think of a single time someone's tried using 'Innocent' to describe me."
"You understand that I'm on top of your fucking head, right?"
"What?.. Yeah?"
"Yeah- so when you tilt your head upwards, my head goes with it, dumbass. Stop moving."
"Fine, fine."
...
"And no, I was not calling you innocent, purple man. You just said something an innocent kid would say. So you tricked me into feeling sad for you."
"I'll take what I can get from you."
A weighty sigh emanates from Roxanne's snout, which was a slightly uncomfortable burst of warmth on the top of my head..
...
"Why was it bad?"
"My day? Nothing went 'well'. My only goal was to try and relax tonight, and everything I did to accomplish that goal ended up having the exact opposite effect. Felt like every time I moved a muscle, some wild butterfly effect would kick in and result in making a pre-existing issue a million times worse.. Stuff like that has happened before, but tonight it kept happening over and over again in rapid succession, and it started to frustrate me a little."
"Uh-huh. Not gonna share any of that with me, I imagine."
I chuckle under my breath at the wolf's apathetic response.
"Fine. First, you immediately had to go as soon as I started talking to you tonight, then I accidentally made Cooper's condition worse again, and then the whole 'bird' thing really made it feel like God was playing a deliberate, twisted prank on me today."
"Mike- Me having shit to do in the morning wasn't a cruel twist of fuckin' fate meant to torment you, I was literally just busy for an hour and a half."
Way to gloss over everything else I said.
"I didn't mean to make it sound like I was blaming you, sorry."
"That's not what I said." Roxanne shifts her hand to be poking at my cheek with a claw. "I'm saying that you can frickin' sack up and handle me being busy for a little. Not gonna feel sorry for you about that one, 'cause that's dumb."
"Mm. I guess so.. That one wasn't really bad in any way, it was just the first instance of me trying to clear my mind and being shut down by fate. It was the rest of the night following it that made it w-"
"Clear your mind of what? Seeing me was literally the first thing you did tonight, moron. How could you already have needed a frickin' distraction from something if there wasn't enough time for 'something' to even happen yet?" Roxanne lectures, like she's correcting my poorly made argument.. Though a lot of the sassy-ness she's trying to portray is lost on account of the fact that she's talking to me from the top of my head.
"It's the same thing I told you about while we were leaving the raceway."
"Tell me again."
"I arrived a little early tonight so I could catch up on a couple current events. They weren't pleasant, I didn't expect them to be, so I thought I'd make 'distracting myself' my first task of the night."
"That doesn't, fuckin-.. That doesn't tell me anything, Mike."
"I'm just repeating what I said this morning."
"Yeah-, well I asked you was what you needed a distraction from, and all you've done is tell me you needed a distraction again."
"Oh, Freddy's franchise stuff. Related to the customer-count and all that. I'm keeping in touch with it to predict how Cooper's doing."
"Awww, worried for your little boss man?" Roxy intones condescendingly.
"A little. You should see Arin - he's barely holding on to his professionalism. Honestly didn't even think Arin was capable of being so emotionally unstable."
"Dunno what the hell he's so worried about. I'm sure the old man's gonna be fine. No one else is freaking out over him, so he needs to calm his ass down for a spell." Roxanne mutters, evidently unaware of how bad their situation is..
...
"You have any idea why Arin's so invested in Cooper?" I ask after a second or two of silence.
"No, why?"
"I don't know either, actually." I respond with an amused sigh, swapping the orientation of my crossed legs. "That was a genuine question."
"Stop moving."
"Did my best to hold my head still for you, queen silverfur."
"I'm gray, not silver. And fuck you, by the way."
..Want to argue with her on that simply because I think it'd be funny, but all Rox would have to do is mention that she's based off the 'gray wolf' to defeat just about any argument I have.
"..But anyway, I don't know what's up with Arin. I'm not sure what his relationship with Cooper is, but it's a strong one." I wonder out loud.
"Maybe Cooper's his grandpa."
"They are not related-, anyone could tell you that just from looking at them."
"I don't fuckin' know, they've just got that feel.. Jeez-, fuck me for trying to help you think of answers, I guess."
"I understand where you're coming from, though. They've got that 'boy and his parent/guardian' feel, but something doesn't feel right when I try thinking about them as a father-son kind of thing. Hell, Arin's probably the one keeping Cooper alive nowadays.."
"You think about shit like this too much."
"Thinking is what I'm good at."
"Uh-huh. Like how you 'think' yourself into pits and come crawling back to me like I'm gonna make it all better."
"That's.. Not how that goes.."
"You were just bitching about how you couldn't handle being without me for a friggin' hour."
"That's.. also not what I said.."
"Shut up, Mike."
"M'kay."
...
...
...
..Despite having a little more to say on the subject, I do decide to shut up for a couple seconds and enjoy the peaceful motion of the field.
...
...
The pleasant silence kinda highlights how peculiar this set-up we have going on is. Any other person would've found sitting down beside me to be the most 'comfortable' choice, but Rox apparently insists on using my noggin as a head-rest.
..I can't imagine my head makes for a good cushion, so I don't really know what she's going for.. Maybe she just likes to feel tall.
...
"I could eat your hair from up here."
"..What does that even mean?"
...
..Fine, don't elaborate on that then..
...
...
...
Roxanne doesn't seem to find sitting here and doing nothing as contenting as I do, apparently. She started boredly drumming on my shoulders after about 30 seconds of silence.
More or less my shoulders, anyway.. When Rox lowered to plop her head on top of mine, actively holding my shoulders in her hands became unconventional, so now she's using them to rest her arms and let her hands dangle down in front of me a couple inches.
...
"Always something 'Freddy' with you, purple man.."
"..?"
"Most people'd have normal issues like 'hard day at work' or 'didn't get enough sleep last night', but not you. It aaaalways loops back around to Freddy's somehow." Roxanne stops drumming by tapping down with every finger at once, then keeping them pressed against me. "Dunno why the fuck you keep working at Freddy's places if all you do is bitch about them all the time. Most people'd go get a different damn job."
"I didn't like being there, I was just the only one who was really in the state of mind to go and keep all the old animatronics in check until I could handle 'em for good."
"If you stopped 'handling' them, then someone else would've come along and done it for you eventually. Shoulda quit after the first place."
"On the bright side, if I wasn't so insistent about working at every location, I wouldn't have started working here at the Pizzaplex. So I guess that's the 'good' thing that came out of all this."
"Pffyeah, good. You sure would've missed out on all the 'good' here. I mean, what would you have done if you never got your arm lopped off, huh? Imagine how sad and depressing your life would be if you still had an arm."
"The new arm's been working just fine, actually.. I didn't really lose much." I respond, curiously lifting my metal arm and inspecting it for the one-thousandth time.
"You're the only freak who'd ever say 'I didn't lose much' after losing their fucking arm."
"I mean it, actually. This one's just as good as the old one." I insist lightly, lifting my arm up as if showing Roxy my arm would prove my point whatsoever. "Why? ..Randomly start feeling guilty about it again?"
"No. You never fuckin' took it seriously, so after a while I stopped taking it seriously too."
"I took it seriously. I also just 'seriously' thought it wasn't that big a deal, I guess.. Sure, you inconvenienced me for 20-30ish hours, but I was in perfect shape once I put this thing on and-"
"Mike, I'm warning you now: you explaining this to me is only pissing me off more."
"..Okay.. Why?"
" 'Cause no one else on the fucking planet gets their arm chopped off and goes 'oh well' like you're doing now."
..I guess I've got it better than most others who've found themselves in this situation, since this 'prosthetic' is effectively the exact same thing as having an arm. In fact, it's not even designed to be a prosthetic; it's a metallic arm I fused into myself via remnant..
"..And going 'oh well' is annoying?"
"Because it reminds me of how fuckin' weird you are. You don't react to shit the way normal people do, so I can never predict you, which is annoying."
"If you could 'predict' me, you never would have treated me any different than how you treat the day guards."
"Yes, dumbshit, that's exactly what I'm sayi-, nngh.. Mike." Roxanne huffs, now deciding to poke either side of my face with her claws as if she's trying to get me to stop moving and listen. "Of course I want to treat you however the hell I want; no different than anybody else. I want so badly to control you, but you're the only person I can't."
"Way to phrase it like a demon overlord.. We wouldn'tve become friends if you were able to do all that though, right? But it still annoys you?"
"Because now I want to control you more than ever, moron."
..Y'know what, think I'm gonna let this topic fade out..
...
...
"You should stop being mean to the day-guards."
"No."
Whelp. I tried.
...
...
...
..I can hear you snickering at nothing up there.. That's never a good sign..
...
"Rox.."
"Mhm?"
...
"..If I ask what you're laughing about, will I regret it?"
"Yep."
Sigh..
"..Can I hear it anyway?"
"Cute how the first thing you did after bumming yourself out was crawl to me and hope I make it better for you. Hard to imagine you're supposed to be the big and scary security guard."
"..I should've known better than to tell you about all that, apparently.."
"Aww~, does that make you feed sad? Need Roxy to make you feel better again?"
"Roxanne, please, shut the fuck up."
A satisfied hum is what I receive get in response.
...
"..Fuckin' hilarious how the first thing I did was ditch you tonight. Forced you to suck it up and be a man for a little."
"You seem especially apathetic tonight.."
"Cause I don't think you need my empathy tonight as much as you claim you do. So tough, learn to take a couple hits. It's a cruel world out there, Michael."
I do not need you to tell me that..
...
...
..I feel her snout bounce slightly as she giggles at something again. Guess I'm not in the clear yet..
"D'aww, fine. But only for a little bit." Roxanne mocks, tapping on my shoulders like a child.
"..What?"
"I'll humor you for a little, so get your precious 'empathy' while you can. Tell be 'bout what you caught up on."
"..Oh-, you mean what I caught up on about Freddy's?"
"Mhm."
That faint intone in her voice when she's teasing me is unpleasant, which I'm sure is intentional.
...
"Fine.. Police have found a few things that tell a little bit more of the story surrounding Freddy's than I was completely comfortable with them learning about.. I've told you about how I'm doing my best to keep everything under wraps before, so watching the world learn more and more was a little disheartening."
"How sad. Want me to get Freddy? I've heard he tells stories to cheer kiddies up."
"Rox.."
"Mmhm?"
...
Mnn.. I hear Roxanne's tail swish through the grass a couple times behind me.. I'm glad someone's having fun..
..What the hell, actually-? The playfulness is back out of nowhere again.
...
It's happening again; the same thing I've noticed a few times these last couple days. Roxanne's mood is getting unpredictable; fluctuating with little to no transition between these almost random shifts.. One second she'll be somber, the next she'll be playful. Sometimes she'll react to things exactly like you'd expect her too, and other times her reaction to something will be completely unprecedented..
I'm almost positive this didn't used to happen. I can't recall an instance of this occurrence happening even once before a few weeks ago.. Starting with that night she heard the phone call..
...
We'll deal with it later.. Let me get Cooper's situation out of the way once the Pizzaplex shuts down, then I'll come back to Rox and see what this is all about..
...
"I thought you said you'd break me off a chunk of empathy?" I say in response to her jocular tone.
"My 'empathy' is letting you tell me about your little Fazbear troubles. I still don't think you've told me anything worth giving you extra attention for, so you're not getting any."
"Why the hell would 'telling you' about this count as generosity from you? Is your presence alone supposed to make it better?"
"Yep. Plus it's called venting, Michael. You're lucky I'm even letting you do that."
Roxy *is* a little extra cold to me today..
...
Well..
..Need to remind myself that Roxanne's probably just getting back at me for yesterday.. In which case, I guess I'll just suck it up for the time being.. I really do feel bad for ditching her yesterday and having fun with everyone else, so maybe I can think of this as my 'punishment' and not have to feel guilty about it anymore.
...
"Fine.. I don't have much else to say other than that, though." I explain, closing my eyes as a small breeze sends a couple shreds of soot and ash in my direction.
"Well keep talking, I'm not bored of this yet."
"Is this some sort of game you've made up..?"
"Yeah. I call it 'feel better than Mike'."
"Riveting."
"Mhm." Roxanne hums. It's like I can see the satisfied grin plastering her face with every meaningless jab. "But keep talking for a sec, wanna make fun of you a little more."
"Talk about what?"
"Oh c'monn. That can't be all you have to say about what you were 'catching up on' if it made you into such a sad meatsack all day."
"Mm.." I hum in acknowledgement, not really sure where to go from here. "..I guess it wasn't a special case or anything; it's the same thing that happens from time to time with me."
"You lost me."
"When-"
"Speak better."
...
..I'm not above suplexing this damn wolf onto the pile of ashes in front of me if need be..
...
"..When I go silent, or whatever you call it."
"Mhm. What about it?"
"I was just saying that it was the same deal."
"What was?"
"..Have you forgotten the entire conversation we just had?"
"No, you're just bad at talking."
"M'kay.. All I was trying to say was that I just went a little 'silent' tonight like I've done before. Same old same old.."
...
"What?"
I feel Rox's snout lift off my head.
"..What do you mean 'what'? Same old same old..? It's a saying-"
Without warning, Rox plants both hands on either side of my face and forces me to look upwards into her eyes..
..Her awfully unpleasant eyes.. I'm looking at her upside-down, but it's easy to tell that the playfulness had completely vanished from her expression for some reason.
...
I remain silent in hoped that Roxanne'll elaborate on what she's doing, but some time passes, and she only continues to stare at me.. Her gaze is heavy, like she's looking into my eyes and staring directly into my soul.. Like she's searching for something in there..
..Did I say something?
...
...
"Like it's happened before?" Roxanne echoes, confirming with me.
"..What..? Yeah, when I'm 'freaking myself out', remember?"
"And that's what happened tonight, too?"
"..Yyyeah? It's nothing new."
...
...
After another soul-search, Roxanne's grip on my face tightens a bit.
"Mike."
"I'm.. Not sure what's happening.."
"You promised you would tell me every time that happens."
Oh..
..Kinda forgot about that, to be honest.. Is that what she's overreacting to right now? That it slipped my mind to tell her this unimportant detail?
"Mm, sorry.. I didn't think it was an important enough instance for me to report it to you, I guess.."
"That's not what we agreed on. You never think it's important enough. That's why I made you promise to tell me every time."
"Sorry, sorry.. I-"
"That's why you came to see me in my garage? Because you were freaking out?"
"I wasn't 'freaking out', Rox; I was just overthinking like I usually do."
"But whatever was wrong with you when you do freak out was wrong with you again, today?"
"W-"
"In my garage?"
"Rox, calm down.."
...
...
"You came to me because I make it easier for you to calm down.." Roxanne sternly mutters to herself, seemingly just now recalling this detail.
"..Well.."
I did tell her that one freakout-night that she de-clutters my head when I'm overthinking.. That must be what she's talking about..
...
"You came to me so I could help you."
"..Yeah, b-"
"Like I promised you I'd do whenever you got like that.""
"Rox, I'm not-"
"And I left you alone." Roxanne mutters venomously, her grip tightening further and little bit of hatred seeping into her eyes..
..Though I don't believe that hatred is directed towards me..
...
"I, uh.. don't think I follow anymore.." I bumble idiotically, starting to wonder how Roxanne ended up being the one all worked up through the course of this interaction.
Almost like she didn't hear me, she only continues to hold my head still and stare menacingly into my eyes.
...
"No- It's fine, let's go."
Before I can register what she's saying, Rox lowers a hand to grab my collar and start pulling me up to a stand.
"Wait, wait, I'm lost - Where are we going?" I ask quickly while the wolf is still in the middle of turning around and tugging me along behind hr.
"My room."
"What's in your room?"
"Us, in five minutes."
..Sigh..
"Why?"
"I cannot believe you didn't think to tell me what was wrong with you again." Roxanne ignores my question, turning her head around to glare at me but continuing to march towards the Pizzaplex. "We could have been in there on the couch all day, but now we only have half the night left."
"Rox, I already feel better. Going outside and talking was plenty to help distract me."
"No, we're doing it the right way."
"Since when is laying on the couch the 'right way'?"
"Because the only way I can know for sure that you aren't off somewhere making shit worse is if I'm literally on top of you, preventing you from leaving. If I give you even a little fuckin' leeway, you always find a way to slither out from under my nose and make more problems for yourself."
"What are you-, my parent?"
"I'm the one keeping you alive, Michael. You're going to get yourself killed without me." Roxanne argues, tugging me along behind her with a little more force.
"I don't-.. You don't need to literally constrain me to a couch in order for me to not get myself killed."
"I do, so I'm gonna."
"Rox-"
"You should feel fuckin' lucky that half the night's already over." Roxanne interrupts, pointing at me like I should be grateful. "We could have been chilling on that couch all freakin' day. We should have been chilling on that couch all freakin' day."
"I am not laying on a couch for 3 hours straight, wolf. Much less 6 of them."
"It's not up to you, dipsh-.. Mike, You, are gonna be stuck there, until I am done with you."
"What does that even mean?"
"You don't know how to take care of yourself, so I will be the one who decides whether or not you're okay again."
"I'm already okay agai-"
"I. Will. Decide. That."
..This is absurd..
"Rox, you're gonna get bored."
"No I won't."
"You get bored if nothing's stimulating you for three minutes, much less three hours."
"I'm tired, Mike. I'll probably just fall asleep or something. In fact, fuck you- You are gonna sit there and watch me sleep on you before you wake me up at 6 AM."
" Until *I* wake you up? Rox, I'm probably gonna fall asleep too if you're gonna keep me trapped there for three whole hours."
"Your watch has an alarm, and your phone. Hell- set an alarm on my watch for all I fuckin' care. This should be the easy part, dumbass."
"I d-"
"Mike, I do not care what you say, there is nothing that will get you out of this, you understand me?"
...
"..I can't believe you're still insisting that you're doing this for my sake."
Roxanne doesn't bother to respond, only huffing and tugging me along harder; apparently done trying to talk with me.
...
Jesus Christ- three hours?
That's probably fine if I fall asleep, but it's still frickin' ridiculous..
..Rox has to be the only person on the planet to make outlandish commands like this..
...
So, what? Am I actually lay there and have a fuckin' nap with Roxy until 6?
Yeah- like hell I am. That's insane, I'm not, just-..
Mnn..
...
...
Fine.. Just this once..
u/ParticularlyLargeRat - New art up! And a digital 9-panel comic coming in the near future!
Thanks for reading so far! See you in a bit!