Bit of a filler chapter, but I felt like writing about a slice of life and a changed view from the animatronics we will be following in this chapter.
enjoy
It felt strange to be back at this place, seeing it looking light and cheerful again. Theo wasn't sure if he liked being here, expected to claim and live here like the older bots at the other location. If he was mentally younger, still having the view of a selfish child, he would've most likely made quite the tantrum, he still feels like doing it, but Theo is trying to better handle his emotions.
Perhaps it was a good thing that the place wasn't looking exactly like how it first started out, sure the layout was the same, but the larger entrance was built to be a giant party floor, the tables have been removed, giving better space for people to stand before the larger stage. Speaking of the stage, Chiara was currently over there, talking to the new guy. By how they were hovering over the disco lights, Theo figured that Chiara was interested in knowing more about it.
He decided to head further inside, passing the area where another room should've been, with the wall removed, giving space to another, smaller stage. Out of the corner of his eyes, Theo saw Vixey and figured she would claim that stage for her own shows. No surprise there; she has really gotten into the idea of doing pirate shows like Foxy. Better than being used as a living jigsaw, he bet.
Theo walked down the long hallway, past the new party rooms, only stopping when finding himself at the security office. Memories flashed past his eye sensors, causing him to see what it once looked like— what lurked inside. Something terrible, something he wanted to stay away from, but his former programming forced him to approach. Theo didn't know back then, but now that he's mentally older, he can see that whoever programmed them was making them into bombs that could go off at any second. It did blow up; Vixey snapped and attacked Jeremy. Fortunately, her jaw was too broken to do much damage. Still, it was enough to get them trashed. That time was the worst of his life, but it gave him an idea of how the older bots felt when they were used for parts.
"Hey, if you're not going to attack me." Theo snapped out from his thoughts of a past he was more than happy to leave behind, his gaze going over to the old security guard of this place. "Could you give me a hand with this?" Jeremy pointed at the sizeable secure shelf lying on a transporter. "It's too darn heavy for me."
He shrugged and grabbed the shelf. Even for him, it was pretty heavy, so Theo could see why Jeremy didn't want to try lifting it. "Where do you want it?" The man pointed at the wall furthest away from the hallway. Theo sat it there, and Jeremy started filling it with whatever he thought would be useful. He found it odd to be inside this room; no program forced him, or any monster or whatever was at the desk. It was a nice change, though Theo found himself wondering what he saw. He stepped to the side when Jeremy went to push the table to the left side of the room, right where a bunch of new monitors— a brand that actually does not make them paranoid. They didn't make any sound and were inside a half-sphere. Theo does not know more about these new cameras, only that the monitors would allow Jeremy and whatever new security guard they would get to keep an eye on the many rooms without checking them all the time. Watching the man set the gear up, Theo noticed something about Jeremy. He seemed a bit tense, the same way back when he first learned about their large awareness. "You don't fancy being back." He asks; although it's more of a statement, the tension in the man's shoulder spoke for itself.
"I wouldn't have minded this place went to hell." Jeremy replied, still busy setting up this entire security system. "But I guess that asshole got a point. We might as well reuse the old place; expand the business." For some reason, the man cast a glance at the back wall; following, Theo noticed that the wall looked newer compared to the rest. He wondered what happened there. "Still, this place haunts me."
Cannot deny it… "Same." Theo admitted, and it was more than just the shitty life his first appearance was. Inside these walls, his life as a boy was taken from him, imprisoned inside this body, and used for a twisted game of one he thought he could trust. "There's a lot of bad memories."
Jeremy nodded in agreement, but with a quick glance in his direction, "Guess we all have to change that." Theo couldn't agree more, though he knew it wouldn't be easy. Then again, from what little memories he got from his human past and those from his former lifetime here, Theo long learned that being was never easy. Still, he would like to work on it and maybe live a life without regrets as Goldie had. Yeah, Theo would like that very much.
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"— in case anything happens, please call me." Kate says to him, being so worried that he cannot handle a couple of hours.
It should've been annoying to him, considering how many times he has taken care of children, but Goldie actually finds his daughter's slight paranoia rather amusing. "Relax, I know what I'm doing." He smiles down at the toddler fiddling with his golden fur, "Not my first attempt caring for a child. Last I checked, you came out fine enough." He winks at his daughter, as hoped; it makes her visibly relax and smile.
"I know, it's just…." Kate eyes her daughter in his arms, having a look Goldie has seen many times before. It's a look only a parent gets, a good parent that worries for their child. "You don't exactly have memories about how you raised me."
No, can't say he does, but Goldie doubts that matters. His father's instincts are still as clear as his fur. "You know I'd parented four animatronic kids? Sure, Bonnie still got his edges, but I think they came out right." His smile drops at his following words; "Considering what they had been through."
Askr takes his wife's hands; unlike her, he long has seen that there's nothing to worry about Kate's old man babysitting their daughter. "It will be fine, honey."
Kate sighs, "I know, it's just…" she worries if her father has forgotten some crucial information. She still remembers his struggles to properly care for her after the divorce and something she does not want her daughter to deal with. Yes, her father is the best dad any girl could ask for, but he is an animatronic bear now… "Please just call me if you get overwhelmed."
Goldie pretends to be offended, making an excessive gasp. "What? Come on. Don't you think your deal old dad knows how to change a diaper?" He makes a face of her underestimating his abilities to care for a child for a couple of hours.
Hard not to laugh; that's one of the things about her father. He is quite a jokester, though, at times, Kate does wish he would take things a bit more seriously. "Dad…."
Goldie rolls his eyes, "Oh, alright, I will call if Cressida starts setting the whole place on fire."
Guess that's the best she can get of a serious answer. "See you soon." Kate smiles and signs to her daughter, who makes a small wave, before returning to solve the mystery holding her. "Thanks again." She calls to her father as Askr more or less drag her outside for their long-awaited date.
"Have fun!" Goldie calls, and with them finally out. He eyes the bundle of joy in his arms. "Right. So, I hear some kids start crying when mom and dad leave." Right there, Cressida notices the lack of her parents. "Are you one of these kids?" As he ponders that aloud, the toddler begins crying, signing the words 'mom' and 'dad.'
Goldie isn't that surprised, although he's most experienced with kids throwing a tantrum when parents drag them away from their game or whatever animatronic that caught their fancy. "Alright, let's see if we can distract you." He carries the crying toddler into her room, puts her down, and begins to introduce her toys.
Starting with a giraffe, he puts it down before her and begins to sign 'hi, I'm Lizzy-longneck, do you want to be my friend?' that made Cressida stop her close to panic state, staring with such confusion that it's hard not to laugh. "What? Not the name on the giraffe?" Cressida waves her hands, quickly shifting them around in a circle. It didn't mean anything, but Goldie feels it means something to his granddaughter. Copying the gesture, Cressida smiles widely and flaps her hands against the giraffe. "Ah, guess that's his name." He chuckles, singing his words. The toddler signs yes.
Pulling out a teddy bear, Goldie makes it do a little dance before Cressida, causing her to stare, confused. However, she quickly laughs and jumps on her butt in an attempt to copy the dancing. 'dance with Teddy?" he signs; Cressida gives him a look, and to his bemusement, signs 'bear' and then waves at him. "He can't have my name." Goldie chuckles. "I'm still using it." Still, he continues to make Teddy do the silly dance as it does amuse the toddler.
Cressida, at one point, claims the teddy bear and waggles it around in what Goldie presume is her pretend game. She does make a lot of hand waving and makes sounds she cannot hear; still, it does not stop this girl from being heard by others. Watching her like this reminds Goldie about when he and Spring took the youngsters under their wings. Watched the four play around. They couldn't talk back in those times, so they communicated by doing hand signs like his granddaughter. "Of all the things I remembered, it was my sign language." He chuckles and finds it funny that his soul kept to that instead of, oh, he don't know, maybe his memories being alive. Ah well, it came in handy, literarily.
He brought Cressida to the living room along with some of her toys, and while he reads the book he brought along, the toddler is playing on the floor, right where he can watch her. Do pay her attention every time the girl demands it, by showing him the giraffe the umpteenth time or sign some seemly random words in his direction, at which he replies either with an equally random sign or merely agreeing with her. Children at that age are fortunately easily entertained.
About two hours in, Cressida starts to get fussy, quicker to get upset, and clearly wants something. Goldie is just not sure what, though, 'what do you need?' he asks her, but the toddler isn't in the mood to answer his question and make things easier. "Guess I have to go down the list." He muses and starts by checking her diaper. Not much, only a bit of pee, so he changes it, although Goldie does not think that's it. "Still not up to telling me?" He asks Cressida right after putting her cute dress back on. He signs at her the question of what she wants again. This time she looks at the kitchen. Well, that narrows things. "Right, guess you're hungry." And jokily tells the child as he carries her over to the area, "Forgive me for not knowing. I hadn't been installed with a hungry meter for that long." Of course, Cressida does not understand his words, doubt she will understand his signing. Not that he expects her to, he said it primarily for his own amusement.
Goldie puts Cressida on a baby chair and starts by preparing a cup with some milk; she drinks it, although some of it gets all over her face. 'all dirty,' he signs, chuckling and dries the milk off. The toddler is still being quite fussy, so he guesses she might be hungry too. Goldie checks the refrigerator for something that may be of interest; inside is some prepared food and one of them looks to be for the child. He takes out the plastic bowl with bite-sized food such as apples, bananas, and white bread. He gives the bowl to Cressida. She hesitates, but only for a moment before she gets her hands all over the food. Most of it goes down her mouth; the rest ends all over her face and table. Goldie laughs at that 'very messy' he signs to her, it makes her smile, and her happy hand flopping around causes some more food to end on the floor. "See, this is why your mom and dad cannot bring you to a nice place." He tells her playfully. Cressida cannot hear him, but she will understand his facial expression to know he's amused— even if his mug is of an antropermohic bear.
At least the mess is easy enough to clean.
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It's a bit hard to leave Cressida, but Kate feels somewhat better knowing it's her father who cares for her daughter than a babysitter she does not know. It's terrific to be out in town and enjoy a lovely evening with her husband, "Been a while we last could be just us." Kate sighs, much more relaxed now that they have gotten a nice meal and doing a stroll around the manmade lake.
"Things have been quite hectic. With the whole case about Soren, and you figuring out your co-workers at the new place." Askr agrees with her. Kate nods, for sure, she likes her new workplace, but some of her co-workers are having trouble dealing with her not wanting the hearing ads on when doing her work. Hopefully, they will accept that's how she best works. "So it's best we relax while everything is calm." Ask knows too well that with the life they have, especially when it comes to the animatronics at Freddy's.
It's only a matter of time before things get hectic again. There's always someone who wants to mess with the bots, one way or another. "Let's hope that they won't need you as much when trouble arrives." She takes her husband's hand, squeezing it. "I would like to have you around in the house more often."
"As you wish, milady." Ask smiles down to her. "I'm sure Cressida would like me around as well."
"Will help me focus on my work a bit more." Sometimes, Kate has to bring work back home, and it's hard to focus on creating a proper design when a toddler demands one's attention. "I bet she misses the daddy rides." They laugh at the shared thought of Askr walking around the house with their daughter sitting on his shoulders, practicing her signing, and merely being in her own little world.
Since Askr got a bit too much to drink at the restaurant, Kate is the one that drives them both back home. They chat about all and nothing, just having a conversation and not worrying about things. For Kate, the drive home feels a lot shorter than the one out to town. But it is nice to be back home. "Do you think she's asleep?" it is pretty late, but Kate isn't sure if her father was able to calm Cressida enough for the child to actually sleep.
Ask gets out of the car with: "One way to find out." Kate rolls her eyes, smiling at his words, and follows him to the house. They both quietly head inside, and Kate finds an adorable scene of her father lying on the couch, reading a book with a sleeping Cressida at his side. She quickly snaps a picture, right before Askr interrupts the scene. "I see there was no trouble."
The sound of a voice breaks the flow of the story he was reading, his gaze goes to the entrance, and Goldie smiles, seeing the pair back home. "No trouble at all." He tells them both, and eyeing the sleeping girl beside him, "She was a bit hard to get to sleep, but a giant teddy bear did the trick."
Kate laughs at how her father described himself, though he's honestly not that far off. Goldie corrects Cressida, so when he teleported away, she didn't notice, too deep in her sleep. Her father appears again before them. "I will see myself out."
"Thanks for the help." Kate says, grateful her father was able to put his entertainment duties aside for this very sudden babysitting. But it wasn't the babysitter's fault to come down with the sickness. "We truly appreciate it." She takes her husband's arm as Askr nods in agreement with her words. Goldie smiles and with a wave, he disappears, teleporting back to the restaurant. Kate and Askr head to the dining table, where they continue their relaxed talk, though now quietly so as not to wake their daughter.
Been a while since I last wrote about Goldie having the spotlight, so what's better than him looking after his granddaughter?
Goldie: I'm not complaining.
Argh! Don't sneak up on me like that!
Goldie:*trollface* you do jump like a cat.
... I hate you... *sigh* I'll see you in the next chapter, readers.