Mable: Happy late St. Patrick's Day and Enjoy!
Going Home in a Box
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Father Arthur Blythe was a master at raising money and never used a dime for selfish means. The closest thing to home he ever fundraised was for when the church's shuttle bus had broken down, and even then, he put a lot of his own money into it. Arthur could always find a good cause worth supporting. Usually, it was a hospital or a charity initiative for those in need, or for stocking up their food pantry that they had open for those who needed it, or even funding projects to clean the local park.
Arthur cared about a lot of people and Scott admired that greatly. In fact, he put a good portion of his early recovery after his accident on Arthur, being the driving force who kept him coming back even when he felt like he couldn't or shouldn't. There were a lot of people who had led to Scott's life turning around, some of which currently lived in his house, but Arthur had kept him from declining in the beginning. Arthur might've very well been the source of the confidence he had to send Mike and Fritz his first letter.
To describe him in better details, Arthur was an older gentleman with a warm smile and an overly fatherly demeanor. Which was peculiar to say considering that he couldn't be more than ten or fifteen years older than Scott himself. He certainly looked older than he was. Hardly old enough to be his father, but with just enough good advice and reassurances that he could look to him in replacement of one.
Though when it came down to it, Scott saw Arthur as a friend. A good and supportive friend who just happened to also be his priest. Who also had no idea about his living situation and never would if Scott had anything to say about it.
Arthur seemed to return these feelings as he equally ran ideas past Scott before going ahead with them. Scott had never been sure what made him think he was the best opinion about these things, but he always thought them through and gave his honest opinion.
Scott and Arthur were talking after the service, as they sometimes did, when the conversation turned to the fair. The fair was an annual event ran by one of the family clubs in Hurricane, but their church had volunteered and helped support it over the years. Largely because of the donations the club had offered to the church, it only seemed fair to help them in return. That's how Arthur saw it, and nobody argued with him.
"-but I was thinking that maybe we could ask Foxy's to perform. You know how much the kids love the singing robot animals. You're friends with the owners, do you think there's any way you could ask them for us? I know they must be busy but going to Freddy's is out of the question all things considered," Arthur said.
As far as Scott knew, Arthur wasn't aware of everything that happened at Freddy's except for the more notable missing children incident. Though what he did know was about what Scott had gone through, so 'all things considered' likely surrounded his accident.
Which was a relief. Scott didn't know how he would've felt if Arthur had suggested them using Freddy's.
"Sure thing! I'll call them when I get home," he agreed. Likely they would agree to do it for free just for the publicity. Though he wouldn't volunteer as such, that was their own decision to make. He couldn't imagine a better advertisement than this though.
The fair wasn't huge, but it was the biggest thing going on in Hurricane right now. It drew in a lot of families, plenty who didn't even go to the church, and it brought a lot of people together. Being the entertainment was a big deal, even if just for the city itself, and animatronic entertainers getting that honor was really a recent thing. Not that they were turning away normal musicians. There were plenty of hours to fill, too many to turn down acts if they were offering a free performance.
Scott wasn't sure at what point the idea cropped up. Somewhere in thoughts of Freddy's and Foxy's performing at the fair, the open door for him to invite the latter, and the reminder of walk-on musicians suddenly spawned it in the back of his mind.
He didn't mention it to Arthur, but he held onto it throughout the rest of their conversation and even once he was heading home. It was certainly an idea.
Scott walked in to find Baby sitting on the couch flipping through channels with a bored look and Ennard sitting in his armchair polishing Bonnet. Something that sounded odd, but in practice was much more endearing. With him holding her in one arm and buffing her back with a cloth with the other, like shining a glass. She was laying face down on his arm with her ears dangling overtop.
Ennard kept rubbing at Bonnet's back as he looked up towards the door and welcomed Scott with his typical gusto.
"Honey, you're home!" he greeted. Bonnet gave a muffled hello into his arm.
Baby gave a slight scoff at the joke. One both of disapproval at the cheesiness and reluctant amusement at his antics. Then she took her turn, "How was it?"
"Good! I stayed over a little to talk to Arthur about the fair. He's really putting his all into this one. He's already got a signup sheet full of volunteers," Scott said. He hastily unbuttoned his too-warm cardigan and hung it up like he would a jacket.
"What about you?" Ennard asked.
"Ooh, no. I won't be making that mistake twice," Scott declined with a chuckle.
To describe last year in few and direct words: it rained the whole night beforehand, it rained most of the day during, and the fairgrounds' only protection from the ensuing mud was a thin layer of hay. Which would've been fine if Scott hadn't found himself trekking across the fairground at least eight times, finding himself somehow delegated to gofer by everyone who wasn't Arthur and him without enough of a backbone to turn down any task, and all he had to show for it at the end of the day was two bags of leftover half-stale popcorn.
He just wasn't cut out for the carny lifestyle, ironically enough. He could offer his help in other much less messy ways.
"How does helping with the fair benefit the church?" Baby asked curiously.
"Well, not directly… but there's plenty of people from the church are planning on going. Plus, it's good for the town, so it's sort of like a civil service sort of thing. Giving back to those who've given to us in the past," Scott rationalized.
Baby hummed. Seemingly contented with the answer.
"And Arthur asked me if I could ask around and see if we could get Foxy to perform. I haven't called them yet, obviously, but I don't see them turning it down."
"Who would?" Ennard asked.
"Perfect segue," Scott thought. Elsewise he might've considered stalling longer. He clasped his hands together before starting with, "So! Baby. I was thinking and how would you feel…?"
"…About?" Baby finished.
"About…" Scott agreed. "…Performing at the fair too?"
Baby started at him for a long moment. With the lead up she was expecting this to be a joke, but Scott's expression, his still smile, seemed to be sincere. Though it was so startling that it took her a few seconds longer to realize he was really asking her that.
"What? Where did this come from?" she asked, startled.
"Well, I was thinking about Foxy and Mari performing and it made me think that maybe… you'd like to too."
"You didn't already agree to anything, did you?" Baby asked, her voice edging on growing panic.
"No, nothing! I wouldn't do that without asking you first," he reassured.
"Good. Because I am nowhere near ready to take the stage again," she said quietly. She averted her gaze to not have to see his expression.
"I'm not sure about that… Obviously if you don't want to, I'd never make you do it, but… I don't know. I just remember you saying that you'd like to someday perform again, and I thought this could be the chance for you to do that," he gently explained. He sat down on the other side of the couch. "But only if you wanted to. Only if you were doing it for you."
"You know wanting to do something and being able to are two separate things entirely," she said. Slowly she slumped on her elbow and the armrest, resting her head on her claw, and then tapping her claw closed. "This is part of the reason. The other is the other one."
"Oh, come on! We can work with those! You do," Ennard volunteered. At some point he had gotten up from the chair and circled around the back of the couch. Baby looked back at him, only for him to swoop around and kneel beside her, arms folded on the armrest. "We'd just play around with it and figure something out. That's what we do best."
"What you do, maybe, but how do you 'play around' with this? Nobody wants to play with this," Baby said, gesturing to her claw and then snapping it a few times. "Except you."
"I know! Lucky for you, right? Okay, let's see…" Ennard rubbed his chin and looked over the claw. "Hmm… We could cover it with a bag!"
Baby gave him an unimpressed look.
"We could put your arm back like this," Ennard offered, moving his arm to mimic the motion. "Hold it in place with a belt or something, and it would look like you've just got your wrist attached here, like your hand's on your hip!"
"…That could maybe work," Baby admitted. "But that's not the only hand I have a problem with. What about this one?" She lifted her under hand, which Ennard eagerly and playfully grabbed, lacing their fingers.
"We can fix that in a jiffy! Might even be able to just fit a snug glove over it- like mine!"
"I'm not saying it can't be done, seeing as that only encourages you to want to do it more," Baby said. Ennard playfully winked. "I'm saying, should we? Is it even worth the risk?"
"Of course it is! It's fun, and you get to sing in front of a bunch of people who think you're the best thing in the whole world!" Bonnet gushed. She hopped from the armchair to the couch, propelled by her arms, and paddled herself right into Scott's lap. Balancing herself there and splaying her arms excitedly. "Somebody once said that the best thing about being a bunny or a clown or a bear was being able to go out and make a whole bunch of people smile!"
"Who said that, Marion?" Baby asked.
"…N-No, I did," Bonnet said, voice faltering.
Baby gave a semi-blank stare and Ennard snickered. Scott gave her a reassuring pat on the head.
"I couldn't say for myself. It's been so long, I can't even remember what it was like performing for an audience of more than two…" Baby said quietly. This was almost a stretch of the truth. She could vaguely remember a few performances long past, including that one day, and she remembered it being delightful… but she had figured out long ago that she couldn't trust those memories. That she couldn't rely on what could've been programmed feelings. "Let's say I do go and perform, and it goes well. What then? Become attracted to the fame and spend all of my time longing for my next chance at a big break? Like some… cutesy oversized toddler looking to be a star?" She lightly scoffed at the thought. "How tragic. What's the point in subjecting myself to that?"
Scott could've answered a dozen ways there. He could've said so she could perform again, so she could sing, so people could see how lovely she looked with all the changes she decided for her body, and how much better she was doing. Even if it was only he, Ennard, and their friends who were privy to the real changes. So that she could do something that he knew she wanted to do and yet she so willingly denied to protect herself. That maybe it didn't have to be a one-time thing, and that he would help her do so.
He could've said any of that to her, but he knew he would only be saying what she already knew. So, he decided to swing for the fences and said the first thing that came to mind.
"I'll pay you."
That got sudden looks from both Baby and Ennard.
"What?" Baby asked flatly.
"I'll pay you to perform at the fair."
She seemed even more flummoxed. "But… why?"
"Because it's a real gig and you deserve to be paid for it, and you would if it wasn't for charity. So, since they won't, I will. I'll foot the bill. I owe Arthur that much for all the free food I've gotten from potluck."
"Scott, you're already giving me money to buy Charlie's gift-," Baby began to point out, only to have it suddenly click and her halt.
That's what he meant. He was offering an out to borrowing the money, which was something that she did regretfully have to do considering her circumstances. Scott had been fine doing so, which made it all the more embarrassing in her eyes, but it wasn't like she had any choice in the matter. Unlike her siblings who had a cut of earnings that they could do whatever with, she did not. She had to borrow- though it wasn't quite borrowing when there was no way to pay it back. Again, no choice.
Except now she had a choice. A stupid choice, she determined, but a choice none-the-less. A choice that would force her to take back everything she said and give into temptation.
"Enough to pay for the kit?" she dared to ask.
"If that's your price," Scott agreed with a smile.
Baby paused a long moment before making up her mind.
She turned to Ennard. "Can you get me stage-ready?"
Bonnet gave an excited little cheer.
"If I can't, I oughta be dead!" he chirped.
"Don't be dramatic."
Scott released a breath that he was holding. He wasn't sure if he made the right choice in tempting Baby, but he was going to see it through. He was going to give her this.
…
The following days were a sort of a blur.
Scott went over to Foxy's that evening before they closed and sure enough, they eagerly accepted the offer to work the fair. Foxy seemed especially fired up by the idea, pay or not. Likely because it was a job, he could snatch up away from Freddy's, one that would involve a sizeable audience to perform for and plenty of children. So, it seemed like a win-win for them.
At Baby's request, he had decided not to tell them about her intentions to perform at the fair. She said so that they wouldn't get nosy, but he had a feeling it was more to keep the stress off of her. After all, she still had a chance to back out. Even when Scott mentioned the addition of an extra animatronic performer, which Arthur was on-board with and likely ran by the club without pushback, she could still cancel at the last second. Foxy and Marionette were going to be there, so she technically didn't have to.
Yet she stuck with it. Even when it turned out to be more work than she bargained for.
It had been one thing coaching Charlie and writing songs for her. It was another one entirely doing both for herself with only a garage of space to practice. The acoustics weren't reliable, she didn't want to be loud enough to tip off the neighbors, and her music choices were limited. Scott was able to acquire background music tapes within only a couple of days, but it did limit her creativity to having to work with them. Something that hadn't felt like an issue when writing for Charlie but was now.
Because she only had one chance to get it right. Even if she would sing more than one song, it was that first song that would decide the show. Everything hinged on that first impression.
Baby could already feel the pressure, but she was in too deep to back down. She wouldn't tolerate it, so she stuck out and kept practicing.
In the meantime, they continued working out the other kinks to getting her ready for the performance.
The first job was on her normal hand. Initially Ennard offered his glove but after trying it on the fit was a little awkward. Instead, they opted for a cream-colored work glove. It was still an awkward fit, with the fingertips cut so her own would poke through, but at a distance it almost looked like a normal glove. It wasn't quite what Baby would've wanted, but she was willing to accept it because there were important matters to deal with.
All it took was one test of the arm-twisting thing before Ennard decided to scrap the idea, as it would involve bending Baby's claw at an angle so awkward that he became worried about damage, much to Baby's dismay. The other options were to either cover the claw with a cloth or pillowcase. Removing the claw being nowhere on the table as Baby had no intuition to maim herself for one night on stage. Thankfully, Ennard agreed without needed explanation.
Ennard and Scott brainstormed together and came up with an idea. They would buy a big stuffed animal, partially hollow it out, and fit it over her claw. Disguising her dangerous weapon with an adorable accessory. She thought it sounded downright infantile to dance on stage with a teddy bear, but at this point her options were limited and her carrying a big toy was less questionable than her with a giant hand hidden under a pillowcase. Her only request was that it wasn't anything too childish or abhorrent.
A few days later, Scott came up with a large pig plush dressed like a biker with a faux-leather vest and hat. As much as it clashed with her clown aesthetic, she deemed it better than she expected and settled with the pig.
The next problem being that neither Scott nor Ennard were particularly good with sewing, and it was clear that just hollowing out the pig wasn't the only thing that needed to be done for it to be wearable. So, Baby passed the duty onto Marionette. She had called him up herself and invited him over, offered him the pig, and made her plans for said pig clear. She didn't tell him why she wanted it to be refitted to fit over her claw. Concerningly enough, even though Marionette had some initially confused looks, he didn't ask.
It was at that point that Baby was certain that he knew. He had to. Everything lined up too perfectly for it to be exactly that, at least in her head. Yet she didn't budge on telling the truth and he didn't pry. Neither did Charlie, who during her next call had asked, weirdly enough, "So, what've you been up to?" all casual like. The fact that she asked like she expected an answer beyond what she normally did suggested she might know too, but Baby couldn't be sure if it was her paranoia lying to her.
Eventually she would know, she knew. Foxy and Marionette might even see it depending on when they and her went on stage. The thought didn't make her nervous, just more apprehensive. They were completely different things.
By the day of the fair everything was technically ready. The pig was wearable, the glove was ready, the songs were written and practiced, and all set for the big moment. Technically.
Baby wasn't nervous, but she did sit on her bed and stare across the garage for an obscene amount of time. Long enough that when Scott came in to warn her that he was opening the garage to back up his van into it, to prepare to leave. To which Baby finally got up from her bed and moved into the house, pacing around just inside the door until the van was backed up and ready for her to board. She steeled herself and headed out.
"Much ado about nothing. It's not like this is my first time on stage," Baby reminded herself. Drifting in and out of being lost in thought as she climbed into the back and waited for Ennard. Clutching the pig to her, having not slipped it on yet. "Even if it has been a while…It should come to me naturally, shouldn't it? I was never awful, so why would I be now?" She huffed to herself. "If I'm going to worry, I could at least worry about something more important. Like someone recognizing me as Circus Baby. Someone from Freddy's."
Now there was something to be concerned about. To go through all this for this performance and then have it fall through because someone remembered her as the clown from the pizza restaurant that lasted a day and closed due to 'gas leaks'. Heaven forbid whoever recognize her be from Freddy's and suddenly become curious to who really own the Circus Baby license. She sat there dumbly as her thoughts snowballed into a scenario where she was in the Pizzaplex basement, Scott was in jail, and Ennard was likely dead.
She was interrupted only by Scott getting into the driver's seat.
"Ready to rock and roll," he murmured. Now he sounded anxious, from those tense words to the way he rubbed his hands together. Then he turned and looked at her through the seats. "How are you holding up? Excited?"
"That is one word for it," Baby remarked. She blinked to pull herself back into the present and then looked at him. He gave her a sympathetic smile, one that didn't feel patronizing.
"I know what you mean. But it's going to go great. And if it gets too much just signal me and we'll stop after that song. Like, give me a little salute or point at me. Or just salute in case you can't see me," Scott said. He then tightened his mouth, realizing a second after he stopped how all of it just spilled out into wordy mush. He inhaled through his nose and exhaled with a simple, "A salute should work."
"…You sound like I feel," Baby remarked. A hint of amusement mixed in with genuine confusion. "What are you so nervous about? Surely this can't be from second-hand embarrassment when I haven't even gotten on stage yet."
"Embarrassment is the last thing I'm feeling right now, I promise," Scott assured her. "It's just nerves, the usual."
"I do know… I think I have performance anxiety. Which is so strange to me. I was built for this; I know exactly what I'm supposed to do. Why would I be anxious?" Baby asked. Half-asking him and half-asking herself, with him being the only chance of an answer.
"Because it's a big deal! It's hard getting back out in the world after being holed up for so long. It was hard for me too. I know our situations weren't exactly the same, but still, it's hard to go out and confront those people, even when you know you're going to be alright."
'Even when you know you're going to be alright.' Something about that comment stuck with Baby. She wasn't sure whether to agree or disagree, or what to think of it at all, but he sounded so certain when he said that it was hard not to believe him. Or at least believe that he believed that. Obviously, he wasn't having the same worst-case scenario Fazbear Entertainment daydreams that she was having.
"Maybe you're right," she finally agreed. "…Did you tell anyone I was Circus Baby?"
"I didn't. I just sort of described you and went from there," Scott explained. He turned and looked back between the seats. "Why? Were you worried about that?"
"Not quite worried. More concerned about the possibilities of what might happen if it came out that I was a mascot from a failed pizza chain that may or may not be related to Freddy's," Baby explained.
Scott didn't have the heart to tell her that, likely, nobody would remember Circus Baby's. Instead encouraging her idea to reinvent herself further.
"When you put it like that, a stage name might be a good idea. Did you have any in mind?"
"Not really. I hadn't really thought of it until now," Baby admitted. She glanced away thoughtfully and the two brainstormed for a few seconds. "…You know, with this hat I'm hardly a clown anymore. Yes, I still have the painted face, but otherwise I look much more… mature. Like a woman, especially now without the pigtails. Still a performer, but not a joke. Like a ringleader! That's it, a ringleader. No longer a member of the circus, but the one running the show."
"I like it! I think it suits you," Scott agreed. "So, Ringleader…"
"Something. Not Baby, and Babydoll too would be too obvious. Something else…" Baby said pensively.
"You could do something like Ruby or Emerald. Ringleader Ruby rolls off the tongue," Scott suggested. Baby gave a positive hum at the thought. "Or you could choose a more traditional name. Like Rhonda, Ringleader Rhonda. Or even your name! I don't think anyone would be able to connect the dots on that one."
"No, I think it would be safe. But I don't think it's flashy enough on its own," Baby began. Halfway through getting interrupted by Ennard hauling himself, and his toolbox and Bonnet, into the back of the van. She looked to him and gave a double take at the sight of him. "What are you wearing? I thought you were going to wear a disguise!"
"This is a disguise!" Ennard smoothly assured.
But it wasn't. It was his usually suit- which yes, in and of itself was a good disguise- but then topped by Funtime Freddy's head. With only a little bit of black mesh shoved into the eyerolls to barely disguise his eyes underneath. When he said he was making a mask, she assumed he was making a mask.
"You can't show up in that. Forget the fact that you look like Freddy Fazbear, but you also don't look like a human," Baby huffed.
"As a matter of fact, I look like a human wearing a Funtime Freddy head! Which is exactly what I'm going for. See, the disproportionate head makes all the rest of the proportions look normal. It's the big distraction that people stare at, and then they don't think, 'Wow, that guy's tall' or 'why's he squeaking when he moves'. They think, 'Wow, what kind of weirdo runs around wearing a mechanical bear head?' And I rather be a weirdo than tomorrow's headline."
"All it takes is one person snooping around or bumping into you and you will be both," Baby said. She shifted to put her hand on her hip as the scolding look remained.
"Scottie, back me up," Ennard half-laughed and half-pleaded.
"I really want to, Ennard, but I don't think I can. The idea's not half bad, but you're still walking around wearing a decapitated Freddy head, and I don't think I can support that," Scott said feigning seriousness.
"Not you too!" Ennard cried. Throwing his arm up dramatically, only to misjudge and have it clunk on Freddy's thick head. "Does anyone believe in me?"
He waited expectantly. Nobody chimed in.
He gave Bonnet a little nudge with his elbow.
"Oh! Oh, I believe in you, Ennie!" Bonnet chirped. "…But if you wanna go get a different costume, I think that's a good idea too!"
"Even your most staunch supporter thinks it's a bad idea," Baby remarked.
"I know! And he usually sides with me! But this lil gal just doesn't like looking at Freddy's metal mug," Ennard nonchalantly said. He turned the look at Bonnet, who subtly jolted as the head turned in her direction. "Right, Bon-Bon?"
"…Nope! I don't like it one bit!" Bonnet agreed.
"And trust me, after our little run in with what had to be the BIGGEST Funtime Freddy I've ever seen, yeah, I don't want to wear it either," Ennard agreed. He reached out and closed the back of the van. "But it's the best I've got to work with. Don't worry, I'm not going to be out schmoozing or anything. I'm just getting you up on stage, standing around back, and then back in the van before we go."
Baby wasn't entirely appeased but at least Ennard was taking this more seriously than he first let on.
"If you insist but do be careful. I don't want to have to worry about you on stage," Baby said.
Ennard was endeared by the sentiment. "No worries, Babydoll. I'm not blowing your big moment."
"You know that's not the only thing I'm worried about," she said softly. Letting that sit there a moment before adding quickly, "But if you cause a big scene, I will throw myself off of that stage and make that scene mine. You don't want that."
"…I'd love to see that on anyone else but me," Ennard admitted.
Baby gave a contented, if snarky, little hum.
…
This fair was already leagues better than last year's, Scott could tell just from pulling up. Largely due to the warm sunny day and cloud dotted blue skies. The fair itself was quite a sight with colorful carnival rides, including a Ferris wheel, and plenty of food and game stands. As could be expected with the weather and being the weekend, it was packed, but any nervousness was somewhat eased when he took the side road off to the staff area and found it much quieter back there.
He perked up at the sight of a familiar van. "There's Foxy! Or their van at least," he announced into the back. He pulled up and back in to park alongside it. He then turned the van off, braced himself with a deep breath, and got out.
"This is it, Babydoll! Showtime!" Ennard whispered, rubbing his gloved hands together excitedly. Though just in that exaggeration his own nervousness could be read loud and clear. He reached over to pat Bonnet's head. "Wait here, Lil Bit. All goes well and I might be able to sneak you out for a few minutes, but you've got to make sure nobody sees you."
"Nope! I'll be just like a prop! Motionless," Bonnet proclaimed. She then went still to prove as such, a statuesque for she continued even when he patted her ears again.
"That's the spirit! Alright, lemme get us out of here…" Ennard reached out and opened the back right as Scott was coming around, hopping out to join him in the grass before the helped 'move' Baby out.
For her part, Baby remained silent the entire time. Not out of nerves, but out of necessity. Ennard, even in this horrible disguise, could get caught talking and acting human, because he was supposed to be human. Baby knew better than to risk the same behavior. Though when she slid herself out and onto her feet, she got a look around and realized, thankfully, that they were partially obscured by the back of a building that could've been bathrooms. Foxy's crew knew where to park to be careful.
"I'm going to go find Arthur," Scott said. Ennard gave him a thumbs up and he was off.
The clown snickered a little. Baby hummed questioning, not even risking turning her head towards him.
"He's so twisted up. He's like a proud papa waiting to see his little girl's first recital. It's so sweet!"
Baby gave a less than enthused hum. An embarrassed hum.
"Oooh, come on. You know I'm not saying you're like a kid or anything. You're a proper lady. You're just his kid," Ennard clarified. "…Which is weird if we go along with the whole sibling thing between us. That makes me and Scott's relationship kinda funky."
Baby fought the urge to roll her eyes- a motion that human would definitely not be tolerated at a time like this. If Ennard was trying to distract her-… Oh, well done. She had been so fixated on his antics she had almost missed everything going on around them.
It was only a few minutes before Scott returned trailing behind an older man. From the way he was nervously rubbing at his neck and the faint explanations he was rolling out, this was likely Arthur and he was likely coming to see either Baby or more likely this friend Scott talked so frequently of. This was confirmed by the distant, "Don't be shocked by the head. He's, uh, wearing this old prop. It's-It's kind of strange, but the kids love it."
That was Ennard's cue, and he adjusted his bow before beginning to walk over. His motions much more subdued and restrained, and him greeting them in a voice that Baby was unfamiliar with but likely came from one of Ennard's soaps. She watched him work his magic and was impressed, but not surprised, at his amount of detail. Waiting for a greeting exchange before offering a handshake, and not thrusting his hand out, and eventually putting a hand on Scott's shoulder in a friendly way instead of hook and scooping him in.
Well done. She only hoped she too could still pull off an act so easily. That those skills hadn't dulled.
Baby's thoughts stilled at the subtle click of the other van's doors. They opened a small crack.
"Hey," a familiar voice whispered out. One that immediately shot a new form self-consciousness through. "Good luck out there! You've got this!" Charlie encouraged.
"Charlie? What are you doing here?" Baby asked, barely disguising her surprise. She quickly regained composure, "In the van. Obviously, you're here to perform… You weren't waiting for me, were you?"
"You could say that," Charlie whispered back. "But I'm not here to perform, I'm here for moral support."
She was here for her. The thought alone flustered her even more, but she forced that feeling down. Of course she was here for her. She was a good friend, supportive; it was best to not read too much into that.
"That is very kind of you. Foxy will need it once I upstage him," Baby said.
Charlie jingled a little. "I like your pig."
"He's not just a pig, he's my co-star," Baby replied deadpan. "Where are Foxy and Mari?"
"Still out there somewhere. I think they're-."
She only got that far before both caught sight of the three coming over and ended the conversation abruptly. Charlie whispering out another, "Good luck," before closing the doors. Baby returned to a stillness that could've rivaled Bonnet's and remained unmoving and unresponsive unless otherwise maneuvered by Ennard, who began wheeling her on her skates in the direction of the stage, casually chatting as he did so. That is, chatting as he struggled to wheel Baby through trampled grass.
Baby got a better look at the fairground as she was moved to the stage. It was beautiful. A weird thing to think, she thought, but they were. So colorful and alive with voices and people. In the back of her mind, she remembered something like this. Bigger and grander with a towering roller coaster above. An incomplete memory from her childhood that made her feel good. This brought back that nostalgic feeling she had long forgotten.
Any joy was quickly dashed at the sight of the amount of people hanging out by the stage. Then it was straight to business.
She half expected her performance programming to kick in, something that would've immediately taken much of the tension off. A crutch that would've kept her in line. Unfortunately, the programming did not kick in.
But of course it didn't, she thought begrudgingly. Fritz had spent ages trying to break that programming. Specifically, the dangerous kind, but that didn't mean he didn't tamper with something else. The first thing that tended to happen when she took stage was to count-up the children in the audience, but that did not happen- for the best perhaps, but no safety net was secured beneath her. She was on her own and she was going to have to do this all herself.
…She changed her mind. She was going to do this herself. She didn't need that programming. She didn't need him. She was going to do this.
"You got thiiiiis," Ennard excitedly whispered behind her as he helped her up the steps around back.
The stage was rather basic. Basically, a wooden platform built specifically to be taken apart easily once the fair was being packed up. Save that due to the events of last year, this year they had mounted a cover over it. Being a light blue tarp material held stretched out by a white pole frame, with colorful triangular flags hanging down in the front to add a little more of a festive feel to the relatively basic setup.
"We'll be right there watching, so just give the signal when you're done," he assured. When she was done, he had emphasized. She had an out for when she was ready to stop. Baby didn't respond but he knew she understood.
He got her up on the stage in front of the microphone stand, adjusted it for a few moments, and then reached around behind her. He gave a cheeky little 'click', and she straightened up like she had just been activated. He backed up and off the stage, leaving Baby on her own to do her performance.
She had only those few seconds to prepare. Any longer and the audience would start to question why she wasn't moving. She took in those seconds hyperaware of the swath of people before her, the most people she had been around in ages, and then went for it.
"Oh! Hello, hello! My, what a big audience we have today! So many smiling faces," Baby greeted in a bubbly voice that barely sounded like hers. Her had shot up, still in a stiff and controlled manner, and she waved her fingers at the crowd. "It's so nice to meet you all! My name's Ringleader Lizzie and I will be leading the singsong today, is that okay?... Mmm-hmm, sounds like it's a-okay to me! Let's get started!"
Thankfully, Ennard read her cue and turned on the music which began to play through the speakers. She looked at the crowd, at the homogenous mass of people that was her audience and thought of nothing but the perky persona she let flow through each motion.
"One, two, three- Somebody call a doctor! I need an ambulance- no, I can't handle this!~" Baby sung. Swaying slightly on her skates and bumping her shoulders to the beat. "This ba-dum, ba-dum, bump, bump, thumpin' pounding in my chest.~" She put her hand to her chest to emphasize the beats before dropping it to her hip, rolling them to the music. "Oo-OO-oo!~"
Scott was positively beaming with pride. No doubt Ennard was too from his position off by the side, but he had to get a front row seat. It was one thing to hear her quietly singing through the garage door, but it was another seeing her so alive and in this character. One that she had created herself, that she had willingly chosen to play. He was so proud of her.
Jeremy and Fritz had been guiding Foxy around the fairground to introduce him to the children. Or more accurately, the two were pretending to lead Foxy around so he could get away with walking through the fair without any suspicion. There hadn't been any so far, but a lot of people asking for pictures. He had been adamant about hanging out in the general area of the stage for when Baby showed up, and he was standing by one of the nearby stalls eyeing a suspiciously familiar knockoff pirate fox when he heard her voice.
He snapped his head back so fast that his neck clicked and caught sight of her on stage. To say he was shocked would be putting it lightly, and that was before she broke into song. It was the last thing he expected from her, and that alone left him in awe.
"My skin is heating up and my legs are shaking. My stomach's dropping and my heart's racing,~" Baby continued. She hugged herself, around the pig, continuing to twist to the beat. Then popped her hand up to press the back to her forehead, tilting back into her dramatic diva pose. "I think I might be sick. No, I can't handle this! I'm, I'm, I'm-!~"
She pulled her hand back into a little pose with a slightly kicked up skate and a little hop in her step.
"Heartsick! Over you. Running a temp and I don't know what to do. Heartsick! Heal me fast! My heart's in a broiler and I'm not gonna last!"
By now Mike and Marionette had finally made it to the stage. The former dressed in his painted-faced puppeteer outfit and wheeling the latter around on his stand. It was hot and the wheels of the stand struggled to get over even the smaller rocks, but when that music started- after a relatively casual, "Is that Baby?" and Marionette's resulting struggle to hold in his surprise and excitement- Mike made sure he got it back over there.
"And I don't know what to do… Because I'm so SICK of you…" Baby continued to sing. Switching quickly from the long lulls to popping back up in tone. "Under the weather and I'm not getting better. Heartsick! I need a doctor!… In here." She pointed to her heart with a wink, then tapped each of her cheeks. "I'll take my get-better kisses here and here."
Though she had shut out everything that wasn't total focus on her performance, she caught glimpses where she could see the people watching. Children especially looking up at her like she was a real life celebrity when most of them had probably already forgotten her name. It was such a bizarre mix of feelings that she felt. Nothing like she had felt on stage before. It was exhilarating.
Time didn't exist on stage. It was rolling through one song, thirty seconds of recited banter, another song, a quip or two, another song, slowly making her way through the show. Not once breaking character as she sung through each of the songs she had prepared.
Until the end of show crept up on her. Last song breezed by and then came the outro.
"Oh goodness! That was quite a performance, wasn't it? I wouldn't have been able to do it without you all! But now it's time for me to return to the big top, and for you to go have some fun! Ciao!" Baby finished with a little salute.
There was clapping- something she couldn't remember ever receiving before, but perhaps it was due to the differences in venue- and she gave a little bow. Though made sure to keep it from looking too lifelike. She was certain that she had pushed the envelope during the show, but nothing that would've made anyone suspicious. Ennard came back up onto the stage and reached up to her back to do the whole 'click' act again.
But Baby stopped him. Her arm still pulled behind her back, she shooed his hand with her ringers. Rolling with it, he forgo'd the shutoff and instead rolled her back and off the stage. This gave her one last chance to wave at her audience before she was out of their sight.
Ennard helped Baby down the few stairs. He was prepared to bring her all the way to the car when she suddenly slumped sideways a little, catching herself with a hand on the stage. All at once the act being over and her legs suddenly feeling very numb underneath her. It was as though all of the energy sapped out of her as she suddenly realized what she had just done.
She had just performed under a stage name while faking a personality as from her own as she could throw a rock. She wasn't sure why it waited until now to suddenly feel weird, but a delayed reaction was still better than a mishap on stage.
Ennard must've noticed she was having some sort of silent crisis as he pulled her into a quick hug before continuing to bring her back towards the safety of the van. Too many people around to do anything more than that and even that was pushing it.
They arrived at the van shortly after and Ennard popped it open only to find Charlie sitting inside with Bonnet. She waved while Bonnet stood there like a statue. He waved back before straightening up and keeping an eye out as Baby climbed in. Once she pulled her legs in, he leaned in after her.
"You did AMAZING!" he whispered ecstatically. His voice still the false one he had put on, but the sharp change in pitch ruining the illusion he had managed for so long. He gave her an assuring pat on the shoulder. "I gotta go get the tape. You sit tight and I'll be right back."
Baby nodded and Ennard shut the door. As soon as he did, Bonnet popped out of her own act and spun around.
"Baby, that was so good!" she chirped. Wobbling on her edge and catching herself to keep from toppling over, then popping her arms up in celebration. "SO good!"
"You did great!" Charlie agreed. She scooted down to join her in the back of the van, sitting across from her. "How did it feel?"
"It felt… strange. I don't know how I feel about it yet," Baby said. It was a partial lie. It had felt great, she just didn't want to admit that, commit to that feeling. "Wait, you were able to hear it? Did you open the door?"
"Nope! This." Charlie held up a handheld radio. "Fritz has the other one. He tuned us in when you started."
"Oh…" Baby said. Her voice faltering, her hand meekly fiddling with the pig attached to her arm. Charlie could read her self-consciousness just from that, so she doubled down.
"You were amazing," Charlie said, borrowing Ennard's previous compliment.
"Would you have still said that if I was bad?" Baby asked. A slight coy tone leaking into the words.
"Uh-uh! We would've said you were good, but like, sounded like we were trying to spare your feelings. But we don't have to, because you really were good!" Bonnet answered for her.
"Something like that," Charlie agreed with a half-smile.
They were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. Baby raised a finger to her mouth in warning and Bonnet covered her mouth with her hands before slouching in place.
Though when the door unexpectedly opened, Foxy stuck his head through before they could so much as see anyone else.
"Scoot over, Lass," he said. To which Charlie did and he quickly took her spot. He then turned back to the door with a, "They were down by that stand that spelled doughnut wrong," answering a question they hadn't heard being asked.
"I'll go check. Good job, Baby! You did great!" Jeremy congratulated. All Baby saw of him was his thumb popping into the van.
"Oh, yes. Thank you," she replied.
He then shut the door and went off somewhere, and immediately Foxy turned to her.
"Lizzie, that was bloody fantastic! Where did that come from?!" he blurted out.
For some reason his reaction affected her greater than Ennard and Charlie's combined, warmth spreading through her chest and face. She turned her head away with a dismissive little noise.
"Don't exaggerate on my account. You do this on a daily basis."
"Maybe I do, but you don't! Ya just got up there and walked that stage like ya owned it, named it, and sailed its maiden voyage," Foxy continued to enthuse. "Ya gave me a run for me booty!"
Bonnet snickered a little, to which Foxy noticed her for the first time. She covered her mouth, then squeaked out a tiny, "Sorry."
"Don't let Jeremy see that one," Foxy murmured to Charlie.
"I feel like you're all putting me on," Baby interrupted. Perhaps it was good, she had made sure it was the best she could do, but the had trouble believing it was that good. That everyone was that awestruck by it. Nothing was flawless, there had to be a fault. "Tell me one thing I did wrong. Nothing's perfect. Tell me of one weakness and then I'll believe you."
Both Foxy and Charlie seemed a slight bit surprised at the challenge. Charlie tried to think of something to say to get through to Baby, while Foxy looked her up and down and spotted the only flaw he could see, and beat the puppet to the punch.
"Ya didn't implement the pig into the routine."
Baby gave him an unamused look.
"Lass, I ain't lyin'. I ain't puttin' on a front 'cause you're my sister. I just… didn't think ya'd do it. I thought ye were gonna rely on the stuff ya did back at Baby's," Foxy explained more honestly. "But ya didn't! Ya could've taken the easy way out, but ya went all in, and I'm proud of ya for that! Prouder than I would've been if ya went up there and went safe with it."
Baby looked back at him. All it took was his look and tone to know that he was being completely honest. He really had set a bar for her without telling her and yet she had managed to reach and surpass it. All because she hadn't wanted to do the old routines.
All because she couldn't do the old routines without her band and was unwilling to improvise.
"Thank you, Gabe. That means a lot coming from you," Baby thanked him.
"Ya don't have to thank me. Ya earned it," Foxy insisted.
Maybe she had. She had done a good job; she could acknowledge that much. Though she played an entirely different role she had done so well. She had barely recognized the voice coming out of her own mouth. She had thrown herself into the performance of a lifetime- ignoring that the venue was a meager fair that hired anyone willing to work- and it worked. She had been able to do it. No programming required. No instruction beyond her own and the suggestions she solicited on her own whim.
It had felt good. Too good. She belonged on that stage, and she didn't need Circus Baby to get there.
But she wouldn't be at the mercy of it. Never again. She could live with one day up on stage- at least this one ended on her own terms.
Meanwhile Ennard was getting everything ready to go. Which really should've just consisted of getting the music tape, grabbing Scott, and getting back to the van, but temptation had won over and he decided that he wanted some overprice popcorn for the road. Not willing to risk waltzing over to a concession stand to get it, he dumped a pocketful of change into the hands of Fritz and schmoozed him into going to get him some. Then he hung out beside the stage and watched the people passing by.
It was the closest he had gotten to normal people in ages. Not to mention meeting Arthur, who almost entirely bought into the ruse. Compared to his last run-in with a person not affiliated with Freddy's, which would've been that disaster behind the gas station, this time had went a whole lot better. Which it should've, because deep underneath this clown getup and this bed of wires, he was a completely normal person. He was just as human as any of them.
Ennard was feeling too good for an identity crisis.
It was a good time for a distraction to show up, and that came in the form of catching a couple of teenage girls staring at him. Ennard was surprised he hadn't noticed them watching before now but they were at a booth all the way over by the Tilt-A-Whirl. If they were so much as five feet further, they would've been blocked out of his view. It was confirmed from the awkward look the one got when he spotted them that it was him that they were staring at.
Not that they looked anywhere near threatening. The one with the admittedly goofy grin was a brunette wearing a pink blouse and matching lip gloss. The other girl was wearing blue, and her stand-out traits were her neatly done braids and her smartly shaped glasses. Just a couple of kids. Well, more than a couple. There was a third with them, but she had her back turned to him, instead turned towards and holding onto the counter.
Dark hair, dark clothes, and when the glasses wearing girl said something she finally looked back and-.
Oh no.
Oh no.
If Ennard had blood it would've all drained out of his face at that moment. Instead, he could practically feel his wires tangling up. Because he knew that face.
He would've been hard pressed to forget the girl he pulled out of Funtime Freddy's belly.
He waved, because it was the only thing he could do to keep from bolting in a very suspicious way, turned, walked until he was sure that he was out of sight, and then bolted in a very suspicious way. Scooting past some folks, all but ditching Fritz, and running for Scott.
Meanwhile, Mike had caught up with Scott and the two were talking as they walked back to the vans. Mostly Scott was talking and Mike was listening, as was Marionette who was still dangling on his strings with a smile on his face. Soft chiming occasionally making it out of his music box whenever Scott said something he agreed with or he shared the sentiments of. Which it was hard not to, because both were clearly thrilled at what had just happened. Mike was glad too, but not nearly to the level they were.
"I just can't believe she did it. I knew she could, but I just thought she was going to have second thoughts at the last second. Which I get, with the risk of being recognized or something going wrong, but I'm just so glad she went ahead and did it," Scott chattered to Mike. A mixture of leftover nerves, relief, and pride fueling his chattiness.
Mike liked seeing him so lively. It was about time something went well for him.
Which was right when Ennard nearly ran him down. Coming to a stop just before he could clothesline Scott and throwing an arm around his shoulders.
"Hey, we've got to get out of here fast," he whispered through his teeth. "I just caught the Fitzsimmons girl eyeballing me."
"The- Hold on, the girl from the Freddy?" Scott whispered back in surprise. Ennard nodded stiffly. Scott processed it a second before looking to Mike. "So, yeah. We're taking off."
"I bet. How did she look?" Mike asked. His concern was shared with Marionette, who still showed his constant smile but whose eyes were now faintly alit and looking over.
"She looked okay! I mean, I bet she was doing a lot better before she saw me, but ha ha, who doesn't?!" Ennard joked. The clown voice starting to creep back in.
"But hey, that means she's out of the hospital and doing stuff. That's good to hear. We were worried about her," Mike said. He switched hands on the stand to pat Marionette's back, receiving a light trill in return.
"Yup!"
Ennard was slowly picking up the pace and around that time he was all but carrying Scott away and leaving the two behind with their finnicky stand. He gently pushed Scott around to the front and popped open the doors before leaning in.
"O-kay! Anybody who's not coming with us needs to jump ship now, because we are outta here!" Ennard instructed.
Foxy gave him a sort of confused look while Baby looked less than enthused by that familiar tone. "What happened?" she sighed.
"That girl I pulled out of Funtime Freddy's here and she saw me, so we gotta skedaddle."
It took Baby a few seconds to process that comment before her eyes widened in alarm.
"Oh, for God's sake, Ennard, I told you not to wear that stupid decapitated head!"
"I know, I know! I never thought that she… Wait… Wait, hold on." Ennard leaned on his hands against the back of the van. After a long moment of thinking, he pointed towards Baby. "Maybe she didn't recognize me. Maybe she was just staring at be because of that stupid bear, not because she knew I was the clown who pulled her out of that stupid bear. That's it, we're in the clear!" he proclaimed. He let that sit for a moment before slouching down to rest on his hands again. "Gee, I really hope I didn't just retraumatize her from that."
"I would say it would need to take more than that," Baby dismissed. Charlie wasn't sure if she agreed but decided not to say anything. Baby looked Ennard over and then asked, "Are you okay?"
"What? Oh, heh, 'course! Just got spooked. You know," Ennard also dismissed. She scooted over and he took the invitation and climbed in beside her.
"I think we should play it safe and get moving. Because she still could recognize you. You were wearing most of your suit when you pulled her out of there and depending on how much she remembers she might put two and two together," Scott pointed out.
Ennard gave a wincing hiss. "This feels a lot like a lose-lose situation."
"Well, if ya need somewhere to hide out, how's about setting sail for Pirate's Cove? We're closed fer the rest of the day, so why not swing by and we'll celebrate Baby's big step into the spotlight. Beggin' yer pardon, I mean Ringleader Lizzie's step into the spotlight," Foxy suggested, giving the offer straight to Baby herself.
"I would like that. Scott?"
"Sounds okay to me." Admittedly, anywhere sounded better than hanging around until people started asking questions.
"Then we'll meet you over there," Charlie agreed.
She started to follow Foxy out as he nudged open the van door and was soon intercepted by Jeremy and Mike, who were already there.
Somewhere along the way an arm reached in holding a plastic bag of popcorn, punctuated with an, "Order up!"
"Ah ha! I almost forgot about you!" Ennard chirped. From the eager way he grabbed the popcorn bag, he might've been talking to it instead of Fritz. Though he did call out, "Thanks, Buddy!"
Bonnet crawled over to get into his lap as he fiddled with the plastic clasp holding the bag closed before freeing his prize. He pulled back one of the stiff, squeaky plates of the Freddy head and shoved a small handful of popcorn past his teeth like he was dying for it. Stress eating, Baby realized. He noticed her looking and offered her the bag.
"Want some?"
Baby had never been as gung-ho about shoving foodstuff into her mouth as Ennard was. Largely because of the amount of cleaning that it required afterwards. Popcorn was an especially insidious food because of how easily it could get stuck in small hard-to-reach spots.
But now after being drained by the performance and feeling so strangely good about herself, it seemed like such a small thing. Such a little annoyance. She accepted the indulgence and grabbed herself a small bit.
Just a taste.