#And saw Maria as a shiny new toy rather than a person

[sleepyxcocoa]

People say that Geordo is a manipulator, though I low-key headcanon that he gets relentlessly bullied by his friend group.

Then again, it's hard to take Geordo seriously as a manipulator, schemer, and possible heir to a kingdom if you saw said prince screaming at the sight of a small garden snake or being left behind by his duchess fiancee to cook fish.

You cannot change my mind.

[vnights]

A different kind of mad.

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Ixi’s on her bull again. Come read about Aya escaping her own personal torment, and invading someone else’s! Consider this Ixi’s personal writing entirely for fun, so, things may move a bit quick, some things may not make sense, yadda yadda, crossover nonsense. Enjoy ???

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Entertainment is just as important as education is to a child. To deprive one of that is downright cruel. This is why, with Alfred out of the picture, Maria did her best to erase all those horrible memories, and fill them in with new, more exciting ones. This was rather hard to achieve, though, as Aya’s whole world was stripped away from her in a single night, with the added trauma that her own father, the one who loved her so dearly, tried to end her life, as he did her mother. All of these damages attacked her at once, and she’s no longer that happy child she once was.

This is why today has to be special.

Without explaining why, Maria packed Aya up and boarded a plane, traveling all the way from Germany to be here in America. They got an animal-friendly hotel room, did some shopping, checked out minor attractions, but this.. This was the highlight. Standing outside the building, Maria placed a hand on the youngers shoulder to stop her for a moment, pointing to the signs taped to the windows.

“Opp- Uh oh.. Read there..”

“Uh..” Aya looked up to see a very disappointing sign. No animals allowed.. “But.. Snowball..”

“I’m afraid Snowball can’t go in.. Oh well..”

“But- We came all the way here..”

“...That’s okay. Why don’t you still go in? I can stay out here and watch your bunny. There’s a nice public park nearby where we can play, I just want you to have a good time.”

“Wh-? Are you sure? But, you’ve done everything so far! It’s all been about me, I want you to have-“

“-I’m the adult, it is my job, Mistress. Please, don’t worry about me! Go on, go have fun, we’ll be waiting for you.”

The woman held her hands out, wearing a pleased smile as Aya reached towards her, allowing the bunny in her arms to jump over. The girl was then handed a small dictionary just in case, and an envelope of US currency. Now, Aya being all set, it’s time to part from one another, something that’s reasonably tense. Nevertheless, Aya wanted to fulfill Maria’s hopes, and waved goodbye as she entered the building, all by herself.

Instantly, she was hit with a heavy smell of pizza, the sound of music and laughter, and colorful, happy sights all around. Fazbears seemed like the perfect detox for the remaining Drevis. While, it certainly isn’t to Maria’s standards of entertainment, it was cheap enough for the cash she worked tooth and nail to scrape up. It was either a nice hotel and a sub-par attraction, or a really nice movie-dinner, and sleeping in their rental cab, don’t blame her. Looking around, Aya spotted the main counter with a short line of people waiting, deciding to skip over and wait in line, herself.

Within no time, little Aya got checked in, and even has her own little wrist-band and cup of tokens as proof! Now, walking into the main area, her eyes lit up at all the games, and especially at those adoring animatronics!.. So shiny and colorful! Now, with so much to do, where to even start? She’s never even been to a public playground, being so isolated since birth..

...She got to see a show, she got to play around, she even had a good bite to eat. But, unfortunately, Aya did all this alone. She saw mothers and their kids, and she was reminded of Maria, who was waiting for her on the outside. But.. Seeing fathers with their kids, now that’s where the issues rose. Her incredibly unhealthy plate of pizza was interrupted as she looked on, watching a very small child waddle over from her mom to her dad, getting scooped up for kisses and raspberries. Immediately, Ayas stomach began to sour, feeling cramps and dirty moths fill her innards, scooting away from the table and choosing to simply walk away. Her new point of interest was the farthest corner of the room, approaching a dusty, unused table with a sloppily-placed holiday fabric laying over it.

With an arm over her stomach, she got down and crawled underneath the drape, shuffling to the corner to sit in shelter, hiding away from the rest of the world beneath this gum-stapled table. Her father was terrible, and she knows in her heart that it’s for the best he’s gone. But, that doesn’t mean everything just.. Goes away. When he was good, he was really good, and she desperately longs for those memories, despite what became of Alfred. The girl brought her knees to her chest and rested her hands atop of them, sniffing sadly as her eyes dampened, trying to shake this unfortunate tummy-ache. Before long, she found herself in a strange position..

...She opened her eyes, and everything was different. Little Aya fell asleep, and, being somewhere so mysterious, she was missed during lock-up. Rubbing her face and waking up, she shook her head and crawled out, peering out at the darkness captivating the once lively building. Shuddering, she held her hands together and began walking, carefully looking around the corners, just making absolutely sure she won’t see anything scary, this time.

Speaking of seeing something scary, not too far away, sitting back in his chair, the night-guard placed a warm cup of coffee to his lips, his eyes skimming over the not-so-active cams as he enjoyed the early moments of the night. Setting his drink aside, he flipped through the cameras, and received a major heart-attack. Jumping with a heavy gasp, the man placed a hand on his chest, and quickly moved to grab a newspaper nearby, rolling it up in a tube-like shape, and getting up from his desk to approach the hall, not leaving the room.

“Hey, uhhh.. The hell are you doin’ here?!..” Jeremy shouted through the tube, awaiting any kind of response, moving back to the cams to see the girls reaction.

Aya jumped, beginning to tug at her dress nervously as she felt a scolding coming on. He- He used a bad word!... Looking around, she tried to follow the distant voice. “I- I’m sorry-! I fell asleep, I didn’t mean too-!”

“Look- It don’t matter! Ts’fine! Just.. Can you come where I am? Can you come n’ join me? I can’t leave you there alone, and I can’t really leave my post, so!.. Y’know!..” Look, okay, Jeremy’s good with kids, but he’s not responsible with them. Expecting this to go well is like expecting a cat to bark.. Luckily, Aya was always quick to listen to adults, following along to his words. “Good job, good girl! Coooome on now, you’re doing great-“

Jeremy continued to guide the child straight to him, wasting far too much time not checking on the animatronics at the start of the night while doing so. It took quite a while, but Aya eventually stumbled down that long hallway, being able to see the man at the other end of it. He greatly rushed her to hurry, scooping her up upon first opportunity, and setting her down in the desk chair, beginning to get a look at Aya.

“There you are, there ya are, ya okay, blue-eyes? What happened? How come you’re still here?”

“I-I fell asleep under a table, I’m sorry..” Ah, the feeling of guilt. It’s a strong emotion, certainly.

Picking up on her slightly unusual accent for this area, Jeremy merely sighed, deciding against his stricter-speaking. She seems a bit more oblivious than other children.. “..Don’t worry about it, I can.. Eehh, I can drive you home, or whatever. Gotta expect this stuff workin’ at a kids place.. You just sit tight an’ lemme work, ‘kay?” As she nodded, he groaned, turning back to his station, now with the inconvenience of standing. This was gonna murder his back in the morning.. Though, despite everything, he proceeded, hoping to keep her attention kept off the animatronics strange behavior. “...So, where ya from? You live here, or.. Vacation?”

“Vacation, I think.. Maria and I flew in from Northern Germany, so..”

“Geerrrrmaaan.” Seems he was satisfied. Accent placed. Neat. “Maria? Older cousin or somethin’?” Please don’t say step-mom, that’s gonna be so awkward-

“Maria’s fathers assistant at our home. Or, she was, before he.. Um.. Passed away.. Now she’s pretty much my caretaker. My mother passed away, too, a while ago..”

“Oh. Oh, gees, uh, sorry ‘bout that. You’ve gotta be in good hands if she dropped you off here though, right? Fazbears, where friends n’ family come to life, or somethin’.”

“Yeah, she’s nice.. She’s not like mother or father, but she’s nice..”

“Hey..” Jeremy tapped her knee playfully, getting Aya to make eye contact. “Mom’s n’ dad’s aren’t everything. They take care of you, an’ play with you, and keep you fed n’ stuff, all until you’re like.. 14, then suddenly you’re a freeloader who needs to start doing somethin’ with your life.” Nnnnot what she was expecting, but, she’s intrigued.. “Your chores get harder, you need a part time job, toys you really want suddenly become special and you need to buy them yourself. Speaking of toys, you’re suddenly too old for them, but not old enough to talk back, or do anything you want. Then, you get older, and your parents expect you to move out. Get your own home, pay your own bills, move on with your life, but they also wanna keep you under their wing, so now you gotta call every Monday, and if you don’t, they call, and nag at you. Ya love em’, but they’re annoying. But.. You love em’. Stinks they’re gone, and I am sorry, but.. There’s perks, too...” The older ended with a shrug. He may have reflected a bit, but, he wanted to plant an alternative thought that’s not super depressing.

..She’s never thought about growing up like that.. Would mother really have done that? Would father? She knows growing up involves taking care of ones self, but.. The chores, the calls, the toys, that all seems like a whole lot. Not that it modified her opinion of her parents, no, not at all, but.. Maria isn’t having her do any of that, right?.. Toying with her hands in her lap, staring at them, Aya sighed somewhat sadly and tried to find a polite, proper answer.

“My, I never thought of those things.. Did your parents do that?..”

“Pff, yeah. A bit overbearing, but, I’m well on my feet. I take it your folks paid plenty’a attention to you? Seeing as you’re dressed like a lil’ Christmas angel, and all.”

“Oh, these are my play clothes, Maria said. Laundry machine and dirt safe.”

“Your wardrobe gets fancier? Jesus Christ, girl, you royalty or something? Am I in the presence of a lil’ princess?”

Aya let out a small giggle, shaking her head, and becoming rather excited to mention a.. Little quirk about her life. “No, but I did live in a castle.. Well, it was a mansion, but it was a very big one!”

“Aw man, really? I gotta dinky little apartment, that sounds amazing! You’re so small, what’d you need all that room for?”

“Father needed the space for work. We often had many guests..”

“I imagine so. So, moved after things went downhill? Where do you stay, now?”

The two continued to talk throughout the night, Aya ignoring all the oddities occurring through the nightly hours, seeing how visibly uncomfortable it made Jeremy. She ended up sleeping on floor underneath the desk, using the olders jacket as a blanket until the sun rose. And, once it had, Jeremy wasted no time to get the H out of there, taking Aya with him, and setting her gently in the backseat of his crappy car, taking her straight to the police station for assistance in finding her caretaker. Before long, Maria had been located, contacted, and beckoned down to the precinct to retrieve Aya.

But not without a word, first.

The moment that woman arrived, Jeremy was yawning, feeling this very rational anger boil up inside. Aya was still lovingly asleep, fortunately being spared from seeing this interaction. As Maria approached in panic, she looked in the car window, then turned her attention to the young man waiting. “Oh my gosh, I- I couldn’t find her, I had no idea what to do! I’m astonished, thank you, thank you s-!”

“-‘Ey, c’mon, sshh. C’mere, just.. Just c’mere a sec.” He was quick to hush the situation. “Do you know.. A.. Very special little thing about Fazbears, twin-braids?”

“A-?.. I.. I don’t, I apologize, I tried to find her-“

“-Look, I can forgive losin’ kids, they’re stupid little gremlins at all times, that’s the least of it- But, are you aware that Fazbears has a history of kids going missing? And, either turning up dead, or never turning up at all? Do you know how effing lucky you are to be able to see this baby again?..” Holding a sassy hand out towards her, he gestured out his frustrations, watching her expression sour with worry. With that, Jeremy continued. “So many families have been left hollowed and gutted, and you could’a been one of ‘em. It’s nice you wanted to give Aya a nice time to remember, but.. The city’s dangerous. It’s real dangerous. You endangered her by leavin’ her alone, and I’m actually kind of reluctant to let her back with ya, if I’m honest. I know I have too, she just fell asleep, but.. You could’a been called here for a much different reason, and I think you should appreciate that a lil’ bit. Get your kid outta my car so I can go home.”

It was difficult to process all of that. She certainly felt guilty, but now, even more so. Kids go missing there? She should have done more research, she should have been more aware, she shouldn’t have left Aya alone, but this mans temper seems to be reaching a limit, and she’d rather not push it. Instead, Maria simply nodded with a thanks, and went to wake the girl, opening the car door and peeking inside with a smile, shaking Ayas foot.

“Aya, Aya, wake up..”

With a shuffle and a grumble, she stretched and sat up, giving the older a tired smile. “Maria-! How did you get here? Wh..ere am I?”

“We’re at the police station, mistress. You were driven by-... Mmmm?...”

“Jeremy?..”

Maria, looking over for confirmation, chuckled and nodded. “Yes, he drove you, and called me, and now we’re here!.. Where on earth did you go? Did you not hear me looking for you? We’re you hiding-?”

Rubbing her eyes, Aya worked on getting out of the vehicle. “I started feeling bad, so I went under the table, and then I woke up and it was all dark..”

Through more small talk and conversation, Maria got Aya back, Aya is safe again, and Jeremy has his jacket back. Everything worked out, he was able to protect her and get her home, and everyone’s happy. Or, really so you’d think. Jeremy was left with a terrible taste in his mouth, still carrying sleepy bitterness home with him as he drove with a hand in his mouth, biting away at his already aching nails. Once at home, he unlocked his door and stepped inside, kicking his shoes off as he strolled straight to bed, working on removing his socks upon laying down. The softness of his mattress was so captivating, opening his eyes only to look over at the photos on his bedside table. His friends, his first-related family, and a family portrait he isn’t in, but a tiny girl is. This is why Ayas situation made him so mad. She’s such a sweet girl, so tiny and innocent, and yet, she was lost in the dark with a stranger and killer animatronics. Jeremy didn’t have to take care of her the way he did. But, he knows one thing to be true.

If that was his little sister, he’d want someone to do the same.

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Random art below !