...freddy's.

[ a low chuckle. ]

god i hate it here.

why does the upgrade cadet just. carry classified files with him.

...

i. i think that's his cat.

[ ...snickering softly to herself. that's actually pretty funny. ]

sigh. let the kid yearn, damn.

[ ...blink. that's impressive, but... ]

this doesn't exactly help me. i'm trying to get good at it, not just beat it once.

about three hours. i'm trying to figure out minesweeper.

[ she glances up, hoping the bags under her eyes aren't too noticeable. ]

fighting for my fucking life, clearly.

[ ... she's still playing it. girl is locked the fuck in. ]

these 50/50 spaces fucking suck.

[ trying very hard and failing at minesweeper. ]

god, fuck this.

god, i wish.

[ a low chuckle. ]

as it stands, no.

[ it's kinda cute, honestly. ]

you can handle it. just keep your ears on right and you'll get through just fine, from the looks of it.

...d'you like. need help? or anything?

[ looks up from her phone. looks her up and down. ]

i think you'll be fine.

i've got a few inconveniences left on my ledger. ...not as many as i'd like, though.

jesus fucking christ, man. someone forget to finish salvaging the poor bastard?

nah, got a few seconds, he isn't walking yet.

[ one, two, three, four... the moment she hears a footstep, she shuts the door right in the bot's face. ]

i'm trying to cut it a little closer. keeps me from getting close to running out of power.

fair enough. well, if it means anything, it isn't just for show.

[ she chuckles softly, closing the other door for a moment. there's a brief thunk, and then she opens it again. ]

i've heard plenty, yeah. i also know that you're not like the others. hauntings are... common, looks like.

[ her finger automatically twitches over the door button before she realizes who's here. but given the lack of change in expression, it'd be hard to tell. ]

what, does the eyepatch not give me enough of an air of mystique and power?

[ she says this with a slight smile hidden in her tone. ]

mmhm. i guess that's fair.

[ she gives a long sigh. ]

honestly, just from what i'm hearing, you really do deserve better than freddy's. i'unno how you stay so positive about everything, but i really respect it.

...seems everyone who ends up here has their own string of bad fortune, huh?

third? how'd you get hired after the second?

[ she can't help a small laugh to herself at the thought. not at him, more like with his energy about it. he doesn't seem too pressed, really. it's kinda inspiring, all told. ]

[ a tilt of the head, and an amused smile. ]

how many times are you saying occam's razor??

[ she could also just die, but. ]

hey, it happens. hell knows i've botched plenty of pronunciations before. means you're learning.

occam's, but yeah.

[ that's what she's here for. if nothing else, then to end the suffering. it's all just research and getting a lay of the land for these first few days. ]

...

[ right. he doesn't know anything about all this. she smiles tightly to herself, eye flicking away from jeremy. ]

i feel like i got away from the point a little. i don't think it was meant to be perverse. just an odd design, if i had to guess.

it gets so easy to look at the two in the lens of history and call afton and emily "the evil one" and "the not evil one" when... yes, afton obviously killed a bunch of kids. that's worse.

but emily prolonged the suffering. left the wound to fester.

...though i suppose i didn't know him personally. i only know what he did in the company, and... well. why keep the company alive so long? why not let it die like it deserved to? why put so many innocent people in harm's way, for... what? a grudge? a misguided attempt at repentance?

well, no. i was going to say that they were both kind of awful. calling henry "the good one" feels... reductive.

...

hold on, what do you think i was trying to say.

...i mean, maybe. a bit late to ask him, i reckon.

honestly, both of them were a bit...

[ fucked up, is what she doesn't say. ]