Sander sides FNAF AU

Ink Hints

     The marionette sat down next to the music box, feeling a wave of calm emitting from soft melodies. The music slowed to a stop.

"Hey...Candy."

     They looked at the human, "That's a nice nickname, thanks for making this—" A long black finger tapped the box. "—work again."

     A quick, out-of-control thumping reached their finely tuned ears.

"Thomas—"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. How do you guys know my name?"

"Says so right there." They pointed at his chest.

     The man glanced down at a golden rectangle pinned to his violet uniform shirt. His fist and last name were engraved in bold, black letters.

"Oh."

     Frantic beats had slowed, but not by much. Shallow breathing joined it. A constant shift in the movements of his sleeves brought their attention to trembling arms.

"My dude, you're not in danger." The figurine moved towards him, wishing to pat his shoulder and rid him of the visible anxiety that plagued him. When the human's internal drum skyrocketed in rhythm, they stopped.

"You probably don't know this, but I used to preform magic tricks to kids." The marionette paused, trying to ease into the topic the right way. "I can—I can teach you one."

"Uhhhhhh, oh-kay?" He mumbled.

     The puppet moved back to the music box and wound it up again. They sat in front of it, hoping its tune would give him a sense of calm, too.

"Breathe in for four seconds, hold for seven, and breathe out for eight."

     Thomas did as he was told.

"You're doing great. Now, again."

     His breathing was less jittery. The puppet tilted their head, searching for the sound of a heartbeat. The music ended.

"Good. Trick's over."

     The human raised an eyebrow. He looked around, then fixated his gaze on the slender figure.

"I don't get it."

"You were getting real panicky, now you're calm."

———————————-
     Thomas blinked in surprise. He put a hand to his chest to test the puppet's claim. Sure enough, a steady thumping greeted his palm.

"Are you some kind of robot therapist?"

     Candy shook its head, "I'm programmed to entertain and keep kids safe and relaxed. You're no child, but I'll make an exception."

"Oh. Wow."

     He didn't know what else to say. Every animatronic had introduced themselves to him, rudely or otherwise, but no where in any magazine of Fun Family's Pizzeria said its mascots possessed high artificial intelligence to the point of interacting like real people.

     They were robots. Programmed with technology from the early 2000's. Their voice boxes seemed too complex, not pre-recorded. Movements too fluid, eyes bled human emotions. Their simple existence seemed complex beyond reason.

"Hey, um, why do you guys act like people? And what's up with being active at night?"

     The instant Candy's glowing eyes dilated, he regretted opening his mouth.

"Lemme make somethin' clear." He couldn't tell if it was fear or anger or a mixture of both that flared in its gaze. "We come across that way 'cuz we mimic and learn from human behaviors. It's part of our programming that makes us appealing to kids and this restaurant popular. But we're not human, no matter how much it seems."