Broken Dreams, Unknown Means

Chapter 6: Parts and Service

The Atrium glows with hard neon lights, illuming the large room as if it were being brightened by a rainbow sun. Families from all around gather at the pizzaplex for a fun-filled day of eating pizza and watching their kids run amok. This place practically does the babysitting for them. Ivory gives a wave to a passing family, smiling and giggling at the kids who lose their marbles at Monty. Ivory proposes an idea. "Hey Monty, let's do a trick to impress the kids. Use me like a toy and juggle me around." Monty's eyes widen a little. "Are ya' sure? What if you get hurt?" Ivory brushes it off. "Don't worry, I won't. Just... here, take these." Ivory pulls out some juggling balls from seemingly out of nowhere and sets two of them in Monty's hands. "Use two of those and I'll act as the third." "Where'd you get those?" Monty asks. "I don't know, I just grabbed them from somewhere." Ivory seems confused himself. Monty laughs. "You're a crazy man, Ivory."

Monty picks Ivory up by the waist and holds him up high. "HEY KIDS, CHECK THIS!" All the surrounding kids turn and run to Monty, watching with eager eyes. Monty tosses Ivory into the air, tossing the balls after him. Ivory falls back into Monty's other hand and Monty repeats the cycle. He seems to be able to juggle Ivory with no struggle. Ivory goes up, then down, then back up, watching the kids laugh and wave their hands. Ivory begins to feel his head spin and signals Monty as he descends. "Put me down, I feel sick." Monty lets the balls fall as he grabs Ivory firmly and sets him back down on the ground. He stumbles a bit from the dizziness. A little girl from the crowd steps forward. "Do it to me! I wanna do that!" Monty kneels to the girl and laughs. "I'm awfully sorry, doll. That's what would be called a liability risk. I can't risk you gettin' hurt." Monty gives her a pat on the head. "Now all of you SCRAM! Go play!" The kids laugh and run as Monty adopts a wide and menacing stance, holding out his claws as he growls. He turns back to Ivory, who is feeling less dizzy. "You know, you're better than you think with handling kids." Ivory giggles. Monty looks away again, feeling embarrassed. "It's what I have'ta do, y'know? I am a children's entertainer." Ivory nods. "Right, right. That's true." The two stand for an awkward second before Ivory exclaims. "Oh! We still gotta go to Parts and Service. C'mon!" He runs across the atrium to Rockstar Row, Monty following closely behind.

The door to Rockstar Row is fully open since it is now operating hours. The carpeted hallway floor muffles lots of miscellaneous noise and makes everything quieter. This tranquil vibe is soon ruined by the sound of Ivory and Monty running down the silent hall. "I don't... know... why... I'm... running..." Ivory huffs and puffs as he slows down. "We still have a lot of time before we have to steal the disc." He and Monty walk at a comfortable pace for the rest of the way. It seems nobody is in Rockstar Row except for Chica and a little girl. She has long, blonde pigtails and a pink dress. She only reaches Chica's knee and has to look straight up to see the chicken's face. Chica notices the footsteps and turns to the duo. "Well hiya, Monty! What'cha doin' here with Ivory?" Monty steps forward. "Ivory's gotta do a job in Parts and Service. I felt like taggin' along." Chica puts her hands together and goes aww. "So cute! Have fun!" Ivory blushes as he continues to walk to Monty's room. Monty follows with a chuckle. Ivory unlocks the door with his keycard and motions Monty inside first. "It's your room after all." He ruffles Ivory's hair as he walks in. "We're only here for Parts and Service, remember?" Ivory laughs. "Well yeah, but..." He blushes as he enters the back room. "The fuck am I doing?"  Ivory thinks to himself. Monty bends down to meet Ivory's face. "Well if you wanna be so flirtatious, I'll make it worthwhile." Monty gives a kiss on Ivory's cheek. "Don't think of this as anything more, okay?" Monty continues to walk to the elevator. Ivory pauses for a second before catching up with him. The elevator opens slowly and the two shimmy inside the small entrance. The door closes back up and the elevator descends. "Seriously, though. What was that?" Ivory asks Monty. "Well, I thought you'd like the gesture. Seein' your face, I think you did. Don't deny it." Monty laughs. Ivory rubs the spot he was kissed. "I did." Ivory smiles.