[BATIM/BATDR]A Lonely Sepia Melody

Part 14

"Is- Is it Mr.Drew?"

Bendy cringed a bit as soon as the name came out of Charlie's mouth and Charlie's shoulders dropped.

"Wait- Drew?" Audrey asked.

"Like Joey Drew," Bonzy confirmed when Bendy nodded again a little meekly, "how's he dangerous, though? He's a little, y'know," they drew a line across their throat and felt Audrey pop them on the back of the fedora, "What?"

Bendy's little cartoon face looked as pensive as it possibly could as he waved his hands a bit, struggling to explain. Bonzy turned to Charlie, wondering if he had answers, but the boy looked just as lost for an explanation. This was new to him too, then. Not super great but oh well.

"Well," Audrey started, "I think we should focus on Wilson right now. We'll keep Bendy out of his sights and hidden as well as we can until we... handle him." Her voice trailed a bit at the end, unsure of how to word it as Bonzy grinned.

"Don'tcha worry Miss Audrey, all will be fine, I'm sure a ghost can't be that dangerous." Charlie shook his head as he held a hand to Baby Bendy, grasping the little guy's gloved fingers as soon as he was able.

"I firmly disagree."

"Care to explain your logic?" Bonzy asked as they continued down the long turns of stairs. While they had begun to appreciate Charlie's presence with them on this little trip through the bowels of hell, his constant abstract speaking and cryptic answers were a little nerve-wracking. Which was just a really nice way to say annoying. The dude really was from the 1930s, that part was clear.

Back in the present, Charlie shrugged, as he looked straight ahead.

"Only experience and goin' on a few benders could make you understand." Oh, Bonzy understands plenty, they just still feel like ghosts only have power over you if you let them. Ignoring them and forcing them to submit to your future was the best way to go about it. A Bonzy-approved remedy, if you asked them. Well... that and a lot of giggle juice in the vending machines in Archgate, they didn't know what was in that stuff, but it had their thoughts leaving within the first few sips. Plus side there were no hangovers either.

As they continued down, Audrey leading them down the steps with Charlie and Bonzy hanging back with Baby Bendy in between them, the group came upon two large metal doors. Bonzy eyed them up and down before nodding in approval, "I feel a finale coming on." Charlie hummed.

"Don't go into any bright lights and we'll prevent that." Bonzy laughed, as dry as Charlie typically did.

"Ha, ha ha, very funny Charles. Just wait until I die and grab your ankles out of a puddle of ink like a zombie." Charlie shook his head.

"I really wouldn't recommend that. Hurts like the pits of hell."

"Ah, my hometown," a smile curled into Bonzy's face as they strode ahead through the doors, after Audrey, the metal clunking obnoxiously as it pried itself open. Which opened up into a tunnel of light that rivaled the funhouse at Coney Island. Bonzy's eyes widened in awe as they pressed their fingers against the tubes that followed the walls, colored ink flowing through them as they all headed to the tunnel ahead of them. They snickered as they muttered, "This is a little... queer, Creepy Mr.Wilson." Tapping the see-through pipes of rainbow colors, they turned to Charlie, "Can you relate to this ink, Charlie?"

The flat expression on their friend's face was downright amusing as they tapped the ink pipe again, awaiting an answer that they knew they'd never receive. Audrey sent them a scolding look, but it was a knowing one as well. Bonzy tipped their chin up proudly as all of them continued down the hall, at least I'm not the only one who has the sense, they figured, glancing at Charlie.