Lilly And The Ink Machine and Other BATIM Stories

Meet Lilly Rein

"1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4."

"Whoa!"

The dance teacher rushed over to her student that had fallen down. The small girl sniffed and rubbed at her face, "I'll never get it! I keep tripping on my own feet."

The teacher gave a sweet smile, "Of course you can. I know that you can do it. Actually, when I was starting to dance, I stumbled over my own feet most of the time. I bet that I tripped more times than you." She winked her green eyes at the girl who started to smile. "But I didn't let it stop me from having fun and learning to dance. It also helped when I played a song in my head to keep to the rhythm."

"What song did you use?"

The dance teacher ran her fingers through the tufts of her short black hair, "I used the song they played in the Bendy cartoons my uncle used to work on. Here, let me show you." The teacher returned to the front of the class. She went through the routine while whistling a short tune. The students clapped when she finished. The teacher smiled at her class, "And it's as simple as that. Now, do you want to try it again?"

"Yes, please!" The entire class chimed.

After the lesson was finished, the teacher said goodbye to her students as their parents came to pick them up. Waving to the last child leaving, she turned to an older gentleman who was sitting in the waiting area. "I hope that you weren't waiting for too long, Uncle Henry."

Henry gave his arms a stretch, "No. It wasn't long at all, Lilly."

Lilly brushed off her cream-colored dress and sat down next to her uncle, "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing just fine. How about you?"

"It's great! My students are becoming less shy and they're improving each day."

Henry smiled, "That's wonderful. But, it's no surprise since they have such a great teacher."

"If it weren't for you and your cartoons, I wouldn't have gotten to where I am now." Henry glanced away with a sad look on his face. Lilly tipped her head to the side, "Is there something wrong?"

Henry shook his head, "No. I just got a letter from Joey."

"The guy that was the head of the animation studio you used to work at thirty years ago?"

"Yeah, and I haven't heard from him since then. Until now. The letter said that he wants to show me something in the old studio. So, I'll need to take the car."

"Really?" Lilly didn't usually leave town, and when she did need to she would ask her uncle to borrow his car. Henry had raised Lilly since she was a young girl and was happy to support her however he could. So, it made sense for him to inform her that the car would be unavailable for a while, especially since the studio was beyond the state border. Lilly remembered her uncle's stories about working at the studio and his boss, Joey Drew. He always had fond memories of drawing Bendy and being with most of his co-workers. But his time working at the studio wasn't always pleasant. Lilly could sense that Henry was worried about seeing his old associate after so many years. She wanted to help him be more comfortable. "I have to use the car as well."

"What?"

"Yeah. I'm taking my uncle to his old workplace to meet with his old friends," Lilly smiled.

Henry shook his head again, "You don't have to come with me."

"But, I want to. I want to see the place where you brought Bendy to life."

"What about your students and your studio?" Henry gestured around at the dance studio.

"Don't worry about it. I can ask Ted to watch over everything. Besides, we shouldn't be gone too long," Lilly continued to smile at Henry.

Henry let out a sigh, "I guess that it would be okay. Plus, it would be nice if you were there to keep me company."

Lilly wrapped her arms around her uncle in a hug, "Thanks, Uncle Henry. I just know that this will be a spectacular trip."

Henry let out a chuckle as he hugged Lilly back, "With you there, I'm sure that it will be amazing." After finishing the hug, Henry stood up, "We better get ready for the trip. I actually don't know how long Joey wants me to stay. So, I'll see you later, Lilly."

"See you later, Uncle Henry," Lilly smiled and nodded her head as she watched her uncle leave her dance studio. Even once he was out of sight, Lilly continued to look out of the window. "Maybe the old animation studio will be where I will find this Ink Machine I've been dreaming about. Either way, I think that this is going to be fun."

Lilly then stood up and got ready to clean up the dance studio before she locked it up.

((So, if Lilly was in the cannon storyline, this would be how she joins Henry on his adventure to the animation studio. Once they arrived, Lilly would get separated from Henry after he turns on the Ink Machine. Lilly would survive solely on luck before reuniting with Henry at the end. Anyways, more one-shots, skits, and the storyline for Lilly And The Ink Machine will be coming up ahead.)