IT WAS A GRAVEYARD SMASH~♪

Still, as her focus returned to the road for a moment, her ears visibly perked up when Vanessa spoke as her gaze turned to the lock screen. Which, evidently, didn't seem to accept the mask as a valid face either. She looked briefly confused, glancing toward the road as she began to ease to the curb so she could stop.

"I don't remember locking it with my face..." She mused aloud, even as she began to fidget with the back of her mask to loosen it enough to take it off. Something that took a bit of a concentrated effort, evidently, as she only got it off after ten seconds of bemused grumbling.

"Okie dokie, there we..." She began, before seemingly losing her train of thought as she peered around for a moment.

After a moment's pause, however, she let out a little 'oh!' as she leaned closer so her phone could verify her identity and unlock. Blinking a few times as she had to finangle it so it would recognize her face with all the motion detecting pads on her face. Whistling quietly through her buckteeth before handing the phone back.

"Theeere we go, all good!" She exclaimed, before turning back to the front so she can drive. Vanny did seem somewhat puzzled, especially so when she heard the general chattering of animatronics behind them. Peering in the rear-view mirror for a moment as she got them back onto the road.

A small frown briefly fell on her face thinking about the subject as Vanny fiddled with her mask, but those thoughts would come to an abrupt stop as the rabbit's head was finally pulled off.

Vanessa's eyes blinking themselves wide as the white rabbit ears were replaced with brown ones styled from the other woman's fluffy hair.

The pink hues that constantly decorated her cheeks starting to spread over the rest of her face as she took in Belle's features, somehow maintaining the rabbit-like aesthetic throughout even without the mask on. That and the pleasantness, evidently.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting to be under the mask, but what was underneath made her stall for a moment... before finally blinking down at the phone as it was handed back her way.

Quietly taking it and turning away, putting most of her focus on trading contact information between their two devices, making sure she had her number saved & vice-versa. It was only the other's comments confirming her recent memory issues that makes Vanessa glance up.

Not commenting on it, but having a knowing look cross her face.

Once the other woman is actually climbing into the door, Vanny is quick to climb onto the hood of her RV so she can clamber over to the actual driver's side door to climb in herself. Once they're both situated, she took a minute to peer over and do a head-count of the animatronics in the RV. Assured that she had them all, the white rabbit got them moving again, wrangling her phone free with one hand from one of the many pouches of her toolbelt.

"Here y' are, just get my contact info off that." She mused, handing the phone over nonchalantly to Vanessa.

The bunny-themed phone case made it a touch clunky to hold onto, especially with the little ears on top with a couple keychains of the FNAF crew. There's even a Roxy amidst the more classic crew. It seemed that she really was the white rabbit's favorite. There's even a few Roxy stickers as well!

Green eyes fall down to the device in her hands, giving a brief glance over all the decorations on it... seeing the Roxy keychain bringing a more nostalgic smile to Vanessa's face, before she finally tapped at the screen to turn it on, eager to trade contact details.

... only for the lock screen to very quickly deny her access, her blinking down at her reflection on it, before looking back up to the other.

"Y-y-yeah, it's gonna be a lil' crowded in there." Vanny agreed, finally having to just help Chica through the door so they could move along. Once she saw them beginning toward the RV, Vanny began wheeling the most decrepit of their haul toward it before opening the back; watching the others pull themselves inside and meandering to various spots. All the while she's getting out the straps to begin the process of, indeed, tying the golden rabbit to the roof of her RV.

Something the other rabbit didn't seem particularly happy about given the way it snarled as she started tightening the straps.

Hopefully before her own reddening cheeks from the act could be noticed, though, the salvaged animatronics disappear into the RV, leaving her with the two rabbits, helping one secure the other being a good enough distraction to get her mind back onto something else.

Particularly, back to her staring at the one now growling atop the roof of the vehicle, scratching her head, the familiarity itching again.

"Certainly a word for it." She replied, arms crossing back over her chest, a finger tapping upon her opposite bicep as she watched. "You should be careful messing around with it. Even pristine animatronics can be unpredictable, so I can only imagine what this guy will get up to..."

Her words trail off, though the implication becomes obvious as she blinks, checks her watch, and frowns. "... damn, sun'll be up soon."

"So.. do you think I still need the dolly?" Vanny asked, looking extremely perplexed between the other two(?) individuals in the room.

Only made worse when the yellow rabbit began taking measured steps toward her, slamming metallic feet onto the dolly's platform for the both of them of its own volition. Vanny looking to Vanessa with a look of perplexity before beginning to strap the strange animatronic to the dolly so it doesn't come loose on the way.

"Well, uh, that answers... that," she murmured, beginning to wheel it back and out, "do you think we need anything else or should we be good with what we have?"

She was prepared to whistle Freddy over to ask for help 'escorting' the potentially defective animatronic to the backroom for staff safety, but it thankfully came to a stop right atop the dolly.

How convenient...?

"... well, I do, I'm pretty sure." She answers, also watching the animatronics funnel out on their own, silently thinking about the logistics in her head as Chica had to squeeze through the doorway. "Will probably have to ride shotgun with you this time, though."

Only added onto as it convulsed, a robotic hand slamming to the arcade cabinet behind it; suddenly hoisting itself up to it's impressive height with a strange jittering twitch. It seemed far more active when it was aggravated like that.. something made more prevalent as it took a step forward.

And yet, the thing didn't just react, didn't blink at the light or even spasm like the older Foxy model had done, it hissed and leaned away from it in a shockingly organic display of discomfort.

It wasn't an impossible act among the animatronics, but she hadn't seen motion like this firsthand from anything since the Glamrocks.

Even as the putrid-looking thing rather miraculously worked it's way to it's feet, though, the night guard never quite shows the shock or horror one would've expected from your average employee.

If anything, she was staring at the spring animatronic with an odd look of... vague recollection? Tilting her head and raising her brow, some itch in the farthest back of her mind telling her she'd seen this before, or at the least something like it, but she couldn't recall where...

Not before Vanny had returned with the dolly, at least.

"Seems like it, yeah." She answers, still staring at the moldy rabbit, but having refocused enough to take a step backwards. "I didn't think the spring animatronics could... move like that." It was before her time, of course, so it's not as if she'd ever seen them firsthand, but she had it in her head that these things were just stage animatronics.

"I don't have the faintest what they could've been using this thing for but it's definitely got a... vibe, I guess," Vanny added, setting the axe down to give the animatronic a closer look, "even if I couldn't tell ya what kind it has.."

She crouched beside it, looking this way and that as she gently lifted an arm up between two fingers with a wince. The sight of something viscous and tar black leaking off the cracks making her unceremoniously drop the appendage while she stood.

"I think I saw a dolly backstage, I'll, uh.. go use that, because I really don't wanna deal with trying to lug this thing around. You wrap up and I'll meet you at the RV, mm'kay?"

Her best guess was that it was a Spring Bonnie, but those antiques didn't have any compatible parts that would warrant keeping them around, least of all one in such a revolting state...

... even if it's eyes were still working, which was made evident by how they followed the white rabbit as she left, before those white lights clearly focused in on her instead. Something that, while it might have scared just about anyone else, only made her more curious.

The only time she seemed uncomfortable was when she instead was the one that crawled into the vent, only to come back rapidly shaking her head in response to any questioning of what was within. All of this culminating in the both of them standing in front of a boarded doorway, peering in at the barely legible outline of some sort of animatronic.

"It kinda looks like a rabbit, I think..?" Vanny mused, peering between the boards as the dim light of her eyes helped illuminate the rather decrepit figure. "Though, it doesn't look like anything that can be fixed up without more cost than you'd get back..."

Still, it seemed that the white rabbit herself thought of the axe, practically skipping back to the main room to retrieve it in spite of the condition of the animatronic.

Nothing her boss would be interested in, that was for certain. The endo in the back had more to offer the business than this thing did.

Still, that doesn't mean she's the not the least bit curious about what it actually was, when it looked at least a decade older than the already vintage models they'd seen in the rest of the pizzeria. Hence, her not putting up much of an argument when Vanny has the same idea.

"Well, that's not ominous," she mused, suddenly dropping to her knees to begin crawling under the lowermost shelf, "lemme juuuust.."

With a wiggle of her bushy tail, the white rabbit suddenly came out from beneath the shelf with a large fire axe in her grasp, blinking up at Vanessa with a mischievous little grin on her face. She hoisted herself back up, giving the axe a few little appreciative pats while she considered.

"I'm fine with losing out on the main trio, I'm not necessarily after whole animatronics myself. Even if I'd never say no to them. I'd love to actually get ahold of an animatronic's personality chip. They're the most interesting part to me." She explained, beginning out with the axe; albeit, she did place it onto one of the tables once they were back in the main room.

The night guard quietly stepping backward as Vanny started to leave, giving a wide birth to the rabbit until she'd set it down.

"... fair enough." She muttered with an exhale of breath she hadn't realized she was holding, doing her best to stifle the momentary lapse as she turned towards the rest of the facility, gripping her tablet. "I'll look over the rest of the animatronics, see what's interesting."

She says, very deliberately not acknowledging what just happened before she started off, with or without Vanny in tow, to distract herself with the remaining mascots awaiting their reviews.

Being back to work meant being back to efficiency, as she made her next 'interviews' quick- giving Foxy a flashlight test when she noticed his even older-modeled eyes, listening unfazed to the garbage output of Chica's damaged verbal components, raising a brow Bonnie's unmasked head rambling off in Spanish... looking down at an open vent before taking once glance backward, deciding against exploring it.

Her being consistently unafraid of the robots, arguably more at ease in their presences than she was with Vanny's, but... eventually, her dutiful walk came to a slow stop, as a stench reached her nose.

Head turning towards a door-less doorway thoroughly locked off by nailed boards, closing it and whatever was rotting in there inside.

Green eyes squinting between the boards, seeing the slumped silhouette of what looked like an animatronic sitting in the darkest corner of the room, any details hidden by the fact this seemed the only room in the building that didn't have a functional bulb.

"... looks more ancient than 'vintage'." She says aloud with a grimace, not looking terribly interested in giving the thing an examination.

"I'm just a bit of a pacer, I suppose. I'll probably meander back and forth throughout the night, I'm not really th' type to sit still, y'hear?" Freddy answered, clearly unsure of how satisfactory such an answer would actually be. It seemed the best he could come up with, however, as he didn't elaborate any further on the matter.

"...Well, I guess it's better than nothing, huh?" The white rabbit replied, her own attention meandering away now that it was clear they weren't in immediate danger.

She's wandering off around the room, looking left and right before going towards the side rooms. Vanny peeking inside one before looking up at the endoskeleton returning her gaze. Very slowly, she inched the door shut anew, before hastily peeking back inside as if it would be gone this time around.

"That's very helpful to know, thank you." She answers with a smile, putting a checkmark beside Freddy's name. "You're on the list. We'll come by to get you once we decide who will be joining you." The confirmation comes with a tip of her hate, before she turned to follow where her accomplice had wandered off to...

... raising a brow at seeing her doing a cartoon gag. She sure did a better job acting cute in the role than she did.

"An endo, huh?" She asked, poking her head over the rabbit's shoulder to get a better look at whatever she was goading into action. "Looks pretty pristine, but I really doubt it's the type of thing my boss is looking for..." Never mind the fact she found the naked thing pretty unnerving next to the others. "Free to take if you want it, though."

Ideally on a future run, as they'll be hurting for space enough with just three robotic passengers... but, hey, it's her van being used.

Oh, right, they weren't super friendly if they thought you might be a criminal, were they?

"Ooh, yeah, I'm on the more front-facing part of the job, y'know? Because the kids find it a little, um, jarring when there's human staff sometimes." She further fabricated, giving a little 'teehee' of cuteness to try and sell her innocent act.

After a moment longer of those eyes boring into her, Freddy let out an uproarious laugh- one that had heard better days- as he slapped his furry thigh.

"Well, ain't that a treat. Good to hear that the ol' Fazbear spirit's still alive 'nd kickin'!" He bellowed, reaching down to give the white rabbit a hearty pat on the back.

Vanny looked equal parts elated and terrified, bolting upright and staying stock-still for a moment before relaxing again with a breathy chuckle. Looking this way and that now that the general sounds of movement were slightly less threatening. It seemed the other animatronics were stirring now that the lights were on.

"Now, if'n you're here, I take it you," Freddy began, pointing at Vanessa, "must be one of 'em Salvagers, yeah? Whaddya say 'bout lettin' this here Fredbear take a crack at the limelight again, huh? A good spitshine and, why, I bet I'll be good as new!"

The 'normal' ones, anyway.

So, she isn't slightest bit nervous in the presence of a Freddy that even an adoring fan might find too scary to be around, nodding along to his words as she put away her flashlight, withdrawing her work tablet.

"Right on the money, sir." She affirms, quickly setting up a simple digital document just to record the important information. "We'll be moving three of you out of here and into a temporary location for repairs. By the end of the week, you should be more than ready for a live stage."

At least, that's the idea behind the salvage runs that was pitched to her. The new boss was eager to put every animatronic he'd acquired in front of a paying public as fast as possible, no matter how old.

Especially ones in as good condition as this one, her giving Vanny an affirmative nod. "Someone will have to give him a check-up, but I think you're right- seems like all he's in desperate need of is some joint repair to help with his posture." The night guard added, already typing the observations all down in her notes. "He's a shoe-in."

She's about to go ahead and put down a checkmark, before she pauses, looking back up to him. "I suppose I should also ask if you could give me any into your nightly routines, sir? I'm the location's night guard in addition to salvager, and I'll need to account for your schedule."

The vintage location was, frankly, rather salvageable as a whole, though any thoughts of telling the boss about the status of the building space is surely forgotten when she turned in time to see the hulking figure of the bear animatronic looking down at her with those slightly worse-for-wear eyes. A blink, as they seemed to be processing who was in front of them and then-

"Well, hey there!" Came the slightly gravely voice of Freddy Fazbear. "You know me, the host with the most, slightly worse for wear, your pal Freddy Fazbear™!"

The animatronic proclaimed amicably, just in times for the lights to suddenly flash on as Vanny winced herself in the light she just turned on, waving a hand vaguely in the air as she recovered from the unintentional scare.

"Jeez, okay! Power's good!" Vanny proclaimed, whirling around before yelping at the sight of Freddy looking at her from atop the stage; feet leaving the floor as she wrapped her arms around Vanessa ala Scooby-Doo in fright. "OHGEEZIMNOTREADYFORFREDDY- oh he seems chill."

The lights turning on briefly blinding her before she could properly respond, her just barely recovering in time to hear the other woman's squeal and, on working instincts, catch her in her arms.

... just. Standing there blinking for a moment, re-processing the whole situation, before (further) hues of pink grew on her face.

"Oh, ah, um..." She muttered, more to herself than to anyone in her vicinity, as she looked between Vanny and Freddy, before catching herself. "... yeah. Yeah. Right, it's past 6am- they should all be service mode." She explained, still just holding the rabbit, waiting for her to actually move to leave rather than potentially just dropping her.

Turning back up to the withered animatronic on stage, she puts on a more appropriate 'company smile' before speaking. "Not a replacement at all, Mr. Fazebear sir, just..." She pauses, thinking over her next words before continuing. "... a more colorful member of our staff, in accordance to new management. To help maintain the fantasy."

"Gosh, I've never 'officially' gone into one of these before, even if I'm not technically supposed to be here," Vanny muttered, her excitement palpable given the twitching of the ears atop her head, "it's gonna be weird being able to walk around."

Speaking of, that seemed to remind her to remove the rollerskates for the time being, given that trying to carry an animatronic like that wouldn't precisely go over well. Once she's done that, she's quick to make her way out, swiveling around to open the back of the RV up so they could more easily access the workshop facilities. Part of the floor beginning to whir outward and down... Vanny really did have this mobile headquarters set up for scenarios just like this.

She doesn't wait for an answer before finding the correct one of the additional keys she'd been trusted with and making her way out towards the front, quick to get the front doors opened.

Her flashlight clicking to life to unveil a very vintage location, even if a great deal of it's classic aesthetic has been warped by age & grime, an audible 'ooooohh...!' escaping her as it shined over an grand poster in the entrance that was shockingly legible, in spite of everything.

"Oh, this place is old-old." She said aloud to herself, sentence only being made sense of by animatronic designs on display- big, clunky models of the original four, even older than the revisions back at the location they'd just rode from. The first 'Fazbear' animatronics.

The thought of such vintage tech being intact here was one that briefly made her forget the potential dangers as, without waiting up for her accomplice, she walks further in- past the entrance and into the dining hall, shining her light around the large room curiously.

She vaguely recalled her boss implying someone might meet her here but, clearly, they'd cleared out when they realized the actual salvage guy had flaked on them. No other employees were here.

Her, of course, not noticing the small eyes slipping out of view behind a corner, as her attention instead drifts up towards the stage, instead...

Her fingers drummed along the steering wheel as she seemed to be debating the situation suddenly being dropped onto her lap like that. Her gaze flicking to the rear-view mirror now and again while she considered her options...

"Weeeeeell, we'll have to see how tonight goes," she began, pointing a finger as she gave a slight wag, "I have to make sure you're not, like, a narc. No offense, but I bet your bossman would love to have me stuffed into a suit when I'm making away from so much of his stuff."

The explanation at least told what she meant when she mentioned things getting 'awkward' earlier. Even as she took them off the highway as they neared the location, looking back at her for a moment as they were trapped at a red light.

"What, you think I'm wearing a wire?" She asks back, though a look at the rear-view mirror would be enough to tell it was in jest if her tone failed to, the night guard reclining in her seat with a smirk. "Smart, because I totally could be. Not as if I'm gonna show you."

Jokes aside, Vanessa knew she wasn't wrong for the suspicions, even if the new boss didn't seem like a 'suit-stuffing' type. If anything, he might try hiring her if he actually saw her handiwork... not too many authentic 'Fazbear Entertainment' engineers left alive.

And, of course, she'd be lying if she said there wasn't any motivation to wanting to keep her close, but that was hardly a legal matter.

Regardless, she doesn't press on the subject for now, turning her focus to the question directed at her... squinting as she did mental math.

"I really wanted to get into practical effects for movies growing up. Y'know, none of the CG stuff or anything. Couple that with the whole love of Freddy's and, well, kinda checks out." She continued, waving a vague hand in the air while she glanced to the GPS while they went.

Brought back memories of doing maintenance for the Glamrocks back before things fell apart there... blinking as a thought appeared in her head, having a moment of silent consideration to herself, weighing the benefit of doing a certain someone a big favor against the consequences of that same certain someone finding out the details...

... any internal thoughts on the topic brought to an abrupt end by Vanny's sudden cackle at jumpscaring the gawkers outside.

It'd probably be fine.

"Y'know... I actually have a piece of semi-preserved tech from the Pizzaplex back at my apartment, that I kept around as... a 'souvenir', I guess." She said, twiddling her thumbs in her lap as she chose each of her words carefully. "I've been trying to restore it myself for a while now, but haven't had much luck. If you're up for keeping in touch, I might wanna get your expertise on it some time."

"Oh, hop right in! (Pun intended, heh.) Sorry about the mess, I wasn't really expecting any company- well, that I couldn't take apart." She teased, the sound of unlocking doors letting Vanessa know she can enter at her leisure.

The inside of the RV might have made the other think she walked into a pizzeria anew. A red velvet couch built into the wall in a short L shape, a corner that seemed to be a walk-in closet leading to a small bathroom, and general knick-knacks were scattered around. A small table held a half-eaten room temperature pizza and a 2 liter of soda partially drunk sitting in a holder. A TV built into the ceiling was playing static currently, though one could just see 'CAM 3' in the corner...

White and black tiled floors and neon carpets, a jukebox nearer the back playing one of those pre-recorded songs they'd play for the 'band', and the freshly obtained guitar hastily hung over the wall to the back room. Said back room, where one might usually expect the bedroom, instead sported some sort of workshop. A rack with various animatronic parts chained to it, an endoskeleton either half put together or half taken apart slumped in the center. Several blueprints were taped to the walls, showing both old designs that nagged at the back of Vanessa's mind of familiarity and some in much sloppier penmanship that seemed 'homebrewed' so-to-speak.

It was genuinely impress, enough to briefly distract her from the reason she'd entered in the first place, until Vanny called her attention.

"Oh, just an old Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, from what I can tell." She answered... briefly raising her brow at the rabbit's last comment and wondering what she meant by that, before disregarding it.