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The first picture with Miss Cassandra!
In this chapter Miss Nae-nae has some thinking to do about the nap time situation.

I hope you enjoy ^^

You can read the written portion here:
Working at the Superstar Daycare CH 19Chapter 19: My Fault “What do you mean he didn't take his nap?!” A parent scolded me while holding her sleepy child. The little guy was so tired he was bleary-eyed in his mother's arms. He had almost fallen asleep right before the lights went back on. So he never technically 'took a nap' but he got close. Whenever he looked at me he would smile and lay his head back down again. “I-I'm sorry,” My voice shook almost as much as my knees. I hoped she couldn't see how much I was trembling under my apron. Looking at her face made the blood in mine run cold. I attempted to explain myself but nothing else would come out. The lump forming in my throat was too much to overcome. “He has never had any trouble falling asleep here before,” The parent continued. Stepping closer to show the boy to me again. I would have stepped away, but I was afraid that if I did my legs would buckle under the pressure. “His sleep schedule better not be ruined because of this.” The little boy's guardian scrunched up her face at me. Clearly wanting to say more, but refrained for the sake of the children present. “Ah well, the same thing happens with my youngest,” Cassandra subtly stepped beside me. She moved her foot forward to guide the parent into stepping away. “Mikey is always finding ways to stay awake. You know, what I've found helpful is...” The sound of Cassandra's voice faded from my present mind. I simply stared at the ground. I analyzed the pattern on the carpet. I saw some loose fibers here and there. Most likely from velcro shoes getting caught in it. Speaking of. There were a pair of pink sneakers under my nose now. When did those get there? “Bye-bye hug!” A little girl reached her arms up to me. Stretching her fingers up as high as she could. I blinked the moister from my eyes and chuckled through my nose. I knelt down and gave her a small hug. I heard her father above us saying thank you and I nodded to him. I was afraid that if I spoke it would only make me look worse. I stayed on the ground after the girl left. Only for a moment, but it lasted forever in my head. I felt like a useless tub of lard. “Well, thank you, Miss Cassandra, we will definitely try that at home,” My ears twitch back to attention. I shoved myself back up. I had to at least try to look presentable. Not a moment too soon. The mother had just turned to address me again. I held my breath. “And thank you... Miss...?” “N-nae-nae...” My throat was so tight that those sounds barely came out. I put on the best smile I could muster. Which I was certain looked strange and uncanny at this point. I was too fried to even give myself any mental pep talks. I was in survival mode. Just get through this and then I can go home. Just make it through... “Miss Nae-nae...” The little boy's mom pushed up her lip, “Things will go better next time... I'm sure...” The look on her face said she wanted to add more. To insult me or yell at me for messing things up. But she refrained. A part of me wished she would just say it and be done with it. Because what I came up with in her silence was probably far worse than what she would actually say. “Have a good evening, Mrs. Booker,” Cassandra smiled. Her voice was almost too sweet. She waved the two of them off. My eyes followed their every step. With each one, I imagined another insult the mother was holding back. I wondered which one would inevitably come true. But instead, I heard Cassandra address the remaining children. “Have a seat. We'll start snack now.” The kids opened their food. Some tore into it with as much power as they could muster only to struggle with the tiny details. Others did so lackadaisically. Still, others merely whined that they couldn't do it. All signs of sleepiness I've seen before. I tried and tried to shake off the guilt. My mind listed off all the excuses I had... I did my best. There was nothing else I could do. No one got hurt and the kids seemed to be in good spirits about it despite being sleepy... So why do I feel like such a failure?, “Are you alright, dear?” Cassandra knelt down beside my seat at the table. It was the first time I'd seen her do anything besides standing. Her voice was quiet. The children didn't need to hear it. “Did something happen?” “It's fine...” I mumbled. “Nae... I know it's not,” She sat down on her knees and leaned her face over to my field of view. “Something happened during nap, didn't it?” The sight of her gentle expression made me want to cry. I held it in the best I could. I hated crying. Especially in front of people. And I have only known Miss Cassandra for a couple of days. She tilted her head down and spoke again, “Please... tell me. Did that moon come in again?” New job, new me... Why was I thinking about that right now? Augh... I knew that hiding it wouldn't help me at all. Asking for help isn't a bad thing. It's not a bad thing. Just say it. It'll be okay... “Ah- Y-yeah...” My voice cracked a bit. “Oh, dear...” She slumped a bit, “I am so sorry, Nae...” “He-” that started louder than I intended, “He didn't do anything... Just- got scared and ran away...” “So that is the story of Miss Teacher chasing off the monster I've been hearing,” Cassandra's eyebrows raised and she nodded her head to the side. “That's not the whole story, is it?” “It- It is...” I strained my brain to think of anything else that I could elaborate on but came up empty. “Mr. Moon showed up and then ran away. But the kids couldn't sleep after that.” “Did the candies not work?” Her voice sounded slightly surprised. My chest sank to the floor. Man, I really messed up, didn't I? I should have just listened to Sun! I mentally scolded myself for being so stubborn. This is why I need to work on talking to people. I could have asked about those things and known about this. “I- didn't use them...” I observed a child dribbling juice out of her mouth. The guilt had made a permanent residence in my chest. Making it feel both too full and empty at the same time. I'm so dumb... “Ah, I don't like using them either,” Cassandra settled down a bit more. Propping her weight on one arm, “But just so you know, dear, the parents have given permission.” “Oh... okay,” I breathed in deeply, “Mr. Sun wanted to hand them out but I told him no. So...” “Didn't you find the bag of them in your cubbie? The last napper should have left it in there.” Cassandra gestured downstairs. Her glasses reflected the lights above us in a way that blocked her eyes from my view. But her body language was still relaxed. She wasn't upset. Or at least she wasn't showing it. “N-no...?” I was supposed to have my own supply of Moondrop candies? I had no idea. My cubbie was empty yesterday... My insides twisted into an uncomfortable angle. Did I just not see it? I was pretty sure there wasn't anything else in there... uh... Cassandra said an expletive I didn't know, “I knew that McKenzie was a-” She interrupted herself with a huff. “Talk to Sun about getting more, dear. You should have had those if you needed them. It is for your safety if nothing else.” My... safety? The thought made my fingers cold. How many times did I wish the children would be quiet? Too many... It wasn't even their fault. They were too young to understand and I wasn't able to speak to them while Mr. Moon was there. The vision of Moon's frightened state flashed in my head again. A wave of sympathy pain gripped my chest. “Okay,” I pushed away the frown that attempted to take over my face, “I'll ask him...” My legs wobbled a bit as I stood up. Cassandra followed me pausing a moment to balance herself before going completely upright. “Oh, dear, looks like I've kept you too long,” She smiled at me. Jest in her voice, “You should be on your break already.” She took my shoulder before I walked off. In a hushed tone, she added, “It's not your fault. Don't be too hard on yourself, okay?” “I'll... try,” I smiled the slightest bit and waved goodbye. However, I didn't get away without the children noticing. I was held hostage until I paid my dues in hugs. It was at the very least comforting to see that the children weren't upset with me. Like I was. Once the top floor was out of site I quickened my pace down the stairs. No one else had meandered into the area yet so there was no one there to see me wipe my face. Don't cry. Don't cry. Everything is fine. It's okay... When I made it to the doors I paused. Moon never showed up again after his visit and I hadn't seen Sun since the lights went on. Was I ready to face the consequences of my actions? No... Instead of knocking I pulled the doors open. A wave of sanitized air blasted my face. A good amount of it irritated my lungs after the effort it took to pry the doors open. I coughed. I now had tears in my eyes for a different reason. I didn't remember the smell of cleaning products being this strong earlier. Maybe they cleaned up sooner than I thought. I didn't care enough to investigate it. I simply wanted to go home. I turned to face my cubbie- “Good afternoon, Miss Nae-nae,” There he was again, Mr. Nico. He had a neat pile of props for games set aside for later. He was more composed than yesterday. His eyes did dart from place to place, but more out of curiosity or confusion. “Have you seen Mr. Sun? I need to make sure I'm checked in.” “Uh-” The lump in my throat blocked my response, but another one soon drowned mine out anyway. “You are already checked in, Mr. Nico. Don't worry!” Sun's voice echoed above us. I craned my neck up to search for its source. Mr. Sun added, “And Miss Nae-Nae I checked you out 5 minutes ago. So, no worries about overtime!” This second round helped me pinpoint his location. He was on top of one of the play structures. He was crouched low to the bars. His rays were the only thing I could make out clearly. After making his statements he disappeared entirely behind the colorful plastic and metal structures. His voice had a slight shake to it. It almost sounded nervous. My frown became deeper. “Ah, good,” Mr. Nico cupped his hands around his mouth, “Thank you, Mr. Sun. I'll be on my way.” He turned to me. The expression on his face fell for only a moment, “Need a break?” “Yeah...” I opened my cubbie and dragged my bag to my side, “I'm tired.” “I've heard Tuesdays are like that,” Nico stepped aside to allow me to leave first. “What did you think about training day?” He pushed the button and the doors slowly opened. He was chipper, but not annoyingly so. “It was... cute-” I refrained from mentioning how I fumbled through the whole routine. “The snacks at the end made nap time really hard today,” I said the last bit quietly in hopes that Sun wouldn't overhear. “Ah... I'm sorry to hear that,” Nico held a hand on the door to keep it open. “That makes for a long day. No wonder Mr. Sun is cleaning already...” He glanced back up at the colorful maze of bars and tubes. “I've noticed he likes to clean when he doesn't know what else to do. Must be a robot version of a nervous habit.” “Oh?” Why was he cleaning the top of the structures, though? No one would be able to reach up there. Besides maybe teenagers or adults prone to trouble. Part of me was grateful that I didn't have to face him right then. But an equal part was worried about him. All of the pulling and banging Moon did to his face... Did he 'hurt' himself? I gripped my bag strap tighter... “It's best to leave him be when he's like that,” Nico motioned his hand out the door. He was waiting for me to leave first. But my eyes just couldn't stay away from where I last saw the sunny jester... “You go,” I motioned my hand to where I assumed Nico was standing, “I've... gotta put something away first.” “Alright,” Nico shuffled on his feet a few moments, hesitant. “I'll see you later.” He let the door go and it swiveled back into place. I heard his footsteps pause for a moment before making their way up the stairs. In truth, I did need to put something away. My apron. But that was just an excuse. It wouldn't be right to leave without at least saying something. Not after what I did... I just hoped that Sun wasn't mad at me. I wouldn't blame him if he was. I untied the apron and slipped the strap over my head. I folded it as neatly as I could manage. Taking my time. As much as I knew it was the right thing to do I wasn't quite ready to talk yet. A few moments of silence would work their usual magic on me. I hoped. I took my phone out of the pocket and put it in my bag. But when I put my neatly folded uniform onto the shelf, there was still an odd lump in it. Upon investigating I found something in the other pocket. The ice pack. It had long since lost its namesake. Now being lukewarm and squishy. Looking at it made me frown. Sun had done nothing but what he was made for. Care for people. For the children, for the staff. For Moon... He tried to warn me. Tried to do what was best, but I didn't listen. I was too frustrated to listen. And poor Moon. All he did was try to do what he was made for as well. But he just... can't anymore. I could only imagine how... devastating that would be. Like if I lost all control over my hands whenever I tried to draw. The one thing that I found solace in would be gone. What would I even do? I had no idea. My grip on the now body temperature pack hardened. I still didn't know what to say, but I had to start somewhere. The children wouldn't be eating their snacks forever. So I breathed deeply to steel myself and projected my voice the best I could. “Mr. Sun?” No response. But it sounded quieter than before. Like when the air vents turn off. You don't realize they were on until they are silent. I took that to mean Sun had stopped to give me his attention at the very least. “I'm sorry for not listening to you...” I swallowed down the lump in my throat, “If the kids were sleeping then... Mr. Moon wouldn't have had to deal with that... And I'm sorry... I'll-” I adjusted my bag strap and squeezed the melted ice pack like a stress ball. “I'll do better next time...” I stood in silence. I wasn't sure what I was expecting. But I waited for it for a good minute or so. I tossed the used ice pack in a nearby bin and listened again for a response. It was just as quiet as before. I searched for any sign of the sun made of metal and paint in the sky. My eyes only got lost in the sea of colors. I had to admit that saying those things to air was easier than seeing his face. I just hoped he heard me. “See you... later, I guess,” I pushed the door button and felt my face scrunch up into a frown. Look at me. Apologizing to a robot. And failing. First I can't handle people looking at me, then I can't control my emotions. And on top of that, I couldn't even do my job right! I was hired to get kids to sleep and I couldn't even manage that... I sucked in the snot that tried to run out my nose and wiped my eyes. I really did need a break... The door clicked into its final position with a small thud. My breathing steadied as I prepared to walk away. Dejected. Thump What was that? Sounded like something fell... I turned around to find a blue plastic bag by my feet. I knelt to investigate it. It was a bag of candy. Little moons printed on each wrapper. Moondrops. Those weren't there before... My head swiveled as far as my human limitations would allow. “Mr. Sun?” I called out again, “Was this you? How did you-” “There are cameras in the pick-up area,” Sun's voice was quiet, matter of fact. And... above me. I looked in his direction to find him flying, no, hanging next to the netting that draped down from the ceiling. His limbs swung limply, stretching down with gravity. The sunny smile was still on his face, but his eyes were blank and his head dangled to the side lazily. He was high above me but from what I could tell he looked fine. No scratches or dents that I could see... “O-oh...” I breathed out my response. Made sense that he would have access to the cameras. Probably made it easier when kids got picked up early... “Thank you... I forgot about these...” I picked up the bag. It was unopened. A fresh pack. It was heavier than it looked. I heard the whirring sound again behind me while I put the bag away in my cubbie. When I faced the door again, Sun was closer to my eye level. Still dangling. I could now see that he had a cable attached to his back. So that's how he did it. The cable was inconspicuous enough to be unnoticed. Especially if its cargo was bombastic and entertaining. But Mr. Sun's melancholy demeanor made it all the more noticeable. I stood there. Expecting... something to happen. For Sun to snap at me. Or suddenly fly away. Or- I wasn't sure what I was waiting for. The doors grew impatient with my fickleness and closed again. It reminded me of what I was doing before. Going home... The thought of Aspen waiting for me made my eyebrows turn up and my lips curl down for a moment. “S-sorry again...” I looked away. My finger started its journey to the button yet again. “I'm... glad you aren't hurt...” Sun was now on the ground. The cable clicked away and zipped back up to where it came from. He was low to the ground. Almost sitting on the floor. His hands were together. His fingers trembled. They were shinier than before. Wet from cleaning. “Moon says sorry...” I opened my mouth to respond, but my throat tightened up with the threat of an upcoming sob. My lips trembled and I felt my eyelashes get heavy with tears. Sun's rays retracted slightly. His eyes blinked with color for only a second before going back to nothing. The plastic of his hands creaked as he gripped them together. I wanted to tell him that it was my fault. That he didn't have to feel bad. Animatronics do their job. I was the failure... I frantically wiped my face again. “Sorry-” “It helped...” Sun's hands were still trembling, his face blank. But his voice was soft, “Moon said you being there helped.” I blanked. My hands froze, allowing a couple of tears to travel down my face. My shoulders slumped and my head sagged to the side. I was... surprised. Dumbfounded? In all honesty, my brain wasn't capable of processing that right then. It was socially and emotionally exhausted at this point. Mr. Sun straightened his posture. His eyes came back to life with a smiling animation, “The superstars are returning now.” His hands cupped my face. His thumbs wiped it clean with one efficient swipe. “Please, enjoy your break.”

Description
The first picture with Miss Cassandra!
In this chapter Miss Nae-nae has some thinking to do about the nap time situation.

I hope you enjoy ^^

You can read the written portion here:
Working at the Superstar Daycare CH 19Chapter 19: My Fault “What do you mean he didn't take his nap?!” A parent scolded me while holding her sleepy child. The little guy was so tired he was bleary-eyed in his mother's arms. He had almost fallen asleep right before the lights went back on. So he never technically 'took a nap' but he got close. Whenever he looked at me he would smile and lay his head back down again. “I-I'm sorry,” My voice shook almost as much as my knees. I hoped she couldn't see how much I was trembling under my apron. Looking at her face made the blood in mine run cold. I attempted to explain myself but nothing else would come out. The lump forming in my throat was too much to overcome. “He has never had any trouble falling asleep here before,” The parent continued. Stepping closer to show the boy to me again. I would have stepped away, but I was afraid that if I did my legs would buckle under the pressure. “His sleep schedule better not be ruined because of this.” The little boy's guardian scrunched up her face at me. Clearly wanting to say more, but refrained for the sake of the children present. “Ah well, the same thing happens with my youngest,” Cassandra subtly stepped beside me. She moved her foot forward to guide the parent into stepping away. “Mikey is always finding ways to stay awake. You know, what I've found helpful is...” The sound of Cassandra's voice faded from my present mind. I simply stared at the ground. I analyzed the pattern on the carpet. I saw some loose fibers here and there. Most likely from velcro shoes getting caught in it. Speaking of. There were a pair of pink sneakers under my nose now. When did those get there? “Bye-bye hug!” A little girl reached her arms up to me. Stretching her fingers up as high as she could. I blinked the moister from my eyes and chuckled through my nose. I knelt down and gave her a small hug. I heard her father above us saying thank you and I nodded to him. I was afraid that if I spoke it would only make me look worse. I stayed on the ground after the girl left. Only for a moment, but it lasted forever in my head. I felt like a useless tub of lard. “Well, thank you, Miss Cassandra, we will definitely try that at home,” My ears twitch back to attention. I shoved myself back up. I had to at least try to look presentable. Not a moment too soon. The mother had just turned to address me again. I held my breath. “And thank you... Miss...?” “N-nae-nae...” My throat was so tight that those sounds barely came out. I put on the best smile I could muster. Which I was certain looked strange and uncanny at this point. I was too fried to even give myself any mental pep talks. I was in survival mode. Just get through this and then I can go home. Just make it through... “Miss Nae-nae...” The little boy's mom pushed up her lip, “Things will go better next time... I'm sure...” The look on her face said she wanted to add more. To insult me or yell at me for messing things up. But she refrained. A part of me wished she would just say it and be done with it. Because what I came up with in her silence was probably far worse than what she would actually say. “Have a good evening, Mrs. Booker,” Cassandra smiled. Her voice was almost too sweet. She waved the two of them off. My eyes followed their every step. With each one, I imagined another insult the mother was holding back. I wondered which one would inevitably come true. But instead, I heard Cassandra address the remaining children. “Have a seat. We'll start snack now.” The kids opened their food. Some tore into it with as much power as they could muster only to struggle with the tiny details. Others did so lackadaisically. Still, others merely whined that they couldn't do it. All signs of sleepiness I've seen before. I tried and tried to shake off the guilt. My mind listed off all the excuses I had... I did my best. There was nothing else I could do. No one got hurt and the kids seemed to be in good spirits about it despite being sleepy... So why do I feel like such a failure?, “Are you alright, dear?” Cassandra knelt down beside my seat at the table. It was the first time I'd seen her do anything besides standing. Her voice was quiet. The children didn't need to hear it. “Did something happen?” “It's fine...” I mumbled. “Nae... I know it's not,” She sat down on her knees and leaned her face over to my field of view. “Something happened during nap, didn't it?” The sight of her gentle expression made me want to cry. I held it in the best I could. I hated crying. Especially in front of people. And I have only known Miss Cassandra for a couple of days. She tilted her head down and spoke again, “Please... tell me. Did that moon come in again?” New job, new me... Why was I thinking about that right now? Augh... I knew that hiding it wouldn't help me at all. Asking for help isn't a bad thing. It's not a bad thing. Just say it. It'll be okay... “Ah- Y-yeah...” My voice cracked a bit. “Oh, dear...” She slumped a bit, “I am so sorry, Nae...” “He-” that started louder than I intended, “He didn't do anything... Just- got scared and ran away...” “So that is the story of Miss Teacher chasing off the monster I've been hearing,” Cassandra's eyebrows raised and she nodded her head to the side. “That's not the whole story, is it?” “It- It is...” I strained my brain to think of anything else that I could elaborate on but came up empty. “Mr. Moon showed up and then ran away. But the kids couldn't sleep after that.” “Did the candies not work?” Her voice sounded slightly surprised. My chest sank to the floor. Man, I really messed up, didn't I? I should have just listened to Sun! I mentally scolded myself for being so stubborn. This is why I need to work on talking to people. I could have asked about those things and known about this. “I- didn't use them...” I observed a child dribbling juice out of her mouth. The guilt had made a permanent residence in my chest. Making it feel both too full and empty at the same time. I'm so dumb... “Ah, I don't like using them either,” Cassandra settled down a bit more. Propping her weight on one arm, “But just so you know, dear, the parents have given permission.” “Oh... okay,” I breathed in deeply, “Mr. Sun wanted to hand them out but I told him no. So...” “Didn't you find the bag of them in your cubbie? The last napper should have left it in there.” Cassandra gestured downstairs. Her glasses reflected the lights above us in a way that blocked her eyes from my view. But her body language was still relaxed. She wasn't upset. Or at least she wasn't showing it. “N-no...?” I was supposed to have my own supply of Moondrop candies? I had no idea. My cubbie was empty yesterday... My insides twisted into an uncomfortable angle. Did I just not see it? I was pretty sure there wasn't anything else in there... uh... Cassandra said an expletive I didn't know, “I knew that McKenzie was a-” She interrupted herself with a huff. “Talk to Sun about getting more, dear. You should have had those if you needed them. It is for your safety if nothing else.” My... safety? The thought made my fingers cold. How many times did I wish the children would be quiet? Too many... It wasn't even their fault. They were too young to understand and I wasn't able to speak to them while Mr. Moon was there. The vision of Moon's frightened state flashed in my head again. A wave of sympathy pain gripped my chest. “Okay,” I pushed away the frown that attempted to take over my face, “I'll ask him...” My legs wobbled a bit as I stood up. Cassandra followed me pausing a moment to balance herself before going completely upright. “Oh, dear, looks like I've kept you too long,” She smiled at me. Jest in her voice, “You should be on your break already.” She took my shoulder before I walked off. In a hushed tone, she added, “It's not your fault. Don't be too hard on yourself, okay?” “I'll... try,” I smiled the slightest bit and waved goodbye. However, I didn't get away without the children noticing. I was held hostage until I paid my dues in hugs. It was at the very least comforting to see that the children weren't upset with me. Like I was. Once the top floor was out of site I quickened my pace down the stairs. No one else had meandered into the area yet so there was no one there to see me wipe my face. Don't cry. Don't cry. Everything is fine. It's okay... When I made it to the doors I paused. Moon never showed up again after his visit and I hadn't seen Sun since the lights went on. Was I ready to face the consequences of my actions? No... Instead of knocking I pulled the doors open. A wave of sanitized air blasted my face. A good amount of it irritated my lungs after the effort it took to pry the doors open. I coughed. I now had tears in my eyes for a different reason. I didn't remember the smell of cleaning products being this strong earlier. Maybe they cleaned up sooner than I thought. I didn't care enough to investigate it. I simply wanted to go home. I turned to face my cubbie- “Good afternoon, Miss Nae-nae,” There he was again, Mr. Nico. He had a neat pile of props for games set aside for later. He was more composed than yesterday. His eyes did dart from place to place, but more out of curiosity or confusion. “Have you seen Mr. Sun? I need to make sure I'm checked in.” “Uh-” The lump in my throat blocked my response, but another one soon drowned mine out anyway. “You are already checked in, Mr. Nico. Don't worry!” Sun's voice echoed above us. I craned my neck up to search for its source. Mr. Sun added, “And Miss Nae-Nae I checked you out 5 minutes ago. So, no worries about overtime!” This second round helped me pinpoint his location. He was on top of one of the play structures. He was crouched low to the bars. His rays were the only thing I could make out clearly. After making his statements he disappeared entirely behind the colorful plastic and metal structures. His voice had a slight shake to it. It almost sounded nervous. My frown became deeper. “Ah, good,” Mr. Nico cupped his hands around his mouth, “Thank you, Mr. Sun. I'll be on my way.” He turned to me. The expression on his face fell for only a moment, “Need a break?” “Yeah...” I opened my cubbie and dragged my bag to my side, “I'm tired.” “I've heard Tuesdays are like that,” Nico stepped aside to allow me to leave first. “What did you think about training day?” He pushed the button and the doors slowly opened. He was chipper, but not annoyingly so. “It was... cute-” I refrained from mentioning how I fumbled through the whole routine. “The snacks at the end made nap time really hard today,” I said the last bit quietly in hopes that Sun wouldn't overhear. “Ah... I'm sorry to hear that,” Nico held a hand on the door to keep it open. “That makes for a long day. No wonder Mr. Sun is cleaning already...” He glanced back up at the colorful maze of bars and tubes. “I've noticed he likes to clean when he doesn't know what else to do. Must be a robot version of a nervous habit.” “Oh?” Why was he cleaning the top of the structures, though? No one would be able to reach up there. Besides maybe teenagers or adults prone to trouble. Part of me was grateful that I didn't have to face him right then. But an equal part was worried about him. All of the pulling and banging Moon did to his face... Did he 'hurt' himself? I gripped my bag strap tighter... “It's best to leave him be when he's like that,” Nico motioned his hand out the door. He was waiting for me to leave first. But my eyes just couldn't stay away from where I last saw the sunny jester... “You go,” I motioned my hand to where I assumed Nico was standing, “I've... gotta put something away first.” “Alright,” Nico shuffled on his feet a few moments, hesitant. “I'll see you later.” He let the door go and it swiveled back into place. I heard his footsteps pause for a moment before making their way up the stairs. In truth, I did need to put something away. My apron. But that was just an excuse. It wouldn't be right to leave without at least saying something. Not after what I did... I just hoped that Sun wasn't mad at me. I wouldn't blame him if he was. I untied the apron and slipped the strap over my head. I folded it as neatly as I could manage. Taking my time. As much as I knew it was the right thing to do I wasn't quite ready to talk yet. A few moments of silence would work their usual magic on me. I hoped. I took my phone out of the pocket and put it in my bag. But when I put my neatly folded uniform onto the shelf, there was still an odd lump in it. Upon investigating I found something in the other pocket. The ice pack. It had long since lost its namesake. Now being lukewarm and squishy. Looking at it made me frown. Sun had done nothing but what he was made for. Care for people. For the children, for the staff. For Moon... He tried to warn me. Tried to do what was best, but I didn't listen. I was too frustrated to listen. And poor Moon. All he did was try to do what he was made for as well. But he just... can't anymore. I could only imagine how... devastating that would be. Like if I lost all control over my hands whenever I tried to draw. The one thing that I found solace in would be gone. What would I even do? I had no idea. My grip on the now body temperature pack hardened. I still didn't know what to say, but I had to start somewhere. The children wouldn't be eating their snacks forever. So I breathed deeply to steel myself and projected my voice the best I could. “Mr. Sun?” No response. But it sounded quieter than before. Like when the air vents turn off. You don't realize they were on until they are silent. I took that to mean Sun had stopped to give me his attention at the very least. “I'm sorry for not listening to you...” I swallowed down the lump in my throat, “If the kids were sleeping then... Mr. Moon wouldn't have had to deal with that... And I'm sorry... I'll-” I adjusted my bag strap and squeezed the melted ice pack like a stress ball. “I'll do better next time...” I stood in silence. I wasn't sure what I was expecting. But I waited for it for a good minute or so. I tossed the used ice pack in a nearby bin and listened again for a response. It was just as quiet as before. I searched for any sign of the sun made of metal and paint in the sky. My eyes only got lost in the sea of colors. I had to admit that saying those things to air was easier than seeing his face. I just hoped he heard me. “See you... later, I guess,” I pushed the door button and felt my face scrunch up into a frown. Look at me. Apologizing to a robot. And failing. First I can't handle people looking at me, then I can't control my emotions. And on top of that, I couldn't even do my job right! I was hired to get kids to sleep and I couldn't even manage that... I sucked in the snot that tried to run out my nose and wiped my eyes. I really did need a break... The door clicked into its final position with a small thud. My breathing steadied as I prepared to walk away. Dejected. Thump What was that? Sounded like something fell... I turned around to find a blue plastic bag by my feet. I knelt to investigate it. It was a bag of candy. Little moons printed on each wrapper. Moondrops. Those weren't there before... My head swiveled as far as my human limitations would allow. “Mr. Sun?” I called out again, “Was this you? How did you-” “There are cameras in the pick-up area,” Sun's voice was quiet, matter of fact. And... above me. I looked in his direction to find him flying, no, hanging next to the netting that draped down from the ceiling. His limbs swung limply, stretching down with gravity. The sunny smile was still on his face, but his eyes were blank and his head dangled to the side lazily. He was high above me but from what I could tell he looked fine. No scratches or dents that I could see... “O-oh...” I breathed out my response. Made sense that he would have access to the cameras. Probably made it easier when kids got picked up early... “Thank you... I forgot about these...” I picked up the bag. It was unopened. A fresh pack. It was heavier than it looked. I heard the whirring sound again behind me while I put the bag away in my cubbie. When I faced the door again, Sun was closer to my eye level. Still dangling. I could now see that he had a cable attached to his back. So that's how he did it. The cable was inconspicuous enough to be unnoticed. Especially if its cargo was bombastic and entertaining. But Mr. Sun's melancholy demeanor made it all the more noticeable. I stood there. Expecting... something to happen. For Sun to snap at me. Or suddenly fly away. Or- I wasn't sure what I was waiting for. The doors grew impatient with my fickleness and closed again. It reminded me of what I was doing before. Going home... The thought of Aspen waiting for me made my eyebrows turn up and my lips curl down for a moment. “S-sorry again...” I looked away. My finger started its journey to the button yet again. “I'm... glad you aren't hurt...” Sun was now on the ground. The cable clicked away and zipped back up to where it came from. He was low to the ground. Almost sitting on the floor. His hands were together. His fingers trembled. They were shinier than before. Wet from cleaning. “Moon says sorry...” I opened my mouth to respond, but my throat tightened up with the threat of an upcoming sob. My lips trembled and I felt my eyelashes get heavy with tears. Sun's rays retracted slightly. His eyes blinked with color for only a second before going back to nothing. The plastic of his hands creaked as he gripped them together. I wanted to tell him that it was my fault. That he didn't have to feel bad. Animatronics do their job. I was the failure... I frantically wiped my face again. “Sorry-” “It helped...” Sun's hands were still trembling, his face blank. But his voice was soft, “Moon said you being there helped.” I blanked. My hands froze, allowing a couple of tears to travel down my face. My shoulders slumped and my head sagged to the side. I was... surprised. Dumbfounded? In all honesty, my brain wasn't capable of processing that right then. It was socially and emotionally exhausted at this point. Mr. Sun straightened his posture. His eyes came back to life with a smiling animation, “The superstars are returning now.” His hands cupped my face. His thumbs wiped it clean with one efficient swipe. “Please, enjoy your break.”