* VERSE / In Truth There Is Nothing Here At All. ) - Tumblr Posts

"Hey, kid-" Ollie starts before Gregory has the chance to go into the particularly deranged kids entertainment center. She has a potentially more deranged idea, after all. "How about you come see a real band for once?"

@feardrummed

★ — He's already got one hand on the back door, a security badge he he'd managed to swipe the last time he was in the pizzaplex in the other when she calls out to him. He winces — an overly dramatic reaction, sure, but feels fitting as he's certain he'll be receiving another interrogation or half - assed lecture about how he should stay away. Even so, he lowers his hand from the door and turns around to face Ollie with a brow raised in question.

Oh —— .

That's — he wasn't expecting that. His surprise is obvious in his expression, in the way his lashes flutter rapidly and brown hues seem to widen. He stares at her for a second, fingers curling around the security badge before tilting his head.

"What d'you mean?"

( horrfichaunts, since I said Cassie would get him something) 

“Gregory!”

Cassie had been biking around to try and find him, a big smile as she pedals up next to him and parks her pink bike. Carefully with her mitten covered hands she reaches into her bicycle basket to pull out a small box wrapped in snowflake covered wrapping paper.

“I wasn’t sure if we’d see each other on Christmas, so here. This is for you.”

It wasn’t the most flashy of presents, a walkman cassette player she thrifted, but she had made the tape inside especially for him.

christmas besties!

★ — Gregory's walks home from school were never the most eventful ; a quick text to Michael to let his guardian know he's on the way, hat pulled over his head and chin tucked into the neck of his jacket to brace himself against the cold. He's walking with a little more intention than usual today, excited to start his break ( and excited to be in a place that cares about him for once during the holidays ), not noticing the familiar bike until it's pulled up right beside him.

Cassie's call stops him in his tracks, brown hues widening curiously — flickering from his friend to the wrapped box she pulls out of the basket. He pulls his hands out of his pockets to receive the gift, wide - eyed and a little dumbfounded.

" .... you got me a gift?"

Voice lacks Gregory's usual confidence, though he doesn't waste time pulling at the wrapping paper ( anything but neat, balling it up in his fist to be shoved in his coat pocket ). The sight of the cassette player practically chases away the chill of the weather — Gregory feels overwhelmingly warm.

Without warning he closes the space between him and Cassie, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Thanks. You're the best, you know?"

On Christmas morning, next to their tiny, scraggly tree, sits a handful of presents wrapped... to the best of Michael's abilities. The gifts include a set of new art supplies— proper ones for a kid Gregory's age: markers, colored pencils, a couple sketch pads, a definite upgrade from the bag of crayons Michael had originally picked up from a thrift store— the most advanced robotics toy he could find ( for Gregory to take apart and put back together ), and a bright orange pair of headphones with blue and red stars on the sides ( yes, official Glamrock Freddy merch, he may or may not have paid for that one ). On top of it is a little note that simply says "Merry Christmas — M." with a drawing of their fize hazard of a tree.

family christmas !!

★ — Its early ( ridiculously so ), the light of sunrise not yet streaming through the shades of their small apartment and the sky only just beginning to shift in its shades of blue. Gregory had hoped his guardian would be asleep, that he would be able to sneak past him and check under the tree without him noticing, but in his focus on the potential presents he seems to have forgotten that Michael's sleeping habits were .... strange, to put it lightly.

Instead of fully retreating into his own room, he's settled in the doorway — some sort of compromise, the assurance that his door is easy to close as Michael tries to not pay attention to him.

The note and drawing is the first thing he sees, and already Gregory's smiling — something soft and warm. He sets the picture aside ( with intentions of hanging it up on the wall of his room later on ), before haphazardly tearing at the wrapping paper ( a brief, nervous glance to Michael in the process ).

Eyes go wide at the sight of the art supplies ; its way more than he could have possibly asked for, especially with a hobby that he's only just picked up since settling with his new guardian. He's flicking open the boxes to inspect the colors of his new material, his smile slowly turning into a grin. Any previous nerves seem to have vanished in the excitement.

( it's things he actually likes. Michael knows him. he cares enough to pay attention. it's a worry he hadn't realized he had until he'd had the wrapped gifts sitting in front of him ).

The mechanical toy is next, which elicits an excited gasp from the young boy — seemingly no longer caring if he draws the attention of his guardian, too focussed on the things in front of him. He rips at the packaging with little regard, which doesn't do much to free the toy but does get him a closer look at it. There's no attempt to hide his grin, gears of his brain already turning with a desire to look at the parts. He lets his gaze flicker towards Michael ; not to check if the man's watching, but to share his excitement.

But there's one thing left, and just as quickly as he tore into the toy's paper it's set aside so he can start on the next thing. There's a mess of wrapping paper surrounding Gregory, but he doesn't seem to care.

Can't help the giggle that escapes at the sight of the Glamrock Freddy headphones, quickly flipping them around in his hands so he can get a look at both sides. Once inspected, he slides them around his neck like a fashion statement. He'll have to show them to Freddy himself next time they go to the Pizzaplex.

Beaming brightly, Gregory finally turns his attention towards looking at Michael, while simultaneously pulling the robotic toy into his lap.

"Where are the scissors?"

When they last saw each other, Cassie had pressed a gift bag into Gregory's hands, with a little note that said 'DON'T OPEN UNTIL CHRISTMAS — I'LL KNOW.' and a look that said just about the same thing, maybe a slight bit less threateningly. Okay, she knew the threat really wasn't necessary, but she also knew that Gregory was a shit and she wouldn't be there to keep his grubby little hands out of the gift in person for the next couple days. She didn't say anything about the gift for the rest of the time she was there, but she did give him a small smile and a, "I mean it. Christmas," alongside her goodbye wave.

When the bag was eventually opened, be it on Christmas or immediately after Cassie was out of sight, a few items could be found inside.

First, a piece of paper, carefully slid in between the side of the bag and the first fold towards the middle to (hopefully) keep it from getting all bent. Its blank side was visible, facing the inside of the bag, covered in stains from marker ink bleeding through. The other side, which the ink happened to be from, was a little drawing, clearly from Cassie – she was never as passionate about art as Gregory, but she tried this time. Thought he would appreciate it, maybe.

Two figures that hopefully resembled the two of them well enough stood in a field of grass – typical child drawings, you know, yellow sun in the corner, little flowers, a couple clouds – and next to each of them, there were, well ... Colored blobs was the best way to put it, probably. Near the Cassie stick figure was a gray blob with pointy ears and a green streak in front of its face, and near the Gregory figure was an orange – brown – orange? (she couldn't choose which marker to use, it's both) blob with round ears, a little top-hat, and a blue squiggle on its chest. Roxy and Freddy. Maybe.

She tried, okay? It's not her fault she was always more interested in the 'crafts' side of 'arts and crafts.' She did her best, and it shows.

Next, beside the drawing, is a teddy bear. Just a plain, old teddy bear. Not one of the expensive Freddy ones from the Pizzaplex, unfortunately, (though, rest assured, Cassie tried her hardest to get one, even asking her father if he could bring one home from work, by any means necessary) but, on further inspection, Cassie does seem to have made some... Modifications. To make the gift a little more personal. A little felt top-hat rests on its head, complete with a teal ribbon wrapped around the bottom of it. Similar black ribbon is tied in a bow around the bear's neck, and wrapped around its wrists to imitate Freddy's bracelets. It even has the lightning bolt — sure, it's just a piece of teal construction paper taped to its chest, but the attention to detail shows the time and effort put into the gift. She couldn't afford the official thing, so... She tried to give Gregory the next best.

Under the bear, at the bottom of the bag – quite easily missed, be careful! – is a handmade, braided friendship bracelet. It has quite a few colors, including Freddy's teal, red, and orange, and some of Gregory's more typical blues and browns so it matches the clothes he prefers to wear. It's not tied, of course — Gregory might have to ask someone for help, or Cassie can help him with it next time they see each other. Either way, she hopes he likes it, same as she hopes he likes everything else. And she can't wait to show him her matching one.

★ — Gregory had tried to heed her warning about waiting until Christmas ; he really had, had hurried home with the gift bag home like it was something precious and excitedly showed Michael before placing it in the corner of his room. And when their crummy little tree had gone up in a corner of the living room, the present had moved next to it ( well, half - heartedly shoved up under the branches but ultimately sticking out a little bit funny ) where it had been intended to wait until the day. But it was basically taunting him.

So he'd almost made it. Really, almost. The day before Christmas Eve — Christmas Eve Eve, practically the holiday anyways, and besides, would Cassie really know? So he pulls it into his room that night while Michael is too busy watching some dumb movie to notice. Closes the door just to make sure he won't get caught. Looks guiltily around the room ( not feeling guilty enough to override his curiosity ), before pulling out the tissue paper.

The carefully placed piece of paper is, of course, the first thing Gregory takes notice of. He pulls it out with gentle consideration, first noticing the smudged ink staining ( and immediately wondering what she could've drawn for him, the beginning of a grin tugging at the corner of his lips despite the way he tries to bite it down with teeth on his lower lip, even with no one around to see him ) before flipping it over. Head tilts, and ... well, he sees what she was going for, and the sight of it makes his chest feel warm.

It will find a home, taped to the wall above his nightstand before the night is over.

Next to notice is the bear, which he tugs out with a bit less care than the drawing. He's running a thumb along the leg with a small smile, taking note of how soft it is ( and already planning to tuck it among his pillows, where a few other stuffed animals have settled ) when he notices the additions Cassie made — and he can't help the giggle that escapes. It's unbelievably thoughtful ( and gregory is already thinking about what he could possible get cassie by the time they return to school ; sure, it'll be passed the holiday by then, but it's the thought that counts, right? ), and Gregory can't wait to show it to Freddy himself. He's sure the animatronic will love it, too.

He does almost miss the final item, tucked at the bottom of the bag — only noticing the flash of color when he goes to tuck the tissue paper back in the bag and dispose of his evidence. A quick blink, and he pulls the band out to inspect a bit more closely. Impulse wants him to run out into the living room and ask Michael to tie it on his wrist that second, but then he'd have to admit to sneaking the present into his room early .... so after a moment of consideration he pulls the Freddy plush closer, looping the bracelet around the bear's neck and loosely tying it ; safe keeping, in the meantime, to ensure he doesn't accidentally lose it.

He'll take a picture, later, to send to Cassie on Christmas day and tell her thank you. And he'll get her to tie the bracelet for him when he sees her again.

★ — "No —— !!"

The game is afoot. His initial attempt at stopping Michael with his arms thrown out as wide as he can possibly make them doesn't seem to be doing much to stop his guardian, who begins to skirt around him, so Gregory decides to change tactics — he puts his arms out straight in front of him, hands on Michael's torso, and pushes all of his weight into keeping the man back. It's not much, given how small he is, but it's with a lot of exertion on Gregory's part. He's laughing openly now, unabashedly, with no attempts to stifle himself. Like a normal kid, for once.

"Not fair!"

Repeated with a huff, trying to sound like he's not having fun ; a serious facade, like a brownie is worth starting a brawl over.

"You don't! You're just being annoying! You just wanna go back to the apartment and watch bad T.V.!"

ONE OF THESE DAYS, he'll tell Gregory more of the reasons behind the way he ended up— he doesn't intend on keeping all of it to himself forever ( he had, at first, before he expected the influence Gregory would have on his life... on allowing him some semblance of living again ), only to... slowly reveal those details. When he's a little older, when Michael is more assured that the kid won't fall into the same destructive pattern. For now, when it isn't a driving force behind conflict, it is a little amusing to see him groan at the same old excuses Michael continues to give ( though he doesn't quite catch the fondness, the running joke maintains lighter spirits: at least, sometimes he can get things to go his way ).

Michael struggles not to laugh again as Gregory rushes in front of him, equally as amused by the attempt to block his way ( as if Michael couldn't easily slip past him ), though he holds it in, keeping the jokingly serious demeanor. "Nope— I warned you! Told you I could revoke the treat privileges at any time."

Keeping up the bit, he tries to slide past Gregory's barrier. "Maybe I've got other places to be— you know, to get out more and all that."

👀 + did you leave the pizzaplex's walk in freezer open last night

Send me a “👀 + a question” and my muse has to answer honestly!

★ — "I didn't! I didn't even go in the kitchen last night!" A huff. Even if he's telling the truth, he's being rather defensive. "Why d'you keep blaming me for stuff, huh?"

★ — The sound of static is unrelenting.

Gregory can ( barely ) hear Michael's voice as it struggles to push past the broken frequency, falling into the background and muffled beneath the constant hiss, coming through choppy but not entirely gone. He clings to that. His grip on the walkie tightens, pulling it in towards his chest. Voice catches in his throat — torn between childish instinct to yell for his guardian in hopes that it'll be loud enough to carry through, and knowing he has to keep quiet lest something overhear him.

"Michael?" "Michael?!"

The static grows louder for Gregory. He winces.

"I'm okay." "I — I'm fine, but ——." "Just —— stuck. You're coming right? There's something down here!" "I —— I don't know what's going on. Can you even hear me?" "Michael, I'm scared."

MICHAEL WINCES, the kind of reaction he usually does his best to hold back in front of Gregory, one that gets in the way of the strength he has been trying to put on for Cassie as well. His own guilt overwhelms him as the desperation and regret in Gregory’s voice sounds through the walkie-talkie, and for the millionth time in the past hour ( how long has Gregory been trapped down there? ), Michael wishes he had just gotten here sooner. He couldn’t have, he left the moment he noticed Gregory hadn’t returned or responded to him in too long— yet, Cassie arrived first. It’s more than enough for Michael to conclude that he was too late.

He needs to make up for it, needs to get to Gregory in time now. Michael won’t ever forgive himself if he doesn’t.

About to respond to Gregory’s exclamation ( to reassure him that not listening to what Michael told him is the last thing on his mind right now, that all he cares about is staying alive ), until the connection is broken by static and everything in him sinks.

“Gregory?” He grips the walkie-talkie tighter, holding it close and listening to the voice cutting in and out. It’s choppy, the connection week, and the presence of two separate voices grows.

“I can hear you— Gregory— it’s breaking up, but—“ His grimaces in annoyance ( fueled by rising worry ), lightly smacking the side of the device as if that will do anything. “Did something happen? Are you okay?”

👀 + Do you actually care about Cassie?

Send me a “👀 + a question” and my muse has to answer honestly!

★ — "Of course I do!"

Practically bristling at the implication of anything otherwise ; hands balled into fists at his side, eyes narrowed, frown tugging at his lips. Clearly a subject worth starting a fight over.

"She's my best friend! She was —— my first friend."

A little more subdued now, eyes averting. Almost somber.

" .... I've never had a best friend before."

★ — He's using all his weight to keep Michael at bay ; arms straight, elbows locked, his heels digging into the ground as he pushes back against the man. Head is bowed between his arms, partially a show of just how much effort he's putting into this little game, and partially due to the way it causes messy brown locks to fall into his face, effectively hiding the grin he can't bring himself to bite back. And if there's a warmth spreading through his chest at the sound of Michael's laugher, almost painfully happy in their ridiculous act, well — Gregory pretends he doesn't notice.

( he's never felt this comfortable — this safe and secure with a guardian before ).

"You're not!"

Shouted response, shaking his head wildly. There's poorly hidden laughter beneath his words.

"Come on! I had a bad day! I got in trouble for something I didn't do!" ( and it seems he's moved on from insulting to guilt tripping ). "Doesn't that give me a pass or something? You said you'd get me a brownie — and then we can go home and watch your shitty show!"

GREGORY ACTUALLY CATCHES HIM BY SURPRISE with the sudden shove— it isn't enough to do much, he's still a pretty small kid, but he puts everything he's got into it, and Michael still stumbles back a couple steps out of shock ( also, to Gregory's advantage, he's conveniently missing a few vital parts... ). It doesn't hurt ( not much physically does these days! ) or knock him back, though, only makes him stop stifling his own laughter. Blame it on Gregory's being contagious, or the hilarious realization that the kid probably COULD stand a chance holding him back if he really committed to it. Or the strange warmth that comes with Gregory expressing his amusement without shame.

As Michael's own laughter slows, he returns to the dramatic expression, playing along just as much as Gregory is.

"Yeah? You don't know that. I could be living an entire double life while you're at school and you'd never even know." He was a little shit of a kid once, two can play at this game. "Insulting me and disrespecting the art of The Immortal and The Restless, huh? You really don't want that brownie."

★ —  "Cool. I'll forget you asked, and you'll forget you saw me doing anything." ( AKA? please don't tell michael ).

@braveburned liked for a starter!

"Do I even want to know? No—y'know, forget that I asked."

★ — "I am, you're just — you gotta trust me, and have like, a liiiittle bit of patience, alright?"

@braveburned liked for a starter!

"What gives? I thought you said you were going to show me something cool."

★ — Familiarity replaces any worry the young boy had felt upon realizing he was no longer alone in this particular hallway of the maze - like pizzaplex ; he's stepping out from behind the corner he'd been half -hiding behind, meeting the girl halfway as she comes his way. He moves to swat at the hand that settles in his messy hair, but the action is half - hearted, playful rather than annoyed. Only more evidenced by the slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Kairi!" ( a chirp in greeting ). "Not — really. Freddy's been able to handle the ones that're still here."

ㅤㅤㅤ" hey, gregory! " destiny's embrace disappears in a line of light. kairi smiles as she runs to the boy's direction, a hand already poised to pet messy brown locks. " how have you been? " and, quiter now, concern palpable in lilac gaze, " are the nightmares still bothering you? "ㅤ\ ♡ @braveburned.

(horrifichaunts, -throws you a Cassie-)  An excited pep to her step as she moves to catch up to him in the school hall ” I heard in science we might be able to see the aurora borealis this weekend! You wanna come over to my house? I don’t have a telescope but the roofs pretty flat so we can probably get up there to watch it.”

★ — It's practically second nature to let Cassie fall in stride beside him ; unconsciously slowing his pace slightly so she can catch up, angling his body to face her as they walk - and - talk. He blinks, a little surprised by the mention of the aurora ( obviously someone wasn't paying attention in class ) before the corner of his lips tug upwards in a slight smile.

"Y'think we'd be able to sneak out onto the roof?"

Of course that's the part he's interested in, little gremlin.

"I'm in. I'll tell Mic —— my guardian."

Michael doesn’t exactly how to approach this. He knows Gregory’s birthday, he needed it for their… not-so-legitimate legal documents, but he has largely no idea how Gregory feels about it ( based on the fact that the kid hasn’t brought it up beyond that, though, he can guess ). Michael’s history with birthdays doesn’t help in the slightest. Still, he refuses to ignore it, and had luckily paid some attention where Gregory wouldn’t: he’ll return home from school to a couple gifts: two of which are toys he remembers catching Gregory’s eyes lingering on, and the other a thrifted GameCube that came with a handful of classics. “Wasn’t about to let you get off scot-free on your birthday, sorry.” He comments with a small smile. “There’s a bit of cake in the fridge, which might be branded, but I did get it for free.” Aka he stole a Fazbear cake. 

★ — It's not that Gregory had forgotten about his birthday. He'd known the date was approaching with some sort of awareness, but had planned to let it come and go like any other. It's been years since anyone had pretended the date was special for his sake — lucky if a foster family would even offer him a passing ' happy birthday ' throughout the day, and ( unfair as it might have been ) ..... he'd honestly expected the same from Michael.

He hadn't expected him to remember ; didn't think it would strike his memory as something worth keeping track of.

Which is why he's so surprised when he walks home to presents, and glances up as his guardian to see that small smile. Eyes go wide, flickering back towards the toys, and to the fridge when it's mentioned.

"Oh,"

He can feel his cheeks flushing, chest and throat feeling tight, and it's —— embarrassing. He shouldn't feel this excited about his birthday being not only acknowledged, but celebrated by his ( favorite, definitely his favorite of all time ) guardian, but he is, teeth sinking into his lower lip to try and bite back the little smile tugging at them. He's decidedly not looking at Michael as he drops his backpack and steps in to take a closer look at the gifts, eyes sparking with light.

It's when he gets to the GameCube that he finally looks back at Michael, slight tilt to his head.

"What's this?"

She honestly doesn't remember when Gregory's birthday had come up, maybe in a conversation about them sharing a birthday? Doesn't matter, she know it, so she tries to do something. Even if that something is...largely just stolen Fazbear goods. A cake made using the Pizzaplex's ingredients and recipes, a card she put together, and few pieces of Freddy-centric merchandise. All of which is set out on the table she's guiding him to. "Happy birthday, little guy." Hey, maybe the cake will put him into a sugar coma for the night.

★ — He has no idea where it is that Addy wants to lead him to, yet he follows with little convincing needed .... and a significant amount of whining, intentionally annoying ( sometimes he really can't help himself ), saying she should just tell him already before they stop at the little table and —— .

Oh. That's not what he'd been expecting.

It stops him dead in his tracks, quickly falling silent. He didn't even know she knew his birthday — doesn't remember the small - talk amongst nights upon nights of him sneaking in and her trying to keep him under control. Hadn't crossed his mind then that she might remember. ( no one ever did ).

So now Gregory stands wide - eyed, gaping like a fish as he glances between the older teen and the small display in front of him.

"You — how'd you — why —— uhm."

He can feel his cheeks heating up from embarrassment, quickly scrubbing a hand against his face as if that might hide the color.

"What's the catch?"

“ in case any of you needed a reminder this place is a twisting nightmare ”

I think this is a buzzfeed unsolved meme from months ago

★ — There's a frown tugging at the corner of his lips which he doesn't bother to completely fight off ; he wears it more akin to a pout, his lower lip ( unconsciously ) jutted out ever so slight, his brows almost comically furrowed. They hadn't made it far into the sinkhole — the elevator had been broken, evidently stuck at the bottom.

Why? Why was it all the way down there? If it were the only elevator, shouldn't it have brought someone back to the pizzaplex itself before getting stuck? Was someone down there? Had it fallen?

The sound of her voice brings him out of his thoughts ; he blinks, his expression falling to something childlike and confused.

"I, uh .... really don't think I needed a reminder."

[ FORT ]: sender builds a blanket fort for the receiver following a long and difficult day. (let gregory have a normal kid moment!!)

this has been in my inbox for almost an entire year

★ — The living room is torn to pieces when he gets home, and all Gregory can do is stare from the doorway.

It's the last thing he expects ; he hadn't been sent home early from school, but it had been a near thing after a fight had broken out. The teacher who caught the incident had refused to hear Gregory out, and had sent him straight to the front office, where they had .... at least sort of listened, agreeing to talk to the other students that had been verbally harassing him until he had finally gotten fed up. But the office had also insisted on calling his parent— his guardian— to inform them of the situation.

So Gregory knows Michael knows. And he also knows that drawing attention to himself is putting their arrangement at risk. So he's steeled himself for the oncoming lecture, for the disappointment, half - preparing to be yelled at the moment he opens the door. ( all his foster parents would yell, they'd never listen ). But that doesn't come.

Instead, the living room is in shambles — and for a split second Gregory wonders if he'd made Michael that mad. It's too structured to be that, though, and that makes it all the more confusing.

He sees Michael poke his head out from underneath the cushions and blankets, obviously having heard the door open. Gregory's brows furrow. There's an invitation to come closer, but Gregory doesn't move from his place in the wide open doorway.

( he's still not entirely sure if he should bolt or not ).

"What'd you do?"

★ — "M'fine."

Huffed response, clearly annoyed, at the mention of calling someone, his eyes get wide ; a flash of fear he can't quite hide.

"No, don't ——!"

' are you alright? is there anyone i can call for you? ' @braveburned

★ — On one hand, it'd be really stupid to go to some unknown location with someone he barely knows — and really, Gregory knows next to nothing about Ollie.

On the other, if Ollie had wanted to hurt him, she'd certainly had plenty of chances to do so. Like right now, it was the middle of the night with no one around and only the two of them were behind a large, solitary building. And the last person he'd followed away from the pizzaplex despite knowing next to nothing about them had given him an escape from the foster system. So.

"You'd seriously take me with you?" ( a pause ). "Wait — if you've got a show tonight, why're you here instead of there?"

@braveburned from here

Her hands are on her hips, but Ollie doesn't plan on lecturing him. She's well aware of her own history of impulsive choices, and she's well aware of how little lectures did to stop any of that. If anything, she knew it could make that sort of thing worse. So hey, maybe a distraction would work better. It certainly couldn't be any worse.

"Well, I drum for a band, and the show tonight's probably chill enough for a kid." Doesn't mean a kid should be there, but that's neither here nor there. "I could probably get you in."

★ — There's a tension in the boy's posture that only seems to increase as the man sits down beside him. He doesn't move, but he does lean slightly away, very intentionally leaving a distance between them. He looks ready to bolt at any moment. Despite being so young and alone, he seems to at least have some sense of stranger danger.

"Not lost. I don't need help. I'm just— taking a break."

' alright, alright — i hear you. no calls. ' daniel looks down at the boy for a moment before sitting beside him on the sidewalk. ( he looks to be about ten, far too young to wandering around by himself. ) ' are you lost? 'cause i know my way around here pretty well ... could help you out. '