Chapter Text
March 23, 1985 : Theo’s POV
Playtime City has been my home for as long as I can remember. I used to live out on the streets when I was around 4. But I was brought into the light by my true savior, PT. No one really knows his true name. Besides me and his daughter, Poppy. He somewhat... adopted me? I guess you could say that. He’s trained me to be one of his strongest fighters. I’d kill anyone for him.
Anyways, onto why I’m writing this entry. PT has assigned me a job. A huge one. See, Poppy had run off, claiming she needed to be independent. I don’t see why she’d toss away what our lord has given to her, but nonetheless, she ran off. Harley, my highly annoying, narcissistic, disgraceful, soulless, and pathetic coworker, had found out that she had begun her new ‘life’ at a casino. Sundown Casino.
I’ve never really set foot in that area, but PT seemed to hate the idea of his daughter working for a man he loathed. So, he is sending me out to fetch her myself. Honestly, I wouldn’t have an issue with that, and the job would’ve been done in a blink of an eye if Harley hadn’t suggested that I also be sent to gather info on the Sunshine owner, Samuel Day.
So that’s how i find myself in the back of a car heading to my new job. Things should be easy. Just act friendly. Smile a little.
I’ll write in here again soon. Bye.
———- get the job done.
Theodore glanced out of the window, watching the dark and wet city. Rain poured down onto the glass with a tap tap tap. A soothing sound that the feline has learned to love.
He took the few minutes he had left in the car to fix up his suit, which was a dark black. On both of his pointed ears were two moon-shaped earrings. One of them actually being an earpiece he could communicate to PT with. This may be Harley’s only useful invention. But Theodore would never admit to saying that.
He felt the car jolt to a stop. One breath in one breath out, and he stepped onto the wet sidewalk carrying an umbrella so his fur didn’t get drenched.
The casino had a red wall, its doors made of glass with golden trim. The sign hung loud and brightly. “Sundown Casino” the o being replaced with golden suns.
“No going back...” the feline thought to himself as he walked inside. He was blinded by the sound and bright lights of the room. Despite all the games being on, no critters were seen near them. He was about to open his phone and make sure he had the right place when a loud voice came from behind him.
“Hey can’t you read the sign? We’re closed!”
He turned to see a green rabbit. She wore a black buttoned undershirt with a red vest above it. She walked over using a pool stick as a cane. Her name tag, which looked more like a necklace, was a four leaf clover with the name ‘Hazel’ ingrained into it.
“Sorry uh… I’m Theodore. The new security guard? I didn’t know which door to walk through.”
The rabbit, or Hazel, looked him up and down as if trying to study him before laughing. “I heard we got a new guy. Welcome to the team, i’m Hazel.”
She slapped him on the shoulder as she began to walk to another room. “I’ll get the boss. You just… wait here..” And with that she was gone.
Theodore took the moment to look around. The interior of the casino heavily reminded him of a king’s ball room. Every piece of furniture was covered in a wine red color with golden trim.
A bar caught the attention of the cat. A pig worked tirelessly cleaning shot cups and making sure the wine bottles were stocked.
He glided over to the counter, his paws making no sound, as if he didn't exist. The pig didn't seem to notice him as he watched her. It took a moment for her to even acknowledge him! “Hey! You're the new guy, right?” Theodore gave her a quick nod. “Great. Could you be a dear and help me stack these glasses? Kinda busy here.” She motioned towards the checklist of drinks she had to fill out.
"Sure, why not?” I have to make everyone trust me anyway. He thought to himself as he began to carefully wipe down and stack each cup in a pristine order.
They sat in silence for a moment, until the pig began to speak. “I’m Petunia, by the way.¨ Theo nodded at her, “Theodore.”
“You're the new security guard, right? Ha! Samuel hasn't stopped blabbering about you.” Theodore's ear twitched. The owner was interested in him? “He talks about me? How so?”
Petunia snorted as she checked out another shelf of drinks. “He's an enthusiastic guy. Get’s excited over new hires. Just a heads up: if you haven't met him yet, he's going to be very hyper. If it's too much, just tell me.” Theo paused for a moment to process that information before giving her a quiet nod.
Suddenly, the stage lights flickered on as soft jazz filtered through the large room. On stage, two critters were singing. A chicken and a bear. Theodore watched carefully as the bear hummed a soft tune. The chicken just backed her vocals up.
Petunia leaned onto the counter as she watched the stage. “That’s Bailey and Kasey. See, they’re our entertainers. Bailey sings onstage, and Kasey… honestly, I’m not sure, but I heard he hangs out with VIPs.” Theodore nodded wordlessly as Bailey finished her song. A unicorn and an elephant suddenly stood up from some booths and clapped. Bailey leaned into her microphone and spoke, “Speaker four’s volume is lower than the others.” The elephant nodded and walked backstage.
How she could tell the speaker was down, Theodore had no idea. He watched as the critters, minus the elephant, began to walk towards the bar. “YOO, IS THAT THE NEW GUY?” The chicken, or Kasey, hollered as he rushed up to Theodore and slapped him on the shoulder. “What’s up, dude?”
Theodore’s ears pinned back slightly in annoyance, but he didn’t say anything. Make friends, not enemies, he told himself. “Welcome, dear. It’s a pleasure for you to be on our team.” He heard a voice say as he felt furry arms wrap around him.
Bailey had squeezed her arms around him so tightly he could barely breathe. “Th-the pleasure’s mine!” he gasped as he was finally released from the bear’s deadly grip.
“I’m Bailey.” She spoke as if she didn’t just squeeze the life out of the feline. “This is Kasey,” the chicken waved with a ‘sup dude.’ “Camilla,” a shy-looking unicorn gently waved as she brushed her blue braid off her shoulder. “And he isn’t here, but there’s also Brandon. He’s an elephant; it’s hard to miss him.” Theodore gave a small hello as the group continued to chat.
Suddenly, a door, Theodore had failed to notice, slammed open, and the sound of fast paws began to make its way towards him. Before he could process what was happening, an orange blur grabbed onto his hand and began to shake it. “Hello Theodore! My name’s Samuel Day, and I’m your boss!”
“Samuel!” Hazel yelled out as she walked into the room, “Relax, dude. Give him space.” Samuel’s long ears dropped slightly as he backed away and fixed his hat. “Sorry about that.” He cleared his throat and continued.
“Anyways, I’m Samual Day. The founder and owner of Sundown Casino! It’s wonderful that you’ve decided to join us, Theodore! I see you’ve already met our other employees.”
Theodore nodded as he looked back at the critters behind him. “Yeah. Lovely bunch, Mr. Day.”
“Oh, just call me Samuel! Or even Sam, I don’t mind. Mr. Day is only for guests.” He laughed. His short yet fluffy tail wagged behind him.
“Anyways, it’s time for your grand tour! Well, there’s not a lot you’d need to worry about because tomorrow we’ll show you everything else… but tonight I could at least show you your office and where to find me!” Samuel led Theodore back to the door he and Hazel had exited, the rabbit following closely behind. Meanwhile, the other critters returned to their jobs.
The three walked through a hallway that looked more like a hotel room to Theodore. “This is where our employees stay. Some of us just use it as temporary rooms if we can’t go home for the night, but others, like myself, live here! We already set up your room too!” The spaniel opened a door that had a golden nameplate with the name “Theodore” engraved onto it.
The room was pretty basic. A bed with red sheets, some curtains, a nightstand, and an old TV. That was all Theodore needed. Samuel anxiously pulled on his ear as he watched Theodore look around. “You’re allowed to bring your own stuff here. This is your room now, so go crazy!”
“I like it. Thank you, Samuel." Theo nodded as he walked back out. The tour continued; Samuel had shown his own office, which was pretty small. It was disorganized with papers and lots and lots of other stuff scattered around. But it was cozy.
Finally, Theodore was shown his own office. It had a bunch of computers and monitors all placed into one desk. Each monitor shows a different area of the casino. His eyes drifted to see Brandon and Petunia talking at the bar. Samuel leaned over the desk to click a mic. "If you click this, they can hear you!" He cleared his throat and talked into the microphone. "”Hey guys! Showing Theodore the cameras! Wave!” The pig and the elephant immediately turned to face the camera, both waving with a gentle smile on their faces.
Theodore snickered silently to himself. They looked quite foolish to him, but it was slightly heartwarming. Samuel clapped his gloved paws together. "Alright! That's the end of today's tour. I'll be in my office if you have any questions, Theo. Don't be afraid to ask!”
Samuel and Hazel walked out of the room, leaving Theodore alone. He sat in silence for a good minute before turning on the moon earpiece. "I'm in."”
A sharp laugh crackled through his ear. "Good. Tomorrow you gather evidence for me. Don't let me down, Theodore. Find Poppy and burn this piece of rubbish down."
A loud beep rang through his ear, signaling P.T. had disconnected. Theodore ran his paw down his face, groaning in exhaustion. How much longer will he have to deal with this mutt and his smiling crew? Only God knows. But tomorrow will be a new day. He can do this.
—--
"I think he’s a nice fella. It's good to have a new face in the company!" Samuel spun in his chair as Hazel cleaned her gun.
"Are you sure he won't rat us out when we show him the back room, boss?" Her ear twitched. Samuel stared at her for a good moment before laughing. "I pray to God not! Besides, if he does… we can handle him."