"Silver focus on us. Not your phone." Silver turned his neck to see blaze admonishing him. He complied out of some observance of courtesy.
"Yeah Silv, is your screen prettier than me."
"Sonic don't throw stone in glass houses. Your love of twitter is known throughout the lands." Silver crossed his arms indignantly.
"He's doesn't tweet when he's at the table. Only when he goes to the bathroom."
"Thank you for that image Acorn." Shadow set his glass of water back on the table and tried to rub the image out of his eyes.
"Interesting how you interpreted that, your mind jumped to him on the toilet when-"
"As curious as I am to see where this goes," Rouge held her hands up but had some mirth at the scene," the waiter is coming around."
The familiar figure slouching towards their table was immediately regonizable to Sonic. That defeated face and bad posture even attached to such an uncharacteristically nice tuxedo and dolled up hair was unmistakable.
"Dave!?"
"Hi I'm Dave do your party know what to order." Dave dully recited. He gave no reaction to his former coworker.
"Do you two know each other?" Sally was startled by Sonic's surprise. Rouge, Silver, and Blaze were curious as well.
"He was a minor recurring character in Sonic Boom. He played a boring intern with dreams of villainy." Shadow dryly informed them.
"Oh, well we'll start of with crab biscuts as an appetizer." Rouge told him apathetic to his potential plight now that she had an answer.
"What are you doing waiting tables, what's happened to you since the show was cancelled?" Sonic was interested even though he wasn't exactly concerned. Dave hadn't really talked to anyone on the set.
"I told my mom I was done with acting and she kicked me out." He said bluntly hoping that would be the end.
It was and the party of six agreed to start off with a course of appetizers. The crab biscuts were a popular item last years so the chefs made sure to bake dozens of batches for the guest of E3. This meant Dave was only away for about two minutes.
He sullenly set the baskets down on the table and stalked away without a word. Nobody noticed this though and their attention was raptly on the bread. Sonic rapidly started stocking bread on his plate.
"Are you sure you'll be able to eat all that." Sally took a bite out of a piece bread she grabbed from the basket.
"Maybe not but I'll try. Meanwhile your the only one who isn't using a plate. To think Sega casted you as a princess." What Sonic said was true. The rest of the party placed their bread on plates while Sally opted to to hold as much in her left hand and eat with her right.
"Well Sega doesn't always make sensible choices. Otherwise Sonic 0-"
"That is to never be discussed," the rest of the table said in unison. Sally shirked back amused by colleague's reactions. Sonic 06 was a trigger for the entire video game cast especially the ones who starred in it.
"Why couldn't I have been given a better debut game," Sally heard Silver mutter under his breath. Blaze acted quickly to prevent a diatribe from him.
"I'm happy for your debut in the new comics. How's quiet like to work with Sonic, Silver."
"Awfully quiet," Sonic snickered at his joke. He was the only one. "Okay I'm sorry for that." Sonic chuckled a little more.
"Well I'm happy for the success of the new comic. Besides I'm sure I'll appear one day, Evan Stanley said IDW might let him wrap of the old comic's storyline." Sally was hopeful but sad at the reminder of her comic's cancellation.
"Don't worry Sal, I'll make sure you get an appearance somehow." Sonic shoved a piece of bread in his mouth.
"This bread is even better than last year's. I have to take some for Knuckles." Rouge made a mental note to ask Dave for a bag.
"What's the plan."
"You know me well Shadow. I'll walk up to him give him the bag and he's so single minded he won't notice me running off with the master emerald."
"Please film that." Sonic begged with an ear splitting smile. "Speaking of the bread, I'll have to pack some for Tails. He loved it too."
"I once again hope I didn't take Tails' seat. I don't like the idea of being here at his expense," Sally feared.
"Relax Sal. I just wanted to take you and Tails understood." Sonic spread his arms." There is enough blue to go around."
"Not enough for Amy." Sally finished her last piece of bread and wiped the crumbs from her thin blue suit.
"Okay so maybe not." Sonic's face fell. "Also the ticket describes the plus one as a date so that would have been weird. There's enough rumors floating about us already too. All it takes is one jerk walking by and I having a talk I don't want to." Sally shrugged in solidarity.
"What rumors," Silver asked innocently. The whole table sans Shadow and blaze giggled at him. "What!?" Silver became offended as well as confused.
"That's something else for your kitty cat to tell you when your older."
"Rouge please don't."
"Shadow," Silver avoided his first instinct to ask Blaze after the bat's comment," what rumors."
"That people think Tails is a girl." Shadow sure as hell didn't want to educate him about the sexual conjecture over the fox and the faker.
"Oh," Silver bought the partial truth. "Well just because it said date doesn't mean it has to be some sort of romantic interest. It could just mean companion, after all me and blaze," Silver blushed realizing the trap he walked into but stayed the course," are a good example of that."
"The former definition you mean." Rouge reached out to grab more bread.
"Yes well," Blaze coughed,"I have high hoped for the reception to Team Sonic Racing."
"I still can't believe it was leaked by Walmart. I always knew they were pure evil."
"You're speaking to the choir Sal. If there's a place where the freedom fighters are needed, it's Walmart."
"Sonic. I haven't seen you since the last Olympics." The familiar figure of the red plumber stopped by the table.
"Mario it's good to see you again, hon. How's Peach been?"
"She's been well Rouge. I like your dress though." Rouge was wearing a tight red dress that came down to her hips. It was shiny and as immaculate as the coat of make up she applied to herself. She had high heels of a pink shade.
"Thank you. I was competing to make sure Shadow didn't upstage me."
"I think you two came neck in neck."
"Thank you Mario," Shadow said cordially. He was wearing a dark grey two piece suit with a black tie. He replaced his usual jet boot with glossy dress shoes.
"In fact you all look well. Sonic you clean up nicely," Sonic grinned at the complement. He was wearing a two piece red suit with a white tie. He kept his usual shoes on instead of dress shoes. "Miss Acorn-"
"Sally is fine."
"Sally I do believe this is the first time I've got to meet you in person."
"Sonic doesn't speak too badly of you behind your back." Sally's grin grew deeper at Mario's laughter.
"I have to give him more motivation then. You're dressed very elegantly." Sally, ever the tomboy, had settled on a suit as well. The letter didn't specify formal, it was just assumed, so she was comfortable doing so. She had a baby blue two piece suit with a white tie on. Her dress shoes were a similar blue color.
"Thank you."
"Silver, Blaze, it's self evident but you two are dressed nicely too." Mario turned his focus to the two to finish his compliments for the table.
"Thank you." Blaze shared Sally's disinclination for skirts and dresses like Sally but was willing to wear one tonight. She had on a lavender dress that went down to her angles which she complemented with a tie and coat. Her feet bore red high heels.
"I share Blaze's sentiments. I'm surprised you didn't come dressed up why the usual overalls." Silver had a two piece black suit on. Unlike Shadow and Sonic he didn't wear a tie, instead opting for a cyan bow tie.
"I don't have any big game announcement so I didn't feel like I had much to get dressed for." Mario shrugged in acknowledgement of his statement. "Sonic good job on your web series. I'm hoping your movie is good too."
"It can't be as bad as your's was," Sonic said in a teasing voice.
"That's an impossibility. But watch out, I'm getting a new one made-"
"It'll be better than your first one," Sonic deadpanned.
"I know and it will be better than your's."
"Is that a challenge." Sonic smiled at the thought."
"You know the answer." Mario extended a hand out to Sonic to shake."Are you the only team sonic characters here." Sonic broke of the shake to answer.
"Yeah. We have so many in just the game canon alone that Sega was asked to limit the employees sent. They chose me, Shads, and Silvs giving each of us the option of a plus one."
"So these pretty girls are your dates." Sonic and Sally smiled sheepishly, Shadow shrugged it off, Rouge glowed at the compliment, Blaze was purposely indifferent, and Silver blushed.
"Yup."
"Well I'll be looking forward to your announcement. I think Sonic Team is on its next renaissance."
"I remember hearing that back in 2012."
"Shadow be optimistic for once."
"Sonic don't get your hope ups. You know how this cycle goes, don't sink into it."
"I think you're being pessimistic Shadow. See you later" Mario walked off.
"Is there any possibility that I'm getting my own game. We're nearing my fifteenth anniversary in Sonic team."
Sonic smiled queasily and hesitantly shook his head. Silver's shoulders slumped and Blaze patted his back.
"At least we are going to be in Team Sonic Racing."
"I'm hoping I make an appearance." Sally was crossing her fingers.
"I'm in the game so that's all that matters y'all." Rouge took a sip of her drink.
"Shhh, it's starting." Shadow hated whispers during a viewing.
The big screen loaded an the entire venue went silent. The usual big games played. Halo, Call of Duty, Nintendo, Fallout, and amidst all the big game title came Sonic the hedgehog.
"Please." Sally was crossing her fingers as the newest Team Sonic promo came on. If there was a god, he listened to Sally.
In the video where Sonic and Tails were playfully racing each other, Sally the Squirrel came riding in her race car. The entire venue filled with Sally's screams of victory.
"Sorry." The squirrel blushed and sat back down as every eye focused on her. She stared at the table as Sonic and Rouge laughed at her.
"Maybe next will be-" Blaze sigh interrupted his thought.
"You know it won't."
Silver joined Sally in staring at the table. The audience missed the rest of the trailer in the commotion. All eyes were focused intently on the next one.
"You didn't think we'd leave it a racing game." Sonic murmured to himself.
The screening wasn't mind blowing to any who wasn't an observer of the sonic franchise. But to anyone who was it was mind blowing.
"They're bringing back the adventure gameplay." Silver broke the table's shock.
"Your sister Poppy is making an appearance. I thought talks fell through back in 90?"
"Yeah Blaze but I managed to reopen them. If this does well we're thinking about the possibility of Manic and Sonia making a cameo." Sonic's phone rang.
"Hi-" he paused to hear the voice on the other end. "This night is over. Sally may I carry you home princess."
"You may." Sally jumped into his arms and they dashed off at lighting speed.
"Well we'll be departing too." Shadow grabbed Rouge's arm and activated Chaos Control. Rouge waved to the youngest members of the party before the faded away as dulling green figures.
"Then there was two." Silver said lightly.
"Yes, this was nice." Blaze remarked.
"So, how about we have another dinner with just us tommorow?"
"That's usual how our meals go." Blaze shook her head. "You're so naive." Blaze and Silver both smiled at that. Silver reached to Blaze with his telekinesis and two floated away.
Dave walked up to the table carrying the meals. He stopped and growled at the sight of the empty chairs.
"All this work and no tip." Dave grumbled.