Chaotix Chronicles-Vol. 1

The Lady in Red

It was a late spring night in Seaside Hill. Here, storms were few in far between. This night was one of those rare occasions. Team Chaotix was operating their detective/café business, and were open tonight despite the weather. They had made a decent amount of money while running a café in space while Sonic and friends battled the Metarex. And now that they were home, they were giving it another go.

Vector decided a few months ago to move to Seaside Hill, and out of Frost Cove. It was a smart business decision; Seaside was almost always sunny and warm, full of hungry beachgoers. Charmy, who loved the beach, was overjoyed about the move. Espio however, wasn't so pleased; the beach was crowded, noisy, and hot. Frost Cove was peaceful, cool, and isolated. Not that this mattered, once Vector's mind was made up, it was happening, like it or not.

Even with the storm raging outside, the café was relatively busy. Charmy was taking and delivering orders, Espio stayed behind the counter, and Vector played his piano. People were eating, talking, and laughing. In fact, the morale of the poorly-lit establishment was surprisingly high tonight. Customers gave Charmy praise, patting him on the head and talking to him. He liked the attention. Vector played on, chatting lightheartedly with a male customer. Espio, having nothing to do at the moment, was reading a book. He didn't talk too much, he didn't have to, and no one listened anyway.

And it was because of the buzzing energy in the bar that night, that no one batted an eye when a mysterious figure walked in. This figure bore a red, hooded cloak, so only her white muzzle was exposed. She didn't say a word, or look at anyone as she made her way to the counter. She took a seat on one of the barstools.

Espio didn't say a word, and tried his best not to stare. It was difficult, if she was going for inconspicuousness, she wasn't achieving it.

The figure kept her head down. After a few moments of silence, she finally spoke, in a rough whisper, "Water, please."

It wasn't a request. Espio nodded once and poured her drink. She impatiently snatched it from his hand, and by the time it took him to blink, the glass was empty. He realized just how thirsty the poor girl must've been.

By now, Vector had taken notice of the girl in the cloak. He was suspicious of her. He and Espio shared a glance, but their expressions gave completely different messages.

Vector's look was one of apprehension; Espio's was guarded, but not distrustful.

The croc approached the cloaked female. "Hey, Lady."

The figure didn't turn around; she only dropped her head further. Now, her face was completely invisible. Espio expression turned to one of nervousness; he worried about what Vector was going to say. This girl was obviously troubled.

"Hey, girl in the coat!" Vector called again, he assumed the girl was homeless, with the way she dressed and behaved, "Do you live around here?"

The figure did not respond.

She lifted her head without speaking. Espio was becoming somewhat unsettled by her behavior. Vector, however, was oblivious.

"Hey, did you hear me, Darlin'? We're not running a soup kitchen here."

"Vector, enough." Espio reproached, his voice sharp and full of authority. That caught Vector's attention.

It caught the female's as well. Until that moment, she had not heard the chameleon speak. His voice was… alluring. She wanted to hear it again. The corner of her lip twitched, hinting at a smile.

"Please sir," She said, her voice a little louder than before. She turned to face Vector, who was much larger than her, he was intimidating. "It's just water."

Vector, still unsure, nodded slowly, "Okay. Just remember: we're not running a charity, you get something else, you pay for it, understand?"

Charmy had since noticed the commotion and came over to see what was going on. "Hey," he greeted his teammates, "What's up?"

He was immediately interested in the cloaked girl. He cocked his head, "Who are you?"

She sighed, "Someone who needs to go." She glared at Vector and Charmy, but her hood covered her eyes, so they didn't see. She glanced back at Espio, and her expression softened considerably. She even tried to give him a smile, but she couldn't muster it up. Instead, she quickly and silently took her leave.

As the mysterious female exited the café, Vector gave a Espio a look. He was confused. "What the hell, man?"

Espio looked up, not saying anything. He shrugged. That was a clear enough answer- Vector wasn't getting one. He sighed, and motioned for Charmy to follow him. It was nearly closing time, and they needed to start cleaning.

The chameleon went upstairs after that, with the intention of sleeping. However, all he did that night was think, and he was thinking about her.