Sonic gave a soft sigh of relief, looking back at the ocean as he stopped running. It was more than worth it, but running over the water like that had made him tense. Now, he could at least be free from all of the craziness.

If he had pants, he would've shoved his hands into the pockets as he walked away. Still, a small proud smile was on his face. He'd run away; he'd made it, and now no one could come after him.

Honestly, he had no clue where he was going, but it was almost exciting. The new sights were particularly nice and he wondered if maybe he should consider exploring in the future.

After a while of aimless wandering (honestly, he'd lost track of time), he suddenly stopped, gazing upon the town before him. He'd been so used to the quiet village, that seeing all the buildings before him was a little overwhelming. Still, he wasn't gonna show his surprise, and pat down his quills to ensure he didn't look like a total mess before strolling in.

Instantly, he noticed a change from the village. A little girl - he didn't even know her - smiled at him, probably having seen his frown. He mentally paused, surprised by the gesture, then smiled back, causing the girl to giggle and wave at him.

A few others he passed waved at him too, sometimes even saying a friendly, "Hello!"

He was shocked, but in the best way, waving back. "Hey~"

He almost blushed, having never really received such kindness from so many people at once. The villagers greeted him so rarely that he'd just become numb to it, but thinking back… yeah, this was great to get.

"Jul Jul Rocket, coming through!"

Sonic's ears perked at the shouting, and a small hamster boy suddenly dashed through a few mobians, probably not looking where he was going as he bumped into Sonic, though he was so small that there wasn't nearly enough force behind it to knock the hedgehog over. "O-oh, sorry, mister!"

'Sorry'? Heh, Sonic forgot that such a word even existed. "Don't worry about it, kiddo. We can't all be awesome rockets." He smirked and sped around in a circle for a moment.

"Whoa, you're fast!" the boy exclaimed, eyes practically sparkling.

"Correction: the fastest," Sonic said in response, puffing out his chest with pride.

The boy grinned happily, then turned as someone made their way towards him; a purple hedgehog girl, probably a little younger than Sonic.

"Jul, hehe, you've gotta be careful. You know you can swerve around crowds easier than I can," she said, picking him up with a small giggle.

He smiled weakly. "Sorry, Mama." He pressed his forehead against her, making a small growling noise. She giggled, doing the same in response.

She then took notice of Sonic. "O-oh, hello. I'm sorry, did he run into you?"

Geez, two 'sorry's in one day? That was a new record. Sonic smiled.

"Yeah, but it's no big deal. This hedgehog's like a brick wall anyway~"

"Is that right?" she asked, amused. "Maybe I should make you pay for Jul's medical bills then. He probably broke a few bones running into you."

"Wha?" Sonic chuckled; it was rare to see someone play along with him. "That's rude. Is this how ya treat the new guy?"

"Ah, you're new here?" she asked curiously. "I knew I'd never seen your face before. Are you a traveler?"

Sonic's expression faltered slightly. "Mm… I guess?" He crossed his arms. "I'm just tryin' to find a new place to call home."

"I see…" Her smile lessened, noticing that maybe she'd asked too much. "Well, as an apology for my little boy running into you, can I maybe get you something to eat?"

Sonic's stomach growled immediately; he'd eaten all his snacks on the way there, so a meal sounded really good right then. "Heh, sure!" He followed her as she made her way down the street. "Name's Sonic, by the way; Sonic the Hedgehog. Coolest hedgehog you'll ever meet~"

She laughed lightly at that, surprising him; people usually rolled their eyes when he said stuff like that.

"Like a sonic boom, right? How utterly creative," she joked.

"And I guess you have somethin' better?" he asked, playing along.

"Fair enough. I'm Starru, and this little guy here is my adopted son, Jul." She ruffled the small boy's fur, making him break into little giggles.

"Yeah, see? Starru doesn't mean anything~"

Jul chimed in. "And you're Sonic 'cause you're so fast, right?"

"Only the fastest thing alive... but I'm faster than all things not alive too," he replied with a cocky smirk.

"Oh? You'll have to show me sometime!" Starru said. "But let's focus on getting something in your stomach first; that's my main concern."

Sonic was surprised again. Mobians waving, and a mobian being concerned about him? It was almost too much; someone call a doctor, he must just be in a coma dream!

Starru led him to a small cafe, and Sonic was immediately taken by the atmosphere. It felt nothing like Meh Burger.

Starru then pointed up at the menu. "Anything suit your fancy?"

He placed a hand on his chin, looking over it. "Hmm… surprise me."

She giggled. "If you say so. Just find us a table if you'd please." She went off with Jul to talk to a lady standing at the counter.

Sonic nodded despite them being turned away from him, then looked around, eyeing a booth not too far off. He sat down on it, finally allowing his muscles to relax; he'd been on his feet for far too long, even for him. The village had always been so primitive and strange… so this was refreshing.

He took a breath, staring down at his hands as he rested them on the table. His sports tape was a little wet and dirty; he imagined he himself didn't look much better. Still, he'd find a place of his own and get a really hot bath; that was his goal for the moment.

Starru returned to him after a few minutes, carrying two trays. She set one down in front of him, and set the other down for herself. Sonic eyed the classic hamburger and fries that had been set in front of him. Definitely better than Meh Burger.

He picked up the burger, but stopped himself. Ugh, it looked better, but it still didn't feel right; it was just a reminder of how things were like back in the village, which he never wanted to think about again.

"Something wrong?" Starru asked, noticing his uneasiness.

He jerked his head over to her. "Huh? Ahh, no…" He set the burger down, sliding his tray away. "Just makes me think of my old home."

"Ah…" She paused, then gave him a small smile, switching their trays around. "Here, you can have my spaghetti if you like?"

"Y'sure?"

She nodded happily. "Yeah. Whatever makes you feel comfortable." She picked up his burger and started eating, not seeming to mind the sudden change in meals.

He relaxed again, eating the spaghetti that had been put out in front of him. A better and tasty choice, which he was grateful for.

"…Do you want to talk about it?"

He glanced back up at Starru again. "Hm?"

"You seemed troubled…"

Jul nodded his head in agreement, making Sonic chuckle softly. Was he that obvious?

"Eh, it's no big deal." Even though he said that, his tone was somber. "I was just sick of everyone ignorin' all the stuff I did."

"Oh?" Starru asked, frowning.

He put on a proud face so not to seem discouraged. "Well, yeah! I mean, a hero's gotta get some recognition every now and then, right?" He shrugged. "Then ya get zip and everything just…" He sighed, slumping on the table. "…falls apart."

"A hero?" Jul asked, lighting up. "So you were like a superhero?"

Sonic blinked, then grinned. "Heh, yeah~ Like a superhero!"

"Oh, oh! Can you show me all your cool superpowers sometime?"

"Guess so~" Sonic reached into his little bag that he'd brought from his old shack, slipping on a pair of sunglasses. "Besides my power of super coolness, y'mean~?"

Starru smirked. "And super modesty!" She made a gesture with her hand. "It's just radiating off of you~"

"What can I say? I've got a little bit of everything," Sonic told her, initiating another fit of giggles from Starru and Jul. He couldn't help smiling, though he didn't do it often. They actually laughed at his teasing? Was everyone here so nice? He could certainly get used to it, and maybe then he wouldn't have to constantly boast about himself.

"…What's that face for~?"

"Hm?" Sonic blinked obliviously. "What face?"

Starru smiled softly. "I can't quite explain it. You just look… happier?"

Sonic stared at his reflection in the glass window, noticing his smile. It was true, he didn't get truly happy that often; back at the village, he was so not used to it that it almost hurt to smile. It was almost weird to see himself wearing such a bold one now.

"Heh, guess I am, a little…" He took a sip of water.

"Does that mean you're liking it here?" Starru asked.

Jul grinned. "I bet the town'd love t'have a super cool fast hedgehog living here!"

Starru placed a hand on his head. "Slow down, little one. He just got here a little while ago; it's a bit soon to ask about staying."

"…Nah, I think he's onto somethin'," Sonic argued.

"Ah, you mean…?"

"This place isn't half bad; I'd have to scope it out a little more, but…" He smiled fondly, taking a relaxed sip of his water. "I think I'd really like it here. I'd just have to find a place to stay for a while 'til I make a choice."

"Oh, that's easy! If you don't mind the idea of it, you can stay with Jul and I," Starru offered.

Jul nodded his head. "Yeah, please stay!"

Sonic grinned. "Well, when y'put it that way, how can I say 'no'?"

He glanced once more at his reflection. Maybe this whole world wasn't so bad; maybe it was just the island that was the way it was.

Either way, he had a good feeling that he was home, where he'd wanted to be for so long.