From the roof, she could see everything.
If asked, she was breaking into steal the Chao's Wing's Heart Fruit Cake recipe. That was why she was here, up on the roof clad in more black than she would normally wear, crouched low behind a chimney.
No one was going to ask, because no one was going to see her.
And so she crouched, ears folded back against her head, boggling at the way everyone she knew was there. The Chaos' Wing had just opened its doors a week prior, so she chastised herself for being surprised at how busy it was. A week was long enough for word of mouth to build and even greater buzz, but short enough that everyone would be vying to get in. And of course, who else would bump others for a Sweetest Day reservation but her famous friends?
And they were all there, all of them, though she doubted they could all see each other.
Amy sat at a little table, mooning at Sonic over that Heart Fruit Cake. Sonic couldn't seem to decide whether he wanted to spend the time grumbling at Amy or making faces of sheer ecstasy with each bite of cake. Rouge was not surprised to see them together, but she was surprise to see them together holding still.
Shadow was sipping something a little too fruity-looking for someone that tough, leaning in and chatting with a leggy blonde. Rouge could have been sitting there with him, but she had told Shadow she had plans. She regretted it a little now, but not much. She wouldn't want to be in that woman's place tomorrow.
The Chaotix were curled up in a corner table, just Espio and Vector, arguing loudly about whether they could afford the place and complaining about all the couples. The other diners would see only two inept detectives in the wrong place at the wrong time, but from her high vantage point, the angle allowed Rouge to see their knees touching.
Even Jet and Wave were there, bickering over some kind of pasta.
Rouge got down on her knees, watching the scene, but then turned away, looking off at the cool silver moon just rising on the horizon, the silhouette of Angel Island taking a tiny bite out of it. Then she looked back toward the lingering tendrils of sunlight in the west. She could easily be down there, she reminded herself. She could be sitting there among them, whichever hero she wanted at her side as she flipped through the menu and cast smoldering looks their way. Shadow had asked her to be his date, instead of that blonde who looked uncomfortably like a Robotnik. Knuckles could have been bribed into such a crowded venue with the promise of their vegan ambrosia as long as Rouge made certain that recipe included grapes. Omega would probably accompany her if she asked, and she was pretty sure the little fox boy was sweet on her a little. She had no shortage of choices.
But what would come of it?
Rouge shook her head, banishing the possibilities from her mind. This was a lonely way to spend a manufactured corporate holiday, but it deserved nothing more. Sweetest's Day was a sham to sell candy, flowers, and chocolate, all of which she could buy for herself. What she couldn't buy was the recipe for their Heart Fruit Cake, which she had discovered was amazing when she treated herself to dinner at the café the night it opened.
It would probably be easier to steal the recipe some lonely night when the place was closed, but that would mean giving up hours of precious beauty sleep. Besides, she had nothing better to do, now. The air currents around Angel Island were too treacherous to navigate at this time of night, and there was nothing but sappy movies and Chao racing on TV due to the holiday. Her presence at the café had nothing to do with seeing if all her friends really did have a Sweetest.
She crawled down the side of the roof and used her boots to climb down the wall, peeking in the first window. That one lead to the inside dining room, where Vanilla the Rabbit leaned in to laugh with someone unseen, flirtatious, while Cream colored pictures at the table next to her mother. Far in the corner, Rouge spotted Tails the Fox, dining alone, a small potted plant at the seat across from him. She felt a brief pang of sympathy. Then she moved on.
The next window she checked was the kitchen, which bustled with activity. People in white scurried all over the place, and she had a hard time believing so many people could fit in such a small and cluttered room. The recipe might be there, but it probably wasn't.
She moved on. Finally she found what she knew to be her target: A simple office in the back with a desk. A small container sat atop it, open, and a number of small white squares lay against the dark surface: index cards.
She grabbed the window with one hand and gave it a tentative push upwards. If the owners were wise, they'd have locked the windows, but she thought there was a decent chance the windows were old enough not to lock properly anyway. It seemed the owners of the Chao's Wing had sacrificed security for romance in renting from such an old building: the window slid up easily under her hand.
She climbed in easily, snickering silently to herself as she approached the desk. "Too easy," she muttered. She sat down at the desk, looking it over.
She was surprised at the office. The outside of the restaurant was romantic, with wrought iron furniture and a busy terrace full of diners. Inside she'd seen candles and old-fashioned seating. In here? The desk looked like it'd been put together out of a box with instructions, a simple laminated black top on a pale stained body. The tiny box atop it was green and plastic, "recipes" scrawled across it with black permanent marker. Only the cards inside had any ornamentation: pink and blue hearts, "recipe" written across the top in a kitschy serif font.
Rouge leaned over, looking at the cards that were out. The one she was looking for, "Heart Fruit Cake," was there, as was "Vegan Ambrosia" and "World's Largest Sandwich." She picked them up and looked at them, then pulled a small handheld scanner out of what she liked to call "the heart pocket." She passed each card through, reading it as she went. A pang of regret washed over her as she saw "grapes" listed on the ambrosia recipe, but she buried it, deep. Bringing Knuckles there to dine would have been a bad idea.
Then she put the cards back where she found them, trying to get their positions perfect, and headed back out the window. She climbed up to the roof for one last look.
She gasped at what she saw there. If she had seen some kind of security waiting for her, or birds perched atop the eaves, she wouldn't have been surprised. Instead, a huge ball of shiny blackness obscured her view of one of the wider chimneys, only a hint of red from each side giving her some clue to what she'd seen. The small bulb atop the egg shape whipped around, and she could feel eyes suddenly peering into her soul from under shiny blue glasses.
"Oh. It's just you. I would have thought you'd be down there with Shadow," he grumbled, turning back.
She crawled up next to him. "Eggman? What are you doing here?"
"I needed the recipe for the world's largest sandwich," he explained. "But I thought I could get some useful reconnaissance on that meddling hedgehog while I was here."
Rouge nodded, thinking that sounded suspiciously like an excuse.
"And you? There are no jewels or gems in this place for you to take."
"I wanted the Heart Fruit Cake recipe. I had some the night they opened; it was to die for."
He grinned. "Shadow didn't ask you?"
"I said no. We want different things."
He nodded, turning his head back to the terrace. Rouge could almost see his eyes fixate on Sonic in the distance.
"I'm surprised you didn't kidnap someone to be your date," Rouge teased.
"That would hardly be a date, now would it? Besides, I have greater concerns than arbitrary companionship on a manufactured holiday."
"Like setting Sonic off balance?" She leaned in toward him, just a little.
"You have something in mind?"
"I want to see if the Vegan Ambrosia's any good. You want to ruin Sonic's day. We're both dateless on Sweetest's Day. Why not blow everyone's minds in the process? Besides, Doctor," she added with a giggle, "You're a gentleman, aren't you?"
He reached up and scratched at the hood of the black outfit that clung too tightly to his body. "I don't think we'd pass the dress code right now, Rouge."
"You have that coat of yours around here somewhere, and I have a change in my bag."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because if we can't enjoy Sweetest's Day, at least we can ruin everyone else's." She smiled. "I'll meet you by the front door in ten minutes." She blew him a kiss and flew away.