Future Generations – A Bad Time for Change…
Many months previous…
A pretty bad storm hit the Mystic Ruins that day. The winds were strong, and the rain was heavy. Thankfully, Professor Miles Tails Prower wasn't alone on the storming day; the boys, Whisker, Snap, and little Kiri were keeping him company. The storm would make dangerous travel back to the Clubhouse, so they stayed in Tails' cozy little home on the top of the hill.
The storm lasted for a very long time…
"…guys! GUYS!" Striker called out, pointing outside the window. "I see something!"
"….what is it?" Milo came over by the window. "…is that…a ship out there?"
"Looks really bad, doesn't it?" Striker murmured. "…and I think it's being washed up on shore!"
"...no kidding?" Seeing that, Jack hummed a bit. "...is there someone aboard it?"
"Aye, that looks t' be th' case." Whisker nodded.
"...hrm..." Humming, Tails rubbed his chin a little. "...if there's someone aboard there, we should help whoever's aboard right away."
In the darkness of the storm, they watched that ship crash into a cliffside…but like they also said, a small figure washed up on the shores outside. They weakly crawled their way on shore…
"...that doesn't look good." Jack uttered. "...I'll go out and get whoever it is inside!" Quickly, he began rushing out the door.
"...oh, he never does seem to run out of energy..." Tails hummed with a bemused smile, before he glanced at the others. "Would you be kind enough to cook up some tea? I'm sure that our unexpected guest would appreciate a little."
"Sure," Milo said. "…wanna help out, Kiri?"
"...yeah." Kiri nodded.
"Aye; we could get Snap to help out, too." Whisker reasoned.
Meanwhile, out in the storm, Jack was running against the blistering winds, whilst heading for the shore. "HEEY! ARE YOU OKAY?" he yelled to the one crawling up the shore.
The figure down on shore was cloaked, holding it close to them. When they slowly tried to stand up, they looked toward Jack.
"...OKAY, YOU'RE STILL AWAKE!" Jack called, as he hurried over to the figure. "JUST RELAX; I'LL GET YOU OUT OF THE STORM!" Saying that, he took the figure, and began carrying them up towards the house.
The figure walked with Jack, while looking back and forth between him and the house.
Eventually, the two of them got into the house, with Jack slamming the door behind him the moment he got in. "PHEW! MAN, IT SURE IS WINDY AND RAINY OUTSIDE TODAY!" he yelled.
"...Jack, you're not outside anymore!" Kiri called from further into the house. "Stop yelling!"
The one in the cloak simply chuckled at that…a chuckle that Jack suddenly recognized. Jack looked at the cloaked figure with widened eyes. "...hey..." he uttered in slight realization.
"…goodness Jack…you've grown so much…and yet you're just the same as I remember you…"
The one wearing the cloak reached up and removed the cloak to hang it on the nearby rack. She was a lioness, just slightly shorter than Jack, but not by much. Her mane was wrapped up in a ponytail behind her head, dressed in slacks and a green shirt. She looked up at Jack with bright, lively green eyes.
And hugged him. "Oh Jack! I've been searching for you! I'm so glad I finally found you!"
Jack was stunned for a few moments... and then he broke into a gigantic grin, and hugged the lioness right back. "It's you! It's really, honestly, truly you! This is awesome!"
The rest of them stared at this, with no heart to really break up this moment for them, but at the same time, very confused. When Milo and Kiri walked into the room with tea, they stopped too.
"…Jack, who is she?" Milo asked curiously.
Jack looked at them with that wide smile. "Guys! You're not gonna believe this!" As he said that, he let go of the lioness so the two of them could properly see her. "Milo, Kiri, meet Vanessa... my mom!"
Kiri blinked at that. "...your... mom?"
"…your mom!" Striker's eyes widened. "But-but she should be in the…Nameless Zone…" And he grew silent.
"…you must have set off by ship…and got lost in the storm just like we did," Milo uttered.
Vanessa looked at them. "…so you are from the Nameless Zone too?"
"...that they are." At that point, Tails walked out to see Vanessa as well, giving her a nod. "...pleased to meet you, Vanessa. I'm Miles Prower."
"He's the Professor, mom!" Jack said with a smile. "He's really awesome!"
"…Miles Prower…" Vanessa took his hand and shook it gently. "…I've heard stories of you…"
Tails simply smiled.
"...aye, be that Jack's mother?" Whisker mused from back in the kitchen. "We be needin' t' prepare some feast for this! Isn't that right, Snap?"
"Yeah, that sounds appropriate," chuckled Snap.
Vanessa smiled and chuckled some more. "You are so kind…"
"Oh, think nothing of it." Tails chuckled.
"...mom, I'm wondering..." Jack eventually hummed, as he looked at Vanessa in wondering. "...how did you get caught up in a storm like that?"
"…I was just sailing on a nice day," Vanessa said. "That storm snuck up on me…and I got lost in the currents."
"Sounds like what happened to us," Milo said.
"…and you boys have been stuck here for almost seven or eight years!" She hugged Jack again. "I've missed my little boy so much!"
"...I've missed you too, mom!" Jack said with a smile, as he hugged her back.
Meanwhile, the others just looked at each other in wondering…
…especially when Vanessa let go of Jack and spoke to him. "You have to tell me what you've been doing all these years Jack!"
"...oh... there's a lot to cover!" Jack said, as he led Vanessa inside. "C'mon, mom; you must be freezing! We'll get you warmed up right away!"
"…uh, Jack…" Milo and Striker looked at each other; Milo speaking. But Jack had already gone off with Vanessa, and he rubbed the back of his head. "…um…is it a good idea to tell her that her evil brother was part of it…?" he murmured.
"…I'm sure once she gets through the initial shock, she can handle it," Striker murmured.
"...hopefully." Tails mused, as he rubbed his chin. "...there is a family resemblance, between her and Jack." he hummed.
"…but that's really strange…a storm that sent her here, just like us all those years ago…" Milo murmured. "…I wonder what it really is…"
"...who knows..." Tails mused.
"…boy, it's gonna be hectic to try and explain everything…" sighed Striker tiredly.
"Well, we do what we usually do…" and Milo took a picture frame from one of the dressers, looking at it. "…we start from the very beginning…" because it was the picture of them as little boys, with Brick, Jill, Tails, Shadow, Cream, little Ani, and Charmy.
"...ooh..." Kiri hummed. "...are we going to tell her everything that's been going on?"
"…the WHOLE thing…" Milo murmured. "…it'll make a good story to tell, that's for sure…"
"...certainly." Tails nodded. "It'll take more than one cup of tea, that's for sure..." he chuckled.
Jack and Vanessa came back with a blanket wrapped around herself, and when she sat down on the couch, Milo offered her two cups. "Tea, or hot chocolate?" Milo asked. "I wasn't sure which one."
Vanessa smiled. "Oh thank you; such a sweet boy!" and she snatched one of the cups. "Hot chocolate for me, please!"
"Ooooh, hot chocolate!" Jack uttered. "I want some, too!"
Tails chuckled. "Don't worry; there's more where that came from." he mused.
"Now…just get comfortable Vanessa…" Striker said, sitting back down. "…cause we have a really LONG story to tell you…"
"Oh?" Vanessa gave them all a curious look after she had a sip of her drink.
"...yeah; it's about what's been going on here for the past years." Jack nodded.
"Believe me; telling this will not be a brief moment of exposition." Tails mused, as he took a seat. "We could be here for a few hours, if we really get into it." he added, with a chuckle.
"…well then," Vanessa grinned. "It must be very exciting then!"
"Oh, you have no idea, mom!" Jack laughed.
Safe Haven was just as lively as it always was. Two years of soldiers passed by quickly, and even more quickly had the day come that they would all depart back to their homes away from the island. Some decided to remain on the island while the great many left, allowing that one month vacation to come for the island and its inhabitants once again.
"Man, that was some storm a few nights ago, wasn't it?" Hunter and King were talking amongst themselves on a stroll through the town. Today it was cheerfully sunny on the island, but Hunter was just recalling that nasty storm they had.
"...you're telling me." King hummed. "I was afraid that it'd tear the docks apart; but thankfully, no real damage was done."
"Yeah, and even then, we have enough soldiers around the island to fix things up…" Hunter sighed. "…it's nice to have more and more of the soldiers staying here…Safe Haven's really grown since we started it, huh?"
"...it sure is." King nodded. "More of 'em are getting along fairly well; forming bonds of all sorts..." With a slight sigh, King shook his head. "...sometimes, I do wonder what Spiel would've thought of this."
"…I don't know…" Hunter murmured. "…but let's not think about that, huh?"
"...right." King nodded with a slight chuckle.
It was nice to relax…and after everything that happened, there was even LESS trouble on the island. After all, the main reasons for the trouble on the island were gone…
Raider had forgotten everything entirely, and now he's a totally different person. He even acts as security around the island, with all his equipment and knowledgeable data base in his computers. Since Sage sometimes was busy with things, she couldn't watch over the island all the time, so Raider made up for that.
Hex decided to leave the island for greener pastures, to rethink her life. No one heard from her since…
Kiri was with the boys now. She had no parents to go to, and with role models like them, she would change over time to be a better person, especially with Tails there as well.
Then there were Spiel and Krieg's tombs out by the harbor… now any new-coming soldiers could gaze on their tombstones and come to know who they were…they would never be forgotten, like they believed they would on their dying breaths.
…and Diablo, well…
…they were on their way to visit him right now.
They headed toward the facility that they used as a safe house. Now it was just the base of operations for the island which everyone began calling HQ. Ani disliked the fact they decided to meet there instead of the pub for secret meetings, but since Ani was old enough to be considered part of the staff, she didn't complain very much in the end. After all, the ones that really complained were the soldiers when King and his group took up the pub for their secret meetings.
Moving everything over here helped them get organized much more quickly. Hopefully for the years to come, Safe Haven will evolve into something even greater, just as King imagined.
Also, Raider no longer lived in the ruins in the woods. He was moved in this base, which would explain the GUN units that patrolled around the front doors. With Ani, Striker and Boomer working together, they got some of the GUN units that were uncovered on the island working and reprogrammed so that they could guard 24/7.
Also…Striker and Ani had decided to put AIs in them, and each with different personalities and codenames. They even repainted them to feel more like they belonged to Safe Haven.
RUSTY was a copper-colored hunter unit with an AI of a wise, but grumpy old man. He stood at the top of HQ like a statue, just staring all around the island silently as part of his patrol. He liked to be alone and not to be bothered by anyone, but he made a good guard; somehow able to see many more things much quicker than the others.
RACHET was the yellow beetle unit, with the AI of a clumsy girl. She still had a few malfunctions that Ani and Striker didn't quite cover, but the clumsiness added so much to her charm that they didn't want to change any of it. She flew around and surveyed the entire island; even checked on their neighbors in the jungle rebuilding after that large fire that happened at the beginning of the year. She wasn't around at the moment; probably flying around…
RUCKUS was a cyan-colored spark beetle unit, with the AI of a wild party-animal. He would usually fly around and pester RUSTY, when he wasn't off flying around the island for patrols. He was a fun-loving character, though even Ani and Striker admitted that he could stand to be bit quieter once in a while.
RECEPT was an emerald-colored mono beetle unit, with the AI of a stoic loner. Much like RUSTY, he stared off into the distance on his own, but he would always vary where he stood: be it by the docks, up on the mountain, or by the pub. He didn't speak a whole lot, but that was sort of his charm; especially since he was very easy to tease.
RUSTY saw King and Hunter heading their way toward HQ, and he pressed his communications. "Raider, King and Hunter are here," he spoke. "Unlock the doors."
"Rodger that."
There was a loud click before they reached the doors, and Hunter opened the door up for King.
Giving him a nod, King entered.
"Thanks RUSTY," Hunter called, before he entered in as well, and when the door closed behind him, it clicked again to indicate it was locked.
"...nifty; that is." King hummed, as he kept walking.
"Yeah," Hunter agreed.
Eventually they reached the room that Raider sat at, and he spun around in his chair from all those computers. "He's doing alright today…but I'd watch it," he warned them while they walked to the particular door they were looking for. "Diablo's always unpredictable…"
"...we know." King nodded, as he stopped by that door.
Hunter slid a flap on the door aside, allowing the two of them to see into the room.
The room was padded up from floor to ceiling with a cushiony surface. He was sitting in the corner in the darkest part of the room, wrapped up in a strait-jacket and trembling. He also muttered incoherent whispers to himself.
"…we put food in there for him…but I don't think he ate it…" Raider murmured, looking at the video feed in his room.
"...hrm..." King sighed, as he folded his arms. "...well... shall we?"
"…yeah…" and Hunter opened the door for the two of them to enter.
That sad, frightened face slowly looked up at them. His wide and scared witless eyes shuddered while he looked at them…
…then with a scream, he tried running at them—only to be stopped short. There was a chain hooked to his neck, which kept him from getting too close to King and Hunter, and with his arms locked up in the strait-jacket, he wiggled as his only means of trying to struggle.
"…for the last time, Diablo, trying to get out won't happen until you start getting better," Hunter muttered, without flinching at the fact that Diablo lurched at them. "It's for your safety as well as everyone else's… plus, we're actually trying to help you…"
"…no…no…no help…no help is needed…" Diablo limped back into his little corner, slumping down. "…no…no…no no no…"
"We'd have Sage help you…but you're not even mentally stable enough to handle her…" Hunter kept trying to talk to him. "Hell; you're not even eating…"
"…no no no no no no no…"
Hunter sighed.
As did King. "...Diablo... we just wanna help ya out. Shutting yourself away from us isn't helping anyone."
"…he…he tried to be me…he tried to be my Master…he tried to use me…" Diablo rocked back and forth in a fetal position now. "…such hellish things…such terrible, nightmarish things…his hate, his intense hate—bloodthirsty need for revenge—I was weak…I was nothing but a bug…a bug squashed under his toes, stuck between his toes…smelly, smelly toes…large smelly stinky toes—"
"Diablo!" Hunter was getting a bit impatient with his rambling on.
"…I'd be better off dead…"
Hunter stopped a moment, looking at Diablo.
"…you think so, don't you? Why keep me alive? Why feed me? Why help me? I've done nothing to deserve it…" Diablo murmured. "…I've killed many soldiers on your island without you knowing…I'm a criminal…I even tried to hurt your dearest Jillian and Joy…no one in their rightful mind would allow me to live after such crimes…"
"…but that doesn't mean you have to starve yourself to death…" Hunter murmured.
"I'm not starving! I'm avoiding the poison you put in the food!" Diablo uttered with a scream. "Unlike you, I'm afraid of death! I'm keeping myself alive as long as possible! You all WANT me dead for what I did! What HE made me do!"
King narrowed his eyes. "...that's not true, Diablo." he uttered. "None of us would ever try to poison someone's food."
Diablo fell silent, looking away from them.
Hunter stepped closer toward him. "C'mon Diablo…work with us here…"
"...we want to help you get better, Diablo..." King uttered. "...but you have to trust us on this one."
"…no…no no no no no…" Diablo started tensing up.
"Look, Diablo, just calm down…" Hunter groaned.
He started to scream and struggle. "LET ME OUT! I DON'T BELONG HERE! AAAAAAGGH!" He threw his own head against the wall, but seeing as it was soft as a pillow, he couldn't get hurt.
King sighed as well. "...for crying out loud..."
"…I think it's time to give him a break…" Hunter murmured.
"...right." King nodded.
They left the room, closing the door behind them while Diablo still cried out and hit himself against the wall. Raider just watched over the monitor in speechlessness. Then he turned to the two of them. "…just what kind of thing could turn him that insane?"
"...a certain monster, that's who." King murmured.
"…he's probably gonna be like that for a while," Hunter said, walking away down the hall. "Make sure he doesn't give himself any more brain damage than he already has.
Raider nodded. "…right…"
"...and try to get him to eat something." King sighed.
"…I'll try…" Raider murmured.
Hunter and King left back outside…and almost got run over by a flying RACHET. "Oops! Sorry Bosses!" the beetle uttered sheepishly.
"...no worries, RACHET." King said with a light chuckle.
RACHET giggled more in embarrassment, and flew on her way.
"…they're really something, aren't they?" Hunter asked.
"...that's for sure." King nodded. "Good thing that Striker and Ani decided to give them some personality."
"Yeah, no kidding…" Hunter chuckled.
"C'mon Tails Doll!"
Joy was running around the living room, giggling madly and racing around with her favorite doll. She was five years old now, having grown a little bit, talking a lot better, and she even understood things a little more now. For a five year old girl, she was very smart. Jill assumed that it was her early interaction with Sage since she was a baby that accelerated her mind just slightly farther than most children her age.
"Alright, I'm coming!" Flying around her was that same old plush-toy; a little worn with age, but still as fit as ever.
Jill watched them play like this, giggling herself. It was entertaining to watch the two of them play together. Metal was with her as well; watching the two play with a smile.
Eventually, a knock came to the door.
Joy stopped, which caused Tails Doll to run right into her onto the floor. She laughed after that.
Humming, Metal walked towards the door. "I'll get it." he said, as he opened the door.
Then suddenly, Metal got tackled.
"HI METAL!" exclaimed Striker.
"OOF!" As he was tackled to the ground, Metal chuckled a bit. "...Striker. Nice to see you." he mused.
"BEARPILE!" And suddenly, Jack landed right on both Striker and Metal, keeping them down. "Man, you think of the best games, Striker!"
"Oh, Jack, Striker! Hii!" Tails Doll chimed with a slight laugh.
"Oh dear," Milo laughed, walking in.
"Guys!" Joy laughed and ran to hug Milo.
Then there was more chuckling, which stole Jill's attention, and when she looked, she saw Vanessa walk into the room. "My goodness…" she giggled.
Humming, Metal looked at Vanessa with a curious look. "...who is this?"
"Oh, this?" Quickly, Jack got off the pile, and approached Vanessa. "Everyone... say hello to my mom!" he said with a wide grin.
"Oh wow! Your mother?" Jill was genuinely surprised.
"My name is Vanessa," she introduced yourself. "I understand that you're friends with these boys."
"…yes I am," Jill said, smiling more.
"You betcha!" Tails Doll nodded.
"...well... this is a surprise." Metal mused with a slight smile, as he sat up.
Joy pulled away from Milo. "Hi Jack's mommy! I'm Joy!"
"Well aren't you a sweet little thing?" Vanessa chuckled, rubbing her head.
"She's the sweetest you'll find around here!" Tails Doll laughed.
"Yeah; she's really nice and all that!" Jack chuckled.
"I can tell," Vanessa chuckled. "…the boys have told me a lot of things," she started, looking up at Jill.
"…how much…did they tell you?" Jill wondered.
"…the whole story," Vanessa huffed in exhaustion.
"...it wasn't easy." Jack said with a mild laugh.
"...I can only imagine..." Metal hummed, as he looked at Vanessa. "...so you know everything, then?"
"…yes…" Vanessa rubbed her eyes, yawning. "We stayed up all night…"
"...yeah... now that you mention it, I feel tired..." Jack said with a slight yawn.
"...why am I not surprised?" Tails Doll chuckled.
"They insisted I come here to meet everyone; they brought me here first…" Vanessa said.
"...I suppose that makes sense." Metal mused, as he nodded.
"Now you gotsa meet everybody else!" Joy exclaimed, taking her hand.
"Yeah! We can take you to see Sonia, and King and his friends, and Ani, and Charon and Oblivion and all of the other soldiers!" Tails Doll chimed in, as he fluttered around Vanessa.
"Oh my…so many people to meet," she chuckled.
"Don't worry; we have all the time in the world," Striker said. "We'll even show you around the island!"
"...I suppose we could show her about." Metal mused, before he looked at Jill. "...are you coming, too?"
"Sure," Jill answered. "I think some walking around should be good."
"Yeah!" Joy cheered, pulling Vanessa down the stairs by her hand.
"Wait for us!" And Tails Doll flew after them.
"C'mon, guys!" Jack laughed, as he ran down the stairs after them as well.
Jill laughed, watching all of them rush out. "…still as much energy as ever," she chuckled. "…I wonder if the Professor came along this time?"
"...we'll have to find out." Metal chuckled, as he folded his arms.
"…you know…it's been a long time since Tasha visited…" Hunter murmured to King. "I wonder what's going on…"
"...yeah... it's been a few months now, since last we met..." King murmured, as he rubbed his chin. Last they met, they had... "...hn..."
"…what's up?" Hunter wondered why King grew so thoughtful.
"...oh, nothing... I was just thinking back to when I last talked to her..." he murmured.
Tasha walked into the room, and it was just her and King in his room. "…you need any help taking care of things?"
King glanced back at Tasha with a small smile. "...I got most of it covered, but... any help is appreciated, Tasha." he said with a nod to her.
"Right…is there anything I can do?" she asked him.
"...well..." King hummed, as he rubbed his chin. "...hrm... argh, what is there that needs to be done, again... there is something, I know that much; but I just can't think of anything..."
Tasha stood there silently, looking at King.
"...hm." Humming once more, King rubbed his head. "...well... did you have anything particular in mind?"
"…not really, I just…feel like I should be doing something…" and Tasha looked away. "…to get my mind off things…like my father…"
"...oh..." King hummed, as he nodded in understanding. It had been quite a while since Tasha lost her father, but the loss still seemed heavy on the poor girl...
"...well... let me see if I can't find anything that needs to be done." And he turned to walk towards a desk; looking through some files.
While Tasha waited, she glanced outside the window. "…oh no! I didn't anticipate it being so late!" she uttered, noticing that it had gotten darker outside.
Hearing that, King glanced towards the window as well. "...well... what do you know..." he uttered in a surprised tone.
"…perhaps I should go now if I want to beat the night…" Tasha murmured.
"...uh, actually..." King shot in, as he looked at Tasha. "...you could... stay here for the night."
Tasha started blushing a little bit. "…oh?"
"...y-yeah." King nodded, as he smiled awkwardly. "...that way, you won't have to stress too much..."
"…thank you…" Tasha murmured. "…but I…suppose I ought to let them know somehow that I won't be returning for the night…"
"...I could... send someone to inform them." King said with a slight hum, as he slowly approached Tasha.
"…sure…that would suffice…" she murmured, looking up at him.
King simply smiled, as he looked down at Tasha. Tasha smiled back…
…and then suddenly covered her nose when King started to hear purring noises. She tried to hide them, blushing wildly. King just smiled, as he placed a hand on Tasha's arm. "...I think that's... cute." he said, as a light blush came across him.
"…really?" she uttered, taking her hands away from her nose.
"...yeah..." King nodded. "...when I hear you purr... I feel at ease, Tasha..."
"…why?" she asked curiously, blushing even more.
"...because..." King hummed, as he blushed a bit more. "...I love the sound; just like I love you..."
"…Twilight…" Tasha uttered, staring at him.
"...Tasha..." King uttered as well, as he leaned a little closer to her.
Tasha remained frozen there, but she didn't stop him from kissing her lips. Once they kissed, she touched his chest lightly. With a slight hum, King gently stroked Tasha's arm as they kissed. Tasha started purring again, and this time she didn't bother to hide it, while she shivered in the goose bumps that shot through her from his strokes…
King didn't mention out loud at all what happened between him and Tasha, but when Hunter saw the kind of strange, distant look that King got, he groaned a little bit. "…you two got a little "sidetracked," didn't you?" and he gestured the quotation with his fingers.
King instantly turned red. "Buh- geh- how'd you-?" he sputtered, as he looked at Hunter in disbelief.
"King, I know you…" Hunter said. "I've known you for a little over twenty years…"
"...buh..." Coughing, King scratched his neck. "...yeah; guess you do..." he chuckled.
"…but…I wonder why Tasha hasn't come to visit…" Hunter muttered.
"...yeah... I wonder so, too..." King hummed, as he rubbed his neck.
"…King…has she sent any letters or anything?" Hunter asked curiously.
"...actually... she hasn't." King hummed, as he rubbed his neck. "...she must be really busy, then..."
"King do you…think she's afraid?"
King blinked at that. "...afraid?" he uttered.
"…yeah…afraid of being with you…" Hunter looked at him. "I mean…she's still mourning over her dad, and he's always discouraged her getting into any kind of relationship…"
King blinked at that, "...uh..." he uttered; unsure of what to think of that.
Hunter then smacked himself. "What the hell am I saying?" Then he looked at King. "Don't listen to me King; just wondering aloud why Tasha hasn't come around…"
"…um…what about me?"
"AGH!" Hunter jumped and his head jerked around, noticing that Tasha was actually standing right there.
"AGH!" King, too, was startled, as he saw Tasha standing there. "Tasha!"
"…hello…" Tasha muttered.
"...hi..." King uttered, as he rubbed his head. "...how have you been, Tasha?"
"…I've been alright…" Tasha started rubbing her arm a bit uncomfortably.
"...is that right?" King uttered, as he tilted his head. "...you seem kinda... uncomfortable..."
"…there's…something I have to tell you…" Tasha said, looking away from King. "…and…I'm just not sure how you'll take the news…"
King blinked. "...what are you talking about?" he inquired.
Tasha walked up to him nervously.
"...Tasha?" King uttered.
Just then, Tasha whispered something in King's ears.
And in that instant, King's eyes widened considerably.
"…what?" Hunter asked curiously.
"...she... she's..." King uttered.
"…she's what?" Hunter kept asking.
"…pregnant…" Tasha answered.
Hunter's eyes widened too.
"...pre-pre-pre-pre-pre..." King kept sputtering; as if he had a hard time comprehending him. Tasha grew embarrassed and looked away.
"...wh... when did you..." King uttered, as he looked at Tasha.
"…when did I…what?" Tasha spoke.
"...when did you... find out?" King inquired.
"…a few…days ago…" she murmured.
"...a-and..." King gulped. "...how many... months... old... is... the..." He couldn't even finish the sentence.
"…I think…as old as the last time we…" Tasha muttered.
"...that's... a few months past..." King uttered.
Tasha nodded, looking down at the ground. Hunter blinked in disbelief, "…seriously?"
Tasha nodded again.
"...that's..." King uttered.
Tasha looked away from them, still rubbing her arms. She looked afraid of what King's response would be.
"...uh... Tasha..." King eventually said, as he looked at her. "...this is... uh, well... really huge..."
"…yes…it is…" Tasha agreed, still not looking at him.
"…maybe I ought to…leave you two alone," Hunter said, walking away.
As he left, King just looked at Tasha. Tasha eventually looked back at King; albeit uneasily.
"...mnh..." King uttered, as he glanced aside; he was not prepared for something like this to have happened.
"…I…should…give you time to get over the shock…" and Tasha turned, beginning to walk away.
"...w-wait!" King eventually said, as he looked at Tasha again. "...we... shouldn't be too far apart..."
Tasha stopped and looked back at him.
"...because... well, it's... our child, after all..." King began uneasily, as he approached Tasha. "...and... well... we should... stick together regarding this..."
Tasha blinked and looked at him. "…right…" she murmured.
"...so..." King began, as he stopped in front of Tasha, taking her hand. "...let's... stick together... alright?"
"…Twilight…" Tasha started up at him.
"...Tasha..." King uttered, as he looked down at her.
Tasha came forward and hugged King tightly. In turn, King hugged her back.
"…I had no idea how you would react…I was afraid…" she murmured in his shoulder.
"...there, there..." King uttered. "...you didn't have to be afraid..."
"…This is my first experience with this so…I…didn't know how to handle it…" Tasha trembled, and even sounded like she was ready to cry.
Hugging her tighter, King closed his eyes. "...don't worry... we'll pull through this, Tasha..."
"…I love you Twilight…" she murmured.
"...and I love you, Tasha..." King replied.
"…so…what…do we do now?" Tasha asked, looking up at him.
"...good question..." King uttered, as he looked back at Tasha. "...well... I know that it's sudden, but... should the others know about this...?"
"…if you would like them to," Tasha said. "…they are your friends, so it's up to you…"
"...right..." King nodded, as he glanced to the side. "...hrm..." With a slight hum, he rubbed his chin. "...maybe not right off the bat... but Hunter knows, so I guess we could tell the other admins... but we don't need to tell everyone right away, either..." Gritting, he rubbed his head. "...ngh... I'm just not sure..."
Tasha put her hands on his shoulders. "…no need to rush…we have time…"
"...yeah..." King nodded, before he looked at Tasha with a smile. "...we have time..."
"King!"
Hearing that, King glanced behind him... and he saw a group of eight headed towards them; Striker, Milo, Jack, Jill, Joy, Metal, Tails Doll, and... a lioness he didn't recognize. "...hn?"
Tasha blinked. "…oh, it's all of you, but…who's…?"
"King, Tasha, this is Jack's mom!" Striker exclaimed. "She's Vanessa!"
Vanessa took a long look at King. "…I'm…Johnny's…sister…"
Jill gave Vanessa a surprised look for actually saying that.
King blinked a little at that...
...before he stretched his hand out to shake Vanessa's hand. "...so, you're Jack's mom, eh? Pleased to meet you."
Metal noticed that with a silent hum. ...he doesn't dwell on it... he mused.
"Nice to meet you as well," Vanessa said. "And you're Tasha?"
Tasha nodded. "Yes…" then when she noticed Milo give her an awkward stare, she looked away nervously.
Striker looked over at Milo and nudged him. "Dude, it's not nice to stare."
"I-I'm sorry…" Milo uttered, rubbing the place that Striker nudged him.
"So, what are you two doing?" Jack hummed with a slight smile, as he looked at the two of them.
"…just um…talking…" Tasha murmured.
"'bout what?" Striker asked, and Milo was the one to nudge him. "Ow!"
"Not our business, Striker," Milo said.
"Yeah; respect their privacy!" Tails Doll scolded.
"...well, I suppose we'll leave you be, then." Metal mused. "We're currently showing Vanessa the island, so..."
"Alright then…" Tasha said.
Joy took Vanessa's hand with another giggle. "Bye bye Tasha! Bye bye King!" and while she dragged Vanessa off, everyone else followed.
As they walked, Metal glanced back at King and Tasha again, before he kept walking after the others.
"...didn't know that Jack's mom was here, all of a sudden..." King hummed, as he rubbed his neck.
"…that certainly is sudden…" Tasha agreed…and then she smiled. "…but…I'm sure she's just as nice as Jack."
"...she really seems like it." King mused with a smile as well.
"…maybe…I'll choose the right time to let everyone know…" Tasha spoke. "…everyone in my tribe already knows…so…"
"...they already know, huh..." King hummed with a nod. "...alright; we'll wait for the right time, then..."
Tasha smiled up at King. In turn, he gave her a smile as well.
Oblivion took a step outside, and took a deep breath. "Today's much better after that storm," she remarked.
The same went for Charon, as he stepped out along with her. "...indeed..." he nodded with a slight hum. Even after his presence had become known because of the conflict years ago, Charon still stayed within the cave on the top of the mountain; mainly because he enjoyed the view that overlooked the entirety of the island. As usual, Oblivion would stay with him, even when Charon had recommended that, at least once in a while, she'd find someplace more comfortable to sleep than along a cave floor.
And Oblivion started stretching from a small ache in her lower back from sleeping on the cave floor, but she simply ignored it so Charon wouldn't make a big deal out of it. "…well Charon…would you like to take a walk outside since the year is over with?" she asked curiously, looking up at him.
"...that sounds ideal." Charon hummed with a slight smile. "Might give me a chance to stretch my wings..."
Oblivion smiled, and then looked out from the mountain… then she blinked. "Well now…"
Charon blinked, as he looked where Oblivion was looking as well. "...hm?"
"Charon! Oblivion!"
"Well…if it isn't the boys," Oblivion said with a cheerful smile.
"Not just us!" Striker called out, climbing up the mountain.
"Hi Oblivion! Hi Charon!" Joy exclaimed, pulling up a chuckling Vanessa with her.
"Hiiiiyaaaa!" And Tails Doll fluttered up next to them.
"Hiya, Charon! Hiya, Oblivion!" And Jack soon followed them as well, while he was shortly followed by Jill and Metal.
Charon smiled as well. "...how nice; some company." he mused.
"How're you guys doing?" Striker asked.
"We're doing fine today, thank you for asking," Oblivion said with a smile. Then she smiled at the lioness. "Who is your new friend?"
Vanessa laughed. "Oh, I'm anything but new…"
"She's my mom!" Jack said with a wide smile.
"...your mother?" Charon hummed, as he looked at Vanessa. "...well, it's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." he said with a nod to her.
"Yes, it's nice to meet the mother of such a nice young man," Oblivion said, shaking Vanessa's hand.
"Well I'm glad to know that Jack's made so many friends," Vanessa said with a grin.
Charon couldn't help but chuckle. "We're just a few of many." he pointed out.
"So I'm told," Vanessa chuckled.
"...so, what are you doing on this day?" Charon hummed.
"We're showing mom around the island!" Jack said with a smile.
"Oh, is that so?" Charon hummed. "...well... it's that time of year, so..." Then, he looked at Oblivion. "...should we accompany them?"
"…that would be nice," Oblivion said, smiling at them. "You wouldn't mind if we walked with you around the island, would you?"
"That would be fine," Jill said with a smile.
"Alright! The more, the merrier!" Jack cheered.
"...well, let's go, then." Metal mused with a slight smile.
"Aaaand cheeersh!" Setting down another mug, Lin couldn't help but laugh in her drunken stupor. "Man, thish year wash really fun!"
"Geez Lin…" Ani chuckled. "I'm not sure you should drink any more than that…"
Vanessa chuckled. "Oh, let her have her fun, Ani…"
"Yesh! Lemme have mah fun!" Lin laughed as well, before she hiccupped.
"...I still can't get over how big a drinker Lin can really be." Sonia mused with a chuckle. "Never took her for the type, really."
"Well, you'd be surprised who's a drinker," Vanessa said. "…speaking of which, Ani, could I have another mug?"
"Sure," Ani said, going to make her drink.
"Hey, one for me, too, please!" Sonia chuckled.
"And meh, thoo!" Lin managed to slur with a drunk giggle.
Ani brought back the three drinks, and then when she watched Vanessa gulp hers down…Ani had given her a HUGE mug, and Ani watched Vanessa gulp the ENTIRE thing down in one swing. Her eyes widened. "…Damn!"
Vanessa took a gasp of breath when she set the empty mug down. "Sorry, I was thirsty!" she laughed.
Sonia could only watch that with widened eyes. "...whoa." she uttered. "You've got to teach me how to chug like that."
"It takes years of practice," Vanessa chuckled sheepishly. "…and uh…maybe…some hard times to make you drink that hard…"
"…right…" Ani murmured. She grew ever so curious now; how Vanessa got away from the Lionel family and raised Jack to be the way he was…but in some ways, she knew she shouldn't ask about it.
With another hiccup, Lin finished her next drink. "Geh... thish ish shome good shtuff, innit, Vaneshsha?" she giggled.
"It certainly is," Vanessa agreed. "You've worked here for a long time Ani; I can tell by the drink."
Ani blinked. "…since I just turned 12," and she smirked. "Wow, you're good!"
"Since 12? That surprises me," Vanessa said. Then she laughed. "Jack's old enough now to drink, but of course I wouldn't let him near the stuff. It's not for everybody!"
Sonia chuckled. "No need to worry about that; when he comes to visit, he usually only orders food. Speaking of, you should taste Ani's cooking sometime; she's a natural!"
"Well…maybe I'll try it out now…" She chuckled, looking at Ani. "Is it alright if I have a steak Ani?"
"Sure, I'll get right on that," Ani said, walking off toward the kitchen area.
"...argh; now I went ahead and made myself hungry, too." Sonia said with a slight chuckle. "Could I get the same, Ani?"
"Just make me work for it why don't'cha?" Ani laughed. "Sure Sonia…"
As Ani worked on that, Sonia glanced at Vanessa, "...so... pardon me if I happen to prod a little too deep, but... I'm curious; could you tell me a little about yourself, Vanessa?"
"…let's see…" Vanessa tapped her lip. "…well, I'm the single mom of my only kid, having lived in the Nameless zone ever since he was born…lot's of nice people there," she said with a smile. "We grew up in a hut on the savannah, in a small village; gave him plenty of room to run around in."
"The savannah, huh?" Sonia hummed with a nod.
"Yep!" Vanessa smiled even more. "Weather was nice there too! …that is, if it wasn't the rainy season…"
"Floods, huh?" Ani assumed, filling up their drinks while she waited on the steaks.
"Oh yeah! BIG ones!" Vanessa said. "We'd have to live on a hilltop just so the water wouldn't wash away the houses! After raining it'd look like we lived on a little island! HA!" and she chugged down the entirety of another mug, wiping her lips.
"Sho you shpent the rainy sheashons on an ishland?" Lin said with a snicker.
"...sounds pretty heavy." Sonia mused with a chuckle.
"Oh, that's nothing really once you get used to it," Vanessa said. "…Jack came and asked me one day if he could go explore the outside world. I figured he was prepared to set out, so I gave him a hug and let him go on his way…"
"…then…years have passed…and I wondered why my little Jack never came back…"
"…I finally set out and next thing I know, I'm here!" Vanessa laughed. "And my son has had a large adventure with a bunch of friends he made all by himself! I'm so proud of him!"
Sonia smiled a bit at that.
"...if Jack had been my kid, and he had gone through all of that, then you'd better believe that I'd be proud of him, too!" Lin managed to say somewhat coherenly, just as she chugged down her next drink. "HOOO, that'sh r'lly good!"
"Ah…next big thing on the agenda; getting my Jack off with a girl," and Vanessa paused when she saw Ani burst out laughing hysterically. "…yeah, yeah, knowing Jack that's probably not really gonna happen, but-!"
"Aw, you don't get it!" Ani laughed, holding her gut. "A few years ago, when Jill got pregnant with Joy, Tails Doll had to tell him and Striker where babies came from!"
Vanessa stared at her blankly… "…so…they…know?"
"Do they ever!" Sonia snickered. "Still, to this very day, all you have to do is say "When a Mommy and a Daddy love each other very much", and both of them start freaking out!"
Vanessa was silent.
"…uh…" Ani stopped laughing. "…what's wrong?"
"…well…at least he didn't figure it out the way I did…" And Vanessa gulped down another mug that Ani had refilled.
Sonia blinked at that. "...huh..."
"…um…" Ani hesitated on it, but, "…how did you-?"
"—Not something I want to talk about, kiddo," Vanessa said. "…I suppose it's the best he found out from someone other than me…I probably would've made it sound much scarier…"
"…I…take it you don't have pleasant memories…?"
Hunter walked in just now, walking over behind the counter. "Your steaks, Ani?" he reminded.
"…I almost forgot!" and Ani dashed into the kitchen.
"…yeah, you can say that," Vanessa said, looking at her empty mug.
Sonia looked at Vanessa with a curious look.
"…what happened?" Hunter asked her. "That is…well…if you don't mind me asking…"
"…I do mind…but it won't hurt to tell you…" Vanessa set down her mug. "…I walked away from my family years ago…you can clearly understand that…but there's never been any real father in Jack's life. You can also tell by the way Jack is that I probably really sheltered him from the outside world…"
"…so judging by that evidence…something happened to Jack's father…" Hunter murmured. "…I'm sorry…"
Vanessa glared at him. "What the hell are you sorry for?"
Hunter's eyes widened. "…huh?"
Vanessa gripped the mug.
"…I was raped."
"…oh…" and now Hunter felt really awkward…
Both Sonia and Lin (the latter even in her drunken stupor) just looked at Vanessa with wide eyes. "...you were..." Sonia uttered; almost afraid to even think of repeating that sentence.
"…my father was pissed beyond belief, and he went out and killed the bastard that raped me…" Vanessa grumbled. "…but…the violent tendencies of my family…I knew what it was like growing up with a violent family. I never would've wanted that for any child…I ran away from them, into the Nameless Zone, so that they could never find me…"
Vanessa sighed and brushed her mane back. "Gosh…it was so long, I don't even remember how I got to the Nameless Zone, but I did…and I gave birth to Jack there…"
Hunter was silent. The same went for Sonia and Lin.
"…well, that took a dark turn, didn't it?" Vanessa leaned back onto the counter, becoming a bit more casual.
"...it... shure did..." Lin nodded slowly.
Hunter hummed. "…Vanessa…knowing how Johnny was…did you…ever have the same violent tendencies?"
Vanessa was silently thoughtful. "…if you meant I could fight like them…then yes…" She looked back at him. "And I still can…Jack doesn't know it…but I've kept myself sharp to make sure I could defend him if I needed to; training when he was asleep."
"...really..." Sonia hummed. "...so I guess... the only Leoniel who doesn't have those tendencies would be Jack."
"For good reason too," Vanessa remarked.
"…how…sharp are you?" Hunter asked.
"You had a sloppy joe for lunch today."
Hunter's eyes widened. "That's right! How did you-?"
"—You passed gas when you were sleeping earlier, and even though no one else can smell it, I still can," Vanessa said. "I've also memorized footsteps and their patterns, so that when I hear someone walking by, I already know who it is. For instance; your friend King is just about to walk through the doors into the pub right now."
"...huh?" Sonia uttered.
And at that point, the doors opened, and King entered the pub. "Oh, hi, Vanessa." he said... when he noticed the overall atmosphere in the pub. "...uh... what's up?"
"…damn Vanessa…" Hunter uttered.
"Just showing how strong my senses are, King, is all," Vanessa replied, smiling. "Thank you for illustrating that."
King blinked; clueless as to what that was about. "...okay..." he uttered.
"Steaks are done!" Ani came in with two big plates, and set them in front of Vanessa and Sonia, while she got another refill for Vanessa.
"Oh!" Vanessa smirked at her steak. "Thank you Ani!"
"...thanks." Sonia said with a smile, as she began digging into her steak.
Lin just hummed, as she took a sip from her drink.
"Hey King; come and join us!" Vanessa said with a smile.
"...alright, then..." King nodded, before he took a seat by the counter.
"This is great, by the way Ani!" Vanessa laughed after a bite of her steak, chugging down another whole mug of the alcoholic beverage.
Hunter's eyes widened at that. "Damn…you can drink…"
"...you can say that again." King noted with a baffled look.
Metal and Joy were fast asleep right now; being exhausted from all that walking around the island. While Joy was an understandable case, it was pretty surprising for Metal to be tired out by the same thing…
…but not Jill; she was still walking around town in the dark of night. She eventually stopped to lean against a wall and admire the moon up above. It was a nice, crescent shape tonight, but it was still bright enough to light up the night.
"...wandering out on your own, huh?" someone mused, as she'd hear someone slowly walk towards her.
She shrugged. "Why not? Been awhile since I had some alone time…"
…then she smirked and flashed her red eyes at that someone. "…alone with you, that is…"
"...it sure has been a while since last time, hasn't it?" Chuckling, the being stopped right next to her, giving her a smirk as well. "...you look great, as usual."
Jill…or really, Callous, chuckled. "And the sweet talker…as usual."
"Oh, you flatter me." Placing a hand against the wall Callous leaned against, the lion grinned. "...I really like that, Callous."
Callous' smirk widened. "So tell me…how's little 'bad-ass' in hell, down there, Johnny?"
With a laugh, Johnny shook his head. "Miserable, as usual." he mused. "The funny thing is that I don't even need to keep tabs on him to make sure of that; I recently found a few friends down there who are more than willing to keep that bat in check."
"Well, the more the merrier, like Jack said earlier…" Callous snickered.
"You said it." Johnny chuckled in return.
"…now that your sister's finally here," Callous mumbled in amusement. "That must be interesting for you…"
"...I'll admit, I didn't expect that sort of surprise." Johnny mused. "But eh; I'm sure she's accustomed to the fact that I'm dead and buried, so I needn't spook her... at least, not at the moment."
Callous smirked and chuckled. "…seeing the look on her face when she discovers her dead brother possessed her son? That's something that needs to be seen…"
"Indeed..." Johnny nodded. "...but that kind of moment needs to be savored; if I just waltz up to her like this, it wouldn't be nearly as effective, see?" he chuckled.
Callous chuckled again… and then trailed a finger up and down his chest. "Then I suppose we have some time to kill…"
Johnny chuckled as well, as he trailed a finger along Callous' arm. "Quite a lot of time to kill, yeah..." he chuckled.
Callous chuckled…then she took him by his chest hair and pulled him forward into a kiss. Humming in satisfaction, Johnny kissed her back. Callous pulled Johnny closer, deepening the kiss. In turn, Johnny pressed himself closer to Callous, managing to deepen the kiss further. Johnny pressing himself pinned Callous to the wall of the building she had been leaning on. While she inserted her tongue into his mouth, she started stroking a few fingers up and down his back. Allowing his tongue to intertwine with hers, Johnny began stroking some of his fingers along Callous' side. Callous hummed in delight, wrapping one of her legs around Johnny. With an appreciative grunt, Johnny moved his fingers from Callous' side to her chest; circling one of her breasts.
Callous uttered a little moan…and started pulling Johnny somewhere more secluded. Johnny allowed her to pull him away. She pulled him into a really dark alleyway, and there she continued with her make out with him.
*Censored Content* Sad to say, you guys will have to get used to this for awhile...Oh yeah, and the language too.
They finally calmed down again; Callous catching her breath. Breaking away, Johnny began catching his breath as well. "...goddamn..." he uttered blissfully.
"…I fucking hate how we have to resort to taking over these two…" Callous grumbled.
"...me, too..." Johnny hissed. "...and the only way we know that you two will be separated is the day she kicks it... and with her luck, that ain't happening any day soon."
"…no shit…" Callous muttered in response.
Johnny hummed. "...have you ever thought that there might be a different way...?"
"…I tried…nothing's come to me yet, to be honest…" Callous sighed.
"...aside from keeping the bat company, I've been trying, too..." Johnny murmured. "...but even all the goddamn time in Hell hasn't given me any ideas..."
"…hm…" Callous took her legs off of Johnny, standing.
"...guess we've just got to keep pondering..." Johnny hummed, as he glanced down at the ground. "...I seriously can't wait until she dies to finally be reunited with you, Callous..."
"…neither can I…" and then Callous chuckled. "I'd find a way to kill her myself…if she didn't have so much to leave behind that is…"
"...fairly ironic..." Johnny chuckled as well. "...still... I won't rest until I find out a way to finally be alone with you, Callous. Mark my words."
"Same here…" Callous spoke, while getting dressed again.
Nodding, Johnny got dressed as well. "...I'll see you later, then..." he mused with a nod.
"…right…" Callous muttered in response…
…then she suddenly slumped against the wall, holding her head.
Seeing that, Johnny narrowed his eyes. Time to split. And before she could look at him, he began running off...
...only to stop just as he got out of the alleyway. ...shit! He's regaining con-
"AAAGH!" And he suddenly sank on his knees; gritting and writhing in pain.
Her head shot up with a gasp. "Jack?" Jill uttered, looking out of the alleyway she was in…which…she wondered how she had ended up in the first place.
That didn't matter though; she ran out and saw Jack kneeled over on the ground. "Jack, are you okay?" she asked out of fear.
"My... my back...!" Jack yelped in pain.
Jill rushed over to look at it…and gasped with widened eyes. "Jack!" There were claw marks all over his back. "Jack! What in the world happened?"
"I... I don't know!" Jack cried out, before wincing in pain. "It hurts!"
"Oh no! You're bleeding!" Jill uttered, touching it…and then she noticed something else…
…her fingers…before she had even touched Jack at all, she noticed on her fingers traces of blood. "…what…?"
"...Jill, what's wrong?" Jack uttered, before he let out another pained yelp.
Jill didn't respond. Her eyes were fixed on her fingers in wondering…and in growing fear. Had she done something to Jack without knowing?
"Jack!"
That snapped her out of it, and she saw Vanessa running for them, kneeling down to Jack to check his back. "Oh honey! You're hurt!"
Jill just gawked at Vanessa. "…how…did you…?"
"I heard him scream," Vanessa answered, without even looking back at her.
"...mom..." Jack uttered, before he yelped in pain once more. "It hurts..."
Vanessa looked at Jill. "What happened?"
Jill was stuck for words; she ended up stuttering a bit. "I…I don't know…I…"
Vanessa could see Jill couldn't really answer her question…so she used all of her senses to try and figure it out. They didn't see her sniff and what she smelled was a combination of things. One was the sharing of two scents… Jill had been with Jack for a while… she could smell Jack's blood not only on his back, but on Jill's fingers…but it smelled more like it had been there much longer than if Jill had just touched his blood now.
And the last scent…
Vanessa's eyes widened at it.
"…what?" Jill didn't like the look on Vanessa's face. "What's wrong?"
"C'mon Jack, let's get you bandaged up," Vanessa started off, getting Jack up on his feet.
"...o-okay..." Jack uttered; wincing as he was helped up on his feet.
"…d-do you need any help?" Jill uttered, standing up with them.
Vanessa looked at Jill for a long time; long enough to make Jill a bit uncomfortable. She looked at her straight in the eye…and Jill didn't flinch away, despite how awkward she felt. Vanessa could tell that Jill was innocent…but what she smelled had given her evidence of something else…at the moment, Vanessa was actually fairly baffled at the whole thing…
…but she couldn't be rude. "Yeah. If we take Jack to the pub, we can bandage him up…and I'm sure the alcohol can disinfect the scratches."
Jill nodded. "Right."
"...ngh..." Jack winced once more.
Vanessa decided to spend the night at the pub, along with Jack, and with her there in the late evening was King and Jill. Hunter and Ani had gone to bed a while ago as well as Jack, and it was just the three of them in that empty pub.
Vanessa was still drinking, even at this late hour, but she wasn't drunk in the slightest.
"…uh…Vanessa…how much have you…?" Jill wanted to ask.
"Been drinking since dinnertime," she answered, still looking thoughtful.
"...I'm telling ya, she's got a will of diamond to remain sober after so many mugs." King mused.
"…she's had mugs?" Jill uttered in disbelief. "…wow…you can really hold your liquor…"
Vanessa chuckled. "Thanks…" and finished off her last one.
Jill sat there, looking down at the ground in her own thoughts. She had no idea how Jack got those claw marks…and it made her worry, because that might mean something on the island that could hurt others…
…but…why did she see the blood encrusted in her fingernails? It just made her more afraid…was Callous actually trying to hurt her friends?
"...something on your mind, Jill?" King hummed, as he glanced at her.
"…I'm just…wondering what happened to Jack," Jill murmured.
"...ah... right." King nodded.
"…so…you don't know what happened at all?" Vanessa sounded genuinely surprised, looking at her.
Jill shook her head. "No, I don't."
"…hm…" Vanessa looked away again, in thought. She asked Jack the same question and she got the same kind of answer; neither of them knew what happened. It was just an empty blackness.
"...curious..." King mused, as he tapped his chin.
"…I've heard the whole story from the boys," Vanessa said, looking at Jill. "…I…suppose it's nice to have someone to sympathize with on hard times…"
"…oh?" Jill looked back at her.
"…yeah…" Vanessa looked at her empty mug. "…but I know there are a lot of things the boys couldn't have told me…I guess I want to know some bits of the story from both you and King's perspectives…"
King hummed at that. "...is that so?"
"Yeah," Vanessa said. "…though…really I just wanna know more about my brother…"
"…I can understand that," Jill said.
King hummed, and nodded a little. "...me, too."
"…I guess I just…find it hard to believe that after he was killed once, they brought him back to life again…" Vanessa murmured. "…that's a first for my family…"
"…well…so is Corruption…" Jill mumbled.
"…yeah, that too," Vanessa added.
"...actually... I'm curious..." King hummed, as he glanced at Vanessa. "...he was your brother, so... did you ever see him get taken by GUN?"
"…Not really…" Vanessa said. "…he just said he was bored, and he'd go for a walk…that's really the last I ever saw him…I had no idea he got taken into GUN."
"...huh." King hummed, as he rubbed his chin. "...did anyone in your family search for him after that?"
"Yeah… and the family blamed me, the black sheep of the family, for the disappearance of such a gifted little boy…" Vanessa sounded bitter. "…then…I got pregnant with Jack and well…I left for the Nameless Zone."
Jill's brows arched. "…it must have been tough…"
"…yeah…but raising Jack made up for all that," And Vanessa smiled. "He was always so sweet, and kind, and generous…still is."
"...you can say that again." King mused with a slight smile.
Vanessa gave a dry, sarcastic chuckle. "…I tried to keep Jack away from my family and he ends up running into them anyway…I guess you can't protect them forever…"
Jill looked up at Vanessa… she couldn't help but stare at her after saying something like that. It made her think about Joy…about how much she's still protecting her from… She never really thought about when the time came where Joy might figure everything out…maybe on her own, when she wasn't supposed to.
"…I shouldn't say things like that; yours is still young, and saying things like that will make you worry," Vanessa said to Jill, looking at her.
Jill just looked at her. King also looked at Vanessa, without saying a word.
"…Vanessa…you just…how do you know all these things?" Jill asked. "I mean…you're…"
"I'm right on top of it, right?" Vanessa said. "Have to be…wanted to make sure to protect Jack. Plus, I'm a Leoniel. That should be enough…"
"…but…if you could figure things out like that; then maybe you could figure out what happened with Jack!" Jill said.
"Oh, no…trust me; you don't want to know what happened…" Vanessa murmured.
"...we don't?" King uttered, as he raised an eyebrow.
"No," Vanessa answered. "…sure, there are still some parts of it I can't figure out…but you don't want to know what happened…"
Jill gave her a bewildered look.
"…if you really want to know Jill; I'd ask Callous," Vanessa said.
Jill's eyes widened at that. Coughing a bit at that, King looked at Vanessa and Jill. "Callous? What's she got to do with this?"
"She'll find out once she asks…" Vanessa murmured. "…and I suppose I'll find out for myself soon enough…"
"…I think I'll do that…thanks…" Jill said. "…and…it's late so I should get home…" Jill stood up and headed for the door. "See you guys later…"
"...later." King said with a nod to Jill.
When Jill left, it was just the two of them in the pub now.
"…So King…how far along is Tasha?"
King instantly turned red from hearing that. "Wha- how'd you-?" he sputtered.
"I could see, and smell the signs that most people can't," Vanessa replied. "Plus it also didn't help how awkward you two looked when we walked right up to the two of you."
King cleared his throat, and nodded a little. "...right..." he uttered. "...well... it's a few months along at this point... I didn't know that she was pregnant until today..."
"…right…" Vanessa nodded. "…Congrats by the way…being a parent has its ups and downs, I can tell you that…but you wouldn't want to give it away for anything."
"...right..." King nodded, smiling a bit awkwardly. "...it'll be a new thing for me, but... it's something I'd like to try my hand at."
"And I figure you guys want to wait to tell everyone yourselves, so I won't say anything," Vanessa said.
"...yeah." King nodded, as he looked at Vanessa. "...thanks."
"You're welcome," Vanessa responded, nodding back.
With a hum, King glanced ahead of him. "...so... you wanted to know the story from my perspective?"
"…yeah…the boys said that Johnny was trained along with the rest of you…but I'm sure they don't really know what exactly happened," Vanessa said, spinning around on the stool.
"...well, I sure do." King mused. "...him, along with me and Hunter, were the first three kids to be taken in by GUN. While they infused me with electrical abilities, and Hunter refined his psychokinetic abilities... Johnny was pretty much the colonel's favorite from day one; powerful and ruthless."
"…huh…even then he was the favorite…" Vanessa murmured.
"...he was..." King murmured, as he glanced down at the counter. "...he wasn't really all that sociable; he knew everyone who was grouped together, but didn't really care for any of them... not even the girl he pretended to care for."
Vanessa gave another dry chuckle. "…My parents said he was shy for that…"
"...shy?" King scoffed. "Psychotic would fit better; and damn near invincible, to boot..."
"…you're telling me…he'd pick on me…" Vanessa spoke.
"...how...?" King hummed, as he glanced at Vanessa.
"…he'd call me by all these stupid nicknames and wrestle me to the ground in a pin. The sad thing was, that he was much younger than me…"
"...hm." King nodded. "...figures; even back then, he was leagues ahead of all of us in terms of strength."
"…I guess in some ways…I kept training…just in case I'd return and run into him."
"...I'd say it was a good thing that you didn't run into him; after he got introduced to Corruption..." King shuddered just at the thought of it.
"…it sounds like some really bad stuff…" Vanessa murmured. "…and Callous introduced him to it, didn't she?"
"...yeah... at the most inconvenient time, too..." King nodded.
"…what were the two of them like? With each other I mean…" Vanessa asked.
King blinked at that question, before he tapped his chin. "...uh... from what I can gather... they seemed close." he mused. "Like, Johnny was willing to absorb Deity Novagod just to learn how to bring Callous back from the dead..."
Vanessa fell silent.
King blinked at that. "...what's wrong?"
"…knowing Johnny…it sounds like he really was close to her…" she muttered.
"...it didn't seem like he was faking it, either, like with poor Bliss..." King murmured.
"…I never thought Johnny could feel that way for someone…" Vanessa spoke. "….guess the only catch was that Callous was just as heartless as he was…"
"...no kidding." King huffed. "I hesitate to say it, but... I guess they were made for each other." he scoffed.
"…do you know if he's…still waiting for her?" Vanessa asked.
King blinked at hearing that. "...I... I'm not sure." he eventually hummed. "...I mean, he could be, but... I wouldn't know; I don't have a lot of experience with what lies in the afterlife."
"…I suppose I'll have to ask Milo that one then…" Vanessa said. "For someone so young, he sure knows a lot…"
"...you can say that again..." King nodded with a slight smile.
"…well, I'm gonna hit the hay, King," Vanessa said, standing up from her seat.
"...right; I should go and do the same." King nodded, as he stood up as well. "G'night, Vanessa."
"G'night King," Vanessa said, disappearing into the backrooms to where Jack would be.
"CALLOUS!"
"Yeah, yeah…I know you wanted to see me…"
I looked around; though I heard her voice, I didn't see her. I had walked into a part of Mystic Ruins I used to visit a lot…the locations of my dreams have really varied…
Finally, Callous came from around the corner, smirking at me. "Sure is a surprise to see you here, sis," she chuckled.
I frowned. "Stop calling me sis. You know that we aren't really sisters…"
"I know," Callous said smugly. "I just do it to annoy you…"
I set my hands on my hips. "What was that whole episode with Jack about?"
Callous was the one to frown this time. "…right…she told you to ask me, didn't she?" she grumbled, turning away from me. "…damn it, that lioness…"
"So you do know?" I supposed, to some surprise. Vanessa's good…
"…possibly…" Callous mumbled.
I growled. "What's with the hesitation?"
"I just don't think you'd be able to handle what I'd have to say…" Callous said with a shrug.
"Callous, are you planning something?" I asked, getting impatient.
"No, but I'd really appreciate if for once; you'd just let me have my privacy…" Callous grumbled, glaring back at me.
"What do you mean privacy? You're a part of me!" I said. "And if you're trying to hurt my friends, then I have to make sure that doesn't happen!"
Callous snarled at me. "I wasn't trying to hurt him…" Then she turned around. "I just…got a little excited."
"Excited?" Now I was really confused. "Callous, what the hell are you talking about?"
"Do the math," Callous told me. "You have blood in your fingertips, and there's claw marks on his back, because I may have gotten a little excited…You catch my drift yet?"
I just stood there, staring at her in confusion.
Callous just groaned. "…okay…let's throw Johnny into the picture…and the fact that Jack's his nephew and he's a wandering spirit…"
I blinked. When she had given me those last details, I started to really think…
…and when it finally hit me, my eyes widened.
"…no…" I croaked.
Callous looked back at me, curious to see my reaction…and knowing Callous, my reaction wouldn't be disappointing to her in the slightest.
"No…no no no NO NO!" I screamed out, feeling absolutely disgusted. "NO! NO! NO!"
Callous smirked. "You know, you're really entertaining sometimes…"
"ARE YOU AND JOHNNY SERIOUSLY—EUGCH!" I just screamed and threw a tantrum, stomping my feet and throwing my hands around.
Callous laughed.
"CALLOUS!" I shrieked at her for laughing, clenching my fists. "You're joking, right? You're just messing with me, right? BECAUSE I HONESTLY CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THE TWO OF YOU WOULD USE OUR BODIES TO HAVE SEX!" And I screamed again in disgust.
"I couldn't help it," Callous shrugged. "…Jack's really like his uncle in lots of ways."
"DON'T TELL ME THAT!" I yelped. "THAT'S NOT SOMETHING I NEED TO KNOW! EUGH!"
"You look so adorable when you're disgusted like that," Callous laughed at me, and I got so angry at her for that.
"…I can't believe you…" I growled hatefully, spinning around to walk away…but then I couldn't help but walk right back. "That's—that's just—ECGH! Me and Jack? HOW COULD YOU? AUGH!" I spun to walk away again…but I just circled right back to Callous.
"Not only that, but you USED us!" I spat.
Callous glared at me dryly. "What else is new?"
"Callous! You…what if Jack woke up in the middle of any of that?" I uttered. "You guys could traumatize him!"
"Oh, so you're just fine with it then?" Callous sneered at me.
"NO! HELL NO! I'M NOT FINE WITH IT!" I screamed at her. "I'm with Metal! It means that I've been going behind his back on this!"
"Oh calm down, it only happened twice…" Callous grumbled. "…well, technically three times; twice in one round—!"
"—I TOLD YOU I DON'T WANT TO KNOW THAT STUFF!" I screamed at her.
"Well, you got what you wanted to know; those claw marks came from excited sex that we had in that alleyway," Callous said, smirking. She enjoyed just disgusting me even more.
I felt so goddamn angry at her, I grit my teeth as well as my fists…
And I screamed.
"AUUUUGH!"
"GAH!" Unfortunately, that scream happened to wake someone next to her up. "Ugh... Jill, what's the matter?"
"…huh?" Jill just now realized that she had woken up from her dream, and she looked up at Metal beside her. "…oh…I'm sorry Metal…"
"...did you have a nightmare?" Metal supposed, as he looked at Jill with some concern.
"…no I…I was talking to Callous…" Jill sat up, still gritting her teeth…and at the same time, feeling very uneasy.
"...to Callous...?" Metal hummed. "...about what?"
"Well, something happened to Jack; somehow he got these claw marks on his back and I was the closest one nearby to hear him scream about the pain…neither of us knew what happened…" Jill muttered.
"...is that so...?" Metal hummed once more, as he nodded a few times. "...did someone attack him?"
"…according to Callous, no one attacked him…" Jill growled.
And she really wasn't sure whether to go on or not…but she couldn't help wincing in disgust, growling even more. She was still really angry at Callous…
"...then... what happened?" Metal inquired.
"…it was just her and Johnny…" Jill looked away from Metal then. "…Johnny was able to take over Jack, and Callous would take over me, and…"
Metal's eyes slowly widened, as realization hit him. "...I... see..." he uttered: slowly nodding.
Jill wrapped her arms around herself, so unsure what to say to Metal. "…I got so angry at her I screamed and I…guess I woke up…"
"...well... you had a very good reason to get angry." Metal said, as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Having your body used like that... I wouldn't have been happy about it, either, if it were me..."
"…Metal, if I knew she was doing that I would've…stopped it…" Jill buried her face in her knees. "…I'm sorry…I feel like I still betrayed you…"
"...Jill..." With a slight sigh, Metal wrapped his arms around Jill in a hug. "...you don't need to be sorry; I know that you'd never willingly do something like that. The ones to blame are Callous and Johnny, not you or Jack..."
Jill hugged him back silently.
"...you just make sure not to let it get you down, alright?" Metal said, as he glanced at her. "I wouldn't want their escapades to affect you too much..."
"…alright…" Jill answered. "…I suppose I still have a hard time with things like that…"
"...don't worry; I'll be here to help you, if you need it." Metal said assumingly.
Jill's hug tightened. "…I'm glad for that…"
Meanwhile, outside of their room, a certain someone had overheard the conversation, and nodded to himself. Silently, he fluttered away back to a different room, where the door was ajar enough for him to fly through.
When that someone fluttered through the door, someone else sat up in their bed. "Did'ja find out why Mama screamed, Tails Doll?" asked Joy.
"Yeah." Tails Doll nodded, as he perched himself on the bed, so he could look at Joy. "It had something to do with Jack; he got hurt sometime tonight..."
Joy's brows arched. "Oh, Jack got hurt?"
"Yeah." Tails Doll nodded. "I don't know what happened, but... Jill felt responsible, and Metal told her that it wasn't anyone's fault to make her feel less down about it."
"I hope Jack gets better soon…and I hope Mama doesn't feel bad about it anymore," Joy said.
"...I'm sure he will and that she won't feel bad about it." Tails Doll said with an assuring tone.
Joy nodded. "…Maybe we can see Jack tomorrow and help him feel better!"
"...ooh! That's a great idea!" Tails Doll laughed. "What should we do to make him feel better?"
"Maybe we can play a clapping game! Or maybe we can play cards with him!" Joy suggested.
"Oooh, I like the sounds of that!" Tails Doll cheered. "But if we play cards, what sort of card games could we play?"
"We could play go fish! Or maybe slap Jack!" and then Joy giggled. "Only we don't actually slap Jack!"
"Yeah; that'd just hurt." Tails Doll nodded. "Oooh! We could play some blackjack!"
Joy giggled some more. "But I can't play that game real well!"
"Hey, I can't, either!" Tails Doll laughed.
"I could play War too," Joy said. "At least Jack helps me out with that!"
"True, true." Tails Doll chuckled again.
Joy reached out and hugged Tails Doll. "We'll have lotsa fun!"
"Lots and lots of fun!" Tails Doll laughed, as he hugged Joy back.
Joy looked down at Tails Doll with a smile. "We'll be best friends forever, right Tails Doll?"
"The bestest!" Tails Doll nodded. "Count on it, Joy!"
Joy hugged him warmly with a smile.
Though you readers have seen the prologue... so this time of innocence will be, unfortunately, short lived :(...
...I feel like the chorus in Shakespeare plays, establishing the foreshadowing...