So, There is some awesome news for you before I let you get into the story. You want to know what it is?

K.S. Reynard and I are hosting a Holiday One shot contest for Star Fox! So far its building up to be awesome, but I won't distract you with that right now, I'll hit on it later, for now, enjoy the Talking Destiny.

-Chapter 14: Talking Destiny-

Krystal looked down at her hand as she walked, her eyes once again drawn to the band on her finger. It still seemed like she was in a dream, even though it had been almost a full week since he had proposed to her. In her heart, Krystal knew that she would hold onto that memory for the rest of her life. Not because Fox McCloud had done anything special for it, just that he had done it. The simple fact that it was Fox that did it, caused a feeling to ring true with in her soul. It was feeling she had described to her on Cerinia, but never thought she would find out here in Lylat.

She turned her attention back to her surroundings as she walked through the main part of Corneria City. As she spared a glance up towards the sun with a hand shading her eyes, she was glad that she had gone for the white tank top and blue shorts that she was currently wearing. She wasn't sure what the exact temperature was, but since this part of Corneria was in its full summer swing, she was willing to bet it was almost triple digits, and since she had a fur coat, it felt like much hotter for her.

She wiped her hand across her forehead as she felt sweat run through her fur to drip onto her nose, the beads she had strung through her hair rattling gently as she moved. She had a few bags tucked over her left hand, just a couple things that she felt she needed to keep up on, just in case they were sent on another mission. She came up to a crosswalk and folded her arms as she waited for the light to change so she could cross.

She took a few moments to close her eyes and extend her thoughts to the surroundings. Doing something like this back home on Cerinia was a way for others to find you, or just to find somebody to chat with. Here it served as an experiment, a test to see just what most Cornerians were broadcasting. Most of the days it just gave her a headache listening to all the thoughts around her, but she had recently been using it to help expand her powers, to be capable of focusing on more then one person at a time.

She opened her eyes just in time to watch the lights change, she dropped her arms as she waited for the signal to turn. Right before it did, an impatient driver sped his car past her, blinding her with a reflection of the sun from his windows. Krystal yipped softly in surprise and closed her eyes, turning away in reaction to the blinding light. When she opened her eyes she realized that she was now wearing white.

Rather, her reflection appeared to be wearing a white dress. Krystal felt her eyes drawn to the sign above the window and realized that she was looking at a bridal shop. She blinked twice more before she took a step towards the shop. She hesitated, remembering that she had promised to go looking for dresses with Katt Monroe. She stood there for another minute, looking into the store, the sun beating down on her back before she decided to go in.

After all, what harm could come is she just took a quick peak.

She walked over to the door and pulled on the large silver handle, surprised at the weight of the old wooden door. It was a strange thing to see in such a popular area of the city, where pretty much everything else was doors the opened for you. All thoughts of the door left her mind though as she felt a cool breeze brush over her fur. No doubt the air conditioner was on full blast to combat the heat outside and Krystal was thankful for even a brief respite from the scorching rays of the sun.

As the door closed behind her, effectively sealing off the store from the weather outside, she heard a female voice call out from somewhere deep inside the store.

"I'll be there in a minute, just finishing up some changes on this dress."

Krystal took a few slow steps into the store, looking at the various designs of wedding dresses that were on display. She took a moment to call back out as she studied a dress that seemed to be made up entirely of ruffling lace. "It's okay, take you time, I'm just browsing for now." leaving the dress behind, Krystal drifted deeper into the store, surprised at how far back it went, and just how many dresses seemed to be on display.

She had just made her way to the back when somebody spoke up behind her. "Can I help you find anything Miss?"

Krystal spun around, surprised at the sound of the voice from just over her shoulder. Being a telepathic, it was extremely hard to to even get close by her without her being able to sense it. Yet the vixen who smiled at her had accomplished it without even realizing it.

"I'm sorry, did I startle you?" the vixen asked.

Krystal nodded as she patted down her ruffled fur. "Yes, just a bit, its my fault though, I usually pay better attention to my surroundings." Krystal took a moment to study the vixen. Her fur was a nice shade of red, just boarding on being brown, her eyes were a shade of blue that reminded Krystal of the sea. As she studied the vixen she realized that her ears were a little large for a fox, and suspected that the shop keeper was actually part Fennec. She was wearing a white top and a long navy blue blouse that stopped just shy of her knees.

Krystal held out her hand as she felt her heart resume its normal pace. "Are you the owner?"

The vixen shook her head as she shook Krystal's hand "No, I'm just an employee here, you can call me Ray the owner is the one who makes all these dresses." she gestured around her to the shop at large. "I just help design and sell them." she clapped her hands together. "Speaking of, I assume your getting married soon?" Krystal smiled and nodded. "Oh good, now, I can tell a bit about you by just looking at you, but what designs were you thinking about?"

Krystal glanced towards the front of the store. "Well..."

Ray laughed "Come now, don't be shy."

Krystal turned to look at another dress. "You see, the thing is, I'm supposed to be looking at dresses with my best friend next week. So, I'm not really looking to buy anything today."

Ray just waved her hand through the air "That's not a issue with me, I'm just here to help you find the dress you want." she paused and tapped a painted nail against her lips. "Although, I am missing something to be able to help you."

Krystal despite her misgivings about shopping for a dress without Katt couldn't help herself. "What's that?"

Ray smiled as she lowered her nail. "Why, the description of your groom of course." Krystal looked confused so she continued. "Don't you know? The wedding dress isn't just what you want, it has to match with who the groom is. To show that two different people are coming together to start a new life together."

Krystal nodded slowly. "Okay, well he's a vulpine like us-"

Ray cut her off. "I don't mean his looks, I mean his personality, what drew you to him? What keeps you attracted to him? The qualities that make him your mate?"

Krystal was silent for a moment as she thought about that. She spoke up with a frown. "I don't know."

Ray just laughed softly. "Come now, who will I tell?"

Krystal nodded after another minute of thought. "If you looked at him normally, you could tell that he's tough, he's been through a lot, and been made better for it. Everything he's been through as well has made him loyal to a fault, and he doesn't like about what needs to be done. But he still has no trouble shedding the tough outside to be caring and open person when needed." Krystal trailed off as she thought for a few more moments.

Ray was tapping her chin with a finger while she thought. When Krystal offered no more insight, she spoke up. "That's a good start, but that sounds like the type of things that anybody could figure out about him. What I need to know is what has you drawn to him."

Krystal blushed underneath her fur before she continued. "He's shy, he still has trouble sometimes keeping a sentence straight around me."

The vixen smiled. "There we go, that sounds like the things I need to hear." She turned around and seemed to pull a stool and notepad from out of nowhere. She sat down and crossed her legs, smoothing her blouse down. She pulled a pencil of all things from the rings that held the old fashion paper together and checked its point before setting it against the paper. "Now that we're getting somewhere, continue, please"

Krystal nodded. "Okay, well, hes also caring, he thinks hard about the choices he makes, and sometimes I think that when they go wrong they weigh heavily on his soul. Even though he doesn't show it. But he always makes sure that those under him are taken care of, coming to their aid when they need it."

As Krystal talked, Ray started sketching on her pad, drawing and erasing lines as Krystal continued.

"He's also incredibly gentle, most people see him as a hardened warrior, or even a heartless leader, but I've seen his softer side. He enjoys just sitting somewhere reading a book, or listening to music, he also sometimes goes for walks just to help people." Krystal paused before she continued in a quite voice, her blush making her cheeks heat up despite the cool air of the building. "He's also very loving, whenever I'm around him, I just feel like I belong, it doesn't matter if we're out and about in the city or flying about in our ships, as long as he's there, I know where I need to be. We lock eyes across a crowded room and I feel this spark shoot through my entire being. We've been working together for so long now, I feel like I'm in his head."

Ray looked up with a smile as paused in her sketching. "It sounds like you love him very much, and he you."

Krystal nodded once before she lapsed into silence as Ray continued to sketch. She was quick with her pencil, making soft lines before following though with a harder line to show depth as she added this detail and that to the dress. Krystal felt her curiously grow as she watched Rays pencil dance across the page in its intricate movements.

After five minutes passed Ray pulled the pencil away from the paper, tucking it back into the bindings in one quick movement. She took a moment to study the sketch before she nodded once and turned the book around so Krystal could see. "What do you think?"

Krystal blinked, the sketch was of course outlined in gray, yet somehow Ray had managed to breath life into the drawing, making the dress seem to float out of the paper for her. The dress was cut to just above her neckline and had small runners of fabric along the arms that connected into a sash that would run back across her shoulders to tie into her gown. Intricate patterns that matched perfectly with her exposed arms were worked into the body of the dress and ran all the way down to the bottom.

Krystal blinked as she took the sketch pad from Ray and studied the gown. "Its beautiful." She said softly. She handed the pad back to Ray. "The only thing I would think to add is perhaps a dash of blue in there."

Ray smiled before she removed the pencil again and dashed a few more lines along the bottom of the dress. "I think I can manage that." She said softly as she stood up and tucked the stool behind the dress she had pulled it out from. She tucked the notepad under her arm. "So, you're welcome to go about your day, or browse around some more if you want. I'll take this picture back to the owner and she can bring it to life for you to see next time when you come in with your friend. If you like it, you've cut down on that much time running about the city in this heat, and if you don't, well, hopefully another store will serve your needs."

Krystal nodded and held out a hand. "Thank you Ray, I just hope my friend understands."

Ray shook her head again. "If she's your friend she will."

Ray turned to go and Krystal spoke up again. "If you don't mind me asking, why Ray, it doesn't sound very..." she trailed off as Ray laughed.

"No, I suppose its not much of a lady like name is it? Then again my parents meant it as I was a Ray of sunshine, so I'm more then okay with it."

Krystal nodded again before she turned back towards the front of the store and made her way out into the heat. She checked the time before she turned and headed back to her apartment to get ready to meet up with Fox for a date.

- One Week Later -

Krystal led Katt towards the dress store, a small sense of excitement building secretly in her chest. They had already been to four different dress stores, and five other stores that didn't even sell dresses but owed Katt a favor and could get some. Krystal hadn't even realized there were that many shops so close together, and although she would never admit it to her friend, she was glad that their pathway had finally brought them to the store she was in last week.

Krystal huffed out in frustration when they had to stop for a green light. Katt chuckled softly next to her. "Why the sudden change Krystal?"

Krystal glanced at her friend confused. "What change?" she asked as the light continued to stay green, preventing them from crossing the busy street.

Katt raised an eyebrow as she answered. "All day, you've been well, resigned really, like you didn't want to be out dress shopping. I practically had to force you into the last two stores, then you mention this store, and suddenly you just can't wait to get there."

Krystal rubbed the back of her head, a habit she had picked up from Fox. "I've just heard some good things about this store is all. Plus I passed it by the other day and some of the dress on display looked amazing."

The light finally changed and Krystal led her friend across the street and towards the store. When she pulled open the heavy door, Katt let out a little sigh of relief. It was another hot day, and walking around for most of the afternoon left her glad to feel the cooled air of the store. Krystal pointed towards the back while she walked towards a counter. "Go look in the back, see if anything catches your eye, I'll get us some help."

Katt nodded and worked her way back into the shop as Krystal walked up to the counter just in time to for an avian to come walking out of the back. Her feathers were dark purple and she had black highlights running along her skull to touch upon her beak. She gave a smile at Krystal as she approached. "Welcome, what can I do for you?"

Krystal lowered her voice just a bit so it wouldn't carry to Katt in the back. "Hi, I was in here last week, and one of your designers helped me with a custom order, I was just wondering if it was ready."

The avian blinked. "Designers? I think you may have the wrong store hun, I run this place alone, I design, make, and sell the dresses by my lonesome."

This time it was Krystal turn to blink in confusion. "But..." She glanced behind her to make sure she had the right store. "I was in here, you called out from the back, and then Ray came and helped me."

The avian shook her head. "Sorry hun, no Ray here, just me, I'm Lola by the way."

Krystal frowned as she thought. "I..." She closed her mouth when nothing else came to mind for a moment. Deciding to try something though she nodded towards a computer on a back counter. "Do me a favor at least, check for an order for Krystal." Lola just stared. "Please?" Krystal added after a moment.

Lola sighed and shook her head, turning to the computer. "Sure, I'll check hun, just hang on a tic." true to her word, Lola checked to see what orders she had standing. She blinked in surprise after a moment. "I do have a Krystal McCloud in here, that wouldn't happen to be you?" she glanced over to see Krystal nod her head, although she couldn't remember telling Ray her last name.

Lola turned back to the computer. "Right, I remember this one, its a really nice dress, I'll go fetch it." Lola vanished into the back of the store, only to reappear in a few moments with the dress in a clear bag to protect it. "Here you go hun."

Krystal blinked and reached out a finger to run it along the dress, even though she couldn't even really touch it. The dress was even more beautiful in life then she thought it would be. Small rivers of lace were worked into the arms, dyed a crystal blue they created a sharp contrast to the dress that helped pull it together. The drawings that were based off her tattoos and ran the length of the bottom of the dress were also blue, although there were a much darker blue, almost matching the same hue as her fur.

"Whoa..."

Krystal turned around to see Katt staring wide eyed at the dress as she walked towards the desk. She pointed a finger at the dress as she walked. "How...where...when?" she turned to Krystal who frowned.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly as she placed a hand on her friends shoulder.

Katt just shook her head and glanced at Krystal. "That dress, it just looks, well...Here, let me show you." Katt reached into a pocket of her shorts and pulled out her communicator, she called up a picture and angled it for Krystal to see.

Krystal studied the vixen in the picture for a moment, her eyes drawn to the dress that she was wearing. Aside from a few differences, it looked a lot like the one she had ordered. After a quick glance though, she turned her focus to the vixen that was wearing it. She barely managed to contain her gasp of surprise.

"Where did you get this picture?" she asked Katt in a quiet voice.

Katt glanced between the picture and the dress again. "Fox sent it to me just now, he knew that you hadn't had a lot of luck with dress shopping so far and thought this might inspire you."

Krystal's eyes were still glued on the picture. "Do you know who that is?"

Katt tucked her communicator back into her pocket. "Yeah, its Fox's mom, Vixy Reinard McCloud. He says its the only picture he has of her."

Krystal nodded. "Well, that settles it, I think I know which dress I want." she turned to Lola as she pulled out a credit chit. "Here, you go, I'll take it."

A few minutes later found the pair exiting the store and Katt shook her head as they headed for Krystal's apartment. "I got to say, that was a heck of a choice there Krystal."

Krystal nodded as they walked, the dress held in her arms, she glanced towards it while her brain tried to figure out why Vixy Reinard looked exactly like Ray the designer who had helped her last week. Krystal didn't want to put too much thought in to it, but somehow she felt like she had earned some approval.

-Inspired by: Fated Destiny and Bryan McCloud-

Well, what did ya think? You know the drill, hit the review button!

With that, Guest Reviews!

JackLinks: Glad you enjoyed, as for your idea, I like it, I think we have the eventual chapter twenty five now!

Blake O'Donnell: I'm not a fan of the paring either, but, I was getting quite a few request for it. As for your thoughts with Adventures, I agree, and good luck with the writing.

So, The Contest! I'm super excited for it, today is the official announcement, but a few people already get invites to come and join. We've got a slew of awesome writers joining us, Hopeless-Tyronos, General Whitefur, FoxMcCloud7921, KaijuKnight, Order and Chaos, ShiverintheLight, Star-Hit, Elarix, Beyond An Anomaly, and The Pen Vs The Sword. Not to mention, K.S and myself will also be contributing.

Phew, that's a lot of authors, I'm excited to see what they bring to the table. If you want to join, head over to the official forums that K.S has set up and sign up, The link to the forums should be on my profile page by now.

Why should you join? Well, you would help expand the Star Fox place here, which is always nice, you could also use this to try out writing as well, and get some feed back from other authors. Plus, what would a contest be with out some sort of Prize.

The Winner, if he or she so chooses gets to give an idea to K.S. and I and we turn it into a Oneshot for them, not to mention, We're also putting up a early access to the chapters of our next stories. Or in my case, the first chapter of Act II from Dead Planet, either that or an early look at my next Star Fox story, the one I teased in the later chapters of Dead Planet.

The contest starts on the 10th, so get those brains working if you're going to join, and make sure you head over to the forums to get signed up!

See you there!

Also, Destinies broke One Hundred reviews, Much thanks for the support!

Peace,

- Emile