Props: Thanks this week go out to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT and Oceanic Coral for the OCs and opinions. Oh, and thanks to Oceanic Coral for suggesting next week's topic!
Oh, and the one known as "random gal"… thank you for giving us Levi for all this time. You know that several times, you and Levi were all that kept this amazing little thing of mine going, right?
"…Hey, Elektor?" Rachel asked as she walked backstage after carrying the final chair to the stage.
But at first, she didn't get a reply from that bumbling producer. Potentially because he was bumbling about pepperoni into his cell phone.
"10 minutes?" he said to whoever was on the other side. "'Kay. See ya then."
He hung up and slipped his phone in his pocket.
"…S-Sorry, did you say something?!" he asked. "I am so sorry to just cast-"
"Nah, I was the one who tried to interrupt your call," Rachel insisted.
"What did you say?" Elektor then asked.
"I didn't necessarily say it yet," Rachel explained. "…But… have you seen the Deadpool movie?"
"Unfortunately, not yet…" Elektor replied. "Looks hilarious, though."
"You, I, Silver, Shadow, and Mercury could go!" Rachel smiled. "I'm not usually a new movie fanatic… but I hear this movie has just my humor fix!"
"I think you'd be right," Elektor nodded.
He then sighed and slipped his coat on.
"Welp, I've got an epic quest to go on," he announced, walking toward the door. "The quest for pizza! See ya!"
He then walked out the door.
Twenty minutes later, when it was ten minutes to showtime, Thorn, Mercury, and Rachel were sitting on the backstage couches.
"It was those disgusting tests and projects again," Mercury yakked.
"Aww, those things?" Thorn groaned.
"Glad to see you here in one piece!" Rachel smiled.
"Say…" Mercury said. "…Where's Levi been?"
"…I have no idea," Rachel sighed. "It's almost a bit worrying, to be honest."
Suddenly, the door swung at light-speed from its closed position to the wall next to it. Having cast it at such light-speed was a cold-eyed, done-with-life Elektor.
"…I forgot my freaking wallet…" he groaned, closing the door. "I forgot my wallet in my office, and now they have to refrigerate that pizza until after the show!"
Little did anyone know until here that Mercury's eyes had become the size of donuts.
"YOU ORDERED PIZZA?!" she squealed. "It'll be here after the show, right?!"
"Well… for that to happen, I'd have to get someone else to run out to get it," Elektor explained.
"You had an intern, didn't you?" Rachel asked. "Luke?"
"…Oh, Luke!" Elektor smiled. "Yeah! Don't worry. He'll guard that meat and cheese pie with his life."
Just a few minutes later, the audience was alight, and so was the stage.
"Hey, everybody, it's Rachel!" Rachel beamed. "And welcome back to more Thoughts of the Unknown!"
The audience overwhelmed her with its hearty cheer. Granted, it didn't seem a decibel off from the usual at all... but it still struck her all the same.
"…You all are such amazing people," she smiled. "Thanks to you all, I actually feel like something."
Suddenly, a couple of people in the audience went completely quiet. The air had a scent of sincerity in it.
"You all might have thought I was just up here, looking over discussions and all," she continued. "But really… you all have been facilitating the biggest chance I've ever had in my life. It's lead to a couple of smaller chances that have changed my life for the better."
A few people found that they had something in their eyes.
"Ah, but what am I up sobbing my praise for?" she asked. "Well… I felt lighthearted for a second."
That was the total truth.
"Anyway… this week, we're discussing the shipping of who I feel were just tossed together with… an existent amount of logic, in a way," she went on. "Two powerhouses. Knuckles and Bunnie. As far as I've gotten in the comics, they really haven't met each other yet. I dunno. I put PUSC… or 'Possible Under Specific Circumstances'… in effect for this one. But what do our two guests think? Well, they're both respected Thoughts of the Unknown veterans! Please welcome back to the stage… Mercury and Thorn!"
The crowd exploded into that familiar invigorating cheer as both Mercury and Thorn made their ways to their seats.
"Good to see you back, Mercury!" Rachel beamed.
"Being busy isn't always a worthy virtue," Mercury sighed.
"I guess not," Rachel shrugged. "Let's start with you, then. Knuckles and Bunnie… an affectionate sock to the heart or a hatred-ridden one to the crotch?"
"Interesting," Mercury replied. "Well… here's the thing. Bunnie's already with Antoine, and I practically don't see her with anyone else. But even still, I'm not quite sure what relationship these two might have considering their lack of communication. But I kinda believe that if they were to meet, Knuckles would dig Bunnie's courage and desire to save the world from evil. I believe these two would get along, but not to the point of a realized shipping. Bunnie has Antoine… and Knuckles has a giant green jewel."
Most of the audience, and Rachel and Thorn, exploded into a short fit of laughter.
"I-I can't argue with you there!" Rachel agreed. "Alright, alright… Thorn? Your thinkings?"
"I never woulda thought of this," Thorn replied. "I could imagine it, like anything else in the universe, but I can't really see it. It's mainly the personality thing. Most people would say they're good together, but it just doesn't sit well with me."
"So we have a general verdict here," said Rachel. "This doesn't work."
Both Mercury and Thorn said "I!" at the same time to show agreement.
"Well, that was decided," said Rachel, standing up. "Next week… yeah… One of the specimens in this shipping is one I know NOTHING about. The other's a genius in a young boy's body. Tails and Marine, everyone. Next week. Be here!"
Everyone went their own way. Elektor's, Mercury's, and Thorn's ways were toward the couch, where they'd all be happily munching away at a pepperoni-sprinkled pizza.
Rachel's way, however, was out the door.
"Aw, Rachel," Elektor whined. "Stay here and have a slice."
"There's two reasons that I'm afraid I'll have to turn down that offer," Rachel sighed gravely. "The first is that pizza upsets my stomach, so I'm taking the chance to eliminate it from my life."
"Eliminate PIZZA?!" Mercury screamed, clearly in an outrage. "What are you?!"
"I also was told to head straight home after the show," Rachel continued. "My mother and niece need my knowledge with computers… no matter how basic it may be…"
"Alright," said Mercury. "We'll see you next week!"
"Next week!" Rachel waved, opening the door.
"Bye!" Thorn waved back.
But no later than ten seconds after Rachel stepped foot outside the door, she heard "Hey!" in the form of Elektor's voice. She turned around to face him.
"What are you doing?" he smiled, taking a couple of steps closer to her. "I never got my goodbye hug."
Rachel giggled and replied "Since when was that a thing?"
"Well, it is now," Elektor smiled back, instantly wrapping Rachel in his arms.
Rachel did the same to him. And they stayed like that for well over ten seconds.
For Rachel, it might not have been much.
For Elektor, though, the warmth was addicting. The warmth seeped not only through his coat, but through his chest into his heart. He so wanted to squeeze her even tighter and never let go. This was amazing. Addicting. Which was why he felt even colder than Old Man Winter's soul when she let go.
She let go for a good reason, though. There was a lot of white on the ground, yes.
But there's a different white in even the oldest snow than there is in a random envelope that sat by the door.
"There's an envelope on the ground over there," she said.
Elektor turned around to see that she was right.
"Huh," he responded. "I didn't see that when I went out the first time."
They both walked over to it, and Rachel picked it up and opened it.
"Looks like a letter," Elektor mumbled.
"Let's see…" Rachel said.
She cleared her throat and began to read what might have been the most bittersweet letter she'd read in a long time. It went as follows:
Dear friends of Thoughts of the Unknown,
I am displeased to say that I can no longer come to visit with you, and better get to know all of you. While I have honestly found this show pointless and unproductive, it was a nice escape from my rather… chaotic life (though I do realize its importance to you, Rachel and Mercury; you two have had the opportunity to meet some special people). A very close friend of mine needs me elsewhere for some time. I can't say when I'll be back, so I would like to say that I wish you guys the best of luck. Sincerest apologies for my unexpected absence the past couple of weeks (and now this official departure) and thank you for letting me take part in this show when I did make it.
-Levi Lester
To the one known as "random gal": We all are in complete understanding, but we'll definitely miss Levi. He was one of this show's first guests and is part of the reason it's come so far. If you see him, tell him that we all thank him from the bottom of our hearts.
Reader's casual discussion: Thank you, Oceanic Coral! The question this week is as follows: If you could make one Sonic pairing canon, what would it be? For me… huh… There's quite a few that make sense. I dunno… The only way I can answer this is by saying that I wish Rouge would choose someone already. It's probably the biggest question: Knuckles or Shadow? So either Knouge or Shadouge. One of the two.