"I wonder what people do for fun in this town," Rouge said to herself as she walked along the sidewalk. "I mean, I didn't notice any brothels here, or any prostitutes on the streets, so I can tell this town doesn't have problems with those." She then started looking to see what businesses were around, jumping into the air and spreading her wings in order to fly around and get a better look at the town. 'Let's see, there's a bakery, a pizza parlor, another mechanic shop, some governmental buildings, a flower shop, a beauty salon, a club, a school, and a marketplace,' She thought as she flew through the air. 'Well, looks like a nice place to raise the kids in. I wonder how many kids I'll even have.'
"Should probably get back to Toby and see how he's doing," Rouge said as she turned back and started heading back to her lover's workplace.
When she got back, she saw that a couple large black sedans were parked out front, which didn't really surprise her. 'About time the FBI showed up,' She thought as she walked inside the building, and arched an eyebrow upon seeing an interesting sight.
Toby was currently destroying a large table with a sledgehammer, while the FBI agents were walking around, gathering up evidence of Big Bill's illegal activities.
"Toby, what are you doing?" She asked him as he swung the hammer down, breaking off another chunk from the table.
"I'm destroying this table," He replied as he swung again, breaking off a leg. "It was well known by the employees that Bill had basically robbed a nursing home blind, eventually forcing it into bankruptcy. He then used the money to buy several things for the garage, which I am now destroying."
"Wow, Bill was not a good guy," Rouge said with a bit of surprise, having not known he'd done that.
"Oh, he definitely wasn't. I mean, he loved to rob and cheat people of their money," Toby replied as he gave one more strong swing to the table, and shattered it into pieces. "And I mean loved it."
"It's why he's having us seize all of his assets and investigate the shell companies that he was involved with," one of the FBI informants mentioned.
"So the place you now own, you're tossing everything out?" Rouge asked.
"Exactly," Toby mentioned. "I'd rather not be associated with my former boss, and I'm sure as hell not keeping anything he owned. I'm rebuilding from the ground up."
"Huh, I'll admit I'm a bit surprised you're not keeping anything, but I can respect it," Rouge replied with a nod. "So how much longer till you're done?"
"We're just about done Miss Rouge," One of the agents said to her, before holding out a clipboard. "We just need you to sign a few things saying you were compliant with the investigation. Mr. Kesser and the other employees have already signed."
Rouge sighed at that. "Alright," She said as she took the clipboard and pen before looking at the documents she needed to sign. 'Man do I hate paperwork!' She thought as she began signing the documents after making sure there weren't any "surprises" in them.
After she finished signing the paperwork and handed the clipboard back to the agent, the agent said, "Thank you Miss Rouge. We'll be on our way now." The agent then walked out of the building with her team, leaving her and Toby inside.
"Okay, so with that out of the way, what do we do now?" Rouge asked, turning to Toby.
"Well I don't really have much to do, and I plan on starting a new business, so why don't I give you a tour of the place?"
"I actually flew overhead to see what's around me," Rouge interjected.
"But have you been inside the buildings?" Toby followed up with a smirk as he set down the sledgehammer. When she didn't respond, his smirk grew bigger. "Well then, that's what we'll do."
"Fine, It's only fair I get to see the town," she said with a sigh.
"Oh come now, you'll like it," Toby said to her with a reassuring look. "There's a lot of nice people here. I'll introduce you to some of them today." He then gently took her by the arm and led her outside, locking the door behind him before they started walking into town.
As they walked, a police car pulled up in front of them, causing both of them to stop. The driver's door then opened, and a female figure stepped out. Upon seeing who had stepped out of the car, Toby smiled. "Hello Miss Ida!" He said in greeting, causing Ida to smile back.
Ida Montreallo was a 30 year old 7 foot 4 inch tall Doberman who was curvy and muscular. She had a large LL-cup bust, a somewhat small ass, green eyes, black fur with brown on her hands and jaw, and short dark brown hair. She was wearing her blue button up shirt with a police badge on it, a black belt with a holster for her gun and taser on it, black pants, black heavy duty sneakers and socks, and a blue police hat.
"Hey Toby," she said in a calm, yet sweet tone. She then noticed a female bat that she hasn't met before. "Who's your new friend?" she asked as she walked over to her.
"Oh, this is Rouge, my future wife," Toby replied with a smile
"Future wife huh?" she added. Rouge looked up at the Doberman and was a little intimidated by her, which surprised her since she had dealt with cops before. "Well then, welcome to the area, and congratulations!"
"Uh...thanks?" Rouge said, surprised at how friendly she was.
"Hope you're testing her right Toby," she added, stepping back into her car. "I gotta get back to patrol at least. Take care you two."
"Alright, later Miss Ida," Toby replied with a wave as she drove off.
"Heh, I was expecting her to hassle us."
"Nah, she's not like that," Toby explained. "She's very friendly and pretty much knows everyone in town. She did grow up here after all." With that, the two continued walking. After awhile, they spotted Deliah's Bakery, and Rouge's stomach let out a hungry growl.
"Hey, can we get something to eat there?" Rouge asked Toby, pointing over at the bakery with a hand as her stomach growled again. "My flying earlier has given me a bit of an appetite."
"Oh? Sure!" Toby replied with a smile as he began leading her to the bakery. "My friend Delilah makes the best food, and I know you'll like it."
"What's she like?" Rouge asked, curious at hearing that he apparently knew the owner of the establishment.
"Delilah's such a sweet girl," Toby answered as they got closer to the bakery door. "We actually went to the same school and college growing up, and have been good friends ever since."
"Childhood friend huh, she must be a very sweet girl," Rouge said with a smile on her face as she and Toby arrived at the building and walked inside. The sounds of an overhead bell rang and it got the attention of the owner herself.
"Hey Toby!" Delilah said with a large smile upon seeing him. "It's good to see yo-" She stopped speaking upon seeing that he wasn't alone, but was in fact, arm in arm with a female bat. She was quiet for several seconds, before she spoke up again. "Um Toby, who is this?" She asked him, her eyes locked onto the female bat.
"Delilah, I want you to meet Rouge," Toby replied with a smile. "My future wife."
"F...future… wife…?" Delilah heard those words echo into her head as if her life was just shattered. She didn't even realize that she had dropped the glass that she was cleaning.
*SMASH!*
Toby and Rouge jumped a bit as the sound of breaking glass hit their ears, while a broken measuring cup sat lay at Delilah's feet.
"Um, Delila, are you okay?" Toby asked as he waved his left hand in front of her. "Hello?"
Delilah didn't respond. 'She's his future wife?' She thought as she stood there, frozen like a statue. 'SHE"S HIS FUTURE WIFE?!' Her eyes began to twitch a little as rage filled her body. 'HOW DARE SHE CLAIM HIM AS HERS! AFTER ALL THE TIME I TRIED TO WORK UP THE COURAGE TO ASK HIM OUT, THIS FUCKING WHORE STEALS HIM FROM ME!'
"Delilah?" Toby called out once more, breaking her from her daze. "You okay?"
"Y-Yeah, yeah, I'm fine Toby," Delilah replied, waving him off. "It's just been a long day, that's all."
"You need some rest," Rouge said.
"Y-yeah, I think that I'll just rest in the back," Delilah replied, her eyes twitching again as she looked at Rouge. Rouge thought for a second there that she could see flames in her eyes, but she just chalked it up to her imagination. Delilah then started heading towards the back, but then paused and turned to them "Before I go rest, do you need anything Toby?" She asked him.
"Oh, um, just two blueberry muffins please," he replied.
"Alright, I'll get those for you right now," Delilah said before heading to the back to get the muffins. She was gone for a few minutes before returning with a paper bag in her hand. "That'll be $3.50."
"Thanks Delilah," Toby said as he pulled out the necessary change and handed it to her. "Hope you enjoy your rest," he continued as he took the paper bag from her.
"I-I will," Delilah replied, before turning away and heading to the back once more.
As Rouge and Toby watched her enter the back once more, Rouge thought 'Something's bothering her. 'I don't know what it is, but I'm pretty sure that I need to find out.'
"Well, that was a bit odd," Toby said after a few seconds had passed. "Hope that rest helps her relax."
"Yea," Rouge replied before gesturing out the door. "So, shall we continue the tour?"
"Of course!" Toby answered, a smile appearing on his face as he handed her the paper bag. The two lovers then stepped out the door, causing the bell to ring once again, signaling their departure.
In the back of the bakery, Delilah was sitting in her office chair, a sad look on her face as she looked at a framed picture on her desk. The picture was of her and Toby standing in front of her bakery on opening day. Both of them had large happy smiles on their faces, and he was hugging her to his side. A single tear rolled down her cheek, knowing that she wouldn't have a chance with the fox she loves ever again.
'Fucking bitch…' she thought to herself. 'Hope she chokes on that muffin!'
'I'm starting to think that girl had a crush on Toby and I may have ruined her chances,' Rouge thought as she walked with Toby towards their next stop. 'I need to fix things up with her soon, otherwise things will get worse.' She then opened the paper bag and reached in to grab a muffin. Her hand brushed against something oddly shaped, and she arched an eyebrow in confusion. 'What is that?' She thought as she closed her hand around the oddly shaped object and pulled it out.
'Is...is that supposed to be a muffin?' She thought as she looked at the object in her hand. It looked like a brown and blue ball of mush, with bits of a red wrapper sticking out of it. 'Yeah, I think she hates me,' She thought as she started putting the mushed muffin in the bag. 'A lot!'
"Hey, what's with the weird muffin?" Toby asked upon seeing the weird muffin. "You drop it or something?"
"Um, yeah, I did," She replied with a nod. "Mind if I eat the other one instead?" 'I'm not telling him Delilah made it that way, cause he wouldn't believe me,' She thought as she pulled out the other muffin.
"How about we split it?" He suggested to her. "I'm a bit hungry myself."
"Sure thing honey," She replied before pulling off the wrapper and pulling the muffin into two pieces. She then handed a piece to him, which he gladly took and bit into. "So where are we going next?"
"Maria's Auto Repair," Toby replied after swallowing the food in his mouth. "I've been meaning to talk to her about maybe making a merger now that my former asshole of a boss is out of town thanks to you."
"That's a good idea," Rouge answered as she finished her muffin. "You know her?"
"I do actually," he told her. "She has a take no shit from anyone attitude, and can be very loyal if you're good friends with her."
"Huh, she kinda sounds like someone I know," Rouge replied as she remembered a certain red echidna with spiky gloves.
"Oh? That's pretty cool," Toby said, before spotting a tall wood and metal sign that read "Maria's Auto Repair" on it, with the letters being made of scrap metal and having light bulbs on them. "There's her shop now." He added as he and Rouge walked over to the building.
Said building was one-story tall, built of gray brick, and had a couple garage doors on one side, with one being open. A large glass window made up most of the store's front, and a blue front door sat on one side of the window.
As they walked up to the store, a light blue van with the image of two milk jugs on the sides pulled into the parking lot and parked in front of the building. The driver side door then opened up,and the driver stepped out.
The driver was a 28 year old, 7 foot 6 inch tall female cow named Martha Cloveston. Martha had a very curvy body covered in black and white spotted fur, a small pair of horns on her head that just barely stuck out from her long brown hair, and green eyes. She also had a massive MMM-cup bust that she used to make her milk, and a massive ass. Her outfit consisted of a light pink shirt that did little to cover her massive bust, and white shorts that looked a bit tight on her ass.
'Talk about growing them big,' Rough thought to herself seeing her. 'She looks like she can feed a whole town with those things.'
"Hey Martha!" Toby said upon seeing the cow. "How's work been?"
"You know her?" Rouge asked, turning to Toby.
"Like I said, small town, practically know everyone here," he said with a smile.
Martha turned upon hearing her name get called out, and smiled upon seeing Toby.
"Oh hey Toby!" She replied as she walked over to the back of her van and opened it. "Work's been good. I just heard about what happened at Big Bill's. I'm glad he's gone."
"So am I," Toby said in agreement. "It's thanks to my new wife that he even got busted in the first place."
"Oh really?" she said looking over at Rouge. "What does she do for a living?"
"You could say private detective work," Rouge said with a sigh. "Heard his story about how unfairly he was fired so I looked into his dealings and found a lot of dirty stuff to it."
"Guess that explains why I now have less competition," another female voice called out getting their had arrived.
Maria Harrington was a 25 year old 7 foot tall muscular dire wolf with pure black fur and gray eyes. She had an II-cup bust and a somewhat large ass. She was currently wearing a gray t-shirt with her first name embroidered on it, gray shorts, a black tool belt, black boots, and black socks.
"Hey Maria," Toby said to the wolf.
"So you're the dame that helped him out, and I heard that you're both engaged," she said with a smirk. "What's that about?"
"Well, we met a while ago," Rouge replied, wrapping her arm around his as she spoke. "We were pen pals for several months, with my work keeping me from meeting him for a while. Eventually, my work let me meet him when he was out of town, and when we did, we clicked. We met a few more times, and then we had a few drinks. My memory is a bit of a blur with what happened exactly while we were drunk that night, but I'm certain I know what we did because of something I discovered a few days ago."
"And what's that?" Martha asked her, not exactly sure about what she was suggesting.
"I'm pregnant," Rouge simply replied.
This simple sentence made the two girls react most interestingly.
"Oh my gosh! Congratulations to you two!" Martha exclaimed, running over and wrapping her arms around Rouge tightly in a hug.
"Can't...breathe," Rouge managed to say as she felt the air in her lungs getting pushed out by Martha's hug. "Too...tight."
Martha couldn't help herself hugging the both of them. She was so happy for them!
"M-martha...ease up! I can..feel my ribs...breaking," Toby gasped as he felt her squeeze him tightly. She then realized what she was doing and backed off, letting the both of them go.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to do that," she admitted with a blush. "I just get so excited when I hear about things like this."
Maria was quiet. Very quiet. The only show of emotion on her body was on her face with her eyes wide with shock and surprise. But inside was a different story. Her emotions were roaring like a tidal wave. 'How dare she take him!' She thought as she looked at Rouge. 'She's not worthy of bearing his children!'
"It's alright Martha," Toby told her with a smile. "I'm a bit excited too."
"Con..congratulations Toby," Maria managed to say, barely able to keep her rage from being apparent in her voice. As she spoke, her eyes landed on Rouge.
'Oh boy,' Rouge thought with a sigh as she swore she saw fire in Maria's eyes. 'I think I just made another girl mad.'
"Thanks Maria," Toby said to her with a smile. "Well, I hope your business is doing well."
"It-It is," Maria replied. "I heard that you're now in charge of Bill's business and he's been arrested."
"Yeah, he got arrested earlier today," Toby answered. "Speaking of the business, I had an idea. What would you say to joining forces? Merging the businesses together?"
Maria gained a surprised look on her face upon hearing that. "I'm sorry, I think I misheard you," She replied. "Can you repeat that?"
"I said, would you like to merge our businesses?" He asked her once more.
Maria's surprised look remained on her face as she heard the words she had been praying someone would say. 'I'd be a fool not to take this offer,' She thought as she looked at him. I'll be able to see him more often. But I won't make any moves on him until I know for sure the bat's motives. Something's off about her, I just know it.'
"Toby, I'd be happy to," She said after several seconds of silence.
"Wonderful! I'll contact you soon so we can discuss the details," Toby replied with a smile as he wrapped his arm around one of Rouge's. "It was nice to see you two!"
"It was nice to see you too Toby!" Martha said with a smile as the two lovers began walking away. "And it was nice to meet you Rouge. Congrats again on the baby!"
"Thanks!" Rouge called out. "Have a good day!"
As they left, Rouge decided to think back to all her encounters so far while in this town. 'Alright, let's see, we met Officer Ida first, and she didn't seem to give off any indication she liked Toby or had a thing for him. Then we met Delilah, who I am quite certain likes Toby a lot. And we just met Martha and Maria. Let's see, that's two girls I am very certain I unintentionally screwed over because of last night, and two who I am not so certain on,' She thought. 'I'm going to have to figure out how to make things better for them, since they are apparently good friends of Toby.'
"Hey, there's the flower shop," Toby said after several seconds, spotting a large red and yellow wooden flower sticking out above the sidewalks up ahead. "You like flowers, right?"
"I do, but not as much as gems," She replied honestly. "So who runs this place?"
"My friend Daisy," He said as they arrived at the shop. Said shop had several potted flowers sitting outside and in the glass display case, as well as light yellow lettering above the display case that read "Daisy's Flower Boutique." He then pulled open the door, making a bell ring, and followed her inside.
Inside, the smells of mulch and flowers hit their noses, while the sight of beautiful flowers and other plants scattered around the shop greeted their eyes.
"Hello there! My name's Dai-Toby! It's great to see you!" A 6 foot 8 inch tall Flemish rabbit said with a gentle voice as she walked over to the two lovers. She had caramel fur, dark brown eyes, an HH-cup chest, a large ass, wide hips, a somewhat chubby belly, and long ears. She was wearing a yellow t-shirt showing off a little bit of cleavage, light blue overalls, yellow sneakers, and yellow socks.
This was Daisy Cottontail, owner of the flower shop.
"Hey Daisy! How's business been?" He asked.
"Slow day today," she said with a sigh. She then noticed a rather busty bat next to him. "Who's that next to you?"
"Oh this is Rouge," Toby said with a smile. "She's my fiance."
"It's nice to meet you," Rouge said, holding a hand out to shake. 'She seems nice,' She thought as Daisy took hold of her hand and began to gently shake it. 'I wonder if she WORKS OUT!?' Daisy then began to slowly squeeze her hand tighter and tighter, making it feel like her hand was being crushed by steel beams. Rouge then saw that Daisy had the smallest hint of a frown on her face, which Toby had failed to notice. 'Dammit! I screwed her over too!'
"Nice to meet you too, Rouge," Daisy replied as she relinquished her grip on her hand, making Rouge silently sigh with relief. "So, what brought you guys here?" She asked Toby as she turned and walked over to a row of flowers, picking up a watering can as she did so.
"I'm showing her around town," He answered honestly. "So far she's met Delilah, Maria, Ida, and Martha. I think I'll let her meet Hope next."
"Alright," Daisy said as she began to water the plants. "By the way, I've been hearing rumors that you're now in charge of Bill's business. Is that true?"
"Yeah, it's true," he replied. "It's thanks to her that he even got arrested."
"I work for a government called GUN," Rouge admitted with a smile, trying to ignore what happened to her earlier. "I made a couple calls, and told them what I had heard. They then swooped in, and took him in, before making Toby here the legal owner of the business."
"Huh, well that's very kind of you to do," Daisy said as she finished watering the plants. "Frankly, me and most of the town hated the guy. He was always such a creep."
"That explains a lot," Rouge added. "Explains why everybody was watching with smiles on their faces."
"Yeah, that guy was the most hated," Toby mentioned.
"Then why'd you work for that asshole?" Rouge asked.
"I needed a job, and was new in town," He replied. "So I didn't know anything about him. Plus back then, there wasn't really any place that would hire me, so I had to take what I could get."
"Okay," Rouge said. "Then why didn't you try to report him while working for him?"
"Someone tried that while I was there, and it failed," he replied. "Didn't find anything. Bastard had somehow gotten wind of it before it happened."
"Yeah, I remember that," Daisy said. "It was a guy named Jeff Coldwin. When the police didn't find anything, he high-tailed it out of town, not wanting to stay around Bill. Last I heard, he was living all the way over in Las Rias."
"Wow, he really wanted to get away from here," Rouge replied upon hearing the city name. Las Rias was a resort town located halfway across the world. "Well maybe when he hears about the news of his arrest, he'll move back into town."
"Maybe," Daisy said before grabbing a broom. "Well, I better let you guys go. I have some more cleaning to do."
"Thanks, it was nice seeing you," Toby said as he took Rouge by the arm and headed out, but not before Rouge looked back at her and saw a sadded face. 'I need to figure something out before this gets worse. I'd rather not have a target on my back from a bunch of angry women on me for stealing a lover.'
"So, where to next?" Rouge asked him as they walked away from the flower shop.
"Hope's Pizza Parlor," he replied. "She cooks the best pizza I've ever had. Do you like pizza? Or do you not like that kind of food?"
"Eh, depends on what mood I'm in," She answered with a shrug of her shoulders. "I don't usually eat it. But every once in a while, I'll have a slice."
"Well you're gonna love this pizza shop," Toby said with a smile. "The owner always says that you can't rush perfection, and she makes sure that everything is fresh. I always make time to get my usual there whenever I get the chance."
"Nice," Rouge replied as they rounded a street corner. "What do you usually get?"
"Pepperoni with mushrooms and black olives," He said with a smile. "It's my favorite pizza ever."
"Charmed," she said with a sigh. "So what's the owner like?"
"Hope? She's a bit of a loner," Toby replied as they walked down the street. "It's not totally her fault, since she is a hyena and they have a reputation of not being nice. But she's not really mean, unless you insult her friends or her cooking."
"Was there someone who tried that last time out of spite?" Rouge asked.
"Yeah, some snobby snake a few months ago," Toby said, remembering what Hope had told him. "Called her food the 'Worst thing ever made,' and spat on it."
"Damn, what happened to the guy?" she asked.
"Got thrown out of the shop by her, and a couple fangs knocked out," he replied. "She's got one hell of a right hook."
"Remind me not to piss her off then," Rouge added with a smile. "So whatever happened to the snake who's teeth she knocked out?"
"Got chased out of town," Toby added. "Didn't really help that he called anyone trash that eats at her place. You insult someone for their intelligence, it doesn't end well for you. He hasn't come back since that day."
"Gives meaning to the phrase power to the mobians huh?" Rouge added.
"Yeah, also we're here," He said. Rouge then looked up to see a large blue building with a smiling pizza slice on the front with the words "Hope's Pizza Parlor: Come for Good Eatin'!" above it. He then pulled open the yellow front door, causing the smell of baking bread to hit their noses and the sounds of multiple people inside to greet their ears. "Ladies first."
"Thank you," she said, walking into the establishment. They appeared to have just arrived at the afternoon rush hour, as about 15 people were in line, and 15 more people were sitting down and eating. "Busy day for her huh?"
"Yeah, it's always packed on a Saturday," He replied as he looked around for Hope. After searching for several seconds, he eventually spotted her walking through the kitchen doors.
Hope Perotara was a 24-year-old, 7 foot 4 inch tall spotted hyena with yellow eyes. She had gray fur with black spots on her neck and arms, short black hair, a JJ-cup bust, a black tail, a very large ass, and a small silver ring piercing in her right ear. She was currently wearing her work outfit, which consisted of a black apron, black pants, black shoes, and a black short-sleeve shirt showing off almost no cleavage with a nametag on it.
"Okay, that should be the order for table six and-! oh, if it isn't my favorite customer," she stopped mid sentence when she noticed Toby and an unfamiliar face walking into her shop. "And I see you brought company with you."
"Hey Hope!" Toby said with a smile as he greeted the hyena. "I wanted you to meet Rouge, my fiance."
Upon hearing that, Hope felt like her world had just been shattered by a wrecking ball. 'I missed my chance,' She thought sadly. 'I waited too long, and now another girl has him.'
"Well, um, congratulations," Hope replied, managing to fake a smile as she held back tears. "I'm happy you found someone to love that much."
"Thanks Hope. That means a lot coming from you," he said with a smile, failing to notice the tears in her eyes or the fact that her smile seemed fake.
Rouge, however, noticed it, and inwardly sighed again. 'Dammit! How many girls have a thing for Toby?!' She thought. 'It's kind of ridiculous.'
"So, how long have you been running this place?" Rouge asked her, deciding to change the subject.
"Three years," Hope replied. "Started it up as soon as I graduated college. I put a lot of hard work into this place."
"Yeah, I remember coming over to help you paint the walls at 10:00 at night," Toby said with a smile. "We stayed up all night painting those walls, and you nearly passed out in a paint can the next night."
"Heh, yeah, I remember that as well," Hope replied with a chuckle as she remembered the moment. She'd nearly gotten a face full of blue paint, but fortunately, Toby had caught her before she fell onto the can.
Toby then opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off as a golden-furred weasel walked out of the kitchen and called out, "Hope! Larry needs your help back here!"
"Well guys, I better go," Hope said to the two lovers. "See ya later you two." She then left them and headed back into the kitchen.
"Later Hope!" Toby replied with a wave before taking Rouge by the arm and taking her out of the pizza shop.
'I may need to do something about all of this later,' Rouge thought to herself as she and Toby left the shop. 'Otherwise, Toby's relationships with them could be strained or destroyed.'
"So where do you want to visit now Rouge?" she heard Toby's voice, shaking her from her thoughts.
"Oh! Um, well where haven't we visited yet?" She asked him.
"Well, there's the mayor's office, the school, the club, and the beauty salon," He replied, listing off the remaining places on his fingers as he spoke.
"How about the beauty salon?" She asked. "I'd like to see what I'm dealing with when it comes to the beauty products available here."
"Alright then," Toby replied as he began leading her down the street. "The shop's just around the corner on the next block."
"So, quick question," Rouge said as they walked down the street. "You know the owner of this store as well?"
"Yeah, I met her in college," Toby replied. "She was offering free haircuts and I wanted to see what she could do with my fur. I was not disappointed."
"Alright," Rouge said as she thought 'I'm sensing a trend here.'
They then rounded the corner, and he pointed down the street at a bright pink building. "There it is! Georgia's Beauty Parlor, dead ahead!" He said upon seeing the building. Said pink building had the image of a pair of scissors above the glass front of the store, and red hairspray cans on either side of it.
"It's very...pink," Rouge simply said. 'Good Lord, Amy would probably love this place!'
"Yeah, it's her favorite color," He replied as they got closer to the store. He pushed open the bubblegum pink door, making the bell ring, and turned to Rouge. "Ladies first."
"Thank you," she said with a smile as she entered the store, him following her.
"Hello! Welcome to my beauty salon! How may I help-Toby! It's so good to see you!" Georgia said upon seeing the fox. She then spotted the bat. "Oh, and who is this? A potential customer?"
Georgia was a 24-year-old, 6 foot 10 inch tall poodle with bright pink fur, fluffy puffs of fur on her arms, legs, and chest, a large II-cup bust, a large ass, and purple eyes. She was wearing pink high heels, light blue skinny jeans, a hot pink t-shirt, and a pink apron with white edges when at work.
"Hey Georgia," Toby said with a smile. "I just wanted you to meet Rouge, my fiance."
Rouge watched Georgia's face closely as she heard the news, and saw that her smile twitched ever so slightly. 'Dammit. Looks like I got another girl to deal with later,' Rouge thought as Georgia spoke up.
"Well, congratulations Toby!" She replied. "It's about time you found yourself a girl to love like that." She then turned to Rouge. "Would you like to try any of our services today? Maybe a haircut?" She asked her.
"Um, I'm good thanks," Rouge replied, seeing her eye twitch a bit with anger. 'I'd probably end up missing all my fur if I got one right now from you.'
"Alright, but you don't know what you're missing," She said before turning her attention back to Toby. "So Toby, how do you feel now that you're in charge of a business?"
"Well, I'm a bit nervous," He replied honestly. "I've never run a business before. Do you have any tips?"
"I do," Georgia said with a nod. "First off, you need to think about who you're doing business for. Are you doing services for everyone, or just specific types of people? You also need to think about what hours you are going to be open. WIll you be open 24/7, or have specific times and days?"
"Huh, thanks for the tips Georgia," Toby replied with a smile. "I'll certainly put more thought into those things."
"No problem Toby. I'm happy to help," Georgia answered with a smile. Another customer then walked into the shop, causing her to say, "I better go. See you later Toby."
"Later Georgia," He replied with a wave as he and Rouge walked out of the shop.
'Bitch…' She thought to herself as she got the customer set up with a stylist before heading to the back. 'She doesn't deserve him!' She inwardly yelled with rage as she punched a box of spare vases, breaking them. She flinched realizing what she just did and tried to block out what happened.
'If this keeps up, I may have the entire town hating my guts right now,' Rouge thought to herself as she needed a way to fix this. It was because of the gem that she found that this had even happened in the first place.
"So, what'd you think of Georgia?" Toby asked as they walked down the street again.
"She seems pretty nice," Rouge replied while thinking 'Unless you mess with someone she likes apparently.'
"Yeah, she's a pretty kind lady," he said as they turned a corner and started heading towards some large white buildings. "Right I actually have to make a quick stop at the mayor's office as well."
"What about?" Rouge asked.
"Well since I now own my former boss's assets, most of which I'll be selling off since they were ill gotten gains, I need to sign some documents showing that I own the property now," Toby brought up. "So I need to see the mayor and talk to her about the paperwork I need to sign."
"Alright," Rouge said as they arrived at the tall white buildings, which had a large dome on the roof and dark red doors with gold handles. Toby then opened the doors, and let her in first, before going in after her.
They found themselves entering a lobby that was quite nice, with soft red carpet on the floors, deep green wallpaper, and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Sitting behind a large desk on one side was a male gecko with red and black stripes on his body and green eyes. He was wearing a suit and tie, and currently typing on a computer. A nameplate sitting on his desk had the name "Jared Littleton" on it.
"Hey Jared," Toby said as he and Rouge walked over to the gecko. "The mayor been busy today?"
"Oh, hello Mr. Toby," Jared replied, taking his eyes off the computer and looking at him. "Miss Foyette's had a pretty slow day today actually."
"Is she available? I need to talk with her about some paperwork," He asked him.
"She's currently in a meeting with Miss Featherweight, but she should be finished in about ten minutes," He replied.
"Alright," Toby said, glad that she would be available to meet soon. "So, how's Kendra been?" he asked him. "Your eggs hatch yet?"
"She's fine," Jared replied. "As for the eggs, not yet."
"Well, that's good to hear. Hope they hatch soon," Toby told him. "Remind me real quick how many do you have again?"
"Three," Jared answered with a smile.
"Nice," Toby said, before the sound of a door opening caught his attention.
The door on the wall behind Jared opened up, and a 7 foot 2 inch tall female raccoon walked out of it. This was Miss Featherweight, who was 27-years old and had a massive ass, a large KKK-cup bust, one red eye and one gold one, a couple piercings in her ears, long dark brown hair, wide hips, and a long fluffy tail. She was wearing a yellow tank top showing off some cleavage and some of her belly, white sneakers, yellow socks, and yellow shorts that were a bit tight on her ass.
"Hello Miss Featherweight," Toby greeted the raccoon with a smile.
"Please Toby, call me Cecilia," She replied. "Calling me miss makes me feel older than I really am."
"Alright, Cecilia," Toby said with a nod.
"So, what brings you here? Also who's the new face?"
"Wanted to sign some documents to show that I owned the building my former boss owned since he was arrested, as well as talk about a merger with another friend of mine," Toby mentioned. "Also this is my fiance Rouge the Bat."
Cecilia's eyes ever so slightly twitched upon hearing the word "fiance," making Rouge sigh in her head once more. 'Are you kidding me,' She grimaced and mentally strained as she looked at the raccoon. 'Another one?!'
"Well now, that's good to hear!" Cecilia replied with a smile, which Rouge could tell was forced. "About time you settled down with someone."
"Thanks Cecilia," Toby said. "So, what'd you need to talk with the mayor about?"
"Oh, I just want to expand my club a little," She replied. "Talked with her about it, and she said it's alright. Just had to sign some papers before I start the expansion process."
"Expansion process?" Toby asked. "You mean for your club?"
"Yeah, I want to add some more dance floor space, and maybe a pole or two for private dances," She added. "You also mention something about your former boss being arrested. Why is that?"
"I got her to thank for that," Toby mentioned, patting Rouge on the back. "She did some background work on the guy and had the feds arrest the bastard. It was after he fired me unjustly and she was able to help me out."
"Is that right?" she said, looking over at Rouge with a suspicious look. "And what'd she get in return?"
"His appreciation," Rouge replied. "He needed help, and I was willing to give him that help."
"Mhm, I see," Cecilia answered after being silent for several seconds after hearing that. "So how'd you both meet? I kinda find it strange with a new face I don't recognize."
"We were pen pals at first," Rouge said. "My work kept me from meeting him for a while, but eventually, I was able to slip into town and meet him. We clicked almost immediately, and went on a couple dates. Then, one night, we drank a bit too much, and apparently screwed with each other, cause I just recently discovered I'm pregnant."
"...What?" Cecilia simply said after hearing that explanation. 'That doesn't sound like Toby. I've seen him at my club, and he barely touches the alcohol there. Something's not right here, and I'm going to find out what.' she thought to herself.
"She just told me yesterday that she was pregnant," Toby said with a smile.
Cecilia was quiet for several seconds, before she spoke up once more. "Well then, congratulations Toby!" She stated with a large smile. "I think you'll be a wonderful father!"
"Thanks Cecilia," Toby replied, his smile growing larger at the compliment.
"Well, I better get on my way. You guys must be going to see the mayor, and I need to start calling people to start the expansion process," She said as she started walking past them. "I'll see you two later."
"Alright, later Cecilia!" Toby replied as he watched the raccoon walk out the front doors.
'I feel like I'm only making enemies after I got knocked up yesterday,' Rouge thought to herself as she watched her walk out of the room they were in.
"The mayor will see you now," Jared said to the two, having remained silent during the entire conversation. "And congratulations Toby."
"Thanks Jared," he replied, before turning to Rouge. "Come on. Let's go."
"Yeah, sure," she said with a sigh as she followed Toby towards the Mayor's office. They walked in to find that the office was pretty nice. She had hand carved chairs and a desk, paintings of flowers, people, and birds along the walls, and a golden chandelier on the ceiling. A gold telephone sat next to her computer.
"Ah, hello Mr. Kesser," A 7 foot 2 inch tall female falcon said, standing up from behind her desk upon seeing him enter. "What brings you to my office today?" This falcon was 31-year-old Rita Foyette, the mayor of the town. She was a curvy red falcon with a gold beak, blue eyes, a large JJJ-cup bust, a large ass, and wide hips. She was wearing a light green suit jacket that's unbuttoned, a pink short sleeve shirt showing off some of her cleavage, a short tan skirt, and pink high heels.
"Hello Mayor Foyette," Toby replied. "Just came to talk about signing some papers."
"Oh? Is that all?" She asked him, before spotting the bat. "Who is this Toby?"
Upon hearing that, Rouge just silently sighed and prepared to be annoyed again. 'Great. Here's another woman who's going to hate me,' She thought as he said "This is Rouge, my fiance."
To Rouge's surprise, the mayor took the news much better than the other girls. "Oh! Well, that's great to hear!" She replied with a smile. "Congratulations to the both of you!"
'Huh, well what do you know? She's not mad,' Rouge thought as she looked at the woman closely. 'Not at al-wait a minute. Her voice sounded off.'
"Thank you Mayor Foyette," Toby said in response.
"So, what papers do you need to sign?" Mayor Foyette asked him as she sat down, gesturing for them to do the same.
'Yeah, her voice is off,' Rouge thought as they sat down. 'It wavered a little bit, meaning she's sad. But why? Cause I got him before her? Or because of something else?'
"Well, I just became the owner of Bill's properties, as you may have heard," He began, causing her to nod. "And I need to make sure his properties are in my name now."
"I see," She replied. "If anything I'm glad that bastard is gone."
"Yeah, I think pretty much everyone in town feels that way," Toby said with a nod. "So, what do I need to sign?"
"Just a couple of forms saying that you're now controlling all his assets," She replied as she turned around and pulled open a drawer in one of her filing cabinets. She rummaged around the files for a few minutes, before pulling out a couple. "Here they are!" She continued, turning back around and handing them to him along with a pen.
"Thanks Mayor Foyette," he said as he took the files and pen, before opening them and beginning to read them, signing when necessary.
After several minutes had passed, he finished signing the files, and handed them and the pen back to her. "There you go," He said as she began looking at the files, making sure everything that needed to be signed had been signed and officiated.
"So what do you plan to do with the assets he has?" she added. "You're not planning on any dirty dealings now are you?"
"Nah, I plan to sell off most of it since a lot of it he didn't earn," Toby mentioned. "Plan on rebuilding the place from the ground up, on my own terms."
"That's good to hear," Rita said as she finished looking at the files and put them away. "So, is there anything else you would like to discuss?"
"No, that was all I needed to do," Toby replied as he stood up, prompting Rouge and Rita to do the same.
"Then I guess you'll be on your way then?" Rita asked him, prompting him to nod.
"I will," He said before holding his hand out. "Thanks for meeting with us today Miss Foyette."
"You're welcome Toby," She replied, shaking his hand for a few seconds before letting go of it. "And Rouge, welcome to the town."
"Thank you mayor," Rouge said with a nod. 'I'll have to stop by here later and ask what's going on with her,' She thought as Toby gently took her by the arm and began leading her out the office.
As they walked through the lobby, Jared said "Have a good day you two."
"Thanks Jared," Toby replied. "And good luck with the eggs!"
"Thanks Toby!" Jared said with a smile as the two lovers opened the doors and stepped outside. Meanwhile, back in Rita's office, she slumped back into her chair and sighed. 'God I need a man in my life, and one that'll treat me right.' she thought to herself.
Meanwhile Rouge and Toby left the office building and were now walking down the street.
"Alright, I think that should do it for our tour at the moment," he said with a sigh. "We should probably head home."
"Alright, I'm down with that," Rouge replied. 'I really need to do something about all these girls I've met today,' She thought as they passed Georgia's Beauty Parlor. 'But what exactly?'
As they turned the corner, she felt herself collide with another person, and fell back onto her butt. She heard another yelp and a thud as Toby rushed over to Rouge.
"Are you both okay?" he said.
"Yeah, I'm- wait, both?" Rouge said in confusion as she looked up.
"Ow, that smarts," a female voice said as Rouge finally saw who it is she bumped into. A female viper was sitting on the ground right by her, rubbing her long tail with one hand. "I'll be fine," She continued as she got up, revealing her full height to be 8 feet even. She was quite curvy, with white scales from her face down her neck, white feet and hands, light blue scales on her arms, tail, and legs, a long light blue tongue, light green and dark blue eyes surrounded by a ring of light blue scales, a very large KK-cup bust, a long powerful tail, a large ass, and wide hips. She was wearing a deep blue short sleeve shirt with a pile of books on it, black shorts that accentuate her large ass and have a hole for her tail, blue and black sneakers, white and blue striped socks.
This was 29-year old Veronica Lavenworthe.
"Hey Veronica," Toby said as he helped Rouge up. "Sorry about that."
""It's alright Toby," Veronica replied. "No harm done. Now, who is this?" She continued, looking down at Rouge with a curious gleam in her eyes
"Oh, this is my fiance Rouge," Toby said with a smile. "I was just showing her around town today."
"F-fiance?" Veronica said, and it sounded like she was in shock.
'Oh come on! Another one?!' Rouge inwardly shouted with frustration.
"Yeah, we met several months ago, and I just popped the question to her a couple days ago," Toby replied, missing the shock in Veronica's voice.
"A...a couple days ago?" Veronica repeated, her pupils shrinking a bit. "Oh….my."
'Give me a break,' Rough thought to herself, realizing how she's reacting right now. It was obvious like a lot of the girls that she met that she likes him, but he's too dense to realize it.
"Um, are you okay Veronica?" Toby asked her, realizing something wasn't right. "You hit your head?"
Veronica blinked at that, and quickly shook her head. "No! Uhm, I'm just tired," She quickly replied. "I had a long day at the school today."
"Yeah, I guess being a teacher is pretty taxing, but you always know how to make the kids smile," Toby added with a friendly smile. "You at least need something?"
"No, I was just on my way to the mayor's office," she added and she dusted herself off. "So I should be going now."
"Oh? What do you need to see her for?" He asked her.
"Oh, um...I want to see if I can get a pay raise," She lied,saying the first thing that had popped into her mind.
"Okay, well good luck with that," Toby replied, having not caught the lie at all. Rouge however, knew it was a lie. "Later Veronica."
"Later Toby," She said, before she started walking away. After going away a few feet, she tripped on a crack in the sidewalk, and stumbled forward as she tried to catch herself. Fortunately, she was able to catch herself, and continued on her way.
"She's a bit of a clutz, isn't she?" Rouge asked him once she was out of earshot.
"Yeah, especially when upset or nervous about something," He replied as they continued on down the street.
'I can already see why she's upset,' she said with a sigh as she walked with Toby back to his home. 'Damn that gem for getting me in this mess!'
Once they got back to the house, Toby spoke again. "I think I'm going to stay home and relax for a bit," he said to her as he shut the front door behind them. "What are you going to do?"
"I think I'm going to go fly around a bit," She replied. "Need to stretch out my wings a bit."
"Alright," he said with a nod. "Any idea how long you'll be gone?"
"Eh, a few hours," She answered. "Just need time to try and have some time to myself and recollect on all that's happened."
"Okay then," He said. "See you in a few hours then."
"Later," She replied, opening the front door and stepping out. Once it was shut behind her, she spread out her wings and took off, heading towards the town with a determined look on her face. 'I've got to fix things with the girls,' She thought as she flew through the air.