Love Detective Vector
With his arms folded over his torso and his feet up on his desk, Vector the Crocodile gave a long sigh, then addressed his subordinates Espio the Chameleon and Charmy Bee. "Day in and day out, it's always the same thing, boys. Being a detective ain't as glamorous as I thought it'd be. Maybe we get an interesting case once in a blue moon, but most of the time it's just cheating spouses and lost pets. Just boring, tedious stuff."
"You know, Vector, if you don't like it, we don't have to take those jobs," Espio suggested.
"Of course we do!" Vector waved his hand, dismissing Espio's notion. "We gotta pay the bills, and it's the only work we get, so there's no way we can turn them down! These kinds of jobs are the only thing keeping the Chaotix Detective Agency afloat!"
"Speaking of those kinds of jobs," Charmy chimed in, all smiles and good cheer, "we have two clients waiting in the lobby for their reports!"
"What?!" Vector jolted, knocking dozens of files off his desk in the process, and making a mess of paper. "Why didn't ya say so sooner, Charmy! We can't leave clients waiting!" In a panic, Vector started shuffling through the file still on his desk. "Well, Charmy, what are you waiting for?! Tell me who's out there so I can get their report to them!"
"It's Knuckles and Amy!" Charmy said.
"Both of them arrived at the same time? How strange," Espio mused. "Charmy, remember to keep our client's confidentiality—"
"Knuckles?! KNUCKLES?! You left Knuckles waiting out there all this time?!" Point in fact, Knuckles was the former boss of the Chaotix, and as such, Vector felt as though he deserved a bit more respect than the usual client. Besides that, Knuckles wasn't the most patient guy around. Neither was Amy, for that matter. It was bad enough making a normal client wait around, but Charmy's blunder was a travesty.
"Ah, cripes!" Vector shoved folders and papers aside as he continued searching for the files for the two jobs. To get paid, they needed those photographs and reports to show to the clients. "Where's that dang file?! Is it in the computer room?! Can someone fine the computer room under all this paperwork?!"
"I believe it's these ones," Espio said. He bent over and retrieved two of the files Vector had knocked to the ground earlier. He proffered them to Vector.
"Why didn't ya say so sooner, Espio?!" Vector's grumbling was met by a silent glare from Espio, but Vector didn't pay him any heed. He accepted the files from Espio, opened them up, and glanced over the contents and the pictures inside. It wasn't pretty. "Ah, yeah… Looks like it's bad news for both of them. Hmm… Let's make sure not to get these two files mixed up. Now, Charmy, bring them in one at a time, starting with Knuckles—"
"What the heck is taking so long?!" A girl's voice yelled out from the other side of the door, and was quickly followed by a grunt and what sounded like a hammer being smacked against the door. The whole room reverberated.
"We've been waiting out here for an hour! How long does it take?!" This time, it was Knuckles, and he sounded just as angry as the previous shouter, who must have been Amy. "Either you're finished with your investigation or you're not!"
"Ugh…" Exasperated, Vector dragged his hand over his face. "Just let 'em in, Charmy…"
"You sure?" Charmy asked, looking confused. "Didn't you say to bring them in one at a time?"
"I'll deal with it! Just let them in before they break that door! We still haven't finished paying off the loan we took out to fix that thing up ages ago! No way can we afford a brand new door!"
"Alriiight, you're the boss!" Charmy flew over to the door, unlatched it, and ushered the irate echidna and angry hedgehog inside.
"So?! Is my boyfriend cheating on me or not?!" Amy demanded to know.
"Now, now, Miss Rose!" Vector said. "Surely you want to keep this matter confidential? Let us take care of Knuckles here first, and then we'll—"
"I don't care about that! Just tell me right now! I can't wait another second!" Amy put her hands together as if in prayer, and donned a pained expression. "Ooh! Sonic's been so distant with me lately—both physically distant because he runs around a lot, and emotionally because he never comes to see me! What's the reason?!"
"Hold on," Knuckles said, putting a claw on Amy's head and pushing her out of his way. "What about my job, Vector?! I put in my request first, so give me the report on that bat!"
"Well, you see…" Vector began.
"No, me first!" Snarling, Amy pushed Knuckles aside.
Pretty soon, in their efforts to be the first to get their report from Vector, Amy and Knuckles were both pushing each other and pulling on each other's faces. It would've been comical, if not for the dire news awaiting each of them.
"Ahem!" Vector cleared his throat. "If neither of ya are concerned about client confidentiality, I guess we can do this here and now… But, uh, Amy… There's something in this here file that I really don't think you want anyone else seeing, so why don't you let us give Knuckles his report first?"
When Vector spoke, Amy and Knuckles stopped, frozen as Knuckles had his cheek pulled and as Amy had her nose pinched. They didn't persist in their badgering, but held that pose.
"No fair!" Amy pouted.
"About time!" Knuckles said.
Amy was impatient and irritated, but she abided by Vector's suggestion and waited in the corner as Vector showed Knuckles the pictures in the file. There were dozens of pictures, all of a bat with a black and red hedgehog. In one, they were scuba diving, in another Christmas shopping, and in another robbing a jewelry store. The black hedgehog was scowling in each picture, but the bat seemed to be having a grand time, and she was clinging to him with great familiarity.
Knuckles looked at Vector. "I don't understand. Is Rouge cheating on me or not?"
"Knuckles, buddy…" Vector sighed and shook his head. "This Rouge dame, she's not just cheating on you, she's living a whole double life with this Shadow guy! Here, ya see him in the picture? And in this one too?"
Upon the revelation, Knuckles's expression fell at once. His eyes and the corners of his lips drooped. "I don't believe it… That no good, two-timing, lying jewel thief…" He seemed to waver between anger and depression.
"Sometimes the truth hurts, buddy, but it's always better to know." Vector told Knuckles. "And who better to call to find out than the Chaotix Detective Agency."
"I knew that bat was trouble, and that I never should have broken up with the Master Emerald!" Knuckles cried out.
"Uhh… You mean you never should've broke up the Master Emerald?" Vector asked.
"That too," was Knuckles's reply. "Though at least she wasn't able to get all the shards because of that. I bet she was after the Master Emerald all along."
"Alright… Anywaaaay…" With a gesture to Charmy and Espio, the two escorted Knuckles out of the room. Right away, Amy hopped up to the desk.
"Finally! Tell me, tell me, tell me!" Amy demanded.
"Let me tell ya, it wasn't easy tailing Sonic," Vector said. By the cold glare he received, it seemed Amy wasn't interested in small talk. Vector supposed there was no easy way to do this. Best to just rip that band-aid off. As he opened the file, he gave a word of warning: "Listen, Amy, I gotta tell ya, what you're about to see might be a bit disturbing, especially since you have feelings for this Sonic guy."
Vector showed Amy the picture. Eyes widening, Amy's skin turned pale. The picture was of the blue hedgehog, Sonic, and a human girl with red hair and a fancy white dress. As for the context of the photo… Well, there was no getting around it. The girl was kissing the hedgehog. There were several more photos of the two frolicking about in meadows and Sonic carrying the girl in his arms and running through loop-de-loops, but the first photo really said it all. And as horrifying as it was, it was transfixing, and no one could look away once they saw that.
"This… This…" Amy tried to speak, but her voice was shaking. She still hadn't recovered from the shock of it. But steadily, her horrified mien transformed into one of rage, and her voice was filled with fire and fury then. "This is what he's into?! W-What the heck?! That rotten, lying scoundrel! I'm going to kill him!"
"Ahem." Vector cleared his throat again. He hoped to talk some sense into Amy and calm her down. "I'd just like to remind you, Amy, you're not actually in a relationship with Sonic, so this doesn't really count as cheat—"
"Shut up, Vector!" Amy snapped. With her hammer in hand, and a murderous scowl on her face, she stomped towards the door. "He turns down me—the cutest girl ever—a hundred times and say it's just because he's not interested in romance, then he goes and does this behind my back?! How could he?! Doesn't he realize how humiliating this is for me?! I'm gonna freaking kill him!"
Amy stomped right out of their office. Vector was left feeling a bit guilty. When he thought about it, hadn't they just enabled a stalker? "Hmm… I wonder if we shouldn't have taken that job after all?" But surely Amy wasn't really going to assault Sonic. She'd blow off some steam and then after a while she'd cool off. Well, hopefully.
"Should we call the cops, Vector?" Charmy asked.
"Nah, don't bother," Vector answered. "She's not really going to kill him, Charmy. Adults just like to exaggerate sometimes. Besides, she'd have to catch him to kill him, and we all know how fast Sonic is. I say we should just be glad Knuckles and Amy are out of our hair. We did our job, we got paid, and now we've got to look for our next job."
"Did we get paid, Vector?" Espio asked.
There was complete silence as Vector and Charmy realized they'd forgotten about that part. The most important part. They really needed money. Finally, it was Vector who spoke up.
"We'll send them an invoice! No big deal! We're on good terms with these two clients, and it's not like they're going anywhere."
"Amy might be going somewhere. To kill Sonic," Charmy pointed out.
Vector ignored him. "Anyway, we've got to fill that quota this month, so who's our next client? Got anyone lined up, Charmy?"
"Nope."
"Whaddya mean, 'nope'?!" Vector yelled out.
Getting yelled at like that, Charmy scowled and got defensive. "I mean, no one's shown up today! What do you want me to do about it?!"
"What do I want you to do?! I want you to do your job! Go out there and find us a client! Get out there with a sign board or something and advertise the Chaotix Detective Agency!"
"That's not my job, Vector!" Charmy declared.
"You brat! Just do what I tell ya to, or we're all going to be kicked out onto the streets!"
"I'm a free bee, so you can't tell me what to do!" Charmy stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry.
"Why, you!" Vector reached across his desk and tried to grab Charmy, but the little bee slipped out of his grasp, and then he laughed mockingly and spun around in the air, doing a midair jig.
"Charmy, knock it off!" Vector yelled. "This is serious!"
"No way! I'm a free bee, I'm a free bee! Ha ha ha ha!"
Espio pinched his forehead and sighed. "Would you two stop bickering like children?"
"He started it, Espio!" Vector said. Grumbling under his breath, he added, "Grr… If only this brat would put half that much energy into advertising our detective agency."
"Um, excuse me…"
Vector, Espio, and Charmy were surprised to hear a girl's voice call out to them. "A client?!" They looked towards the entryway, but they were disappointed to see the girl was just a kid. A cute little rabbit girl and her pet Chao had wandered into their office.
"What's a kid doing in here?" Vector wondered aloud. "Think she's lost?"
"Could she be a client?" Espio asked with a serious expression.
"Pfft! This is no place for a child!" Charmy said.
"…You're a child," Espio replied.
"Um…" The girl spoke up. "If you're friends, you shouldn't fight like that," the rabbit girl said in a soft tone. The girl had evidently been there long enough to have heard their earlier argument. Even though she was chastising them, she held her Chao close to her and held her head slightly bowed, looking a bit anxious and shy.
"You can't tell me what to do! I'm a free bee—"
"Can it!" Vector stuck his hand over Charmy's face, muffling the bee's voice, then smiled at the girl. "Alright, we'll try to get along from now on. Anyway, we're the Chaotix Detective Agency. I'm Vector, and these two are Espio and Charmy. What's your name, sweetie? And how can we help you?"
"My name is Cream, and this is my friend Cheese. We're very pleased to meet you." Cream folded her hands over her dress and gave a big bow that made her ears droop over her head toward the floor. "And, um, I came here because I heard from my friend you're love detectives."
"Love detectives? Uh, I see…" Vector hadn't ever heard anyone call them that, but just from that he got a sinking feeling the kid didn't know what they really did. He wasn't about to explain it all to her though. And anyway… "So you came here to hire us after all, didn't ya?" Vector crossed his arms and nodded.
Cream nodded.
Espio leaned in to talk to Vector. "Hold on. I don't like this. She's just a kid, so will she even be able to pay our fee? If she has a job, she should bring her parents."
"I have money!" Cream insisted. "I saved up from my allowance so I could pay you!" She proffered a Chao piggy bank from her bag and proceeded to empty it, dropping a number of rings onto the desk. "Is this enough?"
Espio inspected the rings. After doing a quick count, he shook his head. "This isn't even a third of our usual fee."
But Vector just laughed and waved his hand dismissively. "Let's cut the kid a break." Cream was such a cute and polite kid, he couldn't help but take a liking to her and want to help her out. He leaned in to whisper to Cream. "Tell ya what, sweetie, we'll give you a special discount! Just don't tell anyone else."
"Really? Thanks a lot, Mister Vector!" Cream said, a big smile on her face.
"Vector!" Espio warned.
After Espio's chastisement, Vector sat back in his chair. He shrugged. "We can at least hear her out, can't we, boys?"
"…Very well." Espio said.
Charmy put his hands behind his head and looked wistfully up at the ceiling. "Not like we have anything better to do."
Vector shot Charmy a harsh look, then looked back to Cream with a smile. "So, you got a job for us? What can we help you with?"
"Um, well…" Cream folded her hands together over her dress and fidgeted nervously. "It's my friend, Tails. He's always really nice to me, and I like him a lot. I even wrote him this love letter." Cream showed them an envelope sealed with a heart sticker. "But I can't give it to him yet… I don't know if he feels the same way about me… So I wanted you to find out if he likes me too, and maybe you could give him my letter if he does."
"Hmm…" Vector didn't have a problem with this case. In fact, it sounded like child's play. But that was exactly what was bothering him. He looked Cream up and down, then asked, "Say, how old are you, Cream? And how old is this Tails?"
"I'm six, Mister Vector," Cream answered in her soft voice. "And Tails is two years older than me."
"Six and eight, huh. Aren't you two a bit young for love? If you want my advice, it might be for the best to take this a bit slower. You could just enjoy the friendship you have for now. And someday, that might blossom into love all on its own. And you can take your rings here and spend them on something nice, like maybe some candy. Take it from a grownup who's seen the ugly side of love time and time again: it's not a world kids need to be so eager to jump into."
"I appreciate your warning, Mister Vector," Cream said, bowing politely. Yet, she was not acquiescing, for when she raised her head, there was a determined gleam in her eye. "But I can't agree with you. Age doesn't matter when you're in love."
"Huh. I can see you care about this Tails a lot. But still, love's still a tricky business though. That still doesn't mean the best option is to hire detectives—"
"Please, Mister Vector!" Her eyelids drooping and her eyes pleading, Cream folded her hands together and begged. "This isn't just about me! Tails was bullied in the past, and he's still hurting from that, but he never talks about it. That's why I want to get closer to him and be there for him as much as I can. But he's always hiding his feelings, so it isn't easy to do… I don't think I can do it on my own…"
Vector blinked. He was stunned a moment. As Cream's words sank in and as her pleading eyes pierced him, he couldn't help but don a defeated look as he scratched the back of his head. "Ah… You got me… Guess you're right… If you've got those feelings, you can't just toss them aside, no matter how young you are. Well, if you really want us to look into this, we'll do it, kid."
"He didn't…" Espio slapped his hand against his face and sighed. Vector was too soft and too generous at times. And now it was apparent kids were his weak point.
"Thank you, Mister Vector!" With a happy smile, Cream hopped around the desk and gave Vector a hug. The crocodile blushed a bit, seeming unused to this kind of thing, and didn't know what to do.
Once Cream had told the Chaotix everything they needed to know and gave them her letter, she left in good spirits, skipping right out the door with a giant smile on her face. Vector watched her go, waving at her with a big, dumb smile on his face.
"Vector, why did you agree to this job? I foresee only trouble in our future."
"Ah, don't be so dramatic, Espio." Vector said. He wiped the dumb smirk off his face and leaned back in his chair. "We've got no jobs lined up for today, so this'll be better than doing nothing. Besides, spying on an eight year old and figuring out if he likes Cream will be a piece of cake."
"Vector, that's exactly the problem. I don't think we should be investigating eight year olds. If we get caught, someone might call the police, and then we'll be in big trouble."
Vector gave a big laugh and slapped Espio on the back. "That's what you're for, Espio! No one will ever catch you!"
Exasperated, Espio shook his head and groaned.
The Chaotix set out right away for their destination. Cream had told them Tails had a workshop in Mystic Ruins, and that was where he spent most of his time tinkering away on robots and prototype engines for his plane. Hearing Tails had such advanced hobbies had surprised Vector and Espio. "We are talking about an eight year old, right?" But Cream had only said the two years between them made a big difference, and Tails was really smart, and that was another reason that made it difficult for her to get closer to him. At any rate, once they got off the train, the Chaotix spotted Tails's workshop without any trouble. It was up on a hill near the coast and it really stuck out since it was the only building around in the jungle. The Chaotix took a vantage point in the jungle to scope the place out.
The workshop building itself was very workshop-like, having a simple stone design. It had some kind of water wheel thing and a garage with two tails painted onto it. As they watched, the garage opened, and the yellow-furred fox himself appeared, rolling out his blue airplane so he could get some work done on it with his blowtorch.
"Whoa, he's got two tails!" Charmy cried out upon seeing Tails. Espio and Vector urged him to be quiet, but he didn't seem to hear their shushes. "Do you think that's why he's called Tails?"
"Ya think, you big dummy…" Vector said with a sigh. "He must've had a mutation when he was born. Hmm… I see. Looking like that… This would explain the bullying Cream told us about."
"What do you think Cream sees in a freak like that?" Charmy asked. In spite of his insipid words, Charmy's voice was free of malice.
"Couldn't you tell Cream has a big heart? And love's not always about what's on the outside, you know. She said Tails is really nice. And, anyway…" Annoyed, Vector clamped his hand over Charmy's mouth. "Learn some manners, brat! You can't go around calling someone a freak just because they look a little different!"
As Vector held him down, Charmy flailed about wildly. "A-Alright, I get it, Vector! Let go!"
Espio sighed. "Will you two please be quiet before you get us caught?"
After Charmy settled down, the Chaotix watched Tails work for a while before Vector spoke up and gave the word to begin their plan.
"Alright, that's our target. You know what we have to do. We have to suss out whether our boy Tails has any romantic feelings for Cream, and if he does, we give him this letter." Vector held up Cream's letter before continuing. "Poor, sweet Cream deserves a happy ending, so let's not mess this up."
Looking carefree, Charmy threw his arms behind his head. "I don't know why we're going through all this trouble figuring out if Tails likes her. If Cream wants a boyfriend, I'd date her!"
"Shut your trap, Charmy," Vector said, annoyed at being interrupted. "And don't even think about it! Cream would never want to date anyone as annoying as you! And besides, you've got to maintain a strictly professional relationship with clients!"
"I think you're just jealous, Vector!" Charmy grinned smugly and pointed at Vector.
"Jealous of what?" Vector asked, genuinely not understanding. It wasn't really getting across, but perhaps Charmy was trying to brag about being popular with the ladies or something. Or did he really think he'd have a chance with Cream just because he was the same age as her? The kid really didn't know anything about love. "Ah, never mind. Just be quiet already."
"Heh heh heh! You're jealous! Totally jealous!"
After straining his brain trying to figure out what Charmy was going on about, Vector gave up and decided to get back to the plan. "Alright, Espio, you get in close with your radio, so we'll all be able to hear everything Tails says. I'm betting he's the type to talk to himself. If we watch him for a whole afternoon, he's bound to reveal something."
"He'll never even know I'm there." Espio held his hands together with his two index fingers pointing up, and in the next moment he turned completely invisible.
While Espio crept up on Tails, Vector and Charmy kicked back and continued their surveillance from afar. It wasn't long before the radio Vector had buzzed and Espio reported he was moving into position. Things didn't get much more exciting though. The only thing new was the sound of a blowtorch coming in through the radio.
"This is boring. Can I leave?" Charmy asked.
"No. Think of this as your on-the-job training. Someday, I might trust you to do these stakeouts all on your own," Vector said. He was lying on his side with his head propped up by his elbow.
"Aw, man! I think I need to find a new job!"
There was silence for a while, and it was so peaceful Vector almost considered taking a nap, but then a voice muffled by radio static rang out.
"Target is moving indoors. Pursuing."
Vector tensed up when he heard Espio say that. In addition to the radio they were using to spy on Tails, Espio also had a communicator and an earpiece so they could stay in touch. From his vantage point above the workshop, Vector could see Tails moving his plane. He disappeared into the garage, out of their line of sight. But now that all that noisy tinkering was over, they finally got some audio on the radio, as Tails hummed a tune and sang a single line: "I wanna fly high!"
"Hey, I love that song!" Charmy said, his voice nearly a scream. Hearing that made Vector jolt, and he went into a panic. Before Charmy could start belting out the lyrics too, Vector clamped both his hands over Charmy's mouth again.
"Be quiet!" As he held Charmy, Vector listened to the radio for any sign of trouble, but Tails just went on humming. Vector exhaled his held breath. Charmy had nearly given him a heart attack with that one. He couldn't help but think he really should kick him off the mission. But that thought was interrupted when Tails spoke through the radio.
"Ah, there you are, Cosmo! Looking beautiful as always today! We should get you some water and some sun."
"Cosmo? Who's he talking to?" Vector asked Espio over their communicator. "Is someone there with him?"
It took Espio a while to respond. Perhaps he had to move away from the target to avoid being overheard. And when he did answer, he only gave a short response: "Unclear."
"Whaddya mean, 'unclear'? If ya can't see, get in closer, Espio!"
After Vector barked that order, they heard Tails again, and he said something that shocked them all. In a cheerful voice, he said, "Aww, Cosmo… You know I love you more than anyone else in the whole wide world!"
"W-What the heck? Is he talking to another girl?" Vector felt his heart ache for little Cream. How dare Tails go toying with her emotions like that? Though he supposed it wasn't as though the two of them were anything more than friends. And come to think of it, Tails was still only eight. Something wasn't adding up here…
"Here's a kiss for a special someone! Mwa!" Tails said, making a kissing noise.
"So Tails already has a girlfriend," Charmy said with a shrug. "Poor Cream."
"You heard that, right, Vector?" Espio asked over the communicator. "I'd say our mission here is complete."
"Hold on a second, you two. Have you actually got eyes on this Cosmo, Espio? I think you better tell me what she looks like first. And why she isn't saying anything."
"…Understood." Less than a minute went by before Espio spoke again. "My apologies, Vector. It seems I was too hasty with my conclusion."
"I'll say…" Vector supposed his hunch must have been right on the mony, though he still didn't know the details. "Tell me what you found out, Espio."
Before Espio could say any more, Tails said, "Alright, all done here! Let's get you some sun and fresh air, Cosmo. I know you prefer the real deal over the artificial stuff. And you don't like sunlight through a window either." And with that, Tails came back outside, though this time he brought with him a potted plant. It was quite leafy and vibrant, and it must have been valuable too, because Tails held it quite closely to himself, almost hugging it to his chest.
"So that's Cosmo, eh, Espio?" Vector asked.
"Affirmative."
"Wait… Cosmo's a plant?!" Charmy exclaimed loudly. He was totally flabbergasted.
After all Charmy's outbursts, Vector could only give him an annoyed look at this point for his excessive volume when they were trying to avoid getting detected. "Yes, Charmy, Cosmo is a plant."
"Huh." Charmy put his hands on his hips and donned a thoughtful look. "That's weird. He sure loves that plant a lot. And he's talking to it and stuff."
Vector sighed. Sometimes it seemed he was the only one with a brain around here. "He's probably lonely living here by himself. I told you from the beginning there was a good chance he'd talk to himself. What's the world coming to, anyway, that such a young kid is on his own?"
"I dunno, Vector," Charmy said. "He's a genius, right? And it kinda seems like he's better off than us. I bet he's not late on the rent!" Charmy burst into giggles at his own joke.
Feeling the sting of that remark, Vector said, "Charmy, shut your trap."
"Okay!" Charmy said. And yet, he piped up again only moments later. It seemed he'd had an epiphany. "Hey! I wonder if Cosmo has good nectar?"
Vector nearly choked. He turned an angry look at Charmy. "Have a little class, Charmy!"
"What? But I'm a bee!"
"That doesn't matter!" Vector spat. "You can't go around saying such indecent things! One of these days, we're going to have to teach you some manners."
"I agree," said an exasperated Espio over the communicator. They couldn't see him, but they got the impression he was holding his head and sighing.
"W-What? What'd I say? I don't get it!" Charmy whined.
Vector sighed and shook his head. "Forget about it. Anyway, I think it's time we move to the next phase of the plan." Over the communicator, he said, "Hey, Espio, come back here for a second."
"The plan had phases? I thought we were just gonna watch Tails all day like total creeps," Charmy said.
"Stop complaining, Charmy. This is just part of being a detective."
"Just what is this plan of yours, Vector?" Espio asked, reappearing suddenly in their midst. "I don't remember you mentioning it before."
"That's because I just came up with it. When you're in the field, you've got to think on your feet, boys!" Vector said proudly. "Anyway… We could be waiting all day, and Tails still might not say anything about how he feels about Cream. That's why we've got to find a way to make him to say something."
"How do we do that?" Charmy asked.
"It's simple. We'll force him to think about Cream with this!" Vector proffered in his hand a photograph of Cream at the Chaotix office. It was a pretty good photo too. Cream was smiling happily, and Cheese was floating beside her with an equally jubilant expression.
"What the heck? Vector, why do you have that?" Charmy asked. "Where'd you even get it?"
"Before we left, I checked the security footage on the computer and printed this out."
"Eeew!" Charmy scrunched up his nose and made a disgusted expression. "Vector, you're a major creep!"
"N-No, it's not like that! I have it because I knew we'd need it!" Vector was taken aback at the accusation, not the least reason being he didn't have a good explanation for why he'd printed out the photo. He really had suspected it might be useful for their investigation, but…
"Yeah right! Creeper alert!" Charmy laughed.
Vector felt his face flush, but luckily, he had an answer for everything. "Listen, Charmy, this is all part of being a detective!" Charmy just kept laughing at him, so Vector gave up and held out the photo to Espio. Espio took it and stared at it with a blank expression.
"What do I do with it?" Espio asked.
"Put it somewhere Tails will find it. Maybe on the ground somewhere. With any luck, when he sees it, he'll say something about Cream that will give us a clue as to how he feels about her."
"Isn't this plan a little risky?" Espio asked.
Vector shrugged. "Sure. But I'm sure Tails has photos of him and his friends together, right?"
Espio nodded. He had seen a few picture frames in the garage, mostly of Tails with a big group of friends, though there had been a few that were just him and a blue hedgehog.
"Then he might get a little confused seeing it, but in the end, he'll probably think it's one of his that he misplaced."
"I see." Espio nodded. He now understood his new mission.
Once more, Espio turned invisible and departed to do all the work while Vector and Charmy sat back and listened. It didn't take long before Charmy was complaining how boring it was again. Vector was fed up with it.
"Fine, Charmy, have it your way," Vector said. "If you're bored, let's find a new vantage point so we can actually see what's going on with Taills."
With his index finger to his lip, Charmy donned an expression half-curiosity and half-confusion. "But Vector, the garage is facing towards the sea… There's no cliff that would let us see in there."
"Then we'll just have to get closer to the workshop, won't we?" Vector said. He nodded at the train station. "If we get on top of there, we might be able to see something. And if that's no good, we can march right up to the workshop."
Charmy cocked his head to the side. "Isn't that risky? Won't we get caught?"
"I thought you were bored, Charmy," Vector chided. "Come on, let's go."
"Alright!" Charmy chirped, happy for something to break up the monotony.
After packing up their equipment and supplies, Vector and Charmy headed for the train station and looked for a way to get up on top of the building. Fortunately, it wasn't a busy day for travel to the Mystic Ruins, so there wasn't anyone around to see their suspicious behavior. After circling the building, they didn't see any easy way up.
"Whaddya think, Charmy? Maybe you could fly us both up there." Vector said, pointing up.
"I don't know, Vector…" Charmy said. At the prospect of carrying Vector's weight, his eyelids drooped and his enthusiasm drained right out of face.
"Give it a try at least," Vector said.
Charmy flew over Vector and took his outstretched hand. Charmy lifted him into the air and towards the roof, but it wasn't long before the strain got to Charmy. Beads of sweat formed on his brow, and his face twisted into a pained grimace.
"Grrr! You're heavy, Vector!" Charmy complained.
"Don't be ridiculous, Charmy! A kid like you, with all that youthful energy, you ought to be able to carry both Espio and me at the same time, so this is nothing to you!"
"I'm pretty sure this is child abuse!" Charmy cried out.
"Quiet, Charmy."
Not a moment too soon, they reached the top of the station building, and Charmy deposited Vector there before collapsing in a heap beside him.
"Jeez, kids these days…" Vector said, shaking his head. He took out a pair of binoculars and pointed them towards the workshop. The view was better, but unfortunately, their optics still weren't ideal. But there was no time to check any other spots, because their radio finally picked up something interesting from Tails.
"Huh?" Tails said. "What's this picture doing on the ground? Cream?"
It had taken a while since Tails had been busily drawing up blueprints, tinkering with gadgets, and watering his plant, but it seemed Espio had successfully placed the photo somewhere and Tails had found it. Vector and Charmy leaned in close to the radio with bated breath.
"I don't remember having a photo like this…" Tails said after a long pause. "And I don't think I knocked anything over. Did Amy drop it when she was here? I wonder if I should give it back to her. Or to Cream."
"So Tails knows Amy too?" Charmy asked.
"Hmm… Cream did say she heard about our detective agency from a friend. I'd guess that Amy is a mutual acquaintance of Tails and Cream," Vector said. He spoke with cool rationality while making his deductions, but inside he was a bit worried knowing there was yet another girl in Tails's life besides Cream. Still, Amy was obsessed with Sonic, so there was probably nothing to worry about.
"W-Wait, what am I going to do?!"
When Tails cried out in a panic, Vector and Charmy leaned in even closer, so close that their heads bonked together and they fell onto their rears. They muttered bitterly and cast angry glares at the other, but when Tails started talking again, they were back on their feet in no time, listening with rapt attention.
"Cream will think I'm weird if I have this, won't she? I want to give it back, but I don't really know who it belongs to, and Amy might tease me if it isn't hers." After some panicked grumbling and hair pulling, Tails took a deep breath. "I think I've got a photo album somewhere over here. I guess I'll put it away for now and decide what to do with it tomorrow."
The Chaotix could hear papers rustling as Tails put the picture away. Tails went back to work then, and didn't say anything more about the photo, though he did keep muttering about measurements and mathematical formulae related to his work.
"Aw, what a bummer. We didn't learn anything after all." Charmy gave a bummed out look to Vector, but Vector wore a knowing smile, as he had been since hearing something early in Tails's speech.
"Au contraire, Charmy, I heard enough. I think it's time we try a direct approach."
With a skeptical expression, Charmy peered at Vector. "Really? You got something out of that?"
Grinning, Vector wagged his finger. "Don't underestimate a good detective's intuition and deductive abilities."
"Then, like, what did you figure out?"
Before Vector could answer, Espio reappeared, evidently having no trouble climbing up on top off the train station, no doubt due to his ninja skills and his ability to stick to walls indefinitely. With a tired sigh, he asked, "Alright, Vector, what's your scheme this time?"
"Heh heh heh…" Vector gave a confident chuckle, then began rummaging through a duffel bag he'd seemingly procured out of thin air. He removed three trench coats—one for each member of the Chaotix to wear. "First we'll need disguises. As well as… these!" With a smug grin, Vector held aloft two little slips of paper. Upon closer inspection, they were tickets and there were little hearts all over them.
"What are those, Vector?" Espio asked.
"These are tickets to Twinkle Park. We received them in the mail as part of a promotion they're doing."
"And you're going to give those to Tails?" Espio was starting to see the picture, but considering the pittance Cream had paid them, he couldn't understand how Vector was justifying this move. "Aren't those valuable?"
"Yeah, don't you want to go yourself?" Charmy asked. "I'll go with you! Or just give them to me if you don't want them!"
"The thing is, these aren't just any tickets though," Vector said, explaining. "According to the promotion, only cute couples get in free." He held the tickets out so Espio and Charmy could read the text on them.
"Hmm…" Espio nodded.
"I guess those tickets really are useless to you, huh, Vector?" Charmy put his hand over his mouth to hide his grin as he snickered. "You'd never be able to find a girlfriend, especially since you're such a creep!"
"Be quiet, Charmy! And stop saying I'm a creep!" After his tantrum, Vector sighed again. Why did it seem like Charmy was three times as annoying as he usually was? He grabbed a trench coat and started putting it on, and told the other two to do the same. "Anyway, hurry up and put on your trench coats so we can go to that workshop. And here, take these sunglasses too." Vector put on a pair of sunglasses.
"Alright, alright, jeez…" Charmy put on one of the coats, but it was comically oversized on him. The sleeves drooped off his hands all the way to the ground, and as he hovered in the air, so did the coattail. Combined with the rest of the look, the sunglasses looked odd on him too.
Espio made no move to put on a trench coat. "I'll hang back," he said. "We might need to deliver Cream's letter, so it would be better if Tails hasn't seen one of us."
"Good thinking, Espio. Alright, let's go, Charmy."
"Coming…" Charmy's coat trailed after him on the ground as he followed after Vector.
There was no hiding or sneaking this time. The two of them marched right up to the front door of Tails's workshop and knocked. It wasn't long before Tails opened the door. He wore a perplexed expression when he saw them, though it quickly turned to wariness once he got a really good look. Tails left the door halfway open and hid himself a little behind it, looking ready to make a quick escape if necessary.
"Hello?" Tails said. "Who are you?"
"Hey there! You're Tails, right?" Vector gave his most personable smile whilst he rubbed his hands together. "We're your neighbors, just stopping in to say hi!"
"Neighbor…?" Tails looked uncertainly from Charmy to Vector and then back to Vector again. "Are you Mr. Big?"
Vector was thrown for a loop for a moment, but he thought on his feet. "No, no. We're with the archaeology team investigating the ruins."
"Ohhh!" Tails nodded as though that made perfect sense. "Well, hello. I'm Tails and this is my workshop."
Vector gave a relieved sigh. He was glad to have researched the area a bit before coming here, since it gave him the opportunity to come up with a cover story. Now, it was on to the plan. He took the tickets out of his pocket and offered them to Tails, but before he could say anything, Charmy jumped in front of him.
"Hey there! I'm Charmy and this is Vector!" Charmy, with a big grin, shook Tails's hand. The corners of Tails's lips twitched up into a smile.
Vector nearly blew a gasket when Charmy gave their real names. What did he think the point of the disguises was?! But Vector calmed himself down. Perhaps it wouldn't be a big deal. It was getting a bit awkward with them lingering for no reason, so Vector supposed he should just get to it. "Err… Well, the thing is, we've got these two tickets for Twinkle Park, but we can't go. You want them, Tails?"
"Twinkle Park? I dunno…" Looking suspicious of the offer, Tails scratched his cheek. Though there was also a gleam of curiosity in his eyes, as his interest was piqued.
Vector knew Tails just needed a little push. "Come on, buddy. Don't you have anyone to go with?"
"I… guess I can take them if you really don't want them."
"That's the spirit, little buddy! Hope you have lots of fun!" When Tails came out from behind the door, Vector put an arm around Tails and pulled him outside, acting in a celebratory manner, then asked, "So, who are you going to take?"
"Uh… I dunno…" Tails said. He fidgeted nervously now that Vector was practically holding him hostage. He held up his hand and started counting off friends. "I don't think Sonic would be able to sit still for the rides. So maybe… Amy? She really likes Twinkle Park, so maybe I'll give her a ticket."
"Hey, come on, kid…" Vector suddenly pulled Tails closer, making the little fox yelp. Vector spoke conspiratorially when he asked, "Isn't there someone closer to your age you could take?"
As Vector's gaze bore into him, Tails broke out in a nervous sweat. He started thinking about which of his other friends might want to go. Soon, he was hit with a sudden realization. "Oh, you're right! I could give both tickets to Amy, and then she could take Cream with her! I bet Cream would love going to Twinkle Park."
Vector sighed and shook his head. The kid just wasn't getting it. "Listen, Tails, the thing about these tickets is they only let cute couples get in. So I don't think Amy and Cream would be able to go together."
"Wait, really?" When he heard that, Tails checked the tickets and read the promotion on them, and saw Vector was telling the truth. "But are you sure? I mean… Amy and Cream are pretty cute together."
Hearing that, there was a twinkle in Vector's eye. He gave a small grin to Charmy, who seemed to understand Vector had just gleamed something important. It wasn't exactly hard for Charmy to figure out either.
"According to the promotion, you have to be a couple. Those two aren't a couple, right? So this Cream girl, why don't you just ask her?" Vector winked at Tails and added, "Bet she'd be really happy to go with you."
Tails's face flushed and he was unsteady on his feet as his two tails swished behind him. "I-I don't know about that… I think she'd probably rather go with Amy than me." He stared at the ground as he poked his fingers together, and muttered, "She doesn't like me that much, so it'd be weird to ask her."
"Nah, I bet Cream likes you a lot!" Vector laughed as he teasingly poked Tails in the belly. "How could anyone not like a nice kid like you?"
"S-She doesn't like me!" Tails yelled. Vector was so surprised, he let go of the kid and took a step back. Tears were forming in Tails's eyes now. It wasn't long before a few droplets rolled off his face and hit the ground. "How could she, when I'm so weird? A-All I do is tinker with machines all the time. And… and my tails… I'm so freakish, she'd never like me."
"Well well well… Now we're getting somewhere," Vector muttered. He spread his arms wide in a sympathetic gesture. "Hey now, don't get so down. Does Cream really seem like the kind of girl who'd be bothered by that? She's way too sweet to get hung up on that, right? She likes you for who you are, not how you look. And she knows you're a smart, kind kid who's fun to be around."
Tails rubbed away his tears on the back of his glove and looked up at Vector. "Y-Yeah… I guess you're right about Cream… I could invite her to go with me… She really is nice and she wouldn't—" Tails stopped and blinked a few times. "Hey, wait… Do you know Cream?"
"Uh oh. Time to go." Vector tucked a squirming Charmy under one arm and turned his back to Tails as he made to leave. Over his shoulder, he said, "Well, that's a long enough visit for today! We're very busy, so we've gotta go! Just remember what I told you, alright? No point doubting yourself! Just invite Cream out to Twinkle Park and show her a good time! And then you two will get a lot closer! By the way, those tickets are only good for another two weeks, so do it soon!"
"H-Hey!" Tails called after them as Vector dashed off. He stared at the two tickets in his hand. "Well… I guess I will…"
Espio met them on route as Vector and Charmy fled, having retrieved all their listening equipment from Tails's garage as well as the duffel bag of disguises Vector had left on top of the train station.
"That all seemed pretty definitive to me." Espio said. "You're not going to give him the letter?"
Vector grinned a big crocodile grin. "Nah. I know just what to do with that thing."
Early the next morning, Cream showed up at the Chaotix office and got a warm greeting from Vector. This time, he had tea and cookies ready to serve her. Charmy griped over how this client was getting special treatement compared to the others, but Vector just told him to be quiet. Cream enjoyed the treats and wore a faint smile, but her eyes were nervous and there was a skittishness in her movements.
Still smiling, Cream folded her hands on her lap and fidgeted nervously. There was a faint blush in her cheeks, and she couldn't meet their gazes and simply stared at the teapot and plate of cookies before her. "W-Well, Mr. Vector? Did you find anything out… about Tails?"
"We sure did!" Vector said. He gave a confident grin and winked at Cream. "Don't you worry about a thing! From what I could see, you've got nothing to worry about! You've got a real chance with that kid! He likes you about as much as you like him. Though he's also about as shy about his feelings as you are."
"R-Really? That's great!" Cream's face lit up with a bright smile and Cheese chortled happily. She murmured, "So he really does… like me too." She looked up at Vector again, now more skittish than before. "My… letter… did you…?"
With a big grin, Vector put the letter down on the table and slid it over to Cream. "I didn't give it to him. A letter this special should be given in person. It's contains all your feelings for him, right?"
Cream took the letter back and held it to her chest. She beamed at Vector. "You're right, Mr. Vector! I'm going to give this to Tails myself! Thank you so much!"
Vector chuckled. "You should be getting a chance real soon, kid." He leaned in conspiratorially to whisper, and Cream frowned and listened with a serious expression on her face. "You didn't hear this from me, but Tails might be planning on inviting you out pretty soon. Keep your schedule open for the next two weeks."
"Is that really true, Mr. Vector?" Cream could hardly contain her excitement. "I'm always so happy to spend time with Tails!" But as she kept thinking over everything Vector had said, her expression changed to one of worry. "How did you find all this out about Tails, Mr. Vector? You didn't do anything bad, did you?"
At once, Charmy snickered. "He was waaaay bad! Vector was a total creep! He—"
Vector clamped a hand over Charmy's face. Vector's face was flushed with anger and it looked like a vein was about to pop in his forehead, but he forced a smile as he looked to Cream. He waved his hand dismissively, trying to reassure her. "Ehhh, of course we didn't do anything bad! We're professionals, so trust us! I've got a real nose for these things, you know!"
Satisfied by the answer, Cream smiled. "Okay, Mr. Vector. I believe you." She nodded, and once more hugged her letter to her chest. "I'll do it, Mr. Vector. I'm going to give Tails my letter. I want to get closer to him."
"Whaddya like about him?" Charmy asked as he floated in close. "Isn't he kind of weird with his two tails?"
"Charmy!" Vector shouted. He shook his head in disbelief. He just didn't understand the mouth on that kid.
"I love his tails," Cream said suddenly. She clasped her hands together, and there was a wistful, dreamlike look in her eyes. "They're so fluffy and soft, and the way they wrap around you like a warm hug makes me feel so happy and safe."
"Er… So you two have already done that sort of lovey-dovey stuff? Then why'd ya come to us?" Vector asked.
"Well, I…" Cream poked her fingers together, frowning. "There was this one time when we were playing with Tails and Amy in the park. When we got tired, Tails sat under a tree and was trying to fix one of his gadgets. Me and Cheese sat down too. His tails looked so warm and I was sleepy, so I took a nap. It was so pleasant and I had such good dreams… but… I didn't ask if I could… And afterwards, Amy scolded me and said I shouldn't have done it. She told me Tails was begging her for help in the end, because I wouldn't get up. Mmm… That was one of the reasons why I was worried Tails might not like me…" In spite of her story's ending, it was obviously still a happy memory, because she wore a smile and her face had a warm glow.
"Wow, kid… That's a real sweet story. And I'm glad we cleared things up for you. I'd say he's definitely not annoyed with you over that!"
"Do you think he'd let me do it again?" Cream asked.
Vector winked and gave a thumbs-up. "If things go like I think the will between you, I bet he would!"
"That would be so wonderful!" Cream stood up all of a sudden and headed for the door. "Tails deserves to know how special he is, so I'm going to tell him how much I love him real soon!" She waved to the Chaotix. "Goodbye, Mr. Vector! And Mr. Espio and Mr. Charmy!"
"Hey, you need someone to walk you home?" Vector asked.
"It's okay! My mother is picking me up!"
"Well, another job well done, boys." Vector announced.
"Let's find some real work next time, so we can pay the utility bill," Espio grumbled.
"I don't know, I thought that case was kind of fun," Charmy said.
Vector wanted to ask where all that enthusiasm was when they'd actually been working the case and Charmy had done nothing but complain, but he held his tongue and simply agreed with him instead. "Yeah. Sometimes helping out a kid in need is just what you need to recharge your batteries and restore your soul after it's been broken down by all the monotony and darkness in the world."
After Cream left, it was quiet in the office for a while. But from the twisted smile Charmy wore and all the snickering he was trying to hold back, it was obvious Charmy was dying to say something. Vector sighed and asked, "What is it, Charmy?"
"Nothing. I was just thinking about what a giant creep you were. You spied on Tails and took a secret picture of Cream. Then you dressed up like a weirdo and it was really creepy how all over Tails you were."
"Charmy, that was all for the case, and there was nothing weird about it. I was just showing Tails some comradery. Besides, a kid all alone like that is bound to be starved for affection and touch."
"Suuuure, Vector!"
"Charmy… be quiet."