"Mornmng mnt mumny" said Tails thickly.
"Alright, say that again without the chili-dog," sighed Sally wearily.
He choked it down and repeated:
"Morning Aunt Sally."
"Thank you. Morning Tails."
A blue blur zoomed around the mess hall from the doors.
"Morning Sonic." she said. The blur stopped to give Sally a kiss on the cheek and sit down to eat the chilli-dogs he'd scooped up.
"Honestly, Sonic, he's getting as bad as you are!" complained Sally, sitting down next to him.
"Hey, good job, little buddy!" smiled Sonic, patting the fox on the shoulder, and looking sheepishly at Sally.
"That's not what I meant." frowned the disgruntled princess. "This is your breakfast, young man."
She pulled the chilli-dogs away and replaced them with a bowl of oatmeal she had specially made.
"What's this stuff?" he asked, poking it. "Are you sure it hasn't been eaten already?"
"Very funny." She smiled, giving Sonic a look as he snorted with laughter.
He licked his finger. Stopped. Took the spoon and tried some more. And more. And more. Soon the bowl was empty.
"What's up with you?" asked Sally, eying the clean bowl. "Hungry?"
"Na, this stuff is great. You should try this, Sonic." he added, looking at him.
Sonic was about to reply when Alana came in. She had the look of someone who hadn't slept at all. Tails instantly turned red and stood up, ears back. He then muttered an excuse and left the mess hall. Sally, the caring one of the group, glanced at Sonic, and followed him out the doors.
She found him sooner than she thought, leaning against a tree, watching Knuckles and Bunnie practice dukeing-it-out together. She sat down beside him without him noticing, then grabbed him by the shoulders.
"OH! -Oh-hi Aunt Sally." said Tails, calming down.
"What's up then?"
"What's-?" frowned Tails, looking confused.
"With Alana."
"(Oh...)" he muttered, turning away and going red.
She remained silent, then whispered, smiling, "(You like her don't you?)"
"NO!" snapped Tails, so sharply, Bunnie and Knuckles stopped mid-punch to see what was up. Tails went as red as Knuckles and apologized.
They went back to fighting, and, checking they couldn't hear him, said, "well, maybe... but you can't tell anyone!"
She smiled again and said "How about just Sonic?"
"Aunt Sall-yyy!" he began, with a pleading look.
"O.K. then, it's between us." she said.
But as she walked away she thought 'And Sonic. Sorry kid.'
"This really is a lovely place, " remarked Alana, looking round.
"Yeah, Sonic suggested here me," Tails said, sitting down at the base of the tree. "I forget why it was so special to him."
In fact this was the shooting range, where, usually, there were targets to practice on.
"It has a lovely view of the sunrise," she added, sitting down next to him on her heels. "That's probably why..."
They sat, silent, enjoying each other's company.
"Hey," said Tails, looking up. "The moons are still out."
"Oh, wow..." she said, open mouthed. "I don't usually see them where I come from, even though I know about them. They're beautiful."
"Yeah..." she heard him say. She turned round in time to see him turn his head skyward again, blushing a little.
She guessed what he meant, and, blushing herself, looked up.
"So..." she said, longing to break the silence. "What do you think they look like?"
"Excuse me?" he asked, looking puzzled.
"Oh, it's just, when I was younger, I thought the eight were the heads of some creature. Pretty stupid, I know." she added.
"No," he said, looking at her. "Not really." He was quiet for a few seconds and said, "There are nine."
"What?!?" she complained, looking at him.
"You said there was eight, there are nine."
"What do you mean? There are obviously eight. Look," she said looking up.
"There's Charboynis," she counted. "There's Soherwen, (he looked at her) there's Elbibs, (he half closed his eyes) there's Morrot, (he smiled) there's Xilort, there's-" but she found her stream of words stopped by a finger on her lips.
He moved her head round to face him.
"You talk too much." he said, smiling.
He then moved his finger aside, leaned forwards, and kissed her gently on the lips...
But, unknown to them, someone was watching this tender moment.
"(Doesn't this give you ideas?)" Zoi whispered, moving up against him on the branch, running a finger along the back of his hand.
"(Not interested. This isn't a time to get 'intimate'.)" He said, moving his hand away, focusing on the pair of foxes below. She crossed her arms, frowning at him.
"Alright, say that again without the chili-dog," sighed Sally wearily.
He choked it down and repeated:
"Morning Aunt Sally."
"Thank you. Morning Tails."
A blue blur zoomed around the mess hall from the doors.
"Morning Sonic." she said. The blur stopped to give Sally a kiss on the cheek and sit down to eat the chilli-dogs he'd scooped up.
"Honestly, Sonic, he's getting as bad as you are!" complained Sally, sitting down next to him.
"Hey, good job, little buddy!" smiled Sonic, patting the fox on the shoulder, and looking sheepishly at Sally.
"That's not what I meant." frowned the disgruntled princess. "This is your breakfast, young man."
She pulled the chilli-dogs away and replaced them with a bowl of oatmeal she had specially made.
"What's this stuff?" he asked, poking it. "Are you sure it hasn't been eaten already?"
"Very funny." She smiled, giving Sonic a look as he snorted with laughter.
He licked his finger. Stopped. Took the spoon and tried some more. And more. And more. Soon the bowl was empty.
"What's up with you?" asked Sally, eying the clean bowl. "Hungry?"
"Na, this stuff is great. You should try this, Sonic." he added, looking at him.
Sonic was about to reply when Alana came in. She had the look of someone who hadn't slept at all. Tails instantly turned red and stood up, ears back. He then muttered an excuse and left the mess hall. Sally, the caring one of the group, glanced at Sonic, and followed him out the doors.
She found him sooner than she thought, leaning against a tree, watching Knuckles and Bunnie practice dukeing-it-out together. She sat down beside him without him noticing, then grabbed him by the shoulders.
"OH! -Oh-hi Aunt Sally." said Tails, calming down.
"What's up then?"
"What's-?" frowned Tails, looking confused.
"With Alana."
"(Oh...)" he muttered, turning away and going red.
She remained silent, then whispered, smiling, "(You like her don't you?)"
"NO!" snapped Tails, so sharply, Bunnie and Knuckles stopped mid-punch to see what was up. Tails went as red as Knuckles and apologized.
They went back to fighting, and, checking they couldn't hear him, said, "well, maybe... but you can't tell anyone!"
She smiled again and said "How about just Sonic?"
"Aunt Sall-yyy!" he began, with a pleading look.
"O.K. then, it's between us." she said.
But as she walked away she thought 'And Sonic. Sorry kid.'
"This really is a lovely place, " remarked Alana, looking round.
"Yeah, Sonic suggested here me," Tails said, sitting down at the base of the tree. "I forget why it was so special to him."
In fact this was the shooting range, where, usually, there were targets to practice on.
"It has a lovely view of the sunrise," she added, sitting down next to him on her heels. "That's probably why..."
They sat, silent, enjoying each other's company.
"Hey," said Tails, looking up. "The moons are still out."
"Oh, wow..." she said, open mouthed. "I don't usually see them where I come from, even though I know about them. They're beautiful."
"Yeah..." she heard him say. She turned round in time to see him turn his head skyward again, blushing a little.
She guessed what he meant, and, blushing herself, looked up.
"So..." she said, longing to break the silence. "What do you think they look like?"
"Excuse me?" he asked, looking puzzled.
"Oh, it's just, when I was younger, I thought the eight were the heads of some creature. Pretty stupid, I know." she added.
"No," he said, looking at her. "Not really." He was quiet for a few seconds and said, "There are nine."
"What?!?" she complained, looking at him.
"You said there was eight, there are nine."
"What do you mean? There are obviously eight. Look," she said looking up.
"There's Charboynis," she counted. "There's Soherwen, (he looked at her) there's Elbibs, (he half closed his eyes) there's Morrot, (he smiled) there's Xilort, there's-" but she found her stream of words stopped by a finger on her lips.
He moved her head round to face him.
"You talk too much." he said, smiling.
He then moved his finger aside, leaned forwards, and kissed her gently on the lips...
But, unknown to them, someone was watching this tender moment.
"(Doesn't this give you ideas?)" Zoi whispered, moving up against him on the branch, running a finger along the back of his hand.
"(Not interested. This isn't a time to get 'intimate'.)" He said, moving his hand away, focusing on the pair of foxes below. She crossed her arms, frowning at him.