Chapter 8 – Up Close and Personal.
A/N: Please forgive my single moment of celebration; YAHOOOOOOOO! A Bloodstone Rose just gained over a hundred reviews! And I owe it all you guys:
HHH – Thanks for taking on the challenge; if you want a shot of Thunderhawk, log onto Google and search for Sonic HQ, he'd be in the character bios. Drop me a line when it's done, I'll be very impressed as I can barely tell one end of a pencil from the other (God bless computers and their spell-checkers!)
DH – Thanks for the Seraph feedback – I think you agreed with me on most of the points; I didn't want a 'nice' fancharacter in the same way I didn't want him to be a stereotypical villain, so I tried to make him unique. The fact that you can never tell exactly why he's doing anything (he works for himself and his code alone) keeps you on your toes. Brilliant, just what I wanted him to do; now I need to do his songfic…
Rewind Gone Nuts (RGN from now on) – Wow, another Aussie (DH above is Australian as well); obsidian dreamer is going international :-). Thanks for following the series so far and for the 'marsupial' correction, though I have to say if Knuckles lays an egg, something's gone wrong somewhere alone the line…
Ri2 – Hey, welcome back; good to hear from you again. Glad you enjoyed A Bloodstone Rose and I hope the bachelor party goes down a storm as well.
TH – Do I really want to know how you broke the keyboard? And has the replacement arrived yet?
The trilling of the phone shook Tails from where he was checking the oil of his plane; thankfully, long experience of such abrupt interruptions meant he didn't bang his head on the raised hood as he once might have done. Slowly and carefully, well aware that more haste meant he could easily knock something important out of sync, the fox removed his torso from the interior of his beloved plane and then jogged to the phone, sweeping it up with his right hand as his left snagged the pencil from the pad immediately beside the appliance, speaking as he did so,
"Hello?"
"Hey bro"; Sonic – this shouldn't be too important; the kit replaced his pencil and spoke more freely, realising this wasn't going to be a business call,
"Hey Sonic, how's everything going?"
"Well I had a call last might that made everything sweet; remember a long time ago I told you about a girl I used to know, Mighty?" That was a toughie; even Tails had to struggle to recall the vague references Sonic had made of his life before they met and bonded,
"Yeah, kind of; wasn't there something about singing and dancing to do with it, and didn't you say she was strong?"
"Yeah I did but listen, how'd you like to find this out for yourself?"
"I don't follow"; Sonic's up to something, could be a trick – he's still not over that little indecent exposure; "what are you up to?"
"The call I had was from her; she's coming to Station Square in about a week and a half, something about a job interview. Have you got anything planned next Thursday?" Tails leafed through the phone pad, skimming it for any engagements he might have pencilled in before shaking his head,
"Not really, only a charter flight but that's not been confirmed yet, I can always rearrange", he chuckled slightly before confiding in his brother, "you know, when I started up, I thought all the echidnas here were going to be as stubborn and demanding as Knuckles, but they're actually a fairly easy going bunch – trust us to get the odd one hey?" As he'd expected, Sonic laughed with him,
"Knuckles probably thinks the same thing, but listen, get here with the Tornado in the morning and we'll be at the airport for about eleven thirty – her flight's due in at noon; that cool".
"Like an Eskimo's fridge; see you then if not before", Tails grinned shyly before going for it, "listen, I'm driving you around; could we say this favour cancels out the wedding…Sonic, hello, ah well, it was a long shot I guess". With a rueful smile, the fox replaced the phone and headed back to his plane, his smile growing into it matured into a full laugh; and they haven't even checked to see if I've deleted the photo yet! Bribery could so easily be mine.
XXX
With a rumble, the Tornado pulled up smartly in the parking space Tails had picked out for it; even as he was jerking the handbrake up, there was a click and a draft of cold air from next to him as Sonic had thrown off his seatbelt and legged it towards the parking meter. As Amy removed herself from the back of the Tornado, Sonic hammered back to the car pell-mell, slapping the ticket on the inside of his brother's still open door, causing the fox to dart his head backwards,
"Watch it will you", he rubbed the end of his snout, glaring at the hedgehog, "you nearly took my nose off".
"Nah, there was a clear inch in it", Sonic informed him before grinning slyly; before Tails was really aware what was going on, the blue blur had pinched his nose between two fingers and flicked it hard with his other hand, laughing, "this is taking your nose off!"
"Oww", the fox clapped his hands over his sore spot as Sonic snapped his hands back, chuckling as Tails glared at him; the mirth subsided, however, as Amy waded in to deliver a well-deserved clip around the ears to her boyfriend, berating him,
"Apologise for that now you; Tails has been good enough to take us all here to see your friend and all you do is tease him. Say sorry". Luckily, after his experience with Lara-Le, Sonic had learned enough to know not to try any back-chat, merely flattening his ears and looking meekly at his brother,
"Sorry Tails, I don't know what came over me…"
"The same thing that came over Knuckles I bet", the fox answered contemptuously as he crossed his arms and looked scornful; he let it lay that way for a few seconds, enough to see doubt that maybe he had pushed things a little too far surface in his brother's eyes before smiling and offering his hand, "come on, enough of this; of all people I know you can't sit still when you're excited". With a sigh of relief, the blue hedgehog shook before, acting on impulse, tugged and pulled Tails in close, hugging the younger fox tightly as he chuckled,
"Someone up there was looking down when I found a young fox called Miles Prower; if it were anyone else they'd have strangled me by now, I know for a fact Knuckles would've".
"I can see his reasons sometimes", Tails answered as he reciprocated the brotherly embrace; Amy watched on with interest and pricked her ears as Tails leaned in closer to Sonic's ear – she just about heard the words of, "but if you were dead, I wouldn't be able to watch you squirm as much; I've got a picture I bet Mighty'll just die to see. Ahh, wait, nohohoho, I was kiheheheheding!" Amy shook her head as the fox suddenly writhed, trying to worm his way out of the sudden bear hug Sonic crushed him with and was now administering his own form of justice from the threat,
"If you dare", the blue hedgehog's voice was full of menace even as Tails hammered on his arms, desperate to get away from the tickling hands, "I will personally make sure you are given the thrashing of your life, then I'll hand you over to Shadow, got it?" Tails couldn't talk too well, just managing to nod and earn his freedom, breathing deeply as Sonic delivered his victory pose before Amy's voice cut in on him,
"And I guess I'm just here to make up the numbers", she said sniffily, her back to the pair of them and arms crossed. Sharing a glance, both men shook their heads before Sonic slid up behind the pink hedgehog and loosely put his arm around her shoulder.
"Amy", he purred softly in her ear, seeing with fatalistic joy a slow, steady smile creep across her face, "you know that from now on you'll never be just a friend". He leaned in and Tails looked away casually as there was a light smacking noise and Amy giggled; when he looked back around, Sonic was standing tall, the noise of a plane beginning its descent making his ears quiver, eyes glowing with excitement as he turned towards the entrance to the airport terminal.
XXX
Only seven minutes or so to go; his guided eyes glued themselves to the arrivals board and he clenched a fist in relief as Mighty's flight was on schedule. He had thought about what he wanted to say to her, the introductions he should make after such a long time apart; would they still get on as well as they had when they were children now they had, more or less in his case, grown up? He furrowed his brow in consternation; somehow, all of last night's thoughts and memories had contrived to get all lost and confused, scattered like leaves by the gale of his excitement; it looked like he was going to have to wing it. Oh well; as zero hour approached and he watched the clock count down, a smile bloomed on his face as his inherent nervousness of meeting this familiar stranger was slowly overcome by longing for the prospect; thinking on my feet's always been one of my strengths.
Tails felt a knock on his shoulder and looked up from where he'd been watching the latest arrivals depart; from here it was a real struggle to see anyone with any degree of accuracy, especially Mobians as their generally smaller frames were crowded out by the larger milling humans. He flicked his eyes upwards to see Sonic looking at him hungrily,
"Could you give me a lift?"
"What?" Tails didn't understand this request, thinking the hedgehog was referring to the Tornado parked outside; seeing confusion and realising he could have explained that better, Sonic shook his head and explained,
"Lift me up; we can't see a thing from down here and a birds-eye view's perfect for spotting in a crowd. Come on, do me a favour". Tails folded his arms and shook his head,
"After what happened out there; not a chance". Not like I wasn't expecting this; Sonic played his ace,
"Do it, and we're quits", he pressed on as his brother's eyes widened alarmingly, not registering the offer or daring to believe it had been made, "the whole photo thing, forgotten, water under the bridge, done and dusted, just as long as you don't go flashing it around any more, cool?"
"You bet", relishing the chance to be free of that millstone around his neck, the kit rose swiftly upwards, Sonic jumping and clasping hands with the ease another might breathe, the actions so familiar they were second nature as he allowed himself to be whisked up higher, see what was around, scanning the area for the black shell he could remember so well. Tails held him steady, allowing him to see clearly; almost magnetically, he was drawn to the left, near the baggage carousel; relief and apprehension washed through him as he locked onto his target.
"Down Tails, quick please"; the altitude dropped alarmingly, though Sonic never knew a flicker of doubt as he'd had far faster descents than this with his brother; heck, Tails was going slow because there were so many people around. Amy shimmied to one side as his feet dropped down and touched the floor; he shucked his hands from his brother's wrists and swivelled to face where he needed to go; just from his pose and posture Amy knew the answer even as she asked the question,
"You see her?"
"Wait here guys; I'll bring her to you". With that Sonic was gone, leaving Tails and Amy to simply wait, knowing his idea was the best as, to them, this Mighty character was a complete stranger.
XXX
Sonic weaved through the crowd, dodging people and baggage cars as he homed in on his goal. The crowd was thickening as he drew nearer, the press of people almost seeking to dissuade his goal as they reached for their bags and as a consequence hampered his progress. He forged on though, dropping his pace as circumstances dictated and speeding up in fits and starts when he could. Suddenly a gap formed ahead of him and he stumbled to a halt, the breath catching in his throat as he saw his old friend, for it had to be her, for the first time in just under a decade. Standing with her back to him, Mighty Armadillo was stood waiting for her luggage, unaware of his presence.
For a second he was still; the vision had triggered off so many memories that had lay dormant, not forgotten as he had thought – he merely relaxed and let them all flow to him. Like the dances they had shared together, the joyous recollections waltzed and quick-stepped through his mind; the times they'd lain together, the laughter, the occasional tears as one or other had suffered a bad day but mostly the talking, the words they'd shared; and of course; Sonic licked his lips and waited for his sudden blush to abate; the kiss as well. He had to stand still, much as he would have liked to do otherwise; he recalled her virtual imperviousness to embarrassment and therefore logically concluded that greeting her with a red face wouldn't be a good way to start – if nothing else she might prove as haranguing as Tails at his best. He touched his face with his fingers; well, that's as good as it's going to get; with a determined shrug of his shoulders, Sonic stepped forwards, keeping his footsteps light as not to alert her – tentatively, he reached out and, screwing up his courage, tapped her shoulder.
XXX
The hollow knocking sound his fingertips made on the hard, almost horn-like shell echoed dully as she stiffened and slowly turned around; Sonic kept his eyes front as Mighty completed her turn, bringing them face to face for the first time since childhood. For a long second, both were silent, neither able to find the words, before at last Sonic, tongue still cloven to the roof of his mouth, saw her lips twitch and listened intently to the words of his friend,
"Sorry, do I know you?"
Overwhelming, all-consuming embarrassment smashed him down; his blush burned with renewed, unabated vigour as he screwed his eyes shut; of course, he hadn't given it a thought, it had never crossed his mind that this armadillo might not actually be Mighty. Going on memory's a bad idea; swallowing an uncomfortable lump in his throat – the Mighty he remembered had probably changed so much, he'd just seen the first Mobian that looked vaguely close and taken the bull by the horns; and now the consequences have to be faced. Keeping his head down and his eyes averted, the hedgehog mumbled,
"Sorry, I thought you were someooowhhhaooaahh!" There'd had been a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision but he couldn't react in time; before he'd really cottoned on an arm had snaked around his neck and spun him round, snapping him in tight; as soon as he felt the fist rubbing the top of his head he knew he'd been caught out like a good one. With a chuckle from behind, he was set free, spinning and automatically clamping his hands on top of his stinging scalp; he needed them to beat out the fire that was raging atop his head like a lighthouse beacon at the same time he glared open-mouthed at the perpetrator of such an underhand sneak attack,
"Ow, you cheating little rock-backed git". The armadillo laughed, looking so much like the girl of his memories now she was smiling and joking, pointing at him with the grin he remembered so well as she exclaimed,
"I've been waiting years to do that", without another word she drew her arms apart; Sonic echoed the gesture, his own grin now firmly in place as they embraced hard, him pounding her shell at the same time as trust her not to smash his ribs like kindling; just from the look of her it was obvious her strength had matured as she had.
"I let you get that one in", he declared, turning his head as she kissed his cheek in greeting, letting her reach his other cheek without too much effort, "enjoy it, it was the first, last and only time you'll ever get me like that".
"That so – we'll see"; she set him back on the floor, eyes almost a mirror of his own in both size and colour burning bright with joy at the reunion; and introductions!; without another thought, Sonic took her hand and pumped it up and down, speaking at the same time, his words a clear and clipped order,
"Get your gear girl – I've got some friends over here who are just dying to meet you".
XXX
She felt Tails paw at her arm and glanced down, just in time to follow his finger and see Sonic approach; looking to her boyfriend's left, Amy Rose got her first good look at Mighty Armadillo.
Her first impression was the same one most people received; that Mighty was a very apt name for her indeed. She was somewhere between Sonic and herself in height, kind of a mid-point between the two hedgehogs, but even if she wasn't as tall as Sonic, she more than made that up by looking at least twice as wide. It was only when she came a little closer that Amy realised at least some of that broadness was a myth, perpetuated by the natural armour that clamped around her back and sides, the shell of her species bulking her out and giving the impression of the armadillo being wider and heavier than she actually was. But then again; Amy searched her partner's friend's face and something struck her almost immediately; nature takes with one hand and gives with the other.
The shell shadowed Mighty's face like a permanent hood, casting her forehead into shadow and seeming to lower her brow, simultaneously giving an image of low intelligence and making her eyes seem deep set, reinforcing the lie Amy could see was disproved by the rest of the armadillo's features. She wasn't particularly attractive, but her face was strong and most importantly, her eyes were smiling, capable of affection; she could see it crackling away like a merry fire as she joked with Sonic. Altogether, Amy had the impression of a woman who gave off mixed signals through no fault of her own; from her partially shrouded face and, Amy glanced down at the gap between Mighty's pale green tank top and the belt of her matching shorts as well as her bulging arms and legs, very obvious physique, you'd be forgiven for thinking at the armadillo was little more than muscle. But the eyes gave that away as false; there was capacity for great emotion and a deep sense of humour; the fact she was chatting away so amiably to Sonic proved that beyond all doubt. As Sonic pointed them out, she waved back a little nervously as their course altered rapidly and increased speed.
XXX
Tails looked up, trying to give a friendly smile even as he had to swallow his apprehension; at this range, he was getting uncomfortably familiar with the fact that anywhere he could reasonably look without appearing rude was covered with muscle. Crikey, not even Knuckles had arms like those; Tails had to visibly shake himself to kick-start his thoughts again; go for the eyes – just look there and it'll all be fine. As he raised his head to see her face, he heard a full voice query,
"I take it you're Tails?" She preformed the normal flicker of the eyes to his tails and then looked once more at him, smiling deeply before moving forwards; Tails didn't even bother to try and resist as she casually picked him off the floor with a gentle hug,
"You poor thing", he felt a light pressure and a low smack on his cheek that served to snap him back to reality; is she kissing me? His face burned up as she repeated the trick on his other cheek and finished, "Sonic as a brother, my heart bleeds for you".
"Hey" a disgruntled hedgehog cut in as Mighty chuckled and set the younger Mobian back down, beaming as he at last found his tongue, the greeting serving to chip away some of his apprehension,
"Ah, he's not all that bad", Tails defended before smiling back at her, "at least he makes life interesting".
"Interesting; I suppose that's one way of putting it", Mighty smiled sweetly at Sonic before her attention shifted and she spoke again, "okay, I can understand you bush-whacked a young, impressionable fox and somehow convinced him you were a good role-model, but how on earth did you manage to find someone like this little jewel?" she asked, Amy feeling a little abashed at the flattery even as Sonic answered,
"Oi you, I'll have you know Amy found me, of her own free will as well". The armadillo looked agog, turning to face Amy with her eyes wide and shocked,
"You can, put up with Sonic? My lord, how do you do it – please sensei, teach me all you know; I never learned in the time I knew him, what's the secret?" I thought so; Amy thought even as she chuckled at the other Mobian's obvious exaggeration; there's a sense of humour in there, and probably more besides. Trying to sound official and cover her grin, the pink hedgehog replied even as she leaned in for what must have been how Mighty greeted everyone she counted as a friend; lips brushed against cheeks as she said,
"You build up a tolerance over time; start in small doses and work up from there. From what he told us you were thrown in right at the deep end – it's a miracle your sanity survived at all". The two boys shook their heads, Sonic with a regretful smile as he crossed his arms and tapped a foot,
"If you're quite done insulting me?" Mighty and Amy shared a glance; at an unspoken agreement, the armadillo let moved up and put a hand on the hedgehog's shoulder, smiling as she answered,
"Sonic old mate, I haven't even got warmed up yet". His answering smile was toxic; with one move he'd jabbed his hand into her exposed armpit, forcing her to jump back with a bark of shock as he beamed,
"Go for it shelly; just remember not to give more than you can take".
"You'd be a trampled heap on the deck before I'd even broken a sweat".
"You have to catch me first; you can't hit what you can't see". Mighty bounced on the balls of her feet, bringing her arms into a guard as she shadow-boxed for a second,
"Ali; the greatest of all – brilliant man in the ring", just as quickly as she'd started, she dropped her arms and checked the clock on the side of the airport with a hint of panic, "oh nuts; listen, not wanting to sound rushed or anything, my job view's in a couple of hours and I need…"
"Say no more; Tails, let's roll" Sonic cut her off with a raised hand as he smiled at his brother, "this lady has a date to keep and you've got the wheels". The fox flipped his keys onto his finger as Mighty, twigging as to what must be going on, looked at him anew with goggled eyes,
"Wait, you can drive?" Without hesitation, the fox delivered his patented comeback to such disbelief,
"I can fly too, but I really think a car would work better here; come on, it's outside". Secretly loving the look of dumbstruck awe on the armadillo's face, Tails headed for the parking lot as Mighty found herself being filled in by Amy.
XXX
Tails' pride at having come back at someone cleanly lasted until he saw what had happened to the Tornado in his absence. Or more precisely, what had happened to space around it while he'd been gone.
"Oh man", the kit raised his eyes to the heavens as though as king the almighty for an answer, "is there no-one in this city who can actually park properly?" He shook his head in disgust as he saw the pale blue sports number that had pulled up next to his jeep had left him all of a half-foot to open the driver door; another handbrake vault for me then.
"What's up bro?" Sonic joined them and whistled as he followed the fox's irritable jerk of the head, "wow, it must take precision to get that close and not scratch anything".
"Tell me about it" he answered shortly, clicking off the locks by remote and heading for the passenger side until a voice stopped him, even if it wasn't aimed at him,
"Hey Mighty", the armadillo looked up as Sonic pointed at the Tornado, "that's the ride; Tails built it with his own hands; what do you think?"
With something akin to reverence, the older Mobian stepped forwards and regarded first the jeep mode of the morphing car, then the one who had created it; Tails felt a triumphant flush as her shocked eyes conveyed deep respect and awe at such an achievement.
"This is yours?"
"You bet", he said with more than a touch of pride; somehow even the discomfort he'd have to take on in a second seemed less ominous in the face of such obvious appreciation, "just a sec and I'll bring it out for you". Finally tearing her eyes away from the magnificent machine, the armadillo saw the problem and smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder to stall his approach as she set her travel bags down,
"Hold your horses Tails, I'll handle this", the fox looked at his two hedgehog friends, they were looking a little bemused as well as she moved and carried on talking, "I used to car-share with people at my old job and we had this problem all the time; I did this so often people called me the crane". To answer the unanswered questions, the armadillo bent her knees slightly and slid one hand under the bumper before straightening up.
Tails watched with undisguised fascination as the armadillo he'd only just met casually lifted the top half of the car with one hand and slowly paced to the side, freeing up the drivers door before she carefully set it down. Turning, Mighty wasn't entirely surprised to see Tails and Amy looking gob-smacked, Sonic at least mildly impressed as she beamed,
"What, you think people call me Mighty for fun?" With a laugh, she opened one of the rear doors and crouched inside, calling the others, "come on; I'm running a tight schedule here".
XXX
Shadow heard the door knock gently and quickly heaved himself out of his chair, moving to the door and clicking it open; to his not complete surprise, there was someone he had only ever spoken to waiting for him. He looked her up and down and Mighty, it just had to be her from her species and the massive shell that hugged her back, did the same to him; she must have finished her inspection fractionally before he did as she spoke before he did,
"Shadow; that is you isn't it?"
"Yeah, we spoke earlier", he reminded her unnecessarily, a little confused by her forthright manner as he tried to compare her to Amy and Rouge, the only other females he had any real contact with, only to find comparison impossible as she smiled and suddenly rushed forwards; he found himself suddenly in her arms and kissed on both cheeks. Whoa, hold the phone; as his shocked mind reeled, he found himself deposited back on the deck, only just able to catch his balance and watch open-mouthed as Mighty strolled into the hallway as though she owned the place, commenting as she did so,
"Nice digs", she nodded in appreciation before looking at the staring hedgehog once more, "my room's at the end yeah?" Still beyond the power of speech, the former ultimate life-form managed to nod and whistling happily, Mighty bent down to retrieve her set down bags, strode down the hallway and opened the door with her foot. Shadow watched her go, shaking his head slightly in disbelief, only stopping when he heard the patter of feet behind him and swivelled to see Amy stood by his side. The pink hedgehog must have guessed what had gone on and chuckled,
"Don't panic, I think that's just the way she is". At last, he managed to mentally link up with his tongue once more,
"Well, she's, er, she's something and that's for sure", the black hedgehog massaged his forehead with a pair of fingers, smiling slightly as something else reminded him of its inevitability, "and she's staying here how long?"
"As long as she needs", Sonic interposed himself on this conversation sternly, lowering his voice as Tails followed him, pivoting to lock the Tornado by means of his infra-red key beam, "I know she can be a little OTT, but that's how she deals with nerves; she can get a bit shy with people. Just ride it out, she's really cool once you get to know her".
"Really useful as well I'll bet", Tails chipped in, elaborating as his older friends looked down at him, "you saw her with that car; I could use someone like that to help with the heavy lifting". Amy raised an eyebrow,
"She's looking for a job as a forestry consultant, not a living forklift; she moved a car one-handed, but she's always been stronger than most even when she was a kid, she told us on the drive here. I bet the fitness she does helps too".
"Not much I don't think", Sonic smiled recollectively as he corrected his girlfriend, "she was always like that, just like I was always faster than everyone else; maybe that's why we got on so well, we're both a bit unusual. She probably does all that fitness for a joke; you all saw she doesn't need it. But anyway", he clapped his hands and returned to the matter, setting his eyes on Amy as he realised thought they were actually a little ahead of their predictions, it was still going to be a little bit of a squeeze to manage their plan fully, "she's on a schedule and so are we; ready to rock and roll?"
"You bet"; the pink hedgehog jumped into his arms; as he made sure he was supporting her as much as was possible, he turned to the remaining two Mobians and made sure they were well aware of their roles, "right, Tails, got the route to this place set?" The fox winked and jerked his thumb to the Tornado,
"Marked it down last night; should take me about forty minutes if the roads are good".
"Nice one bro; Shads, you're…"
"Way ahead of you", the black hedgehog smiled as Sonic looked on a little amazed, "went out while you were all gone; everything's set up for a really good night".
"Sweet", unable to clap his counterpart on the shoulder Sonic settled for the next best thing and gave a cramped thumbs-up, "win lose or draw, we're making sure Mighty doesn't forget Station Square in a hurry; second on the left" he called down the hall, seeing Mighty emerge from what was now her bedroom with a toiletry bag in one hand and what looked like a covered suit in the other.
"Thanks Smurf"; with that, the door to the bathroom was quickly opened and the armadillo was lost from view once more – Sonic shook his head as he resisted the urge to blush at being reminded of that old nickname. Before anyone with either an extra limb or a fairly serious underlying mental forgetfulness problem could pounce, the blue blur took off with Amy in his arms, heading for her apartment so she could get ready for her work. Tails had shut his eyes at the sudden rush of wind and, realising his target had vanished, smacked his fist into his palm and grumbled,
"Dammit, so close; that's a peach and no mistake". Shadow chuckled and stepped to the side, ushering the fox into his shared apartment as the sounds of the shower being activated filtered through from the bathroom,
"Don't sweat it foxboy; after all, we've got all this evening to have some fun with him. Fancy a drink?" Realising he had a short break before his next errand the pilot was keen to take up that offer and share some chat with his friend.
XXX
Sonic breezed to a halt outside Amy's apartment block and let her slip to the floor; he dogged her footsteps up to her home as she fumbled for her key, talking over her shoulder as she did so,
"Okay, I'll be ready in about five minutes and it's fifteen until my shift starts, we should make that shouldn't we?" There was a deafening silence from behind her and she realised her mistake quickly; as she snapped her key home in its lock, she apologised,
"Sorry, that was a dumb thing to say; what I meant was can we make it in time for me to do a spot of shopping on the way?" Sonic shook his head and sighed at her apparent hopelessness; for some reason he could only guess at, Amy still underestimated his top speed; and now, time for me to take advantage of that;
"That depends", he spoke casually as she disappeared into her room, reaching for the uniform of the Quick Stop Shop she'd laid out in the morning to make sure of a quicj getaway when she'd met the mysterious Mighty her boyfriend had mentioned, "what's in it for me?" As she pulled her shirt up over her head, Amy smiled ruefully; guess I walked into this one – only one way out;
"How about, I do the cooking when we're all in together tonight?" She thought she heard a gasp of mingled surprise and excitement, though as she was occupied with taking her stud out of her ear she couldn't be sure. There was no mistaking his answer in words though,
"Where did you want to go again; I'm sure we can get there with minutes to spare". Laughing, Amy threw open her door and slapped the blue hedgehog on the back, grinning as she hustled for the door,
"A man's heart lies through his stomach, and you've always had a big heart Sonikku", she locked her door as Sonic resisted the urge to deliver a snappy comeback on the grounds she might withdraw her offer, waiting as patiently as was possible for him as she locked her door, "okay, done; the shops in the mall; you get an extra chilli-dog per store; there's seven up for grabs".
"If I didn't know better I'd think you were trying to fatten me up kid" Sonic teased lightly as she stuck her tongue out at his exaggerated overconfidence; without further talking, she moved forwards and jumped once more, Sonic catching her as though fielding a rugby pass and taking off, heading for her employment with all haste.
XXX
With a click and rush of moist, warm air, the bathroom door opened and Mighty stepped out, not looking anything like the armadillo who'd met up with an old friend at the airport barely more than an hour ago. Tails especially was struck by how much she'd managed to tone down her otherwise intimidating appearance, the powder blue shirt and bulky jacket hiding most of the muscle racks that covered her arms and abdomen. The matching trousers were shapely and complimentary to her stocky build, though, Tails noticed with a pang of regret for her sake, there was very little she could do about the negative impact of her overhanging shell on her face; the make-up she'd used was fairly minimal, almost as if she was aware of how much this could hinder her and had long ago accepted this was one area she couldn't do anything to help herself.
With a sudden jolt, the fox realised he'd just been looking into the armadillo's eyes; everything he'd just seen about her face, he could read from there. That's not fair; Tails was well aware of the importance of first impressions, his own experience of having his extra tail illuminating this point for both good and ill; from what I've seen so far, she's a really nice person to know and she's not half-sharp, but I bet loads of people take one look and think she's dumb because of her shell. He saw her lips flicker into a weary smile, aware that just as he was seeing into her thoughts and ideas, likewise she was with him; for a minute fox and armadillo let their eyes link, reading from each other before Mighty broke the contact, lifting her face and asking generally,
"So, how do I look, and be honest?"
"Fine", Shadow answered quickly, standing up and examining her from every angle as he slowly paced around the armadillo's ensemble, "as far as I can tell, you'll knock their socks off when you step in there".
"I sure hope so; I'd hate to have to do it literally" she joked weakly, though Tails could see the self-doubt present; she was still understandably nervous about what she was getting herself into as the time of her interview loomed ever larger.
Tails saw her face suddenly set and realised this was it; she wanted to go now before her nerve broke and he had to oblige her. Reaching for the Tornado keys, the fox gave her a nod,
"Okay Mighty, let's get this show on the road"; without giving her an opportunity to argue, he headed for the door and held it for her, watching her muster her courage and follow him, breathing deeply and slowly to offset her last-minute jitters. As she cross3ed the threshold and exited the building, Shadow followed to offer some support,
"Just relax; I'm sure it'll all be fine – go in and do the best you can, you can't do any more than that". Before she swung the door shut, he almost thought he saw a fleeting smile touch the armadillo's lips, though he couldn't be entirely sure as the entrance was closed in front of him, denying a clear look as the last two of his friends left him to prepare for their return.
Only thirty minutes later, the traffic behaving much better than even Tail's most optimistic estimates, the Tornado pulled into the parking lot of the small cluster of businesses that made up the Station Square Forestry Conservation and Management Headquarters. With a last deep exhalation and a steely look in her eyes, Mighty popped open the passenger door, reaching into the bag she had brought with her to check the pass they'd sent her in the application pack was present and correct, until a hand on her arm stopped her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Tails smile as reassuringly as he could manage, picking his words carefully as a last minute pep-talk,
"Go for it, you'll knock them dead". The armadillo smiled and gently, ever so gently for someone of her yet unrevealed strength, punched the younger Mobian on the shoulder and answered,
"Tails, not meaning to sound patronising, but you're Sonic's brother, and I'm thankful for that". Without another word, she left, marching up to the security hut at the on-site road and presenting her credentials; the fox's last look came as she was ushered inside, mind still trying to decide if her words had been a compliment or a comparison; eventually, still unable to make up his divided mind, he shrugged and reached for the novel he'd brought with him to while away his wait.
XXX
Having stopped at Amy's for a quick snack and a change of clothes, Sonic raced back to his flat with his partner, desperate to know how his old friend was settling in and, most important of all, if the interview had gone well. Amy was almost as frantic as he was, fighting to keep still, letting Sonic reach his maximum speed without having to slow and maintain his grip on her. She'd been carried along this route so often she could recognise the landmarks even as they whizzed by; she readied herself to be set down as she felt Sonic's speed bleed off, the blue hedgehog slowing as he made the turn into his street, not wanting to overshoot his target by moving too fast. Amy flipped her body around as Sonic came to a sudden full stop, the rose hedgehog using the momentum of the halt to throw her body around and land on her recently healed feet, thankful for the skill of Sabre as she registered no pain at the impact. As she turned around, a blue wind rushed past her, ruffling her spines at the same time a door opened and Sonic's voice echoed in a shout,
"We're back; how'd it go?"
There was no immediate answer; this left Amy and Sonic enough time to enter the blue hedgehog's shared accommodation and almost instantly they were struck by the atmosphere and similarly deflated by it. It was the alien sense of someone's quiet, stoically endured disappointment, an experience you knew didn't affect you directly but still managed to cause disquiet in the back of your mind. Without waiting and in silence, they both entered the kitchen, where Shadow was sat talking quietly with Mighty; the armadillo looked up and offered a regretful smile that told its own story as Sonic and Amy both lowered their eyes, though Sonic had to ask,
"Why not?" To his slight surprise though, rather than being completely upset, Mighty seemed more annoyed with herself than anything else as she explained,
"It wasn't the one for me; I should have read the small print closer", she shook her naturally helmeted head in self-recrimination, feeling low as she'd wasted everyone's time, "it was mostly a desk job and I couldn't do that, the paperwork bores me to absolute tears; soon as they said it I knew, and I guess they must have cottoned on pretty quick, so no luck this time". Amy smiled in commiseration; seeing the expression from the corner of his eye, Sonic was struck with an idea and quickly crossed the room, rubbing her shoulder and chuckling,
"Well tell you what Mich; we've got nibbles in the fridge, a full deck on the side, Tails on call for a game and Amy in the kitchen tonight. Let's all just have a quiet few hands of cards and go from there – you're here for now so let's make the most of it".
XXX
"Amy", Mighty spoke as she held her hands closer to her chest, sneaking a glance at Tails as he tried to flick his eyes at her cards unnoticed, "when you tell me how you deal with the madness of the blue menace over there", Sonic smiled as if complimented and casually kicked his feet onto the table, "could you pass on the recipe for those hot dogs? Don't usually eat meat, but if that's the cuisine standard in this city I'll be changing that like a shot". The rose hedgehog as she accepted her solitary card from Shadow, the sudden widening of her eyes giving away she hadn't picked up what she'd wanted even as she replied,
"Thanks a lot, the secret's in the mince and how you squash it at the right time, but anyway", the hedgehog turned to look at the armadillo more squarely, "Sonic was a bit thin on the details about how you two actually met up – we know you went dancing together, were you at school or anything like that as well?"
"Nah; bad enough I had to deal with him trampling all over my toes; I shudder to think what'd happen if he got loose with a rucksack", Sonic's smile became ever thinner as Mighty grinned at him before continuing, "no, I was staying with my aunt and uncle and they wanted me to learn a bit of grace".
"It didn't work; she nearly bankrupted the school in insurance costs – fixing that many broken feet don't come cheap" Sonic cut in, baiting his friend and chilling her smile before Shadow broke it up as he shuffled the deck,
"Okay, break it up folks; how many you want Smurf?" Sonic turned to face him and even he was quailed by the pair of bazookas that had replaced the hedgehog's eyes and were now aimed right at his forehead,
"Listen Blackie; only Mighty gets to call me that and only then because I get to call her shelly, got it?"
"Every word; how many cards"; must resist, must not give in…no, can't hold it back; "Smurfette?"
There was general laughter from all concerned as Sonic was forced to concede the hit, holding up three fingers and taking his cards in a respectful silence. Shadow apologised with his eyes before taking two for himself and checking his hand; not too shabby, but it could be improved by the next whip-around. As he considered his next move, he listened in idly as Tails spoke next to their new guest,
"So what was it about the job you didn't like? Not enough fieldwork did you say, in what way?" The armadillo shook her head before sighing,
"It was just filling in forms, sending off forms and keeping an eye on the annual budget, and I just can't do that – it drives me up the wall and the ceiling as well. I just hate it; I want a job that lets me work outside as well – I used to work for a haulage firm until it went bust; I've been looking for a similar job ever since", she sat back in her chair and casually flexed one arm, looking thoughtful, "my mother always said my strength was a gift, I need a job where I can put it to good use, much like your speed Sonic, and you as well Shadow", she spared him a glance, only to see something was very wrong; a little unsettled by the way he seemed to be looking at her as though seeing her for the first time, she shifted uncomfortably and inquired, "something wrong Shadow?"
XXX
The pieces had flown together like atomic particles slamming to reach critical mass; the resultant mental explosion searing thought and doubt from his mind as he saw it completely, utterly and perfectly, focussed on the Mobian sat across from him. With care, he put down the cards he'd just picked, the curious and in some case outright alarmed looks he was receiving just bouncing off his new armour of pure, unadulterated logic.
"Excuse me please"; with that, he folded his cards and stumbled off his seat, lurching like a sleep walker to implement his plan, the first step coming to hand as he pulled the door to behind him.
XXX
They all asked the same question; Sonic only put it into words,
"What's gotten into him all of a sudden", he stiffened abruptly and spun to Amy, "you don't think it was another flashback?"
"I don't think so", the pink hedgehog shook her head, though the idea was nice as she indicated the still confused Mighty, who was sat still waiting for an explanation, "who could she remind him of; oh, Shadow has amnesia, he gets flashbacks once in a while, tries to remember things". There was a slight 'oh' of understanding before the black hedgehog's voice echoed through the hallway as a summons,
"Tails, a minute please". Mystified, the fox nonetheless followed the trail Shadow had blazed to meet with the schemer, provoking further whispers as to what he was up to, and how was Tails involved. Fortunately, such scratching of heads was delayed by the door opening less than a minute after the fox had departed; even as the two returning Mobians filed back into the kitchen, it seemed whatever affliction Shadow had contracted was contagious as Tails was grinning like a fool also. Without a word of explanation, both retook their seats and Shadow pickled up the deck once more, starting to shuffle before Mighty, with a look at both Sonic and Amy, set her elbows on the table and delved into the heart of the matter,
"You, um, you want to let us know what you were both plotting out there? And what was with the funny eyes at me?" The two plotters lazily inclined their heads to look at each other, Tails giving the nod for Shadow to speak; with excitement and self-satisfaction obvious in his voice, the former ultimate life-form calmly informed her,
"I've just got you another interview".
In the stunned silence that followed, broken only by the slight shuffling as Shadow never stopped shifting the cards, it was the unwritten law that the one whom this pronouncement affected most of all had to be the one to ask, even if she was the last to physically recover her wits from the mental shock,
"You, you what?", there was a time for gratitude and it normally came after explanations, "who the hell with?"
A/N: Answers on a postcard please :-).