Hello, everyone! This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing back in! Okay, seems like this story finally hit 100 views in total. I'm not going to make that a regular goal or anything like that; it's just something funny I noticed, and to be honest, I'm happy that it's even gotten that much. I really hope that everyone who made that happen enjoyed the first chapter well enough, and if that's the case, I especially hope that this one won't disappoint either. Alrighty then, now that I got that out there, let's get the ball rolling again!
NOTE:
-I do not own any of the characters featured in this chapter.
Voyage of the Setting Dawn
"Helloooooo, Franco!"
Echo's eyes snapped wide open at the sound of Undina's voice.
As she reflected on her current situation, she found herself thinking back to her home of Meropis; between the breezy rain she was under and the fountain she was sitting at, it almost felt like she had never left at all. For just a little while, she had completely forgotten where she was currently at.
Of course, the second she opened her eyes, she remembered she was still at Spagonia. Not exactly her favorite place—not by a long shot—but it was where her duty had led her.
When she turned to the source of her charge's voice, she saw Undina talking with a human. Even though she didn't recall running into him during her previous visit, she was surprised by how much he resembled Professor Pickle's assistant—someone she was familiar with—at first glance, even if his attire was much less formal by comparison.
"Long time no see!" Whatever the case, it seemed Undina was much more familiar with him. "How's it going?"
For his part, as far as Echo could tell, it looked like he was happy to see her. "Hey, Deena. I had no idea you were back! Where have you been?"
"Oh, you know… around." Undina smiled at him, topping it off with a comically overdone shrug. "But enough about me! What about you?"
Franco shook his head. "Well, there's not much to say. Just another day in the life of an average Spagonia University student."
"Aw, come on, Franco! We both know you're way more interesting than that!" Undina's eyes suddenly widened and her esca lit up briefly, a reaction that Echo was already starting to get used to. "Oooooohhhhhh… I see how it is. You want to talk about it over lunch, don't you?"
He had himself a brief chuckle at this. "You know me too well, Deena."
"What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't?" Undina replied with a giggle. "Speaking of friends, there's someone who you simply have to meet!" Before he could even think of reacting, she jumped over to his side and practically dragged him away. "Come on, come on!"
As she saw the two of them approaching her, Echo turned her head away, not entirely sure what to think at this time.
Clearly, this was someone that the princess trusted and knew fairly well; he'd have to be if they were casual enough for him to call her by a nickname without a second thought…
…which, incidentally, was a concept the dolphin still had trouble grasping. At first, she just assumed that Undina asking people to call her by a nickname instead of by her royal title was all a part of the act she was putting on in front of the pirates, but so far, both Franco and Josef had spoken to her, or about her, while seemingly ignoring her status as a princess completely. Did she really trust them that much, or had she been like that with everyone on the surface world?
"Helloooooo!"
Before she could reflect on the matter any further, she realized that Undina had already made her way back to the fountain and was standing right behind her.
"Lieutenant, this is Franco." Echo turned herself around as Undina said that, getting a closer look at the young man as soon as she stopped. "He's the friend I told you about earlier!"
By sheer force of habit, she immediately stood up straight and returned the raining umbrella to its owner before saluting him.
"Franco, this is Lieutenant Echo of the Meropis City Guard." She didn't get to introduce herself as planned, however, since Undina was quicker to the draw, although she did appreciate the fact that the princess seemed to treat her title with respect. "She's going to be my personal bodyguard! Isn't she just absolutely cute?"
Echo opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, that last comment sunk in with her and she stopped right in her tracks. That was… not something she was expecting to hear.
"Uhh… sure?" Going by the look on his face, Franco was equally as thrown off.
This made Undina giggle once more. "So, about that lunch…"
"Oh, right!" And just like that, Franco seemed to be back on track, as he quickly turned his focus over to Echo. "Lieutenant, how do you feel about pasta alla paccico?"
The dolphin could feel her head tilting to the side. "Pas… ta?"
Pasta alla paccico.
That was a dish that she hadn't gotten a chance to hear about, much less sample, during her last visit. She had been there strictly on business and nothing else, and with Spagonia having made as bad an impression on her as it had, she wasn't in any hurry to learn anything more than what she needed about the place.
With that in mind, she was surprised by the meal she had been given. Having briefly spotted a place by the name of "Restaurant Swa" during her frantic search for Undina, she had thought that was the place that Franco would bring them to, only to find out that Josef, the same man who had just helped her out earlier, was actually the one who offered this dish that Franco had asked her about, right at his little shop. Much to her relief, Franco had decided to treat both her and Undina; in fact, he insisted on it quite adamantly. She could only assume that the princess was serious about him being her friend, and that she had done the same for him at some point.
Not long after taking a seat at a nearby table, Echo had been presented with a plate of what was presumably this "pasta" that Franco had spoken of, and while it didn't leave as much of an impression as its intense scent, the sight of it was quite striking for her, too. It was unlike anything she had ever seen or eaten at Meropis, and much as she didn't want to admit it, the look and smell of what Franco had described as the "sauce" were making her genuinely curious about whether or not this would be good to eat.
"Hey, Lieutenant?"
Despite her intense focus on the meal she had been served, she immediately picked up on the sound of Undina's voice coming from behind her, although she sounded a bit strange. The moment she turned around, she spotted both the princess and Franco, each of them with a meal of their own on hand.
"Awe oo goig goo…" Her odd tone and pronunciation made perfect sense now; apparently, she had no problems with the idea of speaking with her mouth full… or at least, not until she heard herself and promptly swallowed what she was eating. "Sorry about that. Are you going to eat that?"
Franco, surprisingly, didn't seem to mind this at all.
"You haven't touched it at all." If anything, he was more concerned with what the lieutenant was doing… or not doing, as it were. "It's going to get cold if you don't hurry."
As the two friends made their way to their seats, Echo turned back around, and she could only stare at her plate for a few more seconds before sighing.
"I apologize." She looked at Franco once again, and she noticed that he had also ordered the exact same dish for himself. "I appreciate the gesture. It's just that… I've never really had anything like this before."
He nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean. We had the same problem the first time around."
Echo noticed how he turned his attention over to Undina as he finished that sentence, which prompted her to do the same.
"It's true!" Undina was also nodding, although her gestures were much more enthusiastic. "I was confused at first, but it turned out pretty well. It really is delicious!" She raised her arms so that Echo could get a good look at what she had in her hands. "We had more than a few before I figured out I liked chili dogs so much better." Then she took them back. "But that's just me. I'm sure you're going to love it!"
Somehow, this seemed to reassure Echo. If the princess liked it so much, then surely it must be a high-quality meal, right? Sure, the idea that she had found her latest adventure "fun" was questionable, but her taste in food should be right on point, shouldn't it? It would certainly explain the unique scent and the overall look and presentation, as well as the amount of praise that Franco had for it.
And so, without further ado, she grabbed a fork, and after seeing the way in which Franco was eating, she did her best to imitate him.
Grab some strands, drag them to the side of the plate, then spin a few times until there's a bundle wrapped around it and— no, that's too big. Try again… there, much better… and then eat it.
She took a deep breath before putting the fork in her mouth, and…
"Soooooo… how is it?"
While Echo didn't answer her immediately, Undina kept an eye on her bodyguard's reactions. The first bite suggested that she had made a mistake and was ready to give up, but the second bite quickly turned that around; Echo's face turned curious, her eyes even widening during the third bite. She kept going for a few seconds, and after she swallowed, she immediately went for a second, slightly less modest mouthful, as if to confirm she wasn't going insane all of a sudden.
"Lieutenant?" She noticed that Franco was also looking at Echo, and he seemed equally as interested in getting a response as she was.
Even after swallowing once more, it took a moment for Echo to answer them.
"This sauce… what is it made of?"
She then noticed how surprised Undina appeared to be. "…Well, that's not quite the answer I thought we'd get, but still…"
"It's herb sauce." Franco, on the other hand, was completely unshaken. "Paccico herb sauce, with some ground nuts to add to the flavor. It's pretty popular around here."
By the time he was done talking, Echo had already helped herself to some more of her pasta.
"Is that so?" She thought about her next question. "How long can it last after preparation?"
This time, Undina was the one who answered. "Well, when you store it properly, homemade pasta sauce would normally last for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, but it can last longer if you put it in an airtight container and freeze it… I think."
"I… understand." It took some effort to get her next sentence out, and even then, she averted her eyes as she did. "Could we… purchase a few of these?"
Once more, Undina's esca lit up right as her eyes widened. "Ooh, now there's an idea! We could pack some of them for the trip! At the very least, they should be good for a couple runs!"
Echo felt strangely relieved at her response.
She was out of her element, away from home, stuck at a place she'd rather not be, and now, after feeling at fault for underestimating her charge's intelligence when she had already proven herself as smart and capable, she found herself embarrassed at asking what felt like a favor from her so soon after her mistake. She wouldn't have faulted the princess for calling her out on her perceived sense of entitlement.
Instead, much like what had happened at the fountain, Undina was apparently oblivious to her discomfort and acted like nothing was wrong, almost as if the numerous mistakes she felt she had made in such a short amount of time had never happened. She'd almost consider it a show of true idiocy if she hadn't already confirmed for herself that Undina was as far from being an idiot as you could get, but either way, she couldn't help but find it reassuring somehow.
She was slightly shaken when she heard Franco laughing, but then she noticed that he was looking at Undina as he did, and not at her.
"You're still doing it! I thought it was just me, but it wasn't! Your light still comes on when you're surprised!" He kept on laughing for a moment before catching himself, as if he had suddenly realized something. "Wait… trip? What trip?"
Undina quickly waved off his question. "Oh, don't worry about that. We can talk about it later." The expression on her face immediately changed to one of interest. "Let's talk about you! How's everything going for you?"
She then took a bite out of one of her two chili dogs, as if to say "I'm waiting" to him. A chuckle escaped him before he finally answered her.
"Well, there's not much to say for my classes. We were all told that our studies were just going be put on hold until further notice, but they didn't tell us why." He shrugged slightly. "It wasn't easy telling Dad about it, but we were able to make it a three-way call, so that helped."
This time, Undina swallowed before speaking again. "Oh, by the way, how is he doing?"
"He's doing just fine, thanks. Actually, he asked about you too; I told him you were doing alright." He brought out a phone from the shoulder bag he was carrying and looked at the screen for a moment before putting it away again. "Now we're just waiting for someone to let us know when our classes are back on. Nothing yet, but I'm sure everyone's looking forward to it."
This got a laugh out of the princess. "Well, I don't know about Federica and Raimondo, but I'm sure Lilli would perk up right away." And then, just like before, her esca lit up just as her eyes widened. "Ooh, speaking of which…" She gave Franco a bit of a sly grin. "How's it going with Lilli? I bet you had plenty of time to speak with her while I was away!"
Having done nothing but sit quietly and pay attention as the conversation moved along, Echo was surprised by how his face fell as soon as Undina said those words.
"Oh… yeah, about that…" He cleared his throat for a bit, looking like he needed to find the right words. "It's… not going to work out, Deena."
Right away, Undina's face also fell slightly. "Wait, what? Why not?"
"It's… complicated, but basically, she really liked Raimondo, except he didn't notice, and when I called him out on it, well…" Franco paused for a moment. "…Let's just say things are going to work out between them."
It took Undina a little work before figuring out what she wanted to say next. "What about Federica? I could've sworn she and Raimondo had something going on."
"Me too, but I guess we were both wrong." A sigh escaped him before he straightened himself up. "At least she and I still get along. I'm sure she can find someone else."
Taking both him and Echo by surprise, Undina put her chili dogs down on the table and stood up before making her way over to his side.
"And so can you." She brought a hand up to his shoulder. "It's never too late. There are plenty of fish in the sea. Believe me, I know that better than most!"
Echo took note of his reactions to that comment. At first, he seemed receptive, but then he looked confused, and he quickly looked at Undina like he was ready to say something, but by the time he actually laid eyes on her, it was like he just realized something he hadn't before, and then he just started laughing. It wasn't long before Undina joined in.
"I see what you did there!" Franco managed to say between laughs. "For not being among the top students, you sure are clever!"
Undina kept laughing for a bit before turning her attention over to Echo.
"Would you look at this guy?" She pointed at Franco. "Most of the time you'll find him with a vacant look on his face, but make one silly pun and he's in stitches!"
The dolphin could only offer a weak chuckle in response, and as she watched them laughing at what Undina had said, she could only think of one thing.
…I don't get it.
The two friends just kept it going for a bit before breaking for air.
"…I'm serious, though." Undina wiped away a tear, waiting until her laughter stopped completely before she spoke again. "You're a pretty cool guy, Franco. You just have to keep an eye out for the right girl, and then it'll hit you like lightning. I know that sounds like something from a movie, and maybe it is and I just don't remember which one I got it from right now, but either way, I'm pretty sure it's true."
Franco could feel himself smiling at his friend's words, but before he could say anything in response, she suddenly spoke again.
"Just make sure it's not Lieutenant Echo, okay?"
This caught both him and Echo off-guard. Was she being serious, or was she just kidding around? They'd probably agree that it was hard to tell with her.
"I know she's really pretty and super cool and all, but we're otherwise engaged right now." Even her voice didn't make it any easier for them to figure out. "Besides, I think we can all agree that most people would find it pretty weird, right?"
Echo's mouth hung open for a moment as she tried to find the right answer, but in the end, she only managed to force two words out.
"I… guess?"
By contrast, Franco knew exactly what he wanted to say. "Well, either way… thanks, Deena. It's nice to know you haven't given up on me."
"Never." Undina's answer came included with a big, silly grin.
She hadn't even made it back to her seat before he spoke up again. "What about you, though? Have you met anyone you liked? Any boyfriends? Girlfriends?"
Undina picked up her half-eaten chili dog before sitting down.
"Nope, nothing yet. I did meet this really cute girl on my travels, but she was a pirate and she stole my jewelry right from the start, so I'm pretty sure that's a no-go. Plus, her crew was all for pillaging innocent cities, including my home, so… yeah." She gave a bit of a nonchalant shrug. "Still, I got all my jewelry back and got to keep their ship, so I guess it evens out." Finally, she finished off her second chili dog. "Maybe the right person will turn up one day. Who knows?"
It wasn't until after she swallowed her current mouthful that she finally noticed how surprised Franco looked.
"…What was that about pirates?"
She brought her free hand to the back of her head, feeling a little embarrassed. "Yeah… that's kind of why we're here. There's something we wanted to discuss with you."
"Oh?" Franco tilted his head to the side in confusion.
Undina put her arm back down before taking a single calming breath. "So, here's the thing…"
Once again, Echo simply stayed quiet and watched as Undina told Franco the story that led her from Meropis, to Spagonia University, to the Setting Dawn, and then back to Spagonia. There were no new details for her to account for this time, but she did take note of Franco's overall reaction to the story.
Apparently, he was aware that Undina had grown bored with her studies and wanted to see the world, but he didn't think she'd be able to actually do so, on account of the world having been shattered at one point; his shock at the idea that she was able to make it to Empire City despite that and got to work with her favorite fashion designer was, admittedly, something she found fairly amusing. Eventually, the story of how Undina was kidnapped by pirates and rescued by Echo, Razor the Shark and the members of the Chaotix Detective Agency was covered in extensive detail…
…although Echo couldn't help but notice that Undina neglected to mention her own part in their escape, instead focusing more on the lieutenant's efforts to find and rescue her, which was definitely confusing to her. Surely the fact that their escape wouldn't have been possible without the princess providing the password for the ship's controls would call for some degree of self-congratulation, wouldn't it?
Either way, the story was almost over, and she wasn't sure what would happen next.
"…But before we could start the world tour back up again, Lieutenant Echo pointed out that just having a ship isn't enough." Undina kept track with her fingers as she brought up a few points. "We still need some resources to keep things going for a while. We're going to need food—and I mean real food, not just cereal and porridge—and money and more hands on deck. I was thinking we could do some jobs, earn a little cash, and hopefully put together a crew to help us handle all the important stuff." She paused for a moment before she got to the last point. "And… I figured we could get a bit of a running start if we talked to you, what with your father being rich and all."
Franco needed a few seconds to take it all in, but eventually, he figured out what he wanted to say.
"So… you want money?"
Echo couldn't help but flinch at his choice of words.
"I swear I wouldn't ask it of you if I had another choice, but it's just the two of us right now and Spagonia was the closest place we had." Undina minced no words when explaining herself. "And I promise I can make it worth your while."
Franco noticed how uncomfortable the two of them seemed to be. From what he could tell, they really did feel awful about the whole thing.
"Okay, I guess I understand that… and for as long as we've known each other, you've never lied to me about anything." He stopped to give his next comment a little thought. "Still, why didn't you get to it right away if that's what you wanted?"
Once again, Undina was direct and straightforward with her answer. "Because I've been away for a while, and I really wanted to catch up with you first. I mean, come on, what sort of an inconsiderate jerk would I be if I came back after a long time and just straight-up told you I wanted money without even stopping to say 'hello'? That's not the kind of girl I am!"
She was so focused on getting that across the right way, she didn't even notice the surprised look that had taken over Echo's face.
"You're my friend, not my meal ticket… even if I do appreciate you treating us to lunch." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I really did mean what I said before about you, and I'm being serious now too. If there's anything you need from me, just tell me what it is, and I'll happily do it. I'll do that before getting anything from you if that's what it takes!"
By the time she was done, Franco appeared to be staring blankly for no discernible reason.
"Is he… alright?" Echo asked.
Undina patted her shoulder a few times. "Don't worry, he always does that. A lot of people think he's being weird, but those of us who know him well can tell you he's thinking things through. Just give him a moment."
And indeed, it was only a little while before he looked at the two once more.
"Alright, no problem. I'll help you out." He then reached into his shoulder bag again. "By the way, I wasn't really going to ask you for anything in return, but if you're serious about it, I guess there is something I could use some help with."
Echo found herself floored by his assertion, but then she was even more surprised when she saw Undina rapidly nodding her head.
"Of course! I'm the princess of Meropis! I promised to make it worth your while, and I'm as true to my word as it gets!" She leaned against the table, like she was trying to get closer to him. "What do you want from me?"
Franco had himself a chuckle over her reaction. "Oh, it's nothing serious, really."
He brought his hand out of the shoulder bag and showed the two what he was looking for: a printed invitation to an upcoming event, promising timely updates to anyone who accepted.
"Federica's going to throw a big party one of these days and she invited me to come along. I told her I would, but that was before I found out that the others are mostly going to be people that she knows. I don't want to go back on it because I don't want to make her feel bad so soon after what happened with Raimondo and Lilli, but I've never really had a chance to talk to any of her other friends, and… I guess I feel a little awkward about it."
Undina nodded her head, though much slower this time. "Oh, I see."
"I know it's probably going to sound silly, but…" He paused for a moment, as if he had only just realized exactly how silly it would sound. "…would you mind if I asked you to join in?"
"Sure! Anything for a friend!" Undina's reply came so quickly, he'd almost swear she would've said that no matter what he asked of her, if not for what she followed it up with. "I bet I can help you find a new sweetie while we're there!"
That managed to get Franco a little flustered. "No, no, y-you don't have to—"
"Ooh, and I could bring Lieutenant Echo along, too! I bet she'll be turning heads when we're there! That should draw all the attention away from you!" Right after she said that, she actually looked at Echo, like she had just realized what it was that she said. "If that's okay with you, I mean."
The dolphin was shocked at first, but eventually she just turned her eyes away, almost looking embarrassed as she did. "I… I need to think about it."
"It's alright, Lieutenant." Franco addressed her concerns. "The date keeps getting pushed back for lots of different reasons. There's nothing solid yet, so you have plenty of time to think about it, and I'll understand if you don't feel comfortable with it."
Instantly feeling relieved, Echo sighed a bit more loudly than she intended. "Thanks for your understanding… and for your generosity."
"Yeah, you're the best, Franco!" Undina gave him a thumbs-up. "You'll keep me updated on this party thing, right? I'm pretty sure you still have my number!"
He nodded before putting the invitation away. "I'll let you know in advance, Deena."
"Awesome!"
Before anyone knew what happened, Undina had made her way over to Franco's side once more and gave the boy a big hug.
"You still… do that too…?" He barely managed to force those words out as the fish girl had him in a vice-like grip.
Once again, she nodded rapidly, even though he couldn't see it. "It's the best part of any good day."
"Where… do you get the… upper body strength… to hug like this?"
Her response was as direct as it was hammy. "I fill up on vitamins eeeeeevery single day!"
She wasn't sure if it was because of the utter silliness of the princess' assertion, or simply because she just seemed so incredibly proud of said silliness, but either way, Echo found herself chuckling at the whole display.
Once Undina finally released him, Franco groaned in pain before taking a moment to catch his breath. When he managed to compose himself, he only had one question.
"So… how much money are we talking about?"
To everyone who didn't just back out of the story before getting down here to the bottom: first of all, I really want to thank you for finishing this chapter. It took me a lot of time and a much-needed vacation, and while I do feel awful for having to hold off on everything except the collab project with the guys for so long, it did give me enough time to clear my thoughts and get a better feel for what I want to do going forward, so I guess it's not all bad. Secondly, I really do hope this has been a fun read, and that you'll keep an eye out for the rest of the story. It wouldn't even have the amount of hits it currently does without people at least checking it out briefly, and I hope the next part won't take so long to turn up here on the site.
It looks like our two leading ladies have had a lucky break on their first stop. What's next on the travel itinerary now that they've got some of what they need? Everything should become a bit clearer as things move along, but for now, as usual…
This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing off.
