A/N: Voila! Chapter seven. This one took me a while to write, I'm afraid, because I've been lazy and writer's block…ed. It's dreadful, isn't it? I've been having some self-esteem issues… Scrutinizing my writing, bashing my head into walls… just feeling like a one of the monkeys with those typewriters who wrote Hamlet or whatever… You know, that sort of depressed shit :P. I'm allowed to say shit because I made my rating "T" :). I'm so smart! S-M-R-T!
--LA
WOOT! I do not own any characters or whatever in my story :). Imagine what would happen if we authors didn't write these disclaimers!.. SEGA would sue us all, and get super rich… and then they would make some amazing games! I'm seriously considering erasing this message now… I'd do my time, then come back out to find a whole bunch of awesome, plot-having games! Three cheers for plots!
Tendrils of pale vapour rose from two identical plates of steaming supper placed before the two shapely women. Their platters were adorned with an array of seafood and rice. The fox lifted a silver spoon to her lips with her eyes closed. She savoured her mouthful for a long moment before returning her spoon to the half-empty plate in front of her. Across from the fox sat a white bat, eyes gazing blankly into the evening sky where the first stars were beginning to show their shining faces. The seafood on the plate set before her was completely untouched. Grace chewed and swallowed her mouthful, then broke the dinner's silence.
"You should eat something." She said in a kind voice, although there was a trace of superiority in her tone. Rouge snapped back to earth, turning abruptly to face her company.
"I don't do seafood." The bat said, frowning at her dish. Grace frowned at her partner and placed her spoon on the table.
"You can't afford to be picky." replied the fox in a frustratingly calm voice. For the entire span of the few hours they had spent in the spacious hotel room, Rouge had been on the edge of loosing her temper. She could tell that the fox was simply one of those people who was exceedingly difficult to be with for large periods of time.
"I'm fine." The bat replied. She felt a pang of annoyance at why Grace and her glaring self-confidence were so challenging to speak to. The fox made Rouge feel like a clueless adolescent who needed to be corrected and spoken-down to on every occasion.
"Alright, then." Grace said dismissively. "Since you're not eating, you want to go get me a glass of wine from the fridge."
Rouge silently obeyed. These rhetorical questions were just one other thing which made Grace frustrating to be around. It made Rouge feel as if she was obliged to be a proper host, although their host-guest relationship was completely neutral. And the way Grace remained always pleasant made Rouge feel childish and sulky. The fox seemed to siphon all of the confidence out of anyone around her, drawing it into herself and making everyone else feel awkward. She also had a way of never agreeing, no matter what Rouge said, and worst of all, her opinions always seemed to make perfect sense. The bat angrily grabbed a pair of glasses and a bottle of red wine from the kitchen, returning slowly to the balcony where they were dining.
She poured it into the two crystal glasses. Grace took the one in which Rouge had accidentally dispensed slightly more wine than the other.
Felix sat amongst a mountain of stuffed animals, playing out a scene with a minuature tiger and a shining unicorn.
"Oh no!" Squealed the unicorn as the tiger leapt onto its back with a harsh roar, sinking in nonexistent teeth. Predator and prey wrestled around for several minutes, accompanied with many loud 'aargh''s and growls.
"Felix, my dear!" Gabrielle cooed, appearing next to him and tugging him into a tight hug. The child returned the embrace and showed Gabrielle his two new stuffed animals.
"Can we get them?" He asked happily.
"Of course!" the squirrel clucked, pushing one of Felix's locks of hair out of his beaming face. The two were sitting in a cozy toy store owned by Gabrielle's good friend. She sometimes deposited Felix here when she needed to do something on her own. She carried the two toys and her son to the register. They waited in a queue for a moment, and just as they were about to pay, a grinning rabbit stepped in front of them.
"Nice try, Gabby." She said in a jokingly serious voice.
"Laure-lee!" Gabrielle exclaimed happily, placing the toys and Felix on the ground and pulling her friend into a hug.
"You know you don't pay here."
"Laura-lee, do not be silly!" the squirrel said with a smile, trying to get around her friend who was blocking the check-out.
"No."
"But-"
"No. It's on me."
"Oh, Laura-lee." Gabrielle said with a defeated smile. "You do spoil us."
"I try." The rabbit said happily, picking up the toys off the ground and handing them to Felix.
"Come back soon."
"Thanks." Felix said happily, hugging his two new friends tightly.
"Thank you so much." Gabrielle beamed, stepping out the door.
"Bye, hun."
Felix skipped down the street pulling Gabrielle along in his wake. They reached their shining convertible which had been custom coloured to match the squirrel's salmon pink fur. They both took their seats and Gabrielle fastened Felix into his car-seat, starting the vehicle. The young boy made his new toys fight in his lap, silent except for an odd 'roar' or 'aah!'. They pulled into the parking lot of the hotel where they were staying until able to move into the soon-to-be house. They made their way inside and up to the floor homing the presidential suites. As they entered the elevator, Felix ran ahead and confidently pushed the round button which read "38". He grinned as it illuminated, and waited for Gabrielle.
"Can we press one more?" He asked hopefully, eyes wide. He seemed to get a huge pleasure from pushing these insignificant floor numbers.
"I cannot see why not."
Felix happily jabbed his finger into a random button, 9, so that two glowing circles stood out between the many white ones. The doors slid shut and Felix bounced on his heels cheerfully until the elevator halted with a gentle nudge, and the doors glided back open to reveal a short panda bear waiting, a bucket clutched in both hands.
"Hi!" She said happily, skipping into the elevator, her pale pink sundress flowing behind her.
"I'm Leah!" She gleefully said, dropping the bucket on the elevator floor and swaying her arms back and forth along her side. She had huge, chocolate-brown eyes and long curls of black hair which fell down her back and bounced whit every step she took.
"Hello, Leah." said Gabrielle with a tiny laugh. "Which floor do you need to go to?"
"Oh yeah! I forgot." Leah said with a giggle. "Floor sixteen. I'm supposed to go get ice."
Felix stared at her for a moment with his mouth open slightly.
"I'm Felix." He said at last. "We're here because we're getting a new house soon!"
Leah looked at her feet.
"We're here 'cause our house got on fire."
Tears began to swell in her dark eyes as she gazed sadly at her tiny black shoes. Gabrielle was completely speechless. Felix, however, gave the panda a sympathetic look and a small hug.
"Thank you." She said with a teary smile. The door opened with a small 'ping' and Leah gave them a final smile. "Bye!"
She stepped out and left Gabrielle and Felix alone once again.
"Poor thing." Said the squirrel quietly, finally finding her voice. The two stood in silence for another moment before another soft 'ping' announced floor thirty-eight. They stepped out of the elevator and into the large and extravagant room.
The two bed suite, although extremely comfortable and modern-looking, simply did not have the same, comfortable feeling that only a real home could supply. They both got ready for bed in relentless silence which neither dared to break. To Gabrielle, it felt as though the quiet which hung in the air, shockingly tangible, was the only thing keeping her composed. She was uncertain why, but her pity for the small girl, who could not have been more than a year older than Felix, was overtaking. As she brushed her teeth, she wished desperately for something she could do to help.
A/N: Another short one, I'm afraid. Sorry! Silly, silly Grace. She's based on a real person too, you know :P. My cousin… whose name I don't think I will mention, in case she some how found this… But I spend half of my summer with her… and man, I could tear heads of the entire time. And I'm so nice that I decided to hold off on telling you guys Tails' big idea until the next chapter. Ahh well, guess you have no choice but to KEEP READING!!!! I wouldn't blame you stopped, though… As I said, I feel like my writing is awful right now. But review this chapter anyways, even if you don't continue :). Thanks!
--LA