Here's chapter five of A Painting's Shadow, everyone! Hope you will be filled with more warmth and fuzziness as the entire chapter is continuing Shadow and Mary's interactions from the previous chapter.
Let's get to reading!
It's a beautiful late morning in the Forest Hill. After last night's weather, the sky is almost devoid of clouds, letting the sunlight shine down on this side of the planet's landscape.
Near a clear pond bereft of any impurities, two blue Flickies, probably a couple, land beside it. Like any wandering birds do, they peck the grass with their small beaks, walking around the pond but not straying from each other. Once they are done pecking, they then huddle up together to prune each other's feathers, wings, and beak. It is a lovely sight for any birdwatchers to see, even if they are not flying at the moment which would be preferable for them.
The Flickies continue pruning each other, emitting cheery chirps and tweets with each peck, until the sound of a door opening spooks them, making them fly away and out of the clearing.
The two inhabitants of this single house come out, unaware they scared the Flickies away. One of them doesn't have the patience to wait her caretaker to come out with her as she practically ran in the open with her head raised up with stunned eyes and wide mouth.
She is gazing at the blue sky, the real sky she never thought she would see in her life after knowing about it from the books detailing what the real world is. She next noticed the fluffy clouds moving across the sky, pushed on by the wind she felt in her face and making her hair and dress sway rhythmically. She didn't forget the heat from the sun, which she looked around until she found it floating up there midway after it rose from the horizon, shining its sunlight everywhere (though she averted her eyes from it due to its piercing brightness).
Mary is beyond amazed. This is the first time she experienced daytime, and so far, it had exceeded her expectations of getting to experience the sky light up thanks to the bright sun, white clouds scattered across the sky and the blowing wind passing pretty much everything, herself and Shadow included. She couldn't contain her excitement anymore, so she raised her hands up high, wanting to try touching the air as she laughed wholeheartedly.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha! I can't believe it! I get to see the sky, sun and clouds with my own eyes! It's really exhilarating! What a nice weather too! I have only imagined what daytime is like through my drawings after reading what it's like being sunny, but I think… my drawings wouldn't compare to the real experience of feeling the sun on my face, the breeze on my skin, and, and…!"
"Calm down, Mary. Calm down," Shadow came in to stop her boundless energy from overtaking her, putting his hand on her shoulder to make her stop. "I get your excitement, but don't waste your energy from describing your feelings, even if this is your first time experiencing daytime."
Feeling annoyed he interrupted her, she was about to say something back, but after thinking about his words for a moment, she decides to heed his advice to save her energy for the rest of their outing. Or more specifically, a tour for a girl who wants to go to a lot of places she wanted to visit.
"Oops! Sorry if I got too excited, Shadow! *giggles*" said Mary, smiling unashamedly.
"I don't blame you getting overexcited," he told her he doesn't mind, removing his hand off her shoulder. "This is all a new experience for you. To be honest, if I hadn't been focused on my objective when I first woke up, I would have acted the same."
"Being excited, Shadow?"
"Not like that. But close enough."
"Well… I'm sure you would if you weren't so serious all the time."
"Can't help it. This is how I conduct myself, as you may already know."
After checking if his gloves and shoes aren't loose, Shadow looked at Mary and says, "Alright. It's time we go. We have a lot to buy and places to visit…as you hounded me for it during breakfast."
Mary chuckled sheepishly, remembering Shadow's annoyed glare when she persisted in telling him about the many, many places she wants to go. "Maybe I should have remarked about the breakfast I have, which is also the first time I ate food. I mean, I am not feeling hungry for some reason, but when I took my first bite… Mmmmhmmm! It's sooooooo goooooood…!"
"Better than the 'food' you created using your crayons back in your former home, right?" stated Shadow, repeating the line from when they have breakfast.
"Don't remind me of that," she grumbled with a disgusted look. "Should I tell him that crayons don't taste good, I wonder? Hmm, nah. Probably not since he already knew that food made from drawing them might apply the same," she mumbled her next statement as quietly as possible. At least that's what she thought until Shadow speaks.
"Did you ate crayons, Mary?"
"What? What are you- Wait, did you hear what I said?"
"…Yes."
"Ah! P-Please don't say it again! Or better yet, forget that I said it!"
"…Can't make promises, but I'll try," shrugged Shadow.
"Oh you better be," Mary hoped.
Wanting to end their current conversation as she starts feeling impatient, Mary asks Shadow, "So can we go now? You said we will be out for a while because you have to buy me many belongings and… retrieve your… pet. Did I have that right?"
Shadow nodded. "Yes. Good thing you remembered it Mary."
"Of course I did," Mary folded her arms. "Going to a city has been on my mind after I woke up. And after you told me last night and today again about getting me adjusted to living with you, I couldn't forget about you buying me belongings, especially after I told you what stuff I want to have."
"And like you didn't forget what we will be doing today, I noted it in my mind," Shadow taps his head as a gesture. "If you're worried I may forget them, then don't."
The painting giggled, saying, "Okay! Good to know that!"
After their conversation, the two are finally ready to depart from the clearing to Central City, the city where the gallery is located and they were in last night. They will go there again to do two tasks: buy Mary her very own personal belongings she wants to have, and pick up his pet Dark Chao that has been in a caretaker for Chao for a few days because Shadow was undergoing a mission and he doesn't want them to be left alone in his house. When Mary heard about the Dark Chao, she asked him what a Chao is. He obliged, telling her the basic description of what a Chao is and their different types. Upon learning his Dark Chao looked like him as a miniature version with bat wings, she's excited to meet it, apparently happy to be living with a Chao. She hopes they are cute, which Shadow begrudgingly confirmed, adding more glee to her.
For how they will go to Central City, Shadow thought of using the Dark Rider stored in his garage, but seeing he will have to carry bags containing the objects he will buy, he decides to not use it. In fact, he admittedly found it a bit redundant riding on a motorcycle when he is capable of going fast. Guess he's going to do the same method like he did last night: carry Mary and run (or actually skate) at high speed until they made it to their location.
He told Mary about how they will get there, reminding her the first time he carried her in his arms and the screaming she let out due to how unexpected it is and the speeds she's traveling at. Though feeling nervous, she is glad Shadow told her so she gave him a nod. This is followed by the hedgehog hoisting her up and without hesitation, they sprinted away in a blur.
Though if one listen intently, they would hear Mary's scream before it fades away after they are far from this clearing.
Seeing the two have left, the two Flickies return near the pond to continue pecking the ground and each other, hoping no one else can scare them off from here again.
"We're here."
"H-Here? Y-You mean…? T-The city?"
"Yes. We're in Central City."
Putting Mary down after skating in a blaze of speed from their home to the city, Shadow looked at her first, noticing quickly her rattling body and her perturbed expression. He already expected she wouldn't endure moving so fast for the second time and wouldn't get used to it until after many times, but he's surprised to see she's shaking like a leaf.
Concerned for her condition, Shadow reach out his hand to her left hand to calm her down. But when he touched her, the girl retracted immediately, flinching with a shriek. "AAHHH! H-Huh? Oh, Shadow? Are you… going to hold my hand?" she thankfully recovered a little to comprehend what Shadow intends to do.
"…Yes," answered Shadow as he pull back his hand and folding his arms. "You look like you're not responding to me. Thought I have to hold your hand to snap you back to reality, which succeeded."
"Oh, I-I see," said Mary, understanding why he held her hand for a split second. "Sorry about that. I am… not used to be moving so fast and remain normal unlike you. My body felt like it wanted to continue moving until it doesn't shake as much anymore so… I can't help but be unresponsive."
Seeing she won't be getting used to his method of traversal for a long time, Shadow remarks, "Hmm, guess I will turn down the speed to a comfortable level. That way, you won't scream loudly when I try snapping you back again. Is that okay?"
Liking the sound of him putting a restraint to his speed, Mary nodded gratefully, stating, "Yes. Thanks Shadow. I hope that will keep my body from shaking for a third time."
"It better be," grumbled Shadow. "Otherwise, we will be attracting unwanted attention from everyone."
"Huh? Attention?"
Noticing him looking around with a displeased face, Mary followed his sight. Butterflies started flying in her stomach after she saw many people, both humans and humanoid animals, staring at the unlikely duo. They are standing in the sidewalk of the street, where people walk across to get to their location for work, school, or just doing something out of leisure. The roads see many vehicles driving around, stopping before a stop-light in an intersection to let other vehicles in different lanes or pedestrians cross.
Compared to the open space afforded by the forest's clearing and constant greenery of it where her green dress blends well with nature, being in a city streets is a stark change in her view. Instead of being out in an open, everything here has tight spacing, almost like a hallway somehow existing outside and many people of all species, age and gender occupy the streets for traveling from one place to another through walking or driving. The colors here are comprised of gray, black and white, but there exists other colors for some parts of every building or establishment. No signs of nature here, as far as her eye can see.
She was so nervous of the amount of eyes boring down to her, as if they are judging her when they actually do not, that it didn't occur to her that, except for her brief tenure in the city's streets last night, this is also the first time she's in a city, after being in a house and forest for one night.
"Wow… So many… people…" stammered Mary, moving close behind Shadow due to the small amount of attention she's having.
Sensing her discomfort, Shadow glared at every bystander gawking at them, saying, "You all gonna stand there and keep looking at us or move on to places you all need to be?"
"O-Oh. My apologies," Some of them said to him as they disperse. That leaves Shadow and Mary standing in the sidewalk while other people move pass them in every direction.
Seeing they are no longer being looked at, Mary moves away from Shadow with a relieved sigh. Her anxiousness slowly left her and in its place, her earlier excitement, albeit subdued, return to bring her mood and spirit up with a smile. "Phew, no one's looking at us anymore. I have to ask though – why did they look at us, Shadow?"
Side-eyeing her, Shadow reminded her. "Because you shouted loudly earlier."
She looked at him until she remembered who caused it, making her sheepish. "…Oh, right. Ha ha ha… Sorry about that."
"Don't apologize. It's fine, really," Shadow stopped her, feeling she's about to say more again. "Let's move. Our tasks wouldn't complete by itself if we stand still."
Nodding with vim and vigor, Mary exclaims, "Okay! Let's move then! I can't wait to see what the real world can show to me!" Unable to contain her excitement at the thought, she run across the sidewalk, almost bumping to other people.
"Hey! Don't run off on your own!" Shadow called out to her as he ran after her.
For the rest of the morning, Shadow and Mary go shopping in various stores to buy clothes, things, and basically anything Mary wants. Working as a G.U.N. agent gave Shadow a hefty amount of money, helped by his great salary bolstered by completing all missions given to him or Team Dark by the commander. Completing every missions almost without fail have strengthened his status and reputation to not only to the entire organization, but also to the general public in the know. There will be no doubt why he's called the one and only "Ultimate Lifeform".
Surprisingly, Shadow didn't spend his earned money to buy anything that interested him. He's being prudent with what things he buy, meaning when he gets to buy something, it's for basic necessities any ordinary people need to function well every day. The one time he spend a large amount of money is for his current house being built in the edge of Forest Hill, furniture, his very own (few) belongings like clothes and the like, and expenses to make his home cozy to live in. Suffice to say, he liked how his house looked and functioned.
Other than that, he has taxes to pay, which he has no problems with it. A pipe dream for pretty much everyone for making their lives easy.
Anyway, equipped with his saved money, he and Mary go to the clothing store first. Her clothes are important for her so she wouldn't worry about having nothing to wear or might get bored wearing the same green dress every day. Letting her choose, Mary almost chose every girl clothing available because she came to adore the displayed clothes with sparkles in her eyes and wide, open smile. There are some issues having to buy them all, like having them fit to Mary and the available stock – which Shadow has to decline if it's unavailable much to Mary's disappointment – but aside from those two issues, the trip in the clothing store went well.
"Shadow, is it okay if I can wear this dress frequently?" asked Mary at one point when they were browsing the racks.
"Hm? Do you like that dress?" replied Shadow, standing on the sidelines to let her have the freedom to choose what clothes she liked.
"Yeah! I'm willing to change out from this dress but I don't want to not wear it so often."
"…Sure, I don't mind. I always go out in the same attire I'm wearing."
"Really? Are you worried you are walking around while naked?"
"I'm not naked. My fur covers my body, so I'm exposing myself," he exclaimed indignantly.
"Oh. Er, sorry I asked."
Carrying four bags containing many clothes, socks, underwear, and accessories Mary would like to wear when they go home, which is almost too much for them to carry around, the next shop, under Mary's insistence, is the art shop where everything related to arts like pencils, paints, paintbrushes, easel, and papers are stored there. Since Mary is a painting and have mentioned sketching or drawing, Shadow understood why she want to buy her art materials. This is also supported by the girl sharing her dream of being like her father, which Shadow stated with a blank face, "Why am I not surprised…" Anyway, like in the clothing store, Mary have chosen everything that is displayed in the store, and like in the previous store, there is an issue: having to bring a large object like an easel and palette back home. They are not planning to carry with them along, especially with the number of bags possibly increasing in their hands, so Shadow decides to bring them to his home using his speed. It happened in a span of ten seconds.
Once they are done, their last stop is the shop for bathroom accessories so Mary gets to have her own toothbrush, brush, comb, and anything that she wants or interested her. Aside from Mary being very picky with what object she should buy clashing with Shadow's recommendation, annoying both of them (mostly from Shadow), nothing major happened.
"Mary! Don't open that toothpaste!" shouted Shadow at one point when he saw the girl try opening a toothpaste out of curiosity. "We still haven't bought it, so cut that off!"
"Huh? Why?" asked Mary, genuinely not understanding why he got so riled up. "I only wanted to look at this small hole and see what's contained inside."
"As I said, we still haven't bought it," he repeated. "And you would look like a thief. You don't want to be branded as a thief, right?"
"Ah, no! I-I'm closing this toothpaste now!" she hastily put the cap on, but in doing so, she accidentally poured out toothpaste to the floor. Shadow could only groan since he knows he must explain to an employee and pay for it.
After that embarrassing incident, Shadow and Mary came out from the bathroom store carrying three handbags each in both of their hands. Well technically, there were supposed to be ten handbags but because it became too much for Mary, he brought seven handbags to their home. Again, that happened in ten seconds.
Speaking of that, Mary asked if he could just bring all the handbags home instead of having to carry them around. Shadow declined, stating that as this is her outing to let her experience what's like living in the real world, she should know how people conduct themselves and do their tasks every day, whether they are kids or adults.
"But I don't want to carry something heavy!" complained Mary, unknowingly giving him a reason why she asked that question.
"Oh, well… Give the heavier bag to me," he extended his hand and moved his fingers toward himself. That way, you wouldn't be burdened by the heavy bag while you carry only one, lighter bag."
"This one's heavy too!" she added.
"…Are you serious?" he asked her incredulously, narrowing his eyes to her.
"I am!"
"…And the bag I'm carrying is also heavy… *sighs* Fine. I'll carry all the bags," he concluded with a groan. Then a thought hit him. "On second thought, I think I shall bring the remaining three bags to my home."
"Oh, I didn't know you would agree to my question," giggled Mary.
"Only because you complained," grumbled Shadow.
Once the dilemma involving who's gonna carry the bags was solved, Shadow and Mary continue walking in a different area of Central City, the latter also continuing checking out pretty much everything. From objects like a lamppost, cars, fire hydrant and garbage cans, to people like a family, group of friends, businesspersons and just ordinary people whether human or animal… Having all of these even in one place is too overwhelming for a painting whose only contact before she got out are her fellow artworks.
Mary is finding it hard to believe that this is how people go about their everyday lives outside the confines of the gallery. From what she can see and guess from these people, some of them seems to like being alone or prefer to travel in groups, be it with their family or relatives, and friends or acquaintances. The sense of unity she felt from them and how content and satisfied they are of their lives, it really made her envy them, but not as much as her admiring them for being able to live so peacefully, free to choose what they want to do, who they like to be with without anything worrying them. Well, aside from problems, both personal and external, but the point is the easygoing lives some people have is something she wants to have too.
With Shadow as her caretaker and guide to adapt her to the real world's living conditions, Mary is feeling beyond jovial as the two keep walking.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! This is so much fun!" exclaimed Mary, spreading her arms wide as she spins around while moving. Her exclamation draws the attention of some people again but she doesn't care for their curious staring as she tells Shadow. "Everything about the real world has been great so far! This is better than being confined in the gallery!"
"Glad to see you're having fun," replied Shadow, trying not to wince at people staring at them because he dislikes attention. Or crowds in general. He has issue with a phrase in her statement that he brought it up with a sigh. "…But do you have say that out loud in public?"
"Huh? Say out what?" she asked while walking backwards. Good thing they aren't near any pedestrian lane she can't see, otherwise Shadow would stop her.
"The part about the gallery?" he reminded her.
Mary tilted her head over Shadow being worried about that particular phrase. She didn't find any problem mentioning it, so she's wondering why he asked her regarding that. "What's wrong with it?" She folded her arms with a frown as she stopped walking. "I'm just describing my own feelings about this place and my former home."
Walking up to her until he's within speaking range, Shadow told her about his concern mentioning the gallery may rise. "Someone could be eavesdropping and take our words the wrong way. The rumor about the gallery being haunted may persist as long as it needs be, but we were the only knew who witnessed it being true…" He stops briefly to look left and right, and after seeing no one is listening, he continues, "The last thing we need is someone foolish enough to visit and see if the gallery is really haunted."
Tapping her chin in consideration, Mary thought it's for the best she shouldn't continue from that thread of statement. Still, she didn't found any problem talking about it in the open, like she told Shadow in her next remark, "Well alright. If you're so worried, then I'll stop. But that doesn't mean I agree with you."
"I don't expect you so," after shrugging, Shadow looked around and sees they made it to their next location to take a rest. "Oh, here we are."
The place they're standing before is a restaurant to spend their lunch break after having to walk around and go shopping for the entire late morning. At this point, Mary is getting tired from all the walking, only masked by her brimming excitement of exploring the city for the first time, while Shadow shrugged it off because it doesn't affect him.
Looking at the place excited as ever, Mary can feel her stomach rumbling (at least she thought), telling her it wants food. While it's not rumbling again, she didn't mind it because get to complain about want to eat when they will be eating in this relaxing diner.
"Ah, finally!" exclaimed Mary. "You said this place has sweets, right? Can I eat them?"
"You may…after you eat," Shadow allowed, just as he walk up to the door.
"Huh? After I eat?" Mary followed him after he opened the door and went inside. "Can I just eat them without having to wait?"
"No. It's bad habit," firmly reprimanded Shadow, closing the door.
"Aww… Fiiiiine…"
Twelve minutes later…
"Aaaaaaahhhhh… I never thought I would taste so much delicious food in just one day. Makes me want to crave mooooore."
The painting girl lets out a contented sigh, patting her belly filled with delicious food she have the luck of tasting and eating it heartily. She lost count of the amount of 'Mmmmmms' she let out with each bite she took, which became frequent when her long-awaited dessert arrived, which was a strawberry shortcake. When she took her first bite of it, she was quickly overwhelmed with ecstasy, and before she knew it, she dug in, stopping briefly to savor the taste and hold her cheeks with both hands.
"There will be more food waiting your way when night arrives. You only have to wait for the third time."
Shadow said, watching Mary humming in delight after a delicious lunch. Unlike her, the hedgehog didn't eat as much, simply ordering a sandwich and a cup of coffee beans (which invited confused and incredulous look from Mary because it is a bizarre order for Shadow. He defended that he likes eating coffee beans rather than drinking it). He's satisfied with his own lunch at best. In fact, he didn't actually need to eat in order for his body to function because of his unique anatomy giving him enough energy only a sleep or obtaining energy from a single emerald can replenish it.
Hearing she have to wait once again slightly dampened her mood, muttering, "Oooooohhhh why do I have to wait?"
"To let your body digest the food until your stomach is empty?"
"Huh, is that how it works?" Mary curiously asked.
"Yes. It's natural," nodded Shadow.
"…Oh," This made her stop pouting. Temporarily. "Still doesn't mean it's not fun having to wait."
"Then endure it. Your patience will be rewarded with more food you can eat," Shadow dismissed.
"…Patience and I don't work together…"
Ignoring her mumbled remark, Shadow continued walking on the sidewalk. While it's the same act as before, he decides to hold Mary's hand to stop her from walking far from him. She would have complained, but after hearing from him that it's for her safety, meaning he is concerned for her getting herself in some danger if she let herself wander around eagerly, she didn't mind it. In fact, she thought it is nice to be walking together with her caretaker. She thinks she has enough excitement straying far from him to indulge in her elation of being outside.
After they took a short four minute rest after eating, they paid their bills and move out to head toward their next, and purportedly last, stop for today. Apparently, they are going there to retrieve Shadow's pet Chao named Terios, who is a type of Chao called Dark Chao described by Shadow earlier as if they are a miniature version of him. The thought of Shadow being miniaturized earned a giggle from Mary, wondering if it's cute.
"Sooooo, about your pet Chao," Mary started. "How did you adopt it?"
Clenching his left hand over the man who treated Terios so poorly until he came along during one mission, Shadow takes a breath to calm down before he tells Mary how he took it under his care. "It used to belong to a criminal who have abused the captive Chao, including Terios. Called him utter scum for the mistreatment he gave to the Chao, to the point I halted my mission until they are freed from his clutches. Soon after that, I came to like the Dark Chao that looked like me, so I decide to take them in so no one would dare abuse Terios again."
If there's any doubt in her mind that Shadow is nice behind his aloof exterior, then hearing his story about how he adopted Terios should dispel all her doubts.
"That's nice of you to take the Chao in Shadow," Mary voiced her approval. Her smile turned into a frown over the thought that a small creature like a Chao is not immune to getting abused by rude owners. It make her seethe in anger. Who would dare do such a thing, and why? Propelled by these feelings, she says, "I hope the Chao is fine. Who knows what kind of mistreatment they endured…"
"Don't worry, Terios is fine," said Shadow. "I made sure they are raised in a good environment and under my care. Wouldn't sit right with me if I repeated the same abuse their previous owner inflicted upon them until I showed up. Their safety is my top concern when thinking about Terios. In fact, I left them in a daycare center that has Chao Gardens to be taken care of by the staff working there because I was gone for a few days."
"Oh! It's because Terios would be left alone!" guessed Mary.
"Yes," nodded Shadow. "At least they get to interact with their fellow brethren while I'm gone. Ah, here we are."
The two stop walking when they see they made it to their last destination: a daycare center for pet Chao, located deep within Central City.
Shadow remain impassive as ever, but a small smile can be seen, indicating he's looking forward to bringing Terios home after he left them under the daycare staff's care (which he insists they better not try any funny business with Terios, or else). He hopes Terios isn't missing him for too long given he went on a mission for a few days. Mary is giddy to be meeting not only Shadow's pet Chao, but getting to see small creatures and hopefully hold them in her hands. Her smile is bigger than Shadow's own and she's practically hopping on her feet out of excitement and impatience.
"This is the daycare center you told me about, right Shadow?" asked Mary. "Can we go now inside now? Please? Pleeeaaase?"
"Soon, Mary. Soon," Shadow told her to be quiet before they enter the building.
After checking in with the receptionist and inform her of the reason of their visit, the two situated themselves in the waiting room, which is filled with owners either waiting like them or welcoming their pet Chao back after they had to send them in the daycare for work-related reasons. Mary's disappointment when it looks like she's unable to meet with any Chao diminished when she saw their Chao flying, speaking "Chao!" in a cute voice, walk around, play with their owners or other Chao, or simply resting in their owner's arms as they left. This is all too much for her barely-contained delight, making her really eager to go meet and hold them in her hands. Who would have thought the real world could be populated with such cute creatures?
She still preferred the dolls she made, but she's not gonna pay favorites and deny the inherent cuteness factor of Chao.
Before she can enact her plan, a tall, male cat staff member entered the waiting room, holding a clipboard in his right hand and carrying a Dark Chao carefully in the other. He walk to Shadow and Mary's seat, who remained on her seat when she saw him arrive.
Looking at the clipboard for a moment, the cat asks, "Are you…Shadow the Hedgehog, sir?"
"Yes," he confirmed.
"You are here to fetch… what was the name…? Ah, Terios. Right, sir?" the staff member inquired for confirmation.
"That's right."
"Good. Then please sign in this blank space to complete the process. Here's a pen."
"Before I do that, I have a question… Did you treat Terios well?"
"Huh? Oh! Yes! Yes sir, we did!" he become meek and nervous when Shadow's glare meet his eyes.
"Are you sure?"
"Y-Yes, I-I assure you! W-We wouldn't dare think of mistreating every Chao under our care, much less your Dark Chao, s-sir!" he attempt to hide his face behind the clipboard, hoping Shadow would stop glaring at him.
After scrutinizing him and not seeing any signs of mistreatment to Terios, Shadow relaxes his glare as he says, "Good. Just what I expected from you after I made it clear I won't take any signs Terios was mistreated well."
"Y-Y-You did warned us, s-sir, and w-we take it t-to heart! In a-any case, w-would you sign please, sir?"
After Shadow signed the paper, the employee was about to hand Terios back to Shadow, when the Chao broke free from his grip to fly towards Shadow, surprising the staff. They got impatient to be held in Shadow's hands again since it squirmed in the employee's hand before it broke free.
"Whoa! I guess your pet Chao have sorely missed you, sir," He pointed out obviously.
"Yeah, I can see that," Shadow nonchalantly replied, holding Terios in his hands.
"Chao, chao, chao!" Terios chirped happily, extending their stubby arms because it wanted to hug him, specifically his face.
Shadow understands what they want, so without hesitation, he complied, letting Terios hug his cheek. The floating dot above their head changed to a heart to show they are happy.
Having finished their affair with the daycare center, Shadow and Mary thanked the staff before they leave the building with Terios in tow.
Wanting to properly meet the Dark Chao now, Mary leaned close to Terios with her hands behind her back, smiling warmly to them. "Wow… You're not kidding that Terios looked like a small version of you, Shadow!" she giggled. "Aside from their wings and the floating dot above their head, one could say he's Shadow, but as a Chao!"
"…Chaaaaaaooooo?" Terios trilled in curiosity, tilting their head as they stare at the girl accompanying Shadow. They thought he would be going in that building alone, so they were a little surprised when they saw a total stranger sitting with Shadow in the waiting room.
Mary looked at the Chao when they speak. "Hm? Did you say something?" she asked.
"Terios is wondering who you are Mary. This is their first meeting with you, and inversely to you as well," Shadow understood what Terios said and translated it for her. "Perhaps you should introduce yourself to them so they don't see you as a stranger anymore."
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Facing the curious Dark Chao, Mary waved her hand to them with a smile as she introduces herself, "Hello Terios. My name's Mary. It's nice to meet you! Starting this day, I'll be living with you and Shadow. Hope we can get along!"
Terios stared at Mary for a while, one arm hovering close to their mouth. "Hmmm… Hmmm, hmmm." Inquisitive humming came out from their mouth as they analyze their new companion. She looked kind and welcoming who has pretty blue eyes and pleasant smile. Maybe they can get along with this girl, like they did with Shadow after they were rescued and adopted from captivity.
Wanting to be held by her, Terios squirmed out of Shadow's grip before flying to Mary's hands, with a yearning shout. "Chaaaaoooo!"
"Wah!"
The girl recoiled in surprise when Terios landed on her open hands. She immediately relaxed when she saw the craving stare Terios have directed at her. Blinking in confusion, she started speaking, "Um, why did you…?"
"Chao. Chao, chao, chao," chirped Terios, patting her palm.
"Huh? What do you want from me?" she didn't understand what the Chao want her to do to them. She looked at Shadow for help. "Shadow, w-what should I do?"
With a hand on his hip, Shadow sees Mary reasonably didn't know Terios' gesture telling her to hug them. He proceeds to tell her what the Chao wanted. "Terios wants to be hugged by you. I think they have taken a liking to you."
"A hug? From me?" she repeated, sounding hopeful her first action when first meeting Terios is to hug him will come true. A nod from Shadow validated it.
Smiling again as she recognize the smooth and jelly-like body in her hands, Mary looked at Terios, exclaiming, "Yay! You want to be hugged by me? Then sure! I'll give you a hug!"
Doing just that, Mary hugged Terios tenderly to her face. The Dark Chao imitated her act, similar to them hugging Shadow earlier. The sight of a cute, blonde girl hugging an equally adorable but mischievous-looking Dark Chao invite a lot of stares from the passing crowd, all of them liking such a sweet scene that it lifts up their mood. Even Shadow didn't dare look away that he believed wouldn't fit for a serious guy like him.
After the two are done hugging each other and Shadow shooed the crowd away, Mary walk up to Shadow with Terios in her hands with a bounce on every step and even while standing. "Shadow, Shadow! Can I keep holding Terios? I have come to like them and I don't think I should part with them yet. So, so! Can I continue holding them? Please, please, PLEEEEEEAAAAAASE!"
"Ugh, of course Mary! Now stop being so close to me!" groaned Shadow, raising his hands in irritation.
"YAY! Thank you Shadow! Now me and Terios are best friends!" she declared with one closed hand raised.
A sigh escaped from Shadow's mouth, mumbling something about how Mary can be overbearing when she is happy. The girl didn't heard it as she's busy spinning around with Terios in her extended hands, which the Dark Chao liked and trilled happily. As much it annoyed him, he chose not to mind it.
This is Mary's first day and first expectations are important. So far, she liked almost everything about her time here in Central City and from the way Mary is acting, she's eager to continue until she's satisfied.
Sadly, our time here is up. Shadow thought as he moved close to Mary, who is pointing at Terios' floating dot that changed into an exclamation mark, showing they were surprised, much to her further delight.
After waiting briefly so they stop, he gets their attention to him, "Mary."
"Oh, Shadow! What is it?" Mary turned to him like an attentive child would. Terios turned to him too. "Do we have somewhere else to go? I would like it if we continue walking around!"
Hearing he had guessed right, Shadow shakes his head before stating, "Unfortunately, we had done our tasks so… Let's go home."
"Huh? Already?" responded Mary, unsurprisingly displeased.
"Yes," affirmed Shadow. "I can tell that you want to enjoy being out here more Mary, but I think you've already seen enough. As I said, we only go out to buy you belongings to help you adjust living in this world and bring Terios out of the daycare."
While acknowledging his good reason, Mary doesn't want this outing to end, so she tries convincing him to stay out more. "Yeah, you did say that to me before we left, and I understand that we will go home when we're done… but can we at least visit more places for about… an hour?"
"I'm afraid I can't," Shadow shakes his head. "My tolerance being in a crowd has ran out today, and I see Terios wants to return home."
"What? Really?" she turns to Terios with a sad look and asks, "Do you want to go home? We… can have so much fun walking in the city. You like that, right?"
"Chaooooo…" Terios whined, shaking their head no.
Even not understanding the Chao's speech doesn't mean she didn't understand their hesitant tone, telling her that they are not interested. Her sad expression remained as she says, "Awww really?"
"Hmm! Hmm!" they nodded firmly.
Seeing two person have voted against one, Mary relented with a sigh. While she's disappointed she will not remain outside any longer, she choose not to let it get to her because she did thoroughly enjoyed her first outing in the outside world. She knows this will be not the last time she'll go out with Shadow. She only have to endure the wait between each outing, which is easier said than done.
Still, she's willing to wait if it means more chances she and Shadow go out in the future.
Steeling herself, Mary turned to Shadow and says, "Okay. Let's go home Shadow."
Nodding favorably to her response, Shadow says, "Good. I'm glad you didn't take it too bad and cause a tantrum. It will cause me no end of embarrassment and anger to you if you did."
"Well, I want to be a good girl Shadow. I don't want to throw a fit just because something didn't go my way," reminded Mary while shrugging.
"Hm. Wise decision you made, Mary," remarked Shadow, sounding amused while doing his usual arm folding. "Maybe I am seeing a mature side from you if you keep this up."
"But I am a kid," she stated. "Or actually, looks like a kid but… Well, you should know that already, Shadow."
"…I meant that metaphorically," he explained because she misunderstood the meaning.
"Oh, I see… What's 'metaforeecalee'?"
"…Never mind. You are a kid like you said."
"Hey, why did you rethink that!?"
After calming Mary down, Shadow hoisted her up in his hands, with the painting doing the same to Terios lying in her hands too. Remembering her rattled body because he went at his usual speed (that is, faster than ordinary people or approaching Sonic's 'normal' speed), Shadow reminded her that he will run at a moderate pace so she won't be disoriented again. She smiled in gratitude, thanking him for adjusting his speed to make her feel less uncomfortable, which he brushed off with a "Hmph!"
The three leave Central City in a blur, their first outing together went fine without any problems.
And finished!
Not counting last night, the entire chapter is basically Mary experiencing her first day on Earth, or more precisely, the real world. It is fun to write her and Shadow's interactions as they explored around Central City. Having Mary take everything she's seeing so naively while Shadow guiding her every time begrudgingly and following along puts a smile on my face. I hope all of you readers did smile again after reading the entire chapter, even if I wrote it as a filler chapter.
This chapter also saw the debut of Shadow's pet Dark Chao, which I named them Terios. If the name sounds familiar, then it should because it's Shadow's beta name that means "reflection of". I suggest you don't go reading deep with that name because I decided to choose that name for the Dark Chao (or actually a Shadow Chao) so it doesn't get used and as a reminder of Shadow's supposed name.
Speaking of Terios, I had planned to have the Dark Chao appear within the story as a companion for Shadow in a similar way Mary has a doll she carried with her out of the gallery, using IDW Sonic as a basis for how Shadow got Terios. If this got you thinking that the fanfic follows the events of IDW comics (which is said to be now canon to the main games), I'm... a bit iffy about it, for now. While I followed the canon games for the fanfic's creation to a T, some elements or features of the fanfic like Shadow living in a clearing at the edge of Forest Hill (a location from the IDW) because he wants to be left alone and a daycare center for pet Chao so the owners wouldn't worry about leaving them alone and unattended are my own making to add some flair and aspect for the story. Hope you'll like what I added and integrated from the comics and games, spinning it to my own interpretation.
Lastly, there was supposed to be a line about Mary. Specifically, it's about if she felt anything had changed about her after Shadow got her out of the Fabricated World using Chaos Control, which means she didn't get to exchange someone's soul to take her place in the real world. For now though, I put some foreshadowing regarding if Mary turned human or not in this chapter, as well as the previous chapter. You will get what I mean come the next chapter.
As for the next chapter, it will progress the story as Shadow and Mary find themselves in a predicament that is threatening their lives. I can't say what it is for now, but it will be like the first two or three chapters, in that the horror part of the story will be reintroduced. You may refer to the fanfic's summary so you get what I'm planning for the next chapter. It will be thrilling for sure.
Alright, that's enough from me. Thank you all for reading! Leave a review if you like, and please stay safe and healthy out there everyone!
See you next chapter, everyone!
Review Response:
Shadow8Phantom: You said it! I have no problems having the Fabricated World exist in the Sonic universe. It's just a matter of combining both elements from the games. As for the villains from past Sonic games, no villains are planned to be included though references to them are not off the table. While I laughed at your reference to Frontiers about the true villain being seen by Shadow and Mary as a purple moon (though they would have seen it as a Black Comet and a gigantic fire or sun because they perceive the true villain based on what they see death as), I have to clarify that this fanfic takes place before Frontiers. If it did, then the yellow emerald, which is important to the story, would have been in the Starfall Islands out of their reach.