When the laughter at Cosmo's double-entendres died down, Prower Company spent a couple of hours using the amenities in the private breakroom. Casino Paradise was Radical City's entertainment district and was directed with Radical City's people in mind. There were special time slots to let the people of Radical City enjoy the facilities without tourists getting in the way. There were also special time slots for employees of Kitsune Enterprises as part of their deal with Radical City. Tails, being the majority shareholder of Kitsune Enterprises and being the main source of their products, declared the city had violated the good faith clause of this deal. However, the city was still obligated to give the benefits of the deal to Kitsune Enterprises until the end of the month, letting Prower Company take full advantage of the time slots set aside for employees of Kitsune Enterprises.
Marrow had to make a brief visit to the infirmary, as he hurt himself trying to use the treadmill that was custom built with Sonic in mind. Tails was very apologetic, but Marrow assured him it wasn't his fault. Tails still felt mildly guilty, most of the private breakrooms he had in Kitsune owned properties were full of things for his long-time friends and the Fox forgot that his current company didn't know that. Living with the same group of people, all of whom effectively had superpowers, would do that. Prower Company used public transit to get to the massive casino dressed up like an amusement park. Casino Paradise didn't have a landing pad for aircraft and flying a fighter jet into a public place was a good way to alarm people.
Tails took advantage of the bus ride to discuss their vacation, "Do we want to all stick together or go our own ways?"
"It might be best for us to all be together," Marrow replied.
"It would mean we wouldn't have to worry about ambushes as much," Nicole agreed, "It also nearly guarantees group bonding which would lead group cohesion and increased operational effectiveness."
"That's a practical way to see it," Marrow commented, uneased at the cyborg's clinical choice of words.
"Maybe we could split the difference," Cosmo suggested, "Establish a buddy system so we always have someone at our backs, and we can use our time more efficiently. We're only going to be here for a few days and all four of us being together would mean we'd constantly take turns doing something only one of us wants to do."
"That's not a bad policy to have for places as big as Casino Paradise," Tails pointed out, "We should all still meet up at the same big attractions once in a while, but I think Cosmo has the right idea."
Marrow adopted a sly smile but started speaking before anyone could notice it, "Okay, how about me 'nd Nicole pair up while you kids go have fun on yer own."
Tails nodded, "That makes since. Pair up people who don't know each other very well so we can learn about each other more quickly. Next time we divide into pairs, it should be guys and gals."
"Sounds like a plan," Marrow said as he leaned back into his seat with a smirk.
The four heroes spent the rest of the bus ride discussing when and where to regroup. Nicole, being the one who suggested Casino Paradise in the first place, had a prepared list of star attractions that would act as rally points. It was agreed that they would start by going to the same ride before separating into pairs. As it happened, Poker Skydive was one of the closest attractions to the entrance they were headed to. Cosmo needed the idea of Poker and Skydiving broken down for her, having never heard of either, but showed no apprehension at the concepts.
Getting off the bus, it was clear to Tails and Nicole that something was wrong. While crowds were commonplace at places like Casino Paradise, the crowd here now was larger than it should have been. Kitsune Enterprises employed thousands of people in Radical City, but most people would just be getting off of work and would start trickling in at the various entryways of Casino Paradise. Tails and Nicole quickly explained this to their teammates.
"Why don't ya jus' fly up above the crowd?" Marrow asked, "If it's as densely packed as it looks, then who or whatever is at the front won't be able to weasel their way into escape."
Tails paused, "I was against flying in case I got spotted, but it didn't occur to me that the crowd could keep something from getting away."
Blushing slightly as his team's light laughter, Tails went airborne and saw exactly what the commotion was. Tails gently landed right back where he was standing, "Nicole, would you kindly give Marrow a lift to the gate?"
Tails and Nicole started airlifting their grounded friends to the gate of Casino Paradise, and they could see precisely what was wrong. A cobalt-blue Hedgehog, with a Hedgehog woman at each side of him, was arguing with the Ticket Taker at the gate. Even from their awkward angle from the air, it was obvious to Prower Company that the argument was getting heated. Everyone who could was taking pictures and filming the display. Most everyone else was arguing over who's side to take, debating if 'Sonic' should get special treatment for his service to Mobius. There were ever a few newscasters trying to force their way through the crowd to get to the Blue Blur.
Scourge had a brilliant idea last week, and it was working beautifully. Why be a nobody when you could be a hero? All Scourge needed for his plan were a few coats of dye for his fur and quills. Scourge could forget about his father who pretended like he didn't exist, he could forget about his she-bitch of mother who had nothing better to do than nag him, he didn't have 'respectable employers' turn their noses up at him for his former drug problems, Scourge didn't even have to pay full price for things anymore. Scourge wasn't dumb enough to try and get things for free, but he had learned that Casino Paradise gave free admission to anyone who worked with Kitsune Enterprises. Since the kid who owned the company was Sonic's willing slave, Scourge figured he could collect on that offer. The jackass at the door had a different idea in mind.
The Donkey kept going on about some new company policy; people needed ID's and DNA Scanning now, for some reason. Like there was anyone on Mobius who didn't know who Sonic the Hedgehog was. Scourge had even perfected his vocal impression of the Blue Blur, there was no reason for anyone in this damn city to doubt him. He knew it was risk arguing in public like this, but Scourge couldn't risk backing down. If that over-glorified adrenaline junkie could bum-rush oceans of killbots while laughing, he wouldn't give up an argument. At least the trollops he had picked up seemed to be impressed by the display.
Scourge heard gasps and cries of alarm from behind him but was tackled to the ground before he could turn his head all the way around. He felt his sunglasses slide off his face as his head bounced off of the concrete. Scourge was kicked hard in the side and sent flying a few feet back. The streets had taught him to roll with strike rather than fight it, and Scourge ended up in a knelling position instead of on his stomach.
Scourge's eyes zeroed in on his cool sunglasses, which were now snapped in half, "My shades!" He cried. Scourge's green eyes glared at the Lynx who had attacked him, "Do you have any idea who I am!"
"I know who you aren't," She replied in a monotone voice.
Scourge saw that she had a handful of his quills in one of her hands and was presenting it to the people who had gathered around him. Namely, she was showing off where she had cut it free from his head. Dying the outside of his quills was a simple matter for most people, but there wasn't anyone who could change the color of the inside of their hair or quills. There were already several people who were against him here, but Scourge now realized he had back himself into a corner without a single friend he could call upon.
"I dye my fur to look cool," Scourge argued, "So what?"
"Do you now?" A new voice asked rhetorically.
Scourge turned his head to tear into the teenager, only to find it was someone he really didn't want to see. The Fox was a teenager, as his voice suggested, but his two tails is was caused Scourge's words to be caught in his throat. Profanity screeched in Scourge's mind on repeat like a broken record. The only way he wasn't going to be reduced to a gory smear that was going to be scrapped off the pavement by some minimum wage stooge, was to deceive someone with a billion IQ points.
"Tails, buddy-"
"Stop," Tails interrupted with a raised hand.
The Fox gave Scourge a dirty look as he continued speaking, "I'm going to ask you a few questions: how you answer them will determine what we do with you."
"First question," Tails started, "What is your natural eye color?"
"Green," Scourge answered without hesitation. Scourge was fortunate enough to have the same eye color as Sonic, seeing how expensive cosmetic colored contact lenses were.
Tails nodded his head and Scourge felt relief, "Where was I born?"
"Westside Island," Scourge answered just as confidently as before. Sonic and Tails had had biographies about themselves published and they were all free. Scourge hadn't read Tails' biography, but he wasn't impersonating Tails.
Tails gave Scourge a smile. However, the unveiled malice in Tails' eyes utterly destroyed Scourge's hope that he was getting away, "What is my middle name?"
Scourge adopted a horrified expression before he looked down, "I don't know," He admitted in his real voice.
Tails looked over to the Ticket Taker, "Call security and have them hold this faker until GUN can come pick him up."
"GUN!" Scourge exclaimed, "I used the Hero Discount, but paid with my own money. It's not even really Identity Theft!"
"Sonic and I are GUN affiliates," Tails explained calmly, "Impersonating one of us is like impersonating a soldier, which falls under GUN jurisdiction."
"What!" Scourge yelled in horror, "That's bullshit!"
"You might get a judge and jury that agrees with you," Tails said with a shrug, "It's out of my hands now."
Tails walked up to the Donkey at the gate and removed one of his gloves. He spoke, but Scourge couldn't hear him. He just laid on the ground and stared into the sky. Life was never great to Scourge, but now it was going to get bad.
My parents don't love me unless I'm perfect, I got into drugs in high school to fit in with my girlfriend's click, I have to steal because no one will hire me, and now I'm going to prison, Scourge thought to himself, Why was I even born?
Tails got the rest of Prower Company inside the gate, but he waited outside. The Sonic impersonator would probably be torn limb from limb if someone wasn't there to keep the crowd at bay. Thankfully, a GUN patrol craft was nearby, and they didn't even have to wait five minutes before Tails could rejoin the group.
"What is your middle name?" Cosmo asked.
"I don't have one," Tails answered, "It was a trick question. Of course, he got the first two questions wrong as well."
"You're tellin' me that Sonic has colored contact lenses?" Marrow asked incredulously.
"Sonic's top speed is increasing a little bit every day; a side effect of him not being able to sit still," Tails explained, "And PSGs couldn't always protect against high wind speeds without also blocking out air. So, Sonic got special contact lenses to compensate. He liked how the green complimented his fur and quills and wears them to this day."
A thought came to Cosmo as they made their way to Poker Skydive, "Where were you born?"
Tails chuckled, "It's a common misconception that I was born on Westside Island since that's where I met Sonic. I'm not sure where I was born, but I was raised in Westopolis City."
Cosmo stopped and adopted a puzzled expression, "Your parents never told you where you were born?"
"Cosmo!" Marrow admonished.
"She clearly didn't know," Tails stated before Marrow could say anything more.
Tails turned all the way around to face Cosmo, "My parents gave me up for adoption the day I was born."
Cosmo gasped with wide eyes as she slammed her hands over her mouth, "I'm so sorry, I-"
"Settle down," Tails said with a raised hand and a small smile, "You couldn't have known, and it doesn't bother me anymore."
Tails turned around to lead again, "And, to answer the question in your head now, I know they gave me up and that something didn't happen to them."
Tails sighed as Poker Skydive came into sight, "Of course there's a queue."
Tails continued his story as they waited in line, "When I busted Sonic out of prison during the Ark Incident, GUN also believed I had destroyed all of Prison Island and placed a bounty on me."
"Since I already had a trillion credit kill-capture order on my head, I decided to hack Federation databases to find out what happened to my parents," Explained Tails, "I found that they had they had the records sealed. I could have hacked the records and found out who they were, but I already had what I wanted."
"That shouldn't happen to anyone. I'm sorry, Tails.," Cosmo said.
"Don't be," Tails replied, "If they had kept me, I would have never met Sonic."
Cosmo had more questions, but she bit her tongue. She had brought up something that, in hindsight, she should have known not to. Cosmo didn't know much about the Fauna settlements on Mobius, but she knew Westopolis was close to Central City. She also knew that Central City was closer to the East Coast of the Metropolitan Continent than the West. Tails may not be upset by his parents, but Cosmo had a hunch that him being on an island far away from his hometown was a more sensitive matter.
Soon after, it was Prower Company's turn in queue where a park employee, a clearly overworked Bison, started explaining how the ride worked. They would be jumping down a large plexiglass tube which would have 'holograms' of different cards throughout it. The goal was to match as many of the same kinds of cards as possible, as determined by what number was printed on them, by diving through them as you fell. The sole exception to this was a special combination of cards, known as a 'Royal Flush,' trounced all other combinations. A specific hologram could only be claimed by a single person, where it would then be greyed out for everyone else.
Cosmo was surprised when the Bison told them that players were allowed and encouraged to try and sabotage each other. Light ramming, pulling people above you, and so forth were all expected to happen during play. Players who couldn't fly were given weak jet packs to make aiming yourself easier. Slowing your descent was allowed but halting it or flying up were both grounds for disqualification. The jet packs were too weak to cause lift from the ground, but these rules were for anyone who could fly on their own. The whole thing was equally intimidating and intriguing to Cosmo.
"Any questions?" The Bison asked, barely awake.
"How are ties broken?" Cosmo asked.
The Bison yawned, "By whoever lands first."
Cosmo nodded, "Thank you," So this is a race on top of everything else. Interesting, Cosmo thought to herself.
The team positioned themselves on the 'player pads,' which were clearly trapdoors, readied themselves to be dropped as the platform climbed to the top of the tube. Cosmo had no idea how the platform was rising but no one else seemed to be questioning how. Do they not care or is this kind of technology commonplace? Cosmo decided not to put any more thought into the matter, she and her friends were here to have fun.
The platform stopped after a minute of climbing, having risen to the top of the tube. As the tube was transparent, Prower Company had an excellent view of Casino Paradise. Cosmo couldn't help but notice that Nicole was the only one with a neutral expression; everyone else having a smile and an amazed look in their eyes. After a few moments, everyone's head snapped to the ceiling as a speaker let out a ringing noise. This was explained in the primer for Poker Skydive the Bison down below gave: the player pads would open underneath everyone's feet after the third ring. Cosmo appreciated that they were given some time to take in the view and were given multiple warnings before they started plummeting.
The third ring sounded out for a few seconds before the pads opened underneath the team. Marrow oriented himself upside down and used his jet pack to fall faster while everyone else hovered. This gamble turned out favorable results as the Mole nabbed the Queen while his teammates slowed their descent to see what was up for grabs. Tails and Cosmo both decided to dive after the Ten, while Nicole decided to go for the Seven. Everyone copied Marrow and angled themselves to allow their equipment or body parts to fall faster. Tails and Cosmo gently bumped into each other to keep the other from claiming the prize: a tactic that was not only permitted but encouraged by staff. Cosmo managed to grab on of Tails' tails and pull him behind her, letting her claim the Ten and causing Tails from getting anything.
Cosmo giggled as she heard Tails yell something. She heard her name called, and Tails definitely had more to say, but it was muffled by the jetpack and rushing air. The mischievous Seedrian looked down below to weigh her options. Marrow had scored another Queen and Nicole was following his example, being so close to another Seven that there was no hope of stealing it. However, Cosmo saw a Jack and dedicated herself to getting the Royal Flush. If it was so easy to get the first parts of the set, then the rest of it will be further away so anyone who just gets to the bottom as quickly as possible doesn't instantly grab the best cards.
Despite knowing that Tails was hot on her tail, Cosmo repositioned her body to slow her fall as she approached the Jack. It then occurred to Cosmo that Tails was in position to snipe the Jack from her. She looked upward, intending to position herself so that a collision would push her into the Face Card, but didn't see her Fox friend. Unfortunately for Cosmo, Tails had snuck up from behind and kicked off of the tube. He yelled 'Karma' in a teasing tone as he rammed into Cosmo's back, causing her to go horizontal and rocket away from the Jack. Tails got the Face Card while Cosmo had to settle for the Two she went through by accident while trying to reorient herself.
Cosmo decided this was for the best, as she was proven right. While she was forced to the far side of the tube, she had her choice of a King and a Ten that were right next to each other. Tails, who was showing himself to be more weasel than fox, had gone back over to the tube and kicked off it again. As Tails was falling diagonally, Cosmo thought about her choice: let Tails take whichever card he wanted, or she could rocket down to her pick and risk not being able to slow down enough to get another good card. In the end, Cosmo decided to play it safe and let Tails get the King. Though his body also clipped through the Ten, he didn't claim it as he already had the King from this set. Cosmo easily took the Ten for herself.
Tails was slowly descending trying to decide where to go. Of the unclaimed cards, there was both a Queen and a Ten. Cosmo took no chances and raced to the Ten. She didn't know how many times they were going to be able to get Cards and her odds of getting the Royal Flush were quickly dwindling. Here, she could stop someone else from getting a Royal Flush while getting several of the same card for herself. By the time Tails realized what she was doing, it was too late, and Cosmo was too close for him to stop her again.
Tails and Cosmo were in the air for another minute or so, before they finally landed laughing, "That was fun," Cosmo said, "I can't decide if I want to go again or see what else this place has to offer."
"As long as you don't get all handsy again," Tails commented with a boyish smile, "I'd rather not have to relocate my tail again."
The Bison from before rushed into the tube before their banter could continue, "Are you okay?" He asked Marrow.
"Aye lad," Marrow said, "Barely felt tah landin.'"
"You slammed into the floor at top speed!" The Bison exclaimed, "I don't know how you're even standing."
"Ah got somethin' moost people don't," Marrow said as he held up on of his large hands, bony spikes sprouting from it and his fingers, "Long as Ah'm conscious, I kin make plenty hollows to cushion my fall."
The Bison took a step back, wide-eyed at Marrow's display, "Okay then. Y-you folks enjoy the rest of your day," He then walked unceremoniously.
"Heh, I always like seein' da first time someone sees it," Marrow said to himself before turning to Tails and Cosmo, "Now then, what's this I hear about you two getting' 'handsy' with each other?"
"Cut the teasing for a moment," Tails ordered, "Are you really alright?"
"Ah'm sure there's a bruise, not that ya kin see it through me black fur," Marrow answered with a shrug, "Besides, Ah git worse bruises when me wife ovulates."
There was an uncomfortable moment of silence as Marrow stood there with a teasing grin. Nicole decided to break this silence, "Do us a favor, and never elaborate on that."
AUTHOR'S NOTES-
Hello everyone! I'm not dead and neither is this story. I know it has been a really long time since a new chapter came out and a lot of people would consider filler. This chapter was nearly done when I stopped, but the holidays were coming and then I got Palworld. So this got pushed to the sidelines for a few months. As to why nothing of importance happened in this chapter, I've said before that developing friendships would be a focus of this story and this chapter was dedicated to that. People don't just become friends, even if it seems like it to them. There are moments that come naturally and nothing forcing people to spend time together. Yes, the Company was brought together to fight Eggman, but they're not in Radical City to get in the way of his schemes. They're here to enjoy peace while they can.
Cosmo was a great friend to everyone aboard the Blue Typhoon and she didn't just help find the Chaos Emeralds or die stopping the Metarex. She went out of her way to make people feel better when they were at their lowest, she did everything she could to help make their lives easier, and she made sure to pull her own weight whether anything they were doing involved the Metarex or not. Yes, facing strife together is a great way to get people to appreciate each other, but it can't be the only thing that's there or those relationships die and fade away like neglected house plants when the conflict is over. And there will be a few Chapters that are like this, and it's safe to assume that there were episodes worth of Slice-of-Life content like this that we didn't see in Sonic X and in between the games, if not during, otherwise the characters wouldn't care for each other.
I know that was kind of preachy, and I understand why you can't fixate on this side of things in games and movies too heavily unless it is the whole premise of the entry, but this story is partially a scathing critic who just wants mindless action and emotionless avatars that they can kill things with. It's important to me and I hope I write it well enough for other people to enjoy. That whole rant could have been a single paragraph, but I felt breaking it up like this made it easier to read.
While Marrow is clearly a Tailsmo Shipper, that's not why I broke them up into pairs. This story is the first time I've ever written anything and I'm not confident at how well I could write four people, some of whom are strangers to each other, together. Dividing them like this lets me develop their relationships with each other without overburdening myself. The whole company will end up closer together even if I rarely write all four of them together outside of combat. I think I also put in some of Nicole's machine practicality in a way that was natural, trying to find an efficient way to develop friendship and not caring for the view. Despite everything she knows and how intelligent she is, Nicole still has limited emotional development and can't appreciate some things the way everyone else can yet.
I bet no one was expecting to see the King Moebius in this story. Obviously, his backstory is different here than it is in the Archie Comics. And don't mistake his pessimism as not taking responsibility for his wrongs. There are some people who get the short end of every stick life hands them, and Scourge happens to be one of those people in this case. While a tragic character here, you can decide for yourself if he is a sympathetic one or not. The main reason he is here was for Cosmo to have a blunder with Tails. She said something she really shouldn't have, but Tails wasn't even phased. They learned more about each other and Cosmo inadvertently revealed how comfortable she already is with the other members of Prower Company, not even hesitating to speak her own thoughts. I also put Scourge here so I could use him for something later. As in, not even in this story later. This will be the one and only time we see him in Conversion Prism.
I'm really proud of Poker Skydive. I see this minigame in the same vain as Bingo Highway from Sonic Heroes where you have to weigh what's available with how close to the edge it puts you. The best cards tend to be at the edges, but you can screw yourself out of getting anything usable if you hug the edge. You also have to be warry of other players, as they can force you out of getting a set or make you take less valuable cards. Since the Bison was so distracted with Marrow, he forgot to tell Prower Company what their scores were. Marrow got a House of Fives full of Queens (three Queens and two Fives), Nicole got three Sevens, Cosmo got four Tens, and Tails got nothing, making Marrow the winner.
Please tell me your thoughts so far and your predictions. I would also appreciate people pointing out typos or other errors I have made, just don't rude about it and I won't take offense.