A Tale of Two Brothers
Hey Peeps, I don't own anything related to Sonic or his universe, that's SEGA and all other companies relevant to the creation of his various back-stories, and even though most of them have tanked it now that is besides the point… Honestly, I actually own very little in this fic (next to nothing to be exact) but this is my story and even though I am using characters from Archie, DiC and SEGA I will be fleshing many of them out because they were only 2-dimensional so in some ways they will appear very OC… hopefully you'll bear with me! Anyway, I've bored you to tears with this disclaimer so enjoy… and let me know what you think! X
Review Replies:
NyxSeth27: Ok, definitely not your favourite chap then Lol. And thanks, I want to try and keep this fic as real as I can and unfortunately it's probably not the only time he'll get injured in this fic. X
Slayer 666: I guess it's a little awkward to some but the way I see it is it just shows that father and son have similar tastes. And there's a note at the foot of this chapter as to why Aleena's quill colour has been changed. But remember, this doesn't follow any set Sonic-canon so these characters are slightly OC. As for some of your ideas, I already had some similar to a few of them. And although I have plans for Antoine's father I had forgotten about Bunnie. I will try to fit her side in somehow, though they might not appear until later. Although I will say that in this fic Sally will not a be princess.. X
Chapter Four:A Meeting Of Two Different Worlds
As the two high-society Mobian-girls moved cautiously across the floor of the underground club they observed the others around them. So far all they had done was look as neither Princess Aleena nor Lara-Le were very sure how to go about engaging any of them in conversation, not that they were ready for that. This whole place was so different from the balls and galas they were used to attending, where everybody knew everybody else and all they did was laugh snootily, act nice then talk smack about each other behind their backs. Here, nobody seemed to care how others perceived them. Many were acting boisterously with their friends: laughing freely, dancing stupidly without following set steps and drinking to excess. Princess Aleena could see why the majority of her blue-blooded associates thought that they were 'ruffians' or 'uncivilized' but the lilac hedgehog didn't agree. To her it looked like they were completely free and a small part of her envied them for it. Lara-Le looked slightly more nervous than the royal hedgehog next to her. This was mostly due to the fact that she knew she was going to stick out more than her best friend. After all she was an echidna and everybody knew that her kind did not usually associate with city dwellers, they receded in the mountains keeping a shrewd guard over the mystical secrets of the Chaos Emeralds. It was only a few upper-class ambassadors, like her parents, that kept the lines of communication open between the King of Mobius and their hermit Guardians. Even now as the red-furred echidna walked beside Princess Aleena she could feel the others staring at her, probably whispering their curiosity to her presence in each other's ears. Lara-Le felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment as she caught a few Mobians pause to gaze at her when the two girls walked by.. Did they really have to stare?
Though the two friends did not spot a single waiter carrying refreshments they did find a bar which had many Mobians crowded around it, jostling each other for space at the front.
'Do we really have to go to get drinks this way?' Lara-Le asked, her minty green eyes widening at the amount of Mobians crowded along the long worktop in front of them. The red-furred echidna was unsure she was comfortable with the idea of being squeezed between other Mobians just to get a drink.
'I guess we do.' Princess Aleena replied but for the first time she looked as unsure about this way of getting a drink as her friend. Her small fingers clutched her white designer bag, which was hiding her crown, a little tighter to her. She couldn't risk it being knocked and her true identity being revelled to the inhabitants of the club. Her father King Olgilvie the Third would hit the roof if he ever found out his daughter had snuck out of the palace on a whim. Lara-Le could see her own worries about getting a drink reflected in the princess' striking emerald eyes.
'What do we do now?' The red-furred echidna asked gently, one of her hands raising to brush one of her braided quills back into place.
'I don't know..' Princess Aleena replied unsurely, she had been hoping to get a drink but now that seemed unlikely. The two of them stood uncertainly together, feeling awkward and slightly out of place just stood there. Unbeknown to the two friends another Mobian was approaching them from behind. The slightly inebriated lynx had spotted the two girls but naturally, it was the pretty little echidna that had caught his interest.
'Hey, you're an echidna, right?' The tan-furred lynx slurred in a loud voice which startled both higher-class Mobians, making them jump and squeal out in fright. Immediately both of them swivelled around with eyes wide like terrified rabbits.. Not that the inebriated lynx noticed as his bleary eyes settled on the red-furred echidna, her long red quills braided with pretty white ribbons and wearing a soft yellow dress in a modest cut.
'Uhh.. Y-yes..' Lara-Le stuttered nervously, edging slightly closer to the lilac and blonde-quilled hedgehog in the light turquoise dress. The echidna's arm looped into Princess Aleena's as she shied away from the lynx before her. The lilac-furred royal hedgehog was merely staring at the lynx with wide eyes of shock, having never met a Mobian this drunk before she was unsure of how to deal with him.
'You are..' The lynx confirmed drunkenly to himself. 'I've never seen an echidna before..'
'Yes, well my friend and I would love to discuss this further but we really must be moving on.' Princess Aleena found her voice and tried to get rid of this inebriated lynx in thee politest way possible. The lynx however scowled at the lilac hedgehog, clearly not liking the fact that she had interrupted.
'Uh, not so fast.' The lynx sounded firmly causing the royal hedgehog to blink in surprise as he placed a hand on her shoulder and pried her away from Lara-Le. 'Your friend and I were having a nice conversation.' Immediately he let go of the princess and swung an arm around a now-petrified Lara-Le, holding her close to him. As his attention turned back to her scared friend Princess Aleena glared haughtily at the lynx, furious by his dismissal of her. Being a princess meant that she was not used to being ignored…
Jules Hedgehog wandered away from his booth of friends, barely paying attention to where he was going as he mused over what he'd just learnt. His break up with Alicia Chipmunk had been a complete surprise to him at the time. He didn't think he'd been that bad of a boyfriend to her. Ok, he'd been a little neglectful at times but they'd never had any fall outs over it, she seemed to have just accepted it as part of his nature. But when she'd broken up with him Alicia, or Alice as he'd always called her, had told the cobalt hedgehog that he was just not mature or stable enough for her to see a real future with. This had come as a blow to him and his ego and for a little while after the initial break up Jules secretly nursed a broken heart before deciding he wasn't going to let Alicia dominate his thoughts. Now, almost eight months after they'd split she'd moved onto someone else. The sixteen year old hedgehog supposed he should be happy for his ex-girlfriend, this new guy was clearly mature enough being eight years older than her…but now his curiosity was peaked by who the lucky Mobian could be. He suspected Cocoa had not been one-hundred percent truthful when she said she didn't know who it was but perhaps she'd merely been trying to spare his feelings..
'I say..' A polite but haughty female voice brought the sixteen year old cobalt hedgehog out of his thoughts and drew his attention across to the bar where a lilac-furred hedgehog with blonde quills was stood with her dainty hands squarely on her hips. '-unhand her this instant!'
'What the Chaos-?' Jules uttered in confusion before seeing the problem. His hazel eyes narrowed as he spotted a tan-furred Mobian lynx who'd clearly drunk a bit too much clinging to a scared-looking echidna-girl. Instantly the hedgehog made a bee-line for the three Mobians, keen to defuse the situation before they all got turfed out for causing a scene.
'Whoa, what's your problem?' The drunken lynx sounded in surprise to the glaring female hedgehog in front of him.
'My 'problem' is that your holding onto my friend when she clearly doesn't want you to!' The lilac-furred hedgehog continued to scowl.
'I'm just trying to find out why an echidna like her is in a place like this.' The lynx responded, still not understanding why this hedgehog was annoyed with him.
'Yeh, well it's not really our business bud, so why don't you just let her go.' Jules sounded in a stern voice, announcing his presence to the three Mobians causing them to turn to him in amazement. The second the lilac-furred hedgehog swivelled her head to look at her defender the only thing Jules noticed was how strikingly lovely her eyes were. They were like two shiny emeralds embedded in a lilac-furred vision. Not wanting to be distracted from the situation at hand Jules then turned his eyes back to the lynx in front of him.
'Wh-what?' The drunk Mobian sounded in confusion, his arm still holding onto the echidna-girl who was now throwing the cobalt hedgehog a look which clearly screamed 'save me'. 'Hey, do you hear her complaining?' The lynx spoke as he gestured to the red-furred echidna still in his grip.
'No, but your clearly scaring both girls.' Jules replied calmly before stepping forward and gently prying the echidna out of the drunken lynx' grip. The moment she was free Lara-Le scooted over to Princess Aleena and the two girls embraced, clutching each other closely as their eyes turned as one to watch their yet-to-be-identified saviour as he dealt with their drunken accoster.
'I was scaring them?' The lynx sounded dimly before his eyes turned to see the two girls eyeing him warily with their different shades of green eyes. 'Oh. Oh.. I'm so sorry. I didn't men to scare you, I've just never seen an echidna before..' The lynx sounded in an inebriated apologetically, moving towards the girls who took a step back, still clutching each other fearfully. Immediately Jules stepped between them and pushed a gloved hand to the lynx' chest to stop him from getting any closer.
'Ok bud, that's far enough, let's try not to spook 'em anymore than you have already.' The cobalt teen sounded gently as he slipped an arm around the lynx who was only an inch or two taller than himself.
'Aw, I didn't mean to scare them, honest I didn't..' The lynx sounded as Jules helped steady his feet before leading him away.
'I know, I know but maybe you came on a bit too strong for them, huh?' The cobalt hedgehog replied sympathetically before adding, 'Your lookin' a bit wasted, why don't you just head on home, whatta you say?'
'Urh, maybe your right..' The lynx replied, nodding vaguely in agreement. 'You'll tell them I'm sorry won'tcha?'
'Sure thing buddy!' Jules responded brightly before adding, 'Have you got someone to help you home?'
'Yeh, yeh, my friends are right over there..' The lynx pointed vaguely to two other Mobians not too far away. The two of his friends immediately spotted Jules with the lynx and came straight over.
'Luke's not been causing trouble has he?' One of them, a Mobian-wolf, sounded concerned.
'He just spooked a couple of girls, that's all.' Jules replied in a light voice so they could tell there was no real harm done.
'Ah for Mobius' sake..' The wolf cursed as his other friend, a light-green feathered duck, took Luke the Lynx off of Jules' hands.
'Hey, there was no harm done, just make sure he gets home safe, ok?' The cobalt teenage hedgehog replied.
'We will, thanks for saving him. He's a good guy, he just doesn't know his limits when it comes to drink.' The light-green feathered duck said before shaking Jules' hand as his wolf-friend took Luke the Lynx' other harm over his shoulders. They then bid the cobalt teen a good night before taking their friend out of the club. The sixteen year old hedgehog smiled as they left before suddenly remembering the two girls he had momentarily left on their own and immediately he headed back in their direction..
'Are you alright?' Princess Aleena asked her best friend, the two high-society friends were no longer clinging to each other but were still holding hands for support.
'Yes, yes. I'm fine..' Lara-Le replied, looking a little shaken up by her experience but otherwise she seemed to be okay.
'Do you want to leave?' The royal hedgehog asked her friend concerned, not wanting to make her stay if she didn't want to. The red-furred echidna gazed at her friend in surprise, if she left now she'd never see what lower-class Mobians were really like. She would forever associate them with that one mindless lynx. 'Tell you what, we'll wait to thank the hedgehog who saved us then leave, how's that sound?' The princess added, mistaking her friend's silence as an answer to her question.
'No!' Lara-Le cried out stunning the lilac hedgehog with blonde quills and causing her to blink. 'It's alright, I'd actually like to stay now..' The red-furred echidna tittered lightly. She may have been reluctant to come along at the start of this night but now she was here and had been accosted by a drunken Mobian the echidna seemed more determined to find out more.
'Really?' Princess Aleena sounded in amazement but before she could ask why Lara-Le had changed her mind the cobalt blue hedgehog returned with a smile.
'Hi girls, you'll be pleased to know that the drunk has been escorted home by his friends so he won't be bothering you again.' The male hedgehog grinned at the two high-society girls and both the princess and the echidna smiled back with relief.
'Thank you for coming to my rescue.' Lara-Le said politely, her minty green eyes flashing gratefully towards the blue hedgehog.
'Eh, it was nothing. Anyone could've done it.' The cobalt-blue hedgehog responded, his grin widened to reveal a chip on the upper right-hand side of his teeth. His warm hazel eyes widened slightly as if he'd just remembered something. 'By the way, he apologised profusely again for scaring both of you.'
'Well, I guess since no real harm was done I can forgive him.' Lara-Le replied honestly with a smile, despite her race being infamous for holding grudges it was not a characteristic she shared.
'Is there anything we can do to thank you properly for your heroic deed?' Princess Aleena asked politely gazing at the hedgehog before her with interest. She had never met another hedgehog close to her own age before but she supposed it had been naive of her to think she and her father were the only ones of their species in Mobotroplis. The first thing that drew her attention was the warmth behind his rich hazel-coloured eyes. There was just something about them that made the princess feel secure in his presence, like she could trust him implicitly with anything. The cobalt hedgehog had a quiff of loose blue quills that hung with unkempt grace just above his eyes giving him a laid-back look. His mouth and long black nose were framed by a slightly tanned muzzle which suited his brilliant blue fur colour and matched his slightly muscular bare arms. The rest of his body was toned, wrapped in an armless red vest with white zipper and judging by his well-worn brown combat boots this was a guy who liked to be outdoors. He was incredibly handsome, there was no denying that but whereas other males had to work hard to be this handsome his good looks seemed to be effortless, like he wasn't even trying. As Princess Aleena gazed at their 'rescuer' she felt her tummy flutter, like there was a swarm of butterflies filling it up..
'Heh, I wouldn't call it 'heroic'..' The cobalt hedgehog drawled uneasily, rubbing the quills on the back of his head as a slight flush of embarrassment momentarily covered his cheeks. 'But I wouldn't mind knowing the names of the two lovely ladies I just rescued.' He added cheerfully to the two Mobian-girls before him. Both the red-furred echidna and the lilac hedgehog exchanged a glance before smiling back at him.
'My name is Lara-Le..' The echidna with braided quills said good-naturedly before gesturing towards the princess beside her. '-and this is my friend-'
'-Bernadette.' Princess Aleena added keenly, deciding to use her middle name instead of her first so he would not make the link to her royal heritage. 'And you are..?' She tailed off with a friendly smile towards the handsome hedgehog.
'Jules Hedgehog..' The cobalt teen sounded politely. 'Can I get you girls a drink?' He offered kindly to the two of them and immediately the two of them smiled.
'Ooh, that would be just lovely..' Princess Aleena trilled before looking slightly unsure once more. 'But I'm afraid I don't know what sort of drinks they provide here..' She suddenly added causing Jules to blink at this statement before smiling once more.
'Heh, heh..' The cobalt hedgehog chuckled good-naturedly. 'How about I just pick you out something nice and fruity?' Jules added with a wink to the lilac hedgehog with the blonde quills.
'Sounds delightful..' Princess Aleena responded eagerly, clasping her fingers together as her emerald eyes widened adorably at his drink suggestion.
'What about you Lara-Le, you in?' His hazel eyes immediately swivelled around to the echidna who had been silent this whole time.
'Yes, I'd love to try it, thank you..' She smiled agreeably towards the handsome hedgehog making his eyes narrow slightly.
'Great. Now don't move, I'll be right back..' Immediately the cobalt hedgehog in the red vest turned sharply on his brown-booted heels and headed towards the crowded bar. Once he was completely out of earshot but not out of sight the red echidna turned to her best friend, a deliberate little smile forming on her lips.
'He seems nice, doesn't he?' Lara-Le kept her voice light and friendly, watching as Princess Aleena had her emerald eyes fixed solely on the blue hedgehog.
'He does..' The lilac hedgehog with blonde quills sighed gently.
'Juice! Hey Juice, over here!' A familiar voice called out making Jules swivel his cobalt head and quills in the direction of the voice calling him only to find Lionel making a bee-line towards him. 'Where you been?' The blonde lion asked curiously as he pushed his way beside his best friend.
'Nowhere. Just saving these two high-maintenance girls from some drunken lynx who was bothering them.' The cobalt hedgehog smirked back.
'Really?' Lionel blinked before pushing his spectacles further up the bridge of his nose. 'So where are they now?'
'Over there waiting for me..' Jules jerked his thumb over his shoulder back in the direction of Lara-Le and 'Bernadette'. Immediately the blonde lion's blue eyes turned in the direction his cobalt friend was pointing in. His eyes momentarily widened at the sight of the nicely dressed lilac hedgehog with blonde quills and her equally well-presented echidna friend.
'Whoa, when you said 'high-maintenance' you weren't kidding..' Lionel uttered, turning his eyes back to Jules.
'Hey, think you can rustle up a few more seats? I'm thinking of bringing them back to our booth.' The cobalt hedgehog asked lightly and the blonde lion smiled.
'Sure, why not? Just let me get our drinks first then I'll get the guys right on it..' Lionel sounded brightly.
'In that case you better take my spot..' Jules replied amiably stepping out of the way to let his best friend in front of him.
'Thanks man!' Lionel then proceeded to order the round of drinks for the rest of the table before handing over his mobiums. It took a little while for all the drinks to come then the lion thanked the barmobian before carefully picking up his tray. 'Catch you in a bit.' He added to Jules before heading off in the direction of their table.
'See ya..' The cobalt hedgehog waved him off with a smile then turned to the barmobian in front of him. 'Yeh, I'll have a root beer and two Fruity Kisses.' Jules placed his order deciding to get the girls the most effeminate fruit cocktail on offer and as the barmobian turned away he shook his head lightly at it's name. It didn't take Jules' order nearly as long to prepare as Lionel's and soon there was a brown bottle nestled neatly between two glasses of pale pink sparkling liquid. The glasses were decorated with a kiwi slice, a cherry skewered to the cocktail stick of a small umbrella. Finally, there were two straws sticking out of the glasses and ice floating near the surface. All this made the drinks look really appealing and they stood out next to the plain bottle of root beer.
'Thanks pal..' Jules said lightly as he handed over his mobiums. 'Keep the change.' He added not bothering to collect his two mobiums. The cobalt hedgehog merely picked up his tray of drinks and manoeuvred his way carefully over to where 'Bernadette' and Lara-Le were waiting for him. Both girls' smiles widened at the cobalt teen as the blue hedgehog returned to them with their drinks balancing in front of him.
'So what do we do now?' The lilac hedgehog with blonde quills and bright shiny emerald eyes asked Jules in a slightly unsure tone. It was becoming clear to the cobalt teen-hedgehog that these girls had never been inside a club like Macey's before and perhaps introducing them to his friends was the best idea. At least this way there were more eyes to watch over them and keep them safe.
'Well, I did come here with a group of friends who we could join, that is if you girls are up for it?.' Jules replied lightly making sure his tone said that this was entirely up to them.
'What do you think Lara-Le?' 'Bernadette' asked her red-furred friend who instantly smiled back at the lilac hedgehog.
'Yes. Why not?' The female echidna sounded with a slight hint of excitement in her voice. She then turned to the cobalt hedgehog and added lightly. 'I am, as you said, 'up for it'.'
'Then I guess we are going to meet your friends..' The lilac hedgehog laughed at her friend quoting Jules' words. Instantly her slim upper arm linked around the arm nearest her and 'Bernadette' held onto the cobalt hedgehog, mindful of the tray he was still carrying. On his other side Lara-Le copied her though she did not hold him as close to her as her best friend, her grip was more lax.
'In that case, right this way..' Jules smiled good-naturedly before guiding the two of them around the crowds on the dance floor towards the booth where his friends were sitting.
By the time Jules had returned to the booth where he'd left his friends the dynamics of the table had changed slightly. Cocoa had now switched seats with Tiger meaning that he was now nestled in nicely next to her fellow feline friend. The cobalt hedgehog wasn't immediately noticed upon arrival as Cocoa and Gus were deep in conversation and Tiger was staring at the orange female tiger with black-stripes beside him, though it was hard to tell if he was hanging onto her words or merely gazing at her beauty. Both Lionel and Sherman were missing from the group and the teenage hedgehog could only assume that they had gone off to retrieve some extra seats.
'Hey guys, I'm back and I brought company.' Jules sounded brightly, announcing his presence to the group sitting around the table. Immediately the four of them broke off from their conversations and their eyes rolled around to the hedgehog.
'Oh good.' Cocoa exclaimed as her eyes fell on the two newcomers. 'More girls to balance us out.' The female black and white cat smiled widely, clearly showing how pleased she was to see that they were female.
'Girls, I'd like you to meet my friend-' The cobalt hedgehog sounded as he set down their tray of drinks. '-Tiger, or Tig as he prefers to be called-' At the sound of his name the white tiger with silver-stripes nodded in acknowledgement.
'Hi there..' Tig sounded with a polite smirk to the lilac hedgehog and her red-furred echidna friend. Lara-Le and 'Bernadette' smiled back politely.
'-My other friend Augustus or 'Gus', this is his last night here in Mobotroplis before he heads back to the Artic Regions.' At the mention of his name the large white polar-bear gave a slight wave.
'We wanted to see him off in style.' Tig interjected at this point, his smile widening crookedly.
'Hello.' Gus' low voice said as his navy eyes flashed kindly.
'And this is-' Jules began to introduce both 'Bernadette' and Lara-Le to the black and white female cat but she cut him off.
'Cocoa..' The female cat beat him to the punch with a friendly smile. '-and this is my friend Ginger.' She gestured to the orange and black-striped female tiger who smiled widely at them.
'Hey, nice to meet you..' She drawled sweetly, holding out her paw-like hand and shaking hands with Lara-Le. At this point the groups attention was caught by a blonde lion with blue eyes and a navy walrus with violet eyes returning with chairs and setting them down.
'Ah and here are my other friends Lionel..' Jules introduced the girls to the lion who beamed widely. '-and Sherman.' The walrus swept off his cap momentarily with a smile.
'Hiya girls, can I offer you a seat?' Lionel sounded perkily before politely gesturing to the booth seat, allowing Lara-Le to take his usual seat beside Cocoa and Gus.
'Oh. Why thank you.' The female echidna responded happily, accepting the seat and sitting down as Lionel slipped in beside her. Meanwhile Sherman set the three chairs down in front of the booth and took the one beside Lionel. This left only 'Bernadette' and Jules standing.
'Everyone.' The cobalt hedgehog rounded up his introductions. 'This is Lara-Le-' He gestured to the red-furred echidna in the soft yellow dress and she smiled as Lionel passed her drink to her. Jules immediately turned to the lilac hedgehog with blonde quills who was still stood beside him. 'And this is Bernadette..' He finished with a smile and Princess Aleena flushed a little, feeling a small amount of guilt about lying about her name to such a large group. The cobalt-blue hedgehog immediately turned to the female hedgehog beside him, not understanding why she was still standing before he suddenly realised that she must have been waiting for him to show her to her seat. She had obviously been brought up with strict etiquette and impeccable manners. This realisation made Jules flush with slight embarrassment as he realised it was in poor manners to keep a lady waiting.
'Heh… here, allow me.' The cobalt teen still looked slightly abashed as he pulled the seat nearest to 'Bernadette' out and straightened it slightly.
'Thank you Jules.' The royal hedgehog sounded sweetly, finding his sudden bashfulness adorable and flashing him a girly smile. The cobalt hedgehog then took the seat next to her and picked up their drinks from the tray. Jules passed the princess her drink before taking a swig of his root beer, hoping to cool his hot face. His hazel eyes did a quick sweep of the table, checking to see if any of his friends had witnessed his momentary embarrassment.. Fortunately nobody seemed to notice it apart from 'Bernadette'..
If the two high-society Mobian-girls had been worried about fitting in with the group of lower-class Mobians they're fears were proven wrong instantly. Jules couldn't have introduced them to a nicer group of Mobians and it proved to be the right move to sit the high-society girls next to Cocoa and Ginger. The two lower-class girls instantly took Lara-Le and Princess Aleena under their wings. While Cocoa was curious to find out from Lara-Le how different life was for an echidna in comparison to hers, Princess Aleena was fascinated to hear about Ginger's studies.
'Oh, it all sounds so exciting! I'm starting to wish I'd gone to school..' The petit lilac hedgehog with blonde quills said wistfully but her statement made Ginger blink in shock.
'You never went to school?-!' Tig Stripes' grey eyes widened in surprise as the male tiger nearly choked on his own root beer. Immediately Princess Aleena flushed slightly pink under the gaze of the cobalt hedgehog and the two Mobian-tigers beside her.
'Um… no. I-I was home-schooled..' She stammered slightly abashed taking a sip of her Fruity Kiss and making a surprised noise of satisfaction.
'You like it?' The pleased tone of Jules washed over her and the royal hedgehog's bright emerald eyes turned towards him and instantly they locked with his warm hazel eyes. For a split moment she seemed to find herself awestruck before her mind slowly reminded her he'd asked her a question.
'I do..' Princess Aleena sounded in a slightly more breathy voice than she had meant to. The lilac hedgehog then blinked and added in a more careless tone. 'It's wonderful.' Her words made the cobalt hedgehog grin.
'So, you were home-schooled, huh?' Jules immediately prompted the blonde-quilled hedgehog back to the subject of education.
'Oh. Yes.' Princess Aleena smiled back before her eyes turned back to Tiger and Ginger who had been sipping their drinks and smiling at each other. 'Well, father wasn't comfortable with the idea of me leaving home for education, so he hired a private tutor to come in and teach me in the safety of our home.' The princess had only embellished this with a slight white lie. It had not been one tutor, it had been a whole staff of them. An etiquette and elocution tutor, an academic and political studies tutor, a music and arts tutor and a personal trainer. They're time was all slotted into a strict schedule which the princess was expected to keep, and her grades were to stay within a certain margin to keep her father satisfied with her progress.
'Why wasn't he comfortable with you leaving home?' Ginger asked gently and for a moment the lilac hedgehog beside her seemed to shift unsurely in her seat. For a moment the light orange tigress thought she had asked too personal a question for 'Bernadette'.
'My mother died giving birth to me..' Princess Aleena finally answered sadly. 'Father's heart was never the same after that. He's always kept me close to him. I guess sending me away to be schooled was too much for him to bear..' The blonde-quilled hedgehog tailed of as she thought about her father King Olgilvie the Third. After only a few moments a soft paw-like hand gripped her fingers comfortingly and the princess turned to see Ginger holding her dainty hand supportively in hers.
'I'm sorry.' The Mobian-tigress spoke softly, now understanding why 'Bernadette's' father would not like her to leave but it did bring up one curious thought. 'So, how did you meet Lara-Le?'
'Oh. Her parents are friends of my father's, we always run into each other at social functions or get together while our parents are discussing important issues.'
…At the opposite side of the table the others were listening to Lara-Le as she and Cocoa had somehow got onto the subject of echidna-courting.
'Well, traditional echidnae don't really date, their marriages are arranged through breeding and social standing.' The red-furred echidna was saying to the group of teens around her who were gazing fascinated. 'When I turn of age I will be betrothed to a 'provider' selected by my father. Then only once a suitable dowry is agreed upon by both echidna-houses the wedding will take place.' The red-furred echidna looked around at the group who were gazing at her in surprise.
'A provider?' Cocoa sounded in slight disgust, shouldn't the correct term be 'husband'? This was all sounding too cold and business-like for her liking..
'I guess the significance of marriage is less about romance and more about creating strong within the echidnae-community. Is that right?' Lionel asked the braided-quilled echidna and Lara-Le nodded solemnly.
'Yes, sadly that is true. I will only see my future 'provider' once before the wedding, when he and his father come to inspect me to see if I meet with their approval.' The female echidna answered in a soft tone while her face, though sad, seemed accepting of her fate.
'You'll only see your husband once before you marry him?' Cocoa was still staring gob-smacked by this echidna way of life.
'Whoa, that's harsh..' Sherman sounded softly. He couldn't imagine marrying someone after only meeting them once.
'You seem so calm with this..' Gus' deep voice washed over them and Lara-Le's minty green eyes turned to him.
'I've had my whole life to prepare for this.' The red-furred echidna sounded lightly. She reached forward and picked up her fruity cocktail and taking a sip of the sweet liquid. 'I may not turn of age until next year but my father has already begun to consider potential 'providers'.'
'Well in that case, you should enjoy your freedom while you have it.' The large polar bear said with a smile towards the little echidna. This made Lara-Le smile back towards him.
'Yes. I believe your right..' She sounded brightly..
As the night drifted on Princess Aleena found herself watching the Mobians dancing on the floor in front of the raised stage where a band was playing. She wasn't sure what to think of the music they were playing as she was used to the classical style of music her and her high-society peers listened to. This music was faster, more energetic and it was a mystery to her how the Mobians could dance to it. There seemed to be no set dance steps to it, as a result all the teenage Mobians dancing were all over the place. Dancing different moves and smiling while laughing and enjoying themselves… it was a strange thing for the princess to see.
'You wanna dance Bernie?' The sound of the cobalt hedgehog's voice made Princess Aleena stop focussing on the jumble of dancing in front of her and back to the table. Tiger and Ginger seemed to be in a little bubble of their own while the rest of the table was chatting and laughing freely.
'Did you just call me 'Bernie'?' The lilac hedgehog sounded a little firmer than she'd meant to as her emerald eyes widened in surprise. Instantly Jules raised his hands in defence as he laughed guiltily.
'Heh, yeh..' He drawled as his white-gloved hand rose to his head and his fingers ran through his quiff of blue quills. 'I did. Sorry, Bernadette is sucha mouthful but if it bothers you I won't call you it again..' He smiled widely, flashing the chip in his tooth.
'No, no. It's ok..' Princess Aleena sounded gently, she'd never had a nickname before. Such things in her society were considered incredibly bad form. And even though she was not using her real first name it touched the lilac hedgehog to know he thought of her in this affectionate manner.
'So, do you wanna dance then?' Jules repeated his question, his hazel eyes flashing a curious look to her.
'I'm afraid I wouldn't know how..' Princess Aleena replied, throwing him a coy look. She knew it was rude not to accept a dance invitation but she truly had no clue what to do.
'What's to know?' The cobalt hedgehog suddenly laughed in amusement. 'You just go with the music..' Instantly he grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of her seat. 'Come on, I'll show you..' He added keenly as he led her to the dancefloor at a light jogging speed. With her white high-heels Princess Aleena struggled to keep up with him but thankfully the cobalt hedgehog did not take her too far into the crowd. Once they'd arrived at a decent clearing of space Jules immediately let go of 'Bernadette' and immediately began to sway and bop in time with the song the band were playing. The lilac hedgehog could only stare in amazement at him. The cobalt-blue hedgehog was surprisingly graceful though his movements were entirely masculine. When he spun around to face her he stopped, noticing she still wasn't moving but merely stood there while their peers danced around them.
'What's the matter Bernie?' Jules had to raise his voice to be heard over the volume of music which was much louder out on the floor.
'I've never danced without set steps before.' Princess Aleena replied just loud enough for the male hedgehog to make out. Her lilac pointed ears seemed to dip slightly as she looked awkward. She was completely out of her comfort zone now. Jules closed the slight gap that had appeared during his dancing so he was stood directly in front of her now. His hazel eyes gazed down into her timid emerald ones, noticing that they paused only to dart around the room.
'But what if I can't do it right?' Her voice sounded terrified and suddenly he understood the reason behind her shyness. She must be worried about what the others would think if she tried to dance without being shown how first.
'Hey, dancing isn't about doing it 'right'. It's about self-expression through the body, there's no wrong way to being yourself, right?' The cobalt-blue hedgehog asked her and the lilac hedgehog smiled slightly, though nervous butterflies tingled her insides.
'I guess not..' Princess Aleena replied with a timid stammer.
'And don't worry, you can't be any worse than that guy.' Jules sounded as his smile widened, pointing to a monkey-Mobian on the other side of the dancefloor who was flailing his arms ridiculously in the air and bouncing around. The royal hedgehog blinked in shock at his bizarre dancing before noticing that although a few Mobians were laughing at him the monkey-Mobian didn't seem to care.
'Why does he still dance if he knows he's being laughed at?' The blonde-quilled hedgehog asked, not understanding why this Mobian wasn't bothered by others laughing at him.
'Because Bananas likes to entertain.' Jules sounded, snickering slightly at the ridiculous dance moves the monkey called Bananas was pulling.
'You know him?' Princess Aleena blinked stunned as her cobalt dance partner continued to snigger.
'Only by name.' Jules replied. 'He's a regular here so we sometimes run into each other.' He then took one of her dainty hands in his larger white-gloved one and pulling her away from the monkey-Mobian and his weird dancing. 'You wanna try dancing with me?' He suddenly asked her boldly and if Princess Aleena had been self-conscious before she was incredibly nervous now. Her cheeks flushed a shade of pink as his other hand sat on the blonde quills covering the small of her back.
'Um, sure.' She tried to swallow her nerves but they remained lumped in her throat. He was closer to her now than he'd been all night. This lack of distance didn't bother Jules but Princess Aleena was fighting to control her blushes. She just wasn't used to this level of forwardness from male-Mobians, especially not ones as handsome and kind as the one she was with now. They began to sway and turn on the spot, the princess' heart fluttered rapidly as they moved together, it was as if her heart wanted to break out of her ribcage. They picked up pace and immediately Jules pulled away from her, still connected by one hand letting her go into a spin. The lilac hedgehog glanced around the floor to see none of the others were paying them the slightest bit of attention and her initial nerves were soothed. Nobody cared about her dancing. She was just dancing, having a good time without others judging her… A smile curved her lips at this new sense of freedom and immediately she swung back into her cobalt partner, more relaxed as they continued to dance. Their hands were no longer connected but they remained within a close proximity of each other.
Jules couldn't help but smile as 'Bernadette's' nerves melted away. He had no idea why she'd been so self-conscious in the first place. As far as the male hedgehog was concerned she was an incredible dancer, her movements were so fluid and sensual as she seemed to glide effortlessly across the floor. Just when it seemed that she'd forgotten he was even there her bright emerald eyes would open and she'd smile at him, as if checking he was still with her. As they continued to move they became only aware of themselves and the music around them. Their hands linked again as they resumed dancing together and then suddenly 'Bernadette' leaned into the cobalt-teen hedgehog.
'Want me to show you something?' Princess Aleena sounded with a slight hint of mischief lacing her well-spoken voice. Jules blinked his hazel eyes in surprise before they narrowed in a mixture of curiosity and delight. He'd been wondering if there was more to 'Bernadette' than this polite high-class girl front she'd been displaying so far and he was pleased to see there was something more underneath it. Intrigued to know what lay under the surface of this refined Mobian-girl the cobalt hedgehog grinned wickedly at her.
'Go ahead Bernie.' He replied with a good-natured laugh and immediately the blonde-quilled hedgehog's grip intensified around his wrists. This caused Jules to let out a noise of surprise.
'Well, if you insist.' Princess Aleena sounded as the two of them began to spin very fast on the spot. 'Just don't let go.' She added and immediately his fingers curled around her wrists, locking him into place. Their spinning speed intensified by tenfold so they were nothing more than a blue and lilac tornado spinning in perfect balance on the dancefloor. There was gasps of surprise and amazement as other Mobians turned towards the two spinning hedgehogs.
After a few more moments of this high-velocity spinning the lilac and blue tornado vanished as Princess Aleena came to a stop, releasing her cobalt-blue partner from her tight grip. As Jules swayed uneasily trying to steady his balance a slightly lop-sided smile slowly curved his punch-drunk face. The lilac hedgehog with blonde quills only tittered lightly at his blown away expression.
'Whoa…' The sixteen year old male hedgehog said in a soft stupefied voice. 'That.. was.. awesome!' Jules shook his head to rid himself of his slightly dizzy spell before turning his hazel eyes turned to the female hedgehog standing next to him. 'Where did you learn to do that?'
'I used to do ballet as a little hedgehoglet and one day I was practising my arabesque and I discovered it by mistake.' Princess Aleena replied matter-of-factly, her smile then widened slightly towards him. Nobody else had called her super fast spinning 'awesome' before. Usually they just told her to stop as it was not ladylike to be spinning around at such dangerous speeds.
'You wanna show me again?' Jules' eyes narrowed once more to her and the royal hedgehog giggled.
'I'd love to.' She replied before sweeping him up into another high-velocity spin across the floor, completely ignoring the staring Mobians around them..
It was incredibly late when the group of Mobian-teens all exited Macey's and grouped together to say their goodbyes. Around them other Mobians whispered enthusiastically then waved to both Jules and Princess Aleena, obviously still remembering their high-spinning hijinx on the dancefloor earlier.
'Take care of yourselves..' Ginger was saying to the two higher-class girls.
'Hopefully we'll run into you again sometime.' Cocoa added keenly, privately hoping this was the case as both she and her friend had enjoyed their company.
'I hope so too. It's been really nice getting to know all of you..' Lara-Le clasped her hands together as her minty green eyes travelled the group of mixed Mobian-species around her. She no longer believed that lower-class Mobians were as rough or uncivilized as her high-society peers made out. They were just misunderstood, like the aloof Guardians of her species.
At this point Tig wrapped an arm around Jules and pulled him away from the group as Lionel, Sherman and Gus moved to say their goodbyes to the two girls, who were getting farewell hugs from Cocoa and Ginger.
'So what's the deal with you and Bernie then?' The white tiger with silver stripes asked conversationally.
'Nothing. Why?' Jules responded as he crossed one leg over the other as his hands rested casually on his hips.
'I dunno, seems like she's really into you, that's all..' Tig added with a crooked smirk twisting his mouth. The cobalt hedgehog turned to glance at 'Bernadette' and as he did her emerald eyes caught him looking. She smiled back before her eyes returned to Sherman who had been saying his own goodbyes.
'Don't be ridiculous Tig..' Jules instantly turned back and his hazel eyes scowled. 'There's no way a high-class honey like her is gonna go for an Average Joe Hedgehog like me..' The then flashed his friend a dismissive smile and added. 'She's just being friendly.'
'If that's what you wanna think Juice.' Tig sounded vaguely with a casual shrug of his shoulders. But before Jules could do anything more than scowl deeper at his best friend the Mobian-tiger spoke again. 'So, your showing her home with Lara-Le, right?' For a moment the cobalt-hedgehog blinked his hazel eyes stunned by the question.
'Err, yeh, I suppose I better, this side of town can get pretty rough at night.' Jules mused which caused Tig to smirk widely. 'Let me guess, your escorting Ginger home, am I right?' The hedgehog suddenly grinned, recognising the look that crossed his best friend's face.
'Yeh, I am..' The white and silver-striped tiger sighed, there was no point in hiding the truth from the one Mobian who could wheedle it out of him better than his own parents. '-but I really like her. Gonna ask for her number when we reach her place.'
'That serious, huh?' Jules kinked his brow impressed. Although Tig often flirted with girls he didn't collect their number unless it was a really special girl who he intended to call, clearly Ginger was that rare kind of girl. The cobalt hedgehog had to admit that Ginger seemed like a nice Mobian-girl and if she was brave enough to take on the unruly Tiger Stripes then good for her.
'Don't laugh Juice, I can have feelings too.' The white and silver-striped tiger sounded seriously.
'Never said you couldn't buddy..' The cobalt hedgehog snickered in amusement before adding. 'Alright, it's getting late. I better get these two home before their daddies call out the Metropolitan Guard..' Jules then made to move towards 'Bernadette' and Lara-Le but Tig forestalled him.
'Think about Bernadette though, she seems nice..' The white and silver-striped tiger said gently as he clapped Jules' shoulder before heading off in the direction of Ginger who was stood with Lionel, Sherman and Cocoa. The cobalt hedgehog sighed heavily, sometimes he could just curse Tiger for knowing him so well. It wasn't that he didn't like 'Bernadette' because he did. With her soft lilac fur, long blonde quills and brilliant emerald eyes what was not to like? His problem was that they clearly came from two completely different worlds. A fancy high-class girl like her couldn't possibly see anything in a standard working-class hedgehog like him..
Shaking off his thoughts and clearing his head of any twittering desire for 'Bernadette' the cobalt hedgehog moved back towards the group, sliding in beside Lara-Le. The echidna smiled at him kindly as her friend was saying her final farewells to Gus.
'Take care of yourself Bernadette. If you ever end up in the Artic Regions for any reason, come look me up.' The Mobian polar bear sounded seriously, not realising that since he was saying goodbye to a princess there was a very good chance she'd hold him to it.
'I might just do that..' The lilac hedgehog giggled lightly, shaking his huge white hand. 'Have a safe trip home Augustus.' She sounded politely, patting the back of his massive hand with her furless pale-skinned hand.
'Thank you, it was nice meeting you.' Gus added lightly.
'You too..' Princess Aleena smiled warmly as he turned away and headed to Sherman, Cocoa and Lionel.
'You girls ready to go home?' Jules sounded turning his blue-quilled head towards both 'Bernadette' and Lara-Le. Both girls blinked at him in surprise.
'Are you planning to escort us back to our homes?' Lara-Le sounded with a slight smile, impressed by his thoughtfulness.
'Yeh, Tiger is taking Ginger home. Lionel and Cocoa live in student halls and are just heading back together and Sherman and Gus live near each other.' The cobalt hedgehog grinned at these words and sure enough the group dispersed as he said they would, waving Jules and the girls goodnight.
'Well, if you insist on escorting us home, shall we?' Princess Aleena sounded amiably and immediately the cobalt hedgehog extended an arm and looped it around her waist, this made the petit lilac hedgehog make an surprised 'ooh' sound. This was going to be a more intimate journey than she expected. Jules then extended his other arm to Lara-Le who seemed surprised by this move. Both girls couldn't help but notice how tightly he gripped them both now but he spoke before they could ask him about it.
'Alright girls, hold on tight. I'll have you back home in a flash.' He winked as he said this then immediately he shot off in the direction of the upper-class side of Mobotroplis. Both the princess and the red-furred echidna squealed out in shock at the speed that they suddenly lurched forward at. If they'd been wondering how Jules had ended up with the nickname 'Juice' they understood now. The city of Mobotroplis just seemed to blur by and when Princess Aleena's designer handbag slipped down her arm she was glad that it was on the arm she was holding onto Jules' shoulder with. While the princess was happy to watch the buildings and trees fly passed them Lara-Le had her head buried into Jules' bright red vest as she made uncomfortable squealing noises. As the cobalt hedgehog swept around the final corner into the swanky road of Emerald Avenue he was about to ask the female echidna whereabouts to drop her off. But at the sight of her trembling between the collar and breast pocket of his red vest he decided against it and turned to 'Bernadette', who was leaning into his shoulder watching the world fly by.
Jules screeched loudly to a stop, feeling the already worn rubber of his brown combat boots shave away due to the friction against the road. Once the cobalt-blue hedgehog finally skidded to a halt both girls set their expensive heels on solid ground. While the red-furred female echidna looked a little nauseous from the whole experience the lilac hedgehog looked excited. The cobalt sixteen year old hedgehog let out a low impressed whistle as his hazel eyes took in the luxuriously grand street of Emerald Avenue. There was greenery dotted around the wide smooth roads. White mansions lined the block with their imposing iron gates centred around huge sand-stone walls, bursting with moss and other green plant-life on top. The streets where dimly lit by glowing power-stones on top of twisted black metal street-poles and even in the dark this place was unbelievably clean.
'Fancy..' Jules uttered to himself. As a pizza delivery-hog he had rarely been in this section of Mobotroplis, if he had he would have just zipped through it in his haste to get to somewhere else. He certainly had never stopped to take in the homes and judging by the size of the nearest one you could fit the whole hamlet of Knothole into it without even trying.
'Well..' Lara-Le sounded, finally finding that her stomach had finally caught up with the rest of her. '-thank you for such a pleasant evening. I enjoyed meeting your friends.' She added kindly before moving in and giving the cobalt hedgehog a hug. 'And thank you again for saving me.'
'Hey, hey. No problem and like I said before, anyone coulda done it.' He smiled warmly at the echidna.
'Still, I'm glad it was you. Goodnight.' Lara-Le sounded with a smile to both of them. Then the female echidna darted quickly off behind the bushes of her massive front garden. This left the two hedgehogs alone in the dimly lit street.
'Alright Bernie, let's get you home too..' Jules sounded but instead of looping his arm around her waist like last time the cobalt hedgehog swept the princess off her feet and held her in a bridal lift. She gave a slight yelp of shock at this incredibly bold move which only caused the male hedgehog to chuckle low in his throat before taking off down the road again. Before the lilac female could even think they were speeding off once more, the fierce wind whipping up her blonde quills making Princess Aleena glad her crown was safely hidden in her handbag. When they stopped again they were stood outside a tunnel-like passageway in the middle of what seemed to be nowhere. Since 'Bernadette's' father was not to find out that she had snuck out the lilac hedgehog with blonde quills had suggested he take her to one of the escape passageways and she'd re-enter her home that way. Princess Aleena had decided this was the easiest way to sneak back home without having to admit who she really was to the cobalt hedgehog.
It wasn't that she didn't want him to know who she really was, in fact her heart burst with desire to confess it to him. The princess couldn't do it. She lived in a world away from his, when was she ever likely to see him again? If this was the only time she was going to see him then why tarnish this perfect night with her deception.. Now that they were alone with absolutely no interruptions likely to happen an awkward silence fell over the two hedgehogs. Jules rubbed the back of his quills nervously before flashing her a warm smile.
'I uh, hope you don't get caught sneaking back home.' He sounded lightly, nerves still audible in his tone and this caused the lilac hedgehog to smile sweetly.
'I'm sure I'll be fine.' The princess sounded before her smile suddenly dropped slightly and she stepped nearer to Jules, her emerald eyes on his. 'I had a lot of fun tonight.. But I guess there's no chance of us meeting again, is there?' Her brilliant eyes then gazed forlornly at his shoulder for a moment but they rose just in time to see a gentle smile form on the cobalt hedgehog's mouth.
'Never say never..' Jules uttered just loud enough for her to hear, being the incredible optimist he was. This brought the smile back to the royal hedgehog' face.
'But just in case this is the only time we meet..' The cobalt hedgehog reached up to the quill-base of his cranium then winced a little as he yanked out one of his own quills. It was a long cobalt-blue head-quill with a centimetre-thick base that tapered into a needle-sharp point, naturally curving into a slight C-shape. He then held out the quill to 'Bernadette' with a smile, ignoring the slight twinge of discomfort that pulling out a premature quill brought. '-here's something to remember me by.' For a moment the two-foot cobalt-blue quill merely sat in his hand as the princess gazed in wonderment at it. In the olden days male hedgehogs had only given their head-quill to the ones they loved most. Giving such a personal item was a sign of love and adoration for them, that they wanted to be with them always. The blonde-quill hedgehog shook these thoughts from her head. She was putting too much symbolism on this one act of kindness, besides he probably didn't know about what it meant. This was a romantic gesture that had died out years ago..
Eventually Princess Aleena worked up enough courage to take the quill from him and hold it close to her like a valued treasure.
'Thank you..' She smiled sweetly back at him, letting her dainty fingers run over the smooth but very fine cylindrical edge of the quill. Immediately the blonde-quilled hedgehog lent in and kissed Jules' cheek. 'Goodnight.' She uttered before disappearing into the escape tunnel and out of sight.
'Night..' The cobalt-blue hedgehog muttered faintly, looking a little punch-drunk by this innocent peck. Sighing to himself the sixteen year old hedgehog shot off in the direction of home..
Once Jules was home he slipped noiselessly in the front door and shut it as gently as he could. His older brother would no doubt be asleep by now and the cobalt teen didn't wish to wake him. However when Jules turned around his hazel eyes widened in surprise to see the dining room light on. Was Charles still awake?
'Charlie..?' He called out in bemusement, wondering why his brother would still be up. There was no response to his words so Jules stepped forwards lightly and spoke again. 'Bro, you awake?' Deciding he would poke his nose through the open doorway and see if his brother was ok, the cobalt-blue hedgehog slipped up to the door. When his hazel eyes looked inside the former-dining room he saw his brother slumped over the table with a pile of papers, his ring-restraint gun and a pencil dangling out of one hand. It seemed that Charles had over-exerted himself at his lab-desk once again.
The cobalt hedgehog sighed at his sleeping older brother. Charles' brilliant mind often became so focused on whatever he was working on that it often was unable to distinguish when he was tired. This meant that if he wasn't reminded to sleep he often worked himself until he was so exhausted he just crashed out on his desk. Jules immediately turned to the oak-wood condenser opposite and opened the right-hand cupboard door and pulled out a blanket that he stored in there for this type of situation. As the cobalt hedgehog turned back to his brother holding the blanket in his arms he heard a small clattering noise as the pencil slipped from Charles fingers. The sixteen year old hedgehog just let the pencil roll away as he unfurled the blanket and wrapped the soft fuzzy brown material around his older brother, ensuring that he stayed warm while sleeping. A slight smile tweaked the sleeping face of Charles and Jules immediately pulled a pillow out of the left-side cupboard. Gently he lifted up his brother's head and slid the soft pillow underneath before laying his head back down. As it sunk into the pillow the mild-blue hedgehog gave a slight sigh of satisfaction and nuzzled the pillow before drifting back into his deep sleep. This made Jules smile tenderly at his older brother before turning away from the room and turning out the light, causing the whole house to fall into darkness.
'Goodnight Charlie-Boy..' He uttered presently before heading to bed himself.
Little Notes:
Hey peeps, super long chapter here! I couldn't help it I didn't want to miss out a single detail of Princess Aleena's and Jules' first meeting. I hope I didn't confuse people when it came to calling the princess 'Bernadette'.. As Sonic fans probably noticed I used the name of the hedgehog's mom from the Archie comics as the alias name for her. I plan to merge these characters into one mother-figure to Sonic as they are both similar to each other, hence why Aleena has blonde head-quills instead of dark-purple ones.
Ok, there's more here on Lara-Le as I wanted to illustrate differences between echidnae and other Mobians. I want their ways to appear older and more serious, hence the whole arranged marriage thing seemed likely… especially when it came to Knuckles' parents as they were polar opposites that seemed unlikely to come together naturally. But their will be more on that later.. ;)
Until next time..
~Ditzy x