"Men, I have received a call from a client who is stating that couples are turning up missing at a dance competition that is going on in Soleanna. Mighty, we are sending you to investigate." Vector said.
An annoyed scowl on Mighty's face. "So I am taking another one for the team? How surprising. Espio, what are you thinking of this?"
Espio sighed as he leaned against a dark corner.
"Well, as long as you are okay with it… it is your call. Did Vector tell you who your partner will be?" Espio gave a "did you tell him everything" glance at Vector.
Suddenly they heard a loud knock at the front door, startling the three. Vector and Espio turned to Mighty, who gave a defeated look as he was closest to the door.
There was another knock, sounding more fierce.
"Hello?! It's Honey Kiryuine. I know you boys hear me knocking. I thought Vector wanted me to show up around this time." The loud brash voice was very familiar to Mighty, who shot an evil eye to Vector, who sheepishly shrugged his shoulders.
"Honey, really? This is a dance competition, not a fighting tournament, right?" Mighty raised an eyebrow.
Vector shrugged his shoulders.
"Hey, no one else was available. But hey, at least you two are familiar with each other." Mighty growled at Vector's audacity.
The armadillo hesitantly approached the door, slowly unlocking it. He opened it to see a very familiar feline face. The brazen honey-colored eyes haunted the sleuth like a nightmare. He noticed that Honey was carrying a bag of clothes, causing his eyes dilating in horror.
"Oh, hello Honey." Mighty, always wanting to conduct his interactions in an urbane matter, struggled to make a welcoming expression. But it looked as if he ate something awful.
"Nice to meet you again, detective. You don't look too happy. Getting frustrated at a case? You know, your clothes look like they are shrinking. If you need a tailor, you are looking at her." Honey winked.
"I will let you know." Mighty was tempted to say something snarky, but he held his tongue.
Thoughts of anger raced through the armadillo's head as he struggled to keep his composure.
"Can you let me in? I need to talk to Vector to finalize our deal." Mighty clenched his teeth as he turned to stare darts at Vector.
"Come right on in. Make yourself at home." Mighty gave a snide as he let the feline in.
As Honey entered the office of the Chaotix, she noticed the rooms were dark, only a few lamps scattered around the room being the only sources of light.
"Gosh, why is it dark and depressing in here? I know you are detectives, but lighten up this atmosphere a bit! I can give this place a makeover, for a price of course." Honey smirked at Vector, who flinched a bit. Espio, being wise, kept quiet.
Oh Vector, always making a deal with the devil. Mighty thought as he observed the interaction. As long as he knew Honey, she always had a domineering nature which mesmerized everyone who she came in contact with. Of course, that contrasted with his quiet and peaceful nature.
Vector, wanting to break the ice a bit, stammered a bit, "So Mighty will accompany you to the competition. Keep in mind that we are trying to solve a case here, so I just need you and Mighty to get along for the sake of all of us. It is a win-win situation for all of us if you two win the competition and solve this mystery. You can do your advertising on the side, just keep it low-key. Deal?" Vector extended his hand to the fashionista.
Honey scratched her chin, before reaching her hand out to Vector in a hand-shake deal. "Deal. Now but one thing, I will need a passport."
Mighty chuckled sarcastically, gaining the attention of the others. Oh boy, it was always something with this girl.
"Did you ever consider since we are going overseas that you would need one? Vector, are you sure Honey was the best candidate for a partner?" The sleuth sneered.
"Shut up!" Honey screamed, her cheeks turning red like a ripe tomato. Her fists clenched as she was ready to swing at Mighty, who decided to step back.
"Ma'am, you need to calm down." Mighty put his hands up in defense. "See Vector? She is too thin-skinned to go to this competition for me. Perhaps let's find someone a little bit maturer, don't you think?" Mighty suggested to Vector.
"Mighty, please just play nice for all of our sakes." Vector pleaded.
"Me?! She was the violent one!" Mighty retorted.
All of a sudden a sinister chuckle from Honey caused them to stop arguing.
"Oh don't worry Vector, I will make sure Mighty gets straightened out before the competition. I believe a little accessorization can get the job done, hm?" A sinister Cheshire Cat smile began to form on the fashionista's face, causing Mighty to grow pale at the horror awaiting him.
Mighty grumbled as he sat in a boutique. The pink bubblegum-esque colors were bright, almost blinding to the eyes.
He was surrounded by all sorts of clothing. Mannequins were planted all around the boutique.
That is what he was feared to become. A mannequin a certain fashionista can use for her own personal pleasure.
He was in a compromising situation with his hands tied. He could say no, but then how can the agency get money?
Honey mentioned she had a former classmate, Pele, who was an expert fashion designer for men. Apparently she demanded that the armadillo wear a tuxedo and wanted to talk to Pele for reference on how to make a tux.
Mighty stared at his watch. He had been waiting for about 45 minutes. What was Honey doing? Talking her head off at Pele?
He was tempted to get up and leave, but he didn't want to hear his feline "partner" complain to Vector and Espio on how he was uncooperative.
A local radio blared nearby, gathering his attention.
Now we report another strange peculiarity. Local Chun-nunian authorities have some members of the mysterious cult known as the Children of Gaia arrested. Lead by a female peacock under the alias of Chandai Krishna, the cult has performed a strange ritual to resurrect Dark Gaia in Mobian form. Rumors have emerged that Chandai was a former student of Professor Dillion Pickle of Spagonia University, but the professor has declined to comment on the situation as of yet. Many say that Chandai was pregnant at the time of the ritual, and she died. Forensic investigators say her womb was open and her child was mysteriously snatched. We will reveal more details once we receive them.
Mighty raised his eyebrow at the reportings. What in Mobius is going on?
Before he can contemplate, the detective's thought process was interrupted by the entrance of Honey and a brown dog.
"Mr. Mighty, my name is Pele. Honey expressed her interest in making a tuxedo for you." Pele extended a hand to Mighty, who shook it in return.
"Yes sir, pleased to meet you, Signore Pele."
"Parli Soleannian?"
"Sì, io lo so poco." Mighty gleamed.
"Incredibile!" Pele gleed in excitement.
"Well my. Don Giovanni knows some Soleannian." Honey moaned sarcastically.
Pele and Mighty both glanced at Honey for her uncouth manner.
"What?! I mean, just spare the formalities! We are on a schedule, you know?" Honey pointed to Mighty's wrist watch.
"Well Ms. Kiryuine I could have got Mighty's measurements within a short amount of time but you insisted on talking to me for 45 minutes. Who is responsible, hm?" Pele replied, tapping his shoe as if he was a parent questioning a child.
Honey blushed in embarrassment, but huffed in retaliation. "Fine. Once you two do your… guy talk, come and get me. Mighty, as a heads up, you are going to have to strip so Pele can get your measurements. Have fun. I will be at the arcade across the street." Honey pouted and stormed outside, leaving the two men alone in the store.
Mighty sighed with relief at Honey's departure. "I apologize for her behavior Mr. Pele."
"Oh, you don't need to apologize for anything. Me and her are friends, and I admit she can be a bit much. I think she is dealing with a lot of turmoil within her."
"I'd figured. Did she ever tell you about her home life?" Mighty inquired as he stripped his clothes off for Pele to measure.
"So what she told me, her parents are strict. Mother is a stressed out doctor and father is a zealous martial arts teacher. Tiger parents. Apparently she dropped out of high school and joined the same fashion school as I did. Which made her parents upset. So she moved out, and she did all sorts of crazy things to get money and advertise her fashion, like entering fighting tournaments." Pele took some measuring tape and began to measure Mighty as they continued their discussion.
"I see."
Mighty noticed a sly eye from Pele.
"From my observations of you and her interacting, I can tell she may be a little jealous of you."
Mighty raised his eyebrows at the dog's remark.
"Jealous? I never thought of that. I mean, I can tell that there is something about me that she doesn't like… like she is…" Mighty hesitated.
"Insecure? Immature? I agree with you. And you can put your clothes back on." Pele took some measurements on a notepad.
"Right. How I dress and talk. My formality. For some reason, it irks her. Weird, I feel like I was the brother she never had. But Pele, keep this between us, like I feel… I mean, maybe she needs me, but I don't have the skills to help her. As a detective, I interact with so many people who are broken and life has beaten them up, which causes them to do the crimes they do. I definitely learned it is not my job to fix people. Honey is far from the worst I have seen, so I want to help her. But I don't want to overstep any boundaries, and I don't want Honey to get so close to me that you know… how can I say it?" Mighty's cheeks began to grow red as he struggled to finish his sentence.
Pele sighed. "She falls in love with you and starts relying on you as a crutch? And you feel like she can't provide anything for you? And you may be the right person for her, but it is at the wrong time? I am a dog and often this term is taken from my species' circle: puppy love. She doesn't know her feelings for you. She may get infatuated with you, but it is not love. I thought about trying to talk with her parents, but you know the tension between canines and felines. Plus, the perception of a canine telling a feline family about parenting wouldn't be too nice."
"What should I do, Pele?" Mighty clenched his teeth.
"Maybe you two need time to bond. I have a gift card to a restaurant from a friend. You can have it. Take her out and just get to know her. See where she is coming from. But be careful. I don't want you pitying her. There is a difference between pity and compassion. Pity can cause you to compromise your convictions while compassion doesn't. I don't want Honey dragging you into a sticky situation." Pele warned as he handed the armadillo the gift card.
Mighty stared at the gift card.
This was going to be interesting.