I made a Sonic CD review on my Youtube channel! Also, I figured it wouldn't hurt to embrace some more alt tech and see if cross-posting on Rumble pans out. So it's ANOTHER slow relaunch that's probably gonna span another entire year, but since I already touched up the episodes, I only need to make minor tweaks for Rumble's format.

Okay, so my planned revised chronological order is currently looking something like this... Chapters 1-5 are set in stone. I want to move 6 since it's a bit similar to 5 in GUN fraternizing, but honestly it could go anywhere. 7-8 are fine as is, and need to be early since they involve Rouge still being out of the circle. 9 is after 12- I'll probably actually just switch them around. 10 is fine as is but can probably be moved anywhere if I want to. 11 is pretty fine as is and definitely belongs in the 'later' category (meaning Rouge starts to... feel differently around Tails.) In summary by current numbers the order is probably: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, (6), 7, 8, 12, (10)-11-9-13; with parenthesis marking chapters that could go almost anywhere without breaking continuity and dashes marking chapters that could be in any order in relation to each other. No idea when I'll actually move anything though.

Unlucky number 13 strikes! I was working on another idea but it wasn't coming along so well so I figured I'd do something else first instead. I'm not so sure about this one, not the least of which in regards to the timeline. It would actually form something of a narrative thread for a number of chapters, though it obviously can't be too close to the start (because Shadow) to tie the whole story together, though I was waffling on whether or not Shadow was in the picture yet (he was in the chapter I postponed, so here's so more vague chronology for you.) I kinda rushed this one, since the plugged Sonic CD review is 3 weeks old now (and I've even reupped S2's vid because I'm experimenting with upload times.) This story is a totally evolving work-in-progress: I've got some ideas but reserve the right to do a total swerve at any time.

Also, I haven't seen the Knuckles show yet aside from the first episode but it sounds like it was what I expected. I'm not worried about the third movie making the same mistakes; it was totally what I expected a lower-budget TV show would have to do to pad its runtime out. Too bad they didn't just make another movie. I'll still get the home release.

Rouge couldn't help but stare at the fox who was napping on the opposite side of the table, both of his tails cradled in his arms for a pillow. She'd caught a little nap herself in the downtime after their late running mission but was much better equipped for staying awake. Deciding that no matter how long he slept, it just wouldn't be long enough, and so she had the idea to immortalize the moment. She pulled out her phone- slowly, so as not to risk disturbing the slumbering fox, leveled it at a good angle, and held it as steady as she could. Her hand quickly got tired, but unwilling to give up, she laid her arm on the table and her head on top of it as if she were taking another nap. I could just fall asleep watching Sleeping Cutie... Time stretched...

"What'cha doing, Rouge?" Topaz suddenly asked, apparently having materialized directly behind her, causing her to yelp in surprise and drop the phone. How the hell had she not noticed the agent's presence?

Between Topaz's voice, her own embarrassingly high-pitched outburst, and the phone clattering on the table, Tails also shot up in alarm from the sleep he had been so harshly torn from. "What happened!?" he asked in confusion.

"Sorry about that," Rouge apologized, then realized she should be blaming Topaz instead. "But SOMEBODY spooked me. See what you caused, Topaz?"

Now Topaz apologized. "I'm sorry, but I need to borrow Rouge for a bit."

"You don't need me too?" Tails asked while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Nope, just Rouge. You can go back to sleep."

"I'll try," he grumbled.

"Come on," Rouge offered, grabbing his wrist to help his decision along. "We'll detour by my room first. My couch is much comfier, Sleepy. You could have just asked, you know."

He offered no resistance as she pulled him out of his chair. "Okay..."

With that, the human agent began walking out the door, beckoning for them to follow. They walked in silence for a couple minutes. Nothing was said, but Topaz was clearly smirking the whole time. When they reached her GUN-issue dorm, she opened the door for Tails and pushed him inside. "I'll be by when I'm done. Don't poke around my stuff or I'll know."

"I wouldn't do that!" he declared in offense before she shut the door.

Human and bat continued onward. They had just entered a staircase when they suddenly stopped and Topaz asked, "So what's the story with you and Tails?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know the story." The human agent was clearly talking about the workplace betting pool she'd seen on the relationship status between the two non-human agents (though the roster needed updating now.) The pool was in the shape of a baseball diamond, with bets put on the various bases; it was some kind of sport-related code, though she had no idea what they actually meant (and wasn't about to ask.) Being the human who interacted with her the most, Topaz was naturally the one most in the know about her life... and also the only one she didn't exaggerate her relationship with.

"I've been wondering if you've moved onto the next chapter without telling me. What were you doing with Tails just now?"

A slight shade of red coloring her face, Rouge tried to bluff her way out. "Well, I was trying to check my phone messages when you snuck up on me."

"Your eyes didn't seem to be on your phone. Were you distracted?"

"Maybe a little. Did you see how cute Tails looked? Can you blame me?"

"I don't see why you needed to look at him THROUGH your phone."

Rouge knew full well that Topaz knew full well what she was doing with the phone. "Hey, who knows what fun I can have with the footage later?" Wait a minute...

"I've been wondering... does the word 'cute' carry the same meanings where you come from as it does here?"

"Uh... yes?" she answered uncertainly. "What else would it mean?"

There was a moment as the human agent sized up the bat's confused response. "Well, you've seen my dog Midge, right?"

"Yeah."

"Obviously, I think she's really cute."

"Yes she is," Rouge agreed. Not my type of animal though...

"Then there's Brad Pitt. Now I think HE is cute... if you know what I mean."

She slyly grinned in conspiracy. "Oh, I know what you mean."

A beat elapsed. "So... when you say Tails is 'cute', what do YOU mean?"

The bat was struck dumb, having somehow not seen this coming... and also because she wasn't so sure how she'd classify Tails either... It took almost three seconds to realize how she SHOULD be answering. "What? Uh, I mean he's just absolutely adorable, of course."

"But do you also think he's attractive?"

"No!" she denied way too fast.

"Oh my god... I've actually got you blushing."

I am? "Where's this coming from? Did Tails tell you that he said I was cute?" Her voice held the slightest tinge of anger. That fox had something coming if he had.

The human cocked her head curiously. "No. Why? Did he tell you that?"

She went white in shock upon realizing her slipup. "No!"

"Oh my god... He DID! Was it a special occasion?"

She went back from white to red. "No! He was just being dopey! And he only meant that I do without any makeup!" She was NOT about to disclose the circumstances that allowed Tails to see her without makeup; that was one of the few pieces of gossip she didn't want going around the workplace.

"Aw, you kids are both just so cute sometimes!"

She crossed her arms in indignation. "I'm not a kid!" God, I probably sound just like Tails now... "And I'm NOT cute!"

"You're both absolutely adorable. But I'm sure Tails meant you were cute. He's obviously got a crush on you."

That had been evident since a long time ago, but hearing the confirmation improved her mood slightly for some reason. "That's because he's got good taste."

"So does it go both ways?"

"No! I am NOT attracted to him like that!" When she realized how unconvincing the answer sounded, she conceded, "Well, he's got the fact that he's a fox going for him."

"Oh? What does that mean? You're saying foxes are good-looking?"

"Well, yeah, foxes are CUTE, you know?"

"The attractive kind of cute?" Topaz teased.

"Shut up! Don't pretend that you don't think foxes are cute too!"

"Oh, I do, but you're both from the same planet. I'm just curious to see your perspective on what females find attractive on a guy?"

"I'm pretty certain that we're all interested in the same body parts."

"But you have more body parts than humans do."

She was silent for a moment before deciding to volunteer her opinions in the hopes of taking control of the conversation. "Well, as you can see..." She gestured to herself for illustration. "I don't mind the furless look, but I think guys look better with it. And I like a guy with a nice tail."

"And what exactly makes a guy's tail 'nice'?"

She considered. "As long as it looks cute, but the longer the better for me. And the fluffier."

"Fluffy? As in bushy? Like a fox's?"

"Not specifically," she said in an annoyed tone, "but they do have awesome tails."

"What else is attractive about foxes?"

She sighed. "Well, they also have cute muzzles... their fur is really soft and fluffy all over... they're sly... and they're-" She stopped herself short, but seeing that Topaz was eagerly hanging on every word, she sheepishly continued with a slightly altered course. "Well... I've always also... personally thought of them as nice... in my experience."

"Really? You know many other foxes?"

Admittedly, her last observation was probably due to Tails. She fidgeted slightly. "A couple."

The human eyed the bat curiously. "How well did you know them?" Rouge could no longer suppress a blush. "Did you date any by chance?"

Maximum redness came now. "So what if I have!"

"And you're sure that Tails wasn't one of them?"

"NO! Not Tails!" she snapped.

"So we're only talking about foxes you dated so far?"

"Yes!" she answered in exasperation.

Topaz whooped, absolutely SAVORING this conversation. "It sounds like you really DO have a thing for foxes!"

She blushed furiously and said, "No!" for the countless time today. "I mean, not beyond the fact that they're naturally attractive!" The human agent was too busy laughing to say anything else. "I've dated more than just foxes!"

Topaz regained enough composure to say, "Do tell."

She sighed. "Wolves." The use of plural wasn't accurate, but she was fine with providing misleading numbers.

"Was everyone you've dated a canid?" She didn't answer. "It sure sounds like you have a type at least." It was probably true: dogs in general were good-looking, with foxes standing above the pack there. "If you ever met a fox who was cute and fluffy and a real sweetheart..."

She groaned. "Oh, I'm sure he'll be a real stud when he's older." As it was right now, he was only 'cute' in a boyish sense rather than handsome, his features lacking the more... defined oomph that adult foxes had. The only thing Tails already possessed at his young age was the fur, although that was admittedly a fox's most desirable feature... That soft fluffy foxy fur was more than enough to drive her wild... The psychology utterly crushed her right now. Oh god, I really AM attracted to him...

"You still think he's too young?"

"Yeah. It would be a little weird."

"But he's not too young for you to flirt with?"

"What? I don't... flirt with him!" Even she couldn't believe her own claim.

"Oh please... You flirt with, like, EVERYONE here. Tails three times more so." While the bat struggled with a response, Topaz asked, "What do you call it?"

An answer came to her. "Practice." Her playful tone got a second wind. "Come on, this is TAILS we're talking about. We all know he's not going to actually take me up on any of it."

"Maybe not now, but what if one day he does?"

That brought her pause. She had honestly never really considered the possibility, but it didn't take long to determine his eligibility. She flashed her trademark smile. "Well... he had better be ready for the consequences." Nice... I flipped that around...

"So you're saying that you WOULD go out with him after all?"

Back in her comfort zone, she gave a nonchalant shrug. "Sure, why not? He knows how to treat a girl right. And he's a fox."

"So, are you waiting or is he a backup plan?"

With that, she suddenly remembered that she actually was chasing some prospects at the moment. "As a matter of fact, I've got my eyes set on someone else already," she spoke proudly. "Someone who ISN'T a fox."

"Shadow?"

That wasn't who she had in mind, but thinking of the dark hedgehog caught her out. "Well, I'm game for it, but that's not who I meant."

"I figured. I just don't think he's into you at all, girl."

She bristled but didn't try to argue. "Yeah, he's a total monk." Maybe even more so than Tails... "The person I was really talking about is an echidna." Echidnas had never been on her list of best-looking species- on account of the fact she'd never seen one before- but she was already sold.

"You mean Knuckles? That echidna? But they're not fluffy."

"Sadly not, but he's got muscles," she said dreamily. Muscles and soft fur were both big winners in her book. She regretted that she'd probably have to pick one over the other.

"Didn't you try to steal the Master Emerald from him? And fight him?"

"That happened ONE TIME," she defensively pointed out. "But that's how we met, and we've patched things up."

"Yeah, it sounds like a real romantic story."

"Yeah, well he's the romantic type." Minus any actual romance...

"How come you've never really mentioned this love interest before?" I haven't? She had definitely mentioned him as a hunk before, but maybe not her intent to claim him. "So what, have you two only recently started seeing each other?"

She fidgeted. This was why she hadn't announced her intentions: because there was a risk of failure. She stretched the truth. "You could say that..."

It was a terrible answer. "What does that mean? You've known him for a couple years by now. Are you dating or not?"

She couldn't lie there. "It's... complicated. You know that he's such a serious type. He doesn't really do 'dating'." Did echidnas even choose their own partners or was it determined by other means in their culture?

"Does he turn down your invitations?"

Sort of: he hadn't told her to leave him alone, but he certainly wouldn't leave Angel Island to go anywhere with her for anything less than saving the world. "Not exactly."

"What? Either he said yes or no, assuming that you HAVE actually asked him, right?" She just fumbled for an answer at the blunt question. Topaz caught it. "You haven't? Seriously? I'm surprised that you haven't already made a move on a guy that you were actually interested in."

"I told you; he doesn't DO dates."

"But you at least still asked, right?"

She had- obliquely. That is to say, she had asked if he wanted to do some things... without ever outright mentioning if would be a date. "Well... yeah, but..."

"Oh my god... Are you too nervous to ask him?"

"No!" she lied. Sort of- she hadn't properly asked because she knew the answer wasn't going to be a yes.

"That's cute... but rough."

Clenching fists, she now flushed. "It's not that I'm nervous! He's just playing hard to get! But I'll get him eventually!"

"Yeah, but will you get him any time before the end of this year?"

It was March now- she wouldn't put money on it. But her pride was another matter. Whether or not that was meant to be a challenge, she treated it as one. "I can have him in time for Christmas," she answered with manufactured confidence.

"In time for Christmas? That would mean you'll have him BEFORE Christmas, right?"

"Obviously."

"So hypothetically, if I were to have a Christmas party, you'd show up with a date?"

The gauntlet had officially been thrown down. "Yeah."

"Would you be willing to bet on it?"

She eyed her human counterpart warily. "What are the terms?"

"Before anything else... Tell me straight, girl-to-girl... You're really not secretly dating Tails, right?"

Totally done at this point, she simply said, "No," flatly.

"So you would not bring Tails unless you had no other choice, right?" Smart girl- she'd be willing to win the bet even if that meant falling back on Tails for an escort.

"Yeah."

"Good. You can bring anyone you like: Knuckles, Shadow, whoever. But if you strike out, you have to bring Tails." As far as bad outcomes went, that would be painless... aside from the blow to her pride. "But they have to come voluntarily. No coercing anyone into a date. We'll be checking."

She rolled her eyes. She knows me too well... Though I doubt I could force Knuckles or Shadow into it anyway... "And what if I win?"

Topaz thought it over. "How about I let you give me a makeover?"

Her hand shot out. "You're on." They shook and consecrated the bet. Once safely out of both visual and audio range of the human, Rouge allowed herself to freak out a little at what she had just agreed to. You and your big mouth, girl... You really think you can win over Knuckles at this rate? Eventually, sure, but by Christmas? That would be a Christmas miracle in itself... Shadow's not even worth considering yet... She needed a new approach but had no idea what else to do. Her looks had always seemed like they'd be enough. She could always head back home and find a guy happy to accompany her on a fake date, but SHE couldn't pretend to actually be into them... Unless maybe I recruited a fox... I wonder if I should ask a vixen for some advice? She had just reached her room when she remembered there happened to be a fox occupying it at the moment. Not the kind of fox I was thinking of... But he IS a genius, and also a close friend to Knuckles... Maybe he just might know something I can do...

"Hey Rouge," Tails greeted while still lying down across half of the sofa.

"Hey Tails." She sat down sideways so that they faced each other, settling into a lying position propped up on the armrest and pillow. Their feet fully stretched out to be just shy of each other, so she slid down just a bit more in order to plant her feet flat against his. He pushed back with equal force, both sides clearly just playing rather than trying to fight for room. Not that long ago he would been uncomfortable with this game of footsie. He HAS gotten more comfortable around girls... I wonder how much? "So..." she broke the ice. "How's Cream?"

Tails quirked an eyebrow. "She's doing fine... as far as I know. Why do you ask?"

"You see her often?"

"Not really." It was a disappointing though expected answer.

"No? How often do you see her?"

"Nowhere near as often as Amy. When she comes over, it's usually with her."

"You two don't ever hang out together otherwise?"

"Not really." He sounded wary, seemingly suspecting where this conversation was going. I am pretty predictable, aren't I?

"Why not?"

"We don't really have all that much in common."

"What do you mean? You're both around the same age, super sweet, and really cute."

He groaned slightly. "Probably... but not much else."

"Come on, you should at least try. Sheesh, what is it with all you guys? You, Sonic, Knuckles, and Shadow..." When she saw that Tails seemed to be confused as to where this was all going, she exasperatedly said, "Why are you all so aloof about girls?" I think I understand why Amy used to be so crazy...

"Uh... I don't know..." After squirming for a bit, the fox asked, "Did something happen with Knuckles or Shadow?"

"No! That's the problem!" Her voice came out a lot angrier than intended, but she kept going. "What's a bat gotta do to get an echidna around here?"

"Uh... you sound really frustrated about it."

She glared at Captain Obvious. "Yeah. You guys might be cool with being alone, but us girls aren't. Our hearts crave relationships with guys they like." Whoa- she was really venting now. Tails wisely kept his mouth shut rather than risk saying something else stupid. She dialed it back a few notches. "I don't get you. You spent so long without any friends but you still choose to be by yourself all the time. You don't ever get lonely?"

They shared a long sympathetic look. "But I'm not really alone anymore. I've got Sonic, Amy, Cream, Knuckles, and you."

"Yeah, but we all come to you. You almost never leave your house. You're somehow both the friendliest AND most antisocial person I've ever met. I just don't get it."

"I don't know either... Obviously, I really wanted friends back when I was younger, but after going without them for long enough, I guess... I just stopped wanting it. You guys are enough for me."

She kicked the bittersweet logic around. Quality did generally trump quantity. "Well, I never stopped wanting," she said softly. If Tails had heard that part, he didn't respond. "But I didn't want to talk about depressing stuff tonight. What I wanted to ask was if you have any ideas about how I can get Knuckles' attention?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, I know it's desperate, but you're a genius and have known Knuckles for longer than I have. Maybe you know a way into his good graces through something he likes?"

"Um... that... is actually a good idea, Rouge." Of course it is, kid... That's why I suggested it... I just don't know him well enough yet... "But I don't really know what you can do there."

"Come on!" she practically whined. "A smart guy like you has to know SOMETHING." ...that a highly successful catcher like me doesn't...

"Well, obviously he spends his free time training..." I know that much... I enjoy watching... "It might be an activity you could do together, but I'm not sure how that would work out."

"Yeah, I couldn't possibly keep up with him." The thought of sparring came to mind. While the idea of such a close contact activity was enticing, she wasn't so sure Knuckles could pull his punches. "Anything less likely to result in serious injury?"

"I guess there's always food."

"Food? Really?"

"They say the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

She'd heard that saying before. "Is giving a guy some food really that effective?"

"Not just any food... Food you've personally made yourself," Tails clarified. "Ideally something you know he'd like."

Okay... Tails is coming through here... I can figure this out... "He likes grapes, so probably something with those in them?"

"Yeah."

She waited for more suggestions, but when none came she prodded, "Got any ideas?"

"Uh... A pie? I guess pies can come in grape flavor? Do you know how to make those?"

Her ears flattened. "Uh... no."

"Well, you can try just making something else you know. Is there anything you're good at cooking?" She didn't answer, her expression falling. Tails cautiously asked, "What do you know how to cook?" She could only give him a sheepish look at this point. "You don't know how to cook... like, at all?" He sounded SHOCKED, as if this was a basic woman's skill she should know. It probably was for a girl who wanted to land a guy. God, this was so embarrassing. Thankfully, Tails was the least embarrassing person she could admit this to. On the other hand, she was still coming to Tails for dating help.

"Hey," she said defensively, "I haven't needed to cook my own food before." She turned dour. "And it's not like I ever had a stove to cook on anyway."

"Oh... right... I'm sorry about-"

She cut him off. "It's okay. You don't need to apologize. I asked for your help in the first place." There was a long silence. "Okay then..." She sat fully upwards and prepared her proposition. "How about we help each other out here? You help me get a guy, and I'll help you get a girl."

"What? You don't need to help me out in return..."

"Probably not," she mumbled. You'll probably have girls chasing you when you're my age... "Assuming that you aren't still hopelessly shy. But I can't let you help me without something in return. So let's help each other out. It's such a waste for both of us to be single."

"I'll help you out Rouge, but I'm not in any hurry here..."

"Come on, you're at least old enough to notice girls, right?"

As expected, the young fox responded to the challenge to his age. She knew just how to manipulate him. "Of course I am!"

Seizing the moment, she asked, "So what do you think of Cream?"

He practically recoiled. "What do you mean? Like, as a girlfriend?"

She rolled her eyes. "You say it so innocently." She turned on her sly act. "Do you think she's attractive?"

"In what way?" He started to turn red.

"What way?" Did Tails know the different classifications of attractiveness too? "You tell me."

The fox fumbled. "You asking if I think... she's... hot?"

She couldn't believe her ears. "Yes!"

"No! I mean," he corrected, "she's... not like... that..."

She's not like ME, you mean... "You think she's pretty?" she kindly offered in assistance. History was being made here, so she refrained from jeopardizing it with teasing.

"Well... I don't..."

She put a hand over her heart. "Ouch... poor Cream..." While the young rabbit hadn't started practicing her beauty enhancements yet, it seemed a bad sign if TAILS didn't even call her pretty just out of politeness.

"No! I'm not saying she doesn't look... good... I just think I'd call her..." He squirmed under her intrigued and amused stare. "...cute."

"All right!" Rouge almost yelled in triumph. "Now we're getting somewhere!" With a downright mischievous smile she asked, "What do you think about Amy?"

He looked almost horrified by the question. "What!? She's Sonic's girlfriend!"

"Relax, I'm just asking what you think about her, not if you'd make a move on her. Do you think she's attractive?"

He squirmed some more, closed his eyes, and answered, "Yes, I think she's pretty."

"Oh? You consider her pretty and not just cute?"

"Yes." His eyes shot open in alarm. "Don't tell Cream what I said-"

"I would NEVER," she assured him with a hand up for illustration. "This whole conversation is our little secret. Don't you dare tell ANYONE I asked you for help either."

"I won't!"

"Good." They sat in silence. She suddenly shifted onto all fours and crawled forward. He scootched back as little as the couch allowed but was entirely trapped between the furniture and the bat who loomed over him like a predator. "Now then... how would you describe ME?"

He gulped but managed some defiance in the face of fear. "Is this multiple-choice?"

She couldn't resist her smile turning amused at what she suspected he was getting at. "Maybe... I won't complain as long as you keep coming up with the right answers..."

The fox grew a smile on his face as sly as hers. "I think you can be whichever one you want."

With a small flutter in her heart, she outright laughed. "Oh, you smartass little fox! Just answer in one word: what am I?" She practically DARED him to say the C-word.

He considered carefully before saying, "Perfect."

Her heart stopped for a moment.

More defined oomph- I'm rather proud of that one.

Well, this was a character study on Rouge. She does indeed have a thing for foxes. I was wondering how exactly she would walk the terrain of 'does she find him attractive?' I hadn't planned for there to be an actual answer in fur being something Tails would already possess that our poor bat would be hopelessly attracted to, but it was just so obvious.

As for Rouge, I actually considered having a reason for why she's mostly furless. Naturally, I was thinking of something dark, like something medical-related that either prevents fur growth or makes it unsightly so she just forwent it altogether. Or perhaps something as simple as a street kid not wanting to deal with it always being dirty (and later... well, because it also suited her 'image'.) But honestly, the question of the logistics on how she maintains it and the fact that the issue didn't REALLY need an explanation made me drop it. For all I know, some bats might only have fur on their heads anyway.

I've been wondering about where Rouge lives on Earth. Obviously she was staying at the GUN base at first during her incarceration and 'parole period', but I figure she has just kept staying there. I don't really see her using Zillow.

We might be starting to enter the final stretch on this one (even though I still have like 10 more chapters now if I don't come up with any more ideas or combine them- this chapter actually was 2 different ideas I connected because I didn't think either alone was meaty enough: Girl Talk Volume 2 and Dating Help Exchange- the bet was a new idea to connect them) because a lot of the remaining chapters actually are connected by this little narrative arc. I really have to start thinking about how to arrange them because we've got a fable of Rouge Icarus progressively flying closer to the Tails sun going here...

Small apologies for being somewhat redundant (or spoilery) with explaining some things in author's notes, then doing that in the story later on. It's because I still want to give my inner logic for context when I don't see a way to illustrate it in story, but sometimes I think of a way later on. That's why it ends up happening.