Getting Strong Now (Ch. 2: Day 9)

Mie · Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 11:56 pm

With a swift smack upside the head, Jam returned just quickly enough to her seat so as to make one wonder when she got up in the first place. She crossed her arms and legs, looking thoroughly moody once more as she threatened, "Don't make me tell Caz what happens when she lets you out."

Rouge · Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 12:19 am

"Mmm," Rouge looked Ace in the eye, for a second. Her eyebrows were raised in something that might be have been amusement.

She smiled, and turned to Jam.

"Don't worry," she said, "I'm not the type to pick up strays."

"Bye then!"

She launched herself lightly over the high railing, and dove over the side.

Greens · Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 1:44 am

"T'ch..." Ace bowed and tilted his head as he rose, but with a subtle smile, nonetheless. Perhaps with that, they could finally blow this trendy little popsicle stand, and its fruity little drinks. With a casual crack of the bones in his neck, he'd be ready to roll.

"Ah, whatever," he added in the monkey's direction. "At least she'd know I was joking."

psikeout · Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 2:17 am

Seeming like he wasn't really listening to Ace's commentary, Rock stared vacantly at the space where the bat had just stood a moment before. Thinking? Maybe. After a few seconds, he slowly swiveled his head, made a single sniff of displeasure at his environment, then grabbed his duffel and stood.

"Le's get outta this hole."

***

Sometime later that evening, the group returned to the resort, entered through the huge elevator, traversed the grandiose entry area and boarded a monorail. An uneventful, silent cruise through the wildly-lit nightlife wonderland deposited the group on the platform at the colosseum, where the competitor lodging wings awaited their return with comfortable amenities they may well have been getting used to.

Or so one would think. The white primate who strode toward the glass entry doors had a hardened look on his face, brows creased downward with a slight, but perpetual fierceness. As posh as Vince's place was, he never let his guard down while in it. There was always a chance something was going to go horribly wrong, whether it was foul play from casino goons, hostility from a vengeful opponent (Joe hadn't been a happy man), an angry partner or two (the eagle's cohorts), would-be do-gooders letting more emeralds get broken (Jack and her friends), or, now, a squad of super-powered humans looking to take them by force.

When some fireworks popped in the distance, he might have turned his head a little more quickly than he otherwise would have under normal circumstances. Even though the noise proved to be innocuous, he still slowed his stride, stopped, and watched for a moment, wondering.

Sheff · Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 8:26 pm

Sheffer stood just outside the doors, his attention directed to the sky as he watched the multi-colored lights of the resort flash across the black sky above, the stars dimmed in the distance. He was simply there on the feeble hope the person he sought would wander by, trying to patiently wait for them to appear. But, he quickly came to the conclusion he'd never catch him this way, about to turn to enter the hotel.

However, with a quick glance down.... a dash of white.

Perfect timing.

Stepping forward then as he saw the pale monkey approaching with his companions, he tried to recall the last time he and him had a proper conversation. He came with to a conclusion very quickly; never.

Either way, he was soon near the primate, raising a hand in greeting.

"Hey..." Sheffer paused, his brain scrambling to remember the name.

Stone...? Boulder...? Or was it...

"Rock," he finished, now only a step or two away from the nearing three, trying to gain his attention.

psikeout · Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 10:00 pm

The simian was still thinking and watching the distant celebration at the hotel when the hedgehog approached. Recognizing the voice, he didn't rush much to divert his attention to the new arrival.

Rock had been cordial enough when transporting Sheffer and the rest of his friends to Westside Island, but with no further business dealings on the line, he didn't seem very... welcoming. The two really hadn't interacted directly before more than once, so it may not have been immediately clear why the pilot squared his shoulders and gave Sheffer a several-second-long soul-piercing stare from unmatching eyes, but he did. His own greeting, rasped and low (even for his build), was only marginally more amiable.

"Yeah?"

Sheff · Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 11:01 pm

Well, at least he'd gotten a reply.

From the monkey's many-second look, Sheffer could feel the subject on his mind slipping away quite quickly, and when Rock finally responded, it took a good few seconds of his own time to recall his reasoning for even addressing the primate in the first place.

Stumbling with words for a moment, he finally let out a somewhat proper sentence.

"So, uh, remember the doc? Right? Crazy old moth?" He paused as if to give Rock time to respond, but he immediately jumped back. "Anyway, he happened to tell me earlier that you were somehow involved in that mess over at the plant last night... uh... any say on that? Ya know... emerald-wise?"

The hedgehog hoped he could somehow hold Rock's attention long enough to get some useful info... if there was any at all.

Mie · Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 1:07 pm

From over the shoulder of the white simian came an exaggeratedly exasperated sigh as his strawberry red shadow approached.

"Y'knooooow,"grumbled Jam, dragging the last syllable out theatrically. "I think I've about reached my cap on people asking about Chemical Plant and the emerald for the week."

The red-furred and -tempered girl coasted to a stop next to Rock, dropping her hands onto her hips, and leveling an appraising stare at the spiny prier.

"'Specially if he's jus' gonna go tattle to a certain griffin that the crazy monkeys're blowin' s**t up again."

psikeout · Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 1:32 pm

Rock very briefly looked skyward and bobbed his head just a little, as if to concede Jam was right, but tiredly looked back to the hedgehog and actually answered him, anyway.

"There's some 'say' on it, yeah," he replied vaguely. However, his tone changed and became very level as he stepped forward, and, changing gears, asked, "Why is it you even wanna know?"

Sheff · Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 2:10 pm

"To figure out what other parties are all involved in this," answered the hedgehog matter-of-factly, trying to ignore the group's apparent lack of interest. "I'm suspecting that kid is involved in this somehow. Been waiting for him to show that smug face of his again."

Giving a small glance to the pinker of the primates, he continued on for a moment. "And, just for your information, the sheriff approves of me as much as she does of you. Apparently I contributed to her town blowing up... or somethin'. Hell, haven't even seen her in nearly a week, which is just fine with me."

psikeout · Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 2:43 pm

During Sheff's explanation, Rock had glanced back at Jam and Ace and mouthed, "Kid?" He hadn't heard of Seven, and had only heard of any noteworthy kid second-hand from Jam, so he didn't jump to conclusions, and chose not to interrupt Sheffer about it.

The bit about the Sheriff made Rock smile. It wasn't a good smile. There was something that bordered on evil about it.

Sheffer had just made a dire turn in the conversation. The simian approached until he was well inside the hedgehog's personal space. If he tried to reclaim space, Rock would keep coming forward.

"If you assume you can ingratiate yourself to me by knockin' Jack, you can just kiss my ass," he said quietly, matter-of-fact, breathing his words straight into Sheffer's face. "'Cause that's one thing she and I agree about: it's as much your fault for takin' the radioactive nuclear bomb emerald to the Podunk City Sheriff's Department as it was hers for tryin'a stop us in the first place. Only difference is..."

His head slowly lulled to one side, and his eyes darted quickly in their focus between each of Sheffer's.

"... She suffered for her mistake. We all did. You didn't."

Mie · Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 2:55 pm

Contrasted to Rock, Jam was the self-proclaimed poster-girl of jumping to conclusions, simultaneous to hearing the word "kid" and processing Sheffer's along with it, the salmon simian's blood ran cold; there was only one kid who'd been on her mind for the last few days, non-stop, and if the generic one of the hedgehog's mention happened to come up in a discussion about emeralds, two plus two had a high probability of being Seven.

Before she could pry, however, Rock's weighty presence came down upon their unsuspecting would-be interrogator like a wave of bricks, and all thoughts of pedocide were instantaneously replaced by a morbid entertainment not unlike watching a heavyweight boxer "fight" a featherweight... A blind, crippled featherweight.With raised brows and a grin poorly disguised as a wince, Jam glanced back at Ace, pursed her lips, and then covertly drew an index finger across her neck.

Sheff · Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 3:18 pm

Sheffer found himself in a literal face-to-face with the monkey, but he didn't back off. Even though Rock gave an intimidating air, he wasn't just going to cower away from sudden accusations. His brow furrowed, and his eyes became a bit more steely, not breaking the eye contact.

"Because I just knew that thing was timed to explode, right?" he said with almost a growl. "You don't even know why I came back in the first place, do you? Why I even bothered? I could have just tried to go solo for awhile, but no. I saw the news. I saw what happened. And I regretted leaving them."

He took in a controlled breath, trying to push down his whirling anger towards the primate before him. "But guess that's probably a load of bull to someone like you, isn't it?

psikeout · Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 5:21 pm

Rock's eyes narrowed down like slits. Perhaps unexpectedly, he answered, "No, I believe you, actually."

This begged explanation. He slowly lurched back a slack, relaxed step, letting his head lull back with a generally unimpressed look, and explained his reasoning. "You strike me as too naive to have ulterior motives." (But not flatteringly.) "If you were after the emerald for yourself, you would've taken it with you when you ran. And if you were smart,... you would've left the thing where you found it, so it'd be safe and buried under a mile and a half of solid rock for a millennium or two." Insert a welp look, and upward jerk of the eyebrows.

"But," he suddenly declared with a change of tone, turning and swaggering over toward one of the glass doors to lean against it, "doesn't matter now. We got information about a 'kid', and it sounds like you do, too."

Sheff · Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 10:44 pm

Sheffer crossed his arms, and though annoyed from the primate's subtle insults, he was at least thankful they were back to the original subject.

"Yeah, I do," he replied, starting to look a bit more relaxed himself. "Brat nearly crushed me under a million gallons of water, then left us all to drown." He appeared to fall into a small, agitating memory before his eyes focused on Rock once more. "Snatched one of the emeralds we were aiming to get for ourselves in the mean time, too. If it weren't obvious enough, seems like he's intent on getting them himself."

The hedgehog's eyes darted to the pink monkey, the one that happened to look the most disgruntled about the topic of the kid, then back to Rock. "I'm assuming he gave you a nice little visit as well. Charming little guy, isn't he?"

Getting Strong Now (Ch. 2: Day 9)

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