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Post by Leedzie on Dec 20, 2007 21:12:29 GMT -5
To any passer-by on the street, the sight within the curbside restaurant probably wouldn't have seen all that unusual. However, to those who were regulars of the famed chili dog stand, something very unusual separated this day from all others. There was no gigantic pot of chili bubbling away on the grill. Not to say that there was no chili; rather, there were at least a dozen smaller pots sizzling and steaming as the flames licked their bellies. It was probably the first time many of them had ever been used. Of course, Uncle Chuck had a method behind the madness. As a scientist and inventor, the pale hedgehog had always been aware that necessity was the mother of invention; however, he also knew that sometimes it just happened to fall in your lap, too. So he'd decided to do a little experiment for the day. Each of the 12+ pots contained a portion of his home-made chili -- unseasoned. Rather than continuing with his usual recipe, Chuck had devised a randomized system of seasoning: first he would spin the "Wheel of Ingredients" to determine the next additive, and then randomly picked which pot to add it to. He wavered a bit between rolling dice or having a customer pick with a cootie-catcher. It was... a far-fetched plan, at best. Of course, there was always the chance that one of the pots could turn out fantastic. Then again, there was also a possibility that they could turn out horridly and make his patrons sick to their stomachs. And he couldn't wait to see which it would be.
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Post by SHM 128 III on Dec 20, 2007 22:43:04 GMT -5
Well, he wouldn't have to worry about his first customer being picky about spice choice: Liz just wanted something to put in her stomach. "Is this Uncle Chuck's?" the lizard inquired as she sat down at the counter under the awning.
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Post by Leedzie on Dec 20, 2007 22:48:39 GMT -5
"It is to some," the old hedgehog replied with a snicker. "To others it's an abomination unto Chaos. What can I do for you, kiddo?"
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Post by SHM 128 III on Dec 21, 2007 23:43:04 GMT -5
Liz shrugged off Chuck's comment. After dealing with that Blockhead Bill guy, this seemed pretty normal. "Well, you're famous for your chili dogs, right?" Liz asked, "I really want one, 'cuz I haven't had anything to eat since this morning, but..." She reached into her hammerspace again, hoping that maybe a few rings somehow materialized in there, but alas, there was still nothing. "... I'm flat broke. I lost all my rings in a robot attack outside the city. Is there any way I could 'earn' a chili dog? Please? I'm really hungry..."
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Post by Leedzie on Dec 31, 2007 17:09:45 GMT -5
Uncle Chuck held his chin -- not in thought, but to hide a massive grin. Poor, poor Liz; if only she'd stopped speaking sooner. Chuck had a raging weakness for kids with sob stories. Had she simply left it at that she was hungry and didn't have any money, he probaby would've just given her a free meal. But Liz had offered to work it off. And in doing so had sealed her fate. "I need you to get me an ingredient," Chuck casually announced as he wiped his hands on a towel. "A very... special ingredient."
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Post by SHM 128 III on Dec 31, 2007 17:13:55 GMT -5
"Uh... What kind of ingredient?" Liz asked, obvious uneasiness in her voice. What had she just gotten herself into?
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Post by Leedzie on Dec 31, 2007 17:20:17 GMT -5
Taking a seat upon his stool, Chuck tipped backwards and began to twist his white whiskers, a look of utter seriousness upon his features. "I need you to journey to the highest peak of the darkest slope of Red Mountain. There will be a crude but barely effective passage leading you within. I need you to descend in pure darkness until the suffocating heat begins to kiss your scales. I need you to brave boiling magma and delve deep into the mountain's roots. When you find yourself low enough to hear running water, I need you to find the flow and head upstream. It will lead you to two depositories. One of them will be from a waterfall. I need you to ascend the frigid rockwall and enter the mouth of the falls. The passage will become increasingly narrow -- so much so that you'll have to be completely submerged for a spell. I need you to hold your breath and push on until you make it to the other side of the squeeze. There, you will find a wilting tree. Upon its branches, there should still be two or three pieces of fruit. I need you to cut off the branch one of the fruits is hanging upon, but do NOT disconnect the fruit; the branch is its lifeline, and it'll instantly rot if it's taken away. Bring me back the branch with the fruit in tact. It'll make a most delicious addition to my chili."
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Post by SHM 128 III on Dec 31, 2007 17:59:44 GMT -5
Liz's eye was visibly twitching after Chuck finished his dissertation. He wanted her to do what? Liz was clearly taken aback, but the reply really wasn't something she wasn't used to... She had been given ridiculous "requirements" like that back in her middle school days. "Oh sure, Liz, we'll let you hang out with us... Once you manage to lose the scales, grow fur, and stop looking so ugly ."Liz just shook her head in disgust for a moment. It certainly wasn't the old hedgehog's fault, but being reminded of her school life, intentionally or not, always bothered Liz, for obvious reasons. Quickly putting the past behind her and returning to Chuck's monologue, the logical part of Liz's mind was telling her that this guy was lying through his teeth. She wasn't that gullible like Knuckles. If school had taught her anything, it was that extreme requests like that weren't supposed to be taken seriously. "Okay, look..." Liz began, "If you don't want to give me a free lunch, just tell me. I'll understand..."
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Post by Leedzie on Dec 31, 2007 18:32:05 GMT -5
"Don't mind him, poodle," a porcupine with a pink scarf around his neck announced as he plunked down next to Liz and folded his legs. "He's just, like, a complete jackass" The old hedgehog's stoic expression quickly crumbled into riotous laughter. "Oh, Chocolate, you hurt me with your viciousness!" "I'll be less vicious once you let me dye your mustache, poodle." "Eh," Uncle Chuck smirked, "I'll take your venom over your cosmetics." His attention returned to Liz with a less obnoxious smile. "I'm just kidding you, don't worry! I don't care if you're short on cash. What'll it be?" "Order carefully, poodle," Chocolate warned, also turning to Liz. "You'll totally have a stroke from, like, the amount of MSG in this stuff."
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Post by SHM 128 III on Jan 1, 2008 0:15:50 GMT -5
Liz raised a (technically non-existant) eyebrow at the newcommer. This 'Chocolate' certainly was... flamboyant, but he stood up for her, so that was cool. His remark about hair dye made her a bit uneasy, though. This guy wasn't a hair stylist, was he? That was the last type of person she wanted to be around right now, since she was still getting over the painful flashback about her lack of pretty much anything to style. Unsure of what to think, she simply smiled and nodded at Chocolate and turned her attention back to Chuck. At the hedgehog's question, she simply shrugged. Food choice wasn't a big issue for her, so long as she had something. At least she knew now that he was just joking about that 'sepcial ingredient' before. "Well... What would you suggest?"
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Post by Leedzie on Jan 2, 2008 13:21:31 GMT -5
"What else? A chili dog, of course!" "Ugh." The porcupine folded his dainty arms with a roll of his eyes. "Oh my gawd, poodle, you could at least offer her something that would extend her life, not shorten it." "Hey, my chili DOES extend lives!" Uncle Chuck retorted, shaking a quasi-authoritative finger at his disruptive patron. "In fact, my chili can rescue people FROM death! Why, this one time I was off in Green Hill with my brother, and we set off a rock avalanche just because I happened to sneeze! Of course, it was a sneeze that sounded an awful lot like The Star Spangled Banner, but that's not the point. We plummeted 50 feet and landed on razor-sharp spikes, and then were blasted to smithereens by buzz-bomers!..." "Oh, for the love of Prada," the stylist moaned. His attention fell once more on the lizard at his side. "He'll be at this for a while, poodle. I'd suggest begging him for some fruit; it's the only thing here that's not 94% fat." Suddenly the porcupine smiled. "Oh, I'm sorry, poodle! I, like, totally didn't even introduce myself! My name is Chocolate!" He then extended a limp hand to shake.
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Post by SHM 128 III on Jan 2, 2008 16:20:27 GMT -5
"Alright, then, I'll have chili dog, something to drink... and a cup of fruit, please." Liz then noticed that the porcupine was adressing her again, this time by offering a handshake. Not wanting to appear rude, she shook his hand and smiled, even though she was still a little weary of him. "Nice to meet you, Chocolate. I'm Liz."
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Post by Leedzie on Jan 2, 2008 17:10:35 GMT -5
The fruit appeared at the counter first, in two servings: one for Liz, one for Chocolate. Next came the paper cup waiting at the soda fountain, metaphorically quivering with tantalizing anxiety over what kind of beverage would soon fill its cavernous space. And finally, the steamy weiner found its way into a warm, bready jacket, soon to be coated in delicious ground beef and meat sauce. Among other things. Chuck's left eyebrow migrated north as he looked over the many pots scattered across the grill. Which to choose? Whiiich to choooose... The hedgehog grabbed a french fry from the warming tray and randomly flicked it into the air. When it landed, he responded with a smirk. "Middle-right it is!" And thus the hotdog was coated with chili, a french fry, and... who even knew what else was in there. Well, whatever it was, Liz was sure about to find out.
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Post by SHM 128 III on Jan 2, 2008 18:17:15 GMT -5
Liz thanked Chuck for the fruit cup and began eating its contents. After a moment of not reciving her drink and realizing that the soda fountain was on Chuck's side of the counter, she grinned sheepishly. "Oh... Sorry, make that a Chaos Cola." Eventually, Liz got her drink and chili dog. After taking a sip of her soda, she picked up her chili dog and took a bite... ... And promptly went back to drinking her soda, swallowing huge gulps at a time. "Phew!" Liz panted in between gulps, "That's the second super-spicy thing I ate today! What'd you put in the sause?" Truth be told, it wasn't like Liz had anything against spicy foods, she was just wishing that people would start telling her things were spicy before he stuffed half of it in her mouth at one time.
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Post by Leedzie on Jan 2, 2008 23:38:49 GMT -5
"Good question," the aging hedgehog casually replied. "I don't remember!" "Mmmm...." Chocolate murmured meanwhile, lingering on a sporkful of strawberries. "Maybe you, like, captured the essence of a fabulous lil' body-builder. They totally tend to be hot and spicey." The porcupine couldn't help but titter over his delectible daydream. ". . . If I could capture hot and spicey essences, I'd be selling it in bottles to lonely MySpacers like you," Uncle Chuck snickered. The stylist stared down his opponent for a moment... then smirked and continued his fruity snack. "And I'd buy it!!"
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Post by SHM 128 III on Jan 3, 2008 15:43:19 GMT -5
Liz put her chili dog down and cringed. The mental image of her food consisting of the "essence" of a bodybuilder quickly made her lose her appetite. After a moment, she was able to recover and resume eating the chili dog, this time a bit more cautious of its spiciness. "So, Chocolate..." she began, "What's your story?" True, this guy was fruitier than the cup of strawberries she had and there was still a nagging doubt in the back of her mind that he was an image-absorbed airhead like her classmates were, but she had nothing to prove that yet (well, the second part, at least...) and she certainly didn't want to appear antisocial.
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Post by Leedzie on Jan 10, 2008 15:10:26 GMT -5
"My story, poodle?" The porcupine paused for a moment to seriously ponder that question. Not that it really mattered, because the answer was inevitable anyway. Chocolate smiled giddily. "My story is FAAABULOOOUS!! ...Well, that's my goal, anyway. I, like, work over at Station Square Hair -- for now, anyway. I toooootally want to open my own adorable little salon! I'm gonna call it Shampoodle." He paused and smiled dreamily to himself, then returned to his fruit cup. " Then I can spread a lot more fabulousness."
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Post by SHM 128 III on Jan 10, 2008 22:07:40 GMT -5
Well, that confirmed it: Chocolate was a hair stylist. Liz let out a small moan, hopefully one that no one heard, and turned back to her chili dog. Fate seemed to be getting a kick out of torturing her today... Wasn't Station Square Hair the place that she almost considered getting a job at? And now, even though she avoided it to try and sidestep the painful memories, it just came right back to haunt her. "Right... Spread the 'fabulousness'..." Liz replied, repeating Chocolate's word choice even though she wasn't quite sure if it was even a real word in the first place, "I don't think that's possible for everyone, though... Like me..."
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Post by Leedzie on Jan 11, 2008 1:12:21 GMT -5
Chocolate turned to gape at the lizard at his side, looking winded. "OF COURSE it's possible for everyone, poodle! No one's beyond fabulousness!!" "Chocolate, stop harassing my customers!" "Least of all you," the porcupine continued, ignoring the order from the back of the restaruant. "What would, like, ever make you say you can't be fabulous, honeycake?"
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Post by SHM 128 III on Jan 11, 2008 23:04:30 GMT -5
"My classmates..." Liz grumbled for an answer, "They always called me ugly because I didn't have any fur..." Liz wasn't quite sure why she was telling a person she had just met a few minutes ago all of this. Maybe it was becasue she didn't want to be rude to him. Maybe it was because there was no way she could keep dodging the subject any longer. Or maybe it was because she had a small glimmer of hope that Chocolate might actually be able to do something. Regardless, she looked upwards and gave one of the spines on her head a small tug. "You're a hair stylist... Tell me, what could you possibly do with this?"
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Post by Leedzie on Jan 26, 2008 1:20:39 GMT -5
The stylist's gaze was unamused, but at the same time, sympathetic. "Oh," he idly mumbled, reaching behind his head with both hands, "probably the same thing I did with this." Just then Chocolate yanked away the hairband, and with dull fwoomp sound, all of the porcupine's quills jolted out in seemingly every direction. He let out a sad sigh; it was downright inhumane to willingly reduce his level of fabulousness, but it was necessary to make a point. "Hrm," Uncle Chuck muttered from the back of the restaurant, holding his chin and peering quizzically into the sizzling fryer. "Either one of the hot dogs got away from me, or I've got a pretty serious caterpillar infestation. ... Though if they're commiting suicide, I suppose it's not much of a problem." His face a mix of relief and irritation, Chocolate then began the arduous task of gathering and subduing his sharp and bristly mane. "Do you understand, poodle?" he said with surprising calm. "Fabulousness can, like, come from just one small change, or whatever. And not even always in appearance."
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Post by SHM 128 III on Jan 28, 2008 20:25:22 GMT -5
Liz's eyes widened as she watched Chocolate's quills practically exploded around his head. She never knew that even those with fur could have such... unruly hair. And even so, he was able to keep it under control and make it look nice... or "fabulous", as he kept putting it. She thought over his last statement as she took another bite of her chili dog. After swallowing it, she turned back to the porcupine. "So... Um... What would you suggest for me?" she inquired. Call it a hunch, but she had a feeling that her 'change' wouldn't be one of appearance.
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Post by The Huggernaut on Jan 28, 2008 20:30:40 GMT -5
Crash had been skating around Station Square for a while. He was hungry, too, which honestly was his own fault. He hadn't felt like eating back at his apartment, even though he'd saved the box of hot pockets from getting burnt to a crisp. For some reason, Julie leaving, even if it wasn't gonna be for a while, really bothered him. Had he gotten that used to having a roommate already? Living alone had never bothered him before, so why now? What was different? It's Julie. SHE'S what's different.Shut up. C'mon, think about it. She's so much like you sometimes it's scary. And you admitted yourself that she's cute. I SAID shut up.[/i] Crash's wandering eventually led him past a familiar looking chili dog stand. Hey, isn't that Chuck's place? He's still open? Crash chuckled softly to himself. A chili dog sounded pretty good, actually. Could be fun dropping in on that old hedgehog, anyway. Assuming he remembered him. With a smirk, Crash cruised up to the counter, and sat down near the end of it, leaning forward. "Hey, Chuckles. Got anything good cooking? Or just the usual biohazards you call chili dogs?"
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Post by Leedzie on Jan 30, 2008 14:29:38 GMT -5
Chocolate didn't answer right away; it always took him at least several minutes to subdue his afro, which was among the reasons that he rarely turned it loose. When his many quills were finally back in order, the stylist turned to Liz and gave her a brief inspection. "I think, like, better posture and more smiling is all you really need, poodle. That totally makes a difference. It like... raises your confidence? And besides," the porcupine paused to pick at his fruit again, "if you don't like you, then like, it's harder for other people to." His back still to the counter, Chuck idly glanced over his shoulder at the latest arrival, then did a double take. "Well now," he began, taking his attention away from the stove to stand opposite the devil, "there's a face I've not seen in a while! What was your name again? Bang? Boom? Kablooey?" He remembered his name perfectly well. But that wasn't the point.
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Post by The Huggernaut on Jan 30, 2008 15:46:59 GMT -5
The devil just chuckled softly, shaking his head. Yep, Chuck still remembered him all right. And Chuck was a rather difficult person to forget. It worked out rather well. "It's Crash. CRASH. How many times to I have to tell ya, Chuckles, take some ginko." Crash looked around from his seat, grinning a little. "This place hasn't changed a bit in... How long has it been?"
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Post by SHM 128 III on Feb 2, 2008 1:14:26 GMT -5
"Really? That's all?" Liz grinned and blushed a little (don't ask how a cold-blooded animal can do that) at Chocolate's suggestions. Whenever she asked questions like that at school, she'd be given a list so long she'd have to leave in order to get to her next period class. Chocolate... Was pretty much telling her to just be herself. That was something she hadn't heard in a long time. "Thanks, Chocolate..." She continued to munch on her chili dog as she thought things over. Chocolate, despite his quirks, was actually a pretty nice guy. She found it quite refreshing to see someone of his profession not be totally image-obsessed. If she ever wanted to pamper herself in one of the few ways she could, she defiately knew who to turn to. Actually... She suddenly remembered that his place of occupation was the same place that had the "Help Wanted" sign. If he worked at Station Square Hair, then maybe... Working there herself wouldn't be as horrible as she thought? "Say... Chocolate..." Liz began, uneasiness in her voice about what she was about to ask, "I noticed that the salon you work at had an opening. I kinda need the cash, so... You think they'd... Well... Hire me?"
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Post by Leedzie on Feb 14, 2008 0:16:32 GMT -5
"Hard to say, poodle." The porcupine let out a positively aghast sigh. "Like oh my gawd, my boss is, like, this grouchy old woman? And she's so in need of fabulous herself. She's just like, that stereotype of an old hag, or whatever? She's always totally giving me grief." Chocolate's face brightened despite the negative news. "But I could, like, put in a good word, or whatever!" "You expect ME to remember how long it's been? I'm an old man! You just TOLD me to take some ginko for my horrible memory!" Snickering to himself, Uncle Chuck made his way back over to the frier and pulled the metal basket up for his old aquaintance to view. "So what'll it be, Clang? I've got a gigantic suicidal caterpillar ready at the moment!" Chocolate seemed to notice the comment that time, and his face contorted with disgust. "...Oh my gawd, poodle, ew."
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Post by The Huggernaut on Feb 14, 2008 13:05:27 GMT -5
Crash, of course, noticed the reaction Chocolate had to Chuck's comment, and smirked, a little mischievously. "Sure, caterpillar sounds pretty good today." The devil chuckled, eyeballing the menu. "Along with some fries and a coke." Heh, I should bring Julie here some time. I think she'd like Chuck once she got used to his odd sense of humor.
Assuming she was around that long.Crash had almost forgotten that there might be a way for her to go home, now... And at the unwanted reminder from himself, he winced so slightly as to hardly be noticeable. Then, letting out a heavily hidden sigh, he turned in his seat to watch the cars go by... anything to serve as a distraction at the moment. ". . ."
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Post by SHM 128 III on Feb 18, 2008 12:00:51 GMT -5
"That would be great, Choco--- Catapillar?" Liz quickly looked at her own chili dog to make sure it too wasn't secretly an insect that fell into the fryer. Thankfully, it was just an ordinary hot dog underneath all that chili. Then again, Chuck was probably just messing around with 'Crash', seeing how he did the exact same thing with her when she first arrived. "Heh... Sorry 'bout that..." Liz appolagized to the porcupine, "As I was saying, that would be great, Chocolate. I'd really appreciate it." She looked back at Crash as he continued to stare at the street. "So..." the lizard began, trying to break up the awkward silence, "You two know each other?"
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Post by Leedzie on Feb 28, 2008 14:10:41 GMT -5
"Oh, he's an old buddy," Chuck casually announced without turning around as he prepared the devil's dish. "Used to come by here aaaall the time one of the times we were rebuilding the city..." The hedgehog paused as he set Crash's meal on the counter. "...'Though, actually, I really don't remember which rebuild that was. We do it so often around here, I tend to lose track!" The porcupine sighed. "I knew I should've stayed in Massechusetts."
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