Chaotix Agency - Just Dropping In

[Jamie Lee]

"Ah, please, call me Rob. There's no need for any formality," not to mention you calling me Mr. Hedge repeatedly is disturbing.
The hedgehog stood, stretching his legs then dusting off and straightening out his cloak. He glanced at Espio, then around at the room and frowned.
"I..." he rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck, remembering what the chameleon had said earlier about his job as a detective "I'm afraid I have no means by which to repay you for this..."

[Leedzie]

"Don't worry about it," he replied, scribbling a note to leave behind for his team mates. "I don't mind. Call it my good deed for the day." Espio posted the hastey notice on the bulletin board, then headed for the door. "If you're ready, let's get going. The only people I know to ask are spread pretty far apart, so we've got a lot of traveling on our hands." After a brief pause, he added in undertone, "You'll recognize at least one of them."

[Jamie Lee]

He stopped rubbing at his neck and held it to it's side, the frown deepening with guilt at the chameleon's reply "I guess if you're okay with that... Thank you for taking the trouble," he walked after Espio, eying the ninja up and down. He winced a bit, but tried to mask it by turning his focus on the door. So apparently this was some... alternate dimension... version of the chameleon he knew. That didn't stop the behavior being displayed from being any less strange. And then there was that door. The door that, beyond, was going to lead him into that city.
Definitely not something he was looking forward to. But rather than dwell on it, the archer put on a bold face.
He looked at Espio after his last comment, and the confusion hit his features again "I'll recognize one of them?"

[Leedzie]

"Um... yeah," the ninja replied distractedly, fishing for his wallet in his malletspace and hurriedly counting his rings. "...Crap, I'm not sure how many train tickets I can afford. Guess we'll just have to go in the order of who might know the most rather than who's closest."

Espio shut off the lights, opened the door, and set the lock. "Let's get going. Pull the door tight behind you. And if the city's too weird for you to handle, just try to look at the ground."

[Jamie Lee]

Rob did as he was told as he stepped out, making sure the door gave a click before he released the handle and scuttled off after the chameleon. He frowned in dismay and confusion and he stared around at the surroundings, no doubt looking very much like a foreign tourist as he kept close to his escort.
"Who are you referring to?"

[Leedzie]

Though he didn't make an audible sound, Espio's face twisted into that of a groan. He'd been hoping to avoid this topic, even though he himself was intrigued by it. Reluctantly, the chameleon lowly replied, "...Rouge."

[AnT]

Around the corner from where they are, there exist a pricey clothes store for the ladies. Though not so pricey for those who are loaded with cash rings, but still procey for the average citizen.

Inside the store, filled with hangers of pretty clothes and dresses, clothing flew out like frogs from behins a row of hangers.


"Oohhh...I would've, like, found somethin good if the driver didn't pop a tire." whined a female voice that had a slight valley-girl tone. "Stupid dirty streets! Stupid cheap, two-star store!"


Off camera, a gloved hand, that had a spiked metal wristband, waved. The owner said with a slight sufer-tone, "Aw come on, sis, just pick something, man!"


"You cannot like just 'pick somethin'; if you rush into chousing the perfect dress that'll make your boo all melty and stuff, you may ruin the whole fabric of like romance." the tossing of the clohtes then continued. "And I'm NOT your sis!"


"Yeah, yeah. Science mumbo and stuff, man." A shadow, with a hedgehog-shaped head appeared from off-screen, meaning he was getting up from a chair. "I'm gonna get some air, man."


A purple gloved hand poked from the top of the clohtes, lifting a index finger. "I know that lanuage! I don't wanna bail you out of the slammer again!"


"-pfft-...last I recalled, man, I got myself out, as usual. Catch ya on the flip, man."

Stepping out of the store, on the side of a walking traffic, orange hi-tops within under green legs approached. The mysterious figure, who is well hidden behind the tall people, stolled along the side walk.

But as he just about approached the corner of the block, his brown eyes spotted something, or someone interesting.

There was a purple lizard or something, but he was behind some hedgehog in a brown hood, looking like a Robin Hood.

And that was his target. "Oh man, this is like too easy. Maybe I can score up a Big Mac; I'm starving, man!"

The young person followed the two, looking very casual. He decided to just follow in a safe distance, studying his prey. And when the time is right, he'll strike.

[Jamie Lee]

For a moment the hedgehog's face brightened. Surprise and confusion mixing together with a small amounts of relief and concern in his features.
But just as soon as his hopes shot up, his face immediately fell. This... probably wasn't his Rouge. If he was supposedly in a different world, talking to an Espio that obviously wasn't the same as the Espio he knew, why should he assume this was the Rouge he knew? And furthermore, how would this Espio have known her anyway?
His thoughts suddenly turned more troubling. What if his Rouge was also somewhere in this world? What if she was just as lost and confused as he was? Of course... He knew she was perfectly capable of handling herself. But it did little to ease him.
"I see..."
And then there was this Rouge, whom he now couldn't help but start wondering about. What kind of person was she? Would she be anything like the girl he was familiar with?
His mouth curved into a frown. He wasn't even sure he wanted to know.

[Leedzie]

Espio glanced back at his companion, and noted the troubled expression. The ninja just shook his head and continued on. This was why he didn't really want to delve into that arena. Based on what Rob had mentioned earlier, it sounded like his version of Rouge was a little more... fragile. He'd be in for quite a shock. And it was clear he already knew it.

I should probably say something else, he realized, but nothing really came to mind. Instead Espio just gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder and changed the subject. "Ever ridden a train before?"

[AnT]

Hearing that, the lurker silently held his laugh. This is gonna be so easy, I'm gonna feel bad after this, man....well, maybe not that bad.

He stepped up the pace, though still keeping it casual, as he gained closer behind Rob. His gloved fingers twiddled a little.

Now to do my glourious skill-E-zills, and quickly ninja vanish without trace.

He quickly reached for Rob's belt pouches with quick reflexes, and try to take whatever he can find.

[Jamie Lee]

"No, I hav--" his words cut off without thought, and with equally quick reflexes, Rob's hand shot down and snatched the would-be thief's by the wrist. He whirled around, facing him with an annoyed expression.
"MANIC, what in blazes do you think you're--" he paused and stared in surprise "--Wait. Manic?!"

[Leedzie]

Espio flinched and reflexively readied a handful of shuriken, but stayed his hand before they flew. The chameleon's expression flattened; looked like they'd scored a street urchin. "Nice catch," he commented, returning the stars to the pouch in his right glove.

[AnT]

"Hey man! Leggo the merchin....Whoa! How you know my name, Robin Hood? Heh, I guess my rep preceeds me."

Manic tried to wiggle his wrist off of Rob's grip.

"Erm...mind lettin go?"

[Jamie Lee]

"... That's Sir Robert of Loxley Robert Hedge." he frowned a bit, looking the other hedgehog up and down critically. Unlike Espio, who's outfit was different from what he was familiar with, this Manic was dressed pretty near identical to the one he knew.
"Your name... erm... Coincidence, I suspect," he glanced at the wrist he still had a firm grasp on "What were you doing with my pouch?"

[Leedzie]

"Filching whatever he could get his mitts on, I'd wager," the chameleon grumbled, moving in to inspect Manic carefully. "I've seen you around the streets before. I figured this was your bag, but never had any evidence." Espio's eyes narrowed. "I should drag you down to the police station right now."

He wasn't really going to do it, due to time constraints, but boy did he want to.

[AnT]

"Hey come on, man! I was just trying to flick a mosquito off of him! No harm done, man." Manic was still trying to wiggle his wrist free.

[Jamie Lee]

Rob's brow flattened "I don't like lying, and I don't approve of thievery."

[Leedzie]

Espio coughed forcefully into one fist. "That'll make things interesting."

[AnT]

"Well that's too bad for you, pal...but then again, you should talk, Robs."

Suddenly, something beeped in a digital tone...a catchy tone (Think SU theme). It was his pagger within his vest.

Aw crud, not the boss! He'll skin me again if I'm late. Sighing, sadly, Manic reached into something behind him.

"This is gonna hurt me than it does you, man."

With a sudden move, Manic drew out a taser and aimed it at Rob's shoulder. He's not one to hurt people, so it's set to a mild jolt. Like a stinging static shock, though less painful, but enough to help him break free.


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[Jamie Lee]

[dice=6]

"What do you mean I should talk? Wait! Wait are you--AUGH!" Rob cried out in surprise and pain when the taser hit him, immediately clutching at his shoulder as he stumbled back and crashed into Espio.[rand=8287118478180987905389167695245427526087017043419344276649659917]

[Leedzie]

"WHOA!" Espio cried as he caught the cyan hedgehog, nearly stumbling over himself but managing to support the weight in the end. His angry eyes flashed over to the would-be theif. "HEY, GET BACK HERE!!" he hollered.

But it was too late; Manic had already disappeared into the crowd, and there were too many people in the way to throw a kunai after him. Damn! the chameleon mentally cursed. Rather than lament his actions (or lack thereof) too long, though, Espio instead turned his focus onto Rob. "Are you okay? Sorry you had to deal with that; Central City has a lot of street crime, I'm afraid."

[Rix]

A black dog ran by blowing a whistle loudly.

[Jamie Lee]

Rob grimaced, clutching at his shoulder which now hurt terribly. He grit his teeth, grunting as he glared off after the direction the other hedgehog had disappeared into "I'm fine," he said in a detached voice "The sooner I can get home the better..."
When the dog suddenly ran by, Rob's eyes hit the width of saucers at the sound of the whistle, causing his quills to bristle in alarm. He whirled around, his eyes sharp and determined as he scanned around for any signs of threat, his hands instinctively reaching to retrieve his bow and an arrow.
A shocked expression donned his face when he suddenly realized he was grabbing at air.
"Bloody hell--my quiver!"

[Leedzie]

Espio frowned. It was clear that the culture shock of this world was having an escalating effect on his visitor. He needed to get Rob out of such a public area before he got even more upset. "Come on," he coaxed, pulling at the hedgehog's arm, "the station's not that far away. You'll feel better when it's quiet and we get some food."

[Jamie Lee]

Rob flinched when Espio grabbed him, pressing his lips together into a thin line. He scanned around a moment longer after the chameleon had spoken, looking uneasy as he did. No one else on the street appeared to be alarmed or panicked... He rubbed at his forehead, suddenly feeling foolish as he nodded with agreement and took to walking with Espio. He opted to keep his face pointed down at the ground like had been earlier suggested and focused on trying to keep his thoughts off what he had just experienced with that Manic, as well as his thoughts on this world's Rouge.
It didn't work, of course. But you had to give him credit for trying. Idly he began to whistle a tune he often played on his flute to distract himself.
The two eventually came up upon the train station. Luckily they weren't coming at rush hour, so the people traffic wasn't as bad as it could have been.
Rob's eyes widened and he took a step back in alarm as a train entered into the station, a crowd of people billowing out of it. The machine itself looked as though it were something Itzal would have operated. The thought didn't help settle his nerves.
"We're not honestly going on that thing are we?!"

[Leedzie]

Espio turned looked at Rob empathetically from the ticket counter. The hedgehog's motives may have been vastly different, but the ninja understood that fear of boarding certain vehicles all too well. He let out a sigh, and patted Rob once more on the shoulder. "I know it's intimidating," he said honestly after a pause. "I don't particularly like trains, myself. But, it's a necessary evil. It'll take us where we need to go in a couple hours instead of the couple of days it'd take us on foot."

The chameleon turned and looked at the behemoth awaiting them. This was quite the role reversal for him; he was normally the skittish one when it came to transportation, even if trains were his forte. It was definitely testing his resolve to be the stronger, more reassuring party in this situation. Giving the hooded hedgehog's shoulder a firm squeeze, Espio clenched his jaw and led the way toward the train. "Come on, Rob. The sooner we get on, the sooner we get off. Just... keep looking down." As it so happened, Espio was following his own advice.

[Jamie Lee]

"Alright..." Rob just said in a small, tired voice, his mind seeming to be off somewhere else as he focused his eyes on the ground rather than on the train. A feint exasperated sigh escaped him as he stuck close to the chameleon and eventually took a seat beside him, opting to take the seat that was closest to the window. He adjusted his hood, folded his arms over his chest and just stared out toward what was currently the interior of the station with a listless expression.
"My Rouge sense of tingling I hope Rouge is alright..." he grimaced slightly "I have a terrible feeling she may be in trouble..."