??? - Echidna Flashbacks!

[Raki]

Today had been a bad day for Lilli. Possibly not as bad as some other people’s day, but she really couldn’t imagine a worse one then her own at the moment. People were terribly unimaginative like that.

But for one, she was stuck in… some sort of thing. Around here it was known as a ‘dog carrier’, and, obviously, was used to cart around dogs or other such animals. Of course, where Lilli came from, such things weren’t overly common, and Lilli had no prior knowledge of them. Other then it seemed very much like a very small, cramped, and not overly well aerated crate. The poor ventilation meant it got hot rather quickly, and the over-sized dress she was wearing didn’t help at all. Neither did the fact the dress seemed to of caught some of the… red paint… from the restaurant.

Of course, deep down in her heart, she knew it wasn’t really red paint. It didn’t look like red paint. It didn’t smell like red paint. And though she didn’t dare try it, she was sure it probably didn’t taste like red paint. Did I mention it didn’t smell like red paint? Because it didn’t, and the heat didn’t help that point.

So, the quickest and fastest remedy to that problem was simply to remove the dress- once it was turned inside out the soiled parts where more or less out of sight and out of mind. Helped with the heating issue too, but still… far too hot.

And far too scary, too. She could hear the crazy lady still ranting outside, and Lilli still couldn’t understand a word she was saying. Well, scratch that, she understood the words, but they didn’t seem to go together at all, and they just… made absolutely no sense!

Plus she had no idea of where she was going, or why (something about ‘famous loins’? The idea made her blush), and frankly, she didn’t really –want- to go with this lady.

But what could she do? Lilli didn’t exactly have the body strength one would need to break out of the carrier, after all… So instead, she just remained in the carrier, whimpering and weeping quietly, and wishing rather desperately to be anywhere else at the moment.

In fact, the combination of all these things, the fear, the heat, the confusion, and the simple wishing not to be here, Lilli simply seemed to faint away.

[Leedzie]

There are certain things in life that just can't help but be relaxing, such as the sound of gently lapping water, or of a soft breeze drifting through leaves and grass. They may not have been comforting sounds to everyone, but Tikal was among those that they resonated with, and a smile crept across her face. Though she was no longer able to exist in the real world, the echidna was perfectly content to remain in this small pocket of time and space. No attack had been made against Chaos, no war was being waged against a neighboring tribe... All that existed was peace and tranquility.

Tikal leaned back against her palms, gingerly swishing her bare feet through the cool waters of the chao fountain. Several chao played nearby, splashing and laughing and singing. She couldn't help but chuckle herself; chao were rather infectious, if you took the time to connect with them. The rest of her tribe may have just written them off as water monsters, but to Tikal, chao meant so much more. They were vibrant and intelligent little creatures, just as capable of good as they were bad. With another airy laugh, the echidna kicked up some of the water at the child-like beasts, receiving a chorus of laughter in return.

She had no idea that she'd just received a visitor on the bridge.

[Raki]

It was an odd change of pace. From going from the definition of terror to the definition of peace. She had wished to be anyplace but where she was, but even then… the abruptness of it was a bit jarring.

But she couldn’t complain. Of course, there was always the question of how she got here, but after her scare, she wasn’t up for more worries.

Instead, she just surveyed her surroundings, feeling calm return to her. It was a beautiful place, really. She hadn’t seen anything like it in a long, long time- but even then, she had no memories of anyplace quite as … pure as this. The bright blue sky filled with perfectly white clouds, the crisp clean air… and the sound of laughter? With a blink Lilli diverted her attention from the sky to the shrine ahead, spotting the other echidna girl and… several strange blue creatures.

Curious. She’d wonder about them later.

Her attention diverted back to the natural world, peering off the side of the bridge at the river that burbled below… the water to clear that even though the surface was disturbed, she could still see her reflection.

She looked tired.

[Leedzie]

"Ahh!" Tikal yelped playfully as four chao began to splash her at once. The echidna raised her arms to shield her face from the onslaught of water, but really, she welcomed it; the air wasn't uncomfortably hot, but still warm enough that the splashes felt refreshing.

All of a sudden the chao's emotion balls began to form question marks, one by one, and they each tilted their heads to one side. Tikal blinked; something had confused them? Now confused herself, she turned to gaze in the direction of their wonder, and to her great surprise found another entity -- and not a member of her tribe.

"O-Oh my!" the young echidna exclaimed. Climbing to her feet, and not bothering to put her shoes back on, Tikal rushed to Lilli's side. Her typically knowledgable eyes were wide with shock. "Goodness, how did you get here??"

[Raki]

Well, now the presence of the other couldn’t be put aside anymore. Of course, Lilli hadn’t an answer for her, either. With a shrug, she simply replied, “I don’t know”, followed by a, “I don’t even know where ‘here’ is…”

But even if she didn’t know where ‘here’ was, she was thankful for ‘here’ to even exist at all. Even now she’d almost forgotten the situation she was in moments ago. Had she sunk into her own little world…?

“I like this place.”

[Leedzie]

Well, it may have been a surprise, but that didn't make it bad. This girl may have appeared without being summoned, but the how and why could be worried about later; she looked like she needed a little rejuvenation. Tikal's wide eyes softened, and she folded her hands behind her back. "Well, welcome, in any case. My name is Tikal. Would you like to join me in playing with the chao at the Master Emerald Shrine?"

[Raki]

“I have a cousin named Tikal,” murmured Lilli as she turned to face the other girl. There was a slight pause as she the stranger over. “She looked kinda like you...”

Oh, coincidences, surely.

“What are chao?”

[Leedzie]

"Really?" the other echidna asked. "That's an interesting coincidence. I wish I could meet her." Gently hooking elbows with he visitor, Tikal began to lead Lilli back toward the fountain.

"These are chao," she explained as they crossed the bridge, passing over the splash tracks from before. "We don't know very much about them... But they seem to be water spirits. They're very sweet and friendly, and they make wonderful companions." Stepping back into the cool water, one of the chao scurried up just at that moment with a large smile, waving its arms in a hold me! fashion.

Tikal lifted the creature into her arms and began to rock it, causing the chao's emotion ball to form a heart. Turning her attention back to her companion, the tribe princess asked, "So, what's your name?"

[Raki]

"My name is Lilli" she replied, wandering right into the water alongside Tikal, not even bothering to take off her boots. What'd it matter anyway? Boots dry eventually...

Besides that, the little creatures were much more interesting at the moment, and wet boots where a small price to pay for a closer look. She leaned forward a bit to inspect the one in Tikal's arms, then noticed another nearby in the water. Adjusting her footing she kneeled to be closer to it's level (and soaked herself more, but once again, she seemed not to mind it). Once she was close enough, she simply gawked at it.

The floating blob over the chao's head shifted into a large question mark as the chao tilted it's head quizzically at the stranger, raising it's chubby 'paw' to it's mouth as it pondered.

And Lilli simply gawked at it.

And the chao gawked back.

And eventually, Lilli reached her hand out to poke the chao, only stopping her finger inches away from the chao, and hovering there.

And the chao continued to gawk.

"... is it okay to touch it?"

[Leedzie]

"If you'd like," Tikal replied pleasantly as she pet her chao's head. It giggled and squirmed happily in response. "As long as you're gentle, there shouldn't be a problem."

Taking a seat at the edge of the pool, in nearly the same spot as before, the echidna released her chao and took to peering with fascination at the other girl. I wonder how she got here? I know I certainly didn't call her... I've never even seen her before. Could it be possible that she came here on her own? Tikal hummed pleasantly as she watched her visitor interact with the chao. What an interesting day this has been.

"So," she began after allowing Lilli some time to explore, "what's the last thing you remember before you arrived here?"

[Raki]

Since it was apparently okay, Lilli’s finger continued on its path. And the chao was then poked (gently).

To which the chao replied with… continued gawking.

Lilli blinked in confusion at the little creature’s texture. It was… just like poking a really, really big marshmallow. … Chao were giant marshmallows.

This conclusion brought a giggle to Lilli. How silly for there to be little creatures made of marshmallows… where the ones made of licorice too? Gumdrops? Maybe there was an entire candy shop of chao somewhere. Yes, the thought amused Lilli very much. So much she almost hadn’t even heard Tikal’s question.

“The last thing…?”

Ah, so much for forgetting about it… she frowned at the memory.

“… I was stuck in a little box.”

After stating this, she went back to poking the chao and giggling.

The chao continued to gawk.

[Leedzie]

Tikal frowned. Had she been imprisoned? It sounded like a sensitive subject to persue, so the princess decided to try a different path. She brightened up again and asked, "Well, you're welcome to stay here as long as you'd like, or as long as you're able. Why don't you tell me a little about yourself? I'd love to get to know you."

[Raki]

"About myself? ... well... I... uhm..."

Oh, she always was bad at things like this.

"... I like buttons."



...

The chao continued to gawk.

[Leedzie]

Plan B didn't seem to be working, either. Tikal laughed sheepishly through her failed attempt at information and swirled her feet in the water. "That's nice. I'll try to see about finding you one to take with you from here!"

The echidna stood and approached the Master Emerald, wondering if her third idea would even work. Normally she could look into the ME and see visions of those in the present she had a strong connection with, but... This person was already here. She hoped it would just make the process even easier by making the connection that much stronger, but one never knew. The princess placed her hands on the gigantic jewel and gazed into its shimmering sides. Can you please show me where this nice young lady came from?

The Master Emerald gave off a faint glow, and energy began to swirl betwixt her hands, until it eventually gave her a sort of a window into time. Tikal gasped quietly as she witnessed Peta's crazed rampage. Her face twisted with horror at sight of the restaurant falling into chaos, and Lilli's subsequent kidnapping. Before she could get to Lilli's fainting in the present, Tikal had to turn away from the vision. It's no wonder that she ended up here! What an awful situation to find yourself in!! The princess made herself determined to make things as pleasant as possible for her visitor.

Wading her way back to Lilli's side, Tikal resumed her optimistic attitude. "The chao are very smart, you know. I bet you could teach it something if you tried."

[Raki]

Whilst Tikal had been playing ameuter detective with the Master Emerald, the chao that Lilli had been poking had apparently transplanted itself to the top of Lilli’s head. It was difficult to discern which of the two’s idea it was, but neither of them seem too perturbed by the situation either. In fact, the chao smiled and waved when Tikal returned. But so did Lilli.

And at Tikal’s mention of chao learning tricks, Lilli tilted her head (causing the chao to slide a bit, though it seemed to correct it’s position quickly enough to compensate).

“What kind of tricks?”

[Leedzie]

"Something simple," Tikal replied with a nod. "They can learn something more complex with extended teachings, but for something quick, they'll mimic your motions." The echidna placed her thumb and index finger into her mouth and let out an airy whistle. A moment later, one of the chao splashed its way over with its emote ball in a heart. With an encouraging smile, the tribe princess extended her arms to either side and pirouetted on one foot. In response, the chao copied the moment almost exactly, then proceeded to rub against her calf. Tikal chuckled and rubbed the little creature's head. "See?"

[Raki]

"... I see."

With that, Lilli plucked the chao off of her head and placed back onto the ground (or, more accurately, into the shallow water of the fountain, since that's where she was too).

"Uhm... what to do..." , she wondered outloud as she pet the chao. The chao, of course, cooed happily.

After a few moments of that, Lilli seemed to of noticed something.

She was fading.

"... I don't think it can copy this"

[Leedzie]

Tikal's mouth scrunched to one side. Looked like the visit was over. "You're going back to your time," she explained with a hint of disappointment. Even so, her demeanor remained perky. "It was wonderful to have met you, Lilli. I hope you enjoyed your retreat here. ...Oh!" The echidna snapped to attention as she suddenly remembered her promise from earlier. Digging around in her malletspace, Tikal eventually produced a small knapsack. The bag's topflap was held closed by a single button, carved into a smooth and cool stone and painted with a very fine tribal pattern.

Raising the bag to her mouth, Tikal used one of her sharp fangs to cut through the threads holding it in place, then approached Lilli and placed the momento in her fading hand. "Here you go," the princess beamed, wrapping her own hands around Lilli's. "This is yours to keep. Maybe it could even help you find your way here again. And if not... you can use it to remember our time." Tikal wrapped her new friend in a hug while she still could, then stepped back with a sad smile. "Goodbye, Lilli!"

[Raki]

"Oh"

While such an exclamation can mean many things, such as disappointment, but in Lilli's case her tone of voice portrayed slight surprise. She'd entire forgotten about the button thing... still, it was very nice of Tikal. And, much like most other little knickknacks Lilli received, the button was temporarily stored in her boot.

"Thank you, it was nice meeting you."

Looking around again as she faded she tried to come up with any other 'last words'. However, no more came to her. Instead, she crouched down and attempted to give the chao one last pat on the head before she was completely gone...

But she didn't make it.

Instead she found herself, once again, sitting in the hot, humid dog carrier, feeling rather dizzy.

Was it all a dream?