Emerald Hill: Well, didn't see that coming...

[Whisperwing]

The evening was all well and good, the dusk of another day drawing to a quiet close. Despite the chaos of the world, one small garage in the middle of nowhere resided in peace and tranquility. The windows glow warm with light, the smoke of the chimney curled lazily into the ever-darkening sky. Then, just as the clean gray fumes darkened to black the lights of the panes flickered. The world noticed something was array but not before the-

-the explosion. Fire licked from the chimney stones angrily as the small establishment rocked and shook at its frames. Black haze crept from every crack as the surrounding green of the terrain singed to an ugly brown. A hard hissing noise over-caste the crackle of flames hastily.

"DANNY! -cough- GET THE GARAGE -cough- DOORS RISEN WILL YA?!"

A series of beeps followed in jolted sequence.

"BEFORE...-coughcough- I SUFFOCATE!" The hissed noises hushed on and off, billowy cold air frosting one window.

The garage door didn't want to cooperate it seemed. First it rose with a mechanical grind only to halt an inch from the ground. Further more it decided to fall soundly shut, dispelling only a minor amount of black cloud. The second attempt got nearly half way before failing in a similar manner and a third, well, it never passed the half-way point on the third...neither up or down, sadly.

Beeping angrily a small Pen-Pen rollered out on wheeled waddling feet. He was black from head to toe, except two fogged eyes that slowly glanced to the half-open door above him. A click and a snap erupted as the penguin's head rose on an extender and cracked against the unmoving barricade. Push, push push! The penguin might had given up on it's levering, had the door not suddenly complied. It shot upwards into its niche, the head of the mechanical bird cracking into the ceiling. Click, click, and click the helmeted head sunk down into the flippered core, spinning eyes disoriented.

The extinguisher haze pillowed out through the wall of black smoke. The fire's glow slowed to darkness and the haze settled. It was a few moments before a coughing and utterly hacking mess of a someone stepped free from the carnage.

Faris glanced over her charred shoulder to the mess, emerald eyes just seeing over the canister of back-mounted extinguisher, "...was looking to remodel anyways." her eyes flicked down to Danny, then narrowed, "Stop foolin around and get a mop, already."


Another string of angry beeps rose in indignation.

[SHM 128 III]

While Faris and Danny were busy trying to clean up, another figure was slowly staggering over a hill, his form silloetted by the setting sun.



Nate grunted as he pressed onward, putting nearly all of his weight onto his fighting staff. His body was covered in bruses, sratch marks, and burnt fur. However, none of these things he paid much mind to. He had to find help, not just for him, but for his friends, as well.

Unfortunately the roads to civilization all seemed to be much longer now that he was badly injured. Even worse, his leg was acting up again... badly, this time. He already had to deal with it a few times before during the trip, but he was able to take the pressure off of it by shifting some of his weight onto his "walking stick." Now... He was putting all his weight on it, and his leg was still in excrusiating pain. Soon, it was too much for him to ignore. He had to stop; he couldn't keep it up much longer...

But then, just as hope was begining to fade right along with the sunlight, Nate spotted a small house just ahead. Even better, he could see two people (well... one person and a robot) standing right ouside.

His heart skipped a beat at this. There were other people... He... His friends were safe!

"Hey!" Nate shouted, waving his hand in the air to get the duo's attention, "Help! Over here!"

Unfortunately, he got a little too excited from this and accidentally shifted his weight onto his bad leg. The resulting shot of pain caused Nate to cry out and fall to the ground. The agony overtaking him, all the ferret could do was clutch his leg and withe in pain.

Please... he prayed, Tell me they heard me...

[Whisperwing]

Faris jerked around, looking behind her. As she did Danny's head rotated around like an owl's.

"Who's...aw man. Now what?" The peacock huffed out, shoulders sinking, "Danny, go check him out." As she started to unsnap her extinguisher's harness the small Pen-Pen rotated his head back to forwards. A sputter and a click, his flippers took the shape of tank treads.

Danny rolled on his way up the hill, flippers flapping. TOOT!

[SHM 128 III]

The ferret suddenly found himself face-to-face with a small, robotic, penguin. At first, he was afraid that it was one of Eggman's bots, which was the last thing he needed right about now. However, he then remembered that one of the two people he was trying to address was, in fact, a robot. Doing his best to keep himself from making any sudden moments that might agitate his leg (or any other wounds, for that matter), Nate tried to talk to the pen-pen.

"Ugh... Hey there, little guy..." he grunted, "Would you mind getting your friend to come help me out here? I'm a bit... incapacitated at the moment."

Nate smiled as he said this, but it was pretty obvious that he was masking intense pain.

[Whisperwing]

Danny chipped away, his marble-like eyes rolling around the Ferret's condition. A long series of sharp chirps followed and his feet popped back to waddling flippers.

"And you would be? Steriotypical mysterious injured wayfaring traveller?" Her voice was dry as her shadow crept over him. Looking down over her beak she crossed her arms and allowed Danny to check him over, "So? Speak up, will ya?"

The Pen-Pen beeped at her sharply, sqeaking in another fit of indignation.

The peacock crossed her arms and rolled her eyes...then kneeled, "Whatever, you holding in there?"

[SHM 128 III]

"I'm Nate..." he began, feebly trying to extend a hand for her to shake, "Forgive my appearance, it was a rough day at the office..."

The ferret tried to laugh at his own joke, but after a few chuckles, his laughter turned into grunts of pain. Apparently, his laughing had aggitated some of his injuries.

"You wouldn't happen to know first aid, would you?" Nate inquired, "I have a strong feeling that I probably need it right now."

[Whisperwing]

The peacock looked to the Pen-Pen and nodded. With the signal the little bot opened a hatch in his head and grew propellars. Mimicing the sound of a siren he lifted off and jetted back towards the garage. She looked back down to the Ferret and gingerly started to lift him up over shoulder, "Can't do anything here-nmph." she grimaced as she heaved him up, she was surprisingly strong for her size, "...you're heavy, you know that? Ugh, geez. Try not to groan too loudly." Then started walking down hill.

[SHM 128 III]

"Phew..." Nate sighed as the peacock began to carry him back, "Thank you, Miss... Say, I don't believe you've told me your name."

[Whisperwing]

The peacock grumbles something about fate and it's unbridled desire to do these sorts of things, "Faris." The name escaped simple and gruff, walking down the hill. She stumbled once but managed to keep balance, watching the lights turns on in a little extension attached to the charred garage.

[SHM 128 III]

"Faris, huh? That's a pretty name..."

Nate wrapped his arms around her neck as she jogged down the hill, making sure that he wouldn't accidentally fall off. Dropping and hitting his leg against the ground... Not a good idea. Unfortunately, this also gave him the appearance of hugging the peacock, something he wasn't sure she would like or not...

Upon seeing Faris' garage (or what remained of it, anyway), Nate looked at her inquisitively.

"Uh... What happened? House-warming party gone bad?"

[Whisperwing]

The cuddling was not a very Truthsblue thing to do...besides it urked her that she was carrying a full grown boy in a mannor befitting a prince. Once inside, door held open by Danny, she dumped him on the bottom bunk-bed in the corner. She tried not to look irritated, but she was, "No, minor set back. None of your business."

Danny popped a heavy first aide box (rather first aide SUITCASE) onto the bed beside him.

Faris clicks the locks open and started sifting for astringent.

[SHM 128 III]

"... ... ..."

Maybe it was because the bunk bed was so comfy, or maybe it was because he had spend the last few nights sleeping on the ground, but as soon as Faris dumped Nate on the sofa, he immediately began to feel sleepy. However, as he began to drift off, he saw the peacock pull out a huge first aid kit and immediately came back to attention.

"Woah..." he began, proping himself up one one elbow, "Aren't you quite the prepared one?"

[Whisperwing]

"Note the shamble of a garage. Pretty high risk." She cleans his wounds, salves his bruises, sets his leg, wraps his limbs that need wrapping and steals his boots, all in record time, "Well, go on, sleep." she has the warmth of an ice-cube.

Danny rollers on by, pulling a blanket over him in passing. BEEPBEEP!

"I fixed him up, what do you want me to do!? Kiss it better?! Go g-charge yourself or sumthin!" She marched off and slams the door behind.

The Pen-Pen whistled in irritation.

[SHM 128 III]

"Um... Good night..."

Nate stared at the now-slammed door where Faris was only a few moments before. After a moment of silence, he looked back at the pen-pen.

"Is she always like that or am I just lucky?"

[Whisperwing]

The Pen-Pen fluttered it's flippers and looks frustrated, closing his eyes as he nodded his head.

The night was uneventful and quiet. It wasn't until early in the morning did the door open quietly and someone creep in, up the bunk ladder and into bed with a muffled thud.

Morning crept over the green patched hills, slowly crawling to dampen the world with warm radient light of morning.

BEEEEP Danny rollered in at a happy skid, a flurry of alarm clock noises!

[SHM 128 III]

"Ngsh... Just five more minutes, Mom..."

There was a rustling under the covers of the lower bunk before a ferret head poked itself out from the myriad of sheets. Nate blinked a few times before finally taking a moment to look around the room. He hadn't really gotten a chance to look at it before, since A.) It was dark and B.) He was more concerned about his wounds at the time, but now, in the calmness of the morning, he was able to observe his surroundings.

Well, calmness save for the pen-pen wailing like a fire truck.

"Good morning, little guy," Nate yawned, still rubbing sleep from his eyes, "Did you have a good night's sleep... or recharge or whatever robots do at night to regain energy?"

[Whisperwing]

"IM UP YOU WADDLING TOASTER!"

Danny chirped happily, banishing away his alarm system. The room is small, the walls covered with posters of various rock bands, movie stars, schematics and travel brocheures...might as well regard the large collage wallpaper. A computer and it's tower sits in the far corner of the room and the floor a hog-pog of rugs. One corner has a mini kitchenette, there's a closet and a door that mgiht lead to the bathroom.

Faris hangs upside down from her bunk, still covered with char and her feathers in a bad case of bed-head. She looks like a zombie, for swear, "...stop being a morning person."

[SHM 128 III]

"What? I get more done in the mornings," Nate insisted, "besides, when you travel like I do, the sun is your main source of light ninety percent of the time. Travel by day, sleep by night... It's a habit that's kinda stuck."

He took a closer look at the soot-covered peacock, with feathers disarray, and couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.

"Um... Maybe you should go clean up," he suggested sitting up and setting his feet on the floor, "I'll make breakfast for us."

[Whisperwing]

The peacock rose an eyebrow, still dangling upside down, "Most travellers use the cover of night to make their progress...at least that is what I would do..." she thinks on this "Not that I have much to hide." Then she frowned, "...like I would care to tell you..."

She was suddenly back up onto her bed, the covers wrapped around her, "Whatever, I'm going back to sleep. Try not to burn the REST of my house."

Danny puttered after Nate happily.

[SHM 128 III]

The ferret just shrugged and made his way over to the kitchen area. However, as he did so, he noticed that he was having trouble walking. Looking down, he noticed how his leg was tightly wrapped up in gauze. Slightly perterbed, Nate picked up a knife laying on the counter and cut the wrappings off.

"You didn't have to set my leg, by the way," Nate explained, assuming that Farris was still at least partially awake, "it's not broken; It just sort of acts up like that from time to time... Call it a war wound."

Tossing the bandages into the trash, Nate dug into Farris' freezer and pulled out a box of frozen waffles. He stuck a pair of them in a nearby toaster cannon, leaned against the counter, and waited as his breakfast was being cooked.

"You want something to eat?" Nate asked Danny, "Like... Um... Oil or something?"

[Little Jonny Human Torch]

A shadowy figure swooped down from a tree, hanging only by an arm. "hehehe...looks like a place ta salvage..." What appeared to be a purple alligator wearing a tophat dropped out of the tree and slunk to the ground, stealthily approaching the garage on his stomach. He noticed the kitchen light on, "better be playin' it careful...somebody's home."

[Whisperwing]

She remained in bed, curled up in her sooty blankets. Why did she even help him, anyways? Was the first thought that followed. Then the word "obligation" followed that...leading to a question of why she feels obligated...then blames mother and her touchy feelings.

The smell of instant waffle was tempting, though.

[SHM 128 III]

POP! went the waffles as they shot out of the toaster. Nate quickly grabbed them and placed them on a plate. He then placed another pair of waffles in the toaster for Farris while he looked around for the condiments.

"Hey, Farris..." he asked as he searched through the pantries, "Where do you keep the butter and syr... Huh?"

The ferret stopped short as he casually glanced out the window. For a second, he could've sworn he saw someone out there. Normally he would have just ignore it, but he was still a bit on edge from the previous day. He walked over to the window for a closer inspection, but he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Um... Hello?" Nate called out the window, "Anyone there?"

[Little Jonny Human Torch]

Graft luckily noticed Nate and crawled up to the house quickly before the farret walked up to the window He pressed himself against a wall and heard Nate question if anyone was there. He stayed there quietly, waiting for a second. Graft would have been perfectly fine with staying there until the farret went back to doing whatever he was doing but he noticed the sun coming up, which of course brought out his shadow. Graft, still pressing against the wall, started to inch toward his left so he would be as far from the window as possible. Graft thought to himself, "If only I can make it ta the otha side of the garage."

[Whisperwing]

Danny beeped and waddled for the door, pecking at it, a look of concern programmed over his face. Beep, peck, beep, peck!

"I don't like syrup, I use apple sauce. In the fridge." the peacock sleepily replied.

[SHM 128 III]

Nate turned his attention away from the window upon hearing Faris reply to his inquary.

"Apple sauce? Huh... Interesting... Thanks."

Now curious himself, the ferret opened the fridge and quickly found the bottle of apple sause.

"I've never tried apple sauce on waffles before," he commented, inspecting the bottle in his hand, "well, first time for everything!"

As he was dumping a spoonful of the stuff on his waffles, he noticed Danny pecking furiously at the door.

"Um... Faris, your robot's acting acting a mite odd..."

[Little Jonny Human Torch]

Graft finallly inched to his destination, "whew...that was a close one." The alligator debated for a second, "Maybe I should try the roof..." He noticed a ladder sitting on the ground, right at that time and snickered, "heh, what luck." After propping the ladder upright and against the side of the garage, he started to climb it to the top.

[Whisperwing]

Faris sat up, annoyed by the repeated banging. "Hey, Tin-can. What up?"

Danny squeaked at her sharply and then banged against the door.

"Oh hell, just let him out. He saw a moth or something."

[SHM 128 III]

Nate shrugged and then did what Faris suggested.

"There you go, little guy," Nate began as he opened the front door, "now you can go run around outside all you want."

Nate returned to the breakfast table just as Faris' pair of waffles popped up out of the toaster.

"Hey, Faris! Your waffles are done!" the ferret called to the still-in-bed peacock, "You better get them while they're still warm!"

[Little Jonny Human Torch]

Graft got to the roof top and noticed the beeping penguin had seen him, "CRAP!" he slunk down on his stomach and scanned his surroundings, "Gah! there has to be SOME way in..." He pathetically flopped and snuck his way to an air vent that popped out in the corner of his eye, which unfortunately seemed to be half charred, "eh...better than nuthin'!" He slunk down into the air vent. "GAH! that's hot"