smashacademy | Video / action

Entry tags:

Video / action

[Not much preamble to the video.]

Happy New Year.

I got a piece of paper I need studied - I wanna know where it came from, who's touched it and pretty much anything else about it that might be unusual including whether it's been handled by a ghost or some other undead type person. Handwriting expert could be useful too because I wanna see if it matches the writing of someone who was on campus. Methods scientific or occult or a little column A and a little column B - Don't care. Just need results. I'm willing to pay.

ACTION! Choose your own adventure.

Scenario A: Knuckles is in the Gym in the afternoons beating the snot out of the training bag, or in the weight room, lifting the custom weights Max made for him in ridiculously high volume. He's less his normal cheerful self and it's pretty clear he's working through some frustrations but don't let that stop you saying Hi! He's more than happy of the company, honest! And if you're up for a spar, he would be more than happy to oblige you there, too.

Scenario B: Inbetween or after classes, you can find him in the halls or finishing up whatever work he didn't get done during whichever class you happen to share with him. He may also be walking inbetween buildings or across the quad or to the gym or anywhere else you may have reason to run into him.

Scenario C: In the city, at night. You're less than likely to spot him unless you're on the rooftops of FDC or doing something you shouldn't be doing and he happens to find you. He's been patrolling late evening through to very early morning, especially in the area near where they found Charlise's body, and wherever else recent violence has been reported on the six oclock news. Feel free to either be also inspecting and looking for clues, Oh Fellow Warriors of Justice. Or just be someone who happens to cross his path.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm pretty sure every place is good, Knuckles. [She would have given him a bit of a bewildered look, but since he couldn't see, she felt a little amused he was giving it so much thought.] It's not the where, it's the who.

[As she looked around, she grew a little more confident and lifted her chin a bit higher.] That sounds like a good idea. I'm so used to walking everywhere that I think my legs are already stiff. That's a thing that happens, right? Stiff legs?

Oh trust me - sometimes it's the where. And the what. You can have the best company ever - the best - and still wind up feeling bad that the food was awful. Or that the service was slow or that the waitress was snooty and disinterested. Or that they put bacon bits in your salad when you asked specifically... well. Anyhow. I'll take you someplace nice.

[He followed the flow of traffic for a few blocks before gently turning into the parking lot of an open air mall.]

Lots of parking spots here. And yeah - stiff legs is definitely a thing that can happen. We'll do a little walking and you'll feel good as new, though.

I... must be a very strange person. I don't think I've ever felt I had an awful time with anyone, and I'm sure things like that have actually happened. I get tunnel vision when I'm with someone and wind up focusing so much on them that I must overlook everything else around us. Useful, I suppose to some degree, but probably not that safe.

[She waited until he came to a complete stop before she carefully set him free and moved herself from his hover bike. In the process of dusting herself off, she eyed him closely, thinking she must have always looked overdressed when standing next to him.]

Nah. Not strange. You're more attuned to other folks than me so I can understand that. I guess when I go out to eat, I wanna enjoy eating as well as the company. And I'm kinda a picky eater in some ways so...

[He shrugged, locking his bike in place with the little remote and starting off in the direction of the cellphone outlet.]

Alright! Let's go get you a new toy.

[She nodded to him with a small smile and was quick to catch up to him. Or at least to stay by his side.]

It's hard to believe you and I are so different and yet we seem to get along so well. Do you think people are brought together by more similarities or more differences, Knuckles?

Both. We're different in ways that compliment each other. But we're similar in ways that let us at least have a good conversation and some fun. Most of my best friends are pretty different to me, and a few of the people I've considered enemies have been kinda similar in some ways, but with different goals. Then there are people who are so completely different to me, I don't think there's an inch of common ground between us. People like Robotnik, who I'll never get along with.

So a successful relationship requires common ground.

[She scratched at her chin gently.] I thought it might just be a human interaction observation, but I guess anyone and anything with sentiment would experience the same thing. I'm still learning, and the way feelings affect a person's actions and thoughts is as intriguing today as it was a few years ago.

[Voile smiled.] I'm glad I can compliment you.

I think you're right - I think it's the same with any species. The people I work best with in the field have differences to me too. Sonic, for example - he's fast and can do things I can't. Tails or Wave have brains that allow them to do things I can't. I'm stronger than any of them so I can do things they can't. I think things work BEST when you and those around you are diverse and different.

[He grinned at her.] You do! You're the dainty and clever to my rough and tough. That works, right?

Dainty and clever. I've never had someone call me that before. Dainty I understand. I'm fragile and breakable, and I don't mind it. Clever... That's a new one.

[Her gaze seemed to sparkle with amusement as her eyes found his.]

And what denotes me as being 'clever,' dear boy?

Because you help me with my homework and go to the Library every day and I'm pretty sure you get really good grades.

[It seemed pretty cut and dry to him!]

I think you just mean I'm intelligent. Or hard working. Clever is more a word for someone who is witty and charismatic. I'm more the latter than the former, in my opinion.

[She squinted with some thought.] Yes... If it were up to me, you'd be the clever one. Rough and tumble, and clever.

But see, then it's unbalanced because I'm three things. So, we have to think up another one to go with dainty and intelligent.

[Because he didn't want to hog ALL the charfacter attributes.]

But, see, pointing out the difference between clever and intelligent, only an intelligent person could do that so I guess you proved yourself right.

Uhm...
Compassionate.

[She smiled, a bit with pride.] I'm dainty, intelligent, and compassionate. Smash Academy's dream girl. [She was teasing. She really was. No one with a goofy expression like hers could be serious.]

Yeah! That works pretty much perfectly.

[He didn't argue with her - he agreed she was great so there was nothing to disagree with.]

Truth is, I don't think there's more than two folks who've ever called me clever. One is my girlfriend and the other one was being sarcastic. So... thanks.

[How cute. He was playing along with her. She appreciated that minutely.]

Well, you seem clever to me. Some people might classify that as negative connotation. Clever is a word often used for people who are cunning and sly. And that can frequently lead to the unfair assumption that it's only for people with ulterior motives, or secret plans.

But you're very witty, easy to befriend, and a good person. You can think of alternative solutions for many complications. You are a rather grand person, Knuckles.

Heh... I dunno about all that. But thanks.

[Grand person? He'd never really consider himself that way, but he was a little closer to believing it if she thought it of him. His cheeks flushed just a little and he rubbed at his nose.]

[Voile gave him an encouraging push before slipping her hands behind her back and ensuring her stride would match his. She wasn't in a hurry, of course. But it'd do no good to have them out in the open too late.

After all, they were both sub-humans.]

So tell me about your phone. These things sound intriguing.

Sure!

[He pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open.]

It's not like.. one of the new smartphones or anything. Those guys are expensive and confusing and weird. I like this, because it has actual buttons and not just a touch screen. Mine can take pictures and video and send those to other phones, and it can do text messaging, which is like sending teeny tiny baby emails to other phones. I don't use any of that stuff, I just call people to talk to them like on a regular phone.

[He pushed a few buttons.]

My favorite thing about this phone is that it has a thing called Speed Dial. See? This list of names here means that all I have to do is push the up and down buttons till I highlight the name of the person I want to call, then I push this green button and it calls them right away. So, I don't have to remember whole strings of numbers, I can just look them up by names.

[He hit the buttons and it scrolled through names like Goombella and Work and Shadow and various others.]

[Leaning over to get a better look at his phone, she took note of the different features as he rattled them off. It certainly seemed to be a most convenient companion. She wondered if anyone else she knew had one. She'd have to ask around eventually and find out.

Or perhaps it was too luxurious an item.]

I'm rather impressed that something so small can do so much. What an intriguing piece of technology. It's something like a pokenav, I suppose.

[She smiled.] Back home and I think the other regions have something like it, the trainers use their pokenavs as a means of map utilities and other things. I gave Professor Wright one for Christmas and had it customised for FDC.

But of course, since I'm not a trainer, I don't know how to use it, really.

Oh! That sounds a little more complex than my phone. But I know that those Smartphones have stuff like maps and GPS and can even browse the internet and stuff. I bet Mr. Wright finds it really useful.

[He smiled and slipped his phone back into his pocket.]

The store is just right there at the end of the block, so, we can get you yours. Did you have any features you were really interested in having?

Hm... Something simple seems good for me. Something to take pictures with, I think. Something that plays music? I'd like to bring some music with me.

[She lifted her eyebrows with interest.]

Do you think something like that works? I mean, is it simple enough? Or is that too complicated?

Oh! Actually, mine can play music too! I'd forgotten about that because I don't use it. But yes, it's actually kinda common.

[He pushed the door to the store open for her.]

We'll make sure to get you the earbuds too, in that case.

Ear buds? Like...

[She tipped her head.] Don't those go into ears...? [Because it occurred to her that he didn't actually know her humanisation.]

They do, but I figure you have some of those. Right? Or....?

[Her hair was so long and always worn down. He'd always just sort of assumed she had some there, maybe connected to her feathery parts. His own ears were small and hidden by his dreadlocks in a similar way. ]

[She said nothing at first and instead lifted her hair and showed him the spikes that seemed to replace where typical ears would be.]

Ta-da. Fascinating, right?

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