Epic RP Part 2
27 May 2008 14:01![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shichahnIn which Shadow finds himself a Companion; or, "She's the plucky girl that helps me out".
Perion had decided to dress smart today to make up for her rather interesting outfit the previous night, decked out in a white sweater and a dark brown skirt. The weather had taken a change for the worse and it was cold and drizzly outside; after spending most of her time indoors during the winter and having to pay an outrageous gas bill, she'd rather just dress warmer for a day.
Last night had been eventful and so had the morning. She was thankful she hadn't had too bad of a hangover. It wasn't anything that aspirin couldn't take care of for the most part. Shadow hadn't been there that morning and Perion just shrugged it off; it really had been a dream after all. None of that had happened and now it was back to business as usual.
And business as usual meant dealing with her domestic life again. When she had gotten up and doused herself with cold water, she had headed down to one of the clinics, avoiding her own hospital. Doctor confidentiality aside, she didn't feel she could trust whoever she saw not to gossip about it later on behind her back. Having rumors going around would make work absolutely lovely.
The results had been interesting and she was engrossed thinking about it as she made herself lunch, some grilled chicken. It was more a dinner thing, she thought, but she had skipped breakfast so she may as well treat herself to something nice.
As luck would have it... well, perhaps luck wouldn't be having anything to do with Shadow this morning. Things worked differently in a world that wasn't being constantly terrorized by would-be conquerors, and as such, wasn't used to a couple of hedgehogs and the rest of the associated ragtag groups who worked around the clock and occasionally made odd requests for things like crystal matrices that could be tuned to specific wavelengths at will. Actually, they didn't typically have to request things like that back at home, either; if it didn't already exist, Tails or the Doctor could probably make it, if the reasons were right. Of course, the little fox probably wouldn't like being considered as an option in the same sentence as his best friend's enemy, but that was just too bad.
Maybe he needed to go somewhere else. Earth was a big planet; surely he could find someone willing to do as he asked, and some method of payment in return. Or maybe he should wait a bit, and satisfy his grumbling stomach, first. If only he could live off of Chaos Energy alone. He was close enough to doing so as it was, but that didn't mean he didn't have to eat sometimes, and the last time he'd done so was more than a couple days ago. Last night's alcohol didn't really count as food.
Having no money, there weren't many options. Steal something, or, much easier, head back to Perion's place and at least attempt to get permission to grab something to eat. Hopefully the sudden teleport into her living room didn't freak her out too badly, as that would make obtaining lunch possibly more difficult.
He appeared in her living room, then, recalling the direction the kitchen was supposedly in, walked on over.
As Perion was still in the living room, she didn't even notice him teleport back in. When it happened, she was peering into the fridge, digging through the vegetable bin, her mind elsewhere, and didn't see the blue flash shine against the walls.
As she pulled her head out of the fridge, she caught sight of the hedgehog and jumped, knocking carrots and lettuce out of her arms. All she could do was stare at him for a long time, not really comprehending that he was there. Perion hadn't expected him to come back or even be real; things in Belmont were strange, yes, but not to her and when strange things did happen, they were always in dreams.
"I... You're back," Perion stated bluntly, grey eyes wide.
Shadow crossed his arms and glanced down at the fallen vegetables, moving only his eyes, before looking up at her. He considered making some sarcastic retort; 'and you have red hair!' would have been equally obvious, he thought, but no. Best not to start off the afternoon on that foot.
"My searching hasn't exactly been successful," he replied instead. Perion looked a little better this morning, which wasn't unexpected, really. A bit of sleep and an outfit that wasn't intended for a night of clubbing could do that to a person.
She would have ignored the retort, if he had voiced it. Perion had to restrain herself from going over and poking at the hedgehog to make sure that he was tangible and not some sort of dream or hallucination. The woman gathered her wits fairly quickly, though, and picked up the fallen vegetables, moving them to the sink to wash.
"Pearlman wasn't very helpful?" Wash, wash, wash, chop, chop, chop... She couldn't bring herself to look at him again and busied herself with a salad while the chicken was cooking. Maybe it would all seem more real soon.
"No." Never mind that he'd discovered that yesterday already and had been looking for other sources of assistance this morning. It wasn't like she had any reason to keep track of what he was up to.
She kept looking at him like she wasn't sure he was real - well, until she went to the sink and stopped looking at him entirely. Fair enough, he supposed, if this world didn't have any like him, although it seemed like her reaction was just as much that as it was about the emotional impact of having spent a good deal of last night drinking with him, and had then invited him to stay on her couch. That was hopefully less normal than his appearance.
What they talked about last night, she couldn't really remember. The one thing Perion could recall was that Shadow was from another dimension and that was really the most important part of their conversation, she thought. At his response, the woman nodded, absently.
"Maybe you'll have better luck tomorrow," she suggested softly, not really believing it herself. She didn't think there'd be anyone here to help him, at least not for a long time. In the meantime, though... "You want lunch?"
Hopefully, he wouldn't have to wait a long time, but if it was necessary, he would. It wasn't like he had much of a choice in the matter, after all. He could only hope that in the meantime, the Consulo didn't pick him up again, unless it was to send him to the right place this time.
Oh, and how convenient, he didn't even have to ask. Maybe his luck was just very selective.
"If you're offering," he replied, as if he didn't particularly care one way or the other.
"Grilled chicken and salad alright?" She asked, actually looking at him. "I can make something else, if you don't want it." Perion actually wasn't sure what the ethics were of a hedgehog eating another animal. Honestly, the woman wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to know, but asking seemed like a safe enough course.
"Of course." It was probably best she hadn't asked about it, beyond that. Shadow had gotten tired of correcting people in Econtra on similar questions. Humans were animals too, even if they liked to forget that fact when it was convenient for them.
He looked around a bit, then located a chair to seat himself in. What she was making sounded delicious, actually. He supposed he was looking forward to it.
It didn't take her long to finish it, just having the salad left to go, and she placed a plate in front of the hedgehog, setting her own at the spot across from him. She retrieved a couple of nondescript glasses from a cupboard before pouring herself some iced tea out of a pitcher from the fridge. "Did you want anything to drink? I have iced tea, coffee, water, milk, orange juice..."
Judging by the color of what she was pouring herself, that was probably the iced tea. Not his favorite, although he didn't tend to be picky. Still, if she was giving him choices...
"Coffee. And thanks." The food looked just as good as it had sounded, and smelled even better. Maybe he was hungrier than he'd thought, as food didn't usually make too much of an impression on him, even if it was particularly nice for a lunch.
Shadow picked up his fork and had a bite. Mm. Yes, it had definitely been a good idea to come back here.
"You're welcome." Perion threw a pot on the coffee maker. It'd take a few minutes for it to be ready, but she waited diligently by it anyway. Even if her guest had attacked her the night before and antagonized her, he was still her guest and she would make sure he was comfortable, at least.
She watched Shadow nonchalantly to make sure that he liked the food, secretly pleased that he seemed to be. Cooking was one of her fortes, thankfully, which made it easier to entertain when she had people over. Or hedgehogs, as the case would be this time around.
Like it he certainly did, and he appreciated the hospitality, unnecessary as it was. He himself didn't do much cooking in general, but that was usually because it was hard to find a kitchen to do so in when he was on the go. He'd gotten used to making food for himself on occasion in Econtra, but sometimes that was more because it was another way to stave off the boredom that had plagued the place. It was unfortunate, really, that what was essentially a barracks for the multiverse's most capable warriors, technicians, and strategists was actually more like a collection of really bored individuals and their friends, playing elaborate magical pranks on each other. Some had loved it there, but Shadow wasn't one of them.
He ate silently, not being one to talk while eating. He was surprised that she seemed to be staying by the coffee machine, rather than coming to eat, but if that was what she wanted to do, well, all the more power to her.
When the coffee was done, she poured Shadow a cup and sat it beside his plate before taking a seat. Perion was hungry, but not that hungry. After the news she received earlier, though, she probably couldn't afford to skip meals, at least not until she decided what to do about it.
If she had guests over, she would be more than willing to have a conversation while chowing down, but the hedgehog definitely gave off the vibe that talking while eating was a no-no and silence would remain the golden rule. So she kept her mouth shut and took careful bites of her lunch, every once in a while looking outside at the rain. It hadn't let up since this morning, but it was refreshing.
If everyone were to follow Shadow's usual desire for silence, very little talking would be done around him. He was used to others talking at him, and he was used to pretending that he was listening, unless it was important; even then, he rarely spoke up unless he had to. It surprised him how often that could be, sometimes. It was as if he was the only one capable of formulating a useful plan when teamwork was required.
Hm, black coffee. He finished chewing a bite of the salad, then stood and went to the refrigerator. Finding the milk, he tipped a little into the cup before replacing it where it had been and reclaiming his seat. There, that was better.
Actually, he was a real fan of mochas, and anything involving chocolate in general, but right now he couldn't be bothered to make one for himself, and asking the girl to do it for him would be stupid. This would be fine as it was.
"I should have asked if you wanted anything in there; there's sugar and cream, too, if you'd like." The only talking Perion had was idle banter, nothing of real consequence, like if he wanted anything with his coffee. She had important things on her mind, but none of them concerned the hedgehog and they were her own problems to deal with. Finding that sympathetic ear again would be something she would delight in, but she doubt that would happen and this would be something she would happen to bear on her own, which she already knew she would have to do.
Perion wanted to tell the hedgehog, but she didn't know why. He wouldn't care, like he wouldn't care the night before, but it was one of those things that probably shouldn't be bottled up. The woman fidgeted with her fork, poking at her food and ceasing to eat, unable to bring herself to digest anything else.
Disregarding her offers of other ways to add various things to his coffee, Shadow sipped at it as it was, then had a bite of chicken. His thoughts weren't anything new, consisting of more possibilities on getting home in various ways. It was frustrating to no end that this city didn't seem to hold much hope for him. Maybe he really would have to leave, after all.
Eventually, however, he noticed Perion poking at what was left of her lunch. Something was upsetting her; he didn't have to be particularly observant to realize that.
"Something wrong?" he asked, mostly to see if she would tell him and therefore stop fidgeting in such a distracting way.
Well if he was going to ask... she was going to spill her guts. That's what she wanted, she didn't care if he was sympathetic or berated her for it; she didn't care if he listened or not, she had to say it to get it off her chest to feel better, no matter how selfish it was. "I went to a clinic this morning. I am pregnant."
She stopped poking at her food then, instead setting the fork down. She wasn't all that hungry anymore, more uncomfortable and sick than anything else.
So she had a bun in the oven, or whatever the other stupid little terms were for it. She seemed to be making a bigger deal of it than he thought it was worth, but that didn't exactly shock him, either.
Shadow wasn't exactly sure what she expected; if he was supposed to say anything, or what. He couldn't very well say congratulations, since she didn't exactly seem excited about the fact. And it probably wouldn't be in his interest to ask snidely if she was going to keep it or not after all the alcohol she'd had last night. So he stayed silent, but watched her with as much interest in the topic as he could muster.
Part of Perion was actually hoping that Shadow would offer to Falcon Punch it out of her, but that wouldn't do anyone any good. She could also tell he wasn't interested a lick in what she had to stay, but if he was going to stay here, than dammit, he would listen to her, even if it was her morose ramblings. "I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet. I don't even know who's it is."
All day she kept telling herself that she wouldn't cry again like she had last night, but she was finding it difficult to keep that promise to herself. It was probably just her body going out of whack anyway and oh god, she would get fat in the months to come and she didn't want to that happen, oh no.
Did she want advice? Probably not. Hopefully not, anyway, because there really wasn't anything helpful he could say. He'd never actually known anyone who was pregnant before, and he'd lacked a mother of any kind growing up, unless that glass cylinder in the Professor's lab counted.
Shadow frowned a little and looked out the window a moment. Rain, rain, rain. It was just one of those gray days. It seemed to match the girl's mood in a way that was convenient.
"What options are you considering?" he asked, determined to somehow make this productive, if he was going to have to sit through it.
"Keeping it or getting rid of it, in more ways than one. Really, what other options do I have?" In the back of her mind, she vaguely wondered if she'd have to switch jobs for a while because of all the chemicals she dealt with at work. She'd probably have to give up her career in general to take care of the thing, but she had always wanted too have kids.
But under these circumstances? Definitely not.
Okay, so he'd meant specifically, as in keeping it, putting it up for adoption, having a relative take care of it, aborting it, whatever, but she didn't seem to think in specifics very well or she would have thought to tell him about the upside-down photo frame the night before. But whatever.
"Just because you have several options doesn't mean you're necessarily considering all of them," he grumbled in response. He couldn't believe this, talking about what to do with an unborn fetus. Seriously, she must have had someone better to talk to about this kind of thing, if she expected verbal responses that were actually useful.
Perion made a disgruntled noise in the back of her throat; she had considered all of the options, thank you very much, even if she voiced them in a vague and somewhat concise manner. Even if she knew talking to this guy about it would be useless, she really should have just kept her mouth shut. All guys were pretty much the same, it seemed.
"Nevermind. I shouldn't have said anything." She took up her fork again and speared a piece of chicken on it, trying not to show her annoyance.
Well, that was what he got for trying, he supposed. With an irritated snort, he went right back to sipping at his coffee. If she wanted something, she could at least be less vague about it. It wasn't like he could read minds, or understand what girls thought about when going through stuff like this.
But he didn't have anything to say, and she didn't seem to appreciate his attempt at talking her through it, so instead he busied himself with finishing his lunch.
Perion kept silent through the rest of the meal, almost bone chillingly so. The plants were at it again, moving of their own accord, slightly this way, slightly the other, but erratically and with short bursts, never actually moving towards the woman. All she could do was think about her bastard husband and what he had left with her, whether this kid was his or not. It still made her angry, the entire situation.
When she finished, she picked up her plate and set them in the sink, carefully so as not to break them, as tempted as she was, and sat back down. As a kid, her mother had taught her that it was rude to leave the table before everyone had finished eating, and damned if she was going to continue being as polite, mad as she was.
Once he'd finished off the chicken and salad, Shadow turned to face the window, sipping at his coffee. Surely, Perion would get over it eventually. If last night was any indication, she would probably apologize, too, even if he was the one who'd upset her. Though he still couldn't figure out what he'd done to piss her off so much. It must just be the combined stresses of everything happening to her right now. Women were strange enough as it was, and pregnant women were probably stranger by default.
Or, maybe, this once, he could be the one to offer the truce. He still couldn't figure out why he was being so goddamned nice to her, but why the hell not.
"I don't know what you want from me. But if all you need is someone who'll listen, I'm good at keeping my mouth shut." He was still watching the rain, finding it more interesting by far than anything else to look at right now, but maybe that was a good thing. Maybe she'd feel less like he was being confrontational or something. He certainly didn't know what her problem was.
A hand went up to knead her forehead and the woman sighed softly, staring down at the table and trying to collect herself before finally speaking. "I'm sorry. I don't... I don't know what's come over me, but I haven't been myself the past few days. I've been taking it out on anyone that's come near me recently, even at work."
It was true, that was why the girls had dragged her out last night. She had snapped at one of them and they thought what she needed to do was loosen up, and it was true. Perion did need to loosen up, but it felt like the whole world was crumbling around her or out to get her and the only way to stop it from happening was to stay on the offensive, attacking anything that she could. It wasn't like her; sure, on good days she was cynical and sarcastic, but she wasn't generally like this at all and it was even starting to get to her.
There, that was better. He sipped at his coffee some more, then tipped back the rest and set the mug down. Finally, he turned to look at her again, folding his arms across his chest.
She still had the rest of today off to rest and recollect herself. There was no need to point that out; obviously it had been her intention to do so when she took the day to herself. Maybe now she just needed time.
So, true to his statement, he sat in silence, curious to see if she would start talking again.
The woman stayed where she was sitting and folder her arms in front of her, resting her cheek on them. Right now, she just wanted to be flopped over instead of up and sentient, but staying in bed all day wouldn't do her any good.
"This probably all sounds so stupid to you, doesn't it? You have more important things to worry about and here I am, bitching about a bastard and a baby."
He remained impassive, watching her with a small frown. "I'm still here, aren't I?"
The initial push to get home had worn off this morning when he'd failed to find anything helpful. He was still determined to fix that, but he could be a little more patient now that it was clear it would take some time. So sure, he could be out working on it right now, but he'd chosen instead to stick around a little after eating. Maybe Perion didn't realize how much that actually meant, coming from him, but it was more patience than he afforded most people.
She looked at him for a long time, a little stunned. His being here didn't really mean as much as it would have if she had known him better. Mostly, she was under the assumption that he needed a place to stay and she just happened to be convienent. Wouldn't most people do that, take advantage of hospitality like that? At least she didn't end up dead, something she had reminded herself when she woke up this morning.
"Thank you. If there's anything I can do to help..."
He gave a sardonic chuckle at that, and shook his head. Predictable, but at least she was consistent.
"You're the one trying not to fall apart right now. Don't worry about me," he said, shaking his head a little. It was funny, if not a little pathetic. That was probably where the humor in it came from, though. Here she was, doing her best to keep herself together and work out what she wanted to make of her life, fighting back tears at times, and she was being apologetic toward him again. Some people.
It was also funny because really, on a grander scale, his getting home mattered a lot more than her pregnancy. Who knew what might have befallen Earth while he and Sonic both had been gone? But at this point, he'd been gone so long that if something terrible was to happen, there wasn't anything that getting back a day earlier would change. It had probably already occurred, after all.
Perion waved a hand dismissively. "If I had something else to worry about, maybe I wouldn't be falling apart as much." It was true, she figured. If she had something else to take care of, something that didn't have any connection to the thing in her womb or to do with the man in the over turned picture, then maybe she would be better off. At least she would be making some sort of difference, maybe, instead of staying at home and crying.
"It's better for you and me if I help you than sitting here feeling sorry for myself, yes?" She gave the hedgehog an inquiring look, hoping that he would agree with her, almost silently begging. She'd be willing to do anything at this point to escape.
He gave a nod, silently agreeing. If that was what she wanted to do, then fine. He was pretty sure he could handle it by himself, but he wasn't exactly going to turn down a willing volunteer. A local, too, who might know something he hadn't found yet. It was probably too much to expect she knew about the regional black market, unfortunately; there were always interesting illicit materials and power sources available there. But maybe she could help with something more mundane.
"If that's the case, I should probably tell you more about what I'm up to," Shadow commented. He pulled out the green Chaos Emerald and set it on the table, keeping a hand near it out of cautious habit. "I need another one of these, or something that functions like it."
Surprisingly, she did know about the black market, but not quite in the way Shadow would have wanted, surely. If he were looking for organs, then yes, she could get that for him easy, but strange jewels... not so much. All she could do was stare at the Chaos Emerald, eyes wide and mouth hanging open slightly before she realized that she would be catching flies soon if she didn't shut.
"Wh-what is that?"
"This," he held the gem up, turning it in the ambient light, "is called a Chaos Emerald. The ultimate source of power, in my world. There are seven of them. With one more, I could easily cross dimensions on my own. With a replica, I might be able to channel enough of the real one's power through it to do so."
It would be a nearly impossible task for anyone else, excluding perhaps Sonic. The things loved him for some reason nobody could quite figure out. But Shadow had been designed with a close affinity for their powers in mind, and was able to use them to do some rather creative things that really shouldn't have been possible.
"And this is why you went to go see Professor Pearlman, do see if he could make a replica?" She almost reached out to touch it, but held the urge in. It didn't seem like a good idea and she didn't want to upset the hedgehog further.
"Are you going to try to use it to get back to that place or your own home?" This was said out of curiosity more than prying, though there was a bit of nosiness in there too. Maybe, just maybe he'd let her go with her, but if it was back to that horrid sounding place with alien invasions, she may have to pass.
He nodded in response to her first question, and set it back down on the table. He had actually been expecting her to touch it when he'd first brought it out, really. The power contained in it called to a lot of people, even if they didn't know how to use the Emeralds themselves.
"I need to get home. The Warden is fighting a losing battle and he knows it. There's nothing I can do there. But my own version of Earth needs me. The sooner I find a way back, the better."
Even though she hadn't quite been in the past few hours, she was fairly polite and knew when to keep her hands to herself, and to leave other's property be. Now seemed like one of those times and she was also desperately afraid of breaking the device, whether it was actually fragile or not.
"Is your own world as bad off as the one with the aliens?" She bit her lip, chewing at the skin before stopping herself after a moment, catching herself at the bad habit.
"No, nowhere near it. At least, I hope not. I've been gone for a while, though." He smirked slightly, as if the comment were part of some private joke. No, most likely, the Doctor had been held off by Sonic's friends somehow. And even if he'd managed to take over, Shadow would still have a place in the world, doing as he liked. If something truly catastrophic had happened and another alien species thought they'd try their hand at taking over, Shadow certainly wasn't a stranger to orchestrating genocide. It was a pretty unlikely possibility, though.
Perion fidgeted a moment before finally bursting out, "I want to go back with you when you go, please! I'll do whatever you say, I don't care just.. please. Please let me come." She couldn't help it and threw in a bit of that pouty look she had used so many times with her ex-husband, but her expression was mostly one of pure desperation.
Shadow's eyes widened briefly, in a genuine look of surprise. She really wanted to escape that badly, hm? He rested his chin in his hand, elbow on the table, and looked at her, reading her expression.
"You think your life will be better in my world than it is here?" he asked, mostly curious to see what her answer would be. It was a bit of a leap, for someone who'd only been as far as the mountains, to want to jump ship and live in another dimension entirely.
"I... I... Yes. Yes, I do. Please." She was almost begging now, hands clasped together, but keeping them sitting on the table, leaning forward towards him a little. Running away probably wasn't going to do her any good in the long run, but she didn't have much left here. All she had was an ex-husband, her mother (who she did love dearly, but rarely saw anymore), and the little reminder incubating in her womb.
Even if she had to take the last one with her, she could at least start a new life somewhere else and try to make something better of it.
Oh, why the hell not. It wasn't like moving one person around would be harming anything, and it was her choice. If she ended up regretting it for some stupid reason, well, too bad. The only trouble would be getting there. With two real Emeralds, opening a path from one dimension to another would be difficult, since he'd never done it, even if it would be theoretically possible. Using a replica Emerald would be slightly more difficult, but he was sure he would manage. Bringing someone with him, well... it would be a challenge. But given everything else he'd done, he could surely give it a shot. He wasn't one to blow off something just because it sounded a little tricky.
He looked down at the stone in his hand, fiddling with it a moment, then looked back up to the girl and nodded. "Alright."
The smile she gave him was huge and radiant, the type of smile she hadn't worn for days. "Oh, thank you so much!" She almost flung her arms around him in a hug, but stopped herself, thinking that a) he wouldn't appreciate it and b) those quills would probably hurt like a mother if she tried to hug him. Instead, she settled for beaming some more, jubilant at the prospect at getting to ditch out on her world and seeing other places.
"So what do we need to do to get the replica started? I know some people around the city and a couple might be able to help, depending on what we need." 'What we need,' not 'what you need.' She was in it now and she wasn't going to let him push her out.
Her enthusiasm was a bit startling, but whatever. Maybe it would be useful in the long run. Especially if the 'some people' she knew were the right ones. He put away the gem, and sat back in his chair, arms crossed.
"What we need is someone capable of fabricating a large chunk of beryl with the same density, mass, wavelength, and other properties of the one I have. Most important is the frequency at which it reverberates. It also has to be able to undergo the stress of holding the energy I channel into it. Won't do any good if it breaks."
"When you spoke with Professor Pearlman, did he just not want to do it or did he tell you he couldn't do it? There's a doctor at my hospital that's pretty close to him, I could see if there's something he could do about it, maybe..." Now that she had something to work towards, she was practically beside herself with ecstasy. Most of what Shadow was saying, though, was going right over her head. If you wanted to know how the human body (or the bodies of the myriad of creatures that lived around here) functioned, then Perion was your girl, but physics wasn't exactly her forte. Still, she'd do what she could.
"He was more interested in studying the Emerald than helping," he admitted, a bitter tone to his voice. Pearlman was a good person, and that was his downfall. He wasn't going to work on a private project for some extra-dimensional stranger in a university lab on university time. He would have to be paid enough to compensate for using his free time, as there was little chance of Shadow getting the university to agree to accept his grant, the money for which didn't exist. Pearlman had suggested that he could work on the project if Shadow lent him use of the Emerald in order to research alternative power possibilities, a process which would help many, would surely make the professor famous and wealthy if he succeeded, and which would almost certainly cost Shadow his Emerald through all the attention on it. It was something he was unwilling to risk. Not only did he need it in order to return, but if it was permanently lost from his home world, then they would all be in dire trouble should the emergent properties of all seven being together become needed.
That didn't surprise her; he was a scholar after all and they were good for was sitting on their asses and gathering information. "In Belmont, there's no shortage of... eclectic folk, you just have to find out where they are. My ex-husband hung out with a rather interesting crowd, a lot of black market stuff he tried to get me to do through work before we broke up. There's got to be someone he knows that could figure it out."
Suggesting going through her ex-husband was the last thing she wanted to do and it showed openly on her face, expression a mask of disgust. The only thing that kept her going on that was the fact that she could knee him pretty hard when she saw him and that it would be the last time they would ever have to talk. At least having been married to someone that was so deeply engrossed with Belmont's darker side had its perks at the moment.
"Then put me in contact with him." It seemed a little unlikely, after all, that she would want to deal with him herself, if she was so broken up about him. But he was perfectly willing to meet with him and try to arrange something. Surely the man would need some form of payment, though; perhaps that was where Perion would come in handy. If she wanted to take off so badly, she wouldn't have any need to hold onto her savings. They wouldn't do her any good in his dimension. He could give her something to start with when they got there, as he certainly didn't need all of what he had.
With an eyebrow quirked, Perion stood up and went to fetch a pad of paper from one of the kitchen drawers. She wrote the number for her ex's office and passed it off to Shadow, glowering at the piece of paper. "Don't be surprised if you get his little tart, Millan. I hear that bitch is his receptionist now." That was another person she'd like to punch before she left. Millan -- which was the name she gave herself because she thought it sounded oh so hot in comparison to her real name (Sarah) -- was the woman Perion had turned into a mint plant not too long ago. The effects of the magic had worn off and now she had run off with Perion's ex-husband. There were lots of resentful feelings and if the two were ever in the room, it would be an instant cat fight to the death.
Shadow glanced at the number, then folded the piece of paper and slipped it into the cuff of his glove. "And your ex-husband's name is?"
He would go find a pay phone to call from, simply to keep things a little smoother for now. It sounded like there were some serious personal issues going on between Perion and the receptionist, and he would rather not be associated with any of that while he was doing business with the man, should the office recognize her home number.
"Sebastian," she responded with a huff. She wasn't mad at Shadow in the slightest, but the thought of possibly seeing that bastard again was putting her on edge again. "We have the same last name still, unfortunately. You'll be lucky if you get through to him specifically, but if you have to, drop my name. See what happens." A little smirk tugged at the corners of her lips.
Her ex-husband was a bastard, but if he thought that she might be coming back to grovel at his feet, the two of them might have an easier time getting what they needed out of him. Women and money were two of his biggest weaknesses.
"I see." He really didn't want to get involved in her domestic issues. Really. Really didn't. But he supposed that if the man seemed uninterested in talking, letting him know how he'd gotten his name might keep him on the phone a minute longer, at least. It might end up being worth the trouble.
"What time is it?" His personal GUN-issued spy gadget wristwatch communicator needed to be synced with one of their satellites in order to function, unfortunately, and in Econtra, he'd always had the PDA to tell him what time it was, should he need to know. And right now, he did, because if Sebastian was still on his lunch break, there was no chance of talking to him. He'd rather not have to leave a message when there was a chance that waiting might get him a direct line.
Perion glanced at the clock hanging above the, ticking away. She kept one in almost every room of the apartment, anal about when she left for work and getting to places on time. "It's two-twelve," she responded, looking back at him. "You should be able to catch someone there."
Perfect. Just this morning, he'd been thinking this would take forever. Now, it was looking like things might be possible sooner than that, which was nice. Forever was a long time, after all.
Shadow stood, pushing in his chair. "Unless you feel otherwise, a pay phone might be most advantageous. I'll need change," he stated.
She'd be willing to give him as much change as he wanted if it meant getting out of here. "I'm really not going to need this anymore, am I?" Perion asked as she dug some quarters out of her laundry money jar. The joys of living in an apartment and not owning your own washer/dryer unit.
"With any luck, no." He held up his hand to take the change. Oh, how he hoped this would work.
"What is your ex-husband's actual job?" he thought to ask, realizing that you couldn't very well call an office and get through the receptionist by asking about the underground scene. Not immediately, anyway. He would at least like to know, in case he had to feign interest in the business.
"To be honest?" She said, handing over the change. "There's nothing that he doesn't do. Brothels, weapons, laundering... you name it. I got to find that out the hard way." Her voice was bitter and her face twitched into a grimace. "Ask about the Orchid Lounge and see if Dis is in. That's his handle, and a stupid one at that." Perion rolled her eyes. That dumbass was always coming up with stupid codenames for himself and his peons at almost any chance he got.
Well, that was unexpected. The way she'd said it, he'd thought he was one of those legitimate businessman by day, shady street dealer by night kind of guys. But no, this was strictly the shady type all the time. He wondered how a girl like her had fallen in with him. He hadn't ever bothered to ask what her job was, but then, it hadn't seemed necessary. The scent of preservatives and death was immediately obvious to someone with a decent sense of smell, and Shadow's was better than just decent.
Satisfied, he turned and walked toward the door. "Wish me luck..."
How they fell in together was a long story that she would probably divulge with much yelling and crying should Shadow ask. It was probably best that he hadn't for getting things done, however.
With a salute and a smirk, Perion wished him luck. "I'm not leaving, so knock and I'll let you in when you finish."
He gave a dismissive wave, pausing to look back at her with a raised eyebrow and somewhat amused look. "I've memorized your living room; you think you could keep me out?" Maybe he would knock anyway, just so she had some warning of his return, but it was the truth. Doors weren't exactly a problem for him if he knew where he was going.
Without waiting for a response, he headed on out to the street.
Next: In which Shadow makes a deal with the enemy, and Perion yells at what was briefly a mint plant.
Perion had decided to dress smart today to make up for her rather interesting outfit the previous night, decked out in a white sweater and a dark brown skirt. The weather had taken a change for the worse and it was cold and drizzly outside; after spending most of her time indoors during the winter and having to pay an outrageous gas bill, she'd rather just dress warmer for a day.
Last night had been eventful and so had the morning. She was thankful she hadn't had too bad of a hangover. It wasn't anything that aspirin couldn't take care of for the most part. Shadow hadn't been there that morning and Perion just shrugged it off; it really had been a dream after all. None of that had happened and now it was back to business as usual.
And business as usual meant dealing with her domestic life again. When she had gotten up and doused herself with cold water, she had headed down to one of the clinics, avoiding her own hospital. Doctor confidentiality aside, she didn't feel she could trust whoever she saw not to gossip about it later on behind her back. Having rumors going around would make work absolutely lovely.
The results had been interesting and she was engrossed thinking about it as she made herself lunch, some grilled chicken. It was more a dinner thing, she thought, but she had skipped breakfast so she may as well treat herself to something nice.
As luck would have it... well, perhaps luck wouldn't be having anything to do with Shadow this morning. Things worked differently in a world that wasn't being constantly terrorized by would-be conquerors, and as such, wasn't used to a couple of hedgehogs and the rest of the associated ragtag groups who worked around the clock and occasionally made odd requests for things like crystal matrices that could be tuned to specific wavelengths at will. Actually, they didn't typically have to request things like that back at home, either; if it didn't already exist, Tails or the Doctor could probably make it, if the reasons were right. Of course, the little fox probably wouldn't like being considered as an option in the same sentence as his best friend's enemy, but that was just too bad.
Maybe he needed to go somewhere else. Earth was a big planet; surely he could find someone willing to do as he asked, and some method of payment in return. Or maybe he should wait a bit, and satisfy his grumbling stomach, first. If only he could live off of Chaos Energy alone. He was close enough to doing so as it was, but that didn't mean he didn't have to eat sometimes, and the last time he'd done so was more than a couple days ago. Last night's alcohol didn't really count as food.
Having no money, there weren't many options. Steal something, or, much easier, head back to Perion's place and at least attempt to get permission to grab something to eat. Hopefully the sudden teleport into her living room didn't freak her out too badly, as that would make obtaining lunch possibly more difficult.
He appeared in her living room, then, recalling the direction the kitchen was supposedly in, walked on over.
As Perion was still in the living room, she didn't even notice him teleport back in. When it happened, she was peering into the fridge, digging through the vegetable bin, her mind elsewhere, and didn't see the blue flash shine against the walls.
As she pulled her head out of the fridge, she caught sight of the hedgehog and jumped, knocking carrots and lettuce out of her arms. All she could do was stare at him for a long time, not really comprehending that he was there. Perion hadn't expected him to come back or even be real; things in Belmont were strange, yes, but not to her and when strange things did happen, they were always in dreams.
"I... You're back," Perion stated bluntly, grey eyes wide.
Shadow crossed his arms and glanced down at the fallen vegetables, moving only his eyes, before looking up at her. He considered making some sarcastic retort; 'and you have red hair!' would have been equally obvious, he thought, but no. Best not to start off the afternoon on that foot.
"My searching hasn't exactly been successful," he replied instead. Perion looked a little better this morning, which wasn't unexpected, really. A bit of sleep and an outfit that wasn't intended for a night of clubbing could do that to a person.
She would have ignored the retort, if he had voiced it. Perion had to restrain herself from going over and poking at the hedgehog to make sure that he was tangible and not some sort of dream or hallucination. The woman gathered her wits fairly quickly, though, and picked up the fallen vegetables, moving them to the sink to wash.
"Pearlman wasn't very helpful?" Wash, wash, wash, chop, chop, chop... She couldn't bring herself to look at him again and busied herself with a salad while the chicken was cooking. Maybe it would all seem more real soon.
"No." Never mind that he'd discovered that yesterday already and had been looking for other sources of assistance this morning. It wasn't like she had any reason to keep track of what he was up to.
She kept looking at him like she wasn't sure he was real - well, until she went to the sink and stopped looking at him entirely. Fair enough, he supposed, if this world didn't have any like him, although it seemed like her reaction was just as much that as it was about the emotional impact of having spent a good deal of last night drinking with him, and had then invited him to stay on her couch. That was hopefully less normal than his appearance.
What they talked about last night, she couldn't really remember. The one thing Perion could recall was that Shadow was from another dimension and that was really the most important part of their conversation, she thought. At his response, the woman nodded, absently.
"Maybe you'll have better luck tomorrow," she suggested softly, not really believing it herself. She didn't think there'd be anyone here to help him, at least not for a long time. In the meantime, though... "You want lunch?"
Hopefully, he wouldn't have to wait a long time, but if it was necessary, he would. It wasn't like he had much of a choice in the matter, after all. He could only hope that in the meantime, the Consulo didn't pick him up again, unless it was to send him to the right place this time.
Oh, and how convenient, he didn't even have to ask. Maybe his luck was just very selective.
"If you're offering," he replied, as if he didn't particularly care one way or the other.
"Grilled chicken and salad alright?" She asked, actually looking at him. "I can make something else, if you don't want it." Perion actually wasn't sure what the ethics were of a hedgehog eating another animal. Honestly, the woman wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to know, but asking seemed like a safe enough course.
"Of course." It was probably best she hadn't asked about it, beyond that. Shadow had gotten tired of correcting people in Econtra on similar questions. Humans were animals too, even if they liked to forget that fact when it was convenient for them.
He looked around a bit, then located a chair to seat himself in. What she was making sounded delicious, actually. He supposed he was looking forward to it.
It didn't take her long to finish it, just having the salad left to go, and she placed a plate in front of the hedgehog, setting her own at the spot across from him. She retrieved a couple of nondescript glasses from a cupboard before pouring herself some iced tea out of a pitcher from the fridge. "Did you want anything to drink? I have iced tea, coffee, water, milk, orange juice..."
Judging by the color of what she was pouring herself, that was probably the iced tea. Not his favorite, although he didn't tend to be picky. Still, if she was giving him choices...
"Coffee. And thanks." The food looked just as good as it had sounded, and smelled even better. Maybe he was hungrier than he'd thought, as food didn't usually make too much of an impression on him, even if it was particularly nice for a lunch.
Shadow picked up his fork and had a bite. Mm. Yes, it had definitely been a good idea to come back here.
"You're welcome." Perion threw a pot on the coffee maker. It'd take a few minutes for it to be ready, but she waited diligently by it anyway. Even if her guest had attacked her the night before and antagonized her, he was still her guest and she would make sure he was comfortable, at least.
She watched Shadow nonchalantly to make sure that he liked the food, secretly pleased that he seemed to be. Cooking was one of her fortes, thankfully, which made it easier to entertain when she had people over. Or hedgehogs, as the case would be this time around.
Like it he certainly did, and he appreciated the hospitality, unnecessary as it was. He himself didn't do much cooking in general, but that was usually because it was hard to find a kitchen to do so in when he was on the go. He'd gotten used to making food for himself on occasion in Econtra, but sometimes that was more because it was another way to stave off the boredom that had plagued the place. It was unfortunate, really, that what was essentially a barracks for the multiverse's most capable warriors, technicians, and strategists was actually more like a collection of really bored individuals and their friends, playing elaborate magical pranks on each other. Some had loved it there, but Shadow wasn't one of them.
He ate silently, not being one to talk while eating. He was surprised that she seemed to be staying by the coffee machine, rather than coming to eat, but if that was what she wanted to do, well, all the more power to her.
When the coffee was done, she poured Shadow a cup and sat it beside his plate before taking a seat. Perion was hungry, but not that hungry. After the news she received earlier, though, she probably couldn't afford to skip meals, at least not until she decided what to do about it.
If she had guests over, she would be more than willing to have a conversation while chowing down, but the hedgehog definitely gave off the vibe that talking while eating was a no-no and silence would remain the golden rule. So she kept her mouth shut and took careful bites of her lunch, every once in a while looking outside at the rain. It hadn't let up since this morning, but it was refreshing.
If everyone were to follow Shadow's usual desire for silence, very little talking would be done around him. He was used to others talking at him, and he was used to pretending that he was listening, unless it was important; even then, he rarely spoke up unless he had to. It surprised him how often that could be, sometimes. It was as if he was the only one capable of formulating a useful plan when teamwork was required.
Hm, black coffee. He finished chewing a bite of the salad, then stood and went to the refrigerator. Finding the milk, he tipped a little into the cup before replacing it where it had been and reclaiming his seat. There, that was better.
Actually, he was a real fan of mochas, and anything involving chocolate in general, but right now he couldn't be bothered to make one for himself, and asking the girl to do it for him would be stupid. This would be fine as it was.
"I should have asked if you wanted anything in there; there's sugar and cream, too, if you'd like." The only talking Perion had was idle banter, nothing of real consequence, like if he wanted anything with his coffee. She had important things on her mind, but none of them concerned the hedgehog and they were her own problems to deal with. Finding that sympathetic ear again would be something she would delight in, but she doubt that would happen and this would be something she would happen to bear on her own, which she already knew she would have to do.
Perion wanted to tell the hedgehog, but she didn't know why. He wouldn't care, like he wouldn't care the night before, but it was one of those things that probably shouldn't be bottled up. The woman fidgeted with her fork, poking at her food and ceasing to eat, unable to bring herself to digest anything else.
Disregarding her offers of other ways to add various things to his coffee, Shadow sipped at it as it was, then had a bite of chicken. His thoughts weren't anything new, consisting of more possibilities on getting home in various ways. It was frustrating to no end that this city didn't seem to hold much hope for him. Maybe he really would have to leave, after all.
Eventually, however, he noticed Perion poking at what was left of her lunch. Something was upsetting her; he didn't have to be particularly observant to realize that.
"Something wrong?" he asked, mostly to see if she would tell him and therefore stop fidgeting in such a distracting way.
Well if he was going to ask... she was going to spill her guts. That's what she wanted, she didn't care if he was sympathetic or berated her for it; she didn't care if he listened or not, she had to say it to get it off her chest to feel better, no matter how selfish it was. "I went to a clinic this morning. I am pregnant."
She stopped poking at her food then, instead setting the fork down. She wasn't all that hungry anymore, more uncomfortable and sick than anything else.
So she had a bun in the oven, or whatever the other stupid little terms were for it. She seemed to be making a bigger deal of it than he thought it was worth, but that didn't exactly shock him, either.
Shadow wasn't exactly sure what she expected; if he was supposed to say anything, or what. He couldn't very well say congratulations, since she didn't exactly seem excited about the fact. And it probably wouldn't be in his interest to ask snidely if she was going to keep it or not after all the alcohol she'd had last night. So he stayed silent, but watched her with as much interest in the topic as he could muster.
Part of Perion was actually hoping that Shadow would offer to Falcon Punch it out of her, but that wouldn't do anyone any good. She could also tell he wasn't interested a lick in what she had to stay, but if he was going to stay here, than dammit, he would listen to her, even if it was her morose ramblings. "I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet. I don't even know who's it is."
All day she kept telling herself that she wouldn't cry again like she had last night, but she was finding it difficult to keep that promise to herself. It was probably just her body going out of whack anyway and oh god, she would get fat in the months to come and she didn't want to that happen, oh no.
Did she want advice? Probably not. Hopefully not, anyway, because there really wasn't anything helpful he could say. He'd never actually known anyone who was pregnant before, and he'd lacked a mother of any kind growing up, unless that glass cylinder in the Professor's lab counted.
Shadow frowned a little and looked out the window a moment. Rain, rain, rain. It was just one of those gray days. It seemed to match the girl's mood in a way that was convenient.
"What options are you considering?" he asked, determined to somehow make this productive, if he was going to have to sit through it.
"Keeping it or getting rid of it, in more ways than one. Really, what other options do I have?" In the back of her mind, she vaguely wondered if she'd have to switch jobs for a while because of all the chemicals she dealt with at work. She'd probably have to give up her career in general to take care of the thing, but she had always wanted too have kids.
But under these circumstances? Definitely not.
Okay, so he'd meant specifically, as in keeping it, putting it up for adoption, having a relative take care of it, aborting it, whatever, but she didn't seem to think in specifics very well or she would have thought to tell him about the upside-down photo frame the night before. But whatever.
"Just because you have several options doesn't mean you're necessarily considering all of them," he grumbled in response. He couldn't believe this, talking about what to do with an unborn fetus. Seriously, she must have had someone better to talk to about this kind of thing, if she expected verbal responses that were actually useful.
Perion made a disgruntled noise in the back of her throat; she had considered all of the options, thank you very much, even if she voiced them in a vague and somewhat concise manner. Even if she knew talking to this guy about it would be useless, she really should have just kept her mouth shut. All guys were pretty much the same, it seemed.
"Nevermind. I shouldn't have said anything." She took up her fork again and speared a piece of chicken on it, trying not to show her annoyance.
Well, that was what he got for trying, he supposed. With an irritated snort, he went right back to sipping at his coffee. If she wanted something, she could at least be less vague about it. It wasn't like he could read minds, or understand what girls thought about when going through stuff like this.
But he didn't have anything to say, and she didn't seem to appreciate his attempt at talking her through it, so instead he busied himself with finishing his lunch.
Perion kept silent through the rest of the meal, almost bone chillingly so. The plants were at it again, moving of their own accord, slightly this way, slightly the other, but erratically and with short bursts, never actually moving towards the woman. All she could do was think about her bastard husband and what he had left with her, whether this kid was his or not. It still made her angry, the entire situation.
When she finished, she picked up her plate and set them in the sink, carefully so as not to break them, as tempted as she was, and sat back down. As a kid, her mother had taught her that it was rude to leave the table before everyone had finished eating, and damned if she was going to continue being as polite, mad as she was.
Once he'd finished off the chicken and salad, Shadow turned to face the window, sipping at his coffee. Surely, Perion would get over it eventually. If last night was any indication, she would probably apologize, too, even if he was the one who'd upset her. Though he still couldn't figure out what he'd done to piss her off so much. It must just be the combined stresses of everything happening to her right now. Women were strange enough as it was, and pregnant women were probably stranger by default.
Or, maybe, this once, he could be the one to offer the truce. He still couldn't figure out why he was being so goddamned nice to her, but why the hell not.
"I don't know what you want from me. But if all you need is someone who'll listen, I'm good at keeping my mouth shut." He was still watching the rain, finding it more interesting by far than anything else to look at right now, but maybe that was a good thing. Maybe she'd feel less like he was being confrontational or something. He certainly didn't know what her problem was.
A hand went up to knead her forehead and the woman sighed softly, staring down at the table and trying to collect herself before finally speaking. "I'm sorry. I don't... I don't know what's come over me, but I haven't been myself the past few days. I've been taking it out on anyone that's come near me recently, even at work."
It was true, that was why the girls had dragged her out last night. She had snapped at one of them and they thought what she needed to do was loosen up, and it was true. Perion did need to loosen up, but it felt like the whole world was crumbling around her or out to get her and the only way to stop it from happening was to stay on the offensive, attacking anything that she could. It wasn't like her; sure, on good days she was cynical and sarcastic, but she wasn't generally like this at all and it was even starting to get to her.
There, that was better. He sipped at his coffee some more, then tipped back the rest and set the mug down. Finally, he turned to look at her again, folding his arms across his chest.
She still had the rest of today off to rest and recollect herself. There was no need to point that out; obviously it had been her intention to do so when she took the day to herself. Maybe now she just needed time.
So, true to his statement, he sat in silence, curious to see if she would start talking again.
The woman stayed where she was sitting and folder her arms in front of her, resting her cheek on them. Right now, she just wanted to be flopped over instead of up and sentient, but staying in bed all day wouldn't do her any good.
"This probably all sounds so stupid to you, doesn't it? You have more important things to worry about and here I am, bitching about a bastard and a baby."
He remained impassive, watching her with a small frown. "I'm still here, aren't I?"
The initial push to get home had worn off this morning when he'd failed to find anything helpful. He was still determined to fix that, but he could be a little more patient now that it was clear it would take some time. So sure, he could be out working on it right now, but he'd chosen instead to stick around a little after eating. Maybe Perion didn't realize how much that actually meant, coming from him, but it was more patience than he afforded most people.
She looked at him for a long time, a little stunned. His being here didn't really mean as much as it would have if she had known him better. Mostly, she was under the assumption that he needed a place to stay and she just happened to be convienent. Wouldn't most people do that, take advantage of hospitality like that? At least she didn't end up dead, something she had reminded herself when she woke up this morning.
"Thank you. If there's anything I can do to help..."
He gave a sardonic chuckle at that, and shook his head. Predictable, but at least she was consistent.
"You're the one trying not to fall apart right now. Don't worry about me," he said, shaking his head a little. It was funny, if not a little pathetic. That was probably where the humor in it came from, though. Here she was, doing her best to keep herself together and work out what she wanted to make of her life, fighting back tears at times, and she was being apologetic toward him again. Some people.
It was also funny because really, on a grander scale, his getting home mattered a lot more than her pregnancy. Who knew what might have befallen Earth while he and Sonic both had been gone? But at this point, he'd been gone so long that if something terrible was to happen, there wasn't anything that getting back a day earlier would change. It had probably already occurred, after all.
Perion waved a hand dismissively. "If I had something else to worry about, maybe I wouldn't be falling apart as much." It was true, she figured. If she had something else to take care of, something that didn't have any connection to the thing in her womb or to do with the man in the over turned picture, then maybe she would be better off. At least she would be making some sort of difference, maybe, instead of staying at home and crying.
"It's better for you and me if I help you than sitting here feeling sorry for myself, yes?" She gave the hedgehog an inquiring look, hoping that he would agree with her, almost silently begging. She'd be willing to do anything at this point to escape.
He gave a nod, silently agreeing. If that was what she wanted to do, then fine. He was pretty sure he could handle it by himself, but he wasn't exactly going to turn down a willing volunteer. A local, too, who might know something he hadn't found yet. It was probably too much to expect she knew about the regional black market, unfortunately; there were always interesting illicit materials and power sources available there. But maybe she could help with something more mundane.
"If that's the case, I should probably tell you more about what I'm up to," Shadow commented. He pulled out the green Chaos Emerald and set it on the table, keeping a hand near it out of cautious habit. "I need another one of these, or something that functions like it."
Surprisingly, she did know about the black market, but not quite in the way Shadow would have wanted, surely. If he were looking for organs, then yes, she could get that for him easy, but strange jewels... not so much. All she could do was stare at the Chaos Emerald, eyes wide and mouth hanging open slightly before she realized that she would be catching flies soon if she didn't shut.
"Wh-what is that?"
"This," he held the gem up, turning it in the ambient light, "is called a Chaos Emerald. The ultimate source of power, in my world. There are seven of them. With one more, I could easily cross dimensions on my own. With a replica, I might be able to channel enough of the real one's power through it to do so."
It would be a nearly impossible task for anyone else, excluding perhaps Sonic. The things loved him for some reason nobody could quite figure out. But Shadow had been designed with a close affinity for their powers in mind, and was able to use them to do some rather creative things that really shouldn't have been possible.
"And this is why you went to go see Professor Pearlman, do see if he could make a replica?" She almost reached out to touch it, but held the urge in. It didn't seem like a good idea and she didn't want to upset the hedgehog further.
"Are you going to try to use it to get back to that place or your own home?" This was said out of curiosity more than prying, though there was a bit of nosiness in there too. Maybe, just maybe he'd let her go with her, but if it was back to that horrid sounding place with alien invasions, she may have to pass.
He nodded in response to her first question, and set it back down on the table. He had actually been expecting her to touch it when he'd first brought it out, really. The power contained in it called to a lot of people, even if they didn't know how to use the Emeralds themselves.
"I need to get home. The Warden is fighting a losing battle and he knows it. There's nothing I can do there. But my own version of Earth needs me. The sooner I find a way back, the better."
Even though she hadn't quite been in the past few hours, she was fairly polite and knew when to keep her hands to herself, and to leave other's property be. Now seemed like one of those times and she was also desperately afraid of breaking the device, whether it was actually fragile or not.
"Is your own world as bad off as the one with the aliens?" She bit her lip, chewing at the skin before stopping herself after a moment, catching herself at the bad habit.
"No, nowhere near it. At least, I hope not. I've been gone for a while, though." He smirked slightly, as if the comment were part of some private joke. No, most likely, the Doctor had been held off by Sonic's friends somehow. And even if he'd managed to take over, Shadow would still have a place in the world, doing as he liked. If something truly catastrophic had happened and another alien species thought they'd try their hand at taking over, Shadow certainly wasn't a stranger to orchestrating genocide. It was a pretty unlikely possibility, though.
Perion fidgeted a moment before finally bursting out, "I want to go back with you when you go, please! I'll do whatever you say, I don't care just.. please. Please let me come." She couldn't help it and threw in a bit of that pouty look she had used so many times with her ex-husband, but her expression was mostly one of pure desperation.
Shadow's eyes widened briefly, in a genuine look of surprise. She really wanted to escape that badly, hm? He rested his chin in his hand, elbow on the table, and looked at her, reading her expression.
"You think your life will be better in my world than it is here?" he asked, mostly curious to see what her answer would be. It was a bit of a leap, for someone who'd only been as far as the mountains, to want to jump ship and live in another dimension entirely.
"I... I... Yes. Yes, I do. Please." She was almost begging now, hands clasped together, but keeping them sitting on the table, leaning forward towards him a little. Running away probably wasn't going to do her any good in the long run, but she didn't have much left here. All she had was an ex-husband, her mother (who she did love dearly, but rarely saw anymore), and the little reminder incubating in her womb.
Even if she had to take the last one with her, she could at least start a new life somewhere else and try to make something better of it.
Oh, why the hell not. It wasn't like moving one person around would be harming anything, and it was her choice. If she ended up regretting it for some stupid reason, well, too bad. The only trouble would be getting there. With two real Emeralds, opening a path from one dimension to another would be difficult, since he'd never done it, even if it would be theoretically possible. Using a replica Emerald would be slightly more difficult, but he was sure he would manage. Bringing someone with him, well... it would be a challenge. But given everything else he'd done, he could surely give it a shot. He wasn't one to blow off something just because it sounded a little tricky.
He looked down at the stone in his hand, fiddling with it a moment, then looked back up to the girl and nodded. "Alright."
The smile she gave him was huge and radiant, the type of smile she hadn't worn for days. "Oh, thank you so much!" She almost flung her arms around him in a hug, but stopped herself, thinking that a) he wouldn't appreciate it and b) those quills would probably hurt like a mother if she tried to hug him. Instead, she settled for beaming some more, jubilant at the prospect at getting to ditch out on her world and seeing other places.
"So what do we need to do to get the replica started? I know some people around the city and a couple might be able to help, depending on what we need." 'What we need,' not 'what you need.' She was in it now and she wasn't going to let him push her out.
Her enthusiasm was a bit startling, but whatever. Maybe it would be useful in the long run. Especially if the 'some people' she knew were the right ones. He put away the gem, and sat back in his chair, arms crossed.
"What we need is someone capable of fabricating a large chunk of beryl with the same density, mass, wavelength, and other properties of the one I have. Most important is the frequency at which it reverberates. It also has to be able to undergo the stress of holding the energy I channel into it. Won't do any good if it breaks."
"When you spoke with Professor Pearlman, did he just not want to do it or did he tell you he couldn't do it? There's a doctor at my hospital that's pretty close to him, I could see if there's something he could do about it, maybe..." Now that she had something to work towards, she was practically beside herself with ecstasy. Most of what Shadow was saying, though, was going right over her head. If you wanted to know how the human body (or the bodies of the myriad of creatures that lived around here) functioned, then Perion was your girl, but physics wasn't exactly her forte. Still, she'd do what she could.
"He was more interested in studying the Emerald than helping," he admitted, a bitter tone to his voice. Pearlman was a good person, and that was his downfall. He wasn't going to work on a private project for some extra-dimensional stranger in a university lab on university time. He would have to be paid enough to compensate for using his free time, as there was little chance of Shadow getting the university to agree to accept his grant, the money for which didn't exist. Pearlman had suggested that he could work on the project if Shadow lent him use of the Emerald in order to research alternative power possibilities, a process which would help many, would surely make the professor famous and wealthy if he succeeded, and which would almost certainly cost Shadow his Emerald through all the attention on it. It was something he was unwilling to risk. Not only did he need it in order to return, but if it was permanently lost from his home world, then they would all be in dire trouble should the emergent properties of all seven being together become needed.
That didn't surprise her; he was a scholar after all and they were good for was sitting on their asses and gathering information. "In Belmont, there's no shortage of... eclectic folk, you just have to find out where they are. My ex-husband hung out with a rather interesting crowd, a lot of black market stuff he tried to get me to do through work before we broke up. There's got to be someone he knows that could figure it out."
Suggesting going through her ex-husband was the last thing she wanted to do and it showed openly on her face, expression a mask of disgust. The only thing that kept her going on that was the fact that she could knee him pretty hard when she saw him and that it would be the last time they would ever have to talk. At least having been married to someone that was so deeply engrossed with Belmont's darker side had its perks at the moment.
"Then put me in contact with him." It seemed a little unlikely, after all, that she would want to deal with him herself, if she was so broken up about him. But he was perfectly willing to meet with him and try to arrange something. Surely the man would need some form of payment, though; perhaps that was where Perion would come in handy. If she wanted to take off so badly, she wouldn't have any need to hold onto her savings. They wouldn't do her any good in his dimension. He could give her something to start with when they got there, as he certainly didn't need all of what he had.
With an eyebrow quirked, Perion stood up and went to fetch a pad of paper from one of the kitchen drawers. She wrote the number for her ex's office and passed it off to Shadow, glowering at the piece of paper. "Don't be surprised if you get his little tart, Millan. I hear that bitch is his receptionist now." That was another person she'd like to punch before she left. Millan -- which was the name she gave herself because she thought it sounded oh so hot in comparison to her real name (Sarah) -- was the woman Perion had turned into a mint plant not too long ago. The effects of the magic had worn off and now she had run off with Perion's ex-husband. There were lots of resentful feelings and if the two were ever in the room, it would be an instant cat fight to the death.
Shadow glanced at the number, then folded the piece of paper and slipped it into the cuff of his glove. "And your ex-husband's name is?"
He would go find a pay phone to call from, simply to keep things a little smoother for now. It sounded like there were some serious personal issues going on between Perion and the receptionist, and he would rather not be associated with any of that while he was doing business with the man, should the office recognize her home number.
"Sebastian," she responded with a huff. She wasn't mad at Shadow in the slightest, but the thought of possibly seeing that bastard again was putting her on edge again. "We have the same last name still, unfortunately. You'll be lucky if you get through to him specifically, but if you have to, drop my name. See what happens." A little smirk tugged at the corners of her lips.
Her ex-husband was a bastard, but if he thought that she might be coming back to grovel at his feet, the two of them might have an easier time getting what they needed out of him. Women and money were two of his biggest weaknesses.
"I see." He really didn't want to get involved in her domestic issues. Really. Really didn't. But he supposed that if the man seemed uninterested in talking, letting him know how he'd gotten his name might keep him on the phone a minute longer, at least. It might end up being worth the trouble.
"What time is it?" His personal GUN-issued spy gadget wristwatch communicator needed to be synced with one of their satellites in order to function, unfortunately, and in Econtra, he'd always had the PDA to tell him what time it was, should he need to know. And right now, he did, because if Sebastian was still on his lunch break, there was no chance of talking to him. He'd rather not have to leave a message when there was a chance that waiting might get him a direct line.
Perion glanced at the clock hanging above the, ticking away. She kept one in almost every room of the apartment, anal about when she left for work and getting to places on time. "It's two-twelve," she responded, looking back at him. "You should be able to catch someone there."
Perfect. Just this morning, he'd been thinking this would take forever. Now, it was looking like things might be possible sooner than that, which was nice. Forever was a long time, after all.
Shadow stood, pushing in his chair. "Unless you feel otherwise, a pay phone might be most advantageous. I'll need change," he stated.
She'd be willing to give him as much change as he wanted if it meant getting out of here. "I'm really not going to need this anymore, am I?" Perion asked as she dug some quarters out of her laundry money jar. The joys of living in an apartment and not owning your own washer/dryer unit.
"With any luck, no." He held up his hand to take the change. Oh, how he hoped this would work.
"What is your ex-husband's actual job?" he thought to ask, realizing that you couldn't very well call an office and get through the receptionist by asking about the underground scene. Not immediately, anyway. He would at least like to know, in case he had to feign interest in the business.
"To be honest?" She said, handing over the change. "There's nothing that he doesn't do. Brothels, weapons, laundering... you name it. I got to find that out the hard way." Her voice was bitter and her face twitched into a grimace. "Ask about the Orchid Lounge and see if Dis is in. That's his handle, and a stupid one at that." Perion rolled her eyes. That dumbass was always coming up with stupid codenames for himself and his peons at almost any chance he got.
Well, that was unexpected. The way she'd said it, he'd thought he was one of those legitimate businessman by day, shady street dealer by night kind of guys. But no, this was strictly the shady type all the time. He wondered how a girl like her had fallen in with him. He hadn't ever bothered to ask what her job was, but then, it hadn't seemed necessary. The scent of preservatives and death was immediately obvious to someone with a decent sense of smell, and Shadow's was better than just decent.
Satisfied, he turned and walked toward the door. "Wish me luck..."
How they fell in together was a long story that she would probably divulge with much yelling and crying should Shadow ask. It was probably best that he hadn't for getting things done, however.
With a salute and a smirk, Perion wished him luck. "I'm not leaving, so knock and I'll let you in when you finish."
He gave a dismissive wave, pausing to look back at her with a raised eyebrow and somewhat amused look. "I've memorized your living room; you think you could keep me out?" Maybe he would knock anyway, just so she had some warning of his return, but it was the truth. Doors weren't exactly a problem for him if he knew where he was going.
Without waiting for a response, he headed on out to the street.
Next: In which Shadow makes a deal with the enemy, and Perion yells at what was briefly a mint plant.
