Spirit of the Phantom Ruby

Part 14 - Fifteen Boxes of Your Finest Muffins, Please

Gadget slowly sat up and stretched, blinking wearily through the bright morning light pouring in through the windows. The clock on the wall of his living room said it was only 7am, but he couldn't stand another hour of sleeping on the floor. He quietly picked himself up, and carefully crept around his friends, eyes glued to the floor. He made it all the way out of the group, then turned to survey them. Tails had joined them, finally, but the wolf could see hints of sleep deprivation around the little fox's eyes. He sighed and turned around, then froze. A very familiar jackal was strewn upon his couch, sound asleep, and from the strange position he lay in, Gadget could see a gleaming ruby attached to his chest.

He quickly scanned the room and saw Shadow sitting in the foyer, eyes shut and head nodded. The dark hedgehog, seemingly sensing his gaze, opened his eyes and looked over at the wolf, his expression neutral. Gadget silently gestured to the sleeping jackal. Shadow nodded, not saying a word.

Gadget looked back at Infinite, disturbed with himself by how he was so used to the jackal being a glowing, red stone. It was as if by magic that the jackal had come back into the real world.

After a moment of hesitation, he quietly left the house, shutting and locking the door behind him as Shadow looked on.

The wolf headed down the cobblestone path, the entire area of his small town perfectly memorized. He eyeballed one of the nicer-looking homes, recalling how nice it had been to have a house all to himself, but quickly shrugged off the forlorn feeling and turned right, walking by the town's inn. He glanced at the building before doing a double take as he saw a group of jackals all standing around the door. The three males had their backs to him, and the sole female noticed him looking immediately.

"Say!" She exclaimed rather loudly, causing the other jackals to fall silent. "Where on earth are we going to find breakfast this early?"

"Nutmeg's Bakery has pretty good muffins!" Gadget called out cheerily, drawing the attention of the male jackals. "It's just across the street from the town hall! In fact, I'm headed there right now!"

"I like muffins." The youngest looking jackal stated blatantly. The others gave him an odd look but looked up in surprise when the she-jackal smiled.

"Mind if we join you?" She asked energetically, briskly walking after him.

"Sure!" Gadget waved them over, and together the group walked down the road. "I've never seen ya'll here before... Are you just passing by?"

"Yep! We're weary travelers, taking odd jobs here and there...!" The she-jackal answered before any of her fellow males could open his mouth.

The wolf's smile quelled a little bit as he noticed the annoyed looks she kept throwing over her shoulder at the whispering jackals behind them.

"Um, well, the town is hosting a festival tomorrow night, in case you guys might be interested." He mentioned, his expression changing from pleasure to concern.

"What's the festival for?" The jackal wearing a red beret asked, sounding a bit aloof.

"It's in honor of the Resistance's victory over Eggman Forces!" Gadget smiled amiably. "There'll be desserts, fireworks, parades and stands..." As he counted off with his fingers, the others slowly became more and more interested.

"Will there be contests?" The youngest one asked, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Absolutely! And best of all-!" They opened the doors to the bakery, Cherry Love. "-Sonic the hedgehog himself will be there! Actually, he's already in town!"

"Ooh, we might have to stay a few extra nights in town, Jackal Squad!" The one with a beret said exuberantly.

"Jackal Squad?!" The pink flying squirrel behind the counter gasped loudly.

The she-jackal glared down at her comrade. He looked panic-stricken.

"...Ya'll must be new! Hi, I'm Nutmeg!" The same squirrel waved them over excitedly, and the jackals hesitantly walked over.

"Sorry for my outburst! I had a cupcake this morning and the sugar rush is just now kicked in!" She rapidly pressed several buttons, literally bouncing with energy, and in less than a second, the cash register burst open. "Whatdjya like for breakfast?!"

The jackals gave each other relieved looks. Apparently, the cashier hadn't recognized them as the ruthless mercenaries they had the reputation of being.

"A dozen of your blueberry muffins, please." The she-jackal took the squirrel's energy in stride, and gave her the money for the food.

"Coming up right away! Fresh from the oven!" Nutmeg disappeared into the kitchen for a split second and then reappeared as soon as she had left. She handed the she-jackal the white box. "Hope ya'll enjoy! Come again soon!"

Smiling, Gadget stepped up.

"Hey, you!" Nutmeg laughed. "How's the team?"

The wolf shook his head. "Tight. That house isn't big enough for thirteen people."

"Oof!" Nutmeg smiled sympathetically. "The usual?"

"Plus a dozen extra." Gadget smiled. "Almost ran out yesterday!"

The baker walked back into the kitchen, slightly calmer this time, and walked back out pulling a small wagon filled with seven to eight brown boxes. The jackals stared with goggled eyes as Gadget paid the squirrel and headed out.

"Don't worry, it's not all for me!" He called over his shoulder as the door shut behind him.

"Dang it, we'll lose him!" Exasperated, the she-jackal watched him through the window as he walked away.

"Chill, Mathilda, I'm sure we'll be able to find him at the festival!" The youngest jeered.

"Are you guys stalking him?" They all turned and stared at the cashier overtly. She smiled and put her finger to her lips, winking. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone..."

Mathilda looked at her squad before sighing and turning back to the squirrel. "He knows something about the person we've been looking for."

The daggered jackal smacked a hand against his face.

"Who are you looking for?" Nutmeg smiled sincerely. "I might be able to help!"

"You see, it's about our boss..." The one with the beret began, looking awkwardly down at the floor and folding his hands behind his back.

"Uh, he looks just like one of us, only he wears a white scarf and has a scar over his right eye." The youngest continued for him, equally as uncomfortable. "That wolf was walking with his team the other day and we overheard them talking about our boss as if they had direct contact with him."

"Huh, Gadget hasn't mentioned any jackals staying at his place..." Nutmeg ran a hand through her bright pink curls thoughtfully. "He did say..." Her eyes suddenly widened, and she stared at them. "-Wait, your boss doesn't happen to be the nutcase who took over the entire world, does he?"

The jackals exchanged grim looks. Mathilda, deciding to take matters into her own hands, opened her mouth, but Nutmeg interrupted before she could say a word.

She snapped her fingers brightly. "Well in that case, he's also staying with Gadget!"

"But you said there were no jackals..." The one with a beret muttered.

"Yeah, but Infinite's kind of..." She gestured with her hands, unable to properly convey her meaning. "Well he might not be anymore, you should go and see."

Exchanging puzzled looks, the jackals slowly walked out of the bakery.

"Hurry up or you won't be able to find him!" Nutmeg called after them, and they began sprinting down the road back the way they came.