Chapter 1 | You're Fired

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"Everybody, panic! He's coming! He's coming!" Sticks, a stout badger with the kinkiest red quills, relayed the unpleasant whereabouts of Mr. Hedgehog's arrival.

She did so oddly enthusiastically, walking in on manager Vector, who at the blood-chilling revelation spun to face her. Just as fast — no, he transmogrified — the tall, burly man's demeanor turned into that of a canonized saint, his voice cool and collected despite the whirlwind of anxiety happening outside his office.

"I see," he practically hummed, stepping out.

Everyone one followed behind at his command to offer Mr. Hedgehog an amiable welcome, calmly — or as much as their minds and bodies permitted them.

"What a joke," Rouge gave a throaty scoff that failed to elude those in close proximity. As they exited from the department building into the main one, the friend group sticking together among the stampede of staff, "Nobody welcomes me like this when I show up every morning," Rouge made similair comments at the approval of Blaze, who pipped her harmonious agreement.

"It's one of the many facts of life I will never comprehend. Elitism." Then, unsuspectingly, Knuckles swivelled into the conversation, patting his ruby-stained girlfriend softly on the head. "That elitism shit was hard at work back there. I mean, did Manager Vector really need to hit us with all his might?Just because he's our superior?" 

Rouge didn't appreciate his qup, nor his unwanted presence in her and Blaze's conversation. Smiling appologeticallym "How's your head doing?" Knuckles asked.

Even before their first day as a couple, he took notice of the littlest things about Rouge: like how Chinese dumplings drove her absolutely crazy, or how she could never reveal too much about herself to allow for "a little mystery", she'd always claim. But the cutest quirk yet that aroused his fondness towards Rouge was how easily her face showed manifestations of seething emotions whenever she tried to act against the proscribed feeling. It was most peculiar how the only one who made this discovery—or is regularly au fait of the blatant display—was him, and hike alone.

"You're head okay?"

Knuckles sympathized, staring deep into Rouge's alluring, blue eyes; her, his crystal-purple ones, smoldering underneath the affectionate gaze, showing a questionably deeper shade of red that even the color red itself didn't possess.

Click! Clack! Click! Clack! Click! Clack! 

Shoes from all corners of the building come into audible range, drowning out any chances of vocalizing a response. Knuckles kept up his desperate inquiries about the voiceless movements Rouge's lips kept making, but understood nothing, as it was still very loud around them to make out anything. 

"Sorry, could you say that again?" 

But, instead of Rouge, he felt a firm pat on his shoulder—Silver, shaking his head, passing along a soundless message which Knuckles finally got.

Still headed for the front entrance, every single department within the corporation spilled into a grand mass from the farthest corners of the earth, forming a noisy ocean that drew nearer and nearer to their goal, retracting the noise they once came full-force with.

"President, Hedgehog!" Bellowed manager Vector, "What a lovely surprise!" followed by a:

BLEEEEERRRRRGGGG!! The sound of vomit echoed through the tiniest spaces within the packed halls of the main building, bringing everything to a momentary pause.

"That is not a lovely surprise." Silver winced painfully. Hard.

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