Chapter Text
“I’m very strong. I can lift things. I have steely focus and high endurance,” Knuckles stood at attention as he rattled off what he hoped were his most employable traits. “I’m talented with–” Weapons and fighting weren’t appropriate here, this was a handy-man shop, not the arena. “...landscaping and stone work.”
The black ram sat behind the counter of his shop and looked Knuckles up and down. Knuckles knew what he was going to ask before he spoke: “What are you?”
Knuckles could lie. Or let the ram take a guess and not correct him. But he didn’t want to. He was the last echidna and that meant he was the last one left to introduce himself and take pride in his species. Once he was gone that was it. He would only ever be what other people said he was. But he wasn’t gone yet. He puffed his chest. “I am an echidna.”
The ram’s eyes widened and his lip curled. It took a moment for him to gather his surprise and respond: “Is… Is it true you lay eggs? Even though you are a mammal?”
Knuckles wasn’t sure how that was relevant. “If I were a female echidna, yes.”
The ram blanched and made a gesture that Knuckles had come to recognize as one that warded off evil. Great. Of course Knuckles had to ask for a job from an owl-worshiper. The ram seemed perturbed that Knuckles did not hiss and flinch back, nor burst into flames. Instead Knuckles resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
He had once tried to explain to Sonic that he was like a black cat. But the hedgehog had cut him off, laughing and insisting he meant to say he was a ‘black sheep’. Typical Sonic, not listening, making his own assumptions! His words didn’t even make sense! Black sheep were not associated with witchcraft and devilry, otherwise this interview would be going very differently.
Behind him, a bell jangled merrily as the door to the shop opened. He spared a moment to cast his senses out as he heard two sets of footsteps. Without turning around he could tell the newcomers took up little air, carried no tension, smelled of bread and flowers, and had little to no chaos energy. Not a threat. He turned his attention back to the ram.
“If you know of my people’s reputation, then you know I am exceptionally skilled with plants,” he tried. He wasn’t sure if he was in the part of the galaxy where the owl-worshippers admired or despised the echidna’s practice of manipulating chaos energy. “Do you have any yard work I could assist with?”
“Not for your kind !” Ah, the kind that despised it then. “Get out of my shop, abomination!”
This time Knuckles did roll his eyes. He had been called worse things and thrown out of better establishments by far more dangerous individuals. But if he could acquire no work, he had no more need to be here.
The newcomers behind him had grown much more tense and he took care to side step them and avoid looking their way. The last thing he needed was an angry crowd accusing him of frightening an innocent little rabbit girl.
The ram’s eyes followed him the whole way out. The door clanged behind him as he made his exit. He stepped out of view of the windows before he stopped and pulled out the little paper map he’d acquired.
Knuckles knew that he wouldn’t be able to swim to the bottom of the ocean to retrieve the Master Emerald. He would need some sort of submersible. If Tails weren’t a liar and a traitor who worshiped Sonic, the king liar and traitor, then Knuckles could ask him to build one, but he was, so that option was out of the question. Unfortunately, any other builder or submarine owner would require some form of payment. Knuckles didn’t know how much such a thing would cost, but he knew it was more than he had. Because he had nothing.
Unfortunately, finding paying work was harder than he thought. He’d walked into the first place he’d seen with a ‘help wanted’ sign and despite the fact that he’d cleaned his fur in the river just that morning, the aardvark behind the counter turned up her nose and declared he stank like a wild animal. He had no money to waste on silly things like shampoo so he moved on. His next few attempts were at warehouses, shipyards, and ships themselves. All inquiries ended when they said they would need identification to confirm he had no criminal past. He had no identification and he did have a criminal past.
And then there was the fact that technically as an ‘extinct’ species he wasn’t even legally a person in half the universe and so no one was obligated to pay him anything. He had to keep his head down and eyes out for scavengers who would sell him into working for nothing.
The last person he’d talked to had suggested day labor and pointed out the handyman’s office. “They don’t ask a lot of questions if you have a strong back and speak the language.”
Well, that was true at least–the ram had only asked two questions. Knuckles would have to look around and see if he could find another similar type of business. One that wasn’t run by an owl worshiper. He crossed out the circled location on his map.
The door jangled open behind him.
Knuckles glanced over a moment, just to make sure it wasn’t the ram coming to chase him off. It was only the two rabbits. Except the elder one was looking directly at him. Her long skirt swished as she strode toward him.
Knuckles straightened and tucked away his map. Was he about to be chewed out for existing by some mommy rabbit? She was smiling, but that meant nothing.
“I’m sorry that gentleman was so rude to you,” she said. “Did I hear you say you’re good at yard work?”
That was not what he was expecting her to say. He paused for a moment, considering if her words could somehow have been meant as an insult before he finally responded: “...Yes.”
Her smile had dropped just slightly as she waited on his response, but it returned now. “My name is Vanilla,” she said. “And this is my daughter Cream!”
Knuckles’ gaze flicked down to the little girl. She was holding her mother’s hand, her other hand wrapped around a little purse slung across her shoulder. He confirmed that her eyes held more curiosity than fear and then returned his gaze to the mother.
“Our garden was badly damaged in that storm last week,” the rabbit said.
He gave a jerky nod as if he knew what she was talking about. Or why she was telling him this.
“I’ve tried some repairs myself but it’s a lot of work and it’s only Cream and me, you see.” He did not see. He nodded like he did, because he did not want to upset the well-dressed lady with the little daughter. “You said you were looking for work?”
Oh. He realized suddenly: she was asking if he would work for her.
“I can pay of course,” she carried on. “I don’t have much, but I can make up the difference with meals?”
“Mama’s a good baker!” The little girl added.
‘Not much’ was better than Knuckles’ current state of ‘nothing’. And he hadn’t eaten since… well, since before he left Earth. His belly clenched uncomfortably just at the thought. It was the Wachowski’s fault. They had fed him so generously, he’d forgotten how to be hungry. They’d been trying to cultivate dependence. They must have–why else had they discouraged him from hunting and foraging for his own food?
But this wouldn’t be like that. This would be food he earned. Both he and this Vanilla woman would benefit from the arrangement. Knuckles could trust that.
Still, he did not wish to get involved with this rabbit only for her to turn on him later, so he came straight out and said: “I am Knuckles the Echidna.” He searched her face for a reaction. Her eyes widened slightly, as was typical, but she did not curl her lip or scrunch her nose in disgust so that was a step up from usual.
“Oh, like in my book!” The child said.
“Cream,” her mother’s tone was disapproving.
Knuckles did not react. He had yet to see a children’s book including echidna where they weren’t represented as villainous thugs.
“You’re friends with the chao!” She said excitedly. She reached for the little bag she carried and lifted the flap.
A little blue face flinched away from the light, blinking sleepily.
Knuckles stared.
The little creature seemed to start awake under his gaze. It let out a cheerful trill, excited to meet someone new, especially someone so unique. Tiny pink wings buzzed as the little thing drifted out of the bag and floated up to him. Knuckles held out his hands like he would catch it if it fell, but of course it wouldn’t. It made excited sounds as it admired him. He admired it right back.
When he was the same age as this little rabbit girl, his father would tell him stories. Tales of a floating island, the echidna’s ancestral home. A paradise where deserts and snowy mountains and fruit-filled jungles could all coexist under the warm power of the Master Emerald. And the echidna’s neighbors in this paradise were child-like fae creatures that were innocent and playful and good. After the Emerald was lost, their island paradise sank, taking most of their species and the little fairies with it. Father said there were more on the surface, in special places. Knuckles had hoped to visit his people’s ancestral neighbors, but had put the thought from his mind eventually.
But here it was: a chao!
“His name is Cheese!” The little girl held out her hands and this time the little chao landed on her fingers. He adjusted the little red bowtie on his neck, proud to be friends with his dear Cream.
Knuckles offered his hand to shake before he thought about it. But it seemed this was a gesture the people of this world understood. Or at least the little chao did. Cheese eagerly took the tip of Knuckles’ glove in both of his little yellow paws and shook it.
The girl giggled.
The mother rabbit clasped her hands together, catching Knuckles’ attention. He found the rabbit’s smile had shifted from merely polite to something warmer. “I do hope you will consider my offer, Mr. Knuckles.”
“Ah.” Knuckles cleared his throat and straightened. The little fairy in his hands lifted off his fingers and he tried to hide his disappointment. He watched as Cheese fluttered back to his Cream.
“I will take up your offer,” he said. “Lead the way.”
“Oh.” She seemed a little surprised by this. “You’re available now?”
He had nowhere else to go. But the rabbit lady didn’t need to know that, so Knuckles did not elaborate. Instead he let her lead the way back toward her home.
With luck, this job would be the first of many. Slowly but surely, he would work his way to getting the Master Emerald back. And he would get fed.
Who needed those traitorous Wachowskis?