Chapter Text
“You could just go and ask him, you know,” Rouge prompts once more from where she's comfortably nestled against the couch's armrest, feet half tucked underneath her.
“Absolutely not.” There's no venom in Shadow's voice but it is firm. He closes the tourist guide he's been reading through, unsatisfied with the information it contains. Rouge's eyes flicker to the guide for a second before returning to the black hedgehog sitting beside her on the couch.
“I bet he knows all the best spots,” she tries to tempt him. Shadow continues to look impassive, not even sparing her a glance. “I do not care for the best spots. Besides, he'd probably just insist on tagging along.”
Rouge gives him an innocent smile. “And that would be so bad, because…?”
Shadow gets up from the couch. “I'm trying my luck with an antiquary,” he says, not bothering to grace Rouge's tease with a reaction.
“Suit yourself,” Rouge relents with a shrug, returning her attention to the TV as Shadow leaves Team Dark’s shared apartment above Club Rouge. What he doesn't see is the sly glint in the bat's eye as she pulls out her phone to check the closest antiquarian bookseller and then make a phone call…
With a little chime of the bell hanging above the door, Shadow leaves the tiny antiquary bookstore nestled cozily between a restaurant and a tea shop in the middle of Central City. Ensuring the two books he just bought are safely tucked underneath his arms, he sighs and turns to walk down the pavement. He hopes the old tourist guide for Spagonia and the book detailing traditional dishes around the world would offer better information than what he could gather from a current brochure.
Sometimes it feels like trying to dig up specific details about Earth from fifty years ago like this is much more cumbersome than recovering any of the Professor’s journals about his creation. At least with those, Shadow knows there’s only a handful of places to look, considering Project Shadow is treated as classified information.
“Hey Shadow, long time to see!” an insufferably cheerful but familiar voice suddenly sounds right next to his ear. Shadow tenses but continues walking. He grits his teeth, barely sparing the blue hedgehog a glance. “Sonic.”
“Saw ya leaving that old bookstore. Were you trying to sell your memoirs or something?” he jokes, smoothly ducking away from Shadow’s fist coming his way in response.
“No,” Shadow replies, voice more clipped than usual. He really doesn’t want to get pulled into a conversation - or fight - with the idiot. The less he says, the less likely it is for Sonic to figure out what Shadow’s doing.
Unfortunately, Sonic’s attention is now drawn to what Shadow is carrying in his arms. Shadow angles his torso away, but it’s too late. “‘Sights of Spagonia’?” Sonic reads out loud the title he glimpses. The blue hedgehog falls into steps beside Shadow. “You going on a sight-seeing trip?”
“None of your business,” Shadow responds, sounding just a little more agitated and praying Sonic hadn’t also read the other book.
Sonic takes his reply as a ‘yes’ and adds, unperturbed by Shadow’s tone of voice: “Uh, no offense, but that thing looks ancient. If you’re going on a trip, wouldn’t a more up-to-date guide be more helpful?”
Shadow opens his mouth for his most barbed reply yet but Sonic is already continuing with his blathering. “Wait, I have a better idea! How about I give you a tour instead?”
Shadow closes his eyes for a moment, cursing himself for conjuring up this exact scenario earlier. “Participating in a grand prix that just happened to have one of its racetracks located in Spagonia does not make you a suitable tour guide,” he hisses.
Sonic waves off his objection as if it were just a minor concern and not Shadow trying his best to get Sonic off his trail. “Pshh, I’ve been to Spagonia plenty of times before, I can show you around, no prob! We can visit the aqueduct and the giant clock tower. I can introduce you to the locals, too. Oooh, we can pay a visit to that one restaurant! It’s been there for at least three generations and the owner always comes up with new dishes! It’ll be great to…”
Shadow ears perk up at the mention of the restaurant. Sonic’s voice fades into the background as he continues talking. If that restaurant has been around for three generations, it had to have existed over fifty years ago. Meaning there is at least a chance of it being one of the places Maria had visited before she became ill. At the very least, it might give Shadow a good starting point to what kind of food she may have experienced.
There was just one problem. An annoying, blue colored problem currently trailing after him like a lost puppy.
Shadow glances at Sonic from the corner of his eye. The idiot was still talking. Shadow slows his pace and rubs his free hand over his face.
“How well exactly do you know Spagonia?” Shadow suddenly turns to Sonic directly, cutting into and talking over whatever he was currently yapping about. To Sonic’s credit, he’s quick to adapt to the sudden question.
“Kinda a long story, but the university there sorta was our base of operations for a while, back when the planet broke apart,” Sonic explains. “Had to track down the Gaia temple there, too.”
Shadow falls into a thoughtful silence as he weighs his options. Spagonia was an expansive city, meaning that finding the temple must’ve taken quite a bit of search. The size also means that there are probably countless eateries there. Shadow is mostly unfamiliar with the place, having been there only briefly for that same Grand Prix Sonic was.
He could ask Rouge to help make him a list of all restaurants or dishes that would’ve been around over fifty years ago… but Shadow has a feeling she’d either just redirect him back to Sonic or ask something outrageous of him in return.
So then the question remains: what was more efficient?
Shaking off Sonic (which wasn't even guaranteed to work given his stubbornness), sifting through countless brochures and wandering headlessly through a giant city by himself.
Or accepting Sonic’s help, praying he won’t get sidetracked too much (because Shadow would be a fool to assume this could go without a hitch) and hopefully get a helpful starting point at least.
Shadow breathes in deeply through his nose, shutting his eyes close and praying he isn’t about to regret his next action. “Alright. I … accept your offer.”
Sonic’s ears perk. “Really? Cool,” he smiles and his enthusiasm briefly twinges something in Shadow that unnervingly isn't annoyance.
“8AM, tomorrow in front of Central Lab. If you’re late, don’t bother showing up at all,” he all but threatens his rival, pointing a finger at him.
Sonic gives a mock salute, wearing his shit-eating grin. “Aye, aye, Faker. Gotta blast for now, though. Rouge invited me to some chilli dogs. I guess you don’t wanna come along?”
Shadow’s only reply is to turn and walk away. Sonic calls a “Thought so. See ya tomorrow then!” after him before dashing off with a boom and a harsh gust of wind following in his wake.
Rouge . Shadow’s walking speed increases. Hanging out with Sonic? That’s awfully suspicious. Come to think of it, wasn’t it a bit convenient Shadow had to run into Sonic now of all times?
Too convenient in fact.
Once he reaches the elevator leading up to the penthouse above Club Rouge, Shadow cares little if the amount of pressure he puts on the button would break it. He is fuming by the time he slams the door of the apartment close behind him and stomps through the short hall to the living room. Chucking the books he bought onto the coffee table (and causing the pages of one of them to loosen and spill out across the table), Shadow grabs his phone.
… only to find Rouge has already sent him a text:
‘Hey, handsome, how was your haul? Find anything useful? Blue says hi btw. He tells me you two are planning a little trip’
Shadow has to try his damndest to not crush the phone in his hand then and there as he replies.
‘You set this up. I told you I didn’t want him involved.’
‘Hon, I didn’t tell Blue a word about your plans, honest. By my honor as a treasure hunter.’
Shadow is about to type something about her still arranging for him and Sonic to bump into each other but Rouge already sends another message:
‘You can’t blame a gal for simply wanting to catch up with one of her friends ;)’
‘I hate you.’
‘Don’t forget your toothbrush when packing♥ I’ll ask Blue to take some pictures of your trip’
The phone’s case creaks plaintively as Shadow’s grip tightens around the case. For his own sanity, he leaves Rouge on read and goes to pack his things.