A Small Hybrid Family

He couldn't lose sight of his goal.

They'd never feel at home, in such a place.

Fold's gaze roamed the photograph. So many plants, so many unknown fruits and vegetables...it wasn't as far as the eye could see (that would require a proper farm, or perhaps a maniac's willingness) but it was certainly a lot for a single inn. He hummed around a bite of food, swallowing as the thought of asking about one or two crossed his mind. That world probably didn't run on credits- and those were the teen's father's to enjoy.

"I wouldn't be surprised if your father's garden received a high rank." A feline... A 'mouser'- an upgrade in some worlds, though now he was having to take everything and try to put it into a slightly-different context. Not a game world, but not the Gameoverse, either. So a pet, one that served dual purposes, much like some the Syntax and Farcade agents managed to keep...

Three eyes flicked up. It would seem Harmony had a companion- a scaly one that was content to snag a bite of meat, before vanishing back into Harmony's quills (could those count as hair?). Fold snickered quietly.

"Well, I didn't expect you to be bringing along a fourth." For a moment, he pictured the snake slithering along the corridors, attacking mice aboard the station (of which there were none). A faint laugh was muted by a hand. "There shouldn't be any vermin aboard this station, I'm sad to say."

Strange creatures...far smaller than Harmony and her friends (at least, the two assumed). Fold's eye squinted, mentally debating between if said creatures were allies, or power-ups, or set-dressing--- not a game,...right. Those could've been...children? Maybe?

Void's latest plate- piled with yet more macaroni and cheese (alongside a slice of cheesecake, and what looked like a dull-gray meat of some sort) clinked as they set it down at the table.

They blinked. Wow,- that...was...new. A wayward smile managed to form on their features.

"I don't, no.- Neutral or masculine tend t'be fine, so 'guys' 'd work either way." It hadn't even crossed their mind, honestly. "...thank you for checkin'." They drifted into their food as the other turned inwards to her thoughts. The rings and colored papers managed to garner their attention once more, pulled from their meal to the golden circlets and strips of paper.

It was a mix of currencies, from the look of it.

"So there's a chance, then." Fold's comment drifted. He didn't dare glance Void's way, knowing the inquisitive glance he'd be gaining if he did. Instead, he stood to gather himself another plate. Albeit, this one would be heaped with desserts. A singular eye trained itself on the dessert island, making his way over to gather a surplus- from a dark-purple cake of some kind to marbled cookie-brownies with golden chips in them, he intended to sample as many as he could.

Only once he'd gathered a decent pile did he return. One of the marbled cookie-brownie slices was immediately stolen by Void.

Said brunet had also taken to tapping at the ring while Harmony had been away.

"A non-game world..." They let out a breath. If it weren't for the photos- and Harmony's overall countenance- they wouldn't have thought it possible. "...wild."

"Infinite universe,..." Fold trailed, scooping up a treat with a fork.

"Still wild, though." They snuck a hand to their glass- when had it gotten there- and took a sip. "I hope her world really is free from the Gameoverse." Fold's fork came to a stop near his mouth. Fair. If it were a game world,...he knew he'd try to complete it, without reservation. Whether she was the Hero or a side-character,...the float was needed.

"Dad uses some of his veggies for barterin', but he'd tell ya that most o' it is t' keep me fed." A grin spread across the teen's muzzle as she wagged her tail lightly against her seat. It grew as Blep was mentioned. She reached in her quills to find where his head was and coax him back out just enough so the pair could get a better look at him.

Blood red eyes looked from one to the other, tongue flicking out to taste the air before settling into pressing his chin into the teen's scratching fingers. If a serpent could look any more content, it would be a miracle. "Yeah. I sometimes forget he's in there. I've had him since I was really young."

And she was glad that neither of them reacted terribly to the sight of her guardian. The same couldn't be said for some, and that was why he slipped right back out of sight the moment she stopped giving his chin affection.

"He technically doesn't actually have t' eat, but I've been spoilin' him since I got him, and he knows it. Ask my dad sometime." The pair were left to their thoughts as the teen went up to get another plate. Just as the first time, she went to each station and gave each item a quick sniff before adding it. Some items smelled interesting, so she was willing to try them.

By the time she returned, her plate was full once more, and she dug in with a smile.

"So do ya both often work together?"

Since they had been the ones asking her questions, it only seemed fair that the teen get a chance to ask some of her own. This was a brand new Zone, and she wanted to find out everything she could while she had a chance.

But he also hated relying on others for help.

"Look, I'm just going to cut to the chase. I'm having issues with controlling some of my abilities... Chaos abilities, to be precise. Word is that you're one of the few people in this zone that has some of those innate abilities and you're the one I know the best."

Lil' sighed and leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the table. He was already uncomfortable with this conversation, but it was one that needed to be had; if nothing else but to try to get somewhere.

"Unlike other blue hedgehogs, it seems I have the potential to channel Chaos energy much like the one you call Shadow does, without the need for the Emeralds. Problem is, I can't seem to do it consistently, or very well for that matter. When I do, I quickly sputter out or enter some sort of blackout where I have no memory of what happens. I'm worried I'm going to hurt myself, or someone else, sooner rather than later."

"I've already tried to ask Arrow and a few that he considered experts on the subject, but they weren't much help, despite how much they tried to come up with ideas on what was going on. When I try to make sense of everything...It all is just overwhelming. Makes my head hurt, if I am honest."

Another sigh came from the blue hedgehog.

Volt chalked it up to the feline picking up on the hero’s inner dilemma and took a seat opposite.

“Well, you’re not wrong.” Beyond a select few in the Zone, Volt was one of the well known chaos users. Although… “I should mention though that my energy manifests as an element though.”

One hand raised, calling Fafo’s attention to come over for pets. With only a minor shift of Chaos Energy within the hybrid, the long strands of fur reached up to meet his paw pads. A few soft crackles of static as the cat continued to rub himself near completely on his fingers.

He let the energy fizzle out and proceeded to shower Fafo in chin scratches for putting up with the demonstration. All before a thoughtful hum slipped from his lips and he glanced towards his bedroom.

“It sounds like ya might be burning yourself out cuz ya can’t regulate it. Had that problem when I was still learning how t’ use my abilities…” Brows creased and a claw tapped the table. “Might have somethin’ that could help but ya might wanna have someone ya trust with tech t’ look ‘em over.

“Gimme a sec t’ grab ‘em from my room.” He stood and disappeared into his bedroom. The sound of shuffling could be heard before shifting to a soft clink of metal on metal. A smile formed as he returned and set four black rings on the table. One claw tapped against them before sliding them closer to Lil.

They had a job to do.

"We're briefing now, probably going to head out in less than an hour if we can get a plan together fast enough to matter. Figured you'd want to come along since you're the expert." The implication of another why was there in the other's voice, but he didn't actually say as much. He didn't want to promise anything.

"Harmony too, of course. The more heads, the better." He didn't really think she would sit things out, but it never hurt to point out. Plus they needed all the help they could get if what they were suspected was true. And, if it was, they weren't going to have much time to put anything concrete together, not as much as Johnny usually liked.

Rocky terms or not, the hybrids were the team's golden geese at the moment. They knew more, had seen what Robotnik had at his disposal before and it would be idiotic not to have them there on the front lines. Even Johnny knew that. Plus they all had a common goal at the moment, and that was getting a certain someone back in one piece.

While the older hybrid had become a bit of a recluse since his partner's capture, the teen had been anything but. She had shoved herself face first into any and all things around Green Hill to help.

Not to mention take her mind off the self destructive actions of her father. At least now, he was looking somewhat better. The organic hand holding the door open stayed that way as she released his other.

"I'll be right back." She waited for the subtle nod before disappearing to her bed. In less time that it would have taken for the adults to start a conversation, she was back. Bracers, Greaves, and Bandana secured on her person, and she fought with the buckle for his hip pouch as she bounced over to the door.

They traded places, but Volt didn't have far to go. His hands grabbed his belt and looped it around his waist. As it was clicked in place, he slipped on his own greaves and put on his boots. Only after he ensured his regulators were secure did he rejoin them, stepping out the door with Harmony.

Ratchet couldn't really move from this spot, per the rules of the game. Instead, he settled on his shocks- keeping a watchful optic as Gibbous settled. Early on, Gibbous' 'scratching' of his cushions was worrisome. Now? It was background noise. Barely-registered as the whole of his weight finished settling, EM Field pulled in tight.

Arcee motioned for Raf to stop. She dipped towards the edge of the glass- and easily hopped down onto the not-quite walkway underneath. It was not hard to spot the Prime's bulk, half-hidden in shadow. Blue flicked to her features as she clicked her glossa.

"...really, Optimus?" And out the Prime gently crawled. Honestly, she had not thought someone of his size would hide down there. First time for everything. "Points for unexpectedness."

"Thank you." He stepped into the light as Arcee withdrew. Back, up into the main room of the base. Her gaze shifted, flicking upwards- examining. After a few moments, she hummed, and dropped her vision back down. Optimus finally crawled out from under the glass. Raf blinked, staring for a moment or two before shaking himself from his shock.

"Well, guess it's on to the big lug..." If she noticed the questioning quirk of an opticridge, Arcee didn't let it on. "You guys can stay here." She started down the tunnel opposite what Ratchet had taken. Her loud, thunking steps had Ash curling in to a tighter ball, wondering if the shadows would save them...only for Arcee to pass them by.

A minute or so later, there was a crash- followed by a flurry of beeps and whirs, alongside Arcee's laughter.

Huh...they would've thought she'd have found Bulkhead, first. It took a bit for her laughter to subside, and Bumblebee's defensive beeps to calm...and then came the thunking of peds, once more.

Enough so that it didn't take long for her to roll over onto her back and sprawl out with her belly exposed to the air.

But Light was far from being able to rest. His eyes followed Arcee when he could, seeing just barely where she had ducked out of his line of sight. When Optimus appeared shortly after her, standing back up, there was a look of surprise on his face. Then he ducked back into the shadow of the vent.

A breath was held. As if making even a minor noise would alert the femme to his location.

It was only when she moved into the hallway that he shifted his footing and looked back out. A small part of his mind reminded him of his time in the empire and having to sneak about for the occasional random hedgehog that would pop into their world, and he would have to help them home.

Without Gibbous to alert, a soft sound of discomfort came from the sudden flare of pain through his skull. He pressed a hand against the side of his head as a droplet of blood from his nose hit the slot in the vent.

Luckily, the feline got over the surprise fast and rubbed against the hybrid's hand with a short purr before racing over to give the hero a hug. One readily returned before Motley, in far better spirits it seemed, left for the living room to leave the adults alone. Just in time for the shared kiss, which then lifted Arrow's mood considerably.

Even the little statement only made the hedgehog snort.

"'S not a bad thing, is it? I think he's picking up on all the right traits at least." In other words, it could be worse. Chaos knew the adults were no angels when it came to certain things, but they also tried their best when it came to their children and Arrow liked to think that was all that mattered at the end of the day. Speaking of...

With a thumb jabbed towards where the canine had disappeared, the hero cocked a brow. "What was that all about anyway? Something about school? I assume everything's alright, at least not bad enough we wouldn't have already gotten a call."

"He was worried 'bout this." One hand reached for the flyer he'd been given earlier and offered it to the hero before continuing. "They gotta do a presentation on top o' the family day so he's a bit nervous. I told him that we'd be happy t' go and Harmony would keep him company while he was presentin'."

He'd also mentioned that the boy had nothing to worry about, but that was better seen than assumed.

As if on cue, the front door opened, and the teen could be heard saying good night to Buddy before heading into the living room. Her excited voice and laughter told the older hybrid all he needed to know that she had greeted her brother as she always did. By scooping him up and snuggling him in a 'fluffhog' hug.

"I was tasked with makin' sure we clear our schedules for the date, but he's gotta ask Harmony t' stand with him." Not that he expected her to decline. Her voice was as upbeat as usual.

Especially when her words traveled into the kitchen. "I'll toss anybody who's nasty int' the nearest bin if I gotta."

He slowed down as they approached the headquarters. His ears perked up and his eyes wide as he took everything in. He hadn't been here yet, despite knowing Harmony was a part of it. The younger hedgehog stuck close to his sister as she took the lead.

The snacks looked enticing, and he did get distracted by them before quickly turning his head all around to find Harmony again. His steps quickly coming up behind her into the next room. That was who they were here to talk to.

But that didn't mean she wouldn't loop an arm around his shoulder when he caught back up and brought him into the War Room at the same time startling Sally.

Once the princess managed to wrangle her startled expression, it shifted into one of welcoming. She closed the space between them and gestured to some of the seats that surrounded the holographic display table. "Welcome. It's nice to meet you, Andie. I've heard quite a bit about you."

Rya was never shy to use the word because she was proud of it. Proud to be one, and even be considered it by some. It was who she was, after all. No amount of changing her appearance or the way she lived was going to uproot who she was at her very core. The fact that didn't bother Volt was touching.

She knew he hadn't seen her in every form, but she didn't care. For some reason she didn't think it would matter anyway. He was clearly smitten, and she as well. For some reason this thing between them worked, and she wasn't one to go questioning odd bouts of faith. She knew better.

She merely enjoyed it for what it was. The looks, the touches, the way they danced a dance only they could. And when they finally breached the water, the lights didn't grab her attention. He did. Just Volt, and the way he looked under the brilliant glow of the sky.

Yes, she could get used to this.

"Hmm," tease or not, she thought about it a second, tail twitching behind her. "I have never been one for chivalry. I believe love is rooted in dedication and patience. I will leave anything else up to you. Apart from what you might ask of me. That I will do to the best of my ability."

So he planned to enjoy it for as long as he could and chuckled at his companion's words. "I'll keep that in mind, but I'll warn ya now. One o' my love languages is cookin' so ya can expect a lot o' tasty treats every time ya come t' visit."

As he said it, he was reminded of the times when Rya would bring them fresh fish from the sea. If nothing else, the hybrid was already thinking of looking up various ways to cook different types, so he could always have something to make of the meat she provided.

The calm quiet of the water and sky above them brought him peace as he watched the lights shimmer off the waves and their forms alike. Darkened eyes cast upward to watch the borealis as it moved across the sky for a few minutes before his gaze returned to Rya's.

Bless stifled a laugh. Tiny, for the time being- but he had an idea of the mobian she'd grow up to be.- Or at least,...a version thereof. He had no doubt Gibbous would eventually be just-as dangerous as her older counterpart, but in her own manner.

A part of him hoped she'd never have to know how to be so dangerous. He gently pulled his paw back as Gibbous was transitioned, grinning from ear to ear. It was pleasant to know another who saw this form and didn't initially freak.

"Ah, well, if your dad's,..." It...looked like he wasn't quite paying attention. Did he think Gibbous was safe? A compliment from any father, Bless was certain. "---looks like he is, so...up you go!" He bent down, gently picking the small one up in a mimic of how he'd seen Light holding her. "How's the view?"

Node's gaze only briefly fell on the exposed hand. All metal...made sense, it certainly had felt the part. They silently turned over their left to reveal its surface. Kept low so it wouldn't be too noticed, but it wasn't all that difficult to see the scarred-over flesh where fur should have been growing. A faint grin crossed their features for a moment.

Not the same, but they wanted to show he wasn't alone on the hand differences.

Their hand turned back over.

At the name 'Arrow', a hint of the pseudohog's unease seemed to ebb. He nodded, even as a hand reached to grasp Volt's own- followed by Harmony's and Buddy's.

"I know him. It's been some time since he traversed to my universe,...if you run into him, do let him know Murk is looking forward to when he next drops by?" His gaze drifted to Gibbous as the pup sneezed, earning a snicker from Bless.

"Yeah, it's a bit ticklish to the nose! But it's pretty soft, too." He may not have understood all of what Gibbous was saying, but the werehog didn't mind. She was excited, and that was all he needed to consider this a success. He'd not even try asking her to slow down (Chaos knew, he'd get upset if someone asked him to slow his roll when he was like this- he wasn't going to do that to a child). Though his head did turn, regarding Light with a quirk of a brow and a smirk. "Sooooo, she's bitey?"

"If she had, I suppose we would have seen a ring-fall."

And while it seemed the former soldier's attention was on the others, he occasionally kept an eye on what Gibbous was doing. An ever subtle smile slipped onto his muzzle as she took in the surroundings from where she sat before focusing on Bless again.

Light glanced over after her sneeze, letting out a snort as she all but sank herself into the werehog's chest fluff. If he had a guess, it was similar in softness to the Tails they often visit in another world, who let her nap in his namesakes. But she was content, warm, and happy. That was all he could hope for, and turned back to the rest of the group.

After eyeing the scar on Node's hand, he nodded. Scars were something he could understand. Especially when his eye was glaringly obvious to anyone who looked at his face.

"We'll be sure t' pass along the message." Volt smiled. "We need t' drop off our presents for them in the next few days anyway."

"Ya just want t' sneak some o' your Christmas cookies t' Lyra. Don't ya lie." Harmony added with a playful raspberry. It got her father to laugh and shrug. Why bother denying it when it wasn't a lie.

Fighting Decepticons? It was something he had been doing for eons. Catching tiny organics? He'd only started doing as such in the last vorn, and he still had much to learn in terms of practice. The Prime's servo shifted, only for the other to come down, swinging to try to catch- brushing over the space she'd been, but missing the edge of the magnetic field by micrometers at best.

His dermas briefly slid upwards, before falling back down. He turned his upper body a bit, feeling the struts of his back bend to follow. A servo swiped down, attempting to catch Gibbous on her 'escape'- presuming she'd run out from underneath and to the other side, anyway.

Ash had sat up, watching the Prime miss the kid- and attempt to catch her as his upper body turned over. They covered their mouth with a now-dusty hand, giggling at the sight before them. The brunet popped up, dust floating off into drifts of cloud. Optimus seemed distracted, so maybe they could attempt to sneak by a ped and not get caught...

Honestly, the more comical part was watching her little arms and legs keep moving as if she were still running, even when she was a few feet off the ground. It lasted a moment before she stilled, dangling like a kitten being picked up by a mother cat.

Bright jade eyes lifted to Optimus' face, a smile wide enough to rival the sun, and tail wagging with enough force to shift her on his finger.

It's a full moon. You know what that means. Harmony took in a deep breath while standing on one of the nearby mountains of the village and let out an echoing.

He wasn't proud to have to resort to this. He didn't want to get more people involved. This was something he felt he should have been able to handle on his own; that he needed to handle on his own. But he was running out of options. He didn't know what to do.

So that's when he traveled Sternenburg, to seek out an individual. It was a place he had begun to visit every now and again. This time, however, was different. He wasn't here for chit-chat, at least he wish he could be there for just that.

With the inn visible from where he was currently, the smaller hedgehog sighed. He would merely hope that the inn itself wasn't very busy. It would make it a bit easier to get the hybrid's attention and, luck providing, give them a chance to at least talk. From what he gathered, this village seemed like it could keep a secret or two, so that wasn't a concern of his as he entered the premises.

Scanning the interior briefly, he spotted the older hybrid, as he had hoped. He briefly offered the other a small wave as he quietly approached. He tried to offer a friendly smile, but it was hard to hide the troubled feeling underneath his usual friendly demeanor.

None had stopped him, clearly seeing that he had something to do that involved one or both hybrids who lived there.

Harmony had been out and about all afternoon, running errands for her father and helping out some of the locals with anything they needed done that her strength could handle. It left Volt to himself in the lobby, cleaning some of the furniture and dusting as he usually did.

Although it was Fafo's head lifting from his sunny window spot with a soft 'mrrrrp' that drew his attention to the open doorway as Lil arrived. His smile soft as he let out a chuckle.

"Unless ya count chores as busy, ya ain't interruptin' much. Shoulda seen the place durin' the solstice. What can I do for ya?" A joke for a joke, but the hybrid's expression shifted to concerned curiosity as the hedgehog continued.