Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ St. Rudolph ❯ Blackjack Blues ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter One: Blackjack Blues

 

Cream groaned. She hated her job, but since her mother didn't work, it was up to her to be the breadwinner and keep herself and her mother from starving. Using her previous experience in casinos, she had managed to get a job as one of the waiters at Station Square Casino. Every night that she worked, all she wanted to do was scream "Look! You can't win! The dealer always wins in the end!"

But she couldn't. Not if she wanted to eat, at least. Tails had offered to help her out on the financial front, but she couldn't accept his charity. So, she had to pull on the tight fitting knickers over her tights, wear the stupid white shirt, go out there and grin. She suspected the only reason that she got the job was because she had the long ears to go with the outfit.

As she strutted her way to the table carrying a deceptively wobbly tray of drinks, she saw something that caught her eye. It was a fox, a little taller than the Sonic, with a dusky brown coat, silver hair that covered his left eye, and outlandishly large ears. He was dressed in a red Chinese style shirt accompanied by grey snow pants, wearing heavy-duty black gloves on his hand, and a belt around his waist that had two pouches attached to it. His face was striped, with slightly darker patches of fur around his muzzle. More than any of this, however, she was attracted to that cocky little grin, that devil-may-care stance that the fox had perfected. Cream decided that she'd keep an eye on him.

 

 

Rudolph walked over to the blackjack table. He sighed contentedly. He was in his element now. If a man couldn't gamble, what could he do? That had always been his philosophy. Gambling was his purpose in life, and to tell the truth, winning and losing had receded into little details that he didn't really pay attention to. It was all about the sensation. Not that he didn't try his best to win, of course. He always had a plan, did Rudolph, and step one was always `Grease the dealer.'

 

"'Ey, sweet `art, deal me in!" he said cockily, leaning backwards on the table. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a pretty young rabbit staring at him. He waved at her, and was gratified to see her blush and scurry away. Pleased at his effect on the ladies, Rudolph turned his attention to the men. Most importantly, the large Australian one dealing his cards.

 

"So, what's a pretty young thing like you doing in a place like this?" he smiled, his normally cocky grin becoming as sweet as chocolate.

"Are you some kinda weirdo?" the dealer asked back.

"For you, darling, I'm whatever you want me to be." the fox said, keeping that oh-so-sweet smile attached firmly to his mug.

"What are you playing at, mate?" the Australian asked angrily.

 

"Blackjack, of course. Who'd play anything else?" Rudolph laughed, his cockney accent ringing in every word he spoke. Inside, he swore. The guy wasn't homosexual. Well, there went step one. Now for step two: the game.

 

Grunting, the dealer dealt cards to Rudolph and the others at the table. The dealer's knuckles were of an extraordinary size. Rudolph could imagine them being dragged on the floor whilst the dealer walked.

 

Rudolph quickly swept his cards into his hand. A seven and an eight. Not that great, he decided. Fifteen wasn't worth betting on, and anything over a six'd bust him. He folded, and watched the action unfold between the other players. Some groaned, others smirked, some itched their knuckles…Blackjack was just as much a game of psychological warfare as one of cards. But, the thrill of winning sometimes put Rudolph off his game, and he forgot to watch his opponents. Every time those cards were dealt, it sent a shiver down his spine and made his heart beat in double time. He could never resist the lure of those cards. The dealer won that game, but Rudolph now knew the other player's reactions. He smiled as the next lot of cards hit the table.

 

 

Elsewhere, a different fox was smiling for an entirely different reason. Miles `Tails' Prower was at the cinema, with this week's piece of arm candy. Since he had turned 16, there had been no shortage of female attention for the plucky young fox. Indeed, there were often girls draped all over him. Sometimes, he even wore them home. He could, therefore, care less if he lost a girlfriend. After all, there was always another girl in line, ready to make his life a pleasure. Life these days was just a blur of fast cars and women.

 

He'd made his name conducting expensive aircraft renovations for ludicrously wealthy tycoons, and there was never any shortage of the ol' greenbacks. He didn't even adventure that much these days. The money, the champagne and the ladies collectively held more appeal than being shot at by robots and weird old men with moustaches. Of course, some of the old gang had had objections to his choice- most importantly, Sonic, who now just plain didn't want to be associated with the rich young fox. But, having a girl at his beck and call always made Tails feel better. Strangely, his attentions often turned to Cream these days.

 

Forbidden to see him by her mother, who was mortified at Tails' behaviour, Cream had sympathized- at least in part- with his actions. After all, who didn't want to be loved? In return, he'd offered to support her financially (Cream's dad's life insurance money had started to run low), but she had looked him dead in the eye and told him she didn't want it. Suddenly, Tails felt a pang of guilt. Cream had stood by him, and he ought to try and convince her.

 

"Hey, baby, I have to go to the toilet…" he whispered into the ear of his date.

 

"Be back soon, hon…" she purred back.

 

Tails stood up, and left the theatre without looking back. He walked calmly to his car, and jumped inside. Revving the engine and relishing the scream of those tires, he sped off in a cloud of smoke and affluence.

 

Sonic looked out over the city. There was something going on soon. He could feel it deep down in the tips of his spines. Curling into a ball, he leapt off the edge of the skyscraper, and hurtled towards the ground.

 

"Amy? Are you okay?" Vanilla asked kindly as Amy sat at her table.

Oh great, thought Amy. Here it comes.

 

"Do you mind checking up on Cream in that casino? I worry about her, dressed in that tight little outfit." Vanilla said.

 

"It really highlights her curves, doesn't it? I wish I were like her. She's slim, and yet

she's got it where it counts." Amy moaned.

 

"Um…That's nice, Amy, but it doesn't answer the question."

 

"Three slices." Amy said morosely.

 

"What, cake? Again? That won't help your figure, Amy…"

"Three slices, and that's the end of the discussion."

"Tch. Fine then. But you can't drive there. You need to get some exercise, missy."

"Geez, are you Cream's mom or mine? I'm going already!" Amy huffed.

 

Outside, she berated herself. Secretly, she hated going to see Cream, because at every turn there was another fit young man leering at the young rabbit, and there was never even a passing glance spared for Amy. But, Amy said to herself, you'll do anything for that bloody cheesecake that Vanilla makes, won't you? Sighing, she started the slow trudge to Station Square casino.

 

 

Felix looked down on the city below him. His tattered cape was draped over his shoulders. Equally as tattered, but not quite as draped over his shoulders were his baggy brown pants. His blue bandana hung around his neck in a slightly tired way. It only just hid the scars around his throat. His powder blue fur was tangled and wiry. His beat-up belt was fastened with a gleaming silver buckle, and his brown leather gloves were just as old as he looked. Wrinkles were set into his face. It was hard to believe that he was only twenty-five. He was, however, prone to the same needs as his younger colleagues- he needed just as much food, just as much water, and, at times, even more fun. He reached for his magazines, most of which were pornographic in some way. Felix didn't see it as any big deal, and neither did his crew. So he liked to look at beautiful women whilst he was piloting his incredibly expensive airship around precarious places? So what?

He settled down into his story. He'd read all of them that many times that they'd all become old hat. But some of them he read again and again, simply because they reminded him of his own adventures. It hadn't been an easy life, but it was the one he chose- and he would have chosen it again in a heartbeat. Now, though, he was looking for that one last score. The one piece of treasure he'd been looking for his entire life. And he hoped that it was in Station Square Bank.

 

Rio groaned. That fox she'd been gathering intel on still hadn't come back from the bathroom. And to make things worse, the movie he'd taken her to wasn't even that good. Still, she couldn't honestly say she cared. She made to leave, having gathered all the info she needed.

 

"Miles `Tails' Prower. Age 16. Principal investor in Station Square bank. Occupation: Aircraft Renovator. In summary, just your regular playboy. Well, that was a bust. He didn't seem to know anything at all about the bank or it's interior…" she muttered to herself.

"Madame, you want your ticket stamped for re-entry?" the usher asked.

 

"No. Just stay out of my way!" she snapped, brushing past him.

 

"Great. Where am I gonna find my next lead from? Hmm…well, I suppose I could case the bank, but… That'd spoil the excitement when we rob it." she muttered under her breath.

She took out her walkie talkie, and dialled in the airship's frequency. She heard Felix pick up on his end.

"No leads. What do I do, boss?" she said sweetly.

 

"Rio…I didn't let you go into the city to prepare for the job. I let you go to have fun. We already have codes, layouts and security system data here on the airship…it's amazing what you can find on the internet if you're an experienced hacker like Ambrose is." Felix's voice crackled from the tinny speakers on the walkie talkie.

 

"I spent all that time trying to get leads from that stupid playboy for nothing? Well, that's just great. Why didn't you tell me when I left the airship?" she raged into the machine.

 

"You know how weak my voice gets. I'd wasted it all trying to stop you and Ambrose fighting." Felix groaned, his voice becoming very whispery indeed.

 

"Tch…Fine. I'm going out to get some food." Rio said.

 

"And…why would I care about that?" Felix asked.

 

Rio turned the walkie talkie off and placed it back into her pouch. Now, she had to try and score a meal from someone. Groaning, she walked off.

 

 

Sonic jumped off the train, then leapt off the platform, landing on the sandy Mystic Ruins soil ten feet below without a scratch. He startled a nearby explorer by running straight at him, then jumping over him at the last second. He leapt into the opening that would take him to Angel Island. As he whizzed along, Sonic found himself thinking of Tails. Until a year ago, Tails had had a workshop on the hill near there. But, after he got rich, Tails had sold the place, moving into a swanky apartment near the centre of Station Square. Now, Sonic didn't want to talk to Tails. In truth, Tails' help would have been better than Knuckles' on this occasion, but it couldn't be helped. The fox had already made his

choice.

 

"Knuckles! Get your rump out of the outhouse! I need to talk to you!" Sonic yelled, running on to Angel island, and finding it entirely empty.

 

Grumbling was heard from the newly built shed on the island. Knuckles had recently decided to invest in a few creature comforts for his island, and was financing them by acting as a part time bouncer for some of the clubs in Station Square.

 

"Sonic, what the hell do you think you're doing? Can't a guy even take a dump in his custom built toilet?"

Sonic groaned, noticing a wrap of tissue paper clinging to Knuckle's shoe.

 

"Knuckles, why in the name of Chaos would you need a custom toilet?" Sonic said, massaging his forehead.

"For enhanced comfort and accuracy of delivery." Knuckles said, scratching his head.

"Knuckles, no! Just no, okay? Just NO!" Sonic shouted.

"Are you here for a reason? Or are you just here to mock my respect for nature's calling?" Knuckles glowered.

 

"I'm gonna let that nature's calling thing slide for now, and tell you what I actually came here for. I've a hedgehog's hunch that there's gonna be trouble in Station Square tonight." Sonic muttered.

"Oh, really? Hmm…Your hedgehog's hunches never really miss the mark…I guess we should look around for leads…" Knuckles agreed.

"Yeah! So, let's start with some interviews of the townspeople and see if they know anything-"

"…AFTER I'm done!" Knuckles roared, slamming the toilet door behind him.

 

Amy walked morosely along the sidewalk, near the theatre. She was miserable. Cream had grown to be the one that everyone wanted, but she was the one everyone would rather keep away from. Even Sonic, who, in the past, had tolerated her presence, had started blanking her entirely last week. It was a little too much for the pink time bomb to take, and she had lost herself to the lure of food. Snaffling down a piece of cake she'd bought from a nearby shop, she kept trudging on. More than anything in the world, she wanted Vanilla's cheesecake, then she wanted to go home and cover it in ice cream and eat it.

 

"Hey! Hey, you! The pink hedgehog!" a sly voice came.

"Yeah?" Amy said listlessly, turning to face the speaker.

 

It was a young, pretty female cat. Her fur was a deep, sumptuous red, with a stylish cut of blue dyed hair on top of her head. It fell down past her waist at the back, emphasising her youthful curves. She was wearing a tight blue sweater, with a brown neckerchief, and a trendy cotton belt adorned her purple trousers. Attached to the best were a couple of pouches for important things. Her shoes were one of the most trendy in the business, and were light blue coloured with a white stripe. Perched upon her head was a chic pair of goggles. Her catlike eyes shone yellow green with intelligence.

"Hey! You couldn't help a fellow pretty young girl out, could you?" the cat asked, walking alongside Amy.

 

"Um…well…I guess…" Amy said, feeling slightly flattered.

"Y'see…My date kinda ran off in the middle of the movie…" the cat said hesitantly.

"What? Someone ran out? On YOU? But you're so pretty!" Amy protested.

"Aw, thanks hun. But it happens to everyone. I wanted to ask you if I could have a slice of that cake. I need something to cheer me up." the cat said, her lower lip wobbling.

"Sure! I'm not going anywhere fast!" Amy said, handing her a piece of cake quite readily, and sitting down on a nearby step. "What's your name, honey?"

"My name's Rio. Yours?"

"Amy."

"Well, here's to bad boyfriends and failed romances!"

"Cheers!"

 

 

Rudolph smiled. Unlike all the others, he had something to smile about. After all, he had all the chips. The dealer was glaring at him with fierce Australian eyes and tanned muscles. It would have been slightly intimidating, but Rudolph had gambler's high and wasn't really afraid of anything. After all, it was time for the next phase of his plan, which he only put into action when he had some cash saved up.

"Phase Three: Have some fun." Rudolph said to himself with a slight chuckle.

"So", he said conversationally, "If I win…are you gonna show me those legs everyone's talking about?"

"What? Who's talking about my legs?"

"I told you, everyone. And if I lose…I'll give you some chips, shall I?"

"You're on, you little punk!" the Australian snarled at the cockney fox.

 

Another hand was dealt, and Rudolph put all his chips in. The other players looked anxiously for the outcome of the deal.

Rudolph flipped his cards into his hand. An ace and a king. It looks like I'll win this one, Rudolph smirked.

"Well, you in or out? The dealer asked irritably.

"Aw, dang. All my cards are terrible!" Rudolph said, putting on an accent of drama. "I guess I have to give you all my chips!"

"Hah. Serves you right, you stupid fox." the dealer said smugly.

The dealer didn't notice that Rudolph took his hand out of his pocket before pushing his chips across the table. He did, however, notice the small beeping sounds coming from the middle of the pile. He picked out a few chips, and saw a pair of dice nestled amongst them. He picked them up inquisitively, and held them up to his eye. He then heard a louder beep, and then they exploded.

 

"Haha! That's always good for a laugh!" Rudolph said to himself, sprinting from the table. The explosion had caused a heavy smokescreen that covered his getaway. As he hurtled towards the entrance, he crashed into a small rabbit wearing a waitress's uniform.

"Sorry, sweet `art, but I'm in a hurry!" he said, dashing out of the doors.

Cream glared at him, then followed after him. How dare he!

 

As Rudolph reached the outside air, he looked around. The entire casino was in chaos. Soon, the guards would be here. Now, it was time for the next phase.

"Part Four: Don't die!" Rudolph muttered to himself, looking for an escape route. As he did, the rabbit from earlier rushed out of the casino and made a beeline for him. Rudolph thought about fighting her, then sighed. He never hit girls, especially not girls as cute as that one. He spotted a bungalow with a couple bins near it. Smiling he rushed into the trash.

 

Cream rushed after him. If only Cheese were here, she would have taken down that punk ages ago! She saw him run into the trash.

"What the hell are you doing? That's a dead end!" she shouted at him.

He looked at her, then smiled. He took a few steps forward, then jumped. It was a graceful, arcing flip, taking him far above the roof. He seemed to hang motionless in the air for a second at the peak of his jump, then came down upside-down gracefully, righting himself a second before touching down on the roof. Then, he ran out of Cream's view. For a second, she just stood there, awe-struck. She'd never seen anyone pull that off. Then, regaining her senses, she flapped her ears and took to the air to give chase.

 

Rudolph took a quick glance behind him, and saw the rabbit flying.

"What the hell…? I guess today isn't my lucky day." he muttered, turning to face her. She touched down a few feet from him, and looked him in the face.

Rudolph's hand went instinctively to his pouch. He sighed as he noticed she was only a kid of about fourteen, only two years younger than himself. How was he gonna bring himself to fight her?

The rabbit then took a whistle out of her breast pocket. It was light blue, and shaped like a small flute. She placed it to her mouth, and gave it a blow.

 

Suddenly, the most irritating, high-pitched sound reached Rudolph's sensitive ears. It was worse than any buzzing insect, more annoying than any rape alarm. He clutched his ears and howled in pain. His vision was blurring.

"Hey! Stop that! What are you trying to do, kill me?" he shouted at the rabbit.

"Huh? You can hear this?" she said, sounding surprised.

"Of course I can hear it! It about blew my head off!" Rudolph moaned.

"But…it's a chao whistle. Only chao are supposed to be able to hear it…." the rabbit said back.

 

Their conversation was interrupted by the squeaking of a chao nearby. Cream almost jumped for joy as she saw her best friend in the entire world flying towards them at incredible speed.

"Cheese! I'm so glad to see you!" Cream shouted, drawing her chao into a huge hug.

"Err…Is that chao…wearing Bermuda shorts…?" the fox asked incredulously.

"Yes! Cheese has just been on holiday! Aren't they cute?"

"Well…I suppose, but…anyway! Look, I have places to be, so…"

"Cheese, get him!" Cream shouted, pointing her finger at the fox.

 

Cheese responded immediately with a Chao cannon attack. Rudolph suddenly found himself being a chased down by a little blue butterball. He rolled sidewards, and the chao missed by inches, striking the roof and making a hole in it.

"Phew. I'm not getting in the way of that!" Rudolph whistled, taking his chance to dash around to Cream's other side.

Cheese at him again, and once again Rudolph dodged by an impressively small margin. The chao's energy field singed the tip of one of his ludicrously large ears.

"Hey, why do you care anyway? I was only having a little fun!" Rudolph shouted.

"You could have hurt that poor dealer!" the rabbit shouted back.

"He did!" came a voice from behind Rudolph.

 

The dealer hauled his heavy frame onto the roof, and faced the sly fox.

"I'll make you pay for that little stunt of yours, buddy. I'm gonna use your pelt to carpet my living room!"

"Aww, don't be like that, sweet' art. Even beautiful people like you and me can fall out sometimes." Rudolph smirked.

"You!" the dealer raged, lurching towards the sly fox.

The fox sidestepped, causing the dealer to fall to the floor. As the dealer got to his feet, Rudolph slid behind him so quickly and gracefully it seemed like he was dancing. Cream looked on in surprise. This guy wasn't bad!

Once again, the dealer came at him, and Rudolph evaded his clutches by gracefully rolling under the guy's grasp. Rudolph's back was now to the edge of the roof. The fox smirked.

"Aww. I didn't know you felt that way about me, darling. Come and give me a big hug!" he taunted.

Enraged, the big man charged like a bull at the graceful fox. But this time, the fox wasn't moving.

 

It was as quick and graceful as a dance step. A slight twist of the arm, and movement of the feet, and suddenly the dealer was airborne. He flew gracefully off the roof, and landed in the trash.

"Sorry, sweet' art. I hate to beat and run, but I'm gonna be late for my date!" the fox smirked, wiggling his bottom at the concussed dealer.

"That was pretty mean, you know." the rabbit reproached him, wagging her finger.

"Then why are you laughing?" Rudolph asked, one of his eyebrows raised.

The rabbit didn't answer. She just blushed. Rudolph scratched his head.

"Tell me. What's your name?" Rudolph asked.

 

The rabbit opened her mouth to speak, but her voice was drowned out by the roar of a jet engine. Hovering besides the roof was what looked like a bathtub with propellers at the bottom and jets at the side. Piloting this strange craft was a green female hedgehog. She had a mess of lilac hair, and a long shock of spines on the back of her head. She had a brown coat which stretched to about mid-knee, and it covered a pink, mumsy-looking sweater. She wore black and blue striped gloves, and wore red pants. Her light purple eyes were narrowed in a glare directed at Rudolph.

 

"Oh, hey mom! Are you `ere to pick me up, or did I just forget my packed lunch today?" Rudolph called.

"Shut up, you fuzzy idiot! We're heading back to the ship!" Ambrose shouted.

"Oh, really? That's a shame.", the fox said thoughtfully. "Hey, what was your name again?"

"My name's…Cream. Cream the rabbit." Cream blushed.

And then suddenly, the fox was standing in front of her. He quickly pushed his face towards hers, and before she knew it, he was kissing her.

 

It seemed to last forever, but in reality it only lasted two seconds. By the time Cream had opened her eyes, the fox was already in the little flying tub-boat.

"Take care of yourself, Sweet' art!" the fox called, waving. Soon, the little craft disappeared from sight.

Cream just stood there, wondering what had hit her. Then, she licked her lips, smiled, and went to tell her boss what had happened to her.