[IO] Much Too Long

Clash's ears twitched as the blaring of his alarm clock rang at the side of his bed on his night stand. The hedgehog yawned and rubbed his eyes, hitting the snooze button on the clock. Clash got out of bed and opened the drapes, looking out at Station Square. Though he had been out of action for a while, it was high time he got his act together. "Man... It really has been a while since I've seen my friends..." Clash said, pulling on one of his jackets and slipping on his shoes. As he opened his apartment door, he headed down the stairs and walked out of the lobby, looking at the busy city. "Gah... I knew I should have gotten a phone..." He said, wondering how he was to find any of his friends in the city.

Although the bright sunlight was filtered through the partial clouds, it kept the city fairly well lit, and it might seem like another perfect day with the cool breeze rolling in from the ocean nearby.  The bustle of the city even seemed to have died down, and very little disturbed the calm.

And then, an iridescent vixen, shining in all colors, blazed through the streets at a dangerous pace on her hoverboard.

Said kitsune seemed fairly comfortable, until she saw a fountain impending on her course.  Knowing that this obstacle wouldn't be nothing, she slammed the brakes, but was caught in her own wind from all the speed, and inertia sent her and her board toppling onto the grass near the plaza - and, conveniently, near the green hedgehog.  Slowly the color drained from her fur, returning to a silvery gray and making her significantly more recognizable.

Clash stopped in his tracks and looked at the vixen who had just tumbled near him. "No way... Jayne?" Clash said, running to her side and kneeling down, helping her up. "It's been so long since I've seen you! There's a whole lot to catch up on!" Clash said, his chipper personality still evident, and still strong even after how much time had passed.

Said vixen coughed, slowly regaining her paws with her friend's help.  When she saw who came to her aid, her eyes (quite literally) lit up, the blue having a glowing quality.  "...oh...hiya, Clash!"  She waved meekly, taking a few steps to retrieve her board then returning to the hedgehog's side.

Clash, always ecstatic to see when of his friends, was especially amped to find one so soon. "Sheesh, it's been so long since I've seen you! How have things been going for you? Getting your daily dose of adventure as usual?" Clash said, crossing his arms and smiling, wanting to hear about one of Jayne's fascinating endeavors. It was probably much more interesting than what he had been doing while gone. Which was, to say, basically nothing but slacking off.

Jayne coughed again, patches of her fur and of her clothes still containing chunks of dirt which she endeavored to scrape and shake off. While doing so, she took a few glances towards Clash. "Yeah, something like that..." Her job had taken her to several places, though mostly they were actually for her job and not for adventure's sake. While assaying her board's condition to check for damages, she continued speaking long enough to voice a return question. "And you?"

Clash shrugged and didn't want to come off as sounding lazy in front of Jayne, so he came up with something. "Ohm you know. I was on a... Business trip." He lied, trying to come off as someone who was actually productive. "Um... Hehe... Yeah..." He said, rubbing the back of his head and ruffling up his quills. "Say, when did you get that hoverboard? It looks totally sweet!"

Jayne could have sworn she saw a nose-twitch in there...but knowing quite what sort of business her friend was in, she didn't prod further on the subject. "...if you say so, Clash." Again, she paused prior to the next answer. "Oh, thanks...a good friend of mine custom-built it..." Smiling at the thought of the younger vixen, she ran a paw across the white-and-blue board. "You really should try to find a board that fits you sometime. It's a lot faster than walking, and usually faster than running." An unconscious glance back, however, coupled with her tails going notably still at the thought of the prior crash.

Clash thought over the idea of getting an air gear. Yes, he was a slower hedgehog. Carrying his usual gear slowed him down. And his motorcycle had seen better days. Plus, the idea of hedgehogs on motorcycles was a bit silly. Clash then realized that since he and Jayne were here, he may as well ask he to do something. "Say, did you hear about the new temple they found in Mystic Ruins? Sounds like something worth checking out."

Jayne continued scanning the board, considered it sufficient, then brushed it a couple times with her tails. Thoughts about further checking on it, with a fair certainty there was more than met the eye, were interrupted by further speech. Glancing up as Clash spoke again, she listened silently. "See about a board first. We might be able to beat the train. I can go and help get you started if you want."

Clash's eyes bulged when Jayne said that. "R-Really? That sounds totally off the hook! Ballin!" He said, fully into getting his own board. "..Oh... Where do we get one, exactly?" Clash said, calming down and then chuckling nervously, scratching on of his pointed ears as he waited for Jayne's instructions on where to get an air gear.

The she-fox giggled at her friend's surprise, her tails waving faster. "Yeah! It's gonna be great!" Briefly she looked around, turning full circle before pausing. "The irony of it is that the best place I can think of will require taking the train. Oh, well." Compacting her board with the press of a button, Jayne led towards the steps of the nearby station. "Come on, we need to head to Hilltop Heights."

Clash nodded and followed behind her, looking at the grand doors of the train station as they entered the pavilion. He looked at departure times and saw the train for Hilltop Heights. "Alright, the train we need is leaving in a few minutes. And since Station Square's trains are public transportation, we don't have to hassle over tickets." He said as they walked up the stairs. He walked into the train cart and looked to Jayne. "You want the window seat? And by the way, who is it that we're going to see?"

Jayne took a quick look at the times, her tails back to waving. She continued leading, towards the necessary platform, while considering their next plans. "Ayup...it should be good." At the questions, however, she paused. "Either seat works for me, but I guess the window seat...and we might be going to see a good friend of mine, but if she's not in I'll be handling it."

Clash nodded and took a seat next to Jayne. "Huh... I've never tried a hover board before... I'm probably gonna fall off quite a bit..." He said, smiling slightly as he eased into his seat. A waitress walked down the middle of the cart, taking orders for drinks. She eventually came to Jayne and Clash, and she pulled out her notepad while smiling to them. "What can I get for you two?" She said happily, getting ready to write. "Just water would be fine." Clash said happily, as the waitress looked to Jayne. "And for you?"

Jayne smiled at her friend at first. "Oh...it's not that bad. It takes some getting used to, but if you've ever used some sort of board before you probably have some sense of the balance down." She glanced up and smiled at the waitress, nodding quietly. "Water, please. Thank you and have a nice day!" Chuckling, the kitsune waved again, then glanced back to her friend. "Ever been to Hilltop Heights, by the way?"

Clash shook his head and brought down the trey attached to the seat in front of him. He then turned back to Jayne and smiled. "Nope. What's it like there?" Clash said, pondering what a place like Hilltop Heights would be like. To him, it sounded like the name of a rich neighborhood. If that was the case, then maybe this hoverboard maker was famous somehow.

Jayne smiled softly, though a yawn interrupted her response to his question. "It's a-*...yawn*...a hilly place, as the name would suggest...some forest, lots of slopes...it's mostly deserted as far as Mobian civilization goes, by and large because the slopes are inhospitable." The kitsune briefly tilted her head while in thought. "I live out there, as does Jaye, and occasionally friends will pass through, including the mechanic I mentioned earlier whose main workshop is in the same area of the house as mine..."

Clash listened intentively and nodded. Huh... Sounds like a nice place." He said, as the waitress came back with drinks and began handing them out. She set the waters down at Clash and Jayne's trays. "Thank you!" Clash said happily, taking a sip of water before he eased back into his seat more. "I don't see Jaye a whole lot... Only once before, I believe. What's he like?"

Jayne shrugged to the reply. "It's a nice place as long as you're fairly accustomed to hiking." She greeted the waitress with another smile, taking a quick sip then returning her focus to the conversation. "To be honest, he isn't seen a lot. Fairly cagey. But also fairly capable when it suits him, aside from around other people..." The vixen gave another shrug. "...it has been a while...how's Ashley?"

At the mention of that name, Clash felt an icy feeling in his stomach, and a pressure on his chest. "..A-Ashley..?" He said, his voice cracking as he tried to get the name out. And then got his act together and tried to talk again. "...W-Well... She f-found someone better... In fact, s-she found someone better about a month before we actually broke up..." Clash said, letting out the fact that Ashley was with someone else now, and cheated for some time.

The expression on Jayne's face quickly went from curiosity to regret. "...o-oh...erm. Um. Sorry for bringing it up." Her muzzle having colored with red, she hastily took a drink to try to keep it invisible until it faded. Calmed down a bit after this, she offered her paw the hedgehog next to her. "I'm sorry to hear that, Clash...how about a different matter, though maybe also a touchy one...how's your sister? Still lost somewhere?"

Clash sighed and nodded. "I spent months contacting all the resources I knew to try and find something I could use to locate her. But it was all I got was dead-ends and a bunch of meaningless "Sorrys". Most people said she probably died a long time ago, and that I was just wasting my time." Clash forced a small, faint chuckle as he rubbed his face with a gloved hand. "It's probably best she doesn't meet me, even if she is alive. I'm far from anything to serve as a good rolemodel..." At that moment, the train went into a cave and everything got dark. Clash grumbled and undid his seat belt. "I'm gonna go use the restroom. I'll be right back." He said, getting up and going down the alley.

The vixen glanced down at the initial sigh, and as the story went on her ears drooped. "...oh...aw...okay, then." She took a glance up at the sudden darkness, by and large silent for the time. "Okay, go ahead...we should be there in a couple minutes, I think, though I don't usually take the train so I'm less sure." As he departed she sat back, glancing around as lights flickered on throughout the train.

As the train continued, with a sudden flicker, the lights went completely out. People chattered in confusion, and then, a loud, blood-curdling scream was heard, before the lights came back on. People began panicking and shouting, as they all began gathering around one seat. Clash came out of the bathroom and looked around, seeing everyone ruffle around. He then looked to Jayne with a "What in the name of Chaos happened?" look in his eyes.