Shadow smiling (◕‿◕✿)
Akai had not even noticed the other at the time, fixated on his cell phone while sitting cross-legged in the chair that was far too large for any normal Mobian to sit comfortably. He didn’t mind, accustomed to dealing with more human-centric buildings having worked in the human sector in so long.
He seemed to be reading some sort of news article halfheartedly as he waited to be served, not interested in what he’d been reading so much as he was waiting to pass time. He’d asked locals where he could find the best coffee in the area and had been directed to Soleil Cafe.
He didn’t realize that the other approached him until her voice rang out, snapping to attention as he bolted upright, looking at her with a dazed expression. “Ahh–” He started out, not placing the similarity at first, but to the other, his hesitation may have seemed like an instant recognition and uncertainty on how to handle it. Noting her mistake made him focus on her more, the inner workings of his mind piecing together the puzzle before something clicked.
“Yyyes, I–” He gave a false start, hesitating before glancing back down at his phone, turning it off, and placing it into his pocket before returning attention to the female. Brow furrowed ever so slightly as he debated addressing how similar she’d looked to his old friend, but decided to hold off for a moment to at least get his order out of the way.
“Coffee, please. Soy, no sweetener.”
Aaaaand he had the same voice. Or was it really the same, she wondered? Perhaps it was only vaguely similar. It was enough for a chill to run down her spine, and she stared at him as though inspecting. The look in his eyes was different, the way he carried himself was different -- she was surely wrong. When she saw Sonic on the news for the first time, she had to look twice as well (but he was also blue and she did not need to look again after that). Maybe it was just wistful thinking in the end.
“Of course, one moment,” Maria replied with a warm smile, brushing off all of her previous worry. After writing the specifics down on the notepad (and violently shaking the pen as it refused to work correctly), she went to retrieve his order.
She soon returned with a freshly brewed cup of coffee placed carefully on a small plate. “Here you are -- unfortunately my coworker is the one that’s good at adding cute art in coffee, so you’ll have to deal with it looking plain. And here,” she first placed a menu on the table, “I should have brought this in the first place. I’m really sorry! At first glance, you kind of look like someone I know, so I got scatterbrained all of a sudden.”
After setting down the cup of coffee, Maria laced her fingers behind her back and glanced down at the menu she gave him. “If you are just looking for a treat, we have desserts at the back. The cheesecake here is very good! Unless you’re just here for coffee?”
@vulgarlty
For a while, Maria had been in the process of creating a device to take her places that man had not dared to venture. It was quite simple, a primarily leather and metal belt that fit comfortably around her waist. She had initially planned for a teleportation system, but that idea had been quickly scrapped as her bedroom was nowhere big enough. Unfortunately, it also meant that something like a belt would only have enough power for one person to travel only.
On the plus side the belt worked, even better she was in one piece and she was happy about that ... but it worked as she was building it, not when she was finished it. And so she stood in place, belt not even around her waist, but in her hand with wires dangling out of it. Her screwdriver was thankfully still in her other hand. She stared at the woodlands surrounding that had moments ago been her bedroom, taking a moment to process that oh God, it actually worked. Maria was not geared up to venture into any other worlds -- that was assuming she did in fact not just get moved a distance away from her home.
"O...kay," she let the belt hang on her arm while she checked her wristwatch, turning on its screen and staring at the GPS. It had no idea where she was -- fantastic. Its sensor did however pick up wildlife in the vicinity, not that it helped her much. She watched the little dots move on her scanner and gave a long, exasperated sigh. It did not detect any nearby people, meaning it was time for a walk in the wilderness. Yay?
Me: man, this sonic forces mobile game isn’t as good as the sonic boom one. I hate competition. I think I’m going to switch back Me, ten minutes later: get the fuck out of my way you plebs I gotta unlock Shadow
The earthy smell of rain is one of the most divine scents I’ve ever beheld.
Is Shadow alive in your Maria's world?
I have not actually decided on this!
She wakes up five years before he would have in canon (SA2/Sonic X canon is what I was thinking of). I left it vague in terms of her buddy Dr. Connor not knowing about his status, so she presumes that if Shadow had survived, Dr. Connor would have known as he works with them.
Her assumption (she can’t really ask anyone else) is that GUN intervened when his escape pod landed and that he was taken into custody, and perhaps exterminated altogether. Since his (or at least part of his) DNA was used to cure her, she feels compelled to use her strength to help people, just like her last words to Shadow wished for him to do.
As far as her story currently goes, she has not yet met Shadow again and has already accepted that she probably never will. I might just leave it vague forever idk. But I also don’t have any problem with writing w/ a Shadow and them being that Shadow, or if it’s a Shadow from another universe.
when you bullshit an essay in the morning of its due date & your teacher’s like “if only my other students could write like this” ha...haha yeah :’)))) crisis averted
@clementic - greeter
“Can I help you?” The King asked kindly towards the other that had approached.
“Uh -- yes, actually! I am not from around here,” Maria admitted with a sheepish smile, “and I thought you looked pretty at home, so I figured that you know this place. I am a little bit ... displaced. Any tour guides around here?”
@shadakai
Cerulean eyes stared from far, far across the cafe at the customer that had yet to be waited on. Maria felt a lump in her throat, and her brows furrowed in perplexity. She gripped her notepad a little tighter. At first glance, she had a horrid wave of nostalgia wash over her -- it was like seeing a ghost, or something of the sort, but still looked different. How unnerving.
She took off her name tag and pushed it into her pocket before approaching the table. All uncertainty was veiled behind a professional face.
"Welcome to Soleil Cafe," in spite of her discomfort, Maria gave a warm and welcoming smile. "Can you dri- er, um." Her smile immediately disappeared and she cleared her throat nervously. So much for professional. "Sorry. Would you like to start off with a drink?"
Some sketches of Maria’s main four outfits! Two more outfits I was planning were winter and stealth outfits. She can’t wear a full robot suit if she’s trying to sneak around :’))
Starter call!! Like if you want one<3 Also note: I have a tag for open starters here as well.
Cecil will attribute the accident to the fact that his nose had been buried in a manuscript. Curses be to his lack of attention. The Editor laughs it off, standing and brushing the dust away from his slacks.
“No, no, I should have been more cautious. I hope you weren’t injured, miss.”
And Maria would smile - albeit still quite embarrassed - at the other’s gracious reply. Well, if she was going to run anyone over with her bike, she was glad it was someone both unharmed and forgiving. She would have to walk the contraption back home, as it was not quite as fortunate as those two. Just a bent tire ( and stupid brakes ). “No, no! I’m perfectly fine.” However she was curious in nature, and cerulean eyes could not help but wander to the paper which he had been so fixated on moments before collision. Undamaged, thankfully, but she wondered if it was important. “What were you reading there?”
“Oh gosh -- I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to run into you!” Maria had sworn that she checked her bike’s brakes just the other day. How awful, she hoped that she did not cause any harm to them. “Are you okay?”
Getting back into this here! Please like and/or reblog if you’re interested in interacting with a canon divergent Maria Robotnik, cryopreserved for decades after ARK, until finally woken up, rehabilitated, and cured with the tweaking of remaining DNA from Project Shadow. Forever seventeen, Ms. Smartypants, full-time waitress, and part-time hero. ♥️
Maria’s bio is VERY different now, and her updated one is now given a new page.
Since it’s long, here are key notes which are ....... still kind of long:
- She is no longer associated with GUN, and is instead more of a “freelance hero”. She is in fact still deeply afraid of them after the horror they caused on ARK, and so she keeps herself anonymous and tries to avoid any interaction with them. She’s still a very bright and friendly person, but is very careful in her words with strangers. (I will sketch out some outfits for her later, as one includes a mask she uses when she’s playing hero).
- Her only association with GUN at all is through a scientist/doctor named Dr. Connor, whose father (also named Dr. Connor) was a scientist of GUN as well and was with the soldiers as they raided ARK. Out of both pity and mercy, he was the one who originally cryopreserved her and kept her location hidden. As a friend of her foster parents, the current Dr. Connor helps her rehabilitate and keeps in contact with her. He kept her under GUN’s radar and helped her get a proper birth certificate and other documents necessary to live a normal life.
- She has accepted she would never see Shadow again and instead devotes her time into being the best person she can. Maria thinks about her last words to Shadow and uses her very own words as inspiration.
- Instead of being all over the place in terms of arts and science, she is much more focused and inspired by science only. Thus leading her to a slightly more believable path of being a young inventor instead of a whim. With the initial help and proper material given by Dr. Connor, she continues to improve in her inventions.
- “Bubbles”, her little robot dog, still exists and still primarily exists through the orb-shaped core. However, his main core now safely stays within her bedroom as a “motherboard” of sorts. He is connected with her cellular device but is also connected with her other machinery (will go into further detail later). The dog form is rarely seen except in the house now.
If anyone wants to chat while I revamp Maria, my discord is Curry#3073 <3