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Description
Previously | Next [TBA]

Leutogi was rushing around the Stumphouse a little more hurriedly than usual, Knuckles thought. Leutogi was always pretty busy, being the moomy and all, but her behavior struck him as still a little odd. What month was it though? Knuckles heard dozens of stumps uttering the name "Smeak" and remembered it was April now. Right...
Still, he figured he'd ask her about it. "Hey Leutogi," he said, approaching her casually and catching her off guard as she was stuffing some folded blankets into a little basket.
"Ah! Hey," she muttered, grinning through what was obvious exhaustion and distress.
Knuckles gave her a pitying look. "You okay?" He asked, taking a knee to help her.
"Ugh, yeeeah..." She groaned, though she didn't look okay. "It's just--Skipper's gonna go out sailing soon and I want her to have everything she needs--" She motioned quickly to the basket they were working at, and then another box marked 'fragile' in the nearby storage room.
Skipper... Knuckles hadn't heard that name in a while. Leutogi's little kid must really not be so little anymore. "Going sailing? Like, away?" He was surprised.
"Yeah! You should see the ship she's got too, it's huge! Said Smeak gave it to her, so, you know... Ugh!" Leutogi smiled again wearily and seemed to be struggling between laughing it all off or complaining.
"Mmm," was all Knuckles could manage before Sonic approached the group.
"Hey!" He grinned, messing with his hair for a moment. "What's up?"
"Oh, y'knooow--just busy..." Leutogi looked like she was close to collapsing.
"We could take that to Skipper for you, if you want." Knuckles offered so quickly even he was taken aback.
Leutogi looked between both staxies for a moment, and seeing as Sonic looked completely on board, she caved. "Yeah, that'd be nice, actually!" She dumped the basket in Knuckles' arms and motioned again to that other box. "The ship's not too far from--just a little ways through the Wanderwide Forest to the East, and out to the other side of the island. It's hard to miss, really, ha ha!"
Before Knuckles could say anything further, Leutogi hollered at a distant stump and chased after them, disappearing down the hallway.

"So Skipper's got a ship, now?" Sonic asked, walking beside Knuckles with his pack slung over his chest and Celeste inside, sleeping soundly against his shoulder.
"Yeah, apparently..." Knuckles said wistfully, carrying both the box and basket easily, albeit having a bit of trouble seeing where he was going. "A big one, too."
"Huh!" Sonic chirped, guiding his friend around a couple of tree roots as they moved through the forest slowly. "Cool!"
When they finally broke free of the trees, both staxies' jaws dropped. Skipper's ship was big--huge, even! Knuckles had never seen a ship so big in his life; he'd never even seen a house that was this big! With brightly painted wood and white sails tied up tight, the ship loomed above the tops of the trees too, making the staxies that moved beside it on the dock look like insects in comparison.
"That is a big ship..." Sonic gasped, and then jumped as someone called to them both.
"Hey there!" A pale staxie was making their way across the sand towards them, and Knuckles recognized her as Skipper! Wow, she really had grown up already... "That for me? Er--the ship, I mean." She laughed awkwardly.
"Yeah," Knuckles chuckled too, already feeling a little nervous.
"You can just, uh, set it there I guess..." Skipper motioned to the sand in front of her and Knuckles set everything down, then everyone stood around at a loss of what to do next... Knuckles hadn't seen Skipper since she was just a little kid, and hadn't talked to her ever. They were really total strangers.
"Um," he forced himself to say something anyway. "It's stuff from Leutogi. She wanted us to drop it off for you."
"Aaaaw," Skipper cooed, thinking of her mother briefly. "That's sweet--and sweet of you for helping too, heheh... I'm Skipper, by the way."
"Yeah uh... I know. We met one time at the Magic School, well--not met really, but I was there..."
The shy look on Skipper's face was enough to know she didn't recognize him, and seeing as Knuckles was thoroughly struggling to hold a conversation, Sonic jumped in.
"I'm Sonic!" He chimed, waving at Skipper. "This is my friend, Knuckles. Nice to meet you!"
Skipper seemed relieved. "Nice to meet you too, ha ha! What about the little one?"
"This is Celeste. Sleepy today," Sonic mused, adjusting his grip on the stump who was still fast asleep. "Quite the ship you got! You excited to go out exploring?"
Skipper turned to look at the ship sitting still in the ocean. "Yeah, it is! And I am! A little nervous too, heheh, but I'm assuming that's just first-time jitters, you know?"
Sonic nodded his head and Knuckles dared to jump back into the conversation.
"I'm sure you'll do great," he scratched the back of his head to have something to do.
"Yeah," Skipper agreed, flashing him a grateful smile. "I got a lotta people lookin' out for me... Thanks for dropping this stuff off, you two."
"Don't mention it!" Sonic tossed up his head cheerily and Knuckles nodded.
"Good luck! And safe travels!"

With that, he and Sonic were back again into the Wanderwide Forest, walking by themselves. Knuckles took a deep breath to calm himself. That could have gone better, but it wasn't so bad...
"I think that went well!" Sonic said, perhaps sensing Knuckles' discomfort.
He appreciated his optimism. "Yeah..." And then a thought came to mind. "Hey, could you watch over Celeste for a bit, today?"
"Mhmm," Sonic agreed instantly, though his eyes looked curious as he watched Knuckles come to a stop beside him.
"I was thinking I'd go see some people about a... Job..." Knuckles told him, somehow still feeling bashful even though he had nothing to worry about with Sonic.
The Blue staxie's face lit up! "Oh! That's awesome, Knuckles!"
"Yeah... Felt like the next right step, with Celeste and all."
"I couldn't agree more," Sonic said, holding out a fist for Knuckles to bump. "Good luck to you too, then! I'll be back at the Stumphouse!"
"Thanks," Knuckles mumbled, and he and Sonic broke away from each other, onto their separate paths for the day. Though it was still morning, Knuckles had a lot to do!

----
OOF, I really struggled through writing this, while also sort of just dumping words out at the same time. You know how that is, right? Not the best feeling, but it's done anway, and I've also completed an April 2024 Expedition prompt, for the prep phase!!! I know they don't have to be polished or anything, but the looooore! The LORE, guys!! Also, I thought it'd be fun to draw Skipper's ship some before any of my characters actually board it (and it was!) I've drawn a couple of big sailing ships in my time, and they're always really fun to work with, even though they're a bit mind boggling too! PLUS, I wanted to pick up some stories I've set aside for a bit with my lovely guy, Knuckles!!! It was genuinely so much fun drawing him, Sonic, and Celeste again--I didn't realize I missed it so much! I've had Knuckles' plot planned out far into the future for a WHILE now and I really wanna start working at it again! It'll be epic! >:}
Enjoy!!!

Knuckles and Celeste belong to me!
Sonic belongs to Hann-Nido !
Skipper (Community NPC) and Leutogi (NPC, mentioned) belong to Staves Rest!

15/1993 Beans
Bean Tracker

Aeb.

Description
Previously | Next [TBA]

Leutogi was rushing around the Stumphouse a little more hurriedly than usual, Knuckles thought. Leutogi was always pretty busy, being the moomy and all, but her behavior struck him as still a little odd. What month was it though? Knuckles heard dozens of stumps uttering the name "Smeak" and remembered it was April now. Right...
Still, he figured he'd ask her about it. "Hey Leutogi," he said, approaching her casually and catching her off guard as she was stuffing some folded blankets into a little basket.
"Ah! Hey," she muttered, grinning through what was obvious exhaustion and distress.
Knuckles gave her a pitying look. "You okay?" He asked, taking a knee to help her.
"Ugh, yeeeah..." She groaned, though she didn't look okay. "It's just--Skipper's gonna go out sailing soon and I want her to have everything she needs--" She motioned quickly to the basket they were working at, and then another box marked 'fragile' in the nearby storage room.
Skipper... Knuckles hadn't heard that name in a while. Leutogi's little kid must really not be so little anymore. "Going sailing? Like, away?" He was surprised.
"Yeah! You should see the ship she's got too, it's huge! Said Smeak gave it to her, so, you know... Ugh!" Leutogi smiled again wearily and seemed to be struggling between laughing it all off or complaining.
"Mmm," was all Knuckles could manage before Sonic approached the group.
"Hey!" He grinned, messing with his hair for a moment. "What's up?"
"Oh, y'knooow--just busy..." Leutogi looked like she was close to collapsing.
"We could take that to Skipper for you, if you want." Knuckles offered so quickly even he was taken aback.
Leutogi looked between both staxies for a moment, and seeing as Sonic looked completely on board, she caved. "Yeah, that'd be nice, actually!" She dumped the basket in Knuckles' arms and motioned again to that other box. "The ship's not too far from--just a little ways through the Wanderwide Forest to the East, and out to the other side of the island. It's hard to miss, really, ha ha!"
Before Knuckles could say anything further, Leutogi hollered at a distant stump and chased after them, disappearing down the hallway.

"So Skipper's got a ship, now?" Sonic asked, walking beside Knuckles with his pack slung over his chest and Celeste inside, sleeping soundly against his shoulder.
"Yeah, apparently..." Knuckles said wistfully, carrying both the box and basket easily, albeit having a bit of trouble seeing where he was going. "A big one, too."
"Huh!" Sonic chirped, guiding his friend around a couple of tree roots as they moved through the forest slowly. "Cool!"
When they finally broke free of the trees, both staxies' jaws dropped. Skipper's ship was big--huge, even! Knuckles had never seen a ship so big in his life; he'd never even seen a house that was this big! With brightly painted wood and white sails tied up tight, the ship loomed above the tops of the trees too, making the staxies that moved beside it on the dock look like insects in comparison.
"That is a big ship..." Sonic gasped, and then jumped as someone called to them both.
"Hey there!" A pale staxie was making their way across the sand towards them, and Knuckles recognized her as Skipper! Wow, she really had grown up already... "That for me? Er--the ship, I mean." She laughed awkwardly.
"Yeah," Knuckles chuckled too, already feeling a little nervous.
"You can just, uh, set it there I guess..." Skipper motioned to the sand in front of her and Knuckles set everything down, then everyone stood around at a loss of what to do next... Knuckles hadn't seen Skipper since she was just a little kid, and hadn't talked to her ever. They were really total strangers.
"Um," he forced himself to say something anyway. "It's stuff from Leutogi. She wanted us to drop it off for you."
"Aaaaw," Skipper cooed, thinking of her mother briefly. "That's sweet--and sweet of you for helping too, heheh... I'm Skipper, by the way."
"Yeah uh... I know. We met one time at the Magic School, well--not met really, but I was there..."
The shy look on Skipper's face was enough to know she didn't recognize him, and seeing as Knuckles was thoroughly struggling to hold a conversation, Sonic jumped in.
"I'm Sonic!" He chimed, waving at Skipper. "This is my friend, Knuckles. Nice to meet you!"
Skipper seemed relieved. "Nice to meet you too, ha ha! What about the little one?"
"This is Celeste. Sleepy today," Sonic mused, adjusting his grip on the stump who was still fast asleep. "Quite the ship you got! You excited to go out exploring?"
Skipper turned to look at the ship sitting still in the ocean. "Yeah, it is! And I am! A little nervous too, heheh, but I'm assuming that's just first-time jitters, you know?"
Sonic nodded his head and Knuckles dared to jump back into the conversation.
"I'm sure you'll do great," he scratched the back of his head to have something to do.
"Yeah," Skipper agreed, flashing him a grateful smile. "I got a lotta people lookin' out for me... Thanks for dropping this stuff off, you two."
"Don't mention it!" Sonic tossed up his head cheerily and Knuckles nodded.
"Good luck! And safe travels!"

With that, he and Sonic were back again into the Wanderwide Forest, walking by themselves. Knuckles took a deep breath to calm himself. That could have gone better, but it wasn't so bad...
"I think that went well!" Sonic said, perhaps sensing Knuckles' discomfort.
He appreciated his optimism. "Yeah..." And then a thought came to mind. "Hey, could you watch over Celeste for a bit, today?"
"Mhmm," Sonic agreed instantly, though his eyes looked curious as he watched Knuckles come to a stop beside him.
"I was thinking I'd go see some people about a... Job..." Knuckles told him, somehow still feeling bashful even though he had nothing to worry about with Sonic.
The Blue staxie's face lit up! "Oh! That's awesome, Knuckles!"
"Yeah... Felt like the next right step, with Celeste and all."
"I couldn't agree more," Sonic said, holding out a fist for Knuckles to bump. "Good luck to you too, then! I'll be back at the Stumphouse!"
"Thanks," Knuckles mumbled, and he and Sonic broke away from each other, onto their separate paths for the day. Though it was still morning, Knuckles had a lot to do!

----
OOF, I really struggled through writing this, while also sort of just dumping words out at the same time. You know how that is, right? Not the best feeling, but it's done anway, and I've also completed an April 2024 Expedition prompt, for the prep phase!!! I know they don't have to be polished or anything, but the looooore! The LORE, guys!! Also, I thought it'd be fun to draw Skipper's ship some before any of my characters actually board it (and it was!) I've drawn a couple of big sailing ships in my time, and they're always really fun to work with, even though they're a bit mind boggling too! PLUS, I wanted to pick up some stories I've set aside for a bit with my lovely guy, Knuckles!!! It was genuinely so much fun drawing him, Sonic, and Celeste again--I didn't realize I missed it so much! I've had Knuckles' plot planned out far into the future for a WHILE now and I really wanna start working at it again! It'll be epic! >:}
Enjoy!!!

Knuckles and Celeste belong to me!
Sonic belongs to Hann-Nido !
Skipper (Community NPC) and Leutogi (NPC, mentioned) belong to Staves Rest!

15/1993 Beans
Bean Tracker

Aeb.