#mechanicalmachinations 、sage

[synxis]

         𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐒 𝐎𝐍 as it was known to do — the hustle of the labs, the mundane chit chat of coworkers, the caged subject shooting pointed glares at anyone that dared to exist near him. Same as it ever was.

         Finitevus, though, stared at the numbers in front of him, not really reading anything. His mind was wandering, a rarity he did not welcome, mulling over his weekend. He thinks back to the gentle breeze, the expansive fields of life. Much more than Finitevus had ever realized. Almost as if ——

         He stills for a moment, only now realizing how quiet the labs had gotten. It was jarring enough to snap him out of his daze, tilting his head to the lab entrance and freezing — Doctor Eggman had made an appearance.

         For a moment the labs were still, the fluorescent lights overheard were oppressive in their droning. They all stare to their boss, their leader, their beloved dictator, shocked beyond woords he was here in the flesh. A rare visit. Dr. Eggman was always busy with greater and grander plans — surely he had little time to spend popping in unannounced? They blink stupidly a moment longer, before remembering themselves, smiles plastered on their faces.

"Oh, what a pleasant surprise— !"   "Good evening, sir!"   "Can I fetch you anything? Anything at all?"

         The small team of Empire scientists crowd Eggman by the door, though not close enough to be in arms reach. Not bold enough to approach their beloved leader with an unearned enthusiasm — after all, there was little reason why Dr. Eggman would come down here, in person, unannounced. It couldn't be good. Everyone here knew that — Finitevus especially.

Finitevus had stayed where he was when everyone dropped what they were doing, his heels refusing to move. There was a strange dread that was building in his chest, which made him instinctively tighten his grip on his tablet. Why was Ivo here? Certainly... not because he had gone outside? Outside with...

He swallows, finding his throat to be dry.

@mechanicalmachinations

[synxis]

         For a moment, Finitevus forgets to breathe. The entire lab was staring at him, their placations all but die down as Eggman's focus became clear. Eggman wasn't here for them — he was here for the freak echidna coworker that no one particularly liked. No one dared to question why. Finitevus can only manage a half step backwards before Eggman snatches his arm, pulling him along deeper into the labs without another word. It's a struggle to keep up —— the long strides of his husband were always unfair to the echidna.

         Finitevus's face was burning by the time they retire to his office, shame and exasperation swirling together. Even behind closed doors, he shakes slightly, still able to feel the eyes of his peers on his person. The soft glow of light in the corner of his eye catches his attention, knowing who it was before he fully saw her.

         Sage. The little program Ivo had become so attached to, that he insisted on referring to as daughter. A frown is pointed her way, his hands smoothing out his uniform. He was fairly certain she hated Finitevus and his general presence. He'd catch her staring at him all the time with that unreadable gaze.

         He wants to scream at Ivo, for manhandling him first and foremost, in front of everyone, in front of his colleagues — but any protest dies in his throat as he sees the look Ivo gives him. Finitevus winces further as what he had feared the most is realized. The flowers, Sonic, the outing. Of course Ivo knew about everything. Why wouldn't he? It was foolish to think Finitevus could keep secrets behind these walls.

         Alright, fine. Ivo wanted an explanation, he could give him one. He just needed to explain his reasoning. Surely Ivo would understand.

         "He— gave me a ghost orchid—" he runs his hands through his quills, trying to find his words. "I thought that he'd use it against me, hold it over my head. It's a such a rare find, I still have no idea how he managed to..." he allows his sentence to dry up, stilling his fidgeting. He refocuses. "—If I repaid him, then he'd have no reason to come back. That's... that's all."

The doctor's normally unhurried pace was now a steady, relentless stomp, his gloved fists clenching and relaxing at his side. How dare he. The doctor thought, ignoring any fool who dared to stray into his path—those that didn't move were shoved aside and promptly forgotten, if they had even been noticed in the first place. The rage, for now, was merely simmering, but it threatened to boil over at even the most fleeting thoughts of the echidna overstepping the line. That thin, imaginary, threadbare line that none dared to tread; even the least committed within the Empire knew—do not interact with the hedgehog. Do not help him; do not act against him, for Eggman alone had that singular privilege. He'd believed after Starline that they may have finally gotten the hint. Apparently not.

The nerve of it all.

The doors to the lab opened with a hiss, and beyond its threshold, all movement ceased, every occupant stopping to gawk at the unannounced visitor. He paid them no mind, his gaze zeroing in on the short echidna, who seemed to shrink further at their meeting gaze. Every word spoken by the lesser minds was likewise ignored as he advanced to grab Finitevus' arm.

The doctor's grip was firm, but not painful, not that it much mattered for the inorganic limb as Finitevus was dragged along like a recalcitrant child. Eggman's focus was absolute, his mind a whirlwind of fury and disbelief. A flower? Of all the idiotic, sentimental... He couldn't even finish the thought; it was too infuriating.

Once inside Finitevus' office, Eggman released him, marching towards the botanist's desk. He turned, his red eyes blazing with a cold fire, and fixed Finitevus with a glare that could melt steel.

"Off frolicking with the hedgehog, are we? Explain yourself," Eggman demanded, his voice dangerously low, each word laced with a barely controlled rage. "What possessed you to give Sonic... a flower? Much less gallivant about with him as if you were one of his little friends?" The last word was spat out like a curse. Silently in the room's corner, Sage watched on, having already been in the room prior to their arrival; her face, as always, an impassive mask.