Laughter still clung to them as they walked through the park, the energy of their last ride still buzzing in their steps. Zee held onto the printed photo, occasionally glancing at it, snickering all over again.
Nox, on the other hand, had already attempted to steal it twice.
"Zee, listen," he started, hands tucked in his pockets, tail flicking lazily.
"I think we can both agree that this photo, while undeniably a masterpiece, does not need to see the light of day."
Zee shot him a deadpan stare, holding the picture up for another long, exaggerated examination.
"Hmm. Nah," she decided, slipping it into her jacket pocket.
"I'm keeping this just in case..."
Nox groaned dramatically.
Chet, who had been waiting near the exit of the ride, raised an eyebrow as they approached.
"Sooo…" he asked, grinning. "How was it?"
Nox sighed, draping an arm over Chet's shoulder.
"Well, big guy, I think we both know I handled that ride with incredible grace, dignity, and—"
"You screamed louder than the coaster," Zee interrupted, tossing the picture to Chet.
Chet caught it midair, squinting at the image before bursting into laughter.
"Holy stars, Nox! You look like you're about to ascend into the afterlife."
Nox crossed his arms, ears twitching.
"That's just my… battle scream."
Zee grinned, giving his shoulder a condescending pat.
Chet, still laughing, handed the picture back to Zee.
"Well, now that you two are officially traumatized, what's next?"
They turned to scan the park.
Chet let out a low chuckle, his eyes drawn upward toward the skyline.
Even through the glow of the amusement park, the distant towers of the Great Nexus loomed above, gleaming like something from another world.
"You know, since you two were having the time of your lives, I noticed these giant polished buildings up there. So this is the Great Nexus, huh?" he muttered, arms crossed.
"Guess it's not all bad if it lets a place like this exist."
Nox and Zee exchanged a glance.
"Yeah…" Nox murmured, following Chet's gaze.
"The Great Nexus isn't quite so great after all. Just another world for the elite."
Zee's ears twitched.
"Wait, what do you mean?"
Nox smirked slightly.
"I saw one of them earlier—these so-called Protogens. Pretty peculiar, with their sci-fi bodies, attachments, and upgrades."
Zee's eyes widened.
"You saw one? A Protogen? And you didn't tell us?"
Chet tilted his head.
"Sci-fi bodies? Like, actual cybernetic upgrades and stuff?"
Nox shrugged with an unimpressed look and turned around.
"You know, the usual Nexus crowd. All about showing off their shiny chrome and expensive gadgets."
He waved a paw lazily in the air.
"One of them passed me earlier. Kinda hard to miss, but… not exactly dinner conversation, is it?"
Zee folded her arms, tail flicking slightly.
"Not important?" She scoffed.
"Nox, you can't just casually drop that you saw one of them and act like it's no big deal."
Nox flashed her a cheeky side glance.
"What, was I supposed to take a selfie with them and ask for their upgrade specs?"
Zee rolled her eyes.
"Ugh, you're impossible."
Chet, still gazing at the skyline, hummed in thought.
"Still kinda wild to think about… A whole other world up there, and then this park, sandwiched between all of it. It's like two completely different universes."
Nox tilted his head slightly, his tone softening as he looked at a crack on the ground where a flower was growing.
"Yeah… Coreline's funny like that. Patches of something better, stitched into a whole lot of something worse."
He clapped his hands together suddenly.
"Alright, let's keep exploring before Horns here gets too philosophical."
The next few attractions were nothing short of a disaster waiting to happen.
A spinning teacup ride had Zee threatening to throw up, much to Nox's absolute delight.
A haunted house where Chet, in a noble attempt to shield Zee from a jump scare, accidentally knocked over an entire fake skeleton, resulting in a very awkward "clean-up" situation.
And now, finally a cotton candy stand!
Their steps slowed slightly as they took in the sight of colorful, fluffy clouds of sugar spinning behind the glass.
Nox flicked his hat back, eyeing the selection.
"Alright, folks, the ultimate question: pink or blue?"
Chet narrowed his eyes, unimpressed.
"Yeah, I'm not really a cotton candy guy."
Nox shrugged.
"Alright, Horns, more for us. Whiskers, what about you?"
Zee raised an eyebrow.
"Whiskers?"
Nox smirked.
"Yeah, addressing your cat nature, no?"
Zee huffed.
"Well, Whiskers thinks you're an idiot."
She tapped her chin, pretending to contemplate.
"Hmmm… I'm not sure. I don't like blue or red. I'm actually more of a purple girl."
Nox tapped his temple thoughtfully, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Well then, no worries. I've got a plan."
Before Zee could object, he spun on his heel.
"And don't worry, I'll pay for it."
As he walked away, he winked back at them.
Chet, watching the whole exchange, tilted his head.
"Does Nox have something in his eyes, or what's with all the blinking?"
Nox leaned against the counter of the cotton candy stall.
Beside him, a small water fountain attracted children that played all around the place. Two elephants sat on a giant bench eating huge ice cream cones. A bunny family was riding a tandem bike, shaking in all directions, six kids and their parents barely managing to steer.
Nox flashed a charming grin at the raccoon working behind the counter.
"Hey there, my good sir. Any chance you could mix the pink and blue to get us a nice purple swirl? Something special for my purple-loving Whiskers friend over there."
He pointed at Zee with his thumb.
Suddenly, Nox felt a push from behind.
The tandem bike had just hit him.
"Woah—" He turned around, spotting eight little heads with huge ears peeking up at him.
They all started apologizing at once, their voices overlapping into an incoherent mess.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" "Awh no, did we hurt you?" "Ahh, excuse us!" Even one of them seemingly said, "Oh no, he's gonna eat us!"
Nox let out a small chuckle as he kneeled down, adjusting their tandem so they could continue in the other direction.
"No, don't worry, I don't wanna waste my appetite, I'm waiting for my cotton candy. Just do me a favor and have at least one of those sixteen eyes on the road next time."
The bunnies all thanked him and wobbled off, still shaking uncontrollably. Their parents called out directions just as vague as their riding skills.
"Left! Right! No, the other right! Uh, I mean left!"
The raccoon tapped on his counter unamused, chewing a gum.
"Alright lets get back to business y said Purple, huh? That'll cost ya a bit extra. Custom orders don't come cheap."
Nox tipped his hat.
"Oh, I wouldn't expect anything less. Let's just say I'm investing in some artistic culinary brilliance."
He slid a few extra creds onto the counter.
"Make it the best purple fluff this park's ever seen."
The raccoon smirked. "Ye got it, boss."
Just as Nox turned away, two sticks of purple cotton candy in hand.
A small fox kit appeared beside him.
The kid, barely half Nox's height, emptied his pockets. A few measly coins clattered onto the counter. His wide eyes sparkled with longing as he stared at the cotton candy.
Nox's ears twitched.
He glanced down at the little fox. Then back at the cotton candy.
With a faint smirk, he crouched down, holding out one of the sticks.
"Hey, buddy, you look like you could use this more than me. What do you say?"
The little fox's eyes widened.
"R-Really? But… that's yours!"
Nox chuckled, ruffling the kid's head fur.
"Nah. Consider it a gift. Someone's gotta share the sweetness, right? Besides, I almost got run over just now, so maybe it's safer in your paws."
The kid beamed.
"Thank you, mister!"
He darted off, rejoining his group, pointing excitedly at Nox.
Zee, watching from a few steps away, crossed her arms. A small smile flickered at her lips.
"Did Nox just… do a good thing?"
Chet rubbed his chin.
"Remind me to check if he hit his head earlier."
"I oh will."
Nox, brushing off the teasing, turned to Zee and handed her the second cotton candy stick.
"For you, Madam Purple Enthusiast."
Zee raised an eyebrow, reluctantly taking it.
"What's this? A peace offering for being decent for once?"
Nox smirked.
"Nah, just proving I'm full of surprises."
Chet chuckled. "That was… kinda sweet."
Nox flicked his tail.
"Don't get used to it. Now, let's find one last ride before we call it a night."