"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING WHEN YOU PUT THIS AD UP?!" the leader of Star Fox shouted to his blue avian friend.
When Dash informed Fox about the ad for a Star Fox internship, the fox went berserk in disbelief. He grabbed a newspaper from earlier to look for the ad that Dash mentioned over the phone, hoping that the monkey was making a friendly joke, and wouldn't you know it? There it was! A picture of Fox and his team next to some bold text which said:
'Help Wanted! Star Fox is hiring for Intern! One spot only, so call while you can!'
"I just got off the phone with the General from successfully earning us a whole month's worth of a vacation and I got a call from Dash telling me about THIS?!" continuing to scold his teammate. "I can't believe you went behind my back and posted this into the newspaper!"
"Hey, I never went behind your back to pull off some sick joke!" Falco retorted defensively. "Besides, you gave me permission to put this ad in the papers before I made the announcement."
"What?" he asked. "I did no such thing!"
Peppy came forward from the steering wheel of the main deck, getting everyone's attention. "Actually, you kinda did."
Everyone just stared at him and blinked a few times.
"Remember when you were working your ass off from all that paperwork from last week?"
Flashback…
Fox was sitting on a table in the kitchen filling out three piles of paperwork that involved the repairs of the Lylat System. He was really tired and looked like a paperwork zombie, writing words down on paper like a slave in a dungeon. He was writing on one piece of paper after another, getting a lot of work done so he can hit the sack when he's done. Although, he's gonna be busy doing this again for the next couple of days.
Falco walked to Fox's table with a piece of paper in his hand.
"Hey Fox," he said. "I was thinking that we should start hiring an intern to help out with the extra work we've been getting since the defeat of the Aparoids. Could you sign this paper so we can be allowed to put the ad in the paper?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure. Just leave it on the table here so I can sign it" Fox said, not paying attention.
"Thanks man. You're a lifesaver!" Falco said, putting the paper on the table before heading out of the room.
End flashback…
Fox didn't say anything. He just stood there for a few seconds before covering his head with his hand and sighing in frustration. He couldn't believe he did something stupid.
"You tricked me…" he growled.
"I wasn't planning to," said Falco. "I just wanted to share my ideas with you. It's your own fault for not paying attention."
The rest of the group just sighed at Falco's reply.
"But seriously, an intern? Really? Why do we need one?"
"Well, remember when you said that we're gonna need a lot of help with fixing the Lylat System?" the bird asked. "I just figured that we ask for help to serve that cause."
Falco stood there with an amused look on his face. He felt proud of thinking of such a brilliant idea.
"Falco just wanted to hire extra help so he doesn't have to do all the work when requested, that's all" Krystal said.
"I figured as much," Fox replied. "Falco. You can't be serious with this idea. We can't afford to feed another mouth climbing aboard this ship, we had to pay big money to help start with the reconstructions of the System!"
"Aw, come on Fox. It's a great idea. Besides, it could be easier money while repairs are in progress.
"Falco, I don't think Fox appreciated that you didn't consult him with the idea of setting up an internship for the team," said Krystal. "You didn't even ask if you could help him with the paperwork he was doing."
"Krystal's right," said Peppy with a disappointed tone in his voice. "Tricking Fox is not a wise thing to do. Even though it sounds like a good idea you shouldn't trick someone to go along with it."
Falco just sighed in frustration. He was really hoping everyone would like the idea.
"Just for the record Fox, you're not the only one who can come up with ideas or suggestions because you're our leader. We all can come up with our own plans to serve a good cause too!"
The rest of the group just shook their heads. He made a good point of everyone having their own ideas, but that doesn't mean they should force their ideas on each other. Sometimes, they even wonder why some of them are too stubborn to listen.
"Well, we'll deal with the ad later. Right now, we've gotta start packing for a vacation in the city, right?" said Slippy.
"Yeah!" said Fox. "I'll have to find a way to deal with the ad while I'm sitting on a chair, kicking back and drinking a nice, cold drink of Diet Mountain Dew on a sunny day at the beach."
"Wow, you just defined my future retirement plans" said Peppy as everyone started to head to their rooms to begin packing. While they were walking, Falco lagged behind so he could distance himself from the group. He was feeling frustrated over having his idea rejected, even though it was a great idea to hire some more help on the crew.
'I try to help out around here, and THIS is the thanks I get?' he thought to himself.
He deserves to be given more gratitude for what he does around here! He feels as if the others take him for granted, even though he does a lot to help with fixing the System!
'This is so unfair…'
…
Dash was still in his room after he finished his call with Fox. Since there wasn't any denial or confirmation that he could be given the chance to earn a job as his intern, he was a little surprised. Although, he was hoping they would give him the job. That way he could earn some honest money and work alongside the two people he admired: Fox and Falco. He'd already had the pleasure of meeting with one of them, and now he was eager to meet the other one too.
He wondered if Falco would be as good a person as Fox is, although he supposed he would be…
He was feeling a little bored of being in his room alone now, so he decided to go for a walk in the city. Maybe he could find something interesting to do, similar to what fun night he had last night with Fox and Star Wolf. Who knows who'll he meet on this planet or what interesting places there could be to go to. Coming to Corneria was the best idea he had. Although the Lylat System had several planets, Corneria seemed to be the right choice to start a new life away from both Venom and his family roots.
Sometimes he wondered why his grandfather wanted to conquer this planet, but he was at least glad that he didn't succeed. If he did, then life on this planet would not have been as he knows it at this time.
After leaving the hotel, Dash went for a walk without a fixed direction. Since the city was big, he didn't know where to go first or how he could get there. Perhaps he should've asked Fox for suggestions on the best places to go to and a map to help him find his way. When he came to an intersection, there were four possible paths to travel onto. He didn't know which one to choose, but before he could start walking he heard a female voice right next to him.
"You lost?"
When Dash turned to his right, the woman was a brown fennec fox with green eyes.
"Oh, a little," Dash replied. "Although, I haven't decided where I want to go first."
"I see," said the fennec. "You're new in the city, aren't you? It's rare to find someone of a monkey species on this planet, but I don't judge."
"It hasn't been long since I got here. I've been trying to get to know this city since yesterday."
"Really?" the woman asked. "Well, if you want, I can show you a bit around here to a lot of interesting places I know."
"That's really nice of you, but don't you have something to do at the moment?" Dash asked.
"No. Today's my day off, so I have some free time."
"That's great! Thank you very much, Miss...um...Miss"
"Phoenix, Fara Phoenix."
"Thank you very much Miss Phoenix."
"No problem. What's your name?"
"My name is Dash. Dash Bowman."
"A pleasure," Fara said as she shook the monkey's hand. "Well, I think I know a place that you'll love to visit. Join me, please."
"With pleasure," said Dash.
At that moment, Dash realised that not only Fox was friendly, but many people who live in Corneria had this positive trait. Compared to the inhabitants of the planet Venom...
…
Meanwhile, at the ice cream parlor…
Sabre had finished telling his story to Miyu and Fay, who were really surprised by such an epic tale. Even though he heard the story before, Bill was still as amazed as the girls were. Since they've grown up in big cities, they never would've imagined what it felt like to live on a planet that was 100% nature. Just by listening to his story, Miyu and Fay thought about how difficult it was for Sabre to adapt to another environment. Even thinking about Krystal adapting to this life too, even though they never met her in person.
In Bill's point-of-view, he was able to see in part both Krystal and Sabre's adaptation to their new surroundings and how it will cost them to give up some of their old ways of living.
"But if I'm being honest with you," Sabre continued with explaining himself. "I've always liked trying new things, like this ice cream I'm about to eat."
Both the dogs and the Lynx all watched the brown wolf as he brought the ice cream to his mouth, slowly stuck out his tongue, and took his first lick of ice cream. It was really tasty, nothing like any other kinds of food he tasted in his younger years. The ice cream was sweet, creamy, and very flavorful. He started eating it in such a way like he was a child eating like a wild beast, even though he was 26 years old. Although the other three knew why he would eat his first ice cream like this, they didn't seem to mind one bit. Miyu even took out her phone and made a recording of Sabre's event, perhaps he would be wanting to remember this moment later on.
"So, what do you think?" Bill asked.
"It's the best thing I've ever tasted in my whole life!" Sabre replied in joy, and with some vanilla ice cream all over his face.
"I can see that," said Fay with a giggle. "Although I think you should clean yourself up."
"Yeah," Miyu laughed. "You've got ice cream all over your face."
Realizing that, the brown wolf took a napkin and wiped his face clean. After everyone else finished their ice creams and checking the time, it was time for them to part ways for a while. Fay and Miyu assured Sabre that they would see him again on his first day of work. Sabre waved back to the girls, anxious to see them again on Thursday.
…
Back with Fara and Dash…
Dash was amazed by all the places he'd seen. They also had several conversations along the way, but he refrained from talking about his past. Although Fox was open-minded when he found out, he was not sure if Fara would be scared when she'd find out that Andross's grandson was walking next to her and would call security on him.
At that moment, they both heard the sound of 5 ships that were about to land in some place nearby. Dash began to run towards the flying ships, thinking that one of those ships would be Fox's and if it was him, perhaps he would have the opportunity to get an answer about the internship. Fara was running after him, pleading him to wait up since she doesn't want him to get himself lost. When she could see the ships, the fennec fox recognized them…and the one that belonged to a certain someone who was his ex-boyfriend.
When the five occupants of the ship descended, they could see the five members of Star Fox. Including one they both know personally.
"Fox!" they both said at the same time.
That drew the attention of Fox, his team, and the two people that called out to him. Both were surprised that they both knew him.
