So
@Kingster this is a omake I being preparing since the Lesser Minion tryouts and I am always putting off since I am not sure of it's quality and wanted to wait for the end of the vote, the Empire omake was way more easy to make than this one. So I decided what the heck and given my best shot:
Scrambled Eggs
The quaint café nestled in the corner of the Restoration HQ territory buzzed quietly with activity. The air was rich with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, mingling with the hum of gentle chatter. Nephthys the Vulture adjusted her seat, her talons lightly tapping the table as she sipped her latte. Across from her, Clove the Pronghorn stirred her cappuccino absentmindedly, her normally cheerful demeanor replaced by a visible cloud of worry.
They never speak much beyond professionalism back in they own world, being a Egg Boss don't leave one much for socialization and there was always the paranoia over how much you could entrust you colleges before you say something Doctor Eggman may not like and they rat you out in exchange for favors. The Doctor approve such methods, it keep his Egg Bosses disunited and unable to think in overthrowing him if being too busy watching they own shadow.
There was not need much here but old habits die hard, the Restoration always keep on eye on both of them specially in their afternoon lunch together. Not a bad attempt but Nephthys have fool the doctor for years with her little ruse with him being none the wiser, so they will have to do better.
"So," Nephthys began, her voice soft but steady, "How is your sister these days?"
Clove froze for a moment, her spoon clinking against the cup as her hand faltered. She sighed deeply, her shoulders sagging. "Cassia… she's not doing well."
Nephthys tilted her head, her sharp eyes narrowing slightly in concern. "I see. Is there something new?"
Clove nodded, staring into her cup as if it held the answers she needed. "She's been weaker lately. It's hard to ignore. The doctors think it might be time to give us a final diagnosis. I've… I've set up an appointment with one tomorrow. I need to know what we're dealing with, but…" Her voice cracked, and she took a shaky breath. "I don't know if I'm ready to hear it."
Clove and Cassia reasons to joining the Egg Army was very much a open secret, Nephthys herself met the young Cassia in this new world. Her demeanor was too happy for being part of the Egg Army that's usually made up of power hungry individuals and the desperate but she still find the young pronghorn endearing all the same and the world being far too cruel to handle her this burden
Nephthys reached across the table, her clawed hand resting gently on Clove's. "Whatever it is, you don't have to face it alone."
Clove gave her a small, grateful smile, but the heaviness in her gaze remained.
(Line break)
Nephthys waited at their usual spot in the café in the next day, her sharp eyes scanning the crowd, Clove never arrived. At first, she brushed it off as nerves about the doctor's appointment but when Clove didn't appear the following day either and neither the next one, concern gnawed at her.
She asked around for Clove, but no one had seen her since and Cassia has disappeared from her room in the hospital as well. Whispers began to circulate, theories forming, it wasn't long before a grim picture started to take shape: Clove had taken Cassia and disappeared.
The realization hit Nephthys like a stone. If Clove had taken her sister, it could only mean one thing: she was seeking a cure on her own and the Restoration doctors are unable to save her sister, still the question is where would she go?
The answer was as chilling as it was obvious, there was only one figure who might understand Cassia's condition well enough to offer any semblance of hope.
Only one who might lure Clove back into danger.
Nephthys closed her eyes, a deep, resigned sigh escaping her beak. He had to be involved.
Doctor Eggman.
The thought chilled her, ever since the Shattering that brought them all into this strange, patchwork world, the doctor had vanished, leaving his former Egg Bosses adrift.
Clove had been overjoyed to escape her role as an Egg Boss, she and Cassia embraced the Restoration's amnesty and their offer of a chance at peace. Nephthys, on the other hand, had always kept her musings about him to herself there was no need to bring the mood down.
He always came back, that was the unspoken truth she carried, it was only a matter of time. Now, her fears felt more real than ever.
Back at her small apartment the Restoration provided to her, Nephthys began to put her affairs in order.
She sharpened her blades, packed her essentials, penned a letter explaining what happen to her to the few friends she made in the Restoration and started her daily training once again alongside keeping her old uniform prepared. All for the day when he came looking for her as well, because sooner or later he will.
She stared at her reflection in a small mirror on the wall, the weight of her choices clear in her eyes. "This was always going to happen," she muttered to herself. "He always comes back."
A part of her wanted to believe that Eggman's disappearance might be permanent but deep down, she knew better. His shadow loomed too large over all their lives to simply fade away.
Nephthys wonder what kind of mad scheme he will cook up to take back his Empire from the Zeti and how many innocent will suffer thanks to his sadism and callous disregard for anybody but himself. At least at his side she can make sure not many needed to die.
Clove and Cassia will be there too, so not everything will be so bad this time around.
(Line Break)
Obs: So since the Restoration offering amnesty for former Eggman goons I thinking both Clove and Nephthys meet since it kinda natural both frequent the same place and working in the Restoration HQ, plus they were always the more deluded and chill of Egg Bosses and since nobody quite trust with them for being left alone yet they were being monitored.
Nephthsy since she's a pessimist immediately connected the dots and now is quietly waiting for the day when Eggman come to recruit her.