Things Change
You were Belle the Tinkerer, and you were feeling conflicted.
Despite everything, despite how things began, your time with Dr. Eggman had been… not entirely unpleasant.
It had certainly been interesting at least.
You made new friends. So that was nice. Canaan was a bit reserved, but she seemed to appreciate your promise and you talked sometimes. Clove was usually focused on making sure Cassia was ok, but she seemed to regard you with kindness, with a side of pity. You guess you can't blame her, this was a weird situation.
And then there was your siblings fellow machines.
Orbot and Cubot were the most palpable. They seemed close, but they never made you feel like a third wheel, which you appreciated. They weren't the sharpest tools in the shed, but they were dedicated and Orbot had his moments of insight you had found nice to listen to.
Metal… You liked to think he was less cold than he came off as. You pretended not to for the sake of his pride, but you had caught him playing with the maracas you gave him once or twice. And in general, as much as He scared you, he seemed to not go out of his way to tell you to buzz off, which probably meant something. Maybe that was wishful thinking.
And then… there was Sage.
Sage was quiet for the most part, and that fierce protectiveness of her father made you feel... nostalgic (your heart ached), but she could light up when she talked to them. Belle couldn't help but find her nice to be around, she seemed genuinely interested in having a connection. You… could have fostered that a bit more. You hoped she understood it was nothing personal. You just… had a lot to think about.
Speaking of… maybe you should write all this down instead of just thinking it… Papa would love to hear-
"Sister!" A voice suddenly piped up. You yelped and fell over, surprised.
"Aw sawdust…" you muttered.
"Oh. Apologies. I did not mean to startle you." Sage said. You sigh and get up.
"It's fine, Sage. Does the doctor need something…?" You ask, a tad nervously. It had panned out so far, but you weren't exactly excited to go to another person who might kill you.
"Do not fret, sister. I am instead here to invite you to family game night. I would have made a card, but I lack the ability to do so." Sage explained, smiling. You rubbed your neck.
"I.. thank you, Sage. But I dunno if I can make it…" You start. You're flattered, you really are, but you don't know if you're up for it.
"But… It won't be the same without you. Please come? You are a creation of father too, and that makes us family. We cannot have family game night without everyone present." Sage asked, sounding genuinely sad. You look at the letter you were about to write and sigh.
Maybe this will be an interesting experience to tell papa about…
"Ok. I'll be there." You conceded.
"Excellent! I will tell Cubot to play his best music selection!" Sage beamed and put her hands together excitedly. It was such a a cute display you can't help but smile yourself despite your doubts.
Xxx
"I swear, you must be cheating!"
"Stop being a sore loser, Orbot!"
"I am not trying to be, Cubot, I just doubt the likelihood of you doing this well so many times In a row!"
That was the conversation you were currently listening to. You were currently playing some dice game (Yitzee or something). Everyone (except you, partially because you didn't know this would be the case and partially because you didn't have one to bring anyways) had brought their own game to play. Even Metal had brought something called Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Badniks. You were kinda surprised he came along, though he was standing in the corner rather than joining in.
As Orbot and Cubot continued to bicker, Sage, in a Motobug again currently, looked over at Metal.
"Are you sure you do not wish to participate, brother?* She inquired. Metal just stared.
"Alright. If you change your mind, do let us know." Sage nodded. She sounded a little disappointed, and you gave her a little pat without thinking about it. She made a happy little noise and you smiled.
"I think we should play something else before Orbot blows a gasket." Cubot suggested. Orbot grumbled in uncharacteristic open annoyance.
"Ah, don't worry, Orbot. You'll get him next time." You offered words of cheer. Orbot just hummed a little, though you get the feeling from how he quit grumbling he appreciated it.
"I believe it is time for Eggopoly. Do not feel bad if I win, I even beat Father!" Sage nodded, bringing out a board game.
Xxx
"What!? How!? You HAVE to be cheating, sister!" Sage insisted.
"I'm not!" You insisted right back.
"Who's salty about cheating now?" Orbot quipped, a teasing tone in his voice.
To your surprise, you were absolutely dominating at this Eggopoly game. You didn't want to jump to conclusions, but you get the feeling Eggman let Sage win, because she was honestly kind of bad at it.
"Statistically, it's near impossible for me to land on the jail space as many times as I have!" Sage insisted.
Metal wagged his finger, clearly trying to express his mocking disapproval of Sage.
"Et tu, brute?" She pouted.
"Aw man, we broke her, she's speaking German!" Cubot gasped. That was the straw that broke the camel's back for you to realize how utterly ridiculous this situation was. Despite your best efforts, you broke into giggles. Thankfully, Sage couldn't stay mad at seeing you be so seemingly happy as she joined in, Orbot and Cubot quick to follow. Even Metal tilted his head rather than a harsher gesture, so you chose to believe he was amused too.
"This is crazy… I never expected this to be Where my life went.." You sigh once you all calm down.
"Life rarely goes how you expect it to. Do you think the boss expected to be in this situation?" Orbot pointed out with a little nod.
"... That's pretty insightful, Orbot." You mused with a little smile.
"Father will turn around this disadvantage soon. He is too brilliant to be held back." Sage confidently stated. Orbot and Cubot looked between each other knowingly before voicing their agreement. Even Metal gave a thumbs up.
Belle hid her frown. They all had so much confidence in their father, such strong loyalty and love for him in varying degrees…
She missed her dad.
You were distracted when Sage faked a Motobug body malfunction to try and switch your property cards, which you easily and playfully stopped.
Xxx
After game night, you returned to your room. You looked over to your blank letter. You give a tired little smile as you begin writing.
(Well papa, everything has been.... Weird.
I have some… new friends. We're not as close as one thinks but… I still like them, alot more than I was expecting to.
I think you would like them too, or at least find them neat.
I have been very helpful! Just like you! Though this helping has been... scary, to put it mildly. But I want to be just like you, helping even if there's no benefit, even if it's hard.
And my new boss… he doesn't make it as hard as I expected.
In short, things are weird, like I said earlier.
But maybe.. maybe that's not so bad. You always said weird things are usually just things people didn't take the time to understand. But I am starting to get it. And I guess.. I guess things change, huh?
I love you, papa.
Signed, Belle)
You finish up the letter and tuck it away safely in a box. You would probably write more later.
Just as you are about to rest, there's a knock on the door. When you go to open it, you see a Motobug Zipping away. You look down and see a crudely drawn picture of you, Orbot, Cubot, Sage and Metal holding hands under a rainbow.
…You put that picture in the same box for safekeeping.