Chapter Thirty Four– " Invitation "

I'm sure the universe would recover from the shock eventually.

As Nox made his way back, the distant echoes of Millio's tools clung faintly behind him. A loose and extremly rusted pipe let out a soft hiss of steam. It was barley holding together deformed by the pressure from inside. The passage was dim and narrow, dusty and rocky. The further he walked, the more the noise faded. It got replaced by the suffocating silence of the tunnels. 

One could say a screaming silence ever present in Coreline. 

They reached the end of the tunnel where Chet waited, casually leaning against the boulder tapping on his phone.

Nox grinned, knocking twice against the rock.

"Hey, horns, need a big hand in here!"

Chet glanced up, unimpressed.

"You know, one day I might just leave you in there."

Nebular snorted from inside the bag.

"Good idea. But not today. Don't leave me alone with him."

Nox knocked again, this time more dramatic.

"Listen, I don't care if you make this boulder vanish through wizardry or brute force, just do it quick". Cough Cough" The dust is eating me up in here."

A few quiet coughs escaped the fox's throat, and Chet sighed, cracking his knuckles.

"Yeah, yeah. Boulder-lifting … hm or maybe rolling magic, coming right up."

He planted his hands against the rough surface, boots grinding against the dirt as he pushed. The rock groaned in protest, scraping along the ground with a deep, dragging growl.

Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrzzz

Nebular chimed in through Chet's earpiece.

"See? Told you rolling would be easier."

"Yeah, yeah," Chet grunted. "You were right."

Nox reached over and patted Chets shoulder, or at least, as far up as he could reach.

"Appreciate it, muscle wizard. Let's get moving before I start coughing up the entire tunnel."

Chet drags the huge boulder back in place, rolling was easier but definitely not effortless.

As the stone grinded along the floor it left a pretty hefty mark. " But Chet didn't bother brushing it away with his feet."

Nebular pulsed blue.

"Fun fact: strength is only as effective as the brain using it."

Chet scoffed.

"I'd rather have a big heart than a big brain."

"That's why I'm here to balance you out."

Nox lifted a paw, pointing to himself.

"And I'm the good instincts. And the pretty face."

Nebular paused. A short laugh crackled in the earpiece.

"Pretty face?"

He smirked.

"Exactly. Brains, heart, instincts, and the charming looks. We're practically the Coreline Avengers."

As the boulder settled behind them, they began their walk back. The city had shifted since earlier. Wind rolled lazily between the buildings, tugging at loose scraps of paper and whispering down rusted alleys, sometimes you could spot a leaf falling down from somewhere., though that was a rare occurrence.

The crowds were thinning. Most had already vanished into bars, clubs, or behind locked doors. Nox walked a little slower than usual, hands tucked in his pockets.

He used to love nights like this. Getting lost in the blur of music and noise, disappearing into the chaos. It helped him forget, even if the consequences always caught up eventually. But things had shifted. Maybe not everything, but something had changed lately.

He rummaged through his pocket and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper Millio had given him.

Meanwhile, Chet and Nebular were locked in what had become a very passionate debate.

"I'm just saying," Chet insisted, tapping a finger into his palm, "a real banger party needs something that goes boom. That's the law. Like a broomstick with confetti!"

"A banger party does not, in fact, require a 'boom stick,'" Nebular hissed. "Just like baby powder is not made of babies."

He threw his hands in the air. "That's gotta be the wrongest argument I've ever heard."

If Nebular had eyebrows, you could bet a liver she'd be raising one now. "You mean… worst?"

Nox unfolded the invite under the light of a nearby glowing sign for a night club.

Big party at the old CoreMall. Tomorrow evening. No dress code. No questions. Only party. All night…

He raised an eyebrow.

"'No questions' already sounds like five crimes waiting to happen."

Chet leaned closer looking over the poster.

"Only five? You're getting soft, Nox."

The fox facepalmed with a groan.

"Ugh I know, maybe I shouldn't go."

"Or," Chet said, scratching his chin, "ask Zee to come with you. Could be fun. You two hanging out for real, finally."

Nebular flickered pink, then soft green.

"Wow. That might be the smartest thing I've heard from you today, Chet. Actually... a very good idea."

Nox coughed awkwardly and quickly folded the invite, stuffing it back in his pocket.

"Zee? At a party like that? I dunno. Let's not make a big thing out of it."

His ears gave a small twitch, and for a second, a faint blush crept under the fur of his cheeks.

"Alright, alright," Chet added. "Just saying. Music, lights, something that's not broken wires and coffee mugs. She might like it."

Nebular buzzed with amusement.

"Not to mention what she'll say about your fashion statement."

Her voice shifted, a little softer.

"You could ask her. Zee, I mean. I think she'd say yes."

Nox didn't answer right away. His steps slowed slightly. For a moment, all he heard was the city hum, the distant chatter, a train clattering overhead, the buzz of a neon sign fighting to stay alive.

He looked down at his boots.

"...Maybe I should do something."

Suddenly, Chet broke the quiet again.

"Okay but, Neb. If baby powder's for babies, then boom sticks are for banger parties."

Nebular's glow flared yellow.

"That is the worst logic I've ever processed."

"But it sounds right, doesn't it? There is no baby without baby powder so there is no -"

Nox finally cracked a smile, the tension dropping from his shoulders as he interrupts their debate.

"You guys… I think no party is a banger party without me."

Both Nebular and Chet could agree on one thing, that was the worst thing they had heard in their conversation.

"Yo Nox that's where we part ways again." Chet stops pointing in a different direction.

"Yeah we will stay in touch, and ill need your help once we do this little USB heist together don't forget that!" Nox rolls up his sleeve slightly. "You know im a professional!"

Nebular hissed, still mad because of the bag incident. " Of course our professional dumpster diver."

Chet busted out in deep rumbling laughter. "Hahaha, that's even better than fox fertilizer! Okay Neb I count on you to keep an digital eye hovering over Nox!" With a little effort he pulled out the ear plug and gave it back to Nox.

Nox stepped in with a smirk. "And you don't try to lift any vending machines again, alright? I don't want to explain to another officer why my best friend's stuck under a snack tray."

Chet chuckled, shaking his head already moving slightly in a different direction. "That was one time." After a small pause and a little bit of distance made he threw over his shoulder. "and I almost got it!"

Nox wated goodbye and shouted from a far. " Yeah almost got it buddy, but you defently got stuck!"

Nebular lit up blue in his bag teasingly. " What was that just about, Fox fertelizer huh?"