ShadowxDusty Part 1: Welcome to England!

A Roleplay between and , featuring Dusty and Shadow




The black Toyota Celica watched through the window at the passing world of snow and ice, the winds rattled against the plane's surface, making her shudder slightly. Christmas time again. And once again she was alone. She sighed a little as she sensed the plane coming into land, the familiar queasy feeling seizing her. She had never been a fan of flying, though she usually had company. But not this time. She looked to the spot where Finn usually sat, a sadness twisting within her.

The plane landed with a soft bump, and within a few seconds, had come to a halt. She sighed a little, pressing the button to lower the ramp. She drove down, and drove to the front of the plane, looking up at him fondly.

"Well Sid, this is where we say our goodbyes" She said to the plane sadly. Siddeley gave her a sympathetic look.

"Hey, we'll meet again another day. Only time will tell of course" He responded. She watched as the plane took off after a few minutes of exchanges, and sat on the tarmac, watching him vanish. She sighed softly, noting the airport around her. Planes of all shapes and sizes were here, Shadow would have to be careful not to get in anyone's way. With a small rev of her engine, she made her way across the runways, her gaze cast to the floor.




London Stansted Airport was particularly cold this day, and the red, white, and black plane shivered in the chilly air as he taxied across the pavement. Snow tendrils were whipped around in the breeze, creating spirally shapes that drew the plane's attention as he rolled along the mostly clear tarmac. But he moved aside as a gargantuan blue Korean Air Cargo 747 moved by him, glaring down at him with a scowl, as if saying "what are you doing here?"

The deep hum of his engines caused Dusty Crophopper to back up a bit, not wanting to get caught behind this guy, even though the temptation of the warmth was very great. Shivering again, he kept moving forward, trying to find his terminal. He was here for a British rally race this weekend, but hadn't removed his pontoons or repainted himself yet; he still looked like a firefighter through and through.

He was watching the big Korean Air 747 taxi to the runway, still intrigued by how massive jets took off and landed. He wasn't paying attention to his front, and felt his pontoons bump into something solid as he yelped a bit and rolled backwards. "Oh I'm so sorry!" he quickly apologized, eyes going wide as he saw it was a Toyota of some kind he'd just run into. "I wasn't paying attention!"




Shadow had been in her own little world, too submerged to see the Cropduster headed toward her. She gave a shiver of her own, just as something bumped into her. She leapt back immediately, her training with CHROME causing her to have lightning quick reactions, though saw immediately this was not a threat that presented itself. She backed away a little, apologizing herself.

"No no, i'm sorry!! I wasn't looking where i was going, i shouldn't have cut across the runways like that!" She said, looking away sheepishly. This wasn't a good start for her new career. She looked to the plane before her, her mind finally kicking in.

"I'm so sorry, I'm in your way!!!" She said, moving forward slightly. Her British accent made her feel as though she was being sarcastic, so gave him a gentle smile.




"No, no! That's quite all right!" he returned the smile, moving aside even as she moved to go around him. "I'm actually kind of lost!" he admitted, hoping to stop her. "See uh... I'm new here and... do you know this airport? I just arrived and I'm trying to find um... what did they say? I think it's called Satellite Two." Dusty stated. "It's like... a terminal but... a satellite terminal I guess. Do you know where that is?" he inquired hopefully.




Shadow smiled as he explained, her expression lighting up. It was nice to have a change in attitude around here. "Oh! Really?? That's where i'm headed!!" She exclaimed, pushing herself up on her tires a little. "I can take you there, it's pretty easy to find, once you know the area" Shadow chuckled lightly. She turned around and started to head down toward the terminals, turning on her lights as the snow continued to fall.

"Say, you're American aren't you? Why on earth would you come to England in the middle of winter?? It's hardly good weather here at the best of times!" She smiled, looking up at him.




"Oh?" he asked, sighing a bit in relief as she mentioned it was where she was heading. Yes! All right! "I'll just follow you then!" he agreed, nodding his front as he moved after her as she began heading through the snow. He noticed a big oblong glass building... that had to be the main terminal. He wasn't sure how many satellite terminals existed here, and he was glad for her presence, feeling immediately reassured that he wouldn't be hopelessly lost here.

"Yes, I am!" he confirmed, returning her smile as she mentioned the weather, and he shivered in response to this. "Tell me about it! Well see... I know I don't look it right now but... I'm actually an air racer in my uh... spare time." he explained, trying to think how best to word this. "I came here for the rally but... given the weather... I'm not sure it's going to be held at this rate." he chuckled here, looking at all the snow falling around them, even as a luggage trolley drove by them, crossing their path and interrupting their progress for just a moment before freeing up their space again.




Shadow halted very slightly as he mentioned being a racer, glancing at his paintwork. She smiled again, happy to see he was so friendly and was immediatly settled with his presence. "Oh the Queen's British Rally?? Yeah, that race is a tough one, only the best enter. They do try and make sure to add weather as a challenge...." Shadow said, glancing to the sky. "This year being considerably harder!"

Shadow chuckled again, glancing once again at his paintwork. "Forgive me if i look, but as you said, you're not really painted for a Rally" She giggled, looking ahead toward the building. She stopped as a large passenger jet was led near to wear they were, Shadow instinctively putting a tire out to stop Dusty from going forward. She watched the bigger jet carefully, though her smile didn't fade.

"Oh! My manners! My name's Shadow Carlisle"




"Great!" he replied with a chuckle of his own, though it was mostly an insincere "great" as he rolled his eyes, still smiling though as he looked up at the falling skies with her. "Yeah... this year's going to be a regular snow fest I can see!"

"Oh! Yes! I know I'm not!" he replied, giving out a short laugh. "See I'm actually a firefighter in my regular job... but weekends I become an air racer. Though actually... I'm thinking of keeping this paint scheme when I race... just because I'm proud to be a firefighter now and all... so I dunno." He shrugged his ailerons here.

"Shadow Carlisle you say?" he asked, smiling as he watched a large 767 pass in front of them, sliding to a halt as she put her tire out to caution him. "Thanks." he said in response to her stopping him. "Pleasure to meet you! I'm Dusty... Dusty Crophopper... you... might have heard of me." he stated humbly, looking down at the ground now as if it were no big deal.




"Being a firefighter is an honorable job, wear that paint with pride!! not many get to wear it" Shadow complimented, looking to him again. She drove forward more, the snow getting stuck to her tires and undercarraige, making her shiver harder. She had slightly over taken him, when he mentioned his name, at which she braked suddenly, reversing to the side slightly.

"Dusty Crophopper??? Really!!! It's an honour to meet you! You must forgive me not recognizing you, you look very different as a firefighter!" Shadow said, her eyes lighting up as she talked. She grinned at him again, pushing herself up a little on her tires again. It was certainly uncommon to meet a celebrity, especially one such as him. She turned her attention to ahead of her, hearing an announcement for Satellite Two.

"Oh! We've gotta hurry!" She said, giving a slight laugh as she did so, revving her engine and leading the way.




"Yeah... I definitely will." he replied, smiling at her compliment and knowing it was true. He took great pride in what he did now, and would gladly represent firefighters all over the world by wearing his paint scheme proudly in his races from now on.

But she practically screeched to a halt as she heard his name, and he looked down again bashfully as she let fly with his name. It was a reaction he was used to by now, but he had to admit, unlike Dipper, who seemed to fall over herself and squeal with delight in a somewhat grating fashion, Shadow's reaction was by far tamer and even cuter in a way, how she rose up on her tires like that. "Yeah..." he smiled softly in reply. "I do look rather different as a firefighter." But then some announcement was made he somewhat missed thanks to his response, but it seemed to galvanize Shadow into movement, and he widened his own eyes in surprise.

"Oh! Oh! OK!" he called, starting up his engine so he could move a bit faster after her now as she rushed off for Satellite Two, the plane in hot pursuit.




Shadow paused in hallway, staring down at the mass of planes and cars that mingles in the terminals, her expression changing to concern. "We'll never make it on time...." She said quietly, watching them all. A thought crossed her mind, another smile lighting up her face.
"Say, Dusty, you may be a legend of the air, but how are you on the ground??" She said, a friendly challenge in her words, confirmed with a few revs of her engine, which roared to life. She smirked at him.

"I wonder if you can keep up!" She chuckled, and within seconds, her tires were spinning and she shot forward, her tires squealing on the polished floor. She glanced into her wing mirror to watch him. She had a back up plan in case he couldn't travel as fast.



"The ground?" he asked, blinking. "I-I've never tried racing on the ground!" Even as he said this, her engine roared to life, and he opened his mouth in surprise as she appeared to be challenging him. This was confirmed when she wondered aloud if he could keep up, even as she took off, zooming across the smooth, slick floors.

"Whoa! You're on!" he called after her, throttling up his engine as he began moving through the crowds, cars zooming out of his way the minute they saw a plane charging towards them with his prop spinning wildly. Dusty yelled out a bit as he began sliding along the floors, noting it was like taxiing on ice or something. "Whoa!" he exclaimed again, laughing a bit as he looked down, watching his wheels as they turned left and right to keep him steady and from zipping off into a stray car here or there. He seemed to be keeping pace fairly well, though he was behind her due to his more erratic path and failure to steer a straight line. It seemed he was still getting used to this. On the ground he'd just kind of roll along or takeoff and land, but he'd never tried anything like this!




SHadow laughed, watching him still in her wing mirror, neatly dodging cars left and right with precision. She watched him for a few more moments, before seeing that the final call was being made for the terminal. She grinned. "We're gonna have to go a little faster" SHe said to herself, twisting one of her back grappling hooks and shot it out toward Dusty. It quickly wrapped around one of his tire stands, and within seconds she was pulling him forward faster, racing toward the terminal.
Once it was clearly within sight, she started to brake, her grappling hook unraveling from him as she withdrew it, and laughed as she skidded to a halt, skidding more to the side. She stopped fully, panting and laughing some more. "Say, your not bad on the ground!!" She chuckled, looking up at him again, shaking her hood slightly. "Certainly warmed me up too!!"




"Whooooa!" he cried out as her grappling hook snagged him and dragged him along, this being a true skating experience for him now! He wove left and right, trying his best to keep everyone out of the way. "Coming through! Sorry!" he apologized, though was in high spirits all the same as he received strange looks from cars and vans he raced by.

She finally stopped and unhooked him, letting him slide to a stop beside her as he throttled down. "Wow! That was awesome!" he exclaimed, grinning. "But what did you just do?" he asked, trying to find her grappling hook. "How... what was that?" he inquired curiously.




Shadow laughed again, getting her breath back, infused by his enthusiasm. She smiled at him, pushing herself up again. "Let's just say i have a few hidden secrets!" She said, giving him a wink. "I have a few things installed that not a typical car would have!" She reversed slightly, her attention turning to the cars behind the terminal desk. "Anyway, this is Satellite Two, just in time!" She chuckled, moving over to the desk

She handed her ticket over and they checked her over. This part always made Shadow tense, as she knew what the Agency had installed within her, and it could easily be turned into a situation. Though the scanner passed over her without pause, then turned to Dusty as she passed through. Shadow turned around and waited for him patiently, her smile still bright.




She was first to head through, and he just couldn't believe her installations! A grappling hook? "What exactly do you do for a living?" he asked, returning her smile as she turned to face him, waiting for him to move through. He handed over his own ticket, which was scanned, before he moved through the machine with no problems. "I mean is that like... part of your job or something? Or just like... you aren't like a rock climber or something are you?"




Shadow chuckled as he asked his many questions, giving him another smile. "A rock climber??" She asked, raising her eyebrows at his suggestion. She turned around to drive by his side as they made their way to the exit, an already chilly breeze reaching them. She braced herself for when the cold fully hit, though the doors were a few metres off.

"I'm more in the line of... special forces. British Intelligence in fact. Let's just say there are... occupational hazards." Shadow said to him, her sile growing. She giggled at his amazement of her installations, knowing he would probably have a field day if he knew what else she could do.

"I protect and serve this country with my life, so those like you can be here safely" She said gently, giving him another smile




"SERIOUSLY?" he practically squeaked. "You're like a..." but he paused, remembering to lower his voice as he saw several cars looking at him. "A spy?" he whispered directly to her. "You mean like James Bond and all that type of stuff?" his eyes lit up eagerly at this. "Oh man that is SO cool!" he gasped, looking at her with the widest of smiles on his face. "What else can you do? Can you turn into a jet? Or like... a submarine?" he rattled off his questions like a young kid asking about a new toy.




Shadow glanced about fearfully as he shouted, giving everyone around her a worried smile, before driving forward a little, using her grappling hook again to drag him more to the side of the hallway, so they weren't so exposed. She laughed at his eagerness as she withdrew her hook, looking to him again. "Ok, yes, i am. Very dangerous work! But it's worth it!" She gave him an amused look as he asked more questions, a sense of happiness filling her. This plane actually wanted to know about her, wanted to know what she could do. Only a couple of others had taken this much interest in her, and it felt nice.

"Oh, well i wouldn't say a jet or a submarine, but i have a few disguises..." She said, looking to him again after a quick glance round. "Maybe you'll get to see them all one day!" She chuckled, notioning with her hood toward the exit.




"Ahhh cool!" he exclaimed, still grinning. "Yeah! I'd certainly like to see them!" He noticed her nodding towards the exit now though, and nodded his front in reply. "OK... yeah! Guess you can't just turn into something in front of everyone... that'd be... not very discreet." he chuckled, taking the lead as he moved towards the exist. "Still that's seriously awesome! I've never met someone like you before!" he added, choosing his words carefully here as they were around more cars again.




Shadow smiled again. "Well it's not really that typical that we announce ourselves, or make ourselves known....." Shadow started, pushing the door open with her front, and instantly feeling the breeze, which shocked her right to her engine, causing her to shiver. "You could have met an agent and not even know it!" Shadow said, looking up to him.

"Think of all those times you thought you saw something out the corner of your eye, the times you've automatically trusted someone with no apparent reason, those times you felt safe. That's us..." Shadow smiled, looking ahead now. She paused in the snow, the snow flying around them, getting heavier as they spoke.

"Which way you headed??"




Dusty listened to her with an ever growing smile creeping across his face, his eyes still aglow as she explained he very could've met an agent before and not even known it! Yes... yes that was quite true! "Wow... yeah you're right! I never even thought of it like that!" he agreed.

But he shivered terribly as the door was opened, and the snow practically slammed them in the face. It was so cold here! It reminded him of the time he'd visited Piston Peak in the winter! "Oh uh... I'm-I'm going to my hotel I guess... they said it was close to Satellite Two! I can barely see anything out here though!" he noted, the snow swirling about them. "Where are you headed?"




Shadow glanced around them, unsure herself of which way the hotel would have been, despite knowing the area very well. "I have an apartment a couple blocks down, very suave, if i do say so myself." Shadow stated, smiling a little. Awfully lonely though...... She looked to the floor slightly in sadness, before an idea crossed her mind.

"Say, the hotels around here aren't that great, you're more than welcome to stay with me while you're here. It'd be my honour!" She said, looking up to him again, a somewhat hopeful smile on her face. Not to mention the thought of companionship greatly appealed to her. She turned away slightly to look down the street, turning her lights to full beam. "We'd best hurry before it gets worse, it'll be getting dark very soon"




"Really? I mean... I-I don't want to impose!" he quickly interjected, looking away with a smile. "It's... only if it's OK with you. I get to stay for free at the hotel anyway... so it's not like they'd miss me." he chuckled. "So provided you're OK with it... I'd love to check out this suave place of yours." Grinning, he nodded at her. "Lead the way!"




Shadow chuckled. "Great, follow me. Of course, if you can keep up!" She winked and crossed to the road in front of her. She kept her lights up at full beam, fighting to see what was in front of her, as the snow flurried across her vision. It was mainly one road, however the snow was quickly building, making it harder to get through. She had trouble shifting through the deeper parts, having to push her self up.

She eventually approached a tall building, the outside looking like it was mostly made of glass. She pushed through the doors, shaking herself off as she entered. The heated floor was a warm welcome to her, neon lighting lined the edges of the room, the floor almost like glittery marble. She called the lift and pressed for the 8th floor, a soft melody playing in the background. One side of the lift was glass, which overlooked the whole of London, and she could see for miles around. Once at the right floor, she traveled along the corridor and approached the 6th door, a small pad ejected from the wall. SHe scanned her tire and it the door opened immediately. The apartment was open plan, and very clean. The floor was black in colour, the same marble used as downstairs. The whole of the wall in front of them was one window, overlooking London again. She approached the window and looked out, noting how beautiful London looked in the snow.

"Welcome to the best view in England" SHe said to him, smiling.




Dusty had an admitted advantage here, if only slightly thanks to his pontoons. He was able to keep himself high above the building snow, but still had to worry about getting stuck on the deeper parts. He helped her out by switching on his own wing lights, but was glad for headlights piercing the cold night all the same.

It was with great relief when they made it inside, and even greater relief to feel the heated floors. "OH yes!" he exclaimed happily, sighing as they moved to an elevator and started to ride upwards. Dusty admired the view, but as the lift was swift, he didn't have time to reflect on it too much before she led him to her apartment. A unique security feature prevented access, and he smiled at that little necessity. Interesting.

Moving inside, he marveled at the very nice digs she had. Way better than his hanger back home, though of course he loved that place to death. Taking him over to the window, he gasped as he stood beside her, the view taking his breath away. "Yeah! You're not kidding! Wooooow!" he exclaimed, looking down over the city as the snow fell, the lights here and there bathing the snow in their own unique glows.





Shadow couldn't help but smile at his reaction, as they both stood and watched the view intently. Shadow never got tires or bored of watching it. "I could be here for hours, just...... looking. Everytime i look out, i see something new. It's a goof place to car watch. You see so many interesting things from up here" She sighed happily, continuing to look out. She reversed a little to look into her apartment, glancing over everything. "I can show you to the room. It's the guest room, so there's not a terrible amount in there, but i think you'll like it she chuckled, leading him up a ramp in the corner of the room.

There were a few closed doors, and she pushed open the second one. The far wall was yet again a large window, and there were shelves up on the walls, and a series of blankets in the corners. There were other features aswell, to accommodate for any drinks, a small fridge and an intercom system. There was even a very large cushion/mattress on the floor, for either sleeping or relaxing. She drove to the centre of the room. "Watch this" She smirked, pressing a button on the wall and parts of the wall parted, a very large plasma screen emerging.




"Yeah..." he agreed softly, smiling as he looked down at the view. Too bad there wouldn't be any car watching tonight, since not many cars were out. She offered to show him to his room from this point, so he moved to follow her, taking one last look at the view before moving up a ramp and past a few doors before stopping in front of one. He wondered what would be inside, and was immensely relieved to see it contained another fantastic view.

"Oh this will do nicely!" he replied, grinning as he moved over to the window, as if drawn to it. She then showed off a very nice feature of the room, and he looked at her knowingly after the walls parted to reveal the screen. "OK... OK... I'll admit it. I'm impressed! You got all the cool toys!" he chuckled, figuring this plasma screen wasn't cheap.




Shadow laughed. "Yes, i guess we do, this is pretty neat stuff we have here!" She said, moving to the window again, looking back out. There was an air of sadness that washed over her. "Of course, it doesn't come without a price. The life of a spy... it can be a lonely one. You're afraid to keep anyone close. Those you love can be used against you, and it's very dangerous all round. As well as your own life is constantly in danger too, the amount of times ive had a near miss...." Shadow shook her hood.

"Your trained to not think of the bad side, as an agent you can only do good. But, hey, we get a pretty neat life" Shadow chuckled the last part lightly, glancing to the plane next to her




"Hmm... yeah..." Dusty trailed off thoughtfully, staring out at the view again, then looking down at her as she mentioned how lonely it could be. He could only imagine... to think that a mere thing as friendship could be so compromising to an agent. "I... I'm not sure I could ever do that." he said softly. "Surrender my friendships... I have people I care about SO much... the thought of losing them... but I guess that's what would make a spy weak, isn't it?" he asked sadly, gazing at her. "So you... don't have many social friends I'm guessing."




Shadow turned her gaze slowly back to the window. "It doesn't make you a weak spy, it makes you a vulnerable one. Many of the Agents i know dont risk having friends or family and completely remove themselves from everyone. I have a couple of friends, though only other Agents" She said, staring out at the view.

"You become desperate after a while, to have company. The amount of times i've had to stop myself from just randomly approaching cars, just to be in their presence. There is an agent i know however, and she has many, many friends. She is quite the social butterfly! She knows how to protect her friends though, i know i certainly do. You cover everything up and you do anything for them" SHadow added, watching the snow fall, getting lighter, so they could see the lights of London more brilliantly.




"So like... you can't tell them at all about yourself?" he asked, gulping. "If you were to have friends that is. They just think you're an ordinary car? So then... why did you tell me?" he asked softly. "I mean I know it's probably not a big deal... I wouldn't go revealing your secret or anything but... why did you open to me?" The snow fell outside the window, creating a pleasant backdrop that caused Dusty to start to relax here. He felt safe in this apartment, but also incredibly sorry for Shadow as well.




Shadow shook her hood sadly. "We can't reveal much about ourselves, it would compromise our entire being, putting loads at risk" She started, looking to the floor sadly. However, Shadow looked up when he asked why she had revealed herself to him. She reversed back a little, a slightly. frown in her face, as if she was thinking.

"I-" She started, before looking to him, watching him steadily for a moment. "Because i feel i can trust you" SHe said gently. "I dont get the feeling very often, but when i feel i can trust someone, im right. I feel quite at ease with you.... i can't explain it" Shadow said thoughtfully, her attention turning to the window.




Dusty didn't react at first, then let a small smile push itself across his face. "I see..." he replied, turning to look out the window again. "I'll keep your secret... and I'm glad you trust me. I mean I know this is probably meaningless to you but... I'm quite the trustworthy plane. You had uh... mentioned families. Did you... uh... forget about yours? Leave them... behind?" he next inquired.




Shadow blinked a couple of times at the mention of her own family, instantly panicking. She reversed away from the window, looking to the tv. "If you wanna turn this on, it's pretty simple. The button is on the side there, hit the blue one. Theres plenty of channels to choose from!!" SHe smiled. "Also, the fridge is fully stocked, help yourself, i can't have it all" She giggled slightly. "An Agent has to keep fit!" She made her way to the end of the room, more toward the door.

"Your more than welcome to roam freely if you want. I'll let you get settled in here first, shout if you need anything, i'll do my best!" She said, looking to the window again, before smiling. "Do you have to train or something for your rally??"




Dusty had to admit, he was a bit taken aback at the sudden abrupt change in Shadow. She seemed nervous or agitated, the way she quickly began rattling off information to him. He blinked, turning to look at her as she moved towards the door, her words coming swiftly and going at a mile a minute. "Uh... OK..." was all he could manage to get out at first. "Um..." Sensitive subject? It had to have been, the way she'd reacted. But... why? Had they been killed? Was she protecting them?

He blinked again at her question. "uh yeah! Training would help! It can't hurt!" he nodded his front, confused.




Shadow smiled back at him, seemingly have dodged the question of her family. She knew it would be brought up again at some point. But she wanted Dusty to know her better, so he would judge her on herself, not her family. She looked to the clock in the room, reading 8.30pm. She smiled.

"Tomorrow morning, i can take you to a training area, used by agent planes. It's real good for reflexes and getting your turns right. Probably not the training your used to but it will help you no end!" She said slower, calming her general presence down, becoming more relaxed.

"I can show you a couple of places in London too, you might wanna visit some of the places that the race takes you on. Give you an advantage!" Shadow said, raising her eyebrows. She gave her tires a small wiggle. "I'm just gonna set up the cleaning service, it's arriving very early tomorrow and i need to prevent that!" SHe laughed, reversing out the room. "Remember, call me if you need anything!!" She called, pulling away from the door and going down the ramp.