All things considered; it could be much worse. At the very least, that is what Rouge is choosing to believe.

It is likely quite telling, how much effort she has put in to be here. She flew nonstop last night; she could have easily made them wait.

But, when it comes to all things shiny and precious, Rouge just can't help herself. She'd barely spared a few minutes to pack a satchel, even neglecting to bring her mission suit. Probably going to come back to bite her, but she can make the civvies work.

The things you do for the ones you love.

Rouge takes a quiet sip of her Yerba Mate tea – Knuckie does have such an eclectic collection in his humble little kitchen – and watches the three heroes as the wander and talk around the shrine, too far for even her and her trained ears to hear.

They are hard pressed to help their guardian friend, and they should be. Rouge used to sort of be afraid of it, the affection she feels for him. You see, Rouge just isn't the type. She doesn't feel soft and mushy for anything other than glimmering, sought after baubles. She is perfectly disciplined, not even a hair out of place. The picture of diligence.

Except, really, she is none of those things. At least, not when it comes to this.

It used to be a game. No one was supposed to actually be on the island when pretty miss Rouge first located the gem, her gem. Her greatest score: The Master Emerald. Chalked up to simple legend, fictitious, like the rest of echidna myths (of course, any real historian knows the race did truly exist). Of course, Rouge knows all legends hold a sliver of truth, and by god she hoped that truth was a vibrant, gleaming jewel, bigger than a car.

Difficult to find, took her a few months to even get a sniff of where it could be. Not surprising, a floating island is not exactly the first idea that comes to mind when treasure hunting. After that was figured out, it was a little easier. Searching for strange weather patterns, odd clouds, stuff like that. Narrowing it down was a hassle, Mobius is gigantic, but if anyone could do it, it was Rouge.

She is the best at what she does, after all.

At the very least she was. Then she had to go and meet this selfless, honorable, and knuckleheaded guardian. Hilarious, really, how much you can lie to yourself when it comes to caring for others. Time after time half-heartedly trying to steal an ancient, gorgeous relic, just so she could see him. First it was Shadow, and now she is flying halfway across the world to check on the world's one and only echidna.

Mercy, she truly has gone soft.

So, despite her futile efforts, worry still twists in her gut. Rouge would never let it show outwardly, of course, but the feeling is still there. That is the hard thing about making some friends, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep up your cool and unbothered persona.

Well, perhaps that is not so bad. Rouge smiles, the three have seemingly finished their hike around the shrine, and have come to meet her by her perch on top of Knuckles' cabin.

There is a certain something in the way they all carry themselves, a stiffness that tells of hidden away anxieties. Maybe no, but Rouge is hardly ever wrong about such things. Still, they all smile at her as they approach.

"He hasn't come back yet?" Tails asks, spinning his signature namesakes and levitating up to meet her. He kneads a tuft of fur on his chest, hopeful.

She does feel a little well of guilt swell in her stomach, she hates to disappoint such an adorable thing. "Let him fix his bridge, he will find his way back when he's ready." She says, gentle as she can muster for the young fox. He makes a sad sound of acknowledgment, tries not to show how it eats away at him, but his ears fall back, despite his discretion.

Amy takes a seat in the grass just below her, crossing her legs, thoughtful. Sonic remains standing, foot tapping and ear twitching, it is subtle, but Rouge can tell he is struggling to remain sedentary. Still, it is telling, he stays right next to Amy.

The pink hedgehog meets her gaze, her fingers pull and tear at the grass under her. "You're sure he's… Okay? I spoke with him yesterday and it was…" Words fail her, and her mouth shuts in favor to simply shake her head.

Rouge allows a healthy pause, taking the moment to finish her tea. Her teacup settles back onto the terracotta roof of the cabin with a satisfying 'clink!' Rouge thinks back to this morning. To shuddering hands and the visage of a dead race in the dirt. To her friend… No, her very dear someone, looking so utterly wearied. Her heart, regardless of her own wishes, gives a few heavy beats before settling back into a steady rhythm.

"No, my dear, he is not fine. He is two stumbles away from a hospital visit. Very nearly a basket case." It is said with more urgency than she means it to, heaven forbid she give away her concern, but perhaps… Perhaps here it is granted.

Her eyes have trailed away from the group, and when she finds them again, they all appear grim. Even Sonic appears morose, in his own way. It would be jarring for anyone that isn't her.

Though, perhaps it would be wise not to continue down this line of conversation. Kind, even, and Rouge is hardly kind.

She waves her hand, hoping it might catch their attention. "But, I've already bought his birthday present, so we've got to get this fixed by then." That might be wishful thinking, Rouge does not expect to fix anything. Something of this caliber is not simply fixed, Rouge is plenty aware of that. The undoing of one's own self is raw and exhausting, and most importantly, it all takes so much tine.

Fixed? No, definitely not, but Rouge will certainly settle for better. Maybe not even that, she might even be content with progress.

Movement of any kind, because things simply cannot stay as they are now.

"I am not as wonderful as you all think I am."

No, decidedly not.

The humor in her tone does not truly land, no one is in the mood for quiet diversions, but even so, they all play along with breathy tired chuckles. It is more of a reaction than what she might get from Omega and Shadow, so perhaps she might be grateful. Her boys are wonderful, truly, she would never slander her lovely boys. But, there is not a humorous bone in their bodies, or circuits, in Omega's case. Although it could be considered unhealthy, Rouge likes having some friends to hide pain behind strained giggles, sometimes. Only sometimes, when it is needed.

A heavy load is relieved from her shoulders as she breathes a few long sighs, collecting herself, even if she is sure she hasn't betrayed any unease. It is mostly for her own good, the group has other things to worry themselves over.

"I already called pretty much everyone; they should be here by tomorrow… Though it was kind of difficult to explain the situation, since I don't really know what it is – nor do I know what we're going to do about it." Amy informs, Rouge is fully aware that the ice in her tone is fully intended for her.

"I left team Dark to you, Rouge, I figured they might listen to you more than me." Amy says into the air, it makes Tails jump next to her, broken from his trance by her sudden speech. Rouge gives an affirmative nod, eyeing Sonic. He hasn't said a word, which is utterly suspicious. Rouge is quite good at reading people, as is required by her trade, but the reigning hero of Mobius has always been… Tricky, to say the least.

Plotting, no doubt, he has known Knuckles longer than even her, it must be torture to still know so little. Though Rouge is certain Sonic has his own theories.

She turns, Tails appears deep in rumination, his hands fidget and work at the edges of the tablet he seems to have materialized. Her gaze must weigh heavy on him, because his head turns towards her. Rouge keeps her eyes steadfast, but speaks towards the two hedgehogs under her. "Wonderful, doll, that is all the time I need." Whatever her true feelings may be, her typical wry smile still slides easily into her features.

"What are you going to do?" Tails asks, and Rouge could wrap him in a warm embrace. He does sound so very concerned. Sometimes, Rouge longs to feel as freely as he can, but she is all smoke and mirrors to most. To most.

It is effortless, leaning in to wrap him into a side hug. It is an awkward angle, his neck is craned to bend with the crevice by her collarbone, but he doesn't appear to be offended by the gesture, if not a little surprised.

"We are going to do a little research, pumpkin." Letting go, she catches the rustle of leaves to her left, far off. The wildlife here all watch them, quiet sentries to the island. Not quite up to the caliber of Knuckles, but Rouge knows well enough that the creatures here are more than they appear. Next to her, Tails either has not noticed, or does not pay them any mind.

"Knuckie has shown you some of the libraries scattered around, hasn't he dear?" She uses her sweetest voice when speaking to him. Not that he needs to be spoken to that way, Tails is not to be underestimated, certainly not. Rouge just can't help herself. She really does need to stop having so many soft spots for these people.

The fox takes a moment to process her inquiry, pulling away to scratch at his ear. Finally, he speaks, sounding hesitant. "He's… He's revealed a few to me, but he keeps the bigger more hidden ones secret – there's even one literally titled 'The Hidden Library' apparently, but he won't show me -which is okay! I know he likes to keep a lot of that stuff in the past – just history, you know…" There is more on his tongue, Rouge can just see his mind working, but he stops himself.

She rests a hand on his shoulder, he smiles back at her. Lopsided and sickeningly sweet. "That's alright, dear, I'm sure the public ones you know will have what we need." With that, Rouge flaps her wings a few times, helping herself to stand on tall on the roof, Tails follows suit. She gives him a few affectionate pats on the back.

"If you're ready darling, we can get started right away." She injects some authority into her tone, that same authority she used to use during the resistance. Tails appears a little startled, his fur bristles before his mind catches up.

Tail's heaves a breathy chuckle, paired with a nervous smile. "Oh – Oh, okay um – just give me a second to grab my stuff!" He announces, staggering to get up himself. Rouge gives him a nod with a smile, and he hops from his spot next to her, trotting inside the hut.

"What do you want us to do?" Amy asks, clearly itching to do something fruitful. She picks at her nails, and sways her body from side to side. The body language is reminiscent of Sonic, who looks utterly placid next to her. It makes her smile. How adorable.

Rouge makes a show of placing a finger to her pursed lips, playing up any of her contemplation. Finally, after Amy has squirmed enough to satisfy her, Rouge opens her mouth to answer.

"For now, dearies, I would like for you to stand by. Get things ready for the others, depending on how soon they are able to arrive. Mostly focus on waiting for gem to make his way here, I would like to avoid letting him be alone at the moment, if we can help it…" She trails off, and against her nature, her voice cracks under the weight of her words, and her tone turns soft. "… His mind is fighting against him." Rouge adds, mostly as a reminder, a motivator. Whether Amy and Sonic actually hear her is inconsequential.

Neither of them seem entirely satisfied with that answer, but Rouge doesn't have it in her to find a comforting word for them. With that, she flutters her winds and finds a spot to wait for Tails. She does what she can to avoid allowing her mind to wander to the mournful echidna across the island.

It does not take long before the young fox has gathered all his bibs and bobs required for the expedition. He grins ear to fuzzy ear when she instructs him to lead the way. His twin tails spin excitedly as he rambles on about the purpose and importance of the location of each of these little libraries.

"So, at first there weren't that many – but since the island rose to the sky they just had so much information lost, so everyone – scholars, workers, children even – all started writing everything they knew -" Tails pauses for a moment, eyes losing a bit of their elated shine. "… Knuckles once told me they knew that they were dying…" Rouge does not have a moment to feel the loss Tails has just implied before he has already shaken himself from his stupor. "- Anyway! Since everyone was cataloging everything, there got to be so much, from so many different sources, that I guess at some point they started to section everything off?" Tails gives a careful shrug.

"Knuckles says that they wanted to put the more important information where no one would ever find it, except the echidnas, but stuff like literature and cultural stuff was more readily available – still weird, echidna hidden, but available." The fox stops in his tracks, tightening his grip on his tablet and giving Rouge an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry, Knuckles has only shown me the… The easy ones, I've tried to get him to be a little more trusting because the echidnas were so advanced and who knows what kind of tech, they h- anyway, it's fine, they aren't our secrets to know, but I'm still sorry-"

Rouge clamps her hand down around his muzzle. Panic infects his features before relaxing into something more bewildered. Rouge taps his nose with her index finger. "It's okay, sweetheart, I am sure this one will have what we need." Letting go, she puts a gentle hand on his cheek. "This one will do just fine."

Tails lights up under her reassurance, grin resurfacing with an understanding nod.

It is a bit of a hike, and Rouge would much rather fly – especially since she and Tails both easily can – but Tails insists that this one is only accessible from the ground. Trees can be very dense, if they so desire. Rouge glares at the shadows cast by the leaf-cover of the tree-tops, the echidnas were very serious about keeping their knowledge hidden, if this is a the equivalent of a public library.

"Here it is," Tails announces humbly. Rouge follows where his hand gestures. At a glance, they have simply come upon a dead end. The forest just seems to stop, blocked by the appearance of an enormous, jutting cliff, it has to be at least several hundred feet tall. Though it is marked with thick vines and luscious moss, Rouge can vaguely make out the echidna's nomadic script, widespread and aged throughout the entire structure.

"It's beautiful," she whispers, it barely leaves her lips as more than a breath. Tails ever-sensitive ears still hear her, and he hums next to her. It is pretty, ancient and sacred in the way that all of Angel Island is. The echidnas had style. It isn't glorious, shining-glory-pretty, but it is pretty. Rouge takes in a satisfied sigh, shooting a grin Tails' way. "So, sweetheart, how do we get in?"

Tail's lets out a chuckle that sounds more like a wheeze, he scratches the back of his head. "Ha… So, technically… you can only get in if you are an echidna. I don't know how they made locks like that – the doors like know if you aren't an echidna, but it is very effective so -"

"Sweetheart, how do we get in?"

"- Ah, well, Knuckles dug a kind of… Door for us, a few years ago, when he got tired of opening it for me…" He laughs, melancholy and reminiscent. "Anyway, it should be around here somewhere, I marked it, but the foliage grows so quickly here, it got covered…"

Rouge replies with an acknowledging nod, and feigns helping him search. She certainly would try to help for real, if she had any clue where the hell to look. Knuckles has always had a knack for keeping things hidden, it must be in the echidna gene.

It takes a few painful, bug-biting minutes, but eventually Tails' ears perk up and he grins with an ecstatic "Aha!" Landing from his low hover, onto the lush grass and pulling out a pocket knife out of seemingly nowhere. "Here it is, I knew it was close." With that quiet celebration, he gets to cutting away the brush.

Rouge has to try very hard not to giggle as she watches. At this rate, it will take hours before they even get inside. Rouge looks down, and thank Chaos she never goes anywhere without her mission boots. Even in civvies, you never know.

She walks up behind him, letting him struggle for a few more seconds on a particularly ornery vine before Rouge speaks up, tapping him on the shoulder. "Baby, I'll get it." Rouge gives him a few seconds to step out of the way before she taps her heels together, releasing the blades hidden in her stilettos. It makes a satisfying 'click' and now she is a deadly weapon. To foliage, at least.

Her leg lifted high; the blades cut through the green in two solid swipes. What it reveals is nothing short of Knuckles. It is a crude opening, clearly just a few punches with Knuckles' strong fist, but at some point, a thick wooden door has been installed. There are a few ornate designed painted on, in pretty green paint, but otherwise it is plain.

Rouge chuckles, her mind visualizing the image of Knuckles taking the time to make a door for his friends who only visit every few weeks.

With another click of her heel, the weapons retract, and she breathes a relieved sigh, inspecting her handiwork. She is satisfied, and Tails seems just as impressed beside her. She clicks her tongue. "Let's not waste any of our time out here, darling. This may take a while."

That is all the warning the gives before she takes the crucial step from dense grass to flat stone as she steps into the darkness of the hallowed-out cave. Tails follows behind her, flipping on an altogether too-bright flashlight. Her eyes nearly water, and her eyes haven't even hit the epicenter of the light.

Tails releases an apologetic laugh. "Sorry, the place only lights up if uh – if Knuckles is with me, so I have to have a light bright enough to see anything." He explains, Rouge hums and walks forward into the now illuminated space.

The inside is a sight to behold. Rouge has always been baffled by echidna architecture – it truly was ahead of its time – and this structure is no different. The entire cave has been carved and shaped with intricate, swooping markings all the way up to the ceiling. Even some of the bookshelves that lay carved in the wall have been decorated. Several different varieties of stone all mingle together to create a beautiful marriage of muted earth tones.

Rouge can glean that some of the shapes on the walls are in fact forms of script, but echidna is just ancient enough that she could never hope to translate it without Knuckles' help.

That does bring up an important question. She turns her head to an already distracted Tails, who has taken to the first bookshelf he can see, hands grazing the archaic books.

"Tails, dear, I forgot to ask you… You do have a way to read these, don't you?" Rouge inquires, and she tries desperately to keep any fear from seeping into her tone. This plan of hers is contingent on actually being able to read these texts.

The fox pauses for a moment, then reaches to scratch the back of his head again – something Rouge is realizing to be a nervous tick, a tell – He gives her an anxious, toothy smile. "Well… Yes and no – it's kind of complicated."

She tilts her head. "Complicated?"

He nods, being needlessly gentle as he pulls a tome from the shelf to look at. "Yes, so… I worked with Knuckles to make a sort of translator, a few years ago, and he has a few books he has already fully transcribed…"

"… But?"

Tails flips open the book to a random page, using his other hand to hover his tablet over the wearied thing. "But the translator is incomplete… Knuckles is sort of protective of the language, I think he wants to keep certain aspects of the dialect… A secret? Something like that?" He presses a few icons on the machine, and a few moments later the screen changes. Upon closer inspection, it is a wall of text, a translation, no doubt.

Rouge squints, it is hard to parse what the sentences actually say, in terms of the Mobian language. It must be entirely direct – hence being incomplete.

"I can generally convert the texts into something more… legible, but some words might not even carry over – there are several words that just… Don't have a meaning in Mobian. Many of which Knuckles is hesitant to share with me." Tails admits it with a wash of shame over his face, as if Knuckles' paranoia and stubbornness is his fault. Rouge places a comforting hand on the small of his back, trying for an affectionate smile.

"That's okay sweetie, I don't think we will have many problems, not with this particular endeavor." Tails finds some solace in her words, lighting up while also letting out a tenuous breath he must have been holding.

Rouge barely catches the subtle twitch of his tails, he closes and returns the book he'd been examining, turning to face her. He appears quizzical. "Yeah, about that… So, what exactly are we looking for?"

Briefly, Rouge considers keeping it a surprise, allow a little mystery to shroud everything so she can have her big reveal. She might, if this weren't Knuckles she is doing all this for. Rouge seldom admits that she sometimes forgets how many people care for the echidna, besides herself. It is a selfish, possessive thought, but she truly does just… Forget that there is an army of people that can and will back Knuckles up.

She isn't sure when she felt the need, that hunger, to keep him safe from his loneliness. Rouge is not the type to care about people in such a way, and yet, here she is. Rationally, she has no power over what he feels, Knuckles is certainly autonomous and feels what he feels whether she tries to shield him or not. But, still, she wants to try. That very need to try to protect – it is foreign to her.

It is not foreign to any of Knuckles friends, that she knows for certain. They know this feeling, and how to navigate it. This camaraderie is an intrinsic part of their friendship. Distantly, Rouge envies how easy it comes to them.

So, Rouge runs a finger over the aged writings. Her eyes meet Tails with a grin. "Let's start with… Historic accounts on coming of age."

Silence for a second, Tails' face goes blank as he processes. Then, his eyes suddenly refocus and glean with life as understanding washes over him. "Oh… I get it," he mutters, and now his face shifts to something more determined.

To make for more efficient work, Tails gives her his tablet (which Rouge is baffled by, she can't imagine Tails without it,) and he uses his phone – which happens to have all of the exact same applications on it. So instead of Rouge quite literally hovering over his shoulder the whole search, they can both work independently.

Rouge will admit that she is a little out of her depth in the beginning. She has to ask Tails for help several times, just so she can even understand what she is reading. Don't get her wrong, she loves a good treasure hunt, but her expertise is mainly in the treasure part, less so the hunt. She finds the treasure, and figures out how to get as much of it as possible. The historic, "respecting the story of this ancient city" part is more… Well, she knows Knuckles enjoys it much more than she does.

Though, like all things, Rouge eventually gets the hang of it. Grammatical differences aside, echidna has a very straightforward dialect. At least, Rouge thinks it is, as she gets to the more technical history books – there are some words that just… Don't translate.

Tails does not have an explanation for her, besides a few reworded versions of "It's a very advanced language," and Rouge concedes that there are just some details she won't be able to figure out, not without Knuckles' help. She tells herself that she can live with that, it should still give her the desired effect. Still, she is a little disappointed.

At this point, Tails has lit up the whole library, his little flashlights attached to some sort of flying apparatus – Rouge would not expect anything less of the fox. It is a little embarrassing, or at least it would be if it was not Tails she was doing this with, but he has gotten through at least three times the books she has – all while taking notes.

It is exactly what she needs, but it does wound her pride a little. She shakes her head to herself, turning the page she's finally finished dissecting – a book about how to care for your echidna egg traditionally and safely. A very enlightening read.

"I knew, you know?" Tails eventually says, more defeated and guilty than she is used to hearing him sound. She lifts her head to find him, he is perched on top of a shelf, at least thirty books surrounding him.

Rouge tilts her head, trying not to look as curious as she truly is. "Knew what, baby?"

He kneads his lips a little before he responds. His eyes remain trained on the book she knows he cannot understand. "Knew something was wrong, with Knux, I mean…" His voice grows more and more quiet, as if speaking any louder is treason.

She tuts with her teeth, keeping her voice soft and sweet. "We all knew something was… Off, darling, we just did not know it was this off," Rouge keeps it vague, since Knuckles hasn't confessed why he feels the way he does to anyone else but her. Normally, she might feel pride for being let in on someone's special, oh-so personal secret, but really, keeping it from his friends – her friends, it is like a twisting knife.

But, not her knife to take out. No, that is up to Knuckles.

Still, Tails shakes his head defiantly, finding a spot on the wall to stare at, the book must have bored him. "No, no I knew it was bad, or… Or I knew it was going to get bad." Barely noticeable, but Tails' ears pull back, just a little.

Rouge waits patiently, trying to have grace for the teen as she processes. "… What do you mean, sweetheart?"

It's a moment before Tails' responds, she sees his nose twitch in time with his nervous hands. Rouge wilts a little, she is not the most motherly woman she knows – not by a long shot. Amy would probably win that award, but… Rouge does have a soft spot for the little ones in their group. It is easy to forget that they truly are kids, maybe it is easy to dismiss it, since Rouge, Sonic, and the others have just… Grown up this way.

Perhaps it is not the way things should be, maybe it is even a little unfair, but it is what it is. More wonderous thanks to Eggman for that one.

So, seeing Tails', team Sonic's youngest look so guilty and hurt – it twists something uncomfortably in Rouges' gut.

Finally, Tails clears his throat, and she sees him struggle to keep his breathing stable.

"… When Sonic was… Well, when we thought he was gone, I didn't know what to do, at all. I'd spent my entire life believing that no matter how terrible things got, Sonic would just… Be okay, like nothing could touch him," He runs a hand over his face, letting it rest behind his ears. "… But then, you know, he was gone, before anything even happened. Sonic wasn't there to tell everyone – to tell me that it would work out, that we would win."

He chuckles bitterly. "I… I didn't know how to handle that; I've never had to do that before. For a while, I just kind of… Floated along, the resistance was barely formed, I helped set all the tech up, comms, rooms, even weapons,"

Rouge nods along, she already knows all of this. She was there, witnessing the grief form.

Tails continues, "… Anyways, I helped because that's all I knew how to do, like, what else was I supposed to do? Amy practically begged me to be there, no matter how much I… How much I wanted to hide." Tails swallows after that, Rouge sees regret and shame wash over his face for a moment, before he opens his mouth to speak. "I don't know why I thought this, but at the time it felt like the only thing that was true… I kept telling myself that I'd just lost the only person I've ever had. The only person who mattered. Now, I know that isn't true, I know that, just, at the time…"

"Grief can blind you, sweetness, no one blames you for that," If she were more of the touchy-feely type, she might be compelled to hover over and hug him. She's already hugged Knuckles today, though. Is she willing to risk another one?

Tails responds with a monotone laugh, she knows her words don't mean much to him, not these words. "Thanks, but… I know I shouldn't have left the way I did, I just… Knuckles came at the perfect time. Like a knight to come and fix up the whole, shabby resistance we'd put together… I was so… So tired, I thought that Knuckles could handle it – and he could, I think we all know he handled the war better than most of us." Tails states, a sense of fondness momentarily overpowering the gloom.

Rouge snickers, nodding along with him.

"I couldn't take it anymore, you know? I was so sick of all the destruction, and I hadn't accepted it yet… Accepted that he was gone. So, I left, as soon as Knuckles arrived to fix everything, I left."

He goes silent, and Rouge is not sure if he has more to say, but she can see his hands trembling. It reminds her of Knuckles, poor thing. What a mess this all is. She takes a deep, cleansing breath, even with the stuffy air of this cave.

"What is your point, Tails?" She pushes, gentle as she can be.

His ears perk up at the use of his name, and after this whole time, Tails finally looks her in the eyes. Rouge stops herself from crumpling, he looks so terribly sad.

"I guess I just… I was so focused on my grief, how I felt, that I forgot that Knuckles lost him too. We're like brothers – maybe closer than that – and I didn't even think about it. I stuck Knuckles in the hero slot – the slot for the guy who is going to fix everything, but I didn't even consider the fact that he was mourning too." Tails releases a sardonic laugh.

"I don't know why I thought he'd just… be okay. Maybe I was projecting Sonic's personality onto him, I don't know. I guess I just thought he was happy because as commander, he was needed – you know he needs to feel that, right? Needs to feel needed?"

"Better than most, sweetheart," Rouge responds, of course she knows that, she has seen that fear crack and shake him first hand.

Tails grunts, acknowledging her answer. "Yeah – I was like 'oh, nothing can hurt him, he's got a job! He's happy,' which is so stupid because none of us were happy – it was war! How could I think he was happy -"

"Tails, sweetheart, I know," she tells him, cutting him off when she starts to hear the subtle wheeze in his breath. Picks up on how fast his tails twitch, and how rigid his shoulders have gone. Rouge pretends she is talking to Knuckles, it's always a little easier to be sweet when she's talking to him.

"Tell me what's hurting you about this, baby."

He considers how to finish for a long while, taking his time to breathe in and out, Rouge can see his nerves relax as his shoulders slump. He releases one last long-held sigh, fiddling with the pages of his book. "What I'm trying to say is… After everything was over, after we won, everyone went home, including Knuckles," stopping again, Tails closes his eyes, a certain sorrow infecting him. "… We all went home together, we had each other to lean one when things… While we recovered."

His face contorts, and Rouge worries he might tear the pages of the tome he holds, but he relaxes his hand right as his expression shifts into a grimace. "… Knuckles went home alone."

It takes a moment, but understanding slowly filters through her mind, sinking like tar and settling cold in her stomach. Her ears dip before she can stop them, and she curses herself because she knows Tails sees the movement. Part of her wishes they kept the library dark. "Tails –"

He holds up a hand, effectively shutting her up. "I know what you're going to say, 'that's not your fault, Tails!' or something to that effect. Maybe something a bit more Rouge like, but you'll still say it… But that isn't what I want to hear," Tails informs, utterly resolute and steadfast. Rouge is taken aback; she is not used to the teen sounding so… Adult.

Closing his book with a resounding 'slam!' Tails hops from his spot on the shelf, placing the relic back in its place in one careful slide. "I left my friend alone when we all needed each other… And I think… Maybe he needed us even before the rebellion. Knuckles is like my brother, and I pushed that aside so I could focus on myself." Tails appears to have more on his tongue, but he stops there, not saying anything more on the matter as a cool silence settles between them.

It lasts only a few moments; Rouge has been rehearsing what to say since this conversation started. She blows out a strenuous breath, shaking her head, raising a brow towards the young fox. "Oh my, am I going to have to give Sonic a pep talk too? Because at this rate, it seems as if your whole team is falling to pieces, darling," she says, a tired grin spreading across her lips.

Tails appears as if she has poured ice cold water on him to wake him up. His eyes are wide, and his mouth hangs open as it takes him a solid minute to process. His muzzle twitches when it clicks. "… What?"

Rouge giggles. "I mean seriously, if I knew I would be doing this for all of you – I would have hired a therapist to come with me," Rouge teases with a wave of her hand. Tucking the tablet under her arm, she untangles her legs and pushes herself to her feet, fluttering her wings a few times to help along.

She parks herself in front of Tails in just a few short strides, careful not to trip on the inordinate amount of books surrounding him. Rouge smiles at him, seeing confusion – and perhaps a bit of embarrassment pass over his features. She places a hand on his shoulder. She has his attention. "Listen to me, sweet thing. I can't say it's not your fault, but I also cannot say it's not my fault too," Tails opens his mouth to retort, Rouge does not let him get that far. "—Or Sonic's fault, Amy's fault, Vectors… I could go on…" Rouge lets go of him, lowering her head, she knows she looks solemn, but she cannot find it in her heard to hide it.

"We are all his friends, doll, so whatever blame is placed on your shoulders is on me too, it's on all of us… But that does not mean you need to feel guilty, sweetheart." Rouge thinks of Knuckles, utterly exhausted and hopeless. She allows a moment to let the image seep into her skin, all the way down to her bones.

Then, she thinks of Tails during the resistance, freshly hurt and still bleeding from physical and emotional wounds. So young, so tired.

Rouge steps closer, concluding that while she is not particularly yearning any more contact, she recognizes that Tails is. She wraps him up with one arm, careful not to drop the tablet. She lets his muzzle rest on her shoulder. "Tails honey, if you chose to focus on Knuckles instead of healing yourself… Well, you know, he never would have forgiven you," she exhales, rubbing comfortable circles in his back. "He cares for all of you more than you know." She finishes, taking the moment to process her own words. Fighting to believe them herself.

Quiet settles, Rouge focuses on the quiet drip of a stalactite somewhere deeper in the cave, there must be rushing water nearby. Tails must be finished thinking, because slowly, almost shy, he returns her embrace, wrapping his arms around her neck. Rouge feels his fur brush against her wings.

"I just thought… I thought I was a better friend," he mutters into her shoulder, leaning just a bit.

Rouge doesn't risk poking herself here like she does when she hugs Knuckles, so she isn't afraid to keep the fox close. She lets him go a moment later, carefully unwrapping hers and Tails' arms, the call for personal space is what pulls her two or three steps back.

She gives him a long look, his eyes look a little glassy, but otherwise he appears more despondent than anything else. What a mess, does she have to fix this entire mess?

"Sweetheart, you're the smart one, right?"

Tails raises a brow. "I… I wouldn't put it that way – I just –"

"— Are consistently the smartest one in the room?"

"—Technically, if we are quantifying numerically how many random things I know – probably, yes, but I don't think we can accurately judge general intelligence just by the amount of knowledge you –"

Rouge clamps a hand over his muzzle, he tenses and stares with wide eyes. Poor thing, she should feel bad, but she kind of wants to laugh. "I know sweetheart, but you are smart, right?"

Tails furrows his brows just the slightest bit, Rouge sees a line form on his forehead, annoyed with her. With a subdued sigh, he replies simply. "Yes, if you want to get into the minutiae of intelligence."

Rouge nods. "Right," she pokes an accusing finger at the tablet still holstered under her arm. "… So obviously it took you only one try to build all of this wonderful, shiny tech."

She sees Tails eye twitch just a bit, and he splutters out a reply. "What? No, are you kidding? Invention doesn't work like that!" Rouge could cackle, he almost glares at her, as if her prod has offended the very gods of invention that he prays to.

His precious phone gets shoved aggressively in his pocket, and he begins counting off on his fingers. "Invention isn't just… Coming up with an idea and building it! You've got to first develop your idea, understand the rationale of your idea, create a prototype, refine, and then you can consider creating the final product –" Appearing almost excited to defend his inventive honor, Tails spreads his arms wide, gesturing to his flying lights. "Not to mention all of the improvements that can be made over time—"

Rouge interjects before his head explodes. "—So, you mess up, and still come out with a good product? Even something that can continue to grow?" She knows she looks almost snide as she asks, but truly she doesn't mean it that way. She never has been quite good at making her intentions known. Something she should work on, if it wasn't her job.

Well, friends aren't a job, she reminds herself.

The wheels spin and whir in his head, and he must understand what she is inferring, looking down and shrinking in, just a little. "… Yes, if you persevere." He supplies, voice small.

Giving him a second to think, Rouge lets the tablet slip, taking it in one hand and holding it out in his direction. He takes it, if not a little slow. "Exactly, so, let's think of friendships the same way. Mistakes are bound to happen, you just have to consider what you did wrong, make amends and move on."

Tails doesn't meet her gaze; eyes peeled the tablet now. Rouge sighs, kneeling so she can at least see him. "We're making amends right now darling, besides," With two fingers, she pushes the tablet closer to his chest. "I know Knuckie would never, in his life, be mad at you for something like this," Rouge rolls her eyes, picturing it. "Even if he should."

Tails actually chuckles at that; he must see what she is too. The fox takes in a deep breath, and Rouge feels something warm settle as she sees a smile spread across his face. "You know, the first thing he did when he saw me when I came back to the resistance was hug me?" Another laugh. "I was so confused, and I couldn't even breathe, so that made it even more confusing. He was so – strong and steadfast during the rebellion – and I abandoned it! I was expecting a yell, maybe a glare, not a hug."

Exhaling through her nose, Rouge leans against the nearest bookshelf, slowly sliding down until she is flush with the once polished, chiseled floor. "He's funny like that, isn't he?" She asks, unable to keep the fondness from bleeding into her tone.

"Always has been, even when we met. I can never tell what he's thinking, and I think he likes it that way." Tails gives her a look. "Though, I bet you don't have that problem, huh?"

Rouge raises a brow. "What is that supposed to mean, dear?"

Tails joins her on the floor, creating a box with his fingers and framing it around her face. "You always know what everyone is thinking. It's kind of creepy." Tails admits, and Rouge tries not to giggle at him.

She shrugs. "Well, part of my job is knowing everything about everyone." She winks. "Even you, dear." Tails bristles just a bit at that, she sees a bit of red spread across his cheeks through his fur. Rouges' shoulders sag, and she feigns frustration.

"Although apparently, I don't know enough, I haven't had any luck in this ancient, musty library. All I've found aside from a few vague mentions of anything we are looking for is an ancient cultural lesson plan for preparation for important events during an echidna's juvenescence, but it ends at the ceremony for an echidna's thirteenth birthday, which I think we've missed by a severe margin."

He perks up at her words, eyes suddenly alight with that familiar curiosity she often sees from him. "Really? That's actually super cool – the translation should go directly into the databanks on my computer, I'll have to look at it later –" Rouge gives him a look, "… But it's fine! Because I think I've actually gathered a lot – in terms of an echidna's eighteenth birth ritual, it appears to be a very complicated and revered ceremony."

Rouge nods. "Knuckie said as much."

Tails pauses, surprised. "Oh, did he tell you about it already?"

She picks at one of her acrylics, all of this humidity is going to make them all fall off at this rate. Rouge swallows, debating whether she should answer at all, this is Knuckles' secret to tell, his grief to share.

But, this it Tails she is speaking to. How can she deny him? "Not particularly, just that is very important, and that he believes he is unprepared for it." Rouge makes an attempt not to sound the slightest bit upset, tries to sound nonchalant, but she knows it's a fruitless effort.

Tails' expression changes, and the glint in his pretty blue eyes dims for a few seconds. "… Oh,"

"… Yes," She replies, shaking her head to free herself from her lamentations. "Don't tell him I told you that, I only admitted it in hopes it might help with our search."

"… Okay," He sounds disappointed, Rouge crumbles just a bit.

"He'll tell you when he's ready, Tails."

He smiles, still clearly hurting, but not willing to show it. "Yeah, I know, it just sucks."

"Well dear, I suppose it could suck more." She says, returning his grin.

Tails laughs, grabbing his phone from his pocket and setting it along side his tablet. "I guess that makes sense. Anyhow, from what I've been able to parse together, there are a lot of intricate details to consider, like, a lot." He explains, simultaneously pattering his fingers on both the devices. "The Master Emerald is even involved. The time, the place, the decorations, even the food is important."

Rouge hums, starting to understand why Knuckles is literally pulling his quills out over this. "What makes all of that so critical?"

The fox clicks his tongue, contemplating how to answer her, stare still glued to his precious screens. "From what I can tell, it's because all of it is supposed to reflect the people involved. Every detail is a picture of them."

"People?"

"—Yes, I'm fairly certain that ceremonies like this were traditionally done in groups, like, they did it for all of the echidnas turning eighteen that year, since sometimes the tribe was really… Big…" Tails trails off, briefly pausing from his furious tapping.

"A reflection, darling?"

He blinks, clearing his throat. His hands start moving again. "Yes, the whole point is to show your tribe that you are ready to be considered an adult – mature, basically."

This sounds right, Rouge thinks. Stressful, over the top, and deeply serious. "How very echidna." Rouge utters, just barely stopping herself from gritting her teeth. If she had just a bit more honor, she might consider respecting an ancient and advanced culture more. At least she would, if it weren't the cause for Knuckles anguish. The book on egg care was interesting at least.

Tails agrees with a distracted grunt, seemingly finishing up his finicking and looking up at her. "Well, anyways, it appears like the preparation is extensive, one of the books I read even described it as taking days. The right flowers, the weather, everything has to be perfect."

"What kind of preparation do we need, darling?" Rouge leans forward, attentive as someone like her can be.

Sliding his phone back into his pocket, Tails pulls his tablet to his chest. "Well, to be honest I'm not sure of the exact details yet. I just finished consolidating all of the data we've independently gathered onto my workpad, so I have everything in one list." He sighs, looking overwhelmed staring at the wall of information presented on the device. "If we're doing what I think you want to do, then I want to go over it all and create a concise list."

Rouge scoffs. "Sounds audacious darling, I'm certain Amy would be happy to help you."

He shakes his head no. "I'll be alright, I like to do my research separately, before I involve other parties for a separate opinion."

She blinks, trying to process the encyclopedia that is this fourteen-year-old. "Well, alright then."

"Regardless, it's gonna be a lot of work." He says, getting to his feet with a huff, turning to walk with her out of the ancient library. His hovering flashlights follow him, snapping and clicking until they're nothing more than little orbs floating around him.

Rouge follows him, briefly debating whether to put back the mess of books they've made. Her stomach twists and she decides against it, she'll get Omega to come back and help her eventually. Or she could leave it, if not just to annoy Knuckles. She's on the fence.

"Well, one step at a time, darling. Let's just focus on getting Knuckie to agree to it first."

The teen stops, just a few steps away from the exit. He turns, looking perplexed and the slightest bit anxious. "Good point… How exactly are we going to do that? If we tried to do this now, he might throw us all off the island."

With that, Rouge trots past him and out the door, looking over her shoulder with a smirk.

"Well darling, he's the controller, isn't he? Entrusted with the weary load of keeping the balance of Order and Chaos?"

Tails nods.

Rouge grins even wider, perhaps a little manic. "Well then, my dear, how do you feel about causing a little chaos?"