(0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 Indicates a change in character focus/perspective/read in roleplay style.
The events of this story happen 3 years after Sonic '06, Rivals and Rivals 2, so Silver is 17, Espio is 19, etc.
This story was written purely for entertainment and is being shared to enjoy by anyone who comes across it.
Also, beware of cringe. With that being said, please enjoy.)
11:35 p.m. Station Square
Walking down the barren streets of Station square, Silver let out a weary sigh. He returned to the past a week ago and he must say he preferred his life here than in the future. He didn't know if that was a particularly a bad thing since he had the means to travel back and forth if he wanted.
There was something about the past that made him feel less lonely. After all, when he lost Blaze there wasn't really anything to go back to. He had Sonic, Tails, and even Amy was a good friend. There were others he didn't know well enough such as Knuckles, and Shadow. Everyone else he had ever met was acquaintances.
He had been sight-seeing in Station Square for the last couple days, he had already been to the Casino and even the amusement park, but those activities were not fun without friends to share it with, he thought to himself. He didn't know if the others knew he was here, but he had not made contact with them.
Silver was walking to a cafe that was a couple blocks down from the Casino. When he walked in he could smell the strong fragrance of late night breakfast. There were a couple human patrons that sat in isolation, people who had night jobs he figured. He took a seat at the bar area. He ordered a coffee with the nice human girl that worked behind the counter, he made sure that there was plenty of sugar and cream to mask the awful taste of black coffee.
Later, he ordered a simple bacon and egg dish. He felt his body starting to slow down slightly, he needed to eat something before heading home. He took his fork and ate a couple bites of his eggs and looked around at the decor of the restaurant. It was simple and clean, good enough for him, he thought. He wondered if the night could get any slower.
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Vector had lent him enough money to grab some dinner and a cab back to the detective agency. By now, the slot machines had conned him from 75% of that allowance, and he only had enough for a lengthy scolding from Vector and a decent meal at the cafe. He scoffed, passing by the Casino where the bright lights coaxed him in and the feel of levers and buttons on his fingers felt just right.
He stepped in and took a deep breath of the sweetness in the air and for the long walk that awaited him. He grabbed a seat, pulling out whatever cash he had left to count it for a meal and a nice tip for the waitress. Settling for a club sandwich, he leaned back in his chair and looked around at the current patrons: a family having a good time, an older couple playfully bickering, a lone white hedgehog he'd seen before, a stubby old man, and-what?
He looked at the hedgehog he vaguely recognised. "I've seen that face before," he murmured to himself lowly, "but where?"
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Silver continued to eat his bacon and eggs in his corner of the bar. He heard the door open behind him but he didn't turn to look at who it was. Must be another human, he thought to himself dismissively. After the nice lady refilled his coffee he gave her a tip. He decided to linger at the bar to take in his surroundings. He turns slightly at the sound of a family nearby.
He saw a family of four, they are talking amongst themselves with happy expressions. He couldn't hear their conversation and he figured that he shouldn't try to eavesdrop, it was a private conversation anyway. The sight of them made him sigh again quietly, he still felt the loss of Blaze. She was his one true friend. Despite her good intentional scolding at times, he missed her very much. He wished he could talk to her again and the thought made his eyes sting. He sniffed and took a deep quiet breath. She wouldn't want to see you like this, he thought.
He looked over to the opposite side of the happy family and saw a familiar silhouette staring at him from the end of the bar. He felt his jaw clench slightly and he looked at his mug again. It seemed that he was wrong to think it was just another human patron, he stared at his mug intently. Ok, he thought, What should I do? He looks over again and leaves money on the counter that paid for the meal. He decided to give a hospitable wave at the person across the bar from him. It was a subtle acknowledgment of his presence. He still couldn't think of the name, it felt like it had been a long time.
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The waitress placed the small sandwich in front of the chameleon, and he only glanced at the sandwich for half a second before turning back to the hedgehog and freezing. He was waving at him. Being a ninja, he really shouldn't have so obviously stared at him. But this only meant that they really did know each other. When he saw his face, what with the intense black markings on his eyes and long, slender cockatoo-like spines on his head, the vague memory grew clearer.
Something about...chao? He couldn't quite place it. It was so long ago...He mercilessly ate his sandwich and left more than necessary of what he needed to pay. Not only did he have a long trip ahead of him, but this newfound curiosity would not let him be.
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After he had done his little wave he looked back at his clean plate. What if he didn't recognize him? He cursed himself, what if he had waved at a complete stranger? He does look familiar though, the yellow horn is a pretty stand out feature. He shifts uncomfortably on the hard stool and starts to think about where he could have seen him before.
The Chao incident. Of course, he thought. It was 3 or 4 years ago. This person had helped him round up Chao from Sonic and Tails. He still couldn't remember the name though. He looks back over to the purple figure that was half hidden by the shadows on the further side of the restaurant. He didn't know what to do really, should he go talk to him? Should he just leave? As far as he could remember they were on good terms. What if he doesn't want to be bothered while eating?
He noticed that he had eaten his food fairly quickly and Silver couldn't help but feel a small lump in his throat, what if he remembered wrong and they were not actually on good terms? It had been such a long time and with his passage from past to future it made everything seem longer than it normally would. Silver decides that he should be friendly and walk over and introduce himself.
The lump was still is throat but it had basically moved to his chest, an uneasy feeling of anxiety washed over him. He steps down off of his stool and starts to walk over to the shadowy area where he was sitting. He was slow, but his boots clicked on the old tile floors. He stops 5 feet away from him, he didn't want to invade any personal space.
"Uh- Hey," He starts. "Have I seen you from somewhere before?" He didn't want to come out and say anything about the Chao incident just in case he was mistaken and this person had no idea who he was. He figured that if he knew who he was he would just say so. If he was wrong, silver decided he would just leave the restaurant to avoid any more trouble. He honestly hoped for the former.
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"Oh," Espio stammered, not having expected to be approached so suddenly. He turned to look at the ivory figure before him. "I believe so. I'm, I'm sorry you caught me staring, but I can't shake the feeling that I've seen you before, either. My name is Espio...where do I remember you from?"
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Espio, he thought to himself. "The uh- Chao incident," He starts. "I was trying to save the Chao by taking them." He knew that he needed to tell him his name. "My name's Silver." He couldn't help but notice that his voice was much deeper than he remembered. He didn't know whether to sit next to him at the bar, but he figured that he should since they could be talking for a little bit.
Silver takes a seat next to Espio. He sets his elbow on the counter.
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"That's right." He looked away in thought, "Vector sent me to collect intel on you since it was so suspicious that you were collecting chao. In the end, it turned out that you did it to prevent the Ifrit from destroying our planet. Thank you, again." He looked back at him with a smile. "But, why are you still here? Isn't your future saved, or is there something you need to take care of now?"
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He thought about what he said. He liked roaming the planet, the skies, the mountains were all very beautiful sights to take in. The future had the same feeling but his friends were here in this timeline. "The future is fine for the moment, I was just visiting." He debated on whether to tell him he actually preferred sight seeing in the past world than the future.
Obviously, the only person to know that was Blaze. It wasn't necessarily sacred information about himself, but wouldn't it be strange to know that someone from the far future spent most of their time in the past? He decides against it for the time being. "So, Espio," he thought about the words he would use. "What- exactly do you do?" He hoped it didn't sound rude. He only knew Espio was sent to investigate his actions, was he a detective? He never knew the specifics.
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"Well, I'm a ninja, but I work for the Chaotix Detective Agency. We're given cases by clients, and I put my skills to good use there. It pays well when we have clients, but, well, Vector's not very good at managing money." He shrugged, trying to ignore his own gambling addiction that put him out of most of his money recently.
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That's pretty cool," He said with a smile. "I didn't know Station Square had a detective agency." He stayed quiet for a moment. To be honest, he felt like he was bothering the man, but he wanted to know more about the Chaotix Detective Agency and this 'Vector' who was so bad at handling money. He also thought that Espio being a ninja was really interesting. Without trying to seem desperate he wanted to know more.
"Sounds like Vector isn't that great of a boss," He said casually.
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"He's not a bad boss. He just...gets frustrated, since we're always struggling to keep the bills paid. It doesn't help having Charmy around, but you can't just abandon a child, no matter how annoying he gets." His tail coils tightly, thinking about the incessant talking of the bee and the screams from the crocodile to shut him up.
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A child? Silver thought to himself. "I get it," he says back with a small shrug. He stayed quiet for a little bit before he noticed that the family had paid and left. He hadn't even noticed them leave. He hoped that they returned home safely, the time was about 12:00 p.m. He told himself he needed to go to bed soon, but he felt like getting up and leaving would just be a waste.
He noticed a small reaction from Espio he couldn't quite point a finger on, almost like a wince. Perhaps he doesn't like talking about work, he thought. "So, besides the Casino that I can't get in and the amusement park down the street, is there anything else to do here?" He admitted to himself it wasn't a great question. He regretted asking it as soon as he said it. You don't just approach an acquaintance that you hardly know and ask him about tourist attractions.
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He paused for a moment. "There are a lot of shopping centres, but I don't think you're here for that. Besides Twinkle Park and the Casino, I don't think Station Square has much to offer. There may be something in Mystic Ruins. I wouldn't know, though. I haven't been long enough to remember, sorry."
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"The Mystic Ruins," He repeated out loud. "I have never been for the info" He shifted in his seat again and after a long pause he decided that it was getting late. "Would you mind if we shared a cab back to our places?" He said it with apprehension in his voice. If they shared a cab they could split the charge. Saving money was always something Silver thought about. He didn't want to use up whatever energy he had to travel to his place.
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"Oh, not at all." Did he have enough money to even split a cab ride? "Let's go." He stood from the stool and head near the door. Pushing it open and holding it for the hedgehog, he secretly counted the little change he had left.
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Walking through the door and now standing on the dimly lit sidewalk, he looks over to Espio. After waiting for a few minutes a taxi comes by to pick them up. He opens the door for Espio and lets him go in first. He slides in and sits next to him.
"Where y'all headed?" The cab driver said with a gruff voice. "Are y'all paying together or separate?" He looked at them through the rearview mirror. He was an older gentleman with gray hair and a beard. A cigarette in between is his index and middle finger with his hand on the steering wheel.
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"Together. I need to go to the Chaotix Detective Agency." He stared back through the mirror at the man, then turned to Silver, "Where are you staying tonight?"
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"I'm staying at the Enterprise Hotel" He turns to look at Espio back. Together? he thought. He didn't want Espio to pay his fair. "I was going to make this separate." He said anxiously.
"Which one is it?" The cab driver interjected rudely.
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"Oh! Um, yes. Separate. My apologies." He twiddled his thumbs, mentally deprecating himself for the mistake. He hoped Silver wouldn't hold a grudge if he didn't have enough money; he swore he'd pay him back however necessary.
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Silver leaned back as the cab driver starts to drive them to their destinations. He looked over to Espio and then back at the window. There was a feeling of awkwardness in the cab and it was very silent. He had hoped that they could talk more about themselves. It's not every day that you get to run into someone who calls themselves a Ninja. Silver was still curious about what he was like.
Looking out the window he could tell that they were on a different route than he was normally used to seeing. They must be on their way to the Detective agency first.
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He tensed as they approached the agency. He was used to having Vector go off on him, but Silver? It was embarrassing to admit he joined him whilst knowing he couldn't pay his own fare. What honour did he have at this point? The car paused in front of the office and the cab driver said, "5 bucks." He was short 2 dollars and some cents. "Silver, I'm really, really sorry, but...could you lend me 3 dollars?" He asked slowly, almost painfully. "I'll pay you back, I promise."
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Silver looked at Espio and blinked once. "Oh, no problem," He pulled out 3 dollars and handed it to him. He gave a polite smile and sat up in the seat straighter. He looked out the window to the front of the office and looked at the road sign. Chaotix Detective Agency; The front of the detective agency was very..asymmetrical, he thought to himself. He liked it.
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"Thank you," He handed the money to the cab driver and exited the cab. He waved at Silver sharply and scurried into the agency. Immediately, he was met with the shrill voice of his crocodile boss. "Where have you been!?" "I was at the cafe."
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Silver waved back and watched as Espio went inside. He scooted over towards the middle of the seat and rode all the way back to his hotel. It wasn't anything fancy. He couldn't afford anything too extravagant. He paid the cabbie at the front of the hotel and turned to go inside. He checked in with the front desk and went inside the elevator.
He reached his door used a slide key. He walked in and got ready to go to bed.
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"Cafe, huh? Did you meet someone?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I ain't blind, Espio. There was someone in that cab."
"Of course, that was the taxi driver." Vector shook his head and the chameleon sighed, "Just an old friend."
"Are you tryn'a hide something from me?"
"No, look, Vector. It was just Silver from a few years ago."
"You mean the hog I told you to get info on!? You know I..." The crocodile started talking about money and the issues at the time all over again.
Espio simply dismissed him as usual. Charmy was already sleeping, but he always went to check up on the little bee to be sure that all was well. He approached his dorm as Vector calmed down from his droning. "Goodnight, Vector."
"Night, Espio." And off he went to sleep.