When Silver entered the building he took a seat and started to think about all of the information they had.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Tails looked at Silver and Espio questionably when they came in without a word. "Did something happen?"
"It turns out the mafia is linked to our case."
"Just as we feared." Vector sighed, still fidgeting with the telephone.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Silver thought about what he was going to say. "Victor is the casino owner which means Vivian didn't tell us the full truth. We still don't know where Canstella is, but we know he's completely focused on getting the memory device."
He looked at Tails. "Apparently there is a mafia defective named Jon who was tasked to bring Victor to Canstella but he hasn't. Instead," he took a breath, "no one knows where he is."
"Tonight, two of Canstella's men is going to be at The Pavilion. A fancy restaurant."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"You know I'm still not paying you, right?"
"Vector-" Espio sighed sharply. "I'll have to head inside and listen in on their conversation in hopes of more details."
"You didn't happen to see a snake there, did you?"
Espio turned to Tails, stunned. "I, I did. Silas, was his name."
"Argh, that bastard! He was the one who kept asking me about that thing, telling me it was an offer I literally couldn't refuse. I've seen him before in other conventions, and he always approached me with an offer, but never a threat." He huffed. "I just hate that no one even insinuated that he was in the mafia."
"Why would they?"
"So I could watch out! I could've lied about my device and been safe, but no. I'm disadvantaged, as usual."
"We'll get him back for you." Revenge was not in his ninja training, but neither was fighting the mafia. "We'll do something special, just for him."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Silver ignored Vector. "Like, a prank or something?" He looked at Espio. He regretted saying it as soon as it left his mouth. Fuck. Here comes the ridicule.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Yes." Espio responded bluntly, "And you're just the person I need to pull this off."
Tails was on the edge of his seat. Yeah, get that snake fuck.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Silver let out a relieved breath. "Yeah, I'm up for that." He smiled.
Charmy came flying into the room in a whirr, "Did I hear something about pranks!?" He flew over to Espio. "Pleeeeease, Espio. Let me help!" He flew around him in circles. "Please, please, please."
Silver winced at the high pitched voice of Charmy. "I think you would stand out at a black tie restaurant." He tried to not sound like a downer. "Maybe not this time, Charmy."
Charmy pouted. "Okay, okay!"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"They won't be heading there for a few more hours," he assumed. "We can brainstorm an idea for a prank."
"I don't want to hear it; I want it to be a surprise." The fox chimed with a simple smile.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"I was never good at coming up with pranks, so I'm leaving that to the Chaotix trio." Silver admitted. He still thought of ways to embarrass the snake. If it was a black tie event they could ruin his clothes but that felt obvious.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Espio looked at Vector, who looked at Charmy with a raised brow. They scuttled into the next room for Tails' sake and began to plot their plan of mischief.
"I can't wait to get this all over with." Tails slumped in his chair with a lengthy sigh. "I want to get started on another invention, but I can't stay in my workshop knowing I'll be safe at all."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Everything will go back to normal soon." He knew it was a response to make him feel better but there was no way of knowing how long this would last. "There's just so much going on other than just the mafia."
He rubbed his forehead. "Green hedgehog sounds familiar."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Hmm, there are so many hedgehogs everywhere." He adjusted himself into the chair correctly. "It could be anybody. I mean, how many green hedgehogs do you know?" He tried to think in his own experience, but almost none came to mind.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Tails was right about that. It literally could be any green hedgehog. He started to pace and then realised he never had breakfast he sighed and wondered where he could eat for cheap. They could go to Bob's diner again but he would have to bring something back to Tails.
"Hey Tails, are you hungry?"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Uh, yeah," he replied sheepishly. "I didn't have a lot of time to eat any proper meals these past few days. I might've lost about 2 pounds by now." Almost by command, his stomach groaned softly. "There it goes."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Silver lowered his ears. "Do you have any money?" He asked with a worried tone. "I have pretty much ran out of what I brought with me."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Uh, yeah." Tails laughed, pulling his wallet out from one of his tails. He flipped through the bills of twenty. "Where do you want to go?"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Silver perked up a little but he didn't want to seem advantageous. "Oh, I could drop by the diner down the street and pick up some food for us." He stood up, he stretched and let out a small yawn. He needed to eat something soon before he started to feel dizzy. "What would you like? They usually have French toast, pancakes, bacon and eggs. That sort of thing."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Could you see if they have a burger? Chicken, preferably, but if they don't have any, just the bacon and eggs." He handed him thirty dollars. "That should be enough, right?"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Yeah, I'll ask them and it's more than enough." He took the thirty dollars and gave him a small nod. He walked out of the detective agency and headed towards the diner.
As he walked he accidentally bumped into someone, "Oh, I'm sorr-"
"Watch it, dumbass!" He hissed and kept walking without glancing at Silver.
Silver turned and saw the back of a snake. He didn't know if this was the same snake that Espio was spying on earlier. Silas was the name. He thought quickly and decided to use his telepathy on him. He needed a location.
Silver couldn't get much, he wasn't at full power. All he gathered was The Pavilion. Apparently, it was the only thing on his mind.
Silver grabbed a chicken sandwich for Tails and a full-size salad for himself that looked much better than the dollar menu salad he had yesterday. He headed back to the agency and approached Tails with his lunch.
"Chicken sandwich, lettuce, tomato, onion." He hoped it was okay. "I got you some different sauces, I didn't know what you liked."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Thanks!" He grabbed the sandwich and unwrapped it. He internally wept at the onions inside, but throwing them away solved the dilemma instantaneously. He ripped a pack of honey mustard open and squirted it into the sandwich. After inspecting it a little more, he bit into the sandwich gleefully.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Silver sat at the desk and watched as Tails threw his onions inside the empty food bag. "Don't like onions, huh?"
He grabbed his plastic ware and popped the lid off of his salad. He got a salad that had grilled chicken on top and he ripped open a packet of french dressing, he drizzled it on to his salad. "Thank you for lunch, Tails."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Mmhmm," Tails responded with a muffled hum as he chewed another bite. Swallowing, he looked at Silver and asked, "Any change?"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Oh, of course. Here you go." He set the change on the table in front of Tails. He ate a few more bites of his lettuce and dressing. The red grape tomatoes were so juicy and he inwardly smiled at the thought of how he almost hit a guy with one.
"I bumped into that snake on the street."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"What-really?" He paused his speech to chew and swallow what he currently had in his mouth. "What happened, what did he say?" The thought of seeing the snake made him more eager for the prank to take place. He wondered what the trio planned in the other room.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
He shrugged. "Nothing really happened. I bumped into him. He called me a dumbass and kept walking."
"I tried to see if I could sense his thoughts and find a location of some kind but Silas seemed to be very preoccupied with The Pavilion."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"A dumbass, huh? Of course he would." He ripped out another chunk from the sandwich. "I don't usually wish anything bad on people, but-that guy really has another thing coming. Maybe, since you're both going through the trouble..." He pulled out forty dollars and placed it on the table with the change, he pushed it towards Silver. "You and Espio should have a good meal, and wreak some havoc."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Silver looked at the forty dollars and back at Tails. "Hell yeah, we will make sure he'll pay." He put away the forty dollars and continued to eat his salad. He started eating the grape tomatoes.
He wondered how exactly they were going to prank him, but he figured he would wait to hear Espio's plan.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
They ate in silence, finished their meals, and sat until the Chaotix came out of the room seemingly pleased. Espio nodded at Vector and Charmy, then turned to Silver. "Sorry if we took too long, but we have the perfect plan." Tails' ears perked up and a wide grin was etched on his face.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Silver leaned forward in his chair slightly as if he was eager to hear the plan. Charmy piped up, "it involves Silver in a disguise!"
Silver's quills went up slightly, "Not again." He muttered to himself.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Well, maybe I should fill you in on the details somewhere else without spoiling it for a certain someone." Tails rolled his eyes towards the ceiling, swishing his tails eagerly. Espio stepped outside and waited for Silver.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Silver walked outside and looked at Espio. "So, am I really going to be in a disguise or was Charmy just joking?" He nervously chuckled.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Considering Vector lent me the money for both of us to eat indoors, this is no joke. You should be in disguise so no one can recognise you, especially with your task..." He took a deep breath, hoping Silver wouldn't react too negatively. "We thought you could act like you were an ex of Silas and disrupt his evening. It doesn't even have to be good acting, it just has to make a scene."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Silver looked at Espio with a look of surprise. "An ex?" He crossed his arms and laughed. "I mean-is he on a date with a guy?" He started to think about what he would do to cause a scene. The prank seemed juvenile but Tails wanted a good humiliation so he supposed that it worked.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"More than likely. I don't think the coyote would have whispered if it were anything planned for the business." He said with a shrug. "Are you fine with this?"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"I'll do it." Silver still had his arms crossed. He looked at the ground for a moment. "I guess I need to buy some things for the disguise. A nice suit so I can get into the restaurant. Tails gave me some money. I can get a rental."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Sounds good. We have plenty of time before we need to go. I have a tuxedo inside for when Vector thinks the agency will win an award. I'll be getting ready, you do whatever you need to do."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
He chuckled and then looked away. "I'll be back soon." Silver started walking to the store that had the things that he needed for a disguise. He picked up the periwinkle blue paint that was still available and quill gel. Ugh, he hated that stuff.
He went to a suit shop and got the cheapest one they had for his size. It didn't look bad, but not that great. He needed to make sure he didn't get the paint on the collar.
He returned to the agency with the supplies and looked at the clock. The restaurant still isn't open so he put his supplies down for a moment.
"You are going to love this prank, by the way."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Oh, yeah? How bad do you think he'll lose it?" The fox asked, finishing with a snicker. He didn't outright hate the guy, but if it weren't for him, his life wouldn't be in danger. For days, he couldn't sit down and relax. He'd spent every hour in fear after realising the people who he'd be dealing with. The first few anonymous phone calls were enough for him to figure it out.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Well, I think what I'm going to do would make anyone embarrassed." He sat back down in the chair across from him and started to think about his act.
He just wanted one good reaction from Silas, but if he did put his hands on him in anger he would retaliate. However, the plan was to embarrass him in front of a crowd and that's it. He didn't really expect anything awful to happen, but he had quite a temper from just a bump on the street.
His confidence slowly started to waver inside him. Making him almost feel sick. He could telepathically sense that this night was all he could think about, and now he was destined to fuck it up.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"That, that sounds amazing. I really can't wait for the story you'll come back with. But please be careful! It's bad enough that he's seen me around." He huffed, placing his chin in his palm for a moment. "I know you'll do good, though."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Silver perked up. He tried to not think about himself getting a throttle punch to the face. "Oh, I will." He gave a weak and unconvincing smile of reassurance. Sonic must be a pro at this, he thought.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Tails furrowed his brows with a half-smile, "Are you sure? You don't look well. It's okay if you're nervous. You'll really get into it once you're in, trust me."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Silver just nodded. It was all he could do feeling the anxiety of getting everyone's attention. Usually, he would be fine but tonight felt like something was going to go wrong. He decided to muster up his courage.
"I was never great with pranks, but I'll try my best for this one." He gave a better smile that time. He leaned back in his chair and looked over at the coat bag that was hanging up next to the restroom door.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
That's when Espio walked out of the bathroom wearing his tuxedo and a pair of shoes which were the black version of his original shoes. "Bathroom's all yours." He had plenty of time to prepare himself and secure a strategy. They could probably get there by walking, but he wasn't sure of the idea yet.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Silver looked over at Espio and looked at his tuxedo. It was much better looking than what he was renting. He also couldn't help but admit that he looked good in a tux.
He felt like he might look like a fool. He stood up and grabbed his coat hanger. Entering the bathroom and closing the door behind him and locking it with a click.
He took the periwinkle blue body spray out and sighed. Not this again. He started the process of transforming himself to be someone else. First, body spray. Second, quill gel. He was able to have his front quills come down to act as fringe. His back two quills were too large to gel together so he left them alone.
He pulled on the black rental tux. It didn't look bad, but not as good as Espio's. The breast pocket had a piece of white satin showing. He looked down at his boots and wondered if he should use the black shoes from the casino disguise. He pulled off his gloves and cuffs. The blue aura radiating from the circles faded away.
He sighed. This was the disguise. He looked in the mirror and shook his head slightly. "So stupid." He stepped out of the bathroom.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Who's that?" Tails joked as both he and Espio turned when the bathroom clicked open.
"You really are a master of disguise." Espio closed his eyes and nodded in approval. "Yeah, this'll really help if he starts to look for you too! You have nothing to worry about." The fox smiled. If only he could be there to witness it. A boy can dream.
"Do you think we should sit at separate tables? Maybe I could turn invisible and help. No one would notice me, and if you leave early, they wouldn't look for me since we'd have no connection."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Silver felt himself ease up and let out a relieved breath. He looked over to Espio and walked forward closer to him and Tails.
"So, I get in and sit by myself?" His eyes shifted questionably. He didn't really think it would make sense for one person to go in and eat by themselves. The idea seemed more suspicious to him than just getting one table with Espio.
If it was any normal restaurant it wouldn't be that bad, but this was a fancy suit attire restaurant. Couples, business partners and important people go there.
"Wouldn't it be better to stick together? You could go invisible once I do the prank, but I don't think we will be staying afterwards." He fidgeted with his hands. "No one will be keeping tabs on us, except maybe Silas."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"That's what I'm afraid of. I'm not under any disguise, therefore my person is at risk of being recognised. Though, I suppose it wouldn't be too bad staying invisible for pretty much the remainder of our mission." He crossed his arms. "Fine, you're right. It might bring more suspicions, eating alone."
"We'll wipe his memory of you too when we can, alright? It's alright."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Silver needed to recap the plan.
"So, Espio and I will go in a get a table. I will take a short leave to the-" Silver used air quotations, "restroom."
"Once I find Silas I will let you know where he is." He looked at Espio, his arms returning to his sides again.
"We keep a close eye on them, discreetly. Eavesdropping for any kind of mafia business. We have dinner and before we leave I'll prank Silas."
"We might need to follow them."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Espio nods, "You can take cover after the prank and I'll follow them while invisible, if you want. We don't know what they could pull after what you'll do." He always wanted to use his ninja skills whenever possible. Aside from the fact that it really helped his tasks, he had no other excuse for when he'd actually use them. Adventuring wasn't quite his forte, but eavesdropping and collecting information? Fuck yeah.
He thought it was nice to have a partner to solve crimes like Silver. Charmy typically talked too much or distracted him, and Vector had chosen to stay indoors and work on their bills and management. It really left him with now choice but to work alone. The change was nice.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Kill me, he thought bitterly. The thought of wrecking a date felt wrong. He would've never done this to a couple that he knew, but messing with a stranger's date. Oh, he was asking for it.
He looked at the clock and noticed that The Pavilion would be opening soon.
"We should probably head down there and start watching for them." He let out a nervous shaky breath. Fuck, how did he get into this?
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Good luck, guys!" Oh, how he wanted to be there. Nevermind the fact that his ass was wanted, the exhilaration of watching Silas having his day ruined felt just to Tails. He felt Silver's anxiety through the shaky sigh he let out and let out an anticipating sigh of his own. "This is going to be so awesome. The best part about it? It'll be a special memory between you guys. When I erase his memory of most of it, he won't be able to relive it." He winked at Silver, "We're just making some bad memories to get rid of, no worry."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Silver felt a slight relief. That's right, the device should take care of the aftermath of the prank. "Thanks, Tails."
He waved goodbye as they stepped out of the agency and onto the sidewalk.