Author's Note: Endless thanks and virtual hearts to KapphyKat14, Ladywhite, Kawaii17, Roasted Toast and cheru! Your amazing messages helped, without a doubt, to motivate and inspire me, and make me smile for a long, long time! :'D And my sincere thanks, also, to my favouriters and readers! *heart*
Replies:
KapphyKat14 - Thank you, I am extremely glad to hear that! :3
Ladywhite - Hey there! :D Not at all, thank you for reviewing! And it makes me so happy to hear that, you have no idea! Thank you ever so much! :'3 Ooh, yes, I am definitely keen to encourage and develop the friendship between Sonic and Silver!
Kawaii17 - N'aww, thank you so much! I really hope you enjoy it! ^w^
Roasted Toast - Cliffhangers are how I let out my inner sadist x'D Your comment was absolutely heart-warming and I can't thank you enough *hugs* It's awesome to hear that you're back on this website! Aww, that's so sweet! Omg, yes, I am at the bottom of the Shadilver abyss - I don't even know how I got there! xD You don't know how glad I am to hear that, because Silver's character was something that I was very anxious about getting right - aside from him *cough* kindaforgettingaboutBlaze. He has got it very bad for Shadow, and it's very distracting, to be fair to him! xD Oh, no, no, it would not drag out! Please, carry on! ;D Thank you so much!
cheru - *flies off into the sky from happiness* Thank you so much! I am ecstatic to hear that; words honestly cannot express it! Aww! Thank you! Haha, ahh, cliffhangers are my addiction, I'm afraid xD
Disclaimer: Unsurprisingly, I still don't own anything! Also, whilst I do own tarot cards, my knowledge isn't amazing and I went with a very simplistic reading, for this chapter (definitely not the 10-card-step version). If it's wildly incorrect, please let me know! :D
Also, feel free to leave a review, as it'll make my day! :3
4. Fated Lovers Are Always Drawn Together
Ignoring the ticklish shivers that are dancing down his spine, Silver rolls over, onto his back, and breathes. The floor is cold, but the sunlight is warm, and he's only just noticed that the pretty sky is blue and cloudless. He presumes that he was knocked out for a couple of hours, so the day should be drawing out into late afternoon: then why isn't the mid-Autumn sky growing dark? Silver frowns, thinking that perhaps the seasons don't work in the same way, as they do in the future, and is suddenly distracted by a painful symphony in his ribs, from where he landed on Blaze's elbow.
They'd naturally disentangled their limbs, rather promptly, but he can sense her close presence at his side. Blaze's back arches as she sits up, with quick, winded breaths, before she turns to catch his gaze. Silver swallows his relieved smile and tries to silently say sorry, but wavers under Blaze's accusatory stare.
"Silver!" The soles of Sonic's sneakers pad against the pavement. Silver stretches up and leans on bent elbows, watching the blue hedgehog's eyes flicker from person to person. It's almost too fast to see, "And, I'm guessin', Blaze? Nice to finally meetcha."
Sonic lets his fist curl against his hip, casually, but surely the awkward atmosphere can't have passed him by? Blaze stiltedly nods, simmering with discomfort, before abruptly standing in one graceful movement — her heels scrape across the hardened cement. Brushing imaginary dust from her shoulders, she raises her head — Silver can see the royalty in her — and shoots a dirty look at her opponent from moments ago.
Shadow scowls, in return.
"Long time no see, eh, Shadow?" Sonic offers that playful, lop-sided grin of his, completely unfazed by Shadow's irritated huff. Silver watches and drinks in their stark differences. The blue hedgehog's posture is soft, round and relaxed; the black hedgehog is made up of strong, hard, defensive lines. It's bewildering, when they look so startlingly alike, "Wanna explain what's going on here?"
"She is confused and seems to think that I abducted hr friend," Shadow watches Blaze bristle, with a resigned victory in his narrowed eyes. Then he's staring at Silver, smoking and burning and hot, as he softly growls, "It is clear that I have done no such thing."
The tingling rush returns. Silver swallows down nothing, thinks back to when he woke up on Sonic's couch, reaches for words, any words. Something seems to deepen within Shadow, but it's misty and unrecognizable, and suddenly it's gone. His hover-skates are poised to take off, but Blaze steps forward. Her heels let out a confrontational clack, "I'm not finished, with you, yet."
"I see," Shadow briefly assesses her, with a look tossed across his shoulder, but then turns and faces the fire-princess. Blaze closes her hands into fists.
"Guys. C'mon. This is stupid. Whatever this is—" Sonic zips between them, holding up outstretched hands. They ignore the emerald warning glares. Silver's stomach knots itself up, as he thinks about Sonic standing in the middle, sacrificing himself, to stop them from tearing each other to pieces. It should be him, standing there, not Sonic, "—it doesn't need to end in blows. Okay?"
"Blaze..." She finally looks at him. Silver is acutely aware of himself, with his palm pressing against his abdomen, which is wracked with sobbing pain, and somehow he's on his feet. Blaze softens, "Please."
The tension drops out of her muscles, but she hardens as she throws a gesture at Silver's body, "Did he do this to you?"
Do wha—? But now there's fabric brushing against his left ear, and his right shoulder, and he glances down at bandages that are pinned there, and reaches up to touch. How had he not noticed the evidence of Tails and his medical-kit earlier? "...No, he didn't. It was one of Doctor Eggman's robots. Shadow actually took me to Sonic's house, where they tended to me. Blaze, it wasn't him."
She bows her head. Silver has known her long enough to recognize the way in which dejection rests on her shoulders. Her confession, from earlier, faintly echoes in his mind: I don't understand you, Silver, "Robots don't leave bruises in the shape of hand-prints."
Sonic's attention flitters to Silver's upper, uninjured shoulder and the time traveller tracks the movement downwards. Blaze has a keen eye: there is a faintly-mottled bruise, made up of four fingers — which stretch over towards his back — and a thumb, indented into his collarbone. Silver represses the urge to fit his own hand against it.
When he looks up, he finds Shadow staring and caught in a tangle of their gazes. Underneath his skin, heat rises and Silver thinks that he'll be the first to look away — but, to his shock, Shadow's jaw clenches up and he's the one who lowers his stare to the floor. He almost looks shamed. Silver is transfixed.
"Shadow wouldn't set out to hurt Silver. Things probably just got outta hand, that's all," Sonic is trying to be the voice of reason, but even he knows that it's not working. There's a smudge of doubt in his tone, Silver realizes, because he can't quite truthfully vouch that Shadow wouldn't do something like that. Because maybe Shadow isn't quite the all-knowing (if a little misguided) hero that Silver believed him to be. Because there have been several moments where Silver has been forced to admit that I don't really even know you.
Sonic's persuasion is meant for Blaze — she's the one who needs convincing — but Shadow snaps into a blazing fury, out of nowhere, "He was not a defenceless victim — he was the one who chose to spy, follow and engage in battle with me. You're blinded, Sonic, by your insufferable desire to make friends, but he is not to be trusted! He is clearly hiding his true intent behind that false innocence. Watch him closely: I give it five minutes before he betrays you!"
Stones thump down into the empty pit of Silver's stomach — that's what he thinks of me? — but he pleas, anyway, "Shadow, that's not—!"
"Don't bother. I don't care whether Sonic believes you or not, but I do not trust you. If you ever try to spy on me again, I will not hold back and you should be mindful of that. But eventually your true self will be revealed; it's only a matter of—"
"You're the only reason why I'm here!"
Bewilderment manages to kill the words on Shadow's tongue. His brow is furrowed, his lips parted with slowing time, and he straightens as if Silver's cry had knocked him back. Sonic is intrigued, too, and Blaze stares as though she's never even seen Silver before, like she doesn't even know him.
"Why?" Sonic ventures, leaning forward with a curious stare, "Is Shadow in danger, or something? Is that what happens in the future?"
Silver's eyes are dragged down by the weight of Blaze's gaze. Expecting her to ask questions, he tries not to look at her, but she's just staying silent, and somehow that's even worse, "...The future is..." He looks up. Her eyes are round and full, like beautiful stars, as she waits, "...troubled."
"Future? What are you talking about?" Shadow looks to Sonic for information, but the anger has somewhat been torn out of his voice.
"Silver and Blaze are from two hundred years in the future. They came here using Chaos Control and, if they're here to help you, I've a pretty good mind to trust them, Shads," The nickname slices through the air like a cold knife. Shadow glowers, but Sonic roars back, with unyielding defiance. Their lungs freeze with bated breath, "...You should too."
"I don't have to do anything," But Shadow's voice lacks the temper that it had before. He locks eyes with Silver, cold, but almost pitying, "You should go back home. I don't need protection. You're wasting your time."
Blaze huffs a breath, as he skates off, quickly growing into a dot on the horizon, "Is he always so ungrateful?"
"Don't take it personally," Sonic shields his eyes from the sun, with one hand, whilst thinning his lips at Shadow's abruptness, "Shadow's got trust-issues, after being betrayed one too many times. He'll come 'round."
Somehow, Silver doubts it.
Three days pass by in a blur.
When Sonic leads Silver and Blaze back to the Workshop — because the Blue Blur takes charge and there's nowhere else to go — they find Tails alone, relieved and insisting that they stay there, with them, while they recover. Apparently, he'd started scanning for Chaos Emeralds, as soon as Silver and Sonic left, and his radar has already picked up one: if they grab that one and locate the final one, then that should be enough to get Silver and Blaze home, right? Blaze nods, but her suspicion grows at their overarching kindness and Silver says that they couldn't possibly accept something so generous. Neither Sonic nor Tails seem convinced, however, because the blue hedgehog has already found spare bedding and the twin-tailed fox sets about making dinner for the four of them.
Silver wakes up the next morning and realises that he has never slept so well. He is comforted by the knowledge that Blaze is merely on the other side of the wall — the nightmares don't go away, but they never have, so why should they suddenly vanish now? — and listens to the sound of chirping birds and rustling leaves. He supposes that he'd slept okay in the new future, with those stiff sheets and blaring traffic and the apartment that never really felt like home, but it's not the same. And Crisis City...back then, well, you slept when you could and didn't complain about it.
He knows that Blaze isn't as enamoured with this as he is, but Silver smiles when he notices her small hints of contentment. There's the way she finds Tails endearing and assists him in designing an attachment for the Tornado, or when she lets a small huff of laughter slip out at one of Sonic's jokes. She'd say it was politeness, but Silver knows her fondness for what it really is.
His heart twinges, because Shadow thinks of him with anything but fondness.
They haven't seen each other, haven't spoken; their spat has shaken his confidence. What used to be a mission — return to the past, reunite with the people from Soleanna, find out if there are any residual feelings, finally get over this plaguing desire — has now turned into a bittersweet vacation. Silver finally feels peaceful, spending time here without any immediate concerns and simply enjoying life, but it's coated with a layer of failure.
How has it gone so wrong?
Perhaps Silver tries too hard. It's all hideously unnatural — Silver never should have met Shadow, not really, but it was the only gift that Mephiles ever gave him — and he knows that he shouldn't have come back, but why? Why can't he take something for himself, for once, even if he had to bend time to do it? "Because it's not our place," Blaze would say, if he asks her, but why is it never their place? What did the universe ever do for him?
He tries not to think about it, for too long, because each time it tears him apart: the guilt and the loneliness.
If fate is so hell bent on being his master, then let it take control, Silver decides. Just give me some kind of sign.
Surprisingly, and unbeknownst to the blue hedgehog, Sonic actually succeeds in taking Silver's mind off the whole issue. He says that Doctor Eggman — "Silver, c'mon, it's Egghead. I'm tryna make it stick. Soon, Eggman himself will be saying it! Come to think of it, did you know that I was the first one to use the name 'Eggman'...?" — has grown quiet and there's not much else to do. Silver tries to casually hint that they could head out somewhere, (nowhere in particular, but they might just happen to stroll near Club Rouge...), but the excited gleam in Sonic's eyes suggests that he has something else in mind.
"Movies!" Sonic grins, as he stumbles towards the table and places the stack of DVD cases down. Silver blinks, from his reclined position on the sofa, "Please tell me that the future still has these, at least?"
Silver replies that yes, they do have movies, and Sonic practically lights up. He had been heartbroken to hear that the legacy of his favourite band — Smash 40? Something like that — hadn't survived for two hundred years. In that moment, he'd vowed to educate Silver in the "art of all things awesome".
"Alright! So, I've picked out the classics. You cool with starting with the Night of the Werehog?"
It turns out that Night of the Werehog is a horror movie, but Silver is pleasantly surprised to find himself enjoying it. Sonic calls it a cult-classic and says that the lack of dialogue is part of its charm; he's glued to the screen, with a contently-spread grin. Silver is briefly confused — isn't Sonic energetic and always on the move? — but Tails enters and fondly shakes his head, snickering as he says that Sonic has weird bursts of patience for certain things.
But, as they burn though Sonic's movie list, it is Blaze that surprises Silver most of all: she spends the majority of her time catching up on popular past-times, too.
She passes up on Sonic's offering of chilli dogs and Comedy Chimp — chilli dogs are key, apparently, when it comes to TV viewing. Silver decides not to admit that he finds them too spicy for comfort — but when Tails finds her staring, longingly, at the bookshelf in his Workshop, he lends her several hardbacks. The hundreds of pages of The Secret Rings are read in a couple of days, and she's currently curled up in her room, racing through The Black Knight. Tails kindly says that Silver can borrow them, whenever he likes, but he declines, because he's never been able to fully envelop himself in a fictional world.
That being said, Silver is idly scanning the back of some dog-eared dystopian novel, when Sonic bursts though the front door.
It's not a strange sight — the blue hedgehog heads out for a run, at least twice a day, and always returns with similar, brash enthusiasm — but there is thin glimmer of sweat on Sonic's skin, and he looks uncomfortably hot.
He tries to avoid Silver's concerned stare, by leaping over the back of the couch and settling into the cushions. Kicking his feet up onto the coffee table, Sonic scrambles about for the TV remote, "C'mon then, what're we watching? Don't tell me you were just sitting here, waiting for me to return!"
Silver frowns, unconvinced. He watches with nervous fascination, as Sonic burns brighter, the flush of his cheeks growing. He's never seen him act like this before.
Sonic looks as though he's about to call Silver out, about the staring, but Tails traipses into the room, takes one look, and sighs, "Amy?"
Sonic grumbles to himself.
"Amy?" Silver repeats.
"Yeah, Amy Rose. She was here when you woke up. Pink, red dress, terrifying hammer," Sonic involuntarily shudders and elicits a snort from Tails, "She also has a massive crush on me."
"Oh."
"What happened this time?" Hovering at the end of the couch, Tails waits for a response, with an amused glimmer in his baby-blue eyes. The briefest hint of a grin lingers at the corners of his mouth.
"Same old, same old. She tackled me to the ground, tried to kiss me, got all angry when I managed to get her off. She said something about joining her and Cream, this afternoon, at her place — but I said I was helping you out, Tails, so don't go blowing my cover-story, okay?" He leans towards the kitsune, pleadingly, until Tails agrees. Recognition sparks up, when Sonic glances at Silver, "Oh yeah, shoot, she told me to bring you along, too, Silv."
"Amy wanted me there?" His chest swells with satisfaction at those signs of friendship: Amy's invitation and his nickname of Silv.
"Yeah, but since I'm not going, I doubt she'll mind, because I can't exactly bring you, can I? So it's cool."
Silver lowers his head, but doesn't say that he thinks Amy will mind, quite a lot, actually. He remembers the way in which she had gushed to him, about Sonic, in Dusty Desert. She's undoubtedly in love with the blue hedgehog.
But it appears that Sonic doesn't feel the same way. His heart aches, as he thinks about himself in the same situation, in his current situation, and Silver knows that he has to go, especially after everything that she did for him.
"Sonic, what's the harm in going over there?" Tails sounds mildly exasperated.
"Uhh, I'd like to come away without being forced into a marriage, thanks! Besides, it's just one afternoon-tea. I'm sure she'll get over it."
"No, she won't. I know you haven't been in love, but think about how she'll feel. She adores you—"
"Since when did you become the expert on luuurve, eh, buddy? Something you wanna tell me?"
"You're just avoiding dealing with it," Tails turns to Silver, "Please, he's the one being thick-headed here, right?"
"Now you're avoiding it! Ha!"
The two-tailed fox rolls his eyes and huffs that Sonic acts more like he's six than sixteen, I'm not in love, Sonic! Silver straightens and clears his throat, suddenly growing nervous in the silence, "Well, if I go and visit her, then I can say that you really are busy helping Tails. It might smooth things over."
"Sonic, no, you can't just bail out of it, like that! You need to admit—!"
"Watch me!" Victoriously, Sonic grins and claps his hands on Silver's shoulders, "Silv, you truly are an awesome protector! Shadow's so missing out. I won't forget this."
Somewhat dazed and entangled by his lie — 'protector', right, he's probably going to have to stick with that story, now — Silver accepts the cupcakes that Tails insists he takes to Amy, because she loves red velvet, and sets off, refusing to let Shadow affect him, more than he already has.
The walk to Amy's house is astoundingly beautiful. He knows that it's blue-sky-thinking, that anything would look pleasant compared to the flaming ruins of Crisis City, but it's true.
As Silver saunters through plush, green grasslands, where there are bushes with berries, citrus in colour, clumped together, ripe, juicy, and fallen leaves that are the perfect colour for the season — not just soft brown, but with reddening edges — he wonders how people can take all of this for granted.
It's hot again today, he thinks, as he takes the right path on the forked road, which Sonic had told him to follow, before he headed out. Silver doesn't know what's been happening with the weather, lately, but both Sonic and Tails have mentioned it as being strange, so he knows it's not normal. Scarlet Garcia, on the News channel, had reported it as symptoms of climate change, but Silver's not convinced. He wonders if Blaze has a theory.
His boots slow, digging into the earthy road, and stop. Silver blinks up at the pastel-pink house, with its tiled roof, smooth walls and invitingly-bold red door. The curtains are pulled back, in the windows, and he thinks he spies movement inside. The small, pitched wooden sign that sits outside reads Amy Rose.
Before he know what he's doing, Silver is standing in front of the door, rapping his knuckles against the surface. He blinks, when it opens, and pastes on a nervous smile.
"Silver! Hi! It's so nice to see you!" Amy beams, honestly delighted. But her high spirits waver, when she notices that he is alone, "Sonic isn't with you?"
He drops his head, "Tails really needed his help with something. I'm sorry," Simply delivering the news weighs down his heart. He decides that it's just because he feels bad for Amy and not for any other reason.
"Oh, right..."
He can't stare at that downhearted expression, without doing something, so Silver offers the cupcake box to her and brightly says, "These are for you. From Sonic. Well, Tails, Blaze and I, also, but he wanted you to have them," I should have backed Tails up, over this. Sonic should be here. She doesn't deserve this.
"Really?" The grey hedgehog knows that he's done the right thing, when he sees that barely-contained smile shining from her jade eyes. To his surprise, she leaps forward and throws her arms around his neck, "Thank you, Silver!"
She takes the box from his grasp and pulls him inside, gleefully dumping a hoard of questions on him, so he can only just keep up: "How have you been?" "I'm okay—" "I imagine you're still healing, though Tails—" "—It's getting better—" "—told me that you've been doing pretty well, spending time at the Workshop. Is your friend okay?" "Blaze is doing well, too." "I'm glad to hear that — it would be awful if something happened to either of you!"
Honestly though, he doesn't mind. Amy's bubbly chatter makes him feel like it's normal for him to be here. Like he's no different. She was the same, back in Soleanna, and he's overwhelmingly relieved to see that she hasn't changed. He needs to hold onto this acceptance, rather than dwelling on Shadow's rejection.
"Head on into the living room. Cream's in there. I'll just grab some plates for these!" Amy raises the cupcakes, as explanation, and dashes off down the hallway. Silver swallows. Cream?
As soon as he enters, and she hears the fall of his steps, a young rabbit skips over to him, staring with innocent, large eyes. They're the colour of melted chocolate and her voice comes out just as sweet, "Hi, Mister Silver! Amy told me a lot about you! I hope you're feeling okay now, after being hit on the head! Mister Sonic will break Eggman's robot, for doing that to you, don't you worry!"
He finds himself smiling, "Thanks. You're Cream, right? You don't have to call me 'Mister', you know? Silver is just fine."
"Okay...Mister Silver," She giggles, as warmth runs through her features. Silver grins back at her, marveling at the pure, unhampered optimism. He'd certainly never had it. Well, he had — in the new future, but each day that's feeling more and more like an illusion — but not in Crisis City. Then again, no one had it: it was such a rare thing.
Something is pulling at his boot. Silver looks down, sharply, before his golden eyes widen. There's a blue...creature, sitting on his foot, chirping up at him. It similarly doesn't have a care in the world, "Uh...?"
"Oh, Cheese!" Cream scoops the thing up, cradling it in her arms. She attempts to adopt a scolding tone, but she's failing because that voice is kind of adorable, "I'm sorry! He gets excited around new people."
"T-That's okay. Sorry, Cream, but what...is it?"
The rabbit's lips part, as she peers up, shocked, "Cheese? Why, he's a Chao!"
"A...Chao?"
"Yes, a Chao! You must have seen one before, Mister Silver, you must have! They're all over Mobius!"
"I guess there aren't any, in the future..." He pats down his quills, on the back of his head. There's something eerie about it — not Cheese in particular, but Chao in general — that he can't quite explain, but he's fairly certain that he's never come across one. Another thing to ask Blaze about.
Cream's ears droop, "That's awful..."
"What is?" Amy asks, smoothly moving into the room, with crockery balancing on a tray. She sets it down, on the table, before peering between them, delicately frowning.
"Mister Silver has never seen a Chao before, because there aren't any in the future," Cream explains, cuddling Cheese closer to her chest. He doesn't appear too bothered by what they're saying — Silver guesses that Chao don't speak the same language — but he's nuzzling back at her, offering comfort.
"Really? That is sad! I guess things have changed a lot, from our time to yours, huh, Silver?"
"More than you know," Maybe even more than I know, the time traveller thinks, as he accepts the outstretched cupcake from Amy. As she hands one to Cream, who settles on the carpet so that Cheese can roll around next to her, Amy sinks into the couch (which is pink, of course, like most of the room) and takes a bite of her own. She happily smiles to herself.
Silver perches in the armchair. Three cups of rose tea and two cakes later, the light-hearted conversation somehow moves onto a different topic, one that Silver hasn't been aware of and isn't entirely at ease with.
"I've seen the way he looks at you, Cream: it's so cute! He totally likes you!" Amy cups her cheeks, squealing when she catches sight of the rabbit's blush, "I knew you did too!"
"I'm not sure, Amy. Tails hasn't said anything about that..." She bashfully stares into her lap.
"Of course he hasn't! Just take a look at my Sonic. Boys are far too shy to admit their true feelings. Girls need to meet them halfway, that's all! Isn't that right, Silver?" Amy's eyes suddenly turn onto him, as he's watching his tea swirl in his cup, feeling awkward.
"I...don't really know."
"You don't think so?"
"Well, it's just that I don't really know Tails well enough to—"
"Oh, trust me, Tails is totally smitten with Cream! Don't look so embarrassed, Creamy, it's adorable! Young love is so sweet! Is there anyone that's captured your heart, Silver?"
He promptly chokes on his tea.
"Ooh, I think that's a yes!"
"T-There's no one like that."
Amy hums, wickedly grinning at him, not believing a word, "It's Blaze, isn't it? It makes sense — you guys seem incredibly close and you dashed off to make sure that she was okay, as soon as you woke up! And I heard how you protected her from Shadow!"
Actually, it had been the other way around, though he knows that neither Blaze nor Shadow need any kind of protection. But he's not in a rush to correct Amy, because if he does then there will certainly be an interrogation, and he's not ready to reveal his secret to anyone, not yet. Especially considering how the lands lies: he doesn't need another reason for Shadow to hate him.
The girls take his pondering silence as clarification, jubilantly giggling to each other, amidst further squealing. Silver blushes, with a sheepish smile, and sends off a silent apology to Blaze, before asking, "How did you meet Sonic, Amy?"
She flushes a pretty pink, "Oh, gosh, it seems so long ago now. Back then, I used to be really into tarot readings — you know, the cards and telling someone's fortune? — so I did a reading, one day, and it said that I was destined to meet Sonic, at a place called Little Planet. I was so excited: I'd heard about him, on the TV, and in the newspapers. He wasn't quite as famous, back then, but the fame was definitely starting to pick up. Well, just like the cards said, he was there and as soon as I saw him...I knew."
"Oh, that's such a sweet story — it's almost as if meeting Mister Sonic was your destiny, right, Amy?"
"Exactly! Nothing can keep lovers apart, Cream!"
"What exactly are tarot readings?" Silver hasn't heard of them. Mystical cards that can reveal the future? That would have been nice to know, before the whole Mephiles thing.
"Well, it depends on if you believe in that kind of stuff. Tails refuses to — he says he can only trust science — though he's pretty lax when it comes to the Chaos Emeralds. Anyway, if you do believe in it, then tarot cards allow spirits to communicate with you, to let you know what'll happen in the future!" She tips her head sideways and smiles, sympathetically, "It's probably easier to understand if you're actually watching it."
Cream suddenly bounces upright and leans in, towards the pink hedgehog, sparkling with excitement, "Why don't you do a reading for me and Mister Silver!"
"Hmm, I mean, I haven't done one in a while, but I think I remember how to do a short reading..." Amy springs up, onto her feet, and disappears into another room, calling out, as there's a small thud, "They're here, somewhere, I know it!"
She returns surprisingly quickly, shaking a wooden box in triumph. It rattles. Silver peers at the exotic carvings on the sides, not really recognising any of them, but finding them enchanting, all the same. As her eyes flicker between Silver and Cream, Amy opens the lid and folds it back, removing the pile of cards that lies inside.
"So, who wants to go first?" She absent-mindedly shuffles the cards, as she waits for someone to volunteer. Cream wriggles, enthusiastically, but politely waits, in case Silver decides that he wants to try. He's not sure, at the moment, "How about Cream? That way, Silver can watch one being done, and then he'll know what's happening, when I do his."
"Okay," Silver agrees, carefully nodding his head, as Amy clears the table and Cream kneels in front of it.
He wonders if Amy's going to suddenly raise her hands to the skies, envoke the power of some supernatural spirit and gain creepy, pupil-less eyes — like he's seen in Sonic's horror movies — but there's nothing like that. Calmly, but deliberately, she drops the cards onto the table, swipes them back up, shuffles them once more and then spreads the deck out, asking Cream to choose one.
As the rabbit frowns and deliberates on which one to pick, Amy explains to him, "The first card is called the archetype. It basically symbolises the person: so, in this case, Cream. It decides how the next few cards relate to her."
There are a few beats of tense silence, until Cream hums her satisfaction and slowly draws a card out, from the middle of the deck.
She offers the card to Amy, face down, who plucks it from Cream's fingers and sets it on the table's surface. Silver stares, unsure. The card shows a human woman, pouring a jug of water, with stars floating around her head. The Star is written underneath.
"Ooh," Amy says, brightly. A smile curls at her lips, "That means you've got hope, or you have bright prospects. Are you feeling hopeful about something, Creamy?"
Cream giggles, whilst watching the cards slot back together, as they're shuffled again. There's an air of certainty, when she picks the next card, as if she's got a good feeling about this one.
Amy turns it over and places it down. A slightly undiscerning man is prancing about, in tight, brightly coloured clothing; the printed text reads The Fool. Apparently, that means Cream's quite innocent, at the moment, and at the beginning of something. Amy tells her that she should hold onto that, but Silver's doubtful. You're still so naive.
...but I...I've always liked that about you.
When Silver looks back down, Amy's explaining the next card: The Sun, glowing, "—a lot of happiness coming your way! Ready for the final one, Cream? This is possibly the most important, Silver, because this is the spirit's guidance for the future."
This time, Cream reveals the card. Strength, "What does that mean?" She blinks.
Amy muses down at it, "I'd say that you're gonna need to stay strong, for something, in the future. But that doesn't mean that something bad is going to happen — just that you need to stick at it!" The little rabbit nods, with a content look of determination. Amy turns to Silver, "How about it, then? Wanna see what your future holds?"
"Alright then, if you're okay with that...?"
"Of course! Sit, sit!"
He swaps with Cream, ominously short against the table and Amy. She repeats the initial process and lets him choose his archetype. Silver brushes his hand over the deck, before feeling a calling towards a particular one. He picks it.
"W-What does it mean when it's upside down?"
"It's okay, it just has a different meaning," Amy bites her lip, tilting her head to read, "Judgement, upside-down, means that you doubt yourself, quite a lot. "
"I see," Well. The cards certainly aren't lying.
The pink hedgehog holds the remaining cards out to him, "Let's move onto the next one," He's grateful; she can tell that he doesn't want to talk about it. Let's hope the next one isn't quite so honest, he thinks, as he selects the next card. From what he remembers, this one will determine his current state.
"The Wheel of Fortune! Silver, this is a good one. You're going to have a lot of good luck, as you follow your destiny!"
That does sound much better.
"Do you think it was your destiny to meet us, here, Mister Silver?" Cream asks, looking on at the table in interest.
Silver smiles, "Maybe. I really hope so."
When Amy places the next card down for him, Silver's heart skips a beat. A look passes between Amy and Cream, as they let their lips slide into huge grins, barely containing their glee. Silver's blood is roaring in his ears, so he doesn't know which one of them says, "The Lovers! Aww!"
The Lovers. Does that mean—? "What does...?"
"I think that one's pretty obvious, Silver," Amy laughs into the back of her hand, with singing, joyful jade eyes, "You're blushing — aww, Silver! See, I told you; love recognises love! You're so sweet! Someone is very, very lucky! You need to tell them how you feel!"
Terrible, terrible idea! His mind screams, but his chest is swelling, and suddenly there is a very small flame of hope, burning brightly. Suddenly, he really very badly wants this fortune to come true.
"Final one? Let's see what the spirits say what will happen, with your new-found love!"
He knows which card he's going to pick. It had drawn him in, from the start, but he hadn't known when to choose it, until now. Amy blinks at his confidence, as he pulls it out, but recovers quickly and tells him to turn it over.
He places it down.
There is a skeleton holding a scythe. Its hollow eyes wink, wickedly, at him. The card is Death.