I've been watching an unhealthy amount of bluey lately and somehow this hasnt made a single dent on how i write silver
Silver couldn't bring himself to cross the well worn threshold. Like a statue he stood - frozen in place from the sheer number of drunken Syndicate inside the well visited bar. Laughter and slamming mugs erupted from beyond the open doors, floating like ghosts into the young hoglet's twitching ears. Oh how he remembered the awful teeth of the red hooded lieutenant and the uncaringly rough hands of the men who captured him. Frightful faces of half-starved children and walls splattered with blood flashed in his mind as he remained - feet rooted to the ground as if they weighed a thousand stones each.
An impatient squeeze compressed his right hand as Shadow wordlessly reminded the hoglet of their reconnaissance mission. Frightfully, Silver turned his head to look up at the blindfolded face. Why was Shadow so sure that this plan would work? His plan would work? Shadow never trusted Silver to do anything. The mere fact that the ranger had decided to play along with the half baked idea of pretending to be someone else was mind boggling enough. And worst of all, Silver was to be the one carrying the whole plan. Silver was going to be doing all of the talking. What in Gaia's name was he even going to say?
A rambunctious clap of many hands forced a flinch from the young hoglet. Those awful people were more than capable of whisking a young hoglet away for their own benefit. Why in heaven should he even bother to go in there?
Lips numb and fur slightly puffed, Silver drug his feet forwards in a single step. If he was going to go through with this, then he would have to take it one step at a time. There was no room for failure. He couldn't lose. There wasn't a choice.
Shadow's hand stopped him short briefly, the unexpected weight of resistance startling the young hoglet before the adult also took a shuffling step forwards. With drooped head and hunched shoulders, the elder hedgehog blindly followed Silver - leaving the child with a sickening dread hanging over him. Vulnerability was a dangerous thing. Any sign of weakness would be sniffed out and abused by advantageous people such as those in the tavern. A small child leading around a blind person was by far the most vulnerable someone could be. And they were going to walk in there like this?
Upon crossing the threshold, Silver straightened his back and put on his bravest face - stifling his trembling bones with clenched teeth and a stiff arm. Green and red filled the tavern with holiday colors as the partying pack laughed and celebrated away. Like wolves upon a carcass they devoured their plates of food - downing it all with messy swigs of the tavern's jolly liquor and unfunny jabs at their tablemate's expense. Banging of mugs and twanging of knives slammed against the tables as they amused themselves in games of strength and endurance - abrupt slams and abrasive yells startling the young hedgehog as he crept through the tavern.
A yank at his ivory arm puffed his fur as Shadow's boot caught on a loose floorboard - tripping the charcoal-stained hedgehog and sending him tumbling to the ground. Alarmed, Silver rushed to his side. Anxiety rushed through his young head as Shadow senselessly traced his hands across the floor, searching for something that seemingly didn't exist. Silver could only breathe. Why wasn't he just getting up? Blood cold and heart thumping, Silver grabbed Shadow's bandaged paws and pulled - guiding the adult to his feet like a mother to her newborn child.
"Why didn't you stand up?" Silver wheezed, trying to be quiet as a group of intoxicated hoods pointed and jeered at the duo.
Shadow didn't respond. The elder hedgehog only stared blankly ahead with twitching ears and expressionless face. Right. Will not talk. Will not see. Silver pursed his lips at the realization that Shadow was not joking when he said he would pretend. Feeling the crushing weight of responsibility falling on his shoulders, the hoglet carefully pushed his way through the crowd; avoiding obstacles and mishaps that could potentially trip the ranger up.
"Ah, what's a young hedgehog doing bringing his brother by at such a late hour?" The bartender asked, setting down his cup and rag to address the two strangers.
"He needs a drink." Silver blurted, remembering the reason Shadow told him they were entering.
Kicking his legs and clambering with his arms, Silver struggled onto the barstool. Why the tavern had decided to make the stools so high was beyond the hoglet as he huffed and heaved until his tail was seated on the wooden seat. Remembering to relax his spines, Silver exhaled deeply.
"A drink?" The bartender asked, tail twitching in confusion. "Are you sure here is the safest place to do this?"
"No." Silver wheezed, refusing to look behind himself despite how pale his face got.
"Well, what do you say then?" The barkeep pressed, turning to Shadow and leaning his arms on the countertop. "What do you want?"
Shadow only stared blankly ahead, feeling his hands across the countertop and sweeping his legs until he too found a stool to sit on.
"Uh… hello?" The cat frowned. "Can you even see?"
"He got into an accident." Silver explained, tense claws digging into the countertop.
"Accident? What kind?" The bartender asked, waving his hand in front of Shadow's face.
"Stalker attack." Silver explained, wrapping his ankles around the stool legs as a bunch of red hoods ordered another round.
Reacting to the lieutenants, the bartender emptied a jug into their mugs - taking their rings and sliding them down his tail. The incoherent group cheered amongst themselves as the round was refilled - sauntering away as the rings were dumped into a nearby barrel.
"If that's the case, you need something strong, my friend." The cat nodded, returning to the hedgehogs. "How does a Glypic Duet sound? It's the hardest drink in the region."
Shadow nodded, tapping two fingers on the polished wood in response.
"Oh I don't think I feel comfortable giving your young friend here something that strong." The bartender laughed. "What would you like, young sir?"
"I…uh..I.." Silver stammered, quite taken aback by the title of "sir".
"My water is untainted." The cat continued. "I also just got a shipment of fresh milk this afternoon."
"I'll take the milk…" Silver hissed, teeth grating together in stress.
"One Glyphic Duet and one glass of milk for…uh…I don't think I caught your names."
Shoot. Silver felt the fur on his neck prickle up as the bartender began pulling glasses off the shelf - flipping the cups between his hands and spinning them onto the countertop with learned expertise. Mind caught in the whirlwind of clanking and laughing, Silver attempted to come up with a cover as the bartender continued on. Two bottles of different colors were whisked out from under the counter as the cat whistled a tune. Names…names…uh...names… Twirling a cup on his fingertip, the bartender poured a concoction of ingredients - twisting the bottles between his fingers and lining them expertly onto the counter. What were names…? Silver felt sweat drip down his face. Where were all the names he had heard? What were the names?
"One Glyphic Duet." The bartender announced, sliding it in front of Shadow's hand with expert precision. "I'll have your milk in a second."
Pulling a glass bottle from under a trapdoor, the barkeep tipped a portion of the ivory white sweetness into a small glass.
"Here you go, sport." The cat smiled. "Now, what are those names of yours - for the tab."
"Uh...uh.." Silver found himself dying inside as the profound blankness consumed his mind.
What were names?
"I'm Blank." He blurted, not even trying to think anymore. "And this is…Dirt..."
Shadow's jaw visibly clenched.
"Man, your mother must've really hated you." The bartender commented, a rude smile crossing his face in amusement.
Shadow only gripped his glass harder, tilting his head back and downing the whole glass in a single gulp. Calmly setting the cup down as if he had sipped on mere water, the hedgehog tapped his index finger on the countertop.
"Now that is a man who can hold his liquor!" Some hood shouted, raising his mug with the cheers of his fellow tablemates as the barkeeper's jaw fell agape.
"Never judge a book by his cover." The bartender shrugged, wiping the shock off his face with an impressed grin. "For that stunt alone- your tab is on the house."
Silver quietly sipped on his milk, sweat dripping down his face as another group of hoods emerged for yet another round of drinks. Shoulders raised and back hunched, the hoglet huddled in on himself. One wrong move and their cover could be blown in an instant - revealing both the Hero and his Prodigy in seconds. What was Shadow doing? Didn't he know this place was a minefield?
"So - why can't he talk, little master?" The cat smiled, leaning one hand on the countertop and the other on his hip.
"S-singing accident." Silver blundered, forcing a smile.
Out of the corner of his eye, the hoglet spotted Shadow slapping his hands over his face.
"Oh oooh.." The bartender winced. "My cousin had that happen - nasty stuff. You gotta be careful with those notes."
Holy crap he bought it.
"Yeah - he used to sing a lot before then." Silver smiled awkwardly.
"It's a shame." The bartender sighed. "Some voices are too unique to lose…but we lose them anyways."
"Yeah …."
Heaving a heavy sigh, Shadow downed the second drink in the same manner as the first, ears folded slightly back and head held low. Taking advantage of the free drinks, he tapped his bandaged finger on the countertop once more - holding his paw open until the next glass slid into his hand.
Anxiously, Silver looked around - trying to spot what the disguised adult was listening to. It was more than clear that the ebony ears had focused in on a specific sound, but whatever could it be? Daring to look behind himself, Silver held his mug close. There were lots of people dancing about in the tavern - mostly wearing the familiar green hoods and various weapons. However, it seemed, for every five greens, there was a red hooded individual; chattering about and drinking with coworkers of any color. Silver gulped, trying not to choke on his milk as a group decided to hang a dartboard and sling daggers at it (with varying degrees of accuracy).
"These guys are regular patrons here." The bartender commented, pointing at the extremely damaged wall. "They sure rack up quite the bill - very good for business, those ones."
"What do they do here?" Silver asked, figuring he could gather his own information if he could.
"Mostly screw around." The cat shrugged. "Though occasionally they hold some meetings here - like right now."
With a subtle glance to a corner, the tavern keeper gestured to a group of seated hoods in the far end of the room - nestled in a secure corner like a group of vultures. Most of them wore red, listening intently and calmly sipping at their drinks with extreme professionalism. Seeing so much scarlet reminded the young hoglet of blood, wincing as splattered walls flashed across his eyes briefly. Roaring fires and children's screams echoed through his head as he stared at the group. Why were they so calm compared to the rest of the crowd? Silver figured it had to do with the one person who stood out from the rest at the table.
He sat at the head, listening calmly as a red hood pointed at a map. His white muzzle twitched and black-tipped tail flicked, reacting to information with slight disgust. Unlike anyone else in the entire building, this mobian held authority - hood stained a brilliant blue and gloves a deadly black.
Oh…Blue hood…This must be Captain Phantom. Silver felt a chill run down his spine as the weasel pointed to another section of the map - speaking words of shipments and postings with a stern voice.
Quickly, Silver looked away as the platinum eyes glanced up - avoiding the captain's glare as he downed another swig of his fresh milk. Shadow definitely had reason to be wary of this individual, the hoglet figured. Not only was Phantom just as intimidating as the Hero himself, he held the same amount of projected authority that Shadow usually carried. Silver felt himself gulp down a lump. What was so dangerous about this white weasel that made him warrant that much concern?
Shadow tapped his finger once more on the countertop, ordering another Glyphic Duet while he listened closely to the Captain's words. As the elder hedgehog swallowed the drink once more, Silver couldn't help but shiver. Something was off about this situation. But what could it be?
The hoglet could only sip on his milk, fur growing damper from sweat and jaw almost breaking from the stressful clench he held on his teeth.