Habit woke the Sol Princess early the next morning. It took some effort to maintain her composure when she saw Silver. The last thing she wanted to do was wake everyone up with such undignified laughter.
Fortunately, Silver soon woke up on his own. And found himself face to face with a chao. At least 6 chao, in fact, crawling all over him.
He stared at them, unsure of how to react. He didn't want to push them off, but he couldn't stay there forever. He looked at Blaze. She had no answers, only an amused smile.
His next, and only, idea was to start trying to call Millie in an urgent whisper.
The echidna sat up sleepily. She took the situation in through blurry eyes and, with a yawn, said, "Chaos! Get your chao!"
The watery guardian slid over and warbled at his wards. Somewhat reluctantly, they obediently returned to his side. Chaos led the chao back to his corner. Millie went back to sleep.
Silver looked toward Blaze. She shrugged. Careful not to wake anyone, she got up and went to Millie's supply stash. She filled a kettle with water and set it on the coals. Silver followed when she returned to the crates.
Acknowledging him with a glance, she asked, "Do you drink tea?"
"No."
"You must try this, then." She smiled as she rummaged. "The guardian made some for my family early in our visit. It's a very unique mix of mint and the flowers that grow in the ash fields near Lava Reef." She removed the kettle just before it boiled, mixed the tea leaves in, and set it aside to steep.
Silver sat beside her while she waited. "I feel like I need to offer you something. You're risking yourself to help us. You're making us tea. Um. How about this?" He dragged his backpack over and pulled out a box of caramel.
Blaze didn't move when he held it out to her. She simply looked at it. Silver shook the box. "You can have some if you want." He opened the box, pulled her hand out, turned her palm up, and dropped a piece of caramel into her hand.
He got a piece for himself. Mid-chew, he paused and asked her, "Is something wrong?"
Blaze continued to stare at the caramel in her hand. Blushing, realizing Silver had just held her hand. She looked back at Silver. "Uh, no. Nothing's wrong. Just…looking at it."
"It's nothing fancy. Just generic brand candy. Not really worthy of royalty." He laughed awkwardly.
"It's fine." She quickly put it in her mouth, before she could say anything to make the situation more uncomfortable. It was a little hard to chew. She daintily covered her mouth. A sudden crunch made her pause.
Silver looked at her. "Are you alright?"
She nodded quickly. He didn't seem bothered by the caramel. Was his crunchy too? Maybe it was just because of the quality.
"How's it compare to the candy in your world? I bet you get to have the best caramel ever. Getting the sea salt caramel instead of regular is as fancy as I get to have." He tapped the box.
Blaze looked over the label. Sure enough, right there: Sea Salt Caramel. Somewhat relieved, she swallowed the sugary blob. It stuck to her teeth, but soldiering on, she said, "It's good."
"Want another? Here."
Now aware of what to expect, she took the piece and savored it.
Silver grinned at her, waiting for her reaction.
She smiled, "It reminds me of home. Living by the ocean, you can imagine how popular the local sea salt varieties are."
"No fair! You get to have the good stuff!" He burst into laughter.
She giggled along, fighting to keep from choking on the caramel or letting it fall out of her mouth. It was a challenge to look dignified while eating something so gooey. But Silver didn't seem to care. As he caught his breath, he chomped on his caramel without a second thought. And he appeared to be unfazed by Blaze's struggle. Absently, he picked the caramel out of his teeth. Blaze subtly copied him, hoping he wouldn't notice.
He chattered on obliviously. "I wish I had more candy to share with you. I think the Pop Rocks will knock your socks off."
"I've never heard of that."
"Oh, you're in for a good surprise! It feels like eating TV static! Like when your leg falls asleep, but it's your tongue!" Seeing that she looked more confused than impressed, he added, "It…it's better than it sounds. I promise."
Blaze started laughing again. She suddenly remembered the steeping tea. She gulped the candy down and jumped up. Taking two cups from the crate, she poured some tea and held a cup out to Silver. Now it was his turn to feel out of his element. He waited for Blaze's example. She swirled the cup slightly and breathed in the scent.
Silver sniffed hard, then coughed at the intense burst of mint invading his nose. He put the cup down quickly while he hacked and wheezed.
Blaze giggled, almost spilling her own tea. "Careful."
Silver nodded, agreeing. Continuing to follow her lead, he tried to take a tiny sip and immediately burned his tongue. He sputtered and flailed.
"Let it cool." She suggested calmly. She sometimes forgot about the advantages of her heat immunity.
"Good idea. Really good idea." He set his cup down and took a moment to assure himself that his mouth had not been fried. "Ith urts. Ow. Uhhh…ever made homemade caramel? I tried to help my mom once. You're not supposed to stick your finger in to check the temperature. And if you do stick your finger in it, you're not supposed to lick it off. I burned my tongue too. Dad looked so disappointed when he found out."
It surprised her, but she was almost willing to let herself burst into laughter around Silver. Realizing Millie was awake quickly stopped her.
The guardian rubbed her eyes. "I was going to offer you some tea, but you beat me to it. I didn't even realize you were awake. Sleeping in and ignoring what's going on right next to me. Some guardian I am."
"Knuckles chose you for a reason. I'm certain that someone as dedicated to the emerald as he is would not take the decision lightly. He saw something in you. And I'm sure if there was a real threat, you be fully capable of handling it."
"And," Silver chipped in, "Nobody's perfect. We all need a little help sometimes. That's what you have Chaos for."
Millie smiled, "You two have good hearts. No wonder you're so determined to help."
Blaze shook the compliment off. "That's the way I was brought up. Always act in the best interests of the Sol Empire and its people. And anyone else who needs assistance."
"And my dad dedicated his life to protecting the world in Aunt Maria's honor. I've gotta continue the legacy."
"I'm sure they're all very proud of you. Both of you." Millie watched Blaze pour a little more tea in Silver's cup. "Happy to see you like it. I'll be sure to send some with you when you go home to the Sol Dimension."
"It will likely replace my current favorite. An interdimensional trade route may be necessary," she noted with a hint of amusement.
"Want some?" Silver pointed to the kettle.
The guardian took a place beside Blaze, who offered her a cup.
Silver took the opportunity to ask, "Why were those chao all over me?"
Millie laughed. "That's just how they are. They're curious. And they're drawn to chaos energy. That's why they tend to linger around ring pools and why they're so prevalent on Angel Island." She twisted a few quills thoughtfully, "You must have quite a significant supply of energy in you for them to flock to you like that, though. I haven't seen them do that to a stranger before."
"Did they do that to Dad or Sonic?"
"They did, but I thought they could just sense that Sonic and Shadow have a good heart. Chao are very sensitive to how people treat them. Whether it was chaos energy or your personality, I'd consider it a good sign."
"You said I have a proficiency. And the chao agree. Does that mean I'm ready?"
"You do have a lot of power, but you still need to hone it."
"I don't have time to keep training. If I keep waiting, something might happen to Dad. I can't risk it."
Millie sighed, "If you're anything like your father, trying to talk you out of it is just an exercise in futility. If you insist, I can't stop you. All I can say is, please be careful."
"I will if I can." He picked up the box of caramel again. "One more before we go?"
He tossed a piece of caramel upward and tried to catch it in his mouth. It bounced off his head and rolled across the floor. Where a chao promptly grabbed it up and devoured it.
Mille glanced at the rest of the chao, who had been gradually sneaking away from Chaos and closing the distance from Silver. "Well, they sure will like you now."
Notes: Just a little fluff chapter before we get into the action.