Grey is painted over the world above. It hides the open blue skies with heavy grey clouds. These clouds came rolling in at Sonic's departure - and Percival thinks that even the sky mourns at the withdrawal of such a light and vibrant friend, the knight of the wind.
Nimue's worry only grew. Blossoming into a weed impostering a flower. Though, did not voice this out anymore. Instead, she prepared chamomile tea for the two of them. She hummed to herself as she did this. A slow and melancholic tone that reminds Percival of a funeral march. Percival opened her mouth to speak and stopped when Nimue sets out two cups of tea and her teapot which is still steaming and scalding hot at it's touch. Her movements were like that of a puppet on strings.
Calmly she poured out the hot stream of tea into both teacups, set the pot down, and took up the cup closest to her as she settles into her seat across from the knight. The other cup went untouched by Percival.
"You're stalling." Percival muttered to herself, her words too soft for Nimue to hear. "What happened to 'time waits for none' my lady?"
She glared down at the teacup with vehemence in golden yellow eyes, ones that could compare to the brightest of fire embers, and she pursed her lips with thinly concealed ire. As if the innocent glass had been the cause of the shared misery of the knights and enchantresses. In the crevices of her heart, deep within, there is the cold grip of pain and of mourning in the emptiness. Sadness swirls in her blood and pumps through her veins from her cold, hurt heart. And Percival's claws dig harshly against her palms, sinking into flesh without easing up on herself. How she despises this feeling that made its way into her heart, wondering distantly in her mind how Lancelot has not lost himself within his grief when she herself is barely holding hers in.
It is an endless cycle of loss, sadness, and anger that she lives through. The more Percival thinks - the harder it is to conceal and push back at her emotions.
Being angry...fueling coals of resentment into her heart and building up the flames of fury is easier...It is better to be mad and use her anger as a weight to keep her feelings at bay. But she can't stop feeling angry. Like the embers from her flames became uncontrollable and the dancing fires mock her.
Nimue's hand came into her vision, breaking her out of her icy brooding, and Nimue wrapped her fingers around Percival's hand and firmly unraveled the knight's claws stabbing into her own hands. "Please, Percy, do not hurt yourself in anger." Nimue said. Her hands are warm from the tea, and are gentle in rubbing at where Percival's claws dug in.
"Take me to the reflection pool." Percival says as she pulls her hands away from the warmth of Nimue's in a stern and curt voice. She does not mean to come out as demanding or rude, especially to Nimue. She can't help but feel irritated at her conflicting and contrasting emotions get the best of her. "I apologize."
It hurts to see the plaguing sadness in her friends. No...that's not right...they're family. Either or - Percival feels powerless knowing how hard it is on them all. And she wishes Nimue would hurry up already so her thoughts will cease their constant drumming in her head.
"Don't apologize for feeling. And don't punish yourself for things out of your control." Then, Nimue pulls the teacups and kettle aside from the center of her stone table and she taps at the table with her index finger poking the dotted edges of a square.
Where her finger had touched the table, a glow takes place and stretches to meet the other glowing dots and the reflection pool forms from her enchanted watches like a hawk, careful of startling the rippling glow.
"Percival... I need you to listen to me. To make promise to me that what you see, you will not relay back to Lancelot? Gawain may know, but not yet Lancelot."
"What?" And then the golden glow of the shimming reflection pool overtakes the two women's vision and all fades to blackness.
. . .
Together, they sat on the hedgehog's bed where Knuckles wrapped an arm around Sonic who had leaned his head into Knuckles' shoulder. The silence clung to them like a second skin - though neither Knuckles or Sonic made any attempts to break the mute air around them. There is comfort in the silence, where in the quietude they can quell certain fears without saying a single word.
Instead of talking they focused only on their bond where they were as close as brothers and they did not need to speak when words were miniscule in comparison to feeling. No amount of words Knuckles could say would match up to how he feels. In their case, words were meaningless. They only complicated the emotions Knuckles struggled to speak about, words Sonic couldn't talk about through his tears.
For Knuckles simply saying, "I missed you," did not have the same effect as pulling Sonic into a hug, pressing Sonic against him and running his fingers through his quills - just to make sure that he isn't dreaming. That this isn't a cruel joke of sorts. That his brother and best friend is here and safe in his arms. Knuckles rubbed gentle circles against Sonic's back while Sonic's shoulders wracked upwards then down continuously with his stifled cries.
For Sonic, making a wise joke or even a playful hello does not feel right to do. Especially when he sees the dark lines of exhaustion beneath those eyes of his friend. No. Sonic knows he's put them through hell with his decision and disgust at himself churns in his stomach. The heavy weight in knowing that he's to blame for his selfish decision made him grow sicker and self-hatred.
Sonic greatly missed Knuckles while he lived in Camelot. He missed each and every one of his friends dearly in their own right. Gawain and Knuckles may be brash, they were entirely different individuals and Sonic knew it'd be foolish and wrong to expect the same type of bond he has with Knuckles to come with Gawain. But he couldn't help but see Gawain instead. And Sonic's eyes trace along Knuckles' appearance. Finding the different scars, eyes, life, and soul within Knuckles.
'Why?'
Sonic's eyes screw shut - because that thought flares up guilt in him. How could he be selfish? To be back in his old friend's arms, and yet, he still cries for the other. For Gawain and the others. It is that selfishness that tore at him in Camelot.
Just as it's eating at him here in Mobius.
He finds nothing of Gawain. Only the outward appearance of the echidna knight. The only common quality between the two. Other than a similarity bond of brothers. He desperately tries not to imagine Gawain here, he forces himself to look up at Knuckles and his breath halts in his throat.
Growing up, Knuckles had taken up the role of big brother for Sonic and Tails. With Knuckles being a great deal mature than Sonic. Knuckles could feel a protective instinct within his chest driving him to ensure that Sonic won't disappear again. What Sonic is to Tails, is how Knuckles is to Sonic.
Not that Sonic minded the protectiveness of Knuckles, Sonic's guard eventually fell down in Knuckles' presence earlier, and Sonic took ease in knowing that he's safe with Knuckles. In a sense it is like they were teenagers again, fighting against the world with only each other at their sides again.
No.
The Words could never compare.
The physical affection, intimate and raw, comforted them both more than words could speak.
Except maybe for the words, "Are you okay?" Knuckles had asked. The depths of these words only made the blue hedgehog cry harder in the other's arms and Knuckles knows deep down that the GUN agents know exactly what is wrong.
Sonic seems so fragile in Knuckles arms, that with too much force he'd shatter like glass. Knuckles presses Sonic closer to him - praying wordlessly that he will discover the truth. 'And soon.' Because...
Because dammit that is his best friend. Sonic is hurting from a wound that Knuckles is powerless to protect him from. He had been powerless in keeping Sonic safe and home that day he never came home.
He should have been there. He should have known that something would've went wrong. His intuition should've picked up on it. And it didn't. They lost Sonic. Now he is home, home and frightened. Knuckles wishes he could've protected Sonic that day and his heart aches knowing that he can't protect him even now.
"I-" Voice shaking and emotions spilling out to his dismay. He knows he should say something...anything. And he does, Sonic sharply breathes in then out before saying, "I missed you. I really did."
'But who do you miss more? How far can your selfishness guide you away from your real family? We all know better...' A voice, faintly growing stronger, from a gentle breeze into a howling hiss echoes in his ears.
. . .
Blaze intertwines her fingers into Amy's for a moment, the pink hedgehog shoots her another weary smile and snuggles her head closer into Blaze's shoulder. Worry hangs in the air, surrounding them with it. Sprinkled down upon them in sharp cold flakes of snow. Hours had passed and no genuine update has been heard from Knuckles other than the, "Shadow and Rouge are watching over him. He's fine." or the "He's still resting, don't worry."
Despite the calming words Knuckles would leave them, they did nothing to ease that worry growing. They could hear the secretive words, hushed and faint that no one else could hear them. Whatever is happening - it involves Sonic and personally Amy is becoming irate.
She felt it unfair that those three were still in the loop of things. All of them corresponding with each other and knowing exactly what's going on. Amy did not argue when the two said they'd watch him, anyone of the gang could've done it but Amy trusts them to keep their word. And that's what's bothering her. They're keeping all their words and only speaking to Knuckles.
Earlier Shadow had came downstairs to request Knuckles' presence - the ebony hedgehog pale and unmistakably lost for reasons unknown to Amy. She had kept herself busy in the kitchen and cooking up for her friends. It's the least she could do. Plus, it helped distract her mind on the present for a bit. Now it is her and Blaze idly sitting together in the living room. Waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting.
To hear anything from them again. Knuckles never came back down after checking up on them again. Shadow never went back up - instead Shadow had disappeared somewhere inside the house. And Rouge hasn't been seen since earlier. Though her voice echoed down earlier when she and Knuckles were clearly arguing about something Amy didn't know about.
Amy's brows pinch together and a cross look comes upon her face once again. Though Blaze only squeezes Amy's hand gently and Amy's face loses it's hardened expression and she gives the cat a half smile that Blaze returns fully.
Blaze offers to comfort Amy and she does. Their bodies press close and no words are spoken. They know each other so well already. That comfort only lasts for a short while when Blaze shoots up in her seat when she hears Silver yelping outside. Assuming that he'd hurt himself with that sword or something else equally bad or worse has happened.
The two women are quick to stand up and bolt outside to find Espio and Silver taking jolted steps backwards, their backs faced them and they couldn't see their faces.
That didn't matter since they could hear the alarm in their voices.
Mainly Silver's, "Dude what the hell- what the hell?!"
Blaze appears at his side and her hand reaches to turn Silver around to face her. Silver's golden eyes looked up at her and he appeared to be lost in shock. "What's wrong? What happened?" Blaze's insistent words were unanswered by Silver and instead answered by Amy.
"What's with the sword? Is it...blinking at me?!" Amy stepped forwards of the other three, bravely pulling out her piko piko hammer and holding it in front of her with a white knuckled grip.
Blaze looks away from Silver to indeed see that sword she can vaguely recall Espio and Silver talking about earlier. The sword, almost taller in height than them, had blunk again with two blue eyes and it spoke. The atmosphere felt surreal when the sword stood up on it's own and bounced towards them and tilted forward like it was bowing to the four of them, "My lady, it appears I cannot recall how I've gotten here." said the Sword. "I cannot remember where sir Sonic has gone. And Galahad appears to have fallen ill."