BURNING HEART.

established may 28th, 2021

other blogs : kaeya alberich, twisted wonderland multi, fandomless oc, ganondorf dragmire.

@solscorch​ asked: “ you don’t need me to tell you it’s broken. ”

“very astute observation,” starline says, the words delivered through gritted teeth. this is far from the ideal situation, he thinks as he stares at the device now lying in pieces. all of his planning for this moment and for what?? to witness it all fall apart because of a clever move on the part of someone who by all means shouldn’t even be here?? he swallows, throat tighter than he’d like, and he lifts his eyes to look at her. he feels a bit more hesitant than he’d like too — revealing a bit more fear than perhaps is necessary.

“blaze, was it??” his tone is faux - conversational, a defeated sort of lilt to it as he starts taking a few steps backwards. there’s even a weak little smile falling across his features. if he can just get her to… one door closes and another one opens; one plan falls away for another to take its place. starline is prepared for eventualities he doesn’t even realize he’s prepared for at times, and this is one of them… even if it’s a little more reckless than he’d like.

        for all intents and purposes, she has never met starline ——— she has heard of him through reputation alone, the vague mentions that people give whenever they speak of the METAL VIRUS, albeit almost strictly in passing. ( and she is too afraid / or perhaps too cautious? / to pry any further. ) to her understanding, he is not to be trusted : AN EVIL—DOER THROUGH AND THROUGH. or, at least, someone akin to eggman, and her tolerance for that nefarious man is perilously low, indeed.

You did your best.  Amy knows the thought is meant to be comforting, she knows that, and she wants to be grateful.  IS GRATEFUL, even, past the suddenly crushing exhaustion.  “I always do my best,” the hedgehog murmurs, and it’s tired and fraying at the edges, because the words aren’t comforting when — “My best just isn’t ever good enough.”  And THAT’S the swift consistent  Amy tries their very best and it doesn’t matter because Amy’s not enough.  Their best isn’t enough to stop Sonic from being tortured for 6 months.  It’s not enough to stop Sonic from getting infected.  It’s not enough to protect their family.  Some days, it’s not even enough to get their friends to act like Amy is more than annoying.  What good is DOING THEIR BEST when their best is never, ever, ever worth anything?

Their head shakes.  This isn’t the time.  “Sorry, sorry — you’re being nice and look at me, acting all negative.  I really do appreciate it!”  That chipper edge to their voice is back, and Amy laughs and raises her eyes and it’s okay.  “Guess I’m just really tired out from everything.”

        ah ——— not the right thing to say, it seems. but then, blaze isn’t so certain that there was anything at all that would have been RIGHT TO SAY. her reassurances are not empty / but how are they meant to soothe any of the despair that amy faces? any of the terrible trials they have undergone? there is nothing that blaze can offer that will act as a balm upon these many and varying hurts amy has : she can only offer words and her own presence. that is all. ❝ it is quite understandable to be exhausted, after everything that has happened, ❞ blaze has never been especially proficient in COMFORT / and even now she feels herself stumbling, grasping at things to say, ways to make things better. there is no way to make things better.

        sometimes she forgets ——— it is easier to than one would think, to forget that external temperature affects others in a way that it does not for her. well, she supposes that external temperature does impact her, technically / it is simply her LITERAL INNER FIRE makes adjustments, as necessary. so : she forgets, from time to time, and she finds herself glancing at her companion, sees how they shiver in the clutches of the falling snow,  ❝ ——— oh, ❞ she doesn’t mean to give the thoughtless noise a voice, per say, but she shifts slightly closer. not quite touching, but close enough that her radiant heat should surely reach. ❝ it is rather cold, isn’t it? you can linger closer to me, if you wish. i am... a furnace, as some would say. ❞

“The Chaos Emeralds are like that too,”   he confides after a moment, thinking of the times he had forced himself to work with the yellow Emerald over the green one ( which was his personal favorite, the one most attuned to his specific brand of chaos ). Perhaps things aren’t so different across the multi-verse as he has led himself to believe – like Blaze, he too jumps to many conclusions, often to his own detriment / and his heart hurts / his heart hurts so much because of it. For what kind of protector of the people distances himself so much from them?

The feline’s response is taken well, or about as well as anyone can appease Shadow with his stern expression and focused eyes. For a moment his mouth falls open to decline her – he is no company – but thinking better of it, closes his lips and rethinks his answer.   “Very well.”   His pride encourages him to treat Blaze as he would an EQUAL / and in action he knows her flames burn just as bright as his Chaos Spears do.   “If you can keep up.”

“What piques a traveler from another dimension’s interest?”

        she cannot help but LAUGH when he goads her into keeping up with him. a soft laugh / more of a chuckle than anything, light and carrying and bemused. ❝ i may not be as fast as you or sonic, ❞ a fact that used to smart at her pride, once ——— in the sol dimension she is the strongest being in existence, and to know that as much is not true in other places ( ... ) it had been something that she had to adjust to. among many other things. ❝ but i believe myself capable of keeping up with you quite easily, ❞ easy confidence, delivered with a smile.

        ❝ i find myself curious of other dimensions, ❞ she says honestly, with a fleeting shrug of her shoulders. ❝ the sol dimension is a parallel dimension to mobius, but also acts as a confluence to many other dimensions due to the jeweled scepter. i do not visit many other realities as i do this one, as i have little reason to do so, ❞ should they need her the sol emeralds would surely catch her attention, ❝ but i find myself... wanting to experience them. ❞

It’s a little embarrassing to think about when she puts it like that. It’s not like Shadow considers himself particularly LONELY ( deep beneath the surface, however … ) or in need of companionship. He has Team Dark after all. Rouge and Omega were companions enough. Weapons had no need for bonds, and so he should be incredibly lucky that he has the few he does. He is lucky. he is telling himself that.

“Oh,”   he says again. It made sense that the Sol Emeralds were somewhat sentient. After all, the Chaos Emeralds were like that too. He had never considered it for the others, however.   “I see they like to meddle in other people’s business, then.”   Although dryly delivered, his comment is not without humor, and the quirk at the end of his lips is proof of that.

The smile fizzles out a moment after and shrugging, Shadow allows his palms to face skyward as if defeated. He would like to take the opportunity to learn more about Blaze – they have had only a handful of encounters, after all.   “Westopolis isn’t MUCH. Any more than a few minutes and your Sol Emeralds will be wishing they dropped you off in Apotos instead.”   Realizing how dismissive this sounds of her presence, Shadow adds on,   “You can stay as long as you like. I simply hope it isn’t too boring.”

        ❝ they do like to meddle in other’s affairs, yes, ❞ it’s a FACTUAL STATEMENT more than anything / to speak fondly of the sol emeralds feels, somehow, irresponsible. they are sentient, highly powerful objects that she keeps on her person at all times, and they are speaking of them as if they were ( ... ) unruly children? yet the concept is quite funny, when you think of it in such a manner. ❝ at random, as well. i can never foresee what they deem as necessary for me to give my attention to, ❞ at times to other’s detriment, in her opinion, but she ——— can’t just question the sol emeralds.

        nonetheless : she is glad that shadow is not merely sending her on her way. not that she had expected him to do so, per say, but she hadn’t known what to expect at all from shadow the hedgehog. perhaps to simply leave here there, or give her directions and disappear? blaze knows she is prone to passing judgment swiftly and often unforgivingly, but shadow at least is an entity she can place some measure of trust in. sonic and amy and the others do, after all.

“—— That’s really kind, Blaze, thank you.”  They can’t meet her eyes, though, already small body seeming like it wants to be even smaller.  Blaze wasn’t here — not for the war, where Amy’s vice - leadership left so many lost, or for the metal virus, where Amy’s sole - leadership left so many SOMETHING WORSE.  Half their friends sick and gone, and Amy at the helm.  They laugh softly.  “Not everybody agrees with you…there are plenty of people who were glad to see me step down after the metal virus.  Which is —”  Fair of them.  MORE THAN EARNED.  She’s grateful (  and, at times, angry  ) that none of her friends have seen like they bear any grudge, but it’s still…hard.  That’s like the war, too; entire settlements for whom the name AMY ROSE is a curse.  “Which is okay.  We lost — a lot of people.  After that, it’s…about time that someone else take the helm.”

“You okay, princess?“  It’s a funny question to ask, after everything, and a funny expression she can feel pulling across her face / like Whisper after the safe, trying to make herself gentle even after CAN’T BREATHE CAN’T BREATHE DON’T PASS OUT AGAIN.  this was worse, though.  “I’m okay.  I don’t really remember the ———”  (  half a lie / she remembers enough bits and pieces / and she remembers how it hurt to turn / but everything’s so fragile she doesn’t want to worry anyone and make it worse.  )  “I don’t really remember anything after I got turned, so I missed the really bad stuff.”

“Oh, no, not these days!”  The smile’s ill - fitting and exhausted but sweet as ever; they don’t want to worry Blaze, who’s got more than enough on her plate without worrying over PEOPLE WHO CAN’T PROTECT ANYTHING.  (  they can barely look at vanilla, and every glance at cream has guilt eating them whole.  )  After the Metal Virus…it was abundantly clear that someone far better than she was needed to lead things.  “One of Tangle’s friends, Jewel — she’s a natural organizer and leader, and she’s taken over!  She’s going great so far.”  Amy laughs, a little stiffly — the smile used to be so easy but they’re still so tired and talking about this makes them feel like glass.  “I’m better out in the field than leading, anyway!”

        ❝ ——— you are not leading the restoration any longer, correct? ❞ it feels as though she’s missed, quite literally, EVERYTHING in the interim. so much has come to pass, and all without her presence, all without the sol emeralds stating that she would be of use to the rest of them. she feels ( ... ) wrong—footed by the items that she is sworn to protect / looking at amy fills her with insurmountable guilt, but she swallows it. a bitter pill. but she is a princess, and there have been more bitter pills to swallow, and besides : does she have any right to feel such guilt? especially as she is here for amy, not to ( ... ) assuage her own ill—fitting guilt. ❝ i admit i was rather surprised to hear the news. ❞