An Echidna In Temba

[thelastechidna]

Knuckles doesn't really know why he feels so frustrated and angry. They're finally done with their mission and they're back in Temba. They even have a lot of improvements that should make the city better.

Knuckles is glad to be back, at least. He can watch over the Master Emerald in peace and not be bothered with nonsense about lightening up and going to parties or whatever. A lot of the time, that's exactly what he's doing.

Other times, he's wandering around Temba, usually with the Master Emerald. Sometimes he'll set it down and punch a dilapidated wall or a rock.

Why?

Comments

[ephemerios]

She's also glad to be back, frankly, and is trying to resettle into some routine here after a while away. And she stops walking from where she'd been coming from (or going to) when she sees him punching at a wall that has definitely seen better days.

“Are..you okay?” She asks the question sincerely. That had to be hurting his hands, right?

[thelastechidna]

Knuckles jumps and looks around. "... Yeah, I'm fine," he says, a bit chagrined to have been caught. He'd better stop for now; he doesn't want to bring the wall down on anyone. His hands do seem fine, oddly enough.

[ephemerios]

“Good, I mean not that I would judge you if you weren't.” Is anyone here fine? “I don't have bandages on me, but I can get some if you need them.” Even if she can't see anything from where she is, the offer stands. She looks over the wall again. “These things are so questionable.” The state of them being like this, et cetera, she means.

[thelastechidna]

"No, I'm fine, really. I do this all the time." He dismissively waves a gloved hand.

He looks the wall up and down. "Questionable?" It's a wall.

[ephemerios]

“Questionable like.. the fact it looks like it's not that sturdy any more and has absolutely seen better days.” She clarifies with a shrug. “Though, there's a lot of that around here, too, I suppose. That said, I am glad to be back here, messed up buildings and all.”

[thelastechidna]

"Yeah." Knuckles gives it a suspicious look. It's really quite amazing it's still standing.

He nods to this. "At least I understand this place better. I didn't understand much about where we've been the last several months."

[ephemerios]

“Yeah, I mean it was new and for that reason I had fun in that sense, but some other parts of it I was absolutely in over my head. I'm nowhere near a scientist or engineer, and it was very much a thing where they were more needed than most I would say.”

[thelastechidna]

"Yeah. I know how to set some pretty complicated traps back home, but this mess was on a completely different level," Knuckles frowns.

[ephemerios]

“Like hunting traps for animals? Or is this a 'I also come from a world with weird supernatural murderous things running around it' situation?” She's just covering her bases for wildly different scenarios, okay.

[thelastechidna]

"Traps to keep greedy thieves away from the Master Emerald," Knuckles says, gesturing at the giant but de-powered gem next to him. "People are always trying to take it."

[ephemerios]

She squints at at, nodding slightly. “I can at least see why they might. Does it do anything? Or is just insanely valuable, monetarily?”

[thelastechidna]

"Back home it does a lot," he says. "It's the key to powering up seven smaller emeralds. Together they can either save the world ... or destroy it."

[ephemerios]

“Oh, wow.” There is some surprise in her tone and her expression at that. She hadn't been expecting that kind of magic. “I was honestly expecting something like 'it gives people powers back home', but that works too. Definitely risky in the wrong hands.”

[thelastechidna]

"Yeah, no kidding. That's why it has to be protected at all costs." Knuckles pauses. "The smaller emeralds definitely give people powers. I wouldn't be surprised if the Master Emerald can too."

[ephemerios]

Well, half right is still kind of right. “So you're not at all new to the task of protecting it. I guess that's a positive and a negative.” Positive in the sense he'd be used to it, so it comes naturally. Negative in the sense that it's not something you could easily put aside if you had to for some reason.

[thelastechidna]

Both very true, and though Knuckles is unlikely to admit it, he's jealous of how Sonic is free to go wherever he wants.

"Yeah. I don't remember a time when I wasn't protecting it," Knuckles says. "It's been the Echidnas' task for generations. Now I'm the last one."

[ephemerios]

“No pressure or anything.” Said like she knows that's a lot of pressure. “There's probably someone here with some magic they could use to put like a ... protection charm or something on it. As backup. Maybe that would stick across universes if you or it ever get separated.”

[thelastechidna]

"Really? Hmm. That could be worth looking into," Knuckles muses. "Any idea who I'd talk to?"

[ephemerios]

"My idea was honestly just going to be asking the network and see who responds who has that exact type of magic. I know there are magic people here but I don't know their specialties, I guess, is the word."

[thelastechidna]

"Hmm. Yeah, I guess I could try that," Knuckles says. He's still awkward with some modern tech, but he learned a lot on Earth and he can probably figure how to make a network post.... His uncertainty may or may not come through. But probably will, since he's not good at hiding his feelings.

[ephemerios]

"I can also ask around for you and let you know what I find out?" She's social enough, she could do it.

[thelastechidna]

Knuckles perks up more at this. "You would do that?"