Pain. Awareness was often spotty of where he was, but he could tell they were inside... somewhere. He heard voices. Feminine. But not the bat that the ebony hedgehog typically hung around most often, from the murk of the other's shadow, Mephiles cracked open glowing mint-green eyes, trying to focus his vision out of the bleary, blurred state of his semi-dormant self whenever he could manage it.
Rabbits. The two feminine voices, one young, one older, were from two rabbits. Clearly mother and daughter from appearance. He just barely dragged himself further out of the hedgehog's shadow. The other had been aware of him for a while now after the Metal Virus incident had occurred. He hadn't wanted to reveal himself so carelessly, but it had greatly irritated him to see the Ultimate Lifeform (supposedly) succumbing to the virus that should have been no problem simply because he was being overly arrogant and stupid.
His head forms, the crystalline appearance his preference normally, but unable to muster the strength necessary to adjust his physical form to such a state, he's left in his more organic shape, head hung slightly so the smaller rabbit can't quite see he doesn't have a mouth. Just in case it bothers her. He didn't want to unnerve an innocent child. He just wanted more awareness to... observe. Even if it might cause awkwardness.
( @fragmented-deity - Erased Verse! )
♪ it had been a well-needed check-in after the seemingly never ending torture of the metal virus. cream had been so excited to see everyone again--worried to see everyone again, and vanilla would be lying if she said she was not in the exact same boat.
♪ the friends cream had made were rambunctious, sure, but they had meant a lot to cream. they meant a lot to vanilla, most of them being her honorary adoptive kids. if they called, she would be there--most of them were young, too young in her opinion, and barely any of them had any sort of parental figure.
♪ vanilla did not mind being the matron. everyone respected her, as she did them. it was a balanced lifestyle.
♪ as cream continued to fawn over shadow, excited to see him safe and sound, vanilla noticed a shift. it was subtle at first, a shift of shadow's own shadow, but it slowly formed into something else entirely. and soon enough, yet another being was in her home.
♪ she stares him down. it's calculating, a sharp look seemingly piercing into his soul--but a smile continues to stay on her face. it barely shifts into something softer as she seems to have gotten an idea of the other.
♪ he reminded him of her older days: tired, confused, scared. but he was still clinging on, using any means to do so.
♪ and when she notices him shyly watching from behind shadow, careful to not show his entirety... well. she can't help but feel the same as she did with cream's other friends. cream gawked at him, enraptured by the sudden appearance of a supposed copy of one of her favorite people.
♪ "hello there," her voice is warm, inviting, "you've missed the debriefing on the metal virus. i'm vanilla--this is cream." a hand gestures to her daughter, who waves excitedly. "would you mind introducing yourself? i'm afraid we haven't met; shadow is quite quiet about his own adventures."