Sonsally Weeks 2021: Day 2 - Mystery
Like I said in my last entry I'm post day 2 and day 3 out of order as they make more sense that way. It's not required reading but if you want the full story and vibe read day 3 first then come here.
Also I feel like this might have gotten a bit long in the tooth here I swear the prompt is in there. It's just a bit subtle in some places.
“I have to admit, I am starting to get sick of this room,” Sally sighed.
Sonic drummed his fingers on the back of his chair, the very tips of his claws unsheathing at every second tap to alter the sound a little. It was an odd habit he had picked up, but it somehow helped him to think better when he did it.
“Well, it’s late ‘nd cold, but how ‘bout we go for a li’l walk?” Sonic offered, grinning. “You can get away from all this brown ‘nd go see some excitin’ white. ‘nd if you’re lucky you might even see some brown outside, in case you start missin’ it.”
The quip got a bright laugh out of Sally, one that sounded very much like the old Sally that it made Sonic grin wider. Moments like these were starting to become more frequent as Sally got used to Sonic’s presence, which led to Sonic trying to think of ways to help Sally bring her guard down more. There were some odd occasions where his efforts would land terribly, but even then Sally had been able to recover from them without too many drawbacks. So much so that even in the brief interactions Bookshire was able to have with Sally, he was able to see how great the difference was in Sally compared to how she was when Sonic first brought her home.
“I think I would like to see some white for a change, yes,” Sally agreed, and when Sonic offered his hand to help her off the bed Sally took it, and allowed Sonic to guide her off.
Once Sally was dressed up a little more warmly Sonic walked her through the tunnel that led into the village, taking a moment at the exit to make sure that no one was around to see them. Sally was still hesitant about seeing any other Mobians, and Sonic had asked anyone that knew about Sally to keep her return under wraps until Sally was ready, so the last thing either one of them wanted was to be spotted by a random villager and have word spread out.
Thankfully no one was around, as like Sonic had mentioned it was quite late, and cold thanks to the recent snowfall, which left the air feeling crisp and fresh both against their faces and in their chests as they breathe it in. Despite the cold though, Sally did take a moment to relish the fresh air, as not only was this her first time out of her hospital room, but it was her first time outside all together. So much so that her felt her skin prickle under her fur as the open space of the village and surrounding forest almost seemed a little overwhelming, even as she wrapped her arms around herself both for warm and comfort.
Sonic approached her carefully, then placed a hand on Sally’s shoulder, giving her a second to realise he was there before pulling her to his side. The different in height between them was much more obvious in this position, but the way Sonic held Sally almost felt like she was hiding against his side, and it helped ease her anxiety enough that she could take in the scenery without feeling overwhelmed. After a moment or so, Sally slipped her arm around Sonic’s middle, and pressed herself against his side in a one-armed hug. There she felt Sonic tighten his grip on her a little more, and instantly felt more at ease.
“C’mon, I’ll show ya around,” Sonic offered, then began walking, allowing Sally to keep her hold on him as they moved. “I know you were here when this place got set up, but some things have changed a li’l.”
The two of them spent about an hour looking around the village. There were some things that hadn’t been completed when Sally was still in New Knothole, and as she explored the village both memories and realisation flowed through her, as seeing the changes in the village compared to what she remembered helped her find another footing in her reality.
“I can’t believe how much has changed,” Sally remarked as they walked towards the huts, her breath coming out in small puffs of white. “The village looks incredible.”
“You should see it durin’ the day, the brown pops up way more against the white,” Sonic remarked, snickering as Sally laughed. “But seriously, everyone really pitched in to make this place work; Griff and th’ other Lower Mobians really helped out wit’ a lot o’ stuff we didn’t have in Knothole, so we have way more stuff goin’ on. It took a while, but it was worth the wait.”
“Hopefully I can experience more of it soon for myself,” Sally said, her voice a little wistful. She miffed a little as Sonic gave her a light squeeze, and looked up at the hedgehog, spotting his eyes as they reflected in the darkness.
“You will, real soon. ‘nd you’ve come a lon’ way already, so you should be proud o’ that, Sal,” Sonic stated. “I bet in a week’s time you’re gonna be runnin’ the village again.”
“Are you saying that because I have really improved that much, or because you want to stop being in charge?” Sally quipped, raising an eyebrow at the hedgehog.
“Eh, a li’l from column A, a li’l from column B really,” Sonic shrugged. “Mostly from column A, but I think the villagers would be relieved when you take over again.”
“I’m sure you’re doing fine, Sonic. Give yourself more credit,” Sally laughed.
“Yeah you say that, but the amount o’ times Bunnie or someone else had to intervene whenever a villager pushed my buttons would make your eyes roll for the rest o’ your life,” Sonic said. “I am not a people person, not in the way that actually helps anyway.”
Sally shook her head and sighed, before giving Sonic a light squeeze. “Well, you haven’t been kicked out of the village yet for it, so I’d say you’re still doing a good job.”
“Yet, the keyword there bein’ yet,” Sonic teased.
By now the two had made their way to where the huts were clustered together. Every hut they passed had their lights out, confirming that everyone was asleep, so whenever they spoke they kept their voices low, just so they wouldn’t wake anyone or bring any attention to themselves. Eventually they came by Sally’s hut, and Sally stopped in her tracks, taking in the sight when she recognised it.
“That’s my hut, isn’t it?” Sally asked, and Sonic nodded.
“Bunnie’s been keepin’ it up for you while you were gone. ‘nd when I first came home I crashed in it for a li’l while ‘til mine was up ‘nd runnin’,” Sonic explained.
“And where is your hut?”
Sonic’s ear flicked at the question, before he guided Sally a little further ahead so that they were standing just in between a set of huts. From there he pointed through to another hut, and Sally blinked at it, a little startled at its location.
The hut was closer to the forest border, and although it wasn’t completely secluded from the other huts nearby, it was noticeably further away from them as it had much more space around it compared to the others. Sally also noticed that if one were to walk to the hut, they would have to really go out of their way to do so as it didn’t quite fit along any of the pathways that would be commonly used.
“Why is it so far out?” Sally questioned, mild concern on her face as she addressed Sonic.
Sonic averted his eyes away from Sally, which Sally noticed he did a lot whenever he needed to think about his answers more carefully. At the start this used to spike her paranoia, but now it just brought a spike of dread to her chest as she knew his answer would have to do with either her absence, or the aftermath of Sonic’s disappearance, which was something that he took great pains in avoiding on the few occasions Sally had attempted to talk about it.
“Ah, well... let’s just say for a while I wasn’t the most... sociable Mobian out there,” Sonic eventually explained, still not quite making eye contact with Sally as he spoke. “’nd when it came to figurin’ out my livin’ arrangements I figured that would be a good spot for everyone involved.”
“Sonic...” Sally sighed, but the hedgehog waved it off.
“It’s cool, Sal. From there I get a good view o’ the forest, ‘nd I keep an eye on the border,” Sonic explained. “At least I can do guard duty where it’s more comfortable.”
Sally still stared up at him, her expression a mix of sympathy and grief.
“If I had been here...” Sally began, but was cut off when Sonic shushed her gently.
“Don’t beat yourself up. You’re here now, that’s what’s important right now,” Sonic coaxed. “All o’ that was on me, I was bein’ a bonehead.”
“How were you though when you came home?” Sally asked, and Sonic tensed, his fur and quills standing on end briefly before he forced himself to settle.
“Sal, this isn’t about me,” Sonic huffed. “We can talk about that later.”
“I want to know, Sonic,” Sally urged, a ghost of her own stern self now sparking through her.
“’nd I don’t want to talk about it,” Sonic bit back.
The tone in Sonic’s voice switched so sharply it startled Sally into silence, the confidence she felt not seconds ago now snuffed out completely. The two of them had argued many times over the years, it was how the two communicated that it was almost odd if they didn’t argue about at least one thing as they spoke. But this time the tone had something to it that stilled Sally, where even if she was her regular self, she wouldn’t have dared challenge it.
Sally’s silence however made Sonic realise he had stepped too far, and he covered his face with his hand, as if trying to physically reel himself back in before he did more damage.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap like that,” Sonic began after a few moments, his expression softening. “I just... I don’t want to talk about that, not right now.”
Sally hesitated at first, not quite knowing what to say.
“... but you will talk about it, right?” Sally asked, not quite looking at Sonic.
Sonic sighed, and rubbed a fingertip along the bridge of his muzzle. As much as he was trying to rein himself in, he was still on edge, and just wanted to move away from the conversation before he really stepped in it.
“Eventually, yeah,” Sonic stated, his voice clipped. “When you’re feelin’ a bit better, I will. Just don’t ask me about it for now, okay?”
“Why?”
“’cause it sucked. It just sucked, a lot. ‘nd I’m not ready to go down that path again,” Sonic explained, exasperated now. “Give me some time to make sense o’ it first then I’ll tell you.”
Sally didn’t say anything for a few moments, but after a while she nodded and looked up at the hedgehog. “Okay,” Sally agreed. “I’m sorry for hitting that nerve.”
She miffed a little as Sonic pulled her against his side, and felt him squeeze her. When Sally looked up at Sonic once more she spotted the softened look on his face, the expression mixed with a bit of an apology.
“I get that you want to know, but I just want you to focus on yourself for once, Sal,” Sonic said. “You’re always frettin’ ‘bout me somehow.”
“But fretting about you would help me focus on myself more,” Sally teased as she leaned into Sonic’s hug, smirking when the hedgehog laughed.
“It’s like you’re addicted to stressin’. How about just for a laugh you don’t do that ‘nd we try somethin’ else,” Sonic suggested. “Like say, takin’ a look inside your hut maybe?”
When Sally agreed to the suggestion Sonic led the way, keeping an arm looped around Sally’s shoulders as they walked. Once they approached Sally’s hut Sonic opened the door and motioned for Sally to go in first, which she did after a moment of hesitation.
As she entered her hut though it took her a little while to even recognise it, as it had been so long since she was last in there. When she did a flood of memories hit her, ranging from when the hut was first built, to the last day she had left it just before her capture. That last memory almost made the hut seem surreal, and if Sonic hadn’t been standing close by Sally was sure she would have gotten completely lost in the memory.
Slowly Sally made her way around her hut, trailing her hand along any surfaces she came by and picking up little trinkets that were still on display. She remembered Sonic saying that Bunnie had been keeping up her hut while she was gone, so the absence of any dust didn’t surprise Sally, but at the same time she was amazed at how preserved everything was as more memories came back to her.
“I honestly never thought I’d see this place again,” Sally admitted, her throat constricting slightly. She bit at her bottom lip to steady herself, before making her way to her sleeping area. Here she saw some subtle differences, until she remembered Sonic saying he had stayed here for a little while.
“How long did you stay here for?” Sally asked.
“A couple o’ months I think, maybe a li’l longer,” Sonic said. “But I didn’t really touch anythin’, save your bed. ‘nd even then I mostly slept on your couch anyway.”
“I wouldn’t have minded if you did,” Sally said.
“I know, but it was only a temp thin’ anyway so I didn’t want to take over,” Sonic explained. “’nd I figured if we did find you ‘nd I had messed wit’ any o’ your stuff you would have kicked my tail for it.”
“Only if you had stained anything with your shoes. But otherwise I wouldn’t have minded.”
By now she had reached her bed, and as she ran her hand along her bedhead Sally took in the little carved patterns set in the wood. She tried to remember who had done them, as Sally was sure that this was the bedhead she had in Knothole, and it was one of the few things that was salvaged from her old hut. But as she tried to think her mind seemed to pull between her memories of the old village and the new village, even as she tried to focus on the carvings to ground herself into the not too distant memories. Sally could remember that the bedhead needed to be repaired, but were the carvings there before or after it had been fixed?
Why did the bedhead need to be fixed?
How did the bedhead get broken?
“Sal?”
Sally continued staring at the bedhead, her hand stilling over the carving as her mind filled with static.
“Sally!”
Sally felt something grab her shoulder, and she cried out as the static depleted almost instantly, and her mind crashed back into reality. She pulled away and slammed her back into the nearby wall as she gasped heavily, her mind now racing to figure out where she was.
In front of her Sonic backed away the moment she screamed, his amber eyes widening at her reaction.
“Whoa, whoa! Chill, Sal. It’s just me, it’s just me,” Sonic coaxed, attempting to approach her, only to have her half cry out again when he got too close.
He backed off again, but this time he raised his hands in a non-threatening manner, and even crouched down a little in an attempt to make himself look smaller so as not to frighten Sally further.
“It’s okay, you’re safe. I’m not gonna hurt you. Just breathe,” Sonic recited, his voice low and soothing now.
Sally watched him with wide eyes, her chest heaving rapidly as panic pumped through her. After a few moments though she could hear what Sonic was saying, as he gently repeated his words almost like a mantra, and slowly Sally took in a breath to try to ease herself.
“That’s it, just breathe. It’s cool, Sal. Just breathe,” Sonic repeated, though he felt his own chest tightening with confusion and panic and hoped it wasn’t showing.
Every time Sonic said “breathe” Sally would do it, as if she needed him to remind her that it was something she needed to do. After a few times her mind seemed to remember that it was a basic function, and eventually Sally did it enough times to get her back on track, though her body shook as it now rode through the sudden spike of anxiety that had hit her out of nowhere. This time when Sonic approached her Sally allowed him to, and he gently guided her down onto her bed before crouching down in front of her, looking up at Sally with concern.
“You okay?” Sonic asked.
Sally didn’t answer at first as her body trembled, and she felt her throat constrict as her emotions welled up in her.
“What-- what happened?” Sally asked, her voice shaking.
“I dunno,” Sonic admitted, his ears folding back slightly. “It was like you spaced out. I called you a few times but you didn’t hear me.”
Sally took in another breath, but she could still feel panic stinging through her body as her mind buzzed with static. She tried to say something, what she really wasn’t sure, but instead a soft sob escaped her, and she quickly bit it back as she shrunk into herself.
“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay. It’s okay,” Sonic soothed, instantly at her side and drawing her closer, allowing Sally to curl up against his side. “Maybe that’s enough for now, yeah? How ‘bout we head back?”
“I got confused, and I couldn’t remember all of a sudden,” Sally whimpered, tears welling up in her eyes and spilling along her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to do that.”
“I know you didn’t, it’s cool, Sal,” Sonic said. Though he couldn’t help but pause a little, a little concerned at what Sally said and not liking what it might be implying. He tried to shake it off, taking in a short breath himself to centre himself. “You might just be tired ‘nd didn’t realise it, it happens. It’s been a long day for you.”
When Sally pressed herself harder against Sonic’s side the hedgehog sighed, before he stood, and gently scooped Sally up with one arm.
“I’ll take ya back, ‘nd I’ll stay wit’ you, okay?” Sonic offered as he made his way out of Sally’s hut, cradling her against his chest as they returned to the colder outside.
“I’m sorry,” Sally sighed as she attempted to wipe the tears away from her eyes, only to have more replace them in almost double their numbers. She wasn’t outright sobbing, but every so often a tremble would run through her as she fought back the urge to. She gave a soft miff though as Sonic placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
“It’s cool, Sal. You did great, don’t let this trip you up,” Sonic stated. He looked around at the surrounding huts, making sure that no one had been woken up, though his gaze lingered a little as he looked out towards the forest, a nagging feeling tingling through him.
He took in another centring breath, then gave Sally a light squeeze, the motion both for comfort and for protection now.
“Let’s go.”