what goes up must come down

[shardmods]

The ring deposits you all safely outside the base and seals up afterwards. Neo Metal Sonic doesn't chase after you, which is something of a mercy.

What's significantly less of a mercy is the sky - it's gone dark and ominously stormy, though the clouds spark not with lightning, but with that same green Chaos Energy you've been facing this entire fight. Worse still, there are now far, far too many robotic planes filling the sky - the Egg Fleet seems to go on endlessly, as far as you can see. Though perhaps it would be more accurate to call it the Neo Metal Sonic Fleet.

Sonic and friends arrive shortly, looking pretty banged up but otherwise still healthy enough to make it here, though they stare up at the sky with obvious concern.

"O...kay, this is definitely not what any of us were expecting."

"We will have to take the fight to them, it seems."

"Easier said than done, I'm afraid... I'm not sure how to pinpoint their leader's exact location to send you all with a ring..."

A jolt of green lightning flashes across the sky and Neo Metal Sonic's voice rings out.

"I expect to see you onboard my fleet in one week's time. That includes you, my loathsome copy."

It seems you don't really have much of a choice. For now, tend to your wounds and try to regroup; you've earned a break after today.

NAVIGATION

Comments

[akademise]

[ More hesitates for a moment. A part of him feels like he ought to chase this and double down again, because he wants to express his affections to the fullest, but... the other half of him feels like he's pushing too hard. Like no matter how much everything he says holds equally true on a platonic level, he's still putting pressure on Turo to reciprocate something he may not want to.

So he settles on simply smiling. ]

Thank you for everything, as always. And... we'll make it out of this together. I look forward to our future too much to consider another outcome.

[tworo]

[Turo smiles back, a little helplessly, and then leans in for another hug. He doesn't know what to say - despite his talk with Void Archives earlier, he still can't see any sort of conclusive correct path to take. Anyway, in front of everyone like this? He's learning that he maybe doesn't do so well in large groups.]

[akademise]

[ More practically melts into that hold. It's fine if it's wordless, it's fine if it's undefined and uncertain, it's fine for it to just be.

The day has been a horrible disaster and it feels incredibly good to let it all go and just lean on each other.

Too tired for shame and embarrassment, More just closes his eyes and soaks up all the affection he can get. ]