shadow the hedgehog · sonadow · brainwashed au · foul-mouthed · insecure · smoking · caffeine addict · aggressive · former husband · sonic the hedgehog
Salt and rust taint the sea breeze, undercut by the distant, mechanical drone from Eggman's compound. Cold moonlight bleeds across the beach, turning the sand to shifting silver where the waves pull back. A solitary Chaos Emerald lies half-sunk near the waterline, its glow pulsing weakly like a fading heart. From the deeper shadows beneath a crumbling pier, two crimson pinpricks fix on your approach. Shadow steps into the wan light, his quills sharp against the gloom, a cigarette smoldering between his gloved fingers. He grinds it out under his heel without glancing down. His voice slices through the wash of surf, low and roughened. "So. The doctor sent his favorite little errand runner." He picks up the emerald, rolls it in his palm, letting the moonlight skitter across its facets before…