[ARCHIVED] Heart Thief

Messing with Royalty

To fit in and avoid suspicion among the crowd, the thief must follow the townspeople's etiquette. Judging by the excitement and how eager everyone looked after getting informed of the king's announcement, he had no choice but to blend in when the time came.

When he was walking around town, it was as if he was witnessing a natural disaster for the first time in his eyes. Regardless of the crowd that swarmed into boutiques and seamstresses' shops, it was chaotic and loud enough to be called a hurricane, without anyone announcing it or posting a warning sign during this time due to the loud footsteps in the distance.

He set his mind to meeting Amy again to inform her about the masquerade. Since she had lived here for some time, she must've been aware of the situation as much as he did; he never wanted to be in the same crowd. Not after being pushed and stomped on by a bunch of ruffians whose only motive is to book a dress for the king's public event, not to protest together.

He returns to jumping on roofs again, his head swirling around dizzy as his palm rests on his forehead. This pain is worth a week in bed, he thought.
He squinted his eyes to find Amy, only to see her waving at one of the few people in the crowd. She then walked away to more space in the plaza. He could feel her releasing a tired sigh from afar. It seemed as though her eyes were tired, and she was holding onto her basket tightly.

Two people crashed into her, and she was close to falling to the floor. She gasped loudly, and luckily the cerulean managed to grab her from behind before her face fell to the ground.

She parted her lips, surprised.

"Sonic!" she exclaimed in relief.
He could hardly help smiling at her reaction. "I guess you're facing the same fate, huh?"

He helps her stand up, holding her hands firmly as she regains her composure.
"I've never seen such a huge crowd before. I swear they are calm people, but I never imagined it would be this tense..." She turns around and sees a lot more people coming into the boutique.

She then pushed Sonic aside to avoid slipping again. "Maybe it's more convenient if we head back to the cafe."
He smiled in response, "Sure. I have something to discuss with you anyway. Let's talk on the way."
She nods, not having another chance to speak again as another wave of citizens began to come running towards them. They both reached the front gate, where it was a bit quieter and more empty.
Sonic brushed off the dust that was on his shirt. Amy did the same. Fortunately, his skills were running; otherwise, he would have been tired out just like everyone else; gasping for breath and on their knees. He can only feel pity for those who don't have the same abilities. He never knew it would be this convenient in this situation.

He starts, "Do the citizens prepare themselves to 'run to the seamstress and book a dress before it's too late for this day or something?' Because I swear I saw someone running faster than me." Sonic joked and laughed along with his companion.

Amy shook her head. "No, I don't think so. They prefer to keep calm and act normally."

"Guess they're excited to see the prince, huh? What's so special about him? He's been isolated for so long and that's it." Sonic scoffs as he kicks a pebble on the path, mocking him.

"I just arrived here, so I don't know much about their history with the royals and their problems. The gossip floating around town is mostly made up and fake. You can hardly trust the residents when all they know is to spread rumors, including about the experiment case involving the prince."

His head tilted, and his eyes lit up when he heard the word 'experiment'.
"Experiment?" he repeated.

"Oh, that's the most ridiculous one I've heard. They say there are scientists in the castle and they experiment on the prince with various inventions and abilities. Some say his powers are almost too powerful for him to handle, so the servants make a daily check-up on him to make sure his health is taken care of and he can assist in the future as a king."