>>530923669
I spent way too long on this. This is if Blaze was in Knuckles' place.
>WENDY: So, Blaze... Tell me about your family.
>BLAZE (hesitant to open up): ...My lineage is of Sol Empire nobility, a line chosen by the Sol Emeralds to guard their sacred power. I am bound by my duty. Not by the fleeting bonds of... Family.
>WADE: Wait, so... you're like a princess or something, Blaze?
>BLAZE (cringing, before composing herself): That... Title is not inaccurate, Wade, but it is... Imprecise. My purpose is singular. Protection of the Sol Emeralds. I am a guardian above all.
>WENDY: Sounds like a heavy burden. Our family's had its own trials, you know. So have our line. We're Jewish, chosen in our own way, our people have been through a lot of tough times.
>BLAZE (incredulous): You? Chosen? By whom?
>WENDY: By... Well, by God, in a sense. It's a spiritual thing. A covenant. It's part of our identity.
>BLAZE: A covenant. Curious. It is my understanding that those who are chosen must carry fire and stone on their backs. Not because they are favored… But because they can endure what is necessary to preserve order. Because they are needed. There is no honor in being selected. Only obligation. Consequence. I have observed you and your children closely, Mrs. Whipple, and I do not yet believe I would consider you...
>[Blaze side eyes Wade with a look of barely restrained pity and disdain on her face.]
>BLAZE: ...Of consequence.
>[Long awkward silence. Wade looks to his uncomfortable mother and frowns. A flicker of guilt passes Blaze's eyes.]
>BLAZE (softening slightly): ...If you are chosen by this... God. Then I wonder: By what criteria?
WANDA: Well... Fair question. I guess it's not about criteria. It's about trust. Faith.
>BLAZE: Faith... In the Sol Empire, we are taught at an early age to trust what can hurt you. Not what reassures you.
>WADE (half-joking): That explains a lot, actually.
>[Blaze tilts her head, not offended, but unsure of what Wade meant by that.]