While normally quite sneaky, Assistant stood out like a black cat in a snowstorm within Ursa. This visibility wasn't the only reason Assistant wasn't a fan of Ursa, however. Their thin coat did little to prevent the icy cold winds from biting into their flesh. There was a reason they were here, however. Rumors of gigantic insectoid creatures capable of turning you to stone in an instant. Strange white fungi that mind-controls anyone who consumes it, and the hordes of gembound under it's control. All of this was incredibly interesting (and vaguely frightening) so of course they had to check it out.
And they wanted to see one of those rare 'ghost birds.'
Karyo was shivering right beside Assistant, pressed close to their friend for warmth. Neither of them were built for the cold here, so the faster they completed this particular investigation, the better. Karyo wasn't so optimistic as to hope for a lone glassy insect to simply waltz up and answer their questions, but they would hope instead for... general luck.
A snowflake touched their nose, and Karyo sneezed. "I don't--think so?" they replied to Assistant's question, ears twitching. Apart from the snow, cold, and ribbons of ethereal color dancing across the space above. "The... prismatic phenomena." They'd been learning new vocabulary from Researcher. "Above us... it reminds me of what the Three Kings were talking about, I think."*
"But I can use magic to look around for more," they added. The spell, if it didn't fail (as it was surprisingly prone to do), would allow them to see all the prokaryotic life that surrounded them in glimmering white. They doubted much could survive on the rock and snow, but there were always colonies to be found in and on each living creature.
Their magic did not cooperate this time, though. Karyo was already half-expecting the pain that lanced through their head, their vision first blacking out and then bursting into a white bright enough to give anyone a migraine. "It failed," they muttered through gritted teeth, staggering to the side. Surprise, surprise. Why did they even bother?
can you hear them speak?
@Assistant *we can assume that Karyo would have told Res/Azz about everything they learned in this thread!
They didn't mind their friends closeness- they actually quite enjoyed the shared warmth, leaning closer with a slight purr. It did little to fight the chill of Ursa, but it was comforting, regardless.
At Karyo's words they looked up. and worry about, for example Researcher this mission. Maybe Assistant had been a little too confident on their weirdness-seeking abilities, however, because nothing stood out among the fields of white. No matter! They could just keep looking! It wasn't like there was a time limit- though they
Assistant jumped as Karyo appeared to recoil from something, yellow eyes wide with concern.
Pushing those thoughts to the side, Assistant would nuzzle Karyo, helping them back to their feet if needed. Though, with how much shorter Assistant was comparatively, it probably didn't really
@Karyo
"A mini sky," Karyo repeated thoughtfully. "Do you think maybe the person who built the caves saw the sky, and missed it, and built one here to match?" They tilted their head up at the shifting auroras. If it was only a copy of the sky, and there was really nothing Inside like the Outside, they couldn't imagine how beautiful the real sky must be. "Or!" they continued, tail wagging enthusiastically. "Maybe there's a way out hidden in this cave!" Karyo knew it was probably wishful thinking, but how could they hear about the existence of the Outside and then not look for ways to get out everywhere they went? Who wouldn't dream and long for a whole new world awaiting them, if only they could find it?
The backfiring spell had Karyo gritting their teeth with frustration, but they refused to be daunted for long. "Nah, I'm good," they reassured Assistant, closing their eyes for a moment. All the bright snow lying around really wasn't helping that headache. What was with this spell, anyway? They'd thought that observation spells were supposed to be one of the easier magics. Heck, they'd managed to kill off entire colonies of prokaryotes and then bring new ones to life again! What was this spell in comparison?
They refused to be a milquetoast of a Gembound, bowing to the random whims of their magic. If they were going to be a researcher and doctor--if they were hoping to be competent at anything at all--they had to get this under control. Concentrating so hard they held their breath, Karyo tugged insistently at the spell once more. It finally responded, albeit weakly: colonies of white flickering into their vision, including the ones that bloomed inside Assistant and Karyo themselves.
The hound turned to Assistant with a grin. "It worked this time! I can see in magic now!"
gm tagging
Assistant's feline eyes might have spotted something a little more interesting: the exact creature they'd hoped to see. A Ghostbird glided high, high overhead--a pale glimpse against aurora-lit sky, very hard to see and yet Assistant would indeed see it. It flew, yes, like a ghost. A phantom, a pale flicker high above sailing in an almost unnaturally smooth, straight line; it had none of the fluttering and flapping of smaller birds, but rather the motionless glide of an albatross that cut neatly through the wind above.
@Assistant