ORIGIN - Hidden Treasure

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Azure gently held the flower beneath her talons as Sair focused on adjusting the strap. She nudged a little piece of broken rock from a pile, laid the flower on top, and closed the second rock atop it. It wasn't large, by any means; barely large enough to enclose the tiny blossom.

The invisible flow of magic briefly spread into the stone, transforming it. What had been opaque, cracked stone became a whole, shining blue gemstone, the flower neatly encased within. Azure sat back and exhaled. "Thank f-... uh, goodness. Thank goodness that worked. It doesn't always, and then I might've had to get a new flower," she said, with some relief.

Then she pushed up, talons clicking on rock again as she inspected the rope. She adjusted it, biting the correct spot with her beak to form an impression, then carrying it back and away. As she set it down and began to pluck at it with her claws, severing it at the right point, she answered Sair's question.

"You don't need to. If you ever run across something you don't need, though, and you think someone might like it in jewelry or something, you're welcome to drop it off here?" she suggested, glancing up. Azure hesitated, then. There was more to add, but phrasing it was tough, and... she felt like she'd sort of maybe overshared and dumped too much on the horse already.

"To... gloss over the major stuff, I like to create things because I've seen what destruction is like. Not--the dragon. I mean, that too, but... stuff that came before. It's nice to put things into the world, instead. Things others will enjoy; things to make it more beautiful. -I'm awkward with words, but... what I mean is, it's payment on its own, you know?"

She cut the rope, at last, looking around at what she had left to do. "Anyway, sometimes I'll set up a booth with stuff to sell and then I do charge a cost, so I get enough stuff back in the end. Don't worry about it, basically," she finished, with a friendly glance up.

@Sair

Sair

Sair did little from his place in the doorway, sometimes shifting to prevent a cramp, but mostly just watching. Once, he got up, did a little circle and laid back down, but that was the most he moved and only when Azure wasn't concentrating. He did not want to distract her, nor did he want to miss anything important in the process.

He decided against asking why she corrected herself often, but he did wonder. He wondered a lot about a lot of things, though, and he could stand to let this one slide. Just this once. "I'll keep that in mind while I'm travelling, then! I'm sure I'll find my fair share of shiny things I otherwise wouldn't use." He smiled at her, gently, as she continued. "It's a worthy cause, to want to give rather than take, whatever the reason. I am glad to know that you enjoy the process, and that you do gain something from it be it intrinsic or not." How many times can one say wonder to truly describe the thoughts going through Sair's head? Yes, he wondered about the destruction Azure had seen, but again, reluctantly, he set the question aside.

"You are awkward with words and I am awkward with my hooves. We all have something." He stuck his tongue out, just slightly, to try and make her laugh again.

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC:

We don't know how to accept we're just a product of a chance /
And less like gods but more like plants

@Azure

Azure touched her beak to the stone, but had to pause for laughter.

"Our individual gifts, yeah," she said, after a moment. When she could hold steady, again, she repeated the action, focusing on the last particularly important bit of magic: a blue glow for the gemstone.

A gentle, soft azure glow flared up around it; it wasn't as bright as it could have been, but maybe the subtlety sort've added to it.

Azure pulled back, cocking her head this way and that to examine it, then nodded to herself. "Okay!" she said, turning to gather together the half-formed bag, the gemstone, and the rope. "Now all I have to do is wind it all together. Finishing touches, and all that. Is it okay, before I finish it?" she asked, glancing up at Sair. "Size is all right, and all that? Nothing you want changed? After I weave the rope on and the gemstone in as a button it's gonna be pretty hard to switch anything out."

@Sair

Sair

Ah, there it was.
Sair smiled, a warm smile that bubbled over into laughter as Azure tried to collect herself. Sair had thought he'd be alone, that he'd collect things and put together his findings and ramble on like a mad mare to anyone who would listen... But this was better. If he could meet more gembounds like Fulgur, like Azure, and even some calmer creatures like Juggernaut... He'd be happy.
He shook himself from thought as Azure spoke again, nearly finished with the bag. He took a good look, trying to picture it on his shoulder. "It's perfect, Azure. It will help me a lot, thank you."
The gem was a dull light, but pretty, with just enough glow to help his eyes make out details in the night. He had some decent night vision, sure, but the bauble would help him when details started to blur. Speaking of details, the bag itself was beautiful. Red, white and blue... Perhaps he'd keep that theme for any future decorative projects of his. It felt like... freedom. A reminder that he was never alone, no matter how big his goals might seem. No matter how heavy they might feel.
"Maybe next time I visit, Dip will be around? I think I'd quite like to meet them too."

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC:

We don't know how to accept we're just a product of a chance /
And less like gods but more like plants

@Azure

"That'd be nice. Dip's better with people than I am," Azure blurted, and was at once a little ashamed of the admission. A side-eyed glance at Sair and she'd looked away again, struggling to immediately change the subject. Or at least divert it, a little bit. "She does a lot of good work. She's bigger than me, stronger. Dunno what I'd do without her. This wasn't better, and Azure gave up; in praising Dip she realized she was admitting some of her own stupid weaknesses.

Moving on...

She inhaled, pulling all the components together. Most of it was all prepared; all that she had to do was wind it all up with some final stitching. "Glad to hear it'll help you. And hey, if you ever decide you wanna try out some dye, it's temporary unless I magic it to stay on! I've got stuff that could make the black bits on your fur all glittery like the crystals in the ceiling here." Like the night sky and distant galaxies, but that wasn't an apt metaphor inside a cave.

The final leg of the bag-weaving journey was the hardest, by far. Not only was her magic wearing out (it had been a lot, in a short time), but once again the weaving of rope-grass into stitching required sharp focus and long concentration. Small movements of her beak seemed to direct it, snake-like, as it coiled through the woven rug, as it threaded through the rope and finally--her talons gently holding the blue, baubled stone in place--as it wove a few threads around the stone to hold it in place.

At last, she sat back, breathing in a huge inhale and exhale as she released both focus and magic. She then pushed up, turning the bag this way and that before nudging it with one foot toward Sair.

"This good?" she asked, but there was a hint of pride in her tone. It wasn't a bad bag, all things considered. Admittedly she'd have to make a new rug for their home, but that was fine; it was something to keep busy with. "Uhhh... I dunno if you can get it on with like--your teeth, but I can help if not. Dunno how you'd get it off if you can't, though," she admitted with a little laugh.

@Sair

Sair

It was strange, he thought, to see someone so skilled in a craft so insecure about her abilities. She'd proven herself to him, if not to herself, at least. "You've provided me with some fine company Azure, and shown me some fine craftsmanship. I'm sure it is nice to know you have help when you need it, though. It is good, not to be alone." He was beginning to think that soft smile would never leave his face, for how long he'd been wearing it. He must have been getting wrinkles by now.

Her next comment caught his attention once more, and this time... He entertained it. "You could make me... sparkle?" He was pensive, seeming to soften into the idea more than his previous visions of pinks and yellows. "I actually would quite like to see that, I think. Who knows? Keep talking and you might dye my forelocks pink by the time the lights dim!" He chuckled, hoping that would not be the case. A little sparkle, though? Well, how could he say no?

"It's just what I needed!" He watched as she turned it over, shining stone securely in place. "Thank you, again. I think I could put it on, if I was careful, but I would appreciate your help, just this once." He didn't want to break it, at least not in front of its crafter. "If you are too tired to try that dye, I could drop by another day as well, do not push yourself for my sake."

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC:

We don't know how to accept we're just a product of a chance /
And less like gods but more like plants

@Azure

Azure looked uncertain, but pleased, at the compliments. She nodded, murmuring some generic thanks that she forgot a moment later.

The dye, though, animated her again. She eyed Sair with renewed humor, and said, "Well, I dunno what a forelock is, but I'm sure I could mix up some pink."

She eyed the bag, then stepped closer. "Bend your head down, a bit?" Then came the mildly arduous task of trying to hoop the rope over the horse's head with her beak, when he was so much taller than her; then adjusting it to settle correctly where it should lay.

"There you go. And nah, the dye's easy. Watch," she said, and turned back. She went to the row of gemstone jars on the shelf. One clear quartz bottle, capped off with a stuffing of leather scrap, was filled with a beautiful dye: one of deep purple-black, filled through with quite literally glowing specks of dust throughout. "I make this stuff by making a gemstone glow, then grinding it down into a dark paint. It still glows. It'll stay that way, I think; at least, it's never dimmed out so far. You can wash it off, though," she added, reassuring.

A flick of her beak opened the jar; then she went for a makeshift paintbrush in one corner, in a jar of others like it. "Ready?" she asked, then dipped the brush and paced over, awaiting permission to paint.

@Sair

Sair

Sair enjoyed their back-and-forth. Even with the uncertainty on Azure's part, she did seem to be enjoying his company as well, and he found it comforting.
"Well don't let me make you work harder!" Another laugh poured easily from his throat. "I'm sure the sparkly stuff will be more than enough to make me visible to everyone in the caves!" Although his red blanket had probably already done the same job, come to think of it. Perhaps he shouldn't;t wear it so often, now that the caves were getting warmer.

He did as she asked, ducking his head deep and doing his best to help maneuver the bag onto his shoulder. He would figure out what worked best for him later, but for now he could reach the bag with his mouth and that was about all he needed. He offered a sincere thanks, again, and watched as she fetched a jar from her stash.

"You can use those stones for all kinds of things!" He was impressed, tilting his head to better look in the jar. Sure enough, specks of glowing light managed to shine even through the dark tone of the paint. "Oh yes let me just..."
He moved to get up, stretching numb limbs before backing out the door to make room. It would be a little difficult if she could only reach his front half, after all.
"Is this better? Tell me if you need me closer to a perch, it is no trouble."

Oh, and... Hm.

"One more thing!" Without much of another option, save for asking Azure's help for yet another time, Sair disappeared around the nearest semi-stable structure he could find and promptly plopped over on his side. Azure would hear some rustling and he shimmied himself (mostly) out of said blanket, bunching it up alongside the bag at his front shoulders.

"It might help if you could actually... Get to me?" He added upon his return, noticeably more dusty than before. It was only slightly less embarrassing than allowing Azure to see him writhe.

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC:

We don't know how to accept we're just a product of a chance /
And less like gods but more like plants

@Azure

Azure snorted laughter, having set the paintbrush down to wait.

"I didn't realize that was such a hassle to take off," she half-laughed.

When Sair had finished removing the blanket, she stepped forward. A dip of the paintbrush and she was flicking glowing stars across his black patches; black that took on the faintest deep purple gleam, here and there. She used the whole jar, given his size; and she focused, seeming to fully concentrate on this artistic work.

At one point she paused to take a breath. "The specks will glow, so like... don't try to be too stealthy. And that blanket will probably rub it off without the magic," she warned.

Then she went back to it. After some time she at last stepped back, eyeing her work with a critical gaze. "Hmm. Can you see it-? What do you think?" she asked.

Starlight Dye has been applied!

@Sair

Sair

"I only have my teeth!" He defended with his own echoed laugh. Azure was lucky to have the talons that she did.
He let her work, moving as needed and otherwise trying not to laugh at the feeling of the brush on his skin. "Between this blanket and my size, I doubt I'd have had any chance at being stealthy anyway." He chuckled.

He waited until she had finished to look, not wanting to judge it too early. When she did finish he stretched, carefully, and turned his head to either side to get a good look. "You have quite the eye!" He declared, shifting his weight from one side to the other to see the dye glow and sparkle. "Much better than any of the ideas I had! I think I would like to keep it, if the offer still stands." It wasn't hard to see that Azure was becoming worn, and he hoped she would still have the energy for the spell. He would not keep her much longer, he decided, but he would return with some materials for her as thanks in the future. She put great care into her work, and it was the least he could do for such a useful gift.

"Where else do you frequent, by the way? I don't want to just drop a pile of flowers on your doorstep if you are not home."

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC:

We don't know how to accept we're just a product of a chance /
And less like gods but more like plants

@Azure

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