Yellow's thoughts were met with threads of good-natured amusement. "Sure, I'll talk out loud too," he agreed amiably. "I do hope they eat some of it. Don't they love biting things? It'll be perfect for them." He aimed to toss more of his magic into the mix, seeding more spores to be spread by the magical current while it lasted.
Yellow let out a surprised laugh at Jinyi's comment. For some reason they'd thought of their Drone siblings--apart from Ace, they supposed, whose constant taunts and brags were near-insufferable--as mostly too busy with their duties for humor. Upon further reflection, though, they were kind of a hypocrite. They too had gotten so caught up in the endless cycle of tending and refreshing the fungus in Eridanus that they'd forgotten to have fun once in a while.
But that was okay. Serving Mother was fun. Kind of. Well.... No. Yes it was. Maybe. At any rate, they could think of ways to make it even more fun! Another banana popped into their hands and this time instead of carefully applying it as a paste they gnawed off just the tip, pointed it, and squeezed it so the fruit shot off into the distance! Hopefully there was fungus where it landed. If not, they could plant some.
--Or Jinyi could make some, actually. "I'm kind of tired," Yellow admitted, leaning back against the fallen tree. "Been doing too much magic..."
Jinyi made his way over to Yellow, concerned. He'd done that too, before, and then proceeded to have a very unfortunate encounter while defenseless and exhausted. "Rest for now," he said, an unspoken urge to don't forget to take care of yourself pressing to Yellow's mind through their link. "Here. Have a bag of chips. --Not fruit flavored this time, don't worry."
Then he made his way in the direction Yellow had shot the banana, searching for where it landed. When he found it, he bent down and coaxed fungus to bloom from its flesh.
They blinked owlishly up at the Drone and suddenly felt better, despite the exhaustion in their limbs. "Thanks." They tore open the bag and fed one chip into another into their mouth. "What is this one? Tastes like some kind of seeds or nuts. Can't put my finger on it." It was good, though. They couldn't stop eating it.
"You'd be right," Jinyi replied, walking back over to check on Yellow. "I put a lot of different seeds and nuts in it. That's probably why the taste is all mixed up--but I'm glad you like it."
Another circle of Ordered ground spread from his feet as Jinyi sat beside Yellow. "Let's finish here soon, yeah? How about this for one last goal: make this log into a nursery, as an extra in-your-face to the people who knocked it down. Then get some rest and recover your magic. Maybe try some more flavors of chips."
Yellow narrowed their eyes suspiciously at Jinyi. "You're treating me like a kid," they accused halfheartedly. "I'm literally older than you." Not only that, they'd joined the Hive first too, so they were senior in not only age but, well, seniority.
Whatever. Jinyi's suggestion was a good enough goal, anyway. They conjured another banana, this one smaller than the last ones. Instead of smearing it over the bark this time, they peeled it, broke it into little pieces, and tucked them into crevices and cavities in the trunk's log. Help the fungus spread from the inside, right?
Jinyi's expression flickered uncertainly. Was he? "Sorry," he said, and hesitantly pulled out another bag of chips. Peace offering? he thought hopefully.
He was relieved when the sifaka took it and seemed to accept his proposed goal. He followed their work with magic, each piece of banana accompanied by a piece of fungus to feed on it and gradually infest the fallen tree.
Yellow hmmphed at Jinyi, but the speed at which they took the chips from his hands spoke with more honesty. "If you think about it, I'm your big brother now," they pointed out. "So I accept your tribute! And I'll take care of you in the future."
Speaking of taking care of things. A red rat had crept up on them through the dense foliage, its pelt disheveled and its figure skinny. It, too, had Mother's fungus inside it. "Someone should do something about the Lessers here. They all look exhausted. And the same people who're ripping out fungus and knocking down trees have been hunting them down. Poor things." A frown crossed their face as they reached out with magic to give the rat a boost. They couldn't do anything about the malnourishment, except maybe make another banana, but they could at least fight back the bacteria or mange or whatever it was breeding in its pelt.
Jinyi projected the image of a frown onto his face. Of course, he didn't have to, since they all could feel each other's feelings anyway--but he was trying to develop his social skills, the normal way. And it was one thing built on top of another, anyway. "I don't know how to heal Lessers. I can only do the spell that works on Clearstone." There was a note of apology in his voice and mind.
But perhaps he could take some of the burden off the existing Mothered Lessers. He glanced up through the foliage at a gilded catsquirrel who'd been scurrying a little bit closer every so often and coaxed it downward to take a piece of the fungus they'd planted and eat it. If more of them work together, it'll be an easier time for all of them.
Yellow blinked several times, as if processing the logic. Then they nodded. "All right."
Teamwork made the dream work, right? Just like they were doing now.
Their hand reached up and brushed against a tuft of fungus growing in their fur, collecting its spores. They spread those same spores in the catsquirrel's fur while Jinyi still had it under control. Maybe it would help it join the family quicker, or it could spread it to other places when it climbed and leaped.
"Can you do that spell where you make me stronger again? I want to make another jetstream."