ORIGIN

He kept his clouded eye on Magdalena. She held so much impotent rage it was almost tangible, dripping from her hide, and the numbat turned his gaze heavenwards at her obvious anger - he was probably lucky not to be struck by some other hellish plague. I'll be lucky to get out of this pit with my other leg intact, the tiny creature thought, idly tapping his cane on the floor, the glow growing brighter with each hit, until the support was practically a lantern to light the way.

"You know, surprisingly, your disapproval doesn't negate the facts, Mags," he drawled, and for a moment he felt disembodied, like someone else had bubbled to the surface and taken control of his mouth, someone who had looked up to the borzoi once - and held nothing but pity now. "If you'd like to discuss my status with Louie, I'd rather not do so in front of children," Priest added, a wrinkle of distaste in his brow as he flashed a worried glance towards the two pups.

Even if they were a hundred times his size, they were still kids, like Diot had been, and he'd be damned if he'd have come all this way only to watch, helplessly, as Magdalena poisoned her own brood.

She stepped past him, still speaking in that self-righteous tone, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. For once, he wished he had Baratheon back - he'd love to see her get a taste of her own medicine, feel mortal fear drain her pride. He tried, but really, Priest was more of a "do what I say, not what I do" kind of guy, and his sister had a way of completely demolishing all of his manners. "Fine. I'll shut up around Lou, and how about in return we don't bicker in front of your kids, hm?"

Something in him revolted at the idea of exposing the fox-dog and the danburite to the boiling feud that had been raging since Priest was an infant - one he didn't know the origin of, or the fuel. All he knew was that while he loved Magdalena, she obviously didn't return the feeling, and most of the time he wanted to pull out her pretty gemstones and decorate his house with them.

"In either case, I should warn you all not to rush upon the chrysalis - I have protected it with many deadly fungus, should anything dangerous draw near. Anyone without the ability to talk to the mushrooms will be dead or incapacitated within seconds, I imagine," the numbat casually added, taking the lead of the group, slow, unsteady steps echoing through Monoceros.

He stumbled, almost fell, when a voice resounded through his head, a foreign and strangely familiar sensation, one he wanted to grip onto and cut into and tear apart and sew back together, a hitch in his breath once it left. Priest slowed in his travel, enough to walk beside the strange child of the danburite, humming under his breath as he thought. He tapped on the ground again, perhaps in warning, before touching the child's pelt with his free hand - a physical connection, and another sign to try and pay attention to the numbat's whispers.

"I am many and none. I do not know why she calls me Booker," he admitted, voice soft and unsure, overtly gentle. This was the child he'd seen Louie protect with his life, the one he'd nearly thought of harming to save himself - he needed to make up for the sin now, while there was time. "But I have no name. Others call me Priest, or Flowers." At least the easy question was out of the way; the others were a bit more... complicated.

"When I was younger - without a use for a cane, for my injuries were small and few - I was visiting Eridanus. It is a great forest, with towering trees, and many Gembounds. Many of them I considered family. I came to visit a tribe of kittens, but when I arrived, I found Louie instead." A wince, another stumble, and Priest huffed out a forced chuckle, warding off the panic cramping his chest. "Your father... he made some choices. I don't know why, although he has tried to explain. But I was kept here, as a prisoner, dying, along with my brother."

Priest glanced away, absently smoothing his destroyed paw over the fox-mole's fur. "It is not a happy story. But I escaped, as did my brother, eventually. We returned to Eridanus." The glow of his cane flickered, as if it could sense his symptoms, trying to stop the attack before it started. "I imagine you love your brother very much, yes?" It was more of an assumption than anything, but he could see that they were, at least, close. "This is how I felt for my own. He was a very strong creature. But one day, he had to leave. And I was left alone."

Memories bit at his mind. Blood slicking his hands.

He was only alone because he'd made himself so.

His family was buried in the ground.

"I was... lost. I depended on my brother for many things - too much, perhaps, for me to function without him. My magic backfired, and I was hurt. Then Louie found me." And for once, Priest smiled, a true, bright expression, making him look younger - as young as he truly was, under the remnants of physical and mental torture. "And he had you. Oh, he loved you. I could see it. Love - it has so many forms, yes? And his was an almost obsessive kind. He wanted the best for you, but your father is... he is not used to having good things, I think. It scares him."

He barked out a laugh, loud amidst the whispering. "He told me he loved me... but he left with you when I returned the sentiment. I tried to follow, make sure you and he were alright, but I am not a strong man, only a resilient one." He stretched, patting Iliad's leg. "And here we are, now, after someone hurt him - although it will be the last time they get the chance to do so."

Conviction lit his voice, strong and unwavering - the only thing about him that was.

The cane lit his way, the mushrooms climbing its sides glowing in the darkness, and Priest felt his heart coil around the promise of another chance, and refuse to let go.

[ exit Priest ]

His voice grated on her nerves like a metal file, and it took all of her restraint not to contort her expression into another sneer down in his direction. In fact, if she lost control of every restraint in her body, she was certain she would morph into a hideous snarling beast - a transformation inevitable, undeniable, horrific in comparison to the cool and composed stature of the borzoi now. One ear twitched slightly, and then the corner of her lip, and she couldn't decide if she was pleased with his aggravation or equally annoyed, biting at every chance to beat him down further. She had only spoken when he thought to strike a deal, and Magdalena clipped in after him, "I don't negotiate with rabble." Her voice was cool and even, if a little impatient. She didn't understand why or how Louie could put up with such a creature. She didn't understand how most Gembounds even tolerated one another, but Booker was a particularly special case.

She regarded his warning with empty caution. It was unlike her to embrace anything anyways, and the only restriction this would impart would be an inability to touch him, to really know he was there. But that didn't matter much to her either. She didn't share the same bond with Louie as she did with her Fire - her Fire, whose warmth was the only tactile sensation that she needed. She didn't care to make contact with Louie, in fact, the level of closeness between Booker and the fox was becoming more and more evident and it was beginning to wedge a greater distance between herself and her mentor. She just couldn't understand how he could bring himself so low, low enough to damage the rapport he held with the Merrymen. Perhaps he was that low as well.

But she would redeem him, just like she would redeem herself. Odyssey would be the one to carry their names into infinity. Louie's sins would just as quickly be masked by greatness, this she truly believed. As the clacking of Booker's cane implied the start of his journey, Magdalena pushed forward as well, lingering behind as she allowed Odyssey and Iliad to take the lead. Idly she acknowledged Nemesis following them, and hoped that the rhino would come to join her in taking the rear of the group. Meanwhile, her ears pricked again, and her sunflower eyes lingered thoughtfully in the distant space above their heads. She listened to the story unfolding in Booker's hushed tones, and she felt her heart punch inward, crippled more and more with each word.

The exchange between the numbat and his Mother was short and brisk, leaving Odyssey wondering how deep their relationship delved, although they weren't going to push. They were curious, and as such they wanted to express this same curiosity as the numbat spoke crisply about discussing things in front of children - to that Odyssey scoffed, as if they were too young to understand? - and attempting to strike a deal, to which Magdalena responded with a firm no. Her facial expression didn't change; it was placid and unimpressed as ever, and Odyssey mimicked her, turning a cool eye to the numbat while struggling to contain their wonder. And then they were off, and Odyssey moved to Iliad's side, their shoulder brushing against the brother's with a vested reassurance.

They were going to see their father, and worry and curiosity and malice stirred in their heart for everything and everyone around them. They reached out to Iliad silently as an anchor, and listened with high intrigue as the numbat began to tell his own story, shoving their nose in close to take in every valuable word.

Nemesis followed after them, her eyes dark and quiet. As they walked, she drew closer and closer to Magdalena, never close enough to touch lest she knock the borzoi off balance or surprise her... But close enough that her warmth could be felt by all who traveled out of Monoceros together.

It was her warning, her signal, her comforting.

"Magdalena Speech" "Nemesis Speech"

Just like the rest of the congregation that wasn't Magdalena or Booker, the mutated hybrid was left confused by the exchange. It appeared they were off, but there was back talk from the sharp voiced creature who had brought them the news. Fascinating how this man seemed to want to protect his father, the sound of deathly mushrooms was odd. That tale he was weaving was captivating, and he felt a soft almost fly like touch on his shoulder and he jerked slightly at the sensation. It was an odd one, he wasn't used to being touched and not by something that was so small. Louie loved him?

That was certainly an odd thing to think, their last interaction hadn't been pleasant but he let the numbat continue onwards not interrupting. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to actually interject the conversation directly. Only add a message as an after thought. As they walked, he could feel his mum becoming almost icy behind the pair as he wondered along with Odyssey. His everything, and he felt himself reaching out mentally to hold hands with the leggy borzoi fox just as he reached back.

When I speak.

When I think.