ORIGIN

Envy's tiny weight meant that they barely left a mark on the marshy ground as they loped through what they could only assume was Cetus. They'd been seeking this room since the little bat- Pippy- had described it to them, but they'd never imagined it to be quite so soggy, or wet. Envy raised their head as high as they could, struggling not to splash muck on themselves when they raised their paws. With the lights on though, they could see rather well what was to come, and it wasn't long before Envy changed course in pursuit of a figure looming out of the fog.

The faint crackling of magic hurried them on; if there was one thing Envy couldn'rt resist, it was the chance to learn something new. And, although they'd never in a million years admit it, the silence was choking to them, the novelty of being alone wearing thin.

As the shadow in the fog grew rapidly larger, Envy finally slowed to a walk, their head held low in the mist. A strange look- half frown, half bemusement- crossed their face as they recognized the stranger in question. Well... in this situation, Envy was probably going to be more of a stranger here. They'd changed a lot since their last meeting with Amras. It showed in their stance, their expression, and in the way they walked. their body had matured, growing thinner, their bones sticking out under skin pulled taut. The last time they'd eaten had been two cycles ago. but they held themselves with confidence, their chest puffed out and head raising itself high with the recognition. They bared little white fangs in a greeting, fur bristling along their spine.

They tried to exude a sense of cool control- someone who knew they had it all despite their diminutive stature.

"Amras?" they called as they approached the - to them - giant creature, just to make sure they had it right. "What are you doing here?"

"Speech."

Envy jumped back in stunned shock as spires of pitch-black crystal erupted from the ground behind of the gryphon, enormous spires towering over the small creature. Energy surged through the excited weasel, resulting in a few moments of thrashing war-dance as they came to terms with whatever had just happened. Magic, obviously, but what kind of magic? Whatever it was, Envy wanted it, and wanted it badly.

"Hmph," they forced out, holding their paws still, although their tail still managed to twitch wildly. "Or I you."

But they forced themselves to stand still, clearing their throat and using a paw to smooth the bristling fur along their back. Their eyes narrowed at Amras and they tried their hardest not to look eager, or surprised. Seemingly appreciative, the weasel bounded over to the crystal spires- which didn't look like they'd be too difficult to scale- and scuttled up their sloping length. "Magic practice?" came the shrill question, unable to resist sounding at least a teensy bit eager. A tiny head poked out to peer at Amras through a gap in between two spires. Whatever it was Amras had done, it clearly made a fantastic climbing frame. "...What a coincidence! That's... totally what I'm doing here as well!" Envy's barely-contained excitement made for probably the least-convincing performance of their life, but Envy forced the grin from their eyes and tried to look calm, casual, and cool. They puffed out their chest and bristled visibly, the puffed-out fur managing to just hide their visible malnourishment.

"Yup! Just me and my magic!" Envy sucked in their breath and prepared to give Amras a demonstration of just how much they'd learned. They'd come a long way since they'd last seen Amras, and Envy was desperate to show him that they were no longer the sick, weak little creature they'd been back then.

Envy felt the fizzle of magic through their fur and watched the exhausted Amras closely, a broad grin baring sharp little teeth. Their fur flushed at first in royal shades of purple, before rippling in shades of blue. Envy closed their eyes and focused hard, finally settling on a colour scheme that aimed to mimic Amras' own. Deep blue, with an orange muzzle and forelimbs. They grinned and looked at the gryphon expectantly, smugness written all over their face.



"Speech."

Envy grinned, their pride swelling to new heights and they started to climb higher up the obsidian object, until they were looking down at Amras with eyes sparkling in glee, the last traces of blue fading from their fur. "Of course I've gotten better!" they said, as though surprised. Their voice was high with indignance, but they kept it levelly cool and confident. Envy found another spot at the crotch of two spires, from which they could relax and peer down at Amras. "And one day, I'm gonna be the best." They seemed to relax, bristling fur lying flat as they curled, relaxed despite their precarious position on the obsidian object.

this new 'toy' was much easier to climb than the icy wall Asimona had created; and however much they hated thinking back to that, they had to admit it made climbing everything else feel so much easier.

The weasel then had another idea; if Amras was that impressed just by the colour change, how impressed would he be if Envy suddenly sprouted wings!? The long-bodied creature perked up, a shudder of excitement running down their spine. they raised their chin, looking coolly down at Amras from where they coiled. They glanced away, feigning disinterest for a moment, before scoffing quietly. "If you thought that was cool, just wait 'till you see this!" Envy hopped fully into the spot they'd found and raised themselves up high, puffing out their chest.

Cool, right?

Their gaze flitted briefly back to Amras to see if he was impressed by their little show. But now it was time for the main event! Once again, they felt magic surging through their chest, causing their fur to prickle, their gem tingling against their tongue. It took a few moments for the magic to manifest, but it eventually did, two semi-transparent bat wings forming an arc above Envy's head from their shoulders, each one longer than Envy's tiny body. The weasel folded their paws against their chest and looked grandly down their nose at Amras.



"Speech."

Envy was a little bit taken aback by Amras' delayed reaction. Were they simply too stunned to respond? Had Envy over-introduced it? The weasel peered closely down at the gryphon, trying to discern whatever was going through the other's head, but drew a blank. The weasel's brow creased in frustration, and they bared their fangs a bit. What was that crossing their face? Was it anger? disappointment? concern? Envy squirmed with discomfort until the wings dissipated into mist.

Envy tried to look unconcerned and aloof, though they kept glancing back at the gryphon, expecting a congratulations or praise of their talents. Amras had recognized their talent before- so why wasn't he recognizing this?

The weasel's eyes grew hard in their confused face. They new exactly how they could peel the information they needed from Amras, even if it was only surface level. They'd used it before, and they could again. It seemed like Envy's feelings were doomed to be forever derived from the emotions of another- and thus far, they reveled in that ability. Leeching off of other's emotions filled them with a strange kind of elation- a disconnect from their woes and nausea- no matter who it was on the recieving end. There was still another part of them that longed to seek out Imperia for another taste of their power and glory. Magic would tell whether the gryphon was impressed- whether or not Amras was happy for them.

When Amras' words reached their ears, Envy hesitated, then dropped into focus anyway, their lilac gaze piercing as an arrow, boring into Amras' unreadable expression.

They felt the frustration and anger fading into the back of their mind, forgotten, the rest of the world between them dropping away. They felt concern, primarily. Envy got the impression that Amras thought that something was wrong with the magic Envy was so proud of. Very wrong. Envy tried to focus harder, finding that base emotions simply weren't enough to get them what they wanted- but either way, Amras was not impressed, and that made Envy's stomach tighten with rage. They felt their feelings tumbling back into their own, bringing with it doubts and fears and the desperate jealousy that Envy spent their life trying to suppress. Nausea tugged at the pit of their stomach, but it was as though all those emotions belonged to another being entirely. Envy hated feeling like themselves again.

"Of course I did," Envy muttered finally, and it felt as though there was something missing- the link between their mind and the words that seemed to come from the mouth of someone else. They felt it all coming back, all the things they desperately fought to suppress- and this time, there was no way they could keep it out of their eyes. Their stance folded in on itself, at loathe to return to their own emotions, so cripplingly dissonant with how everyone else felt. "I'm Envy. I have to work hard for everything, remember?"

The youngster lowered their gaze, seemingly upset and betrayed but, struggling to understand the alien feelings coiling around one another in their chest. Their expression was empty, showing nothing of the mess inside. There was a disconnect there, too.

But their eyes showed everything.

Envy had to stop this- every cast them left them loathing themselves even more, and ever more desperate for that feeling of fulfillment. And furthermore, if even emotion left them crashing into a pit of despair, how... weak did that make them? Envy started to bristle, showing something of their old selves again. "So, you don't like it, huh?" Envy forced a grin onto their face to replace the one that had been lost, hoping that Amras hadn't noticed their lapse too much. "Are you envious? I know I would be."


"Speech."

Envy frowned at Amras in response to their protests, slowly regaining their former connection to their former mindset. they shook their head, doubt at their own words setting in. "But... it felt... like you were upset. I... It didn't feel like envy. I'd know, wouldn't I?" A bitter grin crawled gradually over their face, and they gave a dry chuckle at their own 'joke'.

They listened to Amras' story, a lump growing in their throat as they spoke of spells that Envy might never learn. But, Envy found themselves relaxing, as well. They spoke of a situation similar to that which Envy had found. An ancient Gembound with long-forgotten magicks. Maybe Amras wasn't upset after all. Maybe they were envious. Perhaps envy was different to all who felt it. The weasel swallowed, watching in half-disguised wonder at the spectral bee that buzzed by. They raised a paw to try and bat at the 'creature'- if it could be called that- as it passed, but the bee was well out of their reach. They turned to Amras, eyes wanting.

"Can you teach me that?" they asked pleadingly.

As Amras spoke of the birds, Envy nodded slowly. "I know, I know! I was there. And yes, they gave me the wings. Get to the point," they snapped. Amras went on to acknowledge that their doubts seemed to be misplaced. The weasel's piercing look faded into one of slight relief, though they covered it up with a snort. "Of course they didn't. Even if they did, I belong to nobody. They can't take their magic back off of me. I won't let them even if they try!"

"Speech."