ORIGIN

Pages: 1 2 3

Envy looked at the fox with narrowed ayes. They and Azar might be the same age, but interacting with this fox certainly made them feel older. They narrowed their eyes at the fox's question. "No, everything's swell. Can't you see that I'm jumping for joy?" Envy asked rhetorically, voice dripping with sarcasm. They straightened up, using their paws to smooth their fur and ease off the uncomfortable pent-up energy that started to make them twitch.

"Of course I'm not used to friends. Friends are for kids and weak scraps who can't exist without shouldering their burdens on everyone else," Envy growled, seemingly unaware of the irony of that statement. They kept on cleaning, their gaze never meeting Azar's. maybe it would be best if they just left now? But as much as they hated to admit it, Envy didn't want to be alone again. It was as though, they too, couldn't live without desperately leeching off of others, just like those they claimed to despise. "What about me? Do you think I'm scary?" Envy asked, raising their head and baring teeth in a sharp leer. "Because I'd very much like to be."

They had an idea then, and closed their eyes, delving their thoughts into their gem as they tried to connect with the magic that lay within. They felt it connect, and a thrill rippled through their fur. Pitch-black mist poured out of their open mouth, completely enshrouding them in an instant. When they opened their eyes again, they glowed bright and piercing, and Envy's smugness was almost tangible. "How about now?"

The smoke-wreathed apparition paused then, eyes narrowing slightly, but expression obscured by mist.

"...I don't think you know what 'thank you' means... but... sure, okay."

"Speech."

@Azar

Azar
It's a new world
It's a new start
And it's alive with the beating of a young heart
[Image: fESoGD0.gif]

Azar’s ears flicked as Envy said this. He knew the weasel was being sarcastic. "You don’t have to tell me what’s wrong," Azar said kindly. "After all, it isn’t any of my business. I hope that I can help anyway, though!"

"Friends aren’t just for weaklings," Azar protested gently, his smile only widening, "They’re there to support you, and to protect and fight alongside you. Having friends doesn’t mean you’re weak, it just means that you’re a reliable and happy gembound. I have lots of friends, and I care for every one of them, no matter what sins they have committed in the past or plan to commit in the future, they’ll always be my friends." Azar hesitated for a moment, before continuing. "I care for you too, Envy, because you’re my friend! And I’ll protect and support you, just like I do for everyone else!"
Azar lifted his muzzle proudly. "I don’t find you scary," Azar told Envy truthfully, "Because you are my friend. I don’t think that you should want to be scary, Envy, it won’t help you at all. Being scary just scares people away, causing them to be frightened of you. But, no matter who you want to be, I’ll be there for you!" Azar’s tail wagged again.

Azar was in awe of Envy’s magic - he’d never seen anything like it before. "Envy, that’s amazing! You’re really talented when it comes to magic! I can do a bit, but nothing as powerful as THIS! You should be super proud, it’s amazing! I’ve never seen a gembound as great as you, I’m really glad I met you. "

[Image: N008Q9U.gif]

"Speech."
"Thoughts."

@Envy

"Then I won't!" envy snapped, with a twinge of satisfaction accompanying that ultimatum. But the fox continued to coerce drippily, and somehow that didn't help. Envy felt like they would have much preferred them to argue and yell. It'd be more fun for Envy that way. But this... this was just... uncomfortable. Envy didn't know what it was, but they squirmed uncomfortably. No-one could be this good, this sappy, this stupid. Could they? Envy peered closely at Azar again, trying to see for a crack in their disguise, looking for some sign of a monster behind the mask. "Are you playing with me?" Envy asked suspiciously. "Do you want me to lower my guard? Is that it? Well, I'm not going to."

"Weaklings have friends. The strong have followers," Envy growled softly. They sniffed disdainfully at the thought that friends brought happiness. No, Envy thought. Friends don't bring happiness. Power does. Having everything you want. That makes you happy. That brought Envy a harsh realization. "I get it now," they said aloud, as the clouds dissipated from their lithe, bony body. "You're happy because you have everything you've always wanted. Because all you want is friends." The weasel sank down onto all fours and glared at Azar. "Are you deaf!? I have no friends!" their voice raised into a shrill yell, as they puffed out their fur and hissed.

They didn't want friends! they were strong! they could look after themselves, and one day, they could get everything they wanted! One day they would be happy! Right? So... why was this fox making them feel like this? Their insides boiled with anger and bitter resentment. They were desperate to believe their own words. "I don't need friends!" they yelled again, but something leaked into their voice and made it break. Envy clamped their jaws shut and narrowed their eyes.

Once again, Azar's words calmed their anger, and Envy's soul instead settled into gloom. They sighed, deeply. They were silent for a time, looking at their paws. Finally, they raised their head again. "...Do you wanna see something cool?" the weasel asked, in a voice shaky with indecision. "...heh. Well, you got that right..."

"Speech."

Azar
It's a new world
It's a new start
And it's alive with the beating of a young heart
[Image: fESoGD0.gif]

Azar knew that Envy was troubled and had probably had a difficult past. He had too, he supposed, with Astaroth showing him that dead fox, the dead fox he would some day become. However, this was not the time nor place to be getting nostalgic. "Lower your guard? No, I’m happy for you to be alert around me, I can understand why you might distrust me. We only just met, after all. I do hope that, in time, you’ll trust me, though!" Azar meant what he said, he did hope that Envy would come to trust him. A pang of excitement rushed through his body as he realised how much fun he’d have with Envy in the future.

"I guess what you say makes a bit of sense, but, honestly, I don’t really agree. Friends make you stronger, and grow with you. Followers, well, they’ll just keep you held back. I’m not sure about why you feel so against friendship, but I respect your opinion so I won’t try and change you. I mean, I like you just the way you are!" Azar cocked his head on one side when Envy continued speaking. He gazed hopefully at the weasel. "No, I want a lot more than just friends," Azar admitted, "I just don’t really dwell on those things. Having friends does make me happy, but doesn’t it make everyone happy, knowing that there’s someone you can turn to? A world without friends would be quite lonely. I’m sorry if you feel that way, Envy, but you have me now. Even if you don’t see me as a friend, I see you as one!"

Azar didn’t respond to Envy’s yelling, he just listened patiently. He wondered if he was being too pushy, if he was being cruel to the weasel by telling him everything he thought. He decided to be a little kinder from now on, because it seemed as if the weasel was in some kind of pain.

Azar flicked his ears. "Something cool? I’d love to see it! Is it more magic? C’mon, Envy, show me!"

[Image: N008Q9U.gif]

"Speech."
"Thoughts."

@Envy

Envy peered even closer at Azar. What kind of idiocy is this? Envy's tail flickered, and they arched their spine once more. "Maybe. We'll see," Envy said, glancing away. They didn't plan on getting buddy-buddy with this weird fox, but maybe they'd find a use for him someday.

Envy listened to their words, slowly forcing a grin onto their face. "Followers are friends without the commitment," they said finally, and that, they felt, was the truth. Followers were, in Envy's opinion, less like equal beings and more like possessions. If you had followers, you were as powerful as you and them put together- but if times got rough, there was nothing to make you stay. With friends, there would always be an expectation that you'd have their back, and vice versa... but having friends, in Envy's opinion, made you look weak, and appearance was half the battle when it came to power. That's why Envy wished they were bigger. That's why they wished they were scary. But there wasn't anything they could do about that... right?

Envy narrowed their eyes in consideration. Surely, there was something. Magic could do anything, right? Could Envy use it to transform? Could they use it to look bigger, and more threatening? They could use it to make their fur look like scales or feathers or change colours to look like someone else's. It couldn't be that different. Right? But as Envy sifted through all of the knowledge and power they kept stored in their gem, they couldn't even find a trace of what they sought; usually there was, at the very least, a thread.

Envy shook their head, returning to the current conversation with a look of slight disappointment on their face. "Like what?" Envy asked, sounding disappointed. of course, Azar had to be humble. Envy didn't understand how he could be so happy and not have everything he wanted. "Not me." Though, as they spoke, a guilty thought did trail back towards their adopted mother, who they'd left back in Orion, what felt like a lifetime ago. The bratty little weasel felt their heart grow heavy, and stomach clench. they bit their tongue to stop any kind of emotion showing on their face. Part of them desperately wanted to go scurrying home to mamma, but the part that Imperia had left behind simply wouldn't allow it. That would be weak, they told themselves. But she'll be all alone, and missing you... Envy shook their head to knock away the doubts, even if only for a short while. "Sure. Think of me however. I... I don't care." they sat back and folded their paws once again.

The fox's response brought another wry grin to their face. Envy lowered their chin to their chest, focusing again on their magic as they tried to conjure the party trick that seemed to be the crowd favourite. But though their fur prickled vaguely, they felt no rush of magic though their fur. Eventually they let out their breath, bristling in embarrassment. "...Give me a minute."

"Speech."

@Azar

Azar
It's a new world
It's a new start
And it's alive with the beating of a young heart
[Image: fESoGD0.gif]

Azar felt attached to this weasel somehow, he felt as if they needed each other. It was a bizarre feeling which the fox had never felt before, and he wondered if it even had a name. For the first time, he frowned slightly, more out of confusion than anything else.
"Hey, Envy," Azar whispered, his voice still cheerful as ever, "You’re like me, aren’t you? You’ve seen some horrible things." Azar eyed the weasel sympathetically. He didn’t think gembounds like him even existed, he thought he was the only one. Although Azar didn’t think of himself as suffering, he knew he wasn’t exactly free of the pain Astaroth had given him. He frowned for a while, his eyes confused and... sad? No, Azar had never felt true sadness... He shook his head, and smiled once again. "Woah, that was strange!" He laughed.

[Image: N008Q9U.gif]

"Speech."
"Thoughts."

@Envy

Envy was confused by the sudden change in tone, and bristled, suddenly on guard again, though they'd never really stopped. What was this? Were they trying to weedle out information by giving them puppydog eyes? Envy bared their teeth slightly. Their words did, however, make them think back. They remembered... certain things that they'd long since tried to cover up. Running in fear, from a pitch-black canine who seemed to feed on their terror. Long before they'd truly found themselves.

Then there was their first breaths, body racked in constant pain. Struggling to eat, as the toxins forced everything that went down back up. Unable even to drink like any other normal creature. It seemed like everything was stripped of them at birth; everything they could have had dangling in front of their noses like a carrot on a fishing pole. Even now they felt the cold, hard marble at the back of their tongue and their breaths reeked of bitter metal. "I... might have," they replied, leaning in a little closer, their voice almost too low to be heard. "But what does it matter? They made me strong." The weasel forced a wild grin, raising their voice again and standing tall and proud. "I'm probably the only one in the caves who doesn't need to eat or drink any more. Cool, right? I take all the horrible things and I use them. And one day, I'm gonna be the greatest in all the caves. You'll see."

Envy spread their paws, trying again to tap into the magic that had previously evaded them. And this time, it rushed and fizzled through their fur as a volley of pins and needles, racing, pouring through their blood, filling them with adrenaline. Envy flushed a livid green at first, but soon swirling clouds of ginger-red took over their form. their pristine white underbelly returned, inner earswhite, and outer ears black. Their forepaws became black, and a white tip on the end of their tail twitched and thrashed. Within moments, Envy had taken on a near-perfect copy of Azar's colour scheme... although they were, undeniably, still weasel-shaped.

"Speech."

Azar
It's a new world
It's a new start
And it's alive with the beating of a young heart
[Image: fESoGD0.gif]

"You’re certainly unique, Envy, I’ll give you that!" Azar smiled, flicking his ears as a sign of friendliness. "I feel like we’re finally starting to act like friends! Isn’t that awesome?"

Azar watched Envy’s magic with obvious fascination. It was outstanding, and Azar was very impressed. "Wow, Envy, you’re the same colour as me," Azar commented, narrowing his eyes to try and focus on the exact colour of the weasel. "Your magic truly is impressive! You must be the most powerful gembound there is!" Azar said this with genuine honesty - he was not lying or trying to keep Envy happy. He really believed it possible that Envy’s magic was far more powerful than a normal gembound’s. He shot Envy an encouraging glance, smiling brightly, his whiskers twitching.

[Image: N008Q9U.gif]

"Speech."
"Thoughts."

@Envy

Envy grinned, more genuinely than before, although they still fought to keep it laced with cool confidence rather than letting it fall into something nearing real enthusiasm. That, of course, would be too much. "I try my hardest," they said casually, examining their still dark-coloured paws as the magic slowly began to fade and their ordinary pink hue began to trickle back in. "Oh, wha-? We are?" that was greeted by confusion, the weasel raising their head and looking a little shocked. But, finally, they sighed and waved a paw dismissively. "...Y'know what? Sure... Whatever you say."

They gave a nod. "Mmmm-hm! That's the idea!" Envy never ceased to be pleased by the reactions of other Gembounds to this trick. And this time was no exception. Azar's praise went above and beyond however, until Envy's face started to hurt from all the smirking. "Y-you think so-? I-I mean... Of course you do! Obviously!" Envy beamed, positively glowing with all the praise being showered upon them. "That's right!" The weasel paused to consider for a mmoment, smile fading slightly until it was more of a mellow smirk.

"So, Azar," they began, slowly and purposefully. "you got any magic you wanna... y'know... show off?"

"Speech."

@Azar

Azar
It's a new world
It's a new start
And it's alive with the beating of a young heart
[Image: fESoGD0.gif]

Azar was taken aback. "Well, err, I’m not the best at magic and..." He took a deep breath. He did want to impress Envy... Azar grinned nervously, he supposed there was no real harm in doing a little bit of magic. He took a deep breath, flattening his ears hopelessly, and prepared himself. He supposed trying a spell he’d barely even done before was pretty suicidal, but he was determined. Azar closed his eyes, trying to feel the magic power pumping through his body. He pictured two majestic golden wings on his back. He was trembling with concentration, hoping that he’d open his eyes to see the wings. He didn’t want to fail in front of Envy. He opened his eyes hopefully, and his gaze flickered towards his back. "I guess it... worked?" Breathed Azar.

[Image: N008Q9U.gif]

"Speech."
"Thoughts."

Pages: 1 2 3

Livius

Azar

Livius

Azar

Livius

Azar

Livius

Azar

Livius

Azar