ORIGIN

It seemed that Imperia's appearance was going to be bittersweet. The wolf winced through her usual grin. "Well, I don't know if desperation is the right word, but..." the wolf brushed off any lingering shards of glasslike crystal with a soft shake of her body, and returned to the glowing crystal she'd made previously. Perhaps it would be best to stick with this one for now. Picking it up, she carried it to settle comfortably beside Imperia and continue her work there, laying the object carefully down on a patch of moss.

"Ya heard about the competition, right? Olympics or somethin'. Happened once back when we were kids," Kin-Kin explained briefly, sure that Imperia, like herself, had participated. It was strangely clear, despite her down-to-earth explanation, that there was more to it than that. Kin-Kin brushed her paw against the crystal, pouring some of her glow into it. "I won, last time. You remember, right? It made me who I am today, so... if I join up again this time, there's a lot at stake. Ya feel me?" She paused, watching the crystal gently pulse and twinkle with a bright white light. "...Not that I'm afraid. Obviously."

Melancholy eyes of piercing violet never raised to meet Imperia's, although her voice was level and calm.

"I'm makin' some track markers for... uh. the obstacle course. So peeps'll know where to go."

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Kin-Kin grinned sideways at Imperia's words, the caracal's blunt demeanor hiding a subtle compliment that made Kin-Kin feel a little more like herself. "Heh-heh. That's strangely nice of you," Kin-Kin joked, flashing a wink in Imperia's direction, before returning her attention to the now-glowing gem. There was still one last step that would make this marker exactly how she wanted; the most complicated step. Saving the best until last.

"I suppose you're right. Still, others have had pretty long to buck up their act as well," the she-wolf said thoughtfully. "Still, you've got me thinkin' as of late. And I think I might have an idea in mind. It's a long shot but... well... If I can pull it off, it might just give me the edge."

She placed her paws apart and focused her power on the earth beneath her paws. Tendrils of clear quartz emerged from the ground, encasing the glowing crystal into an orb that refracted the light into rainbows. The crystal reformed and knitted together into a somewhat smooth, but slightly faceted surface. When the reforming had finished, Kin-Kin took it in her teeth, and pulled it out of the earth. Beneath the orb, fragmenting and intensifying the light source beneath, was a spike meant for driving the marker into the earth wherever guidance was needed. "There! Whaddaya think?" This one was a little crude, but Kin-Kin thought it'd work well. By means of demonstration, Kin-Kin stuck it upright into a nearby patch of earth. She glanced at Imperia for any sign of feedback, then backed away herself to admire her handiwork.


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"Heh-heh... don't I know it," Kin-Kin muttered thoughtfully in response to Imperia's words, seemingly amused despite her thoughtfulness.

As Imperia questioned her idea, Kin-Kin grinned. She never could resist the opportunity to try out new spells.
"Well, it comes from your questions on my sword. "Doesn't carrying it get tiresome", "Isn't it a bother to lug around?" that kinda deal. And... If I remember correctly..." Kin-Kin paused, turning her gaze towards her sheathed sword. She unsheathed it, carefully placing it on the ground in front of her. "there might be something I can do about it."

She let out a hum of concentration and sat back, narrowing her eyes as she stared at the object as though she'd never seen the thing before in her life. She felt her glow dimming, and power reaching from within her. after a long, long pause, Kin-Kin watched the sword tremble, and then lift off the ground. Its movement was imprecise and difficult to control- like trying to control a wrecking ball with a piece of string- but Kin-Kin let it hover for a while before glancing at Imperia for her reaction. As she broke eye contact, the object dropped harmlessly to the ground.

Kin-Kin needed practice, and she thought that it was pretty much useless to her if it relied so much on eye contact... but it was something. And it would work for what she had in mind. Very well, in fact. The wolf felt a spark of hope flare up in her chest, and she puffed out her fur. "If you wanna know what I'm gonna use it for... well... You'll just have to come see me at the competition, won't you? I can't spoil all the surprises." she winked.


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