ORIGIN

Oliver listened, and shook his head almost at once. His dad had told him that he had a purpose to serve, in the caves--as a guardian, and Oliver had realized fairly early on that he wasn't a fighter. He wanted to help, so he did so as a mender, a helper, a healer. "No, it's--what I do, okay? Trust me." He offered a smile, then, and readjusted himself a little on the stone.

"Nobody's seen her in awhile so--I guess you're safe. I guess it happened awhile ago..?" It sounded horrible, fucking horrible, but Oliver couldn't really say that. Instead he kept sympathy masked on his face, trying to ignore the screaming terrors that threatened to summon up visual imagery of the things that Nassir was describing. Still, he couldn't just let it go unmentioned. "I'm--sorry you went through that, anyway. It sounds awful. But are you sure you're dying? I thought when people were real sick or--almost dead they just... went back into their stone for awhile and got better?"

Oliver eyed the bile, considering. If it was true that Nassir was going blind, perhaps he could take the bile and... experiment with it? Maybe he could find a plant that'd help, or... or something.

"There's lots who know more about the caves than I do. Maybe there's a plant you can eat that'll help with it, or something. We could try..? Or try to find someone who knows?" His mind flicked to Astraea, but he had no idea where the stag might be--or if he was really as friendly as others claimed. He'd heard stories on both sides, and he couldn't remember ever having met him, himself.

"There's always--a way, though. Don't give up."

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

Oliver watched Nassir closely, brows knitted with concern. The cat's words were sad--but then kind; and the hybrid wanted nothing more than to help.

"I'm really sorry you hurt so much. That faerie is--mean. That does sound like her, I think, with the... bow and stuff. I think she's still alive but we could--ask him? But-..." Oliver smiled, a little--tinged bittersweet, but it was there. "I'm glad you don't wanna give up. Maybe we could... try to find Astraea or--uhh. Tenzin's the other one, I think? Maybe they can't help directly but they might know what she did--they know who she is. I'd say we could ask Mom's um. ...Guardian? In Cetus? But he just sleeps and eats," the hybrid continued, his mind now wandering over the stories he'd heard of Aquarian. "If you-... don't feel up to travel, I could try to ask for you? But I might--maybe I should take some of the--... Um. Goop." Oliver glanced at a small amount of the bile the black leopard had choked up.

"It might help 'em identify it. Or maybe you can come with me, and we can both ask. It might be easier than we think. If she did it, it can be undone, right?" He smiled again, reassuringly, his tone still gentle and his attitude optimistic--but gently so. He wasn't overly pushy in his speech, just... helpful, as if he was here to serve and wanted nothing more than to drop whatever he'd been doing, and make it his life's mission to help Nassir.

"I'll do whatever I can to help you stop-... hurting, okay?"

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

Oliver nodded, just a little. "They're all ancients. Uhh. Aquarian's a big fish-lizard-dragon thing. He's very loud and screams and eats loads. Dad trusts him. He says Aquarian almost ate him," Oliver added, quizzically. He still wasn't sure how one thing related to the other, but the Black Dog's information had always been rather cryptically-offered, at best.

"I think Astraea's a deer. I don't know anything about him really, but Dad says those ones are the ones that help us--Astraea and Tenzin. I think, if I remember--uhh. Tenzin is a bird? Dad says he lives in cold places, and places with loads of water, and fought the dragon with it. With the water, I mean. Raheerah's the dragon. He's not nice," the hybrid added, with a tone of warning.

Black had always diligently explained everything he knew to Oliver, though--again--rarely clearly. He told Oliver what he thought Oliver should know, which was not always what others might think of first; and his phrasing and the paths his own thought processes took were often different. Oliver's mind, in all fairness, wasn't exactly "normal" either--but even he had trouble understanding Black, at times.

So where one Gembound might have explained exactly who Astraea was, what he was useful for, and where to find him, Oliver just knew "deer with mushrooms, helpful, Tenzin-friend." Where to look for him, or his abilities, Oliver had no idea. But he knew where to start, where to seek Tenzin--Pisces.

The hybrid stood as Nassir did, his heart wrenching at the sight of tears, and the sway of the black cat's movements. At his stutter. He hesitated, his warm nature pushing him to impulsively offer a nudge or a lean of some kind, but instead he simply bowed his head and turned. He didn't think Nassir wanted anyone too close--it seemed to make him nervous--and anyway, he didn't know him all that well. "I'm--sorry," he said quietly, again. "Come on. We can try Pisces."

He paced over, cautious not to startle Nassir, and tried to scoop some of the weird bile up on to his claws--and to sniff it, too. He'd have to carry enough, though he assumed Nassir would be more than capable of throwing up more if they needed it.

Oliver turned, leading the way out of Polaris--but not without glancing back worriedly, and repeatedly, one clawed forelimb in the air, to ensure Nassir was right behind him.

Oliver glanced back once or twice, grimly worried--in fact, as they passed out of Polaris, it became far more than "once or twice." A constant watch over his new charge, a deep sense of responsibility for Nassir's well-being, drove him.

He had no way of knowing it, but it was the same dutiful instinct that drove his father, Black, in nearly all things.

For Oliver, though, there was intense empathy involved: he wanted to help. He wanted Nassir to be better, to be happy, not to suffer anymore--and he'd do whatever he could to aid. He just hoped that he could.

He really, really hoped that Tenzin would be where he'd been told--and that the phoenix would be willing to aid. Willing... and able.