ORIGIN

Pippy with how she is still out and about went around to explore other rooms; one would believe she'd crawl back to her den by now from her fearful encounter with a scary-shadowy big cat, but it's not so for Pippy. Maybe it's how she had a lovely little reunion with Oliver which brightened her mood so much. Besides it's not like she was getting chased by any big-shadowy cat, terrifying as it was they left Pippy and everyone else alone when they all left Bartos to his devices. Although Pippy still wishes she could help Bartos somehow her heart honestly went out for them, but sadly her presence seemed to contribute to making things worse for them, so she opted to let them be, but another part wants to go back and try and do something which could help reassure them or something...

Still, Oliver left an invitation available for Bartos if they wish for any help same will apply for Pippy herself to some extent.

Pippy wobbled along blindly, curious what she'll find, in fact, Pippy is interested in what this 'Polaris' Oliver mentioned to her in case she wanted to come across Oliver again and catch up with them. Further on Pippy went, and strangely, a sensation seemed to spike up, everything seemed to rise as she got closer to tunnel's end; like it finally opened up before her, like cathedral doors.

Pippy's heart danced a new beat as she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and forced herself to pick up her pace through this tunnel's end to wherever it leads to till she was through and she opened her eyes again as many walls for this new room climbed up endlessly from how it appears to Pippy it was a little daunting for this tiny bat.

This room's air is lacing with something as every nerve, feeling and every ounce of energy within Pippy became most prominent here; her happiness at reuniting with Oliver, her strength, her anxiousness on her encounter with shadow-big cats; her senses and nerves have reached a fevers pitch. Other matters such as cautiousness, fear and her instincts got stronger too, making Pippy uneasy; she didn't have a suffocating sensation like she has an ill omen on getting stalked by something big yet those nerves were so sharp from this air it made her skin and coat tingle. Pippy took another deep breath and soon set her jaw and traverse onwards to this new room which made feel powerful and scared all at once.

No turning back, in fact, she should go back find something in here like a bibelot to take home to her den to make it more beautiful to live in for her! Yeah, let's do it!

@Vincenzo

VINNIE THE VOICE
He was looking for food, and spotted a tiny wriggling brown thing waddling along the floor. He wasn't prone to eating bats, but he wasn't picky, either--being a seagull and all.

With a strutting stride he paced over to it, webbed feet slapping the stone, and then he walked around it, inspecting it curiously. It was fuzzy, it was brown--like most of the bats he'd seen. But whereas other bats were like... birds, but furry, this one was tiny. Like, real tiny.

"You can't talk, can ya?" he asked tentatively. It was better to be safe than sorry, though truth be told he wasn't quite sure he wanted to eat this thing at all. It seemed--pathetic? Tiny and wretched. Like, barely bigger than his foot! ...Possibly even smaller!

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@Pippy

Pippy didn't get too far in when ploughing onwards into this new place which was crackling with seams of precious minerals like bright crystals buried in both floor and walls. Now Pippy's instincts were flaring even more, and this time it's usual suffocating warning on how she isn't alone was rising and with how much stronger everything is Pippy's jumpiness and fear went up to an eleven. The tiny bat tried to move forward, which was a struggle as it was like gravity was slowing her movements or like Pippy was in a type of nightmare where running was a challenge. But she moved on, trying her best to believe it's only this place's air making her like this and there's nothing here and after all; no turning back.

Now though a shadow rose around her, looming which was discomforting enough if it wasn't for how she barely avoided bumping into large webbed feet which were in front of Pippy now. Reluctantly she reared her body up and tilted her head up to spare a glance on who and what is out of nowhere in front of her, and Pippy's eyes were filled with dread on what filled her eyes first; a beak and wings! With a loud, fearful yelp with her little voice, it could startle someone from how loud she got. Pippy in an instant flopped her tiny body to the ground, refusing to make eye contact and to be confident she doesn't she did her old covering her eyes with her wings like they are some safety blanket and trembling.

Oh no oh no oh no... Pippy's last experience with something with a pointed beak like this one was when she was living in Cetus and got attacked by some glowing-green-thing to which she barely escaped with her life. Sure this one here isn't green or glowing, but it does have a beak which was enough to make her quail pitifully before them.

O-Oh-! It can talk? Is it a Greater? M-Maybe she can make them not harm her if she answers their question and show she is also a Greater!

"N-No I-I can talk... P-Please don't hurt me..." Pippy was proving how pathetic she appeared with this begging; she managed to raise her voice a little though to be sure their ears caught her words so they learn Pippy can in-fact talk. With how they have a beak which brings back bad memories and this room accelerating everything she felt right now appears to have made her fear reach a whole new level. She was basically like how she acted when she was young even if Pippy even now as a fully grown Gembound still possesses a child-like innocent personality.

@Vincenzo

VINNIE THE VOICE
Pity tugged at him at once, and he hastened to reassure the tiny bat.

"Right! Right, sorry, no, little--ehh, fella? I won't hurt ya. I mean, I'm lookin' for food but not the talky kind, ya know? Wouldn't be right. Wouldn't be right," he repeated for emphasis, bobbing his head up and down in a thoughtful nod.

"Sorry I scared you, kid." Of course, with Pippy's side, Vinnie just... assumed that Pippy was barely more than a baby. "I'm Vinnie. No need to fear, yeah? What's your name?"

He wasn't sure what else to say or offer, except to take a few steps back, webbed feet hastily slapping the rock as he gave the bat some more space.

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@Pippy

When Pippy got assured how they won't bring her any harm Pippy moved her wings away from her face, her fear surprisingly quelling now although with everything more sensitive here it was faintly there, but it wasn't suffocating her into possibly going into a panic or anything. Her mood perked up quickly it seems.

"Y-You're not? T-Thank you then! Y-Yeah it wouldn't be right..." she had to agree there; still, this tiny bat appears a lot more comfortable now despite their beak as she shifted herself to sit up and moved back a little so she could make eye contact.

"Oh! It's OK no worries!" she waves her wings a bit defensively to assure them she is OK. Pippy didn't correct them on not being a kid, although it is more in a sense how Pippy herself doesn't realise she is already a fully grown adult Gembound, she is in some aspects a bit unaware on what makes a Gembound physically an adult Gembound.

"H-Hi then Vinnie. I'm Pippy! And OK... I'll try," she'll try not to let any fear get her although even though she is comfortable so far around Vinnie here, the tiny bat can't say for sure about later times still she'll try not to let her nervous tendencies around a large Gembound whose also new to Pippy be allowed to cloud her judgement too much. Pippy gave Vinnie a fond smile as them backing away to let her have some space was not left unacknowledged by Pippy, and she silently showed her appreciation. Despite her improvements, it was odd how quick she came to trust Vinnie here with them possessing physical attributes besides size which can provoke fear in Pippy. Perhaps this was also an effect this room's air has on her and so any jumpiness may be as crushing on Pippy as it was a second ago, but right now she seems willing to trust Vinnie; they do seem nice after all!

@Vincenzo

VINNIE THE VOICE

He was still hungry, and fairly tempted to just wander off to the river in search of food, but he paused long enough to eye Pippy curiously. The tiny thing was a bat, he could see that much, but...

"...Word of advice, Pippy. Nice to meet ya, by the way. But if you got wings--don't crawl around on the ground, yeah? You're exposed, somethin's gonna snap you right up and eat ya. You do fly, right?" he added, cocking his head to doubtfully look over her wings with one pale yellow eye.

Maybe she was too small? Maybe whatever she was, whatever kind of bat, couldn't fly after all?

Whatever the case, he still needed to eat. "Well, now we know you ain't edible," he added in a humorous tone, "I'm gonna head down to the river and look for some fish. You can come with if you want."

He started waddling off that way, strutting with slappy webbed feet over Polaris' rock toward the river--entirely ignoring his own advice about not walking, when you could fly.

It seemed rude to just... fly away, after all.

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@Pippy

Pippy tilted her head to the side a little to study Vinnie, puzzled to why they were examining her; is something on their mind perhaps? She was curious as to what ti could be.

"Huh, advice?" OK, now she was curious what could this advice be? She did give them a small wave with her wing and a smile when they told her it was nice to meet her. Oh. Ohhhhhh... Pippy got hot around her face from embarrassment when this advice on not to crawl around the ground and fly instead, they did have some fair points for one she actually wouldn't have needed to rely on luck for her life to be saved when the glowing-flying-thing attacked her if she could've flown herself. But as embarrassing as it is to her; even to this day she still can't well if at all, and it was embarrassing for Pippy.

"T-Tooo bee honesttt Vinnie, I-I'm not a good flyer," Pippy drawled out her words she to some extent does not want to admit she can't fly. "My uh, heh... The last attempt at flying w-wasn't v-very g-good..." if her fur had been capable of changing colours then her coat around her face would've been beat-red at this point.

"Actualllyyy, it was terrible; like failing miserably by falling somewhere high and painfully splat landing on Orion's ground kinda terribblleee..." she had her humorous tone when she added this possibly with some wit too surprisingly, it was in some attempt to hide her embarrassment regarding it.

"H-Heh no definitely not, not at all..." it was a little funny from their humorous tone but even an idea how she could be to any Gembound sounded so gross to Pippy.

"O-Oh! Sure OK then Vinnie!" Pippy herself did not take his advice quite yet and followed them by crawling, be a bit hard to listen to their suggestion right now considering how much she sucks at flying right now.


@Vincenzo

VINNIE THE VOICE

Vinnie chortled and bobbed his head up and down a bit in amusement as he strutted onward. There wasn't much he could do to help, he figured; he could talk to her a bit about flying, maybe, but her wing structure looked-... Well.

He glanced down and back, eyeing her finger-bones as he walked.

"Well, that's how we all start out, but you gotta stick with it. You could try it over water, if you can fly. If you can't--well, don't." He gave another short laugh, and then continued. "Your wings look all different from mine, Pippy, but maybe the ahh--fundamentals are the same? Like--you know how to use air to fly?"

He reached the steep bank of the river, and started to stride up and down, peering down with sharp darts of his head as he watched for fish.

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@Pippy

Oh, gee are they laughing? Why are they laughing? It made her a bit more embarrassed, but she supposes it would be something to chuckle about; a flying Gembound like her even now cannot fly, so as embarrassing as it is she doesn't blame them if they were laughing how she couldn't do it well. Still, she was more embarrassed, not precisely upset so she doesn't let it bother too much and continues to follow Vinnie picking her pace to ensure she doesn't lose them.

When she detected how they were studying her teensy flight limbs, she spreads them out a little more to let them have a better examination of them. Maybe it may help them get an idea what's wrong?

"Heh well if you so Vinnie... Still, water might be a good start yeah but noted Vinnie," she gave her small laugh, but she believes she's a type of bat who can be capable of flying; what other purposes would these wings be? "Oh, I-I guess they do look different. But I suppose they are the same. It's just well weird when I tried to fly at Orion I had my wings spread out and all, and I let the air carry me and hoped it'll make me fly, yet I fell like a stone in water still. I wonder what I am missing... Ahhh it's confusing I've seen another bat fly, and they flew like that," she was sure it was how Zeno flew; her attempt didn't appear at all different from their flying.

Following Vinnie, to this bank, she remained still and silent as to not to disturb Vinnie they seem to be concentrating hard.


@Vincenzo

VINNIE THE VOICE
Vinnie glanced back in some surprise.

"Ahh, kiddo, there's a little more to it than that, right? You gotta flap!" He spread long wings abruptly, beating them powerfully with a feathery thump, then folded them back against his back. As he rearranged them back into place, he spoke further.

"You gotta kinda tilt 'em up a little. Or down if you wanna go down, or back if you wanna slow up, right? Lean left or right if you wanna turn. And the air--the air's a big deal, listen up."

The gull shuffled to face the bat, wondering again if maybe wing structure might affect her flight differently from his own--but he pushed on nonetheless.

"Warm air, right, it lifts you. Carries you up, a little, so sometimes you don't even gotta flap! But cold air--well, you'll drop like a rock. A rock! It might be good to practice in warm air but then you gotta be careful you don't get too high to handle it, you know? You don't wanna wind up three hundred feet in the air just to fall out!"

He laughed again, briefly, but it was a real danger, so... he didn't laugh for too long.

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@Pippy