ORIGIN

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Rumours have been flying (perhaps cultivated) that a great king in Orion is about to throw a party, with food, drink, and an atmosphere fit for a king! But they may need some help setting up!

Although this is a Sinful Seven party, anyone interested in joining the group is welcome to have heard the rumours and bring their own personal flair. What will you do? Bring party favours, food, drinks...? Have you come only to overindulge? Or will you simply come to try and win the favour of the king?

Note: Characters are free to come and go in a single post just to show what they've brought or to stick around for a chat. Members of the Sinful Seven are also encouraged to invite friends and family!

Envy's body was twitching with fire as they bounded back towards the throne room, boucing up thestairway and rapidly scaling the throne with sticky paws pulling them up onto their perch. Their heart was pounding in their ears at a low hum. They sat up, gazing out at their kingdom, as they waited for someone to appear. They'd spoken to their kingdom, they'd taken their words to heart. And then, King Envy had decided that the Sinful Seven would be boring no longer!

Gluttony had suggested a get-together, with food and drink. Wrath had wanted to meet the others. Envy themselves wanted to expand their reign and make their kingdom bigger. Although Envy didn't much like like the prospect of watching people eat, they had to admit that he posed a good point. Perhaps food would draw creatures into their kingdom. And not only food, but a grand welcome. A show of how safe it was here, how hospitable, and most importantly, how great their king! It was perfect! The Sinful Seven would be growing in no time.

The weasel had just returned from another round of speaking to their kingdom- running Orion's streets high and low to find them. They told their kingdom to bring things with them- things other Gembounds would like. Maybe they'd bring food, friends, and shiny things- maybe they'd just come with magic to help Envy prepare! (But Envy secretly hoped for shiny things.)

Most importantly, Envy wanted the Seven to spread the word, to tell other Gembounds that they loved and trusted, to bring others. Envy couldn't wait to see how big their kingdom would become!

Speech. Thought.

@Wrath @Greed @Sirius @Pride @Lust @Gluttony @Reign @Amazon

@Zeke @Screech

Pride was... displeased. To say the least.

He had known, and warned, that Orion should be trapped in ways that the Seven could trigger in case of an attack. He had known, too, that a party would undoubtedly draw attention--which was, of course, Envy's intent. But his multiple warnings of the ridiculously-named Bloodberries had been turned aside, or outright ignored, or simply put off, repeatedly.

Now he stood, stiff and aggravated, beside the Throne, a tension clear in his stoic frame as pale grey eyes scanned the shadowed perimeter at the limits of his vision.

He started as a shape bolted in, only to recognize it as the green blur he called King Envy. His expression did not soften in the slightest, and he did not bow, nor address the King as his King, as they raced in. He'd already made his thoughts clear, and just stood there, unease in his heart.

Not enough of them had been trained for combat. There were no safeguards in place. Envy wanted to show that Orion was a safe haven--but it wasn't.

Orion was a death trap, the way this foolish "King" was running it. Pride was beginning to suspect that all they cared about was attention and validation, and that even the lying, power-hungry Reseda may have been a better choice as King.

None of this did he say aloud; instead he simply shifted his gaze back to the shadows, his head held high and his face tight with displeasure.

From the day we arrive on this planetAnd blinking, step into the sun

Reign had been hunting.

He held the corpse of a Tunnel Runner in his jaws, dragging it as he walked. It was bigger than him, and had taken him some time to bring down, but he was proud of it.

He didn't know what the others would bring, but surely this would feed a few of them? The king cheetah could always go and get more. Probably not a Tunnel Runner, of course, but other Lessers to feed the rest of the Kingdom.

Although he had no idea what to do with it. So he stopped, and looked around, before spotting the large, white form that he recognized as Pride. Straining, he dragged the Tunnel Runner up to him, and set it down carefully, asking him, "Where would you like me to put this?"

He was rather surprised to find that he no longer had to strain his neck so hard to meet the deer's gaze, having begun to grow into himself. He wasn't stubbly and round any more, instead beginning to grow into proportions not unlike Pride's. As he looked at the deer, inclining his head slightly, Orion's gleaming gemstones cast light upon his own crown.

@Pride

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

There's more to see than can ever be seenMore to do than can ever be done

Although their tail still twitched with excitement against the throne and their quills trembled softly, it was impossible for anyone- even Envy- not to notice Pride's sour mood. The weasel glanced at him, fidgeting, their grin fading for a moment as they thought, a jolt of fear shooting through them. Had they done wrong to follow Gluttony's advice? But Pride's advice had been to listen to their kingdom, and Envy had done that. Not only that, they were preparing something that could expand the Seven. The weasel knew that it would be better in the long run!

They tried to catch the deer's gaze, but failed.

Finally, King Envy looked out over the throne room, their excitement numbed and a bitter weight in their belly. As Reign dragged in the carcass of a cave deer, Envy's jaw dropped in a barely-concealed look of horror, which was quickly stifled. It seemed they'd forgotten that 'eating' didn't always involve just fruit and grass. "Put it over there! As far as you can from the fruit." The king said, looking at Pride with ears lowered for some kind of affirmation. The weasel fell into silence, thinking as they once again ran their claws through their chest fur. They could feel Pride's presence by the throne, and his mood hung over them like a shadow. The Seven couldn't party like this! Or, at the very least, Envy couldn't. He might scare away the newcomers!

"Pride... Would you like to go and... secure the area...? Block off other entrances with... rocks, or crystal spikes. There only needs to be one way in and out, or two. Maybe one could be secret. We can pick who gets in and goes and put up... sentries." Strategy was not Envy's strong point. And ideally, they wanted everyone at the party. But Pride had wanted to put up traps, or something. Maybe that's what he was angry about. So the weasel let themselves look hopeful as they looked at their advisor, spines perking slightly. "I just got back. There's lots of time to prepare."

Speech. Thought.

@Reign @Pride

Pride was hardly hearing anything going on around him until Envy addressed him, Reign's question included. His gaze snapped to the weasel at the question, and though it didn't show on his face, there was some surprise there.

He'd been so determinedly set in his righteous anger and his sullen stubbornness that he really had no idea, at first, how to react to this sudden... softening in Envy's clearly anti-security stance. He stood for a moment, hesitating briefly as he stared.

Well, he couldn't be angry now.

"I will do so, my King," he answered at last, and though his voice was tight, it held none of the aggression that his stomping stance had done. He seemed calmer already. "At once."

Without hesitation he moved off at a swift and flowing trot, his legs barely seeming to touch the ground as his pale body floated off toward the nearest tunnel. He wasn't sure who the hell could play sentry, but it didn't matter; his relief at blocking off the tunnels was near-palpable.

He went, of course, first to tunnel N--the den of the idiotically-named Bloodberries. (He would never think of their group name without some insult at the forefront; really, it was ridiculous!) He stayed somewhat out of sight to one side, and quite far back, as he focused--but for now, at least, nothing happened.

Oh, well; if Envy was to be believed, they had time, yet. All-business, the white stag gathered himself and prepared for another go.

@Reign

From the day we arrive on this planetAnd blinking, step into the sun

Reign raised his head, ears twitching, as he heard their King's voice. He inclined his head, before taking a careful grip on the cave deer's nape, straining at its weight. He dug in his paws, the carcass leaving a bloody streak as he hauled it to where the King had gestured to.

Setting the carcass down, Reign took a moment to bathe himself. His paws were licked clean of all blood, and were then used to wipe his muzzle. Before long, he was immaculately clean.

He made his way to their King's throne, looking up at the weasel. "King Envy, is there anything you'd like me to do?"

@Envy

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

There's more to see than can ever be seenMore to do than can ever be done

What was this?

The horse raised her head, ears pointing towards the three Gembounds. Orion was pretty, she had to admit, but she had never seen anything like this before. There was a green... thing, on top of the throne, with a yellow predator near it. That scared her, but it was far enough away that she felt she could run.

Looking around, she saw a white deer, a creature she knew to be an herbivore. So she trotted up to him, inclining her head in greeting. "Hello," she said, "What's going on?"

@Pride

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

Pride was still standing near the entrance of tunnel N, well out of sight of the Throne. So when a voice suddenly asked him what things were, he startled a little, turning to stare. He had been so focused on something potentially coming from the tunnel that he had failed to consider someone coming from the other side.

For a moment he simply observed Llamrei, calming himself and taking her in--large, black... likely herbivore. Then he turned back to his task, for a beat, using his sudden (if faint) surge of adrenaline to call on the stone again. Again, nothing came, and with an irritable snort he looked back toward the horse.

"What do you mean, exactly..? I am currently trying--and failing, I might add--to block off this tunnel. My--organization, has decided on a celebration--of what, I do not know, I'm sure," he added acidly. Granted, it was more of a meet-and-greet-and-socialize, but Pride was too annoyed to acknowledge this. "If you wish to see or speak with them, they are up near that vast stone structure that looks something like a throne. I will be here trying to see to our defense. Do not use this tunnel," he added in a tone of warning. "I presume by the fact that you are speaking with me and not attacking me that you are not one of the violent imbeciles tacking -berry at the end of their names, and so if you head in there, they may decide to mob and kill you."

He wanted this warning out there.

WHY have we not killed them yet?

@Llamrei

Envy relaxed slightly, visibly, as Pride answered his request and trotted off out of sight. The weasel watched until he was out of view, then relaxed, like a wire-held ribbon suddenly losing its stiffness. Hopefully, the stag would be able to encase the throne in a way that could let friends in and feel safe, and keep the worst out. Obviously, there were still the guards to attend to- and the weasel finally found themselves wondering whether Reseda would come soon- she could make a good guard. After all, if Envy was an interloper, they wouldn't want to end up grappling with her. And Gluttony, for that matter- the party had been his idea, after all.

They breathed out, then glanced upwards again and finally appeared to take note of Reign's question. "Wha-? Actually, there are a couple of things. If you know of anyone else who would like to join us, now would be the time to bring them here... And, uh, if you see any of the Seven along the way, would you mind reminding them?"

The weasel's tail curled, quills trembling with impatience. They hoped that their kingdom would assemble soon.

Speech. Thought.

@Reign

It was a miracle that Wrath had been able to find her way back here. Her head was swimming, and her sense of smell was so tainted with blood that she had had to rely purely on the feeling of the ground beneath her belly and occasional bursts of her magic to attempt to check if she was going the right direction.

It hurt her to move. The adrenaline from her battle had worn off long before she had gotten here; and pain pulsed along her sides. It hurt her to move--but still, she kept going. If she passed out in the room of grass and prey, she would be left vulnerable to anything that happened to come across her.

She was in Orion now, she thought. The sound of other Gembounds filled her ears, and as the bloodscent upon her began to fade, she thought, maybe, just maybe, she could make out the distant smell of toxins beneath the haze of iron. Wrath reached for her magic to check, her movement slowing. There was no response--not even the faintest wisp of a heartbeat--but she was too tired to care. Wrath managed a sort of half-hearted coiling motion, before her pain caught up to her and she stilled. She was out of the grassy room, anyways. Her enemy could not reach her here.

@Envy

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Livius

Pride

Reign

Livius

Pride

Reign

Llamrei

Pride

Livius

Wrath