ORIGIN

Envy's spines prickled as they pattered back towards their old home- out of no other purpose than boredom. It had been cycles since they'd been this way; usually nowadays they slept on the throne, and caring for Charity left them little time to leave. But they had... possessions in their old home. Jewels and crystals that they feared might have been stolen in their long absence, and glowing pebbles given as gifts in their distant childhood.

So, as they continued to wait for Pride to return with their daughter, Envy decided to clear out their old nest. They hesitated a few times as they approached, thoughts of it's far more secure here than the Throne and Pride and Charity will be back before I'm done making them want to turn back.

But somewhere in the niggling thoughts, they found themselves also thinking of Lust. She lived here too, just above their den. Or, she had, before. The two hadn't seen each other in... well... cycles. Their last meeting had ended badly, and thinking of her made the weasel feel... unmistakably nervous, for some reason. Discomfort curled in their gut as they drew near, but they reminded themselves that when it came down to it, she was still theirs.

If they were quick, maybe they could pop in and out without her ever knowing that they'd been.

The weasel approached, but even as they did so, they felt their stomach dropped. Pattering footsteps carried them closer, as if to make out their shape, and then... they stopped. About a metre away from home, they froze, unable to go any closer. But there was no way that she hadn't noticed them. Still, Envy supposed it was for the best. They'd long put off tending to her, ensuring that she stayed a part of their kingdom. A possession.

"...Lust...?" they called, hesitation in their tone. They stayed where they were, nervous to come any closer. "...Looking for me?"

Speech. Thought.

Envy nodded. They opened their jaws to speak, and then paused, finding that the words quite suddenly deserted them. Their heart hammered, and spines quivered in frustration... even if they had no idea why. Disgruntled, they settled down and hoisted themselves onto their hind legs to look taller before the elegant pigeon.

Part of them wanted to ask how she'd been. Yet another part wanted to accusingly, mockingly ask if she was going to slap them again. But... somehow neither felt right, and instead the weasel settled instead into an uncomfortable silence.

Their tail twitched with anxiety, quills shivering softly against one another.

"...Yeah. I suppose it has," they finally said. They grappled against the silence before trying to force a grin that fell flat. "Did you.... miss me?"


Speech. Thought.

As Lust hopped forward in an unabashed display of glee, Envy stayed where they were, and simply let her come. Their quills perked up to alertness and continued to tremble, and they raised their head. Her display of affection was something that they had little idea of how to respond to and they found themselves frozen to the spot. "Good," they said, as she declared that she'd missed them. However, as she continued, they felt themselves struggling for an answer. Had they missed her?

...Well, they hated to admit it, but maybe they had. But at the same time, they'd also been avoiding her. The blow she'd dealt them last time had made it easy to reason with themselves why. "Of course," they finally said awkwardly. If that was what they had to do to keep their kingdom in one piece, then it was what they would do.

As she continued, though, they found themselves puffing up slightly, because they had indeed had an important task. "Yes, yes! I have. The most important task I've ever undertaken... aside from being King," they boasted, chest swelling. "...So I can't stay long. You see, Lust, I have been raising an Heir. A prince! It has been difficult, but it's nothing that your king can't handle!"


Speech. Thought.

Envy nodded vigorously as Lust echoed their words, seemingly oblivious to the note of sheer shock on her tone. "Yes! An heir!" they answered, the end of their tail twitching. If only they had Charity here to show Lust just how beautiful their spawn- so like them, only not. "Her name is Charity. Prince Charity."

Their chest swelled with pride, and they almost didn't catch the sheer bewilderment and accusation in Lust's tone. But their quills twitched slightly; because they'd sensed that at least something was off. They tilted their head, ears twitching. "It was with Pride," they said, matter-of-factly, and they couldn't help a little bit of fondness sneaking in. Although the formation of Charity hadn't really been out of love, as Lust seemed to think. Charity's stone had been simply, an act of charity. "He brought me a piece of his stone as a gift, an expression of his continued loyalty towards me."

The tip of Envy's tail curled.

Speech. Thought.

Envy could be thick skulled, usually through wilful ignorance, when it came to picking up subtlety in body language and dropped hints. But at this moment in time even they knew that something was off. The venom dripping from Lust's words caused them to immediately tense and slightly narrow their eyes, looking at her with a mixture of disbelief and trepidation.

"Yes, yes," they said, with deliberate certainty. "She really is the perfect prince. You should come and meet her sometime. I'm sure you'd love her."

They cleared their throat, quills rustling softly as they changed stance. They blinked, and a slow smile crawld over their face that gave the barest hint to the bitter tremors beginning to creep up through their stomach and make a lump in their throat. "Yes... Pride has always been a devoted and loyal member of my kingdom. He's never stepped out of line, always goes out of his way to aid me and... would never even think of harming his King. Which is the most important thing, of course. Wouldn't you agree, Lust?" they added scathingly, a fleeting thrill of smug satisfaction slithering its way through their heart.

They felt their heart rate picking up, and their tail tapped against the stone beneath them. It was all they could do not to get up and try to shake it off, and instead stayed firmly rooted where they stood. They tried to keep their expression even, but their eyes clearly read; your move, Lust.

Speech. Thought.