ORIGIN

Oliver smiled at the idea of Elspet meeting him. And as for the Kingdom, well--"Oh, no, nothing like that. Honestly I'm not sure why he named it that--maybe 'cause of the flowers? Like, a flower... realm? Kingdom. Thing. But no he won't even make decisions without everyone giving an opinion first. He's not really a boss or a King at all. He was rude when I first met him but it was 'cause he thought I was messing up the plants," Oliver went on happily, "and then he apologized and was really nice, after."

When Ayr began to name the flowers, he scooted over at once, peering at them eagerly. He was fascinated at the sudden idea that they might be individuals, and the names themselves were beautiful. "Elowhat?" he asked after a beat, peering up at Ayr expectantly, for the third flower's full name. It was important, obviously.

"And sometimes, yeah. I know some names. Not a lot? Maybe we could name them but I don't know all their uses or anything."

He then listened solemnly to Ayr's list of magical abilities. He thought about this all, for a moment. "I mean, that all sounds really good? I wish we had magic to just. Heal people when they're hurt but I don't think we do. Though I guess if they get hurt enough they just get healed by their stone," he added--and for a moment, blanched. Unless they're hurt too bad, like-- He pushed the memory of Elderberry roughly away, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment and taking a breath before going on. "I know a magic that'll make someone a little stronger when they're sick. And make the bad stuff go away--maybe the same thing? And the roots and the water, too. It's good to have something to make water pure too. A lot of times, someone who's sick or hurt needs loads of water, but sometimes the water's no good--like, it's metallic, or has bad stuff in it, or went black. So it's good to clear it out first. And--um, you seem to have a lot of light but. I have magic to make lights? It makes it easier to work with injuries and stuff," he went on. He seemed more sure of himself, now--less shy and a little more confident. Clearly, this was Oliver's subject of practice.

"It's also good to be able to sense, the like-... activity in their body? You can almost see if they're sick. And it's good to be able to grow them food," he added, glancing down and unfurling one taloned hand to reveal a sudden, surprise banana. This he offered--sweet-smelling--to Ayr. "It's good to eat, and good for you, too. You just have to take the peel off, first. But if you can grow fruits off trees, that works too."

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

Ayr considered this for a moment as she resumed settling herself on the cave floor, getting comfortable and coiling her tail around her legs. "I suppose 'Flower Realm of Eridanus' doesn't quite roll off the tongue," she said, half to herself. There was a brief, thoughtful pause before she asked, "how were you messing up plants?"

Her pale eyes moved back towards the trio of flowers again, tilting her head thoughtfully. "Elowyn," she replied. Then, humorously, "but I think I may prefer Elowhat for it. It is certainly a unique name." For a moment, Ayr just watched the tall, dimly-glowing flowerheads for a moment before she turned her head back to briefly nuzzle the sproutlings by her hooves again.

The cluster grew and spiralled into another trio of arching plants, their pale, white heads glowing a little more strongly, bold against the colourful hues of Polaris. Ayr nodded between them and Oliver for a moment. "You can name these ones, if you'd like-- the individuals, of course, but the plants themselves could also do with a name."

After this, however, she was quiet-- letting Oliver speak uninterrupted. The hybrid seemed more sure and confident, and this much made Ayr happy for him. "It might be," she agreed quietly, at the mention of them perhaps having the same spell. "And most of the water-- I believe --is quite clean in Eridanus, except for the Eyes. But, ahh, I'm unsure if anyone should go near them, never mind drink from them."

Although Ayr resumed listening, she was increasingly becoming skeeved out by the mere thought of the Eyes-- how she didn't know what they were, or why they were there. That they just felt... wrong. Ayr forced back a shudder and, suddenly, there was a banana in her face.

"Oh, ahh, thank you," she said politely, though a bit quizzically. She reached forward to take it in her mouth and set it down in front of her, inspecting it with large, confused eyes. The peel? She sniffed it, and then bit the skin. It was tangy and unpleasant, and she struggled to peel it back. "I usually find them on trees," she said, before dipping down to bite again. "But I haven't seen a fruit like this before."

Oliver stared down at the flower, almost longingly. Elowyn. It had such a beautiful flow to it, and for a moment he didn't speak, just savored the unearthly wonder of this new word.

At last he shook himself from his little reverie, and looked up, again, at Ayr. "Oh, it was after the big fire--the second one, I mean. I'd realized then that we kinda need another cave with lots of plants in case we lose one. And Canis is dead, so I was picking plants--roots and all, of course--to take back with me. To transplant, you know? Start a new forest, maybe--it's biggish, now. But Rift saw me pulling up plants and thought I was damaging them, so he got really mad." Oliver didn't mention that no amount of explanation had actually been enough to calm the great cat--only when the hybrid had called him "mean" had Rift been shocked into apology. Well, he'd been mean! ...But he was nice, now, so that was fine.

"If you're always healing in Eridanus then I guess you don't need to clean water. I mean, even here--" and Oliver nodded toward Polaris' river--
"is clean. But the swamps--uh, Cetus?--and Canis too. The water in Canis is really stagnant and gross. I wouldn't want to drink it, let alone wash wounds in it. I think Pisces' water's clean? There's an ice phoenix in it--Tenzin, he's really nice!--but I think he keeps it clean. I hope he doesn't pee in it," Oliver added abruptly, expression taking on a worried cast.

He shrugged, and looked back down, placing claw-hands over yet another stone.

"You're really nice, by the way. So--um--thank you. For that. Not everyone is, but it's always nice to meet nice people. Nassir--if you meet him--he's a black leopard and really nice, too." The hybrid realized he'd been perhaps overusing the word "nice," and quickly changed the subject. "Can I ask why you decided you wanna help plants and heal others, too? My dad told me I was supposed to be a 'guardian' but I don't like fighting--I guess this is another way to do it? Are you a guardian?" he asked, glancing back up at her past his work.

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

There came a muffled crack and a snap from the skin of the banana as Ayr broke it and began pulling it back to reveal the pale flesh, ears lifting with interest. It smelled sweeter when it was opened, yes, and she leant down to take a bite. It was mild, but sweet, and soft. Ayr nodded, more to herself, and listened to Oliver speak.

She hummed, with some surprise. Immediately, she wondered if Rift would have had the same reaction if he'd caught Ayr eating fruit, or grass, or bringing plants back to her den for eating, but she didn't bring that much up. Instead, "I see," she said. "If you would like some help growing things in Canis, let me know, yes? I'm trying to see a little more of the caves, after all."

The unicorn bent her head down again, taking another few very slow bites-- "this is good" --from the banana and swallowing carefully. She looked to the river, and then to Oliver again. Tenzin was a fairly familiar name to her, at least-- she'd heard it before but she hadn't met the phoenix herself. Regardless, she let out quiet, tinkling laughter, like windchimes clinking in a soft breeze.

"He might," she said, amusedly. "But fish also live in those clean streams-- in Polaris, and in Eridanus. Fish pee in it." Why Ayr had to explain to Oliver that fish pee in water, Ayr did not know. But Elspet would likely get a laugh out of it, at the very least.

"Ahh, I know," Ayr said in response to 'not everyone is nice,' tilting her head back to swallow the last of the banana. She heard the fighting, after all, and the cries of pain and-- well, death. "Nice people do not often fight and destroy things senselessly."

She considered Oliver's next words for a few long moments, however-- tilting her head back to stare at the ceiling, and then back towards the hybrid. Was she a guardian? Perhaps of sorts, but she would attribute that sort of thing to Elspet rather than herself.

So, Ayr offered a gentle shrug. "I like plants," she began flutily. "They are my friends-- they don't speak, of course, but I speak to them and I think that makes them as happy as a plant can be. I water them, and take care of them, the same way I would take care of my speaking-friends, but I do not think anyone should particularly be valued over another."

"We all deserve a chance at being happier, and healthy. If I find dead plants, or plants who are underwatered, I try to revive them, or help them grow, so they can be happy. I don't know many other gembounds, but I think they deserve that same treatment." There was a brief pause. "Ahh-- perhaps not the exact same treatment. I can't imagine people would be very happy with me if I splashed water in their faces, but the sentiment remains, yes?"

Oliver let out a soft laugh, the idea of sprinkling water carefully in another Gembound's face certainly amusing.

"No, not--quite like that," he agreed.

He then paused.

Logically, he... knew that fish had to pee, right? He'd known that, in the sort of automatic way one does. ...Did fish pee? But he'd never really considered what that meant. He squinted. "So every time I drink water I'm-... fish pee..." Abruptly, all the feathers and fur along his ruff, neck and spine puffed out a little, and he sat there with a rather disgusted expression of mildly-horrified realization. "...Gross," was his magnificent conclusion.

"I'm gonna have to purify all the water I ever drink, now. ...Are you sure fish pee?" he added, a little hopelessly, to Ayr.

Then he shrugged a little. "And you're always welcome to come to Canis. It's--worth seeing, if nothing else, and I really love my garden. I bet you could help a lot," he added, looking Ayr over. To him, he imagined that she was probably a thousand times better at growing things, and mending them. "Maybe you could grow some of those!" and he looked excitedly to the beautiful, glowing white flowers. "Maybe after these olympics are done? I could show you the way from Eridanus, or you can just meet me in Canis, if you want?" He sounded childishly hopeful, his blue eyes wide--and his tail-feathers wagging slightly from side to side.

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

Ayr stared, her pale head slowly tilting. Moonlit eyes flicked between Oliver and the crystal river, and then back to the hybrid again. Fish pee. Great olympic set up conversation, indeed. The unicorn turned her head down the track before pushing herself up again, hooves clicking musically against the cave floor.

"Not every time," she assured flutingly. "Not every body of water contains fish-- sometimes I've found puddles of clean water, not dirty, and not containing fish, but..." Ayr glanced back to Oliver as she came to a halt a little ways down the track, choosing her words carefully. "... yes, I'm quite sure that fish are capable of peeing."

... They had to, right? The unicorn's whip-like tail lashed, briefly. They were living things, of course, and most living things peed. Though-... trees didn't. She thinks. Do trees pee?

No, no, no. That's a hole Ayr doesn't want to go down right now.

She tilted her head down, repeating the process of growing newborn plants into Polaris. "Oh, yes--" she replied, her attention divided between Oliver and her magicka. "After the Olympics are done-- I'll get some seeds from my den in Eridanus and grow some in your garden? I'm unsure of the way there, so you may have to lead me to it."

Ahh. Talking too much. She tried to channel into the ground, but felt the magic quickly fizzle out, leaving her with a harder headache. She shook her head gently, looking back towards Oliver as she took a moment to recover.

"Perhaps while we're in Eridanus-- after the olympics, of course --you could introduce me to Rift? And I'll introduce you to Elspet, if she is there."

Oliver dipped his head, smiling softly.

"Maybe they do then! And please. Find me in Eridanus, just--yell for me or something. And we can talk to Rift and I'd love to meet Elspet. And then we can go to Canis!"

Rather than shy, Oliver now seemed happy and outgoing, content. Ayr's attention had made him forget his fears--if only for a little while--and her beauty and kindness had him quite clearly cheered.

"t's--been very nice to meet you, but don't let me keep you from the others. I'm gonna keep working here for awhile and then I'll hang around in case they need a medic during the competition. But thank you for coming over to talk to me. I mean--you can stay if you want. But if you wanna go back!"

His feathered tail wagged briefly, friendly, and he turned and focused for a moment. Then he held out his clawed 'hand,' another banana in his palm.

"To take with you. For later, or--whenever," he explained, his expression both grateful and kindly.
{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

Yelling? Yelling didn't seem like a thing Ayr would do, but she nodded her agreement regardless. "Oh, of course-- I'll bring Elspet along when I find you if I can," she said, then added-- "and then we can go to Canis."

Oliver was damn near a different gembound. Ayr thought it strange that he was distant and perhaps vaguely upset just a few moments ago, but she was fairly happy to see him happy. She flicked her tail contently, leaning her head down back to the ground.

Though, again, nothing happened. Ayr tried not to let it bother her-- perhaps there was nothing under the ground here? She remained with her nose to the cave floor, sniffing carefully. Perhaps she'd also grown everything that was waiting under there, too?

"It's been nice to meet you, too-- ahh, I'm judging one of them myself. The obstacle course, I think, but if you need help with healing in any other competition do not be afraid to let me know?" The unicorn offered, pale eyes flicking briefly towards Oliver, away from her work. She was about to offer to remain and help him continue marking out the course, but her eyes caught sight of another banana.

Perhaps he'd rather be alone, Ayr decided with an inward nod, more to herself. She craned her neck forward and took the banana, gratefully. "Of course--" she said, speaking through banana. "Good luck-- and truly, don't be afraid to call for me if you need help?"

With this-- and the banana --Ayr bowed her head and backed off, moving back to the field of winding flowers she'd grown at the end of the track.