ORIGIN

Envy's head jerked upright. They had been on the throne, and asleep. A cycle had passed since sustaining their wounds, and the long hours of magic use, whilst exhausting, had begun to pay off. The scars were fading, hidden away under a fresh layer of forest-green fur. New quills had begun to emerge to replace the broken ones, and though they still looked frequently bedraggled, skinny and tired it was plain to see that they were getting there.

Charity had taken the opportunity to sneak away somewhere else; they hardly had the time to look out for her any more, as much as it set their quills on edge not seeing her there by the throne.

The weasel looked up and glanced around, soon finding the source of the familiar voice. "Pride...? Pride!" they spoke groggily, struggling to straighten themselves up and look noble before the beautiful deer. "What's wrong?"

Speech. Thought.

Although Pride's interest was controlled, Envy couldn't help thinking that there was something unusual about his manner, something a little bit too pleased that sent a prickle of suspicion through them. They did relax slightly, though, as he reassured them that nothing was wrong; that gesture was plain to see in the slight lowering of their quills. "Yes, yes! Of course," they said, no hesitation, curiosity, and only a slight thrill of nervousness shooting through them as they answered. "I have all the time in the world." Although the slight twitching at the end of their tail might suggest otherwise. Even so, though, their focus on Pride was intent.

"What about the Seven? Is it growing? Shrinking? Are my subjects all well?" the weasel spoke again, right to the point, as though the pause was too much for them to take. Their kingdom had been changing a lot recently; losing and replacing members, growing, shrinking, changing... Even as its king, Envy couldn't help but feel a little bit overwhelmed.

Speech. Thought.

Envy relaxed, but only slightly. They listened, in some disappointment, with the revelation that their kingdom was not growing-- that Pride didn't even seem to know who they were any more.

At Pride's question, they felt a slight flash of indignance; Why, they were the Seven! The Sinful Seven. They took their flaws and made them into their strengths. "In the beginning, it was about taking our flaws and making them into our strengths. And now, we're... a home for those who need it, and a place of peace from that damned goose." They thought a little more, and felt satisfied by that thought. They shook their head. "But, when the idea was first formed, Reseda wanted to... one day take over the caves. And in my... younger days... I was... you know... all for it."

They winced slightly. A lot had changed since then.

As Pride asked why they still bore the name Reseda had given them, they paused. "I just..." they started, and then broke off. The name of the Seven was closely intertwined with their own name, Envy. The name, the Sinful Seven, made them truly feel like a king. Like it was theirs, somehow. It was a name that bared their deepest darkest side, their greatest weakness, for all the world to see, and they hated it, yet couldn't seem to shake themselves free. Yet, the name of the Seven meant it didn't feel like such a big deal.

The weasel opened their jaws slightly to respond, and then didn't. They looked down towards their paws as they thought, tail barb softly scraping against the throne.

Speech. Thought.

The tip of Envy's tail twitched, and they listened to Pride's musings, considering them. He was, of course, right; Reseda's banishment left them with a lot of her influence, her idea of its purpose doomed to remain unfulfilled, it seemed. Pride spoke of his interpretation. The Seven. Envy, too, had called it that in the past. And yet... changing it felt like they were admitting a mistake. Like they were shying away from something. They were disconnecting, somehow, their kingdom from their name. As he said that the Seven did not even seem to have seven members, they opened their mouth to disagree, only to close it again. It had been cycles, since they'd seen Gluttony, Wrath, and Sirius. Lust and Reseda had been banished... Even Reign had grown distant.

They felt themselves growing smaller in that moment, helpless.

They nodded, slowly, glancing back up at Pride as he referred to them by title.

They rose up slightly, as he flattered them, referring to them-- well, them and Pride-- as the most powerful beings, magically speaking, in Origin Cave. They felt any lingering self-pity squashed in that single, glorious moment, for an instant feeling a flare of pride. Real pride. The deer's words invoked imagery of powerful creatures living, training and protecting under their rule. Pride spoke of admiration and respect, of being known across the caves for their power, and their deeds.

Their gaze grew distant, and for a rare moment, they were still-- allowing the tiniest flame of ambition to once again take hold and kindle in their chest.

Pride spoke of growing gardens-- turning the ancient ruin of Orion into a place of Paradise and worth. It was a nice thought, but --although Envy didn't say it-- the least of their concerns, compared to the rest. Finally, as Pride finished, they looked up, their tired eyes filled, in that moment, with a shining sparkle of hope. They felt, in that moment, they could really, truly be a king- and not just a weasel on a throne, who'd bartered for Reseda's approval and gotten it. Still, the mere possibility felt too good to be true. Surely that too, would crumble into ruins. Everything seemed to, when it came to them. "Do you really think it could happen?"

Speech. Thought.

Envy nodded as Pride mentioned each of the other groups in turn. "We could even be allies with the others...We could protect them all, if something else happens. If someone comes along, and decides to pick up where the goose left off." Envy spoke carefully, but their voice held a note of sincere excitement. It was, perhaps, if Pride were to look into their mind, for some of the wrong reasons; but the passion was there, and it was genuine. They were excited by the prospect of having others like Pride who truly, utterly respected them as a King. Excited to garner that respect from all corners of the cave; and, if they managed to do some good whilst they were at it, then... that would also be nice.

They grinned as Pride speculated on wearing matching armour, or tattoos; something that would distinguish their ranks, placing them above and beyond all others in the cave. They had always secretly (or in some cases, not so secretly) envied the armour that Pride wore. It was beautiful, and only highlighted the pure whiteness of his coat, the power in his limbs.

They nodded vigorously.

As Pride spoke of using a bird, though, they stopped to think. Of the Seven, there had been a few. Lust had recently left, so she wasn't an option. There had been the little crow that had set itself on fire, however Envy hadn't seen that one in a fair few cycles. "I haven't seen any birds for a time," they finally admitted, with reluctance. "Save for Lust and the crow, but... Both are gone now." They couldn't help a note of sourness entering their tone as they spoke of Lust.

At the idea of making Charity something else; a general, Envy felt a shudder of tenseness run through them. That implied she'd be on the front lines, putting herself in danger. And moreover, it meant leaving their side, and, by extension, leaving Orion. They felt their breaths catch, worry building for a few moments. Then, finally, they spoke. It was all just an idea, for now. "Perhaps."

Speech. Thought.