ORIGIN

There was something almost therapeutic about this place.

Serendipity had only came out of her chrysalis some sleeps ago, but already she found herself coming back here again and again, to the tunnel she'd found just outside the room where she emerged from. The ground was smooth under her feet-- which was a relief in that of itself --and the walls were lined with intricate shapes and patterns.

It didn't exactly occur to the young gembound that they might be other people, or things that she could even meet in the caves. They were just things that, for now, she liked to stare at when she passed by.

They were fun and cool and interesting, but it wasn't what Siren kept coming back here for.

There were huge piles of stuff just laying around, expectantly waiting to be picked up by some tiny humanoid. And boy, did Siren like picking them up! Often, she struggled to even sleep, laying awake when she was exhausted wondering just what she had left to find in there, what little treasures awaited to be lifted by her grubby little hands and kept forever.

Most of the things she'd found already, she was wearing-- a large swathe of yellow cloth was kept around her neck and a mulberry tunic kept her warm. She'd found a tiny little knife that was more rust than steel, that she kept on her person at all times. Because you never know when you might find a use for a knife.

Today, the second she woke up, she returned to Tunnel J. Nothing like starting your day off like most vultures do, after all. Bare feet padded cheerfully up and down the tunnels, eyeing up the piles of absolutely worthless junk with glee. Most of these piles she'd already delved into, but some of them she was yet to inspect.

And inspect she did. The child shuffled right up to a knee-height mass of garbage and she began rooting through it. Metal clinked against metal and wood as she looked through the scraps to find something that might be still intact, half-wary of scratching her hands against the sharp edges.

It wasn't long before Siren found something that caught her interest-- not that it rarely was. She yanked something out that was wooden, about a foot or two long. It was a long T-shaped item that had filthy cloth wrapped around where, presumably, she was meant to hold it.

It was likely the hilt of another knife-- except Serendipity had never seen a knife this large, and there was nothing where the metal blade should have been.

Content with her findings for now, she sat down next to the pile with her tail curled around her legs and turned the hilt over in her tiny hands, wide-eyed as she investigated the found object.

Laurel hadn't really been anywhere since she'd superimposed herself into the Bonebound. Soft, baby pawpads paced on the smooth surface of the tunnel as she made her way down, ears perked and interest piqued. She had to keep back from just full on sprinting; she'd waste her energy that way, so instead she was trotting along at a canter, content at staring at all the weird shapes.

Upon hearing some other footsteps echoing off of the carved faces along the ceiling of the cave, Laurel forgot all her inhibitions and broke into a run, an excited smile gracing her face. There was someone else here? Long nails scrabbled against the stairs below. She was able to figure them out fairly quickly. Just gotta put one step before the other.

With tail held high, she rounded the corner among piles of broken shiny things, coming along the source of the noise of rummaging.

What was that thing? It was weird and upright. Her nose twitched as she stepped closer. It looked friendly. Making a split decision, Laurel trotted forward, her head and tail head high as she panted happily. "Uh- hello!" She barked out, stepping over bits of shiny to get closer and losing her footing, stumbling closer. Well, she wanted to be there anyways. Her pointed muzzle drew itself closer to whatever the creature had in its hands and took some hearty sniffs. "What is that?" Her eyes shone with interest and the prospect of knowing more about someone else.