ORIGIN - nights with the boys

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Relative night had fallen in Eridanus, and Attikias's navy-colored body was illuminated by the fire he was prodding in front of him. Elspet had been met not but a day prior- and she was still fresh in his mind.

He was still debating on tattoos. But, that was for later- the leather he'd worked on was ready to be taken down.

He turned his head to it before standing up, taking it down from its hanging spot. Yeah- it was dry, now, having sat in the smoke for long enough, and he hummed a noise of approval. The night was particularly cold, and even if he had the fire, just his pants wouldn't do. He fumbled in the dark for the bone needle he had and retrieved the last bit of rope he'd fashioned out of rabbit skin.

Seating himself by the fire, he wrapped the leather rope around the end of the bone and pierced it in through one of the pelt's upper legs, followed by the other to draw it in together as a cloak. Both ends were tied off quickly, and he scissored his way through with the knife he used to carve the very deer he was now wearing.

It wasn't long until it was flown around his shoulders and he breathed in a sigh of relief at the instant warmth his cloak made. Maybe it'd be a nice blanket too, even! Mm- his eyes closed and he nestled in, enjoying the crackling of the fire and the lazy noises of nighttime bugs surrounding him.

(for @Fisher and @Azizos but if anyone else wants to do it with them lmk)
(also executive decision that attikias decided not to tattoo himself yet cause he's indecisive)

[back dated before the trial thread.......]

we never found the straight way back

With Ashtoreth lost to the lot in Canis (Bonebound was her home, he admitted) Fisher found himself lost. He had retrieved his armor, but wearing it upon on his shoulders only made the weight in his chest feel more real. The crystals from Polaris no longer glowed, instead falling into a dull blue. He had tried zapping them, but that had only put a nasty crack in one.

Just like his own sad heart. Ahh, but he was an old fart now, long having forgotten the ways of energetic youth. In reality, the degenerate fat noodle was having a bit of empty nest syndrome, and like many of the first gembounds that struggled develop coping mechanisms, he was prone to spiraling.

However, a strange sound caught his attention as he dragged his ass through the undergrowth. Crackling... And that smokey smell... Fire? Ears pricking, he bolted through the forest toward it-- expecting danger.

Instead, as he stumbled into the clearing like a drunken idiot to find a strange gembound huddled around a contained fire. They were a huge creature, one that reminded him of an old friend who used to use tools like the rope and knife they had. "Holy shit," Fisher wheezed, before sneezing at the strong, smoke smell that he clearly was not used to.

"You got a whole thing going on here, huh?" The armored fisher inquired, bouncing forward curiously before raising himself on to his hind legs. He reached into a pouch he had attached to the chest-piece of his armor, pulling out a sharp, flint arrowhead from his meager offerings. "Do you live here? Aww, shit-- where's my manners..."

The mustelid swept his body back down to the ground in a deep, playful bow. "Name's Fisher. Hope I'm not interruptin' anything important." He grinned at the stranger, already feeling a prickle of excitement in his spine. The stupid noodle had always been a people-pleasing, sleazy extrovert.

"nights with the boys" +1 lady

Ah, she'd avoided entering Eridanus for quite some time, a nerve of discord resonating through her heart, as if a long-forgotten memory were warning her of impending disaster. As if this cave were terribly dangerous and she should avoid it at all costs. And the nameless goose eventually figured that if she were going to listen to every bad feeling she ever had, with nothing in her head to base said feeling on, she'd get nowhere in life.

She was glad for the epiphany, as Eridanus proved to not only be an excellent source of food, but also simply a beautiful, comfortable cave that the goose felt good stepping through. There were many streams and pools of clear, clean water that she could bask in, lots of plant-life to eat, and warm hideaways that she could rest within.

As the night fell, and a chill began rising through the trees, she still found herself wandering the many paths through the forest, a little lost now that the darkness was beginning to settle. She could see light faintly through the trees, flickering and orange, and for a moment she feared that there was some kind of fire. But staring at it for a moment and she realized that it wasn't spreading.

Curious, she waddled forward until the bushes parted and she gazed upon a crackling campfire, contained and not spreading to the surrounding foliage, and a very strange creature huddled before it. Someone else was there too, loud, so she didn't approach just yet, but she wasn't exactly invisible, her white feathers nearly glowing in the light of the fire as she watched with beaming curiosity.

When Azizos first caught wind of fire-scent, he had a bit of an instinctive reaction - his throat seized with a cool dread, lungs flaring for oxygen he was sure he'd be deprived of soon, limbs locked in place. It was a natural sort of feeling, if only for the unfamiliarity of it. The smell wasn't strong, though, and the lion-stag figured: if he could get to it, perhaps the flame could be stomped out before it got too mighty. A brief act of altruism for the forest.

But, alas, it was only Attikias, working away at something as he often did. He had a bit of hide and bone in his hands, bringing them together into a cape, perhaps to keep warm with. With the only traces of proper fur being atop his head (and now his chin) Azizos couldn't blame him. At least most of the deer was being put to use, and the man didn't seem the type to kill for sport.

The lion-stag inhaled another puff of smoke blown his way and grimaced. Perhaps that was a sign he should stop watching from the bushes like a creep. Apparently, another creature took it as a sign too, sidling out of the brush and starting right in. Azizos trundled out opposite to the musky-smelling thing, easily trotting over to take a seat at Attikias's side and start vigorously examining the bone needle. Handiwork fascinated him, and made him little more than a curious kitten the man'd picked up.

If we're honest, Azizos looked a bit like the elf's pet.

@Attikias

He typically found that the fire kept away more unpleasant critters in the night. He had lit them countless times to the point of having ash piled down in a designated little patch.

The sound of something barreling close startled him, his hands tightening on the cape as he jumped in place. "Oh, crud-" he yelped in tandem as the stranger spoke.

Then, he hesitated. Did they think there was something wrong? There was a sense of urgency around them. "Hey, it's fine." He held out a hand before drawing it back under his cloak in interest. "Ah- yeah, this is my place."

His eyes laid on the armor and he disguised an amused smile behind a barely lifted hand at the bow. "Nah, I was just sittin' here- oh, hey Az." His attention was drawn in a different place as Azizos wordlessly came over to him. He was interested in something- and he pressed the needle closer for inspection. The cape flared out halfway over the kirin as he moved to press his hand in behind his friend's ear.

As he want to look at Azizos's head, though, a second white caught his attention, and he offered a soft noise of greeting to whoever was there and a wave from behind a horn.

"Wanna join us? It's warm here." The other hand he had was patting at the bare, pact ground on his other side as he addressed the both of the strangers.

@Fisher

we never found the straight way back

"Well, don't mind if I do!" The noodle snorted happily, prancing over to flop beside the warmth of the fire, eyeing it with some curiosity. He had never seen a fire contained for a source of warmth like this before, but it certainly felt good on his fur. The metal of his armor was quick to start getting warm, however, so he wriggled his way out of it and pushed it a bit further away where it wouldn't be a danger to him or anyone else.

Fisher tilted his head up to eye the one named "Az"-- pretty hoofer, for sure, all white and adorned with a fancy horn. He didn't get a chance to badger the blue-man before yet another addition came along, and that quickly took all of his attention. A pristine white bird (one would think pretty white gembounds would want to avoid soot, lest they tarnish their fancy pelts and feathers) had poked their head in to investigate, and despite all rational thought, the appearance of a bird made his pelt prickle.

Ah, he had never liked winged critters. Kings, haughty and arrogant, selfish and cruel. He had since grown out of such stereotyping, but it still gave him the heebiejeebies when he first saw them. He had enough tact and, somehow, collected sense enough to keep his mouth shut until he met a gem proper before outright accusing them of being a twat... even if he could kick the ass of just about any fowl.

He cleared his throat and gave a friend dog-wag of a tail at the bird, and raised his snout to address the newfound crowd. "I'm assuming you guys got names, right?" He nudged with some semblance of politeness. "I like the cloak, pal. My baby girl has a funny baubled rabbit pelt she absolutely adores. Makes her look like some kind of swamp monster, but it works on ya." Seriously though, Ashtoreth and her cosplaying was something that Fisher was never going to get. He was too much of a boomer, y'know?

@NAMELESS

The goose looked out from her place as the other two creatures got themselves settled by the fire. She blinked when the strange two-legged creature patted the ground next to him and, slowly, she stepped out of the bushes. It wasn't that she was scared, she was just worried about intruding. After all, she didn't know these people and this wasn't her area, if any part of the caves really "belonged" to anyone.

She let out a small, friendly honk as she drew close. "Thank you," she responded as she settled on Attikias's other side, close enough to the fire to feel the warmth, but far enough away that the embers and ashes didn't puff all over her feathers. "This is amazing," she commented, quietly. "How did you keep the fire from spreading? I've never seen anything like this before!"

She looked up at the creature, a little confused. Were those pelts...his fur or skin? Or were they draped over him? They seemed to fit him - it wasn't like draping an entire deer carcass over his shoulders, so they must be part of them. But as he shifted, they didn't move with him as fur attached to an animal would. He must have made them then, just as Oliver had made the basket she used to carry around with her. And how she had made the string that held the blue gemstone against her chest. Although the cloak seemed far more detailed then the necklace.

She glanced at the mustelid as he spoke, a gentle smile spreading across her expression. "Ah, no, I don't have a name. You can call me whatever you wish." Maybe Pride was right - that could be a problem, walking around as just a nameless creature. Not for her - she was perfectly content holding no name until she earned one - but for others, to just call her Goose or Nameless Goose would probably be awkward.

@Azizos

Attikias was a fool if he thought fire would keep away critters in the night - and evidence of that was clear as day here.

"Hello," he mewed softly, accepting the hand behind the ear and any resulting scratches. The lion-stag's eyes widened perceptibly as the needle was brought closer to his face. Casually as can be, Azizos plucked the object from elf's hands and started to spin it in the air. The movement was rapid at first, pointy end flying to and fro without purpose. Watching as the bone reflected the light and shifted. For the most part, it was completely smooth, except for the hole carved into its wider end - for the rope. What an idea! How does he think of these sorts of things? Azizos mused as he oh-so-gently placed the needle back into Attikias's hand (minding the sharp bit, of course.)

Finally drawn away from his investigation, pale eyes fixed upon the newcomers to the gathering, both settled down at the fireside and warming up. Strange, how a heat source could bring companionship from complete strangers. The musky creature was talkative and chatty, wiggling out of a cumbersome coat of armor and revealing his full furry and scarred glory. At his request for a name, the lion-stag bowed his head in greeting and called, "my name is Azizos - but, Attikias calls me Az often." A soft smile graced his features as he peered at the mustelid, "it's a pleasure to meet you, Fisher."

Fisher started to ramble about his 'baby girl,' and it took the morning star a moment to parse that he might be talking about progeny - about his daughter. It was startlingly easy to imagine such a noodly Gembound being a father. There was just some sort of aura about him that said so, yet it was strikingly different from his own stone- and life-giver's. Regardless, Azizos leaned forwards to ask: "what's her name?" He wondered if he'd met her before.

Pale eyes moved, then, to the goose - unnamed. Is she new? Azizos gave her a cursory glance and once-over. She doesn't look it. Juvenile birds always seemed to have a fluffiness to them and were always some muddled color. This was pristine white, with soft pink-red eyes. Like all color was stolen. "Do you have any ideas for what I - we - could call you? I feel as if White or Snow isn't appropriate enough of even a nickname," Azizos called warmly, sort of dancing around do we need to workshop something with you? Being nameless is weird.

@Attikias

They joined him quickly, and Attikias's smile only grew. What was a night without sharing it with companions? As he took the needle back, he placed it through a hole into the side of his pants. He'd need to replace them soon, but right now that wasn't priority. Instead, he turned to the goose, looking to the fire. "Ah- I make sure I don't let it grow big enough." He reached a covered foot forward to prod at a half-buried stone. "There used to be a bit of a circle around it, but I messed up a fire once and had to throw some dirt on it."

That was a lesson and a half. But- it wasn't all too hard to contain fire to him. "It really only spreads to stuff touchin' it, so as long as I don't put any wood near it it's fine."

As Fisher shuffled out of the armor, Attikias offered a helping hand (literally) to pull it to the side so it didn't get too hot near the fire. If that was alright, of course.

Names! He was always forgetting names. He moved his hand lower to idly run his knuckles along Azizos's spine as they continued. He gave a short snort-laugh at the mention of his... Daughter? Attik assumed so, at least. "Thanks! What can I say, cloaks are fashionable." He gave his own a flick in accentuation, giving a goofy grin to Fisher.

The elf nodded to Azizos when his name was mentioned. "Or Attik's fine for me. It's good to meet you!" He began to reach back for some food he held closer to his hut, but huffed and let his arm drop on the dirt in a vague laying position as it was too far away. From here, he regarded the goose.

"Awh, everyone needs a name. Maybe- what's your favorite kinda thing? We can call you that for now?" With that said, he strained back and caught the very tip of a basket and pulled it back, setting it down beside him. "Anyone hungry? Uhm- It looks like you eat meat," he offered to Fisher. The basket held some strips of lightly smoked meat when he took the top off of it. "As for you..." He hummed, his head twisted back to look at what he had. That? No...

He strained back farther this time, his back getting dusty as he reached with both hands. Nope, he couldn't reach that. Grumbling mentally, he scooted backwards and grabbed at a somewhat-repaired open urn.

"I've got a bunch of these sweet fruits in here." He pulled one out. "But, uh- they were in the lights for a lil bit, so I dunno if they'll taste great. But they're cold." Its red skin seemed taut with its semi-fluid insides. "They're really juicy. Like, juicier than normal. I had one and it kinda just conked me out, I think."

He didn't really understand what being drunk was, but apparently he didn't commit a lot of it to memory. He took one and bit into it, the juice exploding into his mouth with a hardy crunch over the actual inside. With the skin broken, the outside layer of fluid poured in, and he sucked at it before wiping at his mouth. It was much sweeter than normal.

"Ah, all of ya are free to have as much as you want!" He flashed a grin before continuing his snack.

@Fisher

we never found the straight way back

Fisher nodded eagerly as the nameless goose asked about containing the fire-- it seemed like a really handy thing to know, especially given being in a cave full of wild gembounds that could summon fire out of their ass.

"The pleasure's mine, I assure you! I haven't had such pleasurable company in a long while." His nose twitched and he perked up. "Her name's Ashtoreth! She's half-bearded vulture, but she takes after me more than anything." Trouble-maker, no doubt.

A slight smirk tugged up the corner of his muzzle as the goose admitted not having a name, and said they could call her whatever they wanted. While Fisher was typically a touch prejudice against birds (blah blah Kings blah blah), he was also a shameless womanizer by profession.

And, she reminded him of a story he had heard as a little pup. His ears twitched in Azizos's direction at his suggestions, and he lowered his nose, tucking a paw up under his jaw pensively. "You seem like a Star, to me," he noted warmly, tail slowly thumping against the forest floor.

... Hadn't Ashtoreth meant something like Star, too? It was funny what connections the mind could make. Azazel had always been more, well, creative than him as far as naming went.

His thought train didn't get any farther, however, as Attikias offered him a bit of dried meat. His pupils widened, and he wriggled forward across the ground to shuffle his sniffing (and sliiiightly slobbery) snout up to delicately take the meat out of the basket.

Fisher was chowing down as the dark elf offered the fermented juice out to everyone else. The smell seemed familiar to him-- for whatever reason, his primative noodle brain associated it with...

Foo'ball?

@NAMELESS

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