ORIGIN

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Pride entered Canis after carefully skirting the unsettling shadowed area in one section of tunnel K, but his mind was quickly distracted by his task. He also did not walk into Canis; he floated, instead, a new magic he'd uncovered, his hooves delicately floating while his mind did all the work of movement.

He wanted to speak with Aure, among others. And of the group members, Aure was both closest, and possibly more familiar with the Overseer and his clan--and might, he knew, have some insight into the dragons, too. He wasn't sure on that, but it would be good to ask before barging into Monoceros, at least.

But he had much to discuss--and much on his mind. Morality was flinging his mind back and forth, tormenting him, and Nassir's warning about rest had been plaguing him in recent days.

"Aure?" he called, his delicately fluting voice ringing over the bare rock of Canis. He headed down along the Circuit, drifting here and there along the narrow trail--over bones and debris--looking this way and that for any sign of any Bonebound. "Bonebound--are you here?"

Seeing no one, here, he swerved and began to idly float down toward the Chambers.

@Aure

A white stag — a floating white stag nonetheless — entering Canis was an uncommon, and oft unappreciated sight; purely for the fact that Pride often came along with grave news or to attend funeral services. The Bonebound and his Seven had an ambiable relationship, but they weren't particularly buddy-buddy and two for casual visitations.

Well, okay: Pride wasn't always a harbinger of bad news, but his searching for the Bonebound was enough to warrant concern. Especially following... all that with Mother.

Aure caught up with the stag as he drifted towards the Chambers, circling once (with a brief call for "Giggle?") and fluttering down to meet him. "Good to see you, Pride," the young King chirped, bright eyes scanning up and down. "Is that new magic?" he asked, with the same tone as one would use to ask "are those are new shoes?"

@Pride

Pride blinked. It was good to see Aure, of course--he offered a bow of his head, in greeting--but he'd heard Aure calling for Giggle. He wondered, briefly, why; was it for something unrelated, or did Aure assume (unfortunately correctly) that Pride's visit was likely something serious-?

He didn't ask. Instead, he glanced down at his floating hooves.

"Ahh... This magic?" he asked, and then tossed his antlers, looking straight back at Aure. "Indeed. I learned it about two days ago."

"It's good to see you too, Bone King," he then went on, more formally, "Do you want me to wait for Giggle before explaining why I'm here-?"

A pause, and then--"It's to do with Vargas. And... well. Fate, freedom, all our futures. Nothing too serious," he added, with wry humor.

"I'm here," Giggle called, trotting heavily down the trail. She might, she reflected, having been eating and lazing about too much. Childhood--now that'd been an athletic time. Adulthood, well, trauma and stress had left her a rail-thin, gibbering wreck. But these days, with decent health and plenty of food?

Giggs, you're getting fat, she chided herself, huffing a little as she trundled to a stop. She'd have to... cut back, a little; it wasn't anything super noticeable but she was a little chunky, to be sure--a little well-padded across the ribs and throat. "I gotta lose some weight," she grunted, and then paced over to offer her son a nose-to-beak nudge of brief greeting. Given the circumstances it wasn't anything overly affectionate--but it was still motherly, if short.

She then looked to Pride, eyeing him up and down. "You're floating," she told him, flatly.

rain stock: D Sharon Pruitt wiki commons; hyena Benjamin Hollis on flickr

@Aure

Bright eyes fixed on the hooves, then the tossing antlers. "Interesting," he chimed, because that's exactly what it was. He had no clue what purpose it'd serve, except for maybe hovering over spilled water and a wet floor sign.

Aure nodded lightly, at least, to the stag's question.

Vargas - ah, that was... a name he hadn't heard in a while. Yes, the massive being lurked around in Canis and did his fair share of hunting and observing, but they hadn't interacted since that one time. His name and fate/freedom/future in the same sentence... ? Aure laughed a little nervously, "well, when you say it like that..."

The Bone King returned the nudge of greeting, giving a soft, "hello," and an equally soft chuckle at her statement. "I'm sure you don't."

@Pride

Pride watched the brief interaction, and something like jealousy--no; closer to sadness--sparked in him, briefly. He'd never had a mother, or a father--a loving, warm parent to guide him. He'd only had Reseda, cold and manipulative--Reseda, who'd tried to get him to agree to murder Giggle, basically. Or at least, to convince him that Giggle had to die.

Hell, his life had been messed up. Aure and Giggle seemed so warm, tender, even in that brief moment--the touch, the murmur. It almost felt too personal to see, and he looked away for a beat, as if that would offer some privacy.

When it was over, he looked back, nodding a greeting to Giggle, too. He wasn't sure how she felt about him, these days; the last time they'd really spoken in depth, he'd invaded her mind and she'd caught him at it, and rather roundly mentally punished him for it. He still felt a bit sheepish about that.

"You look well, soothsayer," he offered, and it was genuine. She had gained weight, but she looked less ragged, less haphazard, without the fungal growths and prominent ribs.

"I want to call a meeting." Time, it seemed, to get straight to the point. "Are you--I know that you can read minds; can you?" he asked, looking from Giggle to Aure. "I can show you why, if you wish. The long and short of it is, the desires of Vargas and the Masters are going to start clashing with ours very soon. I spoke with him at length, and I'd like to elaborate to as many Gembound as we can gather together. It would be... under the guise of cooperation with him--or rather, we would be cooperating. It is... a long story, but there are powers above even the Masters, and he fears that if we do not go back to the ways of his era, we will all be destroyed. I am looking to find a compromise we can all live with, but that cannot happen without telling everyone the details, and asking their thoughts--I can't speak for everyone."

Pride fell silent--he could elaborate, of course, but it was best to start with a summary. And there was something he wanted to show them both, of course. If they let him.

Distant melancholy gripped him; a faint sense of futility, of sadness at what they all might face. A memory of the untouchable power that had dissolved Raheerah, screaming and writhing, before his eyes.

What hope did they have of standing against that..?

M for an F

Giggle just sort of grunted in response to Pride's greeting. She still felt much the same way about the white stag, despite his help (and Dread's) in Cetus; he was too spotless, and too arrogant. But he was an ally. She disliked him a little, but it was without any real vehemence, now.

"I can read your mind." She glanced to Aure, unsure if he could. "And if you can't show him whatever it is, I can."

The rest-... Her brow furrowed. "You're not making sense, Spotless," she told him, flatly. "What desires are going to start clashing-?"

That, at least, sounded rather fucking alarming.

She reached out, her magicka touching to Pride's mind, and when she heard the whisper of his thoughts, she spoke into it. I'm here, she told him, along that link; and then, aloud, for Aure's benefit: "Show me."

rain stock: D Sharon Pruitt wiki commons; hyena Benjamin Hollis on flickr

@Aure

A meeting.

The last one had gone fairly well, up until the spidery invasion; and hadn't had too many dire... things to talk about (except for, well, Khloros.)

"Between all of the groups and - lone Gembound?" he clarified quickly, before nodding. The invitation was there. Aure tentatively reached out for the stag's mind, finding it and latching on. Notes of melancholy that were not his danced into his conscious, and he brushed against his mother's presence as she spoke in. I'm here, too.

There was a graveness in Pride's mind. The young King braced himself.

@Pride

Ahh. They--both could?

That would make things easy.

Pride closed his eyes, and took a breath; he felt fear pump through his veins as he ran his mind quickly back to what he wished to show them. And there he paused, but for a beat, to say--in his thoughts--I warn you both... this will be unpleasant. And with it, brief, unsaid concern, sympathy even--if grim--for Giggle.

Whatever this was... it wasn't going to be good.

It came quickly, and in a rush--he didn't know how much time he had. Brief imagery of Raheerah assaulting Orion. Pride, following past the flames. And then-...

Polaris. The strange, almost humanoid creature, with her silken voice and incredible power, and even over the mental link, Pride's memory of this power came strong. Whatever she was, it was irresistable--and he showed them both as even Raheerah bowed his head. Raheerah, who had just decimated Orion; who had just sent Nemean packing. And he showed them this: the sense of throbbing horror swathing Polaris. The great dragon writhing. Screaming. Dissolving. Jupiter, attacking--dying in turn. The swarming bats. And then, departure--Pride, in breathless magical pursuit. Tenzin's fate. All of it--all of it, to showcase to them this creature's power, and then, Vargas, speaking to Pride in Orion. This flittering image, streaming past, had the feel of something very recent--and their dialogue, the part that Pride chose to show, specifically, went thus.

Pride, speaking with incredulity: "And that is it..? All of this control, this strength--and you are acting out of fear?"

And Vargas, in turn, with a snort, and his booming voice. "Yes! As would you be, if you understood even a fraction of the danger you are in. You would be a fool not to be afraid."

Pride let this link fall silent, giving his mind--and theirs--time to adjust, to respond to what they'd seen. "I can tell you what he wants--and what I think we should offer... after you've processed this," he said, at last, quietly.

It screamed, to Giggle, of void. All of it. The power that seeped from even Pride's memory--his impression of it, rather than anything truly tangible--resonated with it, with the black place and its silver eyes, and the old hyena shuddered.

Memories of their fate flashed through her. She'd seen it, once; all that awaited them was darkness. She knew this, though she tried not to think of it too often. And past the sharp, cold shock of what she was seeing, part of her mind threatened even now to shrivel up and fall away into madness again. No-... no; she couldn't allow that. Not now, not with so much at stake, not with her son here-

"Shit," she muttered.

Voidblack. That was their fate; and whatever Pride had in mind wouldn't save them. That thing-... it was coming. He was right; what could they do? She shook her head. They could fight. They could-... What, die? Again, and again? Melted into nothing? Pulled into the void, forever?

She shuddered, visibly, going cold at the thought. Would that thing come to them? Was that what had happened to the dragon--sucked into the black-...

...to remain trapped-

...Forever...

...and ever-?

...and ever?

The hyena licked her jaws, and looked at Pride, but her dark eyes were absent, wide with horror. Then she turned, and simply strode away, pacing with stiff-legged steps back off toward her bone pit.

rain stock: D Sharon Pruitt wiki commons; hyena Benjamin Hollis on flickr

exit Giggle unless stopped/followed

@Aure

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