ORIGIN

It had been somewhat quiet in Attikias's little area, other than his attempts at keeping his poor hut together. It was going... Okay. The roof was stable, at least, and he wasn't worried about his daughters being smushed in the night, but it still dripped when it rained.

At least it was clear now. Taking in a deep breath, Attikias leaned back on the log he'd laid by his firepit, carefully grinding a small whetstone against the tip of a halberd. The poor weapons were rusted to hell and back, but he could still care for them, keep them sharp and out of the rain in his tent.

That is to say, he kept them in his second tent. He wouldn't dare risk his kids accidentally rolling over and cutting themselves in their sleep. He might be a bit of a hoarder, but at least he was careful about it. Speaking of hoarding, Attikias placed his hand within one of the few uncracked urns he owned, retrieving a bit of jerky to gnaw on as he idly thought. The fire in front of him was going, and he was drying out the remains of a deer he'd hunted before returning home. Its hide hung up across from him, to the edge of the camp, while he continued his work of getting this weapon into a usable manner.

He wondered if he'd ever use it. Or, even, if he'd use the knife. That damn knife- he winced when he thought of it, feeling its permanent weight at his hip. He hadn't used it on lessers, even, for cycles now. One carving was enough. One kill for it was enough.

Attikias laid the spear down on his lap as he took the knife in his hand. He brandished it before the fire, in the light of day, turning it over and studying it as he did so many times before. He had to use it to kill someday, and he had to give the statue he made to the Collector. Not a hard task for someone who didn't mind killing. But other gembounds like him, they were sentient, and he'd just remove a life if he killed them. Would they deserve it? What if they had their own families? What would become of him if he let himself murder?

He sighed as he sheathed the knife back and returned to his work. No. He'd cross that bridge if he came for it- he'd kill if he had to. He could do that. He would do that. For his safety, for his children, he would use this knife and protect the family he worked at so hard to keep. But for now, there was peace, and there was quiet. He could let himself be happy. He could let himself forget. Couldn't he?

Attikias twisted about at the sound a voice like a startled cat, his tail sticking out before he settled. Ah, a visitor! Resetting his face, he moved to a warm smile, placing his spear on his lap again. "Hello," he returned quickly, dipping his head.

He paused and kept quiet for a good moment, watching the deer and looking to his crown. Was that whatever Mother he was talking about? Tilting his head, Attikias scooted closer, squinting over at the item. It made him think of Astraea- was this being an elf, too?

Maybe later. For now, "No, I'm afraid I haven't." Was he looking for a cure? The crown didn't look painful, at least, but it was a bit more condensed than Astraea's sparse fungal patching. "Why d'you ask?"

Attikias's smile slowly dropped as Tahi-Shei gave context on what Mother was. A mind controlling fungus- and his eyes glanced to the deer's crown again, wondering silently. Had the deer been able to purge its effects and work undercover? That would be smart- smarter than Attikias would have thought, anyways, and he tilted his head in thought as his visitor continued.

He was unaware of any cosmic battle of Order and Chaos. Simple existence was his forte, with his family and his home, but bringing the Masters up nearly immediately brought Astraea to the forefront of his mind. He and Vargas- he would support the two of them, finding no reason not to so far. Were they chaos, then? No, that sounded like it should be an important noun. Chaos. Making the mental distinction in his mind helped solidify the story he was being told.

With the information of training and delivery, Attikias refocused his eyes on Tahi-shei and dipped his head back. "I would be honored. I can help with combat, too- I don't have claws or anything, but I know how to work with weapons, and I can teach others who can hold things about that, too." The elf's eyes drifted up to the swaying branches of the canopy. What would it be like, if this Mother would corrupt them? It was enough to send a shudder down Attikias's spine. How much of his life would be different?

He let out a soft, faintly whistling sigh from his nose. Quickly, his gaze dropped back down to Tahi-shei. "Will Master Astraea be involved? I can spread the word, too- not to him, if he does know, but uh- to others in Eridanus and the rest of the caves. I'll have to let my family, know, too." And here, he was starting to go on a tangent, bringing his hand up to his chin and glancing away. He was quiet for a moment as he mulled on a question.

Eventually, he glanced back to Tahi-shei. "How dangerous will this be?"

Attikias didn't want to leave his family, but he didn't want their lives to be destroyed if he didn't involve himself in this gathering. He'd have to do this. For them.

Attikias smiled with thought at the idea of teaching others about weapons- other than his children, at least. The pieces in Monoceros's tunnel needed use, after all, and this may be the perfect opportunity for them."I'll bring my stash." His head nodded to the side where he kept his small pile of rusted tools.

One foot came up to rest on the log as Tahi-shei spoke on Astraea, his arms and head resting on the raised knee it provided. "He does owe me a favor. If I find him, I'll let him know." His fingers drummed on his calf as Tahi continued. Oh- names! Right, cripes, he didn't even tell his. "I'm Attikias," he spoke with a matching humorous tone, head tilting. "Attikias Elenya, with no title, or Attik for short." Something about giving out his nickname as jokes had seemed to stick to him, it seemed.

He grew a bit more serious as Tahi laid out the possibilities. His tial gently swept across the dirt behind him, and he thought on this, thinking of what he could bring. What he had to tell his family. "I have things to make a mess with," Attikias provided. He could take some pebbles and put them in a bag, scatter them out for the defenses to organize...

His head came up at the possibility of being chrysalized. He'd never been hurt enough to warrant it, but it certainly seemed better than losing himself and every thought of his family to Mother. "I understand." His words were soft as his hand tensed over his knee. "If you need to chrysalize me, I wouldn't hold it against you or anyone else. I'd rather die than somehow bring harm to the people I'm helping." His head dipped back. "'Course, we won't let them get that far, will we?"

He grinned, devilishly, though joking in his tone as he let out a small laugh after the bit was done.

"Is there anything else I can do for you here? I could try and see if one of my weapons might work for you- but, uh, I haven't found any really compatible without hands other than small things like knives." He brought out the blunt, stone tool at his waist for example, turning it over in his hands before presenting it to Tahi-shei. "Though, I'd think biting would just be easier in the long run. I've never really had to think about it for myself, 'cause, y'know." He pointed to his face and clicked his teeth. No muzzle to latch onto anything made it hard to really do any damage with bites, even if he had an omnivorous mouth.