ORIGIN - empty eyes

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Pride moving forward without a sound, his nose touching James' shoulder.

James saw it before it happened, saw the other move closer. He jumped as soon as the vision ended, hopping backwards quickly before Pride's nose could touch him. Not only had he predicted what Pride would do, but got away before the deer could act it out.

"I did it," he said, eyes flying open, his wings fluttering as a grin spread across his face, "I saw you- I saw a glimpse, but I saw you! I saw what you were going to do!!"

He was amazed at himself, and proud. He'd analyzed Pegasus' spell and managed to expand upon it, enough that he'd learned something entirely new. Instead of looking to the past... he saw the future.

"This changes everything," he said, giddy, his tail swishing back and forth, "Did Tahi tell you about the plot against Mother? Well... if we do in fact go to Ursa, then I can use my spell to try and predict the actions of ourselves and the actions of Mother and her gembound. We may stand a chance! Not that we didn't before, but this could be an extra weapon in our arsenal."

If he cast it powerfully enough... he could predict the outcome of a fight, should it occur.

@Pride

Pride tilted his head, considering. What magic had James used-? For a moment, he assumed mind-reading, and then realized it would likely be better to just ask, rather than debate with himself.

"Mother-? Ah, yes. It--may I ask what you did, precisely? Did you read my mind--my intentions?" he asked, head still canted a little to one side.

He wasn't aware of any ability to see into the future--oh, he'd met seers (some accurate, some not) who'd claimed it, but magic to do so, he'd never known. It wasn't that he wouldn't believe in it, however. He knew magic to look into the past; so why not the future, if not for the implication that such was immutable-? No; it had simply never occurred to him to try.

@James

"I didn't read your mind, I looked into the future for a few seconds," he said, "Peggy- my son, has a spell that lets him see the past of some objects, so I thought that perhaps I could do the opposite and try and see the future. It could help me predict the outcomes of certain situations if I practiced enough."

James breathed out and stared at the ground, realizing that he could suddenly do something amazing.

"... This is so cool," he breathed, looking like a kid on Christmas, "Can you do something again? Something I couldn't possibly predict, I'm going to try again."

He closed his eyes and covered them with his wings too, giddy and excited. Well, until a headache suddenly made him wince, splitting his skull in two.

"No no no," he gasped, pleaded, begged, "No, damn it! Work!!"

It backfired. Why wouldn't it?

@Pride

Pride hesitated, watching James with some concern. From misery to elation and back to frustration--the horse was clearly troubled.

"Perhaps--it might be best to rest for awhile? Clear your head, hmm? When you wake, things might seem a little clearer, too," the white stag suggested. "You're free to sleep here in Orion, if you wish it?"

He made no movement to leave, however--to leave James to his own devices. He got the impression that the horse needed company, just now--not solitude.

@James

James was quiet, emotions conflicted, roiling within like waves against a cliff. He nodded slowly and turned his head to face the house still here, his first house, with Ari and Abraxas when she was still a gem.

"Yeah," he finally said, "That's not a bad idea."

He turned to Pride and looked up, "... Tahi confessed to me by the way. That he loves me. And I loe him back, and I suppose we're together now. We've yet to put a label on it, but I just wanted to let you know."

And with that he turned, ruffling his wings, body hunching up and getting ready for takeoff, "Bye Pride, I'll um... see you later. Sorry."

He felt guilty for putting all of this on his mentor, but he tried to push that away as he raised his wings, taking a few canter strides before jumping into the air, wings flapping hard to get him aloft. He quickly rose up and away from the ground, above the rooftops in a matter of seconds.

@Pride
Exit unless stopped

Pride nodded, relieved at first that James was agreeing to a rest. He needed it, the stag thought.

And then--Tahi-shei? Admissions of love? "Ahh, congratulations--" Should I warn him..? About jumping into further relationships--that he should take it slow? Perhaps, if Pride had more experience with these things--with love, and relationships--he might have. But he didn't know enough to be certain in it, and so he held back, unsure. And before he could continue, James was saying goodbye.

It was a tad surprising--an abrupt departure, perhaps; and Pride was still struggling to come up with a coherent response to the Tahi-shei news. He was caught out, blinking,a nd managed a stammering--"Ahh--goodbye, James, and no, you needn't apologize for anything-"

A little bemused, he watched the winged horse take flight, trying to register the wash of news that had come all at once. To categorize it, to run it back through his mind.

And he was thinking, too, of ways that he might help. Offering to babysit hadn't even occurred to him, and he'd directed James to Mercurius so many times that he didn't think of doing it again. Comet would certainly be able to help--she struck him, at least, as distinctly useful. But was there something else that he could do..?

Mulling this over, he realized at last that James was out of sight; and so he retired toward the Throne to think it over alone.

exit Pride; @James (for visibility)

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