ORIGIN

Blue eyes widened with something akin to awe. "You're a healer--without magic? Do you mean like, setting bones and things, or?" Hands dropped again to the earth, searching for a banana that might or might not appear. Oliver seemed thoughtful as he worked, and then glanced up again. "I can do some things like that, but being able to disinfect on top of it's definitely important. Infections are so bad," he lamented, with a shake of his head. "I mean, I'm happy to share anything I know!"

Oliver rocked back on his haunches, for a moment, thinking. "I don't know if you need any of it, but you can tell me? And I'm glad to learn anything you can teach," he added. "I can, uh, close wounds with magic using, like--grass?" Claws lifted, and he began to tick off things, looking deeply in thought--yet focused--as he did so. "I can see sickness or health in someone, and cleanse the bad stuff, and make them stronger; I can take the gross stuff outta water, or make water outta nothing--you need that to clean wounds," he explained. "And I can share wounds with someone. Like, if you were hurt, I could put half of it on myself--and it'd all mostly heal. It sucks but I can do it. My dad taught me," he added, tufted ears flattening back--and the bird-dog looked abruptly sad. "He's dead, now, but he was a Guardian," (whatever that meant) "and he said a Voice taught it to him when the big dragon came. Raheerah."

If it weren't a magical world, this explanation might've come across a bit over the top; as it was, it was perhaps already reaching the boundaries of believability. But Oliver looked to Rain without malice--and without seeing their own--and asked, brandishing a new banana, "Would any of that be something you'd wanna learn?"

He listened solemnly to Rain's explanation, and further to their offer, or what he interpreted as one. "Sure," he agreed, amiably. "As long as nobody gets hurt. I mean, I've seen most of that stuff in Lessers, but they were dead already, you know? -For eating," he explained, "before I figured out magic to eat plants, instead. But I'm sure there's more that you could teach me." It sounded almost encouraging, the bird dog offering the canine equivalent of a beaming smile: eyes bright, tufted ears briefly back, lip-corners turned well up.

Then he looked down. "Okay, so--water first," he suggested, and placed both strange forelimbs close together. Hand-like claws hovered before one another, digits held as if enclosing an orb of some kind, like a crystal ball, though of course that space was empty. He glanced more seriously up at Rain. "If you can use anything to sense magic, now would be the time but I'll try to describe what I'm doing?"

Oliver gave a swallow, thinking as he looked back between his claws. "So, there's water all around us. In--us, in the plants, in the air. If you can... kinda sense it, get ahold of it with your magic, you can draw it all together. Into one place," he explained. "So, it's not coming from nowhere--it's coming from all around you. Which--means it's easier to do when there's already a lot of water, like--uhh, fog or rain. And harder to do in real hot, dry places. Like Monoceros, if you know it." Sure, there'd been a river there, but all sorts of plant growth and water use had been hard. Light, at least, had come easy--and ironically, since it was the one thing the cave had the most of.

The magic flickered up, at first, but only a couple drops of dew formed on the hybrid's hands. He glanced up apologetically, with another doglike "smile." "Just--sometimes magic takes awhile to work right. That's how it always is, I guess. Maybe you could help me?" he suggested, friendliness in his tone.

"Yeah, water's everywhere, really! And help by, uh, learning--it was an invitation, kinda. Since I'm trying to teach you, I figured maybe you could learn! That's REALLY neat," he added, stepping forward to investigate the new illusion. "You look a lot like a... a white deer! Oh! Aren't there ones like that in the--the palace room?" he asked, wide-eyed.

He took a moment to inspect Rain's form, then, before sitting back again. "We can do stuff kinda like that with light magic? I wonder if it's the same. Like, changing light to look like shapes, and things," he tried to explain.

A pause, another attempt to summon up water, ended in failure. Oliver sighed, ear-tufts sagging back. "My own magic's really not cooperating today. Yours is really nice, though," he offered.

After awhile, fidgeting, he had a realization. "I'd better start heading back. You're welcome to join us," he added, with a friendly glance, as he moved to go.