ORIGIN

Attikias still didn't like Ursa. It's where Mother was supposed to be, but- he kept coming back. Why? Did he expect to handle it by himself? No, of course he didn't. He'd be a fool if that happened, right? But, some awkward sense inside of him wanted him to know what they were up against.

As if he'd find out anything different.

Tahi-Shei had passed by as he was wandering, and he'd caught the deer at the tail end of another trip away from the searching, greeting him briefly and going on about his way after finding out just where everything was coming from.

Well, good thing he had his bag on him. Pulling his cloak in tighter, Attikias trudged on, following the path Tahi had left and coming upon gifts. Or, well, they were the remnants of gifts- boxes and wrapping paper were strewn in the area, and Attikias hummed gently, squinting. Were they concealed items..? He plucked some of the paper, turning it in his hands as he inspected its crinkling-ness. Weird. The piece of trash was shoved into his bag before he continued on, on the lookout for more.

It would take some time before he actually located something. His main issue was following older footsteps, left in the snow and leading away from everything that'd already been opened. He set his jaw, his eyebrows furrowing, and his cloak coming in even closer, before finally finding something nestled in by a pair of boulders. It wasn't a big box by all means- the golden ribbon around it is what got his attention most of all, and he grabbed onto that, the ribbon coming somewhat loose in his gentle tugging.

The box was ticking. Curious, Attikias squatted back and let his tail rest in the snow, eyeing the box and turning it about. Right, the things were inside these things. But, what would tick like that, like some awkward heartbeat? It was steady, too.

Fingers pried at the edges of the paper (what in the world was this stuff holding it together?) as he unfolded it, careful not to tear the wrapping itself as he laid it in the snow beside him. And- ah, shit, there it went, fluttering in the wind. Attikias grumbled under his breath before continuing his expedition, opening the box and pulling out a metronome.

The ticking out here was louder. How was it even moving? The stick was moving from one side to the other, and knobs protruded at the side, which immediately got the elf's attention to poke and prod at. He could stop the ticking easily, he found, or even speed it up with the rolling of the sticks at the side, which only got him more confused. What was its purpose? Why did it tick? Strange.

It made him think of Thalia. Was it for that, keeping beat? Or, maybe just a sort of keeping time? Like, maybe 'five ticks ago'? But, with it able to be adjusted, maybe it wouldn't be the best way to measure seconds. Odd. Dialing it all the way down and shutting it off, Attikias gently placed it in the bottom of his empty satchel, making sure it was nestled in a way to not damage it. The ribbon, along side some extra wrapping paper, found itself on top of the item.

The best thing he could do was strike out on his own. Adjusting the strap of his bag, Attikias continued on, looking to the trees and rocks and anywhere that a box (and more ribbons) could be. As it turns out, most of his luck wasn't there because he was following other people. Out here, when he was looking for himself? He'd gathered up a fair number of boxes, struggling to carry them as his bag space ran out.

Once his arms were full, Attikias seated himself down at a larger tree, after clearing out the minimal snow that'd breezed in under its needles. Right, so, what did he have? He made himself comfortable to unwrap the gifts, taking less care with preserving the wrapping paper this time and just trying to get to the meat of things.

The first unwrapped box was more of a case- or, small enough to be one, holding a freezing pair of iron spectacles. What were these? He squinted into them, turning them over to look in either direction. It was somewhat blurry to look into them- but his hands looked perfectly fine under their inspection. Weird. They fit fine on his face, though, and he hummed gently as he turned to inspect the tree.

He could see so much more, this close. Trying to look far away gave him a headache, but perhaps these would come into use sometime in the future.

The next two gifts were found next to each other. Attikias drew them both into his lap- these, too, were smaller, though more in the vertical side of things rather than width. The first to be opened was the larger of them- were they meant to be paired together, he wondered, as the thin dish-like item slid from its box and into his hands. Its metal, too, was cold- steel, though he didn't have the specific notion of what exactly it was called. All he knew was it had odd designs on its surface, odd gears and everything that he fiddled with for a good moment, inspecting it with his spectacles. An astrolabe- though, he lacked the word for this, too.

He shut his eyes tight. Ugh, no more glasses, and those went in his satchel carefully wrapped in paper.

Continuing his investigation, Attikias pulled open the second, uncovering an iron-bound star chart etched out of vibrant larimar. It matched the astrolabe in some sense. He hummed as he fiddled with its delicate chain, lining it up with the astrolabe and turning it over, adjusting the lining mechanism with no intention to find anything.

He couldn't entirely tell what this was for, not like the metronome or glasses. Measuring? But it had so much around it.

He'll keep that for later. For now, he had more to open, and the next was a more hefty creation. The wrapping on this was pried open (and, once more, the ribbon was preserved), revealing the box that held... A box? Attikias brought this closer to inspect, pulling it out and opening it. It had another knob like the metronome. Intuition drove him to twist this, too, but his face drew tight in confusion when it didn't start ticking, either.

No, that started when he let go. He jumped in surprise for a moment, holding the box away from himself as it began to play, muffled by its closed rose-gold surface. One latch opened later, and he revealed a spring-tight figure, standing tall as a song played out in the winter air. The pink rabbit spun in slow circles, reaching up as though it were midjump, mid dance, circling to the sweet melody.

Attikias smiled. This was... He didn't have a word for it, but now he sorely wish he did, warmth flooding through his body. Vivilene and Thalia would love this. Hell, he loved it, and he watched it even as it slowed its movement, the music trailing out. He sniffed, once, rubbing the butt of his hand at his face- shit, was he crying? He sniffled again, worming his way to the tree, and planting his back on it.

He still had much more to open, but he could be content with this for now.

All good things had to come to an end with the music- having been wound up again- drawing to a close. Attikias hummed gently, stirring himself back into motion and placing the box over the astrolabe and chart in his lap.

Right. Time to get organized. Opening his satchel, Attikias removed the spare wrapping paper and discarded it to the side, moving the box to the bottom and laying the metronome above it. It all seemed just so precious and easy to break, and he wanted to be careful about this.

With everyone stowed away, Attikias pulled the next gift closer, unwrapping it too to reveal a simple metal tube of silver. It crinkled as one half turned- what? One end had glass, too, and when he looked in, he reared back at the wonder that had been revealed. It glowed in the light, crystals and colors and glass. He squinted as he turned the end and watched the rainbow shift, mirrors altering and colors playing out in front of him.

Wild. He pulled it away and turned it in his hand, inspecting its cold surface. What was inside of it. Crystal? How did it even do that? Well, in any case, his family would certainly like it, and he placed it beside the spectacles before going for another present.

Two left. Could open them both at the same time, but that'd have complications- nah, he pulled the first one closer, then, unravelling it and peeling the box open.

It looked like the music box, in design, this pocket-watch. It had a more golden-brass color to it- simple in design, yes, but as Attikias held it up on its chain, he watched it spin slowly with curiosity. It had a knob, too, like the metronome, but when he held it up to his ear he could hear it tick, too.

Weird. It opened easily on its hinge, revealing a strange face and sticks like the metronome had. One was ticking solidly- the others were... What were they doing? He squinted down at it before messing with the knob, the thinnest of hands skipping forward.

It still ticked at its same speed. It was a constant metronome? The numbers were odd, but it didn't seem to stop, and he hummed quietly. Maybe, like he guessed with the metronome, this was for keeping tack of how long something'd taken? What did the symbols mean, though? Up to four lines, then the weird sectioned one, then more of the lines behind it. Five? But then why was the one line in front of the cross? Was it addition?

In frustration, Attikias shut the pocketwatch closed. He'll figure it out later. It seemed math wasn't quite his forte right now, and he stuffed it into the satchel, moving on to the final present.

This one- once opened- held something like the glasses, but a soft leather wrapping and pink-tinted lenses. They were some sort of crystal, he surmised, as he ran a finger over its surface. It looked... Easy enough to use, perhaps, and he placed it to his face, finding it just a tad too big for him. Hm. He pulled it back, turning it over and inspecting it, feeling the leather over his rough palms.

Perhaps he could use them for something, someday. Right now? He had to get this back, and there was a lot to get back. He rumbled from his throat as he stood up, adjusted his satchel, and made sure he had all the ribbons that had been tied around the presents, before setting off with the goggles in hand.

A good haul for Attikias Elenya, he'd thought. Strange that there were no pearls this time.