ORIGIN

Hera eyed the banana half Dragon was offering. She did just have a banana of her own, but the sparkles were beginning to fade from her feathers, making her look awfully drab again. She had no idea if the magical nutrition would make up for bananas not being, well, meat, but she decided it didn't matter that much if she had bananas for dinner just this once. The local mice got lucky today, Hera thought, tearing off a chunk of the sweet fruit.

"Well, you know the future reading she did for me, with the bones? She saw more or less a good future, I think, but she told me I needed to be careful while getting there. That someone really old and cold--hey, that rhymed!--might give me bad advice? It wasn't that clear, I think."

"The bones mentioned that the Masters might do something good for me, too--something related to water? Hey, maybe that's this Farina character!" Careful, Hera was quick to admonish herself. Even the Masters who seem nice could be bad. A tremor ran through her body as she remembered the great stag Astraea, standing over a mass of spreading fungus as Lessers writhed and screamed--

"But, uh, also maybe not." she added hastily. "I'm not seeking any of them out, anyway, and we don't know anything about her. Giggle also asked the bones about us--and they said that if something comes along and tries to harm one of us, we might fail at defending. That wasn't too clear, either, but it couldn't hurt to practice those running-away skills, I guess." Hera glanced at Dragon's leg, and winced. That might be a problem. "Or flying, or swimming."

She felt a brief flash of jealousy at the reminder of Auré--also a bird, and less majestic than she had been in her personal opinion but at least he wasn't monochrome--but that was silly, she told herself firmly. He was nice, at least from what little Hera knew of him. "Yeah," she confirmed. "Auré's still the king. He doesn't do bone readings, though; that's all Giggle."

@Dragon

Now this was food for thought. Dragon wasn't all that familiar with Giggle's readings; with how much of it was bunk, and how much was real. But she was as old as he was, if not older; she'd been around for as long as he could remember. She'd managed to survive somehow.

Not well, though. Did her 'bones' not warn her of what would happen to her? he wondered. Could the Seer's words--her warning to the Children--be trusted?

"I wish I knew others who could see through time. To get an idea of what it might be. And if her words are true," Dragon rumbled, thoughtful. "I do not know her well enough to know how accurate her words are. But Farina aside, that sounds... hm. Worrisome. This--'failure to defend.'" If the warning had come weeks ago, that'd have been one thing; Dragon had most certainly failed to defend against Draconua's recent attack. But now-?

What else might they be facing..?

Troubled, the alligator huffed a soft exhale. "I would like to know more about this... failed defense. Did she give anything further than that?"

Dragon felt just a tad apologetic; he'd wanted to switch gears, here. To chat with Hera as if there weren't great and cave-altering events ongoing yet again. But the Seer's words bothered him, and he felt it'd be lax--not to mention irresponsible, given how many children roamed here and there through Cetus--not to follow it up further.

@Hera

Hera shook her head apologetically. Who knew that bones could equivocate? "No, unfortunately. She said it was unclear anyway." The prediction had been unsettling, as the whole point of the Children of Rot as she saw it was to defend, but how much could they really do with so few details? Coming back to Cetus had been the right thing to do, Hera was certain. Sticking with Dragon was the best choice, since they could help each other if one of them was in danger. (Even if she was pretty useless in a fight compared to him, she could at least try to make a distraction so they could both flee. Theoretically. If the danger ever came.)

"I guess there's not much we can do, other than what we've always done." Hera lifted her wings in an approximation of a shrug. "Or, we could go visit Giggle again, together. Maybe now that more time has passed, the future might be clearer? From what she said before, it did seem like the danger would be to one of us two, not the Children as a whole. So I don't think we'd be putting the rest of them at risk by leaving Cetus."

@Dragon

The alligator gave a quiet rumble of thought.

"That might be wise--to visit her again. We can do that, then, at some point." His mind went over his brief to-do list: find someone to utilize rock and dirt magic; someone with light, with water... someone who could, perhaps, enchant. And see Giggle again. Hm.

Well, he could put all that aside, for now; the time was here for socializing, instead. "Well, it is good information, and I am glad you have brought it--and that you are back safely. I held worry for you," he added, almost sternly; the eagle's obviously troubled demeanor last time had left him concerned. "I do not know how bad it is for you now--the dark, and so on--but it is good that you are well, and I am glad to see it. And glad that you are home! What are your plans now?" he went on, and it was with an easygoing tone; he wasn't demanding a militaristic outline of tasks, but rather asking what a friend was up to these days.

@Hera

A nothing to be worried about, ha! rose in her throat, but died long before it reached her tongue. She had, unfortunately, given Dragon a reason to be worried about her when she'd returned from the Trial of Darkness. And there was the bitterness again: not that she had anything against being worried about (it was touching, really), but she resented that there had been a reason to worry in the first place.

Well, Hera thought, at least someone cares. And hopefully, that reason to worry would be getting rid of itself entirely sometime soon. "I think I'm going to go and travel around again--unless you think there's something I can do to help here. But it sounds like we're going to need more people to help us carry out those plans, so I'll try to start looking."

@Dragon (I'm so sorry about the late response ; _ ; )

Dragon laughed, heartily, and good-natured.

"Getting right back to work? You are free to rest here for awhile, you know--if you only just got back. But if that is what you want to do."

He fell silent for a moment--amiable, thoughtful. Then dark eyes flicked to the eagle, pondering. "Is there anything I can do to help you with this?" he asked. "Would it help your plans if someone went with you?"

It was not one of his grand speeches, by any means. It was only a brief, and reasonable question. But lurking behind it--as the reptile lay unseen in swamps, but far less ominous--was concern. Not the worried sort; just the friendly, almost helpful sort.

@Hera

Hera gave a small laugh. "Rest? Here? Where's the fun in that?" Cetus was so drab, honestly, even if it was their home and safe house. Didn't always use to be this way. Ugh, Nemean. But even if Cetus had had its time of glory, that time was long gone now. Now the bright, pretty things were in Eridanus, or the new rooms further north.

She tapped a talon thoughtfully at Dragon's offer. Giggle's warning of danger hadn't been very clear, but it was always easiest to stay on the move without attracting attention alone. And if what the hyena had foreseen was a failure to defend, taking Dragon along might get them both hurt instead of helping. "I think I'm fine by myself," she decided. "Any updates on who our allies are?" If she remembered right, most of them had settled in the South-West Quadrant. A shame. The North was much more interesting.

@Dragon

Dragon gave a quiet laugh, though which remark he was laughing at wasn't clear.

"Hm, as for our allies. I would not trust any of them. They have their uses--for now--but most of them are weak," he went on--thinking of Pride simpering before Astraea, or the Bonebound hiding away in Canis half the time. Not that the Children were much better, here in Cetus, but they did step forward when required.

See: Raheerah.

"Temporarily-? The Seven are still in Orion, to my knowledge--but perhaps you can verify that faster, with your wings." A broad snout dipped toward said wings, as if to indicate them. "And the Bonebound--well, you saw them last. The rest of this cave's inhabitants are disorganized, to my knowledge. If you can find us more allies--well. That would be... useful! But I do not trust any who are not of our family--not to put us before themselves. As is reasonable," he added, his tone reasonable, too.

They put their families first. The Children had to look after their own. It was only natural.

@Hera

Weak? Hera cocked her head curiously. The Bonebound hadn't been few in number, and from what she knew, there were mages nearly, if not equally, as powerful as Dragon in each of them. On the other hand, the Children of Rot seemed to be rather lacking in terms of numbers.

Then again, Hera thought with a flicker of pride, we have a Master on our side. Hera supposed Aquarian would make anyone look weak in comparison.

"They could become part of our family," Hera said with a vague shrug, "if they lived with us long enough." She herself was not related to Dragon, but here she was. "Assuming that they're trustworthy, 'course. Lots of children hatch alone; we could welcome them into the family."

@Dragon

"A wise idea," Dragon said, "And something I try for, when I can. We can make our own children, as well; I have not done so in some time." He eyed Hera curiously.

"Have you done so, before? Created children, that is?" He didn't think she had; but he was only asking. It had no tone of suggestion. But perhaps she didn't know how-?

@Hera