ORIGIN - crystalline forms

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Cerilaine decidedly liked this place. It wasn't home like Ursa was to her, but she could see herself staying here, perhaps- if there was a bit more life. In Ursa, the mountain sparrows were easy to find, and birds soared high above, and there was such largeness and life to it. Here, everything seemed so pristine and perfect, with its geodes and crystals that she could stare at as she passed.

But, she liked it. If she were bigger, maybe she could take a crystal and bring it to Ursa, make an actual home there. Or, maybe she could make a home here. That was an interesting thought, one she gave pause to before shaking her head and tucking it away for later.

With all of her peering about, she was drawn to the soft noise of the waterfall, thirsty for a drink. It was here that she found quiet peace for a time- yes, there was a lack of life, but it was quiet, and it let her think. At least, Ursa was also quiet, and everywhere else was quiet, but here it had a feel to it. Loneliness, surrounded by mirror images of herself and the very occasional lesser skittering across the hard floor.

It was after she dipped down for water and got her fill that she noticed the rift. Or, rather, she saw its alcove, and her round ears pushed forward with intrigue at it. Was she seeing right? Something was moving in there.

Raising up, Cerilaine stalked forward with her head low and tail tip twitching, blue eyes glued to the strange aberration in the air. What was this? Squinting ever so slightly, the leopard approached the rift before her, sniffing at it and pacing around its warbling mass. Was it safe to touch? It looked almost like it was a mirage, or it was vibrating, as she circling around it. Perhaps she should just be safe.

She could touch it with magic. Freeze the air around it and see how it reacted, or maybe she could just get a piece of ice to lob at it. Yes, there were rocks (or, geodes? she hadn't really looked) around the place, but getting some magic practice in didn't hurt. Would it just pass through it? Ceri stopped before the rift- between it and the open side of the alcove- drawing her magic forward from some unknown place in her core.

Her ears flicked back when nothing came. 'Magic,' she groaned mentally, face going askew for a moment as she backed away. She could feel her claws tensing into the hard floor, and she rolled her shoulders as she gave one step closer to the rift.

Fine. She'll just do this the old fashioned way. Turning back, the leopard scooped up an easily broken off shard of crystal, taking it in her mouth before returning swiftly. Right- she took a moment, looking the shimmering air up and down, before tossing her head and letting go of the rock right in its direction.

@Attikias (for later. i forgot the rift existed tbh and wanted to make an attik/ceri thread anyways)

The crystal shard swirled in the opening of the rift for a moment before being spit back toward the ground. Unfortunately, nothing else came of it.

If she knew the true nature of this shimmering rift, perhaps she wouldn't be so excited at what transpired. 'An aberration of magic...' She stepped back as the shard flew back, eyes wide and ears shoved forward in intense interest. Had someone left this? There didn't seem to be any signs of permanent residence. Then, was this stuck this way?

How interesting. Her magic failed earlier, so she couldn't attest its persistence with magic latent in the area. Maybe-- or was it using the magic in the air? Or did she just fail that spell? Squinting, she turned her back on the strange thing, stretching her magic into the surrounding air once more.

Cold ice barely spiked up from the ground, crawling forward in a thin wall. 'Well, it worked this time.' Crouching low, she snaked around the wall she continued to make while drawing on her magic, even if it was weaker than she meant for the result to be.

That part probably wasn't the rift. She needed to get better at magic in general, so maybe this experiment wasn't exactly the best if she were the subject in it.

A test subject. Peering through the ice to the rift behind it, Cerilaine mulled over an idea in her head. 'If it threw a rock out, it's probably not safe to try touching it.' Who knew how it'd respond to something bigger? Even if she wanted to try it, she certainly wouldn't get anywhere if it managed to hurt her.

Vivilene would like this place.

It was pretty. Gemini, he was certain it was called, and he had grown more used to seeing his reflection as he walked through the strange room. How long did it take for these crystals to be grown? Did crystals even grow? He knew he could make them with magic, but natural ones...

He shook his head. It was no use wondering on it if he had no way of finding out. He could stare at crystals for cycles on end, probably, and get absolutely nowhere with that.

He did like the place, though, and part of him wanted to get a crystal big enough to bring home and use as some form of mirror, perhaps. It would help for making clothes if he wanted to use himself as a mannequin, and it'd be good to try and make himself look nice, and the rest of the family would certainly enjoy it. It's why he came back with a chisel and hammer- both tools that were fashioned from broken pieces of ancient weapons, their original purposes unknown to the elf.

He just had to find the perfect surface. Would the gem just shatter? Could he even carry it back? Running his hand along a wall as he walked, he had been idly drawn to the sound of the waterfall, looking about for a good, clear crystal to take for himself.

He wasn't expecting ice. Or- when he looked down- a leopard making the ice, standing before it nearly frozen. Were they okay? -- Ah, they moved, and Attikias let out a soft breath. A being practicing their magic, he supposed.

Wait. Wasn't ice part of water magic? Did they still need water-breathing beads? He could make some again, if this greater could even do water breathing, and bring them to the Blacksmith before the expedition began. Yeah, that sounded like a plan- holding his satchel tighter, Attikias stepped forward hesitantly.

"Hey, uh-- is that your magic?" He called out to Cerilaine, standing tall. Even if it was the best he could come up with, the phrasing was dumb. Of course it was her magic. Who would start a conversation like that?

But, what's done was done, and he watched her for a response.

Cerilaine's ear flicked back before the rest of her head turned to face Attikias, confusion drawn on her face. There was no way she would have noticed him coming up- perhaps she could have seen his reflection, but she knew not to rely on her hearing for things like this.

She looked over him, giving him a cursory glance. Strange, he was... Upright. She gave a small huff before turning fully, glancing back to the ice wall behind silvery spectacles.

"Do you mean, do I normally do ice magic, or did I make this?" Her head tilted as she spoke, her voice smooth though holding a hint of confusion. "Because, if so, yes to both. Why do you ask?"

It was a strange question, she found, but she'd heard stranger, mostly from herself.

Attikias stood up a little straighter, his idea correct. A grin split his face- "Ah! That's great! Do you do water magic too? Like-- Water breathing?" He stepped forward, a hand out as he talked, his tail lashing with excitement.

He wouldn't be able to go into Fornax, but could he convince this being to go? Breathing in, he reset himself, nodding quietly. "M'name's Attikias. I'm-- sorry, for being kind of blunt, uhh-" He shook his head, clasping his hands together. "I guess, I mean- Sorry, I'm not the greatest at magic, but I'm a crafter by trade. I enchant things, but to do that, I need other people to cast their spell first, so I can put it into an object- it's a whole affair." He waved a hand in the air, struggling to contain his excitement by forcing it away from him.

"Do you uh- take commissions? Maybe I can make you something for your magic?" His hands clasped back onto his satchel, and he leaned in encouragingly, excited beyond belief.

Ceri peeled back a lip. His excitement was a little overwhelming, and she folded her ears back, taking a worried step to the side as she made her stance thinner.

"... I don't do water breathing," she spoke after a beat, looking right into Attikias's eyes. "I'm still practicing, and I'm better at the colder stuff." Her tail-tip flicked with annoyance as she hissed out a breath, staring to the elf. "Why do you even want that specifically? Do you go up to everyone and ask that?"

She took a step back, head dipping but eyes remaining level. She could feel her fur rising- who was this stranger, to come up to her and get all excited over, what, water?

But, she paused. He makes things? Did he make that satchel? Squinting, Cerilaine raised her head again as she thought, pointing her nose to the leather bag. "What kind of things do you make?"

Attikias paused, before giving out a small little "oh" at her denial. 'Shit, backtrack-' his face went tight as his grip tightened on the leather strap, his eyes glancing off to the side. "Sorry, I didn't mean to assume, uh-- no, I just..." He breathed in, for a moment, before huffing out. "There's someone that needs help. A key, needed in Fornax, some sort of city-- I don't get all of it, not really, but it's something important. And it's under water. We can't-- They, can't do anything, without water breathing, or night vision, or any number of things." He huffed out, head drooping for a moment.

"I'm not going, so I'm trying to help where I can. But, I don't do magic, so I thought-- I assumed. I'm sorry." He nudged his head to the ice, looking at it for a moment before looking at Cerilaine. She asked the other question, and he stiffened slightly, swallowing.

"I make all sorts of things. Bags, leather items- I can make jewelry, too? Do you want uh- maybe an earring, to match your glasses? Or I can help make them stay on, if you need them to." He seemed to be brightening back up when talking about his work, nodding. "If you want to help, I can make you something? And later on, if there's people that can cast those spells, I can enchant the earrings."

"... So you want me to go underwater, or help people go underwater- whatever you want, for, what. Jewelry?" (Enchanted jewelry, Attikias piped in, to which Cerilaine huffed.) "Enchanted jewelry." She thought for a moment, squinting up at Attikias, then dropping her head to stare off into the distance, working out the costs in her head.

She could just help him find a person who could cast those spells and be on her way. But something about this was intriguing- a key in Fornax? What was so special in Fornax? Would he be lying if he were so desperate to find those Gembound who could cast those things?

Glancing back up to Attikias, she wondered. "Maybe I'll help. What's in it for me? -- And when would I get the earrings?" He'd have to make them, unless he somehow had some in that satchel of his- how lucky would that be, she mentally scoffed to herself, gaze dropping to the satchel.

Despite her apprehension, this was interesting to her- something to do, something to study, to be a part of. But, was she really some adventure seeker that she'd help him for, what, useless trinkets?

Attikias nodded to Cerilaine, enthusiastic. She was thinking, and he let her think, watching her quietly.

What was she thinking? Considering, maybe? When she said maybe, his face lit up and he smiled, letting go of his satchel.

"You can get the earrings now! And Farina has other awards, apparently, when it's over- if you wanted to go, anyways." He turned away as one hand rummaged in his bag, his attention on the ground around them. "The crystals around here'd look nice on you, maybe, and I can probably easily affix them on. Uhh-" He bent over, picking up two pieces in one hand and turning them over, the surfaces clinking together.

In his other hand was Carja's talon, embedded with talons and placed on a dowel of wood to make it easier to maneuver. Hopefully, he could shave down a hole in these things, and he turned them over in his hands before looking for Cerilaine's approval.

"I can probably make one glow, too, if you don't want to bet on night vision." He squatted down and held out the pieces for Cerilaine to look at, turning them over in his hand while the other hung over his knee. "If you like these, at least."

He watched her, tail tapping the ground. "So, do you want to help?"

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