Yellow let out a surprised laugh at Jinyi's comment. For some reason they'd thought of their Drone siblings--apart from Ace, they supposed, whose constant taunts and brags were near-insufferable--as mostly too busy with their duties for humor. Upon further reflection, though, they were kind of a hypocrite. They too had gotten so caught up in the endless cycle of tending and refreshing the fungus in Eridanus that they'd forgotten to have fun once in a while.

But that was okay. Serving Mother was fun. Kind of. Well.... No. Yes it was. Maybe. At any rate, they could think of ways to make it even more fun! Another banana popped into their hands and this time instead of carefully applying it as a paste they gnawed off just the tip, pointed it, and squeezed it so the fruit shot off into the distance! Hopefully there was fungus where it landed. If not, they could plant some.

--Or Jinyi could make some, actually. "I'm kind of tired," Yellow admitted, leaning back against the fallen tree. "Been doing too much magic..."

They blinked owlishly up at the Drone and suddenly felt better, despite the exhaustion in their limbs. "Thanks." They tore open the bag and fed one chip into another into their mouth. "What is this one? Tastes like some kind of seeds or nuts. Can't put my finger on it." It was good, though. They couldn't stop eating it.

Yellow narrowed their eyes suspiciously at Jinyi. "You're treating me like a kid," they accused halfheartedly. "I'm literally older than you." Not only that, they'd joined the Hive first too, so they were senior in not only age but, well, seniority.

Whatever. Jinyi's suggestion was a good enough goal, anyway. They conjured another banana, this one smaller than the last ones. Instead of smearing it over the bark this time, they peeled it, broke it into little pieces, and tucked them into crevices and cavities in the trunk's log. Help the fungus spread from the inside, right?

Yellow hmmphed at Jinyi, but the speed at which they took the chips from his hands spoke with more honesty. "If you think about it, I'm your big brother now," they pointed out. "So I accept your tribute! And I'll take care of you in the future."

Speaking of taking care of things. A red rat had crept up on them through the dense foliage, its pelt disheveled and its figure skinny. It, too, had Mother's fungus inside it. "Someone should do something about the Lessers here. They all look exhausted. And the same people who're ripping out fungus and knocking down trees have been hunting them down. Poor things." A frown crossed their face as they reached out with magic to give the rat a boost. They couldn't do anything about the malnourishment, except maybe make another banana, but they could at least fight back the bacteria or mange or whatever it was breeding in its pelt.

Yellow blinked several times, as if processing the logic. Then they nodded. "All right."

Teamwork made the dream work, right? Just like they were doing now.

Their hand reached up and brushed against a tuft of fungus growing in their fur, collecting its spores. They spread those same spores in the catsquirrel's fur while Jinyi still had it under control. Maybe it would help it join the family quicker, or it could spread it to other places when it climbed and leaped.

"Can you do that spell where you make me stronger again? I want to make another jetstream."