[Quest] The Flametouched Moth - Canis

The Moth-creature listened, its expression studiously attentive, to everything that the Gembound said. Those attentive to their surroundings might notice the Collector, subtly stepping back into the shadows behind it, head low and body tense; he vanished a moment later, as if simply fading away into the darkness.

The moth-hybrid looked at them all, listening. It seemed either overwhelmed, or simply to ignore what was asked of it; instead of answering them, or mentioning anything they said, it simply tilted its head.

"I do not remember," it squeaked. And then--"What is my name?"

It looked between those present.

"Give me a name."

Wilder continued to run around the legs of the new creature for a bit as the others talked before she stepped back away, panting heavily, but her eyes were shining with happiness. "Oooo you want us to name you? I think you should be called Moth because you used to be a moth! Or Gold because your gem is gold! Or The Collected! Because the Collector helped bring you back and collected us all together! That would be a good name!" In her own world, of course, this was a fantastic name and she looked very proud of herself for thinking it up.

She was distracted, though, by the interactions between Pride and Squick. She bounded over to the two and began hopping around Pride. "Hi, Pride! I was gonna tell you I found Squick but I haven't seen you! It wanted you to know it was safe with me! I found it in Eridanus and ate it! It seemed to be happy about it though." She stopped hopping for a moment and stared at Squick, connecting her magic to the little worm so she could speak again. Hey Squick, now that you found Pride will you go with him? There was no sadness in her voice that he friend was going to leave her, only joy that she had helped it find the host it so loved.

Whatever the rest of them were saying, Glory wasn't listening. He was transfixed on the Guardian, observing it from every angle. He could see all of them in it, somehow. This was incredible. Overwhelmed, so excited, and now he was honored enough to help name it as well.

He thought for a moment. "Hm, perhaps a glorious name that shows your true honor. Ah, yes, Honor! We should name you Honor! Or, maybe, Noble. Hero. Something that inspires wonder!"

as a maiden she tiptoes shy with her light...

The spider's eyes sparkled with pride.

"Magnificent." She whispered.

Thothaga glanced at the Collector, wondering if he shared the same thought, but to her surprise, he seemed to shrink back into the shadows, almost as if he was ashamed. She watched him vanish into darkness with concern. Was this not what he was expecting?

She tore her thoughts away from him and focused her gaze back on "Moth". There the Guardian stood, reborn as a glorious chimera of its life-givers. She was particularly fond of their banded legs- why, they looked just like hers! Is this what the Spire-Father felt whenever he breathed life back into stones?

Thothaga stepped foreword, sluggish from her drained essence, but proud nonetheless.
"They say you were a Guardian." She rasped. "A great moth who defended Gembounds from the dragon, Raheerah, but now, you are so much more." She extended a claw to him. "You can be so much more." Her many, tired eyes glimmered with a motherly gaze. "So love, call yourself whatever you like, what word speaks to you?"

"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

Pride watched the Moth, for a moment, ears flicking--but he didn't get involved. This wasn't his situation, although it was fascinating. He'd wanted to speak to the Collector, but the Collector seemed to be--well, gone. But the idea of a Gembound gestating so quickly, and with multiple Gembounds' energy granted to it--well, this was fascinating. What magic would it hold? Several? None? What secrets did it know? It spoke of having no recoll--

His mind was jerked back to the here and now by the white worm flicking through the air, landing on his face. Pride half-recoiled for an instant, instinctively, blinking. But it was just Squick. With a soft snort his ears pressed forward and he listened. ...So to speak.

"Ahh-... we hadn't--met," he answered softly, doing his best to echo his thoughts mind-to-mind. He wasn't sure how much verbal speech the little one could understand. A two-way mind link was harder to maintain, but he did his best to open the channel nonetheless.

Though anyone else might have been disgusted by the little maggot-like creature having leapt onto their face, especially given its nature, Pride was fairly neutral. He controlled his faint repulsion, and anyway, experience had lessened the impact a great deal. Squick's words, though--those warmed him greatly. He felt a flood of sympathy toward the tiny thing, and--well, warmth. Kindness. Squick's statement was kind on its own, and Pride's expression softened as he spoke.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Squick. You do not regularly live outside a host, do you...? Have you found someplace warm, and safe, to live?" Silvery eyes briefly glanced to Wilder. The cat was very small--very liable to be killed quite easily--but hopefully that wouldn't be an issue. It struck him as a distinctly less secure survival prospect than his own body, but he wasn't about to ask the parasite to return to him. It had always been a little... strange.

The hybrid listened, its face as wrinkled-up as Black's was. Its extra legs twitched, its wings resettled on its back.

"Aether," it repeated back at Kera. This sounded like a distinct answer, more than a question, and so it accepted its as fact. But as the others spoke, it repeated more words, each time seeming slightly more overwhelmed. "Moth. Gold. Collected. ...Honor, Noble. Hero." Though it seemed to be thrown off by all of these, Thothaga's words made it think.

It stood in silence for a long while, a silence that stretched so that a soft breeze through Canis, rattling some bones, echoed in the quiet. At last, squeaking and gurgling, it spoke. "Aether, Gold, Hero." Never mind that it was not actually golden--not in the slighest. It seemed unaware of this. "Aether Moth. I am... these things. I will be Aether. I will be Moth, Guardian. Aether Gold-moth. Guardian." It seemed to decide this, and then, tilted its head.

"You have created me. I am Guardian. I am bound to you. If you need me. You will call. I will come."

Another squeak, and a gurgle, and Aether fell silent.

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The Gembound present have earned the aid of Aether, moth hybrid Guardian, whose form has mirrored aspects of their own and will (until its death or disappearance) immortalize them! They may call upon Aether for aid at any time.