Envy was on the Throne when Reseda brought before them her gruesome prize, and for a long while the weasel could only stare, their mind reeling, their blood white-hot with disbelief. They struggled to keep down their quills, to retain a well-practised facade of calm. But they knew the body- they'd seen him before, when they'd hid so close, gathering information on their enemies for Pride. But the weasel had never expected this.

And they knew what it meant. The weasel could feel their stomach turning, their head spinning, everything inside of them dropping. They felt as though they were falling. They held down a retch- the first in cycles.

It wasn't just a hunk of lifeless meat lyng on the ground before them- it was a turning point.

The goose would not be happy. Who knows what she would do? Who knows what they'd all do?

And then there was the gem- the gem that was sitting beside them on the throneright now, bigger than they were, and impossible to move. there was nothing they could do about it- they'd already tried. straining, heaving, shoving with their entire tiny weight would do nothing- so it sat here like some sort of beacon, confusing- and they had no idea who'd put it there or why.

Envy was brought spinning back into consciousness as the sound of a roar filled the air- awfully close, and so awfully loud. Dread was back, and he was screaming about something- some 'shiny'- Envy looked around, baffled, but soon their gaze alighted once again on Reseda. They felt themselves growing cold. Uncertainty rattled their quills and a cold trickle ran down their spine. They put two and two together, their eyes narrowing slightly, and they turned their gaze helplessly towards Pride- surely he'd have thought the same. Finally they raised themselves up onto their hindpaws, trying to look the part of a strong and confident king who had everything under control.

"Yes, it is," they answered Pride shortly, before turning their attention back on the komodo dragon. Fear turned to righteous anger. "You shouldn't have brought it here, you'll lead them right to us! You should have left it there! As a message!"

But even they knew it was too late.

Speech. Thought.

Envy realized in a jolt what was going on with ice-cold clarity as the dragon alighted in the throne room in a clattering of falling rocks and dislodged rubble, and came thundering towards them. The weasel felt every inch of their body twitching with the urge to run, surging with fiery adrenaline, but with all of their willpower they stayed rooted to the spot, grasping desperately at their chest fur and running their claws through it. They stared down the dragon as evenly as they could, sucking at the air and feeling the cold, hard marble catching in their throat.

They listened to Reseda's protests, staring her down, but said nothing, and... they didn't believe her. There was too much going on at once. Who'd put the crystal here? And why? It was all too sudden, too awfully convenient to be pure coincidence. They looked to Pride as Reseda spoke, their quills prickling.

"I have no idea what it's doing here! Take it! Do you really think that I could carry something like that!?" the weasel shrilled, quills rising up and down in sheer panic. Of course, they would have liked to say they could have, but they weren't about to face the dragon's wrath for a sliver of pride. They watched as the dragon took back the cursed object, and only then did they relax slightly, though their heart was still hammering, their rush of blood a low buzz in their ears. "I have no idea who put it there!"

As the dragon motioned towards the dead thing, Envy gave a vigorous nod. "Please do!" they echoed pride's sentiment, looking at the stag with relief. "Yes, yes! Like Pride said- eat it, then burn it out of existence!"

Speech. Thought.