[BLACK CITY RELATED] - A Key for a Cost

Haven had brushed out as much debris as she could with her tail before getting to work rebuilding the front wall of their den, using sticks and rocks to make it sturdy, and clay to glue it in place. Then she got to work tediously hanging up the gems and stones she'd collected, sighing softly as she looped her singing crystal about her neck with a vine, not wanting it any more broken.

"I want to get another one," she said to her mate, brushing past him and nuzzling his cheek gently, "One of the singing crystals. I like them."

She picked up one of the larger crystals she'd found (she'd panicked and stuffed a whole bunch of them in her cheeks when everyone was gathering up pieces for that mural that she couldn't see), tapping it with a talon and humming at the soft, delicate sound.

"Telly!", she cooed, holding it out for them to see, "Listen!!"

Cerilaine's piercings had healed over by now, but her ear still felt heavy with them- it was odd, to feel them clicking together, to navigate by their soft light in the night, to manage them and pad at them in confirmation that they were there. Maybe this was worth it, because when she walked past her reflection in waters and watched herself in streams she felt confident and proud. This fit her, this looked good, and it brought a smile to her face.

But, she had her end of the bargain to hold up. She'd been walking around Leo for some time- she had yet to traverse it's underbelly, but there were certainly enough cliffs and shores to crawl over, and she'd found herself at the edge of one and peering around as she reached into her magic.

Attikias never said the key was magic, but given her understanding of keys (which, was not much), they'd need to be magic to unlock things. So, stretching out her mental senses, she looked out over the ocean of water for any response.

Along with any other magical objects the dragons might hold in their hoard, the little sigil stone occasionally gave off a dim sense of its own magic. If it were kept in pitch black, the alien-looking glyph etched across its surface would glow with a very faint violet light.

These were both new developments, for the stone had long laid dormant: it was as if, in response to some unseen call, it were responding.

It was certainly more lively in this den than Telesto had ever seen it before. When they'd hatched, it's been barren. Nothing but the remains of wilted plants. The most interesting thing had been their own Chrysalis, with it's shattered gold-speckled-green shards. Now they were helping their parents with the cleaning, however boring that may sound. Brushing away debris and watering what plants had managed to survive.

The collection caught their interest. Telesto had a very tiny one of their own- larger, more attractive bits of their chrysalis, along with pretty stones, shells, and even the occasional bone hidden in some nook somewhere in Fornax. It wasn't with greed that they eyed their parent's collection, but curiosity. Everything they collected had some sort of meaning behind it, so surely their parents would be the same?

So when Haven called them over they quickly obliged, ears perked forward to caught the faint ringing sound coming from the crystal. They made a curious, delighted chirp sound, peering forward to get a better look. "Ooo! It's pretty! And it sounds pretty too!" They'd tilt their head slightly, before asking, "Where'd you find it?"

"There's a huge pile of them here in Leo! I could show you, if you'd like... as long as that brute hasn't taken them all," she scoffed, shaking her head, "But I've also got some shells..."

She felt along her pile, nose and fingers bumping along stones and crystals before she picked up a large pink conch shell. She put her ear against it and cooed, the air inside sounding similar to the ocean.

"Keystone..?", she asked, turning around, head tilting to one side, "I can't hear anything."

Haven crept over and head out a wing protectively in front of Telesto, spines raising. She didn't like this...

Cerilaine angled her head down, triangulating the direction of the magical echo that returned to her. It was a lot closer than she expected- but, was it the key..? Leaning over the edge of the cliff, Ceri could feel the silty soil crumble at her feet, and she frowned. It was a long way down.

She backed up and took in a deep breath, digging into her magic. Surely she could summon the spectral wings, but-- she hadn't tried before, and she wasn't sure if they'd work, anyways. Nothing came in response- and she closed her eyes, huffed out, and returned to the cliff's edge.

Struggling to look down, it seemed like there was a hole down there. And she didn't... see anyone? It was a little hard to see anyone from here, anyways. And, good luck with hearing- if they weren't yelling it'd be a miracle if she heard them.

The leopard pulled back again, debating. Was there someone down there? Was there a Lesser, guarding this item? Was it even the Key?

Claws worrying at the soil and digging in, she arched her neck over the cliff once more. "Anybody see a rock with glyphs on it?" She called, using most of her lungs to yell over the wind. She wasn't sure if they could hear her down there- if there were people there, anyways. Maybe the Lesser would spook out of the cave and fly out? Assuming there was one. Otherwise, she could try the wings again in a moment...