The Lost Gifts - Aquarian

The moment he was (presumably) summoned, the serpentine Master erupted from the black Heart of Cetus like a tidal wave. If one didn't know better, they might have suspected he'd been waiting to make a dramatic entrance. Maybe something had tipped him off--like the little wrapped boxes laying on a carefully placed pool float bobbing across the water? (It was white with little candy canes, made of air-filled plastic-rubber.) There were three such boxes, wrapped in white with red and green, gold and silver, and tagged for three specific Gembound. A faint magic touched each, too, so that anyone handling the boxes would know which was to go to whom. To top it off, a teensy tiny evergreen tree had been sat in a little gold plastic bucket on the raft.

Aquarian, though, pretended not to see the float. His form--the third of it that had emerged from the water--towered a full hundred feet over the Gembounds, swamp water cascading down like a torrential rain, bright yellow eyes staring down at them. "WHY DO YOU DISTURB ME?" he screeched, then thrashed sideways as if having to answer a summons somehow caused him pain. He stopped, though, on an instant, as soon as he saw the box.

His head snapped down, jaws pulling the package upward, and (after a great deal of maneuvering it down to his tiny forelimbs) he managed to tear it open. Inside--gasp! (he actually gasped) was a beautiful citrine crown, a golden tiara fitted with gemstones that flashed and glowed and matched his own. "PUT IT ON MY HEAD!" he demanded, an undercurrent of excitement to it. He dipped down, setting it down for the Gembounds to crown him with.

He seemed very pleased with this gift: so much so that, assuming someone jammed the thing on his head (where it would stay), he turned to dive back beneath the waters of the marsh. Thick ripples rushed and swept along the banks, and he was gone for several moments--long enough, at least, for them to retrieve and open their own gifts.

Edric would be gifted with four little galoshes: red boots with white furry lining, like stockings... but functional shoes. Why? Because they were pretty, probably. Scion would receive a bizarrely shaped Santa-style hat--again, red with white lining, and a white ball of fluff at the end--but its base was specifically tailored to the creature's broad double head. V-Onyx-Two's gift was a pretty little silver chain with bells on it, suitable for a tinkly sort of bracelet or ankle bracelet, if he preferred.

Ahh--and with perfect timing, Aquarian erupted again, tiara gleaming mightily. Clutched in his forelimbs were gifts of his own: gifts that he carried to the Gembounds with a dignified sweep. He looked almost kingly with his crown (well, tiara) on his head. "A FAIR EXCHANGE!" he cried, holding out the ancient treasures that had sat, undisturbed, secreted away in the deepest depths of the mud of Cetus for who knew how many years.

Edric's gift from Aquarian is a tarnished, muddy (but cleanable) golden chain set with fire opals and moonstones. The entirety is enchanted with Torchlight, glowing enough to cast a dim light to guide his way. It's exactly the size to hang around Edric's muscled neck.

V-Onyx-Two is granted a thin platinum ring that would fit a finger, inset with multiple tiny gemstones. It gives off a constant flash of pleasing colored lights, being enchanted with Aether Dance. This ring is also very dirty, but can be cleaned.

Scion is given an old, tarnished golden crown filigreed with platinum and set with gems. (It might fight for space upon their head with their Santa hat.) This crown is currently glowing bright blue, but as Scion leaves Cetus, the glow will fade--until they go near another source of water. This is because it is enchanted with Blue Sense.

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This is one of six Lost Gifts threads in the Holiday 2023 event! Characters who posted in the original Aquarian's lost gift thread may post here to react, and then post in Update Me to claim their Enchanted item added to their account!

@Scion @Edric @V-Onyx-Two

Scion stood at the edge of the water, resigning itself to get wet as soon as Aquarian emerged (its legs were already soaked up to the knee) and, just as expected, the serpentine Master came bursting from the water, sloshing the cat-beast with muddy, disgusting water and leaving it looking quite pathetic and soggy. It simply sighed. It was unavoidable.

Instead of throwing a fit, it simply sat back and held up the gift for Aquarian. "We found this," it rumbled. "It is for you." It involuntarily flinched away when he snatched it up in his massive jaws, ripping the package free from its wrapping. It stared at the crown that was unveiled and, when asked, immediately stepped forward to be the one to put it on his head (because Scion is the important one here!). It was large, but Scion was strong and managed to heave it onto the massive snake-like head.

It stood back, watching him disappear back into the water, attention turned to the other gifts. One was...addressed to it? Huh. It carelessly unwrapped the package and pulled out a red hat, lined with white fur. It was strangely shaped, but it realized, upon putting it on, that it had been specifically made to fit on its head. The cone bit, which it initially thought would hold straight up, flopped over, a little irritating over a couple of its eyes. How...nice.

It accepted the gift from Aquarian with a bit of confusion. Another hat? It quickly swapped the red hat out for the crown. It was heavier, but at least it didn't have an annoying tail to it. The glow was annoying. It wasn't sure that it would ever wear it after today, but there was no way it was going to admit that in front of the Master that had given it.

It dipped its head. "Thank you, Master Aquarian. This is a fine gift. I do hope you enjoy yours!" Once the onyx had finished whatever he had to do, Scion would clear its throat, an indication to follow, and to accompany it back to Draco.

*exit

Oh, that was terrifying. The winged Onyx-Two stumbled back, hard, in the muck. It was bad enough (and he'd complained loudly) that the swamp was so disgusting--clinging rank to his clothes, sucking his feet down deeper. But this-?! WHY had nobody WARNED him that Master Aquarian was a hundred-meter-long sea serpent?!

He fell to his knees (souring his robes even further) as if in supplication, head bowed. "Master Aquarian," he gasped. And was shocked to see that Scion didn't show the same submissive fear. That maw could eat either of them in an instant-! And he was SO LOUD-

Better it than me, he thought abruptly, and a high little panicked giggle escaped him. How horrifically unbecoming; a hand slapped over his own mouth to silence it.

When Aquarian vanished, he hesitated, then stood and flew out over the water, retrieving the floating raft and pulling it in to shore. As Scion tore theirs open, he retrieved his own, turning it over in his hands curiously before tearing the wrapping from it. The little silver bells on a chain... He held them high, letting them dangle and jingle. The sound, the glint of light, pleased him. He slipped it over one wrist, then promptly fell onto his backside in the mud as the Master re-emerged.

He flinched from the sheer volume of that screeching voice. And when Aquarian approached him, he flinched and held his breath. Even so, the stench of fish assailed him, and when the gleaming ring was dropped into his lap he carefully took it. "Thank you, Master," he managed, and then held the ring up in shaky fingers as Aquarian turned away.

It was nice, there was no denying that. And far more payment than was fair. "A very fair exchange," he agreed, half-unaware of what he was saying.

Jewelry-... It was a day for jewelry.

He remained on his butt in the muck for a few more moments before the cold settled in--then hastily stood, fired a glare at Scion (just in case they'd seen how frightened he had been) and turned with an attempt at an arrogant stride for the tunnel. It was rather ruined by the ankle-deep mud, so after a moment (remembering he had wings), Onyx-Two took flight instead.

Edric hadn't expected this many people to come along. If he was being honest with himself, which he always was, he found them prickling at his mood in a rather irritating way. Especially the biped. What was wrong with him and the way he talked and acted? There was something awkward about him, as if his pieces didn't fit together right. And Edric bristled and gnashed his fangs at the thing's implication that he would have trouble carrying the package. Which--all right, it WAS a little troublesome, but he had NO RIGHT to point that out so snobbishly!

Edric was half-tempted to trample him for it, actually, but Edric was also a smart boar, a wise boar. And he saw that the biped had a lot of friends around, so maybe said trampling wouldn't be the smartest, wisest decision. So he tamped down his anger and lumbered with them to Cetus, sulking the whole way.

The sight of Aquarian certainly cheered him up, though! Edric straightened, rheumy red oilslicked eyes brightening, as the gigantic serpent burst from the marsh. "BECAUSE I HAVE A GIFT FOR YOU!" he bellowed in response to the question, conveniently leaving out his Chaos Forge companions in the sentence. It didn't seem to have any effect on the serpent, though, since they all got gifts. Edric huffed. Whatever! His was the best anyway! It glowed a FIERY RED instead of a LAME BLUE, and it was BIG AND STURDY JUST LIKE EDRIC AND UNLIKE THE ARROGANT ONE. He immediately put the thing around his neck with some difficulty (shut up, Onyx-Two, don't say ANYTHING) and bellowed out a laugh, lumbering away the way they'd come.


exit!