(ooc - anyone is welcome to help, watch, or hinder; info on Origin's Second Olympics can be found here!)

The little bird-dog was busy.

Polaris was always pretty bright; and anyway, even with the orbs off, all the crystals glowed. But there should, he thought to himself--after hearing of the competitions that were to take place--be decorative lights. Lights to outline where those competing were to--well, compete; lights to guide the walkways and the places for the observers.

He had considered, for a time; he could move all the little baubled stones he'd made when the orb-lights were out, or he could leave those be--just in case--and make new ones.

Oliver had now opted for the latter. Quiet, focused, ignoring the others currently making their own preparations, he began to work on creating the lights.

A moment of gentle concentration, a soft murmur to himself as he focused, and as he unfurled his talons, a gentle golden-white glowing stone was left behind. It wasn't bright, but it was visible, at least.

"There you go," he said kindly to the pebble, before moving on to the next.

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

Without the storm overhead, Polaris looked a little different from what Kera remembered. The half-grown wolf took her time wandering the room, eyes drinking every sight there was to see. This place had never been particularly dark, even when the generator was broken, but it still looked unfamiliar to her.

She paced calmly, ignoring unfamiliar faces for now. She watched the river for a while, wondering quietly where Aka had gone to and if he had perhaps drowned here while it was dark and without her guidence for fishing.

It would serve him right.

She turned and quietly gazed upon the spire for a time when she came to that as well, though here her mind was blank. She had no real memories of it and she wasn't entirely sure what the giant blue-glowing-rock was for. As she turned, she caught sight of a black figure hunched over a light.

He was familiar, but it still took Kera a moment to realise why he was familiar. She looked left, then right, then began padding over with her nails clicking against the cave floor. "Hello, Oliver," she said, pulling the name out of some dark recess of her mind. "What are you up to?"

Kera, of course, knew fine well what he was up to-- he was a Light-Maker, like she was, but he was making lights in a place that was always fairly bright. Kera, despite her encouragements to make back-up lights just in case the Betrayer tried to turn the orbs off again, felt somewhat bewildered by this as she sat down next to the dog-crow hybrid.

"Do you need help?" She then proceeded to offer, glancing around the room once more, briefly.

@Oliver

Oliver peered over, pausing, and seemed to relax--feathered ears flicking back, and likewise-feathered tail briefly wagging. He wasn't a vociferous sort, but with a friendly bow of his head, his intentions and demeanor were made known without words right away.

When he did speak, it was gently and softly.

"Oh, uhh--if you want? I'm just-... helping. Not for the lights," he added hastily, glancing about. It was clear that this wouldn't make sense--Polaris always glowed, after all. "The others are doing a... a contest sort of. They're going to test their strength and... magic and other stuff," he explained, looking back to Kera quietly.

He then turned, pacing over with his lolloping wing-foot gait to show her the track somewhat laid out by him and by others ahead. "It's so they can see where they're supposed to stand and stuff and... kinda outline everything and make it... look better,"he finished, uncertaintly. He wasn't sure just how important these contests were, but he figured if it was important to the others, he should probably be helping.

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

@Kera

Kera listened, ears perked. She was thoughtful for a moment, and then nodded a few times. She followed the hybrid along towards the track, looking over it for a few moments as she sat herself down by it.

Contests sounded fun. It sounded like a way to win at something without having to fight or get hurt. Kera was good at her magic, too-- quite possibly the best, in her own not-so-humble opinion. "That's good," she said cheerfully. "Are you going to join them?"

Pushing herself up again, Kera spoke as she moved towards a rock and pushed it closer to herself with her paw, concentrating for a moment. The smooth rock under her foot began to fill with golden light; glittering faintly against her fur. She moved and placed it against the track. "Where is everyone else supposed to stand? Do they make a big line here?"

The half-grown wolf paced back and forth briefly, looking around. "Is there a lot to do? What else can we do here?"

@Oliver

Oliver paused, staring with some alarm at Kera.

She was asking a lot of questions.

"...You're asking a lot of questions. I dunno, I'm just putting up lights where it seems smart to put up lights? I don't know what else there is to do. Maybe if you want to make stuff look pretty, or something. It's good to see you though? How've you been, anyway?"

Oliver turned, focusing on another little stone, aiming to add a bit more sparkle. This one flared up brightly, and he smiled at it. He found himself wondering, too, if perhaps different types of rock responded differently to his magic. Then he glanced back to Kera, returning his attention to her. She looked a little... worn.

"Is there anything you need help with after all this?"

He paused and looked around. The area was now ringed with lights--and he could see other groups, in the distance, working together too. He'd liked to have coordinated, but they seemed to be having private conversations, so he just hoped that his own stuff wouldn't conflict with what they were doing.
{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

@Kera

Kera stared right back, ears slowly lifting with some concern.

She was not aware of how many questions she was asking.

She listened for a while, considering, slowly lifting a hind leg to itch at her ragged coat. "I can do that," she said quietly, thoughtfully. "I can make pretty lights, or pretty mushrooms, or pretty flowers." She nodded, more to herself, wandering away with a soft click, click, click of long nails against the cave floor, sniffing around briefly.

"It's good to see you too," she replied half-distantly. How had she been? Well, between the lights and the goose, pretty damn mixed. "I've been okay, I think. I turned the lights back on."

She paused for a moment, lowering her head down to the edge of the track, touching it delicately with her nose. Rift had told her to ask plants to move; in a way, it was different from raising mushrooms. She didn't exactly speak or will them to move and grow-- but perhaps she should. For a moment her mind was blank as she concentrated, frowning.

... please move? She thought a little lamely, but as she did, several plants began to sprout around the edge of the track-- green grass and small, white daisies and dandelions sprouted from the ground, brushing gently against her face.

She turned her head briefly, tail wagging, to grin over at Oliver-- hoping he had, in fact, seen that.

"How have you been?" She asked, feeling her mood elevating considerably. "What have you been up to-- making lights? I've been practicing doing more things, like making mushrooms and flowers and things that smell kinda bad."

The wolf briefly paced around in a circle, observing her work. "I don't think I need help with anything," she said thoughtfully after a time; she wasn't sure if Oliver would completely understand the situation with Blackberry and she wasn't sure if he'd be angry at her forever if she tried to explain.

So she left it.

Kera looked back up to Oliver, tail still wagging behind her as she paced back towards the hybrid, glancing around briefly for more things to decorate.

@Oliver

Oliver listened, black-feathered ears pricking up. He watched, too, and eyed the growing plants, awed.

"...You can grow stuff? I should learn that, it looks--useful." He paused, thinking. "And it was you who turned the lights back on? I wish I was there for it. How'd you do it--" Oliver cut himself off, peering ahead.

The other Gembound were gathering, now. The lights all seemed set, for the most part--Kera's plants had added no small amount of decoration--and it was probably too late to continue their work.

"I think they're starting," he said softly, glancing back to Kera. "Do you want to come and watch? Or are you--taking part? I'll watch. I'll just watch."

He eyed the plants again, deeply curious--but he'd have to learn about it another time. For now, it seemed, the games were about to begin.

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

exit Oliver ; @Kera

Kera turned her head, nodding towards Oliver. "I can grow stuff," she repeated proudly. "I can teach you?"

She nodded again, beginning to open her mouth to reply to Oliver when he cut himself off, though she soon looked off into the direction of the other gembounds, considering. She soon nodded. "I think I'll take part," she said a little proudly, albeit softly. "I'm good at magic."

Tail still wagging, Kera left the plants behind as she paced off towards the other gathering gembounds.

exit