Reseda had not been gone long, but she had learned much. She was growing bored and weary of the chaotic and crowded caves outside of the room of bones. She grew tired of having stone and dirt instead of water and bones beneath her feet. And she felt what was akin to longing. She missed the bones, in her own way. She wanted to crunch down on them again, sharpen her teeth on their creamy, chipping sides, and snap them between her jaws.

She flicked her tongue to take in the scents of the bones. Disgusting, dusty, burnt. Just how she preferred. There were too many fresh, warm smells in the other caves. The coldness on her skin felt natural and she was content once again.

She remembered where her old cave was, but it took a moment to bring the memory to the surface. Trying to remember the tracks that would lead her there, she followed her distant memory to the chambers. She wondered what had changed. Well, she was only gone for a cycle so probably not much. If the green one was still hanging around, however, she'd probably turn around and head right on back to Orion. If there was anywhere else that she would be setting up another lair it would be at the Throne. Nowhere else seemed to inspire as much fear and awe in the gems as that place.

After a little searching, she found the little chamber that had served as her lair. It looked exactly the same. Mostly empty with dried out carcasses and various piles of bones. Nobody had disturbed it. She had thought she would have to clean things up or collect more bones, but this had saved her precious time.

She curled up in her usual spot and pulled a bone close. A big, thick one, not too old so it would take time to wear out. And she began to crunch down, grinding her teeth, just as she always did.

"Living with myself."
Nothing but lies.


tags: @Astaroth
notes:

Astaroth's ears perked, picking up the sound of sliding and shifting from nearby, and the gnawing of bones. He deftly climbed down from the bone tower he had sat perched on, his glowing violet eyes scanning the stacks and mounds of the dead. He crept around a fortress silently, before seeing his apprentice among the bones, gnawing at them. He quickly relaxed, then smirked as he had an idea. Astaroth's eye flashed as he felt the power within him grow back to its full strength, but was disappointed as he felt only part of it go towards the lizard. He focused on holding her in place, and not letting her go.

Astaroth let out an airy laugh as he strode towards the komodo. "Well well well, what have we here? It seems you've stuck around even after all this time. Now that's what I call devotion. Now, before you ask, I did not abandon you, I was in slumber, I needed to give my body time to heal from multiple fights that had left me scarred and wounded. And while I still keep scars, my wounds are fully healed now. Now what has my apprentice done in all this time away from me? Have you found anyone new to join our empire?" He asked, his voice booming around the cave, larger than life, his eyes glowing steadily violet as he grinned wickedly.
"Speaking."
Thoughts.
tags: @Reseda
notes:

Reseda didn't hear anyone approaching, she was too busy gnawing and gnashing at the bones. Her mind was blank and distant and she thought of nothing until, suddenly, her muscles siezed and stopped moving.

She froze, both because of the spell and because her snap back to reality had caught her off guard. With a great amount of effort, she turned her head just as a voice started to speak. A very familiar voice she hadn't heard for a while. Finally, she managed to finish her head turn and see it in full. The deep one, who had left her to wander alone after promising to teach her much more. It stood before him, speaking in its unmistakable tone.

So he had been sleeping? Of course, he promises her magic and then goes to sleep. Once the spell had released enough for her to talk, she did not. She simply stared at him, wondering if she should even put herself back as its 'apprentice'. She had achieved her goal of learning the spell that it had first shown her, after all, as well as some of her own. But, then again, the deep one still had much to teach her. She did not know how to freeze others in place. That was something that would come in handy.

She decided that she would, for now. Well, not as an inferior. She was no a child anymore. She would learn with the deep one, help it and it would help her. A interesting relationship they would have. "Master," she greeted with a small nod. "We meet once again among the bones, although I have not been here for a cycle either. I have only just returned from a trip through the caves. I have seen the Spire and the Throne and I fought and learned and spoke. I have expanded and grown from what you taught me."

At her words, she let magic release through her body and focused on a point behind the deep one where a manifestation of her blinked into existence. "You gave me good knowledge," the copy murmured, "knowledge that I have put to good use while you were away." After a moment, the copy vanished and the real Reseda began to speak again.

"I have done my best, master, but it is difficult while I am so young and inexperienced. I met many. I tried to charm or scare or befriend, as they would call it, but so far my results have been wavy at best. There was one, Chaos it called itself, that did not leave my side while I lived in this room. There was another, an ugly thing that called itself Boo, but I do not think it would ever fear us. It is a delusional thing."

There was also the young one, but she did not want to think about that embarrassing encounter, much less share it with the deep one. She didn't see a point, anyways. A failure meant nothing to either of them.

"Living with myself."
Nothing but lies.


tags: @Astaroth
notes:

Astaroth listened thoughtfully, flinching slightly at the copy that had showed up behind him, yes... your powers have grown. he thought as he gazed at her. "I am impressed, I can see you have grown and with you your powers. Though while I will allow inexperience as an excuse, I will not accept age as one. I fought hard long before I reached adulthood, though I did not often win, but I've hardly lost a fight since. You are an adult, you must show the caves your powers. Though it is good that you have explored, seen the crowded clamour of the rest of the caves. What did you think of the spire? I've never quite cared for the rock myself." Astaroth said after releasing reseda from his grip and laying in front of her, facing her with his head in his paws, still weary from his slumber.
"Speaking."
Thoughts.
tags: @Reseda
notes:

Reseda nodded. She didn't even know why she was putting up her mask to the deep one. She did little of it before, but now it seemed natural, when interacting with gems, to show that side of her that had the illusion of emotion or understanding. "I know. I have done what I can. But it seems that few are impressed by my abilities. I must grow and learn more." Yes, grow and learn, collect magic and power and fear. They would fear her and respect her one day. If the deep one would help her get to that, then she would do anything.

But the Spire? There was a shivering in her stomach. If she could feel anything, she would have been flooded with the memory of awe and longing. The Spire had been the one thing to give her a reaction so powerful that she questioned herself. But how could she convey this to the deep one? Did she even want to? It was strange to have such powerful preferences in the matter. "When I looked upon the Spire, I felt the magic within me. I saw shapes within the rock, many things that could or could not be, but I did not understand. They were distant, like smoke in darkness. But I felt the power and magic coming from the stone."

"Living with myself."
Nothing but lies.


tags: @Astaroth
notes: