What are you? wasn't exactly a question Siren wanted to hear, much less answer. Couldn't this thing have just said who instead of what? The child shuffled uncomfortably, but refrained from answering just yet in favour of showing Elyon a handshake, taking a moment to at least come up with an answer that wasn't immediately mean.

When Elyon took her little hand in a meaty fist, she began shaking it with all the vigour a week-old child could. "It's a greeting!" She explained loudly, still taking the hybrid's hand on quite the journey. "The Collector showed me it. He said it was special, and called a handshake."

She released Elyon's hand eventually, furrowing her brow towards the other hybrid. "I dunno what I am," she mumbled much less cheerfully. Azure had told her that everyone was weird and although that offered some small comfort, it didn't really make her feel less like an outcast when something as fucked up as that was asking what she was.

At least Pride was talking.

Whatever he was planning did seem fun, at least-- but she had absolutely no intentions of putting herself forward on defense. She wanted to run, and grab things, and be an absolute little shit. However, when her newly-proclaimed New Friend put herself out for defense, Serendipity was waving her little arm in the air.

"I wanna defend too!" She announced, wide-eyed. "We'll be the best defenders."

Narcissus
Watch my actions
Or lack thereof
Negate the person
That I said I was


Narcissus looked around at the others gathered before Pride. Some were...definitely interesting and unlike anything he'd really ever seen before. To the hybrid that came up to him, he blinked. Colorful? Well, he certainly was.

He didn't pay much attention to the hybrid, though he couldn't help but feel a rush of...something. He used to be someone who basically fed off the comments from others, so it was certainly nice to get something like that again. But now he had to pay attention to Pride.

A game, where they had to retrieve a crystal and get it out. Seemed easy enough, even with some defenders. Though the two defenders were certainly...something. This might be more difficult than he'd been expecting. Well...whatever. He'd do what he could.



"Speech."
Thoughs

Two volunteers were offered swiftly, and Pride inclined his head to indicate his pleasure at this. It didn't occur to him that Luster was not technically one of the Seven; he simply assumed that they were, what with their relationship to Amazon.

"Good--very good. Not too far from now our training exercise against the Bonebound will be similar. So it will be good to get you all used to this structure," he added, nodding toward the coliseum with an amused tone that suggested that this was borderline cheating. "I don't yet know how the teams will work, but if we are to train as defenders of the caves, well--what better way to begin?" There was a smile to his voice.

Pride turned to Elyon and Siren. "Go ahead and make your way down; you shall find the crystal awaiting you behind the final barrier. Prepare whatever defenses you wish and call to us when you are ready."

Then he turned to the rest. "Once they are gone, the rest of you can decide on a plan of attack. If you wish to coordinate your advance, your use of magic, or your leadership, that would be a good time to do so. Oh, and I ought to add..."
Pride, having half turned away, paused and looked back with one hoof in the air and mischief in his eyes. "I will be throwing you all--on both sides--extra little problems, so be prepared to deal with the unexpected."

The humor in his tone promised fun, or perhaps great challenge. Either way he took a few steps away to observe below, though he remained in earshot of those on the attack.

@Elyon @Narcissus @Siren @Luster @Reign @Zothra

Elyon was about to contemplate the necessity of touching hands and how shockingly affectionate, yet natural it felt, but her mind caught a fierce snag: the Collector. Her eyes widened (as much as they could, given she had limited range of expression) and body seized. A nervous laugh bubbled from her throat, and she turned away: "haha, okay."

Her forearms felt itchy again, thighs too. Fingers inched toward them, pressed against rubbery skin, about to pierce--- oh, she was supposed to move, to act, put her fingers to use in a way that didn't involve shaky breaths and racing thoughts. Elyon had Vita blood running through her veins, and they were known for avoiding feelings. She idly offered a hand to Siren, chirping back towards Pride, "alright--- c'mon, kiddo."

Chitin clicking against the floor as she drew close to the crystal, she offered: "ok, how about you 'n I just--- put rocks 'round it. Hide it so they gotta take more time to get to it?" A brutish, simple idea, but probably effective.

@Siren

Shockingly, 'discomfort' was something Serendipity hadn't had much of a concept of. At least, she'd never seen someone else feel it. She had felt it before, of course-- there was vague discomfort when she met that thing in Canis, or when she rode Dread.

She did, however, gather that Elyon probably needed some space.

Siren shuffled away from Elyon and turned to listen to Pride with flicking ears, bubbling a plan up in her mind already. They could set up some kind of traps, depending on what magic the hybrid knew. Siren could set things on fire and make things but she was unsure if either of those would be... helpful.

At least, she didn't think stabbing people would be very good during training.

Blinking at a burly hand presented to her, she took it and followed along thoughtfully. "I can like, make walls?" She offered. "Or I can like, encase the crystal in stuff? So they have to break it? OR," she let go of Elyon to lift both hands up excitedly. "I could make copies? So that they don't know what one's real?"

She considered this further for a moment as she wandered along, ruffling her hair. "Though they'd need like... a marker, or something, so that they know it's not the real one. I dunno."

The stag stepped back, preparing to oversee the training.

Hopefully, it would go well. There was much to do before the real event--and much to do to ensure that the Seven became a true fighting force... true defenders.

exiting due to inactivity