[Post Lesser Events, to Familiar Forge]

Mocha

'Cause I'm having a good time

Mocha had stepped out of the fray after the event winners were announced, looking for some time alone with his new friend, and a break from the crowds. He wanted to make sure he cast the spell before the weaker link Nemean gave them had worn off, not that he thought Nori was eager to run away. The little guy had made himself comfortable on Mocha, wrapped around limbs, lounging on his back or even becoming a necklace to tap a nap. It was a wonder that the thing had survived alone for so long, given how little time it spent awake. Did it even hunt?

Mocha was excited to learn more about his new friend, and he was not eager to let their bond slip away so soon. Maybe, if it asked, he would return it to wander the caves alone, but until that day, the little pup was more than happy for the company. Gembounds come and go, but a familiar? Oh, he couldn't wait!

"Alright Nori, we've just gotta focus real hard, okay?"

@Anala @Sair (for myself lol)
Open to anyone! Just wanted a thread to fam forge the event lessers :)

Mocha

'Cause I'm having a good time

"Maybe we have to focus harder? Were you focused, Nori?" The bond didn't seem any stronger than it had been, but was that how it worked? Maybe he would try it again, just in case.

"One more time! Maybe we need to be closer?" Mocha reached a paw out for Nori to touch, trying not to laugh at the sensation. He didn't know he was ticklish! "Don't squirm so much!" He managed to choke out between giggles, causing the lizard to settle on his paw. "Okay now we can try it again! Let's do this Nori!"

Mocha

'Cause I'm having a good time

There was no mistaking the feeling of the bond clicking into place. It was like the one Nemean had given them, but better. Stronger. Feelings, senses, thoughts... They were not muddied anymore, but rather directly connected and clear, like he was seeing through two sets of eyes at once.

"Woah." Was all Mocha could think to say, as he and Nori just... looked at each other. Their feelings were shared freely now, with no control as to what did and didn't cross the link. There was no question what each felt in general, let alone what they felt about the other. Nori's opinion of Mocha was clear as day.

"Friends forever?" He could have cried, and maybe he did, just a little, as he felt Nori's sense of belonging and joy. It did not matter that Nori was a lesser. He was not 'just' a lizard to Mocha, and he never would be.

A sense of agreement flowed across the link. Friends forever it seemed to say.

ANALA
From a spark to a flame

"Oh, hey there." Anala had also snuck away from the crowds, looking to find some comfort in the company of her familiar. She had made an effort to learn the more permanent version of the spell and was hoping for some quiet to give it a try. She did not want to lose Ragnar so soon, not when they had so much training to do.

"I was just looking for some quiet to bond with my lesser. You?" She questioned the other lazily, settling down barely a pace away to look them over. They couldn't have been more than a cycle, and yet they won the battles? She fought hard to bite her tongue, turning away from the pup to look at Ragnar. She had to cast the spell before Nemean's wore off.

She murmured to him, cleaning dirt from his feathers as she pulled at her magic. The bond snapped into place easily, and the flood of emotions left her silent, a mix of her own disappointment and Ragnar's worry intertwining in her heart until she couldn't tell whose feelings were whose. "Thank you." She whispered to him, enjoying their moment of peace despite her frustration.

OOC Notes:

@Sair

Sair

Sair had shuffled over just as Anala had explained herself, and he declared himself as well. "For trying to escape the crowd, we have quite the group over here!" He chuckled, settling in his own zone a few paces away from both the wolf and the aqua-dog, Trill in tow. "Have you both decided to keep your new familiars, too? I've grown quite fond of Trill." He was a little confused to see Anala with something that was definitely not a rat, but given the first event, he would not be surprised to hear that Nemean swapped her familiars for the sake of entertainment. He decided not to ask, just in case there was something less wholesome at play, given the child sitting so close. Wait, didn't they win the battles?

"You had some great scores." He complimented, glancing at the youngster before turning his attention to Trill, who was already complaining about her lack of praise. "Yes Trill, you did wonderfully. Now, hold still, will you?"

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC:

We don't know how to accept we're just a product of a chance /
And less like gods but more like plants

Sair

"Caves, Trill! Just for a moment, I promise." He pleaded with his familiar, trying his best to soothe her squirming. "I told you I'd take you on some adventures, yes? To make some friends? Special friends?" She hummed, and Sair was glad that she understood. He didn't really want to say anything along the lines of 'food' or 'prey' around a lizard that Trill would absolutely try to eat if given the chance.

He reached for his magic again, a gentle hoof nudging Trill's frills. The fact that she trusted him to do so was more than telling of their bond, despite it still being in the early stages. The link formed in an instant, overwriting the one that Nemean had connected them with in such a way that he wondered if Trill had always been there. She was a strange companion, but his companion nonetheless, and their feelings and senses flowed freely through the line now. It was crystal clear, redoubtable in its strength. They were bonded forevermore. "That wasn't so bad now, was it?"

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC:

We don't know how to accept we're just a product of a chance /
And less like gods but more like plants

@Mocha

Mocha

'Cause I'm having a good time

Mocha was oblivious to Anala's discontentment, and chirped away at the new friends eagerly. "Yes! Somewhere I can focus." He agreed with the wolf, staring openly between her gem and her familiar. "Did your rat run away? That familiar is really cool! But is the rat ok?" He couldn't help but feel concerned about the familiars who weren't chosen. Did they get returned to the caves they were found in? He hoped so. "Magic can be hard!" He continued, changing the subject effortlessly with very little pause between for the others to chime in. He would learn with time, or maybe he wouldn't, but for now he had all the energy of a toddler and little else to do with it. "How did Nemean give us all these bonds so easily? I had to try three times just to bond once!" He huffed, pointing paws this way and that as he talked. "But you did it fast too!" He faced Anala directly again, eyes wide. "Do you know lots of magic?!"

"And you!" It was the horse's turn to take the brunt of the conversation, which Mocha still hadn't finished somehow. "Thank you! You did great out there too! Trill got a ribbon!" He pointed again, as if this ribbon was a gift directly from the caves themselves. Nori had one too, which he was more than happy to show off at the declaration. Mocha offered him a gentle pat and sent his swelling pride through the link. It was more natural now, but Mocha had already grown used to having to try to shove feelings through the link. It would be a while before he broke that habit.

The pup caught a glimpse of Sair's gem next, and spent some time marvelling over it. Everyone had such pretty stones, and he couldn't even see his if it wasn't in a reflection! Maybe that made his super special? He liked the idea of having something different - everyone he had met in the caves had something special about them. "Do you know lots of magic too? It only took you two tries!"

@Sair @Anala

Sair

Mocha was certainly a chatterbox, not that Sair minded. Still, she was a little worn from all the festivities. She would indulge him for a while and spend some time getting used to this new bond with Trill, and then she would take her leave as politely as possible. She had work to do, after all.

She listened, nodding her head along while in a mental battle with Trill's boredom. She had that much energy as a foal, but she had quickly calmed down and settled into a routine of research and wandering. "You'll learn to control it the more you use it." She smiled, thinking back to the first vision she had, the first wisp she summoned. Magic came easier, now, though it was not a perfect science. She allowed him to ramble further, picking the brain of the seemingly irritable wolf with little hesitation. She couldn't speak very clearly as a hatchling, so surely this strange gembound must be a little older? It was an interesting combination of canine and fish, maybe a shark, given the teeth. The wolf on the other hand was no more than a wolf, though a gembound. Her harness was an interesting thing, and she couldn't help but wonder if it was enchanted.

Ah, it was her turn again. "So did Nori." She commended, gesturing to the lizard's display before nudging Trill gently. She was proud, standing tall with all her frills on display to show off her winnings. "I know a few spells, now. Not as many as some, and most of them are my own element, but I make use of them. Do you want to see?" It wasn't hard to remember the little one's name, given the awards he had won, and Sair was willing to indulge their curiosity a little longer.

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC:

We don't know how to accept we're just a product of a chance /
And less like gods but more like plants