From the moment she first opened her eyes, Priscilla knew exactly who she was. From the moment consciousness rose inside of her mind, she had admired the reflection looking back at her, thinking, admiring, nitpicking through a haze of amniotic fluid. Within the safety of this pretty pink prison, Priscilla learned what beauty was.

But it wasn't until those walls broke down around her that she realised it had to be maintained.

First a crack appeared that split her reflection clean in two. And then a web of cracks spread out from it. And suddenly there was air, and suddenly those walls came tumbling down. Priscilla tumbled to the ground in a heap of pearl shards, coughing, spluttering, bedraggled, wet and cold.

Heedless of the scenery or the beauty of the waterfall, Priscilla trundled confusedly to a nearby puddle of water, and immediately wished she hadn't as she saw herself for the first time. Outside of the chrysalis that kept her floating in stasis, she looked wet and bedraggled, wiry hair sticking together in ugly clumps.

Letting out a high gasp, the baby possum frantically washed her face, and when it didn't help, she looked around.

She had heard footsteps from time to time, creatures plodding along outside of her pearl chrysalis. She knew there had to be someone out here. Whether she wanted them to see her like this was another matter entirely.

Priscilla looked around frantically, and caught sight of a tumble of rocks piled against a nearby cave wall. After taking a moment's pause, Priscilla bolted for it. She squashed herself into a tiny crack between two stones and huddled there with soft sniffles.

Oh, Pisces.

Of course, she'd been here before. The cavern was an inevitable stop en route to other places more deserving of her attention. Despite this familiarity, the disappointment that crossed her mind each time she entered its frigid climate always tended to mirror the first. Its main feature, the roaring waters that spilled into a serene lagoon, fell short of her expectations without fail. A shame, but sheer size and thunderous echoes off stone walls could never compare to the beauty the smaller, sparkling cascade of Gemini possessed. It simply didn't meet her standards when it came to presentation.

Miriam shuddered and primly drew the folds of her gem-studded cloak closer to her sides. Not to mention she could do without being pelted by the cold droplets scattered every which way by the nearby crashing waterfall. At the very least the hood drawn over her ears shielded her head from most of the drumming irritation.

"Ghastly thing," she lamented in a soft whisper. Hopefully, if she didn't dally, the serpentine Gembound would be spared from any more of these conditions.

However, a rather curious sight put this sentiment on tentative pause: fragments glimmered against the drab stone floor, their color so eye-catching and impossible to ignore. A low hum resonating in her throat, she picked a chrysalis shard up and angled it to better catch the light. Pinpricks of interest, cold and sharp like that which was delicately suspended in her claws, emerged within her gaze.

"Oh, I wonder who this belongs to?" Behind this playful chirp, Miriam focused on more calculating actions. Magic pulsed through her heart and outward to sweep the surrounding area.

@Priscilla

Hiding behind the pile of tumbled stones, Priscilla frantically washed her face as she continued to sniffle. She swiped her fingers over her ears and tried to comb her matted grey fur with sharp little teeth. It wasn’t working, though, and aside from a trickle of water along the algae-slicked wall, there was no reflective surface where she could monitor her progress.

Oh, I must look so awful! How could I possibly have known that the outside could be so cruel!? the baby possum thought as she peered into it, even knowing that it was barely worth the effort. Not one hour ago, Priscilla had been gazing upon a perfect visage. Now that visage looked like it had been dragged through a river backwards.

Priscilla took a deep breath, shuddered, and then gave one last sniff, clenching her little pink hands in an effort to be brave. Maybe it will go back to normal soon… I just have to stay hidden until it does…

How long did she need to wait? What could she do in the meantime? This place was so dull and grey… it almost felt like punishment of some sort. Priscilla curled her long tail around her haunches, and then poked her long, pointed snout out from her hole to look longingly back at the pretty pink gem shards she’d left behind… and there, Priscilla saw a breathtaking creature, holding one of her old chrysalis fragments.

oh… Oh no… At that moment, her embarrassment simultaneously melted away and somehow intensified. The baby possum didn’t know what to do as she stared out of her little shelter at the stranger. But most of all, Priscilla was entranced by the sight of their cloak. She could barely comprehend what she was seeing, but some small part of her knew that this creature had exactly what she needed.

Is that a part of them… or is it… worn? It covers them… and it makes them even more beautiful!? How!?

@Miriam

She operated partly on instinct as her magic senses informed of the unmistakable shifting presence at the boundary of her ordinary perception. Miriam, swaying, reoriented herself to catch sight of whoever persisted in these drenched surroundings. The well-tailored cloak shimmered along with the movements of the body beneath it. Slow, deliberate, and falsely relaxed, she craned her neck forward, chin tucked in to peer down at a small rock pile sitting an easy slither away from her current position. Despite best efforts, the tip of a pale wedge-shaped snout stood out stark against the dull surfaces composing their hiding spot.

Giddiness restrained, Miriam didn't allow a wide grin to split her face. Instead her amusement was kept small, only a glimpse of her canines flashed at the tiny creature. She wiggled the chrysalis shard still pinned between her forefinger and thumb like it was bait on the end of a fishing line.

"Excuse me," she crooned. "This wouldn't happen to be yours, would it? I couldn't help but admire"—the corner of her mouth twitched at that word—"its luster. And the healthy color too. Neither too dark or garish."

Another claw applied pressure on the edge of shard. Seeing it remained whole and unbending, an airy giggle bubbled out from the tatzelwurm. "Not even brittle either! You must've had a fine hatch indeed if these are yours."

Mockery or sincerity? Even though her voice was sugary sweet, its delivery was rather exaggerated. Add in the occasional suspicious ring of sarcasm, and there existed the possibility this kindly demeanor was a pretty veneer for a more acerbic nature. Unblinking eyes almost dared the child to call out the flaws in her act. A risky venture when the pretender was of such towering stature.

@Priscilla

A voice spoke to Priscilla, smooth and refined, held perfectly in check. Outside of that perfect intonation, the main thing apparent was that she had obviously been found. Her cheeks flushed hot with an embarrassed blush that spread to the tip of her pink nose, whiskers quivering. Then she jerked her head back into her hiding place.

It was only then that she took a moment to appreciate their words. Complimenting the luster and health of her stone. It was something that Priscilla herself had always known as she had stared into its pretty pink walls, but was nice to hear nonetheless.

"O-oh, my, yes!" the little one said shrilly. She paused, the sound of her own voice surprising her with how... close it sounded. It erupted from within herself for the very first time, almost unprompted."W-well, thank you!"

Her voice it was shrill, too. She didn't know why, but she had never imagined herself to sound like this. In fact, she didn't think she had thought of it at all. After that, she tried lowering it, slowing down her speech in an effort to sound more mature. "I... Yes. I was always very happy with the colour and..." She turned the stranger's word over on her tongue. "...Luster. Pink suits me very well, I think, but it is... much duller out here."

Priscilla couldn't tell if their next words were a compliment to her directly, but she decided to take them as such. A momentary shyness flickered through her chest, but slowly and surely, she began to relax. Even still, she wasn't quite gallant enough to make a formal appearance. Not looking like this, anyway.

"Would you please... wait out there, ma'am? I... I would hate for you to see me like this, especially when you're so..." Priscilla paused for a little while, turning over new words in her head, trying to find the right ones. Each one that came to her was said out loud in an excited fervour. "Majestic! Well-dressed! Beautifully presented! Simply sublime!"

@miriam

Other than the twitch and eventual press of Miriam's ears against her skull, she was statuesque throughout listening to the hidden creature's stumbling response. It was so very indicative of what was already known from the shard she held: a child indeed, even their speech was marked by the awkwardness of youth. Much as the newly hatched blundered through their first steps of life, this one's words were hesitant, feeling out footholds on ground they hadn't yet grown accustomed too.

Naturally she'd never struggled so. Why would she ever when her identity and purpose had been so blatant from the very first wisp of air that'd wormed into the cracks of her own chrysalis. Rulers had no place for indecision and doubt. Nevertheless she'd humor this; perhaps some worthwhile fruit would be borne once the initial fumbling faded away.

Although her practiced smile had for the most part been plastered on, the onslaught of flattery drew out a genuine purr. "Oh, yes," she said, breezily waving her unoccupied paw. "I don't mind. One must, after all, always endeavor to look their best. Rather astute of you to have already figured that out."

A shame she'd yet to properly mold Claude to her will yet. If he were here and obedient, a mere snap of her claws could've driven him to attempt startling this child out. But no matter; it wasn't as if she hadn't waited for prey to leave their dens before.

@Priscilla

Priscilla let out a muted sigh of relief at the stranger's reply. It didn't strike her how convenient it was that her very first encounter out here in the wet, drab world seemed to share not only her opinions, but her values too. What did matter, though, was that the weight of their expectation added a weight of substantial pressure onto her small shoulders.

"Alright... okay. Um...

First things first, Priscilla actually had to figure out how to look her best. In her hidey hole, she looked around frantically, and found a small trickle of water flowing in between two tumbled stones. Everything is so... so darn wet and dank out here! She tried not to let it dampen her spirits and instead focused on the utility of it. If she peered in, squinting her eyes, she could just about see the shape of herself. Just enough to see that her fur was a complete mess!

With clumsy motions, she licked her paws and scrubbed her face and ears, cleaning off the last remnants of sticky fluid from anywhere she could reach. With passion and verve she drew her sharp teeth through her coat and pushed each strand into some semblance of place. Then she peered into the water again, narrowing her eyes. Something was missing... actually, scratch that, was missing!

She looked better, but just about as average and drab as the entire world around her! The pink blush she was so used to seeing in the walls of her pink pearl chrysalis was all gone, and suddenly she looked grey and dull and drab as rocks. And that simply wouldn't do! She didn't have a cloak or any flowing fabrics like this stranger, but Priscilla knew that somehow, she had to do something.

Priscilla sucked in through her teeth. She didn't know exactly what she was trying to do, but somehow she felt like she had the power to do it. Pretty, she urged silently, closing her eyes. make me pretty!

There was a momentary pause before she felt a tingle flow through the surface of her skin, down her back, and right to the very tip of her tail. The magic dried up the very last of the fluids in her fur, as it was shared between plant life instead. But other than that, nothing happened. Priscilla struggled to hide her devastation. Well... she thought. This will have to do.

She took a deep breath. "Okay! I'm ready!"

And then she took a deep breath and scuttled out of her hiding place, trying to keep her steps slow and measured, and held her head high. She sat down just beside the entrance, pushed her ears back with a small pink hand, and said:

"Hello! Er..." How do I start? What do I say?! "I'm Priscilla. What can I call you?"

The name had always been there, and Prissy wasn't sure where it had come from. But somehow, it felt perfect, even more so said out loud.

@miriam

Her mask of polite, friendly interest maintained, the expression might have verged into the realm of the uncanny as Miriam took a quiet second to take in the image of the young Gembound now fully revealed to her. She tilted her head, small smile frozen in place, while a claw pointed at the rodent. It traced out the tiny creature's silhouette in the air. Throughout this silence, her eyes remained wide and blue, the emotion in their depths entirely open to interpretation.

And then at last: "Ooh," came an appreciative coo. "I see the stone reflects the owner. No mistaking it when I see this one's partner beaming out at me from your little face."

Miriam's laughter rang out like the peal of crystal wind chimes, each note perfect in its clarity, and she gestured to the shard clutched in her paw. This was followed by her unburdened palm pressing against her chest, positioned directly over where magic pumped blood through an unmoving gemstone heart.

"As I've always deemed fit to call myself, I'm Miriam." In a show of curiosity, she removed the paw from her thrumming heartbeat and waved it over Priscilla's form. "Quite an interesting choice of attire, dear. Homemade, is it?"

The attention the plants woven amongst fur received was threaded through with gentle amusement. A quick fix for a more permanent, enduring problem, it left generous room for improvement. The tatzelwurm, content for now to chat and observe, had yet to determine if lending any guidance in the matter was worth her time. She'd allow the child to make her case and reach a decision afterward.

@Priscilla