Pride stumbled ever so slightly, at Envy's words. Anger flickered through him, but he quickly reined it in, just as quickly as he caught his step. He carefully considered his words before speaking, keeping his tone tone mild.

"...A meeting, for bonding." He was silent, for a beat, before continuing, as he walked on. "That is wise, yes; I had suggested it to you myself. ...Do you not remember? A periodic meeting, so as to strengthen our bonds, share knowledge, to keep track of other and so on..?" He left the question hanging in midair, as mild as his voice.

It was clear to him that Envy had forgotten his advice as soon as he had offered it, but as he often did, he left the weasel the chance to answer the way they wished. A way out of their apparent faux pas. Hopefully, Envy would pay more attention to him in the future. Just as mildly, he turned the topic, pushing his annoyance away.

"And perhaps a good thing, too. I do not know half the names you have mentioned. What is Sirius? Who is Amazon, and why are they departing so soon?" Innocently-asked, this; he had no idea what the lizard's name had been, and most certainly he had no idea that they were dying.

"We certainly ought to have those traps in place at once, if we are to be gathering," he added.

He had no idea how the weasel planned to bring food to the gathering--nor did it matter. In Pride's mind, surely this meeting would be all business.

@Envy

Envy nodded vigourously before remembering that Pride couldn't see them. They had, in fact, remembered Pride's advice... but somehow the idea of Pride having fun was difficult to picture. But it seemed they'd phrased it wrong anyway, and so they found themselves rapidly backpedalling as they tried to reverse and reiterate. "Yes, yes! of course I remember, Pride! But what Gluttony suggested was... more relaxed. Less about information and more about helping everyone settle in. Gluttony described it as... as a party! Yes! It would help them all to relax, and you as well. It would make the Seven more like a home than an arrangement. It might even help to expand my kingdom! Wouldn't that be great?" Envy paused for a moment with bated breath before continuing. "Then after that we'd arrange to meet regularly. And then when everyone's on good terms, then wouldn't it be so much easier to talk to them? They'd be so much happier to talk and share information!"

Envy paused for a moment at the questions Pride posed, awkwardness punctuating the air as they struggled with how to put it. "Sirius is... Well, he's a little like me, only darker," Envy said at length, tapping a paw as their stomach clenched tightly on Pride's next question. "Amazon's the... little lizard. The one Reseda-- er, I mean... Greed, brought with her. She's..." they coughed. "Well, she's---... she's dying, Pride..." they managed to sputter it out, and then fell silent, their tongue feeling as though it were made of lead, and their grip tightening on Pride's forehead. Like a fish out of water, they felt suddenly lightheaded, but they tried not to show it and simply stared ahead. "I thought she was being dramatic at first. But she's gotten worse."

They swallowed as Pride continued and forced their voice to remain even. But it started to break anyway. "Traps? Yes... Of course. We can seal off the exits maybe. Make it so there's... only one way in. Easier to... defend."


When I speak.

When I think.


________________


@Pride

Pride listened in silence as he walked, and then paused, awaiting directions. Meanwhile, however, he addressed what Envy had said. "I suppose providing them with food may cause them to feel a debt toward you," he allowed, with indifferent pragmatism. He looked around, slowly. "I do hope you get along with Sirius, then, as well. And Reseda is calling herself Greed, now..?"

He wondered, idly, if she were only trying to better fit in. A faint sense of venom touched his mind, at that; Reseda would never fit in. She was cold, and manipulative; she was a lying beast out only for her own gain. And is Envy not..? he asked himself. This, for a moment, he considered--startled at his own thoughts--and was relieved to realize that no, Envy was not the same. They clearly felt. They felt enthusiasm, they felt insecurity, they felt--at the very least--grief at the state of this "Amazon."

"Have you had someone look at this, Amazon's, condition? It is possible that I, or another, might be of aid." He wasn't sure what was wrong with them, but surely nothing was untreatable, with the right technique and the right magic.

"Where now?"

@Envy

"Yes, yes! That would be good, wouldn't it?" the weasel asked, almost pleadingly. As Pride spoke of Sirius, Envy perked up a little bit, and that enthusiasm broke into their voice slightly, managing to tip the weasel a little more into the vicinity of helping their emotions be manageable. "Sirius was really happy to meet me. He was especially excited that he got to meet a King! He was shocked when I asked him to join me," they answered proudly.

A moment later, their voice rose in a trifle of surprise. "You didn't know? Apparently so. I haven't found her to speak with her yet, but... That's what Amazon called her. It seems that's how she's introducing herself now. I don't know why anyone would want to call themselves something like that... I mean... I thought Reseda was perfectly fine." It took a moment for the irony to dawn on them, and when it did, their spines rose. "I mean... why would she want to change it to that," they corrected themselves hastily.

As Pride continued to talk about Amazon, Envy fell silent. They didn't know how to reply, how to respond. Was Pride offering to look at it? They didn't think he could be much help. After all, they and Amazon had almost the same issue. "I taught her to heal. She said that it helped- at first. But... I... I think... I think it's the gem. It's always the gem, Pride. Maybe if those... Bloodberries hadn't got to me first, I would have died too." The weasel's tone veered dangerously close to helplessness- but they tried to retain their regal image and struggled not to leap at Pride's offer to help. They wanted- badly- for the lizard to be okay in the end. But if Pride did manage to fix it, what would that make them? But the more they thought about pride's offer, the more they knew that they desperately wanted it. They fidgeted. If Pride could save Amazon, then perhaps Envy could do something for him. And maybe for her, too. Make it worthwhile, so that Envy wouldn't be shunted out of the picture in the end. "...Think you could try? I could... help you. And introduce you. She's a little scared of the bigger Gems."

They paused, gesturing with a paw over one of Pride's eyes. They didn't lean too far, for fear that Pride would catch sight of their glassy eyes. "Thataway."

When I speak.

When I think.


________________

@Pride

A touch of exasperation--faintly amused--crept into Pride's tone as he responded, and as he turned and gently lurched into motion again at Envy's direction.

"It may be the gem, but I did tell you I'd near perfected a method to isolate your own, everywhere bar where it's actually embedded in flesh. It might have helped, I do not know. I would be happy to have a look--it is certainly worth a try." Pride was unaware that a gemstone's removal or complete isolation would likely kill the gembound owner, but that wasn't quite what he'd been planning, regardless.

"And not to sound callous, my King, but in addition to helping--even if we fail, or rather even if I fail, at least you will have the appearance--to your followers--that you have gone above and beyond to do everything you could to aid one of your subjects."

Pride was, for a moment--well, proud of himself. His advice was just so damn good. Wasn't he thoughtful? He considered excellent points, offered new angles, and just was generally so helpful.

He puffed out his chest a little as he walked.

"Regardless, I rather hope I would show her quite quickly that I am nothing to be frightened of." Pride did not ever think of himself as intimidating; even when fighting, he was graceful and reserved (at least, when not in a near-panic).

As for Reseda, he didn't mention it. Really, he didn't even put his own name and Greed together. Reseda had named him, certainly, but he was perfectly accepting of his title of Pride. There was nothing to be ashamed of, in the concept. Greed, though..? Greed was not a good thing.

Certainly nothing to take... pride, in. He laughed internally at his own joke, and moved on.

@Envy

I know, I know," Envy tittered, hesitantly. "But think about it, Pride. If it goes wrong, I could choke, or suffocate, or worse. I trust you, Pride, but I don't trust magic. My gem is dead in my throat, and even if it didn't go wrong there's no guarantee it would feel better." It was clear that even now, the weasel was repulsed by the idea of putting themselves completely at the mercy of Pride's magic. They were certain that whatever Pride decided to put in their mouth would only make them more sick in the long run anyway.

Envy shuddered.

They perked up to listen again as Pride, again, offered more advice. They were a little surprised by this one, and they weren't sure if it helped lessen the ache inside of them or the tightness in their throat, but it also offered the faintest sliver of relief. Perhaps Pride did understand how they felt. To some extent. The weasel felt themselves growing more at ease, too, as everything circled back around to them, and their kingliness. "Yes, I... I suppose that would be good, too."

They did have to agree that they didn't think anyone would be capable of being afraid of Pride for too long. Jealous, maybe, but not afraid. He was simply too delicate, too pretty. He drew people's eyes, not their ire, Envy thought, with a twinge of resentment. "I hope so," they said, voice low.

The weasel fell into an uncharacteristic silence and simply watched the world go by, kneading the fur atop Pride's head with their paws for comfort. They'd arrive soon, and they didn't want any of the Three Kings to notice the tears in their eyes.

When I speak.

When I think.


________________

@Pride

Pride made his way further along, a mental sigh of exasperation stifled from erupting from his actual mouth.

"I am aware," he responded. "I know that you no longer seem to need the aid, as well. I was simply pointing out that I did in fact perfect the spellwork, and that it may be useful when applied to other, possibly similar, situations."

Onward he paced, pausing once Envy had stopped giving directions. He could feel their paws kneading his fur, and he tried to ignore it as best he could. It wasn't that it hurt; in a content mood, it might even be relaxing. But when he was already irritated, it was a constant, aggravating reminder that his tiny king was a nervous wreck who was, thus far, good only at changing topics and getting themselves killed.

He paused, here, and waited. They were at the Forum, now, and he could see flashes of multicolored light; he paced ahead, ears flicking forward, as he moved toward it.

"Hello?" he called out, in his musical, fluting voice. And then, to Envy, "Is that them?"

@Envy

"I... suppose," the King answered absently, looking around and observing their surroundings. Everything looked so different from up here- but still familiar. They were almost there, and it was a good thing, too. Envy felt almost fit to burst from the tension.

Tail twitching even as they hugged close to Pride's head, the little weasel was almost beside themselves. It took all of the tiny creature's willpower not to take off and simply run. Straight ahead, just a few paces and they would be there, hopefully, standing before the Three Kings of Orion. Envy, too, could see the lights that Pride pointed out, and they felt their heart jolt with momentary nervousness.

”Alnitak? Mintaka? Alnilam? It’s me, Envy. It’s been a while, but I’m a king now, too. I’ve brought one of my subjects... Pride.” The weasel spoke with as much confidence as they could muster, standing up straight and holding their head high- crown glistening in the kings’ own light. Still, they tried to be respectful. ”Pride... Meet the kings.” They almost choked on the word. ”Alnitak, Mintaka and Alnilam.”

Maybe they needed a new title.

Kings were so unoriginal.


When I speak.

When I think.


________________

They existed in an idle state, head bowed and wings tucked; within their chest stirred the orbiting three stones, slowly moving around each other as the body rested. From the body stretched the glowing white dots that speckled their translucent color, reaching and fading in slowly away from them before fading out.

But ah, a voice. One of the pledged.

The stones spun quickly as they came to, realigning themselves so that Mintaka's stone was in the middle while the other two orbited around it. The eyes of the being opened to reveal a silver-blue color. King Envy?

They considered. The Kings had not been given their title for fun, and neither would they have taken it willingly if they had a choice. It trapped them here in this prison.

"King Envy," came their collective voice, echoing off of the Forum's crumbling high walls. "Pride," they greeted as well—such peculiar names. "What can we do for you?"

@Envy @Pride

Pride peered, looking over the glittering stars that threaded from the strange creature and into the distance. It was fascinating; they were certainly unlike any other gembound he had ever met, to the point of not even appearing to be truly flesh-and-blood.

Amras' voice, suddenly and unexpectedly, rang in his mind--a warning against trusting the motives of the ancients. This one certainly seemed otherworldly, as if spun from a wholly different cloth than the rest of the caves. Nonetheless, Pride stepped forward and swept himself into a low bow, nearly kneeling, antlers almost brushing the rock. He managed to even do it without any particularly sudden movements, so that hopefully Envy could adjust their posture without simply-... tumbling away.

It wasn't a gesture of subservience, but it was respectful nonetheless, and the tone held by his melodic voice was careful and likewise rather formal.

"Forgive me for intruding--and it is fascinating to meet you at last," he fluted softly. "I have spent much of my life--as short as it has been thus far--studying the cave's magic, trying to learn of its origins, of sentience and its link to this, and so on. Envy showed me a spell I had not thus far seen: the ability to fly. I was wishing to learn more of this."

He did not outright ask to be taught it; if they wanted to teach it, they would. Otherwise, it was just as much the knowledge that interested him, and if he could learn of it, perhaps he could teach himself, in time, regardless.

Pride glanced briefly to Envy, wondering if he'd missed anything. He did not know these other Kings well--nor did he know what, precisely, they were Kings of--and was faintly concerned that he might insult without meaning to.

@Envy