The stag inclined his head, thinking, then gave a little nod.

"That is about what I am thinking. To my knowledge, we still have a few Bloodberries unaccounted for, and there have certainly been other villains in this cave's past. I wonder," he went on, thoughtful, "if fewer might have been injured had we been present at that black dragon's assault in Polaris." In Pride's mind, his power--and Envy's--would have been enough to more quickly turn the tide.

"Well, there are always young Gembound hatching, and there are plenty, I am sure, of adults with no place to call home. We can offer the newly-hatched a place, as we have been doing--but should they grow and in time wish to learn, I will teach them. None of that kidnapping-and-brainwashing-newborns, though," he added in disgust.

He would have liked a more concrete plan--but he could think of no way to quickly gather adult Gembound to their cause. Most of those in Orion already knew of them, and those in other caves often belonged to the groups that made their homes there.

"But what of a name change? We are hardly 'sinful,' and it still smacks of Reseda's influence. It would hardly, too, inspire trust in our guardianship," he added, with mild, if grim, amusement.

@Envy

Envy nodded, thinking. "The Black wolf got away... and the one you befriended, what of that?" They were also uncertain what had became of the prisoner that they'd once held in Orion, the one with stunted legs; and the young bird who allowed them to lead her away. Envy still felt a twinge of smugness at the thought that she had trusted Envy over the wolf.

They listened as he continued, blinking slowly. "Perhaps you could train some in making armour, rather than fighting," they said. It was a basic idea, and perhaps not a new one; but it at least showed they were thinking. "We could perhaps bargain with other groups. We could make them things and in return they do things for us, like... making those gardens, or sharing secrets with us."

It would all, ultimately, work wonders in increasing their standing, and by extension, Envy's.

Pride spoke again of a name change, and again Envy felt a thrill of wrongness. They let out a small sigh, quills prickling. They didn't know of a better one. But Pride had already spoken of liking 'the Seven' better. But Envy didn't know if they liked the idea of using Pride's name. They wanted to come up with something, for once!"...The Kingdom of the Seven, perhaps." There. It was Pride's idea, but with an Envy sort of flare.

...But speaking of.

There it was. Their name again.

Would a kingdom really be so noble lead by a creature whose very name bore their soul for all the world to see? And a name they hated, no less. The Kingdom could become the centre of the caves, but its King's name implied that they had only gotten there by taking from others.

They knew, in that moment, they wanted their kingdom to be their own, and so in that moment they wanted their own name, too. A name worthy of a King.

"...I don't think Envy is particularly inspiring, either," they said at length. They looked up at Pride, letting the words sink in. Pride, on the other hand, implied capability and strength. It spoke of a confidence in one's abilities. But as a name, Envy implied that they leeched off of others' successes and desperately craved everything that they couldn't have.

...Which, in a way, was true.

But that didn't change the fact that they'd always wanted it changed.

Speech. Thought.

@Pride

The stag considered, quietly. At length--softly--he began to speak.

"Befriended--? Which one? And as to armor, I can do my best. However, it may be worth sounding out Glory, in Monoceros. I hear that he makes fine armor, and more; he is an eagle. Perhaps he would even join us, given time." Pride didn't know him well, but the bird's work was growing in popularity. Dread, the dragon, had even mentioned him more than once.

"It may also be worth a serious attempt to get the dragon there on our side. A formidable foe--if it can be controlled; better to have it as an ally. Perhaps I can offer to create it trinkets and the like for its aid, if it is called upon?"

Pride then looked to Envy once more, sombre. "That, as a name, also works--the Kingdom of the Seven." It was a concession, really, but anything was better than "Sinful Seven." "And as for your name, what do you feel--? It should be a word that is a representation, a mosaic of all that you are, I should think. While Pride still suits me well enough, I do not think you are formed of Envy. I think you have come a long way past that. Perhaps a word that means a high point? Crescendo or--Summit, or the like... or a word for powerful? -I am not very good at naming," he admitted then, with some amusement.

@Envy

Envy thought. It had been a while since they had seen the erratic hybrid; they didn't believe that they'd seen it in Eridanus, on the awful day of the battle. They had almost forgotten its name entirely. And then, it came to them. "...Huckleberry, wasn't it?"

They looked up, attentive, tail curling, quills lifting, as Pride spoke of someone called 'Glory'. Envy couldn't be sure, but they thought they might have met, or at the very least seen him before. They agreed, too, on the sentiment regarding the dragon, their spines quivering with childish excitement at the thought of managing to tempt the great beast into their rule. "It followed my orders before. I know exactly what to tempt it with, too," they twittered gleefully.

Their tail twitched proudly as Pride seemed to appreciate their suggestion; the Kingdom of the Seven. Or, as Pride had suggested, just the Seven. They felt better about it already, and they ached to spring up, to find the others and tell them the news, to completely wash their paws of Reseda's influence.

As Pride offered them suggestions for a new name, Envy considered them, but quickly brushed them off. They could make good names for someone else, but none of those felt right. How do newborns do it? most seemed to hatch with a name already at the forefront. Other names seemed to simply materialise from nothing. Envy's name was neither. And it didn't feel right anymore.

They would like something, not that described them, but that felt right. Not a word for something else, a name. Unique in every way to them, and them alone. Someone should mention their name, and know that it belonged to a king.

Envy opened their mouth to admit that they' drawn a blank, only to sharply draw a breath-- because something had materialized; a thought, a word, a name. And it was full of grandeur. "Livius," they breathed. And it felt right. They shivered with excitement, and sat bolt upright, looking at Pride expectantly for his input. "Livius," they said again, louder, firmer.

It felt like the name they were always meant to have.

Speech. Thought.

@Pride

Pride tilted his head, as he listened, and gave a little nod.

"Huckleberry--yes. He's under the care of my--of Mercurius, and the Kingdom of Eridanus," Pride explained. What had he almost called Mercurius--? They weren't romantic, no, but somehow he felt that they were a pair, of sorts.

Strange.

"I think he is faring better, but it will be hard to overcome everything he has gone through, and he is weak enough that I believe enough pressure could push him back into his old ways."

And as for Livius--... Pride tilted his head a second time, peering at Envy with a quizzical, yet pleased, expression. Often Envy's choices were-... questionable, but this one--this, he felt, was good. "A good name," he agreed, firmly. "Simple, direct, yet it emanates nobility, it speaks of power. Of authority. I like it." He had no idea what it meant-- if it meant anything at all--but damned if it didn't sound good.

"King Livius, then, of the Kingdom of the Seven..?"

@Envy

Envy caught Pride's hesitation in speaking of Mercurius and a slight shiver ran through them. What had he almost said? Their eyes narrowed, only slightly, for the tiniest of instants. And then they looked away. "Good, then," they said.

They supposed there was no need to worry about it anymore.

As Pride went on, though, they fidgeted, clinging to the stony earth with sticky paws. "I see. We'll..." what could they say? They needed to sound kingly. Professional. "...I suppose, we'll have to deal with that if it happens."

And then, their name. Pride's approval made their heart swell, and they raised themselves up just a little higher. They dipped their head. "Yes," they said firmly. But... They couldn't just change it. It needed to be something special. Something worthy of a King. A ceremony. "But not yet."


Speech. Thought.

@Pride

Pride tilted his head. He spoke with curiosity, with warmth; with faint amusement, though in a good-natured way. He hadn't caught Envy's narrowing of eyes--honestly the weasel's eyes were so tiny, who would have?

"Oh? When, then?" Silly question, really. Knowing Envy, there'd need to be some grand ceremony around the whole thing. Pride considered; maybe this wasn't a bad thing. If they could be convinced to tie it into a change for the Seven, perhaps a change would actually be made. Then again, if it seemed too much like his idea, they might reject it in favor of something else.

"Do you have something in mind? Something--important, perhaps?" Important--not grand, not showy. Envy always thought of their kingly duties and decisions as important, and he didn't want to make it sound frivolous.

It wasn't that Pride was truly trying to manipulate the weasel to his own ends--though, in some sense, he certainly was. But consciously it was just about guiding Envy. He knew that his king was an emotional being, driven by whims and desires, though certainly not as flippant as some. Still, though, he imagined that in this, the weasel and he were fairly well-aligned in their thoughts. He wanted to make a change--so did Envy; and some sort of proclamation would be the natural way to go about it.

@Envy

Envy hadn't thought that far ahead.

The weasel's tail twitched excitedly, though; they itched to spring up onto the nearest rock and holler for a meeting, to tell everyone. But no. It had to be something big... As Pride said, something important. "Yes, yes! That's what I thought," they declared, tail curling slightly at its end. "We need an announcement! A ceremony!"

The more Envy thought about it, the more they liked the idea. It was going to take some time to think and plan their speech and their words; their name couldn't be the only thing. Their name could be the crux of it all, the cherry on top, the icing on the cake-- the best bit. But everything else, well, that could only add to it, bring newcomers into their Kingdom, and ultimately, make them look like an even better King.

"We could announce the Kingdom's change, and then my new name could be a big surprise to end it all! Truly a symbol of growth and change! I'll put aside everything I used to be and become a true King! Just imagine it, Pride! Imagine how my kingdom will grow, imagine them calling out my new name! Livius!"

No-one would be hesitant to speak that name. It didn't bare their deepest insecurities and pains for all the world to see. Moreso, their new name was something to be envied. It would change everything.

Speech. Thought.

@Pride

Pride found himself more and more pleased with Envy's response. Honestly, it could not have gone better; it seemed that the King had embraced his hopes wholeheartedly and was more than willing to put it all into action.

Hell, it seemed it'd all help Envy, as well. Anything that made the weasel a little less insecure was bound to be a good thing, right?

"I am glad, my King. Thank you for listening--and just tell me what you need me to do, hmm? I am, of course, at your command." His mind flicked about, wondering at preparations. Gemstone decorations, perhaps? Food? Dye paint upon the stones?

The meeting would need to be announced, as well--they'd have to spread the word. There was much to consider.

@Livius

Envy's heart swelled. Their tail twitched, their new name still ringing in their head.

As Pride spoke again, the weasel's ears perked, and they offered a slow and regal nod, their quills prickling with excitement. "Yes, yes, of course," they twittered. After that, it was time to get to work. They had to think of all the ways to make it grand, to make it a ceremony that the caves would remember. Perhaps they could even invite the other Kings?

"Tell me if you think of anything for the ceremony, too," they added excitedly. They paused. "For defense or... Perhaps to make it more royal."

Speech. Thought.

@Pride