Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Don't Cry Baby
The feline’s fur bristled as the bat’s eyes began to glow. They shimmered with a sudden intensity, mirrored by his sternly spoken words. It was unnerving for her to see the sudden shift. But there was something about his eyes now that the magic had appeared. They seemed to be ablaze in blue flames, a glow that gentle illuminated the immediate area. But they were stunning. Zeno’s eyes gripped her attention and forced her to listen to his words. Selena gave a sharp intake of air at hearing that he knew of the one she was speaking of. It gave a moment of hope. But that was quickly dashed as the bat reported that he had not been seen since. That was so many cycles ago. Had he simply wandered away like so many gembounds had done? But he was so powerful and created such beautiful things. It felt as though the Caves would suffer greatly by the lost of the painter and apparently also a blacksmith. A small part of her clang vainly to the idea that perhaps he was just in hiding. After all, how many knew of her own presence in the caves? And he was a bit aloof when she had first met him. Perhaps he simply enjoyed being on his own. There was a chance of that, right? Selena’s ears lowered as her thoughts returned to the small bat before her with his brilliant blue eyes. “Do you think he’s gone the way of other gem bounds? Or ….” Selena paused, almost scared to voice her hope for fear that it would chase it away. “Or do you think we could find him again?” It was strange. In all of these cycles she hadn’t really considered searching him out before. Maybe in passing, but nothing serious. But now that she was talking to Zeno, she felt a strong urge to seek him out. For what purpose? She wasn’t sure. But she wanted to try. Her tail twitched at the thought. Was it even possible though? Speech Thoughts Tags: @Zeno Notes:

Zeno's eyes flickered for a moment as he found himself considering the words. This painter seemed to be important to Selena. A link, perhaps, to a time of greater confidence in the world she found herself in? It was a similar case to Zeno, where the painter's presence had been felt shortly after the light's return. With no warning the individual had disappeared with no sign of how to follow.

A deep breath, a relaxing of expression, thoughts were growing chaotic and unrestrained. That was okay for problem-solving, but this was not a problem that needed to be solved right this moment. There was time, all the time in the caves really. The glow in the small bat's eyes stabilized as his thoughts fell into order once more.

"He is not an individual I would expect to fade away. An ancient one whose power likely rivals that of the fungal deer or the cat of eyes. We can search, but they may not wish to be found."

A goal, a desire, this wish to search for a lost familiar face began to tug at Zeno as well. It was a task without finite purpose, what would they even say once they succeeded? Still it was a task that could be pursued and one which had an end goal. How long had it been since Zeno had even possessed any goals? Even if they failed they would still have the journey. Even if they faced danger it would be greater living than their current stasis.

With a single blink Zeno's eyes returned to their mundane brown hue. A simple smile on his face echoed the hopeful tone in his voice as he added "But still we may try."

---

'Know yourself'
"Before you try to influence others"
Tags: @Selena

Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Don't Cry Baby
Selena couldn’t be sure why she wanted to seek out this strange person of the caves. She did not necessarily have any close ties to him. There were many she had met briefly before wandering their own directions. Many of those had wandered away with little heard of them afterwards. Perhaps it was simply the fact that he might still be around, while so many had left? She enjoyed talking to Zeno, but she wandered what it was like to revisit an old friend; to converse with someone you already knew and who already knew you. She didn’t recognize the other two creatures Zeno mentioned, but was glad that he seemed to think the painter was still around. Though it sounded like a long shot. Her notch of a tail flicked, betraying the wheels that turned in her head. Was it worth seeking him out? Would he even want to talk again? That last bit was a concerning thought. It was possible that he wanted to be left alone. Many creatures were that way, after all. Perhaps he didn’t want to be found. Maybe he wanted to be by himself and wouldn’t want to talk to her. The thought was disheartening to say the least. Before she had a chance to voice those thoughts, though, the glow in Zeno’s eyes faded and he gave encouragement to the idea of looking for him. Not only for her to look for him, but implied that he would aid as well. Selena’s heart nearly burst from her chest she was so ecstatic by the idea. It took all she had to keep from springing onto her paws. She couldn’t help the grin that spread over her maw, though. “That would be great,” she replied with a cheerful tone. Then escaped a slight yawn. The intensity of the conversation, the emotions and memories brought up, the meeting of a new person; it all began to take its toll on her mentally. She realized that a bit of a rest would be in order soon as well as a chance to analyze how things have gone. “Sorry, I seem to be a bit fatigued at the moment,” she spoke softly to the bat with an apologetic smile. Speech Thoughts Tags: @Zeno Notes:

The small bat nodded as he turned to climb toward the top of the spire once more. This time, however, it was not a spot meant to be out of reach of an unknown creature of sharp teeth. In one short conversation Selena had gone from being a gembound full of mystery to a new friend with whom he now shared a small goal. This, it seemed, was what he had been missing all these cycles. Not everything could be deciphered with thought. Sometimes you just had to take the chance and act despite the dangers and the fear of failure.

The realization continued to trigger nervousness in the back of his mind. This might take a while to actually put into practice.

"I will return tomorrow in that case. It's a long journey from here to Orion and longer still, I suspect, for one without wings. Rest well, Selena." he called down with friendly tone.

With a final courteous nod of his head Zeno hopped off the stone formation and spread his wings, his small frame immediately catching the air as he disappeared into the fog. He wouldn't go too far, but the marsh was large and within it plenty of trees perfect for settling down in.

- Exit Zeno -

---

'Know yourself'
"Before you try to influence others"
Tags: @Selena

Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Don't Cry Baby
“See you tomorrow,” she replied with that same soft smile. She sat up for a while, watching the bat start to make its way towards where ever it was that it was currently calling home. New and strange warm feelings filled her at the idea that he would be returning soon. Normally knowing such a thing would cause immense anxiety in the small feline. This situation was different. Selena found herself actually excited by the prospect that Zeno would be returning to her den. As he left sight, she curled up on top of the rock formation once more. Where before she had tossed and turned out of perplexed misery, she found herself instantly warm and cozy now. Excitement bubbled up inside of her. It almost made her feel giddy. “So, this is what having a friend is like,” she mused to herself. Emerald eyes closed as a strange sound began to claim this part of Cetus; the purr of a contented bobtail cat fading to slumber. Speech Thoughts Tags: @Zeno if you wanted to do one last post here. Notes: Selena has exited the thread