Aegir smiled back happily. Yes, he was happy to have another friend. He wanted everyone to be his friend and to share in his visions. He would speak to the water for everyone he could. See every water in the caves. Everything, yes, he would go everywhere. This was his mission. To meet everyone.

But then he wondered what Heart-Song's mission was. He looked the bird up and down and thought about it. "You are young," he stated. Perhaps just hatched. Barely a chick. "You are young, but what does Heart-Song have in mind? Heart-Song has seen little, yes? What does Heart-Song want to do? Aegir is curious."

My voice is speaking...
My thoughts are swirling...

@Heart-Song

Heart-Song reflected on this. Was Aegir talking about what they wanted to do now, or what they wanted to do in the future? To be safe, they decided to tell him about both.

"I want to sing through all the caves and get lots of Gembounds to listen!" the cockatiel said. ""I also want to explore all of the caves and make lots of friends!" They smiled, at that. Just because they wanted to be somebody who devoted their life to singing to everyone, didn't mean that they still couldn't do other things.

@Aegir

Aegir could relate to what Heart-Song told him. Yes, travel the caves and meet new gembounds. A noble goal, if a common one. Aegir turned back towards the water and kicked another pebble in. The ripples went out from the center, not a pattern he was looking for, but simply a voice, perhaps, to guide him. No questions, no answers, he just wanted a voice.

"Sometimes, Aegir wonders," he rumbled gently, "if there should be more. Aegir wants to travel as well and meet many. And, like Heart-Song's singing, Aegir wants to spread his reading of the water. But...should there be more?" Another pebble, this time he was more focused as he dropped it in. He watched the ripples and then nodded slowly. "Yes, there will. For both of us. The water says that there will be more to come, but we must let go of our notion of peace."

Aegir sighed and turned back to the bird, his eyes darker and more serious. "Aegir does not know if he can do this."

My voice is speaking...
My thoughts are swirling...

@Heart-Song

"We could travel together, spread singing and future-telling..." Heart-Song replied, growing somber, "..but at the cost of peace."

The cockatiel fell silent, thinking about this choice more deeply than any other they'd had so far. Heart-Song realized the choice boiled down to what path their future took. They recalled Aegir's words. You wish for something, you see it through, it will happen.. keep yourself in control... balance.. learn what you can and cannot control... The only part of his words that really applied were balance. And, well, if balance was the in-between, then they couldn't be peaceful all the time, right? They would have to be between peace and fighting for their future to come true.

They still didn't like the idea of hurting someone. Even with the reassurances that Heart-Song had given themselves, they were still on the fence. A possible solution came to mind.

"I don't know if I can do that, either, but we don't have to decide right now, do we? The future's really far away, so we'll have plenty of time to think it over."

Right?

@Aegir

Aegir raised his ears at the response and quickly shook his head. "No, no, this is not what Aegir means. Water says that past must be left behind, the peaceful life we both live. It says not that we must sacrifice anything, only that we must learn to let go if we are to move forward. Perhaps not now, in the future we must learn this. Perhaps far in the future. Aegir does not know. Water does not say. Only that it must happen eventually."

Heart-Song was right. They were both young and the sickness that was rising in Aegir at the thought of fighting was slowly boiling down as he realized that, yes, they would have time. He smiled again and released a breath. "Yes, yes. One thing is certain is that this is not for now. This is for the future. Sometime before our lives end." That was a much more comforting thought. Aegir assumed that his life would be long, hopefully peaceful, and he had plenty of time now to prepare for what was coming.

My voice is speaking...
My thoughts are swirling...

@Heart-Song

Heart-Song nodded. "Ah. I see."

They took a deep breath in relief. Their life would be shaken up, yes, but it was much better than the alternative. It was better than what they were expecting. Still, they worried about this. Leaving a life of peace and comfort behind for.. what?

Being well-known. Spreading their song. They decided that such a thing was worth leaving all the comfort behind.

"Exactly! There's going to be a lot of stuff between now and then."

@Aegir

Aegir nodded along with the bird. "Yes, yes, live without worry. Live how you want. The future will come and it will not come until it wants to." As he said this, he remembered that it was part of Heart-Song's reading. Perhaps this was something they could not rush. The future, the promise of change. He wondered if that was in his as well. He would have to give himself a proper reading as well.

Aegir felt his paws starting to tickle, as if he had lingered here too long. There was still more of this cave to explore. "So now is the time in which is begins. Aegir will see more, yes. As will Heart-Song. Does Heart-Song wish to share their journey with Aegir? Or is it something they wish to keep to themselves?" There was no bitterness in his second question, only a polite inquiry.

My voice is speaking...
My thoughts are swirling...

@Heart-Song

They were surprised that Aegir would consider them not wanting him on their quest for exploration. After all, Heart-Song would love to have a friend with them on their journeys. "I'd love to share my adventures with you!" they said, smiling. "You're my friend, after all."

Heart-Song was already quite enthusiastic about the whole 'making friends and exploring' thing, but having a friend by their side to explore alongside- that was the dream. They couldn't wait to see where Aegir and them would go next.

@Aegir

Aegir felt his heart warm. He had always found it a little lonely, travelling by himself. He had met others, of course, but never before had he had a friend at his side. Someone that didn't leave after a meeting. "Thank you, Heart-Song. Aegir looks forward to the journey we will share."

He looked away from the pool and off into Pisces. He wanted to stay here longer, but if he and Heart-Song were to make this trip together, he didn't want to hold her back. If she wanted to visit a new cave, he would go happily. Pisces wasn't going anywhere, after all. "Is there anywhere Heart-Song wishes to go? We can explore this cave more, or visit others. I have been told of many - the room with the ocean, with the swamp, with the bones, and I have been to the one with the magic, with the stars, and with the trees, but only briefly."

My voice is speaking...
My thoughts are swirling...

@Heart-Song

Heart-Song thought of where they wanted to go next. Sure, they could continue exploring Pisces, and they guessed that the bear would prefer to, but the cold was really getting to them- it felt like it had settled deep into their bones and would never come out again. With that in mind, they eliminated as a possibility the places that Aegir said that he had already visited. There was no point going somewhere that he had already seen, even just for a brief amount of time. (Although a cave filled with magic sounded amazing; they would have to search for that sooner or later)

Heart-Song considered the remaining options. Going to a swamp wasn't very appealing to them. Swamps sounded like boring things, even if they didn't quite know what a swamp was. The room with the bones just sounded scary. What if the thing that had killed the other creatures in the room was still there? They shivered internally. That just left the room with the ocean. Heart-Song didn't exactly adore the prospect of going to a room entirely filled with water- it was annoying enough flying in this room- but it would make Aegir happy, and it sounded a lot better than the other two rooms. Plus, the more they thought about it, the more curious they became. How could someone fill an entire cave with water when there were tunnels and stuff out of it?

Decision made, they spoke. "I'm interested in going to the ocean room! It sounds really cool!"

@Aegir