"Yeah, he's friendly!" Siren said cheerfully, grinning. "He likes fires and shiny things. He'd probably really like your lights, if you ever met him? I wanna make him shiny stuff, stuff that's shinier and better than Glory's stuff."

A strange goal to have, but a goal nonetheless.

"Yeah, but it was kinda scary," she went on, drinking water out of her cupped hands. "I mean, uh, he's really fast and big. I fell down when I tried to get onto him and he looked at me like I was dumb." She had, in fact, tried to climb up his neck first instead of using his wings like a ramp-- but that was far besides the point.

She listened to Azure explain, though her troubles weren't exactly washed away. Did she just come out of the wall, with no family, or did someone grab a stone and make her? And then leave? Or die? Which one of these options would even be preferable, having no family at all or one that wasn't around?

"That's confusing," she ended up coming out with. "How do you know if you came out, uhh, of the 'wall and shit,' or if somebody made you out of a stone? I mean-- I dunno, I hatched all alone and stuff but you have a mom and stuff?"

@Azure

Azure took in the concept that the giant dragon might like her shiny objects, and filed that way under "shit to think about later, when I have time to consider talking to a dragon." She then eyed Dip critically, at her friend's question.

"...Shit, I don't know," she offered at last, with a tone of "really, do you think I'm some kinda authority on literally anything?" "For what it's worth," she added, eyeing Dip over again, "I've never seen anything even remotely like you before. I mean, I haven't met everyone in the caves--probably not even most--but still, everything has like. A lotta legs, or wings, and long faces, and fur or feathers or scales or whatever. Not to say you're bad, or weird or anything," Azure reassured hastily, "Just... I can't think of much that mighta been your mother? But maybe we'll find some others like you one day. I dunno."

She shrugged, a little, then downed some more water--sip, tilt-head-back, swallow, repeat. When at last she was done, she moved away from the river to indicate as much, and waited for Dip to finish.

@Siren

Siren was unsure if 'you probably came out the wall because you look different' was a thing to be reassured by. Laurel had pointed her appearance out as well and she was unsure why it was such a highlight for some gembounds. Uncomfortably, she shifted.

"The Collector looks a bit like me," she said, though this wasn't all that reassuring to her either. How often was the Collector remarked for looking weird and different? "He has horns and hands and two legs and stuff. He even covers himself in this sort of stuff." She plucked at her tunic weakly.

"I think I am weird," she admitted quietly. "But I dunno how to like-- not be weird. I wish I had paws, or four legs, or brown or black fur or something."

She didn't mean it. Not really. She liked her hands and her skin and her freckles. She just wished that there were moe things out there that looked like her without her having to go and find stones to make a family for herself. Even then-- she didn't want kids! She was still a kid!

Serendipity decided to drop the subject for now, however, taking a last drink of water before pushing herself back up to her feet. "Uh, are you ready to go?"

@Azure

Azure kept staring at Dip.

She was normally a pretty self-centered bird-thing, because she hadn't been raised to be kind or empathetic. But her friend was obviously bothered, and it was probably this whole "family" thing doing it. She lowered her wings on one side so that Dip could climb on.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Listen..." Right, time to stop being self-centered, at least for a second, and be a friend. "I wouldn't worry too much about the whole 'family' thing. Look, I had family, and they were assholes, yeah? Not good Gembound. They killed and did bad horrible stuff. It doesn't mean anything--family, I mean. You got friends--more friends than any of my family ever had--and that's what's important, right? They can be your family, instead. They sound better, anyway," she added, wryly.

@Siren

Serendipity took a long breath as she moved to climb up onto Azure's back again, leaning down and clinging to the hybrid's throat. She paused, to listen-- but she still didn't feel all that reassured, not truly. At least, not about what was actually bothering her.

Having a family didn't really stop her from being weird.

"That's true," she said, her face full of feathers. "I have good friends. Uh. You're one of them. You should maybe meet some more of my friends if you ever feel like it, if you want more?"

This was a good distraction, at least-- Azure seemed to like the idea of Dread, and Laurel would love her to bits. Glory might like to see what she could make and how she could make things better, and they could all be happy being friends together.

... or whatever it was that friends did together.

Siren was still a bit uncertain on that, exactly.

"Let's go?"

@Azure

Azure considered this, briefly and distantly, as Dip climbed onto her back.

Meeting strangers blindly was an intimidating idea. Having more friends sounded okay, though. And being friends with a giant dragon, well, that sounded cool.

"...Yeah, I think I'd like that. Maybe I can learn stuff with your blacksmith friend too. And I'd like to meet the dragon, maybe... if you're sure it's safe," she added, hesitating a little.

Once Dip was fully held-on, she barreled into another run, once more lifting off for the edges of the canyon. She stuck close to the switchback trails winding down there (and, once they'd cleared the Gorge, the ground), again in case they took a tumble. As she flapped back toward Dip's den, she kept talking--her voice raised over the rush of passing air.

"ANYWAY, I DON'T THINK YOU'RE WEIRD," she called back. "I MEAN, THEN EVERYONE WOULD BE WEIRD. EVERYBODY LOOKS DIFFERENT? SOME ARE BLACK AND SOME ARE COLORFUL. OR WHITE, EVEN!" Because, apparently, this was her version of "different," despite all the other variations among Gembound. To her credit, though, Azure continued. "SOME HAVE LIKE, FEATHERS OR FUR, OR SCALES, AND OTHERS HAVE TWO FEET OR FOUR OR SIX, AND SOME HAVE LOTS OF EYES, AND SOME ARE HUGE, SOME ARE TINY--EVERYONE'S WEIRD, I GUESS," she went on yelling.

When she touched down a moment later, just outside the den, she briefly ruffled her feathers and shook herself. "I don't think anyone's much weirder than anyone else, really. Or at least, you aren't. You're kinda cool, actually. You got hands that can do cool stuff, and you have a neat shape and your colors are pretty." Azure was earnest, peering back and nodding--and her tone reflected that. It wasn't just mindless compliments; the hybrid probably didn't know how to do that, anyway.

@Siren

Serendipity nodded along. "I'm pretty sure it's safe," she said. "I mean, he didn't try to eat me or anything. He seems mad sometimes? For no reason? And he yells a lot, without realising it, but he seems pretty happy, uhh. Looking at shiny stuff."

She shut her eyes and she clung to Azure as she went to take off-- though she hadn't quite expected her to try to talk to her mid-flight. She lifted her head, eyes flicking between the ground and the side of Azure's face for a moment.

"BUT IF EVERYBODY IS WEIRD WOULDN'T THAT MEAN NOBODY IS WEIRD?" she half-asked, half-yelled. "I MEAN, YOU'D JUST GET USED TO IT, RIGHT? BUT PEOPLE KEEP POINTING OUT HOW SPECIFICALLY I'M WEIRD. I MEAN-- I GET WHAT YOU MEAN, YOU KNOW?"

Flinching, though cautiously dismounting once Azure landed, she cleared her throat for a moment, thinking. "I mean-- I do like myself? And my hands. I just... wish I knew what I was, I guess? Laurel said she had no idea what I was and Dread said he just knew what he was. It's all... I dunno. Confusing?"

She shrugged, gently, and then took off her satchel to offer to put it over Azure's back. "Uh. I don't have a lot of stuff, but-- y'know." Siren wandered back into her den, rifling through the things-- there were lighter things she could carry quite fine and things that were a little heavier, but there wasn't too much of it.

@Azure

Azure thought, briefly--and smugly--about how Dread shouldn't be too much of a problem, for her. Hell, she could practically shit shiny things. (This idea, when she examined it a little more closely, turned out to be awful and she quickly discarded it.)

Once Dip was in the den gathering things up, she answered. On the other topic, not... shitting shinies. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Shit, I don't know what I am, even. Bird? Moose? My brother might be my father, how's that for fucked up. I wouldn't worry about it, Dip. You're the coolest person I've met--hey, give me uhh. Whatever, to carry."

She paced in more closely, waiting to be handed stuff, or have stuff tied onto her back, or just... whatever.

@Siren

Serendipity paused as she tried, desperately, to consider Azure's brother being her father. Something about that screamed at her, instinctively, that it was very, very wrong. Fucked up, as Azure had said. That seemed accurate enough, at least.

She hauled up the bundle of blankets, carefully settling them over Azure's back. "You're pretty cool, too," she said. "I don't really know anyone else who can just-- make lights and I think it's super neat."

Picking up a sword, she tucked this unceremoniously under her arm before lifting another sheet of metal, turning. "You ready to go?" She asked, making sure the things on Azure's back would stay put.

@Azure

"Yup. Just hold on tight; I dunno if that stuff'll stay there as we walk. Sorry I can't fly it--not with stuff to carry."

She shrugged her shoulders, a little, to make sure that the slight movements wouldn't displace Dip's things. She cast a glance around the den--and then, after backing out, one last, lingering look around Monoceros.

Hopefully, I don't get killed, and I can come back here some day, she thought, a little self-pityingly. She thought about what lay ahead.

Something about putting herself in Pride's presence scared the hell out of her--moreso because she'd be really, truly helpless if she got caught on the ground. The idea of going in willingly left her feeling weak. Azure tried to turn her mind to Dip, instead--to the stuff on her back, to the den they'd decorate together. Think dangling lights, she told herself, past the mounting anxiety, think rugs and hammering metal and relaxed chitchat. Don't think about the stag that might murde--oh great.

"...Let's go," she said to Dip, giving up on her own thoughts. With a sense of foreboding in her chest, and resignation, she started to pace quietly toward the exit to Tunnel J, careful to make sure Dip could easily keep up.

exit Azure
@Siren