Pippy looked at Zeno a little bit to see them just looking around, and not having any water. Not thirsty maybe? But it makes Pippy more comfortable just to relax and drink the water, but the occasional out-of-nowhere sound did make Pippy raise her head and ears up with a quick jolt, till she realised it was just the leaves and trees rustling, no signs of other Gem life. Eventually, Pippy finished drinking, and she started to use her wings to try and rub her face to dry off the remaining water still clinging to her fur, hiccuping just a little from drinking too fast.

Pippy was trying to muffle the sound of her hiccups and, decides to look around just a little, in hopes of it being enough of a distraction for her to make the hiccups go away. The caves are quite lovely in fact, but everything is still pretty scary on just how enormous it all is and, Pippy doubts that feeling of fear will ever go away permanently.

Pippy herself would like to be a bit independent; she realises that she would want her space and, be alone on occasion. But with how young she is, Pippy would also like to be doted on just a little by others, maybe not 'doted on' per se, just given a little bit of affection and assurance at times. It may help her with trusting others, although Zeno has managed to gain the young one's trust now. Friends will be better suited for her; she can have more than one friend after all.

She looked at Zeno at last, paying full attention to her friend with a fond smile, relieved to know they aren't too far from her tree, although it may be a bit more distant for her than Zeno considering how it'll take longer for her to travel till she learns to fly herself. With the offer to return she nods her head at Zeno, she could speak, but she doesn't want to strain her voice again and, make her throat hurt still after just drinking water to soothe it. So, for now, Pippy will use some gestures to communicate with Zeno, and, with that, she moves on her wings towards to where she believes leads back to the tree. Pippy didn't crawl away too far, perhaps only a few inches from Zeno and looked back at them, as to silently ask them if it's alright if she can just walk back with Zeno to the tree instead of going on their back again. As some way of trying to be independent and, it'll be easier for her to remember if she did the track back on her wings, even if she is following Zeno's lead. That would be OK, with them, right? Or would that, take too long due to Pippy's smaller body?

@Zeno

Zeno Without a word Zeno nodded and crawled next to the tiny bat. His pace was no faster than before, and obviously not as quick as he could go on the ground let alone if he were airborne. Even so traveling with company was worth the delay and he had already decided he was in no rush. "I've always wondered why this room is always so misty." he observed in absentminded small talk as they traveled, Pippy beside and slightly behind with him subtly treading along the correct path, "It would be so much easier to find our way back if we could just look out and see it. I wonder if this is the cave's way of showing that it can be a little shy like us sometimes too." A silly notion and a silly muse. Of course, the cave probably didn't have sentience, at least not in the same way that they did. It didn't hurt to think that way though. Unconventional thought, after all, was the key to discovering new truths and ideas. A tree began to break the fog in the distance, familiar in appearance. Whether that was the tree whose roots sheltered Pippy was another question entirely, but at least they were almost certainly on the right track. Know yourself "Before you try to influence others" Tags: @Pippy

((Has your muse taken a long walk off a short pier? Try brand new Random Armchair Philosophy™! So effective that people will think you're either crazy or stoned, but never boring. Satisfaction guaranteed!))

He was looking at Zeno with some slight nervousness, waiting for the other bat's response, Pippy was a little worried that they may not have understood his gestures and, possibly didn't know as to what Pippy wanted to do. But Pippy soon noticed Zeno's nod of approval to him, as they started to move towards the direction the two bats needed to go.

Humming back at Zeno while beaming at them, the little bat quickly picked his body up and, begun to move again to follow Zeno's lead, keeping a fair bit of distance when Pippy follows behind them, not wanting to bump into Zeno by accident, and he tries his best not to fall behind. This company was quite lovely for Pippy too; they felt safer travelling back with someone who knows this place enough, to not get lost in this fog.

"Mm?" He let out that small hum, questioning Zeno while looking at them with a tilt of his head; it's only misty in here? How weird... He still chooses not to speak right now, but Pippy does show to Zeno that he is, in fact, listening to them, Pippy will most likely continue to communicate with the same type of gestures as before, instead of verbalising what he wants to tell them. Giving a couple of nods in agreement to how much easier it would be to make their way back, without the mist here.

A silly notion it may be, but such a suggested thought caught Pippy's attention for the young bat liked the idea of such a thing. He and this room have something in common if so, although Pippy is much more than the 'little shy' sort, his timidness goes way further than that. Despite this, it's still a nice thought for the young one and certainly didn't hurt at all to think of the mist in such a way. Pippy wishes he could make himself invisible too when he's feeling skittish. Could magic help him with something like that?

Facing forward again, not wanting to hit his head on a tree twice, Pippy too saw a tree ahead of the two of them, which gave him a sense of deja vu on the fact that the shape of the tree ahead was one he recognised. Taking particular note of its specific large roots, so massive for one like Pippy that there's a hollow beneath the tree, it's closed off from other Gembounds way more prominent than the two of them, since the hole is too small for bigger Gembounds to crawl inside. With their tiny forms though, both bats can crawl inside the hollow under the roots, and rest safely under the tree with ease.

That's got to be the tree where Pippy emerged from and chose as their hiding spot. Excited over finding it, he pauses for a brief second and lifts one of his wings to point at the tree, while bouncing his other wing that's still keeping his body up, in a fast up-and-down motion with joy. As if to silently say; There it is! There it is!

@Zeno

Zeno As they got closer and the tree came more and more into view Pippy appeared to be growing excited. Zeno's pace stayed constant though, neither rushing forward nor slowing down to confirm. He did, however, let out a chuckle at the little dance despite himself. This had been a victory, and a well- deserved one. The small bad had made the tremendous step of leaving home for a moment and had been rewarded with water to quench its thirst and a safe travel back to its place of rest. "I see, Pippy." he noted as they paced on, "It's been a trip but we're almost back to your little castle." Soon the tree towered over them and the roots were right ahead, wisps of blue from the broken gem peeking out from between the fog and shadow. Just before they entered the root shelter Zeno stopped and planted himself outside the entrance. With a bow of his head and a warm smile on his face he spoke once more to his traveling partner; "I will let you rest now, but it was a pleasure meeting you, young one. Perhaps I will visit again if you will have me, but for now I should be back on my travels." Know yourself "Before you try to influence others" Tags:

Pippy looked at Zeno expectantly, and then looks back at her tree; she does this in repeat a few more times, stretching the wing she is pointing out taut as if she's trying to reach out to the tree, even though it's still quite a bit away. The stretching her wing out is Pippy's way of emphasising the exact location, where the big tree is supposed to be. Feeling rather proud that she managed to find it with her own eyes, and she has memorised the steps she took to get back here, with that Pippy can now travel where the drinkable stream is herself without possibly getting lost.

Seeing Zeno move towards the little bat's discovery, Pippy picks up her own pace to quickly catch up to them. Pippy glanced at Zeno in a brief second of confusion wondering, just a little, why they were chuckling. But the confusion was gone swiftly, like a fleeting flash of lightning, prioritising on returning to her makeshift home.

Pippy looked to Zeno and gave them a soft smile when they noticed her tree as well. The small bat decides to go on ahead, to get a more transparent image of the tree, as the fog is still covering it a little bit. The little bat lets out a small giggle from Zeno referring to her home as a 'little castle', she likes the sound of that~.

They finally arrived at their destination, looking up at the tree was a little daunting, from how towering it is. But it's only a tree, not another Gembound, so it doesn't bother Pippy too much, and so the little Gemling goes to enter the hollow under the tree, without a single worry. Wait... why isn't Zeno coming inside her den as well? Is there something wrong? Pippy looks back at them in curiosity as she moves to be in front of Zeno, although nothing seems to be the matter with the way Zeno is smiling at Pippy.

Ohhhhhh right, can't precisely rest comfortably if another is around in her den, the little bat muses to herself. Giving Zeno a nod in agreement with a smile, to silently say that she too found it a pleasure to meet them. Pippy would be perfectly OK with Zeno revisiting her, after all, Zeno has managed to prove that they can be trusted, enough to be one of Pippy's friends. She doesn't want to keep Zeno from their travels too, and Pippy is OK here in her den, she'd like some alone time anyway.

Giving her final nods to the other bat, she crawls back into her den, and with her sharp thumbs, she jumps on a root, then climbs down on it a little afterwards. They were more like thick branches to Pippy's tiny size, making the roots a safe area to sleep on, so she's hanging upside down from it. But she hasn't gone to sleep yet, as she still has her wings spread out. Instead, she's waving at Zeno with one of her wings to say 'goodbye' to them in a friendly manner.

@Zeno

Zeno As the youth entered and got comfortable Zeno waited patiently outside, finally waving goodbye in return as they settled down to rest. With a soft smile affixed firmly on his face from the encounter Zeno turned from the tree once more and beat his wings, sending wisps of fog away in all directions as his feet left the ground and he took to the air. He too would need to rest soon, but for now the older bat circled up into the air above the fog, a renewed appreciation for the wonder of the world they lived in resting in his mind. Below him wafted a sea of clouds, interspersed by islands of treetops and flowing with the currents of the slow airflow. His final destination for the evening was still unknown. Perhaps he could rest by the waterfalls of Pisces, bask in the glow of Polaris, or meditate among roaring sounds of Monoceros. Meeting with Pippy had been a gentle call back to memories of his own youth; how wonderful it would be for them to be able to see all these wonders of the cave from such a young age! With wandering thoughts Zeno veered off toward the edge of the room, his journey through the caves continuing where he had left off. - Exit Zeno - Know yourself "Before you try to influence others" Tags: @Pippy

The little bat continued to wave at Zeno; his wave got faster, with a thrumming sound when Zeno waved back at him. Pippy's waving remains, even when Zeno takes off to the air; the youth stops his goodbye gesture when he could no longer see Zeno's shape, as the fog blocks Pippy's vision from seeing Zeno when they got further away from the young bat's hideout.

Looking out of the world out there in wonder, when there is now just Pippy and relaxing silence for his company. The Gemling retracts the wing he was waving with and, wraps it around himself; getting a better look earlier, it does look quite lovely out there, not as daunting as his wild imagination thought it would be.

"Brrr...", They shivered just a little, beautiful looking it may be it's not warm and cosy. Pippy wraps his wings around his tiny form more, snuggling into them as they were his warm blankets. Letting out a yawn, as the events that have taken place today are now taking a toll on Pippy, content with sleeping the rest of this day away.

Pippy shifts just a bit to get his sleeping position comfy until he finally settled with one, his teensy body curling up more, with him feeling snug and content. With how much warmer things are now, Pippy yawns again as his drowsiness hits him back like a tidal wave. The youth's eyelids were dropping, at first he tries to fight it, but eventually, he lets the fatigue take him and; finally Pippy went off to the land of dreams.

- Exit Pippy -