Yvan isn't one to stay long in Gemini. Not because of the fungus or for how it looks— he's never been told of Order, after all. No, it's simply just not as good hunting as Leo is. Gems and stones aren't a a strong base for a dirt-based ecosystem; what there is just isn't a forest or lake or any large source of plants, and he's found it easier to hunt in. He's only used it as passage to return home.

But he does linger sometimes.

It's now that he does, standing in front of a massive crystal and tilting his head this way and that in the reflection. One hand raises to run though his hair and feel over the faint nubs of horns breaking skin at the top. He turns this way and that, studies over how his wings connect at his back, stretches up and watches his muscles move, leans in and lolls out his orange-ish tongue to look it over. Fingers poke and prod everywhere at his baby-smooth face.

Satisfied, he sits back and practices making faces into the mirror. Teeth bare first, followed by an exaggerated confusion, all just learning how he looks. He's absorbed in it. Ears stay forward, eyes wide, curious, testing; has he always looked like that when he was mad? He remembers making this face, that gesture... Ryoto doesn't look like this when it's upset. Why does he? He still hasn't found anyone like either of them, so it's not like he has much to compare to.

Arms cross as he forcefully huffs. There's another expression to study; but it's too genuine this time. He's stewing on their similarity, he's aware, and he grumbles as he runs a hand at his jaw in thought. It's going to take some time for him to figure this out.

It's not like he's on a time limit. He can stay here as long as he wants, as long as he comes home at the end of the day. Making Ryoto feel lonely isn't something he wants for it again.

@Dread

Dread wasn't trying to sneak up on anyone. He was rarely quiet. It was just that, as he made his way back through Gemini again, he was on the lookout for the forces of Order--intending to ensure he was relatively alone before fixating his focus back on cleansing the cave. So when he padded--cautiously wing-walking--around a massive geode, he froze with flaring nostrils upon spotting a stranger's back.

Perhaps Yvan would hear him coming, and would turn to see Dread's arrival face to face; or perhaps he would still be staring into the crystal when the black dragon slid into view just behind him in his reflection, ember eyes fixed on him.

Either way, Dread observed the wings (which said 'bird'), the white hues (which said 'maybe Order?') and the overall strange mix of features. Never one to enjoy thinking too much, he quickly abandoned his attempts at assessing Yvan's loyalties by sight, and simply bellowed his question in blunt form: "ARE YOU HIVE?" he asked, with the simple assumption that nobody would ever lie. It wasn't even aggressive--not a demand--so much as a vaguely suspicious question.

@Yvan

He hears Dread first, but he doesn't acknowledge past an ear-flick— not until the dragon's behind his reflection and looming. It's enough to set off alarm bells in the back of his head, but not enough, since he's blinking hard and craning his head back with curiosity instead of fear. Of course, all he can see at first is Dread's massive jaw, opening to—

Yvan winces harshly and claps his hands over his ears at the sheer volume of the question proposed. "WHAT?" Why are they yelling? Was Dread yelling? Huh? What? Blinking hard and turning around to properly face him, Yvan stares open-eyed and brows furrowed, confusion thrumming from his core.

The first words spoken to him by someone other than Ryoto, and it's a question. What does that even mean? "Who's Hive? I'm—" Hold on, he's never given his name before. It takes him a split second decision before— "I'm Yvan, not Hive! Does Hive look like me?" Do they look like Dread? His hands slowly peel from pushed back ears, falling back to his sides as he marvels at just how big Dread is. How could he miss someone that big? But this "Hive" probably doesn't look like that, if he's being mistaken for them.

"Are you looking for them?" Almost birdlike, his head tilts as he studies over the dragon before him. Wings, long tail... Barely anything like him or Ryoto. How weird. How different is Dread to them other than that? Other than being loud, that is.

@Dread

That scrutiny continued, for a moment, as Dread's tail lashed slowly to and fro behind him and he readjusted his weight across his wings. His mind, simplistic though it might be, was ticking off various boxes with the vague information he could glean. First, this creature looked and sounded somewhat young. Second, it had no idea what 'hive' was. That meant that not only was it not a threat, but might itself be in danger.

He shook himself as if to clear all those complicated thoughts, spines rattling, and looked away; after blinking once or twice he fixed his gaze on a swathe of white mold on a nearby crystal, nodding to it. "THAT IS HIVE." His booming voice, again, had no efforts toward suppression. "THE WHITE STUFF. IT WILL GET INTO YOU AND MAKE YOU A SLAVE. DON'T EAT IT," he advised. There was a faint sense of melancholy--a thought spared for his own child--and a surge of protectiveness came on its heels. Glowing ember eyes flashed back toward Yvan. "I AM DREAD. I AM BURNING IT. IF YOU WANT TO BE SAFE YOU CAN COME WITH ME. OR COME TO MY CAVE, AFTER. IT HAS NO HIVE."

Offer made, he turned, shifting and shuffling with ripples of muscle and leathered wings, arched neck lowering down and outward. He opened his jaws, calculating gaze on the mold he'd pointed out, and inhaled. An orange glow illuminated his throat and jaws just before the flame guttered out: a roaring flamethrower blast that engulfed the mold, smoldering it away in flecks of gold and twists of ash.

@Yvan

Dread was still loud. Yvan winced to it, but he was getting more used to it, looking towards the mold being pointed out.

Oh. Hive isn't a person. He's pretty sure he's not made of... white stuff? Without looking, Yvan's hand raised to bunch up at his chest, the thought of it rolling over and over in his mind. Why would it do that? He didn't want to be made of white stuff, or a slave. At least, he's got the vague idea of what the latter is; he definitely didn't need that for himself.

And so, Dread was burning it. That would get rid of it? Yvan barely even processed the offer (he'd rather stay with Ryoto, anyway..!), focused wholly on the breath in, the incandescent glow from his neck. It's fascinating. Could he do that? No, certainly not, especially as Dread let loose against the piece of hive before him.

Forget any sort of offer. Yvan didn't even flinch at the surge of heat, excitement spurred into being at the roar of the flames streaming out of Dread. His eyes lit up as he watched Dread's mouth, his teeth, and all at once he balled his fists and danced from one foot to the next.

"Can you do that again?" There has to be more to burn, right? Sweeping his gaze, Yvan pointed out towards another cluster, farther away than the last. "Burn that one! That was cool! Do it again!" He's immediately enamored by the sheer power exuding from Dread. ... or, maybe he's just easily impressed. Either way, he's certainly insistent, keeping his arm extended as his claws energetically tap against the crystalline floor.

@Dread

He jerked around, blinking in surprise, at the sound of an almost... cheering voice. Ember eyes studied Yvan for a long moment, fixed on him as he (gradually...) processed this new reaction. It felt--good? Unexpected, to have someone looking up to him, awed and impressed. But good. He puffed up a little, chest expanding out with an artificially large breath, the spines erecting those rippling fins along his neck.

It didn't take much to push his ego to overdrive. "I AM VERY STRONG," he agreed, which wasn't really the topic at hand, but--whatever. "THANK YOU." And why he'd said that was not entirely clear.

But he did turn away, following Yvan's pointing to pinpoint the target fungal clump.

An exhale, another deep inhale of focus, then the glowing orange at his jaws and--again, crackling, guttering flame roared out to lash over the infestation. Mold smoldered and drifted away as black specks, embers rising through them.

When it was over Dread turned expectantly, that same new pride visible in him, and peered at Yvan to see how he would react.

@Yvan

To be fair, Dread's fire-breathing was rather strong. It fit the topic well enough, and it only settled that idea further into Yvan's brain. His hands clapped together once as he stood taller and flat out admired the puffed-out look Dread had adopted.

Not that it was wholly fueled by it, but Yvan wanted to be like that someday. Big! Strong! Super cool! Delight was clear on his face when Dread turned to eviscerate more clumps of Hive. Yvan clapped more encouragingly, grinning wide and nearly dancing closer to the burnt pile.

"It's just... gone! How do you do that? Wow, that must be hot, just... melted it, I didn't even think that was possible— ... wow." He hovered a forepaw closer, just enough to feel the heat until he had to pull it back with a slight waving of it. "Do you burn other things? Or- or- it doesn't hurt? Can you touch fire? Wow, that's so cool!"

It's a barrage of excited questions. He certainly didn't expect answers all at once, especially with how little his attention is on each one of them. All of it's focused on Dread himself; the big, deadly look, the confidence in him, it instills awe in Yvan. Now that was someone who was cool.

@Dread

A dragon could hoard many things; perhaps one might lay claim to books or pretty plants. Dread, however, was a traditionalist, or at least he always had been: gold, shiny objects, and treasures made up a hoard tucked away in a cave, as befit any self-respecting leviathan of legend.

Now, however, he was finding something new that he wanted more of: admiration. Yvan's awed attention was a confidence boost and--while he certainly didn't need one--he found it exceedingly satisfying. He found himself in no rush to blurt answers and move on, but rather with the urge to draw this out and bask in it. It wasn't anything malicious, even--he was perhaps a little too... simple, for that. It wasn't even, strictly speaking, selfish. But it was most definitely self-centered. He forgot to ask this child who he was, where he came from--he even forgot the name he'd been given moments prior. "I BREATHE IT OUT. I AM A DRAGON," he explained, accurate or not. "I BURN LOTS OF THINGS. THINGS I EAT. ENEMIES THAT COME TO MY CAVE! ANYTHING CAN BURN," he added, which was... probably technically true, but Dread's fire was not hot enough to burn rock, for example. "FIRE HURTS. IT STILL HURTS. BUT NOT AS MUCH. I USE IT A LOT. IT HURTS LESS WHEN YOU USE IT A LOT. IT IS NOT COOL," he added, with a tone of mild reprimand. "IT IS VERY HOT." Fact: imparted.

Dread was quite glad he was here to educate this one. Imagine thinking fire to be cold?!

@Yvan

Yvan got his answers, much to his delight. Though— "Not... cool, but like— uhhh... Awesome. Like really awesome. Like, um— I guess it can't be cool temperature wise, but... it's still cool. The other cool." Funny, how he was the one explaining this time. But still..! "So it's really cool that you can do those things! But— I can stop calling it cool. I'm gonna find something else to call it." He'd kind of overused the word by now anyway.

It wasn't hard to get his imagination going. Burning enemies? Food? Was it worth the hurt? Definitely was, because it looked and sounded like that; imagine being the one doing it. "How big is your cave?" He blurted, just to get the full mental picture. He could just envision Dread standing at the edge of it, defending it from would-be attackers, spewing fire across them all...

What he wouldn't give to see that! "Do you get a lot of enemies? How often? Do you eat them?" If he burned food and enemies, then it wouldn't be that much different, would it?

@Dread

Dread stared, tail slowly lashing behind him in the manner of a faintly frustrated cat, though he was more attentive than genuinely annoyed. It was just-... words were hard. That fact was immediately met--mentally--with defiance, because he (Dread!) could read! "I CAN READ," he abruptly informed Yvan, blurting this impulsively. It wasn't an argument. It wasn't rude. It was just a fact, thrust forward into the conversation for no immediate (external) reason.

...Anyway!

"YES. SOMETIMES. AND SOMETIMES." He paused, thinking. "ONCE ANOTHER DRAGON AND I FOUGHT. BUT THEN IT STARTED CRYING. I DID NOT EAT HER," and here he tilted his head to and fro. This was probably not the heroic or adventurous tale Yvan might have been hoping for, but... "A CHICKEN KEEPS ATTACKING ME SO I KEEP KILLING HER. WE MADE A BABY."

Even for a child, it was probably becoming apparent that Dread was not quite the average Gembound.

@Yvan