old friends and new - echoes of wishes

If there were judgment passed on what transpired here, there was no sign of it. This magic did not seem to know, nor to discriminate. It simply curled past, a sweet kiss upon a strange breeze.

It was a promise of things to come, one that could be shaped by their intent. A future formed by their desires... but not for themselves. For one another.

They had only a flash of time. No chance to discuss. No long minutes of soft debate, or calculation. Only this moment, a whim, the instinct to guide the spark of magic toward a gift. Would they choose something the other truly would like, adore, fall in love with, respect, feel forever grateful for? Or would their gift be a mistake, a misstep, well-intentioned but easily forgotten?

There was no time for second-guessing. Each of them felt it: the offer, for that split second, of making something come true for their companion.

__________

Each Gembound has only an instant to decide upon a Wish for their thread partner. While the players are free to discuss OOCly, the Gembounds themselves are the ones making this Wish: it should not use out-of-character information but should instead reflect the intent and beliefs of the Wish-makers.

Please GM tag a second time to have a Game Master confirm that all Wishes are viable.

@Bacchus

For a moment Bacchus lingered, even after Anubis was returned to his body. The seizing of the mouse was of no interest to him, however Anubis held much interest for him.

It would be rude to impose overly though, so Bacchus maneuvered himself to release Anubis and then roll off of him. But the feeling of the jackal close would likely not leave his mind. It was rare that he was given permission to touch, let alone do anything quite like pin another being.

"You are welcome," his voice was the rumble as ever.

Then the sense of a wish struck, and Bacchus genuinely considered what his obsession might want. It was best to keep it vague yet precise, he decided. Something to aid in Anubis's studies, either a spell or tool or whatnot, without cheapening the act of researching.

It passed.

His head tilted, curious. "Did you feel a different sort of magic upon the air this past moment, Anubis?" he inquired.

@Anubis

The magic that washed over them, strangely, made Anubis feel a strange sense of annoyance. Now why did he have to make a wish for Bacchus? Could he not wish something for himself? Ah, but there was only a split second. He almost didn't make a wish, having so little interest in fulfilling any desires other then his own, but he got one out before it was too late. If he did not wish, perhaps Bacchus's wish for him would not be granted.

Well, he liked Aati's pain. Let him have something to enact his...interests upon so he may feel satisfied. Once the magic had passed, he added on, privately, so it is not directed at me. There. Bacchus would be fulfilled, he would feel more safe, win win for everyone.

"I did," he responded, quite casually, as if nothing supernatural had occurred. "Strange."

old friends and new - echoes of wishes

Still no judgment came. The magic only gauged, and fulfilled, intent. And it did so.

Anubis was imbued with the ability to bind a Lesser to him. A Familiar, yes. A great, powerful magic, a spell that was even now--though well-known--unusual in the caves. It would be difficult, each time, yet allow him to experience the full effects of his experiments without the need to switch mind and form with this creature--and would, to some extent (though never completely) ensure obedience. It would be, at least, far less hassle to wrangle such a beast to his side.

Bacchus received... a vision. A glimmer and a shine that lit a room in his mind: a place in Cassiopeia, the word whispering through his consciousness.

It was as though he were flying, sweeping through that cave, the dim light barely enough to navigate by... but it was enough. A coursing downward, the following of a path. It curved along a wall, this vision, tearing at a swift pace toward a dim, dank stone structure, an entrance, a door. Large, yet... the walls were thick. Fortified. The place was forbidding, with few windows and little light; for a regular Gembound it would be frightening, haunting, to explore. But for him? A precious thing awaited, unclaimed, untended for millennia.

The vision swept through dark, half-crumbled corridors, this way and that past rooms stained with old blood or shattered chrysalis shards. It would be difficult to follow the path, even with this memory, but he could find it... eventually. At last the final room: something strange and thickly overgrown, wildly out of place in what seemed otherwise stark and barren. A dim, dark light shone overhead, Voidlight itself, twisting colors into their negatives below: and a sickly, dark garden grew beneath. Strange plants, some with teeth, some dripping with black ichor, none discovered in eons.

A garden, for a tormentor. A gift of poisoned flowers.

___________

Anubis has received the spell Familiar Forge.

Bacchus has been shown a vision in Cassiopeia, and may move there and GM tag in The Prison Sector subregion for more information, to claim his Wish gift.

@Bacchus

The vision engulfed Bacchus, a glimmer and shine of a cave he had not been nor seen, yet suddenly knew where to find what he sought. A wish, for him as well. The forbidding did not cause fear, but a great deal of anticipation. Anticipation that was well worth it.

A garden under Voidlight, a twisted garden full of never seen wonders, suitable for his care, meant for him? He had thought of his lost time and how it had affected his efforts to garden, and he deeply craved this garden. A place to tend, a place to care for, a place that would become his.

”Oh, how lovely,” he murmured in his rumbling purr as he came out of his vision. ”Thank you, Anubis. I hope my wish for you goes well, yet for now I am drawn to leave, my friend,” he bowed his head in appreciation.

”I hope to see you again,” he spoke, but his focus had drifted. It was a need, to find this garden, now, before another laid claim to it.

[Exit Bacchus]

@Anubis

The knowledge of this magic - Anubis knew it existed, he had seen it with Giggle - washed through him and he realized then that it wasn't just for the companionship of a familiar, no it was more. A direct connection to the other. How had he not thought of this before?! Unusual delight filled the jackal and the golden tail behind him began to wag at the possibilities now opening to him. It was perfect, it was perfect! Oh all the knowledge he'll get, all the experiences he'll have!

He was so caught up in it that he almost missed Bacchus's words. He caught on in time though - he was leaving. Suddenly. His attention snapped back to the leopard in an instant, confused and curious. Now what had his wish given to him? Magic or knowledge? Something to find?

The speed of the shift surprised Anubis and his curiosity was piqued. He would play with his new toy...eventually. But he did not want to miss wherever this one was going.

As Bacchus made to move away, Anubis stood from where he'd been sitting and casually shook out his pelt. Barely perceptible, along with the grit and dust that had gotten in his coat while pressed to the ground, what also came fluttering off were little spores, most of which fell to the ground, but just enough fluttered onto Bacchus's fur that Anubis, with some insight at work, would be able to follow.

"Thank you, and good luck to you," he responded, quietly, watching him go. He waited a little while, focusing on the feeling of movement from the spores, the space that Bacchus was moving through, and then, once he felt like the leopard was far enough away, he made to follow.

*exit