[Backdated to some point more than a year ago lol]

Near the lagoon at the end of the waterfall, Aran uses the bird's eyes to scout into the deep waters below him. The water is beautifully clear, appearing endless. He doesn't recall ever being here before, but it's a very nice sight to have. Especially right now - it's sick - Aran's known this since he forged with it. Lessers infected with... That - the fungus - do not live long.

At first he intended to let nature take its course. Through the link though... Aran can feel pulling. He's felt it this entire time - but now it is much stronger. He can feel the cardinal's pain through their link, can feel its life slowly going away over time. It hurts - less than when he gained his sight back. Killing the four-eye'd bird was so so much different than this slow decline.

Aran swallows, it's not got much longer now. He could've healed it some time ago, but now it is too late. Regret fills his senses - he should've healed it. The creature is suffering because he decided to wait and see what happened. All he can do is wait - but surely there's something else that can be done? Aran knows himself that there's higher powers in these caves - he's been on quests before! Not many would be willing to touch an infected lesser.

That fact leaves Aran weary. Is there enough time to find someone, or is it too late? He pulls the bird off of his back and sets it in front of him, far enough from the water so it does not get wet. It looks blearily up at him - he feels that tugging again.

Surely there's something he can do.

tenzin

npc

Usually, he would be slumbering: resting at the bottom of his pool of icy water, silent unless he were called upon.

But the touch of a stone here pulled at him, and he rose up slowly beneath the waterfall to see. Swathed by Order. That was saddening. And its magic was weak. A Lesser-? Here, at the edge of his pool? Or a Gembound, near to death?

Water cascaded over the teals, whites and blues of his feathers as he rose up, drops and streams glittering like diamonds. His wings spread, then gave a single beat to clear them of moisture.

He could see them now: the deer, the bird. One he didn't recognize. Was it a Lesser, even-?

"Hello," he called, coming nearer to the shore of the lagoon. There he paused, trying to discern what exactly was going on. He picked out the link between the two, and things began to slot into place. Compassion struck him, sympathy. "Is your companion... taken by Order?" he asked, blinking.

@Aran

Aran startles with the force of Tenzin coming through the waterfall - different from any other gembound he's seen, though he can't exactly remember every single one. The wingbeats have him shifting on his hooves, trying to keep the courage to stand in front of this being - the bird's eyes are very persuasive.

When Tenzin comes closer Aran does not move, shielding his familiar from the leftover water droplets coming down.

"Hello." Aran says, watching Tenzin seemingly inspect the cardinal in some way, as he clearly points out the issue at hand.

"I- Yes, yes he is." Aran does not mention that he is the cause of the animal not recovering - at this point it doesn't entirely matter. The poor thing would die. "There's nothing left I can do, is there?" He's never seen a lesser recover from Order before.

tenzin

npc

Tenzin shifted a sympathetic gaze to the little bird, studying it for a moment. It wasn't one of the cave's native denizens--not the ones created for food, anyway. That was strange, but the caves were magic, so it wasn't particularly noteworthy.

He turned his attention to Aran's question instead, pondering. After a moment, he sadly shook his head. "I think its infection is very far along. To purge it would destroy it," he explained. His voice was soft with apology. "You could... keep it alive, but it would be linked to the Hive." Tenzin's tone was neutral: he did not have a tone to suggest it that this was either good or bad. "That would... may... lead to suffering. Still, if you choose to try, there's a magic I can teach you. Or... you may remake it," he added, eyeing the bird. "Begin again." In case he wasn't being clear, he hesitated and then clarified. "It would kill the creature that it is, but life is a cycle of iterations, after all. It would give its stone a new chance. I can ensure that it is brought back without its stone being damaged, if you wish?"

Aran is being offered a choice: learning the spell Blessing of Pisces, or a guaranteed Revive Stone should he choose to kill his animal companion and revive it without the Hive's infestation.

@Aran

Aran knew getting rid of Order at this point would be a death sentence - the only beings who've survived it are Greaters - and even they don't have the best prospects in his opinion. Even he's felt the pull of something from his lesser companion, he knows what it is.

Aran knows suffering -- the bird too. The barasingha is selfish, too. He likes magic, wants as much as he can soak in, for better or for worse, having as much as he can has become helpful over the years. Even if he can't remember some of them.

"I think I would like the spell." He hums.

He's revived stones before, knows what it's like. Aran isn't ready for more of that, even though it would be interesting to see what would come out of a child born from him and the bird's stone. Realistically, he could leave his other child to look after it, but somehow that feels off base for this one. Keeping it alive even if suffering is his main priority.

tenzin

npc

"All right," Tenzin answered, voice gentle. He rose up farther from the lagoon, moving slowly so as not to frighten the little bird--or Aran, for that matter. When he'd half-emerged, water cascading from his feathers like glittering diamonds, he settled himself close to it. "Try to feel what I am doing."

He shared the touch of his magic with Aran, so that Aran could feel it, could learn in turn to wield it. It was empathy, sympathy, selflessness; it curled out with a sense of unconditional love and mercy, embracing the tiny bird in a cradle of Tenzin's power. It was entwined with those emotions, and Aran would feel how Tenzin had to give of himself to heal the worst of the bird's sickness.

He left it incomplete: left it for Aran to finish, to practice with. But Aran would feel the effects on both sides: the faint revitalization of his familiar, the fresh wash of energy coursing through it... and the weariness that flickered in Tenzin, despite how great the Master was in power. It was clear that when Aran wielded this, in turn, it would cause a far deeper exhaustion... but it would be worth it--wouldn't it?

Aran has been taught the spell Blessing of Pisces.

@Aran

Aran watches as Tenzin comes forward, water coming off of wet feathers. The magic floods his senses like a first breath of air - like a life freshly beginning. There is comfort, selflessness, among other things. It felt like fully giving something away that you won't ever be able to take back. It felt like Tenzin giving something away for a poor little familiar that should be dead.

Aran had never truly tested the feelings that could come through the line between familiar and greater - it's something he should have thought about but never did. Something inside wavers at the shared emotions from the bird - he knows the pain and the suffering already. Knows the pull of Mother inside the bird's head as it always pulls him ever closer to the location. This is different though, Aran's never felt something so kind. Nor can he remember ever giving it away himself.

The weary feeling that came after wasn't so unexpected - the spell seems to be quite powerful, like his one that can heal injuries on others. He can handle it, the tiredness will just have to become an expected part of his day.


After Tenzin is done, Aran can still feel that there is more needed. Perhaps for him to practice his newfound magic? Regardless of the reasoning, Aran pulls his magic to use the spell himself, casting it at the cardinal - feeling his energy seep out of himself and into the little bird as it begins to finish recovering.

When both spells are done, Aran watches as the little cardinal stands and looks between the both of him. There is a sense of accomplishment inside, he's done healing instead of hurt.

"I can't thank you enough." He says, turning to Tenzin's form. The exhaustion is worth it.
Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

tenzin

npc

The Master slid back into the water, a soft sigh the only sign of his exertion. His gaze moved from the bird to Aran, when the latter spoke, and he shook his head. "It's a kindness that you're offering," he said quietly, indicating the cardinal with a little nod. "I'm glad to be able to help. I'm only sorry I can't do more." He fell silent for a beat, looking over the bird again.

A shame he couldn't wholly cleanse it, not as it was. It wasn't powerful enough to withstand that. He couldn't condemn Order for using the bird, even; they'd been created by the other side, after all, as a mere food source.

At least... they had, in general. Now that he really looked at it, Tenzin realized he didn't recognize the creature. It wasn't one of the Lessers of the caves. But it was Lesser.

"Could you tell me, though--where did the little one come from?" he asked, curiosity evident in his tone.

@Aran

Aran feels like taking another long nap - but not before finishing this conversation with Tenzin. The powerful bird didn't need to help Aran - after all the bird is quite insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Especially as a Mothered creature, Aran almost feels he has no right to keep it alive. Maybe it's for his own personal curiosity, but he's gotten used to having the little thing around. He'd rather not get rid of it.

"You don't need to do anything more for it. Thank you for doing as much as you can." He hums. Aran already thought the poor thing would die, so keeping it alive is enough. Even if the poor thing will suffer - Aran will suffer with it.

Aran blinks his blind eyes in confusion - it's true, the lesser is an unusual one. He hadn't seen another like it since.

"I found him in Eridanus. I've never seen a lesser like him before so I used the spell on it." The still unnamed bird in question finally makes his way back up to Aran's antlers. "I think it got infected there." He sighs. Maybe Aran should go back and help cleanse it some more.

tenzin

npc

Tenzin nodded gently. "You are more than welcome. Hmm. I haven't seen one like it in these caves," he agreed, his voice a soft and thoughtful hum. He wondered what it meant.

"If there are troubles with it in the future... come back, and I'll do what I can. Good luck," he added. He began to sink back into the lagoon; he was ready to rest, again, and he could sense the Gembound's weariness. If Aran had questions he would stay, but he had a feeling the deer wished to go and rest--and he could hardly blame him.

@Aran