The other's it'd come with- Zoey, Khavur and The Opal- were currently resting. It knew that it should be resting as well, but it just.. couldn't. It just couldn't stop thinking, in the restless sort of way where it just had to keep moving.

One of it's earliest memories was of Canis.

Well. That wasn't EXACTLY true. One of the sharpest of its early memories was of Canis. It had other memories, as muddied as the swamp water it was reasonably sure it hatched in. But most of those earliest memories were blurred impressions, felt more than recalled.

But it was like the intensity of that fear had seared that moment into it's memory. I wonder which of these huts was the one I hid in. It thought with a distant sort of musing that nonetheless made it feel vaguely ill. It was odd to believe that it had once been small enough to hide in any of them. Now they felt minuscule. The whole room did. It really has grown. Why was that so hard to believe?


Well, if it wasn't going to take a break, then it should still be keeping watch. It's magic flared out, an easy, almost instinctual spell. Almost instantly the room erupted into the discordant heartbeats of various the various gembound. The tiny rain-like pitter-patters of the rats and other creatures that hid among the bones. The louder but more distant heartbeats of its companions.

But then, a strange, thunderously loud heartbeat. Either belonging to something extremely large or extremely close. Instantly, it'd whip in the direction of the sound. "Whos there?" It called out

@Galleon [Zoey and V-Opal-One are mentioned and vaguely in the background/offscreen]

Galleon enjoyed her cycles in Hydra. It was harsh, sure, but it was just the harshness she needed. The other caves, they were soft. Didn't fit her long term. But...short term she enjoyed visiting them. Especially now that she'd been hearing through the grapevine that things were going down in other caves. She was slow to receive news, being as Hydra was so far away, so isolated from where other gembound spent their days. That cave was a blessing and a curse. She'd spent long enough skulking about in Hydra. It was time to stretch her legs again. Or, rather, Last Legs' legs. She'd like to know what all that news about a 'sky' was about. So, she'd set off. Mercifully, Last Legs was feeling cooperative today. Though, the expedited travel Last Legs brought came with the downside that she couldn't feel the earth beneath her, nor its vibrations, only those of Last Legs itself.

So, it truly came as a surprise when she heard a, "Who's there?" barked from somewhere outside her vision. Galleon paused. She blinked, scanning her range of vision. It wasn't very much of a range. Those bone pillars obscured everything. She clicked her teeth in annoyance. "Hold on. 'm comin out!" Then, down towards Last Legs, she said "Take me to 'em." Last Legs swayed back and forth for a moment, before it decided on a direction. She was taken out to a..oily shark centaur, already staring at her. Likely using some sorta magic.

"Hey there! Y'seem a little on edge. Makes me wonder which of us just came from Hydra, huh?" Galleon chuckled to herself. She gave her best grin, a rictus of clacked teeth. The more she looked at them, the more familiar they seemed, though she was having trouble placing where she'd seen them last. She hummed, thinking on it. "We meet before?" she asked at last.

"When I speak"
When I think

@V-Labradorite-One

There was a returning call of "Hold on. 'm comin out!" and then anticipatory silence broken by the sound of thunderous footsteps. It tensed, even though the voice didn't SOUND aggressive. An armored fish-like creature vaguely reminiscence of... certain members of the Forge. The wooden creature it sat upon didn't have a heartbeat. some kind of strange magic?

It 'grinned' back, an awkward baring of teeth backlit by a neon red maw. "I'm on patrol." It answered, "The Hive was recently purged from this cave, and I'm here to make sure it doesn't return." The landshark was almost.. offputtingly chipper, compared with how it knew massive armored creatures to act. It supposed Zoey was friendly enough, but far less.. energetic. "You live in Hydra? That is impressive. It is not a very hospitable cave." Especially for a semi-aquatic creature like The Labradorite.

"We meet before?" Galleon asked, but Labradorite had long since made the connection. "The Deathmatch in Orion." It spoke. "We never fought, but you were matched against my clutchmate V-Selenite-One." It's jaw set at the memory. It's sibling hadn't fared well in its first fight. "It forfeited, and you let it go." It knew that it was cowardliness on The Selenite's part, and weakness on Galleon's, but it was glad it had ended that way. "Thank you."

Oh. It should probably actually introduce itself. Somewhat awkwardly and abruptly, it said "I'm V-Labradorite-One. What is your designation?"

@Galleon

Galleon blinked rapidly. She hadn't been expecting a thank you. She couldn't recall receiving one before. What did you say when someone thanked you? She also didn't know what to do when someone complimented her. She sat there stunlocked before realizing she'd been quiet for longer than was normal. She shifted.

"Oh, uh, you're welcome." Galleon said awkwardly. Selenite was the humanoid, she remembered. She'd been a little disappointed she didn't get to fight them. Thinking on the deathmatch brought up feelings of nostalgia in Galleon. It'd been fun, up until she, y'know, got disembowled. Galleon cleared her throat.

"I, uh, It wouldn't be right to go after someone, that Selenite---V-Selenite-One you said?--when they're scared. I do this for fun y'know! Anyways, Hive, huh? Can't say I have pleasant experiences with them either. You doin' this alone? If you need help patrolling I wouldn't mind dedicating a bit of time. Don't think I've got a 'designation', whatever that is, but you can call me Galleon."

"When I speak"
When I think

@V-Labradorite-One

Labradorite wasn't used to conversations that weren't just the straightforward exchange of information. It wasn't all that good at reading others, either, but it could still sense Galleons confusion. Had it said something wrong? Labradorite was just about to break the lengthening silence with an apology before Galleon did that herself.

"Oh, uh, you're welcome." A simple nod and acknowledging hum would answer her, but it otherwise stayed quiet as Galleon cleared her throat and continued speaking.

It- well- it KNEW others who fought for "fun," but they were vastly different. Those with chaos-addled minds who hungered for destruction and violence. Enjoying combat, but NOT enjoying the fear or pain you inflict.. didn't quite make sense. Although.. Labradorite would say it enjoys combat, but it doesn't enjoy the sensation of fragile bones in its jaws. It enjoys doing what it's supposed to do- what its made for. But isn't it meant to be an executioner?
It'd snort gently to vacate this thought from its mind.

"...Some would call that weakness. They'd say the only important part of fighting is winning." It wouldn't say whether it agreed with this statement because honestly? It wasn't quite sure. It THOUGHT it did, but it also didn't think this gembound or The Selenite were weak, either.

"Nobody likes The Hive, except those in it." A light huff of a light, as though The Labradorite itself wasn't entirely sure it had made a joke. "No, I'm not alone. The others are resting, but I.. just don't like being idle." It'd half-shrug. It'd stay quiet for a couple moments after this, fidgeting minutely as if considering something before finally asking "Would you like to spar? I could use the practice." If Galleon accepted the offer it would silently move into position, its posture shifting to a battle-ready one.

@Galleon

Galleon scoffed. "Weakness, huh? Those types ain't very fun. If I wanted to win every bout, id go wrestle cave rabbits. Y'can't improve none if you just win all the time."

Whatever sense of annoyance had arose with the previous statement was somewhat abated with Labradorite's joke. Galleon gave a quick bark of a laugh. "You got that right."

She watched Labradorite shift without much comment. Her grin widened as much as her stiff jaws could. She could tell where this would be going. When Labradorite posed the question, Galleon was ready. She stretched, speaking as she did so. "A spar, huh? I could use a good bout. I also don't much enjoy being idle. Doin' this off my turf will be a good challenge." She pushed herself off of Last Legs with a thrust of her rear fins.

"Clear off, Last Legs!" She commanded, and the wagon scuttled out of the immediate line of fire, shuddering. "Ill give you the first go!" Galleon said. Galleon curled her head down and tucked her fins in, bracing herself for whatever Labradorite did. It'd give her a good chance to see what their fighting style was like.


"When I speak"
When I think

ROUND 1/?

#100%

ATTEMPT: Brace for the next hit
DEFENSE: curled up
INJURIES: none

@V-Labradorite-One