Evening

The crow sat in her nest, gazing over Cetus quietly. It was dark; the lights were out. She could barely see, but regardless, she watched. She thought, at length, about Dragon's words about surviving with Aquarian's help. It made sense, she thought, to survive with the aid of Dragon's own father.
Still, she felt somewhat frightened.

The crow shook her feathers a little, pushing the thoughts and fear out of her head as she concentrates a little, the silvery stone on her foot shimmering gently. Soon, there came lights, though dim, they danced like specs of dust through the air. Not only were they pleasing for Eve to look at, it lit up the area so she could see easier.

Such is the purpose of light, of course. Eve sighed somewhat as she watched the lights, before she looked down at the ground. She watched the murky swamps below before she nestled back comfortably into her nest. She felt content, despite being alone - even that damned sloth wasn't on her branch. He was probably somewhere else, perhaps pestering Ghanyarah on his branch.

She thought, for a moment, perhaps she'd appreciate company? This thought only warranted a soft snort leaving the crow, rather than actual movement and achieving what she wanted - which she was sure was someone to talk to, by now.

"Listen to me."

Tal'at lived in the world of marsh with his new group quite happily... Though he did not "see" them as often as he liked, he kept in touch with their heartbeats near constantly. If something was wrong, he knew about it. Thankfully, the Children of Rot were full of strong, fierce hearts. He had very little to fear with them around... And it made him bolder by the day.

This day, he was wandering about on the sticky, muddy ground. Usually he stuck to the trees, but he was getting a bit tired of flying into them when his sense of nature faltered. It was hard to hear the steady growth of plant life compared to the thick, strong beat of animal's pulses.

He paused as a heartbeat, soft but frantic, fluttered above him. It was small, young, but he could pinpoint it. Ah, he knew this one. With a squeak, the tiny bat crawled over to the base of the tree, wiping off his muddy fur on the root, before he flew up towards her nest.

"Hello friend Eve," he clicked at her, a smile lighting up on his face. He was fond of her, for all it was worth-- she was his size, and fluffy with her lovely feathers. He wanted to... To get to know her, he supposed. To truly make friends with the delightful young crow.

!!! ...
@Eve

It's in the eyes!
I can tell, you will always be danger!
We had it tonight! Why do we always seek absolution?

Evening

Eve turned her head towards Tal'at. She nodded somewhat, perhaps forgetting that he might not actually be able to see. "Hi, Tal'at. You wanna sit?" the black bird scooted over in her nest, subtly dragging a dully glowing rock under her, as if it were her own egg. "It's a nest. It's warm. Do you have one?"

The little crow waited quietly, ready to help Tal'at climb in if he needed it. The nest itself was oddly soft - even though it was made from sticks and small stones, there were many feathers lining it; some inky and dark, seemingly absorbing the light she herself was consuming - her own, of course. Some were dull whites and greys - even some specks of brown, and only a few were brighter colours - greens, reds, yellows. One was even bright pink.

She collected the feathers just as much as she collected little shiny things, which she made sure were either under her or buried around her. It made the nest a little bumpy, but it should be clear where Tal'at sits, if he sits.

She turned to peer at the flickering, dim lights around the nest with a short sigh. "How are you?" she asked simply.

To Tal'at's surprise, Eve offered him a spot in her nest. With a few tentative flaps of his wings, he carefully landed beside her, delighted to find the small, cozy circle of comfort. He couldn't see it, so he took the time to feel it out-- what a wonderful place! He wished he had something like this to sleep in... Usually he just found some moss to lay in, or hung upside down on some branch somewhere. He nestled down in the soft, downy covered nest of sticks and stones.

He had no eyes to see the shimmering lights, nor the colorful feathers, but it was entirely more comfortable than what he was used to. It didn't help that there was a warm, feathered body beside him. Tal'at was used to the comfort of his avian friends, and he enjoyed every moment he shared brushed up or clinging to soft, fluffy downs.

"I am good," he replied shortly, contentment in his voice as he sighed. His body quivered, a bit chilly, but he would certainly warm up in no time now. "Nest is lovely. Never had one," he pondered to himself, murmuring thoughtfully, "I should learn... What are these? Feathers and twigs? So comfy soft..."
!!! ...
@Eve

It's in the eyes!
I can tell, you will always be danger!
We had it tonight! Why do we always seek absolution?

Evening

The crow nodded a little, repeating. "Twigs and feathers, yes. I find them around here, sometimes. They're mostly mine." she tilted her head a little - not that Tal'at could see that. "I can make you one, maybe. If you'd like." It was a genuine offer - nests were great, of course. She was puzzled as to why many people she did not meet had one of her own, but she was sure Tal'at would like one.

Eve nodded again, more to herself. She fluffed herself up with a sigh, peering over Tal'at quietly. ".. You know what Dragon said? About others dying? What do you-.. think of it?" the crow sounded curious and somewhat nervous. She shifted in the nest, perhaps immediately regretting asking. She remembered how eagar Tal'at had been to get on a giant water-dragon's face - perhaps the bat wasn't the best person to ask.

And if Dragon and his noodle-shaped father, Aquarian, were going to offer safety and survival, perhaps it wasn't the best thing to doubt them. She had trusted the alligator in the past, even - she couldn't understand her own hesitation now. The crow slouched forwards, adjusting a feather in her nest quietly as she waited for the blind bat to reply.

@Eve

"If you would," Tal'at spoke softly, "would be wonderful." His bulbeous, expressionless orb peered at Eve, shuffling slightly in his spot. He stretched out, the cold Cetus air forgotten in the warmth of the nest. He sighed lightly, content in that moment. However, her next question gave him pause.

His small tongue flashed pale pink over the tuft of fur on his chest, considering. He felt incredibly relaxed, comfortable enough in front of Eve to even groom himself, something he usually only did in private.

"Others will die," he commented, "they already have. This is life. Way things work. I don't harm. Try not to. Blind and defenseless, as it is. Don't hunt prey. I eat fruit. Life is simple." He rambled on for a bit, drawing to a pause. "But I want... Want to live. Everyone wants life. To live forever. Do you not?"

The blind bat was hardly one to judge. His experiences were particularly unique from others, and he enjoyed hearing others perspectives. It was a sudden question, but certainly a fair one. The formation of the group had been sudden.

But Tal'at knew where he stood. Aquarian was larger that Tal'at's magic could comprehend, and he did not want to be on the bad side of the Guardian of Cetus.

!!! ...

going out a different path lead by a beating heart

Eve was quiet for a few moments before she shrugged, at length, and twisted her head back to pull out a tail feather from her butt, moving to hand it carefully to Tal'at. "Take this. It's a feather. I can go find twigs and stuff for your nest, do you know where you want it to be?"

She stood up a little bit in her nest, watching Tal'at with careful eyes and a soft croak.

@Tal'at

@Eve

Tal'at startled slightly as he felt a feather brush across his fluffy form, but as the bird spoke he realized what she was doing. He gently took the feather in his mouth, then carefully transferred it to his more dexterous foot, before turning his unseeing orb towards the marsh.

He tried to see out into the forest with his green sense, but nothing told him of where would be a good place to sleep. Truth be told, he had yet to find a place he called home-- but he also realized he would want a lot more feathers than what Eve could spare.

"I will look. Find a place. Thank you Eve," he spoke softly, though he made no move to leave just yet. He was actually quite happy to stay and chat with her a bit more-- if it wasn't too uncomfortable for her.

!!! ...

going out a different path lead by a beating heart

The crow was quiet for a moment. "It might take a while, though, I'd need to find more feathers, too," she croaked, nudging the back of Tal'at's neck. "You can sleep in my nest for a while."

Another pause. The crow's eyes shifted to the branch her nest rested on. "Though sometimes there's a demonic sloth that lies here." She nodded a little before she nestled back down next to Tal'at with a sigh.

@Eve

"Look for feathers... I will too," he replied softly, settling back into the nest, sweeping his heavy face back into her feathers. He listened, wondering if she was just telling some kind of ackamarackus, but decided if she was telling the truth it was probably a decent enough demonic sloth.

"Is that so?" he clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth three short times, wiggling into the most comfortable position in the nest he could find-- namely, half leaning on the feathery Eve. It didn't matter much to him. "Hope its nice. Nice demon sloth." Tal'at didn't know many scary things yet in his young, batty life, but he was sure that this fog filled place was full of them.

After all, Aquarian had to be guarding Cetus from something.

!!! ...

going out a different path lead by a beating heart