It was hard to ignore the commotion about the water when Iipsi began to sing. Woken by her sing-song tune, the little blue clenched his gills shut and swam for the surface above, away from his hiding place amongst the teal weeds. The leviathan groggily rose a few inches of his head out of the water, vision blurring as the wet flowed over smooth scales. With a blink, his vision cleared and he found himself surprised by the sudden gathering.

There were so many landbounds! Kreool's demeanor shifted immediately and with a whimsical whistle, she darted for the shore. With a slower, careful, effort, she hauled herself to land and shook her scales off. With a thrilling little squeal, she slipped uneasily past the crowd and was about to approach Iipsi with excitement when she spotted the pair of dark strangers already in place below her. Woah. The big black male was all scarred up and tired looking, stress written across his face more than anything else. The little creature below him... was a mix of black cat and Iipsi! Iipsi had a baby!? She'd heard tell that others in the Maji were celebrating their own new children, but this one didn't look as chubby as the trio by the earthy couple. More appropriate dimensions meant she was older, right?

Oh, but Kreool's vision shifted to the crowd, interest lost. There were other new faces here, and suddenly nervous, she scooted to rest on Iipsi's other side, curling at the base of the stone wall like a snake might, tucking in her front limbs and watching the scene unfold in front of her in surprising silence.

She didn't even understand the landbound words anyway. She hoped Eeya or Arrh would arrive beside her in the water and translate...

@Arrh @Eeya

Words, feelings, and images came to Bartos softly, hesitantly, as if from far away, like a song strangled at the source.

She's smiling at him, the stars in her eyes, so full of love. 'I want...I want everything, just with you. Do you know how beautiful you are, Bartos?'

The 'lesson' went exactly how Sonata predicted. Father would get caught up talking about off-topic things like how water is 'dangerous' and how 'falling in might get you hurt' because you 'can't breathe in there' and you might 'drown.' It was useless information to her. Drowning was a stupid word. Baroque began crying ten minutes into the lesson. What she had noticed, however, was her reflection. That wasn't her, was it? She saw her brother and her father, and then another thing. Fat and white with grey bits where they didn't fit. She was distracted by it, to the point that she didn't even notice for a second that her family were walking past her.

She blinked and slowly got up and moved after them, taking seat next to them.

Amaria

You fell away,
What more can I say?
The feelings evolved,
I won't let it out,
I can't replace...
Your screaming face,
Feeling the sickness inside

Silently paws prowled through the tunnel, heading towards the single home that she had, at one time, believed she had not belonged in. Cancer had headed there first with Remedy. On the simple fact it had been Bevy to have invited him to the election. Had it truly been four cycles since the last time she had sat through an election? That would mean Cancer's exile was over. Her thoughts distracted her and it wasn't until Cure's voice startled her into attention. Her gaze lifted and she stared into the Cavern room and at all the gembounds who had gathered. Leon and Makyna were there, with three young gembounds and for a moment she was unsure. She had never been told the two had children, of course she never went out of her way to see how her siblings were doing considering the ordeal she and the rest of her family had been going throughh at the time.

Cure peeked out from between her front legs, eager to move and Amaria only smiled down at her. "Mind your manner's Cure. There will be no playing during this meeting, understood?" She spoke gently, softly so that no one else would hear. For a moment she hoped her appearance would go unnoticed. Their travel had surely been much slower than Carcino's and Remedy's. Amaria had to keep reassuring Cure that she would be perfectly safe as they traveled through Orion just to get to Pisces. It broke her heart to see the cub froze to her spot and unwilling to move any further. Her eyes had been wide and full of fear as she looked expectantly. Almost as if the cub had expected the Stag to come barreling into view.

Amaria shook her thoughts and nudged Cure along and they headed towards where Cancer had decided he would sit with Remedy. Once at his side she gave a gentle head bump before she moved to sit casually, not at all worried about looking prime and proper. In fact, she had slid down to lay on her side and stretched out comfortably. A soft purr escaped her when Cure took the opportunity to pounce on her side before she settled down with her.


"Speech"

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Keep on trying I’ll not die so easily
I will not die…
Why is everything so fucking hard for me?
I will not die…
Why is everything so fucking hard for me?
I will not die…

To say Cure wasn't excited to go somewhere new again would be a lie. Though she struggled to get through Orion, Cure was soon coaxed into the area on the promise that they would take the long way and stay hidden until they reached the tunnel. It wasn't until they were out of Orion did Cure begin to brighten up again. She padded a long, weaving in between her mother's legs as the mutated leopard carried on.

It wasn't until they broke out of the tunnel into a new room did her eyes go wide with awe. "Mama! this place is pretty!" She cried excitedly as she poked her head out from between her mother's front legs. She looked around, curious to see all the gembounds. There were even young ones here! She was about to go racing off until her mother's voice pulled her attention away. Her ears splayed to the side when she was told there would be no playing before she finally gave a slow nod. "Yes, mama.." She spoke gently before brightening when her mother began walking again.

It didn't take them but a moment to get over to her father and as Amaria head bumped Cancer, Cure could not help the small and playful shoulder bump to her twin. It wasn't until her mother stretched out on her side did Curee leave her twin alone and go pounce on her mother's side. Remembering her mother's words, Cure perched near Amaria's stomach and sat up straight there. Gentle Sapphire eyes eagerly looking around to see who all was there.

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"Speech"

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OoC: shitty posts all around woooo

δεξιά . κέντρο . αριστερά

Kerberos wanted to come. Firstly, he wanted the chance to find Ashtoreth's scent-- but through Orion, there was no sign of the child. Wherever she had gone, it was far, far from home. Second of all, he wanted to protect Cure and Remedy. He even offered to take @Liora with him, so all of the children could go out to this interesting meeting-- but he understood if @Azazel didn't want his child to leave the safety of Canis. Not to mention, ever since their fight, things were a bit tense between him at his leader.

The keeper of the gate had failed for the last time. The beast known as Hasira, one of his worst nightmares, who labelled him a murderer, had been taken down. If they were lucky, he would never come back... But the dog knew that teeth could lay dormant for cycles, only to return when revenge reared its ugly head once more. There was no escaping it.

The cerberos shook his three heads and put a set of eyes on each child he was here to escort, his right head reaching over to his middle neck to nose at an invisible, bare skinned goblin in his fur. Perhaps Zariel would have liked to come, but the three headed dog thought the white pup would be safer with his mother. There was only so much the guardian could handle, as he had found out.

Kerberos was tired... But he was also oh so excited. He pushed away his thoughts of Ashtoreth, of the nightmares chasing his tail, of Hasira and Gertrude and the mark of murderer that walked across his faces-- peck marks, faint scars that he couldn't escape from-- and instead of all of these horrible things, he thought of Leon. Of the others who would be waiting in Maji Walezi for his family.

And Pisces, oh, the wonderfully wet, shimmering shiny home, was full of life today. It reminded him of the Wedding, with so many gembounds. He glanced around just once or twice at them all, hardly registering them, and then returned to his watchful guarding. He wouldn't let anyone down ever again. He couldn't.

Ever since that day when Mawra had died right in front of him the dolphin didn't seem to be the same. He was less peppy, less cheerful than usual. He was listless as he floated as a silent guard near the two chrysali. He had only intended to grab Mawra's stone but he'd gotten ahold to the other as a sort of decoration but now it seemed to be growing as well. He knew that babies grew out of chysali and held out hope that he would get to see Mawra again. However, he still felt a sense of failure that the redfangs had managed to kill her under his watch. It wouldn't happen again though. He would make sure to keep an eye on new-Mawra and this other charge he'd gained as well.

No redfangs would hurt his kin again under his watch!

He was floating near the chrysali now as he heard Bevy's call. The dolphin didn't want to leave the growing gems but he didn't really have a choice. With one last look he allowed himself to go up to the surface where he saw all sorts of gembounds gathered to the bird's call. Eeya didn't greet anyone he just slowly paddled over to the shallows near Kreool. There he waited for the meeting to start as he tried to keep one eye towards his children and the other on the gathering.

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MW Meeting
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5/10

"Talking looks like this."
"Eekii eee!"
Thinking looks like this...

table coded by banshee

with all the time he had recently spent away from his homeland, quintus had seemed to forgotten just how maji walezi worked, his mind seemed to have reminded him once had finally reached pisces. he never understood the idea of a temporary rule and he could not help but wonder if the founder of the group had actually been the one to come up with such an idea, who in the right mind would give up power.

thinking about the founder had reminded him that his period of banishment was over, he wondered if the gembound would actually have the guts to come back or perhaps even reclaim what was rightfully his. the feline would slowly but surely make his way to the gathered group of gembounds, it had been a while since he had seen such large amounts of his kind together; the last time it happened was the time his father and mother held their wedding. quintus would then summon a significant amount of magic for a spell, instantly he would register the various figures surrounding them within his head, hmph.

eventually the brute would make his presence known and his eyes would instantly land on the gathered group of songcats, family. a warm feeling would fill his being at the sight of his siblings and just as he was about to take a seat beside his kin, the figure of bartos would be seen standing at an edge. he could not help but notice how terrible the feline was looking causing the happy feeling inside of him to instantly be replaced with the feeling of shame, if i had been there sooner.

the songcat would then make his way closer to the cat only to scoop him in his jaws by the scruff of his neck, quintus would then make his way to the center where everybody else was before setting his friend down with a reassuring smile on his face,

" yo. "

enna . calypso
sweet and soft . critical and melodic
ooc ;; @Makyna @Leon// @Amaria @Dark @Cancer @Sonata @Cadence @Quintus

Bevy was always relieved to see Dark, knowing today would be the day she would announce his role as Guardian properly. She should have sooner, but so many things had caught her wings and tied them tight, keeping her from holding as many meetings as she would have liked. She dipped her head towards him, peeping softly, "hello, Dark. You seem well." She was so proud of her blind owlet, even as he now towered over her even hunkered down in rest. She reached over to him and gently preened at a few feathers on his cheek, before she returned her gaze to the gathering crowd.

Looking around, it seemed Makyna and Leon, and all of their cubs, were accounted for. The bird tipped her beak towards Makyeon, warmth filling her chest at just how happy her two newly parented friends were. It was her duty as leader to make sure that everyone felt safe and happy, and with the cubs bringing life to the waterfall cavern, Enna felt more satisfied than ever in her efforts. She glanced at Cadenza, admiring the flower in her fluff. "Aw, she looks just like her mother," she cast the praise towards her friend, sharing a knowing look with the lioness... Just as Leon messed up the cub's fur! The bird tsked at the male, who clearly had no sense of manners or looking well-kempt, but frankly Bevy was sure that was what Makyna actually liked about Leon.

She couldn't pay any more attention to all that, however. Cancer had arrived. Her feathers puffed out and she inhaled sharply, alarm spreading through her plumage. Act casual, act casual! Enna chirped mentally, thrusting Calypso back into the lead. She was still as flustered as a school child over that dumb wreck of a man, but Caly wasn't going to put up a fuss now of all times. She had, after all, agreed to invite Cancer back personally. Calypso's gaze landed on Remedy, waiting for the child to meet her eyes... But that moment never seemed to come. The hybrid was all up in feathers about everything else that was going on.

And of course, upon seeing their own flesh and blood, the darkness in their heart started to awaken and grumble. That thing has come here to poison us. You let it in, and it will kill the children and taint our lives. You let it grow too old, too long, too much. Calypso pointedly ignored Roshan, knowing he was rather harmless aside from his toxic thoughts. Enna started to protest, chirping off about how, that's my precious little angel. She doesn't even have our magic, she has Carcino's-- look, I won't let you talk about her like that. Not today! You're soft, unwilling to take the life of a monster to save the lives of us all. Not fit to be ruler. Not fit to even live. Calypso did her absolute best to ignore their bickering, noticing finally that Remedy was trying to catch her eyes.

The bird raised a wing and bowed her head to the child. "It's good to see you, Remedy," she spoke in a gentle, melodic singsong. "And Cancer. I'm so glad you could both make it." In the corner of her vision she caught sight of Cure and Amaria following after them, settling down beside them. She nodded to Amaria and gave a gentle, curious glance to Cure, before she set her gaze on the group as a whole. It seemed as though everyone who was supposed to be here, was here.

So without further ado, the bird spread her wings and called out to her family and friends. "Hello and welcome, everyone! Today marks the eight cycle of Maji Walezi's formation, and with it, comes wonderful news. The scourge of the caves, Vazi Hasira, has been taken down. No longer will he haunt our shadows and threaten our children, and for a while, the caves will be safe once more. I want to thank Leon and Cancer, as well as every other gembound who helped stop that violent menace."

"I want to apologize for not holding a meeting sooner. Things have been quite busy with the wedding of Makyna and Leon, as well as dealing with the problems in the caves. Now is a time to rejoice and share in the comfort of peace. Today, I want to bring together our families and show that no matter what comes, we can still stand strong and keep our faith in one another."

"So to start off, I think we should begin by talking about the current events of the cave. As you all know, Leon and Makyna were married last cycle and have since had three lovely children-- we'll get back to them later-- and also, this cycle marks the end of Cancer's exile. I want to welcome our old leader back with open arms, for he has shown bravery and loyalty towards all of the cave's inhabitants. In some ways, I think, Cancer has never stopped being a Maji Walezi, in spirit if nothing else."

Bevy nodded at Cancer and looked around at everyone else, ending her small praise of warmth towards the feline. Perhaps she was biased, as a whole. "Does anyone else have any news from the cave?"

But don't you come here and say I didn't warn you
About the way your world can alter
And oh how you try to command it all still
Every single time it all shifts one way or the other

And I'm a goddamn coward, but then again so are you
And the lion's roar, the lion's roar
Has me evading and hollering for you
And I never really knew
what to do
...

Calypso was in charge, so when she greeted her family it was with brisk approval, nothing more. Carcino offered a polite smile in return. This wasn't his Enna, not a little bird he could fluster or chat with- Calypso was all business, and so, he played the same role- refined and proper. Elegant. In control--

"Mama knew my name!" Remedy's voice below him chimed excitedly. With a blink, a breif look of surprise became playful scorn. The scarred cat landed a heavy paw on his daughter's head and smoothed her feathers in a smooth movement. She complained wordlessly, but a second later, Calypso was talking, and the father of two shushed his boistrous hybrid.

Beside him, Amaria had settled down, allowing their feline daughter to show less manners in favor of keeping her entertained. For a moment, the look he gave them both was scornful- It's not important, Carce. They're as much family here as anyone- it's you that was exiled, remember?- but a moment later, it softened into acceptance, then fondness. He turned back to Calypso's speech.

The bird was speaking about Hasira and Carcino's expression became one of mild annoyance. She thanked him formally alongside Leon and the dark cat spared a glance at his life-long rival. He'd been... honestly proud, to say the least, to have the opportunity to fight by his side after all that had happened between them. ...after Makyna... His vision drifted and a second later, he stiffened. Makyna. As he looked at her, she was already staring pointedly at him. His cheek burned and the hair down his back stood on end, but thankfully, Calypso was saying his name again. He had an excuse to look away, back to the bird, and try his best to ignore the looming lioness behind him.

It was easy to forget Makyna's glare, with Calypso's next words about him. Surprised, he blinked up at her, then almost cheekily, he turned his head to the side, his paw raised to his neck and he rubbed nervously. It returned to the stone floor with a swipe and he couldn't help a sheepish smile, turning his attention down to Remedy between his legs, messing her feathers to look busy. Didn't need to make it a big speech... bravery and loyalty... Jeeze... If cats could blush.

@Bevy @Makyna (Let me know if the assumed stare wasn't okay and I'll edit) @Leon @Amaria

Won't be posting with Remedy until the last round from here on.