The long legs of Jasmine carried her through the green; the ferns brushed over her coat and head bobbed with each step. This evening, her elephant companion was spending some time alone for grazing as she would go and explore; promising to not wander off to far. Eridanus was a vast room, and most of the plant life towered over the towering female, who was already 10 ft up from the ground and still growing.

Not only did she feel safe in the thick forest, but would forget about how heights caused her mild discomfort. Before, in Orion, the female practically crawled across the ground but here she walked with her head held high. Soon coming to a break in the branches, finding herself standing in a clearing. In the middle was a large mushroom, bigger then any she had ever seen before.

Leaning her head back, trying to see the top. "Woooooow!" Gawking at the size alone, it made her feel so small. Could it be some sort of clubfoot fungi? Slowly, she walked closer, inspecting the base carefully.

- - - - -
"Speech"
Thoughts

ooc:

@Booker

Three days, three days after Louie had made his choice, and it kept flashing in Priest's mind, aggravating his dreams and toying with his nightmares. The numbat had taken to sleeping atop the Mother's cap, safe from harm among her silvery spores, spongy flesh cushioning his brittle and bruised bones. His belt lay in a heap, cane and pebble holstered, cold. Asleep, curled into a tight ball of shivering fur, it took the leader a moment to awaken - and when he did, he startled up and darted to the side of his perch, peering over the edge to the ground far, far below.

A tall, strange creature stared back, and Priest blinked, raising a webbed paw to rub at his eye sleepily. "Ah... hello, my child. Welcome to Eridanus," he called down, a hint of amusement in his normal, calm monotone. It wasn't every day that someone new wandered up to the Mother - and he was, quite honestly, dying for a distraction from his regrets, still high on the confidence his fellow Guardians had inspired. "I am the Priest of this cave." This could, perhaps, be a chance to bring another into the fold - or at the very least, spread the Mother's Word.

A shadow of Louie lounging below shuddered at the edge of his vision, but the numbat shook it away, huffing and straightening up, grabbing his cane and using it to balance on the very edge of the cap, unafraid of the possibility of falling to his certain demise.

@Jasmine

She was circling around the great fungi, taking in how great and striking it stood out amongst all the green in this room. Gaze lingered upon it until a voice called out in greeting. Oh, is someone here? Glancing about, to try and see where the voice had come from. It took her a moment, but soon there they were. Such a small being, it was a rather interesting sight to see. Leaning in closer, to get a better look at him as he was on top of the mushroom.

A smile formed on Jasmine's face, "Oh, hello there." Moving a little closer, keeping her face to him. What was a priest? "I am Jasmine . . . and I live in Eridanus too." Glancing down a little bit before looking back up to this 'Priest', "Do you know why this fungi grows so large?" Curious about the mushroom. Tho, the giraffe did now she felt no connection to this growth like how she felt connected to the green in this room.

- - - - -
"Speech"
Thoughts

ooc:

@Booker

"It is a pleasure, Jasmine." Priest smiled, simple and kind, moving to sit down on the edge, legs dangling over the side. "You will be safe within Eridanus' walls. I am one of its Chosen protectors," he explained, tail dropping to curl around his useless, shriveled back leg. The numbat examined the stranger for a moment - he'd never seen anything like her, really. Her neck looked almost uncomfortably long... along with the stilt-like legs. Still, pleasingly, she had no obvious scars or wounds - a welcome change from most of the company he kept.

His cloudy, almost-blind eye sparked with interest at her query, and he grinned, whiskers twitching cheerily. "Ah, yes! This mushroom is not just any mushroom - She is the Holy Mother! She is the core of Eridanus, its heart! All fungi lead back to her," he confided - tried to reach out and describe it better; but the Mother rejected the link, and he huffed, scratching at his chin idly. The Mother was angry with him too, it seemed. "You see, every mushroom in the caves is connected under the ground, their roots woven together like the lives of every Gembound - all of us, impacting the others in some way, be it small or large." Priest clapped his hands together and then spread them, the scars webbing the fingers together stretching oddly.

"We are like the fingers of a great and mighty hand, and She is the mind that oversees our works. You see, She gives guidance to those who seek it - flashes into the future or past, answers to unsolvable problems." He nodded to himself, opening his paws to form a circle. "Everything, everyone in these caves - they are all connected... and we are all Her children, great and small." The numbat reached down to gently pat at the Monarch's great, silvery cap, smiling down at Jasmine curiously. "She's helped me many times. She is like... well. A Mother, a Sister - a great and powerful Friend. My family looks for her signs, documents them for the good of the caves."

Waving his cane in the air, Priest chattered his teeth. "Ah! But young ears grow tired of an old man's rambling. Tell me, my child: are you in need of such help? Or, perhaps, you would like to learn more..?" He hadn't been able to truly preach since his encounter with young Todd, and his blood rushed at a speed great enough to wash away the image of Louie from his mind.

@Jasmine

Her eyes lit up as he spoke. The fungi was called the All Mother? That was a little strange but the giraffe didn't know much about the world she was living in, so what place did she have to judge? But to hear that this mushroom was connected to all the fungi in the whole cave? Now, that was fascinating! never could she image that was how it worked, were the trees like that too?

Head titled a little, taking in this small being. He was very small, and covered in many scares. It made her wonder what sort of things he must have seen in his time of life here. But it comforted her to hear this place was safe. "I'm glad, someone told me this place was full of carnivores when I was a child . . ." But she was safe with Gadanai, the elephant would protect her.

To hear this information, it put a smile on her face; but did she need help? "Oh no no, I am living here with a dear friend; she is far stronger then I and promised to take care of me." Even if it was at a price that the giraffe was unaware of. "Oh, and I'd love to know more since I will be living here." Nodding to herself, she would love to know more and tell Gada all about it when she returned home.

- - - - -
"Speech"
Thoughts

ooc:

@Booker

The attentive curiosity only fueled Priest's spiel, and he hummed, flapping his free hand. "Ah, yes! Eridanus is home to all who commit to do no harm to any sentient being. Of course, even carnivores have to eat, but murderers are prohibited from our walls," the numbat explained, smiling. "I pledged to defend this place from those who would seek its destruction long ago. You have nothing to fear, my child."

His smile twitched into a pleased grin at the mention of her friend, imagining a time when he had roamed the caves with Khloros, exploring, safe in the knowledge that they would protect each other. "Wonderful! The caves need more friendships, these days. Seems like too many of us are alone." Priest placed his cane across his legs, toying with its surface. "As for more... hm. Where to begin, yes? Perhaps with the job of my family," he murmured, nodding to himself. "Yes, yes, that will work."

"Long, long ago, our Holy Mother protected the first Gembound, cradled them in Her many roots and brought them to the surface, helped them break free, offered Her wisdom and kindness to them. Since that first day, She has only asked one thing of us all: for a select few to protect Her from those who would wish for the destruction of such a powerful force." A far-away, misty look entered his eye - the classic gaze of a storyteller. "I know not who the first Guardians were, but there are four of us now - myself, the Pillar, the True Guardian, and the Seer. First: myself, the Priest. I live to spread Her word, and bring Her light to all those who need it," Priest explained.

"The Pillar is a great supporter, someone who can survive anything and still think not of themselves, but of those closest to them. Eternally selfless, in effect." He grinned at the memory of Bones, moving his cane to point down to the Mother's stalk. "I've inscribed the Guardians in paint on Her stalk, if you'd like a visual... the Seer can interpret Her words better than anyone else, unfold them as easily as you or I understand speech."

The grin faltered into a quiet, proud smile.

"As for the True Guardian, well. I raised him. He became a good, gentle, kind man - one I am proud to have known."

@Jasmine

The mention that even carnivores need to eat lingered, since it did make sense and she never thought about it that way. After all, she ate plants and plants grow like gembounds do; but her attention returned to the small numbat. So much information to take in, and all of it greatly fascinating! Who would have thought that a fungi could communicate with those around here and ask for help to be protected! She dropped her head down to get a look at the image he mentioned. Finding the painting very beautiful and more then she should ever do with only hooves. At least Gada had a trunk, her dearest could probably draw if they gave it a try.

"I wish I could understand fungi like I do the green, the All Mother is a mystery to me. I look at her and don't get the feeling that I feel with the plants and trees." Looking back up to Booker, "You are very lucky to have such a gift." A warm smile was given, and she listened to them describe those that were drawn.

- - - - -
"Speech"
Thoughts

ooc:

@Booker

Priest felt a proud blush steal across the back of his neck, hidden under matted, dirty fur, and grinned down at Jasmine, eye twinkling. "I am blessed the Mother has picked me for her Chosen, yes - but the Seer was like you, my child," the numbat assured. "Dovefeather was her name; she was a kind, strong cat, very wise. She even predicted my future, when she was a child... all through the use of her abilities: plant magic." He clapped his hands together, cane resting between his knees. "Why, even the True Guardian's magic was attuned to the non-fungal growths of Eridanus! Your gift is just as valuable as my own, Jasmine."

He hummed thoughtfully, scratching at his cheek, feeling nothing in the destroyed fingertips of his paw. "The Pillar had control of fire itself - something I'm not exactly skilled at, as you can see," Priest joked, spreading both paws palm-out to show off their multitude of scars, rendering them almost incapable of movement, aside from slight stretching and twitches. "We are, all of us, the same and different - each worth the same amount when we are born, each with our own strength. It is through our deeds that we become... separate," he advised, brow furrowing. "Perhaps a story..? Yes, a story would do nicely."

Clover - Belladonna - whatever the monstrosity called herself; she had told them stories, once. Diot had loved it. Vicktor had, too, back when he was a cub who let them ride on his back instead of trying to electrocute them to death.

"I was born on the shores of the Polaris river - it was a beautiful place, once, filled with crystalline light and plenty of food. All of its walls were riddled with secret passageways used by rats and small prey, that I could use to hide." He smiled as a flash of playing with Khloros came to his mind, cut short by the continuance of his speech. "My egg was too close to the water - almost under it, in fact. I barely made it out, couldn't open my eye to see, couldn't move. I likely would have become someone's meal... if not for the arrival of two Gembounds."

His cane traced shapes in the air, its bioluminescence forming fleeting images. "A white dog, completely blind, soft-spoken and gentle. Magdalena." Next to the already disappearing image, he drew a long, serpentine figure. "And a furred dragon, serpentine and with every look of a predator, but the nature of the kindest child." Priest's maw twitched into a tiny smile. "They both found me within minutes of each-other; I honestly couldn't tell you who came across my unlucky state first. Regardless, Baratheon picked me up, helped me to see with my gift. Magdalena left soon after, talking of her own family."

The smile twitched into a frown. "You see, I loved them both dearly - my brother and sister, I assumed. Baratheon raised me, though he mustn't have been more than a cycle older; we were inseparable, through everything. In all that time, I did not see Magdalena." A whistling sigh escaped his nose. "Perhaps that was my folly - but this is, after all, a cautionary tale." Priest's clouded gaze grew sharp, a fragment of what he used to be. "Baratheon made mistakes - he was ill, incurably. I was only a child, wooed by the promise of being important and strong; of someone finding me... precious, in all of the caves. Of being special."

Oddly, no bitterness colored his tone - only amusement.

"He began to murder innocent people left and right, with no mercy or true remorse, blaming it all on his disease." The words were blunt, monotone. "Eventually, he turned on me - and then, one day, someone deigned to capture him... using myself as bait. This, my child, is where Magdalena returns to our tale." A grimace pulled at his lips. "Monoceros is, I imagine, a harmless place in and of itself - but Magdalena had grown cold and cruel, and took pleasure in my torture and debasement."

"We escaped, eventually, with the help of a friend - but Baratheon never did seem to forgive me for finding fault in his actions, and he died alone and regretful." Finally, a tiny, melancholic grin graced his face, and he looked down from the sky to Jasmine herself, humming softly. "I tell you this not to frighten you, my child, but to warn you: take care, in this world. There are many who would try to manipulate you, use you for their own devices.

He nodded to himself, eye slipping closed, coughing out a joyous laugh. "Find those few who truly love you, who would do anything to protect you, and you them - then stick with them, and never let go. True love is so rare, so precious and wonderful - the kind of love that's never possessive or cruel. That is the true gift of this life."

@Jasmine

Her attention stayed strong through the whole tale, it was quite the tale indeed and never had the female heard anything like it. Then again, Jas was never told a story before, only warnings and lessons; but this was a thing of its own. There was a tiny flicker in her mind at the relationship Brooker shared with this Baratheon but the moment past as he began to talk about having someone truly love and care for you. That caused the giraffe to smile. "I have someone like that, she is very dear to me and wants nothing more then my safety." Pausing to glance in the direction of the cave the two shared.

"She helped me see that the one that I thought loved me . . didn't. He abandoned me when he saw I made a few friend." Parts of her still missed Troy, but she would ignore them. He made his chose, he left her and she didn't need him anymore. Gadanai needed her, and she needed Gadanai. She will always love me and I will never forget her kindess. Tho, she did enjoy his tale, Jas began to realize she had been listening for such a long amount of time. Oh dear. Don't want her to worry that I got lost.

Looking back up to the numbat, "Thank you so much for the tale and telling me about the all mother. I will be sure to tell my friend all about her and you." Giving him a smile, "But I must get going, don't want her to think I got lost in this great green." Moving to go, she gave a bow to Booker.

- - - - -
"Speech"
Thoughts

ooc: poor unfortunate soul - exit

@Booker

Priest simply inclined his head in return to the bow, smiling cheerily at the mention of the giraffe's friend. "Do be safe, my child - and come to the Mother if you are in need of help. Her Chosen will hear your call," he assured, rising from the edge of the cap to watch her go, eventually disappearing into the underbrush. The numbat turned, gathering his things and tying his belt around his waist, holstering his cane for the descent to the ground, so far below.

For a moment, he stood on the precipice, staring at the ground below, green grass forming a glassy sea, rolling underneath him like a snake waiting to swallow him whole. Priest swallowed, dry and clicking in his throat, wavering. It would be so easy to just - step off. Save himself from the horrors that no-doubt lay right around the corner, ready to snap up more and more of him until nothing remained. Almost, almost, almost - but his mind whispered Iliad and he stepped back, swung over the side clutching silvery flesh, following branch-like gills down to earth.

He still had work to do.

[ exit Priest ]