Rimese had lived in Monoceros for the majority of his life, but he felt as though he needed a change of setting, something different from the swirling winds in Monoceros. This room seemed promising, with bright, colorful lights dotting the ceiling and walls. The glistening quartz crystals were fun to look at, and were very pretty. He looked around some more. There were broken stone structures that seemed to be falling apart. He walked along, pawing at a paw. When he touched one of them, part of it crumbled into dust, making him jump back in surprise.

Rimese continued to explore. Was anyone nearby? He hoped so. He hadn't seen anyone in a while, to be completely honest. He wanted to talk to someone! He wanted to flirt with someone! He hadn't flirted in a while. That doesn't change much though, he's still the best flirter. Of course he is, even if he's only flirted with a couple of gembounds, cycles ago.

@Nyx @Kin-kin

It'd been too long since she'd found her way back to her birthplace; Kin-Kin had to admit, it had changed since last she was here. Well... Sorta. Maybe it hadn't. It'd felt a lot more foreboding back then. She'd been terrified of this place, and everyone in it. The looming shadows, the towering structures... it had been too much for her once upon a time.

How she'd changed since then! Looking back at it, Kin-Kin chuckled in her throat. She'd been scared of herself, scared of the others, scared of the world... Hah! It'd only taken the sight of her own reflection to see what the world could be, and see what she wanted to become.

Obviously, that was perfect!

With a tattered blue fabric floating along behind her, this wolf knew that she stood out. Oh man, did she stand out! Maybe if she tried, she could hide but... not that she really wanted to! Her golden pelt seemed to glow in the darkness, the gem upon her chest gleaming in layers of blue, and reflecting the rainbow glow of the sky. It was as she moved through these bright streets she finally came upon another. Oh! It'd been far too long!

Whilst some alone time was nice, it'd been too long since there'd been anyone else to talk to... But at the same time, she wasn't about to let them in that easily. Kin-Kin kept her distance, curling her tail over her back, and looked down at them through her deep purple eyes, and simply waited for them to notice her as she took small, purposeful steps forward, her body curling like a coiled viper.

A soft glow poured from every thread of fur that shifted over trained muscles.

@Nyx @Rimese

Nyx Dawnwalker you can be something else,
something distant, sharp as the stars

Nyx wasn't even sure where she lived anymore. Half her time was spent in Polaris, rekindling old relationships with past friends - the other half in Orion, practicing her new-found powers.
Magic could be dangerous if not practiced regularly; or so Nyx thought.

Either way, this time her legs had brought her to Orion again. She walked the worn path through the winding maze of broken structures with confident steps, avoiding loose stones && other traps knowingly.
She really spent too much time here.

This time, unlike most of the other times when Nyx went to Orion to train, she wasn't alone. The fallow deer stopped a little ways away from the gembound in the clearing, watching.
The stranger was joined by another gembound. How curious!

A fox && a wolf. The latter had casted a spell, causing her fur to glow - an interesting display, though the fallow deer wasn't sure what it was meant to tell the Fox. Or if it was meant to tell him anything at all.

Neither said anything, so Nyx took it upon herself to break the silence.

❛Am I interrupting something?❜ She asked with her rich && confident voice, looking between the two. Her dark eyes lingered on the glowing wolf, unsure what to make of her.

The thought that maybe the two knew each other && had planned to meet up had occured to her, thus her question, but she thought it rather unlikely. Wouldn't they have said something by now?

❛Hear me roar.❜

table by lisa

@Rimese @Kin-Kin

Rimese turned and saw a yellow wolf watching him before she began to walk closer. She had a blue cloak around her, something that sparked the curiosity in him. He stared at her for a moment until she began to faintly glow. Oh. Well that was certainly interesting. He observed the lights for a moment more until a voice filtered through his thoughts.

He looked up and saw a large deer watching them. He gave a faint smile before speaking. "Oh no, not at all!" He stepped forward a bit, watching the tall deer, observing. He stood up, having sat down earlier, and tried to make himself appear a bit taller. The deer was much taller than him, but it wouldnt hurt to try and appear a bit taller.

Whilst doing this, he noticed white spots residing nearly everywhere on the deer. White against beige. "I must say, your spots are quite lovely! They stick out, almost shining. Yet they blend in, a delightful look for such a lovely deer. One could even describe them as akin to the lights in this room!" He looked up at the twinkling crystals.

@Nyx @Kin-kin

Kin-Kin and the fox's eyes locked for a moment. Not long at all later, their short eye contact was broken, and Kin-Kin couldn't help but roll her eyes. How rude! All that effort, and only a short stare in reward? She let out a sigh as the light in her coat flickered out.

But, she soon saw why the other had been distracted; another creature stood nearby, looming over them both on long, delicate legs. Kin-Kin had never met a deer before. She continued onwards, this time moving so that she was closer to the two, her tail flicking and eyes bright.

Her ears pricked as she took in the words the fox spoke, although not to her. Oh, he was playing that way was he?

Kin-Kin couldn't ignore that. She thought carefully as she swaggered her way slowly forwards, placing herself just metres away, slowly settling down and bowing her head deeply. She took a deep breath, blinking slowly. Bashful hesitation flickered over her features for a split second but she quickly pushed it back with a small shake of her head.

This was who she wanted to be.

"Of course not! Our dear fox is as new to me as you are," she purred, smiling as she tilted her head gently. "As bluntly as he puts it-" Kin-Kin again lowered her gaze to examine the deer from the corner of her eye- "-he has a point! Dear, you hold quite the strapping image. If I may be so bold, that is."

With long-drawn sentences and a paw that slowly traced circles on the stone beneath her, Kin-Kin carefully planned every word.

"What, may I ask, is your name?"

@Rimese @Nyx

Nyx Dawnwalker you can be something else,
something distant, sharp as the stars

Apparently, Nyx' first guess had been right. The two were as unfamiliar with each other as they were with her. That was not to say they didn't offer her kind words.

The kind of attention they gave Nyx was something she was largely unfamiliar with, but to say she disliked it would be to lie.

First, Nyx looked at the fox, who now stood taller than before && who had offered her his charming poetry. His pelt was a wonderful shade of red, but even though there was a sincerity in his words, Nyx couldn't find any honest compliment to return. That was not to say that he didn't look handsome or that she didn't like the shade of his eyes, but he was not the type of gembound Nyx usually liked.

She did, in fact, prefer female individuals. Why that was, she didn't know, but she'd come clean about that to herself long ago && had thus no qualms about admitting it.

But assuming that the fox's kind words meant flirtation would be biased && ruse, so Nyx kept it to herself.

The wolf, though, was another thing.
She was smaller than Nyx as well, younger too. That made the whole thing even more amusing.
Stepping closer, the wolf echoed the fox's words. Her approach was met with a smile, but Nyx glanced at the fox too.

She felt every bit the adult in the children's play-group.

❛My name is Nyx, dear, Nyx Dawnwalker.❜ The fallow deer offered, dark eyes sliding between the two smaller figures in front of her. ❛And what are your names?❜

❛Hear me roar.❜

table by lisa

@Rimese @Kin-Kin

Rimese glanced toward the wolf and narrowed his eyes just the tiniest. So was this a competition? Very well then. He listened to her words, and his gaze flicked to the deer, waiting to see her reaction. Did she prefer one of their words over the other's? Did she even like this?

Upon hearing her name, he gave a soft smile. "Nyx Dawnwalker," he repeated, testing out the name. "An exquisite name, and quite fitting for one so beautiful." Ge glanced toward the wolf before continuing. "My name is Rimese. I could only hope to have as gorgeous as a name as you do." With that, he gave a wink toward the deer.

@Nyx @Kin-kin

Kin-Kin It is resolve that determines the value of your life.

"Nyx, hm?" Kin-Kin tilted her head, giving the fox a look out of the corner of her eye as if to challenge him. Her paws carried her with serpentine movements closer so that she was no longer the mysterious watcher but more the centre of the stage... all she needed now was a spotlight.

"I, am Kin-Kin."

Kin-Kin held her breath for a moment, waiting... bhut nothing happened! Not even a flicker of golden light traced her gilded hide. Embarrassing, to be sure, but Kin-Kin wasn't about to stop there. Although she seemed slightly deflated, Kin-Kin stood tall and shrugged her cape so that it draped over to one side, framing her lean form with blue fabric. She turned slightly to one side, subliminally urging the deer to examine her gilded form. "Beautiful indeed, but I'd say that's not what's important, hm?" she smirked sideways at the fox, and began a serpentine pace around the deer. One paw... then the other paw... and then a big swish of her hips, followed by her golden plumed tail.

If this was the stage, surely she was its prince right now. If someone had a mirror, she'd be swooning!

But that wasn't what she was trying to do here.

"You seem strong... Elegant..." Kin-Kin offered. "...And your voice is full of heart. And that, m'dear, is the most important thing."

Kin-Kin gave a searing smile and a sincere nod.

"Listen to me."

table by lisa

@Nyx @Rimese

Nyx Dawnwalker put on your war paint

Nyx was offered a buffet of compliments to pick her favorites from. The two other Gembounds weren't shy in admitting that they liked her, but the fallow deer had a feeling that neither of them were very interested in her.
The two were trying to out-do each other with their flirting && were using her as a subject to their advances. Not that Nyx felt like entertaining either of them in the bodily pleasures.

They were too young either way, too innocent.

"Your compliments flatter me." The doe admitted to the two standing before her, dark eyes curiously watching the wolf slinking around her.

While the fox, Rimese was taking a slow but charming approach, the wolf, Kin-Kin was more direct in her attempts && showed a lot of self-confidence.

"Still, I cannot help but feel like the prize in a children's play." She admitted with a wicked smile, her gaze wandering between the two flirters.

It wasn't that she didn't welcome their advances ( really, who didn't like to be flirted with? ), but Nyx was past the childish times of busying herself with hollow-chances of possible partners.
She was at a point in her life where she was looking for something serious && she doubted that a child like Kin-Kin or Rimese could give her that.

Nyx took a step further between the two young Gembounds, closer to the middle of their clearing. "Physical beauty is what draws a lover in." She said, voice full of natural confidence. "Emotional beauty is what makes that lover stay." Although she didn't know if her words would even make sense to the younger Gembounds, she knew that even if not, sooner or later they would understand. There wasn't much to be won from empty flirting like theirs.

"But we all enjoy different things." Nyx continued, facing the red-pelted fox with an apologetic smile.
"Rimese, your words are kind, but you must learn to look past one's appearance. There is so much more than that.
Besides, I ought to admit that you're not quite my type - we do seem to share on, though." Soft laughter spilled over the doe's lips before she turned to face the wolf with the golden hide.

"Kin-Kin." She said, cocking her head to side while taking in the sight of the confident canine.
"You're a charmer, but you love yourself more than anyone else. When you speak, I cannot hear whether you're speaking with me or with yourself.
It's good to love yourself, good to be confident, but you're not really looking at other Gembounds either." Nyx shook her head, not only at Kin-Kin but at the fox as well.

"You two are looking for the same useless things in a partner. What is beauty in a time of need? Elegance in a time of fear? A nice name in a time of hunger?"

Taking her dark-eyed gaze of the two Gembounds, Nyx leaned her head back && watched the mysterious auroras above. When had she forgotten how to have fun? To indulge in the simple pleasure of being flirted with?
The cave had changed her for the better, Nyx knew that, but it had also taken things from her. She wasn't who she used to be.

"Listen to me."

@Rimese @Kin-Kin