Aaliyah's paws ended up leading her to the tunnel connecting Orion and Pisces. She hadn't meant to come back, but it had happened anyway. And things were...different now. It had been warmer in the caves than normal, and this place clearly showed it. The tunnel was flooding, with almost a meter of water depth in some areas. She flicked an ear and walked along where the water wasn't as high, sometimes jumping from place to place. After some time, she realized she couldn't keep doing this. It was starting to get worse. She stepped into the water, shivering at how cold it was. Up ahead, she could see a place where there wasn't as much water. If she could just get there, she should hopefully be fine.

She set off for it, pushing against the water. It wasn't hard, she realized. She struggled slightly, but once she got the hang of it, it was fine. Before long, she was walking up to the not as wet area. She took a deep breatj and then shook most of the water out of her fur. She still had a way until the Pisces entrance, but she had gotten most of the way through the water.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

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Imperia had moved on from the weird creature they had encountered. At first, they went from Eridanus to Pisces. The tunnel had been starting to flood, so they were quick to get out from there. Upon coming to Pisces, they decided to start looking for Aaliyah. She had been away from them for long enough, and they didn't want her to start getting ideas or anything. Besides, it was time for them to kill again. Imperia wanted to go through the caves and kill whoever was weak. And they were starting with Pisces.

After a moment of thinking, they decided Aaliyah probably went to Orion. Why, they didn't know. She had spent the first cycle of her life there. Imperia was tired of the place. With a flick of their tiny tail, they moved on to the tunnel that separated Orion and Pisces. Looking around, it didn't take long for them to spot Aaliyah wading through some of the water. They had left Tunnel H before it started flooding, and were slightly surprised to see that Tunnel M was flooding so quickly. Then again, there was a lot of ice.

Imperia stood a ways from Aaliyah, waiting for her to come to them. They stayed in full view, eyes watching the younger gembound as they walked closer.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

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After some time of walking, and staring at the ground too make sure she didn't slip on the water, Aaliyah finally looked up and was shocked to see Imperia not far in front of her. She gulped before looking up at them. She set the green gem down, and placed a paw over it. "Imperia. Long time no see."

It felt weird to be seeing Imperia again, after she had told a total stranger what all they had done. She tried not to give away that she had told someone, and instead stared at them with her head high. Her tail swayed lightly behind her, and her paw was still placed firmly on the stone. She didn't want to lose it to the water, after all.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

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Aaliyah was surprised to see them. Perhaps Imperia should have expected it. They had shown up very suddenly. But they had also been in full view. There was no reason why their presence should surprise them. Had she been thinking about them? Maybe hoping that she wouldn't run into them? They grunted at she spoke.

"Yes, I suppose so. I trust you have been well?" They could be polite, at least for now. They didn't know how long it would last, though.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

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Aaliyah flicked her ears as Imperia replied. Politeness. Why were they being polite right now? They were never polite, except for on very few occasions. It was a rarity to see them being polite, and it always made her nervous. She showed no hint to this, and instead spoke. "One could say that." She didn't say any more, instead watching them. After a moment of silence, she decided to say something. "Shall we be on our way to Pisces? Or do you want to go to Orion? It would probably be best not to, actually. I practically had to swim to get here."

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

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Imperia grunted. What was that supposed to mean? Had something happened? They looked over the fur of Aaliyah, but couldn't see anything that was different. They just saw the many scars that they themselves had inflicted. After a moment of silence where they were looking over Aaliyah, she finally spoke. "Yes. Let's go. And I do not wish to go to Orion. I'm rather surprised you were there. Have you not had enough of the place?" As they were speaking, they turned away and began to head toward the entrance of Pisces. During the last sentence, they turned their head to look at Aaliyah.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

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Still with the politeness. It was beginning to make Aaliyah very nervous. She just nodded briefly and bent down to take the gem in her mouth and began to follow her, thinking of what her response should be. She spoke out of the side of her mouth, not wanting to have to set it down every time she had to talk. "It is where my paws took me, I guess. I didn't realize I was going there until I was there." She didn't mention the reason why she hadn't realized where she was going. Her mind had been preoccupied with other thoughts, but Imperia didn't need to know that.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

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notes: here

Imperia hummed lightly. "And why were you not aware of where you were going? Perhaps your mind was set on something else?" They glanced at her out of the corner of their eye as they walked. "And what do you plan to do with that stone? I'd give life to it. We could form a group of gembounds who can fight with us. We'll be the strongest group in all the caves!" Their eyes practically shone. Fame. Glory. Everyone would know who they were. Everyone would fear them. It was all they had dreamed of! They just had to kill all who were weak in the caves.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

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Oh no. They were asking. With a flick of her ears, she spoke again. "I suppose killing someone for the first time distracted me." That answer wouldn't give away anything, right? Aaliyah sure hoped not. She still didn't know when she would go about trying to get away from Imperia for good...Or if she would ever. She had lived this long with them! Surely she could live the rest of her life with them? It probably wouldn't last long, anyway. And...if worse came to worse...She could always take her own life. Imperia would be mad, and would probably give life to her stone again. Would she be revived?

Speaking of reviving, at their next words, she flinched. She could tell that Imperia was getting ahead of theirself with an idea, and she didn't like it. "I...I don't know what to do with it yet. I'll hold onto it for now, I guess." Hopefully they'd be satisfied with that. Aaliyah doubted they would be, though.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

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Imperia flicked an ear and narrowed their eyes. They didnt say anything, instead continuing to walk. As Aaliyah went on, they grunted. "Decide what to do with it soon. It's inconvenient to be carrying a stone around. I'd advise you put it somewhere once we get to Pisces. I have a lot planned for the moment." They grinned. By this point, they were nearly up to the entrance.

"What I have planned may take a while, but if we keep it up, I'm sure it will be rewarding. We may need to make a collection of stones, and that green one will be a nice start."


"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

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notes: here