Imperia was alone.

It wasn't a feeling they were familiar with, not anymore. Once, sure. But after so long with Aaliyah, the feeling of not having someone beside them was odd. They were used to walking alongside her, but now their side felt empty. They grunted. They were getting far too attached to her, and now she was gone! It was surely for the best. Staying together surely wouldn't have ended well. Still, they were angry. Angry that they had let her go so easily. They should have made her stay! She had no right to just leave without warning like that. They should have forced her to kill that one-eyed cat. Made her realize she can't choose her own future. She was theirs.

With a flick of their tiny tail, they wandered through Polaris, ears pricked and nose raised in the air. They walked without realizing they were walking, looked around without realizing they were looking around. With slow, careful paw steps, they listened intently to see if anyone was nearby. It was dark, very dark. But they listened, their ears straining to hear a sound, eyes narrowed and looking for something. It was almost as if they were looking for someone, but who, they didn't even know.

Who could they want to look for? Certainly not Aaliyah. The two were done, finished. She never wanted to see them again, and they never wanted to see her. If they did see her again, they'd surely fight. And they would win again. And this time, they'd make sure she stayed with them, until either one died. They chuckled and continued walking, still looking around.

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

tags: @Kin-kin
notes: here

Kin-Kin was at home, though she felt like living here was somewhat wasted potential. Whereas her glow was a guiding light, sticking out like a sore thumb anywhere else, the wolf had come to realize that it kind of blended in here. She couldn't be having any of that, now could she? Better to make the most of this darkness whilst it lasted. Besides, the wolf didn't have any worldly possessions, so there wasn't really any point to calling this place home anyway.

It was a bit of a sad thought, come to think of it, but it meant Kin-Kin was never tied down. she came and went as she pleased, drifting wherever the current lead her.

It was as she was leaving her den once more, planning on finding somewhere dark to brighten with her presence that Kin-Kin noticed a familiar figure, the sight of whom sent a grin sprawling over her features. Moving could wait for now; seeing this creature was more than worth a few seconds of wasted time. Although as Kin-Kin drew closer, she realized that there was something odd today; it took a few moments for her to realize that it was the lack of a kid.

did my words get through to 'em? the wolf wondered, approaching calmly, blade clinking in its sheath. "Yo there," she called as she drew close, almost shoulder to shoulder, matching their strides. "Looking for someone?"

" speech "

@Imperia

It wasn't until they saw a faint glow appear that Imperia realized who they were looking for. Kin-kin was walking toward them, her golden fur accentuated by the faint glow that seemed to always surround her. They could hear the clink from the blade and let out a low growl. Now that they had realized who they were subconsciously looking for, they immediately regretted it. Kin-kin was the last gembound they wanted to see.

They slowed to a stop and faced the golden wolf. "No," they grunted, stiff. There was no way they could tell her that they were looking for her. She was the only one besides Aaliyah that they had at least some sort of connection with, even if pretty much all they had done was fight. At least they had seen her more than once, which was something they couldn't say for nearly everyone else they had met. "Who would I even look for? Aaliyah is...away, and she will stay that way. She is nothing to me." They flicked an ear, claws scratching against the ground below.



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

tags: @Kin-kin
notes: here

Kin-Kin tilted her head at Imperia as the distaste showed clearly on Imperia's face. Her brows perked in curiosity at their words, spoken as though willing her to go away, although the cat never spoke the words outright. Kin-Kin could tell that this would be a fun day... it always was whenever Imperia was involved. However... there was a certain weight to their voice today, one that confused Kin-Kin. Perhaps it was because Imperia was one of the only ones consistent throughout Kin-Kin's life, but the wolf was sure they'd never spoken to her like that before.

Her curiosity was soon answered, at least to an extent. The wolf must have done something to convince Aaliyah that independence was the way to go. Oops. Kin-Kin couldn't help but feel slightly odd at the thought. Not bad, but not exactly good. Did she actually care for once in her prideful life? Maybe that was one word for it.

In response to their words, Kin-Kin's lips twinged into a slight smirk, and she winked at them subtly. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," she purred, in a way that wasn't quite so mocking as usual. As though she knew that the caracal was looking for her. Of course though, she didn't. Kin-Kin was of the assumption that anyone would seek her out given half the chance. She had yet to sign any autographs for it, though.

" speech "

@Imperia

Imperia snorted. "Won't tell anyone? Gee, thanks." Now that they had found who they were looking for, they weren't sure what to say or do. They didn't really want to see Kin-kin, but they were here now. They also didn't want to fight - it had been too soon since the last fight, and they'd hardly had time to train. And they didn't have Aaliyah like last time, which they found didn't make them want to fight anymore. At least, not now.


"So..," they hesitated. Were they even able to just make conversation with the wolf? She had only ever been an enemy to them. It felt different, talking to them this way, when they weren't fighting. They had to do something though. It would be weird if they didn't say anything. Right? They sighed and continued. "What are you doing here?"



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

tags: @Kin-kin
notes: here

Kin-Kin chuckled. "You're welcome, as always," she chirped, as though the pair weren't at their throats every other time they'd met. In fact, the wolf strived to seem completely at ease and unafraid, as she knew that if anything would rile up the caracal, then that would be it. Though the wolf would never have admitted it, however, there was another reason, albeit a far less obvious one.

Her smirk broadened at their question. "Dear, I live here!" Kin-Kin said. "Or, I did. You just caught me heading out to try and find greener pastures." Kin-Kin settled down, nodding matter-of-factly. You wouldn't have guessed it just by looking at her; the wolf wasn't carrying anything, and had no possessions to bring with her. She curiously pondered on the fact that they didn't seem to be baring teeth or claws, which was unusual for them.

"What about you? You seem... different today. Not as volatile. I dunno if I like it." the wolf gave a small snort of laughter. "Might just be me, though..." She eyed the caracal curiously, wondering if these words would spark more of a reaction. But she wasn't going to attack unless they did; her paws remained rooted to the ground, her blade still firmly in its sheath.

" speech "

@Imperia

Imperia flicked their tiny tail. "Heading out, hmm? I see." They slowly sat down as well, eyes fixed on the wolf. "Why even bother just having somewhere to live? I've lived in Orion for a cycle when Aaliyah was just newly hatched and hated it. As soon as she was older, we got out of there fast. I could never stay in one place for long."

They wondered if she would comment on the fact that the hybrid wasn't there. They had said that she was gone, which hardly provided an answer. They grunted at her next words. "Oh, I'm sorry, would you rather I be angry? Would you rather we fight every time we saw each other?" With each word, they rose, claws out and digging into the ground. Their eyes were narrowed, teeth bared.

They stayed like that for some time before sighing and sitting back down. "I just got finished with a battle. I won, of course, although that ended up meaning nothing. She still left." They growled, facing away from Kin-kin for a moment. They flicked an ear and turned back to her. "Not that it matters anyway. As if I care that she left. It was getting tiring anyway. I wasn't able to do what I wanted to! Now I can fight and kill all I please, without her trying to stop me." Their eyes were narrowed once more as they talked, a low growl rising in their throat.

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

tags: @Kin-kin
notes: here

Kin-Kin stopped to consider for a moment, her ears twitching slightly. The caracal was right, in a way; but Kin-Kin had her reasons, even if they were mainly pride-based. "Well, I gotta have somewhere to put my sword every once in a while. Train where no-one can see me fail. And the lights here really do bring out the best in my fur. Heh-heh..."Kin-Kin gestured to her body with her muzzle, holding her chin high.

"I didn't mean it like that... What I mean is, ya seem angrier when we're not fighting! Hah!" Kin-Kin chuckled, though at this point was choosing her words quite carefully. "...But if it makes ya feel better, it suits ya. The tough guy kinda look, I mean."

Kin-Kin blinked, watching them settle back on their haunches. Only then did the golden wolf do the same, swinging her tail so that it laid neatly against her haunches. Her ears perked, listening to their words and for once in her life, she said nothing. Today was full of surprises. Kin-Kin couldn't say that she felt the same. She'd never been... tied down by anyone before. It appeared that that was a good thing, listening to Imperia's lament. But that meant Kin-Kin was unable to truly sympathize. "I've never been tied to someone like that, but it sounds like helluva chore," Kin-Kin said, tail flicking intently. In a way it was odd that one like Imperia, who lived their life trying to cause harm to others, was bound to someone whereas Kin-Kin, who thrived on the praise and awe of others, lived her life alone. "Sorry I can't... y'know... help out. I've never had anyone stick around. 'Cept for you, in a way. But don't think I'm suckerin' up. Because I ain't."

Even still, it would be nice to have something more permanent. But only if it was casual. Then if things turned sour, she wouldn't need to care so much.


" speech "

@Imperia

Imperia chuckled. "Where no one can see you fail? Why, I thought you never failed! How disappointing it is to hear otherwise." They snorted at her next words. "Sure. Right."

They hummed. "Do I? Hmm." They paused. "I suppose it does, yeah." They grunted, an ear flicking. As Kin-kin continued talking, they shifted their paws a little. "It can be tough, yeah. But I managed to get through it! Being with her was...nice, though. Sometimes. She used to be a naive little shit though. First cycle was terrible. Never stopped asking questions." They scowled.

"As she got older, it got better. She used to listen to me so well, never disobeyed me. That all changed when I made her kill though. She didn't seem to like that. I don't know why, though. Killing is such a lovely feeling!" They stopped, and chuckled a little. "I've only ever done it once. And...With it, I made Aaliyah. She gave me the stone from the one she killed, but made me promise I wouldn't give life to it. As if I'd want to! Last time I did it didn't end well. And so now she's gone."

They stopped again as Kin-kin spoke. They gave a noncommittal shrug. "Eh, I'll get through it. I'm sure a couple of fights will get me back to where I was before I had Aaliyah." Imperia rolled their eyes slightly. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it."

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

tags: @Kin-kin
notes: here

Kin-Kin let out a huff. Imperia was a sharp one... Kin-Kin almost wished she hadn't said anything. "Only when I try new things. Everyone does... even you. But better to get the failures outta the way, right?" Kin-Kin grinned at Imperia, making it obvious that id the caracal teased her for admitting to failure, she'd be happy to show the cat why. "See, tough guy? I ain't tryin' to rile ya up. Not like last time." It had been pretty fun last time, though.

Kin-Kin chuckled as Imperia continued telling her about the memories she and Imperia had shared, and the associated feelings. "Gemlings are like that," Kin-Kin chuckled quietly. "I'd take it as an excuse to show off. That's what I always do."

Kin-Kin had spent most of her time around young gembounds lately but not for much of a reason other than to boast. Nothing permanent ever seemed to come out of it. Their talking about killing in such a manner however, caused an ear to prick up. Kin-Kin tilted her head towards them slightly. True, Kin-Kin had felt the thrill of the hunt, but she drew the line at Gembounds who could talk. She might joke about eating other Gembounds from time to time, if they were small and easily riled... but she wouldn't take it to the next level. She saw it as it was; a joke. A cruel joke, but a joke nontheless. "Heh... It's the reward that drives me. The thrill of the hunt can be nice and all, but nothin' beats the first bite of fresh meat at the end."

Still, it was interesting hearing their side of things. "I've never killed. Not a greater Gembound, anyway. I might act big and tough, but I'm more... More about the moment. The feeling. I'd rather make someone admire me than be afraid of me. and well... no-one can admire you if they're dead." Big words, but what she was really thinking was that it was more a show than anything else. The wolf bared her fangs in a grin at their sarcasm, or what she assumed was sarcasm. "So, you sayin' you wanna fight right now?" Kin-Kin asked curiously; posing a serious question. Whatever the answer happened to be, didn't really matter to her. It was nice having a civil conversation for once.



" speech "

@Imperia