In the long time that Gabriel had spent in Canis, chasing its Emotion-Driven comrades and eventually seeking its brother, the pup's body had aged from youth to adulthood. scraggly clumps of fur atop its head and tail had become graceful and trailing locks. Its paws were shrouded with pristine white fur, completely hiding its tiny toes from view.

Even as an adult, its body was tiny, although its features regal. Sinew and muscle rippled just beneath its bald skin, skin that tingled in the renewed brightness of Orion. Its claws clicked in the darkness. Its blood-red eyes scanned the world ahead. Its fangs clasped a large thigh bone with a blue gem embedded within it. Running through its mind was a purpose; it had to get this back to the generator, to fulfil its task and maybe earn a little leeway. Not that it mattered now; the deed was done. The lights had returned.

But still. It wasn't all its fault, even though the dog had allowed the emotion-driven to lead it astray. It would admit that. But they were the ones who, in the end, had never even gone to collect the gems. They were the ones who'd left it alone in the dark.

Gabriel admitted to its mistakes, but it knew now to be all the more careful with the easily-distracted minds of the emotion-driven.

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

tags: @Rimese
notes: here

Rimese was numb. He had come across the body of Destiny not long before, and wasn't sure what to think. He had told himself to not get attached to anyone, but meeting the platypus multiple times made him become attached. He tried to stop it from happening, but it happened anyway. He usually would just flirt and leave them alone, to not get attached. But he did get attached, and now had hell to pay for it.

He knew what would happen to the platypus. Ever since he saw her in Eridanus, in such pain from her gem, he knew she would die. He knew it was going to happen, and still. He let himself get attached. He berated himself for it every chance he got, forever angry with himself. He briefly wondered what had happened to Fira and their children. He had met Joy, and he seemed absolutely distraught. If Rimese thought he had it bad, it was clearly nothing compared to those who knew her personally.

Time had passed since then. He felt himself slowly deteriorating. His fur was a mess, and he was exhausted. He had spent some time in a chrysalis, which stunted his deterioration, but it wouldn't last long. He was hungry, but not quite starving yet. He walked blindly, stumbling forward. He didn't realize he was in Orion until he nearly ran into a building. He quickly took a few steps back and shook his head, trying to clear it. He looked around, and saw a figure up ahead.

He watched it for a moment, noting that it was carrying a rather large bone. The creature was odd. He could see pink, hairless skin. White fur curled around its head, tails, and paws, and it had a golden gem that looked like a crown. He debated on whether or not to approach. He hadn't seen anyone in a while, not since he saw Joy. He wasn't sure if he should walk up to them. But something about the other drew him closer, and he didn't realize he was walking until he was already in front of him.

Now that he was there, he didn't know what to do. He had no idea who the other was, and had never seen anyone like that before. It had an almost unnerving look to it, and he found himself wary. Still, he stayed and didn't move. After a while, his gaze drifted to the bone. "Why do you have that bone?"

@Gabriel

Gabriel stopped in its tracks as the clicking of its own claws was also joined by the sound of another, approaching from the opposite direction. Soon, Gabriel was able to see them. The dog tilted its head, observing the fox in all of it's sorry, sad glory. Gabriel had never seen them before, but from their mere appearance it could tell that they weren't at all well. Gabriel could see an opportunity in their sorry state, but said nothing until it had carefully set down the large bone at its paws.

"I've been asked to gather fallen gems," Gabriel said truthfully, tail curling slightly at the end. "Not that it matters now. They're to power the lights, you see?" the dog blinked its large eyes at the fox curiously.

"You seem to be in rather bad shape, my friend," these words were a statement, and not a question. The dog was simply using them to try and satisfy its curiosity. The way they seemed so ungroomed, so hunched, so melancholy... Gabriel had a slight realization as the sudden glint of understanding came into the dog's blood-red eyes. "Emotion taking its toll?"

It could use this. Sat where it was, Gabriel peered deep into itself, as it had many cycles ago. The virus had since been purged from its system, but the memory on how to form it was there. mustering up all of its effort not only to summon its magic but for said magic not to be unnoticeable, Gabriel focused deeply.

It took some time, but a familiar nausea crept into the dog's belly, bile rising in its throat. An involuntary shudder, and soft sigh passed over Gabriel, but other than that it was still. With the seed planted, the virus in its belly began to fester and grow. Gabriel's ears pricked, full focus returning to the fox.


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

tags: @Rimese
notes: here

Rimese listened as the weird mostly hairless creature spoke. He glanced at the bone and realized there was a gem on it that he hadn't noticed earlier. His gaze flicked upward at the lights that were now on. Seemed the dog had been a little late. He didn't say anything, though. It still had an unnerving feel to it, and he'd rather not make it mad.

As the dog spoke again, he turned his attention back to it and flicked an ear. Bad shape? That was putting it lightly. And emotion taking its toll? That was certainly a way to describe it. "Yes, I suppose. It's not easy finding out someone you may have loved died. Especially when you knew it was going to happen." He didn't say anything more, and instead watched the hairless dog. It seemed to shudder at one point, and then sigh, but it was so brief and quiet that he wasn't sure if he had imagined it.

@Gabriel

Quiet responded Gabriel's explanation of the bone. A few long moments passed before the dog let out a bland chuckle in its quiet, youthful voice. "Don't worry, it wasn't my doing. There are many gems in Canis, just left to slumber straddling eternity. It's a shame, really." The tiny dog shook its head quietly.

It pricked its ears and listened. The other canid wore their heart, unashamedly, on their sleeve. How sad for them, but how useful for little old Gabriel. "Oh... that seems... difficult. I am truly sorry." It sounded like quite an unusual situation. To know of one's impending demise... Was it purely magic-based, or otherwise? Could they see into the future, or was it a disease ever creeping into their soul from birth, until death. "Please, tell me more. Perhaps it will ease the weight."

With every moment that ticked by, Gabriel felt the distasteful broth in his belly churning, despairing to be set free.

Soon.


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

tags:
notes: here

Rimese glanced back at the bone as the dog spoke again. "I see," he murmured quietly. He didn't say anything more. Wasn't even sure what to say. Should he agree or just leave it be? He decided to go with the latter. It was easier that way.

As it spoke again, his gaze flicked back up to its face. Upon being asked to tell it more, he relaxed slightly. This was something he could do. He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts together, before starting to speak.

"I was only a cycle old when I first met her. She was probably the same age. She was...so excited then. So happy. That was before her gem started hurting her. After talking for a moment, we eventually parted ways, and I thought that was the last of that." He gave a soft laugh.

"I didn't see her again for 3 cycles. By that point, I had become fully grown. And she, too, had grown. She was bigger, and...her gem was bigger. It seemed to be growing, inside of her skull. Her eyes were bulging, as if it were pushing them out. She was in so much pain." He looked down for a moment, heaving a sigh. "I tried to comfort her, let her know that I was there. I stayed there for a while before eventually leaving. It broke my heart to see her like that.

"3 cycles later, I saw her again. By that point, her eyes were gone, leaving just the hollow eye sockets. She even had a mate then, and two babies. She seemed so happy, despite the obvious pain she was in. I saw her children briefly before walking away. After after that...I never saw her again. I did see one of her children, and he told me that she was dead." Rimese grew quiet, having told all he could remember about the platypus.

Telling all of this did seem to ease at least a little weight. It no longer felt so unbearable. It was still tough, and he still missed Destiny very much, but...maybe this could be bearable. Maybe he could go back to how he used to be, flirting with nearly anyone he came across.

@Gabriel

Gabriel was relieved to see the fox relaxing. It blinked slowly, large, blood-red eyes never swaying or flickering from the fox. Its expression, whilst serenely calm, was unreadable. The fur which tumbled like a waterfall down around its shoulders stirred slightly in a breeze that had perhaps originated as a gale in Monoceros. Other than that, it didn't move a muscle, perhaps fearing that the fox would turn tail and flee.

"Her gem... Hurt her, you say?" Gabriel asked slowly, ears pricking. Weren't their gems the sources of their lives? How ironic, then, and how interesting, that the source of one's birth could also lead to their demise. The dog continued to listen, taking in the information that it was fed. This was all... very interesting. It brought the dog excitement to be learning of such terrible things, even if they only occurred at impossible odds. Gabriel recalled certain things that it had learned from killing cave rats; that generally if the skull was crushed, the creature couldn't go on living. Perhaps the gem had forced open the skull and skewered the valuable organ inside? It wouuld make most Gembounds shudder to think about, but not Gabriel. "What a terrible way to go...I can't imagine how you must be feeling."

Gabriel knew what it wanted to ask next, but it had to ponder exactly how it would go about it. The Emotion-driven, it knew, were extremely sensitive. "I... I may be able to prevent such an awful tragedy happening to another Gembound. Pray tell, do you know where she spent her final moments? If I find her, I might be able to figure out why it happened, and stop it from ever happening again."

The fox seemed more relaxed. It was sure that the fox would give the information that Gabriel needed, if they had it.

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

tags: @Rimese
notes: here

Rimese nodded. "Yeah, hurt her. Her gem kept growing until it...pierced her skull and pushed her eyes out." He paused, thinking. He could only imagine how much pain she had been put through. He couldn't fathom how much it would have hurt. His head lowered just from thinking about it. He flicked an ear at the dog's next words, but not saying anymore.

At it's next words, however, he looked up slowly. Prevent it from happening? He wondered how it could do that, but something stopped him from asking. Perhaps it was best not to know how. He thought back to what Joy had told him. He was pretty sure the hybrid told him she had died in Pisces. "Joy, her son, told me that she had died in Pisces, I believe."

@Gabriel

The dog watched the series of emotions that crossed the fox's face as he thought, and Gabriel's ears lowered slightly towards its skull. What poor creatures the emotion-driven were. To put themselves through so much grief, over something that could never be helped. Gabriel bowed its head slightly in acknowledgement, but said nothing for a few long seconds.

It was satisfied when the fox answered its question, and raised its head into an appreciative nod. "Thank you," it said, and then as an afterthought, added; "I'm sure she'll rest easy knowing that you helped keep others suffering the same fate. And you should too."

Gabriel slowly rose onto all four paws and turned as though about to leave for Pisces via the icy passage it had visited so many times before, brushing past the fox as it did so. The infection in its belly churned as a nauseous reminder of what could have been. But maybe... Gabriel paused, close to the fox's side.

"Perhaps there's something else you can do for me," it said, turning so that it was facing Rimese once more. "I need to to gather some more data on something. Perhaps you wouldn't mind if I gave it a try? It's helped ease others' pain before. Perhaps it will again."

It was telling the truth, of course. Just, not the whole truth.

Gabriel's eyes stayed firmly locked onto Rimese's face.


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

tags: @Rimese
notes: here

Rimese flicked his ears. Would she be able to rest easy because of that? The thought filled him slightly with happiness. He had done something that would surely make her proud! He gave a small smile at the thought, only noticing that the dog was leaving as it brushed past him. He turned back to it, almost sad to see it go. And then it paused and turned back, and he tilted his head slightly as it spoke.

Help it with something? He thought he had already done enough, but surely another thing couldn't hurt, right? "Sure, why not? What is it?" He straightened his head and blinked, watching as the dog's eyes firmly locked on his. It sent a chill down his spine, but he ignored it.

@Gabriel