Fira stepped into the humid green atmosphere of Eridanus and took a deep breath, looking around. She had been born here, cycles and cycles ago. The idea was strange to her now. She’d spent so long in Polaris that this hot, humid air seemed too heavy for her. She felt a bit like she might suffocate in such stifling conditions. Her body was no longer used to the heat and the cramped space of the trees. Polaris was a vast, empty place compared to here. She glanced at Cecei, wondering how the Gemling was taking the heat and humidity. She padded farther into the room, an ache starting somewhere in her chest. She already missed Polaris. It had been a part of her for so long… Leaving it felt like finally having to accept that Destiny was dead and she was never coming back. Fira squeezed her eyes shut, stopping where she was, head bowed. She didn’t want to cry in front of the kid, so she took a few deep breaths to try and steady herself. She felt ashamed to be so wrapped up in herself when Destiny had died so long ago. Why had this grief not passed yet? And would it ever…?

@Cecei

Cecei watched where Fira went carefully, taking in all the paths she took. When they finally arrived Cecei looked around with bright eyes. This place was actually really beautiful. It was hot sure, but she didn't mind the heat too much. She looked around the area before beginning to preen her feathers. Now this was the first time she was actually preening her feathers so she wasn't the best at it but she was learning. "This place is beautiful. You chose well." She stopped for a moment, noticing that there was clearly something wrong with Fira. She jumped off her shoulder and flapped her wings as she approached the ground. She then walked in front of her and looked her in the eyes. "Hey, I may of not been hatched for long but it is easy to see when something is bothering you. Don't hold back Fira, if you need to cry, then cry. Tears wash away sorrow, so go ahead and cry as much as you want. I won't think you weak. Cecei gave her a nod before going back to preening her feathers once more. She may be young, but she was smart too.

@Fira

Wow… Some Gemling Fira didn’t even know was telling her it was okay for her to cry. The leopard stared at her with wide green eyes, forcing the tears back — until they refused to stay back anymore. She slumped to the ground with a sob, covering her face with her paws, blocking out everything around her. She wanted Destiny back. She wanted Joy and Emendri back. She wanted her family to be whole again. She wanted that sense of true purpose back in her life. What the hell was she gonna do now that her family was all dead and/or disappeared? She couldn’t stand pretending like she was over it. Sure, it had happened months ago, but she’d never properly grieved, only hidden away, pretended like she was fine, or hibernated to get away from it all. That wasn’t grieving. She needed time to properly get it all off her chest, and somehow, this little baby raven had made her feel it was okay to cry now, here of all places, in front of a Gemling.

Hot embarrassment roiled through her body, making her feel a bit sick, but she couldn’t stop the tears now. She had struggled for so long, always helping others, and now it was her turn to need help, damn it! Even if the help only came from a little bird and her own tears. Maybe that would be enough. Maybe she’d be better after this, if she just let it all out now…

@Cecei

Cecei watched Fira let all out, she felt sorry for her. She really did. She closed her eyes, wishing there was something she could do. Then she realised something, there was something she could do. She just hoped she didn't mess it up. She took in a deep breath and began to whistle a calming, happy song. It wasn't perfect but it wasn't half bad actually. She whistled happily, jumping and skipping around Fira, trying to do her best to cheer her up. After all, she considered Fira to be a friend, and she hated to see a friend hurt and in pain. She was glad of one thing though. She was glad that Fira was letting it all out, she was confident that after she did, it would be much easier to talk about or leg go. Either way, both options were better than bottling it up inside in her opinion. She continued to whistle, trying to cheer up Fira as best as she could.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHNqwT7T-7g

@Fira

Okay, this raven was officially the weirdest Gembound ever, in Fira’s mind. She was sure she’d met weirder, but seriously, what Gemling hopped around whistling to cheer others up? Were they really a Gemling? They seemed a bit older than they were acting. Of course, Fira herself hadn’t exactly been child-like upon entering the world. Still, this was ridiculous! Fira couldn’t cry anymore now because she was too busy laughing. She rolled over onto her back and let herself laugh as much as she wanted. “Whatcha doin’, weirdo?” she asked between laughs. “Alright, alright, I’m better now!” Man. This had been a weird day.

@Cecei

Cecei kept whistling and dancing until Fira was laughing. She finally stopped and gave her a smile. She walked up and jumped up, she flapped her wings and landed on the leopard's back once more. She walked up to her shoulder and sat herself down again. "Are you feeling better now Fira? Do I need to act the fool some more? Do you need to talk? No matter what you need, I'm here for you." She smiled and gave a few more whistles, this time not as loud, they were more soft and gentle.

Note: Cecei’s location has been moved from Fira’s shoulder to her stomach.

Fira felt the strangest sensation of bird claws climbing onto her stomach, and made little noises in her throat as she tried not to laugh/cringe. It tickled, but it also just felt really weird. It took all her willpower to hold still and let the raven do… whatever she was doing. Finally, they stopped moving and the leopard could relax again. “Didn’t anyone tell you not to touch other Gembounds without permission, kid?” she asked, though her light tone suggested she didn’t care in the slightest. “What if you try to climb on Gembounds who aren’t as nice as I am?” She lay her head back in the moss and stared up at the canopy above her…

And suddenly realized that the lights were off. She lifted her head, looking around in concern. How long had the lights been off? It was harder to tell in Polaris because there was a storm going on and also because Polaris had plenty of glow-y things in it. But Eridanus, which had some glowing mushrooms, was a lot darker than it should have been. Had she been so wrapped up in her emotions that she hadn’t noticed that the tunnel was dark? As she continued looking around, she asked Cecei, “Hey… When you hatched, was it dark? Or were there lights on in the cave?”

@Cecei

Cecei laughed softly as Fira spoke. She jumped off her stomach and then turned back to her when she asked a question. Cecei blinded a few times before looking up. She thought the lights had always been off. It wasn't like it bothered her though, she could see in the dark quite easily. "I thought it was normal for the lights to be off. It never bothered me, because I find it easy to see in the dark." She smiled and then looked back to Fira again before speaking once more. "And to answer your question, I have wings. I think I'm safe. Besides, we're friends. She smiled once more, settling down next to Fira, allowing her to get back up.

Fira flicked an ear in Cecei’s direction to show she was still listening as she sat up. She didn’t reply to anything to bird had said, though, as she was too distracted by the lights being off. She remembered a time when the lights had been off for cycles, but she thought they’d… come back on at some point. Or maybe she’d imagined that? Her old life memories were slipping from her grasp even as she desperately tried to hold onto them. Had the Cave been dark this entire time? What was going on?

Well… she knew the Generator in Polaris kept the lights running… Wait. Hadn’t Cecei been checking on the Generator before they’d left? And what was with that storm?

“Hey, kid,” Fira murmured, standing. “Sorry, but I think I gotta head back to Polaris. If there’s something going on with the Generator, someone’s gotta try to fix it. You looked at it earlier, didn’t you? Was there anything wrong with it?”

@Cecei

Cecei noticed that Fira was only half listening. Her mind was elsewhere it seemed. She watched her and waited for her to come back to the waking world, and when she finally spoke Cecei slowly shook her head. It seemed Fira really wasn't paying attention back there, was she? She was too distracted with her past, whatever it may be. "I checked the generator already. I told you before we left, it should be working. Everything looks fine but it just isn't....working? We can go back if you want to though. She walked up to Fira and watched her, if they were ready to leave then Cecei would ride Fira again. After all, Fira made a pretty good mount.

@Fira