Oliver sneezed when the weasel went tumbling over his snout--flinching--but otherwise did not react. He wasn't sure how to.

The cat was large, but not as big as he'd been worried about; not a lion or the like. And she didn't seem like she wanted to eat him--she seemed worried. He backed off a little, sitting on his haunches and simply listening, unsure. He was glad, on the one hand, that Envy had found their mother--and on the other, he felt now like he was intruding. He hesitated, glancing over his shoulder, then looked forward.

Politely quiet, glow-stone still clutched in one taloned hand, he waited quietly to be either acknowledged or dismissed.

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

@Aaliyah

Li listened intently as Envy spoke. They must have been here while she was out searching for them, so they missed each other completely. She frowned at the thought. And as Envy stretched out closer, she frowned even further. They were so skinny, she could see nearly every bone! And their next words weren't exactly comforting either. "You don't eat...? How do you not eat? You look..." the words fell from her mouth, unspoken. They looked...skinny. So, so skinny. She shook her head and focused on their next words.

"I've been out looking for you! And hunting some." She had gotten close, and watched as Envy tried to climb up onto her face, only to fall. "Envy!" Thinking quick, she was able to lean down and catch Envy in her jaws. She set them down on the ground, crouching down next to them. "Are you okay??"

It was then that she properly noticed the other hybrid. Looking up, she was met with the face of...some kind of bird and dog hybrid? She couldn't really tell. Now wary, she rose and faced them. "Did you...did you take care of them? For at least some time?" She glanced back down at Envy briefly before her eyes flicked back to the hybrid.

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

tags: @Oliver @Envy
notes: here

envy felt Aaliyah catch them in her firm but gentle jaws, and the shrill cry died in their throat. They squirmed only briefly before they were set on the ground and flexed their long body, cringing slightly. That could have ended badly. The little one rose up into a sitting position, trembling, tail flicking nervously, and folded their paws against their thin chest. Lilac eyes peered up at Aaliyah. Though they’d grown an inch or so since the last time they’d seen her, Envy had grown longer and gained virtually no weight. Already they seemed to have lost all baby fat, even though they were still a child.

It was only after catching their breath, the majority of their tremors dying down, that they finally answered their adopted mother’s questions. They stood tall with pride as they did so. "I use magic, mamma! Now I’m never gonna starve, even when I can’t hunt," they examined aaliyah closely, looking for a flicker of surprise and clearly expecting praise. "Or drink! That one is easy-peasy for me now!"

Envy scuttled over towards Aaliyah’s nearest limb, and began to climb it with their nimble little paws.

They seemed rather pleased by her answer that she’d been looking for them; it made them feel important in some way. "Y-yeah, I’m better now. You got me!" They turned their gaze towards Oliver as Aaliyah spoke to them instead, blinking slowly, eyes narrowing. They turned back towards Aaliyah, coiling for want of attention. This was their moment!

---

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

tags: @Oliver @Aaliyah
notes: here

Oliver flicked his tufted ears back and bowed his head briefly.

"I helped them back, to find you, but they're very mean," he said softly. "I'm glad you found your mom, but I'm going to leave now. I don't like being near you because you're mean."

He pushed up, looking slowly around, a sad sort of melancholy holding him. His feelings were a little hurt, but more than that it was just tragic that the creature couldn't understand others, or empathy, or anything.

Envy, he felt, would end up alone and disliked, unless it learned to change; and for that, he felt bad for them.

But he'd done his best to explain; and he'd brought them to their mother, and given them light. There wasn't much more that he could do.

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

@Aaliyah

Li's brows creased further as Envy continued to speak. They used magic? Judging by their appearance, it really can't be good for them. And she always had her own misgivings about magic, but...if it kept the little one alive, she'd have to make do. They clearly couldn't eat or drink normally, and she doubted that would change as they grew older.

As Envy climbed her legs and shoulder to get onto her back, she looked at the other. Very mean? That...well, she could imagine the little weasel being that way. For one, she wasn't the best mother and...growing up with just the company of Imperia for many cycles, she didn't exactly know very many social cues. As he got up, she was quick to thank him. "Thank you so much for at least...helping them to find me." She then turned back to Envy. "I'm so glad we're back together again. You've been gone too long."

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

tags: @Envy @Oliver
notes: here

By Aaliyah's silence, Envy guessed that their mother wasn't very impressed with them, something which made their stomach clench and whiskers bristle with disappointment. "Maaaaamma," they whined, kneading their paws against her back. "I did it, mamma... I can last on my own. Aren't you proud?"

Envy turned towards Oliver and arched their bristling spine in some semblance of a challenge, seemingly re-invigorated by the reunion with Aaliyah. "I'm not mean!" they shot back. "You're just stupid!"

And then they flopped onto their belly across Aaliyah's back, muttering quietly to themselves. They raised their head and met their adopted mother's eyes for a moment as Aaliyah turned to speak to them, and grinned broadly, relaxing the fur along their spine. "I missed you, mamma," they said, in a rare moment of genuine honesty. "There are a lot of scary things out there when you're not around..."

But they'd made it, and that meant they were well on their way on a path to greatness.

---

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

tags: @Aaliyah @oliver
notes: here

"You're welcome. Stay safe," he said gently. Then Envy was insulting him, again, her shrill voice grating.

Oliver stared for a moment, an unfamiliar feeling welling up inside him. He considered it, for a moment, turned it over in his mind.

Anger.

Hate.

He was tempted, for a moment, to just lunge forward, bite her, kill her, eat her--some brief primal urge, here then gone. Instead, he waited a long moment, and then spoke calmly.

"You said you aren't mean, but you're calling me names after I went out of my way to help you. I might be stupid, but you're still mean." He wanted to add, "I hope someone kills you." He really did. But that would be mean, and he himself, tried not to be mean. Maybe, "no one likes you, and no one ever will." Maybe "you're tiny, and weak, and you can't even eat or find your way home on your own."

Oliver stared for awhile longer, and instead of saying any of these things, he simply turned and left.

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

exit Oliver ; @Aaliyah

Li flicked an ear at Envy's words. "Yes, I'm very proud of you," she purred quietly. And it was true. Envy could clearly last on their own, if what had happened and...what they could do were any indication. She wondered, briefly, if that meant they didn't need her anymore.

As Envy insulted the hybrid, she frowned. "Hey. Calling someone stupid is mean," she reprimanded slightly before turning back to the hybrid. "I'm so sorry..," she murmured quietly. She watched as she left and then spoke to Envy.

"I missed you too, Envy. We're together now, though. I'll always be around." Now that the other hybrid had left, they probably should too. She turned away from the direction he had gone and started walking away. "Let's...go on to somewhere else."

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

tags: @nvy
notes: -exit Aaliyah-

Envy's noodly form relaxed limply against Aaliyah's back. They felt Aaliyah vibrating gently beneath them with her purrs and her voice soothed them, making all the fear and badness and struggles of the world they'd known melt away for that small moment. Aaliyah was proud, and that made them feel accomplished and just as proud as she was.

They closed their eyes for a time and grinned, baring sharp little teeth for a moment, until Aaliyah's voice caused them to open again. The hybrid had gone, but Aaliyah's words were gently scolding. "But... what if it's true?" they asked, sounding hurt and slightly mystified. Envy just wanted to do what felt best for them. No-one else mattered. Why should they care? They'd felt bad enough already, and that made it feel justified.

Envy clung onto Aaliyah's back as she began to move, and grunted happily at her reassurance, feeling comforted. Although there was still a niggling feeling that they couldn't shake. For a brief moment in time, they'd tasted freedom, and however unsavoury some of the characters out there seemed, they felt that there had to be more out there than just this. They knew that they could survive on their own, and there was very little that could stop them.

All that remained was how to conquer the small world they knew, and become truly great.

-exit Envy-

---

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

tags:
notes: here