Li was only faintly aware of Envy scurrying down her leg and to the ground between them. She could see the ethereal wings once more, but the focus of her attention was on Imperia. "You don't like my tone of voice? Well guess what? You don't control me! I have lived many cycles without you! I am no longer under your control! I don't care if you don't like my tone of voice. You can't do anything about it. "

At Imperia's next words, she paused. What if she did fail? She had no idea what she was doing. Envy had been left alone for almost a whole cycle! And, frankly, they seemed almost...better off without her. They'd learned so much already while she was gone. Li couldn't teach them magic! She'd sworn off it. Someone could take far better care of Envy than she ever could.

But...no. She was the one to find the weasel, the one to stick by them. Well, until they got separated. She was the one who had sworn herself to taking care of the creature until they could live on their own. That time might be now, it might be later. But she would stay however long she needed. She raised her head as well, challenging Imperia back.

"I may not know what exactly to do, but I know what not to do. I know how not to treat Envy, and with that, I can learn how to treat them. How to act. What to say, what to do. I will not be perfect. But I am what they have. I am here."

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

tags: here
notes: here

Imperia watched as the weasel, Envy, crawled down Aaliyah's leg and now stood up, at a grand total of 4 inches. They snorted, but became momentarily distracted as Aaliyah began to speak again. They frowned, their amusement at Envy gone. "You may not be under my control anymore, but that doesn't mean I can't do anything. I can do plenty."

They were once more distracted by the red, ethereal wings that came from Envy. "Oh, look at that! You know magic." They grinned again. "So do I." They focused on their gem in their claws, and soon, heat began to emanate from certain places. "You're not the only one who knows magic around here."

At Aaliyah's next words, they grunted. "Congrats, you think you know how to take care of someone. Well take it from me, Aaliyah. It's harder than you think."

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

tags: @Envy
notes: here

Envy turned their head slightly towards Aaliyah as she raised her voice and spoke angrily. Though most of the words were lost, they found their interest sparked; this... 'Imperia' had once controlled Aaliyah? that sort of power was simply too much for the tiny weasel to comprehend; they'd thought that Aaliyah was one of the most powerful creatures in the cave. She was to them at least, even if the thought left a bitter aftertaste. Could it really be true? The little one bared their fangs in a savage little grin, internally rooting for their mamma, but outwardly acting as though their and Imperia's dispute was just between them. Envy would appear stronger if they were protecting their mother, right?

Part of them hoped that this stone-cold individual would be impressed, but they didn't show it.

As the atmosphere became heated in both a physical and metaphorical sense, Envy bared their teeth and hissed once again at Imperia. "W-well, you've never seen magic like this! Besides, I'm better at magic than you'll ever be!" the little one spat, their wings lingering just long enough for them to flap aggressively, before once more dissipating into mist.

They obviously hated being outdone, and Imperia's spell had clearly been a challenge. Envy didn't yet know anything offensive, but Imperia didn't need to know that, right?

Envy shifted their stance so that four paws were squarely set, and felt their fur tingling, a surge of power causing them to bristle from nose to tail. Rivulets of red swept over their fur in waves, closely interspersed by shifting clouds of green and purple. When Envy focused, the colour swayed closer towards red, because red was a scary colour.

---

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

tags: @Aaliyah
notes: here

Aaliyah grunted. "Oh yeah? Like what?" Their tail was still lashing, and they realized with a start that they wanted to attack Imperia or...do something! But when she smelled and felt the all too familiar feeling of heat, she bristled even more and took a couple steps back, eyes wide.

Now, all she could think about was the fire in Eridanus, how she was the sole one to cause all of that. Sure, there had been a creature that later made it worse, but if she hadn't tried to use her magic in the first place, it wouldn't have mattered! After that, her thoughts drifted to Kallista, and she froze. Did Imperia know what she'd done to Kallista? How she had ended up just like them and burned the cat's face, letting her emotions get in the way?

She thought back to the words Kal had said. How she was just like the caracal. How she would always hurt someone else. It was only a matter of time before she eventually hurt Envy! It was going to happen sometime, she was sure of it. Maybe the little weasel would be better on their own...They'd clearly managed it for some time without her.

She managed to focus once more on Imperia, on their next words. Her eyes narrowed and she took a step forward. She could tell that she was shaking from her thoughts, but ignored it. She had to be strong, hard as it was. "You think it's hard because you never tried. Maybe if you actually tried to care for me, it wouldn't have been so hard."

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

tags: here
notes: here

Imperia fixed Aaliyah with a cold hard stare. "I could very easily fight you. And I'll win again. Just as I always have." after they cast their magic, they grinned upon seeing Aaliyah's reaction, before turning back to the little weasel.

They watched for the next spell Envy would do, and snorted as their fur changed color. To red, no less. "You're right, I haven't seen magic like that. But, kid, I'm better at magic than you'll ever be," they sneered, already preparing for their next spell. It didn't take long for it to work, and quite well at that.

The rancid stench that came with the burning of their skin and fur seemed to bring them to a sense of clarity. They always loved burning stuff. Much less themselves, but hey, they'd make do with what they could. "You're a tiny little thing. What are you, a cycle old? 2? I'm far older than you. I've done magic for far longer than you have."

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

tags: @Envy
notes: here

As the red waves flickered paler through their fur, and then dissipated, Envy squirmed with discomfort, but they hissed at Imperia regardless. "You're wrong, and you're stupid too if you don't think I'll be better than you. One day, I'll be the best in the caves at magic!"

Envy thrashed and flickered, bouncing, glaring daggers, hissing, spitting, feeling the crackle of magic through their fur.

Their skin burned- perhaps with embarrassment, or perhaps the effects of their magic, as Imperia had the nerve to comment on their size. "I'm two cycles! Size doesn't matter, and neither does age. No matter how big or old you are, I'm gonna beat you someday, even if mamma can't!" Envy fumed, their voice laced with fierce determination and toxic wrath. They smelt the stench of burning skin and flesh, and they couldn't help but grimace. But... Envy's grimace turned into a sharp-toothed grin.

"That is, if you don't kill yourself first. Idiot!"

Envy thrashed again, rising onto their hindpaws and once more burrowing into their gem. They arched their spine, searching for the wonderful tendrils of magic that made them feel so powerful, and so free. But alas... it wasn't meant to be. The little one focused, but no matter how much they tried, the tendrils of magic slipped from their grasp. Shudder after shudder ran through them until every inch of them bristled like a toilet brush. hey held their breath, but eventually fell into gasping, and as the strength yet failed them, they found themselves sinking into retching, convulsing in on themselves with rage. But there was nothing in them left to eject; they hadn't eaten in nearly a full cycle, and only a sliver of red-tinted bile made it onto the cold stone ground.

Envy sank onto their belly, gasping hoarsely, and coughing what clung to the insides of their throat. But Imperia was not forgotten. They raised their head just enough to glare daggers at the caracal for a split moment, and then slumped.

"Mamma..." they gasped, with all the voice they had left.

---

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

tags: @Aaliyah
notes: here

Li grunted. "Just because you used to always win doesn't mean you will if we fought again," she growled slightly, tail lashing. She didn't say anymore though as Imperia's attention was turned to Envy. She bristled at the words Imperia spoke to the weasel, but still remained silent.

As the caracal used magic again, she stiffened even more than before, and looked away. Her nose was wrinkled, and she waited for the spell to pass. She could hear what Envy was saying, and flicked an ear. Imperia always seemed as though they were out to kill themselves, constantly using that fire magic. She wondered if it would ever actually happen, and snorted. Imperia would hate to go out that way.

She waited for Envy to do their spell, still not looking at either of them. But when she only heard gasping, she looked down and was met with the sight of Envy collapsed, starting to retch. "Envy!" she called in alarm, quickly leaning down so she was closer to their height. She licked at their fur a little, and could only look on in concern as there was nothing for the weasel to retch. "I'm here," she murmured quietly to their weak gasp. She glanced up at Imperia briefly, eyes narrowed, though said nothing for the time being.

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

tags: here
notes: here

Imperia snorted. "What, am I supposed to believe you got better at fighting? Did you fight anyone while I was gone? Or did you hide like the coward you are?" they sneered at her, before turning back to Envy. "Hey, you, ya little scrap, being the best? Please. Age matters. I've had cycles more practice than you've had. Than you'll ever have, considering how weak you look."

They waited for Envy to do their own spell, and only watched as they shuddered and collapsed, gasping and eventually retching. They looked on, and a grin begin to spread across their face. "What was that about being the best? You don't know what magic's like. It fails sometimes. You can't expect for it to work every time. Magic's dangerous." They looked down at Aaliyah as she flicked their gaze up to them. "I thought your mama would have taught you that already."

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

tags: @Envy
notes: here

Envy's nausea washed over them in waves, and they bared their fangs, fighting against the sickness, shuddering and groaning. They vaguely felt their mother licking their fur, and eyed her closely, breathing heavy puffs of ragged, toxic air. They forced open their eyes and recoiled from their mother's touch as Imperia began to speak, insulting them, taunting them. They didn't want to look any weaker. They had to be strong, they had to prove themselves. "One day, I'll show you," the weasel hissed, spitting a glob of red-tinted saliva at the ground. "I'll be better than you any day. I'll be the best in all the caves. and I'll make you bow! You stupid oaf!"

With shuddering certainty fueled by blistering anger, Envy rose onto their hind paws and stood as tall as they could, small fangs bared in an ugly grimace. They hated the grin on Imperia's face; it made them feel cold inside. It made them feel as wretched and powerless as they had when they emerged, and they resolved to prove, one day, that they were truly the best.

"Maybe not now, but one day," Envy hissed, determined not to break. Dropping back to all fours, they scampered up to the caracal heedless of possible consequences, coiling on the ground in front of their burned paws and showing their fangs. "I'm not scared of you. Even if you're big and tough." They risked a glance back at Aaliyah as the conversation was directed towards her, and proceeded to coil and puff, hissing. "What mamma told me doesn't matter!" they spat. "I don't need anyone to be better than you. I don't care what you think or what mamma did or didn't do!"

Their heart was pounding, throat clenched in unbridled rage. And as they stared, every single aspect of their being honed in on Imperia, their jaw clenched and eyes narrowed, they felt the prickle of magic through their skin, the unmistakable pleasure of power. It was as though their body dropped away; they no longer felt like themselves. they felt power, power like they'd never felt before. the sickness had dropped away from their belly, triumph creeping in. a grin crawled over their face, the grin of a snake being birthed into the world beneath eyes that glowed bright, and were not their own. They heard themselves begin to laugh. this was it; this was what they'd always wanted; how they'd always wanted to feel.

They heard themselves as though through another's ears, laughing, reveling in the feeling of triumph and rage in their chest.

Finally, they could see just how weak they were, but just how strong they could be. this was what they wanted to be. fuck the sickness that always lay in their belly, fuck the weakness clinging to their limbs. Magic was the answer. In that moment, Envy felt all doors open. They could do anything from now.

Envy continued to laugh, even as the sickness came creeping back. Even as the light flooded back into their eyes, even as the triumph and power faded, and their voice grew hoarse. "Idiot," they rasped, wild grin becoming pained. "I know I'll get you some day." As a volley of thoughts and feelings so alien now came flooding back, the weasel skittered backwards, realization of the danger they were in crossing their face. Imperia had killed before; and this cat knew that Envy was small, and weak. To Imperia, Envy might well be little more than a toothpick. And Envy had been in their head.

Envy smirked at Imperia smugly.

"Thanks for letting me in your head," they hissed, tapping into Imperia's wonderful triumph and mocking, sarcastic wrath. The voice that spoke hardly seemed like Envy anymore, drunken and dazed by the flood of power. it was as though the momentary bond had clung like tar to the impressionable young mind of the weasel. Even as they spoke, they were backing away. "It was very insightful."

And with that, Envy turned and ran, not even sparing a glance at their beloved Mamma as they left. They squirmed through an inch-wide crack in a crumbled wall, and was gone before anyone could stop them.

Only time would tell if Imperia's influence would fade.

-exit envy-

---

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

tags: @Aaliyah
notes: here

As Imperia spoke, they bristled, stiffening instantly. Their mind wandered back to the fight with Kallista, and they clenched their jaw. From their reaction, it would be clear to nearly anyone that Imperia's words stung, though she tried not to show it. She looked down, back to Envy, and refused to say anything more.

She frowned as Envy recoiled away from their touch. She watched Envy as they spoke, before looking up at Imperia as they spoke. Her fur had started to lay flat against her once more, but it now bristled back up. She was about to say something, but Envy beat her to it.

She continued to glare at Imperia, only to look down in concern as Envy began to...laugh? She blinked in confusion as the weasel began to laugh in a voice that...did not seem their own. Her gaze flicked back to Imperia, before it moved back to Envy. She watched as they eventually stopped, rasping voice back, and continued to speak.

In...Imperia's head? That must have been some magic thing. Right? There was so much magic she didn't know, so much magic she didn't want to know. Had they...been able to feel Imperia's emotions? Was that even possible? She was about to say something to Envy as they came scampering back, but it wasn't for long, as they just ran past her, leaving her and Imperia alone. She slowly turned back to look at the caracal she'd known for her whole life.

"Li Speech." Envy Speech.