Envy wayched impatiently, tail flicking back and forth, as the fox prepared to cast their magic, and did so with an astounding degree of success. Golden wings unfurled from their back, clearly another of the three kings' gifts. Envy almost wished they'd gone for that one instead, or better yet, tried to con all three of the brothers out of their magic! But, they were young and stupid back then. Envy doubted they'd be able to accomplish such a feat. So they could only stare longingly at the golden wings and pretend that they weren't as entranced as they appeared. "Not bad," Envy said flatly, examining a paw as they spoke. Either way, this power wasn't something that they could steal, and learn.

Fluffing themselves out, Envy decided to put on a show of their own. "Mmmhm. I have some wings of my own, if you wanna see," they said playfully, closing their eyes and willing their magic to flow steadily from their gem. It took a few moments to manifest, but Envy soon felt the power surge that came with a successful cast. The weasel's wings were soon unfurling, blood-red and slightly translucent, from their back. With the weasel's tiny body size, they appeared massive at a glance; but in reality were no bigger than Azar's, maybe even a little smaller. The weasel looked back, beholding the sight with a proud look in their eye.

After a while, they turned back to Azar.

"Anything else?"

"Speech."

Azar
It's a new world
It's a new start
And it's alive with the beating of a young heart

"Well done, Envy, you cast that spell as if it was nothing!" Azar congratulated, eying the beautiful wings on Envy’s back. "I guess you can do loads of spells, huh?" Part of Azar wished he had that kind of power, but he was happy for Envy all the same. After performing his spell, Azar felt reasonably proud. He had got a compliment from Envy! Azar’s tail began wagging at the thought. "Oh, Envy? Thank you for the compliment. I realize my magic is nowhere near as advanced as yours but I really appreciate you acknowledging it!" He did another one of his wide smiles, a mixture of gratitude, happiness and pride. "I’ve never really thought of magic as a necessity, but I suppose there are some Gembounds who really rely on it!" Azar himself had never got into a fight of any kind before, so had only ever used magic to test his own strength and abilities. He was surprised that he had even been successful in casting his last spell, but he was glad nonetheless. He wanted Envy to see him as a capable and worthy friend.



"Speech."
"Thoughts."

@Envy

Envy grinned coolly, glancing sideways at Azar. "Well, yeah. I can do anything with magic. That's not even the half of it!" the weasel's tail flicked, and they waved a paw once again. "Uh-huh! Loads."

Envy listened to the gushing flow of thanks to their meager compliment, and felt reasonably pleased themselves. "Sure. That's definitely what I meant," the weasel said, though a part of them was unsure where they'd pulled such dramatic compliments out of two words. "You got that right, anyway." Envy was starting to like this fox, despite themselves. He was giving their ego a much-needed boost.

"Yeah. I would know," Envy said in response to their thoughts on those who needed magic. although they hadn't fought with magic, they used it for almost everything else. Eating, drinking, everything others took for granted were otherwise inaccessible to the weasel. But they’d hate to admit their own weakness, so they remained silent, with their jaws clamped shut, and let the statement hang.


"Speech."

@Azar

Azar
It's a new world
It's a new start
And it's alive with the beating of a young heart

Azar wondered if Envy was a very good fighter, they certainly looked like it. "So, how did you get so great at magic?" Azar asked curiously, trying to remember how he discovered he could use magic. He’d only used it a few times... Azar shook his head, trying not to appear nosy. The fox didn’t want to give Envy a reason to distrust him any more than he already did. He had often wondered about the magic of other gembounds, but now Azar had met one of these powerful creatures he wasn’t exactly sure how to address the matter. He just patiently waited for Envy’s reply, hoping it would be an honest one.



"Speech."
"Thoughts."

@Envy

Envy didn’t seem surprised at Azar’s question, but equally, they didn’t seem happy to hear it. The weasel grumpily folded their paws across their chest snd lowered their ears, whiskers stiffening. "I’ve been through hell, that’s how," they finally replied, glancing around as if making sure no-one else was looking. "You wanna know why no-one else will ever be as good as me? Looky here-"

Envy opened their jaws wide, displaying the crimson marble at the back of their tongue, embedded in flesh that was red and raw. Their breaths reeked of toxic metal. They lingered there for a while, before clamping their jaws shut, eyes narrowing warningly. "That’s the reason. I can’t eat. I can’t drink. The thing that I can’t live without is a cold, hard lump of poison. Anyone else would have died. You definitely would have. But me? I used magic. I got around the thing which could have killed me, and I used it to make me stronger than anyone else." Envy grinned bitterly. "I don’t think anyone else could dream of using magic like I can. No-one else can share in the experience that gave me this magic, so the power it gave me is mine."

"Speech."

@azar

Azar
It's a new world
It's a new start
And it's alive with the beating of a young heart

Azar lowered his gaze sorrowfully as Envy spoke. A few moments later, he lifted his head. "That must have been very hard on you," Azar sighed, "But I’m really glad you survived it all." He grinned at Envy, trying to cheer up the weasel. "It’s horrible, how much pain you must’ve been through, but you do have a friend now!" Azar wagged his frizzy white-tipped tail. "You’re really strong, Envy. I probably would’ve died, I’m weak and useless; you must be extremely capable. It’s awesome, how with everything you’ve been through, you’re still so kind to me!"



"Speech."
"Thoughts."

@Envy

"Oh, it was," Envy said with an icy glare, milking the fox for sympathy even as they spurned it. "But what’s really important is what came after. Look at me now! Ever seen someone so great and powerful?! Ever seen someone come out of such suffering so... so..." The weasel flung out their tiny forelimbs dramatically. "...So great and bold and perfect!?"

The weasel basked once again in the praise that was flung down upon them like roses at an opera, and Envy felt more than deserving of it. "Heh-heh... That’s right. That’s right," they murmured, responding to each of their statements in turn, and their eyes glittered happily, every inch of their fur puffed with pride. Their tail whisked and flickered wildly, out-of-control.


"Speech."

@azar

Azar eyed Envy, ears twitching. For some reason, he felt reasonably glad to hear Envy speaking with such self-confidence. 'So, Envy,' Azar said brightly, 'we are friends, aren't we?' He didn't know why he was asking since he'd already figured that he and Envy were friends; he just wanted to hear Envy say it, he supposed. Azar always liked it when someone else called him their friend, it made him feel happy. Maybe this was why he prompted Envy? That was certainly the most plausible explanation, anyway. Hoping he hadn't made the weasel feel uncomfortable, Azar eagerly waited for a response, sniffing the air casually as he did so.

@Envy

Envy's tail twitched at the question. they eyed the fox closely, wondering what the fox wanted them to say. The weasel wondered again if Azar was trying to lure them into some kind of trap. They were silent for a while, not wanting to appear weak, stubbornly wanting to uphold their outward stoicism... but also not wanting to lose this potential follower. Finally they folded their paws across their chest and rolled their eyes, turning their gaze away. "Uh, yeah. Sure. Let's go with that," they said with a dismissive wave, their fur puffing out in embarrassment.

Soon after, the weasel twisted around and used their paws and tongue to smooth the fur down their lower back. They cleared their throat, finally deciding that enough was enough. Social interaction was draining, especially so with this one. And they didn't want to give Azar any more of an opportunity to make them look weak. That was the reasoning Envy used in their head, but perhaps there was a tiny part of them feared making an actual connection with the friendly fox. Envy shook off that thought hastily. of course that wasn't true. It couldn't be. Envy was strong.

"A-anyways, hate to cut this short, b-but I'm a very busy weasel, and I have to get back to matters that are actually important."

Like grooming, or... basking in one's own glory, or... whatever it was they did all day. Recruiting? More like chasing distant silhouettes and boasting incessantly. Envy's jaw clenched. They cleared their throat. "so, if you're finished, so am I."

The weasel hopped off the rock and began to scuttle away, pausing briefly to look back and make sure Azar's mouth stayed shut.

"Speech."

@Azar

Envy's tail twitched at the question. they eyed the fox closely, wondering what the fox wanted them to say. The weasel wondered again if Azar was trying to lure them into some kind of trap. They were silent for a while, not wanting to appear weak, stubbornly wanting to uphold their outward stoicism... but also not wanting to lose this potential follower. Finally they folded their paws across their chest and rolled their eyes, turning their gaze away. "Uh, yeah. Sure. Let's go with that," they said with a dismissive wave, their fur puffing out in embarrassment.

Soon after, the weasel twisted around and used their paws and tongue to smooth the fur down their lower back. They cleared their throat, finally deciding that enough was enough. Social interaction was draining, especially so with this one. And they didn't want to give Azar any more of an opportunity to make them look weak. That was the reasoning Envy used in their head, but perhaps there was a tiny part of them feared making an actual connection with the friendly fox. Envy shook off that thought hastily. of course that wasn't true. It couldn't be. Envy was strong.

"A-anyways, hate to cut this short, b-but I'm a very busy weasel, and I have to get back to matters that are actually important."

Like grooming, or... basking in one's own glory, or... whatever it was they did all day. Recruiting? More like chasing distant silhouettes and boasting incessantly. Envy's jaw clenched. They cleared their throat. "so, if you're finished, so am I."

The weasel hopped off the rock and began to scuttle away, pausing briefly to look back and make sure Azar's mouth stayed shut.

Then they were gone.

-exit Envy-

"Speech."

@Azar