Reseda didn't like not knowing how the white one was feeling about all this, so not long after she dropped the connection, she sent out another mental probe and latched on again. She caught its question in time and thought about it for a moment. Yes, that was a fair question and she expected it to be asked.

Yes, a sickness. A sickness must come from somewhere. Ignorance, lawlessness, and short-sighted stupidity. At least, this is what I have seen. The gems have no order, no place to go. Eventually, they seek trouble and lose their minds, like the Bonecaster here. The greater beings that dwell within these caves do nothing about it. In fact, they encourage it, toy with us. I want to end this, make it right. Turn it from madness to order and peace. But I cannot do it alone. She paused for a moment for it to comprehend all of this before turning away from the dark one and began to walk, get away from the mad hyena.

"Thank you, again," she called back. She glanced at the white one, who she hoped was following. Would you like to see more?
"Living with myself."
Nothing but lies.


tags: @Pride
notes:

Pride stared quizzically after Reseda. He'd asked what she planned to do to change things, but she had only spoken again of what was wrong. He watched, blank, and then--not yet budging from his position--sent her the same question again, trying to make it clearer.

Some vaguely frustrated part of him was aware that it was likely the link between them at fault--not properly translating emotion to words, or something along those lines. Or perhaps he was still too unfamiliar, unskilled, with all of this "talking" stuff. What would you do to change it..? I ask--I am asking--how would you change it? This one, here--if it's sick--what would you do? How can it be fixed?

He looked back at Giggle, the two for a moment watching one another with indifferent observation--his pale silver-grey to her dark eyes, he standing on trembling stick-thin legs whilst she watched from her position lying down.

Pride then looked to Reseda, tiny brow slightly furrowed as he tried to will her to understand her question. He understood that she was asking him to be part of some... goal, some plan, but she still had not explained what that plan was.

@Reseda

So many questions. She supposed that it was appropriate with that strange, obvious name that it decided to bear. It would not go in blind, like others had. She nodded to the white one.

Sorry, I guess I have never told you yet. Let me explain. I am looking for a group. A group of strong, willful creatures that are willing to take up the mantle of protectors, guardians, rulers. The Bonecaster and those like her...they cannot be fixed. They refuse to be fixed. They cling to the darkness of the past. We cannot change them. But what we can change is so that it never happens again. It is a tremendous thing, change, and must be taken one step at a time. First, find those that would be strong enough, and brave enough, to make this change. That is what I am doing now.

She stopped walking, crunching through the bones and turned to the white one. This was it, this was where she would ask her question, give the proposal to the little white creature. Be the Pride of her plans, another that would bring her to power and respect. That is why I am telling you this, showing you this. I believe you are strong enough, determined enough to create this change as well, if you so desire. Shape the world how you want it to be shaped. You are young, untested, and with fresh ideas of how the world should be. Would you like to let those ideas become reality?

"Living with myself."
Nothing but lies.


tags: @Pride
notes:

The little deer snorted with mounting irritation--a tiny sound, but annoyed. He still hadn't moved from where he was watching Giggle, and he felt, for the first time, the aggravation of dealing with someone who he very much assumed was of lower intellect.

He had no idea, of course, that Reseda was merely trying to manipulate him--that perhaps she had no grand plan.

Pride closed grey eyes for a moment, then opened them, ignoring the hyena staring at him. Delicate grey hooves tapped on the stone as he turned fully to face the komodo, his white pelt shimmering in the bioluminescent light where it was tousled up from his hatching. He was tiny, shaking, but his head was held as high as he could keep it and his gaze was unfaltering.

I know you want help. It is why you were trying to show me. I understand. I am asking--how. How. Do. You. Change. It. What is the change? How do you fix sickness? How do you make order? What do you do about it?" The thoughts were as clear as he could make them, slow and distinct--not demanding, nor rude, but slow, as if trying to make absolutely certain they came across. Thus far, Reseda's words had been fascinating, but ultimately unenlightening, and they seemed at this rate to only be muddling farther.

His indifferent annoyance was rapidly becoming impatience, and some part of him wondered if perhaps there weren't more interesting things to explore elsewhere in this world.

Trying to clarify things further--and responding to the rest of Reseda's thoughts--Pride laid out the rest of what he was trying to get across. I do not have ideas of how the world should be shaped! I am newly-hatched. I do not know enough about the world to say what colors are in it, or why my belly burns, or why my legs tremble. Let alone shape it around me! His pride did not come from false arrogance. He was intelligent--even so young--and his mind rapidly formed these concepts and displayed them, primarily through emotion, via Reseda's link. He was proud--because he knew himself fully, even at hatching. And he knew that Reseda, in regards to Pride, at least, was wrong.

She has no idea who I am or what I wish. Why is she grasping at this so emptily? She ought to speak plainly! Tell me what she wants!

@Reseda

She thought that she had done a good job of giving as much information as possible without revealing her true intentions. But obviously it was too much for the white one to grasp. Or perhaps her lack of a solid plan was something it could not accept. There was only one thing left to do. Lay it out. Be blunt.

She took a step back towards the white one and stared at it coldly. Like I said, it must be taken one step at a time. I do not know how I'm going to change things, I just know that I will. In due time, this knowledge will be revealed to me in one way or another and that is something that I am sure of.
She flicked her tail impatiently. No, no, of course not. You are young and have seen nothing. But you will. You will gain knowledge and experience and you will desire change as well. Everyone wants to change something.
But could she say exactly what she would do? How she would create fear? No, that couldn't be it. But then that last thought, not directed at her, but still heard among the stream. Fine. She was getting nowhere with continued manipulation so she dropped the act and the voice within her head grew cold, as it was naturally, without her masks. Fine. I'll tell you what I want. I want power. I want respect. I want others to fear me. I've have always wanted these things and now is when I get them. I'm not waiting anymore. You can join me and be Pride and I shall be Greed and we shall find the other Sins in the caves and rule together. I shall shape the world as I see fit, as will the others I find. Alone, I can do nothing. With others, I can do everything. If the white one rejected her words, she had nothing more to say. She would not kill it here, not in front of the Bonecaster. She was sure she could defeat the white one, but definitely not the raving mad hyena. She would leave and find it again. Or let it find her. She didn't care.


"Living with myself."
Nothing but lies.


tags: @Pride
notes:

Of all the things for his mind to latch onto first, it was the idea that pride was a sin. Disdain rose in him, disgust for such a pathetic, wretched concept. A sin? You imagine that pride is a sin? A powerful shell of self-confidence rose around him, the mere idea that he was somehow in the moral wrong in feeling strong, pricking his indignation further. Tiny silver-gray hoof stamped on the stone, and the fawn was too focused on Reseda, in his self-righteousness, to notice the hyena lift its head to watch him quizzically in his silent tantrum.

A multitude of thoughts raced through his own mind--emotion, words--but he was careful to pause and think before actually opening any of it to the by-now familiar mind link. What came forth, after a long pause of consideration, was carefully thoughtful.

If you go about it this way, you'll fail. I'm newly-hatched and you make... mistakes, even now. Make a fool of yourself, really, but he was cautious about what he did and did not let through that link. Imagine when you try to tackle worldly adults..? You will be mocked and chased away. If you are looking to mere newborns to strengthen your army, it is a weak one. You are weak.

The white fawn looked to Giggle, then--realizing he was being watched--dipped his head to her and started on his way, toddling after Reseda. He glanced coldly at the lizard and then off in the direction of the tunnel through which they'd arrived.

You'll grasp blindly at straws, fumble loosely in the dark. You will teach me, he decided, and it was a statement rather than a request, what you know; and when I know enough of language and of the caves, I will do your clumsy fumbling with an elegance you could never dream of. With it came the idea of Pride being... perfection: pure shining white, a flawless thing incapable of failure. Where Reseda blundered onward, heavy-handed in her worthless attempts, her words empty, Pride would be the silver-tongued grace, the one smoothing things over and ensuring that they flowed along.

You will need me, and so long as you keep me alive until I can defend myself, and teach me what you know, you will have me clear your path to whatever victory you wish. Petty creature.

The white fawn moved slowly on, picking his way through the off-white bones.

@Reseda

Reseda laughed. She laughed and empty, emotionless laugh. Pride is a sin. Greed is a sin. As is Gluttony and Wrath, Sloth and Envy and Lust. Sin is a word. It is what you make of it that really matters. The words sunk into her head and it could have made her mad. It could have broke those emotionless walls. But it did not. Perhaps nothing would, not even this. But she did not care what the white one told her. She merely gave it a crooked smile. I do not look for newborns, I look for the strong. I am not old. The old ones are mad and crazy. But you are right, I have made mistakes. Yet here I am, persisting. Nothing will stop me.

There was nothing else to say about it. If the white one needed to reaffirm its pride, it could. She didn't care. Pride was useless to her, as was everything else. Be as elegant as you want. Be as prideful as you want, if that is what you need. I don't care. I am Greed and I don't need perfection. I only need what I want. If you will help me achieve what I wish, then I will do it. The road does not matter to me.

And she believed every word. There were no lies, no faces anymore. The creature in front of her, the white one that called itself Pride, it would get her to where she needed to go. Or, at least, help. She had the first. There were more to come, more that she would gather. I will teach you and you will be one of the Sins. Do not be put off by the name. I do not think greed is a bad thing, as you do not think pride is a good thing. We can show the world that they are not things to hate and fear, but things to respect and accept.


"Living with myself."
Nothing but lies.


tags: @Pride
notes:

Pride listened to all that she had to say--and the more he heard, the less respect he held for the lizard. She would be useful to him now, but in the future? That depended on her other skills, because leadership sure as hell wasn't one of her strong points.

You say I may be how I want, that you do not care, and do not need perfection. What I am telling you is: you do. If you fumble hamfistedly at those you try to change, as you have with me--if you blunder into things without a plan as you are now--you will fail. If you want things to go the way you want, you need someone better at... everything, and he let this pass honestly through the link, complete with his disdain--if muted; than you are. You don't even have a plan, Reseda. You want power, respect, fear, but those are concepts. The idea of ideas--the image of memories, thoughts, emotions, as he had been communicating--these he sent to her. And then physical things--shining gems, Orion's throne--he sent her these, to contrast, to explain what it was he was 'saying.' Yet, the more he communed with her, the easier language became--he began including actual words more and more, now that he could swiftly associate their concepts. The mind-reading had that as a benefit, at least. Though his next bit of speech did hold words, it was primarily, again, a rapid sequence of focused concepts: a questioning sense of desire, images of thrones and gems, the hyena snarling over bones, Reseda gloating over all of Orion; the concept of a plan, the concept of some thread of hope to hold to. Roughly translated into words, and given Pride's sense of perfection, it would have been something like:

Do you even know what you want? Tangible things, such as these--these gems, the throne? Do you have anything other than a brute beast's desire to dominate..? Tell me you at least have a mindless creature's satisfaction with territory. Tell me that. At least then you have something to aim for, and it will not be a hopeless case.

This last was not communicated with the same disdain--or anything, really. It was calculating, thoughtful, and after a beat he continued--the image now of himself shining again, as the concept he tried to convey. Beginning with me is the start of a plan. My strength is where your weakness lies, at least you show you've made that much preparation.

"Tell me," Pride said aloud, stubbornly attempting actual words now, "what plan, you do have. Show me, where you live."

@Reseda

Reseda shook her head. The white one did not understand and she was getting tired of telling it. She was also growing tired of explaining things. She was in Canis and she wanted to munch on her bones, at least for a little while. It seems arrogance comes with pride. I do not care what you think I need, nor do you know. You are newly hatched. Do not think you know better then me just yet. That could have been the wrong thing to say. Perhaps if she had her masks up and were intending on keeping it happy, she would have said something more tactful. But she didn't care anymore. Her voice had grown dull and emotionless.

Haven't you been listening? Out of the seven sins, I am Greed. Of course I want things beyond respect and power. I want everything. But I'm not stupid enough to think its possible. So I'm taking things one at a time.
Pride's second statement would have amused her. But she could not be amused. She could not be angry. These thoughts passed through her head and she was a little surprised that she was starting to think like this. Since leaving Canis, she had spent lots of time around the gems. It was really starting to get to her. You understand, then, finally, why I must create the Sins. I am not perfect. You are not perfect. But perhaps there can be a balance. A balance that will give us all what we need. And for me, that is power and whatever you want to call it. But a home? She didn't especially care about the throne. It was a chunk of rock. It would be a suitable place one day, perhaps, for the Sins to gather, if only for the irony and the message it would send. And with that thought, it became more enticing. Perhaps she should desire the throne as well. If she sat atop it, even with the other sins, she would, perhaps, have what she desired.

The white one switched to speech, but she did not. She was positive that it would not understand every word she had to say. My plan is to search and find those that would create the balance to create the Sins. I live here, in Canis, in the Fortress, in a cave. If you so wish we can visit there, but I do not intend to live there much longer. Once the Sins are formed, we shall live atop the Throne, above everyone else.


"Living with myself."
Nothing but lies.


tags: @Pride
notes:

...She was not hearing him; that much was clear.

It seems arrogance comes with pride. I do not care what you think I need, nor do you know. You are newly hatched. Do not think you know better then me just yet. But that was just the thing--he clearly did, and she, the elder one, was showing herself more and more a fool.

His pride--that very thing--prickled at once, and with a detached irritation and and cold disdain he decided that Reseda was no longer worth his time. A shallow being, grasping at mindless, intangible goals, goals she herself didn't even know. She wanted, that much was clear--she was greed--but that would in no way help him.

Someone like this--she was blunt, tactless. Had she had enough sense at least not mock him, to treat him as equal--after all, he was right, and she was wrong--then he'd have tolerated her. But she was jabbing at exactly that which made him who he was, his pride. He was not needed, here. Perhaps this was what she did: wander the caves, wheedling at the newly-hatched to try and gain wretched thralls to aid her in her mindless quest. Perhaps that was all she could manage.

I will find my own way, he sent bluntly, and turned to pace his way out toward the tunnel, complete disinterest all that remained in the link between them.

@Reseda