They broke out into a large bird smile, buoyed up by the weasel's appreciation. However, they also noticed Envy's disappointment, even as they tried to cover it up. Trying to alleviate their mentor's disappointment, even though they had only known them for a couple of minutes, at most, they decided to reflect Envy's compliments back at them. "Magic is awesome! I bet you cast a spell when you first started doing magic too, being so good at it and all!"

@Envy

The weasel nodded; it seemed that the young one had succeeded in raising their mood somewhat. They jumped at the chance to flaunt and boast of their ability. "Of course I did! No-one ever thought I'd make it, let alone become a King! Everyone was amazed. Imagine their faces if they could see me now- more powerful than ever before!" Envy tittered, thinking back to the... admittedly rather mundane, event of their first spellcast.

The weasel pondered it, tail thrashing.

They'd managed to cast a lot of magic that day. It was the start of a beautiful... if a little one-sided, relationship. It was a little dependent, too. Not exactly a healthy relationship.

But hey. It keeps me alive, they thought morbidly.



___________________________________________________________

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

tags: @Heart-song
notes: here

The young one sat down for storytime. "Whoa.." they said, completely trusting of the weasel's words as only an innocent child could be. "So why did nobody think you'd make it?" they asked, already theorizing over the reason. Maybe it was because Envy was sneaky and everybody else was fight-y? Or maybe it was because Envy was small and everybody else was big? Oooh, maybe Envy was born to big fight-y parents but they were a small, sneaky weasel! So many reasons!

@Envy

Envy rested a paw on their chin as they pondered how beast to approach the subject? Should they weave a tale of woe and suffering, or one of inspiration and recuperation? Or maybe they should leave it for now, keep the feathery little wonderer on edge and feed them tidbits so that their accomplishment would eventually seem so much greater. But Envy was notoriously impatient, and liked quick gratification.

So they decided to go with their usual approach- sank down onto all fours and raised their head to eye level with the little bird. After a moment of seeking eye contact, the weasel opened their jaws wide like a snake. They took great care to reveal the pink insides of their mouth, glistening with saliva, and the bright crimson jewel nestled at the back of their tongue nestled in a nest of enflamed and reddened flesh. The toxic stench of their breath seeped out, metallic and bitter. Their sharp, needle-like teeth were stained dark orange with the gem's poison.

After a few long moments they closed their jaws, gaze lingering on the bird.


___________________________________________________________

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

tags: @Heart-song
notes: here

They cringed away from the toxic smell, holding their breath as they got a good, long look at the weasel's inflamed mouth. They breathed deeply in when Envy finally closed their mouth, relief giving way to fascination.

"That looks really bad... I didn't know gemstones could be poisonous!"

After a moment's thought, they added onto their previous words with "I didn't even notice any bad effects! Are you immune to it now?"

@Envy

Envy took in the little bird's reaction to their gem carefully, and was scarcely able to hide the triumphant glimmer in the eye as the ugly sight- and maybe the smell, had the desired effect. "Well, they can. So now you know," they said, twitching the tip of their tail. "Immune. Pah. I wish." They let out a sarcastic laugh.


"It's been 6 cycles, and I still can't eat or drink. I keep myself alive on magic alone. I've struggled my entire life against everything that everyone else takes for granted, but it's made me the strongest in the caves. A true king, you might say. " For emphasis, the weasel ran a paw along their emaciated ribcage, looking pointedly at the bird.


___________________________________________________________

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

tags: @Heart-song
notes: here

The young bird took the sight in. "You're so powerful you only use magic to sustain yourself? That's so cool!" They paused. "Still, it doesn't sound very nice to live like that. I'm sorry." The Gembound walked closer to give Envy a (probably unexpected) feathery hug.

After the hug, they rapidly switched gears to what had made them interested in Envy in the first place- magic. "So, can I learn different types of magic? I can do that neat buzzing thingy but I wanna do really cool stuff like you!"

@Envy

Envy bared their teeth in a grin. "That's right. It's very, very hard. I bet no-one else would have survived." Then they shrugged. "However unpleasant, It's made me strong. No pain, no gain, I guess. I don't care, either way." Envy looked at the chick oddly as they approached, almost subconsciously leaning away as it became clearer what they were about to do. The weasel rose upright, looking shellshocked.

Too stunned to say anything except stare, the weasel felt their greenish fur standing on end until they were bristling like a toilet brush.

When the little bird finally let them go, the weasel shot backwards, quivering and brushing themselves down, trying to flatten the fur that was spiked from head to toe. "Finished?" they asked sharply, before nodding. "Of course! Anything you see, you can probably do, provided you work hard enough at it. Or, you're me. But for you, lots of practice."


___________________________________________________________

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

tags: @Heart-song
notes: here

The young Gembound felt disappointed. Cuddles were nice, so why was the weasel not happy with the cuddles? They put a moment of deep thought into this, before coming to the conclusion that some creatures didn't like cuddles. But why?

That investigation would have to wait for another day. Right now, they needed to practice magic! "Alright, I'll just have to practice really, really hard, so I can become as good as you!" They concentrated, trying to pull their magic out to make that buzzing sound again.

This time, the magic came through especially well. They felt like they had more.. control over it, more ability to shape it. A thrumming filled the air, different from the buzzing that they had produced before. They let it surge and lessen intermittently, caught up in the thrill of doing magic for the second time ever. It was actually kind of calming.
"I did it!" A smile flitted across their face.

@Envy

Envy shivered one last time before they felt like their fur was once again smoothed, although the trace of contact still lingered enough to make them itch. They tried their hardest to shrug it off and move on, shifting the conversation away from their own discomfort. They forced a laugh at the young one's eagerness, trying to keep the tone light, even though their chest clenched with denial. "Good luck with that! no-one will ever catch up to me."

Their voice ran with a note of seriousness, and it was clear to see that they took the prospect as a challenge.

They watched the little bird start to concentrate, grooming their chest with their paws impatiently. Their ears perked as the kid managed to promptly cast the spell again. Maybe it wasn't just luck. They continued combing their chest with their paws, forcing a grin. Some sacrifices had to be made if they wanted others to see them as a strong and noble leader. "You did! Good, good!" they said, taking note of how the air thrummed, considering how they could incorporate it into their own magic. Some kind of air element, perhaps? It was interesting, but annoying. They felt like if they listened to it a long time, they'd go insane.

They kept watching the little bird, trying to maintain a steady look of even interest.


___________________________________________________________

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

tags: @Heart-song
notes: here