Hot on Vinnie's tail was a slightly larger wyvern carrying a crystal in each foot and one in his beak; thank goodness for broad vulture wings. With a tilt of his wings, Aure carefully hovered for a moment as to gently set down his two crystals in the pile the seagull had started. Content with his stone-setting game, the hybrid alighted and delicately placed the crystal in his mouth atop the pile. "Here you go!" He chirped with all the enthusiasm of a retail worker who has yet to discover the hell that the job entails.

Peering around, Aure noted the veritable menagerie of deer that was rolling up and the little one that had immediately begun to chat up Naskital. Gosh, that big 'ol nose was cute. Judging from the reaction of the smallest deer, he figured it was an entire family troupe. The wyvern couldn't find it in himself to even be a little jealous --- only minorly upset because he needed to go have a heart-to-heart with Eythan.

Jump. Jump. Gliiiiide. Runrunrun, jump, glide.

Right behind Aure another hybrid bounced along in a chaotic motion, spending about as much time playfully gliding through the air as running along the ground. Sadly the search for the perfect crystals hadn't gotten too far before the group had to move back to its origin, but hopefully the single crystal Bremen held in his beak would be enough to help out this stranger.

Just before approaching the group, however, a small twinkling caught the hybrid's eye within a relatively small pool of water. Without missing a beat Bremen veered right and nosedived into the water, cetacean instincts taking over as his breathing stopped and the torpedoed through the pool toward the shiny.

He was only under for a few seconds but when he emerged a new gem was clutched haphazardly between his two webbed forepaws. A new gem that was son thrust onto the pile along with the one in his beak once he caught up to the rest of the group.

"I brought some gems! Are you making arrows like that old horse-not-horse lady?"

---

’Thinking... thinking... thinking…’
"This is my voice, isn't it neat?"
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First crystal obtained in /showthread.php?tid=6343&pid=51276#pid51276

Asimona remembered where Naskital was waiting for them to return and led the blacksmith to the spot. She was a little amazed that he was still there, after all that time, but he was and she gave a soft roar loud enough for him to hear her arrival. As she got close to the ground, she opened her arms and deposited a large pile of tools - everything from hammers and chisels to tongs, tweezers, pliers, screwdrivers, anything that Glory had made for himself. And they all ranged from corundum to steel to diamond to other strange materials, in varying condition although most were still good enough to use for a while yet.

"Here you go," she rumbled and she picked up a diamond hammer. "There's pretty much everything you could need here! And I brought the blacksmith himself as well."

"Can you hear their voice?"
"Find the one who'll guide you."
To the limits of your choice.

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Glory followed the dragon into Pisces and looked around at all the gembounds gathered. Perhaps this was a bigger deal then he had originally thought. Had this been the cause of the earthquakes some time ago? They had been quite weak, all the way in his home in Monoceros, but he still felt them. The roof was certainly in a pretty terrible condition. Had this Naskital fallen through the ceiling?

As Asimona presented their gifts, he hopped forward at the sound of his name and gave the creature a courteous bow. "I'm Glory, the blacksmith! I have a number of tools here that I no longer require - if there's anything else you need I can make it for you here."

Oh, how nice they all were!

Here came the black dog-bird and his white lion friend with all the food his beasts could need. And here came the animals, herded along by the three white deer-creatures. How fitting! And the gull and two bird-hybrids with plenty of crystals! And the white dragon, and eagle--how kind!--with his tools.

Why, it was perfect! Naskital beamed, his whole translucent body flushing red with joy. He took the tools delicately, and turned away, speaking as he made his way to his crashed sleigh.

"You are all so very kind! Though I haven't a way to check my list, any longer, I can tell you're all so nice. Nobody will mind if I reward you, I'm sure! Take anything you like, and take more, too! For your friends, but only the nice ones," he added.

He took the crystals to his sleigh, and after some hammering and wedging with the chisel, some twisting of the screwdriver, and some prying with first tongs and then pliers, he managed to settle his crystals properly into the sled. He added the others into slots around the wooden rails, and suddenly, the entire sleigh began to glow. "There we go! It worked!" he cried, excitedly.

The canvas cloth covering the sleigh faded, and myriad presents tumbled forth--free for the taking. "Your hard work is rewarded," he beamed, happily. "Please, take what you like, and remember: stay diligent. There's always so much to do..." Naskital lapsed into thought, and as he did so, a bright, clean snow began to fall.

_____________

The pile of gifts is quite large, but strangely, only those who have aided Naskital will find themselves able to take from it. However, these Gembound can take as much as they like--and are free, even encouraged by Naskital, to take as many gifts as they like to give to their friends.

Among the gifts shining from the sled are piles of food: fruits of many kinds, spiced breads wrapped in edible vine ribbons, and small stone bowls filled with sweet puddings. Candy, looking like the crystals of Origin Cave but formed of sweet, pure sugar, glitter on tiny, gnarled sticks. Jewelry and decorations, formed of glittering gemstones of all sizes, shapes and colors, lay scattered all around: collars, rings, necklaces and bracelets, and more, laced on anything from hemp-like twine to shimmering chains, and all sorts of leather cords. They all seem carefully hand-made. There are, too, thin, fragile-looking crystals that appear to shimmer with magicka. There's even small, glass snowglobes, depicting rocky crags with white peaks. When shaken, the snow falls all over again. How pretty!

Gembound may take for themselves, or take gifts for others, or both; they may also take gifts to exchange with others present, if they so wish. It's the spirit of the season, after all!

@Asimona @Glory @Bremen @Aure @Azizos @Arsu @Mercurius @Pride

Pride glanced down to the children, and then to the pile, blinking in surprise at the sparkling hoard. He decided quite quickly that he'd let the children take his share; they'd helped, anyway--in some rather unhelpful sense--in driving the deer herd further on.

He leaned back, a little, to peer at the hare still perched upon his back; the other animals had all rushed forward to crowd around their familiar master, and to hide behind him, but Mischief--now linked to Pride's mind--stayed firmly put where she was. He felt a sort of wry humor from her, as much as a Lesser could feel such things; she looked down upon those other Lessers. He wasn't sure why, nor did he really have time to try and carefully peel the information from her primitive mind.

Instead, he swept his antlers in a regal incline toward Naskital.

"I am glad to have helped. If you do not mind, anything that would be granted me, I would allow my children to take, instead, as gifts. I did wish to ask you of this--hare. I have rather bonded with her, and I think that she prefers to remain behind, but I will not force it. Is she--ahh, yours, in some sense..?"

He was curious as to whether the little one was special, in some way--whether all these Lesser Gembound were, with their sparkling white feathers and pelts (well, bar the reindeer). Maybe he could learn something from Naskital about it. He just hoped that the stranger wouldn't demand the hare back; Pride was growing rather fond of her.

To Arsu and Azizos, warmly and carefully, he spoke further. "Arsu, Azizos, remember to be well-mannered and kind always, as you'd wish others to be to you. So remember your 'pleases' and your 'thank yous,' hmm?"

And to Mercurius, as he sidled up alongside, he added--in a lower, and amused tone--"Fancy meeting you here."

@Azizos

Mercurius blinked in the direction of his impending children, first --- momentarily fretting about the whereabouts of their designated caretaker --- before gazing upon Pride, who had called his name. "Ah, Pride, my sons---!" The pale beast leaned down with all the eagerness of a father who hadn't seen his children in years, carefully nuzzling them both and offering reassuring licks. Arsu had leaned down, offering forth a few sprouts from the earth that made pure pride ring through Mercy's heart. Dipping his head to sniff at it, he nodded, encouraging warmly, "very good, Arsu!" He wanted to commend Azizos for (possibly) helping his father in driving the deer, but the fawn-cub had already trounced up to the odd creature upon the sleigh. Cheerfully interrogating Naskital, nonetheless.

Mercy watched as other Gembound began to filter into the cave, taking the opportunity to stride towards the Morning Star and nudge him away. "Asking questions is very good! But, do not be rude." In that same moment, Pride strode over and gently offered that the children take gifts in his place, asking them to remember their manners.

The pale beast smiled softly and lifted his head towards Naskital. "Ah, I would like it to be so that my children," he paused to tip his head in either direction towards his sons, "may take whatever gifts may have been given to me, as well." Mercurius bowed his head carefully and moved to give Pride a gentle bump on his shoulder and a smile, "small world, isn't it?"

Well... perhaps it wasn't as small as they all had previously thought.

Moonlit eyes drifted back up to the collapsed hole in the ceiling. If only the rocks hadn't fallen; they could have sent someone with wings up there (perhaps the little wyvern alongside the seagull) to see what was above. "Naskital, if I may," he began gently, taking a few steps forwards, "how will you get back up to where you came from? What is up there, beyond?" Mercy paused for a moment, then furrowed his brows in deeply seeded confusion, "what are we to be working on?" Hopefully he would not be ignored this time. Any sense of annoyance at that had already washed away, though.

Aure's ears flickered this way and that, catching the idle chatter of those around him without particularly listening. He watched as the sleigh began to glow mutely with the addition of the gathered crystals. Some sense of relief flooded the hybrid as he realized that they had gathered enough despite their... ah, shortcomings. Y'know, with the deer's antlers stuck in the rocks thing. And the exploding crystals on the big black wolf's part. Ah, well, things went well! The little one was just tired, that was all.

Looking down at the plethora of gifts laid out, the wyvern grew a little overwhelmed. Bright eyes quickly glancing over each thing, he chirped a hurried little, "you're welcome," He peered at Vincenzo for a moment, before looking back down at the smorgasbord. Aure was rather intrigued by the breads tied up in vine, but doubted he could eat it proper; the faintly cinnamony smell was far too strong for his liking. Instead, he carefully leaned down and plucked a few of the fragile stones that shimmered and sparkled. Something drew him to those.

Carefully setting them between his own feet, he leaned in again and pulled out a simple gold band. It could've been a bracelet or a collar, but Aure wasn't too picky. It was beautiful and they would all be gifts for his father's cairn. The wyvern wasn't sure when the anniversary of his death was, but it was unimportant, now. He still wanted to give something and to speak to him. Gathering his things beneath him, Aure nodded at Naskital. "Thank you."

Azizos pouted a little upon receiving no answer about whether or not Naskital was a deer, but the prospects of gifts wiped any and all of that away. His hooves clicked a little as he was nudged away by his maned father, then some more as his antlered father reminded the Stars of their manners. Fervently, the fawn-cub nodded and bumped his nose against Pride's shoulder, "yeah, I remember! Pleases and thank yous!"

Nodding at Arsu to come along, the Morning Star conjured up a bit of magicka in his excitement. The pile of sparkly stuff was just so overwhelmingly pretty and big! He knew that magic could be at the heart of the trick, but Azizos was astounded by how all of that had fit in Naskital's sleigh --- and, of course, at how the bag holding the hoard had simply vanished. "Thank you, Mr. Naskital!" In the blink of an eye, Azizos suddenly felt like he had four eyes and not just two. Without thinking much of it, he carefully looked over the pile of goodies. Seeing white in his periphery, he glanced up to bleat at his brother. Instead... it was just himself. The Morning Star mew-bleated in surprise, rearing up onto his hind legs. His doppelganger did the same, mind overwhelmed by the sensation of seeing but not feeling.

Whirling around as the doppelganger vanished, Azizos widened his eyes and looked at Pride. "What's that? Did I do that? I could see twice!" Oh, speaking of! The fawn-cub trounced around to where the doppelganger had stood, shoving his face carefully into the pile of goodies. Unable to decide on anything for himself, he decided to instead give his brother a present! And his fathers! But his brother first, since that was his goal for life right now! Carefully clasping a sparkling chain with tiny, facted crystals on it, he lifted it up. "Arsu! Bother!" He called beyond metal looped in his canines. Little hooves clicked across the stone floor as he approached. "For you!" It looked to possibly be a small, delicate headpiece. Of course, Azizos didn't exactly know that, so he just stared expectantly.

@Arsu

Another squeal of delight emanated from Bremen as the little hybrid rushed toward the gift pile. Centaur lady hadn't had paid nearly this much for aid before, what luck!

As he bounced between food and jewelry and crystal deliberating on what to take a nearby conversation reminded him of his manners. Of course! This wasn't just a payment, this was a gift. Sure he would probably be able to get really good trades if he took as many small gifts as possible but that would probably be rude based on the deer-creature's intentions.

"Yes, thank you for the gifts!" he called over to their benefactor as his heron-like neck and head snapped forward to grab a spiced bread, consuming the small loaf vines and all in a single bite. Not quite as happy on his stomach as bananas or tiny skittery lesser gembound but tasty nonetheless!

With his first withdrawal from the gift pile complete Bremen continued to circle around to another section, this one housing a bunch of glass globes with sculptures inside them.

Tap.

The glob shifted on its base slightly and it became apparent there were white flakes of some kind below the clupture inside the glass.

Poke.

With a harder tap the glob almost tipped over but sent a couple of the flakes flying along the edge of the scene when it fell flat again.

Bremen thought for a second and brought his wings down to the ground to support his weight as he reached up with forepaws and shook the globe.

"Pretty..." he breathed out as the snowy mountain scene played before his eyes. This was definitely something special. This would be his own personal treasure.

---

’Thinking... thinking... thinking…’
"This is my voice, isn't it neat?"
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