Pride stepped over to offer Azizos a gentle, almost absent, nudge of affection. He had not noticed the other's faint jaw tightening, but his son was quite fixed on this topic, and he himself remembered how disappointed--yet curious--he had been in some of its answers. The nudge was not sympathy so much as encouragement.

"Well, he said many things." The stag paused, remembering, and began to speak slowly. "He said that there are other places like ours, 'in a sense.' Though he did not clarify that. He said that they did not have Greater or Lessers, 'not in the way that you know.' So it may be as you say and the binding to stone and magic is us, and us alone. I do not know for certain. He said that it is the magical concentration that forms the difference between Lesser and Greater--between non-sentient, and speaking, magical beings. But he said there must be a large amount before it affects intelligence and speech. He said that we are not created, but that others are--I do not know what that means--and that fate exists, and always will. That we are not bound here, precisely, but that we are unable to leave; it is against the 'will of our fate' and it would be difficult to challenge destiny. I do not know what that means, but it may well be as you say, that we are in some way bound to stone and Spire. But the creature--the Three Kings, as it is called--it did seem encouraging at the idea of rising above what we are. I just could not find out how. I think we must simply better ourselves--but if finding a route out is what you wish to do, Azizos, then I will support you." He offered another nudge: solemn, affectionate. "I will support you in whatever you choose to do. If you go to meet this Dread, bring it either a meal--it eats meat, but likely too much for you to carry--or... 'shinies.' It sets a great deal of stock by attractive stones and baubles, I believe."

He leaned down, focusing on his magicka. His intent was to summon up a stone from the rock itself: a diamond, large and glittering. Instead one immediately grew around--and encased--one hoof, so that as he moved to step back, he found it quite trapped.

"...Not again," he sighed.

@Azizos

The young lion-stag barely nudged back, a faint smile tracing his features as he nodded. It wasn't verbal, but it was encouragement nonetheless. Azizos caught and clung to every little feature of what the Kings had said. There were similar places to these caves, similar Gembound — or, perhaps, were they stoneless like some Lessers appeared to be? — elsewhere. Magic seemed to bring intellect, self-awareness. If something were to be deprived of its magical source, would they simply become a Lesser? If they were to expunge every bit of magicka and then cut off their own source… perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. There was no creation yet there was fate. Azizos's gaze trailed down to his own hooves, cloven and displacing stones. He had been born, but from his fathers.

Then, there was a subject of fate and a subject of destiny. The idea of escape being unbreakable and impossible was implied, but the Kings had spoken of challenging it. Restrictions were made to be broken, as some would believe. Azizos came into this thought, furrowing his brow. "Rising above..." he murmured, a rumbling purr at the edge of his voice. To leave, he'd have to better himself, become stronger, become independent — perhaps from his own magicka and stone, so that he could be free without worry of being within the Spire's range. Or, maybe not. Maybe he could simply just leave the Spire's sphere of influence. "That's— a lot," Azizos bleated, uncertainty lining his voice, "there's so much to consider here but— I must try. I feel like I must try, at least, to escape. To look in from outside, where ever that is."

Azizos laughed softly — childishly, even — as his father's foot got stuck, tentatively padding forth and pawing at it with one hoof. He would have used magicka on it, but didn't particularly want to risk blowing Pride's foot off — that would be a horrid misfire. Regardless, the lion-stag was upbeat, now. He had a purpose, a goal in mind; a subject of study to tease his brain and encourage his reasoning. Beside himself, Azizos began to ramble off with his ideas: "I'm going to try in that waterfall room, first, where Naskital fell through the ceiling. That would be easy to open, I believe, regardless of if I gain Dread's favor or not. I could use energy to push the stones away and climb up. If that doesn't work— then, maybe, I will try Polaris, carving a path up to the roof and beyond."

@Pride

Pride listened, focused primarily on Azizos' words. As he did so, he also paid attention to his hoof--and to his magicka. Thinking quickly, he glanced around, and spotted a stone about the same size as the gem laced around his forelimb.

"Mm?" he asked, glancing up. "Outside, looking in--a poetic thought," he agreed. A flick of his magicka, and the spiralled diamond switched places with the rock--which clattered off his hoof.

In retrospect, that could've gone worse--like implanting into my leg. A moment's brief horror at this idea, then he shook it away, picking the strangely-shaped, but beautiful, diamond in his teeth. It was most definitely misshapen, having twisted up around his leg, to begin with, but it was pretty nonetheless. He presented this to Azizos, laying it down before continuing. "Is Naskital still there? Perhaps you can ask him what lies without--and how to get there. If he has gone, however, then I do not know. I haven't been back to check," he added.

"If you do begin to try and clear the way, I can aid you with that, at least. Perhaps we can look into new ways to open a path. Together."

--Attempted to roll Translocate, idk why it went with Familiar Forge, but the roll'd be successful so!

@Azizos

Azizos gaped slightly as the gemstone encasing his father's hoof seemed to compress itself into a stone, which bounced off harmlessly. That must have taken quite a lot of energy. His gaze trailed downward, at the jagged stone now clutched in Pride's mouth. "I figure that an outside perspective could... reveal some things --- thank you," he murmured, carefully nudging the spiralling gem beneath himself with a careful few motions. "I don't know if Naskital is still there," the lion-stag bleated, furrowing his brow again, "I remember seeing a flash of light just before we left, but I didn't look back, I don't think."

"If he is, though, I certainly will ask. He seems kind enough not to lie about what's out and about." Quietly, the young gembound lamented his lack of attention to the alien creature. Perhaps Naskital had said something, at some point, which could reveal some answers. Lion-dad had been there, already, when Azizos, Arsu, and Pride had arrived. Maybe the elder had said something, then.

When offered assistance, Azizos did not want to seem ungrateful. He turned his head down slightly, ears still pointed towards Pride. A hoof scuffed bashfully against the pebbles. "If you'd like to. I don't want to take you away from your own studies," the lion-stag dismissed. Would it not be better to spread out? As much as help from his father would be appreciated, Azizos really didn't want to distract him.

@Pride

Pride watched, warmth striking him abruptly. His son was--... earnest. So heartfelt. He found his own response coming impulsively, though he meant every word. "My studies keep me travelling. It would do good to get out and about," he added. The kids had kept him mostly between Eridanus and Orion, and the Seven, as well, so that he'd hardly had time to do anything else.

"That being said," he added (he was now wondering if perhaps his son wished to go alone and didn't know how to be polite about it) "if you wish to go alone, or with your brother, perhaps, you are welcome to. I will not hold you back. But you would need to speak with Mercurius as well, before you go. You needn't make any decisions now, of course," he added, and his tone was reassuring. "You have time to decide what you want to do."

Pride turned, watching the water, for a moment.

"If you do go, pay attention to the world around you. It holds dangers, and magic will be needed to protect you from them. It holds many things to learn, and only with open eyes and ears will you notice them. It holds, too, many others to learn from--so keep an open mind and speak with them, when it's safe to do so." This advice thus offered, he then glanced with humor to his son. "And if--after speaking to Mercurius and Arsu--you do choose to travel alone... Do not stay gone for too long."

A part of him hoped that the brothers would go together. Surely that would strengthen their bond--to learn the caves, side-by-side; to protect one another from any danger, to offer their differing perspectives on whatever they'd encounter. He felt a sort of envy--and a vicarious excitement--at the idea of such a journey. But that trip would not be his to make, but theirs, and he remained silent on it. If Azizos chose to travel alone, then alone he would go; it was not Pride's place to tell him how to live.

@Azizos

"If you'd like—" the lion-stag murmured, still genuinely not wanting to impose. Pride had never suggested any impatience or annoyance with either of the children's antics, but Azizos didn't want to impede any progress his father could be making. "If you'd like to," he repeated, like a wound-up, broken record. Immediately after, he closed his mouth and lowered his head. Quietness was favored, for the moment, as he tried to decide whether or not he should go alone.

On one hand, his father could be a helpful, guiding hand, could provide information on more subjects he knew about. On another hand, Azizos secretly wished to encounter different viewpoints, different ideals, different morals. He did not want to feel an obligation to agree with Pride, as much as there never was one. But Arsu — bringing Arsu would be good. The other twin was much more creative than Azizos himself. Ideas could spin from that whimsy, rooted far more in reality than intended. Plus… he loved his brother and wished to spend more time with him. They'd grown a little apart since they were small children.

"I think I'm going to go alone — but I'll ask Arsu if he wishes to come… it'd be unfair if I saw all of the caves and he didn't," Azizos said, finally. A little laugh slipped out, as he nudged a few pebbles around the spiralling gemstone, "and, he has a much better way with words than I do. More poetically-inclined, like Mercurius. I'll speak to them both, now, if it's alright?" He trotted forth a few steps, offering a quick nudge and lick to the nose, a quiet farewell. "Thank you, Father. You've given me the push I needed and— I love you."

@Pride

Pride listened. He perked his brows, a little, amused, at Azizos' wording. "Well, it wasn't my intention to push at all, but if you needed it, well--" and here his tone took on a thick coating of dad humor--"well then obviously it was completely deliberate." He lifted his head, tossing it in mock-pride, thick with amusement.

He then stepped forward, touching his nose to Azizos'. "Do so. Speak to them both, and be careful."

He paused, and considered. There wasn't a whole lot he could do for Azizos, let alone give him, before he left. But there was one thing--one small bit of advice more.

"You share my magic--and that will defend you well in the caves. Practice it; hone it. But there's one other thing--something you may wish to ask your other father about." The white stag gave his head a little sideways nod, glancing left; a phosphorescent green-blue wisp of light flashed into existence in the air a foot or two from his face. This gave off a dim, pleasant light, and he looked solemnly to his child.

"I've never spoken to you much about darkness--but it exists, here and there in the caves. Mercurius knows of it better than I do, but I've encountered it as well. There's shadowed places--but there's also places dangerous and black... different from the normal caves." He wasn't sure quite how to explain this. And he wanted Azizos prepared, but not... afraid; he wasn't seeking to frighten him. This explanation would have to do. "This is my way of creating light in those dark places. Mercurius knows more of light magic than I do. I'd suggest learning a spell to help you, before you go--should you find darkness."

He leaned forward, again touching his nose to his son's.

"Other than that--I love you too. I'm sure you'll be fine, out there."

@Azizos

Dad humor? Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Rather dramatically, Azizos groaned. "Ew," he lamented, with a snarl of his lip. Pearly whites flashed as he tossed his head back, bleating plaintively, "you and your dad jokes."

Regardless, he nipped playfully at Pride's nose, nodding resolutely. The lion-stag would be careful, as he always had been and always will be. His silvery gaze trailed his father's conjured light, wholly unaware of what horror had forced the stag to learn such a magic. A light, just as Mercurius could manipulate --- and, of course, Pride. Azizos figured the former taught the latter of this magical form. "I'll ask Mercurius to teach me, when I see him; I'm sure that Arsu already knows how to summon light, but I will see to it that he learns, too." He meant this as pleasantly as possible, wanting to ensure that himself and his brother knew how to guard themselves against this unnatural darkness.

Not all threats would be physical, after all. Azizos smiled, best as he could, and wagged his tail. "I love you more," he quipped childishly, turning and smacking his tassel against the stag's shoulder as he did. Serious as a heart attack, he finished, "I'll be careful and I'll be strong. I promise to come back, soon --- hopefully, with new knowledge."

With that --- unless he was stopped, of course --- the lion-stag would disappear into the underbrush, in search of Arsu and his maned father. Oh, wait--- Azizos poked his head out back from the bushes, ("oh, father?") stark white against the ferns and grasses, bleating: "how do I get to Monoceros?"

@Pride

Pride considered, expression soft. He enjoyed the warmth of family, the affection of a healthy, happy child. It was, in a way, a sign that he was doing all right as a father. "You know the way to Orion, yes? --First, head there. You'll pass the Tower. And then you must head straight, to the other tunnel--there's a few that head out of it. You might take the wrong one, at first. But Monoceros is hot, windy and rocky. If you find yourself in the wrong place, backtrack and find another tunnel. Just be sure that you do not end up near the Bloodberries," he warned, echoing an oft-cited sentence.

He'll be fine. --They both will. Pride leaned his head out, nostrils flaring in a friendly gesture.

"Thank you. You're a good son. --And I love you more," he added, sombre yet amused.

@Azizos

The way to Orion? Azizos nodded. While his father gave directions, the lion-stag committed them to memory; each word was mirrored by a quiet mumbling, repeating after him and condensing the knowledge into convenient little chunks. There was no way he'd get lost, right? It'd be a real mess if he got tangled up with the Bloodberries. "I do not want to end up among those destructive... beasts," he rumbled earnestly, "there's no way to forget what they brought here."

A solid beat passed, and Azizos's head bobbed softly through the ferns. "You're the best father --- matched only by Mercurius," he teased. Childishly, he disappeared into the undergrowth. Once he was a few feet away, he got the last word in, "I love you more!!"

Perfect.

;exit Azizos unless stopped
@Pride