It was a quick expedition --- approaching Fornax's shore, that is --- and had already wound up with Elspet placing the anaconda atop her head to get two pairs of eyes searching with relative ease.

The gorilla lumbered down the shoreline, electric-yellow eyes peeled for any gemstones that may catch her eye. Those seemed to be the easiest of the dye ingredients to find, considering she was Gembound and lived in some cave network chock-full of stones. It'd probably take some doing, but they'd get there eventually. Knuckles ground into a rather sharp pebble (purple but so tiny that it was literally useless), earning a hurried curse from Elspet. Casually, as if she hadn't just sworn in front of a child (she assumed) she chattered idly, "so, what's your name, little one?"

A pause. "M'name's Elspet, but folks usually call me Ellie 'cause that's easier, y'know."

@Usingizi

Usingizi silently slinks after the gorrila. It felt a good deal safer in her opinion. She didn't have to worry about the two legged thing, or the giant dragon. Usingizi feels her nervousness die down. She takes the other scouring the ground for gems as a signal for her to get started as well. It takes her a moment, but she manages to find one. It's dark, and decently sized, wedged between two large stones. It's the color of obisidan, and almost reminds her of her own scales. It's considerably darker than her, though.

She stares at the rock for a bit, trying to figure out thet best way to pick it up. There werent many. She gives up, and grasps it with her teeth, rather awkwardly, and begins to pull it from the difficult location. She doesnt enjoy the feeling of crystal on her stone, but tolerates it. She hears Elspet somewhere in the background, saying a word she's unfamiliar with, but assumes its one of the many words she's yet to learn.

There. The rock scraps against the stones in a way that grates her ears, but its free. She feels self-satisfied with herself for having wrenched it free, and adjusts her grip on it, so it doesnt sit so oddly in her mouth. The gorrila asks her about her name, and she gently places her crystal on the sand.

"My name is Usingizi." She states. She is quiet for a moment, then presses the gem in her mouth. "Are you hurt? Elspet?"

She tacks on the last bit, as if suddenly remembering she should mention her name. Usingizi cant help but be slightly reminded of the strange upright things by Elspet. They were mostly the same color, and had the same furred arms. Although...many gembound had furred arms.

Usingizi gradually found her thoughts wandering to what the two legged thing looked like beneath its odd mask. Perhaphs it looked similar to Elspet. She felt less intimidated by Elspet, at the least. She lacked the aura of the thing. However...maybe Elspet knew something about them. They did share some similarities.

"Do you... know what that thing was?" She paused, before realizing her statement was extremely vague. "Ah, the one that stood on two legs."

She gathered the gem back up in her mouth, before slithering back over to Elspet. She kept a safe distance, however.

@Elspet

"Nah, it's fine," the gorilla huffed, as if her poor knuckles probably weren't all cut up, "I've set myself on fire before, kiddo. Nothin' hurts or feels as cool as that." That was a cool thing to brag about to a little baby, right? Reverse. "I wouldn't recommend it, Ooh-zin--- ah, I'll just call ya Ooh, if that's fine?" Her pace halted for a moment, fingers sifting through some more useless pebbles and trinkets. What did it take to find a big 'ol gemstone, here? Yellow eyes furrowed at the gravel, searching a little more frustrated and frantic.

Elspet sighed, giving up on it for a moment and peering back at the little anaconda who seemed to just melt into the pebbly-sandy shore of Fornax. "Ah, I dunno who that dude is. Seems kind of creepy but whatever, y'know? All of the super old folks look kinda weird to me." It was an honest, irrevocably true statement. The serpent had gone off a ways, retrieving a piece of shimmering black. Maternal instinct kicked in and she had to offer: "I could carry that for you if you want me to, kiddo?"

@Usingizi

Usingizi paused mid tongue flicker, and it fell like a limp ribbon. She stared at Elspet in a mixture of disbelief and shock. She stood still for a long moment.

"On...fire?" She found herself at a loss for words, trying to comprehend something not only being on fire, but living. She was relieved when Elspet distracted her from those thoughts. "I, yes... Ooh is fine. I have been told my name is difficult." She says, and her voice sounds almost amused at the memory.

She didn't elaborate on her thoughts, and went back to searching for more crystals. Unfortunately, her luck with the first stone didn't carry over to the next. Then again, she wasn't looking very deep. She couldn't, really. She couldnt imagine what having hands felt like, but she felt a good deal jealous of Elspet for having them. She felt relieved that she wasn't the only one that found them creepy.

"Yes. I..do not like them. I found them...strange as well. I thought you were one of them. You both seem simliar, you have furry arms and dark fur. Although I think you are perhaphs stronger." She is quiet for a moment, suddenly realizing Elspet might be not enjoy being compared to them. "I-I mean no offense by comparing you two. "

She blinked, suprised by Elspet's offer to carry her crystals. "That'd be helpful. Thank you." She raced to get her words out, feeling awkward. She built up her courage to approach Elspet with crystal in mouth and place it by her feet.

"I'm going to check underwater for anything." She says, and darts towards the water, to avoid the awkward situation she'd created herself.

@Elspet

"On fire," Elspet repeated with a solemn nod, "it's not very fun afterwards, I'll tell ya." Yellow eyes glanced back at the serpent, who seemed to be staring in disbelief. That was fair. It wasn't normal Gembound behavior to just set yourself on fire on the regular. The gorilla didn't do it very regularly, but y'know? That's not the point here. She snorted softly, turning back to her searching with a furrowed, frustrated brow. Another tiny little rock?

Maybe she should just start grabbing these little bastards and mash them together or something.

"Ah, no offense taken, Ooh! Those guys are li'l twigs compared to me. Sure, they can use their own two feet to walk and I gotta use four, but y'know? Who cares! I could still beat'em in an arm wrestlin' match," she rambled, turning back to grin at Usingizi. If she wasn't preoccupied with looking for stones, Elspet might've stood up and flexed. Classic butch lesbian behavior.

Anyways, she gathered up the stones in her left palm, careful not to crush them or anything. "No problem, kiddo," Elspet barked just as the snake darted into the water. Man, if only snakes could emote their awkwardness, because the gorilla was oblivious. Back to gemstone-hunting, she supposed.

@Usingizi

Usingizi is relieved to have made some distance between herself and the gorilla. It's helped a bit with her awkwardness. A bit. She takes this opportunity to dive to the bottom of the warm waters, disturbing the sand, and flicking her eye to and fro in hopes of finding a gem. It nearly doesn't work, and she finds herself staying underwater for much longer than expected, but then she spots it-a fleck of black glinting at the bottom, half buried in the sediments. She grabs it with her teeth. The gem is small, smaller than the first she'd found, but still a gem. It'll work. She finds herself strangely enamored with the gems, their glassy black reminds her of her own scales.

She surfaces with the gem clasped safely in her jaws, and is about to turn back, when she spots a blotch of murky black water out the corner of her good eye. Usi would know that blotch anywhere.

"Phley!" She shouts with barely contained enthusiasm, realizing too late she'd dropped the gem.

She dives after it, and once it's safely in her jaws once more, she swims towards her friend. Usi is relieved to have found a familiar face, everything so far had been...odd to say the least. Phlegethon was, ironically, the most normal thing to Usi. She wishes to talk more, explain the oddities she's seen, but doesn't want to risk dropping the gem again.

@Phlegethon

The monstrosity had taken up quite a long vacation residence in this cave: the water was warm and full of plentiful fish. Among those fish was another odd creature astonishingly similar to itself. She had introduced herself as 'Iree' and had a sing-song voice like Lamia. Unlike the fish creature, the purple-blue sea dragon could breathe above the water like Phlegethon.

They had since parted ways, just as Phlegethon had with a number of other acquaintances.

Not on that list of acquaintances was, of course, Usingizi.

Lying down, settled against the bottom of Fornax's shallows, was the monstrosity: an indecipherable black blob beneath the persistent waves. There were voices and footsteps above, but it remained. Now was a time to rest and relax. The large black cat had brought plenty enough food for it to be satisfied for another month. Among those vibrations were familiar words and tongue. A serpent. "Usingizi?" it rumbled, picking up its head and cracking open its jaw slightly as it snaked up to the surface. Sure enough, there she was. "You have grown," Phlegethon observed, right away.
@Usingizi

Maybe this place was just awful for finding stones.

Elspet's head tilted to and fro, eyes searching. Yep, nothing. Nothing with a capital "U" for ugh. She pursed her lips for a second, overgrown teeth poking further out than necessary. Her hands scuffed further against some pebbles, before she began to move up the shore of Fornax. She could catch up with the kid later and keep within sight range, right? She seemed to be meetin' some glob in the water anyways.

Just before she went, she called back with a wave: "I'll meetcha back here in a bit, a'ight Ooh?"

;exit Elspet

Usi nodded, feeling proud. She attempted to climb Phleg once more, and placed the chip of a gem on his back.

"Yes!" She said, finally able to speak again. "I suppose I am. Phley, this place is strange. There is a two-legged monster who asked us to gather things for it. For dyes, it said. I do not trust it...but I am still curious. I've found two rocks, but that is it."

Usi turned to flick her tail tip at Elspet in a wave goodbye, and turned back to Phlegethon. She pressed her gem in thought. "Do you know of anything I could use?"

@Phlegethon

The monstrosity made it easier for its friend --- and, admittedly, adopted child --- to climb atop its back. A designated spot of rough, bumpy skin was made for such a purpose. Phlegethon rumbled contentedly, a bass hum creating ripples and disturbing the waves with ease. "It is warm here. I like it," it noted very helpfully, "and curiosity is good. Explore and learn. Knowledge comes with survival."

It paused for a moment, then, considering what possible things could contribute to these... dyes, as Usingizi had called them. Could things possibly translate to ingredients? What could one eldritch monstrosity possibly provide that was beneficial, here? Ah---

"A cat has come to me, before. It sought what coats my skin. Slime. I believe it may be for these dyes," it murmured, musing to itself yet aloud. While the cat had brought some rudimentary form of payment, Phlegethon would not demand it from a friend. "Take some if you wish. It does not hurt."
@Usingizi