She could make bananas too? She didn't feel anything particularly strong going on in her gemstone, but that wasn't unusual. She had no idea what he magic was, nor could she remember ever casting it, but something brought to mind sparks and lightning, but despite taking a moment to try, nothing came up. She couldn't do it.

However, what did happen when she focused, was a banana suddenly appeared next to Oliver's with a small pop!, glittering innocently, not quite as numerous as the bundle but definitely as plump and healthy. A small, soft honk of delight escaped her bills and she leaned down, pushing the banana forward to offer to her friend. A small token of thanks for helping her.

She straightened up and nodded through Oliver's little speech, listening politely, but it was all information that she knew. It helped, at least, to hear it out loud - it was bringing the memories back up clear as day. Polaris was the central cave, correct? With the great Spire in the center. A dam of golems and a river clearer then crystal shards, holding the generator beneath. And Orion with its stars and the crumbling city. The Throne, the Tower, and the cliffs hanging over the forum. Pisces, so cold, so wet, close to freezing all the time, but with a lagoon so deep the bottom escaped the eye. And Eridanus, filled with greenery and bubbling streams, a fern trench and a giant tree overlooking a garden...

Dread settled in her stomach at the thought and she swallowed it back. Eridanus was not good. Not a good place to be. She shook her head to clear the memory and tried to think about the last place Oliver had mentioned. With hot water? That was called Fornax, right? "I think you're right, I was alive before because I remember all those places. Like, I've been to them. It's a little foggy, though, and I can't remember what I was actually doing in them." She cut off as her expression twisted into a frown. "Huh? Why would someone be mean? What's the point?"

@Oliver

Oliver smiled, at the banana--and with a kind, enthusiastic voice, he encouraged her. "Hey, that's really good! Especially since you just woke up! Wow." The words were in no way forced or assumed; his blue eyes, their eager innocence, lit brightly in wonder at the size and shine of the fruit. When Nameless pushed it toward him, he used his bird-like claws to split it carefully down the middle, pulling apart the peel, and then pushed half on its peel back to her. He took his own half, ear-tufts falling back with lazy contentedness. He chewed, the glowing sparkle starting its work around his black fur-and-feathers coat.

He listened as she spoke of the caves, of her sleep. Of her memories, and their strangeness to her. And he nodded. "Hrmph, srmtrms-" (he swallowed his bite of banana) "-Sometimes Gembound sleep for a really long time. Like I heard that some of the ones here," (he gestured with one winged forelimb around at the Hydra entrance) "slept for like, thousands of cycles? So maybe you're REALLY old. No offense or anything," he hastened to add, peering at her.

Another bite of banana, a few more sparkles, and he shrugged at her other question. "I don't know. I think some are sad, or upset, or hurt or whatever and they feel like it's others' fault? So they lash out. I don't think they're ever really bad. And I think a lot are like, fights, arguments and stuff that kept getting out of control and nobody just sat down and talked about it? Although I've met some that are really, really like-... They enjoy others' pain. Carnivores, usually, but not always. I've heard stories. I think it usually helps to talk things out, but that might not always work, so just be careful, okay?" He was thinking of Jayberry--the black wolf, snarling her sadistic threats, laughing at the pain of those around her. He'd never found out what exactly had prompted the Bloodberry's initial attack; he only knew that they were mad at Rift, and Rift hadn't ever explained why, and Oliver had never asked.

It didn't matter, to him. Neither side had sat down to just talk about it, so it'd gotten out of control--but the Bloodberries weren't the only violent things in the caves. There were always predators that'd kill talking Gembounds, and the only real warning he had--to 'be careful'--had now been given. There wasn't a whole lot more that he could do, in his mind, except hope and pray that the goose remained safe. Speaking of which--

He eyed her, curious. "Did you think of a name, at all? I think the really old ones who slept here--they had numbers. Like, a gemstone, then a number, like ruby twenty-four, things like that. Maybe that was yours. Maybe that's why you haven't got a name? But they're all picking names now, so you could, too," he added. And then--"You sorta remind me of white flowers. Like a... a white lily, or something. Maybe you can name yourself after a kinda flower."

He shrugged, a little, apologetic, and added--"Sorry, I--don't know a lot of their names..."

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

@Nameless

The goose beamed at Oliver's praise and watched him offer half of the banana to her. She'd finished the plump bunch that he'd made earlier, but there was still room for more and she gratefully took the other half in her bill, a warm, cozy feeling settling in her stomach. It felt nice to share with others and her stomach cried for food as if she hadn't eaten in cycles. And, if Oliver was right, she most likely had not and had survived on the amniotic fluid of her chrysalis or however if worked when a gembound hibernated. Still, all the sweet, healthy bananas were doing wonders from her and every moment she felt more awake and alive then the last.

She nodded thoughtfully as she chewed. She'd have to go and find those that had hatched here, then, to see if they were anything like her - if they remembered as little as she did of their past lives. Perhaps she was simply one of them, just a little later on the hatching.

For moment, she tried to put herself in the shoes of whoever Olive was describing. She tried to think of something that would make her upset and angry enough to lash out at others, but still she couldn't imagine herself being violent. She wouldn't blame it on others, at least she didn't think she would - to be honest, she'd probably more likely blame things on herself. Bear the burden instead of forcing others to carry it for her. But, she supposed, everyone had a different way of coping with their troubles. "That's...sad. That some people feel like they can't talk about what's making them upset and that their only option is to hurt others instead of asking for help." Disgust rolled in her stomach, hot and boiling uncomfortable, along with something else that felt faintly like regret. "That's horrible. What would drive somebody to be like that? I'll be careful and keep myself safe but...do you think that people like that - that hurt because they like it - can even be talked to at all?" She shook her head, unaware of the bloodbath at the front of Oliver's mind, the thought of violence so obscene that she couldn't even try to put herself into that psyche of hurt. Not anymore.

She shifted and ruffled her feathers. She was getting a little worked up, her heart thumping in her chest. She took a few breaths to steady herself and calm herself, looking down at the glitter on her feet before blinking slowly, considering Oliver's question. "A number? Uh, I don't think I'd like being called a number. I don't know, I feel like a name is special. It represents who you are. Maybe it's because I'm not new that I want my name to mean something, or that I want it to be more personal then a simple tag. I want people to think of good things when they say or hear my name, I want it to represent who I am - but I don't know who that is just yet. I'm content with being nameless for now. I'm sure I'll find a good name someday."

@Oliver

Oliver considered the goose's question for a very long moment. Could the sadistic types be talked to-?

"I think..." he began, at last, then hesitated. His world experience had been grim, but not all that wide; but what he was about to say made sense to him, at least. "I think someone can only really be talked to or helped if they want to. To talk, I mean. Or to change. If they don't want to, it doesn't matter how nice you are or how much you offer. They have to want to change." He shrugged, a little. "Maybe you can try and talk 'em into it, but that'll be hard when they're trying to eat you or whatever," he added.

He fidgeted, then, for a moment, watching the goose thoughtfully.

"See, I'd ask what to call you, but--you know, sometimes I forget names. And we don't use 'em anywhere near as much as you'd think. It's funny," and here, Oliver offered a sheepish smile, "how much you kinda just talk to someone or say hey or hi without actually saying their name? But, uh. Good luck picking one. Or--finding one." After another pause, he considered.

"Do you need anything else, while I'm here? I kinda forgot why I came here, too."

As he spoke, without asking, he realized that the goose might in fact be thirsty. He wasn't sure, but it didn't matter--he could leave a little water on a rock, here, in case someone else wanted it. Or-... well, maybe it'd evaporate. But maybe not!

He picked a flatter stone with a bit of a dip in it and walked over to it, focusing carefully; he passed a forelimb over it, and a moment later what little moisture he could pluck from the scorchingly dry air had condensed into a mist, and then a puddle atop the stone. "In case you're thirsty, at least," he explained, and stepped back again.

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

@Nameless

She nodded, but a heavy sadness settled on her stomach. There were some that were lost, then, that could not be brought back from darkness. It struck a chord in her, a nerve in her chest that made her all sorts of uncomfortable and hungry to meet one of those that Oliver deemed too far gone to save, if only to try and save them herself. Everyone deserves a chance. Maybe even two. She didn't voice this out loud, more out of a desire to end this part of the conversation for her own sanity's sake.

She swallowed and pushed an impulsive desire to keep talking to the back of her mind, to store for later. She would tackle these issues some other time.

"You can think of my just as Nameless, if you'd like. Or Goose. Or The Goose. Or the Nameless Goose. It doesn't matter to me, but if I ever think of a name, I'll find you and let you know. Thank you," she added on the end, both for his wish for luck and for the water he conjured for her. She stepped forward and began to drink from the puddle Oliver had created. She didn't notice how parched she was until she swallowed the first bill-full. It wasn't enough to satiate, but it held her off for now.

She was about to refuse further help from Oliver, grateful for what he'd done for her already, but then a thought occurred to her. She looked back at the stone she'd left by the chrysalis shards and stepped back over to push it forward. "I think I'd like to take this with me. You can make bananas and water...can you make something that I can use to carry it?"

@Oliver

Oliver blinked, thinking--then squinted.

"Actually, I--have something. Wait here," he added. "I'll only be a few minutes. Maybe five, ten."

With that, the hybrid turned, scampering off, half flap-gliding, half galloping in a rocking gait off toward Canis.

He returned a few minutes later with a woven basket in his teeth, his eyes bright with hope that it might be helpful to the goose. It was one of the ones that Rift had given him, but he had a couple, now, and right now they were settled in his garden not too far away--in Canis. "Can you use this?" he asked, nudging it toward the goose.

Had he known her thoughts, he might have commented on them; particularly to reiterate, perhaps, that he deemed no one "too far gone to save." It was, as he'd said, those who refused help that couldn't be aided. But she didn't air her thoughts, so he couldn't clarify his own; instead he just sat there smiling dog-like over his woven basket, his feather-tail sweeping a little back and forth over the sand in a hopeful wag.

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

@Nameless

The goose nodded and settled herself down again, taking to looking at the stone while she waited for Oliver to return. She wondered who it had belonged to before and why she'd had such an emotional reaction. Even now, just staring at it, she was filled with bittersweet joy, as if it was someone long lost returning to her, but only to leave again.

She wallowed in these feelings for a few minutes before the sound of Oliver's approach jerked her out of her thoughts. She looked up and eyed the basket he was carrying in his jaws. That...hadn't really been what she'd been thinking, but she didn't voice that to Oliver. Besides, a basket was useful enough. It would do the job. She stood and pulled it towards her, grabbing it with her bill. It was nice and light and small enough for her to use. Yeah, it would work!

She set it down and smiled gratefully. "Yes, this will work. Thank you!" She reached down, opening her bill as wide as it would go to grab the gemstone, placing it gently into the bottom of the basket. "If I ever find myself no longer needing it, or I'd like to see you again...where can I find you? In Canis?"

@Oliver

That feather-tail wagged more quickly, back and forth over the sandy rock, as the goose took the basket.

Yay!

At her question, though, he blinked--as if surprised. "Oh! Um, no--I mean, sometimes; I do have a garden here! In the middle. Just look for, like--the only trees... But mostly Eridanus? If you don't know where that is, it's like, a jungly forest place-cave in the middle. Of the other caves, I mean. Ish? But it's got water and lots of plants. There's a lot of Gembounds there that tend to the plants, uhh--they call themselves Kingdom of Eridanus. I'm with them, for now? They're nice and they take care of--I mean I already said that, but. So I go around and grow plants in the caves that don't have enough, 'cause Eridanus had a fire and--what if it gets burnt down? So I grow plants in Orion, Canis, Polaris, places like that. Canis just had bones so I figured a grove would be nice!" He beamed, for a moment, clearly all kinds of proud of himself, and then dipped his head.

"So, uh--I might be any of those places but if you ever need help with anything, the other Kingdom people will help. They're really nice. Uh--good luck, too," he added.

A brief glimmer, and one taloned forelimb came up, holding another small banana. This he placed into the basket beside the blue gemstone--"For later, in case you get hungry," he explained--"...even though you can make one yourself, I guess."

Oliver smiled, and shrugged, and stepped aside, to allow the goose to pass.

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

@Nameless

She nodded, despite the spike of sudden panic that burst in her chest at the mention of the maw of mosses. "Yeah, I know where Eridanus is." Yeah, she could remember Eridanus at least - lots of trees and ferns and mosses, bubbling streams, mushrooms, rocks...beautiful, warm, wet, and the perfect habitat for any herbivore. And it sent terror shooting through her veins. She tensed up for a moment, but forced herself to relax as it ebbed away as quickly as it came. She wasn't going to voice this sudden burst of emotion, especially since it was about Oliver's home and her did seem to care about it, but she put it in the back of her mind for now.

She hoped she'd be able to find him in one of his other groves, if she ever needed him again.

She blinked slowly at Oliver, gratitude quickly covering up her momentary break in composure as he set a banana into her bag. She wondered how many creatures in the caves were as nice as him, or if he was unique with his generosity. "Thank you. For everything, Oliver. I hope we see each other again." With that, she leaned over and picked up the basket, stepping forward towards the end of the cave. As she left, she glanced back one more time before disappearing into Canis, her new life at last begun.

*exit

@Oliver

"Oh, you're welcome. It's--no problem. Goodbye, and good luck," he answered softly, with a friendly dip of his head.

He watched her go, then, and sat in the tunnel--and for the life of him, he couldn't remember why he'd come here.

Puzzled, he turned and peered about, but... well, he'd done a good deed, at least. Sort of? At least, he felt like he had.

With a mental shrug, the bird-dog turned and followed Nameless up the tunnel. She was long gone, by now, and he didn't plan to pursue her or anything like that--he was just heading the same direction. Probably best he'd stood here dumbly for a moment, he reflected--walking right alongside her after saying goodbye would have been awkward.

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

exit Oliver