VIVILENE
i make a mess
and you'll be there
to help me undress

The star-room was easy on the eyes. Other places like the bone-room hurt to be in, Vivilene had found. She didn't like having to squint in the bright light, she preferred to walk the darker sections of the caves or move around when the lights had gone out or were dimming.

This room, though-- Orion, Azure had called it --was always dimly-lit with pretty white lights in the ceiling. Vivilene didn't really have any real desire to find out what the pretty lights were, however. It didn't occur to her that it might be something to ask Azure about.

She followed the other hybrid with a rhythmic click click click, relaxed with travelling for the first time in.... ever. It was nice to not be alone anymore, it made the caves a whole lot less frightening, she had found. Even the throbbing rat bite sunken into her hand had started to hurt a lot less, so all in all, things were looking up.

She didn't have much to say. She rarely did. But she did want to say something, even if it was just beginning with trying to answer the question that Azure had asked some time prior, before they left. She took a long breath, concentrating, and then reached out for the older hybrid.

"My name is Vivilene," she said, a distant murmur only just touching Azure's ears. For the time being Vivilene allowed herself to be proud of herself-- Azure said it was impressive magic --as she followed her through the dark room.

It was a change from being scared, at least.

@Azure

Azure's own gait was a strange combination of soft rasping, from bird scutes and scales, and the clicking of her own hind hooves. Her feathers rustled as she moved.

She was keeping to the shadows, to cover, and watching the cave warily. Raheerah's assault a few cycles ago--and the attack of Asimona before that--had left her wary of open spaces, wary of the 'sky.' She knew the kid might need to rest, so she wasn't about to get caught out halfway over open ground.

It made the path a little longer, though; their route took them around and along the ruins, rather than straight across the cave. They'd have to pass the mouth of Tunnel M somewhere along the way, but that wasn't really a threat--it still left Azure glancing this way and that, half-tense as she moved. Survival, despite what she'd assured the kid prior, wasn't guaranteed. You had to assure that yourself.

The kid's mind touched hers again, warm, soft-spoken, and if Azure could've smiled, she would have. As it was she turned back with kind eyes, looking to her as she walked. "Vivilene? That's a pretty name. Mine's Azure--I think I told you before, but if you missed it. " Shit had been pretty chaotic back there, after all. "That's a good magic, by the way. I think it's the same as-..." and here Azure turned, looking for--and finding--a smallish stone. As they walked the stone lifted, coming up to hover before them, and Azure looked to Vivilene. "I think it might be a similar magic? It's useful stuff. But maybe not--I dunno. Sometimes it backfires and I hurt myself," she added, shrugging. She set the stone loosely down, and it rolled a distance as she released it.

@Vivilene

VIVILENE
i make a mess
and you'll be there
to help me undress

Vivilene didn't quite understand why they were moving in this way-- creeping around, almost, as if hunting. Perhaps Azure was hungry but it didn't occur to her that she could simply just ask, and be done with it.

She did, at least, recognize where she was going now. She remembered passing these ruins before, before she went to the bone-room. She did begin to wonder about them-- perhaps the first time she decided to wonder about anything, in fact --but with no actual way to verbally ask Azure, she merely... pointed at the crumpled buildings in dead silence.

Helpful.

When the rock floated over towards her, she turned towards it curiously, ear flicking in Azure's direction. She gave a nod in confirmation-- though to what was unclear --and moved to take the rock into her small hands. Types of magic didn't make much sense to her but she did, decidedly, want to try a different spell. She'd seen Azure make something glow, right?

Vivilene shifted to focus for a moment, her fingers curling around the stone. She took a little breath and, with moonstone gem glowing, light flooded from her fingertips and into the rock. It was a gentle light that came from it-- white but not abrasive, capable of bleaching darker colours silver. It almost seemed translucent in her hands.

The hybrid was proud of herself, decidedly-- good magic, Azure had kept saying. She handed it to the other hybrid with the faintest of smiles, though she still didn't speak.

@Azure

Azure took the hint, nodding off toward the buildings herself, as they slipped past them.

"They've been here longer than I've been alive. Hundreds of cycles, probably--maybe more? But they weren't always black, like that. Ruined, sure. But a big dragon came, and burnt a lot of it. It was strong enough to melt rock. Dragons are dangerous," she added. And she didn't add that one had tried to kill her once, had thrown her back into her chrysalis, for two reasons. First, she didn't wanna scare the kid unnecessarily; and second, in fairness, she'd have had to then explain all that crap about Asimona's reasons, and the Bloodberries, and-... yeah, no. So what she did say was, "I used to have a house in there, with a friend. Lots of lights, cool rocks, warm places to sleep, stuff like that, but the dragon burnt everything to shit. Hopefully I can find someplace else, some day."

To the baubled stone, Azure blinked--she looked surprised. Carrying it was kinda... out of the question, so she gently took it in her beak, then put it on her own back, between her shoulderblades. "Wow, did you just learn that by yourself? That's pretty good, Vivilene. A really nice color, too!" she added, and once again, it wasn't false enthusiasm. Her own glows tended to be gold, or sapphire blue--she'd never seen this form of soft silver, before. It held a nice, subtle grace, of sorts. "Is it for me? I can make something with that. I'll keep it, treasure it, you know? If that's okay?" Her expression was kind, as she moved on, picking her way toward the tunnel to Eridanus.

@Vivilene

VIVILENE
i make a mess
and you'll be there
to help me undress

Vivilene wasn't exactly able to comprehend just how old the ruins were other than inferring that they were, in fact, very old. She at least made the mental note to stay away from dragons, whatever they were, and to ask her father about it later once they got home.

Her head turned towards one of the buildings. It didn't seem like anything livable to her; she couldn't imagine anything here with cool rocks and pretty lights and things. She couldn't imagine sleeping comfortably among the rubble. Burning was bad, she decided. Poor Azure.

She turned her head quietly towards her, thinking. She tried to cast again but she found, fairly suddenly, that it was tiring. Enough so that she was unsure if she could do it. The hybrid shrugged it off for a moment and made another note to ask Attikias if Azure could stay with them in Eridanus and find somewhere new to live in the jungle.

Maybe she'd like the flowers and trees and stuff there.

When Azure spoke again, Vivilene sort of blinked herself back to attention. She let the stone be taken out of her hands with another nod-- yes, she did just learn how to do that --and then dropped her arms loosely to either side of her again.

Was it okay? Yes, of course? Vivilene's nod was a little more quizzical this time, unsure why Azure thought to ask about it. People were supposed to keep gifts and do what they wanted with them, right? Perhaps it was more complicated than Vivilene really realised; but again, she wasn't going to ask.

Looking around as Vivilene continued trotting quietly after Azure, looking around. After a few beats she pointed at another building, but what she meant by this was entirely unclear-- especially since the hybrid didn't make any habits out of actually talking.

@Azure

Her mind slipped back into watchful mode, eyes carefully searching the open spaces and the air above as she led the way around to Tunnel I. They were passing Tunnel M now--about halfway there, by her estimation, and-...

What's she pointing at, now? Azure glanced off to the buiding, and then to Vivilene.

She, without any better ideas, began a quick game of twenty questions--hoping for a nod to guide her.

"Are you asking, uh, which was mine? Or if we can go over there? Or--how old that one is?" she hazarded, entirely uncertain.

Caves, how frustrating it must be. I wonder why she can't talk?

@Vivilene

VIVILENE
i make a mess
and you'll be there
to help me undress

Vivilene could see exactly where this was going. She didn't want it to-- it would frustrate her, and it would frustrate Azure. She wished she could just talk but when she tried again the same noise came out of her, a croaking sort of wheeze that sounded more like choking on small bones.

She could try magic again, she supposed. The hybrid took a deep breath and held it, eyes going shut. And she held it, and she held it, for potentially much longer than anyone should reasonably hold their breath for (largely made longer, considering the only thing poor Azure was looking at was a child holding her breath) until she felt the small, familiar tingle of magic.

WHEEZE.

And then, finally, fingers of magicka laced the back of Azure's head. "No," it said, like tree branches creaking in the wind. "Who else lived here? Where did they go?"

Vivilene was breathing heavily, but at least not fearfully so this time. She looked out to the buildings for a moment, and then back to Azure. She might as well spill out every possible question while she had contact with her own magic. "You could live in the jungle with me and my dad," she added. "I have three sisters, I think, and a brother."

She did not, in fact, elaborate on what she meant by I think.

@Azure

Azure did not, in fact, notice the "I think." She was too busy wincing at the idea of living in Eridanus.

But she tackled things, as she led the way for the tunnel mouth, one at a time.

"Uhh, I haven't met them all. Or-... didn't. I don't think anyone lives there anymore, not sure--I know there was a wolf in there, and a couple others." It'd been several cycles, and she didn't really remember, anymore.

"I, uhh--thanks. But I'd rather not stay in Eridanus," she said, glancing briefly at Vivilene. "It's a nice place--pretty safe. But I used to live there and not everyone was--a friend. To me, I mean. You'll be fine." So far as she knew, the masses of the Kingdom of Eridanus still lived there, and she would still rather stay far, far away from them.

"We're almost there now, though; do you know uhh, how to get home once we're there? Like--do you know what part of Eridanus you live in?"

@Vivilene

VIVILENE
i make a mess
and you'll be there
to help me undress

Vivilene looked around. It didn't look like anyone could reasonably live here. The desolate area made chills creep up her spine. She missed home, and the camp, and dad and her sisters and her brother. She couldn't really imagine losing your home, and not knowing where your neighbours went.

.. not that Vivilene even knew who her neighbours were, come to think of it.

When Azure spoke again her head swivelled over to the other hybrid, blinking gently. She hadn't met anyone that could be considered not a friend, unless the monster counted? Was Eridanus full of monsters? Surely not-- Azure said it was safe, and that she'd be fine.

Vivilene blinked a few more times. She summoned up her magic again-- merely to ask, "You won't come into it? Eridanus? Because people were bad?"

A few seconds passed, quiet, as the cervitaur spend the time thinking. "I know where I live," she answered idly in the meanwhile. She tried to think what she would have done if someone were a not-friend to her, and soon realised she would do what she always did when something bothered her. "I can tell my dad. My dad is really good and really brave, and he could make the bad people go away? So you can stay there?"

It was flawless logic, in her mind.

@Azure

Azure hesitated.

...Boy, this was getting into uncomfortable territory. And it wasn't, she knew, the sort of shit one could just explain away to a new kid. Hell.

"Life's-... Life gets a little more more complicated than that. Sometimes Gembound get mad at other Gembound. Sometimes they do something stupid and hurt others, maybe without meaning to, or maybe they do mean to, but they feel bad later. The other people weren't bad. People I was... close to, my family? They were bad. I wasn't, but they were, and everyone was mad at my family. For good reason," she added. She was speaking slowly, carefully, and not daring to delve into details. "They did some pretty awful things--my family, the Gembound who made me. They're not around anymore, really--you don't need to worry about it--but others are still mad about it. I've been attacked over it before. So thanks, I appreciate the offer! I really do. But don't worry about it, okay, kid? I'll bring you into Eridanus, we'll get you home. It's not a problem. Then I'll head back to my home, okay?" She glanced to Vivilene, her expression warmly reassuring, as was her tone. There's nothing wrong, that voice said; nothing you have to worry about, nothing that needs dealing with. You just be a kid, be happy, and let me help you.

Except I don't really have a home to go back to, anymore, but that's not a big deal, I guess. I'm alive at least. I'm glad I found this kid before a fuckin' dragon did, anyway.

@Vivilene