If you take care of me, I'll take care of you

It wandered, as always. The lone creature, paws just skipping over the top of the ground, moving over the landscape as if it weren't there, just a dark ghost in the shape of a small feline, sparkling with lights and wreathed in color. It was alone, of course, but to Regalia, the world was no longer so large and empty. No, now there were whispers, ever so distant, as if a barrier had been broken, some sort of secret it had touched. Strange images passed over its eyes wherever it went, but it did not shy away from it. No, it welcomed these oddities. For it was something they did not know and that lack of knowledge was not something they would allow to continue.

Through Cetus, now, it drifted, quite aimlessly, senses alight and skimming the area around it, glowing orbs fixed ahead, yet sensing all that was around - sight, smell, and sound were all recorded by those odd eye-like lights. Searching for...something. Someone. But who it was, Regalia did not know, but it would certainly know when they were found.

@Sniffles

Sniffles wandered Cetus as they always did. Constantly looking for something fun and interesting to do. After refusing to go with the kitty from before, they found themselves somewhat lonely. But they couldn't leave their home right? The boggy place was home to the snake, and that wouldn't ever change. They didn't quite understand why other creatures would go wandering away from their homes, or never have a home. Sure, they were curious about the areas outside of Cetus, but they wouldn't be going there.

Maybe one day they could ask someone about what it was like.

But for now, they found themselves slithering. And slithering. And slithering some more. Until something weird came into their sight. Woah! A pretty looking thing! Coloful!

"What you?" The snake with legs called out to the creature, quickly moving in the direction it was in.

@Regalia

If you take care of me, I'll take care of you

Regalia paused in its drifting when its senses detected a strange creature coming towards them, sliding over the boggy marsh. Oh, it was strange, another creature Regalia had not seen before, dark slime dripping from its body quite horribly, marring whatever beauty could be held underneath upon its skin. But this was not a bad thing - where there was beauty, there was also the opposite of beauty. Ugliness, inelegance. Only with them could true beauty exist. For this, Regalia thanked the creature.

Its glowing eyes watched the creature grow close before Regalia gently reached out with its magic to touch its mind. "Me...I am Regalia. I am the stars and the sky, beyond all, yet within all. I am the avatar of eternity, of immortality, the drifter, the wanderer, whatever you wish to see me as. My voice cannot always reach you - if I go silent, know that it is the interference of these caves that severs my magic. Now...why don't you tell me...about you? Who and what are you? I have not seen creatures who drip such oil from their skin."

@Sniffles

Sniffles could only think the weird thing shaped kind of like Mad to be pretty. There was so much color within the wispy form - Sniffles wondered how it kept shape. Was it just like that? Some strange part of something the snake had never seen before. The eyes glowed, and it only made Sniffle's own sets of eyes blink and focus on that thing. It didn't have a mouth, nor a nose. So when it spoke to them, they were confused, almost taken aback, even.

It spoke through magic? Is that what that meant? Sniffles didn't quite understand, and they didn't quite know how to answer the question about themselves.

What even were they?

Tongue flicking, they weren't sure.

"Sniffles! Name!" Coiling around themselves a bit, they didn't know how to answer the other thing, though. They scratched at the side of their face with a claw.

"Dunno."

@Regalia

If you take care of me, I'll take care of you

Regalia stared quite blankly at Sniffles, judgement racing through its head. Sniffles was quite a foolish name, especially for a creature of such size and shape. Perhaps it was not very intelligent, as it gave no comment to Regalia's introduction or asked it any questions - a more thoughtful creature, perhaps, would have done so.

It continued to hold its connection to Sniffles, quiet disappointed, and almost a little frustrated that Sniffles would not tell it anything about themselves. "You...do not know what you are? How do you not? To me, you look like a great snake of black sludge. Is this all there is to you? There is nothing else?" There had to be something else. The sludge looked so similar to the oil that Regalia touched and heard the voices from. It looked way too similar.

What...if it were the same? What if this creature were one who walked, even in death, or an amalgamation of those that had died? That would be....interesting....

@Sniffles

Sniffles didn't quite understand the things the strange cat was asking - Sniffles didn't quite understand much about themselves, either. Except that they were covered in goo, had legs, and the goo was smelly! Oh oh! And their multiple sets of eyes! Oh and one of their parents was also a slithery thing! But not covered in goop.

Great snake of the black sludge... They'd never been called that before. That title had them tilting their head - at least as much as a snake could, tongue flicking out of their mouth once.

"Just look like that." They replied. they just looked goopy! There wasn't any more to it - at least that the snake knew.

@Regalia