"N-no I- I know what to say, and how to say it, but I get nervous and start talking really fast and I can't hear myself talk-" he rambled, before snapping his mouth shut and pawing at the ground, "Like... that."

James bit his lip as he listened to Pride speak, perking up to try and catch the rock to toss it back. It was a weaker throw, reflecting the turmoil within. Both from trying to judge his own character and the pain of having his only friend (aside from Pride and maybe Eythan, but did they count since they were his mentors?) mad at him for a reason he wasn't even sure was either of their faults. It was tough for his developing brain to handle, making his physical body more jittery and shaky. Anxious.

"... I wish I could grow up faster," he mumbled, ears flicking back for a moment, "Maybe then I'd know what to do. And learn some more."

Dropping the game, he sluggishly walked forward and butted his head into Pride's chest, emotionally exhausted as he set it there, seeking some kind of comfort from the closest thing to a parental figure he had. His amber eyes shut and he sniffled gently, feeling... upset. Sad. Depressed. All of the above.

"Hey Pride," he said suddenly, "I have a question... why did you say you wanted to train with me? Are we... moving up somehow? Or...?"

So far it had been Pride showing and expecting him to copy him, but right now, they were training together, which was new and exciting. He found that he preferred it. Like a training partner rather than a sort of private lesson. Maybe he ought to suggest Pride do something like a class...

@Pride

'I wish I could grow up faster. Maybe then I'd know what to do.' Pride gave a gentle, good-natured laugh, at this, and shook his head. Even as he did, James was butting up against him; and he leaned a little into the foal, offering warm stability. "Experience comes regardless of age. I've met plenty of adults with less maturity than you already have, I can assure you. You're... hm, self-aware, which is more than I can say of everyone; you're concerned, too, about others' feelings. You try to see things from their perspectives. All of those are good things, and things that even some grown Gembound have yet to learn. I don't pretend to know everything, but my advice would be to try to do your best. If you always try, then you have nothing to be ashamed of if you fail--failure is normal, and natural. I fail all the time--everyone does. What you must take pride in is the knowledge that you did the best you could, that you put in your all. It can be frustrating, or disappointing, to fail--at anything, I mean, be it speaking or magic or... setting down a rock," he added, picking some random example, deliberately dropping it to one side as a small demonstration.

"And even if you find that you cannot approach things without fear or nervousness--know that I've known plenty of Gembound like that, too. It isn't uncommon, and it's also nothing to be ashamed of. Let me ask you this: if you met another James, one with all your fears and traits and worries, and he told you all that you have just told me, what would you say to him? How would you feel?"

Pride went silent for a moment, still a friendly rock, and waited to let James parse this out. Then he went on, at last addressing not one, but two of the foal's questions at once. "You asked both why I asked to train with you, and how my magic was weakened. I promised I would teach you what I knew--but I undertook a sort of trial, and surviving it seems to have damaged my magic somehow. I feel... potential? As though there's an open space for more to be filled in, if that makes sense; but for now I have lost touch with it. I thought that perhaps we might train together, so that we could both get some practice in--I hope that was all right?"

It was straightforward enough--matter-of-fact--but he wasn't sure what James had meant by "moving up." He waited to see if the foal would explain; he didn't want to press him with even more thoughts and questions, not yet.

@James

James listened hard to what Pride had to say, taking in as much as he could. He bit his lip and stepped back, the gears turning as he wondered and thought.

"... You're good at words," James mumbled, before looking up at Pride and perking his ears up, "But... you're right. I shouldn't be so hard on myself if my best didn't work out. I mean... If you can't be perfect all the time, then I don't think anyone can."

An accidental compliment, but one he meant all the same.

He thought about Pride's question for a while, until the other spoke, drawing his attention back to him. His eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly in surprise. A trial? Damaged magic?

"Are you okay?", he asked immediately after Pride was done, taking a step forward before realizing that obviously he was, or else he probably wouldn't be here.

James shook his head and coughed, "I mean... of course it's alright. Everyone still has things to learn, right? And maybe... we could learn together? You'd be relearning but- anyway... Um, I wanted to ask something. Request something?"

"... What if you expanded your teaching? Like... like a class? You teach young gembound to use magic and teach them things about the caves. Like plants, lessers, things like that? Things you've seen in the caves? Expand your knowledge to others," James said, training hopeful eyes on the stag.

@Pride

Pride offered an expression like a smile, at what he certainly did take as a compliment, but nodded his encouragement. "Oh, yes, I'm all right. Thank you," he added, automatically. Ears swept forward to listen to the foal's request, and the white stag offered a nod as James finished speaking.

"It isn't something I'd say no to. I teach those I come across, but I simply do not know enough youngsters to... to gather them all up, so to speak. Hm--I doubt even two would happen to know the same type of magic as one another, or even as I do, but I could figure something out--if you had friends in mind?" he asked, blinking down at James. "I've asked the Bonebound about joint training, once or twice, but Aure, I think, has had no new youngsters since my last offer."

Unfortunate, really; Pride did enjoy teaching the young ones what he knew, looking after them, and just watching them grow. Fatherhood had a tendency to do that to a fellow.

@James

"Well, Ari, for one. He says he has no interest in fighting, but he's very talented with his plants. And he loves to learn, too. I think he'd enjoy the uh... study portion of the classes," James said, "And I've been collecting people. Sort of. I keep meeting odd folk, like Gaul, Titanite, Dragon, uh... Khloros. So if I meet any others, I could sort of... refer them to you. And Orion's easy to get to, so it wouldn't be difficult to attend."

James looked up hopefully, "And these caves... they're not just magic. At the meeting, I heard a lot referenced to things I haven't heard of before, a history that I'm too young to have seen. And who else will pass on knowledge if not the younger Gembound, right? But perhaps you could ask some others to teach with you. In different uh... subjects? Like defense like I've been learning with Eythan, magic, history, possibly a healing class to learn about plans and those kinds of spells."

He smiled gently, his mood taking a positive turn, "What do you think? Could it work with the right people?"

@Pride

Pride felt bewildered, for a moment, as James went through the details of his plan. Abruptly, it became clear that the colt had been thinking about this quite a bit--and it wasn't the plan itself that baffled him, so much as the sheer amount of information suddenly flooding his way.

He blinked, and tried to address it, as the horse finished, piece by piece. First, inspiration had him blinking again at the mention of Ari and his plants.

"James, has Ari met Mercurius-? Mercy is a white lion, I've mentioned him to you before--the one who grew the grove in Eridanus, full of lights. He is very gentle, very kind. Perhaps Ari would get along with him, and Mercy could teach him of the plants?" he suggested, peering. "As for Khloros, the horse is incapable of magic. His reformation in the Spire took it from him, from what he's told us. I do not know the other names, bar Dragon, of course--I doubt he needs training; he's much older than I am. But Khloros has knowledge of things I do not, and Dragon is skilled with flames. Perhaps rather than me teaching everyone, you mean a more... collaborative sharing of knowledge?"

Pride mulled this over, for a moment, and began to wonder aloud, expanding on James' idea--things the colt had probably already thought of, but that bore going over either way. "Perhaps a weekly scheduled time and place, and it can vary depending on who is offering a lesson; aside from that, perhaps meetings, too, for all of us to share knowledge with one another, or to spar?" He gave James a slightly more solemn look. "And yes, some of that information may not be pleasant. The meeting was... not reassuring, if I am honest. I feel as though we have escaped some terrible fate, but perhaps not for very long."

He lingered on this thought, for a moment, then blinked again and shook his head. "I am sorry, James--I do not mean to seem negative. It is a good idea--with great potential. The structure I offered is but one possibility, but since this is your idea, perhaps you can decide, for certain? You can arrange it, and gather others; I can direct you, perhaps, to the Bonebound and the Children of Rot for more. I will find Mercy for Ari, if you wish, but for the rest I can make myself available for your lessons whenever you like, and you can be the orchestrator of the details, yes?" It would be good, he thought, for the child to have responsibilities, and to gain experience; and he did not, either, want to simply take James' idea away and arrange it all himself. It was not his to do so, and he offered a nod to the foal. "It is a very good idea, to share what we have with one another, to ensure that we all share advantages, should we come to face something terrible--or even only to improve ourselves, and be the best that we can be. Are you comfortable arranging it?"

He didn't mean to ignore it, either, and if the colt didn't want to move forward with it out of nervousness, he didn't wish to discourage him; he'd have to see how James felt about it, and go from there.

@James

"Oh- you're right! I'll tell him when I get back," James said, before nodding up at Pride at his words about the elder Gembound, "I um... was more stating the fact that I seem to keep meeting people of various ages- but yes! Multiple people coming together to share and to learn and teach. Like I said earlier... everyone still has things to learn. And in the meeting... if some people decide to learn to read, they could teach us, too!"

He paused in his ramblings as Pride continued, blinking a bit as the mood grew more solemn. He didn't understand half of what was said in the Town Hall, with the onslaught of information, the dragons in the room, and then Vargas and Alpha... if Alpha was scary, then Vargas was horrifying. He shuddered at the thought.

"COuld you find Mercy? I think that I can ask Eythan during our next lesson and ask him about it... and ask him if he can allow me to tell the Bonebound. And then if I go to Cetus and find Dragon, perhaps I could ask him too," James mumbled, and realized that he had a few more connections than he realized, "... And then maybe I could start gathering younger Gembound too and telling them the dates. I think... I think I'm comfortable arranging it! I think that I could even find a way to make it enjoyable for everyone, too, like making it a dinner party as well as a sharing of knowledge and sparring and magical training... everyone gets hungry after running their mouths or their bodies."

James looked up at Pride and grinned happily, his mood taking a change for the better, "I think that it can work!!"

@Pride

He nodded along, listening, and when James asked about Mercurius, he nodded his agreement. A murmur: "Of course," and he listened to the rest.

Food--Pride beamed.

"I think food's an excellent idea, James, and I think perhaps Mercurius can help with that. I warn you, though, that it may mean having meat prepared--dead Lessers, without gemstones. Alternatively, we can hope that a few bananas will be enough of a treat, hm?" he suggested. "Still, it would be a good draw for everyone, and it's a good idea. I'll see about getting Mercurius for your friend Ari; let me know what Eythan says the next time you speak, but be sure you, or he, check with Aure. Aure is their leader; we do not want to be rude by consulting and making plans with the Bonebound without his consent." This advice was gently-given, with a nod.

@James

James nodded faster than he really ought to and grinned, "I know! Ari eats rabbits and uses the pelts to make a bed- I'm sure I can rope him into helping me gather things for food. Did you know he grew a mango tree behind his house? It's fruiting and the mangos are so sweet! And the bed he made from the furs is so soft and comfortable- it beats a grass bed by far!"

"I'll make up with Ari before I do anything... I don't want my awful mood to impact my overall behavior," James said, and exhaled, "Thank you, Pride. Do you want to keep training? I don't feel so awful anymore, if you want to do something fun!"

The foal was brimming with excitement, a wonderful mood that promised some fun indeed.

"Catch is fun and all... but what about tag?" James giggled, "We could set rules! Like you can use magic to obstruct the other person's path, but you can only touch them physically."

@Pride

He had expected this meeting to come to a close--and he was worried about how he might do, with magic--but James' warm enthusiasm was infectious, and he smiled.

"Take your time with Ari, James; but I think he and Mercurius will get along well. And the game sounds... good, yes. You're it," he added, and with a mischievous perk of a brow, he sprang away and began to run, hooves clashing against rock with every bouncing leap.

@James