Tahi-shei had been thinking back on his first conversation with Orthoclase-Alpha recently. He recalled that the other animal had told him about a group in Canis called the Bonebound -- a group who had members among them with fungal skill. Mostly, he'd been skittish about Canis since his interaction(s) with the Collector, but... well, everyone had to grow up eventually. His hooves carried the almost-grown deer through the awful, distinctly Wrong tunnel and through into the bone room. He glanced around at them and shivered before rebounding and approaching what looked the most like a place where Gembound lived.

"Excuse me?" he called once he was at a respectable distance -- luckily, he saw a spotted creature right away, who he guessed might have been canine? (Tahi didn't know very many canines.) "Erm... I heard that, uh, there was a... powerful spotted dog here? I'm Tahi-shei, Tahi-shei Deimos, and I've been looking for someone who can help me get better with fungal magic? Specifically, um, offensively." Then, because he figured he might be asked, "I'm a friend of Overseer Alpha's," he explained, not even bothering to consider if the feeling of friendship was mutual. Then again, Tahi considered every person he met and parted on decent terms with to be a friend, so maybe he wasn't the best deer to ask.


@giggle

Overseer Alpha..? Those were the thoughts that echoed in her mind as she stood from amongst her bones.

She'd met Orthoclase-Alpha once or twice: a bestial creature, a fierce one. She'd met Overseer Vargas a couple of times, too. But maybe this creature was confusing the two of them? Or had Orthoclase taken the name Overseer for itself?

She wasn't sure, but it bore checking out, not that she'd have ignored the call to begin with--she answered all of those who came to her. But it was a warning, in her mind. She pushed up along the ledge, pacing over to peer down at the creature calling to her--a deer, by looks (and here unpleasant memories flashed through her mind, though she tried her best to ignore them).

"I'm not a dog," was the first part of her response, fired down with what sounded like tired, faint venom. "And I question anyone who chooses Orthoclase-Alpha as a friend, unless you mean Vargas-? In which case I question it twice as much," she added wryly. She vanished from sight as she spoke, retreating to turn and trot down from her ledge, around the winding trail that led from its precipice.

"My name is Giggle," she told the deer, coming to a halt before it; "Now, tell me why a friend of Orthoclase-Alpha needs to learn offensive magic?" she added, studying it closely.

It looked herbivorous--but so had Rafael, before it had tried to blind her: an attack whose scars she still wore raked over her face, her eyes. It looked healthy, and plain, brown. That was good, at least; it wasn't some strange war-deer, maybe, come to start a battle. Or something.

Giggle didn't know what to expect anymore, really; so she tried to just expect everything.

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@Tahi-shei

"What?" he said, watching Giggle approach him. Not really specifying what exactly he was confused by. "Um, well," Tahi began, knowing she expected him to talk (and didn't she know what she was getting into? Slime Molds, was she walking a tightrope), "ummm, okay, so. Orthoclase-Alpha, I guess, talked to me in the tunnel to Polaris -- well, tried to kill me, actually, but they stopped once they realized I was a Greater -- told me that you and, uh... a bird with red spots? I think? were both really good with fungal magic." He paused, trying to make logical leaps from her words, but coming up blank. "I've got fungal, too. I'm not all that good with it. I want to get better, and I want to be able to use it offensively so I can defend myself and my friends from predators and other Gembound who might want to hurt us."

He tried to think further about her last question. Was there a better answer he could give? Or... maybe a demonstration of his abilities? No, probably not -- that could fail him. "I'm trying to get better with magic in general, but I figure I should start with my native element. It's what I'm best at, but I do know a little bit of electricity." Then, something else entirely occurred to him -- her tone. He frowned and looked Giggle over, trying to figure out if she looked hurt. "Are you okay? You sound tired. Umm, I can come back another time if you were sleeping or something."

@giggle

Well-... this was surprising. Giggle eyed Tahi-shei with renewed interest.

"Many Gembound come to me for readings--I'm a Seer. I read the bones, I see into the future," she explained; "but nobody's ever come asking me to teach them to fight, before." She considered this, for a moment, turning to lope back alongside the bone pit, where she turned, facing into it--then back to Tahi-shei--as if thoughtful.

The few bones she'd examined in that brief moment told a tale: one of cooperation, and then of a desperate search for necessary power, but triumph, in the end, of good over darkness.

She studied him, scrutinized him. "That said, I don't know anyone else who's good with it. Doesn't seem to be that common, really. And it's not as good as some things for fighting, but it has its strengths," she went on, thinking deeply. "I can teach you what I know, but I want to get to know you before I agree to it. Tell me about yourself. Tell me who you know; where you've been. What your life is like. This magic... it's not nice, it isn't clean and brutal. If you fight with fungus, it's... cruel," Giggle said, settling on a word after a moment's thought. "I want to know who I'd be giving that kinda power to."

That seemed fair enough, to her.

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@Tahi-shei

Tahi listened patiently to Giggle talk, but his eyes lit up with curiosity. See the future? He resisted the overwhelming urge to interrupt her -- he wanted to make a good first impression. Her questions made his skin prickle uncomfortably (the encounter with the Collector... ugh). He hummed "Well... I know this little cat named Madhukar," he offered first, feeling a little uncomfortable. Giggle was kind of intense. "She's got very strong magic -- electricity. I helped her learn how to control it better, and she helped me learn that my magic isn't always peaceful and introspective, 'cause that's all I'd tried before. I also got the idea to try electricity magic from her, which was really hard, but I managed it! I have a spell I can cast pretty consistently now that stops someone else casting a spell." That was something he was pretty proud of.

Talking about his friend Madhukar made him relax a little bit. "I know Pride, and some of the other members of the Seven, too. I was born in Orion, and I still live there under their protection -- they seem really nice. I haven't gone many places, though. Polaris, to practice magic and go to the Olympics... and Tunnel M for the latter, too." He considered further. "I went to Eridanus for a minute, to talk to Madhukar -- that was nice. And, uhhh, Canis of course." He swallowed hard. Just telling her the nice people he knew... that wasn't going to get him anywhere.

"I've talked to the Collector," he admitted. "I... agreed to do something awful because I was angry and desperate and the Collector was really charismatic. I'd embarrassed myself at the Olympics -- all my spells sucked. Magic is the only thing I'm really good at, and the announcer was being mean. I thought about how strong Madhukar was compared to me even though she was younger and I thought about how many spells Pride knows and how strong he is and I kinda freaked out and took my chances on a rumor that someone could give me more power. It was a mistake to agree to hurt someone, though." He raised his chin, steeling himself. Hopefully Giggle wouldn't reject him because of that.

"I do know Overseer Alpha, too. I talked to them twice, I think? They're a little rough, but I mostly think they like me okay. They don't like being yelled at, though -- it scares them, I think." He scuffed his hoof against the ground. "And you, I guess, and you seem pretty nice."

@giggle

She listened with growing bemusement. Tahi-shei was babbling; there was little more to say about that. Well, he was answering her question, though it wasn't... quite in the way she'd expected. There was, despite all the information, little picture of who Tahi-shei actually was--his likes, dislikes, fears, dreams. But there was enough to get an idea of him and in his defense, he'd answered her questions exactly. Who he'd met, where he'd been.

"I don't know Madhukar. I know the others--Pride, the Collector, Alpha." A pause as faint revelation struck--They don't like being yelled at, hm? That explains a lot. Like how it'd nearly been cowed merely by loud, stern, parental words.

Hmm.

"Ah, the 'olympics.' Nothing but a show, a display," she muttered, with a shake of her head. She tried to reach out with her own mind, to elaborate with direct learning, but nothing came of it and she exhaled softly. Another lesson to add to the list, then; but at least she was reminded early. "The most powerful magic, I think, is invisible to the eye anyway. And one lesson for free, right off the bat--not that any of them cost anything, mind you--but it's that magic fails, a lot. In case you don't know," she added, with a short, rough laugh. "Anyway, I'll see what I can teach you, for defense. But I'll ask two things in return."

The hyena took a few paces away, then turned back and sat down, regarding the deer with interest.

"First, promise me you won't ever use it for aggression--for bullying, for hurting others. And second, that you'll come back until I say you're done. I've had Gembound leave half-trained in other shit and they're more dangerous like that than they are useful. Deal?"

She paused, and squinted. "Oh, and I wouldn't mind if you taught me that magic of your own, in turn, the kind to stop spells. That sounds useful," she told him, with an air of praise, or admiration.

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@Tahi-shei

He listened to Giggle, enraptured. She must have been ancient, at least in regard to the general age of the caves. Certainly older than Pride. She bore the scars of many battles and the wisdom of many cycles -- he had absolutely no doubt that she could see the future. He wondered, distantly, if she could see his -- could see the warring perspectives in his chest, could see his confusion and stress. Could see his desire to be better.

Tahi-shei swallowed hard at her demand that he make her promises. He considered them at length, not wanting to lie or make an empty promise. He didn't want to hurt anyone, at least... "I can tell you that I have absolutely no intention of using my magic to hurt anyone unless I'm given no choice," he said firmly. "It isn't right to hurt other Gembound." Then, a beat -- "but... I know that I'm not as strong as I want to be. Emotionally, that is. I want to be better, though. Less easily manipulated. Less easily upset." He shifted awkwardly on his hooves. "I... hope that's good enough. But! I definitely won't leave halfway through!! I wouldn't have come to you if I didn't mean to learn," he said, shifting in his mood and becoming a little more excited.

"Learning magic is something that I'm really passionate about -- I'm also curious about how you can see the future??? It would be really nice to learn that, too, but I understand if it's more of a secret. But I'd be happy to show you how to use my electricity spell! As best I can, anyway. Well, I can explain my process. I don't know how easily magic is supposed to come when it's outside your original element."

@giggle

Giggle studied him, as he spoke. He was well-articulated, seemed intelligent, clear, honest. And his honesty was impressive, but her lips thinned at the "I hope that's good enough."

It wasn't.

"I've seen too much violence to accept that," she interrupted, quietly. "It's good honesty, Tahi-shei--I don't want to punish you for it. It's good to be honest that way. But I'm being honest back: I want a promise that you won't go around hurting anyone with this, ever." It was softly-stated, but firm. Memories danced behind her eyes, and she paused, trying to project pictures--but they didn't come, and so she grimaced. "I would show you, but my magic is failing me. Maybe that's for the best," she added, with a short, wry laugh. "It's pretty grim. But promise me, and I'll gladly train you."

"As for magic outside your usual type--well, it depends on the Gembound, I guess?" She mused over this. Giggle had no elemental magic chart; she just assumed that all of her magic was the same, arcane and fungi both. "Mine is... future-magic, I suppose. The fungus, the bones, the future, the mind; it's all one. But there's magic in everything--and that's a free lesson, for you; some see the future, for example, in rock or touch or in pure magic, or whatever. I see it in the bones. And the past, too," she added, thinking; "I think time may not be as... strict a thing as we think." How, she couldn't have said; and for a moment she looked distantly thoughtful as she considered.

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@Tahi-shei

The compulsion to hang on to this struck Tahi-shei as unusual. Why was he so hesitant to agree not to hurt anyone? Why did he think he would break such a promise? Giggle would keep him honest, certainly. If he wasn't strong enough to be good for himself, he could be good for other Gembound. For his friends, mentors, and companions. Finally, the spike nodded. "I promise." If she bothered to look deeper, she might find that same conflict -- a confusion, a worry, a stroke of darkness that was fighting against its light. But she would also find honesty.

Experience... well, raw experience was good enough for him. Tahi-shei didn't like the idea of hurting others anyway.

He was absolutely enraptured by her admittance about bones and future and past and present and time. "I have a million questions," he admitted, letting her make the decision about whether or not she wanted to hear them. Perhaps that was a stroke of maturity...? Or maybe just Tahi-shei trying to be polite.

@giggle

Giggle gave a firm, satisfied nod: that assurance was enough for her. And at Tahi-shei's admission that he hada questions, she let out a raucous, roughly masculine laugh.

"Don't we all-? But go ahead, ask away. I'll answer what I can, at least; I don't promise to have them all," she added, with warm amusement and a twinkle of humor in her dark eyes. "And then we'll talk about teaching you."

She settled down on her haunches, one ear flicking, and then her full attention was on Tahi-shei: inquisitive, patient, and waiting.

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@Tahi-shei