Upon her lonely pedestal she waited - for what to happen, Seshat never discovered. Listening, watching, thinking, and accepting the life she had been given. Before, there was fear and longing and depression at the situation that had befallen her, the unfortunate circumstance that had sealed her here, to this rock, to this very spot, to wait here until the world met its end or her body gave out on her. Many times she considered letting the release come to her, to no longer feed herself until she withered away and escaped her tortured flesh, but she always broke before the end came, revitalizing herself, saving herself.

And so, she waited.

Sometimes creatures came and went. They shared stories with her, tales of their families, of day to day life, of big things happening in all of the caves. She'd collected knowledge in the time that she was here, a hub and cornerstone for gossip and rumors, and ruminated on these findings. After all, her mind was all she had.

She knew about many of the groups scattered throughout the caves. The Seven, protectors of the innocents, The Bonebound, a close-knit family that honored the dead, the Children of Rot, secretive and suspicious dwellers of the swamps, the Kingdom of Eridanus, nurturers and gardeners, once lost and now found, the Sentinels that guarded the entrance to Hydra, that Seshat had heard tales of so long ago, and...it was more rumor then solid fact, but a family of dragons sequestered in the most distant cave. It warmed her heart to know that Gembound gathered together, strength in numbers, the strong protecting the weak.

She had heard about something, however, that interested her greatly - some kind of meeting, but the one that had told her didn't dare get close enough to listen. All the groups had been there, and the Overseer that Attikias had told her about a long time ago. Things were shaking up in the caves, things were changing. Chaos was emerging and some lived in fear. Seshat did not fear - what was there, after all, to fear, for one that could not move? She could not control what happened to her beyond what her mind could solve. Magic, yes, and voice, but beyond that...what happened was what would happen. It was a cold acceptance that she had forced herself to bear, but it had gotten easier as time had gone on. She had grown used to this body, to the fact that she could not have all the answers and could not seek them out herself. That she would always need help her life would always be lonely.

And so, the statue of amethyst gazed out into Polaris, allowing her thoughts to slip and spread, carrying her along a long journey of thoughts and emotions and memories, the minutes slipping by.

Comet was on one of her usual frolics in Polaris when she saw the glint of purple in the distance. A giant gem? That was what aroused her curiosity, and she trotted over to go look at the giant gem.

When she got closer, she saw the gem was shaped strangely similar to Kaimana. But that couldn't be possible, Kaimana lived in Fornax. Upon reaching the distance of only a few feet apart, Comet saw that it was in fact a leopard that was in the gem. Or was the gem the leopard? "Hello?"

@Seshat

Minutes spent in solitude, in silence, the days eternal that Seshat lived and breathed, had become accustomed to, had found home in its peace. But every so often a voice broke the silence, a face, a heart, and now, again, someone had come to speak with the immovable creation, something white glinting in the edge of her vision, getting closer and closer, thankfully in the single line of sight the world had offered to her.

She blinked, gentle eyes gazing at the young one that was sidling up to her, confused, as all of them were. Perhaps she thought that Seshat was nothing but a gemstone, carved in the shape of a creature. She would not be the first. "Hello," she responded, just loud enough for her to hear. "It's alright to come close. Stay in front of me, please - I can't turn my head."

Whether Comet came closer or not, Seshat would continue. "What is your name, child?" Her expression was kindly, soft, inviting. She wanted her to stay for a little while - it had been a long time since she had company.

@Comet

Comet was slightly startled when the head on the huge gem actually responded. So they were alive. She siddled up in front of the leopard, and sat down. It looked like they were trapped in the gemstone. Or maybe the gemstone was actually their body? The pup wondered what it would be like to live like that. They couldn't even move their head!

"Comet." said Comet, "Are you stuck in that gem?" Maybe they had only been like this for a short time. If that was the case, perhaps she would be able to help them get out.

@Seshat

She watched patiently as the wolf came to sit in front of her, and Seshat was grateful for her positioning. She could look at her properly now. It was with bitterness that Seshat recalled an encounter in which the gembound had refused to sit in front of her, only to make her more frustrated, as if she were a toy, a little commodity to play around with before leaving. Thankfully those were far and few between, but it was still a relief when the gembound that visited her was a kind one.

"Comet," she repeated. "That's a lovely name. Mine is Seshat." And next, she was going to ask - yes, there it was. She'd answered it so many times that she had her answer memorized word for word at this point. "In a way. But I can never be free from it - my gemstone sits over my entire skin, except for my head and neck." She smiled again. "I've been sitting here since I hatched, near 7 cycles ago."

@Comet

"Seshat." said Comet. She liked to say the names of those that she met, as it helped her tongue remember how to pronounce and say it. The answer to her question was well practiced. She wondered how it must be like, trapped in your own gem ever since hatching. A miserable and lonely life. The pup immediately felt sorry for Seshat.

"Is there any way I can help?" asked Comet. Getting them out of own gemstone would be impossible, but perhaps she could cheer them up.

@Seshat