Teyouma.

---

How he had gotten here did not matter. He travelled from the bone fortress obviously, his route weaving through the network of caves as if he knew the way. As if he knew what waited at the end of his journey. When he entered Eridanus he was hit with a wall of humidity and the wet dog smell of saturated moss; the abundance of rich earth did not go unnoticed either. He scrambled in to the shadow of one massive copse of fern and sniffed the area there. He grabbed a fist of the dirt and brought it to his face to sniff as well, then threw it aside.

Except it did not fall away entirely. A thick mucous layer slicked across the palm of his hand. Teyouma sniffed at it and even pobed at it with his tongue, perplexed, working it over the nearest ferns as he tries to clear the goo off. He scrambles along and the greenery shudders around him. Tucking his wings close, mostly to keep his precious stones from scattering away from his possession, he considers searching the area for more - but is drawn to the curious slime trailing in the dirt.

As he follows after it he is careful not to touch it. Eventually the trail leads to a large spherical stone, and that stone is surrounded by other bodies and rising voices. Teyouma scurries up one of the massive trees and roosts there, hooking his talons in to the bark, and watches. It takes him a few minutes to realize the giant thing is actually a snail and that it is sentient. It speaks to those gathered bodies like some sort of oracle (snoracle).

Deli

The call through the tunnel had Deli's ears perking with interest. They were still out and planning on the mission given to them by the Collector and...ah.....a new group forming? They would be easy to take from. Disorganized, still growing into their own. And friends? Yes, it would be quite funny to have them fighting another group over a ransom.

They crept through Eridanus towards the meeting place, making their fur shimmer and then go reflective, the green of the forest peering through what should have been their body. They stopped some distance away, crouched in the bushes, eyes and ears open to watch and listen this gathering. Decide who they were going to take...

  


TEMA
The bravest creatures are often the softest at heart

"Chaos." Tema whispered to herself as she looked at the wave of creatures Sunny... or rather Voidmother had brought together. Creatures of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds... They were already chaos. And it was... beautiful. Such togetherness from nothing because of one creature helping others much larger than herself. Something in the speech changed Tema, aged her and made her more... aware. Awake. She was awakened.

"I am with you, sister and mother. As my stone-kin and as our guide into this choas that is the void, I am with you." Tema stepped forward and nodded with a quick jerk of her head, knowing full well that she would give up her own fur to ensure the Voidmother's dream came true. A beautiful world... chaos came from change and caused change all at once. So yes, Tema would honor the kindness and love in chaos to help bring about this change and protect those who needed protecting.

"The Gembounds who need us will have us. They will have a home. A sanctuary that is constantly shifting, bringing in the new and letting go of the old... Chaos, this void, it will be beautiful. There will be no more looking down upon the weak and small, Mother. Let me..." Tema took a deep breath, speaking up so that her proposal was not a secret. She would offer herself to anyone willing to accept the chaos of the void like she had. "Let me stand with you. As a guardian, a protector."

Tema had no fancy void name for herself. No need for one. But she would follow the snail she had grown alongside, she would help bring this vision to life and in doing so she would offer all that she was to whoever needed it. This love that was held in the void, in the chaos... this pure and endless love... She would share it. For Sunny the Voidmother, her sister. For herself, for the friends she had met along the way... and for those who felt there was no love left in the world. She would share it and protect it, making it ever bigger and ever stronger each day until it enveloped everything in light.

OOC Notes:

'I've had a vision, my friends!'

Oh, so that was it? Madhukar's brows raised. What kind of vision was so important it required a tiny snail to summon a crowd for? Well, probably a very important vision! Madhukar was listening.

It sounded like Sunny-snail had gone some place... weird. Somewhere full of chaos. Stranger and stranger. Then a voice (suspicious) taught her that chaos came with violence (extremely suspicious) but Sunny rejected that notion (PHEW) and figured that chaos was actually everything. Storms, creation, life, magic. Love. Something about that sentiment struck Madhukar's core. She didn't know how, or why, but it just wouldn't leave her alone. 'This snail is so weird.'

So Sunny had called them together to extend... an invitation, it sounded like. To be like family. 'Oh?' To embrace chaos, reject violence, and know Sunny as... mother. Deep down, a siren began to blow in the cat's soul. She did not understand why. She tried to refocus. They were to, if they wished, help Sunny spread the 'sanctity of the snail' across the caves, and protect the vulnerable, and love... the unloved... judging by the name, this was an offer to crawl through the Void with Sunny the Snail. And yes it should've sounded ridiculous, hilarious. And yes, Madhukar should've turned tail the moment she heard the phrase 'sanctity of the snail' utter from anyone's mouth.

But. But.

She was thinking about it. Sunny-- or, Voidmother she supposed, had always been... like this. Strange, benevolent, sincere. It was that absurd trait that all goopy creatures seemed to have; the power to make zero sense at all whatsoever and yet to be un-hateable, persuasive. To be l--. LLLLLLLlooo--. Lo-- OH WHATEVER YOU KNOW WHAT SHE MEANS!

Madhukar admired it. Against all her better judgement, she... gravitated towards it. To the peculiarity, the anomaly. It was almost... addictive, for her. Chaos was a part of her own soul as well. It was a part of her nature, the nature of the storm. And so was sincerity. And so, deep down, was l... LLLLLLLL-- IT'S HARD TO SAY, LEAVE HER ALONE!

Tema, the bear, offered herself up as a guardian to S-- Voidmother. Madhukar... began to purr. It was quiet. It was persistent. Sunny, or, Voidmother always did this to her. Always made her do this. Always found a way to... "I woul' also like t' be a guard f' yo', V... Vo-ee-d Moth-er."

Violence... and her plans... and nearly murdering someone, and nearly murdering--

She didn't want to do it anymore. She was better than that now, and she knew it, and she was trying to grow out of it. If there was anyone in the entirety of these caves who could help her do that, who could hold her back and direct her anger, who could somehow do the chemical conversion and transform it into LLLL-- LLLLLLL---

Love.

It would be Sunny. The snail.

"Wanna use m' magic f'... th' Vo-eed." 'For better. I want to be better.'
~~~
Think "Speak"

The rippling python kept all three of his eyes on the Voidmother. It was dramatic the change that came upon the snail: no longer were they some young, oblivious child, but a shepherd with a mission. And, like many others in the crowd, Binh had no hesitation in following her. He owed the gastropod his life. The very priveledge of laying here and listening to her speech was because of her, and Chaos.

After the others spoke, Binh reared his head. A dazzling, cracked stone glistened in the light. "I haaavve ssseeeen the Chhaaos fiirsssthaand," he hissed, raspy voice full of confidence. "... It ssssaaaved mee. Rressscued me from roiliiing waaaterss. Gaaave meee a purrposse."

The shimmering beast drew his indigo scales into a tight coil. "I sssttaand wiiith Vooidmother. Will.... Will usssee mmyy sseeeing-maggic fforr chaaaos."

The first thing that drew her attention was a patch of haze asking her questions. "What?" she said at first, looking around. Confused. Sunny's eyesight was too poor to see Regalia, and she couldn't sense her otherwise unless touched due to the odorless nature of the gas. Sunny looked behind her, but the lights sort of just blurred into the background. "Eh, the stone-place? It is in the wrong-tunnel, the one leading out of Orion, jutting off to its side. Unpleasant. No Lessers go there, not even Voidstrider. My slime trail ought to still be there, but careful-being. The creature within did not like my insolence."

Tema, her sister, her first friend, her stone-kin -- Tema was the first to approach. Sunny's heart swelled. "Tema, Stone-kin, sister. My Voidkin. I am so glad for you, for your following of me, for your protection and for your kindness. We are needing your help, we are thankful for it. Few entering the world are so lucky as to have someone like you at their side." The vibrant amethyst in her head caught the light, and the snail felt joy and for a moment, it was enough to drown out the building violence.

The support of her oldest friends, it meant the world to her. It meant absolutely everything, and she was so thrilled to have it.

"And Madhukar!" she said brightly, gesturing towards her with her tentacles. "Little-stone, my first friend not gifted to me by the Void itself. Not so little any longer! My Voidclaw, my protector, bringer of life-giving rains. Your magic is welcome here, your chaos beloved. You grow greater with every storm, and your buzzing-friends, they are good. You are welcome among us, among our Voidcrawlers, and I am so thankful for your companionship."

All of them were outpouring their souls to her, in a way, and she was thrilled. Sunny had not expected such support, though she'd expected that they'd continue to like her. Binh was next, and she eyed the others gathered for a moment -- Kitty, the monkey, a gaseous thing. She was unaware of the canid, but she'd have given him thought, too.

"Binh," she said, her voice gentle and warm. "Voidseer. Returning from nothing and coming back to me. The waters took you, and the Void returned you -- gave you life, as it did all of us, and now gave that life to you a second time. Changed your form," she said, a tinge of regret and grief creeping into her voice, "but brought you back to me. Your far-seeing, your life-loving -- you are a dear friend to me, and I am glad to have you."

Sunny looked out onto the rest of the group, stretching her tentacles outward (not that they were very long; the motion might not have been noticed unless one was looking especially close). "We will venture to Cetus! There we will persist! Perhaps we may live elsewhere, if the Void requires it, but our lives as family will begin there. I can guide us, my Voidstrider and I! We will be Binh-taking," she said, and the blooru waved the digits on her tail. "Others of you who wish to join -- we will be going soon. Venturing into the Void. All are welcome, all are wanted -- so long as you agree to discard violence and embrace chaos!"

And then, she cringed. "Ah, but-- my chaos, it is hard to control. Sometimes it brings me into fits, as I learn to swallow it. I will become better in time, but-- ngk-- do not e-entertain my--"

She drew in a shuddering breath and the kooru grabbed her, lifting her up into the air as she began to writhe (though not very effectively). Voidmother began to scream, though... not very effectively, considering her tiny size (although the high-pitched sound was likely quite piercing). It was about the most she could do, all things considered, though an unquenchable thirst was strangling her and she was desperate for it.

The blooru, on the other hand, seemed perfectly calm, and simply placed a digit gently over the point on her body that was her mouth to muffle her noise. "Koo-roo!" she bellowed, probably trying to reassure them, but Sunny was the only one who could really translate for the beast and she was currently incapacitated.



@kalaziel @madhukar @regalia
@binh @tema @deli

Teyouma.

---

Not all of the present creatures are visible; he is not the only one trying to observe without being detected but he is doing a poor job of remaining hidden. To admit to himself that he is lonely after all of these cycles of struggle and sleep is difficult. Being perched there in the tree, watching them from on high, reminds Teyouma that his struggle is not a singular event in the grand scheme of things. Others are doing the same. It must be easier for them, he thinks, as they are not alone. Perhaps he should linger for a while and see how effective their lifestyle is...?

His thoughts run rampant until the rising voices interrupt them. There is a bear speaking; they are different from the last bear he encountered (but then again so is he, that was a lifetime ago). Teyouma cannot help but compare the speaker to Leon. It isn't even an accurate comparison though. He recalls the bear in flashes of disjointed memory, sort of like trying to look at the curves of a cast shadow while the sun hastily rises; it is being annihilated even as he tries to gather it up in his mind. This new bear speaks of a home and of protection but also the value of chaos. It sounds like a nice place to be.

Others speak next: a cat, a snake; the snake's cadence is a struggle for Teyouma to focus upon and he does not like the tremble that creeps down his forearms when he notices the serpent. One of his clearest memories includes such a creature wrapping around his body and crushing the life out of it. He grits his teeth. His talons dig a little deeper in to the bark of the tree.

When the snail takes control of the meeting again Teyouma tries to focus on them instead of the bile taste rising in the back of his throat, the dryness of his mouth. It sounds as if he is welcome to stay. While the giant snail speaks he claws his way further up the tree and hoists himself upon a branch, where he squats (his tail dangling like a black vine below) and continues to observe the group. The snail's commentary devolves rapidly to sharp sounds and Tey cannot help but frown and squint from his position, wondering what had happened.

TEMA, the Voidkin
There can be love in Chaos; just follow the Void

Voidkin. Sister to not just the Voidmother, but the Void itself... Family to those who would live in honor of the chaos that gave them life... Tema was well and truly in awe of the entire picture that such a small thing as a title could paint. Sunny the Voidmother who had started it all, birthing the idea of such a beautiful world. Binh the Voidseer... Well, Tema wasn't quite sure what their duty would be, but she guessed it had something to do with looking into the Void itself. How amazing would that be, to watch existence itself dance around you in a vision? She could only imagine what such a thing would be like.

In the midst of her imagining the Voidmother began to writhe and scream, the pitch of it causing Tema to cover her ears in an attempt to muffle the sound. In truth it was more emotionally wounding than physically painful; seeing one's sibling in such a situation was certainly not a pleasant experience when one had not the faintest idea of how to help. Once the creature holding the snail had covered her mouth however, Tema crept closer in an attempt to offer some comfort. "Sister..." Tema whispered, simply offering Sunny the knowledge that she was right there if she needed her. She then sat silently out of the chaos-caused wiggling range and waited for the fit to pass with concern clouding her eyes.

OOC Notes:

Kalaziel didn't quite understand the snail all the talk of chaos. Why did so many of the others not seem to even question it? The worm might have had a supercilious expression on their face, even with their always distant eyes that seemed to stare into nothing. Though they were curious, and curiousity would end up killing the worm in the end. That surely was the saying, yeah?

Kalaziel chose to stick around, to follow the group when they were to leave.

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

Regalia took in this information and stored it away, to be used later. It knew the tunnel that the snail spoke of, it hadn't seen the hole the last time it had come across, but it would have to check there later. For now, however, it stayed for this, because it seemed that there was something here. It wasn't sure what was going on, and why all these gembound were so close to this snail, but something else was at work.

Its gaze moved to each one of the gembound that the snail spoke to - not visibly, but a shift of focus in the sensory lights. They all seemed...so different and randomly chosen. Quite the strange, ragtag group they were, but somehow this snail had all brought them in, to see her as a mother. To venture "into the Void", whatever that meant. Regalia couldn't say it was interested in becoming any kind of puppet of this snail or even accepting her as a "Mother", but it was interested enough to stick around. Interested in seeing how she had done it, brought all of them together, secured so much trust. And, more importantly, she wanted to know of the Void.

The words that whispered next to Voidmother were quiet, and a little garbled, but understandable. "I will...follow you. I am interested...to see what you do."