Garnet-Epsilon

This is getting ridiculous. Why am I nervous?! Epsilon is irritated at themselves, for putting off their mission - because they know that's what they're doing, putting it off, they blame themselves for feeling bad about entering in a younger's beginning of life.

"But if I do nothing, then everyone's screwed, not just my mission. Right? No, I'm making myself too important. This is just... I need to talk to them. They're not scary, they're just a small family, right? Nothing bad. They have a chrysalis, they can't be cruel." Epsilon activates their magic, letting it hum around them and they attempt to muffle their small rant, or at least this next bit- wouldn't do to be seen as crazy.

Their magic kicks up, whirls, hums, and Epsilon takes a deep breath and the resulting earsplitting feedback causes them to launch themselves skywards in shock and pain, adding their own shriek of alarm to the cacophony before they loose their grip on their magic as they hit the ground with a solid whumph.

Now, all that can be heard in the blessed silence is a low groan of pain and... well, shame.

@James

James poked his head out a window, looking rather comical with his twin crests of feathers raised in alarm. He drew his head back, hooves clip-clopping on stone as he exited the house, ears perked up as he peered at Epsilon in confusion.

"Um... excuse me?", he asked, nudging the cat-bird thing with a hoof, "Are you alright? I heard a commotion, was that you?"

Looking around, he saw no one else, so it wasn't another Gembound jumping this one or anything. Were they okay? He nudged them with his nose again, urging them to make some sort of movement or noise to tell him that they were alive or something.

"Please don't be dead," he said softly.

@Garnet-Epsilon

Garnet-Epsilon

Another low groan, and Epsilon rolls away from the prodding hoof, finally forcing themselves to their feet and looking very disoriented, short mane sticking up every which way and dust all up in their short feathers and fur on their body. Their wings look... mostly alright, with their darker spots made paler and possibly having a few scrapes hidden because honestly, that's their luck at this point.

A quick shake, a small stagger, and Epsilon looks up, and up at James and offers an embarrassed smile. "Not dead, don't worry... sorry 'bout that! I, uh... I'm not quite good at that spell." they shift their wings, nervous and embarrassed, "I uh... didn't interrupt anything did I?" They flutter their wings nervously, setting them alongside their body with a soft rustling.

Looks like I've got to roll with the vaguely incompetent angle, here. Curses.

@James

James blinked and reached out to gently brush dust off of Epsilon's coat, "Oh- I'm glad you're alright, it sounded bad."

He turned to his house and folded his wings loosely, "Do you want to come in? I think my daughter left some of her last kill here if you want something to eat. Backfired spells always make me hungry."

Without waiting for an answer, he disappeared, walking into the house and fumbling with the carcass of a rabbit of some kind, the skin removed and only the front end still intact.

"I have a basin if you want to wash up!", he called, picking up the bowl with some effort and setting it down.

@Garnet-Epsilon

Garnet-Epsilon

The gentle touch makes them crouch down, as if half-heartedly attempting to dodge the attention, and offers an embarrassed laugh. "It... yeah, luckily it only sounded bad... last time I messed that up it could have gotten me k-uh... pretty messed up, if it backfired like that." They sigh, and tentatively follow James into the house, looking around with blatant curiosity and confusion.

Wait, daughter? Kill? What?

Epsilon looks at James, looks the feathered horse up and down, and blinks in obvious confusion before managing, "Food... does sound good. I haven't had a decent meal in a while, honestly. Thank you." The bowl being set down makes them lean forward, and sit up on their hind legs, leaning over the bowl to look at their reflection with a soft frown, and they reach forwards with only a second of hesitation to scoop some water up in tiny, blue hands, and begins to groom their chest and mane.

The hospitality is... odd. It makes their finned tail flip flop back and forth in mild concern as they finish grooming their fur, and they peer up at James again.

@James

James dragged over the rabbit and set it in front of Epsilon before digging his muzzle through his feathers to smooth them out. He grabbed an apple off the floor and quickly tidied up what he could, a bit self conscious about the small mess that had popped up. He dragged blankets back onto the bed pile and threw one over the egg in the corner, nosing it and nuzzling it gently before brushing his wings across the ground to sweep up leaves and dust, pushing them outside.

Once that was all done he turned to Epsilon and sat down beside them, wondering what to say.

"What's your name?", he asked, shuffling, "I'm James."

@Garnet-Epsilon

Garnet-Epsilon

They feel... odd, just sitting there and watching James move around, so they gather up some leaves and stuff them in their beak-like mouth to carry them out and sprint back in after a load or two, and taking a small bit of meat because Dry leaves are... absolutely nasty.

The bite of meat kind of flushes the taste out of their mouth, and they chew thoughtfully as they watch James finish bustling around, and tucking in the chrysalis, again, Epsilon looks absolutely confused until James approaches and sits nearby, causing the tiny hybrid to shuffle sideways slightly in order to make decent eye contact with James, and they crinkle their eyes in a smile. "My name is Cirrus, nice to meet you. Thank you, so much for the food and concern... I'm sure that keeping an eye on the chrysalis is exhausting by yourself."

Epsilon-Cirrus takes a deep breath, looking almost pensively at the stone in the corner and how well it's tucked in. It almost reminds them of the times the warren had been full of life, but there's significantly less... doom about this one.

@James

James smiled gently, "It's lovely to meet you, Cirrus. Where are you coming from? Are you just passing through Orion?"

He crossed his front legs over the other and looked at the chrysalis, humming softly, "I know it's difficult to break a chrysalis- impossible, I believe, but I still feel the need to protect it and keep it safe. If I was able to survive in a pit of mud in Cetus for the month it took me to hatch, then this child should be fine. But still... I worry."

He shook his head and gave Cirrus a warm smile, "But thank you. You're very kind."

If only he knew...

@Garnet-Epsilon

Garnet-Epsilon

Ah the dreaded question.

"I uh.. I'm actually fleeing... someone. I don't really want to talk about it, to be honest, but I was given an out and I took it. I just hope I don't regret that." A half truth, since they're honestly hoping that they won't be around when Lord Dhracia shows up, and the memory of what happened to that potty mouth younger Gembound makes them flush blue with nausea and shiver.

A small sigh after their shudder, and they tack on, "Right now I'm just looking for somewhere safe to stay, and something to do with myself. I uh... could help you keep an eye on them? I've helped keep an eye on a number of chrysalis back where I lived, so I have some experience that might help you be more relaxed?" This was a genuine offer, and Ep-Cirrus has to fight back a few blinks in surprise to themselves before they look up and over at the massive neonate, and offer their own chuckle. "I've heard some strange stories about hatch places, I'm sure whoever is in there would appreciate the care and attentiveness. I know I would."

Epsilon's goal isn't to be malicious, not yet, but Cirrus is simply some lost soul seeing comfort, so and kindness for now is quite genuine, thankfully.

@James

James nodded gently, sympathetic to the other. He leapt at the opportunity of the other helping him out, smiling gently.

"That would be lovely. You aren't a lot to accommodate, either, so that's a bonus!" Ooh... fatality...

The horse, oblivious of his short joke, turned and pointed up to a set of broken stairs, "There's room on the second floor. You can fly and can fit up there, so you can have it all if you want."

He picked up the water basin and put it back before shuffling a bit, not really knowing what else to say.

@Garnet-Epsilon