Through the haze of the dream she was weaving her one eye peeking a little through her long lashes, she could tell her audience was listening closely. It was fun to make the story about the ones listening; it made them more inclined to follow the path of the characters. "It was dark when the lion woke up. It looked to see how far they'd fallen, and could see that they hadn't fallen terribly far, but had crashed through a thin, already cracked stone floor high above them that opened to another, completely light-less room. There were no convenient lights in the walls in this new cave they'd crashed into, not like the rooms above, and it had an eerie dead feeling to the air, as if no one had been here in a very very long time. There was no wind, no light save the opening in the ceiling, and all around them was open space cast in the dark. The lion looked to his friend who was still out cold, and saw this disturbing growth over its eyes, coming out of its eyes. Tiny mushrooms and caps spread in a line from one eye, across the bridge of its nose, to the other, and the lion, in a panic, reached to rip the things out in an effort to save his eyes. It hesitated, then held back. If they could find the fortune teller again, perhaps she could remove the spell. If it ripped them out...its friend might never see again. Feeling horrible, the lion looked around in the dark with a sigh. It considered trying to create some glowing gems using its magic, and when it started to gather its magic, it saw something out of the corner of its eye. Slowly, slowly, from the edges of the dark, from all sides, came softly glowing creatures. Blurry, dim, ethereal, they floated towards the lion and the dragon, their light growing stronger as they came closer. The lion's hair rose on end - they were all manner of species, from deer to wolf to bird, and all had the same pale green color to them. They were see-through, and their eyes were endless black hollows in their heads." A thought came to her. Why not use magic to try and embellish the story? She desperately hoped it wouldn't backfire. From her earlier spell that gave her an energetic rush of power, using another was hardly an issue like she had feared; from her mind, images and monsters came to reality, haunting and eerie. From the edges of the fog, the ghosts she had described slowly, slowly, marched into view. There was a wolf that looked like Saudade, a dog like Beau, a vulture, a little bird, a cat, and all the creatures she'd met spawned out of the endless white. They were disturbing, emotionless, and horrible to see with their empty eyes. She smiled at the things she'd called into being, still dreamy, feeling powerful and strong. "The lion stared at the ghosts in horror, and hurriedly nudged the dragon awake, its eyes never leaving the monsters coming closer and closer, forgetting that the dragon couldn't see at the moment. The dragon woke blearily, moaning, feeling the pain across its eyes. It clutched at the lion, and could feel its friend shaking, and asked what was wrong." "This is how I speak."

The lizard had heard voices rising up through the jungle trees. The humid air did well to recharge his system and warm his bones, his body no longer hungry and craving constant energy; ever since that adventure out of Cetus, the komodo dragon was feeling more energetic and curious than ever. It was definitely a step-by-step process of leaving his comfort zone so that he could experience more of the world around him, and slowly he was leaving the jungle room and coming to know other parts of the caves he'd once neglected. He had been fearful then; he was afraid of being hunted and chased by creatures larger than him, and he had only ever vied for his own survival. But he had changed since then, he evolved. He wanted much more than survival. He wanted friends, and companions, and to explore and know more. Ghanyarah didn't like change, but they brought exciting new facets to his dull and limited life - and he would enjoy them while he could.

Thick, powerful legs churned beneath the lizard, driving him forward towards the voices. First he recognized Usui, and the gentle, sweet voice of a deer he had heard a few times before, but hadn't found. And another voice, boyish and rough. Ghanyarah scurried towards the sounds and listened to the voices carry up through the trees - eventually, it was isolated to the innocent voice of the deer as she began to tell a story. Ghanyarah certainly was drinking in all the details, and she spoke of a lion, was it just a coincidence that that was what Usui was? He was so eager to know, so curious-

But as he poked his snout through the bushes, he'd noticed that there were far more than just two in attendance of this story. A crowd of ghastly apparitions had appeared before the deer, staring at the listeners with empty eyes. Ghanyarah froze, wide-eyed. He couldn't tell if these things were real or not, and he had no idea if Usui and the other two creatures were in danger. For now, he lowered himself back into the bushes - still visible to prying eyes, but ready to flee at a moment's notice - and listened from afar, keeping his eyes fixed on the deer's wavering ghosts.

table and code © chelsea of ORIGIN

BARATHEON

"the world is mine for the taking"

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A sharp intake of air was what could be heard after the revelation in the story. What a horrible fate! He tried to imagine his own eyes being covered up and shielded and overgrown with horrible fungus. He shuddered, that was too awful a fate. He knew Booker could hardly see but... he tried to imagine it himself and it was just terrible. Stupid, crusty, fungus... He'd never be able to look at it the same way again.

It was then that the ghostly apparitions appeared, spawned by the storyteller. The dragon looked this way and that as he tried to take in everything. Wow.... She was great at her craft! Those apparitions looked so real as they hovered around. He felt a chill go down his spine. This was getting good!

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words: ---
tagged: Clover, Usui, Ghanyarah
ooc: ---
muse: 5/10

"Talking looks like this."
Thinking looks like this...

She noticed the new creature join in, hiding, afraid of her ghosts, and of the dragon and lion's reactions of fear and wonder. She was proud of herself; this was the power of storytelling, this was her dream, her talent, her life. It had the effect she wanted. Now all that was left was to go on. "The lion couldn't answer, so choked with fear. It merely clutched at the dragon, bringing its friend closer, to protect it. The ghosts came closer...." In real life, the apparitions took steps to surround her listeners. "And closer...." More steps, slowly and surely. "Until they were upon the two friends, clutching at their fur, pulling them to their feet. The dragon exclaimed its confusion, crying out, but the lion hushed its friend, and told it to keep its calm." Mirroring her story, so did the apparitions grab the listeners, though they had no force behind their touch. They were only illusions, nothing more. "They pulled and dragged them farther away from the hole in the ceiling they had crashed through, but were not completely in the dark, as the ghosts glowed slightly. They could at least see the ground they walked, cobbled with stones that seemed intentionally placed to create a smooth path. The lion kept a constant touch upon the sightless dragon, offering support, if nothing else. The ghosts guided the dragon well enough, and caught it when it started to fall. The only sounds were of the lion's and dragon's steps against the cobblestones, and the dragon's questions as to what was going on. Questions that went unanswered in the dark, and soon tapered out one by one. Eventually the two were brought to a wide room with dilapidated buildings that were hazily lit, creating a dusky atmosphere of pale grey green against the stones. The lights themselves were hidden from view, most likely cast by magic, and weak. Had they grown weak? Were they once bright and powerful? So mused the lion. But it dared not ask. In the middle of the room lay a large cage encased in many substances. The bottom and the top were encrusted in gem-like rocks, much like the statue you see near you now. Over the stones lay a thick cording of plant life, as thick and strong as snakes that protected what was inside with its sharp and vicious thorns. Little pink buds flowered here and there, unbalancing the evil feeling of the entire thing. And lastly, on top of the thorns here and there were powerful shadows, hissing and twisting constantly, ready to lash out at any that came near. A calm and patient voice came from the inside of the cage, and through the bars and snaking, coiling protections the lion saw a dragon similar to its friend. A wingless dragon with collected and intelligent golden eyes." She looked straight at the newcomer now, nodding. She tried to mimic a good enough voice for the quiet guest, having never heard it before. She made it sound quiet, slithery, and calmly low-pitched. "'Ah, hello there,'The dragon in the cage called out. 'I apologize for the rudeness of my friends; they do not know any better, and I myself am unable to greet my guests. I am the prince of the deep caverns, bought low by three enemies of my little kingdom, ensorcelled to stay here in this cage till the end of time.'"

________________

A crow watched in silence from a tree. She'd only heard snippets of the story, but she was interested by the doe's magic.

Carefully, she leaned down over her branch before she sprawled out her wings and swept down below, landing on a nearby root by the show. The crow fluffed herself up and nestled down on her new perch, eagar to hear more of the story.

She didn't talk, or decide to announce her presence (hell - she tried her hardest to not to squawk while flying (though you can't blame her for letting a little peep out, could you?)) because that would be just rude.

Pearl, as Eve had previously decided to call her, was great at her magic. The crow hoped one day she could be as good as the deer - even if they did use their magic for very different things.

________________

He watched with mild apprehension from afar - only to find that those gathered seemed intrigued with the advancing illusions as opposed to frightened. But why? He furrowed his brow and tilted his head slightly, watching them advance, wavering and flickering in the moist atmosphere - they were controlled by the deer it seemed, their actions mirroring the story she wove. So perhaps then they were of no concern. The lizard was still uncertain until he heard the flutter of wings and tilted his head to glance over at where a new Gembound had landed - Eve, the familiar black crow had fluttered onto a perch nearby and was quick to become invested in the story as well. Perhaps then they were safe...

The komodo dragon closely analyzed the illusions as he began to crawl forward. The doe's words lit up the air, dancing all around them as the story dove deeper and deeper, and he listened as the dragon and the lion followed the ghosts deep into another room. There, the doe spoke of a cage guarded by malicious spirits, and inside, another dragon - only this one without wings. Like Ghanyarah. He blinked a few more times and settled into the dirt, nestling his front hands under his chest while he listened. He was so deeply curious about what the caged dragon had done to be trapped in the cage by his enemies. It sounded like the dragon had been wrongfully imprisoned, and Ghanyarah was eager to know why.

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"The lion explained what the situation looked like to its dragon friend, who instantly sympathized with the one in the cage, crying out at this injustice. The lion was not as easily swayed, and asked warily, "Why did you bring us here?" The caged prince sighed, sounding as if it had recited this many times. "I have brought you here to beg you to release me. Three mages who hated me cast their magic on my cage, so it is thrice-held, and each one must be unraveled. I ask that you find ways to do so, and in return, I will help you find a way out of this place." And after a pause, scrutinizing the two, it added, "And I will heal your friend's eyes." "And if we do not?" The lion asked, frowning. "Can't we find our own way out of here?" "Many have tried," The prince replied, looking tired. "Many have simply walked away from me after I asked for their help and tried to escape. They only join all that remains of my kingdom, ensorcelled to do my bidding and never leave." He nodded to his ghost retinue. "What you will find as you leave this room is an eternally dark series of catacombs, lined with the bones of my servants. They go on for miles, and are very treacherous if you don't know the way." "So how are we to find ways to save you?" The dragon asked, earning a glare from the lion. At that, the prince brightened somewhat. "My servants will guide you, as they brighten the catacombs somewhat. They cannot escort you all the way, bound to me as they are, but they know where your tasks lie. Will you help me?" "Of course we will!" The dragon said, before its friend could say anything. "What kind of dragon would leave another behind in a cage?" The prince smiled politely, musing silently on this, chewing on words it didn't say. The lion harrumphed, then said, "Who will guide us?" The prince waved a claw at on of the more recent ghosts to join them, a large winged creature with white and fiery plumage, with a curious feline skull over its head. The ghost nodded to them, then lead the way to the first task." She wondered if the Aza would enjoy being in her story, or if Aza would be upset at being a ghost. "The ghost lead them to one of the many tunnels snaking away from the prince's throne room, its pale light dancing on the bone-lined walls. Hanging from the ceiling, creating a very quiet and eerie music, were many tiny bells that made their sounds as the two friends moved on by. This continued on and on till the path split and split and split again, till the two had no notion of where they were or any concept of time. Past a certain point, the walls were no longer lined with bones and returned to simple tunnels, which relieved the lion. When surrounded by death, one could only think of one's own mortality, and with it hanging over both their heads, laughing at them, its skeleton fingers brushing their fur, the lion couldn't help but feel uneasy. The air had changed at one point as well, changing from stuffy and dank to cool and fresh, like a garden. A slight breeze tickled their faces. The lion had been musing over a thought, and finally let it out. "Aren't you worried about why the prince is in that cage? I know that helping is our only way out, but..." The dragon shook its head. "Who knows how long it has been here? Just look at the amount of servants it has now. Whatever put that prince there, I'm sure it has regretted it by now." The lion didn't reply. When the breeze had gotten stronger and the two grew excited at hope of escape, suddenly, the ghost shivered and convulsed, doubling over. Its form faded, and the two knew it had gone too far. The lion guided the dragon down the path, the only direction they could take, and soon they emerged into a open room much like the one they had landed in, falling from the cliff. There was a small slit in the ceiling that strong light came through, and the lion could see that the breach was peaking through tree roots that coiled along the walls. The whole room was the underside of a jungle, and the floor was littered with long dead leaves that had fallen into the hole. On one of the roots that dangled from the ceiling, there was a beautiful black crow, jumping from hanging branch to branch. A strong orb of light followed it around as it explored, and the lion fastened its eyes on it, explaining what it could see to the dragon. "Hello, crow! How did you come by this place?" The dragon called out." She tried to mimic the voice of the Eve, as she had met the pretty crow earlier, with a high-pitched and creaky voice, making many little pips and titters to go along. "Why, by flying in, of course," The crow looked at them with open suspicion. "I come here often, looking for fallen treasure. Why? Are you hoping to steal what is mine?" "No, actually! We were hoping to ask for your help. See, we need to get out of here, and seeing as I cannot fit into that small opening even if I could fly blind, my friend here couldn't reach." The dragon continued, trusting the lion's description. "What would you give me in return?" The crow frowned. "Aah..." The dragon faltered. "I-I'm sure the prince would reward you nicely for helping." "Prince?" The crow flew down to them both, landing on the lion's back. "Well, why didn't you say so?" They both thanked the crow for coming along, and with one last glance at the breach from the lion, they turned back into the tunnel, following the bells and the ghost that eventually reappeared back to the throne room, chewing over their previous, short conversation." "This is how I speak."

"They made it back to the throne room of the prince safe and sound, if a little off-put by the journey. The crow made itself at home on the back of the lion as it listened quietly to the prince's situation, and after that was said and done the silence between the lion and the dragon grew tenser with each passing step. They hardly ever argued, preferring their easy camaraderie and letting anything that came between them to slip away unsaid and forgotten. With unspoken communication, they knew that this argument couldn't be dropped so simply, but the words to smooth it over were hard to come, as they were unused to fixing any rough situations between them. Soon they both grew surly, starting to blame the other in their own minds as their thoughts ran around in circles. Needless to say that the crow was quite comfortable in the silence. The crow gasped when it saw the prince in its cage, fidgeting with its wings in agitation. "When you said the prince was in some trouble, you didn't mean this. This is incredibly powerful magic! This isn't what I agreed to!" The prince raised its head to the new guest, unsteady hope brimming in its eyes when it gazed upon the crow. "My friend, what a pleasure it is to meet you. I apologize for my unfortunate circumstances, if indeed they make you uncomfortable. If you do not wish to help me, I would completely understand." The crow shuffled on the back of the lion, calmed down somewhat by the sweet words of the prince. "There was a reward mentioned...." It muttered in a quiet voice. "Ah! Of course!" The prince replied, after only a hair's breath of hesitation. Anything to get out of that cage, the lion thought to itself. "There is my treasury room just beyond that hall that my servants would escort you into, in exchange for your wondrous help. You will receive it regardless of whether your workings on the enchantment works or not, as thanks for your concern." The crow brightened completely at that, and flew close to the cage onto a toppled pillar. Its head turned this way and that as it peered at the shadows wrapping around the bars, snaking and hissing ever so quietly. It took a very slow breath, preparing itself." And as she described it, so did she. She wanted to make this impressive, and she desperately wished not to fail. The energy from the previous good workings still flowed through her like crackling adrenaline, and she bit her tongue, feeling completely nervous. What an embarrassment if her magic failed her now. It wasn't nearly as strong as before, for her fear was still choking the magic in her lungs and her belly. She breathed it out with a slight shakiness in her breath that utterly relaxed as the magic took shape they way she wanted. Around the headless gem-crusted broken form of the lion that stood near the tree, gently forms of light came into being, at first hazily, as if one was seeing them with half-closed eyes. Slowly they took shape into powerful eagles that she molded after what she knew little Ambrus would become, handsome and incredibly bold. They seemed to guard the lion statue, looking around the audience as if they had a true life to them. "The crow summoned strong eagles that took greedy glances at the hissing coiling shadows around the cage, which, upon the creation of these birds, made their hissing much more audible and terrible to hear. The eagles fell upon the snakes with a life-like hunger, and ripped them one by one from the cage, gulping the shadows down. The crow was incredibly tired after such a strong working of magic, and turned away from the eagles. "That will get rid of that. But I cannot help with the rest." With a true look of pity for the prince, it said, "I am sorry." The prince smiled, a bittersweet intimacy with the crow. "You have given me more than you know. There is no need to apologize." A ghost appeared to lead the way to the treasure room in return for its generosity, and the crow thankfully left after it." At this, she let the spell for the eagles fade away, choosing to keep the illusion spell for the ghosts going in the back of her mind instead. Their purpose was completed with pride, she thought. "The dragon elbowed the lion clumsily. "See? A reason to let the prince out!" It harshly whispered. "Think of the rewards we will get when we orchestrate its freedom!" The lion glared at the dragon, to no avail, seeing as the dragon had no way of acknowledging such a gesture. It felt irrationally irritated because of the dragon's blindness because of it, and quietly snapped, "You have no way of knowing that they are actually being rewarded right now or strangled. Stop being naive." "Stop being so cynical!" The dragon snarled, angry. "Why don't you trust the prince? Why don't you trust me?" "Because you don't think before you act!" The lion said abruptly, practically shouting it. All the servants and the prince turned to stare. "How do you think we got into this mess in the first place?" The dragon's mouth twisted, and its head turned away. Silence reigned in the room, surprising the prince's crown. "I will search for the next mage myself, then," The dragon replied bitterly. "Since this is my fault." "As you should," The lion said, still angry. It thought of the countless times it had pulled the dragon out of the messes it had made, and how it never seemed to pause and recall how to avoid such dilemmas in the first place. They now faced a life or death situation, and this time the lion was tired of saving the day. It slunk away towards the cage and layed down with a defiant huff. "Fine." The dragon turned away, and the same ghost that lead them before gently touched the dragon's side to guide it, more so a cold presence than a sensation of pressure." "This is how I speak."

The dragon seethed as it made its way slowly through the tunnels, the ghost's constant gentle, cold pressure and the sweet sound of the tinkling bells making its sour mood worse as time slipped by. It had to be slow and careful, else it would lose the presence of the ghost as it mindlessly pursued the correct path. As the dragon made its way, constantly growing more irritated with the crawl they had to take, its claws scraped along the walls, chiseling its anger in uneven rivets. It muttered to itself, growling over how everything was their fault and how nothing ever went wrong when the lion took charge, ooh noooo, or course not. Not when that bird took the gem they had been chasing and the lion accidentally killed it and sent that hornets nest after them both, not when the dragon almost drowned in that lake because the lion had dared it to try and swim with its wings tied back, since obviously you didn't need wings to swim, and certainly not when the lion lost their head when that lioness walked by and left the dragon to battle that golem on their own. The lion could be foolish too, but it refused to see that! How dare they accuse the dragon of constantly getting into trouble, of doing everything wrong, of thinking like they never thought of the consequences. Of course they did! Just as the lion hid their mistakes under the pretense of wisdom and the pursuit of knowledge, so did the dragon hide it in bravado and mischief. They were friends so long, that those pretenses had become who they were. The dragon stopped clawing up the walls, half in feeling their anger dissipate, and half because the wall had ceased to be a wall. They had come into a wide open room, but the dragon had no way of knowing this. The ghost had long since vanished. Unsure, alone, and hesitant, the dragon called out in the echoing room, "Hello? Is anyone there?" A hissing voice greeted them. "Who dares...." The dragon swallowed. They didn't sound friendly. "I, uh. I need your help. My friend and I, we're um, stuck in these tunnels unless we free this prince--" "Prince?! You're freeing the prince? Fool!" The dragon immediately felt intense pressure around its neck, suddenly pushed hard against the wall with a powerful movement, its head knocked back harshly against the stone. Everything was ringing pain, and it heard, "....n't know what you're dealing with! You don't even know why they were locked up in the first place! I shall kill you so that your work shall never be completed, and then I shall kill that friend of yours." The dragon focused on that through the ringing, and snarled, "Don't you dare touch my friend!" With a harsh twisting motion that almost choked them, they bit the scaled arm that held them to the wall, making the enemy they couldn't see howl and scream and release them. "This is how I speak."

The dragon dashed away from whatever this scaled creature was, for they couldn't see, and was too afraid to fight without their eyesight, and took to the air to get away from them. They hoped and hoped that the other thing couldn't fly.

"Hey, just stop, alright?" The dragon cried out, feeling so nervous and afraid, flying blind. If they hit a stalactite or anything hanging from the ceiling, he would crash mercilessly into it, and there was something with malicious killing intent on the ground. He didn't even know how high he flew up. "All I want to do is get out of these tunnels, and freeing the prince is the only way I know how!"

The creature hissed and spit, saying, "There is no way out but through them, and that is the truth. Just as there is no way to free the prince without my help; I was instrumental in throwing them in that prison. There have been countless gems that have come my way demanding my help, and I have killed them all."

"Why?" The dragon screamed. "Why won't anyone say what's going on?"

But the creature just laughed, and the dragon felt something grab their foot and yank them down towards the ground, something alive and strong like rope. The dragon crashed into the ground, crying out in surprise and pain. What had gripped them?

"You don't need to know, you stupid thing. You will die soon and join the ghosts that haunt these halls.

The rope slithered and tightened around their leg like something with a mind of its own, and the dragon blindly ripped it apart with its claws. It felt like...plant life? The dragon shoved aside this thought for now, only focusing on freeing itself. But once the rope tore away, another snapped to the dragon's forearm to pin it to the ground, and another around its wing.

"I will make it quick, as I have for everyone else."

And with that, the rope around its wing started to pull with tremendous force that nothing truly alive could've done - the dragon screamed, and the muscles attached to their back screamed with them, and they felt a pop and a snap as the wing was starting to rip away.

"This is how I speak."