Himmel

This little thing - this Tukluk as it called itself - could have been lying. They seemed just as confused by this cave and their presence within it as Himmel was; however the boy became further confused (and even a tad bit suspicious) as they continued to try and explain themselves. Something about sleeping. Waking up in this place without any understanding of how or why. Himmel had not doubted his own awakening in the caves - he had been too busy trying not to drown within Pisces' terrible waterfall to think clearly about anything - but it still rubbed him the wrong way that someone would surface in the middle of nowhere and be perplexed.

They spoke of remembering (or more appropriately, what they did not recognize) and that was odd, too. Himmel lifted his head and looked around quickly, wondering if this was all a trick. Maybe this was the game the little creature played: pretend to be lost and confused while friends descended to surround passers-by. He didn't see anyone though.

Just himself, reflected, distorted in each surface.

"Well, I came from a cave with lots of ponds. I got to a cave full of glowing things, and there was a box that hummed in the water, and a big blue spike." He didn't go in to grave detail because he hadn't ventured too close to the Spire. "Then I found a big tunnel that looked like this place, and I sort-of followed.. myself... here." But here wasn't anywhere, apparently. At least Tukluk didn't know it upon waking. "Does any of that sound familiar?"

Maybe they could explore this place together. Himmel could help him find his way somewhere, provided they don't get eaten first.

Himmel’s next words sent a surge of memories through Tuck’s brain. He nodded slowly as the deer spoke. “Polaris,” he said quietly, almost to himself. “You’re talking about a place called Polaris. The big blue spike in the center is called the Spire. From…” He squinted at nothing as he tried to piece together his fractured memories. “From what I remember, the Spire is the source of magic in the caves. The… the big box in the river is the generator. It powers the lights.” Yes, all this seemed right.

“But…” Tuck looked up at Himmel in confusion. “You said a tunnel from Polaris led you… here.” He glanced around at the room they were in. “I don’t—I don’t remember a tunnel from Polaris to here. I don’t remember… this place.” He took a breath, trying to reach farther back into his memory, but he drew a blank. And he still had no idea how he’d gotten here, or how long he’d been asleep.

Well. It didn’t really matter. He supposed that if he couldn’t remember much then whatever his life had been before must not have been very important. So the question was… what now?

He sighed, looking up at Himmel again. “So… Where you headed?”

Himmel

"Polaris," the small gembound murmured, causing Himmel to flick his ears attentively forward. So, the place had a name. Tukluk went on to label more aspects of the cave and while it had not been intended as a test of the creature's knowledge, having these details explained to him did ease some of his suspicion. Curiously there had not been a tunnel through to this room while Tukluk had been around before; now that it was, Himmel was intrigued enough to keep exploring.

"Where are you headed?" He asked next. Himmel could only shrug.

"I want to see what is beyond this place. If you're sure this wasn't here before, something must have caused it to open up. Maybe there are other places to explore too." Deep down though, Himmel wasn't driven by any strong interest in the world around him. He moved through the caves methodically but without much aim, merely to keep his mind occupied. This little mystery would keep him entertained for a few days at least.

It made him consider something else though: "Would you like a ride somewhere? This mirror room is confusing and very big, and you'd make faster progress if you climbed up on my shoulders or -- or something, if you want." He could backtrack and take the little guy home too, if that's what was asked of him. Anything to keep the boredom at bay.