Tahi-shei had heard rumors in his travels of a recluse living in Pisces. It was near impossible to escape notice if you were a fully grown Gembound who appeared from nowhere out of Hydra, carrying a grotesque appearance and a skill for physical combat. The staggering majority of Gembound preferred to use their magic -- Tahi-shei included. These rumors had drawn his attention, especially now that he had an excuse to go looking.

He'd been loitering by the Lagoon for nearly an hour now, and he was becoming weary of it. He'd thought about wandering around and yelling until he caught someone's attention, but the problem was, he didn't know this Gembound's name. Just a rough description of their appearance and abilities. What he did know was that they were notoriously prickly, so he was waiting for them to come to him rather than to go knocking on his own.

Sora didn't really care what the weird deer was doing. She'd heard-seen him from her house as she'd stepped up on top, and was surprised that he hadn't seen her yet. Kini had had a pretty wide range of vision -- maybe this one was just weird. Or blind. Or blind in one eye. She could relate to that one.

She stomped across the stone, ears laid back. She didn't care that he was there. She had to wash herself and go swimming. She... didn't care. Not a bit! It was just... she sighed, drawing closer and half-turning to squint at him with her good eye. "Hi. Can I help you?"

Tahi-shei jumped when he heard hooves against stone, and turned to see a white football-shaped Gembound about a foot shorter than he was (not counting his antlers). She had long, pointed ears and glowing eyes, with whiskers stretching out on either side of her face. One eye was obscured by a faceted, greenish chrysoberyl, and Tahi-shei gave a shallow bow. He knew he had the right person, then.

"Yes, actually. I've heard of you in passing -- you are a fighter, yes? Skilled with using your body rather than your magic?" He hoped so, anyway. "My name is Tahi-shei," he added, wondering not for the first time what it might feel like to be able to put an honorific in front of that. Something more impressive than "mister".

She eyed him suspiciously and then kept going, drawing into the water and standing so that it lapped at her belly. "Sora. Yeah, I fight. I don't like magic." She leaned down to take a drink, keeping her good eye to Tahi-shei so that she wasn't totally blind around him. He was still a stranger, after all. Notably though, she didn't really care about the fungal crown he wore. Why was it any of her business what someone chose to accessorize with? Her glowing earring was probably just as obnoxious.

Tahi felt borderline euphoric. His detective work was paying off! He was doing something right! Maybe if he did it well, exceptionally, he would--? No, stop that. The task at hand, Deimos. He took a small step closer to her. "I am assembling something of an army. I am recruiting those who have useful skills to help destroy a fungal infection in these caves called Mother. I know you are not fond of magic, but I am also a user of the fungal element, and I find use of it to manipulate and bully to be repulsive. I would like your help, on behalf of Master Vargas." He had been giving more or less the same spiel to everyone, just with the finer details changed -- and he always made sure to drop Vargas's name. Either they would yield to it, or be belligerent to it. He didn't want to surprise anyone. Honesty was always best.

Sora choked on her water and reared back, snorting to dislodge it from her nose through her laughter. She coughed and giggled, dragging herself back up onto the stone and looking at Tahi-shei incredulously. "Then clearly you don't know enough about me!" She stomped a hoof against the ground and turned around. "I don't work for Masters, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Get out of my face." She sniffed and started to walk away, not interested in continuing to entertain this crazy person's weird rhetoric.

Good performance rang in his ears, and he realized with a sudden pulse of dread that he could not lose this creature. Finding one of the few skilled users of physical techniques in the caves, even if they were belligerent--? I mean, surely she wasn't a fool? Surely she would work to the benefit of the Masters if she were threatened? Hadn't Vargas told him... to call upon him if he needed to? A whole new wave of dread struck him. Tahi-shei didn't want to watch her get hurt. But... maybe she didn't have to know that.

Tahi-shei frowned, moving closer and turning to cut her off. He spawned a small trail of fungus in a small arc, and then stepped behind it. It was a sort of semicircle of mushrooms. Totally harmless, even if eaten, but he was hoping that Sora didn't know much about magic. It was rather unpredictable, after all. "I'm sorry," he began, raising his chin, "but I think you misunderstood me, Sora. I'm not asking." His dark eyes were cold -- it was a look he'd been perfecting over the past several weeks. His head inclined just slightly. "Master Vargas would not be pleased to hear that one of the Gembound he has been protecting from the wrath of his superiors has decided to fight on the wrong side of this war." She was, after all, a failed design.

Sora stopped when the fungal wall appeared, wary of it. Tahi-shei's gamble was a good one -- she bore the scars of her tangles with fire magic, and she wasn't eager to find out what fungal would do. The threat in his words chilled her to her bones as she was reminded of Vargas's cheshire cat grin and his offer to kill her, if she were so convinced it'd been wrong to give her life. She had no doubt, recalling how Alpha had pinned her, that Vargas was capable.

She scuffed a hoof against the ground. Kethri's threats had been empty, as far as she could tell. Why should Tahi-shei be any different--? She snorted. Sora wasn't sure if she wanted to take that bet. "Fine," she finally spat, her scars aching. "But only if you can beat me in a fight." She gave a grin and rolled her shoulders. Sora was more than prepared to kick his scrawny ass.

Tahi-shei's eyes widened. That was... an interesting request, for someone who seemed fearful of magic. Triggering, at least for Tahi -- but he wasn't trying to kill her, definitely the opposite, so he gave a vague shrug and took a few steps behind his wall of fungus and gesturing with his head for her to move back as well. Once she had, he spawned some defenses -- thick, inky frills around his legs and chest, though they didn't reach high enough to protect his throat. Somehow, Tahi-shei didn't imagine Sora would be able to aim that high. Her neck didn't look like it allowed for her to look up.


Round: 1/5
Attempt: Inky Cap around legs and the bottom of the chest bc sora is SHORT
Defense: Inky Cap
Injuries: None

Sora stepped back when he indicated for her to, and eyed the fungus in front of him and the fungus growing on him. Whatever he was doing, she wasn't eager to see it. But he didn't seem to be attacking her, just watching, so she took the opportunity to do the same. After a moment of watching him and his general attitude towards the mushrooms at his hooves, Sora decided that they probably weren't dangerous. Neither, she imagined, were the ones on his skin, unless he was particularly stupid. Tahi-shei certainly didn't seem like an idiot, so she was satisfied with her assessment and prepared to lunge at him in the next round.


Round: 1/5
Attempt: Observe the deer's defenses
Defense: Holding her ground(?)
Injuries: None