SCORCH
"Collector!" Scorch huffed as soon as they were in Canis, doing his best to deposit the pitcher plant-creature onto the floor gently. It had been alarmingly still for the duration of the journey. In normal circumstances, Scorch might have assumed that it was staying still because it was smart, but this creature was clearly weakened and he wasn't taking any chances.

"I found the plant-creature! --I think it's sick," he added. "It doesn't look all that good."

The Collector swept out from thin air, and for once his pace was hurried. Crimson pinprick eyes were intent--unblinking--on the little "plant," and he strode straight to it and leaned down in an attempt to simply scoop it up from the harness, as one would a toddler.

"May I?" he asked; "You are right, this one needs immediate care. You have earned your payment, but give me a moment to care for this one--yes?" His tone was almost urgent, his glance at Scorch half-distracted.

@Scorch

SCORCH

Scorch bobbed his head urgently. "Yes! Of course! Everything else can wait." What was a few minutes of patience compared to the life of this poor creature? He took several steps back, giving the Collector some space to aid the pitcher plant however he could.

And really, some time to simply step back and do nothing wasn't a bad thing. He'd been so excited to find the creature that he had hardly rested in between long flights from Gemini to Polaris, back to Gemini, and now finally to Canis. After such a long time of not doing much, Scorch was sure his wings would be sore tomorrow. But it was all worth it, of course. Who knows what condition the plant might be in if I had waited longer?

Long moments were spent settling the strange Lesser in. The Collector pulled forth a pouch of rich soil and scattered it around the creature's root-like feet, and then--from his cloak--pulled three struggling Red Mice.

He dangled one over the pitcher plant-creature. The mouse flailed, but the Pitcher reached upward like an eager child with gaping red-lipped mouth and grasping vines. The mouse was dropped in.

There was a quiet plop. A little squeak. And that was it.

The second mouse was held over the 'plant,' which again scrambled upward toward prey it couldn't reach; and again the Collector dropped it in. He spoke as he worked. "A carnivore, you see. I doubt it found much prey where it had gotten itself holed away. Don't worry," he added, with a glance back at Scorch. "Their prey does not suffer much at all. Ah, but I suppose you eat mice, too-?" His hand extended out over the plant; the last mouse was half-encased in its gemstone, a glittering, brown and crystalline Smoky Quartz.

Crimson pinprick eyes blinked, and the hand--and mouse--were hastily retracted from a disappointed "plant." "Oh, dear, I almost fed him your reward," he said, and chuckled.

Hands closed over the third and final mouse. The Collector strode to Scorch, and knelt, and his palms opened; a bright-eyed Red Mouse lay within, that smoky quartz clearly covering everything from its forelimbs back. "Here is your aid, my companionable friend. It is called, Twitches the Immortal, for reasons you'll soon find out. It will eat anything you give it. It requires no real food, though it will gladly eat! And you needn't worry about waste. Its reactions to anything--medicine, poison--will be the same as that of any Gembound. It is magical, of course, in nature. A testing aid that cannot die. Well--I wouldn't recommend cutting its head off, of course. Here you are," he added, offering the mouse like some grand prize.

Whiskers twitched, and bright eyes peered up at the owl, unafraid.

Unidentified Item!

Scorch has received an unidentified item from The Collector!

2★ Twitches the Immortal A living Red Mouse, mostly encased in Smoky Quartz crystal. This item's properties have not been fully revealed.

☆☆★★★★ Twitches the Immortal A Red Mouse, fond of shiny objects and willing to eat anything it is offered, yet does not seem to require much food, or to ever excrete waste. It appears to suffer the same effects--for good or ill--of medicines and herbs as a regular Gembound would, and is capable of screaming. This item's qualities are not yet fully revealed. ELEMENT: MAGIC LEVEL: 50 DURABILITY: 500 SPECIAL: undiscovered MATERIAL: Living Mouse, Smoky Quartz ATTACK: 3 ADDED: N/A DEFENSE: N/A WEIGHT: 25 EQUIP: Mouse - Carried Currently owned by: Scorch

@Scorch

SCORCH
Scorch's eyes widened with shock. "It eats meat?" he breathed. Amazing! A plant that walked, and ate things--just like an animal? "What does it do with the bones?" Could it--throw them up in little pellets, like he did? "Oh! There were plants--mosses and vines, growing where it was hiding in the dark. Do those eat meat, too? Is that why they were all growing without light? Or does this one have some kind of effect on whatever grows around it?"

He pulled Twitches toward him as the Collector offered it, barely taking a breath as he spouted more questions. "Oh dear, what a terribly inconvenient gem--for it, I mean. I guess it's lucky for you--and me? And it doesn't die! Does it go into a gem egg, then, like the rest of us people who talk?" (He'd never quite learned the word chrysalis. "And Twitches the Immortal! What a name! Did you come up with it? Do you know who enchanted the mouse? I've never heard of anyone being able to do magic like that! Do you know how old it is? As old as you? And does it need--to drink water?"

"Ah- sorry," he added sheepishly, suddenly remembering that he had to pause and give the Collector time to talk. Scorch took the opportunity to peer down at the little mouse. It looked completely ordinary, apart from its gem. And apart from its immortality, Scorch supposed that it was just an ordinary mouse in the end. It was just a test subject that could, potentially, be used repeatedly, saving him the trouble of catching more.

It did make him wonder, though, if it was really ethical to use it like that. After all, he was more or less immortal, too, given the gem egg-retreating. It didn't really seem fair to feed the mouse potential poisons over and over. Scorch wondered at a solution: some kind of magical painkiller, maybe? Or something that accelerated healing, so that he could use it on himself?

Ah, but that made him wonder: if magical things like that were possible, did he really need plants? Magic objects might reach relatively few people compared to plants that could be mass-cultivated, but what if he learned to make those himself? And taught others? Then they could be mass-produced, much like growing plants! Well--of course, he didn't actually know if they were possible.

So he would ask, of course! "Hey, actually! Finding the plant was pretty fun! And it's great to save a species, too! I could do more stuff for you, if you need! Could we maybe trade for something to speed up healing? Or if not, maybe something that dulls pain?"

"Ahh, yes, it eats meat. Bugs and smaller creatures, drawn in by the scent of its nectar. A nectar strong enough to dissolve those bones," the Collector patiently explained. One clawed hand patted the pitcher's head affectionately. "As for the plants that you found--and note, this fellow is not exactly a true plant, he merely looks like one--I'm sure they have adapted quite well to their situation. Life is surprisingly tenacious."

"As for little Twitches, here--I do not know everything about it. I know that it is nearly impossible to kill; I know that it has existed for a very long time, and I know that it will serve your purpose admirably. Past that--I do not know, but perhaps you will find out."

The newest question had the Collector thinking, deeply. "The items that I trade usually affect only the wearer. But I may have something that will speed up the body's healing. It will not work on your targets, of course--your patients--unless you give it to them temporarily. Is that the sort of thing you mean-?" he asked, peering down at the little owl.

The avian seemed surprisingly unbothered (to Algol) by the ethical concerns. It was almost disappointing; but it opened up new possibilities of its own.

@Scorch

SCORCH
Scorch's eyebrows shot up. Corrosive nectar! His first thought was is it still sweet like normal nectar?, which was probably not a wise one to test. Well... no, he could hardly ask a mouse to describe a taste, and drinking such a substance was sure to be exceedingly painful. He was probably lucky it hadn't tried to eat him, then.

Ah! So the healing magic did exist! "Oh, yes, that kind of thing sounds perfect! Actually--do you know how to enchant objects like that? Could you maybe teach me, or point me to someone who knows? And if I learned it, I could give you new magic stuff that I made! And I can do stuff for you just for funsies, too!"

He glanced down at Twitches the Immortal. Well, hopefully he wouldn't be needing to use it as a test subject anymore. He could eat it...? No, it was immortal, and Scorch didn't know whether one could eat something like that. Or, for that matter, how to get it out of its stone. He'd just take care of it, he supposed. He didn't think it'd be too hard, given its magic.

First came the realization that his brother would be perfect for this. Second, the accompanying faint disgust. But third, and close on the heels of the second? Amusement. The Blacksmith would have to look at the little mouse, tormented forever in its little geode. Algol wasn't a total sadist, but it would be sort of funny.

To him, at least.

Assuming Scorch even brought the thing, to show it to him.

"Actually, it just so happens that I do know someone who can teach you such things. Do you know where Leo is-? If you do not, ask around, my little feathered friend. It is a cave of sea, and heat. In the center of the mountain, beneath the steam and smoke, there is a forge. It is there that the Blacksmith resides. He can teach you what you wish to know. And consider this information," he added, with a bow of his head, "a rare, free gift out of the goodness of my heart."

@Scorch

SCORCH
Scorch almost couldn't believe it. It was like everything was going right today! He'd saved an endangered species, saved a little enchanted mouse from possible torment by whoever would've acquired it had he not gotten there first, and he was about to unlock the secret to magical healing for everyone! (Everyone that he could give magic objects to, that was.)

"Thank you so much!" he gushed, bobbing his head at the Collector. "I'll be sure to figure out where it is, and pay him a visit. Hey--how do you two know each other? It's kind of interesting that you have the same naming scheme. I mean, after your jobs, instead of the more usual names." Scorch paused, giving the Collector a minute to respond, before continuing.

"Thanks again for everything! I'll take good care of Twitches," he promised, though to be honest he didn't know anything about taking care of mice--only eating them. But he would learn! Necessity was the mother of invention, something something something. "And anytime you need help with something, I'm always happy to help! Just come find me--hm." Come to think of it, he didn't really have a permanent residence. "Well, I'll visit Canis every so often, and we could chat then if you wanted!" Scorch beamed, carefully taking Twitches' geode into his talons. "See ya!"

exit

The Collector swept into a low and dignified bow.

"I wish you luck in finding him," he crooned, words smooth as oil. The tone only grew more sickly-sweet as he went on, a grin audible in his voice. "Oh, the Blacksmith, and I..?" A pause, and the grin widened: "Why, he and I are practically family."

"I am glad to know the creature will be in good hands. And likewise, I am always at your disposal. ...Farewell, Scorch." A gentle wave farewell, and then he vanished.

@Scorch (for visibility)