Cygnus stared out from where he stood beneath the roof of one of the Palace walkways, watching the rain fall and listening to it pitter-patter on the roof. He fit the general aesthetic of Cepheus rather well. Tall, graceful, and as white as snow. An accident, really, but as Master Oogway once said, "There are no accidents."

Or to quote the great painter Bob Ross, "We don't make mistakes -- we just have happy accidents."
But back to Cygnus.

The moose stared for a few minutes longer, lashes brushing against his cheeks as they closed over beautiful blue eyes, the gembound simply taking in the moment. But eventually he moved, slowly turning to walk around the Palace's courtyard, turning to stare at all the beautiful scenery, at raindrops falling off of pretty purple leaves. The voidlight from above washed everything in a pink-purple light and Cygnus dared to say it was gorgeous.

A wisp lit up behind him as he walked, dancing along gracefully as it seemed to lead him along the footpath. He followed along lazily, the rain muffling it a little, drowning out the pleasant noise of hoofbeats on stone. There was no real goal, no place to be, no rush to get home. There was only Cygnus and the rain.

This thread is open to anyone wishing to have a nice chat with Cygnus or just some quiet company! This is a chill thread and anyone's welcome.

Pollen thought herself to be on the lookout for nasty rebels- but, in truth, she was on a walk through the forest, pretending she was some sort of hero as she swung the vine-whip attached to her arm at various noises. Most of them were just frightened lessers who'd scuttled back at her actions- but what if they were rebels in disguise! No, she couldn't risk it, and she needed practice. And so, on she walked, dragging that whip and twisting it around more like a toy than a weapon, drenched from the rain.

She hadn't been able to crack it again all that well- if she did, it was quiet, but it nearly hit her every time when she pulled it back. She needed to practice that part, too- but she didn't want to scare the lessers more than she already was. Besides, she had more fun watching the water flick off it more than anything.

But something was in front of her. Was it not a lesser? Was that an ivory deer, or... Something else? It was walking towards her, and she, it, though, and it had some sort of magic with it.

Magic! It wasn't a lesser, then! Her heart lifted and Pollen sped up her approach, grinning. Maybe they were a friend? Or- ooh, what if they were a rebel? Maybe she should've been out here with Aethril, instead? No, she could handle it, and she shook her head with confidence as she jogged up to Cygnus.

One arm (the vine-free one) raised as she waved excitedly. "Hi! Welcome to Cepheus! Who're you?" If it didn't come from a little kid, it might've sounded like an interrogation, but she was curious. Who was this not-ivory-deer person? And- "What's that?" She squeaked, pointing to the wisp.

@Cygnus

Cygnus jumped, all four hooves leaving the ground as he galloped forward a few paces, startled into flight. His wisp hid behind him as he whirled his head around, eyes wide with alarm. Initially he didn't see Pollen, frowning for a moment, before he looked down, his ears flicking forward.

"... Oh, hello," he said softly, much more shy than when Cerilaine was with him, "Erm... I'm Cygnus, and this is a wisp. Well, was a wisp, I don't know where it went-"

It floated out from behind him as he turned around, hovering nearby and bobbing up and down slowly.

"There it is," he mumbled, clearing his throat as he shifted awkwardly, averting his eyes.

Somehow the 7-foot tall moose managed to look small, hunching in on himself in a failed attempt to hide. He really wasn't used to just being talked to out of the blue and was very clearly caught off guard. He had no time to prepare what he wanted to say and was left floundering and looking like an idiot.

"Um... nice night," he said, dragging a hoof along the ground and wincing as the rain seemed to fall harder at his words. However he thought it was a nice night, so... beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Or something...

@Pollen

Pollen jumped when he did, standing still for a brief moment with her free arm flinching back over her chest. Was she that scary? She watched, then, as Cygnus calmed down, and she let down her guard again.

She blinked, innocently, and tilted to the side to see the wisp. Interesting! "I'm Pollen!" she squeaked, her hands on her hips with pride at that. "Is the wisp your magic? Mine's plants!"

Hand it to the kid to overwhelm someone with conversation. She didn't understand why he'd seemed so-- like that, but it just seemed to be a Cygnus thing, maybe? "Your wisp is really pretty," she said, as if to try and cheer him up.

She tilted one way, then the other, thinking. But- "oh! The rain's really good! It means I don't have to water the plants at the palace." It wasn't easy to see from here, but her hand pointed off into its vague direction anyways. "I finished putting everything away, so I went out for a walk to make sure this cave is safe! And I don't see anyone bad, so I'm doing great at my job."

She grinned, holding the vine she'd grown on one arm with the hand of the other. "Did you finish everything you needed to, so you could walk, too?" She hadn't met anyone without a job yet (that could feasibly tell her that), so obviously Cygnus had one. Did he make lights- was that his job? Wisps were pretty, so maybe they worked as lights- did he control it? Oh, she had so many questions as she looked up at him in wonder, absolutely dwarfed by his size.

@Cygnus

Cygnus looked over at his wisp and shrugged gently, flustered at Pollen's enthusiasm, "I'm not sure. I can do other things too, but I make wisps the most, I suppose. And um... thank you. I think they're pretty too."

He looked out at the rain again and hummed gently, "I don't really have a set task like that. I just... wander. When it rains, I take shelter, and when the rain stops, I walk again. All the way from Pegasus to Polaris and back again."

"Sometimes, if there are people who need guidance, whether they're lost or if they're new and need to find somewhere to stay for a while until they find their bearings, I help them."

The moose looked back down at Pollen, frankly nervous about their size difference. He was just so big and Pollen was so small, he was afraid of trampling her if he didn't pay attention.

"You said you take care of the plants here," he said, looking all around, "They're very beautiful, I'm sure they flourish under your care. Do you do it for your own sake, wishing to see them bloom and grow, or has someone told you to?"

An innocent question detailing his ignorance of the palace and its staff. He hadn't even touched the Palace grounds, having walked around the edge of Cepheus instead. Not out of any avoidance, just because it was the path he'd first taken upon hatching in the cave, and he was nothing if not a creature of habit.

@Pollen

"Oh." She continued to watch his wisp anyways, fascinated. No set task, though, got her interest, and she glanced over to him properly in faint confusion. Maybe he didn't have a title for his task, then? Everyone had a task, after all.

"Maybe you're--" She hesitated, drawing her head back and resting her chin on her hand, thoughtfully. A guider? That didn't sound fancy. No.. "A Pathfinder! You find other people's paths, and you guide them to it!" Yes, that sounded right! Pleased with herself, Pollen smiled and nodded, folding her little arms confidently. He was certain to like that title, then.

Her arms drooped when he talked about the plants. She looked to where he was, and she giggled a little. "Not all the plants- there's a lot of them! I take care of the ones at the Palace only, really, so they're always pretty. I come out here to practice, though!" And she held up her arm, the whip on it slowly standing up straigther and flicking closer back, wrapping up her arm and tying itself there. "But... I do it for both. Um-- Miss Aethril says I could be really good at it, and I like to do it!"

She thought for a moment, squinting up to the relatively huge Cygnus. "Do you wanna go see them? I can show you them!" She took a step in the direction she'd came from, trying to remember how to get to the gardens with a straight shot, but she hesitated and waited to see if Cygnus would follow first. She'd love to show him them, after all- she was very proud of her work!

@Cygnus

"Pathfinder," Cygnus said softly, "That's nice. I've always thought of myself as a guide, too, showing people the way. Yes, I like that. Thank you, Miss Pollen."

He offered a smile too, though his was much less effective and just made him look silly. It was the thought that counted, though.

"It's still impressive," he offered softly, "I would love to see your garden. Lead the way."

He was reluctant to go out into the rain after going through so much effort to avoid it, but if it meant making someone else happy, he didn't quite mind. Hopefully he didn't fall ill, though his thick coat ought to keep out the worst of the chill. His wisp darted under his belly, hanging out there to keep away from the rain.

"Who is Aethril?", he asked, tilting his head curiously.

@Pollen

Pollen grinned up with a laugh through her nose, proud of the designation she'd given Cygnus. It fit perfectly, then!

She blinked, though, at the realization that he wanted to follow her to the garden. Yes! Her tail wagged hard as she grinned more, her hands clasping together. "Yes! There's so many pretty statues, and the hedges, and the fountains, too- ooh, I should make sure their water is ok, with this rain..." She hummed quietly before shaking her head, scampering forward in front of Cygnus.

She paused and twisted back at the question. "She's a Hand! She lives in the Palace, and she does things like making sure people aren't getting hurt and the caves are running like they should!" Definitely a good person, then. "She keeps getting sick from rebels, but you seem nice-- you aren't a rebel, are you?" Man, she'd have to end this friendship if he was...

He was so nice, but was it a disguise, just like in that commercial..? He wouldn't lie to her, would he?

@Cygnus

Cygnus was confused. A hand? Like an... actual hand? He'd seen strange gembound but one that was an actual hand? That was definitely... unique.

"Rebels?", he asked, frowning, utterly clueless, "I um... didn't know there was anything to rebel against. So I suppose I'm not a rebel, not that I'd want to be. I'm not too keen on those kinds of things, I don't think."

But it was a shame that these 'rebels' continued to make Aethril ill.

"I'm sorry they make her sick," he said sympathetically, "It's nice she keeps the caves running. Someone needs to keep everyone from fighting all the time, but I don't think I could do that. I'm rather large but I'm no fighter or anything."

He shrugged gently and continued along after Pollen, his long gait allowing him to keep up easily with her excitement. It was useful being so large sometimes.

"Are these rebels... violent? Or mean?", he asked worriedly, "I saw fighting in Ursa, once. Were those people rebels?"

@Pollen

Pollen looked back at his confusion. Oh- you can't be a rebel without knowing what one was, right? So, she could trust him! Holding her kitten-tail high, she shook her head- a little sadly. "Sometimes, people don't like um- being told what's best for them, I guess," she explained, repeating (vaguely) something Aethril had told her. "So they take it out on people who weren't mean to them. That's why you shouldn't like rebels." Yep, that was definitely the reason- just, put into the words of someone very young.

"But, people fight rebels so other people don't have to." They were close-ish to the Palace now, its grounds visible through the thin forest. Her tail was waving, now- she was excited! She could show him what she was doing! Would he like it?

Her head twisted back at the mention of Ursa. "Uhhmm... Maybe! Miss Aethril says I shouldn't go really deep into Ursa, so maybe there's rebels there. So, probably!" That sounded right. What else could possibly cause fighting in these caves? Hunting, maybe, but you weren't fighting people, then. Still, when she turned her snout forward, she could see the shallow river border of the Palace.

"We're close! The plants- I take care of those over there," she spoke as she nudged her muzzle to them, charging right through the river.

@Cygnus