She laughed with Bartos as it was tucking away the sandstone she had picked up for it. "Clever and funny," She said, delighted. She hadn't met anyone who wasn't anything but straightforward and rather blunt, so it was nice to have a friend who played around a little. She closed her eye briefly, drawing up that familiar feeling to light up the room. She really wanted to see Bartos' treasure in proper lighting, and since it was a small home, she didn't think she needed a lot. Gently, slowly, she breathed in and out, and with each exhale, light came from every inch of her till it filled the room. The familiar wave of tiredness came, but it was easier to bear now. Now, only her most difficult spell made her tired. Opening her eye, she nodded at the room, appeased. It was as if it was filled with a calm morning light; perfectly able to see by, but only just enough wake you. She could've poured out more, but chose not to. She gave the Bartos a vibrant smile and said, "Now, may I see your beauties? I'm sure we can best appreciate them now, when they will sparkle their hellos." "This is how I speak."

Clever AND funny! He was happy that she thought he was clever, and definitely that he was funny. The only problem was that Bartos never really intended to be funny. For the most part he just said whatever came to mind, and when he made a comment about knowing a cat she could talk about, he did so in earnest - the kitten was unfortunately incredibly daft. In any case, he merely laughed and smiled proudly at her comment, puffing out his chest.

Before long, she had focused on lighting up the room. Bartos stood back to allow her space, unsure of what she was going to do. Either way, he watched her very closely, not knowing what to expect. So it caught him off guard when suddenly the doe had begun to glow. It started as pinpricks of light seeping from her skin, a small glow from underneath her fur. Then it slowly gained luminescence, and the light crept into the little room all around them, painting the walls in a gentle morning gold. The light wasn't strong to hurt his eyes which he was thankful for, considering how intensely he was staring at the now glowing deer. "WOOAAAAH!" He exclaimed, dancing on his tippy toes as he looked all around her. "THATS SO COOL HOW DO YOU DO THAT WHERE IS IT COMING FROM IS IT COMING FROM YOU DO YOU MAKE IT HOW COME YOU AREN'T GLOWING ALL THE TIME WHERE DOES IT GO WHEN YOU STOP???"

He threw a flurry of questions at her, briefly forgetting about his promise to show her his rocks.

She laughed again as the Bartos danced all around her, amazed and beyond excited! She never seen such a reaction from her magic before, and just a little bit of that awe went to her head, puffing up her pride. She really was quite good at her magic, wasn't she? Feeling elated, she said between half-laughs and giggles, "My curious friend, calm yourself! Bringing up the light is simply my specialty, that's all. I like to imagine my light is stored in my eye," Here she tilted her head, smiling, a twinkle in her seeing-eye, "And I breathe it out. Sometimes it doesn't like to shine for me, as if the magic has a temperament of its own. As for where it goes, it just fades when I either lose focus or grow too tired. I'm sure you know this, having used your own magic! What kind do you use, my dear?" "This is how I speak." @Bartos

Soon as she said to calm himself, the cat skidded to a halt in front of her, panting and huffing for air while he stared excitedly up at her. He still couldn't believe that she was the one making all that light - it was the coolest thing he'd ever seen! And not to mention it was really pretty! She was explaining it though, so he better listen - the cat shifted his weight on his paws before thumping down onto his rump, gazing curiously up at her as she suggested that the light was stored in her eye. Bartos blinked and leaned left and right, taking a closer look at each of her eyes - well, the one seeing eye and the one with the stone in it. Then she said she breathed it out. Of course, Bartos had to try it too - he sucked in a breath and slowly let it slip past his lips, but there was no light. That was okay. It would probably get annoying if he lit up every time he breathed.

He nodded and glanced thoughtfully away. Right, what she said was familiar, though the cat never really thought of it as magic. Thats what it was called though. Right? Right. So what could he do?

Bartos furrowed his brow before he decided on how he wanted to demonstrate his magic. It could be a risky move, but the cat was willing to take that risk - he was sure that if he put his energy into the ground without narrowing it down to a specific action, he could do something. "Okay. Watch this!" Without awaiting a response, the cat hunkered down into a crouch. His rump wriggled enthusiastically before he launched himself up and forward, pouncing at nothing in particular on the ground.

Only when he landed, as soon as he made contact he could feel the build up of energy flow through his entirety, rushing through his body and limbs, through his toes to the ground; transferring all of his magic into the earth below. There was a great resonation through the ground as the earth groaned and shifted. Heavy vibrations rippled out from where the cat had landed and the ledge shook, quaking beneath him. Rocks along the surface skipped and jumped, some of them hopping right over the edge of his cliffside home. The earthquake was surprisingly powerful, causing Bartos to stand up again only to topple over. "Woah!" He stumbled, struggling to stay on his feet. When the quake had finally died away, he whirled around to look at the doe.

"That! That's what I can do!"

@Clover

She watched with intensity and honest amusement as the little cat took what she had said and decided to show her its magic. She had yet to see all kinds that others could do, having only seen wind, death, and shocking magic thus far, and the desire to see another kind sparked that familiar, clutching, morbid curiosity that drove her to travel. She tilted her head at the cat starting to pounce. Was it a kind of jumping magic? Was it something that allowed the Bartos to move far distances? She rather doubted that, but oh, wouldn't it be neat if a magic could move yourself from one spot impossibly to the other? Oh, what a way to travel then-- When the cat landed it shattered her daydreaming thoughts by shuddering the very ground beneath her feet and the walls that surrounded them. She cried out in utter surprise, falling down with an complete lack of grace, feeling both the exhilarated high grasp of seeing something new and powerful for the first time and the unavoidable fear that came with such things. Both clambered in her throat while the earth shook, and she laughed with abandon beneath the rumbling noise out of a combination of the two feelings. As the shaking started to subside, she braved the ground and scrambled to Bartos, her good eye bright with a wild, fired up look that was mixed with unabashed, unending admiration. "That was completely and utterly amazing, Bartos! I've never seen such mastery of one's surroundings, such powerful magic! I could feel it coming off of you, I can't believe how strong it was! You must be tired, aren't you? How do you feel?" "This is how I speak." @Bartos

He didn't realize that his actions would ultimately cause the graceful doe to collapse upon the ground, and so when the cat whirled around to look at her, it was with horror and guilt that he first saw her while she was still splayed before him. His skin prickled and he was about to spew a heartfelt and emotional apology at her, before she had composed herself and clambered to her hooves again. The look of wild enthusiasm in her single eye had spawned a flustered shock within the cat and as she absolutely gushed over the strength of his magic, he found heat rising to his cheeks. Bartos averted his eyes, laughing nervously while his mind reeled over what to do and say - should he be arrogant, because his magic usually never failed him and this was a common thing (even though he'd never made a big earthquake like that before)? Should he be modest, would she like that? She'd probably like that.

"Ah- um!" The cat squeaked, twitching his whiskers before he looked back at the doe and his once tense shoulders noticeably relaxed. "Y-yeah! I am... really tired!" He laughed again before plopping onto his rump. Perhaps it was more of a placebo effect than anything, but her concern for his state of being would lead him to believe that that cast really did tire him out. Well, it was a pretty powerful earthquake - he could feel the exhaustion biting at his muscles, weighing him down, and a sudden lack of energy an artifact from the strength with which he'd shook the ground. "I've never done anything like that before." He puffed and looked back up at her. "Did you... like it? Was it cool? Are you okay? I didn't mean to knock you down!"

@Clover

She started to sit down next to Bartos while it was telling her shyly that it was tired. She could see the cat go from happy and energetic to happy and weighed down, as the hype of casting powerful spells wore off. "I loved it, Bartos." She said, grinning. "I've never seen anything so amazing. I'm okay, just really excited, that's all! Kind of jittery, almost. And I'm not hurt, so don't worry about me, my friend. I appreciate the concern, though." "Now, if you like, we can take a nap. Its very cozy in here, I think. I can tell you a story while you nod off, a really good one, with the hero being the clever, funny, and very strong cat." Here, once she was comfortably settled next to Bartos, she gently ushered the cat with her leg to be near her, in the comfortable valley of her side and her legs. She was getting pushy in that kind way of hers, a side of her brought out by Pounce. Tilting her head, she started to get into that familiar dream-story mode of hers. "This cat in particular was very charming and very handsome, and everywhere it went, it met new friends, had new adventures, and amassed new treasure, till its hoard was quite impressive indeed!" She started to set the mood for the story by consciously dimming the glow she had made, as if the light in the room turned to very late afternoon, almost sunset. In a hushed tone, she continued, "But one day, another creature grew incredibly jealous! This clever kitten was just too amazing, and this, hm, wolf, was quite upset at this. the wolf didn't have nearly as many friends, nor the amount of treasure the hero had. So one day, the wolf comes up to the cat and tells it of the absolutely amazing hoard it had only heard of that was guarded by a magnificent dragon, that only the best and bravest would ever attempt to take. All sorts of long-lost creations of creatures long ago were stored there, in the deserted city that the dragon kept to its own. The cat's interest was snatched in this description, and it was determined to go. "But one of the cat's best friends, a deer," She smiled. "Begged the cat not to go. The deer was worried for their wonderful friend, and after a time of talking, the two decided to set out together." She decided to be a little playful and try to cast magic to catch Bartos' imagination. She didn't know if she could pull it off, but she could always try. Her concentration was rather scattered, what with the left-over jitters from the earthquake, the effort of holding onto the glow spell (as dim as it was) and the continuation of the story. It was difficult to get her magic to grasp ahold of the shapes she wanted, but by the end, jaunting before both her and Bartos were two little things made of light, a prancing cat and a shy little deer. She made the little deer bow to the cat like she was playing with puppets, and the cat danced around its friend. "This is how I speak."

If a cat could blush, Bartos was sure that his whole face would be a shade of beet red. He couldn't help the pride that swelled up in him as she fawned over his powerful spell - which admittedly had been a total fluke. Hell, Bartos didn't even know he was capable of conjuring eartchquakes powerful as that, but he had done it. His ears twisted flat against his head as a sheepish grin parted his lips and he chuckled. As long as she wasn't hurt, or so she claimed. A quick look over the deer suggested that she wasn't, but Bartos wasn't a doctor. For as much as she reassured him, he pushed it to the back of his mind and instead found himself intrigued by the prospect of a nap. The spell had sapped a good portion of his energy... Maybe a nap would do him well.

Then again, a part of him wanted to stay awake so he could talk to her more. Without the distraction of his work, Bartos had fully immersed himself in this conversation. He liked the way she laughed and smiled, and he wanted to say more things that made her laugh and smile, but maybe she was right - maybe a nap would be better, and oh! A story! About a clever cat! That must have been him.

The cat purred and agreed to her suggestion. "I'd very much like to hear this story!" Bartos grinned and followed her insistent push into the warm curvature of her side. There, he curled up with his fluffy tail flopped over his front paws. At first he raised his head to listen to her, looking around the room with awe as she dimmed her magical light into a warm, rosy shade of late afternoon. Then the story began and he listened eagerly, following her tale of the clever, funny, handsome cat and his hoard of treasures. He didn't know what a wolf was but he liked to imagine it might be a bigger version of him. And then there was the deer, his best friend. A warm smile came upon his face. Slowly, his eyes closed and his head began to lower onto his tail, listening to her voice as it spun the tale of the cat, the deer, and the dragon's hoard. His eyes cracked open to tiny slivers, watching the little light puppets prance before them.

She described the trials the two went through - the pool of water they had to cross, which they cleverly traversed together using their different magics combined, creating a sparkling crystal bridge - the misty forest she based heavily on Cetus, with many little monsters with grabbing hands coming after them both - the pouring monsoon of rain where they had to find shelter together. The deer and the cat learned to be dependent upon on each other and have each other's backs when things got messy. It was by no means a blissful journey, but it made them closer. "Finally, they arrived at the dragon's city. It was eerily silent, their steps echoing against the very very far walls. The room was huge, much larger than the one we're in now. Buildings surrounded them, much like these, in various states of disrepair, and they walked the streets. They walked with their eyes wide and towards the ceiling, which, instead of a brilliant night sky, was a mural. A vast and intricate carving of the many animals that used to live in the city. They spoke quietly together of who might have made the mural so high above; birds? Perhaps they would fly above and scratch the mural with their talons. Did it involve magic? Perhaps a creature with the ability to lift things in mid air would create a seat for those artistic or clever enough. But both didn't seem to answer the incredible detail they could see from the ground. A bird would have to move constantly to remain airborne, and magic wouldn't last very long, or become incredibly taxing. As they were debating on how it could've been done, the ground crumbled away under the deer's feet!" Here, she pantomimed the puppets doing so, running across the ground before them and leaping as little light cracks splintered under their feet. "The ground cracked and fell away like ice over a frozen lake, shattering under delicate weight. They two ran and ran as fast as they could, the cat being light and quick, had made it across the wide trap of the crumbling street, and saw that as the ground fell away, it revealed spikes at the bottom! Bones littered the trap of foolhardy adventurers that hadn't made it quite fast enough, and the cats eyes snapped to the deer, who was jumping from one shuddering piece of earth to another. The cat took a deep breath and placed its paws spread-eagled on the ground summoning solid pillars for the deer to rest on. They shot up, bursting through the spikes and bones, and the deer easily jumped from one to the other, ending right next to the cat. For a moment, they both took a deep breath, then burst out laughing that they had made it safely, and the cat jumped onto the deer's back to continue to the dragon's lair. At the very heart of the quiet and dusty city, there lay a giant castle littered with decoratively placed bones here and there as accents, which they both commented on for their aesthetics. They hid behind one of the many high towers, and the deer smiled and cast its own wonderful magic, draping both of them in strong illusions that made them look like the grabby monsters they had encountered that they knew served the dragon. The cat's illusion was incredibly tall with wide wide eyes and a very toothy grin. The deer looked like this squat creature that walked on its arms, with a heavy brow and a very long tail." The little creatures of light swirled and formed like wet clay into the images she described from her mind, making them incredibly funny and hilarious to look at. "They nodded at each other, deeming the magic fool-proof, and walked through the front gates of the castle." "This is how I speak."

The cat couldn't help but feel a swell of delight as the lilt of her voice touched the air. He was already very tired, but listening to her speak positively lulled him to sleep. He tried to follow along the story as best he could, smiling as she described the bridge and the sparkling forest, letting his mind wander to images of grandeur of the city she spoke of. He imagined something vast, even bigger than Orion with buildings stretching as far as the eye could see, an eternal sprawl of magnificent architecture existent only in his dreams. Or maybe... maybe there really was a place like that somewhere out there. The last thing he could remember was seeing the light puppets dance around on the ground attempting to escape the cracking earth, their hypnotizing movements eventually enchanting him into sleep, and everything else was lost to him.

Bartos slept, simply happy to be snuggled up against the side of his favorite new friend.

Fade out <3