It was impossible to say which room Delphine loved the most when already she'd seen so many. Though if she had to narrow down the choices, she thought Polaris, Eridanus and Orion were valiant in their efforts to win her affections. Polaris was the place where she was born and that alone afforded the core an advantage no others had. Yet when Eridanus came to mind, the filly found herself thinking upon her times spent healing and in the company of its guardian. Then there was Orion, the room of the stars and heavens. When first she'd arrived, she encountered a cat who had spun a tale of treasures and celestials. She was enamored by his passion for the abandoned structures and artifacts, peculiar by their own right. For that reason, the young Gembound oft found herself returning to the room, not yet grown weary of the crystallized ceiling and its miracles below.

Slowly she made her way through the interconnected structures, ascending a slight incline on to a platform where a lone formation sat. Her emerald gaze latched onto the strange construction and she wondered of its purpose. But then, what was the purpose of anything? Despite all her wanderings, there were still so many questions yet unanswered; only distractions to put under lock and key the inexplicable somberness that plagued her. Subconsciously, Delphine found herself climbing upon the throne, shifting only slightly so that her smaller frame would fit its tight confines. Then she folded on her spindly legs and curled into an onyx ball, willing slumber to her behest and come it did.

( @Adeyemi )

Prince Adeyemi

AND THEN THE EARTH AND THE SKY, THEY ALL FIT TOGETHER
AND CARRY ME AWAY AS LIGHT AS A FEATHER

The turaco wandered aimlessly, whistling a cocky tune as he strut down the tunnels of Origin, taking in the sights with bright eyes, chest feathers puffed up in self-assured pride. The whole display was, as usual, a cover for whatever was bothering him - in this case, it was that he'd once again lost track of his hatchmate, and had yet to find the owlet. He'd searched Eridanus, some of the tunnels, even Cetus, before finally making his way back to Orion. The chick recalled scaling to the top of the throne, taking in the majesty of the ruined city, and peering up at the blanket of stars that smothered the ceiling.

It was, in a way, the cave that suited him most. Looking out over this once glorious place, now blanketed in dust and decay... it felt right at home. Still singing, Adeyemi wound his way through the rubble. The melody was somber and low, sweeping up to a few minor high notes, ear-catching in a way that depressed. The bird, now with newly deepened scars on his legs from his... training? Conversation? With Svenna, continued on. His new attributes only made him more confident - although he could do without the puking-up-lava thing. It had ruined his throat, the first time, and even now his voice had been pitched lower than it had been... then again, he had also aged, and so the hormonal change mixed with the semi-healed wounds.

It was only after the bird reached the bottom of the throne's hill that he spotted something atop it, asleep, curled up in the seat of the throne. For a moment, he froze, song cutting off abruptly. Then, he picked it back up - the creature wasn't nearly large enough to have been the one who'd made the paw prints and left the fur from before, and besides, it looked more equine than feline. Scuttling closer, Adeyemi soon hopped up to the throne's arm, peering down at its occupant. The sight made him break his own tune with an elated chirp, and the prince leaned down, nudging at one of Delphine's pitch black ears.

Silently, he wondered - would she even recognize him? He certainly remembered her, but children were tricky things... and he was a bit taller, a bit less shiny, more weathered by his journey through the caves, through the inner trials of the flame. Hopeful, the tiny royal perched on the throne patiently, awaiting the foal's awakening.

Music drifted to her in sleep, a melancholic aria that spoke to the child's soul more than the songbird could ever know. She keened in her dreams, wishing desperately to bottle the lullaby so that she could play keeper to its secrets but such were the passing fancies of a fantasy, too soon disillusioned by its abrupt end. Her brows furrowed and her ears flicked, fighting the gentle nudge yet beckoned to a half-state of consciousness by its familiar scent and presence. A small groan escaped her lips and Delphine shifted. The gesture, in its entirety, was minute. A slow uncoiling that stopped because really, the throes of slumber were quite oppressive and in a way where she didn't mind so much its sadistic grip. Except she knew she had to wake, so she did.

Groggily, the filly's eyes opened, catching sight of the black canvas of her figure and not soon after, the colorful avian creature who she'd grown all too fond of. The recognition was instantaneous and any and all signs of sleep were forced to the wayside in favor of a smile and nicker that could have lit the whole of Orion. "Oh Adeyemi!" Delphine reached forward and pressed her muzzle lightly but firmly against the turaco, nuzzling the Gembound with as much gusto as she dared. "I've missed you so much. How have you been? Where did you go? Is Willow with you? Are you well?" She bombarded him with a myriad of questions, so much so that she'd forgotten her loneliness in the wake of his absence. That in a way that was unfair and strange, she wanted to let him know that she wished he'd remained by her side but none of these things came forth. Not now, not later.

It'd just been so long, so very, very long since she'd last seen him and it showed in the subtle differences. Adeyemi was just slightly taller, his colors no longer so vibrant but he was still the same in the manners which he carried himself. A creature of pride and majesty, exactly how she remembered him. The filly was thankful for this and with another nicker, she beckoned the bird closer.

( @Adeyemi )

Prince Adeyemi

AND THEN THE EARTH AND THE SKY, THEY ALL FIT TOGETHER
AND CARRY ME AWAY AS LIGHT AS A FEATHER

Adeyemi's crest and chest feathers rose in delight at the instant recognition that flashed over the foal's face, rustling his wings and hopping in place on the throne's arm. "Little one," he responded in kind, letting out an amused coo at the affectionate gesture. At the torrent of questions, he clucked out a laugh, leaning down to groom at the mare's short muzzle fur in an attempt at being soothing. "Delphine, Delphine! Do calm down." He took his time answering, words as steady as ever, though his voice was, of course, lower in tone than it used to be.

"I have been most adequate, little one," the prince replied, thinking back over all that had happened since the last time he'd seen the other Gembound. "After we were separated by those horrible beasts, I tried to find you, but found I could not," Adeyemi started, hesitantly, unhappy to reveal a failure. "Willow and I travelled together for a time, before I became rather... lost. I met quite a few odd beasts, and gained these," he chirped with a flourish of his gem-clawed foot, revealing the deepened scars stretching across it, pale trenches of permanently deadened skin. "I went to Cetus - which was quite appalling, I must say - and back to Eridanus, of course... and to Orion. I was losing hope I'd find you at all," he added, voice swooping low with melancholy, a hint of melody in the words.

At the mention of his better half, Adeyemi sighed, leaning further into Delphine's muzzle, as if in need of support. "Willow is... I do not know where she is. I am... afraid," he admitted after a few moments of solemn silence. He shook himself out of the funk, unwilling to bring Delphine down with him into this nest of guilt and worry. "But I am well, yes. The fire within me has fought tooth and nail, and I have yet to come out the loser," he stated proudly with a trill.

At the nicker and quiet plea, Adeyemi hopped down from his perch, waddling up to Delphine and plopping down between her front legs, grooming her neck gently. The new vantage point, however, brought him to a rather startling realization, and the turaco's eyes widened in horror, staring at the myriad of scars that littered the foal's previously untouched pelt. "Little one! Who did this to you?"

Who would dare?

Delphine leaned into the turaco's touch, rejoicing at the warmth that'd been too long stolen from her behest. If she could, she would have stilled time in its never-ending march and forced it to crystallize this moment in permanence. But she knew the futility of these thoughts to be nothing more than fleeting fancies, a child's pipe dreams for what could not be. They were each their own individual souls bound to a path born of their wants and desires. To force them from their intended trajectory was to succumb to her selfish whims and Delphine would not be felled by base vice.

She sank into his narration, drowned in the words of adventures she could only dream to partake in. She would have wanted to be a part of his adequacy, been a part of his small troupe with Willow, and most of all, she wish she'd been there for when he acquired his wounds. Her gaze shot down, drinking in the sight of the deep entrenchment of scars seared through the flesh of his foot. The royal Gembound was at once unbefitting yet meant for these disfigurements, a sign of perseverance yet a mark upon the proud creature's countenance. Delphine smiled sadly and brushed her muzzle against the bird. "However did you come upon such wounds, dear Adeyemi?" The filly inquired, her curiosity latching unto the untold stories that lay in the marks upon his feet.

"And you have found me now, that is all that matters. I searched too you know, I've wandered from Polaris to Eridanus to Orion to Monoceros— ah! I came upon Magdalena there, in the valley of dust and wind. She looks well and she seems happier." She added, her voice warming significantly upon mentioning the dog. Her joy would be short-lived, too easily quelled beneath the news of a friend lost and separated still from their small group. Delphine's ears pressed against the crown of her head and misery bled along her features. She had never been one for hiding her foremost thoughts, especially not among those who she considered family. "I am sorry, Adeyemi. Had I not run as I did that day perhaps we would not have been separated from one another." In truth, much of her own melancholy stemmed from guilt for having run as she did but it'd been easier being unfairly angry toward the others than it was to face her own demons. So she did and for it, the filly would only find more darkness than the light she so sought.

Adeyemi's voice was the only reason she'd managed to pull herself from her thoughts, jerked to a start with a quick glance to her back. She smiled sheepishly and her ears perked, "Oh it's not as bad as it looks, I swear! After we left Polaris, I happened upon Eridanus but at the time there was a dragon — Baratheon — struck with an affliction of the mind. He attacked me and I would have died if it were not for the guardian, Arkrael, Magdlena and another by the name of Bones. It took a long time for me to heal but that-" She gestured to her scar, "is all that's left of that time." A thought struck her then and all too suddenly, a frown curled along her lips. "I-It's not so bad is it? You don't think it too ugly, do you? Magdalena said that scars are lovely..."

( Adeyemi )

Prince Adeyemi

AND THEN THE EARTH AND THE SKY, THEY ALL FIT TOGETHER
AND CARRY ME AWAY AS LIGHT AS A FEATHER

Adeyemi's eyes sparkled, obviously overjoyed at the opportunity to regale the foal with his tales. "Oh, it is not a long story, but quite an interesting one! You see, in my wanderings, I had ended up in Canis. It is quite peculiar; packed from ground to ceiling with bones. Quite uncouth," he added, chirping. "While there, I discovered a new use of the fire. It builds up in my gut, and can be ejected as a sort of burning bile. Rather disgusting, but useful!" The prince gestured to his throat with a wingtip, croaking. "I damaged my throat, and was feeling quite sorry for myself, when a hyena came across me! She was another of the flame, covered in such marks of attempting to tame it. Very quiet, that one," the turaco mused, shaking himself back to the present.

At Delphine's own weaving story, Adeyemi hummed, smiling - or, at least, smiling as much as a beak allowed. "I am glad to hear that your... Magdalena has recovered nicely. I know she is important to you." Personally, he couldn't care less of what had happened to the strange ill beast, but if it was important to Delphine, it was important to him - such is the way that family goes. At the sudden change in the foal's mood, Adeyemi cooed, worried, leaning forward to softly groom at her neck. The apology caught him off guard, and his gaze shot up stare, puzzled, at his adoptive... sister? Daughter? "Do not apologize, little one," he murmured, tone gentle and calm. "You did nothing wrong. We could not have fought those beasts, and it would have been a fool's errand to try."

Adeyemi listened on as she explained where the wounds had come from, eyes wide, anger bubbling in his veins, fueled by the ever-present fire. "He attacked you?" Sure, the dragon had supposedly been ill, but to attack one of the prince's family was to attack the prince himself. Grumbling under his breath, it took the turaco a moment to realize the change that had come over Delphine. Once he did, Adeyemi scrambled to recover the situation, flapping his wings once, beak clicking. "No, no, my dear! No scar can be ugly. Scars are trophies, shows of power, of strength. To carry a scar is to carry the mark of one who cannot be defeated."

She was enamored by the turaco's voice recalling the events of his life; not once deigning to interfere though the questions and commentaries stirred and boiled. Well, really, she tried not to interject but the effort was for naught when a quick whinny of agreement escaped her lips in mutiny of her good intentions. "I just came from Canis myself, it's awful there but a wonderful place to practice magic what with all the dirt and debris lying around." She replied with a firm nod. It had become clear that wheresoever her magic stemmed, it took its energy from the rocks, floors, walls and ceilings. Where there was earth, there was power.

It seemed she was not the only one who thought to practice there as Adeyemi made mention of his newfound abilities. Her emerald eyes widened admirably though laugh lines crinkled along the edges of her lips not soon after, finding humor in what was an unseemingly vulgar gesture from the bird. "Well if it's any consolation, you sound just fine and the scars are lovely." She imparted nothing but truth unto her friend for she did think his voice, low and regal, was pleasing to the ear and his scars at once a contradiction, befitting his character. Not for nothing, they were matching now in that they began as unmarked Gembounds now with tragedy etched to their flesh and bone. The filly was almost inclined to take pleasure in what she thought to be a rather poetic reunion. They were, in combination, geothermal.

As seemed custom when Magdalena's name was mentioned, Delphine found her smile softening exponentially yet she offered nothing but a small nod to the turaco's response. Her joy was brief, wrought with grief and guilt even as Adeyemi reached forth to groom her mane in an effort to placate the raging seas of her heart. "Oh, I know. I just..." She paused, her tone punctuated by a broken rasp. "I wish I'd stayed. Something could have happened to you, to Willow and I just ran." It was a thought that oft times perpetuated its existence in residual bouts of guilt and anger, rightly toward herself. Unjustifiably toward them. Her head craned and she pressed her cheeks fondly against the small bird. "I promise I will never abandon anyone ever again, especially not you guys."

Predictably, Adeyemi was enraged by her mention of the attack which had taken place in Eridanus. At once, the filly found herself touched but she could not allow his anger to be pushed upon Baratheon. "Yes but truly, it was not a fault of his. Please don't be angry at Baratheon, he is good." She implored gently of the turaco. "And it's like you said, now I've a scar to demonstrate my power, strength and perseverance! We both do." Her gaze dropped, hesitant but wanting to confide in Adeyemi the one thing that had troubled her since Polaris.

"I dreamed once that all of us would reunite and together, we would create a home, a family. I didn't understand then what Willow meant when she said that although we were apart, we would always come back but I think I do now. When I saw Magdalena, I knew then that there was no way I could keep her by my side and I think... I think the same goes for you. I want to keep you here with me but that's impossible, isn't it? We all have to go our own ways, don't we?" A pregnant pause stretched its agonizing silence between them before she found the courage to ask a question that she knew to be folly. "Is there no other way? Truly?"

( Adeyemi )