The dragon looked up, faintly relieved. "ALL RIGHT." Their further question, quiet, left him blinking. "NO, I WANT--I LIKE YOU BEING AT HOME. I'D MISS YOU IF YOU WERE HERE BUT ANYONE CAN GO WHERE THEY WANT," he explained.

Dread hesitated. Were he a more eloquent creature, he could have been more reassuring but he was--as Cadenza thought him--quite direct. And not eloquent. He struggled for a moment, still blinking, to better phrase himself.

"IT IS GOOD TO DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY," he went on, at FULL volume for absolutely no reason, once again. "SO IF YOU ARE HAPPY BEING HERE YOU SHOULD STAY BUT IF YOU ARE HAPPY IN LEO YOU CAN COME THERE. BUT I CAN STAY HERE FOR NOW AND THEN YOU CAN GO WHEREVER YOU ARE HAPPY." He... hoped that made sense.

Pride flattened back his ears, eyes squinting against Dread's screeching bellows. Loud... he thought, and found a rear hoof stomping slightly, an almost biological-level irritation thrumming through him at the sheer volume of it.

When he'd finished, Pride struggled to actually process what he'd said. He thought, perhaps, that the dragon was telling Cadenza to do whatever made them happy. Which was a little surprising, but--Dread had always been a good parent, hadn't he? Otherwise, Pride would never have trusted him alone with a child of his own.

Another child of my own, the thoughte echoed, and he blinked, coming out of his own thoughts.

"Ahh." Another dip of his head, another attempt to summon a single banana. "A close friend of mine--Mercurius--has grown a garden not too far from here." Pride lifted his head, studying Cadenza thoughtfully. "I am unsure if you would be sated by it--you might need to eat only a little. Ahh... have you been to Eridanus-? The jungle cave, not far from here? There should be a great deal of food there, if you need a full meal before you rest. But if you'd like, we can go to the garden here, for now. There's a little water there, too," Pride offered.

He nudged the large, plump banana he'd summoned toward them, then. "There's also this. It will make you sparkle, a little--but it's temporary," he assured them.

red deer img credit - dan seagrave

@Cadenza

Sometimes, direct truth could be the most reassuring thing of all. Cadenza felt their anxiety ease as their dragon-dad spoke. His voice was very loud but they liked the loud.

Loud was comforting and safe, in much the same way as melodic tones were becoming. Cadenza's dads were very different. But they were both what the hybrid described best as 'home', for all their differences.

"You make me happy," They reassured their dragon-dad. "And I will explore, because that will make me happy as well, but I will come back."

That resolved, they turned their attention more fully back to their deer-dad. "A garden?" They repeated. It was not an underwater city, but it was nevertheless an interesting notion. "I would like to see it if it is not too far. I am tired. For now, I can eat and drink only a little."

Cadenza then accepted the offered magical banana, consuming it very easily in a single bite. But then they paused. "That was more filling than I expected," The surprise is clear in their tone. Then they glance down with curiosity at their sparkling self.

Sparkles are pretty, they decide. They wonder if there are any creatures that always sparkle.

@Dread

skipping Dread this round b/c he's literally laying on a shiny rock and nothing else--godemoting him just a tad here

Pride listened to this exchange, then nodded, a little, smiling at the sparkles dancing around Cadenza. "It isn't too far," he assured them, and then--with a little mischief in his eyes--"and if you get too tired, I can always carry you." It sounded half-joking, half-serious; he didn't explain, as yet, that his magic would be capable of at least helping them along. "Dread, you can come too, of course?" he offered, peering over at the dragon.

"The banana itself is magical, I think. It is a fruit, but seems to taste good to anyone who eats it, even carnivores." Do they know what a carnivore is-? Pride wondered. They said they were newly hatched, and in some ways it showed, but their vocabulary--despite limited sentences--seemed relatively fluid. Ahh, well; if they didn't, he could always explain if asked.

He turned, pacing off toward the garden with dignified, delicate steps, each one the quiet click of a hoof. He didn't think to explain why he was wearing heavy gemstone armor sheathed around his body, or why a small, white arctic hare shot out of the underbrush and leapt atop his back, settling in there as though he were her mighty steed. He did think to gently warn, "Please do not harm the rabbit. Her name is Mischief," but the why she was there, he sort of forgot to mention.

"So-... if you are not tired; would you like to tell me a little more about yourself, Cadenza?" The question was polite, but interested. He didn't know how long they'd been awake--how much they knew, even, about themselves--but however much they did know, he was interested to hear.

red deer img credit - dan seagrave

@Cadenza

”If it is not too far, I think I can do it,” Cadenza reassures their deer-dad. Then, after a brief pause to ponder, they spoke up again. ”Could you really carry me? I am very big now,” They questioned, curious. They were not quite as big as their dragon-dad, but still. They were very big compared to how they had hatched.

It did not seem possible, but, then again… ”Would you be using magic to carry me?” They wondered aloud. Magic seemed to accomplish many strange things, they were learning. Like making fruit that makes the eater sparkle.

Cadenza did not immediately know what a carnivore was. But they could extrapolate from context. They did know there were beings that could eat only plants or not-plants. Or both, like them. So if this was a fruit, then it was a plant. If the word ‘even’ was being used, then it was not a standard thing that carnivores did. ”Carnivores are what the beings that do not eat plants are called?” They asked to seek confirmation to their guess.

”Hello Mischief,” The hybrid greeted the arctic hare seriously as they followed their deer-dad. ”My name is Cadenza.” They seemed to expect a response. After all, named beings could speak, was their understanding of the world.

Their deer-dad wanted to know more about them? They made them happy. But, truth be told, Cadenza did not know too much about themself that they had not already stated. So they thought it over.

”…I like swimming? I fell into the water when I first tried to fly earlier. And I liked the water. But I figured flying out when I got to the shore! I love flying, but it can be tiring. I do not like the idea of fighting, because I do not like the idea of harming others. But I think I would fight to protect others, too,” They paused briefly to think more.

“…I want to learn magic and explore the caves. And meet family!” They declare, finishing their semi-short explanation of themself for now. ”Would you like to tell me more about yourself, dad?” They asked their deer-dad in return. Hopeful eyes regarded their deer-dad, eager to hear more about him.

@Dread

Dread pushed up, plodding along behind. He scooped the citrine into his mouth, tossing his head to and fro with snapping jaws until he managed to settle it in the side of his mouth, beside his teeth.

Then he wing-walked just behind and beside them, a hulking black shadow with glowing ember eyes. He seemed wholly unaware that maybe this should be a bonding moment between child and newly met father. Instead, a proud father in his own right, he spoke up after Cadenza finished speaking of flight, of swimming, and of fighting. "They are very good at swimming, and at flying," he said, his voice quieter--perhaps tired--and almost reasonable in tone. There was pride in it, and even as he spoke he arched his head higher, fins rising as though he were puffing up with that pride. "And you do not have to fight if you do not want to! I will fight for you," he decided. He remembered, vaguely, another dragon a long time ago, one who'd attacked him, and who he'd burned and then taken payment for protecting. It had been a brief but savage scuffle, but at least it had ended on fairly neutral terms. "I have fought for others before, but for shinies. But you are my child so I will fight for you for free." How generous.

That was the extent of his input, for now; he kept shuffling along behind, content otherwise to listen.

"With magic, yes," Pride confirmed, his musical voice offering the words in fluting melody. It struck him that Cadenza seemed to have inherited some of that tone, and he mused over it for a moment before glancing back. "Ahh, Mischief is--my familiar. A lesser, but bound to me. I can see through her, communicate with her to some extent. It has been... useful, in emergencies," he went on, mind flashing back to a battle in Eridanus, and the warning the hare had been able to provide his allies, "but mostly she is a good companion."

Yet, though she could not speak, the hare sat up on his back and sniffed toward Cadenza. It seemed to be a greeting of her own, in a way. "I think she likes you," Pride added, amused. "And yes; a carnivore is one who eats meat. Though generally we instruct our carnivores never to eat Gembounds who can speak--the Lessers are their prey, those who can't speak for themselves." He hoped that Cadenza knew what he was talking about. Either way, it had always been a little morally questionable--but life was life, and Gembounds had to eat.

Pride listened, then, as Cadenza spoke of themselves, a little. But before Pride could quite formulate his response, Dread had interjected--and the white stag, delicately stepping around a pile of old ruins, flicked back an ear and listened with a faint smile. The dragon, though brash and blunt, often surprised him with his warmth to his children. He waited for Dread to finish before answering for himself.

"Sadly, there is little place here to swim--but if you enjoy flight, there is a tower not too far from here. Its walls are encrusted with gemstones, and the view from the top is spectacular-" and here Pride paused, turning as he walked to eye Cadenza over. "If you can fit. If not, you could always land atop it. I could come with you, if you wish," he added, and then gave a little nod to forestall the obvious question: "-using magic."

He agreed with Dread on one other point, too. "Fighting is not for everyone. Some think it is, and then the violence..." It was something Pride had struggled with, and he wondered if he should mention it. Cadenza did want to know more about him, but it didn't seem the sort of thing he wanted to confess aloud. Not now. "It changes you," he settled on. And it did. Or, if you were like Pride, you felt very little remorse as you lashed out and killed, and then wondered what was wrong with you. His sense of righteous justice had always overwhelmed pity or guilt, on that front. "But that is why we fight--so that not everyone has to. The Seven, I mean, not--us, not you;" and here he glanced solemnly to his child again. "We fight because there are so many who simply wish to live in peace, and they should be able to do so. As for exploration... and speaking about myself? I have been all over the caves--and seen much, in my time, though I'm hardly the oldest Gembound around. There have been near-wars. The lights have gone out. I have seen magical birds sweep through the caves, offering power to those who could aid them; I have seen the forces of Order driven back where they tried to gain a foothold and control the minds of peaceful Gembounds to do their bidding. I have seen betrayals, battle, and death; I have had family and seen games and raised children."

He glanced at them, gentle, warm amusement in his tone and expression. "So I am glad to speak of anything I have seen, be that cave or cave event, and teach you of it, if you'd like. My point is only... that I wouldn't know where to start." He paused, head tilting. "But perhaps you mean you want to know more... of who I am, not what I've done and seen-? I like to think I try to be a good, kind Gembound, and help those who need it, but of course I have my own demons to do battle with. -Metaphorically speaking. I try to be the best I can be at everything I do, simply so that I can take pride in knowing that I did my best, and never worry if I fail, because I know I did all that I could. -Ah, here is the garden," he interrupted himself, nodding up ahead.

The garden was small, but lush, its edges spreading out; it was one of those places Mercurius had tended for herbivores to have a place to graze. While it had only a small pool of water, it held a few baubled stones hanging from the branches for light, and a variety of plants within--edible grasses and brush, mainly, but also ferns and vines that gave the place an almost magical sort of feel.

Pride smiled. He cared deeply for Mercurius, and this place always felt like a part of him--even if Pride was linked to Mercy directly, mind-to-mind. It was like... coming home, in a way, every time he visited one of the lion's little sanctuaries. "Help yourself," he offered, stopping at its edge.

red deer img credit - dan seagrave

@Cadenza

A lesser that was bound to a greater gembound? That was odd, which meant it was definitely magic. Still they nodded towards the hare with respect. Their deer-dad clearly cared about this being, which made her important.

Though their dragon-dad was speaking quieter than usual, his words were no less powerful for it. Cadenza might be literally shining at the moment, but they were also metaphorically shining with delight at hearing their dragon-dad's pride with regards to them.

And while the offer to fight for them for free might have seemed awkward to some, to Cadenza it meant everything. They briefly turned their head towards their dragon-dad to make it clear whom they were speaking to. "Thank you, dad," Cadenza voiced their sincere gratitude laced heavily with fondness.

"The view is even better there?" They seemed surprised that was even possible. "I would like to fly there, and have you go with me using magic," They decided. "After I eat and drink a little?" They suggested.

When their deer-dad spoke about himself, Cadenza quickly found themself overwhelmed. There was a lot of information, most of which they did not know what to make of. Cadenza noted it all, of course. But they did not understand it all, for all they tried to. They could understand why their deer-dad would not know where to start- That was a lot, especially compared to them who had probably been awake for a total of a single day at the moment.

Sure, they were fully grown and had the thoughts to go with it. But, in comparison to their deer-dad, they felt so very young. They nodded in agreement about the 'who I am' concept. That sounded much easier and very important to know.

"How do you not worry?" They questioned with puzzlement.

They drank a little water, ate some plants, and then looked between their two dads as a thought occurred to them that stood out. "And... how many siblings do I have, exactly?" It was a question directed at both of their dads.

@Dread

i need to flip posting order for a round whoops

With the sound of Dread shuffling behind him and Cadenza walking alongside, Pride felt oddly companionable. He didn't often have company here, not like this--and when he did, it was usually a single visitor. It was nice, somehow, to have Gembounds here.

Cadenza's thanks, Pride noted, to Dread were met with a deep nod. And he himself nodded at their question that immediately followed. "It's very high up, so it allows you to see much of Orion from one place. I'd be happy to show you, yes."

Once he was in the garden, he stepped about himself, nibbling here and there at fruits and greens. He didn't eat much; he hadn't been all that hungry. But he thought he might as well, while he was here. As he did, he answered Cadenza's other question. Well--one of two. His tone, though, was thoughtful. "I had a friend--a very long time ago. They are still asleep; they were King of the Seven. They'd... been through a great deal, and held--if you don't mind keeping this between us--a great deal of anxiety." Livius's small, determined frame shone brightly in his memory. The weasel had been fierce, but worried--always worried--about so, so many things. "I think... worry serves a purpose. It gets you to think about potential dangers, so that you can plan ahead. But I've seen what it can do, in King Livius, when left unchecked. They fretted about everything," he added, flashing a smile toward Cadenza, trying to inject some humor into it. "So I try to do everything I can to the best of my ability, so there's nothing to worry about. If you've done your best, you cannot be blamed if you fail--and we all fail, at some time or another. The important thing is to learn from your mistakes, so that you grow in experience."

Well, that was a bit of a speech. Pride took a breath and pushed on; it was, it seemed, time to impart parental lessons. "But as I said, worry is natural. We all have it. It can't be avoided entirely. At those times, it's important to have someone to talk to about it. You're always welcome to come to me, if you like," he offered. "I once had a very good friend who made for an excellent listener, and I'd like to think I learned at least a little from him." He sent a warm thought Mercurius's way, too; the lion was a second close friend, and another from whom he took great comfort.

The stag took a mouthful of food, chewed, and swallowed, thoughtful.

"As for children..? Siblings, of yours?" He lifted his head, tilting it, silent for a moment. "There's Charity, and Arsu and Azizos; Thalia, Temperance, Jampa... Ember, but he is actually Dread's child--he grew up with me, though. You, of course! And Acheron. So-... On my side? If I do not include Ember, seven siblings... I think?"

red deer img credit - dan seagrave

Dread offered a deep nod in return to Cadenza's thanks. This was, in part, because "please" and "you're welcome" often eluded him. "Thank you" he knew by heart, but the other two sometimes... were forgotten.

He came to a halt at the edge of the garden, watching as the two wandered in, ate, and spoke. His mind was partly elsewhere--nowhere in particular, just not really here. He half-listened, only, to Pride.

Cadenza, though--he heard their every word. And when they asked of children, he waited first for Pride to answer, though his mind was already ticking back over his kids. He sat more upright, a little, sliding down some on his hind legs, wings propping him higher so his neck arched up, ember eyes peering down. It seemed to be a thoughtful pose, but even so, Dread rattled off his children in a swift list. He didn't seem to need to really try to recall them one by one--they were, very clearly, always in his mind.

"BONE AND SVARTIS AND BUG. AND YOU. AND EMBER AND CALLUM. AND THERE IS A STONE FROM THE CHICKEN WHO KEEPS FIGHTING ME. SHE SAID I WAS WORTHY AFTER I BEAT HER AND GAVE ME A PIECE BUT IT NEVER HATCHED," he added, sadly.

Such was life, it seemed.

@Cadenza