Cadenza was reenergizing here before continuing their journey back to Leo. At first, one might think they were simply talking to themself. But, in truth, the dragon-deer was curled around the stones they intended to give life to, and though Cadenza knew they had not given life to them yet, they were already quite attached. Enough to view each as a living being worth talking to though they were not yet such.

"Right now, we are in Polaris. My dragon-dad called it a cave full of magic, and it is very bright here," Their musical voice explained. "The most beautiful cave I have seen, though, is Orion. The ceiling is covered in specks of light and it is very pretty. My deer-dad lives there. I considered going there, but instead we are going to the shore of Leo, where there is water that you may swim in, if any of you show a preference for such. My dragon-dad lives in Leo."

They paused simply to fondly gazed upon the stones they would revive. Cadenza felt overwhelming love for these still inanimate objects, simply because of their potential to become family.

@You

The slime blob had slowly traversed it's way to Polaris after separating from the Big Talking Thing it had met shortly after emerging into the world. It had eaten whatever organic matter it had encountered on the way- mostly decaying meat or plantmatter, as it was still too rudimentary to go anything capable of running away or defending itself. It had grown quite a bit, however- being now nearly two feet in diameter.

It wasn't aware of much- changing light and shadow it could sense with it's light spots. Vibrations of creatures moving that reverberated through its entire body like jello. Chemoreceptors that made of the bulk of it's food-locating senses. But, beyond that, it was aware of... energy. Sparking in it's very core. It pondered at this new energy for a moment, before reaching inward, tugging at it.

Something happened.

It wasn't sight- the kind it was used to nor beyond that. But it wasn't the hearing-feeling it was accustomed to, either. It was, more than anything else, like blips on a radar. It didn't have a concept of 'red,' but the feeling of distant heartbeats was familiar. So familiar, and so unusual, that it forgot it's own survival instincts for a moment. It slithered towards the loudest, bright beacon, abruptly realizing it was living when it bumped into something warm, moving, and organic.

It's body slurped back onto itself at a surprising speed, the outermost portion of it's body bristling into soft spines. While it was mean to replicate the fur on a mammal, such as a cat, it was more similar visually to the cerata of a nudibranch. It vibrated slightly, it's body strobing colors of red, yellow, and white.

@Cadenza

Cadenza paused as something strange feeling touched them briefly, so they twisting around but still were curled protectively around the gemstones. They were surprised to see a florescent being of no type they had ever seen before. It was very small, especially compared to them. And it looked scared.

They were not sure whether this was a lesser or greater gembound, but they felt the urge to soothe this little being. This being seemed young, for all that they knew not what it was. Not that they would not have soothed it if it was older, but their parental instincts were strong at the moment, and those instincts could not abide by scaring a child of any kind.

"Did you spook yourself, little one?" Cadenza's musical voice inquired, tone soft and meant to sound even more calming than usual. "I will not hurt you, I promise. My name is Cadenza. Do you speak? If you do speak, do you have a name?" The deer-dragon inquired gently.

@You

It continued it's little threat display for a couple moments longer, wiggling it's sea slug-fur and strobing colors that it couldn't even see. When nothing descended upon it with piercing teeth nor crushing jaws, it relaxed- warning colors pausing, cerata lying flat on it's body.

The musical vibrations chimed through it's formless body like crystal, clear and sharp and with a fraction more meaning than it had gathered from the smaller furred beast. Safety. It knew there was safety because it hadn't died yet, but also it just.. knew. Through language it couldn't parse, it knew.

It's color faded back to it's neutral poppy seed speckled white, although flushed with a pulsing lilac-blue. A pseudo-pod carefully extended, reaching to touch Cadenza in roughly the same spot it had prior. It was like a fleshy room-temperature water balloon filled with corn syrup. So, quite strange but not entirely unpleasant.

@Cadenza

The dancing lights of the little being did calm down after a moment. Cadenza observed the creature with curiosity.

It had not answered them, but the deer-dragon was uncertain whether that was due to a lack of comprehension of words spoken or an inability to speak. It could, perhaps, be both. Yet, the little being had relaxed when they had spoken, yet that could have been their tone.

Cadenza obligingly stayed still as a pseudopod reached for them. "You are a curious little being," They state with musical warmth.

"In your own way, you are rather cute," They decided.

@You

The pseudopod stayed for a long moment, touching the not-fur and curious of it's properties. Like stone but living. It could still feel the thrumming heart-beat. Life vibration. The sound of red. It echoed in the distance, too, but the big living-stone musical-voice creature was the biggest source of it. The vibration of it would've shaken it's bones if it had any, but as it was it just shook it's gelatinous biomass instead.

More sound-vibration it could only vaguely understand. It WANTED to understand. It wanted to know. It wanted to be more than it was, like the living-music-stone and the first one, with their soft pelt it could only fail to replicate. It felt frustration for the first time, and it was a strange, powerful, and confusing feeling.

It's body quivered softly, like ripples across a disturbed pond. For a long time it did nothing, taking in Cadenza's warmth and angry at it's own inability to return it. Then it smushed it'd entire body against Cadenza's side, an awkward attempt at a hug or nuzzle.

@Cadenza