Ember's obsidian had stood in silent vigil at the edge of his forge, slowly growing as the creature inside formed. It had taken over a cycle - seemed the little creature had lingered inside a little bit. But like most other Gembound, the urge to get out and live had overtaken them.

The obsidian shell shudders, trembles, before splitting into shards of glass all over the cavern floor. And out slides Lahar, so small and round and blobby, in a thick coating of slimy muck. It's only mildly disgusting. Eyes blearily blink up, taking in the dim cavelight and tools scattered around.

She decides to loudly and proudly announce her presence with a big CHIRP!

@Ember

Now and then he'd cleaned up around the forge and stopped himself in the process of trying to move the chrysalis. He'd had to remind himself a few times now that this was a child, growing here. It still didn't seem real.

But--ahh. A crack. Ember had no more time to adjust.

He sat back, quiet, ready to intervene if necessary but otherwise observing and waiting. And out came the-... blob? His first thought was alarmed. Is it finished?! It didn't look finished. Would it be okay..?

The chirp sounded healthy enough, and Ember hesitated before speaking, unsure. "...Hi," he offered, and cleared his throat. "I'm Ember. I'm your dad."

Second-time father, only. His first kid had turned out okay, so why he felt this nervous he couldn't really say. But as it stood he felt anxious as heck.

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She turns, big ol' eyes turning to look at her 'father.' What did Father mean? It sounded nice. She stares up for a moment, and the world stares back. Well, specifically Ember. She settles for trying to mimic it, chirping, "Membeh! Membeh!"

Well, that wasn't quite right, but she was sure she'd figure it out eventually. She wiggles her little vestigal limbs, and the sludge around her flows slightly, pushing her a little closer to her father. His eyes and gemstone were warm in color, a mirror of the heat of the forge around them.

Her eyes close as she tilts her head up, a smile on her face. Only the cutest little blob-thingy!

@Ember

Oh, that was-... Close enough. He tried for a smile, then padded over--claws clicking on rock--and slowly lowered himself to lay before the child.

His heart was racing, but... warmed. The blob was--cute. I wonder what it looked like before-? If this was half him, it must've been something bizarre indeed. "Right," he offered, gentle. "Ember." A clawed forelimb pointed to himself where he lay. "Ember," and then he pointed to Lahar--"...and you?" Back and forth, questioning: "Ember... and?"

Otherwise, he'd just call them... Well, 'blob' wasn't a very good name.

He'd... think of something.

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"Embah?" she tries again, a little closer, still not quite there. But she would follow his pointing paw, watching it flick between the two of them. It takes a few tries for her to realize what he's trying to get across, but when she does, she proudly proclaims, "Lwahar!"

She'd need a little more practice, but Lahar seems to be figuring it out pretty quickly.

@Ember

Ember smiled, black lips curling upward to split the white fur of his muzzle. "Lwahar?" he repeated back, slowly and carefully. He could tell the child didn't quite have pronunciation down yet; he wanted to make sure he was saying it right. "That's right-? Lwahar?"

He'd tell them it was a good name, once he was sure of it. And some part of him was starting to feel that parental pull: the kid was... actually kinda cute, half-formed blob-ness aside.

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