A few days after hatching from her chrysalis, Desire had not only explored a good portion of Eridanus (or it seemed that way, to one of her size), but had also managed to find her way out of it. It was a frightening thing, venturing from the damp, shadowed safety of the leaf cover to the open tunnel rock tunnel, but the world had been doused in black before her birth, and so she received some comfort.

Not long after she had slithered from her birth-cave, a strange being of many wings and heads had flown above, calling out some request for colored rocks. She wasn't quite sure what the whole ordeal was about; she had been so enamored by the golden head that she may very well have agreed to do anything it asked. So, she intended to find a matching rock. Desire spent a good while navigating the tunnels, brushing past all sorts of pebbles and larger stones, and she intended to do so until she found what she was looking for.

And suddenly, it was there. The golden stone.

It was not at all like the tunnel it lay within, dank and crumbling and dark, but this was something light and glimmering and she knew it was for her. Quickly she slid up to the stone and grasped it in her mouth, determined to bring it to the ethereal being. It was in this childlike joy that she neglected to pay any mind to her surroundings, or those that might walk among them.

@Envy

Envy's search for red stones would carry them out of Orion for the first time in their entire life; but not too far from it at all. They'd come to see Orion as somewhat of a safe haven, where they were capable of finding food and water by themselves. But now they didn't need to eat or drink anymore. There was less need for them to stick around now that they no longer needed to eat or drink, and so they were beginning to broaden their horizons.

The only thing that kept them tethered to Orion was the slim chance of possibly seeing their Mamma again, but even that thread was stretching thinner and thinner each time they woke and she wasn't there.

Their limbs carried them on wider circles every hour until finally, they'd left Orion entirely, and emerged into a narrow tunnel. They loped on down the tunnel before quickly turning back to glance the way of Orion. In the darkness, though, they couldn't see much.

The little weasel held their breath and pushed their focus inward, down into their gem. A shudder of power swept over their fur in a way that they'd never felt before, a way that made them shudder and twitch and the world around lit up, their lilac eyes flashing in the dark. They cast their gaze around and continued, knowing that the stones they sought would come easily, now.

However, rocks weren't the only thing they saw; there was something close by, something holding a yellow stone; something thinner but much longer than they were, and holding a yellow stone. It wasn't red, so they weren't offended, but Envy still slunk up to them curiously. The weasel kept around three feet of distance between the two in the dark, then rose up onto their hind paws and looked down on them.

"Who are you? And... What happened to your legs?" Envy almost felt sorry for them. They had to be just as unlucky as they were, and so their voice betrayed something nearing kinship. That being said, their voice was rough and they made a conscious effort to sound as though they couldn't care less. They were getting better at this whole... 'pretending' thing.

---

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

tags: here
notes: here

Startled, Desire dropped the yellow stone and recoiled, hissing as ferociously as she could muster. A furry creature stood in the dark - on two legs, no less! - a few feet away. Two lilac eyes stared at the little snake, making her curl up even more. She was exposed, vulnerable. She had been so careless...she thought of Khloros's words, that creatures ate other creatures, ones that could talk, and how she ought to-
Wait, really?

Desire looked at the weasel for a good long moment - one more couldn't hurt, could it? Then, she looked at herself. She was small, sure, and on the ground, but this - this thing was tiny! What kind of creature could be smaller than her? Quickly the fear subsided and gave way to an increasingly brazen curiosity, though she remained on edge and kept her distance. Desire raised her head above her coiled form, meeting the stranger in height.

"Ah. Small." No, no. That wasn't the question. What had it said...? Oh! "My name is Desire." She looked at her white body, and thought for about a half-second. "I never had any legs." Her voice was a rasp and a hiss, tied to both the structure of her mouth and the one that had helped her to speak. She looked at the tiny brown creature, standing on its back legs. It reminded her of the mouse she'd first killed, days ago. Other mice had come and gone since, but none of them spoke. Desire looked curiously at the other creature. "What kinds of things do you eating?"

@Envy

The strange creature's initial aggressive reaction to their appearance sent Envy recoiling onto all fours, baring their own little teeth in what they hoped was a ferocious display, and they weren't about to forget that even when the snake seemed to calm. Envy backed away somewhat distrustfully. They glowered at the serpent's yellow stone, and then cast about their darkness-penetrating gaze for something red.

Their words caused a spark of indigence to rise in their chest, and they rose once again onto their hind paws, looking offended. You nearly attack me, and then your first thought is to comment on my height? A 'sorry' would have been better... Envy puffed out the fur along their spine, trying to look bigger, and stronger. They tried their best to seem unconcerned by the injury to their pride, but when they spoke their voice was whining and insulted. "I'm not smaaaall..." they hissed, folding their paws against their chest.

They tilted their head in response to the snake's name, clearly intrigued. This one's name wasn't like everyone else's. it was like theirs. Desire. Did that count as stealing? They wanted to think it did. The weasel's nose crinkled curiously, blinking. For a second, they looked every bit as curious as a child their age should as they peered closely at the snake, their tail twitching and paws fidgeting.

But then Envy turned their face away as they remembered the snake's previous grievances. They didn't want to like this snake. They didn't want to like anyone. They were still offended at being called small, and they knew now, better than ever, that trusting was a bad idea. Still, they allowed their gaze to flicker the way of the curious noodle, and then they harrumphed. "I'm Envy. So, what do you desire, Desire?"

They couldn't help but crack the smallest of smirks, revealing the tips of their canine teeth.

The snake then told the weasel that they'd never had any legs. That was kinda sad, they thought... maybe they deserved just a little bit of leeway for that. With a gruff shrug, the small creature sank back onto all fours. In their mind's eye, they still saw the snake's lack of legs as a product of sickness rather than their species, and perhaps that was a good thing. Otherwise, they might have taken offense.

"Eat? I don't eat. Not any more," Envy responded the question coolly, unable to resist the chance to boast. Of course, fish were tasty, and so were mice, but everyone else needed such things to survive, and they didn't. Surely they'd shower them with the respect they deserved? "Oh, and I don't drink, either... Cool, right?"

---

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

tags: @Desire
notes: here

The stranger's reaction had been immediate and sputtering, a toothy grimace and trembling form. The little creature puffed up a bit; Desire thought it looked a bit silly. Desire was forgiving; she was small too, compared to Khloros, and the tunnels, and apparently everything except Envy. At least she was going to grow, and for Envy's sake, she hoped they would too.

Envy. "Envy." She repeated the name and thought about it a while, tried to think of it as a word and not a name. "What does Envy mean?" She said aloud, accidentally. She didn't really know what "desire" meant either, but... there was always time to learn. Envy's next statements were of greater interest.

Desire's eyes grew wide. "You don't eat?" If only! "I'm trying to make my magic do that...I wish..." She looked sadly at the tunnel floor. Her kills were not often as painless as that first one had been; many times she had to strangle her prey for a long while, feel them writhing and gasping in her tightening grasp. She shuddered. "I don't like making things hurt," she said, finally, looking at Envy. They look like something to eat, but things that spoke were not for eating, and that was good.

"What do you do to not eat?" All Desire could do was make plants sprout from her back, which was nice, but they wilted and died shortly after and never made the pretty flowers and things she could find in Eridanus. She wanted to go back there, now that she thought of it, but it seemed so far away now... and she had stones to collected. As she awaited Envy's response, the white python slithered over to collect the yellow stone and dropped it within the circle that her coiled body made where she finally sat. She would covet this object until it belonged to the golden thing, and then she would covet his love and adoration. Quietly she looked up at Envy with ruby eyes, melancholic but interested.

@Envy

Envy blinked as they were questioned on their name, but not in the way that they were used to... well. Not yet, at least. Perhaps their tune would change when they explained. They tilted their head slightly, still grinning their sharp-toothed grin. "Envy is when you want something that someone else has," they said simply, gaze combing over Desire, still curious.

Then Envy puffed their chest out in pride as the snake's wonder was known. Finally, some recognition for their feats at so young an age! They looked at desire down their nose, triumph prickling their fur. "Nope! never gonna eat or drink again!" the weasel said proudly, determined to milk their newfound admirer for all the appreciation they could show, even though the little one's ribs were clearly visible beneath their fur; although they didn't need to eat, there wasn't any weight to be gained from it. However, as they expressed interest in learning it for themselves, Envy frowned. "Why would you wanna do that?" they asked, as if they were almost offended. "If you can eat, why would you wanna waste being able to?"

Envy shook their head slightly, closing their eyes as though trying to get their head around things. When they opened them again, they were slightly narrowed. Envy's magic was theirs, and they didn't want anyone else to 'steal' it from them.

When Desire explained their situation- even though they gave away few details -Envy found themselves shaking their head. "I don't think you can," they said in mock sadness. "It has to be a really special need to give you the power. When I was almost starved I learned to not eat. Then when I was about to die of thirst, that's when I absorbed water. But now I can do it whenever I want!"

Envy thought deeply for a while, before jumping up onto their haunches in sudden excitement as they had an idea. "What's your magic like? Perhaps I could help you find a different way! One that's even better!" ...and of course, then Envy would learn it too!

They'd make the best teacher.

---

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

tags: @Desire
notes: here

Envy is when you want something someone else has.
She could understand that.
She wanted Envy's magic. She wanted the golden bird's adoration. She understood, she thought.

Desire sighed as she listened to the creature's boasts. I wish. She tilted her head curiously at Envy's question, watched them shake their head. Sadly the creature told her that it was unlikely that she could ever learn. Desire looked at the ground, at her yellow stone. Maybe if I didn't eat...? No, if I don't eat then I won't get any bigger. I want to grow... She was lost in thought for a few moments, until Envy jumped up. Desire flinched with surprise, adrenaline rushing for a few minutes after. She listened closely to the little creature, nodding.

"Hmm," she thought for a moment, "I can make plants. It's never let me eat before, but I'll try." Khloros had asked her if she could once before, but sprouts had only grown weakly from her back. She hoped this would be different. Then she focused on her magic, trying to see what it would bring.

The familiar feeling of roots tickling her scales took hold, little green sprouts growing only tiny beginnings of leaves, stems still white at the base. Desire looked sadly upon the plants, but not too sadly, for she was unsurprised. She shook her head and looked at Envy. "See. It didn't work. You were right." At least they were pretty, she thought, and looked healthier than the last few times she'd grown them. Maybe one day they could be flowers! That would be nice.

Desire flicked out her forked tongue, tasting the dank tunnel air. "What other powers do you have? I want to see yours. " She waited quietly, musing over her sprouts once more.

@Envy

Envy watched intently, eyes narrowing as the young snake grew little shoots from their back. It was interesting, but Envy didn't think it was as cool as what they or Flicker could do. They felt a tug at their heart, and a furrow came into their brow. They still couldn't do anything like that, and they huffed softly to themselves. But that aside, Envy personally thought that Desire's powers were kind of lame. It gave them a serene sort of triumph and made them like the snake a little more.

The weasel nodded, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe you can eat the plants," Envy said after a time. "That's what the little mice do, right? And if not, maybe there's some kind of magic that allows you to do that. There's magic for just about everything. Just... do what you just did, but try to... y'know... not do that. Make the magic go somewhere else. Tell it not to grow flowers." Envy nodded matter-of-factly, feeling wise and knowledgeable.

At their request, Envy sat back on their hind paws to think. What would impress this creature the most? Envy had surprised everyone when their magic twigged that weird fog-spell. And now they could even do it without being mad! It did't take much to decide. Envy sucked in their breath and focused on the power they held inside.

A shudder passed over and through them, causing their tail fur to stand on end, and as the young one opened their mouth, a thick, black fog seeped out, quickly enshrouding them. When they opened their eyes, they were blazing bright lilac in the dark, and behind the mask of fog their expression simply oozed with triumph

---

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

tags: @Desire
notes: here

Desire remained unconvinced that she could ever eat plants, even if she could somehow grow them somewhere else. She just wasn't made for it, she supposed, and she'd have to live her life through death. Her magic couldn't even manage to grow flowers - all it could muster were little green and white shoots with little, shiny leaves. Flowers would be nice. At least they'd be prettier, and maybe then she wouldn't feel quite so bad about it. Maybe.

Desire watched in awe as a fog, somehow blacker than the tunnel, it seemed, slid out of Envy's mouth and enveloped the air around them. It was an amazing magic; all of a sudden Envy became almost menacing and much larger without a body to see. Their eyes shone brilliant lilac in the dark, a thousand times more...something. She didn't know the word, not yet, but she liked looking at pretty things and Envy's eyes were such things. "That's amazing, Envy." her excitement had been lulled to a quiet and appreciative awe. "Does it do anything?" of the minimal encounters she'd had with gembounds, no one had shown her such a spell. The magic she had seen served a purpose. Did this?


@Envy

Envy coiled, their chest puffing out and white teeth visible in a wide grin as the fog began to dissipate. "W-well, it sometimes happens when I get real mad, so I'm sure when it happens it makes people super scared, and... Maybe when I close my eyes it'd be good for hiding?" Envy hastily came up with a practical use, shaking off their embarrassment that they hadn't found one. "...But I can do other things too! That's just the coolest, not the most useful. I can also see in the dark and make my fur change colour! And there's also the eating and drinking..."

Envy combed their mind for more spells. "...I don't think the useful ones ever look so cool." They puffed themselves up with pride as they listed all that they had learned but it still didn't feel like enough. as the last of the fog drifted away from their paws, Envy decided that they wanted to demonstrate again. They didn't know why, but this little white snake made them want to show off.

Envy decided to change their fur colour; maybe that would be more noticeably useful, and they remembered their Mamma and Amras being impressed when they'd done so. Maybe they could do it again, but better? Envy smirked, narrowing their eyes in determination, and raised themselves up as far as they could, trying to appear intimidating and strong before the much larger snake. "Watch this!" they demanded.

Envy closed their eyes and concentrated hard, reaching for the magic that lay inside of themselves. They soon felt the magic responding to their touch, prickling and rippling over their fur. A ripple of greens and purples spread at first over them, but in their head Envy was trying to create a plan. What would make Desire the most impressed? Envy opened their eyes and glanced at the snake. A slow, focused grin crawled across their face.

They took a good, long look, and then returned to the magic bubbling inside of themselves, felt waves like the caress of spiders' legs down their fur which sent shudders of excitement through them. Their fur flushed pale, and then bloomed until it was a pale, snowy white, flecks of pale grey trying to replicate the mottles across Desire's smooth hide. The patterns were ever-shifting and never quite right, though, and Envy's fur soon faded back to brown. They quickly flopped back onto all fours, drooping their head in exhaustion that they tried to hide with a toothy grin despite the breaths whistling past.

"Th-there! That's useful, right?"

---

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

tags: @Desire
notes: here