It had been cycles since Envy had last come to Eridanus and their fur, in its new sickly-green hue, blended in quite nicely compared to how it had all those cycles ago. They'd come here on a whim seeking a change of scenery from the dull greys of Orion, and they definitely weren't dissatisfied in that endeavour. They found themselves sorely tempted to sniff at everything and start climbing the tree roots, which they did.

Of course, solely for the purpose of insight into the world around them. Obviously.

Envy scaled the roots with somewhat serpentine grace, and when it came to the tree's trunk, they sank in their claws to the jagged bark and continued to climb up towards one of the lower branches, so that falling wouldn't be too much of a disaster. Reaching it, the weasel sat upright on their hind paws, balancing precariously for a moment as their nose twitched to a rich jungle cocktail of scents, nearly intoxicating in their richness and intensity.

Among all the floral scents and the heady scent of decay, though, Envy picked up on something more familiar; the scent of another Gembound, and, from what they could tell, relatively fresh. Beady eyes glistened with curiosity. The weasel darted up to the base their branch and began to wriggle their way down the trunk backwards, clinging to it like an exceptionally slow squirrel.

"Speech."

@Pride

Pride was... practicing.

Some of his attempts had been fantastic, and he'd been sure of success; then others had turned out to be a total disaster. Before him lay a long row of small stones, and each was coated in tree sap. The coatings were mostly fairly thin and even, though they varied somewhat.

Behind him, however--that was the older pile. The reject pile. A good fifty or sixty stones lay here, some wholly thickly drenched in liquid goop, others somehow charred black, still others with cracked, damaged half-coatings. One was even--by some unknown horrific twist--half-shattered in its encasing sap cocoon.

With a soft snort he nudged his latest attempt; it was a little sticky, but other than that, it was good. He'd managed a decent--even good--uniformity by now.

The young deer took a few steps back, raising his long and slender neck. He was nearly fully-grown, now; a young adult stag, with the long tines atop his head that promised great and branching antlers some day. He was much larger, now, too: a good two hundred pounds, though slender. His coat was still white, and still fine and short, with no stag's mane yet to be seen--but his gaze as he looked down was quite mature and thoughtful.

And pale.

The irises themselves--the pupils, too--were a milky white, rather than the silver grey of before. He had to look very closely to see what he was doing, and it was the nudge of his nose that told him his work was good.

It isn't perfect. But it is good, and it's consistent. It's probably the best I'll manage. Pride again blew air out through his nostrils, thoughtful, and looked over his stones.

@Envy

Envy made it to the roots of the tree and bounded back onto the mossy ground. They raised their nose to briefly sniff, and then bounded after the scent. As the scent grew stronger, it became intertwined with another scent- bitter, earthy, and mildly unpleasant. Envy followed it, and came upon a mound of sap-covered stones which reeked of that strange substance- which Envy could now tell was tree sap. They peered past it, and saw a pale shape towering, along with a row of more sappy stones.

Their heart lifted slightly though, at the sight; they had been right after all, and the scent was of Pride, the fawn they'd seen last a cycle or two ago. Though they'd never admit it.

"Pride! It's been a while." The weasel slid forward so that they stood by the stag's bowed head. The young deer had grown a lot, they realized, with a trace of resentment. He must almost be an adult now. But if Envy was to become his leader he'd make a strong right-hand stag indeed. And Envy had to remind themselves that that was important. To distract themselves from their jealousy, Envy patted one of the weird stones with a forepaw pointedly, and curiously. "What's these for?"

"Speech."

@Pride

Pride heard Envy's voice--and caught their scent--far before he saw them. He turned his head, watching the vaguely-shifting, small dark blotch moving toward his stones, and tilted his head a little. He had to study them through the milky haze to get an idea of their shape, even.

I can barely see enough to walk, let alone to do--this... he fretted. Was he risking too much..?

"Envy? That is you, yes?" he asked in his melodic, fluting voice. "This is-... practice. I may have a way to help you, though it is risky and--I must say it--it will be difficult to perform now. My vision has been damaged," he added. His tone was aloof, but soft; he wasn't bothered, just well-spoken, as ever.

He paced around to one side to give Envy full access to the stones. "I have been learning to move small drops of tree sap with my mind, then heat them, and then solidify them with cold. I was thinking that it might help at least the surface of your stone, though it won't do much for you where it contacts the flesh. A coating to protect the rest of your mouth might be useful?"

Pride looked to the stones, and then to the weasel, patient, and a little concerned. He wanted to try this--he was ready, or as ready as he could be--but he was unsure about the chances. The last thing he wanted to do was make things worse.

@Envy

Pride seemed... off. Something was different compared to last time. They opened their mouth in surprise. Pride barely recognized them! "Of course it is! How many handsome green weasels do you know?" Pride went on to describe potentially helping them- that was what these stones were for? The weasel's tongue curled In their mouth, tasting the smooth marble surface on the back of their tongue. But Pride also said that his vision had been damaged. "Hold up, hold up. One thing at a time- damaged? What do you mean, damaged?"

So, Pride... couldn't see. That made more sense. They found that the fur along their back began to prickle involuntarily. What had happened? They also found themselves looking again at the sap-covered stones that Pride had produced- for them. They turned back to Pride, rising up onto their hind paws to help with consideration ads they combed their chest fur with their paws. The more Pride spoke, the more he felt a little bit of a knot in his belly, and an obvious hesitation growing. What were they supposed to say? Pride had tried so hard. For some reason, Envy found the obvious answer of -I said not to bother!- catching in their throat.

"-Perhaps," Envy agreed finally, although there was hesitation in their voice. They didn't want to admit that, with their recent discovery of healing magic, the swelling had gone down. But wouldn't this help with the remaining problem? of the gem itself? Somehow, Envy didn't think that the bitter-smelling sap would taste too good, either. "Uuhh. How about we wait until your eyes work again. Tell me about your vision. What happened?"

Their tail bristled.


"Speech."

@Pride

He was disappointed, a little, but he quickly disregarded that. This was Envy's risk, and he wasn't about to pressure them--they were right, really. Better to wait-... but.

"I am... unsure that it will improve," he admitted quietly, "but we can wait, and find out."

He stepped a little away from the stones, delicately, offering Envy a brief nuzzle of greeting before lifting his head high and looking idly around. Granted, everything was vaguely-shaped blurs of color, but his ears and nose were working, too. He had no desire to get leapt upon by a predator whilst chit-chatting.

Satisfied that all was still clear, he spoke. "I was attacked, quite without reason, by another creature. A bird of some kind--I suggest you watch out for it. It is brown, with a long, black neck and a white patch on each cheek, a very jagged beak, and a strange... amalgamation, I suppose, of spines along its chest. In the ensuing fight one of my own spells hit too close and blinded me--that is my own fault, really." He shook his head lightly.

"Still, I warn you to be wary. The creature was mad--ranting of philosophy and morality--but utterly immune, I'm afraid, to the 'sickness' of logic. Anyone that would try to kill a hatchling should be put down, really. It is a mad and dangerous creature. And," he added--and here, his half-blind eyes narrowed some, and he stamped one silvery hoof--"It tore free a bit of my fur. I would like to see it again, if only to take that back--or to kill it," he added. He felt no moral qualms about potentially killing Blackberry, even in cold blood, whatsoever.

"Do you know where Reseda is? I wished to warn her too but I cannot travel well like this, and I don't know if she would be back in Canis. If you see the thing, avoid it; but tell me. I would like to try to kill it, this time."

@Envy

Envy didn't know how to respond to that except with a low and unhappy grunt. What could they say? "...Maybe magic can help. Have you tried? I have magic that improves vision. Maybe something of that sort," Envy offered after a while, brightening, with uncharacteristic optimism. They remembered how they'd aided Amazon, how grateful she'd been. Surely there'd be something that they could offer Pride, too, even though it was a far cry from his usual magic. Maybe just healing would be enough.

They accepted the nuzzle of greeting with a small and awkward pat of a paw to the deer's nose. The weasel watched Pride draw back and listen, tail twitching, unsure of what the deer was looking for. But he was soon finished, and the weasel sank back down onto all fours to listen.

"Attacked?" Envy hissed, suddenly alert. They felt a stab of anger that anyone should touch PRide- not that they considered the deer one of their possessions- yet. But of course, there was very little the weasel could do. They listened impatiently as Pride described the bird, nodding to each aspect In turn. That didn't sound so bad. They'd never heard of a bird with spikes, though. And they'd never encountered a bird larger than themselves. It seemed that Pride had been the one to blame for his loss of vision- but that didn't change who started it. "They started it, though," Envy pointed out indignantly, voice high with anger.

This sounded like bad news. Like the bird reversed the meaning of everything it 'stood' for. But Envy didn't feel like it'd be any particular danger to them- after all, they were an expert at blending in and they thought that their silver tongue had been particularly well-polished as of late. Perhaps the bird could even open doors for them. If they could perhaps stop it, or wound it, or talk some sense into it, then they'd look like a true king... "Huh? Uh- I agree," the weasel finally said sheepishly. "It... took some of your fur? Why?" Envy seemed baffled, but also intrigued. Something of a little plot was beginning to take shape in their weaselly little mind. "You would, huh? Hmm."

Pride went on to discuss seeing Reseda again, which caused the mustelid to shoot up onto two feet again. They remembered something else they wanted to discuss with Pride- something they thought might be of interest to him. "Haven't seen her for a while. But I know she was in Orion, and recently. I met a little bird, a baby bird called Lust- Reseda named them. Like she named you, yes?" Envy felt a wave of satisfaction as they thought of their first proper subject as a king, and paused to let the words sink in. "Lust is living next to my den, now. They call me King Envy." They gestured proudly to their green-tinted chest fur, expecting a reaction.

"Speech."

@Pride

Pride eyed Envy with amusement. "Yes, she did start it," he agreed. He blamed her wholeheartedly as well, and while he said he wanted to kill her--and probably wouldn't feel a thing in doing so--it wasn't really his plan, either.

"The fur was taken as a prize, Envy, and as a trophy. While I congratulate you on being called King," he added, "I would also say that should you find this goose, and help me get that fur back, then this... 'Lust' would not be the only one to call you this. I cannot do it alone, not with these eyes, but anyone who did help would have my loyalty. I would go so far as to swear an oath of it. But," he added, in a tone of warning. "it is a vicious thing. I do not think it to be particularly dangerous, but it can cut with bill and talons, so do not get yourself hurt."

He liked Envy well enough, and did not want them hurt, or dying, on his behalf. Not for a mere scrap of fur. But if they did manage..? Well, if they did, he would be in their debt. Obviously.

"Perhaps we ought to find Reseda, if she is still in Orion? She should be warned. And you should warn 'Lust,' as well."

@Envy

Envy's eyes widened, they felt their fast-beating heart hammer, swelling inside their ribcage. The little green weasel couldn't help but feeling a tide of excitement swell inside their chest, making them want to jump for joy. Pride's loyalty, and fealty, sworn by oath... that was something they craved. And if they were truly to lead Reseda's ragtag little team, it was a must. But they used every ounce of their acting ability to stay calm, their excitement expressed mainly in the bristling of every inch of fur on their form, and the increasing speed of their paws combing their chest.

"...Is that so?" Envy asked, trying to hide their desire to leap on the opportunity at once. They didn't want Pride to feel like he had them wrapped around their hoof so soon. So they pretended to consider it, humming lowly to themselves and pacing in a slow circle. "Well, it... certainly wouldn't be too hard with abilities like mine..."

Pride added that he didn't think the goose to be particularly dangerous, something that sealed the deal even more. Being a king wasn't worth anything if they weren't alive to see it. They struggled to quell their rampant enthusiasm. Luckily, Pride distracted them for a moment. "Ah. I probably should. Something tells me Lust wouldn't deal with a rampaging goose that well. I'm not sure about Reseda, though. She's probably long gone, by now."

"Speech."

@Pride

Pride gave the closest thing a deer could manage to a shrug.

"Well, it is your decision, I suppose." He was not feeling cunning, or coy; he wasn't even really deliberately manipulating the weasel, though certainly he was capable of doing such things without remorse. More, it was a plain offer, laid out: an exchange, with the currency of loyalty for the tradeable service of potential murder.

It made him wonder, really; were there those who would kill others, merely for shiny objects, or for food? It might be an exciting and interesting life... and a useful one, for those who needed such things.

"Where is Lust now?" he asked. "We can meet them now, warn them, if you wish."

@Envy