the   thorn produces delicate roses
sharp

The soft pitter-patter of pawsteps came through the Canis entrance. Sharp, two gold nuggets clutched uncomfortably in her mouth, walked into the bone room with the intent to find more stuff. While Polaris was wonderful in it's own right, it didn't give her much to trade with, so she was trying the next best option. Here, there were bones, and stones, and if she was lucky she might stumble upon some of those weird things she saw in the Jupiter-den too! Maybe she could even impress Dread by finding something mega-awesome, like a massive mountain of gold and quartz! That's what dragons like, right?

Wait a second. Hadn't she heard about someone here? Sharp had overheard somewhere (likely during that Orion meeting) about a "Collector", who was someone who gave... goods? That must've been it. She hadn't had much success on her own, but she wasn't going to give up on the promise of shinies. Maybe he could help her?

Sharp gently set down her stones in a secluded crevice near the tunnel opening and went scurrying down. How did one find a "Collector", anyways? Did you have to hunt one down like a rabbit (she certainly hoped not)? Did you just have to wait for one to appear? Though there was one thing Sharp knew, and that was if you don't know what to do about something, just shout at it until it resolved itself.

And so she did. Sharp heaved a big, dramatic gasp and then went sprinting through the bones as fast as her stubby legs could take her. "Collector? Collector? Colleeccttoorr?" she cried, her shrill voice echoing softly against the fossils. She spun around a corner and went clambering again. "Co-llec-tor!" The lizard finally stopped to catch her breath. She'd hardly been running for more than a few dozen seconds, but doing so was hard while shouting into the air, having stubby, weak legs, and trying to dodge all those bones. She only had to hope that 1.) the beast had heard her call and that 2.) he was willing to engage with a dull, oblivious child like her.

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@Game Master Dark

Two quiet clicks emitted from behind Sharp the moment she next paused, and a smooth and silky voice called out from only a few yards away.

"That would be me," it said.

For a moment, The Collector wondered if this were the little lizard that had nearly died, once or twice--that silly little pet of Tenzin's--but no, it didn't seem to be. Similar, yes; but a tad different, and younger, too.

Innocent.

Hm.

The tall and hooded figure swept into a low bow, his cloak whispering dramatically along the floor. "And to whom do I have the pleasure of addressing myself?" he asked her, crooning.

@Sharp

the   thorn produces delicate roses
sharp

Sharp spun around in surprise as a voice seemed to answer from behind her. Sure enough, a figure was there, standing as if he'd always been there. Did he... fly? She wasn't quite sure, so she just scrapped the thought. The beast was giant, seeming to loom over her despite being several yards away. Pitch-black horns and an odd cloak marked his silhouette, the latter of which reminded her of those odd pelts Serendipity wore. But unlike Dip, he didn't radiate kindness. Sharp didn't exactly catch onto that last part very well-- the instinctive half of her little lizard brain yelled at her to run away from the predator, but she quickly tuned it out. The Collector was going to help her out like an awesome friend, so there was no need to fear! Right?

Sharp's goofy, innocent grin grew even larger as the figure gave a dramatic bow. "I'm Sharp! I'm Sharp-and-Spiky!" she chirruped, head straining to meet his ruby eyes. "I heard you have stuff! And I'm looking for stuff!" -- she took a deep breath before continuing -- "You see, there was this scary-friend-with-wings, right? I think he was a 'draa-gun'. And he had shiny stuff, and I wanted shiny stuff, but he said I had to get him stuff before he gave me stuff. And I tried to find some things myself but it was really hard so I thought 'I know! I find awesome Collecty-friend and get a gifty-thing to trade!" the exultant sungazer rambled, her gem-studded tail flicking excitedly with every breath. "Do you have something cool I could give to scary-friend? Something so awesome, it'd impress a dragon?" Her large eyes peered up to his shadowed face, acting more like a child begging for candy than one making a deal with a shady entity. "It'd be really nice, and I bet he'd thank you a million times!"

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@Game Master Dark

So, two notes, the Collector made to himself: first, that this one was a babbler, and second--she was getting things for Dread.

Now that was interesting. Dread was one of the creatures with great... potential, at least in terms of the Collector's goals. He'd tampered with it before, but it had been surprisingly, if briefly, controlled. Or, rather, it had probably gotten confused before it'd carried out his plans.

Well, Vargas was a Master, now; there'd be no tampering in that direction but perhaps there was another answer...

The Collector swept closer, folding his arms across his chest, lifting one hand to tap too-long black claws against what was likely his face beneath the hood. (Who knows.) "Sharp (and Spiky), is it? A pleasure to meet you. Your request is a fascinating one," he went on. He circled, pacing, "hmm"ing thoughtfully and tapping claws. At length he turned back to face Sharp, as though he'd had an idea. "In fact, I think I might have just the thing-!"

Had Sharp been larger, stronger, than Dread, he might've tried to convince her to trade directly with him. But Dread's use to him was much, much greater; this could be fun. "Ahh, but alas... I think you are too small to carry it. I will tell you what: find a way--not another Gembound, but a method!--of moving things around the cave, and I will grant you this boon: a gift to Dread, one he will adore, I promise you-"

Oh, wait. Hell, he'd seen that 'gift,' hadn't he-? Would it matter..? He had time--time to figure this out.

"There are magics that can carry things, and objects, but you cannot enlist the help of other Gembound to actually carry the thing. It must remain secret, you see? No one else must see it, or know about it. So, there will be a cost. There is another Gembound who rather likes Dread, and I'll ask you to bring a message from him, and claim the gift has come from him--yes?" A pause, a smile, the glint of teeth behind the hood. "But first: you must find a way to carry it."

@Sharp

the   thorn produces delicate roses
sharp

The Collector was, to Sharp, enthralling. He was so tall! He had a cool cloak! And best of all, he had stuff to share! Her pointed head trailed him as he walked with even more excitement than she usually possessed. She would get the best gift ever! Dread would be so impressed! Maybe he would even teach her how to be big-scary too!

It was what he said next that bent her mind around. Find... method? Sharp wasn't exactly a very intellectual gembound. There weren't many thoughts in that head of hers that didn't revolve around existing things. Think about food? Yes. Think about friends? Yes. Think about shinies? Double yes. But thinking of something that didn't exist yet was... unusual. She wasn't very proficient in magic, and what she did have was just showy sparks. She'd have to find someway else to do it.

And the second part. A gembound who likes scary-friend and has a message? Seemed easier to comprehend, but she still had to find out move-gift-method before she could actually get the gift.

Still, she needed some questions answered before she could fully wrap her head around this. "Will do, collecty-friend! Will be super secret!" she chirped towards the figure. "But who is Rather-Likes-Dread that I meet? Where do I meet Rather-Likes? And I bring message-gift to you, right?

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@Game Master Dark
(i'm so sorry i forgot to place the little space after the tag lol)

The Collector gave a wave of his hands--gently dismissive--and spoke.

"Ahh, I'll have to explain all of that once it's time, hm? Go find a way to carry this, and come back to me. Then, I'll give you further instructions--why, you might forget them otherwise!"

Clawed hand delved into robe, and then slipped out; a piece of parchment was now gripped in long black claws. Long lines of squiggly text covered the page, with a gap at the very bottom: and it was to this space that the Collector pointed. "Just sign here," he said, "if you agree to my terms."

He tapped the paper as if to indicate that 'sign' meant, perhaps, just planting a foot on it.

@Sharp

the   thorn produces delicate roses
sharp

Sharp listened to the Collector's words, her tail tapping against bone. Not knowing what her end goal truly was was a bit of a bummer; she wasn't exactly the kind of lizard content with uncertainty. But Collecty-friend said so, so it had to be alright! Maybe it was some super-secret, ultra-cool mega-friend, and she couldn't know about it just yet because they were planning a party!

Sharp nodded with a surprising verve (and a smile on her face) when the figure drew out a parchment. She'd never seen one before and so was briefly fascinated by it-- what did all those squiggles mean? The Collector said to "sign" it, and his little tap seemed to imply it meant touching it with a paw. 'Well, that's pretty easy!' she thought. She stretched upwards, going onto the very tips of her hind feet to plant four tiny claws onto the page. "Done!" the sungazer giggled. "When do I start? Wait-" --gasp-- "Do I get to start now?" her voice was brimming with enthusiasm, eager to start the promise of a quest-- and a wonderful gift for Dread, too.

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@Game Master Dark

The moment Sharp's tiny claws touched the parchment, it flared up: a dark mark, a silhouette of where she'd touched it, smoldering with a smell of burning.

The Collector whipped it away, rolling it up even as a wisp of smoke curled up from it, and grinned: the shine of pointed teeth was briefly visible beneath the hood.

"The contract is sealed. -Yes, you may. Best of luck," he added, and then, "Ta ta."

With a flash he was gone, vanished, leaving Sharp alone with her new task.

@Sharp