"KITTY-SAN" Came the cry of Seffy. It pierced the quiet of Pegasus, the rushing of water and the gentle shift of leaves. High above, a bird circled. His pink glasses twinkling in the light. "I wish to have my fortune read! I need to know my destiny!" Seffy sighed. He couldn't see her from up here. "Yare yare..."

He dove to the forest's edge. His mismatched eyes gleaming in the light. Wind streamed around him like he was a bullet. Talons outstretched, he prepared to land. His feet hit the grass. And the clearing bowed to his might. Grass flattened around him, and leaves and rocks were sent flying.

His eyes were closed. He wasn't even looking upon the epic destruction he inflicted. "Keh," he said. His hai-fur flowing in the wind. He looked up at the trees, his eyes twinkling. A slight squint forming. He rubbed at the bridge of his beak.A show of his might aught to have been enough to draw her out.


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@Kitty

Kitty had been in the middle of looking for eggs when the piercing cry of KITTY-SAN! caught her ear. She froze for a moment, her mind churning slowly as she tried to... buffer, mostly, and come up with any kind of logical reason for someone to be adding syllables to her name. At the very least, whoever this obnoxious stranger was, he knew her schtick. She looked around as he landed dramatically at the edge of the treeline, and she felt something akin to dread.

The Collector will have a field day with this one, she thought dryly, gathering herself up and hurrying over to a branch near the edge of the trees where she could be seen. She paused to put her spectacles back on and adjust the pocket watch hanging around her neck before she emerged into the light, looking down at the bird from perhaps twenty or thirty feet up. Her claws dug into the branch and her head tilted slightly to the side.

Time to dial it up to eleven, she mused, before beginning her speech. "You...!" she said, her eyes widening in what looked like surprise or awe. "I have been expecting you... I have seen you in my dreams." Her tail flicked to beckon him up. "Come, follow me to my home -- I will perform a reading for you there." She inclined her head slightly for him, and then began to lead him through the maze-like branches back -- she had a strong suspicion that this kid was an open book.

@seffyroth gryphon

Seffy looked up, surprised. "Y-you knew i was coming?" The power this Kitty posessed...it was beyond seffy's mortal understanding. He turned his head down. "S-such power..." He said under his breath. But given Seffy had no inside voice, or concept of quiet. It was perfectly audible. To everyone.

Before Kitty was even halfway through her spiel, Seffy fluttered up next to her. His speed nearly turned against him, and Seffy flapped to keep from falling. "Y-you've seen me in your dreams?" Seffy's eyes were wide. Pure and gulible. Emuh wasn't supposed to lead him...it was Kitty!

"I feel like I can trust you, ne Kitty-sensei?" Seffy glanced around, as they navigated the canopy before turning back to Kitty. He stumbled over a branch, struggling to get his feet back under him, before smirking. "I was born with an awesome power. No one appreciates it but me." Seffy scoffed, looking away.

"I was born for some reason. When i was born, I destroyed an entire cave. There was nothing but bone left. My parents died too." A single tear left his blood-red eye. He turned away from kitty again. It was a wonder he hadn't fallen off yet. Then, he laughed, his eyes shadowed by his glasses. When he turned back to Kitty his eyes were full of determination. "But you're gonna show me how to use my power!" He sounded weirdly joyful for how dark the previous topic was.



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@Kitty

Caves, this kid was dumbs as rocks. Though that might be insulting the rocks, she mused. Kitty startled a bit as he interrupted her to flail around on the branch, but she righted herself and nodded sagely, regaining her composure. "I have seen you, yes. It seems that destiny has brought you to me."

She had absolutely no idea what ne or sensei meant, but at this point, she was just rolling with it. Her ear flicked to indicate she was listening to him, but in the meantime, her mind was working. Great power? Unappreciated? She wracked her brain for what he could have been talking about, and then slowly caught up to him. Oh, she thought. He's an *arrogant* idiot. Kitty paused and turned to look at him, her expression somber. "So that is what happened to Canis," she said morosely, rather certain that that was not, in fact, what happened to Canis. "What terrible purpose you have been burdened with, young hero. Few of us even have parents-- how unfortunate for you to have already lost them." Not that he looked to any degree like a hybrid whatsoever. She was pretty sure he'd just came up with that spontaneously as well.

"What is your name, young hero?" she asked as they began to approach her tree, high above the well-hidden Voidcrawlers camp. It was, at least for her, something akin to paradise. Mats woven together out of sticks, grass, and occasionally vines and cord for stability provided walkways between near-together branches, stable and thick enough to hold her weight. It curved part-way around the tree, leading to her tree-hollow den with its own bedding, though she was clearly experimenting with using different things as curtains. Currently, she had some vines stuck up with tree sap, but a couple of them had already fallen off.

Soft, warm light filled the whole space -- various baubles were everywhere, but some twenty-five round, polished stones of pink thulite lay in a spiral around the main event. The path from the hollow led to a wide, mostly flat grass mat balanced on several branches, carefully stowed with cord and sticks to allow it to hold more weight than the others. It had room for and could perhaps safely hold three of Kitty comfortably, but luckily, her current guest wasn't very heavy.

The spiral of thulite was around the perimeter, and created a clearing of sorts where sat a soft lavender bowl about two-thirds of the way filled with water sat directly in the middle. Kitty approached the bowl and sat down on the far side of it, straightening herself. This was a thick part of the canopy, even in the middle of the day, so the many baubles provided most of the light -- a few small stones with magic on them even hung from overhead limbs on grass or bark cords. It seemed that Kitty had grown quite good at crafting in the past few cycles.

"Sit here, across from me," she indicated. "And be careful -- this is a sacred place, where Fate and I become one." She looked into her bowl for a moment and dipped her front paws in it before briefly taking a moment to wash her face. "You have heard of me before, hero -- I presume this means you brought some form of payment?" It was one of the most consistent things she sent her guests home with. A pretty rock, a flower, an unusual leaf, feathers or found stones -- she took just about anything pretty or interesting as payment, and in return, she told the future (or past). If he doesn't have anything, I'll probably give him one anyway, she mused. I need to get him to the Collector.

@seffyroth gryphon

((Said I would sleep but seffy is too powerful to contain. no table yet because mobile post :pensive:))Seffy was quiet the rest of the way. Reflecting on his tragic and original backstory. The destruction of Canis...yes. It was all his fault. But that was why Seffy trained! To improve his power with his unconquerable will power!

"M-my name?" Seffy said, startled. He broke out into a grin. Had he teeth, the glare off of them would've been blinding. "Heh, I thought you'd never ask!" Seffy jabbed a..uh. wing at himself. "M'names Seffyroth 'Kenshiro' 'Anime' Gryphon! My friends call me Seffy-kun, though!"

Seffy wiped what must've been the approximation of a nose. He also, stealthily, omitted the fact he did not, in fact, have any friends. Hadn't met any yet. Fate had a powerful master of water and land in store for his future, he knew it. But once he did have friends, heh, he imagined they'd call him Seffy-kun!

When they finally arrived, Seffy's jaw gaped. "K-kitty-san...your home..." Seffy couldn't even begin to imagine the power stored in this place...he carefully settled across from Kitty, taking care not to knock anything over with his claws. "Y-youve merged with fate? What is this power... ."

Seffy needed to tread carefully, to avoid angering Kitty. Which lead into the next issue. "Gah! I-I forgot payment Kitty." His head hung low. He had, quite honestly, been too excited to remember to collect payment. He perked up, a glint in his eyes. "Kitty! In place of payment, I can work for you!" And maybe, pick up some training from such a powerful creature.

@Kitty

"Ah... yes, right. Seffyroth Gryphon..." What in the name of the Void was anime? She gazed quietly into her bowl and finished washing her paws and face, finally looking up at Seffy as he admitted that he'd forgotten payment. He was offering to... work for her in exchange? Kitty's ear flicked. He was annoying as all hell, but, she imagined that having an idiot who'd do whatever she wanted would be pretty useful, especially if she could frame it around 'honing his powers'. She eyed him suspiciously for a moment, as if considering it, and then gave a soft smile as she inclined her head. "I will allow it, Mister Gryphon, if only because I can sense how honest and pure of heart you are." Not. What she did sense was that she could manipulate him easily.

She cleared her throat and straightened herself. "Now, Mister Gryphon, I will begin. Try to quiet your mind -- focus on your breathing, the sound of leaves in the breeze. I will need to touch you, briefly -- I must attune to your soul in order to see your future." Luckily, the bird ate that kind of thing up, and she reached out to gently place one of her paws on a wing.

The proud but silly-looking bird, standing in Ursa's snow. He was pecking at one of the gift boxes left by Order, and attempted an aborted backflip. He fought with the box for a while before uncovering his prize. Seffy stared at the goggles cautiously, and then finally put them on and began to waddle excitedly away.

Kitty settled back and curled her tail around her paws. Her eyes closed for several moments as she considered, and finally began to speak. "You are... an energetic, adventurous, impulsive spirit. You seek your goals actively, and are ready to strike at them and make your destiny yours. You are passionate, but that impulsiveness may get you into trouble." Her ear flicked. "Your weapons will bring you power -- literal and metaphorical." That was true, and it led nicely into her lie. "I forsee you receiving a great boon -- a powerful item, to help you harness your destiny. I see... the place of your birth, Canis. Surrounded by bone, you call for a man who collects." She wondered, distantly, if she should tell him what she foresaw coming of that.

Kitty, on instinct, felt rather as though Seffyroth would not be happy with his reward. She was manipulative, and no saint, but neither was she... cruel. "You will indulge yourself in your treasures and rewards, but I see you becoming dissatisfied with them, dissatisfied with the praise, and eventually coming to a breaking point."

The red panda met Seffyroth's eyes. "You will either continue down the path of righteousness, finding your inner truth, and becoming a quiet yet powerful being -- an advisor, scholar, or powerful teacher. Or, Mister Gryphon, you will be led astray. You will use your great power for evil rather than good, subjugating those you once swore to save and manipulating those around you in order to keep yourself safe." She cleared her throat. "You have a dark side, Mister Gryphon -- you must continue to walk along the path of righteousness, and learn to hone your power." She dipped her head, hoping she would not be the one to lead him astray. "I would be happy to help you learn."

@seffyroth gryphon

Seffyroth stayed still and silent. Almost entering a sort of meditative stance. Even once Kitty removed her paw, Seffy stayed quiet. Quiet for Seffy. There were plenty of 'guh' and 'keh's' and 'eh's'. He stared with bright, gullible, blue and red eyes, listening to Destiny speak through Kitty. He thought in silence. His eyes closed. "So...I have to go back to Canis, huh... ." It was his birthplace...but also the deathplace of so many others. His eyes opened, and he clenched a foot. "Heh. If that's what I need to do to conquer my power, to make things right, I will."

His eyes burned with an unbreakable, hot-blooded will. "Your fate knows a lot of stuff, but it doesn't know everything." Seffy smirked, his eyes twinkling." He COULDN'T be evil! "So...that's what my fate is huh. Heh...Destiny doesn't know me, if it thinks I'd ever turn out evil. You just watch. I'll be the greatest magic master there is!" Seffy turned to leave. "I'll be back, Kitty. I've gotta meet this 'Man who collects', and then, you can teach me! Believe it!"

Seffy flew off the way they came. He had fate to conquer. And as Seffy flew off, his glasses glowed with a light rivaling those of the caves brightest. He turned his beak to the sky, and let out a scream of defiance. Which quickly turned into a scream of agony. The pulsar wasnt leaving the right way. It wasn't leaving at all.

His body turned a bright, blinding shade of purple, his skin crackling and burning away into ash. The magic was consuming him inside. With a loud pop, Seffy exploded into a puff of ash and feathers. His chrysalis rapidly formed around his overcooked, radioactive body. It 'thunked' heavily onto the forest floor, surrounded by feathers and a ring of burnt grass.

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;exit via chrysalis