private A Cultural Exchange 1x1 with Randimaxis

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Leaving the cavern, Luna had a feeling of relief that this thing, whatever it was, had reached a conclusion - yet she couldn't shake the sensation that there was more here than first met the eye...

 

Regardless, it was done.  The creature vanquished, the heroes survived, the danger annulled.  The corpse on the floor was perhaps a bit disconcerting, but it would have to be dealt with later.  As it stood, it would be a safe bet that this section of the cave would be closed off after this incident, Cloud Diamond or no.

 

As she reached the main tunnel headed to the surface, she rounded a corner and came face to face with the Blackwater colt, Oglevy.  She'd seen into his dreams before; he really wasn't vicious... just young and self-involved, as any child usually is.  He regularly dreamt about adventure and daring heroism, mostly because he felt as if he were inferior to his two brothers, regardless of his Mother's words to the contrary.  He would possibly grow up to become quite the adventurer, like his idol Daring Do.

 

Right in front of her, he stood there.  His eyes were huge, and there was a water balloon filled with ink on the floor at his hooves.  He was simply staring at her, not speaking a word.  Luna may have wondered if he was traumatized by the events of what he had just witnessed, but he let her know exactly his state of mind when he spoke the first words to her...

 

"That... was... AWESOME!!!!!"

 

Apparently, he wasn't traumatized.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Luna sighed, That was not adventure, that was not what any should aspire to experience. It should be what one hopes they never encounter in their life. The fight against the evils of the world is often thankless, and few stand. Perhaps he could one day be noble? righting the wrongs of the world? Perhaps. Luna came close to him, "This fight was no doubt impressive, but it is not something you should seek to experience just yet. Come, let us leave this place."

Without waiting for a response she pressed forward, reaching the entrance to the cave quickly. She carefully lowered the two drained unicorns from her back to the ground where they could be taken care of by professionals. "I must speak to the owner of this quarry immediately."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

"You want Father!  HE'S the one in charge here.  Are you really Princess Luna?  What was it like on the moon?  Why did you come here?  Who sent for you?  I really like your mane!  What's Princess Celestia like?  You're really tall!  Is the Royal Palace as big as I've heard it is?  What do YOU dream about?  Have you seen my dreams?  Do you know Princess Twilight?  Are you staying for dinner?  Are you okay?  What WAS that thing?  Are Slapper and Dax's friend going to be okay?  How long did it take to get here?"

 

... and so on, as the excited little colt led the way towards the manor house itself.

 

Behind her, a zebra showed up out of nowhere, along with a couple of other workers.  The miners took hold of the two and began to carry them where the zebra pointed; the shed with the big red cross on the side of it.  It seemed as though they would be fine; the zebra had medical saddlebags on.

 

At the manor, Dax was making his way out of the front doors - finally getting back to Illiad and Slapper.  From the balcony above, his mother poked her head over the railing and spotted him nearly at the bottom of the front steps.

 

"Daxter, darling - come here; I have need of you for a bit."

 

Dax groaned and rolled his eyes.  "Can it possibly wait, Mother?"

 

There was a momentary pause.

 

"GET YOUR FLANK UP HERE, DAXTER BLACKWATER.  NOW."

 

With a cringe and a sigh, Dax turned around and headed back up the steps and into the doors.  The moment those doors shut, Oglevy and Luna rounded the bend, the little colt's mouth still going a mile a minute.  He walked her up to the doors and let her inside.  As he had turned the other direction, they missed Dax by mere centimeters.

 

The place was big for a personal residence, and it felt as if there was some real history here.  There were fine tapestries, lovely vases and statuettes, and beautiful paintings placed for maximum effect in the most opportune places.  All in all, it was obvious that this was the home of a well-to-do subject.

 

Oglevy actually stopped talking when they rounded the corner into the hall that led to Luther's study.  Reaching the door, Oglevy looked at the Princess and gave her an honest smile.

 

"That was still pretty cool... I won't tell anyone about it, if you say not to.  I promise - cross my heart and hope to die; stick a cupcake in my eye!"

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

"Thank you for your assistance." With neither a knock nor the express permission to enter Luna entered the study. "Mr. Blackwater? There are many things we need to discuss." The tone of her voice left it quite certain that it was important.

 

Meanwhile...

 

Illiad's gem morphed around his unconscious body, wrapping in a sort of ring around his horn and extending in threads along his body, tracing the magical conduits throughout. Faint pulses of light traveled through the threads at regular intervals.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

When the doors opened, Luther stood from his desk as if he were ready to stomp on somepony's head... but as soon as he saw WHO had barged through his door, his eyes widened and he froze in place for a moment.  Then, of course, he bowed properly to her.

 

"Princess Luna!" 

 

Standing once again, he moved around to the doors of his study and, with a look to Oglevy that sent him along with curious eyes, he carefully closed the doors.  Turning back to face her, he looked worried.

 

"We can discuss anything, Your Highness.  What is it?"

 

The look on his muzzle said that he may have a clue as to what it was about already...

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Luna did not look too pleased, but she didn't look too cross either."Primarily it's about the creature you've hidden in your mines, namely, How long did you know about it? And why did you not report it to us sooner? I was just down there and it is contained again. If I had not arrived when I did two of your ponies and a dear friend of mine would be dead right now."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Luther's muzzle set into its familiar scowl, and he looked Luna in the eye as he spoke.

 

"It happened ten years ago.  We found the deposit, and I was afraid my quarry would be militarily occupied if word got out; I KNOW what Cloud Diamond is capable of, and I KNOW what the soldiers use it for.  I paid a handful of workers to help me extract it - that was when they found it.  It was sealed up again by my forepony, Knee Slapper, and runic barricades were put into place.  The barricades were moved, and THAT was not by my hoof... for that, I apologize."

 

Luther's face hardened.

 

"However, I made my choice to keep it under wraps - which nearly cost more lives.  This is MY fault, Princess; I'll see no blame passed onto anypony aside from myself.  I stand by my decision because I had felt, at the time, that it was for the better.  I was mistaken, to be certain... but I will not deny my actions."

 

He bowed his head, closing his eyes as he spoke.

 

"If there is a punishment to be had, then I shall have it.  No one else will be held responsible."

 

He opened his eyes, looking into her own as he spoke low and humbly.

 

"Please."

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Luna looked a bit confused, "Soldiers? What... Tia how could you?" The confusion left her face as she refocused on Mr Blackwater. "Regardless, The only punishment will be that I will be staging an LTF operative here to ensure the creature never escapes again, and that this deposit of cloud diamond it not misused. I don't take kindly to those utilizing my sacred mineral for evil." She sighed, she was never as good with words as her sister was. "If you find that acceptable then we can move on, you mentioned that you had some cloud diamond for sale? How much?"

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Luther blinked a moment, the look on his face one of utter shock.  Then slowly, as he realized his beloved quarry was not about to be taken from him, he relaxed visibly.  He nodded at the Princess' stationing of one of her guards here; that would be a far better intervention than the takeover he had expected.

 

When she reached the part about the Cloud Diamond for sale, his brow furrowed as he began to consider such a request.

 

"I'll have to show you what we have.  Please follow me."

 

He left his study and began to lead her through the manor and back outside again.  As the doors closed behind Luna, Dax came walking through the front hall, a stack of pastel-colored outfits balanced on his back.  He groaned in boredom and frustration while he brought these outfits to his Mother... who would, undoubtedly, make him try on each and every one.

 

Luther led the way down the side path to the quarry once more; all around them, miners and other various workers bowed before their royal Princess of the night.  He took her through the inner yard, then brought her to the rows of sheds.  He continued to walk, heading directly for the huge boulder at the end of the rows - sticking halfway out of the ground and STILL a few stories tall, there were massive steel and iron doors set into the front of it.

 

Reaching the tall doorway, Luther looked back at the alicorn.

 

"This is the Blackwater Vault."

 

He reached into his vest and removed a key that looked spectral - Luna could see right through it, like it was made of smoky glass.  When he brought it around to the door, Luna saw there was no actual keyhole... yet, when he touched it to the place where a keyhole would be, it sank in as if it were an illusion.  He turned it, there was a >click< as it unlocked the doors, and then he put it back into his vest pocket and pushed them open.

 

The inside was jet black.  Luther stepped inside and motioned for her to follow.

 

Once in, Luther moved to the wall and flipped a switch; magic-filled lanterns in neat rows slowly lit up, their light fading on from the front of the massive chamber to the back.  It was HUGE inside, as there were no other floors, simply catwalks and stairs leading all about the walls of the open-area vault.  The entire inside of the boulder had been hollowed out, and was being used for storage.

 

Towards the back, there were display cases and curtains drawn over certain areas - that must be where the expensive gems were kept - but almost the entire front of this impromptu warehouse were shelves and shelves all lined with bundles of the same thing: sticks of DYNAMITE.

 

"In the back," Luther said as they began making their way inside.

 

The only thing that stood out as being extra remarkable was the column in the center of it all, supposedly holding the ceiling up.  It was a gigantic, solid column of emerald, shaped like a twisting helix.  It was magnificent; there was nothing like it that had ever been seen before - a column of emerald that stretched around three stories tall, and was as big around as a house!

 

Luther looked at the Princess.  "This way."

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

The cloud diamond on Illiad extended further, now lightly tracing his veins in addition to the magical pathways in his body. the thin rivulets of diamond growing slightly brighter as his condition improved. 

 

Luna was quite impressed with the artistic style of the vault, she knew someone who would probably do a remodel if they saw it. Despite the low light she could see the walls clearly. "I must say this extensive architecture and security is impressive, may I ask who designed this? That emerald column is certainly an exquisite work."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Luther nodded.

 

"My ancestor's design and build.  Sturdy.  Been here since before the quarry came to be; made into a part of it.  Best place for the explosives... and my family's gem collection."

 

He pointed a hoof to the twisting column of emerald.

 

"That is the Blackwater Emerald - found by my son, Daxter."

 

He almost smiled.  Almost.

 

"This way, Princess."

 

He led her to a section of the floor that had multiple vault doors, and moved to one off to the far side.  Once there, he spun the wheel that opened the vault door, and hauled it back - it seemed quite heavy.  A good deterrent for thieves.

 

Down inside the surprisingly deep chamber was a large boulder of some sort, covered by a very plain-jane looking tarp.  If THAT was Cloud Diamond, then it had to have been the size of half the Ponyville Schoolhouse!

 

"This is what we managed to pull out of the mine.  What would you say is a fair exchange for half of it?"

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

(I posted a detailed explanation about Cloud diamond to the OOC) 

 

Luna was truly stunned by the immensity of the deposit, and at the strength of the walls for preventing additional accumulate from finding its way here. A quick scan of the chunk indicated a purity of 17.5% a vast quantity of cloud diamond to be sure, much more than she initially expected to exist.

"Given the size and purity of this I would say... 174 billion bits for half, not including the value of the diamond accumulate but I am not interested in that." She waited a moment to let the true meaning of her words sink in.

"I suppose you may be interested as to why I am buying all the cloud diamond I can find? To put it simply, I want it to remain scarce. I want its value to be too high for anypony to get it in any dangerous quantity, the purity and size of your deposit threatens all my efforts were it to be discovered, which is why I must advise that you not sell any part of it to those not approved by myself, I simply cannot risk it falling into the wrong hooves. In a way, I suppose I am glad that you did not tell my sister about the creature."

She sighed, "It has the power to do so much good, heal injuries of the body and mind, but it is so much easier to use it for evil."

She shook her head sadly. "I of course will not stop you from selling to whomever you choose even though I can, all I will do is offer a better price. So, if you find my offer acceptable I can have the bits here by morning, I will even purify all of what you have here."

Luna turned to face Blackwater, she knew that he would never get a better price than what she was offering and thus did not fear him rejecting her offer. She was already planning what to do with 87.5 cubic feet of cloud diamond. Perhaps she would construct something similar to the helix she had seen.

 

(I kind of want to know what is going on with Illiad and Knee right now. Maybe the medic's reaction to Illiad being strangely coated in Cloud diamond?)

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

For what it was worth, Luther's face didn't even twitch when she spoke of the amount of bits offered.  He stared hard for a moment at the tarp-covered rock in the vault, the cogs in his astute mind turning.  After a moment, he nodded and turned to face her.

 

"An alternate deal: 5 billion to my personal expense account, 5 billion to the quarry itself, and perpetual rights to the land my quarry stands on, never to be reversed or annulled.  As for the rest of what you are offering, it is too much - I cannot reconcile with the idea of accepting so much from royalty, especially in light of what has happened.  Half of the deposit is yours, Princess Luna.  The other half, I shall keep - as long as I breathe, it shall never pass into another's hooves." 

 

He awaited her verdict.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------

 

The zebra was spellbound.

 

She was standing next to the table Illiad was on, staring at the unicorn intently, watching every little change take place.  Her eyes kept slowly following each rivulet of Diamond as she saw what was happening on the surface.  She was completely transfixed on the sight; so much so that her mouth was slightly open and her eyes as big as saucers.

 

"Uhhhh, Doc?  What's going on with him?"

 

Her eyes remained locked on Illiad, but she shrugged.  "I have no idea... but it's quite a show!"

 

The miner looked at the others that had helped carry the two into the Doc's Office and passed the shrug along.  They looked at each other, some even shrugging themselves.  

 

"He gonna be okay?"

 

"What about Slapper - he gonna get like that too?"

 

"What IS that stuff?"

 

With that question, the zebra looked up suddenly, and then turned back to the miners.  "Okay, everypony out!  These two will need some peace and quiet, and I think it would be a good idea to give them some, don't you?  Thank you so much for helping out - I really appreciate it!"

 

As they ushered outside, she turned back to glance over at the sleeping forepony, smile as he snored softly, then returned her watchful gaze to Illiad's form.

 

"I wish I had brought some popcorn to eat - but this sight alone is a heckuva treat!"  She giggled at her own rhyme, and leaned in closer, watching intently...

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Luna sighed, "Perpetual rights is beyond my power to grant, my sister has been... slow, to restore my powers to me since my return. There are two options that I can bestow. Due to your proximity to the border I can name this place an independent protectorate, you would still be subject to Equestrian law so long as you desire their protection and open boarders, but you and your family would be in charge of the land so long as your line extends. The other option is similar, this land would be yours for the rest of your days, but the agreement would need to be renewed with each change of ownership, this protects you from simply being re-annexed by my sister or losing protectorate status, but the agreement could be revoked should the owner break any laws." She turned back towards the gem, "Some day I will have the power to grant perpetual ownership and if you are still alive then I will grant it. You have done me a great service by keeping this deposit secret, I hope you find my ability to return satisfactory."

 

(I don't know what I expected with the medic, but I like it. Empathic extroverts and those like Knee would recover from depletion faster than normal given the presence of others, Empathic Introverts like Illiad recover faster in the absence of extroverts like Knee. The diamond is counteracting Knee's pull and boosting Illiad's own recovery. Illiad should be conscious later today with Knee soon after.)

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

"An... independent protectorate.  Yes."  A nod to himself, then a glance at the alicorn.  "Yes.  That will be fine.  I bow to your wisdom and generosity, Princess."

 

With that, he did bow in a most respectful manner - it was clearly obvious that somepony taught Luther his etiquette well.  He closed and resealed the vault door, the Cloud Diamond deposit safely ensconced within.  Turning, he began leading Luna out of the unique vault.

 

"I know what Cloud Diamond can be used for; that is why I kept it here.  When Daxter showed me the piece he wanted to give to Illiad Easle, I thought he had gotten it from somewhere else in the mines... now that I know the truth, I will schedule a blasting for that chamber, and seal it.  I hope there will be no more trouble.  YOU have done this entire quarry a great service; that means more to me than bits."

 

He walked her to the main yard, miners and other various staff gawking at the sight of their Boss and their Princess in the same place at the same time.

 

"When your official arrives, they will have their own shed - a few of my staff already do.  They will be provided for."

 

He faced the Princess, the scowl still firmly in place, yet his words were soft when he spoke them.

 

"Thank you, Princess Luna.  Is there anything else we Blackwaters might do for you?"

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

"I'll ensure the proper paperwork goes through once I return, you'll receive your bits by tomorrow and your protectorate status in a week or so depending on my sister. I'll leave to you the arrangements to transport my half unless you want me to purify it here." She turned here gaze out to the quarry. "Do make sure those ponies that were with me make a full recovery, I'd hate if they suffered any long term effects from that creature." With that she turned and began walking towards the pony express station she started at.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Luther watched her leave, heading for Taps' place.  His scowl lightened, and he gave a sigh of relief as she made her way out of eyesight.  Mind you, it wasn't that his relief came from any kind of guilt or moodiness; he was nervous around royalty since taking over here.  All it would take would be one wrong word to one powerful individual, and he could lose it all.

 

Still, he had to admit that she was just as beautiful as he had heard she was - even married stallions aren't blind - but she still didn't inspire the awe and childhood crush she had when he was a colt... because his crush had been on Nightmare Moon, not Luna.  Far be it for him to ever have admitted this fact - not even to his wife.

 

Still, he had been quite pleased that she had been the kind of polite and dignified that Equestria expected from those who ruled over the land.  Even in light of what had happened, she had been quite generous.  Knowing that he had already made a fortune from simply the mines alone, Luther had only asked for a fraction of it's value because he wasn't truly greedy - ambitious and a bit paranoid perhaps, but not greedy.

 

He looked around at the other workers there, still staring either at him or after Luna, his scowl reset itself into it's accustomed place on his muzzle, and he simply said, "Back to it."  The other workers all went straight back to work, no delay.

 

Luther began walking back to the manor, yet lifted an eyebrow as he saw Dax, wearing a ridiculously dandy outfit, charging down the path towards him, headed for the quarry.  As he passed, Luther said, "Doctor's Office," and continued on.

 

Dax's eyes flew open, and he double-timed it towards the sheds.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The zebra laid another rock on the edge of the scroll, holding it open for the ink to dry as she grabbed and opened another one.  She zipped back to her quill and went back to writing a mile a minute, taking intricate notes on what was happening to the Trojan as the Diamond ran across him.  The inkwell in front of her was already down to half; good thing she kept several.

 

The table next to her had several scrolls like the last, all held open by rocks of varying kinds and drying.  As she finished her notes on the current scroll, she went through the process again.  The entire time, she may have blinked once or twice, but otherwise her gaze was locked on Illiad Easle and the amazing thing happening to him.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

(Unless you need Luna for something else she will not return until the middle of next week.)

 

There began to be a stirring within llliad, his breathing became more relaxed as his condition shifted from comatose to simply sleeping. He would need time to recoup his magical strength and a long rest to fully recover from the ordeal. With the healing well on its way the diamond reformed next to him, unconsciously he grasped it with his forehoof, drawing it towards himself as he slept.

 

The zebra couldn't tell why but she couldn't shake the feeling that the diamond was silently judging her. 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

She leaned in closer and closer, trying to make sense of what she was seeing... and then that 'judging' feeling came over her.  She laid down the quill and scroll on a nearby cot and stood up, looking down at Illiad with curiosity and a little bit of wonder; she seemed almost like a big filly in a zebra's body.

 

No, not a zebra... not a FULL one.  The peppermint-colored pony was actually half-zebra, yet she retained a good deal of physical traits from the zebra side of her line.  The other side wasn't just average fare, either - the Doctor had wings, which were currently tucked neatly back as she kept her eyes glued to the fascinating things happening on her patient's physique.

 

She looked fit and long; she was taller than the miners that had brought the two into the clinic, and had almost been at eye level when she had been seated.  She hunkered down low enough to almost touch, yet far enough to zip out of reach if need be.  The light dancing in her eyes spoke of worlds of knowledge beyond her looks, but there was an authentic interest in what was happening; like a foal tasting Zap Apple Jam for the first time.  The Doctor was a kind mare, and absolutely loved to learn - and this was definitely something new!

 

"Hello?  Can you heeeeear meeeeee?" she whispered softly to the Diamond substance, more than halfway expecting an answer...

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis, 

 

Upon closer inspection she could see the completed diamond in more detail. It was shaped in a way that it would appear circular from the top, and from the side it would look like a playing card diamond that had been truncated a little bit above the middle. In the middle of the gem she could see a faint blue light glowing within it.

 

The feeling of judging from the diamond shifted to a bit of surprise (She felt that the diamond was surprised) as if that wasn't enough of an answer to her question the diamond shifted weakly in a motion similar to nodding.

 

The diamond considered simply speaking, but was low enough on energy with Illiad unconscious. She hoped her slight movements would be enough to communicate with the curious one.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

She went wide-eyed as she saw/felt its response, then she sat bolt upright and clapped her hooves together with a squee of delight.

 

"You CAN hear me, can't you?  Wooooooooowwwwwww!!!"

 

Initially diving for the quill and scroll, she paused as she considered if she wanted to be writing during this... or experiencing it up-close and personal.  After only a moment's thought, she decided the quill could wait and turned back to Illiad and the sentient Diamond.

 

"Oooh!  I wonder how I'm supposed to greet a Diamond?  I can't hug you, and you have no hoof to shake; maybe I should just introduce myself?  Yeah, that sounds good!"  She cleared her throat.  "Hello, uhm... uhh... Diamond!  I am pleased to meet you!  My name is Doc Zinger, but most ponies just call me 'Ziggy' - it's easier to remember, which is good because I have problems doing that sometimes.  It's okay, though - I could NEVER forget my medical training!"

 

Be smiled brightly and broadly, a living glimmer of radiant sunshine.

 

"I work here at the quarry, tending to the workers that get hurt; it tends to be pretty safe here, but accidents will happen, right?  So I was hired here to take care of anypony who got injured.  Haven't lost a patient yet!"

 

Her look of grinning satisfaction melted away to one of curiosity as she leaned low once more, watching the Diamond closely.

 

"I guess, with what you're doing there, that you're kind of a doctor too, hunh?"

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis, 

 

The diamond picked up on Zinger's exuberance, it wished that Illiad were awake so she could communicate more effectively, but he really needed to rest and intruding on his dreams would not help that point. She wished she could collect energy like Illiad, then she could use Zinger's enthusiasm to communicate. Alas, she would simply have to wait to have a more in depth conversation. Currently she was limited by her low energy to simple movements, healing Illiad had taken more energy than she anticipated.

 

The diamond shifted in a mix of nodding and shaking in an attempt to indicate a maybe and to convey the limits of its communicative abilities.

 

(I plan for Illiad to wake up when Dax arrives, but he will still need rest to recover at that point. He should be back up to full strength in a day or two.)

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

"You... want to... dance?"

 

She stood up and started a peppy little four-step jig, a smile spreading across her features.  Her wings extended, and began swaying like palm fronds as she kept doing her tippity-tapping moves.  The look on her face was somewhere between enjoying the moment and wondering if she was wrong.

 

It was that single, picturesque moment that Dax Blackwater shouldered the door open and stopped in his tracks just inside the threshold.  

 

He was wearing a bright purple suit coat with a lemon yellow border; it was hideously colored, but still very well-made and tailored.  On his head was an adorable little straw hat that had a regrettably matching hatband.  The entire outfit made him look like a 'Little Lord Fauntlecolt' character - very upper-crust and dainty.  This, combined with Dax's panting like a timberwolf after a long chase, made him look as ridiculous as Ziggy did.

 

They both froze in place, staring at each other in utter silence... aside from Dax's gasping for air, of course.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

It was to that very scene that Illiad was awoken from his slumber by the door's abrupt opening. His face was one of shock and confusion, the kind one might find on one who can't quite tell whether they are actually awake. After a few moments of silence as he really drank the scene in, "I sincerely hope I can attribute at least some of what I'm seeing to magic depletion hallucinations." His words were a bit slower and slightly slurred, it was clear that Illiad was still quite exhausted. His horn glowed weakly as he looked towards his diamond, he sighed as his horn stopped glowing. "That is certainly an interesting sensation, I hope that doesn't last." He laid his head down on his foreleg in a way that he could still see the others whilst still laying down. He manually brought his gem closer to his face as he did so."So, what did I miss?"

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Both of them turned to look at Illiad.  

 

They both tried to start talking at once, then both stopped, then tried again, then stopped... finally, Dax looked at Ziggy and nodded, and she turned to the unicorn to speak, at last able to get her words out.

 

"Are you okay?  Do you feel pain?  Is that crystal alive, or am I insane?  That stuff that's on you is why you're awake - the healing you're feeling is NOT a fake!  The whole... uhm..."

 

Ziggy giggled a bit, then grinned at Illiad.  "Sorry; when I get worried or anxious, I rhyme.  It's a habit.  How do you feel?"

 

The look on Dax's muzzle was asking the same question, silently.