For the most part, Pythia's siblings all seemed to be relatively intelligent. Not that she was saying she was smarter than them but... some lacked marbles as her mother would put it. Some she couldn't really relate to. Others she felt a closer pull toward. As if their intellectual level were more on par with her own. One being was her brother, Cutlass. Well, semantics said half-brother because she had two mothers and he instead had a father, but with the disappearance of Jael, Pythia considered Gilgamesh her father anyway. Mama Modesty put it as such more often than not anyway so it wasn't as if the pups truly understood the implications of what had happened. Of the miracle bestowed upon Pythia. Or rather the curse because fuck Abraxas for making her blind. Yeah, she said it, but also apologies Abraxas.

Anyway, Cutlass was on her list today to chat with. Why? Well, she couldn't really say. Just that she had an itch to conversate and with someone who would keep up with her rambling thoughts. Being blind as she was, it would indeed be hard to find him, but with some luck and probing questions, she was able to meander way through the treehouse to the little nook he called his own. Gilgamesh really had been trying as of late. Anyone who could see could see that. Upon knowing that Cutlass enjoyed reading, he had sent Urtur to Daager Isle to fetch some old, tattered books and placed them neatly upon some shelves crafted especially for the boy. Pythia wouldn't really understand because she couldn't see it, but understood the sentiment anyway.

Approaching slowly, she uses her toes and nose to feel around the little nook for a fur to sit upon. Her lengthening limbs that ached from growth came in handy when ensuring she wouldn't step in anything dangerous. Once she had found a fur comfortable enough, she plops herself down with more grace than she should ever have. Curling up neatly, her blank cloudy blue gaze wanders as she uses her nose to sniff out Cutlass' scent.

"Hello brother. What are you reading about today?" Pythia questions, her voice soft and gentle, an eerie hint to it that almost sounded ghostly. Perhaps he would be in the mood to discuss whatever newfound thing he'd read about it recently.

"speech"

word count: 391 / 1500

it takes the boy a while to register the light footsteps growing steadily closer, absorbed as he is in the novel balanced between his paws. Las has taken great pains recently to properly furnish his new spot, gathering leftover animal pelts and feathers to construct a cosy little reading bed. directly above, resting on a handful of newly-constructed shelves, his books sit pride of place. they’ve been carefully alphabetised and meticulously dusted, with a particularly large feather dedicated to the sole task of maintaining his display’s cleanliness. sometimes Las will catch himself just staring at them dreamily, sighing in bliss as he imagines all the stories he’s yet to read, all the information he hasn’t gotten his paws on yet. in any case, it’s certainly warmed him to his father considerably. humming to himself, he flips a page and rests his chin in his paw, eyes skimming across the new paragraph with easy contentment.

a new presence draws his attention, and he lifts his gaze to find his sister, Pythia, settling nearby. an easy smile flits across his face, eyes crinkling as he snaps his book shut. of all his siblings, he appreciates Pythia’s calmer countenance - but her eccentricities intrigue him, too, making her an engaging conversationalist. “hello, Tia,” Cutlass greets, rising to shelve his book. he pauses at her question, glancing down at the cover of his latest read with a considering hum. his bookworm status might baffle some of his siblings, but he appreciates when they ask after his current subject of interest - providing the question is genuine, and not a ploy to tease. Pythia’s interest, he’s pretty sure, is.

“it’s a story,” he begins, reclining back on his haunches, “about a pair of lovers. they want to be together, but their kingdoms keep them apart. one night, they agree to meet at the halfway point between their kingdoms and run away. one of them show up. but the other one changes their mind and decides they can’t leave their kingdom behind. their duties are too important. so the first lover waits all night, and when the sun rises, the second lover finds the first dead in the snow. they’d died of a broken heart.” he breaks off, frowning a little. truthfully, he hasn’t been entirely sure what to make of the story; he finds himself wondering what Pythia might think. “it’s…sad.”

wc: 787/1500

"Cutlass Fallen"

At first, Cutlass' sudden movements gives her a start. Why was he so quick to withdraw? The sharp snap his book as her ears pricking up. Though blind, her eyes still widen for a moment before she relaxes. Taking a breath, she hears him settle back onto his haunches, a thoughtful noise emanated from him. Had she disturbed his precious reading time? He could always go back to it once she was done talking to him...

Pleased that he decided to tell her about the story, Pythia settles back into the fur to get comfortable. His little nook is far comfier than some of the places their siblings enjoyed hanging out. Silently, she thanks their mother for having an abundance of furs lying around the treehouse.

As Cutlass speaks, Pythia lays her chin upon her paws for a moment. His tone takes on a sad note that makes her brain begin to whirl curiously. Question rise into her mind that she cannot resist the urge to ask him. The story sounded good, dramatic, eventful even, but the ending was indeed sad...

"What if... it were not a sad ending?" Pythia's ethereal voice speaks softly as she gently raises her head from her chin. "What if the second lover decided to meet with them instead of staying with their kingdom?" Her head tilts curiously, mind working at the possibilities for a different ending. "Would they live happily ever after or would it cause more turmoil?" She wishes to know what Cutlass thinks or if he had anything better to suggest.

"speech"

word count: 259
total: 1046 / 1500

Cutlass can practically hear his sister thinking, watching with a curious tilt to his head as she formulates a response. he’s always found the way her mind works to be…fascinating is too clinical, as though she were a specimen, but he’s not entirely sure what the correct term is. regardless, he’d be happy to bounce ideas off his sister all day long. what if it were not a sad ending? Pythia’s question has him humming in thought, tail beating a soft rhythm along the ground. “i think…i think it couldn’t have worked out that way,” he began, voice gentle. he’s been thinking over it himself, attempting to view the story from different angles in order to solve the conundrum at its centre; every venture has stumped him. “i think, maybe, that if they’d made different choices, the nature of the characters would be different. it…wouldn’t be them.” he frowns, unsure of the coherency of his words, and casts a probing glance at Pythia. is she following along? is he making sense?

“it’s all well and good to say, ‘well why couldn’t they just choice each other,’” he continues, voice gaining a rhythm as he picks up speed, “but then would it be those exact characters falling in love? or would they be different people?” he’s excitable now, getting up to pace as his thoughts come quicker. “and even if they had both chosen each other, who’s to say that wouldn’t have led to further devastation? maybe their kingdoms would’ve collapsed without them. maybe they wouldn’t have stayed together anyway, and would have parted just as heartbroken.” he comes to a halt, flashing his sister a sheepish smile. “ahem. anyway. what do you think?”

wc: 1329/1500

"Cutlass Fallen"

Pythia is intent to listen to her brother's words even if he doesn't believe them to be entirely coherent. She mulls over what he says with a quiet hum under her breath. Her muzzle nods slowly, taking in the information and perhaps she agrees. "I have not read the book so I am not as knowledgeable about them as you are," Pythia begins after Cutlass inquires what her thoughts are. Well, she'd never be able to read the book so he would have to read it to her if she ever wanted to know, but that wasn't important right now.

"I suppose it depends on if you believe in destiny or fate. Were they fated to never be together? Their love doomed to be two figures passing in the night," she mulls over this bit for another moment with some more thoughtful humming. "Or what if, them falling in love and coming together had made both of their kingdoms stronger together? They could have been allies and become one great empire," her brows raise in question at the prospect of such a thing. Did such a thing ever happen in real life? "It is interesting for sure, but I don't think we will ever know," Pythia shrugs, rolling slightly to be closer to Cutlass. "It sounds as if you enjoy reading though," she comments, laying her chin down upon her paws, hoping he might read her a story.

"speech"

total: 1667 / 1500