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Fudou the Mountain	Somewhere in the East.. But oot unreasonably far from Great Forks..a storm is a brewin'. The storm has not yet come, but the gods are assuredly brewing one up. Despite this, brilliant shafts of sunlight lance through the clouds, illuminating the ground in the familiar golden radiance and causing the towering pillars and fallen statues and collapsed walls of what is likely some sort of above ground entrance to an ancient tomb of some long forgotten king. Perhaps a mortal, perhaps not. Such places are not uncommon in this age and in these lands, after all.. Sometimes, though, as has recently been seen..surprises can occur. Surprises like the sound like *KABOOM* that rattles the area, causing the walls to shake and dust to billow up from the cracks in the ground as hte very earth shudders. Another *BOOOOM* resounds and then another. One of the walls begins to crack, sundering and splintering from some great pressure from the other side. Trees crack and roots are splintered asunder and then with a final crashing roar..the walla bursts asunder and the monstrous muscled arm of aptly named 'Mountain' can be seen bursting through the dust cloud..having literally shoved his way through the fallen rubble that was blocking his way. With that, Fudou emerges fully into view..stalking forward boldly into the ruins. His warform thickening and widening by a space of several feet per second and blimping in density and muscularity such that his armor strains and stretches, cloth tearing at the seams. He flexes enormous fingers and then begins to boldly step forward..foilage snapping like wet twine in his passage. "Hmm! Now this is interesting..."
Amethyst	It's rare that Amethyst goes exploring, but she does do that sometimes. What's even rarer is when she's exploring using gifts that her sorcery has granted her. Thus, she's traveled outside of Great Forks, found a nice little spot to hide, and shed her clothes, donning a wolf skin that she's prepared for the occasion. It's always a sight to see the /Dragon-Blooded/ shapeshift, but it's definitely shows her sorcerous prowesses. And so Amewolf was wandering through the ruins with her oath-sister, when her ears swivle and she stops, looks off into the distance, and then up at Salara. She makes a little gesture and starts to lead them towards the source of the noise. The amewolf's eyes grow larger and larger as she looks up at the massive Fudou, and she barks to get his attention, her wyld tattoos shimmering vivdly as she walks a few loops around Pearly.
Black Pearl	It is strange, but Pearl has seen other strange things around here. She herself still plays into the image of the hedonistic Cynis--aside from dealing with Anathema, at least. As such, she looks decently dressed, evenin hte wilderness, and even with the storm not come yet, she is still slightly damp. She looks down to the wolf and pets softly. "It should be all right," she says. "There can't be a second person around as large as this is...can there?" She looks curious and poised, if poised to get away, just in case, but doesn't run, yet. "Who is out there?"
Fudou the Mountain	Oxen like ears twitch and Fudou's eyes narrow slightly well before Amethyst and Pearl actually begin to make their presence known. His vast back is to them still, a literal highway wide wall of muscle partially covered by the moonsilver tetsubo-inspired Grand Goremaul. His huge hands twitch, knuckles cracking as his fingers tense, producing a sound like a tree trunk splintering. "Hmm." he rumbles, sounding displeased at not being alone but he then finally turns about, his vastness moving slowly like some sort of warship attempting to navigate through a narorw space..and upon seeing the two it is his eyes that are now forced to widen in surprise. "Oh? What is this? Strange coincidence! I had thought I was going to be getting ready to try and scare off some would be scavengers." He looks over the shifted Amethyst and then back to Black Pearl and he offers a big full toothed grin, "Unless you -want- me to scare you.." The fact that there's no reasonable way Black Pearl knows that this is the self-same giant that has spoken with her in her own business and later in Amethyst' own is probably not passing through his mind. He's actually far larger then eve that giant form right now. More outrageous in proportions. Taller. A massive patch of yeddim hair-fur is on his massive torso, forearms and lower legs. Horns bristle from his forhead but..those self samed silver glasses are on his nose, reshaped to fit its new width and his broader tusked mouth. So maybe...
Amethyst	Bark! Bark! Waggy tail. Whoever it is Amewolf clearly knows and is happy to see him. She goes over and noses his leg, and walks back to Pearly to give the massive man some distance, and to nuzzle into Salara as if to ask for more scritchies.
Black Pearl	Black Pearl shakes her head. "No, but thank you for the offer," she says with a bit of a smile as he reacehs down to rub between the wolf's ears. "While I know there are people who enjoy being scared, I am not one of them." She crouches slightly, "And we did not expect to find anyone here, though with how she reacted, it appears you two are known to each other?"
Fudou the Mountain	It dawns upon the behemotht hat his warform is a new sight to Pearl and for a moment he considers leaning into the potential deception and possible ruse.. But Amethyst knows the sight of this giant in this form just as he has seen this wolf form before as well and he does not react negatively to her friendly overtures towards him either so..clearly there is some familiarity here. "I am not in the business of scaring allies or friends of allies unless I've a point to make.." he concedes with a chuckle and then. "We've met before.. Just perhaps in a more svelte form then this. I offered you an exchange of occasional service for sometimes being able to use your place of business but really I was just going to spy on you. But then I got distracted. You didn't know I was a lunar then but you do now.. I suppose you're one of those heretical Dragons, eh? Much like her.." He gestures at the wolf with a massive hand, addressing Amethyst now, "Are you going to stay like that or do you want to actually talk?"
Amethyst	Amewolf sits and seems to consider Fudou's words. She seems reluctant, but with audible sigh she flashes through colors of each of the elements, and a pair of hands emerge from what quickly becomes a wolf skin once more as a naked slimey Amethyst climbs out. "It's fun being a wolf sometimes." She says, "Though it may be a good idea for me to find some way to communicate while in wolf form..."
Black Pearl	Black Pearl tilts her head, and then nods. "All right. I can see that. You here huge before, and even more so now...why they call you the Mountain," she says, relaxing a bit as she places him. "And I don't mind people spying on me. After all, that's why I'm here. As for heresy..." Black Pearl considers a moment, "I have been betrayed. I wish revenge, and will ally with anyone not an enemy of Creation if it means I can have my vengeance," she says. "And since the Immaculate Order doesn't care, but I have found others who do...why should I care about the Order?"
Fudou the Mountain	"I've earned a few names. I have an old one. The Mountain is my preference..or Fudou." He eyes Amethyst as she transforms and he drums his huge fingers against his leg while thinking as he looks her over. "..Perhaps Rishi might have some suggestions.. It's hard to say. What you do is through sorcery, after all. Right? Not Luna's gift. So there's likely all sorts of things that you could manage if you can manage that.." THe area shakes as the giant brings forth his weapon and he sets the grand goremaul down, standing it upright, but releasing it from his back and then stretching and widening his form even further. His massive body seems to unfold even bigger, no longer slightly bowed by that weight. "I don't judge.." he notes to Pearl, "Just was pointing it out. If you've been betrayed and seek justice then so be it. I was going to spy on you because your arrival wasn't without fanfare and I wanted to be aware of Dragonbloods in the city." He grins and looks over his shoulder at her, "I don't care for surprises that could upset Great Forks being a place for me to....be myself."
Amethyst	"Theoretically granting myself the ability to speak in animal form should be a lot easier than granting me the power to transform in the first play. But yeah, it was Sapphire Circle Sorcery that gave this power, tho I'm sure if the Immaculates found out what I've done they would claim I stole it from Luna." Amethyst says, and then she considers, "Is it even /possible/ to steal from Luna?" "She's not quite as strange as I am when it comes to immaculate beliefs. Then again, I keep wondering if maybe I should find a different religion to anchor myself to. It's just important I have something to root myself in, and the more I poke at the Immaculate Philososphy, it just feels like it's coming apart in my hands."
Black Pearl	"It should be fine," Pearl says. "And as for religion? What religion? The stronger dragonbloods are stronger than most of the gods. A god that can get beat up doesn't deserve to be worshipped," she says with a humph. "Sure they might be more powerful than I am, and should probably be respected, but worship?" She shakes her head. "And so the Immaculate is as good as any place to start, I suppose."
Fudou the Mountain	"Because it is built on lies and half-truths?" asks Fudou as he hears Amethyst, "A foundation forged that way can't possibly hold up when properly challenged and the return of the Solars is doing that. Here I am, standing before you now, in defiance of their description of the chosen of Luna. Everything else they teach becomes suspect and worth scrutiny now." Pearl's words do attract his attention back to her and he raises an eyebrow in thought before smirking slightly, "..Now that is a very harsh stance isn't it? So ...strength is the only measure of what determines if something is worthy of worship? Interesting..."
Amethyst	Amethyst nods to Fudou, and she also squints just a little at Salara, "I think of everything, the elemental dragons certainly are worthy of worship considering its their blood that gives us our powers, but I think the Immaculate Philosphy has corrupted who and what they really are. As for what they /really/ are? I haven't a clue, sadly." And then she gets a mischevious grin on her face, "And well, the strongest person I know is Fudou, maybe he should get worshipped as a result?"
Black Pearl	"Not the only measure, but certainly one measure. Right should make might. And seeking the right should give one power. It is the philosophy that might makes right that corrupts," Salara says. "I suppose it comes down to 'What is good, and who decides the definition?'" She shakes her head, "I really don't want to go into that now--not nearly intoxicated enough." And then she looks at Amethyst and chuckles a bit before looking up at Fudou, "Ok," she says, a bit coyly. "So...what sort of worship would you want? If someone wanted to worship you?"
Fudou the Mountain	"Hn. There are various ways to measure 'strength'. Bright Journey has some tricks up her sleeve that proved problematic when we last dueled." notes Fudou, actually managing to restrain his ego for a moment in the face of..well..fact. "No, no..I've no interest in being worshiupped. Gods, spirits, and other such things.. They have their ways yes and means and it is their relationship with Creation and with those within that creates these religions and faiths and orders..yes? I suppose the matter is complicated. We Exalted...certainly we, especially the celestials, can have and nurture cults of our own even as we give homage, worshiup and respect to our own patrons. That doesnt' make a god of the fields and harvest that nurtures a town not worthy of worship simply because Ahlat can destroy it." Fudou ponders the matter and then grins, "But none of that relates to why -I- am here -now- .. and so I have to ask..why are -you- two here?"
Amethyst	"I heard a loud noise and I was curious." Amethyst says, shrugging, "I wanted a break from dealing with the world so I went out and turned into a wolf and explored some stuff with Salara here. I have to say, becoming animals is an interesting experience that I don't think I could really hope to describe to someone who didn't already know it." "As far as Exalted being worshipped, you have the Pure Way over in the southeast in Prasd, in which the dragons believe themselves to be gods." She shakes her head, "Once upon a time they were noble houses, but for some reason the Empress didn't destroy them and they weren't killed for their heresies. Why they were spared and so many others weren't." She shrugs and sighs.
Black Pearl	"The last time Amethyst left, she ended up with ghosts trying to eat her, so I wanted to keep around just in case of trouble," Pearl says with a bit of a chuckle. "As for the rest..." She shakes her head. "She may have had her reasons, but I no longer trust that they were good ones. As for changing one's shape..." She looks betwen the two of them, "How much does form define essence? How much of identity is shaped by, well, shape?"
Fudou the Mountain	"I'm afraid I must create some distance here on this. What you do is -not- what we do. The understanding that a Lunar has of shapes and how we obtain them and the nature of change and Luna's gifts is not the same understanding that sorcery grants you. Your -perspective- may change because you can see the world through different eyes but lunar shape shifting is different." Fudou seems firm on this, his tone not exactly stern but also clearly setting some boundaries regarding Amethyst's pursuit of Lunar like gifts. "Our true shapes are our true selves. An avatar of our souls. An embodiment of who and what we are. When we shape shift into other forms it is in part predatory as these forms are not just crafted but hunted. Stolen. We 'become' those beings.. Take who and what they are into ourselves as part of our arsenal and we are peerless in this.." His voice trails off, wondering if he revealed too much so he merely adds, "There is more to it then that but you dip into another realm. It is good that you want to honor Luna and you're fasicnated by this world but..it is not the same."
Amethyst	At first, the young dragon looks upset, but whatever feeling she felt seems to melt into something else, a sorrow perhaps. "There are many ways for you to take shapes, that much I knew. And I've seen and felt that moment that Luna touches one such as yourself, through looking through the memories of one of Luna's chosen. I am not like you, no matter how much I will try, I will never be something other than what I am." "I never considered it before, but I wonder how many lunars would be insulted by my work, especially given how the immaculates like to say that the Lunars stole their gifts from Luna, and here I am using sorcery to try to mimic them." Amethyst sighs, "The way you once put it, 'pretending' to be a Lunar, is more apt a description that I like." "What would it take for you to consider me more than just another Dragon?" " Amethyst asks. And with a moment of concentration and pressure, all of her tattoos go out at once, fading to their natural black, usually only seen when she's either unconscious or sleeping. "I'm not asking to be your equal, but just, more than what I am."
Black Pearl	"Why do you want to be more than a Dragon?" Pearl asks in return. "Do you think I should be more as well? What would you have me be, and why?" She shakes her head, "You need not be other than who and what you are. At least not for me. So in who's eyes do you wish to be more? Your own? Mine? The Realm's? The Lunars?" She seems a bit unhappy at /something/ Amethyst has said at least.
Fudou the Mountain	Teh giant lunar frowns as he hears Amethyst. Fudou glances to Black Pearl, studying her expectantly and unsurprised at her response. He then shakes his head and looks back to Amethyst, "No matter how hard I try..I can't burst into flames or resonate with the earth or call forth wind and water. I'm simply not among the Dragons. I can't summon the holy powers of the Sun either. I am simply who and what I am. Listen, Amethyst..as long as I"ve known of you, you have always seemed perpetually trying to find approval among us. Trying to find yourself between all of these disparate worlds. The Raksha, the Dragonblood. The Lunars. Perhaps you are listening to too many voices and not Taking the time to hear your own?"
Amethyst	For a time, Amethyst is silent. She doubles over and clutches herself, and one can see the tides of the storm working their way through her as she stands in silence. At last, she lets out a breath and her tattoos return to their shimmering state, if dimmer than usual. "I'm sorry Salara, all at once I don't really feel like myself. Actually, I think Fudou's right, when's the last time I actually took my own voice into account? I think I just want someone to approve of me and what I do." "I could never be fast enough for my father or strong enough for my mother. I wasn't good enough to have earned the respect of the Raksha and I sure as shit aren't going to find any welcoming parties if I try to go the realm. So I've mindlessly tried to /become/ strong enough for it all, thinking if maybe I tried hard enough and did enough that maybe I'd finally get what I wanted." "At this point I don't really know who I am outside of that goal, or really what I want. It doesn't help that I've recently learned that I lost some portion of my soul to the wyld before I even came to Great Forks. And maybe this sort of confusion is typical of someone who's been asked to go a thousand different ways. Maybe I shouldn't go any of them and just try to find myself here." And she turns to Salara, "Here with those who I love, who are every bit as good as they need to be too." And then she tries her best to settle herself, wiping away the little bits of tears she's gathered, and breathing deeply. "I think the real question I need to ask, is how do I listen to my own voice?"
Black Pearl	Salara nods to Fudou, and gives a bit of a chuckle. "Many only see what others have that they do not, and do not realize the price others pay. Envy can be a terrible thing for anyone, yes?" She looks at him, considering, and then at Ametis. "I'll keep asking you questions, not because I want particular answers, but because I want to know /your/ answers to them," the dyanst says. "But that will be time for that later. For now..." She looks up to Fudou, "I definitely am curious as to what is here beyond these ruins, but it might be we need to return to the city.
Fudou the Mountain	Fudou listens and studies them both abit longer before sighing, nostrils flaring. "Amethyst.. Some spend much of their lives trying to become good at listening to their own voice, yes? I think not rushing that is perhaps the first step along with..not seeking things surely for the sake of others approvals. I don't think there is anything wrong with your pursuit of shape shifting magicks but..do it on your own terms and not because you seek a place and approval among the Lunars. It's not necessary. They will recognize your strength for what it is.. If you are sincere and truthful with them and yourself. Having hard questions asked of you is good for you and this process. But I fear that I have already said to much. This type of counsel is not my strength. I simply say what I see."
Amethyst	"I imagine many of those in the Realm may never listen to their own voice. If there's one thing I was blessed with it was not being indoctorinated by them." Amethyst says simply. "And to be fair in regards to the shapeshifting, that was a good part 'Can I do something this crazy?' It's still something I'm quite proud of even if I can't show many people." "I do want to ask though, what do you fear you've told me that you shouldn't have?"
Fudou the Mountain	"Hmm.." Fudou considers all that is said there and then says simply, "I forget that you and Rishi are so close. She's ..possessive of you, even. You probably know more then I considered about Lunar ways and our gifts. In menttioning the Sacred Hunt and our methods I was, maybe, going into territory that some might find..unsettling. Our shapeshifting methods are not so simple and clean, from some points of view."
Amethyst	"I have to hunt and skin whatever animal I want to become. Well, technically I just need the fresh corpse I don't /need/ hunt it myself, but I prefer to considering how Lunars gain their shapes. I take the corpse of the animal, skin it, cut up what I can eat and distill the rest into alchemical reagents that I then use to prepare the skin such that it can last for a month or so before becoming unusuable, at which point I also make that into reagents, as to make good use of the entire corpse. No part of this process is clean and neat and simple, even if it's completely different from how the Lunars do things." Says the still slime-covered dragon, one can only imagine what that slime is made out of. "I kinda learned that Lunars are just /weird/ in some sense or fashion in a lot of ways. When I became loved by not one by two lunars, I learned to deal." She shrugs.
Fudou the Mountain	"Messier then I thought in terms of the process. That's quite a few steps for a short term gain." muses Fudou in thought, "Still.. you prefer to 'hunt' because of your knowledge that Lunars perform a Sacred Hunt. Is that why you are so bent on this? Because of the influence of Rishi and Hoarfrost?"
Amethyst	Amethyst rubs at one of her ears, "You might have a point there with those two. Though neither one of them want me to be anything other than what I am, Rishi especially. But when my immaculate philosophy-based world came tumbling down I didn't have much to turn to aside from trying to be like the Lunars who taught me that an entire aspect of my life was built on lies." "Did I mention that this dedication to that philosophy and its mantras were a big part of how I didn't end up insane from questing against the wyld? Losing it /hurt/ and I still don't have something to fill the void, maybe I'm just learning to live without such a thing."
Fudou the Mountain	"Hmm.." Fudou looks away and then shrugs, resting both hands against his waist as he considers matters. "Lunars can have strong personalities. I suppose that is the point. I think understanding that you are letting yourself get knocked around alot in terms of your goals is a good first step. There is nothing wrong with pursuing mastery of shapeshifting just do it for the right reasons. You don't need to impress anyone. I think you are a powerful sorceress and you have powerful allies. Lean into them and into your abilities. I find it odd to be chasing after something as elusive as another persons exaltation. You have all the power you need. That is my thought."
Amethyst	"Maybe instead of seeking someone else's power through my sorcery, I should focus on enhancing my own powers." Amethyst considers, "I mean, 'just' with my powers of being a dragon I can keep up with both Lunars and Solars in combat." "I wonder what a Sapphire Circle working would look like if I were to focus it around mastery of the elements rather than shapeshifting. Or what I could do with simpler Emerald Circle workings. Perhaps I could try to be like, no, inspired by the dragons who's blood grants me this power to begin with."
Fudou the Mountain	"Perhaps. Whatever you decide, let it be your choice for yourself and not for someone else." advises Fudou who then grins and turns, shuddering the earth as he moves to head further into these ruins, "Return to Great Forks if you wish. I have other things I wish to see here.. Good by for now!"