awashlogs | there's a sonic the hedgehog joke in here somewhere

[ For lack of a better word, they're mad. Mad because they have to be on this stupid semi-colorless planet, mad because there's no other gems here, mad because there's no glue or powder here which forces them, a simple librarian, to forge their own, and most of all mad because their stupid saw that was made for cutting ice got stuck in a damn tree because they guess they will just never have the gentle touch or grace that their beloved counterpart had.

It all happened so fast that it was only when they actually looked down at their arm after striking the tree that they saw that, yes, their hand was missing. Snapped off and probably flew off who knows where, with what little strategy they'd been using to do this task - which leaves them with no clues as to what direction it could have gone off to.

For all their exasperation, they at least know that if they don't make haste, it could get further damaged... a hundred winters alone meant they could patch themselves up within reason, but anything more complicated than a simple break? They'd just have to adjust to life without one hand, then, since their inclusions aren't exactly champs at accepting new material. They make the executive decision to just leave their weapon half way through the tree, since it's not like anyone will be able to steal it without them finding out - and it's not until they hear a yelp nearby that their (Very Grumpy) focus on the ground in search for the appendage is broken.

It comes from a little downhill from where they are, having ventured a bit further into the forest than the other, so it should come as no surprise that they approach him from behind, peering around him and fully expecting some sort of enemy. ]

What was that yelp for? [ They don't...see anything worth alarm here...and they don't quite catch sight of their hand that must have rolled downhill, since they're busy looking around for some sort of threat. ] I thought you were getting attacked.

[ iida had heard the crunching of leaves coming from cairngorm's footsteps. he's already braced himself for the worst, standing up tall and bringing his hands into fists. he's found a single orange so far; if he has to fight, he would have preferred to at least peel and eat it first, but he might just have to rip it open and chow down if need be...

but when iida can finally make out who it is—sorry, cairngorm, but you're very white and a little harder to spot than most in a colorless forest—he feels a little more relieved despite cairngorm's obvious irritation. ]

It's you. [ his shoulders slack a little, but he's still uneasy. he doesn't notice their missing hand from where he's standing. ]

I wasn't attacked, per se... [ he clears his throat, taking another step from the hand lying in the leaves and gesturing towards it behind him. ] But I found something disturbing in this forest.

Edited (icon... sorry) 2018-04-10 18:28 (UTC)

[ They let out a little exhale to acknowledge what he said, boldly going around him to see what this 'disturbing' thing is. There isn't exactly anything in mind that they expect to see, but it definitely wasn't a warm, familiar glint coming from beneath some leaves.

Quickly, they kneel down near where the hand is, rolling up their cuffed sleeve with their still attached hand to reveal their..."injured" arm? It's broken from above the wrist, glossy dark crystal catching the light as they move closer. The way they brush the leaves away from it is surprisingly gentle given Cairn's general show of harshness, and they delicately pick up the hand and inspect it a little closer to see if there's any further damages. ]

Was this the "disturbing" thing you found?

[ If it wasn't clear enough before that this is their hand, they hold it up to the other expectantly, a matching set of ten black, crystalline nails glinting in the soft sunlight. ]

[ iida is already apprehensive. when cairngorm rounds him to look at the object, he reaches a hand out weakly, stalling it in midair short of grabbing them- ]

Ah, don't! That's-

[ at least let him tell you what it is first!! but before he can stop them, cairngorm is already down on their knee to search through the leaves.

that's when iida sees it. he watches cairngorm pull the cuff of their sleeve up and reveal the stump above their wrist&heart;smooth, faceted black crystal with sharp edges. iida can only stare in horror as they pick up and inspect their own disembodied hand.

he flinches just a little when cairngorm brings it up for him to look at, throwing an arm in front of him as if in protection. ]

Th-That- [ if nothing else had proved to him that this was their hand, those (BEAUTIFUL) black nails would have done it. ] This is your own hand?!

[ They just kind of...stare, for a second, deadpanning. But they've been trying their best to be sensitive to how humans acted around here, if only because they just knew so little about humans. Cairn takes a moment to remind themself that this might be kind of shocking to see for a being that rots when it breaks apart. ]

Whose else would it be?

[ Their response is quick and blunt while they slowly rise back up to their feet, giving the other a careful look. It was pretty obvious from their last encounter that Iida was someone quite eccentric, but his overreaction and aghast expression is only serving to stress Cairn out. ]

It's mine, and not some human's, so you don't have to freak out so much.

[ Look, they will even stop moving it around (even if their fingers just kind of...hang there lifelessly in a somewhat creepy way) since it seems to make the other so uncomfortable. ]

[ iida is immune to the deadpanning for now. clearly cairngorm is not getting just how weird this is; they wouldn't, considering the hand is theirs, so iida is not going to feel bad about his initial reaction. when cairngorm stands, one of his feet comes slowly behind him, his hands coming up in front of him-

but it's cairngorm's hand, and they've already established that cairngorm is anything but human. the sense of dread from seeing the disembodied hand is starting to wear away the longer iida looks at the hand, his eyes flickering only briefly to cairngorm before he inspects it again. no offense to cairngorm's inclusions, but the longer he looks at it, the more he's starting to see it more as some strange, soft sculpture than a living thing. his hands lower, but he brings one up to gesture to it. ]

So this... [ he's looking at the face of cracked, black stone. ] This is what you're made of? How did it come off of you?

It broke off while I was trying to cut into a tree, since the trees around here are a lot sturdier than I'm used to. I should actually go back there immediately...

[ Normally, they'd just be on their merry productive way, but...for some reason (not beacuse they're nice or anything like that), they feel reluctant to just walk off. Meeting so many young beings in this strange place reminds them of the responsibility they and all the other gems innately felt towards the starry-eyed juniors. It's a weird feeling, being suddenly launched into senior citizen status, since they felt like the comfortable I'm-youthful-but-not-a-baby age back at home.

Either way, it'd be foolish to just leave him here by himself in this unpredictable forest, regardless of all the freakish abilities humans seemed to have. They take a step in the direction they came from, keeping eye contact with him and trying to make this as casual an offer as possible. ]

...But you can come if you're not going to get in my way.

[ even if cairngorm had insisted on going off into the forest on their own, iida would have told them to halt. before he asks iida to come along, his eyes flicker worriedly from the hand back to cairngorm's face, both hands lifted, one of them opening towards cairngorm as if to stop them-

and they offer to have him come along anyway. iida relaxes some, shoulders slacking, but his worry hasn't left. he nods. ]

I will keep out of your way then. However... [ he lowers his hand and points his fingers towards cairngorm's disembodied hand again. ] You're not going to try to cut trees again with your hand in that condition, are you? Is there a way that you can replace it back onto your wrist?

[ They close their eyes for a moment, knowing that these sorts of things are not obvious to humans, but still feeling awkward having to explain something so normal. The more they interact with humans, the more they really do understand what the gems meant when they said they were unlike any other living being. ]

Hopefully, I won't have to, if there's resin coming out of the tree I already cut into. That's what gems normally use to put ourselves back together. If there's some, I should be able to reattach my hand without issue.

[ It's important to try to keep their tone neutral, since the other really does look so worried for their well-being. ]

[ The level tone of their voice does well to put Iida more at ease. He nods slowly, brows smoothing as he touches his chin. ]

I see. Tree resin... [ He never would have thought of it on his own, but it could work. ] If that's the case, thank you for allowing me to come along. If you need my assistance at all, please let me know.

You sound as if you've been through this process many times, however.

[ Now that he's agreed to come along, they just sort of start walking in the direction they're meant to go in, expecting him to keep up and hear what they have to say. While they walk, they keep their eyes properly forward, very task focused for the time being. ]

That's because I have. I've fixed myself a lot over the last one-hundred and two years. [ They can't say the same for the centuries prior to that, but either way, in their opinion, they are probably the best prepared gem to be stuck alone without a doctor. ] I've never really been in charge of making glue though, so this is a first for me.

there's a sonic the hedgehog joke in here somewhere

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