[centre][img]https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/divinus-mk4/images/3/3b/Afc6efa58bae4f9c3be8ed679a7ac131.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/310?cb=20200229065521[/img] [h2]Gibbou[/h2] & [h1][color=violet][b][u]Cadien[/u][/b][/color][/h1] [/centre] [hr] Gibbou floated towards her moon with her face in her hands, embarrassment colouring its every angle a reddish plum. That encounter with Enmity had been the most awkward moment of her whole life - quite literally, even! Occasionally, she gave her cheek a light slap as punishment for her deeds. After a while, she began groaning obnoxiously to chase the memories out of her mind, though it seemed to do little else than to redouble her focus on them. She then started singing to herself, perhaps also obnoxiously loud, even to the point where the celestial whales began steering away from her. However, no matter what she did, she just couldn’t find a way to forget her actions. Eventually, she just held her breath and quieted down. The moon was just up ahead now, it’s calm, precious glow soothing Gibbou so noticeably. Gods and natural forces could try their best, but no one could ever take that sweet little orb from her. It was hers - hers and only hers. That thought alone pushed the memory of Enmity far into the back of-- Oh, sunlight, she thought of it again! Urgh! Once more the annoying [colour=lightblue]“la-la-las”[/colour] erupted from her mouth. She plopped down on the lunar surface and walked around in a circle for a few moments to calm herself again. In the end, she found herself a suitably dark cave, fashioned a blanket from the darkness within it and hid underneath it, droning a long, long groan. She would awake an unknown amount of time later, to the sound of a persistent tapping outside the cave. Metal striking rock. Gibbou poked her head out from under her blanket and cooed a ‘huh?’ Then her instincts kicked in and she sprinted out of the cave, materialising a club from the darkness. She lifted it over her head and jumped out of the cave. [colour=lightblue]“Who’s there?![/colour] What’re you doing to my moon?!” she shouted in no particular direction. Standing a great distance away from the cave’s entrance was a tall, broad-shouldered, supernaturally handsome white-haired man. In his hands were a hammer and chisel, his attention focused on a statue of… himself. It was a perfect match, yet the stranger seemed unsatisfied. Meanwhile, a colossal purple-scaled beast with leathery wings was flying circles in the stars above. The stranger looked up from his statue. [color=violet]“Hmm?”[/color] [colour=lightblue]“Wha-...”[/colour] Gibbou dropped her club and it turned to smoke on its way to the ground. [colour=lightblue]“Who-... What-... Why-...”[/colour] Gibbou took an extra moment to eye the man up and down. She collected her feet, her toes pointing inwards. She brushed some of the hair in her face behind her ear and immediately put her hands together next to her waist, wagging her torso stiffly. Eventually, she made an awkward wink with both eyes and went, [colour=lightblue]“H-hi.”[/colour] The stranger nodded at her. “Hello there,” he said with a smile, before eying her up and down, and raising his eyebrows. “Blue,” he said, after a moments inspection. “What an interesting choice…” and then the colour of his skin changed, into a shade of blue similar to her own. The figure began to inspect himself, and for now seemed quite pleased with the change. [colour=lightblue]“Th-th-th-tha-tha--... Blah, bleh, sorry. Thanks!”[/colour] Gibbou blinked at the colour change, her cheeks turning that familiar shade of red plum. [colour=lightblue]“Y-you’re interesting, too.”[/colour] Immediately, she closed her eyes hard shut and looked as though she was cursing at herself under her breath. [color=violet]“Is everything alright?”[/color] the man asked, briefly letting go of his tools and allowing them to slowly float to the ground. [colour=lightblue]“YES! I mean, yes, everything’s…”[/colour] Gibbou paused to take a deep breath. [colour=lightblue]“... Perfect.”[/colour] She shifted her eyes around the area like she was shelling it with machine gun fire. [colour=lightblue]“Uh, uh, uhm… S-s-say, what’syournameIreallywannaknowplease.”[/colour] [color=violet]“I’m Cadien, God of Perfection,”[/color] the man seemed to smile even more brightly. [color=violet]“And who would you be?”[/color] [colour=lightblue]“Ohmysister,hewantstoknowmyname,”[/colour] she whispered to herself while facing away dramatically. She then spun back, did an open pose, immediately regretted it and returned to her timid stance from earlier. [colour=lightblue]“I’m, I’m Gibbou, g-goddess of the moon. THIS moon, by the way. Sorry I, I didn’t clean properly before you, you, uh, came and, uh… Do you want something to drink?”[/colour] Cadien shook his head. [color=violet]“I’m quite alright,”[/color] he said softly. Then suddenly he leapt forward, landing only a few feet away from her. [color=violet]“My apologies, it just felt odd to talk at that distance. So, you built this place?”[/color] Gibbou turned a shade redder as Cadien approached, her feet almost involuntarily dragging her back towards the cave mouth. [colour=lightblue]“Uh, uh-huh, yesh, -yes-, I, I made it, m-hm.”[/colour] She looked desperately for something to say. [colour=lightblue]“Y-you built that?”[/colour] she pointed at the purple creature. [color=violet]“I did,”[/color] Cadien nodded, following her gaze. [color=violet]“He’s the one that carried me up here.”[/color] Then he looked back down to her. [color=violet]“Anyway, I must say, you’ve done an excellent job. This moon is quite beautiful. In fact…”[/color] he broke out into a slight grin. [color=violet]“Almost as beautiful as its creator.”[/color] Gibbou swallowed and the fingers on one of her hands desperately looked for more hair in her face to shove behind her ear. She took another deep and, with a cracked voice, said [colour=lightblue]“tha-”[/colour], cleared her throat and finished with a louder [colour=lightblue]“thanks”[/colour]. To let out some tension, she punctuated her gratitude with a giggle, which included a series of snorts. She then froze and cleared her throat, eyes staring Cadien up and down. [colour=lightblue]“Y-you, too.”[/colour] The God took another step closer, so that they were only inches apart. “There’s no need to be so nervous,” he said soothingly. “We’re both gods, we’re both beautiful, and there’s no shame in acknowledging that.” [colour=lightblue]“Acknowledged so badly,”[/colour] Gibbou whispered to herself and swallowed again. [colour=lightblue]“S-s-so… What’s, uh, what’s up? What’s the haps? The, the, the… The haps and the… Sunlight,shutuuup,Gibs…”[/colour] He chuckled slightly. [color=violet]“I wanted to get a better view of the world,”[/color] he said, [color=violet]“and this seemed like the perfect place for it. I could see everything. And as I was waiting for this moon to turn to the other side, I decided to keep myself busy…”[/color] he gestured toward the sculpture. [color=violet]“Sorry for that. Perhaps I should have asked permission before I began building things upon your creation.”[/color] [colour=lightblue]“NO! No, it’s very fine, I mean, it’s fine - fine as in okay, not, y’know… I mean, it’s very beautiful, too, just so...”[/colour] She closed her eyes. [colour=lightblue]“It’s fine. Ooooh, wooow! Look how beautiful Galbar is down there, from here!”[/colour] She pointed frantically at the planet below, hoping it rather than she would catch her guest’s attention. The attempt failed. [color=violet]“Anyway,”[/color] Cadien smoothly went on. [color=violet]“Now that I know you’re here, I can’t help but wonder if there’s a better way for us to… occupy ourselves.”[/color] [colour=lightblue]“O-occupy ourselves?”[/colour] Gibbou stuttered and slowly turned back to Cadien. [colour=lightblue]“I-I-I-I-I, I don’t know if I’m-...”[/colour] [color=violet]“Don’t worry,”[/color] Cadien’s smile deepened. [color=violet]“I’ll do all the work. You just need to sit back and enjoy.”[/color] He studied her face for a moment, his eyes lingering on her lips, and then… he walked away. [color=violet]“Building a sculpture of myself was fun, don’t get me wrong…”[/color] he continued, as the tools flew back to his hand. [color=violet]“But maybe I should try sculpting someone else, for a change. Is that alright with you?”[/color] A cloud of steam had formed around Gibbou’s head, though it turned to ice the second it formed. She flicked the ice away and let out a sigh. [colour=lightblue]“O-oh, that’s what you meant.”[/colour] She skipped on after him. [colour=lightblue]“S-sure! What did you have in mind, mister Cadien?”[/colour] [color=violet]“Just stay in one place, and I’ll make a sculpture of you,”[/color] he said. [color=violet]“Right there should be fine.”[/color] Then he continued walking, and rose a small pillar of stone from the ground that was about Gibbou’s height. [colour=lightblue]“O-of me?”[/colour] Gibbou stuttered and couldn’t really keep moving even if she wanted to, for fear of her heart collapsing. [color=violet]“Yes!”[/color] Cadien nodded brightly. [color=violet]“Strike a pose!”[/color] Then he began to work, his hands and arm becoming a blur as he hammered and chiseled the slab of rock, the shape of which gradually began to morph and change as dusts and shards flew away. Gibbou hadn’t really struck any sort of pose. She had sort of awkwardly lifted her hand as if to grab something high above her and done a soft shrug with the other, a pose she knew she would regret having made for the next six or seven aeons. Cadien himself looked somewhat disappointed, but he carried on, and after a few minutes the statue had quickly taken shape. It held a pose nothing like the one that Gibbou had actually attempted to make, with one hand on its hip and another behind its head. Its expression betrayed none of her actual nervousness, and instead smiled warmly. [color=violet]“There, I think that’s finished!”[/color] he finally declared, backing away from the statue until he stood next to Gibbou herself. [color=violet]“What do you think?”[/color] Gibbou blinked. It was so much better than what she had tried to pose as. It showed strength, power, confidence - and it was only made of stone. It was better than her. She forced a smile at Cadien and nodded. [colour=lightblue]“It’s, it’s great! Really, I have no words.”[/colour] [color=violet]“That’s good to hear,”[/color] Cadien nodded, before his mouth curled into a smirk. [color=violet]“Though to be honest,”[/color] he whispered. [color=violet]“I still prefer the real thing.”[/color] Then he leaned down to kiss her. Gibbou gasped and pressed her hand on his face while facing away. [colour=lightblue]"I-I-I-I-I-I'M NOT READY!"[/colour] She jumped back so intensely that she orbited once around the moon and landed about twenty paces away from Cadien again. [colour=lightblue]"I, I mean, I just met you and you're really, really handsome, and, and, but this is going really fast, and I, I--"[/colour] She took a deep breath and shouted, [colour=lightblue]"I'm not comfortable kissing a stranger!"[/colour] That took Cadien by surprise. Now, it was his cheeks that reddened. His eyebrows rose, and he physically stepped backward. [color=violet]“I… I…”[/color] he stammered, unsure of what to say. His mouth continued moving, but his words failed him, until at last he finally managed: [color=violet]“I’m sorry.”[/color] Gibbou took a moment to let her breathing slow down. [colour=lightblue]"It's fine, but… You and I - we've just met and, and… I just don't think it's okay to just go all the way so, so quickly."[/colour] [color=violet]“Oh… I see…”[/color] Cadien said, still somewhat numb from shock. [color=violet]“Um… so… next time I think about doing something like that, I’ll ask you first, yeah? Sorry… um… let’s just move on for now… alright?”[/color] He scratched the back of his head nervously. [colour=lightblue]"Yeah, let's,"[/colour] Gibbou agreed with a shifty look. [colour=lightblue]"So, uh, did you want something to drink after all, or?"[/colour] [color=violet]“Do you have anything to drink up here?”[/color] he asked curiously. [color=violet]“I suppose we could just create something to drink, but I can’t think of anything right now.”[/color] [colour=lightblue]"I have, uh,"[/colour] she conjured forth two glasses and filled them with hot air and some purple drink. [colour=lightblue]"Grape juice?"[/colour] Cadien nodded, accepted a glass, and drank. [color=violet]“It’s good,”[/color] he said, after taking a moment to savour the taste. [colour=lightblue]"Thanks,"[/colour] Gibbou cooed quietly and sipped her own cup. [colour=lightblue]"So, uh, did you have anything else you wanted to do up here?"[/colour] He glanced over toward Galbar. [color=violet]“I’m still waiting for this moon to circle around, so we can see what’s on the other side. Perhaps we can share stories? Of the things we’ve seen and built?”[/color] Gibbou blinked and made an awkward face. [colour=lightblue]"I, uh, I'm not sure I can just go back to that after, y'know…"[/colour] [color=violet]“Oh… I understand. Another time, maybe,”[/color] Cadien said slowly. Almost as if sensing that the conversation was nearing an end, the dragon landed nearby, looking at the two expectantly. [color=violet]“Could I at least ask how you built this moon in the first place? I was thinking I might create one myself… make the night sky even more beautiful.”[/color] Gibbou took another sip and, looking to the ground, she answered, [colour=lightblue]"Yeah. Sure."[/colour] She held out her free hand and materialised a space rock in it. [colour=lightblue]"As is the case with the creation of any large object, you just have to smash together enough material until it holds its circular shapes. I think you can just try that."[/colour] Cadien smiled. His skin reverted back to its original colour. [color=violet]“I see. Thank you. I suppose I should be on my way, then. Sorry again.”[/color] Then he climbed atop his dragon, which he realized he had still yet to actually name, but that could wait. [color=violet]“Hopefully our next meeting goes more smoothly!”[/color] [colour=lightblue]"Y-yeah, sure,"[/colour] Gibbou mumbled and gave a small, timid wave. [colour=lightblue]"Have a nice trip."[/colour] Cadien nodded, and with a flap of its wings, the dragon once again took flight. [hr] The encounter still hung in the back of his mind. It had somehow never occurred to him that he would be rejected, and yet in hindsight, it was something he should have been fully prepared for. He was a fool. Cadien sighed, partly in embarrassment at the mistake and partly in frustration at his own shortsightedness. There was nothing more that could be done. He had made his apologies and she seemed to have accepted them. Perhaps his words would prove true, and their next encounter would go better. He simply needed to show more restraint - not just to her - but to others, for he doubted she was the only one who might react this way. As he contemplated the situation further, he couldn’t help but think about how there had been a certain charm to her initial nervousness, and even her rejection of him. But he shook those thoughts off. He shouldn’t be thinking like that right now. In the meantime, he had a moon to create. So, he flew his dragon through the stars, circling Galbar, drawing rock and other space debris into a path behind him. Once it had achieved sufficient mass, he used his will to shape it into a ball, and began to expand it further, drawing in more rock and debris from afar. Then, finally, it was done. It was not as large as Gibbou’s moon, but it was closer to Galbar. He dismounted his dragon, floated closer to the giant rock, and gave it a sharp kick. At once the cold, grey stone suddenly transformed into a vibrant purple, and the new moon began to move - entering Galbar’s orbit, though it would circle the planet vertically rather than horizontally. Galbar had two moons now, and Cadien had to wonder what it would look like if they ever aligned. He glanced over at Gibbou’s moon, wondered what she thought of it, and then turned back to his dragon. [color=violet]“There’s one more person we should visit.”[/color] [hr] Gibbou had retreated to her cave. She laid there on a mattress fashioned from shadow, staring emptily at the black wall. Thoughts as dark as the room swam through her mind: How had she made him feel? Was it her fault that it got so awkward? Should, should she have just gone along with it? She swallowed. Cadien had looked so sad when he left - she didn’t want anyone to feel sad! Especially not people who come to visit! How could she have-- She curled up into a ball and let out a scream into a midnight pillow. She could’ve handled it! Now Cadien would hate her forever and they could never meet again. Everywhere they went, it would be so, so awkward - oh, sunlight, he was even talking about making a moon! What would happen if, if they passed by one another? Her head took cover underneath the pillow. Could she just die for a few minutes? Would that be alright? Just blink out of existence momentarily - a few aeons or so - and come back as if nothing had happened? She sighed sharply. No, those were just desperations of the moment. She sat up and touched her cheeks - she had been crying again. Ugh, she was such a baby - she’d get over this in no time. Had to be a grown-up! Like sis! So why was it so damn hard to put her finger on what to do next? A sudden sensation of chillness set in and she shrunk together, her hands hugging at her arms. This was no outwards sensation, but one of the heart. It was something she had felt before, but never for herself - only of behalf of others. [colour=lightblue]“I see… So this is what fear is, huh?”[/colour] she mumbled to herself. She extended a hand and gave it a thorough look. That same hand had kept Cadien off of her, but it had only acted thanks to her instincts. What if those instincts hadn’t kicked in? What would’ve… She closed the hand into a fist. This was part of her mission, wasn’t it - to understand what life needed protection from. Death was a given, but now - could this sort of unwanted act be included on that list? She hummed to herself pensively, wagging back and forth on her mattress. Now that she thought about it, perhaps she had gone about this whole protection aspect too literally? Maybe she shouldn’t protect life all on her own, or through guardians that, in truth, seemed to do more harm than good. Maybe the solution would be to, to give mortality a type of power - a power that would let them defend themselves on their own, using her power to strengthen themselves? No, maybe not just her power - all kinds of power! She clapped her hands together. This would need some thinking! [hr] [hider=Summary!] Gibbou returns to her moon and goes inside a cave to have a nap. She wakes up an unknown amount of time later to the sound of someone working outside. She goes outside, and Cadien is there, making a sculpture of himself. She is taken in by how attractive he is, and a nervous conversation ensues, made even worse when Cadien begins complimenting her appearance. Anyway, Cadien then decides to make a sculpture of her, but she is unable to fully appreciate it, as she is insecure about how confident it looks compared to her actual self. Cadien then attempts to kiss her, and she immediately nopes out of that. Cadien is taken aback by this, because it’s the first time he faces real rejection. He realizes that he can’t just go and throw himself at whoever happens to find him attractive. He hastily apologizes, and attempts to move on and salvage the conversation, but fails. Eventually he decides to leave, but not before asking how to make a moon. Anyway, he then goes on to build a second moon in the sky - one that is purple rather than white, and orbits Galbar vertically rather than horizontally. He also reflects further on his rejection at the hands of Gibbou, and decides he needs to show more restraint when interacting with others in the future. Meanwhile, back in the cave, Gibbou is also reflecting. She’s afraid that this will make future interactions with Cadien difficult and is embarrassed at how she handled herself. Eventually she calms down, and turns her thought process toward protecting mortals. She decides that they should have some sort of power to defend themselves, and begins thinking on the matter further. [/hider] [hider=MP Summary] [u]Cadien[/u] -0MP to make a purple moon. It is smaller than Gibbou’s and orbits Galbar vertically rather than horizontally. The two moons can align anywhere between every eight and sixteen years. [/hider]