#baronyofthesilverwolf

"We're going to need to build... then hold."

David mutters gravelly to Gwen, "She is... a lot."

She yanks on her gloves, and carefully picks up the sculpted heart.

Zephy leans forward, and pursing lips, she blows softly, and a steady light glows. Ahhhh, when she is doing this, blessedly, she has complete control, but is without voice... sweet, sweet whispers of air without words.

Her cheeks bell out in rounded curves that expand past that what a human could do, and she exhales, exhales, exhales, without ever needing to draw a breath, or so it seems, steadily supplying the air flow needed.

Thistle lowers the sculpture into the kiln.

Gladiola inquires "A girlfriend?" To David

"It's... programming, I guess, and I'm gonna..." She adjusts, laying on an odd angle so she can keep an eye on the Heart and the Flame both through the ventilation holes.

It takes much to startle a stone, but David looks surprised. "No. ..Not... Zephera, and I? N... No." Shakes his head as though the thought is preposterous.

Luckily she is too busy to overhear as she might have been offended.

As Thistle lowers the sculpted heart into the makeshift kiln, it begins to glow softly, radiating a gentle, almost ethereal light. The flickering flames dance around it, casting enchanting shadows across the clearing.

Gladiola nods softly, knowing she overstepped At least I wouldn't be trying to poach

David stands watch, arms crossed, a mix of admiration and caution on his face. He raises his voice, commenting, “We must keep it stable, Zephyra. Too much air could spoil the work.”

Her response is a flip of a breeze that ruffles leaves into his face.

Art leans closer, mesmerized. “It’s incredible! I’ve never seen anything like this!”

As the heart pulsates with its warm glow, the air fills with a crackling energy, heavy like static before a thunderstorm.

"It's... this isn't firing mundane, nah."

"Need to borrow glamour, Thistle?"

"It's gotta... see how it's red? It'll go orange, then gold, then yellow, and then it'll... there's a right color, like starlight."

Art gives Gwen an approving nod, and he extends a hand as well, his fingertips glimmering as he offers as well.

She feels for the glamour of the place - her own, crackling away in her belly; Gwen's rooted deep and solid... and Art's...

She extends her hands, to receive the offered help.

Gladiola's glamour comes forward, and like her, it is heavy, yet with a passion under the surface beats like a heartbeat with in.

Art takes her hand, and... presses a kiss to the back of it, in a knightly gesture from the Squire, passing his glamour to Thistle.

Something in her sings.

The pulsing glow of the Heart intensifies, transforming into a rhythmic beating sensation that resonates through the clearing. It feels almost alive, a soft thrum that synchronizes with the heartbeat of the world around them.

As the energy surges, the glyph etched into its surface begins to glow not merely from the fire's reflection, but from within.

The glyph’s vibrant light shifts, casting a kaleidoscope of hues around the clearing. Reds, blues, yellows and even shades of purple dance together in a dazzling display, each color blending seamlessly into the next in a rainbow that pulses in time with the heart's rhythm.

Art, eyes wide in wonder, exhales, “Look at that! Stars come in many colors, don’t they? This is... it's just... magnificent."

"All the colors, you told me."

Zephyra twirls in delight, her airy laughter blending with the sounds of the wind. “Oh, what a brilliant observation! A rainbow heart—so full of possibilities!” With her distraction, the airflow ceases and the fire drops - but the light is coming from the Heart itself now, not just reflected by the flames.

"You remember that?" Art asks?

"Woooow" A mutter

"Course I do." She reaches for the Heart, sealing the glamour - giving it the strength unique to nocker-craft.

Ba-DUM. Ba-DUM. Ba-DUM, it echoes within the Nocker's core.

David nods slowly, clearly impressed. “The interplay of colors suggests depth and complexity. This creation may indeed resonate with many interpretations - a spectrum, as it were.”

As the colors swirl, Thistle feels a connection to her creation. The clearing feels charged with a palpable energy, it almost feels as though the very ground is vibrating.
....

Almost?

"(*&^%%$!! We need to GO."

"This needs to be where it belongs, unless we really wanna see some fercacta fallout."

"Okay. Let's get it there"

Zephera gasps, "Noooo thank you! David, it's been a blast, but I am out! Call meeeeeeeeeeee!" Her voice fades as the flighty breeze zips away.

Citrine looks sad as she leaves.

"Oh. OH! Take it, Thistle! Go, we're right behind you!" Art exclaimes.

The Heart is warm in her hands, even through the gloves. "RIGHT."

"Hey, Pebbles, I'm probably gonna need to use you like a cherry picker down there!" She is not running, but boy is that a power-walk.

They bustle down the tunnel and into the underground cavern where the pool, previously still, trembles like a T-rex is walking nearby.

The Sentinel is yet unmoving but there is a hum in the air.

"Waitin' for half a century, bub. Here's hoping I didn't fuck this up."

Despite her words, her tone is confident. This feels right, after twisting over doubt and hesitation.

There it is, that hollow in the middle of the carved work of art.

"We've got this." Art puts a hand tentatively against the heart - unsure if it will burn him.

"We do!"

The Sentinel is tall, but with a boost from Gwen, Thistle can reach without struggling.

(assuming Gwen offers, that is) 😉

Snort. "Common and noble and chimera and inanimae and all. Take that, warmongering jagoffs."

Citrine is buzzing around inside the hollow again.

Art reaches in and grabs her out of the way! "OW! Don't bite!" He says, but this feels like background noise to Thistle as she focuses.

Gwen offers, lifting up a friend to reach

"Maybe I should call you Otis." She quips as she's lifted.

The hollow (now absent 1 idjit) hole in the Sentinel's chest awaits.

She sets the kaleidoscopic Heart into place.