| Getting a Feel | (( Scorpio ))

[Cancer]

Clutching her book tightly under her arm, Cancer descended the steps that lead out onto a large stretch of the garden where the grass seemed greener than the colour emerald itself. Cancer had spent most of her time in the garden, near the pond toward the back in a secluded corner. She had chosen and created a little seat for herself under a tree growing quite close to the water so she could work with water when she wanted to and also have the peace and serenity she, as a Cancer, enjoyed. Glancing around cautiously, Cancer made her way to the spot quickly. She did not want to be seen. By the other goddesses or priests alike. She was yet to even attempt to make friends with any of them, tending to keep to herself a lot whenever they were around.

Now wandering into her familiar thinking place, Cancer blew out a gentle sigh and let the book she had been clutching so tightly drop to the ground with a soft thud upon the fallen leaves. Seating herself closer to the water than usual today, Cancer gazed into it and used her fingers to cast gentle ripples through it, sighing and focusing all her energy on it. It seemed to calm her, this exercise, and allowed her to think clearly. She had been doing a lot of it lately. It seemed a lot of her fellow goddesses had been doing it also. And they all seemed to share the same feelings about the priests. There was something odd about them. Something sly and not good. Cancer hadn't come across many priests in her 13 years of living but she was quite sure priests were not meant to have the character of sly and cunning. Especially evil sly and cunning.

Leaning back against the comforting base of the tree she shut her eyes and wet her lips, her hand still slipping back and forth, allowing ripples to ruffle the water's crystal surface. Her mind wandered to the other Goddesses. A lot of them seemed to be keeping to themselves, as she was but there had been some quiet chatter during the meals but not much was said, especially in front of the priests whom seemed to watch them all quite closely. As these thoughts crossed her mind the hint of a frown entered her face and she stopped the ripple exercises. Swallowing, Cancer opened her eyes and glanced about. She thought she had heard something. It was probably just Ruby, coming to see how she was getting along.

At the thought of her shape-shifting familiar, Cancer's lips tugged up into a half smile. She and her familiar had bonded pretty well and Cancer had opened up a lot to her ruby coloured friend. Ruby, in reply, had listened and offered explanations and answered her questions. Well, until recently. Cancer had been asking questions about the priests and such but Ruby seemed uncomfortable and uneasy whenever she touched the subject, even just lightly skimmed it. Cancer had immediately changed the topic, unless she was in a persistent mood, then Ruby would change it and Cancer would forget about it until another time.

Cancer sighed and shook her head lightly. So much mystery was involved with being a Goddess. Whether it was good or bad, Cancer wasn't so sure she liked it. So far she had been settling in well with the routine and cushy living but she missed home. And the straight-forwardness of it all. The priests and their unusual un-priestness behaviour had made all the Goddesses suspicious, Cancer included. She sighed and shook her head, swallowing lightly and leaning forward, picking up the book she had dropped so carelessly and dusted the specks of dirt off the cover. It was a book Ruby had given her, as if wanting her to figure something out. So far, Cancer had only mused over it and never really taken much notice but as she flicked to her favourite page...the one about the real Cancer Goddess, Cancer's eyes narrowed and she read through the text she had read so often, her eyes drinking up the information as though it was the first time she'd read it.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps made Cancer look up abruptly. Slamming the book shut she stood up, her heat beating a little faster than normal. "He-Hello?" She called out softly and took a tentative step forward. "Ruby?" She called out again softly, her eyes scanning the surroundings in front of her where the sounds had come from.

(( Intended for Scorpio ))

[Scorpio]

Scorpio walked slowly, pretending to pay attention to Topaz’s latest lecture. Each hand carried a shoe, as her toes wiggled in the soft earth as she walked. The golden Goddess was overwhelmed to have finally escaped the confines of the temple, even though she was never really trapped there in the first place. In her own opinion, things had finally settled down at the temple. Scorpio’s was finally beginning to gain some resemblance to control over her life.

“Are you listening?” A hint of annoyance seeped through his normally level tone. Scorpio could feel her familiar intrude farther into her mind. She winced.

“Of course,” she responded automatically, her eyes never leaving the path in front of her. It was awkward talking to a cloud of golden sparkles. “Because your lectures are never boring.” Vaguely, she wondered how far she could push the level-headed familiar before he finally did become frustrated. At least some idea of fun presented itself on this boring afternoon.

The gold dust promptly transformed into an older teenager with matching features. He could easily have passed for Scorpio’s brother with his blond hair and piercing golden eyes. Scorpio visibly winced as he transformed, consequently knowing he had read her more hidden thoughts.

“Better? Will you listen now?”

“Probably not,” the golden Goddess responded bluntly. ”It’s really a rather pretty day...couldn’t you at least teach me something, well, fun?” Scorpio toyed with a thin lock of her hair, eyes glued to her familiar’s pale complexion. Her smooth gate carried her from the path, towards a small waterfront. A grin spread easily across her profile. ”Thinking of fun, want to go swimming?” Golden eyes observed the running water excitedly, yet gradually regret filled them. ”Can you swim?”

Scorpio collapsed on the least wet plot of shore she could find, dropping her shoes to her side. With her rapid movement, she nearly avoided sitting on a tree. Yet, in the process Scorpio realized that the Goddess and familiar pair wasn’t alone.

“Oh!” she exclaimed in brief surprise. “Ar- Uh... Pi- Er. Sag-” Scorpio stuttered awkwardly.

”Cancer,” whispered Topaz in delight as his bell like laughter filled her mind. He had a sick way of entertainment. His human form quickly deteriorated as he transformed into a small golden bird and perched on a low branch of a nearby tree.

“Uh... Hey, Cancer. What are you up to?”

[Cancer]

Scanning the surroundings in front of her Cancer waited a little impatiently for someone to show themselves. It seemed as if the person hadn't heard her call out, or did not want to be seen at all. At this second thought, Cancer's skin tingled and she swallowed, clearing her throat. She decided she'd rather go with the first thought and opened her mouth to call out a little louder so that the person might actually hear her.

"He-" Cancer broke off suddenly and took a step back in surprise as another Goddess revealed herself. She swallowed, studying the girls features and realising, after much glances towards her hair and her wrist and a frantic brain search, that it was Scorpio. She wasn't one hundred percent sure and it seemed as if the other girl wasn't sure who she was either by the way she was stammering out the various beginnings of the other zodiacs. Wetting her lips lightly her heart beat slowed a little as relief flooded through her that it wasn't a priest or something else less pleasant than another of the goddesses or her familiar. They always made her feel nervous.

Nodding a little as Scorpio finally got her name right she glanced down at the dry leaves that littered the earth beneath the tree they were standing under and have both chosen as a resting place. As Scorpio asked her what she was doing, Cancer glanced up quickly at her but only for a second. Being naturally shy, Cancer wasn't someone that immediately looked someone in the eye or was loud and out-front. Holding up the book hesitantly she said a little softly but loud enough so that her answer reached the other goddess' ears she said, "I was just, um, reading a little." She didn't add that she had been practising her water skills. Scorpio didn't need to know that piece of information...yet.

Glancing around she looked back at Scorpio. "What are you up to?" She asked, wondering if the girl was alone or not. Wondering if maybe Scorpio roamed the garden a lot too. Cancer gave a mental shrug. It didn't matter if she did. What Scorpio did wasn't any of her business. But that didn't mean she wasn't curious as to what the girl was doing out here, toward the back of the garden by herself.

Another thought came to her as she watched Scorpio quietly. What if she had been spying on her? She quickly pushed that thought from her mind though. What would Scorpio want to spy on her for? It was a ridiculous notion and one that would not be voiced by Cancer at all. She didn't want to create rifts already.

[Scorpio]

Scorpio looked expectantly towards the small tree Topaz was perched on, a small part of her hoping he would fly off. His beady golden eyes portrayed the simple message to this feeling; not a chance. The Goddess vaguely wondered if she would ever have a brief moment of privacy during her stay at the temple.

The thirteen-year-old watched Cancer as she formed a response. Scorpio noted her shy disposition and the look that overcast her profile. To Scorpio, Cancer seemed a bit secretive, much like herself. Yet, unlike Cancer, it didn’t bother Scorpio to let her curiosity show through every pore. A small smirk tugged at the ends of her lips, her eyes glinted with a mischievous look.

“Ack! No more books,” she responded with a small laugh. “I swear. Topaz must have made me read half the library this morning.” Scorpio was trying to make the situation light, without allowing Cancer to glean to much about her studies. In truth, it didn’t matter much what the other Goddesses knew about herself, yet some small part of her wanted to keep the majority of herself hidden. That way, there was less to scrutinize and over-analyze over. She was who she was. Simple. Out of the corner of her eye, she cast a glance towards Topaz, knowing he would have something to say on the matter of her statement.

”Five books is hardly half the library,” he added softly in the outskirts of her mind. It was almost sad how well Scorpio knew her familiar after such a short time. She was a good reader of people, but not that good. But then, the fact that he was always around might have had something to do with it.

“Just going for a walk, and listening to the insistent chatter in my head. I really wish I knew how to keep people out of my head.” Scorpio’s golden eyes lit up instantly. Maybe if she could learn how to turn her telekinesis off, then maybe she could eventually keep people from intruding to her thoughts. Just maybe...

“It’s pathetic, really,” she began, changing the subject rapidly. Her hand hovered over the water hesitantly, falling limp at the wrist. Slowly, a ripple of water pulled itself upward, towards the center of Scorpio’s palm. The Goddess's profile transformed into a look of exertion, while the water hovered over its source. Eventually, Scorpio’s concentration and will broke, allowing gravity to take its course. “All morning, and that’s all I can do.”

If you want somebody to trust you, then you have to trust them. Or at least make them think you trust them.

[Cancer]

Having spoken her answer, Cancer was now watching Scorpio intently - though discreetly. As Scorpio glanced away and towards a tree, she followed the girl's gaze and finally realised. The other girl wasn't alone. She was with her familiar. She didn't really think a familiar would allow their goddess to spy on someone else for a bad purpose. So that ruled out Cancer's suspicion that she was spying on her. Cancer allowed a gentle smile to crease her smooth features as she watched the exchange between the two.

Her smile grew a little wider as Scorpio protested at the thought of books and then proceeded to tell her that Topaz had made her read half the library that very morning. Scorpio's familiar was obviously very tuned-in on her thoughts and seemed to have objected to Scorpio's declaration that he made her read half the library by the way Scorpio glanced in his direction as if waiting for a protest. Which he seemed to give.

Clearing her throat, Cancer shifted a little and swapped her weight over to her other leg, watching her fellow goddess. Before too much of an awkward silence could creep between them, Cancer broke forth with a question. "What were you reading about?" She asked in interest. If it was anything to do with the goddesses then Cancer could always lend her the book Ruby had given her. There wasn't as much ' blah blah ' information but it stated what their powers were and had awesome stories that Cancer just loved reading over and over again.

As Scorpio told her she had just been going for a walk and listening to much of the chatter through telekinesis around the temple made Cancer smile. She was having a bit of a hard time of it herself. She wasn't used to so many voices in her head and had often wondered if, humorously, this was how those crazy people felt when they declared they could hear voices. She giggled a little and felt herself relax slightly. Nodding in agreement to Scorpio's wish she watched as the girl quickly changed the subject and moved over to the water's edge.

As Cancer looked on, Scorpio demonstrated a water skill. Her eyes widened a little and she wet her lips. It was more than she could do. Ruby was starting slow with her, giving her time to adjust a lot easier. Or maybe she had just started late and hadn't caught up yet. Crouching down and placing her book on the dry leaves she straightened and walked over to the water's edge to stand next to Scorpio. "It's more than I can do at the moment." She said softly, her own eyes fixing on the water in a determined, concentrated stare.

Hovering her hand over the water her fingers grew limp and dropped slightly and Cancer slowly drew her hand back and forth, creating ripples. "This is all I can do at the moment but Ruby tells me that as I get stronger, so will my powers and it will be easier for me to do the other stuff. In other words, he's taking it slow." Stopping abruptly she turned around and dropped to the ground, crossing her legs and leaning back on her hands. "What do you think?" She asked suddenly, gazing up the other goddess.

This was the most forward she had been with another goddess the whole time they had been living there. Which, in truth, hadn't been very long but Cancer was getting lonely with only Ruby to talk to. And it seemed as if Cancer and Scorpio were made to bump into each other and give each other some company. Cancer wasn't going to push Scorpio away. Polite chatter had made her satisfied that Scorpio was trust-worthy and had now moved to darker talk, wanting to confide in someone other than her familiar.

[Scorpio]

Scorpio watched as Cancer’s vision followed her own, right towards Topaz. She watched as recognition played on her profile. Her shoulders tugged her body upward in a shrugging motion. In Scorpio’s mind, it was safe for all the Goddesses to assume that Topaz was always around. If he wasn’t, screams and whoops of excitement were sure to be heard as far away as the village. Secretly -which probably wasn’t much of a secret since Topaz invaded her mind on a regular if not constant basis- Scorpio joked with herself that he was the social outcast of the familiars, so spend his time being a general annoyance to her. It an odd, invasion of privacy sort of way, Scorpio had come to accept the fact that he was always there, even though she still yearned for her privacy. He reminded her of a lost puppy, who had strayed too far and was hoping to find a new owner. Only in an ‘I’m-stronger-and-know-more-than-you’ way.

“Mostly elemental stuff,” she answered with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Didn’t even have to do with the Goddesses, for heaven’s sake. Just the gifted humans. You know, the ones with the powers. The majority of which I already knew. Very boring, and in a difficult to understand dialect. Ruby teach you anything of interest?” The Goddess winced at her mistake, hoping Cancer wouldn’t notice, or at least not take it out of the normal. Was is abnormal for her to know Cancer’s familiar’s name? However, no matter how many times she asked herself, she couldn’t come up with a reasonable answer. How obsessive I must sound, Scorpio thought repeatedly with a hint of regret. Although it was an odd piece of information for the average person, it was a common piece of knowledge to Scorpio since she had an obsessive need to know everything around her.

Scorpio gently tumbled to the moist ground, allowing her bare feet to extend to the edge of the water. Her toes dipped gently in and out, as she listened carefully to Cancer, paying attention to ever minute detail. She silently watched as the red haired Goddess forced the water into breaking its redundant pattern and to ripple outward. She was lucky to have stumbled upon a Goddess with a similar elemental power. Maybe she could learn something from the ruby eyed Goddess in the end.

“About what?” she questioned, trying to clarify Cancer’s statement. Scorpio took a stab in the dark as to what Cancer had meant, hoping for the best. She usually wasn’t one to share her intimate thoughts, so she censored herself slightly. “I think the familiars are hiding things,” she said simply. She repeated the thought several times in her mind to be sure Topaz had heard her, although she never doubted he had. “In fact, I know they’re hiding things,” the Goddess repeated boldly. “What about you?”

[Cancer]

Cancer gave a nod as Scorpio told her what she'd been reading. Elemental stuff, humans. She gave a soft sigh. She often forgot she wasn't a 'human' any longer but a goddess. It still felt the same except this time around you weren't treated like a human being. It was frustrating and Cancer had often awoke in the night in a cold sweat, thinking about her Mama and Papa. What if they were dead? Or sick? Or unhappy? So many worries filtered through her mind about them that she often felt quite sick with worry.

"Ruby gave me a book about the goddesses if you ever want to read it sometime." She offered quietly. "Its not really informational. Just full of some of the adventures they had..." Her voice trailed off. How could any goddess have adventures when they were suck in The Temple, keeping things hidden from priests and each other? It didn't seem possible. Shifting her position slightly she gazed up at the far-stretched branches and the sun filtering in through the canopy, giving the tree a very pleasant and picturesque look. Immediately, Cancer thought of her box of paints and sketch book in her room.

Cancer looked back to Scorpio as she asked if Ruby had taught her anything of interest. She shook her head. "Not really. He tells me stories. Wonderful stories and he gave me the book but I don't really question him too much anyway. We just talk and stuff." She gave a stiff shrug. What she had told about not questioning Ruby wasn't true. She questioned him a lot but always with the same result - he gave her the weather report. Rolling her eyes slightly at her familiar's stubborn attitude. She had mentioned Ruby before so it didn't seem unusual that Scorpio had assumed he was her familiar so she didn't look too much into it.

Watching as Scorpio slipped to the ground opposite her, Cancer shrugged as she asked what she meant. And then, as if seeming to catch on or taking a stab in the dark and hoping to hit home, she spoke. Cancer listened carefully and then gave a nod. She had the same feeling. "The familiars know things but they won't tell us. Well, they won't tell you or I at any rate." She responded, frowning a little in thought. Her gaze fell on the book and she leant forward, sliding it between them. "Ruby gave me this book with a look on his face I know all too well - he's trying to tell us something. I think they all are in a subtle manner but we aren't catching on quite as they'd like." She shrugged and paused. "Those are my thoughts anyway." She shrugged again and wet her lips.

Glancing around she wondered where Ruby was anyway. He was usually hanging around someone, close to the edge of her mind but she couldn't sense him anywhere. She sighed and shook her head. I

[Scorpio]

“Well,” began Scorpio, unsurely. “As tired as I am of books, one full of stories might be a nice change. Did your familiar mention anything about any of it being true?” Her mind was racing with similar pondering as Cancer. If somehow the other Goddesses had managed to have adventures -real adventures that is- then maybe there was still hope for them yet. Perhaps, Scorpio hoped on some far off naive level of her thoughts, they might just be keeping us locked in this temple to keep our minds on our studies. Maybe once we learn all they expect us to, they’ll let us leave and have our own adventures. Contrary to the normal process of Scorpio turning her thoughts repeatedly through her mind until a final opinion was formed, the Goddess immediately knew she was acting foolish. If they were meant to have adventures in this lifetime, there would be a reason. The priests didn’t strike her as the fun-loving type.

“Same with Topaz,” the golden haired Goddess agreed easily. Her veins pumped with the slightest feeling of remorse over the small lie. It’s not really a lie, she tried to convince herself, in the same manner she did everything else; repeatedly. However, another portion of her brain screamed at her with a deep level of frustration. A level of dissatisfaction that was usually reserved for only the most aggravating situations, or one when her flood wall protecting her emotions collapsed. Why? Why do you always push people away? Why? The mental argument raged on, her intuition and need for control pulling in two separate directions. I haven’t pushed anyone away.

Not yet, at least, added a male voice, advancing directly towards her center most thoughts, an action Topaz had only performed during his introduction.

“Stop making an ant hill into a mountain,” she reprimanded herself under her breath, forgetting briefly she was not alone. Generally speaking, it was easier for Scorpio to accept things when they were spoken aloud. Her eyes flashed as she remember Cancer, sitting all of a foot and a half away from her. Why was it so easy to fall apart lately? She needed to find a glue to hold herself together. And fast.

“If you mean subtle,” began Scorpio rapidly, realizing her revere had lasted long than anticipated, “as in in minuscule hints, then I agree with you a hundred and ten percent.” Scorpio’s tone dropped considerably, her eyes searching for someone other than Cancer and Topaz among the forest branches. Nobody except a few black ravens overhead. Really, it was nothing too important, just the fact that Scorpio liked to keep opinions and such things within certain people. Well, at least she tried not to boldly throw her opinion down too many people’s throats too often. “I’m beginning to think we should approach the priests. I’ve seen some younger, more gentle looking priests wandering the grounds on occasion. Maybe, they would be more so inclined to tell us something. Anything at all.”

“I believe we have a mystery on our hands, Miss Cancer,” the Goddess stated in a mock official voice. “And I, for one, won’t rest until I finally figure out what exactly it is.”

Like we have much of a choice.

[Cancer]

When Scorpio didn't decline her offer of lending her the book, Cancer slid it toward the other girl along the soft grass. Shrugging at Scorpio's question she said, "I believe they are. He never said specifically that they were real but I'm pretty sure they are." She, herself, knew that if they weren't real then there was no point in reading the stories. Who wanted to know fake information about the goddesses? Nobody. But still, the thought of adventure excited Cancer to a certain degree. She had to admit she was bored and sick of being in the dark in this place. Adventure was what all of them needed, it seemed. But then again, the priests didn't exactly seem too keen on giving them free rein to do whatever they want.

She blew out a sigh from between her slightly parted lips as Scorpio told her Topaz did the same thing. Well, if two familiars weren't letting anything on directly, then the others probably weren't either. This frustrated Cancer and she was sure the others were frustrated too. "What would it hurt to tell us anyway? We're already outcasts!" She burst out a little and then stopped, checking herself and reining in her anger. A hot blush crept into her cheeks. "Sorry....its just, its all so frustrating. All this secrecy and mystery..." She shook her head. It was taking its toll on her.

Swallowing and clearing her throat as it seemed Scorpio had gone off into her own little world, Cancer gently reminded her that she was still here. She had heard her whisper something to herself but hadn't really taken much notice so she didn't catch what was said. But it was probably aimed at the bird still sitting up in the tree.

Cancer glanced up at her as she began speaking again. A small smile came to her features as Scorpio told her she agreed with her whole-heartedly. "Good. I'm glad we're on the same side. Maybe if we all, as in all the goddesses, talk to the familiars all-together we might get something worthwhile out of them?" Suggested Cancer, not wanting to go near priests, gentle looking or not. She shook her head at the idea. "I don't know...what if they talk to the other priests about it? Then they'd get suspicious...We can't have that." She pointed out and sighed.

At Scorpio's mock seriousness, Cancer laughed. She hadn't laughed like that for a while. She was surprised by how good it felt. It was what she seemed to have needed. Grinning at Scorpio, Cancer shook her head. "You're a funny one." She declared.

[Scorpio]

“No worries,” declared Scorpio, a full fledged smile gracing her features. Her eyes turned upwards in a way that only real fascination or humor could force her features to do. The Goddess was currently experiencing both. “Nobody’s acted angry around me ever since I got here. Well, not real anger at least,” she recalled, remembering the brief dispute between Gemini and Virgo. Well, mostly Gemini. “I was beginning to wonder if it was even possible among the non-humans. Maybe I was a defect or something,” she said, trying to make the situation light again.

“By the way...” Scorpio trailed off, unsure if her question intruded too far into Cancer’s personal bubble. Scorpio, for one, hated intrusions into her space, but she wasn’t sure what Cancer considered her relationship with Ruby to be. Sometimes, she almost felt that Topaz’s relationship with herself was personal or even intimate, and she was breaking some sort of secret moral code by sharing things that he whispered into the folds of her thoughts with the other Goddesses. Yet, other occasions she felt like the golden familiar was simply providing puzzle pieces. Pieces that she was expected to match with information the other Goddesses had gleaned from their familiars. This question fell under neither category, however, thus the confusion and divergence in her thoughts and emotions.

She cleared her throat briefly, her pale hand covering her lips in attempt to hide her broken thought. “By the way,” she began once more with emphasis and a force to make herself continue, “does Ruby ever get...frustrated with you?” Even Scorpio had to admit that it was an odd question to ask, especially to a person who she had only just met. We share a bond and a situation, though, she reminded herself softly, her fingers tracing the outline of the golden stone set into her tender flesh. “Sorry. It’s a rude question,” she added, her cheeks gaining a bit of color. But I had to know, she reminded herself. As long as the end justifies the means, Scorpio roughly recited, Machiavelli fresh in her brain.

Her eyes sparked slightly, her excitement and adrenaline pulsing. Finally, a ground Scorpio was familiar with. Manipulating people into doing favors and such things had been in the basic training of her stay at the ‘orphanage.’ If you couldn’t figure out a way to get what you need -which was mostly food and a decent bed- then you were bound to be out of there within the next new moon. Not that anyone was ever kicked out of the orphanage, but most preferred the streets to the surprising dog eat dog world of the orphanage. Who knew a group of girls would be so intent on destroying each other? Well, when it came to a slightly larger food ration, the results were not that surprising.

“We’ll have to work something out.” A road block. Or rather to be more accurate, a fork in the road. “The familiars would smell us a mile away, they have access to our most private thoughts twenty-four seven. Yet, if we did go to the priests, then word between them would spread like a wild fire in a dry grassland. It seems everybody -even those most loyal to the Gods- are interested in a good bit of gossip these days.” Scorpio contemplated briefly. “Half dozen, six of the other. Either way, we’re taking a decent sized risk.”

Thinking of planning to finally putting your power to the test? Topaz questioned, his tone surprisingly light and amused. Honestly, Scorpio had forgotten he was still perched on the branch not but five feet away. Even with the odd intruding feeling ever-constant, she had become slightly used to his presence, and her conversation with Cancer had left her intrigued. On top of this, his statement set her reeling with confusion. She allowed this emotion to flood her thoughts, hoping Topaz would get the confused message. Yet, Scorpio kept her body language relaxed, her face serene and curious.

Playfully, Scorpio cupped her hand and splashed a decent amount of liquid in Cancer’s direction. Her smile lit up immediately. “Tell me something I don’t know,” she stated, her voice filled with laughter. Her self esteem boosted immediately, compared to the normal downward motion that usually occurred when people she only just met complimented her. We really are connected, she really realized for the first time. No matter how many times she repeated the phrase that Topaz had repeated to her, it never really sunk in until that precise moment. Willing or not, we’re stuck with each other.

As long as the end justifies the means, the thought was caught on a loop in her mind. This is only the beginning. At the end, there will be more than enough to justify.

[Cancer]

Cancer let a small smile settle on her face as Scorpio forgave her. "You? A defect..." She mock thought. "Well....it could be possible." She teased and laughed, deciding that it was time to get off such secret subjects and lighten up a little. What was the point in sitting around looking like those priests? No point whatsoever. They were young, goddesses had the whole Temple to themselves. Well...almost all of it. Even as Cancer thought about this, she knew the answer. Their lives had changed. For better or for worse.

She looked towards Scorpio as she began a sentence and then waited patiently for the rest. It seemed as if Scorpio was arguing with herself as to whether or not she should continue the question/statement. Tilting her head, Cancer watched her and wet her lips. A look of amusement crossing her face at the various facial expressions Scorpio was putting on. She shrugged. She didn't care what Scorpio asked her. As long as it wasn't too personal.

As she waited for Scorpio to come to a decision she glanced around and closed her eyes for a second as the breeze ruffled her hair. Opening her eyes and snapping her gaze to Scorpio as she finally finished the sentence. Cancer raised an eyebrow. It was an odd sort of question, she had to admit. She shrugged, and answered however. "Well...I don't really do anything make him frustrated with me. He'll give me this look that tells me I'm getting close and I'll quickly change the subject." She tilted her head and looked at Scorpio. "Why?" She asked.

As the other girl apologised, Cancer shook her head. "No need to be sorry." She laughed. "Its a fair type of question, I suppose." She said and wet her lips. Watching as Scorpio's eyes sparkled with excitement she watched the girl curiously. "What are you so excited about?" She asked, laughing at the look on her face. She put it down to her being on a subject she enjoyed.

Nodding as Scorpio pointed out the obvious she sighed and slipped a hand through her hair. "Well...the familiars are our only chance. The priests are way to risky and we know that even if the familiars don't tell us anything, they won't go to the priests about it." She pointed out, nibbling on her lip in concentration. "Hmmm."

She was still thinking when she felt the cool water hit her. Gasping she pulled back and wiped it off her face. Staring at Scorpio and her satisfied smile. She laughed and lunged towards the water, scooping some into her cupped hands and throwing it in Scorpio's direction. This would be a good time to practice their water bending skills but they couldn't risk the priests coming to find out what was going on.

[Scorpio]

Instinctively her thin lips pulled in an upward motion. “I’m afraid I don’t even know what is possible anymore,” she admitted through her amusement. “If a sparkling cloud of golden dust had told me a few months ago that I was the reincarnation of the Goddess Scorpio, -and therefore was never really human- I would have asked it what it was on.” Scorpio’s shoulders pulled upward. Expect the unexpected. Literally, she had learned that anything was possible. “Honestly, I wouldn’t be that surprised if I opened my window tomorrow and pigs were flying.”

Still grinning, a soft humming sound emerged from Scorpio’s tightly pressed lips. Without meaning to, her right canines came together, sandwiching her bottom lip between the white teeth. Interesting... She pushed her thoughts, or rather theories and philosophies, from her mind, not wanting Topaz to eavesdrop on them. Or at least not just yet. “No reason,” she replied, a little too quickly for personal comfort. “My curiosity is never completely content. Especially when it comes to our cryptic familiars.”

“Fair as in odd, you mean?" Scorpio joked, her excitement in the conversation steadily feeding her grin. "Personally, I prefer the term uncanny. Much more fun to say.” Her fingers toyed with a lock of her golden hair, twisting it this way and that. It was nice to have someone to joke with. Someone she could relate to and was going through a similar situation.

Simply, the golden haired Goddess replied, “Secrets and mysteries excite me.” Her guilt eased slightly. Or at least for the moment. This was the sort of speaking she had grown fond of in her recent years. She had language wasn’t a solid thing, it was something that was easily molded into something else. And with this realization, she could form her answer so they tittered between the boundary of a truth and a deceptive statement. Scorpio preferred to think of it as creatively ignoring a question, or telling a half-truth.

“Agreed. I don’t know exactly which side the priests are on yet, or rather who to listen to...” The Goddess trailed off briefly, regrouping her thoughts. Her voice lowered considerably. “Yet, we still have to find a way to catch the familiars off guard. Somehow.” Somehow we can make it work, Scorpio tried to reassure herself. “Or at least we could figure out small things. It’s more tedious and frustrating, but I think then the familiars might be more open if they don’t realize they are telling us exactly what we want to know.” It wasn’t a completely impossible notion. If each Goddess focused on learning one small detail, eventually their familiar would slip up. At least they could hope they would. “I think our familiar friends have communication issues,” she mentioned with a fake saddened shake of her head.

“Pssssh.” Breath rapidly escaped Scorpio’s closed mouth. The Goddess leaped from her seated position as the water drenched her front side, making her clothes and smaller strands of her golden hair stick to her body. “It’s on now,” she playfully murmured, only loud enough for Cancer -and maybe Topaz if he was listening carefully- to hear. She shivered slightly as she stepped into the chilly water, yet within moments later her right foot sent the latest soaking upwards towards Cancer. "You game?" she questioned tauntingly to her fellow Goddess.

[Cancer]

Cancer nodded and smiled a little sadly. "I don't think any of use know the line between possible and impossible anymore..." She leaned back and looked up at the snatches of blue between the tree branches. "Expect the unexpected...very true." She murmured and wet her lips, looking down at her wet front and sighing. "Gao..." She murmured just as she felt more water hitting her skin and totally drenching her. She shrieked and jumped up, shivering slightly from the cold water.

"Ooooh...definitely!" She accepted the challenge and, laughing, jumped into the water and pulled her hands back, and with her hands gliding through the water, sent up a spray of crystal blue droplets towards Scorpio, immediately sending another spray. Her tactic was to try and blind Scorpio while she continued to spray water at her.

Stopping for a second as she tried to catch her breath she puffed a little and then straightened from where she was bent to scoop water. Looking about, she kept her eyes sharp for any sign of the priests. They had been making some noise and she was sure the priests would not approve of them playing in the water. At least they weren't using their water bending skills. The consequences would be unimaginable.

Pushing her wet hair and fringe back from her face, Cancer glanced back at Scorpio. This was fun. Very fun. If only they didn't have to worry about the priests. It could be learning made fun. But Cancer daren't risk it, and she was sure Scorpio wasn't so stupid as to risk it.