Gemstone

bio!

Gemstone and her brother Jaspers were raised in the depths of the Sea - though they always knew their home clan once settled on the surface, many years ago. The siblings were given the best education the Sea of a Thousand Currents had to offer - at the bequest of the scholars of the Drowned Sactum, they were tutored in water magic, the history of the Sea and its occupants, and all the seafaring skills one needs to know living underwater. When the siblings had finished their schooling, the elders of their clan deemed them mature enough to know their history.

The two siblings had never known their parents, and were raised communally as was their home clan's tradition, so neither Jaspers nor Gemstone never bothered to question their lack of family ties, at least not for long. But a handful of their elders did get the chance to know their parents - two travelers who'd crossed paths passing through the Tsunami Flats. A storyteller with a quick wit and a knack for entertaining, and a nomad with a larger-than-life personality and a boisterous laugh. The pair enjoyed a nest in the Tidelord's honor as the clan around them prepared for their winter solstice festival. In just a few short weeks, the eggs hatched, the festival came to an end, and the travelers departed alone in separate directions, just as they'd arrived. And that was all.

Hearing the story didn't prompt a major life change for Jaspers nor Gemstone - in fact, they both continued on the next day just as they had the day before. But the seed was planted, and was watered drip by drip every time either heard something to hearken back to the story they'd been told - "winter solstice," "nomad," "nest." Soon the seed grew into a sprout, then something so big it couldn't be contained. It was a moment of pure serendipity when Jaspers and Gemstone met one day, each with a question burning on their tongue - the same question, "Who are they?"

They'd discuss it later, through the night and into the morning, and nearly every day after. Their desire to meet their parents wasn't driven by a desire for companionship, nor bonds of blood - they were perfectly content with the relationships they'd made through their lifetimes, and the deep-seated tie they shared with each other. The motivation the siblings carried, driving them to research and reach out for any possible connection to their birth parents, was pure curiosity. Any leads they caught, they'd hold on tighter than a fishing net, hoping for a big catch inside - but nothing ever seemed to come of their search. And after the Tidelord's disappearance, the storm that razed the seaside and below, there were plenty more vital tasks to take up space in their minds. Gemstone in particular was struck by the changes to her beloved sea - Jaspers was shielded from the depths of the destruction, but for moons following the storm Gemstone swam out daily with or without her crew to turn over the debris on the seafloor, searching for survivors, salvage, or submerged scavenge to bring home as a paltry prize. As the years passed, the siblings' dream faded, but it never left their minds. Certainly not Gemstone's.

The decision was already made, no matter how much she hesitated to share it publicly or even with her brother. Time had proven for the both of them that it wouldn't wait - any day could bring a disaster to scale of the hurricane that pervaded in so many tiny aspects of their daily lives. Any dragon could notice the way the clan's hunters and scouts spent precious minutes of daylight bidding farewell to their families, the way scholars fastidiously tracked the currents of seawater and seamagic with a fervor that hadn't existed years ago. Maybe the next disaster would wipe some other region off the map, and Gemstone's chances of finding her parents would be reduced to nothing. And that assumption was optimistic enough to assume they were still alive and well.

It was just another night when Jaspers returned from a day at the Sactum, and Gemstone revealed her decision.

To say he was surprised would be an understatement. He'd yelled - incredibly out of character for someone who was usually a "think-before-speaking" type of dragon. They were both so surprised that neither had reacted, for a moment, and then Gemstone had begun to explain herself. They were growing old, she'd said with a pointed glance at the table where Jaspers frequently invited his friends for a rousing round of barnacle bingo or cuttlefish canasta, and she felt there was more to accomplish than board games. Jaspers didn't disagree, per se, but Gemstone allowed him no time to choose which side of the coral he'd land on - perhaps knowing if she let him choose, he'd waver between options for many, many moons. She left before dusk, leaving all her worldly belongings behind in their shared den, and swam to the surface even as her heart tugged weakly on its most treasured tie and her tears blended with the salty seawater.