"Gah," Cleo glares at Joe, "You, stop doing that."
"Doing what?" Joe grins crouching down to eye level. A soft chitter behind his words.
Cleo huffs, "Sneaking up on people."
Joe flicks his tails, "Fair."
Frowning softly Cleo looks up at her friend, he's not recognizable in this form. The antlers, seven eyes, two tails, four arms, his pseudo wings, just everything.
Something lands on the ground with a clink, "Joe, what is that?" She asks, looking down at the glowing blue orb.
A wide- almost too wide grin splits his face, "My core."
"Your what?" Cleo snickers.
"My core, my heart," Joe's tails coil together as he talks, "It's a library of sorts, everything I have learned is stored here."
Cloe nods, "Well ok then."
"All the knowledge that is, was, forever shall be, that never was and every possible path.
forgotten, destroyed, or discarded.
remembered, cherished, or preserved
That is the difference of the lore keeper," Joe recites from memory, "That was once my job, but the future is not something any being should know."
"Ok," Cleo looks down, "Can I pick it up?"
Joe hesitates for a moment, "I trust you, here," He hands her the orb.
"Can you feel this?" She asks.
Joe nods, "I can."
"What does it feel like?" Cleo sits next to Joe.
He looks off slightly, "Hard to describe, it's warm and you feel safe."
"I feel safe?" Cleo asks softly.
Joe hums, nodding he replies, "You hold no true malice towards me."
"Yeah?" Cleo laughs, "No malice."
"True malice," Joe chitters, "You might want to kill me a lot, but it's not permanent."
Cleo shrugs, picking at the wood on her finger. Handing Joe the orb she sighs, "So, how do your extra memories work? Like how do you know you're you?"
Flicking his tails Joe moves one of his arms to rest his chin on, "It's complicated. Joe Hills is the current form. But I've been so many people, but it's always the same person..." He shrugs, "I'm always some kind of Joe."
Snorting Cleo rolls her eyes.
The orb glows softly as Joe lets it float above his head.
"It can float?"
________
Spotting Joe, Cub waves and starts wandering over, "Hey man."
"Howdy," Joe grins, he's currently in his human form.
"So, does the orb just stick around?" Cub asks slowly, tracking the orb with his eyes.
Joe nods as he takes hold of the orb, "It holds memories and knowledge."
"Like inside out?" Cub grins.
After a moment Joe nods, "Yeah."
Shaking his head, Cub frowns, "Sorry, I'm going to shift soon and I should get this stuff moved over to the town hall."
Joe nods, "Would you like some help?"
"I would love some."
About thirty minutes later they're done moving things and Cub safely shifts into his lion form. With a chirp he tumbles down off his chair.
Joe grins down at Cub.
Rolling to his paws Cub baps Joe's leg until he bends down. Swatting at the orb Cub freezes.
Laughing Joe gently rolls it towards him, "Go ahead, it's nearly indestructible."
Bumping it with his head Cub sends it rolling. Padding after it he bumps it back to Joe. It misses slightly and Joe stops it with his tail.