ORIGIN - Finding Purpose

She was patient, the meeting had just ended and she elected to wait till most of the other members had left to tend to their own devices and duties. She was one of the few members still without purpose, though being as she was just a new hatchling and a new initiate she supposed it made sense. Aurelia had yet to thoroughly prove herself and her merits, unsure of where her strengths might truly lie but, she had the spirit to learn and to try, multiple times if needed. She aimed to improve and become the best in whatever stood before her. She had the drive. And the meeting prior only proved to spur her on that path even more. It had lit a fire in her gut, one that tossed and churned with a hunger for achievement, power, and maybe some rats too...

She now spoke towards The Leviathan, seeking to have just a bit of his time; she was under his direct orders of course.

"Master Vargas, I am here for purpose if you are ready for me."

She bowed her head slightly, she knew he was a busy Master, just by the sheer amount of members in Chaos Forge who would attest to that. There were a lot of things that needed doing, and each valkhound and gembound would report and speak to him. Yes, he was rather busy indeed. Still, she just hoped her patience after the eventful meeting paid off and that it was now her turn to have a moment or two with him without interuptions.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas turned, regarding Aurelia with interest.

She showed potential--there was no denying that. Her form and her demeanor, both, screamed success. And he, being who he was (judge and jury, sometimes executioner) was impartial and fair enough--in general, at least--to give credit where it was due. Certainly, he killed or harmed, when he felt it merited; but he granted praise and encouragement, too.

And Aurelia had, in the meeting, earned it.

"I am ready for you," he confirmed, turning and sweeping the few strides to close the gap between them. He lurched to a halt a few polite paces away. "You represented yourself, and the Forge, well today! Your respect, yet fearlessness, in the face of our Hand's... intervention, is to be commended." He wondered, briefly, whether Aurelia had been disturbed by Kethri's death--if she were like the soft, new creatures, quailing at blood and gore. Or if she were of an older mentality, one that saw another's death as opportunity--or even as a meal.

May as well ask, he thought. "What did you think of the meeting; of our rules, our punishments? What did you think of what Aethril did to the owl?" he asked, studying her. It wasn't an intentional test, really--there was no right or wrong answer, here. Well, none that he had planned. But it'd be a useful insight, perhaps, into Aurelia's mindset.

"I would also like to know if you are content, thus far, with the Forge and what it offers; if you hold suggestions or requests; and if you have any role in mind for yourself, as yet. It is all right if you don't," Vargas added. "I still intend to give you basic training in several roles to let you find one that suits you, but if you hold a specific interest, we will focus on that," he explained.

@Aurelia

Master Vargas had turned to her, making his way over in just a few quick strides. He still kept some fair distance, something she didn't quite expect- though she herself had a small and growing habit of getting closer than she should. The personal space of her and others was a tad tinier than what most deemed appropriate and generally expected. It was something minor of course but she would come to learn in time. Learning from Master Vargas was vital and she'd do well to make a note of it in a monkey see monkey do situation.

Her focus was entirely upon the purple Leviathan, all six golden eyes staring with a calm intensity as she was seated before him. Breath held and waiting for whatever was to leave their maw. She did not expect praise. Master Vargas seemed pleased with her and how she managed herself through the meeting. Aurelia tried to not get too excited at this, but it bubbled up to the surface how her emotions typically seemed to manifest. Pale flesh writhing and twisting from squirming tendrils of muscles that hid just beneath. She inhaled deeply, a soft underlying purr settling in with each breath as her Master spoke.

"Thank you Master Vargas, it is my aim to please."

She had lowered her head slightly in a bow of acknowledgment and gratitude. Raising her neck once more with baited breathe as he spoke again. He had questions, about the meeting of course, rules and punishments, and the like. She had honestly expected to be questioned, though she only expected it to be about the punishment the Hand had unleashed upon the owl; a punishment Aurelia saw fit if she was to be honest. And from the sounds of it, Master Vargas wanted to know it all. Aurelia took a few moments to herself to think. She had a lot to digest and potentially a lot to explain.

"I enjoyed the meeting, it was as my Overseer Cain had said, there are many of us and I felt at home amongst the others."

She was a valkhound, as were many of the others. The wide range of personalities and bodies of design also eased her mind. She fit in, and she only hoped she could stand out in the best of ways in time.

"I am very excited to see the potential farms, and to take part in the lessons to read and write. I've found my hands are, not quite like a lot of the others so writing should be easier for me, I think.

She held up her primary hands, wiggling her thumbs specifically as if to make her point. From her recent observations, not too many had these, aside from The Hand herself and that other two-legged gembound the one who had brought Master Vargas plans during the end of the meeting. Either way, it was very clear she was excited to have things new things to learn, especially if it meant bettering herself.

"The rules were simple and easy to understand, I see no reason why they should be broken, even accidentally. Though-"

She paused thinking, her long tail moving to curl around her seated form, wrapping just a few times over with its excessive length

"Master Vargas, I came with a name- would the act of me keeping it be punishable?"

She recalled one of the punishments of assuming unearned benefits, and while she had no plan to- she did come with a name. Something Master Vargas seemed fine with when they had met. She mused that perhaps that clause was about titles to avoid members from also using the name and title Overseer before their own. Either way she wasn't entirely sure and felt it better to ask than to assume, she wanted a definitive answer after all. She was a stickler for rules it seemed.

" The punishments I feel are fair, especially the inflicting harm upon another member. Equivalent damage so they too may feel what they caused and the shame behind it.

Another pause and some humming as curiosity began to bubble over.

"I am very curious to see the shackles but, I hope nobody is foolish enough to bring your wrath to satiate that curiosity."

Now came the difficult part, something that she was sure she could speak freely of. She of course meant no ill will and Master Vargas had asked, but regardless she calmed herself, pale flesh ceasing to move as it now laid flat, as it should.

"I have- a lot of feelings I believe Master Vargas. And while it is not my place to judge a Hand, nor do I ever think I would judge our Hand. I can say I did approve of her methods, even if it did shock many of the others."

She stopped for a moment to breathe.

"And I know I may not of known the owl, who they were or what they had done prior- but. I noticed during the meeting the glances they had given our Hand, Miss Aethril- and the disrespect in both the owl's words and actions not just towards another Forge member but The Hand herself and by extension you. It was unacceptable. Even I could feel the call of who Miss Aethrill was Master Vargas! That she was deserving of my utmost care and respect the moment I laid eyes upon her before the meeting even started!"

Aurelia was honest and had a bit more to speak as her maw opened again. Emotions stirring up once more her skin began to dance with a newfound fire that had been lit, only this time more than before.

"The owl herself said she was hiding information from the Forge as a whole. She wasn't sorry for what she had done, she tried to play not just you Master Vargas and my Overseer Cain as a fool but our Hand herself! I felt it appropriate for what was done to the owl. She was reduced to nothing but meat in both namesake and body, lowered so far as to be a meal barely fit for others."

Perhaps she was a bit more than hungry from when the events had all transpired before her very eyes during the meeting. She still wanted to sink her teeth into the soft pink flesh of that avian that stood before the Forge and swallow it whole like some sick six-legged Burmese python. She would make a point to go hunting later in hopes of fixing the swirling chaos of hunger that danced beneath her skin now.

Pale skin danced and squirmed as she rattled out one long breath. She was evidently very passionate about her feelings, especially when it came to those she had so desperately latched onto as family or those deserving of her respect. Master Vargas, Overseer Cain, and now The Hand Aethril. They all deserved respect and the fact the owl had lied to them and given them false words and had kept secrets in a fool's attempt to exchange for their life. It riled her up in a way that was entirely new.

The whispers rattled around her skull, louder and clearer than they had ever before and all she could do was to remain seated and breathe. Bit by bit the ravenous voices would fade away into that ever-familiar white noise. Aurelia though made a point to keep and maintain eye contact with her Master. It kept her grounded from what she had come to notice, someone to focus on until the chaos would subside. She would make them proud. Now she only hoped her passion was taken well and not frowned upon.

She gulped finally, swallowing a well of saliva and something else. It tasted harsh, but she paid it little mind. She would come to find it to be oil secreted from the stone that decorated the inside of her mouth. Her stone that jutted out of gums like small decorative studs at this current point in her life.

"I believe that is all the thoughts I had to share at this moment Master. Thank you."

Now she would wait.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Each word, each twitch, each little swell of flesh or wrap of tail, ticked his estimation of Aurelia a little higher. By the time she was done, he was convinced that here was a gift, a treasure, a wonderful find that the Forge was exceptionally lucky to have. His only interruption was a short, loud, hearty laugh (a very genuine one) at Aurelia's opinion on Kethri's fate.

When she had finished, he replied, his mood bolstered and his tone reflecting this. "I approve of the way you think!" he declared, and then shook his head with amusement. "She certainly did bring it on herself! Meat, indeed." That wasn't to say he'd hated Kethri, or even would've killed her himself--he just liked Aurelia's attitude.

"As for the shackles..." Vargas leaned a little closer, his voice dropping down into conspiratorial humor. "Let us just say that they are a more direct link with the Creator's power than some of our creatures might prefer." Oh, how he'd have loved to see Chaos-Two inflicted with that particular punishment. Maybe it would strengthen it.

What a lovely thought!

"You may keep your name. Those rules apply to those within the Forge. Removing newcomers' existing names is hardly a way to inspire new recruitment. In any case, I will be sure to let you know when Master Astraea arrives with his lessons; in the meantime, I think there is one question you did not answer," he went on, but there was no hostility in it. Perhaps he'd missed it; maybe she'd given the reply as a smaller part of something else she'd said, and it simply wasn't clear.

"Did you have a role in mind? A task you wished to perform in the Forge?"

He was interested, now.

@Aurelia

Aurelia wasn't sure what she expected, perhaps she expected a great deal of many possibilities but what she did not expect was for Master Vargas to let out a loud and hearty laugh. It didn't startle her per se but was she utterly and entirely focused upon her Master with bated breath at this display. The laugh was just so genuine that the sound itself made her quite happy too. An unknown thrill and pride began swelling in her chest as pale flesh began to twist and move in turn.

She had gotten her Master to share a genuine laugh and even approve of the way she thought and what she had to say. Today was a truly splendid day, one she would hope to repeat and work upon, only to better in time with each new experience. She smiled, practically writhing in her own skin with unbridled excitement and happiness at these turn of events.

Then mention of the shackles arrived and she was watching quite possibly as wide-eyed as she had ever been, curiosity practically seeping through. Master Vargas had leaned in, dropping their voice down low to let her in on the secret. It wasn't perhaps as detailed as one might hope but it served enough for her current curiosity. Though it inspired several other questions too.

A direct link to the Creator's power, did Master Vargas mean Chaos? Would it be similar to the Black Spire? If one was not meant to touch the Black Spire, she could only imagine what those shackles might do, and she found that oh so very interesting. She nodded rapidly, all six golden eyes wide with splendor upon this new information that only made her curiosity and imagination grow.

"That is so very- interesting, thank you, Master Vargas."

She had no other word for it, but she did perhaps want to see what would happen now more than ever. Though not through her own means of course not. She was sure one day someone might invite the wrath of Master Vargas so justly that would require those shackles. And she would be there watching with a twisted excitement fueled by her own curiosity.

She was very happy to hear she could keep her name, the reasoning be quite understandable. She was happy to be on the same page. Even more so when Master Vargas assured her that he would let her known when Master Astaea arrived with their lessons.

Though it became clear in all her passion that unfolded earlier that she forgot one question Master Vargas had asked. Whether she had a role in mind and if she had a task she wished to perform in the Forge. She was perhaps a bit upset with herself having forgotten one question among the many but, it was something she would overcome.

"I've been thinking, and I'm still growing and learning but...I think I want to try and learn as much as I can and grow so I may help protect the Forge. I don't know if I see myself doing just one job, there is so much I would like to do Master Vargas, to help the Forge and those in it."

She's silent for a moment, her pale skin no longer writhing as she is deep in thought. Searching for a more concise answer to give her Master.

"I want to help hunt, I want to help search out for others too- Like how my Overseer Cain had found me so far away from home. But I want to protect when I am called upon too, and if we ever need it to protect the Forge from those who wish us harm."

She had the desire to protect and provide, though...there were quite a few jobs that could fall under such desires. So she was more than open to some help in what might suit her best. She perhaps also wanted to help run off those who may be so inclined to behave just as the owl had. But, those aspirations were a bit too large for a valkhound her age, for the time being anyway.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

A faint nod was his response to her thanks; and to her longer response, her explanation, he listened quietly and intently.

It was good information.

Either she held multiple interests--a possibility--or no real, strong, single interest at all. He was leaning toward the former, given her phrasing and her demeanor, and he considered how that might work. We could rotate her? he thought; send her hunting with V-Chaos-One--or alone--and then time spent patrolling Draco before heading out to recruit-? But no; that seemed... inefficient. It may be better to have her pick up on any duties left by those travelling--if Khavur wants to travel, she can take up its duties until it returns, and so forth... Hm.

But this brought up another question, and Vargas considered this one, too. What, exactly, had she been trained in? He hadn't had a chance to teach her much, himself. "What would you say, then, to training with a specialist in each?" he asked. "I need to give Chaos-One-" (that was Nidhogg) "-further lessons in hunting; you could join us. The Sentinel can teach you the best ways to patrol, and guard, and Overseer Cain can teach you how to seek while remaining unseen, for recruitment. Once training is complete we can look once more at your decision; if you still wish to do all three we will find a way to make it so, and so on. Do you agree--is this suitable to you?" he asked, with the same tone of measured patience--as if he actually valued her response.

@Aurelia

Master Vargas took a few moments to ponder her words, opening his maw with an offer, several infact. It was an offer of her to be trained with a specialist in each area of interest. Her skin writhed. She listened in silence but it was already clear she was ecstatic and quite interested in what her Master had to offer. She didn't expect this and it was a real treat, truly Master Vargas was the best Master around in this life and the next. With a quick swallow of saliva, she opened her maw in kind. Her voice elevated ever so slightly with a pleased and exuberant tone.

"I would love that! I would appreciate that greatly Master!"

She wasn't entirely sure what else to say, but her mind was racing with possibilities of the future and the desire to prove herself and her worth.

"It is more than suitable for me, thank you Master Vargas! I am lucky to be learning from the best, especially you."

She bowed her head in response again. To be trained in all the areas of her very own interest! And! To be trained in hunting by Master Vargas himself! Patrol and guarding by The Sentinel- and of course once again returning to her Overseer for stealth. Oh, this was a dream surely!

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

"Good!" he boomed--and he was pleased. She was lucky, in truth, but it sounded arrogant to say it. "Then go now and rest; when you are ready, seek me out for training in hunting; seek out the Sentinel for guarding, patrolling; and Overseer Cain for stealth. This will be your responsibility, but if you find that you have trouble finding them, come to me!" He paused, eyeing her over--so much potential!--and added, "If there is anything else that you require! Advice, answers, guidance. Come to me! Find me. I will likely be by the Black Spire, most days--working. This has, I think, been fruitful."

A final nod, and a gesture of one clawed hand: Aurelia was dismissed.

@Aurelia