He launched right into it, watching Nidhogg carefully. He watched for any sign of interest, any additional spark that might show that something, anything, that he said had caught its attention in any way.
...Nothing, yet.
Vargas studied him, and continued.
He paused again, waiting, staring at Nidhogg, awaiting any response.
Nidhogg coiled back even farther, so that its head was above its hips, now, jaws parting and eyes narrowing in another hiss.
Chaotic magic again lashed out, and though it hadn't been an intentional threat--just anger--what followed could easily have been misconstrued as such. The air closed in around Vargas, a threat, a pressure that squeezed--and it squeezed Nidhogg, too, the little serpent clueless as to what he was doing. It became hard to breathe, and Vargas' look of shock was unmistakeable.
Nidhogg hesitated, his own eyes widening.
Briefly, he assumed that Nidhogg had suddenly become a master of magic, unbeknownst to anyone, and was trying to (foolishly) kill him. Certainly, the sudden pressure on his lungs was instantly panic-inducing--he could not breathe--but then the secondary suspicion rapidly rose, bubbling up like air in a boiling pot.
Fighting to breathe.
They both were.
Reflexively, Vargas shoved up and lashed out, grabbing the fool child and hauling him from the dispersed pocket of air. As he sucked in a great, relieving lungful of air, he reflected that he should've left it there to learn the consequences of its actions--but no, it hadn't been deliberate, and he wasn't even sure, yet, that Nidhogg itself had done it.
Then Nidhogg was gasping, coming upright, and--hanging its head in fearful guilt.
Vargas leaned down, very close to its face, ensuring that his fresh new breath was breathed back out, hot and stale, directly in Nidhogg's face.
A pause, a narrowing of his eyes, as he sat back upright.
It had feared violent retaliation. When all it got, then, was a quiet, stern few words (and bad breath on the tail end of it), Nidhogg cowered back. Oh, how it hated to do so--but true fear left it little alternative, and it shrank away as Vargas spoke.
As Vargas waited.
Perhaps it would come to terms with the idea of Vargas training it, given time. It had no real desire, even, aside from a ferocious bridling at Vargas' attempts at control; it wanted only to do whatever it wanted at that given moment.
It did not dare, for now, even hiss.
exit
There had been little headway--but at least, now, the damnable thing was cowed. Vargas was relieved, now, that he had chosen to tackle this now--any later, and the shit might have become too difficult to easily subdue.
He'd give it time to think. Time to consider its options. It had physical potential; he hoped it would not flee. He was unsure that he'd find it again, given the size of the damn cave system, with all the new quadrants open. But with luck, it would come to realize that obedience, even if temporary, was its fastest road to freedom.
exit Vargas