Awaken - Printable Version

Maximus seemed to be enjoying the new growths upon their arms, and the lack of pain in their body. It was perfection. Absolutely amazing. He felt his little sibling prod his side, causing his small-horned head to giggle a little. Pegasus... Khavur wondered for the briefest of moments if he was still inside his chrysalis, dreaming an elaborate dream. The moment was brief because he perished it swiftly, hoping far more that this was reality, for that was far sweeter.

His large-horned head was stuck in an obstinate frown. The whole beast was like some kind of tragicomic. A pang of guilt hit Khavur when he realized he'd forgotten the proper titles. That pang twisted into surprise when it came out that Overseer Orthoclase-Alpha was no longer with them. What? How much-- what exactly had changed since? Why wasn't...

It was... unhappy? Khavur's small-horned head twisted slightly, which may have looked strange since that wasn't the one looking at Master Vargas. The stoic large-horned face furrowed its brows ever so slightly. To reflect... to reason... why? Why unhappy, a breed of emotion beyond even Master Vargas's understanding? Master Vargas had let it go to 'seek its own peace of mind' which felt sensible... but Khavur himself really hadn't been alive long enough to know if it was right. If only... "Apologies... I forgot the title. I do not know Overseer Orthoclase-Alpha emotionally," Goodness, Master Vargas was a fan of the long-winded titles-- "but I do have some magic ability to sense emotions. Things like pain, but also happiness, sadness..." Etcetera. "I could try to find th-- Overseer Orthoclase-Alpha and use that power, but I would not attempt it without your instruction. And... I do not know if it would be that helpful. It does not tell me too much."

That was the first time Khavur remembered ever telling anyone about that power. Maybe he had before he'd gone to sleep? It had just been such an intrinsic part of him... ever since his hatching. It might have been strange for Khavur to essentially shoot down his own idea after he had said it, but Khavur honestly hoped Master Vargas wouldn't consider it. Khavur did not know the Overseer, and it seemed like whatever it was going through... was beyond beasts like himself. Maybe not beasts like Maximus, though.

Instead of brooding more on a problem he most likely couldn't solve, Khavur trained his mind's eye on the very promising present. He had to try harder not to sleep, apparently. That made sense, he supposed, in a basic and banal way. He and Maximus could rest... from sleep... which was weird, but Khavur would accept the explanation. After that, they could train! And now-- wait, now he would let them? Let them go to Pegasus?! Master Vargas would follow and watch over them, which was a tad disappointing, but not disappointing enough to rival Khavur's excitement. Both of his heads nodded, the small-horned with slightly more vigor than the other. "I wish to go with... V-Chaos-Two." Khavur liked Maximus's name way better than their designation. "Thank you, Master Vargas."

Chaos-Two stared at Vargas for a moment, having to calm themselves down. Right, Vargas had the motional capacity of a fish. That was fine, it was understandable, Vargas was built to train soldiers, not therapists.

That begged the question as to how the hell Chaos-Two ended up how they did but-

"There is such thing as being so sad it translates to the physical," they said, "When you are so... mentally overwhelmed with sadness that it reflects in your outward behavior. Not eating, overworking, lethargy."

Like they had felt constantly before Vargas had been so merciful as to fix them. Useless, weak, a waste of time and energy. Not like they'd tell Vargas that, though.

"I don't know the cause but I suspect the Overseer feels this way. I think- this is not confirmed, Master Vargas- but I think that the Overseer is sick. Not physically, this is not something that can be healed with magic, but with time and patience and help. Nurturing, support. A soldier can only fight until they break, whether that be of the body or the head. You can fix the body but the mind is much more delicate," they said.

They saw it in others. Comet, who was so sensitive, with a weak mind that wouldn't be able to withstand violence and the strains of being Chaos Forge, and yet she could be kind, could be caring. The others at the Festival, laughing and playing. Weak minded yet strong because they could form connections that simply couldn't be formed here.

Chaos-Two looked down and considered, utterly silent, staring at the ground and then closing their eyes to think, hands clasped together. Alpha had shown signs. Despite their carefulness. Slacking on lessons, barely eating (at least in front of people), being solitary. And then their breakdown.

It still sent shivers down their spine.

’Would they chrysalize? Would they abandon the Forge? Were they truly broken enough?’

Chaos-Two was scared for them, scared of what had turned such a strong, invincible creature into that kind of mess. Idly, they looked up at Vargas, eyes blank.

"Pegasus," they said suddenly, "Let's go to Pegasus. I want to see the flowers and the fields. And run, yes. I want to run."

They grabbed Khavur's hand and dragged them off towards Tunnel G, leaving their staff behind so they could have their hands.

- THE LEVIATHAN -

He considered all that they both said, muttering a brief "Wait until we're done here," with a reproachful tone as Chaos-Two suddenly turned to go. He did not scold it too heavily; undoubtedly it was simply excited at its rebirth, but it would still need to be reminded of hierarchy. He added, with a thoughtful tone, "This is important."

Eyes narrowed in concentration as he regarded first Khavur, and then Chaos-Two. So Khavur might be able to figure out what Alpha was feeling. And Chaos-Two's explanations might explain the how, but not the why. "You may be correct. Still, I do not grasp why it would be miserable. What reason does it have-? I have asked it half a dozen times to speak to me on this topic and it has not. This is why I say, I do not know if it knows, itself. It has food; it has the reassurance of safety; it has duties that are not too difficult, and not so much to leave it bored." Vargas simply could not grasp the concept, and he peered at the pair in faintly-frustrated confusion. "I doubt the Orthoclase's mind is broken. I have seen that before and it takes a great deal of damage to cause such a thing, unless it is very very weak." Was the Orthoclase secretly that fragile-? Vargas didn't think so, and he certainly hoped he wasn't wrong.

"I may take you up on that offer, Khavur. But I will give it some time, first. It has been about three weeks; if Orthoclase does not return in another week I will send you to find it, with specific instructions. I have no intention of returning it against its will but I may need another interim overseer if it has not returned by the time the next generation has hatched. And I want to know what's wrong with it," he added.

He was being quite open about his plans, speaking to the pair as if they were colleagues rather than soldiers or the like; and when he pushed up it was with a nod. "Thank you both for your input. Now you can run off. I will be right behind you," he added, with dour amusement.

The Leviathan then pushed up, stretching his limbs and preparing for the short journey.

Maximus seemed to know what might have happened to the Overseer. What else had they learned...? Khavur felt lost and found, altogether, looped in the same moment. Alien to this planet -- more alien than before, somehow. It would fade with time, he imagined... perhaps the same was true for the Overseer?

Maximus grabbed his and and he held it back, just beginning to move before going rigid and Master Vargas's mild scold. There was always a tension that laced its way around the heels and the mind whenever the Master spoke. Khavur couldn't place it. He wondered about the Overseer again... had it felt that too? How long? Had the bond between Master and soldier worn it down... no, Khavur did not want to think of this anymore. The idea that the Overseer was worn down and broken in some way unsettled him. He would avoid the topic until the day came for Master Vargas to command him to think on it again. The Reaver hoped, with startling magnitude, that Overseer Orthoclase-Alpha would return before the deadline.

Khavur would nod one head appropriately to Master Vargas's statements and display of gratitude. Once permitted to "run off", Khavur's heads would both turn to his sibling, expecting them to do just that. To run in their own way, one new and unburdened. Khavur gently squeezed Maximus's hand, and when they went, he would follow.