Maximus blanked when Cain leapt down from their perch, stiffening at their name spoken. They fumbled for a moment, anxious, eyes averted and claws picking at a splinter on the staff of their spear.

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you," they stated nervously, unwilling to look Cain in the eye, "I just..."

They didn't want to just blurt it out, since speaking their mind had gotten them grievously injured and told to straight up leave the Chaos Forge. It was an option, but was it really?

"I wanted to speak with you about..."

They were stalling. Anxiety locked up their limbs and twisted their tongue in their mouth, though why they were so afraid of Cain was a mystery. Maybe they weren't, and maybe they were just afraid of what they were about to ask.

"... Can I p-pe... p-pet you?", they finally stuttered, their grip so tight the spear strained under their hands, claws digging into the wood.

If Cain said no, they were probably going to end up leaving the Forge anyway and would never have to look at them again. If they said yes, maybe they'd have a nice few minutes with an authority they didn't fear.

If Maximus knew what Cain was doing, they'd... probably be touched someone cared enough about emotions to do such a thing.

But right now they were shocked. They'd pet Nibbles before, and Aurelia had told them about petting Cain and such (they'd taken the advice they'd given her and followed it themselves, actually), but now that such an opportunity was staring them in the face, they found themselves frozen.

"... Okay," they breathed, carefully sitting down and setting their spear aside.

For a moment they caught sight of their claws, big and sharp, meant for tearing things apart. Truly they'd been made to be a monster, but their demeanor was all wrong. Too soft, too emotional, too... weak. Maybe they ought to trim them, somehow.

Cain couldn't be so different from Nibbles, at least in how to stroke their fur. As long as they touched with the pads of their fingers and hands, it would be fine. As long as they were careful, it would be fine.

"Th-thank you," they said, voice small, their ears pinned and eyes focused on Cain's fur rather than their gaze.

Finally they set their fingers on the Overseer's pelt, their touch feather-light until they judged what was and wasn't an acceptable level of touch. They stroked over soft fur, marveling at it silently, their heart slowing its rapid drumming.

"I-I acquired a familiar," they stuttered, clearly unnerved by silence, "Just a rabbit, a windhopper... for this reason, I think. J-just to have a companion to pet and spend time with... n-not that we're companions at all or anything, I'm just... I'm just me, and you're my Overseer."

Maximus was so... awkward. Especially now after all that had happened with Draconua. They were less than dirt now, their past deeds meaning nothing up against their current failures. They didn't know where they stood, even with Cain who they'd never truly interacted with past a few shared words within Draco. As their hand shook (the one with horrific scars criss-crossing all up their arm and torso, possible nerve damage affecting their steadiness), they felt like they should draw away, like they didn't deserve this. Like they shouldn't be touching Cain at all.

If Cain were to try to read them again, they'd find little more than a whirlwind of negative emotions. It was pathetic, really. But it was clear by their stiff jaw and how their muscles strained to keep from shivering that they were trying very hard to hide it, but brute forcing themselves to calm down would never work.

Max was quiet mostly, sitting and petting their Overseer gently. They didn't feel above them at all, but somehow they themselves felt comforted. They hadn't really expected this. They'd expected at the very least to be allowed maybe one stroke of fur before being shooed off, but this was nice.

Maybe their attempts to forcefully calm themselves were futile, but they seemed to be calming anyway. Petting Cain was helping them a lot, and they felt like they were right in taking Nibbles in as a sort of... comfort animal. But they were getting off track and their Overseer probably wouldn't appreciate their distraction.

But the truth was... they were distracted anyway.

"... What would you say if I were to leave the Forge?", they asked softly, running over Cain's head and stroking down their back.

They honestly valued their opinion and wanted to know what they'd think. They'd mostly made up their mind. If they couldn't please Vargas and soon... they'd take his offer, leave the stone they'd planted, and never see Draco again.

"I'm certain you know of my failures," they said bluntly, "Master Vargas offered me the option and I'm... considering it. Not out of any contempt for the Forge or its members."

Max was a waste of resources. It would be purely selfish of them to leave (no it wouldn't, they had Porkchop waiting for them) and would probably earn the scorn of more than a few people they cared about. They hated that they were even considering leaving Khavur, but it was safer at this point for them to leave, lest Draconua decide which particular day she wanted them to resign from life.

They sighed softly and continued to pet, eyelids drooping in a sense of emotional exhaustion, though they were physically tired too. But they wouldn't just fall asleep.