Bezaliel heard the crack of the chrysalis from not far off. A new hatchling was, for him, an opportunity; he had a cruelly mischievous streak, but he was so piss-poor at actually manipulating or the like that it really needed a newborn child to allow his talents to be put to any use. That was, he reasoned, mostly due to a lack of practice. So he'd been vaguely keeping eyes and ears out for new hatchlings as he went about his business, and--well! Here was an opportunity at last.

He scrambled through the undergrowth, abandoning his examination of remaining Order (and his musing on its habits), tripping over branches and panting as he rushed toward the--pink?

Wow. That stone sure was pink. It actually surprised him into motionlessness, for a moment, but as the creature within emerged he hastened to fold his arms, push back up against the trunk of a tree, and act casual. He wanted to look imposing, like he'd been waiting here for it. And to that end, the moment the strange little beast within emerged (...What is that thing?--but he had no time to think about that now) he did his best to keep up the act. He called up his magic, cast out his mind, and attempted to send a message (with meaning thrilling through the words) directly into the creature's mind.

"There you are," he thought at it, smug and satisfied.

Yes... even though he was still naked, and just a horned man with dragon's scales, he was satisfied with the impression he must've made.

Never mind that his target was essentially a toddler. Or that Bez had to use his ominous mind-whispering magic to hide the fact that he was out of breath.

Bez took a moment to catch his breath, one foot tapping lightly at the ground where it crossed the other. He tried to act casual. He tried, too, to look like he was just taking in the scene as he did his best not to breathe heavily; I really need to run more. He was, it had to be said, sort of out of shape.

And--ahh, shit. What was this child asking? He had to interpret it correctly lest he lose any impression of all-knowing power, or whatever it was he was going for (he hadn't really considered it in straightforward terms). So he took a moment more to try and figure it out, failed, and did his best.

"This," and he extended a taloned hand out to indicate the forest, "is Eridanus. Beautiful, isn't it-? But infested. And it's your birthplace. Yours to claim, if you will have it." Maybe I can get it to act like a little king.

He wasn't sure to what end. It'd cause conflict, though, and that would be funny.

Oh. He couldn't forget his role in this. "And I am here to guide you. To teach you how to claim it."

Let it be known that Bez--while he had some vague idea of where to go with this--didn't exactly have a plan on how to get there. It was a half-assed idea -at best,- and one he'd not taken the time to think through. (He immediately resolved, next time--if there was a next time--to plan everything step-by-step, with fallbacks, and plans B through Z...)

"Well. You're in luck," he crooned, doing his best to imitate what he'd heard of the other apparently-master-manipulator, The Collector. "-Yes, all for you. And I will teach you." Okay, so he wasn't that good at it, yet. But that's what practice was for! And this kid-...

Bez studied Rat.

He was... awfully cute. A baby, in every respect. Cool eyes, pretty colors, adorable. If Bez had had more of a parental instinct, he might've felt worse about trying to manipulate him. But he seemed eager, and greedy, and those were the traits he was after.

He grinned.

"Let's start with your magic, then. That will be your power in this world. Do you know what yours is-?" he asked. He opened a palm, uncrossing his arms; a little red wisp hissed into being, dancing between his fingertips. "Some utilize fire, or water... and yours might be..?"

Of course, he had no idea that this one hadn't embraced magic at all. That was about to be another hard lesson for him.

It worked.

Tragically, comically, stupidly, it worked.

As in: Bezaliel turned, surprised by the sudden pebble skittering across the ground. Part of his brain wondered Why did he do that? and then he was looking back at Rat, a moment later, peering for some kind of clue as to why the child had kicked a pebble. "Sorry, what?" he blurted, blinking.

Then it clicked, and he blinked. Frowned. Blinked again. Bez glanced after the pebble, then looked back at Rat with a newly appraising look. His puzzlement twisted into a surprised smile. "Ahh-... that isn't magic, is it? Or it is, m--perhaps, but-..." He paused, stroking his chin. This, and the last-minute change of 'maybe' to 'perhaps,' were both intended to make him look more sophisticated and mysterious. Maybe it would work; maybe it wouldn't. More likely, it didn't matter. A grown-ass adult trying to impress a newly hatched child who was fascinated with pebbles? It was sad, was what it was, but Bez hadn't really thought this through.

"Very good. You could put those skills to phenomenal use... once they're trained. And I can teach you. For example... hmm. Do you know what a Lesser creature is?" Bez asked.

Most likely not, but he didn't want to guess which knowledge the child might or might not have hatched with; for so many of them, some of it was instinctual. Anyway, he didn't actually know whether "those skills" would be of "phenomenal use." Again: maybe. He didn't know. He was bullshitting, throwing it all at the wall, and hoping something would stick. ...So to speak.

At least Bezaliel could answer this question with confidence. And-! He didn't even have to lie!

"A Lesser is a pathetic thing. A wretched creature that cannot speak." His entire bearing, from the dismissive wave of one clawed hand to his faint sneer to his dour tone, was arrogance incarnate. "They are here for us to eat and destroy, and little else. Rats and mice, birds and insects. And they do not seem to bear any magic," he added. He wasn't actually sure if they did, but--he'd never seen any use magic, at least. Well--maybe ones in Andromeda, once or twice, but even then he wasn't entirely sure.

"The point is that you can practice on them. Perhaps you eat them, too," he added, trying to surreptitiously get a look at Rat's teeth without really bending down or staring too much. He had to remain elegant, after all. "Or perhaps you'll find plants and fruits more appealing--I don't know. But they are little more than targets for our whims--and they're an excellent way to hone your power."