Vargas paced, grunting. He went again to the now-empty chrysalis, and stared at it. Where did it come from? he asked himself, for the twentieth time. It had simply appeared, and the creature within had hatched at precisely the right time to leave with a new Hand.

"OVERSEER GARNET-DELTA?" he bellowd, at the top of his lungs.

For the third time that day.

It was troubling him, still. Had it been a trick-? A trap? He'd not created that one--had he? Trickles of doubt struck him again. The thing had been a cat, there was no doubt of it; a Valkhound, but a cat. ...Had Garnet itself made it, without his knowing?

He paced away again, long strides carrying him toward the Aperture, instead. He'd check the door, ask Sentinel if he'd seen the Overseer.

In passing, his eyes cut toward the Black Spire; groaning in its shifting, as it took on yet another incomprehensible shape. He grunted, and disregarded it. He had much on his mind, really--much beyond the mystery Valkhound. For one thing, the Hand. A new Hand, out of virtually nowhere, and hadn't that spiked up his stress levels just a little? There's a new Hand, and oh, she's staying in the nest itself to evaluate. No pressure, Vargas, he thought sarcastically to himself.

Then there was Chaos-Two's utter failure. It would undoubtedly need replacing, but with who-? He'd come to the abrupt realization that they simply didn't have enough functional creations in the Chaos Forge to work reliably. They had--what, a half-feral chaos beast and a gate guard? Esther could be useful, he mused, if I find something for them to do. And as for the rest? A few scattered spawn of Alpha's mainly. I wonder if it would be pleased if it came back to find them elevated in station, and well-trained, he thought, and the idea was almost wistful. He made a note to ensure that was the case, regardless; they'd all been rather neglected, really.

And there was more to discuss, as well, but for that he needed--"OVERSEER GARNET-DELTA?"

...Really, they needed shorter names.

Vargas turned, relief trickling in faintly at his Overseer's arrival. He was about to launch into his list of points to address almost at once when he paused, noticing the condition the Overseer seemed to be in.

He forgot, sometimes, that these creatures needed sleep.

"Ah--I did not know that you were sleeping. -Were you sleeping?" he asked, uncertain. It seemed that way. A faint yawn, bleary eyes. "If you were sleeping, return to sleep, and come to me when you are awake. We have business to discuss and I will need you attentive, but it is not urgent to the point of hours making much difference."

There was nothing in his tone to indicate disapproval. Sleep was, as Delta reasoned, quite necessary--for Gembounds, at least.

The Overseer's dutiful nature was not lost on him, but then, it never was. He appreciated it, but given its state and its words, he was at once wary that it might be overworking itself. Then again, perhaps it was... overstating its activity levels. Overseers lying to their Masters wasn't quite unheard of, after all. "Be sure you get enough rest, Overseer. Do not repress your physical needs." It wasn't berating, or correction, so much as genuine advice.

But it claimed to be ready; on to business, then. Vargas turned, pacing away a bit, thinking; he went over a brief mental list of what he'd wanted to address. So as not to lose anything, forget something important. First, he was to direct it to go see the new Hand, Aethril; and to assess her new bodyguard--he had to explain that entire situation. Then he'd need to explain how short-staffed the Chaos Forge had become (and undoubtedly the Overseer would have noticed this much, already, if its intelligence met Vargas's expectations of it). Third, he'd address how he meant to correct this: looking for Orthoclase-Alpha, rewarding the creation of successful creatures, and lastly--perhaps most importantly--recruiting any of the newly-awakening Valkhounds springing up around the caves. The loss of Aethereal as a member had irked him. He intended to crack down on this; Valkhounds they found roaming and deemed useful were to be... returned to the Forge for assessment, and it was to be explained that they existed for the betterment of the Nest and would be used as such. If they rebelled they could be killed, their stones used to make something more cooperative. In practice, this might not amount to much--the caves were a large place--but they had to get ahead of this shortage before they were left in a clutch.

And finally, perhaps, the offer of some additional reward once they were up and running again. He also intended to check up on Garnet-Delta's finding of an apprentice--had it located, or created, one yet?

"We have much to cover," he began, at last. His pacing turned him to face the Overseer, and his words were both controlled and pensive. It was precisely the demeanor of a boss who had just met a new manager: a little tense, and very businesslike, but intent on getting a job done. "A new Hand--like Lord Dhracia--was in the nest all this time, and I did not know. She was asleep, in the palace; now she has awoken. She visited Draco yesterday. She asked to tour our work, to view our creations, and though I explained that Lord Dhracia takes the best, it was an unpleasant realization that we are... lacking, of late, in numbers. Chaos-Two failed its test utterly; I am still considering how to handle that, but it means that it is out of our equation for now. Orthoclase-Alpha has not returned, and of the rest, only a small fraction are truly useful for controlling a Nest. Others would make fine beasts of war--Nidhogg, for example, and Draconua-" (who wasn't really Forge, but never mind) "-but are useless for our other needs. We need to address this, so as not to fall behind."

He turned, paced, thinking. "First, you will need to visit the Valkhand at the Cepheus palace. I have spoken highly of you, Overseer, and she wishes to assess you personally. I can warn you of little about her, bar that she presents herself as far more mild than our Lord Dhracia. That does not mean she does not hold the same capacity for cruelty beneath."

Memories flicked through his mind. 'You must understand I had a point to make. Serving as the Hand of Disorder necessitates such mayhem, lest He finds one more suitable for the role.' Dhracia's cruelty was, in part, an act; he knew this, it was necessary. Would Aethril hold the same violence in her, beneath the civilized veneer?

"Second," his mind churned ahead, chugging relentlessly through his little list, "a Valkhound awoke precisely when she arrived. I do not know who created it," and here he glanced to Garnet-Delta--this was the only cat-like creature in Draco, and the Valkhound had been... well. "It looked rather like you, but in distinctly Valkhound form. Feline. But large, black. No wings. It presented itself to the Hand, and she insisted on removing it as her bodyguard. I insisted at least that it be evaluated, trained in its tasks. I wish you to assess it, ensure it is reliable--trustworthy. We cannot lose a Hand in our own damn nest to an unknown factor. And then, if it is, train it--both in assassination and against assassination. I want it to know what to expect. I want it able to recognize, and repel, such attacks--and you are our best in that. Understood?"

He paced, again. "I apologize for the length of this list. If you require repeating, inform me. But the next priority is to increase our numbers--and with quality, not mere quantity. My concept before had been to create many, and use the best. But thus far they are failing. I need Overseer Orthoclase-Alpha back--do you know where it is? If not, I task you with finding it. And I need a replacement for Chaos-Two. I will call a meeting. And I intend to make something clear," Vargas added, glancing back at Garnet-Delta. His demeanor was suddenly overbearing--but it wasn't directed at his Overseer, at least. "I have been trying to do things differently than was done in my era. It seems that these creatures are more sensitive, and I had hoped there would be positive response to potential rewards, in the near-absence of punishment. But most of them have hardly progressed. Chaos-Two's spectacular failure, in particular, was both disappointing and surprising. I have always treated it fairly--I have treated it well, in fact--and it flung accusations and fled sobbing." There was utter disgust in the Leviathan's tone. "We have no place for such weakness, and we will need to make that clear. If I have to go back to the old ways, then so be it."

A shrug, and a turn, a pace. "I also wish to again offer rewards for service, an... added incentive. Those who create worthy, loyal spawn. Those who have served well--that includes you. Those who find strong Valkhounds to recruit. I wish you to consider a name; consider having it ready to announce when I gather us together. Have you created an apprentice, yet--or found one?" He glanced it over, but there was no judgment in this either way. It should take its time to find one worthy--he believed that fully--and it wouldn't do to rush it. Still, he wanted updates.

"So let me cover what I have said," and he paced again, and this summary seemed more for himself than for Delta. "You are to report to Aethril, the Hand, for assessment at the palace. Then in turn, assuming she allows it, assess and begin training on her Valkhound guardian. Lastly, find Orthoclase-Alpha, unless you already know where it is. Then call the others together for a meeting, and I will do the same, so that I can lay out our future plans. We cannot be caught out by a new Hand checking on us constantly in our own damn Nest."

He looked to Delta, then; he respected its intelligence, its keen mind, and he wanted its perspective. "What do you think; do you have any questions?" And then--because it only now occurred to him to ask, and because he did value its input--"Do you have any opinions on how we might crack down on those within the Forge, without ruining their motivation?"

The emotions in which Garnet-Delta would bathe were varied. It began with a simple note--neither pleased nor displeased--when the Overseer promised that it had not created Obieth. Was it watching, yet, at that point-? Listening in on Vargas's stream of emotional consciousness?

There was acknowledgment, and general satisfaction, at most of its words--the agreements, the notes it made aloud, the assurances that it would take on this task or that. And Vargas was, as always, attentive to the Overseer's words: he set great stock in its keen mind, and in the dutiful, insightful nature it always provided him. But it was when it began to give its own opinions that this attention sharpened, other emotions and concerns stilling, for the moment. And then there came interest, thoughtfulness--and relief. These ideas were good. He could make use of these--they might even aid the Forge, as a whole. Vargas had long fretted--surprisingly deeply--over the chaotic emotional state (and wasn't that ironic?) of his people. Now, suddenly, a narrow span of hope was offered by the Overseer's words.

Lay out solid punishments, and adhere to them. Offer competition between them. "These are good ideas, Overseer," Vargas said, and he meant it. His words, his demeanor, were sincere. They were not, either, condescending, though he still spoke to Garnet-Delta as his Overseer, not quite as an equal--a boss to his most favored employee. He thought about this. "It is insightful. I admit I don't grasp their... psychologies. It may be that I am too used to a... faster pace; you are fighting, or you are dead. This fear they feel, if it is as you claim, is utterly foreign to me!" There was approval in all of him, strong, a drug for Garnet-Delta to lap up in its own time, if it so chose. Vargas was busy thinking, for a moment.

"Tell me," he began again at length, and his tone was again thoughtful; "do you have any punishments in mind? What would you think was fair for neglecting one's duty; where is the line drawn for simple execution? I do not mean to shift all of these decisions onto you--they won't be. But your insight has proven sharp in this. I would like to know what you think." Again, genuine; he held respect for the Overseer, a respect that ticked up a fraction each time he spoke to it.

It had yet to fail him.

"As for a name, you do not need to choose one. But I am finding Garnet-Delta chewy on the tongue, and I imagine something more impressive would better suit your rank. That is not an order, however. I won't think less of your capabilities if you prefer to keep your current name." He paused, eyeing Garnet-Delta with a keen gaze, for a moment. "You mentioned making other progress. Do you wish to cover it?" he asked; and again, it was not a demand. The mention had sounded, to him, like an offer (even an invitation) to discuss it, and so he opened that door to the possibility.

Vargas gave little remarks, here and there, but for the most part he didn't interrupt. When Garnet-Delta spoke of not knowing what it was like to be without ambition, the Leviathan uttered an ironic grunt. "I share the same issue of perspective. You have always had a drive to succeed, to survive. It is like half of these creatures do not care to live at all." And it was ironic, really; they clamored for little freedoms but they didn't take the simple steps necessary to achieve it.

The ideas of punishments he simply noted, with slight nods. It was a starting point--good ideas, but he'd make adjustments here and there, come up with ways to pad that list. He'd need to finalize some of that before announcing it, but overall, "We will see something like this implemented very soon. If it does not work we will need to find another way."

"Can you tell me more about this 'cult?'" Were they against the Masters, against the Nest-? Or for something else entirely? "Their purpose, any names? Descriptions?" It was not demanding, really--that is, he wasn't blaming Garnet-Delta for offering this up to begin with. He wanted elaboration but he imagined that if it had known, it would have reported--or perhaps this was just a summary, the Overseer leaving it to him to ask clarification on specific points. "As for Emuh--yes! To succeed in his trials is a notable achievement, Garnet-Delta. Certain powers are kept locked off from us until he--he is the gate-guardian, so to speak--judges us worthy in His eyes to bear them. For that, I would usually offer a reward. If there is something more you wish you need only speak it," but in truth, the Overseer had earned almost everything Vargas could've offered. "But as you say--you will adjust. It will take practice; let me know if you wish to train."

Ahh--a name. He waited, patient, but it only took a few seconds more for his decisive Overseer to redefine itself entirely.

'Cain will do.'

It... suited. It was short, simple. It held some vague ominous threat Vargas couldn't have quite identified. He liked it.

"Good. Overseer Cain. It suits you," he offered, with both humor and approval. "It will be announced when I gather the others."