Aethril did not respond to Vargas's first answer-- there was no need to. Algol and Blacksmith were creatures she did not entirely remember and therefore, did not come into account for these kinds of decisions. As desperately helpless as the Valkhand felt, giving utterly random creatures promotions without knowing who they are and what they are capable of was only going to make the situation worse.

It was his monologue that had her more interested, even before he finished his foreword to her, Aethril's head had tilted forward and there was a subtle twist along the muscles of her pointed ears. Digesting, thinking, filing away-- like a practiced machine she picked out what was most important: the need for experience, warm bodies, dutiful and focused, and these were put into account, adjusted into her plan, and she took a long moment to formulate.

Her initial response, when Vargas brought it up, was a soft scoff upon 'the need for love and soft escapes.'

The scrape of a heel and Aethril was pacing again, bending the arrow this way and that without going far enough to snap it in half. "You need a chair in here," she muttered absently, but did not interrupt further-- she filed these names away, too, and once he had finally finished, Aethril spoke properly.

"I trust your judgement to deem if he is worthy on your own," she began. "Your other Overseer is an excellent one. Send the Desert Rose to me so that I can meet him, if you choose to give him the promotion." If Aethril knew about the other other Overseer, she might have changed her tune. Luckily for Vargas, he was deemed 'pretty good at picking them out.' "Personality will come mostly with training and the like-- incidentally, if you want the suggestion, it might be an idea to seek out why some of them yearn so badly for softness and see if you can come up with some sort of compromise between them. Of course, you could just punish or cull whoever gets too distracted, but that isn't exactly a proven method." Some humour, perhaps.

"Asher. It was," poor thing. "Quick, clever. Delightful little creature. Absolutely perfect-- but it chrysalised overnight, and I've yet to find out why. My fear is that something might have attacked it, but it may have just simply fallen into hibernation all the same." This particular mystery was a fairly low priority, at least until Asher woke up again.

"But I agree with you when you say that the first handfuls will train more-- it's good. I would largely suggest, however, that you begin to use Hydra to your advantage," her eyes turned a little intense, focused-- but ultimately, business-like. "Do not risk losing Dhracia's creations, of course-- but prepare some for Hydra and let them have the experience that they need. You have at least two Champions with you; let them train and prepare the others to go through them. And as we've seen through the Deathmatch, there are many others in the nest that would likely show up to participate, too. It'll give you opportunities to find those warm bodies."

Tap, tap, tap. "Have you bothered looking much for other old Champions?" She asked. "I'm sure many of them would be delighted to serve under you-- though I suppose it is somewhat... out of the way. It might be something for your--" she gestured vaguely to Chaos Seven and Eight's stones, "--replacement scout. Depending on your need, however, I don't think it would exactly be the worst idea."

Tap, tap-- pause. "On second thought, I would like to see Desert Rose regardless of what you decide for him, if you could send him to the Palace whenever you can spare him." He might, at least, know where to find some of the other Champions.

Moving on, and she was gesturing-- "at least think over it. Take some time to discuss it with the other Masters, if you'd like. The training is good regardless, it sets foundations."

"There is one more thing, if you have the time to keep an eye on it," she concluded. "Unless you've questions, concerns?"

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Now it was time for listening.

As Vargas did so, Aethril began to quite accidentally dispel some of his illusions about her. He'd been wary of her, of course--of her power, of her temper and threat. She'd melted one of the Forge just as easily and without warning as Lord Dhracia had done. But beyond that he'd seen little form of leadership from her. He'd known she was a new Hand, one in training in fact. That she was new to the caves, or rather-... had been here for millennia but had mostly slept through it, as had they all.

Now, however, he began to see a thread of competence he hadn't been shown before, and he responded to it: he grew more attentive, more interested, paying more than fearful obedience. Perhaps the threat of the Creator has awoken this in her, he thought, or simply prompted her showing it but either way, this is good.

He also made a mental note to get a chair.

But her suggestion of questioning his people--that was unexpected. He hadn't thought she, of all creatures, would suggest communication and compromise. "I evicted the last that grew too disobedient," he said quietly, affirming her suggestion to cull, but other than this he didn't interrupt.

The mention of Asher chrysalizing was... troubling; he did know it happened, of course, but it seemed to be with frequency as late. Perhaps the magic here just wasn't strong enough to keep so many alive and aware? He filed this thought away for later, though, because Aethril was still addressing him. He gave her his full attention.

And here came the parts that made him wonder: her suggestion to use Hydra again, to use old Champions. These were good ideas. He hadn't thought of Hydra in cycles, let alone its champions. She mentioned two of them, and he puzzled over that for a moment--he could only think of one, the Desert Rose. Most of them would want nothing to do with him. He puzzled, too, over how to explain that to Aethril--that working for the monster that had, slavering, tracked them through their hellscapes was probably not top on their to-do lists. But finding more, and finding others with experience--well, it was unlikely but searching for them wasn't a bad idea. It had been something he'd asked Cain to do, but so far there had been no word of anyone remotely useful. Sending out another--"When Eight is ready, I will have Cain take it to search for prospects as training," he suggested, "early on, so it is a work in progress rather than delayed." He paused, thinking. "Hydra is useful, if we can offer them rewards worth braving it for. For the most part, these Gembound think they have it well enough without such risks. They were hatched into freedom and for the most part it has been all but promised to them that it will remain this way." By Astraea's mouth, no less, when he'd been but an Overseer. "There is little I can offer them for the challenge that they do not already have," he mused, and then blinked. "Perhaps alterations I could make for them... changes to their bodies. If they'd risk themselves for such power." Spikes, claws, teeth, whatever.

Plastic surgery in return for mercenary work, really. It was an odd idea but it might work.

"I can only think of one Champion in our ranks," he went on, addressing only briefly the rest of what she'd said, so as not to delay her final request too much. "More would be of use but most would avoid me at all costs." Still, it churned up an idea in his mind. He pondered, thought it over, and could find no flaw in it. "You have given me an idea, however, and your words bring insight. It is good to have capable leadership. Please, make your request," he added, with a little bow of his head.

And his eyes slid right, eyeing the rock, and he again made a mental note to get the woman a chair.

@Aethril

The slightest quirk of her lip showed the ghost of a smirk. Evicted. What a funny way of saying 'murdered,' she mused in silence-- but this little amusement was quick to fade as he went on. Freedom? Fine. Whatever. This is what compromises were for-- the Valkhand sucked in a hiss of air through her teeth and thought it over.

"Think on it," was what she finally said. She would have liked to say there was no rush-- but who knew when the Creator would arrive next? It could be mere hours, or it could be another ten thousand years. "Or, at least strive to find out what kind of things the gembound hold in high value. I'm sure some will appreciate body modifications-- but others might be interested in something that does not require so much time and energy." She could imagine some asking simply for rocks, if they were shiny enough...

She paused, half-turned back to the Spire. "Cain is not a Champion?" She asked a little indifferently-- only a few beats after had the thought occured to her-- did it lie or did I simply make an assumption? Likely the latter, she couldn't imagine the Overseer outright lying to her-- but an interesting possibility to consider at a later date. For now, she had something to attend to.

"I just need you to make sure nothing befalls it before it emerges," Aethril said-- "Keep your energy for whatever designs you and Totum might come up with." A test of her own ability-- it'd been some time (more than five thousand, apparently) since she even made an attempt at creation before, and as she focused on the Spire she felt the gentle pulse of its response.

Something... sleek, but sturdy. Powerful, bone-breaking legs to carry it through the caves and wings to take flight in larger rooms-- like an owl, perhaps-- utterly silent. Tufted ears, sharp, bright eyes for watching and listening and taking notes and returning safely.

Not exactly a scout, however. Just... a watcher. Aethril was not enthralled by the idea of wandering back and forth to make sure the Masters were doing their jobs and not lying to her face about it. It would, at the very least, give her some ease.

A chrysalis was deposited from the Black Spire into one of the hollowed-out holes underneath, growling and infusing with corrupt life and then settling, rooted into its spot, to grow. The Valkhand gave the Oilstone a couple of testing pats on the top, as though checking its integrity, before she stepped back. "Send it to me when it hatches." Hopefully, a month from now, she would not be killing it for being a fat fucking failure.

"Thank you for your time, Vargas," she said, though paused in case he had anything more to say. If not-- off she went.

She had nuch to do.

@Vargas

potential exit

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Ahh.

"Its parent was a Champion. One parent. The other, a cat," he explained. And then, a little more quietly: "The cat failed in Hydra. Not any physical failure, really: a mistake in judgement. It was perhaps young. But that failure doesn't reflect in Cain." Not in his mind, anyway. "Its stonegiver--the Champion--was far more cunning." It was unfortunate, really. Palefur would have made for a fine servant of her own account--was, in fact, before she'd chosen to risk herself. But her ambition certainly had been admirable.

"I will look after it," Vargas agreed, though it was irritating to know one of his guardians would be missing. He'd have to completely watch this one himself. "Do I still have your permission to check the palace... aftermath first?" he added, questioningly; if she wanted him to remain here, to guard the stone constantly, then so be it. "And may I ask what is in this one, if it is not too bold... Simply so I do not overlap it with another design," he continued on, explaining.

Not that he'd be making more to send to Aethril, but if it occurred to him to make a new sentinel as a backup, for example, and that's what she had just made-... well.

One of them would have to change.

@Aethril

"Hm," was all she offered to this part. A misunderstanding was fine-- Cain's parents did not change anything about the Overseer in the slightest, though it did heighten that little spark of interest in the Champion lingering in Vargas's ranks.

She offered a nod in the meantime. "Visit as you please," the Hand said-- though she assumed Vargas was a little... incapable of worrying about the creatures that had chrysalized in there, or at least-- incapable of worrying the same way she worried. "I'll make sure the Sentinel gets back to you once it awakens."

As for the creation-- "Don't worry about that," she said. "I'm hoping I can train it to help me keep an eye on the nest. ... it is not a cat." This last part was offered in humour, and the Hand's heels started clicking as she turned to leave.

"Good luck, Vargas," she offered, before vanishing down the tunnel.

exit... 2!
@vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

"I appreciate that!" Vargas said to the first, cheerful enough despite the rank and danger that he faced. And, "Ha!" to the second, if quietly.

And then she was off, heels clicking on the rock.

This was remarkably awkward, for Vargas had fully intended to return to Cepheus but now Aethril had given a farewell and abruptly turned to leave, and if he just trailed along behind her-...

Well.

Armies he could handle.

Rebellion, he could stomach.

But social graces were not the strong suit of Master Vargas and somehow, he felt rather left out in the cold just now. Was he meant to ask again if he could follow? Or maybe he ought to just-... to wait a few minutes, and... But I am much, much faster than her. How awkward would it be if he stood there in silence for a few minutes, then passed her walking through Pegasus?

He cleared his throat to call after her.

"I will head back there now, myself-... Do you want a ride?" he asked.

Perhaps the Hand would like to rest her feet awhile.

exit Vargas
@Aethril (for visibility)