Time, as Fahl often regarded it, was a crawling nuisance. Without someone to encourage it along, that dimension would be content to hold its tongue on all matters and enact change in so minuscule a fashion that one would barely know of its occurrence. Dust could settle, stone could wear away, and yet the lives of Gembounds would lack any real difference in their goings-on. In the face of momentous decisions, humoring time's lazy attitude might seem the best approach compared to making a swift choice. Waiting, he knew, could bring moments of clarity otherwise unlikely to be discovered.

Here none were required.

"Then let there be something in place of nothing," came his responding declaration. "Allow me to be the Child to move the rest."

The only path forward that made sense to him, pause for reconsideration had no place in the current proceedings. Opportunity needed to be seized by the throat before it could slip away into the misty swampland and beyond reach. He set his jaw, head tilting upward, in preparation of whatever might come next—ready for a challenge in body if not necessarily in mind or magic.

@Dragon

Dragon's laugh this time couldn't be mistaken for mockery, at least: it was short, a little sad. "If you can find them," he repeated. "But I welcome you among us, Fahl. If you wish, I can call the rest, and see if we can introduce you to whomever may be near?" If the iguana wanted that, he would; but he didn't want to spring it on him before Fahl was quite prepared.

The alligator considered for a moment, the claws of one forelimb curling absently in the muck.

"As for actions going forward... let me ask you. You have had as much dealing with the Masters as many of the Children; in some cases, more. What do you think we--the Children, or all of those of us living in the caves--ought to do to secure our own survival? What precautions, what actions... would you take?" It was said slowly, Dragon's rumbling voice tinged with curiosity. He wasn't asking advice, not exactly; but he did wonder what Fahl's thoughts on the matter might be.

And certainly, his tone suggested that he would take Fahl's answers seriously. It wasn't an idle question, all else aside: Dragon thought always to their survival first. Any new ideas would be welcome ones.

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@Fahl

"What we need," Fahl blurted out, "is strength. Power."

This lead-in statement built of simple enough words that his usual expression of thought had been remarkably unhindered compared to usual, the reaction following it from the speaker himself was the same as if he'd bitten his own tongue instead of managed to use it with any amount of proficiency. Eyes widened. Face and throat flashed a frightful white. Then the moment passed, the shock shaken away with a toss of his head. Clarification followed upon its downward arc back to a neutral position.

"I mean. It's not to say... we have none. But in order to stay... independent... of the Masters, we need to be sure all of us can take care of ourselves. And each other. The Children together," he said. "And for that we need to learn. Instruct. Gain an understanding of our capabilities so when we must act... it can be as one."

"The Masters can be an advantage for now while we remain in their good graces." He wouldn't dare tamper with such a thing when his own teacher was enjoying recognition and eyesight after so long. "I don't know how easily they can take away the powers they grant... but information... any they let slip would have value. Maybe help us for the time when only we can and they can't... or won't."

At this point, the iguana had to regain his breath, so these last two beats lingered. If he'd paused for too long, they might've come across as the dying final notes of his speech. Air sucked in with an audible hiss prevented this impression, and a hard swallow preceded him barreling onward to the true last portion of opinion he wished to share.

"I want to know what we can do together, so we can figure out what we might be able to do in the future. And improve upon it. Calling the Children would help greatly as a start, sir. It'd give us the beginnings of however many strategies might be possible in time."

@Dragon

Dragon startled, at little, at Fahl's first remark--for a beat, he thought that the iguana meant gathering warriors. He imagined, in the space of a single disappointed heartbeat, immense and monstrous soldiers recruited to directly fight the Masters.

It wasn't until Fahl clarified that Dragon realized that their newest member simply meant honing their own strengths--but did he mean for fighting?

That faint disappointment lingered, but it wasn't a disappointment in Fahl, exactly--only that (Dragon felt) the iguana did not truly understand the Masters' power. Dragon had seen Astraea forcibly draw out and purge dozens if not hundreds of Lessers in a single, effortless moment; they had died screaming, thrashing in the mud, and the stag had not given them a second glance.

And that had been but a single Master.

He had seen the immense power of Aquarian, of Raheerah, when they had battled masses of Gembound--all the strongest Dragon had known, including another dragon, had accomplished little more than scraping away a few of the Master's scales.

He took a breath, a slow inhale, thinking. "You suggest honing our own abilities to their limits, yes?" A glance, questioning, sought confirmation. "It would be a good idea not to simply languish here! To be the strongest we can be." Were they attacked, it would be foolish not to be prepared, and perhaps--Dragon thought--they could even consider leaving traps set up, just in case. "I warn you, though, that I do not think as many as we could gather, at their very strongest, could kill even a single Master in a true fight. A trap--perhaps! But not a battle." Survive such a fight-? Maybe. He had. Not unscathed; he was crippled for life, now. But he had survived.

"More important perhaps would it be to survive them. But you are right in saying we would need our children to be trained, for that; not all of them are." Brandle, Hunger, Merrow--they'd wandered off their own way, and Dragon truthfully had no idea how well or how much they had adapted to their magic. It was a shameful thought, when he reflected on it, and his glance at Fahl displayed as much. "I will see if I can call them." Another breath, slow, thoughtful: "...And then we will see, as you say, where we stand!"

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gonna ask in Discord if any CoR would be interested in a tag, if so would you like it here or in a new thread?

@Fahl

After having shared his mind, when asked for an affirmative response, Fahl delivered a small but distinct nod. Speaking had taken its usual toll, the effort of moving his tongue for any decent length of time enough for exhaustion to seep in and weld his mouth shut. Nervous tension ensured his silence stayed so, an invisible wire wrapped tightly around jaws. Dragon's input was regarded with reptilian stoicism, offset only by the thoughtful back and forth flick of eyes—concern the closest possible word to identify it.

"Yes," he said once the final exhaled syllable faded away, "Where we stand. So our defense can be built on a good foundation. Not an uneven one."

And that was the crux of the matter for him, the basis of all thoughts previous. Much as the idea of eliminating a Master had its appeal as a show of power, never had it occurred to him as remotely within his capabilities, whether current or in the near future. Failure of the most gruesome kind was more certain of an outcome at present. Measuring up to their immense demonstration of magical might, although the ultimate goal, remained a secondary objective for now. More important was avoiding death long enough to have an infinitesimal chance of achieving those greater heights.

"Will you need any help? With the, uh, call."

If the impression he'd been given held true, the Children were quite well-dispersed throughout Cetus, a significant distance for any summons to travel.

((If anyone is, a new thread would be my preference.))

@Dragon

Dragon caught Fahl's meaning, and though the iguana may not have meant it to be amusing, Dragon chuckled--another rumble-rich belly laugh that sent droplets of water vibrating around his muddy feet. "If you like!" he agreed, amiably. "They are hard to find. They will be spread. Perhaps if you and I split--you may go to the Crags--those are the rocky outcrops, that way; and I can head up through the trees; and we can meet back here, perhaps tomorrow? That will give us time to eat, to rest. And any we encounter on the way, we can call to a meeting. Tell them," the old alligator went on, "that if they are Children of Rot, that Dragon has called a meeting. You will not know the Children by sight; I will, when they arrive. So do not fear imposters!" More amusement danced in his tone, and in his dark irises, gleaming as they were in the dim light of the swamp as though with hidden fire.

Of course, if others did answer the call, perhaps that would only mean further recruitment; but Dragon wasn't the sort to trust total strangers with their secrets. Still, perhaps he could find more survivors, that way--more to join their questionable, merry little band. (Merry. Well, one or two are merry. Others, he thought--Skein at the forefront of his mind--seem determined to be dismal.)

After a moment's thought, Dragon studied Fahl further. "...If you prefer, we can wait longer; time enough for you or I to gather Imp. If you want him here! Otherwise, I will find him given time, but it would be good for him to dedicate himself to a little training, too." The alligator gave as close an approximation to a shrug as his massive reptilian form could manage. "Though he may be too busy painting!"

Still--a meeting, an introduction, planning--if Fahl wanted his friend there, Dragon would give him time to retrieve him. Otherwise, he would make do with whomever they could find--though in the dark of the swamp, that might be precious few.

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@Fahl

"Imp..."

As no issue could be found with Dragon's proposal at this moment, there had been no force able to prevent Fahl from pivoting upon mention of the direction he might take to spread word of the Children. Feet inelegantly lurched through mud when he spun round. The accompanying sharp jerk of his head to capture the collection of jagged peaks indicated to him in the distance served to make the motion abrupt—imbalanced even, the halt immediately after the turn almost casting the iguana face-forward into the squelching earth. So consuming was the urgency of the matter which drove his limbs that the name of his friend and teacher gusted out almost as a whispered afterthought.

Or perhaps it'd been the main reason for his sudden stop: a leash holding him back from sprinting into action with nary a second thought spared to others.

"No," he said eventually after a contemplative breath or two, eyes squeezed shut against the final decision leaving him. "Let's leave him to his art. I trust you can catch him up later, sir."

After a forced hiatus from it, Imp deserved all the time in the world to spend on his painting. Much as he craved the presence of the rowdy batgator and his new eyes upon any magic that could be displayed, Fahl wouldn't dare to cut that experience short. Furthermore, it'd slow him down in the midst of an opportunity for his own self-improvement, surely an understandable object to pursue.

@Dragon

The spin-and-stop wasn't lost on Dragon, but he didn't know what to make of it. It was a decision, maybe; but what sort, he couldn't tell. The decision not to get Imp, he told himself, amused--it was more that he didn't know why.

It didn't bother him, though. Leaving Imp to his art seemed... kind, and Dragon was struck again by how different Fahl was, in some ways, to the other Children. Not all of them--many were dutiful, but most were... independent, and little interested in bettering themselves or one another. They merely existed, surviving from one day to the next. And while that was not a bad thing--not by any means--it wasn't the same as pushing forward.

As... ambition. But ambition, he mused, tempered by empathy.

"You are a good friend to him," was all Dragon said aloud. Maybe he was overthinking things.

Oh well.

"I will see you back here, then, in some time!" he added. A day, or so--he hoped--and they'd manage at least a little bit of a meeting.

He paused briefly, to see if there might be anything more Fahl wished to say. Then he turned, hauling himself into the nearest channel of water with a surprisingly quiet little splash, and began to drift away. Lazy strokes of his massive tail drove him, and his magic flickered up, showing him in gleaming red where he might find his Children.

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exit Dragon?
@Fahl

This was not the first time Dragon had acknowledged Fahl's connection to Imp, mentioned the positives that friendship had brought his son. To hear the statement again didn't diminish its value; arguably, it polished the words contained therein to a greater luster than before. In that brilliant shine lay hope and possibility: faith in the capabilities of the younger Gembound had not faltered and, with its continued existence, chances might still exist to raise whatever esteem his elder held him in. His current path would be one of these opportunities, and should things go well, plenty more would branch off from there.

"Ah, yes." Gold streaked across his throat like a flash of lightning, disappearing just as soon as one. "I—uh, thank you. Sir."

But as it stood in the present, the comment could only be taken as such: a comment, touched by praise though it was. Whether it promised any future depended upon whether he could accomplish the necessary groundwork to ensure so. Starting with the first step in this swampland which would propel him toward the Crags and whoever he might run into during the journey to there.

In the space offered, Fahl returned over his shoulder a well-wish. "Yes, I'll see you. And, fortune willing, all both of us can bring."

And then he too slipped into the water, aimed for a different destination. He did not cherish the travel ahead of him. Far from it—some features of Cetus had grown on him, yes, but the overall miserable experience of trudging through muck remained. The end goal was what stayed his course. Acceptance, growth, and gain.

-Exit Fahl