Since Erasmus preferred the craggy area of Cetus, Alek mostly stayed in that area. But sometimes, Alek just wanted to soak in water. He was an aquatic predator, even if he was very imposing on land. Most of the trenches in the craggy were too small to contain Alek, but there were a few that worked, even if some just barely did so.

Today found Alek half-underwater and half-above in a trench barely big enough for him, keeping a couple of his eyes below the water looking around and the rest above, keeping look out. Not that there was much to look out for, but if Erasmus needed him, he'd be able to know sooner if above water.

It amused the predatory side of Alek that the fish were trying to find someplace free of him, but were stuck in this trench with him. He wasn't particularly hungry right now, though. Just needing a good soak.

His thoughts were not amused for long, drifting towards all his concerns. The unhatched chrysalises, Doru's too-curious questions about Order, and Erasmus's everything.

And that sometimes only felt like only the beginning. He needed to find solutions, but only some of these things were solvable and he was worried about Erasmus, as always.

@V-Onyx-Three

Cetus felt like home... sort of. It was darker than some other caves, though it lacked the voidlight of Draco. His eyes swept the area around him as he proceeded with careful steps across the damp ground. The fog reduced visibility to such an extent it worried him whether he would have enough of a warning were a threat to appear. And he wasn't close to Draco either. If he got hurt here, things might get very difficult.

This wasn't a place he would usually visit, but Onyx-Three had found himself with a strange sense of loneliness lately. It was an unfamiliar feeling, especially because he was so used to not needing company. He didn't need company. But that gembound he had sparred with before, Alek, that was someone who he found himself wanting to visit despite his mixed feelings regarding the situation as a whole. This was time that could be spent training after all! Or working! But he had already gone this far, much too far to turn back. Onyx-Three could not come up with a justification for why he was doing this. Was it because they were friends? That was a weird thought. He wasn't even sure what it meant to be friends.

Alek had mentioned that he liked to stay in this cave a long time ago, and he couldn't help but wonder if it was possible that his place of inhabitance had changed. With all this fog, it would be very difficult to find Alek. Even his sense of smell was dampened. Luckily, he managed to avoid falling into any murky puddles with his careful steps. It seemed his training was useful outside of fighting as well. And there, something that looked... like Alek. "Alek? It is Onyx-Three. I am here."

@Alek

At the sound of a voice, Alek became more alert. When the words registered though, he excitedly stood up from the trench that was not quite large enough for him, water dripping of his large yet sleek form. "Onyx-Three!" He repeated with excitement.

It was his own fault that he'd self-exiled himself to this cave, but he had missed familiar company from before. Like Onyx-Three. "It is good to see you," He admitted with full sincerity. "It has been a while since I have seen a familiar face."

"Is there something you are seeking? If there is, I'm not opposed to helping or keeping you company," Alek offered, the idea of spending more time with Onyx-Three appealing.

Onyx-Three, though at times confusing to him, was a gembound that Alek got along with rather well. A friend, perhaps even his closest friend outside of his own family.

"I've so much I could tell you about what's happened these past cycles, but I hardly know where to start," Alek admits.

@V-Onyx-Three

His four eyes lit up for a moment, glad to see that it was, in fact, Alek. If it had been another gembound or lesser of his size, Onyx-Three was not sure if he would have won that fight. Now that they were both full grown, Onyx-Three was about a foot taller than him, though in terms of overall size Alek was much, much bigger. He slipped his dagger back into place beside his quiver, allowing himself to lower his guard.

"You as well." he dipped his head in acknowledgement, then pondered the question. Truth was, he still wasn't sure what he was seeking. Onyx-Three realized he hadn't considered that Alek might be busy, and he might be disturbing him with his training or something. But this did not seem to be the case. "It has been some time. I wanted to visit." Memories of their last encounter drifted across his mind, mostly about when Alek had thrown dirt at his face. It was almost amusing to think about now. "Tell me. I am listening." he half-sat, half-crouched in place, and tilted his head, indicating he was ready to listen.

@Alek

Alek appreciated the easy way that Onyx-Three simply expressed a desire to visit. The way that the other was willing to sit and listen. It made Alek want to tell Onyx-Three absolutely everything. And in this moment, he couldn't think of a reason why not.

Still, where to start was difficult to decide, at first. But after a pause, Alek figured it out. "...I have children now. Doru and Bezaliel. At least, those are the two that hatched. They're almost full-grown now," Alek proclaimed proudly.

He adored his children, even if it was not mutual. Not that his children disliked him, but... There was a feeling of distance of their side that Alek had noticed after a certain point. It was odd to Alek to think about not caring about family to the same degree he did, but he did not judge them for it. It was simply their nature.

"They roam mostly, these days," He added. "Those two share a parent, another greater gembound. The name of that parent is Erasmus. I have been staying with Erasmus for five or more cycles, here in Cetus."

Here, he paused, unsure of where to begin with Erasmus. The beginning felt wrong, somehow. But it was important, even if it hurt. "I found Erasmus when the other was not even fully grown, yet they had accidentally killed another greater gembound," He admitted, his voice more hushed now.

"The greater gembound they had killed was my kin, I am certain. A fellow dragon, even if I had never met him before. Erasmus... They were distraught over the death," He continued.

"I was angry, but Erasmus was so lost. They had forgotten how to speak, so alone had they been up to that point. But they were brave and hurt and... I saw myself in them. As what I could have been, had I not had family to guide me," Alek explained, masculinely musical voice falling quiet briefly.

"I stayed with them, helped them relearn speech and more. And I got attached. But Erasmus, they were so guilty over my kin's death, they thought they should die in exchange. I told them... To pay for death, you must continue to give in life. And I suggested they revive the stone, when they were old enough," He kept going, tense though he was.

"It gave Erasmus hope and hurt simultaneously. I hate myself for the hurt, but they're alive. They're alive," He repeated, then sighed.

"We... Erasmus and I, we both thought when we revived the stone of my kin that siblings were important. So I gave pieces of my stone for Erasmus to revive, and also found another gembound to give life to a piece of my stone as well. And only the ones of Erasmus and I together ended up hatching, so far, not the stone from my kin nor the other."

"I haven't seen the rest of my family since I found Erasmus. I never introduced my kids to them, nothing. I feel like I've betrayed them, by not only comforting a killer of my kin, but then getting attached to them. But Erasmus is so much more than that. They're brave, even when they know the answers they'll get will hurt them. They care so much. They hate themself, but I think I love them. And... I don't know what to do about any of that. The kids are all grown now, nearly. They kept Erasmus living, but Erasmus is hurting still and I just..." Alek sighed again, but a soul deep sigh this time.

"I've never felt such depth of emotions in my life, but I can't let go of Erasmus. But my family... I owe them the truth, and Erasmus would feel the same. But... I suppose, I am scared," He confesses, the deepest truth.

@V-Onyx-Three

They had been very young when they had first met, and it was hard to imagine that they were both full grown now, and that Alek had children. Children. In the Chaos Forge, one needed rights to have offspring. It was something to be earned, something that you had to prove you were worthy of. Onyx-Three doubted that it was something he would be able to do properly even if he gained the rights to do so. He was much too focused on his duties, and bettering himself. The idea of training his children like the Sentinel had trained him- it was unimaginable!

He wondered how Alek had raised his children. Had he taught them the techniques of throwing sand at one's opponents? Or how to sneak up on others? He was curious too, how they looked like. Would he be able to meet them someday? Onyx-Three realized that these were strange thoughts to be having, thoughts that did not pertain much to training or anything like that. It was pure curiosity and perhaps made of the same feelings that he felt about that thing called 'friendship'. "You did not name them V-Alek-One and V-Alek-Two." he said, and though his tone was serious, it was a clear joking reference to their first meeting.

Although Onyx-Three had never killed anyone himself, he was prepared to do so. After all, it was partially what he had been training all this time to do. But when the opportunity actually came? He had no idea if he would be able to. "Killing is a duty. At times." he did not betray much emotion considering how he actually felt about it. It seemed inevitable. Something that would have to be done eventually, and he assumed that he wouldn't question orders when commanded to take a life.

As Alek finished explaining the situation concerning Erasmus, Onyx-Three felt silence lapse between them. He was thinking. All of this talk about emotion, bravery, hurt, guilt, hope... they were things he knew he felt but could never name or properly place. It was easier to push these feelings away rather than let himself experience them. He did not know what to say. Offer words of comfort? He did not know how to. Offer words of advice? He was no wiser than Alek. Offer...

"You did good." the words tumble from his mouth, something he has said many times before, and something he had heard just as many times. "You and Erasmus experienced much. You know how to help... and feel." Was empathy the word he was searching for? But it escaped his grasp. "It is brave. I believe you will be ready to tell them. When it is time." And then- "I can come." What? What was he saying? But the words kept coming. "If you need help. I can come."

@Alek

A flicker of amusement came at the seemingly-serious yet not at all serious comment from Onyx-Three, a small thing at first, but it quickly fanned itself into a flame. He burst into bright laughter, a loud and musical sound.

"They would've protested, I think," Alek tells Onyx-Three, amusement still bubbling beneath the surface of his words. "They found their own names within minutes of hatching. Little Bezaliel couldn't pronounce his own name at first and was very frustrated by it, wouldn't even let Doru help when they tried shortening his name to Bez, either," His voice is full of fondness as he speaks of these memories.

To say he had never thought of hunting other greater gembounds would be a lie, his predatory instincts were strong enough that any prey-like behavior from most anything was a temptation. "Killing is so very final," Alek spoke upon reaching a calmer state. "I do not doubt that I can kill, if I need to. But I think I might be changed by it," He considered.

And then Onyx-Three called him good and brave and he stopped blinking for the briefest moment. When he resumed a split second later, his gaze was...

It was full of many things. Shock and wonder and hope. There was still some fear, there always would be until he confronted this, but it was soothed some.

He did not know if he was good and brave at all, let alone for what he had done. And yet, he wanted to believe Onyx-Three.

The offer to come with, as well. It was... Too good for Alek, it almost felt like. He almost declined, but a selfish greedy part of him wanted that comfort. In the end, he left the answer up to Onyx-Three. "I don't know if I need help. But regardless of if I need help, I would appreciate your company. If... If that's okay too."

@Erasmus

Erasmus was listening and not, from where they were perched, resting on a tree, a distance away that could not be seen, especially not through the mist. With their hearing, they picked up a lot, but most of it blended with the rest. Occasionally, though, a sound stood out from the rest. So while they did not hear any words when not looking, sometimes they heard noise.

Such was the case when Erasmus heard a noise in Alek's voice, a completely different sound than usual. Suddenly they became alert, jumping from one tree branch to the next, hopping down and then darting in the direction of Alek.

As they ran, they thought. It was not a worrying sound, they did not think. It was not fear or anger or anything negative, they were certain of it.

It was bright and lovely and musical and Erasmus wished to know what had caused it. And keep whatever the cause was. Because... That was laughter, wasn't it? A joyous sound. And Alek deserved all the joy, in their opinion.

@V-Onyx-Three

(Erasmus is on the way but has not yet arrived)

He was surprised to hear Alek laugh. Onyx-Three had not expected him to find his joke that funny, though now he was feeling pleased with himself. The corner of his lip twitched into a smile. He was not used to this, not at all, though he was realizing now that it felt very good to make others laugh like that. He didn't even know he could do that!

Onyx-Three knew that if he so choose, he could earn a name as a reward. But it was just now as he was thinking about it that he came upon the fact that he didn't even know what he would want. And there was nothing wrong about his current name anyways. If anything, it showed, in a way, his relation to the Sentinel, something he was very proud of. "They are good names." But he was thinking, now, if they would take up the offer to spar with him. Alek's fighting style was one he had learned much from, and it only made sense that the dragon would teach it to his offspring as well. "Did you train them?"

"Change is inevitable. It is only natural. If it happens." Well, if not natural, something that was bound to be. When you were raised to fight, the moral implications of killing isn't something you really think about that much. And so he certainly wasn't going to judge anyone for it. He knew if Alek ended up killing someone he wouldn't end up suddenly hating him for it. Unless it was someone from the Chaos Forge. Then there might be an issue.

A nod. "It is okay. I will accompany you." And Onyx-Three was also very curious about Alek's family. They must be very skilled fighters! He wasn't sure how much emotional support he would be able to provide, if any, but if Alek wanted him to be there, he would try to help.

His ears perked. Cetus was obscured by fog, and he was still on alert despite Alek's presence. There was the sound of creaking branches. "Someone is coming." In one fluid motion, he slipped his bow into hand, nocking in an arrow. "Careful." Four eyes scanned the trees. He was tensed, ready to react should a monster emerge from the fog.

@Alek

"I tried," Alek told Onyx-Three, tone hard to decipher at first. "Doru and Bezaliel... I love them, don't get me wrong. But they are very different than I was as a child. Doru is definitely inclined towards intellectual pursuit and spars of wits, but not so much in fighting with claws or teeth. Bezaliel... He showed a propensity for magic from an early age," He sounds fond of his children as he speaks of them both.

However, he hesitates for a moment. "...More than either of that, though... Family is important to us both, yes?" He asks, almost rhetorically, half to delay what he is about to say, half curious if he understands this part of Onyx-Three correctly.

"I do not think that family is important to either Doru or Bezaliel, at least not in the same way it is to me or you. Doru is good at empathy, unlike his brother, but... Neither are good at sympathy. And I don't think either of them find family as high on their priorities as other things, which is odd to me, but it is how they are. I love them both for who they are regardless. They are my and Erasmus's children, after all," He shook his head, clearing his mind.

"What I mean to say though, is that both of them are highly independent, even though they're only three cycles old. I taught them and protected them alongside Erasmus, but there was only so much they were willing to learn from us. They do things their own way," Alek explains.

A long answer for a simple question.

He nodded as Onyx-Three made his statement. Change was inevitable. Still, he worried, especially about Erasmus. The other was fragile and strong both. Still, he had to trust that they were brave enough to weather any storm.

It was a relief and a comfort, hearing that Onyx-Three was willing to accompany him.

Alek was on alert as soon as Onyx-Three gave warning, but he gave a reminder of his own. "It may be Erasmus. They can be subtle, and they like the trees and mist here. Their senses, such as hearing, are strong, so they may have come to investigate."

Still, Alek remains alert and wary, just in case it's not.

@Erasmus