MOTHER

Mother was watching, of course, and taking note. Rift's magic bypassed her sentinels, but the cat himself did not, and the Hive had a few moments' warning that he was coming. But... it was a questionable warning, as she was uncertain what role the feline played.

All depended upon that. So she curled her words into the minds of those present, quiet and solemn.

"Find out if he is a threat. If he is not, then convince him to leave or keep him talking without threatening him in turn. If he is a threat, return him to his chrysalis--do not let him escape--and web it. He will be family," she decided.

But Mother was aware of diplomacy and its necessity when convincing the creatures of the caves. She offered topics to her Hive, topics to argue with Rift, though she warned them not to become distracted from their task: to work quickly, and work hard, so they could leave if need be with a job still done.

"If you must distract him in turn: speak of philosphy, of Chaos, of good and of evil, of the nature of life and of the caves. Speak at length. Appear open-minded. Explain you will consider his words for the future. But do not let him interfere."

Bone's brief glance took in Rift, and she knew that here would be a problem--at least for her. Her magic was fire, but the cat would no doubt take unkindly to that, and if Mother didn't want him immediately killed... so be it. She switched tactics, and offered him a 'win':

"I suppose you prefer I not burn a place for the new growth? So be it. I will not," she agreed amiably. Then she sent a darkly amused thought Ace's way, in the wake of Mother's words.

If we have to distract or fight him, you could always offer him a one-on-one fight to keep him occupied. Time it to end when our work does, and you needn't even win. Allow him to 'chase us off.' Or beat him, and we do as Mother suggests, she thought. Of course, the whole Hive would hear it. Would hear Bone's humor--and feel her laughing (silently, and good-naturedly) about Ace's predilection for fighting. It might be a good outlet for you. You can't be enjoying gardening, she joked.

For the others--she kept watch as she flew, dipping past Ananke before attempting to scatter clawfuls of fungus a little farther on. But her main focus was eyeing the darkness of the trees, her eyes open for any danger--not that Mother wouldn't see it coming first.

@Talus

He heard a voice from another hive member through his mental link. I can heal those who get injured. It said and that just pissed him off more. He stood up from his face plant and grumbled softly to himself. He didn't need healing, he wasn't hurt. Okay maybe his nose hurt a little.... He turned his attention towards the snide comment Ace made and he huffed softly, flaring out his wings in an extravagant display of his beautiful form, along with a very toothy grin. Of course they're useful I just .... someone tripped me. It always had to be someone else's fault obviously.

He had heard his parent's voice and seemed to relax, lifting his head as he nodded at them in greeting, seeming to relax a bit more now that they were here. Juggernaut wasn't on the pedestal that Talus held Mother on obviously, but he was damn near close in the griffin drone's eyes. Talus wanted to be like his creator when he grew up.

Before he could continue trying to help out the hive, a new face, not one of the family, walked up. He growled softly as he stepped forward, his feathers settling for a moment before he would push a wave of calm through the air. Mother was right, as always, she knew what they needed to do, and he would do it. He would do what he could to keep the creature distracted, to add him to the family, in any way he had to. He placed on a fakely warm smile, his tone gentle as he tried to convince the creature they weren't doing anything wrong. Hey, don't worry about it. We're not hurting it, we're taking good care of it, I promise. What's your name? Yes, keep him talking, that's what he would do.

Siren listened to Mother closely, curious about the stranger approaching them. It would allow the others to try and talk to this one - Siren's not one for words. Instead, it sends a wave of encouragement to the other members of the group.

Siren's goal is to stay back in the shadows, to heal the others if a fight breaks out. Siren may be built for combat underwater, but on land is another can of worms entirely. Siren's movement will be slower, attacks less impactful up here. It makes quiet clicks to take note of its surroundings, it doesn't seem too dangerous. Not with this many members of their Hive.

Besides, Siren has a backup spell just in case that its never used before. It wonders how it works. Instead of picking a fight, Siren quietly attempts to plant more fungus down.

Rift frowned at the one that approached, already discomforted by the number of eyes that it looked at him through. Its words were attempted reassurance, but they were plastic, fake, distraction. Not that he intended to get in their way - he was not that stupid. It was him against...all of them. And he was not one for violence.

"No, you're not," he stated, bluntly, glancing at the fungus. "I've been living here for long enough to know...growing all this only hurts what's already here. This is a delicate cave and you're disrupting the balance." He looked to the Drones beneath him, wondering if it would be smart to...go down there and speak to them face to face. No...no, he didn't want to invite misfortune. This was a fool's errand but...he needed to try.

"Listen, I don't care for Chaos. You're fighting them, right? I don't want them here either. But they aren't here. They barely touch this cave. You're not hurting them by stationing here - you're only alienating and displacing the gembound that call this forest their home." He shuffled his feet against the branch he rested on, ready to flee at a moment's notice. "I'm not asking for much. Just...mercy on these woods."

@Talus and anyone else that was watching/talking to him

He watched them for a moment, listening to what they had to say. He really had no want to be the one to keep them occupied, but that's what Mother wanted, so he would do it.

He thought about flying up there for a moment, but quietly pushed that thought away for now. His size and who he was in general would likely cause them to flee, and he didn't want that. Mother wanted them, so he would figure out a way to get them for her.

Why do you care about this cave specifically so much? Why not just move to another cave? He asked, his question meant to sound curious and gentle rather than pointed and forced. He was actually rather curious, though he had never been the best at talking to others really.

If you don't care for the Chaos, why not help us get rid of them? If you work with us, maybe we can do things differently and try to help keep the balance in this cave of yours? He was lying through his beak. He didn't care about this cave or its balance. He only cared about spreading their fungus, making Mother proud, and getting rid of those that stood in their way.

@Rift

Juggernaut eyed the witness cautiously, though technically, he seemed to eye everything an equal amount. He had plenty to spare.

It watched Talus address the outsider, taking on a cherubic tone of voice that clashed awfully with what Juggernaut knew to be its usual demeanour. His ill temper bubbled unpleasantly below the surface, but seemed to calm some as the child found his footing within the interaction. This is good. You are doing well.

Talus was already outperforming most of Juggernaut's attempts at diplomacy, at least.

He jabbed another tendril into the earth as the two spoke, and he thought of contributing to this conversation. Yes, his son had done well in following Mother's orders, but Talus had not been alive for long. While information was shared among all of them, the past was fresh in the minds of those who were there to see it. "Touch? Chaos burned this forest, to ashes. Just to raze us from it. To hurt us. We cannot allow them... To claim it. From you. From the hive."

@Talus @Rift