DESERT ROSE THIRTY-FIVE
how quickly the hawk becomes a dove
when faced with the barrel of a gun

To say Desert was unlucky could be an understatement. The caves were woefully uninhabited; nearly every place he had stepped felt like ghosts were tracing along beside him, setting his scales flaring at the very thought. Everyone was gone. The structures in Orion, the overgrown and infested areas besides, all were abandoned to nature, as it seemed. Not that he had much experience, but, he did expect some more beings to even be available to talk to.

So, the search for Gembounds to recruit were going a bit dull. He even had to traverse in Pisces again of all places- he didn't even try the ice-covered tunnel he'd discovered somewhere along the way. He might be eager, but he wasn't desperate.

Well. It wasn't entirely his fault he couldn't find others. Perhaps they knew of him and the past champions; perhaps they just didn't want to talk. Their loss, then. He had better things to do.

It didn't take long for Desert to drift his way back into Canis. Even with all the death around, at least he could attune his discomfort to the bones strewn about the entire place. Eons of dirt covered them. He couldn't resist a lip raising to them- perhaps the previous inhabitants laid here alongside their less fortunate. The dead was no use to him anyways anymore; right now, his priority was locating his overseer- and, perhaps, his ally in all this.

Inhaling deep, Desert called forth his reserves of air stored in his long lungs, billowing them out to roar out a simple request. "Overseer Vargas! Garnet- uh- Five-Seven-Nine! Meet me here if you're able! It's about future trials." As soon as he started, a wince shot through one eye, his volume unwittingly boosted by an unconscious flow of magicka from his gem to his voice. No matter; his message relayed, Desert remained in the air for a few seconds longer, eyes watching below as lessers streamed out from the abusive sound. A soft exhale in the form of a chuckle (barely amplified by the magic) blew threw him. All that was left in these caves seemed to be these little things.

Desert had mind to stretch his limbs in the air before circling down like a vulture looking for its next meal, quick to land down on a mountain of dirt and bone. All he had to do now was wait and watch; if the two of them were nearby, they should come around when they're able.

@Vargas @Garnet Five-Seven-Nine

The call was loud, and Vargas shook himself with mild irritation. It was piercing. It rang over the rock and rattled the bones.

The Overseer set himself into motion, his movements frighteningly swift despite his size: a jerky leap onto a bone fortress that sent a few chips scattering, then a bound that took him sixty feet farther along the circuit. This he followed at a fast lope, quills rattling softly as he shook himself again, until at last he came to the place from which the voice had emanated.

He found Desert Rose--he knew the one; and strangely, Labradorite was nowhere to be seen. Odd. I'd always thought they worked together, though for whatever reason, they seemed to try their best to hide it. Dead, then-? Asleep? Hm.

He voiced nothing of this, simply studying Thirty-Five for a brief moment of half-indifferent, professional curiosity. "Yes?" he asked, at length, coming to a full halt quite close by.

And then, as an afterthought--"I do not know if Garnet is still living, or awake. I named him my Eye and he vanished a few weeks later. I have't heard from him since." It was bluntly-stated, perhaps with a bit of annoyance; the beast had shown much promise before simply dropping, it seemed, from existence.

Irritating.

Only a few days prior, Garnet had reemerged seemingly new - not a single burn or remnant of such marred its features. Thankfully, there had been no seizure upon unnatural awakening, only a sense of fresh looseness that came with magical chrysalis-fluid. Ruby-red eyes glancing to and fro, it had peered across the thoroughfare of Tunnel P. Little was changed. I wasn't asleep for long, thank the Masters. It had yet to discover exactly how long one's chrysalis-process lasted, seeing as it had never voluntarily retreated.

However long it had been away, though, was too long - it needed to double-time on its duties, to at least return with something of substance. So, off and away the little beast went. The Overseer's Eye managed to catch sight of its target, busying itself with keeping proper track of her and her day-to-day activities. Over the days, Garnet trailed the diamond throughout her wanderings - through Pisces, the Core, Orion, interacting with miscellaneous Gembound and frequently with a strange bird-like creature. Some sort of Quartz.

Provided Asimona didn't suddenly relocate in the next few days, the Eye at least had something to return with.

Oh, and there was the whole thing with gathering the champions - the thought of it left a bitter taste in the back of Garnet's throat. Who knew that traitors had slept among them. Hopefully the foolish cockatrice would keep their nightmare-beak to themselves and stay in line; lest they end up with all of the other bones in Canis.

Coasting on the thin breeze of Tunnel K and coated in condensation from the billowing fog, Garnet Five-Seven-Nine flicked its ears forth at a familiar call. For both Overseer and Eye - killing two birds with one stone, it seemed. Putting on a burst of speed on broad wings, the odd creature came upon Desert and Vargas already gathered together. It kept a respectable distance as the violet behemoth's mouth moved, staying out of whatever words were spoken - and thus not hearing Vargas's vaguely-annoyed statement and notice of its absence.

Similarly to the fox-dragon, it alighted atop a pile of bones. Saving the Overseer some future neck issues. Chirping softly, it bowed its head, "Overseer Vargas, sir - Desert Rose Thirty-Six (it nodded briefly in acknowledgement) - Overseer, my apologies for not reporting to you sooner. I've information on the dragon." Bright eyes glancing sidelong to Desert, the garnet added, "if you'd like to hear it now."

@Desert Rose Thirty-Five

It didn't take long for Vargas to find him. Of course, he did expect a bit of an expedient response, with his overseer needing to be in fifty places at once to oversee, but. Well. There was also the fact that he could move when he needed to.

It wasn't hard to track the series of loping thumps. No creature in the caves could sound like that, unless they possessed the acidic green spines raising into Desert's view. He shifted on his feet- gotta look presentable- as Vargas approached. Was he looking for something? It didn't pass through his mind that his own brother was missing; he hadn't seen the other in a while, in fact, but that certainly wasn't the idea being presented here, was it?

Desert Rose was quick to dip his head in a bow as his overseer came to him face to face. "My overseer," he began before meeting eyes with Vargas's, sitting up taller. "I last saw them in Hydra's tunnel." He was quick to speak, quick to roll his wing's wrist towards the direction he thought the tunnel should be. "It'd be best to wait for them, if that's alrigh-ah." His words were cut short at Garnet's appearance. Familiarity flowed over him; with an ally by his side, with a clear purpose about to be presented to a creature standing above him. None of this wandering the others seemed to have.

At the greeting, Desert nodded his head in return (though bit his tongue at the incorrect designation), turning his attention between them. A quick head tilt; ah, so the garnet had already been given a duty. A second nod was offered at the partially prey creature beside him to go ahead with the report before anything else.

@Vargas

Vargas turned to regard Garnet with the faintest disdain--not that it was visible on his alien mask of a face. But its disappearance had certainly displeased him.

Its words, however, were the right ones, and he merely offered a sour grunt in response before speaking. "The dragon? Yes, fine, go ahead." He rolled one shoulder, sounding half-indifferent, though he remained attentive enough to Garnet. He did want to know where Asimona was, what she was up to. One of the two dissidents had already been dealt with; the second's punishment, or at least confrontation, was long overdue.

As he waited, however, his gaze slipped briefly to Desert Rose. This one had never been one to take initiative, at least in anything outside the Trials. What reason could it possible have to summon him, of all beings, now..? But he'd have to stifle his curiosity; one thing at a time, and the dragon's whereabouts were certainly important.

@Garnet Five-Seven-Nine

Garnet, unfortunately, didn't immediately catch the fact that it had incorrectly named Desert - it was preoccupied with making up for its error of 'disappearance.' Overseers did not deserve shoddy, late reports, and Vargas ensured that he thought as much.

So, straightening upon its perch, the Eye rattled off its various observations: "it seems that it possesses a white diamond and magic of both the arcane and water. I've trailed it through Pisces, Orion, and Polaris - it seems to frequent these caves to speak with various other Youngers, but never to discuss plans of rebellion or action. The only one it's spoken to on multiple occasions, however, seems to be a large winged and feathered creature with a singular horn of rose quartz. There may be some sort of close relationship there - that may be exploited. I believe it and the other resides in Pisces."

Ah, this was comfortable. Familiar. The garnet disliked Asimona.

Ruby-red eyes stayed upon the Overseer for a moment, before drifting down and towards Desert - belatedly realizing it had accidentally ticked up another number on the fox-dragon's designation. Heat of the moment thing.

@Desert Rose Thirty-Five

Desert was one to wince internally at Vargas's voice. Even the hint of displeasure was liable to set him on edge, even if it was for one short, snippy sentence of approval. The garnet was- thankfully, he might add- quick to speak, pulling Desert's eyes towards his beaked ally in arms.

Pisces, Orion- seemed they liked darker places. Was this the same dragon in the trials? Garnet spoke of rebellion; must be. They had a hard time in the swamps, did they not? Still... Pisces. Ugh. An involuntary shiver ran through his scales at the last mention of it. He still wasn't over stepping in there the first time.

He wasn't going to be one to interrupt, however. After a nod to the garnet at the eye contact, Desert returned his attention to Vargas, waiting his turn to speak.

@Vargas

Vargas again grunted as the report came to a close, thinking this over briefly.

"Pisces. Good, very good, well done." His tone was half-absent. "No stirring things up, hm? Perhaps a simple talk will do, then." A talk at the hands of an ambush-? He'd have to think about it. If it wasn't actively promoting rebellion, though, there was little he'd have to do. "Perhaps informing her of the Imp's fate will be enough." It was said darkly. The memory of removing the hybrid's eyes was still strong in the Overseer's mind.

With the memory of horrible fates, he looked to Desert Rose, and back to Garnet. "I do not think either of you ever met Thirty-Six. Red feathers, hooves, pincers--very naive. Poisoned, I think, on his first trial out. Hrmph. Spent half an hour writhing on the sand before I could catch up to him and put an end to it." Vargas shook his head at the memory. It hadn't been a good death.

"Now: why have you summoned me?" he went on, looking to Desert Rose. His tone and bearing suggested that summoning an Overseer was not Desert Rose's place. That Desert Rose ought to have a very good reason for doing so.

Or maybe he was thinking about ice cream. His face was not exactly an expressive one.

@Garnet Five-Seven-Nine

Perhaps rebellion hadn't been on the dragon's mind since their initial awakening - in her defense, there had been little activity from itself and others (to it's knowledge.) The garnet ground its beak at the mention of Imp, but knew better than to ask for clarification. It immediately thought the worst of the statement, of course.

Garnet ground its beak harder at the mention of Thirty-Six, proper. Half an hour paralyzed must have felt like an eternity. It knew mere minutes did, and it hadn't even been immobilized and writhing.

Ears pricking up and glancing back at Desert, it bowed its head towards Vargas; "if it is for the reason I believe it is, Overseer Vargas, it may prove helpful in 'making an impression.'"

@Desert Rose Thirty-Five

Hm. Seems the garnet's job description didn't entail too much. It fit, Desert would think- Garnet was certainly small, and they could definitely get around, last he saw. He paid no mind to the mention of an Imp- another one of the Youngers who ran the trial? Maybe; Desert always had a hard time placing designations to faces, much less unique names. At least the garnet had their's right in view on their back.

As for Thirty-Six- well, he hoped the fate didn't run in his gem type. So far, it hadn't, but the idea of wasting away set an unpleasant taste rising in the back of the dragon's throat. First, trial too... Yeesh. He could just barely avoid making quite the displeased face at this new information.

But, who had time to care for the dead? Called to attention, Desert stood and straightened his horse-like neck, glancing ever so briefly to Garnet's addition before clearing his dried throat and opening to speak. Here we go.

First off, formalities- "As I called, it's about future trials. From what I know, things are... Less than ideal," he spoke before pausing, giving his mind the briefest moment to clarify itself and rehearse everything in faint seconds flying by. "Both the garnet and I had mind to begin gathering the rest of the champions to assist in re-instilling things as they should be." Though, there didn't seem to be a lot of others to re-instill their system with as compared to before, anyways. The thought set Desert's teeth to clench before he continued. "We-" He glanced towards Garnet. "I'm worried about uncertainty from the Youngers, as you put it. If we allow them to continue and fester like this, it could mean negative effects for all of us. Rejection of the way things should be already seems to have been running through them." Swallowing, Desert returned full attention to his overseer. "Without these Youngers in line, I'm concerned about dissension. I haven't been able to find any other champions, yet, but there are some Youngers who are willing to return to the status quo that I've been able to speak with." Well- one was some, but he didn't have time to worry on phrasing.

He was pushing it; he had to get to his point. "I want to propose that we gather those willing to help bring back the trials into one location- Hydra's tunnel?- and leave the dissenters to the Masters' whims. I don't mean to step out of line with this; if I have, I do apologize, but I don't see much other course of action other than... Wasting away in a hole and letting ourselves rot away like the rest of them." Desert shook his head, pulling his claws closer together. "This way, we could get some semblance of normality in here." He didn't know how the others hadn't already instilled something. How could these beings live like this, with no purpose, no usefulness to their kin? It drove Desert sick to his stomach, and hopefully this would be the pill the caves could be forced to swallow, if Vargas agreed with him.

@Vargas