This thread is concurrent with When You've Got A Job To Do, You've Got To Do It Well...

Another day of putting its nose to the grindstone: patrolling up and down Tunnel P and sitting guard just beyond the crumbled door with one or two of the smaller Sentinels; training Bloodstone; checking in on the chrysalises that lay here; some hunting trips here and there and fetching water. If the Doctor or Master requested it, it fetched it. No questions asked, as usual.

That hadn't changed when the status quo shifted, and neither had the Leviathan's methods of testing. They were rigorous as ever, and the human was suffering for it (and just about everything else in the caves.) He'd been ordered to dispose of the creature once he was done - it'd heard that much from her visit - and time seemed to be running out for her.

It was only somewhat unaware of the nature and finality of Beatris's walk today. Vargas never did anything to indicate that something was well and truly different - just the usual search for a way to put her back on the surface. There was no proof to back up its theory but the obvious: the blueprint's lack of return. Perhaps it was for the better that Alpha wasn't fully convinced by itself.

Otherwise, it might not have taken the initiative of rifling through Eridanus and situating some watermelon- and muskmelon-like fruit in its mouth for the long haul. It'd been ordered to keep a close eye on the Gembound subject, and an easy way to keep anything - anyone? - content was with food. Alpha didn't remember if either of these had irritated Two in any way, but it was the apparent thought that counted.

It wasn't unusual, at least, that the Overseer plodded back into the little alcove with food in tow. Grunting around the fruit, it dismissed the Sentinels it'd stationed nearby. Alpha set the watermelon down first with a rustling of quills. The muskmelon tumbled out with a hollow thunk! A quick "food" call later, and the orthoclase was prepared to just plop down and leave Two to it; except, of course, for the caveat it constantly forgot. Its mane rattled against itself as it laid down on its stomach and propped itself up by the elbows. Claws worked easily at the rind of the watermelon, prying and prying until - ha!

Clutching the chunk of soft, juicy fruit in a massive hand, Alpha waited until - if even - the small hybrid came over before attempting to deposit it into her hands. Rather... erm... blunt, as far as the handling. It very helpfully explained, at the very least: "it's watermelon." Anything that breathes and has a mouth loves watermelon.

Like it and leave me be, it hoped.

@Two

Vargas had taken Beatris out again, and Two always found herself feeling more alone than she knew she could when the adult went on her outings. Why couldn't she go, too? And should Beatris really be going out?? Two had noticed her scent had soured rapidly over the last week or so, and despite her attempts at comfort, Beatris didn't seem to be getting better. Even Doctor could not seem to help her. Two would whine and lay with her to keep her warm, but sometimes the adult's sleep was just empty; as if her body were shutting down, and it only breathed because that's all it knew what to do.

So today when she was taken, Two listened carefully to the drags of her feet and the wistful lightness of her breath. She had followed only a few steps, her ears cupped as she listened further until they left the range of her senses. Two waited, still, in case there were any alarming sounds; and she stared empty with a forlorn longing in the direction they had gone. Finally, she crawled back into the alcove and curled against the wall. Sleep did not find her easily when Beatris was gone as she lay there awake with worry. Sometimes she ate, but other times she refused and would wait for Beatris to return first.

However, today when the large creature came in, he had something new. She smelled it immediately. It did not stink like the other foods. It had a cool smell, and sweet undertones, as if something nice were waiting within. She shuffled and sat up as it landed with a hollow thunk, and the label: food. Two crawled forward carefully to investigate, but the creature was moving again. She could not begin to imagine what it looked like because it sounded like the wind rushing through pines, and the dark secrets that growled in the night. Patiently she waited until there was a smacking pop, and the intense smell of sweet fruit whisked into the air.

Her eyes grew, and her tiny hands drew up to chest as she waited excitedly for the creature to tell her it was ready. It called the smell watermelon. She cautiously toed closer, her tiny hands reaching blindly until they found the large claws that held out the juicy flesh to her. One hand gripped the creature's claw and the other tentatively took the watermelon piece, holding it close to her nose so she could smell it completely: crisp, refreshing, and overall, sweet.

With one hand still clutched on his claw as if for support, she tasted the watermelon with hesitation—until its sweet notes filled her with a delight she had never known. "That's good!" she exclaimed, surprised how the fruit melted in her mouth. It was soft and crunchy at the same time. It was weird! She quickly devoured the rest of it, uncaring how sticky her mouth or hand might be, and drew closer to Alpha as she sniffed for more.

But she was not totally impolite, she was taught manners! Her eyes lifted to where his face might be—she guessed, and was likely off—with a huge grin spreading across her face.

"Thanks!"

@orthoclase-alpha

Two came away from the wall sniffing, and Alpha couldn't help but stare dumbly. The other one didn't do any of that animalistic sniffing around or... much of anything these days. It made sense that she would do it, compensating for her sight and lack thereof - but... huff. The orthoclase just thought it was odd, the way she felt around and ambled closer; it'd never seen anything like her, so... dependent on scent.

Alpha relied primarily on its own sight, and scent second. Having any of its eyes obscured was like missing a limb. That worm in its eye had been enough to set it off on its own downward spiral worrying about its worth.

Now, (supposedly) secure in its worth, it was giving watermelon to the dog-hybrid. Alpha tried to maneuver the chunk closer to her flailing hands, and only one caught the actual fruit. As subject Two took the berry out of its offered hand, the orthoclase went stock-still. It couldn't help the knee-jerk reaction to shift its head down as if to bite. Teeth gnashed together to tuck away that reflex. That reflex, spawned from having not had any real contact since...

Toxic eyes stared at the tiny hand clutching the blunt edge of its claw, and the comparatively minuscule weight leaning on it. Two sniffed at the watermelon, went for the taste and proclaimed her thoughts on it: good. Alpha was briefly distracted by that, but glanced back at its own claws again. Still holding on. It could not attack this creature like others in the Caves. There was nothing dangerous about it. Nothing but its connection to Her - and Vargas.

She came closer, looking for more, and the orthoclase tugged its hand away (or at least down, if Two held on) to hold the muskmelon-esque fruit in place, now. The rind on it was tougher, but no match for its knife-teeth - "thanks!" What -

Alpha stopped, swallowed, and looked away from Two entirely - like that'd make her presence clinging to its claw disappear. She was feather-light, but not weightless. Better to not acknowledge that with anything more than a grunt. It carved a chunk of muskmelon off, and pressed it into the dog-hybrid's empty hand: "muskmelon."

Hardly any preamble.

Thank you, Alpha, for continuing to carry conversation.

@Two

She held onto the claw until it was tugged away, and she made a soft, scared whine: it gave her presence and let her know where she was, grounded her to the interaction with this creature otherwise lost in the sounds of the cave. The emptiness made her pause, hold, stay still where she was until she heard it working on the fruit. Oh, it was still here. Okay.

Her feet did tiny tippy-taps as she could hear the creature preparing another piece for her. From the void around her came the gentle plop of another piece, and she grasped it carefully with both hands before reaching out gently again, looking for the other; when she found its claw again, she wrapped her tiny fingers around and sniffed at the fruit.

Now the creature called it muskmelon. Hmm, so was it watermelon or muskmelon? She shrugged, as it ultimately didn't matter to her, but she listened still before she took another bite. Was the creature eating any?

Her head tilted as she looked upward, toward where maybe its face could be: she tried to focus on if she could hear it breathing, exhaling, the sounds almost lost in the rustling of its quills. Then she reached with the hand holding the melon piece, holding it as high as she could while she used her grip on its claw for balance.

"You have some too," she said, no, demanded. It was good, right? They could share it!

@orthoclase-alpha

Whine. Toxic eyes stared down at the unseeing child, watched as she sniffed around and found nothing, and sat in place until she could aim somewhat in the direction of the fruit it was breaking. Making up for the... blindness, perhaps? Her feet patted against the ground, and the sound stopped once Alpha offered her the next chunk of melon. Both hands held it, then one reached out for the monster's claw again. It didn't flinch as much this time. Just a momentary stiffening, and then looking away from the feather-light grip.

It doesn't hurt, it told itself, even though there was a growing knot in its gut and bile rising in its throat.

Two's itty-bitty voice called up, and Alpha looked back down. Sunflower-bright eyes stared blindly. The melon piece was held high in the air, sweet-smelling and certainly appealing. It couldn't help but see Vivilene in this entire interaction. Nothing bad had spawned from that.

The kaiju shifted, if only to put its arm down on the ground and somewhat gently guide the dog-hybrid to a sitting position in front of and close to it. More comfortable, that's all. It eyed the offering, but shook its head. Right. Blind. "Keep that," it grunted, shoving the watermelon into the crook of its arm. Peeling off a very Alpha-sized chunk of it and taking an equally Alpha-sized bite out, it rumbled, "I have my own piece." The orthoclase glanced at Two, and observed, "it's almost as big as you."

Which was to say, not very.

Comparatively? Enormous.

@Two