They remained on their belly, staring up at Azrael. They looked at each other and huddled together, whispering softly to one another, glancing at them while they mumbled.

"We don't have a home," Hellfire said, "They were our home. We left."

Koi and Luci nodded, and then Luci spoke, "What's your name, mister? I'm Koi."

"I'm Lucifer- or Luci," Luci grumbled.

"I'm Hellfire!", the center head boasted, chest puffing out.

The hydra was pretty shocked by the show of protectiveness. They were a stranger, after all. So they did what any reasonable person would. Change the subject and think it over nev- later. Later! They'd think it over later.

They were conflicted, and it showed in their respective emotions. Luci was grumpy, distrustful, hiding behind the other heads. Koi wanted to trust, she wanted to be friends.. and Hellfire? He wasn't sure what to think, so he hid it behind a wall of airheadedness and hoped no one noticed.

"You're kinda like Luci," Hellfire pointed out, "Grumpy but nice under it all!"

Luci wasn't sure whether to be offended or not so he just stuck his tongue out at Hellfire and turned away, pouting.

@Azrael

His frown deepened. If his assumption was right, Vargas had probably taken this creature in from hatching. They knew no home but his. And to feel endangered in their own home was something that sat uncomfortably in his stomach. Home was supposed to be safe. His tail lashed behind him as his scowl (not directed at Bloodstone) darkened. "Find a new home then! Somewhere you feel safe. Not in...this hole." he gestured towards the little cavern that they had been squeezed into. "Too small. Find a home to be comfortable in."

At the request for his name, he held his head up taller. "I am AZRAEL. You have three names then? If I wanted all of you, do I call each or just one?" He didn't mention when he would need to "call" them but it was too confusing for him to look at this three headed creature and not attach a single title to them. Eyes flicked to each of the heads in turn - Koi, Luci, Hellfire. Nice names, but not a singular title he could attach.

He wasn't exactly offended by Hellfire's comment, but it had him grumbling darkly. "I'm not GRUMPY. I'm just TALKING." He didn't comment on the "nice" part, considering that he didn't know what to think about it. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be called nice...or if he'd rather everyone just fear him.

...He liked to think that Forgraves, at least, saw him as nice.

@Bloodstone

Luci glared a bit, ever the spitfire, "The hole was comfy! And safe. No one saw us until Hellfire left our stupid tail out. Idiot."

The center head made a noise of offense and Koi just sighed again. Idiots. They bickered for a few moments before she snapped at them both to get them to stop and shut up, since Azrael was talking again.

Hellfire blinked and worked his jaw, "Um... Bloodstone. We're... we're not supposed to have names."

"Yeah, because Vargas is a dick and doesn't respect Gembound decency," Luci snarked, and the other heads, for once, agreed.

"We want to be called something else, but we can't think of a name we all agree on," Koi said, her voice soft, "So we're Bloodstone until we can find something."

"Do you have any ideas?", she asked, perking up.

@Azrael

Azrael looked between the three heads, eyes narrowed with displeasure. They didn't seem to get along very well, despite the fact that they were attached to the same body, the same legs and wings. They all shared a heart and a gem...so why did they fight? "Why do you bicker so much?" he growled. "Aren't you one? Do you agree on anything?"

But then it seemed his question was answered a moment later when they all agreed on Luci's opinion of Vargas. An opinion which finally got a more positive reaction out of Azrael. A smile curled his lips and he snorted with amusement, which turned into a short chuckle. "That's stupid. Everyone should have a name. Bloodstone is not a name, its a rock!"

At their request, he tilted his head, one hand coming up to thoughtfully stroke at his goatee. "I am not...good at things like that but I will try. Hmmm..." Eyes narrowed as he looked at the hydra, thinking. He didn't know much about their personality, or personalities, plural, but he could judge a name off of looks. That wouldn't be too hard. "I think...a name that inspired respect. Or fear. Like Fury or Vengeance or Blaze. Hmm...perhaps Blackwing or Blackscale? I do not know what kind of name you want."

@Bloodstone

"We are and we aren't- we're three heads with three sets of thoughts and opinions, but yesterday we all agreed that our favorite color is light red!", Hellfire grinned, and Koi just smiled.

She'd totally tricked them into saying their favorite color was pink. Sly little thing.

"That's what I said!", Luci exclaimed, stamping one of their feet, "Well- we said! It's dehumanizing!"

Koi cocked her head as she watched Azrael stroke at his beard, her eyes widening as she watched.

"I want a beard...", she mumbled, reaching out with a foot to try and touch it before Hellfire yanked her hand away, earning himself a death glare. He shied away from it and hunched, mumbling an apology.

"Blackwing!"
"Blackwing?"
"Oh but I wanted Flower-"

Hellfire and Luci turned to give Koi puppy eyes, making her hesitate before she sighed and nodded, "Fine... Blackwing. It's super obvious but-"

Luci and Hellfire cheered, their arms flying up before they fell forward and caught themselves. She was so tired of these idiots.

"See? If we can agree on a name then I think we're doing pretty okay!", Hellfire said with a grin.

@Azrael

He raised a brow, gaze flicking between each of the heads. "If you carry one stone, then you are One. You may have three minds but you share one heart. One gemstone. This body," he pointed at them, not aiming towards a particular head, but more at their chest, "belongs to all three of you! You can never seperate! You should work on getting along!" With his short lecture over, he retracted his hand and snorted again, nodding firmly, as if he'd just settled an argument.

He nodded again at Luci. "It IS. You are not defined by your stone!" He imagined if someone tried to call him "Fire Opal" or even just "Opal". He'd probably punch them in the face if they did. His claws paused, then, when he noticed that one of the hydra's paws were beginning to stretch towards him. Eyes narrowed at it and he lowered his hand before realizing that...ah, it was simply curious. Childish. He snorted with amusement again. Perhaps some other time he'd allow it.

"Blackwing..." He nodded again. "A fine choice. Names do not have to be subtle - whatever rings true within your heart is the name you choose - and obviously this is the right one." He snorted towards Koi, but didn't comment, inwardly laughing at the silly name - they did not look like a Flower in the slightest. Blackwing was a solid, strong name and Azrael liked it much better then Bloodstone.

"There. That is good. Unshackle yourself from your old life. Your name was your chain and you've broken free. You can do whatever you want without the fear of Vargas." Inwardly, Azrael knew that wasn't quite true. If their fears about Vargas were justified, then they had every reason to fear retaliation from him...he sure hoped that they could defend themselves.

@Blackwing

"We can't!", Luci moaned, "And it's terrible because Hellfire snores!"

"No I don't!"

Koi looked like she was in pain just listening them bicker again. She smacked them with their tail and looked away innocently as they snapped their heads to glare at her, but at least they weren't fighting.

"We are one body," Koi said, "But imagine you had two heads stuck to the sides of you that love to contradict anything you say and you have my siblings."

Hellfire grabbed her ear and she snarled, fire pooling in her maw before she spat it at the two, sending them reeling back as she spat the rest onto the ground and coughed. Luci went to do the same back only for Hellfire to smack him, all three of them fighting and snapping at each other, a fight for dominance that none of them were able to win.

Azrael's words of them being free snapped them out of it. Hellfire had a hole of Luci's ear and Koi had his nostril in his mouth, and slowly, they broke apart, coughing the last of the fire from their mouths.

"How do we do that?", Luci asked, "That was all we ever knew! We hide out here because everything's strange and new and terrifying! We can hunt and forage, but that's... that's it."

@Azrael

Azrael rolled his eyes, although it was difficult to see with the glowing white pupils. "Have a better attitude. You can at least try to tolerate each other!" Why was that so hard to understand? Why were they so insistent to fight? Why could they not simply get along? He tried to imagine what it would be like if there were three of him attached to a body and he thought that he might be okay with it, or at least tolerate the others of him. They'd fight, probably, but it would be better then this.

His nostrils flared and he growled threateningly when they began to fight with each other. He didn't intervene immediately - perhaps this was a little battle that they needed to have, to get it out or assert dominance over each other but as magic began to drag in and it went on for longer then needed, he opened his mouth to let out a roar and break up their fighting. However, they stopped just before he had the chance.

He paused. That was a good question, then, if they were so distant from the rest of the world that all they knew how to do was feed themselves. He let out a thoughtful grunt. "Well you can learn. Things are scary but you can learn to be not afraid." Suddenly he was struck by the realization that...he knew where they were coming from. Freedom was wonderful but it was huge and terrifying, especially for someone who had not been free for their whole life. Just as he had been under Mother's command and had broken free to nothing but himself and the world before him. Even now, he had never truly integrated himself back in with the world.

"You can explore," he rumbled. "You can find others and speak to them. Listen to stories or tell your own. Make friends. Hunt, train. Learn magic. Find a hobby you enjoy. There is much to do and some days are boring. Some days are exciting, others are terrifying. You will find something to occupy your time. I prefer solitude, or the company of my family. I hunt and guard and train my body. I fight because I like to fight. My son likes to forage plants and use them to heal. My child likes to create lights and make things from the world around them. There is no one thing to do."

He stared intensely at Blackwing for a moment. Thoughts were grinding in his head. An idea he was resisting was welling up in the back of his mind.

@Blackwing

Blackwing stared at Azrael, all three heads looking and watching, brows furrowed in worry, anger, or confusion. Koi shuffled and looked down, yellow eyes averted.

"We've explored a bit," she said, "Before we came here. We went to... to the jungle cave. It was damp and so... uncomfortable. We didn't like it, but we met some people there. Three? I think three others. They were small and... nice."

But they'd left soon after, searching for this cave again, for a hole to hide in to maybe just sleep for a while until they didn't feel so scared anymore. All of this out here was scarier than Vargas, but it was better than that woman, and that's why they stayed. Out here was better than that.

"Magic?", Hellfire asked, "They only taught us a bit. We know how to fight!"

A soldier thrust out into the world, having grown up in a bootcamp being taught to use their body as a weapon rather than how the outside world functioned. It was sad.

Luci was, for once, quiet, and gently leaned against Hellfire, looking away as they contemplated something.

@Azrael

Azrael nodded with agreement. "I do not like that cave either. It is too cluttered and too bright. I like the bone room - small and dry - and this room. There are more, I have yet to see them, but there are many more caves that are open now. Perhaps you will find a place there that you like. There is no one way to live." He wasn't sure how else to explain it, being a bit reclusive himself, but the idea kept poking at his head. Relentlessly. Because - he couldn't help it - he pitied them. He saw himself in them to an extent. They were strong, but had been taken advantage of. They didn't know anything because of a prisoner's life led before. A life led for someone else suddenly struggling to figure out how to live for themselves.

"Magic," Azrael confirmed. "Magic is fun. You can do many things. I create darkness and fire. Others do many things." But his mind was somewhere else as he spoke, falling silent just for a moment as he considered how to ask this. Or even if he should.

"I can teach you." And it just came out - suddenly, unexpectadly, and he looked surprised to have asked it so bluntly. He stared at Blackwing for a moment before clearing his throat. "Teach you how it works out here. Help you get back on your feet. So you're not stumbling around on your own."

@Blackwing