Chaos-Two hunched over where they sat, trying their best to silently endure, occasionally sniffling or making a soft sound as they wiped their eyes. They were barely able to keep still, the pain like fire in their veins, but relief came when it finally started to weaken, albeit sluggishly, taking its sweet sweet time.

"H-how am I to handle Agte-One now, Master?", they said, trying not to snivel and embarrass themselves further, "I am not armored like you are. Even an accidental prick could cause this if I need to handle Agate for whatever reason, and I don't doubt her spite will die right away, and more bites are in the future, I am certain of it. I can find an outlet, of course, but finding the right time will take a day or so."

They themselves were stumped, though it could be due to the throbbing pain constantly shooting up their arm, shoulder, and seemingly into their head.

They did not want this to happen again. Even accidentally, as was proven by her own mistake of stepping on her tail. Unfortunately there was no damage, not enough to chrysalize, at least, so they'd have to hold on until it stopped.

"... If you owe me anything, then can I ask for a small favor?" they said, "Nothing big, Master Vargas. But later, could we talk? There is something I've been searching for when I've gone out, but I've yet to find it."

Vedette tried to scuttle away, head dragging on the floor as she was pinned yet again. She was becoming way too friendly with the ground for her liking. For anyone's liking.

She gurgled weakly at the statement of saying even one 'fuck', and she so desperately wanted to, but fortunately for her, couldn't. At the question of speaking she attempted to nod, but her head just awkwardly rolled on the ground. She slumped and gurgled again, frustrated.

Her tail lashed in frustration and she lifted her hands to at least try to lift her head up and down, but whether it succeeded was a mystery, for she looked like a broken doll with her eyes in two directions and drool still seeping out of her mouth. Needless to say she felt humiliated.

She tried to wiggle away from Sentinel, head lolling a bit, and she gurgled again when the quills were pulled out. She curled her legs in, her injured hind still as limp as it was before.

Finally, she just went limp, her tail still flicking, but she seemed to finally get the hint, and stopped squirming and struggling.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas hadn't considered the idea that V-Chaos-Two might genuinely be too weak to control the young ones. "I will think on your question. It may be that you will need a secondary guard. Some of our spawn will be powerful and hatch fully-grown. It may be that we will need to get you armor made." "Babysitting armor" was certainly only something that would ever come up with Chaos Forge, but Vargas didn't find it odd.

"In the meantime, I believe this little one is agreeing," he added, and released the Agate. He felt he'd been more than fair: he hadn't punished her yet, hadn't attacked or harmed her. He'd give her the chance to explain herself, and he had laid out options. Not very kind options, but, he thought, more than fair. One six-thumbed hand ran a light stroke down her back in the direction of her quills, as if reassuring, or perhaps smoothing them down, and he turned away.

Eyes scoured V-Chaos-Two. "And the effects of the poison-? Is it merely painful or is it damaging you, do you think?" Vargas paused, and then grimaced as he came to a necessary decision. "I will remain here to see," he told Two. "For now, do not fear another bite or sting; know that if she does this, she will be removed from your care and placed into mine. And I will be less kind," he added, pointedly, with a glance over his shoulder.

Onyx-Two was methodically working: silent, staring, picking quills one by one. Vargas observed him for a moment, wondering what to think. Was it dutiful, or stupid? Intent, or dull? -Both, somehow? Hm. It would bear watching, in the future; and hell, he was here for awhile, now, by necessity.

He eyed Chaos-Two again, and wondered briefly if it might be worth forcibly reforming it, should it start to succumb to the chrysalis. He was fairly sure that his new powers would allow as much. 'Would it want that' was not something that would've factored into his mind a millennia ago but then again, Vargas hadn't held those powers at the time. Now he did think it; wondered about it, and perhaps that was a sign of change. But right now, regardless, he hadn't the strength--not after creating a second copy of this 'Scout.' Perhaps it was something he could bring up, then, when he had the strength to do it. Perhaps Chaos-Two would want to be... mended. And armored, perhaps, he thought wryly.

While The Sentinel's movements were methodical, his gaze unwavering, focus unflinching, he was not personal about this touch. He moved, behaved, as though he were plucking weeds from a garden: neither gentle nor rough, using just as much force as was needed and not seeming to care that it must cause pain.

When at first Vadette squirmed, he lost grip, and had to struggle after her--half-chasing her little wriggles and twists. Only when she at last seemed to give in (or tire herself out) was he able to resume, and he did so with mechanical efficiency. Silent, he plucked them, one after another after another, without a glance toward Chaos-Two or Vargas.

He seemed to ignore all else, for now.

@V-Chaos-Two

Chaos-Two nodded and grumbled, not out of annoyance or anything of the sort, simply because their hand was starting to twitch and it was making it hurt all over again, "There is no visible damage. Just... an intense amount of pain, like a spike being driven under the skin, all the way from my hand to my shoulder. It's giving me a headache, though I'm not sure if it's an effect or because I'm tensed."

They breathed out and in, nodding at the statement that Vargas was to stay. They swallowed and lay down, pressing their head to the cool stone beneath them to at least soothe their headache.

"It's funny how they turned out," they mumbled, staring at the children, "One quiet as the grave, stoic, and obedient. The other loud, angry, as disobedient as Chaos-One. Like my siblings."

They could feel the pain dulling and sluggishly tried to clean it, trying to use the spell they'd learned so long ago. They felt the magic take and sighed, relieved that at least it wasn't going to get worse.

Vedette squirmed at the touch but didn't outright reject it. Either she was learning or was too tired to fight back. Probably the latter. She gurgled weakly at each removed quill and finally pulled her head back once the last one was out. She wiggled her foot over instead and flopped her head down, movement just starting to come back.

She turned away from Vargas and Chaos-Two, tired of listening to them talking about her. She was tired of the threats (not even thinly veiled) and tired of the comments. She was just... tired.

She curled up as best she could and dozed, wings still tightly tucked in, just in case. She balled up with only her leg sticking out so Sentinel could get at it, probably doing so as a defense mechanism.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas spared a glance toward the children as Chaos-Two spoke. He offered a grunt of assent, and then paced over, settling in to sit a few yards off. "Well, I will remain, for now, until this one," (a gesture here toward V-Agate-One) "can give me an answer to my question." There was no judgment about Chaos-Two's potential failure to control two things that barely came up to his knees, if that--Vargas had indeed made a mistake in neglecting to warn him of the toxins. "You can speak to me now, or later. If that is what you want," he answered, after a moment of pushing rocks aside to make himself comfortable. Six toxic eyes glanced to Chaos-Two. "But speaking alone is no favor. That requires no special permission, Chaos-Two. You may approach me to speak at any time and I will warn you if it becomes... problematic." Asinine, pointless, irritating, interrupting. Whatever. "Until that point, find me and speak to me when needed. It is required, if we are to all work as a fluid team."

He was blunt with this; perhaps surprisingly cooperative, but then, he always had been. It wasn't his fault that sometimes he had to threaten to snap a new spawn's leg off. Whose was it-? Well, he wasn't sure, but hopefully he wouldn't have to follow up on it.

And if he did, well.

It'd heal.

Once the last of the quills were removed, the Sentinel--with sudden, sharp attention--turned to stare at V-Chaos-Two.

With toddling steps he stumbled to him--dropping to all fours once or twice, testing out this movement, choosing to return to two. When he came up in front of him (ignoring Vargas utterly, to the Master's bemusement), he pushed up to stare at him some more.

A moment's pause, and he began to form clumsy words with the intense concentration of a toddler. "You said. Don't ask questions... without being... told. But. To ask questions." A pause, as even now, the Sentinel tried to work out this apparent paradox--and it seemed, at least, that he had heard Chaos-Two's instruction. There was a moment's silence before he took a rasping breath, and continued with a question. ...Sort of. "They turn two ways." This might've been his way of saying "they are contradictory," but with the available vocabulary of an almost-baby.

His head turned ever-so-slightly, as if to stare off over Chaos-Two's shoulder: but it was the eyes at the side of his head he was using, now, staring off at Vargas and Vadette, too. He was taking in the whole scene, just in case--perhaps just in case she tried to run, again.

@V-Chaos-Two

Chaos-Two nodded slowly but didn't speak, their shelled ears perking up and forward to listen to the soft steps of the Sentinel. Their ears immediately fell back down and they sighed.

They didn't know how word this as elegantly as Master Vargas did, but they would try, "... It just... depends. Often questions asked in quick succession, more than five, grow... annoying."

At least in their experience. Sometimes they were answered, sometimes they were told to be quiet, more often than not they received an annoyed sigh, a frown. As if their asking for knowledge wasn't appreciated. Sometimes it was encouraged. Sometimes.

Though they were a failure and Sentinel wasn't, so perhaps Vargas would be more eager to answer questions if it came from a creation not deformed. A creation, for all intents and purposes, was perfect. Was Chaos-Two jealous, though? Absolutely. But they would not let such a thing overcome them.

"Perhaps I shouldn't teach you using my own experience," they mumbled, "Allow me to revoke my previous teaching. Ask questions. But if you notice you are growing too ambitious, too... annoying, for lack of a better word, then you'd do best to stop before annoyance turns to something worse."

Chaos-Two went quiet for a moment, and sighed again, "There is a word I've been searching for. A gap in my vocabulary. It's... a feeling. I spoke with my sibling Khavur in Pegasus before we came, and I feel like our bond was strengthened. There is affection between us, I think, between I and a number of Gembound. Past like and past affection too."

But would Vargas know a word?

Vedette worked her jaw as movement slowly came back, little trickles of blood oozing down her face. She wiped at them and grumbled, sniffling and working her jaws, smacking her head to try and get her eyes to stop twitching. Once she could see straight, she growled, hummed, and finally turned to Vargas, ears pinned.

"I speak now!", she hissed at Vargas, reluctantly toddling over and laying down with her quills raised, her tail pushing in front of her to shield her face, "No grab. No hurt. You hurt I no speak."

She probably wasn't in any position to negotiate, but she also wasn't about to get grabbed and have her wings wrenched again. Currently they were folded up tightly with quills poking up between feathers, not easily accessible.

"No hurt," she said again, trying to drive her point home, before speaking, "I not know quills... do that. Not fault!"

Vedette gnashed her teeth and grumbled, shuffling anxiously, ears pinned and against her head, her face low so she could duck it in and become essentially a ball of toxic quills. She'd definitely learned from the last time.

@Vargas