- THE LEVIATHAN -

He went slowly--enough that he felt he was not, at least, rushing the Zoisite. It was an easygoing, lanky gait. And from his immense tower of height, he scanned the terrain for any signs of danger.

There were none; there was only the wind through the trees, the rustle of the grass, the calls of the distant birds. "You have not yet met Equinox, correct?" he asked, as they walked. "I believe you will... get along, if my estimations of him are accurate." He didn't say more than that--didn't explain that Equinox seemed peaceful, reserved. That Zoisite's quiet, well-spoken nature might get along well with him. But somehow, he hoped that they would; something about the small group out here, enjoying something more akin to peace, was a... a decent thought.

He glanced down at it, at the Orthoclase-spawn, at the immense bug scuttling slowly along beside him. "If there are problems, return and inform me. Do not put yourself at unnecessary risk." He'd already decided that if, for some reason, Zoisite wanted to join the Deathmatch, Vargas would quietly insist that they were too important right now to risk.

He couldn't say that for any other member of the Forge, which reflected on him more poorly than kindly.

"Here," he said, and pushed up the slope. Chaos-Two had found a good spot: a secluded glade, surrounded by thick trees but a large enough space to grow a true farm--to grow enough food for half a dozen Valkhounds. The light-orbs shone brightly here, on the space below. "This place should be defensible; it was chosen for good lighting, drainage, rain; for proximity to the tunnel-" (they hadn't gone very far from Tunnel G at all) "and for its visibility. As long as you aren't all seen coming and going out into the open, it should stay safe, and secret," he reasoned. He hoped. Rebels tended to target food supplies, he knew; it wouldn't take much for an attack to aim here, if a rebellion began to bubble up again.

The Leviathan pushed through the trees, crouching beneath the branches, and then emerged into the clearing--Oliver and Diot, he knew, should be working nearby and Equinox either aiding or guarding them. And Pollen, too, perhaps--Aethril's pet, there to help oversee and aid.

"Equinox, Oliver, Diot--ahh, and Pollen, too--this is V-Zoisite-One. They will be learning from you, as well as providing additional protection. How is your work going?" he asked, looking the open ground over.

a thread name made virtually on a dare don't blame me

@Oliver @Diot @V-Zoisite-One @Equinox and @Pollen

Oliver glanced up, clawed wing-hands covered in dirt, blue eyes wide.

He'd been having... fun, really. Diot was nice, and the new one--Equinox--was pretty pleasant, too. Oliver liked their company. Pollen was enthusiastic, though he'd hardly gotten to know her, yet; and Chaos-Two visited, at times.

They'd had brief but intense discussions about plants, of course--what to plant, what not to, and where to plant each crop. Oliver, himself, had no real experience with vegetables or grains, so he'd focused on some berry bushes, on a few fruit trees and on a string of melon vines.

He was content in the work--it was calm, peaceful, slow-paced. Bury the seeds; summon up a bit of water; create extra lights, where needed. He himself could brighten the lights or summon true rain, and that was nice, but he hadn't really needed to: Pegasus was a good cave, he thought, for plants.

Vargas's approach had him pausing in his work, peering up.

"It's, um--fine?" he offered, glancing to the others for confirmation. "-Nice to meet you, uh, again!" he added, blinking and almost grinning (as best a dog-bird-face could) as he recognized Zoisite.

Master Vargas walked at a slow trod, one that made it easy for Zoisite to peek up once and a while and see where they were going, which was particularly helpful once they had left the tunnel leading out of Draco. "Equinox? No..." While the slower pace wasn't necessary, the Zoisite wasn't especially aware that Vargas was doing it for its sake, rather than just because he didn't feel like hurrying. Regardless, it didn't really register, and none of it truly sunk in until Master Vargas brought it to the field.

Only a moment ago, Vargas had warned her about problems, but as she raised her head and propped herself up so she could view the field before her, she... she couldn't imagine what he meant.

There were four of them, out in the field, paws and claws smudged with dirt and working hard in the warm lights of Pegasus's cave. The smell of the earth was strong and inviting... But not as inviting as the sight of two familiar faces: Oliver and Pollen. There was Diot, too, the primate who's kind face drew her in... and Equinox, a huge, hulking Valkhound that made any question of if she belonged here vanish from her mind. She would not be out of place here.

These were... These were her friends, and Zoisite's talons sunk into the soft, loamy soil as she looked to each of them in turn. "Hello, Oliver," Zoisite's mandibles clicked, and she lowered herself back to the ground, still craning her neck enough that she could still see everyone-- albiet at an angle. "Hi Pollen!" She added. "It's nice to meet you, Diot, Equinox." She gave a sideways look to Master Vargas, a small nod, and then started to step forward on into the field, making her way over to the others proper.

"I wanted to help... And learn... Where can I start?" Though the Zoisite's tone was usually neutral, sounds clipped by her mandibles clicking open and shut, for once there was an energy to them. Her head swung this way and that, twisting to inspect what had already been done with curiosity.

Equinox had, once he was told he'd be meeting the others, quickly stabilized once again. he couldn't risk making a bad first impression by being a weirdo with a migraine. or yknow. punching people. he really didn't wanna do that.

he'd shown up, and was pleasantly surprised at how... nice everyone was. he was worried, he didn't know any of these people. would they think he was scary? would they tell him to leave? but no, neither of those things happened, and he had excitedly listened to everything Oliver had to say, eyes wide and full of wonder at all of this plant knowledge. and he'd been doing his best to help plant things too! mud dirtied his claws and lower jaw. he wasn't eating the dirt, but sometimes he needed more than his hands to hold things. it just really looked like he had been eating the dirt.

he hadn't. truly!

he looked up at zoisite and vargas approached, tail wagging lazily across the grass. he waved to zoisite, having already met vargas. "Hello." he said. it came out as kind of a growl, but he didn't mean it to. he was happy! he just had a weird throat.

he looked to the others. he wasn't gonna tell zoisite what to do, he barely knew what he was doing as is. but he watched with muffled excitement.

Diot hummed, his green gaze flickering over what work he and his new companions had gotten done. That happy thrum in his chest continued on, as he glanced over to Oliver and Equinox soon after. They were both kind and good-natured spirits. He was more than happy to have met them, let alone work beside them. He hadn't had an abundance of company in his later cycles, and this, oh this was exactly what he needed, what he wanted. Pollen too was quite the bundle of personality and energy. A sweet and well-mannered sprout as well! He was excited to see how they might grow through the cycles and where their magic would take them, especially on this farm.

Diot now was tending to some of the plots, his tiny hands throwing rocks aside from soil and aiding in the removal of weeds before trying to coax some vegetables to take root before their inevitable flourish. Oliver wasn't too far away, having plans for berry bushes and a few fruit trees, additions that Diot agreed wholeheartedly that they should be on this farm. So while the winged canine had fruits under control, Diot for now was focusing on vegetables, something he had substantial experience with.

As he worked with happiness and excitement in his gut he was hoping to plant a few hearty varieties, some that in his experience most gembounds seemed to take a liking to one way or another. Simple but delicious and bountiful, perfection all on its own really.

Someone was approaching, and at first, Diot was expecting it to be Chaos-Two. They had visited a few times, but the individual in his far sights was purple and well- giant. Vargas had returned and this time with someone else following closely in tow. He introduced the new entity, someone still quite large and went by the name of V-Zoisite-One. Oliver was the first the speak and Diot made his way over, bounding with the speed of well, a marmoset. Faster than what most expected at least, but truly he wasn't in a hurry.

"Hello! And, It is going well I think! Very excited to see it when everything has flourished beautifully."

He smiled, sitting on the ground a few feet beside Oliver. His gaze soon flickered to V-Zoisite-One though.

"It is nice to meet you V-Zoisite-One!"

He paused for a moment, they wanted to help and he was more than happy to teach them.

"You can certainly help! Do you like to dig? Or perhaps help us count out the plots? Or even help remove unwanted plants that might be bloomed accidentally if you so wish."

He paused again-actually...

"What would you like to do V-Zoisite-One?"

He smiled, while there were many things they could probably do, he wanted to see if they perhaps had an affinity for a specific magic, or maybe they wanted to help dig the land like that of Equinox. Either way, Diot was more than happy to have them here.