He'd asked Mother to send the family's echoing grey rats out first as advance messengers: to discuss with the white deer the time and location of their meeting, as well as the fact that he would be coming in peace. There would be no need to react with violence, and he promised not to try and forcibly convert Pride with the fungus--hopefully he could assuage some of the Gembound's concerns that way, and avoid any unnecessary conflict. He was here to improve the Hive's reputation, after all. The disastrous encounter with the Gembound of the caves--not even the hounds of Chaos!--in Gemini had proven the need for that.

As a powerful, relatively well-known and well-respected figure within the caves, he had felt Pride to be a good choice for this propaganda-spreading rectification of harmful misconceptions about the Hive that were so prevalent in the caves. Still, the mission was not without its risks, especially because Pride was who he was. Jinyi was well aware of these risks going in, and he had accepted them as necessary to advance the cause, but it did not hurt to take precautions.

He paused before entering Orion, remembering the holy figure that had visited them after their tearful, yet victorious battle against Chaos. His star-like eyes, the infinite grace of his silhouette, the unknowable yet beautiful extent of Order's reach, of the universe's reach, the past and future extending endlessly in every direction... How could anyone not love Order? Jinyi would be remembered within this web, this immaculate harmonious construct of infinite memory and infinite Order, so that even should this expedition end in tragedy...

He straightened his robe and strode into Orion with all the grace of a religious messenger, heading for their designated meeting-place. I await our meeting eagerly.

@Pride

Naturally, Pride did not trust Order. But he did not trust Chaos, either; in fact he disliked it, hated it. On the tail end of having discovered that he'd be virtually immortal yet with a horrific tacked-on bit of fine print, he did not really fear this meeting. But he wondered, vaguely, if the forces of either Order or Chaos would try to sink their claws into him.

Would he remain immortal, this martyr paladin, were they to twist him to one side or another-? He couldn't allow that; already he had decided to keep his distance. Mischief came in first, just a small white hare on the outskirts of the meeting place. A Hive member could be forgiven, even, for mistaking her for Ananke, though she was lankier, with the little spike of Chalcedony near one eye. When she retreated back into the shadows, Pride appeared. Or rather, Pride appeared to appear: the white stag stepping out, stately, from the darkness to approach Jinyi with forward-cupped ears. This double came close enough as would be polite, then scanned the dimly lit cave beyond for a long moment before flickering and disappearing altogether--followed, in perfect mimicry of the first, by the real Pride.

For a brief moment, silvered eyes passed over this stranger. Not one that I know. An interesting shape.

Everything looked safe enough--as safe as it could be. And his voice was tempered, polite, though the warning he gave on the tail end of his greeting was sincere. "Hello. I am here, as promised. I will listen and speak. But do not try to infest me. I will try to kill you, if you do."

It was said calmly, not in a threatening manner; there was no arrogance behind it. No, it was the knowledge of what might happen if the Hive did claim him that drove such a threat--and he fell silent, then, standing silent and a little further than a polite distance off, intending to allow Jinyi to speak.

red deer img credit - dan seagrave

@Jinyi

The white hare appeared first, keeping cautiously to the shadows. Jinyi recognized her as the familiar that often kept the white deer company, and offered a soft smile that only looked a little off, in that it was not quite three-dimensional. It was quite sincere, though. From what he gathered, Gembound like Pride saw themselves as guardians, good people watching over the innocent and the weak. As Jinyi saw it, Pride's friendship with the hare was evidence of just that kind of friendly intention and goodwill. In some ways, it made the terrible pain they'd inflicted on Order's family in Gemini hurt all the more, because didn't they all have the same intentions, in the end? Ananke and Halcyon were just as kind and loving as the best of the Gembound outside Order's family, yet they had been attacked so cruelly.

Never again. Hopefully, this would be the beginning to clearing the poisonous miasma of anger and prejudice against the Hive. Once the Gembound saw Order for what it truly was, they could truly unite against the enemy, and righteous, peace-loving Gembound would no longer blindly hurt each other.

"Hello, Pride. My name is Jinyi." Jinyi greeted warmly, melodious voice slightly reminiscent of a pipe organ. "I'm glad you've come. Of course, we will not plant the fungus on anyone who does not want it." His expression and tone showed no deviation from its welcoming aura even with Pride's strong warning. As far as the Drone was concerned, as long as this hadn't escalated into actual violence, it was going pretty well. But Pride's words did show the work that needed to be done to clean up the Hive's image. Ahh, infest... such negatively charged language. Jinyi imagined his inner self shaking his head sadly, even as he maintained a composed image.

"On that topic--thank you for bringing it up--I do want to apologize, on behalf of all of us, for the fear and harm our fungus caused you in the past. We realized, after so much damage was already done, that many Gembound did not welcome connecting with us mind-to-mind, and that we were responsible for spreading more pain, anger, and chaos across the cave..." Jinyi trailed off, bowing his head with a soft, melancholy sigh. "We are terribly sorry, and can promise that it will not happen again. I realize that those who were hurt may not want to forgive us. Please reassure anyone who is worried that if they fought us in the past, we hold no animosity toward them. We understand that they only wanted to defend themselves and their loved ones..." Again Jinyi paused, and took a deep breath, shoulders shaking a little.

He could not forget how Halcyon burned.

How Ananke, who wanted no more than to bring others into the warm embrace of safety and love, was nearly scorched blind.

Keep calm, Jinyi. Peace is more important. Order is more important. He remembered the righteous rage that had taken them all, and the fierce determination to defend their family and avenge their siblings. Mother had seen further than all of them, in that moment, realizing that it was more important to preserve the possibility of peace and unity with the Gembound not yet contaminated by chaos. As a dutiful follower of Order, he had nothing but faith in her decisions. He must have empathy for these Gembound, as befitting a member of the Hive.

"We will not harm them, if we encounter them. Our enemy is Chaos, and no one else. The nature of Chaos is to destroy, to hurt, to laugh in the face of those who suffer at their hand. They are the ones who would take your children, who see innocent lives as nothing more than dust to be swept away, who throw away the lives of even their own, who see no value in goodness or love!" Jinyi's voice rose in righteous anger. He took a breath, then continued in a more controlled tone: "They are the ones we oppose. We'll try our best not to disturb ordinary Gembound who are just trying to live their lives. Please, Pride, I know that there are many different Gembound living in these caves, and you are not the leader of all of them. But some of them do respect you, very much. I would very much appreciate it if you could help spread the word to reassure people--and at the same time, ask them not to act violently against our family. Peace is always our goal, but we have to defend ourselves and our loved ones too."

He spread his hands, red silk-like material rippling with the motion. "Of course, you probably don't trust us either. But please give me a chance to tell you some more about us, and to address any specific questions or concerns you have. You probably know that we are connected to one another through our minds. Everything you ask of us will be heard by Mother, through me. She is our guide, our respected leader and beloved family. You can be assured that the entire Hive will respect whatever decisions and promises she makes."

Jinyi clasped his hands and gave Pride a short, shallow bow. "All I want to do is try to make peace with the Gembound living here--Gembound who want to live their lives free from fear and destruction. I want to show people that Order isn't a cruel force out to get them. So I want to talk to everyone I can, and tell them about our family and our lives, why we follow Order, and what our goals really are. I want people to understand us, and us to understand their lives more, so we don't hurt them again. So Pride--if you have questions to ask us, or things you don't like about us, that you want us to change, please say everything so that we can try to understand each other. And then, if I may, I would like to talk a little more--I know I've been talking a lot--to try to give you an idea of who the Hive is. Who our family is."

@Pride

Pride listened without interrupting.

Not that this was easy; at first, he very nearly barked a protest that he'd been at war with the Hive more than once and had seen, firsthand, the horrific trauma of those torn from its grip. That had not been willing.

...But Jinyi addressed this, moments later. Pride didn't believe it--he didn't disbelieve it, either. He suspended judgment, for now, struggling to stay neutral as the words flowed past him. He waited, instead, in silence--sliding his mind for the drone's in an attempt to test, at the very least, Jinyi's intentions. Pride was careful to remain silent in his thoughts, lest his magic backfire and broadcast them to the entirety of the damn Hive.

There was honesty there. No--it was better called earnesty. Jinyi believed, then, in his mission--truly believed in it. And in his words. Pride was not fully swayed, of course, but the knowledge that it was not some elaborate trap was... well. It was worth something, at least. It did not escape him that the Hive's core--the Mother or whatever it called itself--might be manipulating Jinyi in turn but Pride, of course, did not say as much aloud. There was torment there, too; old emotions that still raged, but that the drone kept admirably tamped-down. I can identify with that, he thought to himself, rather wryly.

When Jinyi had finished, he allowed the link to slip shut, and began his own response in measured, diplomatic but honest words.

"Let me begin with your apologies: it is not for me to accept or deny them. I did not suffer as some did." They are wasted on me, he thought, and could have said, but that was unnecessary. And it would be rude. "As for Chaos, we have had our conflicts with them. You would be mistaken to think that we see them as our allies. -By 'we' I mean all of the Gembounds that I know. Again-... I cannot speak for others, not truly." He paused, chewing on this thought, for a moment, then shook his head slightly and moved on.

"Of course I do not trust you, or Order. I do not know you. You are saying that you wish to change that, but do remember that the incidents for which you apologize left a large number of Gembounds... scarred. There are still those damaged beyond repair--have you reached out to them, and tried to fix what you have done?" There was no heat in this. Instead his words were calm, even, and his gaze a critical stare as he regarded Jinyi thoughtfully. His answer would, he thought, prove or disprove some of the drone's claims. If the Hive was as benevolent as Jinyi wanted to believe, surely they'd have tried to fix what they had done--to those who didn't matter, and not only to a perceived representative such as Pride-? Or maybe, at least, they had very good reason not to try.

"In any case... You say you are not a cruel force out to get anyone. I would say that Chaos is not out to 'get' us, either, but seems to have little issue crushing us by the wayside to get at whatever they do want. Can the same be said of Order? Do tell me about what Order wants--your Mother herself may answer through you, if you wish. And about your true goals, and lives, and family, as you say. I will listen." None of these words, again, held challenge. Instead there was a calm sort of tolerance: a willingness, indeed, to listen; though there was clearly reservation, too.

Pride was obviously not the sort to jump straight into faith or hatreds; but with that considering, pale stare fixed on Jinyi, he was listening.

red deer img credit - dan seagrave

@Jinyi

Jinyi's shoulders shook slightly as he breathed out, listening to Pride. It was a relief that the deer did not outright reject his words. It was also a relief that Pride was talking now, which meant that Jinyi didn't have to, because he hadn't realized how much talking would take out of him. It was all well and good to hold casual conversation while offering a stranger chips, because that was his job. To sell chips. Talking about big things like this, trying to prop up the Hive's reputation around the caves piece by piece... he didn't think he was nearly capable enough for this, and the task filled him with a nervous energy that he couldn't seem to tamp down.

Even as he found relief in listening, his mind whirled, trying to keep track of everything Pride was saying. It was all important. It had to be. He must remember he was not alone in this; the Hive was also in his mind, supporting him, and he took comfort from their ever-lingering presence. Then, as Pride asked his questions, that calm, analyzing stare landing on the Drone, he tried to pull himself together enough for a response fitting of a representative of the Hive.

"You're right, of course. Ideally, we would reach out to them, but it could be a terrible risk to our safety." Internally, Jinyi winced. He had no way of knowing what Pride was thinking, but with those critical eyes fixed on him, all his instincts were to criticize his own words. The model Drone of Order, surely, would be courageous and unselfish, willing to brave the risks to do what was right, and what Jinyi was saying... didn't really match that ideal. "It might sound selfish, but... many of us weren't born when these Gembound were wronged. I wasn't, either. But many who were hurt by Order before hold the grudge deeply--rightfully, perhaps, but we can't be sure who would try to kill us on sight if we tried to reach out. Some of us have already been terribly wounded by Gembound they had never even met before. We've been in hiding for cycles and cycles, because we just didn't know who might try to kill us all if they found out." His hands shook as he thought of what his siblings had suffered at the hands of complete strangers, when they had been nothing but kind and loving family members. They had done nothing to deserve that. He clasped them together more tightly to stop the shaking. "I don't want my family to get hurt. We are searching for ways to make things right, but we have to keep safety in mind. It's... a slow process, especially with the memories of those injuries so fresh."

With each word, Jinyi felt as though he were falling through the air. Pride had made no move against him so far, and he believed that the deer would not resort to violence unprovoked, but the Drone still felt somehow terrified of those diamond-hard eyes, of what judgement they might cast on him and the Hive for his words. He hoped he didn't sound like he was grasping at straws for excuses. It was right to want one's family to be safe. It was right not to want to watch one's siblings be set aflame in an incandescent flash or snatched and broken in the jaws of a predator. But wasn't it also right to rectify past injuries done in their name? Would he, they, be able to escape the judgement of selfishness and cowardice?

Mother, he thought shakily, please help me keep calm. Give me the right words to say... I don't know what to do. She would know, surely. She had planned and thought and given her wisdom at every turn for their family. She had to have a solution, or ideas for one.

"Some of us came to the Hive for the protection and warmth of a family." It was easier to talk when he thought of his siblings, when the warmth of their mutual love flowed through him. "They were hatched small and defenseless against the dangers lurking here, alone and scared. They found love and support here, the same love we would give to children born of Order. Some were terribly lonely, or had lost touch with their families and friends through disasters and long cycles of hibernation. With our minds connected, none of us will lose each other again, no matter what happens. Some weren't unhappy before, but liked the friendship and companionship they found in the Hive. I--this isn't really my usual job. Going out and talking to people like this, I mean. I make chips--ah, snacks for our shared enjoyment." He restrained himself from going into more detail about the various innovative flavors he'd been working on. "All of us kind of have different ways of living our lives in the family, but--maybe Mother can explain better than I can, of the bigger picture of Order and how it all fits together."

He knew there was a lot of history behind Order and Chaos. The vision of Dontacael, received by all after their fierce uprising against the Chaos that had dominated the caves, had introduced him to a brief but dizzying glimpse of the infinite world beyond just them. But he knew very little about any of it--in fact, he knew very little about Order's long history within these very caves, compared to Mother's vast knowledge. He would be her voice, let her speak Order's story through him, and he would give it his full attention. It was about time he learned more about the bigger picture of the Hive and the countless other Hives that served Order.

MOTHER

Order May Be Right For You If...

The constant presence of the hive at Jinyi's back was meant to be reassuring. Certainly Mother lingered 'close,' her mind paying rapt attention to this exchange. She did not know if Pride were 'important' per se, though Jinyi seemed to put some stock in his influence. But she was vaguely aware that he had aided in gathering attacks on the Hive before. At the very least, perhaps Jinyi's meeting here could mollify him... pacify him. Prevent it, even, from happening again. So as her child faltered, feeling uncertain and floundering now and then, she continually shored him up: a port in his storm, a quiet murmur of confidence, a tug on certain biological aspects to force mimic a soothing touch.

'You are doing well, my child,' came warm praise directly to Jinyi's mind--and a sensation of the conversation opening, blooming and unfurling, Mother's invitation for the rest of the Hive to watch both warm and encouraging. Jinyi was doing so well that she wanted everyone to see this wonderful exchange! How beautiful; how perfect. (Not that it had not been blocked off before: but now she drew them to it. No longer background noise, but a bright feature to eclipse the rest, for the moment.)

Then--gently--she took Jinyi's offer, subsuming their physical control. Gently, because there was no need for force, here. They were family, after all. "I am the Mother." A pause, to allow both Gembounds--natural and Drone both--to adjust. It was Jinyi's voice, yes; but the movements manipulating throat and tongue were not.

"My beloved child risks much in coming to speak with you. In this, they show wisdom and courage. You have my gratitude for granting them a chance to speak in peace." Another pause. A careful swallow, as if to ensure Jinyi's throat were not damaged. (Was this a kindness she afforded her usual, Lesser mouthpieces?) "It would be difficult to explain... the scope of the war. Your people--you Gembounds... your perspective is a strange one. And it is dangerous. You see yourselves, I think, as living in your world, with elements of our magics intruding upon it. But this is not the case." Sorrow was forced into her--no, Jinyi's--syllables, the attempt to imbue emotion into another's words a somewhat awkward one. "In truth... the very stars are at war. Entire worlds are snuffed out in the march of Chaos. Would that I could show you..." She paused, as if imagining, and then continued. "They destroy only to destroy. Savagery is their mantra. Brutality, their only value. In Chaos, nothing is certain. In Order... all is pristine. Quiet, calm, and in its place. There is no wanton destruction. Things are put as they must be, peaceful and beautiful."

There was, of course, no mention as to the process of order. No mention of those subsumed by its relentless march. Nor to the stagnation of fractal crystals left standing for eternity.

"But I know you are... neutral. My point is that your perspective is wrong. This is not your world, intruded upon now and then. You are the anomaly. The intruder. These caves... in which you live. They are a nursery for death. A breeding and hatching ground seething with growing corruption. They were created to nurture the monsters that are sent to destroy worlds in Chaos's name. ...Do you understand?"

Was Jinyi growing weary? -Did that matter? She pulsed a reassurance to him: she was nearly done. And this opportunity to reach the Gembounds... it was worth it.

"They will wipe you clean from this place. When it suits them. We would stand by you. Even leave this place to you, when they are gone; but you must understand... you are not in a quiet, backwater home as you imagine. You stand on the edges of a battlefield. We ask nothing of you... but tolerance, as we fight this war in your stead." A final pause, and then--to show she was listening, to show she was aware--"As for those that this Hive absorbed, before we knew the truth of your kind--do you believe we should apologize? We have not reached out, as we imagined they would prefer to be left alone. How do we make amends?"

The question was given with humble earnesty, whether or not Mother truly felt it, whether she cared at all for Pride's reply. Or perhaps she did, if only to find the best way to manipulate her former victims into leaving the Hive alone; certainly some of its most vicious opponents now were its former children. Perhaps the stag would have some insight.

Jinyi, she now freed from her benevolent grasp and left in her wake a trickle of gratitude, a warm flood of approval, a spark of encouragement.

IRL human rights note: if it sounds like this post is bashing trans rights in saying that children can't choose X before a certain point, no!!! kids know their genders. this post is PURELY about stupid crystal magic doing the soldier-hivemind thing. Also I apologize for its SHEER LENGTH

Pride listened in silence, his ears swept forward, silver eyes fixed on Jinyi. A stag was, by its nature, a creature of little facial expression and Pride was no exception. Jinyi's intimidation, or uncertainty, or whatever it was was understandable enough; the stag's natural poker face must have seemed severe.

Internally, however, his mind was racing, trying to pick through, sort, and commit to memory all that Jinyi was saying. The moment he'd formulated a response, however, the "Mother" began to speak through her drone--and Pride paused, a new interest sparking in him as he looked to her. Him-? Them? All of them, perhaps. I should remember that speaking to one of them must be speaking to them all. Interestingly, she made no mention of his prior violence against them. Forgiven-? Understood, maybe. Or just that she didn't care. Maybe it indicated that this was more than a little peace offering. Maybe it meant she wanted something from him. And as she kept speaking, he had an inkling of what that could be. For us not to interfere. For the Gembounds to leave the Hive to spread, the fungus to clot the caves, for it to fight its war with Chaos.

There was irritation in him, at this. And at a few other points, but he waited politely until the flow of speech had stopped. And he cast his mind back, first, trying to remember what he'd planned to say.

First--because he felt for Jinyi, truly; felt their awkward earnesty and near-fear--he offered reassurance to him. "I would say you are doing fine," he suggested, tipping his head thoughtfully to one side. "It must be a leap from snacks to emissary." This was gentle humor, warmth, though it did not seem to reach the silver eyes past the faintest half-blink of acknowledgment. It was polite, at least. Non-threatening. "I would like to address the mention of... children. To my understanding, there is a... point of no return, yes? With Order?"

He looked at Jinyi as he said this. Part of him instinctively pushed him to look toward Mother, too, since apparently both were here--but of course he could not, as they seemed to be sharing a body. Awkward, he thought, and strange. He took a breath. "Any of us--we Gembounds--will also take in children. A child is... impressionable. Fusing them irreversibly to your form of magic before they can truly understand and choose is wrong, if that is what you are doing--linking them to your Hive. There are decisions a child can make for themselves, of course, but I do not believe this is one of them." Not with the Hivemind pressing on them. Not without experiencing independence. "Bring our kind to us to raise. They can join you as adults if they so choose. Anything more and you will always be viewed with suspicion or hostility. The only creatures we have known to... take in and turn children to their cause have been armies on the search for soldiers." And this was true; Pride pulled no punches here. His words were cold, flat; not hostile but simply fact.

On to what the Mother had said, then. And again, he wished he could shift his attention visibly, look to her-... never mind it now. "Second, your attempts to take over this cave--whether you see it as a battlefield or not--do encroach upon our home. This is our home, regardless of how you perceive it. Threading our sources of food with your infectious disease and fighting off those who try to cleanse it is not a particularly good way to make new friends," he suggested, a line of icy mockery beneath the polite surface. There was no megalomania in his confrontation of the Mother itself, through Jinyi or not. He did not believe he could take on the Hive and win. That didn't matter. What mattered is that they'd sent an envoy, and they wished for discussion: Pride was granting them honesty. It was a good faith exchange, in his mind, and the fact that it was not perfectly cheerful was to be expected, given the past of the Hive here. He offered no threat, either. No ultimatum. No "if you don't..." The implication was simply that if the Hive wanted to make good on their promises of harmless benevolence, there were steps they'd need to take.

As for the apologies... He took a breath, studying Jinyi, before answering that part. "Yes, I do. But you will need to be cautious with it. I have an idea, if you will hear it," he said, as the spark of a concept struck him. It was new--he was only just coming up with it--but he already felt that it could do both the Hive and the Gembounds a world of good. "Reach out to them and tell them what you told me of lost children. Tell them that to make up for your past assaults, you wish to give them lost children you find... to raise, outside the Hive. Prove your intentions--prove that they aren't to recruit soldiers and make our home into the battlefield you imagine it to be. Prove to them that you are no longer taking others in against their wills. Brainwashing impressionable minds. Because until then, that is how they--how we--will see it."

He stopped there, scrutinizing Jinyi--though really, he imagined he was scrutinizing Mother herself. It was one thing to reach out with empty platitudes, to try and gain allies among the Gembounds while offering nothing in return. It was another entirely to give up a valuable resource--young soldiers who could be trained to their cause, sources of food, and so forth--in order to prove their intentions.

Pride wondered, with genuine interest, which the Hive would choose.

red deer img credit - dan seagrave

@Jinyi

Warmth bloomed in his chest at Mother's attention and praise. Jinyi felt a sense of reverence as she spoke through him, as though a holy being had graced them with her presence. He could feel the words coming through his own mouth as they flowed through the hivemind, but they did not come from him. The experience left him filled with a sense of breathless wonder, Mother's spark of encouragement and gratitude washing away doubts like wind clearing clouds.

He listened carefully as Pride spoke, though spoken words seemed so ordinary now next to the wonder and instantaneous communication of the Hive's mind. Sympathy opened an aching hole in him; he could not imagine the fear and uncertainty of seeing your home become a battlefield, of suddenly being exposed to the blistering reality of what this interstellar war really was when one had lived in relative peace all this time. Of course they wanted that peace back. What can we do? he wondered to Mother. The webs of fungus gave them much-needed strength against the Chaos rooted deeply within this cave, but he couldn't help but feel bad for the Gembound who'd suddenly found themselves in a war zone.

As for Pride's suggestion for apologies, and making amends--Giving children to people who see us as mortal enemies? Jinyi's first reaction was immediate resistance, bordering on mild outrage. Those were Gembound who'd set his family on fire! Who'd wielded weapons against them when they were working for the good of the caves! He could see no way in which a child raised by them would turn out better than a child raised with the warmth of the Hive. What if they grow up to be brutish and violent, too? And how could any individual Gembound outside the Hive provide an upbringing as safe and supportive as Order's entire family could?

But then, perhaps the Gembound felt the same about trusting a previously unknown, secretive entity like the Hive to raise children. Their positive track record was little known, and few cared to investigate, after all. Even if they did, it wouldn't be good for the Hive's security to let them venture too far in. If he was unsure about asking complete strangers, most of whom he'd seen through a negative or hostile encounter, to raise children like that... he could grudgingly see how they might feel the same. Still, he didn't like the idea of trusting them as parents, compared with all the good he knew the Hive could do. But he was an ambassador second, a chips merchant first, and did not nearly have the vast amount of insight as Mother did. What do you think, Mother? He would defer to her wisdom in all things, as befitting a drone of Order. "I am consulting with Mother," he added to Pride as he stood, not wanting the silence between them to drag on.

Some Gembound, after all, didn't have the ease of communicating with their minds at any distance as they had.

MOTHER

Order May Be Right For You If...

Only brief consideration was quickly subsumed by a sense of opportunity. It shivered powerfully down the link, eager and almost greedy. Mother then took a moment to formulate her careful response, one ever-so-cautiously tailored and trimmed to be... appropriate. "Accept his offer," came her murmur of instruction. "It will build trust in them--a trust we must earn after our-... after my mistakes." Yet even her correction was planned and carefully managed.

There were, after all, things she did not share along the link--things that, as the Hivemother and its Queen, she alone bore the power to hide.

For example: the full understanding that a child now and then was useful. A dragon defender; a linsang mouthpiece; a rabbit caster. Yet it wasn't enough and it likely never would be. She was forced to bolster their numbers, to send increasing numbers of her Drones out where they'd be put at risk.

Swaying the already-established inhabitants of the cave wholly to the side of Order..? That would be useful. Granted, it was Jinyi's entire purpose in coming here, but it suddenly seemed like a very real possibility: that the myriad trained fighters and their future offspring might all secretly lean toward the Hive instead of the House of Chaos.

"They deserve this show of faith," she whispered into Jinyi's mind, with just the proper sprinkling of contriteness.

Pride studied Jinyi.

What was this-? Was it simple consideration? Fear? Perhaps their claims are not in good faith, he thought--those of Order, even if Jinyi did not know. Perhaps their supposed desire to make up for things, followed by what might have simply been a clumsy parry at his question of why they had not made up already, was a falsehood.

More likely, this one hasn't the authority to make such a decision alone, he reasoned. It made sense. A hive mind; surely they'd need to consult, discuss, before confirming a course of action?

He didn't think they'd all accept this, nonetheless. He'd seen the likes of Reseda and Blackberry gathering up children, and heard the horrors of Hasira doing the same. Hell, Reseda's bones hung--immobilized in gemstone--behind him on the throne's back as a warning against all those who might attempt this again. Who might once more try and make an army of the innocent through torment and brainwashing.

He cast his mind to Jinyi's, at length, in an idle sort of magical gesture, stilling his own thoughts lest they accidentally leak through. He wanted at least the vaguest glimpse of the drone's intentions and emotions, though he doubted he'd be able to listen in on the actual Hive's chatter.

red deer img credit - dan seagrave

@Jinyi