If Ilijas was being honest, he felt little to no allegiance to any group in particular. It was people who he was loyal to, and within the Typhoon, there had been none that piqued his interest. Admittedly, he felt as if something was missing from his life- some puzzle piece that he had managed to misplace on accident. It frustrated him to no extent but it wasn't like he could exactly do anything to fix it. He knew too little about himself - about his purpose in this world - to even attempt to try to assemble the fractured memories of his past life.

And so he wandered day in and day out, letting his paws carry him closer and closer to the Ascendants. He didn't know why he was drawn to the territory, just that it felt as if fate was beckoning him in, urging him to abandon all else in attempt to perhaps understand himself better.

He just hoped that he was received well.

Ilijas was a naturally skilled fighter somehow but possessed no desire to engage in unnecessary combat.

It wasn't his style.

Though Ilijas did not particularly enjoy his perpetual confusion, he had begrudgingly gotten used to it at least. In the beginning, the vague awareness that he should be remembering something damn near drove him mad, the force lingering and omnipresent as he struggled to regain something from his past life. Eventually, he had just accepted his fate - as cruel as it was - and lived side by side with his amnesia.

But this girl... Ilijas would be lying if he said that she didn't spur some sort of familiarity within him. He wanted to say that he knew her, that they had crossed paths before, but that seemed unrealistic. Impossible. [b][color=gray]"Wandering," Came his flat response, a frown curving his silver colored lips as he continued to study her. [color=gray]"That necklace," He suddenly murmured, the glint of blue catching his eye, [color=gray]"That's mine."

He didn't know how he knew that, just that he did. That ring belonged to him and nobody could change his mind- not even this strange girl who he felt so oddly attached to suddenly.

For a moment, Ilijas only stared at the ring, the unwavering certainty that that was one of his belongings nearly overwhelming him. He wanted to reach for it, to pull it from her neck and place it around his own but he couldn't... He had already forgotten his manners once, rudely informing Beverly that he was just wandering instead of even introducing himself. That wasn't like him, not at all. He had let himself be consumed by the familiarity of her and that immediately threw all reason from his head. Which wasn't a normal behavior of his, he realized suddenly. What was going on?

Her response succeeded in throwing him for a loop though, some strange part of himself suddenly amused in her defiance. Why? Why? He was so confused and if anything, there were far more daunting questions than answers at this point. He supposed his only choice was to actually say something in return, make up for his graceless behavior. [b][color=gray]"My apologies," Ilijas extended smoothly, though there were notes of reluctance - no, worry in his voice, [color=gray]"My name is Ilijas and I'm a wanderer. That ring... You're right, I must have just had one like it. What's your name?" It'd probably be better if he dropped the subject entirely... even if he knew that that ring was his.

Like Beverly, Ilijas had no family that he was aware of. His parents had both been nonexistent in his life, leaving him the moment he was self-sufficent enough to care for himself. He had hazy memories of the both of them but admittedly, he'd rather think about anything else over his mother and father. Being alone... it suited him he supposed, and while he was often times lonely, he had to accept his situation for what it was. His brief time in the Typhoon had been nothing short of a mistake as had been his blossoming friendship with Beatrice. He had been foolish to even believe anything otherwise.

Shifting his weight, the dark gray bengal absently flicked an ear. Beverly was a pretty name- at least he thought so. The more he studied her (and the less he studied the ring), the more he realized that she was actually really pretty overall. Huh. Perhaps it wasn't the best time to think about that either. [b][color=gray]"I like your name," He finally responding, deciding to simply leave it at that. While he greatly enjoyed being able to talk to someone again, he wasn't the greatest at socializing and feared that he'd scare her way if he complimented her any further. [color=gray]"And I like traveling... going new places... Sometimes I just follow the stars because they feel like my only constant. I don't know why I'm like that, just that I am."

Ilijas realized that he was probably oversharing now but he didn't care. There was something about this girl that was familiar to him, and in that familiarity came a comfort he was unfamiliar with. A comfort that he wanted more of. [color=gray]"Used to be? Where do you live now?" He asked as if he actually contemplated joining her. No, no... he could never do that.

Especially not for a stranger.

ilijas arthur mikaelson

He supposed that he, too, was at that age where socializing was an almost necessary thing, though he didn't quite see it as such. If anything, his stance on interactions with others was a bit... skewed. He liked talking to and meeting new people, yes, but he wasn't very good at it. Maybe he tried too hard... or talked too strangely- really, he didn't know. He was vaguely aware of an odd and almost pressing desire to not frighten Beverly away however, actually quite enjoying whatever this was (even if she did have his ring).

The bengal listened to her speak intently, frowning only slightly when she mentioned his name. Ilijas had never particularly understand why he had such a peculiar name to begin with, especially given how mundane his siblings' names were in comparison. [color=gray]"Uh..." He began uncertainly, [color=gray]"Thank you?" Ili didn't think that she meant it as an insult but still felt weird for whatever reason- he rarely received compliments in any capacity. [color=gray]"The Ascendants? Sounds fascinating."

Ilijas could not fight the smile that replaced his frown as she spoke, that once hesitant and almost untrusting gaze softening. He didn't know why this felt so right, so familiar, just that it did and he never wanted to have to depart from her. Which... was pretty creepy, honestly, but he didn't mean it in that manner. [color=gray]"What was it like to sail? I've only ever dreamed of it... the opportunity hasn't yet presented itself, I'm afraid. But tell me about your experiences! I want to hear them all!" Ilijas existed eagerly, finding that he was warming up and more and more to Beverly. It helped that she was a traveler like himself, he believed. He could talk for hours about the places he's visited and the things he's seen and, by the looks of it, it seemed like Bev could too.

cause god, i never felt young