while the pitt got ready with its baring teeth and sharpened claws, noa was quite content just doing as it pleased. the mutated bushdog was simply out and about collecting small plants here and there, checking off a checklist with them as the day had gone on. by the time they returned to camp, morning had just begun to end. the sun was rising to its highest peak, still burning above.

in front of noa were several little bowls filled with vegetation, and slowly, one by one they were mashed into the bowls and flourished into bright, vibrant colors. sweet scented paints from berries, petals and leaves surrounded them.

in front of noa was an excited young warrior they had met while collecting these plants, giddy for their first battle with the pitt.

"we'll tear those pirates limb from limb!" the canid howled out, barely able to keep still as noa spread a green paste down the bridge of their nose. the mutant simply nodded in idle agreement, a smile on their face. "ooh, and when i see their captain, i'm gonna rip off her head and show it to jervis myself!" a foolish goal, but noa remained quite as yellow was added across their forehead.

"are we almost done?" the larger dog crossed its eyes as noa's paw came to their nose, dotting it with white.

"yes! thank you for letting me practice on you. there's a puddle over there so you can see." noa wiped the paste from their paw into their chest, smiling up at the dog as they left to whoop and holler about their 'badass new look'. noa couldn't help but chuckle as the soldier darted off to show off to their friends, gathering their paints together to move on with the next.

while seemingly small in stature, noa would be damned letting itself become a slave. it was a pitiful outcome in life, and it knew it had much more to give to this world than to be someone's free labor until their back broke from the pressure. or worse. actually having to endure it for their entire lives.

no, noa knew that they were worth much more in this worlds time. not in a narcissistic sense, just a general thought. its family needed them, most importantly. azvameth, while he may be absent, could not separate from his sibling for long, and neither for the smaller of the pair. noa was his voice. his means of communication. his purpose was to be the supporting role. not the underdog.

seeing kydobi approach, noa gave him a toothy smile. "hello, sir. i have heard news about your promotion, congratulations. are you here to task me with something? or just a social call? i know politics can be rather busy." it chuckled, docked tail wiggling momentarily at their own amusement.

"i was simply designing war paints for the soldiers. or, dwellers? it seems to boost morale somehow. what do you think?"

while noa understood its subtle purpose, at the end of the day all it did for the bushdog was help practice. if soldiers wanted their fur painted or whatever for the sake of looking scary to their enemies, that was their business. noa just looked for the experience. it was fun, though. easily forgettable about the reason why they had got here in the first place.

the mutant quirked up at kydobi's question, shaking its head. "no, i've been here with my mom and older twin brother for a while. i was a sickly kid, though." they lied straight through their teeth with a chuckle, but its not like anyone would know the truth. noa had truly been in the pitt for some time since birth, but they didn't keep themselves hidden from sickness. more or less... lack of self esteem. it had taken them quite some time to convince themselves they weren't really an 'ugly duckling'. something noa would never let anyone find out.

"you probably have met my mother, though. their name's envy. my dad is roman but... he doesn't come around too often." rather he avoided it entirely. "what about you? i know you're not new, but how did you get here?"

it was glad to hear that envy had made some rounds to meet some of those in the pitt. it definitely made things feel more comfortable, now that these people had even a vague idea of who it was around. the mutant was primarily curious about kydobi, though. the typhoon once had an alliance here? how odd... those pirates didn't seem like the type.

well, it was a false alliance. so maybe it was sensible from some pirates.

"i'm not sure what else to think about here. it's all i know, but i'm really only concerned for my mom and my brother. i want them to be safe while all of this goes down..." noa trailed off before looking up at argus.

"what are we profiting here, again?" it asked innocently. "i don't really bother with political details."