To say that Aurum was a little bit pissed about the task that had been assigned to Roy would probably be a gross understatement of the facts. He was sure that Miller hadn't meant to make the boy miserable, at least not intentionally, but that was the effect it had, and he wasn't sure if he was more aggravated at Miller, or himself for not demanding that Roy get assigned something less upsetting. Still, at the very least, Roy would have his father at his side, thanks to the fact that Miller had assigned them both together to solve different parts of the matter at hand. He was supposed to discuss a contingency plan in case something similar happened in the future. He couldn't say it was exactly a bad idea, especially considering he was one of the people here with more battle knowledge, but he still wished he was discussing such things with anybody other than Roy, whom he knew hated violence and battle more than anything. Even as the event was just beginning, it looked like the poor tiger was going to crumble in on himself, shutting down before he could even begin to start something vaguely resembling a conversation. Part of Aurum wanted to shut this whole thing down already, but he also didn't want Roy to get in trouble... fuck. A sigh left the lion as he slowly made his way over beside the boy, watching him carefully. He sat down comfortably beside his son, not even hesitating before he draped a wing over the smaller male. It was clear he would need the comfort, and it wasn't as if Miller had said he couldn't have any help.

Once he was positioned securely beside the other, Aurum allowed himself to look up, glancing over the slowly gathering faces, among them being Moth. The lion held back a frown from curling on his face, mainly just because he knew that his poor sister must've been confused. After all, she had been gone for a month now, and hadn't even been around for the incident, not to mention the raid. She probably didn't even know who Kydobi was, aside from maybe a vague idea firmly labeled as "Pittian." Shoving down his worry for his beloved sister, Aurum just dipped his head politely to her, offering her a slightly tired smile as he shifted his large paws. Once a few more faces began to appear nearby, the male finally spoke, his voice low and a little bit aggravated just thinking about what had happened, "And I'm here to help Roy with this discussion, as well as help us focus on a contingency plan in the future in case any other Pittians decide they want to trespass on our territory." He might've ended up spitting a little at the word "Pittians," but he really couldn't help it. They hadn't exactly done anything recently to prove to him they weren't just a bunch of bastards.

Something about watching someone struggle like this, with their emotions, watching someone be upset without being able to do anything about it, it didn't feel right.

It was like his essence was yelling at him that he had some sort of power to do something about this. But he didn't - what could he possibly do? He was just a spider, a failure of a scientist, who could barely see Roy's face but could hear the struggle to get his words out, and could feel the shaking of his breath. A despicable task to put on his shoulders, as he carried a deep trauma with him, and - well, from Abathur's point of view, it seemed he was on edge because discussions were all about asking questions, and the child definitely had an aversion to that already. It was unknown to him the exact nature of what happened to him, but it was still there, hovering like a storm cloud ready to rain on his parade at any moment.

But he couldn't do anything to help whom he tentatively called a friend.

The spider stayed there, though, instead of just passing by like he had no business. He stood in audience, thinking of something to prompt the discussion. That was what he did best, after all - thinking and asking questions. Even if his life pursuits were a bit not-on-the-table anymore, he could still do that, at least. Well, he wasn't there for the apparent intrusion, so it might be a good idea to ask for that to be promoted, even though he had heard the gist of it both from the meeting and hearsay. That, and he was unsure of any of the Pitt's other sins, Kydobi in particular. There were a lot of things he didn't know, but - well, might as well start with the ground-level knowledge and build context around that. "What were exact events at border?" he asked, smoothly, the exhaustion in his voice not present for the first time since he had realized he was going blind.

tags - "speech"

When Miller approached the scene... it took all of Aurum's self control to not throw himself at the cheetah. Up to this point, Aurum had actually been rather fond of the male, thinking that while he was a bit of an oddity, he was a good clanmate, and a pretty good strategist as well. He was useful and helpful, and Aurum hadn't thought there would be any real issues with the other. However, it seemed as though Miller liked causing trouble, or at least thought that forcing someone out of their comfort zone was the best way to learn. Yet here Roy was, shoved far out of his comfort zone with nothing to show for it except the unshed tears glittering in his eyes. The proxy found himself digging his claws deep into the earth when Miller addressed Roy so softly, as if to prove that he really cared about the boy. Aurum could feel the flames curling in his chest, suffocating and choking him with their magnitude as he found himself wanting to roar, if you cared about him, you wouldn't make him do this shit, Miller. Still, though, Aurum doesn't make any sudden movements. Doesn't scream or shout like he wants to, and certainly doesn't launch himself forward to crush Miller beneath his paws and fangs. No, he doesn't want to hurt Miller, not truly. He just wants Roy to be safe, and continue to be happy. He wants to protect Roy, a boy that he knows has seen horrors that most adults couldn't even understand and has still come out smiling on the other side, even if a little worse for wear. Aurum knew the viciousness of the world well, and hated it with all his heart, but that didn't mean he wanted Roy to have to face it head on, like this. He isn't violent because Miller isn't a Pittian. He isn't an enemy at all, he's just a fool who chose to stare the horrors of the world straight in the face, and ended up like this because of it.

Listening stiffly to what Miller had to say, Aurum could feel his one aqua blue eye glancing over at Roy occasionally, trying to gauge his son's reaction while breathing through the anger. Some of what the cheetah is saying makes sense, but most of it is just the military was of looking at things. Roy showed promise, Roy could be useful. All or it just sounded like various ways to say that Miller didn't see a child when he looked at Roy, but a tool. That, perhaps, was what infuriated Aurum the most. That his son, a male that had already been degraded and reduced to a tool or a weapon in the past, was being told he showed promise in something that he didn't even want to do. That he was being made a tool for. When Miller turned to face him, Aurum was honestly a bit surprised that the male didn't burst into flames, given the intensity of the lion's gaze upon him. After all, it was entirely possible given the proxy's fire elementals. Aurum's claws sank further and further into the ground below him, his tail lashing behind him and twitching angrily the only true sign of the rage festering down below. After Miller spoke, Aurum opened his mouth, a long pause in the air before the lion finally muttered, "I am... aware. Of his abilities as a mediator. He's a good kid, with a good heart. And he tries hard to make sure that everyone is safe. And that this place isn't a battlefield. I love him for it. It's one of the reasons why I think this is a pisspoor job for him... but it's the task you assigned, so I won't do anything." His voice was stiff, rough and barely managing to hold it together as he spoke, allowing his claws to slip free from the earth and back into his paws. He took a deep breath inward, letting the fresh air soothe his frazzled... everything, really.

Even if he was yearning to just scoop Roy up and get the fuck away from here, the proxy still forced himself upwards to stand, his gaze calm as he looked over the crowd that had gathered. Thinking back on what Abathur had asked, Aurum flicked one of his ears, looking thoughtful before he started, "A few days ago, a Pittian known as Kydobi showed up on our border. He wanted to be here in order to see his son, Piers. However, he was trespassing on Tanglewood territory, and took to insulting us when we started to explain that to him..." Christ, this really wasn't helping with the anger, or with his blood sugar. Another deep breath in, and another deep one out, "Eventually, he refused to get off of our territory because of his connection with Piers. Seeing as he had been trespassing and causing nothing but trouble, I ordered an attack on him. Not only did he trespass, but he also brought another Pittian with him. That damn bug thing that took Roy. I don't even know if it has a name... anyways. Kydobi and that damn bug thing ended up running away, but not before they caused a hell of a scene and almost took Leroy with them." A sigh left the lion before he continued, shaking his head firmly, "In my opinion, Pittians shouldn't be allowed on our territory at all, family or not. If he really care about Piers, he would've arranged something with Indie out in the rogue and loner areas. He came here just to fucking rile us up."

If there was some sort of family drama transpiring, it'd all gone over his head. The wolfhound approached the scene, taking note of the Tanglers present. Aurum, Miller, Roy, Snarl, Abathur (whom he positions himself beside), and Moth. Judging by the above par turnout, Roy's given task was - so far - a moderate success. He arrives just in time to perceive the proxy's briefing, unknowingly frowning whilst his mind replayed the events which occurred on that day. Kydobi displayed boldness in making his appearance. Boldness, and stupidity. For the jaguar to drop anchor at the border, along with another Pittian of all people, and exhibit the audacity to retch appalling untruths in the Tanglers' directions, before ultimately swearing vengeance on those he initially aggravated, he must've been on some hardcore shit.

Going back to the lion's shared information, the general nodded his noggin in agreement throughout almost the whole of it. There was one tidbit of info that didn't come off as entirely factual. "Trespassin'," Leroy voices, rising to his paws from a seated position, "now that's a bit of a stretch. As far as I remember, Kydobi was situated at our border, and our border alone." His chocolate hues glance around, fixating on his tribemates' visages, hoping to see a level of agreement or approval emblazoned on their faces. By no means was he defending the large feline - he just hated to see misinformation being passed around. "However," he continues, "he ignored our warnings, and got pissy when we had to shoo him off." That, he couldn't comprehend. The jet-black pussycat came off as knowledgeable and experienced, so why he couldn't respect another group's border rules was beyond him.

Now it was official voice time. Hooray for official voice time. "So we got a protocol for the event of an exiled Tangler returnin' to the territory. If that were to happen, the exiled fella gets killed on sight. Now, I expect no different for members of an enemy clan. They got no reason to be here at all." Every second word or so was notably emphasized, so that his message would finally get across. The Pittians were not friends. Perhaps some of the newer members of the tribe could not understand this, and that was okay. As long as they refrained from sympathizing with a group that kindled an incomprehensible extent of bloodshed, their skepticism was fine by him. "Familial matters are different. If any of ya got kin up in the desert or jungle or wherever the fuck they are now, then it'd be permitted for ya to meet in the unclaimed land beyond our border. Family is important. I will add, however, if your Pittian family members gave the slightest fraction of a damn about ya, they'd leave the Pitt."

"That's all I got to say."