[div style="width: 45%; text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -1px; font-family: times new roman;"]♡ — Roan hadn't meant to be in the Pitt for so long. In the grand scheme of things, a week wasn't really that long, but when you were just an apprentice far away from home, it was forever. That wasn't to say that the Pitt hadn't been kind to him, they had been – surprisingly so, honestly – but it still wasn't home. He was still a relative stranger, and he still felt out of place when people would eye him suspiciously, the boy pulling his wings in close as if they would protect him from prying eyes. He had thought about returning home as of late, but then he thought of his mother, and Kaz, and Octane. How would he be able to face them all when they would have scars from what he had done? Just the thought of feeling his mother's electrical burns beneath his paws was enough to make him shiver, shaking his head and getting to his paws. He needed something to get his mind off the past, and off of the Typhoon. Really most of all, he just needed to get out of Silver's little sand hollow.

Roan climbed up the soft slope leading out of Silver's hollow, shaking the sand off of his fur as he let his legs carry him wherever they wanted to lead, letting his mind go on autopilot for the moment. Eventually, the draconic feline found himself wandering up to the front of the strategist temple, his neck craning up to inspect the tunnel. This was where most people went to get in training here, right? He tentatively placed a paw on the path leading inwards, taking a deep breath before he padded all the way to the end, where the expansive training area was. It was mostly empty for the moment, the large open space slightly frightening with only a couple of Pittians around, most of whom were either ignoring him or hadn't noticed him. Roan sighed, about to turn and head back the way he had come, when he heard other pawsteps coming down the tunnel. His muscles tensed, the boy muttered quietly down the tunnel, "Oh, uh, hello...?" He hastily turned his haunches away, not wanting to be in the way of whoever was entering.
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[div style="width: 45%; text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -1px; font-family: times new roman;"]♡ — Roan had no desire to prevent Piers – or anyone else for that matter – from training within the temple. So, when Piers spoke up, Roan just sort of stared at the other male for a long moment. When he recovered, he smiled a little crookedly, nodding his head firmly, "Ah, yeah, it's Roan. You're... your name is Piers, right?" He actually felt sort of flattered that Piers had bothered to remember his name, used to most of the Pittians around sort of just tolerating him. A couple of them, like Aine and Silver, had been quite kind, but it wasn't as if he was any sort of honored guest – not that he particularly wanted to be.

When Piers asked him about whether or not he intended on training privately, he quickly shook his head, his awkwardly ruffled wings betraying his surprise at the question, "Oh– no, no, it's alright. I wasn't going to train, really. I guess I just..." He glanced around the temple slowly for a moment, his tail twitching behind him in thought before he continued, "I just needed to get away. I've been thinking about a lot of stuff lately, so I thought maybe a walk would clear my head. I ended up here because... well, I don't really know why. But the inside of this place is pretty, at the very least." He gestured a green wing up at the dragon statues that adorned the corners of the room, a faint smile coming to his muzzle. He had always liked the sight of dragon sculptures and other little pieces of dragon art. It reminded him of his own draconic heritage.
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[div style="width: 45%; text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -1px; font-family: times new roman;"]♡ — Roan smiled slightly when Piers introduced himself fully, mumbling as he shifted the wings upon his back, "Oh, I like your full name. It sounds really nice. My full name is kinda just a mouthful." He laughed a little bit to himself before he got to his paws again, opting to follow Piers further inside. He found he'd rather not be alone right now, and Piers seemed like decent enough company, especially since he seemed to be having similar thoughts. Having to jog a bit faster to keep up with the other's longer strides, Roan practically purred, "I like talking things out. I mean, in general, but you also seem very nice, so I wouldn't mind just talking to you." It seemed as though Roan had been lied to when he was told repeatedly about how awful Pittians were. Or at least, things had been exaggerated quite considerably. He'd need to talk to his mama about that, later. Taking his mind off of mama, however, Roan tilted his head to one side curiously, wondering what Piers could've been thinking about. Something similar to his situation? Had Piers hurt someone he loved too...? Frowning faintly, Roan spoke softly, "Oh, well... thinking is good. Could I ask what about? My situation isn't exactly the... greatest right now, so I can't imagine something similar would be great either." He didn't want to pressure Piers into speaking to him, but curiosity was getting the best of the younger apprentice.
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[div style="width: 45%; text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -1px; font-family: times new roman;"]♡ — Roan felt a burst of happiness in his chest when he succeeded in genuinely making Piers smile, his wings and tail twitching and shuffling with excitement. When they reached the middle of the training room, he allowed himself a seat as well, stretching out his wings. They were still sore from the trip to the Pitt even now, and keeping them out helped him keep his balance – he wasn't particularly keen on falling onto his face while talking to a new friend.

When Piers began to talk about his past, Roan felt a soft frown tug at his muzzle, concern shining in his blue eyes. He had known from the very beginning that Tanglewood and The Pitt weren't on good terms, just as the Typhoon and The Pitt weren't, but to attack the boy's father? It seemed a step too far. The draconic boy felt awful about hurting his own family, but he couldn't imagine the feeling of helplessness that must've come with only being able to watch as others hurt them. The thought made him wince, his ears temporarily flattening to his skull before he responded, "That sounds... rough. I'm sorry that you had to go through that. My mama always told me that the Pitt brought suffering to other people, but I still can't imagine attacking somebody's family... I also can't imagine my family in the Typhoon not looking for me, even now. Are you at least... happy here?" Roan hoped that the other was, at the very least. It seemed as though Piers was, considering the way Roan had seen him interact with others such as his father.
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[div style="width: 45%; text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -1px; font-family: times new roman;"]♡ — Loneliness was not an emotion that Roan felt often. It was difficult to, when you were related to just about half of the entire island. Despite this, he had begun to become more acquainted with loneliness as of late, and he felt as though he could relate to Piers. Even with his stint in the Pitt only being temporary, – as far as he had "planned" anyways – he could still imagine how the desert would be a lonely place, particularly for someone like Piers. However, this only pushed Roan to want to befriend him more, if the draconic apprentice was truly honest. Nodding his head a bit, Roan mumbled as he drew swirling patterns in the dust beneath his paws, "I know many people here did, but that doesn't mean all of you should suffer, right? That just doesn't seem very fair to me, is all..." How long had it been since their old leader was executed? That was before he had even been born, so he had to imagine the wounds would heal eventually.

Tilting his head towards Piers as well, Roan gently bumped their shoulders together before speaking, "I can definitely see how it would be lonely... but I can help change that, if you want. We can be friends." It was a rather forward request, but the siamese had never been shy about putting himself out there. He had just gone from the constant question asking of his kithood to his new habit of just wanting to help others. Gesturing outwards with a wing, he explained quietly, "I won't be here forever, but that doesn't mean I can't visit to hang out. I mean, your dad seems to like me, and I'm sure if I told my mama you were safe, she wouldn't try and stop me." He wasn't 100% sure of that second part, but he felt the need to comfort Piers anyways, not wanting the group divide between them to kill a potential friendship.
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