( obviously set after Roan's visit lmao )

Michael wasn't too keen on the Pitt, if he was being honest. He had once been a shortlived member of the group after he had escaped from The Lost, but that had been a manner of necessity, more than choice. He knew that he was taking a risk in returning after what he had done, but it felt necessary. After all, it was Trygve's birthday, and the fugitive wasn't about to let the nephew who was more like a son to him spend the day alone and empty pawed. Besides, as far as he knew, nobody had figured out it was he that had once brought trouble to the Pitt's doorstep – and unbeknownst to him, it was unlikely anybody ever would, considering his victim from Tanglewood had died recently. Despite all of this, the thief was still trying to be extraordinarily careful as he stepped up to the Pittian border, his head still spinning a little. His concussion from the meteor strike had mostly healed, but he still wasn't yet in top shape, something he was constantly reminded of. Not to mention the fact that the Pitt's desert was just as unbearably hot as he remember, and his thick black pelt was threatening to drag him into heat stroke.

None of this was enough to stop the bobcat in his mission, however. Hell, he had even gone through the effort of dressing himself up as usual. With his recent injuries, within the Typhoon he hadn't been making an effort to put on any of his jewelry or pull on his shades, mainly because it just didn't feel worth it. He wanted to put Ry's mind at ease with this visit, which meant returning to his former self, even if it was only for a little while. So, he had pulled on all of his various bits of jewelry, including his necklace and rings and everything else, and had then put on his aviators, hiding his mismatched eyes from the world. Now, the short male found himself standing just over the Pitt's border, all dresses up with nowhere to go as he struggled valiantly against both his concussion and heatstroke. In addition to all his jewelry, he also had a pouch wrapped snugly around his waist, holding what he had brought to give to Trygve as a gift. Sighing, the thief glanced around before he called out quietly, not wanting to attract too much attention, "Trygve? Ry? C'mon, kid..." He really hoped this stupid idea would work out, and he wasn't about to be attacked by somebody.

I'll come back when you call me

— aine | the pitt | commodore of the crows | fae druid —

Some small part of Michael really did wish he had come all this way to drag Ry home to The Typhoon. After all, he considered the kid to be basically like a son to him, not to mention how the other had become his sort of unofficial apprentice. The thought of someone in the Pitt taking over Trygve's training when he reached the right age made Michael's blood run cold, and a sense of irritation to pass over him. Sure, the bobcat was hardly the best in the world when it came to fighting, but he knew how to use strategy and how to fight dirty, and nobody else would ever be able to bring that particular brand of training to the table. However, the thief was smart enough to know that trying to convince his nephew to come home at this point would be a lost cause. The draconic male still seemed to feel a deep sense of guilt for what he had done, not to mention the disconnect between he and the rest of his family. Michael wasn't entirely sure why he was the one to be trusted with the vital information of where Trygve was staying, but he couldn't say he wasn't honored, on some level.

It took Michael a moment to recognize Aine when she first arrived on the scene, especially with his recent concussion, but she was smart enough to introduce herself, taking the awkward strain off his shoulders. Short tail twitching behind him, the thief offered an awkward little smile to her before he spoke, "Ah, hey Aine... everything's fine, I just came to check in on Trygve. Plus, uh, I've got a present for him." He gestured down to the small pouch near his waist, before his pierced ears twitched with curiosity. Wait... was Aine even aware of what day it was? Was Trygve keeping that a secret? Feeling a smirk twitch at the edges of his muzzle, he continued casually, "Figured it was only right, considering it's his birthday." Maybe Trygve had his reasons for not telling Aine, but considering how close they seemed to be... it just didn't seem right to hide. Maybe Ry would be a little pissed at him for blabbing, but he could deal with the pissed off feline any day.

When Trygve finally arrived on the scene, Michael felt the casual smirk on his muzzle evolve into a full blown smile. It was good to see the other alright, especially considering how their last encounter had gone over. He chuckled dryly when Ry began to lecture him, his chest faintly filling with a fond warmth. Trygve was starting to sound a lot like his mother around the fugitive, and Michael wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Wrapping one of his front legs around Ry's shoulders to pull him into a half hug, Michael muttered with a bit of a wheeze, "I'll be fine, alright kid? Can't just spend all day cooped up in my house with Trevor. A big of walking did me good... you're starting to sound like Rox. 'Sides, I've got something to give you..." He twisted around to grab the pouch from around his waist, thrusting it forward at Ry with a paw, "Happy birthday, Ry." Inside the pouch was... a weapon. It was an unorthodox birthday gift by most people's standards, but the carefully engraved silver blade inside had seemed like a natural gift from Michael to Ry. The engraving along the blade was that of a fancy draconic pattern, and it had instantly leaped out at Michael when he had seen it with one of the traveling vendors.