It had been several long weeks since Aurum had left Tanglewood behind, eager to get a break from ages of pain and the troubles of mourning. He hadn't meant to leave his friends and family behind, but the thought of remaining within the group had been too much for him, like a burning disease writhing and ripping through his angelic veins. He had needed to get away from the swamp, and away from the building that had collapsed upon the body of his beloved sister. Maybe it was selfish of him, but he thought he had deserved the right to be a little bit selfish, after ages of sacrificing his health and wellbeing for the good of Tanglewood. He loved the place dearly, but it had drained him down to his very bones, leaving nothing but an exhausted man behind. Thankfully, many weeks did wonders, especially when he got to properly mourn, without leaving his house every day only to be reminded of his sister's collapsed home. He had taken time to remember her, and to remember Feza, and it felt as though he was finally ready to return to one of the only places that had ever truly felt like home to him.

He had no doubt that some would welcome him back with vitriol for leaving. Especially his daughter, Asvini. However, he had left her behind for a reason. He knew that the powers that be were still after him. He was still essentially a fugitive, for abandoning his post as the angel of sorrow, and murdering the archangel that had come after him. He still had a massive target on his back, and he didn't want that target extending to his family as well. With his and Draekon's children being nephilim, he knew that they held a special power inside of them. A power that was both dangerous, and desirable. Not wanting them to be harmed – and not wanting Asvini to have to live in fear of some invisible threat from above – he had decided it would be best to leave them behind, where Tanglewood could take care of them. His plans had been ruined when Nugget had woken up when he was about to leave, asking where he was going, and why. Aurum hadn't had the heart to tell him of the danger, and why he would need to stay, so he had been forced to take the boy along. He knew it was unlikely that Asvini would be able to understand his reasoning, especially since he still didn't want her to know of the pain that heaven could potentially bring, but he could only hope he could make it right, with time. That was essentially his motto with everyone else, as well. It would be an uphill battle with some, and he was prepared for it.

It had been several days since he had joined Elysium, mainly as a way to get away from what felt like the empty ruins of the Knights. Once he and Roy had settled a few of their things and he knew that Siborno was alright, they had begun their trek down from the mountains, towards the swamp of Tanglewood. The closer they grew to the thick wall of trees, the more he felt anxiety rushing through his chest. It was a mix of many emotions, all threatening to swallow him up, chew him up, and spit him out. There was excitement to return to his old home, and see the familiar faces that he had missed so much, but also worry. Worry that more people had been lost, and worry that he would still feel like breaking down the moment that he stepped within the main town of Tanglewood. Despite this, he trudged onwards, not willing to let his emotions overwhelm him. He was going home, no matter what. Thankfully, the trek from Elysium to Tanglewood wasn't too long, and after only a few hours, he found himself trudging theough the familiar muck of the swamp towards town, Roy on his heels. Shaking mud from his thick fur, the male cleared his throat before he rumbled out, "Tanglewood...? I hope that there are still people here. Leroy?" His scent was now thickly intermingled with that of Elysium, but it was hard to confuse the former proxy with anyone else, considering his distinctive appearance.

( you can post before Roy!! hello everyone <3 )

Of all the people that Aurum had expected to perhaps have a positive reaction to his return, Snarl was very much not one of them. Snarl had always been reckless, abrasive, downright cruel, and now it seemed, above all, hypocritical. Despite dropping off of the face of the map herself and never really being around all that much, she had the sheer bravery to try and call him out. Perhaps if it had been someone else, the angel would've cared, or at least been a little bit hurt. However, considering it was just Snarl acting incredibly childishly, the lion just found himself rolling his eyes, a soft chuff leaving him. As he shook his head, the winged lion rumbled, "It's good to see you too, Snarl. I'm fairly sure you don't have any power to say I can't come back, so..." He shrugged, offering her a toothy little casual smile before he padded forward some more, completely disregarding her. If she was just going to be a child about things, then he wasn't even going to give her the time of day. Thankfully, it didn't seem as though he would have to deal with her long, considering the fact that Vig was approaching.

Considering the last time that he and Vig had spoken had been a rather emotional encounter, Aurum felt as though he was a little bit closer to the new general. He considered the feline a blossoming friend, and to see him alright and defending him... it was honestly pretty heartwarming. A rumbling chuckle leaving him, Aurum said with a flick of his tail, "Don't worry Vigenere, I remember what you said before. I know that's just Snarl being Snarl... I don't take it very personally." He then said, a soft sigh leaving him, "I think... I've finally gotten to the point where I'm ready to come back. Thinking about Feza and Moth now... I can remember them, but I'm not devastated like I was before." However, the news of Leroy being gone... it was concerning. Had something happened to the hound, like before? A small frown tugging at his muzzle, the male questioned softly, "Leroy's gone...? What happened? Did the cancer come back?" He desperately hoped it wasn't that, especially considering the other's body switch, but... it wasn't unlikely, considering there were still high levels of radiation all throughout Tanglewood's territory.

The bitter taste in her mouth wouldn't go away.

Snarl's testimony was very.. harsh. Compared to the way Asvini thought. But the way she felt? She agreed. The note had no mention of Asvini. Waking up to a cold and empty house, not even a home anymore, left the child desolate. The second pair of eyes had twisted her perception of the waking life. Hearing Aurum speak left her even more hopeless. Since when did he call for other people over his own blood? Did that not matter to him? The cub, hesitantly, had started to approach.

"Lovely of you to show your face." Her words were cold, the bitter taste in her mouth rubbing upon the words. Slowly, the child came to stand next to Snarl- keeping her distance, for the fear of being eaten was still a problem, but close enough to show she agreed with the bigger woman. She sat, not daring approach Aurum further, her eyes narrowed and her teeth grit. Her lips, however, were not pulled back, leaving her face even. It seemed, since Aurum had left, the readability of her face had changed completely. Her eyes shifted away from him, to her paws. Some strange part of her wished that Ivan was around. She lifted her eyes to Snarl, then.

"I believe that I have some power, being your blood daughter." She spoke, her head turning. "It's a wonder you have nerve showing yourself after deserting me." Asvini spoke. She slowly pushed to her paws. A soft sigh deserted her body, and she turned on her face. And with that, slowly the child started to pad away, her head hung low. Perhaps, she was off to find Ivan, to confide in the comfortable tangent that they beheld together.

// not out, just walking away!! all ic opinions

"speech"

If you ever need to talk about things, I'll be around for you. Vig's words were more of a comfort than he could probably ever realize, and the new general's soft tones and calm attitude would only make Aurum more glad he had been chosen by Leroy to lead, once the lion found out. Dipping his head, the angel rumbled simply, "Thank you, Vig. I'll be sure to keep that in mind... and that offer goes both ways." His tail flicked back and forth as he heard Vigenere explain why Leroy had left, a soft oh leaving the male. It was a relief to hear that the cancer hadn't returned, and Leroy had simply wanted peaceful time for himself and Crow. It made sense, really, considering how much the two of them had been through in the past. The winged feline spoke softly as he glanced at the thick trees around him, as if trying to imagine Leroy and Crow walking off together, "Oh, that's actually sort of a relief to here. I'll miss him, but... it's good for them. That they'll be together, and happy." Although it really did make his heart ache over the fact that he had never found someone like that of his own.

The next to arrive was none other than his own child, Asvini, a fact which made his blood run ice cold. Aurum had his aforementioned reasons for leaving the girl without even a word, but that didn't make things any easier. Especially not when he heard the harsh words leaving her muzzle, and saw the new pair of gleaming eyes that glared viciously at him. He wanted... he wanted to do something. Hug her, reassure her, explain himself. But now didn't seem to be the time, and honestly, she deserved to release her anger at him, even if he had done what he had for her own good. He flinched at her words, but he didn't defend himself, just looking down at his paws for a long moment. When she began to walk away, he finally spoke, a sorrowful edge to his voice, "Asvini... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He knew that was far from enough, and he'd have to at least attempt a proper explanation later, but for now, that seemed to be all he could. Hopefully it would be a start to some kind of possible forgiveness, although he wasn't sure he'd blame her if that never happened.

The encounter with Asvini was enough to leave Aurum exhausted, and make him want to trudge his way to town just to curl up in a nice, warm bed. However, she was not the last one to arrive. That was none other than Delilah, whose mere appearance was enough to knock the air from his lungs. The angel stared at the dragoness for a moment, overwhelmed by emotions. The last time he had been within Tanglewood's territory, Delilah had been long gone, disappeared off somewhere to never be heard from. Now, however... she was back, in the flesh. He mumbled softly, his voice hoarse with shock, "Delilah, you... you're back? Is that really you?" He moved forward to try and embrace his friend, being careful not to squeeze her too hard, or dig his sharp claws into her fragile wings.