i'd do anything for you
but would you do that for me, too?

The sound of a body quickly splashing through water fills the area near the railroad gate as Diya, after so long, makes her return. Massive white paws push through the water, the polar bear's form finally reaching the land. As it trudged onto the beach, the deep footprints it left in the began to shrink, becoming smaller and more feline shaped. By the time she reached the beach, she was happily in her feline form, giving herself a shake and sending fur and water flying.

There was a joy about the feline, in the way she held herself. Where before she had been slouched, as if the world rested on her shoulders, she now stood tall, head held high. A grin covered her face, once dull eyes now bright, as if lit by a fire. The ever-lengthening fangs those of the typhoon would have always known were long gone, replaced with teeth that were just a tad sharper than need be.

The feline sat with a thump, unsure if she would need to be reaccepted, though technically she never had. She'd been a visitor before, unsure of her place in the world. But now? Now she knew that she wanted to make the Typhoon her home. She felt like she had family here, in the people she had met, those who had welcomed her into their homes. She decided to stay put, treating it like a proper joining. For the symbolism, you know?

She patted her paw on the ground, deep in thought as she wondered what to do while she waited for someone to approach. With a glance at her paws, she realized they were tinged a faint pink and huffed, bringing them up to her maw to clean while she waited. She had the thought to also rub at her chin, which also sported a faint tinge of pink. By the time she was finished, it was all rubbed away and her fur had completely returned to its pristine white state.

She glanced around, wondering where everyone was, when she remembered the bell system. She walked over, struck it once with a look of disdain to the basket of snakes, and strode back to her former sitting place. She sat back down, lounging as she waited. She would build little hills of sand before striking them with a paw and rebuilding. She hoped that someone who was familiar would hear, maybe Goldie or Trygve. Maybe even Pop Rox or Little Lu. She longed to see those she had come to know, longed for the familiar banter and friendly air that filled the beaches.

Diya was someone that Roan had known of, more than she had ever truly known her. When Diya had first come to visit the Typhoon, and had ultimately ended up being their house guest, Roan had been exhilarated. After all, Diya represented the vast lands that laid outside of the boundaries of The Typhoon, lands that Roan had never laid eyes on before, or even known anything about. He was sure he had annoyed her in her brief time there before he had begun to mature, and realized that asking everyone every question that came into his mind was a rather annoying habit. Aside from this, however, Roan didn't truly know Diya. He knew her as far as she related to Roxie, since his immediate family was really all he could find himself able to care about, these days. He wished he had the energy to care about everyone through the Typhoon – and on some level he did, even if it was hard – but his job made it nearly impossible. If he grew close to everyone and worried about them all the time, he'd never be able to make himself treat them, when push came to shove. It was hard enough doing so for his family, after all.

The young sage had been leaving the tavern when the ringing of the bell reached him, causing him to raise his head and part his jaws. The satchel around his waist was faintly jingling, heavy with items that he had won in his latest game of poker. The every other day games within the tavern had become a small comfort to him, allowing him a chance to relax after a day of herb sorting, while still letting him think a bit. He liked to think that he was getting better at it, as evidenced by the trinkets currently weighing him down. He considered just heading back to his treehouse near the temple, but the bell truly wasn't that far away, and the smell of his mama and Eulia was what ultimately made the decision for him. After all, perhaps the person at the border would need medical assistance, and aside from Silas and Goldie – who really shouldn't have been majorly out and about – there was no one but him to provide. Hitching his satchel up a bit on his body, the siamese made his way from the tavern over to where the bell and the snakes were, his mind vaguely informing him that yes, the figure at the gates was familiar, even if he couldn't quite connect the pelt and the name.

Thankfully, Lu was around to make up for his slightly selective memory, her singular word coming out in a soft, hushed tone as he came padding over. Diya. He hadn't exactly been sure where the feline had gone, considering he had been so caught up in the chaos after the meteor strike. Back then, he had no time to worry about those that weren't around, and had been forced to focus on those that were still there, and very much needed his assistance. Despite this, it was a relief to see the pure white feline once again, considering her return was a lot more comforting than she either disappeared, or died. The thought of it was enough to make him shiver, his fur slightly puffed up and his jaw clenched. Shaking his head, he riddled himself of those unpleasant ponderances, muttering to Diya with a nod of his head, "Hello, Diya. It's Roan, if you can't remember me... I'm glad to see that you're doing well." Cocking his head to one side, Roan's eyes narrowed slightly in thought, his words spilling forth before he could truly think about the deeper meaning behind them, "Are you here to stay, or are you just visiting, like last time?" Perhaps it was slightly cruel, essentially implying that Diya had disappeared on them because she was flaky, but his concern laid with his mama, and whether she was going to be hurt yet again.

”then we’d be glad to have you” he offers, finally joining the growing group welcoming back Diya, content to see his home away from home growing once more and finding old faces returning to them.

Though he wasn’t sure sometimes who he knew and who he hadn’t, so many people passed through and it had been a long time - he’d even forgotten faces from very very long past now, back when home was a clan of bloodletting or a clan of snowy skies.