♛ SLEEP ON ME, FEEL THE RHYTHM IN MY CHEST, JUST BREATH. I WILL STAY SO THE LANTERN IN YOUR HEART WON'T FADE. —

Where he had been might have been a good place to start. Honestly, Piers couldn't quite recollect himself. Perhaps he had been wandering the desert, disappearing just after the sandstorm, his ears lowered. He had wandered, lost in the desert. Lost in the burnt jungle, the ruins.

But he wasn't one hundred percent sure how long it had been.

As he emerged from the tangle, his ocean eyes brushed over the buildings. There was something stale in the air, something hounding him. A frown crossed his muzzle. Piers stood there, his eyes narrowing a bit and his head raising, hair standing on end. He took a tentative step back, his ears twitching and rotating.

[div style="text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px #6F6F99; font-size: 24px;"]— PIERS KYR. ♛

NOTHING BESIDE REMAINS — Piers. It was a name that Aurum had not heard in quite some time, and not one that he had ever expected to hear again, honestly. Last he had heard, the boy had been out in the desert, calling Kydobi his father, and the Pitt his home. Despite this, the angel didn't hold any ill will towards Piers. He wasn't sure his resentment of Kydobi would ever fade – even though he had little idea of where the other was now – but Piers didn't deserve to suffer for that. However, that was only what Aurum knew about the young hybrid's whereabouts. He had seen The Pitt and their members numerous times since his last encounter with Piers – mainly at monthly meetings and raids – but he hadn't seen any sign of the other. Unfortunately, he had eventually just conceded that the other was gone, and that there was nothing he could do about it. That had stung like hell, but he did have others that he needed to protect.

That day, when Aurum had emerged from his home to get to work on whatever the day needed, he was startled by a familiar scent, one that he hadn't encountered in some time. His one eye scanned around camp before he spotted Piers, tensing up in confusion and worry. Much like when Arrow had returned in her ghostly form, the lion was forced to wonder if he was somehow hallucinating. If he wasn't, he couldn't afford to let this opportunity slip through his paws. So, he tentatively approached, clearing his throat as he came to a seat just a few paces in front of Piers. As his thin tail came to rest over his paws, he muttered, "Hello. Piers... is that you?" He had to wonder if Piers would even remember him. Something seemed off about the other, as if his mind was foggy, and distant. — OF THE MAN WHO WAS BORN AND DIED A KING.

♛ SLEEP ON ME, FEEL THE RHYTHM IN MY CHEST, JUST BREATH. I WILL STAY SO THE LANTERN IN YOUR HEART WON'T FADE. —

Aurum. He had mixed feelings, on that topic. The prideful lion, defender of his home, hater of Piers' father. His eyes narrowed just a bit upon spotting the golden pelt, but he forced his fur to remain flat, his ears lowered and eyes dropping to the ground. In ways, he hadn't been sure if he was ready to face society again, to seek out what he saw as, well, former family. But what Aurum had said last to him, he had taken into account. He hadn't meant to hurt Piers. He hadn't meant to hurt him, but Piers couldn't bear those words. It wasn't long after that sickness riddled his system and killed him.

His throat cleared, and by the time his eyes lifted back up, he was facing Aurum, a good six paces away from eachother. Well, probably six of Aurum's paces. The hybrid's ears lowered a bit, before rotating forward and pushing in the same direction. Aurum hadn't changed as much, and honestly, Piers remembered quite easily. He'd have a haughty and cautious chuckle if he had known Aurum thought he wouldn't remember. Piers' eyes flashed gently, "Yes, it is. Piers Kyrzoba." His voice was worn, scratchy in a sense, but it was clear Piers' had matured in that time by tone of voice alone. It was stronger, shouldering some mystery ache.

"How long has it been, Aurum?" He questioned, his eyes resting straight upon Aurum's. It seemed there was little to no fear or stray in their purpose anymore.

[div style="text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px #6F6F99; font-size: 24px;"]— PIERS KYR. ♛

NOTHING BESIDE REMAINS — To say that the relationship between Piers and Aurum was simply positive or negative would probably be a gross oversimplification of things. The lion cared a great deal for Piers, and while things had definitely become strained by the other make heading off for The Pitt, Aurum was fairly sure he'd never be able to hate Piers. He had been genuine when he said he hadn't wanted to hurt the other, and the angel found a soft sigh leaving him before he spoke, "I guess anything can really happen, these days... I wasn't sure whether to ever expect you back or not..." He had hoped that Piers would one day come back to Tanglewood, but he had never been sure of it. After all, when the other eventually did return from his disappearance, Aurum had always figured that the boy – well, not really a boy, anymore – would simply go back to The Pitt. Although, it was up in the air on how much would remain for Piers back at The Pitt, considering Kydobi's absence.

The former proxy very nearly didn't lift his head when Elsweyr approached, simply flicking his tail to acknowledge her as he kept his focus on Piers, "It has been... months, at the very least. Maybe not a full year now, I'm not sure... time has been harder to keep track of these days..." Aurum just shook his head from side to side as he thought of recent events, his one eyed gaze temporarily darkening. Still, it was best not to dwell on the events surrounding the Coalition – not until Stryker was dead in the ground, after all. Letting that go for now, the lion let a small and only slightly forced smile come to his muzzle before he spoke, "It's good to have you back though, Piers. For however long that you intend to stay. We're working on... getting back to normal, honestly. Things have been a bit scattered lately, thanks to a new asshole group rising up." Luckily, the Coalition was no longer in charge of Tanglewood or their territory, but he was fairly sure no one would be happy until they were eliminated completely. — OF THE MAN WHO WAS BORN AND DIED A KING.

CAUSE EVEN BLOOD WILL RUN, LIKE THE TEARS OF A SAINT !
Would it be a habit to lay eyes on faces she'd interacted with when they were much younger? First Aurum, of course, then along comes Piers. She did remember the kid, despite maybe not interacting as much as she could have before her demise, but what she did remember was thinking he reminded her of a robot. Of course, she meant that in the nicest way possible, like...more so a robot constantly looking for more information about the world and less the kind that would initiate a world domination plot. Although, it had been some time since she'd been up walking around, so whatever may have happened between Piers and the rest of Tanglewood was lost on her. She hadn't been around to watch the events play out, after all. All she knew was when she knew him he was a child, and now, he was not.

"You've gotten so big since I saw ya last." Speak of the ghostly devil, Arrow couldn't help but mutter the sentence to herself upon arrival, wondering if he would even have the slightest recollection of her, because again, she wasn't exactly a figure that engaged enough with him to stand out, or be even recognizable. But at the very least, whatever may come of meeting face to face once again with the young man, she did still remember when he was a small child. And that memory alone brought a strange sense of painful nostalgia.

♛ SLEEP ON ME, FEEL THE RHYTHM IN MY CHEST, JUST BREATH. I WILL STAY SO THE LANTERN IN YOUR HEART WON'T FADE. —

His ear twitched, then turned towards Els. His eyes followed soon after, seeing the king cheetah wearing.. well, quite the fitting mask for Tanglewood, of all things. A gentle grin touched his muzzle, and his ocean blue eyes lowered to half lidded, before they closed and he nodded towards her. Quite the friendly reaction, compared to Aurum of all people. He then cleared his throat. He opened his muzzle, then fell silent as she spoke. His ears twitched for a moment, but those intelligent eyes of his understood and kept his disposition neutral. "Thanks." He stated. "I.. have a feeling that they are.. a bit different." He stated, lowering his chin a bit.

He looked back towards Aurum as he spoke, before sighing a bit. "Troubling news, I do say, but it isn't like you haven't dealt with something like that before." The words had turned a bit bitter by the tail end of it, and his head tilted down again as he cleared his throat. He was about to state one more thing before his head turned at the arrival of.. someone he hadn't seen in ages.

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped just a bit. He closed it shortly after, his ears laying flat and an awkward grin crossing his face. "Arrow." He stated, just a ghost of a whisper, before he stepped towards her. He stiffened just a bit, before forcing his fur to lay flat. And awkward laugh left him, his paws shuffling before he stated a response. "I.. am still growing. If you remember, my father was.. large." He cleared his throat, raising his eyebrows towards Aurum just a bit at the last sentence.

[div style="text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px #6F6F99; font-size: 24px;"]— PIERS KYR. ♛