SMOKE & MIRRORS — MEETING 08.27

CAPTAIN PINCHER ROUX | resides in the typhoon and is the demigod of rough seas. he is a muscular dark gray jaguar with frigid glacier blue eyes, marked with scars and glowing tattoos. he is the head of the roux family and is currently single. he is known for being a charming strategist with dark secrets. be cautious around him. —— ⚓

❝ YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN — YOUR SILENCE IS MY FAVORITE SOUND ❞

Pain. How much pain could the mortal body take? How much could an immortal demigod body take? He didn't know the limits but he felt as if he was edging to the brink of his extinction of energy and resilience. With his newly wedded husband no longer around and now having to raise six children on his own, Pincher was feeling the effects of the exhaustion that weighed down on his heavy shoulders. It was rather obvious to see that Pincher was hurting inside but not in the normal way one would grieve. But in the Typhoon, his crew probably knew him well enough to notice the changes. The sickness that had sunk into him was now fading away but instead of finding solace and relief, all he felt was the realization that the pain had not left. He sucked in a shaky breath as he rested his head onto the pile of papers that he was reading, the usual notes he had for meetings but never really took with him because he was able to memorize everything rather easily even at a glance. But he liked making sure as his bloodshot gaze flickered back to the papers before forcing himself to step away from the desk and stalk out of the submarine, not finding the warm sunlight any comfort. All it did was remind him of how Jacob's smile had reminded him of sunlight and it caused his throat to suddenly tighten, freezing the tired widower to stand awkwardly in front of his submarine for a few shaky moments before sucking in a small breath and forcing himself to move forward. Progress. Time. That was all it took to move on, right?

The sleek muscular male continued walking by the shore with his paws softly sinking into the wet soothing sand, enjoying the ability to distract himself with how it felt before glancing up as the shadow of the Tempest swallowed him up, causing his head to tip upwards to make give the signal that it was time for a meeting. The familiar conch sound filled the air, joining the orchestra of shrieking seagulls and the crashing of waves. All this life surrounded him and yet, Pincher felt as if he was in a muted world. Nothing sounded as rich nor as colorful as he remembered. He hated this feeling. Hated how he was wallowing in a stupid love trance that was shattered by the idea of being happy and settling down with someone alongside him. What was the point anymore? He wasn't very good at romance anyways. All the self-consciousness that he kept under his facade of cool exterior was beginning to creep up to the surface with his fictional eyebrows furrowed with distress as he stepped into the mouth of the cave and the conch sound seemed almost nothing despite how loud it was to normal ears. The wildcat finally reached the dome, noticing that the sealife was dancing around behind the glass, schools of fish swimming eagerly through coral and kelp. He slowly climbed onto the throne and sat down, gaze locked onto the ground with a small cough escaping his lips before he looked up to noticed some had arrived.

"Usually I'd start shit right now but...just give me a second...I need to gather my thoughts." Pincher stated flatly, frigid ice blue eyes flickering towards everyone as he lied. He knew what to say and do but at the moment, the wildcat just needed time to accept the fact that he couldn't find the face of Jacob in the crowd anymore. His dark ears pinned themselves against his aching head as the tattooed male just waited for enough crewmates to arrive before beginning. "There have been some new faces around here so please welcome them and don't be dicks to them, alright? South, Rocky, Peppino, Lou, Candia, Valerian, Constantine, and Linux...welcome to the Typhoon." Some of the names were of his children but he wanted to welcome them nonetheless and introduce them to the crew if some had not met them yet. It was nice to see his children mingle and grow but it also brought the same heartache he was trying so hard to dismiss. The fake smile he usually put up was no longer lacing his lips but he held a small welcoming touch to his ocean colored gaze as he added "Next up, I'll be giving shoutouts, promotions, and demotions. I also have some rather important shit to say. So you fuckers better listen up."

( second part of the meeting will be made after a few replies! )

❝ THE TYPHOON — CAPTAIN — IMMORTAL — JAGUAR — FATHER — WIDOWER ❞

ALL ALONE HE TURNS TO STONE !

CAESAR CIPHER. MALE. THE TYPHOON. OFFICER.

If Caesar could hear Pincher's thoughts about pain, the demon would snort. Of course he would, considering he didn't feel pain. For him, it was just numbness, something that could easily be ignored. Unfortunately that didn't mean his body wasn't injured because if, theoretically, if a chuck of his shoulder was ripped out, the body would still act normally, Caesar himself just wouldn't be able to feel the pain that would be associated with the wound. Pincher didn't appear to have any physical wounds which meant what the Captain was feeling was either mental or emotional, both of which could easily be manipulated.

It was meeting time, as Caesar finally learned of the schedule, so it didn't take long for the demon to arrive before Pincher started talking. His ears flicked as he sat down, letting out a small hum of interest as Pincher choose to make announcements later. Strange, but whatever; Pincher seemed awfully down in the dumps lately and he was probably waiting for Jacob to just... magically show up. Weird, speaking of which, where was that damned pacifist?

#psychosocial.

The last meeting Bakugou had attended, he noticed the dreadful silence of the crowd when it came to Pincher's obvious illness. Some, he assumed, were too cowardly to speak up and even voice their concerns. It was, however, the voice of the people who held the most power. A leader could only be as strong as the loyalties of their followers and it made him furious to hear no sense of concern lacing the words of anyone. He saw only dumbfounded eyes, too scared to speak out for fear of being drowned by an imagined judgement. He remembers the way anger gripped him by the neck, possessing the boy to growl at everyone who dared to sit in silence. Aita -... or Silus, if he wanted to acknowledge the sage's identity - had replied to him, stating that of course The Typhoon was worried. He didn't know how to react from there. He is too used to the nonchalance of others, never expecting much out of their attitudes and demeanors. Pincher's dedication, although appreciated, was something that bothered him too. He'd rather the man were either alive or dead rather than groveling in between.

His eyes narrow, squinting when Pincher calls for another meeting. He isn't invested in the love affairs of his crewmate, unaware that the Captain was currently grieving the loss of his lover, his husband. Despite this, he notes a sudden change to the meeting's format. Rather than going through everything at once, the meeting has been put on hold while Pincher supposedly gathers his thoughts. Bakugou sits down, fidgeting a little with his paws as he bites his inner cheek, trying his best to remain silent and patient. It seems like he is one of the first to arrive.

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"The endless Void, The gazing abyss, The bottomless ocean of horror...
It coiled itself around your tender heart."

While the captain appears markedly less ill he still bears the signs and the markings that Lucifer knows all to well - and resolves to find Pincher after the meeting, ask if the captain needed someone to talk about things - anything really, just an ear to listen.

Lucifer had loved and lost so much in his long lifespan - he knew the ache of losing your other half like the physical loss of a limb, he still did at times.

but for now the dragon seats himself, worry tinging his eyes as he waits for the meeting to be over and done before he can find and ask pincher - offer his own help with raising the kids, heavens know he's had plenty of practice with his long gone siblings and his own children - adopted or otherwise - and if it helped ease the burden at this time, he'd do what he could.

TAGS • PLAYLIST • LARGE DRAGON • TYPHOON / PRIVATEER

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Luca didn't usually attend meetings. They were too stifling for him, and he preferred to gather information from places slightly less formal. He could usually be found in the capricorn tavern after a meeting, drunk off his face but still perfectly capable of absorbing the information he caught from the maws of others. His memory wasn't perfect when it came to things he wasn't interested in, but surprisingly information gathering was one of his specialties. Because of this, he simply didn't see a need to attend the weekly meetings. This time though, he had made the mistake of lingering around the area before the meeting was called, and was therefore trapped when the crowds came forwards to see what Pincher had to say. Luca reluctantly fixed his eyes on the jaguar, deciding that sitting through one meeting couldn't be too bad. The atmosphere was absolutely stifling though. It pressed against his fur and turned his neutral expression into a frown. This was exactly why he liked to stay away from stuff like this; Pinch was obviously going through something serious, and the second hand pain was something he didn't want to deal with.

Luca understood heartbreak well. It was the reason he liked to avoid serious conversations, the reason he feared losing Marcellus now that their minds were entwined. He hadn't noticed the absence of Jacob (after all, the canine tended to avoid Luca), but it was pretty obvious that something was off. The hellhound chewed on his lower lip, his face morphed into one of concentration as he studied Pincher's expression. He was mostly interested in what was bothering him, although obviosuly he was reluctant to ask the captain himself. He'd ask around the tavern later, and hopefully he'd manage to pick up something useful from the hushed whispers of his crewmates. For now he waited for the rest of the meeting, curiosity held by the 'important shit' Pincher had mentioned. Hopefully they'd be able to fight soon- his lack of a reliable food source made him antsy and ready to snap. He honestly wasn't sure how long he'd be able to control himself if he didn't do something soon.

Despite Eshe's protests, Cleo found herself settling down next to Goldie. Her sister would receive no formal greeting, the slightest inclinations of a head her only acknowledgement before sanguine-shaded eyes were focused upon Pincher. Her anger towards her siblings had all but resided, but that didn't mean she felt any differently about her father. She didn't want to be angry at him, not anymore, but her mamba's constant influence clouded her perception more and more with each passing day. She had managed to ignore her pressing hatred towards Sylvina and Goldie and Katherine, refusing to succumb to the darkness that Eshe tempted her with, and yet it appeared as if the captain had not been so lucky.

Swallowing hard, she found herself unable to generate even the slightest touch of concern towards her father. He didn't looked good at all and she knew that, deep down, that should have worried her. But it didn't- the only emotion that rose to meet her was that rage. How she wished she could quell that inescapable rage.

THOUGHT THAT I'D FEEL BETTER

MY V IS FOR VENDETTA