[ diamond in the rough ]

— Please, just do this for me.
— No, fuck off.

He should have kept his word in turning down that asshole's stupid request. He didn't want to get involved in whatever weird shit the demigod was currently locked in nor be connected due to the fear that some nasty webbed claw would clamp around his leg and drag him down to the sea to be their next prisoner. He was immortal and he knew that he was not exactly fond of the idea of spending the rest of eternity in the depths of filthy sea water. Then again...he couldn't just turn away from this one request that his old friend had begged for him to complete especially with the look of tired hopelessness that tinted the drained ice blue eyes of his. Was he really giving up? Was that the last time he would ever see the other? Leviathan felt a sense of dread at remembering that even if the demigod appeared drained and beaten, the man was a survivor just like him. Maybe they were now just shells of who they really were now since both had come from...not so great pasts that echoed with grief and laced with bitter hidden regret. Mostly the other since Levi's strongest ability was to not doubt his actions and simply move forward, accepting the consequences of his mistakes with silent admission if that's what it came to be.

His frigid steel grey eyes were locked onto the pathway that led towards the land surrounded by water. Paradis Island...that's where..that's home. The ragged low voice echoed the name of the island within his skull and the undersized male took a small inhale of the crisp air, trying to ignore the distasteful sea salt that clung to the air. He wasn't exactly used to being near the sea, it was a new piece of the world that had only just introduced itself in his life when he left his old home. His left ear twitched as he easily caught the sound of screeching seagulls on the other side of the land strip and it caused his plastered frown to deepen as the male mumbled softly under his breath, despite nobody being around, [b]"This better be some fucking piece of heaven..." As he glanced down at the crisp blades of rich green grass, he inhaled and was glad that he had waited for the tide to be low so he could pass the stretch of land in a dry state since he didn't want sand to cling to him especially with his thick rich onyx black fur. He raised a small paw to adjust his dark forest green cloak and crisp white cravat, glancing quickly down to make sure he still had the item that he was meant to gift.

— I'm nobody's fucking messenger, shithead.
— Levi, please..I-I don't have much time left.

The memory was fresh in his mind, only a few days clean and burning inside his head with a flame of confusion and contained worry. Why didn't he just travel to the island to see his daughter? Why didn't the dumbass just give the gift instead, it probably would mean more coming from the father than a complete stranger. He didn't have any family nor really any friends, just distant acquaintances which were miles away. To many, socialization was a necessity, an embedded craving in the minds of conscious creatures but to Leviathan, it only meant danger. The danger of growing close and attached, of letting his heart once again be trapped in a box for someone to crush and never open to see what remained. In the back of his mind, a distant memory — a distant smile and voice had won him over but he could not recognize it, the memory buried under layers of deaths and grief. Even the fondness of that distant memory had become distorted, glitched with a virus of betrayal that struck him too hard for him to recover from so easily. His mind contemplated the uneasiness of letting his mind now to be plagued by the beings of others, of once again joining a community that could be torn to shreds by any force that wanted to play the devil. He walked in complete silence as he debated his decision in joining the group that his friend had founded. A bitter humorous memory blossomed when he remembered meeting the other male, the look of fresh desire and hope stitched to the bengal's face.

— One day, I'll make my own group and I'll lead it.
— Sure.
— You'll see. I'll prove everyone wrong...I can be someone.

He couldn't believe his friend had actually done it but part of him wasn't really surprised, Pincher had always held that anchor of determination to get what he wants rooting in his soul. How could he do it? How could he stick to everything even when things got ugly? He stuck around but Leviathan tended to slink back, to slip away in the cracks of his mistakes and try his best to avoid what had led to his demise while Pincher wasn't afraid to repeat his mistakes. He wrinkled his nose, hating how foolish the dreamer side of the demigod never faded away, that he saw something beyond the horizon instead of the present. Pincher saw the future, Leviathan saw the past. For now, the dumbass believed there was still a slip of hope in breaking the chains of whatever trouble he got himself into but not immediately, things took time. He guessed he could at least accept doing a favor if it meant he was able to stay in a place without having to deal with annoying ass rouges trying to start a fight over the dumbest things. Maybe it would be a temporary 'home' but Leviathan was never optimistic, he was realistic and only analyzed what was necessary for now for he didn't bother cracking his head on what could go wrong or right. Whatever happened, he knew he could get past. He just hoped he wasn't repeating his mistakes in growing close to anyone, to let his heart be taken, to be offered for others to feed on. He was too tired to deal with that pain anymore.

After a decent amount of trotting under the blazing young summer sun, the male reached the end of the path and glanced up with half-lidded battleship grey eyes flickering over the peculiar gate. He was quick to catch the faint shifting in the basket nearby and his lean muscles tensed beneath his charcoal pelt, the tips of his claws unsheathing as his gaze slightly narrowed before concentrating on the golden bells. It appeared they were there to announce visitors, he tipped his head ever so slightly, analyzing the crimson ribbons that laced the bells. "I'd thought you'd be over him, Deniz." Leviathan mused flatly to himself as he could recognize the color that lit up an old memory and he gave a roll of his eyes yet knew he shouldn't judge the Roux for being a melancholy romantic, Pincher had always been that sort of type. Raising a front leg, he pawed at one of the smaller bells and it gently rang out, his silky ears drawing back as he bit back a curse from how loud it was to him. It was annoying to have such high sensitivity to hearing especially because he was not the type to enjoy loud blasting sounds in any sort of way even in parties. Letting out a soft exasperated huff bubble out of his chest, the short japanese bobtail went to a lax sitting position with his ivory cravat lazily blowing in the ocean wind, his intense tired silver gaze locked straightforward. He always kept his word.

— Thank you, I appreciate it, I don't know what I'd do wit-
— Yeah, no problem. Just get back as soon as you fucking can, alright?
— ...I'll try.

idyllfields

stars did fall

greeting newcomers was gradually becoming a much smoother experience for idyllfields. before they had been rather cautious of being so friendly to strangers, even though they had appreciated it when given to them. though their mind had always been set on 'stranger danger' and the unknown people of the world...

now they didn't think much of it. there was never just one person around they noticed. always one or two at least accompanying a crewmate when greeting a new face at the gates. today was just such a day again, and the coyote was open with a smile on their maw. they stopped a few steps away from goldie, looking up at levi. "hello, welcome to the typhoon." they piped up, curling their tail around themselves.

[ diamond in the rough ]

— What does your kid look like?
— You'll know who she is when you see her.

That was an understatement. He had to hold back the snarky remark that all Rouxes tended to have some unique trait that made them stand out like a sore thumb, that being their appearance or personalities. Weird fuckers, he'd like to call them with their undilated pupils and otherworldly glow that graced their eyes. Leviathan was the opposite, his appearance was as dull as the drying paint on a wall. Jet black fur that rolled in smooth waves, glossy from his rigid everyday hygiene, not a single strand of fur is a different shade or hue. He was a walking shadow, an abyss that absorbed everything around him but never reflected. His eyes weren't any better. They didn't shine, they didn't contrast, they only appeared to be slabs of cut stone, grey like a morning rain sky. He was boring. He knew that. But he didn't care too much about his looks nor how he portrayed himself as. He didn't want to leave a mark, he didn't want to change any cycle that didn't need fixing although he did know when to stand up and speak his mind when something was off or irritating his iron morals. Were the Typhoon pirates known as the showoffs? The striking colors and vibrant atmosphere of fresh freedom ready to take what's theirs? What an odd sight he must be, the dull bruised sore.

It appeared it didn't take very long to attract others as the faint stir of the air above him and the sound of wings dancing in the air currents caused his small dark pupils to slightly flickering up as a towering shadow cast over him briefly before the owner of that shadow landed in front of him, his lower jaw tightening as he already saw the tiny pebbles of sand already flying in the air. Lovely. However, he managed to keep his trap shut and now focus on the striped bright figure in front of him. A Roux. It was easy to tell, them bastards radiated cosmic troubles. He blinked, wondering if this was the daughter of Pinch—Goldenluxury Roux. Yep, that was her. He tipped his head upwards to lock his neutral unreadable eyes onto the female, noticing that she held the same intensity but with a lighter softer touch. A strength that wavered only in the warmth of the sun. Despite the warm smile, his frown didn't twitch nor turn from its spot, permanently scarring his muzzle as he nodded and raised a paw to straighten his cravat, gently flattening against his chest. [b]"Deniz's daughter. You've certainly got his flair." His furrowed eyebrows tightened as he wondered if he should really tell her about Pincher's wish. Why give her false hope? What certainty was there for her to hold onto when he had been gone for months in her life? Should he just swallow the desire of return and let her accept the simple idea that he may or may not be gone forever, to remain an open-ended question up for interpretation?

"Your father wa-" His monotone voice was cut short when he caught sight of other figures slowly coming fo follow their captain and meet their new..."crewmate". He was still debating if he should even remain but he had been offered sanctuary here by Pincher but that dumbass wasn't here to vouch for him nor was he sure if he'd like to stick around with a group, he didn't want to get attached, no more strings to tie him up. He rolled his heavy set shoulders awkwardly when someone introduced themselves, a coyote and he blinked, giving a curt nod before turning towards the others. A tinier figure than him appeared, a rather surprising thing to see but nothing to take his breath away as he was short but not that short...right? Then like a ying and yang motion, a lumbering colossal figure that was made of smoke and scales. It caused his left nonexistent eyebrow to quirk upwards in a curious way before resettling back to his blank concrete expression. Well they were certainly oddballs of various kinds, it reminded him of how big and different this world was with corners of different species existing. Deciding it was best to just do what he was asked for (he didn't travel for weeks to just give up), he turned his frigid moon grey eyes onto the tigress.

"Your father wanted me to give you this." Raising a silky paw, he dug into his rich green cloak and caught the hem of a small pocket. Once carefully grabbing the item, he pulled it out and held it out for the others to see. It was a necklace, one with a simple silver chain that glinted in the sun but the thing that stuck out was what it held. It was a large jet black shark tooth, old and smooth, beaten down by the sea waves that trapped Pincher. Wrapping around the tooth was small claws of gold that encased a rich peculiar jewel, one mixed with the colors that very much portrayed the eye colors of Goldie, luminous emerald green flecks dancing in the sea of electric blue. "He...he's not dead. And..." his low voice trailed off for a split second, his mind racing on what to say. Should he give false hope on the words of a dead man or remain silent with the words trapped within his chest? He snorted, irritated with how stupid Pincher was. "...And that he will be returning. He said he loves you and that there is nothing in this world that will stop him from seeing you again, he says he misses his little lightning bug, whatever the fuck that means."

His mouth felt dry, irritated slightly that he had to say this to the daughter of his old friend. What if it wasn't true? What if she is just sticking around waiting for nothing? He swore if Pincher didn't come soon, he'd leave and never accept giving anymore favors again. Leviathan swallowed awkwardly, wondering if the child would even care to see her father again. He had met plenty of kids with daddy issues, including himself and Pincher. What if she hated him too? That thought prodded his mind but he was ready to face any reaction.