PICK YOUR POISON + MEETING

[toboggan]

"Tanglers, c'mere!"

In the days of yore had he hosted a meeting. Then, Leroy was a decrepit bag of bones narrowly dodging the jaws of death, feebly standing at the foot of the statue with as much strength in his system as a withered shrub. He stood in place of Crow Roux, the General at the time, providing important information to the tribe's populace in what would have been one of his last public appearances. A death and subsequent reemergence later, he was back, healthier and happier than ever.

Butterflies swirled in a tempestuous whirlwind within his stomach. Every heartbeat expelled immense surges of elation throughout the hound's bloodstream. Just being here, alive (sort of), was nothing short of un-fucking-real. And he represented his euphoria by wearing a dopey smile. His family and his friends, whom he never imagined he'd be able to speak to again, began to congregate in a crowd before his newfound paws. These were his people now. And he will serve them, dare he say, until the day he died.

"Alright, it's time to tackle the elephant in the room," he starts with a subtle chortle, "I'm here. Not dead. Yeah. Sorry 'bout that. Maybe it'd be best if we just... forgot that happened, or whatever. I dunno."

"What I DO know is that I got some important shit to say, so listen up." The male begins to slowly pace from one side of the timeworn statue to the other. As soon as he met the figure's flank, he turned around, and began to stroll in the other direction. "Crow entrusted me with the role of General. Personally, I think that's pretty nifty, but I can understand why some of ya'd be bothered by it. I hope in due time I can prove myself as a good guy."

"To Wormwood - or whatever name ya go by these days - I request that you step up to be Captain of the Guard. In my days as second-in-command, I looked on at ya with curiosity. Ya hadn't even been here for that long, and ya were a prime example of a good worker, faithful companion, and loyal warrior. Ya never shied away from takin' initiative, and ofttimes ya went about hostin' parties and such without even sayin' so to us higher-ups. In other places, that last part wouldnt've flied, but we don't give a shit about that 'round here. But, I give a shit about you, and I think you would make a good captain."

"Next, I wanna talk traditions. Things became lenient around here regarding traditions and shit, which always bugged me. Hell, we don't even got no seasonal festivals or nothing. So yeah, sometime during the second week of December, the Great Gift Gala will take place (name is subject to change if necessary). I came up with it a few minutes ago. Essentially, we're gonna gather 'round and share gifts, while sippin' on eggnog and munchin' on gingerbread and other typical holiday stuff. Which leads onto my next point~"

"The mess hall needs a massive makeover. Like, holy crap. We got a huge hall that nobody uses, which is a damn shame. So I need some of ya to refurbish it. And I ask Wormwood to lead the refurbishing process, if he doesn't mind. I don't got too many specific wishes, just make sure there's a big fireplace. I like fireplaces."

"And that's just about everything. Next meeting will have more juicy stuff, like a higher number of promotions and demotions. If any of you would like to speak up and share your two cents' worth, now would be the chance."

//RECAP:
- Leroy has assumed the position of General after Crow hands over the helm of Tanglewood
- [member=6881]aurum.[/member] has been asked to step up to Captain of the Guard!
- A new holiday, the Great Gift Gala (likely to be renamed soon) has been scheduled to take place within the second week of December! More details soon.
- The mess hall is in need of refurbishing! Aurum has been asked to take charge of sprucing it up - how it happens is up to him.
- No other promotions or demotions.

[wormwood.]

i was born, on the highway, in a train wreck

with a heart, that was beating, out of my chest

Hearing the call of Leroy's voice ringing out from the base of the statue again was... jarring, to say the least. In technicality, it wasn't actually Leroy's voice, but it held the same sort of inflection despite being stronger and more youthful, and it still made Aurum's head lift up from his paws the moment it left the canine's muzzle. Taking a deep breath, the lion felt a wave of relief wash over him at the call of somebody from the base of the statue, at the very least. It was getting to the point where Aurum wasn't even sure Crow was alive, and the guardsman had begun to get worried that there would have to be some kind of takeover. It seemed as though that was happening after all, but in a much less... intrusive way. At the very least, Leroy had been Proxy before his huge stroke and subsequent death, so it wasn't as if he was just some random person emerging from the crowd to proclaim that they were leader now. Still, Aurum couldn't help but feel some faint disbelief as he moved to sit near the front of the crowd that faced Leroy, mainly because of the fact that it was hard to belief that Crow really wasn't general anymore. Ever since Aurum had joined many months ago, Crow had been the leader of the group, who was kind and nervous and a good Dad to Selby, and generally a very good leader, if not a teensy bit of a pushover. It would definitely be... an adjustment, to get used to Leroy being in charge instead, but it wouldn't be too awful, considering Aurum already respected the canine greatly, and knew him well enough to know that he would be a fair, if gruff, leader. Raising his head up a bit at the end of the first part, Aurum rumbled firmly, his tail curling peacefully around his paws, "Congratulations, Leroy. I'm sure you'll do a good job leading us... and I hope Crow gets some well deserved rest." He flicked an ear absently, his eyes darting around curiously for any sign of the former general, just wanting to make sure he was alright. The lion assumed he was, given the fact that Leroy had just said the title had been passed onto him, rather than Crow dying or anything, but he still felt a slight stab of anxiety.

His attention was yanked away, however, by the utterance of his old name, followed up with a halfhearted correction. Aurum blinked up at Leroy in surprise, faintly worried he was about to be reprimanded for something he had unknowingly messed up, but was instead left shocked by the new general asking him to step up as Captain of the Guard. It was incredibly surreal, hearing the praises that left Leroy's muzzle as he explained his reasoning for promoting the angel, mainly since he hadn't been expecting such a wave of respect and congratulations. It was also starkly clear in his mind that, as Leroy had said, despite only having been in the group for a short amount of time compared to some, he had still been climbing steadily up the ranks, somehow managing to impress again and again. He was starkly aware of the fact that he was technically second in command now in the absence of a Proxy, and... he honestly wasn't sure if that was exhilarating or terrifying. For so long he had been told over and over again that he wasn't worthy of power or respect, or that he didn't work hard enough to deserve anything that his family had promised him as a cub, but... now all of that seemed so far away. Swallowing thickly, the male dipped his head to Leroy, saying with a small smile on his muzzle, "...Thanks, Leroy. I'd be honored to step up as Captain of the Guard." It felt incredibly good to say such a thing, and he found himself wearing a proud smile as he settled in to listen to the rest of the meeting.

The next part was about traditions, and Aurum found himself nodding along eagerly as he listened to Leroy's words. It was true that they hadn't done much that truly made them stand out as a group lately, and the sound of a big festival thing sounded incredibly fun, even if Christmas had a tendency to send chills down his spine ever since his revelation of finding out he was an angel. He also had to believe that it would probably lead to a whole lot of Feza excitement, considering it was a big event that would require planning. The segway into the next part of the meeting was fluid, and Aurum found himself nodding along as well with this. He had noticed several times how the mess hall had gone mostly unused and unloved, and occasionally his paws had itched to do something with it, and now it was really his chance, with even Leroy asking him to do so. The captain rumbled as he glanced in the direction of the hall, nodding firmly, "I can do that... yeah, I can definitely do that. If anybody has any suggestions of what they'd like to see besides a fireplace, be sure to tell me so I can keep them in mind. I've already got a few ideas of my own..." He watched as Leroy finished up the meeting before he spoke softly, his wings shuffling a bit behind him to draw attention, "Ah... I do actually have something I'd like to suggest. Considering you were just talking about traditions and how we've been slacking on them... I think we should do a mask vigil sometime soon. A new month has just passed, not to mention the fact that we haven't had one since... well, since before I first joined, actually. I've only ever heard about it secondhand... that's just my suggestion, of course." The lion then lowered his head, relaxing and waiting to see the reactions of all the other members to the swap in leadership and other events.

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[THEM]

[align=center][div style="text-align:justify;width:55%;font-family:verdana;"]The first thing Kazuhira wants is to understand what, exactly, warranted the new leader's introduction. Frankly, that was an opening statement that he wasn't ready to wrap his head around - he'd counted two sunsets since he arrived on Tanglewood's border, posing himself as a willing cog in their machine, and in that time he had come to understand that this little township seemed to see very little duress. It was a welcome diversion from the usual drone of his activity, chatting politely with passerby, carrying out little tasks to waste the time. But it was quiet. Too quiet, almost, but the apparent fake-death of their current leader seemed to have rocked the boat considerably.

The second question that sprung to mind: Who the hell is Crow?

He'd seen nothing of the leader (a reasonable thing by most accounts, for Kazuhira was used to a leader being little more than a figure on the chain of command, a name in passing), so he assumed this new commandant was intending to create more of a presence in the group by assigning orders in person. He hadn't grasped yet that groups such as this were far more personal than the bands of rogues he'd encountered thus far in the wild, but the understanding would reach him when the appointed Captain of the Guard - Wormwood-not-Wormwood, he'd figure out the real name later - gave his breathless gratitude. Aurum was good for the role, it seemed, by his immediate undertaking of the leader's tasks without question. Perhaps they would get along well.

"Yes, sir," the cheetah's voice joined the buzz of his clanmates' agreement. He had a job he could throw himself into, finally, rather than wandering around the town with no goal to drive him. It would be an excellent opportunity to meet other members of the group, and forge a mutual understanding between himself and his superiors. He could get a foot in the door - a paw, if you will - and make good use of his talents at last.

[arcy]

-

-

Upon hearing the call, Crowley's first thought is something along the lines of Hm. This sucks. His first and only meeting here had been from the same guy, hadn't it? He hadn't been leader then, certainly, but .. Anyways.
The old proxy dies, returns from the dead a month or so later and then, immediately after, apparently steps up to leader. He can't think of another reason why the wolfhound would be hosting a meeting. Crowley is paranoid by nature -- it just doesn't sit well with him. He had hardly seen the wolfhound around when he had been alive. What gave him the right?
.. To be entirely honest, the main reason Crowley isn't more suspicious or bitter is because Aurum seems .. fine with it. By no means does it alleviate whatever the hell is going on in his head, but it .. helps. He trusts Aurum's judgement. Quite a lot, in fact. Which is to say that if Aurum couldn't do much about it, nothing would -- not immediately, at least.
Spitefully, for a long moment, Crowley contemplates .. not turning up, before realizing that, hey, he lives here, and he should probably be caught up. So, with a sigh, he makes his way over -- and promptly beelines to seat himself next to Aurum. He spares a single, unsure glance up towards the lion, tail curling around himself, before promptly focusing on Leroy.
.. Nice that it was Crow who made the choice instead of the wolfhound just ... shoving himself into place. Even so, words don't mean a lot to the serval. Next to nothing, in fact*. He will, however, give Leroy the benefit of doubt.
*Per usual, Crowley is a liar. He very selectively cares about words.
"Congrats," He says softly, half-grinning up at Aurum. He deserves it, probably more than anyone. Ranks don't mean a lot here, certainly -- this place was pretty self-run, more member-based than anything. There was no way that this place would run so well with so few ranked members frequently around if this wasn't the case. It was still .. validation, though, and a sense of obligation.
Anyways. He's not sure what the point of that self-rant was.
The rest wasn't .. a lot. They're doin' Holiday parties now, apparently. Crowley didn't care too much for the holidays, or Christmas at the least, but he means .. whatever, that's him. Aurum has been given a task. Crowley glances at him, tail twitching as he talks, and remains silent. Somewhat strange for someone so opinionated, but .. regardless.
//crowley is a paranoid bastard, ic opinions hdskjfhsdjf

-

[Blazic]

[Perseus]

Their discussion had ended rather abruptly last time the two met. Perseus was truthfully fond of Leroy, but the man's reappearance had startled him. Tanglewood had moved on from the old dog's death quickly and to see him return before their eyes was... different. Even so, the sable German Shepherd had seen mystics in his time and tyrants dethroned, so he was not one to question the return of someone so relevant. Nevertheless, his opinion did not get rid of the eerie feeling in the air.

While Leroy's sudden materalization was not as surprising for canine, the situation was a different subject. The news of Crow's disappearance echoed in his mind for a bit, but ultimately, he settled on Leroy's leadership. Rising from the dead and taking lead almost seemed rather unsightly. It left distaste in his mouth. What demons did Leroy have to dance with to revive and gain power? And to have Crow suddenly disappear at the same time? Perseus had to hold on suspicion. It was in his nature to see the worst in others. As the judge, jury, and executioner, the canine held his tongue. While he'd like to offer his concerns, he was not a man of many words.

Instead of meddling in affairs in public, he offered a dip of his head towards Leroy. "Welcome back," came his scratchy tone. Through a clouded gaze, he could see the blur that was known as Leroy had grown wider. Perseus could barely see that the canine had actually switched into his brother's form, but noted that the new leader had changed somehow. It was something he'd have to get used to. Luckily, their tone and sway presumably hadn't changed.

His attention briefly shifted to Aurum. Their position was well-deserved. Perseus could not argue against their promotion to Captain. In fact, he figured that Aurum would of been the new leader until Leroy showed up. Perseus was not a prophet luckily. Their new Captain of the Guard was thankfully a fantastic choice though. Active and determined, they were fit for the job. "You deserve it," he muttered towards them. "Congratulations."

With his courtesies finished, his ears perked and awaited more announcements. Silence swept over the room, unnerving the canine. The elephant in the room still lied unaddressed, despite Leroy's explanation. It seemed almost lackluster. Perhaps even ungenuine. Especially with the excessive use of slurs, but that was Leroy for you.

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[trojan g.]

[align=center][div style="bgcolor= black; width: 500px; font-family: georgia;font-size:12px;text-align:justify"]Moth was late, something she didn't like to admit when it came to meetings, but she had been lucky enough to be able to hear everything as she made her way over that she could possibly miss, and listen to the words that were being spoken more. She had known that Leroy was back from the dead, but she didn't realize that meant that he would be taking over from Crow. She knew it was likely for the best - the feline had been absent as of late, and if Crow's son was anything to compare to when it came to stresses and worrying about things, he was probably under a lot of pressure - but still hadn't expected it so soon, and hadn't realized that it would be Leroy who would be speaking about it in a meeting, but rather thought Crow would be the one to hold the meeting, leaving it off with a stepping down announcement. Granted, Moth hadn't been in Tanglewood long enough to see what it was like switching leaders up until now, but she could have only assumed that it would have been something different.

Having not seen Selby around the meeting, Moth had decided to take a seat besides her brother, listening to the words that Leroy spoke out to those there before turning to the older male and offering him a smile and a small playful push on his leg in congratulations, daring not to speak out too much in case she missed something else in the meeting.

Glad she could hear what was going on, she would widen her eyes slightly in excitement at Leroy's announcement for the gala, interest pulsing through her body as she thought of it. She knew that there had been some gift exchanges here and there in the territory, but as far as she could remember there hadn't really been an event for it.

When Aurum spoke at last towards the end of the meeting about the vigil, the feline couldn't help but stop to think. The last one they had had been right after Moth had joined, where she had gotten her own mask for it, and she hadn't thought much of it until now, thinking that it had been something that just didn't happen too often, but it would be good for those who were here now to participate in it themselves, as it had been fun at the time. "If we want to do another vigil, I can help out with it Leroy." She would offer, looking up towards the canine.

[toboggan]

The crowd before him was a mixed bag of ardent looks and skeptical grimaces. Nobody appeared to outright renounce his accession, though not a face shown in the rabble appeared to be satisfied either. Which was completely okay. Leroy seriously doubted that any individual within Tanglewood's community would immediately welcome him back with open arms after the unceremonious return he made some brief days ago. And for him to claim leadership a narrow two days after unanticipatedly surfacing on the town's outskirts, it only made sense that a good chunk of the tribe's population felt uneasy about the whole ordeal. At least Aurum received a fair amount of praise for his promotion. Perhaps the hound made the right move by giving him the job. The lion seemed exceptionally popular among those that were doubtful of their new leader, after all.

Off-white chompers reveal themselves in a toothy grin as the freshly appointed captain accepts his role, as well as undertaking his first given task. He also asks about a mask vigil, which promptly ushers a hushed laugh from Leroy. The male hadn't heard of mask vigils in a great amount of time. He opens his mouth to reply, though closes it upon seeing that Moth had some words of her own, also relating to the mask vigil. Hmmm. He was tentative on the notion of it, as masks had become incredibly irrelevant in recent months, but if it such a popular request amidst the Tanglers, then so be it. "Come the new year," he begins formally, shooting both Aurum and Moth nods respectively before fixating his attention on those still ahead of him, "there will be a Mask Vigil. For those who are unaware, masks used to be a crucial element in Tanglewood culture. They were usually worn at meetings, gatherings, and raids, and had to cover at least one half of your face." Some masks were truly extravagant, such as Morgan's ice visor, or Beck's deer skull. Some face covers, such as his own woolen balaclava, weren't on par with the elegant standards set by the aforementioned masks. But it wasn't about the looks when it came to masks; rather, each mask was unique, and served as a  means of expressing one's creativity whilst retaining anonymity. "I'll explain it better when the time calls for it, but in basic terms, these vigils are like a vicious game of cat and mouse between Tanglers with masks and Tanglers without masks. If a Tangler without a mask makes it through the night without getting caught and beaten up, then they get a mask."

"Nobody will get too hurt, but having you on the sidelines would be very helpful, Moth," he then says, firing an appreciative glance in the medic's direction. And then he does the same to Miller and Perseus, both of whom verbally acknowledged his existence.

"That puts an end to this meeting, then - unless anyone still has something to say."

[Crow Roux]

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The feline hung to the back of the crowd, almost ashamed to show his face after such a long, unannounced absence. How unprofessional of him to let his personal feelings get in the way of the job that had been given to him by Morgan many months ago. However, Crow felt it was no use to wallow in his failures. Instead it was best to focus on things going forward and better himself, and the first step in that to relieve the burden of leadership from his frail shoulders. Leroy would do just fine. He was sure of that.