FLUORESCENT ADOLESCENT / waking up

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☆ HUNG PICTURES OF PATRON SAINTS UP ON MY WALL TO REMIND ME THAT I AM A FOOL. TELL ME WHERE I CAME FROM, WHAT I WILL ALWAYS BE: JUST A SPOILED LITTLE KID WHO WENT TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL —

Such agony, a world falling apart represented for Aurum, the angelic proxy of Tanglewood. At one point, it had finally seemed as though his life was beginning to take a positive turn, and trek on towards the positive. But then, he had lost not only one of his best friends, but also his beloved sister, and a great deal of the group that he had been helping to hold together and build upon. It was awful, seeing months of work and years of lives wiped away by the unforgiving tide of life, cruel and malicious as it seemed. All that Aurum could be glad for was that he hadn't lost everything, even if it seemed that way to his still fragile and aching heart. He still had his children, injured as they may be, and he still had his eldest son, Roy. He had been worried for the boy for weeks, and weeks had quickly morphed into months, agony and anxiety blanketing the lion as he visited his son's room near daily, checking to see if there would be any improvements. There never would be. Instead there would just be the sleeping body of the coati there, breathing in, and out. Aurum had even attempted calling in Selby to see if the medic could do anything for Roy's odd condition, but there had been nothing to be done. All he could simply do was... wait. Watch. It was agony, especially to the grieving and falling apart Aurum.

He had been outside when Roy woke up, his movements slow and jerky, as if just lifting one of his legs filled him with supreme pain. He had been helping out around the town, making an active effort to fix things up after the destruction that the tremors had brought with them. It was all he could do, really. If he stopped for even a moment and let his emotions catch up to him again, he knew that he would fall apart, and he wouldn't be able to put the pieces back together again. He couldn't afford to do that, not when Tanglewood needed him. Not when Feza and Moth were watching over him, no doubt wanting their former home to remain alive and well. The lion's throat tightened at the thought, and he had to fight to catch his breath for a moment, not wanting to start crying in front of the other tanglers that he was instructing around. Thankfully for him, a welcome distraction from his agony would soon come in the form of his son. The son that he had been worrying over for months now. The son that he had been worried he would never speak to again. The son that he had been terrified would just be yet another face added onto the pile of faces that he would never be able to cherish again. Despite all those deep, frantic worries, all of them were blissfully alleviated by two simple words, uttered from the coati's mouth. "Dad? B..Beck?"

The lion was lucky he didn't snap his neck with how fast his head turned upwards, towards his home. He locked eyes with Roy for a moment, his heart beating frantically as his mind stalled. Was he hallucinating? Had Moth's death finally sent him over the edge into total, full-on insanity? Despite these worries, Aurum found himself stumbling forward, tripping over his paws in his frantic rush to move forward to Roy, climbing up onto his front porch. Already tears began to streak down from his one remaining eye, his front limbs moving to wrap around Roy and pull the other into his chest, against the fluff of his mane. As he buried his nose into the fluff on top of Roy's head, he croaked out softly, "Roy... Roy... you're awake... you're finally awake. I'm so glad... I've missed you so much..." He nuzzled the other male's head gently, a soft gulp of half-laughter and half-sob leaving him before he continued, "I wasn't sure you would ever wake up... but you're here..." Even as Aurum's world was thrown into chaos, and it felt like everything was shattering around him, there was at least one thing he could cling to. At least one thing to continue living for. And that thing was his beloved children, who he refused to leave behind, despite everything.

[div style="text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px #1B1B2F; font-size: 24px;"][color=#44437F]— AURUM

#psychosocial.

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DR. CAUSTIC

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[REDACTED]
TOXIC TRAPPER
MACKENZIE VALLEY WOLF
TANGLEWOOD
"Humanity. It's just a word."

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Caustic had a daughter. He loved her dearly in his own apathetic way- at least in her later years. Hugs felt wrong, like a gesture he was undeserving of. Caustic is padding to the tavern in his own wheezing way, his medication still needing to kick in, making a mental note to ask Selby for more.

He is pulled towards the noises of... he can't really describe it. Chatter, at best. He is aware of his own dislike for Aurum's general presence. The lion just needed to stay out of Caustic's business and they would do just fine. He wanted his interactions with Aurum minimized at all costs- he wasn't a fan of the lion's good-natured demeanor. He could agree with Aurum on one thing though, experiences of fatherhood. And it seemed that was what he was walking up on now. Who was the smaller one? He hears the call for water, and moves back, retreating to find some, returning with a bowl and a canteen.
He can't help the soft spot he has for the young, as much as a weakness it was. He pours out some water into the bowl, and pushes it towards the child. "Aurum, who's this?"

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Original code by lexasperated / artwork by @R_HillPrime

[wormwood.]

☆ HUNG PICTURES OF PATRON SAINTS UP ON MY WALL TO REMIND ME THAT I AM A FOOL. TELL ME WHERE I CAME FROM, WHAT I WILL ALWAYS BE: JUST A SPOILED LITTLE KID WHO WENT TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL —

A nap. The thought of his son describing his prolonged absence as simply a nap probably would've crushed Aurum, the father who had spent night after night pacing back and forth, wondering what he had done wrong. The lion had been unable to let himself fall apart and give in to the hopeless feeling that Roy's coma had attempted to instill in him, however. He had responsibilities to attend to, and people who relied on him. So, even as he had felt himself slipping further and further down into utter madness, he had forced himself to continue moving. The only thought that brought him any comfort was the possibility that his son might one day wake up, as he had just moments ago. For a brief period, Aurum had thought this hope to be just a fever dream. He had thought that perhaps his son would never return to him, and he'd just be left with the shell of the young boy's body within his home, breathing but not truly alive. He was relieved to be wrong, tightening his grip on his son and feeling tears slowly wet his cheeks as they trailed ever downwards. When he heard Roy's confused tone, he muttered softly, voice hoarse, "You... You've been asleep. For so long. Months. I tried to keep you comfortable, tried to wake you up, but you never responded... I wasn't sure if you would ever wake up. You're okay, though..." Roy's gentle request for water was what finally silenced Aurum's frantic words, his head bobbing a little in a nod. Of course he needed water. He had been asleep for months, he was probably dehydrated and starving.

The proxy was about to turn and go get some water for the coati, when he was caught off guard by the presence of Caustic. He froze up when he saw the wolf, several emotions flooding through him all at once. However, the predominant emotion was hostility burning in his very bones. He wanted to tell the scientist to back off, and to keep away from his son. However, he bit his tongue to silence these urges, not wanting to lash out unnecessarily at a fellow tangler. Even if he didn't trust Caustic as far as he could throw him, it wouldn't be proper for the proxy of the group to be telling another to get the fuck away, especially when he had brought water to help. Forcing his fur to lay flat after his initial surprise, Aurum seemed to process the other's question, rumbling gruffly, "This... This is my son, Roy. He has been asleep for quite a while, which is why you haven't seen him." Thoughts danced in his head of the horrid experiments Caustic had to be doing, and he once again had to stop himself from acting as a physical burial between Roy and the other male.

[div style="text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px #1B1B2F; font-size: 24px;"][color=#44437F]— AURUM

#psychosocial.

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CAUSTIC

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There are two instances when Caustic is able to display the gentleness of a large bear lifting a tea cup. One, when he delicately holds a plant. Two, when he tips his head to let his heart soften to the unparalleled innocence of a child. It's an odd feeling- Caustic has killed many animals in his time, human and other alike. Caustic lets his tail flick, observing Roy in a face of mixed emotions, some sort of frown but also a lingering softness.

He clears his throat, nodding.

"You're welcome, Roy."

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