sending out flares | returning

[cleo roux.]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11px; color;"]Once upon a time, a little girl by the name of Cleo Roux-Cipher lived somewhat happily in the Typhoon with her companion, Eshe. In that frozen-over heart of hers, there had only been room for two entities: her precious snakes and her even more precious brother. It had perhaps been her lack of love towards anything else that permitted an inky darkness to consume her, stealing her far away from her home and allowing a friend - her closest friend - to become a foe. Nothing more than an extension of Eshe's will, Cleo lost herself more and more in her own mind, reduced to nothing but a shell of the creature she had once been. Hope had become an incomprehensible concept just as happiness had and all she knew, all she would ever know, was the allure of the shadows that she now permanently dwelled within.

But she was Cleo Roux-Cipher and her movements, albeit shaky, were her own. If she knew the meaning of the word anymore, she'd consider her freedom a miracle. But as the bengal collapsed upon the railroad tracks, all she could bring to mind were two faces and a single name. Everything else that had made her her had been erased, that god awful darkness taking away her identity with no remorse. No care. She had those faces though... and that name... It was her name, she realized with a start, clouded red eyes blinking in dull confusion a few times, her name. "I am Cleo..." The words didn't feel like her own, barely audible and barely heard by the mostly-deaf beta, but they were her own. She was her own.

She was her own.

"I am my own."

A few more dazed blinks and her attention was falling upon her mangled leg. She could only stare at it, unable to remember what had happened that had reduced it to such a sorry state. She decided to give up, instead combing her memory for names that went with those faces. "Brother," She suddenly murmured, "Sister." Siblings- they had been her siblings. And this was home, wasn't it? More and more things were coming in and out of clarity but she was growing more certain by the second.

And for the first time since her disappearance, Cleo Roux-Cipher released a sigh in relief.

She was home.

[Grimm]

[align=center][div style="max-width: 360px; line-height:120%; font-family: calibri; font-size: 8.5pt; text-align: justify; margin-bottom:5px"][ ❖ ] ;; – “Hello,” gentle the tone perched upon the pale tip of tongue, as is the curling of slight smile, home found within corners of lips toned in soft shadings of pink. Child are they, sweeps of cream and lilac adorned upon frame slight though heavy with the thickness of fur fluffed against chill raising from the ocean, the gentle song of it raising in a steady beat, filling ears that flick and twitch. Clear is the soft curl of unease upon features, furrow of brow accompanying the draw of frown as it replaced the more friendly twist of lips, hesitant the next step to draw them closer.

Short had been the expanse of their time, encasing the short frame of only a few months, and their experience had not extended to this point. Framed within the open gate, soft the hiss of reptilian life contained in the wicker structure of basic only a short distance away, the sound of breathing, slight as it was with an edge that spoke of hardship, the child was confused and left wondering. Idle was the thoughts which curled about cream toned head, wondering if it might be best to move closer yet sharp was the smell of metal touched with rust, deterint which left small paw hovering above the soil.

“Are you okay...” Inquiry rose with clear lack of anything – where one may think the quiet touch of worry may be found in the structure of each word there was nothing within though shaded were the dull eyes, brow creased atop them, frown upon lips speaking of such further. But it was for mere show, the gentle beat of heart given nothing of such a thing. Flick of small wings, the downy fuzz along their structure fluffing up before they were drawn to the back once more, tilt to small head speaking of curiosity.

[Grey]

Old faces, many faces. Cleo was one of those members he grouped with Rosemary, part of the faces who he had met upon his joining only to begin to fade. In his mind, they were being erased, thrown out into the cold because there was no use in Bakugou remembering them. Then again, there was no use in remembering his past. In this world, The Typhoon was the only place had known. He wasn't even aware other groups existed, wasn't even aware groups were even a thing. And yet here he was, a member of the island, facing the same world that everyone else did. Members would come and go, only certain ones seemed to stay around. It was strange when members, after so long, returned to them the same way salmon would return to their place of birth. Then again, it was the same with people. After establishing a sentimental affection to a place or people, there would always be some kind of gravitational pull, drawing them back to what brought them comfort.

He remembered the bengal when he saw her struggling towards The Typhoon, the Quartermaster's eyes fixated on her and wondering whether to approach and help her. He had no attachments to the feline but he remembered the small details - details such as snakes and deafness, asking others to speak up as though she were an old lady, the glint of jealousy in her gaze. Her stagger wasn't ignored when he hears the voice of Kaisa, one of the awful spawnings of Luca. Although Bakugou tolerated Junji being their father, he didn't like the fact that they shared the same blood as the lust demon. While he still was able to speak to him, appreciative that the other didn't like the raptors either, he still despised the immaturity that Luca had. He couldn't understand how such a manchild could be related to the likes of Luciferus. "She's clearly not okay," Bakugou mutters, rolling his eyes at the young girl before snapping his attention towards Cleo, shoulders tense and fur bristled. "Ya sound like a zombie. Where the fuck were you this whole time?" He didn't particularly care about swearing in front of the child, not fussed if the girl would pick up on his foul language. All he could think was that it'd serve those parents right for letting their spawnings walk around.

[Grimm]

[align=center][div style="max-width: 360px; line-height:120%; font-family: calibri; font-size: 8.5pt; text-align: justify; margin-bottom:5px"][ ❖ ] ;; – “Oh,” soft breath, exhale broken with quiet hum. There was nothing present within the mind of the youth to speak of embarrassment towards the state of their sight, minimal as it was and about the fuzzy edges of it grew the hints of it growing worse, accustomed to it. Yet almost may one see such within the way they took lower lip between small teeth, chewed upon it with blunted tips, the shuffle of tiny paw tracing unseen pattern into the loose top soil. From him all they felt was the touch of resentment, rich and dark though crumbling were the edges of it, breaking away with the touch of something foul in its heart. “I... I'm sorry...”

Drawing close they allowed their weight to draw them down into a rough sitting position, though it seemed more a crouch then anything as head ducked and was pressed to their chest, the harsh wheeze of their breath grown more apparent. Kaisa knew not why he had spoken in such way when still were they strangers, given no prior meeting to leave them anything more, left with only the taste of dislike in the back of their mouth. “That's a bad word,” once more the tone taken up was soft, barely touching audible levels yet the dull eyes rose, if only for brief moment, touching upon Bakugou.

[cleo roux.]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11px;"]That clarity, that confidence, faltered when she was approached, a frown finding its way upon her cinnamon-shaded lips. Perhaps she had been anticipating a welcome from her brother and her sister only, leaving out of the equation the possibility for others to meet her. She hadn't really thought about anyone but Goldenluxury and Silus, if she was being honest, and the intricacies of this situation had her tumbling back into her mind, red eyes becoming instantly clouded with contemplation and thought. It didn't help that the soft lilt of the other child's greeting fell on practically deaf ears either. She blinked a few times at them, obviously struggling to return to reality where she was expected to answer and explain herself. But her leg hurt - no, it absolutely ached.

It was that realization that brought her back, another long stare cast down upon her mangled leg as if it would heal miraculously if she didn't take her eyes off it. "I can't hear you. Talk louder," She instructed, her own voice barely above a hoarse whisper, red eyes returning to study Kaisa and another who seemed to have just joined them. At least she heard Bakugou a little better, her expression contorting ever so slightly as she registered his words and his inquiry. "She..." Cleo began quietly, tiny claws hooking into the ground in some attempt to prevent the memories from carrying her away, "She sacrificed me to the darkness." A shudder ran through her small and underweight form, ivory canines sinking into a lower lip that had begun to quiver at the thought. She wanted to cry but distinctly remembered not knowing how. Not anymore, at least. And so Cleo merely attempted to stand, limbs trembling as if they could hardly bear what was left of her. "I am my own," The bengal simply repeated, though her voice, so quiet, so haunted, trembled, "This is my home."

I think.

Every part of her ached and her mind begged that she returned to the place within it that was safe from harm, that had been untouched by the shadowy prowess of her former friend. She held fast, determined to remain awake and aware and present for these people. Even if they were not her brother or her sister. Even if they did not receive her kindly or had their own affairs to attend to. Home. Home. Home. She had finally come home.

(this is all over the place because i'm exhausted aaa sorry for any mistakes!!)

[bubblegum]

[cleo roux.]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11px;"]Eshe had broken her mind so Cleo had broken her body. She remembered now, with startling clarity, how she had not entirely given up, how she had pretended and lulled her companion in a false sense of security, doing whatever she asked with no hesitation until the black mamba had thought she was gone for good. And then, she had mustered whatever was left of her vengeance, of her fierce spirit, and snapped the neck of the reptile with the confidence of somebody who hadn't lost everything. That was how she was here, because she had freed herself from the chains of her mental confinement, because she had refused to succumb to captivity for the rest of her pitiful existence. This was home. No more assuming, no more hoping, just knowing that she had finally returned to the once place where she might once again be happy.

And it was the faces of her family that kept her fighting. The family she had scorned and "loathed" and pretended as if she could do without, the family who she had thought betrayed her but hadn't at all. More and more of their faces rose in her mind to greet her suddenly and she reared back slightly, overwhelmed. Pincher... Auntie Rosemary... Sylvina... And of course Silus and Goldie. She could not bring a mother to mind but that didn't matter, she had never cared for her mother. She knew that. But she did care for the newest individual to greet her, the one who she had asked for when she first collapsed. Sister. Sister. "Sister." Cleo's small voice wavered, red eyes widening as she recognized the sign. Name. She had learned that before her life had gone to hell and despite the startling unfamiliarity in her sister's eyes, she relished in this little taste of her old life. "Cleo Roux," The bengal whispered in response, swallowing hardly, "My name is Cleo Roux."

As her sister's gaze fell upon her leg, so did Cleo's once again. She remembered what had happened to it, why Eshe had hurt her the way that she did. Cleo had fought and fought and fought and unless she had been injured, crippled, she might have managed to escape and the snake couldn't have that. "It doesn't work anymore," She offered in that wisp of a voice of hers, "She made sure it didn't." There was no remorse in her tone, no sadness, just a harsh hoarseness no doubt linked to how little she had spoken when she had been ensnared by the darkness. "So I made sure she didn't work anymore." How haunted she sounded, how broken. She tried to take a step forward, tiny form still trembling, but only found herself sinking back to the ground. Everything hurt. Everything. But once again she was reminding herself that she was home and as long as she had that, she'd be able to overcome this.

[Grey]

Meek, quiet. The way the child's voice faltered at his words. The child of Luca was a vulnerable soul, the male wondering if she would grow up to be as awful as Luca, wondering if he would have the heart to set her alight and destroy the demi-demon spawn. At her nearly inaudible mention of Bakugou saying a 'bad word', he huffs but says nothing else, turning his attention away and ignoring her. Children would learn of swear words eventually in their lives, it didn't matter when they knew. Though, admittedly, he didn't expect the girl to even know it was a 'bad word'. Then again, within Bakugou's mind, the words had been normalised. Soon, the young Quartermaster's eyes begin to show confused concern towards the returning fem. She. Who was she? The idea of something, an unknown, sacrificing Cleo to the darkness sounded ominous. There were still qualities within this universe Bakugou had yet to understand and that in itself rendered him to feel useless, emotions beginning to tremble at the words she spoke, unsure of how to react. He was admittedly spooked, deeply unsettled.

When Cleo called out Goldenluxury to be his sister, his ears drop. The bengal had amnesia, she hardly remembered anyone. From the sounds of it, Goldie didn't even remember she was related to Cleo - Cleo who he had realised was even more deaf than before, hardly able to hear Kaisa's voice. The words were frightening when she replies what had happened to her leg. His eyes merely look at her, studies her appearance before speaking again: "Who is she?"

[rhosmari]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; height: auto; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt; color: grey; letter-spacing: -1px;"][div style="width: 480px; height: auto; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 13px;"]Hidden and watching there was something about the situation she didn’t like and she couldn’t begin to put her paw on it. It was just something about it, something in the air that made her tense up a bit as she looked at the gathered group who has appeared around this stranger. Her hind legs shivered and she tried to keep still but no doubt she was brushing up against the leaves of the bush she was under and shaking the leaves. Yet she wasn’t sure of if she should go out there or not. The child didn’t see it as a place for her and she sighed a bit before she noticed the other's leg. Wait! This was something she could do and she was suffering from exhaustion it seemed! She could help! Tearing out of the bushes the little pint sized furball game tumbling out, spilling onto sand as quickly as tiny paws could take her. Her brightly colored eyes watched with excitement zipping through her trembling frame before she breathed out brightly. ”I can help you, lady! Or if you want Junji can pres-presss, ah, get you some medicine! You need rest and a lot of sleep and we should look at your leg!.”