DON'T KNOW WHERE I'M GOING / return

[spacexual]

my thoughts were so loud i couldn't hear my mouth

Being in the background, going about a routine day was something the boy had been happy to do. While it perhaps wasn't the best, for his goal to make friends, to stay so attached to a boxed routine, but he'd the choice to be free now, and he was happy to let himself take time doing the small, miniscule tasks in the quiet background. It was comfortable, safe. But eventually, the coati knew he needed to do more. To be louder in a community. And the more he jumped into routine, the more demanding an old voice got. He didn't want to listen to it, he didn't want his father to be around to see him struggle with it. And so he'd decided, a few months ago, that he would leave and find something for himself. Deliver letters, write them - it was so much easier to articulate himself in writing, why not assist others doing the same? And so that's what he'd set out to do.

When he'd left, his father himself had been finding himself, moving between territories, and trying new communities. While he'd felt bad going, felt afraid of losing the attachment, change was something they'd both needed after all, he's sure. Bad things still happened, people still got hurt, and trust was still difficult, but the break from such a tight-knit community groups built was something he needed. He needed to learn more about the world he'd been given a second chance in, needed to meet more people, in his own way. And he wrote. And he read. The letters let him travel back and forth, all around the mainland. They were his gateway to finding more and more around the large island they all resided on, and his chance to learn in his own controlled environment. Earth and fire, no more wildfires, no more demands. Fear still. But he could do better now. And he missed his dad. It'd been long enough, and he was ready to open his mouth, and be louder.

The winged coati landed upon the familiar marshland, long tail swaying back and forth. He shakes himself as he lands, taking in the air, before lowering his head and moving towards the town, looking around in case anyone would try to stop him. It'd been a while, and he'd not been a remarkable member by any means. It was quite possible someone would think him a stranger, and so he silently prepped for the potential interaction of introducing himself.

[rhosmari]

AND IT'S HALF PAST THREE
[align=center]AND I GOT ANGEL WINGS

BUT A DEVIL'S GRIN

AND ONLY ONE CAN WIN

elsweyr — tanglewood — three years

For the most part things had been stressful here. Though hope still lingered in the air. She hoped that it remained as each day it seemed like the tyrants that had come continued to try and drive it put of them. Yet they persevered and they fought back against the odds. Those that were trapped they set free and boasted their morale to come up with new plans and new revolts. She was watching the snake witch, looking for weaknesses. One being her sight already since she had one eye, she had a bigger blind spot. It helped to understand their enemies but it was harder since they brought others who were no better than the common thief. They deserved their paws chopped off for stealing their prey and her muzzle curled, eyes narrowing on the thought. She held no mercy for those that could side with monsters that took their home away from them. But she knew in due time they would make their move and they would be successful.

It was with this notion that gave her life that she was out. Watching the territory, looking at movements that invaded their swamp. She hadn't known anyone from the past before she had ventured here to Tanglewood. So seeing a stranger only made her bristle with irritation now. Seeing someone in their lands and not waiting only made her think of the invaders, caution pressed to maximum. Her tail whipped through the air as she came forth from the depths of the swamp and trailed after them. Having grown used to the territory now and she called from behind the other with a snap to her voice. "Who is he and what right does he have to be here?" The tribalistic woman's face was hidden under her croc skull. Fiery eyes visible as the beads clanked in her sbaggy mane from slight movements.

[spacexual]

my thoughts were so loud i couldn't hear my mouth

What exactly had occurred to the group since his leave, the boy had no knowledge of. When he'd gone, things were well. Faces changed, members shuffled in and out as time passes, but nothing unusual. Considering a history he himself can hardly recall at times, political matters - war and violence alike - was not information he sought out. The only times he may learn of any changes to the spectrums of the groups is if someone had mentioned it to him specifically. Nothing like this had ever really happened before either, at least in his lifetime here; the closest being when the groups had raided against the Pitt. He preferred not to recall that time, either, though. So, imagining Tanglewood being too significantly different, or even taken over, simply had not crossed the boys mind. Bad things happened before, but nothing quite like that before. He saw the end of a kingdom, loss in a war, but he'd no freedom in that life. Things were different here, he'd thought. At least, a little bit.

And so, when he's greeted with seemingly hostility, he pauses, not responding immediately. It takes him a moment to gather himself, look the stranger in the eye. "What right does he have" is a question that catches him especially off-guard, causing his head to lower further. A frown becomes ever so slightly on his features, eyes seeming to trail off somewhere long ago and far away for a moment. But he gathers himself. Just enough. "Hello there," he'd greet with a nod and friendly tone, though his voice cracks, young and holding a nervous edge. No stutters, however - the words came clear, were not so quiet they were a whisper. Not loud, not carrying, but enough to hear. "I'm Roy. I used to live here. My dad lives here," or at least, he probably does, assuming he'd not left last time the boy had seen him. "Or at least, I'm pretty sure he still does. His name's Aurum." He explains further, his paws shuffling. He'd hoped his father had not left the swamp, or at the very minimum, if he had, he'd gone somewhere he could be easily found.

[rhosmari]

AND IT'S HALF PAST THREE
[align=center]AND I GOT ANGEL WINGS

BUT A DEVIL'S GRIN

AND ONLY ONE CAN WIN

elsweyr — tanglewood — three years

Young he sounds, and nervous as well. So she slowly relaxes a bit but not enough to let her guard down. She was unsure of who this was so there was no reason to just become relaxed. Even if the individual didn't seem like the fighting type. She never knew what someone would do. As she listened her ears pulled forward and her head slowly tilted to the side as she debated on the words leaving the other. A name was given, Roy. And then he claimed to be returning him. Returning to a ravished place and that his father was here Aurum. This information made her eyes close for a moment before she nodded her head gently. Perhaps she was too hasty with her hostility but she knew that she could not be nice to strangers that just walked in. A lesson had been learned because of the creatues that had invaded their home already. "Aurum is still here. She welcomes him back home but he has returned at a rather difficult time." Her voice dropped a bit before she took a deep breath in and she stepped around him to continue the trekk back to the village. "This one's name is Elsweyr. Beware the strangers that have taken hold of our home. They are not friends. They call themselves Coalition of the Condemned."

[spacexual]

my thoughts were so loud i couldn't hear my mouth

As the stranger seems to cool down listening to his words, the boy would relax himself for a moment. Only for a moment, though. Roy listens carefully as she explains what was currently ongoing in the group, his round ears twitching. He blinks, looking around as she introduces the concept of the Coalition of the Condemned. An odd name he'd never heard of before, and based off her warning it was not a welcome visit.

His voice lowers as he speaks again, words careful and unsure. "How did this happen?" he settles on asking, uncertain what to think immediately. Strangers took over Tanglewood - what reason was there to take over the swamp? Did they just want the land? Had his old home been struggling, unable to defend themselves? A world where this was the case had not entered the boy's mind as a possibility before. There had been no real threats to the members of Tanglewood before, other than the Pitt, and even they mostly stayed clear of the territory. He knows what a takeover could potentially mean, at least a little bit. His mind flashes back to the burning, the sunrise, for just a brief moment. This wasn't quite the same, however. "Is it...dangerous?" Had they hurt anyone? Was his father okay? Would he be more useful away from them, finding help elsewhere? His gaze turns, looks out towards the border as they grow closer to the town. But he doesn't know - it almost felt like running away. He's ran away too many times. But he didn't want to fight, either. He isn't sure he could.

[wormwood.]

NOTHING BESIDE REMAINS — It had been quite some time since Aurum had seen his first son, as loathe as he was to admit that fact. He knew that Roy was safe – had been told of the other's departure before it happened – but that didn't make it hurt any less. He missed Roy's presence at his side, and the way that it was so easy to talk to the coati, the two of them leaning on each other in the worst of times. However, he had understood why the boy needed to go. After all, Aurum had only been able to better himself when he had left his home, such a long time ago. It made sense that Roy would do the same, even if the angel would've preferred the other never left his side. Unfortunately, the former proxy truly wasn't sure of whether not he was glad that Roy was back. He was obviously happy to see his son again, but considering the circumstances that Tanglewood was currently under... the lion just wanted to make sure the coati remained safe. Needless to say, there was no way that his son would remain safe, not while he was within the Coalition controlled Tanglewood.

Despite this, Aurum couldn't help the feeling of warmth in his chest as he padded past Elsweyr, a broad smile on the lion's face. He had a few new scratches and scars, and it was clear from the way he moved that the revolt hadn't left him entirely unharmed. Still, he moved forward, wrapping one forelimb around the coati and pulling him briefly into his chest, "Roy... I'm so glad that you're back. I'm... I'm sorry that you couldn't have come back at a better time..." The male's gaze briefly darkened, wishing more than ever that their revolt had been successful, for everyone else's sake as well as Roy's. He had heard only the tail end of Roy and Elsweyr's conversation, but he chimed in, staying close to his son's side, "It is dangerous... the Coalition, they're a bunch of bastards. They kidnapped Vigenere and have been holding him hostage, and then they staged a massive raid on the place. We tried to revolt against them and have Atticus bring a message out, but one of them caught him..." Aurum's words gained an annoyed and furious edge at the end, although it obviously wasn't directed at Roy. Instead, his anger laid with the Wanderers, with Stheno being a particular focus for his ire. — OF THE MAN WHO WAS BORN AND DIED A KING.

[Grimm]

In a particular sense he knew of the other. Meticulous the maintenance of closed off rooms, unchanged though routine the tidy as though the illusion of occupation may settle into reality with such efforts exerted. Recent the removal of items filling some, untouched one, however, curiosity the decision leading to such outcome.

From home had child been driven, behind father trailing as he conducted a routine near enough the few days prior to the incident leaving them prisoners beneath a faux monarch, victim of his own idiocy. Tended the minor cuts, a reminder of the marble statue that had been destroyed in the wake of his thoughtless comment, enough to recall the manner fracture head had hurtled towards his own. Since quiet had he grown, near sullen as he grew desperate to make up for a slight Aurum had not taken to heart, rather substantial the distance between, almost lost the other amongst the dense foliage.

With quickened pace, and the inclusion of his voice to a conversation Salvia was not privy to and thus entered clueless, swallowed the angel, startled into crossing the ground between the cub, confusion lightened by realisation. Still distance separated, regarded the pair was reunion was conducted. To intrude felt wrong, too much already had he gotten them into with actions that preceded thought, slight the tilt of head, assessed the coati.

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But I wish I could I could show you more of yourself, I wish I could make you somebody else but I left it way too late, are you stuck in your own ways? you only look at me properly now when you're drunk watching movies. where are you? what happened? I want what we had

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code by Wisker

[spacexual]

my thoughts were so loud i couldn't hear my mouth

The one he'd come back for approached, and he stares as the male pads closer, moving his own body faster as he spots him. He reaches out to the other as he's pulled closer, wrapping one paw around the other's leg and keeping it there even as he pulls away. His eyes close for a moment in his grasp, head lifting now. He takes in the other's presence, a comfort he'd not felt in a while now, and for a second he's afraid when he opens his eyes, it'll go away. There's things he thinks of saying, but ultimately settles for the quiet. There was nothing that really needed to be said. They both understood.

He remains quiet as his father explains the situation in greater detail, looking to the ground as he spoke, thinking to himself. He isn't sure how to respond at first. What the next move would be for him, or the members of Tanglewood, he didn't know. And he didn't know if he would like it even if he asked. "Why are they doing this?" he asks softly - almost a rhetoric, but if an answer existed, he would like to hear it. What was the goal? He hesitates, looking to his paws. This wasn't something they'd just sit by and let happen. They weren't captives, only marginalized. And he had a choice now, on what he decided to do. No one was forcing him to try and be anything but himself, and quietly, he decides, maybe he should decide to be someone who helps. Decide to be brave. Just long enough. It was tempting, now that he was back, to fall back into his safety net, a comfortable bubble that need not be poked. But, that was why he'd gone in the first place. He needed to break out of it himself. He needed to be here, and be brave, just enough. "What should I do to help?" he asks this more specifically to Aurum, not that he didn't think the female could offer good advice, he'd only just met her after all, but he trusts his father, and his father knows Roy's limits as well.

And maybe, after all, they could find a peaceful way to end the conflict. Maybe they could find a compromise, somehow. If he just learned a little more.

[wormwood.]

NOTHING BESIDE REMAINS — Aurum's tail temporarily twitched and thrashed with ire, but his anger was short-lived, snuffed out by the approaching presence of Salvia. He glanced back at his younger son, offering the other a silent nod of acknowledgement. He was unsure of how the other thought of Roy, but that was something that they could work out another time. Aurum especially knew how difficult having siblings could be, but there was little time for worrying about that, at least for now. As he turned his one eyed gaze back to Roy, a heavy sigh left the lion, his voice a rumble, "Why are they doing this...? Truthfully, I don't really know. I assume that they just saw that we were low on members, and decided that we would be an easy target. That does worry me, though. Their leader... Stryker. He's obviously power-hungry. I won't be surprised if he tries to go after other groups, and considering there are others as small as us out there, not to mention how we're The Typhoon's closest ally..." The former proxy drifted off for a moment, grumbling as he shook his head from side to side, "...It doesn't fill me with confidence. It's only a matter of time before they go after someone else." He was unsure of who, just yet, but the Coalition had options. The Typhoon was the most obvious one, but Elysium was also rather small... even The Pitt wasn't entirely safe, considering what Atticus had told them.

For now, Aurum shoved that aside, not wanting to cause himself unneeded anxiety. They would worry about helping others once they were able to help themselves. Roy seemed to share the sentiment, considering how the coati was asking about what he could do. At first, the angel was hesitant to answer, not wanting to encourage Roy to do anything dangerous. However, he could see the fire in his son's eyes, even if it was more of a warm, and kind flame. No one could afford to hide away in this situation, not unless they were the youngest and weakest within Tanglewood. With this in mind, Aurum briefly glanced up in thought, eventually speaking once more, "...For now, you'll just have to keep quiet. Keep your head down, and try to keep the others around you safe. I don't think you've ever had a problem making sure little ones are kept safe. The first revolt might not have gone well, but that doesn't mean we'll be taking this lying down. We'll come up with another plan, and when we do, I know I can count on you to help, right?" The male tilted his head to one side at that, giving Roy the best smile that he could manage at the moment. He was tired, and injured, but far from ready to give up. — OF THE MAN WHO WAS BORN AND DIED A KING.