Run, run lost boy // open+joining // they say to me

[vellichor]

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I WAS ALONE — Reus had been excited about this. It'd been months since the storm happened. He hadn't meant for it to happen. He'd just been playing with his big brother and then he'd grabbed his bandanna off. He did it all the time, it was just supposed to be a joke. Then he took off into the trees with it, laughing while he darted between them. It had started to rain but he didn't even look back. By the time he stopped and turned around, his brother and his ball was gone. He tied the black bandanna on to be sure he wouldn't lose it and began wandering back in the direction of what he believed was home. Apparently he'd been wrong though. When he came out, he was far away from camp and he didn't know how to get home. He'd started crying at the point and sobbed his family's names but in the end he'd been found by a group of travelling preforms. They told him they'd help him find his family, that they were sure they'd come across them in their travels. It wasn't that he became apart of the show until one day he said bless you about five minutes before she sneezed. Things only escalated after that, he was warning people about tripping over something they would only stumble into the next day and, one day, warned someone would forget to blow out a candle that night and one of the wagons would catch fire. Sure enough, a candle was found burning on the other side of their camp and was put out before it caught fire to anything.

Now, though, it'd come all the way around and he swore he could see ships in the distance. He finally decided to part from his band of travelers and made his way towards what he believed to be his old group, following the scent of the sea. Finally, he seemed to come to a border and he paced there for a moment. What if he was wrong and some horrible cannibals lived here that wanted to kill him and roast all his insides? He'd heard stories about things like that. What if this was where his family was but they were mad that he'd gotten lost and taken his brother's bandanna? What if they moved? What if they all died? No, he couldn't sit here just asking questions about it all. He needed to speak up. "Hello? Isanyonehere? Denny? Dad?" the blue eyed bengal yelled, his words speeding up and slurring together as they often did. He was certainly doing better with it than he had when he was little but it still had a tendency of popping up, especially when he was so anxious. — NOWHERE TO GO AND NO PLACE TO CALL HOME

"SPEECH"

[PINCHER]

Pincher was used to winning and losing. Specifically a type of winning and losing. He was used to winning over many with his charismatic charm and convincing them to become a part of his side while he was used to losing close friends and family. This could mean either death or simply missing from his life that he lived on the tropical island. One of them had been his younger sibling, Reus. The child had been a wonderful part of his life, a ray of light that would shine with such purity that Pincher had always wanted to protect him from every danger that surrounded them when they traveled with his father and uncle. It had been his fault for losing his little brother, for not concentrating on the weather that had limited his senses from finding his sibling. That entire day, he had gone on a search for him, calling out but never being able to recieve an answer despite the pleas that had grown hoarse in his throat. Pincher had desired to keep searching but his father demanded they must leave due to some conflict with another gang that would attack them if they were found in the temporary camp they had settled. Pincher had protested to stay, refusing to leave his sibling but next thing he knew was that he would wake up with an aching headache and on his father's ship. As much as begged to return, no one would listen and after a while the male was forced to move on though the memory burned when he be caught in a storm.

Pincher now was grown up, an adult. He had matured and was now able to gain control, no one ordering him to do anything for he was the captain of the crew that had returned to the island. He enjoyed the freedom of all his "hard work" into getting what he wanted but there was always that empty feeling that he had failed his sibling for not going out and trying to search for him again. Was he even alive? The question always led the immortal servant to dwell in guilt and pain but he quickly forced himself to concentrate when he stepped through the undergrowth of the vibrant jungle, his paws softly thumping against the mixture of sand and grass. He was preparing to go return to Goldie's side and ensure she was okay when he heard a voice, one that forced a sudden rush of energy to spark inside him. He knew that voice. Had he held a heart in his chest, it would have raced but instead, Pincher's legs quickly kicked against the ground to bolt towards the voice. It couldn't be, could it? Reus. As he grew closer, he caught the exact replace of his old bengal body and the one of his father since they had practically been carbon copies of each other. "Reus?! Reus! It's me!" Pincher called out, his low flat voice now high with emotion as he rushed to halt in front of the child with the black bandanna, aiming to suddenly wrap his forelegs around the child and pull him in a tight embrace without any sort of hesitation. Joy and relief washed over Pincher and he felt a luminous smile begin to grace his muzzle as he realized that Reus was alive and okay.

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© MADI

[coldblue]

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For some odd reason, young Coldblue is among the first to happen across the strange boy at the border. Most mornings, the seal lynx savannah cat can be found in a deep slumber. Blue is not a morning person, a fact which can be discerned from the half-lidded eyes and disheveled fur--he still looks amazing, though. Even when he is barely awake, he is beautiful. Well, that is what he thinks about himself, at least. Regardless, the youth is only functioning this early because he finds it difficult to sleep while Goldie is injured. And if he stays seated for too long, the worry and the fear begin to build up. So he takes a walk, and if he can something as minimally productive as chatting with people at the border, then that's even better.

The walk is more enjoyable than the boy expected, honestly. A cool morning breeze laden with the aroma of the sea ruffles his fur and shakes the trees, their leaves seeming to whisper as they rattle and shake. His paws seem to sink into the fertile soil with every step. Coldblue wanders for quite some time, lost in his thoughts, before detecting the scent of his father nearby. As much as the child claims to dislike his father, Blue cannot help but investigate what his dear ol' dad might be doing in the jungle this early in the day. He accelerates into a trot, gracefully navigating through the dense foliage in spite of how he grimaces whenever a bug or a twig falls on him as he passes. Nasty, filthy nature. So dirty. Bleh. It does not take him long to locate the Captain--he can see the tips of Pincher's ears over the brush. "What are ya doin' out here, Da--" he begins to say as he closes the last bit of distance between them, only to be interrupted by the older male's gleeful words directed at a stranger only paces away.

It seems that the boy nearly addressed Pincher as "dad" in a rare display of the true affection Blue holds for his father, but it immediately crumbles away as the boy recognizes the affection written across the doberman's visage. Coldblue's tail lashes as he regards this "Reus" person with piercing blue eyes. He feels a bit threatened by this newcomer, perhaps due to his belief that Pincher shows other people more affection than his own son. If that were true, the reason would be that Blue chooses to put up a wall between himself and his father, but the boy's feelings are a bit more complex than he is emotionally mature enough to understand. "Who is Reus?" he asks, sweeping his gaze over the aforementioned male with guarded curiosity. Who is this person who so easily wins his father's affections? Blue is okay with Goldie getting all the attention from Pincher because she is his sister and she deserves all the love and praise. But he is not so accepting that a total stranger can come in and immediately knock him from second to third.

Amazingly, Coldblue has managed to keep his tone civil and mildly curious. He is doing his best not to appear envious, though anyone who knows him well enough can spot the emotion in an instant. Blue arranges a lazed smile upon his handsome features, allowing himself to adopt a somewhat pleasant and mostly lazy facade. "My name is Coldblue Roux," the savannah cat introduces with a polite nod. See? He isn't upset at all. Nope. Nada. He is simply introducing himself to the person who so obviously possesses Pincher's affection. It is the nice thing to do. And Blue can be nice when he wants to be. Whether or not it is genuine is another question.

[ROSEMARY]

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Another bengal? The ocelot flicked her forked tail as she walked over, a bit of a guarded expression on her face - like Coldblue, she didn't know the entire Roux family, and found herself frustrated with how many random relatives she didn't know showed up. For, obviously, this Reus was a Roux in some way; the bengal body and Pincher's familiarity made that obvious.

Sensing something is off with her nephew, the witchy woman walked over to stand beside the kid. Not close enough to touch, but close enough that if he wanted support he could easily get it. "Rosemary Roux," she murmured, ears twitching as she appraised this apparent Roux with her four eyes.

[ muse no ]

[CAESAR CIPHER.]

IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD !

CAESAR CIPHER. MALE. THE TYPHOON. OFFICER.

Another fucking Pincher kid? Caesar had a sour look on his face as he made his way over, glaring down at Reus as he came over and stood beside Rosemary. "You're not staying, are you?" Caesar asked in a flat tone, practically praying to the heavens above that Reus was only visiting so he didn't have to deal with yet another member of the Roux family.

#psychosocial.

[vellichor]

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I WAS ALONE — At the sound of his big brother's voice, deeper than it once was but his all the same, the boy's ears perked and he began to run towards him. "Denny! I'm-so-so-so-so-sorry! I didn't mean to go! I tried to come back but then when I thought I found it you-were-gone-with-Uncle-Archie-and-Dad-and-I-couldn't-find-you-anywhere and I'm so-so-so-sorry but I kept your bandanna because I wanted you to have it. I never meant ta' take it for so long, it was just supposed to be a joke-" The more he rambled on, the more mention came into his tone as tears began to build in his blue eyes. He knew that Uncle Archie and his Dad didn't like it when he cried so he tried to blink them away quickly. They didn't like it when he let his words get all sloppy either, running into each other and being barely comprehensible at times. He couldn't help it in situations like this, though, when he started talking so fast.

When he pulled from Pincher, he looked to the others, his tears long gone and a wide smile spread across his maw. This would finally be his home again and he'd be with his family, which seemed to be a lot bigger than he last remembered. Then again, it'd always sort of just been him, Uncle Archie, Dad, and Deniz. "Hi Blue and Rosemary! I'm-so-happy-to-meet-you! My name's Reus! Wow, Denny! We-have-more-brothers-and-sisters?" The boy asked, glancing back to Pincher before looking between all the people he believed were siblings. As he spoke and his excitement grew, his words began to blend together once again. He looked between Rosemary and Coldblue before his eyes landed on Caesar and he gave the man a wide smile, although he seemed a little grumpy. "Of course I'm staying! This is my home!" he answered without hesitation. Why would he leave now that he'd finally found his family? — NOWHERE TO GO AND NO PLACE TO CALL HOME

"SPEECH"

[CAESAR CIPHER.]

IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD !

CAESAR CIPHER. MALE. THE TYPHOON. OFFICER.

Caesar gave a hum at Reus's response, his tail flicking. "Hmm, alright then." The demon replied, though his voice was just as monotonous as ever. "Welcome. M'name's Caesar Cipher."

#psychosocial.

[ROSEMARY]

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She blinked, and he said at least five words; the stranger certainly lacked anything but energy. Denny? Stolen bandanna? Her top-right eye slid to look at Pincher, curiously waiting to see his reaction to all this. "No, I believe his name is Pincher. Unless he's been lying to the rest of his family," she retorted coldly with her second sentence pointedly directed at the doberman, growing a tad annoyed at Pincher and all his secrets. The pale ocelot hated being the last to know anything, and this apparent brother that knew more about Pincher than herself caused her quite a bit of internal conflict. Given her ability to read aura and tone, she already surmised that Reus believed he was telling the truth; which meant either he was delusional or something else was afoot with Pincher.

Sighing, she restrained her gloomy thoughts a bit; besides, she held a lot of secrets as well. No point in telling everyone her family tended to suffer from hallucinations, depression, and other unsavory things. And why bother telling people she could read the words they spoke, their tone providing the colors illuminating each letter? Rosemary already accepted that to be a hallucination, a likely indicator she inherited the 'insanity genes' from her mother's side of the family.

"Though I believe we are half-siblings, as my mother couldn't possibly give birth to bengals," she added, with almost painful normalcy. How doubtful telling anyone her mother died would yield anything useful, after all. From her mother's genetics and the family coven she grew up in, the pale ocelot already knew that she probably was one of the odder Roux family members. At times she felt more like an outsider than anything else, and the sudden appearance of another bengal-Roux certainly made her feel as though she was the outsider she believed herself to be.