GREET ME WITH A HUG / wormwood

[spacexual]

i heard you were looking like the moon — tags

What now?
He is not so sure how ready for society he truly is. Those vague feelings tell him he is not, despite the craving of it. The desire to have friends, to make know others, to do things other kids could do. Just relax. Just have fun. Just be...content. But, it is too new. Too scary. Too foreign. He does not know it yet. He has not even gathered a taste of it. Not really.
How can someone like him make friends?
Especially when he can hardly remember what has lead him to all of this.

But, maybe, he can try. He can at least get a glimpse of it. There is one individual, he is starting to feel sure of, that seems determined to know him. To be his friend. To, at least, make him feel safer. Even if it was a hoax. Maybe it will be worth it in the end. He doesn't want to be alone. He hadn't minded being left in the swamp. But, he had been alone so long. That much he knows. There was...someone...else. But he is not sure that it was the same. Or, they were only alone together. He doesn't want to be alone together anymore. He wants to be together.
But how can he do it?
Maybe he has to take the first step.

The tiger can feel a desire...deeper than just that longing. He desires safety, too. Security.
But that was likely asking too much.
For now, he would settle with learning. With maybe making a true friend. Even if there are still walls. Walls greater than any mountain. They, maybe, can at least peer through them and give a reassuring wave. A pleasant reminder that they saw each other through the holes and they understood.

He does not know the town very well yet, but the boy is confident enough that he can find his way to Wormwood's home. The tiger travels within the shadows for the most part, not drawing too much attention to himself as he observes the place may now explore freely. How can he find himself fitting in when all he can do is wither away, attention causing him to falter? He doesn't know. But, the boy would have to try if he were to get what he desired. He knows that much. He has to try.

Silently, he walks towards the porch, blinking at it for a few moments. Does he invite himself over? Oh, that seems impolite. Maybe, instead, he will simply sit here. He won't look at the porch either. That would be rude. Creepy, even. He would just wait quietly, and hope. Hope that Wormwood would see him, sitting, facing away from the bottom of the porch with a sheepish expression upon his features.
[member=6881]wormwood.[/member]

[wormwood.]

Wormwood, as a child, had never truly been alone, so to speak. After all, he had been one of the two princes of the pride, so he had constantly been surrounded by not only other members of the pride, but also his parents and Poetking. However, he had never truly felt like he was together with anybody else. The closest he had ever gotten was his relationship with Poet, but truly it had never actually been a togetherness, even before he had tried to kill Poet, and even longer before Poet had killed Judith. It had just been the two of them talking to each other, trying to bond but never truly succeeding thanks to the fact that they were constantly pitched against each other by Aeathelwulf and Judith. It had seemed like, briefly, Worm and Poet had maybe could have repaired that relationship from their childhood, but those Hope's had been dashed after Poet had killed Judith and skipped town. Just the thought of it made his heart ache, thinking of the way they had been joking around so casually before Poet was just... gone. Still, that hadn't meant that he was left alone once again. Now that he was here in Tanglewood, he had so many people who were like family to him, and that meant that he would never feel alone again, unless everyone mysteriously dropped dead somehow. It was a reassuring feeling, to know that he would actually have a support system when the bad things came around.

This was part of the reason that Worm had first adopted Roy in the first place. The boy had reminded him so much of himself as a child, young and vulnerable and hurt by those that were supposed to be his family, and Worm hadn't wanted another boy to grow up as he had. So he had taken Roy in the best he could, not quite able to take Roy into his home at the time just because of the fact that the other had been on fire, and it had been a pretty serious safety concern. But now it seemed as though Roy's flames had finally died down, thanks to his meditation and Worm's quiet sideline encouragement, and it seemed as though they – hopefully – wouldn't be returning anytime soon. Sure, it didn't seem like Roy was operating quite at 100% at the moment, if the earlier encounter Worm had with him earlier was any indication. The young tiger had seemed so out of it when he had turned up, wet and mind full of static as he had mentioned he didn't know why he had ended up in the ocean. According to Delilah and the others, Roy didn't have anything seriously wrong with him, but Worm had still been anxiously visiting the other afterwards, just checking in to try and make sure Roy knew he was there for him.

Thankfully, it seemed as though Roy did know that, since he had now turned up at Worm's house, seemingly searching for a true friend and family member that he cared about and was cared about in return by. Wormwood had been in his home, reading one of his many books, when suddenly a familiar scent reached his nose, and he blinked in surprise. Roy? He hadn't seen the young tiger in camp that much, even since his flames had gone away, but he wasn't displeased by the fact that his adopted son had come around. Slowly getting up to his feet, the hellhound closed the book he was reading and moved to put it back on his small shelf. He then trotted outside, pushing the door open slowly with his nose. He chuckled a bit when he spotted Roy outside, sitting and awkwardly looking away from the porch like a kid trying to look like they didn't like something. Moving smoothly down the steps, Worm barked with an unintentional wag of his tail, his head tilting to one side as he wondered why Roy had decided it was finally time to venture into town, "Hey, Roy. What brings you to my little house up here? Finally decided you wanted to tour around the camp?" His house was at one of the higher points of town, all the way to the northern edge of it, and not many people ventured out there unless they were specifically looking for him.

[glow=black,2,300]YOUR CHANNEL IS UNREACHABLE[/glow]

[spacexual]

i heard you were looking like the moon — tags

Honestly, the boy likely could wait a very long time without growing very bored. Sitting around waiting is how he had to spend a lot of his life, too. There would be days he didn't get to do anything at all. He's become a master of finding something from nothing. Like the tiny ants, travelling across the floors, the slight smells of the town, a leaf floating around in a gentle breeze, carelessly making its way around. Pawsteps of a squirrel travelling through the brush, its tail twitching to remain alert. Things are always happening and, to him, that was entertaining enough. If nothing else, it was fascinating and still so new. All of it was still so foreign. Life, in general, was something he is not used to coexisting with - besides the ones that had always been there. Right now, they were simply blurred faces and vague feelings.

However, it would seem he would not have to wait long at all, as his ears prick and swivel towards the sound of a door opening. He turns his head quickly at first, attentive, before slowly easing into a neutral state, blinking towards Worm. He is almost a little embarrassed now, unsure if he is bothering the male by being here. But, it was certainly too late to go back now. Instead of being greeted with any confusion or displease towards his presence, he is offered something he had not expected. A tour?

Oh, yes, he had offered that, when his flames had first gone out...

"Oh, that would be...nice." The boy would say quietly with a nod, his head tilting slightly. "Um, if you would like to, I mean!" He adds on quickly after, his tail twitching as he does. He needn't trouble anyone, and he should think twice before accepting such polite gestures.

Perhaps this could be his chance to get to know the town a bit better. Maybe it will be easier to include himself, too.

[wormwood.]

A smile immediately found it's way twitching onto his face when Roy accepted his offer of a tour, honestly... not really expecting the boy to agree. After all, in the past Roy hadn't been especially eager to take anybody's help, even if it was only because he didn't want to trouble them and take away their time. It was a noble way to think about things, but Worm was honestly glad for the change, since it meant that he actually got to indulge his son in more exciting or fun things. Sure, taking a tour around camp wasn't exactly the most high speed or exciting thing in the world, but really anything that was new seemed to excite the young tiger, and Wormwood sure wouldn't mind getting out of the house for a while. It would still be a bit... odd, traversing the once so familiar territory with his vision cut in half to when he had first mapped it out, but he could manage. After all, this could be a learning opportunity for both him and Roy at the same time. The thought made his smile grow even wider, and he slowly descended down.the steps of his home, being careful not to trip or stumble down the stairs, his one golden eye focused on each step until his paws sank against the warm and earthy ground.

He mumbled softly as he flicked a tail to signal Roy to follow after him, trotting in the direction of the rest of the houses that made up the main town of Tanglewood, "I would like to, don't worry. Now come on then, I'll show you around the town first, since that's definitely the most exciting place to go. After all, it's got all the people in it." He flashed a quick little smile back at Roy, showing him that he wanted him to just relax and have a fun time with the tour. After all, the younger male had been in the surrounding lands for so long without properly meeting anyone that he should be excited by the prospect of seeing a bunch of people's homes. Once they reached the outskirts of the main town just a bit from Worm's house, he gave a small nod to people as they passed, many either knowing him because he was a familiar face around, or because he was one of the newer chasers. He then licked his chops before turning to Roy and barking softly, flicking his paw towards the library that stood tall near the corner of the town, regal and large as ever, "This is the library, somewhere that I'm sure you'll become quite acquainted with over time. I've visited it quite a few times before myself, but I have enough of my own collection of books that it isn't too needed. I do come and help out with the organization, though."

[glow=black,2,300]YOUR CHANNEL IS UNREACHABLE[/glow]

[spacexual]

i heard you were looking like the moon — tags

As the male agreed, Roy felt his tail raise slightly in a small excitement. He lifts himself back into a standing position, trailing close behind the canine as his ears twitch quietly towards his words. It's got all the people in it...Yes, that's right. It was a bit overwhelming. Hopefully Wormwood would not try to make him speak to a large group of folks right now. He'd like to make friends, but bringing so much attention to himself...he doesn't like that idea. Not right now, at least. He would much rather get to know his surroundings first. See the town. Familiarize himself with the faces. Then he can talk. That would be better, he thinks.

Butterflies are surely floating about his stomach now.

However, fortunately, it seems that he does not intend to do that...at least, not right away. Instead, he gets to see a building that quickly gathers his interests. The library. "You have lots of books?" he questions quietly with a small smile, looking over both Wormwood and the library. Books, he's sure, are something he enjoys, when he gets the chance to read them himself. "I...have one, too. It isn't here right now."

It wasn't really his. But he doesn't remember that.

The boy has had a bag of a few belongings, connected to a world he doesn't quite remember. He had left it somewhere...oh where had he put it? Last time he'd touched it, he had put away that constellation map he had been given from the male. He would have to find it.

[wormwood.]

Wormwood, despite being a male that constantly loved interacting with others and slowly adding more and more additions onto the mansion that was his found family in Tanglewood, would never shove his son into the deep end of the pool when it came to socializing. Despite the fact that he knew Roy would want to learn more about the others that inhabited Tanglewood over time, he also doubted the young tiger would want top just weave his way into some huge group of people that were gathered for one of Feza's many events that she loved the throw. He would ease Roy into this slowly, just introducing his son to the others that inhabited the group over time, person by person, so that he could actually get to know them without panicking and backpedaling hard enough to light himself ablaze again. Of course, Roy already knew quite a few of the important people in the group that Worm actually knew well and cared about, just by virtue of being around for a few different events, but there were still some that Roy hadn't had the opportunity to meet before – like Vathmos. The thought of the female actually made the chaser's heart ache a bit, since it had been quite a while since he had seen the first good friend he had really made in Tanglewood just wandering around. It seemed as though the sudden change in her appearance around the group hadn't even been well forewarned either, since one day they had just been hanging out, having lunch together and discussing the goings on in the group, and then the next day she was just... gone. No longer at lunches, no longer at meetings, and no longer by his side.

The thoughts of Vathmos made a frown tug at his muzzle, and he quickly shook his head to clear them away, filing the feelings away for later when he was more equipped to deal either them, and they wouldn't be interrupting a nice tour with his son. His son who, smiling brightly up at him, was asking if he had a lot of books. A soft chuckle left the older male at this, mainly because a "lot of books" was an understatement for how many pieces of literature he had amassed in his collection over the years. In fact, he had so much that he was already starting to plan out what he would need to get rid of in order for Roy to have a bit of his own space in their shared home – although Roy hadn't asked him such a thing yet. It just felt like the... natural progression of things. After all, Wormwood cared a great deal about the little oddly colored tiger, and he had already adopted Roy and protected him with everything he had, so why wouldn't the other move in with him now that he was able to live in the town? Of course, he couldn't – and wouldn't – force Roy to move in with him if that wasn't what his son ended up wanting, but even now he could feel that faint prickle in his fur that told him this was all leading up to something, beyond just a simple tour.

Realizing that he had gone silent for quite a few seconds now, Worm let a soft smile curl onto his muzzle, barking with a nod as a warm rumbling chuckle left him, "Yeah, I do have quite a few books of my own. Quite the extensive collection, in fact. I bet if I really tried, I could give even the library a run for its money... but I think I'm pretty fine with just being the second largest collector of books in the town." He shook his head a bit with that same little smile, before Roy mentioned that he had a book as well, one solitary book that had probably been one of his only companions on his journey to Tanglewood. Immediately, Worm's interest was piqued, and he rumbled softly as he tilted his head to one side, regarding his son thoughtfully with his one faintly golden eye, "You have one book, huh? Do you happen to remember what it's about?" He asked both to show interest in his son's words, and also because it seemed as though Roy wasn't entirely aware of where the book was now. It wasn't exactly the biggest deal in the entire world, but perhaps if Roy had really cared about whatever was in the book, Worm could find another copy for him if he knew what the subject matter was.

[glow=black,2,300]THE FREEDOM OF FALLING[/glow]

[spacexual]

— TREMBLE FOR YOURSELF MY MY MAN — tags
YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE SEEN THIS ALL BEFORE

While he does recall informing Wormwood that he could, in fact, read, he's not sure he ever explained why he enjoys it. At this point, he's not even sure why. He just knows it's something he likes, and that there is something very significant about that. So, confirming he has many books, the boy smiles excitedly. Maybe if he was nice, his father would let him read some of them. Maybe they could share their favorites.

As he is asked about his own book, however, the boy would seem to stop altogether, blinking. Can he remember what the book was? He looks to the ground, shuffling his paws quietly, trying to recall the contents of his bag. "Uh," he'd mumble for a moment, unsure if he can. He has to think. But, soon enough, he can remember a blue cover, eyes in the sky, some sort of city or road below...he's not sure at this point. But, it's enough to recognize the book and its contents. His glowing eyes look back up to Wormwood, one paw tapping the ground. "It was, um, about a wealthy man who is in love with a woman he can never have. It's called The Great Gatsby." That was it.

While he wasn't aware it was a popular book, seeing as he's never been a part of society, he was unsure he'd want to see any other but the one in his possession. Had he known Wormwood planned to offer him another, he would have refused. This book isn't like all the others that were released. It was something connected directly to his past, and there was something special about it he just can't seem to remember right now. But he's sure of it. There's something important about it.

[wormwood.]

The Great Gatsby. Wormwood knew the story well, considering it had been the first of the several long form books that the chaser had read when he had first been eager to learn how to read. After all, even if Worm wasn't aware of it, The Great Gatsby was one of the many important books that English teachers usually assigned in order to teach important concepts to students. If Worm had known that teachers used it, he probably would have agreed with the fact that it was important and influential. It wasn't one of his favorite books in the entire world, but he did enjoy it, and he felt a soft smile come to his face when Roy mentioned what the one book that he had was. Chuckling, Wormwood said softly as he nodded, saying as he glanced off towards the trees around them, wondering where the book that Roy was talking about was,  "I've read The Great Gatsby before, and it's certainly a very nice tale to read, so of all the books that you could have had as your one book, that's a good choice. Do you know where it is these days? Cause if you've lost it, I'm sure there's a copy at the library, or I might still have one in my own personal collection, which is always open to you..." He smiled softly at Roy, glancing back towards his own home and thinking back to his own little personal library of books. After all, even if Roy hadn't yet asked to move in with the older lion, Worm still didn't mind giving the boy anything that he wanted. After all, what were you supposed to do with your son? Not give him everything that he deserved?

The lion was unaware of how much The Great Gatsby truly did mean to Roy in the long run. After all, he loved practically every book that resided in his little library, but he cared more about the stories inside of the covers rather than the specific copy of the story that he owned. He had never gotten attached personally to a book, rather than what resided inside. However, if Wormwood had known that the reason that Roy didn't want another copy of the book was because it had a personal connection to his past, he probably would've just promised Roy that he would help him find the book, rather than offering him a new one. He could definitely understand having possessions that were connected to events of the past. After all, Wormwood had abandoned the necklace that Poet had given him when they were children, and had also thrown out all of the books that Poet has gifted him, just because of the fact that they held such painful memories within their covers.

[glow=black,2,300]THE FREEDOM OF FALLING[/glow]