trash candy // joiner

[charactercemetary.]

[glow=#000,1,400]THE WORLD IS BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

Every day was simple for her. Go to bed in the darkened, lonely cell with the label "C.V. 81" engraved on a piece of wood, slapped above the door of the bars. Then, wake up the next day, wait for the chain to be taken off by a supervisor. Then, be led out to the fields to help harvest the plants - of course, none of which were given to her. Or, some days, she'd do something else - whatever needed to be done. After a laborious day, way past sundown, slip into the musty and cold, blue-ish colored cell, get her chain put back on, and go to bed against the cold, stony tiles. Different days were better than others. Sometimes, she was used as a punching bags, others - she was given extra food. It was like this for her family for decades.

A month ago? A particularly hard day. She had to be target practice, just stand there as others clawed their way to her, to be nothing more than a living dummy. She moved, kept dodging - simply instinct. And she was harshly punished. No outside time and no communication for an entire month. When it was over, she was beaten and bruised by others who called her kind nothing but worthless witches. She was left in her cell to rot and wither away, hoping she'd die from the wounds. A sibling noticed her condition walking back to their own cell, and slipped something under.

Something that gave the winged snow leopard a chance to escape. Her chain snaps.

C.V. 81 escaped to the outside world. One which she only heard of from the chattering guards. The sky was blue, yet was reflected by blue seas. There were some many places - a meadow, filled with vibrant flowers, a forest with trees that touched the skies. Places with... some white stuff, something called snow? Rocks. It was beautiful. She wished she could see it forever and ever.

But, these would not do as places to stay. She's on the edge of starvation, of that dull, aching hunger when she stumbles upon the marsh. It is murky, filled with... what even were those things? She doesn't have any time to think about it. She collapses.

For a good five minutes. When her eyes flicker open, she is surprised to be greeted by sunlight and not the darkness, save for a lantern. The snow leopard pushes herself up from the bark of a tree, moving forward - slowly, but one step at a time. Her chain clinks but she keeps going.

[wormwood.]

[table][tr][td]

AURUM

DO NO HARM BUT TAKE NO SHIT !

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The sound of a chain rattling and clanging against the ground was what drew Aurum over to where CV was. He had been patrolling, seeking out some sort of food that he and Roy could share that day. His pawsteps had been slow, taking tests due to the exhaustion that hung over him most days, trying his best not to be clumsy in his transfers from log to log and end up face down in the mud. However, as he leapt from one log to another, his ears twitched at a very new and distinct sound – a chain beating accidentally against the side of a tree. Looking around, Aurum blinked in surprise before opening his mouth, soaking in the scents as well of the sounds of everything nearby. It wasn't long before he smelled CV, and he turned, heading swiftly off in her direction. He didn't want to startle a new potential joiner, so he slowed down a bit once he got close, blinking in surprise at what he saw. He had definitely noticed the odd noise, but he hadn't actually been expecting the girl to be wearing a chain around one of her legs. A snow leopard. A winged one, in fact. She would've reminded him of Feza, if it weren't for the fact that she was colored differently. Still not the usual colors of the coat of a snow leopard, but different enough from Feza that he could easily tell them apart.

Once he was done processing her slightly odd appearance – although really, look at who was talking – Aurum moved closer, stopping on a log a few paces ahead of her. He waited until she had spotted him to clear his throat, his voice a soft rumble as he questioned, "Hello there... what's your name? Cause you're on Tanglewood territory, and generally we don't like trespassers." His voice wasn't threatening, hs was pretty much just giving a statement of fact. Nobody around here was particularly enthused to find some random person traipsing around their territory, so he felt it was fair to at least be upfront about it. Once he had gotten that out of the way, he noticed how... exhausted, she looked. Exhausted and tired, at least from the looks of it. A faint frown pulled at the male's face, and he hesitated before continuing, voice deep and warm, "Also... are you alright? You look like you need help." He didn't really know of what kind, but he could always rush and get Selby if that was needed.

━ I'M GONNA WIN┆PROUD. WARM. PROTECTIVE. ━

[charactercemetary.]

[glow=#000,1,400]THE WORLD IS BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

Her tired, purple-blue gaze flickers in front of her as she walked through the swamp, taking huge breaths as if she wasn't sure she could breathe the next minute, or perhaps the next second. Still, she was hypervigilant, looking for those who could potentially return her where she came from. Did they notice she was gone? Were they angry that a so-called witch was out and about? Maybe she should just return and go home.

She looks at the sight before her. Was that a battle-ready lion, who lost his sight from another? Despite his soft rumbling, his gentle tone, her eyes go wide. "I-I, um," the 'young' snow leopardess looked around, as if anyone or everyone was watching. "I'm sorry, Lord Lion - what is a name?" The oddly colored child asked, offering what was a fake smile. "Of-of course I am fine! Wh-what work needs to be done?" Did she just stumble into another group - like the one where she came from, perhaps a separate branch of it? This was the best way to be safe for now.

[Felibri]

[align=center]

Virgil was constantly active and roaming around the place. Occasionally, she felt the territory to be too small and she often crossed the border to go off somewhere, especially to hunt. She no longer trusted the prey to be found here. She'd rather not wake up to find herself with wings or horns. Cancer, the unknown virus to her, was also a worry. She remembered the Spitting Foam Disease that took the lives of two of her pack-mates. Even Caesar had seemed grim. She normally did, but this was a new type ... a type of fear. She had been living here for a few days and was already quite comfortable in the boundaries laid out. Her past clung to her like a heavy cloud, but for the most part she could ignore it.

When the painted wolf returned from her outer clan hunting trip, she noticed a strange creature. Her hackles bristled and her ears folded backward. Aurum was there already. He didn't seem intimidated, so neither should Virgil. The canine gave herself a shake and paced forward, coming up on the snow leopard from behind. Her golden eyes glinted as a dragon's when he sees gold. She was very pretty. Virgil leaned forward and snuffed at the newcomer's pelt loudly.

"What's a name?" Virgil recoiled in surprise. She looked up at Aurum with a quirked brow. Had she heard that right? Did she just meet someone more repressed than she was? "What people call you. I'm called Virgil." Name were so very important. In Virgil's pack, there was a special ceremony for it. On their first hunt, the puppies were given their names. It was a symbol of coming of age and of full acceptance into the pack. Needless to say, they were very important to her, even if she had no idea what her name meant.

[wormwood.]

[table][tr][td]

AURUM

DO NO HARM BUT TAKE NO SHIT !

[/td][td]

[/td][/tr][/table]

CV's behavior... well, it immediately set off alarms in Aurum's head as soon as she saw him. Despite his gentle worrying and reassuring smile, she was fidgety and nervous, and the chain around her leg seemed to clang even louder with each movement when he thought about it. She reminded him of when he was younger, but somehow even more twitchy and fragile, a feat he hadn't thought possible after months of abuse. What exactly had happened to the poor girl? Aurum wanted to wrap her up in blankets and offer her some cocoa just so that she could share her story in a place that was safe and secluded, where hopefully she could calm down. Unfortunately, the border wasn't that place, and soon enough someone else was approaching as well. Aurum offered a nod to Virgil when the painted dog came up beside him, his eyes still on CV as she spoke. When she asked what a name was, he found himself staring a little, shocked at the question. Virgil spoke up before long, and the proxy found himself nodding along, "Yeah, Virgil's right. Your name is whatever people call you... my name is Aurum." It seemed like such simple and basic information to him, but evidently this girl had been violently sheltered, to the point where she didn't even have a name. Did she even have one?

When CV asked what work there was to be done, along with a very phony smile and reassurance that she was fine, Aurum felt a frown pull at his muzzle, his head shaking from side to side. When he spoke up, he tried to be as gentle as possible, hoping that the girl would trust he and Virgil so that they could properly help, "There's... there's no work to be done. I mean, there is, but not for you. You look like you could use some rest. Besides, you don't even seem like you know what Tanglewood is..." His words were soft and worried, and his tail twitched a little behind him as he awaited her response, hoping that she would cave and admit she needed help. At the moment, however? Such a response seemed doubtful, if he was honest with himself.

━ I'M GONNA WIN┆PROUD. WARM. PROTECTIVE. ━

[charactercemetary.]

[glow=#000,1,400]THE WORLD IS BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

She looked around, worry gripping her. She just needed to go back, she should go back - what about her siblings? The Lords and Ladies would be so angry that she skipped out on work to chat with... whoever this were. She runs her right paw down her chain, remembering how it snapped and lead to her breaking out. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad if she went back now. Her eyes go wide and she spins upon her glowing pelt being snuffed. She lowers her head, blinking at the other's recoil. What? Was she with that group? Did she know? "U-um, well- I'm called C.V. 81. Nice to meet you, Lady Virgil," the girl mutters, looking down.

Her wide-eyed glance focused onto the lion. Huge. Huge. If he wanted to, he could sling her over his shoulders and call the others to take her back. She turns towards the tawny majesty, faking yet another smile, her paws tapping against the ground as she looked for a way around these two. "Y-your thralls did the w-work already, Lord Aurum? I-if there's still m-more, I'd b-be happy to help. N-no matter wh-what Tanglewood is."

[Felibri]

[align=center]

What in Tartarum? What was a Lady? She wasn't a lady. If Virgil didn't live for the goal of companionship, she would have locked herself away and never come out of her house. It would be better than suffering a new headache for every strange thing she came across. This was also the reason why she slept under people's porches at night. Loneliness was unbearable for the thin-legged dog. "That's not a name." Virgil deadpanned. Having a name was not a string of letters and numbers, that much was for sure. She knew Tanglers likely came from a variety of backgrounds, but they must have assimilated so well that she couldn't really pick out any distinctive features from the few people she met already. She felt a sort of connection. Though she had never thought something was wrong with her clan, the taste of freedom she was given by being a member of Tanglewood was addictive and urged her to rethink her old traditions. She still held on to them, but her grip was starting to get shaky.

"Hmm." Virgil never named anyone in her life. That was Caesar's job. She closed her eyes, waiting for that right feeling, waiting for the universe to speak its wisdom to her. It didn't happen. She panicked slightly and opened one eye discretely to look at the leopard again. She really liked her coat. It was very pretty. Though she had thrown feelings of pity out the window, it did sort of hurt her to see someone acting like they were using her. She was just a child. Her clan had never taken slaves, though. They relied on nobody but themselves. Slaves were a waste. Only pack mates bound by a sisterly and comrade-ly love were worth defending and working with. "Amaris. In my language it means 'you are loved'."

[wormwood.]

[table][tr][td]

AURUM

DO NO HARM BUT TAKE NO SHIT !

[/td][td]

[/td][/tr][/table]

Lord Aurum. Just the sound of it made an unpleasant shiver go down the lion's spine, and he immediately never wanted to be called that again. It reminded him far too much of the way that the old advisors back in the pride would address him, all forced smiles and honey sweet words to get on his good side. Only somehow it was even worse, because Amaris said it, and now she was looking for work to do for him. He stared at her, wide eyed, before quickly shaking his head, his ears pinning down briefly against his skull. He had briefly heard her supposed "name", but it wasn't actually anything close to a name for him, and soon enough Virgil was stepping in to help with that. Aurum lifted his head once again to listen, his head tilting to one side as Virgil offered a name in her language. It was a sweet and soft one, and seemed fitting for the child in front of the two of them. Nodding his head, the proxy rumbled softly in agreement, "Yeah... Amaris. That sounds like a nice name for you. Er, if you wanna take it. Instead of just... that." It sounded disturbingly like a serial number to him, and he felt a little bit of bile rise up in his throat that he forced down.

With the name situation potentially taken care of, Aurum decided to focus on the whole thralls thing. Shaking his head again, the lion managed to get out slowly, "I'm not... don't call me Lord Aurum, alright? My name is just Aurum. And I don't have any thralls, alright? We don't force people to do work around here. Tanglewood is a group where we all choose to be here, and we work to help the group as a whole. We don't have... slaves, or whatever it is you were." It was a little blunt for his tastes, but she didn't really seem to get it when he tried to be subtle, so he had yo be straightforward for her sake. They didn't keep people around just to do things for them, or to hurt them. They weren't the Pitt.

━ I'M GONNA WIN┆PROUD. WARM. PROTECTIVE. ━

[charactercemetary.]

[glow=#000,1,400]THE WORLD IS BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

C.V. 81's head was spinning. That wasn't a name? But it was what she was called - by the definition she was given, that very well was a name. Did it not make sense to pronounce or something? She thought that was why she was given the name in the first place. "What- of course it is!" She defends it, fur bristling somewhat. She remembers the way she came off, how rude and uncouth and sassy and - unobedient. Her ears lay flat and her eyes widen. "W-wait, n-no. I, um, I-I'm sorry." The girl starts sputtering out an apology, backing up. "If- if you-" she cuts herself off, wheeling on her heels to turn towards the lion.

If she wanted the name? Oh, no no! It was if people wanted to call her that. "I um, if- you guys want to call me... 'Amaris', sure!" What was with the painted dog? You are loved? Maybe by her family, but not by much else it seemed. And she abandoned them. She should really, really go back. She stopped upon Aurum's insistence to not call him... Lord. "Is that not your position?" She asked, not looking at the lion directly, looking downward. "And what is a slave?"