drag me to hell in the valley of the dalles // return

[Crow Roux]

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Coming back after basically dropping off of the face of the earth was a surreal feeling. It wasn't as if he had left on a grand adventure either; he had been stuck inside his house with an embarrassing, stubborn cough and weak limbs, a byproduct of his inability to take care of his own health. Sickness often kept him down for longer than they should, but this was the sickest he had ever been. Maybe it was a wake-up call.

It had been several week since he had touched any mind-altering substances which was a new record since he went on a spiral when Pastel died. No cigarettes, no booze. After some time, he realized he was beginning to feel better. Wow. It was almost as if Selby was right and drugs were bad for him.

He sat in the town with his eyes squinted against the sun. This was the farthest he had dragged himself from his house in a long time, and he was tired.

[wormwood.]

☆ HUNG PICTURES OF PATRON SAINTS UP ON MY WALL TO REMIND ME THAT I AM A FOOL. TELL ME WHERE I CAME FROM, WHAT I WILL ALWAYS BE: JUST A SPOILED LITTLE KID WHO WENT TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL —

It was a similar surreal feeling, seeing someone who had been missing for so long return into one's life. Aurum and Crow had never really been close, but the lion had certainly known of him during his reign as general, and hadn't been glad to see the guy drop off the face of the earth. For all the proxy had known, Crow could've been dead this whole time, with Leroy just not telling anybody. Although presumably Selby would've figured out something was up... maybe.

Either way, after snapping out of the initial shock of seeing Crow settled down near the middle of town, Aurum felt a warm feeling of happiness fill him. He was glad to see that the feline was alright, even if he hardly looked like he was ready to go for a long run or anything along those lines. The angel moved over slowly, flashing the other a small smile before he sat, tufted tail moving to rest across his paws. He kept his voice low as he spoke, unsure if Crow had some sort of headache, given the way he was squinting and shifting around, "Hey Crow... it's good to see you around again. How've you been lately?" They were mundane things to ask, especially after Crow essentially disappeared within his home, but he didn't know if the former leader was still in a snappy mood, like when Leroy had first returned.

[div style="text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px #1B1B2F; font-size: 24px;"][color=#44437F]— AURUM

#psychosocial.

[Ivan]

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— Бра́тья Карама́зовы

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Any other day, he would have left Aurum to whatever he was doing. Usually it was the mundane daily things. Ivan, in all his aloofness, thought of himself to do better things, loftier things — like plundering the library. However in the corner of his eye, he noticed just how similar Crow looked compared to Ivan's brother, Atticus. It caught him by surprise and he understood at once that this was Selby's father. As Ivan slunk closer, he quickly realized that although his grandfather shared in Atticus's color, his features and lanky figure bore more semblance to Ivan's own.

Oh Ivan had heard of Crow, but he required a face to a name for him to continue thinking about said person. As he grew up, he just didn't think about him. Crow hadn't impacted his life in any way, but that was fair, because it wasn't his fault nor his duty. Ivan was quite observant in Crow's appearance. He understood that this was the cause of some great upset or depression, though this had likely happened before he was born. Ivan too, was plagued by upsets, upsets of the mind rather than anything.

Ivan twisted his nose and lips in reluctant fascination.

"Hi." He said, against his better judgment.

"I'm Ivan."

[ASVINI]

Selby's family was one enigma that hadn't been explained to the young girl. She had taken the initiative herself instead, inquiring with the NPC's within town. However, when Crow Roux showed his face to the daylight, it was one person she didn't recognized. At the sight of her mother- father? She didn't particularly care- greeting this person, she stepped over right quick, brushing her side upon her mother's leg. Had she known of the problems that Crow had hurdled, or considered the utter taste of despair she'd felt, a scoff would elect from her.

Problems were meant to get over. Life did not wait for those who tarried.

Her eyes shifted towards Ivan as he introduced himself, then back towards Crow. Her nose twitched, ears shoving forward a bit, standing up a bit taller. Her expression, as per normal, was stony and careless. "My name is Asvini. I'm Aurum's daughter." Her speech was sure, her paws shifting a bit. Nervous, she wouldn't be. But unsure of the rest of this interaction, she was. She kept that much to herself.

"speech"

[glow=black,2,300]BREAK THE SILENCE; DAMN THE DARK[/glow]

[CAUSTIC.]

He was making the beeline for the tavern when he spotted Ivan and Aurum. The other two, he didn't recognize. He picks on the conversation, hearing Asvini introduce herself. He decides to approach, coming behind Ivan and looming besides the boy.

"Crow, right? I am Dr. Caustic, it's nice to meet you."

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