SHAPING A ROOM;; private - Leroy

[trojan g.]

[align=center][div style="bgcolor= black; max-width: 500px; font-family: verdana;font-size:10pt;text-align:justify;"]If Ryder had known that the first face he'd see when he had finally decided to make his way to Tanglewood was his father, he probably would have tried to make a better impression than just sitting there, looking like anyone else who had tried to join before. Though upon further thinking first impressions were nothing when you lived with someone, and seeing as how Ryder was a member of Tanglewood now - at least for the foreseeable future - Leroy was, technically, living with him, even if it wasn't in the same house.

Making his way around the camp, Ryder had asked a few NPC's where things were located, and had found out through them that the house he was currently sitting at the front door of was his father's. He'd not said anything yet to anyone else, afraid of what they'd think of him - he didn't like high hopes or no hopes based on other's opinions of kin, and he knew not of how respected Leroy was here in the tribe.

Having been sitting there for a few minutes, he tried to contemplate knocking, head shaking for a moment to get the thoughts out of his head. He knew old stories of how Leroy acted, though that could have changed, and he had to expect the best and the worst, just in case. So he'd finally stand up, lift a paw, and gently "knock" at the door, and he waited for an answer.

[toboggan]

The muffled sound of rattling against his home's door prompted the general to begrudgingly stand up and answer it. Any other day, Leroy would've been out of the house at this particular hour, taking in the scenery, basking in the midday sun. But today, today it was fucking humid. The air wasn't friendly. And thus, the mongrel found himself within the cool comforts of his and Crow's abode - or, at least he did, until some selfish nincompoop made the tactless choice to intrude on his R'n'R.

Any other day, this blockhead could've come knocking at the door. Yet, they had to choose the one where he was stuck inside for the sake of his well-being. God, some people are so unbelievably self-centered. He pushed the door ajar to see this bastard's ugly mug, and...

It's his son.

Oh.

"H-Hello, Ryder," he quickly musters, his voice faulty due to a combination of fatigue and wasted fury. The male steps outside of the door, closing it behind him to keep the coolness in (Crow was still in there, and leaving it open likely would have led to the feline suffering from heatstroke). Paws shuffling awkwardly on the ground, the wolfhound plants his meaty rump on the scarcely-steady boards of his porch. "Err.. so how's it been with you?" Why was it so damn difficult to communicate with the child you hadn't known about for over a year, despite him being yours?

[trojan g.]

[align=center][div style="bgcolor= black; max-width: 500px; font-family: verdana;font-size:10pt;text-align:justify;"]The look upon the older canine's face had not seem as one that would be welcoming at first, the flash of original annoyance left before the slight look of shock threw Ryder off guard for but a moment before he listened to the words that came from Leroy's maw, noting the awkward tones and the start of small talk. He supposed it was odd, to not know about a son that you had and then suddenly know about them a year and a half later, it was only expected to be weird at first.

Though he listened to the words, Ryder had not thought of what he, specifically, was going to say to the other. Though he was in fact the one who had knocked and come over to start conversation, he just couldn't think of it, so when asked how he was going, it threw him off guard for only a moment, having thought there'd be something more said. "I'm doing fine, as fine as I can in this heat anyway..." He'd drift off, looking around for a moment before back at his father. "I heard you lived in this house, and came to talk to you, since apparently mom had never said anything to you like I had been told. Was hoping it'd be a falsehood growing up."

He didn't wish this in ill intent, just in a way to make things less weird.

[toboggan]

The wolfhound maintained a rough-hewn expression whilst his son spoke, though it developed into a neutral one midway through his dialogue. Ryder likely felt as awkward as him, and Leroy began to understand that as he analyzed what the younger male was saying. Truth be told, Leroy'd pushed the memory of Ophelia up and ditching in that manner out of his mind, as it had left a hole where his heart should've been. He didn't put any thought into how the German Shepherd might have been pregnant when she made her undisclosed exist, so the possibility of him being a father was never one that came to mind. But, now realizing the grand scheme of things, the general saw that Ryder hadn't known his true father for his entire life up until very recently. Thus, being cold and inelegant wouldn't yield any satisfactory results - if he wanted to have a true connection with his child, he'd have to act responsible and mature.

As the Wolfhound-Shepherd mix concluded what he was saying, the male- nay, the father promptly prepared a reply which he deemed sufficient. "Unfortunately," he says, tone much more certain and confident than before, "it ain't no falsehood. She didn't say anythin' before she left, but I don't hold that against her. Lotta people can't stand to stay in the swamp, and it seems that your mother was one of 'em." He wishes that she had left a note at the very least - even if he was illiterate, it would've been the thought of it that counted. "I'd invite ya inside, but I got someone sleepin' in there. I wanna talk to ya, though, so why don't we go on a walk together?"

[trojan g.]

[align=center][div style="bgcolor= black; max-width: 500px; font-family: verdana;font-size:10pt;text-align:justify;"]He'd figured as much when Leroy had responded to his query, though he wasn't disappointed. There was no reason to be disappointed in someone when it was likely you wouldn't be seeing them again, considering his separation from his own family. Maybe others would follow suit one day, though for now Ryder was alone with his father. In the long run, however, that might be able to help things better, one on one interaction to make sure no one got too overwhelmed.

It would have been considered smart had it been something done on purpose.

Ears flicked as Ryder thought about the words that were being spoken to him, and though he wanted to pry to see if he could get more information from his father - who was living with him, why were they sleeping, was it someone his father was close to? - Ryder decided that for now it'd be best to leave it be. "I'm not too sure about the thought of the swamp quite yet, though I suppose that'd change after a while of livin' here on whether or not I'm plannin' on staying for longer or not."

Hope fluttered through the canine's chest for a moment as he thought about it. Maybe he'd like the swamp more than he currently did. Get used to the humidity and heat, and maybe it was nice here in the winter. It was always hard to find a place that wasn't too cold or dry when it snowed. "And yeah, a walk seems nice, hopefully somewhere with more shade." Though the swamp was shady in many spots, the area where the houses were seemed to have less cover than other places, likely due to when the humans had built the little town.

[toboggan]

A blithe chuckle escapes his maw when his son voices that final remark. Spring hadn't even come to its conclusion yet, and the younger male implored for a spot with shade. Not that Leroy blamed him, but if the current conditions were piquing Ryder's boundaries, then he wished him luck in coping with the scorching circumstances that the summer would bring.

"I can think of some places with shade," he replies, redirecting his gaze towards the blazing sun above while saying so. "There's the tavern, for one," the male continues, "we could grab a drink if you're feelin' parched, or anythin'. If not there, we could sit in the library... but I dunno how to read, though..."

He then rises to all fours, treads past Ryder, and heads down the few steps of his porch. Afterwards, Leroy notions towards the smaller canine to come along. "C'mon," he says, "we gotta walk in this direction anyhow - we'll decide where to go before we get there, and can chat along the way."