malleable beings / mass joining

[emil]

[align=center][div style="width: 600px; padding: 10px; height: auto; overflow: auto;"][div style="width: 550px; padding: 0px; line-height: 13px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;"]Tao was never one to really express emotion. Always a stoic air about them, cold, aloof. They hadn't always been like this, of course; only after the tragedy of their first family did they become like this. Lost their voice to trauma and simply watched as their emotions faded to black. Truth be told, even with their new pack, even with Asteria, they were still recovering. It would take them a long time if they were ever to go back to who they used to be.

Their ears twitched slightly at Teri's question. They were sure she could feel it over the bond, but regardless they appreciated her concern. Tao breathed out a deep sigh. Worry flashed in their eyes for a brief moment as they stared ahead, contemplating, calculating their next move. "...Badly," The hybrid croaked to her, voice low and broken from lack of use.

Aphro's words reached them next. They glanced down to the wound on their shoulder, and though it hurt a bit, they couldn't find it in themself to accept the help. Asteria could use it more than them; though they sustained no wounds on their wings, Tao could feel the sting of hers. They wrinkled their nose slightly. I'm okay. Tao shuffled their wings and couldn't help the curling of their lip upon sighting someone growing closer to the little group.

Buckingham Barnes. What a long, tiring, useless name. 'Helion' seemed to be a word that carried importance, and yet they got nothing of that from the feline and his prosthetic arm. Tao raised a brow as they looked him over with their judging eyes, gaze moving next to Bex as she followed and introduced herself. Two names they would not be using any time soon. Oh, how they hated seeking the help of groups that they would hold no loyalty to. Idle chat on a border when they could have easily just waltzed in and acted like they lived there already. As they had no intentions of offering their voice to the two, the hybrid instead turned their gaze to Asteria as they always seemed to do.