patient is the night | group of joiners

[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 —

Family. Siblings. Apparently, this ragtag band of animals was a group composed entirely of Beck's siblings. The notion would've seemed absolutely nonsensical to Aurum, if he didn't know about the practices of shapeshifting and possession – not to mention the intricacies of spirits. Still, the revelation didn't exactly put the proxy at ease, per se. He supposed it made sense that Beck would have siblings of some kind, but where had they been, and why were they here now? Had they simply been searching, or was it just that now there was something about finding Beck that could be used to their advantage? The same feeling of unease that had come with Poetking's return settled heavy in Aurum's chest, even if these were not his siblings. He still allowed his fur to lie flat, however. He forced himself to calm, not wanting to terrify or run the boy's siblings off when this was possibly the first time in centuries that he had seen them all – that is, if they were who they said they were. Swallowing back the unpleasant taste of suspicions in his mouth, the lion rumbled with a dip of his head, "My apologies for the hostility... but Tanglewood is not exactly a group unused to conflict, and you can understand my worry when a large group of strangers shows up asking for one of our members." Perhaps they couldn't understand. Either way, the fact was that he didn't feel wrong for exhibiting a healthy amount of caution.

It was odd, seeing Beck cry with such emotion. The angel had seen the boy cry before, such as when he had been wailing in panic and sorrow after the houseboat fire. Aside from that, however, Aurum had not been around for most of the feline's most vulnerable and emotional moments. He averted his gaze from the male when the sobbing started, figuring that Beck wouldn't want everyone staring at him while he cried. He was grateful when Selby came over, watching as the sawbone acted as a caring father to his adopted son. It was sweet to see, and since Selby saw fit to turn his attention to introducing himself to the newcomers, Aurum decided he might as well too. Stepping back a bit so that he didn't seem as hostile and intimidating, the lion muttered warmly to the gathered group, "...I suppose I'm glad that family has been reunited today. Welcome to Tanglewood. My name is Aurum, and I'm the second in command around here, hence my worry. I... I suppose I'm also technically Beck's uncle, on some level." He knew that Beck would never deign to admit such a thing, but considering Selby and Moth had adopted the boy, they technically had hardly relation between them. It only seemed fair to tell the spirit's siblings as well. Giving them one last once over, he continued, "Seeing as you have a lot to catch up on... are all of you interested in joining? Or have you simply come to visit Beck?" He hated to bring up the technicalities of their visit, but if the lot of them all joined... well, they'd have plenty of time to speak after Beck calmed down.

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

#psychosocial.