bodyache XX open

[Bean]

[Nayru]

[color=#6b7e99]✦ ✦ ✦

A full medic now, Nayru often took to the territory to stock up on herbs and such in the case of the unfortunate. She still questioned her ability to heal (as she questioned everything about herself), but the idea of having an excess amount of supplies soothed her for whatever reason. She was prepared, physically, for anything in that sense. It took the pressure off of the uncertainty of not having enough and delicately placed it square upon her shoulders. In that vein, she supposed that she determined whether a patient was effectively healed or whether, goddesses forbid, they were not.

The tiny backpack she possessed was already bursting with leaves and seeds and such and Nayru had been on her way back to the ghost town when she passed the water in which Iota currently occupied. Intrigued, as she usually always was after stumbling upon her clanmates, the Akalan Princess wandered towards her. [b][color=#6b7e99]"Hello, Iota," She began with a pleasant smile, [color=#6b7e99]"How are you?" Nayru's outward cheeriness did not match the storm cloud brewing within her at all. She was still unsettled by the nightmare she had had just a day prior and even further, the seemingly crushing information that the goddess Nayru was simply gone. As soon as she was done here, she'd pray and pray and pray and hope to be given some answers. Until then, she hoped she could at least make it up to the female her opposite for making her uncomfortable when she joined.

[color=#6b7e99]"Do you like Tanglewood so far?"

[Luciferr]

FENRISULFR

▼ — when the weak court death, they find it.

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No, he did not shadow his clan mates like a worried parent,

even if thats exactly what he was doing - sigh.

Padding quietly after the full fledged doctor - and feeling strangely proud for the young nurse - Fenris did have to wonder at the reactions their clanmates had had to Iota - given his own form he'd been surprised they were so shocked by her horns - or maybe his was so outlandish as to be so less shocking,

or possibly there was too much to focus on - he was an odd conglomeration after all.

War quietly dipped his head to Iota in greeting as he padded around to simply sit quietly while Nayru asked her question, he could speak up after she'd answered but he was quite content to simply sit and be.

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▲ — TANGLEWOOD. PROXY. VERY HARD. REF. BIO. — ▲

#psychosocial.

[Bean]

[Luciferr]

FENRISULFR

▼ — when the weak court death, they find it.

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Fenris listened quietly as she answered Nayru, idly crossing his paws over each other to let the lava lined claws rest idly against each other - though his eyes strayed to the waters edge briefly before back again.

he smiled idly - though troubled to know that tanglehood of all places was being lauded for hospitality in comparison to previous places, that certainly put a dent on whatever those places had been for Iota, tangles was hardly overly friendly, well, unless you were one of theirs.

he snorted idly at her last comment of her thoughtful words "you can be as mushy as you like, I don't judge" he hummed idly, long ears flickering "I'm glad to see you settling in either way - you're one of us now, an we're loyal to each other if nothing else" he smiled idly "even if we do get on one anothers nerves from time to time".

/ride together, die together tanglers 4 lyfe

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▲ — TANGLEWOOD. PROXY. VERY HARD. REF. BIO. — ▲

#psychosocial.

[Morgan]

Morgan had appeared just in time to hear Iota's little speech. Content in having understood nearly all of it, the dog wagged its fluffy tail and stepped forward. It nodded in agreement with its fellow Proxy, though it felt like it should try to add something as well.

The cream canine took a moment to come up with the right words. "Iota, I never knew what family was before Tanglewood too. Tanglewood, you all, is my whole life," it said with a smile, turning toward Fenrisulfr first before facing Iota once more. Morgan knew its sentences were nowhere near perfect, but it hoped it at least got its point across. Whatever "mushy" meant, the dog was glad it and its fellow Tanglers could get the chance to speak their minds.

[beck.]

    It was quite the sight to see the disheveled commander out in the open, much less willingly in the same vicinity as sprawling bodies of water. For an entity disguised as a little feline, he appeared deeply upset at even the thought of inching close past the muddy cattails and to the shore; a ghastly scowl had been carved into his freckled features, scrunched up wrinkles distorting his youthful appearance. He had been attempting to rig together a crude fishing trap, but the instant he was staring out over the placid muck of the estuary, his confidence deflated into a mere whimper of fear. Swamp puddles he was fine with, they were too shallow to drown in. But the thought of the phantom hands escaping from his memories and forcing beneath the surface here was a different story. Crooked wire net clutched between hesitant paws, his honey-brown eyes stared at everything lurking in the water's depths and nothing at the same time. Beck's attention was always easily torn away at the slightest of sounds, senses forcing his being into alarm mode every time as if expecting a bounty hunter to burst from the dark foliage, swinging and slashing at him.

    A metaphorical heartbeat of owlishly staring back at the rustling's source, pricked ears managed to snatch snippets of conversation. Familiar voices paired with familiar smells -- he was fine, nothing wanted to attack him yet. His self-reassurance didn't prevent a shaky huff from leaving his bruised lungs, matted cowlicks falling into his vision as his gaunt figure slouched in relief. Propping his unused fish trap up against a willow's roots, the poltergeist slunk into the ferns to investigate, seeking to distract from the constant boredom and paranoia overwhelming his thoughts.

    He didn't think Iota was strange. He didn't think anyone was strange at all. Partially because he was nearly blind unless he ignored their personal bubbles and got up in their faces to discern the blurred details. They all were the same smudged outlines and vibrant shapes either way. The only way he noticed Iota's horns at all was due to the obvious spikes jutting from her skull. Fenrisulfr was too tall for him to even begin calling out on his oddities, Nayru seemed to be ordinary, and Morgan always wore a mask. That said, Beck could care less about appearances. If his mangy flanks, terrible scarring, and scorched-away cheek weren't enough evidence already.

    The boy waited on the fringes of their get-together for a while, occasionally an electric-blue tongue peeking out to obsessively lick the edges of his missing cheek and razor-blade teeth. Flicking a notched ear to the rhythm of words being spoken, he eventually caught himself up with their exchanges even if he remained wordless for the most part. Hospitality? Family? Amber eyes rolled at that claim, sharkish teeth gritting as if the idea made him feel sick. He supposed he had sparked the unsteady beginnings of a family -- albeit a handful of them had disappeared already, and if they wanted to label themselves as a family, he bet they were awfully dysfunctional. He had spent many years watching these "families" from the intangible corners of their own homes, and they were examples of normal behavior, right? Well, how was he supposed to know how a proper, unhaunted family behaved? He couldn't remember his, and his so-called brother didn't feel like a brother after showing up out of the blue.

    "Ugh, families," the scrawny ghost finally spoke up in a shrill whine, face pulling back into a grimace as he stuck out his discolored tongue in a child-like manner. A wheezing snicker followed as if his grievances were nothing more than jokes, and after a moment of labored gasping to regain his unneeded breath, Beck continued with a mumble, "I guess if ya wanna call us a 'family', ya can, even though we ain't related." Families were only bound by kin or marriage from his experience, and no creature alive held the title of blood relative to him.

    Beck warily offered a strained smile, the expression out of place on his disfigured maw as he rambled on, "But -- hey, nobody's gonna care 'bout horns, or wings, or third eyeballs, least last time I checked. We're all freaks here." To emphasize his degrading point, the poltergeist flaunted around his undead state, more than happy to allow a foreleg to lose its tangibility and pass it through Iota's head, certainly giving her a cold rush of static before he recoiled and resumed his corporeal apparition. Another eerie giggle rattled from him, baring his jagged fangs in the process. "Yeah, we're a whole 'family' freakshow! Somebody's gotta call up the circus, their entire show just escaped!" Whatever moral or point he was struggling to describe was once again twisted and mangled by his cynical teeth. Beck caught himself, faltering for words before he sputtered out, "Not that it's a bad thing, I mean -- heh."

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[Bean]

[Nayru]

[color=#6b7e99]✦ ✦ ✦

Nayru didn't mind waiting- quite the contrary actually. She'd stand and patiently wait for Iota to collect and formulate her thoughts all day if she needed to, expression never once changing from that tender, curious one that masked her features now. Though she would admit... she wasn't expecting such a heartfelt response. [b][color=#6b7e99]"Iota..." She began softly, her turn now to organize her thoughts, [color=#6b7e99]"Of course! You're so kind! We love having you here!" Her exclamations were joined by an almost too-bright smile, one that halfway seemed misplaced upon Nayru's lips. She didn't smile often, that was for sure. [color=#6b7e99]"My own family situation is... complicated. Tanglewood has treated me far better than my own father ever has in his entire existence. We are just a really big, kind of wild family," She confessed, cerulean gaze falling to the floor for a moment.

She had never vocally expressed the troubles she had with her father, too frightened by the implausible potential that he'd somehow hear her words and scream at her for them. She would have offered more had it not been for Beck's arrival and subsequent words. [color=#6b7e99]"Hey be nice. The word 'freak' is a little harsh," She halfway joked, [color=#6b7e99]"Though I will con-"

Was Iota just leaving?

Oh.

Nayru was tempted to pursue her but for some reason stayed still, lips pursing as she contemplated the other. Maybe she was tired... maybe she needed to rest. [color=#6b7e99]"Or maybe you scared her away with talk of circuses," She suddenly said aloud, gazing at Beck. She was still partially joking but did sincerely hope that that wasn't the case. She quite liked Iota and she wanted her to feel as comfortable and at home as humanly possible.