PAINT THE SKY — return

[Luca]

he hadn't had a break in a long time. 221 years, to be exact. ever since his first death his life had been a constant cycle of death and rebirth, death and rebirth. pain, darkness, light. the cycle was easy enough to get used to after the thousandth time, but getting used to something was different from enjoying it. as much as he loved the typhoon and his supposed family (he could never believe that he'd made one, despite goldenluxury's insistence), the thing he wanted most in the world was a little rest. that's it, just a break from death and loss and the burning sensation that never stopped its assault on his sensitive skin. at least while he was 'dead', in that limbo state his soul resided in while his body was deemed unfit for return, he could feel nothing at all. no flames licking at his legs, no boiling of his blood. just a calm, cool nothing.

but nothing lasts forever. ironically enough, that included nothing itself. it was only a matter of time before warmth began to creep into the center of his body. gentle at first, then growing into the violence he was used to. phantom flesh smoked and charred, and luca grit still-forming teeth to bite back an anguished growl. he hated this part the most, the slow return of his nerves and all that torment that they brought with them. soon he would grow used to it, the touch of his companions would sooth the flames, and the energy he gathered from their affections would extinguish it completely. but now, while he was starving and completely drained of energy, there was nothing he could put towards lessening the pain.

from the outside perspective of the pirates, it would start about now. a stray ember glittering among the sands before erupting spontaneously into flame. larger and larger did this flame grow, center glowing white and the edges stained a familiar shade of pink. only when it found itself the size of your average wolf would it change again, slowly taking shape into a form many would recognize without trouble. even when made of nothing but fire, those unusually shaped wings and long spaded tail were once seen often around the golden sands of the typhoon. a form had been finalized, and only then did the flames begin to die. behind them they left ruddy brown fur and sleek enhancements; two wax-like wings, still wet and melting at the tips, and a glossy pink tail.

luca collapsed as he finally found himself solid and alive once more, the brightness of the typhoon blinding after months of nothing but darkness. he lay on the ground, paws over his eyes and claws digging deep into his muzzle, trying to gather himself before bringing his hellfire-ridden body to move. — burn with me, heaven's on fire

[deimos]

The smell of burnt flesh tainted the air. The rough smell of burnt flesh vaguely chased in the back of her mind, the burns scarring Goldie's old bodies' back. She grimaced as she tried to follow it, as the winds that danced across the beach of the island slowly chased it away. It wasn't long before she spotted the new figure, who was hudded up and hiding from.. what? The sun? Slowly her large paws traced the sand as she stalked closer, gold and silver eye lowered down to observe him.

In a hushed voice she spoke to him. [color=#A90000]"It would hurt less if you didn't press your claws into your muzzle." She knew in his state he couldn't leash out- or at least she hoped so. Her figure was crouched down, but her muscles were still tensed in defense. She hadn't experienced the cycle of life and death- rebirth had never touched her figure. Standing 8 years old, and strong still.

She hoped she would never have to, either.

SPEECH

♡♡♡
tags

[Luciferr]

[table][tr][td]

space

[/td][td]

space

[/td][td]

space

[/td][td]

space

[/td][/tr][/table]

The endless Void, The gazing abyss, The bottomless ocean of horror...It coiled itself around your tender heart

Lucifer had died before, and always a sacrifice to end a threat (and to save those he cared about)

but he was never truly dead, he like his family were eternal in a very sure sense - they would die and be reborn again, whether the memories would be re-triggered (and thus themself whole) varied from life to life for certain when they did they'd have to live knowing everything of that life they cared about would die long before they did.

surely madness waited for something with a life like that (and sometimes it did, lucidity and madness trading turns but never wholesale forever)

Luciferus was old and never far from weariness (though he tries to hide it, but he knows some see it in him) and truly the one true joys he ever gets is the friends he makes - the only thing higher is when he spots someone he knew reborn again.

so he does feel that when he knows exactly who it is Deldrach has stumbled upon - but what follows is crushing emptiness because he knows like the inevitability of the end, that Luca will not remember him (it is the way of cycles after all, even if Luca was not like the true blood family he came from, he is his brother all the same)

he - for once - doesn't move to say anything or even really interact bar watching Del and the reborn Luca (it hurts too much to try and know you only get a blank look in return, another sword in his back) so he stays back - his more frightening appearance would probably not help ease him either - and doesn't speak up, the weight of gaining and yet loss a chokehold again.

LUCIFERUS GRIMM

#psychosocial.

[Whisper]

Mads has never truly died before. Amalgamations of nightmares and dreams alike, tell a different tale, of drowning drowning drowning. Of wax melting scorching skin red, of malevolent gods breathing spite into their bones and welcoming them home in it's depths. But water is not a sentient thing, gods do not lurk in the depths for some creature with wax wings to fall, Madosa has never walked on land until the last few days, when they first came ashore the typhoon.

Mads has no grasp on immortality or mortality. The rapid waters of the sea hold danger, so much danger - but Mad has been lucky in their life to never truly seen much of it. A shark's curious teeth are quick to dispel with a few moments of holding their noses. A tangle in seaweeds cut away with wicked claws from the paw. They were naive, to this world of danger and finality. Of gods and mortals, the jaguar was the perfect mix of naive and knowledgeable.

Maybe they just refused to think of it, death is a crossing that they will pass eventually, living as a predator- even in the sea they are not ignorant of it, just unwilling to amuse it. Prey do not think much of their demise between predators teeth, they seek to live a fulfilling life. SO that when Death grasp their heart, they welcome to inevitable end with the satisfaction of living a full life. Madosa wants to live, and when the end comes, they will welcome it or fight it to their dying breaths.

Everyone in the Typhoon is a stranger to them, even the walking shadow of Lucifer. This place is so strange so new, that Mad's definition of normal hasn't been defined yet. The taste of flame on his tongue does the Jaguar spot the group. Luceifurs seems to hold back, a somber tone etching into his frame hesitant to the one collapsed on the sands. The newcomer passes lucifer with a slightly concerned, worried look before they follow Deldratch in greeting the sandy demon.

"Need some help?"

[Luca]

help was something that the pink toned demon definitely required. his body was rigid from pain, muscles tense and pulled tight beneath tufts of silky fur.  the strain of it all was evident in the subtle shake or his body as his ears turned to pick up deldrach's words. a single eye cracked open, claws parting to let a tiny crack of light in. even that was too much, but the subtle shadow that the feline cast over him helped his vision adjust somewhat. a guttural growl rumbled behind his teeth, snarl etching itself on what could be seen of his obscured muzzle. beneath his claws was dripping with black slime, obscuring most of his facial features from view. the thick, tar-like substance pooled from the gaps of his teeth and dribbled down his neck, staining the fur black up to his shoulders. the regeneration process wasn't always elegant, wasn't always complete, that much was evident in the growing puddle of viscous black and the wild spark in his visible eye.

"what do you know?" he snapped at her. it was common sense really, there was no point in arguing with her words, but he had never been the type to do things the easy way. the burning that raged though his every limb completely drowned out the assault of his claws, now splattered with a mixture of pink and deep purple. a much larger shadow fell over the two of them, this one much more recognisable, but in a vague sort of way, a kind of recognition that his brain couldn't quick place. his eye dared to open more than a slit with the appearance of this large shelter, odd-shaped pupil skimming the vantablack form as if searching for an answer among all the spines and glossy plates.

"i'm in the typhoon again," he murmured, mostly to himself, and finally began to pull himself upwards. his body was perfectly normal from the neck downwards. it appeared that only his face suffered from the apparent deformation, the pink crescents of his eyes the only features visible behind a constantly shifting mass of sludge. torn ears flicked as another approached, glowing irises quick to snap in their direction. did he need help? did he? his dripping muzzle creased as he flashed his fangs. "only if you're willing." people always wanted to help him until they knew what helping an incubus entailed. "where's dee?" he was quick to change the subject. the captain was the one he remembered the most. if he wanted anyone to see him in this state, it was that golden workaholic. — burn with me, heaven's on fire

[idyllfields]

idyllfields

stars did fall

what idyll considered as 'rebirth' was more of a mental state than physical, as some may have experienced. they understood that a few of their crewmates had physically gone through life's cycle a multitude of times. idyll could only say they had been reborn once under the pressure of grievance.

their state of mind had become much more open to the idea of the outside world. something beyond their picket white fenced home and perfect gardens. their drive to find their father had not burned out since arriving to the typhoon, just put more into thought. their approach... their future... it was much to ponder on.

they had never come in contact with a rebirth in person, physical or mental otherwise, and had assumed luca's appearance was more of a oversight than just popping in from thin air. the small crowd around the helhounds body was what attracted them to luca first, then the way they were spoken to and replies followed. it seemed as though he was known, and knew some others too.

"dee? as in..." dee... deena? diana? dennis? denise? the closest thing they could think of was their own captain, but they weren't too sure. might as well give it a guess.

"i can take you to the captain, if that is whom you are looking for." the coyote took a couple steps closer, offering them their handkerchief for the... muck, across their face.

[div style="width: 500px; height: auto; padding: 0px; margin: auto; text-align: right; font-size: 5pt; margin-top: -2px;"]© LEXASPERATED[/div

[bubblegum]

I HEARD, I HEARD ACROSS A MOONLIT SEA

THE OLD VOICE WARNING ME

ϟ GOLDENLUXURY "GOLDIE" ROUX ϟ
noun
ϟ the clash between the eye and the raging storms. ϟ the healing warmth of the sun and the raw brutality of the seas. ϟ the self-fulfilling prophecy and the stolen future. ϟ
"I AM GOLDENLUXURY ROUX."

BEWARE, BEWARE THE DAUGHTER OF THE SEA

BEWARE, BEWARE OF ME.

[align=center]

The tigress found her name mentioned around the territory more often than usual these days. Strange - she wonders what she's done to receive all of the attention. After all, she's not announced her plans with the Pitt just yet. Still, once more, it is uttered again. But, not in the way she was growing used to. An older way - a shorter one. She knows the voice, the nickname he gave to her. The captain flew downward, landing several feet from the crowd. "No need," she would intervene sharply to Idyllfields, moving towards the familiar male with haste, gaze locked upon him. He is making a mess. Her eyes are intense, looking at this beast of a friend; a parallel to her previous times seeing his state, those always filled with relief and a soft empathy. How many times would she come to accept him dying, disappearing, never coming back, only for him to do just that? How long would she need to feel guilty over the children he and his lover had both had, as their guardian after their death? Did she blame him for all of this? Absolutely not, but she still cannot help but hold that slicing expression for a few more moments.

Goldie knew that feeling of dying, only to come back once more. But, none had done so as much as Luca, in her humble experience. Everyone left at some point, for one reason or another. She'd grown used to seeing faces come and go over the year she's lived. Unfinished business, lost friends, dead family. But now, everyone was coming back all at once. Even her papa now, too. She wore the necklace that short male had given to her, in place of her papa - it was a testimony to her belief there was not a world without him. It was all building upon itself and she was not so sure what to make of it anymore. She supposes, really, she ought to be happy. And so, a small smile upon her features returns once again. Though, one laced with concern now. He needed to be cleaned up, most certainly.

"Let's get ya cleaned up, Luca," the female would now say, softer, gesturing to Idyll's offer of a handkerchief. This was not a good state for him, she knew, but there wasn't much to be done about it besides clean him up and make sure he remained at least mostly calm. Last time they'd met...she'd not remembered much. Last time they'd seen each other, she was only Goldenluxury Roux - not Dee, not Goldie. She remembers now, and all she wants is for her crew - her family to be safe and happy once more.

information — plotting