IN THE END IT DOESN'T EVEN MATTER // CotC trespasser

[OLEANDER CIPHER-ELD.]

[glow=white,1,400]YOU STOOD BESIDE ME WHEN I WAS OUT OF MY MIND ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

Oh geez, Aphra was going to be pissed once she learned that Oleander got out. Oleander and her siblings weren't really allowed outside camp due to their young age, but this goopy dragonet managed to get out of the Coalition's territory. By the time she realized she was far from home, however, Oleander started to get worried and wandered the unclaimed lands for a couple of days (and able to convince some kind strangers to give her food), before stumbling upon a beach with a railroad track leading somewhere. Oleander ran across the track, leaving a small trail of slime in her wake.

Reaching the gate, Oleander looked past it and saw a bunch of figures walking along the beach. "Helloooooo!" The dragonet called, flapping her wings as if that would get anyone's attention quicker. Her wings smacked against a low-ranging bell, startling Oleander for a moment. Oh. Well, now people would know she was here right? Maybe they could help her go home.[glow=white,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

[trojan g.]

[align=center][div style="max-width: 415px;text-align: justify;font-family: times new roman;font-size: 10pt;line-height: 116%;text-indent: 35px;"]Lutum knew not of Aphra's opinions and feelings on the different groups around the island, they hadn't talked much in passing, but if he had known of them, he would have known that although Aphra would be pissed about her children getting out of the Coalition, it was likely she'd be even more-so pissed at the fact that her child ran off to the Typhoon of all places. Not only because they were an enemy of the coalition, but because they were the place she had been just previously. It mattered not to the dragon hybrid though, for he didn't really care about things such as relationships with other groups. He thought they should simply all just get along, much like it was in the ocean for the most part. Of course, there were the few bad apples, but they got taken care of eventually, either getting eaten by bigger things that kept the peace or by simply running off to find someplace they belonged better.

He was thinking about the ocean when the ring of the bell caught his ears and quickly Lute followed the sound, curiosity getting the better of him. Upon opening the gates he was shocked to see a child that looked strikingly similar to himself and Aphra there at the gate, and a smile came upon the giant's face. "Child?" He questioned for a moment, coming closer in an attempt to pick the other up, if successful he would put her on his shell that reside on his back. "My name is Lutum, and I think I am your father, but if not that's ok." It was likely he was, just look at the slime, he couldn't deny it. "What is your name? And do you need food?" It was common for those in the ocean to share food with guests, at least in the parts of the ocean he had been in.

[OLEANDER CIPHER-ELD.]

[glow=white,1,400]YOU STOOD BESIDE ME WHEN I WAS OUT OF MY MIND ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

Of all the things that Oleander was expecting to meet, it was not another creature like herself. So far, Oleander believed that she and her siblings were the only strange-looking dragons; having snail slime as opposed to regular scales. And yet here Lutum was, proclaiming that he may be her father. Oleander didn't exactly know anything about the birds and the bees, but what she did know is that most people had two parents - whether it be two mothers, two fathers, or maybe a non-binary parent. As Lutum came walking up to her, picking her up, Oleander's eyes were wide. "Lutum." She echoed his name, letting it roll off her tongue in a weird way. "My name is Oleander! Momma said they're pretty flowers." That fact was something really sweet, she thought. That meant Aphra thought she was pretty, right? At the mention of food though, Oleander was aware of how she only had a few pieces of prey from the loners - something to last her at least for the majority of the day here. But she was hungry. "Food? I want food. Do you have food?"

(Unfortunately for her, Aphra chose the name Oleander due to its poisonous properties)[glow=white,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

[michael t.]

ALL I FOUND THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SPACES
STANDING IN THE NOTHING, AND TIME RECLAIMS YOU

If Michael had expected anyone to have kids that none of them knew about, it certainly wouldn't have been Lutum. Not because the dragon was a bad guy, or anything. It was just difficult for the bobcat to imagine the other making any children, given his... condition. Perhaps some people were just into slime – he had heard of weirder things. Either way, the dealer had a smile on his face as he approached the bell that day, and spotted Oleander there. Over time, he had gradually softened up when it came to the presence of kids around him, a process that had been considerably sped up by having his own children. So, seeing the enthusiastic little hatchling managed to brighten his day a bit. It was honestly lucky that Oleander hadn't introduced herself with her full name, though, because his mood certainly would've tanked if he had realized who the girl's mother was.

For now, though, the identity of Oleander's mother was hardly on Michael's mind, aside from a teasing jab at Lutum as he padded over, "Lutum, you horn dog! How come you didn't tell any of us that you had kids? I would've loved to meet them... although I suppose I get the chance now." Turning his mismatched blue gaze then to Oleander, he offered the girl a small smile, sitting down as he continued, "Hey there, Oleander. I'm Michael – I'm related to your Dad's cousin, actually." Through adoption, obviously, but he didn't really think the kid would question it too much. After all, anyone trying to see a family resemblance between Lutum and Roxie would probably end up dumbfounded.

With a little hum leaving him then, the thief gestured with a paw in the direction of the tavern, explaining simply, "Don't worry, we've got plenty of food. In fact, we've got an entire tavern full of food and drinks. Have you been traveling for a while?" Honestly, the thought of such a young kid roaming around on her own was kind of terrifying. Sure, Michael had done something similar early in his life, but he had at least been a teenager at that point.

— Reggan

[daniel]

Children, there had been a decent size brigade of them in the Typhoon not too long ago, some of which had gone missing and the rest had grown into beta status, leaving a bit of an empty space in the metaphorical baby pen. No nurseries here today. Needless to say, Danny hadn't actually come in contact with any younger beings, and that was saying something, given the fact he was more than likely one of the youngest standing members of the pirate crew. Ouch.

As to not to harp on that fact too much, his attention was turned to the...slime? The slime the little dragon carried on her body, which basically just filled in all the gaps when compared to Lutum, who already made the comment that he could have been her father. He certainly saw the resemblance, no lie there, but also happened to frown just a little bit when he happened to catch the name of the young stranger. The flowers were certainly pretty, sure, but dangerous. Who would name their child after a flower that could potentially kill you if you ingested it? Nevermind, not his place to question, though it would have made way too much sense if he had the missing context, and much like Michael, would have ruined his mood had he known who was responsible. "Danny. Where did you come from?" Danny introduced, a little bit concerned that a young child had somewhere else to be, or even worse, had nowhere. Wouldn't be the first time.

[glow=black,2,300]— ❤ —[/glow]

[OLEANDER CIPHER-ELD.]

[glow=white,1,400]YOU STOOD BESIDE ME WHEN I WAS OUT OF MY MIND ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

"I have siblings!" Oleander exclaimed, looking over at Michael excitedly when the bobcat introduced himself as her father's cousin. "Dario and Lethe. Dario isn't very slimey but Lethe has lots of slime, like you!" She tried to pat the shell on Lutum's back in a playful manner. "Came from-from, um," Okay, Coalition was a little hard to say for her, but the rest of the group's name wasn't. "I come from the Condemned." There, that should suffice, right? Looking back over at Michael, the little dragonet answered his question, "I.. think so? Some kind people offered me some food while I was on my journey." Her journey to where exactly? Honestly, Oleander hadn't really had a destination in mind, but she was definitely happy that she stumbled across The Typhoon.[glow=white,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

[trojan g.]

[align=center][div style="max-width: 415px;text-align: justify;font-family: times new roman;font-size: 10pt;line-height: 116%;text-indent: 35px;"]Lutum listened as Oleander spoke to him, her words causing a smile to reach his face. She had siblings, which meant that he had other children, how wonderful was that? Head turning towards Micheal and Danny as the two came over, Lute would offer a small nod of his head. "Yes I have many kids, but not very many can speak." Most of his kids were, in fact, simply snails, and although he loved them each dearly he knew that he would never see them again. "Condemned yes, uh, Coalition I think is the first bit." Claw would reach up to his chin to scratch underneath it in thought before a simple nod would come at last. He didn't remember the full name of the Coalition, but it didn't really matter considering he was sure someone else would be able to tell him where to go.

"We can give you food, and then you can stay here or I can take you back home to the Condemned place." Lute would speak to his daughter then, thinking as he did so. He knew how to get there by water but he wasn't sure if Oleander could swim or possessed any of his abilities to hold her breath for a long time. "I do not know the way to there, but we can figure it out if needed."

[ROXANNE R.]

[OLEANDER CIPHER-ELD.]

[glow=white,1,400]YOU STOOD BESIDE ME WHEN I WAS OUT OF MY MIND ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

Right, yeah. The Coalition of the Condemned. That was far too long and complicated for Oleander to care about right now though at her young age; Condemned should suffice for now. Or maybe Coalition Condemned. Whatever, didn't matter, what mattered was that this place had food! "I do wanna go home..." Oleander responded in a small voice. "But I wanna stay with Dada for a little. Can I stay here for tonight?" It was getting late after all, and she was tired. Sleepy and hungry.

A small munchkin she-cat came next, introducing herself as the Captain and musing about her father having kids. Oleander didn't really understand Roxanne's comment to Lutum, but what she did understand was the question that the Captain asked her. Oleander looked down at Roxie, the feathers on her body fluffing up in excitement. "Aphra! Aphra! Aphra is my Momma!"[glow=white,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

[michael t.]

ALL I FOUND THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SPACES
STANDING IN THE NOTHING, AND TIME RECLAIMS YOU

The Coalition of the Condemned. That alone was enough to make Michael wary about returning the kid back home. But Aphra? That was Oleander's mother? The dealer couldn't help but wince, a soft sigh leaving him involuntarily. Was it really a good idea to return the little dragon to where she had come from? It was pretty well established that Aphra was a terrible mother, and there was no telling how the Coalition influenced kids... it all just seemed like a bad idea to him. Still, Roxie seemed like she was on board with returning Oleander, and he wasn't about to argue with her – at least, not on this particular topic. Instead, he just gave a bit of a strained chuckle before he muttered to Oleander, "I think it should be fine for you to stay here tonight... but it's probably best to get you right home in the morning. We don't want the Coalition thinking that we took you." Not that The Typhoon would ever do such a thing. Stealing kids was a lot more of the Coalition's line of work.

After reassuring the young girl, Michael turned his attention back towards Lutum, lowering his voice a bit as he questioned, "Really, Lutum? Aphra? If you were gonna sleep with someone, you could've chosen someone a bit less... toxic." That was pretty much the nicest word he could think of to describe her, and he only made sure to keep somewhat "nice" in case Oleander heard. Although, he kept his voice down and his head turned away so that the child hopefully wouldn't catch on to what was being said about her mother.

— Reggan