JOUSTUS GENIUS ☆ invitation

[redvox.]

REDVOX "VINNY" ABRAMO - cis male - goat-bat hybrid - harbinger

Tanglewood was the second group on Vox's sort of long list of groups to invite to this whole dance thing being held by the Halls, and thankfully it hadn't been too hard to get there. Having already been to the Typhoon, Vinny had just headed back over the land bridge and then had taken a right, trotting along until a swampy marsh smell began to invade his sensitive nose. Both the Typhoon and Tanglewood, despite having their fair share of things to show off that it was, in fact, winter, were much warmer than the territory of the Halls, and for that he was very, very grateful. Once the swampy smell got far too strong for him to handle, evidently signifying a border line, Vox stopped, finding a lot to climb on top of before he sat to wait. Hopefully someone would come along before too long, and he could give his spiel and head off to the next place. If he got all of this done fast enough, then hopefully his limbs wouldn't hurt too much when he got back home.

[THEM]

[align=center][div style="text-align:justify;width:55%;font-family:verdana;"]Kaz isn't sure what to expect, exactly, from a stranger on their border.

Where he was from, every intruder was an enemy - even a glimpse of movement in the brush was an attack, an attempt to infiltrate. If the enemy bore good news even upon capture, he became an ally; yet he was still escorted along paths that allowed no sight of their main camp, their vulnerabilities. If the captive was indeed an enemy, he was interrogated. Killed, if he wasn't lucky. It was only after the border was secured and the alleged "enemy" was taken care of that watch teams could reassemble, and life could slip back into an uneasy state of -

No, not peace. It was more like - waiting. Waiting for the next sign. The next order. The next breach in what could best be described as stasis.

But he is no longer a mercenary, nor a stranger to these woods, and Tanglewood, as it seemed, had a lax policy on visitation. Spotting someone near a usual post makes him fall into a low stance, an automatic movement - he's trained to do this, to hold his body close to the earth and move like a predator stalking prey. Always seeking the higher ground, always electing to duck under the brush rather than stick to the well-trodden path, he hardly thinks of what the intruder might want of them. It's only after he can prove to himself that there is no ambush team waiting close by (birds are still chirping, the thin dusting of rotting leaves that still pepper the ground bear no pawprints, the scent on the breeze is undisturbed) that Kaz feels sure enough to step out into the open and approach from the front.

(He doesn't feel unsafe. He'd call that a coward's term. But the sight of an unfamiliar body still makes his breath catch, sometimes.)

There's a stray leaf sticking to his fur. He stops, plucks it off carefully, looks up again to see if the stranger has changed position. "You're on Tanglewood territory." Kazuhira is all business when he finally comes to a stop before the Harbinger, expression sliding towards neutrality as he scents the lingering taste of other clans in the air. A messenger, then. He isn't sure what to make of that just yet. These procedures are still a far cry from the routine he once knew. "State your name and business."

[ABATHUR .]

This would prove to be Abathur's first time doing border duty, by pure and immeasurable chance.

As it happened, he didn't really spend much time near any of the borders. They were far too far out of the way for him to go to regularly, and frankly why would he? He had zero obligation to go to anyplace on the edge of Tanglewood, since he wasn't a high position and definitely didn't know of any other reason to go there - he was sure not a lot of people wanted to join the swampy group, due to the whole swamp thing, and plus he didn't want to be the one to scare anyone away from joining the place; at least, those were the things he used as excuses - frankly he just couldn't be bothered to travel that far just to talk to people.

Apparently, though, he could be bothered to travel that far by a combination of  curiosity (centered around alligators), determination (to find those gators), and a general lack of smell (with which to realize he was at the borders). By the time he had given up on his quest to find the deadly reptiles, he had realized how far he had traveled by the gentle ache of what little musculature he had inside of him. That, and the strange mammalian creature that was facing into the territory.

The spider would make his appearance by pushing through some underbrush, scrambling out quickly, and then stopping once he saw the boat - as in the bat-goat. There was no aquatic vessel here. He quickly stepped to stand beside his clanmate, Kaz, examining the not-a-ship with keen green eyes. "Greetings," the onyx arachnid grumbled, curiosity immediately making him forget any inclinations towards not freaking people out. Thank God Kaz was here, otherwise he'd probably scare the fantastical being off. What a beautiful looking creature this was, so oddly hybridized from a goat (or similar ungulate species) and a bay... he couldn't help but wonder how much was mutations and how much was just natural. Was he the product of some inhumane human experimentation? Radiation? The strange cross-breeding of an even-more-strangely genetically compatible pair of a goat and a bat? Magic or other supernatural effect? So many ideas! "Is subject... joining?" He asked, a slight hint of Hope in his voice, barely containing the veritable artillery of questions he wanted to unload upon the poor man.

tags - "speech"

[fulzanin]

WE'LL MAKE A WAY WHERE YOU CAN FIND YOUR PLACE
- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Feza didn't go around the borders often. She wasn't in on that whole defending the territory thing. She was more on the life of keeping everyone within the territory happy. It meant that she didn't have to go out to the outskirts of the territory where danger could possibly be. No, she saved that for the other members of the group usually. Even though she liked the life of party throwing, being cooped up inside all the time was exhausting at times. The cold outside was nice, the cold reminded her of the good parts of home. Being outside allowed her to stretch her wings which were usually always bound close to her sides while she worked on her festivities.

Feza had no idea that this was an invitation to a party as she came hopping over. Her wings were awkwardly raised from her sides, then flopping against the ground. "Oh don't be so harsh, Kaz. We get joiners on the border all the time! Still, nice delivery on the name and business stuff! I don't have my stickers with me but you should totally get one for that." In typical Feza mannerisms she began rambling on the first thing that caught her attention. Her ears turned and her head followed suit. She decided not to ask the questions that had already been asked, because sometimes there was nothing worse than hearing the same question over and over and over again. The vibrant feline smiled, head lifting as she returned her attention to the oddity on the border.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -
THE EMPTY CHAIRS WILL BE RESERVED FOR OUR PITY

[redvox.]

REDVOX "VINNY" ABRAMO - cis male - goat-bat hybrid - harbinger

Three very different figures showed up to the border that Vinny was waiting patiently at, and none of them put the hybrid particularly at ease with their appearances. Kaz was the first to approach, with a strong and large body moving forward, low to the ground and intimidating. It wasn't as if Vin didn't know how to fight, but he wasn't particularly in a fighting mood, and that wasn't the point of this little diplomatic meeting anyways. Thankfully, he was put slightly at ease by Miller brushing a leaf that had stuck to him off, evidently having not expected the underbrush to cling to him. Vox let out a nervous little laugh as the other looked up ag him, only to immediately be silenced when the other began with the very formal and serious name and business. Vin felt himself immediately frown at this internally critiquing Kaz's welcoming skills. Sure, it got to the point quickly, but the Harbinger doubted that it made any joiners feel particularly good. He wasn't left much time to ponder this, however, when Abathur appeared. The appearance of the enormous spider made Vinny freeze, his eyes widening a bit when the other came into his vision. Sure, he was pretty damn odd himself, but that didn't mean he couldn't be a little freaked out by a huge spider looking at him, especially with the way that Abathur was staring at him with his many eyes. Vin was used to being stared at thanks to his unique hybridization, but this brought it to a whole other level that made him want to hide his unique features away. Upon hearing Abathur's question, he hastily shook his head, "No, no, just here with an invitation..." He was cut off from this invite, however, by the arrival of yet another person.

Feza was... a lot to take in at one, and her combined with Miller and Abathur faintly made Vinny just want to hide away further. Part of him regretted even coming to Tanglewood with an invite, but he internally scolded himself, shaking his head faintly. They weren't bad, and the Halls was inviting everyone... he couldn't just leave them out because they were a bit odd. Taking a deep breath to even himself out, the gat looked at Feza and offered her a weak smile, mumbling quietly, "'Ey there..." He then quickly turned his attention back to Kaz, since he was the first one to throw the business-y questions at him, not to mention the fact that he wanted to be out of here. He spoke softly, his sharp teeth clicking a little with his words, M'name is Redvox Abramo, but most just call me Vinny. I'm th'Harbinger of a group called th'Halls of Hiraeth. I came here ta invite ya all to a holiday dance that we're hostin' within our town hall. It'll have dancin', drinks, food, and just a general chance ta interact with others... we're invitin' all four major groups ta this thing, and it'll be a strict no fightin' or quarrellin' zone." Vox was faintly worried that Kaz was going to rip his head off for admitting they were inviting the Pitt as well, but... it wasn't as if Vin was just going to lie.

[THEM]

[align=center][div style="text-align:justify;width:55%;font-family:verdana;"]His brow shoots upward. On any other day he’d sit and let the Hiraeth leader stumble over his paws trying to explain why he’d invited Public Enemy Number One to a holiday party, but between his too-thin patience and the last remaining sliver of respect he’d dredged up for this stranger, he’s already tired of hearing it.

Kazuhira was never one to make these forms of humiliation into a show - but it was so easy, this time, with the buffet of political errs already laid out for them. This man wanted them to attend a party with their enemy, one whom they had only recently beaten into the ground? Make friends with a host that sympathized with The Pitt in spite of these wrongs? Tensions still remained between the groups, and half of Tanglewood was still recovering from wounds they’d sustained not even weeks before. Really, this had to be an elaborate joke.

“You know, I was going to say that you must be new. But, I’ve barely been around for long myself, and even I know…” His lip curls, slowly, into a cold and detached smirk. 'So you must be stupid,' - he doesn’t have to say it aloud.

He isn’t outwardly hostile to the Pitt sympathizer; far from it, in fact, as he makes a wide gesture towards the few that have gathered. Feza is the highest in power out of the three, and the first he makes eye contact with, but it’s impossible for him to believe that she would make… The right choice, here. She’d already established herself as the morale attendant around here, but he got the feeling that she wasn’t exactly sure how to balance Tanglewood’s unity by saying no, especially to a party. And Abathur - Kaz truly doesn’t know what runs through the spider’s head or how he chooses to process the many questions he asks.

So the cheetah steps forward.

“You’ve made a bold choice, coming here, just to tell us you’re ready to house an enemy that’s killed, beaten, and enslaved so many of our own. Our allies, too.” He squints a little, like he's really turning this over in his head, and flicks a paw through the air not unlike the gestures of everyday banter. Dismissive is the word to describe his smile. “And then you're going to say that there won't be any conflict? Alright,” Kaz laughs, almost bitter. “For your sake, I'll wait on our General's word. But I think I can speak for everyone here when I say that you shouldn't expect a high turnout.”

[toboggan]

The sound of chitchat emerged off towards the border. Normally, Leroy wouldn't pay any mind to it. In his opinion, intruding on a pre-existing conversation that he had nothing to do with was a blatant act of discourtesy. If someone truly wanted him involved in their discussion, they'd go out of their way to find the general - if he were to force himself on them, it would be bad etiquette.

Every now and then, though, certain circumstances compelled him to bypass his opinion.

Between three to four voices were picked up by the wolfhound's folded ears. One of the voices did not belong to a swamp-dweller, the mongrel discovered after closer analysis. Even more curious, Leroy swore that he could hear his name being dropped by Miller, denoting that he was of some relevance to whatever was unfolding. Intriguing. Either a clueless chump was dallying about the territory's outskirts, or a possible threat was being exceptionally problematic. Those were his guesses, anyways. Regardless of the scenario's conditions, it had been made crystal clear that the canine's attendance was necessary.

Strides reeking of pride and purpose carry him to the situation, although he nearly trips over himself upon seeing the creature that stood among his tribemates. Eventually, he halts a decent distance away from the stranger, though his brown hues maintain a firm stare on the amalgam of a being. Its appearance puzzled him, for it possessed the qualities of both a goat and a bat - an unholy combination if he'd ever seen one. If he had to associate fellow's looks with something he knew, he'd probably go with one of Tanglewood's heavily mutated fauna that lurked in the swamp. Those made his stomach lurch, and the chieftain of the Halls induced a similar effect.

Leroy caught the tail-end of Redvox's drivel. A party, one which Pittians were attending. That tidbit alone was enough to warrant a no in Leroy's books. Hell, Redvox nearly summoned a laugh from the General, who found the hybrid's naivety astounding. Quarrel-free or no, the Pitt was still an official enemy of Tanglewood - notwithstanding the individual who led the desert-bound tribe. Miller had done well in disclosing the matters at hand, and he was thankful for that. Though if the cheetah's words were not enough to quell the Harbinger's intentions, then the wolfhound assumed that his forthcoming tirade would. "I believe that my comrade made it veryclear, Vinny," he declares acutely, recalling the foreigner's curious nickname. "I hope ya realize how big of a fool's errand this was, askin' us to attend some dinky tea party while in the company of our kin's very murderers." His maw curls into a frown at this, hoping to emphasize his discontent. "I ain't able to tell if  your invitation is a low insult to us Tanglers, or just an act of sheer dumbassery; you best hope it's the latter, though, 'cause I don't take too well to insults."

Following his exasperated rhetoric, the General turns to face Feza, Abathur, and whomever else was present. Resentment flared in his eyes, accompanied by his frown, which had soured tenfold since he began speaking. "I will not bar any of you from attendin', so you may go if you please." Forthwith, his field of view focuses on Redvox once more. "But I ain't goin', and if any of my acquaintances have the slightest shred of respect for the tribe that they inhabit, they won't be goin' neither."

Assuming that Goldenluxury was going to be present, he did not doubt the least bit that she'd understand his absence. After all, The Typhoon had been hit harder by the Pitt over the years.

[fulzanin]

WE'LL MAKE A WAY WHERE YOU CAN FIND YOUR PLACE
- - - - - - - - - - - - -

The snow leopard loved parties. It was the center of her existence. Other than emerging from her home to throw parties or stretch her wings and investigate the border, she did little else. Which was fine. She was a great boost to morale, with her constant smile. Her vibrant colors mimicked such a feat, such a mentality. Feza was a happy, party loving feline who cared for little else. The affairs with the Pitt had been such a thing. When everyone went charging off to battle, Feza had stayed behind. When they'd returned injured, she had debated on throwing everyone a 'get well soon' party. Alas, she had easily been distracted from the topic, and it had been forgotten. She didn't know that they had killed other members of the group she resided in. Absolutely no idea.

Feza's ears had raised when she had been told that the reason for this odd visitor's arrival was to be for a party. A sharp twitch wracked through her body, and excitedly she had begun to bounce a little on her paws. But Kaz had spoken before she had been able to. Killed, beaten, and enslaved. By the love of everything good and the cardboard boxes, that was terrible. Her face froze, stiffening. A party with people like that? Did.. did those kinds of people even deserve festivities? Her wings pulled tight against her sides. Feza shuffled on her paws a little, ears twisting when Leroy approached. Their kin's murderers, attending the same party. As much as Feza loved a good party.. she'd have to say she'd pass this time. How would they keep everyone from breaking out in violence, anyways? Sometimes words didn't matter. People could say they would do one thing, and then do another. Lies. People could be liars. Murderers. At a party. How tainting it was. The idea of a party being soured by malicious people. Her ears and expression lowered.

"I don't.. see how you'd keep a fight from breaking out if, if one happened to happen. That wouldn't make for a, i wouldn't be a very fun party at that point," the vibrant female weakly mumbled. It hurt quite a lot to deny herself a way to party. She loved parties. They were her favorite thing in the entire world. They were a way to make people smile and forget all the hardships that they'd faced. This party, though? Feza felt terrible about the idea of her desire to party overcoming her loyalty to her group. So, she would not go. Maybe she could host an actual party here, instead, to make up for it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -
THE EMPTY CHAIRS WILL BE RESERVED FOR OUR PITY

[redvox.]

REDVOX "VINNY" ABRAMO - cis male - goat-bat hybrid - harbinger

A simple fucking no would have sufficed.

The moment Miller opened his mouth, Vox already knew something was wrong. That tone was far from friendly, and the male felt his large ears pin down to his head, something skin to a snarl twitching on his face. There was the faintest flash of razor sharp bat fangs before Vinny forced himself to relax, the claws on his wings digging down into the earth beneath him as he resisted the urge to lash out. Vin was far from a violent man, and Tanglewood hadn't done anything to provoke anger before this, but to act like this? Utter arrogance and rudeness in the face of the leader of a foreign group? It was chaotic, and stupid, and it certainly didn't endear Vox to them in any capacity. Vin said softly once Miller was done, his teeth faintly clacking together as he spoke, "Is this how all Tanglers interact with foreign leaders? Sounds like a bad policy, if ya ask me." His green eyes were narrowed at the male, before they flicked over to Leroy, the canine who was evidently in charge of the place. The hybrid's short tail dragged against the ground behind him, kicking up dust and plants as he repressed the anger festering inside him. It was difficult to cause the gat to snap, but Tanglewood seemed as of it had an urge to press all of his buttons. The male listened to Leroy's drivel with an unimpressed gaze, finding his view of Tanglewood more and more soured. Perhaps he would need to have a discussion with the other high positions when he returned home – he wasn't sure they still deserved their neutral status. Vox continued once Leroy was done, his eyes flicking to Feza and Abathur respectively, "The dance will be takin' place on the 24th. If any tanglers decide ta show up, we'll be as happy to party with ya as the rest."

Feza was next to speak, and the hybrid's gaze softened slightly as he listened to her words, a sigh leaving him. She truly had been as brainwashed as the rest of them, hadn't she? Everyone here seemed to think the Pitt was one singular entity, that they were all Jervis and thus they were all rotten bastards that wanted to see everyone around them dead. Vox wanted to spit at the assumption, considering he had lived among them and knew full well there were good Pittians. Many, in fact. Looking straight at Feza, Vin mumbled evenly to her, his head cocking to one side, "The Halls are not defenseless, miss. We've got good members who are proud ta make sure everyone is safe, and that's how we'd keep everyone else safe as well, without any fightin'. I'd ask ya ta reconsider, but I know I can't change ya mind if it's made up. Just know that if ya end up at our dance, I won't be th'one ta tell." Vox's eyes then flicked back to Leroy as he grunted, getting up to his hooves and wings, "Well, it was a pleasure ta meet ya, General. But I've got some other, hopefully more civilized groups ta go to. Whether this invitation was an insult or not... well, it wasn't meant ta be, but I'm leanin' heavily into havin' it be one." He offered Leroy one last toothy smile to show off rows of bat fangs before he turned and trudged back over the border, towards his next destination. Hopefully Elysium would have more sense.

( all ic opinions, of course!! )

[suvi.]

[table][tr][td]

SUVI KIIRA NÍ FAOLÁIN
MEDIC / BETA
TAGS && INFO

[/td][td]

[div style="width: 360px; font-family: palatino; color: #c48d85; text-align: left; padding-top: 15px; padding-left: 10px"]T͏O̴G͠ETH͏ER̕ ÁT̴ ̸T̕H̶E ST͏ART̶ O͏F̀ ̵TI̡M͏E

When the petite vixen heard overlapping voices -- rather sharp in tone -- at the border, her ears flicked back.  Biting the inside of her cheek, the medic began trotting towards the sound, brows creasing in concern.

No violence at least.

A dull victory.

Unmatched hues flickered, a fire growing dim.  Tired.  It took most of her to suppress the disappointed sigh building her chest.  Even so, she felt something constrict inside her.  A vice tightening with every word traded.

The Pitt.  It was always the Pitt these days... If there was some sort of argument or fight... While she did her best to push past it, she still remembered, in vivid detail, the crunch of a trespassing Pittian's neck.  Unnecessarily.  If they acted just as ruthless as the enemy, they were their own enemy...

Kiira didn't understand.  Didn't everyone see the inevitable cycle they could unleash?  If Goldenluxury was trying to rehabilitate the Pitt, they shouldn't spit on them... Not unless they just wanted to push them right back down and then they would be back to the start.  An endless, bloody, pointless cycle.

And she didn't want to sit in a cell, for moons, wondering why her tribe would rather set the jungle on fire before saving her ever again.  They don't get it.

When Redvox began to leave, Kiira did sigh.  A heavy, disappointed breath.  Maybe she shouldn't expect anything more, but at least someone like Redvox believed in second chances and was willing to stretch an olive branch.  It was only when someone did that, things changed for the better.

Maybe she'd go.  See for herself.  The Pitt were not all Jervis.  No.  She remembered there being kinder faces.  Faces who deserved a second chance.

And Christmas was nice.  If he was inviting the Typhoon, maybe she'd get to celebrate with her family.  Including her cousins in the Pitt.

An olive branch.

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

© MADI