IN THE EYES OF TOMORROW // open, joiners

[VIGENERE CIPHER.]

[Alan]

"Wow... so this is Tanglewood, Father?"

the boy whispered, stopping a mere inch behind the savannah's tail. His ears perked up to hear all of the sounds he could, the kitten wanting to take in any sensory information he could even when he was not yet in the territory proper. He really was something of a smaller image of his canine father's colors on his feline father's body, easily recognizable to any long-time Tangler.

After the older male announced the pair's presence, Alan tilted his head.

"But Father... do we really need to do this? You guys had the highest ranks here once, right?"

The curious pup shrugged and sat back on his haunches, idly making a pair of flowers dance near his paws as he waited for someone to arrive. Though he questioned his sire's actions, he also knew not to get in his way when he was so serious.

The young one hoped Tanglewood would prove to be as interesting as his fathers had told him it would be. After all, from what he'd heard it would be where he would finish growing up. Countless stories gave Alan quite a lot of hype, and he practically had stars in his eyes as he turned his head to face the first Tangler he sensed in their vicinity.

[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 —

Truthfully, Aurum knew very little about Vignere and Morgan. Every piece of information he had heard in the past about the former leader and his lover was secondhand, and the angel had never thought much of it. There certainly seemed to be mixed feelings on the pair, especially when it came to people like Crow and Leroy, but the proxy tried not to let that affect him too much. He preferred to form his own opinions on people before he treated them a certain way. He had been ready to do so with Vignere the first time the other male had rejoined Tanglewood, but nearly immediately after he had been welcomed in, he had dropped off the face of the earth. Aurum had tried not to think too much about it, to be honest. After all, there had been plenty of times in the past where others had joined only to gradually – or quite suddenly – disappear afterwards. He had his own life developments to worry about at that point, and it wasn't as if he had a chance to grow close to Vignere, so he had just let the incident roll over him without much fuss.

When the lion heard the voice of Vignere yet again calling out over the border, he found his interest piqued. Would the oddly colored male have some explanation for his disappearance, or would he just choose to ignore it? Either way, Aurum found himself getting up from where he had been resting on a log, slowly making his way over to where Vignere and his child stood. The sight of the canine and feline hybrid caused Aurum to pause, less because of the more obvious reasons and more just because he hadn't been expecting Vignere to have a kid with him. After all, the proxy had never known Morgan, so Alan's markings looked just the same as any other cat to him. Turning his one eyed gaze to Vignere, Aurum chuckled before rumbling, "Hey, Vignere. Here to come back again? Pretty sure we got all the introductions out of the way last time, but in case you've forgotten, I'm Aurum. You're welcome to rejoin... again." He then turned his blue gaze towards Alan, shifting a wing upon his back in a sort of wave to the boy, "And hello there, little one. Alan, was it? I'm Aurum, second in command around here." He couldn't help but shift a little awkwardly under the boy's starry eyed gaze, wondering what exactly Vignere had told him about Tanglewood that would get him so excited to see anyone.

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

#psychosocial.

[VIGENERE CIPHER.]

[Alan]

"Aurum, huh. I haven't heard of a name like that one before. Nice... um... Nice to meet you."

It became painfully clear how inexperienced the catdog was with talking to strangers. Still, though, it was a skill he would hopefully acquire in time. Alan smiled at the Tangler in earnest all the same, excited just to be a part of things now.

"... Well, alright, Father! Time to go!"

The boy bounded forward in the direction Aurum had originally come from. He was sure his father would catch up in time; Alan was a bit of a slow runner at times despite his energy.

[beck.]

[align=center]

    He witnessed when Vigenere first returned, a figure of unhindered yellow and stark black hue. He even tackled the old proxy -- had he been proxy? Or was it deputy then? He didn't remember. Such a meaningless title was lost among the panels of memory, stained with time like spilled coffee and leaving a bitter taste in his scarred mouth. If he imagined, he could see the faces of the first swamp dwellers like a sepia photograph, rustic and archaic compared to the generations of features blurring together to fill a gap of two, three years. He might even close his eyes for a moment to reminisce, a dangerous pastime for one with so much grief burdening unseen chains. But the bitter-soaked faces didn't exist when he opened his eyes. They were gone. Gone forever, it seemed.

    No surprise followed Vigenere disappearing yet again, in search of the lover on a crusade to find the serval himself. He doubted either would return even if they reunited. There was nobody left but him. And what did he have to offer besides sniveling tears and infectious misery?

    Less excitement overtook the wiry cat's face as his keen nose flared, breathing shallowly the scent of sulfur once more. Along with a waft of something, of someone new. So the lost lovers failed to unite after all. A ragged sigh slipped from water-logged lungs. He had nothing better to do than mope in the woods and tend traps pointless without the gluttonous plant they fed. So Beck approached again, parted the foliage again, studied Vigenere again. "...Where'd you go?" wheezed the overlooked question, his glare pointed with accusations and suspicion. He was getting sick of wearing his heart on his sleeves, only for it to be crushed each time he tried opening up, tried to be better than he used to be.

    Yet of all the faces in the mental photograph, his own was cursed with perpetual youth, cursed to never change.

    But his doubts ceased as another child skipped in his path, frightfully similar to the samoyed that once reigned. His jaw parted, not only in shock but to scent the newcomer as well, his crooked lower teeth poking from behind slackened lip. "Oh my God," he stammered, all he could really force out as the realization dawned upon him. They had reunited after all... and got busy.

    A second accusatory look aimed itself at Vigenere, momentarily glancing downward before refocusing on a more appropriate location to stare at. "You fucked Morgan?!" Beck abruptly blurted, ignoring the prior implications of lovers instead for living proof of intercourse. Evidently, certain details mattered more to pubescent teens than to adults with a sense of respect and dignity.

[VIGENERE CIPHER.]

[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

Vigenere.  Morgan.  Morgan.  Old names.  Old faces.  A happy reunion or a painful reminder?  In the end... Perhaps it was both.  The petite vixen found no sign of Morgan, though her mitch-matched hues darted around for a second, as though he could be there, if she just looked.

She hadn't known either very well, but Morgan had always been kind to her.  A friendly face.

Kiira felt her teeth catch the inside of her cheek.  Behind her, her tail disappeared, fading from corporality briefly, as she tilted her head.  Uncertain. 

When old friends returned, the medic often smiled, relieved... Now... She couldn't help but wonder how brief this reunion would be in the end. ...Still, she smiled.  A soft, faint smile.

"Wel-welcome back."  Why wasn't Morgan with them?  Had something happened...?  The two looked okay... And Alan was obviously upbeat and eager to explore.  "... Have.  Have you been travel-traveling long?"

Subconsciously, Kiira glanced down at the satchel hanging on her side, filled with her first aid supplies.

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

© MADI

[VIGENERE CIPHER.]