SELL YOUR SOUL // JOINING

[GABRIEL]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-size: 9.4pt; line-height: 1.4;"]He should have expected that pain would stem from someone closest to him, and he had, in a way; however, he hadn't actually prepared for it, had taken no preventative measures, and he paid the price for that oversight. His wing bent at a crude angle from his side, utterly useless and throbbing with each step, while every inch of skin felt to bear sizable bruises from what had been a thorough ass-kicking delivered by his adopted son. Maybe it had been too much to hope that he had managed to coax the worst of his vicious streak out of him, because now he was one more tally mark on Lazarus' record of people whose bodies felt his teeth. And The Ascendants- what had they done about it? Nothing. His son may have thrown him off the border, but the inaction chased him away far better than his violence had, and so the hybrid walked the tracks with dark eyes burning and mind a chaotic mess.

Physical pain Gabriel could deal with. That wasn't the issue. It was best not to dwell on that, though; pity parties accomplished nothing, and while he wasn't certain these people wouldn't toss him out on his ass for smelling like The Ascendants, he didn't want to go trudging through snow or swamp.

Maybe he could go be a recluse somewhere, throw shit at people who trespassed.

"Before anyone throws a fit, I'm not some Ascendants lackey." He exhaled, his movements betraying his weariness. "I'm not going back, but if you don't believe me, go ahead and throw me in the ocean. I could use a salt bath."

[align=right][i]——INFO

[adomania]

[align=center][div style="borderwidth=0px; width: 55%; line-height:115%; text-align: justify;font-family: calibri;"]The initial shock of the pain that came with betrayal was always the worst, especially when it was handed to you by someone you thought closest to you. It had happened once to Des, a lonely evening that he still remembered clearly. It had been his first love, though more importantly his first friend, the first individual that he had felt comfortable enough to settle down with in this damned place and relax for a bit, try to smooth out those rough edges of his that always seemed to tear through everything else. It had come out of nowhere, and before he knew it another scar was being imprinted into his flesh and another name was on his list of people he vowed to forget.

He didn't forget faces, however. Everyone on that list was truly nameless, but the faces always haunted him.

After that, it was impossible to get in past the walls of steel he put up as defense against everything and anyone who tried. When one wall came down, two were built to replace it, and at this point it was hard to determine which part of him was real and which was just a facade he donned to try and steer everyone clear of the places that hurt. He had become the betrayer, the one who stabbed everyone before they could do it to him, and somewhere along the line the hurt, lost boy had turned into a murderer, following right after both his fathers.

Ironic, wasn't it? Family was supposed to take care of you, love you. It had kicked Gabriel out on his ass, as it had Des, and the only thing keeping his sharp teeth from their throat was the fact that neither of his parents were left to kill. They'd both died somewhere along the way, and he wasn't above regretting that it hadn't been his claws that ended them.

He always seemed to stumble across the most interesting things when he arrived first to whatever was going on at their borders. He had taken to it, finding that being the first to know things often meant you got insight on things others might have missed. It was why after the first few times he had decided to set up a home near enough to the gate to guarantee his presence. Today that presence was that of a strange hybrid who looked like he'd been dragged through hell and back again, not even so much because of his physical appearance but because of the heavy weight that seemed to cling to him where he walked. Des was familiar with the weight and how it looked like, and knew that it was best to leave it alone instead of prodding at wounds that were better left to heal. He'd be a hypocrite otherwise.

"No worries - we didn't throw a fit for the last group that came from there, doubt you'd be any different," his voice held a light warmth that he hoped would soothe the older male somewhat, although his gaze didn't lose it's edge as he inspected Gabriel the closer he walked over, until he settled comfortably on his side of the border a few feet away from him. "Don't know what you've been through but you look like hell," all his subtlety was thrown out the window, but it was for a good cause, for right after making the comment he was quick to add on.

"Don't know the protocol and shit for injured strangers, but I'm sure we can patch ya right back up again if you're honest 'bout the whole... leaving the Ascendants thing," not that he cared, really, alliances were a fickle thing that Des didn't have half a mind to truly pay attention to. If anyone here denied him care simply because of borders, hell, he'd get up and leave himself and try to help the guy as much as he knew. He was never one for medicine, but he knew enough to mend a few broken bones up.

[GABRIEL]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-size: 9.4pt; line-height: 1.4;"]Gabriel had never quite undergone the searing shock of betrayal as he did now. Before, back when he gave too much of himself to fighting for a world that spat in his face, missions began to go belly-up for one reason only: a mole. He'd always been meticulous in his work, kept information airtight, but when things went sour one too many times in a row, he knew the only possibility was someone tearing down what he'd built from the inside. That was a betrayal of principle and professionalism that cost both his people and civilians their lives; it was a betrayal he would have answered with blood and blood only, but this- what made this situation so damnable was his reluctance to respond. His own son shattered the bones in his wing, hot breath in Gabriel's face as he'd snarled, and Gabe would forgive him if he showed up now to apologize. Impunity, after all, was far more dangerous than justice.

Not to mention Gabriel had always been...well. Betraying him was much different than turning a back on an organization, because for himself, he couldn't say he'd blame anyone for it. He was a piece of work beyond the smartass comments, with enough trust issues to make a dozen spy networks shit themselves, not to mention his admittedly awful habit of latching onto any poor, young soul that happened to wander into the vicinity. That Lazarus would tear at his weaknesses wasn't an action Gabe faulted him for, not when the boy had been raised into separating the weak from the strong, and at the moment, he felt very far from the latter. 

He certainly didn't look like it, so he wasn't surprised by the horned canine's reaction. In the same breath, he was reminded of the antler nubs growing between Lazarus' ears, which was just pitiful, really. Excellent work on not devolving into a sentimental shit, Gabriel.

"Really? I was kinda hoping for that salt bath." The lines around his eyes deepened, though whether it was humor or pain was difficult to tell. He appreciated the lack of questioning, at least. The mutated wolf wasn't prodding at very obvious bruises, which was far more than what Gabriel had anticipated. "Do I?" The hybrid looked down at himself, and then snorted, much to the regret of his ribs. "Well, could be worse. I could be uglier." Honestly, he couldn't think of anything off the top of his head that was less appealing. Maybe Moon, but- he couldn't think about that anymore.

Releasing a tight breath, he gave a slight nod. "Right. I've got all day to wait for that, probably. Don't think I'm bleeding anywhere internally, or I'd be dead by now."

[align=right][i]——INFO

[adomania]

[align=center][div style="borderwidth=0px; width: 55%; line-height:115%; text-align: justify;font-family: calibri;"]"Shit, I can still give you that if you want. Just say the word and I'll shove you right into the water then fish you out and patch your ass up myself," a throaty chuckle left his maw, shoulders visibly easing up although it had been hard to tell he was tense before to begin with. It was always easier to indulge in pleasantries, however, as it gave him a good excuse to both actively avoid his own demons and try to save others from their own. It was comfortable, if numbing, and Des still had half a mind to make sure that all of his walls were up regardless.

"No, but seriously," his gaze turned harder, head tilting back to inspect Gabriel more without any hint of subtlety in his gaze. It wasn't every day that someone injured arrived at the border, this being Des' first encounter. "It's better if we don't wait to make sure that none of your bleeding is internal," a moment of silence surrounded them, before he cleared his throat and waved a paw in his direction. "I can try and patch some of it up, 've got a shed back over there -" he waved in the general direction of the hut at the statement "- if you'd let me, though I get it if you'd prefer to take care of it yourself." Personal space was a big thing with a bunch of people, himself included, so it was only right to offer it despite the concern.

"No point in waiting around though, really. I say you're in, given that we accepted a hoard of feral raptors and their 'master' who had actually killed some of ours in the past. You're nothing compared to that, no offense intended," as far as he knew (although, to be fair he didn't know much) Gabriel hadn't actively murdered anyone here... yet. And if things got out of hand, it was a losing battle on his side if he tried to cause shit. He was injured and outnumbered, and unless he had roughly a hundred tricks up his sleeve then death was probably inevitable.

"And before I forget, you got a name? Nickname? Preferred alias?" perhaps he was talking too much, but he was eager to draw the conversation to a halt and get all pleasantries over with, the better part of him rising up yet again and trying to help whatever injured soul happened to stumble across his path. It was a liability, he knew, but once again Des felt like his walls were strong enough to make sure that it wouldn't end up getting him killed.

[Luciferr]

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LUCIFERUS GRIMM

"It helped that one they killed came back - but if you are indeed serious than you'll be welcomed" the dark dragon intoned upon coming across the two - the drake inclining his head to Desperado before those mismatched eyes roamed over the injuries before glancing to Desperado

"I'll go find a healer to be sure" he had faith in Desperado's skills sure, but a second opinion and someone for the more serious - if any - injuries never hurt, Lucifer glanced over to the ex-ascendant, silently wondering if they had doen this to him - or if this was the reason for his leaving them,

Betrayal was an ugly thing - it had cut deep when his little brother had turned on them once long ago, he had never forgotten the slaughtered bodies of his younger sisters on that grievous crime.

he inclined his head "Lucifer Grimm" to give his name before he turned back to go find Solveig or Rosemary to help here.

/taggin [member=1130]rosemary roux[/member] and [member=1345]SOLVEIG[/member] then.

TAGS • PLAYLIST • LARGE DRAGON • TYPHOON / CREWMATE

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© LEXASPERATED

[VANDAL R.]

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[tr][td]

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CAN THE KILLER IN ME
(tame the fire in you)

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"More and more Ascendants popping up on our borders, huh? If I didn't know any better, I'd say it's getting a little suspicious." Vandal is next to make her approach from the skies, hovering just somewhere above Lucifer's head. With an impish grin, she folds her wings and tries to land on the large dragon's forehead, but then he's moving away to go find someone to heal the newcomer and she falls uselessly to the ground, only managing to spread her wings at the very last second to cushion her blow. "Wow. Rude!" Her words harbor no sting, however, and she shoots the gathered creatures a friendly glare before walking the rest of the way over.

"Right then. You look pretty interesting for an Ascendant. That automatically gets you a thumb's up in my book. It's probably not a smart idea, but I'm not really known for being smart," the mutated maned wolf starts with a cock of her head, folding all four massive wings to take up less space and give them all more room to breathe. He looks like shit - she can relate, but she doesn't mention his current state. An insult is probably the last thing he needs with the way he's looking. That wing does not look right at all. She can feel her own wings throbbing at the sight, can't even imagine how painful that must be - not to mention how it'll impede flight for about as long as it stays bent like that, and then some.

"Vandal Roux. People call me a striker here but fuck that, I call myself a troublemaker," she begins, folding one wing across her chest and dipping her head in what seems to be her version of a vow. The impish expression lingers on her face, however, completely erasing any formality within the gesture that it appears almost joking - in hindsight, it probably is. "Pleasure to meet you, stranger. Welcome to the craziest clan you'll probably ever see."

ooc. oh what's this?? feathers in the typhoon??

VANDAL ROUX — THE TROUBLEMAKER — TYPHOON STRIKER — [color=#acb2a2]TAGS

© MADI

[GABRIEL]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-size: 9.4pt; line-height: 1.4;"]Gabe gave a short laugh before his onyx eyes shut in a grimace, ribs making their protest known very loudly, although their reminder hurt more than the bruising. "Ugh, don't make me laugh. I might throw myself in and save you the trouble." The hybrid adjusted his position, ignoring the burning twinge brightening in his wing; yes, thank you body, he was well-aware something was broken. He'd much rather focus freely on his surroundings than his injuries, which he could do nothing for, because the individual in front of him had access to assistance, and was, like Gabe, warier than he let on. Good to know he hadn't come across an idiot, at least, even though that would be easier to deal with. Somewhat. He'd be more tempted to throw himself over, and whether or not that was the better outcome depended on the perspective.

Gabe straightened a bit as the conversation turned sober, tracing the mutated canine's gesturing toward a shack, which he stared at for a moment before his gaze returned to the helpful stranger. He was very accommodating, wasn't he? Either that was a personality trait, a habit, or he could be newer to The Typhoons and less invested in the little conlict between them and The Ascendants. Or he could simply lack a shit to give about it in the first place. He didn't know enough yet to say for certain. "I've got no issues. If you do something I don't like, I'll just kick you." Not that a mere kick would do much with the size difference, but his talons could mean nasty business. Gabe doubted it'd come down to that, though it couldn't hurt to be prepared. Duplicity was always a possibility.

He was too forthcoming for Gabe to be inclined to that, especially about the other Ascendants who arrived. Raptors? He hadn't heard of those, but one of the people who'd been around -Ollie? Owen?- must have made an offhand comment like that at some point, because it didn't sound outlandish. "None taken. I'm not nearly as interesting as a bunch of murderous lizards." Exhaling, he craned his head, beak plucking out a tuft of fur from his shoulder before he could stop himself. Fucking bird-brain. He wasn't actively apprehensive, but stress and unfamiliarity tended to wreck havoc on his instincts, so naturally, he had to start tearing bits off himself. Gabe didn't even want to know how it'd be interpreted by the horned stranger, or by the recently appearing dragon, who gave a bit of commentary -resurrection, how surprising- before ambling off to find someone. Lucifer Grimm. What a name.

His departure led to a bit of a flail from a- well, he didn't know what the fuck she was. Some kind of wolf? She had wings -more than Gabe did- glowed, and had similar front legs in terms of bird-ness. Gabe found a bit of familiarity in that. Someone just as fucked as he was, right? Of course, with his luck, she'd have the better digestive system.

"Just Gabe works. Nothing fancy. What about you?" His stare returned to the original arrival, and then swept over the pair equally when the near solid ebony one began speaking again. No, it wasn't a smart idea, but it seemed like they were all having an off-day in regards to making intelligent decisions. Gabriel definitely wasn't an exception, though he couldn't help the gusted exhale that served as a laugh. She was an interesting character, wasn't she? Her name matched, and probably fit her far better than Gabe's did, who was hardly angelic in any interpretation of the word.

"I'd drink to that if I could." He smiled as best he could, relying primarily on his eyes and the various muscles surrounding them. No one had ever bowed to him, mockingly or otherwise. "Probably? Is that in doubt?"

//shhh it's a secret
.01% of a secret
[align=right][i]——INFO

[adomania]

[align=center][div style="borderwidth=0px; width: 55%; line-height:115%; text-align: justify;font-family: calibri;"]Another soft chuckle punctuated Gabriel's statement, although his eyes narrowed in concern at the pain that seemed to radiate off of the man's form. It was more than just intuition, as his demonic senses were useful in picking shit like that up, and perhaps he was imagining it to be far worse than it actually was. That didn't stop him from fretting, despite the fact that he smoothly brushed it off under the constant lighthearted guise he wore. "Yeah, but then I'd have to ask you to drag yourself out as well to save me even more trouble. Better for both of us if we save the rejuvenating salt bath for later, yeah? Promise I'll take you around sight seeing once you're feeling better and then I'll be up to dragging you wherever you need to be dragged to and out of," damn, there he went again with words that could very well draw out another laugh from the injured man, but trying to get him to stop was like trying to nail jello to a tree. Impossible.

If the humor was gone, there was nothing else left. It guarded everything he had, and had become second nature to him ages ago. 

As for his accommodating nature? It was a mix of everything, really. One of the reasons was the fact that he had never been inclined to watch people just die beneath his paws (at least not after leaving his former life behind, although he tried to forget about the time he used to enjoy being the one to tear at people's throats), the other was simply an instinct to try and repent for whatever he had done in any way possible. Most of all, though, it was because he really didn't give two shits about the alliances and rivalries that existed. Everything and everyone was analyzed on a personal basis, not as an organization, another helpful trait he had inherited from Lirim.

The thought that he didn't belong here had crossed his mind a lot, but his guilt stopped him from seeking out better. His place was among the scoundrels and murderers, not those who actively sought good. He hadn't earned his place there, so here he would stay, helping whatever lonely soul happened to wander across the border.

"You're still plenty interesting, I'm sure," he mused in response to Gabriel's next statement, then watched with something akin to amusement as he started to pluck at the feathers on his body. There was no interpretation to be had, however, and he simply continued to gaze patiently until the hybrid's attention was back on him and proceeded to smile at him once again once he knew he had it.

"Gabe," he tasted the name, found it was simple enough for him to like, then chuckled at the inquiry of his own name. Right. He had almost forgotten about that. It was hard to remember when the thing you went by wasn't really a name to begin with. "Just Des works, then. Also nothing fancy," perhaps he was getting snarky without realizing it, not sharing the alias he had used for ages now, but it was a playful kind of snark that picked at Gabe's own choice of a shortened name rather than anything volatile. Once again he gave the hybrid his time and space to analyze the scene around him, watching his gaze fall towards Vandal and Lucifer (who had proceeded to leave soon after claiming to go get a medic), but he couldn't help but butt in at the man's next words.

"What's stoppin' you? Digestive system or lack of supplies, 'cause if you need the latter then the shack I just mentioned also has a handy stash of alcohol that-" he sent an faux glare towards Vandal before continuing "I'd hate to have someone steal. Shouldn't have said anything, fuck," still, the lightness in his voice didn't drop, and if anything the grin on his maw only widened as his dual colored stare returned to Gabriel.

"Whichever it is, if you'd be so inclined to follow me, I'll get that wing set for you... and I solemnly swear I won't give you a reason to kick me," a soft scoff was sent towards the direction that Lucifer had gone off to, and with another charming smile thrown Gabe's way, he made no attempts to hide his next 'whisper.'

"Between you and me, it might take anyone else a bit to get here to see if you're gonna live until tomorrow, and I'd hate to have our conversation cut short because you decided to die," like there was really any decision behind it, but he still hoped that it would provide some pathetic excuse for mirth... although he realized soon after that he should probably cut out saying anything funny or snarky for the next few hours so the hybrid didn't pass out from the pain laughing caused him.

"Come on," the statement was more of an offer than it was a command, but Des still stood up and turned around to walk off, not looking back to see if Gabe trusted him enough to follow. Hell, he probably wouldn't trust anyone here if he was in his place... but maybe that was just his survival instinct talking. It took a lot for him to let his guard down, maybe Gabe was different.

Plus, Des' offer was genuine, despite the shady nature of most of the people here he was starting to hesitantly call 'companions.'

// heck, u want a private thread? *eyes emoji*

[JUNJI]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; padding: 10px; height: auto; overflow: auto;"][div style="width: 400px; padding: 0px; line-height: 14px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"]"i can help, too," came the sweet call of junji, the little feline hurrying over to the small group. he'd only caught the tail end of the conversation; being just a plain old cat surrounded by giant mutated animals with a gaggle of powers, he couldn't arrive as quickly, but his hearing was good enough to catch on that the newcomer was injured. his little legs could only carry him so quickly.

with a warm smile on the young cat's face, he slowed as desperado began to walk, offering to patch gabe up in the little hut not far off. though he was no sage, he knew his way around herbs pretty well, and he was sure that he and the mutated wolf could keep an eye on the injured male until rosemary came along. he drew his eyes over the hybrid, gaze lingering on his wings for just a moment too long, before looking back to his face. "my name's junji. if it's not too sore of a subject, may i ask what happened to you?" jun queried gently, moving to trot beside the winged creature as they went on.

"as a note for whenever you recover, our capricorn tavern serves a variety of alcoholic beverages." though he had never had liquor in his life, the tom had spent some time in the tavern, exploring the place and watching with mild amusement as captain pincher got drunk off his ass. the mention was lighthearted, simply a suggestion for the male if he ever wanted to check it out. junji hummed to himself and idly inspected gabe as they neared the hut, taking note of his injuries.

[GABRIEL]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-size: 9.4pt; line-height: 1.4;"]//you can ignore like 90% of this

Gabe struggled to keep from making his exasperation known, although considering how minute his range of expressions was, his only real tell was the twitching of his good wing. It wasn't that Gabe didn't appreciate the assistance, but he'd never been one for accepting concern with grace. He hadn't needed to worry about that for a while now, considering most of the scrapes he'd gotten himself into since waking up in this fucked up body were the sort to laugh at, not tut over. Not to mention another factor in his discomfort was how young many of them were, especially in The Ascendants. Kids not even half his age yet were sticking their paws in wounds, and he couldn't say how old this wolf was -canines were difficult to age, especially mutated ones- but there had to be at least a year and a half between them. Young enough to have better things to do than mind Gabriel, though again, it wasn't that he was ungrateful. He could use a few laughs, however much they strained his ribs, and he didn't do much to stifle the rumble in his throat. "I'm not that old. I can manage to pull myself out at least halfway."

The hybrid shifted where he stood, wondering if he adjusted his stance some of the bruises might be less annoying, though all it did was make other bruises that much more agitating. He could deal with that. The fact that they were inflicted by his son cut deeper than any of the injuries, not to mention the few people to see the debacle just- stood there. Gabriel wasn't as loyal to organizations as he used to be, back when he found more meaning in life, but it was easier than it should have been to grow fond for a group of people, and the affection turned sour in his mouth, ashes he couldn't swallow so easily.

He supposed he shouldn't have expected anything different. Hell, he didn't even know if he had, but that was his burden. Everyone had their own shit to deal with.

It wasn't so difficult to leave those thoughts behind, not when the mutated wolf didn't mind a bit of back-and-forth. This time, Gabe rolled his eyes, though with how dark they were, it probably wasn't even noticeable. "Not how I'd phrase it." Well, there went some of his fur and a few feathers. If he kept going, people were going to think he was balding, which wasn't something he wanted to deal with.

Not that it would matter, in the end.

"All right, if that's how you want to play it. I'll find out eventually." Was it Desmond? No, he didn't look like a Desmond. Or a Destin. Desman? That was the last 'Des' name he could think of, and none of them seemed right, so it was probably not a shortening of something, or it was and he just hadn't heard the name before. Gabe supposed he was lucky that most people could easily guess his. Gabriel was nothing unconventional.

He was then distracted by Vandal, mostly by the glowing thing she did, and he dragged his gaze away, back to Des when he started asking questions. Was it a digestive thing? Honestly, Gabe didn't know. He hadn't drank anything in this new body, and was a bit paranoid to, considering eating resulted in hacking up pellets. Drinking water was fine, but he really wasn't certain how his hybridized digestive system would take alcohol. Some sangria wouldn't be too bad right about now, or just about anything. He wasn't picky, not unless he could be. "I might have to take you up on that very secret offer." The owl-cat sent his ribs into another chorus of "no why are you dumb" when he laughed, and he nearly did so again at the next comment, but he interrupted it with a cough. That still hurt, but it wasn't as prolonged.

Dark eyes glittered. "I could kick you for no reason." For a moment, his expression emptied, gaze set somewhere beyond Des, though twitching his injured wing was more than enough to bring him back to the present. He couldn't afford to do that again, and he gave himself a mental shake, eyes brightening again. "If I decide to die, it's because of our conversation." He fell into step with the taller male after taking a moment to cut back another chuckle, and round the same time, there was the arrival of a small child, dividing Gabriel's focus between Des and the feline; the offer was...sweet, but he'd rather not have a child deal with his injured self, if only because, as aforementioned, the young had other things to do than tend to old-ish grumps.

He couldn't tell Junji to fuck off though, even when he asked a question Gabe would have thrown himself off a cliff to avoid. "Don't supposed you'd believe me if I told you it was a friendly disagreement?" It wasn't quite a lie, though of course, not the truth either. The truth was too much to give any stranger, however gentle or unassuming. He could barely keep it straight with himself.

The mention of alcohol served as an appreciated distraction he didn't mind latching onto. "Capricorn Tavern? More star shit. Great." It was more likely named after the tropic, but considering the two went hand-in-hand, that didn't matter. "Hope the alcohol's worth it."

//ofc!! who makes?
[align=right][i]——INFO