LOTUS EATER / settling in

[Soleil]

[div style="margin: 0 auto; border-width:0; width: 70%; text-align: justify; line-height: 1.5; font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;"]She'd been hiding herself away lately. The Tanglewood crew didn't seem all that bad, they were surprisingly nice to her during her joining, but that didn't erase the apprehension that had been gathering in her gut. The girl slowly slid out of the home she'd claimed as her own, trotting out into the main portion of the town for the first time since she arrived. If she wanted to live here, it was inevitable that she'd have to get to know some of the people she was going to be staying with. She closed her door before anyone could catch a flash of the reptilian tails hidden behind it, turning her attention to those that milled about. No one she could see seemed particularly interesting so far, but perhaps that was too harsh of a thought. After all, everyone was interesting when compared to her. She was only a boring piece of cardboard compared to the real lifeforms, something that could mimic and mould to but never fully replicate the personalities of those she admired. A frown furrowed her brow, front hoof scraping dejectedly at the stone below her.

Maybe one day she'd be able to be pretty, smart, or maybe even funny enough to catch the eyes of strangers. For now though, she had to settle with copying people that did it better than her. It was as she thought this that a particularly pretty feline passed by her, drawing Soleil's watchful gaze. She stared for a second before frowning again, although this time it was one of concentration rather than self loathing. A light swept over her body in a wave, and when it subsided she had taken the form of the cat that had passed. She looked into a window. Almost perfect, aside from the eyes. She could never get the eyes right. Instead of the amber she was hoping to replicate, her eyes remained their usual blue and green. Soleil's lips curled in disgust, and she turned her head pointedly away from her reflection.

[Anubis.]

[align=center][div style="width: 450px; line-height: 12px; text-align: justify; font-family: georgia; font-size: 8pt;"]"Neat trick." The young god flicked an ear.  The wolf leaned back absently, relaxed as he recognized the other for a fellow Tangler.  Not one he knew, however.  He knew a good few illusionists and shapeshifters, so his dark hues flickered, almost absently over the girl, accustomed to such behavior.  Still, a spark of curiosity did light.

"I'm Anubis." Stars know he hopes she does not assume he was the actual Anubis -- he was, of course, but so long as he resided in the mortal realm, he quite liked living like one, no titles attached.

[beck.]

    Envy was a curious fiend commonly nipping at his ear, stinging his thoughts with the desire to have everything they had: friends, love, a future, a reflection, a heartbeat. Why couldn't he have it all too? It was unfair! He hated it, hated it, hated it, hated it, hated them, hated everything -- Beck gave a start, sucking in a strained gasp. Yeesh, he needed to get a grip. Letting out a nervous giggle, the poltergeist plucked himself off his decrepit porch, mindlessly clicking his teeth as he slunk from the shade of his beached boathouse and towards the nearby town. The voice fuming in his skull usually only acted up when he wasn't occupied. So, the obvious solution was to do something other than laze on his ass all day, right? Hate, hate, hate --

    "Sh-shut up," Beck murmured to himself, listening for the expected commotion of Tanglewood ahead before tilting his head to blink at the cream-colored blob in front of a window. A ragged sniff later, and the blob could be identified at that cute-nosed girl fortunately still fresh in his overworked memory. What exactly was she doing? She didn't have the same green tinge from when he first saw her as far as his myopic stare could discern. Halting in his tracks for an imaginary heartbeat, squinting from afar at Soleil before a devious idea of a prank wormed into his brain. Hopefully, she was too distracted by her own image in the window to notice the medic disappearing from mortal vision, invisibly creeping towards the house before her and slipping through its wooden walls. Oh, he couldn't wait to see the scared look on her face! Biting back a snicker, Beck idled behind the window she gazed into, biding his time until the perfect opportunity...

    After Anubis introduced himself, Beck abruptly popped his head through the window's glass, rematerializing with a harsh squeal akin to a dying pig and snapping his jaws shut, nearly nipping Soleil's nose off. Nearly. He wasn't that stupid; he would have to fix her nose if he bit it clean off, which he wasn't in the mood for. At their combined reactions, frightened or not, the poltergeist broke into a fit of laughter, wheezing and giggling until it seemed as though his bony sides would split down their seams. Slumping forward to roll on his back at their feet with his bandaged paws clutching his chest, Beck's horrid laughter was only interrupted by the occasional snort, like blades shakily dragged across a chalkboard. "Heh, ya sho-ould've seen the l-looks on your fa-aces!" he cackled, struggling to catch a breath and beginning to almost hack up a lung. It's been too long since we've had a good laugh, huh, Becky?

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[Crow Roux]

[align=center]action — "speech" — thoughts

PHYSICALLY HARD | MENTALLY MEDIUM | MAGICALLY MEDIUM | ATTACK IN [b]#757f96[/b]

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Crow honestly thought someone was dying when he heard a harsh shriek nearby, so he stuck his head outside of his home to scan the area. He furrowed his eyebrows and stepped out of his door, making sure to quietly shut it behind him, because in the event of a raid, a loud door would draw attention. It however seemed to be quite the opposite of what he assumed.

The feline spotted Soleil, Anubis, and...Beck. It appeared Beck was the source of the loud noise, and now he was laughing so hard Crow was worried he would dislodge a rib or something. "Oh my gods, I thought there was an attack," he mumbled just loud enough for the group to hear.