Sour Patch Kids and A Coke Can ;; Joining

The forest before him seemed endless. At least, that's what Cherry perceived before he saw the old house. There was a scent of death and blood, but if there was blood there, it was now washed away, probably by rain or the recent snowfall. The lynx sniffed around but found nothing, which mildly confused him. He gently pulled his scarf end closer with the cold winds, making a small noise of dissatisfaction. His satchel sat comfortably on his back, his paints safe and his canvases even safer. "I wonder if anyone lives around here.. I'd hate to take over this house." He said softly, flicking his ear which resulted in a soft jingle from his earring.

[color=#c76a6a]"Speech"

WHEN I WAS ONLY TWELVE YEARS OLD

MY PARENTS WENT WALKING

I HATE THOSE WICKED WORDS THEY'D SAY

Heavy the boughs laden with emerald adornment, within twisted limbs held pilfered tales, baleful witness bearing no ounce of affection for those who tread the soil their roots dominated. The mere fancy of a child, thoughts drawn across darkened threads until he may ponder nothing else. Upon edge had he perched, within peering as if answers may be plucked from dark depths, an unknown he seeked to pillage yet grew fearful of. Few the times within had he wandered, singular presence necessitating such passage, now he bore no need, only a desire that he may no place a reasoning behind.

Hesitation in first steps, the pale illumination discarded in favour of speckled shade, beneath canopy child swallowed whole. Alone, in some part, hushed the shuffle, undergrowth parting about miniscule creatures startled by movement, ignored for what lay ahead. Deep it lay, his only guide the beaten path, passage of those before marked in earth barren of all but clinging stalks of grass. Too soon the end, or it may simply have been his mind was elsewhere, far as paws continued without assistance, harsh the indraw.

Soil parting about claws, dug in until they ached, rolling hitch of his breath igniting agony. Panic stopped by little more than a distaste where it came to turning away, too far had he come to abandon his objective now. Yet he must, though by no means his own. Strange the scent that lingered upon gentle up draft, almost sweet. Prepared Foam to disregard the oddity before voice arose, forth ears drawn, lips parting about the shape of a frown, exposed tiny teeth in display rather far from threatening.

Again momentum began but drew to quick halt, confusion and anger at war in his chest, strained his drawn out words. "Not yours, not welcome." More arose yet stifled beneath sudden cough, I drawn drawn Foam, through almost closed lids other watched as he struggled through it. "Medusa's." Harsh whisper choked out between, each breath grown laborious as he fell relatively silent.

code by Reggan

Gentle the movement of the lynx at the sound of someone else, their voice, though small, cut through him. So it was someone's housing. He looked at Foam as the child coughed, concern heavy on the lynx. "Oh. I am sorry for intruding on it, then. I had just now seen it, contemplated on making it my home. But now that I know it's been claimed, I'll leave it be." He smiled gently and stepped a bit further away from the house.

[color=#c76a6a]"Are you feeling alright, kid? You don't sound too good."

[color=#c76a6a]"Speech"

RHINESTONESTAR ❝ RHINE ❞ LEADER
"TALKING" || "TELEPATHY"

Things finally felt as though they had been settling somewhat as of late, albeit with a couple of hiccups here and there. Foamkit still wasn't entirely there yet, and Medusa had certainly seemed rattled after the raid on The Typhoon. Despite this occasional pitfalls, Palm Glades as a whole was thriving, continuing to get new joiners and expand as well as improve upon themselves. Rhinestone was eager for the changes that the upcoming meeting would bring, although he knew that they were mostly just the cherry on top of all the other changes that had happened recently. It was because of this relative peace that Rhine was able to let his mind wander, and occasionally allow himself to relax within camp. Of course, his relaxation was brought to an end when he noticed Foamkit slipping out of camp nearby, the boy moving off in the direction of the forest. Feeling uneasy about letting Foam go on alone, the serval slowly pushed himself up to his paws, slipping from the sandy hollow of camp and moving out towards the Twisted Forest.

For a while, Rhinestone just followed Foamkit's scent, not wanting to make it obvious that he was following the boy who was like a son to him. After all, he knew how independent Foam could be, and he didn't want the other rushing off because he had reached his rebellious phase even before becoming an apprentice. However, Rhine was quick to speed up his pace when he noticed another scent on the air nearby, one that was foreign and potentially dangerous. Thankfully, once the leader came to a stop near Foamkit's side, he was relieved to see that the stranger wasn't threatening anyone. At least, it seemed as though he was perfectly friendly. The presence of Medusa's house unnerved Rhinestonestar slightly, the male still not able to fully be around the home without thinking of her brief brush with death. Despite this, he pushed through, offering Cherry a smile before he spoke, "Hello there... I don't mean to be rude, but you are on the territory of The Palm Glades, just so you know. Are you looking for a place to stay?" It certainly seemed as though Cherry was, seeing as Foam had to warn him off from Medusa's little structure.

tags + roleplayed by stilly + the palm glades

His emerald gaze went from Foam to Rhine, taking note of his black eyes and blue coat, making a decision to paint him if they became good friends. His tail offered a small flick in greeting as he smiled back. "Hello there. I figured a group was here, with the markers at the forest. I had no one interrupt my travels until I ended up here, though." He flicked his ear toward the house. [color=#c76a6a]"yeah, I am looking for a place to stay. Preferably within a group of others. How else would i be able to make friends and show off paintings?" He motioned gently to his satchel.

[color=#c76a6a]"My name is Cherry. Cherry Noriaki."

[color=#c76a6a]"Speech"

RHINESTONESTAR ❝ RHINE ❞ LEGATE
"TALKING" || "TELEPATHY"

If Rhinestone had known that Cherry was thinking about painting him, he probably would've been pretty bashful about it. After all, the legate didn't actually think that he was all that much to look at. Even when he had been in his birth body, he had always thought of him as simply average looking. And now, in a body with pitch black and bloodied eyes... he was just glad that he didn't scare his groupmates away.

Upon hearing Cherry's intentions to join, the serval felt his smile grow, voice cheerful as he spoke, "Oh, you are looking for a place to stay? Then you're welcome to join the Palm Glades, of course. We always love new members, and some art around here sounds like it would be interesting... Cherry is a very nice name, too." Aside from the mural that Foamkit had done at one point, they didn't particularly have much art around, so having Cherry around would certainly make things more colorful. Maybe he could even help contribute to battle paint designs.

tags + roleplayed by stilly + the palm glades