Much to Leviathan's dismay, he is unable to even reach for some of the bounty he had brought for the crew or introduce either of his sisters when he is accosted from behind by none other than @Teuta. Yet, judging from the wide grin that flashes across his face as he allows his weight to be toppled over into the sand, he didn't seem to mind all that much. A thud and dramatic roar sell the spectacle even though it was clear he could put up much more of a fight if he had wanted to. Were it not so cold and firm beneath his feet this time of year, it would have kicked up plumes of sand beneath his frame.

As he does, he attempts to hook an arm around Teuta and hold her there. If he was to enjoy this meeting from the ground, so will she. His eyes find her with a sinister grin, realizing that he would be able to see more of her now that they would be under the same roof. As @Calhoun's booming voice draws his attention back to the group, he stays in place, not causing any more ruckus but also stubbornly refusing to let Teuta get up just yet if he can help it.

He names @Rivia his first mate, and Levi's eyes find the brown woman. It was odd to not have the dynamic duo that the Galloway brothers had always been, but Roarke's new life was holding them back and Rivia was a steadfast crewmember and a damn good pirate - at least from what he remembered of her. His ears perk then at his own name, a bit surprised to be given any position of responsibility after their chaotic reunion. "Aye! Dun' think I'm gonna go easy on you lot either. If ye don't find spars fer practice they'll be findin' you." He warns the group. With him as master-at-arms, none of these sorry sacks would be going soft. "Starting wit' this scallywag here..." He adds, referring to Teuta as he rises to his feet and gives a good shake before rejoining his sisters near the drink. As he does, he notices @Camelia slipping away. Shame the small stranger didn't stick around long enough for Levi to meet her but she is paid little more thought as he makes for a fruit - grabbing it full-palmed and with much less grace than @Hydra had.

A hearty laugh punctuates the air as he downs his fruit with full-gusto. Chug! Chug! Chug! He grabs another and tosses it to @Melusine in an insistent encouragement to keep up with him and Hydra. He looks to both of them, pink eyes welled with emotion. "Good teh have ye here. Both of ye. Caly "Venomdrinker" there's a Blackmon' now too y'know - brand new but no lily-liver that one." He gestures towards @Calypso. There would be plenty of merry moments tonight he was sure, plenty of time for them to introduce themselves to the crew on their own terms, but he wanted to make sure they knew of their new clansmen before he was too sloshed to remember.

exit via PARTY

a smile that could light new york city

code by corvus

She was delighted to find that she toppled Levi, though she knew quite well that he only allowed it because he felt like it. That was half the fun of it though, knowing that he was in on the fun. Teuta couldn't help but laugh riotously as she was pinned down as well.

She did turn her attention to Calhoun when instructed, but his words only served to confuse her. Roarke wasn't coming? Whyever not? Did he actually prefer the rainforest to being with them? She didn't know exactly what to think of that, but she knew that it hurt deep down. And, if him not coming meant they needed a First Mate, then... Well there were only two thing to assume from that and one of them was that she was far behind.

It did sting a little that she wasn't named anything, though to be fair she knew Levi would make a better master at arms than she would. Well, maybe Roarke had told Calhoun about her mouthing off. Yeah, he probably had. She guessed she deserved that one.

Levi jolted her out of her thoughts and she bounded up after him. "I ain't scared of ye," she said with a laugh. Ah, it was good to have everyone together again.

-exit teuta-

she was... oddly quiet. it was a gathering like none they'd had yet, with more faces than she had expected (not that she was complaining, quite the opposite). those that she knew and those that she did not -- though her eyes rested for a spell on the diminutive form of @Camelia, endlessly curious about the one that had pinned down the dragon captain. @teuta's arrival was far more exciting, with a tackle of the striped male the druid had grown so fond of. and @Rivia was there, of course -- if there was one that could rival her own loyalty it was the dark cat. but she... could not help but step back, melting to the shadows of the nearest palm. they were a rowdy bunch and she normally would have joined (or would she have? calypso could hardly say for certain) were it not for the exhaustion sunk in to her very bones. still there is a stirring of excitement at the speech -- and if there is a pang of disappointment she is quick to bury it behind a flash of teeth and a hearty "aye!" in the wake of it she would have slipped away, except @Leviathan was saying her name and she felt a certain duty to meet the newest unfamiliar faces, siblings of his it would seem. with a plan to slip away as soon as possible (she worried for how long the hyena would rest) she slunk closer for the time being, a quirk on her lips as she was introduced. -exit-

image by koafox, code by koi

Turning tides granted a billowing of fortune—her smiling face curved towards it as their captain addressed the crew. There was a shining, shimmering feeling in the air and it was not the booze-cheered eyes. Something else, something new—a togetherness that it seemed they had all been lacking. She leaned into her brother and sister, snatching at the gift tossed by their new master-in-arms. Though quiet, she basked in the glow of their debauchery, eyes finding that of their new kin, @Calypso and offering a cheeky, reassuring grin. More teh merrier, she quipped—mostly glad she wouldn’t be the only one caught in the shadows of her colossal siblings. Tossing back what she could, she jostled @Hydra with a rowdy hip-check. Race ye to the bottom of this swill! exit via p-a-r-t-y.

tidecaller
salted air in my lungs, ocean depths in my veins

      One by one, pirate after pirate, they grew. Faces she recognized and some she didn't. Rowdy nonetheless as they rallied together before their Captain. When the dragon called them to attention, Rivia seated herself and remained where she was. Rivia cast a gaze around the cay as @Calhoun declared this their home, their base camp. She was surprised to hear that Roarke officially decided to stay within the confines of the rainforest. She pursed her lips in thought, but could understand his resign to leaving his home. She had heard he accrued quite the family for himself. She was glad to see that he had found a place to call home, but now it was their turn.

      And Calhoun was the exact Captain that they all needed. Whether he realized it now or not.

      "Rivia, I'd have me first mate be you," Her eyes snapped to Cal's, her ears flying forward at his words. She let a small breath noiselessly expel from her lips, giving him a sure nod. "Aye. You'll have me as long as the sea remains salted." she declared to him, pledging her loyalty. All of their years of friendship came down to this. Rivia looked among the group and reveled in their presence. To see the pirates begin to rebuild themselves. Her loyalty to them was a deep as the sea itself.

Leviathan gained his own title and with a few more words, Calhoun concluded their meeting. @Calypso's quiet presence didn't go unnoticed to her. She furrowed a single brow noting to seek her out later. For now she stayed with the group in anticipation of events to come.

exit

Against her presses Melusine, a deeply familiar sensation, and Hydra lets slide a quiet giggle, touched by a lightness in the informality of this. The vivacity that it spurs in her littermates. It's comforting to be surrounded by kin again, a grounding effect upon her now that Leviathan too would be around to help her look after their littlest sister. And even though she did not yet consider the strangers to be her crew, yet, she believes that one day they could be. They all seem amicable enough, and she thinks, eyes trailing where her brother reclines comfortably with a woman, that if anyone can tolerate him so much then she and her sister will have no trouble acclimating.

Booming like canonfire, the man's voice makes her flinch as it demands collective attention, tamping down the rowdiness, and the woman's striped neck ruffles as she brings a fruit to her lips. Teeth puncturing the soft flesh, lips suckling, one of her fine, pale brows lifting over a dual-hued eye as she looks him over, the unspoken question made obvious: 'and so it is safe to assume you are captain, eh?'. It definitely isn't a surprise to her- he's the biggest among them (herself not included), a man boisterous enough to complement the raging fire of his pelt. Stereotypes always have, in her experience, been derived of truths.

And she supposes, too, that the same could be said of leaders because they make good decisions. If it weren't common, she can't imagine anyone would willingly subject themselves to following another's rule. Perhaps this lion held the position for more than appearance, accomplishments higher than the scars sprinkled over his skin. When he names a swarthy woman across the way as his right hand (or whichever of his hands was dominant), Hydra assumes immediately that pretty little Rivia, seal bay and sturdy was the most reliable of their ranks that could judge that.

Even her brother, then, is titled, a sure thing in her mind of the two males having rapport enough that their captain trusts the brindle with preparing their forces for defense or even attack. To Hydra, too, this meant that Leviathan was being acknowledged for his skill in battle, a skill he quickly grasped in their childhood and never released. He's good at what he does, and it does her proud to hear someone unexpectedly acknowledge that. Ever wider does her grin stretch, amused by his promise of exercise, of all things. Which, honestly, she is dreading a little because she knows he means it.

Thankfully this unnamed captain continues to speak before Leviathan can elaborate, and the merle giantess finds familiarity in his parting words. This crews ideals certainly sounded spot on for what she has been taught as a Blackmont, and it's a relief to think that there would be no strict laws if she did decide to stick around for a while. She wouldn't have to think so very hard about it all, at least, and it makes the possibility of staying seem that much easier. And, she imagines, they will not bother coming to look for her if she goes missing unless she makes an effort to be important to them first.

Such would be better for them, in the end, if wanderlust begins to burn her paws again.

For now she considers herself sold, for there is no reason why not to at least give it a try. In fact, she is easily given more reason to invest, at least a little, @Leviathan's introduction of their newest sister bringing an "oooo" of excitement out of the Hydra. "Welcome to the family!" she crows, raising the empty casing of her drink as though to toast. Without pause her wrist flicks and she tosses the used fruit over her shoulder, where it rolls before the surf plucks it off of the sand. Surely somewhere a fish will have a pleasant night after consuming it.

"Venomdrinker, eh? Aye, I'm stayin' to get the story about that one, for starters," the lioness says casually to @Calypso, this pretty peach and mauve thing carrying around a coat in need of a groom. That is, by common standard, Hyde is sure. She herself is a lioness oft dusted in sand, no stranger to a burr or twelve stuck to the fur of her shoulder. It makes her wonder if they're both tomboyish, if they shared a hobby or two, if maybe they're always on the way to being fast friends. Deliberate against her hip (truly more like the outer side of her meaty thigh) @Melusine gives her a little shove, initiating a game, and Hydra enacts a dramatic eyeroll but steps into a slow jog to pursue her undeniably faster sibling. "Oi! Don't be rude, Lu, introduce y'self proper." smiles devilishly. "Yer on," she accepts the challenge without hesitation, snatching another fruit and bringing it to her lips with an "on your mark...".

-exit-

edit: bc I didn't look up the word swill

code by corvus

Their ways may be strange and different to lions of Amaryllis, with all their proper laws and kings and queens, but to the pirates, this is how their life works. They take what they need, but more-so, they take what they want and care little about the consequences. For the first time since he's set foot in this weird place, Calhoun feels like himself again -- the captain that holds them all together; glue for a messy project, but binding them all the same. The corners of his eyes crinkle as a grin splits the behemoth's lips, spurred by @Leviathan's hearty approval and promise to whip the crew into shape, especially if they try to evade it. For all the Blackmont's antics, Calhoun knows that he will do well in the position, and that when push comes to shove, he's the man to have at your back. @Rivia is met with a keen eye and a simper, pleased with her answer and the knowledge that she will be there through thick and thin, as she always has been. The long months spent apart are just a blip on the radar in the grand scheme of things, and now they can move forward -- not forgetting the memories that brought them here, but leaving them in the past where they belong. One by one, they all give their agreement, and the deal is sealed -- this island is theirs. Despite all their hardships, despite the true loss and grief they've suffered, they survive, and if Calhoun has anything to say about it, they will thrive again, spitting in the faces of their enemies. As the crew devolves into chatter and drinking, Calhoun slips away before he's noticed, snatching a hunk of meat from the stash for their party as he follows after @Camelia. Before he partakes in the fun, he intends to make certain she's cared for and that the cubs are well. He'll be back before anyone even notices his absence. Exeunt Calhoun

image by koafox, code by koi