BE CAREFUL, BE CAUTIOUS ― joiner

Travelling to the Exiles had certainly not been an easy journey nor had it been a fun one for Okashi. Initially, he had contemplated shifting into one of his more mobile forms to make the journey from his start point to the Exiles' borders though had quickly dismissed the thought as a stupid one. Although it would have been simplicity at best to dive into his great horned owl form in order to easily glide to the destination that he had in mind, some small, somewhat paranoid, part of him had argued against it. Being up in the skies would have made him much more easy to recognise and target if anyone spotted him and fancied having a large bird for lunch. So, to remain as ordinary as he possibly could, the child forced himself to remain in his small and seemingly vulnerable birth body which although made avoidance easier, would certainly prove to raise many other questions. After all, even if one were to take a fleeting glance at him, they would find one thing rather striking about his entire existence, that being that he seemed far too young to be doing all that he was currently doing. Too young to be travelling by himself. Too young to be approaching such perilous lands with such outrageous intentions deep set within his mind. Yet, here he was.

Rolling his shoulders, the child came to stand on the borders with playful whistle rolling from his tongue through his lips. It's not a shrill sound, instead one that's low and reflecting what seems to be his awe. Purposefully placing himself on the unmarked lands outside of the region's borders, he is quick to remind himself that groups around here were oh so fond of their marked territories and it would do him no good to get into anybody's bad books right off of the bat. Where the scent markings grow the strongest is where he opts to wait, knowing that any further would put him into quite the predicament with the assumably possessive locals. "So, this is the Exiles, huh?" Words fall light in question that he does not want answer for as he already knows that he is certainly in the right place, tossing his head to and fro in a swift scan of the area to allow emerald eyes to rake across arid canyon land in curious examination. To tell the truth, it is pretty much all that he had expected it to be. Dry and dangerous, just as his briefing had informed him it would be. Not that such a thing worries him, of course, having worked on his athletic capabilities and awareness of the surroundings over the few months of his life to the point where he was certain that no physical damage could come of him from foolishness on his part when traversing the hazardous terrain.

"Mmm, better wait for someone to swing by." Verbal conclusion is uttered in a soft manner under his breath, the boy thoughtfully humming a nameless tune as he sits down in order to patiently await the arrival of someone who could fire away the predictable questions asking of names and business so that he could stop lingering on the outskirts of the land like a ghost looking in. Even as he came to rest on the fringes of a foreign land, he still is uncertain as to what his mission is here. Why had he been instructed to go to the Exiles, of all places entirely escaped him though really, he had learned a long time ago to not question orders. Commands were commands and he would be a fool to oppose that respected authority. Still, he can not deny the slight nervousness that dwells within him at such great uncertainty, breathing light sigh as his focus began to wander. Glancing skywards at the sun, which had not been in the sky for too long at that point since morning had only just graced the land, in a forced shift of attention, he notes that it already feels like sweltering heat is in store. With that in mind, he finds himself instinctively moving to adjust the jacket draped over his shoulders in order to pull the collar up a bit though it does little to shield him for the warmth, leaving him to simply hope that it does not take long for a stranger to appear.

Well, was this not quite the audience congregating. It was, as resident pretty boy first approached, that the youth felt himself growing serious, knowing that he would need to leap into action in a few moments. There were many things that could go wrong here, the primary one in his mind being that someone might get the wrong idea about him and assume him to be easy pickings. It was a mistake that had been made before and things certainly had not ended well for the poor fool that had targeted him and although anarchy was, in general, something that he quite liked to indulge in, he most certainly did not want a replay of any of his past experiences. Briefly, his focus flittered onto the initial stranger that approached though he was quick to take the opportunity given to him as the male neared to pull out one of his lollipops from the pocket of his jacket, certain that he'd need the sugar rush in order to deal with this. Nicotine provided relief to smokers, sugar gave solace to him. It was far from an addiction though that was certainly the direction that it seemed to be heading in.

Taking the candy between his teeth and carefully putting the wrapper back into his pocket, not wanting to litter like the good kid he was, he now allowed his attention to hone in solely on the honey dripped catsune. The male was one who had a certain sense of regality to him, such an aura being picked up on by Okashi near instantly which proved to draw a genuine sense of curiosity out of him. Presently, he could not determine whether the elegant individual was of actual importance to the group or not though there was something about the way that he carried himself that implied that he was, or at least believed himself to be, of significance. Interesting. "Hello, mister. I was looking for somewhere to stay and I found out about this place. The Exiles sounds kinda scary but I'm sure it can't be that bad." He hums in a thoughtful manner, words as spilled ink as they flow from his lips in what appears to be a stream of thought on the matter. Despite his lack of knowledge on the place, he knew that his words were probably of extreme idiocy since such a group of anti-clan ideal would obviously be as scary as they portrayed themselves to be. Although personally, he was far from frightened at all even by the idea of the group being as fierce as legend told, he knew that other youths probably would be thus seeing that as a fitting response.

"Would it be okay if I could join?" There is no sheepish flutter of eyelashes or wide puppy dog eyes present on his features, instead sheer hopefulness glimmering in his eyes, lips turned upwards into expectantly optimistic smile as he peers up at the catsune to hear what the verdict would be. It is only when Trash also comes onto the scene and tosses out additional query that he realises that he had missed something out, bright eyes shifting almost instantaneously onto the large canine. "Oh, right, I nearly forgot!" Lightly, he taps his paw against the side of his head in a self chastising manner, internally irritated that he had nearly missed out such a crucial detail. "I'm Okashi. It's nice to meet you, sir." Reflecting the amiable smile given to him, he goes to address the group as a whole since, as he had been talking he noticed that more had also made their way over to gawk but was rather rudely interrupted.

Brows furrowed, he tilts his head up to peer with the ghost of a frown on his lips at the stranger that had stooped to lean in close to him. Clearly, this one had little to no knowledge of personal space which greatly irked him but there is no part of him that feels the urge to lean away from the sudden invasion, his mind only flickering back to every other time that larger creature has gotten up into his face in the name of discipline. Here there was different context yet the response was the same, a fleeting stony expression consuming his soft smile. There is most certainly a sharp comment lingering on his tongue and the strong urge to blow on the cigarette to send flurry of ash back up to its highlighter owner but he does not allow either courses of action to occur, instead biting down onto his lollipop with a slight crunch, the sugary sweetness coating his tongue bringing down any irritation that had begun to bloom. With light flick of his ear, he tears his focus away from the smoking stranger with a smile, one that is much softer and a tad less amiable than before, dawning across his lips once more. "It's nice to meet you all. I hope I'm allowed to stick around."

Harsh laughter falls upon his ears and causes flicker of irritation to resurface once again, Okashi idly using his tongue to toy with a fragment of his lollipop that had cracked off when he had bitten down on it. He’s frustrated, that is for sure, but is not willing to delve into childish temper tantrum for no good reason other than someone rubbing him up the wrong way. These people are the ones that he thinks he hates the most. Loud, abrasive, and unable to see anything past what was right in front of them. And what would come of this behaviour? What did he achieve other than glances of distaste and carefully crafted jeers, making himself out to be nothing but a thing to be ridiculed by others. Begrudgingly, his attention is turned back onto the hot pink hyena with something akin to pitying amusement in his eyes. To be so narrow minded and so unbelievably vitriolic to a literal child who is clearly no more than five months old, he can not help but extend his sympathies to this man.

“Nice advice, mister.” Comes amiable retort coated in the same sugary sweetness that he had initially approached the situation with, not wanting to change his tune for the sake of someone who was so quick to oppose the orchestra. He was not going to let this dumbass ruin him already, not when he had just arrived and had not even been provided yet with the opportunity to scope out the place and form relationships with those around him. No way will he allow this spanner in the works to sully the good first impression that he was portraying to these others who were clearly more willing to see him not for what he was, but for what he could be. “I’ll definitely keep that in mind.” Pausing briefly, the bobtail leans back with emerald gaze fixed pointedly on the vibrant carnivore almost as if he is sizing him up though its far too subtle of a look for one to confirm that he is doing anything other than simply regarding the vulgar exiler.

Amicability remains ever-present on his features and against his lips even as he steps back to avoid being singed by the lit cigarette that had been used as a projectile against him, his eyes simply following the way that the man lingers, waiting for a fired response that he does not get, before extinguishing. Disgusting behaviour, such actions never being tolerated in his home causing those few petals of irritation to bloom once more. “My father always said that spitting things out is a nasty habit.” It’s innocent enough, concern painting a pretty picture of his features as he watches the male turn tail and stalk off. “Smoking, too. But, I’m not one to judge.” That’s a definite lie and he wants to laugh at the absurdity of his own made remark since it is a bold one to throw out as disapproving evaluation sears through his veins but it is not as if these individuals here need to know that.

Letting out a thoughtful hum, the child tears his attention once more away from the unnamed hyena though this time it is more of a definitive action, clearly displaying how he does not intend to involve himself further with the troublesome man. It is the catsune’s input that catches his focus now, brows raising slightly in visible interest to the response provided on his part as he criticises the male’s actions in a tone that comes across as more impish than innocently light-hearted. Okashi is certainly grateful for it, breathing internal sigh of relief to know that he is not going to have to deal with a bunch of caustic airheads throughout the duration of his stay and would be able to actually learn something from the level headed models around. Words of welcome are also much appreciated, the glow of genuine joy returning once again in full force to his countenance in the form of a cheery expression, lips turned upwards in the best grin that he can muster around the lollipop stick protruding from the corner of his mouth.

There is something amongst his given introduction that is particularly striking to the youth causing Okashi to grown momentarily pensive. Assistant deputy? So, that confirmed that his initial thoughts of this delightfully sweet individual being of some importance in one way or another were correct. Spine stiffening slightly, that instinct to seem presentable when before a figure of authority surges through his mind as if he had been shocked by a corrective zap of electricity emitted by some invisible shock collar. “Thank you, sir.” Is he being thankful towards the aid provided or the words of welcome? Okashi himself can not even tell the distinction, the words forming fast and instinctive on his tongue in response to the introduction provided by Softvelvet. “Ah, I’d like that a lot! I’m not very good with directions so I get lost a lot. It's nice of you to offer.” Typically he would have protested, not wanting someone such as the assistant deputy of a group to go out of their way to help him. Though, since the offer had been made and the regal hybrid clearly intended on following through with it as he stood up, Okashi was quick to acknowledge the fact that it would be incredibly disrespectful of him to decline. In the midst of his acceptance, the boy allows his gaze to shift onto the other two that are also present, lingering where he stands for a few moments to await their own introduction before heading out into foreign lands with a guide that was, he could only hope, trustworthy. Ironic, really, for him to seek trust from another that he was not being truthful with.

Okashi had expected to be witness to many bizarre and startling things, that assumption being carved into his mind well with this initial interaction but he had not expected to see a rabbit approaching him. As if a furnace had been lit within him, bright intrigue flared to life as light behind peering eyes of emerald. "Eat me?" Was that a threat in some small way, well disguised amongst casual conversation and relatively amiable tones? He was uncertain but regardless finds it difficult to grow nervous at such a thought, perhaps even morbidly curious to some extent to figure out whether anyone would. Gnashing teeth in such a place would not surprise him in the slightest however someone attempting to devour another of distinct sentience was another story, a narrative that he was not inclined to be witness to yet still fascinated by for a few moments of grisly contemplation. Personally, he did not think that he would taste particularly nice, maybe a tad sweeter than typical what with his near unhealthy sugar intake, though something told him that would not be true as that was not how his body worked. In any case, he was not about to take a bite out of himself nor was he willing to offer a chunk of his own flesh to another in order to confirm or debunk the theory hence why the child opted to simply drop the matter from his mind, casting friendly smile to the rabbit in the wake of his rapid thinking.

"I'll keep an eye out for anyone who looks a bit too hungry then." Remarks the youth in ultimate consideration of the matter, deciding that that would be the best course of action in the face of a comment where he could not tell the true nature of it. Warning or jest, he still allows light laughter to form as if the notion of someone attempting to eat another is complete absurd to him though, even as a child, he can not write it off entirely as ridiculous fiction. Stranger things have happened. Peering at the rabbit, his gaze tracing the lines of heat radiating from him causing a peculiar haze to form around him, he let the further words of greeting sink in with light hum in his throat before wide smile reformed across his features. "It's certainly nice to meet you too though, mister Dagda."