☥ Enter the King. ☥

The dull roar inside the spa, filled with customers and guild members alike, abruptly hushed into silence at the loud announcement. Standing in the middle of a seated crowd, there was a man with shaggy black hair and luminescent ice-blue eyes. He was frozen in place mid-pose in front of one of the many fireplaces. The pose was odd, to say the least, but when you took in the garb he had on, it became more clear what he was doing. He stood there, dressed not in his usual navy blue tracksuit, but instead in nothing but a bedazzled pink push-up bra and matching low-rise skirt. Bells and tassels hung from the armbands, the waistband, and the bottom of the bra, still tinkling from his former exuberant movements. One hairy man leg was sticking out of one of the high slits in the flowy pink fabric, and given the position of his torso and his arms over his head, he was caught mid belly undulation. For whatever reason, Theo Silversong, the Hunter Ace for Silver Wolf, was belly dancing.

After the silent pause extended for a few moments too long, Theo let go of the pose and tried to compose himself. "Ahem," he cleared his throat, slowly walking his bare feet through the now giggling crowd as the evening of relaxation continued without his humorous dancing, if you could call the horrific movements he'd been making that. Did he wish he could change his clothes before he greeted the newcomers? Kinda, but he also had little shame. "I guess you could call me a supervisor," Theo said with a grin as he neared, the small bells continuing to jingle as he walked. As he looked over all three, he dubbed them "Old Guy", "Tall Guy", and "Hair Guy". Clearly Tall Guy wasn't the master, so that left Old Guy or Hair Guy. "What can I--"

*tink tink tink tink*

Pausing, Theo turned to look at those still seated on cushions and giggling near the fireplace. One of them, a mischievous looking younger man with green hair and a chef's coat on, was clinking a small fork against his mug. The chef waggled his eyebrows and Theo's brows pursed into a pleading expression, but it didn't matter. The clinking continued until Theo started to waggle his hips and roll his exposed belly again.

See, Theo had a tendency to annoy the heck out of the kitchen staff of every guild he was a part of. Pestering for cooking lessons or for fresh blueberry muffins inevitably landed him here. Theo had lost a bet with the young head of the evening kitchen shift, and what a cruel man he was. Every time he clanked on that glass, Theo would have to start wiggling his butt and trying to pulse his surprisingly toned stomach to the beat of the drum played by some rando customer sitting on the pillow closest to the fire.

"What can I help you with?" Theo asked, still dancing. He was aware he looked silly, but he was never one to care much about that. "Are you all customers? We have a lovely Desiertan convention going on with some really yummy shawarma and kebabs! I'm the nights entertainment!" the novice belly dancer chuckled, giving his hips a little extra shake.

[wc: 551 || thread total: 1055]

"Oof," Theo muttered to himself as Hair Guy turned to leave, apparently put off by his appearance. Yeah, he could see it. It was odd, but there was no use apologizing. "Is it the bra? I can take it off if you want," he offered, his genuine innocence to what could be a suggestive question potentially making it that much more awkward or humorous. However, the other two were quick to jump to keep Hair Guy here, so by Theo's deductions, that was the 'master' in this trio. What kind of master was he, though? Theo continued to stand there, awkwardly observing the exchanges between the three in mostly silence. Only the jingling of the bells filled his silence as his hips continued to randomly shake, almost as if they were made of gelatin. It was the perk of being challenged to belly dancing when he was a jello mage. It might not be pretty, but he could wiggle and jiggle all day. If he failed this bet, that dumb chef would never make his beloved muffins again...

In the end, Hair Guy stayed but headed to the bar. Theo pouted. Hair Guy didn't seem to like him very much, which made him sad, but he couldn't say the same for Old Guy. Before he could even digest what Tall Guy was saying, Old Guy had slipped an arm around his bare shoulders and asked about the food. Easily distracted as ever, Theo's pout broke into a wide grin, eager to fold Old Guy into the festivities. "Right! Business on empty stomaches is no good," he agreed as if he regularly had business to even discuss. As his new Grandpa continued to speak, Theo's vaguely shimmying body lead him toward the long table filled with classic Desierto goodies.

With a sheepish duck of his head, Theo chuckled and addressed what the whole outfit and dancing were about. "Oh, I wasn't trying to look like a woman! I...actually lost a bet with the chef," he grinned, reaching back to scratch the back of his head. "This bra is actually really uncomfy...normally I wear a really soft and stretchy tracksuit. But, I must dance for muffins!" Theo dramatically declared, explaining that part of the bet less well, but it was what it was. "I call myself a man...a man named Theo!" he additionally declared, even though his leg was sensually sticking out of the high skirt slit and waggling about as they walked. Theo peered over at his new friend, bright eyes becoming enamored with his rugged looks up close. Old Guy was such a boring name now that he got a better look. "Your mustache is magnificent...and your eyepatch is really cool. Like a pirate..." the jello mage remarked randomly, feeling as though they were already bonding. Theo was a simple soul when he wasn't being crushed by the weight of his baggage.

Now that they were at the food table, Theo held up two fingers. "Two lamb shawarma, please! With the works," he ordered, then paused and peeked around at Tall Guy. "You want one too? And what about your master?"


[wc: 521 || thread wc: 2057]

So Benji was his name. As their shaved meat sandwiches topped with veggies and a tangy white sauce were handed to them, Theo examined the interesting face of the older man, as if weighing the name and deciding if it fit. Yeah, he decided quickly. That was better than any of the nicknames he'd made up so far. And he just told Theo something even more interesting. "A retired pirate! I used to be a pirate, too! Around five years ago. Now I just call myself a sky pirate, but really I'm just a boring ol' treasure hunter with a flying ship," Theo explained, though he was clearly dazzled by the older man. His eyes gleamed as he intended to beg Benji for harrowing stories of his sea adventures. "Did you have a crew? What was your most dangerous--"

Theo was derailed by Tall Guy, which was probably for the best, guild matters wise. "Oh, well, there is ful medames for that. It's basically mashed Desierto beans with garlic and olive oil that you stuff into pita bread with tomatoes and stuff. Oh, or koshari. It's a mix of rice, lentils, and macaroni topped with fried onions and a spicy tomato sauce..." Theo rattled off, trying to make his new guests comfortable. Many in Desierto enjoyed vegetarian or vegan diets, especially since keeping enough livestock alive in the arid terrain was a challenge. He'd had little choice as a poor raider rat than to eat the meatless options when he got to eat at all. But now that he was in Fiore, he was a huge fan of meat. And sweets. And not having sandy grit in his mouth with every bite. That was really nice, honestly...

Moving on from the food and leaving it up to Tall Guy if he and the master wanted the meatless options, Theo slipped into business mode, which wasn't any different from his normal derpy mode, to be honest. "OOOHHH!" he hooted as 'Aries' explained that he, Benji, and 'Lord Elijah of the thingamajig' were here not to relax at the tourist attraction, but to ask about Silver Wolf, the guild. "Yeah, yeah! We have a whole ton of magical whozits and whatzits that do all kinds of crazy magical crap. Me and my hunters go get the stuff and the smart people research them and anything else magical they can find. We're kinda a big deal," Theo explained, smirking a little at the end, but his moment of pride was dashed when that *tink tink tink* started again. At some point, he'd forgotten and stopped dancing, so the dark-haired man sighed and once more started jiggling his body to the beat of the drum. "Anyway, are you wanting to join up or are you wanting to pick a scholar's brain about something? You guys haven't been cursed by some warty toad, have you?! Is that why Lord Elijah of duhmerhpher is sitting way over there? Warts on his face or something?"


[wc: 498 || thread total: 2911]

"Oh yeah, so you want to join!" Theo chirped, glossing over most of what Aries said because of two things. One, Benji mentioned something that blew his mind, and he was itching to circle back around, but also knew he had a job to do first. Two, non-wart-face Lord Elijah-- was Lord his first name or a title?-- had broken a glass, which didn't go unnoticed by the easily distracted man. Blah blah three artifacts, blah blah offer our services. People joined Silver Wolf for all sorts of reasons. As long as it had something to do with magical artifacts, and especially if they were hunting some, Theo considered them great candidates. Hunting valuable things, both magical and financial, was his whole specialty.

Theo chowed into his shawarma with a bite big enough to puff out his cheeks, forcing him into silence for a few moments. His eyes flickered between the two interacting with him and Lone Lord. He desperately wanted to go bother the man at the bar, since it bothered him when he could tell someone didn't like him. The jello mage was always wanting to prove his worth to people. Swallowing, Theo continued his duties, now wiggling his butt more than his hips to satisfy the chef. "If you wanna find thingies, I can help. I'm the head treasure hunter, you know. So...are all three of you joining? Or is...is the fabled Captain Holt of the Black Phoenix ohmygodsiryouareaLEGEND!" he suddenly gushed, unable to contain his brain aneurysm of excitement a moment longer. "Treasure hunting with you-- I can't-- You are--- Eeeeee, I was in your crew after you left! What are the odds! I would be honored to show you my Krystal Jr. She flies with magic somehow, I dunno how it works but I wish I could show the guys, too! It's basically the same except you aren't trapped out in the waves and can basically anchor anywhere! Ican'tbelieveI'mtalkingtoCaptainHolt Hnnnng this is the best day, god I needed this, everything has just been crap but this is great!"

[wc: 343 || thread total: 3681]

"Oooh, they were all just as rowdy as ever when I left. And Rogar...I saw so many things that made me blush. You never needed naughty mags, if you know what I mean," Theo grinned, also caught up in the nostalgia. "If we went a week without some woman slapping him right across the jaw at the port, we knew that was the time to hunt for treasure or do a raid because the stars had aligned in our favor!"

Theo's time with the pirates had been relatively short and had taken place after one of the darkest times in his life, but it had been the boost he needed to get back on his feet and keep forging ahead. It had taught him to love life again, even if he wasn't the best person. He kinda needed one of those boosts now, more than he did even then. Maybe he should have searched out his old crew instead of joining another guild. At the time he thought he was atoning for sins and turning over a new leaf, yet here he sat years later, back where he started and more confused than ever. Darkness was edging in on every side, so much so that he thought he'd suffocate. Maybe once a thief and a scoundrel, always a thief and a scoundrel. Maybe everything he'd done since he got back to Fiore had been for nothing. The only bright spots in the darkness anymore was Aspen, and he felt guilty that he let himself think that.

Physically shaking the dark thoughts out of his head in rhythm with his shaking booty, he returned to the present and threw up a hand to one of the bartenders. "Beers, please!" he called, to which the employee nodded and disappeared toward a keg. While those were being prepared, Mr. Vegitarian spoke up again and drew his attention away from his new moustached idol. "Initiation? Oh, I just have to stamp someone. Hold on," he said, dancing his way over to a counter where he dug out an ink pad and rubber stamp in the shape of a wolf's head. Undulating his way back, he applied the ink and held the stamper at the ready, icy eyes glancing between his new grandpa and Aries. "It'll turn the color you want when I put it on. Just show me some skin where you want it. Then you'll be one of the pack, easy peasy lemon squeezy. Who gets it?"

[wc: 414 || total: 4500]

Contractually linked. Theo again paused to look at the mysterious and mostly silent Lord, his eyes squinting as if it would reveal all the answers about the weird situation, but it didn't. He was the naturally curious type, but he could also be patient. If they hung around enough, and especially if they joined the branch he headed up, he'd have plenty of time to figure this trio thing out. The only thing that bugged him, really bugged him, was that it all reminded him of back in Desierto. A master with his servants, sometimes even called slaves. Or an ancient raider guild where the leader commanded the members, even the children, and they had no choice but to obey...which Theo had been subjected to. But, that was just a vibe he was getting, and the jello mage knew better than to let his personal baggage surge to the surface and cause problems. Theo wasn't the confrontational type (anymore), so he was more than willing to just see if time would clear it up.

"AHEM!" came an insistent throat clearing from the nearby chef, prompting Theo's belly back to wiggling and his mind back to the situation at hand. "Stamping Captain Holt! Welcome to Silver Wolf!" he hollered joyously and drew cheers from his present guildmates, bringing the stamp to the forearm of the magnificently mustached man. When he pulled it away, there would be the image of a wolf's profile, signaling he was now one of the interesting pack living at the top of these snowy mountains. "Now, to celebrate!" he grinned, but then tilted his head and turned to look for those drinks he ordered. "Where are those beers?" he called, not seeing the girl anymore. His tone wasn't impatient or demanding, but he was wondering if he needed to get them himself, or if she needed help. However, she suddenly perked her head up from behind a counter with two large mugs shaped like mini barrels with handles. "Coming! Coming!" she huffed in a fluster, finally placing them in front of the dancing ace and the new member. Snatching it up, he held it toward Benji for a toast. "To Silver Wolf memories and old pirate tales!" he declared, bringing it to his lips and gulping down half of the foamy golden liquid.

It was now he'd circle back around to Benji's question from earlier. "As for the best plunder...Hmm..." Theo said, tapping his chin. He had seen more treasure than several men dreamed of between being a raider and a pirate. Sometimes it ran together, but Rogar was the key to honing in on the memory. "There was this one time when we sailed through a storm and thought we were gonna capsize! We were following an ol' X marks the spot map that Rogar stole off some woman, and we'd come too far to come back. We were sure we'd get lost and have to wait for the stars to get back on track, but..."

[wc: 500 || thread wc: 5,000]