Disinterest lay across his expression as Sparrow began her speech. When she barked at them to cheer up, his bi-colored gaze shifted to the other yearlings. Now that he looked at them, aside from Jack, they all did appear rather sour. Why? Not like the raids really meant anything, right? (Don't tell his father he believed that.) Still, Scald listened as Sparrow promoted them and told them they could obtain a Saint or Sinner rank if they'd like. Plus, she wanted them to go scouting. Again, he didn't really care for the raids, but he was always up for some kind of adventure! "If I'm bein' hones', I wouldn' mind bein' Sloth or Gluttony, but there ain' many Saints either so Temperance woul' be cool," the colorful boy shrugs his shoulders as he glances at Sparrow. Truthfully, if he just applied himself he could be as good as or better than his father at fighting and all things Pirate. What Scald really wanted to do was grab a bottle of booze and lounge around on the ship or go fuck off somewhere into the unknown for awhile. Either option sounded fine to him. "If we're goin' scoutin', I heard there's a pretty elusive pack up to the northeas' of here. Elishum or somethin' like that? I could go knock on their door," he shows her another shrug as if to say 'whatever you want me to do, I will'. S C A L D

His brother was right, Rexx was a bit sour. Sour that he was stuck between two paths - stay in the Pirates and risk never seeing her again like he was desperate to do, or..an alternative. He’d bounced around the idea, only tempting it at first, but the desire grew. A now or never moment, it seemed. He remained expressionless as Sparrow announced they were all generic Pirates, and they could prove themselves worthy of being a Sin or Saint, something like that. He glanced back at his dad, then his siblings, and everybody else. They seemed..content. Content to work towards a rank, climb to the top, raid other packs..to be fair, it wasn;t stuff he hated. But the more he chewed on the thought, the more it was all the tantalizing to just.. Go. Was it selfish? Rude? He was leaving his family behind doing this, and his friends, too. He was letting down his pack, yadda yadda. But Rexx was an adult, Sparrow made that abundantly clear. As an adult, he could make his own damn decisions. There was nothing wrong woth the Pirates - but there was something wrong in staying complacent if his heart yearned to be somewhere else..with someone else. It was too much to bear. This is what would make him happy. He stood up, brushing aside the words and suggestions made to look the Pirate King directly in the eye and say, "Sparrow, I appreciate your words of encouragement for us as we begin to move into the next phase of our adult lives. However, as much as I’ve enjoyed the Pirates’ life, it isn’t where I see myself staying. I’m planning to leave the pack, effective immediately. I’ve made my decision. And I’m an adult, so there really isn’t anything stopping me. Raids are great and all, but I want to explore the world and all that it brings." Did it really provide the best explanation for his sudden decision? Nah. But was anybody really gonna force him to stay? That’d be downright stupid. He’d made his point, and he wasn’t going to shrug it off. "speech"

Were his children all upset with him? He didn't doubt it one bit. He was hard on them for a reason, but he also very much loved them. He grew up with love, sure. But Acere's love was different. He didn't know how to replicate his uncle's love...after all, in the end, Ignis had turned on him. Maybe he was beyond saving. Maybe he always had been. Maybe things would've been different if Elias hadn't been his father. If his mother were still alive. Maybe if everything hadn't gone to shit with Ruina, his life would've been far, far different. Maybe he wouldn't have succumbed to the demons despite fighting against them for so long. Acere loved him, yes. But apparently it hadn't been enough. And now, he sat watching his kids and wondering if he was being too harsh. Sure they lost their first raid. That was to be expected, wasn't it? While part of him knew that, the other part of him felt like they could've done far better. Though perhaps it was his fault. Maybe he hadn't been training them enough. Maybe he had been neglecting their needs in favor of letting his own emotions come first. He often disappeared for a few days at a time as he tried to sort himself out. When the Demons came out...that was when he hid away to avoid hurting anyone that he had come to care for and respect.

He took a deep breath as Sparrow began to speak, and his gaze shifted from one kid to the next. How did she get to be so happy go lucky? How did she get to be so carefree and throw caution to the wind? Whatever problems she might have, hell if he'd know. Even the things with Hanako, she dealt with it and moved on. So why couldn't he just fucking move on from all his shit already? What was her secret? He inwardly groaned when he caught her gaze on him. A look that he was all too used to. Okay, so maybe he was being too hard on them...but what else was he to do? He didn't want them to go soft and let the world trample all over them. Fuck.

When Sparrow paused to let the Sins and Saints speak real quick, he briefly cleared his throat, though his body language betrayed he wasn't entirely sure what to say. "Er, yeah...you all did a good job, a bit more training and discipline and I'm sure you'll kick their asses next time." Was that good enough? Fuck if he knew. He remained quiet as the yearlings began to throw in suggestions for their next targets, and volunteering for scouting work. Was there someone he wanted to scout? Eh. Nobody in particular to be honest. Though there were a couple new packs that had sprung up recently, no? While he'd love to take another stab at Armada, he was sure the Northern pack would be ready for them this time around. "I agree on one of the north or eastern packs, barring Armada for now. The one weird pack in the West, And I think there's another pack in Auster that isn't the Hallows but," He shrugged. It didn't really matter to him.

"Speech"

He didn't really want to be here right now. He wanted to go sulk somewhere and forget this whole thing. Maybe hunt something down to take out his frustration and bad mood. He heavily sighed as Sparrow began to speak and while he appreciated her attempt at cheering them up, he just wasn't in the mood. Likewise, his siblings seemed to be in a similar boat, but he didn't dare get up to sit next to either of them just in case they didn't want the company. Others began to pitch in their ideas for the next raid and offered their choices to scout, and honestly, he had no damn clue who was even out there. He remained silent for the most part. He hadn't gone out much in the ways that the others had...maybe that was part of his problem. He kept himself secluded more often than not. "Whatever." He mumbled as he continued to sulk. But he had to admit, the topic of gunning for a Sin rank did interest him..."Wrath...or Pride I guess." He didn't want to sound too enthusiastic, but the prospect of achieving one of those ranks was definitely on his radar now. "Speak"

Everyone seemed to be all sulky and in a bad mood. Well, namely the young ones. What was up with that? He stole a glance at the red guy, gaze swapping between him and the three he knew were his. What was up with them? In some form, it almost reminded him of Valentine. His gramps could be hella tough on his kin when need be, but also wasn't as hard as Ignis seemed to be. Maybe he could help 'em out to see the brighter side of things, or at least take things in stride and to not be so serious all the time.

When it came to scouting potential targets, he didn't have any particular pack in mind. "I'm game to help scout whoever! Also, I'll gladly take on an apprentice! Buckle up buttercups, I'll put you through Ares' training program! No er, slackers here!" He grinned with a wink, wondering if any of 'em were game to want him as a mentor.

"Speech"

Gil listened with a stoic expression. He wasn’t one to typically voice much in the meetings, but it appeared that it would be necessary for this one. Sparrow was giving a rather… inspirational speech that had him chuckling softly. Ah, the yearlings were rather broody looking which he didn’t quite understand. Sure, they lost a bunch, but that was the point of them practicing. One must lose before they succeed or some sort of wise bullshit like that.

As Sparrow’s speech came to a close, Gil waited for the yearlings to speak up first. He wanted to hear what they all had to say before he made his own decision. With the different suggestions for the different packs, his brow would raise and then furrow slightly. He had little knowledge of most packs they had yet to visit and if he were being honest, he would love it if they went back to the castle… That raid he had unfortunately missed out on and he wanted a chance at their wine cellar.

His mind was somewhat elsewhere when his own son spoke up about leaving. Both ears flickered as Gil’s yellow gaze moved to Rexx. There is confusion as he studies his tusked offspring. He sees the confidence in the young boy and the outright betrayal lingering on Scald’s face too. So leaving the pack had been a surprise to everyone. Gil readjusts his face as he nods in Rexx’s direction - he would not stop the boy if that was his wish. Turning his attention back to the rest of the group, he looks at each of the yearlings.

“I will mentor any who wish to be mentored but I won’t search you out. It’ll be up to you to come see me,” he speaks plainly so that the broody group of teenagers will get the message. Gil wasn’t going to do the work for them if they wanted to get somewhere in life. Then he turns his attention back to Scald. “Perhaps you would like to be mentored by Sparrow?” The man raises a brow in his son’s direction hoping that someone would help guide his somewhat lost son.

Then he turns to look at the woman in charge, the Pirate King. “I can scout out Elysium with Scald, Jack, and anyone else who would like to join,” Gil smiles then before shrugging. He would scout or he wouldn’t. Wherever Sparrow told him to go, he would.

"speech"

CODE BY SHELBY

I'm Trying to Find A Signal Fire

Pyralis simply focused on existing and listening. Being an intangible and fleeting presence made it easier to just sit back and let the world just move as it would. Her eyes flicked to Rivin and Diablo who seemed worse for wear. She could only guess it had something to do with the raid. Sure, they'd lost from what she'd heard but it was the fun and experience that mattered the most. It wasn't like the pirates were hurting on resources and needed to succeed in order to survive. She considering raiding more of a hobby, a pleasant past time than a crucial career.

Soon the meeting started and Pyr fixed her focus back to Sparrow. The captain called out the yearlings by name and officially welcomed then into the piracy. Pyralis let out a whoop. "I think this calls for wine post meeting to celebrate!" Sure, she didn't have a body and couldn't really drink but she could pretend just as good as the next ghost.

Their conversations moved to scouting and selecting targets. She couldn't participate so she wasn't particularly concerned with what was chosen, but her ears did perk up at the mention of a pack at the castle. "Ahhhh yes, Amron's Castle. That brings back memories. It indeed houses many rooms where goodies can be stashed." Long ago her son had challenged and won a pack from a previous leader of the castle. She had enjoyed scouting through its numerous rooms and strange construction.

"I would offer to mentor but alas my time here is almost spent. I don't know how to explain it but I sense I will be returning to Somnium soon. I just wanted to let everyone know should you wake one day and my shadow of a presence has fully faded."

Well, at least someone seemed pleased with how they had done. It softened the blow a little, but not enough. She cast a glance at her father and fought back a growl. She was still frustrated… he was hard on them and she didn’t know why, especially when he hadn’t really been there to help them get better. How could he expect them to have done better when they’ve basically had no training? Yes, they were meant to train themselves, figure it out, right? Rivin flicked her gaze back to Sparrow. They had leveled up, but barely. Rivin would hardly call it an achievement. She flicked an ear back. What they wanted to work toward, huh? Rivin knew. “Wrath would suit me,” Her words came out with a twisted smirk, hard and yet, there was something more. A glint in her eye. “...I'll fight for it if I must, without hesitation. No qualms of earning it though.” It'd mean more to earn it. A smirk graced her lips and her tone shifted, still with an edge, but a touch deeper, amused. “As for scouting, if Pyralis says that castle is a good place to hide shit then I’m game for following Aresenn as backup.” She glanced at her brother. She could count on him. Diablo too, probably… If they stuck together they would all be fine. She glanced over at Diablo. “How ‘bout it, Diablo? Why don’t all three of us go?” She glanced over at Ignis. ...and show the old man what we’re capable of. She didn't want to acknowledge that Pyralis would be gone once more... that was something that pained her. "Talk," 'Think.'