A very short, blond-haired girl with curly white dog ears and a tail that is the same quickly opens the door. She tries to close it behind her before - something - gets in. The same something stops her from closing it. She sticks her face out, and after a rather loud argument, which has something to do with "Feisty" and "pranks" and a burst of flame, the thing goes away. She returns, smelling of singed hair but looking triumphant. She takes a seat next to Cho and, after eating quite a lot of chocolate, peers closely at her sister. She sighs and offers a chocolate rather begrudgingly, as if that would of course fix any problem. She beams around the room, revealing something new which most of the other CBers hadn't known about. Teal-colored braces. "Sorry I'm late," she says. "I forgot about the reunion, mostly because of the time differences. It's great to see you all!"

A boy of about twelve or thirteen slips into the room, his black cat ears and tail contrasting against his light skin, and his claws slide out briefly as he sees a dog, before sheathing them as he realizes its just a person with dog ears. He takes a spot in the "Newer CBers" seating section, and stares intently at the older CBers with his bright green cat eyes. His AEs, a dark-skinned girl with the same cat features as him, a tall, blond-haired boy with pale skin and a cocky smile, accompanied by a cat that shifts into a tanned, green-eyed human when sits on a chair.

I entered through a heavy oak door, stretching my arms and wings when I got inside. I look upon the dimly-lit room, the fire casting orange shadows upon the CBers. Grinning widely, I pull s'mores supplies from under my flannel. I sit criss-cross applesause near the fire. 

"Hi, everyone!" I begin, offering grham crackers, chocolate, marshmallows, and even peanut butter to the crazy people who like that gross stuff [I swear, peanut butter is gross!]. "Would anyone mind if I told the story of the most recent impersonator war?" My bright blue eyes cloud over when I think about it.  

Late as usual. Oh well. 

Another girl enters the room, her scarlet curls bouncing happily. She skips across the floor, smiling at all her old friends, and finally settles by the fire next to Bluebird. The girl tucks one stray lock of orangey hair behind her ear, then wraps her arms around her knees. She stares into the center of the room, eyes shining expectantly like an excited kindergartner's, more than ready for whatever tale the older CBers decide to tell.

A girl sits in the corner. Her usually blonde hair glows copper in the firelight, falling around her pale face. Her eyes have a lively light in them. The rest of her frame is concealed by the heavy folds of a green velvet cloak. She feels a little silly and a little regretful for not giving herself a fancy introduction in the beginning like everyone else; but no matter—she can make up for that now. 

The squishy beanbag she had claimed earlier has now grown in size and comfort to accommodate the others who have, to her surprise, chosen to sit at her side—Leafy, Cho, Kyoto—her friends. And others she holds dear have gathered here as well, one by one, lining the borders of the room. The firelight dances alongside the shadows on their eager faces. It makes her feel warm inside. 

She leans forward and listens eagerly as Cho stands and makes her eloquent, moving speech. When Cho has finished, the girl leans back and begins to slow-clap. 

‘Well said. I think I do understand what you’re trying to say—and I agree.”

Cho couldn't help but smile back at Leeli. Her friend. "I've thought it for ages, but I could never think of the right time or way to say it." Then she sighed, leaning back against the wall. "There are some people I wish had come, or at least stayed longer. Like Scylla. She dropped in a month before, but didn't show up to the reunion itself." Then she grinned.

"Do any of you remember when Scylla was singing songs on the Warriors RP that Coconut made, in order to get Coconut's attention?" She laughed, her eyes sparkling. "Man, did my writing suck then. But I had fun. I stressed about the setting up of the roleplay some, as I helped Coco a bit. She did most of the work, though, and frankly, she did an amazing job. She did something I haven't seen done since, and I'm not aware if it's happened in the past: She united a whole 'generation' of Chatterboxers. That is a feat."

Then Cho stuffed some of Coconut's chocolate in her mouth and said (with her mouth full): "I'm going to stop hogging the conversation with my rhetorical speeches. A prompt for the next person, if you aren't sure what to say: What was your favorite humorous moment on a thread? Or, what section of the Chatterbox is/was always your favorite to post on, and why?" 

An older CBer sits by the fireplace, close to a set of beanbags. They sat back next to Mice, sharing some chocolate with their old friend. As CBers began filling in, they smiled at all the memories they've shared with each and every one, and how much of an impact they've all had on their life. As Cho began to speak, they listened carefully, brown hair falling around their face as they smiled. After Cho sat back down, they slid down towards her. After letting her and Kyoto, who was sitting close to her, finish their thoughts, they grabbed Cho's hand, and smiled. "Even though we don't have the same views, I don't see why we can't be friends. Our beliefs shouldn't change what we think of one another." With another small smile, they pulled the younger girl into a hug. "I'm sorry if I hurt you. And yes, it can be a huge responsibility to have people look up to you." They sat down and laughed. "I guess I should know. Popularity isn't a contest, nor should it be. It matters only who you bond with, and who are your friends. True friends." She gestured to all the people gathered in the room. She waved at Elementgirl and Bluebird sitting together, and smiled at Leeli, Coco, and Kyoto. "Oh, and by the way, I go by them, their, they now." They smiled and offered the girl some chocolate.

Someone enters the room, looking hesitant. They're wearing a dark blue coat over a black sweatshirt and jeans, and their hair is dark and curly with lavender tips. They haven't set foot in this place in ages, it seems - though it's been only a couple months since they last checked in. They'd been extremely reluctant about visiting, and even still have half a mind to run back out, but they don't. They take a deep breath and keep moving forward. They tuck their hair behind their ear, shoving their hands into their pockets, and open their mouth to speak. 

"Er - hello. My name is Hudson - though you'd probably recognize me as Scylla." They wince at the sound of their own voice, wishing it were better. "I -ah - probably shouldn't've come - this was a really bad idea." 

"Scylla?" Cho asks, her eyes dialating. "Why didn't you show up before now?"

”Oh my gosh, Scylla!” Leeli stands up tentatively. “I knew it! I mean, I saw you post on the art thread a few times under the name Hudson, and it looked so much like your art I thought it had to be you, but I wasn’t sure because I didn’t remember you changing your name or anything...” she trails off. “I’m glad you decided to drop in, though. I was worried you weren’t coming.”

I have no heroic stories of the Wars to tell, but I am content to listen. I hope I don't interrupt anybody's storytelling when I come in...

Coconut had been frowning slightly at Cho's latest "rhetorical speech", but her gaze cleared as Scylla came in. "Scylla!" She grinned. "Why didn't you come earlier? Sit down! And of course it was a good idea to come! Everyone is welcome at the Hearth." She glares fiercely around the room, as though daring anybody to argue with her.

She eyes the chocolate Claaws is offering to Cho, then apparently thinks better of it and instead grins. "Since everyone is so dead set on having stories, why don't I re-tell what Cho just said?" She clears her throat and starts. 

"This is the story of the worst GM in the world. She did an awful job at her first roleplay - 'Warriors RP, hope you'll join', it was called. Her name was Coconut the dog - and she was the worst procrastinator ever. Lots of people joined, and she let them all. You need a lot of cats in a clan.
But she had no clear idea of a plot. And she wasn't very dedicated. But, it was probably the fact that she sucked so much that everyone else joined. It wasn't intimidating to join that roleplay. Because everyone could do a better job than the gamemaster. Most of the people just shrugged off her inactivity, and after a while it started to die. But not all - some people were annoyed, and rightly so, asking Coconut to come and take care of what she'd created. She told herself she would. And yes, Scylla sang the ducky song. And a lot of other stuff. It might have 'united a whole generation of CBers', but only because it was a good place to test out your sealegs. And then go everywhere else." She smiled. "It's probably on page 500 or something of the Inkwell, so go read how I was the worst. It was a bitter memory for a while - but now it's bittersweet. And don't argue, I'm having fun calling myself the worst ever. I'm at least at the top of the bottom!" Coconut winked, then subsided, casting a wicked glance at Cho to see how she liked the retelling. 

Scylla. The name thunders through Hudson's head, bringing every insecurity crashing down at once. This was a mistake. They never should have come. They step back, tugging their jacket closer around them - "I'm not Scylla," they say quietly. "Please don't call me that." They know this wasn't the place to bring their identity problems, but they want to be properly addressed. "I hadn't come before now for several reasons, none of which are worth explaining - it's nice to see you all again, though."

A slender silver cat weaved its way around the door and snuck in to sit on the floor near the fire, calmly licking its white paws. She watched all that was going on with wide, curious eyes. Her black-tipped tail flicked delicately behind her as her jaw opened and she yawned slightly.