never have I ever

[say]"It is not bullshit, and I would thank you to keep your amateur opinions to yourself,"[/say] Isla sasses Remi as they walk the dark expanse of Angel's End. The sass in question comes from Isla's opinions on the properties of some stone minerals, but as Remi will well know by now, she probably also just wants some nice decoration for the inside of her new clinic.

[say]"Thank you for coming out here with me, by the way,"[/say] she adds with a smile over her shoulder to the demigod, pausing to crouch and collect the stems from the very few hardy plants that grow here. [say]"Do you know that people also use ashes and charcoal in medicine?"[/say] Not that they need to be in The Climb to get some, but... you know. Since they are here.

[say]"You know, technically I have been around rocks all my life, so..."[/say] The Lullaby counters, offering Isla a wry half-smile beneath the waggle of his eyebrows. Whether that made him an expert he had no idea, but with Isla for company Remi isn't going to let something as mundane as the truth get in the way of their banter.

Though the Lullaby could absolutely stand in the warmth of Angel's End even in LongHeat, given Isla's new inclination toward fire, moving along as an ifrit seemed the more obvious choice. Looking more like an avatar of the Climb itself rather than just a man out for a stroll with his friend, Remi let his gaze roam between the landscape and any predators it might be trying to conceal from them, back to the blonde at his side.

[say]"I expect they do, like when taking notes or doing anatomical sketches."[/say] Remi agrees with a crooked smile, falling to a halt at Isla's side and glancing around. His presence ordinarily would have been enough to keep most things at bay, but with the new arrivals on Torchline's borders, he wasn't taking any chances.

[say]"You also have a head like a rock, so perhaps I have been a little quick to judge you."[/say] Isla waggles her eyebrows right back at Remi, straightening up and adding the stems to her basket (which currently also contains some chunks of volcanic rock and points of obsidian and clear quartz). [say]"People also take them as supplements,"[/say] she adds, as if the anatomical sketches had been secondary to this property of ash and charcoal.

[say]"So if you ever burn dinner, you can just tell Ronin you're looking out for his health."[/say] With a grin just as crooked as her friend's, Isla hops over a crack in the stone and the fiendish amber glow beneath, continuing out into Angel's End. [say]"You see any void nonsense out here?"[/say] she asks, glancing over her shoulder to the Lullaby.

[say]'You see? All the more reason to think I am an expert.'[/say] Remi is quick to agree. Reaching out a hand to take from Isla whatever stones could withstand his heat to make her load lighter, the Lullaby frowns skeptically to hear that what he used for sketching was also edible. [say]"To supplement...what?"[/say] Dark bowel movements?

Laughing, Remi rolls his eyes affectionately. [say]"From hard-headed to suddenly burning dinner. I am not sure your perceptions of me are as accurate as they once were."[/say] He jests, wincing internally at how near to the truth he'd inadvertently come, before covering it up with a playful shove to his friend's shoulder.

[say]"Not that I see...if only there was wood to knock on, alas my head is apparently only made of stone."[/say] Slyly the Lullaby grins and reaches out to knock his knuckles against Isla's head. [say]"Yours will have to do."[/say]

[say]"Alright, fine. You can be an expert at rocks, but if anyone asks why, I'm telling them it's because you have so much in common with them,"[/say] Isla says with a playful roll of her eyes, surrendering a few rocks and gemstones to Remi when she can be sure they aren't going to simply crack to nothing in his heat. It's still a strange sensation, to reach into the flames that make up her friend, and if Isla uses her fire manipulation to tease at them a bit, so be it.

[say]"Well, ash and charcoal are good for gut health, and they are good for calming inflammation too. Though I suppose I'd choose some peppermint or ginger given the choice."[/say] And not having dark teeth - or bowel movements, thank you so much Remi. [say]"And perhaps they aren't. I suppose I'll just have to make a nuisance of myself around you a lot from now on to make up for i-- hey!"[/say]

Isla's (clumsy if not sincere) attempt to tell Remi she wants to spend more time with him is disrupted by his hard knuckles rapping against her (wooden, apparently) skull, and she gives him an elbow in the ribs for good measure. [say]"Well if that's the case, I think I've got everything I need, here. Shall we keep going?"[/say]

[say]"Strong against the elements? Steadfast? Great at holding open doors?"[/say] Remi says, eyebrows raised. Accepting the gems, the Lullaby shivers a touch as his flames are manipulated. It's the strangest sensation, one he's only really felt a few times.

Offering Isla a look of if u say so, before tapping his fingers against her skull, the Lullaby thrusts out a small cape of fire to encircle around Isla as she nudges him. [say]"Flail all you want, I can hardly feel it."[/say] His strength aside, as a being composed mostly of flame her nudges were hardly more than a flicker in his bodily awareness.

Having sensed enough of what his friend might have been about to say before she was interrupted, Remi reached out in earnest, as best he could anyway, to tug her close. [say]"You are never a nuisance to me, Isla. Maybe to Ronin during Leafchange, but never to me."[/say] Hard as they'd both worked to repair the damage done to their relationship, the Lullaby couldn't help but feel as though somehow he'd still fallen short; all the more so in moments like these when he wished he could be more for the Remedy.

[SAY]"I would like nothing more. Lead on."[/say]

~FIN