the monsters turned out to be just trees

The white sheep of the family

Loren just shrugged and grinned at Remi’s accusation. ”I never said I was a particularly good entertainer.” Weird as it might sound, the summoner could now honestly say that, yes, he was a hunter. He just wasn’t a mighty hunter. ”I hunt. Incredibly poorly. But I hunt.” Well, actually, to say the he personally hunted was a bit of a stretch: he summoned animals that then hunted for him, but that still probably counted.

Shaking his head and chuckling, the Launceleyn decided to point out to the alchemist how ridiculous the scenario he was proposing really was. The summoner’s voice came out in as teasing a tone as he could muster. ”I feel like you are vastly overestimating my intelligence here. I would’ve had to develop illusion magic, as well as the ability to produce or tamper with magical items, then predict that you would’ve tried to hug and pounce on me today specifically and set up this rather convoluted situation to prevent that from happening.” Loren tilted his head. ”Or I could just genuinely be interested in this. Which do you believe?”

If the Launceleyn didn't know any better, he might've thought the other man was jealous of the summoner's other friends. However, they were just teasing one another. Like friends. Nothing more. ”How do you know my friends don't have their own superior magical trinkets? Maybe I made them with my secret magic powers.” Then, however, the time for speaking was over and apparently the time for cuddling was upon them. The three of them were a mishmash of furs of all different sorts. Luckily for Remi, Astra wanted: as soon as the raccoon’s paws touched her, her bleating shifted from excited to contented. Loren smiled at the sound, and his own hands came up to rub her side. They stayed that way for a long moment before the Launceleyn sighed. ”Much as I’m enjoying this, and much as I appreciate all the extra fur keeping me warm, we do actually have places to be and I imagine the Fae probably don’t want us staying with them overnight. Where to?” Honestly Loren wouldn’t have been surprised if the alchemist stayed in animal form; the summoner didn’t much care so long as they actually got to the village.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

hope keeps us breathing, just to kill us in the end

"My choices are between you genuinely wanting to hug me and being a mastermind of a magician, mmm?" Remi gave the Launceleyn a skeptical look. As far as things stood, the latter did sound much more likely. As for the rest? "So let me get this straight. On the one hand you are not clever enough, but on the other you might have made magical trinkets with secret magic powers?" It was all nonsense really, but the easy banter was indeed helping to soothe Remi's more chaffed emotions.

Wrapping his tail around Loren's neck for leverage, the raccoon cooed softly as he offered as many scritches as Astra would take. His fingers were small and precise, perfect for reaching those hard to access spots behind her ears. As an animal himself, he knew just how satisfying it was to have those particular places caressed just so. With a mischievous glance towards Loren, raccoon-Remi eyed his human companion with dark-ringed eyes and twitching whiskers. The summoner had absolutely no idea where he was going and thus far the woods didn't seem all too keen on making their journey any easier. Besides. Remi hadn't been cuddled once, and that was what all of this was about, was it not?

Scampering his way down against the summoner's chest, the raccoon would reach out for Loren's sleeve to try and drag it up, clearly indicating that cuddles were the only way the alchemist was going to be convinced to show him the way.

The white sheep of the family

Loren nodded at Remi’s succinct explanation and then grinned. ”I find that I am surprisingly okay with either option.” Granted, he knew exactly which one was true—mastermind magician he was not, and if anyone here deserved that label it was the alchemist—but the other man would have to figure out which one it was sooner or later, and he'd have to do it on his own.

It was sooner, if the way the raccoon ran over Loren’s body and played with Astra was any indication. The luxere was luxuriating in all the attention, but when Remi scooted down the summoner’s arm and tried to burrow into his sleeve, the Launceleyn shook his head. ”You can’t be cold, you have fur.” However, when it became clear that Remi wasn’t going to let them proceed until he’d received cuddles Loren rolled his eyes, then reached out with his non-raccoon hand and scratched the other man behind the ears. There. Attention.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

hope keeps us breathing, just to kill us in the end

Unlike some of his other shifts, raccoons had quite expressive features when they wanted to. Sulking unhappily at the utter lack of actual attention, the small creature tittered a grumpy sound before shooting Astra a look as if to communicate is he always this stingy with touches? Reaching out to reclaim Loren's free-hand, Remi held it and pressed his head into the flat of the summoner's palm and began to rotate his head this way and that, seemingly determined to receive attention even if he had to take it. His small ears flopped beneath the Launceleyn's fingers as the Remi-raccoon craned his neck this way and that not unlike a cat, to ensure full touch-coverage of his dark face.

The white sheep of the family

Great. Loren was touching Remi’s face. It was super weird, but...also weirdly nice, if the Launceleyn was being honest with himself, which he was supposed to be doing. Seeing how upset the alchemist had been when he was forced to do all the work, the summoner decided to get this over with as quickly as possible. He let his fingers rub the raccoon’s cheeks, ears, forehead, under the chin, and even ventured down to the other man’s belly for a brief moment.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

hope keeps us breathing, just to kill us in the end

Had he the anatomy with which to purr, he certainly would have. Instead he grinned with an almost fox-like glee, slumping entirely satisfied in the Launceleyn's grip. His whiskers pressed forward with delight as his chin and cheeks were rubbed, one of his small feet twitching as the summoner's fingers found just that spot behind his ears. Closing his eyes to relish in the feeling of hands over this decidedly different body, Remi leaned back in Loren's arms as he was cradled and pet.  Stretching as his belly was also seen to, Remi busied himself with picking at bits of fluff and string from the other man's jacket, his mind all the more easily distracted in this form.

When though it seemed his luck was probably being pushed, the raccoon reached for Loren's hand. He couldn't hold it, his paws being far too small, but he did try and take hold of a finger, looking up into the summoners eyes with a darkened gaze full of appreciation.

The white sheep of the family

As Remi’s paws reached out to grip Loren’s finger, he couldn’t help but smile at the raccoon. Then, however, Astra decided the two men had paid enough attention to each other and that she was overdue some scritches of her own. She butted her antlers gently against Loren’s chest, and he laughed, then extricated his finger and rubbed behind her ears. She gave him a happy bleat in response.

”Alright, now if you are both quite satisfied with your scratches, could we please get moving? This ground might be comfortable to you, but I am quite, quite wet and cold.” It was true: the snow and soaked through his pants and he shivered at the sensation of damp cloth against his skin. He knew he wasn’t in any danger of actually succumbing to it, since he could heal himself if worst came to worst, but that didn’t mean he was comfortable.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

hope keeps us breathing, just to kill us in the end

Satisfied with scritches? Sure. But the Launceleyn hadn't held up his end of the bargain. There was a certain title Remi was owed and he wasn't planning on going anywhere until it had been properly bestowed. Climbing up Loren's jacket, the small creature tittered an antagonizing sound as he fought to reclaim the summoner's attention. Blinking his large and dark eyes, whiskers and ears pushed forward to maximum levels of adorableness, the raccoon tittered something under his breath before leaning forward to press his cold button-nose against Loren's.

Adorable level maximum reached. If the Launceleyn didn't cave, Remi would have no choice but simply become a lion and squash the title out of him.

The white sheep of the family

As Remi pressed his nose against Loren’s, he went cross-eyed trying to stare down at the raccoon. ”Uhhhhh...this doesn’t really answer my question.” Astra just stared, as perplexed as the summoner as to what was going on. If the alchemist wanted more cuddles, then climbing up to the Launceleyn’s face didn’t seem to be the most effective method to receive them.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

hope keeps us breathing, just to kill us in the end

With a dramatic sigh, or at least as dramatic as a raccoon's lungs and throat could project, the small creature bared tiny white teeth in the summoners face before crawling onto a shoulder. He didn't know if Loren was being difficult (probably) or just thick (also likely), but as much as the alchemist might want to push the envelopes of his victory, he'd not do so at the risk of hypothermia on the Launceleyn's part.

With a huff, the raccoon re-assumed the position of scarf around Loren's neck, his small and cold nose pressed into the man's collar to hide it from the wind. Tittering a nose he pointed vaguely forward, probably indicating that's the direction they should go. At the same time, his tail curled upwards to tickle Loren's other ear.

The white sheep of the family

It seemed that Remi was just super odd as a raccoon, since there seemed to be no explanation for his current behavior. Thankfully, the alchemist moved away from Loren's nose, instead curling around his neck. Then the alchemist chittered and pointed ahead. Apparently this was how they were going to proceed. It was not exactly the navigation the Launceleyn had been hoping for.

Unfortunately as soon the other man’s tail came up to tickle the summoner’s ear Loren burst out laughing. ”R-Remi s-s-stop.” Unbeknownst to either of them, it turned out that the Launceleyn was sensitive in that particular spot. Astra gave Loren a concerned look, then grunted at the raccoon, clearly displeased with Remi’s behavior. The summoner, for his part, simply stumbled forward in the direction the alchemist had indicated. Hopefully they wouldn’t get completely lost because the other man decided to be weird.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

hope keeps us breathing, just to kill us in the end

Stop tickling? No problem. Tucking his tail snugly around Loren like a good scarf, he instead pressed his cold nose against the summoners neck. Whatever Astra might have thought wasn't much of Remi's concern; Loren was laughing, and for the alchemist, that was more than enough. Besides, all of this nonsense only reinforced the notion that as an animal, Remi simply ... wasn't the same. Not only was the idea of of the alchemist physically wrapped around Loren's neck as a man absurd (and in many ways, probably impossible), but so was the image of Remi with his nose pressed sweetly against Loren's, or nuzzling his face into the summoner's collar. It just wasn't the same; animal affection was another species entirely.

The white sheep of the family

Thankfully, Remi ceased his tickling and just burrowed closer around Loren’s neck. Sighing, the Launceleyn continued onwards, ignoring his soaked pants. While he was fully convinced they were just going to get lost, there wasn’t anything the summoner could do to force the other man to take the lead. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try. ”You’re going to have to change back when we talk to the Fae, you know that right?” For now, Loren just focused on following the entirely inadequate directions he was receiving from the raccoon.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

hope keeps us breathing, just to kill us in the end

Though Remi didn't like to do it, he could partially shift enough that he was able to talk while in raccoon form. It just felt very, very awkward. Still, apparently Loren wasn't going to enjoy the silence, and so Remi reluctantly filled it.

"I probably would not, actually." He hummed softly into the folds of Loren's collar. "Most of the fae I have seen have animal shifts. They are not attuned, but they can communicate silently the way we can".