+- Court of the Fallen (https://cotf-rpg.com)
+-- Forum: Out of Character (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=26)
+--- Forum: Important (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=27)
+---- Forum: Archives (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=38)
+---- Thread: we'd play with shields made of stone (/showthread.php?tid=10586)
Pages:
1
2
we'd play with shields made of stone - Isla - 01-18-2025
The broadcast comes just as the sun dips below the line of the sea, and Isla is already out of her apartment and hurrying down the steps of Haulani's floating city towards the beach. She'd thought they'd have time, damn it, but with Halo's Tundra seized by the void, gods, suddenly she can barely breathe for the way the past few days have slipped through her fingers like the sand she kicks up as she runs.
The Northaven isn't far, and the lights are on in the little boat, so she can only hope that Remi is at home - and if he isn't, that Ronin is able to bring him swiftly to her. Not that she doesn't trust the Knight with all she has to say, it's just that sometimes one really needs to speak to a friend. To a best friend. And with the history she and Remi share flecked behind them like blood dripping from a wound that won't heal, gods,s he just needs to speak to him.
Hurrying onto the little dock, Isla knocks at the door to the Northaven with enough urgency to almost have it rattling in its hinges. [say]"Remi?"[/say] she calls, both hoping and not that she doesn't sound as upset as she feels. [say]"Remi, are you at home please?"[/say]
RE: we'd play with shields made of stone - Remi - 01-18-2025
From inside of the houseboat, Isla will hear the soft flutter of wings followed by one of Oria's characteristic trills of acknowledgement before things seem to go quiet. Having been dozing when Vox's broadcast rudely shook him from sleep, Remi had awoken to find a note from Ronin explaining he was going out (with a winky face next to it which might have indicated any number of things), the Bastion was left alone to grumble and clench his jaw with no one but Oria for company. In the aftermath of his abrupt rousing, Remi had decided a shower might offer at least a few moments of relief, though he doubted hot water alone could ease the tension coursing through his muscles. Still, there was comfort in the steam curling around him, in letting the patter of water distract him from the coiled knot of worry behind his ribs.
So it was that Remi answered the door with a towel around his waist and his curls plastered to his forehead, ushering Isla inside of the Northaven before too much of the chill from outside could ruin the brief trickle of relaxation he'd been afforded. Having thought that it would be Ronin banging on the door, perhaps having forgotten his keys, the Remedy would see Remi's expression go from confused to boyishly delighted at the sight of her, before turning vaguely embarrassed to be wearing so little.
[say]"Hey,"[/say] seeming to consider giving her a hug before thinking better of it given how damp he still was, Remi flashed her a crooked smile before inclining his head back toward the shower and the still running water, as if to explain. [say]"-give me one sec. Make yourself at home."[/say]
RE: we'd play with shields made of stone - Isla - 01-19-2025
[say]"Oh gods, sorry--"[/say] Isla is already blushing to see Remi answer the door in a towel, though her feet take her inside the Northaven on autopilot. [say]"I can come back later if-- I mean. I... yes, alright. Thank you, Remi."[/say] Offering him a smile that's as apologetic as it is relieved, she leaves him to go and get himself dressed and less straight-out-of-the-shower, Isla running her fingers through her hair that's mostly escaped from its ponytail. Taking it out entirely to leave her curls to tumble messily around her shoulders, she sinks down into a chair and puts her head in her hands.
[say]"Sorry for just barging over here,"[/say] she says. [say]"I was just... I suppose you heard the broadcast?"[/say] She speaks loud enough for her voice to carry through to the little bathroom, the Remedy glancing up to the doorway with her elbows on her knees, waiting for her friend to return. [say]"The Tundra has been taken, and I'm too late to... fuck."[/say] On that last curse her voice lowers to something barely above a whisper, as if the full impact of what has happened and what it means has just hit her all over again.
RE: we'd play with shields made of stone - Remi - 01-19-2025
Remi ducks back into the bathroom, leaving a trail of half-dried footprints on the wooden floor. The hiss of water cuts off abruptly, and within moments he’s tugging on a threadbare T-shirt and a loose pair of sweatpants. There’s still a slick of conditioner in his curls—he didn’t have time to rinse it out properly—and he combs a hand through them in a futile attempt to tame the mess before rejoining Isla.
Finding her in the living area, elbows braced on her knees and head bowed in her hands, the Bastion doesn’t hesitate; Remi sinks down onto the couch beside her, arms opening to draw her into a firm, reassuring hug. Even if his hair drips the last of its water onto her shoulder, he hopes she'll forgive him for it given the uncharacteristic concern he can both hear in her voice and feel shining out of her through all the places they touch.
[say]"Yeah, I heard.."[/say] Shaking his head slightly and adjusting in whatever way would offer Isla either the space or closeness she required, Remi's brow furrowed as he softly exhaled. [say]"..I assume you mean about Everest?"[/say] Blinking, when they'd last spoken about it Isla had not only known he was infected but seemed content to simply let things run their course. He'd even seen the pair together at the Festival of Lights looking no worse for wear.
RE: we'd play with shields made of stone - Isla - 01-20-2025
Caring little for the water that might drip onto her from Remi's curls, Isla folds into his embrace as easily as she's always done, the Remedy holding onto him tightly and breathing deep against the reassuring scent of him. Nodding silently - his assumption is correct - it takes a few more seconds for her to unlock her throat enough to speak, Isla clearing her throat a little before she begins. [say]"Sunjata visited,"[/say] she explained. [say]"She said he was infected - Hotaru as well - but that you'd cured him with the hotsprings."[/say] Just so everyone is up to speed on who knows what, right?
[say]"But he said that he sees things differently now. That when he saw Ever, it... he looked monstrous."[/say] She scowls. [say]"And he explained what it was like to be infected, the way it makes you behave if Dahlia or the other members of the Family ask something from you. And I just... gods, I finally accepted that I have to do what's best, and now they've taken the Tundra."[/say]
RE: we'd play with shields made of stone - Remi - 01-20-2025
A touch relieved that whatever it was that had Isla so tense with worry wasn't so bad as to have her pulling away, Remi pulled the Remedy close. His hands smoothed out across her back before lacing around her, his fingertips pulsing in time with a slow, steady rhythm, almost as if he could will her heartbeat to match his own calming pulse. [say]"...right."[/say] The word comes tight and quiet as he chases away the swell of emotion unleashed by Hotaru’s name in the back of his mind. He forces it all down—for her sake—hoping not to add to the swirl of panic he can feel vibrating through her.
Opening his mouth, Remi found no words forthcoming as the Remedy explained. Monstrous? Inhaling stiffly, before straightening, Remi presses a kiss against Isla's forehead. [say]"Hey,"[/say] trying to force her eyes to meet his, the Bastion gives his head a small shake, offering her a reassuring smile. [say]"It's going to be alright. Ever has been fine for seasons now, right?"[/say]
RE: we'd play with shields made of stone - Isla - 01-20-2025
Luckily for Remi, the thorny tangle of Isla's emotions simply enmeshes further with his own, such that for better or worse, she doesn't feel any more panicked with the addition of his feelings. [say]"Sorry,"[/say] she adds automatically; even the tone of his voice is enough, given how long they've known each other (and what they've been to each other), for her to know her explanation must be dredging up a few bad memories if not worse.
Her brow furrows even as he presses a comforting kiss against her forehead, Isla glancing up at him with only the smallest hint of reluctance, the turbulence of her thoughts written plain in her expression. [say]"I... well, yes. But that was before the Family lost two demigods from beneath their influence. What if they ask him to do something terrible now? What if they get him even further under the thumb?"[/say] She's not a fan of the what if game herself, knowing it to be fruitless, but she can't help but think along those lines.
RE: we'd play with shields made of stone - Remi - 01-20-2025
[say]"We've known each other too long for that."[/say] The Bastion chuckles dryly in response to her apology, not needing to pick up on her sentiments in order to have felt precisely the same thing. For all of their breakdowns and blowouts, their highs and lows, short of sorry I removed my memories of you, Remi couldn't think of a thing he'd expect an apology for; and even if it did come to that, he wasn't sure he'd even deserve one given that he'd done that to Isla first.
Wanting to smooth away the wrinkles between her eyebrows with another kiss but resisting, instead, Remi shifts slightly to let one of his arms fall away from her even as the other remains tightly fitted around her waist. [say]"Well...it's true, they might do that. But, if he is their only last...pawn, I suppose-"[/say] Wincing apologetically, Remi shakes his head slightly before continuing. [say]"-maybe they would want to tread all the more carefully with him?"[/say]
Exhaling stiffly, Remi glances toward one of the Northaven's windows, carefully assessing the skyline and how it faded into the ocean as he tries to order his thoughts. [say]"But...if it did come to it...if the Family thought, oh I don't know, that if Torchline was to lose its most experienced healer and doctor that would send the sort of message they were looking for..."[/say] Remi's expression is tense, knowing exactly what it was he was saying and how it would cut right to the quick of what Isla must have been turning over in her mind already. [say]"Are you in a position to stop him?"[/say] He asks, voice softening yet carrying the full weight of the question. [say]"Physically, and... emotionally?"[/say]
RE: we'd play with shields made of stone - Isla - 01-20-2025
Laughing as well despite herself, Isla nonetheless gives Remi a wry smile and a small shrug, as if to say she might automatically apologise for being an inconvenience to him many more times yet. If not for dragging up old hurts and memories, then at least for interrupting his shower. Still, she lets out a long sigh and relaxes into the cradle of his arm as it continues to sit snugly around her waist, grimacing as well at the term pawn even if it's entirely appropriate.
[say]"Maybe,"[/say] she says, not seeming convinced either way. From all she's seen and heard of the Family, they might be just as likely to keep Ever close and maintain their subtle influence over him as they are to send him on the offensive. And on that particularly awful note, Remi does cut to the quick, and Isla cringes at the mere idea of it happening. [say]"Physically I think I could hold him off enough to get myself out of the way,"[/say] she says in a tight voice; emotionally she doesn't even need to discuss, she doesn't think.
[say]"It's why I came here,"[/say] she adds, glancing to him with another apologetic furrow of her brows. [say]"When I thought there was still time, I was going to ask you if you'd have taken him up to the hotsprings to be healed, since Halo would be difficult for me. So if anything like that happened, I suppose I would try to find you. Holding him off is one thing, but fighting him? Properly fighting?"[/say] They both know Isla isn't made of that kind of stuff. Not with the people she loves.
RE: we'd play with shields made of stone - Remi - 01-20-2025
Unable to help it, Remi's thoughts filtered through the various ways Everest might catch Isla off-guard; a needle from her own clinic stabbed into her neck to render her unconscious, a pillow over her head while she was asleep, poison in her food. Feeling himself tense as if his body thought he might somehow defend her against the images flashing through his mind, Remi ground his teeth together in a silent command his body was disinclined to heed.
[say]"I wonder if I flew very fast..."[/say] Or perhaps if Ronin did, given that he was the faster of them; could they get Everest in and out of the hot springs before violet hell descended down upon them? [say]"You know you can always come here, and that I will always come to you if you need anything."[/say] He murmurs, interrupting his own swirl of thoughts to focus his gaze down at her.
[say]"I know you'd mentioned that he'd been staying with you, but...do you think that's still wise? Though I suppose if you were to ask him to go that might encourage the Family to use him if they feel his cover is blown, but.."[/say] Gods, the thought of Isla sharing her bed with, according to Sunjata, an actual monster, had every imperfect and predatory instinct in Remi's body on high alert.
RE: we'd play with shields made of stone - Isla - 01-20-2025
[say]"...Remi?"[/say] Isla might not read thoughts, but she can feel the tension that seizes Remi's body and all but hear the way his jaw creaks as his teeth grind together, the Remedy reaching up automatically to brush a hand across his cheek. [say]"If the broadcast is already out, I'm not sure even Ronin would be fast enough,"[/say] she confesses with a soft frown. [say]"Who knows what would happen if you even put him in the springs while the Tundra is like this. Or what would happen to Ronin if he tried."[/say]
(Oh how little they know).
Relaxing automatically and nodding her understanding - it's why she'd come here right now after all - as Remi continues the realisation of her next steps hits harder than Isla expects it to, and she rakes her fingers through her messy curls. [say]"Better the devil you know. Isn't that what they say?"[/say] she says sadly. [say]"I'm worried that mentioning any of this will tip off Dahlia and the rest of the Family to the fact that he's a weak point waiting to be used, whether he's here or up in Stormbreak."[/say]
Scowling suddenly and shaking her head, Isla huffs out an irritated sigh. [say]"I hate talking about him this way,"[/say] she hisses.
RE: we'd play with shields made of stone - Remi - 01-20-2025
Remi forces a slow, audible sigh as he looks at Isla, becoming all too aware of how one of his hands has balled into a fist while the other remains rigid against her waist. With a quiet murmur of apology, he loosens his grip, leaning into her palm when she brushes a hand across his cheek. [say]"You’re right... of course you’re right.[/say] It’s the kind of reassurance he’d once known how to give—when they were closer, more than friends, and the lines had blurred in a different sort of comfort. But that was years ago. So he tries now, awkwardly, uncertainly. Clearing his throat, Remi attempts to roll his shoulders back from his ears, glancing toward the window as if half-expecting a raven to arrive at any moment. [say]"I’m sure Deimos already has something in the works..."[/say] he murmurs, thinking that if no word comes before Ronin returns, he’ll ask the Knight to send out a letter. (lol)
Frustration has Remi's body growing stiff once more as he listens; wanting to draw Isla into a fierce embrace, to hold her against him and promise that he’ll fix everything with an easy show of force. It’s the only way he’s ever known to ease nightmares this past few years; through brute strength and unwavering resolve. But this? This is something that even his claws and instincts can’t solve, leaving his fingertips growing numb as his hand twitches at his side, caught between the impulse to protect her and the understanding that violence isn’t the answer here.
[say]"I know you do,"[/say] he whispers softly, voice tinged with his very particular brand of selfish regret, born out of a desire to just fix. Instead, he settles for simply trying to force his breath to even out. [say]"Did Sunjata say anything else? Did Dahlia have to...continue to keep him infected somehow?"[/say]
RE: we'd play with shields made of stone - Isla - 01-20-2025
Smiling sadly - because she also knows all too well the frustration of not being able to do anything, hence her arrival at the houseboat - Isla brushes a thumb across his cheek before she lets her hand drop, giving Remi the time to force his body to release the tension that holds it stiff. [say]"Deimos is attentive to his region,"[/say] she agrees. [say]"I'm sure he won't take this lying down."[/say] And although that ought to be reassuring, that even if she can't heal Ever now, she might be able to soon, it doesn't ease the panic that grips her heart.
It's not a dissimilar feeling to the one rampaging through Remi, she supposes, and while Isla has never been able to just fix by a show of force, she is still a fixer by nature. Rubbing at her forehead and trying, as well, to force herself to relax into this new reality, that there is little to be done than to wait and to try and mitigate any fallout in the meantime, she relaxes further against Remi. [say]"He didn't,"[/say] she says of Sunjata with a slow shake of her head, feeling suddenly exhausted. [say]"Only that he can spot people who are infected now, and that it's awful."[/say]
RE: we'd play with shields made of stone - Remi - 01-20-2025
[say]"Surely the Family would know we'd try and immediately cleanse Halo though.."[/say] Frowning, Remi gazes at some spec of nothingness in the corner, faintly shaking his head. [say]"Maybe to try and get all of us together again?"[/say] It's all said more to himself than to Isla, and as soon as Remi realizes his mutterings are best saved for when Ronin gets home, he abruptly clears his throat.
[say]"In the meantime...would it be too much for me to come by once a day? Even to the clinic, just to make sure that you're fine? Or...or maybe the House of Midnight has had some breakout for you to go and attend to, or..gods, some ancient-only festival in the Grounds?"[/say] Something that wouldn't raise Ever's suspicions but would keep Isla at a safe enough distance.
[say]"Before I took Hotaru to Halo, she...kidnapped Flora by sending her into a deep sleep and then impersonating me to steal a houseboat."[/say] Explained in a voice hardly above a whisper, Remi had to bite hard at the inside of his cheek to keep his fingertips from becoming claws.