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+---- Thread: ghosts and devils come calling (/showthread.php?tid=11412)
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ghosts and devils come calling - Ronin - 05-28-2025
Ronin's thoughts are a mire, and trying to parse through them is like walking through sludge. Somehow, though, that doesn't slow the racing of his mind at all, and as he sits at the edge of the Northaven, one foot trailing in the water, he barely registers the passage of time. He doesn't notice that it's now mid-afternoon or that the sun has been beating down on him for a while, he doesn't notice the wings still draped listlessly against the deck, or the way he's picked a hangnail raw on one of his fingers.
In the distance he swears he can see the faint indigo pulse of Starfall against the clean, endless blue of the Arclight and the cloudless sky, and unsurprisingly, that doesn't make him feel any better. Turning away from it, he angles himself to gaze back towards the shore, to the coast and Haulani and the people still living and fighting and doing their best to push back against The Family, even without being part of the front line.
Groaning and rubbing at tired eyes, the Knight finally starts to get to his feet, to take himself into the shade of the houseboat if nothing else.
RE: ghosts and devils come calling - Remi - 05-29-2025
The first sign of him is the shifting weight beneath the water—a pressure deep and slow, the kind that rouses seafloor silt and sends fish darting toward safer tides. Nothing visible at first. Just the subtle strain of ropes creaking taut and the groan of wood adjusting under something unseen.
Then the Northaven lurches.
Not sharply, but insistently, the stern began to edge away from the Ahi coastline as if answering some unspoken summons. The motion is smooth but purposeful, like the slow drawing of breath. Like the tug of a tide that doesn’t belong.
Beneath the surface, far out past the shallows, an enormous tentacle curls around the anchored weight of the houseboat. Another unfurls like a lazy ribbon through the current, steadying the movement as Remi drags the vessel back toward deeper water. He doesn’t know that his husband’s thoughts are a tangle of mud and regret and fatigue. From where Remi is, all he sees is a figure near the rail, sunlit and still.
The pull grows slightly more theatrical as Remi wonders when Ronin will realize that the Northaven is being stolen from beneath him.
RE: ghosts and devils come calling - Ronin - 05-29-2025
The initial shift in balance isn't enough to tip Ronin off to the houseboat's movement, the Knight's posture adjusting slightly on the deck but nothing more, assuming it's either heatstroke setting in or the natural bob and sway of the Northaven in the water. When she lurches, though, well. The drag on his wings already has him lopsided, and as the boat is ferried away from the coast and into deeper, darker waters, Ronin topples and lands with a soft thump on his ass.
What normally would have had him laughing today only has him rolling to try and gain some steadier footing, and he dismisses his wings as an afterthought as he reaches for the side of the boat to brace against. [say]Sorry, Remi,[/say] he sends out into the deep. He can't see the tentacles, but he doesn't need to in order to know that his husband's kraken form is responsible for this impromptu kidnapping. [say]I'm not in the mood today.[/say]
RE: ghosts and devils come calling - Remi - 05-29-2025
The moment Ronin’s voice brushes against the edge of his thoughts—quiet, flat, not in the mood—the ocean stills. Not in waves or sound, but in intent. The Northaven, halfway coaxed into deeper water, drifts to a stop so abruptly it rocks once on its tether, and then no further.
A ripple of darker blue surges up alongside the hull, low and smooth as thunderclouds at sea. Within seconds, Remi appears—half-shifted, salt-slick curls clinging to his brow, the remnants of tentacles still tapering off from his shoulders as he uses them to help propel himself upward. With little effort, he hauls himself aboard the deck, water sloughing off his shoulders and soaking into the sunwarmed wood beneath him.
He doesn’t say anything at first, but then, it isn't like he needs to.
Moving with the immediacy of a tether pulled too tight, Remi reaches for Ronin without hesitation, slipping one damp palm against his husband’s cheek as the other finds his wrist. His brows knit, worry laced in every boyish line of his expression as he leans down to press a kiss just beside Ronin’s mouth, salt-sweet and lingering, before doing the same to the inside of his wrist.
[say]"Hey,"[/say] he murmurs, voice low and warm from the sea. [say]"Do you want to talk about it?"[/say]
RE: ghosts and devils come calling - Ronin - 05-29-2025
Rocking a bit with the force of the Northaven's deck shifting from propulsion to being more or less stationary, in the time it takes Remi to slip through the cool waters and get himself on board, Ronin has just about gotten accustomed to the way the houseboat has begun to sway in the deeper water. Straightening, the back of his neck reddened by the sun, he turns just in time for the other man to sweep closer. As always when he's not feeling good, his hands come up and he steps back a fraction as if to warn Remi away - and as always, he finds the Bastion in his arms anyway.
His feelings run slick through Remi's magic, cloying and oily; guilt and shame and something darker, too, with an aftertaste of self-loathing. There's frustration there as well, of course, ribbons of it gleaming through the swamp of his emotions, but it's a small thing compared to the rest. [say]"I don't know,"[/say] he says softly, leaning into the hand that brushes across his cheek. [say]"I saw Flora. It didn't go well. And I... I can't go to Starfall, Remi. I can't risk it. I'm sorry."[/say]
RE: ghosts and devils come calling - Remi - 05-29-2025
The moment Remi's magic brushes against Ronin's skin, it snags—tugged suddenly and sharply by something twisted underneath. The usual rhythm of his husband’s presence is buried beneath a murky tide, and the Bastion stills for half a second, caught off-guard by the sticky, heavy weight that coils back through him. But it’s the rest—the admission, soft and solemn—that causes him to blink, surprise flickering across his sea-glass eyes as he straightens, only to fold Ronin more securely against his chest. His palm finds the back of the Knight’s neck, cradling gently where the sun has left it warm and flushed.
[say]"There’s nothing to be sorry for,"[/say] he says, his voice low and adoring. [say]"If it’s too much of a risk, then we won’t go."[/say] Leaning his chin against Ronin’s temple, his curls still dripping seawater into the collar of his husband’s shirt, Remi sighs softly. [say]"We weren’t sure if intervening was the right call anyway. And if you came back more certain that it’s not..."[/say] He shrugs a shoulder. [say]"Then that's all there is to it."[/say]
It isn’t resignation; there’s nothing reluctant in his voice. Only conviction, quiet and edged.
RE: ghosts and devils come calling - Ronin - 05-29-2025
Remi's voice is like the absolution he doesn't realise he needs, Ronin folding against his husband and looping his arms gently around him in return, uncaring for the way they'll both end up soaking wet as a result. [say]"...Yeah,"[/say] he mumbles, nodding and tucking his head against the other man's shoulder, breathing the scent of him in deep. He stands there like that for a long few seconds, and though the tide of darkness in his thoughts and feelings doesn't ebb any, the comfort of Remi's mere presence can't ever be overstated.
[say]"I don't know if I'm cut out for this any more,"[/say] he admits softly, after a while. [say]"The fighting, the responsibility, having the things we do be dictated by threats and blackmail. I'm tired, Remi."[/say] The last words are little more than a whisper, Ronin's hands stroking down the length of the other man's back, smoothing out the hem of his shirt as if that's the most important thing in the world right now.
RE: ghosts and devils come calling - Remi - 05-29-2025
Remi doesn’t answer right away, not with words, anyway. His arms tighten, slow and encompassing, as if he could anchor Ronin with just the curve of his body and the weight of his hold. The sea still clings to him, salty and sun-warmed, but through the bond he lets it all dissolve, conjuring only affection. Quiet, endless understanding. No pressure. No judgment. Just love, gentle and wordless, soaking through the cracks like rain on dry earth.
The sigh he releases is quiet but deep, stirred from somewhere far within. Ronin’s admission lands hard despite the softness of it, and Remi leans back just enough to press a kiss into his hairline. It tastes like salt and sun and weariness. [say]"I know,"[/say] he murmurs, his voice a low hum against the Knight’s temple. [say]"I know."[/say]
For Ronin to say such things—to admit to being tired, to not knowing if he wants this any longer—shifts something fundamental in Remi. The thought of standing still while others march toward war used to feel like cowardice. Now it just feels like mercy.
[say]"They can fight without us,"[/say] he says, the words shaped like a quiet revelation. [say]"We aren't the only ones available for this fight.."[/say] His hand moves up to Ronin’s neck, thumb brushing against the hinge of his jaw. [say]"You could even ask Vi to take this from you.."[/say]
Then, with a softer breath Remi adds, [say]"I wonder if Mort or Vi could..."[/say] Gods, what he's about to say sounds horrific as the words form on his tongue, but nevertheless Remi breathes them out anyway. [say]"...take Flora. Just until this was over. A...temporary death, I suppose."[/say] It would mean the queen hadn't violated the Reaper's terms, and would keep her safe while Remi and Ronin did what they needed to. She'd kill them for it of course, but at least she'd be alive to do so.
RE: ghosts and devils come calling - Ronin - 05-29-2025
Letting his eyes close as if Remi's embrace is all the permission he needs to not feel as if he's holding up the world any more, if the rest of his life could just be this, gods but it would be enough and then some. And even that realisation has a fresh oilslick of guilt sloshing through him, the Knight offering an apologetic wince for the way he knows his husband will feel it. [say]"We are some of the best, though. The most experienced,"[/say] he says softly, the words raw and lacking in anything like pride - just exhausted understanding.
At the suggestion he ask Vi take it all away, Ronin scoffs out a humourless laugh. [say]"And then what?"[/say] he mutters. [say]"I'm the man who had all this power at his fingertips, and I gave it up because of what? Because it was too hard? Hardly White Knight behaviour, as our daughter would say."[/say] His brows flinch into a frown at the memory. [say]"Talking to her... I felt like a villain. Small and useless, like everything I said was another failure to add to a long list."[/say] Straightening up a little at last, he glances up at Remi.
[say]"And it was all true. That was the worst part."[/say]
RE: ghosts and devils come calling - Remi - 05-29-2025
Remi exhales, the sound quiet and edged in understanding. [say]"Maybe,"[/say] he agrees, his head tilting slightly as his fingers move again along Ronin’s spine, rubbing gently at the tension gathered there. [say]"But all that experience just means we’ve already paid the price, haven’t we?"[/say] His voice remains soft, steady. [say]"We've been the ones to put our lives on the line, again and again. Maybe it’s someone else’s turn now."[/say] And if no one else was up to the task? Well, maybe that fell onto the god's shoulders, and not the Taliesin's.
When Ronin scoffs, Remi simply lifts a brow, expression unreadable for a moment before he murmurs, [say]"Why not?"[/say] There’s no edge to the question. [say]"I didn’t want to be Ludo’s demigod anymore, because it was too hard. That was hardly very The Lullaby of me, but that was the whole point."[/say] His shoulders rise and fall in a quiet shrug. [say]"Vi is hardly cruel. I don’t think he’d see it as weakness or even think less of you."[/say]
At the confession of feeling like a villain, Remi tsk-tsks softly and shakes his head, frowning. [say]"Wanting to keep Flora safe does not make you the villain, Ronin,"[/say] he says firmly, brows knitting as he searches the Knight’s face. [say]"And if she made you feel that way...that's...honestly, that's an ability I'm sure she inherited from her mother."[/say]
RE: ghosts and devils come calling - Ronin - 05-29-2025
[say]"Have we ever really paid the price?"[/say] Ronin says with a smile edged with bitterness. [say]"We don't really belong to ourselves, Remi, not with a god's stamp on us. People don't see it that way - Flora certainly doesn't, and she's not entirely wrong."[/say] He shrugs his shoulders, fingers teasing through the damp salt spray of his husband's curls. [say]"And whoever's turn it might be, if we can't be seen to be showing up and doing our damnedest, we're good for nothing out here."[/say]
Frowning apologetically - he doesn't mean to be negative, or to be seen as contradicting every point Remi makes, but with the welts of the Doubletake's words still raw and stinging, it's hard to feel like he can break the surface of his own disappointment in himself. [say]"Vi saved me from Safrin. Mort saved you from yourself,"[/say] he ventures. [say]"He might not be cruel, but he doesn't suffer fools. And I don't want to isn't going to be good enough."[/say]
Inhaling a deep breath and releasing it, his amusement is brief and fluttering, like a feather in a breeze, to hear Flora compared to her mother. [say]"Yes, well. She was very thorough, and very good at it,"[/say] he says quietly. [say]"She told us to go and fight, that she had made her choice and it was time for us to make ours. As if letting her be in danger like that was just... a switch I could flip. And no matter what I said, I was just..."[/say] He shakes his head. [say]"I know I'm a bad father, but I've never felt so much like one until today."[/say]
RE: ghosts and devils come calling - Remi - 05-29-2025
Though Remi’s first instinct is to protest—to grab Ronin by the face and remind him, not gently, that being tired and being wrong are not the same thing—he reins it in. He hears the echo of his husband’s guilt in the bond and doesn’t try to silence it this time. He knows the importance of letting the words out before they calcify inside.
So instead, he quietly nods. [say]"If it’s you asking,"[/say] he says at last, voice low and steady, [say]"then yes, I'd say that's the best reason to believe that you have paid it."[/say] If the world refuses to see that as true, Remi will happily remind them.
Pulling away only far enough to take Ronin’s hand, Remi gives it a gentle tug, guiding him back toward the edge of the houseboat. Settling beside him, the Bastion stretches out a wing—broad and steady, sun-damp and warm—and drapes it gently across Ronin’s back.
He doesn’t speak for a few breaths, just lets the silence soften a little, waiting until the air between them eases. [say]"What changed your mind?"[/say] he asks, turning just enough to meet Ronin’s profile. [say]"You knew Flora wasn’t going to go behind the barrier. Not unless we forced her. So...what did she say that made you decide it wasn’t worth the risk?"[/say] It sounded like it was guilt layered with the weight of obligation, but Remi wasn't entirely sure.
RE: ghosts and devils come calling - Ronin - 05-29-2025
[say]"Yes, well,"[/say] Ronin says, a hint of wry humour in his tone - just a bit. [say]"You have to say that. We're married and it's your job to support me."[/say] He gives the other man a smile, brief but more real than any he's managed to conjure up so far. [say]"And you're doing a wonderful job of it,"[/say] he adds, leaning in to leave a kiss against the chill scruff of Remi's cheek.
Sighing and letting his shoulders slump, he takes Remi's hand and follows him to the side of the boat, leaning into the cradle of his wing and the sun-warmed feathers as if they might cocoon him away from the world and its messy obligations forever. [say]"A lot of things,"[/say] he mutters in response to the other man's question. [say]"Flora had a lot to say. I could've approached all the friends she'd be putting in danger by going behind the barrier to try to convince them into Haulani before I came to her. I haven't been trying hard enough to help. I'm manipulative and trying to pressure her into getting to safety by telling her that not being able to fight is hurting us."[/say]
Ronin spreads his hands. [say]"Because what have we been doing, honestly? Splashing around in hotsprings and hosting barbecues?"[/say] He snorts. [say]"I figured if all I can really be good for is sitting on the beach and waiting for my friends and family to die so I can bring them back, I should probably make myself useful while I do it."[/say]
RE: ghosts and devils come calling - Remi - 05-29-2025
Remi huffs a quiet laugh, his smile returning—crooked and dry—as Ronin kisses his cheek. [say]"Mhm. Contractually obligated. You can’t see it, but Vi’s got a knife pressed to my ribs right now."[/say]He taps two fingers against his own side for emphasis.
But as Ronin continues, the humour begins to fade. Remi’s brow furrows at the list—guilt piled on guilt like seaweed tangled in an anchor chain—and it’s Flora’s expectations that make him go still. [say]"She wanted you to convince her friends to move to Haulani?"[/say] he echoes, incredulous. [say]"And help with what, exactly? Dahlia told us not to interfere. Flora knows that. So what is it she thinks we’re meant to be helping with?"[/say]
His fingers curl, then smooth over Ronin’s where they rest together. He’s not angry at the Knight—never at him—but there’s a helplessness in his tone that’s harder to swallow. [say]"And as for what we’ve been doing...based on what Dahlia said, that’s all we’ve been allowed to do. We’ve kept quiet. We’ve stayed still."[/say] Hotsprings and BBQs were simply to keep them from going crazy.
Remi looks out toward the surf, the pulse of Starfall like a bruise on the horizon. He fidgets with his wedding ring, jaw tight. [say]"Are you ever tempted to lie?"[/say] he asks suddenly, softly. [say]"To tell Flora you can’t bring people back anymore? Just to make her take her life a little more seriously?"[/say] His voice is quiet, almost ashamed. [say]"Because...gods if it wouldn't solve quite a few of our problems."[/say]