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+---- Thread: [SE] hark the heralds (/showthread.php?tid=6182)
RE: [SE] hark the heralds - Ronin - 09-03-2021
[say]Oh?[/say] The flush of warmth through their bond suggests that Ronin absolutely expects this to be Remi's suggestion, so when it transpires that he wants ice skating rather than sex, the Huntsman is admittedly puzzled - but not at all against the idea. [say]You know, I was going to suggest something like that as well. I think it would be a lot of fun.[/say] His agreement is punctuated by another jingling of bells, though as Remi mentions the Greatwood and his attempts to divert them, he can only admit defeat. The woods do whatever they like.
[say]Well in that case, let's get this done quickly and we can head back home and decide what to have for dinner,[/say] he says. No sooner has he spoken, it feels like, than the cottage peeps into view, looking peaceful and adorable and everything one would expect to go along with Ronin's luxere. [say]I'll wait here,[/say] he decides, drawing to a slow stop with the sled. He hopes the reasoning is clear enough - this is where Remi's twins are.
RE: [SE] hark the heralds - Remi - 09-03-2021
Remi wants not to be repeatedly blue-balled, and given how much dancing around sex Ronin was doing, the alchemist thought it much safer to err on the side of a suggestion that wouldn't cause his groin to throb painfully when it was continuously ignored. [say]Though skating is probably a few weeks off, unless Sugar decides to help out.[/say] Remi muses.
The recoil of what the alchemist feels isn't quite disappointment or dispair, but a colourless acknowledgement and understanding that leaves him feeling hollow and rushed. [say]Okay. I won't be long.[/say] So saying, he shifts, developing tentacles that he grips more than half of the wood with before setting off toward the witch's hut. Greeted warmly, it turns out Remi really won't be long, as Vai has just gotten the twins down to sleep. [say]"We'll bring food in a few days. We cleared snow and got the wood today."[/say] The alchemist explains, before planting a kiss on Vai's forehead and excusing himself back out into the cold.
With the sled clear of half its cargo there was now room for one of them to sit on the way home. [say]"I can pull you, if you like?"[/say] The alchemist suggests. It might not be quite the picturesque tableau for the Greatwood as it had been when Ronin was pulling it, but Remi was what he was.
RE: [SE] hark the heralds - Ronin - 09-03-2021
Remi excuses himself and Ronin spends his time leaning fully into his luxere shift in an attempt not to think too much about the cottage and what was inside it. Though in fairness to him, this is the closest he has been to Vai's since Leafchange when the twins arrived, and given that when Remi returns it will be to find him munching contently on some peppermint bark, it's not a bad turn of events.
[say]Mm? Oh no, that's fine. I'm already in the harnes after all,[/say] he reminds him straightening up and turning around so the sled draws up beside his husband.
[say]Your chariot awaits,[/say] he announces, dipping his antlered head. [say]Did you want to grab something to eat from the Sea of Branches on the way home? It's stew season, I bet there's something that even your manticore belly won't say no to.[/say]
RE: [SE] hark the heralds - Remi - 09-03-2021
[say]"I was promised dinner yesterday, so I think I'll take you up on that."[/say] Remi agrees with a grin, already feeling the cavernous hole left by being around Ronin and his twins start to collapse in on itself. Adjusting the wood slightly that he might comfortably sit in the sled, Remi cocks his head to the side as he nods for Ronin to go ahead. [say]You know, we really should just make one of these ourselves.[/say] Rubbing a thumb along a large groove on the side of the sled where a tree branch must have jabbed into it, he frowns, wondering what the fae will have to say about it.
Rolling out his shoulders and tipping his head back, Remi closes his eyes. [say]Mind if I try something? I'd like to know what it's like for you, as a luxere.[/say] So saying, Ronin will feel the itching of Remi's fingers against the metaphorical door of his body. Whether or not Remi could bully his way in wasn't up for debate, but like a polite ghost, the alchemist's spirit hovered outside of the luxere.
RE: [SE] hark the heralds - Ronin - 09-03-2021
[say]I did promise you dinner, didn't I? Looks like I'll be digging that trench for the hotspring tomorrow while making sure there's something delicious cooking for you,[/say] Ronin hums back, still happily monching on his peppermint bark as Remi gets comfortable. Once he looks like the firewood isn't going to tumble on top of him, he sets off at a comfortable trot again, his hooves easily navigating the frozen ground.
[say]So that's... build a hotspring, get Sugar to freeze the Stonesong so we can go ice skating, sort out Mateo's routine and get a terrarium set up for him, and build a sled?[/say] He sounds amused, but there's also a low hum of anticipation that accompanies his words that suggests that Ronin can't wait to get started on any and all of these things.
So the last thing he expects is his husband to metaphorically knock on the door to his consciousness. Whilst there's a pulse of trepidation, of course Ronin will never say no to such a polite ghost. [say]Go ahead. Watch out though - you'll really want to run.[/say]
RE: [SE] hark the heralds - Remi - 09-03-2021
[say]And put coloured snow on the top of the boat.[/say] Remi adds with a grin. He too feels a surge through his bones like a low-voltage shock at the mere thought of completing these relatively menial tasks. For all the life he and Ronin had lived together, they were rarely able to do things like this together. The world usually required their efforts in differing ways, meaning that the only time they were able to work on something together was in the few days a year they managed to carve out for one another. Already these few days in the Greatwood felt like the Honeymoon they'd long been aiming for.
[say]Noted.[/say]
Sinking against Ronin's mind, Remi lets his soul spread out through the luxere's body. Finding himself immediately jostled around like a teacup perched on a dryer full of tennis balls, Remi has to focus his mind with shocking effort in order to keep himself from flying back into his own body.
[say]It feels so...so...like every muscle is a trampoline. Everywhere I go there's movement.[/say] That was the only way he could think to describe the luxere's flightiness, both mentally and physically.
RE: [SE] hark the heralds - Ronin - 09-03-2021
[say]Oh of course. How could I forget that one? We'll pick up some food colouring while we're at the Sea of Branches. I'm pretty sure we can tick that one off tonight, as long as it doesn't snow again.[/say] Ronin has to keep himself still and calm as Remi glides against his mind. Abruptly he feels as if he's a passenger in all that's happening, both there and not, and he clings to the feelings flowing through their Attuned bond to keep him grounded.
[say]If you weren't tethered to the sled I'd suggest you go jumping over a fallen log or two,[/say] he says with a warm chuckle. [say]Just pick something to focus on,[/say] he suggests. [say]My go to is the peppermint bark.[/say] And suddenly it will be clear that Ronin's penchant for the stuff as a luxere isn't merely instinctive - it's helpful, too.
RE: [SE] hark the heralds - Remi - 09-03-2021
[say]I'd like that. I was thinking that we could freeze balloons of water with the food colour in them, and that way we'd have little globes everywhere.[/say] Quite when Remi had decided that he wanted their houseboat to double as a fairytale sketch even he didn't quite know.
[say]Focus....how?[/say] Remi warbles, feeling himself shivering around the inside of Ronin's bones and unsure what was safe to latch onto. [say]I think you should take over. It might be better if I just..[/say] Watch wasn't the right word. It was more like feel, but that sounded as strange to say
Gods it was so much easier to simply want to kill. That was so much more simple.
RE: [SE] hark the heralds - Ronin - 09-03-2021
[say]You were, hm?[/say] Ronin sounds playfully skeptical but of course he adores the idea as much as anything else that Remi has suggested. [say]Then we'll get some balloons as well. I'm sure Sugar will enjoy freezing them all this evening,[/say] he says, before sitting back to enjoy watching his husband try to navigate the shift he's suddenly in. And he can't help it, feeling like for once he knows something and understands something that Remi does not. For a long time now Ronin has been the student, trying and failing to master himself under a dragon's claws, but the luxere is his first and oldest shift.
[say]Alright, you linger there in the back of my mind, I'll take the reins,[/say] he decides, trying not to think about it too much as he becomes more of an active participant in his own body again. With a vibrant jingle and a toss of his antlered head, Ronin picks up the pace so he can trot them out of the woods and back along the snowy riverbank. [say]I run,[/say] he says, as if Remi might have forgotten. [say]At dawn or dusk, usually. And I stay busy. Next time we do this we should try it in Leafchange. Then it's worse.[/say] The urge to run twisted with the urge to fight, to rut, to have, and it was altogether a fucking mess, in Ronin's experience.
RE: [SE] hark the heralds - Remi - 09-04-2021
[say].....I don't think I like it.[/say] The alchemist decides after a moment, feeling a bit like a piece of luggage haphazardly tied against Ronin's thoughts. He doesn't leave the Huntsman's mind though, preferring this strange and new sensation to merely sitting in the sled. [say]I wonder what would happen..[/say] Remi muses thoughtfully, trying his best to settle, to concentrate on the rhythmic thumping of Ronin's hooves in the snow. [say]If I became overly predatory. Would I be thrown out? Would I overtake you? Would I..attack myself in some effort to keep everyone safe?[/say] Sounding thoughtful rather than concerned—Remi was about as relaxed and content as he could be said to be—he shrugs softly somewhere behind Ronin's eyes and simply enjoys the view.
When the Stonesong comes into view, the alchemist tries to impress himself upon his husband's spirit in a hug, but likely the Huntsman won't feel anything. There's nothing really to feel, after all. Inhaling sharply and opening his own eyes, Remi sits up having jostled uncomfortably into a position that left his back aching. [say]"Errrnn."[/say] He complains stiffly. [say]"I could really use that stew now. And a drink."[/say]
RE: [SE] hark the heralds - Ronin - 09-08-2021
[say]I felt the same way when I was first shifted as a dragon,[/say] Ronin admits of not liking it - things like what they did took time to get used to, in his experience, and he can’t fault his husband for shying away from a luxere’s instincts having never felt anything like them before. He sends a pulse of warm amusement down the bond, though, at Remi’s suggestion. [say]I think it would depend on if I was still fighting against you. I think a predatory luxere prowling through the Greatwood would be terrifying, personally.[/say]
Hearing Remi shift about has Ronin glancing back fleetingly, his antlers jingling a merry tune. [say]Coffee or cocoa?[/say] he wants to know regarding the drink, flicking an ear towards his husband before fairly prancing back towards the Sea of Branches. It isn’t long before it comes into view, and Ronin slows to a stop to allow the Lullaby to stand and stretch. [say]I can go and get everything, if you want to stay with the sled?[/say]
RE: [SE] hark the heralds - Remi - 09-08-2021
Remi blinks as he considers this. Quickly his imagination runs away with him, and instead of an actual luxere, what he views prowling through the woods is something taloned and vaguely scaled. It's deer-shaped, but there is little about the thing that Remi is imagining that suggests it's a herbivore.
[say]"Whiskey, with cocoa in it."[/say] Remi decides with a grin. The remainder of the chores they had for that day were fairly artistic in nature, so a bit of alcohol would surely only help. Besides, the alchemist was quite sure that if he didn't find a way to smooth away the luxere's jitters that still hummed in his bones, he'd end up sprinting around the Greatwood just to shake the feeling.
[say]'I think I can manage that.'[/say] The alchemist agrees warmly, and indeed takes the opportunity to stand and stretch out his shoulders and then down his sides as well.
RE: [SE] hark the heralds - Ronin - 09-08-2021
Unaware of the slightly ominous thoughts that invade his husband's mind, Ronin shifts back and shakes his head to make the bells still looped around him start to jangle. [say]"Now that sounds like a good plan,"[/say] he says of the spiked cocoa, rosy cheeked and smiling as he untangles himself. [say]"I won't be long."[/say] And if there's still something vaguely prancy about the Huntsman as he heads away into the Sea of Branches, so be it.
Ronin isn't gone for very long, and when he returns it's with all the things they'd spoken about; a few balloons in a paper bag ready to fill with water along with some little vials of food colouring, a container of rich stew and, of course, a flask of cocoa-whiskey for them to split while they continue their shenanigans. [say]"Ta daaa,"[/say] he chimes, greeting Remi with a kiss to the cheek and offering out the flask while he loads the cart with the rest of their purchases.
[say]"I'll pull the sled if you can feed me a sip of cocoa?"[/say]
RE: [SE] hark the heralds - Remi - 09-08-2021
Remi hasn't just been stretching in the time Ronin has gone to fetch them their drinks. What he has been doing is hopefully a mystery, at least for the time being. [say]'I'm not sure it's called feeding you, if it's a liquid.'[/say] The alchemist suggests with a thoughtful tilt of his head, before beckoning his husband over.
[say]"Before we go..."[/say] He says slowly, narrowing the emotions that come through their bond for just a few seconds. Slipping his arms around Ronin's shoulders, Remi tries to meet his husband's gaze and offer him an utterly mushy and adoring smile. [say]"I love you. Truly."[/say] So saying, tentacles sprout from his sides to bind Ronin against him, as the snowballs he'd been making during the Huntsman's absence are suddenly reached for.
With a cackle of delight, Remi will try and shove two of them down Ronin's collar all the while trying to pin him close and steal a kiss if Ronin's lips aren't too twisted with outrage.