used to live with ghosts

Sohalia

I'll spend forever wondering if you knew

The Northaven had been docked off the beach near Wildering House for some time - enough that the shape of the houseboat had become familiar to Soh when she woke up each morning and blearily glanced out her window. Knowing that Remi and Ronin had recently welcomed two new members of the family, she had largely kept her distance, giving them the space that she assumed would be welcomed as they settled into a new normal. Besides, she rarely had a reason to interact with Flora's dads, aside from the occasional greeting in passing.

But today was different. She'd learned from Flora that Remi could shift into a kraken - and kraken ink was something that she specifically needed for her quest from Safrin. While it pained her to interrupt the little family, she figured just a quick little trip - and a gift basket for the twins - might make her request a bit more palatable.

So despite her lingering exhaustion (she couldn't quite put her finger on why she was so tired), she forced herself to go into Haulani to build the perfect infant care package, complete with onesies, burp clothes, and loveys. And when she knocked on the door of the Northaven with her basket in hand, it was a determinedly cheerful smile on her face despite the headache that was starting to blossom behind her right eye.

I was enchanted to meet you

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

The knock lands sharp against the quiet of the Northaven, and the reaction is immediate and absolute; two voices rising in unison from somewhere deeper within the houseboat, thin and furious and utterly insistent. It cuts through the air like a struck chord, fragile peace shattered into something far more familiar. There’s the sound of movement almost at once—something set down a little too quickly, the soft drag of footsteps, a muted murmur that doesn’t quite reach words—and then the door opens just enough for Remi to lean his head out into the light.

He looks...tired. Not in any dramatic or unravelled way, but in the softened, lived-in sense of it; curls a touch more unruly than usual, eyes a little heavier at the edges, the line of his mouth gentler for it. The housecoat he wears hangs loosely, hastily tied, as though the act of dressing had been more obligation than intention. Still, when he sees Sohalia, there’s no frustration in his expression, no flicker of annoyance at the timing, only a quiet sort of acceptance, the kind that has already learned that silence is fleeting and rarely worth guarding.

"Hello, Sohalia," he says, his voice low, warm despite the exhaustion threading through it. One hand lifts briefly to push his curls back from his forehead, a gesture more reflex than thought, before dropping again to the doorframe as the cries behind him sharpen, followed by the sound of Ronin gently cooing.

A breath huffs softly from him—not quite a laugh, but close enough to carry the shape of one—and he glances back over his shoulder for the briefest moment, listening, gauging, before returning his attention to her.

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Sohalia

I'll spend forever wondering if you knew

In retrospect, knocking was probably a mistake. Soh realized this about the time she heard two tiny voices raise through the silence, and she winced at her lack of foresight. She should have sent a letter first, arranged a meeting - what had she been thinking, just dropping in on the pair and their newborns?

The door cracked open to reveal a tired-looking Remi. Soh smiled shyly, though her unspoken apology creased her brow still, hanging in the air between them like something physical. "Hi, Remi," she said softly. "I'm so sorry, I didn't think about knocking." Wincing as the cries behind the demigod sharpened, she held out her basket. "I brought you guys some things." Baby paraphernalia, but also some bits and bobs for the parents: eye masks, to aid with napping when the babies napped; snacks, to help keep them fed; and a few simple books she'd thought they might like, which she'd heard was helpful to stay awake during those late-night feeds.

I was enchanted to meet you

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

Remi’s head shakes almost at once, the motion small and easy, as though the apology has nowhere to land. "No, no—it is quite alright," he murmurs, the reassurance gentle and immediate, offered without hesitation or performance. Behind him, the twins’ cries continue to crest and fall in uneven waves, and he glances back only briefly, listening with the quiet attentiveness of someone already learning the difference between urgency and noise.

A faint, boyish lift of his shoulder follows, one corner of his mouth quirking as he looks back to her. "Sometimes a rogue wave will set them off," he adds, the comparison delivered with soft humour, as if the chaos behind him is simply another tide to be weathered rather than anything worth fretting over. His gaze drops then to the basket, and something warmer settles into his expression; gratitude, uncomplicated and sincere, threading through the fatigue. "This is very thoughtful," he says, reaching to take it from her with careful hands. "Thank you, Sohalia. Truly."

Rather than stepping aside to let her in, he eases the door gently toward its frame behind him, slipping out onto the front deck and letting it close with quiet precision, the cries muffling slightly once the barrier is between them. The movement is subtle, but intentional, and the apologetic curve of his smile returns as he shifts the basket lightly in his grasp. "Ronin is not...his best self, during Leafchange," he explains in a lowered voice, the words chosen with care but offered plainly enough, his tone carrying no weight of complaint, only context.

His fingers adjust absently at the edge of the basket, curls falling forward again as the sea breeze catches them, and he pushes them back with the side of his hand in a gesture that feels almost unconsciously habitual. "But this will help, more than you know."

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Sohalia

I'll spend forever wondering if you knew

Remi's reassurances gave Soh some small sense of relief; given that the twins had been very much wanted and planned, she supposed that Remi and Ronin had to have had some expectation that things would be like this. Still, as tiny cries rose from the houseboat, Soh couldn't help but feel as though she were intruding.

Soh handed over the basket. Remi stepped out, closing the door softly behind him. The babies' cries were subsequently muffled, but still very much audible, and Soh found herself wanting to offer assistance in spite of the fact that she knew next to nothing about how to soothe an infant. At Remi's quiet thanks, she turned her attention back to his tired face and offered what she hoped was an encouraging smile. "It's the least I could do," she said softly, as though her voice might carry through the door and to wherever the twins were currently crying. "After you helped me say goodbye to Tarak."

She paused, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "While I have you," she ventured hesitantly. "Flora had mentioned you might be able to help me with a quest. I need to find kraken ink - but I can totally find some elsewhere, if you need to get back to the boys."

I was enchanted to meet you

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

At the mention of Tarak, Remi’s smile softens into something more subdued, the warmth still there but touched through with memory as he dips his head in a small, understanding nod.

When Soh shifts, a hint of hesitation threading through her posture, Remi’s head tilts slightly, his attention sharpening in a quiet, attentive way as he listens. The mention of kraken ink has him closing his eyes briefly, his hand coming up to scrub through his curls as he exhales, the motion tired but familiar, like he’s already rearranging his priorities without complaint. "Of course I can," he says easily, as though there was never a question of it, glancing back over his shoulder toward the door, where the muffled cries still linger. There’s a flicker of something there—affection, responsibility—but it doesn’t pull him away from the moment.

"I’ll just need to shift to do it," he adds, turning back to her with a small smile that’s equal parts weary and patient. His gaze drops briefly to her hands before lifting again, something apologetic slipping into the curve of his mouth. "Do you have something to put it in?" he asks, gesturing lightly. "And I should warn you, it stains quite aggressively, including skin."

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Sohalia

I'll spend forever wondering if you knew

Remi closed his eyes on a brief exhale, running a hand through his curls, and Soh's guilt immediately deepened. She should have found some alternative to completing her quest, not pestered a new father with her own selfish needs. Even when the demigod agreed without complaint, she still felt that twinge in her chest. But it was done now, and she certainly wasn't going to burden Remi with apologies, wasn't going to make him have to make her feel better about her selfishness. No, that was a burden she could carry on her own.

"Thank you," she said softly. "I appreciate it." Pulling a jar from the bag she wore on her shoulder, she held it up. "I have this." Unscrewing the lid, she added, "I'll try and be careful not to stain anything." Although she was used to her hands being dotted with ink or charcoal from her mapmaking and journaling, somethign told her that this medium would be very different to work with, and she had no desire to have her fingers stained for all her days. Maybe she should have brought some gloves.

I was enchanted to meet you

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

Remi’s smile lingers, soft and easy, as Sohalia produces the jar. There’s no hesitation as he reaches out to take it, his fingers careful around the glass, his warmth steady despite the quiet fatigue that clings to him. "I will be right back," he promises, voice low and reassuring, as if stepping away were no more consequential than crossing a room.

He turns, moving with that same unthinking grace that seems to follow him even now, and without ceremony slips over the edge of the Northaven. The water receives him with a clean, quiet sound, the surface breaking and smoothing again in the span of a breath. For a moment, there is only the gentle shift of the tide, then the ripples widen as he resurfaces briefly a short distance out, drawing in a breath before disappearing beneath the surface once more, this time for longer.

It isn’t long before something moves beneath it and the surface dimples, then lifts, and from it emerges a massive, slick length of something unmistakably not human. A tentacle rises, deliberate and controlled, its movement careful despite its size, the skin dark and glistening in the daylight. One of its suckers holds the jar, secured with surprising gentleness, extended toward Sohalia’s feet with the sort of precision that suggests far more awareness than brute instinct.

Only once the jar is taken does the appendage loosen its hold, withdrawing back into the water with a slow, sinuous motion, leaving behind only the faint disturbance of its passing. A few moments later, Remi reappears at the ladder, hauling himself back onto the Northaven with easy strength. Water streams from him as he climbs, one hand pushing wet curls from his face as he regains the deck, the housecoat clinging a bit more heavily now where it’s soaked through.

There’s a quiet exhale as he straightens, as though the shift back into himself settles into place just beneath his skin, and when he looks back to Sohalia, there’s that same gentle steadiness in his expression. "That should be enough," he says, voice soft, as if mindful of the fragile quiet just beyond the door. "But let me know if you need more."

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Sohalia

I'll spend forever wondering if you knew

How Remi could be so soft and kind when Soh had interrupted valuable family time - and made the twins cry, too - she didn't quite understand, but the depth of her gratitude was evident in her silver gaze as she handed over the jar. She waited on the deck as Remi slipped into the water, shifting anxiously in place until the surface rippled, breaking to reveal a large tentacle lifting free. Reaching out a tentative hand, Soh took the now-full jar, sealing the lid in place as Remi's tentacle disappeared once more beneath the waves.

When the demigod emerged from the water, Soh smiled gratefully. "Thank you so much," she said, practically vibrating with excitement. "This means so much to me, seriously." Despite the urge to run off to a shrine immediately, Soh nonetheless calmed herself enough to say, "I'll get out of your hair, but if you guys ever need a babysitter, or more supplies, or anything - just let me know!"

And only once they'd said a proper goodbye would Soh turn away, leaving the Northaven behind with a bounce in her step.

fin

I was enchanted to meet you