A flower for your thoughts

From the Rainbow Road shrine to the Northaven, Hadama had swam the distance slowly with his precious cargo held close. The journey gave him time to acknowledge his grief in the sacrifice of Ray's wand, and to recompose himself before he arrived at his destination. A short time later, his head broke the water near the flowering houseboat, more steel than silver under the Flowerbirth clouds that promised more rain soon.

"Remi? Ronin? Are you home?" He raised his rumbling voice from its usual quiet levels in order to be heard inside the boat. "I have brought a... gift." Uncertain whether he could speak freely, he left his initial words vague in case the husbands were not, in fact, in residence at the moment. But while he waited he swam closer to the houseboat's edge so that they would not need to yell their conversation, and so that he could more easily deliver his promised corsage.

REMI

After having had a busy morning of patrolling the waters for pirate ships as a kraken - a new hobby the Bastion had taken up - Remi was just about ready to settle down for a mid-afternoon nap when the sound of the Tidebreaker's voice stopped him just as he was about to fluff one of his pillows. Frowning and tugging on a pair of sweatpants so that the King wouldn't be forced to bear witness to his deer-covered boxers, he poked opened the side door of the Northaven and narrowed his eyes against the sunlight.

"Hello Hadama." He called once he spied the Tidebreaker, raising a hand in greeting. Ruffling a hand through his curls and making his way toward the railing, Remi peered over. "Do you want to come up? I can put the kettle on and make some tea?"

There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors
When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours

Code stolen from Queen Sky

If Hadama was surprised to find Remi in a state of tousled ease, looking like he had either just woken up or was getting ready to lie down, he did not show it. He regarded the Bastion with the same calm serenity his face often held, regardless of his true emotions. He simply raised his hand in greeting and finished approaching the edge of the boat, staying just far enough back that he could look up at Remi silhouetted against the sky without breaking his neck.

The invitation gave him a moment's pause, but then he inclined his head in solemn gratitude. "Yes, thank you. Tea would be... appreciated." And he did not want to risk dropping the box or having it snatched by a passing Voidbound Hel.

Trading mertail for legs and with the Bastion's assistance soon had the Tidebreaker aboard the houseboat, and Hadama looked around the deck with its many plants and flowers with curiosity. It was the first time he had seen the Northaven from this angle, and he nodded in appreciation at the homey touches visible on the deck. "Your home is lovely." In spite of the gravity of his visit the edges of his eyes crinkled, warming in appreciation of the lush, vibrant combination of water and air and plants that comprised the houseboat. "Have you been well?"

REMI

Opening up a small gate in an otherwise ivy-covered railing, Remi nudged down a small rope ladder for the Tidebreaker to climb. No doubt the Bastion could have just offered his hand and hauled the other man up, but he found such overt displays of strength weren't always welcome, especially when they weren't necessary. Instead, he simply stepped to the side, before closing the gate once Hadama was onboard.

"Ah, thank you." Grinning over his shoulder before beckoning Hadama inside, the king would find the first floor of the houseboat cozy if not spacious. "Have a seat if you like." Gesturing to one of two chairs around a small breakfast table, Remi moved into the kitchenette to set water on the stove.

"Well as can be, I suppose. Ronin and I have been wandering around Frey's Breath off and on looking for lilies." No luck of course, but it was something to do over and above Remi's newfound affinity for krakening-around the ocean and sinking rogue pirate ships.

There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors
When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours

Code stolen from Queen Sky

It was the first time that Hadama had been presented with a rope ladder but Remi was patient and the Tidebreaker learned as he went. The first few rungs proved the trickiest but there was something to be said for raw muscle - even if he felt humbled in that regard by his host.

He followed Remi, ducking inside and taking the offered seat at the comfortable breakfast nook as the Bastion made their tea. News of the quests to Frey's Breath had him nodding in acknowledgment. "I have also not had luck searching there," he admitted, though he had been going with Seren even before they had gained official divine guidance on the flowers. "But Frey was willing to take the lily from Ray's wand." He lifted the bag from his side and carefully removed the box from inside it to set on the table. Aside from being waterproof and well-constructed there was nothing outwardly special about it, but when he opened it the padded interior cradled one of Rae's Lilies in its heart. "If you and Ronin would guard it until it is needed?"

REMI

"It was a good thing she was listening in." The Bastion chuckled as he reached for a box of various teas and set them on the table for Hadama to choose from, only to be presented with a box that had his stomach sinking somewhat. Watching as Hadama lifted the unremarkable lid to reveal one of the stunning flowers, Remi nibbled at the inside of his cheek, brows raising with unsaid thoughts. "Yes, of course we will." He murmured a touch belatedly. There were several drawers beneath his and Ronin's bed that could easily house the box he'd been given.

"I'll send out a note to the others." He says a touch vaguely before the whistling of the kettle has him turning away. Returning with two cups held gently in a tentacle that seemed to curl out of one hip and the kettle, Remi slid into the chair opposite the Tidebreaker. "We have milk, honey...whiskey if you're in that sort of mood." He offers with a lopsided smile.

There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors
When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours

Code stolen from Queen Sky

"Yes," Hadama said simply, turning his gaze downward to the teas as the grief and pride pressed against his ribs with every beat of his heart. All of Mort's Halls to spend eternity in among her friends and family that had gone before, and still the loyal herbalist continued to watch over Torchline and himself. His fingers tightened gently on the tea box as he breathed slowly, letting himself grieve for a few moments before carefully folding the powerful emotions away for later.

A deeper breath as he regained his serene facade, and then he plucked a bag of Stormbreak Breakfast with a nod of thanks. His own gift was met with less excitement, and the Tidebreaker closed the box again before relinquishing it to its new owners, hiding its contents with a contemplative gaze upon the Bastion.

"It could also be used to drive the corruption out of one of the Wild regions," he rumbled quietly. "Especially if that would weaken them before you challenge their stronghold." A slower approach, but perhaps a wiser one if it meant less danger for those taking part in the assault. As Flora had recently looked at him, he now looked at Remi, not wishing to see his co-ruler's father put in more danger than necessary.

He accepted his cup without batting an eye at the tentacle - it was perfectly reasonable, given the number of octopi Mer in the Underwater City - and the corners of his eyes softened as he nodded. "Milk and honey, please. Though I will not mind if you prefer whiskey." Given the news that he had brought, a stiff drink was understandable.

As he sweetened his tea he spoke again, his voice innocent as he drew the conversation away from the violet shadow on their border. "Have you heard of the kraken sightings recently?"

REMI

"Mmmmm.." Rubbing at his eyes, the gesture meant to lay bare just how weary Remi found all of this, the Bastion let his hands fall helplessly to his sides as he gave his head a little shake. "Truly, I don't know what the right thing to do is." He murmurs, his sea glass stare falling upon the Tidebreaker. "I'm inclined to go to Starfall and try and stop things before they worsen, but then...I've never been one for strategy." He'd never had to be, not even with one war only a few years behind them now.

Reaching for milk and honey respectively and setting them down with a combination of fingers and tentacles, Remi laughed under his breath before giving his head a little shake no. He'd stick with honey; for the moment, at least.

Dropping a bag of something that smelled spicy and earthen into his cup followed by a healthy portion of honey, the Bastion's eyes flicked across the table at the mention of Kraken sightings. Grinning, before tugging his lips down into a thoughtful frown, Remi shrugged. "I couldn't possibly say. I have heard that pirate attacks are down, though."

There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors
When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours

Code stolen from Queen Sky

He might empathize, but there was little he could do to lift some of the weight from Remi's shoulders. Hadama might have been a King, but in games of gods he was still a piece on the board with little value as yet. He could only incline his head in acceptance of the Bastion's gut feeling, and his experience as one of the only people to have stood on Starfall before. "Do as you think best," he said simply. "I will support you how I can."

His cup was decidedly milder than Remi's thanks to the generous dollop of milk that was added alongside his chosen bag of tea, and he stirred it slowly as he waited for it to steep. Talk of ships and the tentacles that brought them down was, at least for the moment, a far more welcome topic of conversation and Hadama was pleased to see the grin back on his host's face. "Yes. A lucky coincidence." Emerald eyes sparkled in his serene face. "There is talk in the Underwater City. Conjecture. On whether the kraken in the Maw is perhaps not a 'daddy' after all. Or if it is instead a, hm, a 'Big Mommy Kraken.'" Each word was spoken with slow, careful precision and due gravitas belied only by the subtle thread of humor in the Attuned bond as he shared the rumors of possible baby krakens in the region.

REMI

"Well, best not to let Ronin hear that rumour." The Bastion chuckles, widening his eyes ever so slightly before hiding his grin behind the rim of his cup. "Then again, perhaps he's even the one who'd been spreading it, I never quite know with him." So long as it wasn't Leafchange the Knight was fairly measured when it came to his jealousy.

Content to drink his tea and continue their lighthearted banter rather than lingering on the weight of what lay in the box the Tidebreaker had brought, Remi filled Hadama in on the things he and Ronin had been working on—Ronin gallivanting around Torchline as its own personal (and literal) White Knight, as well as Mateo's exploits up in Stormbreak. Likely Hadama knew more about what Flora was up to than even Remi did (something regularly scheduled family dinners would help with, he hoped.

When their tea had been drank and the remaining water gone cold, the Bastion walked the Tidebreaker back toward the side of the Northaven with a pulse of appreciation for what he'd done with Ray's wand through their bond, before seeing him off.

~FIN

There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors
When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours

Code stolen from Queen Sky