[God Quest] black coffee morning

wild in the silence; no way to make it right

Along with the items he was asked to bring, Remi has also plucked a few of his own feathers to tether into the design. Perhaps that is precisely the sort of reminder of him that Finn won't want, but the alchemist has never seen a dreamcatcher that does not boast feathers before.

In his hair are still a few braids and bits of dried fruit thanks to Fiadh, not that Remi minds. Laying the collected stones and the rope, Remi extends a single claw that he presses against the outside of his upper arm. Why everyone feels compelled to slice into their palms when in need of blood is beyond him. There are far less aggravating places that release just as much blood. So doing, he collects the few droplets with the container that holds the Wicker Woman sap, before adding his feathers to the collection of items.

'Quite the graveyard beneath the Falling.' Remi muses. 'Though I am sure that is not news to you.'

THE ALCHEMIST

i’ve been chasin the storm of a lovesick lonely lie

ludo Braved the forests, braved the stone Braved the icy winds and fire Braved and beat them on my own "It it not. A shame that you were not around to offer succor to those who jumped or went down with their ships," Ludo muses, nothing more than a child's voice in the trees. Before the Lullaby, the items he has brought (yes, and the extras) lift into the air, dismantling themselves into their material components. The rope becomes mere threads, which braid themselves into the dreamcatcher, sprinkled in with stones from the Waterways that suddenly seem much smaller and more delicate. As well as this, the catcher glistens with drops of solidified sap, amber and red infusing into it, helping to suspend hawk feathers from its tail. Once it is done, it hovers before Remi, almost expectant. "There," says Ludo. "Whoever hangs this above their bed will be safe from your meddling in their dreams." Remi has received the following item: Lullaby's Nightmare | A dreamcatcher infused with Remi Taliesin's blood. Whoever sleeps beneath it will be immune to his Hushabye magic.

wild in the silence; no way to make it right

Reaching out a hand to accept the dreamcatcher, Remi holds it gently between his fingers, marvelling at the herald's craftsragship. "I do not mean to meddle." Remi says, unsure if he's trying to defend himself or just assuage his conscience of guilt. Either way, he huffs out a small sigh.

"Thank you for this. I am not sure if it matters to you or not that I cannot always control where I wake up but...if it does, I am working on it." In fits and starts to be sure, but it also wasn't really the sort of thing one could just dedicate a specific amount of time to per day with any sort of success.

THE ALCHEMIST

i’ve been chasin the storm of a lovesick lonely lie

ludo Braved the forests, braved the stone Braved the icy winds and fire Braved and beat them on my own "And I do not mean to Ludo. But here we are." Ludo's voice sort of sounds like a shrug, the herald still not making an appearance in the woods, but there is a sense of satisfaction in the air that suggests it is content with Remi's approval of its work. "It does not matter to me, sweetling. At least not presently. But if it matters to you, all the better that you try to work on it." A soft wind blows through the trees and Remi will feel as though something is wrapping around him, however briefly, before it flutters away again. "Is there anything else you wish to discuss?" it wonders. Usually Remi is there and gone again within moments; they have not been one for small talk since his ascension.

wild in the silence; no way to make it right

Ludo Ludo's and the alchemist finds himself nodding at some moss that climbs up the side of one of the trees.

"One thing." Remi replies with a nod, unsure if the herald could simply spoop about in his mind or if he really was so predictable. (It was probably both). "With tensions rising and confrontations coming more and more often...I have realized that my ability to attack from a distance is more limited than some of the others. I can shield, I can manticore, I can cause fear and leave my body, but I can't..." In his mind he pictures Amalia's objects of starlight, or Ronin's starbolts and various tattoos. Rolling his wrist to indicate the words he's unable to say, Remi finds there's no where for him to offer a helpless shrug, and so he merely frowns out into the forest.

"I know I am strong and that I can attack in close range without having to worry about my health. But unless I am a manticore, there is very little I can do."

THE ALCHEMIST

i’ve been chasin the storm of a lovesick lonely lie

ludo Braved the forests, braved the stone Braved the icy winds and fire Braved and beat them on my own "One thing, but it is no small thing." Ludo says softly. From the darkness, a rag reaches out to tap gently at his jaw. Cheeky, it seems to say. (Because I c u, using a god quest turn in to get another quest). "You can do all of these things that mere mortals can barely dream about, but there is little you can do," it repeats. Now there is a sensation of raised eyebrows in the herald's voice. "What would you like, sweetling? The ability to breathe fire? The ability to throw rocks? To shoot arrows of ice and lightning? Oh! What about knives that cut souls?" If Remi notices that the herald is making fun, that is very good on him. "Look within at all that you already have, sweetling, and tell me what you believe you are missing, and I will do my best for you."

wild in the silence; no way to make it right

"I never said it was." Remi says, not flinching away from the rag brushing against his jaw, but starting at its sudden appearance just the same. Shall I make you do another thread then?

While the herald might sound incredulous, the alchemist merely shrugs. "If I was fighting mere mortals, I would not be asking." The Lullaby points out. But against the likes of Wessex and now Nate? Against the Voice perhaps?

"I can already throw rocks." He replies laughing, knowing he's being made fun of and following right in the wake cut by Ludo's suggestions. Then, though, Remi's expression grows grave and it's to his feet that his pale eyes fall. "You have not asked me yet explicitly to be part of this war, but I am not an idiot despite evidence otherwise. I know there will come a day. And even if there does not, I will not let Ronin fight this war on his own. Lightning made of shadows. Bolts that do indeed hurt souls instead of bodies. Hangman made real, I don't know." With a laugh that speaks of a gross lack of preparation, Remi just shakes his head. "I only know that if I have to be in close range to do damage, that in large conflicts, I will be at a disadvantage."

THE ALCHEMIST

i’ve been chasin the storm of a lovesick lonely lie

ludo Braved the forests, braved the stone Braved the icy winds and fire Braved and beat them on my own Nah I rolled you're good. Remi's explanation makes an annoying amount of sense, and the trees huff as Ludo realises it has lost the game it didn't know it was playing. "Oh, boo," it says, and the pale and dark eyed youth finally peeps around one of the tree trunks to pout at Remi. "Fine. But I'm no good at anything like that, so you and I are going to have to be sneaky about it." Raising a finger to its lips, it makes a shhh! gesture. "Come back to the woods when you've done everything you need to do, and we'll see what happens." Remi has received a quest from Ludo! He must complete: - 1 thread making an offering to Safrin - 1 thread making an offering to Frey - 1 thread making an offering to Ludo (make it better than the others) - 1 thread being hit by at least one ability from a demigod of Remi's choosing

wild in the silence; no way to make it right

Remi's eyes raise slowly to where a familiar face suddenly peers at from behind the trunk of a towering willow. He does his best to feign surprise upon hearing that there's something the herald isn't good at, but the expression is wiped away to hear what it is he must do. Indeed, the shhhhhhhhhhh gesture makes much more sense.

Running his tongue across his teeth, the alchemist's brows furrow for a moment but only in thoughtfulness rather than disagreement. 'Well.' Chuckling under his breath, Remi nods, more to himself than to Ludo. "This should be...interesting." That was one word for it. Hilarious? Painful? Confusing? Those were likely candidates as well.

~FIN

THE ALCHEMIST

i’ve been chasin the storm of a lovesick lonely lie