no bullies or bums, the chums are tens here

the bastion

Following the cheerful din from the kitchen, Remi appears a moment later with Oria perched lightly on his shoulder, the little spriggan half-hidden in the tumble of his curls. He leaves Ronin to his culinary crusade—some lessons, he’s learned, are best left to repeat themselves—and drifts instead toward the room where Mateo sits with his cocktail and the soft murmur of rain pressing at the windows. The sound of Flora’s voice catches him in passing, and he returns her grin with one of quiet pride, nodding to both her and Kaisel as they move toward the kitchen.

"Flora. Kaisel." His tone is easy, low and warm, carrying that familiar lilt of the travelling tongue before he turns his attention to his son.

Pausing near the edge of the lounge, Remi hesitates long enough for Oria to tug at one of his curls in gentle impatience. A faint smile stirs across his lips as he gestures lightly toward the glass in Mateo’s hand. "Sembra delizioso, Mateo" he says, voice soft and tentative, like he’s testing how close he’s allowed to stand. "C’è qualche possibilità che tu possa farne uno anche per me?"

The question carries more than it asks—less about the drink, more about the space between them—and though he tries to mask it with a faint tilt of humour, his eyes betray the quiet hope that maybe, tonight, they might start to find their way back.

I got a feeling inside that I can't domesticate
It doesn't wanna live in a cage,
A feeling that I can't housebreak

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!