save the victory speeches for later

there will be scrapes and sutures; viciousness and victory

"...So that's why we're fixing up this wreck of a sailboat," Ronin concludes as he walks the deck of the little vessel, shrugging helplessly to Remi and testing the deck for any loose or broken planks. He'd gotten the boat from someone looking to scrap it, despite her being seaworthy enough. Bad memories or too much work to fix up or both, either way, one man's trash and all that - by the time the Taliesins are done with her, too, she'll hopefully be up to Flora's standards.

Having just recalled his meeting with their daughter and all of its nuances and difficulties, it's no lie that Ronin looks weary as he goes about his checks, but he's bright enough for the work ahead. Having anchored the vessel to the Northaven so they might hop between them for supplies and snacks and other necessities (mainly the aforementioned snacks), he moves to stand at the stern of the boat to smile to his husband. "Penny for your thoughts about it all, if you don't mind?"

RONIN

& my heart ran away from me

Remi stands near the mast, one hand braced lazily against the worn wood, his curls tousled by the coastal breeze. He watches Ronin move about the deck with the easy grace that always creeps in when the Knight is near the sea, but his expression is more complicated than fondness alone. "Penny for my thoughts?" he echoes, glancing sidelong toward the Northaven where it's moored nearby, a flicker of something sarcastic in his voice. "I thought we were buying our way back into the fight with their safety." His gaze drifts back to Ronin, softening despite the frustration tightening behind his ribs. "With them in the safe haven, we’d finally be free to do something again." A pause, heavy, as he leans both hands on the railing, staring down at the turquoise chop below.

There’s a flash in his expression—not quite anger, but a rare helplessness he doesn’t wear well. "You were right, though. Dahlia keeping her word isn’t something anyone should bet on." The breeze carries the scent of salt and hibiscus, but it does little to soothe. "Maybe we should try to bring everyone to Haulani anyway. Jack seems half-resigned already to being caged. Sohalia lives in Torchline. Would it really be so hard to convince the rest?" Without a full roster of those Flora cared about the Bastion was just grasping at straws, he knew, but it seemed absurd to be creating a place of safety and still being handicapped by others being in danger.

THE

BASTION

Table coding by Sky

there will be scrapes and sutures; viciousness and victory

"You and me both," Ronin says almost under his breath, but of course he doesn't need to speak up for Remi to know what he's thinking. Testing the strength and resilience of the wood and the masts and anything else he can find on deck, he only pauses when he's satisfied, heading towards the small steps that will lead him below. But not before brushing past Remi and leaving a soft kiss on his cheek; with it, his own frustration and burning helplessness floods through to the Bastion, and he murmurs an apology.

"Normally I'd agree with you, but if you hadn't noticed, Flora is something of a social butterfly. I'm sure even if we rounded up everyone we thought mattered into Haulani, there'd be someone we missed." He sighs. "I understand why she did it this way, but I really wish she hadn't agreed to those terms. We're just as useless as we were before, just with a big, anti-Family bubble to hide behind now."

RONIN

& my heart ran away from me

Remi exhales through his nose, the kiss to his cheek doing nothing to dim the flicker of frustration that rises in him at Ronin’s words, though it does ease the jagged edge of it. He doesn’t pull away, just leans into the touch like he always does, like Ronin is still gravity and Remi’s always falling toward him.

"Mmm, so I've noticed," he mutters, mouth twisting wryly. His gaze follows his husband toward the small stairway below, though he doesn’t move to follow just yet. His hands curl around the railing in a silent, restless mimic of tension.

"I suppose there's no use wishing that she'd made different choices," Remi says at last, voice low and bitter with helpless love. His fingers tap once against the rail, then again, and finally he straightens. "Still, unless we're going to shove her through the barrier, maybe it's time to start thinking creatively. I wonder if there isn't some way of tethering her and Mateo's life to ours somehow?"

THE

BASTION

Table coding by Sky

Come play!

In the wind you hear voices. It sounds like children playing some kind of game with laughter and mischief. Then one screams. There’s a call for ‘Mom!’ ‘Papa!’ and other adults as the laughter stops. Glancing towards the direction of the commotion, you’ll see fins cutting the water. A pack of echo sharks lurks, ready to leap up and grab any who fall for their trap.

---

You’ve encountered a pack of echo sharks. This counts as a common creature encounter for the purposes of levelling, but does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention. If you choose to follow this creature, you do so at your own risk, however, just having it in this thread is enough to satisfy your levelling requirements.

Echo Shark (common) - A dwarf species of shark known for hunting in packs, the Echo Shark can live in both freshwater and saltwater. They are able to mimic any sound they’ve heard and band together to increase their range of vocals. The sharks use the words and sounds they’ve learned to lure unsuspecting prey into the water, where the sharks will then leap up and drag them into the waves.

there will be scrapes and sutures; viciousness and victory

"Much as I love her, I won't lie, there were a few times during our conversation that I was tempted to do just that," Ronin admits, scoffing and heading down into the space beneath the deck to check it for damp and integrity - and to see if it would have enough space for all of Flora's things, of course. "You mean like what you can do with taking injuries for other people, but permanent and tethered to just them?" he asks, his voice echoing to call up to Remi.

"If anyone could do it, we know just the gods," he says in a quiet, more thoughtful voice. "Though there's no guarantee that won't be used against us either." Pausing after his initial look over to pinch at the bridge of his nose and sigh, eventually Ronin just shakes his head. "It's too late to ground her, I take?" he mutters, leaning against one of the walls. "There's just no reasoning with her."

RONIN

& my heart ran away from me

Remi makes a soft sound of agreement in his throat at Ronin’s question—low and speculative—though he doesn’t interrupt just yet. His fingers trail across the railing again as his mind churns with possibilities. Tethering life force wasn’t something he’d explored with any seriousness since he became Mort's demigod rather than Ludo's, but the idea itches at something in him. If it’s possible… The thought doesn’t finish, because suddenly—

He straightens sharply, every inch of his body snapping to attention at the shriek of "Mom!" in the wind.

His grip tightens on the railing and he leans over the edge just as the water stirs unnaturally, fins slicing through the shallows. With a heavy sigh, Remi turns away from the meddlesome creatures, reaching out instead for the Knight to draw him close. "I suppose we could try, but I can see her channelling one of us to let her out if we did." Whatever door they locked her behind, Flora was more than capable of escaping from, he was sure.

"No, there really isn't," Remi agrees with a resigned sigh as he laces his fingertips around his husband's waist. "Do you think Mateo will stay in the city?"

THE

BASTION

Table coding by Sky

there will be scrapes and sutures; viciousness and victory

Glancing up as Remi joins him where he's stood belowdecks, Ronin smiles without much warmth and steps up from the wall to slip his arms around his husband in turn. "Of course she would," he almost drawls, his arms looping gently around the Bastion's shoulders, teasing an errant curl around one of his fingers. "So I guess this is us, then. Instead of using our great and terrible powers to make a difference and face this new threat, we'll... renovate a boat."

Sighing and leaning in to kiss Remi's cheek as if to hide the disappointment in his expression, of course it's pointless given the other man's magic, but it's the thought that counts. "I don't know," he says honestly of Mateo. "All we can do is ask, I suppose? He can sail down in La Verbena at least - or have Everest do it, when he's feeling well enough - but I know most of his life is up in Stormbreak. Still, I think even Mateo must realise by now that things are getting bad."

RONIN

& my heart ran away from me

Remi huffs softly—not quite a laugh, not quite a sigh—and lets his arms settle fully around Ronin’s waist, tucking them together in the quiet space between weathered wood and the complexities of being both parents and demigods. "Mmm. I don’t mind fixing up a boat," he murmurs, voice low and fond against Ronin’s jaw. "It feels nice to make something with you."

His curls twitch under the gentle twist of Ronin’s fingers, and though he doesn't speak of it aloud, the way his magic flares faintly in response betrays the ache of frustration and helplessness still coiled beneath his ribs. They should be doing more, if only there was a clear way forward. But then again, what would be left of either of them if Flora or Mateo were caught in the crossfire?

"Maybe you should ask him. I have not spoken to him since LongNight." Memories of the gift placed at Mateo's feet, of promises to be available if and when his son was ready to talk ringing in his ears.

Straightening, Remi twists and gives an experimental rap against a nearby wall to try and gauge the sturdiness of its construction. "Want to place bets on what Flora will call this thing when we're doing with it?"

THE

BASTION

Table coding by Sky

there will be scrapes and sutures; viciousness and victory

"Make rather than repair you mean?" Ronin says with a grin, tilting his head at Remi and forcing himself to relax despite the prickling waves of discomfort and frustration that this conversation seems to have brought to the surface. "I still intend to make that training space out where Sunjata's boxing ring used to be. I just... a lot has happened." Dahlia's threat, being infected, Seren dying... safe to say that Ronin hasn't been able to give his personal projects much attention lately.

Leaning readily into the familiar weight of his husband's embrace, he glances sidelong at the wall as Remi gives it a tap, raising an eyebrow as if to ask what he thinks. "I can speak to him," he confirms of Mateo. "And I'll help tow his schooner down if Ever doesn't think he's up to it," he adds, not wanting to risk their son changing his mind or him having to wait up in Stormbreak indefinitely.

As for Flora and her boat's name, Ronin scoffs. "Perhaps something related to The Hanged Man? Or to Spice?" he suggests. "If we're lucky maybe it'll be named after us, but I doubt it." Grinning, he steps back from the other man at last.

"From what I can see, at least, the basics are fine. Just needs a good clean, some new paintwork and finish, and a new set of sails. And to be decorated, of course."

RONIN

& my heart ran away from me

Remi grins at the confirmation, a quiet breath of laughter escaping through his nose as he leans a shoulder lightly into Ronin’s. "Exactly that," he agrees, and his magic flits along the edge of his skin again, brushing gently against Ronin’s in that wordless way of his—warmth and agreement and want all folded together like fingers laced in the dark.

At the mention of the boxing ring, his smile falters just a touch and he exhales slowly, fingers resettling against the railing. "Maybe it’s time to move it into the city anyway," he murmurs, thoughtful. "Wouldn’t be built on the bones of the old one, but... at least it would be safe for those wanting to use it."

As Ronin steps back, Remi leans against the nearest beam, giving a noncommittal little hmm at the boat’s condition. It'll take work, sure, but they've tackled worse. Far worse. "If she names it something flattering, I’ll be suspicious," he says dryly. "More likely she’ll go with something like The Burden of Inheritance."

His mouth twitches into a lopsided grin as he glances back toward the deck. "You take the paintwork. I’ll do the sails. And if she shows up mid-way through and decides it’s all wrong, I’m going to personally gift her the name The Ungrateful Tide."

THE

BASTION

Table coding by Sky

there will be scrapes and sutures; viciousness and victory

Wrinkling his nose - if only because he hates the idea that even his own plans now march to the beat of The Family's drum - Ronin lets out a long sigh and gives a reluctant nod. "It'll keep me busy as well I guess," he says, before gesturing around at the sailboat. "After we've finished this incredibly dangerous and taxing work, of course." Smirking now, he tucks his hands into his pockets and gives the living quarters another, final once over.

"I knew I'd end up with the paintwork," he says with an exaggerated huff - not like he hasn't been painting for days on their own boat - but nonetheless starts to head back up to the deck so he can work on cleaning the place out before he starts. "Not Queen of the Sea?" he asks, grinning over his shoulder at Remi and hopping back across to The Northaven. "Or The Pride of Torchline?"

Remi's next suggestion is far too apt to argue with, though, and Ronin barks out a laugh that echoes out from their houseboat before he emerges with a sweeping brush and other supplies. "Alright," he says, "let's get to work."

RONIN

& my heart ran away from me

Remi groans at the suggestion of Queen of the Sea, lifting his eyes to the heavens as if Safrin herself might come down and smite them for the blasphemy. "Queen of the Sea sounds like something she’d name ironically and then refuse to explain," he mutters, pushing off the beam with a shake of his head and trailing after Ronin. "Though Pride of Torchline does have a certain self-congratulatory flair. Though with how upset certain people seem to be over her recent actions, maybe we can convince her to add a disclaimer in smaller letters underneath. Something like: Not endorsed by actual Torchliners."

He hops lightly across after Ronin, landing barefoot on the deck of the Northaven with a soft thud. His curls are already starting to frizz from the sea air, and he pushes them back with an absent swipe before catching the broom tossed his way. "Let it be known that I agreed to manual labour under false pretenses," he grumbles, though the lopsided smile curving his mouth suggests he’s far from displeased.

Gathering a length of canvas and a set of brushes, Remi tosses a glance over his shoulder, seaglass eyes bright with mischief. "Last one to finish has to break the name to her." Then, teasingly, he adds: "And if she names it after us anyway, I’m going to assume it’s only so she can eventually sink it."

THE

BASTION

Table coding by Sky

there will be scrapes and sutures; viciousness and victory

"I could arrange that, since whatever she names it, I imagine I will be the one painting it on the side of this boat," Ronin says with a crooked smile, hopping back from their houseboat to Flora's home-in-progress and setting down his supplies so he can begin, at first, by sweeping and wiping everything down. (And getting rid of any random pieces of trash he knows he's likely to find down there).

Smooching Remi on the way past to begin with the top deck, Ronin doesn't hide his smug grin. "But you did agree to it," he tells him, his projection popping up nearby to pat the Bastion on the butt and take up a cloth to add to their efforts. "And fine, I'll agree to your challenge, now that I know I've got twice the hands to work with." He chuckles, before bending to get to sweeping. "She's lucky it isn't trying to sink all by itself, anyway. Who knows, though - maybe I'll clean off everything holding the boat together?"

Only time will tell on that front.

~FIN

RONIN