That's my life, nothing is sacred

Since Fiat Lux, Remi had been gone.

Sam had not been at the festival - it was too much during the day to be comfortable and besides, he'd felt worried about the chances of someone growing mad at his presence there. Now that he'd been voted for the position of Natural Adviser he was beginning to realise his reputation might not be as awful as he had imagined, but at the time of the festival he had believed himself very unpopular indeed.

He'd heard that Remi had not died. Aoife had, but then...some said Remi disappeared, some said in a puff of smoke or a beam of light. Others said he probably had died and simply gotten lost in the mudslides. Sam had trouble believing that one. Remi was very strong and after Ronin had been taken by Safrin, he suspected the same had to have happened to his friend.

There was only one way to find out and he was terrified to try it. Last time he'd prayed at a shrine he'd been burnt by the sun and sent away, but he could not stop thinking of Remi, of how his friend could be lost and wondering when anyone would look for him. His stone seemed to be being pressed at all times of day; a sign of great distress.

It was a sign of desperation that he eventually ended up at Phoebe's door. He had not spoken to her in a long time, but especially not after she had become a Portal Guardian. Would she even speak to him, he wondered? With a sigh, he knocked on the clinic door, the dusk sky casting a shadow over the doorway.

It had been a long time since Sam had spoken with Phoebe. In that time, she had lost her first love, lost her sister-in-law, lost two children, lost her nephews, lost her brother and his child and husband; loss after loss after loss. So much so that who she had been had been lost in the process, now married to a man she didn't love, pursuing the health of a people who did not recognize her, and the last shred of light left in her shattered soul held by Frey, and Frey alone. Would the nervous Ascended even recognize the midwife when she deigned answer the door?

The blonde appeared in the doorway, her brightness and sunny demeanor long since gone, looking thin and pale and near lifeless. Honeyed brown eyes looked down at him, distant and lacking warmth. Even the smile she offered seemed forced. [say]"Hello, Sam. How can I help you?"[/say] she said softly, voice dead, unfeeling, uncaring - not unkind but not kind either. The sound of nothingness and nothing more.

As Phoebe opened the door, Sam did not at first notice any difference in her. After all, everyone in the town was rather sallow and depressed at the moment, especially after the terrors of Fiat Lux; he was no exception, even with his preserved Ascended looks. It was only when she spoke and he heard the tone of her voice that he became aware something may have been wrong.

He blinked, wondering if she was taking offence against him due to her role as a Guardian, but he could not feel any hostility behind her words. Just exhaustion, which he could certainly understand.

[say]"Hello Phoebe. Ah...could we speak inside? It's a little personal."[/say] Sam did not want to talk of this out in the streets. After Ronin had taken to demolition work, he and his spouse had hardly been a popular topic of conversation among the people of Sanctuary. Lowly, Sam leaned forward and added: [say]"...It's about Remi."[/say]

"...it's about Remi."

The sound of his name falling off Sam's tongue had her gripping the edge of the door she held so tightly the tendons in her wrist bulged. And though it might be assumed from the shared anger of the people at Ronin destroying the Temple, it was instead from a place of grief. Temple be damned - she would as soon see ten such temples crumble and fall if only to have her brother once more. The gods didn't need temples, humans did, and she felt increasingly less compassionate towards her fellow man with each passing day.

Silently she stepped aside so Sam could come in, Pim poking up his head from where he lay, sprawled out on one of the couches. But seeing who it was he lay his head back down again. [say]"What is it about Remi."[/say] Phoebe managed quietly.

Sam could see the sudden tension in Phoebe as he mentioned the Alchemist's name; he did not comment on it though. He understood well enough. Remi had often made himself a contentious topic one way or another, but now, with them both so close to him (though admittedly in different ways) he was simply a painful one.

Thankfully, she still let him in. Sam stepped inside, glancing over to the dragon and giving a weak smile before he began to answer Phoebe's question, first sighing. [say]"I...was hoping you might know. How he is...or..or..."[/say] He cleared his throat, blinking, clearly trying to fight off tears. [say]"If he's alive. I can't tell. I wasn't there, when he disappeared at Fiat Lux and I can't ask the Old Gods.."[/say] There was a clear panic in Sam's voice and his hands wrung together.