See true, see far

i have been quietly standing in the shade

"Oh can I? How thoughtful." Remi replied, mind pleasantly vacuous thanks to the liquor. He was quite unsure what was innuendo and what wasn't anymore, but he was pretty sure that almost all of it still was, and so he simply gave Ronin a wry glance as he echoed the guildmasters laughter.

Eyes unfocused, Remi too leaned forward, abruptly leaning back in his chair as he was flicked. "Aye!" He cried, covering his ear and finding it was quite hot (and, had he a mirror, he would have seen the heat was mirrored in his cheeks as well). "You are pushing your luck little man." Remi said through bouts of laughter, tears trickling from the corners of his eyes now.

With a groan, Remi shook his head in earnest (and perhaps a little too fast, as the room gave an unhelpful roll). "Noo, no, no." He said, leaning forward and raising a warning finger. "One, I am not particularly fond of damsels as you well know. And two—" The vowel sound was elongated, his accent making it sound more melodic than it deserved. "—no. No more heroing. No more saving. No more being the one who is s'posed to know what to do." Remi protested. "It was what Sam wanted and I ..." The sudden mention of the bookmaker made Remi clear his throat, the laughter dying from his lips as he shook his head again. "I am not that. " He concluded, before seemingly deciding to shake it off.

"So you will have to decide to be something else."

watch the sky breaking on the promise that we made

Coding base by Sky!

"I'm a thoughtful kinda guy," Ronin shrugged his shoulders, grinning and running a finger around the rim of his glass. Still, he gave a gasp of offence at being called little man, the guildmaster getting rather unsteadily to his feet and waggling a finger right back at Remi. "I'll have you know that we're prettymuchthesame height!" He beckoned for Remi to get on his feet and prove it. By then, of course, the mood had dampened somewhat, Ronin stumbling a little on his feet as though the floor was moving a bit beneath him. "S'okay," he said with a gentle and sunny smile. "I don't mind, being the one who knows what to do. I was a captain, I can do that. No damseling. I'll just be Ronin. Is that okay?" ronin the long and lonesome road

i have been quietly standing in the shade

For a moment Remi thought the guildmaster was joking, until the swaying-captain didn't sit back down and Remi looked up at him with helpless amusement.

But then he had a thought, a thought that wiped the smile right off of his face.

What if he wasn't taller?

He was prettysurehewasbiggertaller than Ronin but...

And so, as boys were want to do, Remi indeed stood up, bracing himself with one hand on the table as he gaze Ronin his more formidable and intimidating scowl. Raising his chin and standing up straight and in no way trying to cheat, Remi took a stumbling step forward nearly chest to chest with Ronin now. And, with impeccable measuring acuity, Remi did one of those scoop-motions from the top of his head to the top of Ronin's, clearly showing just how much taller he was.

"Hah!" He declared proudly even though he'd never cared much about his height before.

At the mention of being 'just Ronin', Remi snorted and nodded. "Well, you have just fallin' from the sky, so I don'know how just you are anymore, but yeah. I would prefer that." Then, poking his friend in the sternum since Remi was suddenly quite sure he deserved it, he added, "If it isn't too much trouble o'course."


"I'm a thoughtful kinda guy," Ronin shrugged his shoulders, grinning and running a finger around the rim of his glass. Still, he gave a gasp of offence at being called little man, the guildmaster getting rather unsteadily to his feet and waggling a finger right back at Remi. "I'll have you know that we're prettymuchthesame height!" He beckoned for Remi to get on his feet and prove it.

By then, of course, the mood had dampened somewhat, Ronin stumbling a little on his feet as though the floor was moving a bit beneath him. "S'okay," he said with a gentle and sunny smile. "I don't mind, being the one who knows what to do. I was a captain, I can do that. No damseling. I'll just be Ronin. Is that okay?"

watch the sky breaking on the promise that we made

Coding base by Sky!

As Remi stood and brought himself all but chest to chest with him, it would be a lie to say that Ronin wasn't trying to cheat a bit, since he realised from the second his friend was opposite him that he was a teeeeeeeensy bit taller. If that. Prolly not even that. Still, he managed his own formidable and intimidating scowl right back at Remi, huffing at his impeccable measurement skills. "That's not even how you measure. Hah, yourself!" he protested, raising himself up on his toes and flashing a boyish and triumphant grin at Remi as he stared very much down at him. "Listen, okay, I might've fallen from the stars but I'm still just as me as I ever was, okay? I'm so much me that you didn't even believe I was me at first. I mean... wait. No..." Realising that what he'd said made no sense, he burst into another fit of giggles, overbalancing on his toes and staggering unceremoniously into the other man. ronin the long and lonesome road

i have been quietly standing in the shade

"Oh really?? So if I were to—" Trying to snake a leg around Ronin, Remi tried to hook his toe beneath the ex-captain's heel (since Remi was basically 800% sure it was off of the ground), and then pull up, to knock his friend off balance proving that he really was the taller and something else too. Probably. What, he wasn't sure.

"Ronin, I had to ask a goddess if you were real, and y'know what? I still dunnow if I believe her! You with this lifetime in the stars with Vanya and this new body and—" Gasping, Remi turned to his friend with a lock of genuine surprise. "If you two were watching Aoife...does that mean you could see me, too?" In saying, Remi thought of the slight breakdown he'd had that first day with Sam only hours after Ronin had died. And then the second not so slight one after Sam had dropped off the note saying he was planning on forgetting everything.

And then there was of course all the embarrassing things one does in the course of every day life that Ronin might have seen as well.

watch the sky breaking on the promise that we made

Coding base by Sky!

Given that Ronin was already overbalancing, the leg snaking around him and tipping him further was the last nail in the ex-captain's coffin. With a yelp he went crashing into Remi, clutching at his friend's shoulders but seeming unable to find his feet entirely. If Remi didn't topple over in the chaos, he'd likely end up wearing Ronin to some extent, the guildmaster giggling helplessly into Remi's shirt. "Why don't you believe ittttt?" he complained. "You even got a fancy monocle that says I'm real, Remi, c'mon." He huffed, attempting to straighten himself up a bit before frowning a little. "Mm? I mean... the rooftops and shit sort of get in the way," he pointed out. "We only saw you when you were under the stars. So... thanks, for bringing Aoife out to see us so often. It helped, a lot." ronin the long and lonesome road

i have been quietly standing in the shade

Taking a few staggering steps backwards to balance with Ronin's weight suddenly against him, luckily Remi's shoulders hit the wall behind them. Well "luckily" was probably the wrong word as the air from his lungs rushed out of his lips in an oooooooof as his arms raised to grip the upper portion of Ronin's to try and steady them both. "Cheater." Remi muttered darkly, his eyes glinting with amusement.

"Why? I mean...okay. Okay, there is lots of weird and crazy things here, and we all know that you are handsome and dashing as all hell, but a goddess just ... saves you for a bit? Up in the stars? Then you come back down, naked? I mean.." With his hands still clasping Ronin's arms, the alchemist shook his head.

Relief flooded through the alchemist knowing that Ronin had not seen all the things he thought he might have. Nodding with an almost shy sort of smile, Remi sighed. "I mean..I would say any time, but...y'know. You'd better not be leaving anytime soon."

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Coding base by Sky!

"You should see me play cards," Ronin quipped back as he was called a cheater, grinning at Remi with mischief in his blue eyes. It was a happy coincidence that Remi had hit the wall and saved one or both of them from tumbling to the ground, and the ex-captain was fully grateful for the continued support in keeping him on his feet. He flashed his most handsome and dashing grin to Remi at the compliments, however strangely they were worded around the rest of the... stuff, Ronin letting out a sigh and giving the other man's shoulders a squeeze. "It's as hard for me to believe as it is for you," he confessed to him. "I remember dying, Remi. I remember standing at the bottom of that pit, torn to hell and having to say goodbye to you all. I remember it like it happened a minute ago." He frowned, before patting the alchemist's chest gently. "Believe me, I don't want or plan to go anywhere. I missed you." ronin the long and lonesome road

i have been quietly standing in the shade

"Well now I am just insulted that you have never asked me to play before." Remi said with an indignant shift, swaying slightly to the side (no, it was definitely the room swaying. He was perfectly upright).

At the mention of his death, of being torn and bloodied in the midst of saying goodbye, Remi frowned, green eyes peering into blue as he shook his head. "I thought I would never see you again,. I thought about it, but not even in my wildest dream did it have you showing up naked on the doorstep." Remi admitted with a snort, his eyelashes fluttering with each pat of Ronin's hand on his chest. "You better not. I will invent something and to come up into those stars and bring you back myself if I have to." He said, the only thing solidly in his field of view being Ronin's mischievous too-blue stare.

watch the sky breaking on the promise that we made

Coding base by Sky!

Ronin grinned broadly at Remi's comment, reaching out to further grasp his shoulders as if to prevent him from tipping over and onto the kitchen floor. "In truth, I've not had a deck of cards to play with since the stone cat in Northaven," he murmured. "I used one of them as a grave marker for a friend, and it made the rest of the deck a bit redundant." He shrugged. I'm more of a hearts man, he'd told Harlow on their first meeting. Shame that cards didn't have a suit of stars, really. His smile faded into something warmer as he met Remi's gaze, the guildmaster sighing and giving his shoulders a squeeze. "Well, here I am. I thought turning up naked on the doorstep was quite my style," he said, chuckling. "But still. While I hope you never need to have such an invention, I appreciate it all the same..." Green met blue, and Ronin's expression softened further as he beheld the alchemist before him. Remi, who had come to his rescue after Vanya's death, who had been spat into this world with little to nothing, yet still more than when he had lived in Northaven. Who had tried to make things better for those around him, and had been rewarded with curses, with loss, with trauma. Ronin let out a long sigh, leaning in to rest his forehead against the other man's. (It was almost a headbutt, but luckily he slowed himself down in time). "Would that I knew about all those demons in that head of yours," he mumbled. "At least then you wouldn't be fighting alone." ronin the long and lonesome road

i have been quietly standing in the shade

Who was holding who up at that point was uncertain. All Remi knew was that if he let go of Ronin he was sure that they would both tumble to the floor which was probably something to be avoided. For some reason anyways, despite how comfortable it was suddenly seeming. "So sentimental." Remi said and then shrugged. "I could make us some. It...its 4 suits? And..." Closing just one eye, Remi tried to remember what sorts of numbers and figures were depicted in cards, finding it strangely difficult. "Maybe in our deck we could have a card for Sugar and Van and Aoife and.." Dreamily he trailed off, imaging names and faces on cards.

The silliness of the moment faded into one of those still and calm moments and though he hadn't been before, now he was sure it was Ronin holding him up. Not the floor, not the walls, but Ronin. And then the world spun and Remi's senses blurred and oh. Feathers spread throughout Remi's curls for just a moment before settling again as Ronin's forehead butted unceremoniously against his own.

Remi's arms had gently allowed for the closeness, now resting vaguely around Ronin's neck as if they were dancing. Dozily almost (though he wasn't, Ronin's proximity comfortable as it might have been sent Remi's heart racing at the sheer prospect of having another man this close to him, even if that man was arguably his best friend), Remi's eyes closed slightly. It wasn't like he could really see Ronin as it was.

A more melodramatic man might have said, but I always have been fighting alone, but alcohol and self-pity mixed poorly. So instead the alchemist exhaled into a thoughtful sort of sigh. "Would that make me, the damsel then?"

watch the sky breaking on the promise that we made

Coding base by Sky!

"I have been known for sentiment, it's true," Ronin joked, hardly needing to speak above a whisper with Remi so close. The alchemist's arms had draped around his neck and one of Ronin's found Remi's waist, the other hand still splayed across his chest - more in an effort to use him for balance, in truth. He smiled at the suggestion of the cards, nodding gently. "Four suits. I can show you the numbers and faces. We should make our own deck, although... who's being sentimental now?" Smiling, he didn't sound as though he minded at all, his fingers finding a loose thread on Remi's shirt and working as if he could fix it, though in all likelihood he'd just manage to unravel it completely. It was fine, though - he'd already ruined it with wine, right? The alchemist spoke again and Ronin drew back enough to gaze at the other man, reaching up to gently cup his cheek in his hand. "If that's what you need to be," he said with a lopsided smile. "I can do the heroing for you, and the pretending like I know what to do. If you need a break." ronin the long and lonesome road

i have been quietly standing in the shade

Remi hardly felt the hand against his lower back. Or rather he did, but strangely he thought little of it in any of the ways that might normally incite panic.

"You say sentimental, I say practical. At least this way if my memories are taken again I will have some way of knowing who I ought to care about." Remi said, eyes opening slightly as he laughed, but low and with only the smallest amount of breath.

Looking down as Ronin picked at him, Remi thought to say something about preening, but couldn't quite work out what the punch line was. But then Ronin was drawing away and the joke dissolved into a wordless query of why? until the ex-captain's hand was on the scruff of Remi's cheek. The alchemist could feel his rib-cage expanding with air that he wouldn't let out, his shoulders tensing and his lashes fluttering with hollow uncertainty. This was...just..for balance. Or perhaps his head had been lolling to the side? It was just...it wasn't anything, because it couldn't be... because...because..?

"You have always been rather good at it." Remi replied softly, pale eyes wary but with a touch of amusement. "Even if I am taller." He added a touch breathlessly.

watch the sky breaking on the promise that we made

Coding base by Sky!

"If that is the case, you ought to be the king of every suit. Never forget to care about you." He grinned to the other man. "I will happily be the joker. Though this is sounding more like a deck of those fortune telling cards that gypsies sometimes use, than a regular set." Not that Ronin had much experience with either tarot cards or gypsies, but he'd seen enough barmaids use them for tips and parlour tricks back in Northwind. Unable to look away from the glass-green stare now that he had made a point of directing Remi to gaze at him, the guildmaster considered his friend through a lens not unlike the one Safrin had created for him. But for Ronin he was seeing Remi for the first time outside the sphere of friendship, outside of obligation to others or a need to see the world right where it had gone wrong. And he surprised himself infinitely, because he saw something that he wanted. Laughing quietly, a hint of pink on his cheeks, he shrugged his shoulders. "Someone has to be. And I'll concede that point. You are taller. Barely." ronin the long and lonesome road