Comfortably Numb

It was so perfectly ordinary, to sit on a stool at the bar in the Rathskeller and just... enjoy himself. Ronin almost felt like an imposter sitting there, glancing around at the soft lights and the murmur of conversation. The last time he had been here properly was LongNight, and his heart still ached for the broken man he had been back then. Had it been that grief which had led him to get so close to the Spire demon, which had caused his untimely end? He frowned and shook off the heavy thoughts, sipping at his drink and laughing quietly as Sugar nosed into his ear. The dragonling, spent a few more minutes fussing over him before she swooped up and away into the rafters to keep watch. In the meantime, Ronin waited and watched to see who might have seen his notice. It was unfair to expect Remi and Ashetta alone to know everything that had happened in his absence. Hopefully he could use tonight to build some bridges and to mend some gaps in his memory. ronypony it's always nice to make an impression

Wessex is actually here to see Edrei, but since the news went out that she is not longer the only Resurrected person walking around Caido, she chooses this occasion to see the other miracle for herself. Usually not one for parties, Wessex nurses a small tumbler of brown liquid purely to have something to do with her hands while she lurks in the corner. When the man of the hour finally seems to be alone she narrows her eyes every so slightly and approaches with a mildly skeptical look on her face. While she’d been a bit peeved at him for charging in during the daylight, she knows there wasn’t really another viable option for them. So instead, she throws a leg over a barstool and sits with spread legs, facing Ronin. “So. What was death like for you? Weird being back, amiright?” No tact at all, just a sledgehammer breaking through the ice. He’ll get used to it. From the notice it seemed like he had much more at stake in this world than Wessex did when she kicked the bucket. There wasn’t much to catch up on, then - but if his earlier frown was any indication of what was going on in his head, he was on the struggle bus with the resurrection thing. And Wessex was one of the few people who might be able to help him with that. Or she might make it worse. But that’s just a risk he was going to have to take, isn’t it? WESSEX come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts unsex me here

everything has its wonders

Having been watching Sugar get settled up in the rafters, Wessex sitting next to him and speaking up so abruptly was something of a surprise, and Ronin was unable to hide the way he jolted a little as he glanced to the side. Remembering the Ascended from when she had interrupted her own death notice, he let a playful grin spread across his face, tipping his drink to her in a cheers of greeting. "So weird," he said casually, taking a long sip of his drink.

"Being dead was alright, though. I was on a beach with my lady, and we sailed a sea of stars. What was it like for you?" Because what he had learned since his return suggested that he was the exception rather than the rule when it came to becoming a star and all.

even darkness and silence

Coding base by Sky!

Sometimes Wessex forgets that she’s died. Then her glance may turn to her hands and she’ll remember that there’s metal in her knuckles and blades around her fingers. And those weren’t there before she died. But other than that, life eventually returned to ‘normal.’ Or as normal as one’s life as a not-quite-alive, sunshine-fearing woman in Caido can have. She smiles (a surprise, even to her) unexpectedly at his brief description of death. “That sounds nice.” He might detect a slight tone of jealousy in her voice, as she briefly imagines seeing Magrethe and her mother again. They’d probably disown her for what she’s done to herself, for Ascending, but even those harsh words would be welcome when faced with the reality of their absence. “Mine wasn’t quite like that... I was alive - and then upon waking up again, I remembered that I had made a dumb mistake and been torn apart. But there was nothing in between. Except for a weird tune that kept running through my head for awhile.” And Edy. Edy was in her head. Wessex shrugs and swills the room temperature liquid in her glass, leaning on the bar and taking a look around at the others. “How do you feel now?” He must be sick of that question. But something tells the abnormally perceptive woman that he is different than he was when he died. And not in the ‘found God or peace or a reason to live a better life’ kind of thing. WESSEX come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts unsex me here

everything has its wonders

"I think I may have been given special treatment, granted," Ronin said warmly, unable not to detect the note of envy in her tone. "I daresay if I hadn't become a star I'd have just been another soul on its way to the afterlife." He shrugged his shoulders. Either way, it had certainly suited him. Sipping at his drink again, he arched an eyebrow at Wessex over the rim of his glass, surprised to hear that her death had been so... well. Instant. And then not again.

"Just a tune?" he echoed, shaking his head. "That's very strange. You think you could remember it? If you played it for someone, perhaps they could tell you where it came from." An odd suggestion, certainly, but Ronin was full of them. As she asked how he felt he let out a quiet laugh, shrugging his shoulders to her.

"Weak as a kitten. This isn't the body I died in, I'm pretty sure. And things feel different, in certain ways. I feel as though I can always see the stars, even indoors." Which sounded ridiculous, and he knew it.

even darkness and silence

Coding base by Sky!

“Perhaps.” She shrugs in a truly nonchalant way. “It doesn’t really matter if I figure it out or not. There’s bigger shit to focus on.” Liiiiiike the barrier, the Spire, the Woods, The Voice. Pick one and you’ll find Wessex’s unknown song playing 575th fiddle to that. As Ronin describes his physical state, her brows furrow ever so slightly. There is a definite difference in their resurrections. Both were caused by higher powers, but only one seems to be of great significance. She is truly comforted to know that there will be nothing after she dies. She doesn’t have to endure the hope, the waffling back and forth on whether or not she’ll see her family again. She’s a little disappointed to some extent, but she made her choice a year ago. This is the reality. Anyway. Back to Ronin. “Well, if I can be honest… you smell different,” she says with a very frank expression. “Human, but not. Not Ascended, not Attuned. Just… other. Maybe a little bit like lightning?” She can’t quite put her finger on it because she’s likely never smelled anything similar. “Maybe like the stars, but fuck if I know what they smell like.” Big gaseous balls of fire could be filled with all kinds of stinky gasses. Ha! WESSEX come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts unsex me here

everything has its wonders

"Isn't there always," Ronin agreed with a quiet smile, nodding to her and setting his glass down so he could run a finger around the rim of it. Still, what Wessex spoke about was certainly interesting, and it might merit further investigation in the future especially if it seemed as though her resurrection was something designed by the Voice rather than the old gods.

Ronin scoffed at her offhand comment, a broad grin flashing across his face; Wessex was very brash indeed, and that was absolutely something that the guildmaster could appreciate. "A little bit like lightning, huh?" he echoed, itching at the scruff on his chin. "When I went to visit Safrin, she called me something similar. Not human, but definitely not a god. I suppose somewhere in between. The word demi-god has been thrown about, but I'm not sure I believe that."

Lifting his glass to down the rest of his drink, Ronin tilted the empty towards Wessex in a sort of 'cheers' gesture. "So what have you been up to, since returning to life?"

even darkness and silence

Coding base by Sky!

Demi-god? Wessex’s brow furrows a bit at the word, if only for it’s implications - and particularly because she knows that the Old Gods are not and never will be friends towards her again. That makes Ronin a potential weapon. A vessel for Safrin’s doing, though he does seem to have a good head on his shoulders and they haven’t encountered anything that might cause a schism between the two warrior-types. “Interesting. If it’s true.” She pauses and gives him a long look, something in between careful character consideration and weighing whether or not she should speak. “You know you would be the first, right? The Old Gods took a very hands off approach with us, despite our prayers and requests for help. So… why you?” The Natural manages to keep her tone quite neutral up through now, trying to phrase it as nothing more than a general question. But something fails, falls short in its task to keep her civil, and she can’t keep the acidic barbs from the edge of her tongue. “I can’t be the first to ask: but what the fuck do the Outlanders have the pleases the Gods so much?” She can’t even blame it on the a-a-a-alcohol, baby. It’s just frustrations that have been bubbling up ever since that Outlander dude won Ludo’s gift during the Festival of Lights. A line was drawn for Wessex; she can’t simply erase it just because The Voice is free and they’re all rid of the barrier. But her family died, despite their lifelong piety. Why should Ronin get to come back, and they don't? WESSEX come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts unsex me here

everything has its wonders

"No pressure, if it's true." Ronin laughed softly, punctuating his comment with a healthy sip of his drink. He'd done responsibility before, and no doubt he would paint himself into a corner where he would do it again, but right now the ex-captain just felt as though he was finding his feet. Falling back into life like a baby bird from the nest, it wasn't easy to come to terms with breathing, let alone what he'd come back as.

Setting his mug down, Ronin shifted on his seat and cast a sidelong look at Wessex. He frowned a little, sensing the barbs in her words, however carefully they were slipped in (or not so carefully, as she continued). He could only shrug, which he was certain would infuriate her.

"I have heard since I returned that the Voice was the one responsible for bringing Outlanders to Caido," he said slowly. "You would have thought that she would be the one interested in them... What I suppose I am saying, is that the only person who can answer you is a god. Certainly not me."

even darkness and silence

Coding base by Sky!

No, his shrug doesn’t infuriate her. She knows her anger is misplaced, she knows they’ve been wrenched from their world, yadda yadda yadda, they’re all bloody fucking pawns in this giant game and she’s in a unique position where she’s not going to get any answers. The Old Gods hate her because she flipped them a major bird when she Ascended and her Lady has been nothing but generous. “I can’t,” Wessex says with a bitter laugh. “They’ll try and burn me because I Ascended.” So here they are - neither of them with answers to their different questions. One more powerful than the other could imagine and the other… perhaps a bit of an impossible conundrum, even to herself. And though the words a biting and acrid, she begins to cool, tossing the rest of her drink back in a needless swig. Huh. It no longer burns the way it used to. She eyes the glass curiously with this new discovery and then sets it down on the bar. “So what are you going to do with your second chance, Ronin?” she asks almost cheerfully. It’s all good over here. Just the many tempers of Wessex showing their faces. WESSEX come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts unsex me here

everything has its wonders

"That doesn't sound particularly nice. I mean... have you ever tried? To ask them, I mean." The threat of being burned alive would be enough to discourage anyone from the attempt, but Ronin couldn't help but wonder whether Wessex was talking from experience. Drumming his fingers gently along the side of his cup, the hunter sighed and let the subject drop (or not, depending on what his companion had to say about the matter).

Smiling softly at her question - and mentally backflipping to deal with the sudden change from intense to carefree, Ronin had drunk enough, at least, to be able to cope with the transition fairly well. He gave her words the merit they deserved, thinking hard about his response. Eventually, he glanced back at her. "Well, my daughter comes before everything," he said simply. "But I'd also... I don't know. Leave the world better than when I found it? That sounds tacky."

even darkness and silence

Coding base by Sky!

Has she ever tried? If they’d been closer, Wessex might have taken offence at his insinuation that she’d just given up instead of trying. For the kind of answers she’s looking for? No. But for an answer of some kind, yes. “Of course I have,” she says simply. “And they turned the night to day around the shrine. I’m an abomination to them. A monster.” Something one of his close acquaintances might agree with. Though she doubts she’s ever come up. People don’t really talk about Wessex. It’s kind of nice that way. She just exists in the dark parts of their minds, somewhere between a niggling pet peeve and an intense, deep dislike. Anyway. Moving on. She offers a shrug to his assumption that his words are tacky. “Nah. I think that’s every good parent’s wish.” And if she were the maternal sort, she might feel the same. Her own aspirations are more selfish… but then that’s why people like Ronin and don’t like Wessex. Funny how that works. WESSEX come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts unsex me here

everything has its wonders

"Ah," Ronin said, for what more can one say to an answer like that? Wessex had proven that his optimism about the Old Gods and the Ascended was somewhat misplaced, but even so... he still liked the woman. He had no reason not to, and she was straight to the point - a trait which Ronin held in high regard.

He couldn't help but smile at her comment about 'good parents, feeling somewhat warmed by the assumption that her words meant he was included in that list. Instead Ronin nodded, necking back the rest of his drink and turning to face the Ascended. "Want to hunt monsters with me for a living?" he asked suddenly, baring his teeth in a grin.

even darkness and silence

Coding base by Sky!

Welp. That’s a twist. There’s a lengthy pause as Wessex just looks at Ronin and his smiling face. Her eyes narrow slightly in consideration, thoughts flicking across her face in rapid succession. She’d literally just said that the Old Gods consider her a monster and now he’s offering her… something… she’s not entirely sure what it means. But it isn’t likely that he’s trying to make her into a fool. Seems too noble for that sort of game. “What does that entail? You organize hunts or something?” Not knowing who’s in the guild, she can’t really comment on the appropriateness of joining, but she has to add, “As long as you’re not putting Ascended on that list, I could be game.” There's a hierarchy of loyalty in Wessex's life. She can't, won't, cross it. WESSEX come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts unsex me here