acta non verba

there is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin

This is one of Fox's first times in the Greatwood properly, and he's got to admit - he isn't sure he cares for it. Granted, that's because something - a river star, he thinks it is, but a good deal more purple than he recalls them ever being - is actively trying to end his life, and call him judgemental, but that sort of shit can really tarnish his opinion of a place.

He'd been intending to find some last minute surprises for his upcoming nuptials, knowing the Sidhe Village has those sorts of trinkets and knick-knacks galore, but at this rate he'll be lucky if he manages to make it down the aisle at all. Breathing hard and skidding under a half fallen branch, he narrowly avoids a snapping tendril of void energy at his heels. He can't see the star any more - hasn't looked behind him to check, if he's honest - but he knows it's uncomfortably close by.

If he so much as stops for a breather it'll be digesting him before he can say give me back my leg. A shame, then, that the Greatwood itself appears out for his blood, because a sudden and unseen upturned root catches on the toe of his boot, and down he fucking goes.

Fox Sinclair

kidnap me from my reality & crushed pieces of my soul

The Greatwood might be humming with its usual vibrancy, but to Remi, it feels like little more than a stretch of land between him and home. The familiar press of the trees, the whisper of leaves, the damp scent of moss and earth—none of it settles the anxious restlessness that tugs at the back of his mind. His thoughts are already halfway to Torchline when a sound rips through the tranquility of the wood, sharp and frantic. A voice, distant but distinct. The unmistakable crash of something—someone—going down.

Remi moves like a shadow through the undergrowth, more predator than man, wings tucked in tight as he clears the distance between himself and Fox in a handful of strides. Spying a man sprawled in the dirt, a half-fallen branch overhead, and the air thick with the sickly, wrong sensation of void magic, Remi winces. And behind him—moving, reaching, hunting—the glistening black tendrils of a Void River Star.

The Bastion's magic snaps into place before he's fully aware of the thought, a net of shimmering golden energy expanding outward in a flash. Anything meant to harm the stranger will hit him instead. It’s instinct, muscle memory, the kind of thing he doesn't even think about anymore. "Here—" Remi keeps his eyes locked on the creature just byound them even as he steps forward to haul help the man up.

"Stay close to me. If it tries to hit you, it'll have to go through me first." Which, knowing the nature of void-tainted things, was an inevitability rather than an if.

colour me outside the lines

until my shattered heart is whole

REMI

Table & Gif-sniping by SKY who deserves our love and affection for always.

there is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin

Having been scrabbling to get his feet back beneath him, blood in his teeth from a cut to his lip and his knuckles dirty and scraped on the rough ground, Fox is already partially shifted into a fyrhund when the golden net of something snaps out and around him. His breath catching, he lets his body settle into itself again just as Remi Taliesin - and of course he knows the man, who fucking doesn't - strides into view.

"Wh... Right. Thanks," he says quickly, still out of breath but levering himself upright just as the river star snaps out its tendrils. One goes towards Remi - and really, it's probably laughable, how easily the Bastion would be able to dodge it - but no matter how quickly Fox tries to twist out of the way, it catches him on the shoulder. He flinches back even though he feels nothing, hazel eyes widening at he glances to the other man as if for confirmation of what's just happened.

Fox Sinclair

kidnap me from my reality & crushed pieces of my soul

The moment Fox flinches, Remi feels it—like ice seeping into his bones, like something sick curling through his skin. His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t so much as stagger, such is the unfair mismatch between the Bastion and the river star.

"I'd say anytime, but.." Remi shrugs, hazarding a quick grin over one shoulder. The tendrils shift again, the void energy roiling like something hungry, and Remi shifts his weight defensively. "Do you have any need for this thing to be alive?" Far be it for Remi to take another man's kill or interfere if Fox needed the void creature for some quest or other, but if not, he'd just as soon take care of it that it wouldn't cause trouble to anyone else on a nice stroll through the woods.

colour me outside the lines

until my shattered heart is whole

REMI

Table & Gif-sniping by SKY who deserves our love and affection for always.

there is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin

Having been around things that are a great deal stronger than him quite a bit, Fox knows better than to give any arbitrary help to Mort's demigod that's probably not needed in the slightest. Instead he wisely keeps back, leaning one dirty hand against a mossy tree trunk and testing out his weight on the leg that had caught on the root. Wisely, though, he keeps a close eye on what's happening, if for no other reason than to tell the story to Kiada later. (But if he learns a thing or two as well from Remi, all the better).

"I absolutely don't," he tells him gruffly, a wolfish grin flashing across his face. "It isn't anything I've got a mark on. Just came lumbering out of the woods at me." Which, given what he knows of regular river stars, is better than dropping on his head. But he still won't lose any sleep to see the thing dispatched.

Fox Sinclair

kidnap me from my reality & crushed pieces of my soul

Remi exhales through his nose, nodding once in acknowledgment before his focus sharpens, narrowing in on the writhing void-creature before them. The way it moves—hungry, invasive, wrong—grates against something instinctual inside him, and Remi is shifting before he fully thinks about it.

The Bastion doesn’t dodge as the River Star’s tendrils lash toward him. Instead, the shadowy, indistinct form of his Wraith shift ripples over his body, a spectre among the trees. The void tendrils pass straight through him, seeking purchase where there is none, their hungry energy failing to find anything solid to cling to. The moment he's through he shifts back, his hands finding purchase on the River Star, and lets his magic lash outward—not light, not flame, but something far colder.

The River Star shudders. Something invisible but tangible snaps, and the creature recoils violently, writhing as if an unseen hand has gripped something vital within it and yanked. It thrashes, its tendrils convulsing and curling inward, the unnatural energy within it fracturing as Remi thrusts its soul from its body. Then, with a final, agonized shudder, it collapses—not just physically, but in spirit, its void-ridden presence flickering before snuffing out completely.

Remi exhales slowly, rolling his shoulders, flexing his fingers absently before his seaglass gaze flicks back to Fox. [says]"You should get hazard pay for your errands," he says dryly, before grinning. "Are you sure you are alright?" Glancing down at Fox's leg and the careful way the man seems to be standing, the Bastion raises a brow.

colour me outside the lines

until my shattered heart is whole

REMI

Table & Gif-sniping by SKY who deserves our love and affection for always.

there is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin

Not for the first time in recent memory, Fox is left questioning his definition of the word monster, especially as man becomes wraith and the river star's presence is utterly annihilated from the living world. This time, at least, he knows the person responsible is none other than Mort's demigod, and as he returns to the shape of a curly-haired, green eyed man, the hunter allows himself to relax a fraction.

"Ought to get hazard pay for leaving the house at all these days," he agrees emphatically, testing his foot once more before finally committing to it. It'll be sore, but it's far from the worst injury he's ever had. "I'm sure," he assures the other man, straightening up away from the tree. "Thanks to you, anyway. I owe you one." He reaches out to shake the other man's hand. "Fox," he introduces.

Fox Sinclair

kidnap me from my reality & crushed pieces of my soul

Remi watches as Fox shifts his weight, testing his foot with the practiced air of someone well-accustomed to injuries—not quite reckless, but far from the sort to flinch at a little pain. He huffs softly at the hazard pay remark, shaking his head. "If only," he chuckles. "Seems like every time I leave my house, I end up in someone’s mess. Usually my own, though, so this is a nice change of pace."

His lips twitch faintly at the offer of I owe you one, his seaglass gaze flicking toward the remains of the River Star before landing back on Fox. Remi isn’t the sort to keep tabs on strangers—gods know his debts to the people he loves outweigh anything a man like this could offer—but the sentiment is one he appreciates just the same.

Still, when Fox reaches out a hand, Remi clasps it without hesitation, his grip firm and calloused, his magic pulled back lest he swamp Fox with his concerns over his husband. "Remi," he offers in return, his tone easy despite the ever-present exhaustion lingering beneath it. "Nice to meet you."

Glancing over his shoulder and assessing whether or not it seemed likely that Fox was going to be attacked again, Remi frowns a touch crookedly before looking back. 'I'm not sure how familiar you are with the Greatwood, and while she does not normally like strangers, it seems as though she likes these invasive species even less." Reaching out, he brushes his fingertips against the nearest tree. "So if you ask for a pathway to where you're going, she's more likely to provide it than she would have in the past."

colour me outside the lines

until my shattered heart is whole

REMI

Table & Gif-sniping by SKY who deserves our love and affection for always.

there is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin

"Oh? Well, change of pace or no, I'm sorry to have pulled you into my mess, appreciative though I might be. But I suppose it's par for the course for Mort's demigod at this point, right?" Clasping Remi's hand with a warm, strong grip lined with callouses, Fox offers a wry smile in return. "And you as well. More than nice, given that you more than likely saved my life."

Stepping back again and brushing the leaves and other debris from his coat, he raises an eyebrow to hear about the nature of the Greatwood, the hunter tipping his head back to look at the canopy of fresh, green leaves overhead. "I'd heard the woods were particular like that. I've only been here once or twice myself, though," he confesses, spaded tail swishing at his heels.

"Luckily I'm also on my way home, which is out of here - so perhaps she'll take pity on me trying to leave her be and show me a route without any more excitement?"

Fox Sinclair

kidnap me from my reality & crushed pieces of my soul

Though it takes a moment, something seems to dawn on Remi as his seaglass gaze sharpens with quiet recognition. Fox. His mind sifts through old memories, pulling up something half-buried beneath the weight of everything else—Kiada.

"Are you that Fox," he says after a beat, a faint note of surprise threading through his voice. "Kiada’s Fox?" His lips twitch, something wry but warm slipping into his expression. "I’ve known Kiada for some time," he continues, his voice quieter now, something thoughtful settling into the weight of his words as a fond smile hugs the shape of the letters. "And her mother, before she died."

His gaze flickers back to Fox, a quiet curiosity there now that the man was more than just someone he'd happened upon. "She mentioned you, last we spoke," he adds. He might not know much about Fox, but he knows Kiada—knows the way she’s fought and survived and rebuilt herself time and time again—and if she’s chosen this man, then Remi finds himself quietly inclined to make sure he’s worth choosing.

"Good to put a face to the name," he says at last, a small smile curling at the corner of his lips."Tell her I said hello?"

colour me outside the lines

until my shattered heart is whole

REMI

Table & Gif-sniping by SKY who deserves our love and affection for always.

there is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin

"Hm?" Fox doesn't often get referred to as that Fox, but as Kiada's name hits the air he automatically seems to soften, grinning to hear himself referred to as someone who belongs to her. "Guilty as charged," he says with a nod. "I think she has mentioned you once or twice. I'm forever surprised by the high places she finds her friends, though I suppose I ought not to be."

As for her having mentioned him, his laugh this time is a touch self-deprecating. "All lies, I assure you," he jokes, pressing a hand to his heart. "I'll pass on your hello to her, though. I'm sure you'll receive a gift basket for making sure I was delivered home unharmed."

Unsure whether to expect to see Remi again at his upcoming wedding, Fox opts not to mention it, instead offering a friendly wave goodbye as he sets off on the nearest trail. "Thanks again, Remi. Wish me luck in getting out of here in one piece!"

~FIN

Fox Sinclair