[Training] love taps

there will be scrapes and sutures; viciousness and victory

"Hear me out, okay?" Ronin is saying as they land in the Frostfields, the Knight tucking his wings in tight before dismissing them, grinning over his shoulder to Remi. "I thought if we tried this out here, it'd be a little more challenging than the Barracks in the Citadel." You know, given the thick mist and the probably-deadly creatures wandering around. Because when have he and his husband ever decided to train in a traditional way?

For this endeavour in particular, it's already going to be interesting; no gods-given abilities, no commanding the elements or shifting into beasts of legend. Just the two of them, an axe, and the fog that clings to their bodies with every movement. "Now remember, I'm trying to dodge out of the way as the axe comes back to you, so no grappling me to death please." Tugging own his scarf so it's a little easier to breathe, especially as they risk exerting themselves, Ronin reaches back to take Emmett's axe from its loop at his waist, offering it out to Remi.

RONIN

kidnap me from my reality & crushed pieces of my soul

Remi lands with a low huff, his wings furling close before vanishing in a shimmer of golden light. The mist curls up around his boots like it’s alive, soft tendrils creeping higher with each breath. "I am hearing you," he says, voice warm with amusement, "it just so happens I think this is an awful idea." His sea-glass eyes narrow pointedly at Ronin.

Still, he accepts the axe with a raised brow and a twitch of his mouth that threatens a grin. Turning the weapon in his hands, he gives it a few testing swings—slow, deliberate—before shooting a look back at his husband. "You know my aim is awful, yes? You may need to do more than dodge."

And then, without another word, he turns slowly to put a bit of distance between himself and his husband and hurls the axe—not at Ronin, but far over his shoulder, deep into the fog where it whistles through the dense air before disappearing entirely with a distant thunk.

Holding out one hand like a conductor waiting for an orchestra to fall silent, he raises his brows, not entirely sure how long before the axe was meant to return.

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 will be scrapes and sutures; viciousness and victory

"Some of my best ideas happen to start out as awful ones," Ronin says in his defence, disregarding, of course, the fact that a lot of his worst ideas also start out the same way. And there's only one way to find out where this one will land, and that's by having Remi try to recall an axe potentially through his body. Blowing a kiss at his husband - but being smart enough to take a few steps out of reach of his practice swings - the Knight tips him a playful wink.

"I bet your aim is a lot better than you think," he says - just as the axe goes purposely sailing wide, arching over his shoulder. "You see?" he boasts, grinning. "If your aim was so bad, you might have hit me when you weren't planning on it." He turns to peer into the fog, sparing a quick glance over at Remi to see where he's positioned, before returning to his... waiting?

Ronin's brow furrows, and he wonders briefly if the Bastion has somehow managed to break the weapon. It's as he almost turns to speak that a tell-tale whistling cuts through the mist, and Ronin has barely a chance to blurt out an expletive and duck low before the axe cuts through the air right where his head had been, sailing right back to Remi's hand.

RONIN

kidnap me from my reality & crushed pieces of my soul

Remi gives Ronin a look that’s all narrowed eyes and dry amusement, like he’s trying to decide if that remark was a philosophical musing or a very subtle jab at their marriage. "Some of your best ideas, huh?" he mutters, lips twitching into a smirk. "That explains quite a few of our dates."

Still, he watches as the axe vanishes into the mist, his brows lifted in theatrical patience. "Err, did I—" he starts, just as the air splits with that tell-tale whistle. Remi jerks slightly as the axe snaps back into his waiting hand with a satisfying thwack of momentum. For all his strength, the impact sends him staggering a step backward, fingers tightening around the haft in pure reflex. "Well," he breathes, blinking in surprise, "that was...aggressively effective."

He casts an incredulous look at his husband, then down to the weapon in his hands. "I feel like Flora." Turning, he shifts his stance, then throws again—this time lower, the motion more a sideways flick than a proper toss, the blade hurtling forward like a gleaming, oversized frisbee disappearing into the fog.

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.

From somewhere behind you is the sound of ice yawning and creaking as if in a thaw, though it’s so subtle you think it must be coming from far away. Should you turn around you will see a pair of bright blue eyes peering at you from amidst a halo of white fur. Skittish but hungry, this little Frost Fox seems keen to see if you have any food you might toss its way.

---

You’ve encountered a Frost Fox. This counts as a 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.

Frost Fox (uncommon/mythical) - After generations of ingesting small amounts of mageglass, these fox descendants have undergone magical mutations. Always cold to the touch and impervious to Halo’s freezing conditions, their fur always has a bit of frost clinging to it. Instead of yipping, their calls can be likened to the sound of ice creaking and cracking.

there will be scrapes and sutures; viciousness and victory

"And our dinners," Ronin adds with a crooked smile, before their banter is interrupted by his attempt to keep his head on his shoulders where it belongs. Laughing - perhaps a touch nervously - as he straightens up to see the axe firmly back in Remi's hand, he nods his agreement. "Yeah, I'm not sure any more whether I ought to be upgrading it," he admits, before the sound of creaking ice and the sight of a pair of big blue eyes behind the Bastion briefly distracts him.

"Aw," he remarks, turning casually to the side as if to ensure the axe doesn't hit him as it curves low and sails out into the fog again. "Normally I'd have snacks on me, too. Not today though, sorry." He shrugs apologetically to the frost fox, before turning back - just in time, as it happens - for the weapon to come spinning in an arc back through the mist towards Remi.

This time Ronin is forced to do more than duck, the Knight skidding out of reach of the axe (barely) and wobbling on the ice before he regains his footing. "I don't know how I feel about this." He chuckles. "You'll take the pieces of me back to Torchline to the fountain, right? If it comes to that?"

RONIN

kidnap me from my reality & crushed pieces of my soul

Remi tracks the axe through the mist with the sharp-eyed attentiveness of someone just beginning to have second thoughts. His fingers twitch slightly at his side, readying for the catch—only to be thrown off by Ronin’s sudden movement and the flash of something pale in the corner of his eye.

He startles slightly, not from the axe, but from the white blur behind them. His gaze darts past the Knight, shoulders tensing as he instinctively shifts his stance...only to realize their would-be attacker is decidedly more fluff than fang. The axe returns to his palm with a satisfying thud, but Remi hardly reacts to it this time. His brows lift instead at the frost fox, its ears pricked and little nose twitching like it’s considering them as much as they’re considering it.

Tucking the axe under his arm, Remi crouches slightly, holding out a hand in quiet invitation while his other slowly digs through one of his coat pockets. "I might have something...dried pineapple? Or whatever that was Flora made me promise to try and eat during travel."

Only half-listening to his husband’s request to return his body parts to Torchline, Remi lifts his head with a wry grin."Hey, this is your stupid quest, not mine. Never once has Mort made me nearly impale myself." He shrugs. "Maybe Vi wants you in multiple pieces." With another shrug, Remi turns away from both Ronin and the fox, hurling the axe into what he assumed was a cluster of trees hidden away in the white, curious what it would do if it encountered an obstacle.

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 will be scrapes and sutures; viciousness and victory

"Flora gave you snacks to eat?" Ronin barks, clearly outraged by this news - and the fact that he either hadn't been treated to the same or, more likely, he'd eaten his own en route. Regardless, he gets himself steady once again as his husband crouches down to share food with their fluffy little interloper - a distraction that has the Knight grinning like a fool and almost missing it as Remi tosses the axe away again.

"Hey, my quest isn't stupid," he protests, whipping around to try and similarly track the blade through the mist and the trees, though he already knows from experience that the axe tended to cut through obstacles, depending on the force used to throw it, before making its glorious return. "And if Vi wants me in multiple pieces, then so be it. Just more of you to love, right?" Grinning but not daring to look behind him, this time Ronin is ready at least.

As the axe whips back, lower to the ground than before, he manages to leap deftly over it, feeling very pleased with himself and tugging up the collar of his coat. "This definitely keeps you warm, at least."

RONIN

kidnap me from my reality & crushed pieces of my soul

Remi bounces his brows in a slow, smug arch. "Mmhmm," he confirms, rummaging in his coat pocket until he produces a slightly wrinkled paper pouch. "Technically the snacks were meant for you, if—and I quote—you got 'cranky or dramatic.'" He tosses the bag toward Ronin without ceremony.

The axe balances easily in his hand as he rises, catching Ronin’s protests with an unimpressed squint that reads uh huh, sure it isn’t. "Oh, okay," Remi says innocently, though the sharp little smile he adds is anything but. " And i’d be happy to love all your pieces. Just might not be able to drag them to the Court of the Stars if it's Vi's will for you to be bisected like an earthworm."

And then, with a slow and unmistakably suggestive widening of his eyes, he adds, "If you wanted to keep warm, I can think of much better ways to do it than aerobic axe-dodging." The next throw comes smoother, underhanded this time.

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 will be scrapes and sutures; viciousness and victory

"I do not get cranky or dramatic," Ronin announces, crankily and dramatically, scowling and snatching the paper bag from the air with aplomb. Tossing a couple of pieces of dried pineapple to the fox - who has continued to linger now that it knows they have food - and cramming another into his mouth, he puts himself out of the way of Remi's underhanded throw of the axe gracefully enough that it looks like they've choreographed it.

"Well if that truly is Vi's will, then it's my job to be the best earthworm husband I can be," he informs the other man, pressing his hand earnestly to his heart. Prowling closer to hear the heat in Remi's words and see the mischief invade his expression, Ronin scoffs and reaches out to snag the Bastion around the waist. "It's a quest from Vi, not Frey," he quips, about to lean in to steal a quick kiss from the other man's mouth when he remembers, you know, the axe.

More accurately, the axe remembers Remi, and there's absolutely nowhere for Ronin to go as it sails back to him. It's the blunt side of it, luckily, that thocks into the Knight's shoulder, but it hits with enough force and then some to knock the air from his lungs and send him staggering into his husband.

RONIN

kidnap me from my reality & crushed pieces of my soul

Remi’s laughter rings out, boyish and unrestrained, fogging the cold air as he watches Ronin toss dried pineapple to the fox and then stuff his own mouth like some rugged, snack-wielding demigod. Which, y'know, is actually fairly accurate. The affection in his gaze is unmistakable, glowing bright even beneath the hoarfrost sky.

But at Ronin’s solemn declaration, Remi raises a brow. "Is this you asking if I’d still love you as a worm?" he asks, dry as ever, though his expression softens around the edges with fondness. "Because honestly, I don’t think worms wear scarves quite so well."

He doesn’t have the time to say more before he’s being pulled in, their bodies fitting together like habit and gravity both conspired to keep them close. The look in Ronin’s eyes has just begun to curl something warmer into Remi’s chest, right before the axe returns with perfect loyalty and zero tact.

Thock.

Remi inhales sharply as Ronin staggers into him, one arm instinctively bracing around the Knight’s waist while the other splays gently over the shoulder that took the hit. Wincing in sympathy, he murmurs against his husband's temple, "Here's hoping Vi wasn't watching just now."

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 will be scrapes and sutures; viciousness and victory

Ronin, predictably, has quite a lot of opinions about earthworms and scarves, and he's quite incapable of voicing any of them as he's forced to lean some of his weight against Remi, huffing out a laugh that's as pained and surprised as it is amused. "If he is watching, I hope he found it as funny as it probably looked," he wheezes, grasping the Bastion's shoulder and gingerly rolling his own. It sings with pain, leaving his arm feeling heavy and a little numb, and honestly, Ronin deserves every buzzing nerve for turning his back on an axe he knows acts like a boomerang.

"Well," he says, just about managing to straighten up, "I'll consider myself suitably embarrassed by that. Do you want to get out of here and never mention it again?" Maybe? Please? "I'll buy you dinner and everything. No pineapple or earthworms need to be involved." The frost fox is invited though, if it really wants to come.

RONIN

kidnap me from my reality & crushed pieces of my soul

Remi’s arms wind around his husband with careful pressure, the warmth of the embrace a balm despite the ache they both know is blooming beneath Ronin’s coat. "Mmm," he hums sympathetically, chin brushing briefly against Ronin’s hair. Straightening with a quiet exhale, Remi dusts his hands on his thighs and gives Ronin a sidelong look, all mock solemnity. "I absolutely want to get out of here," he agrees, "but I’m making no promises about forgetting this. It feels like the sort of story you need to be reminded of when you're being insufferably smug. And—" The Bastion raises his brows to stay any arguments. "—before you say that you're never insufferably smug, all that means is that I'll never have occasion to bring it up again, mm?"

At the mention of dinner, he tips his head toward their small companion. "Then you’d better give the last of those snacks to the fox so that it doesn't tell either," he murmurs, reaching to pluck the axe from where it rests and handing it back. With a soft kiss pressed against Ronin’s cheek and a look that lingers for just a second longer than it needs to.

And with that, he steps off through the frost, mist curling low at his boots, the white-furred fox trailing behind in the hopes of more snacks.

~FIN

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.