Blind leading the...

Remi's smile was laboured, and the most he could manage was a weak hum of agreement. The thought of designing or creating anything felt like an impossible task. Without his sight, how could he possibly piece anything together? But those worries were far too painful, and so flaring his nostrils not unlike Isla had, the alchemist sighed. Like Ronin, had the situation been different, the alchemist might have sighed and relaxed into the touch. It was only Vai, really, who would run her hands through his curls like this. He adored this sort of affection, but now, knowing the reasoning behind it, it was all Remi could do not to stiffen. I don't know if this will hurt, but I promise I'm only doing what's needed. Alright? Isla asked, and in Ronin's hands, Remi nodded. Lowering her horn, Isla placed it right between his eyebrows, the tip of it sharp enough that indeed she would do significant damage if the alchemist did move. With a pulse of light, magic flowered from the mythical creature across the alchemist's skin. Tears knit themselves back together, his eyebrows were regrown (more or less), and the redness and swelling was all but gotten rid of. There was little the unicorn could do about Remi's actual eye though. In time one of them might heal, but in that moment she wouldn't have bet on it. Throughout this process, Remi made a fist against his knee, his fingers fluttering as if searching for the hand that had just been there, though knowing fullwell that it was cradling his skull. As Isla finished, Remi sobbed a note of agony, his entire body collapsing forward. remi Come on skinny love just last the year Pour a little salt we were never here

Ronin felt himself tense, too, as Isla directed her horn directly between Remi's already ruined eyes. He didn't doubt that his friend would be as still as he could, and that Isla would only do what was necessary, but even so Ronin was prepared to hold him down if he needed to. Luckily, that didn't come to pass. Even so, the ex-captain had never seen healing magic in action before, and to see it up close and personal was fascinating bordering on the grotesque. (Perhaps it was a blessing that Remi couldn't see the note of bemused interest on Ronin's face). The moment shattered as Isla finished her work, and Ronin released Remi only to catch him again as he slumped forward. A muscle feathering in his jaw, he held the alchemist as close as he dared without hurting him, fingers still absently trying to tease through bloodied curls. "I'm right here, okay? We'll get through this, same as we get through everything else. You'll see again, Remi. I promise." RONIN Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.

Remi could hear Ronin's heart as he slumped against his chest. It was the strangest sensation to want to open your eyes, even though they already were. He heard, he smelled, he felt, but he saw nothing. "You are not normally in the habit of making promises you cannot keep." Remi murmured, though whether or not it was a criticism or just some throwaway anecdotal comment was unclear, as the alchemist's words were muddied at best. Feeling one of Ronin's fingers snag through a curl held fast by blood, Remi tried to sit up, gently feeling his way into his hair and noting just how much of a mess had been made. "Will you...help me shower?" Remi asked, only half of his lip turning up in a smile as his head lolled slightly, unsure really where he should fix his sightless stare on. remi Come on skinny love just last the year Pour a little salt we were never here

"You're right, Remi. I'm not. So you ought to know that I fully intend to keep this promise," Ronin said, his voice lacking any bravado or pomp that might suggest he was joking. He wasn't, and just as soon as the shock wore off he'd probably hop right to it. In the meantime, though, Remi was sitting up, and his question genuinely did bring a smile to Ronin's lips. "There are so many jokes and remarks I could make right now," he said. "I just want you to know that. So many." Because the only answer he could give was of course, and the hunter finally rose to his feet. He slipped his hands into Remi's so he could help the other man to his feet, having to guide him through the guildhall again. "So... can I ask...? Why she did it?" RONIN Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.

"Mmm." Remi hummed, a sound neither of agreement or discord. Just the sound of the unknown. Remi grinned into the darkness, knowing full well the sorts of inappropriate quips running through his friend's mind. But then again, that was one of the reasons why all of this was so much easier, one of the reasons why he hadn't called Sam. There was no way at all that Remi could have asked the bookmaker to help him shower without it somehow spiraling into something more than it was. Ronin on the other hand, for all his lewd comments, would be able to manage this, Remi thought. Folding his finger's around the hunter's, Remi let himself stand. He moved precisely like a man trying to walk confidently despite being able to see nothing, and tripped several times as he over compensated. "Ianto wore this collar..." Remi said, in a low voice. "Apparently when we all came here, he was left outside of the barrier. Arduinna found him and the two made some sort of agreement. Barring what happened with Echo, I thought that I could remove it. Not...necessarily to break his vow, but simply so that he could feel free, at least sometimes..." Remi thought of the way Ianto had nodded at Remi's silent question, and now the alchemist pondered a silent query of his own: had the fox known Arduinna would come when Remi tried to remove the collar? "She appeared suddenly, and I had not even had much of a chance to say anything before she lashed out and suddenly everything went quiet, and very dark." remi Come on skinny love just last the year Pour a little salt we were never here

"Careful, Remi," Ronin chastised gently as he led them towards the washroom. "Listen to my feet, to where they go. I won't let you trip up." He smiled, only for that to fade as the explanation finally came tumbling out. Whilst Ronin couldn't form the same silent accusation towards the fox - that he had known what the outcome would be - but he could still be irritated about it. They headed into the washroom, Ronin stepping closer so he could help to remove Remi's clothes before he showered. "What a petty thing, with such huge consequences," he muttered, shaking his head in honest confusion. Were these Fae really so fickle? "And then she left you. And presumably took the fox with her." Presumably. It was an utterly ridiculous notion, that Ianto might have left Remi on purpose, and Ronin tried hard to swallow down the note of discord that kept wanting to bloom in his chest. "You made it home, though. Despite everything." RONIN Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.

"Listening to your feet is precisely the problem." Remi grumbled with surprising good-nature in response. "So stompy and then shuffle-y. It is like you have never led a blind person before." Remi let his clothes be peeled off. It wasn't the first time Ronin had seen him naked. Indeed living together the past few months had basically stripped away any semblance of personal space or mystery, but even so, Remi felt far more naked now than he ever had in front of his friend. "Yes. I...I think she might have said something as she left. It is all sort of a blur now. But I called for Ianto and there was no answer. I even tried to whistle for his wagon, but.." Grimly the alchemist just shook his head. "I did, yes. I never thought Zariah Launceleyn would ever be my rescuer, but I suppose stranger things have happened here." remi Come on skinny love just last the year Pour a little salt we were never here

"Oh, and suddenly you're the expert on being a blind person, having experienced it for like five minutes," Ronin grumbled back, smiling and folding Remi's bloodied clothes to set them to one side. With that done he rolled up his sleeves and set the water to running (indoor plumbing had been barely-a-thing when they'd lived in Northaven, but he lived with an alchemist for crying out loud). "Okay, let's get you cleaned up," he said, carefully guiding the other man under the stream of water. Hearing about Remi's time in the woods, abandoned and calling for Ianto, twisted something low in Ronin's gut, and he had to give himself a couple of moments before being able to form a response. "I'll have to make sure to send my thanks to Zariah. She's not as bad as I thought, either - I guess her reputation must precede her, is all." RONIN Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.

"Wow." Remi replied, snorting indignantly but grinning widely just the same. Letting himself be placed beneath the water, the alchemist shivered and waited for the pain that would come when the water ran over his injuries. Only...there weren't any. His eyes hurt still, but all the other wounds had been taken care of by Isla. Gently Remi raised a tentative hand, letting his fingers trail over the fresh skin, halting as they ghosted over his eyelids. "Mmm. We went out in the labyrinth together just a few days ago. She and Edy and another Launceleyn named Peter." Shrugging Remi leaned into the stream of water, scrubbing absently into his curls with his fingers. "Ronin I have something serious to ask you." Raising a hand, he waited for the ex-captain to take it. Turning so that he more or less faced his friend, Remi tried to school his face into a serene mask of worry and angst, as he took a breath. "Do you...ahh, honestly this is so hard for me to even think about...but..." Again, Remi paused, biting the inside of his lip. "If I got a seeing eye-dog, do you think Sugar would eat it?" He asked, trying to make his voice sound as serious as possible. remi Come on skinny love just last the year Pour a little salt we were never here

"Yeah, you're damned right wow. You should feel terrible." Ronin couldn't even hope to keep a serious tone at this point, laughter lacing through his words. He couldn't get too close without soaking himself (though let's be honest, it would probably end wetly anyway), but the ex-captain still reached out to help scrub the blood from Remi's hair. Another Launceleyn? I wasn't aware that there were others, apart from Edrei and Beatrix." And Loren. But less said about that the better. As Remi turned to take Ronin's hand, the alchemist really would miss a treat in his friend's expression, and the mental gymnastics he tried to go through - until it ended, obviously, with a ridiculous joke. Narrowing his eyes and knowing Remi wouldn't see, Ronin took a moment to compose himself as well. "She would definitely eat it," he said simply. "And if you got a cane or something, she'd chew it to pieces. No, no. You are better off just sticking with me. I'll be your seeing-eye Ronin." RONIN Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.

"I do feel terrible because, I will remind you, I was just mauled by a fae and am now blind." Come to think of it, Remi was suddenly quite sure that this fact would let him win quite a few arguments in the coming days with Ronin. Do the laundry? Nope, mauled by a fae. Cook breakfast? Sorry. Mauled by a fae. Without being able to see, Remi could only infer that Ronin was about as wet as he was. But wasn't that what can you help me shower more or less entailed? "I know very little of them. The Launceleyns didn't associate much with the commoners and from what I remember, you have said Loren was not very forthcoming with details." Remi said with a shrug. Really, the fun of going from serious to decidedly not turned out to be significantly dampened when you couldn't see the reaction your words were having. Still, Remi smiled sunnily at his friend as he replied. "My seeing-eye-Ronin. Not a very catchy title, but I suppose you will do." Running a hand through his hair, Remi tilted his head slightly to the side. "There. Am I clean now?" remi Come on skinny love just last the year Pour a little salt we were never here

"Honestly, you don't have to remind me Remi. You've been going on and on about it since you got home. How could I forget?" Ronin grinned, letting his fingers move gently through wet hair that was now blood and tangle free. His gaze kept trying to meet a sea-glass green stare, but of course there was nothing there for him now. The hunter sighed internally, giving a shrug that he forgot Remi wouldn't be able to see. "In truth I'm remembering less and less about Loren as time goes on." Mostly because he was crippled by guilt for never so much as arranging for someone to try and find him, but... what was done was done. Still, the unexpectedly sunny smile from Remi warmed the ex-captain through, Ronin shutting off the water and grabbing a towel that he pressed into Remi's hands so he could dry himself off. He hummed a note of approval. "Squeaky clean," he agreed. "And I'll admit, you're right. It isn't a very catchy title - I suppose just Ronin will have to do. It's late, come on. Let's see how well you handle stairs." RONIN Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.

"Well, it is just because you are so very old now Ronin. I know how memory starts to slip in old age." The alchemist countered with a snort. Shrugging in kind, Remi just let the reminder of Loren fall away. Remi had put up a sign, had looked for him. It was only when Edy said that he'd holed up in a sex cave that he'd given up. But those were moments Remi only remembered through the lens of having been told, not because he actually recalled experiencing it. Accepting the towel, Remi boyishly scrubbed it against his curls and his face, taking care to be a good deal more gently when it came to his actual eyes. Standing uncertainly, pressing a hand against the wall and leaning in to it to rise, Remi wrapped the towel around his waist, tying it roughly, and tried to give Ronin an unimpressed look. Only...it was more directly at the mirror, than his friend. "If it were not for the fact that I cannot talk to you when shifted, I think maybe I would just become a permanent scarf for you or something." Remi said with another shrug, holding on to Ronin and letting himself be led once again. remi Come on skinny love just last the year Pour a little salt we were never here

"Excuse me? What a thing to say on my birthday." Ronin snorted. It wasn't his birthday (or was it?) but he knew it was probably around now, given that he distinctly remembered a number of celebrations in the summer months on his behalf. Really, he should just pick a day and do something with it. But that certainly wasn't the kind of thing to be thinking about currently. As Remi looked disdainfully at his own reflection rather than at Ronin, the hunter had to bite a knuckle to keep from laughing. Clearing his throat, he guided his friend out of the washroom and towards the stairs, giving Remi plenty of warning before they reached them. "Well, you're a magical item creator. Could you not make yourself something so you can be understood by non-Attuned?" he asked. "Failing that, just be a scarf if that's what you want. Sometimes you don't need to talk." RONIN Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.