have faith in me

REXANNA

you don't get to die and be reborn the same.

you come back,

It’s been a trying time, to say the least. From pledging herself to the new Queen in order to get Bastien out of jail, to meeting Kiada and having a long and exhausting conversation, to her rendezvous with Lucas out in the Greatwood and keeping that a secret from Bastien still, Rexanna finds it hard to keep her mental state in order. Phoebe’s visit helped keep her mind off of the majority of it, and so she spent the next time she had available to catching up with another long lost friend. She hadn’t heard from Remi in some time, hadn’t seen him out and around, and with Ronin’s return she hoped Remi had simply taken some time to adjust to it and rejoice.

But her mind is full and heavy as she steps toward his shop, her new outfit a dark grey dress with gold trim along the black bodice billows with the light Leafchange breeze. She’d been busy making clothing, to try and look as much the part of helping Zariah as one could who was familiar with court. At least when she was out in public – back home it was far more comfortable. Her eyes are lined with a small amount of khol to make the deep blues stand out more, her eyes scanning the door before her pale hand lifts to knock.

Her dress is sleeveless, but she’s surprisingly not cold. Her arms and shoulders are pristine aside from the mark on her wrist from Bastien’s bite, but it’s only lightly bruised and a small orangish purple color around the bite wounds. “Remi?” She calls, to alert him of her approach since she’s sure he probably remembers her voice at least, even if her new attire suggests something different. Turning the door knob, she steps in with a small click of her heel against the floor. “Are you here?” She asks into the void, uncertain if he’s still staying at the Monster Hunter’s Guild or if he’s returned here.

but you come back wrong

this is the price

you pay for

resurrection

all our lives i watched you search beneath the fallen skies

The sound of heels against the floor immediately makes the alchemist think of Zariah. Cold fire rushes through his belly and into his veins as he immediately drops what he is doing to stumble upwards and away from his desk. It was only as he realized that the sound of his name hadn't been accompanied by Zariah's sickly-sweet voice that he allowed himself to relax slightly.

Though his shop was one of the few places that he could 'see' in relative detail, it was still awash in desaturated shades of black. Though he was close with Rex she was not so bright as others he knew well. Still, she shimmered with vague colour—colour that Zariah would never possess—which helped further to still the alchemist's paniced and rapidly beating heart.

" Rexanna." He greeted her warmly, sweeping a few curls from his forehead and moving out from behind the counter to come and see her properly. Though his eyes were now far more pale than ever they had been before, at least Remi could focus enough that his blindness was not quite so awkward (no more looking vaguely over shoulders, or in the wrong direction). "How are you?" He asked, reaching out to take one of her hands. "You look stunning."

REXANNA

you don't get to die and be reborn the same.

you come back,

At first, she hears nothing and wonders if perhaps he’s staying with Ronin at the Guildhall. She waits a few moments more, just on the off chance that he’s busy before she intends to make her way to the Guildhall. Suddenly, there’s movement and her gaze snaps toward it as Remi appears with a similar boyish smile she recalls. She gives him a bright one in return as he closes in, greeting her as she snorts in response. “Thank you Remi, you’re always so kind to me.” She says, tilting her head as he takes her hands and she gives them a gentle squeeze. “I’m doing well, I think, how have you been? How has everything been since Ronin’s return?” She asks, stumbling over her words as she recalls the last time she met the Alchemist it had been after Ronin’s death.

But something else distracts her as she aims to look into his emerald eyes, to see what she’s sure to be a sparkle of happiness — but they’re pale and her brows furrow as she squeezes his hand a bit more. “O-Oh, Remi what's happened with your eyes?” She asks, a hint of concern crossing her face and voice as she inspects him further, glancing down to his hands to see if they’re okay, too. She hasn’t seen Remi in so long, but not long enough for something like this to occur naturally. For a moment Rexanna wonders how much of everything she’s missed since the attack on the Spire until now.

but you come back wrong

this is the price

you pay for

resurrection

all our lives i watched you search beneath the fallen skies

No longer encumbered by thoughts of Ronin merely being a pawn of Ludo's or the awkwardness of dating Ianto but living with Ronin, Remi is now able to grin easily in response to Rex's question. "The best." He gushes happily. While the alchemist doesn't necessarily feel the need to tell everyone about his engagement with Ronin (though Rex is certainly not just anyone), he can't at all (nor does he try to) hide the immediate joy that spreads across his face.

As she notes his eyes, Remi smiles fondly and merely shakes his head causing his curls to scatter slightly. "An...accident, I suppose." He replies with a gentle shrug, returning the slight squeeze of his hand with a reassuring smile. "I can see...sort of. At first everything was dark, but now—" Glancing around and narrowing his eyes to pick up a few details around his shop, he let his head flop back and forth from side to side to indicate the lack of clarity, before returning his too-pale stare back to his friend. "Most things look like they are in shadow. But you...I can see your eyes quite clearly, like smears of sapphire." He said with a boyish laugh.

REXANNA

you don't get to die and be reborn the same.

you come back,

He’s gushing about how well he’s been, and despite the worry that creeps into her stomach at the sight of his eyes, she can’t help but grin widely at him. “I'm so relieved to hear it.” She replies, before he had a chance to explain his eyes. And as he does, he mentions it’s a result from an accident, and she nods in understanding. She’d done a few accidents that had changed her quite a bit as well, and she knows the sensitivity of such questions. But she watches nonetheless as he continues to explain what he sees, and when he mentions her eyes she smiles widely, her ‘sapphire smears’ crinkling with the wide smile.

She squeezes his hand again gently before she nods and looks down and around his shop. It’s still well loved and looked after, the charcoal smeared around the countertops screamed a man hard at work. “Well that’s something good at least, yes?” She remarks, offering her own chime of a laugh alongside him. “It has been awhile, I’ve been busy since the fall of the Spire and had to seek you out to see how things are after everything.” She explains, eyeing him perhaps a bit conspiratorially. “So, how is it you’re the best you’ve been?” She tilts her head with that same brilliant smile, so incredibly happy for him.

How long they’d come in their spotty relationship, the ups and the downs of being cursed by gods.

but you come back wrong

this is the price

you pay for

resurrection

all our lives i watched you search beneath the fallen skies

Blushing quite deeply now, the alchemist looked down for a moment as a smile spread wide across his face. When he glanced up again, his shattered sea-glass stare was bright with joy, his cheeks dimpled beneath a days-worth of stubble. Hardly anyone even knew that he and Ronin were seeing each other. They had gone from confessing their feelings to engaged in less than a month, and so the alchemist was more than prepared for a questioning look as he broke the news.

"I...asked Ronin to marry me." He said softly, his accented voice wavering with unfettered adoration and happiness. "You never really know how much you love someone until they are gone...and so when Ronin came back.." Remi trailed off, shaking his head ever so slightly. "And with how often I find myself cursed and with Ronin's knack for getting himself killed, I did not want to wait."

REXANNA

you don't get to die and be reborn the same.

you come back,

If Rexanna stops to think about it, she can’t recall a time where Remi seemed this happy; gushing and bright, joyous and proud, and she can’t help but to smile to him as he breaks the news to her. Her brows lift and her mouth opens in complete surprise. Oh, how she hopes Ronin said yes, and if he didn’t she’d have to seek the man out and speak to him about it. But Remi, the way he carries himself and speaks further, of the trials and tribulation the two of them had suffered over a time, she nods in understanding – squeezing his hand again with a quiet laugh of happiness.

“Remi, you’re right! That is the best news!” She chimes, grinning to him before aiming to pull him into a tight hug. “So, if you’re not waiting long, when is the wedding?” She asks, pulling away from him to look at his face as she raises a brow, perhaps a bit eager. “Soon I hope given all the circumstances!” She adds, stepping back from him for a brief moment with a quiet laugh of pause. She was so very happy for her friend, so happy to see a couple built off of love and happiness and history, the same kind of love she hopes she has with Bastien.

But the way Remi speaks of Ronin, Rexanna thinks the same. Even just the few days of Bastien’s prison time felt far too long, and she smiles gently at him in adoration and excitement.

but you come back wrong

this is the price

you pay for

resurrection

all our lives i watched you search beneath the fallen skies

"I think we have decided before the snows fall." He replies, his smile bright and immediate, enthusiasm dripping off each accented word. "I suppose it is a little fast but...what with how much danger there always seems to be lurking about.." Trailing off, the alchemist ruffled a hand through his curls with a bashful shrug. "..and he does lead the Monster Hunter's Guild. Not exactly the safest line of work. So if one of us is to die soon, I would at least like to be married first." He added with a lopsided grin, knowing his explanation was rather bleak, but knowing it to be true just the same.

"I hope you will come, and Bastien too? I should seek him out. I am sure he will have much to say about whatever I choose to wear." Then, with a grin he adds: "I can hear him already, oh dos mio! not enough skin Remi! His impersonation of Bastien is actually not bad, given they share the same accent even if Remi is unfamiliar with what some of the artist's words actually mean.

Squeezing Rex's hands, Remi laughs apologetically. "But how are you?"

REXANNA

you don't get to die and be reborn the same.

you come back,

Listening to him speak of the wedding, so enthusiastically, it eases her heart for her friend. “No winter wedding? No Luxere?” She acts surprised, as though if anyone had a wedding it needed to have those beautiful, sweet creatures around. But she laughs it off as he speaks, nodding in agreement. “If anyone says it’s too soon, they obviously don’t know what it’s like here.” She remarks, a small amount of fire to her words that suggests she’ll fight anyone that argues with Remi and Ronin’s happiness.

His reasoning is rather sad, but she can understand it. Especially given what happened at the Spire and after. And she gives him a bright smile when he says he hopes she’ll come, with Bastien, and how he should seek him out. She laughs softly to him with a nod – she’s certain Bastien will have something to say – but she remains quiet until he mimics her lover, and she laughs quite loud, completely impressed. “You know him so well, I can picture him saying that.” She giggles before Remi squeezes her hand again and asks how she is.

Her laughter subsides into a bright, gleaming grin as she looks to Remi. “I’m doing great too, actually.” She pauses, trying to think of how long her and Bastien had been with one another. A couple of seasons now? “Bastien and I have been dating for a couple of months, just after Longnight I think now, and finally,” she pauses to lean in like she’s telling him a secret, “we just told each other we loved one another.” She almost whispers before pulling back with a quiet laugh. “I suppose it was a similar instance to your rush to the alter, I went to visit him in the jail and before I left he said it to me and it was the most wonderful thing.” Her cheeks redden slightly, but she grins to Remi with it.

but you come back wrong

this is the price

you pay for

resurrection

all our lives i watched you search beneath the fallen skies

Remi shot his friend a mischievous look, shaking his head simply. "Where we came from we did not have as much snow as here, nor did it get as cold. I am not sure I am...ready for it." He said with a boyish grin. Then, in a slightly more sobered tone he added: "I have made a deal to help Ludo with LongNight this year, so I fear much of my time will be spent with that." Not to mention winter was when Vanya died, and saving a luxere was how Isla died as well. Some things didnt't need to be said though, and the brief darkening of Remi's expression conveyed more than his words ever could have.

"Cara you are too kind!" Remi continued in his Bastien-accent, flashing Rex an adoring smile that quickly broke into laughter.

Remi is not one to hold a grudge, though he does feel a small prickle of something that chills his spine. It was not so long ago that Bastien all but threw him under the bus simply for helping Zariah create some ink. There was more to the story than that, and had Bastien known all of it perhaps Remi would have deserved the criticism. But it had been shocking in its callousness, and hearing the man's name Remi found he was still slightly shocked by it. Still, his smile was instantaneously and full of delight.
"A jail house admission of love and a proposal offered to a man with a concussion. We are quite the pair." He said with a boyish laugh. "Does that mean wedding bells are in your future as well? Perhaps the winter wedding you were speaking of?"

REXANNA

you don't get to die and be reborn the same.

you come back,

She listens as Remi speaks of the snow; and she nods understandingly with a gentle smile along her face. “You have someone nice and toasty to cuddle up to at least!” She grins, flashing him a wink before he speaks about Longnight and her tone grows a smidge more serious. Ludo, hmm? She’s never met the god, nor Safrin for that matter, but she hopes that things will go well for him in regards to helping. Gods knew Remi’s track record for getting the wrong kind of attention from the Gods was something he had a knack for. She nods though, giving him a soft smile and a squeeze of his hand. “I hope it goes well for you.” There’s sincerity in her voice, and she means it when she looks into his face.

But as he continues his impeccable recreation of Bastien, Rexanna can’t help the giggles. “Oh stop, I’m blushing!” She aims to playfully cover her face before she revolves into laughter with him. This was all she’d ever wanted with a friend, light joking, good company, and shared experiences they could joke about sometime in the future when the wounds weren’t so raw. She grins to him as she tells him how Bastien and her shared their first I love you’s, and she can’t help the blush that creeps over her cheeks as he mentions wedding bells.

“It took us how many seasons to say I love you?” She ponders with a laugh. “Itll likely be next year before things move fast like that. We’re like molasses!” She chimes with another bubbly laugh. “Bastien isn’t much one for rushing into things that are incredibly dangerous, so I think we have time.” She jokes, despite knowing that time can be treading deep into the unknown. “I don’t have much to offer for your wedding other than clothes and fireworks, but I’d love to help in any way I can. Even if you want a splash of color while you kiss!” She leans in as though it’s a secret, a hand pulling away from his to summon the small sparkler as it fizzles.

but you come back wrong

this is the price

you pay for

resurrection

all our lives i watched you search beneath the fallen skies

Remi snorts, unsure if her comment is more about simply having someone to cuddle during the colder months, or whether it's a reference to the ascended's lack of body temperature. Either way, his grin is sly as he nods.

"But cara even the gods cannot rival your beauty when you blush!" He continues, his own laughter mingling with hers. Though his pantomime of Bastien is not bad, he does genuinely mean the words in a sense. Rexanna truly is one of the most beautiful women that he's come across, perhaps even more so lately. Whether that is magic (partially) or because of her love for Bastien (mostly), he doesn't know. But it doesn't make it any less true.

"Sorry, is a wedding now incredibly dangerous?" He repeats, before sucking in a pretend-worried breath. "Bad news for me."

Watching her hand suddenly sparkle with light, Remi gasps with genuine surprise. Joy alights his features as he beams at Rex, before glancing down at the disappearing flickers of light. "That is amazing. I made something like that in Northaven but...that is magic, I take it?" With a smile made mushy by his overwhelming sense of romanticism, he nods. "I would love something like that at the wedding."

REXANNA

you don't get to die and be reborn the same.

you come back,

He would be correct in his assumption of either, but in Rexanna’s experience she has always craved the warmth. Bastien… well, being himself provided her with enough to forgo his lowered body temperature. It wasn’t a deal breaker despite how much she craved it. And as Remi continues in Bastien’s singsong tone, she can’t help but laugh as well – their laughter illuminating the room around them with happiness when there was so much sadness in the world. “Frey made sure I looked beautiful in any way.” She adds with another quiet joke, even if the reasoning underneath it is morbid as she thinks back to when she passed out beneath the spire after Lucas had bit her.

She still looked great despite it.

But she laughs it off when Remi asks if weddings are dangerous, and she gives him this innocent look. “You’ll certainly find out soon enough!” She retorts with a small snort, grinning from ear to ear with the jest of perhaps her oldest friend in Caido. And when she shows him her small firework, she doesn’t know how well he can see it at first – that is, until the joy lights up his face and he beams to her. And she preens a bit beneath his appreciation.

“Magic, yes!” She says with a nod. The sparkler she’d shown him was small by comparison to her thoughts, and she squeezes his hand before aiming to lead him outside so she doesn’t destroy his workshop. “Here, there’s a few different versions.” She adds with a quiet laugh, pointing with a free hand out toward the street. A medium sized one erupts and fizzles in showers of gold and red, some that streamed and some that danced and dissolved out.

Then, she aims higher into the sky for the finale, with a smile playing at the edges of her lips. Up high into the sky, a larger one blooms in a wide array of those same reds and golds as they rain from the sky, sparkling and dancing until they too disappear. She turns back to Remi with a similarly wide grin. “I don’t have many of them in me so I’ll use it for the good parts.” She winks before beaming at him.

but you come back wrong

this is the price

you pay for

resurrection

all our lives i watched you search beneath the fallen skies

"Well, we've all better thank Frey then." Remi said with a smile, though of course...he absolutely would not be doing that. Ever, if he had his way.

Following dutifully behind, eager indeed to see this new sort of magic, he stops in awe as light sparks brightly in the middle of the street. The colours are dull at first - the red and gold appearing significantly muted - but he can extrapolate what it must in fact be like. The larger display though truly takes his breath away, and the soft pangs of regret for his lost eyesight tingle darkly in the back of his mind.

"Amazing..." He whispered, his lips falling open slightly in happy wonder at what he was seeing. "Your control is amazing." Remi adds, watching until the last sparks have softly faded away. Returning her wink with a bright grin, Remi nods and then laughs. "Well, if I have to match something like that for your wedding, I suppose it is good that you and Bastien are taking things slow. It gives me time."