my heart stumbles on things I don't know

if you make it all wrong then i'll make it all right

"You know, you are the second person to suggest just running away." Remi chuckled, thinking of Sam's offer to have he and Remi live with him in some shack out in the woods.

Remi hardly noticed the tears spilling against his chest as he pulled Phoebe ever tighter against him. Sometimes there were simply no words, or rather, that they'd all been said. It was precisely as Phoebe knew it was: being the problem was so much easier than being disappointed in someone else. Wanting so badly to go back in time and just change things. To have the lessons learned in a different way. But not even love could do that. Love in cases like this only made things worse.

Gently pushing a strand of her tear-soaked hair from her eyes, Remi shook his head with a bemused smile. Leaning forward to kiss Phoebe's forehead, he raised a brow and smiled softly. "I cannot feel a thing and you know it. And even if I could, I would hardly mind." He said in a playfully scolding voice.

Then, lips twitching ever so slightly, Remi flashed Phoebe a boyishly excited smile. "I...do have some news that might make you a bit happy to hear?"

PHOEBE

”My first instinct is always to run away though.” she said with a light sniffle, wiping at her eyes. ”Maybe…maybe I am a coward like Emmett said.” Phoebe swallowed a lump in her throat. She didn’t think she was cowardly but…was she just being naive about herself? Would Frey say she was a coward too? Would Remi?

She laughed a little and nodded, accepting that Remi was far from upset with her for her tears. ”Thank you.” she said quietly, hiccupping in air briefly as her tears truly began to settle. The alchemist’s shift in the conversation helped, and wide brown eyes with lashes still soaked with tears stared at him momentarily confused. ”What is it?” she asked, gasping suddenly as her mind jumped to conclusions with ease. ”Did Aoife walk? Oh I missed it didn’t I!” she said, growing excited and assuming the news was about the little starry-eyed baby girl of course.

Cause getting your dreams
It's strange, but it seems
A little - well - complicated
There's a kind of a sort of : cost
There's a couple of things get: lost
There are bridges you cross
You didn't know you crossed
Until you've crossed
And if that joy, that thrill
Doesn't thrill you like you think it will
Still, why am I not happier?

if you make it all wrong then i'll make it all right

"He is a stupid man." Remi replied, crinkling his nose with a smirk. "You should forget basically everything he has ever said." He added. "Most things most men say, actually. We are not always a very clever bunch."

Leaning his head back and laughing happily, Remi shook his head. "Almost. She is very nearly there. She certainly has her father's stubbornness." The alchemist added with an adoring grin.

Speaking of her father...

"But no, it's...ahh..." Trailing off and blushing adorably, Remi sat up slightly straighter, biting the inside of his lip to try and somewhat contain his rapidly spreading smile. "I....I asked Ronin to marry me." Remi all but whispered, his heart flipflopping happily in his stomach.

PHOEBE

She sniffled and giggled a bit at Emmett’s expense. The ex-boyfriend bashing did help lighten her mood a bit. ”No. You are not always a clever bunch.” she agreed with a little laugh.

Phoebe managed a grin when Remi assured her she hadn’t missed the baby walking yet. ”Oh good! I will be honest, I’ve made my check-ups more frequent in hopes I will witness it…don’t tell Ronin though.” she said with a sneaky little laugh. She had to get her fill of baby’s somewhere, and her nephews were getting bigger and far less adorable than they had been, what with constantly wanting to break everything in sight it seemed. Aoife was the baby she had around to love on.

But when the real news was revealed she gasped, her expression caught between shock and joy. ”Oh! Oh my goodness, Remi!!!” she practically squealed with excitement, grabbing his hands in hers in a very girlish fashion. ”He said yes right? He better have or I will deck him, I promise, or at least Pim will! You have to tell me everything, right this instant!”

Cause getting your dreams
It's strange, but it seems
A little - well - complicated
There's a kind of a sort of : cost
There's a couple of things get: lost
There are bridges you cross
You didn't know you crossed
Until you've crossed
And if that joy, that thrill
Doesn't thrill you like you think it will
Still, why am I not happier?

if you make it all wrong then i'll make it all right

“Women are not bad...or so I have been told.” Remi says with a wry and mischevious chuckle, nudging Phoebe affectionately.

Raising a brow (a gesture that looked more and more like Ronin, though Remi was clearly lacking his lover’s fantastic eyebrows), Remi let his hands be captured, though he shot the midwife a wry smirk. “Yes Phoebe. The news I thought that you would like to hear is that I proposed to Ronin and he said no.” He chuckled playfully.

“He had just come home from being at the Spire...He’d gotten himself concussed. I had actually been thinking about proposing for a while...I had things to say, a starry picnic planned...” Remi’s cheeks flushed at his wayward plans, but in the end, he didn’t really care that the proposal hadn’t gone according to plan. It was very much a he and Ronin moment, which was all that mattered. “When I lost him the first time...” Shaking his head and looking down at their clasped hands, Remi running a finger over Phoebe’s knuckles, the alchemist sighed. “It was nearly more than I could bear. So when he came back...I just ... There has been so much death...so much loss.” Pausing, and flashing Phoebe a grin, Remi shrugged. “And so, Ronin with a concussion and me washing the blood out of his hair, it just...happened.”

PHOEBE

At Remi's jest, Phoebe's cheeks puffed up in mild irritation, cheeks blushing. "Well I don't know! Maybe you were trying to commiserate with me or something!" she said with a huff. People did sometimes use their own bad news to make others feel better after all. But she was glad it wasn't the case, and quickly her very mild irritation passed and she listened to the story with rapt attention.

"Oh, Remi..." she breathed, a light giggle on her lips as she grinned at him. "That's so perfect! Just perfect!" she said brightly. And in her mind it was. Spur of the moment, prompted by emotion, perfect and romantic in its own way. Phoebe pushed herself forward and hugged him tight, careful still of the wound on his chest. "I am so happy for you, Remi! Words cannot describe it!" she said, her smile coloring her tone.

Cause getting your dreams
It's strange, but it seems
A little - well - complicated
There's a kind of a sort of : cost
There's a couple of things get: lost
There are bridges you cross
You didn't know you crossed
Until you've crossed
And if that joy, that thrill
Doesn't thrill you like you think it will
Still, why am I not happier?

if you make it all wrong then i'll make it all right

Laughing with easy joy, the wound on his chest completely numbed by the cream, Remi snuggled against Phoebe. "I suppose I can save all the sappy things I was going to say to him for our actual wedding day. We were thinking before the snow falls, since...well." Pulling back slightly, the alchemist's expression darkened a shade or two. "..since we all know how dangerous LongNight can be."

Combing his fingers lightly through Phoebe's hair and flashing her a grin, Remi paused. " Would...you be willing to help me plan? I admit, I never actually thought I would ever get married, not with things how they were in Northaven. Or if I did, I would be all but forced into it. Ronin is useless—" This he said with an affectionate smile. "—but I am not much better."

PHOEBE

Phoebe smiled, laughing a bit at the picture that came to mind. ”Yes you should. I bet he won’t be so prepared as you.” she said with a grin. His sudden mood shift when bringing up LongNight did make her frown a little. ”We will be more prepared this year than last. And it mightn’t be so bad this year now that the barrier is down…but I still think that a very smart decision.” she said with a smile.

She gasped at his question, lighting up with such joy at his question she appeared she might burst – she certainly felt it! ”Oh of course, of course!” she said excitedly. ”I would be honored and love to help! Whatever you need or want, I will make it happen!” she said with a resolute nod. ”Only the best for my brother’s wedding – but!” she said, a cheeky little grin curved her lips. ”I better be your Maid of Honor. Or Best Woman. Whatever you’d prefer.” she said teasingly.

Cause getting your dreams
It's strange, but it seems
A little - well - complicated
There's a kind of a sort of : cost
There's a couple of things get: lost
There are bridges you cross
You didn't know you crossed
Until you've crossed
And if that joy, that thrill
Doesn't thrill you like you think it will
Still, why am I not happier?

if you make it all wrong then i'll make it all right

With a laugh, Remi ruffled a hand through his curls and offered the midwife a sunny smile. "You can be called whatever you like." He agreed with a shrug, having no real idea the nomenclature for anyone, or how any of this was supposed to work.

"I suppose I need to figure out how weddings actually work here..." He added a crooked smile.

PHOEBE

Phoebe tapped her chin, lips pursing as she considered. ”Best Woman of Honor.” she said with a giggle, combining the two titles into one mega title. Her head tilted slightly to the side, considering his statement for a moment. ”Well… why not combine the two traditions? You and Ronin are both from Northaven after all, and now you live here. I think that would be a lovely way to represent your roots and honor your future in Caido, and make everyone feel welcome.” she said with a small smile.

”Besides, it’s your wedding. You do whatever it is you want, and if anyone is grumpy about it I shall send Pim after them!” she said with a curt nod. ”And as your Best Woman of Honor it is my duty to make sure things go seamlessly and that you look fabulous and everything goes perfect and even if it doesn’t that you don’t know it.”

Cause getting your dreams
It's strange, but it seems
A little - well - complicated
There's a kind of a sort of : cost
There's a couple of things get: lost
There are bridges you cross
You didn't know you crossed
Until you've crossed
And if that joy, that thrill
Doesn't thrill you like you think it will
Still, why am I not happier?

if you make it all wrong then i'll make it all right

With a snort, the alchemist nodded. "Best Woman of Honour it is." He agreed with an easy shrug.

"I suppose...I will ask Amalia what weddings here are normally like." Other than Rory, Remi wasn't particularly close with any naturals who might know things about weddings. Certainly, Sam did not seem like a likely candidate, if he was even back from his woodland adventures to ask. "About that.." Biting the inside of his lip and frowning, Remi sat up slightly straighter.

"Zariah's laws about large gatherings, and having either herself or Edrei in attendance...She threatened Aoife, Phoebe. There is no way that Ronin will let her be anywhere near the ceremony. And Edy? She is all but complicit in this. I cannot see him being alright with her, either."

PHOEBE

Phoebe snickered with him, glad he was willing to go along with the silly title. At any rate, when things got stressful or nerve wracking, he would have that to laugh about.

”Yes, I think Amalia would be the best person to ask about that. Plus she bakes!” she said with grin. She gasped then, and pressed her hands to her cheeks. ”Oh, I wonder if she would make samples of things! Wouldn’t that be so fun? Just sitting around with a glass of wine eating sweets!” she said with a light laugh. But soon the tone shifted and her brightness was dampened. Alarm was clear as day in her eyes as Remi explained the predicament. She…she threatened a child? A baby? Her lips pressed into a thin line.

As Remi straightened she stood, wiping off the cream from her blouse with a rag before grabbing the bandages to finally cover up the wound. She was silent as she worked, thinking on his words and concerns. ”I will talk to Ronin, and frankly he might not have a choice. I can be the bad guy in that conversation with him.” she said as she secured the bandages. ”And if that is the case, I will make certain Aoife is nowhere near Zariah or Edrei at any point. Frankly, Pim is almost big enough she could probably ride around on him, and he is quite the slippery little thing.” she said with a light laugh. ”I kid, I won’t strap your baby to a dragon clearly. But I will do what I can to make sure she stays safe if one of them attends. Auntie Phoebe can be tough when she needs to.”

Cause getting your dreams
It's strange, but it seems
A little - well - complicated
There's a kind of a sort of : cost
There's a couple of things get: lost
There are bridges you cross
You didn't know you crossed
Until you've crossed
And if that joy, that thrill
Doesn't thrill you like you think it will
Still, why am I not happier?

if you make it all wrong then i'll make it all right

"Mmmm, samples..." Remi intoned, doing his best to sound positively neanderthal in his want of food. "And that would be lovely...but if Ronin comes along, we will all have to be quite quick or I guarantee he will eat all the food before we have had a chance." The alchemist added with an adoring smile.

Watching Phoebe as she all but turned to stone, standing and beginning to finish her original task, Remi frowned softly. "There is nothing Ronin would not do to keep Aoife safe. Zariah said that both she and Ronin would not be harmed, but he hardly believes her." He added with a gentle shrug. Then, with a boyish smile, he added: "I have strapped her to a unicorn before. A dragon can't be much worse."

PHOEBE

”Oh no he would not! I grew up with an older brother, I know very well how to keep my sweets safe!” Phoebe said confidently. Ronin taking her cake samples? Ha! He would be too taken aback by how quickly she turned to do so.

She was quiet as Remi expounded on Ronin’s concerns, but she felt still that the situation was the same. ”Of course he would, he is an excellent father.” she said, smiling at Remi a bit sadly. ”But sometimes, to protect those we love, we have to put our pride aside, and Ronin is no different. To keep Aoife safe, he might have to play nicely for the time being.” she said. It was a sad reality but it was the reality. Sometimes you had the play the game to avoid losing it all.

”Well, Isla is one thing. Pim is a bit…” she was cut off by a loud crash as a chair was knocked over, followed by the sound of scratching claws on stone. Pim had crashed into said chair coming around a corner too fast, in hot pursuit of a mouse that had gotten into the building. ”…Clumsy.” she said with a light laugh.

Cause getting your dreams
It's strange, but it seems
A little - well - complicated
There's a kind of a sort of : cost
There's a couple of things get: lost
There are bridges you cross
You didn't know you crossed
Until you've crossed
And if that joy, that thrill
Doesn't thrill you like you think it will
Still, why am I not happier?