invest your love
Remi Taliesin
the Bastion


Age: 31 | Height: 5'11 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 15 - Strg: 68 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 100 - Luck: 93 - Int: 3
ORIA - Mythical - Spriggan (Ghost)
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#15
if you make it all wrong then i'll make it all right
Nodding immediately even though there is uncertainty in Remi’s eyes, the boy swallows. “He...said he has felt strange ever since the Spire. Isla cured him of his concussion and other wounds immediately. But...it is something else.” Panic wants to creep into his voice, but accented though his words are, he somehow keeps them steady. “In the pit where she made Ronin into a star? Or...There is a hill, in the fields where we buried Vanya and her soul was placed into the sky?” Remi fumbles for ideas. The glade, really...it is where he has seen her most often, but of course, there is already a shrine there. “The Greatwood? Surely the fae...Zariah would allow us entry for that? For Safrin?”

He notices the way she drifts back from him slightly, can feel it in her hands and their soft mental connection, and it makes his breath catch slightly in his throat. Glassy-eyed now as he recalls the look of horror on Zero’s face, and how, in the fact of a monstrous lion he kept wanting to help...it makes Remi shiver with guilt as he pulls in a hasty and weighted breath.

“Mmmmm.” Remi hums a note of agreement, taking in a breath meant to steady his racing heart. “I...uhmm..” He continues, colour returning to his face as an inappropriately joyful smile (in the face of their conversation) tugs at his lips. “I...asked him to marry me.” He admits in a warm tone, looking down at Amalia’s hands, one of his fingers unconsciously rubbing against her ring finger.
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
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#16
Amalia
"Remi. It's going to be okay." Amalia does not know this, of course - she does not know much of anything these days. She does not know if Ronin will be well, or Safrin, or the world itself- but she knows she has to believe it, because he has to believe it. Squeezing the alchemist's hand reassuringly, she peers into his sea-green eyes, ardent and passionate, a promise in her voice. "Vi said that Safrin would heal, so Ronin will, too. And I think... I think the hill sounds like a perfect idea." She does not mention that she simply cannot bear the thought of asking Zariah for anything, especially after what Remi has said. Were it her alone, the girl would walk into the woods without a moment's hesitation, their tyrant queen be damned.

But there is more than the girl involved in this quest, and she will not be responsible for more loss, more pain.

She has already made a mistake, though, her uncertainty with Remi's admission causing the boy to further recoil. Biting her lip, Amalia sighs, trying not to sink into herself as anxiety and insecurity claw at her eyes. Stupid, stupid, a terrible friend... She wishes she could vanish, or re-write time, eat her words and be bigger, be better, ever be enough. "When my grandmother died..." Another sigh, shuddering, and the girl closes her eyes. "I told my mother I wish it was different. That it should have been her who was gone. It was... it was one of the last real conversations we had."

Has Amalia ever spoken of this? Probably not- the guilt is too great, a weight on her stomach pulling, pulling, pulling her down, threatening to drown her beneath the abyss. Once, indeed, it almost did. Only weakness and stupidity kept the girl from the brink, an inability to go through with her desire, too unhappy to go on, too small to let it end.

Shaking her head, Amalia sighs, blinking up at Remi through glassy, hard eyes. "We all make mistakes. We all do bad things. It doesn't make us bad people, as long as we do better the next time around."

Then the conversation takes a turn so sharp Amalia nearly falls over in surprise, her dark gaze widening in shock and delight at Remi's admission and smile. "You what?!" she demands, less indignant than incredulous, a grin to match his blooming on her cheeks. Playfully she punches his shoulder, some of the tension leaving her figure, her low, alto laugh filling the shop. "Why didn't you lead with that? When? How? When is the wedding? Vi's beard-"

Still laughing, Amalia throws her arms around him, gratitude and happiness blurring her eyes. In a time when everything feels hopeless it feels like a blessing to get some good news, and the girl clings to it with every fiber of her being, a lifeboat in a turbulent sea. "That's wonderful, Remi," she hums in his ear. "I'm so happy for you."
she was like the moon-
part of her was always hidden away
Remi Taliesin
the Bastion


Age: 31 | Height: 5'11 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 15 - Strg: 68 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 100 - Luck: 93 - Int: 3
ORIA - Mythical - Spriggan (Ghost)
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MP: 3059
#17
if you make it all wrong then i'll make it all right
Remi felt his heart flutter slightly in the wake of Amalia's words. Naively perhaps, he latches on to them, holding them tightly just as she holds his hands. "It is quite a beautiful spot. It has enough of a rise that you can see quite far, especially with the barrier down, but not so high that it is difficult to reach. On cloudless evenings the stars seem close enough to touch." Indeed they had only nights before when he and Ronin had visited. Although that isn't what the alchemist's hands had wanted to touch.

Remi, who had only recently developed any sort of familial relationships with anyone—his own family had been quite horrible save for his mother, the memory of whom Ludo had taken—felt his stomach clench at the words. He could imagine it so easily, words thrown around in the midst of an emotional hurricane, never to be taken back. The lost and boyish part of him wants to argue; what if there are no more next times?  How many mistakes until we are precisely what we are trying not to become? but he concedes as she shakes her head. Offering her an adoring and sweet smile, Remi nods with unhappy agreement, holding tight to these words as well and hoping that is enough to make them true.

Flinching as she punches him, his face alight with happiness, Remi playfully rubs his wound. "Because you seems so sad." He says immediately, the genuineness in his voice implying that, even had he learned the secrets of the universe, that he'd still put Amalia's happiness before it.

As she wraps her arms around him, Remi scoops her up easily and spins her around, laughing merrily into her golden hair. "It was right after he came home from the Spire...I...had been thinking about it for a few days before, thought perhaps I would propose on the hill we had talked about, a sunset picnic or so, but then..." Almost shyly, his love for Ronin filled him entirely, Remi shrugged helplessly. "I could not wait. He had a concussion and was worried about whether I would hold his hair back as he threw up and I just had to ask." Releasing Amalia to run a bashful hand through his curls, Remi could only laugh at himself.

"Not one of my finer moments, but he did say yes. He even said yes again in the morning when he could actually think clearly."

As for when? How? "We thought before the snows came...a sunset wedding so the stars—Vanya—might be out." He continued softly. "I...in Northaven weddings were a rather strange ordeal. I was hoping you might be able to help...ahh, guide us? as to how things are done here?"
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
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#18
Amalia
'Because you seemed so sad.' Amalia smiles crookedly, something bittersweet in her face. At the end of the day, this is what they are: two broken children, scarred and destroyed, always putting the world before themselves. Will they crumble, one day, from the inside out, find their foundations hollow with rot because they have not let themselves air out, have not looked at their hurt and found the strength to heal?

Maybe that is why they need each other: to bully and beguile and tear at the armor, expose the broken pieces beneath and allow the flesh to breathe.

She squeals with laughter as he spins her around, and continues to laugh at his tale. A concussed proposal is not far from what she might expect these days, in this place, with the world falling around their ears. "Of course he said yes," she grins in reply. "It's obvious to anyone he adores you, Remi." Once again guilt squeezes her at almost leading him to risk his hide. Amalia never could have forgiven herself if she'd caused him to die again.

Listening to Remi gush and giggle, the baker cannot help but relax. Slipping at last out of his grip, she moves behind the counter and takes out cups, preparing to make some tea. "A sunset wedding sounds perfect. We often have them at sunset anyway, for Safrin..." Something catches in her throat; Amalia shakes her head. She will be well, by then.

The question about weddings in Caido is a loaded one, and Amalia leans against the counter, thoughtfully spinning her empty cup. "A strange ordeal?" Tilting her head, the baker frowns a little, humor in her eyes. "Sounds like everything else in Northaven. Here they're joyful celebrations - or at least, the ones I've been to all were."
she was like the moon-
part of her was always hidden away
Remi Taliesin
the Bastion


Age: 31 | Height: 5'11 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 15 - Strg: 68 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 100 - Luck: 93 - Int: 3
ORIA - Mythical - Spriggan (Ghost)
Played by: Odd Offline
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Posts: 10,723 | Total: 16,193
MP: 3059
#19
if you make it all wrong then i'll make it all right
"Well it wasn't to me. Not for a long time, at least." The alchemist admits with a boyish blush. He and Ronin had always been close. Perhaps that's why Remi didn't think much of it when they started sleeping together (literally, just sleeping in the same bed). Though, he actually did think a lot of it. Over and over, endlessly filling his mind with thoughts he couldn't control. But images of Ronin were always wrapped up in memories of Northaven: Ronin the dashing captain of the guard, a baron and a man everyone knew. While Remi was a commoner, living in a one-room house with a broken lock.

He hears the catch, but merely nods it away, carried easily by her optimism. Safrin will be fine. Ronin will be fine, and somehow, they will be married.

With a grin, Remi leans against the counter and slumps his chin into one of his hands. "Oh yes. You had to show up with a date. The different classes were not normally meant to mingle..something political usually happened...a few assassinations if I remember correctly." Remi flashed his friend a look that suggested he wished he were kidding. "Marriages were not normally for love either, so there was not much...ahh..." Shrugging his shoulders, he rolled his wrist gently to indicate all the things he currently needed help with.
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
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#20
Amalia
"Assassinations?" It fits in with her dismal idea of Northaven, but is nonetheless surprising, a strange and dark version of the ceremony she knows as warm and bright. "I'm afraid ours aren't so exciting." She pulls the water off the stove and shakes in some leaves of tea, an herbal blend with cinnamon she's always favored.

"We... our weddings are more of a festival. We honor each of the gods and their heralds. The couple lights lanterns that they design for each other for Ludo, and plant seedlings that represent each other for Frey. Then they jump over a fire while promising to be faithful and true, and the promise is carried to the stars."
she was like the moon-
part of her was always hidden away
Remi Taliesin
the Bastion


Age: 31 | Height: 5'11 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 15 - Strg: 68 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 100 - Luck: 93 - Int: 3
ORIA - Mythical - Spriggan (Ghost)
Played by: Odd Offline
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MP: 3059
#21
if you make it all wrong then i'll make it all right
"These days a lack of excitement is just what I need." Remi says with a wry smile.

Listening to the way the people honour the gods, Remi pauses thoughtfully. "Safrin has obviously done more than I could ever thank her for...but I suppose Ludo and Frey have as well, in their own ways." Each god had taken memories of those the alchemist had once loved. But now, in hindsight, perhaps it was not such a bad thing. It was nice to think only of Ronin, to not have his love for the hunter weighed down with thoughts of others, comparisons, old and tired memories.

"Well, on the off-chance that something does go wrong, get your staff." He prompted with a smile.
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
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Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#22
Amalia
"I understand that." Pouring the tea into two glasses, Amalia returns Remi's wry smile, a little bit of weariness returning to her eyes. She, too, is tired, exhausted, desperately in need of some sort of break. The year has taken a toll on the girl, aging and breaking her, leaving her spent. There are times she cannot imagine pushing forward, does not know what else to try, if it will ever be enough, how much longer she can go before bending so far she snaps and breaks.

But she cannot break - she cannot break - and so she doesn't. Not yet.

Amalia's expression clouds a little, reticence marking her lips as she recalls Remi's past experiences with her gods. They had not been favorable, by and large, and the girl wonders if he will reject the idea of honoring them, if she has pushed too far. But no- somehow the girl remains optimistic, remarkably and inexplicably so, and Amalia takes solace in the boy's stalwart strength, admiring his endless optimism with a wistful sort of envy. If only it were so easy for her to maintain a smile.

"Very well," she agrees mock-indignantly, throwing up her hands, walking toward the back of the shop where her staff sits by the door. "Maybe I can whack Zariah with it a few times and heal whatever's broken in her brain." She grins wryly, only half-joking as she returns to where the alchemist waits, extending the staff. "Have they always been like this? The Launceleyns? So... awful? They must have been very powerful in Northaven..."
she was like the moon-
part of her was always hidden away
Remi Taliesin
the Bastion


Age: 31 | Height: 5'11 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 15 - Strg: 68 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 100 - Luck: 93 - Int: 3
ORIA - Mythical - Spriggan (Ghost)
Played by: Odd Offline
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Posts: 10,723 | Total: 16,193
MP: 3059
#23
if you make it all wrong then i'll make it all right
As Amalia hands the cup of tea over, the alchemist's shattered-gaze lowers to look at the cup. It is not mass-made, not common. There are fractures and chips, a cup well-loved and well used. Frowning slightly, Remi reaches out meaning to cover one of Amalia's hands with one of his. There is affection and concern there, but as always, only the sweetness of friendship and nothing more, even as one of his fingers grows feathery as it softly means to stroke the top of Amalia's hand. Closing his eyes for a moment, Remi relaxed into their mental bond, pulsing a memory towards his friend. It was of Ronin, the first night that the pair were intimate together. The captain's eyes were oh-so blue, made even more vibrant by the memory, but it was his words that the alchemist wanted to transmit. Would that I knew what monsters you had in there, you would not have to fight them alone Ronin's lips said. Even at the time the words had an effect on the alchemist who, despite a pang that resulted from a fear of intimacy with any man, struck a chord deep within.

Softly Remi squeezed Amalia's hand as the vision faded. "You spoke to Vi Amalia, and yet...I do not believe I have ever seen you so sad." He prompted softly.


////


"Mm, they have. In Northaven they served the royal family. They were basically royalty themselves by extension." Remi said with an exasperated sigh. At one time the alchemist had thought that they were not all like that—he had loved Loren, after all—but without those memories and having only heard the accounts of his 'relationship' with the duke through others (Ronin, Vai), the man seemed just as cold as the rest of his kin.

Reaching out for the staff, Remi closed his eyes for a moment. Light blossomed from his fingers, running up into the heartwood at the center and then billowing at the top. Sipping a breath of air as he shuddered slightly with the exertion, he shot the baker a weary smile. "There. Stronger for you, and less magic for Zariah to take from me."
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
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#24
Amalia
"I..." Amalia is not sure what to say, how to reply to his unasked question. The pulse of affection, the memory, is haunting; something inside her chokes and crumbles, lonely and broken and a little bit lost. How much she would like to lay down her burdens, to let someone else help carry the load. How much has Amalia carried and wielded, worn like a lodestone around her neck? How close has she come already to breaking, shattering under that miserable weight?

Remi's friendship is kind and welcome, but the boy has dealt with far too much - is dealing with too much to carry the girl's burdens as well. So the baker attempts a reassuring smile, though her face has never been good at lying, though a little prying would be more than enough to expose the fractures underneath. "I'm just tired," she tells the alchemist, squeezing his hand lightly in reply. "And worried about Safrin. I'll feel better when I know she's well."

/////

That the Launceleyn are basically royalty doesn't surprise the baker at all. Her tired sigh echoes his own, a bit of wry exasperation creeping into her face. "Of course they were." Had Remi reminded her of the time she met Loren - had he remembered it at all - the baker might have laughed and shook her head, remembering the dismal impression that mage had left on her, with his endless insistence at using fire around books.

She watches as Remi works his magic, ever fascinated by the ability to create. The last time left her prepared, however: as soon as he finishes Amalia is there, her hand resting, steadying, on his shoulder, a glass of water and pumpkin scone already sitting at the table. "Thank you," she tells him, taking the staff back into her hand, weighing the warmth of it under her palm. "Maybe next time you could make something to stop her magic entirely. Level the playing field a little."
she was like the moon-
part of her was always hidden away
Remi Taliesin
the Bastion


Age: 31 | Height: 5'11 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 15 - Strg: 68 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 100 - Luck: 93 - Int: 3
ORIA - Mythical - Spriggan (Ghost)
Played by: Odd Offline
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Posts: 10,723 | Total: 16,193
MP: 3059
#25
if you make it all wrong then i'll make it all right
Remi sighed softly and nodded. Though his stare was far harder to read now that it was pale and fractured, still his kindess and affection for the leopardess shone through. "Alright." He agreed softly, more than happy to simply let his willingness to hear her concerns known, but, sadly, knowing what it was to need to keep things to oneself.

Listening to the suggestion, Remi's brows furrowed together for a moment. "Archibald had something like that...in his cane.." The alchemist mused, head inclined thoughtfully to the side. "Perhaps I will try and create something like that. It might nullify my magic as well, so perhaps it would be better in the hands of someone like you or Jigano." Then again, Remi would happily have his powers be stripped if it meant neutering Zariah. Remi still had his strength and his animal shifts, while the queen had nothing but her laurels to fall back on.
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
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#26
Amalia
"Archebold." Amalia says his name with distaste, remembering the dim corridors, the man who leered in the dark. "His cane... he had it in the Underground. When we-" But she does not finish, cannot bear to name another mistake, another stupid thing she did that resulted in disaster.

She tilts her head as the alchemist muses, accidentally mirroring his actions, a strangely birdlike characteristic the pair appears to share. "Or Ronin," she suggests, biting thoughtfully on her lip. "Or... or what about a trap? Like a smoke bomb, but it releases something that nullifies magic? Then we could set it off when Edrei and Zariah are together. Block them both." It might be a foolish idea, but it's the least violent way to weaken all the Laucelyens she can currently think of.
she was like the moon-
part of her was always hidden away
Remi Taliesin
the Bastion


Age: 31 | Height: 5'11 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 15 - Strg: 68 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 100 - Luck: 93 - Int: 3
ORIA - Mythical - Spriggan (Ghost)
Played by: Odd Offline
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Posts: 10,723 | Total: 16,193
MP: 3059
#27
if you make it all wrong then i'll make it all right
Perhaps showing some of the naivety he was always accused of, Remi genuinely could not totally understand what everyone had against the former-captain and bloodfiend. There was so much that he didn't know, but as far as he did know, Archebold had been nothing but kind and gracious to him. "Mmm. I remember though I was on the other side of that particular tunnel." He said with a small shrug, having nearly forgotten that Amalia had been there.

Nibbling his lip, Remi wonders. "Do you know anyone with magic like mine? I...I know so little. I honestly do not know what I can and cannot do until I try." Which, normally he'd be happy to do. Trial and error was one of Remi's favourite activities. But given that his magical creations could be incredibly dangerous, it seemed not the sort of thing he could so haphazardly play with.
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
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MP: 2580
#28
Amalia
"I... don't," Amalia says, shaking her head at the question. "Or not as strong as yours, anyway." The Outlanders have always seen to pick things up faster than them, a trait the girl now rather suspects is influenced by The Voice. She has known others who could create, of course, and even some who could craft items of magic, but so many? With such skill? "There are some people you could talk to, but you might be best off trying the library. Jigano might know where you can find a book on it."

Taking another sip of tea, the girl lets the conversation drift away to more pleasant things: wedding plans and ceremonies, cakes and dresses and lanterns and fire. It is nice to escape from the world for a while, to pretend that everything is indeed okay, that a wedding is the biggest event of their future, rather than tyranny and oppression and loss.

When the time comes for the young man to take his leave, the baker is sad to see him go. She sends him off with treats for Aoife, and a promise to let her know when he would like to taste some cakes. Then she sets herself back to work, sighing deeply and trying to cling to the happy glow of friendship and peace.
she was like the moon-
part of her was always hidden away


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