stand out, fit in

REXANNA

they say the loveliest angels

make the cruelest demons

“That is horrible… I’m sorry.” She tells him, not knowing if he’s ever been subjected to it — but the idea was barbaric in and of itself. Though it wasn’t like her ex husband had done anything better to his own people. A thing she regretted immensely upon arriving into Caido. But he mentions that perhaps they should have used her as an option, and had she had a nose in this form to wrinkle, she would have.

“I thought I would make a good one, never got that far.” She explains, a small hint of amusement rolling toward him before it dies off. “My ex-husband sacked my city before I had a chance to rule it.” She says in a way that would feel like her shrugging her shoulders. She doesn’t have any regrets, not anymore. But she would have done things differently if she had been able to do it over. “But my experience with court is how Zariah got me involved with hers. I never told her I was a queen.”

your fall was not

an accident

you were chosen

for the damned

Not the worst of it by far. The alchemist adds with a mental shrug. But when it is the only life you know, it does not seem so bad. Looking back it indeed feels...strange, to have lived like that though. With a trill of surprise, the alchemist realizes for the first time how it has been happenstance and near-misery that has forged the friendship between himself and the Penumbra, and not shared stories. Ex-husband? You mean I have now got to help Bastien compete against a royal wedding? The playfulness in his voice is obvious enough, even if the task does suddenly seem more daunting. Probably for the best. She might have thrown you out just for being potential competition. Remi thought back, letting his wings angle downwards to bring them closer to the trees. Though given what you know and what you have seen...I am sure you have more than a few thoughts on how things are being done here? REMI Traded my soul to free my mind, "can I go back to being blind?" I ask myself one too many times

REXANNA

they say the loveliest angels

make the cruelest demons

Hearing Remi’s words and understanding them intimately, she sends a bout of resonance toward him. Similarly entrapped within a world that seemed the only way, to realize it is not — and how poorly treated they had been before. But there’s an air of amusement that leaves her when the surprise hits, a chirp leaving her beak in response as she glides.

“It was an Asciend wedding, I would hardly consider it grand.” She chuckles. She had found Remi and Ronin’s wedding to be far more beautiful than her own, but likely due to the happiness, and not having wolves breathing down her neck. That was all she wanted, joy to be shared and revered.

But he comments on Zariah and Rexanna snorts again, a hum of laughter sent toward him. That thought had occurred to her, and it was why she had kept her lips shut. She didn’t want them to know, to use it against her. But upon her Ascension, she had left it all in the past. The gears in her mind still worked, however. And at his question, she spends a moment silently contemplating it.

“I think that knowing we are not alone is vital in the future endeavors, and we cannot continue to think we will be accepted everywhere. Look at the Fae for example.” She ponders how many more burnt bridges could come of venturing like a child in a candy shop to places they weren’t welcome just yet. “Steps have been made but we need to continue working with our neighbors and helping out where we can. I think the draft was stupid and I’m glad it’s gone. But I also think perhaps trying to open trade between us and the Fae might be useful… provided we have things they don’t.” She sends a feeling of another shoulder shrug his way. “It is nice, however, to have Ronin, Wessex, and Edy on the throne... Representation matters when it comes to a land full of many people from varying places.” She offers with a hint of a smile.

your fall was not

an accident

you were chosen

for the damned

Ahh well then. Those raggedy Asciend weddings. He laughed back, as if he had any idea at all what the word meant or significance it held in her mind. Listening with thoughtful silence as they fly, the alchemist remarks on just how many layers there are to his friend, and he finds himself surprisingly envious of Bastien who has likely peeled many of them back. Mmm, I agree. In Northaven we had a similar draft. I am not sure what Zariah was thinking trying to enforce something like that here. There we'd all lived on the cusp of war for so long it made sense. Here though? With farmers and artisans? Where war has never touched? Mentally the hawk whistled a jilted note as he shook his head. With a laugh, the alchemist trills brightly. I made that mistake once. Ianto took a few of us to the village to trade. Delah seemed more than receptive to our presence there, given it was under Arduinna's instruction. I brought a new device I had made for writing, one that would not stain hands as charcoal would, and one of the fae took offense I believe. With another mental shrug, Remi banked lower still towards the tree tops. I know very little of politics. But from what I have hard from Ronin, being in a room with the three of them does not a recipe for political progress make. A powder keg? Definitely. A place where things got done? Less so. REMI Traded my soul to free my mind, "can I go back to being blind?" I ask myself one too many times

REXANNA

they say the loveliest angels

make the cruelest demons

She listens to Remi as they fly, sending a beaming feeling of joy and laughter to him as he remarks about Asciend as well. It was a little thing, but she appreciates it all the same. If she had a choice she would have burned that castle to the ground. As it stands now? She is far away from it, having given up titles and nobility to become this. And she listens on when he remarks about the draft, a feeling of nodding along beside him. “I was married to the Prince of Asciend to cease the war between our countries. And yet, war destroyed it anyway.” She offers a bit solemnly.

“The land is small enough that it would be difficult to amass any kind of army without leaving us empty handed by the producers. In Halyven and Asciend, the lands were vast. Even with drafts, Halyven only took one male from each family, keeping the country running while we retained our resources.” She explains. And had a family only bore a son, with no father left in the picture? They were spared. Thankfully. But she listens further as Remi speaks of the Fae now, wings beating against the currents.

A hum of amusement slips toward him while she does her best to keep it under wraps. “Rule number one, Remi darling, a meeting of sorts to garner an idea of what they’re like goes a long way.” She retorts, a bright trill of humor bracing through it. Though she couldn’t blame him or any of them for that matter. She had made the mistakes more than once, and they had no idea the Fae were right outside their doorstep.

As he continues, however, she swoops and dives, learning the edges of the power as she does so. “You cannot make everyone happy. It’s about compromising for the best outcome for the people. I told Wessex just as much.” She admits, though she didn’t exactly tell the Queen, it had simply come up in conversation. But the Wraith had mulled it over. And it was the least bit of help the Penumbra could give. “Perhaps they need a mediator?” Another humorous feeling sent his way.

your fall was not

an accident

you were chosen

for the damned

A marriage intended to solve problems? Remi mused, sounding quietly shocked at the idea. If anything, marriages usually just made problems. The ones that he'd seen anyways, and not including his own of course. I also wonder what foe she thinks we are fighting against. So far it seems the gods have been our biggest allies and opposition. Having an army seems to make war inevitable. Without, at least we would be forced to find other solutions. The subtle change in the air above the tree tops is welcome against the bottom of Remi's feathers. Though the air currents here are less dramatic and thus they have to flap harder, but there is something earthier in the air too that the hawk quite enjoys. Ahh my ignorance. My apologies my lady. Had he a body, he might have bowed as humbly and low as he ever had back in Northaven. With a far cheekier smile on his lips, though. Following easily in the wake of the darker hawk, happy to let her take the lead and really spread her feathers, the alchemist pulsed back a rippling wave of resigned amusement. It was their home they were speaking so casually of, but even so, it was hard not to find a bit of amusement in all of it given how absurd the entire thing was proving to be. Not that I would ever want to get between Edrei and Wessex if there was a disagreement, nor our rulers and the fae...but a mediator does indeed seem like a good idea. If only we knew someone with experience who might fill the role... REMI Traded my soul to free my mind, "can I go back to being blind?" I ask myself one too many times

REXANNA

they say the loveliest angels

make the cruelest demons

A bubbling laugh slips through the bond toward Remi in response to the marriage arrangement. They try, but it never works. She admits, but there’s no sorrow behind it. Just humor, the ability to laugh at it now is a feeling that feels almost foreign to her. Mine went well at first, until you know, the treason and the dungeon, and when he branded me an enemy of the crown. She wonders if he'll make the connection to the C on her collarbone. C for Crown. Yet, if she could send a feeling of a shrug toward him, she would have. But she continues to beat her wings against the wind, zipping through it, despite the dark words she had told him – light among the dark, the silver lining, the Penumbra of her eclipse.

He mentions Zariah’s idea of an army, and she barks a quiet laugh toward him. It is good to be protected, but to be overly protected without warrant is paranoia. She puts it simply. To have the grounds people trained would be beneficial. To have them enlisted and recruited into an army? Seemed like overkill.

And then she tells Remi of negotiations. And his words reach her mind with a hum of amusement and laughter.

Still, she spreads her wings further, dark feathers flickering against the winds as the air pushes against her feathers in all different ways – she breathes easily, zipping and swooping, casual dips and weaves against the winds in the night. His question takes her a bit by surprise, and she turns her head back to look at him inquisitively. She hadn’t offered herself up for anything, hadn’t thought about helping in anyway, but well… If they needed it, she would do it.

So she retorts back with a cheeky feeling crossing the bond, slowing down for him to catch up. Hmm… If only you did. She tells him before she beats her wings and speeds up again.

your fall was not

an accident

you were chosen

for the damned

She says, well you know, as if he does. The wind slips over a beak incapable of forming a frown of confusion, but he pulses the emotion of it easily through the bond. The C, the one there and then not again, he has indeed noticed. Though scars of one's past are usually best left there, and so he's never thought to ask. I agree. Especially with no attention to the natural abilities of those who live here..what use worrying about able-bodies, when magic is rife here? When the ascendeds cannot be hurt? It makes little sense to him, though Zariah's actions never really have before. As she slows herself, as if he needs the respite to catch up, the alchemist grins wryly. Gliding over her, not a small hawk now but a massive manticore, the likes of which a hawk could fit into one paw, the giant beasts sweeps passed with an amused growl. Well, we are all rather full of surprises, now aren't we. He chuckles. Certainly there are stranger things in the world than the kindly alchemist in the body of a manticore, and the once-queen serving as a political adviser to a group of people who know little of government. REMI Traded my soul to free my mind, "can I go back to being blind?" I ask myself one too many times

REXANNA

they say the loveliest angels

make the cruelest demons

He doesn’t bring it up more, and she finds she doesn’t mind. Instead, she glides and sweeps along the winds that meet her wings and her dark fore feathers, flickering and twitching them in ways she’s never felt before – but it feels so freeing. And she listens while he mentions the abilities of the people here, and what it could mean rather than just depending on weapons alone. She gives him a feeling of a knowing look, a bubbling chuckle at the end.

“Oh I don’t know about not getting hurt. I broke a few things when that gourd fell on me, but I didn’t feel any of it. She retorts with another bubbling feeling of amusement. I asked Bastien to paint it, by the way. She tells him, and she would have smirked to herself if she had a face to do so, but she doesn’t – and instead the feeling gets sent instead as she slips back to let him catch up – and as she goes to zoom forward with an air of happiness and light, she finds her speed no match for the giant that comes barreling toward her.

He chuckles and she feels slack jawed as she watches the Manticore fly by, while she struggles to catch up with the wind he pushes from him. HEY. She calls after him with an air of laughter and joy. Sure, give the girl the easy shift first… What if I wanted to be one too? She laughs further, a teasing joyful tone to her, despite the pout she sends his way.

your fall was not

an accident

you were chosen

for the damned

With a mental wince, punctuated by a wry grin, the hawk veers upwards so that he might dive swiftly down. To paint your broken bones? Interesting choice. He chuckled playfully. I suppose you have heard of the patch I made for Sam, once? Perhaps Remi should have felt uncomfortable bringing up sex, but so much of his relationship with Rexanna had surrounded it (and given the feelings of lust she'd inspired in him only moments ago), it hardly seemed improper. How are you and Bastien finding everything? You moreso I suppose, since it is newer for you. The wings several meters wide, the alchemist could leave behind the now much smaller bird in a heartbeat. He doesn't of course, though boyish mischief sparks through their bond. Well, you should have asked. He titters back. REMI Traded my soul to free my mind, "can I go back to being blind?" I ask myself one too many times

REXANNA

they say the loveliest angels

make the cruelest demons

Obviously before Sam and I got squished. I’m modest, not sadistic. She replies with the feeling of more bubbling laughter. She’d much rather see the painting when they stumbled across it rather than covered in blighted black goo. But he mentions the patch and her avian head cocks as she flies. No, I have not. What does it do? She asks briefly before the manticore flies by her in sharp winds and full of play. Bastien and I are great. But I knew about the whole thing with the Ascended before he even Ascended. I knew what I was getting into. But… Lily’s place is also the only place that lets us indulge. She tells him honestly, despite the feeling of a wry smile. I think it must have something to do with Frey, if I’m guessing.

She hasn’t been back since she Ascended, but for a moment she recalls the feeling of Lucas handling her and swallows roughly, hoping none of it translates through the bond — though her control over it is shaky at best. And there’s a sensation of clearing her throat as if to shake the feeling and thought away. We have options. She tells him after with a smile to her voice.

But he replies to her retort and she sends a feeling of a snort, and had she had a nose in this form it surely would have wrinkled. Next time I would like a list of all your options to choose from. She responds with a huff of laughter.

your fall was not

an accident

you were chosen

for the damned

Hey, I am not judging. The hawk trilled back, laughter coating the mental words as they floated her way. Ahh...well...It...gives back all the sensations you lost. Pain and displeasure but other things. Taste, and.. Embarrassment prickled through their bond. All organs retained their..ahh..functions. He added with the mental version of an uncomfortable cough.  That he and Sam had been dating didn't really lessen the feeling of awkwardness that seemed to reverberate through him. I did not just make it for sexual reasons...Sam...missed the taste of tea, of knowing what it was like to feel things again. And not just like that. Lily's place? This is not something Remi has heard of, though what it means for an ascended to indulge he isn't entirely sure. Next time, she says, and something inside of him shivers. With reason having reasserted itself over his mind, it is easy to know why a next time might be problematic. But oh, it's so tempting. Especially in light of the blighted-distance between he and Ronin. Alright, well I will be sure to lay your options out. I wonder what you could do combining our magic together.. He wonders idly, to take his mind off of other things. REMI Traded my soul to free my mind, "can I go back to being blind?" I ask myself one too many times

REXANNA

they say the loveliest angels

make the cruelest demons

She sends a feeling of laughter back in response, slipping along the winds and feeling it blossom beneath her wingtips as she listens to him explain. Oh! She hums before embarrassment coats the bond and her head tilts slightly toward him, dark eyes scouting his massive form out in the moonlight soaked night. Gods do I miss tea. The Penumbra tells him, feeling a smile cross between them, as though she’d never think that of him regardless of what occurred between Samuel and Remi.

Regardless of what almost occurred between her and him not that long ago.

It’s her turn to have a slight flush of embarrassment, a feeling of a cough bubbles up before she recovers. Lily’s place, it’s where Bastien’s Church of Safrin used to be. She explains easily at first. Many of us get together for parties. Edrei, Lucas, Lily, Bastien, a few others on occasion. She hums with a bit of laughter and a playful air around the word parties, before she decides to clarify. Let’s just say it’s the only place the Ascended can get it up, so to speak. And she actually laughs at this, a hawks cry flying along the winds.

Her next comment is made more as a joke, but as he takes it somewhat seriously, she finds her gaze drifting from him with thought. She continues on the tangent for a brief moment. We might be a forced to be reckoned with. She ponders, a smile lingering through the bond at the possibilities.

your fall was not

an accident

you were chosen

for the damned

With a roar of amusement and continued embarrassment, the manticore flashes his flying companion a white-fanged grin. There is no reason for such bashfulness of course, he and Sam had been together for a good while, it was only to be expected that their relationship had taken a sexual turn (especially given the potency of Sam's teeth). But still, he could imagine the withering looks he'd receive from his coppery-haired ex if he knew what Remi was saying. Oh. Remi had helped construct the Church of Safrin (is multiple iterations). What that had to do with the ascended and—then his mental voice chokes slightly at the candidness, and the manticore finds himself growling slightly in an attempt to hide his boyish surprise. And...ahh. I see. That is what Frey has to do with it. But Lily and Edrei are not ascended..? With a bright laugh, the manticore surges ahead and rolls in mid air, looping downwards back towards the ground. And here I thought we were already. He added with a chuckle. REMI Traded my soul to free my mind, "can I go back to being blind?" I ask myself one too many times