goodnight, you moonlight ladies

Я

Indeed. As much as I would like to be able to commit to stay indoors... The alchemist splayed mental fingers as the manticore dipped lower. The Stonesong sang beneath them, the air growing cooler as Remi flew closer to the darkened waters. ...I think the best I can do is avoid strange lights.

The alchemist pulsed an unhappy spark of agreement and understanding. Now that Isla was no longer Isla. A healer she was, but the savvy and sweet medic? No. Not anymore. Not for a long while now. Best of luck with that. Amalia said he has never come into town. This was mentioned almost conversationally; if anyone knew of Rory's habits, it was certainly the bard.

Quietly fumbling on words he couldn't quite make himself say or even think—or to identify you should the bodies you are in be mangled entirely by the blight—the manticore swept back towards the tree line, flying towards where their adventure had started, albeit significantly lower down.

Jigano didn't need to see to know where they were. The Stonesong lived up to its name, filling the night with a lonely music as the water and wind rushed through the rocks below. A part of him still yearned to make music with it, to return with his flute or harp and add, in his own small way, to the natural beauty of the river's lullaby.

That part of him was growing weaker by the day and besides, what could he do? His hands shook so much that the harp was nearly useless now, and the flute soon would be. There was no point, none at all, in making music no one else would hear; another worthless endeavor for people who didn't deserve it. Himself most of all.

Keep yourself safe, was all he managed to caution; half command, half plea. The young man had been through enough with gods and demons already. He was more than deserving of catching a break by now. Not to mention, if  anything happened to Remi there would be far more rage and sadness throughout the Settlement than the blight alone could account for.

And Rory was in much the same position, was he not? Losing a loved one day by day to sudden bursts of temper and hissed words that he never meant except that he did, in the moment, cruel in a way he had never meant to show the hunter. I don't think he'll come this year, either, the raven admitted with a mental sigh. But I will still try. It was all he could do, afraid in ways he could barely put into words about leaving Rory alone on the farm while he walked the Night on his errand of seeking lost souls with a lantern and a song.

He felt Remi's turn, the great muscles beneath him bunching and twisting as the manticore changed direction, and the bard croaked quietly in confusion. Is there something you need back at the Village?

Я

It is always good to try. The alchemist agreed, though whether the words were for the bard or himself wasn't entirely clear. Hope was a precious and sporadic thing that once lost, was near impossible to get back. Even so, holding on to it could be just as painful.

I.. The manticore glanced back and forth, pausing and then grumbling to himself. No I thought....I thought I was taking us back. The world was a dreary place for Remi now and with the shifting trees below even the Stonesong appeared to change direction if one wasn't careful. It is a good thing I have you as a navigator. The alchemist chuckled belatedly, but his embarrassment and frustration were real enough. So saying, or thinking, the large creature adjusted their flight trajectory.

Try, try again, because failure followed them like a stray puppy with every attempt they made to find a way to survive on Caido with anything resembling happiness. Fleeting moments were the best they could hope for, and they were always gone too soon. Jigano might have mourned that thought, but he knew that doing so would only drag him down into the darkness faster, and he forced himself to look beyond the black spiral of his thoughts to the beauty of the night around them.

A beautiful night that was heading dangerously back towards Sidhe Village instead of the Settlement. Remi couldn't be blamed for his lack of sight, though it was a little unnerving to think about how his landings might go as Jigano fluffed his wings, thinking about how Remi's sight worked now, when he'd only heard bits and pieces. Can you use the Spire as a guidepost? he asked curiously. That will at least get you back in the area of the Settlement. I can help guide you back to the Monster Hunter's Guild if not. I'll not be sleeping much tonight anyways, he admitted, a twist of wry bitterness underlying the sad attempt at a joke.

Я

Once I can see it, I can. Everything is...it looks like it was painted, but with a terribly large brush. Things do not gain any real structure until I am close. With a large tawny ear flicking backwards, the manticore hummed a note of sad understanding. Remi too hadn't been sleeping well, but for different—but not unrelated—reasons to the bard.

Perhaps just until the Spire comes into view. You may not be sleeping much, but I am sure there are more things worthy of your time than this."

A curious sort of sight, though Jigano thought that Remi would probably prefer to have his own back. Was there a way to cure it with magic? Or could only Arduinna lift the curse she had laid? Not the sort of thought to inspire confidence, for what price would she lay on a man's sight? It would be a difficult bargain at best, and one that might in the end be too steep to pay.

That will do, the raven agreed, knowing that he should probably help guide the manticore all the way to his home, but finding a weariness settling over himself that had nothing to do with sleep. I do not think there is anything more worthy, but... it is probably safer for us both if I take my uncertain temper away while things are still peaceful. A hint of his old, wry humor underlay his exhausted tone, acknowledging the unexpected bond they had formed in their midnight flight, tenuous but warmer than the truce they had forged last Long Night. A bit more to the right, then, and at this speed you should see it soon.

Я

Remi couldn't help but laugh at that. The sound was rich and warm, so different from the alchemist's normally weighted-down and worried heart as of late. Indeed he felt though he was properly flying despite having been airborne this entire time. I suppose we can be the litmus test to see if things really are back to normal then, mmm? The manticore said slyly, time making the distance between the bard and himself easier to bear somehow. Or perhaps it was simply the atrocities of their lives that put it all into perspective.

Banking as he was instructed, the manticore narrowed his eyes and eventually the broken-off needle of the Spire did indeed come into view. Ah. Home sweet home. He said, mirth gone from his voice now.

This was...helpful, Jigano. It will give me a lot to think on. Then, with a pulse of appreciation that was far from merely perfunctory he added, Thank you. It was nice not to be alone tonight.

If not us, then who? The raven fluffed his feathers, head tilted with weary amusement even if Remi couldn't see his little mannerisms. Flying via Manticore Express was a strange and almost surreal experience, but he would never have managed to keep pace on his own shaking wings, and he was grateful for the ride, however awkward it might have begun between alchemist and bard.

The Spire had been blocking out a swathe of stars and reflecting back a dull wash of moonlight for a little while in Jigano's vision before Remi spoke up, and the raven chirred quiet agreement - both to the sentiment and the lack of enthusiasm behind it. The Spire was such a fixture in their lives, and the source of so much pain and difficulty. Yet without it none of them would have been brought to Caido, for better or worse, nor met or fought or fallen in love. Jigano would not trade the family he had begun to build on Caido for anything...

Except, perhaps, the promise that he wouldn't hurt them as the blight stole more of his soul with every sunset.

The gratitude was appreciated, perhaps for more reasons than Remi knew, but the pulse of emotion through the link left Jigano momentarily speechless as he gathered his strength and flexed talons gently against the manticore's mane in preparation for taking off from the alchemist's back. Thank you for giving me another chance, Remi. I am glad we were able to have this night. Fair winds and clear skies to you. With that the raven spread his wings and released his hold on the mighty manticore, letting the wind of Remi's passage lift him up and away into the sky to spiral his own way home to the fields and the farmstead where he laid his head.