the monsters turned out to be just trees

The white sheep of the family

Seeing as no one had really taken Loren up on his suggestion to share what they knew about the LongNight monsters and his summoning with the Fae yet, he’d taken it upon himself to make arrangements to provide what knowledge and expertise he could to the mysterious race. Of course, said preparations essentially consisted of the Launceleyn sending Remi a note asking the other man to escort Loren out to the Fae village. From everything the summoner had heard, the Fae did not tolerate outsiders. Thankfully, the alchemist had agreed, and so Loren had bundled up in his warmest clothes (fur-lined cloak and thick leathers), and set out to meet Remi at the guild.

Despite the summoner’s best efforts he couldn’t convince Astra to stay behind. Granted, he hadn’t tried that hard: her presence at his side was still a constant source of delight and peace for him, even if he still thought she deserved a better companion. However, it was her choice, not his, so he simply watched her run off and back, playing in the snow that didn’t bother her in the slightest. He wished he felt the same. Already the chill had seeped into his bones even through his layers.

It didn’t take long to arrive at Remi’s door. There was no sign of the other man just yet, so Loren leaned against the wall and waited patiently, idly twirling the staff that was doubling as a walking stick today. Honestly, he was trying to burn off some nervous energy: he hadn't seen the alchemist since their fraught encounter at the Oasis, and the summoner had been worried Remi might say no. And despite the fact that the other man had said yes, Loren still felt apprehension settle into his bones. That hadn't stopped him from setting up this meeting and this trip.

He had a pack, currently on the ground, that contained a few supplies on the off chance they got lost in the snow; while the alchemist could probably fly off and get help, the summoner did not have that luxury. He was not about to test whether his creatures could carry him for long distances, especially since he needed to save his magic in case he actually met with any of the Fae.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

hope keeps us breathing, just to kill us in the end

Remi had said he'd go, and so he would. But it would not be with a careless smile and happy countenance that he did so, but with a grimace. Ronin was gone, physically and mentally now. Remi had but a brief few hours with him before the blight took over and the alchemist was left alone in the woods by the frozen bones of the fire they'd made together. Ever since then, pieced back together as his heart had been, now those pieces were starting to crumble again leaving more than enough space for the frigid Deepfrosts winds to whistle through. Especially at night. Nights were the hardest.

Opening the door, the alchemist gave the summoner a dead-eyed stare. There were dark bags beneath his eyes, his curls were a chaotic mess, and perhaps most surprisingly, there wasn't a trace of any sort of warmth to be found in his expression. He was wrapped in layers of pelts that only added to the feeling of being physically withdrawn from the world. Only Astra's presence drew any sort of reaction from the alchemist. Lips parting at the sight of her and a whisper of a smile on his lips, Remi glanced up at Loren. "Practicing your summons?" He asked in a voice uncharacteristically raspy as if he'd been smoking nothing but cigars and screaming his lungs out. Or crying.

The white sheep of the family

Normally seeing and hearing Remi would’ve been quite welcome, although Loren’s heart would still ache at the memory of what they once had. Not today: all the summoner felt when the alchemist opened the door was concern for the Launceleyn’s once lover and maybe friend. Well, that and confusion. Loren gave the other man a puzzled and worried glance as the summoner planted his staff on the ground. ”What? Uh...no.” Then as Astra excitedly bounded forward to greet Remi comprehension dawned. ”Oh! No, this is Astra. She uh, followed me home the other day and I have been unsuccessful in persuading her that she would be better off elsewhere.” Grinning very briefly at Remi, Loren added, ”Sound familiar?”

However, even the wonder of his luxere companion couldn’t keep the summoner’s spirits up for long. His smile slipped away. Hoping that the other man couldn’t see the worry in the Launceleyn’s eyes, he searched Remi’s face for any sign of the cheerful alchemist. But this was apparently the dark and stormy Remi from their previous encounter. ”Thank you for agreeing to do this. I really appreciate it.” Hesitating, the summoner bit his lip. ”How are you holding up?” While Loren didn’t want to come straight up and ask how the alchemist was dealing with Ronin’s condition, the Launceleyn had seen the king. It had been hard enough for Loren to deal with. For Remi, it must be agony.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

hope keeps us breathing, just to kill us in the end

"Oh." Whatever misgivings Remi had about the world of humans did not extend to the animal kingdom. Kneeling down, his non-expression growing boyish and kind again, the alchemist extended a hand to the small creature. Most companions could sense that he was some sort of predator on the inside, but usually his own spirit tempered it somewhat. Glancing up at Loren with eyes suddenly blank once more, he merely made a non-committal sort of sound in his throat.

"Fine." Remi replied far too quickly, in that same dull and flat voice. Turning to pull the guildhall door closed behind him, he stepped passed Loren and began walking at a brisk pace. "We have quite the walk ahead of us." He mumbled, his breath leaving clouds of frosty air in his wake.

The white sheep of the family

There was a flash of the old Remi in the alchemist’s interactions with Astra, but it faded far too quickly for Loren’s taste. Still, the glimpse showed him that the other man was still in there, somewhere, under this dark and not at all appropriate facade. ”Oh indeed.” Astra, for her part, gave Remi a friendly nuzzle before coming back to the summoner’s side; subconsciously, Loren’s hand came to rest on fur of her head and he scratched behind her ears, the movements having quickly become second nature to him.

Liar. No you’re not. The words wanted to spring from the Launceleyn’s lips, but he bit them back. Almost the alchemist seemed like he was in one of his shifts: skittish and not entirely comfortable around another person. Luckily, Loren knew how to coax animals to him. It was just people he had trouble with. The brisk pace the other man set was tough to keep up with—Loren was not in shape, though Astra was pleased to be getting exercise—but the summoner did his best. ”We do. Plenty of time for us to catch up.” He was already breathing slightly heavily, but he wasn’t going to complain about the speed they were going unless he had to. Besides, it would probably do him good, and at least it kept him warm.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

hope keeps us breathing, just to kill us in the end

For his part, Remi didn't feel the cold. Or at least, his mind wasn't bothered by it. Beneath all the layers of fur he felt as though he wasn't really in the world anymore, that there was a barrier between he and it that was more than just surface-level. Unlike Loren, Remi was in shape. He walked often and despite the thickening snow, he traversed it with ease. Had his mind been more clear he might have offered the summoner Isla to ride upon. He could have offered himself to ride on, his manticore-wings making easy work of the distance between the guildhouse and the fae village. But his mind wasn't clear. It was dark and addled, constantly in a tug of war between preparing himself for Ronin's inevitable death while also clinging relentless to the idea that everything could still be solved. That Ronin could be saved.

Eventually the Outskirts gave way to the Greatwood making the walk easier, what with the thick canopy of trees overhead preventing much of the snow from reaching the ground. As they walked, it appeared as though the alchemist wasn't taking them down any particular path, or following any specific bearing. Instead, he seemed entirely lost in his own thoughts.

The white sheep of the family

The silent treatment was not at all like Remi, so Loren was shocked when the alchemist completely ignored the summoner’s statement. For a while, the Launceleyn just trailed behind the other man, trying to figure out if there was any lingering resentment from the day at the oasis. It had been the alchemist who'd acted out, though the librarian could've been more respectful of the other man's boundaries. However, the further they went, the more convinced Loren became that for once he wasn’t actually the source of Remi’s ills.

So, when they reached the woods and started making their way through the forest and nothing in the other man’s demeanor changed the summoner decided to do something about the alchemist’s mood. ”Remi, stop.” Partially he needed a break: his chest was heaving and he could feel the strain in his limbs. Mostly, however, he wanted to force the other man to actually do something other than forge ahead.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

hope keeps us breathing, just to kill us in the end

It was several steps before the alchemist seemed to hear what it was the summoner had to say, and several more before understanding of the order sank in. Halting, Remi turned with pale and bewildered eyes, looking confused as if having been startled out of a dream. Slowly, his gaze seemed to focus and he took note of the colour high in Loren's cheeks and the way that, despite the layers and layers upon the man's chest, it was rising and falling with the effort of their walk.

"Oh." Remi said, as if noting some strange abject fact. Something not quite real perhaps. Swallowing, the alchemist breathed out a sigh, leaning against the tree nearest to him and letting his eyes drop to the frozen ground underfoot.

The white sheep of the family

At least Loren managed to get Remi to halt. Unfortunately, that had been the easy part. Mirroring the other man’s posture, the Launceleyn leaned against a nearby trunk as well, grateful for the rest and the opportunity to catch his breath. ”Thanks.” For a moment, the only sounds around them were the summoner’s heavy breaths, the sleeping sounds of the woods in Deepfrost, and Astra worming her way into Loren’ side.

Meeting the alchemist’s gaze, Loren stared at Remi for a while. Then the summoner spoke in as gentle, low, and soothing a tone as he could muster.”You wanna talk to me?” It would be apparent to anyone that the other man was hurting, and the Launceleyn knew the alchemist better than most, even now. And as far as Loren was concerned, they weren’t moving until they’d spoken, at length, about whatever it was that was weighing Remi down. "Talk to me, Remi. Please."

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

hope keeps us breathing, just to kill us in the end

In any other moment Remi would have been touched to see the summoner so unconsciously offering affection to the young luxere. He might have made some sort of quip about what Loren would and wouldn't touch, pushing the issue of how adorable raccoon-Remi really was, and so on. As it was, the alchemist merely stared blankly, pale eyes not quite blind, but also not quite seeing.

Furrowing his brows with a lazy sort of confusion, the alchemist merely shook his head softly. "About what?" He asked simply, as if genuinely unsure.

The white sheep of the family

It was funny how quickly everything could change: so recently, it had been Remi who had been dragging the emotions out of Loren. Now, it seemed, the time had come for the Launceleyn to return the favor. He just hoped he was as successful in his efforts as the alchemist had been. ”You, Remi. I need you to tell me what you are feeling right now. What's on your mind.” The summoner’s voice was still as soft as he could make it.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

hope keeps us breathing, just to kill us in the end

Remi looked across the frosty distance that separated the two men. It felt so large just then the alchemist might have thought he needed to shout. Instead, he looked down at his fingers, pushing his nails into the pads of them and realizing just how numb they'd gone without gloves.

"Ronin is dying Loren. And quickly. He has not been home in weeks, and the last time I saw him?" The alchemist looked up sharply, the indescribable hurt etched across his face like a relief painting. His voice was thin and far away, his breathing shallow. Exhaling a puff of white air, Remi grimaced and looked up into the tree branches. "It has progressed so far. Already the blight has claimed lives. Plants, small animals. There is no reason to think that Vi's plan will save everyone who has been infected."

Remi's lip trembled, but he bit the inside of it with a determined snarl.

"What do I feel, Loren?" The alchemist asked, eyes narrowed at the summoner. "What am I meant to feel, my husband of only a few weeks killing things for fun, trying to kill me, and only days away from death, but here I am, traipsing through the enchanted woods with you of all people."

The white sheep of the family

As Remi spoke, Loren simply leaned against the tree, a sympathetic look on the summoner’s face. It was obvious how much the other man was hurting, and it was completely understandable why, and though the Launceleyn flinched at the way Remi said ‘you,’ Loren did not look away. He couldn’t, any more than he could stop his heart from going out to the alchemist. Which is why, despite the summoner’s severe trepidation, despite the way it made his heart hammer in his chest, despite the way it made his breath catch in his throat in a way their swift pace from earlier never could, Loren pushed off the tree and crossed the distance to Remi. Assuming the alchemist didn’t move, the Launceleyn would rest his hands on the other man’s shoulders.

Regardless of what Remi did, Loren would say his piece. ”You are meant to be depressed, and anxious, and heartbroken, and everything I know you are feeling. What you are not supposed to do is keep it to yourself. I know you think you have to be strong, but not with me, Remi. Never with me. Honesty, remember?” The Launceleyn knew a little bit (well, a lot) about keeping his feelings to himself. So he knew exactly the sort of damage Remi was doing to his soul and his mind by bottling all this up. ”There’s no reason think Vi’s plan won’t save everyone, either. And I’ve seen him too, Remi, and what I know is that while he wears Ronin’s face, that is not Ronin. Not your husband.” Taking a deep breath—both to calm himself and to encourage the alchemist to breath—Loren let it out in a puff of white. ”If you want to turn back, I understand.” There was no reason Remi had to do this for Loren, or do anything for anyone else for that matter. It was past time others helped the alchemist. The Launceleyn could find another to take him to the village.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

hope keeps us breathing, just to kill us in the end

Remi didn't move away from the tree, but he did tense. Eyes narrowed and muscles twitching beneath the many layers separating Loren's hands from his skin, the alchemist looked precisely like an animal wanting to flee and yet held still beneath the weight of the summoner's hands. Close enough to kiss. Close enough to hit.

The muscles of his jaw feathered as he listened to Loren, pale eyes sparking with some inner but dark light. "Not with you? You?" Remi might have laughed, had he the emotional fuel for it. Instead he merely just shook his head ever so slightly, wondering how for a man so clever, he could be so naive. Then again, many wondered the exact same of Remi. "You can hardly look me in the eye most times. You argue with me constantly about wanting to help you, and I can see the tension in you just by being near me." Perhaps that latter point wasn't exactly fair, but with nerves, heart, and mind entirely frayed, Remi wasn't too concerned with fair.

"No reason?" Remi all but sneered, pressing away from the tree and towards Loren. Angry as he was the alchemist was probably not intimidating at all, but eye to eye with the Launceleyn he was clearly the more threatening of the two. "No reason to think that a few roses—only three you will note. I tried to pick more, and oh no. Only three—are enough. He has been sick for months. He is the farthest along."

Recoiling as if slapped to hear that Loren had been to see Ronin, the alchemist's lips tightened as did his gaze. "I am aware. That is precisely the point. That is how this parasite works."

Shaking his head, Remi huffed a breath equally as white. "We are nearly there. Probably. So long as the woods play along."