the monsters turned out to be just trees

The white sheep of the family

Well, the question wasn’t exactly what Loren had been expecting, but at least the smile on Remi’s lips was better than the strangled sound that had come out of the alchemist when the summoner had healed the other man’s lip. Astra, for her part, perked her ears forward at the unfamiliar name as the Launceleyn shook his head. ”Not that I know of. Who's Auni?” Loren also wanted to ask why Remi was bringing this stranger up, but presumably the answer to that would come when the summoner found out who Auni was.

The Launceleyn had already opened his mouth to respond when the other man knelt down. And then the alchemist performed what could only be described as a miracle: new growth, impossibly bright and true against the snow and the blighted woods, sprang up, wild and colorful and full of life and light. Astra went nearly mad with glee, bleating wildly with content, and she immediately trotted forward to brush against the plants. Loren, for his part, walked forward and simply knelt down himself, fingers cupping a single flower; as the scent of it wafted up to him, he smiled, one of those rare smiles (that were becoming less so these days, strangely enough) that transformed his whole face, made him look younger, and lighter, and yes, almost even handsome. ”I…” Words failed him, but hopefully the look of awe on the summoner’s face would communicate exactly how he was feeling to Remi.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

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

"Kiada's luxere. She..." Remi pulled in a breath, unable to look anywhere except the fawn, his eyelashes fluttering softly though not quite closing. "..she is the reason Isla died.." He added, in a far away voice. There was no blame, only the cold guilt of memory.

Far too engrossed in what he was doing, the only indication that Remi was aware at all that Astra and Loren were still present was how more and more grasses of various sorts rose to meet the prancing luxere. Glancing up as Loren cupped the bloom, the alchemist let his head tilt to the side. He wore an expression of a man in a dream, a man not truly seeing or feeling or even existing really, and yet managing to seem as though he was. Pulling in his now-healed bottom lip, Remi gave the summoner a look that was simultaneously thoughtful and kind, but also as if he was seeing right through him. Lowering his gaze to the blossom in Loren's hand, Remi softly blew against it.

Eyes that weren't quite eyes, as well as other anthropomorphic features, suddenly appeared in the flower. It gazed up at Loren, holding happily onto his finger with not-quite hands. The seed-pods at the top of the grasses nestling around Astra made this transformation as well, tittering at the fawn as they leaped into her coat. This was the magic Remi hadn't been able to talk about with the summoner when he'd first asked, but now? Hiding it seemed so silly. Ronin was dying, Loren was...well, here, what of a little strange magic.

The white sheep of the family

Apparently Auni was another luxere, and said luxere belonged to Kiada. Now that Loren was reminded, his mind supplied the woman who claimed she was Rexanna’s daughter and her antlered companion. ”Oh, yes, I do know of Auni. And Kiada.” However, when Remi mentioned that Isla had died treating the luxere, the summoner’s face fell. ”I’m sorry Remi. Were you two close?” It sounded like they were. The Launceleyn only had a vague recollection of an incredibly kind healer who’d wandered into his library one day. Even so, he felt a pang of loss to hear about her death.

Thankfully, all the sorrow was banished by the plants running riot in a dead forest in the heart of Deepfrost. Then, the wonder grew: the flower in his hands came to life. There was no other way to describe it. Loren was so startled that he fell backwards into the snow, though this time it was a pleasant surprise. Astra, too, was entranced as the seed-pods jumped into her coat, and she started spinning and jumping with wild abandon and glee, bleating excitedly. For his part the Launceleyn found himself laughing with delight. ”Is this your earth magic?” It wasn’t like any earth magic the summoner had ever seen, but then again Remi had more magic than anyone Loren had ever known.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

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

The alchemist swallowed and nodded. "Yes." Isla had been one of his bestfriends, and though their relationship had grown slightly more complicated the night she ascended and he found her wandering the streets (mostly because of what followed that night and the morning after), still the medic held a near and dear place in his heart.

Mosses and clover grew around Loren as if to soften his fall and create a barrier between the snow and the Launceleyn's already wet animal pelts. Though Astra was wild and nimble, vines shot up from the ground to try and capture her. It was playfully done though, the tips of the earthen tentacles merely tickling against her flanks as she frolicked. "I...do not know." Remi answered with a light shrug, magic pouring out of him as their little secret-garden continued to rise up around them. Remi knew so little about magic as it was, Loren would remember, and knew even less about it here. "It just...happened one day." Nothing in the writings Jigano had made about the various forms of magic could account for this, but then, the bard's books only accounted for standard magic.

The white sheep of the family

Hearing the pain in Remi’s voice, Loren almost reached out to give the alchemist another hug. Unfortunately, the summoner was still unsure where they stood on the whole touching and comfort subject—though the Launceleyn was shockingly fine with it, at least for now, it seemed the other man might not be—so Loren just gave Remi a sympathetic look and repeated, ”I’m sorry.” It was yet another loss the alchemist had to deal with, so it was really no wonder that the other man was struggling to hold himself together.

That didn’t make Remi’s magic any less beautiful or wondrous apparently. The Launceleyn’s gentle fall was cushioned by soft mosses and grasses, and the flower in his hands continued to act more like an animal than a plant. Astra was having so much fun playing tag with the vines that she was almost oblivious to everything else, and Loren, for his part, was grinning like a fool. ”Well, whatever it is, it’s incredible.” The summoner could’ve stayed in this secret, magical garden forever. Sadly, they had places to be. But Loren was going to let Remi set whatever pace the other man needed to from now on.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

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

In time perhaps the alchemist would find a rhythm in Loren's ever-churning mind, but as it was, this entire stroll had felt entirely disconnected to him. We have to go Remi, I am cold, and then No stop and talk to me. Back and forth it went and just when the alchemist felt as though his soul might settle and relax, the tides of the Launceleyn changed again leaving Remi treading water with decreasing energy.

Staring down into the veritable Eden he'd created around them, the alchemist sighed softly as he stood. The flowers around Loren and Astra faded back into humble earthen blossoms and though the remaining plants were still rooted in place, already they seemed to chill and receded beneath the bitter Deepfrost air. They were not meant to endure this lifestyle after all.

"Aoife thinks that they come alive to play with her." Remi said softly. "She likes it best when the trees follow her around the garden."

The white sheep of the family

As the plants faded and withered, and the landscape returned to being desolate and lifeless, Loren stood up, giving Remi a thankful smile as Astra went over to rub against the alchemist's leg in thanks before returning to the summoner’s side. At the image of the small child he’d seen at the puppet show chasing after living trees, Loren’s smile grew to a full on grin. ”I can’t say I blame her, after what you just showed me. Thank you. It really is something special.” And despite what the other man had said earlier, it seemed that he could still bring beauty into this world. The Launceleyn would just have to give Remi as many opportunities to do so as possible in the future.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

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

Remi hummed under his breath as he ran his fingers softly through the luxere's fur. "She probably thinks she is the one doing it. What with all of Ronin's tales of heroism, a mother who looks down at her from the stars, and a goddess who placed starlight in her eyes." The alchemist chuckled, pulling in a breath and softly sighing it out.

Nodding belatedly at Loren's appreciation, the alchemist glanced at him, eyes moving from his feet and then upwards. "You could change your clothes, if they are that wet. I cannot say with any certainty how long it will take. It depends entirely on the woods. Or we could fly?"

The white sheep of the family

Loren couldn’t help but chuckle as well when Remi describes Aoife’s life. ”Gods help us when she grows up, then, if she is so mighty and blessed as a child.” Not knowing what was to come soon for how could he know the timelines, nor if that was the right thing to say at the moment, the Launceleyn studied the alchemist for any lingering sign of the darkness from earlier. However, the summoner was so intent on the other man that the questions about Loren’s own state took him off guard. ”Oh. Well, I don’t have anything to change into, and the walk will probably keep me warm enough. Plus I’m not sure I trust my magic enough to take to the skies with it for an extended period of time. Besides, I probably need to conserve it to show off the Spark Bird to the Fae.” It was a sad truth that, unlike Remi, the Launceleyn did not have a limitless supply of magical power at his fingertips.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

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

Whether or not the alchemist would invoke divine intervention when it came to Aoife was up in the air at this point, but still he nodded. "Indeed. Luckily that is many years away now." The writer types with the smugness of knowing that precisely the opposite was the case.

Raising a brow at the summoner, a bit of life injecting back into his pale stare, Remi inclined his head slightly. "Unless you mean to tell me you were summoning all sorts of things this morning or that hugging me was really such a drain, I am sure new clothing would not be terribly difficult." The mention of the Spark bird had Remi hummed a nod of understanding. "I could. And..there is always me to ride if you do not want to conjure. I rode you, so I suppose it is only fair to return the favour." Remi added, clearing his throat and trying to will-away the slight blush rippling across his cheeks.

The white sheep of the family

Loren hummed in agreement, not seeing any reason to respond to Remi’s comment with words. However, at the alchemist’s next comment, the summoner gave the other man a confused look. ”No, the only spell I performed today was healing you. But...I don’t see what that has to do with me not having a change of clothes?” Unless Remi knew something the Launceleyn didn’t, that statement was total nonsense. However, the next words out of the other man’s mouth were surprising in a completely different way. Loren tilted his head and gave the alchemist an appraising look. ”Wait, you can support my weight?” Biting his lip, the summoner considered the proposal. ”Alright. Let’s give it a try.” But he was only agreeing because he had wasted too much of the day being an idiot.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

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

"Creation?" Remi prompted, blinking in confusion at the summoner. "Making..clothes?" Of course the alchemist assumed Loren's creation magic was advanced enough for that, not realizing that it wasn't.

With a boyish smile, Remi nodded. "You saw how large I am. Or..can be." He added with a mild shrug. After all, standing nearly a meter and a half at the shoulder, Remi was more than just tall; he was massive. Ronin had risen him easily, no innuendo intended. "I can carry Astra too, in my paws. If you tell her I mean her no harm, and not to struggle too much." Being in the paws of a predator would be far too much for the young fawn without her companion's reassurance that it was okay. Either way, he'd either fly slow enough for Astra to keep up, or with Loren's help, would simply take them both.

Retreating a few steps to give himself room, the alchemist performed what was his least elegant shift. Going from a relatively regular sized man to a monstrous beast was difficult to do in any attractive way. Still, features shifted and molded and eventually the manticore stood before both man and best.

The white sheep of the family

”Uh, Remi, I can’t make clothes with my magic.” It seemed that the other man still hadn’t quite grasped that he was a far superior mage, especially considering Loren’s lingering weakness from his time away. It was a stark reminder of just how much the Launceleyn had missed, and how different they’d become.

Thankfully, he had the distraction of preparing Astra to fly to occupy him, which prevented him from dwelling too much on how weak the summoner was compared to the alchemist. As the other man moved over to have enough space to shift, Loren knelt down, then turned Astra gently to face him, so he could look her in the eyes. ”Hey, Astra. Listen. I know Remi’s going to get real scary looking, but it’s still Remi, and he’s here to help. He wants to carry you. Can you be brave for me, and let him down that?” She stared at him, wide eyed, eyes deep but mysterious. All the summoner could do was hope she’d listened to his calm tone.

Then the manticore appeared, and she gave an anxious bleat and hid behind Loren. He reached around to stroke her and make soothing noises. ”Shhhhhh, shhhhh, it’s just Remi. Just adorable and cuddly Remi. Remember the raccoon? It’s like that, okay, just bigger.” Trembling she emerged from behind him to go give the manticore a closer examination. Though she still looked a little shaky, she stood there patiently enough. The Launceleyn, for his part, stood up and walked over to the other man. ”So do I just get on, or what?”

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

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

"Oh." Remi mumbled with a bashful sort of awkwardness. He offered the Launceleyn an apologetic half smile before clearing his throat and glancing towards his feet.

As Astra leaped away, Remi lowered himself down to the ground like some sort of submissive cat. He stuck his neck out as far as it would go, whiskers all the way forward to let her sniff and hopefully connect his current scent with that of the man before. His articulated and barbed tail was well hidden from view by his wings, which fluttered softly from his flanks.

With a cursory glance towards Loren, the manticore merely raised a leonine brow and shifted a wing. Lowered down as he was, it wouldn't be too terribly difficult for Loren to mount him hop aboard.