quarter past midnight

gold is the hand you press to her hip

oh darling,

She gives him a small shrug when he replies about the gods – Vi to be exact. She doesn’t know much about them regardless, but she snorts to him and gives him a wry look. “I mean, I’ve only met Frey and the Voice, and we all know how Frey’s visit went.” She jests, a smirk sent his way in good humor as she tries to lighten the mood. But regardless of it, her arms open wide to pull him close, careful of his wound, and his head finds the crook of her neck as he pulls her close.

She holds him tight to her as well, fitting her body comfortably with him in as close to a cuddle as she can get, while still be cautious of his shoulder. But she understands, and for a moment a brow raises in silent question. “Well, I mean it.” She adds after a moment, a lightly fanged smile on her lips. “Besides, it’s not like I have much else going on so I have plenty of time to worry about my friends.” She hums thoughtfully, jesting as she rests her head against his curls.

you'd even bleed preciously

REXANNA

R E M I It seemed easy to laugh about it all now, but still the alchemist groaned slightly. "Well no, I do not remember. That is the point, isn't it?" Remi mused wryly. "At least, not all of it anyways." His memories of the past blurred together strangely, like patches of a whole that had been restitched together with some crucial pieces left out. Enough to see the image for what it was, but lacking in certain details. "Oh, nothing much else going on, mmm?" Remi said with a laugh. "You sure know how to make a man feel special." He added, though the smile in his voice was obvious. "Oh. Speaking of—" The alchemist pulled back slightly, though still kept his arms wrapped around the hybrid. "Thanks for letting me know Loren was back." He said with a raised brow, his lips mischievously crooked as he gave the Penumbra a stare.

gold is the hand you press to her hip

oh darling,

“You have me to remind you of some parts.” She manages to smirk, to smile and jest. If he has any questions about that first encounter with Frey, before the memories faded, she could recall them easily. But ah, it definitely made things awkward – her first encounter with such a deity as well as Remi… But things had worked out in the end, after all, because he was here and the two of them wrapped around each other in the comfort of a friendly brace – a friendly touch, a cuddle.

And when she mentions nothing much else going on, she can’t help the hum of laughter that leaves her. “Well, there are some things, but you always take precedence, Remi – Darling.” Whether he can see her face or not, the amusement shines in her eyes and hums through her voice. But then the Alchemist pulls back and her sapphire gaze searches for his sea-glass eyes in a small amount of surprise though his arms remain around her.

And she laughs far more vibrantly this time. “Well, you know. You’re with Ronin so I thought maybe it wasn’t super important to tell you immediately. But the look on his face when I found him in the Rathskeller and said his name was absolutely priceless.” Her nose wrinkles with the wonderful memory before she settles and reaches up to run a hand along his soft curls. “Also… Perhaps you should know.” She pauses, considering. “I bit him and summoned a Sparkbird.”

you'd even bleed preciously

REXANNA

R E M I "I am no longer sure I want to know." Remi added with a wry shake of his head. Many had asked him precisely that—Amalia, Loren—if he wanted his memories back. And honestly? He had no idea. Memories shaped who you were. Adding in those missing pieces to who Remi had become now? What good could it possibly do? He meets her laughter easily, playfully rolling his eyes as if her reassurance is merely feigned. Only..he knows it isn't. Though Remi isn't near the top of Rexanna's list of priorities, he does believe that she'll always have time for him. It's one of the reasons he so adores her. At first, the alchemist merely shakes his head, wondering what it might have been like for Rexanna of all people to appear with knowledge that the Launceleyn probably hated having others know. Especially given, as Remi found out later, that much of it wasn't true. The sex cave part, anyways. However as she mentioned having bit him, his smile began to fade ever so slightly as heat bloomed across his cheeks. Eyelashes fluttering, his fingers pulsed slightly against her waist as he swallowed hard. "Oh.." He managed after a moment, clearing his throat. It...it wasn't as though she'd done anything wrong, or Loren either. Not even that Rex had an obligation to tell him. Even so, having recently experienced what it was like to be bitten by his friend, and knowing what he did about Loren and how he felt about the summoner, Remi couldn't help but feel horribly conflicted. "...so you could summon it, then?" He asked after a moment, pale eyes flickering up.

gold is the hand you press to her hip

oh darling,

Of course, Rexanna would always have time for her friends, always for Remi in particular. Despite their friendship, however long it had been, there had been far more that connected them and aligned them than even some of the other people she’d met with history. If the Alchemist needs anything, all he has to do is ask, and the Penumbra would be there for him regardless of anything else. She can vow to that.

He has her.

But she doesn’t expect the words she gives to make him pause so much – though she supposes she probably should have realized how it sounded. All she can do is answer the question, easy as she holds onto him tight, eyes drifting toward the ceiling of her home. “I did, yeah.” She says lightly, looking down to meet his gaze. “I think we will be again for Longnight. Trying to make as many Sparkbirds as we can and see if we can make a difference.” A light hum of thought before she shakes her head and looks back to Remi with a soft small smile. “I am worried about it, if I’m being honest. But I feel more prepared this year, less... Useless.”

you'd even bleed preciously

REXANNA

R E M I Wondering where the selfless man he once was—the one who'd never experienced jealousy—Remi swallowed down his emotions as best as he could. "Loren is clever. I know he was not here last LongNight, but if he thinks it will help, I would believe him." He said. Her admission is met with a weary nod of agreement. Biting the inside of his lip Remi thinks back to last year. "I promised Ludo I would make sure no one was locked outside this year. " Bristling slightly at the memory of all those lost to the cold and the dark and the monsters, the alchemist shook his head. "Though it does feel strange that we will not all be together." It made sense given that there were more of them, but even so. "You will be in the Temple, then?"

gold is the hand you press to her hip

oh darling,

She nods to him in response to Loren, wondering if she should meet up with him soon to try and figure out how all of that is going to work out. But instead, she listens while he bites the inside of his lip and begins to tell her about Ludo. Her hand continues to make idle circles along his back, soothing and gentle, calm and collected while he explains it.

And before she knows it, she hums a quiet agreement to Remi. “It does. But the Rathskeller was a small amount cramped, and I didn’t enjoy being the one to open the door for a nearly dead Rory and Jigano.” She says wryly, recalling it. The blood, the gore, the darkness of the outdoors. The uncertainty of who lingered on the other side. At least this time, they had information at their disposal, code words to say.

She exhales a breath she doesn’t need in a small puff of sound before she nods to him, whether he can see it or not. “I think so. I’m going to try and take Bastien with me. He took well enough care of me last Longnight.” She hums playfully with a small roll of her shoulders. “I have more magic than I did then, though, so I think I feel a bit better about anything that might happen. As for you, if you’re leaving the Guild, I assume you’ll be leaving it in good hands?”

Because she can’t change Remi’s mind. Nor does she want to.

you'd even bleed preciously

REXANNA

R E M I Raising his eyebrows slightly to hear that it was she who'd answered the call, Remi hums a wary note of understanding. He too had opened the doors, had waited to see if it would end him or save someone else. "Even knowing what I do now...if someone knocks, I will answer. I suppose I should not say that too loudly in case there are monsters lurking already, but...I cannot stand the thought of anyone else perishing just a few feet away from safety." "Oh indeed." He says with a playful snort. "We might not have even had a wedding had he not taken such good care of you, mmm?" Without necessarily thinking or meaning to, wings spread from his sides to envelope her in a way that his wounded shoulder will not allow for. "I hope so. And I hope to always return back, of course..but.." Shrugging gently he pulls in another breath. "I have made a few items so that we can all communicate back and forth - shells for speaking and paper for writing. At least if something goes wrong, hopefully we can let the other side know."

gold is the hand you press to her hip

oh darling,

Of course, Rexanna hadn’t left last Longnight. And so her experience with the monsters is incredibly limited. But she still manages to smile lightly at the comment he makes, if only for a moment before it fades. “I would do the same.” She offers him. They were similar in that regard, answering the call of those who need it. But Frey had shown her that fine line between the goodness of one’s heart, and bringing yourself down. She hopes Remi understands that difference too.

But she’s thankful for the conversation shift, and she manages a light chimed laugh at the comment, shutting her eyes tight as she cuddles him close. “I think you may be right.” She jests. That hadn’t been the first time Rexanna had met Bastien, but it was the first time she had seen the true kindness beneath the dramatics. And it had affected her during his ‘death’ that wasn’t really a ‘death’.

She grows surprised, for a brief moment, as the slight push of air happens, as wings spread from his back and envelopes her tightly. And for a moment, she stiffens with a memory, softening mere seconds later after realizing it’s Remi and she had told him precisely just how wonderful a snuggle with a set of wings was. “That’s wonderful! And… incredibly helpful really, we can tell each other if we should be expecting any visitors.” She mulls thoughtfully, snuggling into Remi and the wings, soaking up the warmth from the man that she no longer has. “I hope… It won’t be as bad as last year. With the barrier gone.”

you'd even bleed preciously

REXANNA

R E M I Did he know the difference? Many would argue that he didn't. In truth, Remi had no idea. But that his admission had been met with agreement rather than a lecture about how foolish he was made the alchemist beam as he pulled the Penumbra all the closer to him, smiling stupidly against her. With his own snort of laughter, Remi merely shrugs casually. "Visitors, mm?" He agrees with a chuckle. "I was thinking about drawing horribly inappropriate things, but sure, if you want it to be practical.." Easily stretching his wings around her, enjoying the warmth from the fire if not from his friend, he tries not to sigh with as much melancholy as he feels. "I think...It will either be better, or worse. The fae seem to think the monsters will not bother them. If that is true then there is no where for them to go, save for where they normally are. And if we are wrong and things are easy? That only means they are all the worse for the fae."

gold is the hand you press to her hip

oh darling,

In the end, she appreciates Remi’s boyish beaming smile regardless of where it came from. And she gladly snuggles in closer to him when he pulls her in tighter, arms wrapped in careful attempts around his neck now as his wings expand, doing her best to avoid the wound to his shoulder. But she can feel him snort and shrug before telling her his original plan. And a chimed laugh leaves her at that. “I mean, if you want to continue our dick contest, then I’m game.” She jests in response.

First his wedding, then her own. What’s a couple more penises back and forth?

At the mention of the Fae thinking they’re okay, she gnaws on the inside of her lip for a brief moment. “I assume they have been warned?” She asks, based off of what he’s said. But another moment passes, and she continues on. “Ultimately… If things go bad for the Fae, they have already been warned. It’s their fault for not taking the precautions needed?” She hums thoughtfully, fingers tapping lightly with the idea along his neck.

you'd even bleed preciously

REXANNA

R E M I "You are the one who started it. I am merely trying not to lose at something I think I ought to have the upper hand at." He chimed back brightly. "Then again, you have Bastien on your team now. Hopefully Ronin is up to the task of competing with that sort of artistic flair." Remi added with a broad grin. The alchemist hums a note of confirmation. "Many times. Loren got himself thrown into one of their pits for trying to force them to listen to him and his ideas." Well. That was putting it nicely. Loren had straight up ignored their rules thinking he knew better than a group of people he knew absolutely nothing about. "We cannot save everyone." He agrees a touch distractedly, more than happy for her feather-light touches against him.

gold is the hand you press to her hip

oh darling,

“Ach, Remi. I unintentionally started it.” She jests to him, wishing he had been looking at her so she could stick her tongue out at him. “I was horrified until you all started laughing.” A chime of a laugh leaves her lips, recalling the moment where she didn’t know if she should go into hiding or start sending out apology letters. But that was neither here nor there, and instead a friendly bout of competition began. “I suppose you should have the upper hand. Having one and all that.” She hums back to him with another laugh.

But when they speak of the Fae, the tone goes a bit more somber, and Rexanna listens quietly as Remi mentions Loren got himself thrown into the pit trying to force them to do what he wanted them to. And for a moment, she wonders what went through Loren’s mind with that – before ultimately deciding that when the summoner wanted to be, he could be quite stubborn. “Hmm.” She comments quietly, pausing a brief moment.

“How did he handle the pit? I… Heard my daughter spent some time there.” She announces quietly, pulling away from him slightly but keeping her fingers tapping along his neck – wondering if he knows that in that strange other timeline of hers, that Kiada’s her own.

you'd even bleed preciously

REXANNA

R E M I "Unintentionally. Surreee." He agrees with a chuckle. Ianto had confirmed as much, but still the alchemist liked to think of his friend as having intentionally placed dicks in the sky. "Not well. Then again he and I were still...working through some of our history." Remi said with hasty swallow. Loren had said he still loved Remi, so that had taken a bit of unpacking, and then the pair had simply sat in an awkward silence for a few days as the summoner entirely withdrew back into himself. Pulling back and tilting his head in bemused surprise, the alchemist raised his brows. "Say that part again?"