the new and unfamiliar (open)

As the world around him came back into view, he squinted his eyes. His body ached for at first unknown reasons. Letting out a loud groan, the man rolled over onto his side and pulled his knees in close to his body, only to feel slightly warmer. Yes. He was cold. That's probably why his body was aching.

That still didn't exactly help, though. As much as he loved the feeling of his own body warmth, he had to pay attention to other things. The sounds and smells around him were unfamiliar, calling more important questions to mind. Reluctantly, he moved his knees away from his body and worked on sitting up. His movements were slow and showed exhaustion. The man's body shivered slightly and all he wanted to do was curl back up, maybe fall back asleep. He'd be freed of the freezing temperatures and he could take a moment to forget about his worries.

Oh right. Those.

With himself now in a sitting position he had to actually face the facts. He couldn't fall back asleep or go back to whatever state he had found himself in. Speaking of that, how did he get here? When he tried to reflect back on what happened he came to a blank. Leading him to the most prevalent question on his mind:

Where was he?

our hands they seek the end of afternoons

It was no secret that those from other worlds tended to appear in and around the Spire. Having been one himself, only a year or so before the alchemist had a soft spot in his heart for those who appeared bewildered and alone. Remi of course had arrived in an unparalleled grouping, making his transition into this strange world far easier than those who appeared in drips and drops, largely on their own.

And so it was, that in the snowy afternoon upon seeing a man suddenly appearing in the snow, he didn't balk or even flinch with surprise. Instead he softly trotted towards him with a gentle smile on his boyish features. "Hallo—" Remi called gently, his accent melodic and calm as he smiled softly down at the new arrival.

"Here, you must be freezing." He added, and suddenly, in his hands, a blanket appeared. Kneeling down he offered it to towards Oliver, his sea-glass green eyes kind and welcoming.

my hands believe and move over you

Coding base by Sky!

i have seen what the darkness does

say goodbye to who i was

He doesn’t know what brings him the Spire, all he knows is that it’s still cold and he hates the snow more and more every day. He’s bundled up further, the blight finally beginning to remove itself from him, but lingering far more than he would like. He’d assured Lusea that he was just going for a walk, before turning his attention toward the Spire and trying to learn more about the possibility of it being the source of the blight. Action, rather than following his mind into the darkness of his thoughts.

His hands are shoved deep within his pockets, seeking out the remaining warmth of his layers, wishing this were still the desert and he wouldn’t have to bundle so much nonsense on just to keep feeling his fingers, before he noticed something (someone?) move, and his steel eyes drift toward the source. At first, he spots someone in the snow, and a familiar man approaching. He sucks in a deep breath, decides he should likely go and see about helping should they need it.

He trails up to the pair, nodding his head toward Remi in a silent greeting before his eyes fall to the newcomer. “Hey, here’s some more if you need it.” He offers quietly with an accented voice, offering a couple of the furs from his shoulders, just in case it’s not enough what the Alchemist has offered. It’s frigid out here.

SUNJATA

Okay. So Oliver knew way less than he liked, but he did know a good sign when he saw one. He was a bit zoned out, though, and hardly even noticed the arrival of the first person. With wide eyes, he looked up at the man before him, only snapping out of his daze due to the sound of the other's voice. He had hardly even noticed how cold he was until a blanket was held out in front of him. Without even questioning it, he accepted the blanket and wrapped it around his upper body tightly, savoring the warmth.

Wait. A blanket....that came from nowhere? Was he seeing things? This guy before him could also be an...illusion? Was that the word he wanted to use? Maybe he was dead or something. That'd explain him arriving somewhere strange and a blanket appearing from nowhere.

Things only got more confusion when another guest arrived. Oliver didn't even know their names and here they were, offering him up exactly what he didn't even know his body craved. Warmth. Not so gracefully, the accepted the offer of the furs by gently taking them and placing them on his legs. It was overwhelming, to say the least. He didn't even know which man to look at, leading to him look between the two, never resting on one for long.

That's right, he still hadn't spoken yet. Oliver seemed to be at a loss for words, not even speaking since he had somehow appeared in this place. What place even was he? Why was he so cold? Who were these men and why were they being so generous? The overwhelming thoughts running through his head must've been clear as he was making faces. His eyebrows moved and he scrunched his nose in thought.

As his fingers ran through the fur resting on his legs, he finally spoke. "I'm sorry....where am I?" Not all his questions would be answered at once and as much as he wanted to know their names or why they chose to help him, he had far more pressing matters. "I don't remember how I got here...or why I'm on the ground. What's going on?"

It was a mouthful of words, most likely too many. He wanted answers...and he wanted to get out of the cold. The blanket and furs were helping but man was his ass freezing.

our hands they seek the end of afternoons

"There you go. I know it is a bit jarring, but you are here now." The alchemist cooed softly before straightening at Jata's approach. Swallowing and doing his best not to tense his jaw at the sight of the other man, Remi merely nodded politely.

The blight. Phoebe. There was much between the alchemist and the new arrival, but now was clearly not the time. Instead, merely turned his pale stare back towards Oliver with a soft nod, as if it was his place to approve Jata's offering.

With a soft chuckle, Remi interlaced his fingers as Oliver asked his questions. "You are in a new land you probably have never even heard of. Right now you are in a place called the Hollowed Grounds, and you are safe." As for how he got here? The alchemist exhaled an amused breath before shooting a look toward Jata. That was a much longer conversation. Ruffling a hand through his curls, Remi turned back towards Oliver with a gentle shrug. "It..is a long story." He replied in a voice thickly accented, but kind.

my hands believe and move over you

Coding base by Sky!

i have seen what the darkness does

say goodbye to who i was

He watches as Remi straightens slightly, despite the inclination of the man's head toward him, but he makes no comment of it. Instead, he focuses on the newcomer, offering furs to keep the pale haired man warm. It’s the least he can do in a series of recent fuck ups. But he lets Remi talk, explain the place the man has found before Sunjata crouches in the snow as well, lowering his huge height to something far more manageable for conversations such as these.

He catches the green gaze of the Alchemist, before his steel eyes drift back toward the unnamed man. “You likely came here through a portal, like I did.” He doesn’t think it’s his place to mention that Remi had too, but he offers the man in the snow and easy smile. “One second I was in a house back home, and the next I was here. Though, much less snow when I arrived.” A deep chuckle leaves him before he shakes his head slightly.

“I’m Sunjata.” He finally says, a small greeting of sorts, of opening up a hardened exterior, if only for the tiniest of slivers. Wondering if Remi would offer to bring the man to a warm place — gods knew Sunjata had no place to offer. Not anymore.

SUNJATA

As questions were answered, even more thoughts came to mind. It was a bit distressing. How was he safe? Why was he brought here? Why couldn't he remember anything? It was a worrying thought and it made Oliver feel uncomfortable to no end. The look on his face and in his eyes was evident of this feeling, or overwhelming abundance of feelings. There were so many things to consider, too much for him to properly handle. It overwhelmed him, made him want to throw up or fall back asleep. But he couldn't. He couldn't hide away from all of this.

The man who identified himself as Sunjata brought more confusion. How could this man remember what happened but Oliver couldn't even think about what his own last name was. When he strained himself to remember anything, very little came to mind. None of it felt helpful or important, only making him feel even worse.

Letting in a deep breath, he tried to figure out what to ask next. Something helpful, something to ground him. Anything.

"My name is Oliver...and I don't remember anything." His voice faltered a bit as he struggled to handle his emotions at this time. "What's going on with me?" Oliver felt as though that if he could remember his past, he might want to go back. Then again, maybe he was sent here for a reason? Sunjata mentioned that he too was sent through some sort of portal, implying that this was a common thing. With the inability to remember anything, Oliver knew he had to force himself to accept this. It's hard to go back to what he once had when he couldn't even remember what that was.

"What am I going to do now?" It was a vague question, not even worded how Oliver wanted to. He wanted to know what would come next. How was he going to live in this world that he had already forgotten the name of. Was it going to be challenging? So many thoughts surrounding this concept that Oliver had told himself was inevitable. He had no other options.

our hands they seek the end of afternoons

"Nice to meet you Oliver. I am Remi." The alchemist said gently. The pale-haired man looked roughly his age, though the years had not necessarily been kind to Remi, and it showed on his face. "It is nothing to do with you. There is...well, a god of sorts called the Voice. She is who brought you here. We do not think it is intentionally really, but it is how we found ourselves here, too." He added, trying to explain without overly complicating matters.

As for what he was meant to do? Well...

Glancing over his shoulder, Remi placed his fingers in his mouth and whistled a sharp blast. There was a mental pulse that accompanied it, though neither Oliver nor Sunjata would know that. From the snowy landscape appeared a nearly pitch-black unicorn with eyes of ocean-pebble blue. The mare flared her nostrils softly as she came to stand at the alchemist's side. The once-medic-turned-unicorn regarded the young man for such a moment, before lowering her horn.

"Isla can heal you. At the very least, she can restore some of your energy." Remi explained softly.

my hands believe and move over you

Coding base by Sky!

i have seen what the darkness does

say goodbye to who i was

“Oliver.” The name gets filed away as he focuses on the man before him. The questions, however, the man can’t answer – so instead, he focuses the best he can on Remi and his own explanation. And Sunjata finds it rather lucky that he does remember everything, in the end. He doesn’t know what he would do if he happened to lose the memories of his past – probably likely doomed to repeat the worst parts of his history.

But he listens to Remi’s explanation briefly before the alchemist calls forth the unicorn that had tried to heal his own wounds when he’d realized he was blighted. He doesn’t hold it against the unicorn, but his mind flashes back to Phoebe for a brief moment and his lips form a tight line, hands rubbing against one another beneath lowered sleeves.

He shoots a quick glance toward Remi before falling on Oliver again. “Should probably take you somewhere that there’s a fire to warm you up, too. Get your bearings back.” He suggests, glancing toward Remi again – not really wanting to put him in that position, but he doesn’t really have any options himself unless he chose to break into someone’s home and occupy it.

SUNJATA

When he asked more questions, he expected answers. To have a better understanding. However, the more times the two men responded to him, the more confused he got. The fact a God or something had brought him here shocked him. And Remi did say 'a god' implying more could exist. Oliver couldn't exactly remember his religion, but he knew of the concept of religions and that people believed in the concept of a higher being. Remi sounded confident, like he knew rather than believed. Oliver wasn't sure if that made him feel better or not.

The whistle caught him off guard and Oliver chose to stay silent, deciding it was probably for a good reason. And a good reason absolutely. Soon enough, a unicorn appeared out of the forest. Oh yeah. He knew what unicorns were. Maybe this wasn't so much of a bad thing. The unicorn seemed to know Remi and Oliver was starting to understand what exactly he knew. Seemingly, he could identify quite a lot.

As the unicorn lowered her horn, his eyes widened. What was she going to do, stab him?

Thankfully, no stabbing took place. Instead, Remi spoke of her, Isla, being able to heal him. "If she can make me feel better, that'd be great." Now that he mentioned it, Oliver didn't exactly feel all that great. It was a bit weird. Here he was, accepting in the existence of unicorns and their ability to heal people...but what else was he supposed to do? He might've thought it were a dream except for how real the cold felt. Acceptance was the only option.

As Sunjata mentioned the idea of fire, Oliver quickly nodded. "Fire or warmth would be amazing, honestly." A change of clothes would also be great, but Oliver wasn't about to push it. He had already taken so much. "In exchange I can offer something? I don't have any money...so maybe something else?" Maybe that would help convince the two into allowing him to be sheltered. He could repay them in some way. What way? Oliver had absolutely no idea. Last he checked, he didn't have any money. Wait. Do they have money? Also: why of all things could he remember the concept of money. His last name? Nope. But the concept of money? Yep. That's stupid as fuck.

"Maybe then you can explain everything to me?"

our hands they seek the end of afternoons

Isla's touch is light and precise. A pebble-blue light beams from her horn, infusing warmth and healing into the young man's frame. It isn't much, for his wounds seem more emotional and mental than anything, but even so, he will soon find himself rejuvenated and calmed, if nothing else.

"Ah, no need." The alchemist chuckles gently at the mention of repayment. With all the magic in his fingertips—not to mention being married to the king—the alchemist wants for very little. Even so, he'd never ask for compensation merely for lending a hand. "Come, the guild is not far from here and I am sure there will already be a fire going."

So saying, the alchemist stood, offering a hand towards Oliver to help him stand. "If you like, you can ride Isla back if you feel too weak to walk. It is not far, but...after what you have been through, I would understand." Glancing towards Jata, Remi gave the man a crooked smile. "Would you like to come as well?" Brotherly feelings for Phoebe aside, whatever heartbreak had occurred between the two was, really, just between them.

my hands believe and move over you

Coding base by Sky!

i have seen what the darkness does

say goodbye to who i was

Isla approaches and aims her horn down waiting for the okay from Oliver before beginning to heal him, and Sunjata’s steel eyes drift between the two men after as he mentions getting a warm place to be. Gods knew the man before them could use it, and Sunjata would be lying if he said he didn’t crave the warmth of it either. But Oliver speaks of payment and Sunjata’s head tilts slightly, thankful for the words from the Alchemist. It’s a very simplistic system here in terms of currencies, with bartering and what not being the only one he could think of.

But he gives Oliver a small half smile when he asks them to explain the world there — and he hopes that Remi invites him along if only to not have to deal with it all on his own. There’s still a small part of him that feels bad for the man after dropping the blighted Phoebe off at his door and seemingly disappearing. But ah, questions and answers for another day, as Remi stands and extends an arm — Sunjata does too, stepping away from the two men just enough as his height reaches its full amount and he shoves his hands into his pockets.

The crooked smile from Remi is surprising but welcome, and the man offers one back with a light shrug to his shoulders. “I could use some warmth.” He hums, accented deeply with a small amount of humor, before looking back toward Oliver before he’s prepared to walk with them to the guild.

SUNJATA

As the horn glowed, Oliver's eyes widened and his eyebrows raised. Within moments his body seemed to relax and the man let out a sign of relief. He struggled to keep his eyes open and he start to feel calmer, warmer, and at peace once more. It's weird. He couldn't remember moments of this feeling, but he certainly missed it. It was the first time since arriving that he felt this calm and relaxed.

Still, he felt a bit guilty. He had to do something to repay the two. No way would two people be this nice...right? They had to expect something of him. Why else would they be this nice to him? Shaking away this thought, he gathered up the furs in one hand and grasped Remi's hand in the other, allowing himself to be pulled back up. Now that the warmth of the furs had been removed from his legs he let out a soft gasp, realizing how discomforting the air was once more. Why did he have to wear these blasted pants? At least he was wearing boots? That was a plus.

Oliver had questions about the guild, but chose not to ask just yet. That way, he wouldn't look too stupid. For now, he needed to figure out whether or not he'd be riding on the unicorn. His legs were absolutely freezing but he didn't want to look like a wimp.

"I think I should be fine." Oliver spoke as he held out the furs to Sunjata. "If I get too tired I can hop on." He wasn't planning on mentioning how freezing his legs were...or how cold his butt was. Sitting in snow wasn't fun.

Running a hand through his hair he readjusted the blanket, once again wrapping it tight around his lithe frame. "What's this guild like?" He totally knew what a guild was. Yep. And honestly, Oliver was kinda okay with Sunjata joining them. He seemed pretty cute.

our hands they seek the end of afternoons

Oliver would find the alchemist's hands strong but warm as he helped the new arrival to his feet. "Alright, well let me know. Or Isla, I suppose." He added with a latent chuckle nodding towards the unicorn who merely gave a noncommittal flick of her tail.

Oh right, the guild.

Exhaling a breath of chilled air that formed a white cloud in front of his face, Remi shrugged lightly as he began leading up the cobble-stone road. "It is the Monster Hunter's guild. Ronin, that is, my husband, started it when we all first arrived here a year or so ago." Despite all that had happened, calling Ronin his husband brought a boyish flush of colour to his cheeks. They'd only been married a season or so, and though it had been some of the hardest days either of them had ever had to endure, still the alchemist couldn't help but smile. "We currently live there. You will see, it is rather large. There are...some rather interesting creatures about here, so Ronin formed the guild to keep everyone safe."

my hands believe and move over you

Coding base by Sky!