the new and unfamiliar (open)

i have seen what the darkness does

say goodbye to who i was

As Oliver stands with the help of Remi, Sunjata is slightly surprised when he hands him back the furs. Tentatively, the man takes them and slings them over his shoulders again, steel eyes glancing down to him with a small smile of thanks. He’s quietly hoping the height difference between them isn’t too intimidating, but he finds a spot beside the two other men, head aimed down a bit with his hands back in his pockets, focusing on the path ahead while Remi speaks of the Guild.

Sunjata hasn’t seen any of the monsters yet, but from what everyone has said, there’s nothing within him that disbelieves the theory – after all, with the blight, it’s made him into one himself, slowly recovering. And so without having much else to add, he glances to Remi and spots the flush to his face, some amount of guilt forming in his gut. Ah, if only he acted like that with Lusea, perhaps things would have gone better. He inhales deeply, exhaling a cloud as his gaze drifts toward Remi again. “I hope he’s doing better, by the way.” He offers Remi a small nod, steel eyes drifting back to Oliver after.

“There’s other places too, colleges, clinics, artists…” He trails off, mostly from going through some of the information from the Devil’s Advocates, but he doesn’t mention his own Guild. After all, that defeats their entire purpose. “Something for everyone, or you can start your own if nothing fits. But don’t feel the need to rush. I’ve been here a few seasons now and I’m still figuring it out.” He tells Oliver with a slightly roguishly white smile, his accented voice filled with a small amount of humor.

SUNJATA

Oliver made sure to closely follow after Remi, not enjoying the idea of falling behind and getting lost. It helped that he had two people near him, making Oliver feel more secured and safe.

As Remi and Sunjata explained guilds, Oliver listened with interest. While the idea of actual monsters living outside sounded down right terrifying, the idea of a guild felt promising. The guilds sounded welcoming, almost a cute little community. Oliver could only hope that he could maybe establish himself in one, liking the idea of remaining safe and sound. Far away from any of the beasts who may be the lurking in the very woods he was now venturing through.

But lets not think about those thoughts. Instead, Oliver wanted to focus on the thing that Sunjata mentioned. Sure, there were other things he wanted more information on, but they weren't exactly pressing. Nor very important. All he knew was that Remi had a husband and said husband got hurt.

On a more important note, the idea of artists did sound intriguing. "Artists? Like what kind?" Obviously, Oliver had perked up a bit, seeming distracted for a brief moment. "Are there things that I could do? Like...I know I am not trained, but I want to be useful here. Like maybe I could go get firewood...or I could run deliveries?" Mostly just to distract himself or make a living, but still. Oliver wanted to do something. Anything.

our hands they seek the end of afternoons

The alchemist's breath catches ever so slightly as he looked towards Sunjata, biting at the inside of his lip. "He is." For now, though that goes unsaid. "He is home, which is a vast improvement over...well, the woods. Or jail." This is said with a slight raising of his brows and a twitch of a smile. Whether the man will put two and two together Remi isn't sure, and now is not really the time for the so you let the blighted Phoebe out of jail, did you conversation. Still, there is something mischievous in his sea-glass stare.

"Mmm, indeed." Remi hummed under his breath. His and Sunjata's accents could not have been more different and vaguely he wondered how strange they must have sounded to Oliver; or if, like Bastien, he'd heard the accents before.

"Well, a fellow called Bastien has an artists guild. For singers, musicians, painters and the like. There are medical guilds, a group of loreseekers, my artisans group.." Trailing off, Remi shrugged. "But as Sunjata mentioned, by no means do you need to join any. Most welcome visitors anyhow." The mention of running deliveries made Remi wince for just a moment, before he exhaled with a soft sigh. Ashetta had been their messenger only...she seemed to have vanished again. Remi wasn't terribly surprised, though it didn't mean her disappearance hurt him any less.

"A messenger might be nice. It would help you get your bearings if nothing else."

my hands believe and move over you

Coding base by Sky!

i have seen what the darkness does

say goodbye to who i was

Remi admits that Ronin is better, and Sunjata finds his gaze sliding over toward the Alchemist with a nod before he notices the mischievous look in his eyes and his lip twitches in something akin to a half crooked smile – snorting a cloud of white through his nose as he breaks his gaze. “That’s good.” Yeah, he put two and two together. And he’s quietly wondering why, with what he assumes Phoebe has told him, that he’s being so kind to him too. But he doesn’t know Remi that well, doesn’t know what Phoebe’s told him of everything other than likely he had been the one to let the midwife out of the jail.

So he looks ahead, avoiding Remi’s sea glass eyes for a while, while the alchemist speaks to Oliver and explains the different guilds. He remains silent for a time, listening and thinking, mind flickering back toward that night before it shifts toward something else, and he clears his throat to avoid thinking that deeply in his mind. “Also could give you a chance at trying out a bit of everything before you settle down with something? Find something that speaks to you.” He hums thoughtfully, his deep rumble of a voice quite different from Remi’s but still accented just as thickly.

“But, there’s no rush. It’ll come with time.” He assures Oliver, looking back down toward the man with another soft, comfortable smile.

SUNJATA

Oliver couldn't help but feel a small bit awkward about this whole husband business. It was weird. The two were discussing clearly serious stuff and obviously, they were okay with him hearing, otherwise they wouldn't be speaking so openly. Still, he felt a bit weird. The look on his face probably showed it, as he was a mixture of confused and embarrassed. He was intruding on private information he couldn't understand at all.

"What are loreseekers?" He seemed generally intrigued. Never had he heard such a word or maybe he just couldn't remember hearing the word. Either way, he was interested in hearing more. "It sounds good though, having so many options." Oliver was lucky to be receiving this information, most likely. Lucky to have been found by the two. Still, something was rubbing him the wrong way. It could easily be all in his head, but Oliver couldn't understand why the two were being so nice to him. Why were they helping him if they gained nothing in return? Surely, people couldn't be this nice in this new world.

"I think I'll take my time to decide...figure things out. Maybe I can visit a couple of them. Go to the artists one and yours. Maybe even the loreseekers." He nodded, as though he were agreeing with himself. "That way I'll know what I like. See what makes me happy." It felt a bit narcissistic to speak like this, but he couldn't help it. Oliver was interested in doing things that brought him joy.

"And for now I can be a messenger." He smiled, finally, for the first time since arriving. "Yeah...it could be fun. I can meet new people and help out. Repay you guys for your help."

our hands they seek the end of afternoons

If the alchemist noticed Oliver's concern or discomfort, it didn't show. Then again, he might have chalked it up simply to some low-level homophobia at hearing that Remi was married to another man. In the world he'd come from it had been extremely prevalent after all.

"Mm, the loreseekers are a...ahh, rather academic guild, I suppose?" Glancing toward Sunjata, Remi shrugged his shoulders. What the guild did officially he didn't know. What they did unofficially though was another manner; though how much of that was simply just personality quirks of Jigano, Amalia, and Sam, he had no idea.

"A good idea." Remi hummed agreeably as the monster hunter's guild came into view. It stood on the top of crescent of land, all Gothic columns and spiked railings. The training grounds outside were currently covered in snow as was just about everything else. "Come on then." He called as they approached, hauling open the massive, heavy, ornate doors for the two men to enter.

Within they'd find the entrance of the guild quite impressive: a vaulted ceiling, a great room just ahead and the left boasting a massive stone hearth with a roaring fire within. "hmmm." Remi hummed, happy to be home. Shrugging out of his jacket and tossing it onto a nearby chair, he glanced over his shoulder towards Oliver and Sunjata. "Tea?" He called, already heading off to the right into the kitchen to start the water.

my hands believe and move over you

Coding base by Sky!

i have seen what the darkness does

say goodbye to who i was

Remi gives his best explanation of a loreseeker, while Sunjata thinks back to his conversation with Jigano – and after catching the glance from the alchemist, he focuses on Oliver before he adds his own. “They find the history of Caido, through books, stories, songs… Things like that. The Atheneum is a library you can go check out sometime if you want to read up on things here.” He offers, shooting another small glance Remi’s way with a slight shrug.

But Oliver mentions he may take some time to figure it out, and Sunjata nods in agreement to that, too. He had been recruited quickly upon his arrival for the Devil’s Advocates, had worked with them quickly after while he figured out his place in this world – but again, it was rather hush, so he pretends to play the idea he doesn’t know what makes him happy here. It’s easier that way. As for repayment? His head tilts toward Oliver, steel eyes skating over the shorter man before his gaze is captured by the guildhall.

It’s massive, and Sunjata soon wonders how he’s missed it in the first place. Perhaps he’d been too caught up with other things, rather than focusing on his surroundings. Remi opens the door then, letting them in, and he trails in with a nod of his head in thanks to the alchemist, pausing to look around the ornate designs before a light shiver creeps up his spine. It feels too much like home for him to be perfectly comfortable, but he swallows down his uncanny nervousness to shrug the furs and jacket off of himself – leaving him in a near sleeveless shirt, short enough to see the wing tattoos that extend from his arms and along the base of his neck. “Sure.” He offers to Remi, finding a place to sit, wondering when the last time he had tea was, rather than alcohol and water – before he focuses on Oliver once more. “So what else would you like to know?”

SUNJATA

If only Remi knew that Oliver was just the sort of guy to feel very uncomfortable when eavesdropping. While he did love some good gossip, hearing that people were actually in danger or injured made him feel bad.

Anyways. The idea of the lorekeepers sounded somewhat interesting. While he wasn't sure if he'd enjoy joining them, he absolutely planned on visiting. Maybe they were the people to answer some of his oddly specific questions about this world. For now, he could try to go to Remi and Sunjata with hopes that they wouldn't find his questions too stupid or overwhelming. "Sounds cool." Was his response. In actuality, he had a lot more to say, but due to how mysterious the guild was, Oliver assumed that it's best to leave it at that.

As the three arrived to the guild, his eyes widened. The architecture was beautiful. To imagine that people got to live here? Wow. Oliver wasn't sure how interested the old him was into architecture. Who knows. Maybe he once built things or created buildings. Something did draw Oliver to the building and he was absolutely excited to go inside. When Remi held the door open for him, he gave a thank you to the man before entering. Once again, he was awestruck. Amazed by how it looked on the inside. The expression on his face probably showed this loud and clear. It looked beautiful and extravagant, in a way, but still felt very homely. Warm. Inviting.

He had been dragged out of his thoughts at the mention of tea. With a pause and a bit of stuttering he responded. "Tea would be great, thank you." Oliver had been caught off guard, causing him to blush ever so slightly out of embarrassment. It certainly didn't help that the two had shed their jackets. When Oliver turned to look at Sunjata, he got a good look at the tattoo, making his blush darken ever so slightly. Talk about reminding him of certain vague memories. That was a topic for another time...

Keeping the blanket wrapped around him, he took a seat in one of the chairs nearby. With Remi preparing the tea, that left him and Sunjata. Luckily, Sunjata seemed willing to answer more questions and boy. He had a lot. Many felt odd or pushy. Some he'd wait for later, deciding that it may be too soon.

"I...I have a lot." He let out a small laugh, showing embarrassment? Awkwardness? Whatever it was, he had a lot on his mind. "Um...I guess you could just tell me all you want? Or all there is to know? Like I know Remi, I think it was, mentioned a god? But he said a god...are there more? How does that work?" What he meant to say was: is this a belief or do you guys know for sure she brought us here. It felt pushy and almost unkind to say that. What if the god was real and heard of him believing she wasn't. He'd be dead, probably struck by lightning or some magic shit like that.

"Also...you mentioned monsters? Or maybe Remi did...And what about that blanket? You know. The one Remi made appear out of nowhere...unless he had it on him and I was so cold I didn't even notice it..." He let out another fit of nervous laughter and ran a hand through his hair.

our hands they seek the end of afternoons

Unlike Oliver who seems perhaps a bit nervous around the much larger man, as Sunjata strips out of his jacket the alchemist merely gives him a low chuckle. "I can see why she likes you." He noted slyly, sea-glass eyes roaming towards the dark etchings of feathers poking out through the sleeve-less material.

Puttering away in the kitchen using a mixture of magic and mundane means, water started to boil and three large mugs appeared with a hand-crafted concoction of tea within. Turning, the alchemist leaned against the door-frame with his arms casually crossed. {asy}"All there is to know, mm?" He hummed with a grin, a brow softly raised. "Yes there are..." Squinting, he gave Sunjata a look. "6? 7? Does the Voice count? Does Caido count?" He asked the larger man with a bit of a baffled shrug. "Definitely 6." Remi concluded with a flustered laugh, ruffling a hand through his curls.

How did he know? Oh, all the curses. The threats of death. How one (2?) had raised his husband from the dead. Subtle clues.

"Mmm, all sorts of strange things lurk about." The alchemist said with another casual shrug. "Normally they stay far enough away but not always. It is why Ronin started this guild." Turning to get the tea, Remi didn't hear the question about his magic, though surely Sunjata would recognize it for what it was.

Reemerging with three steaming mugs, two held in his hands and one floating at his side, he placed the two down before the two men before grabbing his own out of the air.

my hands believe and move over you

Coding base by Sky!

i have seen what the darkness does

say goodbye to who i was

When Sunjata sheds his jacket, his steel gaze flies toward Remi at the chuckle. A brow raises ever so slightly with the comment, realizing he’s meaning Phoebe and he nods slightly. “You’ll have to indulge me on those reasons later.” He offers with a hum of a laugh of his own, awkward and odd — wondering what part is the one that she’s drawn to. Wondering what he can change to try and make it easier to keep them separated, for their sakes and Lusea’s storm. But he turns to Oliver then and notices a flush to the other man’s face — and Sunjata thoroughly finds himself confused.

He pays it all little mind, settling across from Oliver as he asks the new man if he has any questions — and he questions about the gods. One of Sunjata’s least known subjects, but Remi soon pops his head out to answer a bit, shooting him a glance that he takes up on. “I know of Frey, Ludo, Safrin, Vi, Mort, Rae, and the Voice.” He offers, running through what Phoebe has told him previously. But he gives a slight nod Remi’s way before continuing. “I think the Voice counts, given all she’s done that I know of.” There’s a deep rumble of a laugh at that, that leaves his throat as his slate eyes skate over toward Oliver once more.

After another somewhat vague answer from the Alchemist, the man disappears for the tea, while Sunjata focuses on the man before him to answer that question. He leans back in his seat while he thinks of what the best way to answer that statement is. “Remi has magic.” He begins, a slightly crooked smile to his face full of roguish charm, quite unintentionally. “There’s people here that have magic, there’s people that can shift into various animals, some that are… not quite human in the sense of who we are.” He doesn’t know the word for it in this language, but he focuses on it harder before he shakes his head. “Then there’s people like me who are pretty boring all things considered.” He finally says, eyes lifting toward Remi with a small smile and breathy chuckle.

Yeah, there’s nothing special about Sunjata, in comparison to what Remi can do.

Gratefully, he takes the tea into somewhat trembling hands, glancing back toward Remi. “Thanks.” He gives Remi a brighter smile, far better than any of the exhausted ones when they had first met. But that was what felt like ages ago.

SUNJATA

When Remi made a comment about a "she" being interested in Sunjata, Oliver felt terribly embarrassed. Of course. He had started to make eyes towards a man who was clearly in a relationship. While this didn't mean the man wasn't attracted to dudes, Oliver was not about to be a homewrecker, especially when he only just arrived. He respected relationships and was happy he hadn't actually verbally flirted yet. All those looks and thoughts would be in the past and all would be well. Yep.

Ignoring that minor heartbreak, he was very happy to actually begin to receive answers. Of course, he would have many more questions, such as what each of the gods were for, but for now he actually felt a bit better. Remi still hadn't answered if he knew they were real or not, but Oliver wasn't about to ask directly. That's how you get turned into a snake or some shit. "Six or seven is a lot...yeah. So they must each represent a unique thing?" The fact that they seemed unsure of the number made Oliver realize some things. That if the gods truly did exist, they were mysterious in nature. Not active enough to be counted well. Interesting...

The topic moved on to monsters which was just fan-fucking-tastic. It made Oliver feel better to know that there probably wouldn't be a monster right outside his home. "Does this guild just fight the monsters? Or do they also research them to figure out how to better survive?" Oliver seemed a bit interested in this idea. It'd be nice if they had like a monster book he could read up on, that way he wouldn't have to ask about each individual creature that they may encounter.

While Remi was off distracted, Sunjata continued on with explaining the whole blanket appearing incident. Oliver was relieved to find out that he wasn't hallucinating. The blanket truly did appear from nowhere. The idea of magic was...new. Not necessarily off-putting, but something surprising and a bit hard to handle. There were so many new things about this land, new people who had unique abilities. Maybe that's how these people had managed to survive for so long if monsters lurked around?

Before he could ask for more on the subject of the different types of people, Remi had returned with the tea. Now, Oliver could see the magic in action. The cup was levitating, no doubt about that. Reaching down for his tea, he smiled at Remi. "Thank you." With a small nod he took a sip, set the cup back down, and spoke once more.

"So...I'm going to assume I'm like Sunjata? I mean, I feel kinda human? So I cant be that...and I don't remember being able to do magic? Or being able to turn into any animals? I also haven't done that yet....I think." He seemed puzzled and a bit doubtful. The expressions on his face morphed multiple times, showing a switch from him being confident in himself, to having total doubt. Not knowing what was true or if his statements were factual.

our hands they seek the end of afternoons

As Sunjata includes the Voice, the alchemist can only shrug. Once he argued precisely the same with Jigano. Now? Now he isn't so sure. Then again, he isn't sure about much these days. "Mmm, well. There are the big gods, I believe they are called: Vi, Mort, and Rae. Vi is the god of life, Mort of death, and Rae of nature. Then they have their...heralds? I suppose? Safrin to Vi, Ludo to Mort, and Frey to Rae. The Voice is...well. She is her own thing, really."

The notion of what the guild did only made the alchemist grin crookedly. "You will have to ask Ronin that. It is not my guild, I just live here." He said with a boyish laugh, before disappearing into the kitchen.

Nodding towards Oliver, the alchemist took a sip from his tea cup as well before considering the man's question. "Well if you can feel the heat from the tea, then you are human and not ascended." Remi answered with a shrug. "I could only shift into a hawk when I first came here. An ability I always had. Now.." Biting the inside of his lip with a flare of embarrassment he merely looked down into the liquid. Now he could do a great deal more, only it felt horribly awkward to say so.

Snorting through his nose, Remi rolled his eyes playfully at the larger man. "Ahh yes. You. Horribly boring." He said in a flat tone, though his eyes sparkled mischievously as he shook his head. "As far as it is all supposed to go, the boring ones like Sunjata here are meant to be the most coveted by the gods."

my hands believe and move over you

Coding base by Sky!

i have seen what the darkness does

say goodbye to who i was

Fingers tap against the mug briefly as Remi explains the difference between Ascended and themselves, having not really known it. But he grows intrigued at Remi’s ability to shift into animals, and something within him is deeply drawn to it. Of course, it doesn’t reflect along his face as he looks over toward Remi at his next comment, giving him a roguish smirk and a hum of a laugh.

If circumstances were a bit different, Sunjata thinks that Remi and him might get along pretty well — but Sunjata isn’t sure if it’s only for show because of Oliver, or if he means what he says. But he feigns a hum of a laugh, eyes remaining on the Alchemist with a gleam of something mischievous. “Incredibly boring.” His tone is playful, and the crooked grin that casts over his face only adds to his charm before Remi indulges more on what he is — and he waves it off. “So that’s why I met Frey.” He hums thoughtfully, the smirk remaining on his face before he settles in a bit more and takes a sip of the tea.

He leans back in the seat and reaches up with his free hand to rub at his tattoo inadvertently while he thinks on it. “We didn’t have gods in my world… I think I’d rather be able to have magic or turn into all sorts of creatures.” He admits thoughtfully, looking back to Oliver with a raised brow. “Maybe it’s something that’ll come to you?” His mind flies back to Lusea, how he had thought her to be like him until the day in the glade when he had told her he had slept with Phoebe, and she had used some kind of magic.

And his smile falters slightly as he shakes his head. He isn’t even sure how to refer to Lusea at this moment. Are they together? Are they not? It was all too complicated. “A girl from my homeland came through recently. We thought she was normal, until a week ago when she found out she had magic.” He doesn’t look at Remi after that statement, instead his expression is a bit more solemn. “Take some time to get your bearings and who knows what you’ll find.”

SUNJATA

Hearing about the Gods felt like a lot to handle and certainly something he'd have to get used to...but he also felt more comfortable with the knowledge. Knowing that there were official people out there and something he could confidently believe in. It made him feel sure of something for one of the first times since arriving to this land, that there was something that he could be absolutely positive about. It felt great. "So, what do we do with these gods? Other than believe in them?" He could assume that people prayed to them, but really he wanted more information. His attempts to pry more information out of the two would probably be very obvious, but he couldn't help it. Oliver wanted something that he could be absolutely confident about.

The rest of the answers didn't really reassure him. Sure, he got some more vague information, but nothing made Oliver feel confident or truly comfortable. The most he could say was that he knew for sure he wasn't an ascended....which really isn't much. Taking a long drink of his tea, he set the mug back down before shedding of the blanket. "Yeah...trust me I can feel heat." It was a small joke, one that made him crack a smile. The combination of the tea and fire had led to Oliver's entire body warming back up. It felt great.

As Sunjata told the story of the woman, he nodded and listened intently, watching him with careful eyes. It made Oliver worry, but he tried not to show it on the inside. What if he never knew what he could do? Would that change how he lived his life? He could only hope that all the answers would come soon, very soon. Oliver wanted to establish his new life. Get things figured out.

"I guess i'm probably like you, huh? Boring and simple...not that you're boring!" Calling Sunjata boring felt horribly rude, leading to Oliver attempting to retract the statement. It wouldn't be too bad to be like that. Sure, magic sounded great. He even saw what it could do with his own eyes. Same goes for turning into animals. Imagine the freedom it could bring! But still, he was alright with his current situation. Oliver could just lead his new life as a boring, normal person without worrying about all those extra bits...

"So...what do I do now?" He reached down to pick up the mug, but instead of bringing it up to his lips he merely started to tap on it the sides with his fingers. "I...I know about the gods and the monsters...and the guilds and you know, the different types of people." Saying it all together felt like a lot of information, absolutely. "I didn't die of being too cold so...what's next? Where do I go now or what do I do?" Oliver felt as though he would be told to follow his own path or some bullshit like that, but Oliver wanted more. He wanted to be assigned a task or something, to have a clear path ahead of him.

Maybe that's what scared him the most, being unsure of what was next or having no idea who he even was. He knew no one and he didn't even know himself.