The pit | I fell in the pit

Sighing wearily, Remi nodded. How he was going to take care of himself given what he felt he'd become, he didn't know. Perhaps he'd go and try shifting back and forth into the lion as Vai had suggested. But what if he was unsuccessful? What if he couldn't switch back, or worse, if he injured someone while he was trying? Perhaps he'd invite the former huntress to accompany him with her bow and another weapon. Just in case. "The vision of my mother..or..." Remi shook his head. "..or whatever it was. She found me in the Woodlands and called me to her. And I just ... I just followed. I thought nothing of it. She led me into a swap that I do not believe is actually in the Woodlands." Actually Remi didn't know whether or not that was true, but the abrupt change in landscape did ring wrong in his mind. Then again, his senses weren't really to be trusted on that account, given all that he'd done and believed. "She said said a name—Ludo?—who I think is the being I saw after. " Swallowing the alchemist shook his eyes again. "It said things I don't understand. About being an Abandoned. Have you heard that term before? Here, anyways?" remi roar

Vervain was silent as they walked slowly through the rain towards the place where she'd taken up temporary residence with Devrum, soaking in everything Remi had to say. He was a warmth against her, one that she wanted to keep close for a reason that had nothing to do with the cold or the downpour. His story was a haunting one, and her blue eyes narrowed as she listened. When he was done, Vai glanced up at him and shook her head softly. "An Abandoned... I've never heard that," she admitted. "But I'll keep my ears open and try and find out for you. Someone around here must know... but it's entirely possible that the thing - whatever or whoever it was - may have just been playing a cruel joke." Abandoned, because Remi had been separated by his mother not once, but twice now. And the second time seemingly by his own hand. Storing away the name of the being, Vai paused outside a small, bare domicile, pushing open the door and holding it open for Remi to walk inside. "Come on in." vervain where the wild things are

Remi nodded appreciatively. Finding out information like this was not his strong suit, and while he'd happily give it a go, knowing that Vai would keep her ear to the ground and find out what she could about being an abandoned was certainly welcome to hear. Nodding, Remi stepped inside. As he did so, part of the roof which had likely been weakened by weather or simply age gave away. As bits of slate and stone and wood began to slide down towards the pair, Remi glanced up and instinctively raised his arms. Also instinctively apparently, was the magic that suddenly rushed from his fingers. Or...from wherever it came from. With a groan as his power wasn't enough to hold the falling debris in place, Remi jumped backwards hoping to knock Vai with him (or at least prevent her from going forward) as a few boards and stones came toppling down. Turning over his shoulder and quirking a brow - a welcome and amused sight given what Remi had been through - he actually chuckled. "Guess we know what is on Devrum's to-do list for this afternoon." remi roar

Vervain certainly would keep her ear to the ground - what had happened to Remi had touched him in a way that had seemingly brought a lion into being, so she had no intention of leaving this mystery unsolved. Vai would dig until she found the information for him; given her job, she didn't think it would take all that long either. She smiled to the alchemist as he moved into the house, just about to suggest they dry off when part of the roof made a break for freedom. Cursing in surprise as much as anything, Vai was knocked back and out of harm's way, though it had all happened so quickly she hadn't picked up on anything awry - or indeed magical - about Remi's actions. His laughter was contagious though, and she found herself chuckling as well. "Oh, he'll love that," she murmured. "Do you think it's still a safe building? I don't feel like being crushed today." vervain where the wild things are

The adrenaline coursing through his system actually made Remi feel surprisingly good, and luckily it wasn’t in a way that conjured the lion back to the forefront of his mind. Grinning and running a hand through his hair, the alchemist shrugged. “And here I thought you’d be safer with someone like Devrum.” He quipped with a grin. Glancing up at the roof which seemed to be holding itself together for the meantime, Remi nodded. “I think so..I don’t hear any additional creaking or groaning. LIkely it was just this one section.” Even so, as Remi entered the threshold he did so with a bit of a jump as if expecting more of the ceiling to collapse around him. It didn’t of course, but he couldn’t help the bit of a flourish and a look of ta-da that spread across his face as he turned around to grin at Vai. remi roar

At Remi's quip Vervain arched an eyebrow right back at him, a wicked sort of smile flashing across her face. Of course she felt safer with Devrum - she just couldn't say he got the same reaction from anyone else he came into contact with. "Regrettably, I feel he'd be more likely to knock this whole thing down and start from scratch," she said, shrugging and following him into the house, which luckily didn't come tumbling down on top of them. Vai glanced up just in time to spot Remi's flourish, a laugh bubbling up in her throat as she regarded him. The difference between the alchemist now and the one she had come across in the pit was jarring, not that she was sad about seeing him so improved. Closing the door to shut out the rain(ish), Vai crossed the room to the small pit where she and Dev had chosen to keep a fire going. A few strikes of flint and a little coaxing and she had a few small flames sparking to life. "Come on then," she murmured, "let's dry off a bit, and then we'll get something to eat." vervain where the wild things are

Actually from the little that Remi knew about Devrum, that actually seemed quite likely. Given the state of things in the domiciles though, creating a house from scratch probably wasn't too bad of an idea. Especially if things were going to be falling down anyways. Nodding agreeably, Remi paused for a moment and chuckled as deja vu struck him. "It seems you are always saving me from something, dragging me home, drying me off and feeding me." He observed with a grin. "Or when I've been found with my head in the Master Chief's lap, or when someone has tried to kiss me." Running a hand through his muddy and wet curls, Remi shook his head. "I wonder if I'll ever have a nice occasion to come and find you." This was said with a smile, though the underlaying emotion of raw uncertainty was clear. Things had been going wrong for the alchemist for so long now, that it simply seemed to be the status quo. Remi didn't know which was worse: his string of troubles, or the fact he was simply getting used to it. remi roar

Vervain had moved to kneel before the little fire by the time Remi spoke, the former huntress feeding it kindling and helping to prod it to life, and she smiled over her shoulder at him. "I will make sure there are plenty of nice occasions where you ought to come and find me," she murmured to him. "All storms pass, Remi. You've just been through some pretty bad ones recently, even before we came here." She shrugged her shoulders. "And I'd rather you come find me than have to weather it alone, so don't think too hard on it." That way lay madness, potentially. Once the fire was high enough Vervain arranged a small pot of water over it so it could boil (she had no stove and kettle here, regrettably) and patted the ground beside her. "Let's make a pact, yeah? However many bad things happen, the next time I see you, it will be for something good. Agreed?" vervain where the wild things are

Vai always seemed to know what to say and naively the alchemist wanted to believe her so badly. But it felt like so long since he'd seen the sun (metaphorically of course, the Leafchange here was surprisingly warm and bright). "I know." Remi said through a weary smile. He might have said thank you, but of course Vai already knew how much he appreciated her. Or at least, she damned well better have. Watching Vai put the water on the fire, Remi tilted his head slightly to the side. "Maybe you don't even have to wait, hmm?" He said with a grin. "Something did come out of my encounter in the Woodlands actually.." Moving towards Vai, Remi took a seat next to her. He actually had absolutely no idea what he was doing, and so he sort of held his hands out stupidly in the air as if expecting them to simply know what to do next. They didn't of course, and so for a moment nothing happened. Then clearing his mind by closing his eyes, Remi focused on what it was he wanted. A lid suddenly appeared in his hands. Opening his eyes, he placed it on the pot of water to help it boil faster. The size was a bit off, but it would do. Looking over at Vai, Remi grinned with a childlike pride. "Tada." remi roar

Despite the fact that the two of them were soaked to the bone and covered in mud (and the rest, in Remi's case), it didn't stop Vai from wrapping an arm around the alchemist as he took a seat next to her. She knew he knew, but it wouldn't make it any easier for him. She just wished the world would give him a break for a little while. "Hmm?" He spoke of the Woodlands and held out his hands, the former huntress watching expectantly and arching an eyebrow. As a lid suddenly materialised for her pot she jumped a bit in surprise, glancing at Remi as if thinking it a trick. "Wh... How in the world did you manage..." She broke off into a quiet and delighted laugh, especially at the proud grin on his face. How he had found the energy for it alone was beyond her, but she was grateful nonetheless. "You're one of a kind, Remi." Vai winked at him, glancing around for two cups so she could arrange them in preparation to make the tea. vervain where the wild things are

The mud and the grime hardly mattered, both because they were already covered so brushing against one another didn't really make an additional mess, but also because of whatever strange bond they had. Remi, far too in love with the memory of his mother (and now traumatized by it), hedged slightly from thinking of Vai in those terms, but certainly what he felt for her was remarkably close. Perhaps even more pure and strong given the they'd more or less chosen each other, as mothers and sons usually can not do. With a toothy grin, Remi shrugged and laughed. "It happened after ..." Trailing off, Remi shrugged. Watching her gaze as she looked around and assuming what she was looking for, Remi tapped her on the arm. "There's more." He laughed, narrowing his eyes at two cups on her counter. With incredibly wobbly control, the cups lifted into the air and danced their way towards the pair. The mental fortitude it took to maintain the magic was still relatively new to Remi, and he had to quickly reach out both hands to catch the cups as they fell from the air. "Silver lining I suppose?" He mumbled, not quite sure if he believed it or not. remi roar

"More?" Vai arched an eyebrow, glancing about at the cups as he pointed and pausing in her movement to go and get them when they suddenly fetched themselves. Blue eyes widening, she followed their clumsy progress across to the alchemist's hands and shook her head, a mix of disbelief and pride in her face. "So you're a lion, a hawk, you create things out of nothingness, you can make things float and you're an alchemist." She beamed. "Well, Remi... I wouldn't exactly say it was a silver lining, but... I guess it helps to soften the blow." Nodding in agreement, Vai shifted forward to check on the pot, then sat back once more. "If I could make it so that you didn't have to go through any of that, though... I would." vervain where the wild things are

As she listed things, Remi flushed and looked down. He'd been a nothing for far too long to in anyway know how to properly accept a compliment. If anything he was just waiting for the other shoe to drop, and have all of this become a horrific curse. All the other things he was sprang to his mind as well: a murderer, without love, (currently) uncontrollable, and so on. Instead of voicing those darker thoughts, Remi just nudged Vai's shoulder with a grin. "Don't forget muddy." He chuckled Waving his hand Remi nodded. He hated feeling as though he'd burdened Vai with these things, having never grown up in a loving family, it seemed unfair to simply make those around him endure what he was going through. Still, it was nice to know that he had someone he could always count on and find when he needed them. "I wonder..." Cupping his hands, several berries and leaves appeared. They smelled sweet and as Remi brought them to his nose, he shrugged. "I guess there is one way to tell if conjured tea tastes the same as the real thing?" He asked with a grin, distributing the berries and leaves in the cups. "How is everyone else? Ashe and Alistair? Devrum?" remi roar

Vervain gasped as if in outrage, grinning at Remi and nudging him right back. "How could I forget muddy," she said, shaking her head. "Muddy and wet and in need of at least a few days of rest," she added, sighing and holding out her hands to steal some of the heat from the fire as it began to boil the water. Contrary to the alchemist's thoughts on the matter, it was far from a burden for the former huntress. Having someone to worry about, to feel part of something larger than just herself... it was a markedly new thing for Vai. And one she was thoroughly enjoying. "Hmm?" She glanced back at Remi and smiled at the sight of the newly created tea. "If it does, I think you might have just found an easier way for us to brew things at the Rathskeller, too," she said with a laugh, though she grew a bit more thoughtful at his questions. "Devrum is Devrum." Her smile softened at the thought of the bear man - rough around the edges he might be (and the rest), but she got to see a different side to him. "Alistair and Ashe are... I haven't heard from them in a while. I guess they must be finding their way around this place too..." vervain where the wild things are