won't you let me go down in my dreams? (OPEN)

i've seen fire & i've seen rain.
i've seen sunny days that i thought would never end

So the portal had been opened. The locals had been all over it—the thieves especially, happy to get their claws (tentacles, beaks, paws) over all the new and unsuspecting arrivals. Though when Ronin and Remi heard the news, it wasn't met with relief or joy, not elation or excitement. Not even the huff of dissatisfied laughter.

It was met with...nothing, really.

But it wouldn't do to simply hide away from whatever onslaught might come. Wouldn't do to play coy or try and make themselves scarce. So here they were, shirtless and scarred on the beach, fishing. Or at least, there was a pole, some bait, and an ocean. Whether or not that counts as fishing is probably debatable.

"Nice day." The alchemist said tonelessly, glancing over his shoulder at Ronin with a raised brow as if it was all about to change.

maybe i'll lie to you, maybe i'll play this role

maybe i'll act like my act is together

Alright, so it wasn’t the greatest idea. Still sick and tired and exhausted, still frustrated with everything going on and what he tried to fix time and time again. But he’d heard the portal had been opened, had heard talk of sands, and beaches and oceans, and he couldn’t help the thundering of his heart as he tried to explain it to Phoebe.

The only thing he wanted was within his reach.

So he snatches Phoebe up, because she’s got that quest of hers that he does remember at this point, thinking perhaps she could find a seed or two in the new space available… Well, it would mean he’d helped her with something at the very least aside from being the terrible husband he was consistently turning out to be.

He thinks he can almost taste it as they take that step through the portal. They’re met with the port, the blinding light, the voices and sounds, and he grips Phoebe’s hand a bit tighter when the blinding sun is starting to fade from his eyes, squinting through it. And he can see over the heads of the people milling about, the one thing he’d craved for years finally there within his reach.

He takes a shaky breath at first, letting go of Phoebe’s hand and rarely caring whether she follows him or not, but the man makes a straight beeline for the sands, all composure faltering, whatever little bit was left, his horned head shifting over the people milling near the water – and that’s when he spots Remi and stops short, his heart thunders. He doesn’t recognize the other man, too focused on who had disappeared when the mud monster attacked Fiat Lux. Remi? He calls out through that Attuned bond, voice accented and rough and thick in his surprise and shock and bewilderment, legs taking him closer toward Ronin and Remi.

The ocean, he decides, can wait a little bit longer to dip his feet into.

maybe i'll cope with life without hope

maybe i'll open the door and fall through the floor

SuNJATA

PHOEBE

First he was making her feel bad regularly, now he was literally dragging her around. How nice of him. Super appreciated. But he apparently would not be stopped and so she was carried along (literally, he picked her up and ran to the damn portal).

The sun pricked her eyes, and she lifted a hand to shield them as she looked out around them. Torchline...brown eyes blinked as she stared at the vast expanse of ocean, the smell of salt and hot sand surrounding her. It was...beautiful. She didn't even notice Jata go running off, too in awe of the view. It was so bright and lively and warm...just wonderful. Frey must like this place very much - how could they not?

But then she began to scan the area, and her eyes locked on a familiar face. For a moment she gaped, rubbing her eyes as she was sure it was a trick of the sun but... "Remi!!" she called, sprinting over to the alchemist, unable to contain her excitement. "Oh, Remi its you! It's really you!" she said. If he did not move out of her way, she would surely run up and hug him as tight as she could.

and then there's me, always waiting for you

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

I swear I never dream that we're alone

Remi could speak for himself.

Ronin hadn't so much as acknowledged the portal, but that didn't mean he wasn't very unsettled by its arrival. It meant things - it meant people - and he wasn't quite willing or ready to rejoin that world just yet.

So as his lover glanced over his shoulder at him on the sunny beach, Ronin's clouded eyes were fixed on the shape at the docks which was spitting out strangers (and familiar faces, potentially). Except it wasn't potentially, and his lips twisted at the familiar sight of Phoebe and the shrill cry he could sense coming before it hit his ears.

"I'll be seeing you later," he advised Remi - for neither Phoebe nor whoever the fuck the stranger was had acknowledged his existence, and that suited him fine, thanks. Ronin rose to his feet in a shower of sand, bare toes curling against the beach, and he jostled against Remi's shoulder as a gesture of farewell.

the dark star

i've seen fire & i've seen rain.
i've seen sunny days that i thought would never end

Remi wasn't looking towards the portal. He didn't care to see, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be forced to hear. Closing his eyes at the unmistakable tone of both voices—one mental, and one audible—he opened his eyes and tried to block out the sand of Phoebe's foot falls on the beach. He wouldn't move out of her way, but nor did he return the gesture at all. He was like a pillar of stone; though he was warm to the touch thanks to the sun, inside, he was oh so very cold.

The scar tissue on Remi's throat twisted as he looked down at the blonde curled around him, waiting for her to peel herself off. "Nothing gets past you." The alchemist said in a dull voice. As Ronin rose and nudged against him, the alchemist turned instantly to follow.

"Enjoy Torchline." Remi called flatly over his shoulder, not bothering to look back at whether or not Sunjata had caught up, nor to gather the few items the pair had left on the beach.

~FIN