like the way it used to be

ronin A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets Gazing across at Bastien, Ronin was unsurprised to hear that the Ascended and his lovely lady were planning another ceremony. Had he and Remi been married under similar circumstances, he wouldlikely have wanted another opportunity to celebrate as well. So the hunter gave his friend a sunny smile, nodding warmly. "Tell me the time and the place, and I will make sure to be there this time," he said. No longer blighted, no longer king, and hopefully still on the road to recovery from this latest loss. Remi, though, was another matter altogether, and Ronin's smile faded somewhat. "He is not doing so well, these days," he said. "But I hope that we will make our way through this together. He makes his items and keeps to himself, mostly. Both of our tempers have been... volatile, to say the least."

Bastien

Bastien beamed, glad Ronin would make it to his next celebration. "As soon as I have them I will send a letter, my friend." It would be a more exclusive event than his wedding had been, he thought; a chance to celebrate with friends rather than invite anyone who might want to come.

Honestly, Bastien could not imagine Remi's temper to be particularly intimidating (he had always seen the Alchemist as somewhat young and naive for his age, though well meaning), but he trusted Ronin's word. The death of a child could do many things to a man, after all. "Mmm. It is good he is still making, though. Creativity is a wonderful balm for all kinds of pain...as I'm sure you expected me to say." He laughed, knowing full well he was often a stereotypical artist.

"Temper is not always bad. At least you say all you need to." He shrugged, looking off into the ocean. "Rexanna and I...do not really seem to fight, but my past relationships have not always been that way. It is another kind of passion, almost...you care enough to be angry about it, I suppose." Shaking his head, Bastien looked back to Ronin. "Sorry. Rambling again. If you'd like to talk about those arguments...well, I can promise you nothing would ever leave this beach."

Let's pretend this song won't end

And we never have to go home

ronin A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets "It is certainly a platitude I would expect from you," Ronin admitted with a crooked smile across at Bastien. He nodded; anger, at least, was the sort of raw emotion that left little to the imagination. The problem these days was that he always seemed to have something he wanted to say with it, even if it was as simple as I am hurting, understand this. Letting out a sigh, he turned his gaze from the beach and the ocean, up to the sprawling stars above. "I will keep that in mind," he said. "For now, I am still learning what it is we argue about. Once I know, you'll be my first confidante, I promise." When that would be, however, he could not say. "Thank you, though, for coming by. After all that has happened, it's reassuring to know that there are still some people out there who want to know me."

Bastien

"I hope my predictability might be a comfort to those in times of uncertainty." Bastien joked.

'Learning what it is we argue about' brought a faint smile to Bastien's face as he considered the phrase. For a moment he stayed quiet too, looking up to the sky with Ronin, the wonderful stillness of the moon and stars above them (was Safrin there, he wondered, looking down? He hadn't been killed by a meteor yet, so he took that as a good sign). "My friend, it takes more than you could know to make me give up on a person."

Looking across at Ronin after a moment Bastien hesitated then spoke: "If I could make you an offer...I have an ability. The Voice gave me the power to make those around me feel calm and at peace for as long as I am with them...Rexanna tells me it can be quite powerful, when one is stressed. Would you like me to help you, if just for a while, to feel better?"

Let's pretend this song won't end

And we never have to go home

ronin A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets "I can't imagine that it wouldn't be," Ronin said, his smile coming a little easier now. "When all is going to hell, we can look to you and your Artist's Sanctuary to provide us with inspiration and calm." He winked. And speaking of calm, Bastien spoke suddenly of an ability that had the hunter's eyes widening. On the one hand, it was a Voice upgrade, and he really wasn't sure how to feel about that. ...But on the other, Bastien was his friend, and he had absolutely no reason not to trust him. Honestly, at this point Ronin wasn't sure what calm felt like. Perhaps a small reminder would help to refocus him on the future. "Oh, go on then," he said jovially, reaching across to nudge the other man.

Bastien

"I am glad to hear it! It is all I want to do." Ronin understood what he was trying to achieve so well...Bastien hoped he would genuinely consider the offer he'd given in time; he could think of no more fitting co-leader for the guild. Ah, he needed to find more artists. Maybe there were some in Torchline waiting to be discovered.

He could sense some hesitation in Ronin about his upgrade - to be expected, really, given their polar opposite positions with the Gods - but the man overcame any trepidation and agreed, something Bastien grinned at; any time it was shown there could be unity between people he was happy. "Perfect. Just sit back and relax..."

Activating his aura he laid back himself, looking up at the stars and letting out a content sigh; the sounds of the waves breaking on the shore echoed around them as he let the moments slip on, hoping he was provided Ronin with a well-earned break.

End~

Let's pretend this song won't end

And we never have to go home