the breath in my lungs

the baffled king composing hallelujah

"Just one more place, I promise."

Ronin had taken them through the shanty buildings and colourful market stalls of Kaiholo all afternoon; it was nice in some ways, to get off the beach and into real pathways and some semblance of civilisation. After the turbulence of the past few weeks, the Dark Star felt like he needed this, this bustle of life around them, this sensation that there was more than the two of them and their silo of grief.

The sun was high and bright, beating down upon their tanned shoulders, and Ronin walked easily, barefoot and with his shirt billowing in the sea breeze. He strolled with an arm slung casually about Remi's shoulders, an easy love in his eyes as he turned to grin at the alchemist. The place he had in mind was small and simple, boasting trophies from the ocean in the form of magnificent corals and shark teeth.

The purpose of the visit was simple enough - to get something obnoxious for Sunjata's new boxing ring, so he could decorate the place. "What'd you think? A gaudy shell?"

you trace my lines, stirring my soul

The pair would easily win a three-legged race with how in-sync they were as they strolled along (never would such a victory actually be theirs though, no doubt any amount of tying them up together would result in hopeless innuendos and talk of bondage that would disrupt any attempt at winning). That everything felt so blissfully normal was perhaps fitting given the conversations to come; their banter was easy, their hands warm and perhaps a touch wandering (Remi's was certainly, wrapped around Ronin's waist as it was), and their smiles genuine.

Shooting Ronin a look, Remi raised a brow in mock consideration. "You know, were I jealous man I might take offence to the fact you're decorating Sunjata's boxing ring, and never once did my guild receive a similar treatment." Chuckling, Remi picked up a vibrantly pink bit of coral. "Then again,  I can't see you being with anyone quite so tall." He added with a grin, standing straight to emphasize all one-inch of him that was taller than Ronin.

THE ALCHEMIST

the baffled king composing hallelujah

"He is a bit of a beanstalk, isn't he?" Ronin grinned crookedly at Remi; the implication, of course, being that Sunjata would be good for climbing. His husband did have a point, though, and Ronin leant in to press warm lips to Remi's temple. "You're absolutely right. I owe this wagon of ours a hundred gifts. Let's start here, then - I'll take that fetching bit of coral for our fighty friend, and you have whatever you like for yourself."

Winking at the merchant, Ronin patted at his pockets and withdrew his last remaining gem from one of the cloud manta. As delicious as they were and as useful the things that grew in their foreheads, he found he didn't quite want to hunt them so mercilessly as before. He must be going soft.

you trace my lines, stirring my soul

"Heed your fables Ronin, if you climb that particular beanstalk I wager you'll find more than just an ornery giant at the top." The alchemist chuckled back. Offers of extra-marital escapades aside, Remi wasn't particularly worried and not just because Sunjata's type seemed to be waifish women.

Humming a greedy sound of agreement and without much concern for the narrowed eyes of the merchant, the alchemist linked his arms around Ronin's waist as he paid the man, one hand threatening to dive past the hunter's waistband as they walked away. Going soft? Not if Remi could help it. Before Ronin could protest, Remi took up his place at his husband's side once more with a cheeky grin. "You said I could have whatever I liked." He countered.

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the baffled king composing hallelujah

"I'd rather spar with him than climb him, don't you worry," Ronin grinned, accepting the flashy bit of coral and tucking it into the satchel slung over his shoulder. "You're the only beanstalk for me, hear?" Letting out a startled laugh as Remi's arms linked around his waist, Ronin could only squirm appropriately while they walked away, though he absolutely didn't attempt to stop his husband.

"You know, I did say that," he conceded with a smile. "You chose me then, huh? I consider myself very lucky." Leaning in, he stole a proper kiss from Remi's lips as they headed back through Kaiholo so they could head to the beach. "What'd you say we drop this off and go for a swim, huh?"

you trace my lines, stirring my soul

'Is he any good?" Remi asked leadingly, his smile evident and devilish in the way it twisted his words. "At sparring." He added with a well-meaning nudge to Ronin's hip.

"And I did and I will—" Inhaling sharply against the sudden press of lips against his, Remi hummed happily into the gesture. Though it was only Ronin who could coax it out of him, the alchemist felt more joyful in his husband's presence than perhaps he ever had. Perhaps that's why it was so hard for him to think of churning the waters so soon after they're both nearly drowned.

So it was that the alchemist grabbed on to any distraction he could with eager fervour. "Mm, before we do, there's something I need to give you." Holding out a hand as if wanting Ronin to take it that they might stroll back together, Remi waited until it was within reach before giving it a quick slap, yelling Tag!, and then leaping into the air. Shrinking and twisting until his wings caught his significantly smaller body, the hawk let out a mischevious cry before shooting towards their wagon.

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the baffled king composing hallelujah

"I don't know yet, but I will be sure to let you know," Ronin assured his husband. Remi wasn't the only one feeling lighter; since their very rocky patch up at the lighthouse, and the hours spent finding the ring that adorned the alchemist's finger, life had been warm and bright and... good, really. And weird-goddess-sex-dreams aside (Ronin still pretended he couldn't see the glint of gold against his skin, and Remi hadn't noticed it just yet), there was little for them to worry about in the world now.

Raising his eyebrows at the prospect of a gift from the other man, he held out his hand for Remi, only to find it unceremoniously smacked away. "Oi!" Ronin cried, beaming and laughing after him. He had no chance of catching the hawk on foot, so the hunter used his astral projection to sprint across the sand in the hope that he could get tot he wagon first. While one Ronin ran as fast as he might make it, the real one let out a piercing whistle to the sky.

A nimbus swooped down to fetch him, and the Dark Star called a playful threat after his husband as he flew after him.

you trace my lines, stirring my soul

You better not have been whistling for me. Remi warned, though his silent words were filled with laughter. Pinning his wings to his sides he angled himself downwards hoping to take advantage of what little pull gravity had on his small body that he might beat his husband.

Who was apparently thought not surprisingly in two places at once.

You always do keep me on my toes, Remi cried out, diving towards the wagon and shifting mid-flight to try and tackle his husband's astral form to the ground. Once upon a time such a thing wasn't possible and though Remi still found Ronin's duplicate rather strange, he was more than happy to have him wrestle him this way, even if he wasn't in the bedroom.

"I think you'll find I beat you. Both of you." He panted breathlessly.

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the baffled king composing hallelujah

Whistling for Remi? Not in a million years. Ronin laughed helplessly as he watched his projection get dropped on by his husband-turned-hawk, the two of them tussling and wrestling in the sand while the real deal caught up. ”I think you’ll find it wasn’t a race!” he said brightly, grinning as he hopped down from his nimbus and purposely dismissed his projection - the hope being that Remi would fall on his face as a result.

That would give Ronin the perfect opportunity to run up and muss Remi’s curls. ”Tag!” he announced, giving the alchemist a gentle shove for good measure before he darted away further towards the wagon.

you trace my lines, stirring my soul

Fall he did. Scrambling upwards in time to basically head-butt Ronin's hand as it mussed his curls and passed the tag onto him, he let himself be shoved aside for a moment before grinning mischievously after his husband. "Oh no, how ever will I possibly recover." He moaned loudly, a hand over his heart to thoroughly sell the dramatic lilt of his voice. Without moving but only smirking after Ronin, the hunter would find the ground beneath his feet shockingly difficult to navigate. Small mounds would appear with craters on the other side, and when the footing did seem stable enough to the eye, it would sink out from under him like quicksand.

"Do be careful, husband." Remi called brightly, large wings fanned from behind his shoulder blades to help hasten his jog towards the wagon. Reaching for a hand of Ronin's ass and meaning to offer it a good squeeze, the alchemist would call tag! before half-gliding and half-running towards the wagon.

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the baffled king composing hallelujah

Ronin's 'oh for fuck's sake' was a playfully mumbled thing, as though the hunter was more than used to the ground suddenly becoming craggy and goopy beneath his feet. It certainly slowed him down enough for Remi to bound past, the hunter's laughter a mix of surprised and delighted as he was tagged on the ass.

Slowing his footsteps so as not to fall over, the hunter took a brief moment to watch his husband, winged and joyful as he ran for their wagon, and his smile softened considerably. It had been so long since he had seen Remi like this, he had no intention of winning if it meant losing a second of it. So it was that Ronin would stroll to the wagon, hands tucked in his pockets, to deliver a kiss to Remi's cheek. "I consider myself bested, sir," he conceded.

you trace my lines, stirring my soul

"Only you could look so dashing in defeat." Remi said, his heart a bright and runaway thing in his chest as he sighed happily into the press of Ronin's lips against his cheek.

Now that it was on his mind—it of course being the deaths of all those sailors—Remi could hardly think of anything else. Scrubbing a hand through his curls, Remi reached for Ronin's hand, meaning to pull his fingers to his lips that he might press a kiss to the rise of his knuckles. Boyish as the alchemist's smile was, it was fettered by no small amount of seriousness as he tilted his head slightly, eyes rising to meet his husband's.

"Ronin...do you think the gods are right in the things they ask of us? Or...even if they aren't..that they are gods...does that make the things they say, worth doing?" The question was awkwardly asked, Remi fumbling for words he couldn't possibly hope to find given the monumental thing he was actually asking: is it alright to kill for them?

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the baffled king composing hallelujah

"Only to you. And that's all that matters to me," Ronin said softly, smiling and stepping back, only for Remi to seize his hand. He surrendered his fingers willingly, watching with a boyish curiosity as his husband took on such a solemn expression. And his question - unbeknownst to the alchemist - rang true for them both, Ronin's smile fading to a thoughtful frown. "Honestly, I don't know what to believe these days," he said, turning his hand in Remi's grip that he might see the way gold shone upon his skin; starlight tattoos, barely visible beneath his tan unless one was looking for them.

"I woke up with these the other night," he explained. "I was dreaming of Safrin... or at least I swear I was dreaming." Pink flushed his cheeks. "It was one of those dreams." Let Remi fill in the blanks there. "If it wasn't all in my head... I'm not sure it was right, for her to come to me like that. But then what are we to gods?"

He glanced away, seeming frustrated and guilty. "I suppose what I'm trying to say is that it depends... on what they ask." He shrugged.

you trace my lines, stirring my soul

If Remi hadn't known the landscape of Ronin's body better than his own, he wouldn't have seen the new tattoos. They were like strands of moonlight in the sun-glare of Ronin's tan, but they were there. Softly Remi's thumb ran over the pale dots, not quite sure what it was they meant.

One of those dreams. Not jealous by nature, the alchemist merely nodded at this. One couldn't help who one dreamed of after all, but slowly as the implication of it not being a dream sank into Remi's often rather-thick consciousness, he glanced up sharply at Ronin. His expression wasn't one of anger, just confusion and a species of discontentment he couldn't quite name. "Wait, so you..." He blinked, heart skipping a beat or three.

Whatever semi-righteous anger the alchemist might have felt at the as-of-yet unconfirmed assumption his husband had slept with a goddess was tempered by the fact that he'd committed no fewer than 5 murders at Ludo's request.

'Did...she ask anything of you?"

THE ALCHEMIST