Almost homebound

remi When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours When Remi left Isla's infirmary, he had felt very confident that he could make it home. Yes, he was a bit groggy but the pain was manageable and truthfully he didn't live that far. Yes. He was very sure he could make it. As he walked though, he began to notice a distinct wobble in his step. Perhaps it was because now that he was moving more of the sedative that Isla had given him was moving through his body, perhaps it was simply due to how draining the injury and the mental-effort he'd had to exert were, but either way, Remi found himself lolling from side to side. Pitching unsteadily, the alchemist stifled a yawn as he all but tipped over in the street. Through eyes that very badly wanted to close, Remi spied a door that looked very familiar. Mostly because only a week or so again a ceiling had collapsed upon him walking through that very door. Without much thought, the alchemist staggered towards the door. And, for absolutely no reason at all, he collapsed as a lion at the base of it.

Vai had taken herself home after leaving Remi at the infirmary, feeling thoroughly guilty and spending no small amount of time in cleaning the alchemist's blood away from her hands and her clothes. Once she was clean she started a warm and crackling fire in the hearth and brewed a pot of tea which currently sat on a small table with a cup that she refilled fairly often. That done, feeling mentally and physically exhausted, she plopped onto the pile of furs and blankets that she and Devrum currently shared that counted as a bed. It was where she was when a very heavy sounding whump echoed through the door from outside. Instantly alert, the ex-huntress got to her feet and prowled over to the door, and after inching it open she couldn't help but jump back at the sight of the lion. It was shameful, but part of her wanted to slam the door shut again, but she slowed the wild beating of her heart with a few slow breaths. "Remi?" she said softly, opening the door fully for him to let him come inside. "What happened? I mean... if you can tell me. Or want to." vervain where the wild things are

remi When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours Hardly rousing, Remi raised his head and blinked up at the former-huntress with sleepy golden eyes. Opening his mouth, Remi yawned revealing sharp ivory-white teeth that seemed impossibly large and sharp at this proximity. Making a rumbling sound deep in his throat, Remi raised himself off the ground and stumbled past Vai like some overgrown house-cat who was coming back from a night of hunting. Growling softly in his throat - the closest to a purr he could come - Remi blinked back at Vai. As sleepy as he was, Remi was finding it exceedingly easy to be in this body, and if not for himself but for Vai, he wanted to show that he could be as he was without causing injury to her. Besides, they were far from the woodlands and all the dangers it posed. Looking at the blanket of furs, Remi blinked slowly before turning back to Vai, an imploring look on his face.

Vai arched an eyebrow as he yawned, simultaneously a little nervous and thoroughly charmed by the sleepy lion on her doorstep. Fleetingly she glanced him over as she stood aside for him to pad indoors. No blood on him, so he hadn’t shifted in the infirmary and caused havoc. Who knew why and when precisely he had settled on this form, then. Either way, he seemed more interested in napping than bloodshed, something she could definitely get behind. She flashed him a lopsided smile at the not-purr, arching an eyebrow across at the blankets he looked like he wanted to make a beeline for. ”Ah, I see,” she murmured, nodding and clicking her door shut before sweeping over to sink down amongst the nest of furs. ”C’mon then,” she said softly, patting the space beside her. ”I guess you’ve had a helluva day, haven’t you. Another one. Time for a break, Remi.” vervain where the wild things are

remi When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours Like an oversized kitten, the lion padded over and promptly plopped down beside her. He was much longer than Vai was, but that hardly seemed to matter. Lolling his head back and leaning against Vai, Remi tapped his tail contentedly on the floor a few times, before nosing one of Vai’s hands. He coudln’t lick her - his display of shredding the gourds in the fields had demonstrated that - but he could get her attention. Opening his jaws slowly, he oh-so gently took her fingers in his mouth, golden eyes fixed on her face the entire time. Communicating was difficult (though it was true lions were more expressive than hawks), but this was the best way he had of showing her that he was in control. Releasing her and laying his head back down, Remi stretched his paws out, claws extended, stretching luxuriously.

Vervain couldn’t help but let out a laugh as he padded over to flop down amongst the furs next to her, the former huntress arching an eyebrow at him to watch his maned head loll back against her. He nosed her hand and she tilted her head, complying more because she was surprised than because she was used to Remi in this form. He didn’t disappoint, though, and while her pulse quickened at the huge and formidable jaws that closed around her fingers, he was nothing but gentle. She smirked at him. ”Oh so you’re choosing to be a lion? Can’t blame you, I guess. It looks comfortable from where I’m sitting.” As evidenced as he stretched out his paws so languidly. Vai wasted no time, burying a hand in his thick mane of fur to scritch at the tawny and tufted ear hidden away there. ”Maybe that’s what you need. To exist like this when there’s no danger or excitement. To remind you it’s all you.” vervain where the wild things are

remi When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours Remi opened one golden eye and glanced at her thoughtfully. His whiskers twitched as he considered her words. The fields were supposed to provide a safe environment as well, but clearly that hadn't worked out so well. Though barring an intruder breaking down the door, Remi couldn't think of anything that might prompt him into a state from which he couldn't come back. Nodding, Remi nuzzled his large head into her hand, growling softly under his breath as his mane all but covered her lap. Relaxing down into the furs and floor, Remi accepted the fusses happily, cocking his head this way and that to give the former-huntress better access. Remi though he finally understood why it was Ianto liked to be fussed over this way as a fox. As a hawk Remi wasn't particularly fond of touches, but quickly he was realizing that in his shape, he was more than happy about it.

Should an intruder decide to break down the door, Vai would quickly ensure that they weren't getting out again alive even before they got to Remi. Granted, though, there was something satisfying about having a fully grown lion to roar at any unwanted guests. Not that she thought Remi was doing much roaring currently, Vai shifting to sit against the wall as his head lolled into her lap, mane and all, and she used both hands to scritch and rub and fuss over him. A lion was not a fox, and unfortunately Vai could not scoop him up into her arms as Remi had done his fellow shapechanger, but she was more than happy to treat the big cat much like a smaller one. Her fingers worked into the fur beneath his chin and down to the fluff of his chest, Vai grinning as she watched him. "From a hawk to a lion... both suit you," she remarked. She hadn't thought it at first, but it was true. vervain where the wild things are

remi When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours Although Remi wasn't particularly sure whether or not he agreed with Vai - he didn't feel like he deserved to be such a powerful creature nor that he should be so full of violence - he did enjoy the cuddles. Rolling over and letting his large paws loll over his head, Remi exposed his entire chest and belly for Vai's wandering fingers. Given that she wouldn't be able to see his face from this position, Remi allowed whatever needed to be shifted in order so he could speak to shift. It would look absurd and probably horrific, but again, his bulky paws served as a barrier. "Thank you for today. Isla is going to give me some sedatives so that hopefully you won't have to waste any more arrows." His voice was still a bit drowsy and sleepy sounding, but there was a hint of a smile in it as well.

Vai's soft laughter rang about the little house as he rolled over, the ex-huntress obliging him happily. Remi was lucky - she was so concerned with lavishing the fluff on his chest and belly with attention that she wasn't watching his paws or his face. In fact when his voice rang out, clear as a bell, it made her jump a little until she realised what he must be doing. "You are more than welcome," she told him warmly, absently smoothing out the fur she'd ruffled up. Sedatives, though? She arched an eyebrow, nodding slowly and letting her fingers dance over his ribs and chest as she relaxed further against the wall. "And you don't have to get shot," she said - much more important than a wasted arrow. Letting out a long sigh, she glanced across at Remi. "You don't think very much of yourself, do you?" she said - quite where it came from she couldn't say. vervain where the wild things are

remi When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours Remi's forelegs further stretched, exposing his entire chest and belly for her wandering fingers to stroll where they may. If he could have purred she would have felt it reverberating through his entire body. Since he could not though, she'd just have to take the happy twitching of his paws as evidence of his enjoyment. Slumping slightly, Remi considered. No, he didn't think very much of himself. Why would he? He was a nothing-commoner who had learned a few skills that had let him survive in the world. He was kind as most children were taught to be ... honestly, there were very few things he could think of that deserved any amount of praise. "No." He replied simply. There was no sulkiness or self-deprecation in his voice. "I am just trying to be realistic though. I don't want to see anyone else get hurt. Not because of me."

Having a lion stretched across her lap hadn't been her intention today, but Vai was hardly complaining. She ruffled her fingers through the thick fur, kneading and smoothing and generally letting her hands play, though the amusement in her face faded as Remi replied to her question. She let out a soft sigh, thinking on his words for a few moments. "I'd say that was realistic, sure," she agreed. "It's good, that you don't want to be responsible for hurting people. But that doesn't mean you're not worth anything Remi." Realism or not, it brought a sadness to the former huntress that she couldn't let lie. "I think you're brilliant," she said simply. "I know I've said it before, but I mean it. If you were mine and I'd raised you, I'd be proud. You're kind, and you have a good heart. But you're brave, too, with one of the sharpest minds I know. Don't forget that." vervain where the wild things are

remi When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours Remi's large ears flickered slightly but he said nothing. While he appreciated the words Vai was saying, there would always be some part of him trained to expect nothing and accept the very worst. Simply because he was now in a place where who he wasn't wasn't illegal or thought of as disgusting, still the lingering sentiments prevailed. He had killed here, been cursed here ... though there were justifications that were offered for his behavior, still that did not make things better. Growling some small murmur of contentment, the lion nudged himself closer to Vai, curling his long spine to mirror her position. Sleepily he batted at his eye with a large paw, before opening his mouth in a yawn that looked very much like a muted roar. In the comfort of Vai's home, on the furs and by the fire with the former-huntress near, sleep came quickly as it always seemed to in Vai's presence. FIN~