step by wicked step

the wounds are open and bleeding out

Remi's smile was contagious, and despite the admittedly dark thoughts that still existed within him, it was easy to reciprocate. Ronin reached up to brush a thumb across the Alchemist's cheek, simply enjoying his warmth and easy company and finally seeming able to cast his eyes back out to the ocean without fear.

"Come on," he said with a gentle nudge in the other man's ribs. "Let's head back to the wagon for a bit, maybe? I bet I can say I love you a bunch of times more before then." Winking, Ronin hauled himself to his feet and offered his husband a hand up.

THE

DARK STAR

Table coding by Sky

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

"Oh the wagon, is it?" Remi chuckled, flushing slightly as he stood. 'Well, you'll have to be gentle with me. I fought Sunjata earlier today." He explained, tugging up his shirt to reveal a dazzling array of purples and blues that scattered up the side of his ribs. "Who knew drinking and fighting could be so therapeutic?" Well, Ronin and Sunjata clearly did, and now Remi did as well.

Knowing Ronin would ask what the fight had been about, the Alchemist offered his husband a bashful look. "Given Sunjata's position as Arbiter, I thought it wise to consult him before committing any murders. Turns out he's in agreement that no one would miss a certain Launceleyn should he go missing. I think he talked me out of it, but Ronin.." Head tilted as if the weight of his thoughts was a tangible thing, Remi shook his head. "I never want to see his face again."

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

the wounds are open and bleeding out

"Hey, we can just cuddle for all I care. I just want to be in a space that's just ours for a little bit. Not a family home, or the Governor's home." Ronin put on his noble voice for the latter part of his sentence, flashing a smirk at his husband. Although, as Remi explained about his fight with Sunjata and pulled up his shirt, perhaps a cuddle was all the Alchemist could handle. "Mm, who knew indeed?" he murmured, looking suddenly and uncharacteristically... possessive, perhaps?

"He didn't hurt you too badly, did he?" Ronin asked as he appraised the bruises, something in his expression suggesting he was imagining what he might do to Sunjata if Remi confirmed the worst.

Shaking it away was only possible with the mention of the Launceleyn, Ronin tilting his head in an unintentional copy of the Alchemist's gesture. "Then I'll do my best to make sure that you never do," he said quietly, simply, reaching out to cup Remi's cheek in his hand. "It's the least I can do." He smiled.

THE

DARK STAR

Table coding by Sky

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

Nudging Ronin and groaning dramatically at his tone, the Alchemist shook his head. "At least I had the good sense to make it a separate wing of the house." Unlike the guildhall which had been open to the world at all hours, it had seemed.

Arching a brow at this decidedly different tone, Remi let himself be scrutinized by Ronin's wandering hands, subtly flexing beneath his husband's ministrations. 'Not near enough, no.' The Alchemist confirmed. He'd probably given more than he got, which was perhaps Sunjata's intention. A wildly reckless manticore against a whale, could still likely do a lot of damage.

Resting a hand over the wrist that cupped his face, Remi smiled a touch gravely. "I honestly think I might kill him one of these days, for all he's done. Stupidly I thought with his very important position in Halo he might fuck off and leave Torchline alone. And yet..." Remi's shoulders rose with his brows as if to say he's always around.

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

the wounds are open and bleeding out

"Hey. Hey. In my defence I had never done the whole guildmaster thing, or king thing," Ronin said with a grin. "I set you up for better things. You learned from my mistakes, eh?" He bounced his eyebrows at Remi, as if to say look, I'm living up to my Preceptor title.

It took a long time, even after the Alchemist confirmed he was alright, for Ronin to seemingly relax, and he was still gazing at the bruises every now and then as they spoke of Loren. "Then play him at his own game," he said gently. "Contact Halo. Express your worry. Warn the people about him. You can't ban him or murder him without reason - unless Sunjata or you really want to, I suppose. But you can make his reputation dirt. Merchants won't want to trade with him, the people won't want to mingle with him. Raza can make him unwelcome at the Hanged Man. However petty you want to get."

THE

DARK STAR

Table coding by Sky

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

'Or—' Remi countered with boyish smugness, "—maybe I was good at this all along." It was absolutely not that and they both knew it. One of the things the Alchemist had found most difficult about living in the Guildhall was precisely the lack of separation between work and play as it was. Besides, in a place like Torchline, parent or not, there were certain things Seren should be kept from.

"Can't I though?" Remi replied in a falsely whiny tone. "We live in a place of corruption. Surely I'm allowed to use my power for this one little thing." Looping his arm around Ronin's waist to force him towards the wagon, the Alchemist hummed thoughtfully. "He's tarnished his own reputation to be sure, but you're right...a few well-placed whispers and Torchline might not seem the sunny and welcoming paradise Loren seems to think it is."

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

the wounds are open and bleeding out

"Now now, Remi, there's no need to lie about it." Ronin snorted softly, allowing himself to be led back towards the wagon and letting his arm move around his husband in turn. How many abandoned blankets and bottles of wine the people of Torchline must have found by now was beyond him; they were doing couples a favour by leaving them there, the hunter liked to think.

Tutting, he shook his head at Remi. "For this one little murder, you mean?" He gazed up at the stars as they walked. "Leave murdering as a last resort, I should think. Turning him off Torchline and back to Halo would be my first port of call. If you want to criminalise him, have Halo's authorities deal with it."

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DARK STAR

Table coding by Sky

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

"Or banning him. The urge to tear out his throat wouldn't be so strong if I knew he was freezing away in Halo instead of sunning himself and interfering with things here." The Alchemist grumbled in response.

Mention of Halo authorities had Remi growling a low note in the back of his throat. "I met their Captain, she seems like she's got a level head on her shoulders. But Neron? I sent him a note announcing my position here. I can only imagine what he might think." Remi's jaw feathered as the wagon slowly came into view. "He nearly locked me in jail just for tearing down that poster maligning Bellamy, if you recall." He and Ronin hadn't been close then, so Remi wouldn't be surprised if he didn't. Had Ashe and Vai and Delphine not dragged him away, he'd have spent more than a few days thinking about his behaviour in jail.

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

the wounds are open and bleeding out

"Forgive me for saying so, but I don't believe you. I think the urge to tear out his throat would be just as strong." Ronin smirked and picked up his pace somewhat as the wagon came into view, like they weren't talking about brutally killing someone. The world changed people, evidently. Though not in some ways, it seemed, and Ronin raised his eyebrows as he listened to Remi, releasing his husband so he might open the doors to the wagon and beckon the Alchemist inside.

"Neron Launceleyn was a different man a few years ago, and so were you. Why do you care what he might think? If he is anything like the Launceleyn family, he probably doesn't even remember your name." Which would be cruel if Remi had tried to get into their good books. But in terms of leadership now, it may well make him an unknown to Halo's Warden.

THE

DARK STAR

Table coding by Sky

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

'Fine. Put it this way then, it's easier to ignore when I don't have to see him parading about here." Letting Ronin go with a playful reluctance, Remi followed him swiftly inside. The wagon felt smaller now that they had an entire house to themselves again (well, almost to themselves), and yet it was just as cozy as ever. It might not have rooms made larger than they had any right to be by magic or stars on the ceiling, but it had Ronin, which would always be enough.

"I care insofar as I doubt any plea I might make to keep his twin on a leash would likely go ignored." Resisting the urge to snark something about the luxuries of the bluebloods back in Northaven, Remi sank down onto the bed dragging Ronin with him. 'To that end, when did you become the naive one, husband?" Remi wondered, affectionately running his fingers across whatever bit of Ronin might be nearest. "The Launceleyns are the Launceleyns down to the very last."

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

the wounds are open and bleeding out

"I can appreciate that at least," Ronin said with a grin, clicking the door shut after Remi and moving to flop down on the small bunk that had served them for those first few months after Aoife's death. It was cozy, and familiar in a way that the guildhall in the Hollowed Grounds used to be. The cottage nearby would likely have the same feel, in time.

Ronin stretched, smiling as Remi's fingers came dancing across his chest. He reached up to catch the Alchemist's hand, pressing his lips to his fingertips and glancing across at him in the shadows of the wagon. "Well if they go ignored and he does get murdered, Neron Launceleyn only has himself to blame," he reasoned. "And they might well be. But we are Taliesins, and they have no idea what's coming."

THE

DARK STAR

Table coding by Sky

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

Humming a note of weary happiness at the feeling of Ronin's lips against his fingertips, Remi smiled a stupidly in love smile. Hearing Ronin call him a Taliesin, despite having been married for a good while now, made the Alchemist chuckle. "You know, sometimes it still surprises me to hear you call me that." He admits, before pulling Ronin's fingers towards his own lips to return the gesture.

"I only just remembered...we've forgotten our first anniversary." Grinning through the shadowy light, Remi moved closer to Ronin to kiss him properly. His tongue softly but playfully searched for Ronin's own as the Alchemist hummed a note of absolute contentment. "This has absolutely been the worst year of my life, but somehow still the best for having you in it."

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

the wounds are open and bleeding out

"It does? How come? I mean... if anything, Neron Launceleyn definitely won't recognise you now. Hopefully he remembers his blueblood knowledge well," Ronin said with a chuckle, surrendering his hand to Remi's affections. The news about their anniversary had his eyebrows shooting up in surprise, Ronin feeling instantly a little bit guilty about it. There had been very good reason to forget, granted, but that didn't make it right.

Meeting the kiss, Ronin's tongue danced against the Alchemist's, and he reached out to wind his arms around Remi and pull him closer. "Well," he mumbled against his lips. "Happy belated anniversary. I never expected to have a year like this one. But I'm glad that I went through it with you, if I had to go through it."

THE

DARK STAR

Table coding by Sky

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

"I just...You're Ronin Taliesin. I suppose in my mind the Taliesin name has always meant you." He couldn't quite find the words to express it. There was some strange hero-worship underlying the Alchemist's poorly-expressed claim. To be a Taliesin was to have a strong jaw and burning blue eyes

Much as Remi loved their more passionate and fiery embraces, there was something satisfying in equally pleasurable ways in the slow press of soft tongues and sun-burnt lips. "Can you imagine the life you might have had, if you'd married someone else?" Remi said with a low laugh, pressing the tip of his nose against Ronin's before stealing another kiss. "You'd be all tucked away somewhere, safe...with fewer scars and a better haircut." This was cheekily said of course, and in an effort to cut off Ronin's rebuttal, the Alchemist rolled himself ontop of the hunter, smothering further argument with his lips.

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!