I'll tell you a story before it tells itself

remi Forever going with the flow, but you're friction Though Remi was no great expert on Loren’s life (events as of late had certainly proved that), he had a sneaking suspicion that the dark-haired bartender was related to the Launceleyn somehow. Their exchange at the Athenuem during the gourd-encounter had seemed incredibly like siblings (not that Remi had experience of that), and while Edy probably couldn’t even be a half sibling of the magician given her skin colour, his treatment of her and she of him sounded just like what Remi had come to expect of the Launceleyns. Though even if he was wrong about their relationship, perhaps Edy could still help. All Remi wanted to know was where Loren was. Spying the bartender as he entered the Rathskeller, Remi offered her a sunny smile as he placed his box of various liquors on the counter. “Hello Edrei. I do not believe we’ve formally met. I am Remi.” Though they hadn’t met, Remi had a sneaking suspicion she’d been in his shop recently and had helped herself to a few spices.

Glancing up as Remi walked towards her, Edy for a moment debated looking busy. Quickly she decided against it. It wasn’t like Remi worked here, and what was he gonna do? Tell on her? Oh sure. And then Vai could fire her, and then what? It wasn’t like she had bills to pay, and while working in the Rathskeller was about the most interesting place in this whole strange world (that she could see anyways), she’d find someone else to do. She had monsters to kill for Ronin after all. However as it appeared that he wanted to chat the teenager perked up. Leaning against the bar, Edy grinned at Remi’s introduction. ”Knew that, but nice to meet you.” She said with a grin. ”I’d offer you something to drink, but since you made most of it I feel like you can just help yourself.” EDY baby you should know what you're falling for

remi Forever going with the flow, but you're friction Compared to the fiery woman (literally) he’d seen at the library, the one before him seemed perfectly tame. Edy was anything but of course, but just now all the preconceptions the alchemist had had about how this conversation was going to go departed. Grinning at the young woman, Remi took a seat at the bar and nodded. “Well, I do not like to drink on the job. But thank you anyways.” Twitching his lips slightly, Remi chuckled nervously as he ran a hand through his curls. “I...was wondering if I could ask you something. About Loren Launceleyn? Are you two related?” That wasn’t precisely what he wanted to ask, but at least it would open the door to the conversation that he did desperately want to have.

“Guess that means I should follow your example huh?” Edy trilled nosing towards an open bottle just down the bar and grinning. She’d never been drunk on the job, but having a few drinks in her certainly made dealing with some of the less savory clientele more bearable. And without Bastien around she didn’t really have anyone to talk to, so drinking made up for that. But now with Remi here, she supposed she could go without. As he mentioned asking her something, her lips spread salaciously and her tongue popped out of her mouth slightly to lick sensually—at least until the name Loren fell from his lips. Scowling, Edy leaned back abruptly and crossed her arms, disapproval writ clearly on her angular features. “Yep. Both Launceleyns.” She confirmed with a bit of a sneer. “Though these days Loren would probably lie about that too.” EDY baby you should know what you're falling for

remi Forever going with the flow, but you're friction As Edy seemed almost enticed? by his words, Remi wondered if this wasn’t Frey’s doing as well. Some sort of flirtation curse like the one Rexanna had. But then as the teenager scowled (though confirmed his suspicions), he dispensed with the idea. Furrowing his brow slightly, Remi felt both confused and relieved. He was confused given what the bartender had said about Loren lying, and relieved to know that perhaps she would be a fount of information. Clearly she wasn’t holding much back. That being said the alchemist didn’t know if it was his position to ask. But … He’d tried just about every other avenue he could think of. Literally; Remi had walked just about every road in this entire place. “Why would Loren lie about being a Launceleyn?” Remi probed, trying to sound far more casual than he felt.

“YEP.” Edy confirmed immediately, seeming not to notice Remi’s hesitation (or not caring). “Just family stuff mostly. I don’t know how much you know about us Launceleyns but we have a certain way of doing things. A way that Loren didn’t always have the best time with, but hey, family is supposed to be family.” Grumbling, the teenager picked at an invisible something on the bar and huffed exaggeratedly. “ Anyways. He promised to never leave us and to always, you know, be family, and then we get here and what does he do? Just up and fucking goes.” Huffing loudly again, Edy looked up. She hadn’t actually talked to anyone about this, not really. Not Ronin or Koel, not Zariah certainly. But Remi had a pretty face, and seemed like the sort you just wanted to open up to and then pinch his cheeks a bit about it. “Why’d you want to know about Loren and me?” She asked suddenly, as if just realizing that the question had come entirely out of left field given that she and Remi didn’t know each other at all. EDY baby you should know what you're falling for

remi Forever going with the flow, but you're friction Part of what Edrei was saying made sense. Remi had learned in fits and starts about some of the Launceleyn torture methods and the marks they’d left on his body as well as his mind. He knew Loren’s father had recently died and that things with the family were..unstable? However as the girl mentioned that Loren had just fucking gone, as she put it, the alchemist’s shoulders shrugged defeatedly and he too began to pick at something which probably didn’t exist on the bar. The alchemist didn’t need to love Loren in order to miss him and wish that they could speak and see each other. And without that, there’d never be the chance to know whether merely seeing Loren again could fix things. Glancing up at Edy’s question, Remi offered a boyishly crooked smile by way of apology. “Ah...I was hoping that you would know where I could find him.” He said with an uncharacteristically dejected tone of voice. But clearly that was not going to be the case.

“Pffft. Probably in a sex cave somewhere.” Edy replied with a feral sort of scowl. If this was going to be the sort of conversation they were about to have, then fuck it. Spinning around elegantly Edy went to fetch the bottle that she’d left open and inconspicuously placed just down the bar. This wasn’t stuff Remi had made—no this was a Devrum piss-mixture—but it burned like fuck and kicked afterwards which is sort of what Edy wanted right now. Without bothering to ask, she poured a shot for Remi and one for herself. Setting the bottle down she immediately downed the amber liquid before refilling her glass. EDY baby you should know what you're falling for

remi Forever going with the flow, but you're friction ”A sex ca—” Remi spluttered, pale eyes growing wide as the word dissolved in his mouth. Blinking as if clearing his vision would clear the situation, the alchemist swallowed hard as he regarded the bartender. She certainly seemed the type to mince words but .. a sex cave? What sort of euphemism or innuendo was that supposed to be? Floundering mentally as Edy spun, Remi tried to still his heart which was suddenly beating quite frantically in his chest. If it didn’t take love to miss someone, it certainly didn’t take love to feel betrayed by them. But then again … he and Loren had never had the talk. Nothing had ever been solidified and so while exclusivity was not something Remi was owed, hearing that it was something else that he had lost as well was another blow. One that a lack of love apparently wouldn’t shield him from. Looking at the liquor before him and knowing what it would taste like before he even drank it, Remi drained the glass as well.

“Okay, so maybe not a sex cave. But when we got here I found a house for all the Launceleyn’s to live in. Only Loren didn’t want to since apparently he was seeing someone.” Throwing her hands up as if that was the most ridiculous thing, Edy poured them each a refill. “And I told him he could have the basement and his own entrance and everything and he said he didn’t want to be in a sex basement. Hence the sex cave.” It made sense to her. Shrugging, Edy sipped at her shot this time. “I dunno. He was around and then he wasn’t. Sounds like a sex thing to me.” Shrugging her shoulders casually Edy looked at Remi over her drink with a curious expression. He seemed weirdly … moved? by this information, though why the teenager couldn’t say for sure. Nor did she care. EDY baby you should know what you're falling for

remi Forever going with the flow, but you're friction As Edy clarified, for a moment Remi could feel his heart swimming back towards the surface. Towards air. Towards reason and rationality and perhaps towards the relationship that he thought he had—until a layer of ice appeared towards the opening and he truly felt drowned. Loren said he was in a relationship? Remi’s lips parted slightly as he took a long breath. Looking down at his hands which were tempted to shake, his brows furrowed as various arguments played themselves out in his mind. Remi and Loren hadn’t spoken about being in a relationship … and, given that Loren hadn't spent any time with the alchemist it didn’t make sense that whoever it was Loren had referenced, was him. Sex cave or no, Loren said he was in a relationship. And it wasn’t with Remi. “I…” The alchemist opened his mouth to say more but his tongue was dry and all air seemed to have left his lungs. Though his eyes should have brimmed with tears, without the love for Loren coursing through his body all he could feel was betrayal and stupidity. He’d given up everything for Loren, compromised everything he thought he knew for the duke only to have it mean … what? Not nothing, surely, for he’d seen the look on Loren’s face during some of their more intense conversations. No, not nothing. Just nothing important. ” I should go.” Remi said suddenly, his cheeks burning coral as he fumbled unsteadily to stand. Offering the bartender a weak smile, he tapped the crate that he’d brought with him. “Ah..you know what to do with these?” But it wasn’t really a question. Remi’s mind buzzed with the younger Launceleyn’s words over and over again. Loren said he was in a relationship.