Pretend this is real for a while

R E M I Remi had been on his way to post a missing notice on the Notice Board he and Isla had established when he'd run into the younger Launceleyn Edy. It was she who had told the alchemist that Loren was probably not missing, but instead holed up in a "sex cave" with the person he was seeing. Or in a relationship with. Or whatever. The words were so jumbled in the alchemist's mind all he could recall with any clarity was the cold horror and numbness that had followed. For weeks he thought that he'd done something to push Loren away, that he'd ruined them somehow. Then he thought perhaps Loren was out exploring and had suffered some sort of accident. The notice was both a missing poster and a letter of intent to form a search party...but of course that wasn't necessary anymore. And now Remi was ... well. Not heartbroken, he couldn't be that. He was just sort of lost. And numb. But literally numb. It didn't snow like this in Northaven, and though he was probably a fool for gallivanting around, the part of himself normally tempered by caution and reason had taken a vacation. And so here he was, as a lion, using his massive paws to clear the walkway to Vai's home. The exercise felt good on his muscles, and given the utter lack of prey around and the literal numbness he felt, Remi was certain he could control himself in this form.

vervain The door to the temporary home Vai and Devrum had made for themselves (and temporary it would remain, seemingly, given that it had suddenly snowed and refused to stop) clicked open rather suddenly, revealing the huntress bundled up in furs and with one of her husband's axes slung across her back. She had been about to go out, by the look of it, though she was stopped in her tracks by the truly magnificent sight of a lion clearing the path to her doorway for her. Anyone else might have been horrified, or at the very least shocked, but Vai flashed the feline a delighted grin. "You don't need to do that for me, Remi. But I appreciate it all the same!" she called out to the lion, standing aside for him to bound through the snow and indoors if he liked. "I was about to head out, but if you're visiting and helping take care of a chore, I can definitely put it off for a while. Come on, I'll stoke the fire back up for us."

R E M I Turning, Remi flashed the huntress a fanged-grin (or as close to a grin as he could manage) and bowed his head. Pawing away the last remnants of snow so that when she did decide to venture out she'd be able to, he trotted forward into her home to seat himself next to the fire.  Going from a creature on four-legs into a man on two was far more difficult than the transition from hawk to human, and so as he shifted he allowed himself to remain seated next to the hearth so that he didn't need to try and awkwardly right himself. "Shorter bursts in this form have been easier I have found. Though this body is definitely not meant for the cold, no matter how big the mane." The alchemist chuckled helping to add a bit of wood to the hearth.

vervain Vai chuckled as he trotted inside, bringing a load of snow in with him (she rolled her eyes playfully). While he got comfortable and shifted back, she swept the snow back outside and clicked the door shut, basking them in the warm familiarity of the little domicile. Vai shrugged the axe off her shoulder and stripped out of the furs she'd put on to brace for the cold, stepping over to drape one of them about Remi. "I wouldn't imagine so!" she said emphatically at the lion's suitability for the cold, the huntress sinking down beside him and smiling. As he fed the fire she reached out to warm her fingers. The flames wove and danced with a small effort of will, though she didn't seem much surprised by it. It was something she had discovered shortly after realising she could heal, but it wasn't anything she'd committed much effort towards. "I read the notice, about Longnight," she explained. "And I was going to go out and collect fuel. You're welcome to join me, after you've thawed out a little bit. How are you doing, anyway?"

R E M I Happily Remi pulled the fur around him as he leaned back comfortably, glancing over a Vai with a chuckle. Honestly he  had thought with all that mane and with the size of his paws that he'd fair much better in the snow. That line of thinking was quickly corrected. "Are you doing that?" Remi asked with a slight tilt of his head, watching as the tendrils of flame seemed to reach up for Vai's outstretched fingers. "Notice?" He asked with a curious furrowing of his brow. The alchemist had been going to put up a missing poster about Loren, but of course that proved unnecessary. Though he'd just been near the temple with Isla, he hadn't bothered to check in and see if there were any new notices. As she asked how he was doing, Remi's smile became clearly forced, and as he looked at her with slightly downcast eyes, his smile became crooked before falling away all together. "I found something out ... something both good and bad I suppose." If the man could still feel love for Loren, surely he would begin to cry now as he had the first time he'd told Vai about his affections for the man. Now though he merely looked lost and young and tried. Indeed, he'd endured so much emotional trauma due to the Launceleyn that perhaps the removal of his feelings by Frey was a blessing. "Loren is seeing someone." He said, the corners of his mouth twitching into a feigned smile as he looked sideways at Vai, before letting his gaze drop back to his open palms. "At least I know that he is safe. I had thought maybe his absence was because he was lost or hurt or..." Trailing off, he shook his head slightly letting the implications of the unsaid words finish the thought for him.

vervain "Hm?" Vai pulled her fingertips away from the flames; they followed her for a moment, wisping up and lacing about her before retreating again. The huntress smiled a touch. "Yes, it's a small parlour trick I seem to have picked up," she said with a shrug. "I can only manipulate them though. It's hardly worth calling magic at all." A soft laugh escaped her lips and she shrugged. Her head tilted and she glanced across at Remi as he spoke so questioningly of the notice, Vai sitting cross-legged beside him with her hands tucked in her lap. "Mmhm, one of the natives posted it on the Notice Board," she said. "It warns of something called LongNight, at the end of the season. And it gave multiple ways worth preparing; one of which being gathering fuel and light. It's why I was headed out to fell some trees and collect logs and branches." The board was forgotten instantly, however, as the alchemist's demeanour changed before her very eyes. Vai frowned, listening until he fell silent, before reaching out to slip her hand into his, if he would allow. "I am so sorry, Remi," she murmured, eyes flicking to the floor. "That's... well. At least he isn't hurt and you can stop worrying, even if you likely feel even worse now..."

R E M I The alchemist chuckled and shook his curly head with amusement. "How times have changed. From being an air elementalist to possessing fire magic? And calling it a trick? You'd be applauded back home for your diversity." His smile was crooked and caused dimples to appear in his cheeks as he grinned at her. For all they'd lost, it was amusing how quickly they could lose sight of what they'd gained along the way. "Longnight.." He murmured under his breath, trying to commit the word to memory. "If we are to collect fuel and light I take it LongNight is literal then?" Thoughtfully Remi considered, though he wasn't nearly as concerned about it as he ought to be. After all, a long night was nothing. He could still hunt and collect wood in the dark if needed, and surely with enough torches and fuel about it wouldn't be a problem. "I did not mean to interrupt. Of course I'll help you collect whatever you need." Squeezing Vai's hand gently, Remi's cheek puffed up with his slanty smile as his shoulders roughly rose and fell. "Yes. At least he isn't hurt. And I feel..." Pausing, Remi exhaled in that not-quite-laughing sort of way. "I know what I should feel of course, what it is to lose one you love.." Even if the love for his mother was not the same as that he had for Loren, still it was the right magnitude of loss surely. "—but with what Frey took away, I do not feel much. Disappointed perhaps. We...nothing was ever really talked about, but even so I suppose I expected him to at least tell me? I.." He shook his head as his smile widened sadly. "I just thought we were more." Raising his pale eyes towards the huntress, Remi blinked as he exhaled softly. "I suppose I was wrong. But like you said. At least I know now."

vervain Remi made a good point, and Vai found herself grinning to him and shrugging her shoulders. "While you aren't wrong, I do find it difficult to imagine 'back home' these days. I'd not been in Northaven for very long when we arrived here. And besides... this is starting to feel more like home every day, for all of the hardships we suffer." Speaking of which, Remi's hardships on top of simple survival likely outnumbered her own by miles. Vai's smile softened as she heard him out, brushing her thumb over the back of his hand before she sat back and teased her lower lip between her teeth. "From what you told me I'd have expected you to be more, too. I... I understand that some people don't know what to do if they find another person... but a little respect isn't too much to ask for, is it?" It was clear that her feelings on the matter ran deeper than what she portrayed, but it wasn't about her at all. "I know what Frey did to you means that this is muddied even further, but if you ever need to talk, or vent about it, or if you want me to accidentally set the Atheneum on fire with my new powers... I mean..." She smirked at him, nudging him warmly. A change of subject was welcome, almost, Vai nodding in confirmation about LongNight. "A week or more, the notice said," she told him. "And I appreciate it, Remi. You never interrupt me, don't be silly. Besides, you ought to really collect some fuel for yourself as well. Unless you'd like to stay with us for LongNight. I'd love to have you."

R E M I It was true for Remi as well. Though he'd been in Northaven longer than Vai, he still found this strange new world already feeling like a second skin. Perhaps it was because there was so much freedom here, but already he found himself distanced from the notion that they'd ever return to Northaven. Glancing sideways as the former huntress mentioned respect, Remi shrugged naively. Respect was one thing to be sure, but for Remi it was more that...he thought he'd found something in Loren. Felt seen for once, and had barred his soul in response. To think that it had all meant so little was almost incomprehensible. Or at least, even without his feelings Remi knew that to linger on why and how of it too long would only cause him anguish. Remi's smile turned from one of happiness to utter joy as Vai went from motherly to arson-y in the blink of an eye. Nudging her back with a happy chuckle, Remi winked conspiratorially. "I will let you know if I need to take you up on either offer." "A week?" He repeated, thinking that it sounded impossible. How could the sun simply disappear for a week? The days were getting shorter to be sure—just as they had in Northaven—but an entire week without sunlight? That seemed ludicrous, then again, he'd be an idiot to doubt the wisdom of those who'd been here longer than he had. "Ah! Well, I obviously had not given it much thought. I will let you know." He said with a sheepish grin, running a hand through his hair and thinking that he'd probably need some way to plug his ears if he was going to remain in the same house with Vai and Dev for an entire week.

vervain "Yes, you make sure you do." Vai winked back at him, warmed just to see a smile on his face despite everything that had happened. Without a doubt Remi had been through the most out of all of them since arriving in this place, and if the huntress had her way she would do her best not to let anything further happen to him. Unless it was a good thing - those were acceptable enough, she supposed. She bounced her eyebrows at him in agreement about LongNight - a week seemed almost impossible, but she wouldn't question the natives of this place. His sheepish grin said it all, Vai barking out a laugh and leaning back on her hands. "It won't be all that bad, unless Devrum is trying to wind you up. I'll try and make him behave. If not us, though... just make sure you stay with someone, okay?" she asked, glancing to him with concern shining in her blue eyes. The last thing she wanted was him to spend that long in the dark by himself. "When you're warm enough, say the word okay? Then we can go back out into the cold to collect fuel."

R E M I Remi grinned back. "He had me working on your new house in the woodlands." The alchemist said with a shrug. "He seemed...surprised that I was good with tools and such." Raising an eyebrow, Remi shrugged again. Not the most masculine no, but he certainly didn't think he gave off a vibe of being incompetent when it came to practical things. Perhaps that was simply Devrum's way. Remi didn't really know. His father hadn't been the most fatherly; perhaps that was simply the way of it all. "I will consider that." As nice as staying with Vai might be, Remi's thoughts immediately went to Isla. She would be alone as well, and likely in the infirmary. Just because the sun was gone did not mean there would be no injuries to tend to. In fact there might be even more. Hmmm. Perhaps he'd have to seek her out and see if she had any plans for this LongNight. "Mmmmhmm." Remi agreed, happily bathing in the firelight just a bit longer. It was quite warm and cozy, but the alchemist wasn't one to sink into his own comforts when there were chores to be done. "I think I am good now. Though perhaps you can show me how to affix some of those furs to my clothing the way that you have. It looks a good deal warmer than what I have." Hidden within was also the suggestion that perhaps they would have to hunt again, if only to gather more pelts.

vervain "He did say as much," Vai murmured, smirking and shaking her head - she could hear Dev's summary of the event in her head even now. "I hope you showed him how wrong his assumption was. Devrum is an old soul - don't be afraid to challenge his bull-headedness. It'll earn you more respect than anything else." She laughed softly, and nodded as he said he would consider her offer. She left it there for now, though she would check in on him again closer to this LongNight, whatever it was. As long as he had somewhere to go, she'd be happy enough. Besides, she'd need to approach her daughter too, see if she was going to come home for the occasion. Affectionately trying to neaten up his unruly curls, Vai scrambled to her feet as Remi said he should be good for now. "Hm? Of course I can. We can share my furs for today, but perhaps we'll catch a deer or a few rabbits out in the Woodlands while we collect fuel. If we're lucky we can get you some of your own." She needed barely a hint of his suggestion to know where he was going with it. Leaving him with the fur she'd given him, Vai moved to prepare once again to go out into the cold. This time, however, she slung her bow and quiver over her shoulder as well. "If we do it's probably best you wear your wings rather than your mane, though," she said with a wink.

R E M I Remi shrugged his shoulders and offered the huntress a wry smile. Whether or not he'd changed Devrum's perception of him was unclear, but he had successfully helped the man with his tasks. But then, Remi was used to being overlooked and undervalued. It was part of being a commoner especially in Northaven where the divide between the haves and the have nots was quite apparent. They'd progressed far enough in their relationship that Remi didn't feel as though he was taking advantage of Vai's hospitality by accepting her furs, and instead nodded with a ready grin. Wrapping and tying his outwear around him, Remi slid into his boots and laced them up tightly to prevent any snow from sinking within. Glancing at the bow and arrow over her arm, the alchemist smiled and nodded. Hopefully there'd be occasion for her to use it as she had last time but one could never be too sure in this world. Especially since they were going to the woodlands. Indeed as she suggested he fly rather than stroll as a lion made him wonder if she was avoiding a situation like last time. After all, he could provide more assistance pulling as a lion...but it was true that from the skies and with his keen vision he could spot any potential game they might take down before felling a few trees. "I'll leave the slogging through the snow to you." He said with a smile. Opening the door Remi glanced around. It would be quite difficult to get the sort of running start that he was used to, and so he was forced to awkwardly shift on Vai's stoop. With a trill of annoyance Remi beat his wings briskly several times to gain a bit of air before catching a bit of a breeze and rising swiftly upwards.

vervain Vai made her final preparations as Remi bundled himself up and moved to open the door; in truth she only thought he would be better with his wings based on how she'd seen the lion handle the snow. On big, fluffy paws, he was guaranteed to draw attention instantly. And she very much doubted he could sleuth and prowl with a foot of snowfall on the ground. "You do that," she quipped back to him with a smirk, stepping outside and leaving him to shift. Vai turned at the trill, tilting her head back to watch as he took to the skies, before closing up her door and setting off into the cold. It really was a slog, and Vai's breath misted the air heavily before her by the time they reached the Outskirts. Nevertheless her steps were sure and as quiet as she could make them, and soon enough they reached the fringes of the Woodland. Within, the huntress spied a lick of movement. Whistling up towards Remi, she hung back so the hawk could investigate.