Pretend this is real for a while

R E M I "I can certainly gather snowmoss and help with the back door. Perhaps if we pile crates and things on the outside it will look less like an entrance. Although I suppose that all depends on the sorts of creatures that will come lurking. Do we know anything more about them?" Perhaps Remi would have to pay Rory a visit and see what the leathermaker knew. Then again Rory seemed like the type to keep himself and his animals indoors during LongNight, so perhaps he knew very little. "This place is so unlike home." Remi said with an almost amused shake of his head. "Things that come out in the night? Staying in doors for a week or more? In Northaven I think the biggest risk was being shot down by our own guards for going over or passed the wall...or getting caught up in a drunken brawl. And even though the dangers here are definitely more real..." Shaking his head, Remi nibbled on his lip unsure how to exactly phrase what it was he meant to say. It wasn't that he didn't consider them true threats or that he wasn't afraid of them...they just seemed more...more..."...I don't know. I suppose I prefer natural predators rather than the ones we allowed to rule over us in Northaven."

VAI The huntress Vai nodded thoughtfully as she heard out Remi's suggestions. The alchemist had always possessed a keen mind, and she felt glad that he would be on hand in the Rathskeller (should he choose to spend the LongNight there) and at the very least contributing to its fortifications. Unfortunately, she had very little to add when it came to information about just what they were hiding from. "Unfortunately the bulletin didn't really give details about that. I suppose it's possible that the Naturals might not know?" That was almost a chilling prospect - that the natives of the place had no idea what was coming for them at the end of the season. Perhaps they only found what was left when the light returned? Either way, it was eerie. Nodding in agreement, Vai frowned into the flames and let out a soft sigh. "It is different, but... I confess I do prefer it. Maybe I am biased, though - Dev was about to be thrown back in prison after getting over having his throat cut on our doorstep..." Was it any surprise she wasn't sad to have left Northaven?

R E M I "Mmm." Remi murmured with a nod. "I will ask around." Like Vai he found it strange just how complacent the naturals seemingly were. Barrier? Unbreakable. Spire? Dangerous. LongNight? Stay indoors. Say what they might about Northaven, but he very much doubted that so much mystery would have been allowed to linger for long. "What?" Remi openly gaped, shooting the huntress a surprised stare. The alchemist recalled all of the blood everywhere and how long it had taken to clean, but he'd not heard that Devrum was going to be arrested. "But it was Dev who was attacked? In his own house?" Grumbling under his breath and shaking his head, Remi ran a distracted hand through his curls, glaring at the fire. "Was it just because we were commoners, do you think? Or was everything there so broken?"

VAI The huntress Vai's expression grew somewhat subdued as she stared deeply into the flames. She was warmed through by now and there was a deer waiting to be skinned for its pelt and its meat, but she was comfortable and besides, her mind was elsewhere. "Yes," she said softly. "I still don't know who did it, but I wouldn't be surprised if those at the top of the Northaven ladder were ultimately behind it. He nearly lost his life." Her blue eyes hardened and she shook the dark thoughts away. "Everything there felt broken. No birds flew over the Wall. Things attacked and spread disease and no one with the power to do anything about it could see beyond their own nose." She scowled, before taking a deep breath and letting it out again. "Sorry. I'm getting a little negative, I know. Shall we work on something warm for you to wear?"

R E M I "Oh I know." Remi said darkly, his jaw tightening for a moment. "There were not even birds within the Wall...I remember pointing that out to you before. It did not change even when we were allowed to venture out. I suppose that is not surprising but..." Swallowing, he shook his head. It was entirely unpleasant in some strange way he couldn't quite describe. Grinning he shrugged off her apology. Fashion was not something Remi had ever been interested in or knowledgeable about, and so he nibbled the inside of his lip and gave Vai an awkward glance that indicated he'd defer to her judgement. "Just something warm. It is not like I have anyone here to impress." He grinned, but realizing the implications of his words, it fell away slightly. "Actually I..." Running a hand through his hair, Remi exhaled and an befuddled expression came over him. "You have never...uhm...been bitten by a bloodfiend have you? Or an ascended?"

VAI The huntress "But it's still creepy," Vai finished his sentence for him and smiled softly, shrugging her shoulders. She knew exactly what he meant - in fact, the longer they were out of Northaven the more the place disturbed her. Its priorities were all wrong to say that it was focused so much on survival. But then perhaps that was her commoner mind thinking weird and egalitarian thoughts. Pah. She arched an eyebrow as he spoke about his clothing, tilting her head and reaching over to brush the back of her hand over his cheek in a motherly gesture. "And you never will, if you go around looking like you just climbed inside a deerskin," she murmured. "Maybe a coat? Together I'm sure we could fashion you something." So saying, Vai rose to her feet and stepped over to the deer they had felled. As she did, the alchemist changed the subject to Bloodfiends, of all things. Well, Ascended. "I can't say that I have, no," she murmured. "I almost ended up as a bloodbag once, but I never got bitten."

R E M I "No?" Remi asked with mock confusion. "You mean that is not how you won Devrum over?  I would have thought a man like that would rather like you looking like you popped out of a deer carcass." Creating a sharpened blade in his hand, he held it out towards Vai. "Watch—" He whispered, feeling a boyish thrill wash over him. Holding up his hand, all of the bits of earth that were still attached to the deer's pelt rose into the air, amalgamating into a ball that could be easily gotten rid of. Remi wasn't exactly sure what part of his magic this was, other than that his affinity with the earth seemed to have blossomed, for lack of a better word. "A bloodbag?" He cringed. "No, this was not like that. I...ah.." Of all the secrets he'd shared with the huntress over the time he'd known her, somehow this one felt particularly strange to admit. "I was on the Bone bridge that spans across the misty gulf, when an avalanche struck. Samuel, an ascended, was there as well. We both fell—I flew of course—but he landed quite hard at the bottom. We were lucky enough to make it into a cave before the remainder of the snow fell, but he was badly...not wounded I suppose, but drained? He asked if he could drink from me. I...I never knew much about bloodbags back in Northaven, but this seemed so different from that. And he looked so weak, I said yes." Lowering his gaze and swallowing, the alchemist studied his hands for a moment, before one came up to trace the healing-wounds on the side of his neck. "Vai it felt..." Heat rushed to his cheeks at the memory, and self-consciously his eyes dropped to his feet. "I almost cannot describe it. It felt incredible, but not...not in the way relaxation can feel incredible, or having your muscles rubbed after a long days work...This was..." This felt hard and awkward, but honesty had ever been his policy and if anyone was going to judge him, it would not be Vai. " ...It was sexual. I have never wanted someone so much in my life. Even after everything with Loren, this was like...eclipsing." Remi swiped awkwardly at his eyes. "He had to drink a few times and each time it was worse. And by worse I mean better and stronger." Glancing up, Remi gave the huntress a confused and helpless sort of shrug. "And I do not even really know him, but it feels as if we have gone to bed together. " Then, with a cold bark of a laugh he added, "And because he is an ascended, I do not even believe he really felt anything."

VAI The huntress "Oh no, no. I met Devrum after stopping for water in the Farmlands. Later I visited him in his cell and we managed some interesting acrobatics through the bars. No deerskin to be seen." Vai grinned at Remi, knowing full well that the mere thought of her in any kind of a situation like that would probably make him cringe. If nothing else that only further cemented her role as a maternal figure in his life. As he manipulated the earth that covered the deer, her eyes widened and she accepted the blade from him with a murmur of distracted thanks. "You... Remi, I believe that you become more remarkable every time I see you," she told him with no small hint of pride, stepping forward once he was done to begin to skin their kill. She listened patiently as he explained about the Bone Bridge, concern causing her to frown as she realised he'd fallen down and into a snowbound cave, but obviously he must have gotten out of it alive for him to be telling her the story now. "I don't recall any bloodbag feeling that way," she murmured; she didn't know from experience but she had spoken to enough of them in her time. Pausing with her knife, the huntress leant back on her heels and rested her elbows upon her knees, thinking over what he had said. "Did you ask him? How it felt for him?" she asked, smiling softly. "Far be it from me to tell you what to do or what not to do, but I think that precisely the reason it felt so good is so that you would be willing to do it again... right?"

R E M I Remi's jaw dropped. Being around Vai was this strange mixture of mother-son bonding vibes that every so often was shattered by information such as what she'd just said. Acrobatics between the bars? The alchemist made a comical sort of queasy face, scrunching up his nose and shaking his head to get the image from his mind. He couldn't hold in his laughter though, and he flashed her a boyish smile. "Noted." Remi shook his head in agreement. "No I do not recall it being a pleasurable experience for them either." Eyes wide, the alchemist nodded immediately, a bit stunned that she'd even think he could proceed with something like that without consulting with his partner. Though the lack of judgement on her face suggested that it was probably just her way of thinking through the problem. "Yes. He...he said he does not feel things physically. He...ah...there were no physical indications he was enjoying it, though he said he was." Closing his eyes for a moment, feeling like he was pressing against that strange mother-but-not-quite-son barrier, he continued. "He had never been with anyone, not even before he was ascended. He did..kiss me though." Remi murmured, biting the inside of his lip to still the buzzing he felt there at the memory. Before he could say more, about not wanting to take advantage of Sam, Vai's words caught him off immediately. "Oh." He said, feeling instantly stupid and slow. "No..of course. I suppose that makes perfect sense. Like..a...ah...survival mechanism." Putting it like that definitely chilled whatever heat had built up in his system because of this conversation. Whatever it was, it hadn't even been lust for Sam. It had just been survival.

VAI The huntress The shock on his face and the laughter that rang around the little house was enough for Vai to know she had done her job well with that remark. She inclined her head to him as he took that snippet about her past on board, moving to continue skinning the deer as they spoke. It didn't matter how difficult the topic; Vai had always fostered a ready ear and a shoulder to cry on, and even if it was a little awkward or difficult sometimes, she was glad he could open up to her. "The Bloodfiends of Northaven compensated for their lack of physical sensations by being very... emotionally charged," she said, choosing her words carefully. "I'm not sure that Ascended are the same, but from the little I've experienced they seem to feel emotions just fine. So... I guess what I'm trying to say is that even if he couldn't show you physically that he was enjoying it, that's not to say he didn't feel something." Humming gently in agreement, though not looking up from her task, she examined the deerskin and seemed pleased with its quality. "Exactly like a survival mechanism. Though I do wonder if they feel the same sensation as you do, when they take blood. It would make sense - to me, at least. They used to be ordinary people. Drinking blood wouldn't be something I'd come to terms with easily."

R E M I Biting his lip, Remi found himself relieving the same argument he'd had with himself in the cave, albeit without any of the complicated sexual responses he'd been experiencing then. "But if he had never been with anyone before...and if he was similarly flooded with...well, whatever that was...was how he felt—how I felt—even real?" Hearing it called a survival mechanism over and over made the alchemist want to distance himself from whatever it was he'd felt at the time. Now he understood a bit about why Sam had sounded so guilty when he spoke of it, or when he'd asked Remi's permission. "No I suppose not. It is rather clever. In Northaven I could not imagine being a bloodbag. But..." Running a hand through his hair, cheeks flushing, the alchemist shrugged and swallowed. "I suppose I can see why one would willingly offer here."

VAI The huntress "Well I mean... that is hard to say, Remi." Vai paused with the deerskin to smile up at him kindly. "Do you think you would have ever ended up in a situation where that young man would have kissed you if not for what happened? Would you have wanted him to?" she asked, shrugging and resuming her task. Soon enough she had separated the pelt from the meat, leaving a reasonably grotesque carcass on the floor - but it wasn't anything she'd not seen or dealt with before. "Mm, and so could I. Though I doubt it would do much for your productivity, given how you'd constantly be in a state of blood loss." Vai straightened up, gazing across at the alchemist. "Remi, sometimes... sometimes you are your own worst enemy. You ought to give your overactive mind a break from itself every now and then." She smiled.

R E M I Remi ran thoughtful fingers against the back of his skull as he considered. "He always seems so shy. I do not think he would ever have." Would he have wanted to though? Remi thought he might have, but only in a sort of distant way. The way teenagers long for their first kisses, but don't actually think about them in concrete terms. Sam might have wanted to kiss Remi, but the alchemist wasn't so sure that someone else wouldn't do just as well. "In that moment I did." Remi hedged, knowing that he was doing so. "Well I can not say much for my productivity anyways." The alchemist said with a laugh and boyish shrug. However as her advice turned more serious, he gaze her a quizzical sort of look. [b]"That sounds like a neat trick Vai.  Do you think you could teach me?" He quipped, half-joking but equally as serious. Thinking was something Remi just did. Perhaps not always well and not to any sort of actual outcome, but the huntress was right. His mind was always on. "Perhaps I will take up drawing again." He said with a shrug, before leaning down and drawing a happy face using the bloody-guts on the floor.

VAI The huntress "In that moment you were as good as drugged," Vervain pointed out to him in return, rolling her eyes and grinning. Still, she knew what he meant. Sometimes she forgot that the alchemist was still so young, and that the world for him had only recently opened up to its fullest possibilities. "Oh, I can most definitely teach you. Why do you think I read so many stories?" She winked, leaning down to grab up the pelt so she could prepare it further later on. When she turned back it was to find Remi sketching a bloody (but friendly) face on the floor in deer guts. "Perhaps," she said slowly, wiping off her hands before moving to give him a gentle nudge. "Or - if you help me clean this up and take everything to the Rathskeller, I can teach you one of my favourite drinking games and we can cook this deer?"