[se] let it go, love

he said "i bet you don't remember me"

"Phoebe—" Poking his head into the Haulani, Remi called for the madame (strange as it was to think of Phoebe as such), before retreating back out into the street. He'd mentioned that he was going to come by this week at some point to help her prepare the Haulani for monsoon season. With most of his magic returned to him (RIP all that MP),   he came fairly unprepared. Luckily now though he could simply make what he needed.

Creating bags of sand, the Alchemist lined the flower-beds and walkways to stop water that might want to pool and then drift in through the foundation. Though he, Ronin, Sunjata, and that other man had done their best at the time, Remi hadn't been thinking about monsoons during the building's construction. He worried now what he might have missed in his haste.

THE ALCHEMIST

and i said, "only every other memory".

PHOEBE

Flowerbirth in Torchline was proving to be muggy, humid, blegh sort of weather. Her skin was sticky all the time (and not for reasons Frey would have been happy to hear about) and though she appreciated Remi coming over to help the thought of putting on leggings to work had given her hives. So she had embraced her newfound lack of modesty and altered one of her old dresses into something of a cross between a dress and pants. The less fabric that touched her skin the better, and this did the trick. It was in this ingenious fashion mash up that she came hurrying out of the brothel, hair twisted up atop of her head.

"Wow, look at you already at work!" she said, hurrying down into the garden to begin arranging sandbags beside him. She smiled at him brightly, leaning up to peck his cheek  in greeting if he allowed, before setting to work as well, dragging sandbags into place along the foundation line. "How've you been? Any fun and interesting happenings, Mr. Governor?" she asked.

Pretty brown eyes and a mind full of thoughts

Code blatantly stolen from Sky

he said "i bet you don't remember me"

Already at work he was. Glancing up, Remi smiled readily at the appearance of his friend. Were he the sort to be entranced by such things, Phoebe's casual elegance might have stolen the air from his lungs. She looked both adorable and alluring in her appropriately revealing outfit. Sadly Remi only appreciates her appearance as a non-botanist might appreciate a flower.

Allowing her the embrace, a hand reaching around her waist in a quick hug, Remi exhales a stream of air upwards that makes his curls bounce away from his forehead. "Plenty of interesting ones, none I'd say are fun. Ronin and I are being harassed daily by men talking about a war, I'm still trying to deal with the ascended-feet dropped off during LongNight, and of course the constant rainy-reminders that monsoon season is just a few weeks off." Shaking his head with a weary grin, the Alchemist just shrugs. "How about you?"

THE ALCHEMIST

and i said, "only every other memory".

PHOEBE

Phoebe was happy to have received her hug of greeting from him. His spirits seemed ever higher each time she saw him. Perhaps this change of scenery, change of occupation, and change of company had been as good for him as it had been for her. However, one thing she certainly did not expect was how similarly their days had been in recent weeks. As he mentioned men harassing him and Ronin to join in some war, she startled in surprise, head turning quickly to look at him. "What?" she gasped.

In the moment her attention lapsed, her foot stepped on an edging rock in her garden, still damp from the morning rain. It slipped, and she with it, causing the sandbag in her arms to go flying to the ground as she comically tried to keep from falling into the splits. Waving her arms, the Madame managed to plop down on her rear end with a muffled Oof!

But the pain in her bum did not overpower the surprise on her face as she sat their, limbs sprawled like a clumsy fawn struggling to stand. "They've come and talked to you too?!"

Pretty brown eyes and a mind full of thoughts

Code blatantly stolen from Sky

he said "i bet you don't remember me"

Raising a brow ever so slightly that Phoebe would sound so surprised, Remi paused what he was doing to turn his attention back fully to the midwife. Perhaps if he had a moment sooner he could have caught her somehow. As it was, he was only just on her feet as soon as she tumbled off of hers. With a snort of amusement to see Phoebe so unceremoniously sprawled on the ground, the Alchemist gave her a grin of disapproval before offering his hand to help her stand.

"Mmmhmm. A man called Finn came to speak with me a few times, and another called Dorian spoke to Ronin. There is a third...their leader, but Finn only called him The Eye." So saying the Alchemist shrugged, still not motivated at all to care much about the plight of Finn and company.

THE ALCHEMIST

and i said, "only every other memory".

PHOEBE

Phoebe reached up to take the proffered hand, using it to pull herself back up to her feet. So there were others besides Cian - Dorian and Finn. Her gaze fell, full brows knitting together as she thought on it. The implications of Cian's words - the plans he was so sure Frey had in store for her rang clearly in her mind. If it was true...it made perfect sense that they would seek out Ronin and Remi, who were both demigods themselves and raising a third in their home. Her lips pursed as she looked back up at him with a troubled gaze.

"I think I met that one, The Eye, if his demeanor was indicative of his rank above them. Cian ó Broin." she said. Remi might not particularly care about the plight of these men, but information was always better to have than not. "He seemed convinced that Frey was going to make me like you and Ronin." she said softly, biting her lip with worry. There was a sinking feeling in her gut, the familiarity of the situation hitting on old hurts and anxieties. "I didn't believe him but...well if they are targeting you too then maybe there is something to it."

Her mind was racing a mile a minute, trying to think three steps ahead whereas Remi accepted it as nothing but bothersome drivel.

Pretty brown eyes and a mind full of thoughts

Code blatantly stolen from Sky

he said "i bet you don't remember me"

Looking properly intrigued at that, the Alchemist pursed his lips slightly as he waited to see if there was more that Phoebe had to say. When she did, Remi couldn't help but snort loudly at the thought of Phoebe being at all like he and Ronin. "I've not seen a Frey demigod before but...I think it safe to say you won't be following in our footsteps." Murder and spending LongNight in the streets did not seem up Phoebe's alley...or Frey's. But then again..."...though dream sex and a random child? That you might have in common with Ronin."

Exhaling as he released Phoebe's hand so that his fingers could glide through his curls, the Alchemist shook his head with silent thought. "Is it so hard to believe? You and Frey have been close for a while, they've asked you to manage things here...why not just go all the way with it?" This was said with a crooked smile, the double-meaning happily intentional.

THE ALCHEMIST

and i said, "only every other memory".

PHOEBE

She huffed and shoved his shoulder playfully, glowering at him though only half meaning it. "Oh stop, you know what I mean!" Frey was indeed quite different from Safrin and Ludo, their pursuits equal parts more targeted and vague. Phoebe did manage a smirk as he compared her to Ronin though, shrugging a bit. "Given that all the sex I've had recently has been in my dreams it is entirely possible." she said with a laugh. Ah, the Madame of a brothel having a dry spell - talk about irony.

Phoebe managed a small laugh at the implications of his words. "It isn't that I'd be against it, it just...doesn't seem like something Frey would do. But they don't tell me all of their plans either." she said shrugging. It wasn't so much that she thought it impossible more...improbable.

"Regardless its disconcerting. Where did these people come from and why so suddenly?"

Pretty brown eyes and a mind full of thoughts

Code blatantly stolen from Sky

he said "i bet you don't remember me"

'Be careful what you wish for.." Remi said with a smirk that bordered on a warning just the same. After all, Ronin was now raising Seren despite having had absolutely no intention of having another child.

Nodding in agreement, Remi knelt back down to shift the sandbag which had made Phoebe fall. "I would have thought the same about Ludo, but here I am." He said with a shrug, moving the bag against the flower bed to protect it from rising rain waters. "And if there is to be some sort of confrontation...well...Frey might not exactly have a choice. Maybe they all have to have one of us, or something." Then, the corners of his lips tugging down, he glanced up. "Didn't Rae's two demigods die during LongNight? That would mean there is no one who represents Frey or Rae in any areas we've encountered..."

Disconcerting was certainly one word for it. "No idea. I didn't ask." Remi said vaguely, his conversations with Finn thus far having been...exceedingly strange.

THE ALCHEMIST

and i said, "only every other memory".

PHOEBE

Phoebe merely shrugged and giggled at his warning. Dream sex and a magic baby? Sounded swell to her! But her views on parenthood had always been different than that of Remi and Ronin. She would have a whole brood if she had her way.

With a sigh she set back to task, pulling sandbags into place. The Madame worried her lip, gaze distant as Remi spoke. "I suppose...it would make sense. Besides only a very select few...only people with powers like you and Ronin could likely stand against the Ascended." she said softly. Would that be what Frey intended for her as well? To stand and fight? Flashbacks of the mud monster - her failure to help quell the beast even with Frey's assistance - flooded her mind and made her stomach flip. If Frey wanted a warrior, certainly they would know she would be a poor choice.

"Branbast called him Cragling..." she mentioned, mind still spinning, trying to place together a puzzle with missing pieces. "I am sure you don't care but...we need to find out more about these people. They are a danger otherwise." she said decisively. Whoever they were, they were powerful, well organized, well informed - too informed - to be anything other than a threat. "I can collect it and feed it back to you and Ronin."

Pretty brown eyes and a mind full of thoughts

Code blatantly stolen from Sky

he said "i bet you don't remember me"

"I mean...I'm not sure about that." The Alchemist said with a light shrug. Sunjata with all his shifts and Deimos with his magic would be equally as formiddable. Unless there was something intrinsic about the demigods that would somehow make a difference. If that was the case, he would have thought Finn might have mentioned it (not that he gave the man much of a change, to be fair).

"What do you suppose that means?" He asked of her companions nickname. Tugging in a breath, Remi exhaled slowly. "I'm trying to care more." He admitted softly. "And if this is to do with demigods, I suppose we ought to talk to the others as well, like Delphia." And if almost-candidates counted, Amalia as well.

THE ALCHEMIST

and i said, "only every other memory".

PHOEBE

Phoebe shook her head at his questioning. "I disagree. If they are as traditional as they seem, the advantages of other races wouldn't be something they would seek out." Abandoned were abandoned after all. Attuned...well while shifts were great she somehow doubted that shifts alone could help over come the Ascended's inherent superiority. Right or wrong, she suspected that would be the case.

As far as Branbast though...she shrugged. "Sear cats are cryptic. It could mean any number of things. My best guess would be something about where he is from, or something else very personal to him." she said. She could try to get more out of the talking cat but...it would probably just lead to a series of riddles culminating in calling humans stupid. Branbast was still a cat after all and cats were assholes. She did smile a bit as mentioned trying to care more. That was a step in the right direction for him, she thought, and it warmed her heart to hear it. It meant he was healing, slowly but surely.

Phoebe nodded slowly, putting a plan together even as they stood there. "Keep pretending not to care at least to their faces until we find out more about them. I'll try and keep their attention by being obnoxious and nosy, so you and Ronin can speak with Delphia and others without their notice hopefully." she said, crossing her arms. "I have a feeling if they suspect we are doing our own digging they will cover their tracks."

Then... out of the corner of her eye, Phoebe noticed a Hel in her garden a few feet away, rooting around and nibbling at her fruiting plants. "Hey! Get out of there!" she snapped. Without thinking, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her Portal Guardian Stone. With all her might she chucked it at the bird to hopefully scare it off.

Pretty brown eyes and a mind full of thoughts

Code blatantly stolen from Sky

he said "i bet you don't remember me"

Remi at his brow and subsequently leaving a smudge of dirt there, the Alchemist considered for a moment before nodding. Whatever his thoughts on the helpfulness of others, it hardly was worth arguing about now. Not when they realistically knew so little. "You nosy and obnoxious? It'll be quite a stretch, but I appreciate you trying." Remi grinned cheekily towards the midwife, before turning sharply as the guardian stone was thrown towards a Hel.

"If you leave it there, you'll wake up with it beside your bed." He mentions with a casual shrug. "I've tried to get rid of mine a number of times, but it always comes back. Just like that bird will."

Standing and looking suddenly sheepish, the Alchemist ran his fingers up the side of one of his arms, squinting up rather awkwardly into the clouds. "Phoebe, can I ask you something?"

THE ALCHEMIST

and i said, "only every other memory".

PHOEBE

Phoebe huffed and crossed her arms, sticking her nose in the air as though offended by his statement. "I am a little sister you know. Being nosy and obnoxious is well within my repertoire of skills." she said, purposefully being extra snotty - grinning after as she snickered. "Besides, you and Ronin always end up taking the brunt of scrutiny or other's problems. Let me try to lend a hand this time." she added.

The midwife grumbled as she stalked over to where the guardian stone had landed. "It will only keep coming back if I never hit the stupid thing. But one of these days that bird is dead meat - lousy pest, digging up my garden." she grumbled, gently wiping the dirt from the stone. "Good to know that if I lose it while using it for target practice it will come back though." she added.

She pocketed the thing as she came back over to Remi's side. She glanced at him curiously at his question. "Of course. What is it?"

Pretty brown eyes and a mind full of thoughts

Code blatantly stolen from Sky