this is us

ronin A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets Ronin has decided to patrol the shores with Remi this afternoon, when the monsoons give pause for a little while. Sometimes their best efforts still cause barriers to breach, or the sucking tides beach unfortunate critters on the shore, so these walks are necessary, making sure everything is all okay. It’s also an excuse, of course, for the Star to spend time with his husband outside the house, and it feels like they haven’t had nearly enough of that lately. Still, before they can get to work in earnest, he’s ushered Remi to one of the driftwood logs that scatter the shore, sitting him down. Close your eyes, he’d told him, kneeling down in the wet sand to take his hands, pressing kisses to the back of his palms. Remi will feel his mischief, his boyish excitement, even before Ronin does anything. Slowly, he slips the Alchemist’s fingers into soft, black leather, perfectly crafted and thin enough not to interfere with his day to day tasks. ”There,” he announces, nudging his husband so he can open his eyes again. There’s a tiny set of antlers embroidered in silver along the left glove, and an equally as delicate set of wings on the other. ”Better than elbow length, you think?”

REMI

the alchemist

there's a feeling i get when i look to the west,
& my spirit is crying for leaving.

Close your eyes. That's always a sign that something very sweet is about to happen, or something boyishly awful, is. Will Ronin make his husband wear an octopus as a hat? Will he feel crabs nibbling at his toes? Will he receive a petal-soft kiss?

A bit of both, perhaps? Remi can feel the bright colours that he's come to associate with some of Ronin's emotional states. This has a palette of greens with flairs of yellow: nervous excitement. There are undertones of purple that speak of love and attentiveness spirling around as well, and once the Alchemist feels the material slip against his fingers, he understands why. Opening his eyes, he immediately takes in the craftsmanship that has gone into making the gloves. The stitching is impeccable, and as he flexes his fingers, he can feel how supple the leather is. The delicately embroidered antlers and wings steal his breath and stop his heart in his chest, before sending it thundering on again.

"You are the most thoughtful man." Remi says, looking just as adoring and in love as he did the day he proposed to Ronin. "But I have to ask....the wings are obviously me, but these antlers..?" Sweetly, though through the attuned bond Ronin will feel roguish mischief that simply can't be helped, Remi brushes his gloved fingers through Ronin's hair, revealing his velvety-numbs. "Who are they for?"

in my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees
& the voices of those who stand looking.

ronin A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets ”I have the most brilliant husband. It’s worth every bit of thought I can muster.” Ronin smiles, lifting a hand to let his fingers ghost across Remi’s cheek so he can feel the relief and happiness that exudes out of him, that his husband likes his gift. Though, his hand slips away as the Alchemist reaches up to fuss at his hair, and an outraged sort of grin flickers across Ronin’s face. ”Excuse me,” he begins, only to let his annoyance melt away to lean in for a kiss. ”They are for the me you’ll see in a season’s time,” he informs him, leaning in to softly bonk his head against Remi’s with his tiny little antler nubs. ”You’ll miss my adorable little baby horns, don’t lie.” Straightening up, he offers out his hand for his husband. ”Shall we check this out, then?”

REMI

the alchemist

there's a feeling i get when i look to the west,
& my spirit is crying for leaving.

The brush against his cheek is pure gold, and it fills Remi with a lightness he can't put into words, but wouldn't trade for the world. "You're excused." He hums brightly against Ronin's lips, wanting to melt away in the blushes of love that stream from the contact.

Snorting laughter as he is nearly mauled by Ronin's antlers, the Alchemist concedes with a shrug as he is pulled to his feet. Releasing the Star so that he can move his fingers and experiment with his new accessory, Remi's head shoots up suddenly as he heard the low warble of a creature in distress. It isn't human, and if the Alchemist had to guess, he'd say it was one of the more aquatic-sounding creatures. Certainly not a mammal.

Raising a brow in Ronin's direction and knowing there was no need to say Oh, shall we check that out? he begins to move towards the sound which seems to be coming from a pile of driftwood that the storms have piled up in an aggressive mound on the beach.

in my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees
& the voices of those who stand looking.

ronin A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets Ronin’s also looking sharply around at the sound of distress that warbles out towards them, and he steps away from his husband to follow after him. The mound of driftwood looks almost as if it has arranged intentionally, like some weird bonfire yet to be lit, but the Star knows better. His astral projection splits off from him to jog around the pile of timber, while Ronin pauses to crouch down before it, trying to see the source of the noise. ”I think it’s a cloud manta,” he says to Remi, recognising the cry from back in his darker days when he used to hunt them for sport. ”It must have gotten separated from its herd in the storms.” Now it’s sad, and the mournful noise it makes tells them just what it thinks about the situation. ”We’ll have to be careful if we want to get it out. The wood could fall and crush it.”

REMI

the alchemist

there's a feeling i get when i look to the west,
& my spirit is crying for leaving.

It's a handy thing that Ronin can split himself off. Technically Remi can as well, as a spirit, though unlike his counterpart, that leaves his actual body quite vulnerable. When Ronin mentions that it's likely a cloud manta, Remi finds himself nodding in immediate agreement.

"Do you have any clever tricks up your sleeve? I seem to find myself lacking just now." Where once Remi's magic was broad, now it's quite honed and narrowly-focused. Good for murder-y activities, less good for saving wounded creatures. Which, was precisely the point.

Ronin had his water-y star...thing. Aquarius? But as the hunter had already pointed out, if they were careful the strange structure could collapse on the manta if they moved too quickly.

in my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees
& the voices of those who stand looking.

ronin A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets ”Oh, I have plenty of clever tricks, but I’m not sure that any of them will do any good just now,” Ronin muses, on his hands and knees as he peers in through the cage of driftwood to the ailing manta. ”If we’re careful and we can get some of this stuff away, maybe I can wash it out?” he suggests, shaking his head. Already his projection has circled the mound and is lifting one of the larger pieces, nodding to Remi as if to ask if he can take the other side. In the meantime, Ronin keeps himself available to catch any falling wood that might be dislodged from their messing with it, and he looks to the skies and lets out a sharp whistle, calling down Sugar for another pair of eyes on the situation.

REMI

the alchemist

there's a feeling i get when i look to the west,
& my spirit is crying for leaving.

Together long enough that Ronin and Remi move as an intuitive team even without the aid of the mental bond between them, the Alchemist takes up a position on the opposite side from Ronin's projection, carefully moving branches and logs as they deconstruct this strange cage.

In the meantime, Ronin keeps himself available to catch any falling wood that might be dislodged from their messing with it, and he looks to the skies and lets out a sharp whistle, calling down Sugar for another pair of eyes on the situation.

"Your virgo ability...what does that one do?" The Alchemist asks between the purring sounds he's been making in the back of his throat; an attempt to keep the manta calm with a bit of pleasant background white-noise.

in my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees
& the voices of those who stand looking.

ronin A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets ”Hmm? It heals, I think. Not so good for moving things out of the way, but when we see the manta, if it’s hurt then it might do something for it,” Ronin explains, glancing over to his husband and settling back on his knees, an arm extended for Sugar to land upon it. The pale dragon croons to him, and Ronin nods into the cage of driftwood. She hops down, wriggling around branches and other debris to get a better look. Ronin winces as she chirps out to them, rising back to his feet and moving to join his husband in his efforts. ”Looks like one of the bits of wood has it pinned. This will be slow going, I guess, but... at least it can’t squirm about and make things worse.” Reaching out, he grabs more driftwood and starts to disentangle it. Smirking to Remi, he gives him a gentle nudge at the sounds of reassurance to the manta. ”You should have been a vet or something.”

REMI

the alchemist

there's a feeling i get when i look to the west,
& my spirit is crying for leaving.

Making sure to keep everything as steady as possible while Sugar investigates, the Alchemist cocks his head to the side listening to the dragon's trills as she communicates wordlessly with the hunter. Frowning at the thought of the manta being skewered in place (a sensation he can well imagine if we substitute ice for wood), Remi works as quickly—but carefully—as he can.

"Mmmm?" Glancing up through his curls, he gives the Star a confused look before understanding what the comment is directed at. With a bit of a blush, Remi just shrugs. "I'm still young. Perhaps once I'm done running this entire place, I'll just swap careers."

In actuality though, he would quite like to work with animals. "What do you think you'd do, if not all of this?"

Continuing the purr-sound and occasionally describing what they're doing to the manta in a sing-song voice, at one point Remi closes his eyes and leans himself against the strange structure. He lets his soul shift from his body, reaching out to the manta and sliding into and against the creature. With wordless reassurance and a mental image of what it is they are planning to do, Remi lets himself slip back into his own skin before he can topple the driftwood tower over.

in my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees
& the voices of those who stand looking.

ronin A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets ”When you’re done as Governor?” Ronin asks with a chuckle, hefting a larger bit of driftwood off the pile whilst his projection gathers branches from around them to make more space. ”I thought that was kind of a life long deal, unless you’re ready to give it up,” he points out, stepping back and taking further cues from Sugar as to where to work next. Waiting until Remi returns from his soul trip - because what the fuck else could it be to cause his husband to just stop randomly against the pile of debris - Ronin chews on his lower lip as he considers the other man’s question. ”I’d probably go back to being a huntsman,” he confesses, shimmying down to brace his shoulder underneath a large, flat chunk of wood, holding it up with his own weight just in case the mound collapsed. Sugar wiggles out and trills to them in greeting, Ronin peering in at the manta - it’s visible now, at least, and they’re making progress. ”Just... simple work. Travelling, getting rid of shit causing trouble. I enjoyed it more than being a soldier.”

REMI

the alchemist

there's a feeling i get when i look to the west,
& my spirit is crying for leaving.

"Says who?" Remi wants to know with a crooked smile. "Besides, once you bother to build us a houseboat, I won't really have time to be the governor, will I? What with all the fishing, and drinking, and..." There's no one around, but still Remi lets the words trail off, giving his husband a knowing look. It obviously means sex, but it also means the general chaos that the pair always get up to when left to their own devices.

Reaching in to assist Ronin, the Alchemist considers. It isn't an answer he's particularly surprised by—Ronin has never hidden his affection for hunting and he's almost always found a way to work it into their ever-changing lives—but what the Star says next does make him grin.  "Yeah simple work. That sounds like it'd suit you." He says, his voice crackling into laughter that quickly becomes reassuring coos as the manta slowly becomes visible.

'Well with all these reports of storms and such lessening...who knows. Perhaps you'll have the chance. Oh wait, you already promised we'd up and move to someplace called Stormbreak." Remi adds with a dramatic roll of his eyes as he removes another piece of wood from the pile. "Guess that means you'll have to soldier on a bit longer." Incredibly pleased with this pun, the Alchemist beams across at Ronin, looking infinitely proud of himself.

in my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees
& the voices of those who stand looking.

ronin A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets ”All the fishing, and drinking, and rocking the boat?” Ronin suggests with a filthy smile, raising his eyebrows at his husband. He resists the urge to give Remi a playful shove at his remarks, because damn, he’s really on the ball with the sass today. Alas, he doesn’t want to crush the manta they’ve been trying to save - lucky you, Remi. ”Actually, I believe the offer was for you and Seren to go and live in Stormbreak, if a war happened,” he says haughtily. Still, he can’t take away how gleeful Remi looks, and with the removal of another bit of wood (and another, and another, courtesy of his projection) it seems as though they’ll be able to push the rest away. ”Ready?” He smiles to the Alchemist and Sugar, who has draped herself around Remi (obviously). ”One, two three—!” He gives the mound of driftwood a shove with his shoulder, sending it toppling over and peeling away from the ground, revealing the skewered creature beneath it.

REMI

the alchemist

there's a feeling i get when i look to the west,
& my spirit is crying for leaving.

"Am I to understand that this is all just some plan to ship Seren and I off, so you can go soldier-around?" Remi wonders, a brow raised in an attempt to look slightly and skeptical. He fails of course, his smile too bright, but he can try to scowl at Ronin just the same.

"Ready." Remi heaves, trusting Sugar to manage her own balance (even at the detriment of his shoulder). Instinctively he backs up a few paces. Despite being a predator at heart, his rational mind knows that the creature will likely need space if it's going to feel safe with their presence. The last thing they're going to want is to kill the creature in self-defense simply because they crowded it after taking the time to free it.

"How does it look?" He asks, leaning his head against Sugar's body in a distracted gesture of affection.

in my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees
& the voices of those who stand looking.