snake eyed with a sly smile

and if you want, i could tell you the truth

that this life takes a toll on you. i spend nights

He did see the note before Nate and he departs to the Grounds for a brief trek of supplies before the Climb – and with it, internally he wonders if he’s one of those candidates that Remi’s thought of. Part of him wouldn’t blame the Lullaby if not, seeing as the sickness had rampaged, his house had burned down, and he hadn’t quite been all there.

At the very least, though, he could absolutely throw his hat in as he had before when Remi and he had faced off in the first place.

A quick glance is given toward the remains of his house, internally wincing, anxiously spinning the ring on his finger out of habit at seeing the destruction that was caused. But then he’s knocking at the door, head held high, exhaustion still lingering in his bones that likely would remain for quite some time.

stitching up the loose threads of my soul

so in the morning i'm bulletproof

SUNJATA

i wish i could say that i am a light that never goes out

When the door is opened to reveal Sunjata, Remi's first thought isn't about candidacy and the note he left on the Notice Board. It's about rafts and drowning and blowjobs. Though Remi's cheeks flush ever so slightly, it isn't so much out of embarrassment but something closer to a weary annoyance that the pair of them could have been so stupid. Also, that they might have fucked each other had Ronin not been around to stop them and not even remembered it.

"Well done. You made it here without drowning." The Lullaby says with a boyish laugh. 'Are you here for Ronin?' Still thinking of sex on the beach and not politics, it doesn't occur to the alchemist that the Flood might be here for anyone other than his husband.

but I  f l i c k e r

from time to time

REMI

Table and Gif sniping by SKY who is eternally the best forever

and if you want, i could tell you the truth

that this life takes a toll on you. i spend nights

There’s many things Sunjata doesn’t remember during the sickness. Remi and his time together are one of them, along with half of his wedding, the day before the house burned down – his memory speckled and spotted with pitch black in amongst the shinier bits that appear. But the door opens and he focuses on Remi, flashing an easy smile that’s easily wiped away with the comment. “What?” Why would he have drowned? It’s incredibly hot outside without any water but the ocean to be seen.

But there’s a flush, and when Sunjata meets Remi’s sea-glass stare, there’s something vaguely familiar, something vaguely warming about it though he can’t say what it is. “No, actually I’m here about the notice on the board.” He offers, slipping past Remi into the home for the hope of shade despite his already bronzed skin. Turning back to Remi he flashes an easy grin. “I don’t know how long the water will work but I wanted to tell you while I was still sane that I’d like to take over.” Lips purse slightly, briefly, hoping that he does get better enough to take it.

stitching up the loose threads of my soul

so in the morning i'm bulletproof

SUNJATA

i wish i could say that i am a light that never goes out

"Oh, you don't remember?" Remi wonders, suddenly looking full of mischief and amusement. Would it be kind of him to just..let the subject drop? But where would the fun in that be. "Yes, apparently you and I tried to fight some monsters—each other, as it turns out—and then thought we were going to drown in the sand on the walk back to the house." Leave it there. But why? "I learned a very important lesson about the sensitivity of your horns that day." He adds, grinning up at the Flood.

However as Jata mentions the board, Remi sighs slightly as he nods. This is precisely why he needs to not be governor anymore. Stepping aside as the larger man enters, Remi strolls to the kitchen to fetch them both some water, nodding at what Jata has to say over his shoulder.

"I figured as much. Not about wanting to speak before you were sick again, but about wanting it. You were the only other candidate, after all." He calls, before remerging and holding out a glass.

but I  f l i c k e r

from time to time

REMI

Table and Gif sniping by SKY who is eternally the best forever

and if you want, i could tell you the truth

that this life takes a toll on you. i spend nights

The question of not remembering has the smile that had begun to drop on Sunjata’s face, shifting to something a bit more worrying. “I don’t remember a lot, to be honest.” He offers, attempting to continue the conversation with ease when it quickly becomes anything but. The fighting, all of that, sounds normal. But the mention of the sensitivity of horns – he absolutely knows what that means, and the sound that leaves his throat is a cross between a hiccup and a cough.

It takes a moment to process it, especially as he’s continued on and Remi goes to grab some water, holding it out to him. Something in him eases with that fact, but seeing as that’s really the only thing he’s come to talk to Remi about, he can focus on the previous bit. “Ah, well… Good.” Taking a sip of the water, his cheeks and neck are still flushed when he comes back to the initial topic.

“Did we…?” He trails off, unsure of he should be looking at Remi or down into the glass in his hand.

stitching up the loose threads of my soul

so in the morning i'm bulletproof

SUNJATA

i wish i could say that i am a light that never goes out

Remi chuckles, perhaps not as bothered by what happened as he should be. Then again he has the benefit of knowledge on his side, knowing exactly what happened (and what didn't). "No, we didn't." The alchemist says after a moment of letting Sunjata's worried grey-stare flit nervously. "Very nearly though. Ronin came and managed to stop us before things went too far. But I can tell you that your pants were off and I'd already begun to...finish what I started by touching your horns, when he broke things up."

Offering the Flood a reluctant and vaguely apologetic shrug, the alchemist just chuckles under his breath. "Apparently you'd...picked me up, and so I had my legs wrapped around you, tugging on your horns trying to fly us home. I'm not too sure you can be blamed for what happened."

but I  f l i c k e r

from time to time

REMI

Table and Gif sniping by SKY who is eternally the best forever

and if you want, i could tell you the truth

that this life takes a toll on you. i spend nights

There’s a breath of relief given when Remi reveals they hadn’t, but some horror encroaches at the following comment. And he’s not sure whether to shrink down into his smallest shift and sink into the floor or to pretend everything was fine and in control. So instead of both those options, he laughs, awkwardly, fingers tapping along the glass as he shakes his head. “Fucking hell.” He murmurs, reaching up with his free hand to run through his hair, before he looks back to Remi and spies the apologetic shrug.

With the events detailed, it’s almost like the longer he looks at Remi, the more of those black spots seem to fill in, his cheeks still flushed and he squints at Remi. “I remember something about my wings not working.” He manages, looking away and trying to filter through the black to try and rise more of it to the surface. “Something about Ronin’s horns being small.” Another awkward laugh. “Did all of that happen too? Gods.”

stitching up the loose threads of my soul

so in the morning i'm bulletproof

SUNJATA

i wish i could say that i am a light that never goes out

"Yeah, that's about what I said when I found out." Remi says with a crooked smirk, shaking his eyes and rolling his eyes at the pair of them. "Ronin's horns?" He repeats, his eyebrows pinching together as the words tickled something in the back of his memory. After a few seconds of searching, the Lullaby groans and presses his fingertips into his eyes. "Gods, how did he not kill me for saying that." He wonders, smirking into his palms.

"Honestly, at a certain point I stopped asking questions. Mostly when I found out that nothing much happened. " Gesturing towards the living room that they might sit and talk about their shenanigans rather than awkwardly stand in the hall, Remi leads the way only to flop down into an oversized chair.

"But now that that's out of the way, governor, mmm?"

but I  f l i c k e r

from time to time

REMI

Table and Gif sniping by SKY who is eternally the best forever

and if you want, i could tell you the truth

that this life takes a toll on you. i spend nights

Parts of it slowly begin to fill back in, and a roguish smirk crosses his face at the awkwardness they’re both speaking when Sunjata asks of Ronin’s horns. “Something about not rubbing them enough.” He mutters above the edge of the glass before he goes to take another sip, cheeks and neck flushing again, refraining from thinking too long on it.

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry about it.” He offers, another awkward chuckle leaving him, embarrassment lingering in his mind despite following the gesture that Remi gives to the couches inside. And he follows, because of course he does. If he can’t sink and disappear into the floor, he at least could sink into the cushions of a chair.

“Governor… Yes.” He begins, trying to pull back his mind and put it back where he’d originally come in with. “I’m probably not a popular pick given Jack and the naturals’ opinions but that’s to be expected.” He mulls it over, chewing on the inside of his cheek before he shakes his head and sets the glass on a table, sitting a bit further forward to look back at Remi. “Do you and Ronin plan on staying even if you’re not governor?”

stitching up the loose threads of my soul

so in the morning i'm bulletproof

SUNJATA

i wish i could say that i am a light that never goes out

"Listen." Remi smirks, somehow the far less bashful one. "How was I to know? I've never had horns before, and nearly everything turns Ronin on." Though that was true, the alchemist thought that perhaps Sunjata's horns were a bit more sensitive than the Star's were. That or Remi had quite a bit of experimentation to do the next time Ronin was partially shifted...

"Don't be. Or if you must, then apology accepted. I'm not sure that either of us can be held entirely accountable, though..if you do mention this to Nate, please make sure he knows that you're all his."

Taking a sip of his water and trying to force his mind from sex on the beach to politics, Remi takes a breath and settles in as the Flood makes his...case? pitch? "Oh right, I'd heard something about that...Far be it for me to give you any advice, but Jack has always struck me as a rather..unavoidable evil." A man to placate or kill, if there ever was one. "Honestly, I'm not sure. With this whole...The Order thing...they keep suggesting Ronin and I go to Stormbreak where they're all from." Remi's jaw feathers slightly and for a moment his gaze shifts down toward the glass in his hands, studying it with narrowed eyes for a moment.

"I think this is one of those times where Ronin's being a demigod will...mean something, you know? I think he needs to be part of...whatever is going to come." Looking up, his sea-glass gaze soft and warm, he offers the Flood a small smile. "If it comes to it, this whole...ascended war...what will you and Nate do?"

but I  f l i c k e r

from time to time

REMI

Table and Gif sniping by SKY who is eternally the best forever

and if you want, i could tell you the truth

that this life takes a toll on you. i spend nights

Somehow it isn’t surprising to to Sunjata about Ronin, some bit of amusement lacing through him with a quiet huff of a laugh. There’s a brief shrug, a lowering of his head as he takes it for what it is, until Remi speaks of Nate and Sunjata shakes his head. “It’s fine. We have a pretty open thing too.” His hand waves out in front of him, waving it off. Nate knows that he’s the Ascendeds, the ring settled on his finger ensures that much with their prior agreement echoing through it.

“Ahhh, Jack. He and I have had a few run ins. Kicked my ass for the accident with Zeph, then Nate went and kicked his ass before they set sail apparently.” A low laugh leaves him, lips curled up in amusement. “Haven’t heard much from them since.” An easy shrug is given to that — while it wasn’t entirely their respective job positions in Torchline, brawls happened, vendettas were formed and enacted, and that’s just how it was. Sunjata had learned that the hard way.

But when it comes to the Order, Sunjata nods, pausing to sip from the glass of water as he considers what all that implies. As for he and Nate? He can’t help the frown that forms along his face, his uncertainty from radiating out from him. “I talked to Safrin about that...” In a moment of weakness. “If it comes down to it I’ll do everything I can to protect him.” Not for the Voice per say, but for Nate. “She said I could hide him for a time. Not forever… But.” All he wanted was more time. “She said if the old gods win, they’ll either be gone entirely or changed fundamentally.”

stitching up the loose threads of my soul

so in the morning i'm bulletproof

SUNJATA

i wish i could say that i am a light that never goes out

"Oh?" Remi raises a brow a touch at that, but doesn't pry any further. Whether the openness comes from a personal preference between the two men, or because of certain types of restrictions that Nate's ascendency places on the relationship isn't for Remi to wonder after.

Snorting to hear about this line of ass-kicking, Remi leans back in his chair and gives the Flood a sly look. "Y'think we'll ever stop being Outlanders, to them?" He thinks the answer is no. He's fairly sure of it, actually. Sometimes Remi thinks it matters, that there is something important that they're all lacking for not having been born to this world. Other times he thinks that it's all a bunch of bullshit.

The Lullaby doesn't bother to hide the way his jaw clenches to hear Safrin's name, though he doesn't interrupt what Sunjata has to say. Exhaling a long and low whistle, Remi ruffles a hand through his curls and shakes his head bitterly. "I wonder about it all. I try not to, but...the Old Gods certainly seem to have a plan in place, what with the Order and making all of us into demigods..." What went unsaid was that, if it came to it, the Lullaby and the Flood would likely be on opposite sides of battlelines, should they inevitably be drawn.

"Would you ever ascend, do you think? If it meant balancing the scales a bit more?"

but I  f l i c k e r

from time to time

REMI

Table and Gif sniping by SKY who is eternally the best forever

and if you want, i could tell you the truth

that this life takes a toll on you. i spend nights

“Mhm.” Sunjata replies, flashing an easy smile Remi’s way. “Makes it easier with his whole being Ascended deal. In my case it prevents my shit getting broken before I have time to explain.” It isn’t like he would have kept it a secret from Phoebe, but she’d already gotten to the bar by the time he’d managed to make it home. But that’s neither here nor there. It was easier this way. It was easier, and it worked.

As for Outlanders, Sunjata can’t help the huff of laughter that leaves him, the shake of his head. “No, we always will be. Like a black streak around us. Everything bad that happens is because we showed up.” Maybe he’s paraphrasing here, but that was the gist of what he’d gotten from helping Raza. And while she might not have blamed him directly, given what he’d done for the sea panther, it was still a statement made all the same.

But he speaks on what Safrin told him, gaze flickering back to Remi, discomfort settling and making a home within him. Would he Ascend? He had considered it before, before he’d attuned, before any of this happened. But now? With the shifts Safrin had given him, all the help she had been to him, he feels forever indebted. He wouldn’t Ascend unless his life depended on it, and even then he recalls the way Sam had been stripped of everything when he’d tried to rebel against the Voice.

Sucking in a sharp breath, chewing on the inside of his cheek, he focuses on Remi before he shakes his head. “No. I don’t think I would. I would… Try to petition and work to fix them so they weren’t so dependent on the Voice but I don’t want to be trapped like they are.” Like when Nate had muttered about missing feeling, unable to feel the soft touches Sunjata gives him, unable to feel the ghost of a kiss to a cheek. “Nate harbors a lot of regret about it. If anything I’d try to save just him.”

stitching up the loose threads of my soul

so in the morning i'm bulletproof

SUNJATA

i wish i could say that i am a light that never goes out

Though there's a smile on the alchemist's lips, it is not a warm one, despite his nod of agreement. "Mmm. I think she only tolerates me because I greased her palms early and then continued to do so." Rubbing the back of his hand against his forehead, the Lullaby just sighs as his eyes drift toward one of the windows. "I find Torchline is worse for it. At least back in the Grounds it didn't feel so divisive."

Sitting silently as Sunjata considers the question, the alchemist wonders what he'd do were he in a similar situation. Though he'd immediately agree to anything that might help Ronin, would ascending be the solution? "I bet Safrin would sooner kill you herself than see you turned to the Voice." Remi muses, thinking it seemed very on-brand for her to break her toys rather than letting someone else play with them.

"Did...he do it for Sam, then?" A touchy question probably, and one he likely shouldn't have asked. But having done so all Remi can do is hiss a breath of apology.

but I  f l i c k e r

from time to time

REMI

Table and Gif sniping by SKY who is eternally the best forever