{Seasonal Event} I Move the Stars for No One

The Brow went up at Remi's demure deflection about heroics. The boy tried to help everyone, especially if there was danger involved. Maybe there wasn't much call for such things in his former home - though from Isla's words there had been - but Caido was a far different story. Still, if he wanted to keep lying to himself the bard knew from their brief experience together that his words would do nothing to convince the pup otherwise. Actions and time would have to serve instead.

"Yes, that's right," he said instead, pleasantly approving of Remi's knowledge. "I learned of them in an herbal I've been translating, and found a journal verifying their presence in the maze but... the journal was written several decades ago or more, so I wasn't certain how reliable it was. The only way to be sure was to come see for myself." He shrugged a little, lips quirking in a smile. "I was hoping Isla could help me make something useful of them for someone if I could bring some back. And with Long Night approaching it seemed like a good thing for the infirmary to have on hand."

"Uninteresting would be lovely," Jigano agreed fervently, squinting a glare up at a squirrel who was paralleling their progress on top the hedge beside them. "Though as you say, if getting out is harder than getting in, i'm sure I'll be picking thorns and twigs from hair all night." He sighed and gave a rueful shake of his head, wondering if he should go ahead and braid his hair back in preparation for their departure. It would mean colder ears and neck, but the discomfort would be worth it to keep the silvery mane clean and neat in the face of a squirrely assault.

Another turn, another mark, another thorn in the ground as they followed their fuzzy guides. Jigano noted with suspicion that the little creatures seemed to be getting happier and more excited the deeper in the maze they went, especially now that they weren't spiraling slowly in, but taking a more direct route. "At least no one was hurt," the bard agreed. "That was a strange business, to say the least. But I suppose we'll just have to see for ourselves. At least the herbs are supposedly only 'near' the center of the labyrinth, not actually in the center, so if there's a creature lurking there we might be able to avoid it if we're stealthy enough."

"And what is this herb meant to do?" The alchemist asked curiously, wondering if perhaps he'd wasted a bit of magic on the healing balm he'd made for the medic. Then again as Jigano said, having more supplies on hand could only be a benefit, especially with LongNight coming. "Ahh yes. LongNight." Remi intoned with a slight shake of his head. "Vai and I were going to have everyone back to the Rathskeller, since it is underground and thus the noise is less likely to carry. I wonder if Isla would be interested in relocating for the week...Have you plans for what you will do?" Glancing towards the bard, Remi's gaze fell on the soft sheets of hair, believing ardently that they were likely even more soft than they seemed. The alchemist's curls had always been a bit disheveled and untamed, but that largely came from the way people unapologetically always seemed to want to place their hands or fingers in them. He didn't mind terribly, but nor would he ever be able to replicate even a fraction of the neatness that Jigano displayed. "Perhaps they will be less inclined to attack two full grown men, rather than a hawk and a girl?" Remi offered with a shrug. "But we can pause if you like." Remi was far too oblivious of his surroundings to have ever been called stealthy. If that was Jigano's aim, better the man become a hawk and fly above him. But as it was, Remi preferred to keep his feet on the ground and remain next to the bard, so he kept this suggestion to himself. Watching the squirrels, Remi suddenly turned his ear slightly to the side. The sound he heard was almost like snow falling against snow; the soft crunch of it almost indistinguishable in the rampant silence, and dampened so quickly by the acoustic properties of the bushes and snow-soiled ground that he couldn't be sure he had heard anything at all. "Did you hear something?" He whispered, the warmth of his breath creating a small cloud before his eyes. REMI How do you steal what you really want When what you really want is free?

"The notes I found say it's something of a minor cure-all for all manner of small aches and pains and illnesses. Useful mainly for how broad a range it supposedly covers - instead of keeping a dozen different herbs and roots and such on hand, the efas herb can be used to, oh, reduce swelling or fevers or bruises and such. But since it's only found in this area, and the maze has such an unfriendly reputation, it seems to have fallen out of use." The bard shrugged, glancing around at their surroundings. With the snow caught in the hedges it was almost like walking through a stone maze instead of a living one.

At the question of his plans for Long Night Jigano couldn't help but smile. It really  was the question on everyone's lips these days, wasn't it? "I haven't quite decided yet, in all honesty. Isla offered me a place in the Infirmary to assist her with any patients who come in - I don't think she'll want to move. She wants to be where people know to come in an emergency, and someone who drags themselves into the Temple with a broken leg or bad lacerations might not be fit for stairs. But she would know more of what her patients need than I. It certainly wouldn't hurt to ask her. Or... my friend Samuel has also offered a place for me." He raised a brow, curious what Remi's reaction would be to that name.

Nodding his thanks Jigano slowed his steps to a halt, tucking his notebook away into a capacious sleeve along with the ball of twine while he reached up to shake his long hair free of the cloak. Dextrous fingers made short work of dividing the tresses into three and plaiting them swiftly and neatly. He took the tail in his mouth, rifling a pouch for a silver ribbon to tie it off with, and as he did so he glanced over to Remi with a brow cocked in curiosity. "Frofahry--Pah. Sorry. Probably just a squirrel, do you think?" He asked softly, spitting his hair out and tying it off neatly before tucking the braid safely into his cloak. Whatever else he thought of the pup, he had no reason to doubt the keenness of his senses.

random event "I'm lost." The voice was raspy and dry, like the pages of a long forgotten book. Should the two men turn to look behind them, they would find its owner tottering along the snow heavy ground on bare and frostbitten feet. To look at Loren, he had been dead for some time, so it was impossible that the librarian might be moving and speaking... but apparently it was so. Blue lips parted and black fingers reached for Remi in particular, and he weaved forward another couple of steps. The Boggart was hungry, and these two would make very fine meals indeed.

"Incredible." Remi said, sounding clearly impressed and perhaps a little skeptical. It sounded to his ears like magic, for what plant could possible cover so many different forms of treatment? Either way, magic or mundane the alchemist was interested to learn more about this plant. Remi was certainly not the jealous type, nor was he territorial of his friends. Still he was surprised to hear that Isla had offered to spend LongNight with the bard. "You have medical training as well?" He asked, then promptly assumed he must. Why else the interest in the Efas herb? Still trying not to take it personally that one of his best friends had asked someone else to spend a week long period of time with her rather than him—perhaps their odd interlude on the night of her ascension had effected their friendship more than he thought—he nonetheless flashed the bard a bright smile. "I am sure you are right that the infirmary is best. Though your songs will be missed at the Rathskeller by all." The mention of Sam too made something jostle strangely in his chest. Another friend who'd asked the bard to stay with them (and not Remi). Though this one had specifically said he wanted to spend more time with the alchemist. Perhaps, as with Isla, the strange sexual blood letting had ruined things a good deal more than he'd been aware. "The red headed Samuel?" Remi confirmed, glancing towards Jigano with perhaps a dusting more coral in his cheeks than before. "I know him as well. I did not actually think the ascended would have to remain inside, actually. Given that they do not need to stay warm or eat...and I suppose I thought whatever dangers lurked outside would be of no threat to them, given how their bodies work." Shrugging slightly, Remi tried very hard not to let the flickerings of feeling quite left out take too strong a hold of him. It was merely another reminder that, come what may and for all the friends he had here, Remi was still quite alone in that one way he'd found mattered most of all. Watching as Jigano braided—and thinking to offer to help, but then deciding against it given the practiced motions of the man's fingers—Remi continued to scan their surroundings, straining to hear the phantom sound he was quite certain he did in fact hear. And then— —I'm lost. Dead and dry and crunchy, Remi would still recognize that voice anywhere. Even so, the alchemist did not turn immediately. Startled by the pinpricks of tears that pressed with biting urgency against the back of his eyes, Remi felt his mouth fall open a puff of panicked air hurriedly leave his lungs. Drawing in a shaky breath, his eyelashes fluttering stupidly, Remi turned slowly and with great precision until Loren came into view. The control he had over his breathing immediately departed as a racking half-sob left his lips at the sight of the Launceleyn. Without thinking at all Remi took a few steps forward, hands outstretched and heart wobbling mightily. Taking in the blue lips, the blackened fingers, and the frostbitten toes, Remi shivered to a halt, muscles tensing so hard that his entire body shook slightly beneath his thick coat. Turning his head upwards as if trying to drag his eyes away but unable to do so, Remi bit the inside of his lip hard enough to draw blood, before exhaling the tense breath he'd been holding. "You are not Loren." He said with shaky defiance. "Ludo if that is you...just...just stop." REMI How do you steal what you really want When what you really want is free?

Jigano shrugged, his smile holding only a hint of its usual wry humor. Incredible, indeed, and no way to test the truth of it until they had it in their hands – and safely back to the Settlement. And speaking of medicine and the Settlement… ”Most of it is book learning,” he admitted, speaking slowly, but his smile softening as he did. ”I know lists of signs and symptoms, can even recognize a number of conditions if they follow those lists… Or at least, I could with the ailments of my own world. I don’t know how different Caido is, in truth, but… Isla has kindly agreed to teach me enough practical medical knowledge to supplement what I know of theory. And it is a chance for us to spend more time together, since her work in the infirmary has delayed our plans together more than once.” Memories of luxere and their voices raised in song one night, hands clasped another, lent an easing of the wary tension that seemed so integral a part of the lorekeeper. He took a breath, shaking off the momentary slip and offering Remi a nod of thanks at the courtesy. ”Well. The infirmary and the tavern are not so far apart. And… I am not one for being trapped in one room for a week. Perhaps I can split my time amongst friends, and leave the monsters none the wiser!” He tilted his companion a wink, though he had a suspicion that his optimism would prove unfounded when the Long Night finally fell.

That sort of thing tended to have more than just a single small grain of truth at its core. Just his luck it would be a boulder.

”Red-headed Samuel, a gentle man with a bit of a stutter when he’s nervous,” the bard confirmed, watching Remi from the corner of his eye. Was that a blush? Gods most fortunate, he almost hoped so. If they were both lonely, lovesick young men that was their own business, but if he found out the pup was playing his friend for a fool, or using him somehow… ”There’s a difference between ‘not needing to’ and ‘not wanting to.’ Sam keeps his home warm, and brews wonderful tea. He might not have a heartbeat… but that doesn’t mean he lacks heart.” Jigano kept his tone light, but his gaze was a little sharp. ”He was looking forward to spending the Long Night tucked up in his bed reading, I believe.”

He might have said more, but Remi’s sudden caution was worth paying attention to. What he hadn’t expected in that pause was a third voice – one that sounded too wretched to possibly belong to a living man. Unlike his companion, Jigano whirled quickly, taking in the walking corpse’s appearance with wide eyes – and a flash of fear.

He had no pact with the gods of Caido to turn such creatures away, nor any blessed water or weapons with which to damage it. All he had was his rapier, and he had dropped the ball of twine and unsheathed the weapon by the time Remi had finished turning. He glanced to Remi, sucking in a breath to check what the strategy should be—

Oh, the pup was not in a good place. The half-sob was the cry of a broken man, and like a fool the boy tottered forwards, towards the damned ghoul. ”Remi!” the bard barked, trying to break his companion from the creature’s spell, and reached out his free hand to try and catch at the back of a deerskin coat as the boy tottered past.

It was a relief to hear Remi repudiate the ghoul, but his words caused Jigano to catch his breath at the sharp stab of guilt. Was it really Ludo? Was this some sick form of punishment? Or one of the god’s tests? What was that old saying? The gods help those who help themselves… He tried to tug Remi back, though he knew he didn’t have the strength to move the solid young man if he didn’t wish to be moved. ”Hawk form,” he snapped. ”Up! Don’t let it trap us both here on the ground! Get some height and dive for its eyes so I can put some steel through it.” It had been years since he’d given such orders, and his thoughts spun back to a different world, different people at his side, no more often inclined to listen to reason.

Humming, the instinct ingrained in his bones to fight with music on his tongue, he stepped forward regardless of whether Remi had fallen back or remained where he had been. The rapier, strong and light in his hands, sharp on both edges and lethal at its point snaked out to cut at the ghoul’s fingers if they came within range in their grasping for Remi, and Jigano’s weight shifted to the balls of his feet as he readied himself to dodge or lunge in the next moment.

random event "Remi..." The Boggart pulled the alchemist's name from his mind as if it were nothing, its rasping voice pleading and sad; whatever would cause the most fear and distress. "I have been here for so long... no one could find me... lost... Again it reached for the young man, only for a flash of steel to whip down towards its blackened fingers. The would-be Loren's mouth stretched open in a horrific black O that was wider than considered natural, and it screeched at the two men as its hand snatched back. Blackened fingers warping to claws, limbs cracking and extending to reach out, spider like, its filmy eyes fixed on both of them as it rushed forward. Like an amalgamation of both of their nightmares combined, it would not allow their retreat. They could run or be savaged - their choice.

Remi smiled at that. Medical knowledge and a desire to spend time with one another? Then it made sense that Isla had capitalized on the strange circumstances that LongNight would bring. Perhaps if anything it would give the medic a bit of a break if Jigano could take over for some of the more mundane procedures. Though, did ascended require breaks in the same way? No, Remi reminded himself. They did not. This made his smile falter awkwardly, not at all inclined to think of Jigano and Isla twisted up as he and the medic had been. Remi's smile returned with boyish joy as he nodded at this description. Or trapped in an ice cave Remi almost added, but he supposed that fell well under the heading of nervousness. Imagining the ascended tutting around in his home and brewing tea was something Remi found difficult to make his mind imagine, and his lips twisted crookedly. 'Unfortunately I have only been with Sam in rather ... chilly and terrifying situations. Despite that the amount of heart he has, beating or not, was certainly quite clear." The alchemist agreed. ... Remi hardly heard Jigano's warning call as he gazed upon the husk of his former lover and friend, though the tug of his jacket was enough to stop his forward march. Distantly he heard the man's instructions, but they filtered so slowly into his mind, like a sieve clogged with sand. Even so, Remi's obedience ran far deeper than his temporary shock at seeing zombie-Loren, and despite the hands holding him back, Remi pulled forward and leaped nimbly into the air, his body shrinking and contorting swiftly. Being in this body was a relief, as the scent and the enhanced sight of the thing broke any sort of hold it might have had. Watching the deadly dance below, Remi pinned his wings to his sides and did precisely as Jigano had instructed. At the last moment his wings fanned outwards slowly his descent, and his talons shot from his belly aimed towards the creature's grotesque eyes. If his claws made contact he would grip and tear, holding himself to the things face and using his sharp beak as an additional weapon. REMI How do you steal what you really want When what you really want is free?

Whatever else Jigano might have said about Sam and Ascended in general was rudely interrupted by their new ghoulfriend. It was talking like it knew Remi, like it was - or had been - a person but... the alchemist, though shaken, seemed positive that it wasn't and Jigano had mere moments to decide whether to trust the pup's instincts or not.

His own instincts betrayed him, flinging his life recklessly into the hands of his companion in battle, even as he sought to protect the younger man by getting him out of danger and into a form that could more easily escape. When Remi rose in hawk form the bard felt something loosen in his chest, relaxing a little even as the ghoul - fiend? - charged, flesh changing and twisting into something new. It wasn't undead - it had felt the pain of his cut - but it was fast and sported a terrifying collection of claws and teeth and wicked, hungry eyes.

The lorekeeper knew better than to try and brace against such an attack; he'd be overrun for certain if he tried, the nightmarish monster looking far stronger than him. Instead he danced back, the snow making him a little clumsier than usual but fear giving him a speed only adrenaline could inspire. The creature's transformation had startled him so much that he'd almost forgotten his commands to Remi, so when the hawk swooped down to attack the bard had to catch himself before he could reverse direction.

But when he did he set his jaw in grim determination and lunged, rapier extended and aimed to punch through the base of the beast's hopefully-exposed throat, thanks to Remi's attack. He'd try to disengage his sword regardless if he hit or not if he could, but was aware of the consequences of getting so close. Not that he could leave the hawk bound to the beast's head and prey for its claws if he could give it something else to worry about.

random event The Boggart's attention was completely on Jigano now that its original prey had taken to the skies, and it floundered on spindly limbs right into the path of Remi's attack. The hawk's talons would bite deliciously into the not-Loren's eyeballs, all but ripping them from their sockets, and the creature's screeeeee of pain and outrage echoed loudly around the labyrinth. It tilted its head back to blindly swipe out for the hawk, allowing Jigano to get a good shot with his rapier. The cry choked off into a guttural sort of gagging, and black, viscous blood erupted in fits and spurts from the puncture in its neck. It was not used to armed opponents - and certainly not more than one of them at a time. Trying to warp and change its shape, the Boggart would die mid-transformation, its limbs a haphazard mix of reptilian and human, its face half Loren and half... lion, by the look of it. Silence echoed loudly through the maze.

As the not-Loren writhed and collapsed, its throat cut by Jigano's rapier, Remi felt gravity go awry as it sunk to his knees. Flapping his wings awkwardly to try and lift himself away, Remi shifted back into his body in what was probably one of the worst and more grutesque transformations of his life. Scurrying back until his back collided with the hedge, Remi sat panting hard, staring with wide-eyed horror at the feline-abomination still half wearing Loren's face. The tears which had previously been in his eyes were wiped clean by a sleeve, as the alchemist parted his lips to try and get his breathing back under control. Looking up towards Jigano, Remi gasped another breath and nodded his silent appreciation for the man's quick thinking, before returning a horrified stare back towards the abomination on the ground. REMI How do you steal what you really want When what you really want is free?

Jigano jerked his blade back in reflex, trying to escape the dying creature's final throes as black blood erupted from its throat and it collapsed beneath the hawk that struggled free and into the body of a man in a tangle that left the bard wincing. Still holding his rapier tensely in case it wasn't as dead as it looked, the white-haired man's breath hissed white in the cold air, heart pounding a staccato rhythm in his ears. Only after the three of them remained frozen long enough for his pulse to start to slow did the lorekeeper begin to relax, clearing his throat as he straightened and swallowed hard at the sight of the abomination stretched out on the snow.

Its black blood splashed like rotten ink across the pristine white that coated the world, but Jigano was just glad that he didn't see any red mixed with it. Tentatively he stepped forward, nudging an outflung, taloned arm with his sword to open a fresh gash in its skin. His exhalation shuddered a bit more than he would have liked when nothing further happened, and he knelt quickly to wipe his blade clean on the beast's body before sheathing it and turning to Remi.

The boy was still a bit wild-eyed, shaken in a way Jigano could appreciate a bit more after his own run-in with Ludo. He reached out slowly to touch his shoulder, fingers light and voice gentle. "Remi? Are you alright?" he asked softly. "Did it scratch you at all?"

For a moment Remi did not feel the touch, and not simply because Jigano's fingers were separated by thick layers of deer pelt. No, in that moment all Remi could see was the partially blue eye that remained, and how deeply the sight of it reverberated in his soul. Distantly though, he heard Jigano's voice to which he nodded distractedly in response. Blinking a few times and forcing himself to see the monster for what it was (dead) and what it was not (Loren), Remi took a steadying breath, his eyes focusing as he turned towards Jigano. "Yes. I am alright." Glancing down and patting his chest and legs, he chuckled and nodded. "No, thanks to you." Running a hand through his curls and exhaling a steady stream of wintery-warm air, Remi shook himself and stood. "Are you alright?" Glancing skeptically down at the creature, still prone on the ground, Remi grimaced slightly, his lips pulling into a frown. With a wave of his hand, the earth rose up like a wave, crashing down in a controlled sweep to bury the creature. The grave was obvious and crude, but whatever that creature was likely did not deserve any better than that. "I do not think that was Ludo...If it was, it would be here. I do not think it likes to play games from a distance. It likes to be.." Remi paused, trying to think of the word. He remembered how Ludo's face had been pressed against his, how he'd been swaddled in black clothe and had worn the god as a scarf. "...close." REMI How do you steal what you really want When what you really want is free?

The bard let out a sigh of relief at hearing that Remi was unharmed, drawing his hand back with a smile. "I am unharmed as well - thanks to you." He didn't feel like laughing just yet, especially with how shaken the young man had looked just a moment before. Not all wounds were physical but... he had pushed the boy too far before. Reluctantly he let it go, turning so they could both examine the creature.

He had just taken a step back towards it when the earth moved and rumbled near them, and he gasped, reaching again for his sword at what seemed like another attack. A quick glance at Remi to make sure the pup was alright showed the concentration on his face and Jigano realized that the young man was the source of the quaking earth, even as it shifted and crashed down over the aberration in the snow. "Wait!" he cried out, an agonized sound as the beast vanished, smashed beneath a mound of dirt. He stood, staring down at the grave with a tension in his shoulders that didn't abate even when he raised a hand to massage his brow against the sudden headache blooming there.

"Why," he said quietly, "did you do that, Remi? Not only was it a creature worth studying in its own right - I've never come across anything like it in the Atheneum's books - but if it had some sort of poison or venom we could have taken a sample back for Isla to examine, perhaps to make an antidote for in case anyone else falls prey to one of these... these... boggarts." For lack of a better word to call them.

He let out a shaking sigh, sternly reminding himself that the boy had been targeted by the thing, and had had a particularly bad scare. "That it isn't one of Dark God's corpse-shadows is all the more reason to study it.