{Seasonal Event} I Move the Stars for No One

Chuckling, Remi nodded. "Yes. Originally it was a magical item my friend Ronin—Ronin Taliesen?—brought in. He asked if I could increase the items range. How it suddenly became a lobster I will never know, but he seems quite taken with her. She's the mascot of his guildhall now I believe." The alchemist added with a wry grin. The contemplative hmmmm under his breath, the alchemist silently contemplated the bard's question. It was one he'd given a great deal of thought to, but still the idea felt quite unformed in his thoughts. Verbalizing made them feel even shakier, but he had asked for Jigano's thoughts on the matter, and it was entirely possible given his friendship with both Sam and Isla that perhaps he knew more than the alchemist did about the Ascended. "Something physical on his body, which could tell his nerves to feel again. In principle it does not seem so different than the numbing agent I made for Isla; both change how the brain interprets the signals from the body...I would never test it on Sam, nor Isla. Not on any of them actually. So perhaps a trip back down to the shrine we uncovered in the underground would be required but..." Running a hand across his jaw, Remi sighed slightly as his fingers rubbed against the day-old growth on his face. "The physical ramifications could be problematic. I assume that the ascended do not feel physical sensations anymore because of how their bodies react. After all, they can endure their bones being broken or skin being torn without blinking. To restore sensation would be to put them in situations where they would feel indescribable amounts of pain. But it is the mental pain I worry about more. For Sam anyways." He added a bit tentatively, brows furrowed in a gentle mask of confused consideration. REMI How do you steal what you really want When what you really want is free?

Jigano only shook his head at the mention of Ronin, a name - a voice - he'd heard before, but had no face to put with it. But-- "Her," he repeated in bemusement, lips twitching into a smile at the bizarre little tale.

The humor, alas, was not to last, though the topic of a 'patch' to help Ascended feel again was at least neutral ground, and an idea Jigano could sink his mental teeth into as they continued to crunch over the snow. At the mention of 'how the brain interprets signals from the body' he couldn't help but raise a brow at how blithely Remi used terms that he'd only heard fall comfortably from the lips of the most technologically advanced healers he had known.

"Isla mentioned something of the sort," Jigano agreed thoughtfully at the mention of the injures an Ascended could sustain without distress, "Sam too, though I've not yet seen it in action - nor do I wish to, at the expense of my friends." He hummed as they turned again, their squirrel guides growing more animated even as the snow beneath their feet began to reveal tips of grass peeking through. The bard focused his eyes more intently on the ground, keeping an eye out for the herb he'd found pictures of in the book at the Atheneum.

"Though you may have something with the idea of a salve. Something that can cause temporary...hmm. Restoration? of feeling. It might not help Sam's ability to taste, unless you can spread it on toast," Jigano added wryly. "But if it's a temporary effect, one that can be washed off, perhaps, it would do much to alleviate concern about either of them - or any Ascended - finding themselves in too dire a situation. Choose to put it on when you know you won't be in danger, make sure it's washed or worn off when you need to go hunting in the woods or walking in the ruins... It would certainly give Ascended an option that would surely appeal to some of them." His expression turned to a frown, though it wasn't aimed at Remi this time, instead focused on the ground.

"The question will be... whether your magic is strong enough to overcome what their god... goddess? has done to them. Whether the loss of feeling is a price it exacts for the power it grants, or simply a side effect it could care less about. If it's the latter, I'd say you have a chance. If the former... it might take the intervention of another god to overcome, and then, I suspect, only on an individual basis."

"I saw Sam fall once, off of a great height actually. He seemed to suffer no physical injuries but was quite weak after. Had anyone else fallen like that, not only would they have died, but if somehow they hadn't, surely the shock itself would have set in?" Which was all just to say that as they'd both more or less concluded, clearly a lack of feeling was in their best interest at times. "Temporary?" Remi repeated, rolling the word on his tongue as if trying it out. He had not thought to make it temporary at all. With a furrowing of his brows he considered whether in principle that would make it any harder for him to create, and found that no immediate barrier presented itself. "That would be quite useful." The alchemist agreed after a moment with a slow nod. "Although..I wonder if that would get at the root of Sam's feeling less than normal. After all, we cannot turn off our sensations. I wonder if it would still make him feel removed." More musing than actually asking—assuming that Jigano would continue to refrain from speaking on behalf of their mutual friend—Remi continued to mull it over in his mind. Glancing towards the bard as he offered a new line of questioning, Remi considered it thoughtfully. "From what I have gathered, it seems that .... the way in which they are made different is meant to be advantageous. For example, their bite creates pleasurable sensations in who it is being bitten. Vai and I had hypothesized that such was the case so that they could find willing...ah..." Faltering, Remi could only think of the word bloodbags as that's what they had been called back home. The word here seemed inapplicable though, but still he couldn't think of a good alternative. "...find those willing to offer their blood when they require nourishment. And if the lack of physical sensation is meant to assist with their enhanced rate of healing and such, then I suppose I think it is neither a price nor a side effect, but something intentionally done." Frowning, Remi ran a hand over his eyes. "If that is the case, then perhaps their deity will merely be displeased that I am trying to ...ahh, lessen their creation. " Was he really about to say the question on his lips? "I wonder if I did create such, if it would be worth bringing it to the shrine to try and ask the Voice about it. I'd never offer it to Sam if it could bring divine wrath with it." REMI How do you steal what you really want When what you really want is free?

Jigano winced at the mention of Sam's injuries, imagining them all too easily and wishing he hadn't. "He told me that he'd fallen, but not that he'd been hurt so badly," he murmured, worry in his voice and the furrow in his brow for a moment. At least it was in the past and Sam had returned safely thanks to Remi's blood. He nodded agreement that a non-Ascended would have died, though, or at least been too injured to survive long without magical healing.

When it came back to Sam's problems with normality, Jigano only shrugged. "I think," he said slowly, "that for Sam, or any Ascended who regrets their state, that it might be better to have some options rather than none. He can always choose not to use such a thing, after all... but at the moment, none of them have any choices whatsoever." He exhaled slowly, noting a slight greening of some of the grass as the snow turned patchy beneath their feet. They must be nearing the center of the labyrinth now - the paths were narrower, as if fewer people ever made it this far, and the branches grew more easily overhead in a masking canopy that dappled the ground with shadows even as it kept the worst of the snowfall off.

Remi's musing had him quirking his lip slightly, and he glanced up from the ground to eye his companion with something more like his usual wry amusement. "If you lost your ability to turn parts of yourself into feathers or fur or paws, but could still turn fully from man to beast, would you still consider yourself Attuned, or would you say you were 'normal'?" He asked, genuinely curious. "What about if you lost the ability to shift fully to a hawk, but still had the talent for giving yourself feathers and claws?" Though he asked it sincerely, there was also a leading rhythm to it, encouraging Remi to think about what 'normal' meant when there was so much more to being Ascended than a lack of tactile feeling.

He paused, kneeling to examine a small plant as Remi continued, but this time it was Jigano who was surprised, tensing and then turning slowly to look up the young man with a solemn, thoughtful expression at hearing that the bite was 'pleasurable.' Sam had said that Remi had 'liked it' but this sounded less like masochism and more like chemistry. Perhaps the situation had not been as simple a rejection as Sam had made it sound? He would have to check with Isla, but if Vervain agreed... He took a breath, standing and walking a little further. The curves of the maze were tighter now, the junctions closer together, and he walked more softly and kept his senses tuned to the world around them. There were an awful lot of squirrels now, rustling through the hedges around them...

"Just be careful you don't bring divine wrath down on yourself," he cautioned, but quietly. Kneeling again he breathed a sigh of relief, flipping the pages in his journal to a sketch of a plant that closely resembled the one he'd just found. He began to trim the brown clusters into a waterproof bag he'd brought for the purpose, remembering to leave a few behind for the local creatures. "I admit, Remi, I'm not quite sure where we stand, you and I... but since we have a number of friends in common, I'd rather you not come to harm or worse, for their sakes' as much as for your own."

Remi hummed a note of agreement under his breath, wincing slightly at the memory of just how rattled and weakened Sam had become, not wanting to linger on the memory either. But then..."He told you that?" The alchemist asked, head tilted slightly. There was no embarrassment or shame on his face, despite the fact that if Jigano knew of the fall he might well know of what else had transpired, merely a surprised sort of curiosity. If Jigano did know, then Remi had been more right than he knew in thinking that Sam and Jigano were close. Options. Yes. Bobbing his head Remi tucked away this justification to savor it later, thinking that it might just be what he needed. For the time being though, he merely continued to chew on the bard's words in silent contemplation. Glancing towards Jigano, the alchemist offered the man a wry smile and shrug. What he was gesturing towards seemed obvious enough—that there might not be any one trait that constituted normalcy—but that wasn't the problem on offer here. What was at stake was Sam's version of normalcy and what he thought was fundamental to it. "I am not sure, honestly. But then I have never longed to be anything other than what I am." He replied with a simple sincerity. "Although having said that, I did choose this life, being a shifter that is, whereas it seems Sam did not. And for better or worse, he seems to attach a great deal of importance to physical touch in so far as it makes him 'not normal'. " Shaking his head slightly to indicate that he disagreed with this, Remi sighed. "I have not heard him complain of his lack of exposure to sunlight, nor how strong his body is ... when he says he wishes to be normal, it really sounds like what he is saying is that he wants to feel." With a chuckle that turned into a roguish sigh, Remi nodded fervently. "No, I have had more than enough of that for a lifetime." He said agreeably, watching as the bard seemed to look through his roster of notes for something specific. Raising a rather hesitant brow, Remi looked blankly at the bard as he tried to gesture towards the strange air that had fallen between the two men. Non-confrontational by nature, the alchemist merely blinked slowly and worried at the inside of his cheek, wondering if he agreed with this or not. Indeed it felt strange that Jigano should care about his safety only in a tangential sense, but then again he wasn't entirely sure what he'd done to earn the bard's disapproval. "I will be careful." He offered gently. " You can come with me, if you like?" REMI How do you steal what you really want When what you really want is free?

He nodded confirmation, hiding a wry smile that there was no one else who could have told him, but letting the rest of the story alone for now. That was an awkward can of worms he didn't want to open while they were heading into the heart of the maze that had a potential for even worse danger.

As their conversation continued, Jigano lowered his voice, pitching it not to carry as he searched for the herbs he hoped to gift the old smith for Long Night. Well. At least, a medicine made from them. Remi's simple sincerity earned a soft huff that might have been a chuckle, especially at his interpretation of Sam's desire. "Perhaps," he murmured softly, "his priorities for what he wants to be 'normal' might change depending on who he's with at the time? If his Ascension cannot be undone and he is forced to pick and choose among his senses, that is." Not that great strength or sensitivity to sunlight seemed as important to the bookmaker, the bard would agree, but in his own interactions with the man he rather thought his friend would enjoy being able to taste tea and good food. Touching was not something he did lightly, even with Sam, but since Sam had expressed in interest in Remi... And Remi was behaving at the very least as a friend, and trying very hard not to hurt the gentle bookmaker... Jigano felt a little more accepting of whatever odd relationship they might be pursuing, whether platonic or romantic or something in-between.

Standing and moving a little further, cautious and wary now, the bard bent to prune another patch of herbs. The squirrels were a faint but constant rattling of the branches around them now, and this time Jigano didn't look up, working swiftly as he spoke. "I do hope it likes me," he murmured dryly. "Though... it will be interesting to see if it will appear to us without one of its favored present. Who's to say it's any less fickle than the other gods in showing itself? But... yes, Remi, I would like to come with you." He hummed softly, a little distracted by the squirrels as he padded forward to prune one last patch, having collected a good amount to experiment with. "I may not always agree with the choices you make, but that doesn't mean I want to see you hurt for them, either." And if the Voice did lash out at Remi, well, at least there would be another person there to carry the boy to safety or at least get help for him. On that note...

"We should tell Isla when we go, so she knows to come looking for us if we don't return in a reasonable amount of time," he muttered distractedly, rising at last and looking around at the afternoon sunlight turned to evening shadows by the labyrinth's walls. "But first... would you say our chances of retreat are better if we back up slowly, or if we turn and start running?"

It was perhaps good that the bard's eyes were trained on the plants below, because quite an unhappy flush of colour suddenly sprang onto Remi's cheeks at the suggestion that want Sam wanted was context dependent. It was like that for most people of course, and though Remi didn't want to think of Sam as not perfectly capable of managing his own life, he seemed to be so malleable in that regard. So desperately it seemed that he craved to be wanted, that he seemed happy to lose himself in the process. "That is my worry." Remi sighed under his breath, more to himself than the bard as he looked towards the desolate sky. The way Sam had leaned back in the cave, so willing to give himself over to Remi after the chemical cocktail had made them both lose their senses...it was...a difficult memory to see flash before his eyes. To hear the man saying that Remi was free to touch more. As if staving off a headache, Remi rubbed between his eyes as he clenched them tightly. No. Even if this worked, Sam could never know it was Remi's idea, or that he had helped facilitate it. If Sam chose this, it had to be for himself. "Perhaps she will be more like this Safrin I keep hearing about. Two of my friends seem quite taken with her...though given that they have both drawn rather explicit portraits of her, I am a bit skeptical as to which of her features they are truly enamored by." Remi said with a wry grin, thinking both of how Bastien and Ronin had fawned in their retellings of the deity. "But when I saw her when we unearthed her shrine...she seemed....perhaps less emotional and more logical than those I have met. I believe that will be in our favour." Swiping a leonin paw towards a gaggle of squirrels on the hedge near Remi's head, the alchemist glanced down at the bard with a rather uncertain expression. He wasn't sure how he was meant to interpret Jigano's words: as a criticism of his actions, or simply an acknowledgement that they were different. "Thank you." He replied gently, swiping at the squirrels who had clumped together once more. "A good idea." It might be worth telling Ronin as well since the bounty hunter had his guild associates at the ready, but Isla knew that information as well. If it came time where she needed to form a party to search for the bard and the alchemist, Remi had no doubt she would know where to turn. "It is hard to say if the squirrels turned hostile towards the girl because she started to run, or because she stopped following them in...I would say a brisk walk, and if that still attracts attention then I suppose we can dash." REMI How do you steal what you really want When what you really want is free?

Jigano raised a brow at Remi muttering that he was worried, but chose not to pursue that angle for now. "Safrin," he mused instead. "Bastien's little church makes her sound like another sex goddess of some sort, but at least not as twisted as this Frey I've heard about. But we can hope for calm logic and a reasonable conversation, for a change." Though Jigano, at least, would assume it wouldn't be nearly so pleasant. The gods of Caido seemed so... twisted, somehow. Petty and as stunted as the plants and animals in the barrier's grasp.

Jigano could both criticize and accept difference at the same time, his words an honest reflection of the ambivalence he felt towards the young man. It was an inner conflict he found difficult to understand, not least because things would be going well and then Remi would say something, or say it in a way that put the bard on edge. Or he'd be ready to throttle the alchemist and then the boy would admit something or speak in a way that softened Jigano's sharp edges again.

It was exhausting, was what it was.

But he was still grateful for the young man's company and assistance with this little trip, so he gave Remi a grim little smile and tucked his bag of efas herbs safely away. "Then by all means," he murmured, "let's stretch our legs and see how far we get before our hosts take umbrage and the maze begins to rearrange itself on us!"

"That might have more to do with how Bastien believes worship works, but I cannot say." The alchemist said with a gentle shrug. Sex goddess or no, if she was anything even remotely like Frey or Ludo, he would take a pass if it was offered to him. With a nod, and a deep breath, they walked. At first their long strides were unencumbered by small voices pleading for them to follow!! but the silence was quickly interrupted by the sound of skittering. Just as Remi had described, a furry hoard of squirrels appeared on the tops of the hedges, carrying twig-spears and throwing stones. Following Jigano's string would suddenly lead to a dead end, where before there had certainly been a path. Either the hedges had moved, or the squirrels had moved the string. At this point, Remi wasn't sure which was the more likely. "That was short lived." The alchemist murmured dryly under his breath. "Up for a sprint?" REMI How do you steal what you really want When what you really want is free?

Jigano offered a soft snort of amusement as to Bastien's ideas of 'worship.' Whether the man was speaking the words of his goddess or simply using her as a figurehead to pursue his own desires, the bard couldn't say - and didn't really want to. He had enough to worry about with Ludo showing an interest in him and the memories he kept close as a knife in his ribs.

The string didn't lead as far as Jigano had hoped it would before it dead-ended, but his eyes brightened at the sight of it going directly underneath a hedge. It wasn't impossible that the squirrels had moved it, but given how long the line he thought it more likely the hedges had shifted. He turned to Remi with a grin, but the alchemist's dry critique only earned a laugh. "I was just thinking a light jog before dinner might be just the thing. Care to take to the skies and lead me out? Or would you rather run bl-ouch! Little savages," the bard growled, flinching away from a pebble that struck his temple. His cloak absorbed most of the smaller projectiles being flung his way, but he didn't care for the ones aimed at his face.

He turned left at the new-formed junction, glancing to make sure Remi was either with him, or mid-transformation before he started to jog.

A lion or a hawk. As a lion he might provide a better defensive partner for the bard, but as a hawk he could more easily lead them out .... given how quickly Jigano snapped to action with the boggart arrived and how fluent he seemed to be with his blade, Remi thought that the latter would once again prove more useful. Picking up a jog, the alchemist jumped into the air, gracefully shrinking and contorting and catching his now hollow-boned body with a downwards swipe of his wings. He should have said something about signals, but if a 9-year old could follow him through the maze, Jigano should have no difficulties. With a bright trill, Remi glided about 10 or so feet above the hedges so that he would have a better view of the entire structure. Calling down again to Jigano, Remi flew over the route that the bard ought to take. REMI How do you steal what you really want When what you really want is free?

In truth he was glad that Remi chose to fly. Not only could he serve as a guide, but it got him out of the way of any more unpleasant surprises the labyrinth might throw at them now that they were on their way out. The bard didn't spare the transformation a second glance, focusing instead on lengthening his stride and watching his footing in the snow that crunched beneath his feet.

The unkind slings and arrows of outraged squirrels followed him, but it was harder for them to aim while they chased, and he didn't intend to give them a chance to catch up. A glance skyward showed Remi not so high above, and Jigano grinned and threw off his stride for a moment to wave, keeping an eye on the handsome bird now as he let the alchemist guide his path - hopefully to freedom.

He'd have a few welts and bloody prickles to show for their adventure before he escaped the fuzzy flash mob on his heels, but his long legs and nimble feet would even the playing field. The squirrels might be able to take shortcuts, but not even the shifting of the maze could help them catch him for long before they had to stow their weapons and go back on the chase.

This was much easier than last time. The bard was not a 9 year old child, terrified and confused, but nimble and far more athletic than anything their interactions thus far would have suggested he was. With an inward smirk, Remi wondered what else the man's billowing robes were meant to hide. More weapons? A third arm? A trove of knowledge? Wings? At this point, he could just about see any of those things being true. With an encouraging trill, Remi swooped low on one of the straighter pathways, screeching towards the squirrels on the hedge. Gliding at them, he picked up two in his talons, throw them over the side of the hedge and fanning his wings aggressively at the rodents who had taken notice of him and were considering attacking. Before they had a chance however, he quickly altered his course to place himself above Jigano once again, leading them left despite earlier foot prints of theirs that indicated they should go right. REMI How do you steal what you really want When what you really want is free?

It might almost have been fun, if those thorn arrows and pebbles that connected didn't sting so much. Without Remi it would have been a far more difficult task to navigate the maze when all of his painstaking work in leaving a trail and mapmaking came to naught. He couldn't even easily get to his journal while running to check on his map, but the hawk flew easily above it all, providing guidance with his bright feathers when the air above was clear, and with his trilling call when the twisting brambles of the hedges closed off the sky above.

Jigano was out of breath and wheezing by the time the exit came into the view again. He stumbled out and then staggered a little further to get out of range of the squirrels' weapons before finding a nice, sturdy tree to lean against, alternately coughing in the bitter cold and laughing as he waved congratulations to Remi. He patted the bag of efas herb at his side, relief and giddy exultation burning away, for a moment, the pain.

And, he had to admit, despite his frustration with the alchemist after the boggart encounter, the thrill of a shared and successful hunt, survived through teamwork and trust, did much to repair his estimation of the young man.