Take a Break With Me

phoebe Sleep and I shall soothe you, calm you, and annoint you Phoebe was furious. Oh she could not even remember the last time she had been so incensed! It had been years maybe, likely going back to her time with the snot-nosed brats at her finishing school. How she could have ever thought anything kind about that Bastien…jerk was beyond her! A manipulative jerk. That was all he was. And now she somehow had to calm down, and get her head on straight, so she could focus on her work like a responsible grown up person! But she couldn’t. She had managed to only stomp her way to her clinic to drop off her little basket of things and rummage through her cabinets until she found a bottle of red wine she had been saving. For what you ask? For whenever she found herself a man to sleep with so she could calm her nerves – oh yeah, that was going just swimmingly too. Ugh! Now everything was getting on her nerves! Anyways, internal rant aside, after finding her bottle she marched herself back out of her clinic and over to her one and only friend’s house. Poor Remi had no clue the adorable storm that was about to whirlwind itself into his shop. But at least the storm had wine. ”Hi Remi.” Phoebe said with a huff as she marched herself in. If that wasn’t enough to clue him into her mood, the furrow of her brow and puff of her cheeks certainly would. ”You’ve worked enough today, I am sure, so take a break and drink with me because people are stupid!” she said, sounding angry in her head but surely coming off cuter than intended as she set the bottle of wine on his counter.

laughing like children, living like lovers & I guess that's why they call it the blues. As the door to his shop banged open, Remi looked up with a rather shocked and startled expression, especially when he saw who it was who had entered so suddenly. The last time he'd seen Phoebe here she'd all but silently glided in, her voice seemingly never going above a low hum. Indeed as she continued, a rather aghast but bemused smile pulled at his lips as she informed him that not only had he done enough work, but that they needed to drink about it. Unlike Bastien, Remi knew that Phoebe was more than old enough to drink, he just ... wasn't expecting her to make an offer like this to him. "Hi Phoebe." He said with a chuckle, dropping what he was working on and waving his arm invitingly towards the back of the shop where two chairs were nestled around the fire. Following her back, he procured two glasses and set them down between them. Seating himself, he gave the midwife an expectant and boyish stare through his curls as he pursed his lips together in a crooked smile.

phoebe Sleep and I shall soothe you, calm you, and annoint you Phoebe followed him back, holding the bottle close to her chest as she did so. Her cheeks were still puffed out. Her brow was still furrowed. Her anger was evident but it just lacked the fury to enstill fear or worry. Really, his obvious amusement grated on her nerves because she knew her anger was rarely taken seriously - in part because it rarely happened. But her looking more cute than imposing didn't make her any less ticked! She sat with a little huff on the chair in the back and then looked at the glasses. Then the bottle. Then the glasses. Then the bottle...her eyes widened in horror for a moment before she hung her head in defeat. "I forgot to bring something to open it with." She said with a hint of whiney dismay in her voice. Of course, her anger was heightened enough that now everything was going to be Bastien's fault. Because she could make it his fault, obviously. Great reasoning skills this one had. She lifted her face again, her little features twisted in what should have been rage but probably only got about halfway there if she was honest with herself. "Now that stupid man is wrecking me having a drink too and he isn't even here!!" she said with a cross between a grunt and a squeak of frustration escaping her lips. Remi

laughing like children, living like lovers & I guess that's why they call it the blues. "It is a good thing I am here then." Remi said, giving her a sympathetic smile and extending his hand for the bottle. His forefinger suddenly elongated into a long and black curved claw. Gently he pricked the cork with the end what was not so much a claw as a talon, inserting it deep into the wood. When he was sure that he had a good grip, he pulled and twisted, forcing the cork out with a satisfying popping sound. With a furrowed brow but that amused smile on his lips—she was so perfectly adorable like this it was hard not to, though even he could see it wasn't helping—Remi tilted his head slightly. Pouring them each a glass (and then adding a bit more into Phoebe's cup for good measure), Remi leaned back against his chair. "Who?" He prodded gently, feeling as though the wine and sudden exasperated outburst about a man (a stupid one at that) were probably connected.

phoebe Sleep and I shall soothe you, calm you, and annoint you Ugh. Remi was so together! He was prepared and smart and had things figured out! How he put up with her mess was beyond her, but she would be eternally greatful for it. "Thank you." she said in a pitifully grumpy manner as she took the filled glass. She was quick to press it to her lips and tilt her head back, not so much drinking it as chugging it. Manners be damned, she was pissed and her life was stressing her out and she just wanted to forget for a minute! But she could really only finish about 3/4 of the glass before stopping for air, wrinkling her nose as the tannins and alcohol burned her throat. "Bastien!" she hissed...which was about as intimidating as a fluffy kitten. "I asked him about his church and his goddess and he explained it." she said, glaring at her cup, slumping a little in her chair. "And I pointed out how his description and subsequently what he was doing was sort of manipulative and rather offensive and he got all mad and yelled at me so I yelled back and then he stormed off and slammed his door in my face!" she recounted, gasping for breath by the end since she said it all as one run-on sentance. She finished off the last of her drink and then actually growled in anger. Or tried. It was definitely a 'grrr' noise but...well back to the kitten versus the cat comparison. "I can't believe I thought he was handsome! Handsome as a snake maybe." she huffed, going to have a drink...but she didn't have anymore. Ugh. This day. She topped her glass off again and took a sip. Remi

laughing like children, living like lovers & I guess that's why they call it the blues. Remi's mouth made a small O of surprised as the normally mild midwife pressed the glass to her lips and took a hearty drink from it. And then didn't stop drinking. Fluttering his lashes, Remi looked at his companion with a mixture of awe and shock—that was quite a lot of wine she'd just drank, but it was also very concerning she was basically gulping it as she was—Remi raised his own glass to his lips and took a much more conservative drink from it. Remi's eyes widened in surprise as she mentioned the name of the artist, head tilting slightly to the side. "Safrin?" Remi interrupted slightly, before falling silent as a story he'd never expect to have heard came pouring out of the blonde's lips. Chuckling under his breath as she mentioned Bastien was about as handsome as a snake (Remi who'd seen the man naked before of course couldn't help the images that poured unhelpfully into his mind), merely shook his head. "Just to be clear—" Remi began taking another sip. "Are you upset that what he was doing was manipulative? Or...that he yelled? That he stormed off and slammed the door?" The alchemist sort of assumed that the answer was going to be 'all of it', and though it sounded more like his friend merely wanted to vent, if there was a chance she was genuinely upset about something, he did want to know about it.

phoebe Sleep and I shall soothe you, calm you, and annoint you Chugging wine wasn't her usual style to be sure, but today it seemed fitting. Plus she wanted to. So she did. Because she was an adult, Bastien, you stupid idiot. The thought alone made her take another sip, though she was already starting to feel the warmth of her previous glass. Phoebe was definitely a lightweight, but for a quick buzz that worked in her favor. "Yes, Safrin. Though I'm shocked he knew her name." she said with a huff, swirlling the red liquid in her glass. Of course, the downside of having a slight buzz was she got distracted more easily. "Is this even good? I don't usually get red but that is all there was." she asked him, eyeing the glass she held skeptically with a pout. But Remi brought the conversation back to the topic at hand. "Yes!" she said shrilly. All of it! All of it made her mad. "I mean, mostly the manipulative. I got used to people yelling at me and slamming doors in my face at finishing school because I was the only common girl there." she said, wrinkling her nose. Stupid snobby blueblood girls. "But Bastien is off telling everyone, so he tells me, telling everyone that he saw this Safrin and that they all need to have sex or whatever to worship her. So I get confused because that seems more like a Frey thing, so I asked him if that is what Safrin said she wanted." she stopped and took another healthy sip of her wine. She turned her head to look her friend dead in the eyes. "And do you know what that dumb-dumb had the audacity to say, to me, a woman? He said, no joke, I mean it, he said: 'Oh I don't know but she is really pretty.'" Phoebe's face went deadpan for a moment before her nose wrinkled and brow furrowed again. "She's pretty?! You met a goddess and all you're stupid face has to say is she's pretty??" Phoebe said shrilly. "So yeah, I'm mad about that! He acts like he knows everything but he doesn't know! He just wants to have sex with a lot of people. Which, fine, sure, that isn't my business but then tell people that is how you worship because you want to have a lot of sex! Otherwise it sounds like Safrin told him so and more importantly! she stretched her arm out, the wine sloshing dangerously in her glass, "He wants to lead people in worship of a goddess that he doesn't even know what she wants or likes! What if it makes her mad?! It doesn't just endanger him it endangers everyone who follows him!" Suddenly she teared up, and it shocked even her. So much that it stopped her rant. Her arm came back to her side and she glared down at her glass. "People could get hurt." she said more quietly. Remi

laughing like children, living like lovers & I guess that's why they call it the blues. "Uhh." Remi intoned, blinking. "Yes. It is." The alchemist wasn't normally one to simply cater to the whims of those around him, but given that this conversation seemed far less about wine and more about Phoebe's feelings, he didn't want to give her any reason to doubt herself further. The fact that he thought the wine tasted a bit like stale juice with an outrageous alcohol content was of no consequence, and if he suggested one of his mixtures she'd probably be hard on herself about it. So silence it was. "Wait, he—" Remi tried to interject, but then Phoebe had already continued and so the alchemist took a sip of his wine and continued to listen. The mention of Frey made him scowl a bit, not because he thought Safrin was much better (he didn't know much about her, really), but simply because of the memories that name induced. —dumb-dumb? Remi bit the inside of his cheek hard to keep from laughing or smirking, making sure to keep his face calm and sympathetic rather than softly amused. That Bastien described Safrin as pretty was not so surprising, he'd done much the same when describing her to Remi, and though the alchemist was by no means an expert on the female psyche, he thought that perhaps the rather superficial aspect of Bastien's wording probably came across quite flat to someone like Phoebe. Especially someone like Phoebe who was perhaps considering the artist as a potential boyfriend only to hear that a goddess was the sort who had caught his eye. As she finished, Remi exhaled a wooooosh of air. Reaching across he tried to take the hand not clutching the wine glass to give it a gentle squeeze. "It sounds to me in this moment you are doing a better job of caring about Safrin than Bastien is." Remi wasn't quite sure if he meant that as some sort of praise for potentially pleasing the deity or just a way of knocking the artist down a few pegs to show his camaraderie with Phoebe's state of mind. Pulling his hand back, he filled his glass again (somehow the bottle was looking quite empty now). "People could get hurt, you are quite right." He said, nibbling his lip and trying to someone order his thoughts into something that was more than just vague sounds of exasperation directed towards Bastien. Taking another breath, Remi sighed and leaned back, swiping a hand across his eyes. "My friend Ronin is quite taken with Safrin as well. Given how Frey treated us, what they made us feel, would you be surprised if Safrin was the same? Perhaps her beauty was all that Bastien was left with after his meeting with her." It wasn't much, but it was a bit of a defense, not that Remi felt as though he was required to defend the goddess or the artist (nevermind that he somehow was part of the man's church now..). "As for the sex...well.." Sheepishly Remi ran a hand through his curls and offered the midwife a crooked grin. "As I said to you before, I do know that this seems to be Bastien's way of worship. Through art and language and his body he offers his praise." Shrugging his shoulders to indicate that he neither agreed nor disagreed with this, Remi continued. "I know nothing of what the gods do or do not like. It is entirely possible that his actions will offend Safrin. Hopefully your words made him see that." Then, rather curiously, Remi looked at Phoebe as if debating something internally, before apparently giving in. "Was it because of your understanding of Frey that you spoke so with Bastien?"

phoebe Sleep and I shall soothe you, calm you, and annoint you Well at least the wine was okay she supposed. It was doing its job anyways. Remi's approval meant a lot to her; more than the fact that she still wasn't sure she liked it. Phoebe looked at her hand as he squeezed it, feeling tired suddenly. Was it the wine? Was it from her heightened emotion? Maybe both. "Thanks." she said quietly. Her brow furrowed as she considered his arguments. There was a bit of a defense in there for Bastien she supposed...but just barely. "I helped Ronin once after he got attacked by whatever is at the Spire." she said, getting a little sidetracked again. Did he ask a question? Oh. Yes. He did. She should answer it. "Yes, I would be surprised. Not that they are taken with her I mean...a goddess? She has to be striking and powerful. Plus men can be pig sometimes and that's all they care about." she mumbled, once again memories of women with such husbands coming to mind. Or those who had been 'loved' and left when faced with the consequences of their actions. She shook her head as if to literally remove the thoughts from her mind. "I haven't met any other gods or goddesses besides Frey but...they are so extreme that I can't believe that the rest are all the same or want the same." Phoebe paused then to take another drink. Thinking so hard was quite the buzzkill. "And if Bastien just wants to have sex with people fine! I really don't care. But pretending it is for Safrin is just a way to manipulate people into doing so with him. It's got nothing to do with her. He even said if she doesn't like it, he would find some other diety to worship." she said and looked up at Remi. Anger flared again and it showed in her eyes. "He is just a needy scumbag, like any other man who makes an excuse for lack of loyalty to a mortal woman. I've heard it all. She got fat. She is always tired because of the children. She doesn't like this, that or the other thing. It's insulting to Safrin and anyone who follows him. He isn't worthy of a following. He's just a...a..." her brow furrowed, nose wrinkled, and her voice dropped to but a whisper, "He is just an ass." Even drunk, swearing was not her favorite thing to do. "My words meant nothing to him. He just thinks I am a stupid little girl. He didn't even think I was old enough to drink alcohol!" she said, riling up again, though tears were in her eyes now. "That's what everyone thinks because of my stupid baby face. I'm going to end up old and alone with a billion cats and an uncompleted sex quest from Frey because everyone thinks I am a child!" Phoebe sniffled and wiped at her eyes roughly as she went down the rabbit hole of insecurity, aided by its good friend alcohol. "Maybe." she said, when Remi asked his final question. "Frey represents what is intended to be a good and healthy part of a person's life. And even as a diety who can do whatever they want, they don't take the unwilling and they don't make a pretense about it. Bastien is doing just that. Not only is he manipulating people for sex, which has its own host of problems, he could lead all of these people to being hurt by a goddess if she is offended. And Frey could even be offended if people get hurt by Bastien using people for something they support! It's just...argh!!" Phoebe was overwhelmed and frustrated by her own inability to accurately express herself. Remi

laughing like children, living like lovers & I guess that's why they call it the blues. Remi chuckled and sipped at his wine as Phoebe declared that men were pig-headed and could be rather taken by physical beauty. She wasn't necessarily wrong, but given her present company the alchemist couldn't help but grin into his wine glass and shrug gently. The mention of Frey again though made Remi sigh, drain his glass, and nod slightly. "Is it manipulating though?" The alchemist asked gently. "If he said that sex was merely a way of worshiping her, that seems fine to me. Strange perhaps, he did say the same to me at one point, but ... " Shrugging, he gave Phoebe a rather pointed look. "Did he ever actually say that he was doing this because Safrin wanted it?" The notion that the artist would simply drop his preferred deity was quite the shock. From what Remi had heard the man seemed rather taken with her. That she was perhaps just an outlet for some other agenda, as Phoebe was suggesting, made the alchemist hum thoughtfully and twitch his lips. The midwife's minute tirade, ending with the definitive declaration that Bastien was an ass. Remi rubbed a hand over his mouth as if to scratch at itch, but really it was to hide the smile there. "Well if that is the case and it really is just a way for Bastien to get what he wants, then perhaps Safrin herself will set him straight." A billion cats and an uncompleted sex quest. Remi inhaled swiftly and reached a hand out for Phoebe's again, lowering his head slightly so that he could see into her downcast eyes. "It is not a stupid baby face. You are quite beautiful Phoebe." He said softly, his voice genuine and without pretense. " And though it is not an excuse, Bastien comes from a different land. Perhaps one needs to be old and grey to drink there." He said giving her hand or leg a gentle squeeze again. "And really, this is not a failure. It just means we can cross Bastien off our list of potential suitors. If anything, this makes our work much easier." Listening patiently, Remi nodded. "If you feel so strongly, perhaps it is worth mentioning to Frey or Safrin? I am not sure what their reactions would be, and you know I hesitate to suggest you encountering Frey again but...If you are truly worried for the safety of others, perhaps it is worth letting Safrin know what is being done in her name?"

phoebe Sleep and I shall soothe you, calm you, and annoint you Her brows furrowed then, her mind becoming increasingly cloudy as she began to slip from tipsy to drunk. All the more reason to keep her bottom firmly planted on the chair so as not to end up well acquainted with the floor. “I don’t remember exactly what he said.” She said, frustrated that she couldn’t remember verbatim. “But however he said it made me think that it was what Safrin told him to do. It was only when I asked that he said she didn’t it was just want he wanted.” Phoebe pouted, looking at the little bit of liquid left in her glass. ”I think it is manipulative anyways.” she mumbled. But Remi didn’t seem to agree with her. ”I hope she does and gives his stupid butt a what for.” she grumbled when Remi suggestion Safrin might take matters into her own hands. At the thought of her going to Safrin herself, or even Frey…she shook her head. ”Frey said not to call on them again until I complete this quest. And Safrin hasn’t ever come to me so I don’t think it’s real smart for me to do that. He will get whatever he has coming for him, I just worry about whoever chooses to follow him ‘cause they think he knows what she wants or something ‘cause he said only kind of the truth but in a way that sounds like it is different.” she said, becoming increasingly incoherent as her words started to slur both in her brain and from her lips. Her accent actually slipped a bit, becoming a little less refined as was typical amongst the lower-born rungs of Northwind society. She had trained herself to speak more properly in finishing school but…well alcohol had a way of undoing even the most strict of training. Phoebe looked up at Remi as he took her hand, assuring her she wasn’t going to end up alone and that she didn’t have a baby face. ”Thanks. That means a lot.” she said, then finished off the last of her wine. ”I hope it makes it easier. ”But is alotta pressure. An’ I dunno what I’m doin’ an’ he was so pretty to look at but so dumb. Are all the pretty ones dumb?”

laughing like children, living like lovers & I guess that's why they call it the blues. Remi shrugged. He didn't know enough about what Bastien had or hadn't said, or what his intentions and motives actually were. From his few conversations with the artist though, he did seem genuine enough. Though would it surprise Remi to know that he'd merely singled out the goddess for her aesthetic? Or that she was the only one Bastien had ever actually met? "For his sake, I hope he is just being stupid and not manipulative." The alchemist said finally with a grin and small shrug. He'd much rather think of Bastien as worshiping in some strange way rather than trying to lure people in with false proclamations of Safrin. "Perhaps Safrin will be merciful? The gods here seem to know....much. If she can see that his followers were tricked, hopefully she will not take her anger out on them." Whether or not that was true, Remi really didn't know. It was true that the gods seemed more or less omniscient (or close to it), but whether they were entirely rational with the information they had? That...did not always seem to be the case in his experience. The alchemist couldn't help the small smile creeping across his lips at the sound of Phoebe's accent suddenly emerging. His accent too became thicker when he'd been drinking, but Phoebe seemed to speak so eloquently all the time that he'd doubted whether or not there were any obvious commoner traits about her. Apparently he was wrong, and he found it utterly charming. Are all the pretty ones dumb? Remi chuckled at that, dropping Phoebe's hand to lean back and grin at her with a loose shrug. "In my experience?" He said with another ambiguous shrug and mischievous grin. "A man I knew once fell off my roof and then proceeded to tell me that he was a roof inspector." He said with a chuckle, despite how the memory of his friend made his heart clench. "And he was very pretty. So it is possible." Remi added with a wicked grin.

phoebe Sleep and I shall soothe you, calm you, and annoint you Phoebe gave Remi a flat look as he said that Safrin might perhaps be merciful if Bastien was acting in a manner that did not please her. "You got a real nice way of lookin' at everythin'. S'why I like you. But I don know iffin ya know this er'not but a real mad woman can be a real bitch." she said, then gasped and covered her mouth. "Sorry! Really uh...hell had no fury like a woman uhm...mad mad or whatever. But now think of a goddess gettin' mad... Phoebe shook her head and whistled in a tone that went from high to low in a manner characteristic for indicating something really bad happening. Then she caught herself on the side of her chair because, woah, shaking her head like that made her dizzy! The young midwife seemed confused by Remi's story though. "Why wus he on yer'roof?" she asked. She tried to drink more but found her glass empty. Phoebe pouted, her lower lip sticking out pitifully as she stared at it with sad puppy-dog eyes...which she then turned on her friend. "Is there more or did I drink it all?" she asked sadly. But his point still stood. All the pretty ones were possibly dumb. She sighed and slumped in her chair, her chin pressed against her collar bone, pouting once more. "Great. So imma end up with someun' dumb or ugly." she grumbled. Her eyes drooped for a moment, as drunkenness had a tendency to cause one to become quite sleepy. However, in the drunken meanderings of her brain, she stumbled on a thought and her eyes shot open. "Remi!! Am I a dumb one or an ugly one?!" she said in almost a panic, in her state having somehow come to the assumption that there were only two categories of potential mates in its attempt to create simplicity.

laughing like children, living like lovers & I guess that's why they call it the blues. Remi could only chuckle as Phoebe elaborated on some of the finer points of female-behaviour. "I have indeed been on the receiving end of such fury a few times." The alchemist said with an amused grin. Indeed, Delphine had to be one of the most emotional creatures he'd ever come across. Even Martha had her moments, though normally they weren't directed at him. Reaching out a hand swiftly as Phoebe began to sway, Remi reached his other behind his back and pulled at the cushion there. As casually as he could, he nestled the pillow against the midwife's side to help settle her firmly into her chair. "Well, to this day he has never actually told me. Perhaps it was fate, or perhaps he was simply trying to find a reason to meet me. Either way, I am glad that he did. " Pausing rather thoughtfully, Remi regarded his new friend for a moment. "He is the first man I ever kissed, you know." The alchemist admitted with a sly sort of smile, inwardly feeling a pulse of warmth at the memory. First other things as well, but that didn't seem to need to be said just now. "Ahh, well we drank it all." Remi replied with a laugh. "I have more though if you like." "You are absolutely neither." The alchemist said immediately, shaking his head and leaning forward slightly to put his elbows on his knees. "Which is probably why you are finding this so hard. "I don't even think with some of the face-paints I have made I could make you ugly either. You're simply too beautiful for even bad rouge or lipstick to ruin."