it was nice while it lasted

empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,

Out for a walk, to taunt, to scheme, or perhaps just to contemplate just how things got to be how they are - pick one, it doesn’t matter anymore, does it? - the early morning finds the Queen meandering along the border between the Greatwood and the Hollowed Ground. She’s sure there are eyes following her every move, so she makes sure to keep one eye on the treeline as well, lest any stray projectiles come her way. She is barefoot and carelessly dressed, looking far more like a peasant than a leader, but that doesn’t stop her from carrying herself a certain way. And humming very quietly. An old tune her mother used to sing, wordless and either comforting or melancholic, depending on the mood.

To the untrained eye, she appears surprisingly human. To the utter stranger, she might still pass. But no one here is that naive, are they?

WESSEX

aúsi, nos paramas // & still we stand

To say Remi is in a bad mood is an understatement. Though he's able to speak with his husband in his dreams every night, that hasn't helped heal his frayed nerves or his fury at having Ronin simply plucked from his life with nothing more than a it's for the greater good offered as a bandaid.

With hands wrapped in cloth and roses of blood still showing through, from where he had a one-sided boxing match with a tree, Remi is on his way to the Grounds. This isn't a conversation he wants to have, not one that he's even remotely prepared for, but without Ronin the Lullaby has become even rougher around the edges than normal.

It takes a moment for Remi to recognize the woman softly singing to herself as Wessex; how serendipitous that they should meet here, he thinks grudgingly, making his way out of the treeline. If this was the Caido-equivalent of Under Cover Boss, the Lullaby wasn't entirely sure it would work, given how recognizable the Wraith was.

'Hello, neighbour.'

THE

LULLABY

Table coding by Sky

empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,

Like an animal, the small sounds and the faint smell of blood turns her blonde head. A man walks out from the treeline, and it takes Wessex a moment to recognize him, even with his tell-tale curls, simply because she isn’t expecting to see him here. Indeed, her brows raise and she gives him a slightly look that says she’s surprised, but not unpleasantly so. With her hands clasped in front of her, she pauses and turns to face him, waiting until he draws close enough to speak quietly - lest the trees overhear them.

“Neighbor?” she asks innocently. “Have you two moved to the Greatwood?” She doesn’t really remember asking him for help with the Fae, so her immediate thought is why, why Torchline is so much more exciting?

WESSEX

aúsi, nos paramas // & still we stand

She picks up the hint he'd offered; Remi nodding as he ruffles a wounded hand through his curls. "Well, it wasn't meant to be a move at first. More of...an escape, I suppose. I handed over the reins of Torchline to Sunjata. We came up here to see about those storms to the west, and to make sure the fae weren't going to take any more of your body parts." Unlike Wessex, he certainly remembered the letter she'd sent. "At least without consent." He adds, though there isn't much hope of that, he's sure.

Glancing over his shoulder as if expecting the Wishing Wagon to appear at any moment (and honestly, it just might), the Lullaby turns his gaze back with a shrug. "Ronin and I have a son now. And we thought...that it was worth seeing more of the world." Laughing bitterly at that given he was now locked down just as he had been before, Remi just shakes his head.

"You're looking very Queen-undercover." He notes, nodding his head at her barefeet and rather lacklustre choice of dress.

THE

LULLABY

Table coding by Sky

empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,

“Ahhh, yes. I do remember hearing of Sunjata.” Honestly, it felt like when she was cured, she woke up and just knew… things. Or had a suspicion and was able to quickly confirm the facts. That week of recovery was rather odd and unsettling at times. “Did I… ?” her chin jerks a little towards the trees behind him, indicating the Fae. “Now that you mention it, I know there are things I did and said, but they’re fuzzy. And it wasn’t to do with the trial they’re trying to arrange, but something else…” All evidence of Juniper’s request is gone; she ate it, and she didn’t write it down. Poor planning, Queenie.

As for their son (how they keep collecting children, she’ll never know), she offers a warm, “Congratulations,” without any further questions, the bitterness of his laugh stopping something. “It is.” That much she can confirm. The world is crazy and beautiful and both beyond what she’d dreamed of and still underwhelming. Not in a bad way, she’d just thought up so many scenarios and creatures when she was a child that when reality and fantasy meet, there’s bound to be some kind of expectation.

She looks down at her clothes and shrugs. “Pre-Outlander Wessex. If you can imagine it.” Pausing briefly, the Wraith looks keenly at the Lullaby. "Are you alright?" The laugh. The wound. His general energy.

WESSEX

aúsi, nos paramas // & still we stand

The alchemist cracks a smile, jaded and without mirth thought it might be. "Had it not absolutely been your handwriting, I wouldn't have believed it was you. Then again, as someone who was sick as well, I'm not surprised." Remi says of the queen's rather outlandish and confusing correspondence. 'Trial?' The alchemist cocks his head to the side slightly, having no idea to what she referred.

"The idea was to run away to the Woods. To explore the storms and then just...go where we felt like. Ianto is with us, so with the Wishing Wagon, it was all going to be quite the adventure." Remi's shoulders shrug. He's angry and vengeful, but he's accepted his current lot in life.

"I can't. Though I think the first time I met you properly was...when you were screaming at Rory, in front of the Spire." Remi chuckles dryly at that; how long ago it all seemed now. As for whether or not he was alright? Hah. "I can't honestly tell if things have ever been worse." The Lullaby muses. "I think this just might be the worst time in my life, so if you're ever looking to let off some steam, know that I'd be happy to take you on." Other than Ronin, Wessex was really the only other person he knew even close to their level of strength.

THE

LULLABY

Table coding by Sky

empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,

Taking in what he tells her about her actions, Wessex’s expression remains one of acceptance and mild amusement until they get to something he doesn’t know about. She waves it away; it sounds like something he doesn’t need to shoulder right now, if she can read into his tone and body language at all. “Yep. It’s a joke, really, but I’m playing nice for now. Don’t worry about it.” She’s almost positive that he’ll take her word for it and won’t.

Because whatever’s happened to him - to the two of them - it seems like their plans were cut short, and she’s about to say something to that effect when he mentions the storms, which is a fixation of her own, these days. Pausing for a moment after he finishes, she compiles it all into one thought. “Sure, I could use someone who can handle a bit of heat.” The Wraith knows the benefits of fighting therapy well. Pointing off in the opposite direction, towards where the lightning storm lingers off the edge of the Ground, she continues. “There’s also something out that way, under the lighting storm. Something big in the ground, maybe in a cave? We were tunneling and found it but it was too much of a risk for some people.”

Wessex shrugs. “Could go if you want. Talking about shit is often overrated.” Which goes to say that she cares, but won’t pry.

WESSEX

aúsi, nos paramas // & still we stand

Strong enough to shoulder more than a few burdens these days, it's moreso Remi's utter lack of interest or concern that keeps him from asking. Politics are something he's been trying his best to get away from, and whatever trial is meant to be held, has nothing to do with him anymore.

Raising a brow to hear of the risk, the Lullaby can't help but grin. 'Well, if you ever need someone who can, you now know where to find him." He inclines his head slightly over his shoulder, meaning the Woods.

'I have already been told that my stubbornness won't help in this. So I don't think talking will, either. That said..." Much as he did want to dig his claws into flesh (or whatever Wessex was), there was something that ought to be mentioned first. "You know I've always been straight with you, and I'll continue to do that as long as I can. But...I have a feeling who and what we are, is finally going to make that difficult."

Ruffling a hand through his curls, Remi crosses his arms across his chest and tugs in a breath before continuing. "We were...called, summoned, whatever you like, to a meeting with the gods. All of them. Ours, anyway. With...your ascended presence so strong in the Grounds, I've been placed in the woods with another demigod. To keep an eye on things, presumably. To be a line of defense should..." Remi shrugs with annoyance. "...I don't know." And really, he didn't. What they were defending against hadn't been clear to him.

THE

LULLABY

Table coding by Sky

empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,

Offering a fanged smile, the Wraith nods. “I’ll send a bird your way.” She’s about to propose tomorrow morning for a training session when the conversation takes a definite turn, the phrase I’ve always been straight with you, ominous in these ever-shifting, unprecedented times. Her lips seem to purse of their own accord as the Queen listens to the Lullaby and his words sink in.

She bows her head when he’s finished, quiet as she takes it all in. “I suppose it’s to be expected,” she begins, “We both knew things weren’t going to stay friendly forever.” Still, when she lifts her head to look at Remi, there is sadness in her gaze (or perhaps remorse, regret, something heavy and unwanted), “I don’t know, either. Honestly. Seems more like a self-fulfilling prophecy. They place you here and now I have to prepare for the worst case scenario.”

Exhaling loudly, she runs her hands through her hair and leaves her hands behind her head, looking up to the sky. “Fuck this. I’m sorry.” Because she can now conclude that the other demigod with him isn’t Ronin. And that’s why everything is in the past tense. “You and Ronin can’t catch a real break, can you?”

WESSEX

aúsi, nos paramas // & still we stand

Remi grumbles a note of reluctant agreement. He had thought that while things might not be friendly, that he wouldn't be forced into picking a side. "I think your worst case scenario likely comes from Stormbreak. Here..well. It's basically just me." Remi grins a touch at that, his eyes suddenly sly. Powerful as the alchemist was, he was no soldier. A beast of violence, yes. But not a warrior. Not an effective weapon. "I'm sure there will come a time when I can't tell you more, but for now...Honestly I'm not sure. Delphia might speak with Mort and see if he has any suggestions."

Raising a brow, Wessex not having been one for offers of sympathy in the past, Remi can't help but smile sadly. "Not so much, no." They'd both been on either sides of a sickness before that took them away from the other, but this? "Since Ronin came back from the dead, we've not properly been apart." He admits, looking suddenly soft and boyish for his heartache.

THE

LULLABY

Table coding by Sky

empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,

“Stormbreak?” Her brow furrows at the name - an unknown again, something that she’s never heard of even though she’s met the head honcho himself. It’s clear that it doesn’t ring a bell, which is alarming in another way entirely. And while she might have jested with him about how his manticore form is absolutely fucking terrifying and he can probably uproot a tree all on his own, she doesn’t now.

“I’ll ask the Voice,” the demigoddess says after he mentions Delphia. If that’s who he’s here with, yes, he might well be on his own. Good for the Grounds, maybe. Mort’s daughter wasn’t much a threat. “She might be willing to reveal a bit more about what happened last time. So we both know what to expect.” The Wraith tries to sound reassuring, tries to indicate that she’s in the same place on the other side, but like the Lullaby, there’s now an undertone that can’t be so easily erased.

It’s ironic that she’s here again, having called herself a wartime Queen, and now finds that war might indeed be upon them.

“I’ll let you know if I get a clearer picture.” Not that she doesn't already have a million things to do - but this - maintaining whatever this is with Remi until it can't exist anymore, is also important. It's a lifeline of sorts.

WESSEX

aúsi, nos paramas // & still we stand

"The capital of Caido, apparently." The Lullaby supplies with a shrug. "It's where the Order are. They're...the government, I think? Though so far all I've heard from them are plans to eradicate you all." This is said with a frown.

Remi swallows and nods at this, knowing that whatever their intentions might be, there are forces at play that are stronger than either of them. "I don't want this, for what that's worth." Remi offers, raising his pale stare and meeting the Queen's. "I don't think the ascended are bad. I don't even really think the Voice is." Pausing, he considers his words next. Once honesty came so easily to him. But now? Now it felt like a burden. "But with Ronin and Mateo...I won't lay down my life to stop this." It's how Remi has been coerced into all of this, after all. "If there is a hero on this side of things, one who will fight for you, it isn't me."

It's blunt, but it's true. Is it cowardly? Selfish? Is it bullshit that one made would put the life of his child and husband above genocide? Sure. Absolutely it is, and Remi isn't ignorant of that. But he'll also not give Wessex a false impression of where his loyalties ultimately are.

THE

LULLABY

Table coding by Sky

empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,

“Oh, of course. A secret government ominously called The Order in a secret part of Caido wants to kill all the Ascended?” If it didn’t have nuggets of plausibility, and if Remi hadn’t always been straight with her before, she might have laughed it off. But as it is, Wessex can’t afford to laugh things off anymore: the ludicrous might very well become reality, the banal rumor mill a source of legitimate information. “I’d say I’m surprised, but… this is Caido.”

She meets his pale gaze with a resigned, but understanding one of her own, shaking her head to dismiss the Lullaby’s pseudo apology. “I know you don’t. Me neither.” And in a way, she’s almost glad to hear what comes next. Glad to see he’s grown up a bit from the man in the basement of Devas Bakery, who didn’t believe that Zariah would harm a child. Maybe this is why they understand each other - and that’s enough sometimes. “You’ve made a hard decision,” she says with some kind of amusement, remembering when she stood before a would-be group of heroes and declared that she was capable of doing the same. Of being a war-time leader. And now look at her.

“Or maybe it was an easy one, but you had to make it and like I’ve said before, it’s probably pointless to resist.” The Gods’ powers are more than even their demigods can imagine. “And I don’t blame you.” Her head tilts one way in consideration - is that true? Yes, yes it is. Remi has always been different than Ronin and Amalia. “Amalia, yes. You, no.”

And yes, that last quip sounds incredibly bitter.

WESSEX

aúsi, nos paramas // & still we stand

He grumbles a touch at that, this being Caido being one of the worst justifications for the shit-fuckery that went on. Wessex wasn't wrong of course, and that was precisely the problem. "Oh, it is very mysterious. And they know things. The ones who came to talk to Ronin and I—recruit was more like it—knew almost everything about us." His jaw feathers at the memory, before his stomach plummets and turns to ice as his mind conjures images of Finn.

"The decision was easy. It's the consequences that will be hard." He supplements, though Wessex seems to have already found her way to that conclusion as well. "When the gods pulled Ronin and I apart, I tried to defy them. I said no. And they just...sent me away anyway. No discussion. No nothing. Just a snap of the fingers." Futile was an understatement in Remi's opinion, but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it. At least he and Wessex could agree on that.

Shrugging at the dig at Amalia, Remi just swallows down an uneasy breath. Things weren't left on the greatest terms with the trio of he, the Shield, and the Star. "Amalia is with Ronin now in Stormbreak too." He offers, having heard none of what has transpired between Wraith and Shield.

THE

LULLABY

Table coding by Sky