I live for the applause

a devil on the run, a six gun lover, a candle in the wind

"I'd be dead," Arsen points out - something that Remi will reiterate more than once in the course of the conversation. He'd be dead and so he wouldn't be around to like it if the same was done to him. And suddenly Remi is offering out his hand with an offer that all but has the youth's insides turning to water, though he's careful to set his jaw into something more impetuous. But utter shit he might be, he still knows gods, knows what they do, knows that there are times when he's just out of his league.

Today is one of those times. "You'd better," he mutters, trying for a brave face. And the claw-tipped hand reaches out to grasp Remi's in a gesture that's all false bravado, all trying to appear more than he is. But the alchemist will feel more than just the flutter of nerves, at least, the cold fear that this is death come for him - there's a reckless kind of curiosity there too, an urge to move, to fly, to be free. Arsen wants to catch birds and never be the one getting caught.

Arsen

REMI

the alchemist

Walk me home in the dead of night,
'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind

There is a cold thrill that washes from Arsen. It's a youthful fuck you that the alchemist has never properly experienced for himself, and as the world melds and shifts around them, the Lullaby finds himself tugging on the youth's crisp spurt of rebelliousness.

That Remi has merely forced them both asleep isn't something Arsen will be aware of, especially since he's recreated the Woods around them with as much accuracy as he can muster. Gripping the man's hand and tugging him close in a proximity that is an uncomfortable mixture of intimate and predatory, the Lullaby merely smiles. Around them the Woods groan and the trees shake, as if some monstrous creature is stomping through and decimating all in its path. Ignoring it completely, Remi fixes his stare on Arsen as his grip tightens. "Do you know what that is?" The Lullaby asks of the Greatwood-shaking beast that snarls and snaps its way closer.

So say you'll stay with me tonight.
'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

a devil on the run, a six gun lover, a candle in the wind

But of course Arsen is oblivious - around them all remains the same; they are seated on the grass, hand in hand, and the only difference is the presence of some great creature around them in the woods. He wants to pull his hand out of Remi's and no sooner has the thought crossed his mind when the alchemist's grip is tightening on his own, dragging him closer. "Hey--" he manages, almost nose to nose with the older man, and he resists the urge to wrench his fingers away, to dig in claws, to scrabble with talons.

The tremors in the earth begin again, and his head shakes absently. "No," he says, "but I've got a feelin' that you know what it is. Friend of yours?" he asks, fingers twitching around Remi's. He's only been in the Greatwood for about ten minutes - he knows very little of what might be prowling around out there.

Arsen

REMI

the alchemist

Walk me home in the dead of night,
'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind

"Not really, no." Remi replies with a shake of his head, releasing his grip on the other man's fingers. The violet thrill of terror and determination to stay alive fades instantly as the connection is broken, and the alchemist has to stay his hand that it doesn't reach out to drench itself in more of Arsen's youthful vibrance.

Trees slam and fall, and though the debris is surely enough to crush one of them should they be in the wrong place, Remi merely glanced over his shoulder where whatever it is, is still bulldozing its way forward. A mournful and rabid cry echoes through the trees, before the monstrosity reveals itself.

Covered in red and hideously deformed is the fieldmouse Arsen had tossed into the cataract only moments before. Opening its mouth and revealing jagged teeth that are almost 10 feet tall, the mouse plucks up a tree as if it were nothing more than a stick, and hurls it toward Arsen.

So say you'll stay with me tonight.
'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

a devil on the run, a six gun lover, a candle in the wind

Arsen shakes out his hand as Remi lets him go, like he might be able to rid himself of whatever the Lullaby must have done to him in the time where they were in contact. The vibration of the earth beneath him has him spooked enough to get on his feet even before the nightmarish vision of the dormouse appears. Arsen's eyes widen, his feathers ruffling up all over, and he's already taking flight when the tree is hurled in his direction.

"Fuck--" The curse is cut off into something wordless that drives all the air out of his lungs. The tree catches him around the left shoulder, ripping the arm (and thus the wing) from its socket and sending him pinwheeling to the ground. Talons grip the earth deeply for purchase, the boy using the trunk of a tree not yet uprooted to prop himself against. The pain feels too close and too far away all at once, and he squints through prickling eyes to try and predict the next blow.

Arsen

REMI

the alchemist

Walk me home in the dead of night,
'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind

Close as all this craziness is, this near-death and violence, Remi just sits idly against his tree with a leg propped up, still tying blades of grass together. As Arsen tumbles to the ground the alchemist briefly looks up uttering an ooof under his breath as the doormouse slams its front paws down on either side of the harpy. Breathing heavily above him like some colossal demon with red mattered fur, the mouse opens its jaws and roars down at the youth. With yellowed teeth larger than the harpy currently is, it could end him just as easily as its own life was ended. Instead, it bears its teeth and breathes how steamy pants of putrid air.

"Apparently you should be more careful about who you throw to their death." The Lullaby mutters conversationally, moving one of his feet so that the mouse's lashing tail won't knock into it.

So say you'll stay with me tonight.
'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

a devil on the run, a six gun lover, a candle in the wind

Arsen is brazen and valiant with youth, but he is not infallible. Perhaps bravery might be expected in the face of another sort of fight, one with rhyme and reason - a duel or something like that. But this? He's petrified, and it shows. With his back pressed against the trunk of the tree, there's nowhere for him to go, and he turns his head and scrunches his eyes shut to avoid looking at the creature that's surely going to kill him.

Tears stream from beneath closed lids, his useless wing cradled against his chest, but the end doesn't come, even if he swears he can hear his heartbeat thundering around the clearing as vividly as the tromp of the beast's paws. "You lied," he whispers, barely able to get the words out. You said it would be as pleasant as possible.

Arsen

REMI

the alchemist

Walk me home in the dead of night,
'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind

Remi hadn't lied of course, not that Arsen needed to know it. Not in this moment anyway. Using illusions and fear to get his way though? It was hard to know who would have been prouder of him in that moment, Safrin or Ludo.

"Make you a deal. I'll call off our angry friend here if you lend me a hand. I've a project that could use an extra set of wings." It was true too. Though Ianto was capable of flight, he didn't have opposable digits as a cardinal. And while the Fae did, they lacked the strength necessary for the tree-top fortifications that the alchemist had planned.

Leaning down as if drawn by the scent and sight of tears, the rodent snarls and nearly foams at the mouth as it takes in the trembling morsel presented so delicately before it.

So say you'll stay with me tonight.
'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

a devil on the run, a six gun lover, a candle in the wind

It doesn't take long for Arsen to agree to the deal - it's testament to the state of him that he doesn't even bother to ask questions about what Remi might want from him. Such is the nature of those who are young; there is no consideration for the fact that there might be worse to come. "Fine," he chokes out. "Just call it off." Please isn't really in his vocabulary, but while he doesn't vocalise it, the plea is in his body language, in the way he cringes back and away from the hideously deformed creature before him.

It's hard to know whether or not this nightmarish scene will serve as some kind of life lesson for Arsen - as it stands, fear drapes itself throughout the entire dream, not that the boy knows it's only happening in their minds. If nothing more, the harpy will be keeping out of the woods for the foreseeable future. (If only he knew what Remi has planned).

Arsen

REMI

the alchemist

Walk me home in the dead of night,
'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind

Remi whistles a single note as if to get the creature's attention. It works of course, but only because this entire situation is putty in the alchemist's hands. Turning toward him, the beast leaves Arsen alone in favour of the small crown that Remi has been making this entire time. Taking it oh so carefully in its massive paws, it chitters something under its breath before taking leave of the two.

"In a place like the Greatwood, I would be very careful who or what you decide to kill. Spirits of the dead tend to linger, and you never know who might be more than happy to seek revenge for a dead friend." The alchemist muses gently having retained his soft predatory confidence all the while.

With nothing left to occupy his hands, he folds them in his lap to give Arsen his full attention. "And I don't lie." He adds with a pointed green stare.

So say you'll stay with me tonight.
'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

a devil on the run, a six gun lover, a candle in the wind

The creature leaves off, and Arsen doesn't see what it does or where it goes given that his eyes are still tightly shut. Sweating and shivery, it's with a tear bright gaze that is a sudden and startling blue that the harpy finally looks around, only to see the hideous beast chittering back into the forest from whence it came. His chest heaves, feathers ruffled such that he looks a great deal fluffier than the sleek and deadly creature that had been crouched at the water's edge.

Remi's talking again, though, the boy glancing across at him and sinking down to hunker against the tree trunk, his injured wing-arm still cradled to his chest. "What do you want?" he grates out eventually; of course Remi doesn't get the satisfaction of Arsen showing him whether or not the words have sunk in.

Arsen

REMI

the alchemist

Walk me home in the dead of night,
'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind

"You asked earlier if I was king of the forest. I'm not, but currently I am her defender. The old gods and heralds have placed myself and another demigod here to strengthen the Woods that they might serve as a stronghold against the ascended who have taken up residence in the Grounds." The alchemist inclines his head toward the east, as if to indicate the neighbouring land.

"I'll be putting together a small group to do some basic preparation around the Woods. Helpful as the fae are, some of these tasks require lifting more than they're able." Was Remi inviting in more trouble than Arsen was worth? He didn't know. Ronin would, but then, Ronin would know quite a few things about how to go about this. Luckily Remi wouldn't have to remain ignorant of his husband's views for long.

So say you'll stay with me tonight.
'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

a devil on the run, a six gun lover, a candle in the wind

The harpy listens through the pain, and though he wants to dig his talons deep into the earth and get himself back to his feet, he can barely persuade himself not to throw up, let alone keep his balance. So he anchors himself to the sound of Remi's voice, to his role in the Greatwood, to the tangled web that Arsen has unintentionally flailed himself into. "So you want me for heavy liftin'," he mumbles, reaching up with his good hand to wipe the moisture from his cheeks.

"Whatever, fine," he says, knowing that he has no choice based on whatever Remi has just done by calling off the freakish mouse. "So was that... a spirit? Or a friend?" he asks of the beast, not sure he wants to know the answer. "And how... how long am I expected to stay here? I ain't native to this place. Don't wanna outstay my welcome." As if he's even had a welcome to begin with.

Arsen

REMI

the alchemist

Walk me home in the dead of night,
'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind

"You look like you're up for it." The harpy indeed looks strong, and if his veins are filled with half the piss and vinegar Remi has seen from him already today, he'd be more than capable. "I'd say that falls into the vengeful category." Only it was the Lullaby, not a mouse, who was properly seeking vengeance. Handsome as Arsen might be in his rugged youthfulness, his attractiveness was soured in the alchemist's eyes for his wanton and careless murder of the mouse. Apex predator though he might be, Remi would never stop having a soft spot for less capable animals. He used to be one after all.

"Where are you from? Torchline I'd guess, by the tan on your face."

So say you'll stay with me tonight.
'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!