half-baked dreams

all this time i was finding myself & i didn't know? i was lost

Mateo is strapped to his back and Ronin's hand is in his. Sunlight dapples the path that the pair walk on, and though this is a dream, the Greatwood seems to be behaving herself in allowing the trio to get where they need to go.

"So far the options are...sunlight trees, a way of knowing anytime an ascended enters the Greatwood, or...a mist that saps their strength." Remi rubs at the back of his neck as he tilts his gaze up toward the canopy of leaves overhead. "Alina suggesting having more offensive strategies, but given what our instructions are, I'm not sure that's what we're meant to do." Uncertainly Remi glances toward Ronin with a slight shrug.

"I just wish I knew what the point was. Say we fortify the Greatwood..so what? It isn't as though the ascended have ever had any real interest in it."

THE

ALCHEMIST

RONIN

the dark star

"The point," Ronin says airily, flashing a grin at their son and reaching up with his free hand to tickle his cheek, "is to give Stormbreak eyes on the Hollowed Grounds from right next door. It's psychological, too. Your being there won't go unnoticed by the Ascended. They'll react, and it'll give Stormbreak a chance to see what kind of thing they might be up against." He makes it sound simple - what's more, he absolutely doesn't seem bothered by any of it. Indeed, Ronin is utterly content with their stroll through the Greatwood, and he hops over a fallen tree and clasps Remi's hand a bit tighter, turning to help him over it too.

"Is there a reason why you can't do all three?" he wonders, running his thumb over his hand and walking backwards through the foliage to face Remi. "The Greatwood will spit out intruders anyway - a simple patrol along the borders will let you know about any Ascended that try to get inside." He shrugs. "I can ask Safrin about the trees - the mist seems like something Frey or Ludo might be more suited towards." Swinging their hands, he resists the urge to tug the Lullaby closer for a kiss.

i'll get over it
i just gotta be dramatic first

all this time i was finding myself & i didn't know? i was lost

It all makes so much more sense when Ronin says it. Or perhaps it's simply because the alchemist is entirely enamoured by the lips that are saying it. "If that's the case, why not send them all potted plants which are really part of the Greatwood so that we can hear what they're doing." He suggests with a flippant shrug. "Or we'll just send the roots of the Greatwood farther west, and crumble the Grounds from below."

Striding over the tree with a weightlessness impossible in reality, he shrugs. "I suppose not." He replies with a grin. "They can still use the portal to get to the Mathair though. And there aren't enough of us to patrol." Remi points out, his fingers pulsing errant rhythms against Ronin's as they stroll. He has to try not to clench his teeth as the Star offers his assistance in speaking with Safrin. Knowing what he does about what the goddess has and hasn't done, the urge to cut her out of this entire process, even to the detriment of their little cause, is strong enough to make feathers ruffle through Remi's curls.

'Delphia also suggested that we ask the spirits of the dead to assist as well. I'm not sure if Mort would allow such a thing, but it might be worth asking."

THE

ALCHEMIST

RONIN

the dark star

"Remi, love, I know you're absolutely amazing, but I don't even think you could sneak a potted plant into every part of the Hollowed Grounds where the Ascended are without someone noticing." Ronin chuckles. "And you could, that's true. Unfortunately, the Grounds are home to more than just Ascended, and I'm not so sure we're at the stage where the gods want to get rid of them without caring about collateral damage." Yet, his tone of voice suggests.

Grinning at his husband to watch him sail easily over the log, Ronin finally turns to stroll with him again. "Sounds like you need more people, then," he murmurs. "Have you reached out to anyone in Torchline or Halo?" Whatever the alchemist's answer might be is lost on Ronin as he notices the feathers that ruffle through his hair, and his smile sweetens. "Okay, fine. I'll leave Safrin out of it," he mutters.

Delphia's spirits are certainly an interesting point, though it's true that they're as of yet unreliable. "The portal is probably more important than the borders," he says slowly. "Especially given the legends about the Mathair."

i'll get over it
i just gotta be dramatic first

all this time i was finding myself & i didn't know? i was lost

"No?" Remi flutters his lashes and tries to look as innocent and naive as he once so naturally was. "Alright, no potted plants then. See? This is why I need you." Reaching over to press his nose against Ronin's cheek in an Eskimo kiss. "This sounds just like how things went three hundred years ago." Remi points out with a frown. The Grounds clearly hadn't just been ascended then, either.

"I'm not sure anyone wants to live in the Greatwood. And as nice it is for those like Vai and Felix to come every few days and help out, if we're going to provide any sort of defence, we need consistency I think." The Greatwood was not suited for visitors. The Sidhe Village was built for the fae and made it difficult for anyone over 4' to enjoy what it had to offer. With no bars, no classic forms of entertainment, and a fairly hostile local culture, Remi couldn't blame the rest of Caido for wanting to steer clear.

'I doubt it's possible to prevent the ascended from using portals given that it's their technology. But perhaps letting them know that the tree will be trapped or some such.." Just saying this makes Remi groan unhappily. All he can see are those like Wessex avoiding it, but that someone like Sam might be desperate enough to try and use it anyway.

THE

ALCHEMIST

RONIN

the dark star

"Mm, you're such a bowl of sunshine," Ronin says with a smile, accepting the kiss and gesturing to the road ahead - he assumes, of course, that Remi is actually leading them somewhere, though he wouldn't put it past his husband just to have them meandering endlessly through the woods until it's time to wake up. "I'm not so sure about that," he says of three hundred years ago, shrugging his shoulders. "Last time I don't think they knew what was happening and how powerful the Voice was until it was too late."

Now it was caution, but it was certainly a mounting pressure on the Ascended. Still, Remi is right about the Greatwood, and Ronin lets out a long sigh as he racks his brain. "The Dragoons would be an addition," he says, "but somehow I feel as though the fates are going to make it remarkably difficult for something that makes so much sense to happen." He shakes his head.

"Oh, I wasn't suggesting that we prevent them using portals in general. Just prevent them from using the Mathair. Post a guard at the tree, have anyone who steps through explain their purpose and go through a vetting process." And oh, doesn't he make it sound easy?

i'll get over it
i just gotta be dramatic first

all this time i was finding myself & i didn't know? i was lost

"All the more reason to think they'd be more accepting of casualties this time around. Knowing what they know." This is more softly said, Remi frowning at the soft soil on which they walk, to only Remi knows where.

'Ronin, love, I think you're forgetting—" Remi tries to mimic his husband's accent and easy charm, though he fails wonderfully at it (despite years now spent listening to it). "—other than myself and Delphia, almost every single one of the ascended are stronger than the fae. There are no guards to stand watch. Unless..." With a grin, Remi nudges his husband. "How about we trade. You can come here and whip the Woods into shape, and I'll let your dragoons chase me around and try and capture me. How's that?"

It wouldn't fly with the gods of course, but it was nice to imagine in theory.

Though Remi's mind had been distracted by the warmth of Ronin's hand in his and the closeness of his husband, eventually the pathways of the Greatwood led them to the perimeter of the Woods, where it bordered on the Hollowed Ground. "I had thought with the help of the others to make...an obvious line in the sand, so to speak." How many times had the ascended wandered through, and even the Grounders when first the barrier came down, into the Woods where they weren't welcome? "It might seem obvious at this point, but at least then no one could say they didn't know."

THE

ALCHEMIST

RONIN

the dark star

"Well, the gods have only told us to build a stronghold and to bolster Stormbreak," Ronin points out with a gentle shrug. "No one has said for us to go and annihilate the Ascended, or butcher and waste the Hollowed Grounds." Perhaps they were all jumping ahead of themselves; perhaps they were blundering into murder and genocide, even, without direction from the gods at all.

He grumbles good-natured agreement at the reminder that the Greatwood really has very little to offer by way of strength, of bodies, of help, and it's with a groan that he laces an arm around Remi's waist, leaning in to kiss him. "You need help," he complains. "I should be there. With you."

Then they're at the border between the Greatwood and the Hollowed Grounds, Ronin gazing along the perimeter with a gentle nod. "So what's it going to be? A storm, like we went through before? A wall? What about that mist you were talking about? That's a pretty clear line."

i'll get over it
i just gotta be dramatic first

all this time i was finding myself & i didn't know? i was lost

Remi just shrugs off the conversational direction of what may or may not happen in the future. Ludo had told him to focus on the steps directly ahead, and not so far in the future. Genocide and annihilation weren't knocking at the door. Yet.

Humming happily into the press of bodies and Ronin's lips against his, Remi nods emphatically. "You really, really should." He agrees. "How are things going on your end? With the dragoons?" The Lullaby didn't doubt for a second that his husband had infiltrated their ranks with his dirty jokes and low-brow humour, winning them over with his soldier-know-how and down to earth charisma.

'Well, that's what I wanted your opinion on. It could be something as simple as a trench...a magical line always visible, or something more substantial, like the mist." Kneeling down so that he could unstrap Mateo from his back, the alchemist lets the boy crawl about in the grass to his heart's content.

THE

ALCHEMIST

RONIN

the dark star

"I love you," Ronin murmurs softly against Remi's lips, the words as reverent and heartfelt as they were the first time he said them. Drawing back to let his husband unstrap Mateo, the Star's eyes linger on their son as he plays in the grass, able to dream to his heart's content while his fathers work. "It's..." He huffs out a sigh, like he's about to make something up, but changes his mind at the last minute.

"It's lonely," he admits. "I mean... they're fine, obviously. But... it's not like the Storm Guard. Everyone's so..." He gestures. Oh my gods, a demigod! It's tHe dArK sTaR! Ronin can sense it all, as much as he tries to ignore it. "And the training isn't the same as when I was just a normal soldier."

Talk of this line in the sand is preferable, honestly, and Ronin clears his head to focus on it. "A magical line... I wonder if you could follow the old barrier line? That's probably easier than trying to mark the Greatwood."

i'll get over it
i just gotta be dramatic first

all this time i was finding myself & i didn't know? i was lost

"You'll figure it out." Remi says, slipping his arms around Ronin's waist and smiling adoringly. Loneliness was something they'd both have to find their own cures for, at least for the time being, and though the alchemist was sure they were bound to end up in unhealthy places a time or two, they would both figure it out. One way or the other. "Maybe you should just take them all on at once." He suggests with a crooked smile, before covering Ronin's eyes with the palms of his hands. "Or fight them blindfolded."

Raising a brow and turning to look toward the fields of the Ground, Remi lets his head loll back and forth uncertainly. "Well, that would account for where the Greatwood and the Grounds meet up, but it doesn't show where the Greatwood starts and ends in other places. Like between the Woods and that storm we tried to go through to the West."

THE

ALCHEMIST

RONIN

the dark star

"Mmm," Ronin says, a non-committal sort of sound that suggests he's already done something similar, but it's not so easily remedied. It's a similar feeling to the one his husband undoubtedly harbours towards the Greatwood, and so as Remi's arms slip around his waist, Ronin leans into the embrace for a precious few seconds. It might not be real, but if he lets himself fall hard enough into the dream, the Lullaby's warmth and strength are still there.

"Well," he says, "before you can draw that line, you need to know what's actually beyond that storm. Enough that you can draw a solid line." He shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know what to tell you, Remi. I just... want to come home, about now." Leaning in, he kisses his husband's forehead, keenly feeling their separation now that they're trying to suggest plans for one another.

i'll get over it
i just gotta be dramatic first

all this time i was finding myself & i didn't know? i was lost

"Stop being so reasonable. I liked it better when your suggestions were just, post a guard." Remi groans. Ronin is right of course that a line can't be drawn until the sandy western region has been mapped, but given it's another thread holding that up, Remi just shrugs in his husband's arms.

"I know." The Lullaby whispers, his smile falling away as he nuzzles the side of his cheek against Ronin's neck. His hands have slipped back down to the Star's lower back, wrapping around him and tugging him close. In the grass Mateo coos loudly at a bug that has landed on a flower, his pudgy hands doing their best to reach out for it. "I met a man the other day who could have been your younger brother." He said of Arsen. "And I rather hated him for it." That said, Remi pulls back with a brow slightly raised. "Have you bumped into my twin, yet?" He wonders of Finn, hoping that the answer is no.

THE

ALCHEMIST

RONIN

the dark star

"Oh, sorry. I mean... post a guard. All along the perimeters, Remi. Even the ones you don't really know about yet." Ronin's smile comes a bit easier with his husband's humour, at least, and even if the Star is homesick and overwhelmed himself, right now, Remi's presence is enough to soothe him. Humming a note of contentment as he's pulled closer, he leans his cheek into a mess of soft curls, letting his fingers draw slow and gentle patterns across the other man's back.

"Hm...? I don't have a younger brother," Ronin says, and his obviousness and stupidity can be blamed on the fact that he's enraptured by his husband. "I'd hate him for it too, though," he grumbles, before gently shaking his head. "I've heard of him. Never met him, though. Don't really want to, if I'm honest." Hugging Remi closer, he pulls in a deep breath and lets it out again.

"I'm going to see if I can come here for a bit," he decides. "Help you set this place up. You can't be expected to know how to do all this. You'd have been better off having the Dragoons train you." He smiles suddenly. "Or," he suggests, "maybe you can come and stay with me for a little while. I'll put you through your paces."

i'll get over it
i just gotta be dramatic first