little white lies

RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving One to go. Ronin has no idea what this innocuous white flower might hold, but based on his experiences so far, he has decided he will walk the streets far, far away from anyone he might know. The Star is out of his training clothes for the first time in what feels like forever, bundled up against the cold with his boots crunching in the snow. It is early morning, and the clouds above are heavy with more snow to come, a gentle fog rolling in around Ronin's heels. He has just plucked the very last petal from the white flower, huffing out a breath and flinging the stem over his shoulder. Well. Now it's just time to... wait and see, he supposes. He's not impressed at first, when nothing happens, pausing on a bridge to look out over the Silk Houses far, far below. "This is great," he grumbles.

Seraphina

the artificer

wanna play cheat, now says the sloth
a domino flush to his nose

Of course Seraphina is out in the city. Where else would she be? Her workshop? A likely idea but today is a day solely for her, without appointments and everything else. It’s time for her to shop and dine and enjoy the little things all by herself. At least, that’s the plan. She hasn’t made it very far in her outing, having only bought a new coat laden with warm pale furs, the fabric a deep plum color accented in the milky white of hares and mink along her collar. The rest of her is decadently dressed as usual, a warm skirt, dark leggings beneath to keep her warm, and warm boots that crunch along the snow as she moves to head over the bridge toward the other set of stores.

Distraction comes easily, however, not immediately recognizing Ronin and his particularly notable brooding atop the bridge. She nearly passes him, dark eyes glancing over him as she does anyone else she passes in Stormbreak. But realization comes quickly, the Artificer spinning on her heel to plant herself beside him, arms resting along the side of the bridge as she peers up at him. “Don’t you look dashing not in your training gear?” She chimes playfully, her dark hair falling slightly as she cocks her head. “A little broody, but we can make do.” This is said with a bit more amusement, trying to lighten his mood in the only way she knows how. Jesting and poking fun.

tickle that cheek and take your throne
pump your veins with gushing gold

RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving So busy is Ronin in his brooding that he absolutely doesn't notice Sera until she's sidled up right beside him. A smile lights up his features, rugged and tired as he might be, and some of the shadows lift from his expression. "I was thinking about you," he says, which absolutely is not true. And the surprise on his face says as much, though (naturally) it could be misconstrued as nerves on his part. "Fuck. I mean--" I don't know what I mean, but I definitely didn't intend to say that. "--what I mean is that I can't stop thinking about you." Um? Ronin looks as perplexed as he feels, and the smile on his face is more like a rictus grin at this point. Fantastic. Now if she could just push him off the bridge and end his misery, that would be lovely.

Seraphina

the artificer

wanna play cheat, now says the sloth
a domino flush to his nose

She brings him out of his brooding, momentarily, but she can’t help the way her smile shifts slightly under his attention and the words that leave him, a glimmer of confusion crossing through her face before she pushes it aside with a quiet laugh. “Oh?” She tries to play along, until he’s stumbling over his words and trying to explain and while Sera’s smile remains, her eyes crinkle with confusion.

So she aims for humor instead.

“I know I wasn’t perfect during our spar but you don’t have to rub it in.” An elbow sneaks out to nudge him playfully, a chime of a laugh leaving her before she realizes that he’s acting strange and she leans so her hip rests against the rails of the bridge to better focus on him. “Are you feeling okay, Ronin?” A tilt of her head is given, dark curled hair falling over her shoulder again as she rests her elbow on top of the rail, gloved hands folding together.

tickle that cheek and take your throne
pump your veins with gushing gold

RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving "You were perfect." Ronin, stop. The Star has moved to lean against the bridge as well, deciding to completely not look at Sera in the meantime, lest his brain come up with more ridiculousness to say. He wants to apologise, to tell her about the flower, but it seems that whenever he opens his mouth, all sorts of bullshit pours out. "Oh, no. No, I don't feel okay at all. I think I'm actually dying, Sera." Oh come on now, this is getting stupid. Ronin bites his lower lip and growls something under his breath, scrubbing at his eyes with one hand. "I'm so sorry. I just can't imagine life without you. I want to get married." It's strange, how one's expression could disconnect so beautifully with one's words. And in this case, Ronin has hit the jackpot with that dissonance.

Seraphina

the artificer

wanna play cheat, now says the sloth
a domino flush to his nose

Something is happening and all at once Sera’s smile fades into concern. Her jest is met with worry when he tells her he’s not okay, that he’s dying, unsurprisingly unable to read between the lines when his words sound so much like a love confession and the rest of his body language screams otherwise. And then he says he wants to get married and she chokes a laugh, shaking her head. “Ronin, you are married.” She informs him at first, at a loss at what else to do.

She certainly wasn’t going to get roped up between Star and Lullaby, that much was for damned sure.

She reaches out to grasp his arm, to drag him from the bridge toward the gardens to keep their conversation an edge more private. “Have you been drinking?” She asks, despite being unable to smell alcohol on him or spy any other off mannerisms.

tickle that cheek and take your throne
pump your veins with gushing gold

RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving "No, I'm really not," Ronin says of his already being married, and he pulls a face at his own words as if to tell himself to get a grip, that enough was enough. Hissing out a breath that clouds the air before them, he lets out a helpless laugh and covers his face with gloved hands. Around them the snow is softly falling now, settling in his dark mop of hair and on the lapels of his coat. "Yep. Drunk as a skunk." His voice comes out muffled but the lie is still audible, only for the Star to groan his annoyance and turn away from Sera. There's a moment of insanity wherein the Artificer will witness a demigod of Safrin slap himself hard across the face - and it really is hard, considering the hand delivering the blow. "My name is Ronin Taliesin and I am married!" he all but shouts across the bridge, earning quite a few wonderful looks from passers-by. Blushing furiously but feeling infinitely better for belting out a truth, Ronin lets out a long, long sigh.

Seraphina

the artificer

wanna play cheat, now says the sloth
a domino flush to his nose

Oh but he really is married. Still, Sera finds herself relaxing a minuscule amount as he tells her he’s drunk, a cloudy breath of a sigh leaving her as she focuses on his face, on the snow that clings to both their dark hair. But he turns from her, slaps himself hard across the face to her shock and surprise, and belts a truth across the bridge that has people pausing in their walk, birds flying from where they’d originally been minding their own business.

Her feet move before her mind does, stepping toward him to grab both his hands and peer up at him with a raise of her dark brow. “Yes you are. Come on now, let’s get you something to sober you up?” If Ronin’s flushed from whatever’s happening, Sera is too — the awkwardness eating at her in a way she’s unsure how to deal with. “And maybe it will stop you from slapping yourself and shouting what everyone already knows, hm?”

tickle that cheek and take your throne
pump your veins with gushing gold

RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving "Hey wait-- no, no. I'm okay now." Ronin doesn't try to peel her hands away from his, allowing her to guide him around and off the bridge. There's a pink welt across his cheek from the blow he delivered himself, and honestly, the Star seems giddy just to be able to speak the truth again. "It - I'm not drunk, Sera. Fuck. I'm so sorry. And good morning, by the way." He laughs breathlessly, doing absolutely nothing for the whole not drunk defence. "It was a quest from Safrin," he blurts. "It's... a long, long story. But I am not in love with you and I don't want to marry you. No offence." He realises how blunt he has been after the fact, offering her an apologetic grin and looking down at their hands clasped together still. Awkward.

Seraphina

the artificer

wanna play cheat, now says the sloth
a domino flush to his nose

He doesn’t stop her from dragging him toward the end of the bridge, their hands still together even as she pauses and his words marginally begin to make more sense. “Good morning…?” She repeats, though ends with a question. Not for the time of day, because it is still morning, but for the shift he’s taken and the explanation.

Her features soften as he explains, grateful for the bluntness, a cloudy laugh leaving her in a sigh as she shakes her head. “Oh thank Frey.” She murmurs, her gaze landing on their hands again before she immediately drops them before it prolongs into the already more awkward territory they’re driving straight for. “That would have been… A lot.” She finally decides, unable to surmise how much shit it would have stirred. “A quest for Safrin, though? One that has you professing love to people you hardly know?” Her jesting tones are back as relief spreads through her.

tickle that cheek and take your throne
pump your veins with gushing gold

RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving She drops their hands and Ronin's cheeks puff out as he sighs in relief, wedging them back into his pockets. The snowfall grows harder around them, but the cold feels good on his cheeks. He does, however, gesture for Sera to keep walking if she likes - he will go in her direction whilst they chat, given that he's not really going anywhere to begin with. "It sounded like a lot when it was coming out of my mouth," he admits with a softer laugh. "I am trying to improve my astral projection," he explains. "I had a task from Safrin to control my emotions. Flowers, that caused particular feelings to take over. I think that one was... lying? I just... everything I wanted to say, the opposite came out." If he still had a flower to show her he would, but that was his last one. "I'm sorry you had to come across me just as I used one of them. Are you okay?"

Seraphina

the artificer

wanna play cheat, now says the sloth
a domino flush to his nose

Oh it was a lot, so much that Sera still hasn’t entirely processed it. But to know it wasn’t real allows her the ability to shift it to the back burner, to not have to worry about it in the present. Which also allows her to walk with him, a leisurely stroll that has her collecting snow just as much as he does. But they don’t melt right away, at the very least. He explains further and her gaze slips from the path they take to glance back at him with a playful smile crossing her face.

“Astral projection, hm? That sounds useful.” She can only imagine how much easier things would be if there were more than one of her. But he tells her he thinks it was lying, the petal he’d taken, and she can’t help the next chime of laughter. “Oh it’s quite alright. At least you didn’t tell me I was hideous and to get out of your sight.” Ever the vain woman Sera was, the rest of his comments hadn’t bothered her. In fact, she flashes him a wide grin and snakes an elbow out to nudge into his side. “I’m fine, Ronin. It is very relieving to hear that you don’t want to marry me and you aren’t thinking about me constantly, let me tell you.”

tickle that cheek and take your throne
pump your veins with gushing gold

RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving "It has its perks," Ronin says with a small smile, and with a pulse of willpower, he conjures his astral self to walk on Sera's other side, reaching out to offer to carry anything she's bought whilst out shopping. The Star directs his projection to walk a few paces ahead after that, as if to make it less weird for her to technically have to stroll along with two of him. Scoffing out a laugh, Ronin nods his fervent agreement with her about that. "You know what, you're absolutely right. Lying could have gone either way." The playful nudge with an elbow is everything else he needs to relax, and tension seems to bleed out of Ronin's shoulders. "Well I'm certainly glad you're in agreement," he murmurs. "What brings you out in the snow this morning? Or rather, what did you buy?" Because shopping is absolutely the reason why she's out, that much is clear.

Seraphina

the artificer

wanna play cheat, now says the sloth
a domino flush to his nose

Surprise crosses the Artificer when there’s suddenly two Ronins, and she can’t help but to offer the projection the previous coat she’d carried from making the purchase of this one, before her attention flits back to the source with an amused laugh. “Gods, imagine the work I could get done with another one of me.” She snorts, shaking her head as she guides him through the gardens toward the shops on the other side.

A nod is given at the fact of lying going other worse ways, and all in all Sera feels the tension release from her body. “Iiiiii,” she begins, trailing out the beginning of her statement before she turns to him with her chin raised, coat on full display, “bought myself this beautiful new coat.” She chimes before beginning to walk again. “Today’s an off day for me. I can’t help but to go and indulge.” A bit of explanation before she’s glancing sidelong at him with that same playful smile. “What do you say I treat you to some hot chocolate and perhaps browse for something for you or that Lullaby of yours?”

tickle that cheek and take your throne
pump your veins with gushing gold