on the coast of somewhere

right now everything you want is wrong
& right now all your dreams are waking up

'It likes games.' Remi offers. "Checkers, chess...hangman, tag..." He shrugs. 'It...is more reasonable than I've ever found Safrin to be, but just as tricky in its own way. Listen carefully to the words it uses.'

And then, for someone saying over and over how not strong he was, Remi finds himself suddenly in the sand. Trying to inhale and finding his lungs absolutely not replying to his request, the latent pain that flares up through his chest would be enough to steal any air he'd managed to sip anyway. On his hands and knees with the icy water dragging the sand around him, it's only after several moments that the Lullaby is able to look up at the Flood, backlit and towering.

"Fuck." Remi wheezes, wiping the flecks of blood from the side of his mouth with his arm, before reaching one of his hands up. The least Sunjata could do was help him to his feet. "I guess I should have expected that, from someone who runs a boxing ring." He grumbles good-naturedly. There's no one who has the stamina to take a beating quite like the Lullaby, but it seems that even here in a dream, he let himself feel every ounce of pain there would have been in the real world.

"Again?"

The Lullaby

// grass stains cut my bloody knees, it's goodpain, it means i can't be phased
that little death inside my sides, won't make it right //

If he’s being honest, hanged man suits Ludo. And perhaps it’s easier to pick a game or a toy than it is for all the beautiful things he tries to bring Safrin.  Beautiful things weren’t exactly Sunjata’s forte, a go to method of make it pretty but deadly his typical first choice. But he nods, regardless, taking in the tidbit of information come Flowerbirth where he’d be able to dive into figuring out what the hell is happening.

For now, though, a swift punch to Remi sates him enough. He doesn’t expect it to take the Lullaby down so far, though, some sort of internal ‘holy shit’ moment that lends him to realizing that perhaps he isn’t as useless as previously thought. Though he’s always been more of a bruiser than a quick minded man. So he extends his hand, helping Remi up, offering him a grin that isn’t apologetic in the slightest but a bit lighter. “The face is a good target but it’s far better to knock the wind out of someone, I think.” He hums, reaching up to pat Remi on the shoulder.

At the prospect of again, however, he raises a brow toward the Lullaby. “I feel much better actually, but if you want another one I’d be happy to oblige.” His tone takes on that regality of Korofi, but the grin that remains on his face is nothing short of boyish and bright.

he wins every time i find myself inside, alone all night

SUNJATA

right now everything you want is wrong
& right now all your dreams are waking up

"You know, I think I'll pass." The alchemist replies with a crooked smile, his fingertips massaging the mess of scar tissue that Sunjata had to spectacularly hit. Sunjata's change in tone is something the Lullaby certainly notices, not that he can really place the change. Later, he'll realize that it's not unlike when Ronin pulls out his lofty baron-blueblood phrasing. For now though, Remi is happy just to get air back in his lungs and stand up straight.

"Well, I'll leave you to your dreams then." He very much doubted either of them would be sleeping well for the foreseeable future, but it wouldn't help either of them to toil about in Sunjata's unconscious. Remi knew too well from experience how easy it would be lose themselves here. And without Ronin to pull them out, they could be lost forever.

"See you when I see you." The Lullaby says with a small and sad smile, before vanishing and letting the dreamworld revert back to whatever Sunjata's mind needed it to be.

~FIN

The Lullaby