Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
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right now everything you want is wrong & right now all your dreams are waking up
'I suppose if we're staying in Stormbreak it's something I should consider more." Remi says, deflating against the wall and thinking that forgetting about Finn might just be the easiest solution. "Maybe Ludo can just...make me invisible to him. Just block me out completely." Was that more or less absurd than fixing things with Finn would be? Honestly, Remi has no idea anymore. 'I'll...I suppose I'd write him a letter and let him know I'll be here more, but that I won't seek him out. That I'd try and avoid him if possible."
Ronin says it takes two to tango like it's easy to just evade a demigod with his tongue between your legs. She had, in the end and Remi had relented, but even so...'I'd much prefer sex with you.' He says after a moment, his smile perhaps a touch shy as he fidgets with the blanket draped over him.
"Where's the line?" Remi's boyish smile is gone now, as he looks solemnly across the floorboards that separate him from his Star. "With Safrin. Is there anything you won't do for her?" Not said with any accusation, Remi just wonders. Would Ronin kill for her? Betray for her? If it was Safrin vs. Remi? Safrin and Mateo vs. Remi? Safrin's will against Nate and Isla, and the rest of the ascended?
The Lullaby
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"We're staying in Stormbreak now?" Ronin can't hide the way everything about him warms at the thought; he's betrayed by his dazzle for starters, and the light within him both brightens and softens at the same time. It's not even that he thinks Remi is serious - the other man might simply be referring to his increased visits - but even hearing it is enough to fill him up with hope. "I think if you were invisible it would just be an excuse to stalk him." It's only half a joke. "Crazy idea, but maybe you could ask Finn again, what he wants. Maybe it will have changed, if you are here more often..."
The Star nearly chokes on the breath he draws in to hear the conversation, however briefly, turn to the thing that has been used to cover up their problems (and it's very, very good at it, too). Flushing at the mere thought of being between Remi's thighs, Ronin clears his throat. "As would I," he manages. "But for now maybe I can buy you a drink? If you're lucky perhaps we can even hold hands."
The moment deflates as quickly as it appears, and Ronin drops his gaze to stare at the floor. "I told her I wouldn't defy her again," he admits. "And I don't think I can, save for you. I..." He chews over his words carefully. "I play a dangerous game with her, Remi. And it's one I'm very new at, so right now, I can only say that the line is you."
03-08-2021, 02:26 AM (This post was last modified: 03-08-2021, 05:07 AM by Remi.)
right now everything you want is wrong & right now all your dreams are waking up
Had Remi known about such things, he might have said something corny like, I'd rather hell with you, than heaven alone. But he doesn't, so instead he opts for a small smile and dimpled cheeks, and a simple: "Where you go, I go." His blush and the way he looks slowly up at Ronin—shyly, almost—says as much as he ever could about whether he cares about the consequences of abandoning his post.
"I can already leave my body." Remi points out. "And hide in his dreams." It's a good thing Finn isn't around to hear this conversation, lest his sanity be taken away completely. Still, Ronin wasn't wrong. "But you're right. Crazy of an idea as it is, maybe I will ask him."
It's a handy thing Remi has the blanket draped over him, because seeing the Star's blush is an absolute detriment to continued rational thought as blood flows from one head and down to another. "Do you even buy drinks, around here?" Remi manages through an equally tight throat. "I thought there were fights and bets and favours and whatnot." But the answer was obviously yes. "Mmm, not so fast there. Everyone else might swoon when you wiggle your eyebrows, but I know—" he almost says where the bodies are buried, opting instead for: "—what grows between your toes and what it smells like. Maybe you could start by lending me some clothes, though."
Before that though, there is perhaps this last thing. "Maybe we need...some sort of Safrin code. Because there's the line, and then there's what the line appears to be." Making little sense, the alchemist shakes his head. "I mean...if there was a way for you to let me know, without letting her know, that what might look like betrayal, isn't." Then, doing his best imitation of Ronin (which is all eyebrows and far too much accent), says: "Remi I'm done with your shite and I'm Safrin's man now. Maybe we'll meet on the beaches of Northaven one day, though." He shrugs. "That way I'll know it isn't real."
The Lullaby
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Remi's words only succeed in making Ronin shine brighter, and he clears his throat around the happy sob that almost wants to warble out of him. "And what about the Greatwood?" he asks softly. Because let it be known that if his husband should want to stay in Stormbreak with him, there are few forces in Caido that will stop Ronin from doing everything he can to make it happen. But he also doesn't want to risk the same sort of consequences from Ludo on Remi as he'd suffered with Safrin.
"If that ever changes, though," he adds, "and if you ever don't want to be in Stormbreak, you tell me okay?" It sounds silly given the nature of their whole conversation, but he has to say it anyway.
Just like he has to say what comes next, Ronin scrunching his nose a bit to hear Remi talk about hiding himself away in Finn's dreams. "That's creepy and it freaks me out," he informs him. "Maybe don't lead with that." Exhaling a sigh, it feels so good to be honest that the Star almost feels as though a physical weight is being lifted from his shoulders, and he scoffs out a laugh that even sounds half genuine.
"Favours rule Stormbreak, yes." he confirms, looking away from Remi lest both of them accidentally stumble off topic and into bed together. "And I will have you know that nothing grows between my toes since I started wearing shoes again and walking on cobblestones." He lifts his chin, haughty as can be, but nonetheless gets himself on his feet for Remi. "I think I can do that," he says of the clothes, approaching the trunk where he keeps his belongings and drawing out a shirt (new, but undoubtedly Remi's size and taste) and a pair of pants to throw to his husband.
"I had started getting together some things for you, when you were visiting more often," he explains, a little bashfully.
Luckily, the Safrin code distracts him enough to bounce back, and Ronin tilts his head at the Lullaby. "I think the beaches of Northaven will do nicely, given that It's already stuck in my head," he says. "It's a deal."
right now everything you want is wrong & right now all your dreams are waking up
'Well, I'll need something to keep myself busy with while you're off at WoRk." Remi hums with a shrug. "And with Ianto still there, it'll be easy enough to go back and forth. " And if anyone had anything to say about it, gods or otherwise, they knew absolutely where to find him.
"I will." Remi agrees. And this time? He would.
Unable to help it, the alchemist snorts at his husband's characterization of his mental breaking-and-entering as creepy. "I know. And I haven't, just so you know. I don't actually go and watch him." Though Remi's frown and fading expression very much suggests that it's something he's thought about.
Ronin might have looked away, but that only invites Remi's gaze all the more as if it's suddenly safer to look upon him. "Oh, you've been checking, have you? You and your tight hamstrings have been able to bend that far, have they?" The alchemist's chuckle is one of I'll believe it when I see it, but having Ronin fold himself in half is probably not the sort of thing they should be aiming for quite yet.
Undoubtedly one of the strangest feelings thus far, is the overwhelming shyness that washes over Remi as he accepts the clothes from Ronin. He hardly looks at them, or the Star, but instead turns his face into the shadows to hide his sudden blush. He'd arrived naked—had yelled at Ronin naked—but now suddenly it was all he could do not to clutch the blanket closer around himself.
"I....should really work on a way to arrive with clothes." He mumbles, trying to turn away from his husband as casually as possible to change (read: it wasn't casual at all, but awkward and bashful). Slipping into the things given to him—they fit perfectly and look all the better for Ronin having chosen them—Remi tries to smooth his curls down into something manageable. "So..about that drink."
The Lullaby
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"We both have WoRk to do, thank you. It's just mine involves looking dashing and rubbing elbows with Stormbreak's dusty elite. Yours is more to do with digging in the dirt." It would sound more mocking than it is were it not for the almost adoring smile on Ronin's face as he says it, and he nods as Remi agrees to speak up if and when things change. And he really believes he will, too.
So now it's just the strangely mundane task of getting dressed to take care of, which - after all they've been through in the past couple of weeks - is a startlingly awkward affair. Ronin also feels flushed as he turns away to grab at his own clothes, changing with his back to Remi as if worried that the other man might see more than he ought to. (And maybe because he wants him to see more, and he wants it to lead to all those unhealthy places they're trying to avoid on the heels of a serious talk).
"Good," he says of Finn - and of anyone else, for that matter. "You can just watch me and my tight hamstrings instead." As if to demonstrate, Ronin leans forward as if to touch his toes (and check for what's growing between them), only to overbalance ever so slightly, and softly bonk into the wall before straightening up. "See?" he says, his voice wobbly with his attempt to contain his laughter. "Graceful. Like a swan."
Once they are finally dressed, Ronin turns to the Lullaby and finds himself smiling at Remi's feet rather than his face, nodding his head. "It's dawn," he informs the other man, "so I'm afraid it will be coffee rather than wine, at least for now. What do you say?" Almost nervously, Ronin holds out his hand for the Lullaby.
right now everything you want is wrong & right now all your dreams are waking up
"Gods, it's a good thing one of us is staying grounded and humble." The alchemist replies with an adoring roll of his eyes. Ronin isn't wrong at all, but his phrasing screams Baron, and Remi is once again reminded of just how classist Stormbreak is.
Turn to watch Remi does indeed, and it's probably for the best that it ends in Ronin stumbling forward, for already there are places in Remi's body that refuse to listen to reason, that are all too keen to help the Star limber up. 'Ronin Talieswan." The alchemist says, trying to hide how flustered he already feels behind a laugh.
'I don't know why this feels so..' But he doesn't know the word for it. Weird? New? High stakes? Strange? Hopeful? But as Remi looks at his husband's offered hand, butterflies take flight in his stomach and he's suddenly incredibly self-conscious about whether or not his palms might be sweaty or if his hands are too rough. Laughing nervously, Remi slips his hand into Ronin's, but can't quite relax into the feeling. Not immediately anyway. 'I both love and hate this.' The alchemist admits, hesitantly raising his eyes to Ronin from where they'd settled near his elbow.
The Lullaby
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"I'm sorry - I'll rephrase. My work involves sitting in a thousand boring meetings and talking to a thousand boring people. You on the other hand, are excavating the future of Stormbreak and the Greatwood. It's the rise of an empire, if you really think about it." He nods to Remi, like this is the most serious thing in the world. And it probably is, to the Order and to everyone contributing to all that both men are doing.
Snorting to hear the pun (gods he has missed his husband's puns, however terrible they might be), the Lullaby isn't the only one flustered or blushing as their hands slip against one another. "It feels new," he admits, savouring the cool touch of the man suddenly holding his hand, wondering suddenly whether he's squeezing too hard or if his hands are freezing cold. "That and... well. I think this is the longest I've gone without touching you since the blight, dreams aside."
Loving and hating it sounds about right, though, and he huffs out a soft laugh and nods. "It's not a bad thing," he decides eventually, moving to open the door to his rooms. "And I suppose I will need to find somewhere else for us to live..."
right now everything you want is wrong & right now all your dreams are waking up
'You are far too good at that.' Remi points out with a smile that dimples his cheeks. "I can see why the Order wants you though. Making things sound far more impressive than they have any right to be, seems right up their alley."
Is this how they normally hold hands? Fingers interlaced? Would it be better if their hands were clasped, or..."It does, yeah." Remi agrees, boyishly flustered and wondering if Ronin would be able to hear the thud of his heart as much as he'd feel it against his finger. "Well...You put your arm around me on the porch outside of Sunjata's." The alchemist replies, but even he knows that didn't really count. It was strange and procedural, and based on everything they'd said together today, not as genuine as holding each other's hands now, was.
'Yeah...I was going to say..' As light streaks into the small room, Remi winces slightly and shakes his head. "I definitely don't want to live here. But..." Like teenagers who can't bear to part, the alchemist holds tight to Ronin's hand despite how much harder it makes for the Star to close and lock the door behind them. "..is the Tower our only other option? Now that you're part of the Order?"
The Lullaby
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
03-08-2021, 06:23 PM (This post was last modified: 03-08-2021, 07:12 PM by Ronin.)
RONIN
the darkstar
light is easy to love.
Ronin can't help but preen under Remi's compliments, sidling out of the room and trying (and failing, and trying again) to get the door locked one handed. "Well," he says, "even if that is true, I only use my powers for good. Or I try to, anyway. I don't think I would want to make anything sound overinflated when it comes to us, any more. I quite like this whole..." He rolls his shoulders, trying to find the words for it. "This," he settles on, lamely.
Giving the alchemist's hand a gentle squeeze, Ronin offers his husband a quick glance and a small smile. "I could put my arm around you now if you wanted," he says, similarly gunshy in a way that is simultaneously adorable and infuriating. Thoughts of where they might live now, in Stormbreak, is absolutely preferable to thinking about the sad little space in the barracks where he's been moping for so long.
"I don't think the Tower is compulsory..." He's honestly not sure, though. "It seems a little broody, compared to what we are used to. I was thinking you might like something a little more central." He's lying, and he catches himself with a bashful grin. "Rather, I think it would be good if you could see people, a bit more. Too easy to shut yourself away in the Tower."
right now everything you want is wrong & right now all your dreams are waking up
"I agree." Remi says quietly, but only because his lips are twisting so strongly against the smile that wants to overtake them that it's hard to speak.
Losing the battle, Remi looks down at their feet, unable to hide his blush or the shivery sort of laugh that leaves him. 'I remember once asking if I could kiss you, and you said that we didn't ask each other that." Looking ruffled, and boyish and flustered, Remi's eyes rise for just a moment nervous bashfully dropping again. "But I suppose we do now." Squeezing Ronin's hand, the alchemist gives his head a little shake. "I...really like this."
And he really, really, did.
"Broody and full." Of Cian's, and Amalia's, and Sera's, and Finn's and gods knew who else. Glancing sidelong at Ronin as he corrects himself, Remi rolls his eyes slightly and nods. 'This wouldn't be you thinking you know what's best for me, is it?' Remi wonders softly. It'll take them both time to break bad habits, but at least they're noticing things now. "But you aren't wrong. I do think I've been away from...normalcy for too long. So...what are our options?"
The Lullaby
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"I suppose we do now," Ronin echoes, not sounding remotely sad about it. Rather ask and make sure than risk falling into old, unhealthy ways of being. So as Remi shakes his head and glances down at their feet, Ronin gives his hand a warm and gentle squeeze, starting to lead them off down the corridor and resisting the urge to simply lean in and kiss the other man. It's one of the habits that will be hardest to break, he thinks, but... at least this way, when it does happen, it'll feel more incredible than ever.
Humming out an agreement about the Tower being full, Ronin glances suddenly to his husband, and it's with a dawning sense of horror that he realises Remi is right. "Oh, gods. It would be, yes." He winces, offering an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, even if you do agree with me." And so, moving on, he thinks carefully before giving all the options.
"So there are the Silk Houses, which you've seen. It's Stormbreak's seedier side, but there's a lot of entertainment, plenty of places to drink and fight and play cards," he explains. "There's the Pacifist Plaza. It's Stormbreak's main square. Lots of markets, businesses, stalls, that sort of thing. It's quite close to the Celestine. There's also the Falling, where the skyboats are kept, and of course the area around the Tower and the Dragon's Nest."
Smiling and heading down a few steps, Ronin tilts his head towards Remi. "Where would you like to live?"
right now everything you want is wrong & right now all your dreams are waking up
Remi's smile is entirely understanding. "We're both going to fuck this up a lot, I expect." He says, and where before he might have just pulsed his fingers against Ronin's and carried on, now he takes the time to let one of his fingers slowly stroke up the side of his husband's, as he nods again.
Listening to the options, Remi can't help but laugh, releasing the breath he'd inadvertently been holding. "Where I would like to live is hidden away in the Celestine. Or perhaps in a house that hangs far over the side of the Falling." He admits, shooting Ronin a crooked smile. "But where I think we should live sounds like the Plaza, honestly. I think the Silk Houses play a little too much into habits we're trying to break, and I'm not sure being around the Dragon's Nest would give me the forced societal interactions I need."
So while Ronin was right about it all, Remi did appreciate being part of the decision. It was a small thing perhaps, but having just learned how small things could become very large things, he was glad for having talked about it. "You know more about the Order than I do..is there a Realtor we speak to now?" He's grinning, but only half-kidding. "And, speaking of, what stupid name have they given you?"
The Lullaby
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Well, at least we are here to fuck it up together," Ronin says, and whilst it was intended to come out as a lighthearted quip, there's something far too relieved in his tone to make it click. They are together, and he tries not to shiver at the tickle of Remi's finger brushing against his own, having to look away so as not to make his goofy smile so painfully obvious. Clearing his throat, he reaches out to push open the doors to the barracks, holding one open for Remi to step out into the morning light of the Dragon's Nest.
Raising a brow to hear Remi's ideal place to live, instinctively Ronin wants to tell him he can have it. He can have whatever he wants, no matter what happens, but that's yet another bad habit worth breaking, and instead he settles on the proposed middle ground as if it's something he's never experienced before. "I would like the Plaza as well," he admits with a nod. "Ah, but... do you know, it's forbidden in the Plaza to fight or be violent? Even towards criminals. I don't know if that changes your mind."
A soft, FlowerBirth breeze tousles his dark hair, and it carries a sweetness on the air that he's not sure he's paid attention to since returning to Stormbreak. "Well," he says, "we could go to the Plaza and get some breakfast, and see if there are any vacant houses we could ask about? And then I suppose I would need to speak to Cian about it, to get it all confirmed." As for his stupid name?
Ronin snorts and glances sidelong at Remi. "Guess," he invites. "I form part of the Stormbreak Dragoons. We are currently in the Dragon's Nest. Sugar is a..." He waits for Remi to finish the sentence.
