never claimed to be a saint

Hey, starchild, are you listening?

On a sunny afternoon where a brisk wind chased the heat-haze from the sky, a girl and her dragon approached an alchemist's shop with the intent to make a house call. They came bearing gifts; one box of treats, another with the sort of various impersonal toys one might offer a child you didn't actually know, and a bouquet of flowers to top it all off tucked beneath an arm. The flowers were already wilting, because Seren was oblivious to the fine art of planning purchases in advance, and had spontaneoulsy pounced on the florist shop the first thing she did.

In fact, this whole visit was improvised. Belatedly, as she shuffled the burdens about and tried to open the door to the Mortar and Pestle, she wondered if she should have sent a note. Or told her father that she wanted to visit. But the idea of them not actually being home or having time for her was quickly punted aside.
"Hello? Anyone home?" she called out cheerfully, while shunting her parcels off onto a counter. Curious scents greeted her, of herbs and chemicals and things she did not have the words for. Umbra's piercing trills joined in with her voice, calling for Sugar to come and play.

Humming with anticipation - picturing looks on their faces they would no doubt have at this most unexpected surprise - Seren looked about the shop, hands behind her back. It was tempting to touch all the shiny bits and baubles, but making a mess or inadvertently causing something to explode was not on her to-do-list.

Seren

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

"mmmm?" Remi's hum is musical, emanating from somewhere behind the staircase that twirled into the upper level. Poking his head out in time to see Seren place a number of things down onto the counter, the alchemist blinks to himself wondering if he'd forgotten about plans that Ronin said he'd made with his daughter.

Emerging, Remi wipes some blue paint from his hands with a cloth that was likely adding more colour onto his palms than it was taking away. "Hallo Seren." He sings out warmly. Long gone are the days of keeping the girl at arm's length. She was not his daughter, but that didn't mean he didn't care about her. Once the line was clearly drawn between Aoife and Seren, the alchemist found it rather easy to love Ronin's second daughter; her mother notwithstanding.

"What brings you by?"

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Hey, starchild, are you listening?

At least some of her fears were squashed when a reply came from somewhere within. When Remi showed up, Seren greeted him with a wide smile and open arms, offering - or perhaps pleading for - warm hugs. Paint be damned; blue was her color anyway.

"Hello, you! This is a surprise invasion!" She made a grand gesture towards the parcels. "I brought cake! And gifts for Mateo. And I have a companion now." Another flourish of her hands introduced the dragon. Or rather, the spot where the dragon had been last; Umbra was already on the other end of the store, halfway up a shelf where something smelled very interesting. Hurriedly, Seren fluttered after to retrieve him before anything broke.

"Please tell me the others are home, too? And that this is not a terrible time?" The question was asked over a shoulder, as she tried to pry sharp talons from wood. She was not exactly pleading. There was too much self-awareness in her laughter for that; but you could always hope that your plans worked out, right? Right.

Seren

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

With a surprised but not unhappy smile, Remi gestures vaguely to the paint he's covered with, notes Seren's lack of concern, before drawing her against him. 'An invasion?' He wonders, chuckling against the top of her head. 'Well if it comes with cake and gifts, I surrender.' Pulling back that he might spy the final offering Seren had mentioned, he was treated to her dragonling knocking a small glass vial off one of the shelves where it shattered, immediately releasing something that smelled like lilac and faintly glowed. "Do not worry about that." Remi calls with a casual shrug.

It wasn't like Mateo wasn't breaking things in here all the time.

"Ah...I...do not believe they are. Ronin is at an Order meeting  about everything that happened in Torchline recently, and Mateo is at school." Watching, utterly amused to see Seren trying and wrangle her dragon, Remi folds his arms comfortably across his chest. "Just me I am afraid."

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Hey, starchild, are you listening?

Remi's surprise about the hug hurt a bit. Did he think she didn't care about him? Or that she somehow didn't want to be close to him? Seren squeezed him tighter than was strictly necessary to hide the sudden insecurities, and rattled on at the same breathless pace. Stumbling over herself to chase down thoughts and dragons before they could disappear.

"Whatever that is, I might want some," Seren said about the spilled vial, even as she tried not to grimace too wildly about the broken glass. The scent reminded her of her mother, and that glow... it was interesting. Hefting the dragon over a shoulder, she kept him pinned there despite loud protests and returned to Remi with a sheepish smile. "This homewrecker is Umbra," she introduced. "Remember that time we went swimming and found a blue seashell? He is the result."

Hearing that neither father nor brother was home didn't really come as a surprise. It only confirmed a nagging suspicion, and Seren waved it off with an exasperated laugh. At herself, and impulsivity. "Don't be sorry! One out of three is a wonderful outcome. Besides, there's more cake for you now! And I haven't seen you in a long time." Tilting her head aside, Seren looked him over from top to toe. Scrutinizing, though she had never been able to read his expressions well. "How are you?"

Seren

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

Feeling Seren's flighty rush of upset as her arms wrap around him, Remi frowns down at the top of her head, biting at the inside of his cheek. Likely she knew little of his magical abilities when it came to this sort of thing, and being of the age she was, he decided not to pry.

"Absolutely. I had made it for when Mateo was having trouble sleeping and liked to sleep with the light on." Remi shrugs a touch, both missing that stage of parenthood, and yet being incredibly relieved it was over. 'I do remember.' Turning toward the dragonling, the alchemist nods his head politely in his direction. "Hallo Umbra." Glancing towards Seren with a crooked smile, Remi tilts his head. "I see Sugar hasn't killed him yet. That is a good thing." Sugar, as they all well knew, was incredibly protective of her family and unapologetically jealous as well.

Grinning at the prospect of more cake, Remi moves to the front door to turn the open sign around so that it would read closed. "Shall we eat outside?"

As for how he was? Well. His relationship with Isla had ended, he'd rather abruptly found himself sleeping with the ex-wife of Ronin's best friend and his now MortAl EnEmY, oh, and there was war on the horizon. None of this seemed appropriate to discuss with Seren though, and so Remi merely shrugs his shoulders. "My work in the Greatwood is coming along well enough. There was a fire in the Grounds around the same time as in Torchline, so I spent a few days there helping to rebuild the infirmary."

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Hey, starchild, are you listening?

"That is lovely. Can you make it in other colors? Imagine the kind of paintings one could make with the stuff, that both smelled lovely and glowed in the dark!" The dragon in her arms strained to be let down again, and with a quiet admonishment not to break anything else, Seren complied. Umbra settled for sniffing Remi's toes instead, and sneezed a few times in a rather offensive manner.

Going to pick up the carton box with the cake, Seren nodded at the question of where to dine, and gestured for her host to lead the way.
"I'm glad to hear that things are going well, but none of that tells me how you are," she commented shrewdly. But if he preferred not to speak of personal matters with her, she would not insist.

"Have you heard anything more about what the cause was for the fires? I'm afraid the burning of the Slagveld has received more attention than the hospital fires so far. But maybe that's because they have a clue as to who did it now..." A rush of guilt was quickly swallowed down before it could touch her face; Seren knew she had done the right thing. Hoped, and wished she had not done more harm than good.

Seren

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

"Not all colours work as well." Remi replies with a thoughtful twitch of his lips. "Ronin has used a few while doing paintings for Safrin...though he's never asked for more.." Frowning, the alchemist is left to wonder if that meant they didn't work for painting as well as he thought they might, or that the Star just wasn't as creative as his daughter?

Glancing down at the dragon with a raised brow—the alchemist had never really been one to keep himself as well-groomed as his counterpart—Remi glances back toward Seren with a small shrug. "I am alright." He says after a moment. Necessarily there was a certain amount of distance between he and the starchild, if only because of his slightly parental role in her life.

"I...know at least about the fire at the Bar and the Guild." Both hospitals were a complete mystery to him, though. "It was not the Order, that is all I know. Given that they were attacks on medical facilities, I can only think it was personal against Nate or Isla. Why else go after the innocent? Even in times of war...that is...very much not a thing which is done."

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Hey, starchild, are you listening?

"I would be happy to try them out for you, if you ever feel like expanding on the idea," Seren offered cheerfully. She missed painting; it was something she had not given herself much time for since leaving her mother.

His reticent reply was met with a smile and a shrug of acceptance - she wouldn't pry - and with boxes securely held, Seren followed him outside. Unpacking the one with the cake, she offered it to Remi with a grin; whether he wanted utensils and plates or to simply carve off pieces with the hands was entirely up to him. She was not picky.

"Maybe it's someone trying to make sparks fly?" she suggested, swiping some cream with a finger. "If both hospitals were tended by Ascended... I mean, there almost has to be more fanatics than the Order out there." She thought of the Fae. The face floating into her thoughts belonged to Juniper though, and it was hard to imagine the kind woman doing anything so vicious.

"Couldn't you ask Ludo about it? If anyone would know..." Seren gazed uncertainly at her step-father. This was not a topic they had ever talked about before, to her knowledge.

Seren

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

Taking a seat, Remi eyes the cake with a look of eager anticipation. Indeed were it just he and Ronin, he would have thought nothing of using his talons and fingers to eat. Mateo and Seren both brought out his...more mannered side, rusty as it was. Creating a knife and plates from seemingly thin air, the alchemist cuts two slices for them, handing Seren hers first. "Eat quickly though. These memories are not particularly strong." He says of the plates with a slight shrug.

'It could be, I suppose. The fae are the only other group, but...' He shakes his head, thinking similar thoughts to those of his step-daughter. "I do not believe there are enough fae willing to take part that the attacks could have been done by both, though." The mention of Ludo has Remi's fork pausing halfway to his mouth. Blinking, he sets his fork down onto his plate with a dull frown.

"Perhaps. I...choose carefully what I speak to Ludo about. Not only because of the potential consequences but because of what such things might entail." Ruffling a hand through his curls, Remi's jaw feathers for a moment as he considers his words. "I have not yet been asked to actively work against the ascended. Others have, but not yet me. To push the issue...might change that."

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Hey, starchild, are you listening?

The cutlery appearing from nothing set blue eyes to glitter with curiosity. Accepting her plate, Remi's caution was met with a hungry grin.
"Not a problem," she assured, and started right away by inhaling a big forkful. As she savored the sweet, creamy deliciousness that was cake, she inspected the plate as if she might somehow be able to see the line where dream - no, memory, was it? - met reality. But for the moment there was nothing to distinguish one from the other that she could see. Which was an interesting observation, worthy of it's own conversation when there was time to wax philosophy.

Listening meanwhile, she hummed and swallowed as something in Remi's words sparked with her.
"What makes you think it's done by a group?" she asked him. "I mean... I agree it's strange that two hospitals were targeted at the same time, but what if that's just coincidence?"

Seren looked up when Remi stilled, sensing the slight shift in mood. The caution puzzled her at first, used to Safrin's motherly patience and generosity as she was - but perhaps Ludo wasn't the parenting sort.

"Would... Ludo force you to do so, against your will?" she asked softly. "Can't you just.. say no?" But even as she said that, the girl realized that it probably wasn't that easy. The idea that she would deny Safrin anything was... impossible to imagine.

Seren

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

"You are absolutely your father's daughter." Remi chuckles warmly, watching Seren dive in to her cake. It makes the alchemist long for all the time he and Star had missed out on with Seren, while she was up in the sky with Safrin. Exhaling out this strange nostalgia, Remi dives into his own food instead.

Her question gives him pause, and it's only once he's swallowed down a bit of frosting that he's able to answer. "Well...in one sense it is quite easy to simply light a building on fire, but in another, it isn't. You need the materials, the time, the opportunity. Usually these things call attention to you...and so having a group makes it that much easier." He says with a shrug. "And I suppose right now with all that is happening...it is easiest to think of these things as being orchestrated by groups. But you are right, they might not be at all."

Pulling in a slow breath, Remi can only nod. "It would not be against my will though. Ludo...holds your brother's life in its hands. If I disobey, there is nothing to stop the herald from taking him away from us."

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Hey, starchild, are you listening?

Both of them, she might have agreed had her mouth not been too full to speak. As it so happened it was, and she could only nudge him playfully in response, brimming with playful affection. Sometimes the alchemist came off as cold and distant to her, but then there were moments like these that made up for all of it.

"What will happen when you find out who it was?" she asked, accepting the difficulty in pinning down a culprit. Even if they were found... it had been in the Grounds, and in Torchline. Far off places where none of them had much say in official matters.

Her fork paused midway to the mouth as Remi went on. The creamy sweetness on her tongue became a cloying film, slightly nauseating. Mateo was a hostage? And what about herself... was she a shackle to control Ronin?
"They wouldn't!" she protested - but it came out weakly, because suddenly Seren was not so very sure. "Right? He's a child." As if that had ever mattered in war.

Seren

REMI

the alchemist

What good are hands
if there's nothing that they hold

"When I find out?" Remi's jaw feathers. "Whoever attacked Isla's infirmary will have to deal with me." He cared little for what started or encouraged the blaze, only that his best friend had nearly lost her life because of her. "I...already do know about the cause of the fires the bar and guild." He volunteers awkwardly. "The Wren society is really none of my concern." Since, you know, he and Nate hated one another.

It doesn't take empathy magic to read the concern on Seren's face. Setting his plate down, Remi folds his fingers together and offers her his full attention. "They would. And have before." Was Seren just as much of a pawn? She absolutely was.

And what good are hearts
if you bury them all alone?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!