[God Quest] while i fish for dreams

what. They had come upon the Oasis by the time the glowstones were in full... well... glow. How the waters hadn't frozen over with the snows was anyone's guess, but Ronin was full glad it wasn't the case. He had laid his coat out upon the ground, having removed the net and the bundle of ashes (and his lobster). That done, he had carefully settled Remi upon the coat where he would hopefully be as comfortable as possible. "Would you be able to make that fishtank now, please? I would very much appreciate it." He flashed a grin over his shoulder to the alchemist. Ronin was stood at the shores of the Oasis, having let Echo splash away into the freezing depths - something that the lobster absolutely wasn't bothered by, it seemed. All the better for Ronin, for she surfaced every now and then to bring him a pale, cold pebble from the depths, which Ronin plucked up to cradle in the crook of his arm. Once he had enough, he left Echo to enjoy herself for a bit and padded back to Remi.

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Remi had been quite used to be carted around by Ronin, such that when he was placed down—however gently and despite being on the coat—he found himself a little annoyed that he was no longer snugly wrapped around his friend's neck. With his tail curled tightly around his paws, Remi looked up at Ronin with narrowed golden eyes, bearing sharp white teeth in the darkness as he huffed. The alchemist had learned that he could not perform magic while in animal form, and now was he eager to spend the rest of the evening as a weird conglomeration of raccoon and man. So, shifting into a crossed-legged position, he raised a brow at Ronin. "Glad to be of service." He snarked with a softly amused grin on his lips.

Looking to his left, a tank of roughly the dimensions Ronin had required appeared. The glass was thick so that it would be sturdier, but given that it was magically constructed there weren't any weak points from where the tank was fused together.

Glancing disapprovingly as Echo dropped into the water, Remi glanced up at Ronin with a bemused smile. "So are you doing any part of this quest on your own, or has it been entirely contracted out?" He quipped, nodding towards the disappearing ripples from where Echo had dove below the surface.

Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.

what. "I was so hoping that you would say that." Ronin smiled to his friend, unable not to cackle a little at his obvious distrust of the lobster that had gone to frolic in the lapping waves of the Oasis. Returning to the tank - the perfectly suited-to-purpose tank, he might add - Ronin set the pebbles down into it, as well as the ashes he had gathered from the glade. That done, he hefted the tank towards the Oasis and set about scooping water into it with a large, curved shell he'd found nearby. Soon enough it was filled up, the ashes starting to settle in the bottom. "Oi," he snarked at Remi, smirking and grabbing up his net. "I am actually catching the fish, thank you. That is the most difficult part!" With a toss of his head that spoke of 'watch and learn', Ronin removed his shoes and marched unceremoniously into the freezing waters. His shriek at the cold was positively manly.

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Remi watched Ronin work, not bothering to lift a hand at all to help. He was wounded after all, and had done a good deal more than Ronin had already. Probably. Maybe? Well it wasn't his quest after all, and though he knew only what Bastien and Ronin had told him about Safrin, he felt quite sure that had Ludo or Frey given him a task to complete, they would have displeased if he didn't do the bulk of the work himself.

And so he watched Ronin splash about, raising a surprised brow as the ex-captain removed his shoves and—

"—a bit brisk, Ronin?" He chuckled merrily, wrapping his scarf tighter around his neck and grinning at Ronin's back.

Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.

what. "nO i aM FiNe." Ronin didn't sound fine, and he stood trembling in the shallows with his hands clutching at the net. Shivering violently as if to shock himself out of it, Ronin waddled a little further into the Oasis before letting out a long, deep breath and standing stock still, eyes scanning the dark depths for a telltale sign of a pale dreamfish. He was worried, honestly, that he would freeze his toes off before he actually came across one of the creatures, but as his (significant, thankfully) luck would have it, one of the creatures swam lazily about the surface to hope for a snack. Silently, Ronin waited for his moment. Remi would know when that moment came, because there was an almighty splash as the guildmaster cast his net, and a bark of victiorious laughter when he emerged with the fish wiggling about in it. "Gotchu!" He cackled, releasing the fish into the tank and beaming at his friend.

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"Mmmm, I can see that." Remi chuckled, picking up a same handful of snow and thinking about tossing it into the water to scare away the fish. Though as amusing as that might be, it was quite cold and as much fun as sneaking away into the middle of the night with Ronin was, Remi actually was feeling quite drained.

Recoiling slightly as Ronin flailed in the water, Remi moving to stand as if expecting that his friend had caught some sort of primordial shark rather than the slender-scaled fish he was after, he edged away from the tank as Ronin unceremoniously plopped it in, sending rivulets of water towards the wounded alchemist.

"Nice." Remi groaned, wiping at his eyes and then raising a skeptical brow towards his friend as if to ask, alright, what now?

Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.

As soon as the fish splashed into the tank, starlight seemed to explode from the water like some cosmic rush of energy. The area surrounding the pool was flooded with light, enough to make the glowstones look absolutely dim and burnt out in comparison. Sat on a small pillar that certainly had not been there moments ago, was Safrin. Dressed simply in all black, her eyes alight with starsheen and the smile on her painted lips absolutely effervescent, she looked towards Ronin with a welcoming and wide smile. "I knew I could count on you, sugar." She said with a dreamy wink, raising and stepping forward on long and slender legs. Her feet were bare, but she seemed entirely un-bothered by the snow or the chill. In fact, both men would find that they similarly did not seem to feel the cold any longer. Glancing at the tank and the fish inside, Safrin's nose crinkled delicately as she shook her head. "These creatures can place you into dream states, you know. To let you live out experiences you would otherwise be unable to face. It sounds like a blessing but..." Her smile somehow grew more charming as she tutted softly at the small creature. "Well. Their maker had more than a few tricks up its sleeves." She mused, thinking of Ludo. It was one of the reasons why she could not risk acquiring this creature for herself. But now that Ronin had... Raising her gaze back to the monster hunter, she smiled buoyantly. "You have done well, Ronin. I am so very pleased." Safrin

what. Ronin would have responded but, to begin with, he was freezing his literal toes off, teeth chattering too much to speak, and secondly... well, the tank and the Oasis had exploded with light. He hadn't been aware that the dreamfish was so difficult to catch, or what other properties it was meant to possess. The fish had swarmed about when he had first spotted the dragon eggs, and Ronin had assumed them much more common than they apparently were. He would undoubtedly pay dearly for his good luck in the future. For now, though, he had to shield his eyes from the glow of lights, drawing a deep, still breath as something supernatural chased the chill from his limbs. When he lowered his arm it was to see Safrin there, Ronin having dropped back to stand with Remi. He smiled warmly to the goddess, dipping into a respectful bow. "I didn't know..." He shook his head, watching the pearly fish swim languidly around in the tank. "But I hope that it suits your purpose. I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of a friend, though." He nodded to Remi and smiled.

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Wincing away from the light, Remi tried to scramble to his feet but of course that was quite impossible given his injuries. Instead he was left on all fours, shielding his eyes awkwardly from the light as Ronin was. Glancing to the side and seeing Ronin beside him, apparently unafraid, the alchemist hazarded a glance upwards to see a stunningly beautiful creature sat before them.

Swallowing, Remi found that the ground seemed no longer cold and that he felt quite content. Blinking stupidly but trying to inject some amount of reverence into his gaze, he offered the deity an awkward but rather chaste smile and nod as he leaned back to sit on his heels.

"Safrin, I presume? Ronin has told me all about you.." The alchemist said, eyes lowered respectfully, shrugging off Ronin's indication that he had been of some help. Remi needed no acknowledgement, least of all on a quest that Ronin was supposed to have been completing?

Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.

The illumination dimmed to a pleasant glow as Safrin nodded. "Yes indeed." She mused, before arching a perfectly sculpted brow to look towards the man still all-but kneeling on the ground. Ronin had spoken of her to him? Oh how wonderful. "Has he now?" Safrin beamed beatifically, shooting a starry smile towards the monster hunter. "You needn't lower your eyes before me." She said warmly, extending her hand and gesturing for him to rise. Turning to look towards Ronin, the fishtank began to rise into the air so that the fish within was eye level with the goddess. "Another year, another fish." She hummed to herself, a smile that seemed to make her eyes glow spreading across her features. The tank bobbed a few feet away, hovering by a tree branch as Safrin focused her attention back onto Ronin. "Thank you again darling one." She said, holding out a hand to receive his. Her fingers were perfectly smooth without the whirls of fingerprints or the callouses of work. They were cosmically cold, but not in a way which would inspire chills, but which would instead feel like raw energy humming through his hand up into his arm. Enveloping his hand in hers, as Safrin pulled back, the ring in question would appear in his palm. Safrin

what. Another year, another... fish? Ronin didn't think to question Safrin, something maybe he ought to have been doing thus far in their interactions, but the goddess's starry smile brought a flush of pink to his cheeks, and he offered a boyish grin in return. "No, thank you," he murmured, though he winced on Remi's behalf as she gestured for him to get up. "He is injured, I'm afraid," he explained. "Otherwise I am sure he would be on his feet to receive you." Resisting the crooked smile that threatened, Ronin glanced at his friend. He knew Remi's manners were almost as good as any blueblood's, so there was little doubt in his mind that he would have been upright had he been feeling well enough. Holding his hand out obediently, Ronin gazed down in wonder at the vibrant hum of energy that seemed to fill him head to toe, and the smooth, cool touch of the deity before him would tingle on his fingers for hours afterwards. As Safrin withdrew and the ring appeared in his palm, Ronin grinned, nodding to her gratefully. "I'm sure this will be of good use in the LongNight," he said, slipping the ring back onto his finger.

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Remi very much wanted to punch Ronin right in the small of his back and send him to his knees for pointing out his injury in front of a god who might be all too happy to capitalize on his weakness. Instead he smiled through the pain shooting his friend a look that hopefully communicated, I hope you know what you're doing..

Still, with a wince that wanted very badly to evolve into a loud moan, Remi forced himself to his feet, inhaling the shooting stars of pain gallivanting through his sides. "My apologies..Safrin.." He watched breathlessly as the goddess seemed to place something into Ronin's hand—presumably the ring he'd spoken of—and the alchemist couldn't help but marvel at this entire interaction. It was so unlike what he'd encountered with Frey and Ludo...the Voice even, that he felt tempted to believe all the things Ronin and Bastien had said about the goddess were true.

Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.

"Oh?" The goddess cooed softly, turning to watch the alchemist shakily rise. "I may be able to do something about that, if you like?" She asked, her lips curling softly upwards. "Yes...light will be...important." She murmured ambiguously, her smile fading for just a moment. " And Vanya? Did she take the tonic I gave to you?" Safrin asked, the concern in her eyes only a flicker in the depths of her galactic gaze, but it was there nonetheless. She could drown Ronin with the things he did not know, but...well. She would do what she could. Ronin has received: Light Conjuration Ring (Upgraded) | A ring that emits a warm light up to a radius of 30ft Safrin

what. Remi could have punched Ronin and the guildmaster could have punched his friend right back as he was silly enough to get to his feet. He stepped back to stand with the alchemist, offering him any support he would take. Tearing stitches and risking further surgery on his watch was not something he thought either Remi or Isla would thank him for. Still, as Safrin offered... something... well, he couldn't make Remi's mind up for him. "What do you say?" he asked quietly, before glancing back to Safrin and smiling gently at her words. "Yes, she did. Thank you again for giving it to her. She is doing well, I think." The pride all but burst out of him, and he fell quiet once more to await the alchemist's decision about Safrin's offer.