feel the rain from your grave

I've been sleepwalking, Too close to the fire
But it's the only place that I can hold you tight

...that...does not sound like much of an apology. Remi rumbles once Ronin summarizes the contents of Seren's most recent letter. Tilting his large head to the side and feeling as though he's raising an eyebrow—though with his leonine face, it likely just looks like a blank stare—he mentally frowns as they continue to pick their way toward Ludo's Woods.

I know we are not the best examples when it comes to caution, but.. The manticore gives his head another shake. When we were level 3 her age, I would at least like to believe we listened to reason. But then again, maybe they hadn't. The situation was confused all the more because Seren wasn't any age. Not really. She looked as if she was nearing the end of her teenage years, but she'd only lived just over a handful of seasons. Perhaps she deserved a lot more patience, but sadly Remi was fresh out.

the lullaby

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

we live in a world someone else imagined

"Mm..." Ronin's silence says more than words ever can, especially given how talkative the Huntsman usually is. He folds the letter very carefully and slips it into his coat pocket so he can pore over it again later, stepping up eventually so he can lean against the enormous feline as they walk, seeking wordless comfort. "Oh, I'm not so certain about that," he manages with a huff of a laugh, shaking his head. "Back then I think I was picking fights with Archie."

Arguably even more dangerous than what Seren was up to right now. (But also probably not). "She did say she wouldn't go to the Hollowed Grounds, which... that does reassure me," he admits, his shoulders sagging a bit. "It's not that I wouldn't think she wouldn't be safe if she was with you, I just... I don't like the idea of her being somewhere I couldn't follow. Either of you. But at least I know you're safe, unless Isla decides to stab you or something."

the dark star

I've been sleepwalking, Too close to the fire
But it's the only place that I can hold you tight

Remi adjusts his wings that Ronin's hand might find fur instead of feathers. For such a large creature the alchemist does his best to try and leave the land as undisturbed as possible, difficult as that was. He was always quite nice to me from what I remember. His dinner party had good food. Which, other than Ronin's stories about him, was about the sum total of what the alchemist remembered of the man.

I wonder what Amalia expects to find. The manticore wonders distantly, before refocusing on the thread of conversation Ronin was tugging at. No, of course. I took no offence at that. Snorting at the idea of being stabbed by Isla, Remi pins his wings tightly against his body as the trees narrow and the bushes grow thick around them.

She would have little reason to stab me if she knew I was coming. but if she knew I was coming, she would likely ask me not to. If the thought was that the library held information about relics, surely the ascended would want to get to them first.

Deimos in Halo...Deimos and Aurelia together...and then whatever that thing is Amalia thought she saw under the ice at the Sea of Glass...you don't... What Remi was about to say would likely be wrong, but he'd do more than kick himself later if it proved at all true. You don't think Seren and Deimos are...together do you? The swift defensiveness and upset about Deimos certainly suggested that there was more going on, especially given how clear-cut his and Ronin's arguments had been about why it made sense for the Sword to remain at home.

the lullaby

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

we live in a world someone else imagined

"I wouldn't know. Vanya and I went home." Ronin wrinkles his nose at the memory. "He also showed up outside my bedroom window once, with an apple. He liked watching others enjoy food, because he couldn't taste any more." It creeped him out then and it creeps him out now, Ronin shivering a bit and letting his fingers gently twine through Remi's fur.

"Books, I imagine," he ventures with a sideways smile at his husband, unable to help himself. "Perhaps something about the relics. Maybe even something about the last war. You know how Amalia gets. I still can't believe that metal in Tanau was what made everyone sick last Longheat..."

Sidling through the thickets as the woods grow more unruly around them, Ronin is working to squeeze himself around a thorny shrub when Remi continues his stream of thoughts. And my, do they take a turn. It's lucky that they emerge into a small clearing when they do, else the Huntsman would be at risk of tangling himself up what with the antlers that suddenly crown his head.

More than that, though, the scales that suddenly armour his neck and shoulders absolutely beg for a fight, and he carefully directs his gaze at the ground. "I didn't until you said it," he murmurs, clearing his throat. "I will be sure to ask Seren about it when I see her next."

the dark star

I've been sleepwalking, Too close to the fire
But it's the only place that I can hold you tight

That.... Remi frowns at the idea of someone else watching him eat, but he suppose he could understand. But then again, it wasn't as though Isla had ever asked him to eat in front of her or pinch himself to feel pain so perhaps Archibald was just weird in that respect. Shrugging off whatever else he was going to say, Remi bobs his massive head in easy agreement. And now thanks to Loren, the Voice has it. The alchemist says wearily, before stiffening. Do you think that piece of metal was one of the relics? And the sickness it caused its...power?

Feeling the sudden fingers growing tight in the tangle of hair on his shoulder, one of Remi's large ears flicks to the side though it isn't with that particular sense that he's reading his husband. Already cloaked in the skin of a predator that isn't used to have an equal, something flashes hot in Remi's blood even as Ronin wisely drops his eyes to the ground. The way she was so adamant and defensive seemed to be because of reasons she could not articulate. And whatever reasons might a young girl have for wanting to keep an older, more rugged man about, if not infatuation?

Let go of me, please. Remi almost moans, his voice a strange amalgamation of a plea stacked on top of a demand. Sliding himself sideways away from the Huntsman with his teeth pressed tightly together, the manticore also looks at the mulchy ground for fear of what he might do, or want, or say should he behold his husband in this terrifying and alluring half-bestial state he found himself in.

the lullaby

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

we live in a world someone else imagined

Remi makes it worse without meaning to, because damn if his argument isn't a logical one. And Ronin can't exactly pinpoint why it gets so under his skin, only that it absolutely does. His fingers slip silently away from Remi's fur at the request, and he takes a small step to the side as well, like the small amount of distance between he and the manticore will make all the difference in the world. "I'm sorry," he mumbles, clearing his throat and rolling his shoulders, though the scales that armour them refuse to budge.

"I can... maybe we can just... change the subject?" he suggests, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. The glow from his antlers casts the undergrowth in a soft and golden light - beneath their feet, the soil in this clearing is soft and loamy, and he nods down at it, barely daring to look up lest the predators that hide within each of them rear further to the surface. "Do you think this would be a good place to dig for Maeve's dirt?"

the dark star

I've been sleepwalking, Too close to the fire
But it's the only place that I can hold you tight

It helps infinitely, not to feel the black, hungry tendrils of Ronin's cold fury like a caress against his skin, but still the lingering effects remain. The urge to rake his claws down flesh or the trunks of nearby trees or to splay himself across his husband's body with their fingers interlaced in the soil and nothing but bloody kisses between them.

Mmhmm. Remi agrees in a voice that sounds strained, despite the fact it takes no air to form his agreement. I do not see why not. Shaking his head slightly as if his dark thoughts might be dispatched like flies, Remi flexes his claws and begins to tear into the soft earth. It's a poor substitute for the resistance his body craves, but it serves as a good enough distraction for now.

You do not happen to know how deep graves are meant to be, do you?

the lullaby

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

we live in a world someone else imagined

It's with a shiver that Ronin manages to coax away his luxere shift, though the dragon proves more difficult to budge, and his heart hammers loudly in his chest as he watches the predator alongside him flex and begin to rake at the dirt. Knowing better than to get in the way lest they end up fighting (or fucking, or both, and wouldn't that be a shame...), Ronin stands back and reaches into the inside of his coat so he can draw out a glass jar. He doesn't know quite how much dirt Maeve is after, but this will have to do.

"I think the custom is something like 6ft?" he murmurs, crouching down beside the hole to watch as the hulking feline gets to work. "I have only ever made pyres..." For Vanya. For Aoife. Roana and the others. "If you want a break, let me know and I'll take over," he says, trying for a smile.

the dark star

I've been sleepwalking, Too close to the fire
But it's the only place that I can hold you tight

It takes little time for the manticore to scar the earth, but when it comes to measuring he cocks his head slightly to the side. With his tail tightly coiled over his back and his haunches raised ever higher into the air as his forelegs disappear down into the hole, eventually the manticore pauses, clicking his teeth together. So many graves...so many deaths...it struck him then, that this was the first grave they were digging together. Skylar had been tossed into the elemental storms that his body might be torn apart by the winds. No remains had ever been found, so likely he'd been successful in that.

You are about 6ft tall. The manticore murmurs with a feline grin, not needing to emphasize about, any more than his toothy smile already had. Care to hop in and tell me how close we are?

the lullaby

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

we live in a world someone else imagined

There's something almost innocent in the way Ronin watches the manticore try to figure out how deep the hole he's digging is, and he fails to hide the little smile on his face right up until he's told to hop in instead. "As you so often tell me, you are taller than I am by precisely one inch," he huffs, folding his arms across his chest. "So really you should be the one jumping in there. You're about 6ft tall as well. Not quite, though."

Still, of course Ronin complies, vaulting into the pit they've made and raising an eyebrow as it brings him level with Remi's muzzle and toothy grin. He's still head and shoulders out of the grave, unfortunately. "What now?" he wonders. "I didn't bring a shovel, and there's not room in here for the both of us."

the dark star

I've been sleepwalking, Too close to the fire
But it's the only place that I can hold you tight

The smug tone of his husband's voice has the manticore chuckling (though his belly continues to broil and burn). True, but at least I can control myself while I have claws. He points out as if this is a playful point to be won and not an indication of how unstable his husband's latest shift currently is.

Watching as Ronin neatly vaults in, for a moment Remi is struck by the strangeness of not only digging a grave, but also seeing Ronin inside of it. The Huntsman's question breaks the fog that wants to settle in the alchemist's thoughts, and had he arms just then, he'd have crossed them in a look of bewilderment. My, this certainly is a conundrum. Like one of those old riddles about animals and crossing ponds. Tapping one foot and flaring his nostrils as if deep in thought, Remi tilts his head to the side. Surely having you get out the way you came in would be far too simple a solution, mm? He asks, his voice dry with sarcasm.

the lullaby

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

we live in a world someone else imagined

Ronin narrows his eyes at the manticore before him, even though what he has to say is entirely true. "I didn't mean to put you out," he murmurs, reaching out to playfully scritch under Remi's chin. "Maybe I ought to learn how to play nice with my new shift. Then I could help you to dig graves all over the Greatwood." It's a morbid thought and it doesn't at all take away from the worrying nature of the dragon in Ronin's bones. But at least he can start to (sort of) joke about it now.

"Animals and crossing ponds? Like the one Vai tells about the gingerbread man and the fox?" he asks, only to look around and gasp, as if Remi has succeeded in quite the intellectual endeavour here. "What a good idea," he drawls. "If only I were a bit taller, it might be easier for me to climb out of here..." But climb out he does, offering a very baron-like bow to his husband to indicate that he keep digging now.

the dark star

I've been sleepwalking, Too close to the fire
But it's the only place that I can hold you tight

I never said anything about nice. Remi rumbles, the growl in the back of his throat as close to a purr as his shift allows. As dangerous as it would likely be, I cannot see Ludo minding. A bunch of holes everywhere would wreak havoc, and yet there was something poetic—as well as morbid—about Ludo's woods being filled with vacant graves.

No not that one. This one is about a boat and a wolf and some other animals. You cannot leave the wolf alone with certain animals or it will eat them, but the boat can only carry so much, and so on. Remi shrugs, having not really listened to this particular story of Vai's very carefully. She could try and hide math problems in her tales, but Remi was fairly good at catching them out.

Lazily Remi licks his lips as Ronin scrambles climbs out of the pit. So sorry to put you through so much. He chuckles, before coiling back down to rake up the earth. Going deeper was probably better than too shallow in his estimation, though if what Safrin required of Maeve was precision, the Queen had absolutely asked the wrong duo for help. Clawing a pawful of dirt from the bottom, Remi rears up on his hind legs with his talons scrunched together.

Jar! He calls cheerfully as if Ronin were some linecook getting a plate ready for a meal.

the lullaby

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

we live in a world someone else imagined

"Ludo might not mind, but I doubt we can say the same about the rest of the Greatwood's inhabitants," Ronin points out with a smirk, shaking his head and standing back as the manticore gets to work again. Seeing his husband do something so comparatively inelegant in a shift like this is amusing to say the least, and the Huntsman finally feels the predator within him start to slumber again, leaving him perfectly human in appearance if nothing else.

Then Remi calls for the jar, and it's with a laugh rumbling up in his chest that Ronin complies; unscrewing the jar, he holds it out to receive the grave dirt, tilting his head. "Are you sure you don't want me to jump back in there to make sure it's deep enough?" he asks. "Though if I do, you'll have to promise not to bury me alive." And if not, their work here was done, and he's not going to complain about that either.

the dark star