Copperline [SEASONAL EVENT]

It was so good to be outside. To be away from all the death and lost memories and enclosed spaces. As Remi walked through the crisp and fresh air, he took lung after lungful in, holding it, and then releasing it softly. Part of him wanted to shed a tear for what he'd lost, but of course lamenting that which you couldn't remember felt as impossible as the actual emotional chasm it had caused to develop inside of himself. And so he merely walked, though not alone. Isla was with him. Isla, the former medic placed unceremoniously in the body of a unicorn, was trying out her new shape. Though instinctively her body knew what it was doing, the medic kept trying to micromanage her new limbs and found herself stumbling often. Just now, she was attempting to gallop across the fields, though when she thought about it too hard, the 4-beat rhythm of her gait became unsteady, and quickly she'd stumble and fall back to a trot. Grinning as he watched this, Remi leaned against once of the apple trees and simply watched, happy to focus on someone else's problems for a while rather than his own. REMI Loving you was sunshine, but then it poured & I lost so much more than my senses 'Cause loving you had consequences

MaeA It was not everyday you found a unicorn prancing through your orchard. In fact, the sight was so unexpected that Maea dropped the bucket she had been carrying, and with a rude crash it slammed down on her toes. The bucket, being full to bursting with the root and stem of a half grown apple tree ready to be planted - and a shovel, and a spit - was heavy and the squeal of the owner of the squished toes was as shrill as it was undignified. But between the cursing and wincing, it was all Maea could do to watch the unicorn, awe and delight momentarily wiping away the lines of weariness and grief from her face. It was like a piece of midnight had escaped dawn and come to revel in the sunlight. All grace and power and... The unicorn stumbled. Maea blinked, her brows furrowing in worry. A creature that beautiful ought not to stumble, unless... Perhaps it was hurt? Looking about, she found yet another intruder in the garden and approached him with some wariness, cautious by default but too concerned about the unicorn to spare herself any discomfort. "Is it hurt? The unicorn..  I saw it trip." Way to state the obvious, but... well. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

Despite the predators that lingered in Remi's soul, the alchemist was a fairly unaware being. Though Maea wasn't necessary sneaking up on him, she may as well have been for how close she was able to get before he noticed. With a bright and boyish smile of surprise, Remi turned towards her. He was taken by the strange paleness of her, though ever polite, his stare did not linger. "Ah!" He said with a laugh, turning to watch the dark unicorn as she pawed unhappily at the ground, as if it was the soil's fault that she hadn't mastered this new form yet. "Not hurt, no. Well. Her pride might be." He said, his voice lowering into a mischievous stage-whisper having said this. Isla picked up a slow trot again. It was actual rather prancy, given just how much thought she was putting into keeping her hooves moving in a rhythm. Upgrading to the canter, Isla made her way across the field, to slow and spin nimbly on her haunches. Perhaps emboldened by the success of this, she suddenly charged forward, muscles rippling beneath an ebony pelt. Quickly though her forelegs seemed to tangle on nothing at all, and her gallop turned into a misguided mess of legs. With a gentle laugh, Remi turned back to Maea, sea-glass green stare sparkling with youthful amusement. "She is just not used to this body yet." He said almost apologetically. REMI Loving you was sunshine, but then it poured & I lost so much more than my senses 'Cause loving you had consequences

MaeA Green. Had she ever seen eyes that green before? His smile was easy and free in a way Maea was sure she could never emulate, so honest and immediate that she felt blinded by it, as though the boy was a ray of sunshine and not a person. Well. Boy was perhaps a bit unfair; young man was more like, about the same age as herself but with a carefree air that made the Natural born amidst fear and suffering feel old and worn. Following his gaze, she too watched as the horned horse struggled through the gaits, but snapped her head back when something he said caught her attention. This body? "That's Isla!?" she blurted, so surprised she could only stare. Of course it would make sense for someone not born with four legs to be so clumsy, and yet... it was really hard to imagine that the tripping, running creature had once been a human. "She should have been allowed to stay dead..." Color heated her cheeks when her comment to Jigano came back to her. What a careless thing to say... Suddenly she did not feel quite as sure about that relief. Because, looking out on Isla as she danced in the light, did she not look happy? you're so cold, but you feel alive.

With a light-hearted chuckle, the alchemist nodded even as Isla came to a halt, comically starring down at her own hooves. With a snort, the unicorn spun only to try again. Isla was nothing if not determined, and Remi could feel her determination through their bond. "She is very principled...to just let go and have the senses of this body take over is not something she is used to. Her mind keeps jumping in. That is when she stumbles." Remi explained in slightly more detail, his thickly accented voice making it sound as though he might be telling a fairy-tale, rather than outlining the strangeness of what they were seeing. "My name is Remi. I take it you already know Isla." He added with a sunny grin that spread easily across his face. REMI Loving you was sunshine, but then it poured & I lost so much more than my senses 'Cause loving you had consequences

MaeA It was a rather comical sight, truth be told. Watching Isla struggle to adapt to the new reality of her life, Maea's sense of guilt abated somewhat, enough to allow a small smile to touch her eyes as Remi introduced himself. She had been smiling much more lately, even though it still did not come easy. Grief took its toll on her sense of humor as well, but... If she got through it, perhaps she would come out a bit stronger than she had been. At least Maea hoped so. "Maea Valair. We - that is, I..." Oh gods, how it hurt to say it like that, "own this farm." The girl gestured off towards the west, where a plume of smoke rose lazily towards the sky just beyond the crest of a small hill. The house was not visible from here, which was probably the reason why they had missed it. Or perhaps they simply did not care. "Well, not really, to be honest. But I heard what happened... Jigano told me. I suppose you would be the friend he was worried about then." Maea considered him from the shade beneath the bangs, lavender eyes thoughtful as she too wondered what price be har paid to bring Isla back. She couldn't bring herself to ask though, it was much too personal a thing for someone she'd just met. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

"A pleasure to meet you, Maea." Remi replied with a respectful and almost subservient bow. There were some hangovers from his old world that the alchemist would likely never be fully rid of. While he'd mostly dispensed with the formal language of m'lady and m'lord, the bows would probably always come more or less automatic. "Oh, my apologies. I did not realize we were on your land." Remi said with an immediate and apologetic smile."It is a beautiful piece of land." He added with a boyish grin. Remi tried not to look too terribly skeptical as Maea mentioned that it was a friend of Jigano who the bard had been worried about. Despite the fact that the two men had apologized to one another, friendship was still probably a good distance away from them at this point. "Mmmm." The alchemist hummed, glancing across the field towards where Isla was still prancing merrily along. She looked more like a newborn foal than a mare, but in many ways, she basically was. "At least she is not gone." Remi said with a small smile. "Ah, I had come here to plant some seeds that made it through with me from Northaven. But I suppose if this is your land that might not be wise. Can you show me where your fields end?" REMI Loving you was sunshine, but then it poured & I lost so much more than my senses 'Cause loving you had consequences

MaeA She waved away the apology, none too concerned really as the boundaries between the different farms were practically nonexistent anyway. Vad there been cattle grazing where her sheep needed to be it would be a different matter of course, but one visitor and a unicorn? Maea smiled, more in earnest this time. The land could surely sustain that much. Hearing that he wanted to plant something, she raised a quizzical brow. "Northaven? Is that where you come from? I'd be surprised if it managed to grow here, but... What kind of plant is it? If you want, you could put it down in the garden. I have sheep roaming here and cattle most other places where there are no crops, so your seeds are likely to get trampled or eaten otherwise. Of course you'd be welcome to come and tend them yourself whenever you like." Without her family to help tend the land, there was more space than Maea could farm herself anyway. She did not mind visitors, quite the opposite, and if it meant more hands to help with things, all the better. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

The alchemist nodded with an apologetic chuckle. "Yes." He clarified with a smile. "It is a plant with delicate purple leaves and very interesting dark blue markings on the leaves. It almost makes it look as though there are things written on them." Her kindness made the alchemist blush, and as he turned to look at her more fully, he noticed the unique shade of her eyes. Was it merely because of her oh-so pale lashes and porcelain-white skin that they looked more like faded indigo? Or were they truly that shade? The alchemist might never have stared so deeply into the eyes of another man, but he always had an easy way with women. It was a comfortableness that came from seeing them as equals, and not as potential partners, and just now he was glad for it, for the chance to see such a lovely colour. "Apologies, your eyes...they are so striking." He said with a lighthearted smile. "As for your garden, I would appreciate it, if it would not be too much trouble?" REMI Loving you was sunshine, but then it poured & I lost so much more than my senses 'Cause loving you had consequences

MaeA She was not used to such close scrutiny from people. Usually everyone went out of their way not to look too long at her, which actually made her feel even more out of place and strange. Particularly, she was not accustomed to handsome young men eying her like that, and it made her blush; a dramatic sunrise of a flush made all the more noticeable for the pallor of the skin. "Uhm... thank you. It's probably the light" she mumbled awkwardly, said eyes flickering this way and that without really knowing where to look. "Usually there's not much color to them at all." Perhaps if there were, she would have better eyesight. Catching sight of the forgotten bucket and its precious cargo, Maea remembered why she had come out here and went to pick it up, straining under the weight that was almost more than she could manage. "It's alright, not problem at all. Let me just get this into the ground, and I'll show you." The hole had been dug out earlier, so it was a quick matter of popping the young tree in, packing the earth down around the roots and replacing the grass to cover it all up. With the frequent rains there was no need to water it, and before long Maea brushed the grime from her hands and turned back to Remi. "Shall we? Isla is welcome to join too, of course. If she wants to." you're so cold, but you feel alive.

The alchemist laughed with a boyish breeziness. "Whatever it is, it is beautiful. I shall have to try and see if I can make a pigment that colour." Remi added with a smile, politely ignoring her slight discomfort. The alchemist was not one for lines, or for flattery simply for the sake of making a woman smile. Splendid creatures though they were, and despite how he'd tried for years to make himself find them attractive, he simply couldn't. And so his compliment was meant just as it was said, and without any sort of hidden agenda. As Maea begin, the alchemist's immediately inclination was to assist. The bucket seemed heavy and as she navigated the tree into the ground, he watched her muscle-less arms work beneath the strain. But she seemed to manage just fine, and with remarkable grace soon she had the tree planted. "You look as though you have done that before." He noted with an appreciative smile. "Please, lead the way." Remi gestured, then looked over his shoulder towards Isla. Apparently we are trespassing. If you'd like to come and meet the young woman to who these lands belong, that might be nice. He mentally chuckled towards the unicorn who promptly (and inelegantly) began to canter their direction. "Are you a...a natural, I believe it is called? Born here?" He asked conversationally, walking easily at Maea's side. REMI Loving you was sunshine, but then it poured & I lost so much more than my senses 'Cause loving you had consequences

MaeA She smiled rather bashfully at the comment, wondering exactly what color it was he saw in her eyes. Maea had heard them compared to everything from blue to gray, white or red or even colorless, if such a thing was even possible. "If you succeed, do let me know " she said a bit wryly. "I'd be very interested to know, as I've never seen anything remarkable. Neither in not with my eyes." Self deprecating though it was, she did intend the comment to be somewhat humorous, said with amusement as she began the planting. Once it was done and the could pick up the tools and the empty bucket, Maea nodded in reply to his comment and looked about the orchard as tshe led the way in the direction of the house. "Yes, I've done it more times than I can count. Or seen it done, by my brother and father, and my grandfather before that. My family has farmed this land for five generations now, if I'm to believe gramps, though he did have a fondness for telling tall stories." Picking her way up the slope, the house came into view once the hill was crested. It was not a large house, more of a rundown cottage that nestled into the sheltered delve below, the weathered panel and wooden shingles of the roof nearly blending into the landscape. Spread out around it was a few outhouses, toolsheds and the barn, currently empty as her wayward sheep had yet to be reclaimed from the woodlands. The trees of the orchard spread out behind them, as did a few small fields for hay and grain fenced by stone walls, and behind the main building lay a kitchen garden, large enough to poke out on each side of the house. "It's not much, but it's home" she said, not exaggerating the humility of the place. Maea attempted a smile for her guests, boy and unicorn alike, but it was marred by sadness and a great weariness that shadowed her features as she looked down. It was beautiful, in a way, with all the fresh greens and the budding trees, but all she really saw was all the work that needed doing. Shingles missing from the roof after the last storm, weeds growing on the yard, a broken water barrel leaking its content into a pool before the barn door. Litter and debris she had yet to fully clear away, and more. So much more, and it never ended. Standing around would not help matters either. Taking a deep breath, Maea pulled herself together and started down the other side of the slope, nodding Remi and Isla in the direction of the garden. "Come on, let's go round the back, and see where your seeds might like it. Do you know what kind of conditions they used to grow in?" Better keep talking than let the silence rule unchecked. Better lend out a patch of land than mer it choke with weeds and dit unused because she did not have enough strength or hands or hours in a day to manage it all. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

Remi laughed easily. "Well you can be sure that if I fail, it will be entirely because my skills are not up to the task of recreating such a colour." He replied, genuine warmth coating his oddly-accented words as he watched her actions with humble interest. "Perhaps this is a silly question to ask...but how long do people normally live here?" Remi wondered, trying to reconcile a family of 5 generations with the 300 or so years he had been told the bubble had been up for. The math seemed right based on where he was from, but it could also be the case that Maea's family had simply been lucky. Strolling easily at Maea's side, Remi was happy to simply breathe in the fresh air and bask in the daylight that had been so missed during LongNight. As they came up on the small house, Remi glanced towards the pale-haired and eyed woman at his side, noticing the way her smile had wilted slightly. "Are your brother and father here as well?" Remi asked with a hopeful smile, wanting the answer to be yes, but fearing that it would be no. Unlike Maea, Remi did not notice the things which needed fixing in the home, and simply marveled at its quaint charm. Isla had fallen into step with the pair now, making their stroll seem like an odd divergence from a storybook. The dark mare listened quietly in a manner that only truly cogniscient creatures could, snorting softly as Remi asked about Maea's family. As a medic, such personal questions wouldn't have been on the tip of her tongue, but Remi had a kind and unobtrusive way about him which the unicorn hoped wouldn't be seen as pushy. "Honestly the soil back home does not seem to have been much different than here." Remi was interested in botany, but of course he had no formal training in it and wouldn't dream of telling someone so clearly accomplished in agriculture as Maea was anything about the soil. "These did come from in the woodlands though. There was plenty of sunlight and a regular amount of rain, I suppose?" REMI Loving you was sunshine, but then it poured & I lost so much more than my senses 'Cause loving you had consequences

Maea Big dreamers shoot for open skies The boy sure had a lot of questions. It reminded Maea of herself, only she rarely dared to actually voice her curiosity, and to find herself as the one to answer them was a new experience. "Well... I don't know about everyone, but my family tend to settle young and live long. Mother was only nineteen when she had my brother, and my fathers mother was the same. Grandfather got really old, he was almost eighty years old when he passed... though dad only made it to fifty before a tree fell on him." Losing a son had been too hard on the old man, and losing them both within such a short timespan had been crushing. And now, barely two years later... Maea was the only one left. Ironic, as she was the youngest, smallest and by far the weakest of the Valair's. It hurt to talk about, so Remi's question about the brother was mer with a quiet shake of the head. "Long Night" was all she said; indeed, all she should have to say to explain why an entire family har been wiped off the face of the earth. Plants and seeds were easier by far to consider, and as she let the way around the house and the garden stretched out before them, Maea perked up a bit again. Here, the neglect was obvious. Weeds had begun to choke the seedbeds where kitchen plants ought to rule, the path too needed some maintenance and many of the shrubs and perennials were in desperate need of attention. Even so, after considering the different conditions offered, she led unicorn and her human to a corner where a clear attempt har been made to restore some form of order from the chaos. "I think this should be a good spot" she said, and put the bucket down. "Plenty of light, but not so much that the earth becomes dry, and I can water them regularly if you are busy. What do you think?"