frostbite

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

Sugar's trills and Oria's low clicks of concern sound like the buzzing of distant insects as Remi plods towards the bathroom. Even Ronin has a ghost-like quality to him as if he were speaking from a long distance away, or was veiled behind a screen. In reality it was Remi who was the one dissociated and untethered from the houseboat, not that he had noticed.

Like the sting of even lukewarm water against frostbite, Ronin's affections at least garner some sort of reaction from the alchemist, even if it is just a flinch.

The bathroom fills with steam, though Remi is standing outside of the shower staring blankly at the drain. Though he thought all of his tears had been shed, watching the water swirl around and around somehow coaxes more despair out of him as his mind begins to uncoil. "Ronin..." He says in a low voice, waiting a perfunctory amount of time before continuing, whether or not the Huntsman had answered or returned to the bathroom.

"Vai is..." Watching the water create a small whirlpool before disappearing down the drain, Remi blinks hard against the tears and moisture on his eyelashes.

"Vai is..."

the lullaby

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)