It's been minutes, it's been days

maybe i'm a runaway train, maybe i'm a feather in a hurricane

Remi's fingers tangle around Ronin's, offering a reassuring squeeze. "Mmmm." The Lullaby hums noncommittally, though whether that's because he's annoyed at his continued inability to fly or if it's the prospect of leaving their cozy mountain is unclear. Maybe it's simply the looming uncertainty of what visiting Mort might bring.

"I was thinking the Boneyard, actually." Remi interrupts, raising his eyes slowly before glancing back down at his eggs with a frown. "It is one of the few shrines dedicated solely to Mort...the only other one being up here, but.." Well, for reasons already mentioned, that did not seem like a good idea.

'It makes me feel sick to even think about." The Lullaby admits in a low voice. "How..what do you even say to a child who has died? I know what I should say of course, about not being there to look after him, about how I will never forget him, but.." Biting at the corner of his lip, Remi laughs dryly and without amusement. "It all feels much too late, now."

THE LULLABY

maybe it's a long gray game, but maybe that's a good thing

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

Holding onto his husband's hand like a lifeline, Ronin shifts to his feet only to sink back down in the chair beside Remi, as he has done so many times in their past. "The Boneyard it is, then," he murmurs with a gentle smile. "Wherever you feel is best. I can't give you back your wings, but I can be them for you until we figure something else out." Leaning in, he presses a soft kiss to the other man's cheek. "Do you want me to write some letters asking them to meet us there?"

Letting his thumb run along the back of Remi's hand, Ronin leans in again, this time to rest his head on the Lullaby's shoulder. "If I could speak to Aoife again, I'd tell her I miss her, I love her, and I'm sorry," he murmurs. "I know what I should say as well, but... that's the truth of it. Perhaps Enzo will have more to say to you than the other way around...?"

THE DARK STAR

and continue fighting

maybe i'm a runaway train, maybe i'm a feather in a hurricane

Remi leans into the lips pressed against his cheek, sighing with appreciation. No one else in the world could read him as well as Ronin could, and gods if that wasn't one of the biggest blessings when someone knew you that intimately. Not needing to explain himself, Remi instead tugs their linked hands to his mouth. Instead of kissing the Huntsman's fingers or knuckles, the Lullaby just holds the back of his hand against his lips and nose, savouring the closeness.

"I did." He mumbles, nodding his head towards two letters. Both pages were smeared with ink and covered in inkblots, but his signature was legible enough, as were the few words he'd written.

Listening, Remi tilts his head slightly and lets his eyes slip shut. "I suppose that is what I am most worried about...all the things he will say. The accusations...because he will not be wrong. I should have been there. I could have done more to protect them, but I.." But nothing. He had thought it would be fine, and it catastrophically hadn't been.

THE LULLABY

maybe it's a long gray game, but maybe that's a good thing

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

Never one to begrudge Remi the closeness he needs (and that Ronin shamelessly craves and enjoys as well), the Huntsman lets his free arm slip around his husband's lower back. He's always careful of going anywhere near his shoulder blades, but a year has made him adept at finding loopholes to satisfy their hunger for touch.

"I'll send Sugar off with them," he says of the letters, closing his eyes as well. As for Enzo... Ronin frowns a bit, unsure how things might go; he doesn't want to suggest anything that might not be true, because that would only make it sting more if it went wrong. "You will get through it," he whispers, because that much he does believe. "And I will be there to help you, no matter what happens."

THE DARK STAR

and continue fighting

maybe i'm a runaway train, maybe i'm a feather in a hurricane

Rolling his shoulder slightly so that he might fit all the more closely against Ronin's side, Remi continues to keep the Huntsman's hand captive against his lips. He really ought to go and visit Ludo to take care of his arm and wings, but until he could do so without demanding the herald strip him of his demigod abilities and responsibilities, it probably wasn't a good idea.

"Thanks." Remi mumbles, both in response to Sugar sending off the letters and to Ronin's belief in him. Grumpy though he might be, that wasn't enough to put Remi off his breakfast. So without releasing Ronin's hand, the Lullaby slorps out a tentacle to grab his fork. Spooning feeding he and Ronin so that neither would have to move, Remi smirks to himself.

'You know, if it was not for everyone else, this really would be the perfect life."

THE LULLABY

maybe it's a long gray game, but maybe that's a good thing

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

"You are very welcome," Ronin murmurs, his lips against the crook of Remi's neck; that is, until a helpful tentacle comes to feed him his breakfast. Straightening up only enough to eat without choking to death, his hands remain happily captured by his husband, the warmth between them seeming all the more delicious for the fresh breeze still sailing in through the open windows.

"Isn't that always the way?" he says with an exaggerated sigh, conjuring his duplicate to feed them their whiskey-tea (because that requires a little more finesse and opposable thumbs than tentacles). "It's as close to perfect as we've ever been, though. And once this has been done, we can spend another year away from everyone if it will help you to recharge. I'll have Sugar guard us against visitors."

THE DARK STAR

and continue fighting

maybe i'm a runaway train, maybe i'm a feather in a hurricane

One day Remi will categorically prove that the suction cups on his tentacles are far superior to opposable thumbs, but today is not that day. Sipping at his tea and adding another tentacle into the mix to bring over Ronin's plate, the pair are able to finish off their breakfast despite being utterly tangled up in one another.

"I think this place has a lot to do with that." Remi agrees with a slight nod. "I'm glad we brought the houseboat here." By we of course he meant Ronin, but nevermind. "Have you heard much from anyone else? Any good gossip to tell me about?"

THE LULLABY

maybe it's a long gray game, but maybe that's a good thing

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

With breakfast done, Ronin can let himself indulge in the other aspects of his morning, which likely explains the slow, whiskey sweet kisses he's scattering along the side of Remi's neck. Whatever has become of the Lullaby in the aftermath of the war, it hasn't stopped Ronin from showing his appreciation and attraction for the other man. (And he does it at every opportunity, to the surprise of no one).

"I think you're right," he agrees about their home in the falls. "And I'm glad too. I'm even more glad you let me build the lookout tower on top of it." Grinning against the side of Remi's neck, Ronin's smile admittedly fades away at the mention of gossip. Always a socialite in the past, the Huntsman has been as much a hermit as his husband these past few seasons.

"I tend to stay away from the cities when I go down to get supplies. I usually just hunt what I need and then come back, or I go to smaller marketplaces where no one would know me," he admits. "I just don't feel up to it."

THE DARK STAR

and continue fighting

maybe i'm a runaway train, maybe i'm a feather in a hurricane

It's more or less the life they'd always wanted: more, because it was their very own, finally, in arguably one of the most beautiful (ly secluded) places Caido had to offer. Less, though, for lack of that white picket fence and children playing in the garden that Remi and Ronin had talked about so very long ago.

Better at staying in the moment than he ever had been, Remi shakes off as much of his mood as he can, Remi returns as many kisses as he's given, and sings the praises of the lookout tower. "When you first mentioned it, I thought it was just your dragon instincts wanting somewhere to perch, honestly." Remi admits with a grin.

"Well...maybe on the next run you take...if you see Phoebe, do you think you could ask how long she might need my compass for?" It seemed rude somehow to even think of asking for Ronin's back from Flora after everything that had happened, but perhaps Phoebe no longer needed his. "Pretty please?"

THE LULLABY

maybe it's a long gray game, but maybe that's a good thing

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

"Oh it absolutely was," Ronin assures his husband, the words muffled in the kisses he continues to press to any warm skin in reach. "But I feel like I managed to praise it sufficiently in other ways so it seemed less like a perch and more like an actual tower. Still haven't convinced you to let me have a hoard yet, though," he mumbles, sighing dramatically. So far the Huntsman has taken to collecting snacks and stashing them beneath the bed, which is like sleeping on a hoard of riches, if you ask him.

Straightening up a touch to brush his nose against Remi's cheek, the pretty please is very much appreciated, even if it isn't necessary. "I will see what I can do," he whispers, softly kissing the space where dimples often appear. "It has been a while since I flew that way. I'll get us chestnuts and mushrooms and anything else the Fae have on offer," he decides. "I can go this evening and get it out of the way, if you like." By which he means he would like, of course.

THE DARK STAR

and continue fighting

maybe i'm a runaway train, maybe i'm a feather in a hurricane

Wrapping his arm around Ronin's shoulders, Remi narrows his eyes in an attempt to look sly even as his dimples deepen in response to his husband's affections. "That is because if you had a hoard you would be tempted to sleep on it. And I do not want you sleeping anywhere else nor do I want to sleep on...well, whatever you are hoarding." Both men might hoard in their own way, but while Ronin was captivated by shiny gems and other objects that brilliantly caught the light, the Lullaby tended to hide away things like bones, old letters, and the odd blood-stained napkin.

'Thank you.' Remi hums. Having the compass back would not only allow Remi to leave the mountain if he chose, but it would have Ronin coming and going faster than his wings could take him, which would give the pair more time for other kinds of coming and going. "She has a child now, did I mention that?" The Lullaby wonders absently. "Jude. But it is all quite complicated. I think Maeve might be marrying the father."

THE LULLABY

maybe it's a long gray game, but maybe that's a good thing

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

"What if I hoarded you?" Ronin grins, nibbling at the dimple that forms against his lips and nestling his head back into the crook of Remi's neck, as if to do just that. "I could sleep with you, and on you, and the problem would be solved." It's a nice try, at least, but given that Ronin already does all of the above and still wants some shiny things to roll around in, well, it's obviously not working.

"Mm...? If you did, it was when I was sleepy or hungry, and you know I'm not going to be able to retain information if that's the case," he says, letting one hand slide up the Lullaby's thigh while the other sneaks beneath the back of his shirt. "That sounds messy." He wrinkles his nose. "But then other than you and I, do we know anyone whose relationships aren't?"

THE DARK STAR

and continue fighting

maybe i'm a runaway train, maybe i'm a feather in a hurricane

"Mmm, but then who would make us dinner if you were always on top of me?" Remi counters, though in no way does he present this as an obstacle that they can't tackle. Tilting his cheek down to nuzzle against his husband's temple, Remi trickles the fingers of his left hand down and across Ronin's shoulders.

Growling happily under his breath as Ronin's hands begin to wander, Remi hums an indulgent note in the back of his throat. "Mmmm. Very messy from the sounds of it." Lowering his lips to the muscles on the top of Ronin's shoulders, the Lullaby experimentally grazes his teeth against the scar-torn skin. "Mort and Vi, maybe." He hums distractedly. "Apparently Harper moved on after Phoebe disappeared which...well, neither of us would ever do." Said not as a criticism of Harper but rather as praise for the unhealthy dedication the Taliesin's had for one another, Remi tilts his head back and nods it suggestively towards their bed.

"Feel like hoarding me?" He asks sweetly.

THE LULLABY

maybe it's a long gray game, but maybe that's a good thing

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

"My duplicate could. Or we could teach Sugar and Oria to make simple dinners and live off those. Or we could try and train one of the animals in the Cordillera to be a maid." Perhaps Ronin has given this far too much thought, for these solutions to tumble so freely from his lips, but then he is very committed to his draconic instincts, don't you know.

Speaking of which, he rumbles a note of approval in response to Remi's question - the Morts and Vis and Harpers and Phoebes of the world are quickly forgotten when compared to this. "I am ashamed that it took you so long to ask," he hisses against the side of his neck, already sweeping the other man up into his arms and towards the bed.

The world might have changed, as might their surroundings, but the Taliesins certainly haven't. And while Ronin might have to hoard his husband a bit more gently these days, he is no less dedicated to the task. And it's not like they have any neighbours around to bother.

~FIN

THE DARK STAR

and continue fighting