[se] we come in waves

the lullaby

"I just...life is too short." Remi murmurs with a soft shrug. As Isla looks away, Remi sips in more of her, his eyes gulping down every inch of her that he'd been too careless not to memorize sooner.

Grinning boyishly, the Lullaby nods emphatically as he too looks at Isla's hands. 'Does being an Ancient let you partially shift?' He wonders, staring at her fingertips where once scalpels pushed through, wondering if they'd been replaced by claws. Does it let you hear this? He asks silently, though given he couldn't feel any sort of attuned bond between them, Remi didn't think so.

"Ahh well, you only say that because you have not seen where I actually live." The Lullaby counters, head tilted slyly. "It is quite beautiful but very deadly." He adds, sounding proud of this fact as if he had anything at all to do with it. "Achh-" Remi frowns, giving his head a firm shake. "As if you would ever let an island get the best of you." But then, because life wasn't always sunshine and butterflies, the Lullaby's expression smoothes out something much softer as he gives Isla's shoulder a gentle nudge with his wing.

"What happened in King's End?" He asks delicately, knowing based purely on the gossip he'd heard when looking for Isla that something must have happened. "When I was there looking for you...I only heard that you'd left the..." Remi frowns, not quite able to recall what Sunjata's brothel was called. "..the brothel." He finishes with the sort of shrug that suggests he doesn't care to think too hard about reaching for the right name.

You trace my lines, stirring my soul
shoot sparks at the heart of the world
& I watch it explode

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

we're always running scared but holding knives

"It really is," Isla agrees, with all the sudden realisation as if she's finally starting to appreciate how much of it she's been missing. But then again, without anyone to enjoy it with, what's the point? Pushing those thoughts away to gaze back at Remi, the Remedy wiggles her fingers a little and turns her hands over, palms up. "I've been trying, but no," she says with a softly furrowed brow. "It is just the shift into an animal. There are no other Attuned aspects." Hence her silence in response to his mental question.

Tilting her head in a silent approximation of an oh? - because she knows he lives in the Cordillera from rumour if nothing more - Isla gestures to the white sand beach and the leafy foliage that sprawls over bone and rock alike. "Are you saying that this is not beautiful but very deadly?" Alright, it hasn't tried to kill them yet, but she puts that down to Remi's presence.

Preferring not to comment on the things she's allowed to get the better of her, Isla nudges Remi's wing back with a gentle push from her shoulder, only to wrinkle her nose at the mention of King's End. "The House of Midnight," she supplies for the brothel's name. "And it might not be a long story, but it's a difficult one." Still, she does her best to succinctly explain.

"After the war, Sunjata and I stuck by each other. Whatever you think of him, he's a very close friend of mine even now." Two years of supporting each other will forge that sort of bond. "But I let myself get too... involved, maybe. I caught feelings, and Sunjata didn't. He's also seeing where things go with Hotaru, and so I didn't want to risk ending up feeling bitter about it. Leaving has let me put some distance between myself and everything." And it was already starting to feel better, even without this sudden, incredible turn of events.

Isla

the lullaby

'Ah.' The Lullaby doesn't hide his disappointment, but nor does it let it linger. Besides, it hardly mattered at all in the big scheme of things he and Isla could do together, and didn't matter in the slightest here and now with her still nestled between his legs.

"Where I live is more beautiful and more deadly." The Lullaby clarifies with a mischievous grin, his eyebrows bobbing slightly. "Though I suppose I was just wandering around as a ball of fire, so I can see why the island has left us alone. That is my bad." He adds apologetically.

Deciding that perhaps their renewed friendship (it had only been about 10 minutes after all) might not be receptive to needless commentary about the brothel's name, Remi merely nods. As Isla begins to speak, Remi carefully leans back just enough so that the places they touched were partitioned by a piece of clothing that she wouldn't be subjected to the caustic swirl of emotions that Sunjata's name always brought with it. Though he did his best to keep his expression neutral, to hear that Sunjata hadn't caught feelings for Isla had Remi's jaw dropping before he even realized it, and no amount of awkward throat-clearing could hide it.

Ruffling a hand through his curls, Remi sips in a breath and squints up at the clouds over his wing. What was his place to say or comment on wasn't something he had any idea how to gauge, and so as he exhaled with enough force to send the curls on his forehead bouncing, the Lullaby could only shake his head. "That...sounds very rough." He mumbles at last, letting his gaze drop back to her. "At Flora's opening..." What he meant to say was that Isl and Sunjata had looked very cozy together, but then Remi recalled seeing Hotaru pull the Flood just after he'd been done speaking to Ronin and they had also looked cozy.

"Gods, and I've been such an ass to you when we have bumped into one another."

You trace my lines, stirring my soul
shoot sparks at the heart of the world
& I watch it explode

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

we're always running scared but holding knives

"Mm," Isla agrees with his disappointment, but it doesn't last for long, the Remedy arching an eyebrow at him. "But you know, I can dream with you now." Which, even though it has tumbled from her lips somewhat nonchalantly, is a huge deal, one she hasn't given the space to appreciate just yet. "Assuming you can still do that?" As he's said, he'd just become a ball of fire - Remi might have lost and gained other powers that Isla isn't aware of.

Speaking of the fireball, though, "Why did you decide to look for me like that?" she wonders. "I mean, you were looking for me, right? On purpose?" And she'd run the fuck away, understandably so.

Not knowing quite what to expect given the reactions she's so used to from the Lullaby, Isla wisely remains silent for a few moments to let him storm off or go on a verbal tirade mentally digest everything. And when he speaks, she's surprised by the fresh sting of tears she feels behind her eyes, the Remedy shivering out a sigh and nodding. "I've had easier seasons," she agrees quietly. "And I wasn't exactly well-behaved either, it isn't all your fault. I just... it was so hard to see you and not..."[/say Gesturing between them, she hopes it doesn't need words for him to understand.

Isla

the lullaby

"I can still do that." Remi agrees, refusing his mind even an inch of freedom with which it might consider any of the ramifications of dreaming with Isla. You know, like waking up naked next to her if he ever had to go to her, of being able to create an entire not-real world to lose themselves in.

"Er, well..." Sheepishly, Remi bites at the corner of his cheek and winces. "..I thought Ancient and fire went together. Of everything I can become I thought that would be the least...er, hostile? Excluding the raccoon, but then I would never have been able to keep up with you." He explains.

Forcing golden thoughts to the forefront of his mind - and honestly, if Ronin could put to bed the issues he'd had with Sunjata surely Remi could as well - he wraps an arm around Isla's shoulders to tug her against him as his wing further encircled them. "It was not not my fault, either." Rather than Sunjata-directed venom, Remi's emotions are simply violet backwash as he remembers calling Isla selfish in the wake of her having lost him, then Cal, then Sunjata.

"Is there anything I can do? Now, or just...in general?"

You trace my lines, stirring my soul
shoot sparks at the heart of the world
& I watch it explode

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

we're always running scared but holding knives

"Then we should dream together some time," Isla says with a smile that surprises herself with how cheerful it is. Partially it's the idea of making plans to do something with Remi, but gods, at least a little bit of it is just making plans for the future.

She follows his logic with a peal of laughter, unable to help herself, though by her shrug, she can't exactly fault him. "I mean, it did make me curious, but you still look like you in the fire, and as soon as I saw that..." Well. He'd been there for their meetings prior to his Isla-Remi-movie-marathon; he knows why she'd have not wanted to be around him now more than ever. "So is it another shift?" she wonders of the flaming being she'd seen.

Surprised and delighted to find herself drawn against Remi, Isla slips her arms around him in return, drawing a surprising amount of comfort from the feathery sanctuary provided by the shield of his wing. Giving him a gentle squeeze in response to his question, the Remedy nods and peeks up at him. "Would you be my friend again, please?" she asks softly.

Isla

the lullaby

"You just name the time, and I will bring the place." Remi chuckles, similarly caught up in the sweetness that comes from making plans that don't bring an immediate feeling of regret or annoyance.

"Yeah...Well, I thought if you saw me as a wraith you would absolutely think I was following you for the wrong reasons. At least as an ifrit I thought you might be mildly curious." He answers, nodding as he mentions the name of the new shift. "I think that is probably the only new thing I can do. Well, that and-" Shrugging his right shoulder to indicate that arm, Remi's ghostly appendage has been politely keeping itself busy by digging a small hole in the ground as Remi leaned against it. "I touched the Core and..." He frowns, able to laugh now at what an idiotic thing it had been to do.

As for friendship? Predictably sappy about the whole thing, the Lullaby swallows before wrapping his arms in earnest around the Remedy. Tucking his cheek against the top of her head, Remi leans into the bright bite of tears behind his eyes, nodding silently. Gods he wished he could speak silently to her that he wouldn't have to talk around the ball of emotion in his throat. "I would like nothing else." He says gruffly, his fingertips spreading across her lower back and shoulders. 'Is there...I mean, I am sure there will be time for it later, but anything we need to...anything you want to..talk about ?'

You trace my lines, stirring my soul
shoot sparks at the heart of the world
& I watch it explode

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

we're always running scared but holding knives

It's a date, Isla might have said once upon a time, but here and now she merely offers the Lullaby a sunny smile, already mentally writing him a letter to arrange a time for them to dream together, wondering what place he might choose. "An ifrit," she repeats, deciding not to mention the wraith just yet - time for that later, gods - and instead focusing on the word she feels she almost recognises. "So it's just... a fiery you?" She grins.

Considering the amount of justs Remi uses in describing the massive changes he's undergone since they'd last spoken properly, Isla is understandably distracted from her own questions as the Lullaby produces his hole-digging-ghost-hand, her eyebrows raising curiously. "The Core," she whispers, reaching out instinctively for his hand only to find herself summarily smooshed against him. Not that she's complaining at all.

Clutching him close and breathing in deep the smell of botanics and parchment, Isla closes her eyes and smiles into the fabric of Remi's shirt. "I'm glad," she mumbles, her voice muffled, and even as he continues, Isla doesn't part from him one bit. "Mm... well, I know especially towards the end of things, things got really messy between us." Granted they'd been complicated by her relationship with Cal, and overshadowed by the looming certainty of war, but still.

"I just... I love you, Remi. I love you enough to know I won't do anything to mess up being your friend again. Does that make sense?"

Isla

the lullaby

"Just fiery me." He agrees, before offering Isla a sly look. "And you..Ancients, that is, you cannot be burned, right? So if I were to...you know, become a ball of fire, it would not hurt you, would it?" Funny how the shift he'd once had solely to prevent any ascended from getting too close to him now seemed to be the one the ancients might like best.

"Mhmm. It was a very stupid thing I did. It was agony for months." So saying his right arm ceases it's digging for a moment as if to shoot the Lullaby an accusatory stare. It couldn't do this of course, but Remi somehow felt it just the same. "And now I have this arm that...sometimes acts on its own."

Biting at the inside of his cheek to keep his lips from saying anything inappropriate or too mushy, Remi found that walking the line between life is too short, say what you feel and keep yourself in check you selfish idiot was quite difficult. "I love you too." He agrees, instantly and easily, before chuckling against her. "I cannot say I won't mess up, because I am still me, but...certainly I do not want to put you into the position you were in before or take you for granted."

You trace my lines, stirring my soul
shoot sparks at the heart of the world
& I watch it explode

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

we're always running scared but holding knives

"Someone has been reading up on his Ancient Studies," Isla remarks with a soft laugh that's lost against his shoulder, but she nods her confirmation nonetheless. "That's right. But I can still get a sunburn, I just won't feel it happening. So please let me know if you notice." Honestly it hasn't stopped her basking in the sun one bit, so even if Remi does comment on it, there's no guarantee she'll listen.

Once she's finished enjoying a (very, very overdue) hug with her best friend, both the medic in Isla and the Isla in her will want to take a close look at his new hand, but for now she keeps her burning curiosity mostly to herself. "Is that what you say when you want to get away with something? Sorry, it was my ghost arm?" She chuckles.

Finally drawing away enough to wipe her cheeks and beam up at him, the Remedy nods her head. "I think we are both more than capable of messing up," she says. "But not everyone gets a second chance. And I... gods, it feels good not to have to worry about the war while I'm talking to you." She's only just realised that difference in their conversation, the lack of underlying tension that their respective positions had brought.

"Do you want to head back to Haulani with me?" she asks suddenly. "I was hunting birds when you rudely interrupted, but I could go for a proper meal all of a sudden."

Isla

the lullaby

The urge to simply become a burning ball is quite strong indeed, if only because there's something powerfully tempting about knowing Isla could withstand the sort of fire that would reduce anyone else to ash. Unhealthy though it might be, the thought has Remi flushing slightly and it's like for the best that the colour of his cheeks was lost in the gold of Isla's hair.

'That is precisely what I say.' Remi agrees with a soft laugh. "And you have no idea how often it works." To this end, the ghostly appendage sticks its finger sharply into the sand, sending a jolting of pain up the Lullaby's arm.

"Or a fourth, or...fifth?" Was that how many chances they were at now? Snorting, Remi rolls his eyes and nods in emphatic agreement. "If I could un-demi god that I might never have to be involved in anything ever again, I would in an instant." He admits on the heels of a sigh. 'If we never see another war in our lifetime, it will be too soon.'

Raising his eyebrows, Remi only needs to consider for an instant before his smile is turning boyish and crooked. "Sorry about that. I suppose buying you lunch is the least I can do." Pulling back his wing and rolling his shoulders to reel them in completely, the Lullaby releases Isla completely that she mind not have to use him like a jungle gym to stand up.

You trace my lines, stirring my soul
shoot sparks at the heart of the world
& I watch it explode

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

we're always running scared but holding knives

"Do you think perhaps it works because of who you are, rather than because of the lie or the ghost hand?" Isla considers with a wry smile. She doesn't want to pop Remi's bubble, but it's really not as though anyone is going to call the Lullaby a liar. As for how many chances they've had so far, the Remedy can only offer him a gentle shrug, as if to say she's grateful of all of them regardless. For the first time in a very long while, Isla is looking forward to her tomorrows, and she's not taking that for granted one bit.

"You would become an Attuned again?" she asks curiously, feeling a pang of something as his arms release her - a cousin to panic, perhaps, in case suddenly he forgets her - only to carefully get to her feet. "Or - no, that's not right. You could do magic too, couldn't you?" Smiling at the memory, Isla checks the makeshift bandage on her foot and gestures across the shoreline, where an admittedly rickety rowboat has been pulled onto the shore.

"Okay, but we have to take that back," she says, knowing the Lullaby is more than capable of flying them or throwing her across the distance or something equally as ridiculous and powerful. But there's something satisfying about using the slower, arguably more human methods of travel. Isla should know - she's done enough of it lately.

Isla

the lullaby

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Remi wonders, suddenly the picture of pacifist innocence. Or at least, that was what he'd been going for. It was hard to even pantomime someone non-threatening these days given just how many scars silvered his arms and neck, without even mentioning the ones they both knew were hidden by his clothing.

"Mmmhm." He agrees as she corrects herself. "Ludo cursed me...almost right away when we arrived." Remi says with a slow inhale. "Though of all the ways in which I have been cursed over the years, I did not mind that one." Glancing down at his hands, now incapable of doing the things they once could for all the power he now had, Remi shrugs. "If I could go back to being just an alchemist...very few things would make me happier, but then..." He grins. "..I suppose I will have to settle for having you as a friend again."

Rising in Isla's wake, knowing she could better assess the injury to her foot than he could, Remi glances at the boat with a playful scowl. "You are going to ask me, the demigod of death and mighty kraken to get into a row boat?"

You trace my lines, stirring my soul
shoot sparks at the heart of the world
& I watch it explode

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

we're always running scared but holding knives

"Oh, I just meant because you're so demure and honest. No one could ever believe you would lie about using a ghostly appendage to... I don't know. Pinch someone you didn't like?" Raising her eyebrows as if she can sell herself her own story, Isla brushes the sand from her skirts and begins to pad away across the shore, leaving soft prints in her wake. Remi's next comment has her flashing a fanged grin over her shoulder at him, appreciating his company far too much to have a problem with the repeated affirmations of their friendship.

"You were a fantastic alchemist," she agrees readily. "You still are, I have no doubt. But I know what you mean." Already she's clambering into the rowboat, taking up one of the oars and tilting her head at the mighty kraken. "No," she tells him mildly. "I am going to ask you to get into a row boat, and to help me row it." Plonking herself down, Isla gives him an expectant smile.

Isla