are we there yet?

Let no one say that Isla hasn't enjoyed the jaunt through the Greatwood, even with the spiders and the weird pools of not-water. They'd spent the rest of the day walking and exploring on two feet; they'd made a campfire on the banks of the Stone Symphony; she'd enjoyed a few of Mateo's botanical collections and has even ensured that the plants he'd labelled SAFE TO TOUCH stay watered for the skyboat ride back. Not long after they'd ascended into the air for a second time, however, a familiar hollow gnawing begins to snarl in the pit of her gut, and Isla becomes uncharacteristically withdrawn. Were she a little more clear-headed she might have been able to communicate bloodlust and what it means to Remi, however the alchemist might unfortunately spend the trip back to Stormbreak feeling as if he's done something wrong. Lingering quietly at the railing as the floating isle starts to come into view, Isla doesn't even trust herself to brush against Remi for fear of the feelings he'll leech off her. Especially when something hippity-hoppity appears near the floating stones and crude road of what used to be a much more righteous place. She remembers the great Nate exchange occurring here, not that it matters now. "Can you slow down, please?" she says tightly, trying not to let her mouth water. Isla the flesh is weak

REMI

the lullaby

Every now and then the things
I lean on lose their meaning

Feeling both as if he'd done something wrong and as if he didn't understand women at all - even Isla - the Lullaby does the predictably man-ish thing and just leaves the Remedy alone. Like many men in this situation, he (rightly or wrongly) believes that if there was something Isla wanted him to know, she'd tell him. Certainly, she was that sort of person after all. Still, he did gnaw on his lip as he piloted La Verbena back toward the skyport, glancing over his shoulder anytime he thought he'd heard her approaching only to find himself alone on the deck for the majority of the voyage.

When Isla does near, her request has Remi frowning before assuming that perhaps she was sky sick, and that was why she looked so dismal and had kept to herself. But slowing down would only stretch out the voyage and likely wouldn't relieve Isla of her symptoms anyway. "Really, we will be there soon if you can just wait it out a little longer-" He suggests, wondering if Mateo had crackers or something down below that she could try and settle her stomach with.

And I find myself careening in places
where I should not let me go

This is Sky's coding and you all know it

"I can't," Isla snaps without meaning to, and thank goodness he doesn't mention the crackers out loud, because they aren't going to cut it right now. As the blink hares come into view again, closer this time, the Ancient is fixated on them in the same way she might have been as a tiger, her fingers tightening around the railing of La Verbena. Eventually, as one might have suspected at a moment like this, instinct wins out over rational thought, and whether or not they are close enough becomes irrelevant. Isla will have scrapes on her knees, elbows and forearms as a parting gift from the Righteous Climb, but she still manages to yeet herself fairly elegantly from the railing, she thinks. Naturally the blink hares blink away at the approaching death-from-above, but Isla is hot on their pursuit, and there's only so far they can teleport away. Isla the flesh is weak

REMI

the lullaby

Every now and then the things
I lean on lose their meaning

Raising his eyebrows as Isla snaps at him, the Lullaby blinks politely a few times while plastering on a fake smile. "If you are going to throw up, I would suggest-" But then Isla is gone and there's no need to tell her where (or rather, wherenot to throw up). With a colourful curse the Lullaby finds himself once again landing La Verbena solo before, you guessed it, once again lunging over the railing after Isla.

This time the medic doesn't laugh up at him from a field of sweetgrass, but instead stalks away from him prowling after..

..bunnies?

Run Rabbit Run

Having absolutely no idea at all what was happening, the Lullaby glances around to confirm there was no obvious danger, before walking after Isla. "Sorry, is this you having a mental breakdown, or have I done something wrong?" Really at any given time, those seem about the only two options between the pair.

And I find myself careening in places
where I should not let me go

This is Sky's coding and you all know it

Unsurprisingly, what Remi would suggest is very low on Isla's list of priorities at present; her mind is singularly focused on the rabbits, or more precisely, where they aren't now that she's landed on the floating pathway. And whilst blink hares (not that she realises) can be quite a nuisance for hunters, they've clearly never had to deal with an Ancient with bloodlust before. So as Remi's (unhelpful, thanks) call rings out after her, Isla has already dived - inelegantly but whatever - and snatched up one of the bunnies. She breaks its neck in a way that's both medical and predatory, before tearing into it raw with gusto. "What did you say?" she calls down to him a moment or so later, still happily feasting on the blink hare - and sounding a lot happier now, too. Isla the flesh is weak

REMI

the lullaby

Every now and then the things
I lean on lose their meaning

His eyebrows are still raised high enough that not only have they disappeared into his curls but the muscles of his forehead are starting to protest, it's with his mouth agape that he struggles (and fails) to understand the scene before him.

Absolutely thinking Isla had gone crazy - there's being a bit hungry in the predatory sense which he can absolutely appreciate, and then there's leaping off of a moving skyship to slorp a rabbit like a juice pouch - Remi walks toward her as gently as possible as if she, like the blink hares, might just suddenly decide to vanish.

"I asked if you were having a breakdown." Remi repeats, hazarding a quick and confused smile. 'Or whether you were mad at me, but this...' His eyes drop to the bloody pelt. "..seems more about you."

And I find myself careening in places
where I should not let me go

This is Sky's coding and you all know it

"Mmm?" Clearly Isla does not think she looks remotely like she's having a breakdown, the Remedy glancing from Remi back down to the bloody pelt in her hands, not to mention the crimson that now stains her clothes and covers her face like red freckles. "Oh. Oh, shit. Right." Smiling awkwardly and setting the leftovers rabbit down gently enough that it makes the past few moments seem all the more violent, she clears her throat. "It... gods, I was really far gone with it, wasn't I?" she murmurs, half to herself. "I... sorry, Remi. You're right, this wasn't to do with you at all. It's part of being an Ancient. We get something Dygra calls bloodlust, where we need to..." She gestures around at the rabbits in the hope that it's somewhat obvious. We need to kill and eat things. "The last time I got it was just before I saw you in Meadowreach. I'm used to recognising it creeping up on me, but I guess I must have been distracted." She tries a smile for him, as if to ask why that could have possibly been. Isla the flesh is weak

REMI

the lullaby

Every now and then the things
I lean on lose their meaning

Snorting as Isla sets down the rabbit like it was some expensive shoe she realized she didn't have the money to buy, Remi grins crookedly as he folds his arms comfortably across his chest. 'Well, you did jump off of a moving skyship, which...given your lack of ascended healing does seem a bit crazy." The Lullaby agrees conversationally, before tilting his head to the side as the Remedy explains.

"Ah." This isn't all that surprising now that Isla has spelled it out, but Remi can't help but laugh and shake his head, still slightly bewildered. "Well, you do remember who I am, right? If anyone in all the world knows what it means to suddenly feel the need to stop and kill something..." Releasing his arms and holding them out in a it's me, hi, I'm the murdery one, it's me gesture. "At the very least I could have planned to stop for something more satisfying than just rabbits.

Or-" Remi's grin turns a touch wicked as his eyes darken. "-I could have at least made it more fun for you. Driven them toward you or something."

And I find myself careening in places
where I should not let me go

This is Sky's coding and you all know it

As expected now that her bloodlust is sated - not as long as previously, given that this is a rabbit and last time was a deer - Isla is back to her usual self, the Remedy carefully rising to her feet and glancing at the scrapes she's earned by leaping from a skyship with no consideration for personal safety. "You aren't wrong," she admits with a wry smile to Remi. "And you make a compelling point. I'm sorry - this is the first time someone has been properly around me when I've been hungry like that." It's difficult enough to politely excuse oneself to do a quick murder, let alone when driven to a state where rational thought begins to fade. "I'll bear it in mind for next time, though? Thank you for stopping, either way. If I'd come back to myself to see you drifting off towards the Falling, it might have taken me a little while to find you again." She grins. Isla the flesh is weak

REMI

the lullaby

Every now and then the things
I lean on lose their meaning

"Sorry, what was that?" The Lullaby wonders, placing a hand by his ear to accentuate the sound. "What was that word you said? I wasn't..." Narrowing his eyes and stretching his head even farther forward as if comically straining to hear You aren't wrong somehow echo back, Remi straightens and grins.

Resisting the urge to say something smug about Sunjata not being around or something else equally unhelpful, Remi instead clears his throat and offers Isla a wry smile for her efforts. "All the more reason we should stick to air-manticore instead of La Verbena." He chuckles. "I am much easier to steer and if we end up crashing for any reason, it is one less thing to apologize to Mateo about." Remi adds, shaking his head slightly.

"Feel better, or would you like to eat anything else now that we are stopped?"

And I find myself careening in places
where I should not let me go

This is Sky's coding and you all know it

"Oh, wrong?" Isla sasses Remi right back, a sweet smile on her face. "You know, the opposite of right? I'm surprised you're not more familiar with that word, Remi, given how often you must hear it." Jostling him with her shoulder for good measure, now at least the Lullaby will only feel the warm flare of amusement and satisfaction from Isla's emotions, instead of raw and untethered hunger. "If we ever crash while flying by air-manticore I'll be very upset regardless of how many apologies we don't owe to Mateo." Raising her eyebrows at him, the Remedy tries and fails to wipe the blood from her dress. "Mm, no. I feel much better now, thank you. I'd quite like to deal with these too, if you don't mind heading back to the boat." Gesturing to the scrapes on her arms and legs, at least Isla doesn't seem to have a problem walking and moving. "Besides, I don't like it much out here. It brings back bad memories." Isla the flesh is weak

REMI

the lullaby

Every now and then the things
I lean on lose their meaning

Huffing loudly - of course Isla had found a way to steal this victory away - Remi's feigned annoyance quickly melts away as Isla's shoulder brushes against his and the infectious colour palette of golds and greens tint his own. "Careful now." He tuts warningly, raising a shoulder as if meaning to nudge her right back, and possibly sending her flying once more.

'Well, it is not all about you, now is it." Remi snarks childishly right back, bobbing his own eyebrows in return. Glancing at the scrapes and knowing that out of the pair of them Isla was certainly the better of them to deal with it, he just nods. "Most people do not give credit to rabbits, but they can be surprisingly violent." He murmurs, almost approvingly before strolling back toward La Verbena.

Glancing around, his eyes narrowed slightly in thought, Remi just snorts under his breath. "Oh, you mean when we were all against one another and everyone was at each other's throats?" He wonders cheerfully, resisting the urge to nudge Isla. "Well, now you can cover those memories with new ones, of the time you leapt from Mateo's boat and ate a small child's pet rabbit."

And I find myself careening in places
where I should not let me go

This is Sky's coding and you all know it

"Careful is not really a word to attribute someone who just jumped out of a moving skyship," Isla points out with a warm smile, though she does skip back automatically as if afraid of being shoulder-checked right off the edge of Stormbreak. She doubts there's a field of sweetgrass waiting for her at the end of that drop. Strolling at Remi's heels and absently picking a bit of gravel out of one of her elbow-scrapes, she can't resist a rather undignified snort in response to his sentiments. "Mm, they are also very talented at using the terrain to their advantage," she informs him, given that it hadn't been the rabbits so much as the rocks that had caused her problems. "How did they disappear like that, anyway? Are they some kind of Stormbreak Invisible Bunny or something?" Her amusement naturally fades at the reminder of the time when, yes, everyone had been at each other's throats. "Yes, and the Voice tried to persuade me to kill you," she murmurs, remembering well Wessex's begging, pleading voice in her head, praying for her to turn the tide for the Ascended. But all's fair in love and pet rabbits, she supposes, Isla clambering back onto La Verbena with a soft laugh. Isla the flesh is weak

REMI

the lullaby

Every now and then the things
I lean on lose their meaning

"Well maybe if I say it enough, one day it will start to sink in." Remi calls over his shoulder, finding himself suddenly wondering if Isla was looking at him as he strolled ahead of her, and walking all the taller for his worries.

"Oh yes, didn't you know? It is one of the perks of Stormbreak that all pets can randomly disappear." Okay Nightvale. Chuckling, Remi shakes his head. "They are called Blink Hares. I do not even know if they move around consciously. If anything I think it is a bit like camouflage in other species. It just happened when they think they are in danger."

Having nothing witty to say, the Lullaby just nods his head and exhales slowly. Both of their lives had come so close to changing that day, and even years later Remi wasn't sure he understood the full ramifications of it. Heaving himself on board and taking up his former place behind the wheel, Remi ruffles a hand through his curls and waits for Isla to get settled.

"All aboard. Next stop, the Skyport." He calls loudly as La Verbena rises from the ground.

~FIN

And I find myself careening in places
where I should not let me go

This is Sky's coding and you all know it