[se] rend the words from my tongue

One might think it ridiculous, absurd and downright dangerous for anyone to spend a night out on Svaturis Bay, let alone on the cusp of Deepfrost. But for two demigods who don't know any better, who were in the area anyway, and who have a habit of doing dangerous things for the sheer hell of it, it's more of an excuse just to get as cozy as possible. It's unfortunate, then, that Ronin's dreams had taken a turn for the solemn, because otherwise he might have remained asleep, tangled around his husband in a small, offshore cave, for hours to come. Unfortunately, from within their pile of ursur furs, the Nova stirs and huffs out a soft breath against the side of Remi's neck, his eyes peeling reluctantly open. From the sharp triangle of light outside the cave, he can see sleet falling and hear the crash of ice-clad waves, and their campfire is in need of stoking. Ronin, however, opts to bury himself further beneath the furs. He'd superheated the stone as a phoenix prior to them heading inside, and he knows his husband's ifrit shift can save the day if absolutely necessary. RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving

i've seen fire & i've seen rain.
i've seen sunny days that i thought would never end

Having drifted down past the realm of dreaming where he could lay still and motionless as if able to hide from the cold, Remi was ignorant of Safrin's pull on Ronin's mind. If he hadn't, we might have wondered if he could have followed Ronin up into the clouds where Safrin had beckoned; could he have eavesdropped? Could he have given Safrin bunny ears while she was giving her dramatic speech to her chosen? Alas, we shall never know.

Grumbling as Ronin's cold nose presses against his skin, the Lullaby shifts his shoulders in an attempt to bully away the chill. no, he thinks from somewhere just above the horizon line of sleep, as if knowing that his morning bird of a husband was considering waking up. Stretching out a hand, luckily not his right which was pinned beneath both his head and a tangle of furs, Remi oafishly pulls the Nova closer. Considering the matter closed, the Lullaby sighs out the sparse sparks of wakefulness that had awoken in his bones, that he might go back to sleep.

Sorry Ronin soothes into his husband's mind, all too content to let Remi coax him back to sleep (by choice or by force is anyone's guess at this point), but obviously it's not just that he's an early bird at play here; the Nova has news, like some prophet on a mountain, and he has to share it whether he likes it or not. So although he doesn't stir or move or force them into wakefulness properly - why should he, when they can speak silently and communicate through the ebbs and flows of emotion - the Lullaby will undoubtedly feel the undercurrent of concern rippling out of Ronin. Safrin called Deimos and I into a dream, he says slowly. She has to leave for a while. Best start with the good news (from Remi's perspective), right? But she thinks something is coming to Caido. From out in the stars. RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving

i've seen fire & i've seen rain.
i've seen sunny days that i thought would never end

I was having the strangest dream...we were in...some sort of white room together. Or was it pink? With thoughts made all the fuzzier by the pull of his own dreams, the Lullaby tries to pretend he doesn't feel the ruby warble of concern ruining the otherwise golden stream of colour he feels from his husband. He wants to go back into the room, where he and Ronin had been themselves, but also hadn't been. He wants to know what happens next in that place.

Safrin's name immediately rouses Remi and though he doesn't open his eyes, he's most certainly now awake. O...kay.. The Lullaby thinks a touch suspiciously. So Safrin had gone off to do something...and? What sort of something? If he opens his eyes this will all become quite real, so instead he just frowns deeply and tugs at one of the furs until it comes up to his ears.

A pink room, Ronin repeats, furrowing his brow against the crook of his husband's shoulder. I had one a couple of days ago but we were painting a room green. Or grey... I don't remember. And if only this could be the crux of their problems this morning, perhaps they might sink back into their dreams together and continue whatever individual stories they'd been telling. Alas. Nestling closer as if to leech some of the comfort from the fur as well as from Remi, Ronin lets out a long, sad sigh and shakes his head. She doesn't know. It's why she has to leave, he says. But she made it sound potentially... apocalyptic. She asked Deimos and I to act in her place, while she's gone. And to make sure the regions use their time wisely, if something does happen to cause trouble. RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving

i've seen fire & i've seen rain.
i've seen sunny days that i thought would never end

Pink... Remi repeats thoughtfully, before shivering beneath the blankets and feeling himself tense up quite unexpectedly. Was it your dream? Or mine? Not that it mattered; with dreaming magic it never mattered, though the pair were normally much more aware that they'd been dreaming together.

That it sounded apocalyptic didn't move the Lullaby much. Safrin, made something sound dramatic? Something only she could fix, while imparting importance onto the two of you? Remi tried not to lace his thoughts too heavily with snark, but it really did seem like the sort of thing Safrin would orchestrate.

Huffing a sigh and tugging Ronin all the closer until only sex or sliding into Ronin's own skin could bring them any nearer, the Lullaby grumbles. And just what does acting in her place entail..?

Our dream. Ronin smiles, his arms slipping more securely around the Lullaby to draw him closer, as if this will somehow chase away whatever tension might be rising in his muscles. And, having expected the snark and sarcasm and finding it funnier than it is worrisome, the Nova grins and peeps up at Remi properly, wanting to shower him with kisses but knowing it's far too cold to emerge from the furs and blankets. Mm, making sure no one takes advantage of her being gone. That sort of thing. Happily clasped against his one and only, if it weren't for the truly desperate temperatures, he'd absolutely have been instigating one of Remi's internal suggestions. (The sex one, if it wasn't obvious). Deimos is arranging a meeting between the region leaders, too. We were going to use the refuge in King's End, and I'm going to spread word to the demigods to attend, too. And that means you, he might have added to be petulant, but decides against it. RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving

i've seen fire & i've seen rain.
i've seen sunny days that i thought would never end

Able to feel Ronin's eyes opening through their bond, if only because the contours of the Nova's emotions are suddenly sharpened by sight, the Lullaby grumps in protest and reaches for the furs to drag them properly over their heads to block out any invading daylight.

And just how would one do that? The Lullaby wonders. The fingers of one hand slowly itch to life and begin to mercilessly trickle over the Nova's back. That seems...premature. Remi thinks, rolling the shoulder he was currently lying on before sighing back down into the darkness. I would think the next step would be for the other demigods who had not been dramatically summonsed into the clouds to try and confirm Safrin's story. If there really is a threat to the entire world, you would think someone else might be aware of it.

Not one for politics, the Lullaby couldn't imagine a single thing that a gaggle of demigods and leaders could possibly discuss other than prepare, I guess, given what little information Ronin and Deimos apparently had to work with.

Mm, I don't know, Ronin confesses, and he's even less sure now that the mischievous trickle of fingertips has appeared down the length of his back. I only just had the dream. Happy to burrow back beneath the darkness, it's with a smile and a warm kiss pressed against Remi's neck that Ronin closes his eyes once more. That's a good idea, though. You can go and check with Ludo, and I'll ask Sunjata and Phoebe to go and ask Frey. Sharing the load, Mr. Frodo, and all that. Either way, I'm not sending letters until a lot later, and I just... I had to tell you. Remi is his everything, after all, and the Lullaby would know something was up in seconds, once wakefulness claimed them properly. RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving

i've seen fire & i've seen rain.
i've seen sunny days that i thought would never end

Next time can you at least please have coffee made before waking me up to tell me Safrin has prophesized doom? The Lullaby wonders, and, having snuck one foot outside of the blankets, now twists himself in order to place said foot into the back of Ronin's calf as if branding the skin with the chill. Honestly, it was the least Ronin deserved for having ruined Remi's sleep.

If Deimos wants to call a meeting, really it should be about why they let Halo get so cold. He and Ronin were demigods and could withstand the temperature to a point, but Remi could only imagine what it was like for anyone else. Letting fur and feathers alike ruffle up his spine and into his curls, the Lullaby sighs heavily having resigned himself to the fact that he was now awake.

"Did you still want to go to the Frostfields while we are here? You can prance about in the mist and I can chase after you."

I absolutely can. I'm very sorry for getting so ahead of myself, Ronin purrs into Remi's mind, only for his mental voice to become a literal squawk of protest at the freezing toes that chase after the back of his leg. Trying to scrunch his way around Remi and allowing his fingers to plunge into soft fur and plush feathers, the Nova scatters a few kisses up the Lullaby's neck and onto his jaw. "Oh, I would love to," he says, hissing the words out through a warm breath against Remi's throat. "But first I'd like you to warm me up with some morning exercise." What kind of exercise is probably all too obvious given the sudden golden nature of Ronin's emotions, but just in case his husband needs it spelled out, Ronin's hands drift lower to grab at his ass. RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving

i've seen fire & i've seen rain.
i've seen sunny days that i thought would never end

Growling if only because the moment called for it and not because he was actually upset, the Lullaby rolled vaguely onto his back if only so that his other arm was free to harass his husband. Conveniently it was his right arm which quite liked harassing, and took to the job immediately.

"Oh? What, like twister?" The Lullaby suggests innocently before any following sass becomes garbled in the wake of Ronin's hands and the way they have Remi's breath stuttering out from his lips. It's wrong to say that Remi hopes he never loses the feeling of boyish wonder and desperate love for the Nova, because he knows he never will. Even so as the duo prepare themselves for some morning exercise, Remi is lost in the bright ultraviolet swirl of joy and affection he feels for the Nova, and the slow twist of passion that roars between them like a wildfire.

~FIN