into the endlessness

DEIMOS And in your darkest hour, I hold secrets flame It had been a long while since Deimos had ceased thinking about impending doom, strange happenings, or permitted mere moments of simply nothing - though he wasn’t certain the Draig would offer such a respite either. It brought forth other memories, of war and bloodshed and bedlam, chaos mired in stillness, but he’d accepted the invitation from Ronin for an opportunity to try. Maybe there were aspects to the world without the threat of damnation looming. On the promise of bringing Evie something back, uncertain if there were Cordillera souvenirs (besides trauma), he’d memorized the route on the Supernova’s map, taking to the skies above Halo and beyond – a golden eagle outline against the sky, bag clutched tightly in his talons, all intentions of not bringing attention to himself as a thunderbird. While he watched for dragons, their silhouettes and wings on clusters and patterns but far enough away to not be impactful, his eyes traced over the summits again, feeling the rustle of cold air touch upon feathers, and wondered what it would’ve been like to simply revel in the enigmas and beauty, without the maelstroms. Reminded of the Basin, for however many moments, he quietly drifted downward, recalling some portions of granules and formations from when they’d been amidst onslaught after onslaught. Only thereafter did he spot the waterfall, a glaring and obvious thing by the way the liquid flowed upwards, and his descent was spent marveling at the seemingly infinite quandaries of it, before ultimately touching down upon a meadow, green and vibrant beneath his feet. Shifting, his gaze flickered in multitudes of directions, taking in the picture, surroundings, with a distinct awe and presuming he knew exactly why the demigods had sequestered themselves here. master of nothing place; of recoil and grace

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

While Deimos admires and experiences the Draig's scenery in full, Ronin is thunderbird watching. And at the sight of an unmistakeable silhouette making its descent, he sets out to meet the Sword with a bottle of liquor and two shot glasses in hand. (He's going to give the other man nothing if not a warm welcome, after all). "Hey," he calls out when bird becomes man who comes into sight in the distance.

"I hope you had a good flight!" Breaking into a slow jog, soon enough the other man is within reach, and Ronin greets him with a clasp of the arm and an offer of a shot. "This is the Weightless Waterfall. Two guesses as to why it's called that," he chimes, shooting back his own liquor and beckoning for Deimos to follow him.

Between the two of them and their considerable strength and agility, it doesn't take long to cross the meadow, where the Tramezzino comes into view nestled against its rocky outcrop. Colourful, eclectic and ever-so-homely, the beached houseboat does not look as though it belongs up here, and yet... it does, at the same time. "Home sweet home," Ronin announces, leading them through the vegetable garden he and Remi have cultivated, past a pond where he feeds koi fish and ducks, and towards the deck.

THE SUPERNOVA

and continue fighting

are you really going to talk about timing in times like these?

Having made a bet about whether or not Deimos would accept Ronin's invitation, it was with a smirk of good-natured defeat on his lips that the Lullaby nodded to the approaching demi-gods. "You know, I was not sure you would come," Remi calls out in a voice more thickly accented than it once was, for having spoken almost exclusively to Ronin telepathically for months on end. Grinning, he rolls his eyes at his husband, before heaving himself with theatrical effort from his rocking chair. "It is nice to see you."

Wearing the chambray shirt Ronin had picked out for him and having recently had a haircut, the Lullaby looked almost presentable, where it not for the heavy scruff on his cheeks or the persistent smell of woodsmoke and juniper clinging to his skin.

"I see you made it past our defense system." He adds as Sugar soars to her porch atop the houseboat. Deimos' keen eyes might notice a deathly little spriggan upon her back, cheering her on, and posing a threat to exactly no one.

remi

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

DEIMOS And in your darkest hour, I hold secrets flame The Sword wasn’t left alone for long, though he would have appreciated the scenery regardless. Taking his surroundings in, within a moment he heard Ronin’s call from the distance, offering a brief nod and wave, closing the gap in longer strides as the demigod came jogging up. “It was fine,” and he gave a small grin, snagging at the offered shot between clasped arms. Jutting his jawline towards the aforementioned waterfall before he was whisked away towards the meadow and houseboat, the curiosity and inquiries struck. “Is it natural?” Presuming on many similar components immersed amidst Caido, or the option of Remi and Ronin simply creating one themselves. But then there were more alterations before his eyes, and it was almost amusing to think battles had taken place nearby, to come upon vegetable gardens and tucked away homes. “You have been busy,” he rumbled, eventually drinking down the shot before Remi’s voice was heard. He’d never expected a greeting from the Lullaby, based on years of knowing the man after many traumas and events, eyes widening slightly at the compliment and statement. It permitted him a moment to lay down one of the many guards and layers, allowing the flicker of a juvenile grin. “Figured I would take the rare opportunity when we are not all embroiled in a crisis,” for that brief instant anyway. Glowing bracelets, disappeared goddesses, and other coincidences notwithstanding. He took another look around, absorbed in several other sights and sounds, before focusing on both. “Thank you.” A brief pause, considerations and mind turning, and then his piercing gaze landed on the companions. “You all look well.” Which he meant wholeheartedly – peaceful, content, out of the way of vitriol, vehemence, and schemes. Reaching into his pockets, out of habit for his own bonded creatures and anyone else’s, he held out a palm full of treats for either dragon or spriggan. “It was a close call.” master of nothing place; of recoil and grace

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

"As natural as it can be in a place like this," Ronin says of the waterfall, his grin crooked and his shrug easy. "It was like that when we got here, put it that way." Glancing back towards home and the chambray-clad figure getting to his feet, the Nova's smile becomes ever more victorious, and he hums a good-natured agreement to Deimos. "It's been nice to be busy with something other than war," he admits.

Ascending the wooden steps to the deck to press an obnoxious kiss to Remi's cheek, he offers him a shot of liquor from the bottle he's still holding before pushing the door open to the houseboat. In the meantime, Sugar of course swoops down to take the offered treats from Deimos's open palm, all but coiled around his forearm to do so. "We should be saying that to you," Ronin calls, of looking well.

"Things must be going peacefully if there's time for a wedding!"

THE SUPERNOVA

and continue fighting

are you really going to talk about timing in times like these?

"You knock on wood right now." Remi warns, the sternness of his voice at odds with the smirk on his lips, as he raps his knuckles against the railing of the porch. "I have learned that almost anytime I say something like that, some new crisis emerges. I blame Ludo, but.." He shrugs as if to say the reason for it hardly mattered before reaching his arms around his husband to drag him close.

Raising an eyebrow at the remainder of the liquid left before snorting under his breath and happily taking a swig, the Lullaby ruffles a hand through his curls before turning to follow Ronin inside. Though Ronin kept things fairly tidy, Remi had gone out of his way to make sure the more festive of their decorum had been put away, or at the very least, hidden.

"Should we be saying that?" Remi wonders rhetorically, before tutting under his breath and giving the Nova a nudge. "Now it is your turn to knock on wood." He warns, before grinning over his shoulder at Deimos.

Reaching out to swipe whatever was in Deimos' large palm, the spriggan chirped a sound of appreciation before flying inside to devour (or bury) what she'd acquired.

remi

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

DEIMOS And in your darkest hour, I hold secrets flame Waterfalls bending another way without demigod intervention gave him pause, enough of an arched brow to be amused and to bring back more information home about the wilderness amidst the dangerous peaks. But attentions were diverted towards wooden steps and decks, houseboats pressed into sceneries and landscapes, eyes always meticulously absorbing, snorting mildly at Ronin’s comment. “I think we all know that sometimes you have to carve out the opportunity,” regardless if it were in the middle of peace or in the darkness of chaos. If they waited until the next event or another impending crisis to be diverted, they might have been biding and ceasing endlessly. But he granted both men a slightly generous smile, for Deimos, before his gaze pinpointed back on Remi. Perhaps they were all wary of anything resembling contentment and happiness, for good reasons, so he snorted, following the methodology and rapping his knuckles on the closest portion of wood. He watched though as both companions sought the treats in their own ways, briefly amused and trying not to laugh in between swift swoops and small swipes. “What else have you been up to?” master of nothing place; of recoil and grace

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

"We certainly do," Ronin agrees of carving out the opportunity - and he raps on their dining table for good measure as well. "If I remember rightly, our wedding was right before the blight took hold properly..." It makes his nose wrinkle to remember it, even after so long - and the celebration had been one for the ages, if he did say so himself. And besides, he and Remi have had another wedding since, so it all worked out.

Having collected her treats, Sugar swoops up to the rafters to enjoy them, letting Deimos enter the property unmolested. "Honestly? Not much, recently," Ronin replies to the Sword with a sheepish and apologetic smile. "We fell asleep all through Longnight. First time I can remember doing something like that. I feel like we're getting old."

Reaching into a cupboard for some glasses and producing a couple more bottles of liquor, he nods out to the deck and the garden beyond. "We can start up a firepit and sit," he suggests. "And cook out there as well, I think."

THE SUPERNOVA

and continue fighting

are you really going to talk about timing in times like these?

"Mmhm. Ronin went quite crazy. Brought me dead rats every night and yelled up into our windows about killing me." Remi added cheerfully as he joined Ronin in their little kitchen.

Grinning crookedly and puckering his lip in a boyish look of don't tell anyone, he shrugs at the idea of getting old. "It is true. Shall we make bets now as to whether or not any of us makes it to 40?" Now it's Remi's turn to knock on the table—resisting the urge to reach for his husband's head—and he does so.

"The weather has not been too bad up here, but I have heard things have not been so good on your side of the mountain." Remi comments, before internally wincing that the first thing he'd really bothered to say had been about the weather.

remi

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

DEIMOS And in your darkest hour, I hold secrets flame Mentions of the blight had his nose wrinkling as well, recalling Rexanna and Bastien’s soon after, and the pinnacles of bizarreness occurring amid the sickness. “Wonderful,” he echoed in dry, rumbling sentiments. Kiada, if memory served in all the chaos, had tried to assault him. All in all, not something anyone wanted to echo and repeat. Falling asleep through LongNight would’ve gone unheard of for Deimos, but it didn’t mean the notions weren’t somewhat enviable. Nor was he particularly bothered by age – but he was constantly and consistently active, and likely evaded multitudes of aches and pains either by Zuriel or constant motion. The bet Remi instigated made him snort, for he was not a gambling man, following along on the motions of their kitchen and outdoors, taking everything in again. “You have immortality going for you,” unless something truly momentous occurred, he supposed, and having already died once before, he took the semblances in stride. Nodding at the inclinations of fires and food, Remi’s comment stirred some other residual notions, and he let out a long sigh. “First time I have ever seen portions of Halo melting. Other lands have been hit by storms, high tides, and the like.” Pausing, eyes narrowing, because he could never really stop himself, his head tilted a fraction. “Still no weird plants for you here?” master of nothing place; of recoil and grace

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

Ronin's expression is a mix between disgusted, because yay, the blight and all the memories that come along with it, and amused because yes Remi, the weather. He settles for saying nothing about either remark (though he does look proud of his husband's small talk), heading out the back to their little firepit. Setting down the liquor and leaving it for Remi to play barman, Ronin busies himself in building a fire.

"Immortality doesn't stop my knees from aching," he says to Deimos through a bark of laughter, partially shifting his fingers into phoenix feathers to set alight to the kindling. "And I haven't seen any weird plants, no. How weird is weird though, honestly? There's a lot of bizarre shit all over Caido," he points out.

Taking a seat so he can start feeding fuel to the fire, he shoots a mischievous smile at Deimos; he isn't getting away from wedding talk that easy. "So did you propose, or did Evie?" he teases.

THE SUPERNOVA

and continue fighting

are you really going to talk about timing in times like these?

Snorting, the Lullaby tosses his hands up before shooting the Sword a crooked smile. "True, but out of all of us, I have come the closest to properly dying." It's an easy thing to think about now that the Voice was gone and that his memories of Isla had (sort of) been restored. But in truth, he really had almost died in Stormbreak. He'd probably almost died reaching into the Core as well.  "I had forgotten you are not immortal." Pulling in a breath to consider, the Lullaby gives his head a small shake in Deimos' direction. "I do not think you are missing much." Glancing toward Ronin, Remi can only snicker under his breath, resisting the urge to comment on why the Nova's knees might be so achy.

Letting Ronin pick up the conversation while he fixed them all drinks—an earthy gin made with water from the upside-down falls and icecubes that Sugar had frozen small juniper berries into—he offered each their glass before slumping down into one of the chairs around their little fire.

Grinning, he turned toward Deimos, keen on hearing the answer to this as well. "And was anyone concussed at the time?" He added, shooting his husband a boyish smile.

remi

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

DEIMOS And in your darkest hour, I hold secrets flame Firepits amused and enthralled simultaneously, and he hoped neither would mind as he ensured it came to a quick and feral roar with the silent pulse of his magic. He did pause, for a moment, at Remi’s words, before inclining his eyes quickly back towards Ronin – knowing none of them had forgotten the latter’s death, but wondering if they had simply come to a point in life where it was gallows humor. “We have all had our moments,” he considered instead, weighing the words carefully – not without his own puncturing memories of near misses amidst the Spire. Snagging at the drink with a nod of gratitude, his stare fixated on chairs, and picking one nearby before beginning to answer the other inquiries. “One could freeze,” and they wouldn’t need any guesses as to where that particular one was located. ,”and the other seemed to cause nightmares. There were some changes to river stars as well.” Permitting them to take those in stride, and perhaps an inward pout for not being able to skirt around wedding discourse, he did follow through with a boyish grin. “I did. Then we planned mostly everything during LongNight.” His eyes flickered back to Remi at the notion, taking in the unsaid information with a mild shake of his head and a light laugh. “No.” master of nothing place; of recoil and grace

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

"I beg to differ, dear husband," Ronin drawls with a grin between both Remi and Deimos - his death has indeed become gallows humour in all but the most serious of circumstances, of which this is not one of them - and it's with a surprised but welcome flare of satisfaction that he watches the fire roar to life. Taking a healthy gulp of his drink, Ronin gets back on his feet only for a moment so he can hurry to their icebox and pantry.

"River stars, too...?" He frowns as he returns, laden with potatoes to bake in the embers of the fire, a leg of alpina and venison, and some other vegetables to char. "So the changes are pretty widespread, then...?" Alright, that was a little more worrying, the Nova assembling their meal to cook over the heat before plopping into a chair next to Remi.

Wedding talk is a welcome change, and he reaches out to affectionately nudge his husband with his elbow. "I hope it's everything both you and Evie want on the day," he says with genuine warmth. "It's been a while since there was a celebration like this."

THE SUPERNOVA

and continue fighting