White Lightning

Sky above, Earth below, Fire within

That Remi remembered her friend was beyond comforting. While certainly there were others who had known Amun and mourned his absence, sometimes she felt as though she was clinging to the memory of a ghost. Had he ever been real? Was it ever more than a figmentof her imagination?
But no. Remi remembered too, and she nodded eagerly to assure that he was thinking of the right person.
"You would do that? That would be wonderful. I – " She broke off, turning her gaze to the distant horizon when emotion threatened to overwhelm her. Did she really want to know? Could she take the truth, no matter what it was? If he was dead. If he was out there, somewhere, lost and alone - and nothing she did could help him?
It had to be better than not knowing. Surely.

As for her asking Ludo herself - that she wasn't so sure about. Glancing sideways at the Lullaby, Maea chewed on her lower lip. "You really think so? Even after all I've done - all I've become?" It seemed incredible, that she could screw up so completely and still be welcome back. Hope was a painful thing; she didn't want it, yet couldn't entirely banish it either.

With her emotions in a turmoil, the bitterness in Remi's laughter resonated perhaps more than it otherwise might have. Never one to shy away from the darkness in others, Maea grimaced in sympathy of his complicated situation.

"On one hand, I guess I can understand the desire to keep a loved one to yourself," she mused. "I'm not one for sharing partners either. But one would think that a goddess would be above such things. The more I hear about Safrin, the more I wonder what the difference really is between them and us, aside from sheer power."  

Twisting a piece of frayed hem between her fingers, she wrinkled her nose. "Do you think this invader person is more like the gods or more like us? Or something else entirely?"

maea

REMI

"Certainly. Next time I see Ludo, I will ask after Amun." The Lullaby confirms with a small nod before tracing the ridges of Maea's silhouette against the skyline as she looked away. Gods but he had been familiar with death for far too long such that he could think of almost no words of comfort to offer the woman who stood before him. "I think..knowing one way or the other will be a help." He said gently, if not lamely.

Returning her stare, Remi considered for a moment before nodding. "It might not appreciate how many times you have skirted death," grinning, the Lullaby shrugged. "-but you are still you, even after everything."

Wasn't she?

"You would think that.' Feathering his jaw slightly, Remi shook his head. "There are things she has done of which I cannot even speak, but no, I do not think much separates them from us. Time and power is all it really comes down to."

Running a hand up the side of his face before tangling his fingers into his curls, Remi thought of his time on Starfall with Dahlia. An unconscious shiver rose from the base of his spine, tensing his muscles along the way. "Their motives seem more like ours, I would say. My daughter spoke to Rae about them, and they said they are here to conquer and take over." He explains. "Though Dahlia was stronger than anything or anyone I have ever encountered, she did miss a few of her attacks, which makes me think she is not as all-powerful as our gods are." Certainly she was strong enough to best the Lullaby without breaking a sweat, but there was something very mortal about it all.

"She toyed with me, but not the way Safrin or Ludo has. It reminded me more of the land I came from and the way I was treated by those in higher classes. More of an abuse of power for the fun of it."

Who are you? They ask. Death?
Sometimes... I say. But not today

Sky above, Earth below, Fire within

Lame or not, the simple attempt to offer comfort at all did not go unnoticed. Maea didn't know him well enough to determine whether it was a normal Remi thing to do, but she appreciated it all the same; nodding lightly and offering a faint smile in return. That was growing easier the longer they spoke, as her guard steadily dropped and the mendering topics helped reinforce an image of the Lullaby as more real and grounded than her imagination had painted him out to be.

She actually laughed at the mention of her persistent escape from Mort's realm. "At least I'm not alone in that... Kiada has about the same history as I, so it's not like my case is unprecedented. Isla might even hold the record of resurrections... If that's all it will fault me for then I will consider myself fortunate." If that was anything to strive for. She hoped she was herself even after so many changes. As much as any person remained themselves while growing up and gaining experiences - changing opinions and finding new values, even as scars collected and warped the mind and body. In her case... probably not out of recognition.  

Contemplating the mortal flaws of the Heralds was proving to be an unpleasant pastime. Unsure if the news of these intruders nature made her feel better, Maea nevertheless considered what Remi said. Her hands went to the spacey pockets of her coat in search of paper and pen, only to come up empty.

"I should start journaling," she muttered. "Can you remember if she used any abilities of her own? What was the island like? Anything at all that you noticed might be important... I can compare it to the rest of the critters. See if there's any connection." Was the void a side effect or a force unto its own, like light or dark? Were they all connected like the Attuned, or separate units of individual power like the Ancient? Questions danced in the Loreseeker's eyes, and she focused on committing any morsel of information to memory, to be written down later.

maea

REMI

Mention of Isla nearly has Remi choking on his own breath before he clears his throat in a fruitless attempt to hide his reaction. Maea was not to know the complexity of his relationship with the Remedy of course, nor the role he played in her death(s) or how it had ultimately led him to become a demigod for Ludo in the first place. Still, it was with a flush in his cheeks that he nodded. "That is certainly true and if I remember correctly, the last two souls returned during the Festival of Lights were of an ascended, so perhaps Ludo is trying to make up for the injustices done during the war."

Raising his eyebrows as Maea searched, only to realize what she was after and knowing he couldn't offer her anything from his person, instead the Lullaby folded his arms comfortably over his chest and tried to think. "She was exceptionally strong and fast. I did not see if she had talons or if her fingers were merely made to pierce, but—" Tugging up one portion of his shirt out of his pants, he pulled until his ribs were visible. Amidst the silvery scars were far fresher punctures that were nestled perfectly between his ribs. "She was able to reach in and grab me. It felt as though she was trying to tear me apart from the inside." Sighing, Remi let his shirt fall.

"She seemed to know a bit about me, what I looked like and that I was gay, at least." He'd found that surprising if only because of all his traits they seemed the least important. "The island itself was like the Climb I suppose. All porous rock with a bit of void vegetation. There were also void dragons and fyrrhounds that I saw, but I would not be surprised if all the void flora and fauna on Caido could also be found there." It's where it had originated, right?

"It would appear that celestial abilities like those Ronin or Noah have do not effect them. I was able to put her to sleep using my magic, which is the only reason I made it out alive I should think."

Who are you? They ask. Death?
Sometimes... I say. But not today

Sky above, Earth below, Fire within

Ah, hope was a fickle thing. Persistent, treacherous, a light in the dark that painted kaleoidoscopes of possibility on the walls of the heart like so much graffiti. If Maea wondered at the color rising in Remi's cheeks she was too distracted by her own mounting anticipation of possibly seeing Ludo again that she didn't pry.
She did enough of that as it was when he pulled the shirt up to reveal the scars. Like a roadmap to events of his time in Caido and beyond, they painted a life of struggle and resilience she could only admire. The fresh scars drew a wince from her, and Maea bent forward to inspect as closely as she could - forgetting such things as propriety and personal space in the name of science - while frowning softly in thought.

"Well... anyone could tell her your and Ronin's names," she pointed out gently, looking up at Remi when he dropped the shirt back down. "You two are rather well known, as is the fact that you are married. But it does imply that she did not arrive with the falling moon. She's had time to listen to rumors, which means... likely she arrived with the first meteor strikes, around LongNight." That much she could deduce with logic, and unfortunately didn't say anything about possible powersto unearth information on people.

The mention of his ability working made her eyes widen with interest. "Oh, really? That's the first I've heard of that. How would you classify your abilities - are they light? Gray? Dark? Fire definitely works on the critters and plants, I've seen Deimos burn them to a crisp without issues. Physical attacks have worked too." That opened up a world of possibility, and the first silver lining since the start of this whole affair.

"You don't happen to have another sketch of this woman on you..? None of this information has reached the public in the Grounds. I only know as much as I do because I pestered king Hadama. There's a very concerning lack of communication outside of the leading ranks. That might be a problem..."

maea

REMI

Unbothered by Maea's nearness, the Lullaby merely sighed as she looked him over before straightening. "In this world, maybe, but I do not think she is from Caido. She referred to a they when she spoke of what she knew about me, though.." Suddenly frowning, Remi bit at the inside of his cheek. "I wonder if they had spies here, before the arrival of Starfall." Nodding at Maea's deduction, Remi itched his fingers through his curls. "Sunjata said as much. He met her first during LongNight. Offered her room and board, actually."

Nodding his head, the Lullaby squinted into the distance as if the answer to her question might be found somewhere in the dark shapes. "Dark, I suppose. Or at least...Gray at the very least. Most of what I can do is illusion-based. My ability to conjure my former shifts, the things I can make or have others see. The rest...my shifts are most destructive as are most of my offensive abilities." The power to send someone into a slumber from which they could not wake, the ability to strike a soul from its body. "Unfortunately I am not sure how we can test our abilities against her. Sunjata was meant to try and lure her into the Refuge to see if it worked against her, though I have not heard about how that went."

Chuckling under his breath, the Lullaby could only sigh wryly. "Danta is given all the same information as the other rulers are. What he does with it..." Remi could only shrug. "I did send out a sketch of the woman—Dahlia—to the leaders. I do not have one on me, but I can make another and send it to you."

Who are you? They ask. Death?
Sometimes... I say. But not today

Sky above, Earth below, Fire within

"It might be a good idea to assume that there are more invaders around, then," Maea replied with a frown, intensely uncomfortable with that idea no matter how much sense it would make. Even an overwhelmingly strong opponent shouldn't be able to take on all the demigods of this world on their own, and if invasion was the end goal... an army was sort of implied. Even a small one.

Her head was starting to hurt. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, the Ancient scowled down at her feet while listening to the answers Remi diligently provided her with. Insight into his abilities was interesting. So was the part of Sunjata's mission. She didn't much like the unspoken critiques against Danta - not the first time or even the second she heard it mentioned - but could at least offer some feedback there.
"I would never presume to tell Danta how to run this country," she said softly, "but he won't be doing it alone from here on. He has hired Kiada, and once the details are sorted out, me, to take care of... the daily." Read, the stuff the Theocrat wasn't interested in. "Between the two of us, at least letters and meetings will be tended to."

Drawing a deep breath and holding it until something popped in a shoulder, she tried to expell some tension with the exhale, and offered Remi a wry smile.

"Could I impose on you to check in with Sunjata and see how he's doing? And I'll do my experiments to see if magic types has any effects on the void creatures. It's a long shot, but maybe their weaknesses can be applied to this invader too... Plus we should keep an eye out for any strange stuff going on, in case any other invaders are lurking and causing mischief."

Checking off the list of things to do on her fingers, Maea looked to Remi for anything else she may have missed. "I'll check Danta's mail for the drawing, but just in case I'd be grateful if you could send a fresh copy. It certainly can't hurt."

maea

but that was then, and this is now

"I would think so, yes." How many more he couldn't guess at, and unless they revealed their abilities, they seemed perfectly able to blend in. "Perhaps one of the gods could create some way of identifying them, or..." Flinching slightly as another unhappy name rose in his mind, Remi nibbled at the inside of his lip. "I have a friend with glasses that let him see auras of the races around him." Gods, but dragging Finn into this mess?

Raising his eyebrows slightly, Remi grinned with approval. "Is that so? Well, as I said, all of the information between the leaders is sent to him as well." If he hadn't the time to sift through his mail, at least Kiada or Maea likely would.

Pulling a face, Remi itched at the back of his neck. "It has been quite some time since Sunjata and I were on friendly terms. I can ask Ronin, though." As for mischief causing, the Lullaby could only nod in agreement. "I can do that." He agreed of sending a fresh copy.

the lullaby

Table by the wonderful SKY

Sky above, Earth below, Fire within

Her eyes lit up at the idea of such glasses. "Do you think he would let you borrow them? Or be willing to do some scouting? Even a general idea of what to look for would be incredibly valuable." But Remi surely knew that already, better than anyone.

They certainly had a steaming pile of shit to deal with. But despite that, and despite the looming threat hanging over their heads, Maea found herself unexpectedly chipper. Smiling at Remi, she gently touched that same fold of his sleeve as before, in the grandest gesture of camaraderie she could muster at this stage.

"Thank you. I'm glad I met you, and that we could talk. I hope it won't always be about such gloomy topics." Using the free hand to tuck a strand of hair behind an ear, the aura of efficient competency crumbled away in her fumbled attempt to express the fond warmth that kept spreading in her chest. "It would be nice to get to know you properly... sometime. If you want to."

maea

REMI

"I..." Fumbling for the words, Remi exhales slowly around teeth that wanted to clench together. Gods; he shouldn't have mentioned Finn's name, but equally he should have thought of it far sooner. "I will see what I can do."

How long had it last been since someone had wanted to get to know Remi properly? How many years since he'd properly made a new acquaintance? A new friend? A touch stunned, but touched just the same, Remi smiled crookedly as Maea reached for his sleeve. "I promise I do not bite." He says gently, before glancing down at one of his hands. "I...have an ability that lets others feel my emotions as if they were their own. In turn, I can feel intimately what they are feeling. It is part of the reason most avoid touching me." He explains, thinking he didn't need to add that being a murderous and too-powerful-for-his-own-good-demigod was the other.

"I would like that. I am meant to meet Danta at the Last Whisper, but perhaps I could find you sometime after that. Or, if you are ever in Torchline, Ronin and I have a boat moored near the docks. It is quite colourful, you cannot miss it."

Who are you? They ask. Death?
Sometimes... I say. But not today

Sky above, Earth below, Fire within

Content to leave the matter there and trusting Remi to make the best decisions, Maea nodded and let the subject drop.

A touch of pink reached her cheeks when he called out her awkward fumbling. "I didn't know that... I just wasn't sure it would not be intrusive. To touch. I'm a bit of a mess.. Not sure it's something you would want to experience." Even more so if the ability let him feel all of it.

Even so, Maea dropped the shirt sleeve and offered out her hand instead, leaving the decision to him if he wanted to connect. Somewhat nervously; undoubtedly worried about what it might be like to experience the emotions of someone else. What would he make of the dregs of bloodlust crawling through her bones like a hummed baseline? The hunger, the cutting edge - or indeed the whispers of black depression and grief held at bay by fervent activity and shallow glimpses of humor and enjoyment, so that she at least managed to drag herself out of bed in the morning?

At least her offer was genuine. So too was the warm happiness of his response, and she nodded quietly. "I go to Torchline sometimes. Either option would be nice."

maea

REMI

Though they were of a similar age, Remi's chuckle was a touch paternal, or perhaps it was simply because he often forgot to take into account the perceived faux paxs of being touched by women given his inclinations. "I will tell you a secret—" Leaning forward a touch conspiratorily, the Lullaby raises his eyebrows. "—everybody is." From the best of them to the worst, Remi had never met anyone who wasn't, deep down, a huge mess.

Straightening with a boyish grin, the Lullaby reached for Maea's hand without hesitation; folding his calloused hands over hers, he gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. Given how used to feeling the emotions of others as he was, Remi smoothly let the palette of her feelings wash over him. What the ancient would feel in return, was the inhospitable weight of obligation, the trauma and loss of whose depths were only hinted at by the scars that silvered most of his body by now, and the always present love he carried for his family gilded with a sharp edge of gold that only hinted at the recklessness with which he'd protect them.

"You are much stronger than you let on, you know." He offered softly.

Who are you? They ask. Death?
Sometimes... I say. But not today

Sky above, Earth below, Fire within

For her part, Maea felt the onrush of emotion not her own like a tidal wave that nearly swept her off her feet. The grasp on her hand was the only thing reminding her of where she ended and began and for a moment even that was tenuous at best. Holding on to Remi she swayed like a reed in the wind, wide eyed and overwhelmed. Fear of losing herself reared its ugly head; she squashed it down and began sorting through the impression with stubborn determination, separating his experiences from her own.

"I don't know about that," she murmured hoarsely, only realizing that her cheeks were wet with tears when she blinked and found her eyes stinging. "If strength is putting one foot in front of the other... but I don't feel it." Her jaw ached. Her chest burned too, with the strength of the love that lived within the Lullaby. "Really, I'm just... afraid."

She saw it clearly now, with his feelings as a scale to measure against. All she ever did was build walls against fear. Against pain, and the threat of pain. She didn't reach for people because they might leave. She didn't build dreams, because the pain of having them crushed was too unbearable. Nor did she allow herself to care about much at all - because what would she do if she began pouring all the vast oceans of passion she carried locked up behind a dam of apathy? It would flood everything and everyone around her and last time that happened it resulted in a burning clinic.

Drawing a breath, Maea managed to focus enough to meet Remi's gaze. She smiled. "Your family is lucky to have you. I hope I never end up on your shitlist..."

maea

REMI

Frowning with understanding at the emotion he saw writ clearly upon Maea's face and the way her tears sparkled in the moonlight, he nevertheless left her skin untouched lest she think herself wrong for feeling what she did. "Sometimes it is exactly that." The Lullaby agrees, sea-glass eyes warm with honesty. "Strength is not always in grand gestures or heroics. True strength is exactly as you say, facing each day with one foot in front of the other."

Softing squeezing her fingers—paying careful attention not to crush them, his strength being what it was—Remi can only smile. "I am too, a lot of the time." He admits easily. "Ronin died before I could tell him I loved him, I was left with his daughter, only to have Ronin brought back from the dead just before Aoife was killed in my arms." Smiling sadly, Remi shakes his head. "Honestly, it took years before I formed any sort of meaningful relationships with others after that." His emotions would grow colder then, the palette of his feelings darkly tinted.

Laughing despite himself, the Lullaby shrugged before offering the ancient a lopsided smile. "I am far less of an asshole than I once was. At least I think I am." The court of public opinion was probably still out on that one.

Who are you? They ask. Death?
Sometimes... I say. But not today