Sleepwalking

I'll stay here with you until this dream is gone

Aoife was wrapped in the baby-bjorn he had made for her. Luckily it was not too cold, and while taking a baby out at dusk was probably a terrible idea, he wanted her parents to be able to look down upon her as they ventured towards the shrine, and though he knew little of Safrin, her star-clad ensembles seemed to indicate an infinity with the night. Perhaps the timing would be in his favour.

The thing was, Remi had never properly prayed before. He'd stumbled into his interactions by happenstance, or with the foreknowledge that he'd likely be answered (because of his misdeeds). This though was the first time, and unsure what to do, as they neared the shrine, Remi had to pause to consider.

Candles, flowers? What did one offer a god?

Normally Remi might not have had an answer to this, but after his recent encounter with Ianto, a sly smile spread across his face. In his hands he produced small glowing stars. Kissing the top of Aoife's head as she reached for them (and of course conjuring one large enough for her that she'd not choke on it as she gummed its edges), Remi closed his eyes.

"Safrin? I...apologize for my ignorance in these matters, but I was wondering if you might help me."

And, hugging Aoife as the stars flit overhead, he waited.

Safrin The stars that Remi had created suddenly came to life, shining brilliantly as they flocked upwards like small birds, dancing against the darkened sky. Even the one Aoife held softly pulsed, but a star was not the best plaything for a baby, so the goddess let it be. "Hello Remi." Safrin said softly, appearing behind him as if a curtain of reality had parted to reveal a starlit world behind. "May I?" She asked, already reaching for the small child nestled against his chest.

I'll stay here with you until this dream is gone

"Much better than mine." Remi said with a surprised sort of sighing-laugh as the stars he had placed before the shrine suddenly became the proper incarnations of themselves. Looking up, his eyes fell upon the Vanya and Ronin constellations and he felt his heart heave unsteadily.

"Not that I was trying to match you, of course." He added with a shy inhale, pulling his eyes down and turning to look upon Safrin.

As she beckoned towards the child, Remi faltered for just a moment. His hands wrapped themselves protectively around her tiny body as some of the blood drained instantly from his face. But this was Safrin. Safrin who had apparently saved Aoife from LongNight before the week even started. Safrin who had placed Ronin into the stars above.

"Of course." He said gently after a moment, undoing the restraints and holding the girl out towards the goddess. "It is because of her that I am here..I have...offended Ludo. I lost its mask, and given the way it has tried to trick me in the past with visions of those I care for, I worry it will do it again." Pausing, feeling horrifically awkward about divulging his problems to a deity, Remi looked upon Aoife's starlight eyes and steeled himself. His discomfort mattered very little when stacked against her safety.

"I met a friend in the Woods...a friend who Ludo once took the form of. I realized perhaps too late that I had no way of knowing that it was him. I do not want to go through life fearful that I will leave and not return to Aoife, or worse, to keep her within the guildhall where I can control who comes in. But I see no way of knowing what is real, and what—or who—is Ludo." Finishing, Remi swallowed finding that his hands had started to shake somewhat.

Safrin Safrin did not appear to be listening. She had eyes only for Aoife, and as she snuggled the child in her arms, she cooed soft noises of love and affection at her. Only distantly did she nod in time with what the alchemist was saying. "Yes...the mask." She said with a nod, knowing full well what had happened, and what Ludo had done about it. With a small smirk, the deity glanced up regarding the alchemist in full for a moment before looking back at Aoife, her lips curling into a smile. "Hiding behind reality is one of Ludo's favourite tricks." She replied in a sing-song voice as if telling a tale to the baby. "To be able to see through them is quite powerful magic indeed." Nibbling the inside of her lip, she seemed to weigh the baby in her arms against the type of device that the alchemist was looking for. "But I would also not see any harm come to Aoife, nor would I see her life blocked out of fear. I can give you what you wish, but I require things from you. Red lichen that has been burned, one of the whisperfish that must be kept alive, and the sap from a WickerWoman."

I'll stay here with you until this dream is gone

Believing that the goddess would tell him that he was not worthy of such a powerful item, Remi felt his heart sink into hopelessness as his mind began to spiral. How would he protect Aoife then? How could he ever know who was real, and who was a mere deception?

But I would also not see any harm come to Aoife, nor would I see her life blocked out of fear—His should shining like the stars Safrin had made come to life, Remi felt the inklings of a smile tug at his lips as he gazed upon her hopefully. The words she said made little sense to him, and though he felt out of place asking for further council, he didn't want to squander this opportunity given his naivety.

"I...do not know those names. Are they things here? Inside...or, where the barrier was?"

Safrin Holding Aoife lovingly against herself, stars began to dance around the child who happily reached for them. Glancing across to Remi, the goddess sighed. "You will find them in the Greatwood. The Hollowed Lands has been..tainted, you might say. I cannot create anything hear strong enough to prevent Ludo's magic." For a while the goddess simply remained, holding Aoife to her and singing sweet nothings over her. Though eventually the time came when she was forced to give the child back with a longing and wistful sort of sigh. As soon as Remi had taken her back, the goddess disappeared in a cascade of starlight.