[se] & i'll find you

let's not get lost in the dark blue

During the flight from Torchline, the air had grown considerably thinner and colder as the humidity gave way to windchill and the temperature began to plummet. That Ronin was still the faster of the pair even in their mythical shifts was probably a good thing, as it meant that the Bastion had to actually work to keep up and thus didn't feel the chill as keenly as he otherwise would have. Upon landing, though, Remi was quite appreciative that Ronin had bullied him into wearing a proper jacket and scarf that morning before they'd set off.

"You know, I probably should not say so, but I am not at all bothered that Deimos beat us." The Bastion comments once the pair are both shifted and tromping their way through the snow toward the Domiciles. "I think once upon a time I would have been, but now it is sort of a relief." A relief that the weight of Caido didn't rest on his and Ronin's shoulders, that they were alone in this fight, that there were others that they could put both their trust and their lives into.

"That said...I cannot say the Tournament went exactly as I had expected." Sunjata had gone easy on him, Noah had stormed off not to be heard from, and Melita had died.

But darling if we do, just find me, and I'll find you

I shouldn't laugh, but I know I'm a failure in your eyes

"Me neither," Ronin agrees with a ready smile. "I didn't want to say it, but it was quite nice to be challenged - and beaten." He crunches through the snow in step with his husband, having brushed himself off after landing in the Hollowed Grounds. Shivering only once as he realises just how cold the place is compared to Torchline, the Knight sidles closer to Remi and links their arms, as if they're two youths out on a date.

The other events of the tournament, though, are more than sobering enough to have his expression dropping. "Mm, I didn't expect to be involved in quite so many of the matches as I was." And in a healing capacity as well. "At least everyone was alright in the end." Even if Ronin has to shake the what-ifs from his bones - what if he hadn't been Vi's knight at the time of the tournament? What if no one had brought revivify feathers?

RONIN

let's not get lost in the dark blue

Snorting under his breath enough to send out a small puffy cloud of frost from his lips, the Bastion shakes his head. "Maybe we should have put in some sort of warning signal to that ability, mm?" Grinning over his shoulder at Ronin, Remi can only smirk crookedly. "Luckily we have never been caught out in too inappropriate a circumstance, but..." Well, it would happen one day, and gods even with his changed outlook on the world, Remi wasn't sure what sort of help he could offer to the person who channelled him away from Ronin during sex.

As for the number of life saving trips that the Knight had had to make, the Bastion could only nod soberly before brightening and clearing his throat. "Here, before I forget." Fishing into his pockets, Remi withdrew a pair of mittens, clearly handmade, and given how poorly made, were likely one of the Bastion's latest projects. They were blue, near enough to the colour of Ronin's eyes to be intentional, with little white and gold shapes that might have been flames if one were being generous. "I wouldn't go cutting wood while wearing them, but they should keep your hands warm enough for today." He says a touch bashfully, already noticing more holes in the knitted shapes than he remembered there being.

But darling if we do, just find me, and I'll find you

I shouldn't laugh, but I know I'm a failure in your eyes

"I've appeared after a shower, in the middle of breakfast, and while enjoying a dip in the hotsprings," Ronin counters with a furrowed brow. "All of those are varying degrees of inappropriate, thank you." But no, if pushed he'll concede that he's never appeared at full mast in front of their daughter, so to speak. As Remi rightly considers, though, gods but it's only a matter of time.

Chewing on the inside of his cheek as they take the snowy path further into the Domiciles, the Bastion is just the distraction Ronin needs from such morose thoughts, and it's with raised eyebrows that he turns to accept the (rustic, they're rustic) knitted mittens. It's with a smile bright enough to light him up from within - and it does - that the Knight pulls them on, only to promptly cup his husband's cheeks with his mittened hands, drawing him into a kiss.

"They are perfect, and so are you," he murmurs against his lips, brushing his cold nose against Remi's. "I'll make sure to look after them, don't you worry."

RONIN

let's not get lost in the dark blue

With his cheeks wonderfully squished between husband's hands and his latest creations, the Bastion tries to mumble a you are welcome through utterly fish-shaped lips. "No you," Remi counters as soon as he's able, carefully snagging one of his husband's hands in his. "I think I quite enjoy knitting, actually. It is mindless, but then you come away with something useful." Or, well, eventually he'd come away with something useful. For now he was in the, you have to love it because I'm your husband stage of learning.

"When I bumped into Kiada she said that she had not seen any signs of our creations, which, given how large they are, does not bode well." In Remi's mind the erections he and Ronin had made all those years ago rivaled the tops of the nearby houses. Quite whether or not that was true he wasn't absolutely sure, but given how long Kiada had lived in the Grounds, at some point he'd have assumed she would have stumbled upon them. "I suppose not even memory snow can withstand an entire war."

But darling if we do, just find me, and I'll find you

I shouldn't laugh, but I know I'm a failure in your eyes

"No you," Ronin counters, saccharine in his insistence, letting his hand clasp around Remi's as securely as he can given that his fingers are clad in soft, knitted warmth. "I can see it now - we're at Starfall, there's chaos all around, and you're there in your rocking chair with your ball of wool." Unable not to smile at the image, the Knight leans in to press a smooch to Remi's temple, before resuming their search for their snow penises.

"If I remember right, we built it in the grounds of the old guildhall," he murmurs, though quite where that would be nowadays is beyond him. "Maybe someone built a house on top of it?" He can't imagine memory snow standing a chance against bricks and mortar. Sighing and about to suggest they just make a tribute to their penises here, a soft and powdery ball of snow suddenly zings overhead, and the Knight turns them instinctively so it hits his back.

"I think someone may have just initiated a snowball fight with us, husband."

RONIN

let's not get lost in the dark blue

"Oh, so I am allowed to go to Starfall?" The Bastion wonders, grinly brazenly as if having just caught his husband out in the biggest loophole of the century. "Besides, why shouldn't I bring my knitting? If we learned anything from this Tournament, it is that my role is just to protect the rest of you. I don't do much damage anymore." It was only when he'd been able to use his husband's abilities that Remi had been anything at all like a threat, and without them, he was more or less harmless as their fight with Deimos had shown.

'Maybe.' The Bastion agrees, stepping over small piles of snow in their way and kicking at particularly chunky blocks of snow. From somewhere behind a drift of snow comes a childish, Oy! You got him! You hit the Knight!, followed by a series of oooooohs and ahhhhhhs.

you're so fucked johnny!

Nu-uh, I'm faster than he is!

He's gonna fuck you up!

Shut up Billy and help me make more ammunition!

Grinning, the Bastion turns to his husband, his face alight with mischief. "Are you really going to take that?" He wonders, before turning toward the snowdrift and the children presumably behind it. "You will have to go through me, first!" He calls, before partially shifting so that he could wave his tentacles menacingly overtop of the snow.

But darling if we do, just find me, and I'll find you

I shouldn't laugh, but I know I'm a failure in your eyes

We are all going to Starfall, when the time is right. There's still a lot we don't know, and Deimos just had a baby," Ronin says, infuriatingly reasonable. "Besides, Seren still has that... whatever it is that her mother gave her." And they've not had much of a chance to play around with it just yet.

About to say that there's nothing wrong whatsoever with doing no damage if it meant protecting everyone, Ronin's compliments to his husband will unfortunately have to wait. Turning over his shoulder at a snowbank with a few very conspicuous figures trying to hide behind it, the Knight scoffs out a laugh and leans down to scoop up a few snowballs of his own.

"We won a war - a snowball fight should be easy, right?" He grins, launching one in an arc over the snowbank even as the children continue to ooooo at the sight of the tentacles.

oh shit, he's got the Bastion with him!

well obviously, they're married!

wait, you can marry guys?

RONIN

let's not get lost in the dark blue

"Evie just had a baby." Remi corrects, as if that point somehow mattered for their argument (it didn't). "Oh. Right, I forgot about that." The Bastion says with quiet agreement, allowing the Knight this small victory.


don't be stupid, you can marry any one

nu-uh, y'can't marry your sister

ewwwwww she's gross anyway!

Waggling his tentacles back and forth, Remi is able to stop a few of the snowballs that come flying over the top of the drift. The ones he manages to catch he lobs back down, not with any real accuracy or strength, but some skills are difficult to turn off completely.

ow he got me!

are you dead?

no?

then help me!

But darling if we do, just find me, and I'll find you

I shouldn't laugh, but I know I'm a failure in your eyes

"Eh, we'll send a letter about it. Or Seren will - I promised I wouldn't steamroll this for her." He just hopes his daughter is planning something in the background of all of this, else the void is getting voidier, and they're getting nowhere.

Well, no. That isn't strictly true - they're getting pummelled by snowballs and probably holding their own pretty well in return, if Ronin is honest. Speaking of which, the Knight is careful to stay behind his husband and his flailing, protective tentacles, and he's called his nimbus to help him be more agile in aiming around the Bastion and over the snowbank.

ohmygods he's on the cloud

are you seeing this??

look at the tentacles though--

One particularly well-aimed snowball lances right behind the bank, and let's be real - there's no telling whodunnit. Could be Ronin, could be Remi, could be friendly fire. Either way, there's a shriek, a wail like a siren, and then, clear as a bell,

I'M TELLING MY MOM

RONIN

let's not get lost in the dark blue

how can be be on a cloud? ohfuckhe'sonacloud

Remi's tentacles suddenly cease their flailing as the cry rings out, the wail ringing through the clear, cold air. Wondering how badly injured the child might be—had he or Ronin used too much strength? had their been rocks or ice in a snowball?—the Bastion began to shift back just as he heard:

yeah well, your mom pays me $5 just to hang out with you

does not!

does so!

I'll kill you!

This is precisely when the sniffles and sounds of pain become the grunts and ruckus of a few poorly thrown punches.

Chuckling to himself, Remi climbs over the top of the snow drift with his wings spread wide from his shoulders. He couldn't cast a shadow over the children which took a way from the intimidation factor a little, but never mind. "You know, I am sworn to protect anyone who is in danger these days." He says mildly, glancing at the children as if daring them to continue their instigations lest they have to go up against him.

But darling if we do, just find me, and I'll find you

I shouldn't laugh, but I know I'm a failure in your eyes

Like his husband, Ronin instantly ceases the impromptu snowball fight as the wail rises into the air, dropping his ammunition and directing his nimbus low enough that he might travel with Remi up to see what the fuss was all about. Luckily, the familiar-by-now sound of squabbling children is enough to have him relaxing, and he offers a sunny smile as he pops up beside the Bastion before their opponent.

Opponents who have stopped fighting to stare up at them with wide eyes.

Shit it's both of them

We should probably

GET OUT OF THE WAY!

It's of little surprise that the small gang of hooligans tries to scrabble away as quick as their legs will take them, trudging and stumbling through the snow towards a cluster of houses a short distance away. "Do you think we should go as well?" Ronin stage-whispers to Remi. "If they tell their mothers on us, we're in big trouble."

RONIN

let's not get lost in the dark blue

Trying his best not to smirk openly until the children's backs were turned, the Bastion glanced rosy-cheeked over his shoulder towards Ronin and shrugged thoughtfully. "Call me a coward, but I reckon we should go find somewhere to lay low. You know how much I hate getting in trouble."

Laughing, Remi turns slightly and lets himself half-skid and half-glide down the snowbank before dusting the remnants of their battle off of his shoulders and out of his curls.

"Shall I show you the little cafe that Kiada took me to? Not only is it a good place to hide out, but they make excellent coffee and soup."

But darling if we do, just find me, and I'll find you

I shouldn't laugh, but I know I'm a failure in your eyes

Dismissing his nimbus to land in the snow with a whumph at Remi's side, Ronin also saves his grin for when the children are finally out of sight. "I won't call you a coward, because that a very wise decision," he assures him, turning to skid down the snowbank after the Bastion, trying to brush his mittens clean as he goes. "Well, they might not handle chopping wood, but they're pretty good for snowball fights," he remarks.

Trudging back to the path, Ronin lets an arm slip around the other man and leans across to kiss his rosy cheek. "That sounds like a lovely idea. Lead the way," he murmurs. Before they do head right out of the Domiciles, though, Ronin makes sure to lead them to a more secluded area, where they build a mini snowpenisman to commemorate their time back here.

~FIN

RONIN