There was never a need to question almost a single choice Octavia made. She could've picked any of them, and it would've made sense. It would've been doable, it would've been interesting, and it would've been simple--if not easy, then at least exceedingly enjoyable. There was almost something exciting about trying to pin down her rationale. At the moment, that left fighting to figure out exactly what had led her to match them together. Maybe it was as simple as it looked. It was his fault for telling her to use him however she pleased, once. There was an obligation that came on the back half of that pledge, if he remembered correctly. Renato didn't hate it one bit. [♪]

It seemed straightforward, if nothing else. It wasn't much different than Velpyre, if the same situation in Velpyre had been significantly more abundant and shockingly more crystalline. It wasn't that Viola's ice was weak by any means, and he respected it. Whatever Briar's song was coagulating, by comparison, was on another level entirely. It wasn't faltering under a single blow. That was new. He said as much.

"I'm seriously impressed!" Renato called. "This stuff's strong as hell!"

His praise was utterly lost on Briar, aggravated as he was. "You don't need to be doing this!"

Renato bristled somewhat, an opportunity for camaraderie clearly lost. "We do, apparently! You guys don't need to be putting up such a damn fight!"

It wasn't tall, but it was incredibly thick. Opaque as it was, every angle of the barrier Briar had crafted was--visually--impenetrable. Really, nothing was, with the right amount of effort. Renato sprinted, throwing himself downwards onto his hands as he tumbled several times over. With a push off of the earth below, he was briefly airborne, and it was enough. He brought his wrists down hard in tandem, the full weight of the strength of sound crashing into Briar's ice with a boom.

It barely cracked. Renato raised an eyebrow.

The one crack he did manage to make didn't last, the soft notes of a cello deep within the glacier serving to seal what was broken. Shimmering beneath the dim sunlight the obscured sky had afforded them, the creeping frost that filled the gap undid Renato's feeble progress in an instant. Renato tapped a drumstick against his thigh rhythmically. He was starting to see Octavia's point. It wasn't exactly a bad thing, the more he thought about it. Everything could be broken. An Apex meant nothing. He tried again.

He gathered significantly more distance this time around, opting for the same tactic of channeling all of the forward momentum he could piece together. Again he went up, and again he came down hard. The explosive burst rippled through his blood in the best way as it collided with pure crystal once more, and he poured as much effort as he could into drawing it out. It was a larger splinter, granted, branching in yet more directions than before. Briar didn't play quite as quickly as Octavia did. He hardly needed to, and the moderate pace of his song sufficed to erase the damage in seconds.

Renato gave him an experimental moment of peace. When he got nothing in return, well aware of the boy patiently awaiting his assault opposite the barrier, he tilted his head with a knowing grin.

"Oh, you think you're smart, huh?" he teased.

"Please, just stop! Leave him alone! If this is what he wants, just let him have this!" Briar pleaded unseen.

His words were irrelevant. Renato cracked his neck. A war of attrition was the absolute worst possible choice Briar could've made.

He had half a mind to wonder exactly how many times Briar had seen actual combat, let alone how many times the Soulful boy had encountered the true strength of sound in full. Either way, he would experience both firsthand today, and Renato resolved to ensure that much. If this was the game Briar wanted to play, he'd entertain it--although an actual fight would've been far more fun.

What he'd gathered so far from his tiny handful of experimental attacks was fairly sparse. Briar had the continuous leisure of a slower song, more than likely self-assured in his stamina. His ice was incredibly fortified and rapidly repaired to its full glory with every tender, simply-woven note. He sincerely had the audacity to think he could outlast Renato, taking the route of patience and protection over actual offense. One of those was far more insulting than the others. All three in conjunction would be very, very interesting to dismantle.

If he was committed to fixing what was broken, there was always the option of outmatching him in speed. How fast Briar could play, when pressed to his limits, was debatable. Logically, it would be simple for Renato to force his hand and find out. He took several steps backwards, inhaled sharply, and threw everything he had down onto the earth once more.

Forwards, sideways, again and again, he pooled his momentum as much as was possible with every skillful tumble. It was with a strangled cry of effort that he pushed hard off the grass below, finding the ample height he'd hoped to work with. It wasn't necessarily the best he could do, compared to what was truly at his fingertips--should he desire it. It was enough to give Mistral Asunder a head start.

It took effort to withstand the blows that erupted from the tips of either drumstick each time. Renato was thankful every day that he'd long since learned to live with the recoil. Already, his assault was explosive, intolerable and disorienting as it collided with a sharp ringing sound against perfect crystal. It cracked once more. For what soft, clean notes he was already hearing, he wouldn't let it heal. He had no room to scrape together more helpful velocity, given the window that was sure to close in the time he could try. That left him relying on pure strength alone. To be fair, he wasn't too bad at that, either.

Renato focused his efforts on the same compromised splinter of shimmering, glassy ice time and time again, beating upon it relentlessly with all that the strength of sound had to offer. Boom after boom after boom sent shockwaves erupting into the crevice, steadily widening with every blow. Like a delta, it splintered ever further, crawling and climbing along the length of Briar's crystalline barrier. He was making progress, that was for sure. Briar at his best truly didn't play as fast as Octavia, and Renato had now formally confirmed that much. He still played concerningly quickly when he felt like it.

There was pushback, then, in the way Renato fought to keep his freshly-blessed weak point in the wake of Briar's hurried attempts to undo his devastation. His frosted melody was hasty and effective as it sought to fill the widening crevice, not quite compromised enough to give way in full. Renato clicked his tongue in irritation. If one wasn't enough, he'd give Briar more to handle.

For how the Soulful boy was already occupied, there was still no leeway to count on his momentum. Renato's strength would have to suffice for the foreseeable future if this was the strategy he intended to use. In that case, he swore to make full use of what he had to work with. His concentration fell adjacent to his existing handiwork as he unleashed a hailstorm of bursts upon shining crystal once more. In truth, the resounding ringing that resulted beneath every explosive blow was pleasing enough that he didn't particularly mind it. Given how long it had taken him to get used to the ridiculous volume of every blast, this would've been a preferable starting point.

True to his initial assumption, Briar stayed solely on the defensive. Part of him wondered if Briar knew how to handle the strength of sound at all, given the lack of legacy representation in the Ensemble. The simple idea of a Maestro with an Apex, of all things, being afraid of him in any capacity was enough to give Renato chills. It felt good.

Where he'd sought Briar's divided attention, he did, in fact, get it. Unfortunately, as he quickly learned, the Maestro was excellent at multitasking. Every crack and crevice that Renato had peppered the glistening glacier with in excess was coagulating at the behest of Briar's ceaseless harmonies, flawlessly painted over with creeping frost. There was something mildly disheartening about seeing his hard work go to waste with only a few distant notes. More than anything, it was incredibly annoying. Renato groaned loudly.

"Man, you're really not makin' this easy for me, are you?" he complained.

Briar wasn't having it. "Just leave River alone and we won't have to do this!"

Renato rolled his eyes. "You know, I'm really not a fan of how that guy talks to my girl. Wish I could say I feel worse!"

"You don't know him like we do!"

"Clearly!" he called back, more than annoyed.

Futile as he knew the effort to be, he launched the same assault once more--dispersed, clean, and painstakingly explosive. Renato put enough force behind each blow that his wrists were outright straining, his muscles taut from withstanding the recoil he typically embraced. To stay largely still and grounded in the wake of the bursts went against what his body was used to, for how hard he'd fought to adjust it to every conceivable attack.

Each and every time, his efforts were in vain, and the crevices he birthed again and again were aggravatingly rewarded with yet more frustrating frost. At least once, his muscle memory kicked in--a slip-up he realized too late. His window of opportunity to keep each splinter across the crystalline barrier under fire closed against his will. It was a reflex to embrace the repulsive burst that sent him backwards, coming down hard shortly after with a boom still too late to seize the chance yet again.

He lost any semblance of a splinter that would last. If he squinted, in its place, he could find a dent instead. It wasn't immediately obvious. It didn't regenerate even slightly as fast, for the new icy protection Briar was forced to weave in its place. It was nowhere near as easy as simply filling a gap.

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Renato grinned. Maybe the fun option would work, after all.

It was a work in progress, somewhat. He'd only figured it out recently, although he was fairly certain he had it pretty much mastered at this point. It was still riddled with caveats and dangers that could easily leave him severely injured, if not outright kill him. He could always break his neck, or perhaps shatter every last bone in his body. He could end up dead in any number of far more gruesome ways. It was most definitely unsafe. It was extremely enjoyable, and, therefore, Renato did not care.

He didn't bother with carefully-paced steps in reverse anymore, nor did he chase the traditional route of physically channeling momentum through tumbling and inverting. Mistral Asunder was a far better compromise. The only inversions he opted for were those that followed the boom he unleashed immediately behind him. Sending the strength of sound bursting against the air itself, the recoil did much of the work for him, provided he balanced himself accordingly. What that left was himself on a demonically-fast collision course with a nearly-impenetrable glacier that would, probably, injure him horrifically at this speed. Renato wouldn't let it.

It had, admittedly, taken practice to perfect the "stopping" part, and it now worked marvelously. With two more careful inversions, quick as they needed to be, Mistral Asunder was before him instead. Even if neither drumstick made direct contact with Briar's ice, it was more than close enough. Another boom, by comparison, was destructive and relentless towards something tangible. The velocity he'd carried with him all the way there erupted in full. Where he'd once sought to beat it down with simple splinters, the substantially-sizable dent that besieged the crystalline barrier instead was far more gratifying.

Briar played. He didn't get far, no matter how fast he went--and he was definitely going fast. Even at his most frantic, he was hard-pressed to match Octavia, and Renato could now attribute that in part to his instrument. The ice he fought to repair, seeking to undo Renato's destruction, definitely regenerated quicker by comparison. In terms of thickness, Renato knew it would still take significant effort to completely break through. Once wouldn't be enough. It was a wonderful excuse.

He didn't mind the way the wind kissed his face with every burst, nor the rush of air that streamed along his skin almost constantly. Sometimes, he was borderline airborne, content to crash down into the ice like a meteor. There was no margin for error, every boom and the subsequent uncontrollable speed that followed a recipe for disaster if he lost his focus. He traded what concentration he could ever need for muscle memory, exchanging what fear he was meant to cling to for the high he couldn't resist.

Every dent, larger and larger still, was satisfyingly productive, and Renato knew he had the advantage. It was much less notable than the way his blood was on fire and adrenaline was scorching his veins. For how serious the situation was, for how easily this method of fighting could seriously harm him, he knew he shouldn't be smiling this hard. He couldn't help it.

Briar was shouting something to him, although it was difficult to make out over the sound of each boom at such a close range. To his surprise, the Soulful boy had outright given up on attempting to fix what had been broken. Instead, born anew in front of Renato was yet another barrier of perfectly-pure crystal. Its cold aura just barely grazed his skin at such a close range, rising yet higher above his head. It was every bit as visually sturdy and every bit as resplendent, beautifully tinted with much the same hint of blue. If Briar hadn't realized Renato wouldn't burn out by now, then he was perhaps even denser than his own ice.

If Briar was going to impede him from the front, then, Renato would simply hit him somewhere he couldn't reach. The three quick tumbles he allowed himself on the grass were in stark contrast to the speed he'd relished moments ago, slower in every way as he threw himself downwards. He knew he'd have his rush back soon. All it would take was one gentle tap of either drumstick against the innocent earth. He was almost sorry for the blistering crater it left in its wake, a bang immediately below his hands that sent sod flying in almost every direction. It wasn't as though he'd be down there long enough to deal with it. He went up.

And with an inversion that came naturally, the recoil still claiming his body, he sought more of the same. With another tap upon the open air, the burst that exploded beneath him shot him ever higher. Really, there was no limit, so long as he had oxygen. He'd never actually had the chance to try. He beat against the sky again and again and again, boom after boom after boom sending him sailing eternally higher.

There was no fear in looking down, even for how distant Briar was becoming. Already, Renato could see the sparkle that came with crystal, newly-born once more and capturing what pitiful light peeked through the thick clouds. Briar knew what he was doing. Now, it was even more of a challenge.

Higher.

Higher.

"I am really putting you guys to work today, huh?" Renato teased aloud, even as the rising atmosphere threatened to thin his breath.

You are being reckless.

And prideful.

And ignorant.

And rash.

"Hey, I'm pretty sure two of those meant the same thing."

Higher.

Higher.

Higher.

This is exceedingly dangerous.

Do you not fear death?

Renato scoffed, but not without a grin he couldn't control. "God, you two have zero faith in me. Watch and learn, okay?"

Higher.

Higher.

Higher.

Higher.

The manner by which you do battle leaves much to be desired.

It is questionable.

You would do well to temper your…creativity.

Your methods are ridiculous.

He could've gone higher, in truth. Ultimately, any more and he would've risked losing Briar from his sights. He still had to aim. For how far up he'd risen, it would be a secondary challenge. That was a plus. With Mistral Asunder aloft once more, he began his beautiful submission to gravity. For the life of him, Renato would never be able to wipe his grin off his face if he tried.

"I think the word you're looking for is 'unconventional!'" he cried with a laugh.

And the process in reverse was differentiated only by speed. Rather than higher, he was faster, faster, faster with every boom that sent him hurtling downwards. The wind that brutally besieged his skin was almost painful, the pressure of his impossibly-quick descent enough to nearly steal the breath from his lungs. Renato's heart raced fiercely, his blood surging with adrenaline he couldn't hope to restrain. His soul buzzed with a high he didn't bother containing. The strength of sound in his hands was phenomenal in every way. It felt good. It felt good. It felt good. It felt so, so, so good. It was absolutely criminal for it to feel this good.

Giving this up was going to suck.

He was a comet spiraling to earth without mercy, setting a collision course with pure crystal that Briar couldn't possibly hope to withstand. If Octavia's attention was somewhere else at the moment, he was about to claim it by force--involuntarily, really. Renato's velocity was so vivid that even he couldn't estimate the incoming damage. With his bloodstream aflame, crying out was just as much of a reflex as the inversions that came with the downward swing of his wrists.

What followed was definitely the loudest boom he'd ever coaxed Mistral Asunder into producing, a prideful feat that shattered every last ounce of Briar's once-impenetrable barrier to helpless pieces. It did so gracelessly. Jagged shards of useless frost scattered and speared deep into the earth with such force that they surely would've posed a hazard to anyone who stood too close. The recoil that hit Renato in return was fiercer than anything he'd ever experienced, enough to send him back up another twenty feet or so. That didn't hurt. It felt good, too.

At the very least, high above as he was, he had a clear view of the chaos. Of personal concern, mostly, was the way Briar practically bordered on consciousness. He'd ended up flat on his back and unceremoniously divorced from the cello resting no less than ten feet away from his body. For a brief moment, Renato wondered if he was dead. It was a vague relief when he stirred, regardless of how the Soulful boy was completely and utterly unable to stand. Renato hoped he hadn't broken anything--ironically.

If he squinted, he could see Octavia. On the cusp of gravity's pull as he was, she'd see him soon enough. He didn't especially want her to lose the chance he'd gone well out of his way to give her, even if a rematch would've been an absolute blast. Renato doubted Briar would even slightly have the capacity to fight back after this. It took effort to raise his voice enough to travel to the ground again.

"Get his ass, Octavia!" Renato shouted.

For the way she sprinted in Briar's direction, Josiah trailing close behind her, it was enough. By the time he made it down again, casual and unhurried as the descent was, his fearless leader was already hard at work. Renato felt almost bad for not contributing more, content to spin one drumstick between his fingers comfortably instead as he watched her do what she did best.

"I regret that it has come to this, Ambassador," the cerulean Muse apologized, bowing his head in remorse. "Know that I, as are we all, am grateful for your assistance."

"It's fine," Octavia interrupted hurriedly, her hands already stilled over the cello. "Are you ready?"

Parsephii nodded. It hardly mattered that his Maestro was substantially incapacitated, given how he continued anyway.

"Briar Ariano, your toll has been paid once over. Now, Ambassador, see through the eyes of the one who paid the toll."

"Please, don't," Briar begged weakly, just barely capable of raising one hand in a desperate plea. "If not me, then at least leave River alone."

Octavia hesitated. Her fingertips brushed against the body of the instrument, and it was over as fast as always. It was probably insensitive of Renato to be curious as to exactly what went on during the process every time. He couldn't help it.

The Ambassador's face drained of color as she turned to Josiah. "I-It's the same thing! He…he did it, too!"

Josiah, in turn, went blank. His eyes flickered to Briar with notably more frustration, silent as the gesture was. Renato tensed.

"What, uh, what's going on?" he asked, his ceaseless grin finally beginning to falter.

"I'll tell you later," Octavia answered far too quickly.

Renato raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like her to shut him out that way. Still, he didn't press, content to watch as her fingers dove downwards once more.

"I have borne witness to your pain, and my light guides your passage from the depths of my heart!" she practically cried, her voice shaking somewhat.

Renato had, at least, grown fond of the way every Muse left. It was a little light show he could get behind, and the Apex of Soul was no different. Every speck of azure that peppered the chilled air on his way out, tainted as it still was from the aftermath of Renato's devastation, was a sight for sore eyes. His own followed the gorgeous display with satisfaction. It was a solid compensation prize, for what effort it had taken to bless the sky with liberated cerulean.

"Keep him here!" Octavia shouted in her wake, already on her feet once more. A simple gesture towards Briar, tethered to the earth even now, was all she left behind.

Cryptic as her words were, Renato found amusement in the way he had to call after her as they ran. "He's not exactly going anywhere anytime soon!"

He half-expected Briar to protest, to fix him with more words of reproach for forsaking River. Instead, the silence he got was equally peaceful and pitiful, the boy's eyes more than enough to match. Renato knew he should've felt bad. Still, for all that River had said to Madrigal, it wasn't enough to wipe away his irritation in full.

To be fair, he could empathize with River in his own way. For more reasons than one, surrendering the strength of sound was going to burn. In the meantime, he still relished the residual high that buzzed in his blood. He desperately needed to be the Ambassador's soldier way more often.

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