Samuel looked in far worse shape, and no wonder. The adventure had been unsettling due to not knowing what was happening or why for most of it, but now that they were returned, safe and sound, Jigano found his heart rate slowing again. The story had been... fun? It would have been more fun if he'd known what to expect, but he rather thought it wasn't terrible, as unexpected twists of fate went.
The bookmaker's sudden outburst caught the bard off-guard and he jumped, scrambling to his feet in alarm as Samuel made a pounce for the book and then flung it away. The bard sucked in a breath, letting it out slowly as he regarded his companion with open concern as his friend stood shaking in the afternoon shadows of the Atheneum. From the movement of the light an hour had passed, but not much more.
But Samuel looked entirely done-in. Hell, Jigano felt exhausted after all that had passed and the levels of stress and fear of the unknown that they had been operating at for the entire time. "Alright," he said gently. "I'll look for you again in a few days, in the market. You said you had a stall there, right?" He didn't try to smile - he wasn't sure Sam would appreciate levity at the moment - but he did reach out to touch his friend's shoulder lightly. "Travel safely, Sam. And... maybe don't mention the part where I was a, ah, horse to anyone you choose to share the story with? Please?"
With that final request he stepped back, giving Samuel room to depart from what had been, all in all, a rather bizarre day.
As for Jigano, once the redhead was safely on his way he returned to the fallen book, picking it up and dusting it off thoughtfully before moving it to a high shelf, where he wedged it very firmly between two large neighboring tomes to trap it - at least, for now.
The bookmaker's sudden outburst caught the bard off-guard and he jumped, scrambling to his feet in alarm as Samuel made a pounce for the book and then flung it away. The bard sucked in a breath, letting it out slowly as he regarded his companion with open concern as his friend stood shaking in the afternoon shadows of the Atheneum. From the movement of the light an hour had passed, but not much more.
But Samuel looked entirely done-in. Hell, Jigano felt exhausted after all that had passed and the levels of stress and fear of the unknown that they had been operating at for the entire time. "Alright," he said gently. "I'll look for you again in a few days, in the market. You said you had a stall there, right?" He didn't try to smile - he wasn't sure Sam would appreciate levity at the moment - but he did reach out to touch his friend's shoulder lightly. "Travel safely, Sam. And... maybe don't mention the part where I was a, ah, horse to anyone you choose to share the story with? Please?"
With that final request he stepped back, giving Samuel room to depart from what had been, all in all, a rather bizarre day.
As for Jigano, once the redhead was safely on his way he returned to the fallen book, picking it up and dusting it off thoughtfully before moving it to a high shelf, where he wedged it very firmly between two large neighboring tomes to trap it - at least, for now.
