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+---- Thread: The Disappearing Light (/showthread.php?tid=1056)
The Disappearing Light - Jigano - 04-29-2019
As the second evening since his friends' disappearance fell, Jigano found himself once more pacing the familiar flagstones of the Guildhall. Though what had once felt safe and familiar now seemed to close around him like a cage, confining and restraining, as he stalked restlessly from shelf to table, from book to book, knowing what he was missing and frustratingly helpless to get it back.
He had sent Isuma to play with Bobi at the Rathskeller, knowing his tension was making her miserable and unwilling to continue to force his pain on his beloved companion any longer. His anger - at himself, his weakness, at whoever had stolen his friends, at Ianto for not warning them sooner - was a sick, slick coiling in his gut, a viper with fangs latched firmly in his spine, but the heat of it had faded to a slow simmer as the frost of determination bled the old, wicked ice back into his veins.
The guild was echoingly empty, with Maea distracted by her new government and two of his members gone, vanished into the trees, taken from underneath his watch. He didn't know where Sam was, hadn't seen him since before the wretched disaster of a scouting mission, but he suddenly had a fierce desire to find his old friend, the remaining member of his guild, his flock of bright-eyed corvids, hungry for knowledge and eager to share it with the world...
The white-haired man spun on his heel, striding out of the Atheneum with a grim set to his features that silenced the occasional greetings he received on the street as he made his way down the familiar path to the domiciles and the cozy home he hadn't visited in far too long. When he reached it he paused to pull himself into a semblance of order, taking a deep breath and forcing some of the tension from his frame before he raised his knuckles to rap lightly at the door just as the last rays of the setting sun faded from the sky.
RE: The Disappearing Light - Samuel - 04-29-2019
Sam was about to go to bed - he had had enough of staring and thinking for an evening, the wall providing a poor company. He had hoped that getting a roommate would have quelled his loneliness, but Nate hardly was home. When he did come back he smelt of smoke and drink, didn't seem interested in tea and quiet conversations. Perhaps he had made a poor choice.
But Sam was hardly the kind of man to throw someone out on the streets, so he dealt with it, spending the nights alone as always. He put out food for Nate and made sure the makeshift bed on his sofa was ready every evening.
It did make him feel lonely, though. Remi and he were in an awkward spot and he hadn't seen Jigano in a while. He saw Maea for lessons every so often and people visited his store, but...he was missing companionship. Most nights he read, worked a little, cuddled Mia and watched the fire, wondering if all of his likely many years were to be like this.
The knock at his door surprised him, Mia jumping from his arms as he sat up. Remi...? was his first thought, but he dismissed that; he doubted the Alchemist would come back so soon. He walked over to the door and opened it with the chain still on for a moment to see who it was (while he had no real enemies he knew of, his paranoid mind always invented dangers at the door), then immediately undid the lock and opened it for his friend.
"Jigano! I didn't expect you. It is quite late...are you alright?" He asked, stepping back in case Jigano wanted to enter.
RE: The Disappearing Light - Jigano - 04-29-2019
He didn't realize how tense he was until the door opened and Sam's familiar face peeked through the crack. Only then did he find himself breathing normally, his pulse slowing as he found the ghost of a smile for his old friend. "Not that late," he demurred. "And I am... better than others, tonight." He nodded his thanks as he slipped inside, taking note of the makeshift bed on the sofa. It was definitely not what he had expected to see, given what Sam had told him about Remi's memory loss the last time they had spoken at length about their private lives. But hadn't the alchemist said that he was staying at the Monster Hunter's Guild? That was before Ronin had come back, though, so perhaps he had returned to his own dwelling... wherever that was.
Or perhaps he was staying with Sam now? Had things already improved so much between them? If so Jigano wasn't sure he wanted to be there when the young pup came home, even though they were getting along better these days. There were certain levels of awkwardness that not even a bard could be expected to face with a smile. And tonight of all nights he didn't feel like smiling. "Ah... sorry, Sam. If you're expecting someone else I can come back later if this is a bad time...?" He hesitated and then grimaced, giving a short shake of his head. "...No. I can't come back later. Or at least, I can't promise that I'll be able to. I just needed to make sure that you were alright, old friend."
RE: The Disappearing Light - Samuel - 04-29-2019
"Oh.." Sam replied, unsure of what to make of Jigano's answer. There were always those worse off, wasn't there? Did he mean someone specific? Sam was sure there was a lot of hardship on Caido at the moment (there always was) but not of anyone known to him.
He cleared away the blankets that made up the bed so there was room for them both to sit, talk. "Oh, no. I've been helping an Outlander man, newly arrived here. He needed somewhere to stay. But he... isn't here much. " Sam shrugged. If he had known Jigano supposed the bed was for Remi he would have been rather embarrassed, immediately reminded of his diaries recollections of the last time he'd stayed over... not in a separate bed at all.
"Jigano..." When Sam sat and reached for his trusty teapot he got his first real look at his friend and the sight made him frown. "I'm fine, but I suspect you are not. What is the matter? Has something happened to the Guild? Or... to Rory?"
RE: The Disappearing Light - Jigano - 04-30-2019
The look the bard gave the couch may have been dubious at first, but at Sam's explanation his expression cleared and even lightened a little. "It's good see you reaching out to people," he said quietly, approval and a little pride in his friend slipping past the barriers of stress and worry. Sam had come a long way since they had first met, and every time he saw evidence of that he felt a little better about the gentle bookmaker's future.
The weight he had brought over with him was too heavy to allow such lightheartedness for long, though, and he sighed as he sank down onto the cushions, the tension returning in subtle ways. He tilted his head, looking as though there should have been a smile to accompany it as he watched Sam preparing his teapot for company, but his lips just wouldn't go through the motion.
In addition to growing more confident and outgoing, it seemed the ginger man had also become more observant, and solemn blue eyes rose to meet his host's as Sam asked what was wrong. A muscle in his jaw tensed at mention of the guild, but Rory's name surprised a flicker of softness to his expression and voice. "Rory? No... no he's fine, thankfully." And it was a measure of just how worried he was that he made no attempt to be coy about Sam's choice of names.
"But the Guild... yes. Something has happened. Amalia and Caiside... they were taken, stolen away yesterday. We were scouting the new woods..." He trailed off, closing his eyes for a moment to regain his composure. "It is possible the Fae were involved, but aside from their name and knowing that they have wings I know almost nothing about them, other than that the woods are theirs. Something I discovered too late," he added, bitter with self-recrimination.
RE: The Disappearing Light - Samuel - 04-30-2019
"..I suppose I am." Sam smiled to himself, though he hardly considered his arrangement with Nate him 'reaching out'. The other man had approached him and been truthfully very inappropriate, though that seemed to have cooled down in the last while. Nate had said it was purely because they were both men, he had probably found someone else to kiss.
He noted the unguarded, genuine reaction Jigano had to Rory's name. Well, that confirmed some suspicions he had, but it wasn't time to discuss romantic gossip. Not when his friend looked so serious and sad.
He knew neither Amalia or Caiside well, but the news of Guildmembers going missing was distressing nonetheless. Sam had always been unlikely to go exploring in the woods by himself but he found himself almost glad for his own cowardice. "So...so are you planning to rescue them? Can they be rescued..? Do we know if they're alive?" At the end of this flurry of questions he passed Jigano up a teacup, filled to the brim with a hot and sweet tea, something designed to be calming. It was unlikely to work he supposed, but he didn't know what else to do in the face of this emergency.
RE: The Disappearing Light - Jigano - 04-30-2019
"How could I not?" Jigano asked his friend, raw guilt in his eyes as he looked up at Sam. "I have to try. I don't know who took them or why... yet," he added, eyes going flinty. "But I can't leave them behind." He accepted the cup of tea, holding it in his hands without really seeing it.
He took a deep breath, organizing his thoughts as he stared past his friend for a few moments. When he met Sam's eyes again he had regained most of his composure, though the shadow still lingered in his eyes. "We followed a fox named 'Ianto' into the woods," he began. "He mentioned something about the woods being owned by a people called 'the Fae' and shortly after that Amalia, who was guarding our rear, was... vanished." He frowned, raising the tea automatically to his lips to wet them and soothe the tightness in his throat. "I saw signs of someone else having been there... bits of a disguise, the ghost of a trail... the claws of something big scuffed in the dirt. But she wasn't even given a chance to call out. I sent our flier back to the Settlement for help, but... she never arrived. And then Ianto said it was an ambush and we ran... Caiside disappeared from my side moments later. The fox was long gone by then, he took off in a different direction. And I... I don't know if I truly escaped or if I was allowed to," he finished, grim and guilt-ridden. "But... I'm going to need all the help I can get. Sam, have you ever heard of these 'Fae' before?"
RE: The Disappearing Light - Samuel - 04-30-2019
How could I not?
The answer was characteristic of Jigano, ever the hero, a slave to whatever was just and right and good. Sam did not like it about himself, but he had never felt the compulsion. He had only ever wanted to hide and self preserve, felt that he had given enough, suffered enough in his 26 years. Perhaps it was because he had not often been close to people.
The story was certainly frightening. People just..disappearing in something so innocent as a forest with fairies in it...he looked off into the fire with a troubled look as he heard it. "I...do not know much, I'm afraid. I read a few legends once, but I thought that was all they were. The only things I know are from the people who've seen them since the barrier fell."
He took a sip of tea and rubbed fingers along his eyebrow. "Jigano...how could you hope to beat the Fae or get them back? We don't know anything and it seems they have a lot of power..."
RE: The Disappearing Light - Jigano - 04-30-2019
"What legends?" the lorekeeper asked, pouncing on any modicum of hope his friend could offer. " And... what do you mean? Who has seen the Fae and what have they said?" Ianto had mentioned that others had been out into the woods, hadn't he? Other Northhaveners... For a moment Jigano's lips pulled into a frown, but he shook it off with a sip of his own tea as he instinctively copied Sam's actions beside him. The questions his friend asked were good ones, fair ones... and ones the bard didn't have answers for.
Yet.
"I don't know how to beat them until I know who and what they are," he admitted grimly. "Mostly I want to know why they took my friends... and what they intend to do with them. There was no warning, no chance to explain ourselves, no threats or ultimatums. Just... an ambush." He shook his head, raising his eyes to watch Sam again and there was something hard and stubborn in his gaze. "You're right that I need a better plan, though. Going in together, staying close so no one can get taken without it being seen... stealth would be best, but much as I hate to say it, they're better at stealth than I am, almost like they could become invisible." He sighed, shoulders slumping a little as he looked back at his half-empty tea cup.
"Just navigating the woods proved impossible. In truth, Sam, I don't know yet how I can fix this but... believe me, my friend, I'm open to suggestions if you have any!"
RE: The Disappearing Light - Samuel - 04-30-2019
Jigano practically jumped on a chance to learn about the Fae from Sam, which immediately made him grit his teeth with a little guilt. He really had meant it when he had said he didn't know much. "All I really know is that we knew they existed. I've seen...the occasional mention, that is all. And as for the rumours now...nothing you don't already know, I'm sure. Just that they have wings, that they are fickle and curious. Small."
He mentioned becoming invisible and Sam felt a drop in his stomach. He could not at first recognise it, but he realised after a second it was the realisation that he would be helpful here. He could help. And the worst part of it: He knew he should have been helping.
"...I do have...something to suggest." He announced, then took a pause where a deep breath would have once gone. "I have a new ability. That might...be helpful, if you wanted to sneak in." Sam raised his hands then slowly made them invisible, the rest of his body still there. "I can do it to all of myself, and clothes too. I don't...think I can affect anyone else, though."
Sam knew Jigano would now insist he had to help, and Sam grabbed at his sleeves. "...I am scared of the woods, and the Fae. If...if I have to help, I want to have a good, real plan."
RE: The Disappearing Light - Jigano - 05-01-2019
Sam's words were small, empty things with a weight far beyond their brevity. They fell into Jigano's waiting ears and dripped like lead down into his heart, making it heavier and heavier as the bookmaker went on until he thought it would drag him down to Hell all on its own. He sagged in his seat, his perfect posture finally broken as he acknowledged the death of the brief spark of hope he'd foolishly entertained for perhaps three seconds, stillborn before it had ever really had a chance to live. "I see..." he murmured softly, not knowing what else to say, and hiding behind the vague courtesy of the expression. What else was there to say, after all?
He had expected a longer lapse into silence after his plea for help. Surely Sam would need time to think things through before he offered any ideas. Jigano was unprepared for how quickly the other man spoke up, and he raised his head in surprise. What he saw was not nearly as interesting as what he didn't see as his friend's hands faded away into nothingness. Blue eyes widened, the bard straightening as gears began to turn inside his head. "But Sam, that's an incredible ability--!" He began, but the bookmaker's fear stopped him cold and he blinked at the ginger-bearded man in shock.
And disappointment, though he hid it well. He set his tea down carefully, taking a deep breath to center himself and remind himself of how far the other man had come over the course of their friendship. He could ask this of Sam, yes... but Sam had every right to tell him no.
"You don't have to help," the lorekeeper forced himself to say, gentle and aching as he thought of those who had already been taken from him. "I am asking for it, because it involves our guildmates. but I would not force you, Sam." He winced, taking a steadying breath. "We need information we can only get by going into the woods... but going into the woods is dangerous. Flying above it is safer, since nothing can sneak up on you, but it's like it fixes itself beneath you so you can't get anywhere. And if you enter it with a destination in mind it simply turns you around and spits you out again," he explained with a grimace. "But... there is someone who seems to know the way through it. A fox named Ianto. Deimos is going to see if he can convince him to lead us... and not into another ambush." Given the intimidation factor of the big man, Jigano had some small hope that it might even work.
RE: The Disappearing Light - Samuel - 05-01-2019
Jigano's disappointed eyes on him burnt more than any scolding could have done. Sam hated to know he wasn't meeting up the expectations of his guildleader, his friend. It reminded him too much of his own inadequacies, of what he hated in himself: his cowardice, his fear.
The gentleness in his voice didn't help either, as if he were talking to a caged animal, something pitiful and in need of a soft touch. Sam looked at the fire, sipped at his tea. He knew the right thing to do without Jigano telling him, but he so didn't want to do it. It was scary and too much, like the right thing often was.
He'd thought that helping at The Spire was the right thing to do, too. And now all he had to show for it was a recurring nightmare and a new set of guilt and anxiety.
"...I..........I'll help." He finally announced after a long pause. "But I can't promise I will be any good. If...sometimes when things happen, I freeze and I can't help it."
RE: The Disappearing Light - Jigano - 05-01-2019
Jigano drew in a sharp breath, blinking in surprise at the unexpected gift that Sam offered. He had asked because he had to try, but in truth, seeing his friend's fear, he had expected it to come to naught. For a moment he didn't know what to say, hands wrapped tight around his tea mug.
And then he reached out, slowly, to touch the back of his friend's hand, a brush of warm fingertips over cool skin. "Thank you," he said softly, seeking Sam's gaze with an intensity of gratitude and hope in his blue eyes. "That you're willing to try at all... it means the world to me." He exhaled slowly, his breath a little shaky as some of the shadows retreated at the bookmaker's words. "I remember the book. And I remember how you held up in it, back before we knew it was just a story. You've more courage than you know, but even so it's the attempt that matters. Please, Sam... don't push yourself. We'll be meeting at noon tomorrow, and I know the sun alone is dangerous to you. If we find ourselves in danger, do your best to escape and let others know what has happened. The Monster Hunter's Guild, perhaps..." He even found a smile, small but wry, a shadow of his former confidence. "Or Remi. He might be able to come up with some clever alchemical answer that we have missed."
RE: The Disappearing Light - Samuel - 05-03-2019
When Sam first heard Jigano's sharp intake of breath, he prepared himself for some kind of chiding, a telling off either for not volunteering soon enough or for thinking he could actually help in a meaningful way. Perhaps Jigano had wanted him to assist in the sidelines, in the Atheneum, reading books and making notes like he was meant to.
Then there were fingertips on the back of his hand, feeling impossibly warm, and Sam pressed his lips together in a tight smile as he looked up at Jigano, nodded to acknowledge his thanks.
"Alright. I...I will. I will find a way to come out in the sun, and I will try." The advice to talk to Remi made him pause in way that he knew would be noticable. "...I...suppose I could ask Remi, but we don't have..the same relationship as we once did. I'm sure he'd help, but...um.." Sam curled up on himself and shook his head. He couldn't let personal awkwardness get in the way here. "No, it doesn't matter. I will ask him if I need to, of course."