Court of the Fallen
Never Going Out of Style - Printable Version

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RE: Never Going Out of Style - Jigano - 07-02-2019

"Oh? What's Long Night like in the Greatwood?" he asked curiously, then gave a wry grimace at her comment on trauma. "Let's not be hasty! Don't let this well-balanced facade fool you. I'm as traumatized as the rest of them, I'm just better at hiding it," he declared, giving Jiao a winsome smile as proof. "I try to be gloomy on my own time, not when I'm entertaining others. At least, I hope you're at least a little bit entertained?" he teased slyly.

He could only shrug at her opinion that many had not wanted to come. "I agree, that it was good for me, though it did take me a few seasons to realize it. Others, though... I can understand how hard it is to be separated from friends and family, people you love, with no way or hope of seeing them again. I said my goodbyes long before that portal found me, and in a way I suppose that makes me one of the lucky ones, here." Of course, he had brought his ghosts with him as well, so it wasn't as though he had arrived alone, either, as so many other Outlanders had.

He listened solemnly to her reasons for what she did, tilting his head thoughtfully until Isuma reclaimed his finger and he chuckled down at her. When he lifted his eyes to Jiao again his smile was easier, and a bit brighter once more. "Do you paint, as well? Or do you focus your art mostly on your fabrics and clothing?"


RE: Never Going Out of Style - Jiao - 07-03-2019

"Dark. And cold."  Jiao hugged herself, almost as if just imagining the time had chilled her. "I usually spend it making scarves and big thick clothes. They sell really well...every year, people forget to prepare properly. Sometimes I see family too, though..." She shrugged. "I'm not really that close to them." Seeing her family only on events or times when it felt obligatory, it always was a little awkward.

"I suppose I'm more entertained than I was when we met." She agreed. Though he really had to be good at hiding it; compared to the others she'd met he was positively sunny.

Jiao could only really solemnly nod to his comments on others families. Not knowing many Outlanders and only discovering her empathy for them very recently, she didn't know what to say. It wasn't anything that could be solved. Only time would mend the wounds; that she knew well.

"No,..I suppose I never thought of it as art." She shrugged. "I just like clothes. Why, do you paint?"


RE: Never Going Out of Style - Jigano - 07-03-2019

He let his gaze drift to the cascading water as she spoke of Long Night, finding her description of it almost... peaceful. The way it should have been, without monsters and blood and death and fear. "I would like to trade for one of your scarves, when the seasons turns cold," he offered with a smile. "If you will let me know what you would like in return for one." A warm scarf was a necessity, but a fashionable one? That was a luxury he wouldn't mind allowing himself! Even better if he could gift it to Rory, who could be as much of a peacock as the bard, given the right circumstances.

"Sometimes the family you find can become as important as the one you were born into," he offered quietly, seeing her ambivalence towards her own. "Though... I should probably ask a favor of you." He winced, shifting Isuma back to his shoulder, her fluffy tail curling around his neck for balance. "The monsters I mentioned... we don't know if they'll stay within the barriergrounds this year, or contain their haunting - their hunting - to humans alone. Would you be able to let Delah know that it's something to watch out for? Amalia can tell her more, if she doesn't wish to speak to me," he explained with a wry, sad smile. "Amalia was the one who bonded to the starwhale calf," he clarified, hoping that the event would have made enough waves for the other Fae to hear about it, even if they hadn't seen it themselves.

Talk of clothing and art was at least an easier topic, and he leaned towards the pond to scoop some water into his hand and let it flow through his fingers, catching the light in sparkling droplets. "Alas, my painting skills aren't very good. My art is more abstract, you might say. Singing, dancing, playing instruments, telling stories... the sorts of things that bards do," he said with a grin and a wink. "What do you do for fun, when you're not working at your craft?"


RE: Never Going Out of Style - Jiao - 07-05-2019

"Okay. I can make it light blue...it'd go with your hair, if you wore the right outfit. Dress kinda Deepfrost-y!" Jiao smiled, clearly pleased with this idea. She liked to dress appropriately for the seasons herself, red for Longheat and orange for Leafchange; the red fabric she was dying would be a perfect pale colour for the period in the middle of the two seasons, when the leaves around them were changing.

Jigano's favour made her wrinkle her nose. She did not like Delah. Delah was all anger and punching and territories. Her fashion sense was awful, and they barely spoke if ever. But Jigano had been decent so far...while she wasn't sure if she believed his tales of monsters, she tilted her head amicably. "If I see her, okay. But not all Fae are best friends, you know."

He spoke of singing, dancing...Jiao leaned forward a little, wanting to ask for a song but not wanting to imply that he could sing anything better than the Fae bards. "Oh. I..." She chewed at her lip and looked down as if she were about to deliver a shocking secret. "I read books, sometimes. I heard there was a big hall full of books in the barrier village...is that true? I might go and look, if I can take them."


RE: Never Going Out of Style - Jigano - 07-05-2019

"Light blues and whites for a Deepfrost outfit would be perfect," he agreed warmly. "Maybe with a bit of silver trim?" Something with just a bit of shine to it, a hint of icicle sparkle to the ensemble. "It would coordinate nicely with Isuma, too," he added fondly for the gryphlet, in her pale feathers and fur, with her wings tipped in dark blue shading to turquiose, and delicate markings beginning to darken in at the corners of her eyes.

He saw Jiao's dislike of the favor even as he voiced it, and he winced a bit in return, ducking his head apologetically. "Apologies if I implied that. But she's far less likely to throw you in the Pit just for breathing in her vicinity," he pointed out wryly. "I don't know that she'll ever like a human like me, without a starwhale being involved, but she might at least listen to you." And he didn't want the seamstress getting surprised by a monster from within the barrier, either!

Her shy admission to being a reader had the bard's eyes lighting up, his smile widening in genuine delight. "It is true!" he reassured her happily. "It's a place called 'the Atheneum' and we've begun to repair it, but yes, it is filled with books written by the humans of the barrier, and outlanders from far worlds. It would be courteous if you borrowed the books and returned them when you were finished," he added gently, "but you would be welcome there, as are all who seek knowledge to help others, or just for curiosity's sake."


RE: Never Going Out of Style - Jiao - 07-06-2019

"Ooooh. Silver dye dims a lot over time, though. So it can end up being a dark grey." She cautioned, frowning to think through the logistics. "Though I do have a silver thread with small shards of metal in it, that might stay vibrant for longer...maybe I could sew that into the hem..." Thinking about how to make clothes was her natural state, so she began to think on the problem while she spoke onwards.

Jiao had to agree that she was less likely to be flung in the Pit, but she was hardly likely to get a nice response from Delah either. "Okay, like I said. If I see her."

His enthusiasm at her confession made her even more conscious about it, Jiao leaning back a little. "Hmm. I mean..I don't know what I'd read about. But maybe I'll come look." She wasn't sure if she 'sought knowledge' as such, usually liking to read fiction or tips on textiles, but Jigano's suggestion was still promising. "..Have a lot of Fae come to explore the village yet?"


RE: Never Going Out of Style - Jigano - 07-07-2019

The bard nodded, absorbing Jiao's knowledge of the tips and tricks of fabric and color with open curiosity. "I bow to your expertise, lady Jiao," he murmured, suiting action to words with a lowering of his head in a graceful half-bow from where he sat. He didn't know what she would accept in payment, but hopefully by the time Deepfrost rolled around they could work something out, or he could fetch or create (or have someone else create) something that she would like in trade.

Again he dipped his head in thanks, sensing that it wouldn't be wise to press further when it came to asking her to speak to Delah. He let the conversation move on to more pleasant things, and couldn't entirely contain his pride and enthusiasm in the Atheneum and in meeting a fellow reader. "There are many books there, on many topics," he assured her. "From herbals of the Hollowed Grounds to poetry to cookbooks to adventure stories to myths to diaries, and quite a lot more. It's an accumulation of knowledge that is wide and varied, so I hope you would find something to suit you among its shelves," he encouraged warmly.

Her question had him tilting his head thoughtfully. "A lot? No... only a few, that I've heard of. I'm afraid the Hollowed Grounds are a lot less vibrant than the Greatwood," he apologized, smile wry. "We have the Atheneum and the Temple in the Sanctuary, which might be interesting for outsiders to visit for the architecture. The Bone Bridge and the Labyrinth are strange, potentially dangerous places I haven't heard of equivalents of in the Woods. But other than that... aside from the influences of Outlanders from distant worlds, I don't know that we have much else that you could not find in Sidhe Village. We all need food and water, clothing and shelter, cookpots and tools... things that every village makes for its people, whether they be Fae or human or elven or dwarven." He shrugged lightly, offering Jiao a lopsided smile.


RE: Never Going Out of Style - Jiao - 07-07-2019

Jiao giggled, pleased with Jigano's little bow. Payment did not even cross her mind at the moment, thoughts of what could be a truly beautiful outfit distracting her. Jigano could be a good model with only minimal work, not the amount of make up she'd had to put on Peter.

"...You have peoples diaries? Aren't those personal?" She asked, looking almost a little hurt on the behalf of their authors. Jiao herself had a diary, tucked between her bed and the wall; she knew if anyone were to read it, even hundreds of years in the future, she would be mortified. "But it does sound interesting. I'll see if I can visit next week, maybe."

She hardly needed Jigano to tell her the Hollowed Grounds were dull. She'd seen that herself, in the dim tones of the clothes worn there, in the mucky coloured grass and water, in the miserable faces. "I guess. But then why have humans all started coming in here?"


RE: Never Going Out of Style - Jigano - 07-07-2019

"The ones in the Atheneum seem to be more along the lines of explorer's journals and diaries," he offered as explanation. "I... to be honest I don't know how they got there. If they were placed there by the writer before they died as a memorial to their life, or if their descendants donated it, or if someone was just cleaning out a ruined building and found one and brought it to the Atheneum for lack of anywhere else to take it." He could only shrug gently, careful not to dislodge Isuma from her perch on his shoulder "All I know is that there are some there. My Guild tends to be more interested in histories or more official journals though." He nodded agreeably at her not-really-a-promise to visit, knowing how plans could change between now and then.

Her question might have raised the hackles of a Natural, and for the sake of his Natural friends Jigano did have to take a moment to soothe his internal bristling, though he kept his expression carefully thoughtful. "Just like not all Fae think the same, neither do all humans," he pointed out with a chuckle. "Each one might have a different answer, if you asked. At first it was because we didn't know about the Fae, or the Wildwood, or anything beyond the Barrier, really. Several of us came to learn if there were people here, and whether they were friendly or dangerous if there were. Now that we know..." He hesitated, then sighed, looking over to the beautiful red of the waterfall with a sad smile. "There is still so much to learn about this world. Animals and plants that will start moving back into the barrierlands now that they can simply walk across that stretch of ground, the Old Gods that the barrierfolk have been cut off from all this time, magic and history and medicine of the world beyond the Barrier... things that have proven difficult to ask the Fae about when most Fae want nothing to do with us." His smile was wry, acknowledging that 'most' was not the same as 'all,' as Jiao so amply proved. "And for Outlanders, some of them at least, these Woods are far more similar to the places we came from than the drab world within the barrier." He felt guilty saying it, knowing he had friends for whom those lands where their beloved homes, but it was true. "Coming to the Woods might help some of that feeling of homesickness," he tried to explain, not knowing whether Jiao would really understand it or not.


RE: Never Going Out of Style - Jiao - 07-08-2019

"Hmm...I suppose it might be interesting to read an explorers journal. I've never traveled much." Jiao mused, thinking it over. While she would rather go and explore the great yonder herself, she knew herself to be small and inexperienced in a lot of more practical matters. Perhaps it was better to experience it through a book.

She stared for a moment then pressed her lips together and looked away when Jigano gently reminded her of her hypocrisy. It was hard to remove herself from the general attitude of the Fae, which was by rule derivative of the humans. Even when talking to one who was being perfectly nice to her, she found herself making up justifications in her head: Jigano was just special.

"...You can't go somewhere just cos you think it might feel like home. It never will unless it actually is." Jiao said suddenly, with a heavy sadness in her voice. "We should work on making a way to help everyone get back." It would solve a lot of the issues.


RE: Never Going Out of Style - Jigano - 07-08-2019

"I might be biased, but I agree," the bard said with a chuckle. "Reading about distant places and different cultures and strange creatures that exist in truth can be as exciting as an adventure tale written from the imagination... because some day you might actually get to see or meet them!" If one traveled, or if they came to visit, that was. Some might argue that the Fae and humans would have been better off remaining tales to each other, but Jigano yet had hope that they could find ways to coexist and benefit each other, even if building those bridges was a slow and careful undertaking.

He knew better than to push any farther than he already had, when Jiao went quiet and looked away, and he let the silence fall between them for a few moments as he teased Isuma with a twig that she pretended to bite at, taking it gently in her beak and tugging at it until their Fae friend was ready to speak again. Her words were worth listening to, but it was the sadness in her voice that truly caught Jigano's attention, and he nodded slowly as he surrendered the twig and shifted his hand to rub Isuma's ears affectionately.

"You're right, of course," he said quietly. "It's not the same, and can't be. But... sometimes you have to learn a lesson the hard way to really understand it." He smiled wanly at the seamstress, tilting his head to the side in agreement. "Not everyone would want to leave, but there are many who would, if they could, and that probably would ease some of the tensions between our peoples. Perhaps some of those portals the gods spoke of could be...I don't know, adjusted, somehow? To send people back. What do you think?"


RE: Never Going Out of Style - Jiao - 07-11-2019

Jiao nodded with a smile, surprised to meet someone that so easily understood why she read what she did, when he came from another world entirely, was another species. It had been a long time since she'd had such a pleasant conversation with any other Fae, too.

She really had no idea about the portals, or the God that had made them. For a long time the Fae had had so much contempt for the idea that she hadn't even considered the actual mechanics of it. "I think...it should be a thing someone asks at a Shrine. But I rarely get an answer and there's no point in me asking, since I was born here."

Standing, she walked to look at her fabrics. "This is looking about done." She announced, then pulled it away from the rocks, the sheet coming away a pale red-pink with splotches of white where the dye had not taken as well. It created an almost marble-like pattern. "What do you think?"


RE: Never Going Out of Style - Jigano - 07-11-2019

Her quiet smiles were treasures worth waiting for, Jigano decided, smiling back with the momentary rapport of a fellow bibliophile. Her tongue had been sharp when they had first met, but she had been brave enough to stay, patient enough to listen, and kind enough not to threaten him with Delah's wrath. He was glad she had been willing to show him some of the depths that existed beneath her initial aloof reception of a human in her woods, and gladder still that they had found some common interests. It was a beginning, at least, and one he hoped that they could build on together as the seasons turned.

Sending people home was an idea that 108 had thought impossible, but Jigano had never truly heard the Voice refute, once she had been freed and given back her power. "The gods do not always answer in ways we might wish, if they answer at all," Jigano agreed wryly. "But it is worth asking, if one appears who is willing to listen to the question. I'll see what I can do." Ludo might not care, but he could always try. The Voice... perhaps he could speak to Lucas about it? The Outlander Ascended might be willing to find out for him, if he was lucky.

He watched her stand and go to fetch her fabric, and rose more slowly as she pronounced her satisfaction with the dye job. He blinked, surprised and impressed at the delicate color, but especially the marbled pattern. "I think it's gorgeous," he said sincerely, not bothering to hide his admiration as he took a tentative step closer to watch how a passing breeze rippled the pale fabric so that the pinks danced like flower petals in the sun. "If you decide to expand your clientele to the humans, I would be honored to help you display your wares." He offered her a gallant bow as Isuma reeped curious interest in Jiao's fluttering cloth, and Jigano found himself wondering if she would like to be decked out as well, perhaps in matching accessories...? Probably a silly thought, but one worth remembering.


RE: Never Going Out of Style - Jiao - 07-14-2019

Jigano said he would find a way to ask himself and for a moment, Jiao wondered what it had to be like to be an Outlander praying at a shrine in Caido. Would it feel blasphemous? Like you were betraying your old Gods? Or...what if you had had no Old Gods at all? "Did you...have Gods, where you came from? Different ones?" If there were different ones, that raised questions as to the Gods all-seeing power. Could they not cross the divide between worlds as mere mortals had...?

She looked down at the fabric she held, turning it this way and that to see the light on it. "Oh, thank you. ...You're a bard, right? How would you help me display my wares?" She smirked. "Are you just looking to get free clothes?"