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+---- Thread: Velvet Snow (/showthread.php?tid=1930)
Velvet Snow - Jigano - 10-09-2019
The snow was falling thick and slow through the still Deepfrost air, in no rush to reach the ground but instead tarrying as it drifted down, lazy and confident of its final destination among its many brethren already gathered below in a dazzling white blanket that stretched over the land as far as the eye could see. The white haired bard in his white-furred cloak walked slowly through it, finding the time to admire a few flakes that caught in his hand before they melted against his skin. Admiring, too, the way his hand no longer shook beyond the barest trembling, and the warmth he could feel when he tucked it back inside his cloak again.
His steps were quiet in the fresh powder, the sound of others hurrying by in their preparations equally muffled in winter's grasp, and few stopped to exchange greetings when most were so bundled up that only familiarity with a particular hat or scarf made recognizing a friend possible.
He paused outside the Guild, considering all that they had done to make it strong and stout for the trials to come. If only that door wasn't going to be opening so often, it might well be the safest place within the barrier, but Jigano knew that the foolish outlanders like himself would be tempting fate with that door, and more than once. Ideally they'd all have that talk once they were gathered within, but giving Remi and Ronin a heads up in advance likely wouldn't hurt anything.
He shook the snow from himself as best he could before stepping inside, stomping his boots clear in the entry before stepping into the Guild proper and looking around hopefully as he unslung his cloak and revealed the pack he had been carrying beneath - and the gryphlet who cheeped sleepy protest as she looked up from his shoulder, blinking owlishly.
" Remi ? Ronin?" he called, though not too loudly in case Aoife was sleeping. "Is anyone home?"
RE: Velvet Snow - Remi - 10-09-2019
Oh, someone was home alright. Lots of someone's in fact.
Covered in snow moss, Remi was stuffing it in every nook and cranny he could find. He and Jigano had done a good enough job of it, but there was always more to do. He focused mostly on the interior of the house actually. Knowing that the front entrance was going to be widely used, it made the most sense to him to ensure that the bowels of the guildhall were as utterly silent as possible.
Perking up at the sound of the Sage's voice, Remi poked his head out from a door down the hall—Sam and Nate's room, actually—and waved. [say]"Down here. No need to whisper, Aoife is out with Ronin."[/say]
RE: Velvet Snow - Jigano - 10-09-2019
Remi's hair was nearly as white as Jigano's own, and the bard blinked in surprise and then grinned when he realized why. He left his cloak near the door and made sure the snow was off his boots before venturing further into the house, Isuma pouncing from his shoulder up to a rafter, looking for Sugar even as the alchemist explained why the Hall-and-house was so quiet. Jigano looked both relieved and a little disappointed as he went to join the alchemist, unslinging his pack and looking for a place to set it.
"Ah, I'm sorry I missed them. I actually came bearing gifts. Well, a gift for Aoife and some supplies for LongNight. I can help with the snow moss first, though, if you'd like? Have you run into any more uninvited tenants yet?" The termites had not been the most welcome of surprises during the preparation party, though Jigano was glad they had found them in time to prevent too much damage to the Hall.
RE: Velvet Snow - Remi - 10-09-2019
Luckily the days when Sugar might have eaten any flighted intruder, even a friendly one, were long over. And so though she was not at home, the alchemist's instincts to try and call Isuma back were long gone, and he merely chuckled as the small chick explored.
[say]"How thoughtful."[/say] Appreciative as he was, there was a pulse of sadness stemming from the alchemist. Though Aoife's birthday was nearly upon them, it heralded a dark, dark time in Ronin's history, being as it was also the day of Vanya's death.
[say]"Mmm, not yet. Perhaps they are all cleverly making themselves scarce."[/say] Which, Remi was alright with. Being an animal himself he was more sympathetic than most to preserving the ecosystems and strange habits of creatures that he co-habitated with. Handing the Sage a handful of snow moss to place where he felt it was needed, Remi continued to line the floor boards of Sam and Nate's room, paying careful attention to the bed so it didn't squeak.
RE: Velvet Snow - Jigano - 10-10-2019
Isuma and Sugar had been friends for a year, and the gryphlet was disappointed that the white dragon was nowhere to be found, cheeping her gentle reproof from the rafters as Jigano made his way back to where Remi was working. He paused at the pulse of sadness, tilting his head in surprise. For once his capacious memory failed him, but he had never met Vanya and knew only the broadest strokes of the tale of Aoife's birth. His Long Night had been spent first in a barn, and then later in the Infirmary tending to the wounded friends who would become his family. He had missed Ronin's dramatic entrance and his daughter's first few weeks.
"Ah well, out of sight, out of mind," the bard agreed cheerfully enough. He set his pack of goodies outside the door and took a the offered handful of moss. He looked around for a moment, finally deciding on padding the feet of the chairs so they wouldn't scrape and make noise if they were moved. Unless the room had obvious personal touches to it, he wouldn't necessarily recognize it as Sam's, blissfully ignorant unless or until he learned otherwise. "I'm glad I caught you at home, though. Since our game of tag in the snow I, ah... well, I was a nosy old busybody and wanted to make sure you were doing alright. And I wanted to talk about LongNight while we still have a little bit of breathing room left," he explained a little sheepishly at first, but growing more solemn as the dreaded week was mentioned.
RE: Velvet Snow - Remi - 10-11-2019
[say]'Mmm, for now."[/say] The alchemist agreed. He'd infused the snow moss with bits of peppermint bark—no need for it to smell earthy and damp if it didn't have to—and nodded approvingly as Jigano set about working. With a boyish grin, Remi clapped a hand over his heart and gave the Sage a bright-eyed look. [say]"You? Nosy?"[/say] He trilled with an easy smile.
Whereas Remi might have shrugged off talks of LongNight just as easily, something in the bard's tone gave him pause. Raising a brow (partially covered in snow moss), he tilted his head slightly to the side.
[say]"You sound as if you have something specific in mind."[/say] He noted studiously, stuffing a bit of moss behind the drawer of a cupboard before turning to give the Sage his full attention.
RE: Velvet Snow - Jigano - 10-11-2019
'Now' was all they had, and Jigano appreciated the sense of productivity and accomplishment the simple task working with their hands could give. He even tried to offer a joke, more confident in the easier traces that their relationship was beginning to fall into. Remi's laughter was gratifying, and Jigano grinned back at the alchemist's smile. "Hard to believe, I know, but entirely true!" He tapped his own aquiline nose with a wink before placing another pad of snowmoss beneath the chair's foot.
Just seeing the easy smile back on the younger man's lips was reassuring. Ronin was healing, Aoife was growing up strong and safe, and for all his burdens he had friends and family around him. The resilient alchemist seemed to be coming back from the dark days of Leafchange, when Ronin's blight had weighed so heavily on him, and Jigano was glad to see the brightness returning to his smile.
He wished he didn't have to dim that brightness so soon, but if he was going to stay under Remi's roof for LongNight, the other man deserved to know what sort of dangers that would entail. Still, it wasn't entirely - or even mostly - his tale to tell, so he took a deep breath, dusting his hands off as he finished the last chair, and nodded gravely at the moss-peppered alchemist. "I do. Has Kiada had a chance to speak with you yet?" How much to explain - or how little - would hinge on that answer.
RE: Velvet Snow - Remi - 10-11-2019
Remi shook his head. He hadn't seen Kiada in a while. Not properly since the Spire or when helping to prepare for LongNight. Her apology had been accepted swiftly and immediately, the alchemist holding no grudges for what had been done or said during blighted times. Even so, he'd heard whispers of something to do with her, but nothing concrete.
[say]"No, not yet."[/say] He said, leaning against one of the dressers and trying not to let his eyes inappropriately scour the room for indications of Sam and Nate's relative happiness with one another.
RE: Velvet Snow - Jigano - 10-11-2019
A simple answer that complicated the bard's next moments significantly. Jigano sighed and settled into one of the chairs, testing the efficacy of the moss he'd just applied, a thoughtful look on his face. "Hmm. I mean no disrespect, Remi, but it is more her tale to tell than mine. But it does affect you, and all who will stay here if she and I are going to be spending LongNight under your roof. If there are further defenses that need making, given what we plan, best we get them underway while we still have a little time." Not much. Precious little. But at least it wasn't too late -- yet.
"At the meeting, you said you would be going out into the night to look for those who were lost, yes?" he asked, to make sure that hadn't changed. "Well, we will be doing something similar. We'll need to go out at least once, out the Hall door and into the dark, and then back again after." He tilted his head to the side, lips twitching towards a smile that held its usual wry tilt, without the bitterness of the blight twisting it. "If you'd like company on your walks, I'd offer to go with you as well, once I've discharged my oath to Kiada. Assuming we survive, of course," he finished, low and quiet. "But if we do, if I'm well enough to continue, I'd be honored to accompany you. I have my own promises to Ludo to keep you see." He reached up to rake his hair back, his smile softening to something almost gentle. "To the dead, rather than the living, but promises all the same. Our tasks may be complimentary... and I would certainly appreciate the company on my own rounds."
RE: Velvet Snow - Remi - 10-11-2019
Once the alchemist had been annoyed at the bard's apparent inability to speak on behalf of others. Now though, he merely nodded with quiet understanding at the Sage's reluctance. [say]"Agreed."[/say] He said simply and softly, before nodding in follow up confirmation at the bard's second question.
Listening, Remi found his own lips twitching in mirthful and mischievous response. Hadn't he just had this very argument with Loren, telling the summoner to ask if his help was needed rather than demanding his presence be accepted? For all of their many differences, Jigano in that moment was a welcome balm the alchemist's anxieties and insecurities. Though
[say]"If it will not add any additional danger, I would not mind at all. I had thought to try and move as silently as possible in that regards, but with our similar shapes, I think perhaps another set of wings and eyes might be useful."[/say] That their tasks were complimentary made Remi grin. [say]"That is true. I only hope that my work can lessen what you need to do."[/say] It would not be that simple of course, but it was nice to think it would, if only for a moment.
RE: Velvet Snow - Jigano - 10-11-2019
He kept secrets as best he could, not always knowing what was private to one, or meant to be shared. It was better to err on the side of caution when he could, for words could always be spoken later, but once they had been shared they could never be recalled. Remi's acceptance of that was another point of change between them, a comfort against the approaching darkness, and Jigano was grateful for the alchemist's understanding.
The acceptance of his offer was almost unexpected, though it shouldn't have been. Remi didn't like endangering others - none of them did - but he was not so arrogant as to deny anyone else the right to make their own choices. Something Jigano was all too guilty of doing, and something he was trying to learn to move beyond. He bowed his head gravely in gratitude, but when he raised it again the glint of wry humor was back in his eyes. "My own task, I'm afraid, will be significantly less stealthy. So the more that can be saved from the dark, the better! Perhaps we can alternate, of a sort. I need to walk the night calling to souls lost to the darkness. Those that have died this year... but perhaps I might also be able to call the souls of those lost in previous years. We won't know until we try. The catch, of course, is that I will need to sing a song Ludo gave me for them to find me, and carry a special lantern to catch them close and hold them safe until they can be returned to Ludo and Mort." He gave a wry shrug. "Not exactly stealthy. And all too likely to call the wrong sort of attention if that lantern's light can't protect me like Amalia's antlers did last year."
RE: Velvet Snow - Remi - 10-11-2019
[say]"Oh? The..song?"[/say] He asked, head tilted slightly to the side, having remembered the bard saying something about a song given to him by Ludo to capture wayward spirits. Which, had he simply waited longer and listened, he was have had confirmed for him. Nodding an apology and falling silent until Jigano was finished speaking, Remi crossed his arms thoughtfully as he considered.
[say]"Light and noise. A perfect LongNight combination."[/say] The alchemist agreed, though followed it up with no criticisms or warnings. They both knew the risks and had accepted them. What else was there to say really? [say]"And Kiada?"[/say] He asked, wondering if the vulture had simply decided to lend aid or if she too had a task for Ludo.
RE: Velvet Snow - Jigano - 10-11-2019
Remi understood, better than any who hadn't lived through last year could, and Jigano nodded agreement with the alchemist's comment. It wasn't a safe task, certainly, but no task that took them outside during that week could be.
Of course, inviting the monsters to come say hello was probably the most foolish thing he could do, but that didn't mean he couldn't try. Words had been spoken, promises made, and even if Ludo had not specifically asked him to walk LongNight - had not, in truth, asked any of this of him, merely acquiescing to his desire to be useful - Jigano was not one to go back no a promise he had made, even if he had made it only to himself.
"Kiada knows best what her own task entails. I am going with her to help, at Ludo's behest... with song and lantern, yes." That, at least, was the word of (a) god, according to the young warrior who he would do his best to protect. It hadn't occurred to him to doubt her, not Kiada, and since she had asked for his song and his lantern by her side he would give all he had, no matter the threat of the monsters in the dark. It did remind him of one of the reasons he had come to see the alchemist, however, and her perked up a little.
"On that note, I had hoped to get your advice and inventor-ial expertise," he said with a bit more of a smile. "Ludo warned her that we shouldn't be separated in the dark, but after the monsters toyed with minds last year I was worried they might try to affect us similarly this year. Might try to lure one or both of us away from the other." Or turn them against one another, and no red antlers to save them this time... though perhaps Amalia would allow Kiada the use of her staff when it came time to face the night. "I was thinking we might want a rope or something similar to bind us, one that can't be easily cut in a moment of madness or disorientation. Do you have any ideas?"
RE: Velvet Snow - Remi - 10-11-2019
[say]"So hers is different, then."[/say] Remi noted with a raised brow, though didn't pry. Kiada could tell him if she liked, or not. He would lay down ground rules for the guild when they all arrived, but beyond that, they were all free to make their own decisions. Besides, he trusted them. Berating them with rules and consequences and lectures would only make everyone more secretive.
Crinkling his nose with happy mischief, his mind already wondering what it was the Sage might have in mind, he raised his brows as the bard explained. Hmmmmming thoughtfully and chewing on his lower lip as he considered, Remi narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. [say]"Well, I suppose there are two ways of going about it. An unbreakable rope is easy enough, but if one of you is dragged off, the other would be dragged as well. Instead, I could make a rope that has no fixed length. So while one of you could wander off, you would always have a trail to follow. However this of course means you would not be able to tether yourself in an effort to keep your counterpart close."[/say]
Pros and cons, but that was the point of the discussion, presumably.