He had made the mistake of just taking another drink of his tea when Sam's not-entirely-innocent question had him swallowing and coughing at the same time, resulting in a breathless wheeze as he started choking. He managed to get the teacup set aside, pounding his chest to knock loose the tea that had gone down the wrong pipe before looking at Sam, aghast. "Together with Amalia?" he croaked, staring at his friend as he coughed again. "Sam, what... Amalia is like a little sister to me! And to Rory! Gods least fortunate..." He shook his head, settling back, though his voice was still rough. "No, I am not romantically involved with her." He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, considering what he had already told to Eliza, in the tree at the edge of the Barrierscar. He had been keeping too many things from Sam, really. But then the bookmaker said things like that and he had no idea how the man would interpret what he was told. "Rory and I... are... it's complicated," he said, more hesitantly. "But, yes, we're 'together' in the way you mean. Just the two of us, though," he added wryly, looking up at Sam again and hoping his faint blush wasn't too distinguishable from the flush leftover from his near-choking experience. "But we're the closest thing Amalia has to a family, really. And she is very dear to both of us. Just not in that way!"
Beneath the Strawberry Moon
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the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers ✓ Soul Shepherd ✓
Portal Guardian Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int: ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago
Change author: Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,488 MP: 5720
05-28-2019, 08:08 PM
Jigano smiled to himself and sipped his tea at Sam's humble deflection, just as he'd expected. The bookmaker really was a good person, even if the lorekeeper was left with the wriggling little worry about that disassociation issue his friend had mentioned. It was something he should pursue at some point, preferably before they found themselves in a dangerous situation where it might happen again, but... Well. This night was too pleasant to turn down that dark road, and the bard chuckled at the playing companions as he waited to hear what
He had made the mistake of just taking another drink of his tea when Sam's not-entirely-innocent question had him swallowing and coughing at the same time, resulting in a breathless wheeze as he started choking. He managed to get the teacup set aside, pounding his chest to knock loose the tea that had gone down the wrong pipe before looking at Sam, aghast. "Together with Amalia?" he croaked, staring at his friend as he coughed again. "Sam, what... Amalia is like a little sister to me! And to Rory! Gods least fortunate..." He shook his head, settling back, though his voice was still rough. "No, I am not romantically involved with her." He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, considering what he had already told to Eliza, in the tree at the edge of the Barrierscar. He had been keeping too many things from Sam, really. But then the bookmaker said things like that and he had no idea how the man would interpret what he was told. "Rory and I... are... it's complicated," he said, more hesitantly. "But, yes, we're 'together' in the way you mean. Just the two of us, though," he added wryly, looking up at Sam again and hoping his faint blush wasn't too distinguishable from the flush leftover from his near-choking experience. "But we're the closest thing Amalia has to a family, really. And she is very dear to both of us. Just not in that way!"
Book maker/seller✓
Age: 35 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1 MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac
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05-31-2019, 04:36 PM
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers ✓ Soul Shepherd ✓
Portal Guardian Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int: ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago
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05-31-2019, 05:10 PM
"No, you and your sister don't have that kind of relationship, do you?" Jigano murmured a touch sadly, considering the messed up complexity that was Samuel's family situation. "One of fondness, pride, protectiveness... affection. Not all love is romantic, after all, nor all bonds that matter." He had his ties to Sam after all, that had nothing to do with romance and a great deal to do with fondness and affection. Amalia and the bookmaker had much in common, though they each displayed their traits in their own unique ways. Still, it was those similarities that had endeared them both to the bard, and Sam who had first begun to break down the walls around his brittle heart, and that was not something he would forget short of a god's curse.
It felt strange to be talking about Rory, even now. What they had needed so few words between them, and he still wasn't sure what was his place, what was acceptable to say to those who had known the hunter all their lives. Sam's honest joy brought a smile to his face, and he nodded his head in acknowledgment of the kind words. "Thank you," he murmured, content to leave it at that - but Sam, it seemed, was not, and the bard blinked at the prying question. He arched one brow in silent reproof, then sighed, giving a slight shake of his head as his smile turned wry. "I am honored by your interest, my friend, but I enjoy hearing about you, and about those who are dear to me. You never need to apologize for sharing your life with me. But it is... not something that I do easily. A bard tells stories about others, usually, or about his own slightly embellished grand adventures, but the man behind the bard? That is something that is not shared easily. When you give so much of yourself to the world, the parts that remain private are all the more precious." He settled back, watching the companions rather than his friend for a moment as he tried to settle his thoughts. Finally he sighed and gave a little shake of his head. "I told you that things were complicated. Neither of us has... 'asked out' the other. I am not much given to doing things the 'traditional' way, I'm afraid," he added wryly. "Though I suppose I don't even know what the local traditions even are, in this case."
Book maker/seller✓
Age: 35 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1 MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
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06-02-2019, 01:51 PM
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers ✓ Soul Shepherd ✓
Portal Guardian Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int: ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago
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06-02-2019, 04:35 PM
Sam's empathy would have touched Jigano deeply had he known the direction of his friend's thoughts. His improving tact did not go unnoticed, however, and perhaps it was because he didn't ask that the bard smiled, his warm, lopsided smile that he hoarded for intimate moments and people who had cared enough to try and peak behind the mask with respect. "Never told you what?" He asked gently. "There are a lot of things I've needed time to adjust to... but, like you, I'm trying to improve myself. Ask your question, and I'll answer if I can." How many people tried to ask about him? He had been afraid, and stubborn, and caught up in the instincts of his past... but now that they had time to sit and relax with one another, it was easier to let his defenses down.
And Sam deserved truth more than almost anyone else he held dear. He chuckled at the question, but in a way that held approval of how the bookmaker's curious mind was reaching out, and accepting that things he had taken for granted in his life were maybe not so 'normal' after all on other worlds. "We do," he agreed, grinning. "Sometimes made for love, other times made for political or mercantile connections, still other times arranged by parents... though usually only in noble circles, for that last one." He tilted his head at his friend, curious rather than upset at the suggestion that he and Rory would get married. "Does everyone who becomes a romantic pair on Caido get married? And what are they like, the Caido marriage ceremonies?"
Book maker/seller✓
Age: 35 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1 MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
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06-03-2019, 11:57 AM
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers ✓ Soul Shepherd ✓
Portal Guardian Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int: ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago
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06-03-2019, 04:35 PM
It was the question he had been expecting, since the day in the Guildhall when Sam had asked it before. The abruptness of it then had prickled the kitsune's pride, and a closing up of the defenses that he was only just beginning to lower. Things were different now, though. It was not the secret it had once been, and this time he had offered his friend the question. It made a difference, what was offered and what was taken, and he smiled wryly at the bookmaker's confusion. "We just talked about how marriage and courtship might be different between worlds," he said gently instead of answering immediately. "So, too, with other things. The ability to use magic was common on my world, often celebrated, and it was not unusual for it to be a gift from the gods themselves, granted to their worshipers and priests. Here... Here, mages are called 'Abandoned' and the gods have turned their faces away from them. Many of the Naturals who are mages do not like to talk about it or reveal their powers. In the same way, just because Attuned are 'normal' and welcomed here does not mean it is that way on other worlds, where they may face difficulty for being a shapechanger." The bard sighed, sipping his tea and closing his eyes to savor the taste of the apples beneath the rich flavor of the tea leaves.
"Yes, I am Attuned, Sam. But on my world I was a kitsune, from a race of shape changers neither human nor animal, but something... both. And neither. We are our own people, our own race, much as the Fae are. I was not born human, and I was not given a choice of it, as your Attuned here are. If I had been raised in the land of my ancestors, among my own people, it would have been different... but my parents had traveled far, across an ocean and a continent, to settle in a strange land where our kind were very rare, indeed. They wore their human shapes at all times, and kept me hidden and disguised until I was old enough to control my own shifting... and I was raised to hide my abilities and the truth of what I was from everyone. I never told anyone on my world, not my closest friends who I had known for years, not those who I owed my life to a hundred times over, that I was anything other than a human mage, an Oracle and Bard. Of those who learned of it on their own... well. Only one was still alive when I last heard from him, but he, too, was from the land of my ancestors. So." Jigano shrugged carefully, raising his eyes to look at Sam over the rim of his cup. "So the secrets kept for a lifetime are not so easily shared, no matter how close the friendship. It has taken time to try and unlearn the defenses that kept me alive, on at least two occasions, when a foe aimed for the heart of a human and struck - but a kitsune's heart is a little further down and to the right, and so I survived a blow that would have otherwise killed me, had I flaunted what I was as your Attuned here do." He raised a brow at hearing that
Book maker/seller✓
Age: 35 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1 MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
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06-03-2019, 05:32 PM
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers ✓ Soul Shepherd ✓
Portal Guardian Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int: ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago
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06-03-2019, 06:43 PM
Sam's earnest apology, sincere and heartfelt, was appreciated, and Jigano nodded his head to accept it with a smile. "Thank you, my friend. And I understand why you did it, with how the Attuned are treated here, and how 'normal' they are as part of the populace. I just... wasn't ready to talk about it yet, when you asked. It was something I needed to find my own time and courage to do, and I'm glad that you know, now." He tilted his head to watch the playful companions, lips quirking a little higher as he shook his head slightly to try and clear up a misconception. "It wasn't awful, though. Or at least... maybe because I grew up with it, it didn't seem strange to hide what I was. It was just the way things were. No one knew what I was, so it was never an issue. I only had the usual problems with being a slender, bookish boy in a town filled with the sons and daughters of smiths," he added wryly. "But I was my mother's son, and an Oracle by birth, so even then they didn't push me too far."
The cautious question earned a chuckle, and Jigano set his empty teacup down with a smile. "I will always be a kitsune, in my heart and soul," he said simply. "It is how I was born, and who I am, even if it was a secret from everyone else. But technically, yes, I suppose the body I wear is human." He raised a brow at his friend, wondering if Sam would have any other questions for him while he was in an answering mood.
Book maker/seller✓
Age: 35 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1 MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac
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06-03-2019, 09:33 PM
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers ✓ Soul Shepherd ✓
Portal Guardian Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int: ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago
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06-04-2019, 01:27 AM
They fell into a companionable quiet after that, and Jigano was content to let the moment stretch. He needed time to recover his emotional equilibrium after sharing so much of himself with Sam, and though he was glad that it was finally out, it was still not an easy thing to have done. He let his mind drift a little, touching lightly against Isuma's and enjoying her happiness with her new playmate as he wondered if Sam would have anything else to say. When it seemed as though he did not, the bard began to shift as if to get up, but the tentative sound of his friend's voice focused him back on the bookmaker once more, and he arched a curious brow as the other man stumbled through the preamble to a question that seemed like it would be very convoluted indeed, with all the buildup that went into it.
When it came it left the bard blinking and nonplussed, sitting back and tilting his head in bemusement. The bookmaker had baffled him, the question coming from seemingly nowhere, and he gave a helpless sort of shrug. "Sam, how am I expected to answer that? I would say that you are not my 'type,' but I didn't think I even had a type until very recently. And even then, most blond, blue-eyed men don't interest me at all. Whether someone is 'handsome' or not will change depending on who you ask so..." He sighed, knowing that it wasn't the answer Sam wanted, and resisting the urge to rub the bridge of his nose. "Remi clearly thought you were attractive, and his judgment is better than mine in judging standards of masculine attractiveness. So... yes, Sam, I would say you are handsome. May I ask where this came from, and why?"
Book maker/seller✓
Age: 35 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1 MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
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the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers ✓ Soul Shepherd ✓
Portal Guardian Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int: ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago
Change author: Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,488 MP: 5720
06-04-2019, 05:15 PM
Jigano tilted his head curiously as Sam tried to explain where the sudden question had come from. He nodded slowly, but more in acknowledgment than understanding. As a performer, looking good was part of his livelihood. One could be a bard and be ugly, of course, but that tended to pull more towards the comedic or creating masks or such to foster an air of mystery, or else honing songcraft to the point where no one noticed your face. The idea of not knowing whether one was handsome or not was one that he wasn't really familiar with, though of course he knew of the ploy to use the question to fish for compliments.
That didn't seem to be the reason behind this, though, for all the reassurances Sam often needed. "Have you heard the saying 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'?" he asked curiously, trying to grasp after something that might help. "If you are finding yourself more comfortable with your reflection, it might mean that you are becoming more confident in yourself and who you are." Something the bookmaker had long deserved, the guildmaster thought, heartened with the hope that his friend was finding his center. The bard chuckled and nodded agreement that he was biased, not trying to deny it. Sam was his friend, after all, and while that sometimes meant unvarnished honesty, other times it meant support. "I always found my nose a little thin," Jigano admitted with a grin and a little shrug of his shoulders. "But my hair is definitely my best trait!" He tilted his head, smile widening at hearing that he wasn't romantically attractive to the bookmaker. "It's alright to ramble, Sam. If it helps you work through what you've been thinking about, I'm happy to listen. But perhaps... with all that has happened this past year, your heart needs some time to recover?" he made the suggestion tentatively, watching his friend for his reaction. "You have done quite a lot, and perhaps it is a good chance to discover how it has changed you, and which of those changes you want to keep and encourage in yourself, and who you want to become as you move forward?"
Book maker/seller✓
Age: 35 | Height: 5' 5" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds Level: 10 - Strg: 28 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 25 - Int: 1 MIA - Regular - Ragdoll Cat
Played by: lancydulac
Change author: Posts: 3,135 | Total: 8,707 MP: 0
06-04-2019, 09:13 PM
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