"That's because you don't know me well yet," he admitted ruefully. "But I do try not to. And it's not that your assumptions are bad or that you shouldn't say them, but be ready to adjust or change them if you learn something new." That was always the trick with assumptions, after all. Not letting them get so ingrained that you couldn't let go of them. Jigano had become set in his ways, but Oliver was young enough to have a more flexible mind and not be caught in the same trap that mired the older lorekeeper.
"I've been a stuffy old ass," he corrected Oliver with a crooked grin. "But you're kind to say so." He chuckled at the younger man's teasing accent, even if he couldn't place where it was from. It was clearly meant as a joke, though, and he gave Oliver a wink. "Besides, I thought you wanted to turn into a beast - even a ghastly one?"
The humor faded as talk of the gods gave the conversation a more serious tone, and he nodded sympathetically at Oliver's decision to wait. "They may return in time, as you find things or do things that are familiar," he offered, though there was no guarantee. "But give Ludo your respect and offerings of items that hold memories or meaning to you, and hopefully it will go well for you when you do eventually go to them." He paused, then added thoughtfully: "They seem particularly fond of cats." Ludo would not particularly care about Oliver's favor - or lack thereof - but a lack of respect would only end badly for the young man, no matter which god he sought out.
The next question was more existential, and the bard sipped his tea as he gave it serious thought. "As far as I know - and others may know more by now - the Voice's portals are not a conscious operation on her end. It's like a spell that she set to run, that now moves without her oversight. But things are not just random, no. People seem to come through with some connection to their past, and they find themselves in a body on Caido that is most similar to what they possessed before. It's not a perfect fit all the time, but vampires tend to come through as Ascended, witches and sorcerers arrive as Abandoned, and shapeshifters become Attuned." He shrugged slightly. "It may be that you had magic in your previous world, and that translated here to Caido as well. But you could be one of those who was put into a body completely different from what you had before, too. Without your memories it's hard to say."
"I've been a stuffy old ass," he corrected Oliver with a crooked grin. "But you're kind to say so." He chuckled at the younger man's teasing accent, even if he couldn't place where it was from. It was clearly meant as a joke, though, and he gave Oliver a wink. "Besides, I thought you wanted to turn into a beast - even a ghastly one?"
The humor faded as talk of the gods gave the conversation a more serious tone, and he nodded sympathetically at Oliver's decision to wait. "They may return in time, as you find things or do things that are familiar," he offered, though there was no guarantee. "But give Ludo your respect and offerings of items that hold memories or meaning to you, and hopefully it will go well for you when you do eventually go to them." He paused, then added thoughtfully: "They seem particularly fond of cats." Ludo would not particularly care about Oliver's favor - or lack thereof - but a lack of respect would only end badly for the young man, no matter which god he sought out.
The next question was more existential, and the bard sipped his tea as he gave it serious thought. "As far as I know - and others may know more by now - the Voice's portals are not a conscious operation on her end. It's like a spell that she set to run, that now moves without her oversight. But things are not just random, no. People seem to come through with some connection to their past, and they find themselves in a body on Caido that is most similar to what they possessed before. It's not a perfect fit all the time, but vampires tend to come through as Ascended, witches and sorcerers arrive as Abandoned, and shapeshifters become Attuned." He shrugged slightly. "It may be that you had magic in your previous world, and that translated here to Caido as well. But you could be one of those who was put into a body completely different from what you had before, too. Without your memories it's hard to say."
