The young woman listened with admirable focus as he told an abbreviated story of the past year within the barrier. True, he left out a great many details, but to go into all of it would likely last a week of nights around a campfire or in a comfortable tavern. He rarely lied if he could help it; the truth was far more effective, and easier to keep straight. But he had also learned that he had a habit of extending too much information at once and overwhelming his less scholastically-minded listeners, so he tried to keep his story to the point of her rhetorical question - which had turned out to be less rhetorical than she expected, if he was to judge from the thoughtful look on her face.
He watched as she shifted position, curious at first and then wary as she fluttered towards him, but her movements were careful and slow, and he relaxed when she settled onto his branch simply to continue their conversation from a more comfortable distance. He settled his back against the trunk and bent a knee to rest on the branch so he could face her fully, and at her first words his attention became intent.
"A thirty foot pit," he repeated softly, heart clenching, but then easing as he remembered that Kiada and Amalia both had wings with which to glide down, even if some sort of netting or grill prevented them from flying away.
Then again, the Fae had wings, too. It might just be a matter of being chased down and tossed back in again. As long as their wings hadn't been bound when they were thrown in... And as far as he knew, Caiside was wingless. Best not to dwell on that. There was a chance they were still alive, at least, and he bowed his head graciously toEliza in gratitude for the information. "Two of them are Loreseekers, members of my Guild. They... will ask questions," he admitted, voice quiet as he tilted his head back to study the canopy above. "Amalia especially... we have a love for learning new things, studying new plants and creatures, meeting new people. This chance to explore... it was a complicated thing, the fall of the barrier, but once it was done it seemed foolish to waste the opportunity to learn about the world beyond. She will ask and ask and ask, trying to learn what we did wrong and why we weren't simply told to turn around and stop bothering the Fae." He winced, slanting a worried glance at Eliza. "I hope your warchief is patient, even if she is not understanding."
Her question earned a brief smile before Jigano closed his eyes, trying to find an answer that would satisfy them both. "I am... still learning that," he said finally, his voice soft enough to nearly be lost in the gentle breeze. "I was taken from my world against my will and deposited... here. Within the Barrier, in a miniature slice of a world that was slowly dying in its isolation. It was a good match for me, at the time. I was born an Oracle on my world, one who walked between the mortal and divine, but I had too much wanderer in my blood. I became a bard, a scholar of the past and a gatherer of stories and legends. But I survived the end of my own story, and I lost... I lost a great deal, including losing sight of myself and my future." He tilted his head down again, opening his eyes fully to watch Eliza, wondering if she could understand. "But coming here was almost like being reborn, in a way. My body was reshaped and my story was given a new beginning. I have not forgotten what I have lost but I am no longer as chained to it as I once was." He tilted his head at her. "I have a family again, for the first time in six years. And a member of that family is in a pit somewhere in the Greatwood."
He took a deep breath, trying to relax his shoulders as he studied Eliza and considered his next question. "Is there any bargain or trade this warchief would accept, to free my people and let them come home alive?"
He watched as she shifted position, curious at first and then wary as she fluttered towards him, but her movements were careful and slow, and he relaxed when she settled onto his branch simply to continue their conversation from a more comfortable distance. He settled his back against the trunk and bent a knee to rest on the branch so he could face her fully, and at her first words his attention became intent.
"A thirty foot pit," he repeated softly, heart clenching, but then easing as he remembered that Kiada and Amalia both had wings with which to glide down, even if some sort of netting or grill prevented them from flying away.
Then again, the Fae had wings, too. It might just be a matter of being chased down and tossed back in again. As long as their wings hadn't been bound when they were thrown in... And as far as he knew, Caiside was wingless. Best not to dwell on that. There was a chance they were still alive, at least, and he bowed his head graciously to
Her question earned a brief smile before Jigano closed his eyes, trying to find an answer that would satisfy them both. "I am... still learning that," he said finally, his voice soft enough to nearly be lost in the gentle breeze. "I was taken from my world against my will and deposited... here. Within the Barrier, in a miniature slice of a world that was slowly dying in its isolation. It was a good match for me, at the time. I was born an Oracle on my world, one who walked between the mortal and divine, but I had too much wanderer in my blood. I became a bard, a scholar of the past and a gatherer of stories and legends. But I survived the end of my own story, and I lost... I lost a great deal, including losing sight of myself and my future." He tilted his head down again, opening his eyes fully to watch Eliza, wondering if she could understand. "But coming here was almost like being reborn, in a way. My body was reshaped and my story was given a new beginning. I have not forgotten what I have lost but I am no longer as chained to it as I once was." He tilted his head at her. "I have a family again, for the first time in six years. And a member of that family is in a pit somewhere in the Greatwood."
He took a deep breath, trying to relax his shoulders as he studied Eliza and considered his next question. "Is there any bargain or trade this warchief would accept, to free my people and let them come home alive?"
