The Guild was not the first time he had led others, though in the past he had orchestrated an army of soldiers, not scholars. He had done so out of desperation, fearful of the future he had seen and taking steps to be ready should he fail. Or, only slightly less terrifying, should they succeed. But even with the best of intentions there was a weight and loneliness to command, a knowledge that others relied on him, and that he would be the one to shoulder all final responsibilities when it came to duty and sacrifice, vengeance and defeat. He would come after his people, always, because the thought of not backing them up simply did not occur to him. And now Deimos, for all his black glares and angry glowering the days before, had not only calmed down but seemed to want to include himself in that number. Not 'you,' not 'I,' but 'we'. The bard blinked in bemusement, taking fresh stock of the big man as he offered his own explanation.
"I had planned on curiosity, kindness, and a dash of charisma," he explained as he tried to stay out of the way of the bustling foot traffic as Fae villagers went about their daily tasks and errands, some giving the tall foreigners surreptitious glances while others stared boldly. "It stood me in good stead with Eliza yesterday, and I'm hopeful there are other Fae like her who might see us as interesting rather than threatening." Honesty, sincerity, and a bit more vulnerability than he had been entirely comfortable with had played a part as well, but that was between him and Eliza.
His dance around traffic had brought them near the basket-seller, and Jigano tilted his head at the man with bright interest as he advertised his wares. The fact that he was talking to them and willing to sell to them at all was a hopeful sign, and Jigano offered him a half-bow as he leaned over to examine some of the work. There were large baskets and small ones, square ones and round ones, some woven loosely and others so tight that they looked as though they could hold water without dripping. Many were green or brown or yellow, but some were woven of different types and colors of reeds so that patterns twisted through their weave, cleverly displayed. Amalia had told him of the Fae tradition of sun-catching the evening before, and this seemed an excellent way to respect that and perhaps earn a bit of goodwill. Deimos spoke up first, a question for a question, and Jigano cocked his head to hear the answer.
The basket seller tilted his head up - and up - to consider Deimos, his wings lifting slightly in a body language Jigano could not interpret. Coming to a decision he gave a sly smile, glancing between the two men and ignoring the envious looks of several of the other nearby shopkeepers - and the disapproving glares of others. "What do you have to trade from where you are from, good sirs? Surely you bring wonders from beyond the Greatwood that would be rare and novel here. Something obviously made by human hands, rather than Fae." He spread his hands across his baskets as he wheedled. "Perhaps something commonplace to you that would be unusual here?"
Jigano chuckled at the merchant's line, seeing where it was going with a grin of his own. "Something you can use to impress your friends with, and inspire jealousy in your competitors?" he murmured, less question than statement. He'd traveled far and was no stranger to this game. The Fae wanted something that he could turn around and barter for a higher price due to its rareness and cachet as being a foreign treasure. As foreigners themselves, the humans wouldn't know who to talk to the way a local would, but since they had little enough of value on them... "For a basket that could be used to carry food once its done catching the sun, what about a trade in that food?" he offered. "Food from beyond the Greatwood, made by human hands, and human-grown crops and livestock?"
"What kind of food?" the shopkeep asked cautiously, looking between the two men.
"I had planned on curiosity, kindness, and a dash of charisma," he explained as he tried to stay out of the way of the bustling foot traffic as Fae villagers went about their daily tasks and errands, some giving the tall foreigners surreptitious glances while others stared boldly. "It stood me in good stead with Eliza yesterday, and I'm hopeful there are other Fae like her who might see us as interesting rather than threatening." Honesty, sincerity, and a bit more vulnerability than he had been entirely comfortable with had played a part as well, but that was between him and Eliza.
His dance around traffic had brought them near the basket-seller, and Jigano tilted his head at the man with bright interest as he advertised his wares. The fact that he was talking to them and willing to sell to them at all was a hopeful sign, and Jigano offered him a half-bow as he leaned over to examine some of the work. There were large baskets and small ones, square ones and round ones, some woven loosely and others so tight that they looked as though they could hold water without dripping. Many were green or brown or yellow, but some were woven of different types and colors of reeds so that patterns twisted through their weave, cleverly displayed. Amalia had told him of the Fae tradition of sun-catching the evening before, and this seemed an excellent way to respect that and perhaps earn a bit of goodwill. Deimos spoke up first, a question for a question, and Jigano cocked his head to hear the answer.
The basket seller tilted his head up - and up - to consider Deimos, his wings lifting slightly in a body language Jigano could not interpret. Coming to a decision he gave a sly smile, glancing between the two men and ignoring the envious looks of several of the other nearby shopkeepers - and the disapproving glares of others. "What do you have to trade from where you are from, good sirs? Surely you bring wonders from beyond the Greatwood that would be rare and novel here. Something obviously made by human hands, rather than Fae." He spread his hands across his baskets as he wheedled. "Perhaps something commonplace to you that would be unusual here?"
Jigano chuckled at the merchant's line, seeing where it was going with a grin of his own. "Something you can use to impress your friends with, and inspire jealousy in your competitors?" he murmured, less question than statement. He'd traveled far and was no stranger to this game. The Fae wanted something that he could turn around and barter for a higher price due to its rareness and cachet as being a foreign treasure. As foreigners themselves, the humans wouldn't know who to talk to the way a local would, but since they had little enough of value on them... "For a basket that could be used to carry food once its done catching the sun, what about a trade in that food?" he offered. "Food from beyond the Greatwood, made by human hands, and human-grown crops and livestock?"
"What kind of food?" the shopkeep asked cautiously, looking between the two men.
