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 Samuel would ask - not without curiosity on his part, as to what the other man considered a personal question.
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!"
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!"
