Always the question, that which ones, and one he answered with a lopsided smile. "Safrin, once, and only then because I was with my friend Amalia. Amalia loves the gods, fiercely and deeply, and they love her... or at least, seem to be more gentle with her. Ludo... Ludo I have seen more of. Our first meeting was in shadow and smoke, sparks and darkness. They used my memories against me. I traded my dreams to spare a friend their tricks. It has gone better since then," he admitted wryly. "But then, I was born an Oracle on my world. Dealing with the divine and the dead are both something of an inheritance of mine." He was his mother's son in more than just looks, after all.
With the vampire gourd safely fed, they could move on to other matters. There were stories to tell, questions to ask to pass the time, and sweet apples to eat, even if they were a little young and hard. Melita painted a tapestry of images with her words, the yearning for those places a poignant undertone to her tale. Jigano looked studiously skyward as she paused to regather herself, having heard similar tones of stoic perserverence from Caiside and other Outlanders who fought their homesickness with stubborn pride. "It must have been magnificent," he murmured, that and nothing more, lest pressing for further details bring down the mood of the afternoon.
Games, he hoped would be a lighter topic, and he was right as she recounted wonders. "The ocean," he repeated wistfully, trying to imagine what he had only read about in books. A lake so large you couldn't see the far shore, even if you sailed out into it for a day and more. And salty! Undrinkable, or so the books had said, but still fish lived in it somehow. Melita's description of the glass chasm was even more amazing, a miracle within a marvel. He was barely given time to even try to visualize it before she had moved on, and he chuckled at the childhood game of lake-monster. Before he could comment, though, her question caught him by surprise and a laugh escaped before he could stop it. He shook his head and grinned at the girl, sipping his water more slowly now that shade and damp hair were helping to cool him off.
"Not at all! I arrived in Leafchange, less than a year ago. Though in many ways it feels as though my life has begun anew since I was brought here." He shook his head ruefully, but not without a smile. "Has it been very difficult, adjusting to here? The winter must have been terrible for you," he added belatedly, thinking of difficult the snow and cold must have been for someone used to desert warmth.
With the vampire gourd safely fed, they could move on to other matters. There were stories to tell, questions to ask to pass the time, and sweet apples to eat, even if they were a little young and hard. Melita painted a tapestry of images with her words, the yearning for those places a poignant undertone to her tale. Jigano looked studiously skyward as she paused to regather herself, having heard similar tones of stoic perserverence from Caiside and other Outlanders who fought their homesickness with stubborn pride. "It must have been magnificent," he murmured, that and nothing more, lest pressing for further details bring down the mood of the afternoon.
Games, he hoped would be a lighter topic, and he was right as she recounted wonders. "The ocean," he repeated wistfully, trying to imagine what he had only read about in books. A lake so large you couldn't see the far shore, even if you sailed out into it for a day and more. And salty! Undrinkable, or so the books had said, but still fish lived in it somehow. Melita's description of the glass chasm was even more amazing, a miracle within a marvel. He was barely given time to even try to visualize it before she had moved on, and he chuckled at the childhood game of lake-monster. Before he could comment, though, her question caught him by surprise and a laugh escaped before he could stop it. He shook his head and grinned at the girl, sipping his water more slowly now that shade and damp hair were helping to cool him off.
"Not at all! I arrived in Leafchange, less than a year ago. Though in many ways it feels as though my life has begun anew since I was brought here." He shook his head ruefully, but not without a smile. "Has it been very difficult, adjusting to here? The winter must have been terrible for you," he added belatedly, thinking of difficult the snow and cold must have been for someone used to desert warmth.
