What was he doing? The bard chuckled wryly, lips twisting into something that wasn't quite a smile, but was close. "Ah. Well. That nonsense with the upstart Zariah is... annoying, to say the least. I've no intention of signing up for her little private army. But 'Guildmaster Jigano' is well-enough known around the Settlement that her pack of bullies could try and make trouble for me, so I've been using a disguise for when I travel into town," he admitted, knowing it wasn't the bravest of approaches, but also knowing his own weaknesses included not being able to overpower two or three fighter-types, especially if they had mages among them.
He began squeezing the water from his hair, keeping a curious ear on Melita as she answered, and he hummed a thoughtful question without words at hearing that the exuberant, cheerful sunshine-girl was moping. At the mention of Ludo, however, he straightened, hair half-forgotten as he turned to look at her with far greater focus. His hands continued to mechanically wring the water out, but his attention was all for her as he frowned, his expression thoughtful. Ludo was not a god to take lightly or keep waiting... none of them were, of course, but he was partial to the soul guide, and he grimaced sympathetically at hearing that Delah had kicked Meilta out of the Greatwood.
"I've found records of Wicker Women in our Woods but... they are old records, and even they say that the trees are rare here," he admitted. His gaze flickered to Isuma and Fangorn, playing and bouncing around in the falling leaves, and his expression lightened a bit as his mind raced. "I, too, was once sent by Ludo to find a Wicker Woman... but that was before the Greatwood became as closed to us as it is now." He shook his head, exhaling a soft sigh and flexing his hands in frustration - sending a last trickles of water to dampen the moss beneath him.
He started to shake his head morosely, then stopped, expression sharpening as a memory came to him. "You just need the sap, right?" he asked cautiously. "Not bark or branches or roots? Just the sap itself? It's powerful stuff, but... do you know the alchemist Remi, by chance?"
He began squeezing the water from his hair, keeping a curious ear on Melita as she answered, and he hummed a thoughtful question without words at hearing that the exuberant, cheerful sunshine-girl was moping. At the mention of Ludo, however, he straightened, hair half-forgotten as he turned to look at her with far greater focus. His hands continued to mechanically wring the water out, but his attention was all for her as he frowned, his expression thoughtful. Ludo was not a god to take lightly or keep waiting... none of them were, of course, but he was partial to the soul guide, and he grimaced sympathetically at hearing that Delah had kicked Meilta out of the Greatwood.
"I've found records of Wicker Women in our Woods but... they are old records, and even they say that the trees are rare here," he admitted. His gaze flickered to Isuma and Fangorn, playing and bouncing around in the falling leaves, and his expression lightened a bit as his mind raced. "I, too, was once sent by Ludo to find a Wicker Woman... but that was before the Greatwood became as closed to us as it is now." He shook his head, exhaling a soft sigh and flexing his hands in frustration - sending a last trickles of water to dampen the moss beneath him.
He started to shake his head morosely, then stopped, expression sharpening as a memory came to him. "You just need the sap, right?" he asked cautiously. "Not bark or branches or roots? Just the sap itself? It's powerful stuff, but... do you know the alchemist Remi, by chance?"
