For a moment Jigano felt his heart seize at the familiar sight of Amalia curled up before the fireplace reading. It could have been any day in Flowerbirth or Longheat, the baker perusing old journals and histories while the bard brought down more books from upstairs to add to the Guild's shelves. Time spun around him, a dizzying and unsettling slippage of past and present, his mind still fogged with blight and aching weariness.
"I came... because I had to," he said, though his voice was uncertain as he slowly lowered himself to sit on the bottom steps of the stairs, keeping the length of the room between him and the baker. "I've been... lost, Rory said." He sighed, looking down at his shaking hands and grimacing at them. "It feels like I still am, sometimes. But... at least I've started remembering my life again. Who I was. Am."
He paused, steeling himself for what was becoming all-too-common an occurrence before he looked up to try and meet the baker's eyes from across the room. "I know that I owe you an apology. Again. I remember you telling me to 'be better' and I... I got worse instead. I think... I hurt you? You and Kiada and... Remi?" The memory was fuzzy, one of only a few remotely lucid moments in the sea of shadows that was the time he had lost between the first flake of snow and the slow return to consciousness a bare few nights past. "I needed to see you," he finished softly, ink-stained blue gaze dropping again as he plucked anxiously at a fold of his fresh tunic.
I needed to know that you were still alive,
"I came... because I had to," he said, though his voice was uncertain as he slowly lowered himself to sit on the bottom steps of the stairs, keeping the length of the room between him and the baker. "I've been... lost, Rory said." He sighed, looking down at his shaking hands and grimacing at them. "It feels like I still am, sometimes. But... at least I've started remembering my life again. Who I was. Am."
He paused, steeling himself for what was becoming all-too-common an occurrence before he looked up to try and meet the baker's eyes from across the room. "I know that I owe you an apology. Again. I remember you telling me to 'be better' and I... I got worse instead. I think... I hurt you? You and Kiada and... Remi?" The memory was fuzzy, one of only a few remotely lucid moments in the sea of shadows that was the time he had lost between the first flake of snow and the slow return to consciousness a bare few nights past. "I needed to see you," he finished softly, ink-stained blue gaze dropping again as he plucked anxiously at a fold of his fresh tunic.
I needed to know that you were still alive,
