"A bit of innocence is welcome," was all the bard said with a quiet smile, thinking of Remi with a pang of regret for what had been lost. Much had been gained, of course, but not without price.
Loren's words on Maea were met with a pulse of grieving agreement, Jigano knowing that holding onto his anger would help no one, and not wanting to drag Loren into it when the pale woman deserved the mourning of a friend, not the misplaced protectiveness of a guildmaster she had left behind. She had made her choices, as everyone kept saying. One of these days, perhaps, it would start to stick.
"Not all the bars are as physical as the barrier was," Jigano agreed quietly. "The prison of tradition, of familiarity, of family, of routine... breaking from such things, letting them go, is never easy, even when they've only brought pain. At least they're known. Stepping away... stepping through them isn't done lightly. For many who lived their entire lives within the barrier they may never step through a portal. To honor the Old Gods, to spite the New, or simply to focus on the life they've always lived."
He was surprised to hear that Evie had, in fact, done as he had just suggested she wouldn't; abandoning her people in the Grounds to run off to another region, just as Phoebe had done. It forced a pause in the conversation, and a reevaluation of the young woman he had found a tentative friendship with in Healing, back before Fiat Lux. "She was the only other strong applicant for the position," he agreed, more sober than Loren's laughter. "Though I don't think anyone has had a chance to speak to her about it yet. I believe Amalia intends to bring it up with her... though there is little enough time before the portals close for her to decide." The last was spoken with a slight wince at how quickly time was getting away from them again, as it always seemed to this time of year.
Talk of Sam made things a little more awkward, but Loren was quick to offer reassurance, and Jigano tilted his head in wry acknowledgment. "It's none of my business, but I was surprised to hear the two of you were together, for that reason," he admitted. "Sam... I don't know that he can give less than his whole heart, no matter his intentions at the start of things. And being part of two different governments in two different regions makes it harder for you both than for most others." He shook his head ruefully, but there was fondness in his smile for both men, and perhaps a bit of relief that it sounded like things had ended amicably.
Accepting the plates, Jigano held them in his hands and let the heat of his fire magic sing softly through his palms, a gently increasing warmth to bring things up to temperature gradually. "What about you? Any new shifts or magic these days?"
Loren's words on Maea were met with a pulse of grieving agreement, Jigano knowing that holding onto his anger would help no one, and not wanting to drag Loren into it when the pale woman deserved the mourning of a friend, not the misplaced protectiveness of a guildmaster she had left behind. She had made her choices, as everyone kept saying. One of these days, perhaps, it would start to stick.
"Not all the bars are as physical as the barrier was," Jigano agreed quietly. "The prison of tradition, of familiarity, of family, of routine... breaking from such things, letting them go, is never easy, even when they've only brought pain. At least they're known. Stepping away... stepping through them isn't done lightly. For many who lived their entire lives within the barrier they may never step through a portal. To honor the Old Gods, to spite the New, or simply to focus on the life they've always lived."
He was surprised to hear that Evie had, in fact, done as he had just suggested she wouldn't; abandoning her people in the Grounds to run off to another region, just as Phoebe had done. It forced a pause in the conversation, and a reevaluation of the young woman he had found a tentative friendship with in Healing, back before Fiat Lux. "She was the only other strong applicant for the position," he agreed, more sober than Loren's laughter. "Though I don't think anyone has had a chance to speak to her about it yet. I believe Amalia intends to bring it up with her... though there is little enough time before the portals close for her to decide." The last was spoken with a slight wince at how quickly time was getting away from them again, as it always seemed to this time of year.
Talk of Sam made things a little more awkward, but Loren was quick to offer reassurance, and Jigano tilted his head in wry acknowledgment. "It's none of my business, but I was surprised to hear the two of you were together, for that reason," he admitted. "Sam... I don't know that he can give less than his whole heart, no matter his intentions at the start of things. And being part of two different governments in two different regions makes it harder for you both than for most others." He shook his head ruefully, but there was fondness in his smile for both men, and perhaps a bit of relief that it sounded like things had ended amicably.
Accepting the plates, Jigano held them in his hands and let the heat of his fire magic sing softly through his palms, a gently increasing warmth to bring things up to temperature gradually. "What about you? Any new shifts or magic these days?"
