Jigano blinked at the question, looking genuinely curious for a moment before seeing the pugnacious glare in Remi's eyes. "It means exactly what I said," he explained, bone-tired and trying to fight the stirrings of frustrated temper in his chest. "I caught the edge of it when we met, and saw it again at the barrier. Now I know that you have no interest in the advice or opinions of others, and that you will go your own way no matter what anyone else says. You will drop your eyes demurely and sulk or pout if you do not receive the praise and agreement you seek, and then you will go ahead and do what you wanted anyways."
The bard squeezed his eyes closed, rubbing at the insistent pounding in his temple. "And you will insist that it isn't your fault, when consequences fall out on others. Or perhaps you won't - perhaps you will drown yourself in guilt and then throw yourself into danger again and again to make yourself feel better. Feel useful." He groaned softly. This was not a conversation he had wanted to have but... fuck, he was tired. And he was unhappy. And perhaps the boy was due a bit of honesty, unvarnished with pretty words or polished smiles. "But one day you're going to run into trouble you can't claw or fly your way out of, Remi, cloaked in the armor of your stubbornness. You're going to push yourself too hard or too far and you're not going to come back."
He exhaled, looking away again as he raised his lantern to blow out the candle within. "This blind stubbornness of yours is going to hurt a friend of mine, no matter how this ends. And, someday, it's probably going to get you killed. And that will hurt more of my friends. All because you know more than anyone else around you." He found a smile, unexpectedly, but it was a sad one, utterly without joy or humor. "I keep thinking I can stop you from making the mistakes I made when I was your age, if only to save our mutual friends the scars but... I admit, I was taken in by your puppy-dog eyes and quiet demeanor. I only wish I had seen beneath them sooner."
The bard squeezed his eyes closed, rubbing at the insistent pounding in his temple. "And you will insist that it isn't your fault, when consequences fall out on others. Or perhaps you won't - perhaps you will drown yourself in guilt and then throw yourself into danger again and again to make yourself feel better. Feel useful." He groaned softly. This was not a conversation he had wanted to have but... fuck, he was tired. And he was unhappy. And perhaps the boy was due a bit of honesty, unvarnished with pretty words or polished smiles. "But one day you're going to run into trouble you can't claw or fly your way out of, Remi, cloaked in the armor of your stubbornness. You're going to push yourself too hard or too far and you're not going to come back."
He exhaled, looking away again as he raised his lantern to blow out the candle within. "This blind stubbornness of yours is going to hurt a friend of mine, no matter how this ends. And, someday, it's probably going to get you killed. And that will hurt more of my friends. All because you know more than anyone else around you." He found a smile, unexpectedly, but it was a sad one, utterly without joy or humor. "I keep thinking I can stop you from making the mistakes I made when I was your age, if only to save our mutual friends the scars but... I admit, I was taken in by your puppy-dog eyes and quiet demeanor. I only wish I had seen beneath them sooner."
