Jigano removed his hand as soon as he saw that Sam was uncomfortable with the touch, a flicker of guilt in his eyes. He knew how uncomfortable unasked for contact made him, and he regretted reaching out as soon as the bookmaker showed no sign of welcoming it.
Another misstep, this time verbal, and the bard found himself at a loss for how to help his friend. Everything he did seemed to backfire, or make things worse somehow. He wasn't used to feeling that way, not since he had arrived on Caido. At least, not aside from his tension with Remi. And yet, since that morning, it seemed that where their connections overlapped he was finding his supports snapping one by one, or new friendships denied him.
He was still learning to reach out and make those friendships again, to trust and cherish the trust of others, but it seemed his mistakes were legion, as even his attempt to engage Samuel in a discussion of 'what if' came crashing down in awkward silence.
The lorekeeper had not expected Remi to pass on his gift so soon, nor to claim the work his own after extracting a promise from the bard not to mention its maker. At least that, it seemed, would not be an issue he would have to avoid discussing with his friend, but his relief was short-lived. Dutifully, the bard examined the band, though this time he didn't make the mistake of reaching out to touch the bookmaker. Sam's enthusiasm would have been infectious if the weight of their earlier failed conversations had not settled so heavily on the bard's heart, but combined with his worry he found it hard to rise to the same level of excitement.
"I am glad," he said quietly, a wistful little smile on his lips. "That you are happy. I was worried that it might have let you feel only pain and not pleasure. But if you can taste and smell and feel good things again, too... then I am very happy for you." Hearing that Sam and Remi had gone on a date should have been more shocking, perhaps, given how ambivalent the pup had seemed about the bookmaker. At times he seemed to care deeply for the man he'd groped in the cave. At others, he seemed afraid of Sam getting too close. For all the alchemist's flaws, Jigano had not attributed pettiness to him until the run-in with Remi's friends at the red-antlered luxere sighting. Now he wasn't so sure... and the thought of the boy twisting Samuel's friendship away from him hurt all the more for being so unexpected.
The weight of the charm on his sleeve suddenly seemed far heavier than its small size, and so inadequate in comparison. "I'm glad you've found someone you like," he said instead, tucking the pain deep and slipping into the role of a happier man, an actor donning a mask as his smile brightened. "It's fortunate that your shops are so close together. I--"
He was saved as a rabbit dashed across their path, a little ways ahead. A hawk dropped down behind it, but swerved at the last second as it felt the effects of the barrier's field and shied away, flapping back into the sky. The bunny went further into the danger zone before it paused, trembling with shock and pain that finally overcame its fear.
Another misstep, this time verbal, and the bard found himself at a loss for how to help his friend. Everything he did seemed to backfire, or make things worse somehow. He wasn't used to feeling that way, not since he had arrived on Caido. At least, not aside from his tension with Remi. And yet, since that morning, it seemed that where their connections overlapped he was finding his supports snapping one by one, or new friendships denied him.
He was still learning to reach out and make those friendships again, to trust and cherish the trust of others, but it seemed his mistakes were legion, as even his attempt to engage Samuel in a discussion of 'what if' came crashing down in awkward silence.
The lorekeeper had not expected Remi to pass on his gift so soon, nor to claim the work his own after extracting a promise from the bard not to mention its maker. At least that, it seemed, would not be an issue he would have to avoid discussing with his friend, but his relief was short-lived. Dutifully, the bard examined the band, though this time he didn't make the mistake of reaching out to touch the bookmaker. Sam's enthusiasm would have been infectious if the weight of their earlier failed conversations had not settled so heavily on the bard's heart, but combined with his worry he found it hard to rise to the same level of excitement.
"I am glad," he said quietly, a wistful little smile on his lips. "That you are happy. I was worried that it might have let you feel only pain and not pleasure. But if you can taste and smell and feel good things again, too... then I am very happy for you." Hearing that Sam and Remi had gone on a date should have been more shocking, perhaps, given how ambivalent the pup had seemed about the bookmaker. At times he seemed to care deeply for the man he'd groped in the cave. At others, he seemed afraid of Sam getting too close. For all the alchemist's flaws, Jigano had not attributed pettiness to him until the run-in with Remi's friends at the red-antlered luxere sighting. Now he wasn't so sure... and the thought of the boy twisting Samuel's friendship away from him hurt all the more for being so unexpected.
The weight of the charm on his sleeve suddenly seemed far heavier than its small size, and so inadequate in comparison. "I'm glad you've found someone you like," he said instead, tucking the pain deep and slipping into the role of a happier man, an actor donning a mask as his smile brightened. "It's fortunate that your shops are so close together. I--"
He was saved as a rabbit dashed across their path, a little ways ahead. A hawk dropped down behind it, but swerved at the last second as it felt the effects of the barrier's field and shied away, flapping back into the sky. The bunny went further into the danger zone before it paused, trembling with shock and pain that finally overcame its fear.
