"Oh... thank you," Jigano shook his head wanly, though. "But I've been sleeping in the infirmary, in case Amalia and Rory need anything." Sleeping in his foxform, curled up beside Rory, to be precise, but there were two things he was avoiding thinking about too deeply just yet, content for the moment to just let it be what it was, and grateful to have even that much. Besides, Sam was giving him other things to focus on, however shaky that focus still was, and he found himself hoping that the bookmaker was right, and that the pup - Remi - was, too. Whatever his disagreements with the boy - the young man - he was a part of Sam's life now, that much was clear. The least he could give him was courtesy when they inevitably met again...
"Then I will trust your judgment, my friend," he said gently. He might have reached over to pat Sam's hand, but was surprised when he instead found himself caught up in an embrace that he had neither expected nor invited. He blinked, drawing in a sharp breath as his body instinctively tensed against the constraining arms, inside the constraining building, trapped in a metal coffin where the dead did not slumber but walked the halls, whispering alien tongues and enraged at the living who trespassed on their domain--
But, no, this was Sam, and the Temple, and the monsters... well. They were real enough, walking the night beyond the too-thin stone walls, but Jigano exhaled a shuddering breath and patted the bookmaker awkwardly on the back. "And I am glad that you are, too," he agreed, voice still a little shaky as he sought to subtly disengage from the hold. Yohgel... he thought, fleetingly, of his old, dead friend, she of the exuberant hugs and jar of eyeballs and penchant for using him as climbing tower and perch. He had been wary of being touched since she had... died. It hadn't felt right, somehow, until Rory had touched him in foxform and created new memories, new instincts that he was just beginning to accept...
But this was too much, too soon, too fast. The bard reclaimed his personal space after a courteous interval, feeling the sleepy awareness of Isuma in his heart as she woke hungry and needing to use the sandbox. "I should go make sure they don't need me in the infirmary," he said, voice still gentle. He appreciated the gesture now that it was over, and the increased confidence in his friend's actions and the way he held himself. "But... I'm sure I'll see you again soon, Sam."
"Then I will trust your judgment, my friend," he said gently. He might have reached over to pat Sam's hand, but was surprised when he instead found himself caught up in an embrace that he had neither expected nor invited. He blinked, drawing in a sharp breath as his body instinctively tensed against the constraining arms, inside the constraining building, trapped in a metal coffin where the dead did not slumber but walked the halls, whispering alien tongues and enraged at the living who trespassed on their domain--
But, no, this was Sam, and the Temple, and the monsters... well. They were real enough, walking the night beyond the too-thin stone walls, but Jigano exhaled a shuddering breath and patted the bookmaker awkwardly on the back. "And I am glad that you are, too," he agreed, voice still a little shaky as he sought to subtly disengage from the hold. Yohgel... he thought, fleetingly, of his old, dead friend, she of the exuberant hugs and jar of eyeballs and penchant for using him as climbing tower and perch. He had been wary of being touched since she had... died. It hadn't felt right, somehow, until Rory had touched him in foxform and created new memories, new instincts that he was just beginning to accept...
But this was too much, too soon, too fast. The bard reclaimed his personal space after a courteous interval, feeling the sleepy awareness of Isuma in his heart as she woke hungry and needing to use the sandbox. "I should go make sure they don't need me in the infirmary," he said, voice still gentle. He appreciated the gesture now that it was over, and the increased confidence in his friend's actions and the way he held himself. "But... I'm sure I'll see you again soon, Sam."
