He had expected Rory to join him at the table, but the hunter had a way of surprising him. Isuma was surprised as well, but delighted to have someone come down to the floor to play with her. She abandoned her stick to wriggle to her feet and bound over to the blond man, attempting to pounce into his lap and reep! quietly for cuddles as she snuggled against him, careful of her growing talons. Jigano’s smile softened as he watched them both and let the quiet joy of the moment settle around his heart.
The offer, when it came, caught him off-guard and he blinked for a moment in surprise before his smile grew once more. He pushed away from the chair and shrugged out of his pack before he made his way over to the fire, settling near his friend and his companion on the hearth. Rory’s smile as he spoke of Bakshi was irresistible, and in truth Jigano made no effort to fight it. ”May I?” he murmured, holding out his hand for Rory’s with an answering smile. If he was allowed, he would take the cold hand that had brushed his cheek earlier and begin to gently chafe warmth back into it as they sat and waited for the soup to cook.
”I think that I would very much like to learn to ride,” he answered properly at last with a warm voice full of gratitude at the offer, in no great hurry to rush their conversation along. They had all day, after all, and after the way Rory had looked when he had arrived, he didn’t think the blond would appreciate being pushed, even if he had woken from his daze. ”If I can learn here, with you and your ponies.” He chuckled ruefully, glancing at Isuma and her antics as she tried to coax Rory into scratching her fuzzy tummy, rolled onto her back with wings tucked against her sides. ”Perhaps Bakshi and I would make a good pair.” He tilted his head, considering the times he had seen his friend with a horse before Long Night. ”Talys… she’s your favorite, isn’t she? It would be nice… to ride together with you and her again,” he said softly, glancing slyly to his friend and remembering the snowy ride on her saddle blanket, back from the Settlement one night. Idly, he wondered if it would be more comfortable to ride in front instead, nestled against Rory’s stomach… an image he had to distract himself from by reaching up to push his hair firmly back before returning his hand to the hunter’s, if he had been allowed to hold it. He really should have pulled it back into a tail… but the memory of Rory’s fingers tucking a tress so carefully back behind his ear was reason enough to leave it loose.
The offer, when it came, caught him off-guard and he blinked for a moment in surprise before his smile grew once more. He pushed away from the chair and shrugged out of his pack before he made his way over to the fire, settling near his friend and his companion on the hearth. Rory’s smile as he spoke of Bakshi was irresistible, and in truth Jigano made no effort to fight it. ”May I?” he murmured, holding out his hand for Rory’s with an answering smile. If he was allowed, he would take the cold hand that had brushed his cheek earlier and begin to gently chafe warmth back into it as they sat and waited for the soup to cook.
”I think that I would very much like to learn to ride,” he answered properly at last with a warm voice full of gratitude at the offer, in no great hurry to rush their conversation along. They had all day, after all, and after the way Rory had looked when he had arrived, he didn’t think the blond would appreciate being pushed, even if he had woken from his daze. ”If I can learn here, with you and your ponies.” He chuckled ruefully, glancing at Isuma and her antics as she tried to coax Rory into scratching her fuzzy tummy, rolled onto her back with wings tucked against her sides. ”Perhaps Bakshi and I would make a good pair.” He tilted his head, considering the times he had seen his friend with a horse before Long Night. ”Talys… she’s your favorite, isn’t she? It would be nice… to ride together with you and her again,” he said softly, glancing slyly to his friend and remembering the snowy ride on her saddle blanket, back from the Settlement one night. Idly, he wondered if it would be more comfortable to ride in front instead, nestled against Rory’s stomach… an image he had to distract himself from by reaching up to push his hair firmly back before returning his hand to the hunter’s, if he had been allowed to hold it. He really should have pulled it back into a tail… but the memory of Rory’s fingers tucking a tress so carefully back behind his ear was reason enough to leave it loose.
