It was time for a break, and refreshing his tea cup. Writing the log of their findings in the Wildwood was an absorbing task, but one that needed doing, and putting his thoughts down on paper occasionally helped Jigano sift fresh insight from his experiences. It was simple but important work, and he hoped that he and Amalia could compare their journals soon... but first, tea. It was almost a crime to be inside on such a lovely day and only his focus on his guild and his duty kept him in the Guildhall basement, while Isuma played with a small felted ball, chasing it across the stone floor like the small hunter she was growing into.
He watched her indulgently while the kettle came to a boil, and he had just pulled it off the hob when the gryphlet suddenly sat bolt upright, head cocked to the side in a position he had learned meant listening. Usually that meant a friend was upstairs and on their way down into the Hall, and Jigano chuckled as he poured the hot water into the pot to steep.
That was as far as he got before Isuma let out a loud Reep! of delight and bounded for the stairs, ball forgotten. Her thoughts were full of excitement for a friend she hadn't seen in forever, one as small as she was, and she had no desire to calm down or come back to him as Jigano tried to catch hold of their bond and slow her down. Abandoning his tea, he made for the stairs in her wake, following her trail at a more sedate pace with a bemused notion of who to expect. Remi had told him what had happened, more or less, but what did one say to a reincarnated warrior whose actions had nearly brought war to the Hollowed Grounds - and paved the path to their freedom, all at once?
Isuma found Ronin and Sugar first, turning excited circles from a little distance away as she chirruped energetic greetings to her draconic friend. She was larger than she had been at their last meeting, her baby down replaced with her first molt of juvenile feathers and her wings looking more finished for it, though she wasn't flying yet. That didn't stop her from fluttering them in joy as she tried to coax Sugar down to play with her, while a tall, white-haired man emerged from the shelves behind her, smiling bemusedly first at her, and then in greeting at Sugar's human.
"Welcome," he offered politely by way of hello. "Ronin, I presume?"
He watched her indulgently while the kettle came to a boil, and he had just pulled it off the hob when the gryphlet suddenly sat bolt upright, head cocked to the side in a position he had learned meant listening. Usually that meant a friend was upstairs and on their way down into the Hall, and Jigano chuckled as he poured the hot water into the pot to steep.
That was as far as he got before Isuma let out a loud Reep! of delight and bounded for the stairs, ball forgotten. Her thoughts were full of excitement for a friend she hadn't seen in forever, one as small as she was, and she had no desire to calm down or come back to him as Jigano tried to catch hold of their bond and slow her down. Abandoning his tea, he made for the stairs in her wake, following her trail at a more sedate pace with a bemused notion of who to expect. Remi had told him what had happened, more or less, but what did one say to a reincarnated warrior whose actions had nearly brought war to the Hollowed Grounds - and paved the path to their freedom, all at once?
Isuma found Ronin and Sugar first, turning excited circles from a little distance away as she chirruped energetic greetings to her draconic friend. She was larger than she had been at their last meeting, her baby down replaced with her first molt of juvenile feathers and her wings looking more finished for it, though she wasn't flying yet. That didn't stop her from fluttering them in joy as she tried to coax Sugar down to play with her, while a tall, white-haired man emerged from the shelves behind her, smiling bemusedly first at her, and then in greeting at Sugar's human.
"Welcome," he offered politely by way of hello. "Ronin, I presume?"
