Deimos was not the only one who had been fortunate in his experiences on Caido. Jigano had arrived alone, and still remained the only son of Golarian to make it through the portal, but his self-imposed exile and loneliness had been eroded by gentle hands and dark, laughing eyes, by hidden courage and kindred souls, by unlooked-for trust and the desire to be worthy of it once more. He had not been reborn as Ronin had, and yet...
The silence that had stretched between them was broken - not by the bard, but by the mountain, and it was the fox who blinked as he tilted his head down from the sky to watch Deimos with tentative wonder at the unexpected offering of information, a glimpse into the dark man's past he had given up on sniffing out. He tilted his head solemnly, listening to the apology that followed, wholly without precedent and so very different from the silent, iron pride that he had seen in Deimos earlier. The bard bowed his head in acceptance of the gift he had been given, his own silence thoughtful as he waited patiently for the thoughts that still seemed to be seeking an outlet from his companion, not rushing or pushing this time, but simply... waiting.
It was worth the wait, when it came. Words of... not forgiveness. Not absolution. He deserved neither, and neither were Deimos' to give in the first place, but the snowbound regent offered what he could, and for the bard it was enough. "Thank you," he said quietly, to both apology and peace-offering. "Amalia is the closest I have to family now, the sister I never had. I have followed her into danger, and she has followed me," he added, a touch of wry humor that would have been grim, had success in finding her safe and free not blunted the claws he had turned against himself in her absence. "And though I blame myself for what happened... she made it clear to me last night that she did not. I cannot speak for Kiada. I have only met her twice, and I cannot blame her for blaming me, but if she does then I will accept your ill will as my due." He spoke the words calmly, meeting Deimos's eyes with a steady blue gaze and a quiet dignity. The burdens he shouldered from his old life were numerous and heavy, enough to bow his back and fracture his heart, but they had not broken him and neither would this, if it came to it...
Which he hoped it would not. He would far rather count Kiada and Deimos as allies if he could, but after what he had done it would be their choice, not his, to decide.
The silence that had stretched between them was broken - not by the bard, but by the mountain, and it was the fox who blinked as he tilted his head down from the sky to watch Deimos with tentative wonder at the unexpected offering of information, a glimpse into the dark man's past he had given up on sniffing out. He tilted his head solemnly, listening to the apology that followed, wholly without precedent and so very different from the silent, iron pride that he had seen in Deimos earlier. The bard bowed his head in acceptance of the gift he had been given, his own silence thoughtful as he waited patiently for the thoughts that still seemed to be seeking an outlet from his companion, not rushing or pushing this time, but simply... waiting.
It was worth the wait, when it came. Words of... not forgiveness. Not absolution. He deserved neither, and neither were Deimos' to give in the first place, but the snowbound regent offered what he could, and for the bard it was enough. "Thank you," he said quietly, to both apology and peace-offering. "Amalia is the closest I have to family now, the sister I never had. I have followed her into danger, and she has followed me," he added, a touch of wry humor that would have been grim, had success in finding her safe and free not blunted the claws he had turned against himself in her absence. "And though I blame myself for what happened... she made it clear to me last night that she did not. I cannot speak for Kiada. I have only met her twice, and I cannot blame her for blaming me, but if she does then I will accept your ill will as my due." He spoke the words calmly, meeting Deimos's eyes with a steady blue gaze and a quiet dignity. The burdens he shouldered from his old life were numerous and heavy, enough to bow his back and fracture his heart, but they had not broken him and neither would this, if it came to it...
Which he hoped it would not. He would far rather count Kiada and Deimos as allies if he could, but after what he had done it would be their choice, not his, to decide.
