"My last attempt to call a meeting didn't go so well, if you recall," the bard pointed out wryly. "It was an unfortunately eye-opening experience. I'm afraid if we try to do this and it has my name attached to it, there will be those who won't come because they see my name. You, however... You don't speak in public much, but when you have it's been something worth saying. Hopefully that will be enough to draw those who would be inclined to respect that." Deimos had largely stayed out of the conflicts between the Naturals and the Outlanders, as far as Jigano knew. the big man had sought peace and reason and then, when that had proven to be elusive, had stepped back and let the two sides play out as they would. It was what Jigano should have done...
But he had believed in the rightness of Rory and Amalia's convictions, shared them as his own, and could not leave his loved ones to face the tide of Roana's troubles alone. Now the price for that was knowing that, no matter how good an idea he might have, there would be those like Phoebe who would refuse to listen simply because it came from him.
The gods were enigmas to them, but Delah was a topic that offered slightly more traction in ways they might understand and soften her approach to the barrierfolk. The humans themselves were both solution and problem, and Jigano sighed as he nodded agreement. "Even innocent curiosity is currently an affront to Delah's viewpoint, I think," he pointed out with a faint grimace, considering the warchief hadn't so much as given them an upfront 'Stay out of the Woods' warning before she'd started kidnapping people. "But we have no way of ensuring that only those with good intentions come to the Woods, much less enforcing any kind of limitation on who can go where. And so we circle back around and around again." He shook his head ruefully, tapping his fingers against his basket in restless frustration. "Either way, we should probably collect our friends and head back to the Settlement. It sounds like, whatever we decide, that will be where we go through with it."
But he had believed in the rightness of Rory and Amalia's convictions, shared them as his own, and could not leave his loved ones to face the tide of Roana's troubles alone. Now the price for that was knowing that, no matter how good an idea he might have, there would be those like Phoebe who would refuse to listen simply because it came from him.
The gods were enigmas to them, but Delah was a topic that offered slightly more traction in ways they might understand and soften her approach to the barrierfolk. The humans themselves were both solution and problem, and Jigano sighed as he nodded agreement. "Even innocent curiosity is currently an affront to Delah's viewpoint, I think," he pointed out with a faint grimace, considering the warchief hadn't so much as given them an upfront 'Stay out of the Woods' warning before she'd started kidnapping people. "But we have no way of ensuring that only those with good intentions come to the Woods, much less enforcing any kind of limitation on who can go where. And so we circle back around and around again." He shook his head ruefully, tapping his fingers against his basket in restless frustration. "Either way, we should probably collect our friends and head back to the Settlement. It sounds like, whatever we decide, that will be where we go through with it."
