"Yes," the bard sighed, but tried to keep his opinion of Remi's short-sighted courage - or was it just self-sacrifice? - to himself. Perhaps he was not the martyr Jigano had once called him, but impulsive? That might take longer to grow past, a lifetime, even.
Curious though he was to know what had happened to the alchemist this time, this night was meant to be one of joy, not sorrow. As Amalia swept Remi into a dance (and he encased them in a flowery globe, showing off enough that Jigano decided he perhaps wasn't so hurt after all), the bard started to slow he and Melita towards the edge of the dancefloor once more--
Only to be bumped by an unexpectedly gleeful Deimos and Jyoti, twirling with wild abandon. "Hey!" he laughed after them, "Watch where you're dancing!" But they had already moved on to assault other dancers and Jigano shook his head, grinning back at Melita as they found Fangorn and he offered his gift.
It was a lovely thing, true, but still only the work of a junior craftsman. He felt a bit awkward as she took it with reverent fingers and looked down with an abundance of emotion in her eyes, too quick for him to understand what had caused it, only to know that his gift had struck a chord, and a powerful one at that. "You are very much worthy, and it suits you," he said gently, instead of protesting his craftsmanship. He had worked hard on it, and he was more pleased than he could say that she liked it so well. Perhaps Caiside's work would have been better, but the smith had helped him and guided his hand on certain parts, making it indeed a worthwhile gift he could be proud of.
His eyes lit up as she offered treasures in turn, shining stones and curious shells and a bit of lichen a fascinating color. Each was an ornament, the seed of a song or a story, and he bowed deeply, touched and delighted at the gifts. "Melita, they are enchanting!" he declared. "A sphinx's eye," he winked, plucking an amber-gold stone from her basket. "A drop of heart's blood from a phoenix," he declared of another as he swept it up as well, each item disappearing from his fingers with a flicker of sleight-of-hand that deposited them deftly into the pockets hidden inside his flowing sleeves. "A shell from a mermaid's bracelet, and a water sprite's hat!" Two of the shells vanished next and he bowed deeply to the girl as he collected the rest of what she offered as gifts. "Thank you, my friend!"
As he rose from his bow a flicker of darkness caught his eye, dark hair against dark branches, and for a moment he began to wave, thinking that Jiao had come to the party as well...
But, no, it was a stranger there in the shadows, dark-haired and watching the festivities silently from beyond the edges of the light. Jigano tilted his head curiously atVirion, noting his presence and then offering Melita another smile. "I think perhaps he's more shy than we are," he murmured, nodding to the stranger in the dark. "I think I'll invite him to dance, if you don't mind switching partners for a bit?"
Curious though he was to know what had happened to the alchemist this time, this night was meant to be one of joy, not sorrow. As Amalia swept Remi into a dance (and he encased them in a flowery globe, showing off enough that Jigano decided he perhaps wasn't so hurt after all), the bard started to slow he and Melita towards the edge of the dancefloor once more--
Only to be bumped by an unexpectedly gleeful Deimos and Jyoti, twirling with wild abandon. "Hey!" he laughed after them, "Watch where you're dancing!" But they had already moved on to assault other dancers and Jigano shook his head, grinning back at Melita as they found Fangorn and he offered his gift.
It was a lovely thing, true, but still only the work of a junior craftsman. He felt a bit awkward as she took it with reverent fingers and looked down with an abundance of emotion in her eyes, too quick for him to understand what had caused it, only to know that his gift had struck a chord, and a powerful one at that. "You are very much worthy, and it suits you," he said gently, instead of protesting his craftsmanship. He had worked hard on it, and he was more pleased than he could say that she liked it so well. Perhaps Caiside's work would have been better, but the smith had helped him and guided his hand on certain parts, making it indeed a worthwhile gift he could be proud of.
His eyes lit up as she offered treasures in turn, shining stones and curious shells and a bit of lichen a fascinating color. Each was an ornament, the seed of a song or a story, and he bowed deeply, touched and delighted at the gifts. "Melita, they are enchanting!" he declared. "A sphinx's eye," he winked, plucking an amber-gold stone from her basket. "A drop of heart's blood from a phoenix," he declared of another as he swept it up as well, each item disappearing from his fingers with a flicker of sleight-of-hand that deposited them deftly into the pockets hidden inside his flowing sleeves. "A shell from a mermaid's bracelet, and a water sprite's hat!" Two of the shells vanished next and he bowed deeply to the girl as he collected the rest of what she offered as gifts. "Thank you, my friend!"
As he rose from his bow a flicker of darkness caught his eye, dark hair against dark branches, and for a moment he began to wave, thinking that Jiao had come to the party as well...
But, no, it was a stranger there in the shadows, dark-haired and watching the festivities silently from beyond the edges of the light. Jigano tilted his head curiously at
