"They must make things terribly inconvenient," he murmured with a faint, thoughtful frown, considering how they had kept the barrierfolk limited in where they could go... funneling them straight into contact - and immediate conflict - with the Fae.
His expression lightened somewhat at Jiao's questions, and his lips quirked back into a wry smile as he gave Isuma a finger to gently nibble with her beak, her talons clasped carefully around his wrist. "They certainly seem that way now, at least. But inside the barrier... I think they were frustrated, even bored," he admitted. "They couldn't fulfill their duty to bring the souls of the dead to Mort while the barrier remained up. So their idea of play could be dangerous for mortals caught on the other end of it." He smiled ruefully, glancing up at Jiao again, though his humor faded somewhat at her question about monsters.
"Monsters that we didn't see, but we heard and felt," he tried to describe, finding that he lacked the words that he wanted. "Within the barrier, those caught outside during Long Night are usually killed before they can reach safety again. You can hear them, outside the walls, scratching and cackling and trying to get in." He shivered, and Isuma stopped her play to look up at him with wide golden eyes, worried for her companion and the darker memories that were rising. They could do more than that, of course, but he wasn't sure Jiao would believe him even if he tried to explain it, so he took a deep breath, and resumed his wry smile at her other questions.
"Ah, well, keeping the body and mind busy helps one to sleep at night, they say. I've certainly found it to be true. I like to stay moving and keep sight of my goals." He hesitated only briefly, then shook his head, his smile turning a little sad as he scratched Isuma's fluffy chest. "Home... my home is here, now. Or at least, my heart is, and that's the only home I could ask for. My family died several years ago, and many of my friends. Those of us who survived went our separate ways quite some time ago so... no, there is little for me to return to, even if it were possible."
He tilted his head at the pretty Fae, smile warming as he found a more neutral topic, he hoped. "Have you always wanted to be a seamstress?"
His expression lightened somewhat at Jiao's questions, and his lips quirked back into a wry smile as he gave Isuma a finger to gently nibble with her beak, her talons clasped carefully around his wrist. "They certainly seem that way now, at least. But inside the barrier... I think they were frustrated, even bored," he admitted. "They couldn't fulfill their duty to bring the souls of the dead to Mort while the barrier remained up. So their idea of play could be dangerous for mortals caught on the other end of it." He smiled ruefully, glancing up at Jiao again, though his humor faded somewhat at her question about monsters.
"Monsters that we didn't see, but we heard and felt," he tried to describe, finding that he lacked the words that he wanted. "Within the barrier, those caught outside during Long Night are usually killed before they can reach safety again. You can hear them, outside the walls, scratching and cackling and trying to get in." He shivered, and Isuma stopped her play to look up at him with wide golden eyes, worried for her companion and the darker memories that were rising. They could do more than that, of course, but he wasn't sure Jiao would believe him even if he tried to explain it, so he took a deep breath, and resumed his wry smile at her other questions.
"Ah, well, keeping the body and mind busy helps one to sleep at night, they say. I've certainly found it to be true. I like to stay moving and keep sight of my goals." He hesitated only briefly, then shook his head, his smile turning a little sad as he scratched Isuma's fluffy chest. "Home... my home is here, now. Or at least, my heart is, and that's the only home I could ask for. My family died several years ago, and many of my friends. Those of us who survived went our separate ways quite some time ago so... no, there is little for me to return to, even if it were possible."
He tilted his head at the pretty Fae, smile warming as he found a more neutral topic, he hoped. "Have you always wanted to be a seamstress?"
