Amber Waves
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#1
It was a bright and beautiful Leafchange afternoon, the air still holding a comforting warmth as the sun shone down unclouded. The air was still, a lazy late-Longheat glow spread across the land as crickets and flinthoppers sang a few last songs and a hawk soared high overhead, seeking a meal amidst the long grasses and crops ready for reaping. Change was in the air, and Deepfrost with its deadly Long Night was right around the corner, but for the moment the world held a peaceful breath, clinging to the memory of summer.

Whether that breath would be released in a sigh or a scream was yet to be decided.

Zariah’s absence had made him bolder, but Jigano still took care when he walked the Hollowed Grounds on two legs. His disguise remained in place; his skin and hair darkened with walnut husk dye, age lines painstakingly worked into his skin with the artifice he had learned as a bard, his clothing rough and drab compared to his usual flowing, finely-woven and lightly-colored garments. A broad-brimmed, battered grey hat sat atop his head, and an eyepatch covered his right eye as he slouched along with the aid of a walking stick across the fields. Nearby, a small gryphlet with fur and feathers of grey and rust, gamboled in the Leafchange grasses chasing late-season bugs and hunting mice amid the grain.

Emmett’s loss had been… difficult. Jigano sighed as he walked, his steps slow as he made his way towards the fields where he and the farmer had met before. The pilgrimage was a personal one, and in his other hand he carried a paper lantern with sheaves of wheat and a sickle painted upon it. The farm would probably have to be abandoned, but it seemed such a waste of all the work the brave young man had put into it after such a hard year, and especially so near to harvest time. Still, the bard knew nothing of farming or harvesting except what Rory was teaching him, and he wracked his brain for ways to help as he trudged along, both reluctance to reach his destination and the distraction of his thoughts slowing his steps.

Granger
Granger Luch
Nurse Aide

Age: 23 | Height: 5'4 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#2
       Granger had been minding his business on his way back to the  abandoned shack he called home, taking comfort in his animal form despite the long distances he had to travel with such small paws. His coloring blended well during this time of Leafchange despite the lingering heat that clung to the memory of Longheat just as the leaves turning from green to varying shades of yellow and red hung to their former homes. The seasons tended to blend together when one isn’t much larger than a thimble. Aside from dying plants to signify the passing from one to the other, the emergence of new, seasonal fauna, Granger was content in his own little patch of the world that consisted of the few inches he could see around him.

       At least, that’s how it seemed for most of the day, another trek back to his home in the broken buildings, until a large paw slammed in front of his twitching snout. Now, perhaps, as an attuned living primarily in his animal shift, Granger would be more aware of his surroundings. Perhaps, if he was more aware of his surroundings, he wouldn’t let out the ungodly squeak that accompanied the initial terror of seeing something so large land in front of him and make a swipe in his general direction. His heart was too small to handle such a scare.

       Of course hunters above him in the food chain posed a threat on the day to day, but as he peered his furry head back, ears twitching with the sound of wings and a tail whipping across the grains he ran through, Granger wasn’t sure what to make of the creature above him. But it was much bigger than him, had a beak like owls he often fended off, and paws like the feral cats he ran into, and that’s really all the information he needed to know. With some reluctance but more concern for his well being at the moment, the small mouse form he’s so accustomed to begins to stretch upwards, slowly taking the form of a small boy. With unruly hair and clothes a size too small, fraying at the edges, the large mouse ears are the last to meld into ears that are still too large for the young man's head.

       ”Hey! Stop that, I’m not food, go pick on someone your own size you dumb creature!” Granger spat out, falling backwards from the gryphlet that once towered over him. Unused to his human form, he lands flat on his backside with a grunt and pointed glare at the small animal.

Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#3
One mouse was as good as another to the young gryphon. She was still only the size of a house cat, and young enough that not every hunt was successful, but practice made perfect as the saying went, and she practiced diligently as a growing predator to learn how to feed herself and her family. Jigano had taught her to hunt, and she didn't want to let him down!

This was, however, the first time that a mouse had done something other than run or die obligingly between her owlish foretalons or beak, and Isuma found herself scrambling back, wings spread wide for balance, as the mouse became a boy who was much larger than her, practically beneath her! Wide golden eyes took in the transformation, startled and a little frightened but also intensely curious, and her strong emotions called Jigano's attention to the pair.

A dark brow arched at the boy's hostile tone towards the confused young creature, and he cleared his throat as he ambled over, bending down so Isuma could scamper up his arm and hide her fluffy little head against his neck, seeking comfort. "What do you mean you're not food?" he asked curiously, reaching up to stroke the gryphon and gently teasing forth the images of her memories until he'd pieced together what had happened. "Mouse or man, there are no shortage of creatures that would make a meal of either form." He narrowed his eyes at the boy, but reminded himself to be patient with the youngster in spite of the rudeness he had shown.

"Did you ever consider that the vampire gourds probably say the same thing about you when you're nibbling the seeds of their children?" he asked dryly.
Granger Luch
Nurse Aide

Age: 23 | Height: 5'4 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#4
       He’d never seen a creature quite like the one that scampered up the old man's arm, hiding against his neck before Granger can get a solid look at the beaked face that had been once staring him down. It wasn’t unlike anything that the young man had ever seen, now that he could take all of it in outside of the perspective of a mouse. With the body of a cat, despite unusual coloring, the wings were what really threw him off. He’d never seen such a combination during his years of running around the Hollowed Grounds. Granted, his attention was hardly pulled from the ground he traversed.

       His attention is pulled from the unusual creature, albeit briefly, when the older man starts to speak. Granger scoffs at the insinuation that follows the question, though it’s not meant for him, as the toe of his shoe scuffs the ground. Obviously, the two share a connection, it won’t take the man long for him to piece what had happened between the two together. As it was, his attention was completely enamored by the small catbird.

       
“What do I care about what a plant feels? It’s not attuned, much less a person.”
Lanky arms cross his chest as he spits his words at the ground. ”What’s it to you anyway, old man? Think you’re so cool for having a catbird to terrorize the mice, huh?”

       People like him made Granger's stomach twist into knots. It was apparent the old man knew his way around the forest that Granger had taken years to become merely acquainted with, and he still had the audacity to talk down to him. Like he was so much better just because his clothes weren't worn ragged.

Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#5
Isuma was more than happy to be comforted, the lashing of her tail and the puff of fur and feathers that had risen along her body slowly relaxing at Jigano's soothing touch. He turned his head to rub his cheek against a rounded ear, a hint of soft smile fading away at the boy's sullen attitude and scowling demeanor. "I take it you haven't met Fangorn, then," he murmured dryly. "But do you think humans are the only ones who feel anger and loss when their offspring are killed?"

Did he think he was cool? The weather was still warm for Leafchange, so he simply shook his head in bemusement, unsure what the angry youngster was insinuating. "She's a gryphon, lad. And since I taught her to hunt, I'm quite proud at how well she does at it." His own clothing was rough and drab, looking well-worn and older than the boy himself was, though it had been cared for.

He wasn't sure what to think of the youth, though he vaguely remembered that teenagers were a rebellious lot. From the shabbiness of his clothing, Jigano suspected the boy might not have parents. Perhaps he was ignorant of the dangers of a mouse among the grass, not so hidden from the eyes of sky-borne hunters as he was from those on the ground? "How long have you been Attuned, then, to not know to look for hawks above these fields?" He tried to ask it kindly, but the words were a little stilted as Jigano found himself awkwardly uncertain whether to treat the mouse-turned-human as man or boy. He didn't have much experience with younger humans, and he was painfully aware of that at the moment.
Granger Luch
Nurse Aide

Age: 23 | Height: 5'4 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#6
Granger shrugged the question off without as much as a second thought. A plant was a plant, what did he care how a plant felt? They were only there to serve the purpose that man gave them. Was he supposed to believe that the flora man grew in within the confines of their farms were supposed to cry when their roots were pulled from the dirt? Surely the man in front of him, ragged as himself, had a few more screws loose than the average Natural or Outlander after what he'd heard about the Spire debacle.

Bright eyes not yet dulled by the endless dirt and grime he had grown accustomed to, narrowed at the stranger in front of him. Even those who hunted had to be aware of the Attuned of the world. Not everyone was blessed by the Old Gods to be something cooler than a field mouse. The moments it takes for him to answer isn't done out of rudeness, the silence dragging, as his past behavior would have one believe. During his pause he holds out his hands, counting backward starting from five, putting one finger down every so often, before having to restart after losing count.

"Five years ago, mister. I think. 'm not so good with numbers." Granger shrugged, avoiding eye contact as he kicked the ground again. "I usually keep to the shade of the forest and run through the tunnels other animals have made. Safer that way, I guess."  

Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#7
The boy's dismissive shrug was exasperating, but hardly surprising now that the bard was getting a feel for the teenager's mood. Jigano wondered what was going through his head, ever-curious, but it didn't seem like the right time to ask. And besides, he was still feeling a little prickly over how Isuma had been startled and yelled at when she couldn't have known that her mousey prey was actually a person! Attuned forms had their risks as well as their benefits, and those who chose to linger in forms that were seen as prey to humans and other animals would always run the risk of being struck with arrow or fang before they had the chance to explain. As difficult as food was to obtain in the barrierlands, it wasn't as though hunters had the luxury to ask each animal they were about to shoot whether or not they were sometimes human or not.

At least Jigano could be patient, and with the young mouse's silence he took the opportunity to further calm himself and Isuma rather then trying to rush the youth along. He looked over from where he had been smoothing the gryphlet's feathers to watch Granger counting on his fingers. The answer, when it came, was surprising, for the boy was already quite young. To hear that he had made the choice when still a child was a little unsettling... though, perhaps, understandable if he had lost his parents and sought a wildshape to help him survive on his own. It was hard to stay annoyed at the boy in the face of that thought, and Jigano sighed as he let his prickliness drain away.

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea," he agreed. Certainly it would have kept Isuma or other airborne predators from spotting him. "What had you in such a hurry today that you took the shortcut?" It must have been something important to take such a risk, when the boy had clearly been smart and fast and cautious enough to survive five previous years with such a shape.
Granger Luch
Nurse Aide

Age: 23 | Height: 5'4 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#8
Granger shrugged with avoidance of eye contact. The man seemed kind enough despite Granger's misbehaving. Though to be fair, nothing could convince him that the griffin of all things was in the right when it came to a first meeting. Not all Attuned shifts were given something strong, and powerful. The gods chose to give them what they needed to survive.

He wished whoever had taken pity on him the day his parents died hadn't.

But the man was kind and if Granger was going to be eaten by a griffin at any given moment then someone should know. At least then their memories wouldn't fade like his was bound to.

"Well, it's my parents... The day they died. I was going to see their graves." He cleared his throat before the watering in his eyes could continue. The roughness of his dry throat distracting him long enough in the moment to fend off the memories and tears along with them. "If I don't visit them nobody will."

Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#9
Ah. Jigano drew in a slow breath, his heart twinging - both for the boy and for himself. His parents were buried on a distant world he would never see again, their bones and ashes mixed in a mass grave with the other victims of the myrmidon's 'lesson.' He would never visit it again, though they had friends in the community, surely, who would say a prayer for them now and then...

The bard cleared his throat as well, nodding gruffly to the boy. "I could walk you there, if you'd like," he offered quietly. "Make sure no one else tries to pounce on you. But I'd understand, too, if you'd rather go alone." Some things were a private matter. A family matter. Nosy as he could be, he wouldn't intrude on such a personal grief, even if that grief had the edges worn off by time and the need to survive.

"I'm Jigano, lad," he said on impulse, though revealing his disguise to anyone was a risk. Still, the boy didn't look like the type to go telling tales to Zariah. A mouse knew to stay far away from the talons of an opportunistic vulture like the Queen. Not all scavengers were polite enough to wait until their prey was dead to begin their meal, and some were more than happy to help nature along. And a little honesty might go a long way someday, with a clever little mouse who had survived so long on his own.

Or maybe the white fox was just getting sentimental in his old age.
Granger Luch
Nurse Aide

Age: 23 | Height: 5'4 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#10
Granger was a bit taken aback by the offer after his previous rudeness to the man in front of him. Jigano. He found himself mouthing the name as he wrinkled his nose, rolling the foreign word off of his tongue. It was obvious the man wasn't from Caido, as many that roamed through the Hallowed Ground were true naturals anymore it seemed. Did it matter where he came from? He was here now, Granger decided. That was enough.

His body shrinks rapidly as fur spreads across his cheeks with whiskers first too small for his face before the snout of a mouse is sniffing at the air. Tiny paws propel him forward up to Jigano, pawing at his pant leg to establish a grip before he's pulling himself up to Jigano's shoulder.

"'m Granger." Though his small mouth doesn't move his voice projects to Jigano. He's never met someone that hasn't understood him yet in his field mouse form, a small squeak signifying his presence as he curled up. "You can come with if you insist. They might like a visitor. 's been five years since they went away."

Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#11
He watched the shift from boy to mouse with a little bemusement, ever-curious about how different Attuned went about their shifts. Remi tended to go swift and fierce, arms changing to wings first but flowing elegantly from beast to man with years of practice. Amalia often changed her ears first, a tail curling from her spine and fur ruffling across her shoulders before her face changed towards the end, creating a momentary amalgam of beast and girl. Granger shifted his face first, and Jigano wondered what that said about each of them.

Not to mention himself.

He stood still to let the mouseling make its ascent to the safety of his shoulder, and sent Isuma to glide slow circles around them overhead so Granger wouldn't feel so crowded by the little gryphon. She wasn't so little compared to him now, Jigano thought ruefully, and Isuma sent her own amusement down the bond between them - amusement he was sure the boy wouldn't appreciate, especially with the solemnity of his trip.

The mouseling had more pride than a lion, and Jigano had to hide the quirk of his lips towards a smile as Granger graciously allowed him to 'insist' on joining him. I lost my parents six years ago, too he said through the Attuned link, his mental voice solemn and a little sad. What were yours like? He started walking, certain that Granger would correct his course swiftly enough if he picked the wrong direction.
Granger Luch
Nurse Aide

Age: 23 | Height: 5'4 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#12
If Granger's fur could bristle he's sure it'd be standing on end at the departure of Isuma above them. At least sharing Jigano's shoulders he could keep an eye on the dangerous beak the gryphon had wielded too close to his whiskers for comfort. The sudden movement so close to his vulnerable form sent his heart pumping twice as fast, small claws digging into the fabric of Jigano's shirt to hold on for dear life.

As it was, his hammering heart calms at the man's admission. He knew the world was harsh, why wouldn't the other worlds be the same? Nobody deserved that. Assuming his parents didn't die from natural causes because... Jigano looked ancient.

What were they like though? Granger paused the minute shuffling of his paws as he thought about it. He'd been young when they died but it didn't mean he couldn't remember some of the better times in his life with them despite the overshadowing dread when he thought of their deaths.

Head more towards the suns path. He didn't answer right away, finally coming to rest his head on his paws with his tail curled around his body. Small twitches of the muscle kept him balanced with each step. My pa was good with his hands. He worked the ground even when it was stubborn and made sure we 'ad food to eat most nights. Ma mended clothes when she came to the village but she was quiet. I think she was sad we didn't have real beds like some of the townspeople.
He hummed more to himself before continuing. Ma always told me stories of the gods. She made them sound wise 'nd kind. But then why would they let them die and leave me alone? The young boy used his paws to ruffle the fur around his snout, increasingly anxious as he began to pace along Jigano's shoulders.

Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#13
Whether it was better or worse for the mouse-Attuned, Jigano's wide-brimmed hat hid Isuma from view - but also hid Granger from her golden owl eyes. He had meant well by asking her to fly, and if he had known of the boy's uneasiness with her higher position he would have asked her to frolic on four feet instead of two wings, but as their conversation resumed he began to walk west, listening solemnly to the description the young man made of a family that was poor but hard-working, diligent in surviving the terrible conditions of the land within the barrier.

They sound like good people, he agreed, voice quiet and a little thoughtful. The question about the gods sent a pulse of empathy through the Attuned link. It was one that had been asked by countless people about many gods across many worlds, and answers were not always easy to hear, or even right. And the gods... well, they can be wise, and they are often kind. But even their power has limits and they can't be everywhere at once. He paused, considering his next words and knowing they were a poor analogy - even more to a boy. Did your family have any chickens, by chance? It might seem like a strange shift but he hummed reassuringly as he strode easily over the fields, his long legs covering the ground quickly. There is a comparison I could make... it isn't the best one, but it might help to put things in perspective, he tried to explain.
Granger Luch
Nurse Aide

Age: 23 | Height: 5'4 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#14
Granger's mousey body can't produce the snort he sends through the Attuned link at Jigano's odd question. Most families had means of acquiring eggs and the meat from hens not well for egg-laying, even if they didn't own any of the small birds themselves. Granger's family was part of the latter part of the natural population, though their neighbors were kind enough to share resources in exchange for the skills his mother possessed and seasonal crops his father would nurture in the dead soil.

Not personally, but I was around them often 'nough, I s'pose. He finally answered after a few beats of silence as he watched the ground passing beneath them. Jigano's steps took him further with just one stride than he could cover with a multitude of his small steps. It was a given due to their size difference but something the small mouse had never witnessed. He hadn't been blessed with his Attuned state until after his parents passing and had since receded from society to the point where interacting with humans as he was now was unthinkable just weeks prior.

What's that got to do with anything?



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