Hidden in Plain Sight

Remi and Ronin were indeed a devoted match, and he was happy for both of them. The merriment and joy they had witnessed during the ceremony was proof enough of that. But there was more than Remi in Samuel's life, and Jigano hesitated over how to say what was in his heart. The words were so much easier when he was telling the stories of other people's lives than when he tried to describe his own emotions.

In the end he said nothing, but he reached out to gently squeeze his friend's shoulder, a sign of physical support as much as it was emotional, and an echo of the bonds of friendship between them.

He did not know whether the bookmaker was agreeing with him because he had been swayed, or because he didn't want to argue further. Jigano listened - really tried to listen this time - to how his friend described his relationship with the Voice, but the emphasis Sam put on the words had the lorekeeper shaking his head again, even if this time his smile held a touch of fierce pride to it. "She changed your body, but you made yourself who are you. Your invisibility, your physical strength, these are things you do, not who you are. She was not the one who tucked the feather into my mane, not knowing if you would survive the cauldron. She was not the one who decided to join a dangerous mission into the Fae woods to retrieve lost friends, knowing the danger and accepting it anyways. She was not even the one who solved my riddles. And you had these things before you met her, Sam, and you have been the one to grow and change, not her."

He paused to consider the rest of what his friend had said, then smiled wanly. "I hope you are right, my friend." Even if the bard didn't think he was. Still, he would hope.

And try to find a way to break the Voice's hold on his first friend on Caido. Just in case his hope was in vain.

At least Jigano's tone was more what he was used to now, almost that of a mentor or teacher - even though they were the same age, Sam often felt that Jigano was much older and wiser than he; in terms of experience he probably was. A life spent in a bookstall avoiding people's eyes did not teach as much as a life adventuring across the lands. "...I didn't really solve your riddles that well..." He mumbled, but said little else in reply. He wasn't sure what to think. On one hand, he understand what it was Jigano was trying to get across, but...it was hard to feel that he had any kind of inherent worth, even with his new confidence. It was easier to assign his worth to things like his Ascension, his shop. Not just...himself. Because what would happen when people tried to look at just himself, and found him wanting? With a shy smile, he nodded. "...I know I am. It will work out. I...I really do believe that." Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

"You solved them well enough," Jigano retorted, but gently and with a smile for his friend. He knew that Sam lacked confidence in himself, and he tried to bolster it when he could. Sometimes that meant compliments, and other times - like this one - it was simply reminders of the bookmaker's own actions and decisions that were particularly courageous, or clever, or otherwise noteworthy. He knew there were more that he hadn't witnessed, but he had seen several with his own eyes and did not intend to let Sam forget those finer moments.

But he knew that he could not defend his friend one moment and then tear him down the next. Even if the bard disagreed with the bookmaker about the rightness of his opinions of the Voice, he could not press it further without risking undoing the seeds of what good he hoped he had managed to plant by reminding Sam that he was so much more than just a child of the young goddess. "Alright," he said quietly, hiding the sadness of his smile as he waved across the lantern-lit field at a passing friend. "I know that you are stronger than you think, and it is good to see you so confident about something. If you'll excuse me, I would like to study the cakes and treats on the refreshment table. Perhaps there is something new I can learn there." He offered Sam a conspiratorial wink, tucking his worries away beneath his smiling facade as he set the problem of the Voice to percolate in the back of his thoughts while he tried to get back to enjoying the fleeting happiness of the party while it lasted.