Jigano wanted to wince at the faint flutter of weakness in Sam's answer, that ghost of uncertainty saying something very different from the words he spoke. He kept the expression from all but his eyes, however, listening with outward calm belying the inward anxiety that sparked and fizzled along nerves already stretched raw. Hearing Sam play down his relationship with Remi, complex and complicated as it was, finally broke the mask he wore, and he let his concern show through clearly. "People don't need to be family to care for you, even to love you," he said gently. "There are more kinds of love than the romantic kind, and you have gained that from more than just Remi."
He was pushing Sam too hard, too fast, he realized as Sam wrapped his arms around himself, and the lorekeeper swore at himself for falling back into his bad habits. At least the answer was one of thoughtful respect, not the blind devotion to the Voice that the bookmaker had been showing so far, and Jigano gave his friend a small smile, and a nod of gratitude. "Thank you, Sam. I appreciate that. But... it's not my guild anymore," he reminded the Chronicler gently, smile turning a touch sad before he chased the expression away at Sam's justifications. Taking a breath, he thought for a moment and then let it out slowly.
"You were doing important things before this sudden shift towards the one who took your memories of a man you loved," he reminded gently. "And you don't need to follow anyone, if you don't want to. But following her because you feel like you must, because you have no other choice... You may not be able to undo what was done to your body, but your heart is still your own." Hopefully, though it was sounding as though it had become clouded. His voice turned pleading, trying to get through to the man who shared much of his love of learning, who had stood by his side in difficult times and who was a friend as cherished as Amalia and Rory, if in a different way. "Just... please, Sam, think about these things she asks of you, and how you would feel if someone did them to you - if a stranger came into your home and snuck around, poking through your things without your permission or knowledge. And remember that even if she gives you a task - or an order - it is still you who can decide whether or not to follow it." And Sam who would bear the consequences if things went poorly, for surely the goddess wouldn't find herself constrained by mortal laws and lawkeepers.
He was pushing Sam too hard, too fast, he realized as Sam wrapped his arms around himself, and the lorekeeper swore at himself for falling back into his bad habits. At least the answer was one of thoughtful respect, not the blind devotion to the Voice that the bookmaker had been showing so far, and Jigano gave his friend a small smile, and a nod of gratitude. "Thank you, Sam. I appreciate that. But... it's not my guild anymore," he reminded the Chronicler gently, smile turning a touch sad before he chased the expression away at Sam's justifications. Taking a breath, he thought for a moment and then let it out slowly.
"You were doing important things before this sudden shift towards the one who took your memories of a man you loved," he reminded gently. "And you don't need to follow anyone, if you don't want to. But following her because you feel like you must, because you have no other choice... You may not be able to undo what was done to your body, but your heart is still your own." Hopefully, though it was sounding as though it had become clouded. His voice turned pleading, trying to get through to the man who shared much of his love of learning, who had stood by his side in difficult times and who was a friend as cherished as Amalia and Rory, if in a different way. "Just... please, Sam, think about these things she asks of you, and how you would feel if someone did them to you - if a stranger came into your home and snuck around, poking through your things without your permission or knowledge. And remember that even if she gives you a task - or an order - it is still you who can decide whether or not to follow it." And Sam who would bear the consequences if things went poorly, for surely the goddess wouldn't find herself constrained by mortal laws and lawkeepers.
