It was a well-earned rebuke, although thankfully a gentle one, and Jigano managed to recover outwardly at least. Still, seeing his friend's beautiful face added a bittersweet note of yearning to the manifestation of the god, and he had to curls his trembling fingers into fists in his lap to keep himself from reaching out to take her hand as they had done before, on a Deepfrost night not so very long ago.
"I'll be fine," he said with a shake of his head and a small, grateful smile. He was still ignorant of the poison that coursed in his veins, thinking only that the masked god was admonishing him to take better care of himself. "A leafchange fever, is all. And the stress of... well, everything." Most of which he didn't think Ludo would have much care for; the machinations of mortals, power changing hands and friendships being strained and tested. Small things, in the greater scheme of life and death. It seemed that his worry for his Ascended friends would have little impact on Ludo - perhaps any of the old gods - and Jigano bowed his head as he realized that there would be no help for them here.
But that was only part of why he had come. He might not agree with the idea that caring for anyone, be they Attuned or Ascended, was wrong, but he had (hopefully) learned a lesson about arguing with the gods. The starry goddess' words came back to him, and he nodded slowly at Ludo's statements.
"Safrin... when I spoke to her, she said that I had not chosen," he said slowly. "At the time I thought... well, I misunderstood a great deal of that conversation. Afterwards I didn't know if she meant that I had not chosen her, or the Old Gods over the newcomer." He looked up to the face of his friend, his colleague, his partner in curiosity and laughter, and tried to see past the beautiful face to the mask behind it...
But oh, it was hard.
"I've made a lot of mistakes. I may not be worth much, as a soul, but... if you would have me, I would pledge myself to the old gods, and to Mort's service."
"I'll be fine," he said with a shake of his head and a small, grateful smile. He was still ignorant of the poison that coursed in his veins, thinking only that the masked god was admonishing him to take better care of himself. "A leafchange fever, is all. And the stress of... well, everything." Most of which he didn't think Ludo would have much care for; the machinations of mortals, power changing hands and friendships being strained and tested. Small things, in the greater scheme of life and death. It seemed that his worry for his Ascended friends would have little impact on Ludo - perhaps any of the old gods - and Jigano bowed his head as he realized that there would be no help for them here.
But that was only part of why he had come. He might not agree with the idea that caring for anyone, be they Attuned or Ascended, was wrong, but he had (hopefully) learned a lesson about arguing with the gods. The starry goddess' words came back to him, and he nodded slowly at Ludo's statements.
"Safrin... when I spoke to her, she said that I had not chosen," he said slowly. "At the time I thought... well, I misunderstood a great deal of that conversation. Afterwards I didn't know if she meant that I had not chosen her, or the Old Gods over the newcomer." He looked up to the face of his friend, his colleague, his partner in curiosity and laughter, and tried to see past the beautiful face to the mask behind it...
But oh, it was hard.
"I've made a lot of mistakes. I may not be worth much, as a soul, but... if you would have me, I would pledge myself to the old gods, and to Mort's service."
