"Oh? There's some symmetry there, I think. All my shifts so far have been white. Are all of yours red?" the bard asked, amused and enjoying the momentary lightness of the conversation. "That should come in handy, though. The herb is usually found more towards the center of the maze, so I suppose if we wanted to cheat we could just fly there now... but the squirrels don't tend to bother you on the way in, and I felt like walking a bit. Enjoying the Leafchange weather before Deepfrost arrives," he admitted, a bit guiltily. With the weight of his illness pressing down on him it felt almost wrong to be enjoying anything. But if his life was counted in months and seasons instead of years, what harm in enjoying a day? It wasn't as though he was wasting it, after all.
Talk of Long Night could quickly get dark, and Jigano nodded soberly at Ianto's unintended understatement. "It's lethal," he said quietly. "Very, very few survive being caught outside. I'd suggest sheltering with the Fae... though I'm not sure how prepared they will be. I asked Jiao to warn Delah, but perhaps I should have done so myself..." He bit his lip, a recent habit, then glanced down at the little fox at his side, ignoring the coaxing calls of the squirrels as they talked. "How much have you been told about it? And how to prepare for it? For the sake of the Greatwood I hope the monsters remain in the barrierlands... but there's no guarantee that they will. If you could convey to Arduinna and Delah that I - and likely others - would be willing to help them prepare against the worst case scenario, I would appreciate it greatly."
Ianto's words were light, but the phrasing didn't fool the bard. He was familiar enough with plays on words to wince and look away, the familiar prickle of guilt dancing beneath his skin. "I'm sorry," he offered, knowing it was inadequate.
Talk of Long Night could quickly get dark, and Jigano nodded soberly at Ianto's unintended understatement. "It's lethal," he said quietly. "Very, very few survive being caught outside. I'd suggest sheltering with the Fae... though I'm not sure how prepared they will be. I asked Jiao to warn Delah, but perhaps I should have done so myself..." He bit his lip, a recent habit, then glanced down at the little fox at his side, ignoring the coaxing calls of the squirrels as they talked. "How much have you been told about it? And how to prepare for it? For the sake of the Greatwood I hope the monsters remain in the barrierlands... but there's no guarantee that they will. If you could convey to Arduinna and Delah that I - and likely others - would be willing to help them prepare against the worst case scenario, I would appreciate it greatly."
Ianto's words were light, but the phrasing didn't fool the bard. He was familiar enough with plays on words to wince and look away, the familiar prickle of guilt dancing beneath his skin. "I'm sorry," he offered, knowing it was inadequate.
