"You blend in particularly well during Leafchange," Jigano grinned down at the fox, part of him looking forward to the white snows of Deepfrost when he, too, would be naturally camouflaged. He might not survive until the snows melted in Flowerbirth again, but there was no point dwelling on that at the moment. With everyone trying to find a cure, there was hope that at least one of them would get lucky - or smart - enough to manage it in time.
Especially for Ronin, who had come down with it before anyone else that Jigano knew of, and so likely had the least time left of all of them.
The labyrinth rustled around them with the light autumnal breezes and the scurrying of helpful squirrels who coaxed them onward. Deeper into the maze they walked, if not necessarily towards its center, but the bard seemed unworried. As they had already discussed, if they didn't find evidence of the herbs in a reasonable time they could try taking to their wings and locate the center that way.
He had been curious to find out what Ianto knew of Long Night, and a spark of irrational frustration at the way his questions were ignored had him gritting his teeth, fighting against the urge to snap back a sharp retort. He was silent for a minute while he wrestled with his temper, but when he spoke again it was with deceptive calm. He enjoyed sharing what he had learned - most of it, at least - and he nodded down at his erstwhile companion with a wry tilt of his head. "The Speaking Squirrels are the most common residents, of course. Rarer are the boggarts. They're the sort of trouble we probably want to avoid if we can. Remi and I ran into one on my first trip after the herbs..." He trailed off with a faint grimace at that desperate battle, and the even more awkward aftermath of it. "They're shapeshifters, only they're not limited to animal forms. They have some way of reading memories and can pull the faces and forms of your nightmares to try and get you to run away... into the claws of their hunting-partner." Now that Ianto had reminded him of that day, the rude man he'd met in the Greatwood had resembled the face the boggart had worn when it had attacked Remi. Coincidence?
"We killed that one between the two of us, but I've been a bit under the weather lately. I wouldn't trust myself to a fight, if we can avoid it," he admitted with a wry hint of a grin, suspecting Ianto would be just as glad to avoid it, too.
Especially for Ronin, who had come down with it before anyone else that Jigano knew of, and so likely had the least time left of all of them.
The labyrinth rustled around them with the light autumnal breezes and the scurrying of helpful squirrels who coaxed them onward. Deeper into the maze they walked, if not necessarily towards its center, but the bard seemed unworried. As they had already discussed, if they didn't find evidence of the herbs in a reasonable time they could try taking to their wings and locate the center that way.
He had been curious to find out what Ianto knew of Long Night, and a spark of irrational frustration at the way his questions were ignored had him gritting his teeth, fighting against the urge to snap back a sharp retort. He was silent for a minute while he wrestled with his temper, but when he spoke again it was with deceptive calm. He enjoyed sharing what he had learned - most of it, at least - and he nodded down at his erstwhile companion with a wry tilt of his head. "The Speaking Squirrels are the most common residents, of course. Rarer are the boggarts. They're the sort of trouble we probably want to avoid if we can. Remi and I ran into one on my first trip after the herbs..." He trailed off with a faint grimace at that desperate battle, and the even more awkward aftermath of it. "They're shapeshifters, only they're not limited to animal forms. They have some way of reading memories and can pull the faces and forms of your nightmares to try and get you to run away... into the claws of their hunting-partner." Now that Ianto had reminded him of that day, the rude man he'd met in the Greatwood had resembled the face the boggart had worn when it had attacked Remi. Coincidence?
"We killed that one between the two of us, but I've been a bit under the weather lately. I wouldn't trust myself to a fight, if we can avoid it," he admitted with a wry hint of a grin, suspecting Ianto would be just as glad to avoid it, too.
