She did not respond at first, and he did not push. This was a night of personal grief and private memories. Some people found comfort in speaking of the ones they had lost, but others preferred solitude for their mourning, and Jigano did not mean to intrude. He would have been content to stand with her a while longer in silence, but her hands shifted to channel the emotions that would not come as tears, and as she spoke he watched each lantern in turn, studying it and matching its appearance to her words, trying to imagine the family she had known.
He had not realized she had a twin. He could not imagine the grief of losing a sibling, much less one as close as twins were said to be. Her laugh was swift enough that it could have been easily missed, but he slanted a glance her way, seeking signs that she was okay.
She was most assuredly not okay, her flame diminished, her boundless energy faded and her fierce spirit subdued by what he prayed was simply an autumn fever. He wanted to reassure her that she sounded a great deal like her lost sister, but it was not a night for argument, and he stayed quiet as she contined to speak, the purple-hued lamp stealing their attention.
"Clementine and Najya," he repeated softly when she was done. He bowed his head in respect for them, not knowing if they had died in the destruction of Melita's world, or been lost to her when she had come through the portal to Caido. It did not seem polite to ask, either. She had shared as much as she wanted to, and it would be cruel to ask her to offer more than she was willing to.
"I hope that wherever they are, that they are happy." The words were sincere, though they risked being a platitude. "I think... that you do well by both of them," he added, turning to look solemnly at the wilting honeybee girl. "I have seen your kindness, in how you helped me catch flinthoppers and offered to hunt with me. You helped repair the Atheneum, and have helped others as well. And you have shown compassion in singing for the Undine, in caring for how the wolf died, and in giving Fangorn a chance when so many others would have simply smashed him out of hand." He smiled to her, a gentle expression before he looked back to the lanterns. "I hope that they would be proud of you, for all those you have helped and all that you have done, even in just the short time that I've known you."
He had not realized she had a twin. He could not imagine the grief of losing a sibling, much less one as close as twins were said to be. Her laugh was swift enough that it could have been easily missed, but he slanted a glance her way, seeking signs that she was okay.
She was most assuredly not okay, her flame diminished, her boundless energy faded and her fierce spirit subdued by what he prayed was simply an autumn fever. He wanted to reassure her that she sounded a great deal like her lost sister, but it was not a night for argument, and he stayed quiet as she contined to speak, the purple-hued lamp stealing their attention.
"Clementine and Najya," he repeated softly when she was done. He bowed his head in respect for them, not knowing if they had died in the destruction of Melita's world, or been lost to her when she had come through the portal to Caido. It did not seem polite to ask, either. She had shared as much as she wanted to, and it would be cruel to ask her to offer more than she was willing to.
"I hope that wherever they are, that they are happy." The words were sincere, though they risked being a platitude. "I think... that you do well by both of them," he added, turning to look solemnly at the wilting honeybee girl. "I have seen your kindness, in how you helped me catch flinthoppers and offered to hunt with me. You helped repair the Atheneum, and have helped others as well. And you have shown compassion in singing for the Undine, in caring for how the wolf died, and in giving Fangorn a chance when so many others would have simply smashed him out of hand." He smiled to her, a gentle expression before he looked back to the lanterns. "I hope that they would be proud of you, for all those you have helped and all that you have done, even in just the short time that I've known you."
