The raven would never have expected the offer of a ride, and Remi's phrasing sparked something that ached within him, fresh grief of how Edy would have cackled at the unintended innuendo. The painful truth of the matter was, though, that however proud a corvid a raven was, it was still far too small to keep up with a manticore so many times larger than it. I appreciate it, he admitted, not wanting to come right out and say that his wings were beginning to ache. Something proud and angry gnashed its teeth in his breast at being condescended to by the young pup--
But his lungs were already burning, and Remi wasn't going to catch the blight just from touching him. Flapping up and over the great sweep of the manticore's wings, Jigano settled between two massive shoulderblades, behind the proud mane. If he thought of it like raptor-surfing, it wasn't quite so bad. Ravens had a proud history of riding larger hawks and eagles, after all. This was just part of his shape, a natural instinct.
Lies to make himself feel better, but they worked enough that he said nothing more about Arduinna's mindset, or the criticism still leveled about the barrier's fall. No, it does not, he agreed softly, taking to heart the point that they could not change the past. All they could do was move forward with the consequences of their actions... however heavy those consequences could be.
You have been used ungently by this world, the bard agreed. I can only guess at their reasons, not know them with any certainty, or even much proof. And from what he recalled, at least some of those punishments hadn't been without cause. He still shrank from the 'should haves' that people had been leveling at him recently though, and couldn't find the energy to turn them back on Remi now. What was done was done, and even he did not think the punishments had fit the scale of the alchemist's honest mistakes. Your eyesight, though... I thought that was Arduinna? he asked cautiously, curious to hear her listed among the gods in that context.
Was Arduinna ever spoken of without warning? Her power was great, but her reputation was dangerous, and Jigano had felt the weight of her interest with a shiver that still ran up his spine to remember. She would not be patient with mistakes, or forgiving of insult, however accidental... Nor would she likely replace the charm if anything happened to it. Still, at least you know now it can be done? he offered. I wonder... we talked about transmuting the plants in the Spire basement to something harmless. Were you able to do that? Have you tried transmuting a blighted plant back to its unblighted state, perhaps? It was something to try, at any rate. As they'd already said before, something was better than nothing.
Especially as time ran out for the Blighted. As went Ronin, so would the rest of them go, most likely. He had been sick for a shorter time than the Fallen Star, but how soon before he, too, was destroying the farmhouse for the smallest of accidents? Bad enough that he snapped at Rory and Isuma when the exhaustion became too much and his control slipped. Not death of the body, perhaps, he said, mental voice quiet and oddly gentle at the fear in Remi's voice. Perhaps he should have offered some platitude or reassurance, but given his own precarious future he found no point in lying. With how little is known of this, though, does anyone know what we will happen to us instead?
But his lungs were already burning, and Remi wasn't going to catch the blight just from touching him. Flapping up and over the great sweep of the manticore's wings, Jigano settled between two massive shoulderblades, behind the proud mane. If he thought of it like raptor-surfing, it wasn't quite so bad. Ravens had a proud history of riding larger hawks and eagles, after all. This was just part of his shape, a natural instinct.
Lies to make himself feel better, but they worked enough that he said nothing more about Arduinna's mindset, or the criticism still leveled about the barrier's fall. No, it does not, he agreed softly, taking to heart the point that they could not change the past. All they could do was move forward with the consequences of their actions... however heavy those consequences could be.
You have been used ungently by this world, the bard agreed. I can only guess at their reasons, not know them with any certainty, or even much proof. And from what he recalled, at least some of those punishments hadn't been without cause. He still shrank from the 'should haves' that people had been leveling at him recently though, and couldn't find the energy to turn them back on Remi now. What was done was done, and even he did not think the punishments had fit the scale of the alchemist's honest mistakes. Your eyesight, though... I thought that was Arduinna? he asked cautiously, curious to hear her listed among the gods in that context.
Was Arduinna ever spoken of without warning? Her power was great, but her reputation was dangerous, and Jigano had felt the weight of her interest with a shiver that still ran up his spine to remember. She would not be patient with mistakes, or forgiving of insult, however accidental... Nor would she likely replace the charm if anything happened to it. Still, at least you know now it can be done? he offered. I wonder... we talked about transmuting the plants in the Spire basement to something harmless. Were you able to do that? Have you tried transmuting a blighted plant back to its unblighted state, perhaps? It was something to try, at any rate. As they'd already said before, something was better than nothing.
Especially as time ran out for the Blighted. As went Ronin, so would the rest of them go, most likely. He had been sick for a shorter time than the Fallen Star, but how soon before he, too, was destroying the farmhouse for the smallest of accidents? Bad enough that he snapped at Rory and Isuma when the exhaustion became too much and his control slipped. Not death of the body, perhaps, he said, mental voice quiet and oddly gentle at the fear in Remi's voice. Perhaps he should have offered some platitude or reassurance, but given his own precarious future he found no point in lying. With how little is known of this, though, does anyone know what we will happen to us instead?
