He had been hoping for a warm greeting, but the strained smile that twisted Caiside's lips gave Jigano pause as his friend stepped through the door. He didn't think he had enough in him to handle another fight of wounded hearts and wounding words, and for a moment he faltered. But his friend's voice was warm, even if his expression was strange, and the bard relaxed far enough to reach out and clasp the offered hand with relief, his trembling fingers tightening on the smith's briefly.
"You've a talent for understatement," he spoke, a wry smile in his voice as he hung up his cloak and Isuma made her own greeting, sitting up on her hindpaws on the counter and peeping mournfully at the red-haired smith to come scratch her ears, all big eyes and fluffed up feathers. "Perhaps you'll become a bard as well as a smith." And gods least fortunate, but Caiside looked almost as bad as he felt. Jigano hid a wince of sympathy as he eased towards the warmer part of the room, rubbing his hands distractedly over his arms.
"I heard you'd had a warrant out," he said, wry humor and shared rebellion flickering in his blue eyes. "What's happened with you since monarchy arrived on Caido?" The last time he'd seen the smith was just before Zariah had become Queen. After that things had gotten... hectic. For everyone.
"You've a talent for understatement," he spoke, a wry smile in his voice as he hung up his cloak and Isuma made her own greeting, sitting up on her hindpaws on the counter and peeping mournfully at the red-haired smith to come scratch her ears, all big eyes and fluffed up feathers. "Perhaps you'll become a bard as well as a smith." And gods least fortunate, but Caiside looked almost as bad as he felt. Jigano hid a wince of sympathy as he eased towards the warmer part of the room, rubbing his hands distractedly over his arms.
"I heard you'd had a warrant out," he said, wry humor and shared rebellion flickering in his blue eyes. "What's happened with you since monarchy arrived on Caido?" The last time he'd seen the smith was just before Zariah had become Queen. After that things had gotten... hectic. For everyone.
