all the wrong places (open)

Loren flipped through the tome in front of him, frantically searching for an answer that had so far proven elusive. There was a large pile of discarded books next to him, each one having been rifled through then tossed aside. Normally, the librarian would not have been so callous about any book, no matter how stressed he was. But, despite reassurances that everything was under control, he still felt that time was of the essence. And Loren’s nerves had been jerked about so much recently that he was barely in control of his own actions. With a growl, he reached the end of this particular volume without finding what he needed. Setting in down atop the pile, he spun around and stalked back to the shelf he’d been pulling things from. It had taken him a while to find it—the Atheneum was in slight disarray, something that normally would have bothered him—but navigating books was like second nature to him at this point. If someone looked, they’d see that every book in both the pile and the shelf was on either summoning or mythical creatures. It was a distressingly small selection. Although the Launceleyn had creatures at his beck and call for pretty much every scenario imaginable (the benefits of a stellar education in both magic and lore), there were a few areas where he was lacking. And one was quite large. There were magical keys that had been lost, leading to sealed doors in the Launceleyn Manor. Behind those doors, only the gods—and Remi, who had started Loren’s latest downward spiral—knew what waited. Supposedly, Zariah had held onto them until their disappearance, but the summoner couldn’t trust that his cousin had taken them with him wherever she had ended up. Although he’d searched the Manor, he hadn’t turned up anything on an initial pass. Further searching seemed fruitless, so he’d come here to do what he normally did best, research. He was looking for any mention of anything that might let him find what had been lost. Surely there had to be some creatures out there that could assist him in his endeavor. But so far, all his looking (both for the keys and for a summon that could do what he needed) had turned up nothing. Between that and all the painful encounters he’d had with old friends who were now strangers he was practically vibrating with tension, anxiety and depression competing for top billing in the theater of his mind. LOREN Brought back by satisfaction more times than the cat

Ever since they had fixed up the the gaping hole in the side of the Atheneum and its ceiling the place had been significantly darker, but also quieter - and thankfully drier. As a Leafchange storm passed through, rain pattering down on new and old shingling alike, Jigano breathed a sigh of relief at knowing that the water was no longer running freely in among the books and scrolls. He had been absent from the great building for too long while evading Zariah's attempts to capture him for dodging her wretched draft, but being back again was a balm to a soul weary with the daily fight to cling to the better parts of himself.

He had promised Ludo, promised Amalia... promised Edy, if only in his heart, that he would try be better and see things through, that he would earn his place again after nearly throwing it away when his heart and mind had broken beneath the weight of his mistakes. That meant rebuilding trust from the ground up again, beginning small and not forgetting where he had come from.

He walked among the shelves, his arms filled with books he was carrying towards the front of the Atheneum and a shelf he was preparing there for the coming season. Deepfrost was nearly upon them, and Long Night would arrive before they were ready, though at least this year many of the Outlanders knew what to expect and how to prepare. Many... but not all. Their numbers had continued to swell over the year with new arrivals every season who had only heard rumors at best. For those unwilling or for some reason unable to reach out to the Naturals and older Outlanders he wanted the books on Long Night traditions and safeguards easily available in one place, and he and Remi had found a number of useful ones last year.

He had taken a brief detour towards a shelf he thought he remembered having a particularly good recounting of the Spark Bird and Luxere nestled among its treasures when he found another patron of the great library there ahead of him. Invisible hackles rose along his back at the sight of the Launceleyn man, irrational and sharp as the snarl that tried to curl his lips, but he wrestled with the flare of blightrage, lips thin and white as he drew slow, deep breaths and fought it back. Loren had apologized, after all, and the bard couldn't afford any more grudges.

Not with the clock ticking down, only a matter of time before he was more beast than bard, and had to be caged for his own good. A shudder ran through him at that thought, ice chilling the dark flames of temper, and he tightened trembling fingers on the books in his arms to prevent them from spilling to the floor. He cleared his throat, part from courtesy and part from a genuine need to swallow past the bile that had gathered there.

"Is there anything I can help you find?" he asked, drawing the decorum of a Loreseeker about him to assist whoever had come to the Atheneum for knowledge.

When the increasingly familiar voice spoke up, Loren glanced up, startled. He’d been so lost in his research that he hadn’t been paying much attention to anything else; it was an old habit, his single minded focus on the task at hand, and one that often served him well. However, it also led to many an awkward situation, like the one at hand. Jigano—a man Loren had insulted and belittled at their first introduction—had approached, and offered assistance in the Launceleyn’s search.

Hesitatingly, the summoner searched the other man’s expression for any hint that this offer was sincere. Loren had apologized for his behavior, and the white-haired man had accepted, but the summoner knew it couldn’t be easy for the bard to get over what the Launceleyn had said in the woods. Still, the other man’s words and actions seemed genuine: it was Loren who’d been the one to make a mistake. Maybe Jigano was just a straight up good person. That didn’t mean the other man actually knew the Atheneum well, though. Of course, neither did the summoner these days. “Perhaps. But I understand if you’d rather not, or if you have other matters to attend to.” His voice was soft, and not just out of respect for the library. It was an opening for the bard to leave. Loren would understand if the white-haired man wanted nothing to do with him.

However, the summoner really could use the help. Gesturing at the pile of books, Loren found himself falling back into the once familiar mode of both scholar and librarian. He’d been both, once upon a time, though the days were long past. That didn’t mean he didn’t remember how. “As you can probably tell, I’m looking for any additional volumes on summoning or on beasts with magical properties.” That was quite a broad category, and Loren knew that he’d have hated a request like that as a librarian.

Luckily for them both, the Launceleyn could narrow his search parameters. {n]”Specifically, I’m looking for any mention of a beast that has the supernatural ability to find lost objects.”[/b} Even as he said it though, his mind leapt ahead: maybe looking at too narrow a cross-section had been his problem all along. There were, after all, always different ways to look at the problem. Biting his lip, he waited for his scattered thoughts to gather themselves. “Alternatively, I suppose creatures that can cross thresholds or unlock doors would work just as well.” He’d be so completely fixated on finding the lost keys (which he’d still need to do) that he’d completely failed to consider there might be other ways through the seals. Since getting them open and dealing with the contents of the rooms was his first priority, he should focus on that.

It was reassuring to see the uncertainty in the other man, his hesitance soothing still-ruffled feathers as Jigano watched him with only a thin veneer of courtesy over his wariness, half-expecting a fresh tirade. It was not insults that came, but a gentler dismissal than the one that had sparked the verbal wildfire in the Greatwood. Still, Jigano couldn't help but arch a pale brow at the mirrored situation. At least this time the other man's voice was quiet and he looked less like a wild animal ready to lash out at anyone that came to close.

The bard waited, holding his silence as he pondered that 'perhaps' that the Launceleyn had opened with, and was a bit surprised when Loren didn't simply turn away and ignore him. His gaze flickered to catch the books that were open on the table behind the other man, sharp eyes catching a few titles in passing. The books on summoning were unfamiliar to him, but he recognized two of the bestiaries as reading he had suggested to Killian and Caiside before. Curious in spite of his caution he tilted his head, eyes returning to the researcher as he wondered just what the man wanted to know. How to summon magical beasts, perhaps? Before he could ask what kind of beasts Loren seemed to realize the difficulty in narrowing things down and explained further, and Jigano nodded slow comprehension - though not, alas, a 'eureka' moment of insight. An animal that could find lost objects? Something other than a bloodhound, he assumed, frowning slightly as he let himself be distracted by the chase of a new idea. Whatever his personal dislike of the Launceleyn - and the name itself had unpleasant connotations thanks to Zariah's rule, even aside from the initial meeting of the two men - the Loreseeker was capable of professional neutrality. 'If you have a question in need of an answer, enter and be welcome' was the motto of his guild, and even with the blight coursing through him he fought to remain true to those words. Whether it was an ex-assassin, an Ascended Queen, or a rude Launceleyn, he would try to do his guild justice.

"Something that could teleport, then, and would be smart enough, and dexterous enough, to open a door? That is certainly specific..." He trailed off, going still for a few moments except for the shaking in his hands before he slowly shook his head. "Within the Hollowed Grounds I can think of nothing that could find your lost objects or teleport in such a manner. My world had blink dogs which might have been of use, but I've never heard of anything like them here. Perhaps something exists in the Greatwood that could help?"

A flicker of humor brightened his blue eyes unexpectedly as he looked at the other man with a hint of amusement at the edges of his mouth. "But why are you bothering with the door and it's lock? Can you find someone to just transmute the hinges and push it over or open that way? For that matter, a transmutation mage of middling strength should be able to turn the wall next to the door into something like, say, a ricepaper screen or something similarly flimsy that you could simply walk through to reach the room on the other side." If Loren wanted the wall and door to be fixable afterwards it might require a little more ingenuity and elbow grease, but even that wasn't insurmountable.

Apparently by trying to help and provide alternative options, Loren had just added to the confusion. However, the Launceleyn was pleased that Jigano was actually sticking around; at the very least, having someone to bounce ideas off of might help the summoner come up with something he wouldn’t consider. Already, he’d at least begun to think about alternate routes through the doors. Best to clear up the white-haired man’s misconception. “I don’t need an animal that can do all three, just one of them.” Hopefully that clarification would help. Then Loren tilted his head at the bard. “Although it would be nice. Can you describe these blink dogs?” He’d never even heard of such a creature, which was surprising for someone as well-read (on this particularly specialized subject) as Loren. But if it was specific to Jigano’s world, maybe that wasn’t that surprising after all.

Glances at the titles the summoner had already gone through, Loren realized they were pretty much exclusively about the Hollowed Grounds. Perhaps that had been an oversight: he knew very little about the Greatwoods, but had been assuming the flora and fauna were similar. However, seeing as he was in uncharted territory here, that had likely been a flawed assumption. “I will confess that I know pretty much nothing about the Greatwood or its creatures.” Loren knew he was contradicting his statement from their first encounter—that he knew the risks and could take care of himself—but his pride was much less important than his task.

Loren’s jaw dropped at the suggestion. For some strange reason, he hadn’t even considered that he could try transforming the door, likely because he wasn’t familiar with that particular magic at all. “Huh. It's worth a shot.” Still, it had a very low probability of suceeding. “The doors are...tough, though. I tried breaking them down and couldn’t even scratch them.” Tapping a finger on the table in an unconscious display of nerves, the Launceleyn considered how much he should disclose to Jigano.

Then again, Remi had already mentioned this during the meeting and it wasn’t like Loren gained anything by keeping this secret. He sighed, and leaned his palms against the table and lowered his voice even more so that no one could overhear them. “Zariah forced Remi to make magically sealed and protected doors and passageways that would only open for those who possessed the matching magical keys. Edy had one, but...she's dead. And I imagine she took the key with her." He closed his eyes for a moment against the pang of sorrow he felt for his cousin's death.

"Unfortunately, no one knows what Zariah did with the rest of them.” The summoner bit his lip, trying to fight off the fear of Jace and Beatrix stumbling upon one; after the thorough search Loren had given the manor, he thought it unlikely, but even the possibility was awful to consider. “I certainly can’t find them anywhere in the manor. So I am hoping to find a beast that can locate them for me. Failing that, I can try to either break through or sneak through. Sometimes finding a way around such enchantments, something they're not designed for or equipped to handle, causes them to fail.” Or at least, that was true in theory. Without knowing more about their construction or the magic involved, that’s all Loren had to rely on.

He gave Jigano a considering look. ”I know it sounds silly but…” the summoner bit his lip, concern crossing his face and coloring his tone, “I don’t know what’s behind them, or if anything sealed in there can even get out. But knowing Zariah, and what she was capable of, I wouldn’t want to risk it.” She probably had something awful or monstrous in those sanctums. “Even if she weren’t involved, though, I’m concerned that it might provide a point of access to the manor for the LongNight monsters, which is something no one else seems to have considered.” Remi had assured Loren that it wasn’t possible, but it hadn’t convinced the Launceleyn in the slightest. Magic wasn’t always completely reliable, not in the way the alchemist’s inventions were, and Loren was sure that was coloring the other man’s thinking. At the very least the summoner wanted to put the doors through every test imaginable before declaring them safe.

Theoretically, just needing to do one of the tasks listed should have broadened the list to include a few creatures that fit the relaxed criteria. Or perhaps 'hypothetically' would have been the better word to use, for teleportation wasn't a skill that Jigano had yet found mention of among Caido's fauna. Back when he had access to his bardic magic he could have handled such a conundrum himself, but those days were seasons and worlds away now. He shrugged carefully, holding to his books as he offered Loren the first truly apologetic look yet. "Not well, unfortunately. I knew of them, but never encountered one myself. I know that they're planeshifters and can pass through solid walls when they are out of phase with the material world, and that they resemble large dogs, but aside from that..." He shrugged again, a little wistfully at the reminder of the world he had left behind.

The brow rose again at hearing that despite past statements to the contrary, the Greatwood was still very much a mystery to the summoner. For a moment something cold and dark flickered in Jigano's eyes, a twist of snarling disdain and anger at being lied to. His jaw tightened, clenching against the urge to snap a snarky - and utterly uncalled for - response, and he swallowed the sharp words down, trying not to choke on them. "Only the Fae truly know the Greatwood," he admitted. "The texts in here are all from after the Barrier was raised, and the only book we have that dates to the very first days of it, when the first generation were recording what they remembered of the world beyond, is frustratingly vague on details." It was also written in a language unknown within the barrier, intriguingly enough, and Safrin had implanted the knowledge from it directly into his and Amalia's heads. "You may wish to seek out one of the Fae, or I can ask when next I see one of my friends among them." The offer was made without much personal enthusiasm, but Jigano was not one to turn down the chance to learn something new and viewed in that light it was an easier pill to swallow. And Loren had enticed his personal curiosity now, and he watched him with more interest and less defensiveness than before as the mystery began to unravel.

It was nice to have a mystery to focus on that wasn't involved with imminent death for a change.

Of course, the first mention of Zariah had him tensing again, eyes narrowing not only at the former Queen but at what she had done to the trusting young alchemist. Remi and Jigano weren't friends; their relationship was a complicated one, fraught with misunderstandings and distrust and bound by mutual friends and loved ones, but they could be oddly close in some ways because of that distance. It was enough that the lorekeeper did not take kindly to Remi's sweet nature being taken advantage of, especially not when he was abused in the process. "If it was on her when she was eaten... then yes, it will never be found again," the bard agreed coolly, firmly reminding himself that Loren hadn't been around in those dark days of Zariah's rule. Had he?

Keys to locked and hidden doors within the Manor? The urge to, as Edy would so bluntly put up, 'fuck up Zariah's secrets' was admittedly an alluring one. He owed the bitch a little payback and if he couldn't take it out on her hide he could--

He drew a shaky breath, turning to put his own books firmly down as he wrestled with the increasingly-common impulse towards physical violence that had never been his instinct before. He took his ire out on white knuckles around one of the thicker books he had been holding, trying to listen to Loren as he pretended to straighten the stack with unnecessary precision. "She was a--" He bit back the snarl, feeling the shaking rise into his shoulders as he forced himself to breathe. "As long as the doors are locked the monsters should be kept out. Ware the windows, though. And... here." He plucked one of the slimmer volumes he had brought, handing it back to the Launceleyn man. It was an older book, written in a spidery hand but still quite legible. Befor Long Nyte Falls had been inked with a flourish on its front. The journal had belonged to an outlander some forty years back, and contained a number of the traditions useful for preparing for the week of darkness. "If you survived last year you probably know, but it doesn't hurt to brush up, especially if any newcomers show up at the Manor." His voice was a bit gruff, but the gift of knowledge helped to ground him as he turned back to look at Loren again, precarious control regained for the moment.

"At the risk of belaboring a dead horse, I'd still suggest the walls, then. People can be zealous about warding and trapping doors, but they tend to forget about the walls around them. Especially if they're stone. Remi could probably open a new hole entirely in a wall, far enough from the existing door to bypass whatever magic Zariah left on it. Transmutation... that is also one of his skills. Rexanna, if you know her? She's about to have a wedding..." An awkward proposition, given how their most recent conversation went. But her newly Ascended status had left her with her magic intact against all expectations to the contrary. "She has transmutation magic as well to turn a stone wall into something easier to break through, though I don't know if she would be strong enough for what you need. All these mystery rooms don't have windows, I'm guessing?" Given Zariah's sharpness he expected those would be trapped, too, but a little bird might be able to spy on what was within, at least.

He barely even noticed how the excitement of a new problem to solve had soothed the savage beast in his blood, letting him look at his fellow scholar with far less wary hostility, even though some aspect of it remained in the lingering tightness around his eyes.

The description Jigano provided was unfortunately insufficient for Loren’s needs: without a clearer picture of the dogs and their abilities, he wouldn’t be able to summon them. Still, he tucked away the reference for later. There was something about it that he could feel niggling at a memory tucked in the recesses of his mind. ”That’s alright. It was a long shot, anyway.” At the other man’s sigh, the Launceleyn gave the white-haired man a curious look. ”It is alright, right?” As the summoner had been in the throes of sorrow himself (and still mostly was) he recognized the signs in others.

That was too bad about the Fae: the lack of knowledge in the Atheneum made sense, given the barrier, but was frustrating to someone on a quest for a specific piece of information. ”That’s unfortunate. If you wouldn’t mind asking them, I’d greatly appreciate it. I haven’t met any of them yet.” He’d barely reintroduced himself to the people he used to know, let alone met a whole new race. Hopefully there’d be time for that after blights and monsters.

He hadn’t known the little detail about Edy being eaten, and he winced at the mention. ”O-oh. I...see.” It took him a few moments to banish the horrifying images that conjured in his mind; it was all too easy to picture, given the illusions his family used to torture his mind even as they hurt his body. At the show of anger from the other man at the mention of Zariah, Loren tensed. Seemed Jigano might have been another of the woman’s victims. ”Monster? Cruel mistress? Merciless queen?” She’d taken that epithet, and the summoner still couldn’t get over how she probably saw it as a virtue. Still, perhaps here was a chance to make an ally, find a kindred soul, and make up a little for Loren’s actions in the woods all at the same time. ”You don’t have to tell me about what my family can do.” With that, Loren rolled up his left sleeve, exposing the scars that dotted most of his skin. ”They gave me these, and more.”

The conversation turned to LongNight, and the Launceleyn nodded. ”Thank you,” His voice carried genuine gratitude as he accepted the book. Loren honestly didn’t know how he’d survived Deepfrost last year, and he wouldn’t rely on dumb luck to do so again. At the very least, familiarizing himself with the text would help him keep those who came to the manor (if anyone took him up on the offer, which he was starting to doubt) safe. He made a mental note to make sure all the windows were locked and latched from both inside and out, if he could.

It was an idea, taking out the walls, but the summoner would rather not attempt it unless he absolutely had to. Besides, it was something he could try on his own. ”I’d rather not knock down the whole manor, especially if people will be staying there soon. And I definitely don’t want to involve Remi, given all the burdens he's already carrying. I know, Rexanna, but you’re right, she should focus on her wedding.” His voice came out distracted, as there was another problem that Loren realized he should have disclosed—and should’ve obviously considered—before he’d brought it up to the bard to begin with. ”Honestly, I don’t even know if I found the right doors, because Remi said they weren’t just sealed with magic, they were also hidden with magic, and he seemed pretty sure I’d never be able to find them without his help. My inability to knock down those other locked doors might’ve had more to do with me being weak than with their toughness.” Indeed, he was dangerously thin, not having gained back the weight he’d lost in his year scavenging what he could. He hadn’t tried with magic, again worried about the property damage.

Then a thought struck him. The mention of the Fae and the description of the hounds had triggered something in the back of the Launceleyn’s mind, some half remembered snippet of a story or a song. He frowned as he tried to fan the spark into full knowledge, but it remained elusive. ”Hang on a second,” he requested of the bard, already turning back to the pile of books Loren had assembled. He flipped through them until a title caught his eye: Cautionary Tales for Children. It was an oddly formal name for a book of children’s stories.He flipped through it until the word ‘hunt’ caught his eye. Turning to the beginning of that story, he skimmed it, a fierce sense of satisfaction growing in him as he read.

This might just be it; he flipped it around and triumphantly pointed at the sentence he’d found and grinned so Jigano could see for himself. It read as follows: ‘And Talia heard the baying of the hounds fade and she grew scared, for she knew the hunters were near. Running was useless, as was hiding, for the hounds and hunters both were tireless. None escaped the Wyld Hunt. If only she’d listened to her mother and stayed indoors on that stormy night…’ He wanted to give Jigano time to read, but Loren was so excited by his find that he couldn’t contain himself for long. ”I’d been focused on the hunters, because they’re the main party of the tale, but there’s no reason I shouldn’t be able to call one of their dogs out.” Indeed, there was a horrifying description of one further along in the story. They always found their prey, and while that was usually a person, Loren was willing to see if it would work for doors too.

Was it alright? "I would like to say that it will be... but only time will tell." His voice was dry as the paper around them, but not without humor. More of that hoity-toity sage drivel no doubt, the bard thought wryly, but just because it was trite didn't mean it couldn't also be true. It was hard to be optimistic when his blood was streaked with darkness and his hands shook badly enough that he couldn't even find solace in his instruments any more without missing notes on anything harder than a children's ditty or a marching song.

He nodded acceptance of the request to speak to the Fae, for he had to arrange a meeting with Arduinna soon anyways. He might not be wise to waste her time with such a question, but while he was in the woods perhaps he would find Jiao or Eliza.

Loren's hesitation over Edrei's demise broke through some of the ice and anger that Zariah's name had sparked in the bard, and he paused to look the younger man over with a little more concern. "Did you... not know?" He asked after a moment's hesitation. "About the landsharks?" He had assumed that Ronin had eventually passed around the information but perhaps he had been wrong. Landsharks were still preferable to Zariah though, the reminders of the Tyrant playing havoc with the discipline he clung desperately to, trying to keep his rage bottled up until he could find a safer outlet for it. Loren's easy understanding of what he had almost let slip had his eyes widening, however, the edge of his anger blunted by surprise at the easy epithets that fell from the Launceleyn man's lips. "The first was more the direction I was going. She was no mistress nor queen of mine." He'd never let her get close enough to lay hands on him, but he drew in a sharp breath at the scars that silvered the other man's skin, eyes narrowing and lips curling back in a silent snarl at the evidence that continued to mount against the ex-ruler of the Hollowed Grounds. He did not, however, appear to be surprised. Edy had given him warnings enough of her own upbringing that he found the display unsettling but not unexpected.

Whether he wanted to or not, he found a grudging respect growing for the man who might be victim as much as enabler of the messed up Launceleyn family. If Edy had not been his friend he might have assumed Loren to be lying, but he had shared stories with the bright-burning mistress of the Rathskeller. Stories and danger, blood and booze. The Launceleyns were a fucked up family, no less to themselves than those around them, but Edy had shown that they could shine in spite of their upbringing, and it was for her sake that he decided to give this new Launceleyn mage another chance.

"If you have any questions about any of the traditions in there most Naturals can help, or you can ask one of the Loreseekers," he added with a nod towards where the guild's door stood in the back corner of the great building. It still had an unfortunate message from Edy carved in its doors... but he hadn't had the heart to try and get them fixed yet.

There was merit in not weakening the walls of the manor, and Jigano nodded thoughtfully as Loren gave his reasons for not involving the other mages the bard had mentioned. When he explained that some doors were hidden by magic, though, a thoughtful frown creased the white-haired man's lips. "At the meeting didn't you say you had glasses that could see through illusions?" Then again, Deimos had hidden a door with transmutation magic to make it look identical to what was around it so that it blended in perfectly. There was no lingering magic involved, only the illusion of clever workmanship. If Zariah had gone that route instead it would be much harder, and would indeed require Remi's assistance. Which, given the state of the alchemist's memories and Ronin's illness, Jigano could understand not approaching the young man.

The mention of weakness had him cocking his head to the side again, a bird-like gesture he had picked up after gaining an avian shift. Weakness, lack of appetite, bouts of irrational anger... "Have you been sick?" It was a cautious question as he studied Loren with a more intent gaze that was clinical rather than judgmental. "Uninterested in eating, unable to sleep? Sudden bouts of irrational anger? Cold skin and shaky hands?" His own symptoms, but ones he had seen in others now that he knew what to look for.

He settled back to wait at the admonition, leaning his hip on the table as he tucked his hands into his wide sleeves for warmth as he contemplated the man who had yelled insults at him not so long ago, then apologized, and now... now, what? He wasn't sure, and his brow furrowed in thought as he tried to decide whether his previous anger at the man could be trusted. It was a foolish question, of course; none of his anger could be trusted these days, and whether it was justified or not mattered not at all. The result would be the same, and he would lose a little more of himself in the process.

Lost in his own thoughts he was a little startled when Loren spun the back towards him, grinning with the sort of bright joy that usually accompanied a major find. Jigano refrained from arching a skeptical brow with an act of will, leaning forward to peer at the words, skimming them swiftly to try and find what had caught the mage's eye. Hunters and hounds and a young heroine who had found herself the prey... He looked up as Loren began to talk, and this time a brow did rise, though in thoughtful consideration. "To find the keys?" he asked curiously. "Did Remi say how many he had made?" If he had only made two, one each for Zariah and Edrei, then Loren might still be barking up the wrong tree, but if not then there was still a chance to go prowling through whatever terrors or treasures the Tyrant had seen fit to lock away.

Loren couldn’t help the sigh that escaped his lips. ”People keep telling me that. I just wished I believed it was true.” Mainly the Launceleyn was thinking of Remi—and the promise the summoner had made to the alchemist, to try and make more out of life—but it seemed that everyone was just praying the future would be better than the present. Given how the Abandoned’s prayers tended not to be answered, however, the Launceleyn might have to take matters into his own hands. ”I’d like to say, and think that it will be true as well.” But he didn’t.

As Jigano questioned the summoner about his knowledge, he shook his head. ”No. I hadn’t...no one told me how it...just that it happened.” Apparently landsharks of all things were involved, whatever those monsters were. Again, though the bard reminded Loren that people were the real monsters sometimes. ”I wish I could say the same.” But the truth of the matter was that the summoner had allowed Zariah to remain as head of the family back in Northaven, even as he’d seen how her actions were destroying the family she claimed to love. Maybe if he’d acted then, he could’ve prevented her ascension in Caido. Or maybe not, given how power hungry and selfish she’d always been.

Hopefully the book would answer everything he needed to know—because Loren really didn’t want to talk to people if he could help it—but the Launceleyn nodded. ”Thanks. I will.” Then the summoner hesitated, and bit his lip, a confused expression stealing over him. ”Although I have to ask, who are the Loreseekers?” He’d seen the door Jigano had indicated, of course, but had never had someone to ask about it before.

Loren was surprised the other man actually remembered the comment from the meeting. Most people tended to dismiss the Launceleyn, which he was normally fine with. ”I do. But Zariah didn’t have illusion magic. So unless she developed it while I was...away or Remi has it, which I’m sure he would’ve mentioned, I don’t know that it could be hidden through illusion.” Away was a generous interpretation of his behavior, but the summoner didn’t really have an explanation for what had happened to him beyond long term mental breakdown. ”But if all else fails I’ll give that a try. I can always use those while I’m hunting through other means.” They wouldn’t be a drain on his reserves, since they were an external item.

When Jigano cocked his head and started firing off all those questions, Loren cocked his right back. ”No, nothing like that. Outburst in the woods aside, which was caused by...puddles,” man he really hoped the bard bought that explanation, “which, again, I’m sorry about, most of my problems stem from not eating or sleeping enough for a long period of time. But I’m definitely interested in food. And I have no trouble falling asleep.” Keeping the nightmares at bay was a different question, but the summoner wasn’t going to get into that. He held up his hands to show their lack of a tremble. Then he narrowed his eyes and gave the other man a quizzical look. ”Is there something going around? I’ve got healing magic that’s stronger than most, so I might be able to do something about it.” Unless it was the blight, which sent a chill down the summoner’s spine. Still, he kept that thought to himself.

Loren was too excited to let Jigano’s doubt—if that’s what the tone in the other man’s voice actually was—pull him down. For the first time since his return, it seemed that he’d stumbled upon a solution to a problem almost entirely on his own. Of course they still needed to test it, but even if it didn’t expose the doors or the keys, it was still a useful summon to have on hand. ”Either the keys or the doors. Remi told me he made five keys, and that as far as he knew Zariah still held four.” Well, there was a small chance that the adopted Launceleyn, Peter, had one, but Loren hadn’t managed to track that man down yet. The summoner would get around to that soon, though.

Whether the future would be better or not would largely be up to them to decide, though the blight's heavy presence seemed to lean more towards the 'not.' The bard wasn't planning to give up again so soon, however, and simply nodded at Loren's neutral agreement with his words. Though with Edy's death and Zariah's cruelty as reminders of what else could go wrong, it was hard to be optimistic. Especially when he was still trying to pull himself back together from his own recent breakdown...

Jigano was getting a handle on his control, recovering from the flare of anger that mention of Zariah could cause in him and hoping the gift of the book would prove helpful to whichever poor souls chose the Manor for the hiding place when the question of his guild had him blinking in surprise. He had gotten used to them being, well, recognized after being active for nearly a year. Loren's odd mix of knowledge and confusion was keeping the bard off-balance, uncertain whether to treat him as a newly-arrived Outlander or a veteran of Caido, and he cleared his throat as he tried to slip back into his more usual welcome speech for newcomers. "We're a guild dedicated to seeking and spreading knowledge," he explained, the familiar cadence of the words soothing as he shared his mission with the Launceleyn man. "Some of our members spend their time reading and learning from the books in the Atheneum, seeking lore that's been lost or forgotten over the centuries. Others prefer to go out in the world to explore and learn new things to bring back. Others gather information from people, listening to the tales and myths of those who have lived here all their lives and writing them down so they won't be lost to time. We gather what we learn into journals and chronicles that are usually stored in the Guildhall, so if people have questions they can come to us and, ideally, either find an answer amid all that we've gathered, or else request that we seek an answer for them." He nodded towards the new stonework wall where the hole had once gaped in the side of the building, rubble collapsed inwards atop books and other secrets. "We repaired the hole, and we've found a few new rooms and places within the library, including our Guildhall."

The Manor was a different can of worms, but discussing the puzzle of the doors was a welcome distraction from his own state, and so long as his temper remained subdued Jigano was intrigued in pursuing the puzzle Loren had brought. He nodded thoughtfully at hearing about Zariah's lack of illusion magic, though he had once heard from Vervain that the Launceleyns had been great illusionists back on their homeworld. Just as he had lost his own magic, it was no surprise that the same had happened to others.

His suspicions that the other man had the blight seemed, thankfully, to be off target, though he raised a brow at the excuse of 'puddles' for the cause of the insults. He hadn't yet encountered or heard of the wonder puddles, and it seemed a weak sort of rationale for lashing out at a stranger offering aid. The continued apology and the mention of lack of food and sleep made far more sense, and he nodded grudging acceptance - though less grudging than it had been before. Few things endeared people to him as much as a shared interest in research and solving a problem together, and Loren's actions at the wake and in the Atheneum were quickly making up ground from their first terrible meeting.

"Something other than the blight?" Jigano asked back, a brow arching with a shadow of his old dry humor. "There was a fever a little while back, but most of what I have seen in the past few weeks... well. Have you tried using your healing magic on a blighted animal or person yet?" Curious again, though Arduinna had said her magic could only heal the Greatwood plants temporarily.

"Of course she kept them on her person," he sighed, slumping a bit as the initial hope of three unaccounted-for keys was dashed against the rocks of Zariah's (not entirely baseless) paranoia. "But the doors would be a start, certainly. I wonder if you could transmute a small door into the middle of the bigger one and get around the lock that way? Or just change what it's made of?" Idle musings, still stuck in the same useless spiral of leaning on transmutation magic. "If Zariah has truly taken all the remaining keys with her... is there no way of constructing more? A skeleton key that would bypass all magical locks, for instance?" He knew Remi might be able to make such a thing, though the alchemist was unsure of his own limits and capabilities. But since he had made the original keys he might have an easier time on something like this. Loren's point about not bothering the young man, though, held true, and Jigano gave a rueful shake of his head. "At least if you can locate the doors you can try and barricade them off until you solve the problem of the keys. Obviously no one will be wandering into them uninvited, but if you're worried about things getting out, that might be a temporary solution."

Loren listened to Jigano speak about the Loreseekers, an odd mixture of rapt attention and deep sorrow etched on the Launceleyn’s features. When the bard finished speaking, the summoner was silent for a long few moments, trying to find his voice. ”That sounds wonderful. And noble.” And something Loren would have dearly loved to be a part of once upon a time. The longing was still there, but it was tempered by the knowledge that he was unwelcome, and rightly so, in most places and unwanted by most people. He gave the white-haired man a wistful smile, hoping the bard would understand, somehow, what Loren was feeling.

Thankfully, the Launceleyn’s explanation about his illness—and his actions—was accepted. Still, his relief was short-lived when Jigano implied that the only illness going around was, indeed, the blight. Loren shook his head at the other man’s question. ”No. I offered, but...the individual in question indicated that healing magic didn’t work. They would’ve had access to healers, so I trusted their judgment.” Although Ronin’s condition probably wasn’t private knowledge, the librarian didn’t know if he wanted news of his meeting with the king to get out. ”If you think that person was mistaken, though, I’m willing to give it a try.” Loren was willing to try pretty much anything at this point that might even have the smallest possibility of being helpful, no matter how dangerous or ill-advised it might be.

Apparently Jigano seemed convinced that Zariah would’ve held onto the keys. ”I don’t know for sure that she had them with her.” In retrospect, Loren realized his wording on that front had been ambiguous. The bard continued to offer up genuinely useful and interesting ideas: whatever else the white-haired man might be, he was clearly quite smart and creative. If Loren hadn’t been in such a sorry state, and their initial meeting hadn’t gone so terribly wrong, the Launceleyn might’ve even begun to hope they could be friends. ”We’d have to find them first, which Remi seemed to think would be the real problem, not getting through them. I’m sure we could make more but…” the librarian hesitated. ”I feel that if it were as simple as that Remi would’ve made one for me on the spot.” The alchemist had been all too willing to help Loren; indeed, the summoner had barely fended off the other man’s help, and only after promising to come find the alchemist if (when) the Launceleyn failed.

The suggestion from Jigano about barricading the doors was a good one. ”Agreed. Guess I’ll have to collect more wood than I was planning.” Loren was mostly speaking to himself at that point. There were an enormous number of tasks he needed to get through and not nearly enough time. Maybe he was spending too much time on the doors and not enough on getting the manor well and truly ready. If monsters came through Zariah’s hidey-holes, Loren would just have to be ready for that. To that end, perhaps the white-haired bard could give the librarian even more help. ”Can you describe the Spark Bird to me?” It was a total non-sequitur, but the Launceleyn’s mind was leaping ahead to LongNight.

The attention and the sentiment were welcome, even if Jigano himself no longer felt so noble. He inclined his head in gratitude and acceptance of the words though, deciding after a moment's hesitation to take them at face value. The wistful smile that followed was a mystery to the white-haired man who knew so little of what drove Loren. In truth he had only the barest scraps of knowledge about the prodigal Launceleyn; that he had been Remi's lover at one point before disappearing, then the outburst in the Greatwood, his offers of assistance to the Hollowed Grounds at the meeting, followed by the courteous apology at the Rathskeller, and now this day of desperate research. The threads were slender and too few yet to weave a better picture from, but at least the good shared experiences were outnumbering the bad by now.

Someone had turned down magical healing? Perhaps not so surprising, given Arduinna's lack of success in curing the Blight from the plants, but from the people? Jigano hummed thoughtfully, offering a slow nod. "I think they were probably right," he agreed slowly. "But it would be good, perhaps, to run a few experiments all the same and record the results somewhere people have access to it. Start with trying to magically heal blighted plants and animals, and if there's some indication of improvement, or even just slowing the affliction down, I'll volunteer as a human test subject." What did he have to lose, really? And better that such things be tested on him instead of someone like Ronin, in case it backfired.

A skeptical brow arched at hearing that Zariah might not have had the keys on her, but Jigano held his tongue. Loren certainly knew the Tyrant better than the bard ever could - or ever wanted to. From what he'd seen, the woman was arrogant, paranoid, and no little delusional. Most of all, though, she was controlling to an absurd degree. He couldn't imagine her leaving the keys anywhere that they might fall into 'unapproved' hands... "She might have left them in a locked room," he agreed as that train of thought ran to its final stop. "One that only she or Edy could open, in order to retrieve them." Not that it mattered without the doors, as Loren pragmatically pointed out. And Remi would have probably made one if he could have, the alchemist helpful to a fault. Jigano grimaced a little in shared awkward concern over the alchemist's occasionally too-helpful ways.

For a moment he thought they had come to the end of their current conversation, but mention of the Spark Bird reminded him of what they still needed to do. "Yes, of course. We should get together with Remi soon as well, to being experimenting on what summoning and creation magic can do. The Spark Bird, though..." he paused, and just the thought of the great, beautiful creature seemed to quiet the seething in his blood as he cast his mind back to the last Long Night. The terror, the anger, the pain... and the wonder, when she had finally arrived and the sacrifices were proven not to be in vain. "She is large, more roc than eagle, and she burns, each feather limned in flame. Sparks fall from her wings, more electric than fire. She is bright, too, giving off light enough to drive the monsters back from the entire Sanctuary when she was perched in the square."

That was another sound suggestion from Jigano, and Loren nodded. ”I’ll do that.” Then, he hesitated, realizing he didn’t actually know where to get his hands on the samples that the white-haired man mentioned. The Launceleyn bit his lip. ”Do you know where I can find plants and animals that might be blighted?” Wandering around the Greatwood and the Hollowed Grounds seemed like a fool’s errand but the summoner would resort to that if all else failed. Then, of course the bard revealed that he, himself, was afflicted, and offered his own body as a test subject. ”I’m sorry. I...I didn’t know.” That was a testament to Jigano’s own willpower; if Loren had been blighted, he’d have succumbed far more easily. ”Are you alright? Is there anything I can do to help you more comfortable at least?” He really did mean at least, but as far as any of them knew, there was nothing more to be done than comfort the sick.

Letting out a breath at the bard’s assertion that Zariah would not have been so foolish—and the summoner could not be so lucky—as to have left the keys lying around, Loren finally gave up the faint hope that this could be resolved easily. ”You’re probably right.” Then he felt a determined look steal upon his face. ”But she can’t move the doors.” So that was what he would focus on for now.

There were many with creation magic, it seemed, and none with summoning. Seeing where Loren’s expertise lay, he probably should’ve been experimenting with it far before now. However, it was better late than never, and if nothing else, his return was making him very good at making up for lost time. As the bard’s words wove a picture, Loren allowed the image of the Spark Bird to settle in his brain. He knew what a roc was, so he started with that as a base; she seemed similar to a phoenix, but not exactly, though he drew the flame and light from it and painted it onto the rocs feathers; finally, he called upon the lighting that flickered in the thunderbird’s wake, and added it in falling sheets to the portrait in his mind. ”That’ll do it,” he breathed out, almost in wonder. Hopefully: they wouldn’t know for sure until he tried.

But somehow, he felt in his bones that it had to be true. Because it was the slim hope he had to cling to, to get through the coming season. ”Thank you. For everything.” Loren sank all the gratitude coursing through him into those four words; Jigano had been kinder than the Launceleyn had any right to expect. He would not forget that, and he added the bard to the already long and rapidly growing list of people the summoner owed and could not possibly repay. He’d still try. That’s what he’d be asked to do, try, and he’d try until it killed him.

"None within the Hollowed Grounds," the bard instructed, though his expression turned taut and grim at the reminder. He had been seeking signs of the blight creeping over the barrier scar, trying to find evidence that it was jumping from the Greatwood to the Hollowed Grounds, when Edy had found him and then the landshark had found her. He swallowed hard, but the sorrow drowned out the last embers of his anger that had continued to burn beneath the surface of his thoughts. "Within the Greatwood? More and more. Safrin guessed that within the next year the Greatwood would have succumbed, and that was a full season ago." Nor was that a conversation he cared to remember. He had been collecting far too many of those on his downward slide into guilt and shame, broken by his failures.

Perhaps ironically, now that he had found the strength to push forward again he was running out of time.

He waved off Loren's offer of help, not bothering to hide the grimace at the ever-popular 'are you alright' that was so well-meaning and so utterly useless. "I have tried not to advertise it." He was a bard, after all, an actor and a wearer of masks - most of which were of the 'everything is fine' variety. The hand he raised between them, however, trembled no matter how hard he tried to hold it still as he gave the Launceleyn a grin that held little humor. "I am better off than some. Most, even." Or at least, better at pretending that he was. "But until we find a cure I don't expect I'll be particularly comfortable." He shook his head, letting his hand drop. "But... thank you for the offer. I admit, I would not have expected it after the way we first met." His grin turned crooked, for he was not so noble that he had forgotten the jabs leveled at him that day, even if he had accepted the apologies afterwards.

It sounded like Loren had a good handle on what he wanted to do with the Manor, and Jigano wished him luck even if he made no promises to assist in that regard. He did tilt his head to the side, though, crossing his arms again to tuck his hands in his large sleeves to try and warm them up again. "Oh, I don't know if anyone would have told you... Edy was worried that Zariah had some way of spying on what happens in the manor. She didn't give me any details since we were in the manor at the time, but if you want to insult the beast or work on some way to stop her from coming back there, you might want to do it outside of that big house of hers." He offered a genuinely regretful shrug. "Maybe she just meant the guards and servants, or maybe something magical. Probably both, but since not even Edy knew, it's anyone's guess." It was the second reason why he wasn't planning on sheltering there over Long Night.

At least he could offer better information on the Spark Bird, and he nodded with a wry smile. "I'll get a message to Remi. Shall we meet at the oasis in two days? If you're going to summon something that could set the place on fire it might be best to do it where there's enough water to put it out if something goes wrong." He had stopped waving off gratitude a long time ago; he had no wish to disrespect those he had been able to help, even when he didn't always like them. However much a mess their first meeting had been, however, and despite his unfortunate family ties, he was finding Loren to be far from unlikable the more he was around him. Jigano tilted his head and found a small, wry smile for the other man. "We'll have to see how useful any of this will actually be to you; not all my ramblings bear fruit. But you're welcome all the same."