Kiada's attention had been on the fire while he wrestled with emotions darker and crueler - both to himself and to her - than he should ever have had to face. He was briefly glad that she had missed the conflict within him, turned inwards as she was and focused on the ghost of her lost love. Would he be any different, were Rory or Amalia's soul to be lost in such a way? The stronger part of him, the part that was weakening and fading by the day, acknowledged that he would likely be no less oblivious to the people around him, even without the excuse of the blight.
The shadowed part of him, the part that stretched and slithered through his thoughts more easily with every passing hour, that part scoffed and sneered and railed against Kiada's selfishness and his own weak-hearted willingness to help someone who had caused him such pain already.
Hearing that even Ludo did not know what the lost souls had become, however, was far from reassuring, especially in their current states: weakened bodies, shaking hands, failing hearts. It would be dangerous, probably even deadly. But then, the bard had expected that when he'd asked for a lantern to go monster hunting with, hadn't he? It was nothing he had not already been willing to do. It was simply that, this time, he had a specific target for his search and his song. He reached out and this time he didn't stop himself as he brushed back a lock of hair from Kiada's face if she would let him, his expression grim but determined. "And the monsters will tempt you... tempt us. Last year they were able to get inside our heads, those of us who went outside to fix the perch. We'll want to tie ourselves together with a rope or something that you can't cut. Maybe Remi can make one. Auni's light will hopefully protect us from the worst of it, especially if we can touch his horns while we walk..." He sighed, letting his hand fall again as the brief burst of focus and determination faded as quickly as it had come.
"But I don't know who we're looking for, who I'm calling for. Who was... is Ru'in? What is he like?" It would be a sorry showing if the monsters convinced him to call the wrong soul into the lantern.
The shadowed part of him, the part that stretched and slithered through his thoughts more easily with every passing hour, that part scoffed and sneered and railed against Kiada's selfishness and his own weak-hearted willingness to help someone who had caused him such pain already.
Hearing that even Ludo did not know what the lost souls had become, however, was far from reassuring, especially in their current states: weakened bodies, shaking hands, failing hearts. It would be dangerous, probably even deadly. But then, the bard had expected that when he'd asked for a lantern to go monster hunting with, hadn't he? It was nothing he had not already been willing to do. It was simply that, this time, he had a specific target for his search and his song. He reached out and this time he didn't stop himself as he brushed back a lock of hair from Kiada's face if she would let him, his expression grim but determined. "And the monsters will tempt you... tempt us. Last year they were able to get inside our heads, those of us who went outside to fix the perch. We'll want to tie ourselves together with a rope or something that you can't cut. Maybe Remi can make one. Auni's light will hopefully protect us from the worst of it, especially if we can touch his horns while we walk..." He sighed, letting his hand fall again as the brief burst of focus and determination faded as quickly as it had come.
"But I don't know who we're looking for, who I'm calling for. Who was... is Ru'in? What is he like?" It would be a sorry showing if the monsters convinced him to call the wrong soul into the lantern.
