The mention of Phoebe’s paranoia earned a small snort of agreement from the bard, but he kept his opinions of the midwife behind his teeth, unsure which ones were truly his and which were whispers and taunts from the darkness creeping through his soul like a spreading mold. Loren’s question had him glancing to Remi, but when the alchemist stayed silent Jigano sighed and raised a shaking hand, wondering if showing would be easier than telling.
It was probably a terrible idea, in fact, so he let his hand fall back to his side, grimacing slightly. ”There’s a blackness in it. A visible blackness, like streaks of ink. Or tar. At first it was just a little but…” he slanted another look to Remi, figuring Ronin was a lot further along than he was. ”…it’s been getting worse. More black, less red every day.”
Arduinna was always a touchy topic with Remi, Jigano well knew. He didn’t know how much Loren knew about the Wild Fae or what she had done to the alchemist, but this didn’t seem the time or place to catch up on old wounds. He simply sent a pulse of understanding through the Attuned link, though a little fear slipped in with it at hearing that even the Lady of the Wood had run out of strength. Hearing that Remi’s incredible magic had limits was even more unfortunate, though it shouldn’t have been a surprise. The alchemist had tried to warn him more than once, after all, and it wasn’t his fault that Jigano hadn’t listened. Even so, he picked up the thread that Remi tossed him, giving Loren an apologetic shrug as he spoke. ”We’ve learned a bit more about the Long Night monsters, at least. I don’t know how much of this we’re should be spreading around carelessly,” he cautioned. ”The last thing we need is a panic and another attempt to purge the Ascended with Long Night just around the corner.” He paused to take a breath, wondering if he could get away with just writing down what he knew and sending it to Loren later…
Hell. His handwriting was near-illegible at this point. ”The monsters are ancient Ascended. Or at least, early versions of them, courtesy of the Voice being a terrible parent. They're not completely physical anymore, which is probably why they can’t even stand starlight, but their souls have retained the use of their special abilities, and they’re all mad as the fucking Spire Demon. But when they mimic voices and faces of people it’s not magical illusion so much as… mechanical?” He looked to Remi for confirmation. ”Or whatever it is that drives the Ascended. So we probably need something that can counter that. Which at least you can test if you can find someone willing. Sam might… or even Bastien.”
He nodded at Remi’s other revelation, but though it was rude he slipped a silent, selfish thought across the Attuned bond. Can you make one for Rory? Please?
And then Loren made the magic happen, and the suggestion of storing a spell in an amulet had the bard raising a questioning brow, his curiosity – that most intrinsic trait of his soul – pushing past weariness as he looked between the two men. ”Spell-storing amulet?” he asked mildly. It was a moment of triumph until the Most Unfortunate Comment™ slipped out and Jigano stared at the scholar in open amazement. He slid a shocked glance to Remi, not bothering to use the Attuned link when his expression said quite plainly Did he really just say what I think he said? but then the world was moving on and Remi was moving back entirely against his will and they all had more important things to worry about.
Loren seemed well-versed in healing knowledge, so Jigano sat back on his heels, frowning slightly as Remi insisted on remaining hurt even when he was so clearly not okay. ”You’re bleeding,” he said, voice still deceptively mild. ”May we at least check for a concussion, please? Especially if that little weed just shot you full of lightning.” He looked back over his shoulder eyes narrowed as he studied the plant, which Isuma was faithfully guarding to make sure it didn’t try any more tricks. ”It looks… worse than before. A lot worse. That… that can’t be right. Can it?”
It was probably a terrible idea, in fact, so he let his hand fall back to his side, grimacing slightly. ”There’s a blackness in it. A visible blackness, like streaks of ink. Or tar. At first it was just a little but…” he slanted another look to Remi, figuring Ronin was a lot further along than he was. ”…it’s been getting worse. More black, less red every day.”
Arduinna was always a touchy topic with Remi, Jigano well knew. He didn’t know how much Loren knew about the Wild Fae or what she had done to the alchemist, but this didn’t seem the time or place to catch up on old wounds. He simply sent a pulse of understanding through the Attuned link, though a little fear slipped in with it at hearing that even the Lady of the Wood had run out of strength. Hearing that Remi’s incredible magic had limits was even more unfortunate, though it shouldn’t have been a surprise. The alchemist had tried to warn him more than once, after all, and it wasn’t his fault that Jigano hadn’t listened. Even so, he picked up the thread that Remi tossed him, giving Loren an apologetic shrug as he spoke. ”We’ve learned a bit more about the Long Night monsters, at least. I don’t know how much of this we’re should be spreading around carelessly,” he cautioned. ”The last thing we need is a panic and another attempt to purge the Ascended with Long Night just around the corner.” He paused to take a breath, wondering if he could get away with just writing down what he knew and sending it to Loren later…
Hell. His handwriting was near-illegible at this point. ”The monsters are ancient Ascended. Or at least, early versions of them, courtesy of the Voice being a terrible parent. They're not completely physical anymore, which is probably why they can’t even stand starlight, but their souls have retained the use of their special abilities, and they’re all mad as the fucking Spire Demon. But when they mimic voices and faces of people it’s not magical illusion so much as… mechanical?” He looked to Remi for confirmation. ”Or whatever it is that drives the Ascended. So we probably need something that can counter that. Which at least you can test if you can find someone willing. Sam might… or even Bastien.”
He nodded at Remi’s other revelation, but though it was rude he slipped a silent, selfish thought across the Attuned bond. Can you make one for Rory? Please?
And then Loren made the magic happen, and the suggestion of storing a spell in an amulet had the bard raising a questioning brow, his curiosity – that most intrinsic trait of his soul – pushing past weariness as he looked between the two men. ”Spell-storing amulet?” he asked mildly. It was a moment of triumph until the Most Unfortunate Comment™ slipped out and Jigano stared at the scholar in open amazement. He slid a shocked glance to Remi, not bothering to use the Attuned link when his expression said quite plainly Did he really just say what I think he said? but then the world was moving on and Remi was moving back entirely against his will and they all had more important things to worry about.
Loren seemed well-versed in healing knowledge, so Jigano sat back on his heels, frowning slightly as Remi insisted on remaining hurt even when he was so clearly not okay. ”You’re bleeding,” he said, voice still deceptively mild. ”May we at least check for a concussion, please? Especially if that little weed just shot you full of lightning.” He looked back over his shoulder eyes narrowed as he studied the plant, which Isuma was faithfully guarding to make sure it didn’t try any more tricks. ”It looks… worse than before. A lot worse. That… that can’t be right. Can it?”
