The white sheep of the family
The other man’s reaction was swift and obvious; Loren held up his hands in a placating gesture to show that he meant the stranger no harm. ”Sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you.” Thankfully either the summoner’s words or posture broke through to the unfamiliar man, who dropped his defensive stance. Up close, the Launceleyn could see that the stranger was boyishly handsome, and around the summoner’s age. He could also see that the stranger was not properly dressed for the cold, and yet not at all bothered by that fact.
Loren, on the other hand, was bundled up in a fur-lined cloak and thick leathers, and even then he shivered and his nose ran. So the stranger was likely an Ascended then. ”Oh? Is that so? I’m sorry to hear that.” And from that awkward comment about not really seeing people, the summoner guessed the other man was likely a new arrival: somehow, Loren seemed to be running into quite a few of those these days. On the one hand, he was getting quite good at the welcome spiel. On the other hand, he really wished that someone more well-versed in the goings on of the Hollowed Grounds was responsible for integrating newcomers.
Still, as always, the summoner would do his best. ”It’s nice to meet you Renaud.” As the other man flashed Loren a smile—which also confirmed Renaud’s Ascended status—the librarian smiled back. ”And I don’t know about completely irrelevant. But you will. Get used to it, that is. I did.” Of course, the Launceleyn hadn’t necessarily wanted his titles. But the other man didn’t need to know that.
And it appeared that Loren’s other guess (that Renaud was new to this world) was correct as well. Giving the other man another small smile, the summoner double checked that his own Rose was completely planted and ready to thrive before he launched into the explanation. ”Welcome to Caido, then. And I can offer more than an insight. First you already know you’re in Caido, which is an excellent start. Has anyone explained to you what that means?” Loren didn’t want to go over it all if Renaud had already been given the relevant information.
”As for the Roses…” The summoner’s voice trailed off, and he bit his lip, wondering how much information to give the other man. Mentioning the blight seemed like a bad idea, so Loren would stick to an abbreviated and incomplete story. ”The gods occasionally require their mortal followers to perform tasks for them. In this case, that involves planting and protecting these Roses in the locations you see in your mind. The reason they just appeared there is because that’s how this particular god chose to communicate with you.” That was all true. It was just a horribly incomplete truth.
Loren, on the other hand, was bundled up in a fur-lined cloak and thick leathers, and even then he shivered and his nose ran. So the stranger was likely an Ascended then. ”Oh? Is that so? I’m sorry to hear that.” And from that awkward comment about not really seeing people, the summoner guessed the other man was likely a new arrival: somehow, Loren seemed to be running into quite a few of those these days. On the one hand, he was getting quite good at the welcome spiel. On the other hand, he really wished that someone more well-versed in the goings on of the Hollowed Grounds was responsible for integrating newcomers.
Still, as always, the summoner would do his best. ”It’s nice to meet you Renaud.” As the other man flashed Loren a smile—which also confirmed Renaud’s Ascended status—the librarian smiled back. ”And I don’t know about completely irrelevant. But you will. Get used to it, that is. I did.” Of course, the Launceleyn hadn’t necessarily wanted his titles. But the other man didn’t need to know that.
And it appeared that Loren’s other guess (that Renaud was new to this world) was correct as well. Giving the other man another small smile, the summoner double checked that his own Rose was completely planted and ready to thrive before he launched into the explanation. ”Welcome to Caido, then. And I can offer more than an insight. First you already know you’re in Caido, which is an excellent start. Has anyone explained to you what that means?” Loren didn’t want to go over it all if Renaud had already been given the relevant information.
”As for the Roses…” The summoner’s voice trailed off, and he bit his lip, wondering how much information to give the other man. Mentioning the blight seemed like a bad idea, so Loren would stick to an abbreviated and incomplete story. ”The gods occasionally require their mortal followers to perform tasks for them. In this case, that involves planting and protecting these Roses in the locations you see in your mind. The reason they just appeared there is because that’s how this particular god chose to communicate with you.” That was all true. It was just a horribly incomplete truth.
Will blood tell
