Her smile faded, and Jigano knew that he had hurt her with his careless flaws. He couldn't blame this on the blight, but on his own frustrations and the clash of personalities he struck with his sister's lover. It was on his head, though, not hers, and he drew a deep breath, berating himself for his selfishness. "He is welcome to come, too," he made himself say, keeping his voice gentle. "Of course he is, if having him there will make you happier." They would just have to hope that the blight in his veins had subsided enough that he did not ruin the night by letting his temper flare against the Sword in the middle of their meal - or after it. Deimos might have been no more a friend of Rory's than he was of Jigano's, but the bard knew that the hunter would be disappointed in him for turning away someone their sister cared for so deeply.
He missed Amalia's own wince, and knew nothing of her suspicions that he had locked the book away from her. The book had been hidden from Zariah and her minions, and then returned but kept safe behind lock and key lest either the ex-Queen's sympathizers (or an Ascended on a mission from their questionable goddess) tried to wrap greedy fingers around it. As much as he wanted to trust Sam implicitly, and the redhead had given his word that he would do nothing against the Guild, even at his goddess's behest...
Well. After the blight, Jigano was not so able nor inclined to trust the Ascended as he once had been. That Amalia had been locked out as well had not been his intention, but there would be no chance to clear up that misunderstanding at the moment. He simply stepped back from the Book, gesturing for Amalia to take his place in front of it as he gave a slight shake of his head. "It says what Safrin told us in the Glade. I haven't looked for any more information on her than we knew then... but if we missed anything, this is the only place I can think of where we might find it again." The only problem was that the book was written in an unknown language, one that even the bard, who prided himself on his linguistic skills, could barely make a dent in deciphering. Perhaps Amalia would have better luck though, or one of Remi's handy magical items that might help.
He missed Amalia's own wince, and knew nothing of her suspicions that he had locked the book away from her. The book had been hidden from Zariah and her minions, and then returned but kept safe behind lock and key lest either the ex-Queen's sympathizers (or an Ascended on a mission from their questionable goddess) tried to wrap greedy fingers around it. As much as he wanted to trust Sam implicitly, and the redhead had given his word that he would do nothing against the Guild, even at his goddess's behest...
Well. After the blight, Jigano was not so able nor inclined to trust the Ascended as he once had been. That Amalia had been locked out as well had not been his intention, but there would be no chance to clear up that misunderstanding at the moment. He simply stepped back from the Book, gesturing for Amalia to take his place in front of it as he gave a slight shake of his head. "It says what Safrin told us in the Glade. I haven't looked for any more information on her than we knew then... but if we missed anything, this is the only place I can think of where we might find it again." The only problem was that the book was written in an unknown language, one that even the bard, who prided himself on his linguistic skills, could barely make a dent in deciphering. Perhaps Amalia would have better luck though, or one of Remi's handy magical items that might help.
