loren
Loren wasn’t buying Jigano’s smile. For one, it was completely fake: as someone who habitually put up masks, it was easy for the Launceleyn to recognize them on others. For another, the bard still looked like a shadow of his former self, and the blight still lingered on, causing strange effects, both physical and mental. Still, the last thing the summoner wanted to do was cause the white-haired man more distress, so Loren did his best to relax.
Unfortunately, given everything going on in his life—as evidenced by the dark circles under his eyes and the fact that he’d lost all the weight he’d put on since his return—his best wasn’t very good. He continued to stare at Jigano with haunted eyes, not bothering to hide the tired expression. At the other man’s thanks, the summoner just tilted his head, surprise flickering over his features for a brief moment. ”You’re welcome.” His tone was still dark and low, but it had lost a bit of its edge.
At the mention of snow moss the Launceleyn shook his head. ”No, I didn’t.” Sure, he’d read about LongNight, but he’d been busy and had skimmed more of it than he should have. His eyes darted to the plant and the window before returning to the bard. ”What’s snow moss?” Reaching out, the summoner touched some of the fiber, shocked at how cold it was. He rubbed his fingers as he brought his hand back to his side.
Then a familiar head (to Loren, at least) poked her head into the infirmary. Astra was never far, unless she was sleeping or on those rare occasions that she actually listened to the Launceleyn and stayed home where it was comfortable. This time, she’d followed him to the temple, but had gotten distracted by admirers briefly. However, the luxere always returned to Loren’s side before too long, and today was no exception. She trotted forward and rubbed against his leg; for his part, he glanced down and smiled fleetingly at her, burying his fingers in the fur of her head and scratching behind her ears. Spending time with her was the only thing that brought the summoner joy these days, and she closed her eyes briefly in pleasure at his ministrations, before opening them and giving Jigano a curious look.
Unfortunately, given everything going on in his life—as evidenced by the dark circles under his eyes and the fact that he’d lost all the weight he’d put on since his return—his best wasn’t very good. He continued to stare at Jigano with haunted eyes, not bothering to hide the tired expression. At the other man’s thanks, the summoner just tilted his head, surprise flickering over his features for a brief moment. ”You’re welcome.” His tone was still dark and low, but it had lost a bit of its edge.
At the mention of snow moss the Launceleyn shook his head. ”No, I didn’t.” Sure, he’d read about LongNight, but he’d been busy and had skimmed more of it than he should have. His eyes darted to the plant and the window before returning to the bard. ”What’s snow moss?” Reaching out, the summoner touched some of the fiber, shocked at how cold it was. He rubbed his fingers as he brought his hand back to his side.
Then a familiar head (to Loren, at least) poked her head into the infirmary. Astra was never far, unless she was sleeping or on those rare occasions that she actually listened to the Launceleyn and stayed home where it was comfortable. This time, she’d followed him to the temple, but had gotten distracted by admirers briefly. However, the luxere always returned to Loren’s side before too long, and today was no exception. She trotted forward and rubbed against his leg; for his part, he glanced down and smiled fleetingly at her, burying his fingers in the fur of her head and scratching behind her ears. Spending time with her was the only thing that brought the summoner joy these days, and she closed her eyes briefly in pleasure at his ministrations, before opening them and giving Jigano a curious look.
Never judge a book by its cover.
