loren
Jigano was dead wrong about at least one thing in this conversation. ”Enough did. Or they believed her when she told them I’d run off with someone.” Though Loren tried his best to keep his voice flat, he couldn’t prevent sorrow from creeping into his tone; Remi, at least had believed the summoner’s cousin and that was pretty much the only person whose opinion mattered here. Well, Loren had disabused the alchemist of that particular notion in a spectacularly disastrous way, and now they weren’t talking.
It was probably for the best.
The summoner wasn’t ready to learn that lesson, at least not yet: in his mind, he’d failed before and needed to do what little he could to make up for his past mistakes. It would be impossible to do so, at least not completely, so he just stubbornly forged ahead. ”Those people would be wrong.” That was pretty much the only response he was able to muster, because somewhere deep within the Launceleyn couldn’t entirely disagree with the bard.
The white-haired man was right, Loren didn’t have to keep his family name. But that wouldn’t change who he was. And there were other considerations. ”Because I’m not the only Launceleyn left. I’m just the last best hope we have to do good in the world, to help instead of harm.” He’d rather make a new legacy out of the ashes of his family than discard it entirely. Maybe that way Beatrix and Jace and Peter could avoid making the same mistakes he had. ”I don’t let it control me. But it is a part of me. And...if I don’t constantly remind myself of that, I’m afraid that I might...might succumb to the darkness in my blood.” Hesitating, he bit his lip, because there was still more to say. ”Besides, I fought and bled and went through hell because of my family. If I just...get rid of it, then I will be acknowledging that all the pain, all the torture, that it was all for naught.” And that might break him entirely.
Yeah, Jigano scoffing and then bringing up Remi did not help the Launceleyn’s mood. ”I was for a while.” Weak, at least, and he certainly felt like an idiot, for doing everything within his power to try and get his family to value him. He was still getting used to the fact that he was now one of the more powerful mages in the Hollowed Grounds, with access to spells no one else had; while he’d been the left hand of the family for an incredibly brief period in Northaven, that hadn’t quite sunk in and he still shied away from the wonder in people’s eyes when he summoned a beast of legend.
Luckily, there was quite a bit in the white-haired man’s statement to distract Loren. And it was a very welcome distraction indeed. He cared less about the bard’s decision to follow in his mother’s footsteps and more about what that actually meant. ”Alright, so a couple of follow-ups. First, what is an oracle?” Though the Launceleyn had heard of the prophets of old, and met masters of mysticism, it seemed there was something more to what Jigano was saying. ”Next, what are the mysteries of lore and what is a lorekeeper?” Loren knew about the guild in Caido, but again, it didn’t seem to be exactly the same thing as the bard was describing. ”Finally, what are the bardic magics.” Strangely enough, for the first time in this conversation, there was an eagerness in the summoner’s voice; he was always intrigued by the possibility of discussing new magics, especially ones he’d never heard of.
It was probably for the best.
The summoner wasn’t ready to learn that lesson, at least not yet: in his mind, he’d failed before and needed to do what little he could to make up for his past mistakes. It would be impossible to do so, at least not completely, so he just stubbornly forged ahead. ”Those people would be wrong.” That was pretty much the only response he was able to muster, because somewhere deep within the Launceleyn couldn’t entirely disagree with the bard.
The white-haired man was right, Loren didn’t have to keep his family name. But that wouldn’t change who he was. And there were other considerations. ”Because I’m not the only Launceleyn left. I’m just the last best hope we have to do good in the world, to help instead of harm.” He’d rather make a new legacy out of the ashes of his family than discard it entirely. Maybe that way Beatrix and Jace and Peter could avoid making the same mistakes he had. ”I don’t let it control me. But it is a part of me. And...if I don’t constantly remind myself of that, I’m afraid that I might...might succumb to the darkness in my blood.” Hesitating, he bit his lip, because there was still more to say. ”Besides, I fought and bled and went through hell because of my family. If I just...get rid of it, then I will be acknowledging that all the pain, all the torture, that it was all for naught.” And that might break him entirely.
Yeah, Jigano scoffing and then bringing up Remi did not help the Launceleyn’s mood. ”I was for a while.” Weak, at least, and he certainly felt like an idiot, for doing everything within his power to try and get his family to value him. He was still getting used to the fact that he was now one of the more powerful mages in the Hollowed Grounds, with access to spells no one else had; while he’d been the left hand of the family for an incredibly brief period in Northaven, that hadn’t quite sunk in and he still shied away from the wonder in people’s eyes when he summoned a beast of legend.
Luckily, there was quite a bit in the white-haired man’s statement to distract Loren. And it was a very welcome distraction indeed. He cared less about the bard’s decision to follow in his mother’s footsteps and more about what that actually meant. ”Alright, so a couple of follow-ups. First, what is an oracle?” Though the Launceleyn had heard of the prophets of old, and met masters of mysticism, it seemed there was something more to what Jigano was saying. ”Next, what are the mysteries of lore and what is a lorekeeper?” Loren knew about the guild in Caido, but again, it didn’t seem to be exactly the same thing as the bard was describing. ”Finally, what are the bardic magics.” Strangely enough, for the first time in this conversation, there was an eagerness in the summoner’s voice; he was always intrigued by the possibility of discussing new magics, especially ones he’d never heard of.
Never judge a book by its cover.
