Ghost story (open)

He had arrived in a group but had entered alone. A choice he made, knowing that he had burned several bridges already this week, and not wanting to make things harder on those who had already suffered so much. As far as he knew there were no bodies here - nor would there be, after what had happened to the Guild hall and the risk that the monsters might have come in on the corpses of the fallen. Wessex wouldn't allow it, he was sure, and given what had occurred?

She was probably right.

At the moment he wanted time to think and process. He had been a regular sight in the Infirmary once, welcome for both his knowledge of medicine and his music to cheer the sick and wounded. That had been... what? Half a year ago, now? And when his feet brought him into the cold stone hall it was the echoes of last LongNight that rose around him rather than the more recent memories.

Rory, burned and bleeding, dying before Vai had patched him together enough to hold body and soul in one piece. Amalia, dead but for the same healer's touch bringing her back from beyond the brink. A white fox curled at his hunter's side, willing to trade anything to see blue eyes open again and a smile on those wolfish lips.

Jigano shook his head to dispel the ancient specters, moving past the office that had once been Isla's, had once been Vai's, and deeper into the Infirmary itself. He had helped Isla bring medical books from the Atheneum here, so very long ago, and his fingers trailed over that bookcase now, catching on the spine of a book that brought a twist of a smile to his lips.

Surgical Knots and Suturing, a respectable tome he had never needed to open due to the hands-on lessons Isla had given him. He pulled it out on a whim, flipping it open to see if it had pictures--

And barely caught the slim little folio that fell out from between its pages, the title faded to obscurity, the paper brittle to the touch. He hesitated for a moment before putting the medical text back and moving to an empty cot, settling his lantern so it shed some light on things and fishing around for the chain at his neck that held the Broken Spectacles. Settling them on his nose he opened the book and began to read...

Well. Guess Amun was stuck in the Temple again. The Guild had burned down before the Ascended had gotten the chance to explore it, and once again he was reminded that he was fucking sick and tired of Caido’s bullshit. LongNight had to end soon, but for now, the potter was bored and restless. Having learned the folly of wandering outside, however, he was confining himself to the indoors, which sucked.

Even part of the Temple had burned down: apparently that prick Loren had set the Rathskellar on fire before Amun had a chance to explore the tavern. Seeing as options were severely limited, he once more found his feet carrying him to the Infirmary. At least last time he’d been there the conversation had been tolerable.

Once he entered, he obviously noticed the tall man with the beautiful hair. The Ascended’s lips quirked up into a grin; this was already proving promising, and he found himself sauntering and putting on his best smolder. ”If I’d known the Infirmary had such handsome nurses, I would have come here much sooner.” Indeed, the other man’s body was muscular and strong and he was tall; combined with the hair and the strong, if not pretty features, the whole look was quite striking. ”What do I have to do to get a check-up from you, White?” The potter winked at the taller man. Although the tall, light, and handsome stranger was reading a book, Amun figured he could find a better use for the other man’s dexterous looking fingers. The spectacles gave the stranger a kinda hot librarian vibe, and the potter was into pretty much anyone and anything that might result in a fun time.

LongNight had certainly been quite the ordeal thus far, with slices of Caido quite literally going up in flames and a body count to accompany it. Aonghas had decided to retreat to the Infirmary, if only for the lack of anywhere else to go, and with the Rathskeller gone nipping down for a drink was no longer an option. Nonetheless he needed to move just for the sake of doing something. Perhaps he could help out in some way? Even if he wasn’t trained in medicine he still had two working hands and could take orders if someone was hurt and in need of assistance.

As he walked he noted two figures ahead of him and began to quicken his pace.

"Oh-Sorry! Am I… interrupting?" Aonghas caught the tail end of what the dark haired man had said and realised he may have tromped in on something he hadn’t intended to. He looked between the two men with an embarrassed look on his face, and then internally judged both the time and place for such a come on. Then again… each to their own, who am I to judge.

But then it dawned on him that he recognised the man with the shock white hair as one who had come in with the group from the darkness outside. He hadn’t paid as much attention to the faces of any of them who entered but Jigano was certainly distinctive enough to remember.

”You.” He said suddenly. ”You came from… Out there…” Aonghas’ voice dropped to a much quieter volume before finishing. He stood dumbly for a moment before adjusting his posture to resemble less of an apprehensive child and more like something with an actual spine.

He heard the footsteps distantly, caught up in the journal he’d found for the moment, scanning and putting the images to memory. There was a chance it was just a nurse passing by, after all, but a sultry voice purred out nearby and he raised his gaze in mild surprise at the interruption.

And oh, what an interruption it was. Slim, handsome, perhaps a little older than him, though not by much… short and laying it on so thick he was going to need one of Deimos’s face masks just to breathe in another minute. Even in the depths of grief for his lost friends and the stress of LongNight he found the energy to arch a pale brow at Amun ‘s unsubtle flirtation, wracking his memory for a name to put with the face…

”An introduction would be a good place to start,” he said mildly. ”A little more effort in your nicknames would be ano—“ He cut off as a second man approached, pale where the first man was dark, of middling height and similar age. Another stranger, but at least this one wasn’t quite so hormonal. The white haired man nodded soberly to the question, watching Aonghas ‘s shift in posture curiously.

Well. This was turning into a proper party – if such a thing were possible on LongNight. Jigano tucked the folio into his belt beside the white lantern that glowed on a hook there, and offered both men a shallow bow. ”I did indeed,” he answered as he rose. ”I don’t believe I’ve made either of your acquaintances before. My name is Jigano, master of the Loreseekers Guild. And I would guess you are both recent arrivals to Caido?” He might not have his fingers in as many pies as he used to, but he still had a good eye for telling apart those who had lived within the barrier all their lives and those who had never known it.

Well, the white-haired man didn’t seem all that amused by Amun’s antics. Still, the other man wasn’t totally immune to the Ascended’s charms, given that there hadn’t been an outright rejection. ”I’m much more interested in how we finish.” The potter waggled his eyebrows, then smirked as the white-haired man man a comment that was just begging for a flirtatious response, even if it was cut off. ”Are you worth the effort, then?” Hopefully, with a body like that, the answer was yes.

Then they both turned to face the latest arrival. Amun’s smirk morphed into a wicked grin (one that exposed his fangs) when he saw that it was another handsome man. ”Not at all. The more the merrier.” The potter winked at the newcomer just to make the implication clear, who was a tall and handsome blonde. This was the Ascended’s lucky day, it seemed. As the tall blonde gave his dumbfounded response to the white-haired man, the potter chuckled, the sound dark and low. ”I came in from the outside as well. Do I get a special greeting too?” He winked again for good measure.

Then the white-haired man got all formal. At the shallow bow, the Ascended smirked again, before dropping into an impudent curtsy. ”Amun Arlun, at your service. It is a pleasure to meet you both.” There, introduction done. Now they could get to the fun part. ”Master, huh? Sounds important. Tell me more.” As much as the potter was looking for a good time, he was also nominally supposed to be getting to know everyone who was everyone. As for the guess as to his status, Amun just grinned. ”Guilty. You wanna show us newcomers the ropes, Master?” He batted his eyelashes at the white-haired man, though his eyes held a wicked and mischievous gleam.

Aonghas cast a sidelong glance to the man Jigano had initially been addressing. Amun really was laying it on thick. Aonghas watched him with quiet amusement, wondering how far his efforts would get him. In his own experience subtlety got you everywhere.

As for a special greeting he shook his head and gave a short chuckle, he wouldn’t have counted his stating the obvious to Jigano as special nor a greeting. But he took Amun’s declaration seriously and gave him a solemn look. ”Ah, I see.”

After awaiting both introductions before giving as gracious an introduction as he could with a slow bow of his head. A stray blonde curl fell over his eyes as he gazed up to address them both.
 
”A pleasure to meet you both. My name is Aonghas, and I do regret to say I hold no formal titles in this land.” A well-meaning grin played on his lips as he spoke.  
 
Aonghas had heard things of the master of the Loreseekers Guild before, and seen formal notices requesting assistance… but this was the first he’d actually seen him in person. If anything he seemed a little different to how he had imaged. In honesty he seemed fairly young. But then again, who was he to speak? His own years had been kind to the mortal body he found himself in upon arriving in Caido.
 
He had been sure he had seen Amun before… When he had first come to the temple. But then he disappeared. Perhaps he had been one of those foolish enough to go outside into the dreaded darkness, guided by Gods knows what. If he were, however, Aonghas held a quiet admiration for anyone to go out and brave the wrath of those beasties. Not that he let on of course.

They had both been outside and his own curiosity had stirred up a few questions.

Aonghas had nodded when Jiagno asked if they were newcomers. He had kept to himself in the month he had been a resident of Caido. Choosing to process his new circumstances over branching out, but now he realised that he had perhaps kept to himself long enough. ”Ah yes, forgive my ignorance but some insight into the Loreseekers would be appreciated.” He followed up Amun’s question.

People were dead, LongNight still wasn’t over, and the stranger seemed to determine to channel the ghost of Edrei. Once such games of innuendo and innocence would have entertained Jigano immensely, enjoying the wordplay with a friend who knew his boundaries. She might have enjoyed pushing them, but she had never crossed them, something he had appreciated without even realizing it. This Amun, though, neither knew him nor had any sense of timing, and Jigano eyed him with increasingly cool distance as Amun pressed upon patience that was in short supply. Apparently the man could not take a hint and was unacquainted with subtlety.

He was momentarily saved from answering by Aonghas’s arrival, and Jigano was almost amused to see that Amun had a similar effect on the blond stranger. Amun’s curtsy was met with a slight tilt of the bard’s chin, and Aonghas’s far more formal introduction with an answering nod. Amun’s continued attempts at flirting – coming on far too strong for Jigano’s taste even if he wasn’t already in a committed relationship - brought the raise of the eyebrow back, however, and the Provost reached up to remove his spectacles, tucking them away again against his heart as he observed both gentlemen.

”LongNight tends to give people enough rope to hang themselves with,” he said mildly to Amun. ”And those who make too much noise or taunt the darkness too blatantly rarely survive the fall that follows. I suggest you ask Phoebe Steadman what happens to those who flaunt their pairings too brazenly during LongNight. Flowerbirth and Fiat Lux will arrive soon enough. I’m sure you’ll find partners aplenty during the celebrations then.”

Something that might almost have been a smile flickered at the corner of his lips before it faded, the memory of his lover beneath the moonlight superseded by the worries he felt for having left Rory alone in the dark on the most dangerous week of the year. Aonghas’s question was a welcome distraction, and he straightened his shoulders a little as he was asked about his Guild. ”My guild is a place for those who are driven by curiosity,” he explained with another flicker of a smile, one that remained this time though it was shadowed by sorrow. ”We seek out information – old, forgotten lore in the Atheneum’s tomes, and new knowledge of the world as we explore it, from the Greatwood to the Underground. Some of our number are librarians and chroniclers, preferring the somewhat-safer research in old books while others are adventurers who roam out into the world and catalogue new animals and plants, people and threats as we encounter them. We then bring all of what we learn together into the Guild chronicles and journals, collecting them in one place so that those with questions can come to us for answers – or, if we don’t have those answers already to hand, they can commission us to go find them.” He paused, tilting his head to the side and waiting to see if his audience had further questions for him before he said more.

Aonghas, didn’t respond all that much to the Ascended’s words or actions, but that was fine. Given how prudish most of the people in the Hollowed Grounds seemed to be, he was well used to carrying the bulk of the conversational burden, and of making his own fun. ”What about informal titles?” There were all sorts of epithets he’d be happy to assign to the other newcomer. First though, a lecture was apparently in order.

Wow. Jigano was a stuck-up asshole who couldn’t stand even some harmless flirtation, apparently. So much for subtlety. Still, Amun just gave the white-haired man an easy grin, not at all bothered. ”A simple ‘no thank you, not interested’, would have sufficed, Master.” Wasting all those words and all that breath—and not even issuing a firm refusal among it—was completely unnecessary. The Ascended could take a hint, respected boundaries when they were actually set, and wouldn’t go where he was unwelcome or press where he shouldn’t. However, he wasn’t a mind reader.

Filing away the name Phoebe Steadman for later, the potter focused on the rest of what the white-haired man said. ”What is Fiat Lux?” Flowerbirth was the next season, Amun had gathered, but the other strange name Jigano had mentioned was new to the Ascended. Partners was obviously intriguing.

Exploration, though, caught the potter's full attenion. ”What do you know about the Greatwood?” Cataloguing information sounded downright dull to Amun, but going new places was of great interest. From the sound of it, Ascended weren’t welcome in the home of the Fae, so this was a prime opportunity to find out why and how he could get past that. Besides, the Hollowed Ground were fucking boring, and Amun needed an escape as soon as LongNight ended.

Aonghas laughed at Amun’s follow up. He was quick, he’d give him that. ”No informal titles either. Not yet anyway.” He smirked.

As Jigano explained the purpose of the guild Aonghas found himself mentally filing away the tidbits of information that the Loreseeker offered up. It was good to know that there was a group that he could approach for information on Caido, although it was clear there was still so much to be discovered - information regarding the monsters outside for example. But it didn’t sound like it were solely a job for scholars and that intrigued him.

Not that he could state that he was someone driven by curiosity per se, but he definitely enjoyed not feeling so entirely in the dark about the unusual world he found himself in. ”It sounds like your guild is quite the asset. Perhaps I’ll find myself at your door soon enough.” In the middle of LongNight didn’t seem like the best time to be touting for work, so Aonghas gave a courteous smile and pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind.

As he had gently commended Jigano on his guild’s impressive sounding resume, he noticed the expression on the Provost’s face. Clearly this had been a trying LongNight for many. He thought of perhaps asking both of men about what exactly happened outside but as he opened his mouth Amun chimed in with questions more relevant to what Jigano had told them. So instead Aonghas closed his mouth again to give an intent ear for the impending answers.

Given how hard Amun had been trying, Jigano wasn’t certain a simple ‘no, thank you’ would have sufficed. He shook his head at Amun’s continued use of ‘Master’ with a sigh, however. ”Two of my friends have already died this night, and I don’t know if the man I love is alive or not at this moment. So you will perhaps understand why I’m not in the mood for games or flirtations right now,” was all he said.

Aonghas’s question was a welcome distraction, and a chance to talk about something dear to him, even if it was tied to Caiside’s death. Jigano answered it as best he could, falling back into something like his old rhythm, and the blond stranger’s compliment was met with a solemn gracious tilt of the Provost’s head in appreciation. ”You would be welcome,” he said gravely, thinking wistfully of how empty the hall had been of late.

How much emptier it would be without Caiside’s steps upon the stairs.

Before he could fall back into melancholy Amun was speaking again, asking questions as newly arrived Outlanders tended to do, and the sad smile returned for a moment as the bard fell back into one of his earliest roles on Caido: sharing the information he was learning each day with others unfamiliar with the lay of the land. ”The next season is called Flowerbirth rather than spring as it was on my world,” he began by way of introduction. ”Once the dead are accounted for and the settlement is cleaned up from the ravages of LongNight, the survivors gather together to throw a celebration of the new year and surviving the past one. It lasts several days and goes without ceasing, all day and all night, with music and dancing and games and stalls of food and drink. It’s a festival of renewal, dedicated to the god Frey, and because it is a festival of Frey there tends to be a… loosening of inhibitions, shall we say?” He tilted his head at Amun in wry acknowledgment. ”A spry individual with clever words and good dance moves should have no trouble finding willing partners… both on and off the dancing greens.” There was much more, of course, but it was a start to give them openings to ask other questions if they had them, and he looked between the two men with a brow arched to invite them to ask away.

”We can discuss the Greatwood once you’ve had your fill of Fiat Lux,” he added, to let Amun know he hadn’t forgotten his second question but didn’t want the conversation thread getting too timey wimey.

Well, at least Aonghas appreciated some of the Ascended’s humor. Amun grinned at the other newcomer. ”Well. We’ll just have to find something suitable. I’d be happy to help you out with that.” Winking, the potter turned a lazy smile to Jigano, who was not at all amused by any of those antics. ”I’m sorry to hear that, but is brooding and wallowing going to bring them back or help your lover? Why not celebrate their lives instead of mourning their deaths?” At this point, Amun wasn’t even flirting. He was just trying to get Jigano to loosen up.

It seemed like that would be a losing battle though.

However, the discussion of partying and loosened inhibitions was a good start. Finally, something in Caido that sounded fun. Jigano had already admitted that he had a lover, so the potter turned his attention to Aonghas. ”Sounds like my kind of party. Will I see you out there, Untitled?” Amun winked at the other newcomer before glancin at the Master of the Loreseekers. ”And you and your lover, Broody?” When speaking to Aonghas, the Ascended held more than a little bit of heat, but it disappeared entirely for Jigano. See? Boundaries.

Although the potter was disappointed that the white-haired man failed to reveal more about the Greatwood, Amun didn’t let it show. Instead, he just nodded. That didn’t stop him from making plans to visit the guildhall; while he wasn’t much one for research, he figured he could sweet talk someone into giving him the information he wanted.

Jigano’s direct disclosure of his loss tonight took Aonghas off guard. He wasn’t entirely sure how Jigano would take Amun’s response either so he found himself tensing up and looking between the two, expecting some escalation. In a way he found it easier to see where Amun was coming from if only for the simple fact that there had been an afterlife in the land he had come from. Not to mention that as he had been a spirit himself who hadn’t garnered much empathy for the grief of others, this type of interaction hadn’t been the kind he normally inserted himself into. Yet there had been something in what Jigano said that had struck him oddly, and made him actually feel something. However, he stayed quiet for now and turned his attention to Amun with a tight smile when he addressed him.

”We had similar festivities for changing of the seasons where I am from too… I tended not to miss them.” He responded with an arched brow and an impish smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

More festivals dedicated to fickle Gods.

He didn’t let his disdain show on his face. However Aonghas wondered idly, about which God the monsters baying at their doors answered to.

It was when Amun mentioned Jigano’s lover that made Aonghas furrow his brow slightly. A memory of holding a sickly hand and the sound of rasping breaths had flashed to the forefront of his mind. He gently shook his head. Those memories were best left back where he came from.  

Looking to Jigano again he found himself speaking with the utmost sincerity, ”I hope when this ordeal comes to pass that you find your partner safe and well. I’m sorry for your loss this night.”

He followed up with a blessing in his native tongue, in a quiet tone more out of superstitious habit than anything else. “Sith do d' anam, is Clach air do Chàrn” Peace to your soul, and a stone on your cairn.

"Thank you, for the information on the festival. It’s good to be up to date on traditions here. At least something far more pleasant than LongNight, to have our minds set to.” Aonghas followed up, putting himself back on track with what the Loreseeker had told them both.

Amun’s lack of empathy for the dead was a palpable weight in the air, and the bard frowned as he glanced over to one of the shielded windows. Beyond them, outside in the dark, creatures prowled who had already burned one building to the ground. ”Because celebrating right now could get more people killed,” he pointed out, frowning slightly at the little man. Given that their last sheltering building had just burned down, any lovers caught distracted in the act would have been killed along with the monster infestation. Given that the Rathskeller had apparently burned in a similar manner the Temple was far from impregnable from a repeat of that act.

Aonghas’s kindness was a stark contrast to Amun’s callousness, and the frown lifted as he offered the blond a gracious nod of acknowledgment. ”Thank you,” he murmured, both to the expression he understood and to the strange language that sounded like some sort of benediction.

Talk of Fiat Lux was a welcome distraction of a lighter note, though Amun’s insistence on nicknames was an unexpectedly immature habit in one who looked old enough to past such childishness. Jigano simply ignored the jab, nodding slightly. ”Indeed. Last year I provided some of the music, and likely will again.” If Amun thought that the bard was broody, he’d be in for a shock when he met Rory prowling the lanes of the festival. Aonghas’s thanks were welcome, and Jigano found a flicker of a crooked smile for the slender man. ”That’s certainly one of the reasons for it. The rest of the year – Flowerbirth, Longheat, and Leafchange – have their traditions and festivals and things to look forward to. There is little time for celebration in Deepfrost, though, when everyone is making preparations that can be the difference between life and death.”

He might have mentioned the magna vermis or the plants with teeth, but some things were better seen – or tasted – than merely described. Instead, since they’d asked no further questions about the spring festival, he tilted his head at Amun in invitation. ”Now, what is it about the Greatwood that you want to know?”

Amun didn’t lack empathy for the dead. He just knew there was nothing the living could do for them now. So as Jigano sent pointed words and a frown the Ascended’s way, he just grinned, not at all worried about the other man’s reaction. ”So you’re a screamer, then?” His voice came out gently teasing. ”Worrying could get people killed too. Opening doors, not opening doors, staying silent, making some noise, staying inside, going outside, that all could get people killed. Everything can get people killed. So you may as well live a little while you still have the chance.” The potter glanced at Aonghas. ”I, for one, know how to celebrate responsibly and quietly.”

Still staring at the other newcomer, Amun winked when Aonghas mentioned that he tended not to miss festivities. Then the potter turned to both men. ”Well. I’ll be there, dancing and looking for willing partners.” The Ascended’s eyes flicked towards the white-haired man. ”Willing partners, Broody. Don’t worry.” Indeed, the potter never went where he wasn’t welcome. "Looking forward to hearing you play though." He liked music, even if he wasn't a skilled musician. Still, what he lacked in talent he made up for in enthusiasm and a deep knowledge of sea shanties, which didn't usually require a great deal of vocal skill.

As the conversation swung back around to LongNight and the necessity for everyone to be serious and somber, Amun fell silent. He’d already expressed his views on that particular subject. However, they’d made all their preparations—what little good that had done in the end—and nothing more could be done to keep people alive. Besides, he knew from personal experience that fun could still be had during LongNight. So all this 'must be completely and deadly serious at all times or we might all die in horrible ways' was complete and total nonsense. It was the white-haired man's choice to be that way. But there were other paths.

When Jigano brought up the Greatwood though, the potter’s eyebrows rose. He’d thought that conversation topic was waiting until Flowerbirth. However, he wouldn’t pass up this opportunity: whatever else the white-haired man was, he was clearly knowledgeable. ”I’ve heard the Fae don’t tolerate outsiders. Any tips on how to win them over?” That seemed to be the most important piece of information to know for now.{/b}