He nodded, smiling ruefully at the stiffness of the courtesies between two strangers. Perhaps this time around they would find a way to build more than just a passing professional nod, but the foundations would have to begin somewhere. Sam had not been glowing in his description of his family and his past, but he had also been vague, and people could change as they grew. Jigano was willing to see who Evie was on her own terms, and not simply as his friend's sister.
That she offered to help factored in no small amount as well, of course.
"It's no easy burden to carry," he agreed quietly, his smile fading to a tightness around his eyes, a haunted look passing through them for a moment. "The gods of this world... treat it very differently than the ones where I was from." Safrin's cold galactic gaze and the chains that had bound him in the space between stars as she bared the hypocrisy in his soul was not something that would leave him anytime soon, if ever. He suppressed a shiver, offering her an apologetic smile as he shifted to give her a better angle on the bird.
The raven responded to his nudge through the Attuned link to certain animals, leaning more into his supporting hands so Evie could reach the wing and see it clearly. Jigano's eyes narrowed as he saw the tremble in her hands and - was that a glow about them? No, not a glow but... he swore he could feel the energy she gathered there as it flowed into the wounded raven. She smoothed away the pulled muscles and torn skin, strengthening what had been damaged when the bird had fallen afoul of a hunting hawk.
"I..." he started to say, then stopped again, the words catching in his throat as he shifted his hand carefully, shaking no less than Evie was as he stroked his fingers over the wing. There. "It's..." Warmth gathered in the tips of his fingers, tugged towards the wound he could still feel. Evie's magic had laid the groundwork, leaving only the break itself behind, but Jigano could sense the lines of it, how the slim, hollow bones fit together - how they should fit together - and as he exhaled the heat in his hand was drawn into the wing, knitting it back to wholeness.
He gasped, hand jerking back in surprise, and the Attuned control he had been holding shattered. The raven launched herself from his lap, cawing her agitation but flying strongly to a nearby tree and leaving him staring at Evie in speechless shock and confusion.
That she offered to help factored in no small amount as well, of course.
"It's no easy burden to carry," he agreed quietly, his smile fading to a tightness around his eyes, a haunted look passing through them for a moment. "The gods of this world... treat it very differently than the ones where I was from." Safrin's cold galactic gaze and the chains that had bound him in the space between stars as she bared the hypocrisy in his soul was not something that would leave him anytime soon, if ever. He suppressed a shiver, offering her an apologetic smile as he shifted to give her a better angle on the bird.
The raven responded to his nudge through the Attuned link to certain animals, leaning more into his supporting hands so Evie could reach the wing and see it clearly. Jigano's eyes narrowed as he saw the tremble in her hands and - was that a glow about them? No, not a glow but... he swore he could feel the energy she gathered there as it flowed into the wounded raven. She smoothed away the pulled muscles and torn skin, strengthening what had been damaged when the bird had fallen afoul of a hunting hawk.
"I..." he started to say, then stopped again, the words catching in his throat as he shifted his hand carefully, shaking no less than Evie was as he stroked his fingers over the wing. There. "It's..." Warmth gathered in the tips of his fingers, tugged towards the wound he could still feel. Evie's magic had laid the groundwork, leaving only the break itself behind, but Jigano could sense the lines of it, how the slim, hollow bones fit together - how they should fit together - and as he exhaled the heat in his hand was drawn into the wing, knitting it back to wholeness.
He gasped, hand jerking back in surprise, and the Attuned control he had been holding shattered. The raven launched herself from his lap, cawing her agitation but flying strongly to a nearby tree and leaving him staring at Evie in speechless shock and confusion.
