”What do you think that being Attuned will allow you to do that your magic won’t allow?” He asked curiously, probing gently for the underlying reasons for Oliver’s wish as they finally began to unravel down to the heart of the matter. Naturals viewed the Abandoned as cursed, yes, but most Outlanders Jigano had met were either fine with their magic, or saw it as a blessing.
He listened to Oliver explain Sunjata’s change, glad that the tall man hadn’t been unkind to the youth, but Jigano only gave a slight shake of his head, thinking back to their day shifting mud. ”He didn’t seem happy when I saw him in his panther form,” he said quietly. The animal forms had been at best a distraction, but they had done nothing to solve Sunjata’s problems with Lusea’s disappearance. ”If it made him happier, it was only briefly.” Indeed, Oliver couldn’t know all that Jigano had been through either, or the weight of guilt, frustration, and shame that he carried – and had carried as an Attuned, long before Safrin’s curse had fallen on him. He couldn’t know what Remi had endured; the loss of memories, the loss of loves, the deaths of friends, the Blighting of his husband… but Remi was also one of the strongest and most accomplished mages in the Hollowed Grounds, and his strength of character came from a place deeper than either his magic or his animal shifts. Eventually he would learn that Caido had a habit of grinding people down regardless of their race. For now, though, his earnest optimism was a welcome ray of sunshine and Jigano found himself smiling at the mention of so many lectures.
”You’re an Outlander, new to this world and its dangers,” he pointed out gently. ”And you have no memories to guide you. The lectures come from a place of concern, of wanting you to survive long enough to get to know you, rather than from any dislike, I think. It depends on the person, of course… but most people here do mean well.”
He listened as Oliver’s explanation turned to a rant, arching a brow at the sudden swearing that punctuated what came across as an emotional outburst. ”Then why don’t you trust them to like you for who you are?” he asked simply, in return.
He listened to Oliver explain Sunjata’s change, glad that the tall man hadn’t been unkind to the youth, but Jigano only gave a slight shake of his head, thinking back to their day shifting mud. ”He didn’t seem happy when I saw him in his panther form,” he said quietly. The animal forms had been at best a distraction, but they had done nothing to solve Sunjata’s problems with Lusea’s disappearance. ”If it made him happier, it was only briefly.” Indeed, Oliver couldn’t know all that Jigano had been through either, or the weight of guilt, frustration, and shame that he carried – and had carried as an Attuned, long before Safrin’s curse had fallen on him. He couldn’t know what Remi had endured; the loss of memories, the loss of loves, the deaths of friends, the Blighting of his husband… but Remi was also one of the strongest and most accomplished mages in the Hollowed Grounds, and his strength of character came from a place deeper than either his magic or his animal shifts. Eventually he would learn that Caido had a habit of grinding people down regardless of their race. For now, though, his earnest optimism was a welcome ray of sunshine and Jigano found himself smiling at the mention of so many lectures.
”You’re an Outlander, new to this world and its dangers,” he pointed out gently. ”And you have no memories to guide you. The lectures come from a place of concern, of wanting you to survive long enough to get to know you, rather than from any dislike, I think. It depends on the person, of course… but most people here do mean well.”
He listened as Oliver’s explanation turned to a rant, arching a brow at the sudden swearing that punctuated what came across as an emotional outburst. ”Then why don’t you trust them to like you for who you are?” he asked simply, in return.
