[SE] Mudslide on the rocks

Jigano stood shivering as Aenghas bobbed at the end of the slide, waiting for the other man to clear the way so he could take his own run. "Foresight wasn't one of my spells, no," he corrected with a wry smile. "But I could channel divine magic in other ways. On my world, Oracles were born with the ability to access the divine without being tied to a single god or pantheon, unlike clerics or priests who chose a deity to forge a bond with. I could heal, magically focus my memory to recall past details, create light and water... things like that." His bardic magic had been far more powerful as he had relied on and trained it to survive, but he had never lost sight of his roots or heritage until the portal to Caido had torn it from him. And since arriving he had worked hard to build back a relationship with the local divinities - especially Ludo.

As soon as Aonghas began to move away Jigano flung himself down the slide again, whooping as he twisted so he was going down headfirst on his back. His laughter dissolved into bubbles as he hit the water and struggled to the surface again, wheezing again at the cold even through his enjoyment of the game. Unlike his companion he didn't linger but struck out after the blond immediately, and saw Aonghas collapse on a leg that buckled. The bard's slow progress turned to a powerful stroke as he hurried ashore, clambering out onto the muddy verge and reaching the other man's side, the question on music momentarily forgotten.

"Can you wiggle your toes?" he asked, voice deceptively calm and efficient as he flashed the blond a reassuring smile. "What happened?" He stretched his fingers towards pale, muddy skin, then hesitated. He arched a brow at Aonghas in silent request for permission to touch him before going any further. The injury wasn't life-threatening, and they had time to work out what the young laird would allow to be done to fix it.

Letting go of his ankle he thought it a better idea to properly examine the damage so he pulled off his boot. Easier said than done however due to the water causing his clothes to stick to him, shoes and all. Aonghas opted to just take the forceful route rather than trying to gingerly wriggle it off and when he did so felt another jolt of pain fire up his leg. He scrunched up his face and managed to hold in any kind of pained squawk that wanted to come out.

At first he didn’t notice Jiagno appearing at his side at all and was scowling down at his injury, a finger poised to give the area a poke. He looked up when the bard spoke, feeling incredibly small all of a sudden. But he tested out if he could in fact wiggle his toes.

He could. It hurt.

”I can, yes. I don’t think it’s too bad, really. The look on his face said otherwise,with one eye screwed shut as he tried to move his foot more.

”I think may have rolled my ankle in all the excitement.” He nodded to the chute with a strained laugh. ”Just sheer clumsiness, really.”

Immediately he began to think he may have to hobble back to the Infirmary and he had the thought he may have to look for a large stick for balance. When Jigano reached his hand forward, Aonghas instinctively flinched away. However he had thought perhaps the bard had more knowledge, or at least a quick fix that would allow him to get back to the Infirmary with less strain. He nodded his approval for Jigano to proceed. All the while his face flushing red as he sat quietly mortified at the situation.

Wiggling was good. The tendons were alright, then, and nothing was likely broken. Jigano glanced up as Aonghas offered his opinion of the damage, but the look on his face earned a faint snort of wry amusement from the bard. "Well, perhaps you've a higher pain tolerance than most," he agreed, "but it looks a bit worse for wear to me." He wasn't a doctor like Isla had been, but he was a healer long before he'd come to Caido, and he'd studied with Isla before her untimely demise (and subsequent resurrection as a unicorn, before her soul had faded from that form, too). He knew a thing or two about injuries and the scrapes, sprains, pulled muscles, and bruises that were annoying enough to need treatment without being serious enough to justify the use of limited magical charges - at least, not justified on his world, where such things came at greater cost.

The blond man's reasoning made sense, and Jigano's smile turned sympathetic as he nodded. "Mud can bring out the klutz in anyone," he offered. The flinch a moment later had him pausing, and he waited for the other man to relax before continuing to reach forward and gently press his fingers over the ankle, checking for lumps or bumps where they shouldn't be that might indicate something had shifted out of place. As soon as he touched the other man's skin his own seemed to grow warm, heat pooling in his palms and itching to flow towards the injured flesh beyond, but he held it in check a moment longer. "Nasty sprain, but I think I can do something about it." He looked up solemnly at his muddy friend, tilting his head to the side in askance. "I have recently developed... well, re-developed, really... healing magic that should have this right as rain in a few minutes. Will you let me use it on you?" A formal request, for even on his own world there were those who didn't want magic used on them, even if it was beneficial, and he wanted to try and honor that if Aenghas had similar beliefs.

As much as the misbehaving slippery earth was prone to bring out the klutz in anyone, Aonghas still couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. Not scraping so easily was what he was accustomed to so having a higher pain threshold than a normal mortal hadn’t even crossed his mind. However his steadily swelling ankle was definitely painful and he couldn’t quite remember if he had suffered such a ridiculous injury before.

Still, he relaxed a little as the bard seemed to know a bit about what he was doing but tensed slightly when Jigano’s palms connected with his skin. He responded to the diagnoses with a strained smile. At least it’s only a sprain.

”Aye, please do. I’d appreciate your help.” He gave an appreciative nod and permission for Jigano to continue.

Although, hearing that he had ‘re-developed’ magic gave him pause. When the bard began to use his magic Aonghas decided to press him on that.

”You re-devolped your magic? Do you think your abilities from your own world are returning to you?” His voice was eager; hopeful.

With permission to go ahead, Jigano smiled reassuringly at his erstwhile patient and reached inside him for the sparkling threads of magic that had appeared there recently. The ones he sensed as 'golden' hummed as he plucked lightly at them, drawing their energy down his arms and into his hands where it pooled as heat for a moment before sinking into Aonghas's skin. The bard kept his hand in place, concentrating on directing the flow of energy as best he could so it was neither too fast nor too weak as he coaxed bruised flesh and tendons back to wholeness.

"No," he admitted regretfully as he worked. "The abilities I've been developing here are... outwardly there is some similarity. But how the magic feels, what it entails to use it... that is all different. I've made a study of the magic of Caido and everything I've developed so far falls within the bounds of this world, not mine." He looked up, a slightly pained, lopsided smile on his sharp-featured face as he noted the other man's hopefulness, which seemed far more than kindness for a near-stranger could account for. "What abilities did you have on your world that you're hoping to recover, though?"

Aonghas leaned back on his palms, mostly to get out of the way, and watched carefully as Jigano performed his craft. With a tilted head and as much of a smile as he could muster through the pain, he observed the bard’s look of concentration. Then back to the healing hands as he was sure he began to feel a strange sensation, although it was hard to see the bruised flesh from this angle even with craning his neck too look.

The “no” brought him out of his curiosity and he looked up again. ”I…think I understand.” Unsure how to answer the question that followed, Aonghas turned his head away slightly and his fingertips curled into the moist earth beneath them. He had been told before that he was now an accepted and without his power. Loren had suggested he pray for a fragment of what he had lost but he had already decided he wouldn’t dare go cap in hand to any God here. Jigano’s statement only backed up what he had been told and it made it feel final.

”Nothing that I can’t live without, if I’m honest.” It wasn’t something he had ever tried to live without. He had lived as something completely different to what he was here, trying to encapsulate what that was in words and then explain it just didn’t seem possible to him. At least not right now anyway.

”I suppose it just feels as though, I’m a little incomplete. Like I’m missing an arm or some other valuable appendage.” the short laugh that followed was a hollow one.

Shaking his head he nodded towards the bard’s efforts once more. ”It’s a darn good shout that if I was to stumble, quite literally, in on anyone that it was someone who rediscovered their healing magic.” He forced a grin. ”Ah- and thank you, by the way.” He wouldn’t forget his courtesies.

"An elegant way to avoid the question," Jigano agreed with a chuckle as he set the ankle to rights and sat back on his heels, meeting Aonghas's eyes frankly. "Though there may be ways to come somewhat close to what you had before. If I knew what it was you were missing I might be able to offer suggestions." He shrugged lightly, not wanting to press, but not wanting his companion in muddiness to lose all hope, either, when there might yet be a glimmer of it somewhere.

He nodded sympathetically to the feeling Aonghas described, knowing exactly what he meant. "It took me almost a year to come to terms with it myself," he admitted quietly. "And even then I still felt some envy for others. But now..." He hesitated, then shook his head with a sigh. "I don't know. I'd be lying if I said part of me wasn't elated to have back at least a semblance of what I lost, but the price was... it was higher than I would have willingly paid, had I been given a choice in the matter." Even now if he let his memories drift too far back he would find himself recalling the stellar shackles that had bound him, and the impossibly cruel choices Safrin had confronted him with.

The gratitude was admittedly welcome, and the bard smiled as he stood and offered the blond a hand back to his feet. "Loren's better at it than I am, and there are a few others running about with it," he offered with a chuckle. "Though they might not have been able to heal you quite as thoroughly. Still, I'm glad I was able to help after the way you helped me with the slide! Thank you for that. I've been sorely in need of a laugh and today was just the thing for it." Even if they were now wet and chilled in the early spring air!

Ankle healed and his boot pulled back on, Aonghas smirked, appreciating that Jigano was at least very gentle with his needling. Knowing that right now he could pass his reluctance to give information as anguishing from the rawness of losing it. Something that wasn’t an entire fabrication either. His eyes narrowed a little and he pursed his lips, as if giving serious thought on whether to give anything away.

”I suppose it’s just that, there are many in my world, and here of course that can get by with their day to day without magic. I should perhaps try to emulate that as a means to fit in here a little better. Especially if magic isn’t wholly well received.“ He looked up from lowered brows and spoke with a light tone, ”no offence.”

Pausing, he wondered what suggestions exactly the Loreseeker could offer. ”However, I feel perhaps when I am more adjusted… or ready, I can seek out your advice?” If there were some other way to get his abilities back without the interference of any deities then he would be glad to hear it. Although Jigano had already let on that he wasn’t exactly a staunch supporter of the Gods, Aonghas still knew better than to mouth off with any vehement disregards for them on his part.

With a sympathetic glance to the bard he wondered what price he had to pay exactly, and if it were even appropriate for him to ask given the apparent newness of the reemergence of Jigano's powers. ”I suppose in the heat of the moment we have the tendency to lose ourselves and often don’t weigh the cost against reward.” He regarded Jiagno with a concerned look for a moment before he made to stand up.

Aonghas took his hand and used his other to push himself up from the ground. Noting that both of his had been submerged in the memory mud he made an apologetic gesture when he pulled his hand back from Jigano’s. ”Ah- sorry!” In a manner quite unbecoming he wiped both mucky appendages down the front of his tunic.

He smirked and then moved his foot around to see how well it had in fact healed. Looking back up to Jigano with all the glee of a child who had just gotten a restrictive cast taken off. ”Well, thank you for the thoroughness then. You’d never know I’d made such a production over it!” He said with a chuckle, his own mind moving past the grimness of the prior conversation.

Aonghas looked to the slide. ”You’re welcome. I’m glad I was able to offer some distraction for you.” He hadn’t experienced the loss or grief so recently that Jigano had, but his own mood had lifted somewhat too. ”I have to agree though. It’s certainly been a while since I’ve gone rolling around in the mud for the joy of it.” As tragically sincere as that statement was he masked it with a laugh.

”None taken,” Jigano agreed easily, smile quirking up a bit wryly. ”It’s only the truth. Outlanders tend to be fairly relaxed about it, and some respect it a great deal, but the Naturals have a history of looking on it less favorably, at least if it’s flaunted. No reason to seek trouble where you don’t have to.” The bard’s grin widened at the next question and he would have bowed if they hadn’t been kneeling in the muck. ”But the Loreseekers exist for exactly that purpose, and I’d be more than happy to help whenever you’re ready. Perhaps you’ll even consider joining us, if you find you enjoy asking questions of the world,” he teased gently, though there was a solid core of truth to his words and genuine warmth in his eyes in spite of his chilled clothing.

Aonghas’s sympathy was appreciated, even if it was misplaced. Jigano only shrugged. ”It was no reward that I sought, nor was it intended as such. I’m not sure it was intended at all, so much as a… side effect,” he added after a moment’s thought. ”Albeit an appropriate one, I suppose, for how this world views it.” A curse, after all, wasn’t supposed to make things easier on him. Not in the long run at least.

Once they were both standing again Jigano just chuckled at the apology and shook his head, using a judicious application of his earth magic to lift the muck from his skin and back to the ground. ”No harm done,” he assured companion. Mostly his attention was focused on the newly-Healed foot and making sure that Aonghas could walk on it, and he flashed the other man a grin. ”I’m glad I could help!” He followed the other man’s glance to the mudslide and his smile turned a tad rueful. ”I was never one to get mucky for the fun of it, even as a child, but I’m trying to learn to let go a little more. Today was very welcome – much more so thanks to your company,” he added warmly.

Seeking trouble for trouble’s sake was something Aonghas was happy to put behind him now. If the cost of keeping a low profile was being without his magic then that was just the price he would have to pay. He gave Jigano an affirming nod.

It was true that all he seemed to do since his arrival was ask questions that weren’t perhaps the norm to be asking when one finds themselves stuck on the far end of a magic portal. Still, the bard’s offer wasn’t something he would take lightly. ”As always I am appreciative of any help that can be offered. Maybe when I fully understand, with how I now am, what I can offer this world I could then apply that to a Guild.” He offered a friendly smile. Certainly from the Guilds he had heard of so far, the Loreseekers had fallen into something more of his skillset. Monster Hunting and Artistry weren’t at all his forte.

Aonghas chuckled as he carefully made his way over to where he had left his cloak, cautious about aggravating his newly healed ligaments. ”Well in that case I’m glad I was able to assist you with tapping into the childish joy of frolicking around in the dirt.” He grinned over his shoulder before picking up the cloak and shaking it out, making sure to get as much of said dirt off of the garment as he could. He was still sopping wet and colder than he had been on arrival but the cloak would offer better protection than nothing.

”I feel though I may have had a little bit too much childish joy, enough for today at least.” As he spoke he gave a gentle shake of his foot.

Not that he had been anticipating running into anyone else today but he had also appreciated the bard’s company. ”Perhaps if you too are done for the day I could request your further company back to town?” He gestured back from the direction that he thought he had come in. If not however he was content to leave the bard to his magic and carefully make his way back to the manor.

"Caution befits a Loreseeker," Jigano affirmed with a grin. "Take your time and weigh your options. You're welcome to ask questions of us regardless, as we do offer discounts for newly-arrived Outlanders who need a little help finding their feet." He was joking, of course - they'd answer questions for free until a body had something they could trade, such as food or labor. Helping Outlanders was, in fact, one of the primary reasons the Guild had been started!

He smiled ruefully as Aonghas swung his cloak around his shoulders, wishing he had fire or water magic that he could use to dry them off with, but a brisk walking pace should keep them warm, until they could find a nice fireplace in town to park in front of. "We were a bit overenthusiastic," he agreed with a chuckle. "But I'd be happy to accompany you. I could do with a warm fire and a warm drink to chase away the cold inside and out." He could have shifted forms to dry himself off, of course, but that seemed rude when Aonghas couldn't do the same. "Lead on, friend. I'll join you at least as far as Sunjata's new bar." It would let him make sure that the ankle was properly healed as well, since it had been his first time using his magic on a human. Better safe than sorry!

{FINISH}