Aonghas's scoff at the gods earned a raised brow and a faint smile. The young laird wasn't the first to disbelieve in the Powers That Be that worked unsettlingly closely with the mortals of Caido, and perhaps he'd be lucky enough to evade their notice for a while. "Keeping a healthy distance from them isn't a bad idea," he said with a crooked smile that held more rue than humor. "They can be a capricious lot. They can grant great power... but they're quick to curse those who don't measure up, too." He'd never thought to view magic as a curse, but what he'd endured before his own recent talents had crawled through the cracks in his soul... well. He wasn't sure the price had been worth the end result, even now.
This wasn't meant to be a day for brooding bitterness or fresh regrets, however. There was a quick and easy way to distract himself from both, and it involved a run, a dive, and an utter lack of his precious dignity. The Memory Mud was dragged along to coat the chute, settling into place with a surprised (pleased?) squelching along its length, and Jigano ended up in the drink. The shallows were brief at best, the Oasis quickly turning deep and dark beyond the edge of the rain-swollen shoreline, and Jigano surfaced with a gasp as he suddenly found himself floundering in deeper water than he expected.
He managed a wave at the compliment, then hurriedly swam back to the edge and slogged ashore, reaching up to squeeze his braid with a teeth-chattering grin as Aonghas joined him after all. A rich laugh rang out - the first in he couldn't remember how long - as the blond surfaced with a shout. "Snowmelt will do that," he agreed, grinning broadly as he jogged back up the hill to keep warm. "Did it get this cold where you're from?" Perhaps, like Melita, he was from a desert area? Either way, Jigano wasted no further time before taking a second run at the slide, yelping in surprise as the Memory Mud seemed to push him along, making him go far faster than his initial trip, and shooting him out even further into the water at the end.
This wasn't meant to be a day for brooding bitterness or fresh regrets, however. There was a quick and easy way to distract himself from both, and it involved a run, a dive, and an utter lack of his precious dignity. The Memory Mud was dragged along to coat the chute, settling into place with a surprised (pleased?) squelching along its length, and Jigano ended up in the drink. The shallows were brief at best, the Oasis quickly turning deep and dark beyond the edge of the rain-swollen shoreline, and Jigano surfaced with a gasp as he suddenly found himself floundering in deeper water than he expected.
He managed a wave at the compliment, then hurriedly swam back to the edge and slogged ashore, reaching up to squeeze his braid with a teeth-chattering grin as Aonghas joined him after all. A rich laugh rang out - the first in he couldn't remember how long - as the blond surfaced with a shout. "Snowmelt will do that," he agreed, grinning broadly as he jogged back up the hill to keep warm. "Did it get this cold where you're from?" Perhaps, like Melita, he was from a desert area? Either way, Jigano wasted no further time before taking a second run at the slide, yelping in surprise as the Memory Mud seemed to push him along, making him go far faster than his initial trip, and shooting him out even further into the water at the end.
